Chinese firms get more adept in effectively managing takeovers of foreign companies

Chinese companies, often rich in capital but with limited experience in managing cross-border investment, have been putting more efforts into sharpening their skills on post-merger integration as the latest wave of outbound mergers and acquisitions presents a number of major challenges.

Anbang Insurance Group Co Ltd, the Beijing-based insurer which gained prominence for its high-profile global acquisitions, is among the Chinese companies that have started reaping rewards from their overseas acquisitions thanks to the effective execution of post-merger strategies.

South Korean firm Tongyang Life Insurance Co, which Anbang acquired for $1 billion last September, saw its net profit hit a record high of 155.5 billion won ($136 million) in the first half of this year, up by 18.2 percent from a year earlier. Sales revenue also soared by 76.6 percent to reach 4.09 trillion won.

Senior executives at Anbang and Tongyang Life attributed the improvement in business to the adoption of Anbang's business strategies and management concepts.

While maintaining the stability of Tongyang's South Korean management team, Anbang introduced some bold reforms including introducing a flattened corporate structure with greater emphasis on capability instead of age and seniority.

Such arrangements have improved the firm's operational efficiency and service quality, which in turn helped reduce client complaints, according to Zhang Ke, vice-president and chief financial officer of Tongyang Life Insurance.

Anbang also established a special committee for budget control to ensure that costs are under tight control while maintaining the quality of its service and products.

"We make our goals clear, which are controlling costs, while enhancing productivity and competitiveness," said Han S. Koo, president and chief executive of Tongyang Life Insurance.

Anbang's emphasis on mobile technology and the internet has boosted Tongyang's premium income, and the ratio of sales through smartphones has been lifted from just 10 percent in 2013 to 50 percent today.

By absorbing Anbang's management ideas, Tongyang Life Insurance has become a leading insurer in South Korea and gained the opportunity to become an international player thanks to the broader investment access provided by the Chinese parent company.

Anbang also improved the pay structure at Tongyang Life Insurance, encouraging local employees and motivating them to contribute ideas which are proving beneficial for the company.

The case of Anbang and its South Korean subsidiary could show that Chinese companies, instead of just pouring capital overseas, are beginning to export and practice their management skills in cross-border post-merger integration.

Industry experts said that the change in the way Chinese firms work with their investments and their willingness to motivate local management would help drive stronger business performance in the future.

"We've seen changes in the way Chinese firms work with their investments on the ground. Chinese firms are now more willing to allow local management a greater stake in the operation, therefore incentivizing management to work with the new owners," said Annabella Fu van Bijnen, a partner at law firm Linklaters LLP.

"This allows local management to continue working within the business, but also empowers them to make good decisions and drive stronger performance," she said.

China's outbound foreign direct investment reached $99 billion in the first half of this year, more than 50 percent up from the same period last year, according to a report by accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP.

Grace Tso, M&A Partner at law firm Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong said that there are similarities in M&A deals which end up in a successful integration.

"Of all elements, the most crucial ones will be planning and communication: An organized, detailed planning and clear, frequent and consistent communication, both between function teams and employees internally and to the market externally," she said.

Despite the surge in the volume and value of outbound M&A deals carried out by Chinese firms, bridging the cultural divide and tackling complex cross-border issues involving financing, contracting, and the environment remain daunting challenges, industry experts said.

"The desire for expansion poses a critical challenge to the overseas investment and operating abilities of Chinese enterprises. 'Going out' is not the ultimate goal, rather, the key is how far you can go and how successful you become," said Albert Ng, China managing partner at Ernst & Young LLP.

China's outbound FDI could reach a record high in 2016, exceeding $170 billion, according to Ernst & Young.

"The challenges for Chinese enterprises are to improve their strategic decision-making and operating capabilities, seize the opportunities and generate new drivers for growth in order to surviveand thrivein the international markets," Ng said.

Tracy Wut, M&A Partner at Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong, said that there is no one-size-fits-all integration process but some key elements, including identifying the group's strategic objectives set by the senior management, will help make a successful integration.

"Key management personnel should continue to be involved in both comprehensive information gathering phase and in strategic and tactical decision-making during the ensuing analysis phase," Wut said.

Successful cases such as South Korea's Tongyang Life Insurance may help to defuse suspicions regarding massive overseas buyouts by Chinese firms that have recently encountered growing obstacles in some Western countries, such as the German authorities' withdrawal of the approval of a Chinese company's takeover of German chip equipment maker Aixtron SE.

Chinese industry experts said that the move will hamper the 670-million-euro ($742 million) deal by Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund LP and have negatively impacted on the credibility of the German government.

Jing Shuiyu and Zhou Wa contributed to this story
The United Nations said it was investigating an incident in which more than 30 civilians were killed in US air strikes called in support of a special forces raid on suspected Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan on Thursday. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 32 people had been killed and 19 wounded in the strikes in Buz Kandahari near Kunduz, the vast majority women and children. The deaths add to a growing civilian casualty total in Afghanistan, where 95 have been killed and 111 injured in the past week alone, according to U.N. figures. "The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts toward building peace and stability in Afghanistan," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. "When conducting aerial operations, international military forces should take all feasible measures to minimize civilian harm, including full analysis of the context for aerial strikes," he said in a statement. The US military acknowledged on Saturday that the air strikes had probably caused civilian casualties and promised an investigation. The top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, expressed deep regret for the loss of innocent life. The strikes were called in to protect a team of Afghan special forces and their US advisers who came under heavy fire during a raid on suspected Taliban commanders. Three Afghan soldiers and two Americans were killed in the fighting. REUTERS CJ BL2215 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1011455.Xml
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe today of abetting terrorism by supporting Kurdish militants and said he did not care if it called him a dictator.Turkey drew international condemnation for the arrest on Friday of leaders and lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the second-largest opposition grouping in parliament, as part of a terrorism investigation.The government accuses the HDP, which made history last year by becoming the first Kurdish party to win 10 percent of the vote and enter parliament, of financing and supporting an armed Kurdish insurgency, which it denies.The HDP announced a partial boycott of parliament on Sunday, saying it was "halting its legislative efforts" and that its deputies would stop participating in sessions of the legislature or meetings of parliamentary commissions.The action against the HDP has heightened concern among Western allies about the state of democracy in Turkey, a NATO member which aspires to join the European Union and which is a buffer between Europe and the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.More than 110,000 officials - from soldiers and judges to teachers and journalists - have been detained or suspended since a failed military coup in July, in what Erdogan's critics say is a crackdown on all forms of dissent."I don't care if they call me dictator or whatever else, it goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me," Erdogan said in a speech at an Istanbul university, where he was receiving an honorary doctorate.Erdogan and the government are furious at what they see as Western criticism of their fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and whose allied groups in Syria enjoy US support in the fight against Islamic State.Erdogan said the PKK, listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and United States, had killed almost 800 members of the security forces and more than 300 civilians since a ceasefire in the largely Kurdish southeast collapsed last year.A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for a car bomb in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Friday which killed 11 and wounded at least 100 hours after the HDP detentions, according to a website close to the militants. Islamic State had also claimed the attack, according to the group's Amaq news agency."Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK a terrorist organisation, this is clear," Erdogan said. "We see how the PKK can act so freely and comfortably in Europe."Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik has called European ambassadors to a meeting in Ankara tomorrow to brief them on the latest developments, a statement from his ministry said."TURN BACK WHILE YOU CAN"HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were jailed pending trial on Friday after refusing to give testimony in a probe linked to "terrorist propaganda". Ten other HDP lawmakers were also detained, though some were later released .The United States expressed deep concern, while Germany and Denmark summoned Turkish diplomats over the Kurdish arrests. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the actions "call into question the basis for the sustainable relationship between the EU and Turkey"."After discussions with our parliamentary group and our central executive board, we have decided to halt our legislative efforts in light of everything that has happened," HDP spokesman Ayhan Bilgen said in a statement read out in front of the party's offices in Diyarbakir and broadcast online.HDP officials would consult with the party's supporters, many of whom are in the largely Kurdish southeast, and could then consider a full withdrawal from parliament, he said.Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the HDP had been funding terrorism and that "not only those bombing and burning, but also those supporting terror" would pay the price. The party's deputies would be betraying the people if they failed to attend parliament sessions, he said."For years, we called on you to say you are against terror and terrorist organisations. You would not listen ... For years, they transferred the money we sent for the municipalities to terror," Yildirim said in a televised speech."Turn back from this road while it's still possible ... Come to parliament and say what you have to say," he said.In an earlier speech today, he vowed Turkey would pursue its campaign against all groups it considers "terrorists", including the PKK and its allies. Turkey launched a military incursion into Syria in August to push Islamic State militants from its border and stop Kurdish fighters gaining ground."The more we continue our fight, the more we see them squealing. No matter what they say, this battle will continue until our red crescent and starred flag waves across every province," he said."Let all of their supporters know this, inside and outside Turkey."REUTERS RJ RK2310 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1011472.Xml
A week-old ceasefire between the forces of two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia broke down today as fighting over a disputed border area erupted again, killing at least 20 people, army officials on both sides said.Galmudug and Puntland are clashing in the town of Galkayo, which straddles their common border and is divided under the control of rival clan militias. As violence between these groups began to escalate a month ago, schools in Galkayo were forced to close and some people fled the town.Under terms of a ceasefire deal mediated by Dubai and which was welcomed by the two sides and Somalia's federal president, forces of both regions were supposed to be withdrawn from the disputed area this past week.The deal also called for those who had fled Galkayo due to previous fighting to be allowed to return."We were shocked to see Puntland forces inside Galkayo south and pounding us with shells and bullets," Hirsi Yusuf Barre, mayor of Galkayo south, which is controlled by militias loyal to Galmudug, told Reuters."We lost seven soldiers and 20 others were wounded. We also lost a car. We repulsed them and now Galkayo is calm", he addedEach region blames the other for starting the fighting."Galmudug does not want peace, we shall continue fighting till we cleanse Galmudug forces," Col Mohamed Aden, a military officer from Puntland told Reuters today.Aden said their side had lost 12 soldiers and that over 20 others were injured. They also captured two vehicles and four prisoners from Galmudug forces."We also took some land in the outskirts of Galkayo," he said.Mahad Ali Mohamed, a reporter for Codkamudug, a Galmudug radio station was also killed in the crossfire, Hanad Abdi Farah, the station's manager, told Reuters today."Bullets hit him in the head, it was in the morning and he was from home and heading to the radio station," Farah said, adding Mohamed was rushed to the hospital but died of his wounds today afternoon.Somalia has been gripped by conflict since the downfall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in early 1990s, and Islamist militant group Al Shabaab has been one of the main causes of unrest in the last two decades. REUTERS RJ SHK 2315 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1011474.Xml
TEHRAN, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian nuclear official said that West's cyber attack against Iran's nuclear facilities raised the country's awareness to embark on a new scientific field to ward off further acts of sabotage, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) owes gratitude to the United States and Israel for cyber attacks on Iran's nuclear industry, Head of the AEOI Ali Akbar Salehi said, adding that the country was not as vigilant as it is now before the Stuxnet worms attacked its facilities.

The cyber attack helped Iran enter into a new field of science for testing various equipment to detect any industrial sabotage, Salehi told Tasnim.

In September 2010, the Islamic republic said that Stuxnet computer worm infected 30,000 IP addresses in Iran but Iranian Foreign Ministry denied reports that a cyber worm had damaged computer systems at the country's nuclear power plant.

Stuxnet is the first discovered worm that spies on and reprograms industrial systems. It is specifically written to attack SCADA systems which are used to control and monitor industrial processes.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of being behind the attack.

The AEOI is pursuing legal action against perpetrators of the cyber attack on the country's nuclear establishments, Salehi said.
CAIRO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 militants were killed in military raids in the cities of Arish and Sheikh Zuweid in Egypt's restive North Sinai governorate bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, Egyptian military authorities said on Saturday.

"The forces raided vast areas in Sinai and destroyed three of the most dangerous armed terrorist dens," military spokesman Mohamed Samir said in a statement.

He also said the forces found and ruined 57 explosive devices, destroyed four hiding places and an ambush house, and seized a large number of weapons, explosives and ammunition.

A military brigadier general was killed by three terrorists outside his home in North Sinai late Friday and a judge escaped a blast in Cairo earlier in the day.

In mid-October, at least 20 soldiers were killed in a series of blasts and armed attacks in two days in North Sinai.

There has been growing terrorism in Egypt since the military removed former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Subsequent security crackdown against his loyalists, mostly from the Brotherhood, left about 1,000 of them killed and thousands more arrested and the group was eventually blacklisted as a terrorist organization.

Anti-government attacks over the past few years have killed hundreds of police and military personnel, with a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State claiming responsibility for most of them.

Meanwhile, the security forces killed over 1,000 militants and arrested a similar number of suspects in the chaotic peninsula as part of the country's "war against terrorism" declared by then military-chief and now-President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's ouster.
KABUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A dozen journalists and reporters have been killed in insurgency-plagued Afghanistan since January this year.

Nematullah Zaheer, an Afghan journalist working for a local television, became the latest victim on Friday. He was killed in a roadside bomb in the southern Helmand province while covering security situation there.

Denouncing attacks on journalists, the country's union of journalists - Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), in a statement, called on the government to protect the life and properties of journalists in the country.

"The current year, 2016, has been registered as the bloodiest year for journalists as 12 journalists have been killed in the country and violence against journalists is on rise," the AJSC said.

In mid October, another journalist, Yaqub Sharafat, was gunned down by unknown armed men in Zabul province and the culprits made their good escape.

A violent attack on journalists claimed the lives of two more reporters including Afghan journalist Zabihullah Tamana and an American reporter in Helmand province early in June this year.

Moreover, a suicide bombing for which Taliban claimed responsibility killed seven staff of the private Tolo television, Afghanistan's first 24-hour news channel, in January 2016.

"I am personally concerned over security threats against journalists and government's failure to ensure their security would claim more lives of journalists and eventually damage the development of media in the country," Afghan journalist Abdullah told Xinhua.
The released 21 Chibok school girls wait to meet Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa)

ABUJA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian army has identified a Chibok girl who recently escaped from the den of terror group Boko Haram.

Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement reaching Xinhua that the troops of 121 Battalion deployed at Pulka, an area in Gwoza district of Borno State, discovered the girl while screening some escapees from Boko Haram terrorists' hideout in Sambisa forest early Saturday.

"She was discovered to be carrying a 10-month-old son," the army spokesman said, adding the girl and her baby have been taken to a medical facility for proper medical check-up.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (C) meets with the released 21 Chibok school girls at the State House in Abuja, Nigeria, Oct. 19, 2016.(Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa)

More than 200 schools girls were seized by armed men who stormed their dormitories on the night of April 14, 2014, at the Girls Secondary School in Chibok. Some had managed to escape while others remained unaccounted for.

On Oct. 13, 21 girls were freed following negotiations between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The Nigerian government said it will continue with the negotiations for the release of other girls still in Boko Haram's captivity.
A man smokes a cigarette at a public place in Manila on October 13, 2016. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will this month ban smoking in public, the health department said Wednesday, further strengthening some of the toughest tobacco regulation in Asia. (AFP PHOTO/NOEL CELIS)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- People who smoke one pack of cigarettes a day develop an average of 150 extra mutations in their lungs every year, according to a new study that helps explain why smokers have such a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Other organs were also affected, with the study showing that a pack a day led to an estimated average 97 mutations in each cell in the larynx, 39 mutations for the pharynx, 23 mutations for mouth, 18 mutations for bladder, and 6 mutations in every cell of the liver each year.

"Before now, we had a large body of epidemiological evidence linking smoking with cancer, but now we can actually observe and quantify the molecular changes in the DNA due to cigarette smoking," Ludmil Alexandrov, co-led author from the Los Alamos National Laboratory said in a statement.

The findings were published this week in the U.S. journal Science.

Cigarettes contain more than 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 known to cause cancer. Although previous studies have associated cigarette smoking with increased risk for 17 different types of cancer, including cancer in tissue not directly exposed to smoke, it has remained unclear how smoking causes cancers.

For this study, researchers looked at over 5,000 tumours, comparing cancers from smokers with cancers from people who had never smoked.

They found particular molecular fingerprints of DNA damage -- called mutational signatures -- in the smokers' DNA, and they counted the number of these particular mutations in different tumours.

The study revealed at least five distinct processes of DNA damage due to cigarette smoking.

The most widespread of these is a mutational signature already found in all cancers, which "seems to accelerate the speed of a cellular clock that mutates DNA prematurely," they said.

"The genome of every cancer provides a kind of 'archaeological record,' written in the DNA code itself, of the exposures that caused the mutations that lead to the cancer," Professor Sir Mike Stratton, joint lead author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, explained. "Our research indicates that the way tobacco smoking causes cancer is more complex than we thought."

Tobacco smoking claims the lives of at least six million people every year and, if current trends continue, the World Health Organization predicts more than one billion tobacco-related deaths in this century.
by Mahmoud Fouly, Ahmed Afyouni

LUXOR, Egypt, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- After five years of political turmoil, Egyptians hope for a strong recovery of the tourism sector, especially after Upper Egypt's city of Luxor was chosen by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the 2016 World Tourism Capital.

In late October, Luxor hosted the two-day 104th meeting of UNWTO Executive Council attended by some 170 representatives from 50 countries, including 11 tourism officials.

"Tourism in Egypt gets ill but never dies," UNWTO chief Taleb Rifai told the meeting. "The high level of attendance at this meeting is a confirmation of the confidence of the international tourism community in Egypt."

Despite tourism decline and security issues resulting from the past few years of political turmoil, Luxor, a city steeped in history, still looks as bright as ever with its ancient Egyptian antiquities and monuments, such as the famous Karnak Temple constructed by the pharaohs some 3,500 years ago.

Ahmed Taha al-Rashidi, a 35-year-old tour guide in Luxor, expressed optimism about tourism recovery in the ancient city.

"We started to feel rebirth of the value of our historical monuments and their historical and cultural significance to the world," the man told Xinhua at the yard of Karnak Temple.

Bashir Sobhi al-Naggar, owner of a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage, said that tourism deterioration following the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak "greatly affected all the people in Luxor who rely on tourism as their main and sometimes only source of income."

"We have rising hopes that tourism will return soon as we now see a reasonable number of tourists in Luxor in the beginning of the winter season compared to previous years," the 54-year-old man told Xinhua outside the railway station of the city.

Tourism in Egypt further worsened after a Russian plane crash in Sinai that killed over 200, mostly Russians, in October 2015, an Italian student's mysterious death in Cairo in early February and a tragic crash of an EgyptAir flight in May that killed all 66 people on board, including 15 French nationals.

"We should think outside of the box and try to find alternative tourism markets other than the European one that is affected by non-objective political factors," said Ramadan Haggag, head of Luxor Chamber of Tourism

He said that Egypt has signed several agreements with China in 2016, with the goal of refreshing the Egyptian tourism with Chinese visitors.

In Sonesta Hotel, more guests were seen in October, which may promise a better winter tourism season that starts in November every year.

"Luxor has already started to receive tourist groups from countries that formerly advised their citizens to avoid travelling to Egypt, such as Britain and Germany," Hesham Radwan, Sonesta Hotel General Manager, told Xinhua.

Glatt Acher, a 60-year-old British tourist and a guest in the hotel, said that Luxor is one of the safest places and its people are among the friendliest and most hospitable in the world.

Another tourist, Van Deventer from Germany, said that he made his decision to visit Luxor and Aswan in Upper Egypt after he learned that Luxor was awarded the World Tourism Capital for 2016.

"Its choice by the UNWTO to host its big meeting also shows that it's completely safe and what we hear in Europe is completely different from what we have seen on the ground," he said.

Mohamed Badr, the governor of Luxor, said that the success of the UNWTO conference in the city sends a clear message of assurance to the whole world about Egypt's safety and security.

"We hope local and foreign media to convey the fact that Egypt is completely qualified to receive tourists from all over the globe," the governor told Xinhua.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/He Canling)

ISTANBUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday lauded frequent high-level exchanges with China, saying they are important in promoting bilateral ties as well as communication and coordination between the two countries.

In his meeting with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Istanbul, Erdogan spoke of his last talks with President Xi Jinping in early September on the sidelines of the G20 summit in eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, in which the Turkish leader said an important understanding was reached with Xi and a strategic planning was mapped out for the development of Turkey-China relations.

The Turkish leader also referred to Wang's meeting with Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek in Ankara a day earlier, when the two co-chaired the first meeting of a governmental cooperation committee mechanism of deputy prime ministerial level between their countries.

Noting that Turkey and China had agreed to deepen cooperation on security and counterterrorism, Erdogan pledged more efforts to address properly Beijing's concerns in this regard.

He voiced hope for boosted cooperation on tourism, investment and mega projects to promote bilateral trade in a balanced way, as Turkey and China boast huge potential for economic and trade cooperation.

He also pledged support for the Belt and Road Initiative, expressing readiness to join hands with China to revive the ancient Silk Road.

For his part, Wang noted that it is the common interest of both countries to deepen a strategic bilateral relationship, as both China and Turkey are key emerging economies and G20 members.

Wang said he visited Turkey with a view to implementing the understanding reached between Xi and Erdogan during their three meetings since last year, part of which is the agreement on a governmental cooperation committee mechanism of deputy prime ministerial level.

During the first meeting under the mechanism, Wang and Simsek coordinated the issues of advancing cooperation on politics, economy and trade, security and culture, as well as of addressing each other's key concerns, the Chinese vice premier told Erdogan.

Wang said the Chinese side has always treated its relations with Turkey from a strategic height, ready to build a solid foundation for political mutual trust, intensify cooperation on security and counterterrorism, work hard toward a balanced trade, promote the harmonization of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Middle Corridor plan on the Turkish side and push for a breakthrough in cooperation on big projects to the benefit of both peoples.

In his meeting with Wang in Ankara a day earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim expressed his understanding of China's concern about the security issue, saying Turkey will not tolerate the separatists trying to split China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

As Turkey and China had agreed on a high-speed rail linking Kars in Turkey's east with the western Turkish city of Edirne, Yildirim voiced hope for joint efforts to advance the project.
In a collection of items as large as towering metal sculptures and delicately crafted furniture, there are some pieces, too, that can draw an incredible amount of attention even from such a tiny pedestal.

The fundamentals of art and craft come into focus through displays of texture and form from more than 20 artists at Its Elemental, the annual exhibition of metal, wood, clay and fiber at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

Its Elemental kicks off with a members opening Friday, Nov. 11 from 6-8 p.m. A public opening takes place Saturday, Nov. 12 from 6-8 p.m. Learn more at FlagArtsCouncil.org.

Jewelry is a timeless testament to culture. Pieces reflect religions, birthdays, commemorate unions between lovers and friends and, simply, add a bit of pizzazz to the human body. These talismans can also serve as helpful reminders of place.

For two jewelry artists, Ryanne Sebern and Zac Kothrade, the principles of material and design have weighed heavily into their practices. No strangers to this exhibition of artists working to elevate ancient artforms, they are showcasing their most recent works that push the creativity of their chosen medium.

Both Arizona natives, Sebern and Kothrade share similarities in their histories and processes. Yet with markedly different styles developed over the last 20 years, their pieces showcase the heights such a craft can summit when trial meets creative ingenuity.

Having worked as a bench jeweler for a time, Kothrade yearned for more creativity, and branched out alone about three years ago. As an independent jewelry artist, his skill has been able to shine through his hand-fabricated designs  making each piece entirely unique even from their counterparts in a series.

A lot inspired by nature, and a lot inspired by the metalwork itself, he said. I want jewelry that compliments the wearer and isnt all about itself. Its something to complement the body. That goes back and forth to the process.

Both artists, too, harness lines and colors of the Arizona landscape in precious stones. Seberns pictorials are, at times, site-specific, as one can look at the piece and recognize the layers of the Grand Canyon or Flagstaff ponderosas. Kothrade also incorporates elements of design to suit the wearer, he said, depending on the body.

Though she abandoned ceramics long ago, devoting her time to metals in 1995, Sebern too has found a relationship to her materials and to the culture of jewelry.

People thousands of years ago were doing something similar to what were doing today, she said of the techniques that require melting, soldering and a lot of fun with a hammer.

Sebern noted the long-standing fashion faux pas that forbade combining different metals into one ensemble. To that she says: Why not? From here, she is able to achieve a certain balance and texture through her processes that incorporate overlay of metals including gold, silver and copper built up to highlight the layers.

Unbound texture is also a focal point each artists achieves using hammers and, conversely, polishing techniques.

The variation in texture establishes a depth in the piece, and Im doing landscapes so if you have different textures you can bring out certain aspects of the landscape by recessing other aspects using texture, she explained. Surface treatment is a huge way of pushing what you are trying to say.

Kothrade noted he developed a type embossing with a hydraulic press that has helped to advance his work. The metal is pressed into rough materials to mimic a pebbled surface, adding dimension and contrast to certain pieces.

The process I used to create that is something Ive learned on my own, and that lends itself to the work, he said, noting his Icicle series as an example. I would call it maybe edgy. Its definitely a unique look, its for somebody who wants something a little bit larger and will draw attention to their wrist.

Aside from aesthetics, both artists maintained it was an interest and love of the materials that brought them to their shared medium in the first place. Though labor intensive and certainly not cost effective, at least when they started out, it has become a way to showcase their affinity for a sculptural, 3-dimensional medium.

It, too, allows for a commitment to sustainability as both utilize recycled base metals in their works, which helps cut down on mining and reflects their own principals and attraction to nature in their work.

After all, Sebern said, You cant be in love with wild places and tear them apart at the same time. You have to figure out how to make a marriage.
By Juan Limachi

LIMA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting, to be hosted in Peru's capital Lima, will boost business opportunities with member economies of the bloc, according to the president of the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), Fredy Gamarra.

The APEC Economic Leaders' Week is set to take place from Nov. 14 to 20.

"It is a good opportunity for us, in the tourism sector," Gamarra told Xinhua, adding "we can have the opportunities for investment, for joint development."

The gathering will bring top entrepreneurs such as Jack Ma, founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, to Lima.

"Business leaders and investors from China will be coming, as well as journalists, to whom we can show everything Peru has to offer, and not just in Lima," said Gamarra.

Business ties between Peru and China have increased in recent years, with a greater number of Chinese business operating in the South American country, he noted.

"I don't have the exact figures ... but I do know that it (China) is our biggest trade partner and our biggest buyer, and I hope that continues to grow," said Gamarra.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached 16 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.

Increasing tourism from China is one of the chamber's goals, he said.

"We ... hope that China increasingly becomes one of our leading markets, but we have to make adjustments, obviously, to be able to receive them, in the area of accommodations, transportation and connectivity," said Gamarra.

Peru's tourism industry needs to better cater to Chinese culinary tastes, among other things, he said.

"We need to train tour guides that speak Chinese, and make signs in Chinese, as well as the usual travel brochures and historical information to offer to tourists," he said.

As a first step, at the APEC summit, the chamber will have the opportunity to showcase Peru's attractions for visiting dignitaries and business leaders, and Chinese-speaking hosts are being readied to meet with China's delegation.

The chamber hopes to double the number of foreign visitors over the next five years, from the current 3.5 million international tourists.

"In general, the idea is to double that number to reach 7 million tourists by the year 2021, and in terms of Chinese visitors, we need to bring the number from 25,000, to 150,000 or 200,000," said Gamarra.

However, to meet those targets, it is essential to increase the flights from China.

"There is talk, initially, about a route via Mexico. I hope we have Chinese airlines that have Lima and other Peruvian cities, such as Cusco, as destinations," he said.

Other Latin American countries have succeeded in drawing more Chinese travelers by improving air connections, he said.

A parallel business forum is to take place as part of the APEC summit, which aims to make progress on a proposed free-trade zone for the Pacific Rim region.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton participates 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)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The next U.S. president is likely to face investigations by the rival party no matter who wins the White House next Tuesday, according to local media.

Multiple Republicans this week have predicted impeachment could be on the table if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins the election, and Democrats would almost certainly seek to launch their own inquiries into Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump if he wins, The Hill reported on Saturday.

"The climate, the atmosphere, the vitriolic nature of our politics does not change on Nov. 9," one former top Democratic House staffer told the U.S. political website.

FBI director James Comey dropped a bombshell last week when he announced his bureau had discovered new evidence that could be related to its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

While authorities are unlikely to disclose the results of the FBI investigation any time soon, a handful of Republican lawmakers, including House Armed Services chairman Michael McCaul, have recently suggested that Clinton could be impeached if elected.

But Clinton on Monday played down the damage of the probe, telling a rally in the swing state of Ohio that "there's no case here" and that she's confident no charges will be made.

While it would be difficult for Democrats to launch investigations into Trump's business dealings if Trump wins the White House and Republicans almost control both chambers of Congress, Democrats could use informal hearings, press events or other ways to generate attention, according to The Hill.

"It doesn't really take a congressional committee to do anything for those to continue on. The Trump University trial is going to continue on, all the litigation in regards to his business will continue on," another former top House Democratic staffer was quoted as saying.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- A review of brain imaging studies offers a new way of looking at spontaneous versus controlled thinking, challenging the adage that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind.

"Mind-wandering" and its variations are what psychology has traditionally described about all thought patterns when people have during downtime -- some daydream while others might focus on a to-do list, or get stuck in a negative loop.

In reviewing nearly 200 neuroscience studies, a large number of which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to scan brains during resting activities, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States and the University of British Columbia in Canada looked at three different ways in which people think when they're not directly engaged in tasks: spontaneous thought, ruminative thought and goal-directed thought.

The researchers found that interactions between large-scale neural networks offered insights into how the resting mind moves.

For example, when the brain was focused on a task at hand, its prefrontal "executive" network, which governs planning and impulse control, among other functions, constrains other brain activity. When stuck in a negative loop, such as anxious rumination, the brain's "salience" network, which processes emotions, took control, shutting off most other networks. Spontaneous thought, such as daydreaming, dreaming during sleep and other forms of free association, were linked to far lower activity in the neural networks responsible for controlled thinking, allowing the imagination to flow freely.

Overall, the researchers hypothesize that the resting mind naturally transitions between spontaneous and constrained thought.

"Let's say you're walking to the grocery store," said review co-author Zachary Irving, a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley. "At first, your mind wanders to a plethora of ideas: your new shirt, a joke you heard today, an upcoming ski trip to Lake Tahoe (in northern California). Then your thoughts become automatically constrained when you start to worry about a looming work deadline that needs to be met before the Tahoe trip. Then you realize that your worries are making you miserable, so you deliberately constrain your thoughts, forcing your mind back to grocery shopping."

The qualitative review, published in the November issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience, suggests that increased awareness of how our thoughts move when our brains are at rest could lead to better diagnoses and targeted treatments for such mental conditions as depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"It's important to know not only the difference between free-ranging mind-wandering and sticky, obsessive thoughts, but also to understand, within this framework, how these types of thinking work together," said Irving. Historically, the field of psychology has approached mental disorders separately, as though each were in a vacuum rather than being interconnected.

"Clinicians have studied compulsive rumination in isolation, and ADHD in isolation," he said. "But now there's a huge interest in how we can make sure that the psychology and neuroscience literature is more closely aligned to what is happening in our heads."

"We propose that mind-wandering isn't an odd quirk of the mind," the review's lead author Kalina Christoff, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, was quoted as saying in a news release from UC Berkeley. "Rather, it's something that the mind does when it enters into a spontaneous mode. Without this spontaneous mode, we couldn't do things like dream or think creatively."

There are upsides to ADHD, noted Irving, who has the most stigmatized mental disorders. "Everyone's mind has a natural ebb and flow of thought, but our framework reconceptualizes disorders like ADHD, depression and anxiety as extensions of that normal variation in thinking. This framework suggests, in a sense, that we all have someone with anxiety and ADHD in our minds. The anxious mind helps us focus on what's personally important; the ADHD mind allows us to think freely and creatively."
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in Riga, capital of Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

RIGA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Romania eyed further cooperation on nuclear energy and thermal power in a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in Riga, capital of Latvia, on Saturday evening.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China attaches high importance to the cooperation with Romania, and is ready to strengthen the integration of the two countries' development strategies, enhance cooperation on nuclear energy, thermal power, deep processing of agricultural products, and promote a balanced growth of the bilateral trade.

He also called for stronger tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said his country is committed to the friendly cooperation with China.

Romania welcomes Chinese firms to invest in local infrastructure like the ports, cooperate on agriculture and tourism, and promote major cooperation projects on nuclear energy and thermal power, he added.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
TAIYUAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Zhu Xiangbo carries the baby in his arms, touching her head gently with one hand, as he uses the other to put a feeding bottle to her mouth. The little cutie looks up at him, pursing her lips slightly.

"She is fawning, requesting a kiss," Zhu says, also smiling.

Zhu's baby is a chimpanzee.

At Taiyuan Zoo in north China's Shanxi Province, Zhu, 30, and his three male colleagues are playing mom to a female chimp deserted by her mother soon after she was born in May.

The chimp is yet to be named. "Local media have suggested soliciting a name from the public," Zhu says.

As the chimp turned six-months-old on Wednesday, they were delighted to find she had reached four kilograms.

"It's four times the weight she was born at," Zhu says.

It was mother's first baby and after the delivery the mother, Laoqi, refused to even touch the baby.

"We tried several times to have Laoqi accept the baby, but failed," says another keeper Zhao Jing, 40, so the keepers have become the chimp's "mannies."

To raise the chimp, they searched the Internet and learned from scratch.

The most important task is to feed her. They took turns to feed her every three hours at the beginning, including disinfecting milk bottles, mixing the milk powder, feeding and burping her.

"We had to be cautious about the water temperature. She would be scalded if it was too hot, and suffer from diarrhea if it was too cold," Zhu said. "Sometimes it took more than 40 minutes to feed her as she often did not cooperate."

"Although we are all fathers ourselves, we never took care of our own children so meticulously," he says. "She is now able to crawl, and is practising with her limbs in the cage. Soon she will be able to walk."

Apart from 12 hours' sleep, she spends most of her time playing alone. To keep her company, the mannies got her a toy bear. "She likes it very much, and often kisses it," Zhu says.

Over the past months, the mannies have grown very familiar with the chimp, figuring out her needs based on her different cries, chuckles and gestures. And she likes them.

"Hearing our footsteps, she gets excited," he said.

The fertility rate for chimpanzees is not high in China and the babysitters have not given up trying to form a bond between the chimp and her birth mother.

"We are trying to establish their eye contact first and then physical contact," Zhu says. "We hope to return her to her family when she can fit in."
SANTIAGO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has congratulated Xinhua, China's official news agency, on its upcoming 85th anniversary.

In a message Wednesday addressed to Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao, Bachelet expressed her "sincerest congratulations to all the men and women that work at the Xinhua News Agency, on its 85th anniversary."

"The Xinhua News Agency has served as a bridge of understanding, cooperation and friendship between Chile and China, as well as between Latin America and China, thanks to its international influence as an omnimedia conglomerate," Bachelet added.

The Chilean president praised the Chile-China ties, underscoring the fact that Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with China, the first Latin American country to recognize China's status as a market economy, and the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with the Asian giant.

"Today, China has positioned itself as our largest trade partner worldwide, our leading source of imports and the leading destination for our exports," said Bachelet.

"Throughout the process of developing ties, the value of media such as Xinhua has stood out," said the president, adding the news agency "has in addition to seriously fulfilling its informative task, become an important and indispensable force in promoting the strategic partnership between Chile and China."

The Xinhua News Agency was born on Nov. 7, 1931 as the Red China News Agency in Ruijin in southeast China. It changed to its current name in January 1937 in Yan'an in northwest China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xinhua became the state news agency.

With 85 years of development, Xinhua now operates more than 30 domestic bureaus and 180 overseas bureaus and branches worldwide.
SAN JOSE, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis congratulated China's official Xinhua News Agency on its 85th anniversary.

"I would like to send, from Costa Rica, my warmest and most fraternal congratulations to China's Xinhua News Agency on its 85th anniversary," said Solis in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"I hope that for many more years to come, you can continue to inform the world of China's grand vision, and to unite the countries on earth (with your reports) in the pursuit of peace and hope for all," Solis said.

Solis said the momentum of bilateral ties is "very positive," and China has given Costa Rica a lot of help in economic development and cultural exchanges since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2007.

The president vowed to contribute to improving ties between China and Latin America as a whole.

The Xinhua News Agency was born on Nov. 7, 1931 as the Red China News Agency in Ruijin in southeast China. It changed to its current name in January 1937 in Yan'an in northwest China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xinhua became the state news agency.

With 85 years of development, Xinhua now operates more than 30 domestic bureaus and 180 overseas bureaus and branches worldwide.
by Raul Menchaca

HAVANA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's government this week showed its enthusiasm in attracting foreign investment by showcasing ample projects at the 2016 International Trade Fair of Havana (Fihav 2016).

"Foreign investment is not a necessary evil", and it is "an important element in the social and economic development of the country," Cuban Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca said when presenting 395 projects to potential investors at the fair.

The projects are worth more than 9.5 billion U.S. dollars, and Cuban officials say they need between 2 and 2.5 billion dollars of foreign investment a year to sustain economic growth.

Despite improved ties with the United States, investment has not met expectations so far, Malmierca said.

Since the country's new foreign investment law was passed in March 2014, to help spur investment, only 83 projects worth 1.3 billion dollars have been launched, 15 of them in Cuba's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Mariel, a deep-water port and industrial complex 50 km west of Havana.

"We have seen gradual but steady growth," said Wendy Miranda, the director of coordination and procedures at Mariel, adding 19 companies, including 10 foreign ones, have been approved to set up operations at SEZ.

Businesses key to Cuba's economy have been given priority, including those in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

More than 60 Chinese companies, including leading home appliances giant Midea and automobile producer Geely, are present at the Fihav 2016 to boost trade with Cuba.

China is Cuba's second-largest trading partner following Venezuela. Numerous Chinese companies are involved in multiple areas of this nation's economy and development, particularly in technology, transportation, biotechnology, agricultural machinery, household appliances and textiles.

"The Belgian company BDC Tec will soon become the first to begin production in the zone, making temperature sensors and electric panels," said Miranda.

Other companies are still in the planning stage or just beginning construction, such as the Cuba-Brazil joint venture Brascuba, which on Wednesday placed the cornerstone of a modern cigarette factory.

A proposal by U.S. company CleBer to build tractors in Cuba was rejected, she said, because it did not incorporate any advanced technology, which Cuba is eager to promote.

At the fair, Cuban officials also touted tourism projects in a bid to bolster the industry as warmer U.S.-Cuba ties boost travel to the island.

Officials are looking to develop potential tourism destinations, such as Guardavalaca in the eastern province of Holguin, and Cuba's south-central coast.

Other sites slated for tourism development include Santa Lucia Beach in northern Camaguey and the capital of Havana.

"Havana was not a priority until a short time ago," said Malmierca, "but the recent dynamic of tourism development has led us to attract foreign capital to invest in tourism in the city."

Some 25 hotels and at least two new marinas, along with an equestrian center in Havana, are also among the projects.

More than 3.5 million international tourists traveled to Cuba last year, mainly from Canada, generating some 2.8 billion dollars in revenue.
CANBERRA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's opposition leader labelled a government proposal to ban asylum seekers who arrive from boat from ever entering the country as "ludicrous."

Bill Shorten, leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), said the plan was introduced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to appease the conservative right-wing of the Liberal National Party (LNP).

The legislation would ban asylum seekers who have tried to enter Australia by boat since 19 July 2013 and had been sent to detention centers on Nauru or Manus Island from ever being allowed into Australia for any reason, including as a tourist, for business or as a spouse.

Shorten, who is expected to make a decision on whether his party would provide the support the bill needed to become law, said there was no sign Turnbull was working on a resettlement program for asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island.

"On its face, the idea you will deter people smugglers by saying a genuine refugee who becomes a citizen of another country couldn't visit in Australia in 2056 - it's just ridiculous," Shorten told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday.

"We see no signs that the government has got any resettlement plans to conclude. I thought maybe this might be part of an architecture of a bigger, but they've rushed out and denied that."

Possible resettlement locations which have been considered include Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and central America.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security Saturday night during a disturbance at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, but returned to the stage after a few minutes and finished his speech.

Some kind of disturbance occurred in the front of the room where Trump was giving speech. As Trump put up a hand above his eyes to peer out into the crowd, two security officials rushed to his side and escorted him off stage.

Audience in the room suddenly scattered as law enforcement agents made their way into the crowd to apprehend an unidentified man.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was an "unidentified individual" in the crowd shouting "gun", though no weapon was found after a "thorough search."

The Secret Service did not immediately provide further details, saying an investigation was ongoing.

A man in a blue hoodie was tackled before being escorted out by law enforcement and being held in a bathroom inside the venue. The man was reportedly released later and no charge was filed against him.

Trump returned to the stage unharmed about five minutes later and continued to finish his speech.
125 YEARS AGO

Ed Babbitt, William Norris and A. S. Harrison left town on Tuesday for a prospecting trip to the Grand Canyon. They had a train of burros loaded with grub and expect to be gone for a month or perhaps 6 weeks.

John Sanderson receives on Thursday each week a shipment of choice cuts of pork, sausages and head cheese. These meats sell for cash at really low prices.

On Monday Jack Montgomery shipped a car load of cattle and another of sheep to Los Angeles.

Faro is no longer king. Our sportsmen have deserted their former favorite game for the more fascinating one of craps.

100 YEARS AGO

The 4 precincts of Flagstaff voters now number 1202 voters. It was a quiet orderly election with little excitement.

Last Saturday, Harry Locke The Good Roadster reported the burning near Winslow on the Winslow- Flagstaff road of an auto owned by a Californian tourist. It seems the machine backfired then burst into flames. Although the machine was total ruin the riders escaped unharmed and Locke was able to bring them into Flagstaff in his machine.

2 Special Trains of all Steel cars  the only all steel show train in the whole world - will bring Cole Brothers World Touring Show and Trained Wild Animal Exhibition to Flagstaff on Monday Nov. 20. There will be two shows. Rain or Shine.

For Sale: 160 acre ranch. 75 acres first class farming land. 20 lead horses broke to work or ride. 1  miles east of town. E. M. Isabelle.

The heavy frosts these nights rather indicate that winter is drawing nigh.

75 YEARS AGO

All who are interested in having it explained to them how local Draft Boards select men for the selective service draft are invited to call at the Draft Board Office. Major Midgley Chairman.

A group was formed on October 31 under the direction of Mrs. Ethel Brockwood acting as presiding Chairman to create a local chapter of National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Inc.

Our Red Cross sewing volunteers have received a letter from the Banbridge Branch , Banbridge County Doon Erthen, Ireland. Thank you for the clothing for evacuees you have so very generously sent to us. Although we are only a small industrial town of about 50,000 inhabitants, we have one of the largest evacuation centres. Our capitol was badly bombed twice and many people are homeless, who are mostly from the poor working class. We were very glad when the American Boxes arrived. Yours Sincerely, Mrs. Daisy Boyd.

C. G. Dunnan of Kit Carson Camp asks hunters to keep an eye out for Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants. These pheasants were brought here and later turned loose in this area. Any information about these beautiful big birds is welcome. It is illegal to kill them.

Immunizations for Small Pox, and diphtheria is in progress in all county schools. Dr. A. H. Schermanne, County Physician.

The Santa Fe is sending out a brochure about all the interesting areas available from their transcontinental rail lines. It includes pictures of our Snow Bowl, and tells about its Skiers Club and other interesting features of our National Forested mountainous area.

The Flagstaff Red Cross roll call quota is 1500 members enrolled and $1500 to be raised by November 18.

50 YEARS AGO

There has been rash of 6 forest fires in the Coconino National Forest since the opening of the Deer Hunting season. The fire danger remains HIGH.

The Chamber of Commerce is reassuring us that the new over-pass plan at I-40 east of down town will not interfere with down town business and they will endorse any non smog producing light industry that would not interfere with any existing current business.

Bayless Bonus  Double Gold Bond Stamps on Wednesday. Spam, 12 oz., Swanson Hi-Value T V Dinners 3 for $1. 4 oz. Peanut Butter 89 cts. SALE -Pearls from Majorica. Starter Set 19 cts. -- single pearls 10 cts with each $2 purchase.

A toddler reported missing after his parents had spent 2 hours searching for him was found safe in the forest not far from his home west of Flagstaff by a search party of 50 members of the Sheriffs Search and Rescue Team lead by David Stoneberger.

Tickets for travelling the wrong way on the newly one way Aspen and Birch streets began being issued on Saturday.

Twenty people have been appointed to the Citizens Committee for the Hospital Drive. The hope is to contact all resident citizens and businesses new to our community in the past 3 years. Robert Procnow, Chairman.

Hospital Administrator William M. Gold says the demand for Pathological and Radiological service is reaching a point where current facilities are no longer able to handle the volume.

A.B. West, Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation says the Southwest may be only 15 years away from its water surfaces dry up. We are already in a water bankruptcy which is steadily growing worse. Thousands of acres of Arizona farmland hves reverted to desert. The water table beneath having fallen beyond the physical and economical reach of pumps.

Horses exercised. John Van Denburgh. C U Box 5361 NAU.

Prospects for the Snow Bowl opening remain glum despite efforts by the State Board of Parks to save it. President William P. Brown.

H. 69 Wed. L. 20 Wed. Rain 1.03 Wed.

25 YEARS AGO

Stone Forest Industries gave notice on Thursday to 60 of its employees that they will be laid off indefinitely on January 1, 1942 due to a lack of timber supply. Sales are good. Prices are up. With a sufficient log supply we could continue to operate 2 shifts and to sell everything. Our log inventory is at 7 million board feet against our usual 15  20 million board feet. Mill Manager Steve Bennet.

The reopening of the Jay Lively Skating Rink drew scores of skating enthusiasts who bundled up then swept, slid, stumbled and fell to the Rock and Roll tunes. $730,000 has been spent on the renovation project. We have a new rink floor and for the first time our rink is a full weather facility.

The Air Port improvement plan has come in at 2 million over budget what with a larger terminal needed, new roads and utilities hook-ups to the city system. The money will come from the Federal Government and the Arizona Dept of Transportation. No more money will be required from the city above the 3.5 million dollar bond approved last year.

Theres a new Arizona Dept. of Public Safety plane stationed at Pulliam Air Port. Its a 1988 Cessna Beach craft B-200 King air and replaces the old 1978 Cessna 414. Its been paid for with funds gained from seized assets from drug cases.

In a 5 to 1 vote the City Council has committed to buy from Steve Vanlauding for no more than $425,000 his property on Aspen in the hope of turning it into an underground parking public parking garage and a street level plaza. Mr. Vanlauding has already begun work and said he could wait no longer for a city decision.

Flagstaff is a bit behind on new auto registration tabs but not to worry. Usually a full month is allowed before enforcement of new tabs occurs. Unfortunately several employees are out ill and there are two unfilled vacancies as well. Your tabs are coming.

Dont forget. All cars are to be off the streets at night in order to have clear streets open for full plowing.

H. 57 Fri. L.17 Sat. Dry all week
MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces advancing northward along the Tigris River towards Mosul on Saturday recaptured the last town south of the city, as battles continued against Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern part of Mosul.

The Iraqi army and federal police entered the town of Hammam al-Alil, some 15 km south of Mosul, after heavy clashes with IS militants in the town, Lieutenant General Abul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) told reporters.

The assault on Hammam al-Alil, which began around 10:00 a.m.(0700 GMT), targeted a force of at least 70 Islamic State fighters there.

Some militants had tried to escape across the river, although others put up heavy resistance and the troops had thwarted three attempted suicide car bombings.

The troops recaptured the local government building around noon and raised the Iraqi flag on the building, Yarallah said.

Later on, the troops started a clearing operation in the town as sporadic clashes continued in some small pockets of IS militants in the town, Yarallah said, adding that the troops also started to defuse many landmines and booby traps planted earlier by the extremist IS group.

Also in the day, the federal police forces advanced to the village of Tal al-Dhahab, just northeast of Hammam al-Alil, as part of their troops advanced toward the southern edges of Mosul, he said.

The fall of Hammam al-Alil, the last town south of Mosul, is expected to speed up the advance of the security forces, who have to recapture a few villages on their way toward Mosul, he added.

Fighting continued inside the eastern side of Mosul as the commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) were fighting fierce clashes with IS militants in the residential areas in an attempt to push deeper into the city, but the IS militants showed stubborn resistance, a source from the Operations Command of Nineveh Liberation told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the troops carried out search operations to clear the districts which were recaptured the day before in eastern Mosul, the source said.

On Friday, hundreds of the CTS commandos and Iraqi army troops made a significant progress in the morning at the eastern side of Mosul, and managed to seize the districts of Aden, Samah, Karkukli, al-Khadraa, al-Ikhaa and al-Quds, a source from the STC told Xinhua.

The Friday advance unleashed the most intense street battles against IS militants since the offensive to retake the city began nearly three weeks ago.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking on a visit to the eastern front, said he brought "a message to the residents inside Mosul who are hostages in the hands of Daesh (Islamic State) -- we will liberate you soon."

Abadi said progress in the nearly three-week-old campaign, and the advance into Mosul itself, had been faster than expected. But in the face of fierce resistance, which included suicide car bombings, sniper fire and roadside bombs, he suggested that progress may be intermittent.

"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken. Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will be some delay," he said.

The battles inside Mosul pushed the number of civilians who were displaced from their homes to around 30,000 since the start of the military offensive on Oct. 17, according to a recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Most of the new arrivals (in displaced camps) came from Gogjali and other suburbs on the eastern outskirts of Mosul, which saw heavy clashes three days ago and are now under the control of the Iraqi Security Forces," the report said.

On Oct. 17, the Iraqi prime minister announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, the Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city, preparing for a major battle to storm the city and drive out IS militants.

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, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.

Related:

Iraq's paramilitary units launch anti-IS operation in west of Mosul

BAGHDAD, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi launched a large-scale operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in the west of Iraqi's Mosul on Saturday, security sources said.
TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 39 people were killed and some 40 others wounded on Sunday in two bombings and a gunfire attacks in Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

A barrel filled with explosives detonated in the morning near workers repairing a bridge in Shishin area in southern the provincial capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others, the source said on condition of anonymity.

In a separate incident, a booby-trapped car went off at a parking lot in the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving ten people killed and ten others wounded, the source said.

The blast set fire to several nearby cars and caused damages to many others at the scene, the source added.

Early in the day, gunmen believed to be affiliated to Islamic State (IS) militant group, broke into the house a tribal leader in Tulul al-Baj area, some 50 km north of Tikrit, and opened fire in the house and killed 16 people, the source said.

The killed people were the tribal leader himself and ten of his family members, along with five people who happened to be at his house as guests, the source added.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,792 Iraqis and wounded 1,358 others in October across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.

During the trip, Li and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will discuss issues of common concern, and the two sides are expected to sign cooperation agreements in such areas as trade, energy, customs and education.
KUNMING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- With the support of their Myanmar counterparts, police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have caught four suspected drug dealers who allegedly shot dead a local policeman on Friday.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Myanmar police handed over the final suspect caught in Myanmar at the border port of Daluo, 30 hours after Li Jingzhong, a police officer in Jinghong City, was killed in an operation to arrest the dealers, according to the Jinghong Public Security Bureau.

Two guns and 21 kilos of drugs were seized in the operation.

Further investigation is underway.
BANJUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, is expected to visit Gambia ahead of December elections, UN officials told Xinhua on Saturday.

Chambas will hold talks with government officials and leaders of political parties and Civil Society Organizations, NGOs and development partners.

His visit will start from November 9 to 10, according to the officials.

The purpose of his visit is for consultations in the context of the ongoing electoral process in Gambia.
by Ding Chao

MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of strategic cooperative partnership between the two nations.

Relations between China and Russia have entered a new historical period of all-round, accelerated and healthy development with in-depth cooperation in various fields.

The active cooperation between China and Russia has been built on a solid foundation, which enables the two countries to go forward with confidence and open new horizons in the development of friendly relations.

During his visit to Moscow in May 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin signed joint declarations on deepening the two sides' comprehensive partnership and cooperation within the framework of the initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

This development marks a new historic start in the development of bilateral relations, which has pointed out the direction for not only further deepening of bilateral cooperation, but also development and prosperity across the Eurasia region.

After more than a year since the signing of the declarations, China and the EAEU have established close contacts and initiated a large-scale research.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council has adopted at its recent meeting a resolution on the initiation of formal negotiations with China, which was a significant step toward the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the EAEU.

It can be expected that the start of constructive cooperation and rapid elaboration of a systemic trade and investment plan will give a new impetus to the development of economic and trade ties of China with Russia as well as with the EAEU at large.

If China and Russia can successfully align their national development initiatives with each other, they will be able to fully reveal the enormous hidden potential of mutual complementarity of their economies, which will not only be in the interest of developing China's western regions and Russia's Far East, but will also contribute to the economic recovery of Russia and economic transformation of China.

The quality of economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia has been constantly improving in recent years.

China has become the biggest trading partner to Russia and an important source of foreign investment in the country, while Russia is one of China's main sources of imports of energy and high technology.

Despite the impact of certain external factors and a reduction in overall trade volume in recent years, the scope and quality of bilateral trade have not decreased in any way, but rather increased.

Last year, China imported over 40 million tons of crude oil from Russia, a 28 percent increase from the previous year. China's imports of Russian industrial equipment and high-tech products grew by 32.1 percent and 34.2 percent, respectively.

New areas of cooperation, like cross-border electronic trade, are also gaining traction with Russia becoming the second largest player in cross-border e-commerce with China.

This gives a significant boost to the development of trade and economy of both sides, and enriches the livelihood of the peoples of both nations.

In addition, major strategic projects between China and Russia, including the Eastern Route pipeline, cooperation in satellite navigation systems and joint development and production of long-haul wide-body aircraft, have greatly promoted the development of high technologies, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Along with the deepening cooperation, the social foundation for China-Russia relations has been further strengthened.

Successful activities have been held such as reciprocal years of languages, tourism, friendly youth and media exchanges, mutual visits of diplomats, journalists, students and so on, as well as jointly-conducted art festivals, film weeks and media forums, with the aim of further strengthening mutual understanding and friendship.

The development of China-Russia relations is inseparably linked with the strategic aspirations of the leaders of both countries.

For years, the two sides have effectively implemented a mechanism of regular meetings between their government heads and numerous committees, subcommittees and working groups, which have covered almost all areas of bilateral cooperation.

The visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Russia for the 21st regular meeting of Chinese and Russian government heads will be an opportunity for bilateral strategic cooperation at a higher level to bring about even more substantial results.
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta unveils a commemorative plaque during the ground breaking ceremony of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project at Sarima, Marsabit County, Kenya, July 2, 2015. (Xinhua/Simbi Kusimba)

KIGALI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Experts on Tuesday called for more efforts to increase energy access across African economies if the continent is to achieve industrial revolution.

They made the call at the opening of a high level energy investment summit in the Rwandan Capital Kigali.

Rwanda hosts the energy investment meeting dubbed iPAD Rwanda Energy Infrastructure Forum from Tuesday to Wednesday.

"Increasing energy access and adding value to it is a key development enabler but, overall, governments have been unsuccessful in securing significant investments for power grid development," said James Musoni, Rwanda minister of infrastructure.

He noted that lack of affordable and reliable access to power and lighting stalls business growth, and inhibits new jobs from being created and provision of critical services.

Musoni pointed out that Rwanda targets to increase electricity generation from 110 megawatts to 563 megawatts and access levels from 23 percent to 70 percent of the country`s population by 2018.

The two-day meeting provides an opportunity for investors and developers to explore Rwanda's untapped energy potentials and investment incentives.

It has brought together about 250 delegates from different countries across the world, including international stakeholders, financiers, industry experts and valuable insights from the national utility and government.

According to Kipyego Cheluget, assistant secretary general of Comesa, it is time to take decisive action and turn around this narrative of Africa being in the dark to light up and power the continent for accelerated economic and social transformation.

"Access to energy, and especially to electricity, guarantees access to reduced cost of doing business. The energy sector requires huge investments especially from the private sector. Energy access challenge in Africa will most likely be addressed through a combination of on-grid, off-grid and micro-grid solutions," he said.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (C) dances with locals during the ground breaking ceremony of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project at Sarima, Marsabit County, Kenya, July 2, 2015. The project will be Africa's biggest wind power project as Kenya takes giant steps in asserting its position as a leader in green energy production globally.(Xinhua/Simbi Kusimba)

According to Africa Development Bank (AfDB), more than 645 million Africans do not have access to electricity - and 700 million go without access to clean cooking energy, with 600,000 dying each year from indoor pollution from reliance on biomass for cooking. Africa loses about 4 percent of its GDP to lack of electricity.

Sidi Ould Tah, director general of Arab Development Bank for Economic Development in Africa, said that Africa is known for the darkness of its towns and cities.

"Lives are at great risks in hospitals because there is no electricity. Small businesses, which account for over 90 percent of the private sector, cannot operate optimally due to inadequate energy sources. We should come up with a campaign that advocates for massive investments in power generation across the continent," he noted.

AfDB plans to invest 12.5 billion U.S. dollars in five years to boost the continent's energy capacity.
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.

During the trip, Li and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will discuss issues of common concern, and the two sides are expected to sign cooperation agreements in such areas as trade, energy, customs and education.

Li is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital of Moscow.

China believes that the visit will inject fresh impetus to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai at a press conference last week in Beijing.

The high-level partnership between Russia and China has played a crucial part in helping maintain a fair and just world order, and the two nations firmly uphold stability and security in the world, Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

On economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in late October that thanks to efforts by both sides, China-Russia trade halted falling and began to grow in the first half of this year, totaling 31.72 billion U.S. dollars, up 1.8 percent over the same period of last year.

He also expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly complementary economies and their agreement to synergize the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

The belt is part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which also includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Russia is the last stop of Li's eight-day Eurasia trip, which has already carried him to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Latvia.
by Bao Xuelin

SINGAPORE, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- "The exhibition is an interesting opportunity for us to be able to see the artifacts which are a testament to both history and reality and the connection between the two, but because there are a lot of people visiting here tonight we may have to come back and look and read the descriptions more closely."

So said Fanny Lai, an ethnic Chinese Singaporean on a visit to the "One Night in Wuchang: 1911 Revolution and Nanyang" exhibition being held at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (SYSNMH) on Saturday night.

In collaboration with China's Memorial of Wuchang Uprising of 1911 Revolution, to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen, SYSNMH on Saturday launched the special exhibition, which chronicles the story of the Wuchang Uprising and the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, and eventually led to the birth of the new China.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Teo Chee Hean, and Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Chen Xiaodong, graced the launching ceremony with their presence and were given a tour of the special exhibition.

The exhibition, which has been organized into three main sections, showcases more than 150 artifacts and archival material, which provide a deeper insight into the Wuchang Uprising and its prominent figures. Of these, 80 items comprising coins, medals, personal artifacts are being displayed in Singapore for the first time.

Visitors can discover how the revolution brought about new ideas such as national identity and citizenship, and the impact it had on existing Chinese traditions. They can also discover more on the Uprising's far-reaching effects.

In Singapore, it caused a pigtail-cutting craze and triggered various fundraising campaigns.

SYSNMH, known to many as Wan Qing Yuan, served as the Southeast Asian headquarter for Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities.

Sun's ideal of "Universal Love" inspired many as he raised funds and sought support from Chinese expatriates in his fight to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Sun planned three uprisings from Wan Qing Yuan, before the successful Wuchang Uprising during the Xinhai Revolution.

"Wan Qing Yuan stood here watching the march of history, and it provides a historical and cultural link between Singapore and the global Chinese population during a seminal phase of China's modern historical development," said DPM Teo.

To encourage the local community to support cultural activities, 12 students from the River Valley High School have signed up to be student guides for the special exhibition.

According to Serene Teo, a teacher with River Valley High School, becoming a student guide provides opportunities for students to learn more about the history of the Wuchang Uprising and the 1911 Revolution, as textbooks cannot offer such abundant details.

"Many Singaporeans' ancestors come from China, so they can learn more about Sun Yat-sen and the history of China through this exhibition," said Serene Teo, adding, "and the ideas on national governance proposed by Sun and his resilience for revolution are worth learning."

Wan Qing CultureFest 2016 was also launched on Saturday night in conjunction with the special exhibition, which will be on display until April 30, 2017.

Returning for a sixth year, Wan Qing CultureFest 2016 offers various opportunities to rediscover Chinese traditions with more than 60 programs over the two weekends in November.
by Le Yanna, Dong Hua

HANOI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Regarding the principle for developing China-Vietnam relations which spans ideas of long-term stability, future orientation, good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation, youth exchange is an important aspect of the "future orientation" principle.

In recent years, Chinese and Vietnamese youth exchanges have become more and more vivacious and have helped to create a solid foundation for improving understanding among the peoples of both countries, while passing on traditionally friendly ties, and facilitating the stable development of the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The China-Vietnam Youth Festival is one of the important activities when it comes to bilateral youth exchanges.

In August 2010, the Chinese and Vietnamese young people took part in the first China-Vietnam Youth Festival held in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The second China-Vietnam Youth Festival themed "Flying the Youth's Dream, Building the Bright Future" was held in Guangxi's Dongxing city, and saw the participation of 3,000 Vietnamese and around 6,000 of their Chinese peers. The festival's activities took place in Guangxi's seven cities.

The third China-Vietnam Youth Festival entitled "Vietnamese and Chinese Youths Join Hands in Fostering Friendship" will taking place in coming days in Vietnam's seven localities, with the participation of about 9,000 Vietnamese youths and 1,000 Chinese young people.

Dinh Quynh Dang is teaching Chinese at a vocational school in Hanoi and took part in the second China-Vietnam Youth Festival. When Dang was a third-year student, she was selected as one of ten delegates for the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam who would participate in the festival in Guangxi. That was the first time she had been to China.

"Impressions are still fresh in my mind. The festival's scale was huge, and my Chinese peers were so wonderfully friendly. We exchanged ideas with each other about many things," she told Xinhua recently.

Dang said she made friends with many Chinese youths during the festival, including a young man whose surname is Wei. She often called him "Brother Wei".

"On the last day of the festival, "Brother Wei" took me to the shops to buy gifts for my family members. Later, when he proposed marriage to his girlfriend, he notified me and invited me to go to China to attend his wedding ceremony," she recalled.

Regarding the effects of the festival, Dang said her command of Chinese improved, and recruiters found her resume to be very attractive, because she attended the China-Vietnam Youth Festival.

"People-to-people exchanges have a long history despite the fact that not every period of the Vietnam-China ties has been stable. As youths, we should have a good command of the culture and the economy of our neighbor country, and work to enhance a positive sentiment between the peoples of the two countries, and speed up bilateral cooperation. By doing these, we can continue to better develop our bilateral ties more and more," Dang stated.

Also partaking in the festival at that time along with Dinh Quynh Dang was another Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thi Minh Hang. At that time, Hang had just quit her job at a Vietnamese company and planned to work for a Chinese firm. Now, she still remembers the strong sense of responsibility, punctuality, and enthusiasm of Chinese students, and she still keeps in touch with them via the Chinese online application QQ.

"Before going to China, I did not have any visual understanding of China or Chinese students. After the festival, my theoretical understanding of China, mainly through books, has become a reality. Now, I want to not only work with the Chinese people, but also seek a Chinese boyfriend and visit China again as soon as possible," Hang told Xinhua recently.

Nguyen Vinh Quang, standing vice chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, is deeply interested in participating in organizing youth festivals. Since Vietnam and China normalized their relations, their bilateral ties have developed stably with a focus on "future orientation", and the two countries should continue to promote youth exchanges, Quang told Xinhua.

"That is not the work conducted by only researchers like us about Vietnam-China ties. That is the work to be done by all, including intellectuals, and most importantly, youths. If youths can engage in exchanges and understand each other then the difficulties in solving differences will diminish day by day and be settled eventually," Quang stated.

Vietnam and China are accelerating their renewal and opening-up processes, "so if our youths strengthen exchanges and experience sharing rewarding experiences, they can make a breakthrough in contributing to the development and future of the two countries," he said.

At a recent press briefing in Hanoi, spokesman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Hai Binh said China-Vietnam Youth Festivals forge closer friendship and enhance mutual trust and understanding between young generations of the two countries, and help to deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Polling places for the Nov. 8 General Election open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. This years General Election polling locations will be the same locations that were used during the Aug. 30 Primary Election.

Valid forms of ID include a valid Arizona drivers license, an Arizona ID card, a tribal enrollment card or a federal ID card. Voters without a photo ID can also use any two of the following items that have their name and address on them: a utility bill, a bank statement issued within the last 90 days, a valid Arizona vehicle registration, a vehicle insurance card, a property tax statement from their residence, a voter registration card, a tribal enrollment card or federal ID that doesnt have a photo and any official election material, such as a sample ballot, that has your name and address on it.

Voters who have a photo ID that doesnt have the correct address can bring their photo ID and a bill that has the correct address on it as proof of identification. Voters can also use their U.S. passport or military ID with something with their address on it as a valid ID.

Voters who do not have a valid ID will be given a conditional ballot,said Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen. That ballot will be sealed in an envelope and kept until the voter returns with a valid ID. Voters who are given a conditional ballot have until Nov. 16 to bring a valid ID to the Coconino County Elections Office. If they bring a valid ID to the office before the deadline, then their ballot will be counted.

Hansen said most conditional voters bring an acceptable ID back to the polling place on Election Day.

Because of the number of questions on the ballot for this election, Hansen is suggesting that voters read their information pamphlets closely and fill in the sample ballot they got in the mail. Voters are allowed to bring their sample ballot with them to the polls to use as a cheat sheet.

Voters who need help finding their polling place for this election can find it on their sample ballot or by calling the Coconino County Elections Office at (928) 679-7860. Completed ballots that were received in the mail for early voting can only be dropped off at an official voting location.
LONDON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May left Sunday for India on trade mission, leaving a message for those aiming to delay or sabotage her plans to leave the European Union.

Her message came as politicians in both the House of Commons and House of Lords indicated that they would seek to delay the triggering of the crucial Article 50 mechanism that will kick-start a two-year departure process. Some politicians are already setting their sights on a second EU referendum.

May's Brexit timetable was thrown into chaos on Thursday when three judges in the High Court said parliament must be involved in triggering Article 50.

In her message released through 10 Downing Street, May said that with her trade mission to India, representing every part of Britain, she would seize the opportunities of leaving the European Union.

"While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people. It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided."

"And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table -- that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

The journey to India is May's first bilateral visit outside Europe, taking 33 business representatives with her.

Even though May says she is confident the High Court's decision will be reversed next month by the Supreme Court, the political fallout over Thursday's decision continued Sunday.

In the Sunday Telegraph, May penned an article headlined "Why I will not allow the British people's vote for Brexit to be sabotaged."

She said in her article "This may appear to be a debate about process, and the legal argument is complex, but in reality there is an important principle at stake. Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively."

"It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided."

Meanwhile the Sunday Mirror reported opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will force May to hold a general election next spring unless she caves in to Labour's Brexit demands on trade and worker rights, including access to the EU single market.

Corbyn said in the interview that he was not against May triggering Article 50, but would vote against her unless she adopted Labour's Brexit bottom lines.

Corbyn added: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted. We accept the result of the referendum."

"We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."

On Monday, David Davis, secretary of state for exiting the European Union, will be making the first full response to the court ruling in the House of Commons when he addresses MPs in the main chamber.
TEHRAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ten Iranians were killed in the two suicide attacks on Iranian pilgrims at a parking lot in Iraq's Samarra city on Sunday, official IRNA news agency reported.

An earlier report by IRNA had put death toll of the Iranian pilgrims at seven and wounded Iranians at 61.

Some of the injured people were transferred to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad for further treatments, Mousa Esmaeili, the Iranian representative for reconstructing religious Shrines in Samarra, told IRNA.

A diplomatic delegation from Iran's embassy in Iraq have travelled to Samarra to facilitate the transfer of the other wounded people to Iran, he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi strongly denounced the Sunday terrorist attacks in Iraq and said that Iran will remain by the side of the Iraqi government and nation in their fight against terrorism.

The death toll from two bombings and a gunfire attack that hit Iraq's Salahudin province on Sunday rose to 43, including the Iranian pilgrims, a provincial security source told Xinhua.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Vientiane, Laos, Sept. 8, 2016. (Xinhua/File Photo)

MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of strategic cooperative partnership between the two nations.

Relations between China and Russia have entered a new historical period of all-round, accelerated and healthy development with in-depth cooperation in various fields.

The active cooperation between China and Russia has been built on a solid foundation, which enables the two countries to go forward with confidence and open new horizons in the development of friendly relations.

During his visit to Moscow in May 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin signed joint declarations on deepening the two sides' comprehensive partnership and cooperation within the framework of the initiative on the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

This development marks a new historic start in the development of bilateral relations, which has pointed out the direction for not only further deepening of bilateral cooperation, but also development and prosperity across the Eurasia region.

After more than a year since the signing of the declarations, China and the EAEU have established close contacts and initiated a large-scale research.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council has adopted at its recent meeting a resolution on the initiation of formal negotiations with China, which was a significant step toward the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the EAEU.

It can be expected that the start of constructive cooperation and rapid elaboration of a systemic trade and investment plan will give a new impetus to the development of economic and trade ties of China with Russia as well as with the EAEU at large.

If China and Russia can successfully align their national development initiatives with each other, they will be able to fully reveal the enormous hidden potential of mutual complementarity of their economies, which will not only be in the interest of developing China's western regions and Russia's Far East, but will also contribute to the economic recovery of Russia and economic transformation of China.

The quality of economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia has been constantly improving in recent years.

China has become the biggest trading partner to Russia and an important source of foreign investment in the country, while Russia is one of China's main sources of imports of energy and high technology.

Despite the impact of certain external factors and a reduction in overall trade volume in recent years, the scope and quality of bilateral trade have not decreased in any way, but rather increased.

Last year, China imported over 40 million tons of crude oil from Russia, a 28 percent increase from the previous year. China's imports of Russian industrial equipment and high-tech products grew by 32.1 percent and 34.2 percent, respectively.

New areas of cooperation, like cross-border electronic trade, are also gaining traction with Russia becoming the second largest player in cross-border e-commerce with China.

This gives a significant boost to the development of trade and economy of both sides, and enriches the livelihood of the peoples of both nations.

In addition, major strategic projects between China and Russia, including the Eastern Route pipeline, cooperation in satellite navigation systems and joint development and production of long-haul wide-body aircraft, have greatly promoted the development of high technologies, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Along with the deepening cooperation, the social foundation for China-Russia relations has been further strengthened.

Successful activities have been held such as reciprocal years of languages, tourism, friendly youth and media exchanges, mutual visits of diplomats, journalists, students and so on, as well as jointly-conducted art festivals, film weeks and media forums, with the aim of further strengthening mutual understanding and friendship.

The development of China-Russia relations is inseparably linked with the strategic aspirations of the leaders of both countries.

For years, the two sides have effectively implemented a mechanism of regular meetings between their government heads and numerous committees, subcommittees and working groups, which have covered almost all areas of bilateral cooperation.

The visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Russia for the 21st regular meeting of Chinese and Russian government heads will be an opportunity for bilateral strategic cooperation at a higher level to bring about even more substantial results.
ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.

During the trip, Li and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will discuss issues of common concern, and the two sides are expected to sign cooperation agreements in such areas as trade, energy, customs and education.

Li is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital of Moscow.

The Russian side held a welcoming ceremony at the airport in Li's honor. St. Petersburg is the hometown of Medvedev who paid a visit during his China trip in 2013 to Anhui, Premier Li's home province.

The arrangement mirrors the sound momentum of the development of China-Russia ties.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination.

China believes that the visit will inject fresh impetus into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai at a press conference last week in Beijing.

The high-level partnership between Russia and China has played a crucial part in helping maintain a fair and just world order, and the two nations firmly uphold stability and security in the world, Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

On economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in late October that thanks to efforts by both sides, China-Russia trade halted falling and began to grow in the first half of this year, totaling 31.72 billion U.S. dollars, up 1.8 percent over the same period of last year.

He also expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly complementary economies and their agreement to synergize the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

The belt is part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which also includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Russia is the last stop of Li's eight-day Eurasia trip, which has already carried him to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Latvia.
Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John C. Tsang (R) and Abdullah Ahmed Al-Saleh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under-secretary of the Minister of Economy, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the fourth edition of the Hong Kong Lifestyle Expo in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 6, 2016. Abdullah Ahmed Al-Saleh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under-secretary of the Minister of Economy, met on Sunday at the fourth edition of the Hong Kong Lifestyle Expo with Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John C. Tsang to discuss ways to expand bilateral commercial ties. (Xinhua/Gerard Al-Fil)

DUBAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Abdullah Ahmed Al-Saleh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under-secretary of the Minister of Economy, met on Sunday at the fourth edition of the Hong Kong Lifestyle Expo with Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John C. Tsang to discuss ways to expand bilateral commercial ties.

Al-Saleh said in his welcome speech that given the rise and acceptance of China's Belt and Road Initiative, "the opportunities to expand trade and business relations between the UAE and Hong King are better than ever."

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), which organized this year's Hong Kong Lifestyle Forum together with the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, the value of total bilateral trade reached over 10 billion U.S. dollars.

Al-Saleh said bilateral trade relations have the potential to increase further "as we see huge potential in logistics, consumer electronics and financial services as areas of mutual interest."

He noted that "the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to boost demand for logistics and trade and we welcome firms from Hong Kong to serve this demand in our country."

In his speech at the exhibition, Tsang said the UAE is Hong Kong's largest trade partner in the Middle East.

He said that over the last five years, bilateral trade between the two sides has soared by some 10 percent each year on average.
ZAGREB, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian government's tax reform proposals, as the first step to stimulate economy, was expected to be discussed in the parliament next week, local media reported on Sunday.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said that tax reform had no alternative. It was one of the most important reforms of his government, aiming at establishing a stable, sustainable and predictable tax system.

For the income tax system, the tax rates will be reduced from 25 to 24 percent and from 40 to 36 percent.

For the people who earn less than 17,500 kuna (2,590 U.S. dollars) per month, the tax will be charged by 24 percent, while higher incomes would be taxed at the rate of 36 percent. Meanwhile,the non-taxable part of income will be increased to 3,800 kuna (563 U.S. dollars) a month.

Around 560,000 people would benefit from the increase of the non-taxable and a total of 1.5 million people in the country would not pay any income tax, according to Finance Minister Zdravko Maric.

The income tax for businesses will be reduced by 2 points, from 20 to 18 percent in general, while for farmers, craftsmen and small business with lower annual revenues, the tax rate is reduced to 12 percent.

As for the value-added tax (VAT) reform, there are different opinions. The proposed reform suggested the value-added tax for utilities sections, such as electricity supply, garbage collection and the agricultural seeds and seedlings, would be reduced to 13 percent from current 25 percent from Jan, 2017, while the VAT for caterers would increase from 13 to 25 percent.

Croatian chamber of trades and crafts has argued that the measure would impede consumption, ruin small and medium entrepreneurs who run restaurants. It warned the measure would produce a negative consequence on tourism, one of Croatia's key economic pillar.

But Maric said that the prices of some 10,000 items would be cut, once the new tax reform is introduced and that bread and milk shouldn't be more expensive.

The government hoped that the tax reform would stimulate spending, leading to the increase of domestic production and creation of employment and also improvement of the climate for doing business and investment in the country.
Iraqi forces drive their vehicle on November 3, 2016 near Gogjali, which lies on the eastern edge of Mosul, during their ongoing operation against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul. (AFP/Xinhua)

TEHRAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ten Iranians were killed in the two suicide attacks on Iranian pilgrims at a parking lot in Iraq's Samarra city on Sunday, official IRNA news agency reported.

An earlier report by IRNA had put death toll of the Iranian pilgrims at seven and wounded Iranians at 61.

Some of the injured people were transferred to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad for further treatments, Mousa Esmaeili, the Iranian representative for reconstructing religious Shrines in Samarra, told IRNA.

A diplomatic delegation from Iran's embassy in Iraq have travelled to Samarra to facilitate the transfer of the other wounded people to Iran, he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi strongly denounced the Sunday terrorist attacks in Iraq and said that Iran will remain by the side of the Iraqi government and nation in their fight against terrorism.

The death toll from two bombings and a gunfire attack that hit Iraq's Salahudin province on Sunday rose to 43, including the Iranian pilgrims, a provincial security source told Xinhua.
Rebel fighters from the Jaish al-Fatah (or Army of Conquest) brigades watch as smoke billows in the background on November 3, 2016, at an entrance to Aleppo, in the southwestern frontline near the neighbourhood of Dahiyet al-Assad, during a rebel offensive to break a three-month siege of the opposition-held east of Syria's second city. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Sunday the beginning of a military campaign against Syria's northern city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.

"We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces are breaking the good news to you about the beginning of our major military campaign to liberate the city of al-Raqqa and its countryside from the clutches of the forces of darkness represented by Daesh (IS)," an SDF statement read.

The military campaign, dubbed "The Euphrates Rage," started on Saturday evening in cooperation and coordination with the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition, it added.

It said that a joint operations room has been formed to lead and coordinate the campaign for al-Raqqa.

The SDF, meanwhile, urged the regional and international powers that have been affected by the IS to take part in the "honor to eliminate the core of the international terrorism" represented by the IS by providing all kinds of support to the SDF.

The SDF move toward al-Raqqa will surely raise the ire of Turkey, which has recently asked the U.S. to put the offensive on al-Raqqa on hold till the liberation of the battle against IS in its second stronghold in Mosul Iraq.

Turkey wanted to lead the offensive on al-Raqqa with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels, which it has been backing recently to take areas from IS in northern Syria and cut the road in the face of the SDF advance in northern Syria, near Turkey.

Turkey's main concern is a growing Kurdish influence near its borders, and that was a main point of contention between Washington and Ankara.

Turkish officials repeatedly said they would be liberate al-Raqqa with the help of the SDF, an overwhelmingly Kurdish opposition alliance that includes Arabs, Assyrians, and Turkmen fighters.
TOKYO, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A five-year old boy was killed and two men injured in a fire at an art festival held outside the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Sunday, local media reported.

One of the modern art works exhibited at the festival, a wooden jungle gym made by a group of local university students, reportedly caught fire at around 5:15 p.m. local time.

A boy who was believed to be playing by the jungle gym was killed, and two men who tried to rescue the boy were injured, one of which was the boy's father.

The fire was probably caused by sawdust on the jungle gym ignited by nearby lighting, police said.

Local fire department received report about the fire around 5:20 p.m. local time. The fire was soon put out.

The organizer of the event said it had checked the jungle gym before the incident but did not see any risk of fire.

The police are making further investigation into the incident.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives at the airport in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 4, 2016. Li arrived here Friday for an official visit to Latvia and the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

RIGA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here Friday for an official visit to Latvia, also for a meeting between the heads of the governments of China and 16 central and eastern European (CEE) countries, or the "16+1" summit.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) holds talks with his Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

As 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Latvia, Li described Latvia as China's good friend and an important partner of cooperation in the CEE and EU.

When meeting with his Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis, Li vowed to promote all-level exchanges and further lift bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect and equality.

For his part, Kucinskis said Latvia supports China's Belt and Road Initiative and would further promote pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

After talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents in trade, transportation and culture.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

At the meeting with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, Li expressed China's willingness of aligning its development strategies with Latvia's, deepening bilateral cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

Saying that Latvia welcomes more Chinese investment, Vejonis said bilateral cooperation still harbors great potential on top of the already fruitful achievements.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with Latvian Parliament Speaker Inara Murniece in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

During the meeting with Latvian Parliament Speaker Inara Murniece, Li urged concerted efforts to promote exchanges between the two countries' legislatures and political parties and enhance people-to-people exchanges.

Murniece said the Latvian parliament will expand exchanges with the Chinese side to contribute to bilateral political, economic and cultural relations as well as 16+1 cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (8th L) and the heads of government of 16 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) pose for a group photo during the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of CEEC and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

The Chinese Premier also met respectively with leaders of central and eastern European countries on the sidelines of the fifth summit of China and CEE countries (16+1).

Besides issues on China's relations with each CEE states, the high-level meetings were focused on discussions of regional cooperation, with calls for closer coordination under the mechanism of the China-CEEC Summit.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Premier Li on Saturday attended the 6th China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, where he put forth a five-point proposal for expanding China-CEEC practical cooperation and a package of four principles guiding the "16+1" cooperation mechanism in a keynote speech.

The proposals were to scale up two-way trade, accelerating efforts for greater inter-connectivity, promote cooperation in production capacity, explore innovative modalities of financial cooperation and tap potential for tourism cooperation, said Li. The premier reaffirmed and urged efforts to uphold the principles that led to current success of "16+1" cooperation, which are principles of equal consultation, mutual respect and mutual assistance; of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation; of openness and inclusiveness; of inter-connected development, joint contribution and shared benefits.

In his speech ,Li also voiced confidence in China's economic development, saying that the country will surmount all difficulties confronting the Chinese economy, maintain steady growth, and speed up economic transformation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (7th L, back) and the heads of government of Central and Eastern European Countries attend a signing ceremony for cooperation documents at the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of CEEC and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

At the 5th China-CEEC Summit, the Chinese premier proposed initiatives in four areas to further advance "16+1" cooperation, which should concentrate on infrastructure and inter-connectivity cooperation, financial cooperation, green economy and environmental protection, as well as people-to-people exchanges.

The Riga Guidelines for Cooperation between China and CEEC, and the Riga Declaration, were issued at the summit. Enditem
Robert Bob I. Smith of Flagstaff went to be with our Lord on October 26, 2016. Born in 1932, Bob grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota in a proud Lutheran tradition influenced by his grandfather, a Lutheran pastor. In his youth, he enjoyed jazz drumming, amateur radio, electronics, and pheasant hunting. After serving in the U.S. Army, Bob attended South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, where he achieved his BS in Electrical Engineering. In the late 1950s, he began work for General Electric in Tempe and Phoenix, where he married his first wife Sylvia at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Phoenix, and had three sons, Paul, Eric, & Daniel. Bobs career also included working for Honeywell, Courier, and as an electronics instructor at Glendale Community College. Bob married his second wife Betty on Christmas Day in 1974, and they enjoyed a great marriage with many travels together, often by train, and to many lighthouses and beaches along the west coast. They attended Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Glendale. For many years, Bob and Betty maintained a summer residence in Flagstaff, where he achieved his MS in Vocational Education from Northern Arizona University. In 2000, he joined Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Flagstaff. Bob had many interests and hobbies, and always strived to be at his best. He was a devoted Christian, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He cared a great deal about family members lives.
LAGOS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops have rescued 85 people, mostly women and children held hostage by insurgents, in areas bordering the southern fringes of the Lake Chad, an official said.

The hostages were rescued when the troops conducted a decisive clearance operation into the remnants of Boko Haram strategic town of Chukungudu, said army spokesman Col. Sani Usman on Sunday in a statement.

Usman said the troops killed five terrorists in a fierce encounter that made several of them ran into the Lake Chad waters.

According to Usman, during the operations, the troops discovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Geram.

He said that in line with rules of engagement, the IEDs factory had been destroyed.
BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Russia is expected to yield fruitful results in the two countries' political, economic and cultural cooperation, analysts have said.

Premier Li arrived in St. Petersburg Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and an official visit to the northern neighbor.

During the visit, the Chinese premier and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will discuss major areas of interest and cooperation projects and sign agreements in areas including trade, energy, aviation, customs and education, according to Li Huilai, assistant foreign minister of China.

Medvedev has said that his meeting with Premier Li will be much meaningful and impressive. Also, the visit comes on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination.

Analysts believed that the current political relations between China and Russia are at the best time in history. Premier Li's visit will definitely solidify and deepen political and strategic mutual trust between the two neighbors.

The prime ministers' meeting will also issue a joint communique, which signals the confidence that China and Russia can safeguard peace and stability of the region and the world at large and establish a fair and rational world order. The two countries will tell the world that they will remain coordinated with and supportive to each other on major international issues.

The upcoming meeting between the two heads of government will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said.

"This is a great event for China-Russia relations this year," Li said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The current China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is mature and stable, and it has become a model for relations between the world's major countries, said the ambassador.

He also noted that the relations feature mutual respect and equality in the political sphere, as well as comprehensive mutual benefit and win-win cooperation on the economic front.

Russia, which has been under great pressure due to Western sanctions, is facing an economic transformation that needs to be promoted by a industrial upgrading.

Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said new windows of opportunity have been opened for boosting bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, investment, technology and the booming e-commerce industry.

Infrastructure is another promising area for bilateral cooperation, he said, adding that Chinese investment and joint projects are expected to play a huge role in Russia's Siberia and Far East regions.

Moreover, the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will also give new opportunities to the development of economic and trade ties between China and Russia.

The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Li Hui expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly mutually complementary economies and their agreement to coordinate in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the EEU.

Meanwhile, further promoting cooperation in people-to-people and cultural exchanges will be another important aspect of Premier Li's visit.

Frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been witnessed in recent years, analysts said.

China and Russia have held major events such as reciprocal years of languages, tourism, friendly youth and media exchanges, mutual visits of diplomats, journalists, students, as well as art festivals, film weeks and media forums, with the aim of further strengthening mutual understanding and friendship, analysts said.

They believed that on the basis of the already matured people-to-people and cultural cooperation mechanism, the Chinese premier's visit will deepen it with new bilateral agreements in this field.
ANKARA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford on Sunday arrived in Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The visit came as the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, said they had launched an operation to liberate Syria's northern city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Turkey is concerned over a growing Kurdish influence near its borders, which was a main point of contention between Washington and Ankara.

The U.S. top commander met with Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

No further details were given about the talks between Akar and Dunford.

Last week, Akar met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov, an earlier statement by the Turkish General Staff said.

They discussed means to reach a solution on the conflict in Syria, normalize the situation in the besieged city of Aleppo and increase coordination between the two countries in order to bring back security to the region, it added.
British Prime Minister Theresa May attends a press conference after the second-day's meeting of EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

LONDON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May left Sunday for India on trade mission, leaving a message for those aiming to delay or sabotage her plans to leave the European Union.

Her message came as politicians in both the House of Commons and House of Lords indicated that they would seek to delay the triggering of the crucial Article 50 mechanism that will kick-start a two-year departure process. Some politicians are already setting their sights on a second EU referendum.

May's Brexit timetable was thrown into chaos on Thursday when three judges in the High Court said parliament must be involved in triggering Article 50.

In her message released through 10 Downing Street, May said that with her trade mission to India, representing every part of Britain, she would seize the opportunities of leaving the European Union.

"While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people. It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided."

"And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table -- that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

The journey to India is May's first bilateral visit outside Europe, taking 33 business representatives with her.

Even though May says she is confident the High Court's decision will be reversed next month by the Supreme Court, the political fallout over Thursday's decision continued Sunday.

In the Sunday Telegraph, May penned an article headlined "Why I will not allow the British people's vote for Brexit to be sabotaged."

She said in her article "This may appear to be a debate about process, and the legal argument is complex, but in reality there is an important principle at stake. Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively."

"It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided."

Meanwhile the Sunday Mirror reported opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will force May to hold a general election next spring unless she caves in to Labour's Brexit demands on trade and worker rights, including access to the EU single market.

Corbyn said in the interview that he was not against May triggering Article 50, but would vote against her unless she adopted Labour's Brexit bottom lines.

Corbyn added: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted. We accept the result of the referendum."

"We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."

On Monday, David Davis, secretary of state for exiting the European Union, will be making the first full response to the court ruling in the House of Commons when he addresses MPs in the main chamber.
LAGOS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian forces have killed 37 terrorists in the restive state of Borno during a clearance operation on Saturday, a military spokesman said Sunday.

The troops also captured one Boko Haram terrorist and one female believed to be a sex slave held by the group, said Sani Usman, spokesman of the army.

Usman said the troops carried out the operation in suspected Boko Haram hideouts at Ajigin, Golgore, Njibulla and Doksa villages.

He added that three AK-47 rifles were recovered at Ajigin during the operation.

He said a vigilante group member lost his life, while six soldiers were wounded during the operation.

The Nigerian government has launched several military operations over the past months to eliminate the terror group, which emerged in northeast Nigeria's Borno region.
NICOSIA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus traveled to Switzerland on Sunday ahead of a new round of intensive negotiations in their search for a deal reunifying their partitioned island.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, representing the Greek Cypriot community, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are scheduled to start a week-long phase of UN-led talks on Monday.

An agreement will set the stage for the final phase of the peace efforts, a multi-party conference to decide security arrangements.

Turkish troops occupied 37.5 percent of Cyprus's territory in a 1974 military operation, in reaction to a coup engineered by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

In 2004, the UN prepared a blueprint for a Cyprus solution, which came to be known as the Annan Plan that proposed the return of 8.5 percentage points of territory under Greek Cypriot control. But the plan was rejected by the Greek Cypriots.

Anastasiades has given notice that at the negotiations in Switzerland, he will demand a bigger portion of territory under Greek Cypriot control.

"The area to be returned must be such that the majority of displaced people, about 100,000 of them, will return to their homes under Greek Cypriot administration," Anastasiades said in a televised address on Friday aimed at briefing the people on the state of affairs at the negotiations.

That would mean that Turkish Cypriots would retain control on an area closer to their population ratio, which was agreed to be fixed at 22 percent of the population, as against 18 percent in 1974.

On his part, Akinci has been insisting that Turkish Cypriots and settlers who were allocated Greek Cypriot properties over the last four decades must not be relocated.

A first step in the negotiations will be to agree on the criteria for the territorial adjustments.

Anastasiades said he will not consent to a multi-party conference being convened without an agreement on the criteria for territorial adjustments and also maps showing the exact areas under the control of each side.

Ahead of leaving for Switzerland, both Anastasiades and Akinci vowed that they are determined to work hard to solve remaining differences so as to make a solution agreement possible within 2016.

But they also left room for the possibility of failing to bridge divergences to an extent allowing passage to the last stage of the effort.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he expects the next United States president not to impose a solution on the lingering Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu told his ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting that the dispute can be resolved only by direct negotiations without preconditions, adding that his country expects that "the U.S. will remain faithful to the principle that it has set over many years."

The hardline leader said he hopes the U.S., Israel's closest ally, will not allow resolutions by the United Nations and other international bodies to impose on Israel solution to the conflict.

Netanyahu was referring to an ongoing move by the Palestinians to achieve an international recognition of a Palestinian state and become a member country in the UN General Assembly.

Israel has also been concerned about a French peace initiative, first proposed by the French government in 2015, which aims at setting parameters for a peace deal and a timeline to achieve it.

Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast War and has been holding it ever since, despite international criticism.

The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks reached an impasse in April, 2014 amid the expansion of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the unity government between the PLO and Hamas.
President of China's Xinhua News Agency Cai Mingzhao reads a letter sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping to congratulate Xinhua News Agency on the 85th anniversary of its founding at a ceremony marking its anniversary in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

SANTIAGO/SAN JOSE, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis have congratulated Xinhua, China's official news agency, on its upcoming 85th anniversary.

In a message Wednesday addressed to Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao, Chilean President Bachelet expressed her "sincerest congratulations to all the men and women that work at the Xinhua News Agency, on its 85th anniversary."

"The Xinhua News Agency has served as a bridge of understanding, cooperation and friendship between Chile and China, as well as between Latin America and China, thanks to its international influence as an omnimedia conglomerate," Bachelet added.

The Chilean president praised the Chile-China ties, underscoring the fact that Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with China, the first Latin American country to recognize China's status as a market economy, and the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with the Asian giant.

"Today, China has positioned itself as our largest trade partner worldwide, our leading source of imports and the leading destination for our exports," said Bachelet.

A joint picture of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (L) and Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis. (Xinhua)

"Throughout the process of developing ties, the value of media such as Xinhua has stood out," said the president, adding the news agency "has in addition to seriously fulfilling its informative task, become an important and indispensable force in promoting the strategic partnership between Chile and China."

"I would like to send, from Costa Rica, my warmest and most fraternal congratulations to China's Xinhua News Agency on its 85th anniversary," said Solis in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"I hope that for many more years to come, you can continue to inform the world of China's grand vision, and to unite the countries on earth (with your reports) in the pursuit of peace and hope for all," Solis said.

Solis said the momentum of bilateral ties is "very positive," and China has given Costa Rica a lot of help in economic development and cultural exchanges since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2007.

The president vowed to contribute to improving ties between China and Latin America as a whole.

The Xinhua News Agency was born on Nov. 7, 1931 as the Red China News Agency in Ruijin in southeast China. It changed to its current name in January 1937 in Yan'an in northwest China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xinhua became the state news agency.

With 85 years of development, Xinhua now operates more than 30 domestic bureaus and 180 overseas bureaus and branches worldwide.
ISTANBUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- As the tension mounts between Turkey and Iraq following Ankara's military buildup on its neighbor's border on the ground of national security, analysts have cautioned that a military intervention could have devastating consequences for the region.

"Such a military action may open Pandora's box with consequences difficult to predict," observed Yasar Yakis, the first foreign minister of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party.

In response to the Turkish move, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that a military intervention would lead to the disintegration of Turkey, adding Iraq is ready to fight if necessary.

Turkey is concerned that the involvement of Iraqi Shiite militia in the liberation of Mosul and Tal Afar from the Islamic State (IS) would lead to sectarian violence against Sunni Arabs and Turkmens in the two cities.

"Turkey should not see conducting a ground operation into Iraq as an option on the pretext of (protecting) Turkmens in Tal Afar or (fighting) the PKK in Sinjar, because this would serve to spark a sectarian war," warned Cahit Armagan Dilek, a security and foreign policy analyst.

The Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish groups, Iraqi Shiite militia called al-Hashd al-Shaabi and an air force coalition led by the United States, have been fighting to retake Mosul from the IS for nearly three weeks.

"I may only wish that Turkey's reaction to the developments regarding Tal Afar does not reach the level of a military intervention," said Yakis.

Turkey, which has emerged as a protector of Sunnis against rising Iranian influence in the region particularly since the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, has earlier declared Shiite militia's entry into central Mosul and Tal Afar as a redline.

In Dilek's opinion, al-Abadi's message is aimed at deterring Turkey from an incursion by giving the impression that Iraq has the backing of the U.S. and Iran.

The Turkish Armed Forces began deploying on Nov. 1 tanks and armored vehicles near the town of Silopi in Sirnak province on the Iraqi border. A second shipment of tanks was sent to Silopi by rail late Friday.

Turkey's demand for being part of the Mosul campaign against the IS was previously rejected by Iraq's Shiite-dominated government.

Earlier in the past week, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik described the deployment of tanks on the border as a preparation in view of the important developments in the region.

Noting that Turkey needs to be prepared for all sorts of contingencies, Isik added, "Turkey has redlines. If those redlines are violated, Turkey will do what it must do."

Turkey does not want the Iraqi army's campaign to drive the IS from Mosul and Tal Afar to change the ethnic composition of the region, which is predominantly Sunni.

Isik said Turkey respects Iraq's territorial integrity, but would not tolerate a terrorist group getting a foothold in northern Iraq by being part of the anti-IS fight.

The minister's remarks are an obvious reference to the presence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Sinjar, a town near the Syrian border in northern Iraq.

The PKK, which has been conducting a bloody war against Turkey for more than 30 years to establish a Kurdish state in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast, was part of the Kurdish forces that retook Sinjar from the IS a year ago.

Iraq may have been particularly irritated by Turkey's insistence on being militarily involved in the Mosul campaign, given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's oft-repeated reference in recent weeks to Turkey's historical rights over the Mosul region.

"We did not voluntarily accept the borders of this state (of ours)," Erdogan said about two weeks ago as he criticized the Treaty of Lausanne, the newly founded Turkish Republic signed in 1923 with the Allied Powers of the First World War following a successful war of independence.

Erdogan stressed that Turkey does not have its eye on anybody's territory, but he also noted, as proof of Turkey's historical responsibility toward Iraq, that Mosul and Kirkuk used to belong to the Ottoman Empire, to which Turkey is the heir.

The National Oath the last Ottoman Parliament accepted in 1920, a time when Istanbul, the Ottoman capital, was under British occupation, included the province of Mosul as part of the Ottoman territory.

Ottoman's Mosul province included, other than the city of Mosul itself, cities such as Sinjar, Sulaymaniyah and oil-rich Kirkuk.

When the Ottoman Empire and the Allied Powers signed the Armistice of Mudros in 1918, Mosul was still under the control of the Ottoman army. But the British, being the superpower of the time, occupied the area after the conclusion of the armistice and refused to return it to Turkey during the Lausanne negotiations.

In yet another speech a week ago, Erdogan once again criticized those who negotiated the Treaty of Lausanne on behalf of the Turkish state for having failed, contrary to what the National Oath declared, to include Mosul within the Turkish territory.

Speaking vaguely of Turkey's political aims, he said Turkey would from now on resolutely fight to achieve its goals instead of acting faintheartedly as it did in the past.

Erdogan then added, "If we are destined to win, we will win like a man; if we are destined to die, we will die like a man. A middle-of-the-road (attitude) is no longer possible."

The remarks are indicative of outright irredentism, Sahin Mengu, a former deputy of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, observed in his column published in the Aydinlik daily on Wednesday.

According to the analysts who talked to Xinhua, earlier Turkish discourse that Shiites should not be part of the Iraqi forces that will liberate IS-held areas does not make sense as most of the Iraqi army is composed of Shiites.

Additionally, a significant number of Shiite Turkmens are fighting in the ranks of al-Hashd al-Shaabi.

In the view of Dilek, a former staff officer in the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkish government's discourse about Mosul and Tal Afar was mainly for show and aimed at appealing to the public at home.

It is only if the Shiite militia enters Tal Afar and starts massacring Turkmens, then the Turkish government would feel under pressure to intervene militarily, argued Dilek.

According to Dilek, such a scenario would not be appealing at all for Turkey as it would also mean confrontation with Shiite Turkmens.

"Because al-Hashd al-Shaabi is largely composed of Shiite Turkmens, such a clash would be seen as the Turkish army fighting the Turkmens," he explained.

The IS captured Mosul and Tal Afar, which are both situated in northern Iraq and not very far from the Turkish border, in June of 2014.

Tal Afar is currently populated mainly by Sunni Turkmens, as an estimated 150,000-200,000 Turkmens, a big majority of them estimated to be Shiites, fled the area following the IS occupation. Mosul is a dominantly Sunni Arab city.

It is widely believed that many of the Sunni Arab tribes in Mosul and some Sunni Turkmens in Tal Afar collaborated with the IS when it fought for the twin cities.

The Shiite militiamen were accused in the past of mistreating civilians in predominantly Sunni Arab cities like Fallujah and Ramadi, which they liberated from IS together with the Iraqi army.

If Shiite Turkmens in Tal Afar should decide to come back, it can not be considered as an attempt to alter the ethnic composition of the population, said Yakis.

He then added, "Turkey should rather focus its efforts to avoid a revenge operation by the returning Shiites and try to achieve this goal through persuasion rather than a military action."

Sectarian tension between Shiite and Sunni Arabs has developed in Iraq particularly in recent years, as many Sunnis began to feel they are not allowed to have a voice in the central government.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said days ago that the Turkish army's preparation is not aimed against Iraq's territorial integrity, but rather against potential threat to the Turkmen population in Tal Afar and against potential terrorist attacks by the PKK based in Sinjar.

Turkish media reports noted lately that al-Hashd al-Shaabi volunteers were getting near, despite Turkey's warnings, to IS-held Tal Afar.

There are signs, however, that Turkey's warnings are being heeded by Iraq and the U.S., Abdullah Agar, a security analyst who is a former member of the Turkish army's special forces, told CNNTurk on Thursday that the Iraqi prime minister said the same day that the Shiite volunteers did not need to enter Tal Afar.

Jeff Davis, spokesman of the U.S. Defense Department, was quoted on Wednesday by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency as saying that the U.S. would not provide military support to the Shiite militia in the anti-IS campaign.

The Hurriyet daily reported on Friday that Defence Minister Isik said Turkey was informed that the Iraqi forces who had managed to enter Mosul in the past days did not include the Shiite militia.

"The U.S. is now paying heed to our warnings," Isik was quoted as saying.

Both Yakis and Dilek warned that Turkey would be labelled as an occupying force violating international law, should it conduct a military incursion into Iraq.

The Turkish argument that the country would consider an intervention essentially out of humanitarian motivations looks far from convincing.

When the IS stormed Mosul and Tal Afar in 2014, Turkey did not do much to stop its killings. Ahmet Davutoglu, then Turkey's foreign minister, even described IS members as "angry boys" at the time.

Davutoglu's description of IS implied a sort of tacit approval as it suggested that the emergence of the IS was a result of the de-facto exclusion of Iraq's Sunnis from politics due to Shiite dominance.

Dilek thinks it likely that Turkey may, to please the public, conduct limited air strikes on terrorist targets in Sinjar and Tal Afar following negotiations with the U.S..

But Turkey should, instead of getting militarily involved, talk to Iran to stop the Shiite volunteers from engaging in a massacre against Sunnis in Tal Afar, he stressed.
DIXVILLE NOTCH, United States, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The tiny, unincorporated town of Dixville Notch in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, is readying itself once again for its quadrennial moment of fame as the U.S. Election Day is drawing near.

Midnight voting in the first-in-the-nation presidential elections is expected to take place in Dixville Notch on Tuesday, despite major renovations underway at the now-crumbling Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, the traditional balloting place, which was closed in 2011.

Traditionally, the voting in Dixville Notch finishes in less than a minute.

A makeshift polling station was set up this year in the hotel builder's lakeside house, which was erected more than 100 years ago, just a few hundred meters away from the hotel itself. The voting station for the 2012 elections was moved to a nearby ski lodge, a grey building, at the foot of snow-capped mountains in the ski resort.

In the living room of the red-roofed wooden house, a wood ballot box with a brass lock was put on a table near a sign which says: "Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, the first in the nation," meaning that the tiny town is the first to vote in the country's presidential elections.

Around the corner, five ballot booths were erected for the voters to mark their ballots before casting them.

Tom Tillotson, whose father Neil Tillotson started the midnight voting tradition in the small town in 1960, told Xinhua that six voters are expected to cast their ballots just after midnight on Tuesday.

The ballot booths -- just small cubicles -- were not enough for all the six voters, the other voters have to mark his or her ballot at a writing desk around the corner, said Tillotson, who will moderate the voting on Tuesday.

He was the moderator of the 2012 elections which saw 10 voters from the small town.

Tillotson said that his son, Tanner Tillotson who was the first to cast his ballot in the 2012 presidential elections, is now working in Spain and he registered himself as an absentee voter this year.

Two of the 2012 voters here moved to the neighboring state of Maine, he said.

The six registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, signifying the official beginning of the voting in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

The first voter is decided by lottery drawing, Tillotson said, adding that all the six voters will gather at the polling station at around 23:00 EST (0400GMT) on Monday for the lottery.

"We have to carry on the tradition," said Tillotson, who said he was a little bit sad about the fact that the number of voters are shrinking in this tiny town.
BizPac and Consensus Flagstaff, two Flagstaff political action committees, are a study in campaign finance opposites.

According to campaign finance documents filed with the Flagstaff City Clerks Office, the majority of donors to BizPac are businesses or business associations. The PAC is sponsored by Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce and raised more than $26,293 so far. Its major commercial donors this year included the Chamber with a donation of $4,975, Core Campus $3,000, Arizona Food Marketing Alliance $2,000, First Brokers Realty, Arizona SnowBowl Resort $1,000 and Bella Investment Group $1,000. BizPac also spent more than $25,190. Most of the money went to advertising and signs. The four largest expenses were $7,500 for legal services, $5,382 for mailings and postage, $1,500 for graphic design and digital advertising and $1,499 to host a luncheon for Sen. John McCain.

In contrast, the majority of the donors to Consensus Flagstaff, a PAC involved in the race for Flagstaff City Council, are Flagstaff residents. The PAC raised a total of $8,855 so far. The biggest donation to Consensus came from Patrice Horstman, the committees chair. Horstman donated $550 in in-kind donations for printing, an event venue and paper products and $344 in cash. Consensus also spent a total of $8,725 on donations and $1,304 on catering. It donated $1,500 each to the campaigns of Council candidates Jamie Whelan, Adam Shimoni and Jim McCarthy. It also donated $1,500 to Coral Evans campaign for mayor.

Some local initiatives got some large boosts from some big donors this election.

According to campaign finance documents filed with the Flagstaff City Clerk, Flagstaff Needs a Raise received around $17,600 in support of Prop. 414 from three other political committees. The Arizona Democratic Party, Restaurant Opportunities Center and UFCW Local 99 PAC each donated $5,000 to Flagstaff Needs a Raise. Moving Flagstaff Forward, which has ties to Flagstaff Needs a Raise, also donated $2,600.

Flagstaff Needs a Raise collected more than $21,480 in donations so far and spent more than $18,388. It spend most of that money on radio ads $5,267, postage $2,019 and signs, more than $1,371.

The Committee for a Greater Buffalo Park had one major donation from an organization and several large donations from individuals on behalf of Prop. 413. The organization has raised $17,192 so far this election. One of its largest donations, $2,000, came from the Grand Canyon Trust. The Committee also spent $14,997, most of it on printing yard signs.

In contrast, Moving Flagstaff Forward, which supports a higher minimum wage in the city and better working conditions, got most of its donation from individuals. The committee raised a total of $3,350 so far. The largest donation $500 came from Sandra Lubarsky. The committee also spent $3,283. Most of the money ($2,600) was transferred to Flagstaff Needs a Raise.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Sunday called on the international community to combat environmental crime and end the illegal exploitation of natural resources, both in peacetime and during war.

Ban made the appeal in a message on the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

To achieve the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, "we must recognize that we have a duty of care towards the environment in peacetime and during war," Ban said in the message.

The UN chief noted that poor governance of the environment and natural resources can contribute to the outbreak of conflict. "Conversely, there are many examples of natural resources serving as catalysts for peaceful cooperation, confidence-building and poverty reduction," he said, adding that how governments manage the natural resources in after-war peacebuilding is also fundamental.

"In the aftermath of violent conflict, natural resources, such as land, timber, minerals, oil and gas, are often the primary assets that governments need to support livelihoods and economic recovery," he said.

The UN is working to establish guidelines that can better support environmental preservation, particularly in protected areas and environmentally sensitive sites, he added.

"On this International Day, I urge governments, businesses and citizens around the world to prioritize environmental care and the sustainable management of natural resources for preventing conflict, building peace and promoting lasting prosperity," he said.

The environment has often remained the unpublicised victim of war. To raise awareness on this issue, the UN General Assembly in 2001 declared November 6 of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
HONG KONG, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong police arrested two protesters Sunday evening for obstruction of police duties and failure to provide their personal identifications in an illegal rally against China's top legislature's interpretation of the Hong Kong Basic Law.

A senior superintendent of the Hong Kong Island Regional Headquarters told the media that the police arrested the two males outside the central government liaison office in Hong Kong.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside the liaison office Sunday evening after participation in a march in the afternoon to protest against the Basic Law interpretation.

The police officer said the rally outside the liaison office was not permitted and condemned the protesters who used bricks and bamboo sticks to attack the police.

The protesters occupied and blocked the Des Voeux Road West to the south of the liaison office, pushing the police's iron fences with umbrellas and sticks.

The police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.

Two legislators-elect of Hong Kong's sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) deliberately used curse words insulting the Chinese nation and the country when reading the oath on Oct. 12. Their oath was not accepted by the LegCo's oath supervisor.

While whether they deserve a second chance to take oath is widely debated, Hong Kong people from all circles have criticized and condemned the two.

Senior members of China's top legislature on Friday heard a report on a draft interpretation of Article 104 of the Hong Kong Basic Law which rules that the LegCo members must swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.

The liaison office's director Zhang Xiaoming met with about 200 Hong Kong's delegates to the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Sunday to notify them the top legislature's incoming interpretation of the Basic Law.

Zhang noted that the central government holds a clear and firm stance to contain the spread of "Hong Kong Independence" by taking effective measures in accordance with law.

The central government will not allow pro-independence advocates to become LegCo lawmakers, Zhang stressed.
KABUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was investigating airstrikes conducted by U.S. forces in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province that caused civilian casualties, the mission said in a statement on Sunday.

On Thursday, a series of air strikes were carried out in Buz-e-Kandahari area of provincial capital Kunduz city, following ground operations conducted by foreign and Afghan security forces there, in which pro-Government forces came under attack by Anti-Government Elements.

In a statement released Saturday, United States Forces-Afghanistan acknowledged they had conducted air-to-ground engagements at that time in that area, with the commander, General John W. Nicholson, expressing his deep regret for the loss of innocent lives, the statement said.

"Preliminary findings indicate that the aerial operation killed at least 32 civilians and injured an additional 19 civilians, the vast majority of whom were women and children. UNAMA also received reports that the air strikes severely damaged at least 22 houses,"it said.

"The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts toward building peace and stability in Afghanistan," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General's special representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, was quoted in the statement as saying.

"When conducting aerial operations, international military forces should take all feasible measures to minimize civilian harm, including full analysis of the context for aerial strikes."he said.

UNAMA urges authorities to ensure an independent, impartial and prompt investigation at the earliest opportunity, and for appropriate steps to be taken to ensure accountability, compensation for victims and the prevention of such incidents in the future.

In accordance with its mandate to support the protection of civilians in armed conflict, UNAMA will continue to investigate credible allegations of harm caused to civilians by all parties to the conflict. Fuller information on this and other serious incidents will be provided in the Mission's 2016 Protection of Civilians Annual Report, slated for release in January 2017, it noted.
SOFIA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's new head of state will be elected in a runoff, two exit polls indicated on Sunday evening after the first round of presidential elections in the Balkan country.

According to Alpha Research agency, the Bulgarian Socialist Party-backed Major General Rumen Radev is expected to have 24.8 percent of the valid votes, against 23.5 percent for the GERB party candidate Tsetska Tsacheva.

Another exit poll conducted by Gallup International showed that 26.7 percent of voters cast their ballots for Radev, and 22.5 percent voted in favor of Tsacheva.

The two exit polls showed that the nationalist candidate Krasimir Karakachanov came third with 13.6 percent and 15.0 percent of the votes respectively.

A candidate has to receive more than 50 percent of the votes to be elected in the first round.

Therefore, Tsacheva and Radev will compete in a runoff a week later.

The official results are expected to be released on Tuesday.

As many as 21 candidates participated in the presidential elections.

Incumbent President Rosen Plevneliev, who won the last presidential elections in Bulgaria in October 2011 as a candidate of the GERB party, has decided not to run for a second five-year term "for personal reasons."
MOGADISHU, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Clashes erupted in the central Somali town of Galkayo between two rival federal state forces on Sunday, killing 24 people and injuring 50 others, medical sources and eye witnesses said.

The sources said mortar shelling and intense gunfire could be heard across Galkayo as there was heavy fighting between Galmudug and Puntland forces despite a peace deal brokered by Dubai and signed on Nov. 1.

Eighteen of those killed were soldiers, they said.

Galkayo is currently divided into two districts, with Galmudug state governing the southern district and Puntland state controlling the northern one.

Puntland's Galkayo governor Hassan Khalif confirmed the deaths and injuries and said the fighting was still going on.

"There are several casualties including deaths and injuries. We don't count the casualties as the fighting is still going on, but I can say Galmudug is not ready for peace it brokered early this week," Khalif said.

The governor added that his administration was ready for peaceful talks to end the hostilities. He suggested dialogue should begin from grassroots and not only from higher authorities.

Galmudug's Galkayo governor Hirsi Yusuf said their forces were attacked by Puntland troops on Sunday morning and accused Puntland of violating the peace agreement.

Galkayo has been plagued by recurrent clashes between the two neighboring states which are said to be fighting for control of the town.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says fighting between the rival forces killed at least 23 people and displaced more than 80,000 others between Oct. 7 and 31.

The OCHA said while a peace agreement was reached on Nov. 1, fighting broke out again on Nov. 2.

The rival states are scheduled to hold further talks to implement the agreement on Nov. 20.
DUBAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Senegalese Minister of Interior Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo, discussed on Sunday security issues of common concern, reported the Emirati state news agency WAM.

General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), also discussed with Diallo ways of bolstering and promoting relations between the Gulf Arab state and the West African country.

Several officers attended the meeting which took place at the Ministry of Interior in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, including Major General Dr. Nasser Lakhrebani Al-Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, as well as Major General Mohammed bin Al-Awadhi Al-Menhali, Assistant Under-Secretary of Resources and Support Services, said WAM.

Diallo and his delegation also visited Hedayah, The International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Hedayah's Steering Board Chairman, welcomed the visitors to the center, highlighting the significance of the visit as an opportunity to explore potential collaboration between Hedayah and Senegalese institutes.

They also discussed the CVE's national strategy and issues related to the threat of "foreign terrorist fighters and the rehabilitation and reintegration of former terrorists," according to WAM.
Brett McGurk, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS, addresses a press conference at the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 6, 2016. The military operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq's Mosul is ahead of schedule, said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS here Sunday. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)

AMMAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The military operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq's Mosul is ahead of schedule, said U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter IS here Sunday.

The envoy, Brett McGurk, told a press conference that it is the third week of the operation and "everything is ahead of schedule."

Iraqi security forces, along with Shiite and Kurdish militia with the support of the U.S.-led coalition started an offensive on Mosul in October to retake the city, which fell to IS group in 2014.

McGurk said the coalition is also providing support to the Syrian Democratic Forces in an operation to retake Syria's Raqqa from IS, stressing that there is no coordination with the Syrian regime or the Russians regarding the operation.

He stressed during the press conference at the U.S. embassy in Amman that days of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader, are numbered, saying that it is only a matter of time to eliminate him and his movement.

The U.S. official said the coalition will also make sure that IS does not move to the south of Syria to represent a threat to the neighboring Jordan.

Earlier in the day, King Abdullah II of Jordan met with McGurk to discuss cooperation and progress in the fight against terrorism.

Related:

Iraqi forces free town from IS in south of Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi security forces on Saturday freed a town from Islamic State (IS) group in south of the group's stronghold of Mosul, as major anti-IS offensive continued to seize more ground around the city, a security source told Xinhua.
RIGA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Riga Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries was issued here Saturday at the 5th Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries(CEECs).

The following is the full text of the document.

The Riga Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries

On 5 November 2016, the 5th Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (hereinafter referred to as "CEECs") was held in Riga, Latvia. Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis of Latvia, Premier Li Keqiang of the People's Republic of China, Prime Minister Edi Rama of the Republic of Albania, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of the Republic of Bulgaria, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic of Croatia, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka of the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Taavi Roivas of the Republic of Estonia, Prime Minister Orban Viktor of Hungary, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius of the Republic of Lithuania, Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev of the Republic of Macedonia, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo of the Republic of Poland, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos of Romania, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of the Republic of Serbia, Prime Minister Robert Fico of the Slovak Republic, Prime Minister Miro Cerar of the Republic of Slovenia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information, Society and Telecommunications Vujica Lazovit of Montenegro attended the meeting. They expressed appreciation and gratitude to Latvia for the efforts it had made as the host country to ensure the success of the meeting. Representatives of other parties, including Austria, Belarus, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the EU, Greece and Switzerland were present as observers.

The Participants at the meeting (hereinafter referred to as "the Participants") reviewed the good progress and results of the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (hereinafter referred to as "16+1 Cooperation") since the establishment of the format in 2012, commended the implementation of the Medium-Term Agenda and the Suzhou Guidelines for Cooperation between China and CEECs (see Annex).

The Participants recognized that the 16+1 Cooperation has proven its viability by enhancing the scope and magnitude of cooperation among the 17 countries and has become more mature and ready for harvest. The Participants reaffirmed the intention to forge an efficient, practical and lasting 16+1 Cooperation, to build a partnership featuring openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit, as well as to develop synergies between 16+1 Cooperation and the EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the EU-China Connectivity Platform.

In that perspective, the Participants jointly formulated and issued, on the theme of "Connectivity, Innovation, Inclusiveness and Common Development" , the Riga Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries with a view to enhancing existing cooperation and fostering cooperation in new areas, and affirmed that its implementation will conform with their respective laws and regulations, and in the case of EU member states, relevant EU legislation and regulations.

1.The Participants support Hungary in hosting the 6th China-CEEC Summit in 2017.

2.The Participants appreciate the guiding and facilitating role that the Medium-Term Agenda has played in enhancing 16+1 Cooperation and express readiness to continuously implement the Agenda in light of their respective realities, needs, and priorities.

3.16+1 National Coordinators' Meetings will be held in China and Hungary respectively in 2017.

4.Trade and investment

(1)The Participants encourage and support progress in the ongoing EU-China negotiations over an ambitious and comprehensive investment agreement, which will contribute markedly to the development of the China-CEEC investment cooperation and will create a mutually favorable investment environment and market access for all companies.

(2)The China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo will be held in Ningbo, China in June 2017 during the China International Consumer Goods Fair.

(3)The China Investment Forum will be held in the Czech Republic in 2017.

(4)The Participants acknowledge the important role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in promoting trade and investment cooperation and intend to facilitate cooperation and networking among CEEC and Chinese SMEs. They welcome the participation of Chinese and CEEC SMEs in the China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair 2017, and are willing to explore the possibility of establishing 16+1 SME Association.

(5)The Participants welcome further cooperation on enhancing trade through e-commerce platforms and encourage Chinese and CEECs' businesses to promote exports and imports of their quality and featured products through e-commerce.

5.Connectivity

(1)The Participants acknowledge the importance and comprehensive character of connectivity between Europe and Asia and reaffirm support to the progress made under the EU-China Connectivity Platform.They recognize the need and indicate their willingness to make concerted efforts to develop synergies between the "Belt and Road Initiative" and the relevant EU initiatives such as the Trans-European Networks (TEN-T) .

(2)The Participants noted the progress made in and underlined the importance of cooperation in the field of transport and logistics under the framework of China-CEEC cooperation. The Participants welcome fostering of information exchange on transport and logistics services as well as strengthening of relevant bilateral and multilateral cooperation in order to develop integrated transport corridors between Asia and Europe.

(3)The Participants support development of transport routes between Europe and Asia, including intensifying development of the Europe-China international railway container traffic so that goods could be transported in both directions. The Participants support the establishment of multimodal logistic centers in CEECs and throughout the whole Eurasian Land Bridge areas and improvement of the international supply chain and border crossing rules on the transport corridors in line with national and EU competences.

(4)The Participants appreciate the progress made by Serbia in leading the efforts to establish a China-CEEC association on transport and infrastructure cooperation and welcome the participation of relevant Chinese and CEEC institutions, businesses and organizations on a voluntary basis.
ISABEL BRASH Building a chocolate empire

However, Isabel Brashs hobby blossomed and her hard work has resulted in the chocolate maker and confectioner being a finalist in The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerces annual Champions of Business Induction Ceremony in the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year category for her company, Cocobel Chocolate Limited.

Brash told Sunday Newsday that being nominated was an honour but being a finalist was an even greater pleasure. She said she was especially surprised because Cocobel did not advertise much so most of its marketing took place through word of mouth. I dont know who nominated Cocobel, but I think its really cool that someone thought of us. Its nice to be on peoples mind in a positive way, she said.

This is especially the case because of the many challenges - physical, personal, financial, and organisational - Brash had to face during the seven years since she started the company.

For example, Brash admitted that at first she knew nothing at all about chocolate and had no one to advise her. However, after overcoming her ignorance, she had to face the ignorance of the public, who did not understand why her chocolates were so expensive. She then had to educate the market on the processes, which she did herself, including roasting the cocoa, shelling it by hand, grinding it for days, making the chocolate, pureeing different fruits, etc. That too was a challenge because I am not a very social person. I love designing and creating but it was a lot of pressure having to talk about it, she said.

Also, all the hard work took a toll on her body. She said she did not get a full nights sleep for about five years after she started the company, and would fall sick from exhaustion, and even had a few emotional breakdowns during that time.

In addition, she said she only started to make profit in 2011 when she moved out of her mothers kitchen into Cocobels home on Fitt Street, which she designed.

She was supported by family and friends who believed in her and invested in the business and her capabilities.

She also did not know much about the financial and administrative aspects of running a business but thankfully, she now has Crista Morgan, who assists with Cocobels organisation.

However, Brash believes Cocobel survived because of a combination of stubbornness, determination, pride and passion. Im talking about the kind of fiery, love/hate kind of passion... When you are in something and you know how important it is but its very difficult, she said.

As the company grew and became enriched with people, she received further motivation in the form of her staff and suppliers.

Now that so many people were dependant on the companys success, she knew that, despite the difficulties, she could not give up on it.

Brash noted that she gets her beans already fermented and dried from the farmers at Rancho Quemado Estate, Siparia. She stressed that the farmers were very important to the process because fermentation is important to the taste of the chocolate.

I never underestimate the value of the raw product. Farmers who do an excellent job should be rewarded.

The beans should be paid for properly.

They should not have to make chocolate to make money, she said.

Therefore, Brash is focussed on making Cocobel Chocolate a high quality product that is well presented and that can compete anywhere in the world.

Her dream is for Cocobel to be synonymous with Trinidad and Tobago. I realised that it is something I can do for my country, something that can tie me into giving back. I want people to say, Im going to Trinidad so I have to visit Cocobel, she said.

THE INCEPTION In 2005 Brash returned to Trinidad after finishing her Masters in Architecture in London, to work with a local architectural firm. She had worked there for three years when business started to slow down. I am just the type of person that I need to have something to do. I love just making things but cocoa popped into my head, she said.

Brash told Sunday Newsday that, a few years before, she visited a local food festival where she bought a chocolate bar made from Grand Couva cocoa but made in France. She found it strange that the chocolate was not made locally, and she had never tasted chocolate like it before, so she believed the idea stuck in her mind.

Therefore, in 2008, she began researching chocolate on the Internet, learning about the bean itself and the different processes and reactions that would convert the bean into chocolate and its various by-products. Its like architecture.

Its problem solving.

I loved the idea of making something from scratch.

I like to challenge myself in that way, she said.

She noted that her initial thought was to make pretty chocolates for exhibition openings at Medulla Art Gallery, the building she was designing at the time.

However, as she shared her chocolates with friends and family, they, in turn, shared it with others. She began to get chocolate job offers and she did that part time while still working as an architect.

In 2009, the World Cocoa Foundation had its international meeting in Trinidad and the man who pressed her cocoa butter encouraged her to do a display, which she did.

Her father named the chocolate Cocobel, which means brown beauty in patois. She liked the name because it was something to which Trinbagonians could relate and wanted people to feel as if they to owned Cocobel.

The international chocolate experts were very encouraging and helpful, and from then I realised I was getting deeper in this and that I would stick with it, she said.

Soon after she was invited to work with Ali Khan of Hilton Trinidad, to do a presentation for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOG M), so that by the time she registered Cocobel later that year, she realised she was mostly done with the business of architecture.

TASTE THE MEMORIES Brash has created a wide selection of flavours from which to choose and most of them have a Trini flair. The idea, she said, is to invoke childhood memories.

Some of the flavours include Dark Sorrel with clove and cinnamon to evoke Trini Christmas; Mango Pepper because Trinis like to add spice to everything; Rum and Raisin because, while raisins are not from this country, the flavour is ingrained in our local culture; Ponche De Creme, which is white chocolate with nutmeg; a pineapple with chadon beni chocolate called Mermaids Kiss which reminded her of buying pineapple chow on the way to Maracas; and Felicity (cardamom and cashew), which evokes barfi and Divali.

She noted that she got the idea of her Guavas and Cream chocolate from a desert her mother told her about called guava stew with custard. It wasnt as if I was on this go local thing. I just thought it would be cool to use things from here. I thought, Ive never had a chocolate with guava in it before. Id like to do that.

So I had to go look up how to make guava cheese, she said.

The brand just evolved that way. I realised I wanted to tell our story in a box - our culture and traditions. So that someone who eats it would relate it to a memory and experience, she added.

The designs of the individual chocolates were also based on how she felt about the tastes she created.

She explained that the mango pepper flavour is a bit wild so she thought of Carnival, so the decoration is splashes of jab jab colours - blue, red, and yellow.

Recognising years of careful thought and hard work, the TT Chamber of Commerce finalists of the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award also include Anya Ayoung Chee of Anya Ayoung Chee Limited, and David Thomas and Rachel Renie of Market Movers Limited.

The winner of the will be announced on November 12 at the Champions of Business Induction Ceremony and Gala Cocktail Reception at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain.
KILLING SPREE

In one incident, three men, believed to be involved in illegal drug activity were killed in a brazen, drive-by shooting in DAbadie.

The men have been identified as Frank Joseph, his son, Kevin Plaza, 20, and Ricardo Singh, 38.

A fourth man, Roger Plaza, said to be Kevins uncle, is in a critical condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, while a woman, Debisette Noray, who was hanging out clothes on a line at the time of the attack, was shot in her leg by a stray bullet and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

The area was quickly cordoned off by homicide officers and a District Medical Officer was called to the scene.

According to reports, the men were at John Lane, in DAbadie around 3.30 pm, when the driver of a unregistered, gray wagon drove into the street and pulled up alongside the group.

Police said two men armed with automatic weapons exited the vehicle and opened fire on the group.

The men, police said, tried to run away but were pursued by the gunmen and killed. Neighbours reported hearing as many as 50 gunshots.

Investigators are hoping to secure surveillance footage from a nearby house to identify the perpetrators of the triple murders.

CTV News reported that the grisly incident hampered a wedding in the area. The report said guests were only allowed to enter the area for the reception last evening after investigators completed their search for evidence at the crime scene.

In the second incident, yesterday, a 20-year-old Mt Lambert man was shot dead while liming with friends outside Williams Bar shortly after 2 am.

Reports are that Zachory Roberts was liming outside of the bar with friends even though the establishment was closed.

Police reports revealed the driver of a vehicle pulled up and fired shots in the direction where Roberts was standing.

He was shot but later died while undergoing treatment at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

Homicide officers, who visited the scene, are continuing investigations.

Meanwhile, newly-appointed Snr Supt of the Northern Division, Mc Donald Jacob, who visited the DAbadie crime scene, told Sunday Newsday he believed the killings may be linked to illegal drug activity.

Jacob, who was accompanied by Supt Sankar and Insps Birch and Gyan, said the police had set up a network in an attempt to retrieve the vehicle.

This is totally ridiculous, a visibly upset Jacob told Sunday Newsday.

The TT Police Service will not continue tolerating these murders with impunity. Our intention is to take a more proactive approach to our policing. He said the police will do what is necessary to stop the killings in Arima and surrounding districts.

Acknowledging that the murders will create some inconvenience and unease in the society, Jacob urged citizens to be tolerant as they take proactive steps necessary to stamp out the criminal element.

The murders came almost 48 hours after Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, back from a three-month vacation leave, announced to his nine divisional commanders last week that he was not pleased with the high incidence of murders.

Williams also had announced that he was going to be on the ground with his officers as the Police Service tackled head on the spate of homicides.

During his address at the Peoples National Movements 46th Convention at the Queens Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, last Sunday, the Prime Minister said he proposed to take a direct interest in overseeing a comprehensive review of the way in which community policing functions are introduced within the Police Service, Rowley, who is also the head of the countrys National Security Council, also announced the launch off a Nationwide Crime Prevention Education and Mobilisation Programme to involve all sectors of the population in the fight against crime in TT.
TT a war zone

Leslie Moses, president of the Southern Caribbean Conference, told a congregation at the South-East Seventh- Day Adventist Church on Piccadilly Street, Port-of-Spain, that the brazen killing of one of its own, Felicia Dyer-Francis, outside of the church, last Friday, had sent its members into deep mourning.

He stressed, however, that the murder of the God-fearing woman, so close to a house of worship, gave further credence to the fact that we are at war. For us, this is the worst thing that has happened and I am convinced, brothers and sisters, that we are at war.

That is my conviction, Moses declared while addressing sullen-faced worshippers at the churchs Sabbath School celebration.

So, I am not seeing this as something that has happened just by chance. We are at war.

Some of you live in war zones because everyday you hear bullets flying all over the place.

Some of you have testified that you have to run for cover, you have to hide and that is the reality of living in Trinidad at this point in time. Moses stressed the situation was not to be taken lightly.

If you didnt come to the knowledge, brothers and sisters that we are, indeed, at war, then I want you to understand that this is not a dolly house matter. This is not a kindergarten school matter. This is real, he stated.

Dyer-Francis, 71, had attended an early morning prayer session at the South-East Seventh-Day Adventist Church, last Friday, which sought healing for the people of Laventille and other crime-plagued communities.

Hours later, at around 10.30 am, the womans limp, bullet-riddled body was discovered by police officers inside of her Nissan Tiida vehicle, parked outside of the church, after lawmen assigned to the Piccadilly Police Post heard several loud explosions in the vicinity of the church.

Dyer-Francis died while receiving treatment at the Port-of- Spain General Hospital - a victim of the very violence she had prayed would end.

The killing followed reports that her son, a police officer, had been receiving death threats from criminal elements in Laventille. Investigations are continuing.

Yesterday, Moses suggested that other members of the church also could have been killed in the violent attack.

She was waiting on a member and if that member was there, she would have been killed too, Moses said.

Moses said he learnt that the car of a male worshipper also was a short distance away from Dyer-Francis vehicle but he was taking things out of his car trunk when he heard the gunshots. If his head was up....

Lets suppose he had taken out his stuff and had gotten there just at the point at which that person came and he saw the person, he would have been killed too, he told listeners.

I am saying to you, then, that we are at war but also at this time, even though this thing has happened to her family, to her and to us, we still have much to be thankful. To cope with Dyer- Francis sudden, violent death, Moses said a team of professionals from the churchs Southern Conference and associated associations, all of whom were present at yesterdays service, will offer counselling to the churchs flock through a process referred to as Incident Stress Management Intervention.

Moses said Dyer- Francis death was not easily explainable.

This is not something that is easily talked over. For a member to pass away is a traumatic experience but for a member to pass away at the hands of a gangster and murdered is quite another thing, he said.

For a member to be murdered on Preparation Day (last Friday), in front of the church, makes it even more difficult for us as a people. Moses said, however, there was still hope.

I want to suggest to you, today, that even though we are bruised and battered, even though we are run over, we, as a people, we will never be defeated. Nothing that the Devil does or attempts to do will defeat us. Alluding to two recent incidents in which members of the church were violently attacked, one of whom was sexually assaulted and murdered during a home invasion, the pastor noted that none of the victims had the opportunity to prepare.

It all happened suddenly, at a moment and for me the message is that this has to be a wake-up call to those of us who hold up ourselves as Seventh Day Adventists. Moses urged listeners to do away with the laissez- faire attitude they sometimes project.

You know this lackadaisical attitude that we sometimes have, the attitude that says que sera sera, whatever will be will be...We have to be ready because we are in a war zone, he declared.

We have to be full Christians, no compromises, no underground religion, we need to be firmly fitted on the shore of creation, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Moses regarded Dyer- Francis demise as a time of personal revival. It could have been any of us and I want to encourage you to settle your issue with God, he said. You dont know what will happen. You just have to be ready and when you are, if you have to be confronted with a situation like this, let it be that you are ready.
London Phd student in the cold over schol

Keston Perry, 29, spoke to Sunday Newsday yesterday from London where he began pursuing a PhD in International Development at the University of London, three years ago, on a Trinidad and Tobago (TT) government scholarship.

His studies at the university are for four years, but Perry told Sunday Newsday his scholarship from the TT government covered expenses for tuition and housing for three years.

In order to complete his fourth and final year at the university, Perry applied for an extension of his threeyear scholarship but has not received any acknowledgement from the Ministry of Public Administration which oversees the scholarship programme, both local and abroad.He said his telephone calls and emails have fallen on deaf ears.

Perry said, If I list all of the times I contacted the ministry, this note will be too long. The last payment he received from Trinidad was in May 2015, but that was a lump sum for expenses up until December 2015.

A graduate of Queens Royal College, Perry won a national scholarship in the CAPE examination and pursed a degree at the University of the West Indies.

The government granted Perry a scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in Innovation/ Management at Newcastle in the United Kingdom.

Upon completion in 2013, Perry applied for and received an additional scholarship to read for a PhD degree in International Development studies which covered him up until May this year.

Perry said since May, he has been writing to Scholarship Division of the Ministry of Public Administration for the one-year extension but he has not been able to secure it.

He said, Up to May, I was informed that my application was being processed, but since September, I have not received any communication. Perry, whose aim is to return to his homeland and contribute to the countrys development, has been paying rent for his apartment in London from May to October out of his own pocket and with help from friends.

Since then I have not gotten any word from the ministry.

I do not know what is my fate, if it is that I would have to shack up (sic) my PhD for now and come back home, Perry said. Perry has taken to social media network, Facebook, to plead his case, in which he has shared information from emails he had sent to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education as well as the Director of Scholarships since June 20.

Sunday Newsday contacted Education Minister Anthony Garcia who said he knew of Perrys application.

Garcia explained that in order for anyone to be granted an extension on a scholarship, a note from the Scholarship Division has to be given to him to take to Parliament.

No note has been presented to me to take to Parliament, Garcia said.

The minister, however, promised to look into the matter. This year, Government announced the Government Assistance Tertiary Education (GATE) programme will be scaled back with the introduction of a means test from the 2017 academic year, when post-graduate degrees will only funded if they align with the countrys development needs.

Also, from 2017 funding will be provided for one undergraduate degree and one postgraduate degree.
Canadian colleges woo Trini students

She was speaking yesterday at the annual Canadian Embassy College Fair held at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of- Spain. Boyce told Sunday Newsday that they issue about 600 students visas a year for the Caribbean but there are a lot of students that are dual national so we dont really know how many.

But anecdotally in the two years I have been here I meet so many people that have studied in the US or have connections with Canadian institutions.

So I think weve developed over the years some really, really strong ties and academic ties (and) people ties from people who have gone to Canada to study, she said.

Asked about the benefits of studying in Canada she responded the quality of education is consistently high across the board. She continued: Among the G20 countries we spend among the top amount of cash on our schools.

She also said that students can select from a wide range of experiences, whether big campus or small university, and from a cultural perspective Canada is warm people, warm welcome.

We have a multicultural, safe, clean environment for people to come study where they can experience our fabulous nature, our cities, our museum, arts, culture, festivals. It is just a really incredible experience for students to come to Canada, she added.

She also pointed out that right now, from an economic perspective, it is very cost affordable.

She explained that the fair is an annual event that is co-hosted with the United States.

She reported they had 23 Canadian schools, many from Ontario but also some from British Columbia, Quebec and East Coast.

She said they were very excited to have some of their premiere universities notably University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Western, York and Concordia from Montreal.

She added they also had a lot of smaller colleges and the benefit is a huge range of institutions that offer almost any kind of course imaginable.

Sarah Braun, admissions counselor at Wagner College, Staten Island, New York City, said they are participating because we would love to get our international numbers up.

Thats why were very happy to be here in Trinidad. She explained that the offer different scholarships for their students including one international full tuition scholarship. Scores of young people attended yesterday, the last day of the two day event, and visited the various booths.

Pavan Ramkissoon, 17, from Rio Claro, told Sunday Newsday he was interested in pursuing business management.

He said there were a lot of colleges to choose from and he was looking at Canada but the US was fine too.

Leasel Lord, 18, from Santa Flora, said she was looking for the best schools that facilitate law as she wants to study family or corporate law.

She reported that so far Canada was not looking as the best option as she was only seeing masters in law and not undergraduate programmes and she would more likely go to the US.
British navy in talks with Govt

This is according to Budd and Stew who told Sunday Newsday at a reception held aboard the RFA Wave Knight on Friday evening at the Port of Port-of-Spain that they held talks with National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Chief of Defence Staff of Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, and Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London while in Trinidad and Tobago.

They both noted, however, the TT defence authorities and the British security services already enjoy good relationships.

Apart from providing disaster relief, Budd said their presence in the region has had some measure of success in drug interdiction.

Their one week sojourn in Tobago included repairs and painting of two schools, and the office of the Child Welfare League.

We did a simulated a real life disaster relief exercise with TEMA (Tobago Emergency Management Agency), Budd said to ensure maximum operability in and after a disaster, the timely dissemination of information, and that relief meets those who need them as quickly as possible. I think it was successful, he said.

In addition five cadets of the TT Coast Guard were given some time aboard the vessel and they also travelled to Trinidad with the Wave Knight crew.

On Friday, some members of the 100 crew on board took part in maintenance works on an orphanage in Trinidad.

Up to a few days ago, he said that a crew from the US Coast Guard law enforcement detachment, with which they cooperate on drug interdiction operations, were on board. They are due to rejoin the vessel shortly, he said.

Asked about any recent success in terms of drug interdiction during the current term of duty, Budd said, I cant say anything now. However, on the sister ship RAF Wave Ruler on which he served between 2008 and 2010, he said, We captured about nine tons of cocaine over a three-year period. He said, We have had a considerable amount of success in drug interdiction while cooperating with other national authorities out there. We all cooperate to try to prevent the scourge of drug spreading in and out of the region. The vessel which has been in Caribbean waters since July, will remain until February next year. It is part of the Royal Navys presence in the region to provide emergency assistance in the time of natural disasters to British overseas territories.

We also help out any other island that needs help after a disaster, Budd said.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, he said the Wave Knight went to the Bahamas which was badly hit. Though they helped in cleaning up and recovery in Nassau, he said, their focus was on North Andros Island where many houses had been flattened.

The helicopter aboard the vessel which has the capacity to carry men and cargo, he said, took food and water and other disaster relief to the island. In addition, the helicopter flew senior government officials to survey the damage among other islands.

Last year, Wave Knight also gave assistance to Dominica after Tropical Storm Erica wreaked havoc on the island.

Wave Knight will leave Trinidad tomorrow. The crew is hoping to take part in the Memorial Day Parade in Montserrat next Sunday in honour of those who died in World Wars I and II.
Kambon: Haitian case key for foreign students

On Friday afternoon High Court judge, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh had granted an injunction temporarily barring the deportation of Saint-Herve to his homeland. Saint-Herve had been ordered to leave the country by the Chief Immigration Officer by yesterday. He was due to leave at 6.25 am. The matter came up before Justice Boodoosingh, who granted an ex parte injunction based on the submissions filed by a team of lawyers, Friday afternoon at the Hall of Justice, Portof- Spain. The team, led by Gregory Delzin of Trinity Chambers, filed the injunction to stop the Chief Immigration Officer from deporting Saint-Herve earlier in the day. Saint-Herve will have to appear in the San Fernando court tomorrow where the matter will be heard.

Kambon, who penned a letter to the Chief Immigration Officer Charmaine Ghandi-Andrews seeking to stop Saint-Herve from being sent back home, told Sunday Newsday yesterday that tomorrow is going to be a very important day.

He said it will be interesting to hear in the court how the immigration officials are going to respond.

He also said the judgment will be very important regarding the protection of other students as well.

Kambon reported that he was not in contact with Saint-Herve who resided somewhere in East Trinidad.

He said the student has a good legal team and a solid case.

On October 25, Saint-Herve was told by an officer at the Immigration Office that his application for a student visa had been denied and he was told to return with his ticket on October 28 and to leave the country by November 5.

He returned with the ticket on October 28. No reasons were given for the denial at the time.

In response to subsequent queries, immigration officials raised issues about the number of courses he was studying, the quality of his English and his financial status.

Saint-Herve arrived in TT on August 16, after he was accepted to pursue an associate degree at Cipriani College of Labour and Cooperative Studies (CCLCS).

He was accepted to pursue studies in project management. Being a French speaker, he was required to pursue two developmental courses including one in English.

A TT national also undertook to sponsor his expenses in the country while he studied. Saint- Herve began studies at CCLCS on August 22, while undergoing the formalities to obtain a student visa. He provided original transcripts in French of his qualifications which were translated to English and notarised as requested.
Citizen Sinanan

The belly has gotten a little bigger since I have been in this post, former president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA ) Davanand Sinanan joked, pointing to his growing stomach.

On his final day as TTUTA president, last Monday, Sinanan, 52, who cultivated a reputation for candour and diplomacy during his six years at the helm of the association, said he was anxious to once again become Citizen Sinanan.

The post of TTUTA president, he said, made him lose my anonymity. As TTUTA president, I had to be conscious of where I went, what I did, how I behaved, he said.

I was always cognisant of the fact that I was the leader of a teachers union and never wanted to bring the association into disrepute.

I wanted to consistently project that professional image for teachers and the association.

Teachers needed to see themselves as professionals and I tried to lead by example. The river lime Sinanan has envisioned, though - involving a few of his closest friends from the St Patrick Educational Division - must take place before December 1 when he is expected to again re-assume duties as principal of his alma mater, Palo Seco Secondary School.

Sinanan, who served an eightmonth stint as principal of the school in 2013, ahead of his second term as TTUTA president, said he was looking forward to his assignment, confident that the foundation had already been laid.

Sinanan said he must reacquaint his thinking to the nuances of school life as I prepare mentally to go back. Barring his impending appointment, Sinanan said he had no immediate plans for the future.

I am tired. The presidency took a lot out of me, Sinanan said in an interview at the unions headquarters, Southern Main Road, Curepe, while sending off a few e-mails and tying up other loose ends.

Describing his final moments in office as bittersweet, Sinanan said he was disappointed the long-awaited Teachers Centre, currently in the pipeline, did not become a reality under his watch.

Sinanan, who began his tenure as TTUTA president in March 2010, under the banner of the TNT (The New TTUTA ), said he also was unable to restructure effectively the administrative systems within the unions head office.

He told Sunday Newsday: It is not very efficient. Our productivity level is not what it ought to be.

On the issue of productivity and quality of service, there is still a lot of work to be done. Sinanan acknowledged, however, that changing the culture in organisations can sometimes be a difficult task.

There was that resistance and that really bothered me, he said.

Outside of issues relating to the unions internal administrative structure, Sinanan said over the past six years, he has often challenged the Ministry of Education to ensure that schools are safe, secure and up to internationally- accepted standards.

The 2009 Teacher of the Year described as pathetic, the government bureaucracy in addressing urgent teacher-related matters, saying the situation represented what he considered to be a vicious cycle of inefficiency throughout the system. It was very frustrating. There were items on the agenda like a recurring decimal, he said.

A vocal Sinanan also listed, among his peeves, what he regarded as the dysfunctional state of the education system.

He observed: The system is focussed on certification and not the education of human beings. It certifies more people as failures than successes. I will continue advocacy for this radical transformation. On a brighter note, the proud Penal native regarded his elevation to the executive board of Education International (EI), the worlds governing body for teacher- based trade unions, as one of his highlights in office.

Head-quartered in Brussels, Belgium, Sinanan said the EI represents some 32 million teachers and education sector workers in over 180 countries.

That has been quite an achievement for someone from a small union in Trinidad and Tobago, he said.

As a member, I am now in a position to influence people in a global context. Sinanan, who holds a Bachelors degree in Botany, said he also has been able to build on the work of his predecessors in gaining greater recognition for TTUTA through the Caribbean Union of Teachers.

That has been a personal accomplishment for me, he added.

Sinanan said the union also managed prudently its finances.

We were able to manage finances in such a manner that the organisation is in a fairly healthy financial state, which is not where we got it. It was really in a precarious state. But we have been able to cut expenditure in some areas without impacting the delivery for service to members. The balance sheet is quite healthy and we were able to do that as a team. Saying he received tremendous support from TTUTA S Central Executive and Conference of Delegates over his stewardship, Sinanan is hoping that the new Lynsley Doodhai-led TTUTA will continue in this vein.

The union has to be the leading voice for education in the country and be given that level of respect and recognition on education matters, he said.

The union has to be led in such a way that the respect is earned consistently. Saying that education was dynamic, Sinanan said TTUTA has to ensure that it can re-invent itself consistently to treat with the ever-changing landscape. Regarding the sector, Sinanan called for a commitment to developing its human capital in the context of national development.

There is need for us to rethink our notion of education and how the system needs to be restructured by way of critical thinking, problem solving and sustainable development to add value to the society, he said.
Parents told retool for 21st Century students

She said: The NPTA is beaming with pride and joy as we celebrate fifty-six years of existence in Trinidad and Tobago.

And today we are very happy to have two Ministers of Education at our launch at the Education Ministry.

That has never happened before, after which she turned to the ministers and thanked them with a big smile.

Earlier she re-branded the purpose of the PTA from a perception of a fund-raising organisation to one that empowers members, reminding all of its motto: Home and School United for the Good of the Child.

She said: As we reflect on our theme for 2016 (for their PTA week November 2 to 12), Retooling Parents for the 21st Century Child it is important that parents acquire the skills to support, monitor, advocate and to develop the art of conversation with their children. She explained: It is indicative that it is a partnership between home and school, that this kind of partnership will engender the type of relationship bonding that will keep students close to school and will prevent them from turning to a life of violence and crime. Ramatali added: All stakeholders must continue to work together to deal with the challenging issues facing our school system. Garcia pledged the support for the NPTA of his ministry stating that they recognise the valuable role NPTA plays in the education system in this country, noting that no one group can do it alone.

He said: I have always been championing this cause. We at the Ministry of Education cannot do it alone or by ourselves.

We need the active involvement of our stakeholders and parents.

The NPTA constitutes one of our major stakeholders and we find it necessary to hold hands and to improve our educational system. We are happy to work with dedicated and committed workers of the NPTA. He also said Ramatali and her administrators have been very supportive of the ministry, and that the two have gone past the days when there was conflict between them, and thanked her for that.

He stated: We have been working together for the last 14 months, closely collaborating with them in almost everything that we do and we will continue along this road. Speaking on the theme Home and School United for the Good of the Child, he said: To me this is a most appropriate theme because there are so many changes that are occurring in the education system and those changes require parents, so that they can assist their children at best. It is important that parents retool themselves so that they will be abreast of exactly all the changes that are taking place in the education system and that will allow them much better ability to assist their children. He closed vowing to give active support to the unit PTAs, and urged parents and teachers of schools without a PTA to join hands as it is important for them to work in collaboration.

Francis, in his remarks, said: Students, regardless of level have a greater chance of achieving academic success when their parents are involved in their education. He added: The critical factor that most significantly impacts on students ability to succeed is the quality of parenting. So it will be remiss of us that as a ministry if we didnt make some sort of transformation in our education system.

Anything that works to wards improving the quality of education in our schools and hereby improving the kind of young citizens that we produce because of that, works to the benefit of the ministry and the nation. Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan also spoke of parental engagement in the lives of their children, as well as the theme which he said looks at empowering parents with skills for the 21st century, given the different issues and challenges with which students now face. He said: The NPTA is on the ball in terms of retooling parents, provding them with the necessary skills for the needs of our 21st century students, before he too pledged to work closely with the NPTA towards moving the education system forward.
Roget: Imbert must apologise

JTUM president Ancel Roget, in a statement last evening, hit out at Imbert for making disrespectful and dangerous comments and should apologise to the National Tripartite Advisory Council (NTAC), the trade union movement, workers, the dispossessed and poverty stricken citizens.

In addition, we demand that the minister should make absolutely no more comments that can further threaten this important tripartite process, Roget said, declaring Imbert had shown reckless disregard for the process, JTUM, he said, believes with no action taken against Imbert, the body took it as a sign of the governments direct intention to impose IMF conditionalities and austerity measures on citizens.

We stoutly condemn and will resist any attempt by the government to impose any form of austerity measures on the population. Members of the Tripartite Committee met with Imbert, Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson- Regis, on Friday.

Earlier yesterday JTUM representative Christopher Henry described the meeting as interesting, saying that members of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) and JTUM, disagreed with Imberts statement which he in made at the 2016 High Level Caribbean Forum at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain last Wednesday.

That forum was attended by members of the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

Henry said, You had NATUC, JTUM and all of us were saying the same thing, that it was discourteous and in poor taste for the Minister of Finance to make a statement like that to the public. Henry said Imbert has since informed the tripartite committee that he had been misquoted and that wasnt what he meant and he needed to retract what he said. Henry added, However, the tripartite process agreed that it should go forward even though he individually made that statement.

It was not a statement that came out from the Government and as the Prime Minister said he (Imbert) was speaking in a vacuum.

But the bargaining process does not start at a forum in which the IMF is on the programme. Henry said there is a facility which ensures the bargaining process starts in a certain way and that is not the way. Asked whether Imbert had apologised for his statements, Henry said, No, he did not apologise for it, but he said the papers misquoted him and he would think about what he is saying.

But we also said we understand what is taking place in the country right now, we understand the challenges that the Government is facing that is why we give the process, the tripartite process, an opportunity for us to be able to work together.

But statements like what the minister would have made, does not auger well for the future of that whole process, but we still willing to give it a chance. Roget, in last nights statement, said JTUM did not believe Imbert was misquoted.
Kamla: I woulda fire Imbert

The Dr Keith Rowley administration, she said, was trying to save face with the announcement by Finance Minister Colm Imbert last week, but it was since in June of this year, the IMF knew of this wage restraint and zero-zero offer. The UNC held its first meeting at Fyzabad Secondary Secondary School to showcase the partys candidates who would contest seats in the Siparia Regional Corporation in the November 28 elections.

Five candidates were presented to a large crowd of supporters.

Persad-Bissessar said, So do we believe Imbert in this instance or do we believe the prime minister, that it was said in a vacuum and speculation, when it seems that the IMF that is guiding the policy of this government - the fiscal policy - they knew about it since June? We are now in November. The former prime minister told the crowd that if they google (do an search) on the internet the topic IMF wage restraint for Trinidad and Tobago, they would see that it was since June, that such a measure was in the making.

She referred to a daily newspaper report, in which IMFs executive director for Trinidad and Tobago, Otaviano Canuto, and his senior advisor Veronica Ramcharan, praised the Peoples National Movements governments planned introduction of wage and hiring restraint mechanisms.

Persad-Bissessar went on to say Imbert mistakenly revealed the Governments plans, because he was showing off that he was in charge, while sitting in the Hyatt alongside officials from other countries. She told the crowd, But mouth open, tory jump out, and then when they realise but wait, Colm, how you going to say a thing like that? We have an election in three weeks time, you mad? I am sure they must be tap up that poor fella, because if it were me, I would not have tap him up, I would have fired him. Gestapo tactics? Persad-Bissessar then went on to speak on the lawsuit announced by Government on Thursday, against nine former State officials, believed to be from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) saying it was an attempt to change the conversation, and called on Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to remove the shroud of secrecy and release the names of the persons he said he had filed a lawsuit against in the courts.

Persad-Bissessar said, They are going after nine persons, but they will not tell us who the nine people are? Why? Why are they operating with Gestapo-style tactics? If there are people you have allegations against, why dont you tell the country? Is it to keep this thing as a shroud over the heads of everybody? Al-Rawi later confirmed a lawsuit was filed, but did not disclose information on the claims in the lawsuit, saying the matter was still at a sensitive stage, except the lawsuit involved matters of corruption, unjust enrichment, and breach of fiduciary duties
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UNC leader: 7% online tax illegal

This was asserted by United National Congress political leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the partys public meeting on Friday night at Fyzabad Secondary School.

Persad-Bissessar told her hundreds of supporters in the hall, she received the White Paper of a Finance Bill, that is to be debated in Parliament on Wednesday, which contains provisions for an online tax which would negatively affect the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Minister said they would have online taxing on credit card payments and so on...It is not a tax on the online items that you buy, it is a tax on anything, any item that comes in by air freight into Trinidad and Tobago. so if your family, we all have family abroad and it is Christmas time and people send gifts...even though you are not paying for it, it is a gift coming in from your relative. Online tax? Lies. It is a tax on every single thing coming in the air. The second thing of note in the Finance Bill, according to the Persad-Bissessar, is the tax applies not just to the cost of the item, but to the freight costs and insurance as well. So when you think it was seven percent on the cost of the items, lies, said the former prime minister.

She also questioned the legality of the seven percent online purchase tax which was implemented on October 20.

I got my White Paper for Parliament on Wednesday and there is a bill called the Finance Bill to debate on Wednesday in Parliament in which they are asking the Parliament to approve what they are calling an online tax, but that was announced and came into effect when? 20the of October, you all remember that? Persad-Bissessar continued, so have they been collecting this online tax illegally without law, because why am I being asked to come to parliament on Wednesday to vote to approve the online tax? According to previous reports, Legal Notice No 163 covering the online purchase tax was published in Parliament on October 19 and this, it was said, made the tax fully legal. Attempts to reach Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi for clarification were unsuccessful.
UNC in Grande today

The UNC is hoping to wrest the contentious Sangre Grande Regional Corporation (SGRC) from the ruling Peoples National Movement (PNM), which controls five of the eight electoral districts in the corporation.

The party has offered candidates for all of the electoral districts. A scheduled of the Opposition Leaders itinerary obtained by Sunday Newsday said Persad-Bissessar will begin her tour at the Sangre Grande Market, in the heart of the eastern district, from 10 am.

At 11.15 am, Persad-Bissessar is expected to visit the Coalmine Pentecostal Church, where she will meet with church officials and residents of the community.

This will be followed by a 12.30 pm visit to a mosque along the Cunapo Southern Main Road and half an hour later, an audience with worshippers of the sat Nagar Temple on Ojoe Road.

At 2 pm, Persad-Bissessar is expected to have lunch with some of the districts businessmen.

However, up until news time, a venue had not been identified.

The Opposition Leader is also scheduled to visit the Sangre Grande District Hospital at 3.30 pm, following which she will then make her way to the Ganesh Vidya Centre in Coryal.
Chinese Premier arrives in Russia on official visit

Asia,China,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

St.Petersburg, Nov 6 (IANS) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here in Russia on Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and on an official visit to the northern neighbour, media reported.

During the visit, Li and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will discuss issues of common concern. The two sides are also expected to sign cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, energy, customs and education, Xinhua news agency reported.

Li is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

China believes that the visit will inject fresh impetus into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai at a press conference last week in Beijing.

On economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in October that thanks to efforts by both sides, China-Russia trade halted falling and began to grow in the first half of this year, totaling $31.72 billion, up 1.8 per cent over the same period of last year.

He also expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly complementary economies and their agreement to synergise the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The belt is part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which also includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Russia is the last stop of Li's eight-day Eurasia trip, which has already carried him to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Latvia.

--IANS

sm/vt
Dreaming of immigration? Expert help now just a click away

Canada,Immigration/Law/Rights, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Toronto, Nov 6 (IANS) If you are dreaming of settling down in a foreign land, making it a reality has now become a little easier, thanks to a new digital platform that makes finding a legal expert of your choice just a mouse-click away.

A brain-child of Canadian entrepreneur Nofel Izz, MigrationBrokers.com hosts over 8,000 legal immigration experts from around the world, said a company statement.

"This enables applicants to choose who they wish to handle their file," it noted, adding that just within the first month of its launch, the site received as many as 6,000 daily members with with an average conversion of nine per cent.

"There are currently six million members and the website estimates a steady yearly increase," the statement added.

Applicants are rated using a points system to make it easier for legal experts to sort them. Users can also rate legal experts helping new applicants to find their own experts.

Free memberships are available for legal experts and employers, according to Izz.

"There is a high demand for immigrants in Canada which allows approximately 300,000 immigration applicants each year. On a global scale, this is just a fraction compared to the United Nation estimates of 224 million yearly worldwide immigrants who represent three per cent of the world population," Izz said.

--IANS

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Have no interest in national politics, says Naveen Patnaik

Orissa,National,Politics, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Bhubaneswar, Nov 6 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said he has no interest in national politics and he is concentrating on the development of his state.

"My foremost concern is the state and that is what I am concentrating on. I don't want to move Delhi. I have been at Delhi as a central minister. I am very content to be here working for the people of Odisha," he said at a programme here, adding there is a "a great deal of unfinished work" here.

Patnaik also said that there is no need to groom any leader to succeed him in future.

"The people in Odisha will choose their own leader at the appropriate time," he said.

He also denied the possibility of any alliance with Congress in the state.

"There is no question of alliance with the Congress party. In fact, our policy is to remain equidistance from Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress," said Patnaik.

On the industry sector, he blamed the Central government for the Posco embargo.

"There have been several failures like Posco, which is the biggest FDI in the country. This happened because of the central government changed its policies of giving mines. Otherwise, several other projects have come up and they are doing well," said the Chief Minister.

Patnaik said his government may move court to on Mahanadi water sharing dispute as the projects being constructed by Chhattisgarh government would affect the water flowing to Hirakud reservoir.

Reiterating that his government has carried out various developmental works including women empowerment, he said: "The state's image has changed. Starvation is a story of the past."

He, however, maintained that proactive steps are being taken by the government regarding all round development of the state.

--IANS

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We will free you soon, Iraqi PM tells Mosul; warns IS

Iraq,Politics,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Baghdad, Nov 6 (IANS) The Iraqi Prime Minister has warned the Islamic State militants fighting in the besieged Mosul city to lay down their weapons if they want to live, state media reported on Sunday.

Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said government-led forces "will not retreat and will not be broken," BBC qouted him as saying.

He said his message to the people of Mosul was "we will liberate you soon".

The city has been under the IS control for more than two years.

"My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the Prime Minister told media.

Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said.

Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town, but did not say whether the IS militants had been pushed out completely.

The operation to take back control of Mosul continued as government forces tried to clear the eastern districts, including al-Zahra, which they entered on Friday.

Satellite images of Mosul reveal how IS fighters constructed multiple barricades across key routes into the northern Iraqi city.

Concrete barricades and rubble can be seen blocking key streets, while buildings near de-facto capital airport were levelled for line-of-sight reasons.

Mosul fell to the jihadis in June 2014 and their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a "caliphate".

Before the offensive began on 17 October, there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul, along with up to 1.5 million civilians.

--IANS

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Loyalty to country, government aren't same: Author Rana Ayyub (IANS Interview)

Delhi,National,Politics,Art/Culture/Books, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Loyalty to the country does not necessarily mean loyalty to the government, says author Rana Ayyub, whose self-published book on the 2002 Gujarat riots has become a major hit and gone into its second edition.

"For me, nationalism is defending the idea of the country -- that includes everybody," Ayyub told IANS in an interview.

"For me loyalty to the country means loyalty to the government only when it deserves it... Patriotism for me is to speak against those in the government who support disturbing elements in the society," she added.

She was asked what nationalism and patriotism -- in the present scenario -- meant for her.

Posing as an American filmmaker of Indian origin, Ayyub secretly interviewed Gujarat's top bureaucrats and police officers, serving as well as retired -- interviews that suggest that the 2002 riots were orchestrated.

The author was asked for her thoughts on Pakistani artists being sent home from Bollywood after protests by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the wake of the terrorist attack on an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers.

"Patriotism seems to be in vogue today. Putting a badge on you may declare you more patriotic," she said.

"I wonder if Ajay Devgn would have said something similar if his film ('Shivaay') wouldn't have been coinciding with Karan Johar's ('Ae Dil Hai Mushkil') and did not have a business angle to it," she said, referring to Ajay Devgn's support for the ouster of Pakistani actors from Bollywood.

"Unfortunately, the saying that patriotism has become the last refuge of the scoundrels in the country is proving true every day. Each time one has to promote a movie or a brand, they use patriotism," she added.

Ayyub said it cannot be denied that Pakistan was India's neighbour.

"Whether we like it or not, Pakistanis are our neighbours, even though we may have many differences. But cultural ties should not be broken and should always exist.

"This intolerance towards our cultural ties baffles me," Ayyub said.

Ayyub went on: "I completely support the surgical strikes. As an Indian, I definitely will. But why do I have to say it, why do I have to wear my patriotism on my sleeve? Even if I do not say it, I am proud of it.

"However, if somebody is in disagreement or wants to see the evidence, there is nothing wrong in it as it is his/her fundamental right. Questioning the government's operations, especially the surgical strikes, does not make one anti-national," Ayyub added.

The writer is unhappy over the happenings in the Kashmir Valley, where life has been more or less paralysed for nearly four months following the killing of a militant commander.

"What is happening in Kashmir is extremely unfortunate. Kashmiris are struggling for human rights. Is supporting them against nationalism? Every time what I hear about Kashmir on prime time TV is: 'Kashmir hamara hai.' Yes, of course, but what about the people? Are they not ours?

"The country wants Kashmir but not Kashmiris. The country does not stand up for the rights of Kashmiris. If talking about their rights makes me anti-national, then I would rather be called one, but I do believe that we have been apathetic to what is happening there," Ayyub said.

Frequently branded anti-Modi, Ayyub didn't find any publisher for her book "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up" on the 2002 Gujarat riots and its aftermath. She self-published -- and it became an instant best-seller.

"It was a bestseller across all sections on Amazon in the first week. Till today it continues to be one. We sold 24,000 (English) copies till September and 5,000 e-publications, including Kindle.

"Right now, the figure, including the Tamil edition, is 40,000 copies. I am releasing the Urdu edition on Sunday at Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi," Ayyub said.

Asked whether the book largely sold in stores or online in India and abroad, she said: "Since we did not have a distributor I had to rely on Amazon and Flipkart sales. I personally went to bookshops and stocked copies. LeftWord and BahriSons (Delhi based publishers and distributors) boosted sales by selling it.

"I created a seller account on Amazon and managed to sell most copies there."

The book has sold a record number of copies abroad, a rare feat for an Indian political book which has seen terrible censorship in india.

The second edition was released a week ago and it has also been self published. It has notes by Naseeruddin Shah, Ramachandra Guha, Arundhati Roy and Hansal Mehta, among others.

Naseeruddin Shah says in his note: "If the reporting here is proven authentic, then it will be time for demanding answers to some hard questions."

"For me, patriotism is releasing my book which exposes the truth and in many ways goes against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and his party president (Amit Shah)."

(Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in)

--IANS

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Contouring is firmly out: Bobbi Brown

United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood,Lifestyle/Fashion, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Los Angeles, Nov 6 (IANS) Make-up artist Bobbi Brown believes contouring is out of fashion.

The 59-year-old, who launched her debut lipstick range in 1991, says she is not a fan of the extreme sculpting beauty trend, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"Contouring is firmly out and, in my view, it should never have been much in because you can't make a face you don't have," Brown told ES magazine.

Brown said she was first inspired to create a make-up line because she wanted to solve problems for women.

However, she says that she used to simply "stare" at the array of cosmetic products in a store and was baffled when she came across 22 taupe eyeshadows because she never knew what to buy.

"I wanted to create simple products that could solve problems for women. I used to stare at rows of stuff and have no idea what to buy, because I felt I did not need 22 taupe eyeshadows," Brown said.

--IANS

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Two men detained for firing shots at Turkey airport

Turkey,Defence/Security,Terrorism,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Ankara, Nov 6 (IANS) Two men were detained after they fired shots into the air at the Kamal Ataturk Airport of the Turkish capital on Sunday, media reported.

The shooting occurred when thepolice tried to stop the two men on a motorcycle at the main entrance of the airport, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The duo disobeying stop warning opened fire into the air," Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin tweeted, adding the two men were detained later.

The firing prompted the authorities to bar people from moving in and out of the airport for a while.

The police did not find any explosive on the men, said the governor.

According to local media, one of the men is Turkish while the other is a Syrian national.

The Ataturk Airport came under triple suicide bombing attacks in late June, in which 44 persons were killed.

The firing occurred at a time when the situation has been tense in Turkey in the wake of the arrest of nine lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, including the party's co-chairs.

The authorities blamed them for not appearing in a terrorism investigation, a charge the detainees denied.

Hours after the detention on Friday, a car bomb was detonated in Diyarbakir city, killing at least 11 persons and injuring 100 others.

--IANS

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Hundreds watch Pacquiao fight on giant screens in Philippines

Philippines,Sports,Other Sports, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Marikina City (Philippines), Nov 6 (IANS) Though Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao was thousands of kilometers away from his homeland on Sunday during his bout with Jessie Vargas, the fighter was still there virtually for his compatriots who watched his bout on television.

Efe quoted an EPA journalist as reporting that in this city, about 20 km northeast of Manila, three huge television screens telecasting Pacquiao's match were set up on Sunday in front of the municipal hall.

One screen was prepared inside the hall for elderly viewers, and two were placed outside for everyone else to watch, with about 450 people -- including families -- turning up to view the fight which took place in Las Vegas, United States.

People began gathering in the plaza area around 8 a.m., and many more arrived just before Pacquiao's fight was due to start in late morning.

Pacquiao, regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, was elected to the Philippine Senate in June of this year and has been a member of the Congress since 2010.

After the senator and boxer defeated Vargas by unanimous decision, the crowds were reportedly very excited.

Some in the crowd said there should be a rematch between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, who beat the Filipino in May 2015 in Las Vegas, while others remarked that he should take on Terence Crawford first.

--IANS

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Parliament should ban 'heretical' triple talaq: Arif Md. Khan(IANS Interview)

Delhi,National,Immigration/Law/Rights,Religion, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Parliament should ban the "heretical" triple talaq and those who resort to it should be jailed for three years, former Union minister Arif Mohammad Khan, a prominent liberal Muslim voice who has all along fought against Islamic fundamentalism, has said, even as he accused the government of not following the spirit of the constitution in its attempt to enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Khan, the author of "Text and Context -- Quran and Contemporary Challenges" and who broke ranks with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 over the government's capitulation to the Muslim clergy on implementation of the landmark Shah Bano alimony judgement by the Supreme Court, also termed the All India Muslim Law Board (AIMPLB) "at best" an "NGO" that could had not authority to speak for the entire community.

"There are more than five judicial verdicts that have practically banned triple talaq. Mere outlawing this undesirable practice is not going to help. Either Parliament should enact a law to make triple talaq a punishable offence or this practice should be viewed as violation of the judicial verdicts and treated as contempt of court," Khan told IANS in a wide-ranging interview.

"The Personal Law Board does not dispute the fact that the second Caliph, Hazrat Umar, who had allowed triple divorce, used to award 40 lashes to such persons. Today, lashing is not possible, so we can provide for three years' imprisonment for persons who resort to this heretical mode of divorce. Then, the choice would be either to wait for three months as the Quran prescribes or go to jail for three years. I feel confident that such a penal provision would effectively put an end to triple talaq," Khan maintained.

The AIMPLB, in its "Compendium of Islamic Law", considers triple talaq as 'bidat' (innovation), but it is vehemently supporting it.

On this contradiction, Khan noted that the Compendium, on page 72 section 13 says: "Talaq bidat is prohibited, but if a person pronounces such a talaq, it will be effective, while the man will be guilty of a severe sin."

The Board "likens triple talaq to murder and they say that killing is prohibited but if it happens then it happens", and punishment for killing in Islam is death, he added.

"On the other hand, the man who resorts to triple divorce often marries again while the divorced woman is still going through 'Iddat' period," Khan said.

He also noted that there is no consensus on triple talaq among different Muslim sects. "Different schools of (Islamic) jurisprudence radically differ from each other on various issues. On triple talaq there is no unanimity. The Ahle Hadith and Fiqh Jafria do not accept three pronouncements of talaq in one sitting and consider it as one pronouncement," he said.

On the UCC, Khan said there was a lack of serious political will to achieve it. It had become a political slogan "and we simply do not try to understand the spirit" of article 44 of the constitution.

"When the constitution says that the State shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code, it means creating an environment conducive to its enactment. It implies both an informed public opinion and a robust sense of security. And finally, widespread consultations are necessary to let people know that the objective of a UCC is to ensure gender justice and equality in marriage and not to interfere with any religious obligations or practices," Khan maintained.

As for the AIMPLB, he described it as "a body of clerics generally drawn from madrasas and at best it can be described as an NGO".

"Every law needs an enforcement agency and the AIMPLB views itself as that agency. It gives them a sense of power and domination over the lives of others which they exercise through the instrumentality of fatwas," he added.

The clerics as a class have always been obsessed with law. Instead of promoting Islamic values like God-consciousness (taqwa), compassion, charity and justice, they got together to protect the laws, he added.

The AIMPLB is dominated by Sunni Muslims with representatives from other sects as well. The majority of Indian Sunni Muslims follow 'Hanafi' jurisprudence and this reflects in its legal standing as well.

However, its "claim to be the sole representative of the community is not based on any election, but on its capability to manipulate the government to accept its interpretation of Muslim law as the only interpretation," Khan contended.

"They sustain themselves on the legitimacy conferred on them by the political establishment," he added.

(Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at rohit.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Trump proposes 35% tax on companies that outsource production

United States,Politics,Business/Economy, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Washington, Nov 6 (IANS) US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will impose 35 per cent tax on US companies that lay off workers while outsourcing their production to other countries.

Trump revealed his proposal at separate rallies in Tampa, Florida, and Wilmington, North Carolina, states he must win in order to be elected next Tuesday against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, EFE news reported.

The real-estate magnate said in Tampa that he will stop America's prosperity from being stolen and will do it fast - because if a company lays off its workers and goes to some other country, and then ships its products back to the USA, he'll make it pay a 35-per cent tax, a message he repeated in North Carolina.

Trump has based his campaign on a protectionist pitch against trade treaties like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because they take jobs away from the United States.

The candidate has promised to restore manufacturing jobs that have been lost because of technological innovations and globalisation, but have given way to other kinds of employment.

Trump has said the cited trade agreements do the United States no good and must be renegotiated in order to benefit Americans.

At the same time, he promised tax policies that, he said, will bring jobs back to the United States, beginning with a cut in corporate taxes from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

--IANS

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'Next US President likely to face investigations by rival party'

United States,Politics, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Washington, Nov 6 (IANS) The next US President is likely to face investigations by the rival party no matter who wins the White House next Tuesday, according to local media.

Multiple Republicans this week have predicted impeachment could be on the table if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins the election, and Democrats would almost certainly seek to launch their own inquiries into Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump if he wins, Xinhua news agency cited The Hill on Saturday.

"The climate, the atmosphere, the vitriolic nature of our politics does not change on November 9," one former top Democratic House staffer told the US political website.

FBI Director James Comey dropped a bombshell last week when he announced his bureau had discovered new evidence that could be related to its investigation into Clinton's use of a private e-mail server while she was Secretary of State.

While authorities are unlikely to disclose the results of the FBI investigation any time soon, a handful of Republican lawmakers, including House Armed Services chairman Michael McCaul, have recently suggested that Clinton could be impeached if elected.

But Clinton on Monday played down the damage of the probe, telling a rally in the swing state of Ohio that "there's no case here" and that she's confident no charges will be made.

While it would be difficult for Democrats to launch investigations into Trump's business dealings if Trump wins the White House and Republicans almost control both chambers of Congress, Democrats could use informal hearings, press events or other ways to generate attention, according to The Hill.

"It doesn't really take a congressional committee to do anything for those to continue on. The Trump University trial is going to continue on, all the litigation in regards to his business will continue on," another former top House Democratic staffer was quoted as saying.

--IANS

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AAP legislator Rituraj held for fear of breaching peace

Delhi,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Rituraj Govind was arrested in apprehension of breach of peace in outer district here ahead of the Chhath Puja, the city police said on Sunday.

Rituraj was arrested on Saturday night after he violated orders prohibiting any gathering of four or more, imposed under Section-144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, at Nithari Talaab in Aman Vihar police station area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) M.N. Tiwari told IANS.

The legislator from Kirari was trying to build a ghat along a water body in the Kirari area in his constituency, the police said.

The ban on any assembly of four or more persons was imposed on Saturday morning in view of the Chhath Puja.

--IANS

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'British PM's visit should assure boost in bilateral trade post-Brexit'

Delhi,National,Business/Economy,Diplomacy, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) British Prime Minister Theresa May's three-day visit to India can be an opportune time to forge new dimensions in bilateral relations and seek assurance from the top British leaders against any adverse impact of Brexit on bilateral trade, a top industry body said on Sunday,

"Even as the global industry and trade stay somewhat anxious about the Brexit fall-out, we (India) get an opportunity to hear first hand from the British Prime Minister herself what the roadmap is for India and UK in terms of re-designing and re-aligning our trade and investment relationship post the exit of Britain from the European Union," Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) President Sunil Kanoria said in a statement here.

The latest ruling of the High Court in Britain making the parliamentary approval to Brexit mandatory has also added a new dimension to the entire issue and its wider ramifications for the global business, the chamber said.

Even as the process of Brexit in terms of legislative issues and negotiations with the European Union (EU) gets underway, both India and Britain with a bilateral economic engagement of both goods and services of over 18 billion pounds should begin working on the new paradigm, it added.

According to Assocham, on top of the agenda, should be negotiating and signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which should be a win-win for both the countries and be used as a very important trade tool to deal with the economic downturn.

"Let us get going and prove it to the world that it is an open trade and investment which can help the global growth and not by shutting the doors," the chamber said.

As services are an area of great strength to both India and Britain in areas like information technology and financial, insurance, the future trade deal must prominently include these as the core of the arrangement.

"With over 800 Indian companies having operations or trade with the UK, India has a large stake in the smooth transition of the British economy from a part of the European bloc entity to a standalone economy," Kanoria said, adding the issue of restrictions on movement of persons, an integral part of the services trade, is also of paramount importance to India.

"We should make the best out of the visit of the Britain Prime Minister Theresa and get all Brexit related concerns addressed. These concerns also relate to different sectors like steel, pharmaceuticals, and information technology," he added.

--IANS

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British PM says values judiciary independence, press freedom

United Kingdom,Politics, Mon, 07 Nov 2016 IANS

London, Nov 7 (IANS) British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she valued the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, after a High Court ruling ordering the government to seek parliament's approval to trigger Article 50 was attacked by the media.

"I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary, I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important," the Independent quoted May as saying to reporters on the plane to India for her first visit outside the EU after taking office this July.

"Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court," she added.

The High Court in London on Thursday ruled that parliament, and not May's government, should trigger the Article 50 mechanism to start the Brexit process, Xinhua news agency reported.

The decision by three of the leading judges in Britain sent shock waves through Westminster. Within an hour of the decision, the government confirmed it would appeal by taking the case to the highest court in England, the Supreme Court.

The decision and its response caused controversy after the judges were branded "enemies of the people" by Daily Mail and the cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the ruling flew in the face of democracy and was an unacceptable attempt to frustrate the will of the people.

From the moment she became the Prime Minister in July of this year, May's mantra became Brexit means Brexit and she would lead the people out of the EU. Political commentators are already speculating whether May will call an early general election to put her authority to the test.

--IANS

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IT'S TIME TO REMOVE THE BELL

By Dennis Rowan

November 6, 2016

NewsWithViews.com

Last week I removed the bell from a lead sheep. It was a bit sobering as I thought about it; I removed the bell because the sheep was no longer qualified to be a lead sheep she was no longer useful. Before continuing, look at the definition of Bellwether.

Bellwether

1. a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.

2. a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry: [Link] As I removed the bell from the sheep, my thoughts went to Christian leaders perhaps it is time to remove the bell. What do I mean by that? First, I am primarily referring to most pastors who supposedly lead local congregations. If they are not leading correctly, then it is time to remove the bell.

Burnout, PKs, and High Expectations of Pastors

For most of my 75 years I have listened to people talk about how so many pastors tend to feel lonely because of the demands made on the life of pastors. Some of this is self-inflicted, and some are demands by the very people who pay their salary. Pastor burnout is something I have heard many times. Then there are the PKs, or preachers kids who seem to be in a class by themselves, as people who have special behavioral problems. Personally, I have not seen this in excess among PKs, but I had an unusual encounter with one of my students, a PK, about 40 years ago at the college where I taught. A young lady in my class was a PK, and she told me in private that her pastor dad kept so busy that she and her brother had to make appointments with him if they wanted to visit him at work. Sometime during the past 25 years, I came to the conclusion that the high stress on pastors, the super busy schedules, and subsequent burnout by some occurs because the position as pastor, as we know it in America is NOT biblical. In my mind, God would not put that responsibility on one man. In addition to your bible, check here for biblical pastor information.

Church Government

I once ask a pastor to define church government, because I really wanted to know. This was a relaxed informal setting, so he was under no pressure. He talked for 10-15 minutes, and said NOTHING, or at the very least, I learned nothing. That was a big red flag for me, and I began a relatively long journey of searching the Scriptures to learn for myself some things about church government after many years I concluded that traditional church as most Americans know it is NOT biblical there I said it!

The Lead Sheep

I mentioned my relatively long journey of searching the Scriptures. Here is a link to something I wrote 23 years ago called The Lead Sheep. There is much in that article, written more than two decades ago, that complements what you read here, but my criticism of the system, and subsequent conclusions now are much more harsh, as you will see at the end of this piece. I beg the Christian reader to beware of the, But weve always done it this way syndrome.  (BWADITW). We need to understand that BWADITW is not a synonym for truth.

Below is a quote from a book about biblical church by Terry Stanley

We cannot be adequately fed from only one man, for only one hour, on only one day of the week. No matter how good of a man he may be. The church of Jesus does not need money to run. Nor does it need a denomination (division) to be affiliated with. We do not need a building, a board of directors, an agenda, or a marketing plan in order to survive. But rather the Spirit of God, the power of the gospel, the love of the brethren and the authority of the scriptures are to drive our very existence.

Amen, and Amen! I encourage the interested reader to check the free online book at the link above. For any who wish to study and exercise a bit of discernment, they should realize that church congregations in America have some serious problems, and the lack of proper Christian training of our young children is at the top of my list of those serious problems. I dont particularly like to put in these words (shown in bold), but I will because that is the first thing that came to my mind; pastors should be ashamed to show their face in public knowing that most of the children in their congregation attend a government run school where Jesus Christ is not welcome.

The Choice for Christians  Comfort or Correct

Yes, I think it is time to remove the bell from those who lead non-biblical organizations that are supposed to be Christ-centered, but instead, have been instituted, shaped and corrupted by men. I dont doubt the salvation and sincerity of all who participate in institutional churches, but the system, on average, needs an overhaul.

Do a search and learn where in the world Christianity has the fastest rate of growth (hint they are underground house churches). Most of the traditional church institutions and their leaders in America should gradually step out of the way, and let the home churches and home schooled people begin to turn things around with a true focus on the Chief Shepherd absent all of the frivolous baggage man has attached to what he calls church. It will be a very difficult and slow process to change from such an established system, but we also should decide which we prefer, comfort with the old, or accept the challenge of being correct. Focus on this Scripture:

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ( Matthew 19:26)

Please, click on "Mass E-mailing" below and send this article to all your friends .

 2016 Dennis Rowan - All Rights Reserved

Dennis Rowan was born in 1941 in the same house where he now lives with his wife Glenda. In fact, he does much of his writing in the same room where he was born. The experiences on the family farm gave him an intense desire to study agriculture, and subsequently led him to obtain three degrees in Animal Science, from three separate Land Grant universities (BS, MS, & PhD). He worked for the Agricultural Extension Service in two states before he began teaching at a university in the state of Missouri. After teaching Animal Science courses for eleven years, he returned to the family farm in 1982 and began a sheep production enterprise. In 1985, he and his wife began Psalm 23 Camp on their farm. That same year Rowan began writing essays about the biblical insights he gained from his experiences while working with his flock of sheep. Many of those were included in a book, Sheep Tracks, Biblical Insights from a Sheepherder. He continues to write such essays. Following many years associated with public education, including his service on a local school board, Rowan became an advocate for Christian schooling, particularly, homeschooling.

Websites:

1 - HisSheepTracks.com

2 - HomesteadShepherd.com

3 - psalm23camp.com

E-mail: dennis@psalm23camp.com
A member of the SDF flashes a victory sign in the town of Ain Issa, some 50 km north of Raqqa. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images

The U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces announced on Sunday that they have begun an operation to capture and liberate the ISIS-controlled Syrian city of Raqqa, which is the de-facto capital of the militant groups self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq. The BBC reports that the operation will seek to control the surrounding countryside and isolate Raqqa in preparation for an assault on the city. The SDF, which is comprised of Kurdish and ethnic Arab and Turkmen militias, will be supported by Western air power. It is not yet clear what, if any, involvement the Turkish military or their Free Syrian Army allies will have in the coming campaign, due to intensifying tensions between the two coalitions. So far, it seems that the U.S. and its allies are deliberately proceeding without Turkeys support or permission.

The advance on Raqqa also comes as ISISs most significant stronghold, the Iraqi city of Mosul, is already under siege by U.S. and Iran-backed Iraqi, Kurdish, and Shia-militia forces to the east. As Reuters points out, the offensive on Raqqa has long been expected, as Western officials have previously indicated that the assault on the city should coincide with the campaign to retake Mosul.

No precise timetable for the beginning of the assault on Raqqa itself has been given, but the SDF has asked civilians in the mostly Arab city to avoid areas where ISIS fighters are present or to evacuate from ISIS-controlled territory altogether. A U.S. military spokesperson in Baghdad told the New York Times that it may be some time before the 30-40,000 SDF fighters will reach Raqqa, and that the U.S.-led coalition will work to train more forces in preparation for the attack on the city itself. In the meantime, U.S. warplanes will continue to target ISIS in and outside of the city in support of the offensive.
NYTimes has been absolutely pathetic in its coverage of everything that matters. Now they are trying to downplay the victim's experience by trying to nitpick sexual assault vs sexual harassment. I am so glad I switched to WaPo. Fuck them and their biased ass coverage.



They spent the entire election cycle playing false equivalency games and were repeatedly called out for it. At times, they purposefully falsified reports to make Trump look somewhat less un-hinged and then re-edited their reports to counteract the criticism. They like to sit on the high horse and criticize CNN (deservedly) but they are not any better. And these pasty ass bitches who want to go around nitpicking differences b/w sexual assault and harassment can go fuck themselves.



Edited at 2016-11-06 01:06 am (UTC)

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I kept looking to see if the NY Times ever covered this case to begin with because I wanted a quote and it doesn't look like they really did. Instead I discovered that his grandmother worked for the NY Times, the MOMA and Christie's auction house which is quite an impressive career so you have to wonder if that's not part of why they softballed it.

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Someone I have on my Facebook (a regular Joe, friend-of-a-friend who's a legal professor in Colorado and major HRC fan) emailed the NYTimes editor to call him out over the disgraceful double standard a little bit ago, and the editor went off at her and was so unprofessional in his responses. She posted the emails and she really set him off. However, almost immediately afterwards they started going after Trump properly, it was kind of nuts. Timing-wise, it really looked like this person may have influenced him or been the final straw that broke the camel's back. The Times were utterly shameful.

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Sometimes I think this country deserves Trump. Ugh.



Edited at 2016-11-06 01:02 am (UTC)

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You take that back!

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No. please stay on topic sis. DRAG HIM

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i think it's completely wrong if anyone downplays casey affleck's alleged behavior, and the allegations are despicable, but... nate parker is in a different league.

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No? If this was criminal court he's have faced several felony accounts of sexual assault. both evil, rapist trash.

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"several felony counts of sexual assault"



this is what i read in the article about the alleged incident:



"During the middle of the night, (Gorka) awoke to find Affleck lying in the bed next to her," the lawsuit alleges. "Unbeknownst to (Gorka), Affleck had entered the bedroom while she was asleep and crawled into the bed. When she woke up, Affleck was curled up next to her in the bed wearing only his underwear and a t-shirt. He had his arm around her, was caressing her back, his face was within inches of hers and his breath reeked of alcohol."



this happened in LA.



where in the CA penal code does touching someone's back = sexual battery?

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Nate is black, and Casey is white......sooo...

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Calling it "embrace" is definitely some rape culture euphemism shit. On the other hand, at least she followed it up with are more direct accusation, lemme quote the whole sentence:



Magdalena Gorka, a cinematographer, said that Mr. Affleck had climbed into bed with her while she was sleeping and embraced her, and Amanda White, a producer, said that he had manhandled her after she resisted his unwanted advances.



At least Ms. Buckley didn't completely elide the seriousness of the accusations against Affleck, even as she mostly glossed over it in a glowing article/interview.

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Did you see her tweet to me about "well she sued for harassment"? I thought that was a little dismissive, no?

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Yeah her tweet is bullshit. Yes, the suit used the word "caress", but it also used other words! Like "reeked of alcohol" or the salient detail that he was near naked! Where's her mention of that in the article? If she'd written "he embraced her while almost naked, in a state of smelly drunkenness, without her consent", then she can halfway claim she's just paraphrasing the lawsuit.

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The entire article is filled with the writer gushing about how he is so down to earth and despises being in the limelight.

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white men truly can get away with anything

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correct

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disgusting. he is a rapist and journalists furthering this bullshit is an exact encapsulation of both racism and rape culture at work.

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agreed

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multiple sexual assault accusations. I don't have a problem calling a man with a pattern of predatory sexual assault a rapist.

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Also, good on you OP for calling out the writer. There is no fucking excuse in this day and age to put such a shudder-inducing spin on sexual assault. Calling it an "embrace". Yeesh, that's some old school (in the worst possible way) nonsense.

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could it be said that the Times is perpetuating rape culture by revising the past to paint a gentler picture of the entire situation? imo she has a responsibility to include excerpts that paint a holistic picture of the incident. Changing the intonation of the original text through pick-and-choose citations is very bad form, particularly if examination of the original text paints a different picture. /English major who did this when my paper was due and I knew the prof wasn't going to read my sources. Also I didn't read the source before typing all this out.



Are the words "groped" and "embraced" interchangeable in this context? Ask any woman who rides public transportation and is "embraced" by a sweaty dude conveniently using the motion of the bus to "fall" into her.



And finally, if the media feels it has a responsibility to call Nate Parker and others out while giving Affleck a pass does that mean its risky for individuals on sites like ONTD,Tumblr, etc, to continue to address it? Well they're sure not going to fucking call themselves out. Well done, for what you did, OP. I hope she addresses this in longer form than a response tweet.

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You're right OP, embrace is putting a definite spin on it.

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Which is exactly why I made the post. The spin on words here creates an entire new problem especially because it is worded to sound as though Gorka herself referred to it as an embrace and as far as I can tell that does not appear to be true. Another ONTDer said it better than me "A sexual lawsuit is not something you can describe with the word "embraced". This is how rape culture breeds"



I also interacted with someone on social media a few days ago when I called him out and I decided to lay off unless something new came up and it did. Now that I addressed this, I'm done. Maybe we will be able to start a conversation beyond this case which is the entire point. Maybe we can finally talk about how the media needs to work on handling stories involving alleged sexual misconduct and all the problems that go with it.





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Has Casey even done any interviews since MBTS premiered during the festival circuit? I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to stay absent for most of the press tour now. The problem with BOAN's press was that Nate started talking about his allegations before anyone even asked.

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He's campaigned, yes.



This just rarely gets brought up, either to him or in the write-ups by pundits on him.



Edited at 2016-11-06 01:46 am (UTC)

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OP props to you for posting this and having the guts to call the writer out. <3

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Amazing post and attitude, OP!!!

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casey affleck has influence?

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Ben Affleck is his brother. He got Matt Damon shilling for him and was heavily involved in editing the movie. Yes, he has connections and influence even though he like to play the "outsider" card.

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I always thought he was known as the "lesser" affleck but connections do take you far. Men will get away with anything, especially white men.

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Edited at 2016-11-06 07:03 am (UTC) http://reporter.blogs.com/files/affleck2.pdf On page 4 #18 she voices concern that he will use his influence and celebrity to intimidate her.

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Embraced denotes a level of consent and a welcoming of the action by the person - something a SLEEPING person cannot do and generally when someone embraces another person there is mutual action by both parties.... getting into bed with someone who is asleep and trying to maul them...that is not embracing that is fucking groping jfc.



Edited at 2016-11-06 01:26 am (UTC)

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The lack of coverage about Casey Affeck's sexual assaults is really disturbing.



I'm glad that at least here on ONTD we talk about and remember it.

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Birthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday Wishes
That list is missing my newest fave: Burlington Coatfactory

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I also liked: Botswana Coted'Ivoir

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LMAO, the irony

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omfg

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Buenito Cucaracha is missing too

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someone reply to this so I can add these names to the masterlist

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I'm so glad this is the first comment because it's my favorite name of them all

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I read one on 9gag and it was horrible "Bendthebitch Cumonherback"

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He's more than great coats

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Oh this is a good one.

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i read the whole list to my friend and he just said "babydaddy camerabag"

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Lmmfao omg

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that one is good

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I'm actually very curious to see how he does on this. he doesn't come off as the comical type.



Also some of the Chicago Cubs are gonna be on here tonight too!

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I always really liked him in Cabin Pressure.

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He's hilarious in that. He's got good comedic timing.

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I was just thinking about Cabin Pressure yesterday. I need to do a re-listen. I love that show. I miss it.

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I was going to mention Cabin Pressure. You need to listen to it it's hilarious.

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this isn't SNL, but I thought he was pretty funny on Jimmy Fallon the other day





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lmao at those names.

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Bennyhill Chasemusic and Bumpersticket Cowboybebop are my favs

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buttmuncher chocolatefactory



(i will be pushing 80 and i will still be making these jokes)

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Is Tumblr wetting themselves over this? I only follow history and sport tumblrs. I don't go to the dark side.

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That's why I am watching and because i took a nap really late because my sleep schedule is fucked from the partying the past three days because of the cubs. Delirious and don't know what day it is anymore tbh

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do you think will ferrell will come back? cubs win, cubs win!

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You're missing Botswana Coted'Ivoir, OP.





Someone made that one a few days ago.



Peace out, y'all. I refuse to watch the rl xenomorph tonight.

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I just went through my notes to post that lmao props sluttyroyals



Edited at 2016-11-06 03:24 am (UTC)

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just doing my job 

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lmao amazing

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lmao @ that list, perfect

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also Solange deserves better, but hey get them sherlock fan ratings i guess

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Britishguy Sillyname / Bennyhill Churchmusic >>>>

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Anyone have any livestream links?

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yes but im not sharing cause yall slow that shit down

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LOL fair enough!

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lmao same. last time i shared, the stream broke.

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http://tvpc.us/Channel.php?ChannelID=59956 ok fine ill bite

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Her singing voice is THE WOOOORST.

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I cannot deal with it. It's like a smoothed out high pitched goat.

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Fun fact: the voice actress portraying Snow White's voice got blacklisted in Hollywood by Walt Disney after the movie was released. He didn't want Snow White's voice in any other productions. The actress also wasn't allowed to reveal herself as the voice of Snow White, she didn't get credits either.



Edited at 2016-11-06 03:02 pm (UTC)

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i hated it soooo much as a child

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It's so bad. I re-watched SW recently and was surprised at how unpleasant it was to hear.

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i must be the only one who thinks it's unique and like it :'(



Edited at 2016-11-06 03:13 pm (UTC)

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The only thing I was forbidden from watching was Dirty Dancing lol

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Yes! And I think it was during a sleepover or something with other family members (cousins?) lol.



Edited at 2016-11-06 03:33 pm (UTC)

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Same! And Pretty Woman.

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Lol when I was little I would watch Dirty Dancing with my Mom because she knew I loved all the music and dancing, but she'd fast forward through all the sex scenes and say "oh these are just the boring parts, let's see more dancing".

I had no idea what parts she was fast forwarding until much later

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I had no clue what was going on with Penny's plot since I had no clue what an abortion was. Even though they discuss the pregnancy I figured she got sick and had a shitty doctor and Jerry Orbach was just pissed his daughter was hanging out with the staff.

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omg that was my favorite movie as a child. That and Selena.

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i still havent seen it to this day lol

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lmaooo that was like, my main movie as a kid! I watched it at least 50 times by first grade LOL.

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We had a VHS of Fatal Attraction that I was banned from watching. I watched it the first time I was ever home alone though lol I was a little perv and thought it was sooo pornographic~

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I wasn't allowed to watch The Simpsons or Jerry Springer. hahaha

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My mom hated the Simpsons so much that she CANCELLED our cable but weeks after we were checking to see what channels we still had and came across FOX exactly when a Simpsons rerun was playing. LMAOOO she nearly had a coronary. She still hates it to this day hahaha. Top 5 childhood memories.

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haha, my mom hates Futurama. She stayed with me for a while, and I bombarded her with cartoons on Netflix, Futurama being one of them. I mean, she was asking me to turn on "that Family Dad show" like a month in, but I got nothing but complaints when Futurama was on, lol.

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We weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons for a long time, then my brother was in the hospital for a couple weeks straight (trying to get his diabetes diagnosed, then he had a cyst on his spleen, good times!) and she watched a lot of it with him while he was stuck in there, and decided that it was funny enough and okay enough for us to be allowed to watch. I was 13 or 14 at the time, and my brother must have been 10 or 11.

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my grandpa watched it, so i watched it with him regularly when i was little. my mom tried to say i wasn't allowed to watch it anymore when i was like, 10 and the family was basically saying the damage had already been done and let me keep watching it. i still tease her about that pretty regularly...

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lmao same, and ofc my sister and I would immediately turn on Springer or Maury once my mom left the house in the summer. It was harder to watch The Simpsons because it was always on primetime.

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I've never seen Snow White because I always thought it looked boring.



I saw a lot of ~problematic things growing up, but I turned out alright, I guess. My mom was great at explaining things to me. Shouts to Mom.

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Oh shit, stay woke ma lol

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I was not allowed to watch the Power Rangers (violence) or the Simpsons (too "crude"). I was also not allowed to dress as Sailor Moon for Halloween because my Mom did not want me running around in the small skirt, especially in Canadian weather haha

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I was not allowed to watch charmed and buffy the vampire slayer

I felt extremely jealous of the kids who were allowed to

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Buffy was my fave show as a kid. I feel bad for you.

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My mum didn't let my sister watch Dark Angel (and didn't want us to watch Roswell either but we won that one) lol

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omg both were my first american tv shows i ever watched. my cousins and I we always used to play charmed in the garden lmao i was usually playing the demon (Cole) and when my cousin (as Piper) moved her hands no one was allowed to move  good ol times. one time i refused to go skiing in Austria because i would have missed an episode and we didnt have a vhs recorder lmao



*sry for going on and on

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This sounds adorable af.

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i wasn't allowed to watch charmed either! and my friend would take it upon herself to retell me the entire episodes in the schoolyard after they aired and i remember it being so annoying because she was terrible at it. weirdly, my mom let me watch everything else, idk what her deal with charmed was.

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I wasn't allowed to watch Dawsons Creek. I remember going to my neighbors house to watch and they'd always ask if my parents were okay with me watching it and I'd just pretend like they were totally cool with it.



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I couldn't watch The Simpsons or All That.



I have no interest in the former and the latter was so mild it's hilarious.



I might be misremembering All That tbh.



Edited at 2016-11-06 02:48 pm (UTC)

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Was it " You Can't Do That on Television" ? That was the one on Nick that my parents banned me from...

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Ooh no, that ended before i was born.

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My mom didn't want me watching that, but she didn't outright ban it because Alanis was a local celebrity.

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My mom didn't like me watching that one, but I did anyway.

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I watched everything. I started watching horror movies when I was a toddler. The only thing I regret watching was Child's Play, bc I have a huge fear of humanoid objects now. IF IT CAN HOUSE A SOUL I'M NOT DOWN.

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you should rewatch it. it's not that scary as an adult.

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Oh, I do all the time. I love it. I still think it's scary, but more for the "they're in on it" aspect. In stories when someone goes to a person or place of authority and safety and they don't believe them or they are actually in on it; that's fucking terrifying to me. I love fear tho.

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When we were with family, and my mom was gone no one cared what we watched. There was a time I spent the summer with my aunts as a kid and they had a horror movie marathon that scarred me for life. I 1st saw Nightmare on Elm Street, Childs Play, Friday the 13th with a different aunt. Like you, I'm still afraid of humanoid toys and Pet Semetary(the movie, the book is great).

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I watched Child's Play as a kind too only I liked the doll. Wtf was my problem.

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i have 3 sisters all 7+ years older than me so i got to watch all the horror movies with them growing up. the amount of nightmares i had...

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I saw Child's Play when I was 3, had nightmares until I was like 12 of when the guy went through the doll eye machine. Still seeing the Chucky doll makes me cringe, but like Tiffany I am fine with. I've fine with any other horror movies too.

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It's creepy for sure, but I find it more depressing tbh.

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Same here. My mom loved horror movies and I watched The Exorcist, The Evil Dead, Misery (in fact ALL Stephen King films), you name it with her.



My parents tried to tell me I couldn't watch Beavis and Butthead but I was like "lol, I do wut i want."

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My African parents did not understand ratings system and such when we moved to the US so we're pretty much allowed to watch anything (only too much sex was not allowed). My biggest regret to this day was watching Child's Play at 6. I am still petrified of dolls (especially ones with blinks eyes. I don't fuck with ones that talk). After o watched that my mom had to donate all my blindly eyed dolls because my ass refused to enter the house if they were there. I lived with my next door cousins for a month until she gave in. I refused a birthday gift at 8 cause it was a talking baby doll "mama I'm hungry...change me" (I swear one night that shit was talking even though it had no batteries in it) and refuse to walk through the doll aisle of toy stores cause I know one of them blindly eyed devil are waiting to swamp souls and bodies with me.

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my parents used to put that on when i was being a little shit and now i have a fear of dolls.

i watched it recently and its actually pretty hilarious.

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That reminds me, even tho it's OT, of when i saw harry potter on the banned book display at a bookstore here lol. so dumb

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My parents allowed me to read/watch it but my grandparents wouldn't allow me to at their house, and if they heard me so much as breathe a word about it they'd complain to my parents for weeks.

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My cousins were like that. We took my little cousin to see OoTP and he got really scared in the theater and my mom had to take him outside.

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yup. I've also never been allowed a halloween costume.

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same to both

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lmao i knew kids like that in school. my grandma got me the first two books, and she was a fairly religious person but she didn't give two shits about some made up book character lol

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I knew a few of them and it blew my mind too.



My mom had to defend the books and me reading the books and watching the films from my Grandpa because the pastor at his church said that they 'promoted' witchcraft. She was like 'He's probably never even read the damned books so how can he say that they promote witchcraft?!' and my Grandpa didn't have a reply.

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There were 2 kids in my 4th grade class who did debate speeches on why Harry Potter is good and why it is bad.. Of course the only reasons the kid that said it was bad had was because his parents said so and the bible said so



Also the summercamp I used to go to had to take the first 3 Harry Potter movies out of their movie collection because a few parents complained it was against their religion. I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough



Edited at 2016-11-07 09:43 pm (UTC)

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Lol. growing up my dad always had on horror movies and that's where I got my love of them from.

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I saw Psycho when I was 6, my mom doesn't give a flying fuck

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Love of horror movies is basically the only thing my mom and I have in common.

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I wasn't allowed to watch South Park and But I'm a Cheerleader. I ended up watching But I'm a Cheerleader when I was home alone, and I realized it wasn't just like Bring It On and Sugar & Spice.

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Did your parents see But I'm A Cheerleader before you did and didn't want you to see it? Or did they just know it was about a lesbian coming out and decided they didn't want you to see it?

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They saw it before I did, and I honestly just thought it was a movie about cheerleaders.

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r u gay now

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it's so much better!

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I was discouraged from watching The Simpsons but my parents never really actively stopped me from watching anything.

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The only thing my parents wouldn't let me watch period were super violent action and horror films; things that were profane or had some sex scenes (There's Something About Mary, stuff like that) in them we could only watch with them present. They were more concerned us being exposed to violence than sex or profanity because "you'll curse and you'll have sex, but we don't want you to kill"

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Holy shit, my mom too! She said it scarred her and talked about it in such a way that it took me years to build up the courage to watch it then after I saw it I was like :/. It was so meh.

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I made the mistake of watching that episode while I got ready for work 

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I'm about to watch it AT work, wish me luck!

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agreed. it was very raw.

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-It exposes any lie in your life whatsoever. It exposes who's not really truly there for you and who really is there for you. It's this brilliant thing where you just look around and think, 'Oh my God, this person is amazing, they're showing up for me in a way I never expected'.



This sad truth, people suck. I admire her for being outspoken about this, I'm sure it's not easy to publicly talk about.



Edited at 2016-11-06 04:45 pm (UTC)

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It breaks my heart when I hear of people who have or have had cancer talk about how some people in their lives basically just disappeared, especially when it's men who leave their wives. I don't get how people can be that self-centered and selfish.

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same but with all diseases or handicaps. My mom had a stroke when she was 33. Used to be a party girl even when I was a young child. Stroke happened and almost all her "friends" disappeared.

Now she's so lonely :(

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my bf's dad cheated on his mom while she had cancer and every time i think about it i get so upset

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My husband's coworker started dating other women WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DYING FROM CANCER. She seriously got sick and died so fast too. But this mountain dew drinking, skid marked asshole needed sex sooooo bad.



He's a piece of shit.

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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/men-more-likely-to-leave-spouse-with-cancer/?_r=1



Basically, if you're a woman who has recently been diagnosed with a serious illness (e.g. cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc.) your marriage is 7 times more likely to end in divorce than if your husband had been diagnosed with those diseases instead.



There's a few studies on this. This NY Times article talks about one:Basically, if you're a woman who has recently been diagnosed with a serious illness (e.g. cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc.) your marriage is 7 times more likely to end in divorce than if your husband had been diagnosed with those diseases instead.

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Cancer freaks people out like nothing else. People fall away when you get sick. Or people emerge with empty gestures that you just know are fully superficial, like they're hoping their inspiring facebook comment will reach as many newsfeeds as possible and confirm they're a good person.



I hope Shannen is doing okay and doesn't push herself too hard through this. My friends in the cancer community with breast cancer are absolutely ravaged when the disease turns metastatic. I remember when I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer I was actually envious of breast cancer because mine felt so embarrassing. After becoming a part of the larger young adult cancer community I have lost so many women in my life from breast cancer. It's a fucking awful disease.

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this is really true. i was diagnosed with a chronic illness last year and i've had friends be super mad at me for not making it to events, all the while knowing that i have lupus and feel like shit 99% of the time. SMDH.

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HMC = Piper from Charmed? What happened?

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i wanna know too!!!

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It's purely speculation but the two have not interacted with one another on any social media since Shannen was diagnosed. Havent tweeted, liked, insta'd, even though they used to do it pretty regularly in the past. HMC hasn't said anything about Shannen getting this reward and Shannen has yet to give HMC a shout out for supporting/empowering her like she has everyone else. HMC not showing up to this event last night doesn't really make sense (It doesnt seem as if she has any filming for anything going on) It's all very weird and sad.

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I noticed that too. Like what the hell. Wow. Even Alyssa and Rose has publicly supported her. I wonder what happened

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that is really strange and really sad if something did occur between them, it must've been pretty bad.

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aw I remember hearing they were close friends, so that sucks :/

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Holly instagrammed from some cancer event a few nights ago.

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Yeah I've been waiting for either of them to say something since since follow them on Insta. That's so sad

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Wait what happened between her an HMC? This is such a bad time to get into a fight smh

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It's purely speculation but the two have not interacted with one another on any social media since Shannen was diagnosed. Havent tweeted, liked, insta'd, even though they used to do it pretty regularly in the past. HMC hasn't said anything about Shannen getting this reward and Shannen has yet to give HMC a shout out for supporting/empowering her like she has everyone else. HMC not showing up to this event last night doesn't really make sense (It doesnt seem as if she has any filming for anything going on) It's all very weird and sad.

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That's so sad. I can't understand how anyone could abandon someone when they are sick. That's such a heartless thing to do.

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Do we know ow she's doing? Is she getting any better or are things looking grim?

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She's finishing up chemo and going into radiotherapy I believe.

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That's awful. I hope her treatment works.

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i love how she and SMG have been friends forever

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I met Shannen at a convention a few years ago (which I know was a paid gig so she was probably on her best behavior) and she seemed like a good time gal. She was genuinely excited to be there and was bubbly and warm.

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Me too.



But it does also make me question SMG's personality. When SMG was on BTVS there was a lot of rumours she had a diva attitude. Even the stunt man wrote, "fan fiction" about his time on set calling SMG the "princess". Yes, it could have been sexism but I think there must be an element of truth since it's not only him making those statements.



Similar attitudes can flock together sometimes.





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QUEEN. Stay strong and keep on fighting! a lotta of  and good vibes be with her

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I hope she recovers and continues to have support around her - she's right that people fall away and sadly a lot of times it's not even malicious it's out of fear of not doing or saying the right thing.



Also I had no idea how short she was - she's smaller than SMG by a lot and wearing heels, I always thought SMG was like 5'2 so how tiny is Shannen?

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She's hella short. It's kinda funny watching the original 90210 because she'll be screaming at someone who's like a head taller than her.

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I'm sad about her and Holly. I thought they were best friend goals.

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I follow SMG on Insta and I love how deep of a respect and love she obviously has for Shannen. It's really sweet.

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I hate cancer so much.

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I'm gutted about her and HMC. She and HMC had been tight through a lot of stuff, so this is so sad to hear. I hope Shannen is getting all the support she needs elsewhere.

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wonder wtf happened between Shannen and HMC.

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congrats you zionist jerk

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Whats wrong with Zionism? Jewish people have been persecuted throughout history, they deserve to have a country of their own where they feel safe. If it wasn't for the holocaust, Israel wouldn't even exist.

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sure, just not at the expense of evicting an entire people the west deemed inferior & thus expendable to make place for them.

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If it wasn't for the holocaust, Israel wouldn't even exist.



1. The holocaust didn't do Jewish people a favor. The holocaust didn't give them a country.

2. Palestine was planned to be carved up for the creation of an Israeli state long before WWII. See: The Palestine Mandate

3. Palestinians being displaced and forced from their homes for the sake of zionism was not a good thing. 1. The holocaust didn't do Jewish people a favor. The holocaust didn't give them a country.2. Palestine was planned to be carved up for the creation of an Israeli state long before WWII. See: The Palestine Mandate http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp The British Empire and League of Nations carving up the world for their own benefit was not a good thing. The way Israel was established has only hurt people.3. Palestinians being displaced and forced from their homes for the sake of zionism was not a good thing.

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She is the queen of my world!

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My friend just informed me that she's 7 months pregnant and she only realized she was pregnant last month. I can't believe my friend was thisclose to being one of those reality tv-show contestants who only realize they are preggers when their water breaks. Especially since we were bitching about a former friend who had an accidental pregnancy!

So much second-hand embarrassment rn.



Congrats to Wonder Woman I guess. I don't like her but I am looking forward to the movie.



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how did she not notice she got...bigger...??

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This just happened to one of my best friends. She didnt know until almost the 8th month. Shes an athlete who almost never got her period. I went literally 2 weekends without seeing her and she went from zero weight gain to looking 9 mos pregnant.





Imagine my surprise when the friend who'd always IDed herself a lesbian was now pregnant.



Edited at 2016-11-06 08:23 pm (UTC)

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(c/p)



She's always struggled with perceived weight issues and she thought her new gym training regimen wasn't working out as expected. It was a shock to all of us. And we are all super tight and it was her birthday last month so we went out and partied HARD. All of us are feeling guilty as shit and praying to every deity that her baby turns out okay.

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Know a woman who did the same thing-- thought she was a couple months along, just to realize on a follow up, oh hey, you're actually over 8 months along and you'll be having the kid in about three weeks. It wasn't even her first pregnancy.



Edited at 2016-11-06 08:25 pm (UTC)

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lmao holy shit

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How do people get that far in pregnancy without figuring it out?? Did your friend just have like no morning sickness? Did she write off the baby moving as gas?

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this happened to a friend of my sister, found out when she was 8 months along



i saw her a few weeks prior and she looked thin as ever. crazy

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You see that's scarrier than a horror movie



Now you gotta prepare for this child you never planned for who cost A LOT. For a lifetime (if you're unlucky)



Shit if she were to have conservative parents like mine and she's not married?? Whoo boy. I gotta pretend I'm Mother Mary. Or be perceived as the opposite, a "whore"



As someone who never wants children, I would consider it a freak accident if it happened to me 

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Why don't people like her?

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My mom did know was was pregnant with my brother until 6 months. In her defense, her doctor said that she couldn't have any more kids after me, which would be only one. She had no morning sickness & still had her period, which was irregular at best under normal circumstances.

She was tired & thought she had the flu, turned out not to be the case. She wasn't gaining weight, so the doctor gave her a shot & she started eating everything she could.

At her next appointment the doctor was complaining that she had gained too much weight. Mom told him: you're the one who gave me that shot to eat more.



Edited at 2016-11-06 10:13 pm (UTC)

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i had a friend who found out when she was seven months in. only symptom she had was indigestion, which is what got her to see her doctor in the first place; walked out of that appointment with a little more than an antacid prescription...

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Lol until this post I had no clue she even a child or a husband.

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i didnt know she was married.



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she's already got a kid?

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Congrats to her.



She's really living the dream, she gets to be Wonder Woman and is married to a billionaire.

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wow, didn't know he was a billionaire.

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I hate babies. That's all I I have to contribute 

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Lol

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lmao



are babies vegan?

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Frank's RedHot or nothing tbh.

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Didn't know she had a first kid.

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She's so pretty and sweet

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He's 10 years older than her, so 41/42.

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israel is fucking sick jfc....

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in b4 someone gets pissed at you for this

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lol and four minutes later...

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Why do you not comment on every post about the US's human rights abuses jw? There are plenty to choose from after all.

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Glad you're back! Don't leave bb! <3





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Tell it bb!

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thank you for this comment 

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I'm not super excited about Gal, but I love her daughter's name. It's old-fashioned but it was one of my godmoms' name. I wanted to name my daughter Alma Schuyler but my cousin had her kid first and named her daughter Skyler.

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i love the name Alma since reading The History of Love

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My godmom's name was Alma Rebecca. I never liked Rebecca (too popular as an 80s kid) but I loved that Alma was a different, uncommon name that would let a girl stand out. Plus, when you put Alma Schuyler, I would have called the girl Skye.

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oh yes history of love <3

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Mary Anne Spier is that you

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From Consortium News



President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

(Image by White House photo) Details DMCA



Through five years of war in Syria, President Obama has been in a constant internal struggle with hawks in his administration who want the U.S. to directly intervene militarily to overthrow the Syrian government.

On at least four occasions Obama has stood up to them, although at other times he has compromised and gone half way toward the hawkish position. Now, with less than three months to go in office, Obama appears to be leaving his Syria policy to those aligned with the lead hawk who might soon take Obama's place.

As Secretary of State until early 2013, Hillary Clinton failed to convince Obama to consistently take a tough line on Syria. She wanted him to realize her two main policies, which she still clings to: a "safe zone" on the ground and a "no-fly zone" in the air -- meaning that Syrian government forces and their allies, including the Russians, would be barred from operating in those areas.

Protected by U.S. air power and other military means, rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would, in effect, have an untouchable staging area to launch attacks on the government without its ability to hit back. Clinton has called removing Assad a top foreign policy priority.

Clinton followed a similar model in 2011 when she convinced a reluctant Obama to adopt a plan in Libya to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi under the pretext of "protecting civilians" when Gaddafi launched an offensive against rebels in eastern Libya whom he identified as terrorists. After the U.S. and European military intervention, Gaddafi was ousted, tortured and murdered -- prompting Clinton to quip "we came, we saw, he died" -- but the "regime change" turned Libya into a failed state.

Indeed, the Libyan chaos -- now with three rival governments and terrorist enclaves -- has become emblematic of the disarray following "regime change" that has marked nearly two decades of neoconservative influence in Washington, a strategy of dividing and weakening defiant states while U.S. contractors profit from the chaos that bleeds the locals to death.

Lost Lessons

Obama learned from Libya, which he deemed his biggest regret for having no plan for the aftermath. The fiasco left him deeply skeptical about intervention in Syria, although -- given his prescient opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq -- he should have already understood what happens after the U.S. overthrows regimes these days.

In the early years of the CIA -- in Syria in 1949, Iran in 1953, and Guatemala in 1954, as illegal and as unjustified as those coups were -- the agency had viable leaders groomed to take over. But all that changed after the Cold War ended. Then careless wishful thinking -- or intended chaos -- replaced any careful planning for the future of the countries that were at the receiving end of "regime change."

"We can use our military in the Middle East and the Soviets won't stop us," arch-neocon Paul Wolfowitz boasted before the Iraq invasion.

Today neoconservatives and liberal interventionists (such as Clinton) act like gamblers who can't leave the table. Disasters for Iraqis, Libyans and others haven't dissuaded these American war advocates from pushing more chips onto the table over Syria. Indeed, their failures -- and the lack of any personal accountability for their catastrophes -- seem to have only emboldened them to keep gambling.

These "regime change" schemes -- in the guise of "spreading democracy" in the Middle East -- have only spread chaos and terrorism, but those conditions give the hawks more reasons and excuses to intervene, thus creating more chaos and making more money, while weakening nations defying Washington.

Clinton began laying a bet on "regime change" in Damascus by pushing to arm rebels in the summer of 2012. One of her leaked emails explains her motive: to break up the Teheran to Damascus to southern Lebanon supply line to Hezbollah -- a longstanding Israeli objective.

At that point, Obama refused to arm the rebels, but the President apparently didn't have full control over his national security bureaucracy, which seemed to have found ways to aid the Syrian rebels despite Obama's reluctance, possibly by encouraging U.S. regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Israel.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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The reason we are writing in Bernie is because he is the person who won the primary, and we believe in democracy. Even after all the election fraud we saw happening in state after state during the primaries, Bernie still won the first-floor vote at the DNC convention, and some observers say there were actually two floor votes that he won. It was only when the superdelegates were trotted out, representing no one but themselves and their corporate colleagues, that it was made to appear that Hillary had won the nomination. Not only did Bernie win the primary, all polls show Bernie coming in ahead of any other candidate in the general election, even when he's not technically running. Isn't that what our democracy is? The candidate that the most people want to have as president is the one who is voted into office?

Voting for Bernie is not a feel-good protest vote. Bernie still has a path to the White House. (The other progressive favorite, Jill Stein, does not have the possibility of winning in this election cycle.) The path is sometimes described as "opdeny270" and was first brought to widespread attention by Michael E. Sparks ("the independent thinker" on wordpress). To summarize this strategy: most states are winner-takes-all: whoever gets the most votes wins that state's entire Electoral College vote. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. If Trump and Clinton are running neck and neck, as they currently are, one state going to Bernie could prevent either of them from getting the 270 votes. The most likely state for this to happen in is VT, where a polls conducted by write-in phonebankers a week ago showed Bernie significantly ahead of the other candidates (Bernie 48%, Hillary 11%, Trump 16% and Jill 5%). Although Michael E. Sparks originally called for the write-in campaign to focus on Vermont, it has since morphed into a much wider campaign, which includes all the states where state laws would allow a write-in for Bernie to be counted.

There are twelve states that will definitely count write-in votes even if the candidate did not sign up or register. These are Vermont, CA, WI, WY, OR, WA, AL, IA, NH, RI, NJ plus DC. The deny270 strategy is for people to vote for Bernie in these states, and Jill Stein in the remaining ones, where votes for Bernie will not count. If no one gets 270 votes, the vote for president then goes to the newly-elected House of Representatives. There will be new Berniecrats in office. The Republican leaders hate Hillary with a passion and most of them have been denouncing Trump in recent weeks, since they feel he is destroying their party. By law, they would have to choose from the top three electoral vote-getters so that would leave Bernie. He has a unique ability to appeal to people across party lines. (Some people have wondered why Jill Stein could not end up in the third-place position for consideration in The Electoral College? That won't happen. because at best, Jill Stein's supporters are hoping she'll get 5-15% of the vote. She is largely unknown to most Americans and there is no chance she will come in ahead of all other candidates in any of these "winner-takes-all" elections.) The only other possible Electoral College vote-getter would be McMullin in Utah, but the latest polls do not show this to be a real possibility.



As far as the oft-heard refrain that "Bernie does not want to be president any more," it's hard to for me to fathom how anyone can seriously believe this. He sacrificed what are supposed to be his and Jane's relaxing retirement years to campaign his heart out, giving sometimes two speeches a day to crowds of thousands all over the country. Even his younger aides couldn't keep up. The primary was stolen from him in many states and again at the convention. (Statisticians at U.C. Berkeley and Stanford concluded that, based on the exit polls, the possibility of Hillary having won the primary without election fraud were one in 77 billion). Bernie got stomped--and, wanting to retain his position of power in the senate, he endorsed Hillary. BERNIE NEVER DROPPED OUT OF THE RACE. He never conceded to Hillary at the convention. He did not call for a vote by acclamation, but instead recommended that Hillary be "selected" as the nominee, a fitting way to describe the victory of someone who didn't actually win. And when a write-in organizer recently called the FEC to see if Bernie was still listed as a candidate, they replied "Yes he is. He would have let us know if he was dropping out." Bernard Sanders is still listed on their website as a candidate for President.



Although Bernie is unable to officially endorse the write-in effort without losing his position in the senate if Hillary were to win, he did actually say on video recently that he thought it would be fine if people in Vermont wrote him in--which, as I explained above, is the key state for this strategy to be successful. He also said on the Bill Maher show a couple weeks ago that he wishes it was him that was campaigning for President all over the country right now instead of Hillary. Doesn't sound like someone who no longer wants to be President.





I'll end my article by describing a dream that someone posted on facebook. She was at a large legislative-like meeting, sitting next to Bernie Sanders. Suddenly, in the middle of the solemn proceedings, she stood up and shouted "Bring Back Bernie." And to her amazement all the legislators in the room then stood up and shouted "Bring Back Bernie." The drumbeat is growing. Whether he will be brought back via the Electoral College, or because Hillary is indicted, or because the people demand that the true winner of the primary be allowed to take his rightful place--many people still believe Bernie will be our next President. There's still time for people, no matter where they live, to phonebank to VT and the other key states (go to bernievote.com or opdeny.com). There's still time to call the DNC. There's still time to vote, and convince your friends to vote. Election-fraud investigators Greg Palast and RFK Jr. recommend in "Steal Back Your Vote" that you go to your elections office or other designated early-voting site to vote in person prior to the actual day of the election, assuming that your state permits early voting. If you signed up to be an absentee voter and decide to vote in person, you need to bring the ballot you received in the mail, and the return envelope it came with, plus your ID. In some states, like CA, the write-in vote is actually entered on the envelope flap, where there is a place designated for this.



In ancient days, presidents were chosen based on a bird augury--hence our word inauguration. The bird tribe has already indicated who our next President should be. Bernie took his campaign as far as he could take it before he hit a brick wall. Now it's up to us to take it the rest of the way.
From Middle East Eye

The Syrian and Russian bombing is not dissimilar from recent US and Israeli offensives - but you wouldn't know that from the reporting



Syria and Russian bombing

(Image by Oriental Lista) Details DMCA



The Russian-Syrian bombing campaign in eastern Aleppo, which has ended at least for the time being, has been described in press reports and op-eds as though it were unique in modern military history in its indiscriminateness. In an unusual move for a senior US official, Secretary of State John Kerry called for an investigation of war crimes in Aleppo.

The discussion has been lacking in historical context, however. Certainly the civilian death toll from the bombing and shelling in Aleppo has been high, but many of the strikes may not be all that dissimilar from the major US bombing campaign in Iraq in 2003, nor as indiscriminate as Israel's recent campaigns in densely populated cities.

The impression that the bombing in Aleppo was uniquely indiscriminate was a result of news reporting and commentary suggesting, by implication, that there are no real military targets in east Aleppo.

But in fact, al-Nusra Front turned Aleppo into the central hub of a massive system of conventional warfare in Aleppo province in late January 2016 when it sent an enormous convoy of at least 200 vehicles with troops and weaponry into eastern Aleppo. A dramatic three-minute al-Nusra video shows what appears to be hundreds of vehicles full of troops and trucks with weapons mounted on them.

The Russian command in Syria has drones observing the routes in and out of Aleppo, so it certainly knew where many of those military sites were located. Syrian opposition sources also revealed that Nusra began immediately to put the military assets at its disposal underground, digging deep bunkers to protect troops, military equipment and tunnels through which troops and weapons could be moved unseen.

The move underground explains the Russian use of bunker-buster bombs for the first time in the war. As the Guardian reported, Justin Bronk of the British defense think tank Royal United Service Institute concluded that the Russians "have high-grade intelligence of the whereabouts of Syrian opposition positions," mainly because bunker buster bombs are too expensive to use simply to destroy buildings at random.

But like Hamas fighters in Gaza in 2014, the Nusra Front-led command in Aleppo has moved its troops, weapons and command centers around in the tunnels that they have built. So many of the Russian and Syrian air strikes are almost certainly hitting targets that have already been abandoned. And in other cases, the wrong target has undoubtedly been hit.

The Aleppo Health Directorate, a local monitoring group, estimated that 400 civilians had been killed in the first three weeks of bombing in east Aleppo. The United Nations put the death toll at 360.

As terrible as that toll of civilian lives is, the United States should drop the stance of moral superiority. When the US military invaded Iraq in 2003, it made no effort to keep track of how many civilians were killed in its bombing and artillery fire, claiming it had no way to tell who was civilian and who was not.

And the best estimates of civilians killed in US and Israeli urban wars don't provide any basis for moral superiority. A survey of Baghdad's hospitals by the Los Angeles Times in May 2003 produced an estimate of at least 1,700 civilians killed in the first five weeks of American war. The estimate included those who had died in ground fighting and from unexploded ordnance, but even with those contributing factors subtracted from the total, it would still be far greater than those killed in the assault on east Aleppo on a weekly basis.

The three-week Israeli war on Gaza City in 2009 and the seven-week war on Gaza in 2014 were also far deadlier than Aleppo. The former killed 773 civilians, according to an investigation by the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. The latter killed 1,473 Palestinian civilians, according to the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The one feature of the Russian-Syrian air offensive on east Aleppo that seems most clearly to violate the laws of war is the targeting of hospitals. Media accounts have referred to air strikes with barrel bombs that have hit two major hospitals in the rebel-held part of the city.

The Syrian government has been acting as though it regards the hospitals in eastern Aleppo as serving the Nusra Front command, and the hospitals, which are under intense pressure from the militants who run that part of Aleppo, have fed the government's suspicions.

Next Page 1 | 2

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Bottom-Up is a direct and logical look at how we live our lives, conduct our business, manage our societies, and, most importantly, communicate with each other. Author Rob Kall explains it all in plain English. But don't let the readability of this book fool you into thinking that it's not important. Kall cuts to the heart of the most critical issues in communication today. This book is as important as game theory. And people will take notice."



John Kiriakou, former CIA officer and author of The Reluctant Spy and Doing Time Like a Spy
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...




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OTAN = Asesinos



OTAN = NATO = Muerte



Mas temprano que tarde los derrotaremos



Hipocresia 3.0



El principe Carlos habla sobre el alto costo de la vida Es un chiste?



Las verdades son simples



Opinar es un peligro



Ejemplo de dignidad



El Nuevo Orden Mundial



Historica foto para el record Guinness







Se pegaron un tiro en el pie



Si palabras



Ya no enganan a nadie



No hacen falta palabras







Lo volvio a hacer



Capitalismo=embuste



Historico Bitcoin



La bateria mas grande de Holanda



El futuro es solar



Nec plus ultra, nec variatur



Fisica y culturalmente



Jamas nos callaran



Sin ellas, no seremos



Deja vu



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Hasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



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USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



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Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



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USA hoy



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Obama



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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



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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.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



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!


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Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
GLENS FALLS  Jean Morgan of South Glens Falls isnt enthused about voting for president on Tuesday.

I wish I didnt have to, she said as she was leaving Crandall Public Library on Friday. I dont have much respect for either candidate.

Morgan said she considered writing in a vote instead of voting for a candidate on the ballot, but decided against it because it didnt seem decisive.

Its the worst of which evil, she said, without disclosing whether she will vote for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton.

I think I have decided what I have to do, but its not a good choice, she said.

The contentiousness of the race has soured many voters, so much so that most of the people interviewed in downtown Glens Falls on Friday said they would not comment about voting.

Im an artist, so I let my work speak for my focus, said Rodney Bentley, who said he plans to vote but did not want to offend anyone by revealing his choice.

Asked what his artwork has to say about the election, Bentley said it depends on the eye of the beholder.

I let everyone else see through my work, he said.

Local political party leaders said they expect a strong turnout Tuesday, despite voter dissatisfaction with the presidential candidates.

The number of people contacting the party about the election is greater than in any recent presidential election, said Warren County Republican Chairman Michael Grasso.

This is not typical  not what weve seen in the last two presidential elections, he said.

The intense coverage of the presidential election has had just the opposite impact of what one might think, said Warren County Democratic Chairwoman Lynne Boecher.

What it does is it forces the majority of voters, or I want to say patriots, to sit down and to evaluate how important this is, she said.

Those interviewed in downtown Glens Falls who were willing to speak about their choice were solid in their decision.

Im a feminist, and I think that Trump is dangerous, said Lynn Hurley, who said she had already voted for Clinton on an absentee ballot.

Ron Barnaby of Glens Falls, a Trump supporter, said he has voted Republican in every presidential election except Bill Clintons first term.

I could spend probably an hour telling you why (I am voting for Trump), he said. Immigration, tax reform, Clintons emails.

Turnout in the North County and Hudson Valley on Tuesday likely will be greater than in the rest of the state because of spirited congressional races, said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political strategist.

The amount of money being spent on those campaigns is extraordinary. And that will drive turnout. But does it change the numbers in the presidential race? he said.

My bet is that the pro-Trump voters, which are non-college-educated white men, do turn out, and theyre going to turn out in significant numbers in upstate New York and there will be more of them than there have been in the past, he said.

Historically, there have been few write-in votes in presidential elections, he said.

Is it reasonable to expect there might be some increase (in write-in votes) in college communities? The answer is yes, he said. But that presumes millennials will be voting, and theres no evidence they are going to be voting in significant numbers.

Earlier in the race, it appeared disgruntled voters would write in votes for prominent Republicans other than Trump, but the latest reports of a new FBI investigation connected with Clintons emails has driven Republicans and right-leaning independents to Trump, said David Catalfamo, a Republican political strategist.

It seems to me that what you have developing is some very good energy for Republicans, he said.

Supporters of alternative party presidential candidates said they hope dissatisfaction with Trump and Clinton will attract voters to their ballot lines.

Warren County Libertarian Party members are emphasizing that the outcome on Tuesday is not the only consideration in voting, said Adam Pensel, the county party chairman.

If Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson receives 5 percent of the national vote on Tuesday, the party qualifies for public campaign funding and ballot status in the 2020 election, he said.

For Libertarians, it is not about this one election, its about a movement, he said.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein made similar comments when she campaigned in Glens Falls and Fort Edward in June.
In a matter of days the U.S. will elect a new president, while leadership on the state and county levels will also be decided. Voters in the g
Gary Greenberg tried to take the high road.

He asked state senators to do the right thing. He appealed to their morality and the need to protect children.

It didnt work.

Greenberg is a 58-year-old part-owner of the Vernon Downs harness track who lives in Greene County, just south of Albany. He was sexually assaulted as a 7-year-old by a hospital orderly. When he finished describing the horrific and brutal attack, you understand why he has spent a good part of his adult life trying to prevent what happened to him from happening to others.

So when the Child Victims Act was not put up for a vote by the state Legislature earlier this year, Greenberg took it personally.

While he once was content to lobby lawmakers and rely on their morality, the lack of a vote in the state Senate led him down a different path.

If you want someone who will put their money where their mouth is, Gary Greenberg is your guy.

Here is the problem.

New York state law does not allow anyone molested as a child to bring a civil or criminal case after the age of 23 because of the statute of limitations. It is generally accepted that those traumatized as children are often not able to come to grips with their abuse until decades later.

That means that many sexual predators  and many priests accused of those crimes  have been allowed to remain free.

The Yeshiva University school of law rated New Yorks statute of limitations laws among the four worst state laws in the country for survivors.

What the Child Victims Act proposed to do was to expand the statute of limitations and allow for a one-year look back so victims could bring lawsuits against their accused.

But in the final days of the legislative session this past spring, the Republican majority in the state Senate did not allow the bill to come up for a vote. The bill has been kicking around for at least a dozen years.

I started asking myself how I could impact this bill, said Greenberg. What could I do? I talked it over with my wife and we decided to put $100,000 into a PAC (political action committee). I was going to go after legislators who were holding it up in the Senate.

Greenberg called his PAC Fighting for Children and had this to say on its website:

Unless we pass the Child Victims Act to protect our children, sick and twisted child molesters and pedophiles will continue to run free to target our children. Help me change New Yorks laws so we protect children and not those that rape them.

Greenberg is targeting seven Republican candidates for the state Senate. Six of them are incumbents, including Majority Leader John Flanagan. Republicans have held a narrow Senate majority in recent years, but Greenberg is hoping his voice and his cash can give the Democrats the majority and the Child Victims Act a chance to pass.

Greenberg is working against Sen. Jack Martins, Sen. Kemp Hannon, Sen. George Amedore, Sen. Carl Marcellino, Sen. William J. Larkin Jr. and challenger Chris McGrath.

Greenberg said the Independent Caucus, led by Sen. Jeff Klein, has agreed to support the Child Victims Act as well.

Greenberg said he has put $180,000 of his own money toward the cause and raised another $20,000.

He contacted me after seeing Sen. Betty Littles response to whether she supports the Child Victims Act.

Betty Little is wrong, Greenberg said. She is out of touch with the reality of the situation. The Republican Party would rather side with the church, synagogues and insurance companies. That is more important than justice and safety for our kids.

Greenberg believes the Catholic Churchs lobbying efforts against the bill have nothing to do with money. He believes if civil lawsuits are allowed, church records will be subpoenaed. That will show the church hid perpetrators and predators.

The church does not want that to happen, Greenberg said. Who made those decisions? That is what they dont want you to know.

Maybe this time, playing politics will allow for the best possible outcome.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
In this episode of The John Woodard Show, John Woodard Interviews Sandy Smith. Sandy is a successful business executive who has started businesses, created jobs, and worked her way up the hard way. The high energy, can-do attitude Sandy brings is exactly what's needed in D.C. to drain the swamp...
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!
Contact: Patrick Gannon

Patrick Gannon Patrick.Gannon@ncsbe.gov

RALEIGH, N.C. Through early Saturday afternoon, more than 3 million North Carolina voters had cast ballots in the 2016 General Election, either through in-person early voting or by mailing in absentee ballots. That's 44 percent of the state's registered voters.Through 2 p.m. Saturday, 2.9 million voters had cast ballots during the 17-day in-person early voting period, a 13.4 percent increase over the entire 2012 early voting period.All voters in line at one-stop early voting sites when the polls close today will be able to cast ballots. Several counties have hours that extend past 1 p.m.said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections.See news release The vast majority of North Carolina's counties adopted early voting plans with bipartisan support. Immediately after the early voting period, county boards of elections must prepare poll books and other materials for Election Day.Updated 2016 absentee statistics are available here Statistics for the entire 2012 early voting period are available here
The mother of four attended the Agogo Presbyterian Training College and has a masters degree in Arts and Culture from the University of Education- Winneba.

Pulse Ghana caught up with Rita Oppong (RO) at her school for an exclusive interview.

Pulse: Congratulations Rita! Lets start off with how you felt when your name was mentioned.

RO: It was a big surprise! Although we knew we are award winners, they will never tell you what award you have won or if you are the first runner up or second runner up. So I was excited when my name was mentioned. I shouted Awurade meda wase (Thank you God). I even thought it was for the vocational and technical category not knowing it was for the overall best teacher. I hugged my husband, who was just sitting by my side. Then I was taken up the stage to the president. I shook hand with the president and talked with him. I was just so happy.

Pulse: So what did President John Mahama say to you?

RO: The president asked me, where is your school located? I told him where he was. And then he said, such as a small school with very good teachers. Then he said it was great that not only the big schools were winning awards, but a small school like mine could win such an award so we should keep it up. I also told him, I have recently been transferred to the new Frafraha community senior high school and he entreated me not to stop with what I have been doing and that I should do more things at my new school.

Pulse: Why did you become a teacher?

RO: I became a teacher because I wanted to impart on the next generation. I want them to acquire skills so that in future they may become professional men and women in order to help the nation and not to become a burden on society.

Pulse: Tell us about your first teaching experience?

RO: I have been teaching for 18 years. But my first teaching experience was in Akutuase, a village in the Eastern Region. I was married and my husband was in Accra. I had just had my irst child, Lois, too. So it was not easy for me at all. I had to shuffle between Accra and the village every weekend. The village had no social amenities; no electricity, treated water or tarred roads. I was there for three years before I went to further my education.

Pulse: So what does it take to be a national best teacher?

RO: This award means a lot to me. That is because I feel like the work I do has been recognised. One thing as teachers we ought to know is that, teaching does not end in the classroom. We should always extend it outside the class to people in the community.

For example, I organise unemployed people within my community and train them to acquire basic skills in beadwork. I also help those who cannot further their studies after junior high school, I try to give them skills in printing, Batik tie-dye so that they can get something doing and gather some capital to attend a vocational school.

Every teacher is a potential best teacher winner. If you bring out your best, treat the children that we teach as your own children and handle them well, in future you can also become like me. We should try to leave a legacy so make an impact in the school before you leave.

Pulse: What style of teaching does Rita Oppong have; strict or easy going?

RO: No. I would describe my style as democratic. You should not be too strict, because it will scare the children away from opening up and discussing issues affecting them with you. And dont be too laissez-faire. So I have a mixed approach with the children I teach.

Pulse: Lets go back to the award. What did you win?

RO: I received a 100,000 cedis and that money will be used to build the three bedroom house, to be built at an area of choice. I also got an insurance cover of 500,000 cedis, a laptop and a certificate.

Pulse: So where do you want the house to be located?

RO: I want my house to be built in Adenta or its environs. I have been transferred to the new community day senior high school. My family is already here so it will be a lot more convenient for me.

Pulse: Back in the class, one of the pupils told us you always encourage the girls to become achievers. Can you tell us about your work in that area?

RO: Yes I do. I am the girl child facilitator in the school. We normally meet on Thursday and we have role model conferences where we invite successful women in the society to share their views. We also discuss issues about teenage pregnancy, how to avoid getting involved with men at a young age and how to become professional women in future.
The meeting was attended by the Ashanti Regional Minister and security agencies in the region to access the security situation in the region.

COP Kofi Boakye told the Daily Guide Newspaper in an interview published on Saturday that the police and the military were in control of the security situation in the Ashanti Region and that the bomb scare had failed to cause panic.

According to him, the police and security operatives are investigating circumstances under which explosive-like materials were dropped on the streets, near the wall of the National Security Communication Building in Kumasi and would not be distracted by current propaganda.

Elections are coming. Let everybody know that the police will be vigilant, neutral, fair and firm to deal with any group of persons engaging in acts bordering on criminality. We will use any means possible to subdue any force that attempts to offend the law, COP Boakye said.

READ MORE: Man who attempted to bomb Italian Embassy remanded

The Ashanti Regional Minister has also urged calm in a release to the media.
READ MORE: Ghanaian gunned down in UK

Owusu, a ship worker, was shot three times at close range in front of his mother by two unidentified men.

Owusus boss, Mr Amiah, revealed to the Evening Standard that deceased had been watching the Champions League match with his visiting uncle at home when he decided to visit a friend next door.

He said: His mother ran to him and said Qwasi why has this happened? Have you done anything to anyone? He said: Mum I havent done anything to anyone.. I dont like trouble.

She did what she could to try to help him before the ambulance arrived. She was distraught, she felt helpless and hopeless. She was still clearly in shock when I saw her.

None of us know why this has happened, its a complete mystery. He was a good boy, he worked hard and studied hard and wanted to be a success.

I ve known him since he was six years old and he was like family to me.

He would talk to me about things. It seems impossible he had a double life we didnt know about that someone would want to do this to him

No arrested has been made as detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command launched a murder inquiry.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 10.45pm on Wednesday to reports of a shooting in Tynsdale Road.
He said: I am not coming into office to lord power over the people. Neither, am I coming into office to use disrespectful language on the people. I will not say to Ghanaians that they have short memories. I am also not coming into office to steal the peoples money to fill my pockets. Thats not why I am seeking your mandate.

READ MORE: Court to hear EC vrs Nduom case on Monday

I am coming into office to use the little wisdom, knowledge and strength the good Lord has given me to help move Ghana forward, so we can create wealth, jobs and prosperity for all Ghanaians, he assured.

He noted that every nation whose leader has love for the country, is experienced, and is backed by an able team of competent men and women, is a nation which will transform its circumstances and improve on the livelihoods of its citizenry within a relatively short period of time.

That, Akufo-Addo stressed, is what I am offering the good people of Ghana.

Akufo-Addo reiterated his pledge to industrialise Ghana through his 1-District-1-Factory policy; 1-Village-1-Dam policy; the diversification of the countrys agriculture.

He also promised to ensure the effective implementation of the Free SHS policy; and the setting up of an Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), where every constituency will receive the cedi equivalent of $1 million a year to tackle developmental issues.

He also assured Ghanaians that these policies will be implemented to the latter when he is given the mandate to serve Ghana in the December 7 election.

These are not election policies. I am not one to make promises I know I cannot keep, all in the hope of getting votes. I have too much love and respect for Ghanaians to make promises which I cannot fulfill. We have though through all these policies very well, and we know it can be done.
For the umpteenth time, president Mahama, who is seeking a second term, has launched onto it, urging Ghanaians to shun the Party in the December vote because it is divided.

He is currently on a four-day tour of the Ashanti Region, the stronghold of the NPP.

Early on, thugs following his convoy assaulted a 60-year-old man making change gesture at him.

Addressing a rally at Anweaso in the Adansi Asokwa constituency, the president posited that the NDC is the most united party in Ghana because the NPP has suspended its chairman, general secretary and first vice chairman.

Despite the NDC also suspending 23 members including sitting MPs for contesting as independent candidates, the president says the NPP is not ready for power.

He said: "Today, the party thats ready to govern this country is the NDC. Why am I saying so? Today, NDC is the most united and well-organised party than any other party in Ghana. Look at whats going on in NPP. NPP is divided into two factions.

If that party is rife with these divisions even in opposition, what will happen if we give them power? They are not ready to govern, so lets continue to leave them in opposition for them to take their time to put their house in order after 2021 then they come back for Ghanaians to consider them, he added.
The president's convoy was returning from Apegya in the Adansi South District at the beginning of a four-day campaign tour of the Ashanti Region when the incident happened.

The men, wearing NDC's green T-shirt with the party colours at the top let corner pounced on Nana Dwamena, 60, and landed punches on him.

According to Kumasi-based Nhyira FM reporter, Ohemeng Tawiah, it took the intervention of a lotto operator and a military officer to prevent the men from further attacking the middle age man as he fell to the ground.

Narrating his ordeal, Mr Dwamena said: "They were gesturing that Mahama should continue and I also gestured that he should be changed. They were following the president's convoy.

"Then a bus full of macho men following the convoy suddenly stopped and attacked me.

"They pushed me onto the ground. I have bruises on my feet. A Good Samaritan, my relatives and a military officer came to my rescue.

Mr Dwamena said he has invoked curses from over 20 deities for assaulting him for no wrongdoing.

Dwamena's family has condemned the assault, promising to pursue the matter.

Aseidu Kofi Abraham, Nephew of the victim, said they petition the police in the region for action to taken against the thugs.

He warned if nothing is done to address the matter, the family will invoke additional deities, they believe will hand them justice.

But the Ashanti regional branch of the NDC said they are not surprised about what has happened.
According to him, unless Ghana is at war, the December 7 polls will proceed as scheduled.

The PNC's Edward Mahama, the Independent People's Party's (IPP) Kofi Akplalo and Nana Konadu's NDP are currently in court challenging their disqualification.

Also, the Supreme Court on Monday will rule on whether a high court ruling in favour of Dr Ndoum should hold or not.

The ruling will affect all other suit filed against the Electoral Commission (EC) by the remaining other disqualified presidential nominees.

But speaking on Citi FM's "Big Issue" Saturday, November 5, Dr Atuguba said:The December 7 presidential elections will not be affected by the suits that are currently being mounted against the Electoral Commission.

"In other words, on December 7, unless Ghana is at war or there is really a grievous situation, December 7 polls will proceed as planned.

The constitution provides that the time for presidential election must be between four months and one month before the tenure of a sitting President constitutionally expires," he argued.

Explaining instances that could lead to the postponement of the December vote, Atuguba held that unless the president or the vice president dies in a case of a run-off.

Now the tenure of a sitting President constitutionally expires in our current circumstances at midnight on the 6th of December; so whatever happens and in order not to avoid any constitutional crisis, the presidential elections must be held on 7 December, he said.
Dated November 3 and addressed specifically at the commission's chairperson, Charlotte Osei, he writes as a private citizen seeking information in exercise of "my fundamental human right under Article 21 (1) (f) of the Constitution of the Republic which guarantees every person the right to information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society."

The EC has over the week repeatedly assured Ghanaians that the elections will come off in December despite going to the Supreme Court to quash a ruling by the high court which essentially makes it possible for disqualified presidential candidates to get another chance at getting onto the ballot paper.

Here are the seven questions Mr Ampaw is hoping Mrs Osei answers to bring clarity to the process by next Wednesday (November 9, 2016).

1. In the Commissions considered judgment, and all things being equal, when does the Commission project that the current spate of law suits involving it and those presidential aspirants, whom the Commission has disqualified for stated reasons, will end to enable the Commission carry out the ballot for positions of the presidential candidates on the ballot paper?

2. When in the Commissions considered judgment will the ballot papers for the presidential candidates for the 2016 elections be printed and ready for the December 2016 elections?

3. Are the other election materials, such as the Statement of Poll for the Office of Member of Parliament and Statement of Poll for the Office of President (popularly referred to as pink sheets); the Certificate to be Endorsed on Writ (Form EL1 B for parliamentary elections) and the Certificate to be Endorsed on Writ (Form EL 1 B for presidential elections); and the Parliamentary Elections  Results Collation Form (Form EL 23A) and the Presidential Elections-Result Collation Form (Form EL 23B) already printed out and ready for use for the December 2016 elections?

4. If they are already printed out, when were they so printed?

5. If these materials have not already been printed out, when, in the judgment of the Commission, will they be printed out and be in the custody of the Commission to ensure the conduct of general elections on 7th December 2016?

6. Will these election materials be printed in Ghana or abroad?
King Charles Industries: Anson County. 100 new jobs. $12.5 million capital investment. The company is a joint venture by Taiwan's Kingwhale Corp. and Hornwood Inc., a 70-year-old North Carolina textile manufacturer.

Anson County. 100 new jobs. $12.5 million capital investment. The company is a joint venture by Taiwan's Kingwhale Corp. and Hornwood Inc., a 70-year-old North Carolina textile manufacturer. Pepsi Bottling Ventures: Robeson County. 50 new jobs. $16.5 million capital investment. The company's state-of-the-art distribution center will serve consumers from South Carolina to Delaware.

Robeson County. 50 new jobs. $16.5 million capital investment. The company's state-of-the-art distribution center will serve consumers from South Carolina to Delaware. Mafic USA: Cleveland County. 113 new jobs. $15.5 million capital investment. The company is a Canadian/Irish manufacturer of advanced materials for the automotive, aerospace, alternative energy and numerous other industries.

Cleveland County. 113 new jobs. $15.5 million capital investment. The company is a Canadian/Irish manufacturer of advanced materials for the automotive, aerospace, alternative energy and numerous other industries. LendingTree: Mecklenburg County. 314 new jobs. $47 million capital investment. The popular online consumer-finance portal is expanding its corporate headquarters operations in the Queen City.

Mecklenburg County. 314 new jobs. $47 million capital investment. The popular online consumer-finance portal is expanding its corporate headquarters operations in the Queen City. K-FLEX: Franklin County. 100 new jobs. $45 million capital investment. The Italy-based manufacturer of thermal and acoustic insulation products is expanding its Youngsville plant.

Franklin County. 100 new jobs. $45 million capital investment. The Italy-based manufacturer of thermal and acoustic insulation products is expanding its Youngsville plant. JELD-WEN: Mecklenburg County. 200 new jobs. Multi-million-dollar capital investment. The global supplier of residential and commercial building products is expanding its Charlotte headquarters operation and creating a customer training center.

Mecklenburg County. 200 new jobs. Multi-million-dollar capital investment. The global supplier of residential and commercial building products is expanding its Charlotte headquarters operation and creating a customer training center. Lotus Bakeries: Alamance County. 60 new jobs. $48 million capital investment. The Belgian maker of gourmet cookies has chosen the N.C. Industrial Center in Mebane for its first U.S manufacturing facility.

Alamance County. 60 new jobs. $48 million capital investment. The Belgian maker of gourmet cookies has chosen the N.C. Industrial Center in Mebane for its first U.S manufacturing facility. RSI Home Products: Richmond County. 175 new jobs. $5.8 million capital investment. The manufacturer of kitchen, bath and home storage cabinetry in North America has been making its products in North Carolina for more than 20 years.

Richmond County. 175 new jobs. $5.8 million capital investment. The manufacturer of kitchen, bath and home storage cabinetry in North America has been making its products in North Carolina for more than 20 years. World Equestrian Games: $400 million economic impact. Administered by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the WEG occurs every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and is the major international championship event for equestrian sport. Click here for video highlights.

Contact: Crystal Feldman

Crystal Feldman govpress@nc.gov

Raleigh, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory is celebrating nine major economic announcements that have been made over the last two weeks, including eight projects that will create nearly 1,000 new jobs and bring more than $623 million in capital investment to the state. On Friday, the governor also joined state and local economic development leaders to celebrate that North Carolina was unanimously chosen to host the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) at Tryon International Equestrian Center, with an anticipated economic impact of $400 million.said Governor McCrory.Recent announcements include:Since Governor McCrory entered office in January 2013, North Carolina's economy has generated more than 300,000 net new jobs. Unemployment is down in all 100 counties and North Carolina has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation.Click here to watch highlights from Governor McCrory's recent announcements.
Trump is running against Democratic Party candidate, Hilary Clinton who is looking like the favourite to win the race.

If Donald Trump wins the US election, Im so running for the Presidential election in Nigeria 2019.

In an interview with The Cable News, Basketmouth took time to comment on Nigeria's last presidential election which was won by Muhammadu Buhari.

He criticized Buhari's predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan, whose administration was dominated by allegations of corruption.

The comic was not shy to admit who he was rooting for in the last election.

While many of my colleagues, friends and family members campaigned for the PDP, APC and various candidates during the last elections (and I cannot emphasize enough that it is their right to do so), I never campaigned for Buhari or any other politician.

Indeed, I personally hoped that he would win the election and perhaps that was evident in my body language and I am happy he won. But I did not campaign for him.

Nigeria was in a bad place by the end of the last administration and it was only a matter of time before we would have suffered the plights of Brazil and Venezuela.

Truth of the matter is that I would have voted anyone that could speak 2 words of English against GEJ and thats strictly based on the amount of greed and selfishness we witnessed from members of his administration in the 6 years that he sat on the rock.

They put us in this septic tank we are in right now. well, that and the oil price downfall among other things."
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
According to reports, the abduction took place in Ise Orun Local Government Area of the state where a pastor named Ojo was taken along with his driver and three other people.

This is coming following a recent abduction of Dr. Muslim Omoleke, an INEC Administrative Secretary, who was taken at Iwaraja town, Ekiti.

He was later released on Friday, November 4, 2016 in Ilesha, Osun State.

DSP Adeyemi Alberto, the state Police Public Relations Officer has disclosed that two out of the persons abducted have been rescued.
The pair got married on Saturday, November 5, 2016.

An excited Alimi took to Twitter to share the news concerning the union.

He wrote, "In Presence of friends & family from around the world, Anthony & I will say 'I Do'. But we remember places in the world where love is crime."

Though currently far away in the United Kingdom, Alimi still managed to keep tabs on the conversation regarding his wedding in his home country, Nigeria.

ALSO READ: Gay activist gets jittery as wedding day draws near

He posted a front cover page of a Nigerian newspaper which reported the story of his wedding to Anthony.

"When you break the glass ceiling the world will have no choice but to celebrate you. Our wedding in @MobilePunch front page. #Lovewins."

The Snitchlady, Kemi Olunloyo also sent in early congratulatory message to the LGBT rights activist.

She wrote, "Wishing my gay rights activist online friend a happy married life Saturday. May God bless ur union @bisialimi. We are the same in God's eyes."
Following his arrest, the law enforcement officers found police uniform and a fabricated gun-like metal with the suspect.

Ebere Amaraizu, the spokesperson for the state police reported that the suspect was arrested following an information offered by members of the public.

Udoh Samuel, from Ubiagan Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, but residing at 119 Amokwu Street Ugbohe-Abakpa in Enugu State, has been allegedly presenting himself as a serving police officer in Ugboghe-Abakpa community and its environs.

Further information about the suspect revealed that he also poses as a tricyclist."

ALSO READ: Fake lawyer who stole N6m from victims in police net
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Ajisebutu told newsmen that the victim was allegedly locked up in a room for three days without food by her father, who was currently at large.

He said that the girl was rescued by policemen from the Challenge Police Station.

The police had acted on a tip-off from neighbours. The police responded swiftly and visited the house at Ajeigbe area, Ring Road, Ibadan.

On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that three padlocks were used to lock the room. The locks had to be broken by the police before the little girl could be rescued, Ajisebutu said.

He said that the victim had been properly fed and taken to the police clinic for medical attention.
This information was revealed by SP Adekunle Ajisebutu, the Police Public Relations Officer, who said the police acted on a tip-off from neighbours of the girl.

The police had acted on a tip-off from neighbours. The police responded swiftly and visited the house at Ajeigbe area, Ring Road, Ibadan.

On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that three padlocks were used to lock the room. The locks had to be broken by the police before the little girl could be rescued", he siad.

After her rescue by policemen attached to the Challenge Police Station in Ibadan, the victim was taken to a clinic and fed.
A total of 105 charges was brought against him by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), all of which he denied at first arraignment.

The suspect who used to work at the defunct Oceanic Bank was first arraigned in court on September 30, 2014.

Despite pleading not guilty, Justice Dije Abdu Aboki sentenced him to "two years on the first 44 counts of the 105-count charge and a fine of N300, 000 on each", according to SaharaReporters.

ALSO READ: Man of God arraigned by EFCC for N22.4M fraud

In the event that he fails to pay the fine, the judge ordered that the accused serve additional six months in prison on each count.

For other counts, 45 to 74, Suleiman was slammed with a fine of N500,000 or 12-month imprisonment on each count.

Counts 75 to 105 will fetch him a fine of N200, 000 or face a 12-month imprisonment on each count apart from 97.
Its November, and that means retailers in Billings are beefing up their workforce ahead of the annual surge of shoppers.

But as online shopping continues to grow, shippers are under increasing pressure to find workers to handle and move the increase in boxes of Christmas presents and food for holiday meals.

We definitely need seasonal employees in your area this year, said Seattle-based spokesman Dan McMackin of UPS, which operates a distribution center on Lampman Drive in Billings.

The National Retail Federation expects retailers nationwide will add 690,000 jobs this holiday season, slightly above last years numbers. E-commerce sales are expected to grow 7 to 10 percent, fueling demand for drivers, warehouse workers and distribution employees.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the traditional start of the make-or-break holiday shopping season, which many retailers count on to turn a profit for the year. Planning for those busy weeks is already underway.

In September, officials at Minneapolis, Minn.-based Target Corp. announced they are hiring 7,500 seasonal employees for their 13 distribution centers nationwide.

Thats about 1,000 more employees than Target hired for those centers last year. Company officials say they need those employees to both replenish store inventory and fill online orders.

Target is hiring 70,000 seasonal workers in its stores nationwide, including the two in Billings.

UPS is looking to hire 120 seasonal employees in Billings and 320 statewide, according to McMackin. Nationwide, the Atlanta, Ga.-based shipper plans to hire 95,000 employees, a number thats essentially been flat for about three years, McMackin added.

We have been using more automation to sort packages, so perhaps that is keeping the number of total seasonal hires down somewhat We are doing a better job of planning what volume will look like for the upcoming season. We start planning in January for our peak season, and we are working earlier with large shippers to get better forecasts. Those things help us hire the appropriate number of seasonal hires, McMackin wrote in an email.

UPS has 267 total employees during the normal season in Billings and 1,064 in Montana.

During an Oct. 26 job fair hosted by Billings Job Service at the Radisson Hotel, 28 employers set up booths to seek seasonal workers, said Kathy Brown, an agency employment specialist.

They had a pretty good turnout, she said.

Large retailers dominated the event, but employers were also looking to fill jobs handling and sorting packages, Brown said.

One such company was Matheson Flight Extenders, which contracts with big shippers to unload freight at Billings Logan International Airport.

The Sacramento, Calif.-based company is seeking to hire 35 to 40 workers for the holidays, recruiter Cali Snedigar said last week.

Its a difficult task, given the areas traditionally low unemployment rate, she said. Yellowstone Countys jobless rate was 3.2 percent in September.

Every year is just as difficult as the previous year, Snedigar said.

Snedigar was hired two years ago because Matheson wanted to boost its labor force in Billings, particularly at the year-end peak time.

A regular morning shift typically has about 60 workers and rises to more than 100 for the holidays. The evening shift is at 40 for non-peak times and swells to 75 to 80 at year end.

While shipping jobs are in demand now, employment trends arent showing theyre replacing sales clerks and other in-store workers in Montana during the holidays, according to Barb Wagner, a state economist.

Wagner noted that retail hiring patterns could indicate a lengthening holiday season since the Great Recession, with employers doing more hiring in November and keeping employees until February.

Looking at straight percentages suggests that retail seems to be hiring a bit earlier and doing less seasonal hiring in Montana and in the U.S. Whether or not that is due to online shopping is not clear, Wagner wrote in an email.
In his twitter handle, Buhari commended the soldiers for their gallant efforts to secure the people and territory of Nigeria, describing them as the nations heroes.

 I have received the heart-warming news of the rescue of another of our Chibok girls by the Nigerian Army

I commend our troops, who continue to work gallantly to secure the people and territory of Nigeria. You are our heroes.

No man, woman, or child will be left at the mercy of Boko Haram. This has always been our promise and we fully intend to keep it, he said.

The Army on Saturday handed over Maryam Ali Maiyanga, the Chibok girl, with her 10-month-old son, to the Borno Government after they were rescued in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area.

Maj-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Commander of 7 Div. of Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, announced the development in Maiduguri.

Irabor said, At about 6 a.m., while screening some escapees from Boko Haram terrorists hideout in Sambisa Forest, we discovered one of the abducted Government Secondary School Chibok girls, named Maryam Ali Maiyanga, among them.

She was discovered to be carrying a 10-month-old son, named Ali.

She revealed to us that her husband, who is the father of her child, was killed by Boko Haram insurgents during one of the military operations in Sambisa Forest.

ALSO READ: Army confirms rescue of another girl in Borno

The Nigerian Army felt very elated because the desire of any army officer in operation Lafiya Dole is to make sure that every person that is held hostage by the Boko Haram insurgents is rescued.

We are hopeful that all the other captives would be released. This has come and it has strengthened our hope that the rest would be rescued, he said.

Maryam was among 219 girls who were kidnapped in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014.
Jonathan said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that the effort also reinforced the determination of the Federal Government to safeguard the lives and property of all Nigerians.

He said that the Nigerian military have demonstrated professionalism and rare commitment to ending Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

He said that the effort of the security personnel has strengthened the hope of parents and all Nigerians that the ordeal of the schools girls and other hostages would soon be over.

With President Muhammadu Buharis political will to end the activities of insurgents in the country, the military personnel should do more to accomplish the task, he added.

Jonathan challenged people in the North east to volunteer useful information to the military and other security agencies on the movement and locations of criminal elements, to help end the crisis.

The lawyer urged Nigerians to pray for the nation, exercise more patience and support the government to restore order and deal effectively with insurgents, kidnappers, cattle rustlers, militants and other criminals.

ALSO READ: President lauds Nigerian Army for rescuing another Chibok girl

Jonathan, a former chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Minna branch, called on stakeholders to mobilise residents to be more security conscious and police their communities.
Speaking as a guest on a radio programme, Sweet F.Ms Podium in Abeokuta, Adesina said no concrete evidence has been brought forward against any member of the president's cabinet or APC chieftains.

Arguing that the federal governments anti-corruption fight was not selective, Adesina said,The onus lies on he who alledges to also prove. The fact that any PDP member crosses to APC does not provide automatic shield. Whoever is indicted will be prosecuted, he said.
The Head of Fire Service in the state, Mr Ndareke Ukpe, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo.

Ukpe said that firemen attended to 29 fire calls, comprising four from petrol stations, five from market stores, 15 from residential buildings and five from government buildings.

He attributed the causes of fire outbreaks to carelessness and use of fake electrical materials in homes.

He advised landlords and contractors in the state to be mindful of electrical materials used in wiring buildings.

We attended to 29 calls from the people within private and government establishments in the state and saved 10 lives and property worth N4.67 billion.

A firebreak does not just occur but is caused by carelessness and use of fake electrical installations in buildings.

We are committed to ensuring that our department responds to fire calls within record time so that minimal loss is recorded, he said.

Ukpe urged the residents to promptly report fire outbreaks to the service to minimize losses.

He advised people to take other safety measures such as putting off all electrical appliances before leaving home.

The fire officer warned the people to avoid bush burning, especially now that the dry season was setting in.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Ntuk was abducted with his wife around 7pm on Saturday, on his way home from Ibom International Airport.

NAN also gathered that the incident occurred at a village in Mkpat Enin Local Government area, near Ikot Abasi.

It was learnt that they were returning home after attending the inauguration of the new Managing Director of the Niger-Delta Development Commission NDDC, Obong Nsima Ekere in Abuja on Friday.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Akwa Ibom ASP Cordelia Nwawe, confirmed the kidnapping, adding that investigation on the incident has commenced.
The Army said troops of 27 Task Force Brigade on Operation Gwuiwa killed the insurgents at Ajigin, Borno State and recovered three AK-47 rifles.

The Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman said the troops carried out clearance operations on the terrorists' hideouts at Ajigin, Golgore, Njibulla, Doksa 1, 2 and 3 villages located at southern parts of Borno State.

Usman said: During the operation, they neutralized 37 Boko Haram terrorists at Ajigin and recovered three AK-47 rifles.

Unfortunately, a vigilante group member lost his life while six soldiers were wounded during the clearance operation. The corpses of the late vigilante and the wounded soldiers have been evacuated, Usman said.

ALSO READ: Terrorists kill top army colonel
The Information Officer of the local government, Mr Shaibu Obeito, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday that the move was to forestall more deaths associated with the consumption of the flour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that eight person, two women and six children died on Oct. 26 in Ogaminana community in the local government are after a meal of the flour.

Obeito said that the council had started buying back all cassava flour brought into the council within the period from sellers and those possessed by residents.

According to him, the aim is to retrieve the poisonous cassava flour and destroy it before it got to the public.
The arrest was made by the Search and Rescue personnel of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy.

According to the Head, Corporate Communications Team of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka, the arrest was carried out on Friday Nov. 4, 2016, at the Lagos Fairway Bouy.

She said the arrest was sequel to a distress signal sent to the Regional Search and Rescue Coordination Centre based in NIMASA, Tumaka said the centre, in turn, alerted the Nigerian Navy.

The Navy immediately sent its vessel `NNS Karaduwa to the location of `MV Colombia River where 16 stowaways were apprehended and one of them sustained an injury on the shoulder while attempting to escape arrest.

The injured stowaway was immediately taken away by the NIMASA Search and Rescue team on its vessel `NIMASA Benue to the agencys Search and Rescue Base Clinic for treatment.

The others were taken away by the Navy for profiling and subsequent hand over to the security agencies for further investigation, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes her as saying.

Tumaka said the crew of the Hong Kong flagged vessel, had originally thought that they were under attack by armed pirates.

According to her, preliminary investigation showed that the persons on board the vessel were only intruders who hid in the vessel to leave Nigeria in search of greener pastures in the U.S.

The stowaways, who included a Liberian national, are in custody and will be handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further action.
THOMPSON FALLS  As Sanders County election officials announced that problems with voting tabulation machines discovered in early testing had been solved, Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said the systems in place to ensure accurate counting on Election Day are working.

She called a demand this week by the chairman of the Montana Republican Party that her office conduct a 56-county audit of every voting machine in the state prior to Tuesdays election, based on the Sanders County early testing, shameful.

GOP Chairman Jeff Essmann, in a letter to McCulloch on Wednesday, said we hereby demand that your office conduct a statewide audit of every countys voting machines to ensure the machines proper functional ability and compliance with Montana law.

Essmann cited news reports about the Sanders County situation, and wrote, The integrity of the upcoming general election should be your offices highest priority. The citizens of Montana deserve to have confidence that their votes will be properly counted on Election Day.

In her response Friday, McCulloch  a Democrat who is not running for re-election because of term limits  said she agreed with that.

The Secretary of State laid out all the pre-election testing requirements  which uncovered the problem that was isolated to the one tabulation machine in Sanders County  and post-election audit that is done to make sure tabulations are accurate.

I think it is shameful that you would attempt to cast aspersions on the 56 County Election Administrators and their offices and undermine the hard work they have been doing preparing for this election, McCulloch wrote to Essmann.

Accuracy

Sanders County Election Administrator Bobbi Christenson told Lee Newspapers that the Clerk and Recorders Office has run 10 tests, including a public testing Friday morning, since new software was installed on its lone tabulation machine.

All 10 have matched exactly  including Friday, when one of two members of the public who participated initially reported that results in one race didnt align with his five test ballots.

It turned out the man had read it wrong, Christenson said. It just shows that the machines are less likely to make an error than humans are.

Sanders County discovered the problem last month, when it first ran a test deck through the tabulator and the results were off.

Clerk and Recorder Nichol Scribner contacted Election Systems and Software, the Omaha, Nebraska, company that provides machines, software, ballot stock and sometimes printing services to 44 of Montanas 56 counties.

Scribner believed it was likely a software problem, but ES&S first insisted that the ballot stock sent to Sanders County  which hires a local business to print the ballots  had been incorrectly cut, causing the tabulating machine to misread them.

It sent the county almost 7,900 new ballots, and printed them at no charge. When the test deck for the new ballots also delivered incorrect results, Scribner called the company again, and again suggested the problem was in the machines software.

It was. The county has re-tested its lone tabulating machine four times with the test deck from the initial ballots, and six times with the test deck from the new ballots, since the new software was installed.

All have come back 100 percent accurate.

Re-testing

In addition to pre-Nov. 8 testing, McCulloch told Essmann, all counties re-test their machines on Election Day itself before real ballots are put through the machines after polls close. After the election, the Secretary of States Office also selects random precincts from random counties for hand counts, to make sure results match the numbers machines delivered.

I have confidence in the county election administrators ability to test their voting systems and to identify any potential problems,  McCulloch wrote to the GOP chairman, and to properly secure the systems through the use of tamper-resistant security seals and chain-of-custody logs, as you should.

Elections in Montana have a history of being open, honest, accurate and well-run, she continued. I think you should have more faith in your local county officials to do their jobs.

In his Wednesday demand for a state-wide audit of all voting machines, Essmann had asked McCulloch to provide us with any and all records in the possession of your office which demonstrate that such audits have been performed, the results of the audits, and copies of the certifications of proper performance of voting systems from every county no later than Friday, Nov. 4, 2016.

In addition to her reply to Essmann, McCulloch attached her Aug. 4 directive on ballot and voting system testing and security procedures, and a copy of her offices 56-page Uniform Ballot and Voting System Procedure Guide."

Canceled hand-count

Meantime, in Sanders County, Scribner canceled a hand-count of absentee and late-registrant ballots, now that tests show the tabulator is correctly counting both the ballots first sent to the county, and the replacement ballots.

More than 3,600 of the first ballots had already been given to absentee voters, and people who registered to vote after Oct. 11, when the problem was detected.

With the new software programming stick, its reading them perfectly, even if they were (improperly cut) a bit, Christenson said. Everything boiled down to the flash drive.

The remainder of the first batch of ballots have been locked in a vault, Christenson said, and the properly cut replacement ballots will be used at polling places.

Scribner had contacted the Missoulian after the problem was discovered last month, saying she believed it was important that the public know was going on, and how the county was dealing with it.

If any of the multiple tests done since the new software was installed had not been 100 percent accurate, Scribner said at the time, the county would hire extra election judges and hand-count all ballots after polls closed on Tuesday.
The election was however seen as a significant step towards strengthening the conflict-ridden countrys fledgling institutions after decades of anarchy.

Due to the continuous threat from Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab and weak electoral infrastructure, Somalia decided against a one-person-one-vote election.

Instead of giving eligible voters from Somalias population of 11 million people the right to vote, electoral colleges  whose 14,025 members were chosen by traditional leaders  will pick the 275 members of the legislative assembly.

The polling process is expected to take until at least Nov. 10.

The assemblies of five federal states were meanwhile electing the 54 members of the upper house.

Once the two chambers of parliament have been elected, they will choose on Nov. 30 a president from among some 20 candidates, with Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud among the front runners.

The elections were postponed four times this year due to organizational delays.

The polls are nevertheless seen as being more democratic than those in 2012, when only 135 traditional elders elected a unicameral parliament.

The elections are the second polls since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre plunged the Horn of Africa nation into anarchy as warlords carved out clan-based fiefdoms.
He said during a media chat in Ankara that he did not care if Europe called him a dictator as he cracked down on the Kurdish militant group and its sympathisers.

Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK a terrorist organisation, this is clear; we see how the PKK can act so freely and comfortably in Europe.

I dont care if they call me dictator or whatever else; it goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me, he said.

Erdogan warned that any of the parliamentarians that behaved as terrorists would be treated as such.

He said that Turkeys judiciary was independent and that nobody, including him, had the right or authority to interfere in judicial process.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Turkey has drawn international criticism following the detention on Friday of the leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP, the parliaments second largest opposition party, as part of a terrorism probe.
I want to get the best people out there to take care of the citizens; so I voted Hillary. I am hoping the election will be alright.

However, if Trump wins, I guess I will just pack my bags and leave the U.S., the centenarian told a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Hampton Voter Registrar, the State of Virginia, after casting her vote.

Feastra, a curbside voter, said she was motivated to vote so as to be a part of those who decided who becomes the president of the U.S.

A curbside voter is any qualified voter who is able to travel to the voting place, but because of age, or physical disability is unable to enter the voting place in person without physical assistance.

NAN reports that a curbside voter may vote either in the vehicle or in the immediate proximity of the voting place.

According to her, not being involved could have a consequence on who emerges the president.

If you dont vote, you just cant complain, you just take what you get, the physically-challenged Clinton supporter, Feastra said.

Also speaking, Feasters daughter, Cassandra Williams, who drove her mother to the voting centre, said she had heard complaints about both presidential candidates.

She, however, said that the grievances should not keep people from voting.

Theres no good choice between Clinton and Trump but theres a worse choice. This year, you just have bad candidates but one of them will still become the president even if you dont vote.

Still, you have a responsibility to come out and vote and get someone who will make our country greater because the country is already great.

Williams said she was motivated to vote because she marched for the right to vote in the 1960s adding, she was arrested but did not regret the experience.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind
'Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America'

By Patrick Phillips

W.W. Norton & Co.

In 1912, the black residents of Forsyth County, Georgia, were driven from their homes by violence and threats of violence from their white neighbors. More than 1,000 people fled the county, leaving it virtually all white for the next seven decades. This unwilling exodus forms the basis for "Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America" by Patrick Phillips.

Raised in Forsyth County, now a suburban bedroom community about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, the author heard his childhood acquaintances tell tales of the 1912 expulsions that sounded almost mythical. But as an adult, a published poet and a university professor, he felt compelled to take a closer look. The stories of human suffering that he reveals in this gripping and meticulously documented account make the horror of those boyhood stories seem pale by comparison.

Like many episodes of Southern racial violence during that era, it began with an attack on a white woman.

In a rural village called Oscarville, 18-year-old Mae Crow was found beaten, bloodied and unconscious, and her injuries proved fatal. Rumors circulated, filling in imagined details, and suspicion soon fell on three young black men.

One of them, 24-year-old Rob Edwards, was quickly lynched.

"When a rumor spread that 'Big Rob' had confessed to the crime, a group of white farmers stormed the county jail and, according to one witness, shot Edwards as he cowered in his cell, then bashed in his skull with crowbars," Phillips writes. "Others say Edwards emerged alive, pleading for mercy, and died while being dragged from the back of a wagon, a noose cinched tight around his neck."

One of the other two suspects was also reported to have confessed  a confession Phillips says was almost certainly extracted via torture. As Phillips reports, the two were later tried and hanged in a huge public spectacle, witnessed by thousands, but not before widespread terrorism was inflicted on the local black community.

"Some of the attacks later made headlines in Atlanta," Phillips writes, "and it's likely that similar raids had been happening since the discovery of Mae Crow's body in early September. The night riders fired shots into front doors, threw rocks through windows and hollered warnings that it was time for black families to 'get.' But of all their methods, torches and kerosene worked best, since a fire created a blazing sign for all to see and left the victims no place to ever come back to."

While many local blacks were poor sharecroppers, some had managed to acquire houses and land in the few generations since slavery. After they fled in fear, their vacant property was later quietly appropriated by whites.

"Today," Phillips notes, "many of those same lots are home not to chicken houses, cow pastures, and hog pens but suburban housing developments, filled with multimillion-dollar homes. What was once stolen with a wink and a nod at the county courthouse has now become some of the most valuable real estate in all of metropolitan Atlanta ..."

For all but the locals and the displaced, the violence quickly receded from memory. Not until the late 1980s, when civil rights marchers from Atlanta descended on Forsyth County to protest its all-white status and faced a jeering, Confederate flag-waving crowd, did the world take note of the county's peculiar history  which differed only by degrees from the racial violence that erupted for decades throughout the South.

A study released in 2015 by the Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative documented 4,075 racial terror lynchings in 12 Southern states between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and 1950.

It was typical, in those cases, for a coroner's jury to rule the victim died "at the hands of parties unknown."

In the case in Forsyth County, Phillips reminds readers of a massive crime  and names at least some of the killers.
The newest addition to the Marvel University is just what the Doctor ordered  Doctor Strange, that is.

Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect as Dr. Stephen Strange, Tilda Swinton is terrific as The Ancient One and Chiwetel Ejiofor is marvelous as the doctors mentor Mordo in a smart script fleshed out with mind-boggling special effects.

Neurosurgeon Strange is confident. In fact, hes smug: Hes brilliant, and he knows it. He never expects that his own carelessness could send him swerving into a horrible accident that leaves his hands damaged. He tries everything he can to recover, stubbornly refusing to give up hope regardless of what specialists and friends tell him.

Strange hears of a man who has made an impossible recovery, and subsequently heads to Nepal, where he asks the mysterious Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) to heal him. She does not do that  rather, she leads him to other dimensions and the discovery of incredible powers.

You're a man looking at the world through a keyhole, the Ancient One tells Strange. Your work saved the lives of thousands. What if I told you that reality is one of many?

Stranges colleague back in New York (Rachel McAdams) is a well-written love interest well probably see more of in sequels. Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen is wonderfully evil as Kaecilius, a former follower of the Ancient One. He has become a villain who may destroy the universe. The librarian who secures ancient writings (Benedict Wong) provides some of the comic relief (there are more laughs here than I anticipated).

The film has the look of Inception on steroids  its jaw-dropping in its finesse of computer-generated imagery (I highly recommend seeing it in 3D). Adding to its psychedelic environment is a clever cameo  youll see it, never fear -- involving the Aldous Huxley book The Doors of Perception, which, written in the 1950s, was about Huxleys experience with mescaline (trippy, so to speak).

This is an origins story with an exciting plot that gains momentum as Strange physically and spiritually takes shape, complete with a cape thats a character in its own right. Always, he is surrounded by other colorful characters in a swirl of motion and mind-bending landscapes worthy of making you reach for a remote and a rewind button. And even at his most self-involved, Strange is a likeable, fascinating character.

There is more to come of Strange in the near future (check it out for yourself on www.imdb.com). In the meantime, its obvious that Marvel has another hit on its hands  and theres nothing strange about that.
SPRINGFIELD  For many, the 2016 races for the Illinois General Assembly represent a series of battles in a proxy war between first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Rauner and his fellow Republicans have cast Tuesdays election as a choice between reform and the status quo created by the Democrats long dominance of state government. Theyve made Madigan public enemy No. 1 in a multimillion-dollar ad barrage linking every Democratic candidate to him.

If voters like the way things are going in the state of Illinois, if they like what the state Legislature has done, they should vote for Democrats, they should vote for  Mike Madigans candidates, said Nick Klitzing, executive director of the state Republican Party. If they want a new direction, if they believe that reform is possible in Illinois, then they should give Republicans a shot.

Madigan and his fellow Democrats, meanwhile, argue that the election offers a chance to defend the middle class against the extremism of Rauner and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Democrats are focused on trying to put the state back on track, trying to work cooperatively, said Steve Brown, a spokesman for Madigan and the state party. Thats what weve been trying to do for almost two years now, met at every different turn with an agenda that really wants to disadvantage middle-class families, put more money in the pockets of the 1-percenters.

Nearly halfway into Rauners term without a full state budget in place, others, including former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, view the balloting as a contest between the wealthy governors money, more than $32 million of which is bankrolling the GOPs campaign efforts, and his record.

However one views the elections, Tuesdays outcome will help chart the course Illinois takes to end its historic budget impasse and right its fiscal ship. Lawmakers and the governor put that fight on hold until after Election Day by passing a stopgap spending plan this summer that runs through Dec. 31.

The balance of power in the next General Assembly will come down to the results in a handful of high-profile, high-cost legislative races downstate and in the Chicago suburbs. Southern Illinois and the Quad-City area have become major battlegrounds, with Republicans taking aim at Democratic incumbents and both parties trying to flip seats long held by the other side.

All 118 House seats are on the ballot, although only 48 are contested. Republicans need to pick up just one seat to end the Democrats 71-member, veto-proof majority, which has existed on paper more than in practice. In the Senate, where 40 out of 59 seats are on the ballot, there are 13 contested races. Republicans would need to gain four seats to end the Democrats better-functioning 39-member super-majority.

Republicans would need even bigger gains to win control of either chamber, something almost no one thinks will happen in a presidential election year, when Democrats typically get a boost from higher voter turnout.

Klitzing said that in a presidential year with a legislative map drawn to favor Democrats, picking up just one seat in either chamber would be historic.

The fact that were on offense and were positioned to even win one seat is a sign of just how entrenched Madigan is and how much voters want to throw out the current status quo, he said.

Given all that Republicans and outside groups supporting their candidates have spent, Brown said, Im not sure  how you call that a victory.

Despite the record-breaking sums being spent by both sides, David Yepsen, who retired Monday as director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said anyone who is expecting a major shift in the political landscape come Wednesday is likely to be disappointed.

Were going to wake up on the day after the election, and Bruce Rauner will still be governor, and the Democrats will still be in control of the Legislature, Yepsen said. And what is going to change as a result of this? If anything, I think the partisanship will continue.

After a bruising campaign season that has featured months of relentless TV ads and mailers in some districts, the Democrats will come in angry, he said.

Now, the race for governor in 2018 will be on, Yepsen said. And so we move right from this campaign right into the partisanship of that campaign.

Even if Republicans do succeed in weakening the Democrats grasp on control of the General Assembly, the question of whether it will be to the benefit of voters remains, said Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The GOPs main line of attack against Democratic candidates is that each one is a wholly owned subsidiary of the speaker, Redfield said.

All of the money on the Republican side is coming from the governor or the governors allies, he said. So Im not sure that replacing somebody who is or appears to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the speaker with somebody who is or appears to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the governor is really doing much for the democratic process.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa | Tom Harkin, a former U.S. senator from Iowa, made a case for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in an appearance here on Saturday.

Harkin told a handful of people that Clinton is a strong fighter for women and children and sends a more positive message than Republican challenger Donald Trump.

"The image Trump is sending to young people ... if you are rich enough and boorish enough, you can get by with anything, you can get by with sexual assault, you can get by with not paying your taxes, you can get by with stiffing people that work for you  not paying  you can get by with mocking and making fun of people with disabilities," Harkin said. "He is not the kind of person we want telling our young people about life and (how) we should act toward one another."

With the election days away, Trump has a slim 1.5 point lead in the Hawkeye State for its six electoral votes, according to Real Clear Politics polling average.

"I am somewhat baffled on how he is doing so well in Iowa," Harkin said about the state that has supported the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential cycles. "I represented Iowa for 40 years. And look, I know everyone wasn't a Democrat I represented, there's Independents, and I've had a lot of Republican friends in my lifetime, still do. And I always considered Iowans as common sense, rational, reasonable people. How can anyone that is rational and reasonable go for Donald Trump?"

Harkin was one of Iowa's U.S. representative for 10 years and then was a U.S. senator for 30 years until 2014, when he decided not to run for re-election. The seat was filled by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak.

Harkin said he has known Clinton for 25 years during her time as first lady, secretary of state and a New York senator who was on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, which Harkin headed.

Harkin thinks that Trump's popularity in Iowa is a result of conservative media outlets continuously painting Clinton with a negative brush after controversies such as Benghazi and her federally investigated use of classified emails on personal computers.

"That's not the Hillary we know," Harkin said. "I can say this without any hesitancy or equivocation, Hillary Clinton is one of the most honest, trustworthy, patriotic, compassionate and caring public servants I have ever worked with in (my) 40 years in the United States Congress."

Trump will make his own case at a rally at noon today at the Sioux City Convention Center.
DES MOINES  It has been a long road, Iowa.

In just a few days, the nation will cast its final votes in the 2016 presidential election. For Iowans who have been paying attention, Tuesday is the culmination of a protracted presidential selection process that started nearly two years ago.

Over those many months, Iowa performed its quadrennial duty of paring down a historically large field of candidates during the first-in-the-nation caucuses  with no incumbent running, there was competition on both sides  and once again played a role in the general election, albeit perhaps not as critical as recent elections.

There were many momentous occasions in Iowa along the way. So before a new president is elected, here is a look back at the long campaign road through Iowa.

First steps

One could argue the 2016 presidential race began during the 2014 elections, when some White House hopefuls visited Iowa to campaign for congressional candidates here, hoping to help their own brand in the process.

But the first event with a truly presidential primary feel was the Freedom Summit, held in Des Moines on Jan. 24, 2015  655 days before Election Day.

The event was hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve King. R-Iowa, and the conservative political group Citizens United. Seven Republicans who would eventually run for president plus a few others  those who attended surely remember Sarah Palins rambling stem-winder  spoke at the event.

Much of the talk after the event included praise for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who shortly after took a lead in early polls on the Republican caucuses.

That pow moment

Trumps now infamous line, which has been featured on countless political ads made by Hillary Clinton's campaign and groups that support her, was spoken in Iowa, at The Family Leaders event on July 15, 2015, on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.

Moderator Frank Luntz, a conservative public opinion expert, asked Trump about his verbal tussles with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and in doing so, he referred to McCain as a war hero.

Hes not a war hero. Hes a war hero because he was captured, Trump said. I like the people who werent captured.

The comment was met with shock across the political landscape and swift rebuke from Republicans. In a backstage conversation recorded by Iowa Public Television, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who also spoke at the event, said the comment would signal the beginning of the end of Trumps campaign.

As it happened, Trumps comment was perhaps the first indicator of the strength of his support; it was the first prominent example of him saying something that seemed outlandish to many but did not hurt him in the polls.

State Fair swarmed

Three of the biggest names in the caucuses  Trump, Clinton and Bernie Sanders  all visited the Iowa State Fair on the same day.

Most of the presidential candidates visited the State Fair, but Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, became a spectacle unlike any other.

Trump flew in on his helicopter, landing at a nearby field, and he allowed children to go for rides on the helicopter.

Clinton walked the grounds and visited the butter cow.

And when Sanders spoke at The Des Moines Register's Political Soapbox, the hundreds who came to listen formed a mass of humanity that swallowed much of Grand Avenue.

I think Bernie gets a lot more excitement, a lot more enthusiasm than anybody has in a long time, Joyce Kopecky, a Des Moines native who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, said at the event. Hes different than everybody else. Hes not business as usual.

Debates in Iowa

Both parties held one primary debate in Iowa.

The Democrats came to Iowa first, debating on the Drake University campus in Des Moines on Nov. 14, the day after terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people.

The Republican candidates debated at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines just four days before the Feb. 1 caucuses.

Well, most of the GOP candidates did. Trump chose to sit out the debate, which was hosted by Fox News, because he thought he had been treated unfairly in previous debates by Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly.

Trump instead held a campaign event in Des Moines at the same time as the debate.

Iowa picks Clinton, Cruz

The Feb. 1 caucuses brought to a close the first half of the presidential campaign in Iowa, and both parties made history in the process. Democrats had their closest-ever margin of victory, and Republicans had their highest-ever turnout.

Clinton edged Sanders by a mere 0.2 percent of state delegate equivalents as the Democrats turned out in numbers second only to 2008. Clinton, the first female winner of the Iowa caucuses, did not claim victory until 2:30 a.m., and the state Democratic Party did not make the results official until days later.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz edged Trump, 27.7 percent to 24.3 percent.

Trump and Clinton return

Once the general election campaign started in earnest after the national party conventions, polling made it clear Iowa would once again be a toss-up state. And early indications were the candidates, Trump and Clinton, would make a strong play for Iowa.

Through the first three months, Trump made five trips to Iowa, including one in late July during the Democratic National Convention and another shortly after in early August.

I think were going to do very well, Trump said at one of those early events. The crowds are tremendous. The enthusiasm is incredible, so I think were doing very well.

Clinton did not return to Iowa until Aug. 10, but her campaign established a robust operation here early in the general election.

Shortly before that first visit, Clintons national political director Amanda Renteria said the Clinton campaign expected to be active and competitive in Iowa.

We know this thing is going to be tight all the way to the end. I dont see any change in that, Renteria said. Were under the assumption it will be close all the way through, and were under the assumption that weve got to make sure that were earning every single vote.

Trail runs cold

After a strong start, the presidential campaign fizzled in Iowa, at least as far as candidate trips go.

Since those first handful of events, Trump has not yet been back. Meantime, he has made double-digit appearances in other swing states, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina.

Clinton has traveled to Iowa only three times; a fourth stop, over Labor Day weekend, technically was in Illinois, but it was in the Quad-Cities, just across the Mississippi River from Davenport. By comparison, Clinton has been to Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina at least 10 times apiece and to Florida nearly 20 times.

Judging by candidate appearances, Iowas six Electoral College votes have not been a top priority for either campaign.

Wave of surrogates

While the candidates themselves maybe have not spent much time campaigning in Iowa, some of their most well-known supporters have.

The Clinton campaign in particular unleashed a tsunami of surrogates on Iowa. While the creme de la creme  President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden  have not been here, the wave of Hillary Clinton surrogates has included her husband and former President Bill Clinton, her former primary foes Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley, running mate Tim Kaine and a slew of actors and musicians.

The Trump campaign has relied heavily upon running mate Mike Pence in Iowa, sending the Indiana governor here eight times for a total of a dozen events. Top supporters such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former primary opponent Ben Carson also have stumped for Trump in Iowa.

Final push

Election Day is just two days away, leaving the slightest window for the campaigns to make one last impression in Iowa. A poll from Simpson College and RABA Research published this past week showed Trump holding a narrow lead over Clinton that was within the polls margin for error.

Trump will make his first Iowa appearance since Sept. 28 when he campaigns Sunday in Sioux City.

The Clinton campaign sent Sanders to Iowa Friday and Saturday; there's no word yet as to whether the candidate herself will return one last time.
What started as an annual mountain biking adventure among high school buddies has transformed over decades into a motorcycle camping trip that continues to incorporate thrills, dirty clothes and the occasional spill.

Were not getting any younger, said Jon Stanley of Spokane, Wash. But even on motorcycles, some of us find ourselves on the ground once in a while. We used to call our group the Rolling Thunder.

This summer the group logged a five-day, 750-mile road trip that spliced long stretches of pavement with rugged national forest riding in Idaho. The loop included the Lolo Motorway and Magruder Corridor.

The Lolo Motorway parallels a portion of the Nez Perce Indians route the Lewis and Clark Expedition followed across the Bitterroot Mountains in 1805.

The Magruder Corridor is a 101-mile backroad built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The route is sandwiched between the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.

Grandfathered before the wilderness areas were designated, the route allows motorized travel in a narrow corridor through the largest spread of wilderness in the lower 48 states.

Both routes are wild and popular among off-highway motorized vehicle groups, including the Spokane riders.

Stanley has traveled on a Suzuki DRZ400 for nine years. I had the biggest bike when we first did a short in-and-out section of the Magruder in 2011. Now Im the baby of the bunch, he said. The other riders engines range from 650cc to 990cc.

The smallest bike on the 2011 trip was a 125cc. Even though they trailered to a national forest campsite and rode day trips from there, that motorcycle was underpowered and often starved for fuel in keeping up with the bigger bikes.

The 125 had a range of 50 miles, maybe, Stanley said, comparing him with the person on every road trip with the smallest bladder capacity. It was the butt of a lot of jokes.

Weve all upgraded since then. I have an expanded gas tank on mine for better range. I get nervous if Im not near refueling at about 175 miles.

The group has names for each other and inside jokes. They kid me for having the smallest engine and act like theyre worried it will explode trying to keep up with them, Stanley said.

The Orange 990 is called El Toro as in the bull, the big one.

I just bought some orange horns to slap on his bike on the next trip.

With everyone upgraded to bigger cycles, theyre riding in more comfort and expanding their range without being rapped out on Interstate 90.

The motorcycles are a big leap from the origins of the Rolling Thunder.

Thats the name we gave ourselves when we started the tradition of an extended trip on mountain bikes for my bachelor party in 2001, Stanley said.

I grew up riding the family motorcycle during summers at Priest Lake. One of my favorite things was tooling around on forest roads. Mountain biking is just as enjoyable on a different level.

Im 50 and Id still enjoy doing the trip on mountain bikes, but its no longer possible for everyone in the group because of health reasons.

The group has expanded to eight from a core of four who were tight friends while attending Lewis and Clark High School. Going on motorcycles allows the group to stay together.

Sticking together is the most important thing, Stanley said, noting that in 2011 they shifted gears and dubbed themselves the Motorized Rolling Thunder.

We can see a lot more country in the same amount of time.

In their planning meetings for this years trip, they voted to revisit the Magruder and do the entire 101-mile route. We also wanted to maximize dirt riding on the entire trip so we included a portion of the Lolo Motorway to make a loop, he said.

Their trip hit a good chunk of the 1,250-mile Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route.

The Magruder route, which runs about 113 miles between gas stations at Elk City, Idaho, and Darby, Mont., gave the MRT plenty of what the group was seeking.

The dust can be suffocating like talcum powder in some stretches, Stanley said. And some portions are very rocky. One of our guys went down on a rough section of big boulders. He got to bouncing, spun out and down. No injuries.

The group never had to use the tire plugs, Slime and battery-operated pumps they packed along to deal with a flat tire.

The most serious issue was a battery failure on the KTM 990. The bike wouldnt fire even in a rolling start.

We were at Lochsa Lodge and AAA towed him to Missoula, but he missed the last two days of riding, Stanley said.

Camping was a pleasure all nights but the last, when other campers filled the best sites off the Lolo Motorway. It was Saturday night and a lot of people were out, Stanley said. We finally got a pretty decent site, but it was getting near sundown.

MRT trips are fueled by a few gallons of gasoline and a full tank of camaraderie, Stanley said. Thats the best part. We make a lot of memories.

One hot, dusty day they arrived early at a camp along the Selway River, donned shorts, pulled out their folding chairs and set them up knee-deep in the water. In one glorious bull session they cool off, lightened their load of beer, planned their next day and solved many of the worlds problems.

Even though theyre on motorcycles, the chairs are among the few luxury items that deviate from backpack-style camping. We go pretty light on tents, stoves, freeze-dried meals and things like that, Stanley said. But we did have our beer for after the days ride, and I probably had twice as much food as I needed in the Magruder.

With no cellphone coverage in the wilderness areas, they carried a satellite locator in case of emergency.

The biggest trick to safe and efficient motorcycle camping is figuring out how to pack gear on the bike for the high-speed interstate as well as the rugged forest terrain.

I added two 15-liter dry bags on the top of my motorcycle panier and a 70-liter bag in the middle and it turned out to be pretty heavy, Stanley said. I needed to get more of the weight in the middle of the bike behind my back.

Going up to the Burnt Knob lookout point on the Magruder I dumped my bike twice. I was pulling wheelies. When the front tire would hit a big rock, the bike would rear up like a spooked steed and over he would go.

I just had too much weight on the back, he said, adding, but the views were beautiful as far as I got.

Only the guys on the two bigger bikes, the 800 and the 990, made it all the way up. Theyre better riders. I thought Id be more agile on the 400. The smart rider stayed back.

After setting up camp each day, the MRT would convene for happy hour. We ate at restaurants a couple times in the civilized areas of Moscow, Lolo and Grangeville, Stanley said. But there are not services on the Magruder.

Wildfires in recent years have greatly changed the scenery and landscape in many areas since their last ride into the region. It opens the view a lot, but its a little sad in some ways, he said. Blooming fireweed added a splash of color under blackened snags.

The most challenging portion of the ride may have been the end of the Magruder where it gets more day-use traffic as people come in from the Darby side.

The road is like talc. Sometimes youre almost hydroplaning on the powder and you come around a corner and theres a pickup barreling up the middle of the road, Stanley said. It always seems to happen at the end of the day when youre tired and thinking about getting to camp.

We had to split up to keep from suffocating one another. And we were filthy at night. Its one thing to be on a dirt road, but the pulverized dust penetrated everything.

I had my iPhone in a waterproof, dust-proof case. The air filters on our bikes got trashed.

Recently, Stanley had his bike in a shop for a professional oil and filter service.

Theres definitely wear and tear on the equipment, he said, but thats why we have the motorcycles.
DES MOINES  Voters who hope that Tuesdays long-awaited election will dial down the partisan acrimony of a hyper-divisive 2016 campaign cycle could be in for a big letdown, according to experts who study the political tea leaves.

Americans will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton will be their 45th president, bringing an end to a long-suffering campaign that some political scientists think will become the benchmark by which future campaigns are measured.

Its been quite an odd cycle from start to finish, said Dave Anderson, an assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University, Ames.

Weve seen weird election years before, he said, such as H. Ross Perots 1992 independent presidential bid, the 1968 Democratic national convention in Chicago and the disputed 2000 election finish between George W. Bush and Al Gore, but from the start of the primary process through the end, there havent been moments of normalcy in this campaign. Its been odd throughout.

And the final chapter has yet to be written by the voters, let alone the possibility of what might come after if the election is challenged or made to seem illegitmate based on claims of a rigged process. Theres a possibility, too, that either candidate could face ongoing scrutiny: Clinton for her email scandal and foundation dealings and Trump for possible financial and sexual improprieties.

From the 30,000-foot view of the 2016 political campaign as it approaches the end, said political science professor Dennis Goldford of Drake University, Des Moines, were looking down at a volcano thats spewing hot lava.

There is talk that if Clinton wins, the Republican House will hold hearings with an eye on pushing impeachment proceedings against her, and if Trump wins, all bets are off, Goldford said, because no one really knows for sure what he will do as a mercurial and volatile White House occupant based upon a campaign largely focused on issues unrelated to governing.

The ride is not over. Were really in a difficult circumstance here. Its been ugly, and I think it will continue to be at least as ugly if not uglier, he said.

No matter who wins, Goldford observed, there will be a group of people who supported the losing candidate who will think its a travesty, and this person legitimately should not be president of the United States, and theyre not going to stop. That will be true if Trump wins, and that will be true if Clinton wins.

Polarization continues

Political scientist Cary Covington from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, said both major political parties are coming through a tough period that has caused internal strains and deep divisions, while externally there is a troubling but growing trend of polarization focused on differences rather things that bind the country together.

Its very hard to reunify a country when the two sides look at each other that way, he said. I see us heading for a very difficult patch of time, regardless who is president.

Covington said the problems and divisions could carry over for at least a couple of election cycles until some of the pressures and flashpoints currently in play become muted or dissipate as new faces and fresh perspectives enter the process.

Some of the divisions are rooted in the fact that a significant segment of Republican voters would never vote for Clinton and a similar slice of the population would never vote for Trump, elements peculiar to this presidential matchup, political experts said.

This is just a completely unusual convergence of events, Iowa State political science professor Steffen Schmidt said. You cant really square it with anything because weve never had a candidate like Donald Trump and weve never had a candidate in as much trouble leading up to Election Day as Hillary Clinton. There is no reference point that we can compare this to.

Dianne Bystrom, director of Iowa States Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, said the historical significance of Clinton being the first woman to win a major political partys presidential nomination has been overshadowed by a campaign shrouded in negativity driven by the 24-hour cable TV news cycle, talk radio and social media.

This has probably been one of the most frustrating campaigns of my lifetime, and I think a lot of people feel that way, and its for lots of different reasons, Bystrom said. Not just the candidates, I think the media coverage and the emergence of social media, people getting their campaign news through Twitter and people fighting with each other on Facebook and Twitter. This campaign also has exposed some of the ugly sides of race and gender.

Bystrom said it would be a major glass-ceiling-shattering event if Clinton becomes the first woman elected as U.S. president and evidence of an evolving and diverse society that eight years ago knocked down a similar barrier for African Americans by electing Barack Obama.

Schmidt said social media helped intensify the extremism by allowing trivial events to become headline news without much in-depth examination because complicated issues dont lend themselves to 140-character tweets.

Schmidt said the near-term outlook points to a period of instability for the nation that wont be solved by Tuesdays vote.

This election is going to leave us, regardless of the outcome, as a very divided country with people who deeply disagree with each other and are extremely upset and nervous and unhappy with whats going on on both sides, Republican and Democratic.

'The amazing story'

He said historians already are busy at work chronicling the amazing story of Trump and Clinton and the strangeness of this year.

Drake University political scientist Arthur Sanders agreed, saying, Its the strangest campaign weve seen. The public campaign has been dominated by Hillary Clintons emails and Donald Trumps talk about women, and weve seen very little else even though there are a lot of other things going on, obviously. Its been fascinating to follow, but Im not sure its been particularly informative to the American public about what the elections about.

The 2016 race has tightened in the campaigns closing days with the nation closely watching less than a dozen battleground states, including Iowa, that hold the key to reaching the threshold of 270 electoral votes needed to become president.

Goldford said Clinton has a clearer electoral path to victory than Trump, but its not over yet, adding that the former first lady, secretary state and New York senator is the political manifestation of Murphys Law  if something could possibly go wrong, it will. You could never put this thing to bed in general terms, and especially with the capacity of the Clinton campaign to screw something else up.
With the race between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton coming down to the wire, the Iowa Democratic Party held several Get Out the Vote tour stops Saturday that included as speakers U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The final stop of the day was at the United Food and Commercial Workers Hall in Davenport where the politicians spoke to about 80 Illinois residents who had been bused in to canvass in Iowa.

Patty Judge, who is battling incumbent U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley for his Senate seat, told the crowd that Scott County is needed to offset the heavy Republican numbers in the western Iowa.

There are people in the western part of the state that dont like us as well as you do, Judge told the crowd. If Clinton is going to take Iowa, and if the Democrats are going to have a chance to take control of the Senate, we need to get the vote out in Davenport, she said.

Currently the Republicans control the Senate with 54 members, while Democrats hold 44 seats and independents hold two seats.

U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, told the crowd that his district encompasses 24 Iowa counties and that he feels good about his chances of retaining his seat.

Calling Trump a danger to America and the rest of the world, Loebsack told the crowd that, If you vote for me, you vote for Hillary. He added that people need to vote up and down the Democratic ticket so that the party can also retake the House of Representatives.

Durbin said that Clinton needs to be elected to carry on President Barack Obamas legacy.

Durbin raised the issue of the Supreme Court, where the next president potentially could end up appointing several justices over the course of four years. Durbin blamed Grassley for the fact that a ninth justice has not been appointed to take the place of the late Antonin Scalia, who died in February. Grassley chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Durbin also said that Grassley has threatened not to approve any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Clinton if she wins the presidency.

Speakers on Saturday included Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and his twin brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas.

Joaquin Castro said that if Clinton can take Iowas six electoral votes, it will set the state up for being blue in 2018 if a Democratic governor can be elected.

Speaking after the meeting Vilsack, also a former governor of Iowa, said that early voting for Democrats already has exceeded that in 2012 and it needs to keep going.

In 2004, Polk County, the largest county in the state of Iowa, Kerry won the county by 10,000 votes, Vilsack said. But in Sioux County, which is a tenth the size of Polk County, the margin in favor of Bush was 10,000 votes. Sioux County, the smaller county, offset Polk County. Thats why its important to get out and vote.

Scott County is shaping up to be a bellwether county, Vilsack said.

The Get Out the Vote tour also made stops Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa City and Burlington. Today's stops include Dubuque and Cedar Rapids.
Recent campaign literature and a TV ad claim Ken Krumwiede is just another politician from Davenport because it has an increasing number of under-performing schools. This statement is false for several reasons.

Ken has been a member of a non-partisan school board. Our Davenport school board members have been required to deal with the lack of adequate funding from the politicians in Des Moines. Underfunding of our general fund budget, along with an archaic funding formula, impacts the achievements of our students. Davenport and North Scott are two of several districts receiving $175 less per student, per year, than about half of the school districts in Iowa.

A recent article in the Des Moines Register indicates that as of last year, 81 percent of Iowas 1,336 schools falling short of the criteria set for Iowa districts' school achievement. This should be a concern for all Iowans, including our politicians in Des Moines. If Davenport is failing, so are the majority of our Iowa schools. Why?

Davenport schools Superintendent Tate, Ken Krumwiede and our Davenport school boards have shown courage to take serious corrective financial steps to do what is right for our children and also for all Iowa children. Its time that we send to the Iowa House, a representative who is qualified and committed to education. Incumbent candidate state Rep. Ross Paustians decision not to meet with the Quad-City Times editorial board speaks for itself and should raise a concern for voters in House District 92.

Harish Mehta

Davenport
Pope Benedict XVI once said we need fair trade, not free trade. He spoke about, Syria too.

If Environmental Protection Agency regulations and above global average corporate tax only drives manufacturing industry to non-regulated islands and continents, the trade winds can pollute the entire world.

Cap and trade is possible if it is enforced and inspected using technology called scrubbers on smokestacks. However, to regulate enforcement, we should revert back to policy like the general agreements on trade and tariffs, as before North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and to prevent the dangers now foreseen around the Pacific Rim and in the Mideast.

Donald Trump opposes U.S. aggression such as the Clintons conducted in Sudan and in Libya. Trump supports peaceful negotiations, pro-life laws, fair trade, and the First and Second Amendments unabridged. He opposes permanent territorial tax amnesty on billionaires foreign subsidiarys profits. He wants corporate tax to be competitive among trade partners.

Hillary Clinton promoted the 112 cruise missile invasion of Libya against advice from Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Then, when campaigning in the south, she said Muammar Gaddafi had no standing army, only hired mercenaries. An Iowa news broadcast then said Gaddafi had about 10 standing army divisions and only one had defected.

What will Clinton say next for her objective called the right to choose?

Quentin Callahan

Coralville, Iowa
NATION

Protester denies being a Clinton plant

A protester involved in a scuffle at a Donald Trump rally in Reno, Nevada, denied accusations Sunday that he is an operative for Democrats.

"It's absolutely ludicrous," Austyn Crites said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "I stand by my principles, and that's the reason why I felt compelled to go in there to hold up the sign."

The registered Republican was holding a "Republicans Against Trump" sign at the Saturday night rally while the GOP nominee for president spoke. A disturbance broke out and two Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and whisked him away.

The candidate returned later to finish his remarks.

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN the protester was "a Democratic plant or operative" but offered no details or proof.

Crites, 33, said he has donated money to Clinton's campaign and canvassed for her last week for "a total of three hours." But he has never met with Clinton or any campaign aides.

Person hurt in pumpkin launching event

Delaware State Police say one person has been critically injured after an apparatus used to launch pumpkins into the air exploded.

The incident occurred Sunday at the Punkin Chunkin Contest in Bridgeville. The town is about 40 miles south of Dover.

Contestants launch pumpkins with a variety of homemade contraptions. The event had been cancelled for the past two years because of problems finding insurance.

In 2014, a Sussex County farmer had stopped making his property available for the contest because a volunteer who was injured in an ATV accident filed a lawsuit. But organizers for the 2016 contest said an insurance policy was in place to protect the landowner.

Utah officer dies, hit by stolen vehicle

A suburban Salt Lake City police officer was killed Sunday when authorities say he was struck by people fleeing in a stolen vehicle.

West Valley City police Officer Cody Brotherson was deploying tire spikes when he was hit, authorities said. He is the first officer to die in the line of duty since the department formed in 1980.

"A West Valley born and bred individual and our hearts are heavy with his loss," Police Chief Lee Russo said at a news conference just hours after the officer's death.

According to Russo, it was not clear why the 25-year-old officer was outside his vehicle since spike strips had already been deployed before he was hit.

"He was certainly responding to the coordinated effort in stopping this vehicle," Russo said.

However, the chief said it was not yet clear if the suspects deliberately hit Brotherson.

Brotherson joined the department in December 2013. He is survived by a fiance, his parents and two brothers.

WORLD

Battle for Mosul continues in Iraq

Iraq's special forces worked Sunday to clear neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Islamic State-held Mosul as bombings launched by the extremist group elsewhere in the country killed at least 20 people.

The Mosul offensive has slowed in recent days as Iraqi forces have pushed into more densely populated areas, where they cannot rely as much on airstrikes and shelling because of the risk posed to civilians, who have been told to stay in their homes.

"There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them," said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. "This is one of the hardest battles that we've faced till now."

Ortega has clear path to re-election

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega appeared to have a clear path to a third consecutive term  this time accompanied by his wife as vice president  in Sunday's presidential vote.

Polls showed the former guerrilla fighter was likely to receive more than 50 percent of the vote and avoid a runoff in a field that includes five other lesser-known candidates. He was running with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as his vice presidential candidate.

Electoral council chief Roberto Rivas said all polling places opened normally and met with a high turnout. Ninety-two congressional seats were also being contested.
Charles and Sherry Beasley made the long trek north from central Texas to Rapid City to visit Charles' relatives in July 2015 and were taken with the Black Hills and western South Dakota.

We fell in love with the area and decided to move up here, said Sherry.

They brought their business with them and opened Bubbas Rummage Sale, a second-hand store, at 1430 N. Haines Ave. soon after they arrived in Rapid City.

In June of this year they were on the move again, this time to a bigger space at 530 Cambell St. Suite 4, across the street from the Central States Fairgrounds and neighboring Pot O Gold Casino and Wheel City Motors.

Customer demand for furniture drove the decision to move Bubbas (Charles nickname) to larger quarters.

Weve had several people coming to the old location looking for dressers, couches and tables, Sherry said.

As the name states, Bubbas offers both new merchandise, specifically bedroom suites with an average three-day delivery time, and used items, which are sold on a 50-50 consignment basis, Sherry said.

Their inventory includes household goods, cosmetics, seasonal items, tools, along with indoor and outdoor merchandise.

The Inventory is constantly changing, Sherry said.

Their business plan is to deal honestly with the consigners and the customer who does not want to spend an arm and a leg on anything," Sherry said.

Were not going to overcharge something and mess with people. Were straight-up, very honest people, she said.

Bubbas New & Used is open Tuesday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Monday.

Its just a fun business. We enjoy meeting people and meeting their needs, Sherry said.

See Bubbas New & Used on Facebook, or call 605-718-0272 for more information.

Mackenzie River

Heres more information on the new Mackenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub, now under construction at 1205 Eglin St., neighboring Aspen Dental in the Rushmore Crossing Shopping Center.

Company spokesman Colin Higgins said the Rapid City Mackenzie River location is slated to open in January and will eventually employ about 60 workers, including a mix of college and high-school aged students with experienced cooks and house managers.

The Rapid City restaurant will be close in size and appearance to another restaurant in Bozeman, Mont.

Higgins said MacKenzie Rivers pizza is part of what has become almost a requirement in the restaurant industry, all fresh ingredients, with food prepared in-house.

A long list of unique toppings includes roasted pine nuts and toasted zucchini. Flatbread sandwiches, bourbon-infused sauces and gourmet burgers are also a big part of the menu.

Everything is very freshly made and creatively prepared too, Higgins said

Higgins said the push was on to open before the holiday season.

We were trying for before Christmas, but that would be really tough with trying to train crews during the holidays, he said. A more realistic date would be sometime in January. We really want to put our best foot forward.

Panera Bread

Elsewhere in Rushmore Crossing, the much-anticipated opening of Panera Bread would appear to be coming sooner than later. Signage is up and a soft opening appears be likely within a few weeks.
HELENA  Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and his Republican challenger, Greg Gianforte, have been feverishly crisscrossing the state looking for every vote they can scrape up as their bitterly contested campaigns draw to a close.

Theyre visiting the places where they need to run up big advantages  and shadowing each other in the communities where both need a decent showing to win.

Bullock and Gianforte, a high-tech entrepreneur from Bozeman, have set an aggressive travel schedule, with Bullock planning stops in 20 communities between last Monday and the day before the election and Gianforte on a 42-town tour that started last Sunday.

The incumbent is spending a significant amount of time in counties where it's relatively likely hell defeat Gianforte, including the counties he won over Republican Rick Hill in the 2012 governor race.

Those counties include Butte Silver Bow, where Bullock took 74 percent of the vote in 2012; Glacier (74 percent); Big Horn (72 percent); Missoula (68 percent); and Blaine (64 percent).

Silver Bow County is home to Butte, a pro-union and Democratic town, while Missoula County has a liberal university and Glacier (Browning), Big Horn (Hardin) and Blaine (Chinook) counties have a high percentage of Native Americans, historically strong Democratic voters.

So why spend time in counties that will vote for him already?

It has everything to do with turnout, said Lee Banville, a University of Montana political researcher and journalism professor.

Essentially its not enough for Steve Bullock to win in Glacier County or to win in Missoula County. He has to win them by a lot. The more he can win them by a wide margin with big voter turnout, the more he can weather the parts of the state where hes really not going to do well.

Those are the areas where Gianforte has gone in the lead-up to Election Day. The Republican has been to or will make stops in Richland (Sidney), Musselshell (Roundup), Phillips (Malta) and Daniels (Scobey) counties in Eastern Montana. Bullock is only stopping in Blaine County to visit Harlem.

Gianforte will run the table in these places anyway  theyre among the counties Hill carried most solidly in in 2012 with 67 percent of the vote or more. But absentee voting data shows that relatively few have already cast ballots here, and its important for Gianforte to get those voters to show up. In Richland County, for example, only 20 percent of those registered have already voted, compared to about 40 percent statewide, according to data updated Saturday by the Secretary of State.

But time in these counties is valuable, Banville said, and plays into Gianfortes campaign narrative that Bullock has left Eastern Montana behind.

Gianfortes side is trying to make a bigger point here. His campaign is really stressing that hes going to listen to Eastern Montana. To try and close the deal and drive up turnout, hes going to spend a lot more time going to a lot more places that have a lot fewer people. Hes got to run up the numbers in lots of smaller places to be able to counter Bullocks efforts in Missoula, Butte even Bozeman.

These counties are small, with only 13,663 registered voters between the four of them, less than a sixth of the registered voters in Missoula County.

Gianforte and Bullock have spent a lot of time in Yellowstone County, the most populous in the state, through the election. Bullock lost here, but not by much, to Hill in 2012  49.39 percent to 50.61.

Even though more than 55 percent of registered voters in Yellowstone County have voted absentee already, there are still 42,824 people who haven't voted, which is more than the total population of all but six of Montanas 56 counties.

Gianforte dominated visits to the far northeastern corner of the state, but Bullock wasn't absent in central and Eastern Montana, hitting Blaine, Hill, Custer, Rosebud and Big Horn counties. In Rosebud County, Bullock vised Lame Deer, on the on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, while Gianforte went to Colstrip, 25 miles to the north.

Though the towns are a short drive apart, they could not be more different. More than 40 percent of people in Lame Deer, where the median household income is $28,700, live below the federal poverty line. In Colstrip only 7 percent of people live below the poverty line and the median household income is $55,650.

Preserving the way of life in Colstrip, which comes from jobs at the coal-fired power plant and nearby coal mine, has been a key message of Gianfortes campaign. Hes repeatedly said Bullock has not done enough to stand up to the federal government and its proposed emissions regulations that could shut down the plant, though other factors such as economic forces are in play.

Democrats typically do well in Indian Country, including the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and the bordering Crow Reservation. Earlier this year Crow chairman Darrin Old Coyote criticized Gianforte after a statement he made during a campaign stop in Huntley saying reservations struggle because of lack of consistent rule of law, respect for property rights, nepotism and lack of a culture that celebrates success.

Bullock lost Rosebud County by just 14 votes in 2012 but won Big Horn with 58 percent of the vote.

Bullock and Hill were closest in Gallatin, Lake, Park, Rosebud and Yellowstone counties in 2012  the governor won Park County by just one vote  but thats not why both he and Gianforte are in all those places leading up to the election.

Its just a question of population, Banville said. Theyre going there to get as many people out to vote as they possibly can.

About 40 percent of voters in Montana had already voted by Saturday morning, according to data from the Secretary of State, leaving 411,914 registered voters who have not cast ballots. The deadline to mail ballots in was Tuesday, but they can be dropped off at county election offices before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Youve heard the legends and tall tales. Youve watched the HBO series Deadwood. But there are shocking, nearly unbelievable stories about Deadwood you havent heard  until now.

A new book, Deadwood Saints and Sinners, is a tribute to the some of the less famous, but equally colorful, inhabitants of Deadwood during its Wild West days. Theyre not legends. Theyre the average eccentrics around town, co-author Barbara Fifer said.

Eighteen short biographies, accompanied by historical photos and maps, introduce readers to the never dull, frequently tragic lives of the Black Hills Hermit, temperance activist Cynthia Cleveland, Frenchy the Bottle Fiend, correspondent Adrienne Davis, Amazon Elizabeth Lovell, the towns first public school teacher Minnie Callison, the fortune-hunting Flormann brothers, and many others.

The book was the final project for author Jerry L. Bryant, a member of Registered Professional Archaeologists. After careers in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, Bryant worked as a researcher for the Adams House and Museum in Deadwood. He had a passion for solving the riddles of Deadwoods past and preserving the Black Hills historic sites and stories.

"Jerry loved bringing history to life," Fifer said. "He knew the archives as well as anyone, and he wouldn't stop digging until he had the whole story.  His focus was totally on Deadwood and the Black Hills. It was such a universe in itself.

Bryant sometimes literally dug for historic information in dumpsters and buildings being torn down or refurbished, Fifer said. Thats where he got a lot of his photos, she said.

Bryant, a man with curly white hair and a full white beard, resembled a prospector from Deadwoods gold mining days more than an archaeologist and scholar, Fifer said. Bryant often gave talks about Deadwood history at the Adams Museum.

He was very aware of the tourists interest in Calamity Jane and Wild Bill, Fifer said. That was Jerrys concern, to tell the (other) stories he had found. He wanted to spread the word to the public. It wasnt all bang-bang shoot em up.  He very much wanted to tell the story of the other people, just average people.

As one of the foremost authorities in the life of Al Swearingen, Bryant was an adviser to the TV series Deadwood, Fifer said, but he wasnt always happy with the way the show portrayed real-life figures. In particular, Bryant wanted to set the record straight about Deadwoods first mayor, E.B. Farnum. Bryant believed the TV series made the mayor too much of a comical character, Fifer said. In fact, Farnum was a community builder. He cared about making this town and making it work and getting it organized, Fifer said. Jerry was so impassioned when he talked about that.

Records for some people in the book were scarce, Fifer said, and fires that had destroyed many court records made fact-finding even more of a challenge. Bryant and Fifer relied heavily on newspapers from the era to provide details about the lives of those featured in the book.

While working on Deadwood Saints and Sinners, Bryant knew he was dying, so he called on Fifer to complete and edit the book. Fifer, an author of several books about Lewis and Clark and Montana history, finished Saints and Sinners to Bryants approval, she said. She incorporated regional and national history into the stories to give readers a better sense of how and why the wildly diverse characters each ended up in Deadwood.

Fifer definitely has her favorite saints and sinners, including Samuel Fields, an African-American man from Louisiana who was a Civil War veteran. Like so many others, Fields headed to Deadwood to seek his fortune, but instead found and survived frequent misadventures before meeting a sudden, surprising end. Fields, who ran for Congress, may have been an inspiration for other immigrants, Fifer said. I dont think he thought of himself as a special citizen.

Though a historic book, Fifer said its easy to read and understand, intended to satisfy the curiosity of anyone who wants to know more about Deadwoods past. Youve seen it in movies and TV; now heres how it really was, Fifer said.

Deadwood Saints and Sinners is published by Farcountry Press, Helena, MT. For information, go to farcountrypress.com.
When Jason Glodt hauled five boxes of signed petitions into the state Capitol a year ago, it seemed like a triumph for grassroots democracy.

He had 53,000 signatures from South Dakota residents, far more than enough to put a proposed constitutional amendment known as Marsys Law on the 2016 statewide ballot.

We have been humbled and inspired by the outpouring of support from across the state, Glodt wrote on Facebook at the time.

In reality, the support was bought and paid for with money from outside South Dakota.

Marsys Law is a crime victim bill of rights devised by California billionaire Henry Nicholas. He hired Glodt, a longtime South Dakota Republican operative, to oversee the petition effort and paid Wyoming company Silver Bullet LLC to collect the signatures from registered South Dakota voters.

When the petitions were delivered to the Secretary of State's Office last November, Nicholas had already spent $565,563 to essentially buy a spot for Marsy's Law on the ballot, where it is listed as Constitutional Amendment S and is up for a vote on Tuesday. He has since spent an additional $1.5 million campaigning for yes votes, raising his total spending in support of the measure to $2 million.

That kind of out-of-state influence on South Dakota ballot issues is the rule, and not the exception, this election season. A Journal analysis of campaign finance reports revealed that, as of last week, a total of $11.1 million had been raised by 22 committees supporting or opposing the 10 statewide questions in Tuesdays election. Of that amount, roughly $9.5 million  86 percent, or nearly $9 of every $10  came from out-of-state people and groups.

Original intent violated

Jon Schaff, a political science professor at Northern State University in Aberdeen, said the result of the out-of-state money is that a public-policy agenda based on new laws or constitutional amendments may be set largely by non-South Dakotans.

Naturally, people in the state have a chance to vote things up or down, Schaff said. But when the agenda is set by people outside the state, the options presented to you are not really organically coming from the people but are being contrived by outside and often very well-funded interests.

The situation is a far cry from 1898, when South Dakota became the first state to allow the proposal of laws to be taken directly to voters by petitioners. Initiatives, as they are known, are now allowed in 23 additional states. Popular referendums, which are legislatively adopted laws that are petitioned to a public vote, are also allowed in 24 states, while legislative referendums  laws put on the ballot by legislative action  are allowed in every state.

Initiatives and referendums were intended to be wielded by everyday people against the craftiness and shrewdness of the money interests throughout the country, in the words of an 1898 Black Hills Union newspaper editorial.

But it didnt take long for the tools of direct democracy to succumb to the very forces they were intended to counteract. By 1917, South Dakota Gov. Peter Norbeck said referendums had devolved into an instrument in the hands of special interests, and especially corporate interests to whom it is no hardship to secure the necessary signatures.

Norbecks words are especially true this campaign season. South Dakotas comparatively low threshold for petition signatures, combined with U.S. Supreme Court precedents allowing for paid petitioners and unlimited spending by ballot-question committees, have helped transform the state's election into a ballot-question buffet with 10 measures up for a vote.

Low bar to make the ballot

To earn a spot on the ballot in South Dakota, initiated measures and referred laws need signatures of registered voters equal to 5 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election, and initiated amendments to the state constitution need 10 percent.

This year, those percentages translated to signature thresholds of 13,871 and 27,741, respectively.

Some states have higher thresholds. Wyoming, for example, requires initiatives to have signatures equaling 15 percent of the votes cast in the last general election. In 2014, that translated to 37,606 signatures.

Others states have a population so high that even a low percentage formula translates to a high number of signatures. Such is the case in California, where a 2014 initiative threshold of 5 percent of the votes in the preceding gubernatorial election equaled 504,760 signatures.

The low number of signatures required in South Dakota makes it an attractive target for people like Nicholas, who hopes to spread Marsys Law across the nation. Thanks to his immense financial resources, Nicholas has placed Marsys Law on the ballot in six additional states this year.

South Dakota tried to forestall the influence of outsiders like Nicholas with a ban on paid petitioners in 1914. Other states enforced similar bans, until the U.S. Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional in 1988.

There are now businesses that specialize in petition circulation, and they were busy this election cycle in South Dakota. Of the nine statewide questions that were petitioned to the ballot (an additional question was placed on the ballot by the Legislature), campaign finance reports indicate that at least six relied to some extent on paid petitioners.

Campaign-finance reports for Marsys Law show $310,000 spent on signature collection services, which was more than some other committees reported. South Dakotans for Ethics Reform, which backs Initiated Measure 22, reported spending $165,510 on its petition drive.

Some committees still collect signatures the old fashioned way. Prime examples this election cycle are South Dakotans for Fair Elections and SD Voice, both chaired by Cory Heidelberger, the Aberdeen-based writer of the liberal Dakota Free Press blog who is also running for a seat in the Legislature.

Heidelbergers two committees each raised less than $500 in total contributions (not counting in-kind contributions) and yet still managed to gather enough signatures to help place Referred Laws 19 and 20 on statewide ballots.

Referred Law 19 is a set of legislatively adopted election-law changes that Heidelberger calls the incumbent protection plan, and Referred Law 20 is a legislatively adopted lowering of the minimum wage for non-tipped employees younger than 18. Heidelberger hopes voters repeal both laws.

No limits, big money

Because of additional U.S. Supreme Court precedents dating to the 1970s and 80s, there is no limit to the amount that any person, corporation or group may spend to get a question on the ballot or to support or oppose a question once it is on the ballot.

During the current election cycle in South Dakota, the billionaire Nicholas has had plenty of big-spending company. Other major out-of-state contributions to ballot-question committees have included:

Select Management Resources LLC of Alpharetta, Ga., a pro-payday lending group that has made total contributions of more than $3 million, including $1.88 million contributed in support of Amendment U and $1.19 million contributed against Initiated Measure 21, both of which would set limits on loan rates.

Open Primaries, a New York-based nonprofit that has contributed $994,948 in support of Amendment V, which would establish non-partisan elections.

Americans for Prosperity, an Arlington, Va.-based conservative political action committee funded by the billionaire Koch brothers that has contributed $590,000 against Initiated Measure 22, which would reform campaign and lobby laws.

Represent.Us, a Massachusetts-based anti-corruption nonprofit that has contributed $903,633.20 in support of Initiated Measure 22.

Minneapolis-based Local No. 49 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which has contributed $158,400 in support of Initiated Measure 23, which would give corporate and nonprofit organizations the right to charge fees for services.

Americans For Fairness, an Illinois-based nonprofit that has contributed $715,292.75 in support of Initiated Measure 23.

And the National Right To Work Committee, a Virginia-based nonprofit that has contributed $145,000 in opposition to Initiated Measure 23.

The contributions from Nicholas and the seven other groups, which have varying levels of transparency regarding their own funding sources, add up to nearly $8.6 million.

Further out-of-state contributions from individuals, meanwhile, have gone mostly to South Dakotans for Integrity, a pro-Initiated Measure 22 committee that has received about $663,000 from nonresidents.

The committee disclosed the names of all those individual donors, even though it did not have to disclose anyone who gave $100 or less. The list of donations includes 5,200 entries, only 17 of which are from South Dakota.

In pointing out the folly of out-of-state influence, and how little some groups or individuals may even know about South Dakota, conservative political blogger Pat Powers noted on his blog, South Dakota War College, that the place of residence for one of the South Dakota entries was listed as Fart Pierre instead of the correct Fort Pierre.

Powers' critique of the typo was specific to the committee that made the error, but he could just as easily have been referencing a number of other ballot-question committees when he wrote, you cant help but have doubt raised as to how South Dakota this group is.

Editor's Note: This story has been changed to reflect a correction. Popular referendums are allowed in 24 states, while legislative referendums are possible in every state.
Editor's note: The following is the first segment in a three-part series documenting the rise and fall of a West River horse sanctuary. The articles are based on public records, interviews and the frequent writings of the sanctuary director herself. Part II is Monday; Part III runs Tuesday.

When Karen Sussman orchestrated the transfer of 70 wild horses from the white sands of New Mexico to the green plains of South Dakota, she was immensely gratified.

These horses are going to heaven, she told a reporter at the time, and I mean heaven.

It was 1999, and Sussman, then 52, was embarking on a new mission for herself and the nonprofit organization she led, the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB). She was changing the organization's focus from advocacy and lobbying to the daily operation of a wild-horse sanctuary.

Sussman moved to South Dakota with the White Sands herd, and in the coming years she bought a ranch of her own and obtained dozens more horses. She merged her identity so thoroughly with the organization that the two became all but indistinguishable, and her reputation blossomed into that of a crusading savior. National reporters routinely sought her opinion on wild-horse issues, and she was inducted into the Nevada-based Wild Horse and Burro Expo Hall of Fame.

Then, this year, everything unraveled.

In July, the diminutive Sussman, by now a 69-year-old grandmother, was charged with felony grand theft for bouncing a $9,394 check to a hay supplier (the charge was dropped in October, after she made restitution to the victim).

In September, one of Sussmans employees went public with disturbing images and videos of horses allegedly starving to death or suffering major physical injuries at the ISPMB ranch near Lantry, S.D.

And in October, a judge ordered two county sheriffs to seize control of the ISPMB horses. The sheriffs were stunned to count 810 head  not 650 as Sussman had claimed  packed onto a scant 665 acres, or about one square mile.

Instead of the horse heaven Sussman promised 17 years earlier, she was operating a glorified feedlot where horses stood on trampled dirt and nosed through their own manure as they waited for their next tractor-load of hay.

Sussman now has a chance to get some of the horses back, if she can assemble proof of an 18-month supply of feed or funding by Friday. If she fails, authorities will put the horses up for adoption until Dec. 1. Any horses not adopted by then could be sold to foreign processing plants, possibly for slaughter and human consumption.

From the outside, it seems like a sudden and stunning fall for a woman previously viewed as a national leader in the protection of wild horses.

In reality, her journey from saving horses to starving them was a predictable tale fraught with unrealistic expectations, bad decisions, stubbornness and denial, including a purposefully lax approach to breeding that was couched as reproductive science.

Along the way, Sussman has spent more than $4 million of other people's money and unwittingly made herself into a cautionary tale for wild-horse sanctuaries and fodder for those who argue for the slaughter of wild horses.

Although Sussman has declined repeated interview requests and issued only a written statement, the Journal has pieced together the story of Sussman's history from interviews, court documents, archived news stories and Sussman's own voluminous writings on the ISPMB website.

'Wild Horse Annie' devotee

Sussman was raised in Pennsylvania, where she rode horses as a girl during the 1950s and 60s. She grew up to become a nurse and piano teacher, got married, had two daughters, settled in Arizona and divorced in 1992 at age 45. By then, she had rekindled her childhood love of horses.

When I adopted my first wild horse in 1981, she changed my course in life, Sussman later wrote.

She began volunteering in Arizona for the ISPMB and modeled her efforts after the organizations late founding president, Velma Wild Horse Annie Johnston.

Johnston inspired the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, the federal legislation that outlawed brutal wild-horse roundups and required the government to protect wild horses on designated public ranges in the West.

Ever since Sussman became the president of the ISPMB in 1989, she has viewed herself as the keeper of Johnstons legacy.

Her home is packed with the late Wild Horse Annies personal items, wrote a reporter who visited Sussman for a 2006 story in Vanity Fair, making it a kind of unofficial museum  she even has Annies saddle resting on a sawhorse.

Under the terms of the still-enforced 1971 law, excess wild horses are culled from the public ranges and made available for adoption, or sold to buyers who agree not to have them slaughtered, or sent to private pastures where the government pays for their care. Horses are killed only under limited circumstances, such as when they are old, sick or lame.

But the law does not apply to all wild horses. It affects only those on land controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Wild horses on land managed by other federal or state agencies are not necessarily protected.

When wild horses that lack federal protection multiply to unsustainable numbers or draw the ire of neighboring landowners, private sanctuaries often come to the rescue of the horses. That is how Sussman moved the ISPMB into horse ownership.

Up from the desert

Soon after she rose to the presidency of the ISPMB, Sussman focused her attention on a herd that had no federal legal protection: The hundreds of horses that roamed the U.S. Armys 3,000-square-mile White Sands Missile Range in the southern New Mexico desert.

Before the federal government turned the area into a military installation, ranchers allowed their horses to roam across the unfenced range in search of food and water until they were needed for ranch work. As the government snatched up land for the missile range in the 1940s and forced out the few local residents, some scattered horses were left behind.

The horses turned feral, multiplied and eventually overwhelmed the desert areas scant natural resources. A public controversy arose in 1994 after at least 122 horses died, reportedly of dehydration or related causes.

The Army was not bound by the restrictions of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act and could have killed the surviving horses or sent them to slaughter. It opted instead to work with concerned people and groups  including the ISPMB  to reduce the horse numbers on the range to 300, which was considered to be the number the range could support.

Don Hoglund, a South Dakota-born veterinarian, was hired to lead the effort. By 1996, his team had removed an estimated 2,000 horses from the range. The horses were sent to a sanctuary and then to adoptive homes, in numbers no greater than four per location.

The four-horse limit was imposed to prevent the kind of situation that would eventually overwhelm Sussman and her ISPMB ranch years later in South Dakota.

If you have more than eight or 10 of those animals at a rescue or sanctuary, and theyre dependent upon non-taxpayer benefactors for help with their care or feed, Hoglund, now of North Carolina, said in a recent Journal interview. Any more than eight or 10 always seems to get people in trouble.

By 1999, Army officials decided to remove the remaining 300 horses. The animals' hooves were damaging the banks of waterholes inhabited by White Sands pupfish, a species found only in southern New Mexico.

Sussman received permission to take 70 of the horses to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, where she intended to keep them together as a breeding herd. Patrick Morrow, a wildlife biologist on the New Mexico missile range, said the ISPMB was granted an exception to the four-horse limit because Sussman was a trusted partner in the removal effort and seemed to have a solid plan to care for the animals.

Sussman thought the White Sands horses had rare genes that needed protection. Neither Morrow, the wildlife biologist, nor Hoglund, the veterinarian, shared that belief.

They were ranch horses turned loose by ranchers, Hoglund said.

Cast out of horse heaven

Sussman took the horses to the sprawling ranch of Alan and Asta Amiotte, near Interior, S.D., about 70 miles southeast of Rapid City.

The ISPMB had a lease on several thousand acres of the Amiottes land  an oasis of grass bordering the Badlands  and the Amiottes allowed Sussman to move into a trailer house on their property.

Soon, Sussman arranged for 31 more wild horses to be hauled to the Amiotte ranch, this time from the Gila Bend area of Arizona. The horses had wandered from a federally managed area onto private land and were removed following complaints by farmers and ranchers, according to the ISPMB.

Additionally, Sussman began buying individual horses to save them from slaughter. She built up a ragtag collection of about 25 head rescued from sale barns and other places, according to Asta Amiotte.

All of the horses came to live on the Amiottes land, where Sussman had big plans. She envisioned a National Wild Horse and Burro Heritage Center to educate the public about wild horses and their place in Native American culture.

Her enthusiasm seemed unaffected by being on Pine Ridge, a place that is off the beaten path even by South Dakota standards and consistently ranks as one of the most economically depressed places in the United States. She grew emotional as she watched the horses roam the Amiotte ranch.

It makes you want to cry, because you know they are free, she was quoted as saying in an Indian Country Today story in 2000.

The Amiottes felt like crying, too, but for a different reason. According to Asta Amiotte, Sussman fell so far behind on lease payments that within a few years, the ISPMB owed the Amiottes about $14,000.

Asta, a no-nonsense ranch woman, watched in aggravated wonder as Sussman exercised no apparent control over the breeding of the horses. It was clear to Asta that the animals would eventually multiply to unsustainable numbers.

She wouldnt listen, Amiotte said in a recent interview. Anybody with any common sense knows that if you run cattle or you have prairie dogs or coyotes or lions or whatever it is, you have to manage them.

With the Amiotte partnership broken beyond repair, public records show that Sussman used about $255,000 in 2003 to acquire a 665-acre, privately owned ranch near the unincorporated community of Lantry on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, in north-central South Dakota about 150 miles northeast of the Amiotte ranch. Sussman moved into a doublewide trailer on her new ranch, which would serve double duty as her home and the headquarters of the ISPMB.

In later years, Sussman sometimes received pasture-rent payments from the ISPMB for allowing the organization's horses to graze her land. The annual amounts ranged from $12,000 to $24,000. The rent was paid in addition to Sussman's annual compensation, which ranged from zero some years to as much as $41,000 in other years.

When Sussman left the Amiotte ranch, the ISPMB owned perhaps 125 to 150 horses, Asta recalled. Sussman moved the Gila herd and her assortment of rescue horses to her new ranch first, but when she tried to gather the White Sands horses, the Amiottes refused to relinquish them until Sussman settled the ISPMB's debt. She scraped the money together, collected the horses and left Pine Ridge behind.

Another try farther north

Undaunted by the crumbling of her dream on Pine Ridge, Sussman forged a similar partnership in 2001 with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

She had rescued yet another herd, this time about 80 wild horses from the Virginia Range mountains in western Nevada, near the former home of her idol Wild Horse Annie. The horses that roamed the Virginia Range fell under state rather than federal jurisdiction and were therefore not protected under the 1971 federal wild horse law.

According to the ISPMBs website, the organization answered a call to save 82 of the wild horses from starvation and arranged for them to inhabit 22,000 acres of tribal land on the Cheyenne River reservation. The tribe hoped to develop a tourism park showcasing the horses, while giving foals to Native American children and incorporating horses into a drug-abuse therapy program. In an echo of Sussman's Pine Ridge experience, nobody seemed fazed by the unlikelihood of tourists traveling to the remote reservation.

Sussman, meanwhile, seized yet another opportunity to take in still more horses, this time about 80 of them from the Sheldon National Wildlife Range in northern Nevada, another area where wild horses were not protected by federal law. Sussman dubbed those horses the Catnip Herd for the Catnip Mountains they inhabited, and brought them to live on her small ranch.

The Catnip Herd was Sussmans last major horse rescue, and it capped a frenetic period for her and the ISPMB. From 1999 to 2004, she obtained four distinct herds and an assortment of other horses numbering perhaps 265 in total, while moving herself and the ISPMBs headquarters from Arizona to Pine Ridge, then to the Cheyenne River reservation.

Sussmans reputation grew with every rescue. Life magazine photographed and profiled the White Sands transfer in 1999. National Geographic published a photo of the Virginia Range herd in 2004. Vanity Fair featured Sussman in an article about the plight of wild horses in 2006, the same year she was inducted into the Mustang Hall of Fame. Celebrities, including Dances with Wolves author Michael Blake and Heart to Heart television actress Stefanie Powers, joined the ISPMBs advisory groups.
Ellsworth B-1 aviator Lt. Col. Ryan Carignan will be the featured speaker at a Tribute to the Troops Program, "Honoring Those Who Have Served Since 9/11," at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum.

The public is invited to the free event.

Carignan, the 28th Operation Group deputy commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base, will talk about his recent combat missions against the terrorist group ISIL.

The program is presented in partnership with the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group. Erin Dreis, who serves in the South Dakota National Guard, also will share her experiences in Afghanistan. Dreis lost two platoon members to suicide and has since dedicated her energy to the development of veteran peer support, according to a prepared release.

There are reports that the suicide rate for veterans is as many as 22 a day, with the highest rate of suicide occurring within three years of service members' return to civilian life, the release said.

Also speaking at the event and sharing their experiences in Afghanistan will be retired Air Force Maj. Bob Liebman, a weapons system officer aboard a B-1 bomber, and Army Specialist Branden Stackenwalt, who was injured in combat in southern Afghanistan.

According to South Dakota Secretary of Veteran Affairs Larry Zimmerman, South Dakota has more than 400 troops deployed; 360 from Ellsworth and others from the Army and National Guard. Since 9/11, more than 21,000 South Dakota veterans have served their country.

The event is sponsored by Operation Black Hills Cabin, the Air and Space Museum and Black Hills Energy. The mission of Custer-based Operation Black Hills Cabin is to offer a week's respite in the Black Hills for qualified combat-disabled veterans so they can reconnect with their immediate family. Since its inception in 2011, veterans and their families from 28 states have stayed at the cabin, the release stated.

Operation Black Hills Cabin was inspired by Tom Brokaw, who, on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," encouraged the audience to remember veterans and to thank them for their service.
The Clintons aren't the only ones who give speeches. I do, too. The only difference is that if I'm paid at all, it's $200,000 to $300,000 less than what they pulled in per appearance. My going rate ranges from a pittance to nothing. So I feel no obligation to flatter those in the audience.

That would include attorney groups, bar association functions and the like. I particularly enjoy sticking it to lawyers. I can always get a rise out of them when I suggest that when it comes to charges against elected officials, the public's right to know takes precedence over a successful prosecution. By that, I mean that when the authorities have evidence of wrongdoing by politicians who are in office or campaigning for one, we need to know about it, as voters, even if it jeopardizes the case.

Such a journalist's outlook is usually provocative to those in the profession of administering society's rules and regulations. Their focus is on protecting the innocent by punishing the guilty. Mine is to protect us all from choosing corrupt officials.

The question I have trouble with, however, is which law enforcement official decides what information is important enough to release. Forgetting for the moment those who have malicious or partisan motives, what are the standards for the honorable ones?

That was the dilemma that James Comey, the FBI director, says he faced. He'd been under siege from Republicans ever since July, when he announced that the bureau had concluded there was not sufficient reason to indict Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information on her secret email server. But now he's disclosed that there is new evidence that might be relevant. He claims not to know whether it is or even what it is  so it begs the question: Why did he go public to announce so little, particularly when he breaks the cardinal rule for federal investigators that they avoid doing so when it's close to Election Day.

He has brought Hillary Clinton's march to the White House to a screeching halt. What's particularly damaging is that it involves Anthony Weiner, who is widely considered to be one of America's scumbags. Guess who another one is. Hint: He's running for president. But I digress. The compulsion for ex-congressman Weiner apparently is sexting. Not only that, but he stands accused of indulging his cyber exhibitionism with a 15-year-old. His estranged wife is Huma Abedin. Huma and Hillary have been joined at the hip for decades. Apparently, while the feds were looking into Anthony Weiner's alleged escapades with a minor, they happened across a bunch of Huma Abedin's emails in his computer.

Were they to or from Hillary? We don't know, and Comey says he doesn't either. Did they involve classified material? We don't know, and Comey says he doesn't either. The Clinton campaign is furious. So are a bunch of former Justice Department officials who say Comey really blew it.

I wrote earlier about the public's right to know. In this case, we don't know what we know. Potentially, it could sink the nation. It's a development that leaves one speechless.
Braxton Brown supported his right wrist with his left hand as his thin paintbrush formed the words Big Booty Judy. The artist then worked in long smooth strokes filling in a black background around the golden name of his largest canvas yet.

Since opening BBs Custom Paint, Brown has laid pinstripes on big rigs, saw blades and electric guitars, but never on anything like this. Judy is a CH-47 Chinook helicopter that got its name while in service with the United States Army. Its the first chopper in Billings Flying Services fleet to get fresh artwork as part of a new push to preserve their military history.

At 33 years old, Brown is half the age of most pinstripers. The art of freehand brushing ornate designs and lettering onto vehicles using thin lines peaked in popularity in the 1950s. The art form remains a fixture in hot rodding and custom motorcycle subcultures.

Brown worked in auto body shops painting cars and doing repair work for a decade before starting his Lockwood business in 2015. He still sprays traditional jobs but focuses on custom work like pinstriping and airbrushing. He mostly stripes old cars and motorcycles. Big Booty Judy is his first aircraft. Its tame compared to some other projects, but its been the most historically significant.

(The helicopters) have all got a history to them," Brown said. "So some young kid in the military did this how many years ago? Were just looking to freshen it up, I guess."

Each of Billings Flying Service's Chinooks has a documented history, and many were named while in military use, said Gary Blain, company owner. Big Booty Judy was dubbed in 1992 and came to Billings with the name still painted on its rear cargo door.

Its not uncommon for the helicopters to arrive with nose art or painted names. But the original artwork is often lost when the paint is stripped for a re-coat in Billings Flying Services red-and-white livery.

Blain said many of his employees are veterans who have been around CH-47s for a long time. Theyre assigned to one helicopter in the fleet and take pride in their equipment. The crew members are leading the push for the artworks return.

I guess Im not as sentimental as these guys, Blain said. These military guys get a little sentimental about their birds. You can talk about their mama, but dont talk about their helicopter.

He said hes leaving it to the crews to name their Chinooks. However, he has asked them to keep the artwork family-friendly and either to restore the helicopters original military name or to adopt one with class.

Big Booty Judy was a try-out of sorts for Brown. The helicopter operators were pleased with his work and asked him to return to stripe the back of a Chinook that once operated in the Australian armed forces with a name yet to be determined.

Brown said striping names on the helicopters is relatively simple, but its a cool job. Its also a good opportunity while he builds his brand in Billings. He set up a booth at the Wing Ding motorcycle rally at MetraPark over the summer but found the riders gravitated to the traveling stripers who are more established.

Brown said to his knowledge hes the only pinstriper in the area, but the open market isnt without its challenges. Theres a lack of understanding around the art form, and hes often approached by people who want machine precision from a handmade product.

Everyone is different. If you want perfect, go get a sticker, Brown said.
WASHINGTON | Tuesday evening, after Election Day's tranquility, new clamors will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith some developments to watch.

In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate won fewer than 100. In the seven elections after 1984, no Democrat has received fewer than 111 (Michael Dukakis in 1988) and no Republican fewer than 159 (Bob Dole in 1996). Measure Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accordingly.

Republican nominees' popular-vote totals this century are: 2000 (Bush) 50,455,156; 2004 (Bush) 62,040,610; 2008 (McCain) 59,934,814; 2012 (Romney) 60,932,152. Measure Trump's total accordingly, bearing in mind that there are 10 million more eligible voters in 2016 than in 2012 and nearly 20 million more than in 2008.

In 2012, Romney's totals in 10 swing states were: Texas 4,569,843 (57 percent); Florida 4,163,447 (49 percent); Pennsylvania 2,680,434 (47 percent); Ohio 2,661,407 (48 percent); Michigan 2,115,256 (45 percent); Virginia 1,822,522 (47 percent); Arizona 1,233,654 (54 percent); Colorado 1,185,243 (46 percent); Nevada 463,567 (46 percent); New Hampshire 329,918 (47 percent). Use these numbers to measure Trump's success at enlarging the Republican electorate.

In 1976, when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less; in 2012, just four were. In 1976, Ford won California and Illinois with 49.3 percent and 50.1 percent, respectively. Carter won Texas with 51.1 percent. Tuesday will show how much has changed in four decades.

In nine consecutive elections (1980-2012), Florida has been more Republican than the nation. Is it still?

In 1976, a majority of House seats were won by 10 points or less. In 2012, most were won by at least 20 points. Watch Tuesday night for further evidence of the extent to which representatives now pick their voters rather than voters picking representatives. And for how many incumbents are defeated by an electorate supposedly seething against "insiders."

The "blue wall" consists of 18 states and the District of Columbia (totaling 242 electoral votes) that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. Will Trump, who vowed to expand the battlefield, carry any of these?

The Republican's "red wall" (in at least six consecutive elections) consists of 13 states with 102 electoral votes: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming. Will Clinton come close to carrying Texas? Will she lose any age cohort there other than voters over 65?

Will Trump's louche lifestyle cost him culturally conservative Utah, which last voted Democratic in 1964, and which since then has voted Republican by an average of 36.1 points?

The only Democrat to carry Arizona since 1948 was Bill Clinton in 1996. If his wife duplicates that feat, will this be because the state's Mormon community recoiled from Trump?

In 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried 49 states, under-30 voters were the most Republican age group. This year, will it be, for the fourth consecutive election, the most Democratic?

A large and growing portion of voters acknowledge no religious tradition. They were 12 percent of the 2012 turnout and Democrats carried this secular cohort by 44 points. How much support did such voters give Trump, who has vowed to "spiritize" America?

In 1928, a Brooklyn Democratic boss explained why he was funneling political funds to the candidate for New York's governor, Franklin Roosevelt, rather than to down-ballot candidates: As the Staten Island ferry enters its slip, he said, it drags in "all the crap in the harbor behind it," adding, "FDR is our Staten Island ferry." Trump might be the opposite. Watch whether his undertow drowns Reps. Barbara Comstock and Mike Coffman, Republicans with chilly relations with Trump, both representing similar districts  Northern Virginia and suburban Denver, respectively.

Will Trump become the first Republican in 60 years to lose whites with college educations?

Will Trump achieve even Mitt Romney's 17 percent of the nonwhite vote?

Will Trump hold Clinton in Georgia below the 46 percent that Barack Obama won in 2012?

Finally, Winston Churchill enjoyed the story of the man who, upon receiving a telegram reporting his mother-in-law's death and asking for instructions, replied: "Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances." What instructions will Tuesday evening's returns give to Republicans about what to do with Trump's approach to the electorate?
WASHINGTON | This is no ordinary election. Time for a reminder of what's at stake:

Climate policy and the clean-energy economy: For anyone who accepts the scientific consensus that global warming poses a clear and present danger, there is only one choice. Hillary Clinton will continue along the path laid out by President Obama and other world leaders. Donald Trump has claimed that climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese.

For the first time, the three nations most responsible for spewing heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere  China, the United States and India  have formally agreed to curb emissions. The landmark Paris agreement is the biggest and most important step taken to date. Clinton would honor the accord; Trump would renounce it on his first day in office.

The rest of the world is moving rapidly toward renewable sources of energy, which recently surpassed coal as the largest global source of power-generating capacity. According to the International Energy Agency, last year an estimated 500,000 solar panels were installed worldwide every day. Clinton would encourage the growth of the clean-energy sector, which has the potential to create millions of jobs. Trump promises a renaissance of fossil fuels  mining more coal, pumping more oil  even though the electric-power industry is moving on.

The Western alliance: Since the end of World War II, NATO has been the globe's most important military alliance, a bulwark against Soviet  now Russian  expansionism and a source of peace and prosperity. It is no accident that the United States and Europe are the world's biggest economic powers.

Clinton may be a bit hawkish for some tastes, but she is firmly committed to the NATO security framework. Trump describes NATO as if it were a protection racket.

Trump has repeatedly and consistently expressed a desire for an alliance with Russia, even after it seized Crimea from Ukraine and intervened to save the murderous regime of dictator Bashar Assad in Syria. Trump often voices his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin who, according to U.S. intelligence analysts, has deployed an army of internet hackers against the Democratic Party in a shocking and unprecedented attempt to meddle in our election.

Immigration reform: An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live here, most of them from Mexico and Central America. Clinton supports commonsense immigration reform that would secure the southern border, modernize our system of legal immigration and bring the undocumented out of the shadows by giving them legal status and a path toward citizenship. Trump does not.

Trump launched his campaign by saying of Mexican immigrants: "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." He has called for building a physical wall along the entire border with Mexico and absurdly claimed that Mexico would somehow pay for it. And he pledges to deport all of the undocumented, in what would amount to a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing. Doing so would require a gargantuan and intrusive deportation force the likes of which this country has never imagined, let alone witnessed.

The social fabric: The country is undergoing a process of inexorable demographic change. By 2044 if not sooner, according to the Census Bureau, there will be no racial or ethnic majority; non-Hispanic whites, in other words, will be less than 50 percent of the population, becoming a minority just like every other group. This is already the case in California, Texas, New Mexico and Hawaii and nationwide among children under 5.

Clinton understands and embraces these changes. Trump, by contrast, has become the champion of those whites who, like King Canute, would hold back the sea. It is no accident that he is avidly supported by the likes of David Duke, the unabashed white nationalist, Holocaust denier and former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. When Trump says "Make America Great Again," many minorities hear "Make America White Again."

Fiscal sanity: Clinton proposes new spending  including to improve the Affordable Care Act  that would increase the national debt by $250 billion over the next decade, according to the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Trump's combination of huge tax cuts and increased spending, however, would balloon the debt by a crushing $10 trillion over the same period.

I could go on, but you get the point. Donald Trump gravely threatens our future. He must be stopped.
BILLINGS  The black specialty license plate popularized by Miles Citys Milestown Community Improvement Inc. has some recent imitators, and their plates sleek design is helping to boost statewide sales.

People have latched onto the black aesthetic theme, said Dan Rice, the founder of the Miles City group who works as the Miles City city attorney. But, I would encourage people to look at what theyre supporting. I dont know that theyre all legitimate.

The vast majority of our sales are from outside our county, Rice said. They look good on any vehicle.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, the Miles City group continued to lead the 212 other Montana groups selling specialty plates, having raised $55,720 between April and June, the most recent period for which figures are available.

But shooting up the short list of groups supplementing their fundraising by selling black license plates is Billings-based Bird of Pray Foundation, a humanitarian group that works chiefly with orphanages abroad. During the same quarter, the foundation reaped $46,550, the fourth most in the state.

Simplicity is at the heart of our design, said Jeff Biscoe, the foundations president. A lot of people who have purchased the plate have researched our organization later. Thats how people get to know us.

Just last month, the foundation purchased a heavy-duty wheelchair from a Bozeman agency that constructs wheelchairs for use in developing countries. Bird of Pray Foundation sent it and some other necessities to a girl with disabilities in the Philippines.

The girl sleeps on a concrete floor and the mother would just hold her throughout the day, Biscoe said in an email. The mother is so thankful she is in tears every time we see her.

Biscoe said the foundation began offering its black specialty plate in February. The plate has a mountain range at the bottom.

Im somewhat of a social orphan myself, said Biscoe, whose wife, Chantelle, is expecting their second child any day. I bounced around different families and was on my own beginning at 15, so I know what parentless kids go through. Im grateful to help them as I was helped.

Another group thats also done well with the black plates is the Missoula-based chapter of Chicks-n-Chaps, which holds rodeo clinics and fundraisers to support women affected by breast cancer.

The organization raised $18,412 during the same quarter by opting for a black license plate with a map of the state and a steer skull inscribed.

Everybody really likes that look, said Kirsten Cooper, Chicks-n-Chaps development director. People keep asking us on Facebook where they can get one, and the checks just keep coming every month.

Cooper said the group looks to partner with health organizations or foundations in various Montana communities to keep the money in the communities where it was raised.

That way (the proceeds) benefit local women, she said. We take pride in that.

Two years after designing and then issuing its black license plate featuring an outline of the state and a cowboy riding a bucking bronco  a nod to Miles City High Schools mascot  Milestown Community Improvement Inc. has most recently paid for construction of a band shell in Riverside Park.

Everybody thinks its a great addition to the park, and itll definitely be put to use, Rice said, probably beginning next spring.

We do promote the plate, but we try not to be too biased, said Kirk Sturdevant, who works in the Custer County Treasurers office and volunteers for the Milestown group. We can suggest it, but ultimately its up to them.

In addition to park improvements, the Milestown group is using money from license plate sales to help meet educational needs. One example: A high school teacher wants to bring in a Holocaust survivor to speak to students, and the group has agreed to cover half the cost.

I have a feeling, Sturdevant said, that this group will be around for a while.
The Naomi Chapter #19, Order of Eastern Star in Victor has been hosting a fundraiser bazaar for at least 20 years; they have another scheduled for Nov. 12.

Star member Mary Kerr has been a member of the fraternal organization for 51 years this December.

People should come because we do good work in the community, Kerr said. We support charities, we support kids. We have our own elderly and shut in we take care of every year. We dont do the whole community but a good section of elderly people that we care for with Christmas gifts and remembrances.

The bazaar started out in the lodge above Farmers State Bank in Victor but to avoid the long, steep stairs it is now held in the old gym at Victor School. It has arts, crafts and a silent auction.

We have a white elephant table, jewelry, watches, and good used items, Kerr said. We have a baked goods table and we serve a lunch  usually soup and pies: pumpkin, apple, huckleberry and cherry.

The group also rents out tables for an average of 12 vendors.

The money raised at the bazaar helps run the chapter and covers rent and heating costs.

Then all the rest goes to charitable donations like the Hamilton homeless shelter, cancer and heart research, the Shodair Childrens Hospital in Helena and Shriners Hospital in Spokane, Kerr said. We support the Scottish Rite hearing clinic at the University of Montana for hearing impaired and language disorders.

Kerr said the Star supports the Girls State candidate from Victor each year and the Christmas shopping trip for under privileged kids in Corvallis schools.

Eastern Star in Victor has 60 members since the chapters in Corvallis and Stevensville merged with them.

We have a casual, fun group with members visiting from other chapters including Hamilton and Missoula chapters and each meeting we have a different theme, meet and then have a social hour, Kerr said. Eastern Star is a fraternal organization and mostly based on the belief in the Supreme Being. If you are associated with a masonic person you can belong. If you are a wife, mother, daughter, adopted daughter of a Mason or if you were a Rainbow Girl you can belong.

The Eastern Star bazaar will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with door prize drawings every hour and no admission fee on Nov. 12 in the Victor gym.

Eastern Star is a good organization that does a lot of good work and it is fun to go, Kerr said.
Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications.
Guwahati, November 5 : Assam on Saturday paid tribute to the Cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika in his fifth death anniversary.

Reiterating that the ideals of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika would always act as a guiding light for the Assamese society, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged upon the young generation to emulate those ideals to be able to contribute meaningfully to the society.

While paying tributes at the memorial of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika at Jalukbari in Guwahati on the occasion of the cultural icon's fifth death anniversary, Sonowal remembered Dr. Hazarikaas contribution in bringing the different communities and tribes of the state and the region together forming a strong bond of harmony and brotherhood.

Transcending the boundaries of country and region, Dr Hazarika was able to establish Assamese identity on the global cultural map and introduced the world to the music and culture of the land. It was the dream of Dr Hazarika to build a greater Assamese society based on the humanitarian values and we must strive hard to realise his dreams following his ideals of universal brotherhood,'A Sonowal said.

Terming Dr Hazarika as a global icon similar to the stature of the likes of Paul Robson and Nelson Mandela, Sonowal said that the youth of the state must get inspired by the ideals of the cultural doyen to establish Assam among the top states in the country and also defend the age old unity and harmony of the Assamese society in the face newer challenges.

Saying that Dr Hazarika was the voice of the oppressed and downtrodden who always fought for justice and equality, Sonowal said that the government is mindful of the difficulties of the common people and has undertaken many activities for upliftment of the underprivileged sections of the society.

Saying that to compete at the world stage the youth of the state must aspire to achieve excellence at every field, Sonowal reiterated that discipline has to be practiced to become the best in one's chosen area. At the same time in the pursuit of excellence humanistic values cannot be

compromised.

The Assam CM also attended a programme organised by Sanskar Bharati at Nehru Stadium in the city where more than 10 thousand students from various schools of the city and its nearby places sang a song titled 'Atankabad Husiyar'A (Terrorism Be Warned) written by Dr Hazarika.

Sonowal thanked the organisers for organising the song to be sung by more than 10 lakh students across the state as a strong message against terrorism.

Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Minister of Culture Naba Kumar Doley, MP R.P. Sharma were present on the occasion among others.

On the other hand, All Assam Students Union had paid tribute to the music maestro at Dighalipukhuripar in the city.

Several organizations had arranged programs to pay tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika across the state.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, November 5 : A local court in Guwahati on Saturday had sent Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Chairman Rakesh Paul to 14 days police custody.

Assam police had arrested the APSC Chairman on Friday evening in graft case.

Police had produced Paul to Kamrup (Metro) CJM court on Saturday evening and the court sent him to 14 days police custody.

Meanwhile, the investigating team had launched search operation at various areas in the city to collect more evidence against Paul.

A team of Dibrugarh district police and Guwahati police had raided at the apartment of Rakesh Paul at Bhangagarh, Srimantapur, Kahilipara Janakpur area in the city last night and seized several vital documents. The investigating team also launched operation to collect more asset list of the APSC Chairman,'A a top police official said.

Mukul Saikia, SP of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, who filed the asset list and corruption evidence against Rakesh Paul to Guwahati High Court said that, the APSC corruption case has turned to as Vyapam case.

Earlier, police had arrested an enginerr from Upper Assam's Dibrugarh district after police caught him red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh on October 27.

The arrested engineer was identified as Naba Kumar Patir and he is an assistant engineer of Town and Contry Planning department of Assam government posted at Dibrugarh town.

The top police official said that, the engineer taking a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a dentist to appoint in the Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH).

Police also arrested a PSO of a member of APSC last week.

Meanwhile Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said that, no one to be excused who involved in corruption and the state government will take stern action against corruption.

On the other hand, police has launched operation to nab Samedur Rahman, one of the member of APSC who is still absconding.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, November 5 : The indigenous minority communities are sons of the soil and there is no need for them to be afraid of any political discourse, commented Asam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday while interacting with the leadership of indigenous minority organizations of the state in the conference hall of Assam Secretariat.

The Assam CM said that any discourse may take place in the political arena but the indigenous minority people being the sons of the soil should not be swayed away or be afraid of any such discussion. Instead he called upon them for devoting their energy for positive works and overall development of the state.

Sonowal further said that the Govt. believes in inclusive development and is committed to ensure 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'A.

'Govt. is committed to develop Team Assam involving all communities living in the state and will safeguard the indigenous minority communities from all threats. Govenment doesn't want to create any doubt in the minds of the indigenous minority and it will work for ensuring equal opportunity and upholding fundamental rights and constitutional safeguard for them,'A Sonowal said.

The Assam CM also urged the indigenous minority community to play a bigger role in the developmental activities in the state and to act as a major stakeholder in the functioning of the Government.

Stressing on the need for joint effort by the majority and minority community of the state for upholding harmony, understanding and fraternity amongst all, Sonowal further appealed the leadership of the organizations to give impetus to build compassionate and tolerant society and vowed for working with dedication for equal development of all indigenous people.

The interaction programme was attended by around forty indigenous minority organizations of the state representing Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain community.

Each of the organizations submitted memorandum to the Chief Minister and unanimously raised demands for survey of their respective communities for identification and constitutional safeguard.

The interaction programme was attended by state Minister Naba Kumar Doley, Commissioner & Secretary, Govt. of Assam Rajesh Prasad, President of BJP Minority Forum Mominul Awal and BJP Spokesperson Rupam Goswami among others.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
KATHMANDU: The Prime Ministers Secretariat has made it clear that there has not been any agreement with the Madhesi parties about the issue of naturalised citizenship.

Earlier, some media outlets had reported that the ruling parties had forged an agreement with the agitating Madhesi parties that the new amentment to Constitution would allow a person with a naturalised citizenship to assume constitutional positions including the President after s/he completes 10 years of acquiring Nepali citizenship.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahals press advisor Gobinda Acharya on Sunday, however, said that report was false.

Acharya further informed that PM Dahal would resolve these issue soon by holding serious consultations with political parties.RSS
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During lunch at Crow Agency Elementary School on a recent Thursday, students hunch over the table, eating oranges.

They know the Crow word for yellow  shiile  and for red  hisshe. But the second-graders struggle with other colors, like orange.

Its hard to say, Zarah Nomee said.

No, purples hard to say, Kyler Haugen chimed in.

What about blue, like their milk cartons?

Thats hard to say, too, Haugen said.

What about animal names?

'Background knowledge'

Teachers at the small elementary school on the Crow Reservation have informally incorporated Apsaalooke into their lessons for years. But this is the first year the school is coordinating a cohesive approach, anchored by a kindergarten immersion class.

I started off with their background knowledge, said kindergarten teacher Lavonna Real Bird. Thats very important.

Students chimed together, iichiile, when shown a sheet of paper with pictures of horses.

They know what a horse is, they see a horse all the time, Real Bird said. Even babies say iichiile.

From there, they count out how many horses are on the paper  hawate, duupe, daawiia, shoope, chiaxxo, up to five.

School principal Jason Cummins is trying to shift how the school thinks about language, especially for students who dont come from Crow-speaking homes.

We dont just want to blame anybody anymore, he said. I think thats been a crutch  We dont say, 'If only your family taught you quadratic equations.'

The language learning level in Real Birds classroom mirrors kindergarten content. Students sing songs for numbers, months, and days of the week in both English and Crow, swaying just-counted fingers. Math lessons are taught first in Crow, then repeated in English. Reading instruction occurs in English, but everything else is in Crow.

As students practice numbers in Crow, they also work on addition problems. They go over body parts on a diagram with things labeled in Crow.

Some people think, just talk to them, Cummins said. (But) language acquisition is different from language instruction. We dont just wing it. We need to treat it like any other content area.

Politics

Thats an approach echoed by Jioanna Carjuzaa, a professor at Montana State University.

True immersion means that youre using language as a vehicle to focus on other content, she said.

Carjuzaa visited the school earlier in October with a group of teaching students from countries around the world.

Native language teachers, like other teachers, need training, she said.

They need professional development, she said. Theres no question that the elders and the tribal members have the knowledge and the wisdom. (But) theyre not an integrated part of the teaching staff.

Some language advocates argue for a more informal approach; during a conference earlier this year in Billings, a co-founder of a language immersion school in Minnesota highlighted the schools reliance on tribal members without formal teacher training.

And the continued development of language itself can be very political, Carjuzza said.

Thats something Cummins works to steer clear of.

I dont care who gets the credit, I just want my kids to learn, he said.

Funding

Language immersion preschools received a political boost with the passage legislation from Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, who represents the Rocky Boy Reservation, opening state funding for teaching Native languages with dwindling speakers. Montanas Indian Education for All provision, which requires the teaching of Native American culture and history in public schools and is backed up by dedicated funding, has been held up as a model of curriculum integration. But language instruction has lagged.

Its really in a lot of ways in the very infantile stages, Carjuzaa said. Theres a real push to embrace immersion programs.

Some private schools have emphasized the topic for several years.

The Nkwusm Salish Language School was established in 2002 on the Flathead Reservation and offers a a complete academic experience dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Salish Language.

The Piegan Institutes Cuts Wood Academy in Browning was founded in 1995 with the mission of creating more Blackfeet language speakers while providing a K-8 education.

And on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, St. Labre and its satellite schools have incorporated American Indian language for several years.

In public schools, its very sporadic, Carjuzaa said. It depends on who the teachers are and what the commitment is.

In addition to Crow Agency, public schools in Browning and Wyola have used the new funding to create language programs.

School and home

Real Bird grew up in a Crow-speaking home.

When I talk to another Crow-speaking adult, its so natural, its normal, she said. The challenge is trying to speak to a young child in Crow.

Its become a widespread condition: educators said that adults often will speak English to children despite being fluent in Crow, as more children understand English and there's no need to adapt their Crow to a lower comprehension level.

Crow Agency Elementary has a preschool class that heavily incorporates Crow language, though its not a true immersion program. It can give kids a jump start on Crow, just like other subjects, whether they come from a Crow-speaking home or not.

When they go to Head Start or preschool, when they come they have an idea. Same thing with Crow, Real Bird said.

But its an inescapable fact that students who hear Crow at home will have a leg up.

Just like anything we do in the classroom, if its reinforced at home, theyre going to improve, Real Bird said.

In the classroom, theres a dearth of resources for teaching Crow. Real Bird makes most of her own teaching materials and plans her own lessons.

Cummins is working with other language groups to provide assessment options in Crow for students; English proficiency has been shown to have a significant effect on standardized test scores, and scholars have debated if tests carry an inherent cultural bias.

Weve had some kids that we thought were having challenges behaviorally, he said. It turned out that it was a language issue.

Im not saying thats an answer to everything, Cummins said. He doesn't expect language instruction to single-handedly bridge American Indian academic achievement gaps that are well documented in reservation schools and schools in predominantly white areas.

But language isn't just an academic issue. It's a matter of identity.

Different people have different opinions, Real Bird said. I believe that Crow means speaking our Crow language.
KALISPELL  A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spraying two Flathead County sheriff's deputies in the face with bear spray that temporarily blinded them.

The Flathead Beacon reports Devin Andrew Lelm was sentenced Friday for the Feb. 1 attack. Lelm, of Kalispell, pleaded guilty to felony assault on a peace officer.

The deputies encountered Lelm when they responded to a report of a suspicious man looking into the windows of an Evergreen gas station. When the deputies contacted him, Lelm sprayed them with mace intended to ward off bears. Despite being temporarily blinded, the deputies subdued and arrested Lelm.
GILLETTE, Wyo.  In the 1960s on a ranch in Weston, a man and his two sons began fighting fires.

More than 40 years later, those three now have 134 years of experience among them, acting as watchful protectors for Campbell County.

Walt Hauber and sons Richard and Robert Hauber have fought fires in Campbell and Crook counties for decades. Walt has 45 years of experience, while Richard and Robert have 47 and 42, respectively. They all were volunteers with the Campbell County Fire Department, and Richard spent 28 years as a career firefighter, reported the Gillette News Record.

Theirs is a firefighting dynasty, three men who have helped protect their neighbors with smiles on their faces and a desire in their hearts to keep Campbell County safe while being supported by a loving family.

Just something you did

Living on a ranch in Weston, Walt Hauber, now 88, noticed there was no organized way to fight fires. So, he and some other ranchers put their heads together and started a rural firefighting system.

"I don't know any main reason why," Walt explained about the reason he felt compelled to act. "It was just something I did."

He gave the same reason for why he went to fight in the Korean War in 1952 and 1953.

"It was just something you did," he said. "That's kind of the way the people are in the West."

Hauber said his parents taught him to help people without giving it a second thought.

"It's just the way I was brought up. You helped people that couldn't help themselves," he said.

Hauber, who became a volunteer firefighter for the Campbell County Fire Department in 1967, passed that value to his sons, along with a love for fighting fires.

"He taught his boys everything, including this," said Carolyn Hauber, Robert's wife. "He's the pillar of the whole thing. He'd drive, they'd run the hoses and stuff."

As the years passed, the Hauber boys' love for firefighting never wavered, which has kept them in it for more than 40 years.

"I think it's in my blood. It's rewarding to me, it's really fulfilling to have accomplished putting out a fire," said Robert Hauber, 59.

His older brother Richard, 61, said the excitement of the job comes in very short spurts.

"It's 12 hours of boredom interrupted by 10 minutes of terror, the adrenaline rush. It's exciting and rewarding to be able to go and help someone," said Richard, who spent 28 years as a career firefighter from 1990 to 2008.

But Richard's favorite part of the job has nothing to do with fire. Instead, he enjoys doing the little things that no one ever knows about, the acts of service that don't make the front page.

It could be rescuing a dog that had just given birth from under a deck, taking a merry-go-round apart so a child could go to the hospital or even bringing an elderly woman's garbage cans in from out of the rain.

"I enjoy being able to do the little things that help people," he said.

"I just practice the Golden Rule: Treat people how you want to be treated," Richard said. "Just be nice. Do your job safely and be nice. The world would be a better place if people were just being nice to everybody. I think we're pretty fortunate in this part of the country that most people are all-around nice people who like to help."

The Haubers have earned the respect of their fellow firefighters.

Brian Murphy, a firefighter who has been with the department for 22 years, said that when he started out, he heard stories "about these Haubers up north."

Those stories soon became a reality for Murphy, who fought on fires with the brothers and got to know Walt as well.

"You knew things were well in hand when Robert or Richard or Walt were on the fire," he said.

Murphy said the Haubers knew their terrain and that their work in the rural areas proved to be valuable to the county.

"They're like minutemen," Murphy said. "They're able to get a fire under control, they're able to catch that and alleviate the danger and keep the size down well before we get out there."

Defending the home front

Firefighters get a lot of attention for the work they do, and deservedly so. They put their lives on the line whenever they go out to fight a fire.

But what doesn't get nearly the same attention are their families sitting at home, waiting for their spouses, parents, children or siblings to come home safely.

"They've seen me go out the door quite a few times right in the meal, and they didn't know where I was going or how long I'd be there or if I'd even make it back," Robert said of his wife and daughter.

Carolyn Hauber, Robert's wife, said she often worried about her husband when he responded to a call.

"When you fight fire in the country, anything can happen," she said. "In town, you've got all the help. But when you're out in the hills, it can get pretty bad."

Arline Hauber, Walt's wife of 64 years, said when someone came to their ranch to report a fire, Walt would "take off, maybe be gone three or four days. I didn't know where he was or how he was or what he was doing, whether he was eating or whether he was hurt or anything.

"I worried a lot. There was no way of finding out because we didn't have telephones, we didn't have radio."

Carolyn Hauber said behind each great firefighter is a supportive family.

"It takes these strong women in the back so you men can go and do your work and keep the home front going, keep the meals going, do whatever you can do to help," she said.

Krista Bundy, Robert and Richard's younger sister, said that whenever her brothers and father were out fighting fires, she worried for their safety. But she also felt a sense of pride.

"I was always proud of them because they were doing what they loved to do," Bundy said.

Carolyn said the constant worry is just "part of the job. You just accept it because your husband loves it."

She recalled a time in 2002 when Robert was out fighting a fire and she saw two planes carrying fire retardant fly over their house.

"That's when I called the fire department and asked, 'Where is my husband and what have you done with him?' It was a very, very dangerous fire," she said.

Keep calm and fight fires

Having spent more than 130 combined years fighting fires, the Haubers have seen a lot that would make the normal person's stomach turn.

"A lot of things that dictate an emergency to the layperson, to us it's no big deal," Richard said. "I've seen just about everything in that amount of time. I just don't let it bother me and go about my business."

But sometimes, a firefighter sees something that will stick in his or her mind for a long time. Robert recalled one haunting memory where he had responded to a car accident where a couple had been killed.

"We had to extricate them out of the car, and I stuck around to help the wrecker get the car on the rollback, pull it up on there," he said. "The car jarred a little bit, and a little baby fell out from under the dash. It was gone, too."

Richard said whenever something like that happens, the only thing a firefighter can do is move on.

"It's a job, and there are parts of it that are not fun," he said. "But somebody's got to do it."

Another difficult part of firefighting is keeping the adrenaline rush under control. Robert said that when he was younger, he would often let the rush get the better of him.

Over time, he learned to calm down. His brother said it's important to give off the impression of calmness, especially if there are other firefighters looking up to him.

"I've got to try and keep my composure and keep calm about it because panic is contagious," Richard said. "You act like a duck on water. You're just nice and calm and cool and collected on the surface, but you're paddling like heck underneath."

Richard and Robert got their fearlessness from Walt. Bundy had gone along with her father on a few fire calls when she was younger and recalled one time when she was on a truck with him. A tree branch knocked off one of the doors.

"My dad said, 'Just leave it, we'll come back and get it,'" she said. "So he'd drive right in the middle of a fire and just start spraying and we would sit in there with no door."

Walking away

Walt Hauber was the first in his family to retire from firefighting. He did it four or five years ago after about 45 years in the business, but not because he was tired of it.

"I got to where I couldn't drive anymore," he said. "I was over 80 years old. I had to stop."

Robert said that now after 42 years, he also decided it's time to step down.

"It's been a fun run," he said. "I was just getting to the age that it's harder to do, and I figured it's time to close this chapter in my life and let the younger guys do it."

He recognized, however, it will be difficult to walk away from something he's done for the past four decades, and he said he'll probably find a way to stay involved.

His wife said she doesn't think he'll be retired at all. His uniforms are still hanging in the closet and he still has his bag of fire gear.

"I think the minute he sees a fire or hears that anyone needs help, it's nothing for him to stop along the side of the road and help an accident and direct traffic," Carolyn said. "It's ingrained in him too much. It's in his veins."

As for Richard, he's now the last of the trio actively volunteering with the department and doesn't think he'll stop anytime soon.

"I'm still fighting fires. I figured I probably will as long as I physically can," he said. "As long as I'm making a difference, I'll keep doing it."

When Richard does finally retire, it will mark the end of the last chapter of the Hauber family Campbell County firefighting saga, a story that has helped people all over the region. But until that page turns, the county will still have a Hauber protecting it, just as it did more than 40 years ago.
Saleh: Either honorable peace or confrontation until victory





SANAA, Nov. 5 (Saba)  President of the General People's Congress (GPC), Ali Abdullah Saleh, said either honorable peace or continuing confrontation until victory.



"The steadfast Yemeni people in repelling the aggression, no matter how much they suffer or present sacrifices, they are today more ready to comprehensive peace but not surrender," the former president of the republic said in a post in his official Facebook seen by Saba on Saturday.



"We are extending our hand to peace for us, our neighbors and the peoples of the world..not in submission to the will of the enemy or to its dictation, but peace of brave men," Saleh wrote.



He said the new UN-proposed peace roadmap is a "good basis for negotiations, but it should be including ceasing the aggression leading by Saudi Arabia, lifting blockade, stopping financing mercenaries and terrorist groups and pulling out foreign forces."



The GPC president also called on all national parties for unifying efforts to force "the Saudi aggression to respect the will of the Yemeni people, the independency of Yemen and end its aggression war."



"We at the time of renewing our people readiness to positively deal with all peace-seeking initiatives that aim to stop bloodshed, preserve the Yemeni unity, integrity, security and stability, and achieve fair, comprehensive peace for Yemen and the region.., we at the same time confirm that if the Saudi aggression did not stop, then the Yemeni people are in the highest degree of readiness today, militarily and popularly, to continue fighting the aggression at all levels and in all circumstances until victory," Saleh added.









ZaK



SABA

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Photos: The 'jungle' was once filled with filth, hope. Now, it's no more
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Sixty-one Democrats are running for the Wyoming Legislature this year, a notable increase from previous election cycles.

In 2014, only 30 Democrats sought legislative seats. The party recruited just 24 candidates in 2012. Seventy-five legislative seats are up each election cycle, meaning the Republican Party has been largely unchallenged in Wyoming.

But theres no telling whether the states minority party is going to gain seats in Cheyenne.

Over the last 18 months, when the Wyoming Democratic Party was recruiting candidates, the Wyoming GOP was quietly fundraising. Its chairman recently announced the party had raised nearly $500,000 and was in a position to spend up to $150,000 on 17 candidates in key legislative races this year.

More candidates and more advertising  positive and negative  make the outcome of Tuesdays elections uncertain.

The faces in Cheyenne may be more progressive, or they could be even more conservative than the current makeup, since many of the Republicans who won primaries are social conservatives.

We dont have polling, really. It makes it all kind of hard, said Bri Jones, executive director of the Equality State Policy Center, a watchdog and civic group.

Many lawmakers are not seeking re-election, including several moderate Republicans who've held leadership positions. The result is many new lawmakers, regardless of party, along with new leaders.

Its very different to campaign versus govern, Jones said. Usually theres a pretty good mix of legislators who have been there for a long time, and maybe that moderates. People who have served longer, have experienced different things. That pushes them to the center. In a way fresh off a campaign is not as moderated.

In postcards that the Wyoming GOP is mailing to voters, the party has hammered on the message that the states economy is in bad shape, thanks to President Barack Obama, and it doesnt make sense to elect legislators of the presidents party. Many of their postcards have pictures of Obama next to photos of Democratic candidates.

Youve seen a very well-coordinated effort on the Republican side, where theyve sent mailers and spent a lot of money, Jones said. They seem to be very disciplined on their messaging. I havent seen that level of sophistication coming out of the Democratic Party.

Democrats have another hurdle to overcome -- they're considerably outnumbered. As of Tuesday, 160,000 Wyomingites were registered Republicans, 46,000 were Democrats, 26,000 were unaffiliated and about 2,100 belonged to other parties, according to the Wyoming Secretary of State's office, which oversees elections.

For their part, Democratic candidates  and groups that say theyre spending money independently of the Democratic candidates  are arguing in their postcards that the Republican candidates arent taking the measures necessary to help the states economy, such as supporting Medicaid expansion, or arent firm enough in opposition to radical ideas such as the transfer of federal lands to state ownership.

The Wyoming GOP has complained to the Wyoming Secretary of State about the independent expenditures on the Democrats side. Many Democrats have hired a campaign management company to run their campaigns. That company is being advised by some of the same people who are advising groups involved in independent expenditures.

It is interesting to see how much money is flowing in, how much third-party is flowing in, Jones said.

The Wyoming Democratic Party has field organizers in several locations in Wyoming to assist candidates. The party was able to write checks to some Democratic candidates, but nothing near $150,000, said Bruce Palmer, Wyoming Democrats vice chairman.

I think we have a number of competitive races, he said. I think there will be a number of surprises.

The quality of candidates matters most in Wyoming, said Wyoming GOP chairman Matt Micheli.

I think we have just an outstanding slate of candidates up and down all over the state, he said. Im really proud at how hard theyve worked, the effort theyve made and I feel good about their chances.
In August of 1971, Doug Hagen's family and friends learned that he had been killed in Vietnam.

To many people, 1st Lt. Hagen was just another of the 198 North Dakotans who lost their lives in combat during that war. What they did not learn, until much later, was that Hagen was the heroic officer of a highly classified, multiservice U.S. special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations during the war.

For his heroic action during the dangerous mission that cost him his life, Hagen was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1974.

After Hagen's freshman year of high school, his family moved to Decatur, Ill., where he became an Eagle Scout. Following graduation in 1964, Hagen enrolled at North Dakota State University in Fargo. While pursuing his degree in engineering, industrial science and math, he also lettered in wrestling and worked part-time as a lifeguard in Moorhead.

In 1968, he was credited with saving the life of a swimmer. This would not be the last time Hagen demonstrated heroism in saving a life.

Following graduation in the spring of 1969, Hagen went to the Fargo recruiting office and enlisted in the Army on July 18. He was sent to Fort Belvoir, Va., for basic training and to Fort Benning, Ga., for Officer Candidate School. Upon completion of this rigorous, 12-week school, Hagen was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant.

In 1969, U.S. citizens were highly divided regarding support for the involvement in Vietnam. However, Hagen believed so sincerely in the U.S. war effort that he enlisted for Special Forces and was sent to Fort Bragg, N.C., for to become a Green Beret.

Hagen's training leader at Fort Bragg was Staff Sgt. Joe Cavaiani, a future MOH award honoree.

"On our first patrol, I knew he (Hagen) had what it takes to be a good team leader. In fact, I recommended he be given his own team sooner than normal. He was that good," Cavaiani said.

In December 1970, Hagen was sent to Vietnam, where he was named leader of a unit called "Recon Team Kansas," which consisted of six Americans and eight Montagnard tribesmen. The Montagnards are the indigenous people of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Hagen's team operated in the demilitarized zone around Khesanh, a former military base that had been abandoned in 1968. The main function of his team was reconnaissance  to gather intelligence about the activities of the North Vietnamese Army.

In early August 1971, Hagen received orders to capture an enemy soldier so that, through interrogation, information could be obtained as to why the NVA were amassing troops and tanks along the DMZ. On the evening of Aug. 6, Hagen and his team took a position on a hill overlooking the surrounding terrain, but what he did not realize was that the hill was surrounded by 2,000 NVA soldiers.

The next morning, while the Recon Team, consisting of 14 men, was securing its position, the NVA attacked. Facing a fierce assault by a superior-sized enemy force using heavy small arms, automatic weapons and rocket fire, Hagen immediately began returning small-arms fire upon the attackers and successfully led his team in repelling the first enemy onslaught. Knowing that the NVA would soon strike again, Hagen exposed himself as he moved about the perimeter rallying the members and resupplying the team with ammunition.

The NVA attacked again with an even greater force, and, as Hagen was radioing for air support, a bunker was hit by a rocket. Rushing to come to the assistance of the soldiers in the shelled bunker, Hagen attracted intensified enemy fire and was killed. Though the battle lasted only 30 minutes before the recovery helicopters arrived to airlift the survivors, nine of 14 members of the team had been killed.

When Hagen's family was notified that he had died, many of the details involving his death were omitted because of the clandestine nature of his mission. Hagen's body was buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Early in 1973, official negotiators for the United States and North Vietnam reached a cease-fire agreement, ending the country's involvement in South Vietnam. On Aug. 8, 1974, one day past the third anniversary of Hagen's death, he was awarded the MOH. On receiving the award from President Gerald Ford, Doug's father, Loren Hagen Sr., replied, "While I regret losing my son, I have the satisfaction of knowing he died doing exactly what he wanted to."

On April 21, 2015, in West Fargo, a new American Legion Post was established and named in honor of Loren D. Hagen Jr. Three weeks later, on the U.S. Senate floor, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp paid tribute, to 1st Lt. Hagen and the other North Dakotans killed in Vietnam.
Those who didn't cast ballots at the June 14 primary and city elections, should note a number of voting site changes since the last general election.

The changes were needed because of population trends, traffic and parking challenges, according to Burleigh County Auditor Kevin Glatt. Otherwise, the polling sites are the same as five months ago.

Changes will involve:

 Replacing the Horizon Middle School and Centennial Elementary School voting sites to create a combined precinct at Century Baptist Church for District 47.

 The former Gateway Mall voting site will be closed. A piece of the former Horizon Precinct from east of Washington Street will be added to the former Gateway Mall Precinct, and voters in these borders will cast ballots at GracePoint Church at 43rd Avenue and Washington Street.

 A new voting precinct site has been created at Legacy High School for District 7.

 The Sunrise Elementary School boundaries have been shrunk to east of Centennial Road within city limits.

 A new voting precinct site has been created at Liberty Elementary School for those living north of 57th Avenue within city limits.

All other voting sites will remain the same as 2014, according to Burleigh County Auditor Kevin Glatt.
 "Disenfranchisement and Over-Incarceration" | Main | "Life Without the Possibility of Parole for Juvenile Offenders: Public Sentiments" 

This USA Today article, headlined "Wall Street fraud sentencing prompts tears and debate," provides the highlights of a high-profile federal fraud sentencing that took place in Manhattan on this past Friday. Here are some of the details:

It was an emotional federal court sentencing, with the future of an Ivy League-educated former private equity executive hanging in the scales of justice.

The prosecution said Andrew Caspersen, a scion of a wealthy business family, should get as much as a 15-year-plus prison sentence for executing a Ponzi-like scam that collectively bilked about a dozen of his clients, family members, and his investment company out of roughly $46 million. The defense said Caspersen never intended to steal and betray. Asking for leniency, his attorney, Paul Shechtman presented evidence to show the 40-year-old father of two had been gripped by a pathological gambling addiction.

On the bench in the 14th-floor Manhattan courtroom sat U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, a renowned legal independent and author of a recent essay that almost seemed to foreshadow the proceeding. "Distinctions of intent frequently determine, as a matter of law, the difference between going to prison and going free," Rakoff wrote in The New York Review of Books in his examination of neuroscience and the law. What ensued was a nearly three-hour debate over whether and how much gambling addiction should factor in the sentence  complete with references to "The Gambler," a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

By the end, Caspersen and his wife, Christina, wept as they held one another in the courtroom. Shechtman brushed away tears of his own. And Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara issued a statement that noted Caspersen had been sentenced  but made no comment on the punishment.

The prosecution attacked the gambling addiction defense from the start. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Magdo argued that 2014-2016 scam run by the Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate had been carefully calculated. In a sentencing memo to the court, she noted that Caspersen fooled his roughly dozen victims by incorporating sham entities with names similar to real private equity firms.

The victims lost millions. Some, investment professionals themselves, declined to present victim statements by name, fearing the reputational loss of being fooled. Magdo added that Caspersen used much of the scam proceeds to pay the mortgage and two home equity credit lines on a Manhattan apartment, as well as a $3 million home in Bronxville, a wealthy suburb of New York City....

Shechtman submitted dozens of support letters to the court, including pleas for leniency from Caspersen's wife, friends, and even the doorman of his Manhattan co-op. The defense also turned to scientific and financial trading experts. Dr. Marc Potenza, a Yale University School of Medicine psychiatry professor and mental health expert on addiction, examined Caspersen and reviewed his health records in preparation for testifying at the sentencing hearing. "Mr. Caspersen suffered from a severe gambling disorder, a mental illness, and there is little doubt that it contributed substantially to him losing his own money and seek money by fraud from others to continue on the same destructive path," Potenza wrote in a letter to the court....

Citing the experts' conclusions, Shechtman urged Rakoff to weigh the "tragic dimension" of Caspersen's gambling addiction.... Caspersen fought back tears as he addressed the court before being sentenced. "I have committed serious crimes of fraud, and have no one to blame but myself," he said. "I stand before you asking for mercy."...

After more than an hour of testimony and questioning of Potenza, Rakoff said he deemed it "more likely than not" that gambling addiction existed and could be a mitigating factor. Still, he stressed it must be weighed with other factors in the case. "It was a substantial fraud," said the judge. "It was a fraud that involved the deception of people who had a lot of faith in the defendant."

Ultimately, Rakoff sentenced Caspersen to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and nearly $28 million in restitution. "No purpose would be served by having him rot in prison for years on end," said the judge. He characterized federal sentencing guidelines that would allow the far longer sentence sought by prosecutors as "absurd." And, referring to the likelihood that some might question the leniency, Rakoff said outsiders didn't know all the facts of the case.


No matter what happens, Tuesday will mark the end of a truly miserable and historically insane election season, and whoever wins the presidency will still have to face a viciously divided electorate and a broken Congress. Virtually everyone in San Francisco will be gathered with friends, or hunkered down at home, waiting to see if we dodge the colossal bullet of a Trump presidency, and I'd recommend the former if only because you're not going to want to be alone if this shit goes south. A number of bars and clubs around town are throwing Election Night parties where you can celebrate/commiserate, and of course in addition to the general election we have plenty of local and state propositions to watch the fates of, as well as state senate and assembly seats and supervisor races, but clearly none of those returns are going to matter much to most of us if Hillary starts losing key states.

Below, a few ideas for where to take in Tuesday's madness in the company of others, likely with booze.

Aunt Charlie's Lounge

This is the "official" Election Night party for SF's Tenderloin drag scene, coinciding as it does with the weekly Tuesday party there, High Fantasy. You can expect a little less focus on TV screens and more on some likely politically themed drag numbers starting at 10:30 p.m., including performances by Nicki Jizz, Fiera, Beverly Chills, Pepto Dismal, and Mandy Coco.

133 Turk Street near Taylor, 10 p.m., $5

Beaux

Scott Wiener's official watch party for his state senate campaign, which will also be hosted by Community College Board Trustees Alex Randolph and Amy Bacharach, as well as School Board member Rachel Norton and School Board candidates Trevor McNeil, Phil Kim, and Ian Kalin, starts at 8 p.m. at Beaux in the Castro and may go late, especially if it looks like Scott wins.

2344 Market Street near Castro





The Chapel

Regardless of the outcome, The Chapel is optimistic that people will want to dance once the winner is called, so they've got DJ Jonathan Toubin set to go on after the confetti settles  and perhaps they'll take a break in the music to listen to the victory/concession speeches. There's some more details here.

777 Valencia Street, 8 p.m., space is limited

El Rio

An official watch party for Mission progressives doubles as the victory/watch party for District 9 supervisor candidate Hillary Ronen and Community College Board candidate Tom Temprano. They'll be joined by the SF League of Pissed Off Voters, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, and the Bernal Heights Democratic Club.

3158 Mission Street



Laughing Monk Taproom

They're calling it Democalypse 2016, and at Laughing Monk out in the Bayview they'll be serving $15 beer samplers and $5 boar nachos all night. And they're giving out prizes to people who guess the most swing states results correctly.

1439 Egbert Avenue





Midnight Sun. Photo: Garaje Gooch

Midnight Sun

They're calling themselves the Castro's Election Headquarters for Tuesday, and the neighborhood's biggest video bar will be broadcasting results on all their screens starting at 4 p.m. You can expect this crowd to get messily drunk no matter the outcome, and it should be lively.

4067 18th Street between Castro and Noe, free

Oasis

The official watch/celebration party for The San Francisco Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign, as well as Supervisor Aaron Peskin and various local ballot measure campaigns, will be at Oasis in SoMa, which means they're expecting a pretty big turnout. Doors open at 7 which means a lot of results will have already rolled in, and people are already going to be on the edge of their seats. And there is the alley right there out the side door in case you need to puke, or smoke.

298 11th Street at Folsom, 7 p.m.

The Plough & Stars

This is the official watch/victory party for District 1 supervisor candidate Sandra Lee Fewer, so it will likely be a smaller event populated with friends and volunteers from her campaign, but could still be a fun option in the Inner Richmond.

116 Clement Street, 8 to 10 p.m.



Courtesy of The Roxie

The Roxie Theater

Local NPR station KALW will be doing a live Election Night broadcast from the Roxie that's free and open to the public, hosted by Your Calls Rose Aguilar and featuring guests like The Intercept's Lee Fang, Antonia Juhasz, Scott Horton of Harper's Magazine, and Dave Levinthal of the Center for Public Integrity.

3117 16th Street near Valencia

Slate Bar

San Francisco Berniecrats are hosting their watch party at Slate on 16th Street, and they say, "We will be paying attention to all races and measures, and will announce how our endorsed candidates and propositions fared." Here's not where to go, obviously, if you're an ardent Hillary fan, but maybe there aren't that many of those in the Mission?

2925 16th Street between South Van Ness and Mission

Slim's

The official watch/victory party for Jane Kim's state senate campaign is at Slim's, just down the block from the Oasis event for SF Democrats. She'll be sharing the event with Bevan Dufty for BART Board, Rafael Mandelman for Community College Board, and Mark Sanchez for School Board.

333 11th Street near Folsom

SoMa StrEat Food Park

Just like they did for the debates, the SoMa StrEat Food Park will be hosting an outdoor, food truck-catered affair with booze to watch the election returns on their 10 big screens  at least until 10 p.m., when they close. And they promise, "We will restart Happy (or Awful Hour) if/when a candidate is projected a winner!" (They are asking for RSVP's, FYI.)

428 11th Street, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.



Trick Dog via Facebook

Trick Dog

If you're looking for a craft cocktail or five to numb the stress on Tuesday, this is probably the best bet  and their current menu is all politically themed. And they're promising a free drink with every "I Voted" sticker, and a collectable "I Voted" Trick Dog button. Also, there will be red and blue drink specials whenever a state is called.

3010 20th Street at Florida
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125 YEARS AGO

Of pigeons and chickens: The Englishmen of Sioux City will have a pigeon shoot Friday. All Americans are barred. Residents of the West Side of Sioux City have been bothered all summer by chicken thieves. Monday night last they stole a number of thoroughbred hens from coops at three residences.

Making news: A number of ladies met at the First Baptist Church at the call of Mother Benedict, to form a plan of work establishing a state reformatory for fallen women. Policeman Frisby has been transferred to Leeds to give the suburb additional police protection. H. A. Macdonald has established an overall and shirt factory in an office of the Peavey Grand.

Fountain leak: Complaint is made of the condition of the public drinking fountain at the corner of Sixth and Pierce streets. The waste water pipe is stopped up and the only way the water has to escape is by overflowing the bowl and running over into the sidewalk.

100 YEARS AGO

Keglers compete: Forty-one bowlers competed Sunday to determine the six pin smashers who will represent Sioux City at the Midwest tourney in St. Louis. The players making the trip are Herman Bruggeman, Gus Carlson, John Burns, C. Thompson, H. Herrick and John Plunkett.

Dances banned: Councilman Ward has served notice on managers of Sunday night dances that no public dancing will be permitted on Sundays thereafter. He took action after he found conditions that did not appeal to him. He wasnt too happy about Saturday dances either. A clergyman found wrastling took place at many spots.

Yellowstone revealed: Through the assistance of electrical devices and the showing of magnificent color effects, Yellowstone Park will be shown in beautiful scenic reproduction at the Pelletier store this week. Explanatory lectures will be offered every half hour.

50 YEARS AGO

Flamingo robbed: Safecrackers bound and gagged a night watchman, blew open two safes and escaped with more than $5,000 cash early Monday at the Flamingo, a plush South Sioux City night club. Watchman Ray Hawkins, 77, said one of the thieves jammed his ribs and a flashlight was stuck in his face, ordering him to stick em up.

Mayne wins: Sioux City attorney Wiley Mayne, a Republican, scored an unexpected victory Tuesday in unseating 6th District Congressman Stanley Greigg, a Democrat. Mayne held a commanding 57 percent of the vote.

Killed in Viet Nam: Mr. and Mrs. Carl Jacobsen, of Ida Grove, Iowa, received word of the death of their son, Air Force pilot Capt. Donald L. Jacobsen, 29, who was shot down in southern Laos while flying a reconnaissance mission. Survivors include his widow and three children. Marine Pvt. 1st Class William J. Monfore, 23, 3503 Orleans Ave., was killed in action, according to word received by his widow. A 1961 graduate of Tripp, S.D., High School, he died of a gunshot wound.

25 YEARS AGO

Callendar re-elected: Sioux City Councilman Loren Callendar, 67, swept to an easy victory Tuesday in his bid for a fifth term, and businessman Harry Keairns, 45, edged retired United Way official Joe Heger for the second seat on the ballot. Coming in fourth was city sewer superintendent Steve Britton.

Holiday events: LeMars, Iowa: The ninth annual stuffed stocking craft sale will be held Friday and Saturday at the Le Mars Elks building. Sioux City: Mayfair Mall will present An Evening at Mayfair Saturday, beginning with a fashion show. MarketPlace Shopping Center will host its annual Holiday Craft Show on Nov. 16.

Out of their homes: MACY, Neb.  Twenty-five people were driven into the cold Tuesday evening by a fire that destroyed their eight-unit apartment complex at Macy. No one was injured, but all the residents had to seek shelter with relatives or friends. The loss was estimated at $200,000.

These items were published in The Journal Nov. 6-12, 1891, 1916, 1966 and 1991.
CHI Health at Home is hosting Finding Hope Through the Holidays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 in the Joanne and Mary Mark rooms at the Technology and Education Center on East Main Avenue in downtown Bismarck.

This event is a workshop for individuals who have lost a loved one and anticipate the holiday season to be a difficult one. Information and support is provided to help those cope with grief. Participants receive education about grief, share about loved ones and make a memorial ornament. The evening ends with a candle-lighting memorial service.

Family members, friends and caregivers are welcome to attend. The workshop is free. To register or for more information, call 701-530-4500.
HOLSTEIN, Iowa | Stacy Brown always wanted to come back to Holstein after college to raise a family. But what would she do if she came back?

Her parents, Brian and Deb Friedrichsen, and two brothers were operating the generations-old family farm. There had to be something else she could do in Holstein.

So began a brainstorm of some 50 entrepreneurial ideas while her husband Christopher and she lived away for 10 years when Christopher was in the military. They had met when both attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

It started about the year we got married, thinking about if we came back, what would we do? said Christopher, a Southern California native.

Ive always wanted to come back here, Stacy said. My whole family lives here. We finally moved when Chris got tired of me asking, and when perhaps the perfect business opportunity came along for Stacys hometown.

The widening of U.S. Highway 20 from two to four lanes was finally coming through Holstein as part of the last phase of the project that has taken six decades to connect the eastern and western borders of Iowa, from Dubuque to Sioux City. The new layout of Highway 20 was bypassing many towns, but not in Holstein, where it would remain on the south edge of town.

So why not sandwich the highway between the current town and a new development on the south side of the highway? It was the perfect location  the land was already owned by Stacys family.

A year ago, the family opened a 32-room hotel and conference center at the site. A 12,000-square-foot travel center, with the exterior resembling an old-fashioned barn, opened Oct. 12.

INCREASED TRAFFIC

In 2011, hushed talks had already begun about the project. Stacy said at the time she thought people were joking.

But further thought showed Holstein was positioned well for the amenities.

Highway 20 bypasses every town from Holstein to Webster City, 96 miles to the east. Any available hotel is miles off 20. A Caseys convenience station is at the Early exit, 26 miles east, and a Sparkys gas station is at the Rockwell City turnoff 53 miles east, but they dont necessarily meet the needs of truckers who want showers, laundry facilities and lounge areas. West of Holstein, the next major hotel and truck stops are 48 miles away in Sioux City.

The Browns pored over Iowa DOT traffic studies and commissioned their own studies. What they found was that as each new section of Highway 20 reopened as four lanes, traffic counts dramatically increased. DOT statistics of traffic counts completed every four years showed that from 2011 to 2015, there was a 67 percent increase in the number of vehicles going through the intersections of U.S. Hwys 20 and 71 at Early. The 29-mile four-lane phase from Early to the Rockwell City turnoff was completed in 2012.

The 21-mile stretch from Rockwell City to Moorland, near Fort Dodge, was completed in 2010. While there was a decrease at the Highway 20-Moorland turn off from 2007 to 2011, likely due to the construction, there was a 76 percent increase from 2011 to 2015.

Those numbers are projected to continue as the last phases from Early to Moville are completed in late 2018. So when the Browns moved back to Holstein in December 2014, the research continued and they began putting together an investment group of 30 local investors and investor entities. They purposely recruited local investors.

The size of our investors wasnt nearly as important as the location of our investors, said Christopher, who now acts as the director of operations. We wanted local families who will be involved for generations. We want local people to have an investment in their community.

The Browns took a drive to eastern Iowa and visited truck stops. They learned people want the truck and car traffic as separate as possible, large turn-around areas for trucks, ample parking for cars, open 24 hours, fast food and hot food, and clean restrooms and facilities.

At about the same time, talk began of building a Boulders Hotel and Event Center, part of a chain of 10 Boulders Inn and Suites hotels in mostly Northwest Iowa.

And so began a project that started as 20 acres of economic development on the south side of Highway 20, but eventually turned into 50 acres. The site was voluntarily annexed by the city, and the city provided street, water and sewer to the site. The city also received a Revitalize Iowas Sound Economy (RISE) grant from the DOT, with the stipulation that the development would have no residential component.

City leaders, seeing other growth already in Holstein, were eager to welcome the development.

We are very excited about it, Holstein Mayor Connie Ludvigson said. One of the things we want is for travelers to slow down to see Holstein. We understand communities are at a break  either grow or get left behind. We are determined to grow.

Ludvigson said Stacy Brown has always known what value there is the Holstein area.

They want to enhance and improve, Ludvigson said. With their addition, we hope to be one of the surviving communities. We are hoping to meet the needs of a new demographic.

A seed shed opened first in the development. Boulders, a 32-room hotel and conference center large enough to hold 200 people seated at tables, has been open a year and quite often near capacity with Highway 20 contractors staying at the hotel. Catering may be brought into the event center. The hotel has a liquor license and staff provide bartenders and set-up.

The truck stop is deliberately named the Holstein Travel Center, trying to get away from the notion its only for truckers, Ludvigson said. Holstein businesses will be invited to submit commercials to play on a loop on a TV at the travel center to attract visitors to drive into town as well.

Aesthetic features include exposed wood trusses and wood siding on the pitched ceiling. Showers and laundry facilities are available for truckers, as well as a mezzanine lounge area with couches and a TV.

The Browns were determined to attract a fast food franchise, but were surprised so many turned the down. However, Hardees was excited from day one, Christopher said. The Hardees features a full menu and a drive-through. Although the travel center is open 24 hours, Hardees is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Godfathers Express has a limited pizza, calzone and monkey bread menu, but more menu items may be added. The Browns chose not to offer broasted chicken because they dont want to compete with what other businesses in the town are already doing well, they said.

Its a pledge that carries throughout the travel center. Stacy, who acts as accounting controller for the investment properties, researched what other businesses offered in town and looked to fill the voids, rather than duplicate. The travel centers gift shop area offers greeting cards and gift wrap (not readily available in Holstein since the pharmacy closed), several gift items for adults and children, farm toys, baby boutique items, home decor and milkhouse candles.

Stacy is most excited, she said, to install a static agriculture education exhibit.

When we lived in Jacksonville, Fla., and near Dallas, Texas, it was amazing and appalling to me what people think happens on farms, she said. So this is our chance to get a good educational message out there.

The Ida County Cattlemens Association is designing hats and T-shirts with an eat beef theme to be sold. There is also room in the travel center to display an antique tractor or car.

Outside, Cenex gas pumps offer blender pumps for E85, E30 and E15. In the back, in addition to diesel for trucks and semis, there is also dyed diesel for farm machinery.

With 50 full- and part-time employees at the travel center and 12 employees at the hotel, Holstein and Ida County have seen the advantage of job creation through the development. A Dollar General is slated for construction soon. The Browns are looking for more tenants for the development. Meanwhile, they are hoping to relocate a five-bedroom farmhouse on the property.

The opening hasnt been without a few hiccups, Stacy said. But those were things we werent going to know until we opened.

One surprise has been some of the busiest hours are midnight to 3 a.m., where there are shift changes at nearby VT Industries in Holstein and the Quad County Corn Processors ethanol plant in Galva.

Ludvigson said city leaders are pleased to see the Browns entrepreneurial ventures are sparking more entrepreneurship in town. In the last 18 months, four new businesses have opened in Holstein, and even more noteworthy, all owned by women. Three of the four women are Galva-Holstein High School graduates. The fourth woman married a Galva-Holstein graduate.

How awesome is that? Ludvigson said. These younger folks are coming back because they see the value and opportunity too.

A grand opening at the Holstein Travel Center will be Friday and Saturday. Gift cards will be given away, as well as Cenex and Hardees product discounts.
LOS ANGELES | For all those Twilight fans wondering whats the next best step for a werewolf, Taylor Lautner says its Scream Queens.

For fans who followed me since Twilight, its right up their alley, he says. It truly has something for everyone. Its hilarious. Its terrifying. Its sexy. I think its perfect for them.

In the Ryan Murphy horror comedy, Lautner plays Dr. Cassidy Cascade, one of the surgeons at an odd hospital run by Jamie Lee Curtis. Its for very rare, specific diseases, Lautner says. John Stamos plays his colleague and, thus far, we dont know if were related. Were two head doctors and we run the show.

Because Murphy doesnt let actors know where storylines are headed, anything could happen.

Last week I got told they were bumping up four major scenes of mine to Thursday, Lautner says. I literally had that evening to prepare four huge scenes of dialogue. Television is very fast and messy but its fun. It keeps you on your toes.

Eager to find a place in the medium, the 24-year-old Michigan native reached out to Murphy, the producer of everything from Glee to American Horror Story, and said he wanted to work with him. Four months later, he called and said he thought he found the perfect thing for me to do.

Shirtless scenes? Yes, Lautner says with a smile. Its a Ryan Murphy show.

Although Lautner has appeared on other television series, he wasnt quite aware of its quirks. With film, your schedule is mapped out. You know what youre going to be filming 39 days from now. Television literally changes all the time. Its different.

A second take? Nope. Were moving on. Weve got eight other people to shoot.

Because Scream Queens has plenty of comedy, Lautner is able to demonstrate his ability there, too. Theres room for sex symbol moments (Chanel No. 3 is a love interest) but theres also time for bone-chilling horror.

Theres no tone on television like the one Scream Queens has, Lautner says. Surprisingly  for a guy who hung with vampires in Twilight  the actor isnt all that comfortable with things that go bump in the night.

Im super easily scared and startled, he says. I love horror movies, so its really cool for me to be working in the genre.

Using many of the same characters from last season (which was set at a college and preyed on old-school horror film twists), the new edition suggests a hospital of terror. Halloween 2 was set in a hospital and theyre using that as a reference for this, Lautner says.

Curtis made a name for herself in the first Halloween film and also starred in the second. Coincidence? Lautner smiles. Things go wrong all the time. Two of the people in charge shouldnt be.

While Lautner could have gone in a number of directions (he has martial arts skills that were tapped for films like Grown Ups 2), he wanted to find things that are very different for me...things Ive never done before.

I want roles that challenge me  ones that people couldnt picture me in.

Shirtless scenes aside, he says, Scream Queens fits the bill.
WATERLOO | Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann couldnt resist offering a history lesson to the younger people gathered at the local party headquarters who are helping volunteer to elect Republican candidates up and down the ticket.

Hes heard the discussions taking place throughout the 2016 election cycle, the stereotypes about the Republican Party and the talk of breaking glass ceilings and protecting freedoms. And as a history professor, Kaufmann had to make the case for a progressive Grand Old Party.

There are some parties that talk about action. There are other parties that were baptized and were born in action, Kaufmann said.

He reminded the two dozen people gathered for a get-out-the-vote effort Saturday morning, in the final three days before the election, that Republicans were formed as an anti-slavery party. He reminded them of the history in Iowa of the Republicans role in electing women first, particularly in Iowa House speaker Linda Upmeyer and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.

So, Democratic Party, you talk all you want, you demagogue all you want. You want something done at the base level of fairness and equality in this country, and in this state, all youve got to do is look at the Grand Old Party, Kauffman told the two dozen Republicans present.

Even as Democrats elected the first African-American president in Barack Obama and have made Hillary Clinton the first woman to be nominated from a major party, Kaufmann said Republicans young and old can celebrate the Republican Partys efforts to shatter glass ceilings and champion human freedom.

But Kaufmann did allow that Clintons presidency would be unprecedented.

There is absolutely nothing in history that even begins to give precedent for what we would have, if she was elected president, Kaufmann said. Weve been given a chance to see just the kind of corruption that Hillary Clinton will bring to the White House.

Kaufmann criticized those Republicans who would withhold their support from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying Trump was selected by the grassroots of the party and the election presents a binary choice.

We dont get to pick, like a smorgasbord, who it is  weve got our two candidates; you have your two choices, and you have to pick Donald Trump for change, Kaufmann said.

He also repeated, as he said during his last stop in Black Hawk County, that Republicans should get behind Donald Trump if only to help prevent the United States Supreme Court from trending more liberal.

Kaufmann praised U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is running for re-election this year, for being an absolute treasure and a treasure with a backbone of steel for his efforts to deny a hearing on Obamas Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Both Grassley and Kaufmann made the case that the 2016 election isnt just about the next four years but the next 40 years, as whoever is next elected will fill the Supreme Court and replace any new vacancies.

Grassley said Clinton made clear the type of people she would select for the U.S. Supreme Court during the final presidential debate. She would select people who would represent American society.

Its Congress job to reflect society; its the courts job not to worry about society. They worry about two things, the law and the facts of the case, Grassley said. With a Hillary Clinton, you could easily end up with a 7-2 liberal Supreme Court.

But Kaufmann and Grassley didnt just make the case for the top of the ticket. They stressed the importance of races across the board, particularly their desire to see the Iowa Senate turn from a majority Democrat to a majority Republican.

After the event, the local Republican office had at least three teams going out in the field and knocking on doors to make their case in the final days as the campaigns winds down.
SIOUX CITY | Although Ritch LeGrand said he couldn't draw a stick person if his life depended on it, the Sioux City man developed a passion for fine art that dates back to his college days as a student at the University of Colorado.

He purchased his first piece of original art from a roommate's friend, who painted a portrait of Albert Einstein on their bedroom wall. Forty years later, LeGrand had amassed a diverse collection of more than 70 contemporary artworks from around the region and the world, which filled his home.

Now retired after a decades-long career in commercial real estate, LeGrand and his wife Kathy decided to donate 50 of those pieces and 200 fine art books to the Sioux City Art Center's permanent collection for the public to enjoy. The LeGrand Collection: A Regional Reflection opened on Saturday. The exhibition runs through Feb. 5.

"Sioux City has been so good to me and my family that this was a way that I could repay Sioux City in some small way for all the things that it's done for me," said LeGrand, who served on the Art Center Association of Sioux City's board for three years and donated the building now known as the Orpheum Theatre. "I guess the arts are just something that I really enjoy and really believe in very strongly."

Curator Todd Behrens said the Art Center selected artworks from the collection that connect directly with its mission of exhibiting artists from Sioux City and the Upper Midwest.

All the artworks come either from artists who live and work in or near Sioux City or from artists who've exhibited their work at the Art Center.

"That is what makes the collection amassed by Ritch and his wife Kathy so important for the Sioux City Art Center -- it's a homecoming, a celebration of what the Art Center has been doing throughout its history," Behrens said.

Amassing a collection

LeGrand watched with fascination as a friend of his roommate stood in their bedroom painting a portrait of Albert Einstein on the wall, while drinking beer and listening to rock n' roll at a University of Colorado fraternity house.

During these "mini parties" throughout the school year, LeGrand said an elaborate painting began to take shape, and his interest in art, which he said he was "absolutely clueless" about, grew.

"I was just fascinated by how intricate it was and how he could stand literally a few inches away from the surface he was painting and make all these little brush strokes and then step back and it would be perfect," he said. "I thought, 'Man, that is so cool!'"

LeGrand purchased his first commissioned painting for $500 from the student artist.

After college, a different roommate went on to become a talent agent in Hollywood. LeGrand visited his apartment, where art the man collected was displayed. LeGrand loved looking at the contemporary artworks. As the two toured several museums in Los Angeles, LeGrand's friend shared his knowledge of art with him.

"His parents were also very involved in Hollywood. They had a lot of money and collected contemporary art from all over the world," he said. "He had a running start of knowledge because of his parents that he helped pass on to me."

Back in Sioux City, LeGrand made a trip to the Art Center. He was pleased to learn art was being produced right in his home community. He said he liked the art produced by local and regional artists just as much as the art he saw in L.A. and other parts of the country.

LeGrand began collecting art on a small scale. He bought paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and photographs as he traveled with his wife. He also purchased art books.

"I was just all over the map. The thing that tied it all together and made it consistent was that it was all contemporary-type art," he said. "You either love contemporary art or you don't because it's not for everybody."

A diverse contribution

It wasn't long before LeGrand ran out of room.

He purchased local artist Jan Hyden's untitled canvas, intending to hang it in his office. When it didn't fit, he brought it home, where the majority of the collection was displayed.

"I had to move one time because we ran out of walls and decided we wanted to keep collecting. We actually moved to a bigger house," he said.

Once LeGrand began collecting in earnest, he started visiting group exhibitions of local and regional artists at the Sioux City Art Center. He turned to Art Center staff and their chosen jurists to act as "volunteer curators" as he continued to grow his collection. He purchased works by Sioux City artists such as Jeff Baldus, Karen Chesterman and Terri Parish McGaffin.

LeGrand loves all of the art in the collection, but his favorite is a corten steel and stainless steel sculpture titled "Boulders." He commissioned the piece created by artist Larry Lightbody. The sculpture's title holds special significance to LeGrand because the city of Boulder, Colorado, was the place where his interest in art was sparked and where he met his wife.

"It's a really large, massive piece that sits in our front yard. The Art Center's actually going to install it outside on their lawn somewhere down the road," he said. "The boulders kind of fall down the hill just like the boulders in the mountains would fall down a hill."

Art Center director Al Harris-Fernandez said all of the artworks in the Art Center's permanent collection have come through direct donation or through the gift of funds used to purchase art. He said Ritch and Kathy LeGrand's gift is the largest single donation of artworks in the Art Center's history.

"This catalog, the exhibition of the work and, most important, the promised donation of the artworks, takes their commitment to the cultural well-being of the community to new heights," he said.

LeGrand said the donation of his collection wouldn't have been possible without the vision and efforts of the late Margaret Ann Martin Everist, who in 1985 established a building endowment fund to build the current Sioux City Art Center, which is more than three times the size of its former home. He said he hopes the artworks and art books will inspire others.

"You don't have to go far to find art that's really high quality and visually appealing," he said. "You can enjoy the art that's made right in our local community."
SIOUX CITY | As the election heads into the final weekend, a red wave is forming over in Northwest Iowa.

Over the five weeks of early voting in the state, Republicans have returned more ballots than Democrats in all 14 counties in the Journal circulation area.

In many counties, the GOP advantage is more than 5-to-1, and in some, the ballots returned has more than doubled compared to the 2012 presidential election.

If the region keeps tracking well for Republicans, that could prove key in delivering the state to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who needs Iowa's five electoral votes to reach the magic number of 270. Trump has held a narrow lead over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in most recent Iowa polls.

"Given that Republicans have built on their (Iowa voter registration) lead means that Trump doesnt seem to be hurting them as much as some might have expected. A different way of looking at it is that Clinton isnt generating much enthusiasm, despite Trump," University of Iowa Political Science Professor Tim Hagle said.

Trump widened his advantage over Clinton to seven points, 46-39, in a Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released Saturday night.

Trump, a billionaire businessman, will visit Northwest Iowa for a get-out-the-vote rally at noon Sunday at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Banking a big cache of early Republican votes in Northwest Iowa also could help downballot GOP candidates, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, who holds a commanding polling lead over Democrat Patty Judge, and Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King, who is a heavy favorite over Democrat Kim Weaver.

Among the state's 99 counties, Republicans hold the biggest early vote lead in Sioux County, the state's most Republican, Through Thursday, 3,844 GOP ballots had been cast in Sioux, compared to 443 for Democrats.

Five other Northwest Iowa counties also reported large early voting leads for Republicans: Plymouth County, 2,414 to 912; Clay County, 1,729 to 666; Dickinson County, 2,208 to 966; Lyon County, 1,234 to 186; O'Brien County, 1,242 to 291; and Osceola County, 511 to 106.

Of the top 10 Iowa counties with a Democratic early-voting lead statewide, none are in the northwest corner of the state. The most competitive area county is Emmet, where the number of early votes was 441 for Republicans and 434 for Democrats.

In Woodbury County, home to Sioux City, Republicans held a slim lead over Democrats as of Thursday, 6,720 to 6,492. The voter registration split in the state's fifth largest county has been fairly even for many years for the two major parties.

Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill, a Democrat who is running for re-election, continues to predict turnout equal to most recent presidential elections, or about 45,000 votes in the county.

Statistics show early voting is down overall in Iowa by about 50,000 ballots, or roughly 8 percent, when compared to the 2012 election.

There had been 534,765 early ballots received by the 99 county auditor offices through Thursday, according to Iowa Secretary of State statistics. That's down from the 584,095 that had been received at the same point in the election in 2012.

The downward trend is being driven primarily by a drop in early voting by Democrats, which is tracking at 91 percent of the amount from four years ago.

Of the 534,765 early ballots received statewide, 227,684 came from registered Democrats, which was down from 251,078 in 2012. The 2012 early voting figures were boosted in part by Democrats wanting to re-elect Democratic President Barack Obama.

Republicans early voting is down less than 2 percent from four years ago. The current total is 185,656, compared to 188,298 from 2016.

The comparison point in both cycles is five days before the November general elections.

The early voting statistics by party do not pretend to know which candidates the individual voters selected. Another big unknown is how big the election day turnout will be Tuesday and which party will benefit.

In Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, there were record new voter registrations for this fall's election.

South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs on Tuesday reported the state has reached an all-time high with voter registrations, with 544,402. That total includes Republicans leading in registrations with 252,102, Democrats at 170,711 and independents and other minor parties to get to that total.

Krebs in a release said that is fantastic news, showing South Dakotans are enthused to participate in an important election.

In Nebraska, voter registration also has reached an all-time high of 1,211,449, Secretary of State John Gale announced Tuesday. The total is 46,000 more than the state's primary in May.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced the state gained almost 37,000 newly registered voters over the month of October. The number is nearly 2 million active voters in Iowa (1,996,153) once other minor political parties and independents are added in. Iowa has a population of about 3 million, so roughly two-thirds of people are registered to vote.

In all three states, there are also many federal, state and local races on the ballot Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican from Gering, is unopposed in Nebraska's 3rd congressional District, which includes most of northeast Nebraska. In the 1st District, Dan Wik, a Democrat from Norfolk, is seeking to defeat U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, of Lincoln.

Democratic candidates Jay Williams and Paula Hawks face big challenges as they seek to oust, respectively, U.S. Sen. John Thune and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem in heavily Republican South Dakota.

Live: 2016 Election
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | South Sioux City said there will be additional amenities offered to residents that have been forced from their homes due to odor issues connected with the start-up of Big Ox Energy's wastewater treatment plant.

In a notice Friday to affected homeowners, Big Ox is offering to give any full-time residents of the affected home a pre-paid credit card for expenses for being out of their homes. Also, Big Ox will have a dinner on Sunday night for residents to ask questions and get more information. The city also said that "industrial-style" cleaning from ServiceMaster is available to help eliminate any residing odors.

On Tuesday, the city halted industrial wastewater intake to Big Ox, which is located south of town, after an odor emanating from the plant has been plaguing an area of homes near the intersection of 39th and G streets for a month. Big Ox has been paying for the affected residents to stay at the Marina Inn in South Sioux City, and has also covered meals and mitigation repairs in the homes.

The city hired an engineering firm to help resolve the issue. A plug was inserted on Wednesday to isolate Red Bird Land from the industrial wastewater, and chemicals have been added to reduce the formation of new odors, the city said.
Morton County polling sites for Tuesday's general election remain unchanged from 2014, said County Auditor Dawn Rhone.

 Flasher area residents in Precinct 20, District 31 will vote at the Flasher Community Credit Union at 105 Main St.

 St. Anthony area residents within District 31, Precinct 23 will cast ballots at the St. Anthony Hall at 2332 County Road 136.

 Voters inhabiting Precinct 24, District 31 will vote at the Mandan Airport, 4490 Highway 6.

 Voters in District 34, Precinct 4 will cast their ballots at the Mandan Eagles Club, 1310 Collins Ave.

 Residents of District 33, Precinct 32 will vote at the First Church of the Nazarene at 4209 Old Red Trail in Mandan.

 Voters in Precinct 17 of District 31 also vote at the First Church of the Nazarene.

 Those living in the borders of District 33, Precinct 33 will vote at the New Salem Auditorium, 400 Main Ave.

 Residents of Precinct 36 in District 36 will vote at the Glen Ullin City Hall, 119 S. Main.

 Precinct 38, District 36 voters will cast their ballots at the Hebron Community Center, 600 Washington Ave.

 Voters in Precinct 34, District 33 will vote at the Almont Memorial Hall, 108 Burt Ave.

 District 34, Precinct 8 voters will vote at Spirit of Life Catholic Church, 700 First St. S.E.

 Voters for District 34, Precinct 2 will vote at Midway Lanes at 3327 Memorial Highway.

 Voters for District 31, Precinct 18 also vote at Midway Lanes.

 District 31, Precinct 5 will vote at the Mandan Eagles Club, 1310 Collins Ave.

 District 34, Precinct 3 votes at the Mandan Eagles Club.

 District 34, Precinct 1, votes at Spirit of Life.

 District 34, Precinct 6 and 7 votes at First Lutheran Church, 408 Ninth St. N.W. in Mandan.
SIOUX CITY | Tom Harkin, a former U.S. senator from Iowa, made a case for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Saturday at a union hall, 2200 W. 19th St.

Harkin told a handful of people that Clinton is a strong fighter for women and children and sends a more positive message than Republican challenger Donald Trump.

"The image Trump is sending to young people... if you are rich enough and boorish enough, you can get by with anything, you can get by with sexual assault, you can get by with not paying your taxes, you can get by with stiffing people that work for you-- not paying-- you can get by with mocking and making fun of people with disabilities," Harkin said. "He is not the kind of person we want telling our young people about life and (how) we should act towards one another."

With the election days away, Trump has a slim 1.5 point lead in the Hawkeye State for its six electoral votes, according to Real Clear Politics polling average.

"I am somewhat baffled on how he is doing so well in Iowa," Harkin said about the state that has supported the Democratic candidate in the last two presidential cycles. "I represented Iowa for 40 years. And look, I know everyone wasn't a Democrat I represented, there's Independents, and I've had a lot of Republican friends in my lifetime, still do. And I always considered Iowans as common sense, rational, reasonable people. How can anyone that is rational and reasonable go for Donald Trump?"

Harkin was one of Iowa's U.S. representative for ten years and then was a U.S. senator for 30 years until 2014 when he decided not to run for re-election. The seat was filled by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak.

Harkin said he has known Clinton for 25 years during her time as First Lady, Secretary of State and a New York senator that was on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, which Harkin headed.

Harkin thinks that Trump's popularity in Iowa is from conservative media outlets continuously painting Clinton with a negative brush after controversies such as Benghazi and her federally investigated use of classified emails on personal computers.

"That's not the Hillary we know," Harkin said. "I can say this without any hesitancy or equivocation, Hillary Clinton is one of the most honest, trustworthy, patriotic, compassionate and caring public servants I have ever worked with in (my) 40 years in the United States Congress."

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made his case for his wife in Sioux City last week, and Trump will make his own case at a rally at 12 p.m. Sunday at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Live: 2016 Election
SIOUX CITY | "Korea Remembered," a photo exhibit honoring Siouxland veterans of the Korean War, will open Friday at the Betty Strong Encounter Center in partnership with the Sioux City Journal.

The exhibit will open with a 2 p.m. program. Admission is free, and a reception will take place after the program at the encounter center, adjacent to the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on the Missouri Riverfront at exit 149 off of Interstate 29.

The exhibit is the culmination of The Journal's 20-part series: "Korea: Forgotten war remembered," which began in October. The series of stories written by Journal reporters featured Korean War veterans and includes portraits by Journal photographers.

Consisting of those portraits and text taken from the stories, the exhibit will run through May 28.
SIOUX CITY | Floyd Leaver left Sioux City for the Army in 1950 and returned in 1953 after his discharge.

He's been home ever since, proud of his service in the Korean War. He wonders why those who served in the war don't get more recognition. Only once prior to the Journal's current series on Korean War veterans does he remember a public ceremony honoring Korean War veterans, and that took place just a year or so ago.

"It is a forgotten war because it took all these years to get this publication on it. I believe it's been passed over because nobody's ever taken any interest in it," said Leaver, who as a member of the 8th Army, 44th Engineering Division, helped build roads, bridges, hospitals -- "whatever they needed" -- in Korea during his stint in the war.

The Journal named its series "Forgotten War, Korea Remembered," using a moniker placed on the war by media before the conflict was even over. It's a nickname that has stuck throughout the years, especially given that many people know few details about the war.

"Some of them don't know an actual thing about it," Leaver said.

It's odd that a war in which 1.8 million Americans served, nearly 37,000 were killed, more than 103,000 were wounded and another 7,700 are still unaccounted for would be forgotten.

Yet for a number of reasons, the war never really registered with Americans when it broke out in 1950 or in the immediate aftermath of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting.

"Even in terms of military history, it's taught as the war between World War II and Vietnam," said Kurt Hackemer, a University of South Dakota history professor who teaches American military history. "It is sort of out of the public eye in a lot of ways."

Congress never declared war during the three-year conflict, Hackemer said, and the United States didn't mobilize for a war effort as it had a decade earlier during World War II.

For most Americans, World War II was a formative experience, unlikely to be matched. When the Korean War began, Hackemer said, Americans were getting their lives back in order, and the economy was taking off. Without deliberate efforts by the U.S. government to keep the Korean War in the public's eye as had been the case in World War II, the general public had its focus elsewhere. Soldiers returning home from Korea, for the most part, didn't get the grand parades that WWII veterans received.

"There was a sense that they're supposed to integrate quietly when they get back," Hackemer said.

The war also lacked that signature battle or campaign like a Normandy invasion or Iwo Jima. There was no enemy surrender, only a cease-fire that didn't seem to resolve anything. The border between the two Koreas remained roughly the same as it had been before the war, and the communist government in the north was still in place.

The fact there was no clear resolution to the war reverberates to this day, making it important that the Korean War not be forgotten, said Greg Guelcher, a Morningside College history professor who teaches 20th Century world history and modern east Asian history.

"The Korean War is a reality that millions and millions of people continue to live with," Guelcher said. "The Korean War does not deserve to be the Forgotten War. This is a war we should be talking about often because it is still affecting the world today.

"The legacy of the Korean War extends right up to the present."

A peace treaty never was signed, so the war never really ended, Guelcher said. Current North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's continual testing of nuclear weapons has kept South Korea, Japan and China on edge, uncertain of what might happen next. Add in the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, and the North Korean government's constant prodding should remind everyone that current events have roots in the 1950s conflict, Guelcher said.

"I worry that Korea and the Korean War will never get its proper due," he said.

Despite ongoing tensions, few people seem to look to the past or make the connection between what happened more than 65 years ago and what's going on today.

"I've been teaching for 25 years, that's almost always the war the vast majority of the class has no exposure to," Hackemer said. "Unless you know someone directly who fought in the war, I think it remains relatively obscure."

Hackemer and Guelcher said that in recent years, Korean War veterans seem to be getting their due as society realizes that these veterans, in their 80s and 90s, are rapidly leaving us.

Leaver, too, has noticed. As he travels to events with fellow American Legion motorcycle riders, people come up to him, see his Korea Veteran cap and thank him for his service. Some will ask about Korea.

Leaver said he enjoys answering their questions, educating them about the long-ago war. For him and others who served there, they still have vivid memories of what the war was about. It's anything but forgotten, as Leaver and all the veterans interviewed by the Journal for this series have made clear.

"You'd never forget that," Leaver said. "You went through a deal like that, and it's never over."
If North Dakota doesnt take the initiative to settle the conflict at the construction site of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the confrontation will become uglier and the likelihood of a wholesale outbreak of hostilities will result.

It is the nature of mobs that participants are willing to do more unlawful deeds as a group than they would if confronted face-to-face on some main street. The mob mentality on Highway 1806 means that peace is at the mercy of the most radical agitators at the scene.

The demonstration is another cultural confrontation between Native Americans and the white immigrants. As the conquering people, the dominant white immigrants are obligated to deal with the Sioux in a considerate empathetic manner. This is not a time for arrogance.

We can cite the law but a steamroller resolution will leave torn relationships in North Dakota when Dakota Access and the celebrants have long gone.

Instead of depending on the federal government to rescue North Dakota from this impasse, the states chief executive, Gov. Jack Dalrymple, must assert the states authority and his leadership in the crisis.

The first order of business should be a gubernatorial invitation to the Standing Rock Tribal Council to meet with the governor in a calm, reconciliatory private meeting to begin a tempering of the issues. Nothing can be negotiated in the vitriol along Highway 1806.

By dealing with only the Standing Rock Tribal Council, the discussion would exclude all of the protesters who have no legitimate stake in the issues at hand. That means all of the out-of-reservation demonstrators would have no part in the dialogue.

It is important to acknowledge at the outset that Dakota Access Pipeline went through all of the legal steps required for construction. Relying on the formalities of the law, they proceeded to build the pipeline.

The situation must still be handled with empathy for the Standing Rock people. To the extent that they did not know about the legal processes, they are innocent victims of the process as well as Dakota Access. At the same time, the tribe must understand that everyone involved is under a government of law and that the law will eventually prevail.

Some of the protesters claims are specious. For example, the claim that the Sioux have some right to control sacred land outside of the reservation is questionable. It was never suggested or identified before the current controversy started. It was an add-on.

The legitimacy of this claim needs to be treated with respect. The specifics of the claim should be explored and evaluated. What makes land sacred? How is it determined to be sacred? Are other sacred lands crossed by public utilities? Could the pipeline be built in a way that preserved the integrity of sacred land?

As for the security of the water supply, it seems that a documented presentation should be made to the tribal council about the safety of running pipelines under rivers.

How many underwater pipelines exist? How many have ruptured? What new technology guarantees the safety of underwater pipelines? Is an alternative water source available, such as the Southwest Water Authority?

At this juncture, it does no good to talk about past errors and misunderstandings. We must deal with the facts as they exist today. The conflict must be de-escalated and the governor pursue a peaceful resolution that permits everyone to come out of the experience gracefully.
SIOUX CITY | In his final scheduled Iowa stop before Election Day, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump continued to paint himself as a man of the people while casting his opponent as a corrupt insider and a "candidate of yesterday."

"Hillary (Clinton) is an insider fighting only for herself and special interests," Trump told a crowd of 4,500 Sunday afternoon at the Sioux City Convention Center. "I'm an outsider. The American people are our only special interests."

During his 30-minute speech, Trump focused on the differences between him and Clinton on Barack Obama's health care law, immigration and foreign policy. He began with his plan to repeal and replace "Obamacare" and his plans to strengthen Social Security.

"Hillary Clinton is going to destroy your Social Security and Medicare. She even wants to give your benefits to illegal immigrants," Trump said. "I am going to protect and save your Social Security and your Medicare."

Trump told the crowd there was "little doubt" the FBI would be able to indict Hillary Clinton, fostering an "unprecedented constitutional crisis" if she were elected and then indicted and put under a criminal trial. His words elicited a chant of "lock her up" from the crowd.

Those remarks on Clinton came just hours before word was released Sunday afternoon that the FBI found no evidence to warrant criminal charges in a review of newly discovered emails sent or received by Clinton.

During the speech, Trump reiterated his support for family farms, corn-based ethanol, coal miners and steel factories. He said he plans to reduce "job-killing" regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency and keep the death tax from increasing.

Trump said he plans to suspend the Syrian refugee resettlement program and "keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country."

During Sunday's visit to Iowa's deeply red northwest corner, Trump multiple times stressed the importance of casting a vote Tuesday, referring to his candidacy as a critical juncture for the country.

"As our country, this is never going to happen again," he said. "This is your last chance to make our country truly, truly great again."

Sunday's stop was the first of five for Trump Sunday. Following Sioux City, Trump was scheduled to visit Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia. He has another five events scheduled Monday in a final campaign blitz before Election Day.

Sunday's crowd of 4,500 filled the Sioux City Convention Center to capacity for the rally, with Sioux City Fire Rescue officials saying they had to turn away another 200 to 300 lined up out the doors. A crowd wrapped around the corner more than a block away from the Convention Center entrance for much of the morning as people went through security at the venue.

While standing in line prior to the rally, Jeff Zimmerman, of Clarkson, Nebraska, said he was 100 percent solidified in his support of Trump and planned to vote Tuesday. He said the main reason he was supporting Trump was because of his rising healthcare costs.

"I have 14 children, and Obamacare is killing us," he said. "When I started my job 16 years ago, my maximum out-of-pocket was less than what our deductible is now. And our insurance is horrible. It costs 10 times as much."

Tracy L., of Ida Grove, Iowa, who declined to give her full last name, said she was about 90 percent sure of her vote for Trump but wanted to see him "well-spoken" and "in control" Sunday to cement her support.

"I have a son in the military and a husband in law enforcement," she said. "I hear he's the best candidate to represent those."

A trio of protesters stood outside the front entrance holding "Say no to Trump" signs. They said they were opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline, protesting Trump's financial interests in the pipeline.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Rep. Steve King and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst addressed the crowd prior to Trump's arrival. King, R-Kiron, drew attention to Trump's 7-point lead in a new Des Moines Register poll released Saturday.

A Real Clear Politics average had Trump leading Clinton by 3 points, 44.3 to 41.3, in the battleground state of Iowa with less than 48 hours to Election Day.

In response to Trump's campaign stop, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, issued a statement saying Trump continues to offer a "dark and divisive vision as the closing argument for his campaign."

"He has shown us time and again that he is temperamentally unfit and unqualified to be President and Commander in Chief," Vilsack's statement said. "Iowans deserve a President like Hillary Clinton who holds the optimistic view that Americans are stronger together, rather than one who could destroy the values that would tear our country apart."

Live: 2016 Election
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
Latin America  November 6, 2016

On the morning of November 4th, 2016, Brazilian military and civilian police used violent force to storm Brazils, Landless Workers Movements (MST) Florestan Fernandes National School (ENFF) in Guararema, outside of Sao Paulo in Brazil. According to several witnesses, the police stormed their way into the facility by forcing their way through the main gate shooting live bullets, and threatening people.

As a founding member of Via Campesina, the MST has worldwide recognition as an important peasant social movement, with a commitment to the protection of rural communities and workers and the struggle for land reform. The Florestan Fernandes school has been committed to building social consciousness and popular unity for over 10 years. Hundreds of students are currently studying at the ENFF which is administered by the MST to provide political and socioeconomic education to working class youth and adults from around the world.

Criminalization of Social Protest

The act is clearly a violent action taken by the current illegitimate government to intimidate the MST and their allies, who stand in clear opposition to the administration of Michel Temer, who led the parliamentary coup against elected president Dilma Rousseff and took control of the government in August of this year. The attack is part of a broader policy of criminalization of social protest and attacks against the MST.

The campaign of terror against the MST has already left its mark on two other states in Brazil: Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul, where civil police arrested members of the MST calling them members of criminal organizations, despite the Supreme Court of Brazil recognizing the MST as a legitimate organization.

We the undersigned organizations and social movements condemn this violent act against the ENFF and the MST, which stands in stark contrast to the democratic and constitutional rights Brazilians have fought to secure. To organize against an oppressive system is not a crime, it is a responsibility. We express our total solidarity with the MST and demand the appropriate investigations be launched to bring the responsible to justice. We also ask the international community to join us in solidarity with the largest social movement in the Americas. 

America Latina al Dia

Circulo Bolivariano Louis Riel

Common Frontiers

DeColonize Now

Idle No More

Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network

Solidarity Halifax

Socialist Project

Students united in representation of Latin America

The Dawn News  International Newsletter of Popular Struggles

More news on this situation:

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra (MST)

The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra, or MST) is one of the largest movements in Latin America with an estimated membership of 1.5 million members across 23 of Brazils 26 states. It has been at the centre of the international peasants movement, La Via Campesina. The MSTs aims are to fight for general access to the land for poor workers through land reform in Brazil, land occupations and through activism around social issues related to land possession. This is part of a wider agenda of addressing unequal income distribution, social inequalities related to race and gender. The MST has worked at a self-sustainable way of life for the poor in rural areas, linked to the wider struggle for new forms of socialism. 

More on the history of MST: History of the MST.
Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09

Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in...
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Americas economy is changing  in good ways and bad. Its a globalized world  where even the smallest companies have great new opportunities to reach far-flung customers and markets, either by selling directly into foreign markets or supplying parts for U.S. exports.

Last year I was in Washington to meet my representatives and make sure they understand just whats happening. While I was there Sen. Heidi Heitkamp was fighting for companies like mine as she led the effort to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, which helps U.S. businesses sell their products overseas.

At the time, the bank was shut down as some in Washington attempted to make it into a partisan lightning rod. Heitkamp, however, knew that Ex-Im wasnt a Democratic issue or a Republican one. She knew that the bank was simply the right thing to do to strengthen Americas communities and let companies like mine create jobs.

She saw firsthand that for workers in small towns and rural areas economic disruption and volatility can be especially severe. After all, when a shop closes in New York City it hurts, but there will always be plenty of jobs and businesses nearby. Here in North Dakota, however, many people still live in one-shop towns, where a single plant or ranch is the only real employer for dozens of miles. My business, Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, employs 350 people in a town with a population of 751.

For communities like Killdeer, and thousands like it around the country, a steady manufacturing base is the cornerstone of stability and economic health. While manufacturing is less prone to the volatility and upswings that plague energy and agriculture, it isnt easy in todays globalized world economy.

But for the last 80 years, American manufacturers had one strong ally in their corner  the Ex-Im Bank, which steps in to offer market-rate financing and insurance to help close foreign export deals when no commercial bank can do the job. Ex-Im has always been a prudent lender that protects American taxpayers with lending standards so careful that its default rate is just 0.175 percent, five times lower than most ordinary private banks. The bank has been so successful that it pays the cost of its own operations out of interest and fees it charges for its services, and most years turns a modest profit that goes back to taxpayer accounts as well.

That is how Ex-Im has been able to support billions of dollars worth of American exports every year. Since 2012, over 6,000 U.S. businesses have worked with the bank on over $182 billion worth of deals, creating over 1.3 million American jobs during one of the roughest patches our economy has ever seen.

Those who temporarily shut down the bank called it a creature of big business  a corporate welfare slush fund that no one would really miss. But my business is living proof thats not true. We sell wiring and cable that is incorporated into large complex machinery like airplanes. So when Boeing works with the Ex-Im Bank to sell more airplanes overseas, those transactions roll on down the supply chain and keep workers on the job at our facilities  and at thousands of other subcontractors and small suppliers nationwide.

Heitkamp understood the pain that Ex-Ims closure was causing to businesses in North Dakota and around the nation. She heard from companies losing contracts. She saw headlines about jobs being needlessly shipped overseas because of congressional gridlock.

And she demanded action from Congress when others simply threw up their hands, ready to give up. She worked with Democrats and Republicans to actually get things done.

Today, thanks to her leadership, a supermajority in Congress passed Heitkamps a long-term reauthorization of the bank. But there is still more work to be done since some in Congress are still waging a last-gasp struggle to limit the banks authority and block it from approving the deals that boost the American economy the most.

Thankfully, leaders like Heitkamp continue to fight for a fully operational bank. While the issue remains unresolved, she has kept the issue front and center and taken every opportunity possible to try to fix the situation  and shes continuing that fight. Most recently she opposed a short-term government funding bill because it didn't address the bank fix.
London tour: from architectural gardens to nose-to-tail dining, the best of the city right now

Take the Wallpaper* London tour  the latest in our design-led weekly travel round-up
One question posed by Jason Brennans Against Democracy is: who should be the epistocrats?

Ideally, of course, they would be informed and rational. But these are two different things. Which means we have four categories of people* as my diagram summarizes.

In the top left we have the informed and rational. These are proper experts (who might, of course, be only a subset of those who appear to be expert). But heres a problem: there are no general purpose experts. Some of you might think Im tolerably rational and informed about a few economic issues, but Im ignorant about foreign and legal affairs  just as experts on those might know little about economics. This is a problem, as people who are rational and informed on some matters can be as daft as a brush in other contexts.

In the opposite corner we have the ignorant and irrational. Perhaps the most dangerous of these are those prone to the Dunning-Kruger effect: those who dont realize that they are ignorant.

It is, however, the other corners that interest me. In the top-right we have the informed but irrational. These include some people whose perhaps genuine expertise in one field emboldens them to consider themselves more general experts; think of dinner party bores and some guests on the BBC's moron-yak shows.

But theres another group in this category: people who are befuddled by their own knowledge. Take two examples from investing. Even financially literate and intelligent retail investors make expensive mistakes, such as trading too much or investing in poorly-performing high-charging funds. And even quite short runs of good returns can make investors dizzy with success: their good performance emboldens them to take too much risk. In such cases, moderate knowledge creates an illusion of knowledge and overconfidence.

This can happen in politics. Thatchers successes (by her own lights) in the 80s led her to introduce the poll tax, which destroyed the Tories in Scotland for a generation and contributed to her losing her job. And Blairs successful interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone led him to think he could repeat the trick in Iraq.

In the opposite corner from these, we have those who are rational but ignorant. Exemplars of this include Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett. One of their strengths is that they know their circle of competence and try not to stray outside it. This means they avoid lots of businesses which they dont understand but stick to principles they know that work  namely, using (pdf) their insurance float to take cheap geared positions in defensive stocks, a trick retail investors can only half-emulate.

Another example of rationality and ignorance is the Brainard principle  the idea that, faced with uncertainty one should do less than one otherwise would. Although this is associated with monetary policy it has wider relevance. For example, if I were conducting foreign policy I would set an extremely high bar for engaging in military action. Such a rule would risk not intervening in cases where one could do good. But it would avoid catastrophic engagements.

The general idea here is that the rational but ignorant stick to rules which require inaction in many circumstances.

This brings me to a problem with epistocracy: what if true experts are scarce? One danger is that if you call some people epistocrats theyll believe they are experts when they are not and so commit the errors that arise from overconfidence.

Personally  given the choice in a second-best world - Id prefer rulers to be rational but ignorant than informed but irrational. But this poses the question: do we have the rules and institutions that best mitigate the problems that arise when informed rationality is absent?

* Of course, there isnt a sharp divide between rational and irrational or between the informed and ignorant: we lie on a spectrum between the two. Im simplifying.
Teresa Purcell has been all across the country campaigning for other candidates, often for women. Having gone door to door in 34 different states, doorbelling isnt a chore for her, she says. Its her love.

But this time, its personal for the Longview Democrat. With every spare moment, she doorbells for her own campaign for the 19th District House seat, often in Longview where she was born and raised  though that fact didnt prevent her from getting lost, admitting her terrible sense of direction with a laugh.

On a Thursday afternoon in Longviews Old West Side, residents answering their doors would often already know her or one member of her large family. One woman who recognized Purcell immediately answered her door and said hello enthusiastically.

I went to high school with her husband, Purcell explained. This is why this campaign is so meaningful to me.

But familiarity is no guarantee of success. Purcell is in a hotly contested race against Grays Harbor Republican Jim Walsh. The race has resulted in record spending levels because the outcome could affect the balance of power in the House. And Purcell herself would be something of a new breed among 19th District legislators. Shes more progressive than the other members of the 19th district delegation of today and the last decade or two, though she adamantly rejects the Puget Sound liberal moniker her opponent has tried to label her with. And she would be the first woman elected from the sprawling district in decades.

Purcell, a self-employed public relations consultant, faced tough competition in the Aug. 2 primary. She narrowly beat incumbent Longview Democrat J.D. Rossetti, who was appointed as a state representative in October amid complaints of cronyism. Hed been the staff aide to the other 19th District Democrats, and Rossetti was the latest in a long line of 19th District legislators who got their seats through appointment instead of election.

Purcell, 53, edged Rossetti for second place by a 50-vote margin, or 0.2 percentage points to face Walsh, who won the top two primary. But the 19th District  which includes all of Wahkiakum and Pacific and parts of Cowlitz, Lewis and Grays Harbor counties  historically votes Democratic. And the biggest share of the votes come from Longview, where Purcell bested Rossetti by nearly 800 votes.

Purcell worked for 25 years for various campaigns, whether as a consultant, lobbyist or communications staff member. She has been targeting Democrats and independent voters and, in her spiel at the door, touts her connections: She was born and raised in the area, she thinks it could be doing so much better, wants to go to work for them and could be effective right away in the Legislature.

Purcells parents are Wayne Purcell, a well-respected retired Longview lawyer, and the late Joyce Purcell, who was heavily involved in the Cowlitz County Democratic Central Committee. Teresa moved back to Longview from Seattle nine years ago and bought her parents sprawling home on Lone Oak Road, where she grew up as the youngest of nine children.

While attending University of Washington, Purcell was heavily involved in the environmental community, where she met her partner, Jim Young. She is the only candidate in local elections who has spoken against the Millennium coal terminal in Longview. But shes not deep green. She supports NW Innovations Works methanol plant in Kalama. And she opposes Initiative 732, which would add a tax on large emitters of carbon dioxide, the main gas blamed for climate change.

Purcell lies more on the left than state Sen. Dean Takko, D-Longview, and state Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, who have endorsed her. Purcell, for example, supports Initiative 1491, which she calls a common-sense gun measure that would limit high-risk individuals from obtaining firearms. Blake and Takko oppose it.

I know Teresa and I like her, Takko said. I love my wife, but we dont agree on everything. So, do Teresa and I have to agree on everything to work together? I dont think so.

Like Takko and Blake, Purcell has the backing of union groups.

On the state income tax, Purcell has been adamant that she opposes such a measure unless theres a major overhaul in the states tax system, which she says is the most regressive in the country. The state income tax is a tool in the toolbox but would be the last tool she would use, she said. Gov. Jay Inslee and other ruling Democrats have said they will not seek a state income tax in the upcoming January legislative session, when lawmakers must figure out how to comply with court-ordered educational improvements.

I have to laugh because Im getting attacked for being a Seattle liberal. My values come firmly from my parents, Purcell said. She said her viewpoints on social justice issues  equality and advocating for those who have less  were directly influenced by her parental role models.

To fully fund K-12 basic education, Purcell said she would try to close corporate tax exemptions. She opposes Initiative 1464, a campaign reform effort that would be financed by repealing the sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers. She supports Initiative 1433  the one to increase the state minimum wage to $13.50  but said more people from rural communities should have been consulted about it.

Purcell supporters say she would provide a voice to progressives who have been underrepresented by 19th District legislators. Takko and Blake have often provided a voice to moderate Democrats  the dark purple, said Democratic Party chairman Paul McLain.

If a progressive can win in this district, its good, McClain said. Its not a bad thing that theres a voice for the other part of the constituents of the district.

Purcell, who managed U.S. Sen. Patty Murrays long-shot campaign to become Washingtons first female U.S. senator in 1992, has many relationships from her work in local, state and federal campaigns. She has raked in a historic amount of money for the 19th District  more than $233,000 as of Thursday. The House Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee has invested $72,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, hoping to keep the seat under Democratic control.

Many of her supporters perceive Purcells primary election win as a success both for women and for critics of the appointment process. In October commissioners from all five counties in the 19th District chose Rossetti for the House seat over Seaview hotel owner Tiffany Turner, who had received the votes of precinct committee officers.

I think a lot of Democrats felt that way and they were disappointed when the PCO choice was ignored, said Donna McLain, president of the Washington State Federation of Democratic Women and Pauls wife. A lot of people felt like, Yes, this is not a good old boys club.

Donna McLain said its especially important for her that Purcell wins because she would protect womens reproductive rights. Purcell, a Catholic, is pro-choice and has received financial support from Planned Parenthood, while Walsh opposes abortion and has been endorsed by Human Life PAC.

I just dont believe its a decision that government should be involved in, Purcell said.

Purcell said the most meaningful moment in her campaign was on the Fourth of July parade, when she said a little girl came up to her and asked, Does this mean this could be me someday?

I said absolutely, Purcell said.

And it reminded her of the importance of what shes doing

Those are the kinds of things that keep you going, she said. Kids are watching.
At candidate forums, its easy to recognize Jim Walsh as the tall man with a booming voice and firm opposition to big government.

Going door to door, though, Walsh, 52, is far less assertive. Tiptoeing toward homes with no soliciting signs, unsure of whether to knock, Walsh says he wants to respect private property.

Its always a judgment call, he said.

Its been decades since the 19th District has elected a Republican representative, and Walsh is more conservative than other Republican leaders in the area. He considers himself a libertarian. But Walsh supporters say this could be the GOPs year.

Walsh, a Grays Harbor businessman, won the Aug. 2 primary, winning 29 percent of the votes among five challengers. Purcell narrowly beat incumbent state Rep. J.D. Rossetti, who was appointed to his seat in October, to face Walsh in the general election.

Walsh said the public is fed up with the appointment process, and he represents the cleanest break from it.

I think this area is ready for change, Walsh said. Id like to say it was my qualities, but I think its a wave thats bigger than me.

Walsh has said throughout his campaign that he best represents the values of the district, pointing to opposition to any tax increases and support for gun rights. He opposes all six state initiatives on the ballot, including Initiative 1491, which would limit high-risk individuals from obtaining firearms.

But Walsh has a tough race ahead of him; Teresa Purcell has close ties to Longview. In Cowlitz County Purcell won the primary with 28.8 percent of the votes, outpolling Walsh here by 989 votes. And only two Republicans have been elected to a 19th District House seat since 1935.

Walsh supporters say this year is different. Hal Palmer, of Longview, the state Republican Partys Southwest Washington field director, said Republicans have gotten closer to a win throughout the years.

I believe the district overall is more conservative than we saw in the past, Palmer said. Jim has been working the phones. Hes been doorbelling. Hes been sending the right messages. I think thats all going to come together with a win for him.

Walsh is largely focusing his campaign on Cowlitz County and spends two to three afternoons a week doorbelling in the Longview area, often with his wife, Jamie Walsh. He has raised $145,000 as of Friday, according to the Public Disclosure Commission, including $78,000 from the House Republican Organizational Committee.

Walsh was born in Florida and moved to Aberdeen in 2003 from California looking for a place with a small-town feel where he could raise his kids. He fell in love with Southwest Washington, he said.

He also moved his business, Silver Lake Publishing Inc., which primarily publishes nonfiction, how to books and technical manuals. The business struggled in 2004 and 2005, when Walsh said retail bookstores were going bankrupt, and the troubles forced him to refocus his business into electronic publishing. He eliminated intermediaries, he said, so he can save money and deal with distributors like Amazon directly.

I think to survive in business, you have to have a clear eye and you have to be able to prioritize things, Walsh said.

Thats what he would offer in the Legislature, he said, and its how he would approach investing in public schools to comply with a court-ordered mandate for the state to fund K-12 education. He said he supports property levy equalization  collecting more money from wealthy school districts like Bellevue, and less from poorer district like Kelso. Critics say that strategy wouldnt raise the billions needed for education over the next few years. Walsh disagrees, but he would favor cutting other state programs if more money is necessary, asserting that he would be spreading the pain broadly.

When Walsh first moved to Aberdeen, he got involved with an effort to set up an immigrant investor center, a controversial program that fast-tracks applications for permanent residency from wealthy foreigners willing to invest in U.S. businesses. The program is meant to spur business growth but is controversial for essentially allowing the rich to buy green cards and, ultimately, American citizenship.

Walsh said the project died because, he was told, the organizers did not have political support, and to this day doesnt know who stopped the project. He said thats what inspired him to get involved in politics.

Walshs father was conservative, he said, and worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as an attorney under Ronald Reagans administration. But Walshs libertarian views were born in college when a college professor gave him a book, The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig von Mises, which eventually led him to the philosophies of free-market economist Milton Friedman.

What I admire about Jim is his strength of character, Palmer said. He cant be swayed by people who try to sway him.

Critics of Walsh have pointed to his libertarian views as a potential weakness for government office  wanting less government and less doing everything that government stands for, said Donna McLain, president of the state Federation of Democratic Women. Walsh has said government is backwards in that industries have become too dependent on government services to thrive.

We dont have to look for grants, Walsh said. We can lead public policy.

But Walsh says hes pragmatic, one who focuses on what needs to be done as opposed to trying to do it all.

It is, in fact, the function of a representative to go up there and say, No we dont need to do that, said Arne Mortensen, chairman of the Cowlitz County Republican Central Committee. The current society thinks if you dont like something, then youll pass a law and thatll take care of it.

Walsh has also worked with Mortensen as vice chairman of the state Republican Party, and Mortensen said Walsh for him is a breath of fresh air.

He is not at all bureaucratic, Mortensen said. He seeks to empower the people as opposed to empowering himself.

In forums, Walsh with his booming voice has been firm on his positions against big government  wanting to eliminate bureaucracy and red tape that get in the way of economic development, often citing the permitting process thats dragged along the proposed Millennium coal terminal in Longview. He also says the permitting process creates unnecessary roadblocks. He calls the state Shoreline Management Act a hurdle for housing development. And Walsh doesnt share Millennium opponents concerns about climate change.

I believe that the climate is constantly changing, he said. I believe that human activity has some effect on climate change. But to say that human activity is the reason that theres global warming is a gross oversimplification.

Walsh has said basic education is the paramount duty and everything else is tied for second. And he says he has the districts best interests at heart.

Im the best match for this area, he said.
More than 6,500 people in Cowlitz County have been helped through trauma, accidents and surgeries thanks to 15 years of generosity on the part of Mark Morris students and staff. And on Friday they celebrated with (what else) another blood drive.

About 100 students and staff filed through the school gym Friday to donate blood through Bloodworks Northwest. For many of the students it was their first time donating blood.

Fridays drive, which collected 80 pints of blood, was organized by teacher Travis Ruhter and student leaders, including senior Amber Torell and junior Becky Grubbs.

Ruhter himself donated blood Friday afternoon. Hes been the motivating force of the blood drives, and Bloodworks Friday presented him a commemorative plaque thanking him for his work. Under Ruhters guidance, Mark Morris added a fall blood drive (theres another in the spring) and has consistently signed up over 100 participants each time.

Amber and Becky, along with sophomores Olivia McMahon and Jewell Barnes, staffed a table in front of the gym entrance Friday and checked in students who had signed up ahead of time. The girls made sure each potential donor was old enough  the minimum age required is 16. They also verified that first time donors under the age of 18 had a permission slip from their parents.

Both spoke highly of Ruhter while checking people in.

Hes like my dad, Becky said.

Its amazing, everything he does, Amber said.

In the 15 years of Mark Morris blood drive, 3,080 donors have been contributed 2,221 units of blood. Bloodworks Northwest is the only supplier of blood to St. John Medical Center in Longview, and the vast majority of its blood stays in Southwest Washington.

Every time we come here its such a well-oiled machine, said Yvette Olive, a donor resource representative from Bloodworks. Every year I have an amazing contact.

As part of Ruhters leadership class, students are responsible for contacting Bloodworks and signing up their peers ahead of time. Usually a senior leads the organization and trains a junior to take over the organizational duties the following year.

Its been really beneficial for us, Ruhter said. The students also educate their peers about donating blood, sooth fears about being pricked with needles and let them know when they eligible to donate.

A lot of ... people try to disqualify themselves, Ruhter said. Just get registered, and then theyll tell you whether youre eligible.

Bloodworks requires adult donors to weigh at least 110 pounds, while 16 and 17-year-olds must weigh 114 pounds. First-time female donors under 18 years old must weigh 125 pounds. The weight requirements aim to minimize the chance of adverse reactions.

Most of them are first-time donors, so its important that they have a really good time, Olive said.

Mark Morris is also among the high schools participating in Bloodworks Northwests Student Organization Scholarship program for Oregon and Southwest Washington schools. The program allows leadership groups to earn money for their local chapters by setting up blood drives at their high schools.

The two-year-old scholarship program has donated $13,600 to organizations at 12 high schools throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Theyre so passionate about what they do here, Olive said. We really want (the students) to know that what theyre doing is profound.
Whoever wins Tuesdays presidential election will face an assertive, aggrieved Russia whose risk-taking behavior under President Vladimir Putin is increasingly worrisome to U.S. experts.

Todays pushy, headstrong Russia presents a paradox: By most measures, it is a country in decline, with a sagging economy, an underdeveloped technology base and a shrinking population. Corruption pervades nearly every sector. The collapse of the Soviet Union is still an open wound, and many Russians blame the United States for taking advantage of them during their years of decline.

Yet this inwardly weak Russia displays the cockiness of a street fighter. It is waging war in Syria, Ukraine and cyberspace with a seeming disdain for U.S. power. According to Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., Russian hackers sought to interfere with the U.S. election process, on authority of the highest levels of the Russian government.

Putins definition of risk-taking has evolved in the direction of greater boldness and less attention to how it will affect the U.S., argues Dimitri Simes, president of the Center for the National Interest. Putin thinks that American positive inducements are next to nonexistent, and that the penalties are minimal, and will be imposed whatever he does.

The next president must assess how to alter Russian behavior without direct military confrontation. Is that best done by cutting deals with Putin, as Donald Trump suggests? Or should it be a firmer process of asserting U.S. power and interests, as Hillary Clinton has argued? This may be the biggest national-security issue in the election.

Future U.S. strategy should begin with a clear understanding of how Putins Kremlin looks at the world. And here, leading U.S. analysts offer some disturbing warnings. Moscow sees itself as the wounded party, fighting back after decades of U.S. supremacy. Putin, the ex-KGB officer, is turning the tools of covert subversion and information operations developed during the Cold War back against the United States.

The evidence does not seem to suggest that Putin favors one candidate over the other this November. Instead, it suggests that he favors chaos. He wants the American political process to look bad, writes national security analyst James Ludes in a blog post for War on the Rocks titled The Russians Read our Cold War Playbook. Moscows new propaganda themes include U.S. government surveillance, political corruption that benefits elites and rigged elections, he argues.

Russias strategy has been characterized as hybrid warfare, but historian Angus E. Goldberg contends in Small Wars Journal that a better term is the Russian word bespredel, which means absence of limits, or anything goes. The word is often used to describe the behavior of the corrupt oligarchs who have prospered in Putins Russia.

Moscows new weapons range across the spectrum of hard and soft power, overt and covert. What binds them together as a coherent system is the willingness of the Russian Federation to implement them without any constraints, writes Goldberg.

Putin himself displays an unusual combination of personal traits. He can be emotional, headstrong, even impulsive, argues Stephen Sestanovich, a Russia expert at Columbia University. But Putin is also calculating. The Russians have a saying: Measure seven times, cut once. Hes that kind of careful guy.

Over the past few years, Putins risk tolerance has clearly grown. In the history of the Cold War, they never did anything remotely like the intervention in Syria, notes Sestanovich. Moscow calculates that the risk of dangerous payback is less than it used to be.

Putins behavior is also shaped by the increasing ascendancy of military and intelligence officials in his inner circle. Like Putin, they are Cold War veterans with a sense of grievance against the United States. A well-placed Russian recently described to Simes the worldview of these Kremlin insiders: We are being surrounded. America wants to destroy us. The only thing they understand is force.

So back to the question for Election Day: Which approach to dealing with this newly threatening Russia makes the most sense? Many analysts fear that Trumps conciliatory words would be read in Moscow as a sign of U.S. exhaustion and feed new demands. Cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch argued in a recent podcast with War on the Rocks that if Moscows covert meddling isnt deterred, its going to be played over and over again across the globe.

Clintons tougher stance sounds like a better way to protect U.S. interests, so long as she doesnt make Putin feel humiliated or backed into a corner. This Russia is weaker than it looks, but it has been wounded by recent history and is all too ready to lash out.
As a NoDak I'm disgusted by the outside intervention and attacks on my state, North Dakota. In my lifetime we were left to fend for/on our own, been the butt of all/every joke(s), have had to endure ridicule due to our desolation, and completely disrespected as a people and state.

Now all of a sudden these multimillion to billionaire stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Susan Sarandon, Shailene Woodley, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, etc. want to lecture and dictate to us North Dakotans. They need to shut up and take their photo-op propaganda elsewhere.

We NoDaks have suffered enough attacks on our economy(ies), i.e., farmers, oil, coal and construction industries, by outsiders who have never cared about us and/or our state. It's time for the George Soros-funded protesters to either leave or go to jail. Thank you.
35 CVASU students go Malaysia for internship

A Correspondent :

A total of 35 students of Fisheries Department of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University (CVASU) are going to Malaysia for internship on Sunday. In this connection a view exchange meeting with journalists was held at its conference room this noon.

Addressing the journalists, Dr Prof Goutam Buddha Das, Vice Chancellor of CVASU said the students of Fisheries Department were going to Malaysia for one month internship for the first time. On September 30, a MoU was signed with University Malaysia Terengana that all students of the department will go to Malaysia for internship without any fee. According to the MoU all students will leave the country tomorrow morning, he added. Dr M Nurul Abser Khan, Dean of Fisheries Department, M Ahsanul Haque, Dean of Veterinary Medicine Department, Prof Dr AKM Saifuddin, director of Internal Activities, Prof Dr M Alamgir Hossain, Director of Student Welfare and Prof Goutam Kumar Devnath, Proctor of CVASU and Mirza Faruk Imam, Ragistrar of CVASU also remained present in the function.


Merit Scholarship Award Ceremony at EWU

Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum, Member, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh distributes certificates of Merit Scholarships among the students of East West University in a ceremony held EWU campus, Aftabnagar in the city on Sunday.

Campus Report :

East West University (EWU) provided 'Merit Scholarship Award 2016' to their 206 students for excellent academic performance. Most of the recipients are female. The award ceremony was held at EWU campus, Aftabnagar in the city on Sunday. Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum, Member, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) graced the ceremony as chief guest.

In her speech Dr Afroza mentioned that, there were no scholarships for girls in Pakistan period. But many different types of scholarships are now available in Independent Bangladesh. She urged the award recipients to work with honesty from this stage of life and promise their dreams.

Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, EWU and former Governor of Bangladesh Bank was the chair of the program. And Prof Dr M M Shahidul Hassan, Vice-Chancellor, EWU, addressed welcome remarks. Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum handed over the certificates among the students who got the merit scholarships in Spring, Summer and Fall Semester, 2016.

Treasurer, Deans of faculties, Chairpersons of different departments, teachers, staff, recipients and their parents also participated in the ceremony.


MORTON COUNTY - At least seven journalists have been charged with crimes while covering Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota, prompting some out-of-state and independent journalists to say law enforcement is targeting them.

The arrests include a freelance journalist who is charged with a felony of conspiring to set fire to roadblocks and vehicles, but he says he was reporting on the confrontation with law enforcement, not participating in it.

Its ridiculous the way theyve been targeting media, said Adam Schrader, a freelance journalist from New York.

Some journalists have had equipment confiscated by law enforcement that was either not returned or delayed in getting returned.

Photojournalist Sara Lafleur-Vetter, who has provided video coverage for The Guardian, was arrested on Oct. 22 while documenting protest activities. She eventually got her camera back after The Guardian warned Morton County of possible legal repercussions, but her memory cards were not returned.

This is a violation of the freedom of the press. We have a right to report on whats happening, said Lafleur-Vetter, charged with misdemeanor trespass and engaging in a riot. If we dont have that right, we dont live in a democracy anymore.

Three journalists for the alternative media site Unicorn Riot have been arrested in North Dakota since September, including Lorenzo Serna, a Grand Forks native who didnt get his $2,000 camera back until nine days after his arrest, hindering his ability to report.

Regardless of how you feel about the protest, whatever side youre on, this is a historic event, said Serna, a University of North Dakota graduate. The public deserves to know how it happens and how it goes down. Anything that hinders that is wrong.

Many of the pipeline protest activities have occurred in construction zones that are on private property.

Serna, also arrested Oct. 22 and charged with criminal trespass and engaging in a riot, said his goal was to document what occurred and the law enforcement response.

I almost said nothing throughout the whole event, Serna said. I was there observing what was happening.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said he did not know details about the arrests or have information about the circumstances leading up to the arrests.

If a reporter is doing illegal activities while covering protests, theyre subject to arrest, he said.

Lt. Tom Iverson, spokesman for the North Dakota Highway Patrol, said law enforcement is not treating out-of-state media differently. He said officers have given multiple warnings for people to leave private property.

When people continue to refuse to get off of private property, to include some media representatives, then of course we have to take action and uphold the law, Iverson said.

Ladd Erickson, McLean County states attorney who is assisting Morton County, said many of those arrested are claiming they were journalists, including people with cell phones who record videos for social media.

You dont want prosecutors deciding what is and what isnt a journalist, Erickson said. I dont know where those lines are ultimately drawn.

Kirchmeier said arrestees should get their property back, but its possible some has been delayed due to the volume of processing some of the mass arrests.

Jack McDonald, attorney for the North Dakota Newspaper Association, said he questions the arrests of journalists.

The basic fact of the law is the reporters have no greater rights than anybody else regarding lawful entry and trespass and things like that, McDonald said. On the other hand, the reporters have a job and a duty to try to cover current events or whats happening. At times, this may take them into areas that would ordinarily be off-limits.

Schrader, arrested during the Oct. 27 mass arrest when hundreds of militarized law enforcement officers removed people from the highway and property owned by the pipeline company, is facing the most serious penalties among those journalists arrested during Dakota Access protests.

At the time he was arrested, Schrader said he was at the front lines with an audio recorder in hand asking officers who had given the order to use pepper spray on people.

An officer told Schrader to back up, but Schrader said the officer didnt give him the opportunity to do so before arresting him, even as he was identifying himself as a journalist.

After he got released from jail on $1,500 bond, Schrader paid $840 to get his car that had been towed out of impound. An audio recorder and a spiral notebook were missing from his vehicle, and the towing company said they didnt take his belongings, Schrader said.

It made it so I couldn't do my job, he said.

Kirchmeier said law enforcement did not go through vehicles that were towed. He said there are other possible explanations for the missing property, including maybe the car was accidentally left unlocked.

McDonald said it appears that law enforcement is not recognizing journalists who are independent or work for less-traditional news outlets.

I think in this day and age, theyre as much a journalist as anybody else, McDonald said. Theyre just reporting on a different medium.

Lucy Dalglish, dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, said journalists who are truly caught in the middle when reporting on a protest have a good chance of getting those charged dismissed.

They tend to, and Im not saying they should, they tend to round you up and sort you out later, said Dalglish, former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Dalglish encourages her students to wear their credentials identifying them as journalists if theyre in a situation where arrests are being made.

If you work for some kind of recognized news operation, you stand a better chance of being left alone, she said.
ULAB to set-up IoT Lab

Campus Report :

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, which runs under the ICT Division.

Under the MoU, ULAB will receive a state-of-the-art IoT (Internet of Things) Lab from "Support to Development of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park Project" financed by the World Bank. ULAB will manage and operate the lab in collaboration with Datasoft. The lab will be used to train and develop 300 skilled resources in IoT and ancillary skills over a period of 16 months.

The lab will also be available for use by academia, industry and government to conduct research in IoT, Big Data, and Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE).

Professor Imran Rahman, Vice Chancellor (Acting) of ULAB, Mr. A.N.M. Safiqul Islam Project Director, Support to Development of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park, BHTPA and Mr. Manjur Mahmud, Director and COO, DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Limited signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
BTRC working to unlock Citycell spectrum

Economic Reporter :

State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim on Sunday said Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has started a process for unlocking the spectrum of mobile phone operator Citycell that was earlier withdrawn for becoming defaulter.

"Technical procedures are involved with the unlocking of spectrum that might require time. As we are respectable to the verbal order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC), we've started the process," she told newsmen after a prize giving ceremony organized marking the World Postal Day at GPO this morning.

"But, we are also waiting for the Certified Copy of the SC order," she added.

Meanwhile, the SC has asked the BTRC why it was not providing spectrum to Citycell despite its order. A four members bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice S K Sinha, sought explanation from the telecom regulator on Sunday to this end.

BTRC stopped spectrum allocation to Citycell on October 20 as the operator failed to pay dues. On November 3, Citycell got the Apex Court's nod to continue its operation till November 19.

Citycell will have to pay Taka 100 crore to BTRC by November 19 to continue its operations and if it fails, the telecom regulator may cancel its spectrum again.

The SC also gave directives to form a special dispute resolution committee to fix the total amount in a month that the CDMA operator will pay as dues to the BTRC.

The BTRC cancelled Citycell's spectrum on October 20 and shut down its offices as it failed repeatedly to pay various fees. Citycell then moved to the apex court on October 24 seeking its spectrum allocation back.

The BTRC has been saying that the company owes Taka 477.69 crore in spectrum renewal fee, annual licence and spectrum fee, VAT and late fees put together.

But, Citycell disagreed over the amount, saying it should be much less since the regulator's method of determining the amount was flawed.
President asks professional to work for development



President Abdul Hamid urged local, professional and social organizations to work along with the government for development of the country.

"It is not possible to ensure overall development by the government alone. Local, professional and social organizations should work along with the government for development of the country," the President said while speaking at the installation ceremony of the newly elected office-bearers of Greater Mymensingh Samity at Mirpur here on Sunday.

The President also laid the foundation stone of seven-storey commercial building of the samity.

Abdul Hamid asked the people of the greater Mymensingh, specially the industrialists, to rise above political differences to work together for development of the region.

"We do politics of different parties because of political ideology and difference of opinion but we all have to work together for development of the greater Mymensingh," he said.

The greater Mymensingh, he said, has a huge potential for trade and investment but it was not possible to utilize the potentials in the past due to lack of taking initiatives locally.

"I hope the greater Mymensingh Samity would work as an effective platform to utilize these potentials for development of the region," said the President.

He said Mymensingh is one of the richest parts of the ancient human habitation of Bangladesh. It is the region encircled by beautiful river-haor-baor and it was the second largest district of British-ruled India and it has separate distinction in language, culture and livelihood, he added.

The President said the government has already started working to establish Mymensingh as a division and extended his thank to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for it.

"I hope development activities of the region will get intensified after establishment of the Mymensingh division. Mymensingh Samity would play active role for development of the region along with national development," he added.

Greater Mymensingh Samity President and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Md Abul Kalam Azad presided over the programme.

Secretary General of the samity police super Harun-or-Rashid and Vice-President of the samity and chief coordinator of the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal Abdul Hannan Khan also spoke on the occasion.


Light at the end of dark night: 7th November 1975

Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim Bir Protik :

The 15th of August 1975 had come as a surprise to many. It had upset the plan of actions of the JSD and the SSS. After 15th of August, Bangladesh was experiencing a very peculiar administration. The president of the country was Khondokar Mustaq Ahmed who, peculiarly enough, was also the Chief Martial Administrator. He had a cabinet of Ministers, although most of them were members of the Awami League, nay the BAKSAL. Mustaq had appointed General M A G Osmani as the defense advisor to the president. Major General Khalilur Rahman was appointed Chief of Defense Staff. Yet, beyond the books and beyond the rules, the President was being advised and guarded by the Colonels and Majors who had carried out the coup-de-tat on 15 August 1975. The senior officers of the Bangladesh Army were at a loss and undecided in dealing with the situation. The SSS was worried that, in their opinion, the country was swept from one bourgeois administration to another, none being pro-people. After a gap of eleven weeks, in the early hours of the 3rd November, a portion of the Bangladesh Army under the leadership of Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom carried out a counter-coup. He was aided by the commander of the only infantry brigade located at Dhaka Cantonment, Colonel Shafaat Jamil Bir Bikrom.

Brigadier Khaled had bypassed the-then Chief of Army Staff Major General Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom in organizing and leading the coup on the 3rd November. In the discretion of the coup leaders, the safest option was to place Ziaur Rahman under house arrest and incapacitate his chain of command. So by 1am of the 3rd November, Ziaur Rahman arrested, and forced to give up his chair, in favor of Khaled Mosharraf. And then only, Khaled Mosharraf proceeded to neutralize the Bangabhaban which was the seat of the government at that very hour. For next 3 days, there was virtually no government in the country because on the one side President Mustaq was barred and prohibited from exercising his power while on the other hand, nobody else had assumed the office the president. The coup-makers of the 3rd November were arguing with the coup-makers of the 15th August 1975, about the safety of the latter. Indecision at the highest level gave rise to speculations and rumours. On the 5th morning, Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf was promoted to the rank of Major General. He remained the Chief of Army Staff, in which chair he was now about 48 hours old. For rational reasons, he did not assume the political office of the President of Bangladesh.

The Jatio Somajtantrik Dol (JSD) and their undeclared partner the Secret Soldier Society (SSS) had been observing the situation. They carried out an estimate of the situation and tried to forecast future events; but they failed. They argued that the events of 15th August came as a surprise to them, they argued that the events of 3rd November came as a further surprise. They argued that, if they did not proceed with their own decision, somebody else will again interrupt with new events. They argued that, it was high-time they proceed with actions by the JSD and the SSS together, more so because it was an unstable period of time. It was a recall of the famous English proverb: "Fishing in muddy waters". Thus they decided to strike. They struck at the zero hour of the 7th of November 1975. Soldiers belonging to the organization called SSS, or the soldiers having sympathy for the SSS took the streets inside the Dhaka Cantonment. Within about an hour a huge crowd of soldiers gathered around the house of General Ziaur Rahman. Soldiers who were so long guarding Ziaur Rahman on behalf of the coup-makers of the 3rd November, changed their loyalty instantly. All soldiers unanimously ensured that Ziaur Rahman was freed and appealed to Ziaur Rahman that he takes over the command of the Bangladesh Army again.

It is at this historic hour that, more soldiers came and joined the crowd. Ziaur Rahman was overwhelmed with the outburst of loyalty and patriotic zeal of the soldiers. A question came up, which way will Ziaur Rahman proceed now? Activist of JSD and activist of the SSS wanted to carry him away to the city of Dhaka. Soldiers who loved Ziaur Rahman but were not happy with the JSD or SSS, wanted him to keep a safe distance. As time passed on the morning of the 7th November, say about 4 to 5 am, more soldiers had joined the crowd in support of Ziaur Rahman. Soldiers loving to Ziaur Rahman and loyal to him quickly organized and consolidated themselves. They carried out a post mortem of events which happened between the 3rd November and the 7th. They saw discomfort and threat to the country and the army in both the quarters namely the coup-makers of 3rd November and the JSD-sponsored uprising. The soldiers who loved Ziaur Rahman and loved the country, spread out to the entire city of Dhaka in the next 3 to 4 hours. While senior officers gathered around Ziaur Rahman in his temporary command-center, soldiers spread the message to the entire city of Dhaka. In the perception of the people of Dhaka, the 3rd November coup was an attempt to re-direct national politics in pro-Indian direction; while the activities of JSD was considered to be aiming at anarchic Bangladesh.

In broad sunlight of the 7th November, Ziaur Rahman had to take multiple decisions. The first and the most important decision was to direct the soldiers back to their barracks; and deposit the weapons to the respective armoury. The country was not in a war, but all soldiers were carrying weapons and ammunitions. Faced with threat on their life from the mutineers loyal to JSD and SSS, as the calendar turned to 7th November, officers in most of the places had abandoned their command or responsibility; the exceptions being Infantry and Artillery. Ziaur Rahman had to encourage, coax, order officers to regain their command and responsibilities. Easier said than done, luck favored Ziaur Rahman. He was acknowledged by the three day old President of Bangladesh as well as the whole of Bangladesh Army as the leader of the hour, as the savior of the hour.

7th November gave rise to nationalistic feelings, shunning socialistic ideas and protesting the hegemonic attitude of the big neighbor. The political party called JSD was about to fragment the entire edifice of the Bangladesh Army and the country with their unproven theories. Ziaur Rahman, bolstered by the cohesion of nationalistic feelings, was able to thwart the designs of the JSD and SSS. The president of Bangladesh, had little option but to seek the cooperation of the Bangladesh Army in stabilizing the internal political situation as well as, guaranteeing the security of the borders of the country. And, Ziaur Rahman was the leader of that very army which was shouldering such an onerous task. Inevitably, Ziaur Rahman became the natural leader of the country and commander of the government.

(The writer is a Liberation War veteran, columnist and now heads a political party)
Rivers around Dhaka must be saved to keep city liveable

RIVERS around Dhaka are dying due to slow but unbridled encroachment, dumping of pollutants and lack of dredging. Despite government efforts and higher judiciary's repeated directives to save the rivers defeating the encroachers, rivers are turning into dead water bodies to ultimately die in near future. A national daily on Sunday made the headline saying 'Time to declare Turag dead' highlighting the plight of the river in the hands of the encroachers but the concerned government authorities are not acting decisively to save the rivers. Not only Turag, other rivers such as Balu river, Buriganga and Shitalakhya are also heading towards slow death. We are afraid if rivers around Dhaka die, life and environment in the city will be totally unlivable.



We all know powerful people are encroaching the riverbank and filling new land to set up new establishment. Land grabbers are using muscles and political connection to extend possession on such land. Surprisingly land grabbers have removed most of the demarcation pillars on both sides of those to make encroachment unnoticed. Moreover, the disposal of city garbage and waste are also causing siltage in the river beds. Earth filling for big real estate projects and smaller ones is also contributing to siltage and slow death of those rivers.



It is clear rivers are dying in Bangladesh because of blocking of water by India in the upstream. If those rivers had strong current from upstream they would not have been dry and encroachers not capable to grab river beds.



Pictorial view of Turag showed earth filling in the middle of the river is taking place over big chunk of river beds at many places while plantation is also growing in the previously earmarked river banks. New buildings and infrastructure have grown up which included schools and hospitals. Now other big projects are becoming visible as earth filling continues by powerful quarters under the nose of the people. But many wonder why the concerned government authorities do not see it or otherwise why they are not blocking such encroachment.



Grabbers are reportedly eyeing over 2500 acres of land of Turag river at the moment in the vast expense of the river beds around Dhaka. As per report they have removed over 1000 pillars to make encroachment easier. Balu river, Shitalakhya and Buriganga are also facing similar fate. We wonder how the High Court directive of 2009 outlining detailed measures how to recover the ailing rivers from land grabbers and save them from pollution is going unheeded. The fact is that when powerful people of the government have hands over such encroachment, nobody can save the rivers from being disappeared. Even BIWTA action issuing licenses for use of foreshore of the rivers in many cases are encouraging grabbing of riverbank.

In our view the government political commitment is important to resist the grabbers and protect rivers. Otherwise, rivers will disappear soon from around Dhaka.






Ship breaking cos must comply with regulations

SHIP breaking is taking place at Sitakunda shipyard in Chittagong without prior clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE). It appears that companies are violating the government Ship Dismantling Rule-2009 as a report in a national daily on Sunday said. Moreover the questioning of the authority of DoE by a company on its regulatory power has further raised question who is really in charge of environmental issues in ship breaking yards. The company violating the rules said ship breaking is under the Ministry of Industries and as such they are not accountable to the Ministry of Environment.



We know powerful business houses and ruling party men are involved in ship breaking and many of them are running their own steel re-rolling mills or supplying others to produce iron rods and such other steel products. It is a billion dollar business at the moment. They are importing depleted ships and breaking them whether or not there is any ban on import of exhausted ships having contaminated materials.



What is at stake is that such ships contain toxic materials; which severely affect sea species and human health. The immediate concern arises from the current dismantling of a Maersk-owned floating oil tanker; which arrived at Sitakunda on October 27 from the UK. Since such ships are environmentally hazardous, their import is also prohibited without prior permission of the concerned Bangladesh government authorities. We also know that export of this ship from UK and its entry to Bangladesh is also illegal under the European Waste Shipment Regulation due to concerns mainly about environmental hazards.



Scraping of ships is not new in Bangladesh but it is subject to regulations now. The first intervention came from a High Court order in 2006 when over 16 ships were taken for breaking. Some Human Rights Organizations took the matter on environmental concern to the court; which issued the order. Bangladesh government then formulated new rules in 2009 for ship breaking industry; prohibiting entry of ship bearing hazardous residues. But powerful ship breaking companies are apparently not paying heed to such restrictions.



It is unfortunate when a company has raised question on the authority of the DoE on ship breaking activities saying they are not under them but the Ministry of Industries. It raises bigger question as to why they are not respectful to the due authorities of the government. In our view such defiance is not good for a functional government.



We believe that the matter must be properly investigated to secure compliance of the ship breakers to existing government rules and High Court order. Powerful quarters can do anything now but the government must also show it is in control. We need business to grow but they must be equally respectful to the rules of business.
Trump will face real problem after the election

Abu Hena :

In an interview with Bloomberg TV Vladimir Putin admired his intelligence operative, 'Fancy Bear' which uses cyber-weapons as a standard tool of political meddling. " They work so much like fine jewelers, so delicately that they can leave their, or someone else's tracks, at just the right place and just the right time in order to camouflage their work and make it look like the work of some other hackers from somewhere else, some other country," Putin said. That jewel thief has been on the job to rig the U.S. presidential election. America's cyber and counter- espionage forces also worked to see if any agencies were targeting the election and the FBI opened a formal investigation into the DNC, DCCC, Arizona and Illinois hacks. But U.S. Administration moved at a snail's speed and failed even by the election- day, to publicize facts about the Russian influence operations and psychological warfare which Putin considers most effective in 'changing perceptions of what's truly going on'. This pattern of Russia's electoral meddling through cyberspace follows the Gerasimov doctrine, a non traditional approach to military conflict named after the chief of Russian general staff, Valery Gerasimov, that relies on cyber-war and influence operations.

So far the U.S. has misread the battlefield in cyberspace, letting events unfold. And so when the U.S. law enforcers scrambled to uncover the real extent of the Russian operation, a murky network of Russian hackers stepped up the pace of leaks of stolen documents designed to affect public opinion, giving the impression that the election is vulnerable. Fancy Bear's electronic fingerprints were found everywhere including on the hack into the DNC computers. U.S. intelligence agencies now have "high confidence" that Russian intelligence services were in fact responsible. But in-spite of the mounting evidence of an active Russian influence operation targeting the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump kept on praising Putin all throughout the campaign and especially at the first presidential debate on 26 Sept. when he said, it was not clear the Russians were behind the hack. " It may be, but it may also be China, another country or individual," he said. " A popular view is that Mr. Putin, whose aversion to Mrs. Clinton is plain, is trying to lever Mr. Trump into the White House," The Economist said.

There is pattern in Trump's behavior which, even when the polls are closing, deserves scrutiny to ascertain whether that amounts to an act of treason. He has displayed a habit of disparaging America to praise Putin's absolute autocratic control over Russia, deflecting complaints about Russia's human rights violations, with the gibe that "our country does plenty of killings also." He also said that if he wins, he might fix a meeting with Putin before his inauguration. After the Miss Universe pageant he said that Putin "could not have been nicer." He agreed with Putin that the NATO alliance is 'obsolete' casting doubt on U.S.'s mutual defense commitment. He countenanced the idea of easing sanctions imposed after Russia's forceful annexation of Crimea, which he indicated, he might recognize. He left his options open on Ukraine and refused to condemn Putin for his barbarism in Aleppo.

Putin has moved nuclear capable missiles close to Poland and Lithuania, sent aircraft carriers down the North Sea and the English Channel and has threatened to shoot down U.S planes that fly over Syria. "Impudent behavior" might have "nuclear consequences," warned Putin's propagandist in chief, Dmitry Kiselev. To understand why Putin plans to undercut the legitimacy of the U.S. election is to realize why the Americans vote in the first place. Elections are the ultimate source of authority in democracies which America has pushed around the world. Putin wants to sabotage the process. That would avenge American criticism of Russian elections. Trump has a natural affinity for Putin who uses humiliation and intimidation as a political tool. His campaign staff are Kremlin- friendly and he has business connection with Russia.

Trump, apparently, has a deal with Putin to carry forward his agenda in return for a Russian- led cyber-war to undermine the credibility of the election and shatter the confidence of the electorate making way for a populist revolt. He cast doubt on the electoral system saying , "I am afraid the election is going to be rigged." "The phony Electoral College made a laughingstock out of our nation," Trump tweeted. " The world is laughing at us. More votes equals a loss revolution? The election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy." This is exactly what Putin wanted Trump to accomplish for Russia at the cost of America, proving that America is just as corrupt as Russia and its political system is just as rigged. Russian interference in American presidential election merits measured retaliation. And Donald Trump's erratic behavior needs to be investigated in the interest of the American people.

[Writer is former Member of Parliament]


Writ to ensure security of Hindu people

Staff Reporter :

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its order to ensure security to the Hindu community across the country including that of Nasirnagar upazila of

Brahmanbaria district.

Human rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) filed the petition on Sunday morning.

Abu Obaidur Rahman, lawyer of ASK, said, 'The writ petition has been sent to a bench led by Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque. We are waiting for the hearing.'

The writ also sought an HC rule asking the auth

orities concerned to explain why the role of the local administration of Nasirnagar upazila will not be declared illegal in connection with the attack on the Hindu community in the area.

The writ sought an HC order to direct the Home Secretary, Public Administration Secretary, IGP and DIG of Chittagong Range and DC and SP of Brahmanbaria to seek explanation from the UNO of Nasirnagar and OC of Nasirnagar Police Station by which authority they gave speech at a rally in Nasirnagar touching the Muslims' religious sentiment.

On October 30, an unruly mob equipped with sharp weapons went berserk and demolished a number of Hindu temples and nearly 100 houses in Nasirnagar upazila following a rumour of a Facebook post demeaning the Holy Kaaba. The incident sparked a widespread criticism in the country.
BNP observes `Nat`l Revolution Day` today

BNP will observe what it says the National Revolution and Solidarity Day on Monday, marking the 'civil-military uprising' in 1975.

On this day in 1975, amid political turmoil, soldiers and civilians jointly freed then chief of army staff Ziaur Rahman from captivity in Dhaka cantonment, paving the way for Zia to come to power. BNP has chalked out a 10-day programme to observe the day in a befitting manner. Some other political parties and different socio-cultural organisations will also observe the day from different perspectives.

As part of BNP's programmes, the party will hoist its flags atop its central office and all other offices of the party and its associate bodies at 6:00am. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia together with party leaders and activists will place wreaths at the grave of party founder and Ziaur Rahman at 10:00am. BNP's all the units and associate bodies will also observe the day across the country with various programmes, including discussion, photo exhibition, free medical camps and blood donation. BNP also has a plan to hold a rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday.

The party earlier sought permission for holding their rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on November 7 or 8. Having denied permission to hold it at Suhrawardy Udyan, the party on Friday said it sought fresh permission to stage it in front of its Nayapaltan central office on November 8 marking the 'National Revolution and Solidarity Day'.

Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia in a message greeted the country's people on the occasion. Describing November 7 as a 'historical day' in national history, she said, "On this day in 1975, soldiers and civilians took to the streets together with a strong vow to protect the national independence and sovereignty and foil all conspiracies against the country." The spirit of November 7 is an inspiration in the national life she said, adding," I think it's necessary for the nationalist forces to get united imbued with this spirit."

In another message, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also congratulated people on the occasion. While BNP and its alliances celebrate November 7 as the National Revolution and Solidarity Day, the ruling Awami League and its front organisations consider it as the day of 'killing of freedom fighters'.
6 trawlers with 98 fishermen missing

Depression weakens

Staff Reporter :

At least 98 fishermen, who ventured into the Bay of Bengal in six trawlers, went missing near the coast of Borguna district in rough weather due to heavy rains triggered by a deep depression.

The trawlers, each carrying over 16 fishermen, had gone to the sea for fishing a few days ago but the Borguna District Trawlers Owners Association lost contact with them till Sunday afternoon.

Mohammad Golam Mostofa Chowdhury, president of association, on Sunday said the six trawlers FB Noor Banu, FB Tamanna, FB Abdullah, FB Mehrin, FB Numana and FB Mayer Doa along with 98 fishermen on board have remained missing since Friday night.

He said all the missing fishermen hailed from different places of the district.

"We tried to maintain contact with the trawlers but got the information that six trawlers went missing. The missing trawlers had 98 fishermen on board. We are conducting a rescue operation and have sent our trawlers in the deep waters," the president told journalists.

He said they were informed that there was a possibility of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal but failed to pass the information to the fishermen on time.

"Instantly, we have already informed the West zone coastguards about the present situation of the missing fishermen. The members of coastguards have also sailed to the spot to rescue the fishermen," Golam Mostofa said.

However, the people of the coastal districts heaved a sigh of relief as the deep depression weakened and crossed the land near Sitakunda without causing any serious damage.

At least four fishermen were rescued from the sea near Saint Martin's Island in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar district on Sunday.

The four fishermen are Abdur Rahman, 50, Shamshul Alam, 25, Rahmatullah, 45, and Mohammad Amin, 24.

"They went to the sea in a trawler on Friday to net fish. But their trawler went out of order. The activities in country's premier Seaport Chittagong swung into action after nearly 20 hours on Sunday.

The authorities kept ready all the jetties and receiving and delivery of goods started this evening after reaching the vessels at the jetty from outer anchorage which were anchored at the safer places during the depression, Jafar Alam (Member Operation) of the Chittagong port said.

Meanwhile, the deep depression over northeast bay and adjoining area moved north-northeastwards further, weakened into a depression before making landfall and crossed Chittagong coast near Sitakunda on Sunday morning. Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to lower local warning signal No. four but instead hoist local cautionary signal No. three.

Under the influence of depression southeastern part of Bangladesh is experiencing gusty winds with heavy falls. Sea will remain rough.

The coastal districts of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Feni, Borguna, Patuakhali, Barisal, Bhola and Chandpur and their offshore islands and chars experienced wind speed up to 40-50 kph in gusts/ squalls with heavy falls during the passage of the depression.

Under the influence of the depression, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts and their offshore islands and chars were inundated by wind driven surge of 1-2 feet height above normal astronomical tide. All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.


CANNON BALL  The killing and injuring of cattle and horses is one of the most emotionally charged incidents associated with the pipeline protests in Sioux and Morton Counties in North Dakota.

Authorities are investigating reports of livestock being killed or butchered  some even shot with arrows and left to suffer. The reports have made national news and helped build a case for a stronger law enforcement response in the area of the protests.

The most notable cases involve Jack Paul Thomas, a white rancher who has a Native American fiance. The couple live on a ranch site owned by his brother, Frank, about a half-mile east and south of Cannon Ball, which is a reservation settlement of about 200 people.

Cattle death incidents have occurred on a 360-acre pasture that lies adjacent to the Sacred Stone Camp, the original protest camp established around April 1.

While Thomas says he's a victim in this case, he has his own history of legal problems. Most recently, on Oct. 19, a neighbor accused him of stealing a horse  a charge he strongly denies. He says the "stolen" horse was recovered from his corral, but it was in plain sight of North Dakota Highway 1806. He has appeared in court once on that case.

More significantly, he has a string of legal convictions and has served time for livestock theft, but says that doesn't have anything to do with the cattle deaths.

It's complicated

Thomas, 49, is white but has lived in the Cannon Ball area all his life.

His fiance, Jeffrie Marie Cavanaugh-Thomas, 31, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Together, the couple operates J&J Thomas and Sons Horse and Cattle Company, a cow-calf and quarterhorse business. Jack says they have about 400 cows and more than 200 horses.

Significantly, the Thomas family is involved in a lease dispute with LaDonna (Brave Bull) Allard, the central figure in the Sacred Stone Camp.

Allard, 60, a professional historian and genealogist for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, says she has attempted to terminate a lease that Thomas claims on the pasture, which is on land owned by the Brave Bull family. She lives 25 miles south at Fort Yates, and started the prayer camp on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land next to the 360-acre pasture, where the recent livestock incidents have occurred.

This past June, Allard filed to establish a nonprofit company to build a cultural, environmental youth camp on the land where Thomas maintains his cattle, and where cattle have been injured, killed or have gone missing.

Thomas says he runs cattle on about 6,000 acres total  about 500 acres in the Cannon Ball area, including the 360-acre Brave Bull tract. He says his family historically subleased the Brave Bull property from David Archambault II, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Now, he says the lease is in his fiances name. "She's an enrolled member, Thomas says. It's easier to get leases when you're an enrolled member.

The lease, he says, is about $17 per acre. "It's a fair rate, I guess," he says.

String of claims

On April 1, Allard started the Sacred Stones Camp, because regional tribe members needed a place to pray to "save the water" because the "DAPL pipeline was going to kill the water." She sees it as a place for prayer and vision quests.

But things started heating up between Thomas and Allard through the summer, as people flooded the camp.

On Sept. 27, Thomas says he found two dead black Angus cows above the Sacred Stone Camp, on the leased 360-acre pasture. He also found a dead Palomino quarter horse. "I turned it in to insurance, and from there on it gradually went on, Thomas says. From then until we worked cattle, that's when I noticed we were short cattle."

On Oct. 9, he was rounding up cattle and found the heads of some of his cows behind the Sacred Stone Camp  no other remains were found.

On Oct. 11, Thomas was sorting cattle and confirmed he was short 23 cows, plus some calves. Cows today are worth about $1,200 and calves around $800, he says.

On the morning of Oct. 17, he discovered in his pasture one cow had two arrows stuck in her stomach and another cow had a hole in its shoulder. Brand inspectors visited the ranch and photographed the affected animals.

On Oct. 19, a brood mare was dead, with a hole in her neck, and a square-shaped hole in the skin, possibly to hide what had caused the injury. "It's a perfect cut; no animal would do that," he says.

On Oct. 26, a neighbor, George Keepseagle, found six cows and five calves that belonged to Thomas.

Allard says it's preposterous to think the camp members killed the animals for food. Butchering the animals would have been obvious and would have taken time for unskilled protesters. Many are urbanites who are vegetarian. She says the area is under constant surveillance from law enforcement.

"Most of this is gossip and rumor," Allard says.

Saving water

Allard's father, Frank Brave Bull, lived on the land now leased by the Thomas family, and raised horses and cattle. The Brave Bull family established a one-acre cemetery in 1997 when Frank died, and seven people are now buried there.

She claims to control the lease on the pasture where she wants to expand the camp. She has 17 siblings, including 11 living, each of whom owns a piece of the pasture, though she owns 27 acres. This past summer, she went to the Land Operations office at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and asked that any lease with the Thomas family be terminated. Allard claims she's "never seen a lease with any Thomases."

Until November 2015, she says, the pasture had been leased to Archambault, who is married to one of Allard's cousins.

"We've never had cattle; all of a sudden, these (Thomas) cattle show up, Allard says. I don't like cows."

Fencing issues

Paul Thomas, 77, Jack's father, says he had leases in the Cannon Ball area, and formerly had leases on the Brave Bull family land, but gave them up. "We had so much trouble with fences, and cattle getting in the 'taken area' and going south, and cattle on the highways." He says he got disgusted and turned the leases to his son, Jack. He still leases 80 acres.

Jack and Allard offer markedly different descriptions of who is doing what with fences.

"That camp just tore everything out; it's a mess," Jack says. "As they got bigger, the fences disappeared. They would cut all our fences, and chase cows out onto fields. It's a big, big headache."

Other leased pastures adjoin the 360-acre pasture, but with all of the newcomers it was difficult to keep gates shut and animals in place, he says. "We were up there four or five times a day fixing fence, to keep the cattle in where they were supposed to (be). Every day, three-quarters of our day goes to checking fences in that area, making sure the cattle were all right." Jack says by leasing the pasture, he is entitled to corps land access to the river for water.

Allard, on the other hand, says the Thomases are "forever cutting our fences, letting these cows all over the place," down on the corps land. "I'm spending all of this money, fixing fences," she says. "The cows are not where they're supposed to be."

Allard says the Thomas family told her in June they'd delivered a $7,000 check to ensure he'd get the lease. But, she says tribal land officials told her in May or June they'd notified Jack that he was trespassing on the land, a fact tribal officials weren't immediately available to confirm.

In August, Allard received a pasture rent check from the BIA, but says she never cashed the check, which would account for 27 acres, or about $459 by Thomas' description. She couldn't say whether any of her siblings had cashed their checks.

Allard wants the Thomas cattle gone for good. She says they've obstructed traffic on the unpaved road through the pasture to the Sacred Stone Camp entrance. They trampled a one-acre family grave plot during a two-day period the fences were down after a recent burial. "That's not even human," she says. "People should not allow that." She couldn't say why cattle might avoid an unfenced plot, but says buffalo would not make the same mistake.

In late August or early September, Jack says his family saw Allard on Facebook posted a general invitation to the public for the collection of free livestock. "She said, 'Come one, come-all, help yourself to free cattle, free horses. We'll help you round them up. Just come and get them off our land."

Allard confirms she did create the post, and explains: "They're in my way."
Minister now denies allegations

UNO withdrawn: 9 more held: Police produced them before court without remand plea

Staff Reporter :

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque on Sunday brushed aside the allegations brought against him following the Nasirnagar mayhem.

"I will resign if anyone can prove that I made derogatory remarks about the Hindus after the Nasirnagar attack," he said this at a media briefing in Brahmanbaria yesterday.

Sayedul met the press to clarify his roles during the Nasirnagar incidents.

Denying the allegations, the Minister claimed that a vested quarter is spreading false rumours against him quoting derogatory remarks about Hindus with a view to tarnishing his political career.

Meanwhile, police have arrested nine more people for their alleged involvement in the attacks on the Hindu community in Nasirnagar upazila.

The fresh arrests were made during drives in different areas early Sunday, reports our Brahmanbaria Correspondent quoting police.

Confirming the fresh arrest, Nasirnagar Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafar told The New Nation that the arrestees were produced before local court without remand plea.

Police have so far arrested a total of 53 people in connection with the attacks on the Hindu community.

Another report adds: The government has withdrawn Nasirnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Chowdhury Muazzam Ahmed eight days after the attack on some Hindu homes and temples in the Upazila.

The Public Administration Ministry on Sunday issued an order in this regard, attaching him to the Ministry until further order.

"The move has been taken in the public interest," said the government order.

Deputy Commissioner of Brahmanbaria Rezwanur Rahman confirmed that Muazzam had been withdrawn from Nasirnagar and transferred to the Ministry.

When contacted, the UNO told The New Nation that he had been transferred and attached to the Public Administration Ministry and he received an order in this regard in the afternoon.

Commenting on the transfer, he said, "It's a blessing for me".

Earlier, political parties, civil society leaders and professional groups blamed local administration for failing to contain the attacks on the Hindu community in Brahmanbaria centering a Facebook post.

On October 30, zealots vandalised at least five temples and ransacked about one hundred houses. Two more attacks were carried out few days later on Hindus - setting their houses on fire.

National Rights Body, rights activists and minority community leaders said that the main intention of the attack was to drive away Hindus and occupy their lands.
Airport cleaner goes berserk

Stabs 6 security men as he was barred while trying to enter departure lounge: Injured Ansar dies at hospital: Attacker captured: Services at HSIA remains unaffected

Staff Reporter :

A cleaner stabbed a member of Ansar to death and injured four others inside the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the city on Sunday evening while he was barred at the entrance of international departure lounge-3.



The ill-fated Ansar member was identified as Mohammad Sohagh Ali, 28, Kanchan Banerjee, in-charge of the airport's Ansar camp, told The New Nation yesterday night.



Critically injured Sohagh was rushed to Kurmitola Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.



The attacker, a cleaner of a private firm AK Traders and named as Shihab, was also shot at and captured alive. He along with three other security personnel was rushed to Kurmitola Hospital.



Of the inured two were identified as Ziaur Rahman, a member of Ansar and security staff of the airport.



When contacted Tanjila Akhter, Superintendent of Police of Armed Police Battalion (APBN) said the incident took place at the entrance of international departure lounge-3 at about 6:25pm.



"As the attacker tried to enter the departure lounge-3 at about 6:25pm without clearance, the on duty Ansars and other security personnel barred him and asked him show to clearance papers. But the assailant failed to show the clearance," she said. She said being barred the youth became furious and at one stage he started stabbing the on duty Ansar members and other security personnel indiscriminately.



As fellow Ansar members rushed in, the attacker also stabbed two other Ansar members, including a female one.



When the AAP members chased the attacker known as Shihab, he stabbed several of them. At one stage, the attacker was caught near Row No-6 inside the departure lounge.



When contacted Noor-E-Azam, Officer-in-Charge of airport police station said the security personnel shot the attacker.



When contacted Deputy Police Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Uttara Zone confirmed the incident saying four people including a member of Ansar of the airport were stabbed inside the airport premises on Sunday evening.



When contacted Sub-inspector Alamgir Hossain of Airport Police Station said three Ansar members were also admitted to Kurmitola General Hospital with stab injuries.



Contacted, AAP commanding officer Rashedul Islam Khan confirmed the incident, saying four of their members were also injured in the attack.



The Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday night said that the situation is now under control.



"The attacker has been captured. There is no security problem at the airport right now, as the security personnel always remain alert. The activities at the airport are now going as usual, he said.



Replying to a query he said directive has already been issued to increase vigilance at the airport.


Hillary now narrowly leads Trump

Hillary Clinton greeted people at a stop in Miami\'s Little Haiti as she tries to motivate her supporters to vote on Saturday.

Al Jazeera News :

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton holds a five-point lead over Republican Donald Trump in the latest Washington Post-ABC Tracking Poll released early on Sunday.

In a Post-ABC poll released two days before, Clinton had led Trump by 47 percent to 44 percent.

Clinton had an advantage in affirmative support, the poll said, with 55 percent of backers saying they are mainly supporting her, compared with 43 percent of Trump voters. More Trump voters say they "mainly oppose Clinton". Americans will vote for a new president on November 8, although millions have already chosen who they want to rule the country in early voting. The new poll came alongside a brief moment of drama in the final days of campaigning. Trump was bundled off stage by secret service officers at a rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night after a perceived security threat as he and Clinton made a final campaigning push across states that could prove decisive.

The security agents seized Trump by the shoulders and hustled him backstage as police officers swarmed over a white male in the front of

the crowd and held him face down on the ground while they searched him.

Moments later, the man was escorted by police away with his hands behind his back. Trump, seemingly unruffled, returned to the stage and continued his campaign speech.
Tributes paid to MR Khan

Staff Reporter :

People from all walks of life paid their last respects to noted physician and National Professor MR Khan at the Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday.

They started to place floral wreaths when the coffin of MR Khan reached Central Shaheed Minar at around 12:30pm.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University(BSMMU) Quamrul Hasan Khan,

Director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital Brigadier General Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Director of Bangla Academy, Shahida Khatun and General Secretary of Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad (Swachip) Dr Iqbal Arslan among others, were present during the paying tributes.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim said, "It was not comparable, which he did for the nation, He was not only a great physician but also a social worker. We are deeply shocked at the death of internationally reputed physician."

Expressing deep sympathy to the bereaved family members of MR Khan, Rashed Khan Menon said, we lost a real patriot and an illustrious person. He will be buried at his family graveyard in Rasulpur of Satkhira Sadar.

Earlier, his first Namaz-e-Janaza was held at Central Hospital in city at 10:00am. His second Namaz-e-Janaza was held at BSMMU at 11:00am on Sunday.

Doctors, teachers, politicians, medical workers among others rushed to bid farewell to MR Khan.

MR Khan died from old age complications on Saturday afternoon at Central Hospital in Dhaka, an institution which he founded. He was 88.

He was suffering from cardiac complications for past few months and was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital, said Fariduddin Faruqui, Assistant Director of Central Hospital.
ABERCROMBIE -- Rash impulse overtook Kent Hansens life. He was prone to frivolous purchases, like the times he bought a $25,000 pickup and an $800 bicycle. Once cheerful, he grew irritable. Once open, he withdrew within himself.

Hansens impulsive spending and behavior placed a strain on his marriage and created financial problems for his family.

Money was a frequent cause of argument for Hansen and his wife. They quarreled on June 5 and Hansen stormed off. In the 20 or 30 steps between their kitchen and garage, he made his last impulsive decision.

Hansen, a Marine veteran who saw combat during two tours in Afghanistan and was credited with saving two men, shot himself in the head. He was 26 years old.

He had about 10 seconds of insanity and pulled the trigger, said his father, Doug Hansen. It was very unexpected, he said of his sons suicide. Just completely devastated our whole family.

Kent Hansen, who lived with his family in Indiana, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly called PTSD, a common affliction for combat soldiers and one of the reasons military veterans are much more susceptible to suicide than the general population.

Nationally, veterans comprise about 8.5 percent of the population and account for 17.9 percent of suicides, according to a 2016 study by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The pattern is similar in North Dakota, where veterans are 8 percent of the population but 15 percent and 20 percent of all suicides, according to figures from the North Dakota Department of Health. In Minnesota, veterans accounted for 18.6 percent of suicides as of 2011.

Veterans likely are more prone to suicide because of increased rates of mental health conditions and substance use disorders, according to the VA study. Forty percent of VA patients have mental health or substance abuse issues.

Kent Hansen was doubly at risk. Besides his PTSD, he drank too much, his father said. Along with his impulsive spending, his son turned to alcohol to escape from torments that he kept to himself.

He was very closed off, just couldnt open up about things that were bothering him, Doug Hansen said. Despite his PTSD diagnosis, He was one of those who was unwilling to admit that there was any issue at all.

Another reason military veterans are more likely to take their lives is that many have access to guns, experts say.

Once again, Kent Hansen fit the risk profile. He was very anxious, very paranoid, his father said. Just uptight, couldnt relax. He always carried a weapon.

***

Sean Dacus saw what turned out to be a fateful movie, Seven Pounds, while he was being treated for PTSD and other mental illnesses at the VA Medical Center here.

Will Smith played a man whose carelessness caused a traffic accident that killed seven people. Later, to atone for his negligence, Smiths character found seven good people in need of organs, and found ways to donate to them, ultimately sacrificing his life to donate his heart.

It was not a movie he should have ever seen, said his sister, Erin Dacus of Grand Forks. Erin and other family members visited him during his hospital stay on Veterans Day 2011; Sean had served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I could tell that he wasnt doing very well, his sister said. It was not optimistic.

Still, not long after seeing the movie, her brother discharged himself. His family was under the mistaken impression that his doctors had discharged him and that he must be doing better.

Not many days after his release from inpatient treatment, Sean Dacus went to Altru Clinic in Grand Forks. He borrowed a marker at the coffee shop and went outside, where he sat on a bench between the clinic and emergency room.

On one arm he wrote, Do not resuscitate and on the other, Donate organs please and his blood type. Then Sean Dacus, who once wanted to be a marine biologist, shot himself in the heart. He was 31 years old.

He had enlisted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and served two tours in Iraq, where he drove a Humvee for a time. He was stationed near Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad at one point. His battalion lost 11 men, including two in his company, one a close friend.

Family members said he wasnt the same person after he got out of the Army, five or six years earlier.

His marriage ended after he learned that his wife was seeing another man while he was overseas. For a time he served as an apprentice goldsmith, but couldnt stay focused and went on disability.

He was a bit paranoid when he came out of the Army, his sister said. He really shut down a little bit, and seemed plagued by nightmares.

Concerned about what he might do, Sean Dacus gave his guns to his brother-in-law for safekeeping. Later, persuaded he was doing better, he got them back. He bounced back once from a deep funk, Erin Dacus said.

Dacus, who had a large extended family, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

In retrospect, Erin Dacus wishes more intensive therapy was available for her brother. Her advice for families of troubled military veterans: Communicate with the family, she said. It turned out that various family members had fragments of information that, if pieced together, might have helped.

Dont not speak to them, she said. Communicate with each other as well.

***

Dan Thorstad didnt realize he was struggling with anxiety and depression until after he retired from the Army after 23 years, including tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan, where he served in military intelligence.

After retiring in 2013, Thorstad became a Cass County veterans service officer. In that role, he often counseled veterans to seek help for their problems. Hey, he would often say, its OK, you can get help.

One day, he decided, I need to take my own advice. With the help from counselors at the VA, Thorstad is doing much better. If I was trying to do it myself, he said, Id be a wreck.

Soldiers, even those who havent served in combat, have great difficulty in adapting to civilian life, which is much less structured than life in the military. Soldiers must follow orders, but they are taken care of, and military culture is very close-knit.

A lot of it has to do with adjustment, Thorstad said. Separating from that and trying to get reacclimated on the civilian side -- its not easy. Youre on your own when you come out of service.

Once out of the military, veterans must find a job and resettle. No one trains you how to do that, he said. Ill be honest with you. It was scary. I almost withdrew my retirement.

Superficially, society is very supportive of veterans, but token expressions of support dont count for a lot, and veterans can feel estranged from the rest of society, Thorstad said. It feels like we get a lot of lip service, Thanks for your service, he said.

Many veterans are reluctant to admit that they need help. They often self-medicate with alcohol. We deal with a lot of heavy drinkers, Thorstad said. A lot of times these guys dont seek help.

***

Brian Donahues mission in Iraq was based in Tikrit, Saddam Husseins hometown, and involved traveling a circuit to serve scouts, snipers and rangers.

He drove, traveling with an armed bodyguard, to perform his duties as an Army chaplain. He had the rank of major. Now, back in civilian life, his title is Msgr. Brian Donahue, the parish priest at Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks.

The fighting was intense at times, and the soldiers entire focus was on essentials. Staying alive and keeping your buddy alive, Donahue said. It was Band of Brothers. The beauty is you share it all together. You get very bonded.

He saw more than a few young men -- kids, really, most of them 18 to 20 years old -- lose their lives in violent ways. In Iraq, I learned how to cry, Donahue said.

Sometimes, the war became too much for some of the men and they would express thoughts of suicide. My first job, Donahue said, was to get their weapon out of their hands. Then we could take them and get them to the help they needed.

Back home in North Dakota, the toll from the intensity and the anguish of the war, long submerged, percolated to the surface. His abrupt return to civilian life was disorienting. Iraq was real to me, but they werent real, he said, recalling his reaction to being reunited with family and friends. It was like looking at a hologram. Thats how it felt.

After an accident caused serious injury to his legs, leaving him in a wheelchair for 5 months, Donahue began abusing alcohol and prescription painkillers. He had fleeting thoughts of ending his life -- even though it was utterly anathema to his beliefs.

I was totally against it, but in the depths of active alcoholism -- you just feel so trapped. Youre looking for a way out. Thats when you think of suicide.

He checked himself into treatment. Thats what started the real process of healing for me, Donahue said, adding that he no longer has thoughts of suicide. He later went through counseling for PTSD.

Last week, he painted a mask as part of a group therapy session at the VA Medical Center in Fargo. It had splashes of red, signifying rage, and blue, which for him depicted healing.

If he had painted the mask before his treatment, Donahue said, It would have been all red.

***

The night before he took his life, Kent Hansen joined with his father and other family members for a celebratory dinner at a Japanese steakhouse.

He had a lot of blessings in his life, Doug Hansen said, referring to his son.

Kent had earned a nursing degree and worked as a registered nurse at a mental health clinic, where his colleagues did not detect any suicidal tendencies. He was married and had a young child. Yet, somehow, in that impulsive flash of despair, his illness crowding out rational thought, he decided the world would be better off without him, his father said.

His wife, a fellow nurse, was able to keep him alive. But the traumatic brain injury was too severe, and the family made the agonizing decision to remove him from life support. Surgical teams spent much of the day removing his organs and tissues for transplantation.

Were thinking he helped 60 or 70 lives one way or another, Doug Hansen said. Thats kind of comforting to know part of him lives on.

Hansen, an engineer who works in Fargo, owns a home with 12 acres near Abercrombie, where he keeps two mustangs on his pasture.

When he returns to Indiana, he plans to open an equine therapy program for veterans. He hopes the calming presence of horses will help sooth veterans and keep them from giving in to destructive impulses.

We hope this thing really takes off, Hansen said.

Hes thinking of calling it Operation Carry On.
GRAND FORKS -- Rep. Kevin Cramer has issued a letter announcing he intends to request a congressional hearing on media bias in 2016 presidential campaign coverage.

The letter, which comes just days before the presidential election on Tuesday -- Cramers own name will appear on the congressional ballot -- is addressed to network executives at four major broadcast companies, including Fox Television Stations Group, NBCUniversal, ABC and CBS.

While the principle of an independent media is critical to our constitutional government, a news media free of political bias is required for a free system to flourish, he said. I am alarmed by recent polls and studies, which seem to confirm that our national network news has devolved from fact-based journalism to surreptitious propaganda.

The letter cites an Associated Press Poll from last week that found 56 percent of likely voters think the media is biased against Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, and 37 percent that think coverage is balanced. The letter also cites a Harvard study that found coverage of Trump turned more negative after he had defeated his Republican primary opponents.

Reached by phone Friday, Cramer said his intentions aren't to legislate the matter but simply to open a discussion with media organizations that use federal airwaves, which he said are taxpayer property. He stressed the scope of his interest is in national, not local, broadcast news, adding the federal government already imposes decency regulations on broadcasters.

This has potential to be in conflict with the First Amendment, he said. Thats why my letter tries  to thread that needle. Theres an additional responsibility to fairness when youre borrowing or renting a federal medium like the (broadcast) spectrum.

His letter was triggered, he said, by what he felt was insufficient coverage of recent events affecting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons campaign. For example, he pointed out recent revelations of FBI interest in newly found emails that were discovered during an investigation into Anthony Weiner, a disgraced husband of close Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The coverage, he said, seemed to skew unfairly towards FBI Director James Comeys decision to make their discovery public instead of their implications on Clintons fitness for the presidency.

Asked whether the letter might be a play for votes -- given that both the presidential election and his own congressional election are just days away -- Cramer responded if it is indeed effective with voters, then hes simply being a good representative by doing what his constituents want.

Cramers letter stressed he doesnt want a return to the Fairness Doctrine, a former federal regulation that required television and radio stations to air opposing views on controversial matters.

However, he still pointed out what he framed as the importance of fairness.

Your FCC license and the liberty that comes with your First Amendment rights are not a license to broadcast anything you want or in any way you choose, Cramer wrote. Rather, this special freedom comes with basic moral and legal parameters.

Chase Iron Eyes, a Democrat on the congressional ballot with Libertarian Jack Seaman with hopes of unseating Cramer , lambasted the move.

I think its an utter waste of North Dakota taxpayers time and money for a sitting congressman to threaten national media -- basically shilling for Trumps  democracy-debasing antics, Iron Eyes said. Hes calling into question the legitimacy and credibility of our government. Hes saying that this election, if Trump loses, could be rigged (by the media).

Cramer laughed after being read Iron Eyes quote and explained he doesnt believe the election is rigged. He did say its indisputable national broadcast media outlets are biased against Trump and in favor of Clinton.

Im not questioning the government. Im questioning those that (broadcast) on the government, he said. Im simply questioning the legitimacy or the independence of the media that uses a government asset to distribute their information.
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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.
MERCER COUNTY  One of North Dakotas largest ongoing construction projects is making its host county a harbor of economic stability in the rough economic waters rocking much of the state.

A $500 million urea fertilizer plant started in 2014 is past the half-way construction mark within the sprawling industrial complex of Basin Electric Power Cooperatives Dakota Gasification Co. plant northwest of Beulah.

Already home of four power plants, two lignite coal mines and the synfuels plant, Mercer County saw a substantial rise in taxable sales at a time when that metric nosedived across the state. Sales were up 17 percent in the most recent reporting quarter compared to last year, as that same number declined 26 percent statewide with the oil patch economy dragging along the bottom.

Thats no surprise to Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger, who says King Coal counties are traditionally a beacon of stability year over year, when other counties, dependent on agriculture and oil, stumble as commodity prices decline.

Its clear that the urea plant, along with the development of the new Coyote Creek Mine, is contributing a lot to the Mercer County economy, as well as other counties, Rauschenberger said.

Construction has inched past the halfway mark and the second half will run downhill much faster with completion anticipated by the end of June, says project manager Jim Greer.

However, actual production of urea may be set back by the fierce summer storm that roared through July 3.

The storms 76 mph winds so severely damaged a 53,000-ton storage building that it had to be completely demolished from the crumpled steel right down to the deep underground foundation piers.

We did an assessment, and it was decided that was what we had to do to make the site safe. Three months worth of work was torn down in three weeks, said Greer, who couldnt comment on the value of that building because its under an insurance settlement.

The storage building wont be done until early 2018, a full half year later than the urea process plant.

Now were evaluating what we can do with production next year because storage is part of the production flow. Theres been no decision yet, Greer said.

While described as a plant in the singular tense, the urea plant is centered around two primary process facilities. One melts the C02 and ammonia supplied from the gasification plant at high pressure and temperature and a second granulates the chemicals into high-nitrogen fertilizer pellets that will be broadcast on crop soil. Both structures are being wrapped in four acres of metal cladding now that steel framing and interior equipment is complete.

Now we have the momentum to carry us into the winter months, Greer said.

The workforce made up of engineers, welders, iron workers, electricians and masons is nearly at its peak of 1,000, a couple hundred more workers than the 750 originally planned.

We went above that to address the construction schedule, Greer said.

About 50 people will be needed to operate the plant.

While many commute to their jobs, the labor force workers are all over Mercer County, filling hotels, restaurants, retail stores and RV parks, adding to the economic activity, though Rauschenberger says some of the taxable sales increase comes from the tax levied on materials, such as steel and equipment, at the point of sale.

D Krause, co-owner of Krauses Market, said the grocery and deli store in Hazen is definitely impacted by the workers in a good way.

We all enjoy seeing the unfamiliar faces that have become familiar. The number of workers coming in has been a comfortable amount since the get-go, he said.
 Advocacy Journalism Means Never Having to Report What You Don't Want to Report | Main | A Gross Manipulation 

May 30, 2012

Ha'aretz Retracts Headline on Alleged Arabic Ban

Ha'aretz's headline proclaiming last week that the Kfar Saba hospital has banned its teaching staff from speaking in Arabic has made its indelible mark upon the Internet, though yesterday the print edition ran the following correction:

As Maurice Ostroff noted at the time of the tendentious headline:

But the facts are very different. Contrary to the impression created by the headline, the Arabic language is encouraged and is spoken widely and freely throughout Meir Hospital and the allegation, that the use of Arabic is restricted, irresponsibly provokes racial tensions. . . . Later in the small print Haaretz presents facts that contradict the headline. It reports that the Education Ministry which operates the education department in the Meir Medical Center insists there was no instruction forbidding teachers to discuss things in Arabic and said the allegations were untrue. "Every Arabic-speaking child receives treatment and lessons from Arab teachers, according to his needs", ministry officials said.

Moreover, even if the three sets of parents who charged they witnessed one specific staff person instructing another not to speak in Arabic are correct, the English headline is still wrong. It suggests an across the board policy handed down from hospital management, when the article itself only relates to one specific case involving one staff person.

And, as we pointed out, the English headline is another example of Ha'aretz's Lost in Translation epedemic: the Hebrew headline made clear that the parents' allegation was just that -- a claim.

Also, though the online headline has been fixed, the subheadline stills states the parents' claim as fact. Here is the original headline:

Here is the current, improved headline, which is still accompanied by the original problematic subheadline:





Finally, the notion that the hospital categorically bans the use of Arabic among its teaching staff is refuted today by another parent whose child was recently admitted there. David Frankfurter, of Ra'anana, has the following letter in Ha'aretz today: In response to "Kfar Sava hospital bans teaching staff from speaking in Arabic," May 18 The "facts" in this article run contrary to my own observations, when my son was recently hospitalized at the same Meir Medical Centerin Kfar Sava. We went to the hospital's education department to work on his mathematics homework. We are obviously Jewish - our skullcaps being a giveaway. A charming young Muslim teacher (her hijab also being a giveaway ) told us, in perfect Hebrew, about the facility and offered to assist my son with his homework. When I declined - wanting to spend some father-son time helping him myself - she was disappointed, but understanding and returned a couple of times to make sure that I was doing an adequate job. Meanwhile she turned her attention to a young Arab child and her parent, speaking to them in Arabic, and to a third family whom she addressed in reasonable English. She conversed with the patients and with the other staff, including her supervisor, in whatever language was most appropriate for the situation, with no self-consciousness on the part of anyone in the room. This real coexistence was an oasis of calm for all of us who were somewhat stressed by the fact that our children were unwell. Credit goes to everyone who are responsible for that facility: the Ministry of Education, the hospital and the dedicated staff of its education department.

Posted by TS at May 30, 2012 02:43 AM

It has become an all to common practice for leftist leaning Israeli newspapers to publish inaccurate (perhaps even untruthful) headlines and articles that cause untold damage to the State of Israel and when these newspapers are "caught out" they either remain silent or, as in this case, publish some meaningless apology usually printed in some hidden away section of their publication.

Posted by: John Cohen at May 30, 2012 08:39 AM

Unfortunately, I believe that Ha-Aretz editorial policy is the present Israel in as negative a light as possible. I cancelled my subscription two years ago.

Posted by: Clap Hammer at May 30, 2012 10:15 AM

When the history of this era is recorded, "Freedom of speech" will be described as the most abused "Freedom" of the period. Whether or not Haaretz is still around, it will go down as an example of how the abuse of this freedom harmed the very country it was supposed to be concerned about and how it undermined the State of Israel by abusing the expected rule of honesty in reporting the events of the day.

Posted by: RussellG at May 30, 2012 11:12 AM

Haaretz is an anti-Semitic Palestinian newspaper printed in Hebrew

Posted by: Stop Haaretz Treason at May 30, 2012 03:02 PM

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 PA Official: Honoring Terrorists is Our Culture | Main | German Authorities Investigate Facebook for Allowing Holocaust Denial 

November 06, 2016

In Haaretz Headline, Alleged Attack Becomes Fact

Not for the first time, a Haaretz headline upgrades an unproven Arab allegation to fact.

A page-one print headline in the English edition today states as fact: "Palestinians harvesting olives attacked by settlers."

But as the accompanying article itself makes clear, Palestinians allege that settlers attacked olive harvesters, but that claim is under investigation and has not yet been confirmed. Jack Khoury and Yotam Berger wrote:

Four Palestinians were treated at a hospital in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday, reportedly after they were attacked by Jewish settlers near the village of Al-Janieh, west of Ramallah. The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police said they were investigating claims that around 20 people attacked the Palestinians with metal rods. (Emphases added.)

In addition, the headline and subheadline of the digital version of the article also makes clear that the claim is just that: "Palestinians Harvesting Olives Reportedly Attacked by Settlers Near Ramallah: Israeli authorities are investigating allegations that twenty assailants attacked four Palestinians west of Ramallah." (Emphasis added.)

The page-one headline in the Hebrew print edition is likewise clear that the alleged incident has not been established as fact. It states (CAMERA's translation): "Suspicion: Settlers Attacked Palestinians with Metal Rods and One Was Seriously Injured."

CAMERA has contacted Haaretz to request a clarification of the print headline. There is precedent for Haaretz publishing a print correction regarding a headline which wrongly presented an unsubstantiated claim as fact. A May 29, 2012 correction stated: Stay tuned for an update. Nov. 7 Update: For Second Day in Row, Page One Headline Depicts Palestinian Claim As Fact For the second day in a row, Haaretz's English print edition depicts an unverified Palestinian claim about a settler attack as fact: "Palestinians file police complaint over weekend assault by settlers." Like yesterday, Haaretz reporter Yotam Berger again today carefully presents the allegation that settlers assaulted Palestinian olive harvesters as just that -- an allegation. He writes: Police took statements yesterday from two Palestinians who reported having been assaulted by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Saturday. Moreover, the Hebrew edition (but not the English) adds (CAMERA's translation): Until now, no additional information has reached the police in the course of the investigation aside from the testimony of those who were attacked. Moreover, once again, the English online headline and subheadline, as well as the Hebrew edition headline (online), carefully identified the reported incident as a Palestinian claim: It would have been easy enough, and there is certainly enough space, to have printed the headline: "Palestinians file police complaint over alleged assault by settlers" as opposed to what had appeared: "Palestinians file police complaint over weekend assault by settlers." The accurate headline has exactly the same number of characters as the inaccurate headline.



A police investigation may very well determine in that end that settlers did assault the olive harvesters Saturday, but until that information has been determined, it is premature, and therefore wrong, for Haaretz to depict the unverified charge as fact.

Posted by TS at November 6, 2016 03:45 AM

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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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TAMMS  Dale Chester is upset. His father, Carl G. Chester, is a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War. The name Carl G. Chester is not listed on one of two veterans memorials in the village of Tamms, and it is incorrect on the other memorial.

Dale Chester said his sister wrote a check to pay for the correction and addition to the newer memorial. He has a copy of a receipt from the village of Tamms dated May 8, 2015. The family really wanted to get this fixed before his fathers birthday, June 22, in 2015. Unfortunately, it was not fixed, and Carl G. Chester died Sept. 17, 2015. Now Dale Chester has made getting the name corrected on the memorial his mission.

The Chester family has a long history of military service. Dale Chester served in the Special Forces in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He said his grandfather, as well as other family members, served in the Navy, but there was a problem when Carl G. Chester was drafted during World War II.

They wanted to put him the Marines because he did not weigh enough to get in the Navy, Dale Chester said.

As the story goes, Carl G. ate 10 pounds of bananas while waiting in line for his military physical. When he still did not meet the weight required for the Navy, another man waiting in line said they ought to go ahead and put him in the Navy because he just ate 10 pounds of bananas. So, he was put in the Navy.

Carl G. Chester drove a landing craft. He would pull it up and drop men on the shore and return to the ship. On one occasion, Carl G. Chesters landing craft was loaded with 27 men and taking fire from a 50 caliber machine gun. They returned to their ship, but the craft was sinking by the time they got back.

If it wasnt for Dad, they would have all died, Dale Chester said. He had a whole bunch of medals.

Carl G. Chester also served in the Air Force during World War II and the Army during the Korean War. He worked for Illinois Department of Corrections at Pontiac, Statesville, Menard and Vienna.

The fact that there is another Carl Chester complicates matters. Carl Chester, a cousin to Carl G. Chester, was a conscientious objector. This makes the middle initial very important to Dale Chester and his sisters.

I never met the guy. I know what my dad said about it, Dale Chester said.

Dale Chester said he has heard of others who had problems getting their loved ones noted on the memorial.

While Dale Chester was talking to The Southern Illinoisan Friday afternoon at the veterans memorials near Tamms Village Hall, village board member Tonya Reid stopped to see if we needed any help.

Reid said the village received a call Friday morning that the additional plaques were ready to install, and someone was on the way to pick them up.

Tamms has two memorials. Reid said the larger and newer of the two was designed by a local man and built in part using a grant. Family members bought the plaques with veterans names.

She added that the village decided moved the smaller memorial to the site after the larger memorial was created. She does not know who created it or collected the names on it.

I was a child when this was put up, Reid said.

The memorials are located near the old train depot, which was remodeled for use as the village hall. According to Reid, the monument had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of closing.

Weve done a lot of work to the memorial so we didnt have to close it, Reid said. We still plan on replacing the broken tiles. Were not done with it.

Reid said the monument company that makes the plaques for the memorial had a break-in, and its records were destroyed and rearranged. It took them some time to recover. That is one of the reasons for the delay.

Dale Chester explained to Reid why including his fathers middle initial is important, and she seemed to understand. She told him she would check the plaques when they arrived and call his sister to let them know if those plaques were correct. She also apologized on behalf of the village.

It may be a misunderstanding or a case of bad timing. Either way, Dale Chester knows his next move.

Ill be back in a week to see if this is done, he said.
CARBONDALE  She wears a purple headscarf and has kindness in her eyes.

Forever is the affectionate name by which the grandmother of Southern Illinois University Carbondale senior Solomon Adufah is known in her village of Odumasi in Ghana.

Its also the title of the mixed media on canvas painting by Adufah that was chosen as the winner of a prestigious art competition in Chicago.

As such, Adhufah was named a regional finalist for the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series competition, and he will go on to compete for the grand prize as one of nine regionally chosen artists during the Art Basel international art fair at Miami Beach in December.

The competition, a collaboration between Bombay Sapphire and Russell and Danny Simmons Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, is a search for the most talented emerging visual artists in the country.

Adhufahs Forever entry, along with the other paintings in his Homeland Ghana series, also represent a search  though of a different type. Adhufahs journey is a personal one with a higher calling, both a mission of reconnecting with his home country and sharing through his paintings Africas cultural richness that is often lost in mainstream media portrayals.

One place that has developed a uniquely negative perception in the media is Africa  the continent is constantly perceived to be in endless crisis due to war, poverty and illness, Adhufahs statement of work reads. Though there is truth in this representation, it is not the sole identifier that makes up this diverse landscape.

Since leaving Ghana and moving to Chicago at the age of 17, Adhufah has been baffled by the negative perceptions of Africa, tainted by its history and the media, and found it even more troubling that blacks in America shared these limited views, the statement continues.

Though his art, the native Ghanaian is starting a conversation with those who view his portraits and breaking down stereotypes persistent in the Western world about what it means to be and look African.

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, a professor in SIUs School of Art and Design, said that when Adhufah transferred into the program a few years ago, he critiqued some of his earlier work. Abdul-Musawwir said it was clear from even early in Adhufahs schooling that the self-taught artist had natural talent, but the professor encouraged him to dig deeper.

Because his artwork is related to his personal experiences as an African youth, Abdul-Musawwir said, the suggestion was that he should return to Africa, not only physically but intellectually and emotionally and embrace what hes trying to communicate.

Adhufah said he has traveled through Africa in recent years on several occasions not only to connect with his subjects, but also to volunteer of his time to help others. I love philanthropy work, so I travel, he said. I volunteer in orphanages, schools, cancer homes. Adhufah said he spent three months this summer in eastern Africa doing philanthropic work and meeting potential subjects for his paintings. When he meets someone he would like to feature, he takes their photograph. But more than that, he spends time learning their unique human experience, and that connection to his subject is what stands his art apart in a crowd of contemporaries.

When Adhufah visited the village where he was raised and his grandmother Mary lives, it had been 15 years since he had seen his Forever.

It was August 2015, he said, and she didnt know he would be paying her a visit.

She was so elated. She was super, super elated, he said. The thing is, its very unique because she was telling me how she didnt think she would get a chance to see me again.

Forever is a nickname Mary earned because she is grandmother-at-large to all children of the village, one who gives freely of what she has to offer and always has her door open for visitors, he said.

Thats who she is and the type of person she is and thats what inspired me, he said of the painting.

Adhufah showed this piece and several others from his Homeland Ghana series at the art exhibit in Chicago on Oct. 21, during which he was announced as the regional finalist to represent Chicago in the competition. Adhufah said the thought crossed his mind that perhaps he should wear a suit, but he didnt, not thinking he would win.

As guests gathered around to hear the gallerys curator announce the winner, They mention my name, he said. He was in shock. My heart starts racing. Im blushing all over and I dont know what to do.

They handed him an engraved glass trophy, and Adhufah said he stood there holding it for several hours while shaking hands. It was a workout, he said, laughing about the weight of the award.

But nonetheless, Im privileged to have that opportunity and to be able to showcase in Miami. That reaches a whole different level of exposure. The top three chosen artists among those showcasing in the Miami competition will be commissioned to do a mural in their home city and show their work in New York City, he said.

In Carbondale, Adhufahs studio is located inside SIUs Glove Factory, the retrofitted space for student and faculty artists that once housed the Good Luck Glove Company. Two large portraits in progress hang in the creative space where Adhufah begins his days early in the morning, and sometimes stays until the wee early morning hours, usually with headphones in his ears and Spotify playing his "Morning Mellow" easy listening playlist.

Every portrait tells a story. He motioned to the painting on the right. This is a little girl that I met in Kenya, he said. She was in the school I was teaching creative studies at. She just had beauty and boldness of personality and character that inspired me.

The painting that hangs to the left of the bubbly young girl is of an older man named Kemani. He was a Mau Mau Uprising fighter in Kenya during the revolt against colonial rule that spanned from 1952 to 1960. Every day, he travels about 10 miles from his home to this new location where I met him, where hes building his house, Abhufah explained.

During Abhufah's visit, they sat and talked about the mans dream to one day build this house, but how that dream was put on hold when he joined forces to fight for his country decades ago. Now he has a chance to sit back and relax and work on building this house, he said.

The portrait is of a man that looks both powerful and strong.

His courage and what he represents as a freedom fighter really inspired me, Abhufah said.

Abhufah is scheduled to graduate from SIU in May. He describes himself as a proud Saluki and member of the African Student Council.
Showtime really has an excellent show on their hands with 'Billions', which is slated for a second season in early 2017. The first season has a stellar cast with amazing performances and characters, as well as a top notch story that keeps you on the edge of your seat after each episode. It is no doubt one of the better new shows on television right now. Brian Koppelman and David Levien are the powers behind 'Billions', and are the writing team behind 'Ocean's 13' and 'Rounders'. They had help from journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin (no relation) in creating this show that pits a high powered lawyer who is investigating a super wealthy hedge fund manager.

This hedge fun manager is named Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), who more than remembers the events of 9-11, which has made him a somewhat friendlier and more charitable person. That being said, is very successful hedge fun and personal finances aren't exactly up to legal code, which is where the big time attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) comes in. Rhoades has never lost a case in his career, but when he starts to investigate Axelrod, his perfect career might have that one blemish, because Axelrod isn't the stereotypical one percenter jerk.

In fact, Axelrod has many layers to him, which gives 'Billions' a ton of credibility in not showing a stereotype of Wall-Street for the billionth time. Axelrod lives rather modestly with his family for how much money he has and is super charitable and decent amongst others less fortunate than him. Meanwhile, Rhoades isn't exactly the most chipper or nicest person either, giving this show a ton of depth. To make matters more interesting here, Rhoades' wife Wendy (Maggie Siff) works at the Axelrod hedge fund and is caught in the middle of this suspenseful situation.

What 'Billions' does very well is work these characters against each other, while not labeling who exactly is the good or bad guy here, which we don't see very often. Giamatti and Lewis are both excellent in their roles, both of who play deep characters who always struggle to mostly do right, but in the end, always want to be number one and win. Siff is excellent too, as she juggles both sides of her life during this investigation, and is always suspenseful to watch. Malin Akerman and Jerry O'Connell show up from time to time as well, and are spot on. 'Billions' is one of those shows, you're going to want to add to your list, because it is highly entertaining, thrilling, and full of excellent performances.





The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Billions' Season One comes with four 50GB Blu-ray Discs from Showtime Entertainment and are Region A Locked. The bonus features are spread across all four discs. There is an insert for promos for Showtime as well. The backside of the cover art lists all episodes, extras, and the synopsis for each episode. The discs are housed in a hard, blue plastic case. There is no cardboard sleeve.
Comparing a novel to its film version is always a dicey proposition, namely because the screen treatment almost never lives up to its literary source. And how could it? Character development is rarely as comprehensive, plot points must be condensed, excised, or altered for the medium, and a director's or screenwriter's interpretation of the story may not match our own. Whether to read the book before or after watching the movie is another tough dilemma, but in the case of 'Indignation,' my respect and admiration for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Roth compelled me to pick up his acclaimed novel prior to viewing its adaptation. I'm glad I did, and though the movie stands well enough on its own, I think you should, too.

A riveting read from the first page to the last, 'Indignation' utterly consumed me with its flawless combination of memorable characters, potent, relatable themes, and a fascinating, surprising, and ultimately devastating narrative that's both simple and profound. Like many of Roth's works, 'Indignation' is tough to take...and shake, and though I looked forward to seeing the movie after completing the book, I tempered my excitement by reminding myself Roth usually doesn't translate well to the screen. Before popping in the disc, I began predicting (and worrying) how the tale might be told, what changes might be made, and how the novel's myriad yet essential subtleties might be woven into its cinematic fabric.

And sadly, most of my predictions came true. Don't get me wrong. 'Indignation' is a well-directed, well-acted film that explores adult themes with intelligence and grace. Its script deeply respects its source, yet doesn't transmit Roth's message nearly as well as the author himself and can't come close to wielding the novel's level of gravitas. Roth is a genius, a master of construction and execution, and it's hard to believe any film could do justice to his impeccable prose, just as other fine movies like 'Sophie's Choice' and 'Revolutionary Road' fall short of their lofty source novels, despite superior performances and faithful adaptations.

Within an intimate framework and without much fanfare, 'Indignation' examines the arrogance and recklessness of youth, the fragility of our existence, and how the tiniest, most insignificant choices - or a single, misguided, hot-headed outburst - can alter the trajectory of our lives. It's about religious bigotry and hypocrisy, the overbearing love parents have for their children, the destructive nature of fear and paranoia, the pressure of expectations, and the double-edged sword of self-esteem. That's a rich tapestry of themes, and James Schamus in his directorial debut admirably works them all into his screenplay. Unfortunately, his commitment to ideas comes at the expense of a few crucial plot points, and their omission or truncation dulls the story's impact. The result is still a thought-provoking, atmospheric film, but uneven pacing often stunts the narrative's momentum and compromises the picture's entertainment value.

Like many of his protagonists, Mark Messner (Logan Lerman) is an unmistakable reflection of Roth himself. Responsible, smart, and driven, Mark is a model son who's about to leave the bosom of his close-knit, working class Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey for the bucolic, conservative, largely Christian campus of Winesburg College in rural Ohio. (If Winesburg sounds familiar, it's an intentional homage to Sherwood Anderson's classic portrait of small-town life and peronsal isolation, 'Winesburg, Ohio.') An only child, Mark becomes fed up with his father's obsessive and suffocating worry over his safety, future, and the choices he makes, and yearns for some independence. Mr. Messner (Danny Burstein) tries to impress upon his son how the slightest misstep can derail a burgeoning life, and the raging Korean War, which has taken the lives of many of Newark's finest young men, fuels his fears. The war's looming presence also affects Mark, who avoids the draft by going to college and whose greatest mission, aside from graduating with honors, is making sure he doesn't die a virgin.

So when he spies the comely Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon) in the college library, he becomes instantly smitten, and steels his courage to ask her out. Their date deeply affects both of them in different ways, and the fallout, along with Mark's inability to fit in socially and dogged reluctance to respect Winesburg's rigid requirements, inspires the school's stuffy dean of students (the marvelous Tracy Letts) to request a meeting with Mark. And that fiery confrontation sets in motion a series of events that irrevocably alters Mark's life.

A literate script, superior production values, and finely etched portrayals distinguish the film version of 'Indignation,' but it lacks the urgency and immediacy of Roth's book. In the novel, we're inside Mark's cluttered head, and he lays bare his hopes, obsessions, irrational fears, paranoia, warped perceptions, and, yes, indignation with disarming frankness. Unfortunately, the movie fails to capture his voice (more narration would have helped), and consequently, we don't get the full brunt of Mark's character. Couple that with a sterility of tone and lack of passion, and we've got a film that frustratingly keeps us at arm's length. In the book, we are Mark, but in the movie, we watch Mark, and the harm that visceral disconnect does to the film can't be overstated. It's almost as if Schamus respects Roth too much, and his concerns - ironically, much like Mark's - over dropping the ball and living up to both expectations prevent him from fully embracing this vital, furious tale.

Two shocking twists (neither of which I will reveal here) help define the book. Both are bombshells that provoke gasps and change our perspective of the story. Roth flawlessly executes both of them, thanks to his supreme command of language, structure, and style. Regrettably, Schamus bungles the first, almost throwing it away. ('Indignation' would actually play better if he omitted it entirely.) Literary devices often can't be replicated on screen, and this one hurts the film more than helps it. Adding insult to injury, a handful of significant events from the novel do not make it into the film. If you haven't read the book, you won't miss them, but their absence robs the movie of essential drama, pertinent atmosphere, and critical motivation.

Let's face it, popular fiction is easier to adapt than literature, namely because popular fiction is usually written with a movie in mind. Books like 'Indignation' have a higher cinematic bar, which make them difficult to judge on their own merits. If I hadn't read Roth's book before seeing the film, I might have liked the movie more, but I doubt it would have inspired me to read the novel. And thus I would have missed out on one of the best books from one of America's finest authors. Though it didn't excite or move me the way it should have, 'Indignation' the movie is elegant and incisive, and if you're sure you will never pick up the book, it's well worth seeing. But I beseech you to read Roth's close-to-perfect novel, and then decide whether to watch the film.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Indignation' arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case inside a sleeve. A leaflet containing a code to access the Digital HD Ultraviolet copy is tucked inside the front cover. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Once the disc is inserted into the player, previews for 'Southside With You,' 'American Pastoral,' 'Genius,' and 'A Hologram for the King' precede the full-motion menu with music.
With this years election cycle coming to a close, the South Carolina Political Collections library at the University of South Carolina is giving visitors a chance to cast their ballot with an old-school twist.

The Votomatic polling machine, created by Joseph Harris in the early 1960s, is on display and available for visitors to try with this years candidates. The small machine works by punching holes in ballot cards to record votes.

While the machine was very successful, it lost its popularity after the 2000 presidential election, when controversy erupted in Florida over charges of faulty machinery, hanging chads, and incorrect voting tallies. After a month of recounts and court challenges, Republican George W. Bush was declared the winner of the presidency over Democrat Al Gore.

The Votomatic machine is just one item from more than 120 collections housed in the SCPC, which is located in the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections library on the main floor of USCs Thomas Cooper Library.

Collections feature materials from Congress members, governors, journalists and political groups.

Dorothy Walker, associate director of SCPC, began working there as a graduate history student and has been there ever since.

Theres just always something interesting to look at and to learn, Walker said. Our collection cuts across a broad cross section of politics and government relating to South Carolina.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since the Collections founding in 1991, and currently features topics such as political campaign propaganda and a special display on U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, for whom the library is named and who gave the library its first collection.

Its just important to have a sense of history and whats gone on in the past as we continue to go forward with government and politics, Walker said. Its important to have an idea about whats come before and to have some background on the history of the state and its leadership.

Connor Lentz, 21, sometimes visits the Collections between his classes at USC.

Its cool to look at, Lentz said. You can always learn from history, and its really important to study and learn.

But like the Votomatic machine, which has since been made obsolete by newer technology, archival strategies, too, have had to change.

Its definitely an issue that the whole profession of archives is facing, Walker said, describing the folders and boxes of paper they used to receive.

Now we get hard drives and flash drives, Walker said. Its a challenge because with those types of storage, we wont always be able to play it or listen to it or pull things up from it, but paper you can pretty much keep forever.

Despite the changing technological landscape, the SCPC is working to preserve historical documents for anyone researching South Carolina politics and has been creating guides to all of its open collections online.

Its great its getting digitalized, Lentz said. If you can upload it, its easier to get to so that people from all over can still see it.
Ellen Freeman is an animal lover who enjoys telling her own stories. Her recently released second book gives readers a glimpse into the life and experiences of one of her beloved dogs.

The retired science teacher who lives outside of North had already written one book titled Just George. The book, which describes Freemans first year with the dog and the challenges she faced while trying to find a home for him, was published by California-based Outskirts Publishers.

"Just George was recently named a finalist by Outskirts Press for the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards and went on to win first place in the category of Juvenile Nonfiction. Only the best of Outskirts books are chosen for the competition.

Freemans second book is titled Duke (Plus One). Duke is her first dog who she and her husband, Buddy, had for 10 years before George came along.

Her latest book is the sequel to Just George and it allows Duke the opportunity to share some of his life experiences.

This is Duke telling the story of his life, the true story of the trials and triumphs of his life as told by him, Freeman said.

Freeman will be signing copies of the book from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 12, at the North United Methodist Church Social Hall in North.

She said the book is available at almost all online book stores, such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and through the publishers website at http://outskirtspress.com/.

The book details Duke's struggles with accepting another dog into his family, with his feelings of frustration sometimes tugging at the heart strings, Freeman said.

Some of his experiences are good and some not so good, with some funny and others sad, she said.

Many people have already read and enjoyed 'Just George. The newest story will appeal to everyone from school-age children to senior adults, Freeman said.

If people have read Just George and enjoyed it, they will also enjoy Duke (Plus One). Both books will be available at the signing, she said.

Freeman's writing journey began after finding George starving, limp and sick by the side of the road while she was driving to church one Sunday.

I found George by the side of the road and started finding him a home. A friend of mine said, You should write a book about this, and that planted the seed, she said.

Then after Just George was finished and published and so many people loved it, so many people said, 'Now you need to write a book about Duke, and so I did, Freeman said.

She said her husband, a retired printer, was instrumental in helping her get her book published and is her biggest supporter.

Hes had to put up with a lot. Hes a retired printer and he did a lot of my editing to help me find mistakes that I looked over, Freeman said.

Freeman not only loves animals, but she also loves people. She and George have visited the elderly at The Oaks retirement facility in Orangeburg. She has also shared her stories with young children at schools, including Dover Elementary School in North.

Its been incredible the way people have loved and accepted the first book, and just the feeling of accomplishment and to think the book gave so many people pleasure and enjoyment, Freeman said. As a retired teacher, Ive gone to some of the schools and tried to set an example to some of the students that maybe they can write a book, too.

She added, Its been a great experience for the children to see that an ordinary person can write a book. George and a friend of mine visited The Oaks many times to entertain the residents there.

Ten percent of the profits from "Duke (Plus One)" will go to the Hampton County Animal Shelter in Varnville to help with the care of homeless animals.

Duke (Plus One) is loaded with personal pictures that Freeman took of her beloved animals.

Dukes book has got over 60 pictures in it. Its fun to look at the pictures, which all have to do with his story and make it suitable for any age. There are pictures of Duke and George in both books. If would have been easier to not have pictures or illustrations in the books, but it would not have been as entertaining or good, Freeman said.

I just want folks to enjoy Duke (Plus One) just as much as they enjoyed Just George.
ST. MATTHEWS -- A business specializing in crane-control products is closing its doors.

Electric Controller and Manufacturing Co. (EC&M) on 2759 Old Belleville Road is ceasing operations after 13 years.

The company, which produces and supports crane-controlled drives, brakes and limit devices, employs about 35 people.

"As part of Hubbells ongoing efficiency initiatives, we are consolidating certain operations across the company," Director of Corporate Communications Alicia DiGennaro said in an email reply. "We will not comment on specific details of this consolidation other than to say we are working to support our employees during this transition."

DiGennaro did not comment on when the St. Matthews office would close.

Electric Controller and Manufacturing Co. was purchased by Hubbell Industrial Controls Inc., a subsidiary of Connecticut-based Hubbell Inc., a little less than two years ago.

Hubbell manufactures electrical and electronic products serving non-residential and residential construction, industrial and utility applications.

For EC&M employee Nell Wolfe, the closure of EC&M is like Deja vu.

She has worked and lost a job in the same building over the past four decades.

Wolfe worked with United Technology in the 1970s as a quality-control inspector. United Technology produced switches for automobiles. Wolfe worked there for about seven years before the company moved to Mexico.

The next company she worked for in the same building was Kausel, which produced emergency lighting. Kausel arrived in the middle to late 1980s.

Wolfe served as a receiving clerk at the company for about four years before it sold out to Siemens.

Wolfe continued to work at Siemens for about a year when the company closed.

The building remained vacant for several years until EC&M opened in 2003. Wolfe joined the company where she worked as a shipping clerk until Nov. 1, which was to be her last day.

Wolfe said it has been a blessing to work in the same building all of these years.

"It is close to home," she said. "I did not have to travel."

Wolfe said she has enjoyed working for EC&M.

"I never worked for a better company," she said.

EC&M began in 1897 as EC&S in Cleveland, Ohio. The name was changed to EC&M in 1908. EC&M was purchased by Square D company in 1954 before returning in 2003.
She was constantly cold and hungry, living in a barracks with her mother and 600 women and girls.

The building had one tiny heater, but it was never lit. One day, the 9-year-old saw a wagon loaded with wood coming toward her and thought that at last theyd have a fire and shed get warm.

But I soon realized what I thought was firewood was dead, naked bodies piled one on top of the other, Marion Blumenthal Lazan said.

Lazan, a Jew and a Holocaust survivor, recently spoke of her experiences to students from Orangeburg Preparatory School, Felton Laboratory Charter School and Calhoun Academy.

The fear and horror of those days was indescribable, she said.

Six million Jews, one-third of the worlds entire Jewish population, were killed, she said. The population of South Carolina is just under 5 million.

Can you possibly imagine the entire population of South Carolina plus another million people wiped out? she asked the group.

As difficult as it is, the horror of the Holocaust must be taught, must be studied and kept alive, Lazan said. Only then can we guard it from ever happening again.

Lazan speaks to schools and church groups about her experiences and the lessons she learned. Shes also written, Four Perfect Pebbles, a book about her life thats required reading in some schools.

The 82-year-old urged students to help ensure that the world never sees another Holocaust.

Be kind and good and respectful and tolerant towards one another. That is the basis for peace, she said.

In 1944, Lazan knew little of a normal life. Shed been in concentration camps from the age of 4, initially at Westerbork in Holland. Lazan and her family were later sent to Bergen-Belsen in Germany.

It was a very cold, pitch-black and rainy night when we reached our destination, she said. We were pulled and dragged from the cattle cars by the German guards who were shouting at us and threatening us with their rifles.

The guards were accompanied by vicious attack dogs, she said. I was a very frightened 9-year-old. To this day, I still feel a certain sense of fear whenever I see a German shepherd.

Daily life at Bergen-Belsen was a time of continuous horror, Lazan said. Death was commonplace and it wasnt uncommon to fall over a dead body.

Food was very scarce, she said. Each prisoner got one slice of bread with a pat of butter and a cup of watery turnip soup a day. Later, the butter was cut back to once a week.

Her stomach shrank and she grew accustomed to the scarcity of food, but not the cold, long-lasting German winters.

Regardless of cold or rain, the prisoners had to stand out in the fields for hours every morning while everyone was counted. Sometimes, when someone was missing, the waiting went on all day and into the night, Lazan said.

Her faith was one of the things that saw her through, but she still has a question for God about the cold.

Faith I will always have, she said. I have a direct line and I ask loads and loads of questions.

Man did this evil, not God, Lazan said. But with a smile, she says she still asks him, Did you have to make it so cold?

During those winters, the threat of frostbite was real, Lazan said.

We would treat our fingers and toes for frostbite with the warmth of our own urine, she said.

The outhouse was very primitive, just holes in a bench, she said. There was no running water to flush. There was no toilet paper. There was no privacy.

On the rare occasions when prisoners were able to bathe, the guards stood gawking at them. And as they stood under the showers, they were never sure whether water or gas would come out.

There were no toothbrushes, she said. Never once, in all her years in the camps, was she able to brush her teeth.

Head lice and clothing lice were rampant in the camp, and she was almost continuously squashing them between her thumbs, Lazan said.

Yet Lazan, along with her family, clung to hope and life. Her imaginative mind and positive attitude, along with her faith, helped her cope with the miseries of her daily life.

The children had no books, toys or anything to occupy their time, but she created her own games, Lazan said. A favorite was four pebbles. She pretended that if she could find four pebbles that were about the same color and size, her whole family would survive.

I cheated all the time, she said. When I found them, I would put them in a safe place. I knew exactly where Id hidden them and where to go and find them.

But maybe she wasnt really cheating, Lazan said. After all, it was her game and she made the rules.

Bergen-Belsen had no grass, flowers or trees, but Lazan had a pet. She would search for a piece of glass or a mirror. When the sun shone through it and created a reflection on the ground, that was her pet.

But perhaps her three Bs game was the one that gave Lazan the most hope. She imagined that once again, she would have the everyday comforts and necessities that everyone takes for granted, she said.

The first B represented a bed, she said. I knew that someday I once again would have my very own bed with a real mattress, clean sheets and enough blankets to keep me warm.

The second B represented a bath, warm water, soap, a clean towel, toothpaste and a toothbrush, Lazan said.

The third B was bread.

I knew that someday I would have enough bread that I would never again go hungry, she said.

In spite of her experiences, Lazan does not hold a grudge against the German people. Instead, she feels compassion for them. The younger generation of Germans bears a great burden that will go on for generations because they know of the terrible things their parents and grandparents did, she said.

Lazan urged students to not blindly follow a leader without thinking ahead and searching our hearts and our minds as to what the consequences might be.

It is not cool to follow just anyones lead without first checking to see what his or her true intentions are.

Ward Jolles, president of the OP student body, whos Jewish himself, said hes impressed with the way Lazan is taking the message about the Holocaust across the country.

It was really surprising how optimistic she was even though shed been through all those experiences, he said.

A number of other OP students talked about Lazans presentation.

Fifth-graders Avery Tucker and Ramsey Albergotti work on OPs Lower Campus Life magazine and interviewed Lazan for an article theyre writing.

Tucker said Lazan made her aware of the need to keep on going when things are going bad and to treat people well.

It was awesome that she kept on being determined ... how she kept on trying in spite of the hardships she was facing, Albergotti said. Its so cool that shell talk about it so itll never happen again.

Sixth-graders Paige Hewitt and Layne Inabinet also spoke about Lazans presentation.

I learned a lot from her lesson and Im taking everything she said seriously to be a better person, Hewitt said.

Inabinet said, When she was in the toughest times, she always had a positive attitude. If I was in that situation, I think I would be very negative.

Lazan and her family were liberated by Russian soldiers in April 1945.
Bamberg County row crop farmer Richard Rentz has been farming for more than 35 years, but he says he's never seen a year quite like 2016.
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Genres : Comedy, Adventure

Starring : Nicolas Cage, Russell Brand

Director : Larry Charles

Plot Synopsis

Gary Faulkner (Nicolas Cage) is an ex-con, unemployed handyman, and modern day Don Quixote who receives a vision from God (Russell Brand) telling him to capture Osama Bin Laden. Armed with only a single sword purchased from a home-shopping network, Gary travels to Pakistan to complete his mission. While on his quest, Gary encounters old friends back home in Colorado, the new friends he makes in Pakistan, the enemies he makes at the CIA - and even God and Osama themselves. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rainn Wilson, and Paul Scheer also star in this hilarious tale of patriotism and one man's quest for justice.
Genres : Action, Adventure, Drama

Starring : Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams

Director : Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Plot Synopsis

One of Our Aircraft is Missing, from the writing/producing/directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, 49th Parallel) is the very epitome of the propaganda films coming out of Britain during World War II. This, their first film for the production entity known as The Archers, weaves together a stirring tale of courage, sacrifice and patriotism.



Having abandoned their aircraft over Holland following an aerial attack by German fighters, the RAF bomber crew lead by John Haggard (Hugh Burden, Funeral in Berlin) and Tom Earnshaw (Eric Portman, 49th Parallel) must escape their potential capture by Nazi forces with the aid of local villagers.



Following on the heels of their previous war-themed effort, 49th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft is Missing features a sterling acting ensemble which includes Bernard Miles (Great Expectations), Pamela Brown (The Tales of Hoffmann) and Googie Withers (The Lady Vanishes), and behind-the-scenes talent of future film directors David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) as the films editor and Ronald Neame (The Poseidon Adventure) as its cinematographer.
By Azertac





International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and Turkey`s Justice and Development Party (AKP) have organised an international conference entitled Problem of refugees and migrants in Istanbul.





Chair of AKP, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Y?ld?r?m, Executive Secretary of ICAPP Chung Eui-yong and other officials made addresses at the opening ceremony.





MPs from New Azerbaijan Party, which is a member of the ICAPP, Malahat Ibrahimqizi and Sahiba Gafarova represent Azerbaijan at the event. They will address the conference.
By Trend





Iran has agreed with Frances Total and Anglo-Dutch Shell separately on construction of petrochemical plants, based on $240/ton ethane feedstock price, Islamic Republic's Deputy Oil Minister for Petrochemicals Marzieh Shahdaei said Nov.4.

Earlier she announced that Total agreed to invest $2 billion to construct an ethane cracker and two poly ethylene units in Iran.

Shell has also agreed to invest in Iran's Ibn-e Sina petrochemical plant.

Shahdaei said that Shell and Total would enjoy a 25-percent benefit with $240/ton price for needed ethane feedstock for their projects.

Her statement is a response for domestic petrochemical companies which criticise the government plan to increase the feedstock price.

Last week Irans oil ministry increased ethane price for domestic companies to $240/ton, a step that was heavily criticized and the oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had to cancel that himself.
Everton ripped to shreds by rampant Chelsea

Saturday, 5 November, 2016



Chelsea 5 - 0 Everton

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Eden Hazard underscored his transformation from the shadow of a player he was this time last year during the meltdown of Jose Mourinho's second tenure in West London by helping himself to two goals, the latter of which was perhaps the starkest illustration of the gulf in quality between the two sides on the day.

With the score at 3-0 and already well beyond the reach of a shockingly poor Everton, the Belgian collected a brilliant back-heel from near the touchline and raced towards the area where he drilled a low shot inside the near post with Ashley Williams back-pedalling in vain.

Hazard had begun the rout of Ronald Koeman's Toffees in the 19th minute when he picked up Diego Costa's pass on the left, found Williams and Seamus Coleman at cross purposes as he cut inside and fired a shot towards the far corner that crept past the slow reactions of Maarten Stekelenburg.

1-0 became 2-0 less than a minute later with Hazard involved again as he drove through the centre of midfield and picked out Costa in the opposition area who centred to where Marcos Alonso was arriving to fire through Stekelenburg's legs.

Article continues below video content

Everton simply had no answer to Chelsea's power and movement and they almost fell three behind when Victor Moses popped up at the back post to collect Alonso's flighted ball but his shot cannoned off the woodwork.

The inevitable third goal did arrive in spite of Koeman abandoning the three-man defence he had employed to try and counter Chelsea's dynamic 3-4-3 system after just 36 minutes, hooking Bryan Oviedo and throwing on Kevin Mirallas. A 42nd-minute corner from the right was glanced on by Nemanja Matic and Costa smacked the ball home with a first-time finish, although David Luiz's positioning in front of Stekelenburg aroused more than a suspicion of offside.

What might have been a controversy on any other day was rendered moot by Chelsea's sheer dominance of the contest that restricted Everton to a solitary, off-target shot on goal in the entire 90 minutes. And it took the home side 11 minutes to score the fourth with that combination of Pedro and Hazard before Costa forced a save from Stekelenburg when he volleyed Hazard's chipped cross goal-wards and the Dutchman parried it over the crossbar.

That merely delayed the fifth which came two minutes later in the 65th minute as Costa picked up the ball after Romelu Lukaku had lost the ball up front for the visitors and made a beeline for goal before laying it off to Hazard to his left. The Belgian's shot from the angle was saved by Stekelenburg but the ball feel straight to Pedro who tapped into the empty net.

Chelsea were denied a sixth later on when Williams made a last-ditch tackle on Costa as he bore down on goal but it was an afternoon of almost no positives for Everton who were soundly thrashed on the day by Antonio Conte's impressive-looking outfit.

Full details: ToffeeWeb match page

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Genres : Music, Concert

Starring : The Rolling Stones

Director : Paul Dugdale

Plot Synopsis

Havana Moon captures the historic, once in a lifetime concert by The Rolling Stones in Havana, Cuba. Directed by Paul Dugdale (Adele, Coldplay) this epic, record breaking concert features the hits Jumpin Jack Flash , It's Only Rock n Roll , Gimme Shelter , Brown Sugar , Satisfaction and many more. Filmed at the end of the America Latina Ole Tour 2016 Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood perform a truly spectacular set to over 1.2 million adoring fans.



This deluxe edition is packaged in a beautiful 60-page hardback book and contains the show on Blu-ray, DVD & 2CDs!



BLU-RAY & DVD TRACKLISTING

1. It's About Time... 2. Jumpin' Jack Flash 3. It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It) 4. Out Of Control 5. Angie 6. Paint It Black 7. Honky Tonk Women 8. Band Introductions 9. You Got The Silver 10. Midnight Rambler 11. Gimme Shelter 12. Sympathy For The Devil 13. Brown Sugar 14. Still Getting Better... 15. You Can t Always Get What You Want 16. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction



CD 1

1. Jumpin' Jack Flash 2. It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It) 3. Tumbling Dice 4. Out Of Control 5. All Down The Line 6. Angie 7. Paint It Black 8. Honky Tonk Women 9. You Got The Silver 10. Before They Make Me Run 11. Midnight Rambler



CD 2.

1. Miss You 2. Gimme Shelter 3. Start Me Up 4. Sympathy For The Devil 5. Brown Sugar 6. You Can t Always Get What You Want 7. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has started construction of a new headquarters. The new building, named Al Sheraa (Arabic for sail), will be the tallest, largest, and smartest net-zero energy building (NZEB) in the world.



It is being built in the heart of the Cultural Village in Al Jadaf, Dubai. The total built-up area of Al Sheraa will be over 1.5 million sq ft, while also featuring parking, engineering facilities, and green spaces. The building is designed to accommodate 5,000 employees, in addition to customers and visitors. It will have over 16,500 sq m of photovoltaic solar panels to produce over 3,500 kilowatt hours (kW/h).



There will be about 10,000 sq m of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels, producing over 1,100 kWh. Total renewable energy generated by the building will be over 7,000 megawatt hours (MW/h) annually. The building will have an energy utilisation intensity (EUI) of 70 kW/sq m per year.



Al Sheraas design was inspired by the UAEs traditional houses, where enclosed spaces overlook an open courtyard. The courtyard will be the focal point and most prominent feature of the building. To reduce heat in the open courtyard, a sail design is used to provide shaded areas. Natural light during the day will stream through specific openings in the sail, giving sufficient light without the associated heat. The courtyard features trees, planted areas, and birds within a sustainable environment and will give occupants and visitors an outdoor feeling in an indoor setting.



The building will use the latest technologies including Internet of Things (IoT), big data and open data, and artificial intelligence (AI). Robots will be used for cleaning and to provide security services. A smart app will alert the employees about the time they should leave their homes based on the traffic. The same app can be used to book parking spaces and meeting rooms. It can be also used by visitors to easily reach the building and meeting rooms.



Al Sheraa is planned to be a zero energy building (ZEB), where the total energy used in the building during a year is equal to or less than the energy produced on site during that year. Dewas new headquarters is targeted to receive platinum rating by Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), where platinum is the highest certification. The building is targeted to use 50 per cent less water than regular buildings.



The green spaces will be almost 50 per cent of the building's area. To be ZEB, employees will manage their energy consumption using a smart app that informs them of the amount of energy they use to assist them in improving energy budget management. Al Sheraa will use state-of-the-art building management tools. It will feature a control centre which will allow essential systems to operate and will shut down non-essential systems, including air-conditioning and lighting.



Dewas new headquarters will be directly linked to Dubai Metro by a 150-m covered bridge, which will promote the use of public transportation thus reducing traffic and carbon footprint.



The building will be completed and inaugurated in 2019. Al Sheraa will include a state-of-the-art fitness centre. Dewa will also include a shaded outdoor jogging track for use by Dewa staff and the community, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa.



The building will feature a 700-seat auditorium, allowing Dewa to host its events and activities in the same building. The parking facility accommodates up to 1,500 cars, which will be parked automatically. Al Sheraa will also have a nursery that can accommodate 80 children of up to four years of age.



It will have a library overlooking the creek, a large cafeteria, a retail area, and other amenities that will be accessible to staff and the public. The new building will contribute to spreading knowledge and increasing the productivity of our staff, concluded Al Tayer.  TradeArabia News Service
Denmark-based FLSmidth, a leading equipment supplier to the global mining and cement industries, has signed a contract worth more than $200 million with Iraq Cement to install a production line with a capacity of 6,000 tonnes of cement per day in the Al Muthana region.



The contract is a full engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order, comprising engineering, all FLSmidth equipment supplies, erection and construction, as well as commissioning and training once completed. The cement plant will produce 6,000 tonnes per day and will feature state-of-the-art equipment, including the latest technology to ensure an environment-friendly and energy-efficient production process.



"By signing the contract, Iraq Cement is making the first step in raising financing for the project, which is an important milestone in their pursuit to realise the project. We are pleased to have been selected to support them on that journey, said group executive vice president of the Cement Division, Per Mejnert Kristensen.



FLSmidth has a long history in Iraq and the Middle East, and is maintaining its leading role in serving the rapidly expanding cement market. The growing economy and increasing infrastructure investments in the region continue to offer business opportunities.



The contract is worth more than $200 million and is among several others, subject to receipt of the down payment by FLSmidth. Until all conditions are met and the contract becomes effective, it will not be part of the order intake, a statement said.



A separate company announcement will be issued when the order becomes effective, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
The opening of the Abu Dhabi branch of France's Louvre museum has been postponed to 2017 due to pending construction work, Reuters said quoting sources.



Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the developer, was scheduled to hand over the $650-million museum to Abu Dhabis Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) in mid-2016, the report said.



The branch was originally scheduled to open in 2012 but that target was pushed back.


Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has launched a drive titled Happiness Hours which enables employees who excel at work to leave work three hours earlier once a month in bid to motivate employees to excel at work.



The employees will be eligible for the Happiness Hour based on how much they excel at their work and how well they accomplish their responsibilities and tasks. The employees direct manager will determine if the employee is eligible for the Happiness Hours.



The idea of the project is to encourage employees to invest their experience and skills in serving customers in all DHA headquarters, hospitals and health centres.



The direct manager has the jurisdiction to give all his employees happiness hoursgiven that it does not obstruct the work flow, but each employee can only leave three hours earlier once a month.



Amna Al Suwaidi, director of HR at DHA said that the DHA has more than 13,000 employees and DHA constantly strives to find creative ways to motivate their employees so that they can better serve and satisfy customers.



She said employees who excel can now ask his direct manager to leave three hours earlier once a month to spend time with their family or friends as a reward.



Al Suwaidi said that the authority has also launched Youre our pride initiative earlier this year to motivate employees and encourage them to join the authority's drive in creating a first class medical system in Dubai.



Through the Bekom Naftakher', or 'You're our Pride' initiative, employees who excel in demonstrating creativity and in making a notable difference in their work environment and the authority as a whole, will be chosen to represent DHA in the programme's competitions.



The programme competition will see awards presented for a number of achievements, including career and administrative excellence, scientific achievement, research, international accreditation, and an award for best suggestion.  TradeArabia News Service
The total number of exhibitors and exhibition space at the third edition of Gulfood Manufacturing, to be held tomorrow (November 7), in Dubai, UAE, will see an increase of 20 per cent.



The event, the Middle Easts biggest food manufacturing, processing and packaging, logistics, cold chain and materials handling exhibition, will run until November 9, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).



The shows rapid growth comes just months after HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Industrial Strategy  a multi-faceted policy that aims to elevate Dubai into a global platform for knowledge-based, sustainable and innovation-focused businesses.



Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, exhibitions and events management, DWTC, said that the event is perfectly aligned with the industrial strategy, which aims to generate more than 27,000 jobs and contribute Dh160 billion towards the emirates economy by 2030.



This year is a genuine coming of age for Gulfood Manufacturing, said LohMirmand. As the regions primary platform for regional food and beverage (F&B) industry companies to access global food producers, equipment manufacturers and cold chain providers across the international food production value chain, the event is a strategic catalyst for prolonged food manufacturing industry growth in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region.



Moreover, having swelled to 13 halls  two more than last year  Gulfood Manufacturing 2016 will be split into three specialist areas across more than 80,000 square metres of exhibition space.



The sectorised show includes Ingredients Middle East, which features fine and functional ingredients and the latest bulk and commodity ingredients, innovations, tastes and flavours; ProPack Middle East, covering automation, processing equipment and packaging machinery to solve production challenges and increase volume, flexibility, efficiency, quality and cost control; and Logistics Solutions Middle East, a platform for firms involved in materials handling, transport and commercial vehicles, IT and technology solutions, warehousing operators, facilitators and service providers.



Across its three dedicated zones, Gulfood Manufacturing will feature more than 1,600 exhibitors from 58 countries including 29 official national pavilions, including production machinery leaders Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.



The show will also welcome first-time national pavilions representing Indonesia, Ireland, Russia and South Africa.



Alongside Gulfood Manufacturing 2016, DWTC is also staging its annual trio of conveniently-segmented food events: The Speciality Food Festival, which caters for producers, suppliers, importers and exporters of gourmet, halal and organic products; Seafex, the regions biggest trade fair and sourcing platform for the international seafood industry; and Yummex Middle East in partnership with Koelnmesse, the regions leading international trade fair for the confectionery and snacks market.



Joining the four specialist food events is the new Future Food Live, Dubais first international conference on Applied Nutrition that DWTC is running in partnership with the Dubai Municipality. Trade visitors focusing on the wellbeing segment will discover the full spectrum of organic, free-from, halal and other healthy food products and ingredients. Attendees will include everyone from global food specialists and distributors to large-scale government-backed farms, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has signed a long-term master supplier agreement with AVK Saudi Valves Manufacturing Company (AVK), a leading supplier of high quality valves and fire hydrants.



As a leader in its industry, AVK will supply the city with its state-of-the-art products as the city continues to develop and expand its infrastructure.



KAEC is the largest privately-funded new city in the world. Situated on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the city covers an area of 181 sq km of land, approximately the size of Washington DC. It comprises King Abdullah Port, the Coastal Communities residential districts, the Haramain Railway district and the Industrial Valley. The city is under development by Emaar, The Economic City, a publicly listed Saudi joint-stock company established in 2006.



This partnership is a key indicator of the calibre of companies working alongside KAEC in the delivery of a next-generation city to support Vision 2030, said Fahd Al Rasheed, group CEO and managing director of KAEC.



KAEC continues to partner with new best-in-class companies to maintain our ability to provide a premium infrastructure that empowers growth.



With an annual turnover of approximately SR2.2 billion ($586 million), AVK is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of valves, pipes and hydrants. It has been manufacturing locally in the kingdom for over 30 years, and supplies projects across Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.



AVK places the support of Saudi Arabias economy at the centre of its business practices. Offering world-class skills and expertise to Saudi employees, we are currently on track to soon reach Saudisation levels of over 40 per cent. Partnering with KAEC, a city designed to support the growth of Saudi Arabia into the future, is a natural direction for us, and we are very excited about the level of sustainable, high quality projects being developed there, said Ole Hedegaard, managing director of AVK.



The new partnership with AVK supports a commitment by both parties to prioritising the use of high quality domestically manufactured products in the growth of local communities, he said.



KAECs continued development is evidence of the power of Vision 2030 to drive an economy beyond oil, said Fahd Al Rasheed. The advanced infrastructure of the city has been developed in partnership with renowned industry leaders, focusing on a premium level product to increase safety and security for all investors. - TradeArabia News Service


The Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi has urged Islamic State (IS) militants fighting in Mosul to lay down their weapons even as the Iraqi security forces drove reached within a few km of an airport on the edge of the city.



Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said told people in Mosul: "we will liberate you soon".



The city has been under IS control for more than two years.



Al-Abadi called on IS fighters to surrender after government forces gained a foothold in Mosul's eastern suburbs, said a BBC report.



"My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the prime minister told reporters.



Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said.



The advance on the southern front comes days after Iraqi special forces fought their way into the eastern side of Mosul, taking control of six neighborhoods according to Iraqi officials and restoring a foothold in the city for the first time since the army retreated ignominiously two years ago.
UAEs Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) showcased its achievements in the recent World Space Risk Forum (WSRF) in Dubai, UAE, the global event that gathers top international experts and specialists in the field of space industry.



During the opening session, the forum rewarded MBRSC with the Inspiration Award, as Salem Al Marri, assistant director general for Scientific & Technical Affairs at MBRSC, was handed the honorary shield from Laurent Lemaire, organizing host of the WSRF and chairman and CEO of Elseco, in recognition of the achievements made by the Centre in space science and space industry locally and internationally.



Yousuf Al Shaibani, director general of MBRSC, said: Hosting the World Space Risk Forum in the UAE contributes to reinforcing our countrys position in the global space industry. The forum offers a platform to exchange experiences and practices, promote knowledge transfer, and create cooperation channels between decision makers involved in the space sector from around the world.



In a short period of time, weve managed to achieve a great deal, including the launch of two satellites into space, building the first Remote Sensing Earth Observation Satellite using only Emirati expertise  KhalifaSat, and beginning work on the first Arab mission to explore outer space  with the Hope probe.



"The UAEs space sector has a very ambitious strategy based on innovation, creativity, excellence and investment in human resources. Were fully confident and hopeful that we will make qualitative development and advancement in the UAE space projects in line with the Centre's strategic plans, which aim to fulfil the aspirations of our leadership to make the UAE one of the leading countries in the space science industry by 2021, Al Shaibani added.



During the forum, Al Marri delivered the opening speech, where he thanked Elseco, a leading insurance underwriting company specialised in the space, aviation and energy sectors, and one of the forums organizing entities. He highlighted the partnership between MBRSC and Elseco since the launch of the World Space Risk Forum in Dubai in 2010.



In his speech, Al Marri highlighted the achievements made by the UAE space programme across the past 10 years. He also addressed the risks associated with space missions, and emphasised the need for proactive and operational plans to assess and mitigate risks by government institutions and agencies launching space projects and missions.



Al Marri said: By giving all countries and organisations equal opportunities to participate in the space industry, we can contribute to the growth of space technology. MBRSC continues to promote cooperation and coordination with the global space community in order to develop international frameworks to regulate space activities, with a view to building a sustainable space sector.



Adnan Al Rais, deputy project manager of the Emirates Mars Mission, participated in one of the conference sessions. He briefed participants on the most ambitious project in the UAE. He also highlighted the mission objectives and how one begins to gather data on Mars, before sharing it with the global space science community that have an interest in the Red Planet. - TradeArabia News Service
Huawei, a global ICT solutions provider and the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO), a major producer of offshore oil and gas, have announced that ADMA-OPCOs Cloud Ready Data Centre is now fully operational.



The announcement was made at the Huawei Global Energy Summit 2016 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



The Cloud Ready Data Centre is expected to help ADMA-OPCO address the needs of long-distance transmission and processing of a massive volume of data during offshore oil exploration and production. It will also enhance the security of critical business data and applications for ADMA-OPCO.



As one of the largest offshore oil and gas companies in the Gulf region, ADMA-OPCO is responsible for the production and exploration of a number of offshore oilfields in Abu Dhabi, producing several hundred thousands of barrels of oil per day.



With the expansion of their businesses, ADMA-OPCO plans to upgrade its three data centres into a future-oriented cloud data centre by integrating existing IT systems, so as to improve IT resource utilization and service response capability. This would allow ADMA-OPCO to cope with the rapid growth of data volumes and reduce the operating costs of data centres.



Huawei has facilitated ADMA-OPCO to construct a cloud data centre based on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards, which integrates the core architectures of data centre management to implement a centralized management of both cloud and non-cloud data centres.



The Cloud Ready Data Centre features centralized IT resources, as well as collaborative management of blade servers, and storage and network equipment, realizing automatic provisioning of computing resources and scalable cloud data services required to support future-proof smooth capacity expansion. As a security mechanism, geographic disaster redundancy between two sites 200 km apart is implemented to ensure zero loss of key data generated by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Oracle, and email systems.



Dr Alaeddin Al-Badawna, ADMA-OPCO's chief information officer, said: "The Cloud Ready Data Centre we built with Huawei supports seamless integration with our existing infrastructure, which maximizes our IT operation efficiency, optimizes IT resource management, and boosts IT resource utilization. We are expected to see a 30 per cent drop in the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of the data centre. Virtualization-based cloud computing can ensure high service continuity and greatly facilitate our business expansion. In addition, Huawei's geographic disaster redundancy technology provides enhanced security for our key business data and applications."



He Tao, president of Huawei Middle East Enterprise Business Dept, said: "Huawei has worked closely with ADMA-OPCO's to clearly understand their requirements and provide an end-to-end overall cloud data centre solution to build a simplified, open, and elastic data centre for ADMA-OPCO.



This Cloud Ready Data Centre will support more flexible services and applications, helping ADMA-OPCO excel in the fierce market competition. The commercial rollout of this Cloud Ready Data Centre is a testament to Huawei's understanding of the specific needs of this particular business and positions Huawei as a leader among data centre solution providers for global high-end oil and gas customers, as well as accelerate Huaweis technological influence in this area and more."  TradeArabia News Service
Comedy is a curious thing. What's funny at one point in our lives may not seem so humorous later on. And as attitudes, morals, and trends change, so too does the comic climate that lampoons them. Maybe that's why the work of playwright Neil Simon is so seldom revived today. A big deal in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, Simon penned a string of successful comedies that incisively skewer common human foibles, but because the plays are so firmly anchored in a specific time and place, many of them - like 'The Odd Couple,' 'Barefoot in the Park,' and 'The Prisoner of Second Avenue' - now seem dated and a tad stale. As Simon learned firsthand, the danger of being hip is that it's easy to soon become passe.

'The Goodbye Girl' is one of a handful of original screenplays Simon wrote during his heyday. A love letter of sorts to his then wife, actress Marsha Mason, the film showcases a classic situational conflict and predictably plays it out. It's warm, often amusing, and boasts a high cuteness quotient, but the preciously constructed dialogue is too reminiscent of a stage play and the ending is a slap in the face to women in general and feminists in particular.

A typical boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-hate-each-other-and-later-fall-in-love yarn, 'The Goodbye Girl' forces its two protagonists together during the film's opening minutes. When perky Paula McFadden (Mason) learns through a "Dear Jane" letter she's been dumped by her live-in lover - a narcissistic actor who abandons her and her precocious 10-year-old daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) for a plum movie role - she's devastated. But before Paula can dry her eyes, another actor, Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss), shows up on her Manhattan doorstep claiming her scumbag ex-boyfriend has sublet the apartment to him. An enraged Paula refuses to vacate, and after a series of heated exchanges, the two agree to share the flat. Of course their oil-and-water personalities continually clash, and his bohemian lifestyle rubs her the wrong way, yet as time goes on, their defenses and facades crumble, and they begin an unlikely love affair. But will Elliot turn out to be just another selfish Mr. Wrong for this perennial "goodbye girl," or the knight in shining armor who has eluded her all her life?

I loved 'The Goodbye Girl' as an impressionable adolescent back in 1977, and so did a lot of other people. It earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, and Original Screenplay, but like many of Simon's works, the comedy emanates from situations, not his characters, who aren't particularly dimensional and often seem present only to spew a barrage of wisecracking one-liners. (This is especially true of Lucy, the generic wiseass kid, who becomes ever more annoying as the film progresses.) As nicely packaged as it may be, the story doesn't reflect reality, its myriad contrivances often douse the sparks the script generates, and the topical references have grown stale - three big reasons why the movie remains stuck in a time capsule.

Simon tries to bring some old-movie charm to the tale - Dreyfuss occasionally (and gratingly) impersonates Humphrey Bogart (in fact, the screenplay was originally titled 'Bogart Slept Here') - but his efforts fall flat and leave a corny aftertaste. And though his dialogue has a lilting rhythm to it, especially when Paula and Elliot bicker, it often sounds too scripted. Whereas Woody Allen's jokes tend to emanate from the natural flow of conversation, Simon's exchanges seem constructed with a pre-conceived punch line in mind. The laughs are still there, but you can see the wheels turning, and that inhibits our involvement with the characters. (Interestingly, Oscar would choose Allen's 'Annie Hall' screenplay as the year's best over Simon's 'Goodbye Girl' script.)

At age 30, Dreyfuss became the youngest actor in history to win the Best Actor prize (Adrien Brody has since supplanted him), and though his performance brims with manic energy, it hardly seems worthy of an Academy Award. The role of Elliot fits Dreyfuss like a glove (both men possess oversized egos and exude a distasteful cockiness), and he was probably better suited to it than Robert De Niro, who was originally cast. He and Mason, who oozes cuteness as Paula, really click, and their chemistry keeps the film afloat.

Unfortunately, the film's message - the only truly fulfilling thing in a woman's life is a successful relationship - doesn't play well today. With apologies to Virginia Slims, the fairer sex has come a long way, baby, since 1977, and 'The Goodbye Girl' is just contemporary enough to rankle modern women who have fought long and hard for equality. Though its wholesome charm remains and a few lines still provoke laughter, this Neil Simon rom com has begun to creak around the edges, and is notable more for its wistful sense of nostalgia than anything else.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'The Goodbye Girl' arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.
UAE food sales are projected to grow by an annual average of 7.3 per cent to reach $16.7 billion in 2020, according to a new report.



The BMI report is commissioned by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and released in tandem with the opening of its annual trio of specialist foods shows, which run until November 9.



In addition to underlining the countrys standing as the GCCs second largest food market, the findings add further impetus to the relevance of DWTCs trio of finished food events - The Speciality Food Festival, Yummex Middle East and Seafex - as strategic investment and sourcing platforms for the regional food retail and hospitality industries.



With more than 700 local, regional and international food suppliers from over 60 countries showcasing thousands of specialist food products in front of an anticipated audience of 15,000 international buyers at this weeks specialist food events, the report cites growing domestic demand for speciality gourmet, seafood and confectionery foods as the primary drivers of sustained long-term growth.



The heightened domestic demand for niche food products is reflected in 10 per cent growth across the three shows, according to Trixie Loh Mirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC.



Our well-established finished food platforms have yielded double-digit year-on-year growth in terms of floor space and total exhibitor participation this year, said Loh Mirmand. This growth highlights the strategic significance that global food suppliers place on the UAE as both a lucrative sales market and re-export hub to the wider region.



Owing to high income levels and rising affluence among UAE consumers, the report suggests premiumisation will spur the domestic food industrys growth until the end of the decade. The claim is supported by the fact the average UAE household spends more on premium and gourmet products than equivalent households in the US, Japan, the UK, Korea, and China.



With approximately 26 per cent of UAE households forecasted to earn more than $75,000 in 2017 and the average household earning predicted to increase by 27.8 per cent by 2020, The Speciality Food Festival provides an opportunity for food retailers and hospitality providers to access thousands of innovative new products that are destined for supermarket shelves and restaurant tables in the near future.



The Speciality Food Festival will feature 200-plus exhibitors from over 50 countries, including new country pavilions and a broad portfolio of international and local buyers, suppliers, producers, importers & exporters of gourmet, halal and organic products.



Seafex - Seafood sector primed for positive growth



The UAEs seafood demand is also set for rapid growth over the next four years, with an eight per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in fish and fish product sales in the UAE alone leading up to 2020. The report cites growth across all three sub-sectors of consumable seafood: fish, shellfish and preserved fish, and other preserved or processed fish and seafood, at annual average rates of 8.2 per cent, 7.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, by 2020.



Seafex 2016 will feature more than 145 exhibitors from more than 25 countries. This years show is spread across 4,500 square metres - up 12.5 per cent on last year - with new exhibitors from the UK, Norway, the US, the UAE and Vietnam.



Yummex Middle East  Surging confectionery sales



The UAEs confectionary sector is also anticipated to grow with total chocolate and sweets sales growing by 6.2 per cent CAGR by 2020 and per capita sales rising by an annual average of 4.7 per cent over the same period.



With the countrys burgeoning confectionery segment boosted by major international market players such as Mars and Nestle operating local production facilities, the report indicates further growth will come from premium chocolate producers establishing new production facilities in the Emirates. Russian chocolatier Goldberg is due open an automation-led production facility in the UAE before the end of this year.



The 10th edition of Yummex Middle East, formerly known as Sweets & Snacks Middle East and held in partnership with Koelnmesse GmbH, will host over 350 companies from 46 countries this year. Yummex Middle East will span over 10,000 square metres of space - 18 per cent up on last year.



New features, major buyers, historic partners



This years events will also debut the Global Date Market  a specialist sourcing platform for date products that will unite the regions leading date producers with top hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and other end sellers. Sponsored by the Saudi Export Development Authority (SEDA), The Global Date Market will display over 200 date varieties from more than 50 global producers across the UAE and the wider GCC, as well as Europe, Asia and America.



In-line with increased food sector growth in the UAE, DWTCs trio of niche food events will welcome a roster of top-level sourcing delegations includes representatives from Carrefour UAE, Jumeirah Group, Spinneys, Waitrose, Dubai Duty Free, Rotana Group, Emirates Flight Catering, Manuel Supermarket and Dubai Mall among others.



Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has also signed a landmark partnership with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE)  the official government organisation which promotes Italian companies internationally - that will see the best Italian food and drink producers participate at DWTCs trio of specialist food events this year.  TradeArabia News Service
Foodpanda, the global group that originally started the brand hellofood in March 2013, has announced the merger of the two leading online food ordering platforms hellofood and HungerStation.



This newborn strategic partnership will strengthen the operations and footprint of the two companies in Saudi Arabia, as well as consolidate foodpanda groups market leadership in the region, said a statement.



foodpanda is always on the lookout for strategic opportunities, to combine the best global operational practices with great successful entrepreneurs, obtaining solid local and regional market knowledge and strive to bring the most convenient food delivery experience to our customers said co-founder and COO of foodpanda Global, Felix Plog.



hellofood and HungerStation have already proved the effectiveness of this merger in just three months; we can already foresee the prosperous future of this partnership, added Plog.



Under the leadership of Ebrahim Al-Jassim, founder and CEO of HungerStation, both brands will continue to operate in the kingdom to cater to the different segments of customers and offer the largest variety of food outlets and restaurants.



The partnership will bring together a strong dedicated team to lead the operations and provide better services and food offerings to the more than 20 million residents currently covered by the platforms in more than 47 cities across Saudi Arabia.



Anass Boumediene, managing director of foodpanda Middle East, said: This merger presents an opportunity for two market leaders to combine their skills and expertise to further provide enhanced services and food offerings for our customers in Saudi Arabia and the region.



"With Ebrahims ambition and great entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with our diverse operational practices we can set assure that this partnership is the perfect successful combo for Saudi Arabia and the region, added Mehdi Oudghiri, co-managing director of foodpanda Middle East.



With the experience, resources and technology that foodpanda brings to the table, we are very excited and ready to take the next big step in order to provide a world class service and experience to our growing customer base, said Al-Jassim, founder and CEO of HungerStation.



We have worked very hard during the last years, in developing strategic alliances with the main players in the food industry and building trust among our customers. That together with our working ethics and culture helped us to become the leader of online food delivery in the Kingdom, leading to this great opportunity to join hands with hellofood.



HungerStation and hellofood remain committed to outgrow the online food industry, by continuing to expand into new cities, introducing new complimentary services as well as partnering with more and more food outlets to ensure it meets all consumers tastes, the statement said.



The company also operates the food delivery businesses in the United Arab Emirates and in Egypt.  TradeArabia News Service


More than 40 Mena start-ups from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan are expected to pitch during tis month's Middle East North Africa (MENA) Angel Investors Summit 2016.



The event, which is in its fifth edition, will be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Bahrain on November 22 and 23, 2016.



Tenmou, Bahrains Business Angels Holding Company responsible for building the first platform designed to empower new start-ups in the country, in strategic partnership with the Economic Development Board (EDB), is set to host the event.



The summit aims to provide a platform for exchanging best practices, facilitate conversation among similar angel investment organisations, and ultimately enable and inspire more investors to fuel greater innovative start-ups in the Mena region. Attendees will comprise start-ups from respected entrepreneurial programmes, accelerators and angel investment organisations and are set to include high profile start-ups from Sirdab Lab, MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, Flat6Labs, Oasis500, Gaza Sky Geeks and Tenmou to name a few. The summit will convene more than 300 attendees.



Commenting on the announcement, Hasan Haider, CEO of Tenmou said: We, at Tenmou, are committed to continuously positioning Bahrain as the start-up and entrepreneurial hub for the Mena region and highlight the innovative high-growth potential available here. Through our partnership with the EDB, we will be able to further highlight Bahrains robust investment climate to key investors via the summit as well as showcase the dynamic start-up culture the kingdom has to offer.



Due to the success achieved at the summit during the previous years and the continued growth of local and regional start-up ventures, we are confident that this years edition will show even greater success. The summit allows the best opportunity both to connect with most prominent angel investors and high potential entrepreneurs as well as showcase local and regional start-up talent.



Last years summit witnessed notable advancement in the regions start-ups. More than $4 million worth of investment deals triggered, 40 regional high-growth and high potential start-up presentations, with more than four regional and two international cooperation agreements made. Over 300 guests attended the summit last year.



Khalid Al Rumaihi, chief executive at the EDB, said: Bahrain provides an ideal testing ground for local and regional start-ups looking to enter or grow within the GCC, and providing the right type of funding to help businesses expand is vital part of that. We are proud to work alongside Tenmou in strengthening the kingdom as an entrepreneurial hub for the Mena region.



Bahrains SME development model is endorsed by UNIDO as the best in the world, and we are delighted to host this summit to exchange best practice, facilitate conversation, and showcase start-ups to investors here in Bahrain.



Launched in 2011, Tenmou aims to support entrepreneurs with valuable business assistance, including financial investment, mentorship, advice and guidance. Tenmou recognises that for many entrepreneurs, mentorship programmes can be as valuable as financial investments. Each project receives practical advice and training from the companys board members, who bring with them a wealth of business experience. These training sessions expose the entrepreneurs to real business situations and are conducted in the form of workshops, on a regular basis.



Established with a start-up capital of BD1 million ($2.7 million),Tenmou invests an average of BD20,000  BD30,000 for a stake of on average 20 per cent - 30 per cent in each project that meets its criteria, and will provide a three-month mentorship period, including support services, at no cost to the entrepreneurs. - TradeArabia News Service
Shaza Al Madina, a five-star luxury hotel in the Saudi Arabian city, recently welcomed its millionth happy guest as the hotel gets close to completing six successful years of operation.



Shaza Al Madina will be celebrating its sixth anniversary on December 6, and has, in the years gone by, earned numerous accolades including Best luxury hotel in Madinah and Best restaurant concept at various forums such as World Traveller Awards, MENA Traveller awards and World Halal Tourism Summit among others. In addition, Shaza Al Madina has been awarded the Travellers Choice award in the Luxury and Family segment by Trip Advisor for the past 4 years consecutively.



Commenting on the hotel's journey, Amjad Irshaidat, country general manager said, The hotel and the brand would continue to strive to excel in its performance as a leading Luxury hotel in the kingdom with its handcrafted guest experiences and uncompromising quality driven approach. Every individual entering Shaza Al Madina is treated with personal touch and care, ensuring they become our repeat guests as well as our ambassadors in the society for new potential guests. Our track record shows that 27 per cent of our guests are repeat guests from GCC. Shaza Hotels aggressive expansion in the region, especially in the Kingdom, proves that Shaza experiences have been warmly accepted by our guests and investors.



The year 2015 saw Shaza Al Madina open the largest Royal Suite in Madinah called the Tiara Suite; 450-sq-m of space that comprises of its own private Majlis for both gents and ladies, two master bedrooms and two accompanied rooms, private dining spaces, kitchenette, private office room, 24 hour Morafik services, Business lounge and more. Currently, the Tiara suite is the most expensive one in Al Madinah and a favorite among the Royal families, celebrities and high net worth individuals. This year, Shaza Al Madina inaugurated its Silk Floors; exclusive floors with dedicated lounges at the top, providing Morafik Services and a list of complimentary benefits for its privileged luxury travelers who seek privacy and tranquility.



In its sixth year of operation, Shaza Al Madina is re-investing approximately SR10 million ($2.6 million) for a completely fresh look and unique experiences. The overhaul includes the upgrading of rooms and public spaces along with the establishment of Shaza Afiya; the first spa in Al Madina. The hotel also aims to open the doors to Oud; a brand new dining venue, and the signature Shaza Kids Club by 2017. - TradeArabia News Service
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas has appointed Janet Abrahams as the new director of sales and marketing.



Bringing 20 years of international hospitality experience to her new role, Abrahams has worked in a number of hotels across the UAE, Levant, Europe and Asia.



Abrahams began her sales and marketing career in London and moved into international roles, successfully building a career in flagship properties, opening new hotels and developing destinations for luxury travel.



I am delighted to welcome Janet to the team," said Federico Mantoani, general manager of the hotel. "Janet brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of our region and key feeder markets and will be a valuable asset in developing our unique positioning as the leading luxury resort in the region," he said. - TradeArabia News Service


A recent newspaper article commented on the difficulties our youth face in finding employment with companies that offer a 401(k). The article implied that this is a key factor when determining whether or not to take a job. With a recovering economy, I found this interesting. Getting a job should be your first priority, regardless of whether the employer offers a retirement plan.

While having a company retirement plan is a nice benefit, getting a job with a decent salary should be at the top of your priority list. Given the increasing cost of health care, a group health plan should be the next item you look for in order of importance.

Some employers may pay all or a portion of an employees health care premium. Coverage for your entire family, even if you pay the additional premium, is still a significant benefit.

There are many other elements to consider when looking for employment. Will the job help you achieve your career goals? How long is your daily commute? If the job requires significant out-of-town travel, will that fit within your family responsibilities? Will you get vacation time?

The article pointed out the power of the media, as well as how often the term 401(k) is thrown about and made to appear of primary importance. However, a 401(k) is just one type of retirement plan, and if your company doesnt sponsor any retirement plan, you can always save and invest on your own.

By way of background, a 401(k) is a type of retirement plan employers offer to allow employees to defer a percentage of their paycheck into an account for investing. Employees are then responsible for choosing how to invest that money from an array of investment options, generally mutual funds. The employer can choose to match a certain percentage of your contribution as an added benefit.

Amounts you defer into a traditional 401(k) will reduce your taxable salary and therefore your tax burden for that year. Your investments and earnings grow over time, and the income taxes on the assets in the account are paid down the road, when you make permanent withdrawals. If you elect to contribute to a Roth 401(k) account, you will pay tax on the full amount of your salary each year. However, you will not owe taxes in the future when you withdraw funds from the account.

A 401(k) is just one type of retirement plan. Governmental entities generally adopt 403(b) plans and frequently offer a pension. Public companies can adopt a SIMPLE plan, a SEP plan, a 457 deferred compensation plan, a profit sharing plan or a defined benefit pension plan. The goal of all of these vehicles is to save for retirement and invest for your future.

An employer may choose to adopt a given retirement plan based on the type of company or entity, the administrative requirements, the amount of money they wish to contribute for employees and the desired flexibility from year to year. For some reason, due to the attention 401(k) plans receive, it is often assumed that you cannot save and invest unless your employer helps you. This is a myth. You can set up investment accounts for yourself that have nothing to do with your employment or employer.

For instance, you can open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and, in 2016, make an annual contribution of $5,500 if you are under age 50 and $6,500 if you are over 50. Depending on your taxable income, these contributions can be deductible, helping to reduce your tax burden. You can also contribute the same amount to a Roth IRA, which will not give you a current tax deduction but grows tax free.

You can also open a regular investment account and invest for retirement without receiving deductions for contributions. You can save and invest as much as your cash flow allows in regular investment accounts. The sky is the limit.

The sooner you start to save and invest for retirement, the happier you will be when the day comes to stop working. When you look for employment, finding a job with a company that has a 401(k) is nice but not necessary. The company may simply offer a different type of retirement plan for you. Its not ideal if the company doesnt offer employees any type of retirement plan, but dont worry overmuch. You can establish an IRA and regular investments accounts and save for your future in another way.
Monday's Highlights

Monday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A St.; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m, 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 5:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 6 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 7 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 E. A. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Al-Anon: Noon, 701 S. Wolcott, St. Mark's Church.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 7 p.m., 302 E. 2nd, Methodist Church; 8 p.m., 4700 S. Poplar (church basement). Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

NAMI: 7 p.m., 133 W. Sixth St. Info: 234-0440.

Teen Addiction Anonymous: 3:30-4:30 p.m., Boys & Girls Club Teen Center. Info: 258-7439.

Adult Children of Alcoholics: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott St., Suite 200.

TOPS Weight Loss: 5:30 p.m., Weight Loss Support Group TOPS #246, Wyoming Oil & Gas Building, 2211 King Blvd. Use NE door entry. Info: 265-1486.

Free memory screenings

Free, confidential memory screenings and education about dementia will be offered from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Casper Senior Center. Memory screening is an initiative of the Alzheimers Foundation of America. Whether or not youre currently experiencing memory loss, memory screening is the first step toward proper diagnosis and treatment. A memory screening is not used to diagnosis any particular illness and does not replace consultation with a qualified health care professional. The screenings will be facilitated by WDCs staff and conducted by Meadow Wind Assisted Livings Tammy Corkill, RN and Natrona County Health Departments Adult Health Manager Mary Ann Lembke, RN.

For information about Wyoming Dementia Care or the National Alzheimers Awareness Month activities and events, contact Dani Guerttman, 265-4678.

Senior dancing Mondays

Free to Seniors 60 or older. Join the tap dancing group of Joyce's Senior Stompers. It is fun easy clogging -- exercise for both mind and body. We meet on Monday morning at 10:50 a.m. for beginners and 11:15 a.m. for intermediate at the Casper Senior Center. Call Joyce Sisk 237-4908 for more info.

Rotary hears of Rotoract

Christine Vencill will address Rotarians and guests regarding Rotoract: How Young Professionals Can Benefit Rotary, at a noon luncheon meeting at the Parkway Plaza. Christine Vencill, a Wyoming native, received her bachelors and masters degrees in social work from the University of Wyoming. She is currently working as a mental health therapist. Vencills passion for making our community better and helping others drives her both professionally and personally. She has been involved with UW Rotoract in Laramie and joined Rotoract of Casper in 2014. She currently serves as the president of the club where she enjoys meeting other young professionals in the community, working with Rotarians and participating in community service efforts.

Learn basic computer maintenance

The Natrona County Library will offer a Basic Computer Maintenance class at 2 p.m. Learn how to keep your computer running smoothly by performing regular maintenance functions such as updates, defragmenting your hard drive and clearing your cache periodically. Please feel free to bring your laptop to this class. Call 577-READ ext. 2 for more information. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Tween Monday: Who Did It?

The Natrona County Library will host a Clue-inspired murder mystery for students in grades four through six. Mr. Smith has been found lifeless, and it's up to tweens to figure out who did it by looking at the clues! All supplies provided. Call 577-READ ext. 5 for more information.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife is proposing a dramatic reorganization of its National Wildlife Refuge system in Wyoming and seven other states that would result in significant staff and program cuts.

This is our new reality, said a report released internally Thursday.

In some areas, reductions in staffing will lead to a shrinking commitment to active management on refuge lands, even while the land base grows, said the report.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials said the Realignment Strategy Staffing Framework was a draft document that had been in the works for three years.

Status quo is not an option, said the report. We cannot operate with high numbers of vacant positions on organizational charts while we try to continue to do the work of those vacant positions  it is simply not sustainable.

Like other federal land management agencies, the national refuge system has undergone budget reductions that have required cuts in staffing, said Will Meeks, assistant regional director for the Mountain Prairie region that covers Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.

And so it comes down to priorities, Meeks said. Were looking at larger landscapes; the Crown of the Continent and Blackfoot Valley. Engaged private landowners are now a key component of our conservation mission.

A 2011 planning document called Conserving the Future defined the agencys vision, which included developing new partnerships and constituencies to remain viable.

With our growing workloads and budget realities, we will have to look for creative solutions and an increased reliance on volunteers, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Public Affairs specialist Ryan Moehring.

In the mountain prairie states, that means taking a more regional approach.

The proposal calls for Montana, for example, to be carved into three large wetland management districts in western, central and northeast Montana where staff would be shared among refuges.

In addition to the Benton Lake district in western Montana, the plan calls for creation of:

The Charles M. Russell district, made up of the Charles M. Russell, Hailstone, Grass Lake, Lake Mason, Warhorse and UL Bend wildlife refuges.

The Northern Great Plains district, made up of the Bowdoin and Medicine Lake wildlife refuges.

Instead of assigning staff members to specific refuges, the positions for each district are pooled, without an indication of where people will be headquartered.

Meeks said those decisions await feedback from people in the field. But the report noted that some refuges today have no staff members assigned to them.

Shared staff and a heavier reliance volunteers may work on paper, but some refuge managers worry it may not work on the ground.
The Wyoming Medical Center in Casper is experiencing a slight downward trend in the amount of charity care it provides, but it still had over $24 million in costs for fiscal year 2016.

While care for the needy declined by about $300,000, bad debt was still trending upward. The hospital had $32.8 million in unpaid bills for those who did not qualify for charity care, or $6.3 million more than in 2015.

The total of the two categories came to $57 million, compared with $51 million in 2015.

In its annual report to the Natrona County commissioners, hospital officials said they still had a profit margin of 1.8 percent. Part of that, however, was due to a $10.8 million budget cut following five months of losses in the first half of the year. The cuts included the layoffs of 58 staff and other cost-saving measures.

WMC is a nonprofit business that leases the hospital and facilities from Natrona County. In exchange for rent, the center covers the countys legal obligation to provide indigent care for its residents and also most of the medical care costs for prisoners in the county jail.

WMCs chief financial officer Yvonne Wigington attributed the reduced charity care to workers leaving the area due to the mineral decline.

2016 was kind of coming off the boom and the bust in the energy industry. We saw a lot of what we call transient patients, where their home residence was not necessarily in Casper, but they were here working in Casper, Wigington said.

One of the contributors to the hospitals bad debt is its trauma center, which results in the medical center receiving emergency patients from surrounding counties. Life Flight expenses could run upward of $100,000, plus hospital medical care costs.

What we have found is many of our patients, of course, have less coverage or no insurance coverage, or with the higher deductibles, said Wigington. We continue to see that trend increase.

Meanwhile, Medical Center CEO Vickie Diamond noted while the hospitals bad debt is lower than the national average, some of the loss could be reduced if Wyoming expanded Medicaid.

Many of the states that expanded Medicaid have reduced their bad debt anywhere from 15 to 40 percent, Diamond said. We still havent done that, so some of these people might have qualified for Medicaid...

About a quarter of both the indigent care and bad debt costs were attributed to patients who live outside Natrona County. When asked whether the other counties could be charged somehow, Diamond said there was no recourse under state law.

Another cost for the medical center results from treating indigent psychiatric and behavioral health patients. The hospital has an agreement with the county to cover such patients.

The issue has been a growing concern as Natrona County has seen the number of mental-health-related cases increase rapidly over the past five years. The medical center currently pays for the first 10 days of an indigent patients psychiatric care, at a cost of $1.5 million in 2016.

The state, however, is responsible for all the court-ordered placements that result from law enforcement and other agencies. It has seen its costs skyrocket to the point where the Wyoming Health Department will be asking for an additional $20 million (about four times the current statewide funding) for the 2017-18 budget cycle, primarily due to Natrona County.

No one is certain why the county is getting so many patients, though it may relate to its central location, along with the medical and mental health services available. There were over 800 court-ordered placements in 2016, almost three times as many as in Laramie County, which at around 275 patients had the next highest number.

Local and state health providers are seeking to address the problem by creating intermediate care options, which are a level down from commitment at the state hospital or the Wyoming Behavioral Institute in Casper.

The Central Wyoming Counseling Center is planning to open five sub-acute beds by January, and the Wyoming Medical Center is looking to donate a building on H Street for outpatient programs and initial referrals.

Wigington said the efforts could help lower the high cost of indigent people receiving treatment through the emergency room, and then being placed in the Wyoming Behavioral Institute, when a lower level of care would be more appropriate.
The head of Wyomings Health Department wants some $20 million in additional legislative funding largely because of the high number of involuntary commitments, many of which take place in Natrona County.

In my budget I have approximately $4.5 million for designated hospital payments for (the two-year budget cycle), Tom Forslund said. For the current biennium, we anticipate having approximately $25 million in costs, so I have a projected deficit of over $20 million.

Needless to say the Legislature has been very concerned with the issue. The governor is very concerned with the issue, Forslund added.

Forslund made the comments this week at a work session of the Natrona County commissioners, which was attended by health and service agencies.

The state contracts with community agencies for care, as the state hospital does not have the facilities to handle the number of court-ordered cases.

Forslund said some legislators are considering shifting the costs to counties and local governments.

Its a local government/community problem, so the money needs to be reallocated over to the state hospital to pay for these costs, Forslund said, explaining the lawmakers thinking.

Commissioner Rob Hendry said the county was in no position to absorb such a high amount.

Twenty million dollars is half our budget. Now I know thats not all in Natrona County, but the states broke, so weve got to fix it, Hendry said.

More than 800 mental health-related cases were referred for treatment by Natrona County courts in 2015. Thats almost three times as many as Laramie County, which with around 275 patients had the next highest number.

The growth in Natrona Countys patient load has been building over the last few years. Forslund said a task force has been unable to pinpoint the reasons.

The numbers did not fully support a theory that non-county residents were coming to Casper because its a hub for providers in the state, he said.

However, many of the patients are treated at the Wyoming Behavioral Institute, and CEO Joe Gallagher said the state data is likely not catching all of the out-of-county patients.

People who end up at WBI may end up from multiple counties, but they dont necessarily know where they came from, or they dont have it identified at the front end, so they are identified as Natrona County people, he explained.

Local agencies have also been studying the issue. One of the problems is a lack of intermediate care facilities, with the options primarily being involuntary commitment, release and in some cases, jail.

The Wyoming Legislature in its most recent session approved a measure that provides for counties to designate a gatekeeper agency that would have the authority to review and track anyone referred for mental health assistance by the courts.

The hope is the gatekeeper could help direct courses of action, particularly when intermediate levels of assistance were appropriate and available. That would, in theory, avoid the high costs of unnecessary emergency room and other hospital treatment or commitment at WBI.

The commissioners were told that the Central Wyoming Counseling Center will be re-purposing one of its wings to provide five crisis stabilization beds for intermediate care and an alcohol and substance abuse detox unit in December and January. The goal is to have up to 12 beds.

Another new component is converting a building owned by the Wyoming Medical Center into a facility where outpatients can receive directed long-term care and also come for initial assistance.

In the meeting, Forslund said his department had selected Natrona County for the pilot gatekeeper program and recommended Central Wyoming Counseling Center as the gatekeeper.

The commissioners gave unofficial approval of that recommendation, with formal approval needed at a regular meeting.
Modern civilization began about 6,000 years ago with the Mesopotamian civilization. Agriculture had its beginning, producing more food than the hunter-gatherer mode. It opened days for contemplating our place in the universe, the beginning of science. Science has enhanced lives and also been renounced because of fear and ignorance. Here are some major contributions, incidents and coincidences of science along the way.

Though Aristotle gave empirical evidence for a spherical Earth around 330 B.C., most civilizations kept their belief in a flat Earth for another century. About 1610 A.D. Galileo was tried and condemned by the Roman Catholic Inquisition for his support of Copernicus view that the sun, and not Earth, was the center of the solar system. Until Edwin Hubbles observations from Mount Wilson Observatory in the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the universe.

With his improved microscope, Antonie Leeuwenhoek (16321723), the Father of Microbiology, looked at a drop of pond water and exclaimed, Good god, look at all the cavorting beasties.

Charles Darwin was born the same day as Abraham Lincoln. He and Alfred Wallace proposed that present forms of life evolved from previous forms. Their discovery underlies modern biology. At the same time in Austria, Gregor Mendel was establishing the rules of heredity using pea plants.

For those who take Genesis literally, Earth is only 6,000 years old, not 4.6 billion years, as scientists believe today. Six thousand is to 4.6 billion as 3.5 minutes is to a year! Alexander Von Humboldt (1769-1859) perhaps knew more about Earths conditions than any scientist of his time. He believed Earth was very old and wrote about nature as a web of interdependent species.

The 20th century saw scientists take giant strides in scaling the walls of our cosmic prisons. Alfred Wegener in 1912 proposed that the continents were once united. Today the drifting plates of the onetime supercontinent are named, and their movement causes mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.

Bell Labs patented the first practical solar cell in 1954. On June 14 of this year utility-scale solar projects added more new capacity to the nations electric grid than any other energy source.

Rosalind Franklins x-ray diffraction image of DNA in 1953 showed its double strand structure. James Watson and Francis Crick described the gene, the master molecule of life. It is the unit Mendel wrote about.

The ozone layer was discovered in 1913. Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs most of the suns ultraviolet radiation. Without it, life on land would not survive. Depletion of ozone above the Antarctic, the ozone hole, was first announced in May 1985. Children in Australia wore hats and long sleeves for school recess.

In 1987 The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed upon internationally. It phases out the production of numerous substances that cause ozone depletion, mainly chlorofluorocarbons. The ozone hole is closing. The Protocol is hailed as an example of international cooperation.

It was the famous Blue Marble shot of Earth on Dec. 7, 1972 by Apollo 17 as it headed for the moon that gave us the dynamic Earth view beyond our cosmic walls. It said Earth is a spaceship powered by the sun that enables the millions of species to live, unified nature as Humboldt supposed in the 18th century.

On June 24, 1988, Dr. James E. Hansen, the director of NASAs Institute for Space Studies, appeared before Congress. Hansen said an increase in the greenhouse effect was actually starting to cause changes in climate and weather. Today, from NASA we learn that 97 percent or more of atmospheric scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. Nearly all leading scientific organizations worldwide concur.

Climate change and nuclear bombs are the greatest crises our 6,000 years of civilization has faced. In just 200 years we have released into the atmosphere the carbon of millions of years of past life as fossil fuels. There are alternative solutions for energy needs without burning the storage of carbon compounds that have thousands of higher priority uses.

The agreement last December in Paris was a landmark. One hundred ninety-five nations, including the USA and China, agreed to a gradual decrease of greenhouse emissions.

There is a backlash against science by the right wing and ultimately scaling our cosmic prisons. Scientists past and present who have given us our place in the universe and our quality existence should feel betrayed. Nov. 8, vote for science and the health of our planet.
Wyoming has two strong major-party candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Liz Cheney, a Wilson resident, and Democrat Ryan Greene, from Rock Springs, are both eager to serve the state. Libertarian Lawrence Struempf and the Constitution Partys Daniel Cummings are also seeking the seat.

But because of its relatively low population, Wyoming has only one House seat.

That means voters here must choose their voice very, very thoughtfully.

They must choose someone who is knowledgeable and informed on issues both foreign and domestic. Wyomings representative must be comfortable expounding and voting on a variety of thorny issues, from immigration and health care to foreign relations and the military to public lands and the balance between industry and conservation.

The right candidate will also be strong and savvy. The job, with its many complicated pieces, is simply too big for a political newcomer. Of course, good representation is by no means just about politics  successful politicians often bring their personal and professional perspectives to office for the betterment of all. But navigating Washington and our incredibly complex federal government is a necessary skill. Our representative must be familiar with the rules of engagement in Washington and use them to the states advantage. The right person will also have the confidence and influence to represent Wyoming no matter what it takes  whether thats building coalitions in Congress or standing strong on issues that matter to us here in the Cowboy State.

This leaves only one choice: Cheney should be Wyomings next U.S. representative.

With her time in the State Department, she has collected the bureaucratic bona fides necessary to navigate the complex maze of the U.S. government. With her experience and connections, shell be capable of being effective as soon as she sets foot in the Capitol. She has worked with many people in the government and is linked to many more.

Still, though, those valuable Washington connections must not come at the expense of Wyomingites. Its important for any member of Congress to come home and connect with his or her constituents  to find out what they think and use that knowledge to shape their votes and actions in the nations capital  but it would be even more vital for Cheney, who has spent much of her adult life out of the state yet would serve as its one voice in the House.

The Republican is also no stranger to pointing out problems: Cheney has loudly criticized the White House over coal, health care and national security, among other issues. But to be the best representative possible for Wyoming, Cheney should focus on coming up with solutions to those problems and moving them through Congress.

She believes the Affordable Care Act, for example, is unfixable and should be repealed. Its an unlikely prospect, but if that happens, Wyomingites and other Americans will be looking to her for a better solution on health care. She has declared that the Obama administration is waging a war on coal, and Wyomings energy industry certainly needs a strong advocate  but many factors play into coals struggles, such as evolving markets and price pressure from other fuels. She and her colleagues in Congress will need to work together to identify solutions that will truly defend Wyomings signature industry and the people it employs.

Greene is a good candidate  one of the strongest Democrats to run in recent years. His love for Wyoming is clear. He knows the energy industry well, thanks to his role in the family business, and he is able to speak with authority on domestic issues. He is also the right kind of Democrat for the Cowboy State  one who isnt afraid to oppose members of his own party on issues that matter to the state, such as energy development.

Wyomingites should hope that hell continue to build his political and policy resume and seek office again, or at least stay active in state politics. His voice is an important one, and we hope to see it grow stronger.

For this election, though, Cheney is the best choice. Wyoming needs a strong representative in the U.S. House, and she is prepared to fulfill that role right now.
If you are a sportsman (or woman) or an outdoor recreationist, federal lands are important to our lifestyles and enjoyment. Numerous legislators continue to promote their personal views on transfer of federal lands to the state. They continue to do so even though a recently released economic study recommended the state not pursue transfer of federal land management to the state. They persist even though public opposition to transfer is rapidly growing. I would expect the legislators to listen and be responsive to our opinions. To date, this has not been the case. Instead, the Select Federal Natural Resource Management Committee (Reps. Norine Kasperik, Eli Bebout, JoAnn Dayton, Gerald Geis, Larry Hicks and Tim Stubson) has included on its agenda for a Nov. 9 meeting in Riverton discussion on whether to sponsor legislation for an amendment to the Wyoming Constitution. The proposed amendment would pave the way for federal land transfer.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A group of Indiana prosecutors, lawmakers and law enforcement officials are citing a recent homicide case as an example of how expanded DNA databases can help them corral suspects of violent crimes.

Damoine A. Wilcoxson is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of John Clements, 82, in Zionsville, the Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/2fDrhcG) reported.

Both Indiana and Ohio had an opportunity to collect DNA from Wilcoxson during previous arrests, but only Ohio did because it routinely collects DNA samples from people arrested on felony charges, even if they aren't convicted.

"I think this case ... proves that crimes can be solved and communities can be made safer if those who are arrested, at the time of the arrest, provide a DNA sample," Boone County Prosecutor Todd Meyer said.

The DNA sample collected in Ohio helped police link Wilcoxson to the murder of Clements and two other attacks in October. Bullet fragments left at both scenes are believed to be from the same weapon, the states forensic investigators say. The discovery led to Wilcoxson's murder charge.

Indiana law only allows DNA samples entered into the federal database if suspects are convicted of a felony.

While DNA samples may help with cases such Wilcoxson's some citizens resist the idea of widespread government-maintained DNA database.

"The broader concern is what liberty does a person give up yearly by being arrested?" said Thomas Washburne, an Indiana state representative. "It encourages sloppy police work. You can arrest someone to get their DNA."

___

Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
Giving birth to invention out of necessity, a group of UA scientists found a new way to combat industrial corrosion  and a new, cleaner method of metals extraction for the mining industry in the bargain.

The work of the University of Arizonas Dominic Gervasio and his colleagues has led to the launch of two companies, Caltrode and MetOxs, to commercialize the technologies with the help of Tech Launch Arizona.

Caltrode was founded last year to commercialize a new kind of high-temperature sensor to measure corrosion potential in heat-transfer fluids used in industrial applications including thermal solar-power plants.

Gervasio, a professor in the UA department of chemical and environmental engineering, was making progress in research into advanced heat-transfer fluids under a U.S. Energy Department grant a few years ago.

But his research group had trouble finding a corrosion sensor that would work at extremely high temperatures.

We couldnt find one, so we made our own, Gervasio recalled.

Gervasio developed the sensor, known as a reference electrode, for use with the high-temperature molten salts used in thermal solar generators.

He worked with principal research specialist Hassan Elsentriecy of chemical and environmental engineering and Peiwen Perry Li of aerospace and mechanical engineering, a longtime energy-technology researcher.

Molten salts, which flow as liquids at high temperatures, are used as a heat-transfer and -storage medium in thermal solar power plants like the 280-megawatt Solana plant near Gila Bend.

The technology also can be used in other applications, including nuclear reactors and oil refining, where working temperatures can top 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

With funding from serial entrepreneur and co-inventor Abraham Jalbout, the team worked with Tech Launch Arizona  the office of the UA that commercializes the inventions stemming from university research  to file for patents on the technology and form a startup company, Caltrode, to bring it to market.

The Caltrode electrode measures the potential for so-called galvanic corrosion by monitoring voltage differentials between the pipes and fluids moving through them, allowing engineers to adjust the fluid mix to eliminate or minimize corrosion.

Meanwhile, Jalbout, a Ph.D. physicist, had been working separately with Gervasio to study new formulas for lexiviants  liquids used to selectively extract metal from ores.

While we were struggling with stopping metals from dissolving, Abe kept asking us to dissolve metal, Gervasio said.

So one day the angel of light hit me on the head and said stop fighting it, and we said, why dont we just use these salts to extract the metal?

Elsentriecy tested the theory, and the molten-salt formula developed by Gervasio and his colleagues worked as a highly efficient metal-extraction tool.

Were extracting virtually all the metals out of ores  even out of slag, Gervasio said.

The new process is similar  but much hotter  than a method commonly used for refining aluminum ore that had not been considered feasible for other metals.

In a scientific paper published by Gervasio, Elsentriecy and Jalbout last year, the scientists showed how they were able to extract more than 98 percent of copper from powdered ore concentrate containing about 20 percent copper.

In another experiment, the researchers used the process to extract 1 gram of copper from 50 grams of mining slag  a byproduct of copper smelting  containing about 2 percent copper.

Even with low-grade concentrates, the research team has achieved extraction rates near 100 percent, said Elsentriecy, a Ph.D. who previously was a postdoctoral research associate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The company initially has seen very high extraction efficiencies with silver ores, said Jalbout, who got his chemical physics doctorate when he was 18.

Besides efficiency, the technology has other benefits.

Unlike current metals-extraction technologies using potentially hazardous acids and solvents, the MetOxs technology uses no liquid water or volatile chemicals, Gervasio noted.

The MetOxs process uses a relatively benign and recyclable molten-salt mix ofpotassium chloride, sodium chloride  table salt  and zinc chloride.

The environmental benefits could be a major selling point, said Bob Sleeper, a Tech Launch Arizona licensing manager for the UA College of Engineering working with the Caltrode and MetOxs inventors.

The current technology for copper and metal extraction, its kind of insidious, and this replaces that, said Sleeper, who is helping MetOxs patent the invention.

At the Tucson lab in a small industrial center on North Swan Road, the MetOxs researchers have set up a small test-extraction reactor using its proprietary motion salt and monitored by a reference electrode.

The next step is to build a larger demonstration reactor on-site.

Eventually, Jalbout said, the company hopes to tap into the mining industry in the U.S. and Mexico, designing, engineering and installing custom molten-slat extraction reactors at customer sites.

MetOxs has set up a second lab in Hermosillo, Mexico, where Jalbout has connections in the mining industry through prior businesses.

Jalbout says Caltrode is on a different, perhaps faster path to market.

The high-temp reference electrode has been fully tested and is ready for production, he said. The company is looking for a company to manufacture and distribute the product for MetOxs.

We want to control the way we develop our product line, Jalbout said, adding that the company is in talks with several potential manufacturing partners.

Jalbout is also involved in two other ventures with UA faculty members.

One being developed under MetOxs is a technology for smart panels  modular, motorized panels designed to float on mine tailing ponds to reduce water loss from evaporation.

That technology, which could include solar cells to generate energy, was co-invented by Moe Momayez, a UA associate professor of mining and geological engineering.

The other venture is Acrete, a company based on a technology that turns fly ash, an industrial waste, into a plastic-like building material. The chemical process was co-invented by Jinhong Xhang, a UA associate engineering professor and the companys chief technology officer.
The Marquez kids lean right.

The Marquez parents lean left.

It seems like everyone in Tucson knows the Republican siblings Edmund Marquez Jr., a Rio Nuevo board member and an insurance agent, and Lea Marquez Peterson, the president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Whats less known is that their parents, Edmund Sr. and Priscilla, are both Democrats. They went to watch Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine at Sunnyside High School Thursday night.

This partisan divide has led to some passionate discussions and disagreements over the years, they told me. But the Marquez parents and kids (and grandkids  theres another generation) actually see each other regularly and get along well.

They dont let their political disagreements tear them up as a family.

When the issues come up, we have had debates, Priscilla Marquez, 69, told me. Weve learned that at our little table we cant solve it all.

It would be nice if the Marquez family were a microcosm of this state and country, if we could all agree to disagree. But this year, it doesnt feel like thats going to be easy after voting ends Tuesday.

The one thing we can agree on is we are all dreadfully sick of the campaigns. And yet Im sure when its over, the hard feelings the campaigns have brought out will not easily go away. For many, they will harden and be, frankly, dangerous to our relationships, our communities and our democracy.

Weve abandoned our political norms this year. When Donald Trump said he would imprison Hillary Clinton if elected, that crossed a line. So did many other things he said. Proposing to ban an entire religious group was another. He trampled our norms and benefited from it, encouraging others to follow him past the outskirts of our ethics.

The Democrats nomination of a cripplingly compromised candidate under criminal investigation also crossed a line. Were used to our candidates having flaws, but possibly criminal ones have been unusual. And Hillary Clinton has displayed the characteristic Clintonian willingness to blur ethical lines repeatedly.

What has deteriorated is the center  the central agreements, the shared facts coming from shared news sources, the political and social norms that allow us to disagree but still share a community and a country.

The center must hold after this election, or be re-created in the spaces where it has disappeared. The alternative is too ugly to imagine.

Some of those polarized places are local. The Tucson Unified school board race has turned so nasty that I cant imagine how incumbents Mark Stegeman and Kristel Foster will work together if they are re-elected.

The alternative views on the Pima County Board of Supervisors are almost irreconcilable. Depending on your party, its either corrupt to the gills or a board that has made mistakes but achieved good success lately. In reality, it cant be both.

Reconciliation is going to be even harder nationally. Too many people have floated into a la-la land of fake news sources that back up their most conspiratorial and extreme points of view.

Did you hear about the Macedonian kids? It turns out that many websites whose stories Trump supporters share on Facebook and other social media are created by teens in a small city in Macedonia. They figured out theres an insatiable appetite for anti-Clinton, pro-Trump news, and so they provided it, never mind whether it was true.

Their websites, such as USConservativeToday.com, contain made-up stories proclaiming, for example, that Clinton said in 2013: I would like to see people like Donald Trump run for office.

The fact that Clinton didnt say that doesnt matter. The Macedonian kids have learned that people will believe it, click and share. The Macedonians make money off the advertising.

Their ability to peel Americans away from the center, where we have shared facts and news, means it will be harder to put our country together again.

We in the mainstream news media share some of that blame, too, of course. Its been amply documented that we tend toward the left in our political reporting.

Thats been exacerbated by the nomination of Trump, whom I and many others view as objectively dangerous and unqualified for the presidency.

We cant and, in my mind, shouldnt hide that assessment. But our urgent warnings about him have pushed his supporters deeper into the embrace of people outside the mainstream. To many Trump supporters, even Fox News has become too establishment for them, and theyve drifted toward conspiracy mongers like Alex Jones of InfoWars. If you go through that looking glass, its hard to come back.

All of it is a bad cycle. But weve got to pull out of it.

The Marquez family has no unexpected secrets for getting along, but it helps that they have a custom of talking openly.

Edmund and I grew up having a lot of dynamic family conversations at the dinner table, said Lea, who is a close political ally of GOP Gov. Doug Ducey. We grew up talking about religion and sex and politics, whatever.

Despite, or because of, their openness, theyve all stayed moored to the mainstream of politics, gravitating to different sides of the center, rather than floating off into the unmoored extremes.

Edmund Jr. and Lea both referred to themselves as business Republicans. Their mother, Priscilla, disagrees with them mostly in their prioritization of business issues over what she finds most urgent  the humanitarian concerns of the disadvantaged.

Weve definitely learned to respect each others opinion, Edmund Jr. told me. My parents and I and my sister understand that for politics to work, it comes down to understanding and compromise.

So old fashioned, and so true for all of us. Especially after Tuesday.
The University of Arizonas bid to raise $1.5 billion in donations has ended successfully  and well ahead of schedule.

The Arizona Now campaign, launched publicly in 2014, reached its goal two years early with support from more than 100,000 donors, officials said.

The campaigns success ensures the UAs place as a premier institution for cutting-edge research and academic achievement, said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the UA Foundation, who was busy planning a celebration event after the news was announced Friday.

The donor money supports a wide range of projects and initiatives, including student scholarships, support for faculty and research, and upgrades to university programs and facilities.

UA President Ann Weaver Hart, in a news release Friday, said the campaigns outcome shows what is possible when the entire UA community  faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends from around the world  come together to help drive the future.

UA fundraising boomed the first few years after Harts 2012 arrival, but slowed this year as some donors protested Harts decision to take a side job on the board of for-profit DeVry University. Despite the controversy, officials said fundraising topped $200 million in each of the last three school years.

The campaign total includes donations that date to 2010. The campaign began then in what officials described as a quiet phase, and raised around $860 million before the public announcement.

The donation that put the campaign over the top came from one of the UAs fundraising trustees. Peter Salter, a retired health-care executive, and his wife, Nancy, gave $2.5 million to endow the Center for Management Innovations in Healthcare at the Eller College of Management.

The impact of other major donations stretches across campus. They include:

 A gift of more than $50 million that created the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice.

 A $20 million gift from the family of renowned horn player Fred Fox that renamed the UAs School of Music in his honor.

 A $20 million donation from Richard F. Caris that secured the UAs role in building the Giant Magellan telescope.

 A $5 million addition to McClelland Hall funded by a lead gift from Karl and Stevie Eller.

Not all donations were so large, of course. Donations ranged from $15 to $50 million, officials said.
PHOENIX  With the fate of legalized marijuana in doubt, supporters and foes of Proposition 205 are amassing cash for a last-minute blitz to convince voters.

A new poll of 550 Arizonans conducted this past Tuesday and Wednesday finds the ballot measure leading  but only slightly.

Of those questioned, 48 percent said they are likely to support the initiative, with 47 percent opposed and the balance undecided.

Pollster George Khalaf, who conducted the survey for Data Orbital, a Phoenix based consulting firm, said that difference is statistically insignificant, being well within the 4.1 percentage point margin of error.

With victory on the issue clearly within the grasp of either side, both are raising lots of last-minute cash to close the deal.

Reports analyzed by Capitol Media Services shows that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has more than $5.2 million. More than $2 million of that has been donated in the last six weeks.

For the foes, the late infusion is more striking.

As of Sept. 19, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy had collected less than $1.9 million. But since that time, it has secured additional donations of more than $4.4 million.

Both sides can boast some major donors.

The Marijuana Policy Project and its separate foundation have put in close to $1.6 million, both to pay circulators to get the measure on the ballot and to promote it to voters.

Theres also $410,000 from Dr. Bronners Magic Soaps, a California firm that makes cleaning products, including those that use hemp oil. But the company says various restrictions on growing hemp  essentially a version of marijuana without the psychoactive ingredients  have forced it to look elsewhere for supplies.

This isnt the first outing for the company, which says it donated money to previous successful legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington.

There also was a $350,000 donation just days ago from Drug Policy Action, which advocates for the reform of drug laws.

On the other side of the fight, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been the main source of dollars, putting in close to $1.5 million to keep recreational use of marijuana illegal in Arizona.

And Discount Tire has contributed another $1 million on top of that. It is a private company owned by Paradise Valley resident Bruce Halle. Forbes pegged the 86-year-old Halles net worth Friday at $6 billion. The tire chain has more than 900 stores in 31 states with estimated annual revenues of $4.2 billion.

There also is $500,000 from Nevada casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and an identical amount from Insys Therapeutics, a Chandler firm that manufactures a spray opiate for pain relief and is seeking to market a non-psychoactive version of marijuana that could be prescribed by doctors.

Hanging in the balance of what happens Tuesday is who will be able to buy and use marijuana.

A 2010 initiative, also financed by the Marijuana Policy Project, allows those with certain medical conditions and a doctors recommendation to obtain a card from the state Department of Health Services as a registered user. That card entitles individuals to obtain up to 2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from one of about 90 state-licensed dispensaries.

Prop. 205 would extend the right to buy and use the drug to any adult, albeit with a limit of one ounce at any one time.

It also would expand the number of places where marijuana could be sold to 147 through 2020. And existing dispensary owners would have first dibs on those new permits.

Much of the campaign to date has been focused on what has happened in Colorado where voters approved legalization for recreational use four years ago.

There are various claims of whether use of marijuana by teens, who are not legally permitted to have the drug there, has increased since 2012. Much of the conclusion depends on which report is cited and what starting date is used for comparison.

Proponents of the Arizona initiative point out that Prop. 205 would raise additional money in taxes for schools. But, here too, there are conflicting claims about how much reached individual schools in Colorado.

According to Data Orbital, 455 of those questioned said they were extremely likely to vote in this election with another 88 very likely.
Ballot harvesting will remain a crime in Arizona, at least for this election.

In a brief order Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a day-old order of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocking the state from enforcing the law which makes it a felony to deliver the ballots of anyone else. The justices gave no reason for their decision.

Saturdays order is not the last word.

The justices sent the case back to the appeals court for full consideration of the question of whether the state law is illegal. That process could take months.

In keeping the law in place, the high court rejected last-minute argument by Democrats that the law, which took effect only three months ago, should be kept on hold in the interim. Democrats argued that the harm to voters in not being able to allow others to take their ballots to polling places outweighs any interests of the state in enforcing the law.

Instead, the court agreed with attorneys for the state and the Arizona Republican Party that changing the law just days ahead of Tuesdays election, would cause unnecessary voter confusion.

The law was approved earlier this year by the Republican-controlled state Legislature amid claims that allowing anyone to deliver anyone elses ballot creates an opportunity for fraud.

Legislators did agree to create exception for family members, people in the same household and certain caregivers. Anyone else is subject to a penalty of one year in state prison.

Challengers claimed there was no basis for the statute, pointing out that supporters could not cite a single instance of fraud due to the practice.

Both a trial judge and the majority of a three-judge panel of the appellate court acknowledged the point. But they concluded that the state has a legitimate interest in preventing fraud as well as ensuring public confidence in the electoral process.

Both major parties have engaged in various forms of ballot harvesting. The Democrats and their political allies have made a regular practice of going to homes shortly before the election and asking residents if they have forgotten to return their early ballots.

The partisan nature of the legislation was pointed out earlier this year when Secretary of State Michele Reagan spoke at the annual Conservative Political Action conference before the bill was approved.

Reagan decried what she called an outrageous loophole law that would make it easy to cheat. Reagan, a Republican, said it is the radical left who uses ballot harvesting.

Alexis Tameron, chairwoman of the Arizona Democratic Party, said she was disappointed by the decision. But she said the party will continue to use other methods of voter outreach.

Our fight has always been about having more people participate and making the voting process easier for Arizonans, she said in a prepared statement.

Robert Graham, her counterpart at the Arizona Republican Party, was cheered by the ruling.

Ballot harvesting was banned because it threatened the integrity of our elections, he said in his statement.

Graham also said the high court has determined that Arizona voters are entitled to protections that create honest elections, even though the justices did not determine whether the law is justified and legal.

In making the case against the law, Democrats were relying largely on the federal Voter Protection Act. It makes it illegal for states to enact election statutes and regulations that disproportionately affect minority communities.

Attorneys for the Democrats produced data showing that cities, towns and reservations with large minority populations are less likely to have home delivery of mail, making it more difficult for residents to return their ballots. The majority of the three-judge appeals panel pointed out there are many Anglo-majority rural communities in the same situation.
The articles and proclamations abound:

The Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos has been Columbused by white people who just want to have a good time.

They costume themselves in iconic sugar skull makeup, thoughtlessly claiming the culture of the oppressed.

They drink, they insult the holiday, they take it for our own.

There is no doubt that Tucsons 26-year-old All Souls Procession has parallels to the original Aztec celebration. But is Tucsons homegrown holiday different than, say, the San Francisco hipster fest that takes place in the gentrified Mission District every year?

To find out what locals thought, I reached out to students, academics, activists, All Souls Procession attendants and others, asking them what they felt about appropriation, and how to march in a culturally responsible way.

The most passionate responses were from those who are personally connected to the celebration.

 On the similarities and differences between All Souls Procession and the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos:

... All Souls Procession certainly borrows the aesthetic of Dia de los Muertos, at least as it is celebrated in some parts of Mexico, and follows the pattern of having a separate time dedicated to children and another for everyone. ... Other elements of the All Souls Procession are nontraditional to the Mexican holiday. My understanding is that in many parts of Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated quietly with the construction of altars at home or wherever loved ones are buried ... The urn, which is fairly central to the All Souls Procession, is also nontraditional to the Mexican celebration ...  Misty Ring-Ramirez, PhD candidate in sociology

The procession is a gathering of many cultures, many beliefs and has never held its roots with Dia de los Muertos. But naturally, Tucson resides in a largely Latinx population. ... It is normal that a majority of the participants would identify with the culture of the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico as part of their Mexican, Catholic, or Aztec roots. And that is OK.  Eva Pena, All Souls Procession Urn Spirit Group volunteer

 Is All Souls cultural appropriation?

It is akin to or the cultural equivalent of gentrification.  Roberto Rodriguez, associate professor in the Mexican American and Raza Studies Department at the University of Arizona

We live in a city that has deep and intimate roots in Mexico. To me, it feels natural that celebrations in Tucson reflect the diversity of the city itself. ... The spirit of the procession and (most of) those who participate in it, seems very different from wearing a culture as a costume, which in my opinion is unequivocally negative. But, as a non-Hispanic person, it is not my place to define what is and is not offensive cultural appropriation.  Ring-Ramirez

 On personal relationships with Dia de los Muertos:

I am a native Mexican-American Tucsonan and a former Catholic. Our family never celebrated the Day of the Dead.  Day of the Dead back in my day was something that was celebrated in Southern Mexico, and was considered a pagan ritual. The procession today is an extension of Halloween, with a central theme of skeletons or painted skulls, and very much more paganistic.  Alfred Quiroz, painter, professor at the University of Arizona School of Art

As a Hispanic child growing up, I didnt even understand this. I had never heard of such a celebration in my own culture. It wasnt until a coworker of mine brought in pictures of him participating at an All Souls Procession back in 2003 that I became knowledgeable of the history behind it. Today as a parent, I am able to teach my children the meaning behind Dia de los Muertos, and All Souls Procession.  Michelle Beltran, All Souls Procession attendant

Honestly, since Im Mexican but was raised by white Mormon parents, it makes me happy to participate in All Souls. It makes me feel more connected to being Mexican, even though I wasnt raised knowing my traditional background. Anyway, I love that Tucson invites the city to participate, and I feel like the city is pretty respectful of the tradition.  Rikenna Lines, Chicago resident traveling to Tucson for the procession

 Does All Souls address something thats lacking in American culture?

The procession mimics the doom and gloom feeling that is prevalent in this country since the days of 9/11. The cultural obsession with death, vampires and, of course, zombies are all inherent in this celebrative event for those that have departed. It has become a big art party. Which I think is positive.  Quiroz

So many people have become immune to loss and death. Some do not know how to express loss and grief. My heart opened up after my first experience with All Souls. I have since introduced family and friends to the event and we work together on our displays.  Anna M. Mendoza, native Tucsonan

We spend so much time working, taking care of duties, on the go, planning, we can forget to take time to grieve, to express that grief, share it openly and sometimes even just feel the grief. I believe All Souls Procession gives space for all of that.  Davina Araiza, All Souls Procession attendant

It is all too often frowned upon for people to publicly grieve. It is something that society expects to be a private process. ... There are always those conversations when someone has to say, in a whisper, and then he died, like its something dirty, something feared. The procession provides a way for those who need it, to have a creative or artistic release as part of their healing and grieving.  Pena

 How can a white person celebrate All Souls respectfully?

Not making it a Halloween celebration. Two different events.  Terri Lynn-Cross, market analyst with the Arizona Daily Star

The All Souls Procession could be seen as a giant funeral march, and people should act accordingly to that notion. It isnt a party, it is not Halloween, but it is a celebration and it is easy to confuse the two. Celebrations of spirit are always sacred, so they should be treated with the most respect. A party is where you go to imbibe and socialize.  Adam Cooper-Teran, director of the Ancestors Project at All Souls Procession

Everyone has their own way to celebrate. My father passed away earlier this year, and his birthday is coming up. Being with my family and carrying out our own traditions, and passing those on to my kids is the best way I know to honor his memory.  Regina Romero, Tucson City Council member

 What about wearing sugar skulls on our faces?

I would never tell anyone not to wear sugar skull makeup. Every year we have various artists, some of them Hispanic and Latino, who paint the faces of the public who want to look like calaveras. It isnt something to deny the public because we are an inclusive event.  Cooper-Teran

I believe as long as love and respect are your first thoughts that go into your dress or art, thats all that matters.  Miguel Beltran, procession attendant

For some people, wearing a calavera (a.k.a. sugar skull) makeup may feel sacred. For others perhaps a drink to honor the dead may feel sacred. I think the key word here is respect. To participate in the All Souls Procession responsibly, we all need to respect each other and hold the space for each other to practice what we fell is right and sacred for us.  Susan K. Tiss, Tucson native and All Souls Procession participant and volunteer

 I think the key is to respect other peoples safety and right to participate in a meaningful way. Any behavior that is obnoxious, dangerous, or crude can ruin an important experience for others  especially children and families with children  and is irresponsible.  Misty Ring-Ramirez

I dont mind those who indulge in adult beverages or celebrate how they see fit. I do think that if you choose to celebrate by drinking alcohol, just be mindful of your limits and stay respectful.  Michelle Beltran

 Does All Souls have the power to unite the community?

It creates a spectacle ... with drunks littering the route all along the way.  Roberto Rodriguez

The procession is a unifying element for the city. Hundreds of individuals dressed in black donning face-paint show up from the youngest to the oldest for the procession of the celebration of the dearly departed. It is also a good place to take visiting relatives and tourists.  Quiroz
The Arizona Court of Appeals has upheld the 2014 firing of a former Pima County prosecutor for violating county rules of conduct, documents show.

Theresa Sheridan sued the Pima County Merit System Commission and the Pima County Attorneys Office in November 2014, saying there was no substantial evidence to support her firing, according to Pima County Superior Court records.

Sheridans notice of dismissal from the County Attorneys Office cited incompetence, dishonesty and violation of various county and Arizona Supreme Court Rules and Rules of Professional Conduct, according to the Court of Appeals written decision on Oct. 11.

Her appeal stated the Superior Court shouldnt have upheld the decision because the county attorney violated her rights of due process and dismissed her without cause, and the commissions decision was arbitrary and capricious, the document shows.

In February 2014, Sheridan was prosecuting the DUI case of a woman who was found to have had amphetamine and oxycodone in her system, for which she claimed to have a prescription.

Sheridan made a request for the womans prescription records, which were reviewed and redacted by the judge, before being made available to Sheridan for review.

She made arrangements with the judges administrative assistant to pick up the documents from the judges chambers, but wasnt able to stop by that day. When Sheridan went in the next day, the judges division was on vacation and the law clerk told her she could come back Monday, according to the court documents.

Sheridan went into the judges chambers and looked through a stack of papers on the desk. She found what she was looking for and left the office with it, despite the law clerk stating she was uncomfortable with Sheridan taking the papers, the document shows.

When Sheridan returned to her office, she saw the redacted documents had been sent to her via email and went to review what shed taken from the judges chambers.

Sheridan noticed the papers she took from the office were not redacted and placed them in an envelope that she sent to the judges assistant with a note of apology. She didnt tell her superiors, the defense council or the court about what had happened, the document shows.

The following week, the judge learned what had taken place and scheduled a hearing, after which she called Sheridans boss. She was issued a letter of counseling stating that her behavior was unprofessional.

The defendant in the case eventually asked for sanctions due to prosecutorial misconduct. At the hearing, Sheridan admitted to glancing at the unredacted document briefly. In the previous hearing, she told the court six times she never looked at the papers.

The judge ruled she had committed intentional prosecutorial misconduct and dismissed the DUI case, according to the document.

Sheridan was placed on administrative leave with pay while an investigation was conducted and was eventually dismissed.

She appealed her firing to the merit commission, which unanimously upheld the decision after eight days of hearings.

Sheridan took her case to Superior Court, suing the County Attorneys Office and the merit commission. In late 2015, the court found that neither the county attorney or the commission abused its discretion, acted contrary to law or acted in an arbitrary or capricious matter, according to the document.

In the appellate courts decision, Judge Michael Miller wrote, The mishandling of the documents and misrepresentations to the court alone support a finding of incompetence.

By repeatedly denying looking at the paperwork during the first hearing, then later admitting she had, Sheridan provided the court with substantial evidence supporting a finding of dishonesty, Miller wrote.

The panel of three judges, which also included Judge Garye Vasquez and Judge Joseph Howard, also denied Sheridans request for attorney fees.

Still an attorney in good standing, Sheridan represented herself throughout the trial and appeal.
Help India!

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter

Boston: A number of people gathered at the historic Boston Common to protest against the recent extrajudicial killings of eight undertrials in Bhopal.

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Various speakers highlighted that it is wrong to call these undertrials as terrorists as there were no terrorism charges against them, let alone being proven as such in a court of law.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan came under severe criticism for his refusal to do a judicial probe of the encounter and justifying the killings in a public program.

Speakers expressed concern about growing brazenness of Indian authorities in breaking the law and killing Adivasis, Dalits, and Muslims with complete impunity and in fact getting rewarded for it.

Some of the participants also signed a petition to be sent to the Consul General of India in New York.

Text of the petition:

To the Consul General of India in NY

Dear Madam,

We the undersigned are Indian citizen or people of Indian descent or American citizens who are concerned about human rights violations in India.

We are deeply disturbed by the recent news from Bhopal where eight undertrial prisoners were gunned down by Madhya Pradesh Police. Media reports and audio and video recordings suggests that it was a clear case of extrajudicial killings. This comes just a year and a half after similar encounter killing in Aler in Andhra Pradesh where five Muslims undertrial prisoners were killed by the police. Aler Encounter followed killings of 24 Adivasis, again with impunity by calling them Sandalwood smugglers.

1. We are very worried that lives of some of the most marginalized in India are under constant threat of persecution by state authorities.

2. We ask Indian government to constitute Judicial probes into all cases of encounter/custodial killings.

3. We ask that current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to be sacked for his biased role in this matter. He had reportedly called the victims of Bhopal encounter terrorists even though no terrorism charge was proven in any court of law. In a public meeting he justified the extra judicial killings.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind the government that encounter killings are against the Constitution of India and any official participating in it, involved in cover up, or supporting or justifying it is acting against the Constitution and should be immediately fired and punished for crime against the nation.
Help India!

By Waseem R S for TwoCircles.net

On October 30, 2016, a solidarity meeting was organised by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Student Union demanding justice for Najeeb Ahmed, a student missing from the campus for the last 23 days. From my social location as a Muslim/ OBC/ male student, I support the protest movement for Najeeb Ahmed in JNU and believe strongly in building alliance with various democratic forces in the campus and outside as well. However, there is a serious violation of democratic representation when the protest movement for Najeeb Ahmed became another sphere of exclusion of Muslims and other marginalised voices. The argument is that there is a resonance between the physical disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed and the symbolic disappearance of Muslim voice  along with other marginalised- from the solidarity movement for Najeeb Ahmed.

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What happened in the public meeting conducted by JNUSU? The meeting was completely devoid of any representative from the Muslim organisations and by and large excluded leaders from the Dalit-Bahujan communities, except the token representation of few academic personalities from those communities. The meeting was completely controlled by savarna nationalist and leftist leaders coming from AAP, CPI(M), CPI(ML), and Congress. Moreover, leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Shashi Tharoor and Kavita Krishnan who are notorious for their anti- Bahujan hatred came to JNU and there was no acknowledgement about their problematic social position as Savarna high caste Hindus while speaking on behalf of a Muslim/OBC student. They spoke and returned from JNU as free individuals without the problem of social structures and subject positions. It seems that they are part of a mysterious pre-linguistic identity that is formed prior to the discourse.

JNUSU public meeting was a public exhibition of social exclusion. Even though the Muslim League, AIMIM , AIUDF and BSP have members of Parliament , none of them were invited to the program. Also, there is a deliberate boycott of Muslim non-parliamentary organisations who are quite active in the justice for Najeeb movement in various parts of India. Apart from this, there was a complete erasure of various Muslim student movements working inside the JNU campus, such as SIO (Students Islamic Organisation of India) , YFDA (Youth for Discussion and Welfare Activities), and Campus Front of India (CFI). No one can deny their active presence in the ongoing movement for Najeeb Ahmed. Also there was no representation to other students/activists/ movement from Dalits, Tribal communities, Tamil student movements, Sikh minorities, Christian minorities and student movement from marginalised regions especially north east regions of India. Moreover, there was a sinister effort to include a Savarna oriented feminist collective from Delhi University in the JNUSU public meeting by completely sidestepping the very existence of a Dalit Bahujan feminist movement , Flames of Resistance (FOR) in JNU.

The denial of public spaces for the Muslim community and other marginalized sections reveal the hegemonic Brahmanic landscapes of power in JNU where marginalized sections only get space to listen, and not to speak. This is not a new phenomenon. It was visible during the #StandwithJNU movement, when the JNUTA organised a public lecture series on nationalism beginning of this year. Though the different engagements on nationalism varied from feminist understanding to Marxist position, out of the 25 lectures given there was not even a single lecture to discuss about the many dimensions and verities of Muslims engagements on nationalism. This exclusion of Muslim life world is the major feature of the progressive politics of JNU.

The reluctance of JNUSU in inviting Muslim organisations in specific and representatives of the marginalised movements in common can be seen as an extension of its denial of political agency to Muslims in particular and marginalised in general. It is to be understood that this rejection is an extension of the dominant discourse on communalism that is typical to the nationalist and leftist political imaginary. In the nationalist/left/liberal discourse on communalism, a Muslim who is part of any social/political organisation formed by the Muslim community is framed as communal . These Muslim organizations are always represented in the left vocabulary as not civilised or not secularised or not nationalised enough and thus branded as fundamentalist and communal. The liberal/left/nationalist discourse on communalism is framed in particular way to make sure that the victims of the Brahmanic violence will not speak and they dont organize themselves.

The critics of the Muslim politics in JNU, however, does not have any problem with individual Muslims. Why is it that the so called secular public meetings are afraid of organisationally-inclined Muslims and prefer few individual Muslims? One is heartily welcome to their program if he/she is an individual from the Muslim community. But the same Muslim individual is not welcome when s/he is part of a Muslim organisation. This is the logic of the exclusion perpetuated by JNUSU and the so called progressive forces of JNU. Precisely for the same reason, JNUSU is ready to invite few individuals from Muslims and other marginalised to their public meeting and this will later serve as a pretext to boycott social movements from the marginalised communities.

The symbolic exclusion and silencing of Muslims in JNU is happening in a context where Muslims are harassed, targeted and killed by Hindutva Brahminic forces and its ideological apparatus on a day-to-day basis in various parts of the country. Here, adding insult to injury, Muslims are denied the public spaces to speak on their experience as victims, on their own terms, in a solidarity meeting in JNU. The elite high-caste Hindu saviours from the left and nationalist brigade took over the space of the marginalised and monopolised the voice of the victims. The systemic and organised censorship of Muslims right to speak about their victimhood and colonisation of the right determine their political struggle is the worst form of Islamophobia in JNU. It is in this context that one is forced to question the claims of inclusiveness of the public spaces of JNU, which completely denies politically active Muslim presence in the public spaces of JNU. In short, the struggle for justice for Najeeb Ahmed is also a struggle for the visibility of Muslims in JNU.

The author is currently pursuing his Phd in Centre for Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi
Help India!

By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net

New Delhi: Around 2 oclock on Sunday afternoon, when most of Delhites preferred to stay indoors due to the smoke surrounding the city, students from various colleges and universities and even few from Aligarh were trying to reach India Gate despite the heavy traffic jam.

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They all had come to participate in the protest against Delhi police inaction in finding the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.

Najeeb Ahmed, MSc student in JNU went missing on the intervening night of October 14-15 after being beaten by a 20-strong mob of students affiliated with right wing ABVP inside the campus.

Jawaharlal Lal Nehru Students Union (JNUSU) had called for protest and United Citizens Vigil at India Gate on Sunday, November 6. To thwart the protest, Delhi police had already imposed section 144 and locked down all the entry and exit points to India Gate by placing barricades at various place.

The students coming from different parts of Delhi were not allowed to enter and even journalists were not permitted to go beyond the barricades even though no protesting student had made their way to the venue.

We came from Jamia Nagar to take part in the protest, but Police isnt allowing us.First the government and police dont put in their efforts to find missing Najeeb and now when students are protesting they are shutting down their voice, said Hasan Akram, a Jamia Millia Islamia Student.

Around 200 students of Jamia Millia Islamia were detained when they tried to make head toward India Gate.

Meanwhile hundreds of JNU students were also detained near India gate when they tried to march towards the protest venue. Missing student Najeebs mother was manhandled and ruthlessly taken inside the police bus when she was marching along with the student.

Its total crackdown. Its our democratic right to protest and curbing it has become a trend under the BJP rule and it is very serious, said another protesting student, Sameer Keen.

The detained students were lodged across various police stations in the capital so that students couldnt gather and protest outside a single police station.
In yet another surprising twist in this historical US election, two former Republican presidents in the shape of George W bush and his father, are reportedly contemplatingvoting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton come November 8th. According to Jeb Bush's son -George P Bush- both former occupants of the Oval Office are set to shun controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump and vote for a Democrat, in an unprecedented move. As he addressed a room full of Republicans in San Marcos, Texas, he claimed that he is the only Bush voting for a Republican in this election.

Hillary the better option?

Ever since the US Presidential Election cycle began last year, it has been well documented how critical Republican candidate Donald Trump has been of the Bush legacy. As well as having been a consistent critic of the Iraq War -an everlasting aspect of the Bush dynasty- Trump was also a fierce opponent of Jeb Bush, in which they clashed several times during the television debates. While Jeb Bush has stated that he refuses to vote for Trump or Clinton, it is being widely speculated that both former presidents view Clinton as the better option.

Unusual Move Towards Hillary

Going on past presidential elections, past presidents are expected to speak up and endorse the party nominee.

Although this time around there does not seem to be any endorsement in sight from the two politicalheavyweights, thus making their move towards Hillary all the more astounding. Historian Mark Updegrove, director of the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, stated that circumstances such as these are "virtually unprecedented".

"It's protecting the Republican brand they've been such a part of. Because they're statesmen and gentlemen they're not going to come out and speak harshly of Trump," he said.

According to WJLA,Kathleen Kennedy Townsend -Robert Kennedy's daughter- confirmed via Facebook that 41st president George H.W. Bush admitted that he intends to vote for Hillary, along with a photograph of them both shaking hands.
Framed up as an ostensibly responsible thing for "maintenance" and "community improvement," the proposed City bond doesn...
When Donald Trump decided to run for president, no one knew exactly what to expect. With just over 30 days until voters head to the polls on Election Day, Trump is now forced to deal with an unsettling situation.

Trump on trial

As election season rolled on, one of the biggest issues hovering over the Trump campaign's head was the upcoming Trump University fraud case. Over 5,000 former students are set to be represented by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who claim they were scammed out of as much as $35,000 each. While the fraud trial has gotten the most attention from the press, there's another legal matter that the Republican nominee has tried to ignore, but is now moving forward.

As reported by LawNews on October 7, the lawsuit alleging that Trump took part in a group rape of a minor has been ordered to a hearing.

Federal Judge Orders Hearing in Donald Trump Rape Lawsuit https://t.co/FfKUktP2pm pic.twitter.com/sdhn3mUWx3  LawNewz (@law_newz) October 7, 2016

An order has been announced by federal Judge Ronnie Abrams for a conference hearing in the rape lawsuit against Trump. The plaintiff, described as "Jane Doe," filed a lawsuit earlier this year, detailing her alleged rape by Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier and registered sex offender. The incident allegedly took place in the summer of 1994 when "Jane Doe" was only 13-years-old.

A more detailed account of the complaint claims that Epstein hired an unidentified woman to routinely pickup nearby teenage girls to bring them to parties.

Two of the then-teenage victims, known as "Jane" and "Tiffany" are listed in the complaint as witnesses who claim they saw Trump and Epstein take part in the sexual assault. As of press time, Trump's legal team continues to deny any wrongdoing by their client. The status conference is scheduled to be held in a New York court on December 16.

Moving forward

According to the latest round of polling by Real Clear Politics, Trump is trailing Hillary Clinton by four points, while also falling behind in key battleground states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. When it comes to important minority voting groups, the former host of "The Apprentice" is on the wrong side of one of the widest gaps in presidential election history, with 70 percent of women and Hispanics viewing him in a negative light.

Those numbers only continue to grow in the African-American community, where only two percent of black voters have given Trump their support.

With the Trump University case on the horizon, and the rape lawsuit gaining steam, Trump's legal issues couldn't have come at a worst time. Unless Trump is able to make a historic comeback, most political pundits believe that Clinton will end up the winner in November.
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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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News / National

by MRP

In persuit of the restoration of Mthwakazi kingdom and self determination today more than 8000 Mthwakazi people gathered in Gadade- Ntabazinduna to mark 123 years since their kingdom was lost to the British. In Attendance were Mthwakazi leaders and stakeholders, chief Khayisa Ndiweni, MRP President Mr Mqodisi Moyo, South based Uloyiko theatre group members, Chief Gumede,Stanley Raphael Khumalo, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, among others.This year's Gadade commemoration was held under a banner, Freedom and self determination. MRP President Mr Mqondisi Moyo took to the stage and spoke strongly on the need to Restore Mthwakazi kingdom and the self determination of her people. President Moyo also took the opportunity to hand over uniforms to Chief Khayisa meant for his security personnel "We felt that there is a need to change the ancient -torn uniforms being used by your security personnel as we feel it is not up to standard with your position", said MRP President.ULoyiko theatre group's Researcher and script writer who came on MRP's invitation Yanga Mhluzi blasted Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangangwa and Perence Shiri for unleashing genocide on unarmed people of UMthwakazi. ULoyiko theatre group become popular in Mthwakazi and around the globe for the stance they took in awareness on Gukurahundi genocide. Yanga said that they will not stop until the perpetrators of genocide are put to justice.Chief Khayisa who was the convenor together with UMhlahlo wesizwe sikaMzilikazi was the guest speaker, he said is very angry and has taken a stance and wrote a letter to the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe asking him to recall the Member of Paliarment for uMguza constituency Mr Obert Mpofu whom he said he was increasingly becoming a liability to his people. Obert Mpofu has failed to represent UMguza constituency he said. According to the chief MP Mpofu has refused many times to act on many grieviences being raised by his cocommunity. The latest being a mining company operating inside a sacred area, mining Gold demolishing graves.Finally Dr Zwane UMhlahlo Wesizwe Sika Mthwakazi Secretary General thanked UMthwakazi Review for providing transport to Gadade from Bulawayo, Habukuk trust cheaped in with food, while Chief Gumede based in South Africa and Dr Churchill Guduza were also mentioned as some of the people who have contributed towards the success of Gadade Commemoration.MRP would like to thank all those who extended their hand in transporting and housing our ULoyiko guest.MRP IS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN OUR LIFE TIME05 NOVEMBER 2016mrpselfdetermination@gmail.com
South Korean remake of 'Hide and Seek' screened in China Updated: 2016-11-06 09:13 By Xu Fan(chinadaily.com.cn)

Actor Wallace Huo and actress Qin Hailu. [Photo provided to China Daily] Hide and Seek , a Chinese remake of the South Korean hit with the same title, was open to Chinese cinemas on Nov 4.

Loosely adapted from true events, which saw some South Korean residences marked with mysterious symbols in 2010, the horror film narrates that a mental-disordered woman schemes to murder a middle-class family for moving into their luxury apartment.

Wallace Huo Chien-hwa, one of the most popular actors on China's television screen, plays the father in the victim family.

"My role has a complex personality. On one side he is a victim, but on the other side, he has his own sin. He also has mysophobia and obsession, making it a pretty challenge for me," says Huo, before a preview ceremony on Sunday.

Wallace Huo. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Another highlights in the cast include the awards-winning actress Qin Hailu, and up-and-coming actress Chun Xia, who won the 2016 Hong Kong Film Awards' best actress.

Liu Jie, a Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear nominator, says Hide and Seek is his first ever commercial-genre film in the career spanning for 24 years.

Gu Xiaobai, the scriptwriter, says the film also reflects the complexity of humanity, as well as exposure of some social issues.

Related:

Tokyo film festival closes with top prize going to Holocaust-themed film
FBI tells Congress it has not changed conclusion on Clinton emails Updated: 2016-11-07 04:43 (Agencies)

FBI Director James Comey testifies before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US on July 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - FBI Director James Comey told Congress on Sunday a recent review of newly discovered emails did not change the agency's conclusion reached in July that no charges were warranted in the case of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

US Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz said in a tweet that Comey had informed him of the conclusion. Comey's letter to Congress informing it of the newly discovered emails had thrown Clinton's presidential race against Republican Donald Trump into turmoil.
A mountainous Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Al Jaba differs in many ways from surrounding Israeli settlements but it shares one worry with its neighbors  a shortage of water. 





Residents of Al Jaba, who once had to walk for hours daily to fetch water, do have limited access to Israeli water supplies in their concrete homes due to a reservoir, pipeline and a pump built in 2013 by an Italian non-governmental organization.





But the water provided is not enough, according to families in Al Jaba, a village of about 150 houses 12 km (7 miles) southwest of Bethlehem. They also fear their system could be demolished as it was not officially approved.
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HA NOI  The sixth deputy ministerial-level strategic defence dialogue between Viet Nam and China recently convened in Chengdu city in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of Chinas Central Military Commission, co-chaired the meeting which opened on Friday.

In his opening speech, Vinh said that the two countries could tackle current differences and gain mutual benefits with the assistance of political efforts by the two Partys leaders and correct perceptions held by both militaries.

Sun Jianguo pointed to the importance of the 6th dialogue, being held 25 years after the two countries normalised relations, adding that the long-lasting friendship has been fostered by generations of leaders.

The nations chairs said they were pleased with the thriving bilateral military co-operation, contributing to the Viet Nam-China strategic comprehensive cooperative partnership.

Since the previous strategic defence dialogue was held, upbeat outcomes have been recorded in delegation exchanges, education-training and naval collaboration. Also, both countries continue to operate their hotline and exchange experience in participating in UN peacekeeping missions. Further, their annual border defence friendship exchanges have been considered a highlight of their joint activities.

Vinh and Sun agreed to maintain the pace of, and expand collaboration in a number of fields, including press exchanges, defence industry meetings, as well as teaching the Chinese and Vietnamese languages.

They acknowledged that both sides should lay the groundwork for the signing of documents regarding the joint vision of the Viet Nam-China military cooperation and the systematisation of Viet Nam-China border defence friendship exchanges.

They highlighted the need for proper preparation of their upcoming border defence friendship exchange, slated for early 2017.

They added that they hoped that the Vietnamese Institute for Military Strategy and the Chinese Academy of Military Science would promptly implement a join project on the collection of documents and memorabilia about friendship between the two countries armies and the thoughts of Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong on solidarity during the wars of resistance against France and the US.

Concerning regional security, Sun said China sought to develop friendly relations with its neighbouring countries, while Vinh stated that Viet Nam welcomed increased collaboration between China and ASEAN member states for peace and stability in the region.

The officials talked frankly about the two countries differences regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue.

They achieved consensus on controlling disagreements and increasing education to raise awareness among the two countries military personnel and people about respecting common perceptions reached by their Party and State leaders.

Vinh reiterated Viet Nams persistent stance that all parties involved ought to settle disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Also, they should seriously implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon complete the building of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), he added.

We are determined to protect our sovereignty, abide by international law, respect the benefits of the involved sides, and prevent disagreements from developing into conflicts, Vinh stated.  VNS
by Tran Hoa

Phan Giao Huan, 31, a man of Mong ethnicity in the northern province of Ha Giangs Thuan Hoa Village, is not an artisan but has become rich through his artworks carved from waste wood.

The types of wood he uses are known as go lua (the firmest core at the root of dead ancient trees) and biu nghien (lumpy plank block).

Arriving at his house on stilts, we were intrigued by the Mong peoples tools and wooden artworks on display.

These wooden artworks seemed to be imbued with a mysterious beauty that could almost be recognised as a soul, said one of my friends.

Born to poor family with seven children, Huan had to drop out of school after the fourth grade, to help his parents work on their fields, raise buffalo, and fetch firewood from the forest.

Each time I went to the forest, I took note of the illegal deforestation, which was causing so much damage to the area. I thought of how my descendants would have firewood to cook. When I grew up, I recognised the seriousness of this damage, so I volunteered to join a group protecting the forests, Huan said.

At the age of 19 he became an official volunteer with the provincial forest rangers in Vi Xuyen District of Ha Giang.

To patrol the large forests, we have to work long days and late at night to find where the illegal deforestation is taking place, Huan said, adding that sometimes his team lived for up to a month in the wilderness, but "nobody in team has complained".

Although working as volunteer, Huan devotes his efforts to helping his fellow rangers, because he is so knowledgeable on the local terrain.

He told us that one day while going to the forest for firewood he saw a group of illegal loggers. I was trying to run to alert the forest rangers but the men rushed after me and threatened to kill me. I was very afraid but I managed to fight them. I was able to escape because I know these forests by heart, he said.

At other times, he heard sawing in the middle of the night, and rushed to tell the forest rangers. They caught all the loggers on the spot.

The head of the forest rangers, Trang A Tung, said Huan has made a great contribution in helping us catch the poachers. Without his help, we would be facing a much more difficult task.

Apart from working as a forest protector, Huan tries to promote the values of the forest to his fellow villagers.

I tell them that if we keep the forest alive, it will serve the Mongs livelihood. I mean that we would still have firewood to cook meals. At first they didnt agree with me, but I persevered in talking to them individually about how we are killing the forest around us. Finally, many young men in the village have volunteered to join the rangers to protect the forests, he said.

Intricate design: A popular sculpture carved by Huan out of wood.

Over more than a decade of voluntary work, Huan often found himself picking up waste timbers and other bits of driftwood scattered in streams or rivers.

When I brought these bits of wood home, my parents and neighbours thought I was haunted by ghosts, said Huan.

Once, on a visit to Ha Noi, he chanced upon a fine arts shop specialising in artwork carved from wood.

On returning to his village, Huan picked up the search for discarded tree roots and other waste wood soaked in streams or rivers.

At home, he browsed the internet and read books and newspapers to learn about the art of wood carving. After many aborted attempts, he finally found success in carving pieces that were valued at millions of ong.

As a result, after several years honing his craft and producing beautiful works, Huan has become a rich man in his village. Many customers from Ha Noi and HCM City have ordered his items.

Im not damaging the forests for these bits of wood, I found them scattered in streams or rivers over the years. I then bring them home to make artworks, Huan said.

There are still a large amount of wood left to collect in the forests, and Ha Giang Provinces streams and rivers. I will continue my efforts to find these materials and turn them into beautiful artworks. I plan to teach the art to the young villagers who wish to learn, he said. VNS
by Vuong Bach Lien

When Tran Viet Anh visited the mountainous Ha Giang Province in March 2015 with friends, he had no idea that the trip would impact and change their lives.

One day, while resting by the Mien River in Quan Ba Districts Can Ty Commune, the group of friends spotted a stone painted with little flowers. On inquiring, the youngsters discovered that it was one of the artworks created by little girls from the Mong ethnic group, who live near the river.

Impressed by the simple beauty of the stone artworks, the friends took them back to Ha Noi, called them Hoa Tren a (Flowers on Stone), repainted them and sold them at auction. With the proceeds, the youngsters bought utensils and painting tools and offered them to those same little girls in Ha Giang.

The name Hoa Tren a is also used to describe the local inhabitants of Ha Giang, for their beauty, courage, and optimism despite living a hard life by the high mountains. Viet Nams northernmost mountainous province, Ha Giang is known as the stone plateau of the country and has some of the most breathtaking landscapes.

After that, Hoa Tren a has evolved into a community project to help children from the countrys disadvantaged regions. The first official activity of the project was to teach children to paint; they have also started building new playgrounds for children from these regions.

This painting class was held in Sa Pa Districts Thanh Kim Commune in Lao Cai Province. When we look at those children painting so passionately, we know that we can do a meaningful job and tell ourselves that we have to maintain and develop this project, said Anh.

The group of friends keeps returning to Ha Giang, to meet local people and collect stones and pebbles by the Mien river, taking them back to Ha Noi, where they create beautiful artworks by painting flowers and landscapes on the stones.

In April this year, the 10 founding members started their second activity - they created a fan page on Facebook and called for volunteers. Many architecture and arts university students responded, and they got the support of some well-known young painters, including Huong Qici and o ang ai. This time they collected VN17million (US$765) and with the money, they built a playground for a school in Ha Giang.

Its a simple playground. We used car tyres and other materials to make horses, swings and seesaws. We also decorated the school with our paintings. We are glad we did this as the playground has brought a lot of joy to the children, said Anh.

This month, the group plans to build a playground for children in Phu Long Commune in Cat Hai Districts Hai Phong city. Previously, they had earned VN7million auctioning the painted stones.

The more we travel, the more we see that children actually do not have many playgrounds because of rapid urbanisation We plan to build new playgrounds on vacant land or in primary schools in the city, said Anh, who is originally from Hai Phong.

He hopes the project will get the support of more volunteers in Hai Phong, who will come and help the group look for materials and build the playground on weekends when they are free. VNS
Taking a culinary detour on the wild and weird side, An Phuong samples the best that Northern Korea has to offer in HCM City.

HCM CITY  Located on Le Quy on Street in HCM Citys District 3, Ryu Gyong Restaurant offers a variety of dishes from North Korea.

Yes, that North Korea.

To be honest, when I was told that the North Korean government had opened more than 100 restaurants around the world as a way of earning income for the nation since the 1990s, my initial reaction was Really? North Korea, a country that often suffers food shortage.

All political considerations aside, I was duly fascinated, so a few friends and I stopped by one fine Wednesday evening.

Ryo Gyong is run and staffed by North Koreans. Upon entering, we were welcomed by a phalanx of young waitresses, all speaking Korean and clothed in knee-length blue dresses.

Though we thought it normal to greet us in their language, we were surprised when they began communicating with us in fluent Vietnamese, as they were all natives of North Korea.

Three of the waitresses then accompanied us to a table in the corner of a banquet-style room.

Since this was the first time I had ever met someone from North Korea, I was excited to get a glimpse of their life by sampling their food and talking with the waitresses.

Though they have only been in Viet Nam for two years, their Vietnamese speaking skills were pretty impressive.

Upon ordering, we were asked multiple questions with regards to our names, ages, occupations and why we decided to have dinner at a North Korean restaurant.

Two of my friends were stunned at the rapid-fire interrogation.

Wed never been asked so many questions in a restaurant-setting, but, in a way, that made it all the more intriguing and exciting.

Is it a requirement for you to talk to guests? I asked one of the waitresses.

Yes! We tend to communicate with everyone in the same manner and stay at the tables at all times, she enthusiastically replied.

The menu, which was fairly expensive, featured many classic dishes like naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), jajangmyeon (black-bean sauce noodles) and bibimbap (mixed rice) that you might find at a standard South Korean eatery.

Similarly, several condiments and side dishes, such as scorched rice, stir-fried anchovies and, seaweed salad, were served before the main dishes.

We decided on three special recommendations from the waitresses: a mixed salad, grilled pork with cheese, and seafood hotpot. We didnt order South Korean classics as we wanted to focus only on North Korean specialties.

Our group noticed that the dining room featured a small stage equipped with a drum set, keyboard and bass guitar. Would there be a live band accompaniment to our dinner?

At exactly 7:45pm, the same waitresses who served us changed into other outfits and took the stage to perform.

As the lights dimmed, we were treated to a multi-disciplinary show featuring traditional North Korean songs and even old-school Vietnamese pop songs, including Nang Sai Gon.

The performers really knew their way around their instruments, we all agreed.

What struck us most was when two of the restaurants waitresses performed Chim Sao Mo Coi, a folk song native to the southern provinces of Viet Nam.

Though the performance was not perfect, we appreciated that North Korean waitresses in their 20s were able to sing it with joy and confidence, while most young Vietnamese barely know of its existence.

Amid all the lovely weirdness, the food was quite decent.

Our first dish was a mixed salad with soft seaweed, crunchy vegetables, sweet shredded beef and chilled jelly. The texture of the jelly was the wow factor that made the salad special.

This light appetiser was delightful to eat, but I would not recommend it to folks who enjoy food with bold flavours.

Grilled pork with cheese came next. The pork was cut into bite-size pieces, spread with a layer of cheese and mashed eggs. The dish was served with a side of toasted cheese sandwiches.

Though it was tasty, I was not a huge fan of the dish since it was rather sweet and not cheesy enough for my liking.

The final dish was the seafood hotpot, memorably named Pyongyang Pot Fairy.

Though the hotpot was expensive, it was worth the price since there were so many ingredients: fresh prawns, crab meat, mushrooms, eggs and vegetables.

While we were waiting for everything to be cooked, one waitress told us that the use of healthy Chinese red dates and gingko was what made the dish stand out.

I really enjoyed the broth, which was hearty and intensely flavoured, and warmed us from the inside out. However, the only thing that was missing wasnoodles!

Unlike the typical Vietnamese seafood hotpot that always comes with noodles, the North Korean version is to be enjoyed as is.

Like the pork dish, though, the Pyongyang Pot Fairy had a sweet taste that might fool diners into thinking they are full.

While talking to the waitresses during dinner, I learned a few things about their food. About half of the ingredients are brought directly from North Korea since Ryu Gyong wants to offer the best and most authentic experience to guests.

Even so, the restaurant clearly made an effort to attend to Vietnamese guests needs as well by introducing several culinary classics exclusive to our culture, namely sauteed spinach with garlic.

All said and done, I found my visit to Ryu Gyong to be pleasantly surreal and interesting.

In fact, its not that easy in HCM City to get a real sampling of what the elites get to eat in Pyongyang every day.

Though the food did not stand out as spectacular, I would happily eat here again.

The fascination factor would probably fade somewhat, but it would be worth it to sample a few more North Korean dishes and listen to Vietnamese songs I rarely hear. VNS

BOX:

Ryu Gyong Restaurant

Address: 30bis Le Quy on St, Ward 7, District 3, HCM City

Tel: 08 7307 6666

Comment: Tasty North Korean cuisine in a surprising setting.
01:54 RBA lifts cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.85 per cent Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood says the Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.85 per cent.

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03:00 Furious driver drags leftie protesters off busy road Sky News host Caleb Bond says one man in the UK tried to reason with some "lefties" before having to resort to dragging them off a busy road...

01:32 Where is Generation Zs resilience? Sky News host Caleb Bond says one "poor leftie" student in America has posted a video online complaining about having to work an entire day....

08:51 No perfect solution to fix gas prices Assistant Minister for Treasury Andrew Leigh says there is no perfect solution to fix rising gas prices.
Pet supply hosts

grand opening

CEDAR FALLS -- The grand opening and ribbon cutting for Pet Supplies Plus, 713 Brandilynn Blvd., will be at 9 a.m. Friday.

Join proprietor Suzy Schares and her team as they celebrate the opening . There will be complimentary refreshments, door prizes and specials.

The store is located near Hobby Lobby off Viking Road.

Schares said there will be more grand opening events in January.

Chamber seeks

nominations

WATERLOO -- The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber announces nominations will be accepted now through Jan. 6 for their annual business awards.

The awards will be presented during the 2017 annual celebration March 21 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

Nominations are being accepted for the following awards:

Business of the Year award: Small company with up to 50 full-time equivalent employees and large company with 51-plus FTEs.

Harold Brock Innovation award.

John Deere Treating Capital Well award.

Fulfilling the Vision of One award.

Cedar Valley Partner award.

Descriptions of the awards and nomination forms are available at the Alliance & Chamber offices or online at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com/programsandevents. For additional information, contact Bette Wubbena at bwubbena@cedarvalleyalliance.com or 232-1156.

Career fair set

in Independence

INDEPENDENCE -- The Buchanan County Economic Development Commission and Sedona Staffing Services will host a career fair from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Henderson Event Center, 2320 Iowa Ave.

The career fair is free for job seekers to attend and many Buchanan County businesses will be on hand to take applications and share information on available jobs and future career opportunities. Registration for job seekers is not required. Participants should dress appropriately, bring a resume or employment history information.

Any Buchanan County business that would like to exhibit at the career fair should go to www.growbuchanan.com or contact George Lake at BCEDC at 334-7497 or director@growbuchanan.com.

Other partner organizations in attendance include Iowa Workforce Development, Hawkeye Community College and the Independence Area Chamber of Commerce.

Cover crop field

day, lunch slated

AMES -- Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Dry Run Creek Watershed and Practical Farmers of Iowa, will host a cover crop field day Nov. 17 near Cedar Falls. The noon to 2 p.m. field day is free and open to the public. It includes a complimentary lunch.

Attendees will hear from Black Hawk County farmer Ted Hamer and landowner John Miller about working together to protect the soil though the use of cover crops, strip-till corn and no-till soybeans. Also speaking is Justin Meissen with Tallgrass Prairie Center who is working with Hamer and Miller to add a prairie strip next spring. Stefan Gailans of Practical Farmers of Iowa will share on-farm cover crop research updates and recommendations. Josh Balk, Dry Run Creek watershed coordinator, will provide a project update and upcoming opportunities to participate.

The field day begins with lunch at Barn Happy, 11310 University Ave, Cedar Falls. From Highway 20, take Exit 220 toward Cedar Falls. Turn north onto Grundy Road for a mile and keep right to continue on University Avenue for 2.3 miles. The destination will be on the north side of the road. Weather permitting, the program will take place in the nearby cover crop field.

The workshop is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested to ensure adequate space and food. Contact Liz Juchems at (515) 294-5429 or email ilf@iastate.edu.

Pro-ag meetings

set in Waterloo

WATERLOO --- Pro-Ag outlook and management meetings will be Nov. 17 in Waterloo and Dec. 9 in Decorah, presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

The Waterloo meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Hawkeye Community College, Tama Hall. Call 234-6811 to register.

The Decorah meeting will be held at Pinter's Greenhouse. To register, call (563) 382-2949.

Speakers include Chad Hall, who will talk on grain markets, Wengdong Zhang, who will provide the latest research from the Iowa Land Value Survey, Melissa O'Rourke, farm and agri-business management specialist, and Lee Schulz, who will share livestock profit potential information.

Cedar Valley

tourism honored

WATERLOO -- Representatives from the Grout Museum District and Cedar Falls Community Main Street were honored at the recent Iowa Tourism Conference.

Downtown Cedar Falls was honored as the states Outstanding Retail Experience and the Grout Museums Iowa Veterans Museum was honored as Iowas Outstanding Attraction and for Outstanding Marketing Collaboration.

Distinct features leading to the Main Street award include friendly store owners serving up memorable experiences from 30-plus unique shops and boutiques and 20-plus bars, cafes and restaurants. The charm of the area, endless events and creative strategies employed the Community Main Street to position the district as a great get away destination were also noted.

The Grout Museum Districts 365 & Counting: Iowans in the Vietnam War exhibit enabled the Grout to capture the Attraction of the Year Award for the second time in five years.

The Outstanding Marketing Collaboration was awarded for the partnership that was developed between the Grout and The Courier for their Vietnam Veterans Profile features. The Grout provided content to reporters from the Voices of Iowa interview collection and The Courier featured 50 area Vietnam veterans, one each day, during the fall of 2015, within the duration of the 365 & Counting: Iowans in the Vietnam War exhibit.

The features helped shine a light on the stories of the men and women who served during one of the most controversial wars in history and also helped spread awareness about a powerful exhibit that educated the public and helped heal those who lived through it 50 years ago.

To read the stories, go to www.wcfcourier.com/special-section/vietnam-veterans/
WATERLOO  The Cedar Valley Makers are setting up shop in a big way on a floor of the Cedar Valley TechWorks near downtown Waterloo.

Armed with a couple of good-sized grants and a boatload of goodwill donations, the nonprofit group has accumulated an eclectic array of production equipment, ranging from a laser cutter to welders to metal lathes.

Theyre fitting out their maker space on a floor of a former John Deere production building, the Tech 1 building at 360 Westfield Ave., for inventors, entrepreneurs, industrialists and crafters. They range in age from people in their early 20s to retirees.

Theyve signed up 20 paid members so far and they want to get more. The initial goal is about 100. Toward that end, theyre planning coffee open houses and other public events to encourage folks to putter, play and produce in the maker space.

Theyve spent the past few months fixing a couple of the kinks, said Danny Laudick, one of the original makers and talent development coordinator for the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber. Were still getting some of the equipment set up. We just recently got the machine shop to the point where people can use it.

People are hearing of the operation by word of mouth and stopping in.

We had a guy come in, hes a weld engineer for John Deere. He just wanted to become a member. But then hes been taking names and numbers; hes going to be offering some welding classes. He had kind of an education background as well. So were just starting to see people coming in, looking to get involved.

Cedar Valley Makers Inc., created about a year ago, is pulling together a metal shop, wood shop, electronics lab and 3D printers on about 5,000 square feet of space on the third floor of the Cedar Valley TechWorks building.

They secured a $20,000 matching grant from the McElroy Trust and an account through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. In August, the organization also received a $50,000 grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association to purchase equipment for the maker space.

The equipment is open to use by artisans, crafters, inventors and manufacturers who would pay a monthly fee.

The maker space  a concept happening in other locations around the country  would be open to all ages and skill levels, and its hoped the cooperative atmosphere would generate a synergy of creative minds that could lead, potentially, to new products, new companies and new jobs for the area.

An open house in May resulted in a good-sized crowd, and the shop also was a stop on Main Street Waterloos Tour de Loo of downtown projects.

We had one guy who just moved to town a month and a half ago, who, the week he was here, heard about it and showed up, Laudick said. Hed been involved in one in Missouri. He was worried there wouldnt be anything to be involved with here. He was involved with the local high school there. He was interested in being involved with the schools here. Thats one thing thats been really nice  a lot of the members getting involved and willing to help.

The monthly membership is $25 a month for individuals during a start-up beta period. The Makers also have talked with local smaller manufacturers about donating scrap materials and other items to work with. Long term, they would like to have a working relationship with major manufacturers such as Deere.

The Makers also are hoping to get multiple generations involved. One guy brought his dad in with him, a retiree. He became a member, too, Laudick said. Theyre also talking with local retirement communities about involving residents with manufacturing or crafting skills in the maker space.

Now that we finally have a little more time to focus on community stuff, now that we have a lot of the physical set up done, were looking at doing Saturday morning coffees for members, have a chance for everyone to get together and socialize, Laudick said.

The space is already being used for a range of activities. We are talking right now with a company who wants to use the laser cutter for product development because we can offer access to them cheaper than it costs them to lease a laser cutter, Laudick said. And then members are just working on custom craft jewelry. Another is working on a bicycle frame. Everything from craft to product development.

He noted some companies also are interested in involving their employees just for the sake of giving them a place to practice hobbies as a kind of quality-of-life amenity.

Laudick said the Makers also are on consultation with local schools and exploring the possibility of getting some of its skilled-retiree members to work with them and involving local school robotics teams in assembling their projects.

Theres a world of opportunities, Laudick said, including putting on product-development workshops utilizing members with skills in that area, or new-product photography as tool for marketing new products.

Or, maybe a community-build day inviting people to come and try out equipment with donated raw materials. Or putting together kid-friendly project kits for parents to bring their children to come in and tinker with.

Laudick also is involved with the Mill Race project of developer Mark Kittrell along State Street in Cedar Falls. Entrepreneurs in that project may be able to help Cedar Valley Makers Space members in marketing new products.

A lot of the people that make stuff arent usually thinking about market development, product commercialization, he said. But you can connect them with the people that are doing a lot of that.

We hope to bring some that community side to it, build some of those relationships between people to realize theres really no reason you cant develop your product, Laudick said.

Open shop hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Individuals can stop any time during open shop hours for a tour. New member orientations are currently held every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

More information is available online at cedarvalleymakers.org, on the organizations Facebook page, emailing CedarValleyMakers@gmail.com or by calling 427-2030.
CEDAR FALLS  One person has died in a two-vehicle crash early Saturday near downtown Cedar Falls.

Police responded to westbound lanes of the First Street Bridge (Iowa Highway 57) near Main Street around 12:05 a.m.

Cedar Falls Police said one person was pronounced dead at the scene. Several others were injured. Investigators have not released the conditions of anyone injured.

The crash forced law enforcement to close off the First Street Bridge for several hours while they investigated.

Investigators said both vehicles involved in the crash were traveling west when the accident occurred. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Pickup-tractor crash kills 1

MANCHESTER -- One person is dead after a pickup truck sideswiped a tractor on 165th Street northeast of Manchester Friday morning, the Iowa State Patrol reported.

Troopers said the westbound pickup, driven by Eric Silas Smith, 72, of Manchester, sideswiped the eastbound tractor, operated by Beau Vaske, 20, of Manchester, and struck a manure applicator, coming to rest in the north ditch.

Smith died in the accident.

Vaske, 20, was not injured.

The accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Friday. Troopers were assisted by Delaware County deputies and Manchester fire and rescue personnel.

Man arrested for burglary

WATERLOO  Officers caught an alleged burglar Friday morning after he broke into a home while the resident was sleeping.

The female resident awoke to a man in her bedroom of her Prospect Boulevard house around 4:10 a.m., and she called 911 as he fled. She reported a $10 bill, a few $1 bills and a unopened pack of Marlboro Lights cigarettes missing.

Police spotted a vehicle at Hilltop Road and Prospect near the scene and stopped it.

The occupant, 34-year-old Joshua Wilson, was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt like one the victim had described, and officers found a pack of Marlboro Lights cigarettes and cash in the denominations reported missing, according to court records.

Wilson, of 1026 W. Fifth St., was arrested for second-degree burglary.

Officers determined he entered the house by standing on a chair and crawling through a window.

Teen arrested for sex abuse

ROCKFORD  A jury trial has been scheduled for a Rockford teen accused of having sex with a 13-year-old against her will.

Christopher Lord, 17, is charged in adult court with felony third-degree sexual abuse.

Hes pleaded not guilty.

Lord is accused in court documents having sex with a 13-year-old girl through the use or force or against her will in a closet at his home on Sept. 3.

His trial is set for Nov. 29.
WATERLOO  The holiday shopping season is upon us.

For the past 46 years, shoppers have made it a tradition to fill gift lists for family and friends (and themselves) with fine art found at the annual Holiday Arts Festival.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday at the Waterloo Center for the Arts. Admission is free.

Festival goers have come to expect a quality experience and a great selection of handcrafted items for sale from some of the finest Midwest artists, says Laura Stammler, WCA development and marketing manager. We try to incorporate new and emerging artists in addition to many repeat artists who enjoy coming back each year.

WCA Curator Chawne Paige says, Were looking forward to hosting 53 artists this year, with 14 of them new to the Holiday Arts Festival. Artists will be arriving from six surrounding states and Iowa, not to mention, we will also be presenting work by quite a few artists from right here in the Cedar Valley.

The juried event will feature original artwork for sale from the finest Midwest artists working in mixed media, photography, painting, drawing, wood, glass, jewelry, metal, ceramics, fiber and more.

Stammler describes it as a great community event that brings visitors from all over to downtown Waterloo. It furthers the Waterloo Center for the Arts mission by showcasing and supporting Midwest artists and their crafts.

In a world of online shopping and superstores, we sometimes forget the importance of supporting our local artisans and the value of purchasing and/or giving a meaningful, quality handcrafted gift, she points out.

Paige says the center will be filled wall-to-wall with art to enjoy, experience and purchase.

At the same time, the Black Hawk Childrens Theatre will be presenting performances of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at 2 p.m. Saturday in the centers Hope Martin Theatre. For ticket information, call 291-4491.

The Laughing Tree Cafe will be open and serving breakfast, lunch, coffee and tea.

A rare and impressive nativity exhibit will be on display featuring nativities collected from around the world by WCA Commission member Marisa VanDorn.

VanDorn has donated the nativities to the centers permanent collection.

For more information about the Holiday Arts Festival, visit waterloocenterforthearts.org.
WATERLOO  The Family & Childrens Council of Black Hawk County will host Fall Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the United Auto Workers Local 838 Hall, 2615 Washington.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

Each team has six members. Teams will compete for prizes by testing their knowledge of everything and anything by answering questions. Local employers, organizations and community members are encouraged to form teams and have fun while competing.

In addition to volunteer opportunities, the local nonprofit agency has sponsorship opportunities.

Family & Childrens Council facilitates several programs in Black Hawk County to prevent child abuse and strengthen families. For more information or to make a reservation, call 234-7600 or email anesa@fccouncil.net.
WATERLOO  Early voting in Black Hawk County is lagging behind the pace set in the last presidential election four years ago.

County election officials said absentee ballot requests were running at 91 percent while ballots returned or voted in person are running at 95 percent of the 2012 pace through Wednesday.

County Auditor Grant Veeder said the lower absentee numbers are not necessarily a gauge of voter enthusiasm or an indication fewer ballots will be cast by the time polls close Tuesday.

This could be an indication of a lower turnout, Veeder said. Alternatively, some people may not have made up their minds and are waiting to vote on Election Day.

Weve speculated a lot because we want to be prepared, he added, noting election officials need to have enough ballots and staff at polling sites. But in the end its a guessing game.

Some 26,302 absentee ballots had been requested through Wednesday, which is behind the 29,004 ballot requests six days before the 2012 election but well ahead of the 21,258 ballots requested at the same point before the 2008 presidential election.

There were 21,850 ballots returned or voted at the election office or satellite locations through Wednesday. Thats behind the 23,003 ballots returned at the same point in 2012 but beating the 14,854 early votes returned in 2008.

Black Hawk County Democrats continue to outpace Republicans in early voting. But the GOP is showing an increase while Democrats are trailing their totals from 2012.

Registered Democrats cast 10,451 absentee ballots through Wednesday, down from the 11,095 early votes cast at the same point in 2012. Registered Republicans voted 6,323 times through Wednesday, up from the 5,579 ballots cast in 2012.

Voters listing another party or no party voted 5,076 times this year so far, which is down from the 6,329 votes in 2012.

Results in Black Hawk County appear to mirror statewide early voting statistics released early last week by the Iowa Secretary of States Office. Absentee ballots through Monday were running 10 percent below the 2012 pace.

Iowa Democrats cast 198,736 early votes as of Monday. Thats down 10 percent from the same point in 2012. Iowa Republicans cast 155,425 early votes as of Monday, just 3 percent off the GOPs pace four year ago.

Voters can still vote absentee in person Monday at the Courthouse Election Office. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Iowa.
CEDAR RAPIDS  In making their closing arguments, both major party candidates for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat talk about change.

In a folksy television commercial that includes footage of the farmer-senator cutting the grass on his rural New Hartford lawn with a mower of his own design, GOP Sen. Charles Grassley talks about positive change in Iowa.

In her closing argument, Democratic challenger Patty Judge says that after six terms of Iowans being represented by Grassley in the Senate, its time for a change.

The outcome of the race will be determined by the Nov. 8 election.

Iowa is changing, Grassley says in his ad, Next, that presents an optimistic message of an increasingly prosperous Iowa.

The ad includes images of Grassley that campaign manager Robert Haus said represent the senators work ethic. It also shows Grassley sitting atop the tallest wind turbine in North America at an Iowa wind farm.

Rather than claim credit, Grassley says, We've done it together, but we're not done yet.

Judge also talks about change in Grassley over his 36 years in the U.S. Senate.

Over the past 42 years, rather than Chuck Grassley changing Washington, Washington has changed Chuck Grassley, Judge spokesman Sam Roecker said. Grassley served 36 years in the Senate following six years in the U.S. House. He has held public office continuously for 58 years, having previously served many years in the Iowa Legislature.

Over the past weeks and months we have continued to make the case that Chuck Grassley has turned his back on Iowa, Roecker said. Hes no longer an independent voice for Iowa families, hes more concerned with political games and partisanship than doing his job.

In particular, Judge has hammered Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for his refusal to have hearings on President Barack Obamas nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.

In her ad, Changed, Iowans tell a cardboard cutout of Grassley that theyve voted for him in the past, but your obstruction is responsible for the least effective Senate ever.

The voters in the ad say privatizing Social Security threatens Iowans retirement and defunding Planned Parenthood risks womens health.

Judge concludes the ad saying she approves the message because Chuck Grassley has changed and we can change our senator.
DES MOINES  It has been a long road, Iowa.

On Tuesday, the nation casts its final votes in the 2016 presidential election. For Iowans who have been paying attention, Tuesday is the culmination of a protracted selection process that started two years ago.

Over those many months, Iowa performed its quadrennial duty of paring down a historically large field of candidates during the first-in-the-nation caucuses  with no incumbent running, there was competition on both sides  and once again will play a critical role in the general election.

There were many momentous occasions along the way. Here is a look back at the long campaign road through Iowa.

First steps

One could argue the 2016 presidential race began during the 2014 elections, when some White House hopefuls visited Iowa to campaign for congressional candidates here, hoping to help their own brand in the process.

But the first event with a truly presidential primary feel was the Freedom Summit, held in Des Moines on Jan. 24, 2015  655 days before Election Day.

The event was hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and the conservative political group Citizens United. Seven Republicans who would eventually run for president and a few others  those who attended surely remember Sarah Palins rambling stem-winder  spoke.

Talk after the event included praise for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who shortly after took a lead in early polls on the Republican caucuses.

Pow moment





Trumps now infamous line, featured in countless political ads made by Hillary Clintons campaign and groups that support her, was spoken at a Family Leader event July 15, 2015, on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.

Moderator Frank Luntz, a conservative public opinion expert, asked Trump about his verbal tussles with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and in doing so, he referred to McCain as a war hero.

Hes not a war hero. Hes a war hero because he was captured, Trump said. I like the people who werent captured.

The comment was met with shock across the political landscape and swift rebuke from Republicans. In a backstage conversation recorded by Iowa Public Television, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who also spoke at the event, said the comment would signal the beginning of the end of Trumps campaign.

As it happened, Trumps comment was the first indicator of the strength of his support; it was the first prominent example of him saying something that seemed outlandish to many but did not hurt him in the polls.

State Fair





Three of the biggest names in the caucuses  Trump, Clinton and Bernie Sanders  visited the Iowa State Fair on the same day.

Most presidential candidates visited the State Fair, but Aug. 15, 2015, became a spectacle unlike any other.

Trump flew in on his helicopter, landing at a nearby field, and allowed children to go for rides.

Clinton walked the grounds and visited the butter cow.

When Sanders spoke at the Des Moines Registers Political Soapbox, the hundreds who came to listen formed a mass of humanity that swallowed much of Grand Avenue.

I think Bernie gets a lot more excitement, a lot more enthusiasm than anybody has in a long time, Joyce Kopecky, a Des Moines native who lives in Omaha, Neb., said at the event. Hes different than everybody else. Hes not business as usual.

Debates





Both parties held one primary debate in Iowa.

The Democrats came first, debating on the Drake University campus in Des Moines on Nov. 14, the day after terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people.

The Republican candidates debated at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines just four days before the Feb. 1 caucuses.

Well, most of the GOP candidates did. Trump chose to sit out the debate, hosted by Fox News, because he thought he had been treated unfairly in previous debates by Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly.

Trump instead held a campaign event in Des Moines at the same time as the debate.

Iowa picks Clinton, Cruz





The Feb. 1 caucuses brought to a close the first half of the presidential campaign in Iowa, and both parties made history in the process. Democrats had their closest-ever margin of victory, and Republicans had their highest-ever turnout.

Clinton edged Sanders by a mere 0.2 percent of state delegate equivalents as the Democrats turned out in numbers second only to 2008. Clinton, the first female winner of the Iowa caucuses, did not claim victory until 2:30 a.m., and the state Democratic Party did not make the results official until days later.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz edged Trump, 27.7 percent to 24.3 percent.

Trump, Clinton return





Once the general election campaign started in earnest after the national party conventions, polling made clear Iowa would once again be a toss-up state. And early indications were the candidates, Trump and Clinton, would make a strong play for Iowa.

Through the first three months, Trump made five trips to Iowa, including one in late July during the Democratic National Convention and another in early August.

I think were going to do very well, Trump said at one of those events. The crowds are tremendous. The enthusiasm is incredible. So I think were doing very well.

Clinton did not return to Iowa until Aug. 10, but her campaign established a robust operation here early in the general election.

Shortly before that first visit, Clintons national political director Amanda Renteria said the campaign expected to be competitive in Iowa.

We know this thing is going to be tight all the way to the end. I dont see any change in that, Renteria said. Were under the assumption it will be close all the way through, and were under the assumption that weve got to make sure that were earning every single vote.

Trail runs cold





After a strong start, the presidential campaign fizzled in Iowa at least as far as candidate trips go.

Since those first handful of events, Trump has not been back, though a stop was anticipated today in Sioux City. Meanwhile, he has made double-digit appearances in swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina.

Clinton has traveled to Iowa only three times; a fourth stop, over Labor Day weekend, technically was in Illinois, but it was in the Quad-Cities just across the Mississippi River from Davenport. By comparison, Clinton has been to Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina at least 10 times apiece and to Florida nearly 20 times.

Judging by candidate appearances, Iowas six Electoral College votes have not been a top priority for either campaign.

Surrogates





While the candidates themselves may have not spent much time campaigning in Iowa, their most well-known supporters have.

The Clinton campaign in particular unleashed a tsunami of surrogates on Iowa. While the creme de la creme  President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden  have not been here, the wave of Hillary Clinton surrogates has included her husband and former president, Bill Clinton, her former primary foes, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley, running mate Tim Kaine and a slew of actors and musicians.

The Trump campaign has relied heavily upon running mate Mike Pence in Iowa, sending the Indiana governor here eight times for a total of a dozen events. Top supporters such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former primary opponent Ben Carson also have stumped for Trump in Iowa.

Final push





Election Day is just two days away, leaving the slightest window for the campaigns to make one last impression in Iowa. A poll from Simpson College and RABA Research published late last past week showed Trump holding a narrow lead over Clinton that was within the margin for error.

Trump will make his first Iowa appearance since Sept. 28 when he campaigns today in Sioux City.

The Clinton campaign sent Sanders to Iowa Friday and Saturday; theres no word yet as to whether the candidate herself will return one last time.
WATERLOO  Fundraising figures released Friday show some competitive races in the Cedar Valley.

The figures, the last released before Tuesdays election, illustrate dollars raised, spent and given in-kind between Oct. 19 and Nov. 4. Despite the short window, big bucks are still flowing in.

Most of the largest donations were in-kind from the Democratic and Republican parties to candidates in close races.

Three Cedar Valley Republicans garnered six-figure in-kind donations, mostly in the form of advertising, that totaled $667,446. Two Cedar Valley Democrats, who are competing against two of those Republicans, saw a similar influx from their party totaling $495,193.

Those candidates also benefitted from donations from political action committees.

The most competitive races based on those dollar figures are Iowa Senate Districts 32 and 36 and Iowa House District 60.

Republicans have made clear theyre prioritizing making the Iowa Senate become a majority Republican this election cycle. It has remained a majority Democratic, even as the House and governors office have been Republican-led.

Heres a closer look at those races:

Senate District 32

Iowa Sen. Brian Schoenjahn, D-Arlington, is running against Independence Republican Craig Johnson, who lost a close bid for a House seat in 2014. District 32 covers Bremer County, northern Black Hawk County and parts of Fayette and Buchanan counties.

Schoenjahn outraised Johnson in the final fundraising totals, with Schoenjahn bringing in $22,329 to Johnsons $9,525. Nearly half of the money Schoenjahn raised were from a $10,000 donation from the Justice for All PAC.

But Johnson got more in-kind from the party, receiving a total of $264,916 to Schoenjahns $192,284.

The district has nearly 1,000 more active Republicans than Democrats, at 11,585 to 10,618, respectively. But both are dwarfed by the 17,240 no-party voters.

Senate District 36

Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, is running against State Center Republican Jeff Edler, whos making his first bid for state office. District 36 covers Marshall and Tama counties and a small portion of southern Black Hawk County.

Sodders outraised his Republican opponent, both in dollars and from in-kind donations from the party. Sodders raised $20,604 to Edlers $6,910.

Both benefited from large PAC donations  Sodders, like Schoenjahn, received $10,000 from the Justice for All PAC, and Edler received $5,000 from the Hawkeye PAC is associated with U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Sodders also received $302,909 from his party in in-kind donations, and Edler received nearly as much from his party at $260,653.

The district, like Senate District 32, has nearly 1,000 more active Republicans than Democrats, 11,735 to 10,970, respectively. There are more active no-party voters, with 14,325.

House District 60

Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, is running against Waterloo Democrat Gary Kroeger, making his first bid for office. House District 60 includes parts of Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Hudson.

Rogers out-raised Kroeger, both in dollars and in-kind donations from the party. He raised $21,781 to Kroegers $6,163. More than half of Rogers donations came from a $13,000 donation from the Hawkeye PAC associated with Grassley. Most of Kroegers donations were small sums.

Rogers also received $141,878 from in-kind donations, mostly for advertising, from the Republican Party. Kroeger received $7,704 in in-kind donations.

The district has a near equal number of active Republicans and active no-party voters at about 7,500, about 1,000 more than the number of Democrats in the district.

Other fundraising reports are available online at: http://www.iowa.gov/ethics/.
WATERLOO  The city is poised to hire an engineering firm to design the reconstruction of University Avenue.

Waterloo City Council members will be asked Monday to approve a contract with AECOM Technical Services Inc. of Waterloo for a preliminary and final design to rebuild the crumbling former state highway running from U.S. Highway 63 to the west city limits at Midway Drive.

AECOM, which helped prepare a conceptual design for the project in 2010, will be paid up to $2.8 million for its services based on hourly rates.

City Council members voted unanimously in July to take over jurisdiction of University Avenue from the Iowa Department of Transportation in return for $28 million to help rebuild and maintain it. But officials say the project likely will require nore funding.

The proposed contract calls for AECOM to design a four-lane University Avenue, two lanes less than the existing roadway, with new or modified traffic signals at Fletcher Avenue, Ansborough Avenue, Sager Avenue, Falls Avenue, the frontage road near Perkins Restaurant, Tunis Drive, Progress Drive and Midway Drive.

The design would also cover sidewalks and trails, sanitary and storm sewers and continuous lighting but does not include streetscaping amenities. The plan also calls for reusing existing bridges over Greenhill Road and Black Hawk Creek but removing the bridge over the Sergeant Road trail and replacing it with a pedestrian tunnel.

Roundabout intersections, which have proven controversial as Cedar Falls rebuilds its section of University, are not mentioned in the proposed AECOM contract. Final design elements will be selected after public input is received.

AECOM would be required to hold at least two public information meetings, four City Council presentations, 20 property owner meetings and engage in social media outreach.

Other scheduled council business includes:

Approving a $200,000 funding arrangement with IDOT for the retiming of downtown traffic signals, which has not been done in more than 15 years. The state would provide $160,000 from its federal highway fund allocation while the city would provide $40,000 in general obligation bonds.

Approving a $60,000 contract with GBA Systems Integrators of Lenexa, Kan., to develop a broadband master plan for a citywide communication network to support the traffic signal system and monitoring cameras while also investigating other city fiber optics communications needs.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
Traffic shifts on University Monday

CEDAR FALLS  Traffic will be shifted from south half to the north half of University Avenue from the Black Hawk Village entrance to Hillcrest Drive as soon as Monday for water main installation in the area, according to the city engineering office.

The work will take three to four weeks, depending on the weather. It is part of an ongoing University Avenue reconstruction.

Documentary screening Monday

CEDAR FALLS  Director Judd Saul will host an encore showing of his political documentary Enemies Within at 7 p.m. Monday at the PIPAC Center.

Saul made the film with writer and producer Trevor Loudon. The event is free of charge.

UNI ROTC honors

retiring officer

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa ROTC will host a retirement ceremony recognizing Col. Jonathan Thompsons 30 years of Army service at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the Great Reading Room in Seerley Hall.

Thompson completed 30 years of active and reserve Army service and currently serves as the scholarship and enrollment officer for the UNI ROTC program.

He earned his commission as an Army Infantry officer in 1985; he served 11 years on active duty and then transitioned to the Army Reserves for an additional 20 years, serving as a psychological operations officer.

Over his 30-year career he commanded at the company and battalion level, and completed five overseas deployments to Egypt, Iraq and Afghanistan.
CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowas Museum will host a concert series, Rock the Stacks, at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 on the first floor of Rod Library.

Rock the Stacks celebrates the local music talent in the Cedar Valley. This year the concert will host local bands Evan Stock Band, Dishwater Blonde and Pets with Human Names. In the past, the concert series has featured Twin, Amelia and Melinda and Peas and Carrot.

The concert is in conjunction with the UNI Museums most recent exhibit, Ballroom Bash: Iowas Rock n Roll Legacy, which is on display until Aug. 2017. It documents Iowas contributions to music history from the 1950s to the present day. On display is memorabilia from Iowa bands including Headstone, the Dos and the Donts, The Blue Band and many more.

For more information, contact Jess Cruz, exhibit preparator at the UNI Museum, at 273-2495 or jessica.cruz@uni.edu.
CEDAR FALLS  A crash on the First Street Bridge in Cedar Falls occurred when a speeding vehicle rammed the rear of a van, the Iowa State Patrol reports.

A Waterloo woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while a child suffered serious injuries and others also were hurt. The crash closed down Highway 57 near downtown Cedar Falls for a time early Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as Cynthia Brooks, 38, a back-seat passenger in a 2013 Hyundai Accent being driven by Charles Brooks, 46, of Champlin, Minn. Other passengers in the car were Leslie Brooks, 43, of Champlin, Minn., and Kamyah Brooks, 7, of Champlin, Minn.

The van involved was driven by Randy Combs, 62, of Waterloo. A passenger in his vehicle was Daniel Combs, 59, of Waterloo.

Police said Kamyah Brooks was airlifted to University Hospitals in Iowa City for treatment of injuries. Both Randy and Daniel Combs were transported to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital in Waterloo, as were Leslie and Charles Brooks, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

The Brooks vehicle was westbound at a high rate of speed and rear-ended the van, troopers said. Both vehicles hit a cement barrier on the bridge.

Troopers said Charles Brooks attempted to jump off the bridge after the crash, but was detained and taken to Allen for minor injuries.

No charges have been filed yet in the crash.
MANCHESTER -- One person is dead after a pickup truck sideswiped a tractor on 165th Street northeast of Manchester Friday morning, the Iowa State Patrol reported.

Troopers said the westbound pickup, driven by Eric Silas Smith, 72, of Manchester, sideswiped the eastbound tractor, operated by Beau Vaske, 20, of Manchester, and struck a manure applicator, coming to rest in the north ditch.

Smith died in the accident.

Vaske, 20, was not injured.

The accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Friday. Troopers were assisted by Delaware County deputies and Manchester fire and rescue personnel.
It is time to cut through the smog. This election is not between Democrats and Republicans. It is not between men and women. It is not even between a liberal and a conservative. This election is about a corrupt American ruling elite and those who wish to overthrow it.

Undergirding this is the real issue: There is a widening cultural divide.

Writing in the November Chronicles, Scott Richert noted, The attacks on the traditional social order have escalated to the point where they can no longer be ignored.  modern politics  has proven to be a very efficient vehicle for the destruction of  culture and morality.

Modern politics is another term for the efforts of the American ruling class to create a society that is reflective of their culture, one not shared by a majority of Americans whom the elites detest.

Family, religionand community are the essence of culture, and they are all under attack by the corrupt American ruling classes.

In a healthy culture, power flows from the family through the church to the community, then through local governments to the state. That is the order on which our country was founded. The elites have jettisoned this idea, totally ignoring the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. They want to hold power, which flows downward from their control of the federal government, to states, and ultimately to the family.

Donald Trump, with a certain degree of hyperbole, promises a wall to uphold both the traditional and actual laws of sovereignties. The American elites promise to build a wall of separation between church and state. If the elites have their way, Americans will worship only the state. Soon they will be pushing the idea of Christian privilege, noting it is a form of heinous discrimination and should be banned. As Jerry Salyer noted recently, the liberal cults own supremacy must be secured, and all competing religions relegated into irrelevant private nooks and niches.

Hillary Clinton is the candidate of this elite. She shares their views, their arrogant habits and vices, their incompetence and their corruption. She has become fabulously wealthy from public service while holding the law and average Americans in contempt.

As Camille Paglia, a libertarian-leaning feminist, said of Hillary Clinton in an interview with Emily Hill of The Spectator, The woman is a disaster.

Paglia, a registered Democrat, continued, people want change, and theyre sick of the establishment  so you get this great popular surge.  This idea that Trump represents such a threat to Western civilization  its often predicted about presidents and nothing ever happens.  Yet if Trump wins it will be an amazing moment of change because it would destroy the power structure of the Republican Party, the power structure of the Democratic Party and destroy the power of the media. It would be an incredible release of energy  at a moment of international tension and crisis.

So there it is. Do we really want change, even if we dont know exactly what that change will bring? Or do we go on endlessly finding the least common denominator while our values and culture collapse around us?
When most of us hear the words Have I got a great deal for you! we grab our wallets, because experience suggests any forthcoming deal wont be great.

Similarly, when someone says, Heres the straight talk, our baloney meters redline because we know the coming talk will be about as straight as a hounds hind leg.

We in agriculture, however, often use language like a great deal and straight talk to promote cheap food and arcane farm policy. When someone outside of agriculture questions either view, we not only cling to our righteousness, we go a step further and tell them they are wrong.

In fact, its hard to think of any other sector in the American economy that insists on telling its customers they are wrong.

Need proof? For years nine out of 10 consumers have asked for country of origin labeling on retail meat and poultry sold in the U.S.

Wrong! our hog and cattle groups declare; whats best for our meatpackers global sourcing and no labeling  is whats best for you. Besides, COOL is illegal under the trading rules we helped write.

Little wonder trade took a beating in 2016 election campaigns; the straight talk used to sell these great deals was neither straight nor great.

The latest example of agricultures righteousness comes courtesy of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, or USFRA, an ag advocacy group funded by farm and commodity organizations and agribusiness.

In late October, USFRA began a straight talk campaign to counter yogurt maker Dannons effort to source its inputs, mostly milk, from farmers who choose to follow the companys new rules on animal welfare and other practices right down to the dirt.

Dannon, the American subsidiary of the French food giant Danone, made no bones about its motives in initiating its sustainable milk program in April. It hoped to tap into the publics growing concern about the source of its food, noted the New York Times.

And, of course, make money doing it  just as companies including Nestle and General Mills  and Unilever had done earlier, added the Times. But USFRA did not begin straight talk campaigns against those food giants.

Dannon, however, crossed an unseen line, explained the online ag news service DTN on Oct. 27, when it advocated its milk-supplying farmers commit to sourcing only non-GMO feed for dairy cattle producing milk for three [Dannon] yogurt product lines.

That step, Randy Mooney, a Missouri dairy farmer and chairman of National Milk Producers Federation, told DTN, was the tipping point. (NMPF, like Dairy Farmers of America, Dannons previous milk supplier, are both members of USFRA.)

Tipping point, shmipping point.

The fight, which Dannon said it welcomed, is not about genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Instead, its about the word sustainable. Dannon has its own definition to fit its own marketing plan, it says, that promotes simplicity and purity of products.

USFRA, too, has a definition of sustainable, noted DTN, and it includes biotechnology and practices that should define sustainable agriculture.

Moreover, USFRA explains, its Dannon campaign is the beginning of a new willingness to publicly call out food companies that criticize food produced with genetically modified organisms.

That should keep the hired hands at USFRA busy for years because calling out food companies that ask farmers and ranchers to deliver what the marketplace demands will be as unending as it will be unsuccessful.

The companies, after all, dont make the market; they follow the market.

Thats the way the market works. Thats, in fact, the way it has always worked.

What doesnt work  whats never worked  is telling your customer theyre wrong. Show me someone who says the markets wrong, a friend once mused, and Ill show you someone whos on the wrong side of the market.

Exactly. The market is your partner, not your enemy.
No matter which of the two most unpopular presidential candidates in modern U.S. history prevails, our divided government still will be splintered in the aftermath, perhaps four ways.

Intraparty rivalries have become just as contentious as interparty bickering.

Prior to Donald Trumps recent comeback in the polls, pundits predicted his candidacy would be the death knell of the Republican Party as weve known it. Theyve cited a civil war between the tea party/alt.right insurgency backing him and the mainstream conservatives who wouldnt endorse an uncouth candidate who also deviates from some of their key positions.

Meanwhile, the WikiLeaks release of emails from supporters of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee was replete with insults, showing the potential for cracks in the uneasy alliance between centrists and the partys left wing that had embraced Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders in the primaries.

The take-no-prisoners tea party/alt.right alliance showed its muscle when lightly regarded Christian conservative economics professor David Brat upset House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., in a June 2014 GOP primary.

Cantor, the presumed successor to then House Speaker John Boehner, made the fatal mistake of a willingness to compromise on immigration and budget issues, which aroused passionate alt.right websites such as Breitbart.com and commentators Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin.

A year later, Boehner  caught in the same crossfire  quit amid incessant intraparty squabbling.

While Trump complains about the lack of support from House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., its a wonder theyre even speaking. The Trump campaigns chief executive officer Steve Bannon heads the Breitbart news site and is a leader in the alt.right movement to purge mainstream Republicans.

Breitbart was a cheerleader for Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen in his primary campaign against Ryan.

In emails leaked to The Hill, Breitbarts editor proposed opening bridges to Ryan last winter, but Bannon fired back, Long game is him gone by spring.

But theres still life in the old mainstream. Nehlen lost decisively.

So did Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., a tea party and Koch brothers favorite whom Boehner kicked off the Agriculture Committee for disloyalty. He was defeated in the August primary by Roger Marshall, the choice of the Kansas Farm Bureau. In fact, 10 of 16 supporters of Gov. Sam Brownbacks Kansas tea party experiment gone awry lost in primaries.

Trumps path to the nomination has largely mirrored trade and immigration issues that took British mainstream conservatives by surprise when the Brexit referendum passed. Those same issues have given rise to other right-wing parties in Europe.

Trumps candidacy has been embraced by a large segment of the working class once more closely aligned with Democrats. Democrats, in turn, have reached out to suburban women, usually in the GOP camp.

But that embrace of nationalism and rejection of globalism has put Trump at odds with much of the business community that has supported mainstream Republicans.

And his rants against immigration wont broaden the Republican tent, which the mainstream believes must happen in the long run when nonwhites wont be in a majority.

At best, a Trump presidency would be an uneasy marriage with mainstream Republicans testing The Art of the Deal.

In particular, while hes railed against the $19 trillion debt, his tax plan and infrastructure spending policies dont bode well for deficit-averse Republicans. I would borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal, Trump told CNBC in June. And if the economy was good, it was good. So therefore, you cant lose.

If Clinton wins, the Democratic divisions may be only slightly less cantankerous, thanks to the WikiLeaks release of emails in which her inner circle calls some of Sanders supporters freaks, naive, dumb, puritanical and pompous.

Campaign chairman John Podesta referred to Sanders as a doofus for complaining the Paris climate change accords didnt go far enough.

Beyond the name-calling, though, the emails underscored the differences between Clintons cautious pragmatism and the left, which is just as wary of international trade deals as their counterparts on the right but wants more radical measures on climate change and Wall Street reform.

The left has already announced its intentions to scrutinize all Clinton nominees, who would have to be more centrist just to pass muster with a Senate that still could be controlled by Republicans.

And Clinton faces the prospect of endless investigations by a Republican-controlled House, fights to get a Republican Senate to consider a ninth U.S. Supreme Court justice and litmus tests from the left on economic and environmental issues.

All of which recalls something Boehner said after the government shutdown of 2013 possibly having even more validity following this election, no matter the victor: A leader without followers is simply a man (or a woman) taking a walk.
A newscaster on a financial news channel recently was lamenting about how the media downplays all the flaws of one candidate and instead focuses on minor infractions of the other candidate. The newscaster seems to have forgotten when she refers to the media she also is part of it. Of course, she implies she considers her channel as the truth-telling channel. All other channels exist in another sphere of media referred to as the mainstream media, bent on a conspiracy to promote a specific agenda.

The media in general are delighted there are states like Iowa that public polls indicate are still toss-ups. As long as the candidates feel they have a chance to win a state they will pour money into advertising, resulting in a windfall for media in that state. Iowa has been fortunate this election that it is considered too close to call, and we could see more advertising dollars than other states.

The negative side of this is we also have to endure some of the most virulent and obnoxious pronouncements by some very irritating voices in political commercials. As long as we remember those commercials mean money for Iowas economy we should be able to bear the ugliness. Reflecting on the past few months of this election, it seems economically prudent in the next election people might consider waiting as long as they can before revealing their decision to the pollsters. It could mean a windfall for our media industry.

Years back I would invite representatives of the local utility company to speak in my energy-related classes. The Cedar Falls Utilities would send Bob Cavin to speak about the benefits of energy saving. Students often argued the big oil corporations were conspiring to prevent energy saving technologies because they are making money by selling more energy. Cavin asked the students to check with their grandparents to see where their retirement funds were being invested.

His point was the so-called big corporations are really us: our family members, our neighbors and other Americans.

Corporations respond to the shareholders, and shareholders in turn want dividends; profit becomes the focus. Similarly, we often tend to forget the media is us: our neighbors, our relatives and people just like us.

We hope the members of the media follow the journalistic ethics taught to them during their schooling and understand in this society they act as watchdogs for interactions of government, corporations and institutions. If a large segment of the media leans one way, it could mean more of us are leaning that way ourselves, not because some big wigs got together in a smoke-filled room to conspire to lead us one way. We have to have more faith in our collective judgment or otherwise become ever more negative, to the detriment of our health.

With the elections almost out of the way, all Americans should think about ways we can come together and move toward each others position. The politicians respond to their constituents, and we the constituents should let them know in no uncertain terms we need results that often requires compromise.

This is the time for the winning presidential candidate to appoint members of the losing party to respected positions of power so they sit in the same meetings and learn the views of the opposition from its representatives, not from the media. This also is called having empathy for people who think different than us.
Im a dyed-in-the-wool Iowa boy who spent 35 years as a career Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. State Department. I served seven Republican and five Democratic Secretaries of State. Over the years I saw how important it is that a steady hand guides our security and economic relationships with the rest of world. I can personally attest that Hillary Clinton has that steady hand.

My roots run deep in Northeast Iowa. I grew up in Riceville where all eight of my great-grandparents were among the areas earliest settlers. When I was a kid I delivered newspapers and worked in the local grocery store. I attended college at UNI in Cedar Falls. After graduation I joined the State Department where I rose through the ranks to hold senior positions in Washington and in American Embassies overseas.

Under President George W. Bush, I served as Ambassador to Mongolia, Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the State Department in Washington, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. I helped lead States Intelligence Bureau under Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and then under Hillary Clinton.

Secretary Clinton in the many meetings I attended with her was always informed, wise, reasoned, trustworthy, honest, and reliable. Before she made decisions, she listened to all opinions with an open mind. I saw firsthand her deep experience, steady temperament, and sound judgment. Im confident that as President shell keep our nation safe and promote Americas and Iowas interests overseas.

Even though Im a registered Independent, I recently joined 200 former senior diplomatic colleagues to endorse Secretary Clinton for President. For many of us, its the first time we publicly endorsed a Presidential candidate. We felt we needed to express our strong concerns, and those of our counterparts from other nations, about the damage an unpredictable and volatile Trump Presidency could do to Americas relations with the rest of the world.

America is a great country, but we need to work with other nations to stay safe and economically strong. Iowans count on stable and reliable global relationships to export huge volumes of agricultural products and machinery to the rest of the world. Ive read that almost half a million Iowa jobs depend on maintaining and strengthening our international ties

I had an exceptional opportunity to watch Hillary Clinton at work and up close. Im confident that she is the only candidate capable of maintaining and building the critical alliances and the stable climate that America and Iowa need to move forward.

Hillary Clinton is a good person. Shell be a great President. I urge Iowans to vote early and to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Greed, the third of the seven deadly sins, will bring socialism down upon us more certainly than any deficiencies in our democracy or our capitalist economic system. Who will bring this upon us? The people at the top of the money pyramid  the billionaires, the fantastically paid corporate hierarchy, bankers and corporate raiders. Some of them are beginning to sense it. For instance, this excerpt from Steve Forbes editorial in the latest Forbes magazine:

Control means curtailing peoples opportunities to make choices and restricting the scope of their freedom of action. Left to their own choices, bureaucracies would bar you from doing anything without first receiving a permission slip from them.

Our government only reacts to emergencies, and then only at the prodding of the majority of the people. I understand why the denizens of the upper economic strata want smaller government. That means fewer legislators and officials to bribe. Think Im wrong? The latest Washington Spectator points out by September the Chamber of Commerce had spent $9 million in support of Republican candidates and $7.6 million in opposition to Democratic candidates.

Those numbers, plus the huge numbers proffered by multi-billionaires and corporations, tell me they want the freedom to loot our economy without oversight.

Add up the actions of corporate hierarchy to see where we will be heading. The Yahoo/Verizon merger could result in Yahoos top five executives walking away with $89.2 million if they are dispatched. At Fox News, former chairman and CEO Roger Ailes stands to receive $40 million for abusing women. Senior citizens received no Social Security cost of living adjustment three out of the last six years. Meanwhile, this year, CEOs at the top of the pyramid averaged 3.8 percent increases.

When is enough, enough? People are shocked by the calamitous rise in life-saving drug prices. USA Today analyzed the pay of the top 14 pharmaceutical firms, which ranges from $4.8 million at Zoetis to $47.5 million at Regeneration. Median income for the top brass is $20.8 million. Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan  infamous for its Epipen price increases  is paid $18.9 million and would receive severance pay of $60 million. Mylan also has their plush tax inversion money squirreled away in the Netherlands.

Bernie Sanders was an advance scout for what is coming down the pike. Big business no longer takes a mile if you give them an inch; it takes 100 miles. There will be a reaction.

In 2003 Republicans voted to ban Medicare from negotiating drug prices. Sen. Charles Grassley said, Private competition works. Well, it hasnt. This will be the arena for the first government crackdown. Socialism.

Look for the government to generate formulas for paying corporate executives  socialism. Look for government to attach tariffs to incoming goods, regardless of who produces what. Socialism. Look for government to establish punitive measures against all corporations hiding money offshore. Socialism.

The message for the fat cats is, you are bringing it on yourselves. Start being better citizens.

Greed will bring on exactly what you fear.
Clintons history of corruption, without consequences, should be a deal breaker.

Historically, voters send an individual to the White House who is in good standing on Election Day. Most serve their country well.

Sometimes, though, the president surprises and disappoints citizens by committing a potentially impeachable act after being sworn in. Voters dont have a crystal ball and cant predict what any elected official will do, once in office.

This election, though, voters know before marking their ballot that Hillary Clinton has committed wrongdoings so serious that they would likely be impeachable offenses had she committed them as president.

The Watergate Articles of Impeachment show uncanny similarities between the actions of President Nixon and those of presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

The articles charged Nixon for, Withholding relevant and material evidence or information from lawfully authorized investigative officers and employees of the United States, and also, Interfering or endeavoring to interfere with the conduct of investigations by the Department of Justice of the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,and Congressional Committees.

Clinton stated that she, never received nor sent any material that was classified on her private email server while Secretary of State, a claim the FBI found to be untrue. Also, Clintons emails were deleted after she received a congressional subpoena. And Clintons phones were destroyed with hammers, according to an FBI report.

There is the unseemly defense that she may have been unaware of what was happening or couldnt remember what happened in the State department, for which she had final authority, as she repeatedly testified. But that could make her the most unknowing and forgetful person to seek the highest office in the land. If not brazenly corrupt, then completely incompetent.

Remarkably, the FBI has characterized this behavior as carelessness. For the average citizen, it would likely be considered felonious.

For Nixon, it caused him to resign from the presidency. But for Clinton, shes still on path to ascend to the Oval Office.

It seems that Hillary Clinton is above the law, that the rules dont apply to her, and that she receives special treatment instead of consequences.

Donald Trump is a flawed candidate, as well, with a cringe-worthy communication style. But although hes not a great talker, he is a hard worker.

He sees the work that needs to be done in this country including appointing Supreme Court justices who will defend and uphold the Constitution, rebuilding our nation through a strong military and strong trade agreements that will benefit American workers, and repealing Obamacare and reducing regulations that are strangling small businesses and the jobs they create.

Most importantly, though, hes called attention to the corruption in politics and the bias in the mainstream media for liberal candidates. Our country wont have a chance to accomplish anything until these two wrongs get righted.

The Center for Public Integrity reports that 430 individuals working in the journalism field made political donations and that nearly all of the money, or about 96 percent, benefited Clinton. The donation totals were relatively small: $382,000 for Clinton and $14,000 for Trump. But the money isnt the biggest problem. Its the mindset of the journalists, who control the airways and the newspaperswho hold the extremely powerful role of telling voters what to think about. And those journalists have invested financially, and emotionally, in a Clinton win.

The mainstream media is no longer the trusted, watchdog press that it used to be.

If the numbers arent damaging enough, recall the imagery of the hug that moderator Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC, gave Hillary Clinton after a Democratic debate.

The press is hugging Clinton. Figuratively, literally and financially.

It seems that Hillary Clinton, if not outright corrupt, is a benefactor of corruption. Positive changes wont happen with her.

My father had a way of sharing his wisdom and then ending with, Dont ever forget that. One of those teaching moments came when I was quite young, and it stuck with me. He told me that I wasnt better than anyone else. But at the same time, nobody(including a presidential candidate)was better than I was.

And hes still right.

Hillary Clinton is not above the law.

Im not sure if Donald Trump can make America great again, but he correctly understands the best way to start  by draining the swamp of corruption.
I left Iowa 40 years ago to get a doctorate in political science, and Ive been studying American politics for a living ever since. Along the way, Ive studied just about every presidential election in the last 100 years.

But this year it has been harder than ever to make sense of the campaign. It has been rancorous to say the least. Both sides are provoking strong emotions, spinning and twisting facts, framing the election around the worst character traits and behavior of the other. And most mainstream media outlets have taken sides.

How do we sort it all out? It is fairly easy to learn the positions of each candidate on the issues. But how do we sort out the conflicting information about something so intangible but important as each candidates character and fitness to be president? How do we know what information to trust when there is so much mudslinging and so few objective sources?

Researchers in my field have studied the most reliable methods to make well-informed decisions in such situations. One way is to actually use biased sources to get closer to the truth. It rests on well-established principles in social science (signaling models in economics, mainly) but it is grounded in common sense. If a source tells you something but has an incentive to tell you the opposite, then its a pretty credible source.

For example, earlier this year I started to worry that I needed a new furnace, so I called up a heating contractor to give me an estimate. He inspected it and told me that he would be happy to sell me a new furnace, but I didnt need it. This one would do fine for another four or five years. That was credible information.

So too in politics. When a Democrat or a liberal news channel says something negative about Donald Trump it should be taken with a grain of salt. It serves their interests to say that. Just as clearly, anything a Republican or conservative news channel says that is negative toward Hillary Clinton is suspect. But we can learn a great deal when they do not do that  that is, when they, like my furnace contractor, make statements against their own interests.

Following this principle can make both candidates look bad. For instance, the New York Times is a liberal newspaper, but it has been highly critical of Clinton regarding her State Department emails and revelations from the WikiLeaks documents. Regardless of which way you are leaning, this criticism should be taken very seriously.

For Trump, the situation is worse. There are dozens of prominent Republicans, anti-government conservatives, and non-mainstream media operations who know more about Trump than most of us, who have strong incentives to support him, but who nonetheless do not. Regardless of which way you are leaning, these sources should be taken seriously.

For instance, every Republican congressman would be much better off if a Republican were in the White House. But more than 30 of them have publicly stated they will not endorse Trump. That includes some of the most conservative members of the Senate, including Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska. They do that despite the political risk -- Trump is highly popular among their constituents.

One might consider these senators part of the party establishment, so perhaps they are biased against Trump. But that doesnt explain Mike Lee, a Republican Senator from Utah. He is one of only five tea party members in the Senate and he recently challenged Mitch McConnells leadership. He had not endorsed Trump before the release of the Hollywood Access video, and after it, he called on Trump to drop out of the race.

Of course, Trump is a Washington outsider so we might want to ignore all Washington politicians. That doesnt change things very much. Eight Republican governors, including Hebert of Utah, Bentley of Alabama, and Daugard of South Dakota do not support Trump. Again these are highly conservative states with some of the highest levels of Trump support in the country.

Signals about the two candidates we get from the mainstream media are not very informative. MSNBC is biased toward Clinton, Fox News is biased toward Trump  no surprises there. But many in the conservative, anti-establishment media think Trump unfit to be president. Radio talk-show host Hugh Hewitt and The Resurgent blogger Erick Erickson are longtime critics of liberal media bias and the Washington establishment. Both oppose Trump. The National Review has been the leading conservative, anti-Washington magazine since I was a boy, and it has denounced Trump repeatedly. Conservative commentators George Will, Bill Kristol, and Glenn Beck have been attacking the mainstream media, the Washington establishment, and Bill and Hillary Clinton for the last 25 years, but none support Trump. The conservative Detroit News, the Dallas Morning News, and the Arizona Republic refused to endorse the Republican nominee for the first time in over 50 years. Cincinnatis daily newspaper had not supported a Democrat for president in 100 years. This year it endorsed Clinton, stating: Our reservations about Clinton pale in comparison to our fears about Trump.

Almost all prominent Democrats and liberal media organizations support Clinton. That fact doesnt tell us much about her fitness to be president either way. But an extraordinary number of Republicans, conservatives, and Washington outsiders refuse to support Trump on character grounds. They do this even though they dislike and distrust Clinton and will pay a big price if she wins. That tells us a great deal about Trump.
I'm for Danielson

CEDAR FALLS -- I support Jeff Danielson for state Senate because he is a man of his word. He supports the University of Northern Iowa in every way necessary. Senator Danielson fights for full funding for UNI, for a fair search process for UNI president and for tuition freezes when possible. He asks questions and puts his hand across the aisle to reach across party lines and find solutions that work for Iowa. I appreciate his leadership in trying to provide oversight for the disastrous privatization of Medicaid that has put our most vulnerable Iowans at risk and put a crunch on people who provide services to them as well. Private companies, locally run mental health service providers, are forced to take loans to cover payroll because Medicaid hasn't paid for the services they provided.
Lets get along

DENISE BARR

CEDAR FALLS  I have been shocked several times over the last few months by events that happened here in the Cedar Valley. Most recently a local candidates home was vandalized because he is gay. As a Christian Im appalled by the vandals reference to a Bible verse. Apparently those responsible do not know the Bible well enough to know the Golden Rule from Luke 6:31  Do unto others as you would have them do to you. Or the greatest commandments of Jesus from Mark 12:30-31Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. The second is Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

In another case, the Islamic Center was vandalized. Again, is this how you treat others? There also have been several problems concerning interracial issues. For more than 40 years I have enjoyed living, working and raising my children in the diversity of the Cedar Valley. I am saddened by the acts of a few people to the neighbors in my community. I pray for kindness and peace between us all.

Candidate ideology

KAMYAR ENSHAYAN

CEDAR FALLS  I really liked that when I served as a local elected official at city council level, I did not know other council members political party. Local governments have to make things work on the community scale. They are focused on working together to solve problems.

So at election times I look for candidates focused at getting things done for our state and nation, rather than focus on ideology or emails from years ago.

More and more I have a hard time voting for Republicans. First of all, they have a clear record of disregarding science and evidence, whether it is the public health evidence of harm from hog lots or evidence of harm from a destabilized atmosphere.

Secondly, Republicans invaded Iraq and Afghanistan based on lies and against international law and started a tragedy we are still involved in. At the state level, from catering to absentee corporations to privatized Medicaid to allowing oil companies abuse eminent domain laws for private gain, these all have Republicans signature on them.

Drain the swamp

LARRY WYCKOFF

CEDAR FALLS  Ive had several Democrats come up to me and tell me how sick and tired they are of all the Clinton corruptions and lies, so are now voting straight Republican. Theyre tired of the Obama/Clinton betrayal, broken promises to fix the economy after eight terrible years and the monolithic lie Obamacare is affordable when Arizona is rocketing up 116 percent.

Now, Hillary Clinton is under an unprecedented second investigation by the FBI. All indications are this is the motherload of evidence to link sex-texting Anthony Weiner, Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton into undeniable guilt. The reason shes under investigation is because she cant stop lying and perpetuating her and the Democrats mission to destroy America through higher taxes, more illegal immigration, the promise of free education and appointment of Supreme Court justices who are anti-constitutional.

Drain the Democrat swamp. God save America.

Ad distortions

CAROL (MRS. JOHN) PETERSEN

REINBECK There is a Monica Vernon TV ad against Rod Blum that suggests Blum would fire a woman just for being pregnant. Sounded strange to me, so I researched and was led to a discussion of bill H.R. 2802. According to the Huffington Post, critics say the language is so broad, the bill creates a license to discriminate that would let employers fire women for getting pregnant outside of wedlock.

The First Amendment Defense Acts intent is to prevent churches from losing their nonprofit status if they refuse to marry same-sex couples. I am not seeing any derivative of the word pregnant in the bill.

See how this works? Somehow, the effort by some of us to preserve our First Amendment constitutional right becomes an aggression against the left through some contorted hypothetical concoction Huffpo came up with, and we are led to believe Blum would actually fire a pregnant woman. Progressives say they want equal rights and equal opportunities. What they really want are special rights and special opportunities; and a bonus for them, if they can force Christians to befoul their religious convictions and constitutional rights they make the Christian look like the bad guy!

2016 election

META BROST

CLARKSVILLE  Years ago a popular song asked: What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? The response: Our leaders are the greatest men and we elect them again and again. My students did not miss the irony (think Jesse Helms, Spiro Agnew, George Wallace, etc.).

Do todays students know whats going on? Does the populace know whats up? I recently asked a college class to name our secretary of state.

Only one student knew. John Kerry, like Hillary Clinton, is an excellent secretary of state. These Obama appointments garner the highest regard of my one-time colleagues in Europe. But these teachers and their students also watched the Clinton/Trump debates.

They find it astonishing Trump could be running for the highest position in the worlds most powerful country.

The Europeans would so much like to believe in American Democracy, and now they get exposed to something so grotesque, so reminiscent of Germany in 1933.

The daily satellite news from Europe reflects this same bafflement. Our allies cant grasp how a democracy of 240 years experience can suddenly be so ill-informed and easily fooled. What kind of signals are we sending to an anxious world?
Vote for Meyer

MARTHA BARRY

WATERLOO -- There seems to be little doubt Iowa's water, soil and air quality have been declining. Some people may not be concerned folks in St. Louis have to deal with our farm waste and nutrient runoff before they can drink from the Mississippi. But surely everyone should care about the nitrate levels our children and grandchildren drink in our own communities.

We need to elect Teresa Meyer because she can bridge the farm-city divide and help arrive at fact-based, market-oriented solutions for the benefit of all Iowans.

I also know Sandy Salmon has a propensity to start with an ideological solution and then cherry pick facts backwards to support it. That is no way to run a railroad or a legislature.

I believe Teresa Meyer can help protect the environment and the health of Iowa's citizens while also supporting our family farms and business economy. For fact-based solutions that treat all of us fairly, vote for Teresa Meyer for House District 63.
Vote for Meyer

BARB WALTER

NEW HARTFORD -- My heart goes out to the many stories I hear or read about people in this community whose health care has been turned into chaos by Governor Branstad's decision to privatize Medicaid in Iowa. A well-run public program turned over to big insurance companies who will profit greatly.

Branstad gets away with it because of legislative members like our own Sandy Salmon. The voters of Iowa House District 63 have a stark choice in this election. They can kick out corporate shills like Sandy Salmon and install a people's legislator like Teresa Meyer who knows health care firsthand because she is a lifelong nurse.

Teresa Meyer opposed the privatization of Medicaid, but now that it is a reality, she favors a strong watchdog to ensure Iowa's health is not sacrificed for the sake of a gross salary for some insurance company's CEO.

Teresa Meyer will look after the people of this district with the same dedication and care she has for her patients. It is high time to stop this corporate cronyism and elect Teresa Meyer as our state representative.
Vote for Meyer

WAYNE MEYER

SUMNER -- It's sad more people didn't attend the candidate forum on education in Waverly on Oct. 27. We need to be more involved in the educational issues and financing before it gets to the point of declining achievement, teacher layoffs and school closings.

It's downright deplorable that incumbent Iowa Rep. Sandy Salmon (R) did not show up. But given her poor record in supporting Iowa public education, it is no wonder she would duck defending it. She supported Governor Branstad's veto of the bipartisan education funding compromise. She is no supporter of public education and instead uses her legislative position to foist her antiquated anti-evolution and anti-science views upon the rest of us.

The good news is Teresa Meyer, a longtime advocate for public education, is running in this election to replace Salmon in the Legislature. I support her and urge anyone who is a parent, grandparent or a friend of education to support her. Meyer is a hard-working nurse and serves on the board of trustees of Hawkeye Community College.

Iowa's educational levels, traditionally a source of pride, have been declining because of lawmakers who are themselves under-educated. Please vote for Teresa Meyer. Do it for the kids.
Vote for Sadler

WATERLOO -- I have never seen a candidate work as hard as Bonnie Sadler. Bonnie has knocked on more than 20,000 doors. She's even been to my neighbors door more than once! When she's out door knocking she listens to Iowans, talks about her positive ideas for Iowa's future and shares her concerns about the direction of state government.

I know how much time she is spending out meeting voters at their doors, and how much she cares about Iowa, because she's my friend! I know Bonnie will serve us well in the Iowa Senate. Isn't this type of work ethic, accountability and accessibility what we want in our representatives? Join me in supporting Bonnie Sadler!
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Laws crafted by those elected should do most good for most people
Police found 200 detonators, more than 600 gelatin sticks and 230 cartridge shells and arrested three persons at Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri.

The three were residents of Nepal and staying in Assam More area under Pradhannagar police station limits for last six months, Commissioner of Police, Siliguri, C S Lepcha said.

As many as 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 640 metres of codex cables were seized from the trio, Siliguri Police Commissioner C.S. Lepcha told the media here

They were picked up following a tip-off and police were trying to ascertain why so many detonators were stockpiled at their rented accommodation.

Bringing back memories of Khargragore in Burdwan, the explosives were seized from a rented house where the couple lived.

Sleuths did not rule out connection with terrorist organizations and further probe is on.

Acting on specific information, police on Saturday night raided the rented house of Dawa Tshering Bhutia at Darjeeling More and recovered 609 gelatin sticks and 200 detonators and 630 meter long codex wire.

They were identified as Krishnaprasad Adhikary, 50, and a couple  Puja Limbu and Dawang Shering Bhutia, 40.

It seems they were supposed to deliver the explosives. We are trying to ascertain whether the trio has links with Nepals Maoists or insurgents active in Indias north-eastern states, he said.

The couple were running a small hotel for a year in Silguri, a local said.

The three earlier lived in neighbouring Assams Silchar and told the sleuths they had worked in a mine there (in Silchar).
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]oday, I was shocked after receiving a call from a woman who was an employee of Sudarshan Channel. She narrated about the trauma and atrocities she underwent, from the other side of the mobile phone. I met her several times with Suresh Chavhanke, owner and editor of the channel. I also had some doubts in my mind on their behaviour in public places because they both used to behave like husband and wife. Initially, when I met her I thought she is his wife, but later on he introduced her as his secretary to me. After repeated visits, I heard about several gossips within the channel about them. However, I just ignored them because nowadays there are such trends that when men and women work together and if they are compatible with each other people look them suspiciously. Belonging to the same fraternity, I know that gender differences are not there in this industry and we have to work as a team.

However, her call on Sunday totally shattered my belief. The victim was in pain while expressing her saga. Being unbiased, I called Mr. Chavhanke to know about his version but he alleged that its a conspiracy of Samajwadi Partys Muslim face Azam Khan and AIMIM Chief Akbaruddin Owaisi to malign his name. The victim possesses call records, video tapes, hotel details where they stayed and many other evidences but despite that Chavhanke accused the victim of hatching a conspiracy against him.

Ever since the Modi government came to power, this channel has claimed to be the saviour of Hindu religion. He flaunts his pictures with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to all bigwigs in the power corridors. Some even say this channel is funded by RSS and some right wing organisations. Chavhanke, three days after an FIR was lodged against him for rape, attempt to murder and fraud is yet to be arrested. The FIR also names Narayan Sai, son of self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu, for attempt to rape. Sai was even earlier charged with molestation after a Surat-based woman lodged an FIR against him in Jahangirpura Police Station of Surat, accusing him of exploitation and repeated rape between 2002 and 2005. He evaded arrest for two months and was apprehended and arrested on 4th December 2013 in a combined operation of Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana police along the Delhi-Haryana border and brought to Surat for custody. On 6th December the High Court of Gujarat dismissed his status as absconder; however he remained under arrest for other charges including rape, unnatural sex, molestation, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting and criminal intimidation.

Sai was also accused of bribing the local authorities holding him in custody in an attempt to have the case of sexual abuse against him weakened or dismissed. Narayan Sai was released from Surat Jail on interim bail on 26th May 2015 to attend to his ailing mother Laxmi Devi in Ahmedabad. He was then sent back to jail on 29th May 2015.

When Asaram Bapu was arrested for raping a minor, Sudarshan was the only channel which was vocal about his innocence. When I spoke to victim then I came to know this entire episode was funded by Asaram Bapus Ashram. Many erred spiritual leaders were pay master to this news channels to save their souls. The victim also alleged that Chavhanke sent her to the ashram of Narayan Sai in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, in September, 2013. There Sai attempted to rape her. He touched her inappropriately. The victim said that she was betrayed and abused by him all the time. She also added that Chavhanke has a habit of luring girls and molesting them. Some sleep with him with consent and some out of compulsion. They used to share one room where ever they travelled.

According to the FIR, the victim accused Chavhanke of raping her and attempting unnatural sex with her on October 20 at his news network office. What an appalling situation, the lady had to satisfy him in the office, hotel room and where ever he gets his libido high. She gave him enough time to marry her and sort the differences but when he betrayed, she lodged a police complaint. Meanwhile, right-wing groups came out in Chavhankes defence, alleging that he is a victim of an international conspiracy by jihadists.

Suresh Chavhanke was born on 18th February 1972 in Shirdi. Yes, he is Maharashtrian based in Delhi. He is known as Hindu nationalist journalist and anchoring show called as Bindas Bol on his Sudarshan Channel. He is considered as one the speakers and orators on nationalist and Hindu matters. Also, many moderates consider his speeches and shows to be divisive and communally motivated. A number of problems of Hindus are being brought to the notice from Sudarshan Channel. They believe that an increased interaction between Hindu organisations and Sudarshan Channel will impart momentum to the mission of Hindutva. The channel has also handled the issue of Love Jihad three times so far. The rulers and politicians are being awakened through presentation of various problems.

If you believe in Indian Constitution after FIR, the accused should be arrested and the court needs to deliver further verdict. In the corridors of power, influential people walk away free while victim is left helpless and quiet. This story is very similar to the Madhur Bhandarkar- Preeti Jain case.

Both involved people are Hindus victims. I am also a Hindu writing this article. This is where Law should hold its ground and should follow routine unbiased justice towards the accused.

Lets Justice prevail.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Delhi police on Sunday detained several JNU students who were protesting against the mysterious disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad  an M.Sc student in JNU  at Jantar Mantar.

Najeebs mother, sister and many of the students were later detained by the police.

Fatima Ahmed was participating in the protest held by JNU students regarding the failure of the authorities to trace her son who had gone missing last month. She has been camping in Delhi since last month, after coming from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh following a frantic phone call from her son on the evening of October 14. The day after, it was found that the Biotechnology student had gone missing.

Earlier in the day, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal apprised President Pranab Mukherjee of the current status of Najeeb Ahmad who has been missing for the past 21 days. President Mukherjee promised to seek a report from home ministry on the missing student.

Im not in a position to say anything These people instead of looking for my brother are putting us in jail. Im in Mandir Marg Police Station right now. The way the policemen were talking to me was uncivilized. Is that how you talk to a woman? They dragged and put me on the bus, Najeebs sister said.

The shameless Delhi Police, which failed to find Najeeb for the last 23 days, have misbehaved with Najeebs mother. She was beaten up and dragged into the police van. His sister is also detained, said Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, slamming Sundays police intervention in a peaceful rally.

People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police yesterday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality. We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from the Delhi Police and JNU in this regard, Kejriwal said.

Met Honble Prez to seek his intervention on missing JNU student Najeeb. He assured of all support n that he will seek report from MHA n JNU, he later tweeted.

The students say Najeeb had gone missing after a brawl at his hostel. The Left-linked All India Students Association has alleged that before he vanished, Mr Ahmed was beaten up by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which is linked to the ruling BJP. The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.
Describing India as the UKs most important and closest friend and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday said her visit to India will reaffirm the importance of bilateral strategic partnership.

In an article published in the Sunday Telegraph as she left for India for her first bilateral visit outside the UK, she said plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

She writes: One of our most important and closest friends has to be India  a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade.

The British premier, who will hold her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, said she will be seeking concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

 will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

Building 100 new Smart Cities, encouraging firms to Make in India, getting the country online with Digital India, delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance  these form Prime Minister Modis vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries.

Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said that focussing on that is missing the point as while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.

There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU, she said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday held an emergency meeting to discuss the citys severe air pollution and announced a slew of measures, including shutting schools and stopping construction for a few days, to tackle the menace.

All demolition and construction work will be banned in Delhi for next five days. Except for hospitals and emergency places, no diesel generator sets will be used in Delhi for next 10 days, CM Kejriwal announced.

The base level of pollution was already very high. We have consulted experts and we are taking some emergency measures, the Aam Aadmi Party leader added.

The Badarpur Plant will remain shut for next 10 days whereas transportation of fly ashes will also remain shut for next 10 days.

Kejriwal also stated that the Odd-Even road rationing scheme will return to keep traffic emissions in check, adding that the possibility of artificial rain was also discussed in the meeting, but it would need Centres help in that.

Even as he announced a number of steps the government is taking to deal with the worsening air quality of Delhi, Kejriwal urged the capitals residents to stay indoors as much as possible.

Popular websites and chemists have either run out of masks or are loaded with orders for masks and air purifiers even as air quality in the national capital has plunged to hazardous levels since the start of Diwali celebrations.

The owner of a shop selling masks told that the rise in sell of masks has gone up post Diwali.The people are very careful about their health and they want to protect themselves from the pollution. The children and the old especially have to take care of themselves. It is very much essential as well, he added.

The makers of air purifier are also witnessing a sudden surge in the sales after Diwali as particulate matter levels have crossed far beyond desired limits.

Shapoorji Pallonji Group firm Eureka Forbes, which is the segment leader with an over 40 per cent market share, admitted that sales have shot up sharply.

Sales have increased multi-fold but since this is a closed but competitive category, sales numbers cannot be divulged, Eureka Forbes CEO Marzin R Shroff said.

Expressing similar views, Kent RO Systems chairman Mahesh Gupta said consumers have been affected by the rising air pollution and sales have jumped as people want to get relief from it.

There has been a sudden surge post Diwali in sales of Air Purifiers. We have sold about 100 pieces in last 2 days. We are hopeful that this demand will increase in near future, Mr Gupta said.
The victim has alleged that Suresh Chavhanke was exploiting her since 2013 under the pretext of marriage.

Suresh Chavhanke, owner and editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News Network is likely to be arrested after a rape, molestation and criminal intimidation case was filed against him by a former employee of his company. The FIR also names Narayan Sai, son of self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu, for attempt to rape. Chavhanke has been booked by the Noida police under 11 sections of the IPC including charges of rape, unnatural sex attempt, attempt to murder, forced miscarriage, criminal intimidation, cheating and insulting the modesty of a woman. Narayan Sai faces charges of attempt to rape and molestation.

In his defence, Chavhanke posted a picture of the FIR on Twitter along with a comment mentioning, The number of sections lodged against me is bigger than that of Dawood ( Ibrahim). The FIR was registered at the Women Police station in Noida Sector 39 on November 2. The victim, aged between 35- 40, has alleged that Chavhanke was exploiting her since 2013 under the pretext of marriage.

When AV spoke to Chavhanke he said, This is a conspiracy against me and it is supported by Azam Khan and Akbaruddin Owaisi. I am protector of Hindu, so all Muslims are supporting her with funds to demoralise me. I will prove my innocence and continue to serve Dharma and Rashtra (religion and Nation).

According to the FIR, the victim accused Chavhanke of raping her and attempting unnatural sex with her on October 20 at his news network office. She posted on social media demanding the ban of Sudarshan channel.

After getting divorced, I was desperate for a job, it was then that Chavhanke offered me a senior position in the HR department of his news channel, the victim said in her complaint.

According to the police, the victim, a resident of Delhi, said she got in touch with Chavhanke in 2011 when he offered her a job in the Human Resources Department of Sudarshan News Network.

The victim also alleged that Chavhanke sent her to the ashram of Narayan Sai in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, in September, 2013. There Sai attem-pted to rape her, she alleged. The victim further claimed that she was physically and mentally tortured by Chavhanke from 2014 to 2016. He lured her with many future prospects and used her for furthering his business interests. She said, I just rescued my life from his clutches, he hacked all my gmail, facebook and other accounts. I was betrayed and abused by him all the time. Mr Chavhanke has a habit of luring girls and molesting them. He demanded cash and jewellery worth Rs 27 lakh from me in 2013 in exchange of making me a partner in the news network. After I paid the amount Chavhanke started forcing himself upon me under the pretext of marriage.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dharmendra Singh said the police have begun probing this matter. The FIR was lodged two days ago and the police has promptly started the investigation. Future course of action will be decided once more details emerge.

While Narayan Sai is currently lodged in Surat jail in a previous case, the police are yet to arrest Chavhanke. Anju Tevatia, investigating officer of the case, said, The police are yet to complete the investigation. The decision to arrest Chavhanke would be taken only after that.

On the other hand, representatives of Asaram Bapus ashram rubbished the allegations made against the godmans son saying that he is a victim of conspiracy.

If the incident occurred in 2013, then why did the woman register the complaint now? In 2013, Bapu was already in jail for a case of child sexual abuse, there is no chance that Sai could have attempted such an act, said Neelam Dubey, ashram spokesperson.

Meanwhile, right-wing groups came out in Chavhankes defence, alleging that he is a victim of an international conspiracy by jihadists.

We have solid proof that the woman who has accused Suresh is under the influence of jihadist elements, but we cannot disclose it to the media, said Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, National Convenor, Akhil Bharatiya Sant Parishad.

Sudarshan news is the only channel that has raised the issue of Love Jihad and Hindu migration. Even other channels have not done as much for Hindus as Sudarshan news has. This is why we believe that an international conspiracy has been hatched by jihadists to defame Suresh and suppress Hindus, said Saraswati.

We have registered the FIR and have conducted the medical examination of the victim. After preliminary investigation, we will decide on further course of action, said Anju Tevatia, officer in charge, Women Police Station.
A suicide attacker detonated an ambulance packed with explosives in Tikrit on Sunday, killing nine people at the southern entrance to the city, police and hospital sources said.

The bomber struck during the busy morning rush hour. Authorities declared a curfew in the city, saying they had information that further attacks were possible.

In Samarra, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Tikrit, two people were killed when a suicide car bomber struck a car park for Shiite pilgrims visiting the citys al-Askari mosque, sources said.

The attacks took place as Iraqi troops and security forces, backed by a US-led international coalition, were fighting to drive Islamic State militants out of the northern city of Mosul which they have controlled for the last two years.








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Among the several unexplained incidences that occur occasionally in our world, one notable one was the disappearance of 1,500 sheep from a field at Stenigot, near Louth, Lincolnshire without a trace of how it happened. The incident took place on a night in 2011 and with all the efforts put in, no clue could be found as to how 1,500 grazing sheep disappeared into thin air!

Well in the files you couldnt find the answer, but one man knew it all. Documentary movie maker Dot Luter, in his recorded video uploaded on YouTube showed an unidentified triangular object flying over the skies of Lincolnshire and then instantly disappearing into thin air.

Unidentified Flying Objects or UFO sightings have been a common occurrence in the sparsely populated area, with more than half a dozen witnesses defining their individual experiences.

One resident of the area living in Brinkhill, a few miles away from Louth says he has witnessed about 100 sightings at different times and places in the neighborhood of the Black Triangle. The witness defines these flying objects as having yellow, orange and white ball like lights that are first visible of the object. He also testified that on the night of the missing sheep incident, he saw the Black Triangle circle the field a few times, with its lights shining brightly. At first, it was only the lights going round that can be seen, but as the object lowered, the Black triangle was easily visible.

Another testimony came from a local taxi driver Morag Taylor who presented evidence saying Ive seen the black triangle hundreds of time and up to 40 in one night. She further explains the flying object as being about 30ft long on all three sides and they travel at an astonishing speed of thousands of miles per hour.

Another peculiar activity defined of these UFOs, explained by several witnesses is their movement. Another witness claimed of sighting a spherical object in the sky somewhere on the route from Skegness to Louth, explained similar ball-shaped yellow, white and orange lights, lowering down from very high above to the grounds on a tremendous speed. Like many other witnesses, the car driver also explained that the flying object lowered down, moved in circles, or looped around an area without any noise and instantly rose up and disappeared.

More than hundreds of sightings within an area barely populated, the mysterious disappearance of not one or two but 1,500 sheep overnight, without even a trace of who did it and how, calls out for a different explanation of events.

Can all these people be mistaken?

Can 1,500 sheep disappear without a trace?

Can the description of so many people about the flying object with such striking resemblances be a coincidence?

Have the extra terrestrial activities that have started to show their presence to us indicated a changing world ahead?

Well, only time will prove, but the signs are getting more obvious every passing day!
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
The Aiken County Sheriff's Office has no leads three years after the violent murder of Sandra Cochran, 70 and Louis Cochran, 74, who were found shot to death in their Green Pond Road in December 2015.
The Ministry of Oil provides Clarification on its recent offering of 12 oilfields

Ahmad Mousa Jiyad

Iraq/ Development Consultancy and Research, Norway

The Ministry of Oil provides a Clarification on its recent offering of 12 oilfields, which I addressed recently and posted on my column on IBN: http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2016/10/27/jiyad-min-of-oil-should-withdraw-plan-to-offer-12-new-oilfields/



The "Clarification by the Ministry is copied as is verbatim hereunder at the end.



At the outset, this prompt feedback by the Ministry is highly appreciated as it reflects positive receptivity and responsivity in enhancing constructive dialogue between the Ministry and independent oil professionals.



That said, the substance of the clarification is rather weak and disappointing as it did not address any of the pertinent issues and did not answer the questions posed previously on this offering. Moreover, it did not suggest any convincing argument justifying it intention for the offering. Therefore, the Ministry should suspend or compelled to suspend any action on these 12 oilfields. Here is why.



In addition to what I wrote earlier I would like to make the following remarks on the Ministrys recent "Announcement and this "Clarification



First, the list of the offered oilfields differs from what was mentioned in the formal declaration of proven reserves in the country that was made October 2010 by the Ministry of Oil on three counts; first, inaccurate location of one oilfield; second, inaccurate categorization of the oilfield size of their proven reserves: two were categorized as "Large and three as "Very Large; now these were downgraded to "medium and small without clarification; third, three oilfields are now offered but they were not listed in October 2010, though they were discovered much prior to that date.



The above clearly indicates to the "hastiness of the recent announcement without the needed due diligence!



Second, economic rationale suggests, especially for Iraq, small and medium oilfields stand at lower end of priorities mainly due to "economies of scale and comparatively much higher investment/capital expenditure (capex) per "barrel capacity; the "barrel capacity cost differentials is significantly high between these fields and those contracted under the first two bid rounds. That should be the normal unless there are very compelling justification for the contrary, such as the case for "boarder oilfields and the availability of sufficient "externalities: logistics and infrastructures in the area of operation provided by other upstream petroleum projects.



These matters could only be known and assessed through solid and comprehensive feasibility studies with elaborated cash-flow calculations and sensitivity analysis. None of the above issues are available at or done by the Ministry for the offered oilfields.



Furthermore, all the offered oilfields are "business-risk free since they were discovered many years ago and, thus, with a few drilled wells the "First Commercial Production could be accomplished relatively quickly; leading to cost recovery of a very expensive "barrel capacity. With already limited storage, pipelines and exports capacities and outlets, coupled with the geopolitical and security constrains, it could be extremely uneconomical even to market these "First Commercial Production at the expense of already contracted, and relatively much cheaper, crude from the oilfields of first and second bid rounds, as the example of block 9, referred to in next item, shows.



It should be crystal clear, by now, that what matters is not production capacity per se; rather what matters is the monetization of that capacity through exporting and marketing the produced crude.



Third, the most puzzling element of the "Clarification is the following, "The ministry also requires that these contracts does not cost any financial obligations or expenses which might be a big burden on the federal treasury at the present time or the future.



What is this baseless thin-ice argument? Are the IOCs charity entities and the Ministry expect them to donate their work and their investment is free-of-charge "at the present time or the future? Even unexperienced young official wouldnt write such a thing!!!!



The case of exploration Block 9, that was awarded in the fourth bid round, is very relevant in this juncture. In 2013, a consortium led by Kuwait Energy plc (Kuwait Energy) was awarded the Block 9 Exploration, Development & Production Service Contract (EDPSC).The first exploration well in the Block was spud in March 2014 led to significant oil discoveries in September 2014 and oil production commenced in October 2015, only a year after the first discovery was made. The Export Oil Sales Agreement, signed between Kuwait Energy and the State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) was signed in April 2016, allowing KE receiving revenue and cost recovery. It is worth mentioning that the Remuneration Fee for this block is US$6.24 per barrel of oil equivalent; the highest among the currently producing oilfields.



If an exploration block recuperates its cost that fast, discovered oilfield does it faster.



Consequently, under current and foreseeable future of oil prices "lower for longer environment, the development of these small oilfields could very well worsen the fiscal crisis of the country and deepen the difficulties it faces.



Moreover, it is worth emphasizing here that, as historical lessons suggest when a country is under financial stress and IOCs are compelled to reduce their investment due to low oil prices, any agreement between the host country and IOCs tends to favor the latter at the expense of the former. This is perfectly applicable to Iraq today! And as I wrote many times before warning about the possibility for Iraq facing the "nightmare situation; this is exactly what Iraq has been facing.



Fourth, the "transparency-reversal is an alarming component of the "Clarification; it says, "And the ministry will announce soon about the method of the contracts with these companies after finishing the contracting procedures and gaining the necessary approvals according to the rules and directions.



So the Ministry will make the announcement after the "harm has been done by concluding absolutely not needed but bad contracts. The case in point here is the concessions given by the Ministry to the IOCs when reducing the production plateau target without having anything in return benefiting the country and the Ministry did not publically announce these concessions or post them on its website (though I traced them in a report related to international obligations for disclosure).



Fifth, the "gas utilization argument for these small oilfields is unconvincing at a time when gas flaring from the currently producing oilfields is 61% of the produced associated gas (as per latest data of August 2016). In this respect it is much better economically and environmentally for the Ministry to eliminate such huge gas flaring as per its commitment to the World Bank Zero Flaring Initiative.



Under the light of the above regarding such shaky, weak and confused "Clarification I call upon the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, all parliamentarians, senior officials of authority and oil professionals to stand fast against the Ministry of Oil and force it to withdraw this unworthy announcement and suspend any action related to it, before it is too late and could cause the country devastating consequences.





Ahmed Mousa Jiyad,



Iraq/ Development Consultancy & Research,



Norway.



Mou-jiya@online.no



6 Nov 2016



--------------------------



Clarification.



The ministry of oil has an ambitious plan to invest the oil & gas wealth perfectly and sustain the national production of crude oil, as well as raising the associated gas investment. And although the financial & economic challenges which faces the country, the ministry kept on working by depending on the national efforts and it supports these efforts strongly.



The ministry of oil assigned the two national companies which are the south oil company (SOC) and Maysan oil company (MOC) to develop (10) oil fields in the governorates of Basra, Thi-Qar and Maysan and invited recently the global companies to participate in developing and investing (12) oil fields classified as "medium & small" fields distributed as 4 fields in Basra, 5 fields in Maysan and 3 fields in the Middle Euphrates governorates.



The ministry is aiming through its ambitious plans to make a new experience "oil contracts" with the global companies whom are aiming to invest and develop the Iraqi fields after taking offers from these companies about the method of these contracts which they want to sign, as well as the suggested contracts by them. The ministry also requires that these contracts does not cost any financial obligations or expenses which might be a big burden on the federal treasury at the present time or the future.



In order to find new formulas better than the past which brings more incomes to the country, the ministry is working on to make oil contracts which can achieve its targets according to the bilateral direct negotiations between the ministry and these companies after the agreement on the conditions and rules of the contracts which obliges these companies to provide the funding, experiences, new technology, equipment, machinery and the other services, in addition to committing the companies to invest the associated gas with the oil operations perfectly which can contribute in raising the national production of gas. According to these contracts, the ministry is committed with providing the necessary facilitations for the companies to work and making sure to let them achieve the "profit" which suits the development plans according to the signed contracts formula. And the ministry will announce soon about the method of the contracts with these companies after finishing the contracting procedures and gaining the necessary approvals according to the rules and directions. And in case of making no agreement with the global companies, the national companies will do the development in addition to the oil fields which they were assigned to develop earlier.



The ministry of oil encourages the local & foreign investment in order to develop the oil & gas industry in Iraq and sign contracts with the companies which can achieve a quantum leap on the performance, development and results, So that it confirms its keenness to expand the national efforts according to the available capabilities to develop the oil & gas fields in the refining and up-streaming sectors and in applying the projects of developing the infrastructure. This activity is going to give the national efforts bigger role and contribute in the profit as well as developing it and making a quantum leap.


November 6, 2016

Michel Aoun, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanons new president, has done what many might have considered impossible until the moment it happened  gaining the acquiescence of Hezbollah to form a new Lebanese government with Saad Hariri as prime minister.

As this column noted last week, Hariris return as premier reverses a decline in his political fortunes. Hariri now has the chance to recast the Future Party and the March 14 movement with a perhaps less heavy Saudi hand, and, aspirationally, to form a government that will avoid factional paralysis and, finally, offer a vision and agenda responsive to the needs of the Lebanese people.

Hariris success will ultimately depend on Aoun. Although Hariri received 110 votes from Lebanons 127 parliamentarians Nov. 3, the vote only took place at all because Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollahs secretary-general, allowed it to happen. And Nasrallah agreed as a result of Aouns deft diplomacy. Despite Hezbollahs opposition to Hariri, Nasrallah said on Nov. 4, the day after the vote, that he had made possible facilities for his nomination. He added, We are not the negotiating side. Only [parliament] Speaker [Nabih] Berri is entitled to negotiate about forming the new government on our behalf. Berri, who heads the Shiite Amal, had been a key holdout to the Aoun-Hariri deal but announced his support for Hariris bid after a meeting with Aoun on the day of the parliaments vote on Hariri.

Ali Hashem reports that Aoun, in his speech to the parliament after taking the oath as president Oct. 31, set the tone for a new course in Lebanese politics: For the first time in years, Aoun seemed cautious while reading his speech. It seemed clear that Aoun the president is not the same as Aoun the party leader, as he was keen to reassure different political factions and address their concerns. While he stressed the importance of political stability, Aoun said his country is currently sitting amid land mines and surrounded by the fires raging in the region. He said his priority is to prevent any sparks from those fires from spreading to Lebanon. Lebanon, he insisted, must stay out of regional conflicts and follow an independent foreign policy in accordance with its interests. Yet in the same speech, Aoun confirmed that Lebanon will not spare any kind of resistance in the struggle with Israel to liberate occupied Lebanese territories and will resort to pre-emptive deterrence in dealing with terrorist threats.

Hashem adds that Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea, a longtime rival of Aoun who recently became an ally, saw the speech as 'promising.'

Aoun of course does not have universal support, even among Lebanons Christian leaders. Sami Gemayel, the head of the Ketaeb (Phalange) Party, opposed Aouns deal with Hezbollah. Hashem writes that Gemayels opposition is shared by those who would seek to stem the influence of Hezbollah, and by extension Iran, in Lebanese politics. In an interview with Al-Monitor in December 2013, Gemayel blamed Hezbollah for bringing the war in Syria to Lebanon, adding that if Lebanon was neutral, we had more chances of being spared than we have today.

Aoun, while an ally of Hezbollah for more than a decade, is also recognized as a fierce Lebanese nationalist and patriot who battled Syrian occupation troops and was forced to flee to France in 1990, returning to Lebanon in 2005 as an ally of Hezbollah and key power broker in Lebanese politics.

In an interview with Al-Monitor in 2013, Aoun explained that Lebanon had been paralyzed by the Syria war. His approach as president will likely seek to prevent further spillover of the conflict to Lebanon. In his acceptance speech as president, Aoun said that any eventual solution to the war must include the resettlement of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, whose population is only 4 million.

The test of Aouns political choreography will ultimately depend on actions rather than words. More than two years ago, this column described the early threads of a new Lebanese pulse based upon a new social contract based upon national, not sectarian or factional priorities. In April 2014, we observed that the factionalization and fragmentation along political and religious lines may, finally, be blurring. The mere sensing by their respective bases that sudden alliances are being formed across this divide has caused people from each side to drop their old and bygone political slogans and try to find a middle ground. Lebanese citizens may be finding cause and uniting around a new agenda.

A few months earlier, in February 2014, we had highlighted a plan by Aoun to assimilate Hezbollahs forces into the Lebanese military as part of a broader regional choreography following a calming of the situation in Syria and a concurrent reduction of tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border. This deal could be picked up again, we wrote, at the right time, and might facilitate progress on development of energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, where cooperation is stymied in part because Lebanon and Israel do not have relations.

It is only fitting that Lebanon could provide a spark for a new regional compact based on governance, accountability and independence. As we wrote in April 2014, Lebanon may benefit from an immunity to the sectarian virus, as its own experience with such polarization has led to endemic disappointment with that same rhetoric and false hopes, and an approach to politics that has betrayed its own people and left them with the feeling of being abandoned and powerless in the shadow of agendas that are not theirs. That Lebanon could lead in this new social contract should not be a surprise. Lebanon did its time with its own bloody 15-year sectarian regional war, and still was able to recover and re-establish its cosmopolitan flair. There is a lot to build on. The failures and dashed expectations of the uprisings in Egypt and Syria, which quickly fell prey to regional and ideological agendas and violence, and Lebanons own tragic past, could make it an incubator for a new approach to governance that would allow Lebanon to realize its potential, rather than fall victim to the rhetoric and false promise of what was once known as the Arab Spring.
November 4, 2016

The death of Mouhcine Fikri, a Moroccan fish vendor who was crushed alive in a garbage compactor while apparently trying to prevent the destruction of a swordfish that had been taken from him in Al-Hoceima, has sparked outrage after a video of the incident was widely circulated Oct. 28. This unleashed a round of demonstrations.

Moroccan authorities said that the 1,100-pound swordfish Fikri had been selling is banned from sale because it had been declared out of season in an attempt to conserve fish stocks.

Authorities have called Fikris death an involuntary homicide, and 11 people have been called to appear in court. However, activists say the officer who was next to the garbage truck ordered the driver to smash Fikri when he jumped in after his fish, hoping to save his merchandise. Activists are using a hashtag that translates to #CrushHim.

A journalist who has been associated with the February 20 protest movement has been trying to make waves about the matter.

Abed Samad Ayach of the Lakome news website has been identified as a threat to Moroccan national security with seven other journalists. His trial has been delayed four times and now is scheduled for January. Ayach was the media coordinator for the February 20 movement in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. The movement calls for social and economic justice.

Ayach has talked with some of Fikris friends and with some sailors who told him they did not even know about any rule that bans fishing swordfish and that it is being sold in the market without any restrictive measure. Ayach said he heard from some activists that swordfish is being exported to foreign countries. He said that even if Fikri knew the ban existed, there were other legal alternatives available, such as holding harbor authorities accountable for allowing Fikri to transport the fish and to bring $2,000 worth of it to sell in local markets.

Ayach told Al-Monitor that he met representatives of the Al-Hoceima fishing union who told him that while Fikri was leaving the port, a police officer called the local security department, whose chief took Fikri to the police station for being in possession of an outlawed fish. A destruction order from the fishing office was issued, and a a garbage compactor truck was sent to destroy 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of edible fish. Fikri then jumped in the truck in an attempt to save his merchandise. According to Ayach, an eyewitness said one of the two policemen who were there told the driver to crush Fikri in the compactor.

This tragedy reminded many people of the self-immolation that sparked nationwide protests: A man set himself on fire Dec, 17, 2010, leading to the ouster of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Although these events have some things in common  demands for jobs and the democratization of national governance  for Ayach they differ in the democratic context following the Arab Spring. I do not think that these protests will take the same path as Tunisia, he said. Plus, they were spontaneous demonstrations that were not organized under the umbrella of a new movement that has clear goals, which questions the system of governance in Morocco that is largely distinguished by its denial of dignity to its citizens.

Ayach recognizes that most of the slogans raised during the protests are the same as those of the February 20 movement. He said, Even so, most field leaders are from the February 20 movement, and they have been in constant activism throughout Morocco calling for justice and dignity. While he said the movement cannot lead alone, it can still play an important role in the dynamics of social organization. He believes that the recent protest is a consequence of the unmet demands of the February 20 movement.

Fikris father has urged protesters not to use his sons case to cause fitna, sedition, as Morocco is preparing to host the COP22 UN climate change conference beginning Nov. 7 in Marrakech. But what was remarkable for observers such as Ayach is that Fikris family was not allowed to speak to the press before Moroccan Interior Minister Mohamed Hassads official visit, which was seen as dictated from Moroccan King Mohammed VI to contain public anger. Therefore, Ayach said, Such steps were to target Fikris family to use it to promote certain claims through the closest people to the victim. It is noteworthy that Fikris father is one of the founders of the Moroccan Justice and Development Party in Al-Hoceima, which won recent elections.

Mohammed called for a thorough investigation into Fikris case, although Ayach doubts how effective that probe will be because of prior experiences. We have had similar cases like Mi Fatiha [in April], who set herself on fire after being humiliated by the chief of Kenitra city and left her children without a provider, and the investigations of Tan Tan floods [in August], which resulted in the loss of several people. Most of these investigations end up being shelved, and the results remain unknown, and those who were involved in crimes are not held accountable. So the Moroccan people do not trust their outcomes.

Mariam El Maslouhi is a Dutch-Moroccan psychologist who worked in Morocco from 2007 to 2008 and visits multiple times a year. When asked whether Fikris case would be the last, she replied, Morocco is a country that systematically harasses street vendors, who are made illegal in the name of modernity. She has also expressed dissatisfaction with the monarchy and sees it as a dictatorship and that parliament does not mean much when there is a powerful Makhzen [a term used to describe the royal establishment] and a royal house where the king decides all political trials. Maslouhi co-founded the Bades Foundation, which highlights the Rif, a mountainous region of northern Morocco, and its heritage. The king has gained popularity in the Rif because of new roads and hotels, etc. But at the same time, there is a large group that is openly anti-monarchy. She also said that she still remembers an activist from Casablanca who said, The revolution will start from Rif.

A week after Fikri's death, people held a vigil in Al-Hoceima in protest to demand justice for Fikri, in addition to calling for the Rif people to have equal rights to natural resources.
November 6, 2016

Saudi Arabia is losing influence throughout the Fertile Crescent to its rival Iran. While Riyadh's position versus Tehran has been in decline for some time, the trend is accelerating. Saudi setbacks are partly due to factors outside its control, but also due to inherent weaknesses in Saudi capacities.

The kingdom has not had a friendly regime in Iraq since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait a quarter century ago and threatened to keep marching into Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province. But for most of the 1980s, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were close partners in containing the revolutionary wave from Iran. King Fahd provided Saddam with tens of billions of dollars in aid during the Iran-Iraq War; without Saudi financial help, Iraq would have collapsed. Fahd also rallied the other Gulf states to help Saddam and promoted Saddam as a power to work with in Washington.

In 2003, King Abdullah thought the American decision to oust Saddam without having another Sunni strongman to succeed him was rash and dangerous. The Saudis were certain Iran would fill the vacuum. Riyadh was especially suspicious of the role Ahmad Chalabi played in the planning process of President George W. Bush's administration for postwar Iraq. The Saudis believed Chalabi was an Iranian agent.

Riyadh has been very reluctant to deal with any of the Shiite governments that have been in power since the invasion. The Saudis delayed opening an embassy for years and appointing an ambassador. Last month, they reassigned their ambassador out of Baghdad after reports of assassination plots. No replacement has been chosen and the post is likely to remain empty.

The Saudis support the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria but they worry its defeat will only be the next stage for further Shiite and Iranian domination of the Iraqi polity. Riyadh has little faith in Iraqi politicians who promise not to pursue sectarian agendas.

Although Saudi Arabia is today a bitter enemy of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the kingdom used to be a close ally of his father. In 1990, Damascus sent troops to defend the kingdom against Saddam and together the two settled the Lebanese civil war (at the expense of Gen. Michel Aoun). In 2000, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar, helped Assad consolidate power when his father died. Saudi support convinced the Alawite generals that Assad would be a strong ruler.

The assassination of Rafik Hariri ended Saudi support for Assad. When the 2011 revolution began in Syria, the Saudis quickly began to assist the Sunni forces. Saudi aid was not carefully targeted and much went into the hands of jihadi elements. As intelligence chief in 2011, Bandar oversaw the assistance and his priority was getting rid of Assad. If some weapons got into the wrong hands, that was the price of business.

The Iranian, Hezbollah and Russian interventions in the civil war have thwarted Saudi objectives. Assad is more firmly in power now than a year ago. Syria is more dependent on Iran and Hezbollah than ever before.

Now the Saudis have suffered another setback in Lebanon. Once the bete noire of the Assads, Aoun is now their man. Even more, Aoun is the champion of Hezbollah. His election after two years of political stalemate is another indication of which way the wind is blowing in the Levant. Saad Hariri will face a difficult challenge as prime minister in trying to form a government with opposition from Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has become a major source of difficulty for Riyadh. Its success in Syria and Lebanon have been at the cost of Saudi interests. The advice and expertise Hezbollah provides the Houthi rebels in Yemen is another irritation for the kingdom.

The decline in Saudi influence is the result of many factors, many outside Riyadh's control. Demography has worked against the Saudis in Iraq and Lebanon. The Sunni minorities are losing the demographic struggle to the Shiites. In both states, the Sunni political forces are badly divided.

Bush's adventure in Iraq is still adversely affecting both American and Saudi vital national interests. Yet the Saudis are also very critical of US President Barack Obama for letting Hosni Mubarak lose power in Egypt and for lifting sanctions on Iran.

The Saudis also lack the tools and instruments to project power that Iran has developed over decades. There is no Saudi equivalent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which can provide expertise and advisers to groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. There is no Saudi general like Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force in the IRGC with years of experience in covert operations. The Saudis have good intelligence services but they are not on-the-ground, battle-hardened practitioners like the IRGC.

Riyadh traditionally has relied on financial support to project power. With the fall in oil prices, that is harder to draw on. Saudi Arabia canceled a multibillion-dollar military aid project for Lebanon in part to save money. The rivalry is costing both Riyadh and Tehran a fortune, but there is no end in sight.

Iran will not become the hegemonic power in the region. It faces many enemies and constraints. Iraqi, Syrian and Lebanese Shiites do not want an Iranian overlord. But Iran is increasingly the most influential player in the Fertile Crescent at the expense of Saudi Arabia.

Editor's note: This article has been updated since its initial publication.
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Baylee Smith, was crowned 2017 Miss Alabama USA, Saturday, November 5, 2016.

Alabama, meet the newest duo representing the state in the Miss Universe system.

Baylee Smith, representing Pike County, was crowned 2017 Miss Alabama USA during the annual Miss Alabama USA competition Saturday night in Montgomery.

Smith will represent Alabama when the Miss USA competition is aired nationally on Fox next summer. "Alabama is a powerhouse state in the Miss USA system," TV host Tim Tialdo said while emceeing the pageant. In the last seven years, Alabama has placed in the top 20. During the national 2013 competition, Mary-Margaret McCord, placed 1st runner-up to Miss USA.

Smith succeeds 2016 Miss Alabama Peyton Brown. Brown named Miss Congeniality during the national completion and placed in the top five.

After the swimsuit competition the contestants were narrowed down to the top ten finalists. The final five moved on to on stage question where the contestants were asked the same question. With the historic election looming, they were thrown a curveball. They were asked what political question were they expecting to answer.

The audience was given a final look of the contestants in their evening gown before Smith was crowned. The remaining top five finalists named were:
Platoon Sgt. Matthew Leonard spent the final agonizing moments of his life with his bullet-riddled body propped against a tree, firing at the enemy.

Sgt. Leonard died the way he told his childhood sweetheart he would -- fighting to keep baby-faced soldiers like the teenage sons they were raising in Birmingham from dying in Vietnam.

Fifty years later, his widow, 84-year-old Lois Leonard, still lives in the same house where as a young widow and mother of five she was surprised by a soldier in 1968. That was just a year after two other soldiers came to tell her the man she loved since sixth grade was dead.

This time, however, the soldier had different news: Sgt. Leonard would be awarded the Medal of Honor and the family was being flown to Washington, D.C.

These memories never left for Lois Leonard. She never remarried. And, with Veterans Day near, she wanted someone to hear her story.

It began when Matthew Leonard, born in Eutaw in 1929, was in eighth grade at the Avondale school "for us," Lois Leonard said. There was another Avondale school for white students.

He was always walking the halls in his Boy Scout uniform and though he had a girlfriend he planned to marry even then, Lois said she "swept him off his feet."

The night after she first saw him the sixth grader told her mother this was the one.

"I said I met my husband. She didn't want to hear that, but he was the best looking boy in school," she said.

They were inseparable even as he attended high school at Ullman and worked at a drug store for $15 a week to help his mother raise their siblings because his father was, as Lois says, "in and out."

In 1947, still in 11th grade, Leonard joined the U.S. Army and the two soon started a family. Had he lived another six months, he would have served 20 years and his family would have received the accompanying benefits.

As much as he loved her, Lois knew where she stood.

"The Army was his first wife. I was his second," she said.

But, he was also "making a career. He was thinking of his family," she said.

"He said if anything happened to him, we'd be well taken care of. It wasn't as "well" as he thought but it was good."

He made it through a year in Korea without a scratch and they lived in Germany, where he made it to Master Sergeant but was demoted after he fought a soldier who called him the n-word.

"He never got that stripe back."

Eventually, he trained the young soldiers who passed through Fort Leonard Wood on their way to Vietnam. He told his wife not to spoil their own boys because he couldn't turn mama's boys into soldiers who would make it home.

That was when he made a decision. It seems to those who knew him best Sgt. Leonard knew that decision meant he would never see his family again.

"He said he was volunteering to go to Vietnam. He didn't have to go," she recalled. "I said, 'You're crazy. You ought not do it."

Sgt. Leonard had survived a war and couldn't stand to think of soldiers barely older than their two sons dying in Vietnam. "He said they are killing them like flies and he could help."

He knew there was a cost to that decision and he made sure family and friends knew it too.

"He said he ain't going to get back this time," she said. "He said, 'I have to give my life.'"

He also told those he loved best that his death would be notable.

"He wasn't going to go down without being remembered. He said, 'If I go down, I'm going to make history.'"

That moment came on Feb. 28, 1967 when his unit came under attack near Suoi Da.

"Sgt. Leonard quickly rallied his men to throw back the initial enemy assaults. During the short pause that followed, he organized a defensive perimeter, redistributed ammunition, and inspired his comrades through his forceful leadership and words of encouragement. Noticing a wounded companion outside the perimeter, he dragged the man to safety but was struck by a sniper's bullet which shattered his left hand," the Medal of Honor Citation reads.

He wouldn't accept medical care and worked to fix a malfunctioning machine gun when others in his unit were wounded.

"Leonard rose to his feet, charged the enemy gun, and destroyed the hostile crew despite being hit several times by enemy fire. He moved to a tree, propped himself against it, and continued to engage the enemy until he succumbed to his many wounds."

Sgt. Leonard had predicted as much in a letter Lois received two weeks earlier. "He said, 'Lois, it won't be long now.'"

Before he left, he told her if she saw two soldiers come into the yard then the time had come. Still, when they gave her the news it felt like a dream.

"I heard them but it was asleep or in a trance," she recalled. "I heard them but it was like I wasn't there."

In those first weeks after he died, she didn't sleep. She talked to herself and believed she heard voices talking back as she was left to raise three girls and two boys, the youngest only 7 and the oldest still in high school.

"I like to lost my mind, but my children were my life so I had to pray a lot."

She never remarried, though she did have boyfriends that she got rid of when they talked about marriage. "I told them they had to go. I was married to Uncle Sam."

The memories still come, some bittersweet, of the man she loved from childhood and the life they had together that ended in a hail of a bullets in the jungle.

"The memories never left me," she said. "He wasn't the kind of person you were glad to get rid of."
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(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Amendment 6 on Tuesday's ballot, which changes the impeachment article in the state Constitution, has been in the works for several years.

The Constitutional Revision Commission, created by the Legislature in 2011 and chaired by former Gov. Albert Brewer, recommended the changes in its final report in 2014.

Amendment 6 is one of 14 statewide amendments on the ballot.

Impeachments are covered in Article VII of the Alabama Constitution, which was ratified in 1901.

Impeachments originate in the House of Representatives, which can present impeachment charges to the Senate for trial.

The process has been rarely used.

The pending resolution to impeach Gov. Robert Bentley is the first time the House has considered an impeachment since 1915. The resolution against Bentley is on hold in the House Judiciary Committee.

Article VII does not say what vote in the Senate is required to remove an official from office.

Amendment 6 would establish a requirement for a two-thirds vote.

Craig Baab, a senior fellow with the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said the two-thirds margin matches the requirement at the federal level and generally in other states.

"It is a high standard because what we're doing is overturning the will of the people who elected an official," said Baab, who was involved in the Constitutional Revision Commission's work.

Baab said it's important to have the standard in place and not leave it to the discretion of the Senate.

"This simply corrects the poor drafting of the folks in 1901," Baab said.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, sponsored the bill that passed the Legislature to propose Amendment 6.

That was in 2015, a year before the resolution to impeach Bentley.

Givan said one purpose of Amendment 6 was to remove outdated language from Article VII, such as references to "chancellors," a judicial office that no longer exists.

The amendment also updates Article VII to match changes made in two state offices.

It would remove the superintendent of education from the list of officials who can be impeached. The superintendent is no longer an elected official and is instead appointed by the state Board of Education.

State BOE members are elected, and Amendment 6 adds them to the list of officials who can be impeached.

"That was the one thing they had to do simply because it was just wrong," Baab said.

Amendment 6 would not change the reasons for which an official can be impeached, which are broad in nature.

Impeachable offenses do not necessarily have to be criminal acts.

They include willful neglect of duty, corruption, incompetency, "intemperance in the use of intoxicating liquors or narcotics" or for any offense involving "moral turpitude."
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Jimmy Dewayne Williams and Samarjay Leshore

(Brighton Police)

A father and son are now charged with murder in an August shooting at Brighton park that killed one and injured six others.

Jimmy Dewayne Williams, 47, and his son, 19-year-old Samarjay Jarranid Leshore, are charged in the slaying of Antonio Hinkle. Initially, Williams and Leshore were charged with one count of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault pending the results of ballistics testing to determine which gun killed Hinkle.

The murder warrants were issued Friday and announced Saturday evening. Both remain at large, said Brighton police Chief Ray Hubbart.

Leshore was arrested eight days ago after a chase from Vestavia Hills to Midfield one week following a robbery in Vestavia Hills. He was released on bond in that case Nov. 1.

According to the warrant, the father and son "did under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, to wit: discharging a firearm recklessly which created a grave risk of death to a person" other than themselves.

"I sat in the Hinkle family's home and promised them justice for their son,'' Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Bill Veitch told AL.com today. "This is the start of that process."

The shooting happened Saturday, Aug. 27, at "Love Thy Neighbor Day,'' an event held for the past three years in the western Jefferson County town. Authorities said the community celebration was about to come to a close when a fight broke out, and then gunfire erupted.

The fight was reportedly between Leshore and one of the victims, Brandon Moore.

Witnesses estimated more than 700 people were celebrating at the community center on Seventh Avenue. "It was chaos,'' event organizer Isaac Bruister, associate minister of Friendship Baptist Church, has previously said. "People were running everywhere."

In all, said Brighton police Chief Ray Hubbart, one person was killed and six others injured. Hinkle, a 32-year-old father of three who spent the day cooking food for his fellow Brighton residents, was pronounced dead on the scene. The chief said Hinkle was an innocent bystander.

The surviving victims included a mother and her 4-year-old daughter who was shot in the leg and underwent surgery for her injury. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Hueytown police, Birmingham police and Bessemer police all responded to the scene to help Brighton officers.

Authorities have previously said there were multiple shooters, and investigators recovered four handguns that had been dropped at the scene. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is working to trace those weapons. ATF officials were at the scene the day after the shooting, using K9s to help recover shell casings.

Just one week ago, on Oct. 28, Leshore was among three teens accused of robbing two women at the Red Roof Inn in Vestavia Hills and then leading police on a high-speed chase where shots were fired.

Vestavia Hills Capt. Kevin York said officers received a call at 7:15 p.m. about two women being robbed at the Red Roof Inn on Highway 31 by two men driving a green Chevrolet Tahoe. One of the units responding to the call spotted the vehicle while the suspects were getting on Interstate 65 North. The suspects sped off when the officer tried to conduct a traffic stop, York said.

The police chase went through Homewood, Birmingham and Midfield before the suspects' vehicle wrecked on Bessemer Super Highway at Woodward Avenue. Two men and a woman were arrested at the scene. Shots were fired at one of the officers, but there were no injuries.

Veitch today thanked Jefferson County sheriff's Sgt. Curtis Williams and Chief Hubbart for their diligence in the investigation. "This is far from over, be we want the people of Brighton to know that law enforcement is committed to helping them make their community safe."

Bond is set at $999,999 for both father and son. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement.
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The Carnival Fantasy cruise ship will set sail from Mobile on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. It's the first vacation excursion out of Mobile since the Carnival Elation last sailed in 2011. (file photo)

When Doris Robinson, her daughter and niece board the Carnival Fantasy on Wednesday, they intend to grab a bottle of champagne and start walking toward the ship's bow.

There, they will raise a toast to Robinson's late sister, Shirley Porter. It will be an poignant moment for the three women, made possible only because cruising returned to Mobile.

"It's a special and emotional trip," said Robinson, who will sail on the five-night vacation with her adult daughter, Lia Robinson and niece, Denise Logan. The trip is in honor of Porter, who died five years ago from cancer and who had once been Robinson's faithful traveling companion.

Not lost on Robinson is the underlining meaning of the trip for Alabama's largest coastal city. For the first time in more than five years, a cruise ship is departing the Alabama Cruise Terminal for a vacation excursion.

"It's like winning the World Series," said Robinson, who is traveling to Mobile from her home in Huntsville. "Being on the first trip out the second time around is exciting."

The 2,056-passenger ship is fully booked and is set to depart around 4 p.m. amid pomp and fanfare. The newly renovated Fantasy, which will sail to Mobile from Miami, is part of Carnival Cruise Lines' Fun Ship 2.0 fleet featuring top chefs, glittering pools, casino gambling and spas.

And while initial cruisers may look forward to their stops in Cozumel and Progreso, it's the symbolism of the trip that has stirred the most emotion in a city that tags itself "Born to Celebrate."

"It's about the excitement of Carnival coming back to Mobile," said Angela Williams, who oversees a Carnival cruisers Facebook page. "I do think this is a major step forward for Mobile to have Carnival coming back."

Said Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson: "It will truly be a great moment for all of south Alabama when we see the Carnival Fantasy enter the Mobile River on Wednesday."

'Never lost hope'

It's a return that, just a few years ago, wasn't expected. Analysts and some city officials doubted that they'd ever see Carnival return for regular sailings out of the Alabama Cruise Terminal after the Carnival Elation's final trip in 2011.

While full details about why Carnival left Mobile have always been somewhat murky, analysts pointed to the company's inability to raise prices for its Mobile cruises, hindering its cash flow from the region.

The city was left with an empty cruise terminal, and big bills still due for its construction in 2004. The city has been making $1.86 million annual payments on the terminal's outstanding bond, but with little revenue to pay for it other than tax dollars. The bond won't be paid off until 2030.

In the meantime, however, Mobile found itself tossing lifelines to Miami-based Carnival during the company's times of need. Notably, in February 2013, the cruise terminal welcomed the disabled Carnival Triumph, which had been left floating in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine fire with 4,229 passengers on board amid filthy conditions. Frazzled yet joyous passengers arrived to the song "Sweet Home Alabama" blaring on the terminal's sound speakers as the nation looked on.

Carnival Triumph passenger Kendall Jenkins is surrounded by reporters after disembarking from the disabled ship, which arrived under tow at the Alabama Cruise Terminal in Mobile, Ala. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. (Dennis Pillion | dpillion@al.com)

Five months later, the Carnival Conquest was diverted into Mobile after its trip to New Orleans was canceled by a tugboat sinking in the Mississippi River.

Despite Mobile's kindnesses, there was never an indication on whether Carnival - the world's largest cruise company - might someday come back.

"I never lost hope," said Shelia Gurganus, the terminal's general manager, who booked weddings and group events inside the building in an effort to generate revenue. "I felt like it would happen and that we needed to be patient."

'Great vacation opportunity'

In 2013, Stimpson - who was running for mayor against incumbent Sam Jones - held a news conference near the terminal to offer his thoughts on regaining a cruise ship. Once elected, he declared, it would be among his top priorities, although industry insiders said that cruise lines didn't base their home-porting decisions on local politics - such as who is seated in the mayor's chair.

Two years later, in 2015, Stimpson and a contingent from Mobile returned from Miami following a meeting with Carnival officials with good news: A cruise ship was returning to Mobile starting Nov. 9, 2016, under a 13-month agreement that included 84 sailings.

Carnival is expected to annually carry 170,000 passengers out of the Port of Mobile.

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Lines, told AL.com last week that the company's ability to "deliver results we're responsible to our shareholders" is "front and center" in decisions where to place ships.

In Mobile's case, she acknowledged that the city's embrace of the company, along with additional attractions in downtown geared toward vacationers, played a role.

"There are new and exciting economic developments in Mobile that make it more attractive and a great vacation opportunity in the region," said Duffy, who will be in Mobile Wednesday to participate in pre-cruise festivities with Stimpson and Carnival Fantasy Captain Palomba Bruno that will benefit Feeding the Gulf Coast and the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Alabama.

"The better the welcome, the better it is for everyone around and it becomes a win-win," Duffy said. "And we certainly feel that way about Mobile."

Said Stimpson: "It is imperative that when we welcome back Carnival, we also welcome back the passengers with our best Southern hospitality and a great experience in Mobile. If we all work together, it's exciting to think where we can go as a community."

'Concentration of Mobilians'

Keith Robinson, his wife Barbara, and about a dozen friends plan to show Duffy and her group bit of "community pride."

Robinson booked the initial voyage shortly after it was announced last September. The trip is a convenient one for him and his wife, only about 18 miles from their west Mobile home to the cruise terminal.

"This shows that Mobile has something to offer again," he said. "Mobile is a six hour drive for about 16 million people."

Robinson's group plans to join a group of others at the Holiday Inn Downtown for a "meet and greet" event in the hotel's Skyview Lounge.

Dale Mote and her husband, James, of Covington, Ga. - about a 5-1/2 hour drive from Mobile - are also staying at the Holiday Inn Downtown and plan to join the welcoming event.

"I cannot wait to meet these people," said Dale Mote, who first cruised out of Mobile in 2004 when the much-smaller Carnival Holiday began sailing from Mobile.

She, along with Robinson, has made acquaintances with cruisers through Facebook. "People will say that 'I don't have anything in common with you,' but we do," said Mote. "You always have cruising."

Steve Cape, a longtime travel agent in Mobile, expects that up to half the initial cruisers will come from Mobile and the surrounding region. Typically, he said, local cruisers comprise 6-15 percent of the passengers.

"This initial trip for Mobile is exciting for the community because there won't be another concentration of Mobilians on a trip," Cape said. "I have clients who have been trying all week to get together with friends who are going and deciding on things like whether they will bring a bunch of Mardi Gras beads on board and toss them out when they leave the port."

He added, "Everyone is so excited and everyone will be on the ship at once. That hasn't happened very often."

'A big party'

Over the past year, the City Council has signed off on improvements and enhancements to the cruise terminal totaling around $4.1 million, more than half of that investment coming from the state. Gurganus said most of the work will have been completed by Wednesday.

Visitors who have cruised out of Mobile before will notice some changes to parking. People parking inside the terminal will have to pay at an automated kiosk before they are allowed to board the ship, according to Gurganus. If not, they could incur a $50 penalty.

"Beforehand, we had attendants taking the money at the top of the ramp, but that's not the way it is done now," Gurganus said. "It will be pretty simple and we'll have people all over the terminal instructing them on how to do it."

Inside the terminal, cruisers aboard Wednesday's trip will be greeted by the Azalea Trail Mails and the Excelsior Band. The terminal will be decorated to honor the inaugural cruise.

"Believe me, Mobile will rally around this," Gurganus said. "This will be a big party. There will be people standing on the sidewalks and standing to watch the ship come in and go out. They will be everywhere. It's like a big celebration."

'Maximize opportunity'

Stimpson and Gurganus are also hopeful that the events lead to momentum going forward. The present contract with Carnival is set to expire in about one year, although bookings for trips out of Mobile are continuing into the first quarter of 2018.

Duffy said "it's a little early to tell" if the company is willing to extend the contract beyond the 13 months. "We'll have a better idea six months from now," she said. "To see the kind of demand we have. But we're optimistic."

Stimpson said the ultimate goal of keeping Carnival sailing out of Mobile cannot get lost amid the hoopla of Wednesday's inaugural event. "Our work must continue if we're going to maximize this opportunity," he said.

Visit Mobile, the tourism arm of the city, is organizing packages for cruisers throughout the year. Among them is the "Very Important Cruiser" program which includes discounts to nearly a dozen area attractions that are available if people show their boarding passes.

On future Monday trips, the city will host a "Sunday Funday" the day before to give cruisers who spend the night in Mobile something to do downtown. Future Sundays will consist of art events in nearby Cathedral Square.

At the downtown hotels, cruisers will be offered a "Park & Cruise" package that includes an assortment of discounts.

"We are positioned better than ever for the city to benefit from the return of the cruise ship," said City Council President Gina Gregory.

Carnival's return is also expected to boost revenue, with the city estimating a $1.87 million direct profit from the return of cruising.

At the time the Elation last sailed out of Mobile, trips were around $459 for an ocean-view room.

Cape said while prices now vary, cruisers can anticipate spending around $800 for two people to take a five-day voyage (Carnival is also offering four-night excursions as well from Mobile). Those costs do not include on-board drink packages, gratuity (which Cape said costs around $13.25 per passenger per day), on board packages such as massages, or port of call excursions in Mexico that can average around $50 per day.

'Everyone is excited'

Caroline Flint of Citronelle will be on board Wednesday, her first cruising experience. She is going with her fiance, Josh Payne.

"This is going to be new for the both of us," she said.

Dana Graham, and her husband, George, cruise each fall with a group of about 40 people. But aboard the Carnival Fantasy on Wednesday, the group will swell to about 100.

"I think the group we are going with didn't care where we were going (during next week's voyage)," said Graham, who last year joined a fall cruise that included a stop in Belize. "It just being on this first cruise out of Mobile."

Robinson, of Huntsville, had gone on previous cruises with her late sister who "loved Mobile" after having attended grade school in the city years ago. She and her daughter and niece plan to bring aboard a trinket of Shirley Porter's. Robinson said she plans to bring a leopard-skin colored hat that her sister once wore.

When the Carnival Fantasy leaves Mobile, the family will be lifting their champagne glasses while looking up into the sky.

"I know my sister will be smiling down that I did this with the two girls," said Robinson. "Mobile is a great city and if the cruise ship stays there, it will be wonderful. If you look at the Carnival cruisers site, everyone is just so excited."
ballot box.JPG

(File)

Dr. Robert Wilkerson (Courtesy photo)

By Dr. Robert Wilkerson, a Christian author, retired minister and public speaker. You can reach him at drbobwilkerson@bellsouth.net

Where has the Alabama Democratic Party gone? Has it died? Does it exist any longer?

For many decades, Alabama was a Democratic state. It was part of what was called the "Solid South." All Southern states were Democratic. But then something happened. In the minds of some, the Democratic Party betrayed the South. Democratic Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson both pushed an equal-rights agenda that integrated schools, restaurants and restrooms. It made it against the law to discriminate against anyone due to their race, creed or color.

Southern segregationists felt so betrayed that large numbers of them fled the Democratic Party and became Republicans. The morality of the Democratic Party, or the lack thereof, at that time didn't appeal to the Bible Belt voters either. Later, headlines about President Clinton having a sexual escapade with a young female intern in the Oval Office cost the party a great deal. However, that is history.

Today, the state of Alabama is suffering because we don't have a two-party system. There are two reasons why we don't. One is our history. The second is since the Democratic Party in recent years has engaged in internal power struggles so severe that it has destroyed its own usefulness. For all intents and purposes, it no longer exists. This has weakened the entire state.

A two-party system is best for several reasons. First, when there is only one party, that party has too much power. The Alabama legislature becomes a good old boys club. History has proven time and time again that power corrupts, and that total power brings total corruption. Did you know that in a national survey in 2015, Alabama was named the sixth-most corrupt state in America? In 2016, the state moved up to the fourth-most corrupt.

State spending is higher in the most corrupt states. It has been suggested that by eliminating corruption, the cost of state spending could be brought down without hurting services people need.

Researchers also found that states with high levels of corruption favor construction, salaries, borrowing, correction and police protection at the expense of such things as education, health and hospitals. Does that remind you of any state you know?

Another advantage of a two-party system is that it encourages more people to vote, and to participate in politics. They can express their beliefs and opinions by voting for candidates who believe and think as they do. In a one-party system, there is only one stance or belief, and choices often do not exist.

Two-party systems provide more stability in government. Countries with multi-party systems often fight over power-sharing and have changing coalitions, which contribute to instability. In a two-party system, voters usually know what their party and their candidates stand for. They usually represent big issues such as crime, foreign affairs and the economy. Once they are elected, officials have a more stable government that can push big issues that will affect future generations.

It's time for Democrats who care to do something! Alabama desperately needs a two-party political system.
Adam Davis book signing

Adam Davis at a book signing for "Spirit and Truth: : 52 Encouraging Messages for America's Law Enforcement." (Contributed by Adam Davis)

((Contributed by Adam Davis))

It happened again last week, this time in Iowa.

Two police officers gunned down, simply because they were wearing the badge.

Adam Davis was a Dothan police officer for six years. Like many, he's gotten out of the profession. Yes, he battled depression and the fear and stress that come with being a cop.

But the opportunity to change professions came from something he did to help fellow officers cope with the realities of the job.

In January 2015, Davis wrote a book, "Spirit and Truth: 52 Encouraging Messages for America's Law Enforcement."

Adam Davis was still a Dothan police officer when he wrote "Spirit and Truth: 52 Encouraging Messages for America's Law Enforcement." (Contributed by Adam Davis)

"I got sick and tired and seeing police officers and sheriff's deputies and anyone in law enforcement struggle every day and really not get the respect and encouragement that they deserve," Davis said. "When you do hear praise for someone in law enforcement, they say, 'Well, they're just doing their jobs.'

The book is a collection of inspirational passages that officers can read, one each week of the year, to keep them going in a profession where your work is not always appreciated, even by those you're trying to help. Compound that with the feeling that there may be a bullseye on your back, and putting on the uniform becomes even harder, Davis said.

The chapter for Week 24, "Fit for Duty," counsels officers to train just as hard on emotional conditioning for the job as they do the required physical conditioning.

"Let's look at it from a deeper place," Davis said. "Why are we doing what we do?"

The answer is on almost every police vehicle: "To protect and serve."

That's not so easy when those you are trying to protect and serve lash out at you when you show up to defuse a bad situation. Part of that emotional conditioning is working to "understand people on a deeper level than that one encounter," Davis said.

The book has sold about 6,000 copies, and Davis said he's even heard from one officer who said he was considering suicide, but the book helped him find renewed purpose.

"I'm not a therapist and this is not a substitute for counseling, but for my book to do that is very humbling," Davis said.

Davis' book, and his work to build a webpage and market it, turned into an opportunity for a new career. In October of 2015 he started his own digital marketing business, Enlivify Total Solutions.

He started just working with small businesses in Dothan, which he still does, but now he's got clients all over the country and even in New Zealand. He's even become a contributor to Entrepreneur.com and The Huffington Post and his marketing tips (including 'How hostage negotiator skills can protect your business') have been featured on FoxNews.com.

Adam Davis' hopes to start taking pre-orders soon for his new book, "Inspired to Serve." (Contributed by Adam Davis)

This week, he hopes to start taking pre-orders for his new book, "Inspired to Serve: 40 Days to Renewed Faith to Pursue Your Calling."

"If this book does nothing more than breathe a little fresh life into the calling of an officer, it's doing its job," Davis said.

Haskins takes a weekly look at points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud
A week of allegations and counter-allegations may leave voters desperate to see the end of this campaign.

When Fox News, Donald Trumps favourite TV megaphone, broadcast an almost unprecedented apology this week, the US election campaign seemed to have reached a peculiar high point.

But more was to come.

The apology was for its report that, less than a week before election day, a criminal indictment was expected in the supposed investigation of donations to Bill and Hillary Clintons charity foundation  what Trump calls their corrupt money pit.

A day later the Fox reporter walked back on words  but what was the source of that report?

Fox had been the principal conduit for Trump supporters who contend that FBI agents are furious with stonewalling by their higher-up prosecutors in the Department of Justice.

They and others were upset that FBI director James Comey had broken with the agencys policy of not proceeding with politically-charged investigations close to election time.

That was back in July when Comey announced that Clintons handling of government emails on her personal server was careless but not prosecutable.

So the case, it seemed, was closed.

But last week, when Comey cryptically informed Congress that more state department emails found on her assistants personal computer were being examined, Trump greeted the news with glee.

Maybe, he said, the system wasnt as rigged as hes claimed.

Now it was the Democrats turn to be upset.

They argued that the FBI was operating on a double standard: publicising investigations that cast a shadow on Clinton but staying mum on its probe into links between Trump and Moscow, which the US government alleges is using hackers to leak emails embarassing to the Clinton campaign.

Politicans peccadillos

On Friday, though, Trump became the target of more negative news.

The Associated Press reported that it found records showing his Slovenian-emigre wife, Melania, had illegally worked in the US for pay while still on a visitors visa.

Just the kind of lawlessness that Trump has condemned to justify deporting millions of migrants  a centrepiece plank of his campaign platform.

READ MORE: Three simple rules for being a good US election poll watcher

At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reported that a former Playboy model had been paid $150,000 for the exclusive rights to her account of a year-long affair with Trump after he married Melania.

But the National Enquirer, which has exposed many politicians in the past for their peccadillos, is owned by a long-time Trump pal.

And strangely, the Enquirer has yet to publish the story, which might further compromise Trump, who has apologised for crude bragging about his supposed sexual conquests but has denied the claims of a dozen other women that hes made unwanted physical contact with them.

Even if voters follow the twisting plots in the last days of this campaign, its questionable whether any or all of them will be sufficient to swing the election in eithers favour.

But they might make them more glad to see an end to this joyless campaign.
Passed in 2014, it was hailed as a groundbreaking development in criminal justice reform, but racial inequality remains.

Los Angeles, California, United States  If you go to jail, and I have the same amount of drugs as you, my sentence is automatic state prison, Donnie Anderson says. Yours is go home.

Anderson is a Los Angeles businessman. And what he means is this: hes black, Im white.

The judicial system is rigged against us, Anderson says.

Hes not talking hypothetically.

The arrest happened on a Saturday. Saturday, March 1, 1986, to be precise. Anderson says he was at his aunts neighbours house, hanging out and gambling with some friends. He was eating a breakfast sandwich his aunt had made for him.

The judicial system is rigged against us by Donnie Anderson

The police showed up, and his friends scattered, Anderson says. They had drugs on them.

I stayed because I knew I had nothing, he explains. I had money but no drugs. [The police] pulled me and they said, You sold something, and I said, I never sold no drugs to nobody. I have money because were gambling.

The police didnt believe him. Anderson was charged with transport/sale of a controlled substance  a felony. It carries a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a fine of up to $20,000. Anderson was two months shy of his 20th birthday. He accepted a plea deal: 60 days in county jail and three years probation.

But even after the probation was over, the felony stuck with him. People with felony convictions in California cant serve on juries, or legally own firearms.

They can be denied employment on the basis of the felony conviction alone. A felony conviction can make it difficult or impossible for people to travel to certain countries, such as Canada.

WATCH: Albuquerque Police  A History of Violence

Racial inequality

According to a 2010 study, there is likely to now be more than 20 million people with felony convictions in the United States. Black people are heavily overrepresented in that group, and in the criminal justice system overall: the prison population is almost 40 percent African American, while the country as a whole is less than 15 percent black. And overincarceration is a problem across the country, but perhaps nowhere more so than in California. In 2009, prisons were so overcrowded that the federal government issued an ultimatum, in the form of a Supreme Court ruling: fix it, or were taking over.

Through a series of manoeuvres, the prison population was slowly reduced. Then, in 2014, California passed a ballot initiative called proposition 47. It downgraded half a dozen felony charges to misdemeanours, including drug possession, and some petty theft. After prop 47, those crimes carried significantly lower sentences, and none of the lifelong consequences that felony convictions do.

Unfortunately, that discretion ends up playing out largely along race lines, where people of colour get intent to sell and white people get possession by Lynne Lyman, California state director at the Drug Policy Alliance

Following the passage of prop 47, tens of thousands of people saw the red mark of a felony conviction permanently erased from their record, and an estimated 13,000 prisoners were released. It was hailed as a groundbreaking development in criminal justice reform.

University of California Berkeley public policy professor Steven Raphael says, in terms of lowering incarceration rates, prop 47 has been a huge success.

Research into the effect its had on racial inequality in the criminal justice system hasnt been completed yet, he says. But he thinks the ballot measure has most likely been a boon to communities of colour.

Im almost certain that the declines in incarceration rates for racial and ethnic minorities have been larger than they have been for whites, simply because theyre so heavily overrepresented in Californias institutional populations.

Study after study has shown [PDF] that while people of all races are equally likely to buy and deal drugs, people of colour  and black people in particular  are much more likely to be charged, convicted, and harshly sentenced for those crimes.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), black people are incarcerated for drug crimes at 10 times the rate of white people.

Within the gamut of drug crimes, people of colour are also more likely to be charged with and convicted of dealing drugs. According to one 2009 study [PDF], black Californians were almost twice as likely to be charged with dealing drugs. White Californians, on the other hand, were more likely to be charged with drug possession.

Under prop 47, simple drug possession was downgraded, but dealing charges  charges like Andersons  remained felonies.

Lynne Lyman, the California state director at the Drug Policy Alliance, worked on legislative predecessors to prop 47. And in the early days, she had hoped prop 47 would include drug possession with intent to sell. But that was deemed too risky, she says, and didnt make it into the final ballot initiative. Polling showed voters were ready for drug possession to be downgraded, but not necessarily dealing  or intended dealing.

So, while Lyman thinks prop 47 was an important and worthy initiative, she worries about its unintended consequences for communities of colour.

We dont have proof of this, but what we feel like is happening is that the police are charging up to avoid prop 47, because it is discretionary, she says. Simple possession versus possession with intent is completely discretionary.

WATCH: US policing  Institutionalising brutality?

Its discretionary because, in California, there is no minimum quantity of drugs necessary to charge a person with intention to deal a drug, Lyman says. The decision of what to charge someone with comes down to the discretion of the police officer and prosecutor. And that leaves the system open to racial bias.

Unfortunately, that discretion ends up playing out largely along race lines, where people of colour get intent to sell and white people get possession.

Pushing the envelope

Lyman is now working on a new ballot initiative  proposition 64, or the California Marijuana Legalisation Initiative.

If it passes in November, Lyman says, California will be the first state to legalise recreational marijuana and reform its marijuana laws all at once. A whole slew of marijuana charges will either be eliminated or downgraded from felonies to misdemeanours or infractions.

That means that, if prop 64 passes, thousands of prisoners and former prisoners with non-violent marijuana charges will be able to apply for release or to get the felony removed from their record.

Its a big step forward, Lyman says. Emboldened by the resounding success of similar votes in Colorado and Washington, we decided to push the envelope in California, which we didnt do anywhere else. Elsewhere, she says, advocates have had to scramble to pass the kind of reform thats built into prop 64.

And it is in large part because of prop 64s envelope-pushing criminal justice reforms that Donnie Anderson supports it. In the years since 1986, Anderson has become a vocal advocate for people of colour in Californias booming medical marijuana industry  an industry that is overwhelmingly dominated by white people. Hes on the California NAACPs cannabis business development committee.

Its so important for African Americans and Latinos to understand that this is for us, he says. And its good for us.

Of course, prop 64 would only downgrade offences for marijuana  not other drugs. Lyman says shed love to get full decriminalisation for drug charges. But itll take a while, she says, smiling. She looks tired.

I think its a 10-year battle, honestly. These things are harder than they seem, sometimes.

Anderson, too, would like to go further than prop 47 and prop 64. Penalties for all drug charges should be getting pushed down, he says.

But hes not holding his breath for his own felony conviction. Hes decided to ask the governors office for a pardon, which would finally wipe the felony off his record. Anderson has been waiting on the pardon for a year now. Hes hoping itll come through by the end of the month.

INTERACTIVE: Why six million Americans cannot vote
Recent increase in attacks by the Taliban and ISIL have compromised advances in rights, Afghans say.

Kabul, Afghanistan  Its Americas Longest War and one that President Barack Obama promised to end in 2014.

But two years later, the security situation in Afghanistan is in a downward spiral, with the Taliban and Islamic State fighters (ISIL) making gains in several provinces.

Although Obama slowed his original timeline of troop withdrawals, his scaling back of troops, coupled with the rise in drone strikes  up to two a day over the summer, according to watchdog Bureau of Investigative Journalism  have increased the insecurity here, which puts the fragile gains made in Afghanistan in danger.

In the past two months alone, according to a deputy spokesman from President Ashraf Ghanis office, the Taliban has destroyed 302 schools, 5,305 homes and 1,818 businesses in 12 provinces.

Khalil Rufi, director of CSJWG, the countrys civil society joint working group, said that under Obamas direction the US managed to kill Osama Bin Laden as well as aiding in a peaceful transition of power in Afghanistan after the 2014 presidential election, which were good achievements.

But he said that the economic and political progress that the country made before 2008 have eroded.

Our people hoped that under Obama, change would be positive and visible. Unfortunately the change has been negative  like the increase of extremism, the Taliban becoming more powerful day by day, Daesh, which right now is also becoming strong, our government mismanagement and in our provinces collapsing, said Rufi, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS) .

This is the bad shadow of Barack Obamas government.

Civilian casualties

The countrys deteriorating situation is apparent in the streets of the capital, with increased security forces making sure the streets in central Kabul are closed to traffic after 8pm with a heightened concern for suicide bombers.

Its also evident in the swelling ranks of internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing fighting from more than a dozen provinces and setting up camps on the outskirts of Kabul. According to the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan , the first six months of 2016 have seen 157,987 Afghans displaced owing to conflict  a 10 percent increase over the same period in 2015.

Morad, 67, came here last month from Kunduz, which has again been under Taliban attack.

My house was bombed, my life is ruined  whatever we had was burned to the ground, he said, having lost five family members in the attack.

Morad thinks his house was hit by a drone strike, but it was around 9pm and hes not sure who bombed his house. On the same day that he spoke to Al Jazeera, a NATO air strike targeting the Taliban killed at least 30 civilians in Kunduz .

Violence has made the number of IDPs increase, reaching the peak levels of 2002 shortly after the US invasion, and it might get worse.

With the US saying it will totally remove its troops, the Taliban has already promised more attacks starting in the spring, said Hamidullah.



Left Behind: Americas Afghan Translators

Afghanistan has seen a surge of people leaving. According to the countrys Ministry of Refugees and Returnees, roughly 3,000 Afghans cross the border into Iran every day.

But for those who dont want to risk death on the Mediterranean or deportation , options are limited.

Baryali Azizi worked as an interpreter for the US military for more than a year in Kandahar, a very risky job for an Afghan.

The local men there, when they saw me out with my team, they wouldnt say anything, he said.

But I can see the way they look at me. They are thinking  When I catch you, I will cut off your head,' said Azizi, who has twice applied for a Special Immigrant Visa to the US, offered as a possibility to interpreters, and has been rejected twice.

The first letter said my case was denied for lack of faithful and valuable services, said Azizi, 26. He appealed it and said he was rejected a second time because he failed his CI (criminal investigation) screening. He said he has no idea why.

While the visas are not guaranteed, theyre one of the main reasons most Afghans decide to work with the US, a job that essentially paints a target over their heads.

When I saw the first letter, I was very upset  but I will try a third time. Everyone knows Afghanistan has become the worst place in the world, said Azizi, referring to rampant corruption and the security situation.

No plan, no peace

Although Afghans look to domestic solutions for the problems facing their country  the new attorney general has made a series of recommendations on fighting corruption, including overseeing a new court dedicated the cause  many point to the Obama administrations failure to maintain progress in security.

Afghanistans civilian casualties 2016 (Jan  June): 1,601 deaths, 3,565 injuries

2015: 1,615 deaths, 3,367 injuries

2014: 1,686 deaths, 3,208 injuries

2013: 1,344 deaths, 2,577 injuries

2012: 1,159 deaths, 1,979 injuries

2011: 1,575 deaths, 2,341 injuries

2010: 1,281 deaths, 1,990 injuries

2009: 1,052 deaths, 1,440 injuries *Source: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

The whole world knows  we know, the Americans know  that our border with Pakistan is open, said General Mirza Mohammad Yarmand, Afghanistans former deputy interior minister.

If America supports security in Afghanistan, why arent they helping seal that border ? All of the conversations, back and forth, between Afghanistan and America have failed to focus on this point, and this has been a difficulty during the Obama administration with the government of [former president] Hamid Karzai and [current president Ashraf] Ghani, said Yarmand.

Its like carpeting only half a house.

Afghan and US governments had three essential goals, said Yarmand, that theyve failed to achieve: curtailing opium production, which has increased by 43 percent this year, stopping profits from opium production from funding armed groups and creating good governance in Afghanistan.

But drugs make it across the border from Afghanistan to Iran, to Turkey to Europe, to US and to Canada  and we dont have the police force to investigate peoples bank accounts and the flow of money in Afghanistan that funds terrorism and  how can we have good governance with this mess, said Yarmand, referring to the 2001 Bonn Agreement and subsequent 2011 talks , which set up the participatory government that Yarmand said has enabled tribal conflicts.

Yarmand told Al Jazeera that while the US had spent money on things such as access to education and empowering women, without a fast response to the issue of drugs, security and good governance, there will be no peace.

Going backward

While theres no doubt that the US has continued to spend money in Afghanistan in an effort to improve access to education for boys and girls  part of the stated US counterinsurgency plan  the efficacy of that spending has been in question.

According an April 2016 report by the Office of the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, more than $700m has been spent between 2002 and 2014 on education in Afghanistan.

But when it comes to womens rights and access to education, there are concerns that things have been going in the wrong direction over the past few years.

Suhaila Sahar, director of Tolo-e-Sahar high school in Kabul  a private school with 400 students  told Al Jazeera that the security situation means theres no way a woman will leave her home in some places, like Baghlan , and theres no way a family will allow their daughters go to school because its too dangerous.

So even if the schools dont get attacked, if the students are not attending, the schools will shut down, said Sahar, who is also active in womens rights issues.

Hundreds of schools have been shut down in the past couple of years, said Sahar, After almost 13 years of progress, things are going backwards.

Less safety for women

Sima Samar, the chief of Afghanistans human rights commission, told Al Jazeera that the small improvements to rights  particularly womens rights  have fallen short of what Afghans hoped for.

We would like to say that the changes have been positive. Yes, the situation is better for women in capital cities, but not everywhere.

Its difficult to say that things are better now than eight years ago because the security situation is not better. Without security, the situation of women also not be better, Samar said.



Afghanistan: No Country for Women

The situation for journalists is getting worse than the years before, unfortunately, due to the security situation and governmental problems, said freelance photojournalist Miriam Alimi, who faces two types of threats in her country: those against women, and those against the media. According to Media Watch, those threats have increased.

In 2008, the local media watchdog registered 50 what it calls acts of violence against journalists  threats, beatings, detainment, kidnappings, and murder. So far in 2016, theyre registered 380 cases.

Alimi, who is based in Kabul, travels around the country on assignment and told Al Jazeera that these days  because of fighting and kidnappings  she does not feel safe enough to drive. And so shes limited to the places where she can travel by plane within Afghanistan.

It used to be easy for her to report from the north of the country, she said, but owing to sporadic outbreaks of heavy fighting and overall insecurity, to do so now means that journalists risk their lives and lose their lives, especially women, said Alimi, 36, who is old enough to remember the time of the Taliban.

All over Afghanistan, the situation is getting worse for women, for womens rights and for our freedom to walk and work  under the Taliban it was worse in that we could not go for education, we werent allowed to walk alone in the streets, said Alimi.

But actually, it was safer then  you could travel and move around, said Alimi. During the Obama era, things have not really been better.
Against backdrop of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric, largest Arab community in US heads to polls with fervour.

Dearborn, United States  As Election Day draws closer, Arab Americans are heading to the polls with the rhetoric of this years presidential campaign ringing in their ears.

Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni hopes that after many months of listening, his community will take its turn to speak out on November 8.

Theres a realisation in this election that we have to be serious, Kazerooni says. We cannot afford to be apathetic.

Kazerooni is an imam at the Islamic Center of America. He leads a congregation of Shia Muslims at the largest mosque in the United States, which is located in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

Home to the largest concentration of Arabs in the country and comprising more than 30 percent of Dearborns population (PDF), the community here has been especially rattled by this years presidential campaign. Many residents are originally from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.

Arab community leaders and activists have noted a startling increase in threats and hate speech as the election nears.

Last-minute efforts by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump in Michigan have signalled its importance as a swing state. With an estimated 500,000 Arabs living in the state, according to data compiled by the Arab American Institute, their vote could play a vital role (PDF).

Alienated by campaign rhetoric

Rachid Elabed, community engagement manager at the Arab-American nonprofit group ACCESS, says he and his team have devoted the past few months to convincing the community that their vote is important, and the results have been promising.

Everybody wants to vote, Elabed says.

Many voters here feel misunderstood and alienated by the campaign rhetoric targeting the Arab and immigrant communities  such as Trumps call to build a wall and turn away refugees from the Middle East, and Clintons insistence that Muslims be eyes and ears to keep the country secure.

But it has also helped galvanise Arab voters.

Islamophobia is motivating Arabs by putting pressure on the community to get out and vote, Elabed says. Its important to send a message that our community can unite and overcome this.

READ MORE: Muslim voters as Trumps nemesis?

Asha Noor, who also works with ACCESS, agrees that the rhetoric has motivated Arabs, but also has emboldened those with intolerant views and sparked fear in the community.

Theres been backlash, and theres going to be more, Noor says. This anti-Islam attitude isnt going to go away after the election.

To combat potential voter suppression, the group says it has trained volunteers to watch the polls on Election Day.

The Islamic Center has been increasingly targeted with threats in the run-up to the election, Kazerooni says, adding that more people seem to be weary of him and his family when out in public.

My wife was shopping when security guards stopped and questioned her, saying they were investigating a threat of terrorism, Kazerooni says. She was shopping.

The imam has no problem being blunt about his feelings towards anti-Islam attitudes and towards the election.

If Trump becomes president, then what comes next will be a terrible period, he says. Many of us would have to decide if we want to stay here and be insulted or pack up and go somewhere else.

Support for Sanders

Kazerooni adds that for him, Clinton disqualified herself from the presidency years ago. He cites the former secretary of states support for invading Iraq, her role in Benghazi, and refusal to support Palestine and a two-state solution as reasons why.

Like many others in the Arab community, Kazeroonis excitement for the election dissipated when Senator Bernie Sanders lost in the primaries.

We were energised by [Sanders] and got behind him because he reached out to us, says Amer Zahr, who travelled the US as an official surrogate for Sanders. Look at what we did for him.

OPINION: Harder times for Palestine if Clinton wins US election

Zahr is a Palestinian comedian and activist who lives in Dearborn and travels the world with his politically pungent act.

He came to the US with his Christian father and Muslim mother when he was three years old. The turbulence in Palestine largely shaped his political views, which so happened to align well with those of Sanders.





He spoke to issues important for Muslims, like Palestine and militarism in the Middle East, Zahr says.

Clintons hawkish attitude as secretary of state and her refusal to talk about Palestine make her unworthy of his vote, Zahr says.

His religiously split upbringing allowed him a place in both the Arab Christian and Muslim communities. From what he can tell, most Arabs are either undecided or voting for Clinton as the lesser of two evils.

Both Muslim and Christian Arabs have been victims of the campaigns rhetoric because, as Zahr puts it, Islamophobia tends to not be very picky.

As for Zahr, he wants wants to see neither of the major party candidates in the Oval Office. He is voting for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

This is something Kazerooni is discouraging. In order to prevent a Trump win, he says, his community must avoid fragmenting the Democratic Party or voting for third-party candidates with little chance of victory.

A shrewd vote for Clinton is the only choice, Kazerooni says.

One community, different votes

But Trumps rhetoric has not turned off all Muslim or Arab voters. In an October poll by Zogby Analytics, 12 percent of Arab-American Muslims said they would vote for the Republican nominee. Sixty-seven percent said they would vote for Clinton.

Abdullah Aibi, a 60-year-old immigrant from Iraq, says he is unbothered by Trumps language. Why?

Because thats his right, Aibi says following afternoon prayers. He said whats on his mind. I think he will give people jobs and fight terrorism.

Talal Mohammad, 33, does not think voting will make much of a difference. But he will for sure not vote for Trump.

He says that since emigrating from Yemen eight years ago, he has not felt any racism in the US until now.

I was in a store and a lady told me to go back to my own country, so I pulled out my passport and told her, If I go, you go too, he says with a smile.

No matter the outcome of the election, Mohammad says, he is not scared.

I come from a country where the president can do whatever he wants. Here, there are systems in place to protect us.
Pennsylvania voters weigh in on the US elections and the direction in which the US is headed.

Berwyn, United States  Kathy Jones green eyes lit up as she heard Melania Trump stumble through her speech. Trump, who will become first lady if her husband Donald pulls off an upset in the US presidential election on Tuesday, was addressing an audience of about 2,000 this small Pennsylvania town in the Philadelphia suburbs.

We must find better ways to honour and support the basic goodness of our children, especially in social media, Trump said, striking a considerably softer tone than her husband has in his campaign.

Jones nodded in agreement, lowering her chin to let her silver hair drop on her forehead.

I connected to her speech in a myriad of ways, Jones, a 55 stay-at-home mum and a former engineer from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, says.

There are all these dangers our children face  not just on the internet, but also out there  on the street. I fear for them and the world we are leaving them.

However, statistics show otherwise: violent crime has been on the decline for decades in the United States, particularly in suburban areas.

Still, Donald Trumps presidential run has brought the issue back to the forefront of the political debate.

In Pennsylvania, a state that voted Democrat in the past six presidential elections, the November 8 vote will be a test on whether Trumps incendiary rhetoric will sway voters in the direction of the Republican Party.

With the polls tightening in the Keystone state, Melania Trumps unexpected visit can be read as a pitch to a group that could prove decisive in determining who carries the states 20 electoral college votes: suburban women like Jones.

Pennsylvania is a deeply divided state. It votes Democrat in presidential elections, but tends to elect Republican governors and mayors.

While most of the states white population in rural areas is reliably Republican, the two major cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, vote overwhelmingly Democrat. It is the suburbs around both cities, particularly Philadelphia, that could swing the polls.

Two out of every five votes cast [in the state] come from the Philadelphia suburbs, says Terry Madonna, a pollster and the director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.

Madonna points out the suburbs are more affluent than recession-hit Philadelphia, as well as increasingly autonomous economically. More and more people do not commute to the city to work, but work in the financial and pharmaceutical corporations that have been established in the area.

They tend to be white, affluent, registered Republicans, who nevertheless qualify as the swing voters Trump must persuade to win the election.

Margot McKee corroborates that analysis. An octogenarian real estate agent with rosy cheeks and an easy smile, McKee grew up in Manhattan but moved back to her native Chester County in Pennsylvania when her parents passed away in the 1990s. She now makes a living selling homes to those trading the eclectic urban grit for life in the suburbs.

People who move here are really looking to establish themselves, she said as she drove around the suburb of Paoli, about 30 minutes south of Philadelphia, on Friday. They want to pay little taxes and be left alone.

McKee, a registered Republican who nevertheless voted for Bill Clinton in the 1990s, will be supporting Donald Trump on Tuesday.

I think shes taken advantage of the system to enrich herself and her family, she said of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. I dont find her attractive. She has no class, she added.

Back at the rally in Berwyn, Lynn Stone also professed her approval of Melania Trumps message.

[Donald Trump] started a movement, the engineer, who traded life in suburban Long Island, New York, to homeschool her children in the quieter western Pennsylvania area two decades ago, said.

Stone has been volunteering to make phone calls to undecided voters on behalf of Trumps campaign for months. She credits former Libertarian presidential candidate, Ron Paul, with planting the seeds of what she sees as a reawakening in the American right.

Our constitution is being trashed  trashed, she said, her blue gaze intense as she speaks. Government is out of control. Ive known it for years, and Im just delighted that other people are finally waking up to this. We have to return to our constitution and obey it, period.

READ MORE: Trumps promises strike a chord in Pennsylvania

In some ways, the Philadelphia suburbs have ceased to be a wealthier extension of the city, becoming a sociological  and political  entity of their own. Halfway between the rural, devotedly Christian part of the state and the economically depressed, culturally vibrant capital, they remain relatively immune to the states long-running economic decline, driven by de-industrialisation that has fuelled a lot of the support for Trump across the Rust Belt of once-booming mining towns.

The suburbs are increasingly populated by college-educated, professional white families, which in this election have been leaning towards Clinton and the Democrats in numbers much higher than four or eight years before.

A group that Trump has targeted in the eleventh-hour of his campaign, as an average of state polls give Clinton a lead at 46.0 to Trumps 43.6, is the suburban women.

Madonna says there are far more women voters than there are men in the suburbs. Women are a key constituency in this election, particularly in the suburbs, he said.

Thirty minutes East of Berwyn, where Melania Trump spoke, yoga instructor Susan Sluk is not buying the Trump arguments.

Its not just the things he is said about women, she said, sitting inside her yoga studio, which also serves as a cafe on the county capitals main street. Look at the policies, too,

Sluk, 48, said she feared Trumps announcement that he would appoint Supreme Court justices who intend to defund Plant Parenthood, or his sons suggestions that women suffrage ought to be revoked, given Trumps poor performance among women in the polls. He wants to take take us back 50 years.

Trumps campaign seemed to flounder after video emerged of him bragging about sexually assaulting women three weeks ago, and a dozen women came out accusing him of making unwanted sexual advances on them. But, in suburban Philadelphia, many women seemed undisturbed by those allegations.

I didnt pay any attention, said realtor Margot McKee. Why would these women be coming out with these claims 10, 15, 20 years later, it doesnt compute.

Outside the rally, Courtney Reed, 28, wearing a Christian 1st sticker next to Trumps name, spoke with delight about Melania Trumps appeal to family values.

Im so impressed with her family, she said. Reed, who owns a business designing custom-art to decorate mobile phones, said she was extremely distraught with the direction of the country, naming healthcare costs, insecurity and illegal immigration as her main concerns. Donald wants to put law and order back, and make immigrants come in legally, she said.

Plus, he wants to bring jobs back, and hes a proven businessman, so he can do it.

Malka R, an Israeli-American financial adviser based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, agrees. Im an immigrant, but not a new immigrant, she clarified.

Malka said she did not want to disclose her full last name because she feared the IRS, the government agency responsible for tax collection, would punish her and other Trump supporters if  God forbid- Clinton became president. She added she wanted Trump to protect us from Iran, and secure the border.

Malka wore a pin showing the Israeli and American flags to the rally. She spoke with fervour about Trump, whom she compared to Ronald Reagan, saying the media also mocked him [Reagan] and didnt want him to become president.

Of Trumps comments about his groping of women, she added, I dont think he has an attitude towards women, period. What he said is not so bad. He had money, he could get anybodyHes what we call a blue-collar-billionaire, and he understands the people.








Local third-party candidate Evan McMullin could cause an Election Day upset in conservative US state.

Salt Lake City, United States  After voting for the Republican presidential candidate for the past 52 years, Utah has been labelled a battleground state and could be the scene of an Election Day upset due to the campaign of local candidate Evan McMullin.

Calling Republican nominee Donald Trump a true threat to our country that is beyond the scope and scale that most Americans have ever seen or experienced, and firmly disagreeing with Democrat Hillary Clintons liberal policies, McMullin, 40, promotes himself as an independent conservative alternative to the voters of Utah, with whom he has a special bond.

The former CIA officer-turned-investment banker served as an undercover agent in the Middle East and southwest Asia between 2001 and 2011. He was born in Provo, Utah, and graduated from a local university.

He is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often referred to as Mormons. Roughly 62 percent of some three million Utah residents considered themselves Mormon as of 2014. In 2012 the state voted overwhelmingly  72.62 percent  for Mitt Romney, who is also Mormon.

Declaring his candidacy on August 8, McMullin has managed to appear on the ballot in 11 states, and is eligible for write-in status in 29 more. But his only real polling power so far has been in Utah, where his campaign has put most of its focus.

An Emerson College poll released on November 3 shows him at 28 percent to Trumps 40 percent and Clintons 20 percent.

Jason Perry, the director of Utahs bipartisan Hinckley Institute, says there is a large percentage of voters who do not even know who McMullin is, but they know who he is not. Hes not Trump, and hes not Hillary.

With 67 percent of Utah voters viewing Trump unfavourably according to a Monmouth University poll, voting for the Republican candidate does not appear to sit well with Utahs value-minded voters.

This has been a reliably red state for a very long time, Perry said, adding that, on the other hand, people from Utah want to feel good about their vote and be able to vote their conscience.

Perry stresses that the explanation of McMullins success is not as simple as him being a Mormon, like many of Utahs voters. But part of the dislike for Trump may well come from their personal beliefs.

In particular, Mormons value strong family relations and shy away from using crude language. Something which Trump, with several divorces and lewd comments about women, might not best represent.

Morally bankrupt

Becky Rasmussen, 37, of Highland City, is one such voter who could not see herself voting for Trump, in part because of her Mormon faith.

While she also sees Clinton as unfit for the presidency, Trump, she says, is completely morally bankrupt You see framed in his office him on the cover of Playboy Magazine.

Rasmussen was quick to support McMullin after attending his campaign launch, and has gone door-to-door to drum up support for him.

In conflict with Trump and other Republican figures late last year, Utahs Mormon factor also came to light.

Gary Herbert, a Mormon, was the only GOP governor to accept Syrian, mostly Muslim refugees after the Paris attacks  disagreeing with Trump over the threat they pose.

The state of Utah, he told NPR, is reluctant to use somebodys religion as the defining description of who can come into a state.

When asked if that has something to do with Utahs Mormon history, he said, Im sure it has some.

Mormon pioneers fled to Utah in the 1840s after religious persecution led to the murder of their founder, Joseph Smith in Illinois.

READ MORE: Donald Trump splits the Republican Party

But Porter Goodman, 28, from Provo  who believes that voting for McMullin is the only way to not throw away your vote  says it is not his Mormon beliefs that cause him to view Trump as having a lack of morality.

I say he lacks morality because he lies and because he abuses other people with his words and actions, Goodman says. Savour the magnificent irony of Trump supporters who say, Yeah, Trump may be a pathological liar, but set that aside and focus on the great things he says hell do as president.

And as poll numbers tell, many in Utah have been able to reconcile voting for Trump with any perceived differences in values. FiveThirtyEight, an opinion poll analysis website, still gives Trump an 84.4 percent chance of winning Utah to McMullins 12.4 percent.

On Tuesday, at a rally that saw several of Utahs congressmen and senators came out against the idea of a protest vote against Trump, the crowd chanted: Jesus is not on the ballot and Evan McMullin  you are not Utahs Saviour.

The LDS Church itself remains politically neutral, refusing to endorse any candidate.

Attacked by Trump

McMullins campaign has caused Trump and his supporters enough concern to take notice and publicly attack him.

Lou Doubs of Fox News, who has not tried to hide his support for Trump, lashed out at McMullin on Twitter, saying, Look Deeper, Hes nothing but a Globalist, Romney and Mormon Mafia Tool .

Trump himself has expressed exasperation with having to contend with McMullins campaign. He told Fox News last week that he takes votes away from me, this man who I never heard of.

Trump also called McMullin a puppet of neoconservative commentator Bill Kristol.

McMullin replied to Trumps remarks, saying on Twitter that youve never heard of me because while you were harassing women at beauty pageants, I was fighting terrorists abroad.

Trump supporters make the argument that voting for McMullin represents the danger of splitting the conservative vote in Utah, thus potentially allowing Clinton to take the state. But Perry doubts Clinton can win a majority and seize the states six electoral votes.

The reality is that [in Utah] people who arent going for Trump arent going over to Clinton  and McMullin was able to capture this perfect storm to gain support, he says.

It could also be said that McMullin is not taking votes from Trump, but picking up votes that would never have been cast had he not been in the race.

I wouldnt vote for Trump even if McMullin wasnt running. I would simply not vote, Brylee Reed, 22, of the city of Orem said. McMullin is allowing people like me to feel comfortable to vote in the first place.
Kokejli, near Mosul  Along the main road connecting Mosul city centre with Erbil, hundreds of families could be seen fleeing Mosul in an attempt to reach Hasan Sham camp in Al Khazir  almost 40km east of Mosul.

The younger and fitter would walk carrying whatever they laid their hands on  mainly food and water  before leaving the city. Elderly people and children were put in wooden carts and pushed by young boys all the way to Al Khazir. We had to walk for almost 30km. We had no car to use while we fled, said 26-year-old Ali Hussein when asked how he left Kokejli.

Since the Iraqi army took control of Kokejli on November 1, the town has come under heavy bombardment from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) artillery. At the break of dawn, families begin their march out of Kokejli. They avoid leaving at night so as not to become easy targets for ISIL artillery.

Uday Riyadh, 41, said that he was trapped in Kokejli with his wife and three children and when the Iraqi army captured the area, they fled to Al Khazir.

We were short of food, clean water, and medical care. The bombing was heavy. I couldnt risk staying there, said Riyadh. If ISIL launched a counterattack, they would kill anyone who remained in Kokejli. We walked the whole day till we arrived here, but at least I know that we are safe now.

Kokejli has turned into a gathering point for families fleeing from Mosul after it was taken by Iraqi forces. The families that manage to leave the city arrive first in Kokejli and from there they start walking towards Al Khazir camp.

The Iraqi forces announced Kokejli as a command centre from which operations to retake the eastern front of Mosul are being launched, forcing families to leave because of ISILs heavy bombardment of the town.
On the day of the sixth anniversary of the civil war, here are the opinions that shed light on what happened in Syria.
Drastic UN cuts to food rations, healthcare and education programmes have added to Gazas financial woes.

Gaza City  Umm Baha has become a regular participant in protests against reduced UNRWA services in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The 43-year-old Palestinian widow says she has no choice but to demonstrate against recent cuts to services offered by the United Nations refugee agency. The diminished assistance that I receive is disproportionate, considering my mounting responsibilities of taking care of six orphans, Umm Baha told Al Jazeera.

Two years ago, she used to receive food parcels containing ingredients such as oil, sugar and flour at least four times a year; now, it is twice a year at most.

The diminished assistance that I receive is disproportionate, considering my mounting responsibilities of taking care of six orphans. by Umm Baha, aid recipient and widowed mother in Gaza

Drastic UN cuts to food rations, healthcare and education programmes have added to the financial woes of Palestinian refugees in Gaza over the past few years. As Gazas population rises, no new clinics have been built to address the populations needs, while 25 nursing positions were recently eliminated.

The healthcare cuts have hit particularly hard  with a lack of specialists, most patients are now treated by general practitioners, while the lack of sufficient childbirth and emergency units has pushed citizens to seek costlier medical care in private health facilities.

For the past three years, a chronic funding pitfall  this years deficit has reached $70m  has resulted in reductions to UNRWAs core services. Protests against the cuts by Palestinian refugees have become frequent around the UN agencys headquarters in Gaza City.

Popular committees representing refugees have expressed grave concerns over the reduced services, warning of potentially tragic repercussions amid rapidly deteriorating living standards for Palestinians in Gaza.

Cutbacks have become the norm in the UN policy towards Gaza. The latest measures have affected most facets of life, and we call on UNRWAs staff to reverse them right away, Moeen Abu Okel, a representative of one of the committees, told Al Jazeera.

INTERACTIVE: 24 Hours in Gaza

He noted that the agency has failed to fully commit to its original mandate in Gaza, as it has closed vocational workshops, decreased food aid, frozen branch appointments and failed to offer graduates anything beyond short-term contract work opportunities.

The UNRWAs spokesperson in Gaza, Adnan Abu Hasna, told Al Jazeera that the agency is struggling against the odds in Gaza. UNRWA has been always committed to its responsibilities towards refugees  but the austerity measures taken lately are meant to regulate our priorities, so that we can lessen the financial strain, Abu Hasna said, noting that once the financial gap is bridged, all the work and development programmes will be resumed.

When that may happen remains unclear.

Founded more than a half-century ago, UNRWA relies on voluntary contributions from donor states, most notably the United States and the European Union.

Abu Hasna said that the agency was seeking a steadier funding source by including the UNRWAs budget within the larger UN budget, while also seeking out more donor states.

Amid a decade-long Israeli blockade and three major military onslaughts during the same period, the Gaza Strip is in the throes of an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis. Unemployment has soared past 40 percent, plunging many of the territorys youth into uncertainty.

Tahreer Mohammed, who graduated from university with a bachelors degree in Arabic five years ago, says that her search for a stable job at the UNRWAs schools has been an impossible mission.

Each time I applied for a teacher job, I successfully passed difficult tests and interviews, but I was only given a temporary contract that could not be renewed, Mohammed, a married mother of four children, told Al Jazeera.

OPINION: Gaza  No innocent victims?

Austerity measures have also resulted in larger class sizes in UNRWA schools, with more than 50 students to each teacher. This system has rendered teachers unable to meet the needs of their students, they say.

At the same time, meals for children at UN primary schools were cancelled three years ago, while extracurricular activities have been substantially pared back.

The dwindling funding comes in stark contrast to the tremendous growth in need among Palestinian refugees in Gaza  a fact that the UNRWA openly acknowledges.

The numbers of UNRWAs aid recipients have shot up from 80,000 in 2000 to about a million residents in Gaza in 2016. More funds must be destined to absorb these growing numbers, Abu Hasna said.

UNRWA is not the silver bullet to put an end to the severe problems in Gaza. The siege must be lifted, and a genuine collaboration with a functioning Palestinian government is badly needed to vanquish the current stubborn predicament.
Italys coastguard confirms 10 bodies were also recovered in 16 rescue operations carried out on Saturday.

Almost 2,200 refugees and migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast while 10 bodies have also been recovered from a rubber dinghy, the Italian coastguard said.

Sixteen rescue operations were conducted on Saturday, almost twice as many as on Friday when 1,200 people were rescued.

An AFP news agency correspondent aboard the Topaz Responder, a search and rescue ship chartered by Maltese NGO MOAS and the Italian Red Cross, saw several hundred people, including children, being rescued.

People shrouded in foil survival blankets crowded onto the deck of the vessel following the rescue efforts in which at least one baby was saved during the early hours of Saturday.

The Red Cross tweeted that 707 people were on board the vessel.

INTERACTIVE: Why on earth would anyone do this?

Doctors without borders (MSF) also confirmed a ship on Friday rescued 867 people, including 119 women and eight babies, four of whom were only a few months old.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Red Crescent said it recovered the bodies of six people at a beach west of Tripoli on Saturday, taking the number of drowned migrants and refugees found along the North African countrys coast to 40 since last Sunday.

Smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddhafi to traffic refugees across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

As many as 4,220 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year, a higher number than the full-year totals for any other year on record, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).





More than 725 others have died in 2016 than at the same point last year, the IOM said.

Aid groups helping rescue efforts over the past weekend accused the European Union of being in denial over the unprecedented carnage unfolding at its southern doorstep.

In the face of this new and shameful record, the European Union cannot continue to pretend nothing is happening and make itself an accomplice to this ever greater tragedy, said Tommaso Fabbri, the Italy head of MSF.

There is an urgent need for safe and legal ways for desperate people to reach safety in Europe without risking or losing their lives, added Fabbri.

Pope Francis added to their voices on Saturday, calling the situation of the refugees shameful and a bankrupcy of humanity.

What has the world come to, if when a bank goes bankrupt, scandalous sums of money immediately appear to save it, while when this human bankruptcy [the migration crisis] happens, not even a thousandth of those sums are ready to save our suffering brothers and sisters, he said.

The Mediterranean has become a graveyard, and not just the Mediterranean. There are many graveyards near walls, walls stained with the blood of innocents.
Iraqi army says advance slowed as ISIL hit back with suicide bombers and snipers, and civilians are threatened.

Iraqs special forces worked to fully push a fiercely resisting ISIL from neighbourhoods on Mosuls eastern edge while bombings killed at least 11 people elsewhere in the country.

The current phase and slower pace highlight the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more populated areas deeper inside Mosul, where the civilian presence means they may not be able to rely as much on air raids.

There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them, said Lieutenant-Colonel Muhanad al-Timimi. This is one of the hardest battles that weve faced.





Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requests for US-led coalition bombing raids.

Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday.

On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have only advanced just over a kilometre into the city. On the citys southern front Iraqi forces are still some 20km from the city centre.

Daesh dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs, said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the ISIL group.

At least 27 people were killed on Sunday in a series of suicide bombings carried out by ISIL across northern Iraq.

The deadliest attack took place in Tikrit, a city halfway between Baghdad and Mosul, where an ambulance packed with explosives went off at a security checkpoint, killing 15 people and injuring 35, a security official said.

Duelling snipers

The fighters fought back with ferocity on Saturday, pushing special forces from the southern edge of the Gogjali neighbourhood, where the troops had made their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts.

ISIL emerged from deeper in the city to target Iraqi soldiers with mortars and suicide car bombs. They also attacked the southern edge of the Gogjali district, which Iraqi forces declared liberated earlier this week, pushing back some gains.

Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from a military camp near Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, said while the momentum was with the anti-ISIL forces, it would become more difficult for the Iraqi army the longer this battle goes on.

ISIL doesnt have a conventional army that can go into combat with the Iraqi forces, he said.

So it works for them when they carry out suicide attacks, striking fear in the hearts of the people. The attacks also slow down the Iraqi armys advances. And it will add to the cost of the army.

The longer the battle to retake Mosul goes on, the more difficult it will become for the Iraqi forces.

Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers duelled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two storeys high.

Truckloads full of as many as 1,600 civilians may have been forcibly moved from Hammam al-Alil to Tal Afar earlier this week, and may be transferred onwards into Syria for possible use as human shields, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday.
Offensive to retake western Aleppo city from the Syrian government has killed at least 74 civilians,

At least 74 civilians, including 25 children, have been killed in an eight-day rebel offensive on the government-held part of Aleppo city, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

Opposition fighters have launched a protracted attack on the western edge of government-held Aleppo, aiming to break a months-long government siege on the rebel-held east of the city.

The city has been divided between opposition control in the east and government control in the west since 2012.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the Observatory figures.

Opposition groups have come under increasing criticism for indiscriminate shelling of western Aleppo resulting in civilian deaths, including by the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

The Syrian Observatory, a Britain-based group which relies on informants in Syria to monitor the war, said on Saturday that, in the same period, it recorded three civilian deaths in rebel-held Aleppo districts.

A temporary Russian moratorium on air raids on the rebel side of Aleppo expired on Friday, and Russian and Syrian government air raids resumed in Aleppo province, outside the city, with at least 20 people reported killed near the towns of Darat Izza, Atareb and Abeen.

The United Nations said it was unable to deliver any aid to Aleppo during the humanitarian pause because of security concerns.
More than 100 Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since violence began last month.

Police in Bangladesh have arrested dozens of people following violence against Hindus, a senior officer said on Sunday, after a spate of attacks prompted concerns that authorities were not doing enough to protect the countrys biggest minority.

Hindu homes and temples in the Brahmanbairs district of eastern Bangladesh have come under attack during the last week, after a local youth allegedly shared a Facebook post that some said denigrated the Masjid al-Haram  a holy site for Muslims.

Muslims protested and demanded action against the Hindu youth, who denied sharing the post. Police arrested the young man for hurting religious sentiment, but that failed to defuse tension and quell rioting.

READ MORE: Hindu priest hacked to death in Bangladesh

Abu Zafar, the officer in charge of Nasir Nagar police station in the district, told reporters that so far 53 people had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in attacks and looting from Hindu homes.





The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimated that more than 100 Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence began on October 30.

Rana Dasgupta, general secretary at the BHBCUC, told Reuters news agency the violence was aimed at driving people from their homes.

The purpose of the attacks is to free this soil from the minority community and also to occupy their properties and assets, Dasgupta said.

Attacks on Hindus, who make up about 8 percent of the population, and other religious minorities are not uncommon in the mostly Muslim South Asian country, but the scale of the recent anti-Hindu violence is unusual.

READ MORE: Remembering Avijit Roy and a tolerant Bangladesh

Bangladeshs National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has launched an investigation into the attacks. The head of its fact-finding committee said the violence was the result of a pre-planned conspiracy, and criticised local authorities for allowing the demonstrations that triggered the rioting to go ahead.

The administration, including police, was negligent and callous in handling such a sensitive issue, NHRCs Enamul Hoque Chowdhury said.

The violence comes amid international concern about rising militancy in Bangladesh and the growing influence of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the country.

In July, assailants carried out an attack on a cafe in an upscale district of the capital, Dhaka, in which 22 people were killed  mostly non-Muslims and foreigners, including one American.
Raids by US aircraft in Kunduz province killed more than 30 civilians, including many women and children, last week.

The United Nations said it was investigating an incident in which more than 30 civilians were killed in US air strikes called in support of a special forces raid on suspected Taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan.





The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at least 32 people had been killed and 19 wounded in the strikes in the village of Buz Kandahari near Kunduz, the vast majority women and children.

The deaths add to a growing civilian casualty total in Afghanistan, where 95 have been killed and 111 injured in the past week alone, according to UN figures.

The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts toward building peace and stability in Afghanistan, said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary-generals special representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.

When conducting aerial operations, international military forces should take all feasible measures to minimise civilian harm, including full analysis of the context for aerial strikes, he said in a statement.

The US military acknowledged on Saturday the air strikes had probably caused civilian casualties and promised an investigation. The top US commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, expressed deep regret for the loss of innocent life.

READ MORE: Progress and regress  Obamas mixed Afghanistan legacy

The strikes were called in to protect a team of Afghan special forces and their US advisers who came under heavy fire during a raid on suspected Taliban commanders. Three Afghan soldiers and two Americans were killed in the fighting.





Although US combat operations against the Taliban largely ended in 2014, special forces units have been repeatedly engaged in fighting while providing assistance to Afghan troops.

Thousands of US soldiers remain in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support training and assistance mission and a separate counterterrorism mission.

Afghan forces have suffered thousands of casualties, with more than 5,500 killed in the first eight months of 2016.

Last October, a US air strike hit a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, killing at least 42 people, including 24 patients, 14 staff and four caretakers.

At least 37 others were wounded in the raid, which destroyed the MSF hospital building and prompted widespread condemnation from human rights groups.

The US military said the air strike was a mistake and apologised, but insisted the attack was not a war crime.




At least 21 people, including Shia pilgrims, were killed in three suicide bombings in northern Iraq.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters have claimed responsibility for several suicide bombings that have killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens in two cities in northern Iraq.

The deadly attacks came as Iraqi government forces battled ISIL fighters to retake Mosul, Iraqs second largest city.

READ MORE: Iraq  Can Mosul survive ISIL?

The attacks in the cities of Tikrit and Samarra on Sunday appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the armed group.

ISIL issued a statement claiming the attacks, and said that there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Shia pilgrims in the town of Samarra,95 kilometers north of Baghdad, and the third who attacked Tikrit.

At least four Iranians killed

Sundays deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, which is home to a major Shia shrine.

Local officials said an attacker set off a bomb-packed ambulance in a parking lot near Shia pilgrims before a second suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest.

The attack killed 11 people, including at least four Iranians, and wounded up to 100 other people.

Another suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into a busy checkpoint outside the city of Tikrit, killing at least nine people.

ISIL claimed both attacks.

Smaller bombings in Baghdad

In the capital, Baghdad, a series of smaller bombings killed at least 10 people and wounded 21 others, according to police and medical officials, who spoke to AP news agency on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.

No one immediately claimed the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of ISIL.

The attacks in Iraq on Sunday came as thousands of troops attempted to capture the ISIL-held city of Mosul, some 400 kilometres to the south.

Mosul is the only major Iraqi city still held by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, which seized control of the city in 2014.

Last month, Iraqi troops and special forces, Shia militias, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and other groups backed by US-led air raids launched a campaign to retake the city.

Another wave of attacks were carried out in Baghdad by the group earlier this month, ending a brief lull of violence in the city. In total, including Sundays blasts, more than 100 people have been killed overall in October.

The last major attack, on October 16, was the deadliest to hit the Iraqi capital since early July, when a suicide bombing in central Baghdad sparked fires in a crowded shopping area, killing more than 300 people.
Street battles erupted as thousands in Hong Kong protested against Chinas intervention in a dispute over whether two recently elected pro-independence politicians should be barred from taking office.

On Sunday scuffles broke out and police pepper-sprayed some demonstrators as they marched from Wan Chai district to the citys central financial district, with several hundred pressing on to Beijings Liaison Office  where demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police.

This is outrageous, said Jay, a bespectacled 21-year-old student who wore a mask to protect himself against the pepper spray.

The Chinese government is destroying Hong Kongs judicial independence. Its an attempt to control what we think. Even people who are against independence are coming out against this.

Some protesters threw bottles at security forces and others hoisted open umbrellas in the air  a symbol reminiscent of student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 when hundreds of thousands came out and blocked key Hong Kong streets, attracting global attention.

READ MORE: Hong Kong legislators defy ban as standoff continues

Organisers put Sundays protest numbers at 11,000 and police said 8,000 turned out. A number of arrests were made.

Last week, China passed a ruling that could preclude politicians Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung from the opportunity to redo their swearing-in ceremonies in the citys legislative council  since their oaths in October were rejected because they deliberately misread them to protest for greater sovereignty in Hong Kong.

Beijings law that could reshape the autonomous territorys constitution came as courts in Hong Kong debated whether or not Yau and Baggio could retake their oaths. Both pledged allegiance to the Hong Kong nation and displayed a Hong Kong is not China banner during their swearing-in ceremonies.

The pair have been described by Chinese officials as a threat to their countrys sovereignty and security.

Beijings government has discussed invoking its rarely used power to interpret Hong Kongs constitution, the Basic Law, to stop the two politicians from taking office.

Al Jazeeras Divya Gopalan, reporting from Hong Kong, said the protesters view Chinas intervention as a threat to the territorys independence and autonomy.

The way Hong Kongs people see it  if Beijing is allowed to intervene in the constitution this time and change a piece of the law, overriding Hong Kongs traditional system, they will be able to do it any time when they are unhappy with Hong Kongs rule of law or any judicial decisions, Gopalan said.

READ MORE: Hong Kong  Tensions flare over pro-freedom politicians

The situation is seen among many across Hong Kongs legal and political elites as one of the biggest tests the global financial hub has faced since its handover to China, with some fearing its vaunted rule of law is under threat.

Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 under a one country, two systems formula that gave the territory wide-ranging autonomy  including judicial freedom  under the Basic Law.
There is no turning back from a global accord to combat climate change, Moroccos foreign minister said on the eve of UN talks in Marrakesh, amid fears that US presidential candidate Donald Trump will try to pull his country out of the pact if he wins the upcoming election.

There is no possible turning back in the negotiation on what was agreed in Paris, Salaheddine Mezouar, who will preside at the talks, told a news conference on Sunday, two days after the agreement, which was reached last year, came into effect.

We can only advance, he said, adding that the agreement had strong momentum after formally entering into force on Friday with backing from major greenhouse gas emitters led by China, the United States and India.

Asked about Trumps threats, UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa noted that any state wanting to pull out would have to follow formal legal procedures, due to last four years.

The agreement has entered into force and we are all obliged to deliver on those commitments, she said. Still, the agreement lets all nations to define their own commitments for fighting climate change and has no sanctions for non-compliance.

WATCH: The politics of climate change in the United States

The number of nations that have ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement to curb global warming by shifting from fossil fuels has risen to 100 in recent days, including OPECs top oil producer Saudi Arabia, the United Nations said.





The US election is casting a shadow over the meeting of officials from almost 200 countries in Marrakesh from November 7-18 to work on ways to implement pledges made in Paris to adopt cleaner energies such as wind and solar power.

Trump wants to ditch the Paris Agreement, doubting mainstream scientific findings that droughts, floods and rising sea levels are linked to human activities. By contrast, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is a supporter.

With the UN accord legally in place, Trump may find it easier if he wins to oppose US President Barack Obamas plans to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent cut by 2025 from 2005 levels.

Trump says the agreement would undermine US jobs, such as those in the coal industry.

OPINION: The Muslim World has to take climate action

The Morocco meeting is set to start writing a detailed rule book for the Paris Agreement, likely to take two years, and find ways to act such as raising finance to help developing nations cut their rising emissions.

The Paris Agreement entered into force on Friday after it passed a twin threshold last month of support from 55 nations representing 55 percent of global emissions.



Paris climate agreement comes into effect

Efforts to build a new global deal to tackle climate change were for many years criticised for moving at glacial pace. Climate negotiators in Morocco find themselves facing an entirely new problem: a deal that, astonishingly, has come into effect more than three years ahead of schedule.

That has been a cause for celebration  and some puzzlement.

Were now in an interesting conundrum we never thought wed find ourselves in: After pushing for decisive and speedy action, we got it, said Paula Caballero, global director of the climate programme at the Washington-based World Resources Institute.

The immediate challenge for negotiators is that, by law, countries that have ratified the deal must start agreeing the rules to implement it at the next UN climate conference.

But that meeting starts on Monday in Marrakesh. That has left officials a very short time to iron out a host of technical issues  and only about half the parties that crafted the Paris deal eligible to participate in the early decision-making.

Because weve jump-started the (deal), we now have to find a way for negotiators to discuss the rules while still finding ways for other countries to come in and join, said Liz Gallagher, a climate diplomacy expert at London-based E3G, a sustainable-development think tank.

But that is a good problem to have, she said. Its the first time we really feel the urgency in the negotiations is reflected.
Nicaraguans vote in general election seen likely to deliver a third consecutive term to President Daniel Ortega.

President Daniel Ortega is expected to easily clinch a third consecutive term in elections in Nicaragua on Sunday, buoyed by steady economic growth that has trumped fears he is trying to install autocratic family rule.





Ortega and his running mate  his wife Rosario Murillo  have nearly 70 percent support, according to a recent poll, tapping into strong voter approval for a drop in poverty in one of the poorest countries in the Americas since he took office in 2007.

He [Ortega] is the only person who has worked for the poor and he will keep doing it because that is his essence, said Jose Vicente Pong, a 64-year-old retiree, casting his vote by the ministry of labour in Managua.

He comes from poverty and hell keep working for the poor.

Emerging as leader of the Sandinista movement that toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979, Ortega served one term as president in the 1980s before being sidelined for years.

He won Nicaraguas 2006 election and hasnt looked back since.

READ MORE: Nicaraguan police clash with protesters in capital

Opponents have accused Ortega of trying to set up a family dictatorship since he appointed relatives to key posts, and after his Sandinistas pushed constitutional changes through Congress that ended presidential term limits in 2014.

Ortega gets his way and he doesnt care if he violates the rights of others, said Maximino Rodriguez, candidate of the centre-right Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Ortegas closest rival, polling just 8 percent support.

Supposedly he fought against the Somoza dictatorship, and the Sandinistas themselves regard Ortega as worse than Somoza, he added.

Ortega, who has made few campaign appearances, has promised to defend his social and economic achievements if he wins.

OPINION: Whats left of the Latin American left?

A substantial part of those gains have been funded by Venezuelan petro-dollars that have underpinned social programmes, helped private business, and slashed energy costs.

Ortega has also forged alliances with entrepreneurs, helping Nicaragua to achieve average growth of 5 percent in the past five years, buttressed by high prices for its meat, coffee and gold exports, as well as remittances and foreign investment.

Still, some critics say Ortega has become everything he fought against. Thirty-seven years ago, the socialist Sandinista rebels toppled the Somoza regime, which had ruled Nicaragua for more than five decades.

This is identical to the Somoza dictatoriship, Dora Maria Tellez, a former Sandinista leader, told Al Jazeeras Latin American Editor Lucia Newman, reporting from Managua.

It is an authoritarian, repressive, family model  identical.
At least 20 killed in fighting between forces of Galmudug and Puntland in border town, one week after ceasefire reached.

A ceasefire between forces of two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia broke down as fighting over a disputed border area killed at least 20 people.

Fighters from Galmudug and Puntland clashed on Sunday in the town of Galkayo, which straddles their common border and is divided under the control of rival clan militias, a week after the truce was reached.

Under terms of a ceasefire deal mediated by the United Arab Emirates  and which was welcomed by the two sides and Somalias federal president  forces of both regions were supposed to be withdrawn from the disputed area this past week.





The deal also called for those who had fled Galkayo because of previous fighting to be allowed to return.

We were shocked to see Puntland forces inside Galkayo south and pounding us with shells and bullets, Hirsi Yusuf Barre, mayor of Galkayo south, which is controlled by militias loyal to Galmudug, told Reuters news agency.

We lost seven soldiers and 20 others were wounded. We also lost a car. We repulsed them and now Galkayo is calm, he added

Each regions authorities blamed the other for starting the fighting.

Galmudug does not want peace. We shall continue fighting till we cleanse Galmudug forces, said Colonel Mohamed Aden.

Aden said their side had lost 12 soldiers and 20 others were wounded. They also captured two vehicles and four prisoners.

We also took some land in the outskirts of Galkayo, he said.

Mahad Ali Mohamed, a reporter for Codkamudug, a Galmudug radio station, was also killed in the crossfire, said Hanad Abdi Farah, the stations manager.

Bullets hit him in the head, it was in the morning and he was from home and heading to the radio station, Farah said, adding Mohamed was rushed to the hospital but died of his wounds.

WATCH: Somalias Puntland calls for help in the fight against al-Shabab

As violence between these groups began to escalate a month ago, schools in Galkayo were forced to close and some people fled the town.

Somalia has been gripped by conflict since the downfall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in the early 1990s, and the armed group al-Shabab has been one of the main causes of unrest in the past two decades.
Parks approval rating falls to just five percent, a record, as protesters continue to call for her resignation.

South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides as an influence-peddling scandal that has seen protesters call for the resignation of President Park Geun-Hye deepened.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators at a rally on Saturday in central Seoul demanded Park step down over the crisis involving an old friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have abused her closeness to the president.

Choi has been arrested for fraud and also stands accused of meddling in state affairs  including government appointments and policy decisions  despite holding no official position.





Ahn Jong-beom, a former senior advisor to Park, was formally arrested early on Sunday on charges of abuse of power and attempted coercion, the Yonhap news agency reported.

He is suspected of helping Choi collect millions of dollars in donations from conglomerates like Samsung to two dubious non-profit foundations which Choi set up and allegedly used for personal gain.

Prosecutors also arrested Jeong Ho-Seong, another former presidential aide, over allegations that he leaked classified information.

The 47-year-old Jeong, who was known as Parks right hand man and has worked with her since 1998, is suspected of passing presidential speeches and official documents to Choi.

Parks approval rating has fallen to just five percent, a record for a sitting president and the lowest since such polling began in 1988, according to a Gallup Korea survey released on Friday.

Saturdays demonstration in the capital was the biggest so far against her. Despite the huge protests, Park is not expected to resign with just over a year of her single term in office left.

Presidents lonely life

Park has been scrambling to restore trust in her administration as the crisis grows, reshuffling ministers and senior advisers to bring in figures from outside her ruling conservative Saenuri Party.

In a televised address on Friday, she agreed to be questioned by prosecutors, and sought to portray herself as an over-trusting friend who had let her guard down at a moment of weakness.

Her voice choking with emotion, Park said she had been living a lonely life as president and had turned to Choi for company and help.

Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul, said the organisers had secured a court injunction to overcome a police ban on them marching.

This is a show of force, a show of anger, he said. If President Park Geun-hye was trying to quell that anger with her second apology just a day ago, it seems she hasnt succeeded.

Police said they had deployed 17,600 officers and 220 units including buses and mobile barriers at the demonstration with officers in riot gear lining the alleys and streets leading to the presidential Blue House.

Its almost impossible to raise children in this country. I feel they deserve more pity than us. I want our kids to live in a country where they can be better off than now, one of the demonstrators told Al Jazeera.
Binali Yildirim accuses the pro-Kurdish HDP of funding terror as the party announced a partial parliamentary boycott.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has accused the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) of funding terrorism and warned that anyone harming the nation would pay a price.

The comments came on Sunday, two days after the HDPs leaders were arrested by Turkish police on terrorism-related charges.





For years, we called on you to say you are against terror and terrorist organisations. You would not listen, Yildirim said on Sunday in a televised speech.

For years they transferred the money we sent for the municipalities to terror. Whoever harms this nation will pay for it, there is no other way. Not only those bombing and burning, but also those supporting terror.

Turkish authorities arrested the co-leaders of HDP, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, on Friday.

Ten other HDP MPs were also detained, although some were later released.

The government accuses the HDP of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an armed group that has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in which tens of thousands have died.

ANALYSIS: How could failed coup affect Kurdish peace process?

HDP, parliaments second-largest opposition party, denies direct links to the armed group, which is deemed a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union, and Turkey.

The party says it is being targeted because it opposes President Recep Tayyip Erdogans moves to expand his power through constitutional changes.

Partial boycott of parliament

HDP announced a partial boycott of parliament on Sunday following what it called the darkest attack in the history of its democratic politics.

As a result of discussions we held with our parliamentary group and the central executive board, we have decided to halt our works in the legislature in the face of the most extensive and the darkest attack of our history and meet with our people once again, Ayhan Bilgen, HDP spokesman, said after a party meeting in the southeastern province of Diyarbakr.

We Will Win  No Matter What!

Our party decided to halt all its legislative activities at the Parl.#Freedom4HDP https://t.co/djFn7jw2Ia pic.twitter.com/6gA7Xp4MrA  HDP English (@HDPenglish) November 6, 2016

He added the party was not fully withdrawing from parliament and its deputies would remain members, but they would not take part in general assembly sittings or parliamentary commission meetings, Reuters news agency reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli told private broadcaster NTV that HDPs decision to halt its participation would not have a negative effect on legislation.

Call me a dictator

Erdogan, meanwhile, accused Europe of assisting terrorism with its support for the PKK, adding he did not care if Europe called him a dictator as he cracks down on the armed group and its sympathisers.





Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK a terrorist organisation, this is clear  We see how the PKK can act so freely and comfortably in Europe, Erdogan said, also in a televised speech on Sunday.

I dont care if they call me dictator or whatever else, it goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me.

Turkeys EU Minister Omer Celik called for a meeting of European ambassadors in Ankara following the latest arrests.

The working breakfast on Monday would cover the latest developments, Turkeys state-run Anadolu agency reported.

Two HDP politicians wanted by Turkish authorities attended and delivered speeches at a pro-PKK demonstration in Brussels on Saturday, Anadolu said in a separate report.

TAK claims Diyarbakir bombing

Meanwhile, questions remained on who carried out a deadly bombing in Turkeys mainly Kurdish southern city of Diyarbakir.





Prime Minister Yildirim blamed the PKK for Fridays attack outside a police headquarters after Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) said it carried it out.

On Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), an offshoot of the PKK, also claimed responsibility for the blast that killed 11 people and wounded more than 100.

TAK said on its website that one of its fighters, Kamal Hakkari, blew himself up in a suicide attack in Diyarbakir in response to the murderous policies and inexorable pressure of the government in the southeast of the country.

READ MORE: Turkey PM  PKK, not ISIL, bombed police HQ killing 11

The HDP had been targeted by several investigations in recent months, but Friday was the first time an MP currently serving in the parliament was arrested. The arrests follow a resolution by parliament earlier in the year allowing the immunity of MPs to be lifted.

Last week, Gultan Kisanak, HDP mayor of Diyarbakir, and co-mayor Firat Anli were arrested over alleged membership of the PKK.

In September, the government similarly removed 28 mayors and other administrators, mostly from the HDP, and appointed trustees in their place.

More than 110,000 civil servants, soldiers, police, judges and other officials have been suspended or detained since the July coup attempt in Turkey.

Scores of opposition media organisations have been shut down, including pro-Kurdish ones such as IMC TV, the Dicle news agency, and the Ozgur Gundem newspaper.
Part two of our investigation into the erosion of US democracy and how it is revealed in the 2016 presidential campaign.
China has described those calling for Hong Kongs independence a threat to national security.

Its been the dominant issue ever since the British handed over control of Hong Kong to China nearly 20 years ago. How much independence should the territory have?

Now, thousands of people are protesting against what they see as Chinese interference.

It began with two newly elected politicians who refused to back Beijing during their swearing-in ceremony.

The two set off a fierce debate after displaying a sign reading Hong Kong is not China during the ceremony. China vowed to intervene.

Politicians Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching may now be disqualified from the Legislative Council.

Now there are fears Beijing is trying to undermine Hong Kongs judicial independence, stripping the territory of its autonomy.

So what does this mean for Hong Kongs political future?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Emily Lau  Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong and former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.

Victor Gao  Director of the China National Association of International Studies.

Roderic Wye  Associate Fellow in the Asia programme at Chatham House, the Royal Insititue of International Affairs, London.
When Americans go to the polls on Tuesday to elect their new president theyll also be voting for members of Congress.

Its been a long, hard-fought and at times downright nasty election season, but this Tuesday Americans will finally have their say on their next president.

Whether its Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton who wins the White House, how effectively they can do their job will depend a great deal on who has a majority in Congress.

At the moment the Senate has 44 Democrats, 54 Republicans and two independents, while the House of Representatives has 188 Democrats and 247 Republicans.

But that could change on election day, and whatever the result, control of Americas legislative body will be essential.

So how will a Trump or Clinton win affect the US Congress and the countrys ability to get things done?

Presenter: Hazem Sika

Guests:

James D Boys  US political commentator, historian and author of Hillary Rising.

James Warren  Political columnist for US News & World Report and former managing editor and Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune.

Jeanne Zaino  Political scientist and professor of political science and international studies at Iona College.
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
A team of scientists are using assisted evolution to grow super coral that can withstand climate change.

Pollution, global warming, and other man-made problems are pushing the world to the brink of an ecological disaster.

Climate change has a profound effect on our marine ecosystems and down in the oceans its taking its toll: corals around the world are dying.

According to a report from the World Wide Fund for Nature, coral reef cover has declined by 50 percent in the past 30 years, and coral reefs could disappear by as early as 2050.

Today, we are facing the potential loss or massive degradation of all our reefs, says Dr Ruth Gates from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

Take by Kimokeo

the ocean, and [the] ocean [will] take care of you. If we poison the ocean, the ocean will poison us.]

If we dont have coral reefs, we will have people who dont have food, who will have to move, whose lands at the entire islands will be eroded, and the tourist economy of many of these places will be completely obliterated, she explains.

Corals are living, dynamic animals with an existence entirely unto themselves. Marine life exists within the reef, depending on it as a source of food or a place to hide from floating prey.

These animals are characterised by its diversity and thrive in full and vibrant colour but, lately, corals are changing.

Higher-than-normal water temperatures cause corals to expel the symbiotic plant cells which provide them with food, and without the algae the corals begin to starve  turning healthy brown coral ghostly white. This phenomenon is known as bleaching.

Corals arent doing very well  and they are not doing well for a variety of reasons. First of all, we have changes in our global ocean that relate to climate change, so the ocean is getting warmer and more acidic, and corals dont like warm water, and they definitely dont like water that is a little bit lower in PH, Gates explains.

Triggered by El Nino in 2015, a global weather phenomenon which causes already rising sea temperatures to spike even higher, corals faced a massive bleaching, and for the third time in history, scientists declared the bleaching a global event.

Today approximately 38 percent of the world reefs are bleached  from Australias Great Barrier Reef to the Caribbean to the islands of the South Pacific.

Bleached corals when theyre first white yet arent dead. They are at this moment in time when they can go in two directions  they can either re-brown [and recover or] if the conditions that are causing the coral to be so perpetuate  that coral will die. Theres no way back, says Gates.

However, to stabilise and restore coral reefs, a team of scientists at the University of Hawaiis Institute of Marine Biology are intervening by attempting to breed super coral. They are taking samples from the reef, bringing them back to the lab, and apply techniques in assisted evolution to create a hardier, more resilient tool that can withstand climate change.

This is the first step in a process called transgenerational acclimatisation, in this case pre-conditioning an adult to ocean acidification and then measuring whether the offsprings are then better equipped to handle that same stress event.

The key with assisted evolution is epigenetics, that is, taking the genes of resilient coral strains and passing them on to younger offspring.

What we are doing is assisting the evolution of coral, we are trying to accelerate the rate in which they do things to keep pace with the rates of change that are in the environment today that associates with climate change, says Gates.

Ocean acidification and baby oysters

Techknow also travels to Tomales Bay, California, where the oyster business is booming. But climate change is a reality there and oyster farmers are fighting a hidden enemy  ocean acidification.

Right now its getting bad enough that the oysters are stressed by it, or its not easy [for them] to make a shell, Tessa Hill, from UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab, explains.

Ocean acidification is caused by the addition of carbon gases in the ocean that has caused an increase in the presence of carbonic acid. That acid can be lethal to baby oysters, preventing them from forming shells, but even the mature oysters are vulnerable.

On TechKnow we explore the possible solutions, and how seagrass is showing some progress mitigating the effects of Co2 on the water.
Stepping out of a black RV with the words Stronger Together on the side, former U.S. President Bill Clinton waved to surprised Gainesville residents Saturday afternoon.

They cheered as he began shaking their hands outside of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office, an early voting polling location. Clinton made two stops in Gainesville as part of a bus tour to rally votes in Florida for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, three days before Election Day and on the last day of early voting in Alachua County.

More than 100 people crowded around the former U.S. president, who took pictures and selfies with people.

Colin Swenson, 45, had just cast his vote at the office when he heard a commotion.

When he saw it was Clinton, the Gainesville resident made his way through the crowd and shook his hand.

Thank you so much for everything that you did for the country, and I hope it continues under Hillary, Swenson remembered telling him.

Swenson, who cast his first vote for Clinton back in the 1992 presidential election, stressed the importance of the current election, with the possibility of either Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton gaining the power to nominate U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Im just really hoping for the best outcome on Tuesday, and for me, the best outcome is no Trump, he said.

Fans of the former president walked away exclaiming their excitement of meeting him. Chants of Hillary, Hillary broke out as Clinton encouraged people to vote for his wife.

When Brad James, a UF political science senior, saw Clinton was in town on Twitter, he headed to North Main Street for a chance to meet him.

I love Bill Clinton, the 21-year-old said. Hes a very charismatic guy  very cool leader.

After meeting Clinton for the first time in St. Augustine where he gave a speech, James said he was hoping to get a picture with him.

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After the office, Clinton stopped by a gathering of canvassers and Clinton supporters outside of Caribbean Queen, located on the intersection of Northwest 5th Avenue and Northwest 6th street.

When Ed and Sarjit Kellerman heard the former president was stopping by, they changed their Saturday plans.

We dropped everything we were going to do, and we ran out here, Sarjit Kellerman, 64, said as she carried a life-sized cardboard cut out of Clinton playing the saxophone.

Ed Kellerman handed Clinton a frame filled with about eight buttons, one of which had a photo Ed Kellerman took of Clinton when he visited UF in 1992.

He thought he wanted me to get him to sign it, he said, but I told him no, thats for you.

The 64-year-old UF master lecturer also got Clinton to sign his shirt.

Sarjit Kellerman said her husband has collected political memorabilia over the years, mostly from presidential elections. In their house, a cutout of President Barack Obama and hundreds of buttons, stickers and banners from different campaign rallies abound.

She added that being able to vote is what makes the U.S. democratic system work.

This political process is very sincere, she said. We have a voice; we have a right.

For her, Hillary Clinton is the best and most qualified presidential nominee. She said she believes its time the U.S. elected a woman as president and catch up to other countries that have women leaders.

We think Hillary has what it takes, she said. She can do it.

Former President Bill Clinton visited Gainesville Saturday as part of a bus tour to rally votes in Florida for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, three days before Election Day and on the last day of early voting in Alachua County.
Days after the John F. Kennedy assassination, top White House aides read an eyes-only report that Cuba was behind the shocking Dallas murder. Castro had warned he'd retaliate if the Kennedy administration kept trying to kill him, and they continued. New president Lyndon Johnson ordered the secret report buried. If made public, the U.S. would have to attack Soviet-backed Cuba and thus start World War III.

It's been 53 years since that terrible day in Dallas, and the "Cuban Connection" has resurfaced in newly revealed secret diaries of a deceased Cold War spy and assassin. Douglas Bazata was a decorated OSS special forces "Jedburgh" in World War II and a celebrated freelance spy who, after the war, worked for the CIA, among other intelligence agencies. His now decoded secret diaries tell for the first time the extraordinary story of his close friend, Rene A. Dussaq, a fellow "Jed" and larger-than-life clandestine, who, he says hatched the assassination plan and led it as a shooter in Dallas. The fascinating story and evidence, pro and con, is in my new book, Target: JFK The Spy Who Killed Kennedy?, a mystery story that could be the key to that famous murder.

Dussaq, Argentine-born and naturalized as an American in 1942, was the son of a Cuban diplomat. While being educated in Switzerland, he spent summers in Cuba and considered himself Cuban. Per the diaries, he hatched the assassination plan to free Cuba from U.S. domination  exploitation vividly illustrated in the movie The Godfather, when gangsters cut a cake shaped as Cuba. Suave and fearless, Dussaq was an Olympic athlete, Cuban revolutionary, Hollywood stuntman, and deep sea diver and treasure hunter. During WWII, he became the legendary "Captain Bazooka" in France, who helped the Maquis defeat the Nazis. Almost singlehandedly, he captured a garrison of over 500 Germans.

Few in America have ever heard of Dussaq, although some of his exploits have been chronicled. He kept a low profile as a successful post-WWII Los Angeles insurance agent while secretly working undercover for the FBI against Hollywood communists in the 1950s. It also appears that he was a double, and perhaps triple, agent working ostensibly for the CIA, but also for Cuba, if not others. Characteristically, the CIA will neither confirm nor deny that. Bazata, too, after the war, worked for the CIA and was a good friend of William Colby, who headed the CIA from 1973 to 1976. Because of who Bazata was and his level of access, his secret diaries must be taken seriously.

Dussaq and Bazata met in Cuba in the 1930s. Bazata was a young marine assigned to assassinate a Cuban revolutionary. The mission went awry, but Dussaq saved his life; therefore, Bazata was in his debt. He also admired Dussaq for his intelligence and fearlessness. As Jedburghs, both men jumped into occupied France, where their bond deepened. After the war, writes Bazata, Dussaq grew angry at U.S. exploitation of Cuba, and once JFK became president, Kennedy's administration's Bay of Pigs invasion and continual attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro gave justification in Dussaq's mind for implementing "Hydra-K," the JFK kill-plot detailed in the diaries.

The diaries say that Dussaq "picked" Fidel Castro from among other young possibilities to lead Cuba against outside manipulators. The relationship between the two is vague and mysterious in the diaries, but Dussaq joins Castro on his infamous "Granma" expedition from Mexico to invade Cuba. Although that 1956 venture was a failure, it installed Castro in the Cuban mountains from where he eventually prevailed. During this time and afterward, Bazata, who headed a freelance clandestine organization in Europe, writes that he helped Dussaq with money, material, and key personnel. Meanwhile, Hydra-K took shape.

The plot was fluid. Dallas was chosen as the site because, in Dussaq's eyes, it was near Mexico (which gave easy access), was a hotbed of anti-JFK sentiment, and had law enforcement that could be bribed. Rehearsals were held in remote areas of Europe. There were five shooters with "handlers" involved, including rogue CIA, world-class assassins, and the U.S. Mafia. The killing shots came from the front, not the rear. Dussaq did not want Oswald involved, but he was forced by unnamed higher-ups to accept him. He devised a plan where Oswald would be a patsy, as Oswald claimed, but the patsy plan had wrinkles that were never previously voiced.

Should the diaries be believed? Not only was Bazata in the thick of Cold War clandestine activity when the assassination occurred  and thus is credible  but another infamous Cold War spy and assassin, Lucien Conein, backs him up. Conein, now dead, was as close to James Bond as an American spy can get. It was Conein, a CIA operative, who oversaw getting rid of Ngo Dinh Diem, the South Vietnamese leader assassinated a month before JFK. Authentic documents I received from Bazata and the National Archives indicate that he and Conein discussed Hydra-K before the assassination.

Previously withheld intelligence documents about the assassination are scheduled to be declassified in 2017. It's probable that the eyes-only documents naming Castro as the force behind the assassination will be among them. If not, an account about them and their shocking content can be found in Inner Circles, by Alexander M. Haig, Jr., the former secretary of state under Ronald Reagan.

The tragic death of John F. Kennedy has never been conclusively solved. Most Americans don't believe the Warren Commission's conclusion that there was only a lone shooter, Oswald, and no conspiracy. I'd be derelict in my duty as a journalist and an American not to tell this story. It could be the key to the assassination mystery.
One would think that a Catholic University like DePaul University in Chicago would be a bastion against the corruption of secular humanism and political correctness, particularly when it involves a tenet of Catholic belief -- that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. But the DePaul College Republicans found out differently when they attempted to display Unborn Lives Matter posters on campus similar to the Black Lives Matter scattered with administration approval around campus. As The American Catholic reports:

While Black Lives Matter posters hang on DePaul administrative office windows, President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider has banned College Republicans from hanging their Unborn Lives Matter posters on campus, despite the school being the largest Catholic university in the United States, allegedly backing the Catholic tenet (and science) that life begins at conception. According to the university president, these three words are rooted in bigotry and might provoke other students. As relayed by College Republicans Vice President John Minster to the Daily Wire, the conservative group designed the Unborn Lives Matter poster to promote their pro-life views and their meeting times. Following standard protocol, the group then submitted their design for approval prior to hanging them up around campus. In a disturbing twist, the controversial pro-life posters were pushed all the way to President Holtschneider, who declared that he would prohibit them in order to shield his students from bigotry under the cove of free speech. Yes, the word bigotry was just used to describe pro-life posters by the president of Americas largest Catholic university.

The irony here that abortions occur in disproportionately higher percentages in the black community compared tp the African-American percentage of the general population. One would think that if black lives really matter at DePaul, they would cheer the posting of Unborn Lives Matte posters being displayed on campus. If a white cop shoots a black youth, it is national news. If someone like Kermit Gosnell kills black infants in his clinic in inner city Philadelphia, it provokes a national yawn.

Kermit Gosnell was a Philadelphia doctor who was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree murder for killing seven babies who survived his abortions and a woman who died after a botched pain-killer injection. As Investors Business Daily noted, comparing what went on at Gosnells clinic to the school shooting at Newtown, Connecticut:

Whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, there ought to be agreement that a squirming infant on a table outside the mother's womb is as worthy of protection from harm as children in classrooms in a school in Connecticut. If Dr. Gosnell had walked into a nursery and shot seven infants with an AR-15, it would be national news and the subject of presidential hand-wringing. Instead, Gosnell is ignored, charged with the deaths of seven aborted babies who were born alive and then killed, their spinal cords cut with scissors. Kermit Gosnell faces 43 criminal counts, including eight counts of murder in the death of one patient, Karnamaya Monger, and seven newborn infants. Additional charges include conspiracy, drug delivery resulting in death, infanticide, corruption of minors, evidence tampering, theft by deception, abuse of corpse and corruption. Gosnell's clinic was inspected only after a federal drug raid in 2010. It was the first time the facility had been inspected in 17 years because state officials ignored complaints and failed to visit Gosnell's Women's Medical Society, the clinic's official name, for years. Although charged with only seven counts of infant murder, witnesses have testified that he may have murdered more than 100 babies outside the womb in the three decades the clinic has been open. One witness says she saw Gosnell perform his "procedure" on 30 infants. According to another, Gosnell said in one instance, "'This baby is big enough to walk around with me or walk me to the bus stop.' "

The mass killing of black babies in what should be the safest place on earth, their mothers womb, escapes media attention and apparently the attention of some Catholic University administrators. As Breitbart reported in 2014 and others have since, the carnage involving the black unborn is on a scale the KKK could only have dreamed of:

On Friday, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Vital Statistics released a report titled Summary of Vital Statistics 2012 The City of New York, Pregnancy Outcomes. As expected, the report showed an exceedingly high number of abortions and an exceedingly low number of births. But the report also showed something more disturbing: a vast majority of the abortions came from the black and Hispanic communities  and in the black community, births were outnumbered by abortion by 6,570. Overall, 42.4% of abortions in the city were of black children; another 31% came from the Hispanic community. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, some 30% of all abortions in the United States are performed on black women, and another 25% are performed on Hispanic women. Rev. John J. Raphael of Howard University has calculated that approximately 13 million black children have been killed before birth since Roe v. Wade, representing a population decrease in the black community of nearly one quarter. Almost 40% of all black pregnancies currently end in abortion.

As J. Kenneth Blackwell, writing in the Washington Times, notes, those who chant black lives matter obviously exclude the abortion rate of black babies that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and the KKK could only dream of:

138,539 black babies, nearly one baby in three, were killed in the womb in 2010. According to the CDC, between 2007 and 2010, innocent black babies were victimized in nearly 36 percent of the abortion deaths in the United States, though blacks represent only 12.8 percent of the population. Some say the abortion capital of America is New York City. According to LifeSiteNews, the citys Department of Health reported that in 2012, more black babies were aborted (31,328) than born (24,758). Thats 55.9 percent of black babies killed before birth. Blacks represented 42.4 percent of all abortions.

This is a disturbing and tragic situation that continues unabated and is the fulfillment of the dream of Hillary Clintons heroine Margaret Sanger. As Blackwell also noted:

According to Sanger, Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated. She opened her first abortion clinics in inner cities, and its no accident that even today, 79 percent of Planned Parenthoods abortion facilities are located in black or minority neighborhoods.

Rep. Chris Smith reminded Hillary Clinton, who proudly accepted the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in a speech to Congress in 2009 of the nature of Sangers belief that eugenics, something the Nazis would put into horrifying practice, was Margaret Sangers solution to all our problems, particularly racial ones. As LifeSite News reported at the time:

Addressing Mrs. Clinton, Smith said, "Are you kidding? In awe of Margaret Sanger, who said in 1921, Eugenics  is the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political, and social problems. And who also said in 1922, The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it?". Highlighting the racist nature of eugenics, Smith further quoted Sanger, who said in 1939, "We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social service backgrounds and with engaging personalities ... We dont want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population."

Sanger would be proud of the creeping genocide Hillarys pro-choice movement has wrought among African Americans, And Catholics everywhere should be ashamed that a Catholic Unversity like DePaul thinks these unborn lives dont matter.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Watching the events of last week online Im reminded of Drums Along the Mohawk a story about a couple in New Yorks Mohawk Valley during the Revolutionary War. The New York frontier settlers fought off Tories, Indians, the British with a small militia, muskets, and grit until peace was restored and they could return to farming.

A revolutionary war is being fought again in New York and D.C., this time between the administrations corrupted Department of Justice, the compliant press and the Democratic Party on one hand, and the New York Police Department, the U.S. Attorney Preet Bahara, and the FBI on the other. The issues at stake are not all that different: the right of free people to govern themselves. The weapons are not muskets, but the Internet.

Background: The Wheels Coming Off the Hillary Bus

Were just 2 days away from the election and having worked at times in bureaucratic organizations I can imagine the turmoil in the vast Clinton machine. The constant releases of hacked emails by Wikileaks in such a top-down operation surely has hamstrung their work. People who work there are either searching frantically for their names in the emails, gossiping among each other about what is found there and worrying about what is to come. The head of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz was replaced, only to find the new head Donna Brazile was herself the subject of scandal -- leaking debate questions she learned were going to be asked of Hillary. Its not only Wikileaks -- Project Veritass exposure of the Creamer-headed vote-rigging and thuggery operation must have put a crimp in its 50-year-long Midwestern vote-stealing scheme. People who worked for him have to be unsure of their next steps and with the Wisconsin attorney general promising an investigation, it must be harder still to operate as usual. Huma Abedin, Hillarys right-hand gal of many hats, is on the sidelines as her husbands computer with its 650 thousand emails is being examined by local cops and the FBI for evidence of child pornography and national security leaks. The Clinton Foundation slush fund is under scrutiny for pay-to-play corruption and tax fraud and their many employees, recipients, and donors must be scouring their records and getting unwelcome law enforcement inquiries.

Steve Pieczenik Throws some Ammo on the Fire

Pieczenik, a smart man, once on the Council of Foreign Relations and other high positions, who lately has a spotty history of accuracy, transmitted a video in which he charged that the Clintons had effected a silent coup detat, corrupting and coopting all the normal checks and balances. He said various intelligence agencies have been working with Julian Assange to carry out a counter-coup online to stop the Clintons and prevent Obama from pardoning them for their crimes.

Days later he offered up another video. This time more sensational. He claimed that both Clintons had been part of the Jeffrey Epstein Lolita express to his compound on Little St. James island and the NYPD had a record of the Clintons and other of their coterie involved in pedophilia. He claims the Intelligence Community has a lot of evidence of these illegal activities.

If true, then for a public long inured to the usual Clinton political corruption, this at last would grab their attention. Surely, true or not, such charges would most certainly have given Comey good reason to reopen the investigation and Attorney General Lynch and her cohorts at the Department of Justice reason to pull back and keep their mitts off the FBIs reopened investigation.

Like clockwork, less well-known websites started publishing related accounts.Typical of these is this:

According to NYPD sources, files found on Weiners newly found laptop which he shared with his wife Huma Abedin, show evidence of a political pedophile ring operating within Washington, involving members of Congress as well as numerous top Clinton aides and insiders. According to reports, a folder on Weiners laptop named life insurance contains explicit evidence that both Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin helped run and cover-up a Washington pedophile sex ring. Truepundit.com reports: NYPD sources said these new emails include evidence linking Clinton herself and associates to: Money laundering

Child exploitation

Sex crimes with minors (children)

Perjury

Pay to play through Clinton Foundation

Obstruction of justice

Other felony crimes NYPD detectives and a NYPD Chief, the departments highest rank under Commissioner, said openly that if the FBI and Justice Department fail to garner timely indictments against Clinton and co-conspirators, NYPD will go public with the damaging emails now in the hands of FBI Director [snip] The new emails contain travel documents and itineraries indicating Hillary Clinton, President Bill Clinton, Weiner and multiple members of Congress and other government officials accompanied convicted pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein on his Boeing 727 on multiple occasions to his private island in the U.S Virgin Islands, sources said. Epsteins island has also been dubbed Orgy Island or Sex Slave Island where Epstein allegedly pimps out underage girls and boys to international dignitaries. Both NYPD and FBI sources confirm based on the new emails they now believe Hillary Clinton traveled as Epsteins guest on at least six occasions, probably more when all the evidence is combed, sources said. Bill Clinton, it has been confirmed in media reports spanning recent years, that he too traveled with Epstein over 20 times to the island.

Bill Clintons travels with Epstein were confirmed long ago. The rest of the charges about pedophilia have not been confirmed to my knowledge. However, Reddit participants scouring through Wikileaks found accounts of Hillary helping Laura Silsby escape punishment for her trafficking of children from Haiti.

And there was earlier a report -- later scrubbed -- by the Inspector General of the Department of State indicating Hillary had tried to block an investigation of pedophilia by a U.S. ambassador and an ambassador-designate:

The Washington Examiner published an expose on June 17 that reveals portions of an Inspector General report on how Hillary Clintons State Department sought to block an investigation of a U.S. Ambassador and an ambassador-designate who was accused of pedophilia. The IGs report was later scrubbed of this information by Clinton operatives. The Examiner, however, obtained several drafts of the IG report and published those portions. A draft dated November 16, 2012 notes: Sources reported that a senior 7th Floor Department official ordered [diplomatic security] to stop the investigation of an ambassador accused of pedophilia, and another such senior official had [diplomatic security] stop an investigation of an ambassador-designate. Another deleted part of the IG report states that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security was caught circling the wagons to protect favored rising [stars ] from criminal charges or from embarrassing revelations that could harm a promising career. [snip] Hillary has been willing to cover up for Bills adulterous relationships  and even rape charges  in order to achieve and maintain power. So, covering up for a pedophile isnt any big deal to her.

I have no idea if these charges about the contents of Weiners computer are true or not, though it seems obvious that whoever is leaking this information is doing it to let Lynch and others know who else may be implicated just in case they try once again to shut down the investigation.

An Inside Voice

Thomas Lipscomb posted a missive purportedly from inside the counter-coup which despite its dubious provenance and obvious creativity details the operations means and objectives:

As you know, what you are seeing is the resolution of an attempted coup detat sprung by the Obama/Hillary cabal and we are winning so far. Fortunately, this is the first attempt at a digital coup detat and it is still bloodless. Unlike a banana republic, where the trick for the rebels is to get the Air Force first and bomb the Presidential Palace and then take over the national radio, in a digital society we are winning by superior communications. [snip] Ironically this is an attempted coup by the current Obama government against the electoral system itself. Having mustered the support of core Federal agencies like the CIA, Homeland Security, DOJ, and without interference from the supine press, the Obama/Hillary transition team were initially stunned by the statement we pressured out of Comey last Friday which we were only able to get because it was becoming clear to all Trump was winning. We have DOD, NSA and strong points in various security agencies like the FBI and local police which make it possible to force them to allow the electoral process to continue. But by Tuesday, Loretta Lynch was building a case in her DOJ issued statement by Kadzik for a parallel DOJ investigation of the Weiner email treasure trove that would enable her to make her own more objective interim statement tomorrow [Friday.November 4] that so far, there was no indication that any of the new emails would occasion any additional action by DOJ, although the process had not been completed. She made the fatal mistake of leaving the totally compromised Kadzik in charge of her operation, but with things happening fast, that weakness might not have mattered compared to the PR effect of her support on behalf of Hillarys staggering campaign. Fortunately, while Obama was able to keep Loretta Lynch from empanelling a grand jury, and hence denying Comey any ability to get proper subpoenas and bring an indictment and the same could have been the net effect of his current investigation as well, this time DOJ is not the controlling legal authority. This investigation is being conducted by the NY Police Department as a sex crimes pursuit of the evidence on the Weiner case regarding sexual child abuse. It has its own time clock and its own validity. And the accidental discovery of the implication of the Clinton Foundation and key individuals in it and the Democrat Party may be pursued without regard for the concerns of DOJ. It is under the supervision of an ambitious and able US Attorney for the Southern District appointed to office by Obama himself, who also sees the likelihood of a Trump win.

Former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova should certainly be considered a messenger of the counter-coup if there really is one taking place.

Agents within the Federal Bureau of Investigation want to take down the personnel at the top of the Justice Department, according to a former D.C. based U.S. Justice attorney. Just think of the FBI as the Vietcong. Thats what they are. They are digging tunnels under the Justice Department. They are going to sink that place, Washington attorney Joe DiGenova told the Daily Caller Thursday. DiGenova, who has bureau sources close to the FBI investigation, named Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, Assistant Attorney General Peter [Kadzik], Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin, and Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell as senior level staff at DOJ have who have done something that they are going to regret. As a result of the obstacles thrown in their way, DiGenvoa says the agents within the bureau have gone rogue and any upper level bureaucrat that gets in their way from investigating Clinton could be exposed. Even though this is technically under the auspices of the bureau, nobody is going to control these agents, he said.

His charges are less sensational than Pieczeniks and other digital sources in that he claims the Weiner computer contains evidence of Hillarys perjury, not pedophilia, but he underscores what Pieczenik and multiple websites are reporting: there was silent coup led by the Clintons and theres now a counter-coup led by local police and members of the various intelligence communities, including most specifically the FBI, and it will not be stopped by Lynch or the president or anyone else.

Meantime a lot of people are looking for lawyers and writing their resumes. Or they should be.
Do we have a government of laws, or a government of men? At what point have corruption and double standards gone too far? Americans believe that their government is corrupt. Confidence in a supposedly non-partisan institution like the Department of Justice (DOJ) is low. Most people disagreed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recommendation against indicting Clinton in July. People are not being treated equally before the law. We are rapidly approaching a tipping point, with elected officials and their political appointees oblivious to the crisis.

Structured liberty is predicated upon just laws being equally applied. Tall people are not short, short people are not tall, Adele can't grow crops, and the green-thumbed farmer can't sing, but they should all be equal before the law. That means that law enforcement needs to be neutral and beyond reproach, and people who commit similar crimes should be similarly charged and tried.

Does any honest person believe that Hillary Clinton is being treated like anyone else who compromised classified data, knowingly violated rules for handling government information, coordinated government access with donors for a private foundation, and had data under subpoena destroyed?

Hillary Clinton is not the critical issue; restoring the integrity in the law is the imperative concern. Why are citizens questioning if the law is being equally applied?

At the announcement that they were closing the investigation into Clinton's private email server, director of the FBI James Comey laid out a near perfect case for prosecution. According to Comey, Clinton lied repeatedly, there was classified data stored improperly, she was repeatedly told a private server was improper, she was careless, and there was every appearance of a cover-up. Since then, we've learned much worse. Immunity was granted to numerous people involved in the scandal and who destroyed evidence, but there were no subsequent prosecutions or indictments. Why grant immunity if there is nobody to indict?

The FBI itself agreed to destroy laptops after conducting a very narrow search, knowing that there were other parallel federal investigations where the data might be relevant.

At the very least, the relationship between FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe and longtime Clinton operative Governor Terry McAuliffe represents a serious conflict of interest. McCabe was supervising investigations involving Clinton and the husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. A year earlier, McCabe's wife received nearly $700K in donations directed by Terry McAuliffe. At the very least, McCabe should not be allowed to supervise investigations even tangentially related to politics. More appropriately, McCabe should be fired for failure to disclose the obvious conflict of interest, or resign because his position is mutually exclusive with anyone taking campaign contributions. The timing precludes any quid pro quo, but a $700K friendship is a blatant conflict of interest regardless.

If the FBI is compromised, the DOJ is completely corrupted. Days before Comey announced he would close the investigation into the Clinton emails, Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately with former president Bill Clinton on the tarmac in Phoenix. While they claimed they discussed only grandchildren, the brazen appearance of impropriety in a meeting between the attorney general and the husband of an investigation target was too much. Lynch promised to abide by the recommendation of the FBI as to whether to prosecute.

We now know that the DOJ was actively involved in hampering the investigations into the Clinton email server and the Clinton Foundation. Clinton was allegedly selling State Department access in exchange for foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation. The Wall Street Journal reported senior Justice personnel pressured the FBI to narrow their investigation or stop sensitive lines on inquiry  basically shutdown the probe into the Clinton Foundation. At another point, no less than Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik gave Clinton campaign chair John Podesta a "heads-up" about future Capitol Hill testimony and court filings relating to the open criminal investigation into Clinton's email server. This unprecedented intervention by politicized Justice officials into investigations is egregious and grounds for dismissal and disbarment.

Apparently, the State Department was in on the act, too. Patrick Kennedy, a senior manager at State, bargained with and repeatedly tried to pressure the FBI to retroactively declassify documents found on Clinton's server.

The president himself is also compromised. President Obama lied when he said he didn't know about Clinton's private server. According to Cheryl Mills, Obama knew about it because he had emails from her from her private account.

Beyond the president and Justice Department, the wider executive branch is also corrupted. Multiple agencies were caught over the last eight years involved in political vendettas and using government power to persecute individuals and companies for their political opposition to the president. The IRS scandal, where a cabal of political operatives employed by the IRS targeted (and continues to target) conservative groups, is infamous. In 2013, many Mitt Romney donors claimed they were targeted by the IRS for tax audits because they supported Romney. The Environmental Protection Agency raided Gibson Guitars supposedly for using exotic wood (legally), but more likely because the owner was a major donor to Republicans. Like a banana republic, the executive branch turned its law enforcement authority into a weapon to punish political opponents.

There is bipartisan support for the claim that the FBI is compromised with respect to the Clinton investigations. Democrats who praised Comey in July are now condemning him. Republicans who condemned Comey in July are now pleased that Comey reopened the e-mail investigation. Given that both sides now openly question the impartiality and integrity of these federal investigations, there should be broad, bipartisan support for special prosecutors.

First, a special prosecutor should be appointed to take over all investigations relating to Secretary Clinton: her illegal email server, compromising national security secrets, the Clinton Foundation, selling access at the State Department, using State Department personnel for personal purposes, and the cover-up of these matters.

Second, a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate the attorneys, investigators, and officials at the FBI, DOJ, and other executive branch agencies who interfered with, obstructed, and sabotaged criminal investigations into Clinton, her email server, selling State Department access, the Clinton Foundation, and any other investigations they intentionally disrupted contrary to their sworn duty.

Third, a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Russian and other foreign interference in the 2014 and 2016 federal elections, including foreign aid to campaigns, foreign operatives working for campaigns, and foreign cyber-attacks on election infrastructure. This is not just a bone to Democrats. There are legitimate questions about Russia and other countries influencing our elections through hacks, leaks, and in-kind electioneering. Instead of a political witch hunt or a tepid and incurious investigation, the citizenry deserve an exhaustive and thorough probe into this attack on American sovereignty.

Only special prosecutors, independent of the FBI, Department of Justice, and executive branch, can be trusted to restore confidence through equal enforcement of the law in these matters. Voters of all persuasions should insist special prosecutors be appointed. The House should deny any funding for the Department of Justice or the FBI  refuse to pass any legislation whatsoever  until proper special prosecutors are appointed.

Equality before the law is the hill worth dying upon.
Republicans, particularly those of the establishment ilk, cozy with the big donors and other party elites, have been reluctant to join the Donald Trump train. Fearing a landslide defeat on election day, these Republicans felt it in their best political interests to steer far clear of the Trump Titanic so as not to see their political futures dragged to the bottom of the electoral sea.

After sticking their fingers into the political winds, they decided the safer route would be to steer clear of Donald Trump, all in the hopes that come November 9, they could sit atop their high horses and proclaim, See I told you so.

As the political winds shifted this past week, with tightening polls and more talk of a Trump victory than a Clinton landslide, some of the fair weather Republicans are reconsidering their sideline stance, preferring to be on the winning train rather than being left at the station.

Paul Ryan was tap dancing around his partys nominee. At a recent campaign rally, he told voters, "We are going to win everything including the White House." In Lord Voldemort fashion, Ryan never mentioned, "He Who Cannot Be Named", the actual candidate Donald Trump. At least Ryan is on the train, perhaps hanging on rather than seated, but on the train. Like Cruz, Ryan is campaigning with Pence, not with Trump.

Mitch McConnell is the GOP leader most firmly on the Trump train, although he too was late to the station and almost missed the train. Speaking at a recent rally, he told voters, "We need a new president, Donald Trump, to be the most powerful Republican in America."

Why the recent change in heart for GOP leaders? If they believed Trump was going to be thrashed in the election, they would run from Trump like scalded dogs, wanting no fingerprints on his candidacy, defeat and potentially the loss of one or both houses of Congress.

If McConnell was worried about keeping the Senate under GOP control, he could simply attend events of his challenged Senate candidates, supporting them, avoiding the presidential election all together. Instead, McConnell and his fellow leaders must be contemplating the real possibility that Trump could win this thing.

Or if Trump loses, and its a close election, the Republican Congress will face the wrath of an enraged GOP electorate. The Republican leadership would be correctly blamed for not supporting their partys candidate, chosen by their voters and constituents. A tough loss that might have been prevented through support from the party leaders and other #NeverTrumpers.

A furious electorate of Trump supporters, in the tens of millions, might walk away from the Republican Party entirely, taking their contributions and votes to a third party or they might just stay home come the next election.

If Trump does win, but without the support of Congressional leaders, where does that leave them in a Trump administration? Trump doesnt suffer fools gladly and could easily bypass the Republican leaders and work with Democrats instead. Utilizing his Art of the Deal, finding common ground and negotiating with his opponents to advance his agenda, leaving Republican leaders alone in the sandbox.

The big question for elected Republicans is which side of this election do they want to be on? Will the Democrats and their voters reward #NeverTrumpers for their principled stand, for their superior morals and ethics ushering in a President Clinton with zero morals and ethics? Fat chance. Followed by the well-deserved punishment elected Republicans receive from their own voters for not supporting Trump?

Or do they want to be on the Trump train, doing everything they can to bring victory to their party? And a chance to slow or stop destructive Obama agenda? A true time for choosing. Get on the train or sit at the empty station waving goodbye.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Hillary Clinton stands out as the prime purveyor of the practice of infanticide in Western society. She sells it as a merchant sells his wares and never misses an opportunity to declare a "woman's right to choose" as if the key "choice" involved appears at that juncture instead of at the moment a woman "chooses" to use her body as an amusement park for pleasure any time she is swarmed with desire, with no regard for the meaning and outcome of sexual abandonment.

To Hillary, the inconvenient individual with inimitable DNA who has had the bad manners to appear at an uninvited moment has no right to exist unless the mother is agreeable and so must be swept away into the trash. No mercy, no compassion, for thee.

The universal icon upon which Christians gaze in prayer and for invocation of mercy is the Crucifix. The power of the Crucifix emblazons on our spirits the sacredness of the single embodied Son of God. He is alone in his peril, raised high on a hill for all to witness. One Person. This imbues us with deep compassion as we contemplate His agony and abandonment.

Christ created a drama for us to take into our hearts throughout life when He took upon His body our misdeeds in order to display the destruction of evil. The Cross cries out, "This is what you do to Me! This is what you do to you" when we act against God, ourselves, and others.

Right now, we are locked in a battle between good and evil in which some have plans to liquidate the borders and sovereignty of America and, with it, the sacred sovereignty of the American individual.

Sovereignty is the bedrock of the Judeo-Christian American personality, our national character. We nurture purity in that soul and accountability for errors and consequences endured by one human being in the course of one lifetime. As children, we are taught that should we save a person's life, it's tantamount to saving the world, so precious is each individual to God, so enormous is God's burning love for the one and only "you."

At the same time that our individuality is under assault by those who avidly promote "The Collective," the tiny infant person in the womb, our most vulnerable and helpless citizen, is under attack by his own mother, who refuses to accept the consequences of her private behavior.

Remember Hillary's book, It Takes a Village  pointedly meaning not a nuclear family, a mommy and a daddy? This stems from her belief in The Collective, as, within The Collective, the individual is always dispensable for "the greater good."

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both cleave to the teachings of Saul Alinsky, a renegade Orthodox Jew. Their mutual mentor came out of Chicago and preached a Marxist socialism based on such reckless ideas as "noble ends justify corrupt means."

Alinsky instructs his followers to "[t]reat opponents not as persons but as symbols representing ideas inimical to the welfare of the people." In sharp contrast, Saint John Paul ll says, "Exercise of solidarity within each society is valued when its members recognize each other as persons."

We Christians believe we are persons from the moment of conception.

In 1967, G.P. Putnam & Sons published a book by Richard Cavendish called The Black Arts. The opening line of Chapter One states, "The driving force behind black magic is hunger for power." This book states that the practices of the Black Arts are performed for the purpose of becoming one's "own god."

Hillary's motive, her driving need, is for one thing and one thing only: her thirst for power.

It was betrayed in recently exposed emails that Hillary and her Progressives intend to infiltrate the Catholic Church in order to "revolutionize it into a secular humanist religion." For you Catholics out there who plan to vote for Hillary, is this all right with you?

This is Hillary's dream: a new religion in which the "godlike" practice of infanticide is thoroughly normalized. She isn't even a Catholic, but she intends to intrude herself into an ancient practice held holy by more than a billion people. Her hubris, her vaulting ambition, knows no bounds. Her motives have nothing to do with healing America or restoring our national dignity. They are the engine in her quest for total power. The normalizing of infanticide is to be her great achievement.

Saint John Paul ll called it "The Culture of Death."

Along with the pope, we Christians and Jews know, as did our Founders, that our rights are derived from God alone, never from government. Government must never control us. This "Culture of Death," secular humanism, was seeded in Western thought with the 18th-century ideas of Rousseau. He believed that man is inherently good and that the people's will should be surrendered to the secular state. This lies at the heart of Clintonian Progressivism.

The nuns also taught us that one of the big differences between our civilization and a pagan nation such as China was that in China, infanticide was commonly practiced. Abortions were normal because each family was allotted only one child, and since it was so limited, a boy was the desired gender. So, often, when a girl was born, the parents murdered her and hoped for a boy next time. We were horrified.

Remember that when Hillary and her cronies held their International Conference of Women, it was in Beijing, China? How emblematic was that? She called on the pope to reverse the Catholic ruling on the destruction of the unborn, and the pope stood up to her and said that never would this happen, as the value of one human life is worth the whole world. Hillary was roundly humiliated before the entire planet.

I also recall how curious were the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing. It was peculiar how in none of these celebrations was the individual represented. There was a constant flow of abstract costumes swarming and weaving like an anthill or beehive. My husband and I remarked on how creepy it was and couldn't continue to watch. It was graphically clear that in Collectivist China, there is no respect for human life or the uniqueness of personality.

It's always fascinated me how, whenever people turn away from God Himself, they begin sacrificing their children to pagan gods, whether it's throwing virgins into volcanoes; sacrificing infants on altars of Black Masses; or, as in the brutal Middle East, using children as bombs and human shields. The Nazis massacred millions of innocent Jews in the camps of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Treblinka, etc. Closer to home, in America, we discovered the blood-soaked back rooms of Kermit Gosnell strewn with infant carcasses, ripped off limbs, hearts and kidneys kept in bottles  a kind of grisly masterpiece of the Black Arts, an homage to careless sex and indifference to humanity.

How appropriate, then, that Hillary, High Priestess of the Sexual Revolution and the mainstreaming of infanticide, should be taken down by a lonely, sexually obsessed predator sheltered in her coterie, feverishly sexting out in the middle of the night to someone's distant young daughter, a receptive fifteen-year-old girl, the same age as Mary, Mother of Jesus, when she willingly received the angel Gabriel's message along with the conception of the Infant, Christ.

Hillary's unmasking is a monumental event signifying, once again, God's omnipotence, which, by its very nature, turns all evil to the good with such exquisite timing that it can only be authored by the Divine.

Mallory Millett resides in New York City with her husband of over twenty years. CFO for several corporations, she is a longstanding director of The David Horowitz Freedom Center and sits on the Board of Regents for the Center for Security Policy.
This just in: FBI Director James Comey just reversed himself again. The Daily Mail reported that The FBI has announced it will not make any changes to its July decision on Hillary Clinton's emails, meaning the Democratic nominee will not be charged. The UK Daily Mail:

The FBI has announced it will not make any changes to its July decision on Hillary Clinton's emails, meaning the Democratic nominee will not be charged. Congressman Jason Chaffetz tweeted out the massive news on Sunday afternoon. 'FBI Dir just informed us "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Sec Clinton",' Chaffetz wrote. Speaking to reporters with Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri confirmed the camp had seen Comey's letter.

The Trump camp of course has resumed the "rigged" charge, while Clinton and company may renew their love affair with the FBI once again.

Thomas Lifson adds:

Someone got to Comey. The timing of this stinks, issued after the Sunday talk shows, just before the election. It will be claimed Hillary is exonerated, which is not true. All this means is tyhat for the moment, Comey is not recommending prosecution. That he does not have access to subpoenas and other grand jury tools such as wiretaps, means that the investigation has been and remains superficial.
Hillary and Bill Clinton must have thought the way to win elections and make money from government service is to follow the advice of James Cagney in the 1959 movie Never Steal Anything Small, a musical comedy. Cagney plays a corrupt but charming union boss.

Bill can play the corrupt but charming politician, but Hillary can only be corrupt without any charm.

Cagney's character wants to win the presidency of his local but needs money to run his campaign. First he extorts $10,000 from a bookie, and then he steals $750,000's worth of watches and other stuff to sell. He says he did it to help the union members, and they elect him, but he still gets two years in jail. The union members elect him because they believe he is for them against the company. Sounds like the Democrat voters who do not care how corrupt Hillary is because she promises government-paid goodies.

Cagney says and sings: "Steal $100 and thy put you in stir; steal a million, and they call you 'Sir.'" He also says: "I like to scheme." Sounds like Hillary.

Hillary has received $25 million from Saudi Arabia, and WikiLeaks has confirmed that "[t]he Clinton Foundation ... accepted a $1 million gift from Qatar while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state without informing the State Department, even though she had promised to let the agency review new or significantly increased support from foreign governments." The million dollars was supposedly a birthday gift to Bill.

Nobody seems to care that Saudi Arabia and Qatar support and fund terrorists, and that women have no rights in those countries. As long as Hillary says she fights for women, her conduct that shows otherwise does not matter to the Democratic voters and MSM.

Nobody can accuse Hillary and Bill of stealing anything small. They started small with the $100,000 in cattle futures, then moved up to selling a pardon to Marc Rich for a million and a half dollars and stole White House silverware just because it was there. Then they hit the big time. They sold the State Department for hundreds of millions paid to the William J. Clinton Foundation, aka the William J. Corleone Foundation, and about a hundred million in speaking and consulting fees. Finally, the FBI is investigating this.

Hillary can sing: "Steal $100, they put you in stir; steal a couple hundred million, and they call you the Democrat nominee for president."
Racial diversity, we are told, is a great thing  unless the people moving in are white. That's why it's no surprise that a heavily Hispanic neighborhood of Los Angeles is calling for "white" art galleries to pack up and get out.

The message on the steel roll-up gate of Mihai Nicodim's gallery could not have been clearer: With obscene language, the spray-painted words condemned what they labeled "white art."

It was not the first time Mr. Nicodim had been targeted by activists in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood long seen as the heart of Los Angeles's Mexican-American community. Just days before, two cars pulled in front of his gallery during an opening and the passengers, their faces covered in bandannas, hurled potatoes, hitting one woman in the leg. At the opening of another gallery, protesters threw beer bottles through the windows.

Earlier this fall, activists placed mock eviction notices in front of galleries. Marching down the street, they shouted "fuera!"  "out!"  and carried signs declaring "Keep Beverly Hills Out of Boyle Heights."

The activists in the neighborhood are making no apologies for the radical tactics and portray themselves as defenders of working-class neighborhoods in the city. They look to other neighborhoods, such as Echo Park and Silver Lake, that were once working class and are now filled with upscale bakeries that sell artisan doughnuts and have replaced mom-and-pop taco shops....

The gallery owners see the focus on race as misplaced and unfair. After Eva Chimento opened Chimento Contemporary last year, she said, two activists came into her gallery, threatened her and demanded that she show Latino artists.
With the election just a few days away, considering all the information that has been dribbling out about the Clintons and the criminal enterprise that is the Clinton Foundation, in the emails from Podesta's Gmail account and the State Department, and Anthony Weiner's laptop, it is inevitable that people may compare the Clintons to the Borgias. The Borgias were the Italian-Spanish family of the Renaissance era who attained great power but were perhaps the most corrupt political family in world history  until now.

The Borgias corrupted the Catholic Church as well as the body politic of their realm. Like the Clintons, they were, above all, only interested in accumulating wealth and power for themselves and their children. They obeyed no laws, lived by no rules, that applied to others.

Rodrigo Borgia bribed his way to the papacy in 1492 and was a preview of Bill Clinton: charming, witty, and an inveterate womanizer. Like Bill Clinton, he sought powerful office for what he could get out of it, not because of any religious fervor (in Rodrigo's case) or love of country. He became pope to become rich and powerful. He was a capable leader, but his rule was tainted by his constant debauchery.

Like Bill Clinton, Rodrigo was a serial adulterer. He had numerous children by several women, as Bill Clinton might have had in the 15th century. Had Bill Clinton behaved then as he has in the 20th century, he would most likely have contracted syphilis and been disfigured by it, as was Rodrigo's son, Cesare. Cesare Borgia was famous for hosting Sunday suppers with fifty prostitutes or courtesans in attendance, who would dance naked for him and his guests. This sounds much like the purported goings on at Bill's penthouse at the Clinton Library in Arkansas and on Jeffrey Epstein's "Orgy Island," to which Bill Clinton has traveled to at least 26 times. Anthony Weiner's perversions are now well known, and WikiLeaks emails prove that the Clinton camp has known of them for at least five years and did nothing to stop him. Our modern-day Borgias are a sybaritic bunch as well.

The Borgias were also known for their cruelty and murder. While never proven, Cesare likely murdered his older brother. Many more assassinations were carried out in the family's quest to control all the papal states. In short, the Borgias let nothing stand in the way of their determination to amass wealth and power.

The essential facts of the family's history are uncannily similar to the Clintons. Over their thirty-five years on our political stage, the Clintons have indulged in all manner of skullduggery on their way to the White House the first time, and they are doing it again. They lie, cheat, steal, threaten, bribe, and manipulate in the corridors of power and in the backrooms of campaign offices. They seem able to control nearly all the institutions of power meant to be non-partisan and that, for the previous two hundred and twenty years or so, were bound by the Constitution: the Department of Justice, the FBI, the NSA, the IRS, etc. All of these agencies have been corrupted by the Clintons and their sycophants. If Hillary is elected, they will not alter their political style one bit. She will continue to sell her influence to the highest bidders around the world, the American people be damned.

Plans are likely in the works to one day install Chelsea Clinton in the White House. She lacks the legendary charms of Lucrezia Borgia, but that will make no difference, because the fix will have been set in stone years in advance. Cesare Borgia blamed his own depravity on the "mark of Borgia," the stain of his family. Chelsea already bears the mark of Clinton; she married into a family of wealth and criminality, her father-in-law having served five years in a federal prison for fraud.

Donald Trump just may be the divine intervention necessary to stop this deplorable family from wreaking further damage on the United States.
Those of us old enough to remember the arcades heyday in the 1980s and early 90s would be forgiven for getting a slight sense of deja vu upon hearing the news that HTC have lofty ambitions for their Vive Virtual Reality (VR) platform that involve opening large numbers of arcades across the US, China and Europe by the end of 2017. But arent arcades dead? Well, aside from a sizeable dedicated fanbase keeping them ticking over in the streets of Japan, you would be largely correct in noticing their massive decline in the west. However, HTC seem to be banking on this being their ticket to fire VR into the mainstream, and when we consider the parallels between today and the coin-operated glory days of the arcade, its possible to see a compelling case.

The most obvious barrier to VRs success is the dauntingly-high entry price. HTCs own Vive weighs in at almost $800, meaning that we are firmly into four-digit territory by the time weve added the kind of powerhouse machine required to drive it. Its not difficult to see that having a literal shop window in town could provide users with the kind of hands-on access that is needed to build a major user base. Furthermore, it will not have escaped HTCs notice that arcades were thriving when the experience they offered couldnt be replicated in the home. With the explosive rise of console and home PC gaming, arcades lost out as their unique selling point was slowly eroded by improvements in home tech. HTC will be hoping that the new experiences offered by VR, coupled with the sheer expense of replicating it in the home, have potentially recreated the decades-old scenario in which gamers were previously willing to pump quarters into machines that far exceeded the experience they could get in front of their TV.

At their Virtual Reality Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, HTC revealed several arcade-centric titles including The Brookhaven Experiment which promises to project gamers into the thick of a nightmarish zombie survival encounter and Everest VR, a climbing simulator complete with vertigo-inducing pitfalls. In order to make their VR dreams a reality, HTCs Viveport M platform is already in development (looking to further capitalize upon their developer-friendly profile), and by the end of the year, they plan to have a number of Viveport Arcade installations deployed in the USA. This follows the recent launch of Viveland in Taipei (a VR theme park), along with partnerships with internet cafes across China. It is thought that partnerships with malls and theaters in the US are most likely. While this may seem like a bold gamble from HTC, there may indeed be a market to take advantage of. UK outlet GAME recently courted controversy after daring to charge customers for 10 minute sessions on (the significantly cheaper) PlayStation VR, suggesting that there may be a try-before you buy audience waiting in the wings.
Brexit balls: Ukips Susanne Evans thinks MPs should control the judiciary

Still wondering why Ukip is so reluctant to let go of Nigel Farage? The Herald reports:

Ukip leadership hopeful Suzanne Evans has suggested judges should face the prospect of being sacked by MPs in the wake of the Article 50 case in the High Court.

Ukip wants politicians to have control over the judges? What lunacy.

She warned about judges increasingly intervening in political decisions and suggested the judiciary should face being grilled by a Commons select committee with the power to recommend sacking them.

What a terrible idea. An independent and impartial judiciary is one of the cornerstones of a democracy.

The fundamental concept of judicial independence came into being in England and Wales in 1701 with the enactment of the Act of Settlement. This statute formally recognised the principles of security of judicial tenure by establishing that High Court Judges and Lords Justice of Appeal hold office during good behaviour. Appropriate and formal mechanisms had to be in place before a judge could be removed. Before 1701 senior judges held office at the sovereigns pleasure and there are many examples of judges being removed from office for failing to decide cases in accordance with the wishes of the King or Queen. Since the Act of Settlement it has only been possible to remove a senior judge from office through an Address to the Queen agreed by both Houses of Parliament.

But, yeah, better to let the MPs decide on their own who is fit to uphold the law as they see it. We trust our MPs implicitly, dont we? That question to you, Nigel Farage.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 6th, November 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
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An Artesia man has been bound over to district court on charges stemming from a wreck in early July that left a family of six injured.

Blake Bollema, 31, was bound over Tuesday in Artesia Magistrate Court on charges of misdemeanor aggravated DWI (second offense), seven third-degree-felony counts of great bodily harm by vehicle, fourth-degree-felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death and failure to give information and render aid, and petty misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and stopping or yielding at an intersection.

The incident occurred around 11 p.m. July 1 on U.S. 285 near the 13th Street intersection. Bollema, who was travelling north on 13th in a pickup truck, failed to stop at the intersection, colliding with a SUV heading south on 285.

The wreck resulted in injuries of varying severity to a family of six. Three of the occupants were treated at Artesia General Hospital and released, while three more  the mother, a 5-year-old boy, and an 8-year-old girl  were airlifted to Lubbock, Texas, the girl with critical injuries. She remained in the hospital for several weeks before being released.

Bollema initially fled the scene but returned approximately one hour later, according to the New Mexico State Police. Bollema allegedly stated he left to seek aid for a passenger in his truck, who had remained at the scene.

Officers say they noted the scent of alcohol on Bollemas breath and obvious signs of impairment. Bollema refused field sobriety tests at the scene and, following his arrest, also refused to submit to breath or blood tests. The NMSP obtained a search warrant to collect a blood sample.

Court records show charges of aggravated DWI (first offense) against Bollema were dismissed by the prosecution on Sept. 4, 2007. Bollema was charged, however, with DUI (first offense) and ordered Dec. 26, 2007, to complete six months of probation and DWI School.
Kunis, an actor whos married to another actor (Ashton Kutcher), is scathing to the (male) producer who told her if she wouldnt pose semi-nude, shed never work in this town again.
At the celebration of the Jubilee of prisoners, together with prisoners, relatives, prison staff, support groups, and prison chaplains, Pope Francis calls for hope of being born to a new life. He notes that God hopes! His mercy gives him no rest. He is like that Father in the parable, who keeps hoping for the return of his son who has fallen by the wayside. The pontiff does not appeal for a pardon or an amnesty. Although A Jubilee always brings with it a proclamation of freedom (Lev 25:39-46), [this] does not depend on me to grant this. Like prisoners "we are locked up within our own prejudices. The Mother and Child holding a broken chain, the chain of slavery and imprisonment.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Dear friends, today is your Jubilee! Today, in Gods sight, may your hope be kindled anew, said Pope Francis as he spoke to a thousand prisoners present today in St Peter's Basilica on their Jubilee pilgrimage. They were accompanied by their families, prison staff, prison chaplains and members of associations that offer assistance inside and outside prisons.

In his homily, the pontiff focused on the theme of hope, The hope of being born to a new life and hope as a gift of God, something to ask. And the roots of our hope are the certainty of Gods closeness and compassion, despite whatever evil we have done. There is no corner of our heart that cannot be touched by Gods love. Whenever someone makes a mistake, the Fathers mercy is all the more present, awakening repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Certainly, breaking the law involves paying the price, and losing ones freedom is the worst part of serving time, because it affects us so deeply. All the same, hope must not falter. Paying for the wrong we have done is one thing, but another thing entirely is the breath of hope, which cannot be stifled by anyone or anything. Our heart always yearns for goodness. We are in debt to the mercy that God constantly shows us, for he never abandons us (cf. Augustine, Sermo 254:1).

Hope is also a characteristic of God. God too hopes. While this may seem paradoxical, it is true: God hopes! His mercy gives him no rest. He is like that Father in the parable, who keeps hoping for the return of his son who has fallen by the wayside (Lk 15:11-32). God does not rest until he finds the sheep that was lost (Lk 15:5). So if God hopes, then no one should lose hope. For hope is the strength to keep moving forward. It is the power to press on towards the future and a changed life. It is the incentive to look to tomorrow, so that the love we have known, for all our failings, can show us a new path. In a word, hope is the proof, lying deep in our hearts, of the power of Gods mercy. That mercy invites us to keep looking ahead and to overcome our attachment to evil and sin through faith and abandonment in him.

On the eve of this Jubilee, rumours began according to which the pope was planning to ask for a pardon or an amnesty for certain categories of prisoners. In his homily, Francis makes no explicit appeal to this effect, but he did say, A Jubilee always brings with it a proclamation of freedom (Lev 25:39-46). Although It does not depend on me to grant this, he added, the Churchs duty, one she cannot renounce, is to awaken within you the desire for true freedom.

"True freedom" is also necessary for those on the outside of prison. Sometimes, a certain hypocrisy leads to people considering you only as wrongdoers, for whom prison is the sole answer. However, this way we forget that we are all sinners and often, without being aware of it, we too are prisoners. At times we are locked up within our own prejudices or enslaved to the idols of a false sense of wellbeing. At times we get stuck in our own ideologies or absolutize the laws of the market even as they crush other people. At such times, we imprison ourselves behind the walls of individualism and self-sufficiency, deprived of the truth that sets us free. Pointing the finger against someone who has made mistakes cannot become an alibi for concealing our own contradictions.

We know that in Gods eyes no one can consider himself just (cf. Rom 2:1-11). But no one can live without the certainty of finding forgiveness! The repentant thief, crucified at Jesus side, accompanied him into paradise (cf. Lk 23:43). So may none of you allow yourselves to be held captive by the past! True enough, even if we wanted to, we can never rewrite the past. But the history that starts today, and looks to the future, has yet to be written, by the grace of God and your personal responsibility. By learning from past mistakes, you can open a new chapter of your lives. Let us never yield to the temptation of thinking that we cannot be forgiven. Whatever our hearts may accuse us of, small or great, God is greater than our hearts (1 Jn 3:20). We need but entrust ourselves to his mercy.

Francis also stressed that faith too allows the experience of forgiveness. [T]here are some wounds that only Gods power, his mercy, can heal. But when violence is met with forgiveness, even the hearts of those who have done wrong can be conquered by the love that triumphs over every form of evil. In this way, among the victims and among those who wronged them, God raises up true witnesses and workers of mercy.

Finally, the Holy Father turned to the statue of the Madonna exposed on the altar of confession, which depicts the Mother and the Child holding a broken chain. Today we venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary in this statue, which represents her as a Mother who holds Jesus in her arms, together with a broken chain; it is the chain of slavery and imprisonment. May Our Lady look upon each of you with a Mothers love. May she intercede for you, so that your hearts can experience the power of hope for a new life, one worthy of being lived in complete freedom and in service to your neighbour.
By Rachel Nowak, Director, The Brain Dialogue, ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University

Shutterstock OH studio image gallery

In the comfort of their own home, an unknown number of people are electrically stimulating their brains.

People are doing it because they believe it can boost mental agility, help with disorders such as depression, or just for the pleasure of exploring a scientific frontier outside the constraints of professional science.

And apparently some computer gamers are doing it because they think it can improve their performance.

But home brain stimulation is opposed by most neuroscientists on safety grounds. That has helped create a knowledge vacuum that leaves brain stimulation enthusiasts piecing together information on which devices to purchase, and how to use them, from whatever online sources they can find, most often from other home users.

Its the Wild West of neuroscience. And that needs to change.

Methods of stimulation

Whether home users get the brain boost they seek is unclear. One technique, TMS or transcranial magnetic stimulation, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for clinical treatment of migrane headaches and severe depression. Large trials are also planned for autism, schizophrenia and stroke.

But the jury is out on the go-to technique for home use which is tDCS, or transcranial direct-current stimulation. Lab tests suggest that tDCS changes language and maths abilities, attention, video gaming ability (part of its popular appeal) and other cognitive skills, but more evidence is needed to be sure.

And heres the rub. If electrical stimulation does boost brain function, it can also harm it. Thats why brain researchers are careful to limit risk by being conservative about how long and how often they stimulate someones brain. Home users wont be so cautious, especially without access to information.

The research communitys response to home use is to draw attention in carefully-couched terms to its dangers, still largely unknown but generally considered likely to be slight, such as in this open letter in the Annals of Neurology.

Or researchers reaction is to ask for more regulation.

Regulations

Consumer brain stimulation devices, which can be legally purchased online, are already regulated by the general consumer rules set out by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and in the US by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

But overzealous regulation has the potential to do harm as well as prevent it. It could, for example, slow the development of these devices to treat mental health disorders, an area in which there is a pressing need for effective therapies and where brain stimulation shows much promise.

The consumer market for brain stimulation devices provides an opportunity to optimise design. John Reppas, director of public policy at the Neurotechnology Industry Association, told the US Food and Drug Administration meeting Noninvasive Neurostimulation Devices and Cognitive Function last year:

It [may also] allows an eventual next-generation medical grade product to be developed and financed a lot more quickly []

Then theres the case for personal autonomy. Allowing adults to learn more about their own bodies and brains, even to alter their function, is not necessarily bad. We allow adults to change body and brain function with caffeine, alcohol, exercise, and learning. Is the use of electrical brain stimulation devices different?

Talk to the users

We suggest a more pragmatic approach to harm reduction. Dont stop with just a warning to home users, or calls for greater regulation.

Why not also work with home users to understand what drives them, to test the devices they use, and fill the information void with scientist-sanctioned safety guidelines and easily-accessible translations of new findings. These would include the limitations and side-effects.

Nick Davis, a neuroscientist at Manchester Metropolitan University, goes further to suggest harnessing this pool of creative and engaged self-experimenters [to] shape and inform the future uses of tDCS.

Health agencies could also step in with a similar approach to that taken to stem cell tourism, in which people with life-limiting illnesses travel overseas for what are often unproven therapies.

Stem cell tourism and lounge room brain stimulation share similarities. In both cases, users have moved a new technology out of the lab before the evidence is in.

Both technologies promise game-changing treatments for intractable health problems, firing a scientific optimism that has gushed into public consciousness, driving demand for an under-developed technology.

When first faced with stem cell tourism, scientists tended to protest its foolishness. But after listening more carefully to the tourists to understand what was driving them (in a nutshell, no other options), some changed tack.

They brought together stem cell scientists, people who wanted the technology in its unbaked state, and those who wanted it developed and approved first. They talked through issues of safety, evidence, autonomy and hope.

Their efforts culminated in advice from various bodies, including the National Health and Medical Research Council providing information, to assist people contemplating stem cell tourism. Why not a similar approach to the lounge room use of brain stimulation devices?

Brain stimulation is cheap, accessible and potentially of interest to anyone who ever wished they could think faster, or at least better than their colleagues, their ageing self, their class mates or their competitors.

Nobody knows how many people currently home use, or who they are. Recreational gamers are clearly not the whole story. We know of people who home use in attempts to treat age-related cognitive decline and severe, uncontrolled mental disorders.

What we do know is that if the brain stimulation makes good on its early promise those numbers will surely grow, never mind how many cautious warnings and calls for greater regulation are issued.

Peter Simpson-Young, who is a masters student of health technology innovation at University of Sydney, was a co-author on this article. He has used brain stimulation at home.

Rachel Nowak is director of The Brain Dialogue, an initiative of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function. She is also principal at Rachel Nowak and Associates, a consultancy working to connect universities, industry, and society.

Originally published in The Conversation.
I have currently lodged a 485 visa application, however I am on an ETA. I have been granted a bridging visa however not in effect until my ETA finishes. Is there a way to speed up this process? I have signed a prospective contract with a company, and cannot afford to live in Sydney without working!



Please Help. How can I speed up the Bridging visa process?
Hi all,



I am currently waiting to apply for my PR after my student visa expires here in Australia. I will be applying from Australia within. I have got the Certificate of Good Conduct from Dubai (or the Police Clearance Certificate as they call it), but the Border website that links UAE says additional requirements such as getting fingerprints and sending it to the embassy.



Has anyone needed to get these additional requirements in addition with the police clearance certificate if you are applying in Australia? Or am I reading this all wrong and all that I need is the police clearance certificate?



Thanks in advance!
mordecai said: My visa expires on April 2017. What does this mean exactly? Does this mean that I stop being a Permanent Resident? Click to expand...

After the visa expires in April, you cannot use that visa to travel into Australia again. You need to find another option.Most people get an RRV for travel after the first 5 years. You may need advice on getting that, as you haven't spent long in Australia.
AVwebs General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine and is published twice a month. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause in the NTSBs web site at www.ntsb.org. Final reports appear about a year after the accident, although some take longer. Find out more about Aviation Safety at www.aviationsafetymagazine.com.

August 1, 2016, Spanish Fork, UT

Beech C99 Airliner

At about 1840 Mountain time, the airplane sustained substantial damage following a collision with an object while being operated as a scheduled FAR 135 cargo flight. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions were reported.

The pilot later related he was in cruise climb at about 8500 feet msl when he noticed something in his peripheral vision, then felt a thud as something struck the airplane. There was no loss of control or abnormal control feel, so he continued the flight and landed uneventfully. Upon landing, about 12 inches of the airplanes vertical stabilizer was missing; there also was substantial damage to the rudder. Initial examination showed no evidence of organic material. A detailed examination by the NTSB is pending.

August 2, 2016, Destin, FL

Cessna 414A Chancellor

The airplane descended into the Gulf of Mexico at about 2025 Central time, shortly after takeoff. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Night visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan was active.

A pilot-rated witness observed the airplane early in its takeoff at between 50 and 100 feet agl with its landing gear retracted. Other witnesses noted the airplane flew over a building adjacent to them at an estimated 150 feet agl. The airplane continued over the Gulf of Mexico, and then banked sharply right, with one witness describing the wings being nearly vertical. The airplane appeared to roll wings level, before it began descending and impacted the water.

August 2, 2016, Flagstaff, AZ

Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II

At about 2122 Mountain time, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain shortly after takeoff. The solo airline transport pilot received fatal injuries. Night visual conditions prevailed.

At 2119:44, the pilot told ATC he was off two one and climbing to eleven thousand five hundred. At 2120:17, ATC advised it had radar contact. At 21:22:57, ATC initially advised that radar contact had been lost, then made repeated, unanswered calls to the flight. Radar returns indicated the airplane climbed at about 1000 fpm for about 60 seconds; then the climb rate dropped to and remained at about 400 fpm for another minute. The airplane reached a maximum radar altitude of 8400 feet msl, then descended to ground impact during the next 20 seconds. Field elevation at the departure airport is 7014 feet.

Evidence indicates the airplane hit terrain at high speed and power settings. According to the NTSB, the 76-year-old pilot held multiple certificates and ratings, and reported 11,858 total hours on a second-class medical certificate application in March 2016. The 2157 weather observation included winds from 240 degrees at three knots, visibility 10 sm and a broken ceiling at 11,000 feet.

August 3, 2016, Fond du Lac, WI

Sonex Waiex

The airplane impacted terrain at about 1155 Central time, following a partial loss of engine power. Both the private pilot and flight instructor were seriously injured; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed.

According to preliminary information, the pilots were performing touch-and-go landings. Shortly after a takeoff, the pilots reported a loss of engine power. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with a transmission line and impacted terrain. An inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

August 4, 2016, Russellville, OH

Cessna 150L

At 2009 Eastern time, the airplane was force-landed in a soybean field after the engine lost power. One pilot sustained a minor injury; the other pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed.

According to the pilots, the airplane was descending for landing when they heard a loud bang and the engine lost power. Unable to maintain altitude, they made a forced landing in a soybean field, struck a ditch and nosed over. Examination revealed the Number 2 cylinder had separated between the flange and the head.

August 5, 2016, Wasilla, AK

Cessna 210-5/de Havilland DHC-2T

The two airplanes collided in mid-air while landing. Both aboard the Cessnaa flight instructor and a pilot receiving instructionsustained minor injuries. The commercial pilot of the de Havilland DHC-2T Turbine Beaver and its sole passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The de Havilland DHC-2T pilot subsequently told investigators he was conducting a long straight-in final to land. While on final approach, at about 20 feet above the runway, the Cessna overtook the de Havilland from directly above, impacting the propeller. Following the impact with the Cessna, he continued the approach and landed.

The Cessna sustained substantial damage to its empennage and fuselage, while the de Havilland sustained substantial damage to its right wing. The pilots of both airplanes stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframes or engines.

August 5, 2016, Waco, TX

Cessna P210N Pressurized Centurion

At about 1700 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its landing gear collapsed during landing. The pilot and four passengers aboard were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed; the flight was operated IFR.

While in cruise flight, the pilot reported an electrical system problem and elected to divert. After receiving an initial vector from ATC, the airplane lost all electrical power. According to the NTSB, the pilot then successfully lowered wing flaps and landing gear, followed by an uneventful approach. After touching down, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane departed the left side of the runway before coming to rest.

August 6, 2016, Burns Flat, OK

Bugatti-DeMonge 100P Experimental

The experimental amateur-built airplane impacted terrain during takeoff at about 0820 Central time. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed during the impact and post-impact fire. Visual conditions prevailed.

At least one witness reported the airplane lifted off and began climbing. During the climbout, the airplane banked to the right and then to the left. The airplanes left bank steepened; it descended nose-first and subsequently impacted terrain inverted. At 0753, recorded weather included winds from 040 degrees at nine knots and 10 sm of visibility under clear skies.

The airplane came to rest about 1900 feet and 335 degrees from the departure runways threshold, on a 330-degree heading. Much of the airframe was consumed by fire. The rudder cables were traced to the their respective pedals, but control continuity for the elevators and ailerons could not be established. No pre-impact anomalies with the drivetrain or engines were observed.

August 6, 2016, Cardington, OH

Cessna 180

At about 1515 Eastern time, the airplane impacted a building. The commercial pilot received minor injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed.

The pilot was planning to land to the east on a private grass runway. After noticing people on the ground, he maneuvered to land in the opposite direction. The airplane touched down with its flaps fully extended, floated and then drifted right, so he decided to go around. He advanced the throttle to full forward and the engine gauges appeared normal, but the airplane felt anemic and climbed slowly. The next thing he remembered was seeing the building in his windscreen.

The airplane impacted a small pole barn just past the end of the runway. The pilot exited the airplane before a post-crash fire engulfed it. The pilot reported the engine had accumulated about two operating hours since a top overhaul. Visual inspection of the engine did not note any obvious discrepancies. The FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated the airplane was operating in an area associated with a serious risk of carburetor ice formation at glide power settings.

This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue ofAviation Safetymagazine.
6 November 2016 10:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 23 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported on November 6.

The Azerbaijani army positions also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Armenian-occupied Bash Garvand village of Aghdam district, Gorgan, Garakhanbayli villages of the Fuzuli district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy, Tartar, Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

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6 November 2016 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Yerevans attempt to rename the fictitious regime in the Armenia-occupied lands of Azerbaijan to the Artsakh Republic under the fictitious process of constitutional change is yet another policy by Yerevan to deceive the international community and the OSCE Minsk Groups co-chairs, says Hikmat Hajiyev, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Speaking to Trend Nov. 5, Hajiyev said that after the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents' meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg, Armenia was expected to take constructive and concrete steps, but with such provocative actions, Yerevan is pursuing a policy aimed to inflict harm to the negotiations held for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

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6 November 2016 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

A member of Azerbaijan`s parliament from the New Azerbaijan Party Sahiba Gafarova has reiterated the importance of ensuring the withdrawal of the Armenian military from Azerbaijan`s occupied territories, Azertac reported.

The Armenian armed forces must withdraw from Azerbaijan`s occupied lands, and refugees and IDPs must return to their homelands, said Gafarova, who is also a member of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and chairperson of PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, as she addressed an international conference entitled Problem of refugees and migrants, co-organized by the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and Turkey`s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul. She said official Yerevan refuses to fulfill resolutions of the UN and other international organizations demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied lands. Over million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs have been unable to return to their homelands for more than 20 years.

She said: The Armenian government is deliberately resettling Armenian citizens as well as refugees from other conflict-affected countries in the Azerbaijani lands, especially in Nagorno-Karabakh. The international community and international organizations must not turn a blind eye to this dirty policy, which runs contrary to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

MP from the New Azerbaijan Party Malahat Ibrahimqizi also attends the event.

The New Azerbaijan Party is a member of the ICAPP Standing Committee.

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6 November 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani Ambassador in Tehran Bunyad Huseynov has met with Managing Director of IRNA News Agency Mohammad Khodadi to discuss relations between media organizations of the two countries.

Huseynov stressed the importance of developing relations between Azerbaijani and Iranian media outlets, saying this will contribute to strengthening ties between the two countries` nations.

They discussed opportunities for organizing joint exhibitions and training sessions.

Mohammad Khodadi hailed the 5th Baku International Humanitarian Forum, which he attended in the Azerbaijani capital on September 29-30. He said that during his visit he held meetings with management of AZERTAC and Trend news agencies and the Press Council.

Khodadi highlighted the activity of IRNA. He said the agency produces news in seven languages, revealing plans to launch services in four more languages.

Ambassador Huseynov provided an insight into the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He hailed relations between Iran and Azerbaijan. The IRNA chief said the two countries enjoyed common history, culture and literature.

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6 November 2016 11:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A report by the Turkmen General Prosecutor's Office, which has revealed some flaws committed in the fuel and energy sector of the country, was heard at an enlarged meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan reported on November 5.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov severely reprimanded Chairman of Turkmen Oil State Concern Tachdurdy Begjanov and Director General of the Turkmenbashi Oil Refineries Complex Batyr Alymov for the unsatisfactory execution of duties and shortcomings in the work, according to the information.

The Turkmen leader focused on the tasks of the fuel and energy complex regarding the industrialization of regions, increasing the volumes of competitive products, which are in demand on global markets.

Turkmenistan plans to increase capacities of the oil refining industry to 20 million tons of oil by 2020, to 22 million tons in 2025 and to 30 million tons in 2030.

In accordance with the program of development of the oil and gas industry of Turkmenistan, it is planned to increase gas production to 230 billion cubic meters by 2030, most part of which is intended for export.

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6 November 2016 14:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Irans deputy Minister of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare Mohammad Amin Sazegarnejad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with obert Urazov, general director of Worldskills Russia Union on vocational training.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of Sazgarnejads visit to Moscow, Mehr news agency reported on November 5.

Sazegarnejad, who heads Irans Technical and Vocational Training Organization, said that Iran and Russia can launch constructive cooperation and exchange experience in the context of the vocational training.

The deal envisages holding scientific seminars, workshops and exchanging experts to boost mutual cooperation.

Submitting standards, providing training resources and equipment as well as updating the knowledge of the parties through organizing research tours, joint workshops and courses are also among the MoUs provisions.

Following the removal of international sanctions last January Iran has signed similar deals with other countries including Germany and Ireland.

Under a deal which was signed between Irans Technical and Vocational Training Organization and Germanys Education and Researches Ministry last month, the two sides are to hold a workshop in Tehran in December.

The workshop aims to strengthen mutual understanding of Iran and Germany technical and vocational and educational system.

line of the event.

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6 November 2016 16:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

At least 39 people were killed in suicide bomber attacks in Iraq's cities of Tikrit and Samarra and 40 were injured, Sputnik reported.

After the tragedy, a curfew was placed in the area.

12:49 (GMT +4) Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials said, Reuters reported.

The twin attacks took place in Tikrit and Samarra, as Iraqi troops and security forces battled to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years.

They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists, who have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign.

In Tikrit, a bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance at the southern entrance to the city during the morning rush hour, killing 13 people, police and hospital sources said.

Another attacker detonated a vehicle in a car park for pilgrims visiting one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines, al-Askari mosque in Samarra, south of Tikrit.

The bomb killed at least eight people, local officials said, including two Iranian pilgrims. The local operation command, a joint military and police unit, said the vehicle used in Samarra was also an ambulance.

Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks.

11:57 (GMT +4) A suicide attacker detonated an ambulance packed with explosives in Tikrit on Sunday, killing nine people at the southern entrance to the city, police and hospital sources said, Reuters reported.

The bomber struck during the busy morning rush hour. Authorities declared a curfew in the city, saying they had information that further attacks were possible.

In Samarra, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Tikrit, two people were killed when a suicide car bomber struck a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims visiting the city's al-Askari mosque, sources said.

---

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Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Mostly sunny skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. High 73F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy. Periods of rain early. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. ANNE BRYANT, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, SCREEN ACTORS GUILD-AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (SAG), Defendants-Appellees. No. 15-4082-cv Decided: November 04, 2016

PRESENT: ROBERT D. SACK, REENA RAGGI, DENNY CHIN, Circuit Judges. APPEARING FOR APPELLANT: ANNE BRYANT, pro se, Stony Point, New York. APPELLEE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA: Jennifer P. Garner, American Federation of Musicians, New York, New York; Harvey S. Mars, Law Office of Harvey S. Mars, New York, New York. APPEARING FOR APPELLEE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD-AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (SAG): JOSEPH VITALE, Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP, New York, New York.

UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment entered on November 19, 2015 is AFFIRMED.

Plaintiff Anne Bryant appeals pro se from (1) the denial of her motion for pre-suit discovery from her union representatives, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG), see Fed. R. Civ. P. 27; and (2) the dismissal of her breach-of-fiduciary-duty claim against AFM and SAGwhich the district court construed as claiming a breach of the duty of fair representationfor failure to state a claim or to comply with the applicable statute of limitations, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). We assume the parties' familiarity with the facts and record of prior proceedings, which we reference only as necessary to explain our decision to affirm.

1. Pre-Suit Discovery

Bryant's argument that her pre-suit discovery motion should have been evaluated under N.Y. C.P.L.R.  3102(c)not Fed. R. Civ. P. 27fails for the reason stated by the district court: federal rules of procedure apply to actions in federal court. See, e.g., Mihalik v. Credit Agricole Cheuvreux N. Am., Inc., 715 F.3d 102, 11112 (2d Cir. 2013).

We review the denial of a Fed. R. Civ. P. 27 application for pre-suit discovery for abuse of discretion. See Mosseller v. United States, 158 F.2d 380, 382 (2d Cir. 1946); accord Application of Deiulemar Compagnia Di Navigazione S.p.A. v. M/V Allegra (Deiulemar Compagnia), 198 F.3d 473, 479 (4th Cir. 1999). We identify no such abuse here because, as the opinions of the district judge and magistrate judge demonstrate, Bryant failed to satisfy Rule 27's requirements. See Mosseller v. United States, 158 F.2d at 382; accord Deiulemar Compagnia, 198 F.3d at 48489; In re Petition of Allegretti, 229 F.R.D. 93, 9598 (S.D.N.Y. 2005) (stating that petitioners seeking discovery under Rule 27 must (1) furnish a focused explanation of what they anticipate any testimony would demonstrate; (2) establish in good faith that they expect to bring an action cognizable in federal court, but are presently unable to bring it or cause it to be brought; and (3) make an objective showing that without a Rule 27 hearing, known testimony would otherwise be lost, concealed, or destroyed).

Bryant failed to demonstrate the requisite need to perpetuate documents or inability presently [to] bring a federal action to which the documents pertain. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 27(a)(1); In re Petition of Allegretti, 229 F.R.D. at 96 (observing that Rule 27(a) cannot be used to discover evidence for the purpose of filing a complaint). Nor did she show that, absent pre-suit discovery, the contracts she seeks to obtain would be lost, concealed or destroyed. In re Petition of Allegretti, 229 F.R.D. at 96. Indeed, Bryant's contention is not that defendants have the recording contracts and may destroy them, but that defendants assert they no longer possess such documents at all. Further, Bryant has filed other actions relating to her royalty payments in which she could have sought discovery of the contracts at issue through non-party subpoenas or other conventional means. Accordingly, her pre-trial discovery challenge fails.

2. Breach of Duty of Fair Representation Claim

We review the dismissal of Bryant's complaint de novo, liberally construing her pro se pleadings as true and drawing all reasonable inferences in her favor. See Warren v. Colvin, 744 F.3d 841, 843 (2d Cir. 2014); Harris v. Mills, 572 F.3d 66, 71 (2d Cir. 2009). The district court reasonably interpreted Bryant's claim as alleging a breach of defendants' duty of fair representation under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 29 U.S.C.  151 et seq., to serve the interests of all members without hostility or discrimination toward any, to exercise its discretion with complete good faith and honesty, and to avoid arbitrary conduct. Vaca v. Sipes, 386 U.S. 171, 177 (1967); see Fowlkes v. Ironworkers Local 40, 790 F.3d 378, 38789 (2d Cir. 2015). The district court concluded that Bryant failed to file within six months of learning of the alleged breach of duty, as required by the Act. See Kalyanaram v. Am. Ass'n of Univ. Professors at N.Y. Inst. of Tech., Inc., 742 F.3d 42, 46 (2d Cir. 2014) ([T]he limitations period for filing [a duty of fair representation] claim in the district court is borrowed from section 10(b) of the NLRA, 29 U.S.C.  160(b), which provides for a six-month limitations period.). Because we agree that Bryant's claim is untimely, we need not decide if it also fails to state a federal claim.

In challenging the untimeliness conclusion, Bryant asserts that the district court should have construed her claim as one arising under state law. See generally IDT Corp. v. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., 12 N.Y.3d 132, 139, 879 N.Y.S.2d 355, 359 (2009) (noting that New York state-law claims for breach of fiduciary duty are subject to a three-year limitations period if the relief is monetary, and six years if equitable). Bryant, however, pleaded no facts to support a state-law claim that defendants had a fiduciary duty to retain her contracts. Indeed, before the district court, Bryant described her claim as one implicating federal collective-bargaining standards and invoked the duty of fair representation. See Pl.'s Opp'n to Defs.' Mots. to Dismiss, D. Ct. Dkt. No. 23, at 611.

Accordingly, the district court did not err in construing Bryant's claim as one asserting a federal unfair-representation claim barred by the six-month statute of limitations, and in concluding that amendment of the complaint was therefore futile. See Grace v. Rosenstock, 228 F.3d 40, 53 (2d Cir. 2000).

We have considered all of Bryant's remaining arguments and find them to be without merit. Accordingly, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. ISMAEL ALFREDO VELASQUEZ, Defendant - Appellant. No. 14-10541 Decided: November 04, 2016

Before: CALLAHAN and HURWITZ, Circuit Judges, and MOLLOY,** District Judge.

MEMORANDUM *

A jury found Ismael Alfredo Velasquez guilty of conspiracy to possess one kilogram or more of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to import heroin, and importation of heroin. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 120 months imprisonment and 60 months supervised release. On appeal, Velasquez claims that (1) the government improperly vouched for one of its witnesses, Alpana Prasad, resulting in plain error; (2) the district court abused its discretion by denying his request to present a duress defense and his request for a duress jury instruction; (3) the district court abused its discretion during trial by allowing the government to elicit testimony that Velasquez was on parole; (4) the district court committed plain error by admitting text messages into evidence as co-conspirator statements; (5) the cumulative error doctrine requires reversal; and (6) the evidence presented was insufficient to support the jury's verdicts.

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  1291, and we affirm. The facts are familiar to the parties and are restated here only as necessary to resolve the legal issues of the appeal.

1. Because Velasquez did not object at trial, his claim of improper vouching is reviewed for plain error, United States v. Necoechea, 986 F.2d 1273, 1276 (9th Cir. 1993), which requires that Velasquez demonstrate both that the error was plain and that it substantially affected his rights, United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 73235 (1993). The government concedes that the prosecutor impermissibly vouched for the government's witness, Alpana Prasad, by eliciting testimony on direct examination about the truth-telling provision in her plea agreement. However, the impact of the improper vouching was mitigated by a curative instruction, the weight of evidence in the case, and the lack of personal opinion offered by the prosecutor. The improper vouching thus did not substantially affect Velasquez's fundamental rights given all the proof in the case. Consequently, reversal is not required. Necoechea, 986 F.2d at 127679.

2. The district court properly denied Velasquez's request for a duress defense and jury instruction because Velasquez did not present a prima facie case of duress. United States v. Ibarra-Pino, 657 F.3d 1000, 1004 (9th Cir. 2011). Velasquez had a reasonable opportunity to escape the alleged threatened harm when he was speaking with Border Patrol agents and separated from his co-conspirator, Rodrigo (Rico) Velasquez. See id.

3. The district court did not abuse its discretion by permitting the government in its case-in-chief to elicit testimony that Velasquez was on parole. Although Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) generally excludes evidence of prior bad acts, Velasquez's parole status was relevant to show his reason for fleeing, informed the jury of a coherent story regarding the commission of the crime, and was not so prejudicial as to require exclusion under Federal Rule of Evidence 403. United States v. Vizcarra-Martinez, 66 F.3d 1006, 101213 (9th Cir. 1995).

4. There was no plain error in admitting text messages between the co-conspirators under Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2)(E). Pursuant to Rule 801(d)(2)(E), a co-conspirator's statement is admissible against the defendant if the government shows by a preponderance of the evidence that a conspiracy existed at the time the statement was made; the defendant had knowledge of, and participated in, the conspiracy; and the statement was made in furtherance of the conspiracy. United States v. Bowman, 215 F.3d 951, 960 (9th Cir. 2000). The text exchanges in question evidenced the existence of a conspiracy, indicated Velasquez had knowledge of the conspiracy, and were corroborated by other evidence, including photos, videos, and border crossing records. Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 181 (1987); United States v. Gordon, 844 F.2d 1397, 1402 (9th Cir. 1988) (requiring some evidence of the conspiracy in addition to the proffered statements). Because [t]he requirements for admission of a co-conspirator's statement under [Rule] 801(d)(2)(E) are identical to the requirements of the Confrontation Clause, United States v. Bridgeforth, 441 F.3d 864, 86869 (9th Cir. 2006), Velasquez's Sixth Amendment challenge is also unavailing.

5. Although individual errors looked at separately may not rise to the level of reversible error, their cumulative effect may nevertheless be so prejudicial as to require reversal. Necoechea, 986 F.2d at 1282. Here, however, there is no cumulative error.

6. Finally, the evidence supported the jury's verdict. We must consider the evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to the prosecution and may not usurp the role of the finder of fact by considering how it would have resolved the conflicts, made the inferences, or considered the evidence at trial. United States v. Nevils, 598 F.3d 1158, 1164 (9th Cir. 2010) (citing Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 31819 (1979)). Here, the evidence presented at trial when viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution established the existence of a conspiracy and Velasquez's knowing participation. Alpana testified she thought the group was carrying drugs. There was heroin in the vehicle. The digital record (including texts, photos, and border records) of the group's trip into Mexico also supported the existence of a conspiracy. The evidence also proved Velasquez's participation in a joint venture to possess a controlled substance, all of which is sufficient to support his possession convictions. United States v. Hernandez, 876 F.2d 774, 778 (9th Cir. 1989).

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
Big New Additions Coming to Two Oregon Coast Towns

Published 11/06/2016 at 4:01 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Tillamook County, Oregon)  Look for some big additions to both luxury and culinary fun on the Oregon coast, with next year bringing a new spa to Pacific City and a new visitors center at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. (Above: the new spa coming to Pacific City.)

In the summer of 2017, the Oregon coast will have a brand new spa  and lodging. Pacific City will soon break ground on the Kiwanda Lodge & Spa at Pacific City. The Kiwanda Lodge concept responds to a gap in the market for a luxury oceanfront experience that presents outdoor recreational opportunities for the next generation traveler.

The resort comes from the minds of Jeff Schons and Mary Jones, who helm the Nestucca Ridge company, which owns and operates the Inn at Cape Kiwanda, Cottages at Cape Kiwanda, Open Nest Vacation Rentals and the award-winning Pelican Brewing Company. Off the beaten path on a relatively undiscovered stretch of the majestic Oregon coast, Kiwanda Lodge & Spa will feature 33 luxury oceanfront suites, a premier fitness spa, and a unique restaurant featuring contemporary Northwest cuisine, wine, beer and spirits.

For all the character found in so many Oregon coast towns, there is no luxury hotel that embraces the unique Oregon outdoor culture and encourages guests to immerse themselves in all the natural surroundings and recreational experiences we have to offer, said Jones. Well offer an unexpected, undiscovered retreat created with active travelers and families in mind.

Nan Devlin, director for the tourism group Visit Tillamook Coast, said the new property will fill a void in the hospitality options of this part of the north Oregon coast. She said the agency frequently gets requests for spa facilities that are all-encompassing like this. Now for those seeking luxury spa treatments, a fitness regimen, or scintillating workout, there is one on the oceanfront.

Nearby, in Tillamook, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) has announced that it will undertake a significant project over the next two years that will completely redesign and rebuild the Visitors Center at the Tillamook Cheese Factory  a hugely popular Oregon coast attraction. The TCCA said the new facility will offer a significantly enhanced experience for visitors.

The project will require the current Visitors Center portion of the Tillamook Cheese Factory to be torn down and replaced 38,500 square-foot facility. The number of visitors who make the trek to the Tillamook Cheese Factory has grown significantly over the years, and currently more than 1.3 million people visit each year; as many as 10,000 per day. The new Visitors Center will be a larger space that will enable TCCA to better accommodate this growing number of guests and welcome even more visitors, providing the most comfortable, enjoyable experience possible.

Among the new features will be a larger cafe, new menu, enhanced ice cream counter and coffee counter, a larger retail area and a better viewing experience of those who have come to watch the cheese-making process. There will even be a small theater and a small event room that will be rented out.

The existing Visitors Center at the Tillamook Cheese Factory will close completely starting in the spring of 2017 and until the new Visitors Center is complete in the summer of 2018. However, during this time, TCCA plans to open a temporary Visitors Center experience on an adjacent section their property to provide visiting guests a great Tillamook experience during the interim. Pacific City Hotels, Lodging in this area - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours

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Trade between the UK and Colombia could be even stronger after Brexit, the country's president has said.

Juan Manuel Santos suggested negotiating outside of the European Union may strengthen arrangements because striking a deal that was acceptable to all members of the bloc meant making compromises.

After meeting Theresa May for talks in No 10 earlier this week, the Colombian premier said the country, along with Chile, Peru and Mexico - the Pacific Alliance free trade bloc - represented ''a huge opportunity for British business'' and they " stand ready" to pursue new opportunities.

Quitting the bloc could lead to greater trade with the emerging markets, he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show.

He said: "Well, we have a free trade agreement with Europe and therefore at this moment with the UK. And what I said to Prime Minister May is, 'Listen, we are ready to simply have a free trade agreement with the UK and have the same conditions or even improved', because many times in free trade agreements with a group of countries some countries object to some issues and maybe we can even go further."

Asked if that meant trading arrangements could be better outside the EU, he said: "It could be, yes."

He added that no negotiations could take place until the UK had clarified its negotiating position regarding its eventual economic relationship to the European Union.
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I have known Joe Smith for 50 years. I am a worship leader with a band called The Worship Project Band and owner of a local construction company. I have been privileged to be in ministry with Joe.

I have been around Joe for a long time and can say that he is a born leader. Joe is definitely the man for the commissioner position in District 3.

I have never in my life been around anyone that cares about people like Joe. When I say "care about people" Joe cares about people for the long term. I have been privileged to travel to several countries in a ministry position with Joe and can attest to his strong love for others. Joe never has his own interest at heart he is always listening and helping to make life easier for others.

A vote for Joe is a vote for District 3 to really look out for the people and not just politics as usual.

David Thornburg

* * *

I have know Joe Smith for several years. Being able to work with Joe has been more than a privilege. Watching Joe be a part of a community and work with all sources around him is pretty amazing to be around.

Joe is for sure going to put others first! If you happen to be undecided about this vote may I encourage you to check Joe out and support him and vote for someone who is in for us.

Cynthia Thornburg
Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fire on Mowbray Mountain photo by David Dean Fires on Lookout Mountain photo by Kris Bridger North Chickamauga Gulf Fire photo by April Eidson From Mowbray looking at Signal photo by April Eidson Scene shot from Veterans' Park, Soddy Daisy photo by Jim Ashley Forestry Staging Area at North Chicamauaga Creek photo by April Eidson Forestry Staging Area at North Chicamauaga Creek photo by April Eidson Forestry Staging Area at North Chicamauaga Creek photo by April Eidson Forestry Staging Area at North Chicamauaga Creek photo by April Eidson photo by Jayke Hawkins, Waldens Ridge Emergency Services photo by Jayke Hawkins, Waldens Ridge Emergency Services photo by Jayke Hawkins, Waldens Ridge Emergency Services Helicopter getting water to fight Signal Mountain fire photo by Amy Brown Previous Next

The Tennessee Forestry Division, Georgia Forestry Commission, and fire personnel have been attending woods fires all afternoon and into the evening.

The first woods fire was reported around noon located on Hotwater Road (Mowbray Mountain). Tennessee Forestry Division personnel and fire personnel from Mowbray VFD, Sequoyah VFD, Sale Creek VFD, Soddy Daisy FD, Dallas Bay VFD and Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue responded to the scene.

At 6 p.m., the Tn. Forestry Division reported 10 acres were burning but were contained within the fire breaks, with no structure endangerment. Forestry personnel will continue to monitor this fire throughout the next few days.



Forestry personnel wanted to reassure motorists, who are seeing the fire glow on the side of Mowbray Mountain, the woods fire is under control and will continue to burn for the next several days. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.



At 3:30 p.m., another woods fire was reported at 2214 Littlebend Road on Signal Mountain.

Tennessee Forestry Division and Walden's Ridge Emergency Services responded to the scene.

The Tennessee Forestry Division Was reporting on Sunday the Flipper Bend woods fire had 65 acres burning.

TN Forestry and TN State Parks continued to cut fire breaks to contain the fire within the breaks.



TN Forestry confirmed that they had completed/connected the fire break line at the top of Flipper Bend, Signal Mountain.



A helicopter from Air National Guard made several water drops over the large woods fire.



By dusk, a plane from US Forestry Service will drop Fire Retardant over the area that is not under control. There was no structure endangerment. Officials reminded the citizens of Hamilton County, these fires will burn for several days and will be monitored by TN Forestry personnel until the fires are out.
Eight years ago, when Bethany Thompson was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer, doctors used radiation to successfully shrink away the tumor, but the treatments side effect was damage to a nerve in the left side of her face. When the little girl smiled, it was only on one side. So in the eight years since she was described as a miracle, shes had a different struggle  kids in the neighborhood and at school bully her.

Better put, they have bullied her because two weeks ago the downtrodden 11-year-old got off the school bus in Ohio, got a pistol from where her dad thought he had carefully hidden it, and ended her life  this less than ten years after all the miracles of science had saved it.

Do you dare try to imagine the turmoil of an 11-year-old who couldnt smile?

Last week I got three emails from people who believe their children are being bullied in area schools. I immediately turned them over to the proper school officials with a request to please let me know how I can help. Last year Hamilton Countys District Attorney General Neal Pinkston and Sheriff Jim Hammond conducted an investigation that proved our state and our community are a hotbed for hazing and bullying.

Bullying knows no economic, racial or age limits. It happen to both boys and girls, especially same sex, and while heavy steps are being made to curb it in our public and private schools, the No. 1 solution is for parents/guardians to recognize both the aggressors and the victims.

Dr. Med Meeker, a pediatrician in Michigan who authored, 12 Principals of Raising Great Kids, just told NBC Today that there are a lot of ways kids can bully. "It doesn't happen just on the playground. It happens on the Internet. It happens in the bathroom. And, bullies are excellent at doing things when no one else is around to see."

"Even though we say, 'Make sure to tell somebody,' kids don't speak up easily. It usually has gone on for several months before parents find out." there are five identifiable signs a child may be mistreated by bullies:

1. UNWILLINGNESS TO GO TO SCHOOL  She says it isnt normal for a child to suddenly have headaches or stomachaches after being to school since August. Their body language is going to tell you they are miserable. But if you children are chatty and pretty happy, you are probably okay.

2. CHANGE IN DEMEANOR -- A change in a child's emotional behavior can signal a problem, Dr. Meeker wrote. Parents should observe their child's mood after school, paying attention to whether or not they come home in a cheerful mood. I really do think if you know your kids well, you read their facial expressions and you see what their demeanor is like. Are they having trouble going to sleep? Are they waking up in the night? Are they just not doing well overall? Their body language will tell you.

3. CHANGE IN SLEEP PATTERNS  They're worrying about getting picked on at school the next day, so they don't want to go to sleep," said the doctor, adding nightmares, refusing to get out of bed and restless sleep could be signs.

4. CHANGES IN GRADES --If a childs grades begin to slip, the doctor says fear could take the place of focus. This isn't just, 'Gee, I hate my math teacher,' warned Dr. Meeker. Its bigger than that."

5. CHANGES IN FRIENDS  It is normal for kids to have new friends from time-to-time, but not normal when suddenly they have few friends. Meeker says parents should watch out for signs that their child has no friends  complaining about eating lunch alone or remarking that friends they used to play with after school no longer want to come over. "What you worry about is kids coming home saying, 'Nobody likes me.' Bullies like to isolate their victims and cut them out of the pack."

Dr. Meeker said it is crucial to be proactive, notifying the school and the teachers but also talking to your children about what is acceptable as well as unacceptable behavior,

Annalise Guerra, a social worker at the University of Miami, wrote in last weeks Miami Herald, Bullying can take the form of physical abuse; verbal abuse, such as name calling and spreading rumors; or emotional abuse, such as intimidation or social exclusion. With the widespread use of the internet, it can occur through email, text messages and social networking sites.

The effects of bullying range from inflicting physical hurt to psychological distress. There are key signs that someone being bullied, including if your child: (Note the parallels with Dr. Meeker):

* -- Comes home with torn, missing or damaged clothing, books or belongings.

* -- Has unexplained bruises, cuts and scratches.

* -- Is hesitant or afraid to go to school, ride the bus or take part in school activities.

* -- Suffers from low self-esteem.

* -- Has difficulty sleeping.

* -- Has a loss of appetite.

* -- Suddenly performs poorly in school or has bad attendance.

* -- Shows signs of regressive behavior, such as bed-wetting or thumb-sucking in younger children and withdrawal from family and friends for older children.

* * *

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 3.2 million children are bullied in our schools every year. If you suspect a child is being abused  even if it isnt a member of your family -- call school authorities and, if that doesnt work, get in touch with local police. If that fails, send me an email because I promise I will find someone who can do something about it.

royexum@aol.com
Here is the latest jail booking report from Hamilton County:



BEVILLE, CHRISTOPHER BLAKE

424 GOLDEN OAKS DRIVE HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 25 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF LEGEND DRUGS W/O PRESCRIPTION

POSSESSION OF LEGEND DRUGS W/O PRESCRIPTION

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS

---

BIGOS, MICHAEL ANTHONY

7550 SAVANNAH DRIVE OOLTEWAH, 37363

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (BURGLARY OF AUTO)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (BURGLARY OF AUTO)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (BURGLARY OF AUTO)

---

BILLINGSLEY, DARLENE

12 N SEMINOLE DR CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 51 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

---

BROWN, JAROD MATTHEW

285 JUDGE AUSTIN ROAD SPARTA, 38583

Age at Arrest: 36 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSS.A FIREARM DURING COMMISSIION OR ATTEMPT TO CO

---

BRYANT, MELANIE LYNN

1415 AUGUST DRIVE HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 35 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $5

---

BULLOCH, ERNEST HAROLD

2111 WILSON STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 35 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

TAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCE

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS

---

CADORETTE, ZACHARY ANDREW

645 GRIFFIN ROAD LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, 30750

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT UNDER $500)

PASSING WORTHLESS CHECK(S)

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION

---

CALDWELL, NORMA LUKISHA

HOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 00000

Age at Arrest: 40 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

---

CANALES, DREMA SHAR

6434 NORTH US 27 LAFAYETTE, 30741

Age at Arrest: 27 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 500

FAILURE TO APPEAR

---

CARLTON, CHRISTOPHER BRUCE

HOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 37402

Age at Arrest: 31 years old

Arresting Agency: UTC

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING

---

CLEMONS, SAMUEL DALE

4601 SHAWHAN ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DISORDERLY CONDUCT)

---

CONFER, SHAWN MICHAEL

2603 FOREST ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 19 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE)

---

CRAW, AUQUINTUS LEBRONTA

2418 LEANN CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 24 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)

---

CUZZORT, TERRY LEE

3309 GLEASON CIR CHATTANOOGA, 37412

Age at Arrest: 62 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT OF PROPERTY

---

GAY, MARQUITA MONIQUE

2511 EAST 17TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

---

GLADDEN, APRIL MICHELLE

1111 LAURELWOOD DRIVE EAST RIDGE, 37412

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT OF PROPERTY

---

GRIFFIN, LAQUISHA M

1211 GROVE STREET APT.

C CHATTANOOGA, 37402Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaCHILD NEGLECTCHILD NEGLECTCHILD NEGLECT---HENDERSON, WARDELL D3904 MARIGOLD DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: UTCRESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH---HENDRIX, TALITHA LYNNE423 GUESS CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 52 years oldArresting Agency: Red BankDRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE---HILL, JAMES TABOR2220 VIOLETTE DRIVE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFUGITIVE (ARREST FOR CRIME IN ANOTHER STATE)---JONES, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM9516 OCOEE STREET OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 58 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEFAILURE TO MAINTAIN LANEDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE---JORDAN, HEATHER MICHELLE43 CINDERELLA DRIVE RINGGOLD, 307368210Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgePOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIADRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (POSSESSION OF---KELLY, WILLIAM MATTHEW831 PICKETT GULF ROAD HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyAGGRAVATED ASSAULT---KESSLER, ZACHERY LEE1412 INNISBROOK DRIVE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---LACKEY, DADRIAN LATRELL3929 MANOR RD APT 215 CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDOMESTIC ASSAULTFALSE REPORTSDISORDERLY CONDUCT---LAWRENCE, JACORY R5027 SHOWS LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: UTCPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCERESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH---LAWSON, JOSEPH DEWAYNE81 MARTIN LANE RINGGOLD, 30736Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeFAILURE TO APPEAR---LETSON, WILLIAM EDWARD1204 LAKEVIEW DRIVE ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY---LEVER, AMANDA JOANN289 CALLAHAN ROAD GRAYSVILLE, 37338Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---LEWIS, JOSEPH AUSTIN698 TRADITIONS DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Red BankDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCESIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANASPEEDING---LYNCH, DWAYNE LOUIS6011 ENTERPRISE ST MILLINGTON, 38053Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPUBLIC INTOXICATION---MARBURY, TERRENCIA ANTONIA901 SHALLOWFORD ROAD #213 CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE---MCREYNOLDS, PATRICIA ANN123 NORTH LOVELL AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 55 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 500---MEDULA, CHRISTOPHER ALAN6737 ARDIS LN HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 500---OGLES, CHRISTEL GAIL3414 CLAYTON AVENUE EXTENSION CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 42 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND---OLIVER, JAVARIS DARNELL1112 NORTH HAWTHORN ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEUNAUTHORIZED USE OF AUTOMOBILE (JOY RIDING)DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE---PARROTT, WESLEY ANSEL2124 GOLD POINT CIRCLE NORTH HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---PARSON, LISA MARIE3414 CLAYTON AVENUE EXTENSION CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 46 years oldArresting Agency:THEFT OF PROPERTY (UNDER 500)THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND---PATTERSON, KRISTI NICOLE2627 HIXSON PIKE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY+500THEFT OF PROPERTYCRIMINAL IMPERSONATIONPOSSESSION OF LEGEND DRUGS W/O PRESCRIPTION---RIDDLE, DAVID WAYNE1005 MAYNOLLA ST ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyAGGRAVATED ASSAULT/DOMESTIC---ROBERTS, DONALD DEWAYNE181 CROSS STEET ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 47 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---SIMMONS, ANTHONY COLE404 RED OAK DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Tenn Highway PatrolIMPLIED CONSENT LAW - DRIVERSDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE---SISSON, JONI MARIE1403 BUNKER HILL DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 40 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY---SPRALLS, SHANNON LEE3917 ZINNIA STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: UTCRESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH---THOMPSON, DALVIN DEVANTE2708 6TH AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPFAILURE TO APPEAR---TIMMONS, DARRELL DEWAYNE3905 CAMILLE DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 56 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $5FAILURE TO APPEAR---VANMETRE, HEATHER ELIZABETH8810 FOREST POND DRIVE HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 27 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEFAILURE TO MAINTAIN LANEDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE---WEBB, RHONDA ELAINEEASTLAND ROAD SPARTA, 38583Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

Here are the mug shots:

BEVILLE, CHRISTOPHER BLAKE

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 06/21/1991

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF LEGEND DRUGS W/O PRESCRIPTION

POSSESSION OF LEGEND DRUGS W/O PRESCRIPTION

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS BILLINGSLEY, DARLENE

Age at Arrest: 51

Date of Birth: 07/15/1962

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DISORDERLY CONDUCT BRANTLEY, JAMALL DEONTE

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 04/23/1990

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF

AGGRAVATED (DOMESTIC) ASSAULT BROWN, JAROD MATTHEW

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 08/05/1980

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSS.A FIREARM DURING COMMISSIION OR ATTEMPT TO CO BROWN, SAMUEL JOSEPH

Age at Arrest: 40

Date of Birth: 08/03/1976

Arresting Agency: Red Bank



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

ASSAULT (SIMPLE) BULLOCH, ERNEST HAROLD

Age at Arrest: 35

Date of Birth: 01/28/1981

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

TAMPERING WITH OR FABRICATING EVIDENCE

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS CADORETTE, ZACHARY ANDREW

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 04/17/1984

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT UNDER $500)

PASSING WORTHLESS CHECK(S)

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION CANALES, DREMA SHAR

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 06/25/1989

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 500

FAILURE TO APPEAR CLEMONS, SAMUEL DALE

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 04/21/1988

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CONFER, SHAWN MICHAEL

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 02/12/1997

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE)





CUZZORT, TERRY LEE

Age at Arrest: 62

Date of Birth: 08/02/1954

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY GAY, MARQUITA MONIQUE

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 03/22/1988

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT GLADDEN, APRIL MICHELLE

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 11/26/1983

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY GRIFFIN, LAQUISHA M

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 05/21/1983

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

CHILD NEGLECT

CHILD NEGLECT

CHILD NEGLECT HARMON, BRITTANI

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 12/24/1996

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OVER 1000 HENDERSON, WARDELL D

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 07/19/1997

Arresting Agency: UTC



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

RESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH HENDRIX, TALITHA LYNNE

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 02/16/1964

Arresting Agency: Red Bank



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE HILL, JAMES TABOR

Age at Arrest: 22

Date of Birth: 01/12/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

FUGITIVE (ARREST FOR CRIME IN ANOTHER STATE) JONES, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM

Age at Arrest: 58

Date of Birth: 06/06/1958

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN LANE

DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE JORDAN, HEATHER MICHELLE

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 12/19/1978

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (POSSESSION OF

KELLY, WILLIAM MATTHEW

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 04/12/1983

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT KESSLER, ZACHERY LEE

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 03/27/1996

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA LAWRENCE, JACORY R

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 04/02/1997

Arresting Agency: UTC



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

RESISTING STOP, FRIST, HALT, ARREST OR SEARCH LAWSON, JOSEPH DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 01/11/1981

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR LETSON, WILLIAM EDWARD

Age at Arrest: 29

Date of Birth: 11/14/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY LEVER, AMANDA JOANN

Age at Arrest: 29

Date of Birth: 10/30/1987

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

LEWIS, GLENN CHARLES

Age at Arrest: 56

Date of Birth: 10/03/1960

Arresting Agency: Tenn Highway Patrol



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE - SECOND OFFENSE

DRIVING ON REVOKED,FOR DUI

CHILD RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT LEWIS, JOSEPH AUSTIN

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 02/02/1993

Arresting Agency: Red Bank



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

SPEEDING LYNCH, DWAYNE LOUIS

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 04/18/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION MARBURY, TERRENCIA ANTONIA

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 12/29/1987

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

MCCUTCHEON, BRENDEN ROBERT

Age at Arrest: 49

Date of Birth: 01/18/1967

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION MCREYNOLDS, PATRICIA ANN

Age at Arrest: 55

Date of Birth: 07/03/1961

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 500 MORRISON, ASHLEY RENEE

Age at Arrest: 29

Date of Birth: 09/15/1987

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF OGLES, CHRISTEL GAIL

Age at Arrest: 42

Date of Birth: 03/02/1974

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND OLIVER, JAVARIS DARNELL

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 05/20/1985

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

UNAUTHORIZED USE OF AUTOMOBILE (JOY RIDING)

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE PARROTT, WESLEY ANSEL

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 08/23/1995

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE PARSON, LISA MARIE

Age at Arrest: 46

Date of Birth: 10/29/1970

Arresting Agency:



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (UNDER 500)

THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND PEDEN, BRIAN CRAIG

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 12/23/1984

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE - THIRD

FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY

DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

IMPLIED CONSENT LAW - DRIVERS

DUTY UPON STRIKING FIXTURES UPON A HIGHWAY RIDDLE, DAVID WAYNE

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 02/02/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT/DOMESTIC ROBERTS, DONALD DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 47

Date of Birth: 04/26/1969

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 11/05/2016

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)


Hello, my name is Esther Helton. My family moved to East Ridge in 1963 when I was two years old.

I graduated from East Ridge High School in 1980. I graduated from Chattanooga School of Practical Nursing in 1981. Ive held an active nursing license for 35 years. Ive worked as a dialysis nurse off and on for 32 years, along with raising my three children. I am now the proud grandmother of five.

I am a member of Graceworks Church. I am a member of the East Ridge Optimist Club. I am a member of the East Ridge High School Alumni Association.

As a nurse I gained the trust of my patients. I feel as though some citizens have lost trust in the city government and we need to regain that trust. I feel I can start the process with transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility and a willingness to listen to the citizens of East Ridge.

I am running for city council for these two main reasons. First, I am committed to community and the people who live here. Citizens are ready for fresh, positive, forward thinking leadership. I am that person. Second, I am dedicated to progress. I will be a huge advocate for development and re-development utilizing the Border Region Act incentives. This is why we have Bass Pro Shop in East Ridge. We only have six years left to benefit from this legislation. This is the catalyst of change our city has been waiting for. I will work tirelessly to make this happen.

I would be honored to have your vote on Nov. 8.

Esther Helton

* * *

Hey everyone from East Ridge. I don't live in East Ridge any longer but my parents do. I live in Orlando now, but travel every two months to East Ridge to visit and gather ERHS friends together. We all have the best time celebrating our memories of what East Ridge was. It was all kinds of wonderful.

That being said, the election for council members is coming up. If you have already voted, I hope you made a wise choice. If you haven't yet, may I lend a bit of insight to one of my friends? Esther Helton is one of the kindest, most decent, knowledgeable and respectful candidates to pursue the position of supporting her community. She will do everything within her abilities to protect my 88-year-old father and other senior citizens in creating a safe environment. She will work to keep property values at its best by working to bring in development and redevelopment to East Ridge.

I hope you will all join me in celebrating the opportunities that Esther will strive for. Please vote for Esther Helton.

Dennis Adams

ERHS Class of 1979
With the upcoming release of the now 28-disc Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972 box set (and the associated 2CD Cre/Ation highlights/sampler set) there are (unsurprisingly) a number of magazines available in various countries, all focusing their attentions and energies toward features on the band and their music. There are three new magazine issues that have appeared in mainland Europe, and available now in selected stores and newsstands. In France, the new issue of Music Icons (number 2) is focused on Pink Floyd. As with the other two magazines we mention in this news item, we've not seen the publication itself but in the publicity for it, they note that it contains: exclusive graphic work of Pink Floyd by Storm Thorgerson, a preview of the V&A exhibition in London in 2017 (with tickets to win), unpublished interviews with Roger Waters and David Gilmour, the true story of Animals, the complete discography, and a detailed look at the box set. For those of you in The Netherlands, the November issue of Dutch magazine 'Oor' also has a cover story on the band - 'The early years of Pink Floyd'. Over 12 pages, there are nice colour photos, an overview of their early years (in The Netherlands), Syd, 'The Early Years' and the writer tries to find the tree they're leaning against in the '67 photoshoot in the Leidsjebosje (the one with Roger in the purple cape). The tree is gone Our thanks to Liesbeth Bliek for the information on this particular magazine. Finally, Michael Nickel kindly tells us about Germany's Eclipsed Magazine (issue dated November 2016) with a nice 1967-era shot of the Syd Barrett-era Floyd on the cover. The main article - Abende der Gegenkultur (Evenings of counterculture) includes Nick Mason talking about the "crazy early years: Syd, David, French girls and a treasure". In the magazine there is a special five page press interview with Nick, which took place in Hamburg in a conference room of Warner Records this year, and a special Peter Jenner interview about the early years of the band, conducted at the Haldern Pop Festival 2016. More info on the magazine can be found at Eclipsed.de.
The current commissioner of Walker County has been in office for 16 years and she is asking the voters of this county for four more years to finish what she's started. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, myself, family and friends will be supporting Shannon Whitfield to be our new Walker County commissioner and replace the incumbent commissioner.

I guess there are as many reasons to want to stay in elected office as there are to want to be elected in the first place. I cannot address why the current commissioner wants to be re-elected, but I would like to address Mr. Whitfield's reasons and his desire to make our county be the best it can be.

Mr. Whitfield is a product of this community and a family involved in a long time business with experience in not only business, but as an elected council member in Chickamauga and currently chairman of the Regional Library Board, amoung many other things. He has a very nice wife, two daughters and a young son, Daniel. Walker County is his home. It's our home also and our businesses are here and our future, too.

For many reasons the county we call home has some deep problems that must be addressed immediately. The issues we face did not happen overnight but have been in the making for quite some time. No one knows for sure how many millions of dollars our county is in debt for. Many, including myself, believe the north end of the county has been ignored for years. Other issues have been brought to the attention of the citizens in the past year that can be debated either way. What matters is not what has happened in the past, but how and who can change these problems.

I don't see change in our future if we continue doing what we have been doing for the past 16 years. Shannon Whitfield wants his home, family and this county to be financially solvent, a healthy reserve, new businesses creating jobs, and existing businesses doing well. I've seen plans Mr. Whitfield has shown to the public in a Power Point presentation. I've heard his specific thoughts and ideas on how he will address these problems on day one.

Here's the problem the current commissioner has in being re-elected. She has not shown the voters a viable plan, or any plan for that matter. If we are to be asked to have confidence in an elected official and vote for that person, we should know what and how that person is going to change our county and secure its future. Mr. Whitfield has shown that plan for months, but never have I seen a plan from Ms. Heiskell. Since Mr. Whitfield has shown us a plan, and said he would surround himself with the best and brightest residents this county has to offer to be his advisors, I believe he is the best qualified and will be the best last sole commissioner this county could choose at this time.

Please vote for Shannon Whitfield for Walker County commissioner on Tuesday Nov. 8.

David Roden

Walker County Resident

* * *

I completely agree with your opinion piece regarding Bebe and Shannon. Bebe lost and is acting typically Bebe. She hasn't conceded, won't talk to the press or address the election results at all. Can someone say "petulant child"?

In my opinion, her being stunned by coming in third shows just how out of touch she is with her constituents and our concerns about the massive debts (Mountain Cove Farm and Hutcheson especially) that she has placed on every one of our heads.

Ready to see what Mr. Whitfield can do to heal our county and lower our debt.

Netta Dean
Two sub machine guns and a number of other firearms have been seized in Dublin.

Gardai say five weapons including hand guns, silencers, sub machine guns and ammunition were discovered following the search of a car in the Cabra area.
A former Junior Health Minister's renewing calls for more stringent regulation of the sector.

It is over concerns that large pharmaceutical companies may be funding staffing in our country's hospitals.

The report by the Sunday Business Post claims 17m was paid by the firms to healthcare bodies here last year - however, it is unclear what the money was used for.

Former Minister Roisin Shortall says our health system lacks transparency: "There's a very obvious conflict of interest there and given that in this country everyone is very conscious that pharmaceuticals are so expensive here, medicines are so expensive for people paying themselves, but also for the state's bill for drugs, it is absolutely huge.

"And as a percentage of the health spend we spend far more than most other countries."
The uncertainty on the economic front is growing. The date of the IMF review (expected by the end of October) is yet...
LAGOS: More than 600 people are now known to have perished in the worst floods in a decade in Nigeria, according to...
LONDON: Russia said on Saturday that the accelerated deployment of modernised US B61 tactical nuclear weapons at...
3M recognizes two outstanding 3M Menomonie employees for their numerous community volunteer contributions. Kim Porter and Paul Mommsen joined 28 other 3Mers from around the world in taking home the Volunteer of the Year award, the companys most prestigious service award that recognizes employees who are engaged in strengthening the communities in which they live and work through their exemplary volunteer efforts.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the award, 3M named 30 global recipients, among them 3M Menomonie employees Kim Porter and Paul Mommsen. Each recipient receives an engraved award, an invitation to attend a special recognition event hosted by the 3M CEO, and a $3,000 grant to the organization of their choice.

Paul and Kim represent the best of what our 3M family brings to their local communities, said 3M Menomonie Plant Manager Tom Harris. To be recognized for their generous donation of time and talent along with others from across the globe is truly special. Through their remarkable efforts they have made a difference in the Menomonie community.

Porter has served on the board of the Community Foundation of Dunn County, participating on the development and grants committees. She also serves on the board of the Free Clinic of Greater Menomonie Area, a local agency that aligns volunteers with those who may not otherwise have access to medical resources.

Porter is involved with the Womens Giving Circle, Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, Dunn County Humane Society, and UW-Stout STEPS program. In addition, she is the registration coordinator for the Sadistic Century ride that raises funds to support several Menomonie area nonprofit organizations.

Im very honored to be recognized with this award and proud that 3M Menomonie is the only manufacturing site to have two awardees,, said Kim Porter. Giving back to the community that has given me so much is such an easy thing, and so rewarding. I have learned so much through the organizations that I serve. I thank the 3M Gives program for helping to promote volunteerism though awards like the Volunteer of the Year and the Employee Volunteer Match Program.

Paul Mommsen has been a Wisconsin State Event Supervisor for the Science Olympiad for several years, including the National Science Olympiad that was hosted at UW-Stout in May. He was one of the dedicated leaders that organized 1,000 volunteers and managed $150,000 in grants to successfully install the River Heights Elementary School Playground project in 2007.

Mommsens church was looking for a local project to commemorate its 150-year anniversary, so he utilized his project management and organizational skills to coordinate a group of volunteers to supported the construction of a Habitat for Humanity house. Lastly, he has also served as property deacon for his church and personally oversaw the maintenance and upkeep of the structure and grounds.

I volunteer for activities that I enjoy and get to see the results, said Paul Mommsen., Its wonderful to know that my efforts are appreciated, but it was never about the recognition.
Commonwealth Bank is staring down the barrel of a hefty shareholder vote against the pay packets of top executives, as investors protest against multimillion-dollar bonuses being paid despite a series of scandals.

There are predictions CBA, the country's biggest bank, will become the first big four lender to ever receive a first "strike" on executive pay at Wednesday's annual meeting, which is also the last for chairman David Turner.

Influential proxy advisers ISS and Ownership Matters are recommending their institutional shareholder clients vote against the bank's remuneration report, with both firms highlighting the discrepancy between bonuses paid and incidents involving mistreatment of customers such as the CommInsure scandal.

CBA has also been caught up in the wider backlash against many big companies linking executive bonuses to "people and culture" targets, rather than shareholder returns.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has attacked the Human Rights Commission's handling of complaints under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, calling on the independent body to "urgently review" its conduct after a case against a group of Queensland students was thrown out by a judge last week.

Mr Turnbull has also given further signals that reform of 18C will be considered by a parliamentary inquiry following sustained pressure from some of the Coalition's diehard free speech advocates, who believe the controversial section should be watered down as a minimum.

He said the proposal for a parliamentary committee to look at possible legislation had "considerable merit" and expressed sympathy for the view that "the bar is set too low" in the act, which currently makes it unlawful to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" on the basis of race.

"I think the Human Rights Commission has done a great deal of harm to its credibility by bringing the case against the Queensland students," he told ABC radio.
It's been so busy I haven't even mentioned the Racial Discrimination Act.

Much earlier this morning Mr Turnbull attacked the Human Rights Commission's handling of complaints under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, calling on the independent body to "urgently review" its conduct after a case against a group of Queensland students was thrown out by a judge last week.

Mr Turnbull has also given further signals that reform of 18C will be considered by a parliamentary inquiry following sustained pressure from some of the Coalition's diehard free speech advocates, who believe the controversial section should be watered down as a minimum.

You can catch up on that story here.
Whoopi Goldberg has been many things: actor, producer, talk show host. But designer has not been among them. This week, however, that changed.

On Tuesday, a new line of "ugly Christmas sweaters" designed by Goldberg went on sale at Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay, the Canadian department store chain whose parent company also owns Lord & Taylor. Each of the nine variations sells for $139 and is made of mixtures of wool, alpaca, cashmere and cotton.

Whoopi Goldberg with the collection of 'ugly Christmas sweaters' she designed. Credit:NYT

"We loved Whoopi's unique and whimsical approach to the traditional kitschy Christmas sweater," Liz Rodbell, president of the two department stores, wrote in an email.

And the sweaters, according to Goldberg - who attended a handful of New York Fashion Week shows last season, walked/performed in the "Pageant of the People" for the fashion retailer and label Opening Ceremony, and wore a hoodie by the cool-kid label Vetements on "The View" - are hopefully just the beginning of what may be a fourth (or fifth) career.
An intruder has been shot in the buttocks with an arrow after trying to steal a car in Sydney's south-west, police say.

A 68-year-old man and his wife were in their home on Glanara Court, Wattle Grove, when a unknown man broke in about 5.20pm on Sunday.

The man stole cash and property from the bedroom and took the keys to the couple's Nissan X-Trail, police said

He then went to the garage and started the car.

However, as he tried to reverse out of the garage, the 68-year-old confronted him.
Besieged Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has promised Queensland Rail's latest revised timetable will finally deliver reliable and consistent services for fed-up commuters.

The new scaled-back timetable will be rolled out Monday morning, two-and-a-half weeks after a driver and guard shortage triggered commuter chaos across the south-east's rail network.

More than 330 services have been slashed from the timetable that was introduced last month in conjunction with the beginning of the new Redcliffe Peninsula line.

Since the network was stretched to breaking point, due to a lack of staff and trainers, QR has seen its chief executive and chairman resign, plus a number of service cuts.
The recent tragedy at Kowanyama makes us all too aware of the complex cultural dynamics operating in our remote Indigenous communities. We also know that incarceration is not the solution.

The Indigenous communities with the highest rates of offending, according to police statistics tabled earlier this year by the LNP's Fiona Simpson, are Woorabinda (109,000 per 100,000) and Mornington Island (97,810 per 100,000).

The federal government's Scott Morrison during a visit to Mapoon in 2015. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Statistically, that means that everyone at Woorabinda has committed an offence; as has nearly everyone on Mornington Island.

In the critical area of offences against persons, Aurukun has the high rate of offences, and the second greatest number of offences: 233 in the reporting period. Only Palm Island has more offences: 262.
Brisbane's coastal location means there are a number of stunning islands to explore within close proximity to the river city, each with their own unique personality.

Here's a guide to discovering the best of seven of the islands off Brisbane, from the better to the lesser known and the uninhabited.

Bribie Island

Bribie Island. Credit:Must Do Brisbane

It is possible to drive across to Bribie Island, making it one of Brisbane's most accessible islands. Woorim Beach is located on the eastern side of the island where there is a surf lifesaving club, as well as cafes and shops. Bongaree on the western side of Bribie Island overlooks Pumicestone Passage and provides quiet coastal walks, extensive parkland, bird hides and more gentle swimming options, as well as beachfront dining at Blue Anchorage.
Prominent Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney is facing another challenge to his right to practise law, this time by the Legal Profession Complaints Committee.

The Legal Practice Board struck him off in July 2015, claiming he was not a fit and proper person.

Mr Rayney's right to practise law, is being challenged by the Legal Profession Complaints Committee. Credit:AAP

But he immediately challenged the decision in the State Administrative Tribunal and had his certificate reinstated in February, with the SAT noting he was "regarded as, and was, of impeccable character" before he was charged with his estranged wife Corryn's murder in 2007.

Mr Rayney was acquitted in 2012 and a phone interception case against him that followed was thrown out of court.
Police have cordoned off a house near Bunbury after discovering a woman's body inside on Saturday night.

Police were called to a property on Ann Street in Eaton, 165 kilometres south of Perth, just after 8.30pm.

Police at a home in Eaton investigating a death. Credit:Bunbury Mail

Major crime squad detectives on Sunday were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, which at this time is being treated as suspicious.

Neighbours told reporters on Sunday that the man who lives at the address, had not been there for very long and often played loud music during the day. But unusually, things were quite on Saturday.
An Australian working for a non-governmental organisation in Afghanistan was reported kidnapped in the capital Kabul on Saturday, officials said.

"The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."

An Afghan security policeman stands guard near the site of a truck bombing earlier this year. Credit:AP

Afghan television station Tolo News said on Sunday the Australian woman was abducted at gunpoint in the Qala-i-Fatullah area in the centre of the city.

Kidnapping has long been a major problem in Afghanistan, affecting Afghans more often than foreigners, with ransom often the motive.
Beirut: US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces have announced their plan to retake the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa, saying they hope Turkey will not "interfere in internal Syrian affairs."

The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian forces, was made on Sunday at a press conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, attended by commanders and spokespeople for the group.

US -backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced their plan on Sunday to retake the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa. Credit:AP

An official who read out a statement said the operation to liberate Raqqa, dubbed the "Euphrates Rage" operation, had officially begun.

The statement said that 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation.
Miami: There are some things, says Richard Spencer, that you can't unsay, some genies that cannot be put back in the bottle. He believes white racial identity politics is one of those things, and he is proud of the part he has played in bringing white pride back to the centre of US politics during this long, ugly election campaign.

Spencer is the man who minted the term Alt-Right, a contraction of "alternative right", a term describing a new type of conservative politics, one that recognises inherent racial differences and encourages white people to be proud of European heritage and Western Civilisation.

With Alt-Right language being echoed by Donald Trump and supported by key figures in his circle, Spencer sees this as his movement's moment. Indeed, he sees the election as the first step. "The real fun starts on November 9," he told Fairfax Media, when he plans to help the Trump movement supplant the Republican Party, whether or not the candidate wins the race.

One of the jarring elements of this campaign has been the return to the political mainstream of ideas and language that were thought to have been banished a generation ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns the UN General Assembly of the dangers of Iran's nuclear program in September 2012. Credit:AP General Amidror participated in high-level talks with US officials about Iran's nuclear program. He says the US was wrong to change its approach on Iran. "Instead of dismantling the capabilities of Iran to produce nuclear weapons, they decided to postpone this capability for the future," he says. Israel's former national security adviser Yaakov Amidror. Credit:Eddie Jim "Prime Minister Netanyahu thinks - and I agree with the Prime Minister - that was a huge mistake. It's [just] to buy time and find yourself 10 years later in a much more problematic situation.

"The Americans had very good cards and they didn't use them. The Iranians were in situation in which they needed very badly the agreement because of the pressure of the sanctions and the Americans didn't use it. And at the end of the day [the US] compromised with the Iranians." Nuclear deal: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano and European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini in Vienna earlier this year. Credit:AP He says the minute the Iranians understood "one, that the Americans are eager to have an agreement more than the Iranians and two, that the Americans are not ready to use the military option, the minute they understood it, the ability of the Americans to get a good agreement disappeared. That was a huge mistake. A historical mistake." He says the impact now is that Iran is stronger in the Middle East and that the once-solid US alliance between the US and Saudi Arabia has diminished, which Russia is taking advantage of. Gamble for Israel?: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a rally in Las Vegas. Credit:AP

"The Iranians dream to build a corridor from Iran to the Mediterranean," he says. "It's an ongoing project. And the American allies in the Middle East - Saudi Arabia and others - feel that the Americans betrayed them. And then Russians understood that America is not ready to be engaged. You can see the results in Syria." In September, former Israeli president Shimon Peres died, and some say with him the hopes for "a new Middle East". Israel's continued construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank - despite harsh objections by the United States - has also been fuelling tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas during the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres. Credit:Getty Images General Amidror says "there's no question that building settlements is not helping it [chances for peace]". But he adds that hope for a "new Middle East" isn't realistic, and under Mr Netanyahu there have been attempts to negotiate but the peace process was effectively shut down in May 2013.

"In the [northern] spring of that year the Americans put a paper in front of Prime Minister Netanyahu - said this is the paper and we invite both sides to negotiate," he says. "The Prime Minister looked at the paper, said it's a very bad one, he's got many reservations. But if it's an American paper, he will come and make public Israel's reservations. "A few weeks later the same paper was even changed by the Americans - leaning more towards the Palestinian side. They put a paper in front of Mr Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas]. Abu Mazen asked if he could get the paper and they said 'no'. They said, 'we're not giving you the paper - we will show you the paper'. "Abu Mazen said 'I have to consult my people in Ramallah'. He didn't come back with an answer. That was the end. The minute that Abu Mazen decided he is not ready to negotiate, the chance to get an agreement went down to zero." Asked whether Mr Netanyahu was really ready to negotiate for peace, General Amidror says: "At the end of the day there was one test: spring 2013. Ready, not ready, you don't know what he has in his heart, I don't know what he has in his heart. There was a practical test: he told the Americans that 'I am coming to negotiate'. Maybe an agreement cannot be reached ... but to negotiate, he was ready to come. [Mr Abbas] was not ready to come to negotiate. This is a huge difference." General Amidror says the United Nations already backs the Palestinian leadership, pointing to a recent "ridiculous decision" by UNESCO.
Hong Kong: Police fired pepper spray and protesters threw bottles and road cones in clashes near China's representative office in Hong Kong on Sunday night where activists had gathered to demonstrate against Beijing's attempts to stop a fledgling independence movement.

A ruling on Monday from a top committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, is expected to effectively bar the recently elected lawmakers Yau Wai-ching, and Baggio Leung from taking office in Hong Kong's legislature.

The pair pledged allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displayed a "Hong Kong is not China" banner during a swearing-in ceremony for the city's legislative council in October. Their oaths were not accepted and their right to re-take them is being challenged in the local courts by the Hong Kong government.

The situation is seen by many of Hong Kong's legal and political elite as one of the biggest tests the financial hub has faced since its handover to China nearly two decades ago, with some fearing its independent rule of law is under threat.
Sara Connor and British DJ David Taylor will this week stand trial in the Denpasar District Court over the alleged murder of Wayan Sudarsa. Credit:Amilia Rosa "If she is such a good person, why did she leave my husband like that? If she was really trying to help, if she got help, maybe they could have saved (him). They just left him, he was found much later. No good person would do that. That's just her excuse." Taylor has admitted to bashing Mr Sudarsa with binoculars, a smashed beer bottle and a sharp object but not to killing him. David Taylor wrote a letter in Indonesian and in English to Mr Sudarsa's widow saying: "I really cannot believe that my terrible actions may have contributed to the taking of another's life". The two were brawling on the sand after Taylor tried to frisk the police officer and accused him of stealing Connor's missing handbag.

In the letter Taylor said it had taken him a long time to find the courage and strength to write to Ms Arsini. In his letter, David Taylor said it had taken him a long time to find the courage and strength to write to Ms Arsini. "I never thought in my life that I would be anywhere close to such a horrific situation as this," he said in the letter, which was written in both English and Indonesian. "I have been waking up crying every morning for many days now but I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that you and your family must be feeling in this time. I will never throughout the rest of my days come to terms with this and it will haunt me until I myself am taken from this life." David Taylor has admitted to bashing Mr Sudarsa with binoculars, a smashed beer bottle and a sharp object but not to killing him. Credit:Amilia Rosa

Ms Arsini said her first impulse was to rip the letter to shreds when she knew who it was from. "But I said to myself, if I do that, I won't know what the letter says, so I calmed myself and read it." She struggled to convey how it made her feel, shaking her head and holding her chest until she was calmer. "I still want to rip the letter, I want to rip it. I can't forgive him. We can't forgive him. Whatever they are saying, that it was an accident, they didn't mean it are all just excuses." Ms Arsini said she was "kind of expecting" an apologetic letter from Connor after receiving the letter from Taylor. "But now, I don't need it. I'll just want to rip it anyway. Don't bother with a letter to apologise. I can't forgive them. The law will take care of them, for what they did." Connor and Taylor both face charges of unpremeditated murder, group attack or assault leading to death, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail. Ms Arsini, an elementary school teacher from Jimbaran, first heard of Mr Sudarsa's grisly death while attending a flag-raising ceremony on Indonesian Independence Day on August 17.
Latest News Broker backs government schemes to help first-home buyers Single parents can secure property with 2% deposit

NAB to lift variable mortgage rates The change will take effect next week

The volume of loan products at Bluestone Mortgages targeted to SME owners has increased by 37% from the second to the third quarter this year.The firm attributes this trend to the growth of the lending sector as well as the companys constantly evolving range of products.Were solely focused on specialist lending, and channel our efforts exclusively on providing brokers with solutions designed to assist and benefit more customers  especially for self-employed borrowers, said Royden DVaz, the lenders national head of sales and marketing.We continue to receive positive feedback about the accessibility and flexibility of our self-employed products that are designed to resonate with the millions of Aussies who traditionally have found it difficult to source finance.Examples of this flexibility include allowing borrowers to access financial solutions after only three months of trading  as opposed to the standard 24-month period.Bluestone Mortgages also offers a line of credit facility for day-to-day operations and an increased LVR of 85% for select products. The lender has also removed the need for loan mortgage insurance. By adjusting the way that the firm views borrowers in a Part 9 or Part 10 agreement, borrowers dont need to meet lending guidelines of LMI providers.Bluestone has also unveiled a new creative campaign that shows off its focus on the development and enhancement of its SME-targeted products.Weve developed a marketing communications platform that actively encourages brokers to help self-employed clients more often and in the process, improve their value proposition, broaden their customer base and benefit from a new revenue stream, DVaz said.The campaign uses a slice of watermelon to prompt brokers to ask what slice of the $4 billion specialist lending market they are tapping into.This is a fun, quirky tool that supports diversification, and entices brokers to realise the potential of tapping into the SME market which equates to 69% of the workforce.The campaign is playing to where opportunities are for the broking community, DVaz told Australian Broker.Rather than telling them, we want to show them, he said. We dont want to tell them, Youve got to write this business. This is where youre missing out. This is where your income is going to be.Were saying, Heres the market. Here are the stats. Weve seen an increase in self-employed borrowers, and thats where were trying to get their buy-in.To accommodate future growth, Bluestone has announced it will expand its national team of BDMs and credit assessors. The aim is to support brokers in finding the right financial solutions for their SME clients, DVaz said.Our team is geared to streamline the application process and help facilitate the best outcome for self-employed and small business clients, no matter what stage their business is at.This is going to be achieved by putting more resources into the BDM team to better tackle brokers number one priority: quick turnaround time, DVaz told Australian Broker.Id like to say, Well get it done as soon as we get the deal. It doesnt matter what happens along the line, as long as from a broker experience and the customer experience, we are making the broker look good in the customers eyes. Thats what we want to do.
An appeal by Wollongong-based property advice firm Park Trent Properties Group has been dismissed by the Supreme Court after the consultancy attempted to overrule an earlier decision banning it from providing unlicensed financial advice.The dismissal ends a lengthy legal case launched in November 2014 by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).At the time, the court found that Park Trent had provided unlicensed advice to more than 860 members of the public, recommending they establish and switch funds to an SMSF The trial spanned from June to October 2015 when the Supreme Court of NSW pronounced its judgment against Park Trent, giving a permanent injunction refraining the firm from offering any unlicensed financial advice regarding SMSFs Park Trent was also ordered to post a notice on its website outlining the orders made against it.The appeal was taken before the court on 11 October this year with Park Trent contesting the refusal by Justice Ronald Sackville on 11 June 2015 to allow the firm to amend its defence.I have concluded that there is no appellable error in the decision to refuse an amendment on the sixth day of the trial, said Justice Mark Leeming when dismissing the appeal on Thursday (3 November).He also concluded that if the amendment had been granted, the final decision of Justice Sackville to order the permanent injunction would not have changed.Even if Park Trent had been permitted to amend, there would have been no different outcome to the litigation, save that it would have taken longer and been more expensive, Leeming said.Park Trent has also been ordered to pay ASICs costs for the appeal.
Want to ski all year? Check out Doylestown's newest virtual experience

4SeasonAlpine, a new indoor ski and snowboard school, opened in Doylestown, offering a virtual snow sports experience any time of year.
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
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Former Tata Sons chairman had put in place a strategy that would have pulled most of the Tata groups legacy hotspots out of the financial mess from legacy issues and helped turn around the groups finances.
Bolstered by the unanimous support from independent directors of Company (IHCL), the Cyrus Mistry camp is banking on the independent directors of other listed Tata companies to follow suit, based on Mistrys performance as chairman at the operating companies in his four-year term, say sources close to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
The tussle between and Cyrus Mistry has got the countrys largest bank worried. State Bank of India (SBI) has advised Tata Sons, now led by Tata, and Mistry camps, to resolve the conflict in an amicable way to avoid any adverse impact on the working of operating companies in the group.
Tata Motors car factory at Sanand, close to this city, is working to reduce the waiting period of its latest hatchback, the Tiago, before it starts producing the sedan variant on the same platform.
After the NDTV India ban, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry ordered News Time Assam, an Assam-based news channel, to go off air for a day on November 9 for violating programming norms.
Baloch nationalist leader Naela Quadri on Sunday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the plight of people in Balochistan, where she alleged that Pakistan army was involved in "genocide" for the past 70 years with the help of China.

" is fighting for its freedom but Pakistan army with support of China is committing genocide on innocent people to suppress our freedom movement," Quadri said.

"We have been facing the atrocities from the past 70 years but the world came to know when Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue," she said.

She praised Modi for highlighting the plight of people of .

"He has become our hero, the hero of Balochistan, because it is for the first time that the issue has received such attention," she said.

"Pakistan army has crossed all the limits. They rape our women and girls and even take the organs after killing the people," she said, adding "for even small matter, there is bombardment in our region."

She said, the freedom struggle in has intensified after getting the moral support from India.
No sum of reparations by the British, who reduced India to one of the poorest countries in the world, can compensate for the "horrendous" crimes the Raj committed against the Indian people, writer and politician has said.

Tharoor, who makes a convincing case against the imperial Empire in his new book "An era of Darkness: The British empire in India", said the European country became prosperous primarily by impoverishing India.

"The rise of Britain for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India. And certainly, we were a principle cash cow for Britain throughout the nineteenth century. We paid for our own oppression," Tharoor said at the launch of his book at Taj Mahal hotel here, last week.

"There is and has been a sort of deliberate historical amnesia in Britain about the Raj and about the iniquities of the colonial era. There has been no attempt whatsoever to teach British school children the realities of colonialism.

After all, the beauties of London were built by resources extracted from the colonies," he said.

The 333-page book published by Aleph Book company is an outcome of the politician's speech at Oxford last year, in which he demanded reparation for Britain's colonial crimes.

The book critically examines the 200-year long British legacy in India and provides clinching evidence and incisive arguments against its supposed boons.

Tharoor demolishes the myth of "enlightened despotism" and debunks the "preposterous" vindications given by "Raj apologists" and Anglophiles in favour of the alleged benefits of the rule in India, a country, he writes, was "no primitive or barren land but a glittering jewel of the Medieval world".

"At the beginning of the 18th century, India's share of the world economy was 23%, as large as all of Europe put together. By the time the British departed India, it had dropped to just 3%. The reason was simple: India was governed for the benefit of Britain. Britain's rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India," he writes.

The 60-year-old author asserts that India was "deliberately" deindustrialised and drained of its resources, and left with landlessness and poverty.

"While comparisons of human deaths are always invidious, the 35 million who died of famine and epidemics during the Raj does remind one of 25 million who died in Stalin's collectivisation drive and political purges, the 45 million who died during Mao's cultural revolution, and the 55 million who died during World War II," he states.

He emphasises that Britain's Industrial Revolution flourished at the expense of crumbling Indian manufacturing industries, "abetted by tariffs and regulatory measures that stacked the decks in favour of the British".

"It is preposterous to suggest that India's inability to industrialise while the Western world did so was an Indian failure...If India's GDP went down because it 'missed the bus' of industrialisation, it was because the British threw Indians under the wheels," he writes.

Mounting a scathing attack on "benefits" like railways, the English language and the rule of law, Tharoor argues that they were never actually introduced for the benefit of the Indians but to serve Britain's colonial interests.

He said that it was getting late for Britain to atone for its crimes, and asserted that the UK Prime Minister emulates the example of his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau who apologised on behalf of his country for denying permission for the Indian immigrants on the Komagata Maru to land in Vancouver.

"I, for one, dearly hope that a British prime minister will find the heart, and the spirit, to get on his or her knees at Jallianwala Bagh in 2019 and beg forgiveness from Indians in the name of his or her people for the unforgivable massacre that was perpetrated at that site a century earlier," he remarks.

Tharoor also demands the return of some of the treasure troves looted from India in the course of colonialism.

"The money exacted in taxes and exploitation has already been spent, and cannot realistically be reclaimed. But individual pieces of statuary sitting in British museums could be, if for nothing else than their symbolic value.

"After all if looted Nazi-era art can be (and now is being) returned for their rightful owners in various Western countries, why is the principle any different for looted colonial treasures?" he asks.

Written in a perspicacious style, "An era of Darkness" is an eye-opening volume that goes a long way in correcting many misconceptions about the British Empire in India.
Amid the raging debate over 'triple talaq', All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) on Sunday criticised the signature campaign launched by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, dubbing it as a move to "mislead" women from the community.

"The campaign is not to empower Muslim women but to mislead them," AIMWPLB President Shaista Amber told PTI here.

Her comments came days after the All India Muslim Personal Law Board carried out a signature campaign against Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court against 'triple talaq' and the questionnaire prepared by the Law Commission regarding Uniform Civil Code.

She said it would have been better had the AIMPLB written in its documents that it wholeheartedly supported the provisions in the Holy Quran about 'triple talaq'.

AIMPLB could also punish those who utter 'talaq' thrice in one go, she suggested.

Amber said the affidavit before the apex court smacked of votebank politics and efforts to disintegrate the society. "On the pretext of the issue, the government was trying to push the agenda implementing Uniform Civil Code," she said.

Implementation of a common code is part of the BJP's election manifesto.

Amber said that rather than following the clerics, Muslims should abide by what is written in the Quran. This would also ensure that there is no tinkering with the basic spirit of the Muslim Personal Law.

On the issue of 'triple talaq', the Centre had in an affidavit in the Supreme Court last month opposed the practice.

The AIMPLB and various other outfits have objected to the affidavit and Law Commission's questionnaire on Uniform Civil Code and announced their boycott of the move, accusing the government of waging a "war" against the community.

In an appeal issued on October 7, the Commission had said the objective of the endeavour was to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise various cultural practises.

In the appeal, it has assured the people that the "norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms".

Indicating need for wider consultation before taking a call on Uniform Civil Code, the government had in June asked the Law Commission to examine the issue.

The move asking the law panel to examine the issue assumes significance as the Supreme Court had recently said it would prefer a wider debate, in public as well as in court, before taking a decision on the constitutional validity of triple talaq, which many complain is abused by Muslim men to arbitrarily divorce their wives.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that while the sector should use technology to fight malnutrition and hunger, it should not be at the cost of sustainability and compromising the country's bio-diversity.
Weeks after the 700 MHz spectrum went unsold in India's biggest auction, BSNL has approached the Telecom Department for airwaves in the premium band for rolling out 4G services.

The telecom PSU has suggested that a 5 MHz block in the 700 Mhz band be assigned to it by the government through the equity route.

When contacted, BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI, "Yes. We have written to the Department of Telecom seeking 5 MHz block on 700 MHz band through equity route".

In the recently concluded spectrum auction, the debt-ridden telecom sector had ignored premium radio-waves in 700 MHz band  which was put up for sale for the first time  at a reserve or base price of Rs 11,485 crore per MHz.

Industry bodies like GSMA have urged Indian Government to reconsider the pricing for 700 MHz band, which failed to find buyers due to its "unrealistically" high pricing.

But Shrivastava downplayed the concerns on pricing, saying that spectrum in the 700 MHz band would be an asset for the corporation, given its plans for 4G services.

"We do not have right kind of 4G spectrum which can give us coverage, although we have some 4G spectrum which can give us the capacity. But 700 MHz, if it comes, in combination with 2500 MHz band available with us, will put us in a position to roll out 4G services through spectrum route across the country," he said.

He also said that 700 MHz offered clear advantage such as "good coverage" with lesser number of base stations.

"The 700 MHz spectrum can penetrate homes, so that means improved indoor coverage," he said.

Explaining the model being proposed by BSNL, he said that the spectrum could be assigned, in lieu of Government raising its equity in the corporation.

"We are proposing that 700 MHz spectrum comes to us and in lieu of that, the paid-up equity of the government can increase to that extent in BSNL," Shrivastava pointed out.

BSNL is a 100 per cent Government of India Public Sector Undertaking.
Indias first coastal economic zones (CEZs) could finally take some concrete shape, with the likely announcement in the Union Budget for 2017-18 to give units in these areas a 10-year holiday from corporation tax. However, there could be a rider these units must generate a specific threshold of direct jobs.
Defence, security and trade relations will top the agenda of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May as they will cover the "breadth" of ties, a top Downing Street official has said.

The two leaders will discuss the "breadth" of India-UK relations during their working lunch at Hyderabad House on Monday afternoon, May's official spokesperson told reporters at Downing Street here.

"It will not be about how many deals are signed or that kind of transactional visit but more about the depth of the ties and working towards creating more jobs and growth in both countries. Defence and security will be an important part of the bilateral discussions. We are keen to develop that partnership and see how we can put in more energy and enthusiasm into that," she said.

"Why the prime minister is going to India for her first bilateral visit outside Europe, and her first trade delegation, is because India matters to us -- now more than ever. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union (EU), the aim is two-fold -- to build on the groundwork already done to bring down trade barriers and deepen the UK's relationships outside the EU," she noted.

In reference to discussions on a potential India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), the spokesperson stressed that the UK would not be pursuing a bilateral trade deal with India while it remains a member of the EU.

"We will continue to support the India-EU FTA, respecting our rights and obligations within the EU," she said.

While there has been wide speculation over a potential India-UK FTA, Britain remains inhibited from openly pursuing bilateral trade negotiations until Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty triggers the official process of Brexit.

May will begin her India visit by opening the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday morning alongside Modi.

Following her bilateral talks with Modi, both leaders will issue a joint statement.

While in New Delhi, she is also expected to visit the Gandhi Smriti and War Memorial at India Gate.

On Tuesday, she will leave for Bengaluru, where she has a series of business engagements as well as an address to a tech summit.

The British premier will be accompanied by 40 small and medium enterprise (SME) representatives from across the UK, many of whom are on the lookout for a foothold in India.

The recent tightening of the Tier-II intra-company transfer visas, expected to hit Indian information technology companies the hardest, is expected to be on the agenda from the Indian side.

However, Downing Street stressed the UK remains open to the "brightest and the best" from India and that Indians had been issued more work-related visas than the US, China and Australia combined.

On the sharp decline in Indian student numbers coming to study in the UK over the years, she highlighted that 89 per cent of all Indian students who applied to study at UK universities were given visas.

"This visit is about highlighting that the UK-India relationship really matters. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and India is the second largest job creator in the UK. There are strong bonds and ties there and it is important to keep up the momentum," the spokesperson said.

May will be accompanied by international trade secretary Liam Fox and minister of state in the Department for International Trade, Greg Hands.
The government is looking to engage more with Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) nations and has started pushing for a trade pact.
The Centre is hopeful of a consensus around 'vertical division' of assessees, one without a turnover threshold, to resolve the issue of dual administrative control under the proposed goods and services tax (GST) regime.
The founding of Columbus is a controversial subject.

Over the years different versions have been written. Depending on what book youre reading, the names of the founders, number of founders and date of the founding vary. On top of that, well-meaning local historians, writers of one kind or another and various publications have added other versions.

Whenever I see a current-day magazine, booklet, pamphlet or whatever that has a section in it on the founding, I can hardly wait to read it to see which version of the story it is or whether yet another version has been created.

Where does that leave the reader interested in local history who would like the story to be as authentic as possible? The answer is continue reading but always ask the question: What are the sources?

All of the various versions of the founding aside, what did the founders themselves have to say about it? As far as we know, only one ever said anything about it for the record.

In May 1906, a Columbus (weekly) Telegram reporter did an interview with the last surviving founder, Mr. Jacob Louis, who was 71 years old at the time and well spoken on the subject. Here is the verbatim June 1, 1906, newspaper article found on page 5 of that issue. The little bit of editing done is in parenthesis.

Jacob Louis -- Last of Columbus Founders -- Fifty Years Ago

Columbus was 50 years old last Tuesday. It seems quite remarkable that the day was permitted to pass unobserved by appropriate anniversary ceremonies. And not so remarkable either. Few of the present generation were aware that the city of their nativity or residence had a birthday last Tuesday, and only one of the men who was present at the birth of Columbus, Mr. Jacob Louis, is living today. Mr. Louis is an old man now, and little given to celebrating and the younger generation was evidently not disposed to celebrate. It was on the evening of May 29, 1856, that Mr. Louis and 12 associates, comprising the Columbus Townsite Company, arrived here after a tedious trip by ox team from Omaha. Mr. Louis is now nearing the age of four score years (actually 71). His memory is not as good as it was a decade ago and he has forgotten many of the interesting details attending the birth of Columbus, but for the benefit of a Telegram reporter who called at his home last Tuesday, he recalled a few of them.

We arrived here in the evening," he said, and camped for the night on this side of the river near Buck Island. There were 13 in the party, including myself. The others were Frederick Gottschalk, Carl Reinke, Michael Smith, Jacob Guter, John Wolfel, Vincent Kummer, Henry Lusche, Charles Bremer, John Browner, J.P. Becker, Anthony Hull (Voll) and John Held. Five of us had been here the previous March, later returning to Omaha where the company was organized. The original town plat was one mile square. The (current) grove of trees at my home place was on the east line. The landscape as far as the eye could see was unbroken prairie, and of course, there was not a house to be seen. On the banks of the Loup (in) those days were many trees, and during the first month we built a log house near the present site of the brewery, covering it with a roof of grass. That was the first building in Columbus and furnished us all a home for several months. Nearly every member of the company had an ox team, and during the first summer we broke ground and put in a crop. The harvest that fall didnt amount to much. Grasshoppers came and saved us the trouble of harvest, and on this account we had (a) hard time to keep from starving during the next winter. But wild game was abundant in those days, and we had plenty of fresh meat. Deer and elk, especially, were plentiful, and I have seen wild buffalo in this county. At one time after a prairie fire I saw about a thousand elk in one herd not far from Columbus. They had been driven before the fire until stopped by the river which was running bank full. The day on which Columbus was born was cloudless and calm, not damp and dingy as it is today. It seems a long while ago, and as I look about me and see the great changes which have taken place, I know it was long ago.

In 1950, the information from the Louis interview was included in Margaret Currys "The History of Platte County, Nebraska." Six years later, in 1956, Curry wrote an article for the Columbus Centennial, 1856-1956, Souvenir Program booklet entitled Founding of Columbus. Her article sources probably included the Louis interview and others. Unfortunately we dont know what the others were. Printed here is an edited portion of Currys centennial booklet article:

Founding of Columbus By Margaret Curry

During the latter part of 1855, a little group of men gathered together around the fire in the evening when the talk was of Town Companies, Town Sites, The Pacific Railroad, ferrys, freighting, etc. Finally there was talk of an organization and in March 1856 four of their number and a guide were dispatched into the region about the confluence of the Loup and Platte rivers some 90 miles west of the town of Omaha. These men were Adam Denck, Frederick Gottschalk, Michael Smith, Jacob Louis and their guide, George Rousch (who was hired as a guide because he had previously been through this part of the territory with a surveyors chain gang).

In about a weeks time the group returned to Omaha where a permanent organization known as the Columbus Town Company was perfected. The members of the Town Company then began to gather tools, equipment for cooking and camping, bedding, provisions, etc.

With everything in readiness, they left Omaha ... they tarried for a while at what was later known as McAllisters Lake and found one of their guide marks there. Then they continued west along the (Platte) river until they reached a point some distance from Buck Island, where they stopped their ox teams and at sunset 13 men with heads bowed offered a prayer of Thanksgiving to God and dedicated the ground on which they stood. That was the birth of Columbus, Nebraska, so named because the majority of the founders had come from Columbus, Ohio. These 13 men whom history will always remember as the farsighted and intrepid founders of Columbus, Nebraska, were: Jacob Louis, Frederick Gottschalk, Charles Reinke, Michael Smith, Jacob Guter, John C. Wolfel, Vincent Kummer, Henry Lusche, Charles Bremer, John Browner, J. Peter Becker, Anthony Voll and John Held.

The founders then made camp, fed their oxen, prepared the evening meal and celebrated. It was a double celebration that was held on the open prairie that night, the founding of a new town and the celebrating of the 23rd birthday of Peter Becker. In the years that followed, these two events were always celebrated together on May 29.

On page 5 of the centennial booklet, footnotes account for three other people who have always been remembered as founders besides the 13 men who arrived at the town site on May 29, 1856. They are Adam Denck, who was a Town Company scout in March but chose to continue working in Omaha for a time and did not join his colleagues in Columbus until later in the summer, John Rickly, a member of the Town Company who arrived in Columbus on July 26, 1856, to help plat the town site, and Doretha Wolfel, who came as a bride of founder John Wolfel on Nov. 7, 1856.

Are the Louis and Curry versions of the founding the best we can do? For the moment, those accounts seem to be the most believable. Of course, that is a matter of opinion. Is there room for further research and fine-tuning of the story? Absolutely! But always remember to ask the question: What sources did the author use in the version you are reading?

References

Columbus, Nebraska, Centennial, May 30-31 and June 1-2, "Souvenir Program," 1956, pages 5, 7, and 9.

Curry, Margaret, The History of Platte County Nebraska, Culver City, California, Murray and Gee, 1950.

Jacob Louis -- Last of Columbus Founders -- Fifty Years Ago, Columbus Telegram, June 1, 1906, page 5.

Reprinted from the October 2011 issue of the Platte County Historical Society newsletter.
With British Prime Minister Theresa May beginning her India visit, industry wants the two sides to address concerns such as impact of Brexit and visa fee hike to enhance bilateral cooperation and improve workers' mobility.

India should seek an assurance from the top UK leadership that Britain's exit from the European Union (EU), dubbed Brexit, will not adversely impact India's trade and industry in the future, industry said.

May is visiting India from November 6-8.

Industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said in a statement that there is need for greater clarity and mutual agreement on various issues to leverage the potential of the bilateral relationship.

Indian companies which have their European headquarters in the UK are concerned about procedural considerations after the Brexit vote, including access to EU markets, passporting rights for financial services companies, etc, it said.

Moreover, it said, there is a need to distinguish "short-term labour mobility" issues from "long-term net migration" issues.

The recent decision to impose higher visa fees will primarily affect Indian information technology companies. Student visa issues also need to be addressed, CII pointed out.

"Indian industry looks forward to the two governments working together on issues such as mobility of skilled human resources and social security totalisation," said Chandrajit Banerjee, director deneral, CII.

Assocham also said that India should seek an assurance from the top UK leadership that Brexit would not adversely impact India's trade and industry in the future.

"Even as the global industry and trade stay somewhat anxious about the Brexit fallout, we get an opportunity to hear first hand from the British prime minister herself what the road-map is for India and the UK in terms of re-designing and re-aligning our trade and investment relationship post the exit of Britain from the European Union," Assocham President Sunil Kanoria said.

Even as the process of Brexit in terms of legislative issues and negotiations with the EU gets underway, both India and the UK, with a bilateral trade of goods and services of over 18 billion pound sterling, should begin working on the new paradigm, the chamber said.

On top of the agenda should be negotiating and signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which should be a win-win for both the countries and can be used as a very important trade tool to deal with the economic downturn, it said.

"With over 800 Indian companies having operations or trade with the UK, India has a large stake in the smooth transition of the British economy from a part of the European bloc entity to a standalone economy," Kanoria said.

CII highlighted that temporary Indian workers in the UK are not exempt from paying social security taxes, even though they are unable to avail any benefits from the UK social security system.

Withdrawals are usually permitted after 10 years and most temporary workers have a much shorter duration of stay in the UK. In the past, the UK has cited fiscal pressures and expressed the inability to enter into a totalisation agreement with India, CII noted.

Besides, it said, there is a need to accord mutual recognition of qualifications gained through institutions in both countries.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Indian exports to the UK were $9.2 billion and imports from the country were $5 billion in 2015-16. The UK ranks fifth as an export destination for India and 12th in terms of aggregate trade.

"Prospective bilateral agreement and growth avenues would push trade between India and UK to $20 billion by 2020 from the current level of at around $14.3 billion in 2015-16," PHD Chamber of Commerce President Mahesh Gupta said.

In investments, the UK is the third largest cumulative investor in India and the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) source among the G20 nations with $23 billion of FDI as of March 2016.
Meghalaya and Tripura top in terms of the labour participation rate and the employment rate. At over 60%, Meghalaya has the highest LPR

A healthy debate: The case for and against interest rate hike Sajjid Chinoy

Having raised policy rates to about 6 per cent, does India's Monetary Policy Committee need to do more? And, if so, is more front-loading ...
The Reserve Bank of India has told the Delhi High Court that the cap on the number of withdrawals from by banking customers without being charged is a policy decision taken in public interest.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal was also informed by RBI that the ATM facility was made available with a view to reduce "cash usage and increase electronic transactions in the country".

RBI was responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Swati Aggarwal, seeking directions to allow banking customers to make an unlimited number of transactions free of any charge on their own bank .

India's central banking institution, which controls the monetary policy of the rupee, however, opposed the PIL, saying it is "not maintainable and is liable to be dismissed, as RBI has not violated any laws of the land".

"The PIL is not meant to be a weapon to challenge the financial or economic decisions which are taken by the RBI in exercise of their administrative/ statutory powers and in the public interest...," RBI's counsel said.

On this, the bench has asked the RBI to file an affidavit with regard to its contention made before it by next date of hearing, December 5.

The RBI's oral submissions were made after the high court on last date of hearing had questioned its decision to put a cap on withdrawals by banking customers using their ATM cards, saying account holders were being "unnecessarily taxed".

As per RBI's new guidelines, bank customers in six metros  Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru  are allowed to withdraw money free of charge only five times a month and every transaction beyond this limit will be charged Rs 20 per use.

The RBI's counsel has further said it neither violated any fundamental rights or any legal rights of any citizen, nor has acted in any unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary and high-handed manner.

The petitioner, however, claimed that the guidelines were issued at the behest of a few and IBA (Indian Bank's Association), which had approached RBI seeking changes in the extant instructions regarding free transactions at other banks' Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs).

The PIL also contended that levying charges were highly "arbitrary and unjustified" besides being "discriminatory and against good banking practises and reforms and a backward move".

It said that the RBI guidelines were against international practises in relation to use of own bank followed across the world.

"In almost all modern economies of the world, there is no cap on the number of transactions one can make on own bank ATM and unlimited number of transactions remain free of charge on their own bank ATMs," it has said.

The plea has contended that RBI decision is contradictory to its own earlier circular dated March 10, 2008, whereby it had "justified and given directions allowing the free usage of ATMs for unlimited number of transactions on own bank ATMs".
Mysterious banners appeared on Saturday in Pakistan appealing army chief General who is set to retire this month to contest elections.

The banners, put up on electricity poles in Rawalpindi, urged Sharif to contest the elections in 2018.

Since government officials cannot enter for at least two years after leaving service, the banners also urged that the mandatory period should be reduced in case of Sharif.

They claimed that the election of Sharif will end tensions between the military and the government.

It is not for the first time that banners have appeared in favour of the army chief. Previously also banners addressing him had urged him to "stay on" and asked the government to extend his tenure.

In July, posters were seen in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and several other major cities, urging the general to impose martial law instead of retiring.

The army has so far not commented on the banners.
Despite a catastrophic financial crisis and sufficient evidence of the harm caused by Wall Streets obsession with short-term financial targets, Americas mantras of competition, self-interest, efficiency and profit continue to reign supreme.
Severe pollution continues to haunt China with a spell of heavy smog enveloping the northeastern and northern parts of the country and affecting more than one-tenth of its land territory.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement late Saturday that around 6.30 lakh square km of land in the northeastern China and 3.80 lakh square km in the northern China have been under the influence of the latest smog spell.

"Adverse meteorological conditions" were to blame, it said.

Seven provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Tianjin, saw the air pollution levels on rise, with Air Quality Index readings hitting 500 in 11 cities in northeastern China over the period of November 3-5.

In northern China, average density of PM2.5  airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter  peaked in multiple cities on Friday, but air pollution ebbed yesterday, the statement said.

It said the ministry had already sent 12 inspection teams to the Tianjin municipality and the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong for emergency inspections.

Problems found by the inspections teams so far included weak emergency responses and inadequate countermeasures against heavy air pollution, suspected excessive discharge by 39 enterprises, and large-scale straw burning, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last-minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.
Encouraged by the inflammatory rhetoric of Donald Trump, especially the branding of Muslims as actual and potential terrorists, Hindu nationalists have never been more excited with a US election cycle. The post 9/11 narrative of Islam as the real danger to Western civilisation fits into the version of history that Indias right wing peddles.
US Republican presidential candidate asked on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, for the Hispanic and African American electorate's vote in this vital state, where polls show him in a technical tie with rival Hillary Clinton.

"What the hell do you have to lose?" Trump asked Latino and African American voters, and at his first rally of the final sprint to next Tuesday's elections he promised to fix what is wrong with the country.

Before the elections he will visit eight states, including another visit to Florida next Monday, EFE news reported.

Trump said that African Americans and Latinos are suffering in Florida's cities and all over the country from high crime rates, the worst education and no jobs, problems that he vowed to remedy if he wins the November 8 election.

He also said that Democrats always forget about these minority voters once the elections are over.

These segments of the electorate, which polls indicate massively support former US secretary of state Clinton, could be vital for determining who will win Florida's 29 electoral votes  which Trump needs to obtain the total of 270 that will give him the key to the White House.

Latinos represent 16% of Florida's registered voters, while African Americans make up 13%, and their vote is crucial in these Florida elections, where surveys point to the Democrat having a minimal lead, EFE news added.

In Florida, 4% more Latinos have come out for early voting or have voted by mail than in 2012, while African American participation has dropped 7% compared to the last presidential election when the candidate was President Barack Obama, who finally won the state.

Trump said he felt good about the voting results up to now, which on Saturday showed a difference of less than 7,300 between the registered Democrats and Republicans who have already voted, out of a total of 5.7 million registered voters in Florida.

The real-estate magnate said the final vote of African Americans and Hispanics will be very different from what people think.

He said Clinton is the candidate of the past, while his is the movement of the future, and it's time for change, for new leadership.

According to a poll taken by the website Real Clear Politics, Clinton leads Trump by less than 2% nationwide.
COLUMBUS  A Chevrolet pickup slammed into the side of a railroad tank car early Sunday morning while a suspected drunken driver was fleeing an attempted traffic stop.

According to Columbus Police, a citizen reported the possible intoxicated driver, later identified as 28-year-old Andrew Rosno of Columbus, around 2 a.m. as his vehicle traveled from 33rd Avenue onto Howard Boulevard. The Chevrolet Silverado later turned east onto Lost Creek Parkway from U.S. Highway 81, then made a U-turn through the median to travel west on the parkway.

Columbus Police initiated a traffic stop, but Rosno continued driving west on the parkway.

The pickup was traveling southwest on the parkway around 2:30 a.m. when it crossed Highway 81, struck a road sign and continued into the ditch. It collided head-on with the side of the Union Pacific tank car, which was parked on the Nebraska Central Railroad tracks that run parallel to the highway.

Columbus Fire and Rescue personnel extricated the driver from the pickup. He was transported by ambulance to Columbus Community Hospital then transferred by helicopter to Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln. Rosno was conscious and communicating with rescue personnel.

The collision caused some of the tank cars to shift on the tracks, but there were no leaks. Tow trucks were called in to remove the pickup, which was partially wedged under the railroad car.

Charges have not yet been filed in connection with the accident, which remains under investigation.
The world, too, is waiting anxiously for this election to be over: In India, right-wing Hindus who pray at their temple for Donald J Trump to defeat Islamic extremism. In Saudi Arabia, a crown prince who engaged in a Twitter war with Trump. (Dopey Prince, Trump called him.) In Mexico, economists who predict that the peso will plummet if Trump wins. In Japan, a generation that has taken United States military protection for granted, but worries that it might no longer be able to do so.
Every election season, cries that voter fraud will threaten the legitimacy of American democracy can be heard throughout the country. Critics say these claims are exaggerated and backed up by scant evidence. But dismissing voter fraud entirely overlooks the fact that that fraud does happen  rarely. This year, Donald Trump has introduced new urgency into the conversation, calling into question any result other than his own victory.
Indian-American voters can turn the tide in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Colorado, and decide the fate of White House aspirants Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who are in a dead-heat in major polls just days ahead of the election, community leaders say.

Former chief of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and community leader Bhupi Patel asked the Indian-Americans to vote for Clinton especially in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, saying the vote of the community in the red states (Republican leaning) "is going to carry 30-40 per cent more weight".

Patel cited the famous 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush that had stretched into December after recounting in with Bush ultimately winning by a margin of just 537 votes.

"The Indian-American vote has value. If you can lose an election by 400-500 votes, then in places like Florida, the 30-40 per cent weight of the Indian-American vote will be important and both Democrats and Republicans will notice our value," Patel said during a press conference here this week.

Noting that 70 per cent of Indian-Americans are Democrats, he asked the community in the red states to vote for Clinton, especially in Ohio, Florida, Colorado.

"Make sure you go and cast your vote, it is going to carry a lot of weight in these states," Patel said.

Citing immigration, healthcare and education as issues of key importance to the Indian-American community, Patel said Clinton's agenda in these areas will benefit the community and urged them to vote for her.

Prominent hotelier and former commissioner in President Clinton's White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders Mike Patel, a Clinton supporter, said it took Al Gore only a few hundred votes to lose the elections in 2000 and "so the Indian-American cannot be complacent".

"The Indian-American voters in Ohio, have to come out and vote because these are the states that are needed to win the election," Mike Patel said.

Bhupi Patel said the Indian-American community has to make its vote count since "it is very important for the community to be involved in the political process otherwise no one notices you. We are three million in number and are a very powerful community, contributing to the American fabric in a lot of ways. We must make our presence felt and we must exercise our voting rights".

Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Chairman of the group 'Indian-Americans for Democrats and Friends of Hillary for President', also cited the presidential election of 2000 where Al Gore lost with a small margin, saying "the Indian-American votes means a lot".

In states where there is a very tight race each vote counts a lot, he said.

Urging the community to vote for Clinton, Chatwal said it should not think "we are a minority as your vote can make the next President of the US".

Eminent New York attorney Anand Ahuja, Vice President of political action committee 'Indian Americans For Trump 2016', however, offered a different view, saying it is very difficult to predict which side the India-Americans will go and to expect that they can in a way influence the results is like "living in a fantasy land".

While acknowledging that "each vote counts", Ahuja told
Even as US President campaigns for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, his own approval ratings are better than when he won his second term in 2012, according to a recent CBS/NYT poll.



The CBS/NYT poll added that his approval ratings are at 54 per cent, which is far higher than George W Bush's ratings (20 per cent) but lower than those of Bill Clinton (61 per cent) and Ronald Reagan (60 per cent) during similar times in their respective presidencies.
United States presidential nominee Donald Trump's son Eric on Saturday took part in a traditional Indian 'aarti' ahead of the crucial Election Day on November 8th to pray for his father's victory.

This is not the first that the Trump campaign has tried to woo the Hindu and the Indian-American community as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump had visited a Hindu temple last month in Virginia.

Taking the campaign further, the Republican nominee even appeared speaking Hindi for a presidential campaign ad ahead of Diwali.

Trump was seen uttering "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar (This time Trump government)"  adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his.

The video opened with the message "Happy Diwali" and borrowed footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations.

"The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. We love the Hindus, we love India," he says in the ad.

Last month Trump also attended a charity event last month hosted by members of the Hindu community in Edison, where he praised India for helping to combat terrorism.

In another statement, he also praised the Hindu community's 'fantastic' contributions to world civilisation and American culture.

His efforts to woo Hindus have not proved futile as Hindu Sena, a right-wing organisation in India held a havan (a sacred ritual) for the victory of the presumptive Republican nominee and even celebrated his birthday with a cake, balloons and posters.
A US judge has warned Donald Trump's campaign against any "voter intimidation" and unauthorised 'poll watching' activities in Ohio, the result of one of several cases brought by Democrats before Election Day.

The Ohio case was filed by lawyers for state Democratic parties against the Trump campaign and Republicans, seeking early restraining orders or limits to ballot security or voter questioning efforts. Similar lawsuits were filed in Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Judge James Gwin of the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled after a hearing on Friday, mostly siding with Democrats against Trump and Republican operative Roger Stone's group "Stop the Steal" and issuing a temporary restraining order, CNN reported.

The Trump campaign has appealed the ruling to the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Gwin's ruling, the campaign said, "literally imposes a comprehensive election code the court will apparently continue to invent on the fly."

In Arizona, a federal judge late Friday rejected a similar request from Democrats for a restraining order.

Among actions prohibited under Gwin's order, "Hindering or delaying a voter or prospective voter from reaching or leaving the polling place," participating in "unauthorised 'poll watching'" activities, including "challenging or questioning voters or prospective voters about their eligibility to vote, or training, organising, or directing others to do the same" and "interrogating, admonishing, interfering with, or verbally harassing voters or prospective voters."

Campaigns and individuals are also barred from questioning voters "under the guise of the purported 'exit polling' or 'citizen journalist' operations organised and encouraged by Defendants Stone and Stop the Steal."

Gwin's order applies to Hillary Clinton's campaign as well.

The Trump campaign has denied it is participating in any illegal activity.

"Intimidating voters is illegal, and the campaign does not remotely condone such conduct," Trump campaign lawyer Chad A Readler of Jones Day wrote in a 15-page legal filing in Ohio earlier this week.

Last week, media reports had said White supremacist groups backing Trump are planning to "watch polls" in areas populated by blacks by installing hidden cameras at polling locations and distribute liquor and drugs to keep away those likely to vote for Hillary Clinton.

The National Socialist Movement, various factions of the Ku Klux Klan and the white nationalist American Freedom Party all were planning to deploy members to "watch polls", either "informally" or, they say, through the Trump campaign, the Politico reported.
A spurt in demand from America, the worlds largest consumer of luxury ornaments, has revived diamond processing and manufacturing units in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in this country.
Bangladesh's Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque denied the allegations of using abusive words on Hindus and has claimed that some people are attempting to tarnish his political career by spreading false rumours.

Allegations were brought against him following the Nasirnagar violence during which Hindu temples and houses were vandalized, reports the Express Tribune.

"I will resign if anyone can prove that I made derogatory remarks about the Hindus after the Nasirnagar attack," he said on Sunday.

On October 30, a section of religious zealots carried out attacks on the Hindus in Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria over a Facebook post that hurt religious sentiment of the Muslims.

The attack left over 100 Hindu houses and 17 temples vandalised.

Earlier, the minister had also said that Rasraj, the person whose Facebook account had made the inciting post, was too uneducated to have made it himself.

In a fresh attack on Friday, miscreants also set fire to at least six houses of Hindus in the upazila amid alertness of law enforcement agencies and local administration.

Police, RAB, and BGB have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

The streak of communal violence has continued in other parts of the country as more reports of attacks on Hindus were reported in Netrokona, Habiganj, and other districts followed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in India today on a two-day official visit.

May is likely to arrive around 11 a.m. and will be accompanied by a business delegation on her first bilateral visit outside Europe since assuming office.

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

She will also attend a Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting on the sidelines of her visit.

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

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

The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Urging the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop the burning of schools in the state, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) on Sunday said these acts of arson were a clear attempt to ensure the presence of students at anti-government protests.

BJP leader and spokesman G V L Narsimha Rao told ANI, "This is clearly an attempt to scare away children and youth and to ensure that they are available to protest. The state government and local authorities are dealing with this issue on a high priority and we hope this problem of law and order will be put to rest quickly."

The Centre had last week asked the Mehbooba Mufti-led state government to check such attempts and make efforts for the reopening of schools which have been closed since July 9.

As many as 31 schools and 110 government buildings have been damaged in the Kashmir Valley since the current unrest began nearly four months ago.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of this development and asked the state government to take steps to prevent such incidents and "unmask" the culprits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
'Victoria's Secret' model Cara Delevingne, who has not walked the show since 2013, recently got invited back to 2016's fashion show without any necessary casting.

The 24-year-old supermodel and actress took to social media to post a photograph of the official invitation letter written to her from 'Victoria's Secret' Chief Marketing Officer Edward Razek.

Earlier this week, a UK tabloid newspaper published an article alleging Delevingne was not picked to walk in the brand's show in London in 2014 because she was "too bloated" at casting.

Delevingne fired back at the false words, writing on her Instagram handle alongside the photo, "It's shameless to discuss women's bodies just to sell papers #bloated" with a few middle finger emojis included.

The letter addressed to the British star affirmed that the tabloid's report was a "complete fabrication."

"Victoria's Secret made every effort to have you in the London show," Razek wrote, "I know, because I was the one making the effort."

Razek also acknowledged that the 'Suicide Squad' star could not attend owing to the shooting schedules of her 2015 film 'Paper Towns' in North Carolina.

Saying the alleged casting where supposedly disparaging remarks were made "never happened", the officer wrote, "You had already been enthusiastically confirmed" and "no casting" necessary.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Party on Sunday dubbed Arvind Kejriwal as a 'part-time' Chief Minister while alleging that he is least bothered about the alarming pollution level in Delhi as his heart and soul is focused on gaining political mileage outside the capital.

Congress leader Ajay Maken told ANI that when the Chief Minister's heat, soul, mind and body is outside Delhi for his own 'political ambition' then he is doing no good.

"Well first we would like to clarify that the Congress will be supportive of any measure which the government takes. Whether it is the Central Government or the state government but in the same way I would like to say that Delhi doesn't need a part time Chief Minister," he said.

"Now, he has announced knee jerk measures which are just short-term measures, short-term needs reaction. As far as the air pollution is concerned, the problem of air pollution is so bad that we just don't need knee jerk reaction or short-term measures. We need solid long-term measures which Arvind Kejriwal has failed to address in the last two to three years," he added.

Kejriwal today announced a list of measures to be enforced by the state government including putting all construction projects across the city on hold for the next five days and ordering the shutdown of all schools for the next three days to curb pollution in the capital.

Kejriwal also stated that the return of Odd-Even scheme was possible to keep traffic emissions in check, adding that the possibility of artificial rain was also discussed in the meeting but it would need the Centre's help in that.

Remaining resolute on his stand that crop burning in the neighbouring states was responsible for the ever-increasing pollution level in Delhi, the Chief Minister added that no immediate relief could be expected as stubble burning continued.

However, earlier in the day Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave rebuked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government for accusing the neighbouring states for the rising level of pollution in the capital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Police on Sunday detained the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were staging protest against the authorities at the India Gate here for not taking firm steps to locate their missing colleague Najeeb Ahmed.

Najeeb's sister Sadaf Mosharraf, who was also among those detained by the police, vented her ire at the men in uniform.

"We were protesting very peacefully but the Delhi Police detained us without any reason," she said.

Chief Minister on Sunday alleged that the Centre was adopting 'dictatorship' policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures.

"Why is the Prime Minister afraid of protests? If one student is missing since the last 22 days then other students have the right to protest. This is their constitutional right and the government is trying to snatch their rights from them," said Kejriwal.

Commenting on the Delhi Police's move to summon nine people in connection with this case, Kejriwal said that the men in uniform have just done a formality in the name of investigation.

"The BJP is ruling the nation and Delhi Police is afraid of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). So, they didn't have the courage to call the ABVP people from past 22 days and just for formality they called few ABVP members for interrogation yesterday," he said.

Met Hon'ble Prez to seek his intervention on missing JNU student Najeeb. He assured of all support n that he will seek report from MHA n JNU  (@ArvindKejriwal) November 6, 2016

Earlier today, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention into the matter.

Speaking to the media here after meeting with the President, Kejriwal pinned the blame on Delhi Police, accusing them of refusing to take action after coming under political pressure.

The Chief Minister further said that President Mukherjee had assured him of seeking a report both from the JNU administration and the Delhi Police as well.

Last week, Kejriwal had made a beeline to the JNU campus along with other party leaders to take on the Centre over the missing student.

"The way the country has progressed in the last two years is of grave concern. Today Najeeb is missing. Tomorrow my son can go missing," Kejriwal then said.

Najeeb went missing on the intervening night of October 14 and 15 after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising of the ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections.
Heroin worth Rs. two crores have been seized from the IGI Airport here in the capital.

The heroin was seized from two Afghan nationals, who were going to Afghanistan by Kam Air on November 3.

One of them namely Ghulam Rabani, 43, became unwell at the airport. He was offloaded by the airlines and this came to the notice of the local police.

Accordingly, the police staff assessed the situation and circumstances.

The condition of the passenger was such that it raised suspicion regarding reasons for his state of health.

He had arrived in India on medical VISA in October but had not visited any hospital for treatment since then.

He was sent to AIIMS Hospital through CATs ambulance. The doctors were consulted and they were advised to examine and assess whether the passenger had swallowed some contraband to escape the eyes of law.

The patient was admitted to the hospital. The police watch was constantly maintained upon him and the suspicion turned into reality when during treatment, it was established that the passenger had swallowed a large number of capsules.

He was operated upon by the doctors and during the surgery; the doctors took out 57 capsules of very big size from his stomach and rectum.

These capsules were made of polythene. The weight of contraband was 525 grams. The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin.

The total value of the heroin recovered is estimated to be about two crores in the international market. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to unearth the whole syndicate and track the other co-passenger of the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday woke up to heavy shelling and firing again, as Pakistani Rangers violated ceasefire, three days after two women were killed and a child was severely injured.

The firing started at 2 a.m. today at the K.G. Sector, where the Border Security Force (BSF) is aptly retaliating to the firing initiated by Pakistan.

On Thursday, two women were killed in heavy firing and mortar shelling in Manjakote Sector of Rajouri district.

Also, a 14-month -old child was injured in cross-border firing and continues to be critical.

Authorities in Kashmir have already evacuated hundreds of people from villages along the frontier with Pakistan following frequent ceasefire violations.

This is the 101st incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following India's surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29th, targeting Pakistan occupied Kashmir-based terrorist launch pads.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after a star-studded dinner party at Hollywood, Kris Jenner's 61st birthday celebration continues with some beloved trolls.

The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star travelled to Calabasas for a family-friendly movie date with a private screening of Justin Timberlake's latest 'Trolls', reports E! Online.

Jenner's family helped rent out part of the neighborhood movie theatre so that they could enjoy the new animation.

The daughters also took to social media to express love for their mother and to give fans a sneak peak of the special day's activity.

"What do you do on your mom's birthday?" asked Khloe Kardashian on Snapchat, "You rent out the theatre. Go Mom! What! What!"

Kylie Jenner documented the movie experience that included neck massages for the birthday girl.

Momager Jenner is seen telling into the camera, "I'm happy to be with my kids on my birthday."

Kim Kardashian gifted mom with a new birthday Kimoji while Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna gifted her balloons that spelled out 'Happy Birthday Love You.'

Just one night earlier, the mother of six celebrated turning another year older with her pals over dinner. John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Scott Disick and Jonathan Cheban were some of the guests present at the evening meal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Newly crowned World No.1 Andy Murray on Sunday battled past American John Isner to claim his maiden title at the BNP Paribas Masters here.

The Briton defeated Isner 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 in a thrilling contest that lasted for two-hour and 18-minutes.

The World No. 1 claimed his eighth tour-level crown of the year and 43rd in total.

He notched a 14th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and joins Tim Henman (2003) and Greg Rusedski (1998) as British winners in Paris, reports atpworldtour.com

It was confirmed that Murray would leapfrog long-time No.1 Novak Djokovic when Milos Raonic pulled out of his semi-final against the Wimbledon and Olympic champion on Saturday.

Murray now moves on to next week's ATP World Tour Finals in London where he will aim to finish off his remarkable season in style and be crowned the end of year best player.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chhath Puja is being celebrated in several states today. Thousands of devotees celebrating the festival gathered on the banks of the Yamuna river, lakes and canals in the capital early this afternoon to pay obeisance to the Sun God on the third day of the four-day event.

The Puja, celebrated on the sixth day of Kartik month, is dedicated to Sun God for supporting life on earth and ensuring prosperity and happiness in life.

Amid devotional and chhath folk songs devotees in Patna paid oblation to the setting Sun on Ghats along various rivers including Ganga, Kosi, Gandak and Sone rivers this evening.

Chhath puja was also performed on the banks of ponds and water reservoirs. A large number of devotees made special offerings to the Sun God at the sun temple at Deo in Aurangabad, Barkagao in Nalanda and Ular Sun temple in Patna district.

In Lucknow, thousands of people paid oblation to the setting Sun at different river ghats of Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers.

A big number of devotees had assembled at ghats of Allahabad, Varanasi and other districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh this evening.

In Allahabad, devotees had gathered in large number at Sangam and offered ardhya to Sun God.

On this occasion, an arti session was also organised at the Sangam.

Elaborate arrangements have been made in temple town Varanasi and other places of eastern districts.

The 36- hrs fast, without even water, began two days ago after Nahay-Khai and today the first offering or 'Argya' to descending Sun was made by very large number of devotees in various ponds, rivers and dams of the state.

Tomorrow the fast of Chhath will come to end after offering Argya to the early morning Sun. At many places gestures of Hindu Muslim unity were also shown for this festival.

Chhath puja celebrations will conclude tomorrow following oblations to the rising Sun.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention in the matter of the missing student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was assured of all help possible.

Speaking to the media here after meeting with the President, Kejriwal pinned the blame on Delhi Police, accusing them of refusing to take action after coming under political pressure.

"Najeeb has been missing for the past 23 days, ever since he got into a scuffle with some ABVP students and was even beaten up in the presence of wardens. It is clear as day that the Delhi Police is not taking any action in the matter due to political pressure. Those who were involved in the brawl were questioned for the first time in 23 days yesterday and that too as a formality," Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister further said that President Mukherjee had assured him of seeking a report from the JNU administration and the Delhi Police as well.

Last week, Kejriwal had made a beeline to the JNU campus along with other party leaders to take on the Centre over the missing student.

"The way the country has progressed in the last two years is of grave concern. Today Najeeb is missing. Tomorrow my son can go missing," Kejriwal said.

Hitting out at ABVP, he added, "The message is clear. Whoever opposes ABVP, BJP and RSS will be considered as anti- . The party is not of Hindus, not Muslims, neither of their fathers. I went to Gujarat. They have killed Patidars, they have killed dalits. Instead of consoling the family of former armymen, police beat up the family members."

Najeeb went missing on the intervening night of October 14 and 15 after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan security czar has said that a high-powered committee will be unveiled within a couple of days to investigate the issue of leaking an alleged 'fabricated' story about national security last month.

"A retired high court judge will head the committee which comprises senior officials," a senior official quoted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as saying.

The development came eight days after the government sacked information minister Pervaiz Rashid after preliminary investigations established a 'lapse' on his part vis-a-vis the publication of the controversial story by Cyril Almeida in one of the country's leading daily, The Dawn on October 6.

The story came under much fire as it reported an alleged rift between the country's powerful military and the government for its failure to act against non-state actors.

Almeida's name was even added to the Exit Control List to prevent him from traveling abroad. However it was later removed.

The government repeatedly rebutted the story as 'false and fabricated', and the military leadership went on to call it a 'breach of national security'.

The Interior Minister has repeatedly said that whoever was involved in leaking the story would be brought to justice as this story had given opportunity to foes to chargesheet Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Launching a direct attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday accused the former of depriving the people of Uttar Pradesh from getting benefits of the Centre sponsored welfare schemes.

Speaking at the second leg of the Parivartan Yatra held in Jhansi, aiming to cover all 403 constituencies in the next 50 days, Shah said "The Samajwadi Party (SP) has been depriving the people of Uttar Pradesh from accessing welfare schemes sponsored by the Central government."

Shah thanked the people for giving mandate to the BJP in forming the government at the Centre.

He said only the BJP can bring Uttar Pradesh on the path of development.

"BJP is the only party which is capable of providing development and corruption free environment in Uttar Pradesh," Shah said.

Criticising the stand taken by Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on polygamy and tripple talaq, Shah asked them to be honest in expressing their views instead of politicising the issue.

"SP, BSP and Congress must come clear with their stand on the issues related to the protection of rights of the Muslim women," he said.

Union Minister and Jhansi MP Uma Bharti, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and several other prominent leaders of BJP were present in the rally.

Shah flagged off the first 'Parivartan yatra' from Saharanpur on Saturday.

This Yatra will pass through entire Bundelkhand before entering Kannauj, Mainpuri, Jaswant Nagar, Badaun and Firozabad --- all strongholds of leaders of ruling SP's first family.

The final leg of the Parivartan Rath Yatra would be concluded on December 24 at Lucknow where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Washington DC [United States], Nov. 6 (ANI): Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ended a long day of campaigning on Saturday with a stunning event that he hadn't planned. The Secret Service rushed him off the stage in Nevada during his campaign speech when a commotion in the crowd led them to believe that one unidentified protestor yelled 'gun'. The police did not find any weapons in his possession or in the area.

Trump returned and delivered his speech with the same enthusiasm as before. "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped. I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," said Trump.

The Republican nominee has been doing multiple events and it seems to have had no detrimental impact on his energy and keenness to win. He thinks he is the best man for the top job and not even a security flutter could dampen his verve.

David Avella, a communications professional and political operative, says as the election enters the last lap things are getting desperate. Mary Anne Marsh, a Democrat strategist, reminded TV viewers that Secret Service had got on stage during one of Clinton's speeches too. But the fact is that incidents like these do affect the way polls tilt. Wild fluctuations have been taking place in the polls in October and the first week of November.

In a highly charged atmosphere many are criticial of the polls, calling them more art than science. The questions are formed in a manner to suit the outcome say critics.

Trump is not a big fan of the polls. Clinton is leading by a single point at this stage but Trump is not touting that. In Nevada, he was leading by one point. But he doesn't quote that either.His supporters say that he is peaking at the right moment, just two days before the polls. But they are not leaving anything to chance. "Nobody said it will be easy for us. But we will never be stopped." Trump is convinced that the system is rigged against him. "Folks, it's a rigged system. It's a rigged system. And we're going to beat it," he said.

Michael McDonald, Chairman of the Republican party in Nevada, said that polling locations extended closing time in Clark County to allow the voters to cast their ballots. There are more registered Democrats in Clark County compared to Republicans with over 30 percent of the population being Hispanics. McDonald said, "Last night in Clark County, they kept a poll open until 10 o'clock at night so that a certain group could vote.you think this is a free and easy election?"

Pamela von Gruber, a Republican supporter in Virginia, told this reporter that she has volunteered to be an election observer mainly because of strong reports that voter fraud could take place in the swing state. Reagan George, the president of the Virginia Voters Alliance, claims that Virginia has printed an unprecedented number of one million provisional ballots that could allow a large number of fraudulent voters.

"Help me stop Crooked Hillary from Rigging this election," was Trump's plea which is reflected in a website inviting volunteers. And thousands signed up. "The only way they can beat it in my opinion, and I mean this 100 percent, if in certain sections of the state they cheat," Trump said of Clinton campaign in Pennsylvania.

But politicians across the spectrum have criticized the discourse of large-scale voter fraud as utter rubbish. However, it is a rallying cry in the Republican Party.

With just two days left for the Election Day, polls show that 12 percent of voters are uncommitted as compared to 5 percent in the last election. 15 percent of voters dislike both candidates, which means they are not committed even in the last lap. Those who vote in early voting are those motivated by partisan passion but the ones who wait till the end are those who could swing either way. And it is to grab those votes that Trump and Clinton are out there in the slog overs, not leaving anything to chance. There is very strong chance now that Trump might win the popular vote but miss out on the presidency because of the Electoral College vote. If that happens, he isn't going to go away very easily.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Washington DC [USA], Nov. 6 (ANI): Just two days to go and one would think America has had enough of scandals regarding the two Presidential nominees. But no, here is another one.

The New York Post has an investigative report this morning that as the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton routinely asked her maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and documents, including those that had classified information.

Marina Santos's name figures in Clinton's emails. The New York Post report states that Clinton would first receive highly sensitive e-mails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at her home.

Santos did not have security clearance to receive or print those mails.

The expose quotes from the emails: "Pls ask Marina to print for me in am," Clinton e-mailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified. Not just Huma, another Clinton aide Monica Hanley too seems to be in on the maid's proximity to Hillary Clinton.

In a classified 2012 e-mail dealing with the new president of Malawi, Hanley apparantly advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this." In another mail marked "sensitive" but unclassified from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you."

The Post report says that among the emails that the maid printed out, one had a subject line - "Revisions to the Iran points". In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you." The Iran mail was supposedly marked 'confidential' and 'secret'. The report says that Clinton's maid, who did not have security clearance, had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, Hillary and Bill Clinton's Washington DC house.

When a Post reporter confronted Santos at her DC apartment on Friday, she said, "I don't speak to reporters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Rituraj Govind was arrested in apprehension of breach of peace in outer district here ahead of the Chhath Puja, the city police said on Sunday.

Rituraj was arrested on Saturday night after he violated orders prohibiting any gathering of four or more, imposed under Section-144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, at Nithari Talaab in Aman Vihar police station area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) M.N. Tiwari told IANS.

The legislator from Kirari was trying to build a ghat along a water body in the Kirari area in his constituency, the police said.

The ban on any assembly of four or more persons was imposed on Saturday morning in view of the Chhath Puja.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Akshay Kumar, who is in Mathura for shooting for his upcoming film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" got the Bhagvad Gita as a gift from a passerby.

Akshay on Sunday took to Twitter to share a photograph of the book. The "Rustom" actor says he feels blessed.

"Couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. Landed in Mathura and got gifted this precious Bhagvad Gita on day one by a passerby! Blessed," he captioned the image.

According to rumours, the film is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The film will be a light-hearted comedy revolving around this campaign directed by Neeraj Pandey. It also features veteran actor Anupam Kher.

-*-

What's Saqib's favourite Sunday memory?

Actor Saqib Saleem says his favourite Sunday memory has to do with paranthas!

The actor says he used to have a parantha eating competition with his cousins.

"All the cousins and me used to have a parantha eating competition... Mostly I won because I love aloo ke paranthe with some makhan (butter). Favourite Sunday memory," Saqib tweeted.

On the acting front, Saqib was last seen on screen in the John Abraham and Varun Dhawan starrer "Dishoom" and will soon be seen sharing screen space with his sister in "Dobaara", a Hindi remake of Hollywood film "Oculus".

-*-

Arjun done with 'Kahaani 2' dubbing

Actor Arjun Rampal, who will be sharing the screen with versatile actress Vidya Balan in "Kahaani 2", has finished dubbing for the film.

Arjun says he cannot wait to watch the film's final copy.

"Done with 'Kahaani 2' dub. So proud of my friend Sujoy Ghosh, super happy and proud of the film. Can't wait to watch the final copy," Arjun tweeted.

"Kahaani 2" is the second installment of the "Kahaani" franchise.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived here in Russia on Sunday for the 21st China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting and on an official visit to the northern neighbour, media reported.

During the visit, Li and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will discuss issues of common concern. The two sides are also expected to sign cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, energy, customs and education, Xinhua news agency reported.

Li is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

China believes that the visit will inject fresh impetus into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai at a press conference last week in Beijing.

On economic and trade cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said in October that thanks to efforts by both sides, China-Russia trade halted falling and began to grow in the first half of this year, totaling $31.72 billion, up 1.8 per cent over the same period of last year.

He also expressed confidence in the prospects of cooperation between the two countries, citing their highly complementary economies and their agreement to synergise the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The belt is part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which also includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aspires to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Russia is the last stop of Li's eight-day Eurasia trip, which has already carried him to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Latvia.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government on Sunday unveiled a slew of steps, including closure of all schools for three days, to battle unprecedented smog levels that have drastically cut visibility and turned the national capital into a virtual gas chamber.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also banned construction and demolition work for five days and the use of diesel-run generator sets for 10 days in a desperate bid to control a crisis that has choked Delhi.

The school closure is aimed at preventing children from getting affected by the dangerous pollution levels which have forced people to use surgical masks while travelling in the city.

But Kejriwal maintained that this was a larger problem involving neighbouring states, where farmers are said to be burning crop stubble in a wide area, and sought the central government's intervention.

"This is the time to set aside and find a solution (to the problem)," Kejriwal said after presiding over an emergency meeting of his cabinet.

"The base level of pollution was already very high. We have consulted experts and we are taking some emergency measures," the Aam Aadmi Party leader told reporters.

Kejriwal said the coal-based thermal power plant at Badarpur in south Delhi, which generates fly ash, would be shut for 10 days. Water would be sprinkled on the fly ash scattered within the plant.

Water would also be sprinkled on the city's roads on a large scale and vacuum cleaning would begin from November 10 in all 100-foot broad roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), he added.

With high levels of PM 2.5, Delhi's pollution crisis continues to be classified as "severe", with a blanket of smog covering the entire city as well as neighbouring states.

Delhi's pollution levels worsened after Diwali on October 30. The dismal air quality has been attributed to low wind speed and high humidity which has blocked dispersal of pollutants.

The Chief Minister announced that in order to do away with the dependence on generator sets, electricity connections would be given to whoever asks for them. Hospitals and emergency services can, however, use generator sets.

He announced a strict enforcement of the ban on burning of trash and dry leaves, saying residents who see violations can report to the government on an app to be unveiled on Monday.

And where this takes place, the sanitary inspector and other officers would be penalised.

The municipal authorities have been told to bring under control the fire at the land fill sites in Delhi.

Kejriwal also appealed to people to remain indoors as much as possible and said the odd-even transport system may make a comeback.

"Please stay indoors and try to work from home as much as possible."

Under the odd-even scheme, implemented twice earlier, vehicles with odd registration number would alone ply on odd dates and those with even registration number on even dates.

The Delhi government was also analysing the possibility of inducing artificial rains to control pollution but this would need to be discussed with experts and the central government, Kejriwal said.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Sunday welcomed the emergency measures, but demanded their strict implementation along with long-term action including boosting public transport to fight pollution on a sustainable manner.

CSE's executive director (Research and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury also called for vehicle restraint measures including odd-even scheme and parking restraints' simultaneous implementation.

Terming the smog situation in Delhi an environmental emergency, the Swaraj India party accused the Delhi and central governments of failing to tackle pollution.

"Be it the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the Delhi government or the Centre, none of the authorities have done justice to the tasks assigned to them, which would have led to control over pollution," said Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav.

--IANS

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(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.)
The Delhi government on Sunday unveiled a slew of steps, including closure of all schools for three days, to battle unprecedented smog levels that have drastically cut visibility and turned the national capital into a virtual gas chamber.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also banned construction and demolition work for five days and the use of diesel-run generator sets for 10 days in a desperate bid to control a crisis that has choked Delhi.

The school closure is aimed at preventing children from getting affected by the dangerous pollution levels which have forced people to use surgical masks while travelling in the city.

But Kejriwal maintained that this was a larger problem involving neighbouring states, where farmers are said to be burning crop stubble in a wide area, and sought the central government's intervention.

"This is the time to set aside and find a solution (to the problem)," Kejriwal said after presiding over an emergency meeting of his cabinet.

"The base level of pollution was already very high. We have consulted experts and we are taking some emergency measures," the Aam Aadmi Party leader told reporters.

Kejriwal said the coal-based thermal power plant at Badarpur in south Delhi, which generates fly ash, would be shut for 10 days. Water would be sprinkled on the fly ash scattered within the plant.

Water would also be sprinkled on the city's roads on a large scale and vacuum cleaning would begin from November 10 in all 100-foot broad roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), he added.

With high levels of PM 2.5, Delhi's pollution crisis continues to be classified as "severe", with a blanket of smog covering the entire city as well as neighbouring states.

Delhi's pollution levels worsened after Diwali on October 30. The dismal air quality has been attributed to low wind speed and high humidity which has blocked dispersal of pollutants.

A private weather forecaster however said residents may find respite by Tuesday as strong winds are expected here in next 24-48 hours, which will improve the air quality.

Skymet Director Mahesh Palawat said strong winds from Punjab and Haryana will push the pollution away, adding air quality will improve further if strong winds continue for several more days, due to change in pressure in the Bay of Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister announced that in order to do away with the dependence on generator sets, electricity connections would be given to whoever asks for them. Hospitals and emergency services can, however, use generator sets.

He announced a strict enforcement of the ban on burning of trash and dry leaves, saying residents who see violations can report to the government on an app to be unveiled on Monday.

And where this takes place, the sanitary inspector and other officers would be penalised.

The municipal authorities have been told to bring under control the fire at the land fill sites in Delhi.

Kejriwal also appealed to people to remain indoors as much as possible and said the odd-even transport system may make a comeback.

"Please stay indoors and try to work from home as much as possible."

Under the odd-even scheme, implemented twice earlier, vehicles with odd registration number would alone ply on odd dates and those with even registration number on even dates.

The Delhi government was also analysing the possibility of inducing artificial rains to control pollution but this would need to be discussed with experts and the central government, Kejriwal said.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Sunday welcomed the emergency measures, but demanded their strict implementation along with long-term action including boosting public transport to fight pollution on a sustainable manner.

CSE's executive director (Research and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury also called for vehicle restraint measures including odd-even scheme and parking restraints' simultaneous implementation.

Terming the smog situation in Delhi an environmental emergency, the Swaraj India party accused the Delhi and central governments of failing to tackle pollution.

"Be it the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the Delhi government or the Centre, none of the authorities have done justice to the tasks assigned to them, which would have led to control over pollution," said its President Yogendra Yadav.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three Nepali citizens were arrested with a huge quantity of explosives in Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district, the state police said on Sunday.

"As many as 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 640 metres of cordex cables were seized from the trio," Siliguri Police Commissioner C.S. Lepcha told media here.

A Siliguri court later remanded the accused in police custody for seven days.

The police officer said Krishna Prasad Adhikari was arrested after a tip-off near Darjeeling More in Pradhannagar police station jurisdiction on Saturday night.

Following his interrogation, Dawa Shering Gurung alias Lama and his wife Puja Gurung were picked up from a house in the neighbourhood.

"It seems they were supposed to deliver the explosives. We are trying to ascertain whether the trio has links with Nepal's Maoists or insurgents active in India's north-eastern states," he said.

"The couple were running a small hotel for a year in Siliguri," a local resident said.

The couple is from Nepal's Khandbari area, the headquarters of Sankhuwasabha district, while Adhikari is from Nangin in Panchthar district of the Himalayan nation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Female fish judge males based on their ability to design nests best suited for the conditions of their environment, suggests a study.

According to the study, male fish build nests to suit local environments -- and females judge males on their ability to respond to changing conditions.

In the study, which is published in the journal Evolution, the researchers showed that low oxygen can change the way in which fish build nests and also change the nesting preferences of female fish.

Male three-spined stickleback fish are unusual in that they build nests and provide all the parental care for the eggs, which are spawned by females, and for the developing baby fish.

The research team found that males change the design of their nests depending on the oxygen content of the water -- making looser nests under low-oxygen conditions and more compact nests when oxygen increases.

"Male sticklebacks have to work really hard as dads, using their fins to fan water through the nest to supply the eggs with the oxygen they need to develop," said Iain Barber, Researcher at the University of Leicester.

"If the water is low in oxygen, then having a looser, more open nest allows more oxygen to reach the eggs, but it probably comes at the expense of increasing the risk of them being discovered by predators," Barber added.

Low oxygen can also critically affect important reproductive behaviours, with associated effects on the viability of fish populations and even implications for natural selection and evolution.

The research has shown that it was not just male construction that was affected when water oxygen levels changed. The most interesting finding was that female fish also changed their preferences for the design of nest they went for.

Female choices flipped from preferring tighter nests under high oxygen conditions, to preferring looser nests when conditions deteriorated.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said he has no interest in national and he is concentrating on the development of his state.

"My foremost concern is the state and that is what I am concentrating on. I don't want to move Delhi. I have been at Delhi as a central minister. I am very content to be here working for the people of Odisha," he said at a programme here, adding there is a "a great deal of unfinished work" here.

Patnaik also said that there is no need to groom any leader to succeed him in future.

"The people in Odisha will choose their own leader at the appropriate time," he said.

He also denied the possibility of any alliance with Congress in the state.

"There is no question of alliance with the Congress party. In fact, our policy is to remain equidistance from Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress," said Patnaik.

On the industry sector, he blamed the Central government for the Posco embargo.

"There have been several failures like Posco, which is the biggest FDI in the country. This happened because of the central government changed its policies of giving mines. Otherwise, several other projects have come up and they are doing well," said the Chief Minister.

Patnaik said his government may move court to on Mahanadi water sharing dispute as the projects being constructed by Chhattisgarh government would affect the water flowing to Hirakud reservoir.

Reiterating that his government has carried out various developmental works including women empowerment, he said: "The state's image has changed. Starvation is a story of the past."

He, however, maintained that proactive steps are being taken by the government regarding all round development of the state.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Sunday the beginning of a military campaign against the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.

"We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces are about to begin a major military campaign to liberate the city of al-Raqqa from the clutches of the forces of darkness represented by Daesh (IS)," Xinhua news agency cited an SDF statement.

The military campaign, dubbed "The Euphrates Rage", started on Saturday evening in cooperation and coordination with the US-led anti-terror coalition, the statement added.

The SDF also urged the regional and international powers that have been affected by the IS to take part in the "honour to eliminate the core of the international terrorism".

The SDF move toward al-Raqqa will surely raise the ire of Turkey, which has recently asked the US to put the offensive on al-Raqqa on hold till the battle against IS in Mosul, Iraq subsides.

Turkey, who wanted to lead the offensive on al-Raqqa is concerned about the growing Kurdish influence near its borders which was a main point of contention between Washington and Ankara.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistans Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the "grave atrocities" being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the High Commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the High Commissioner for sending fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on the ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the High Commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has long suggested without evidence there is voter fraud in the US, explicitly accused Democrats in Nevada in engaging in the practice, a media report said.

Speaking in a convention centre hall in Reno, Nevada, Trump alleged that the long lines in Hispanic neighbourhoods on the last day of early voting in Las Vegas were the result of the machinations of "crazy broken Harry Reid and his political machine", referring to the Senate minority leader, who hails from the state, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

"It's being reported certain key Democratic polling locations in Clark County were kept open hours and hours beyond closing time to bus and bring Democratic voters in," Trump alleged.

He added, "folks, it's a rigged system, it's a rigged system" to loud boos, before insisting, "we are going to beat it".

On Friday alone, 57,000 people in Clark County, which is home to Las Vegas and majority of Nevada's population, voted. In total, over 770,000 votes have already been cast in the swing state, making up roughly two-thirds of the estimated turnout, and Democrats are widely favoured to win the state, unless there is record Republican turnout on Tuesday.

The Republican presidential nominee also mocked Obama for suggesting "Donald Trump is hurting the foundations of our country by talking about rigging the system". He added dismissively, "give me a break", and called Obama "a phony".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A two-year-old rape case in Wadakancherry town of Kerala on Sunday got a new momentum after a police probe team took statement of the 34-year-old victim here.

The victim has by now publicly named, amongst others, two CPI-M leaders, including Municipal Councillor P.N. Jayanthan, who has denied of doing such a thing and has admitted that the two others had financial dealings.

The 2014 case became public on Thursday when the woman along with her husband and two women activists narrated the incident to the media in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Following this, the CPI-M state government of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was forced to order a fresh probe into the case as pressure mounted from the Congress party, the BHaratiya Janata Party and the media.

The Chief Minister is also in the dock as he was one of the first persons to be informed of the rape, when the victim in August this year wrote to him about the sexual attack on her.

On Sunday, Wadakancherry legislator Anil Akkara of the Congress told reporters that barring the two women police officersm all others in the probe team were known sympathisers of the CPI-M, and hence the case will not reach its logical conclusion.

"Barring the two women IPS officials, all the rest were cleared by the party officials in Thrissur, and hence if the DGP (Director General of Police) is serious in getting to the bottom of the truth in the case, such officials should be removed from the probe team," said Akkara.

The case has rocked the CPI-M in general and particularly the party unit in Thrissur.

On Sunday, the case was the centre of discussion at the party state secretariat meeting held here in the state capital.

Former assembly speaker and senior CPI-M leader K. Radhakrishnan, known for his pleasing manners and soft nature, took a beating for naming the victim in an interaction with the media last week.

When the media pointed out to him that it was wrong to name the victim, he shot back and said if Jayanthan can be named, then the details of the victim can also be revealed.

The National Commission for Women has served a show cause notice to the former speaker and the police have launched a preliminary probe into it following a few complaints.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May will be in New Delhi from November 6 to 8 on her first bilateral visit outside the European Union (EU). The visit is seen as an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, finance, entrepreneurship, innovation, design, IPRs, higher education, and defence and security. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit.

May is expected to use the trip to deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit by introducing new and emerging enterprises, as well as more established players, to the key Indian market. While announcing the visit, she had said, 'We have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK -- to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world.' The visit is expected to unveil Britain's post-Brexit 'new global role' and where India figures in that.

Among issues likely to be at the forefront of bilateral discussion is a potential India-UK Free Trade Agreement. On trade, May has declared that the UK will become the 'most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade', and during the current visit she will be focusing on small- and medium-sized businesses and her delegation will include representation from every region of the UK. During the visit she, along with Modi, will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi, jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Indutsry (CII) and the Department of Science and Technology. The summit will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders and policymakers from both sides for a three-day exchange to focus on matters such as technology, education, design, advanced manufacturing and robotics, among others which are seen as critical to India's developing economy.

However, her trip to India comes on the back of two developments back home: the High Court ruling on Brexit and the announcement of the new visa rules for non-EU nationals. The former has led to a piquant situation where the May government has been shorn off the sovereign right to set into motion the process to withdraw from the EU (by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty) prior to securing a parliamentary approval. The Conservative government has a small majority in the House of Commons. The government is set to appeal in the Supreme Court. May had earlier declared her intention to initiate Brexit by March 2017 and complete the process in two years.

Even prior to the High Court's ruling, some critics were claiming that May's visit is less about India and more about the need to reassure voters back home on her government's ability to manage post-Brexit concerns, particularly those regarding the economy. Britain cannot legally make any trade deals with India until it is officially out of the EU, which is by 2019 at the earliest; the High Court's ruling may see the deadline slip even further. Though May has assured that there will be no change in the 2019 deadline, there are already talks about the possibility of a mid-term election on the issue.

The UK government has also announced changes to its visa policy for non-EU nationals, which will affect a large number of Indians, especially IT professionals. Under the new visa rules announced this week by the UK Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds.

The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companies in UK and the country's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) had found earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted for nearly 90 per cent of visas issued under this route. The motivation for the same appears to be the MAC's belief that the current immigration policy is not incentivising employers to train and skill the UK workforce and that there are no reciprocal arrangements that provide the UK staff the opportunity to gain skills, training and experience from working in India.

The tightening of rules on post-study stay in the UK discourages students to work in Britain after completing their studies there; consequently, the number of those enrolled in British universities has halved from 40,000 to about 20,000 in the past five years. Nationals outside the EU, including Indians, will also be affected by new English language requirements when applying for settlement as a family member after two-and-a-half years in the UK on a five-year route to residency settlement in the UK.

Critics ask why it is being made harder for Indian companies in the UK to bring in skilled workers from outside the country when India is the third-largest investor in Britain and Indian companies are its largest manufacturing employer. India is UK's second-largest international job creator -- last year, India created 7,105 new jobs in Britain through 140 projects. India is likely to take up the visa issue with May during the visit.

Comparisons are also being made with visa rules for the Chinese, which are reportedly being granted more liberally and for longer durations. Since 2010, when May became Home Secretary, the number of Indian students studying at UK universities has declined while the number of Chinese students has risen from about 55,000 to 90,000.

May's India visit is being seen as the UK's first major test of its ability to carry through its policy objectives of building stronger partnerships with non-EU countries while at the same time introducing the tougher immigration regime that the government's electoral constituency has demanded through the Brexit referendum.

(Monish Gulati is Associate Director, Strategic Affairs, at the Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. The article is by special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org)

--IANS

Sac/

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With reference to Shekhar Guptas article, Dial 2016 for Emergency (November 5), I differ with his sarcastic observations that we are repeating the inglorious performance of 1975-77.
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has told the television news channel NDTV India to go off air for one day  November 9  supposedly for irresponsibly giving out operational information about the attacks on the Pathankot air base in January this year. The facts of this allegation are still disputed, with the news channel claiming it had not compromised any security operations and reported what was known elsewhere. Certainly, it is to be hoped that NDTV chooses to examine the legal options available to it in order to ensure that this order does not go through. That said, however, it is clear even without legal intervention that the government has seriously overstepped its mark. There is minimal precedent for the order to stop broadcasting. Many other forms of sanction are available to the ministry that do not involve the throttling of views and outlets of which it disapproves. The government must reconsider its order.
The US will vote to decide who will be the next President on Tuesday. The results are expected to be in by Wednesday morning. Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will officially be made the next President on January 20, 2017, at the inauguration.
Jailbreaks are not new in India but the model for preventing them has to be Tihar Jail in Delhi where till
Even Akhilesh Yadavs critics say his tenure as chief minister has seen more infrastructural development in the state than any time before.
South Korean prosecutors today formally arrested two former presidential aides as they bring their investigation over a bizarre political scandal that has engulfed the nation a step closer to President Park Geun-hye.

Park has issued consecutive apologies following suspicion that she allowed her longtime friend and daughter of a late cult leader to manipulate power from the shadows. But the apologies did little to assuage simmering public anger, which culminated in the largest anti-government rally in the capital in nearly a year on Saturday when tens of thousands of people demanded that Park step down.

The Seoul Central District Court granted prosecutors' request for the arrest of Ahn Jong-beom, Park's former senior secretary for policy coordination who is suspected of pressuring companies into making large donations to nonprofit organisations controlled by Park's friend, court spokesman Shin Jae-hwan said.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Jung Ho-sung, another former presidential aide accused of passing on classified presidential documents to Choi Soon-sil, whose close relationship with Park triggered the scandal.

Prosecutors today also summoned for questioning Woo Byung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs who has been blamed for failing to prevent Choi from influencing state affairs and is embroiled in separate corruption allegations surrounding his family.

Park has admitted that she sent drafts of her speeches to Choi for editing. However, she avoided more damning allegations raised by the media that Choi perhaps meddled in important government decisions on policy and personnel. Choi was arrested earlier in the week on charges of abuse of authority and attempted fraud.

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Seoul yesterday calling for the resignation of Park. But opposition parties, demanding that Park to step away from domestic affairs and transfer the duties to a prime minister picked by the parliament, have yet to make a serious push for Park's resignation or impeachment over concerns of negatively impacting next year's presidential race.

Holding banners, candles and colorful signs that read "Park Geun-hye out" and "Treason by a secret government," a sea of demonstrators filled a large square in front of an old palace gate and nearby streets, singing and thunderously applauding speeches calling for the ouster of the increasingly unpopular conservative president.

They shifted into a slow march in streets around City Hall, shouting "Arrest Park Geun-hye," "'Step down, criminal" and "We can't take this any longer," before moving back to the square and cheering on more speeches that continued into the night.

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In a major haul, 230 detonators and other explosives were recovered and three persons arrested at Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri today.

Commissioner of Police, Siliguri, C S Lepcha said the three were residents of Nepal and staying in Assam More area under Pradhannagar police station limits for last six months.

They were picked up following a tip-off and police were trying to ascertain why so many detonators were stockpiled at their rented accomodation.

The three earlier lived in neighbouring Assam's Silchar and told the sleuths they had worked in a mine there (in Silchar).

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A 24-year-old Pakistani woman has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking permission to undergo sex change after doctors in the conservative country refused to perform the surgery without court order.

The girl filed the petition through advocate Naseer Husain Sindhu in the LHC yesterday.

The petitioner, a resident of Kasur district, some 40 kms from here, said she had started feeling physical changes in her body when she was 14.

She said she began consulting gynecologists at a private hospital here after feeling frequent pain and gender disorder.

"Doctors at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore have suggested me to immediately undergo surgery for a sex-change. However, the surgeons I approached refused to conduct the required surgical procedure apprehending possible legal action against them as they are not clear about what the law says in this regard.

"The doctors have advised me to first get permission for the surgery from a court of law," she said.

The procedure is not available at Fatima Memorial Hospital and the petitioner has requested the court to allow her to undergo a sex-change surgery in the light of her ultrasound scan report.

Advocate Sindhu said there has been no bar in the Pakistani law to undergo sex change surgery.

"But since some social stigma is attached to this kind of thing (sex change), surgeons are usually apprehensive and shy away from performing such procedures here," Sindhu said.

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Three persons were arrested here for allegedly demanding a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from a medical practitioner, police said today.

The trio was arrested near JP Mehta College road here yesterday by Special Task Force (STF).

The have been identified as Ajay Kumar, Rajnikant Singh and Nitesh Kumar, all hailing from Ghazipur district.

A city-based doctor, who runs his clinic in Ordly Bazar, had lodged a complaint with the police after he allegedly received a mobile call on October 28 where the accused "threatened him of dire consequences if their demand for a ransom of Rs 50 lakh was not fulfilled".

Police raided the place and arrested the three with the help of electronic surveillance, STF Inspector (Varanasi unit) SP Singh said, adding they also seized the mobile phone and the sim card from which the call was made.

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Delhi BJP today alleged that AAP MLA Rituraj Govind, who has been arrested on charges of apprehension of breach of peace in Outer Delhi's Kirari area before Chhath Pooja, was trying to illegally occupy the gram sabha land there.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay claimed that the MLA and AAP workers were "responsible for the dispute at Kirari as instead of setting up a temporary Puja Ghat they tried to illegally occupy the gram sabha land".

"In the past too, Rituraj has been involved in controversies related to land mafia in the area," he said in a statement.

Demanding that Crime Branch of Delhi Police should look into the matter as a land grabbing case, he said there was a need for an additional temporary Chhath Puja Ghat in the area due to increasing population of people from Poorvanchal in Kirari constituency.

"With this in mind, at the initiative of former MLA Anil Jha the local people unanimously decided that a temporary Chhath Ghat be made at gram sabha land of Nithari Village but no political party or leader should be involved," he said.

"Around 4-5 days back, local Aam Aadmi Party workers led by MLA Rituraj created fencing of the land and put up welcome gates with the pictures of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. This angered the local population which resisted politicisation of the Chhath Ghat," the statement said.

Rituraj is the 15th legislator of the AAP who has been apprehended.

Rituraj had said yesterday that he was trying to build a ghat at Nithari Talaab near the expressway on the occasion of Chhath puja along the river bank in Kirari which is his constituency.

His move was objected to by the local villagers even as he said the construction of the ghat was funded by the Delhi government.

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Controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma has said he is getting into the cola and food business by bringing a Lithuanian brand to the country under the 'Make in India' initiative, besides tapping into Bollywood by starting his own distribution network.

Out on bail after spending four years in jail as an undertrial in a total of eight cases registered against him and his Romanian-origin wife, Verma claims he has exited the defence sector completely having burnt his fingers.

"We are entering the commodity as well as the food sector. We have taken a conscious decision that we will not like to do anything with the government, especially in the defence sector.

"We are bringing a cola brand in India, besides certain verticals of food products. We will have them manufactured in India as per 'Make in India' scheme of the government," Verma said here.

The brand that he is bringing to India from Lithuania through a joint venture in Olialia.

He plans to launch three versions of Olialia Cola, including a spicy cardamom flavour, by summer of next year. Besides that, he is also planning to manufacture ready-to-eat food under the same brand name. He plans 32 varieties of vegetarian food and about 17-18 varieties of non-veg food.

When he was told that investigative agencies and others connected to the defence sector feels that he is diverting the money made in defence sector to his new ventures, Verma, as expected, claimed he had never made any money in the sector.

"With regards to defence sector, those are merely allegations. We bid for certain defence projects, we were unsuccessful and we came out. We exited the sector. We came out. We made our money in telecom. There is no harm in diversification," he said, adding that one should also remembers that he is not an upstart and was born into a "privileged family".

"We have money from our family. It is money from family, money from telecom and some equity from our joint venture partners," he said.

He rejected assertion that he is just lying low and will continue to work in the defence sector. However, he admitted that "friends" he has made over the years will continue to be friends.

"However, we will not be vying for any business in defence sector," he said.

Verma's run-ins with the law began way back in 1991 when the Enforcement Directorate booked him under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). He also became a CBI witness in a case against an ED officer.

Verma was arrested in 2006 in the Navy War Room Leak case. His high-profile clients included a number of foreign companies including one which has been blacklisted by the previous UPA regime over corruption, that led to his arrest again in 2012.

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Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is likely to adopt a village in the Yavatmal district of the state.

Collector Sachindra Pratap Singh yesterday signed the proposal made by the Chetana Abhiyan Project director and Resident District Collector (RDC) Rajesh Khawle in response to the instruction received from the Maharashtra government.

According to Singh, Akshay had recently met state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar in Mumbai. During the meeting, the minister briefed the actor about the woes of farmers in Vidarbha, particularly in Yavatmal.

Akshay volunteered to adopt one of the villages hit hard by the farmers' suicide, he said.

The government then asked the district administration to suggest a village which is having the maximum number of farmers' suicide.

Accordingly, RDC Khawle proposed the name of village Pimpri Butti and the collector has now cleared the concerned file which would soon be submitted to the state government for further action.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had in March last year visited Pimpri Butti village and stayed there overnight. He had also visited some adjacent villages during his stay in Pimpri Butti. He had assured all possible help from the government to thwart the ongoing spate in farmers' suicide in the rural areas of the district.

Later, the widow of a deceased farmer had committed suicide following which leaders from opposition parties went there and held rallies to protest the government's alleged 'apathy' towards the woes of debt ridden farmers whose crops had failed in the region.

The actor's office was unavailable for comments.

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An American citizen held in Yemen was released today and evacuated from rebel-controlled Sanaa to Muscat along with Yemenis wounded in the country's conflict, the sultanate's foreign ministry said.

The unidentified man was transported onboard an Omani military aircraft after his release was secured "following a request by the US government (to Oman) to continue helping in (releasing) its citizens held in Yemen", the ministry said in a statement carried by the state agency ONA.

It said he was set free following "coordination with concerned parties in Sanaa," in an apparent reference to Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.

Last month, Muscat secured the release of two other Americans who were held in Sanaa.

There have been dozens of kidnappings of foreigners in Yemen over the years, most of them by members of the country's heavily armed tribes seeking concessions from the authorities.

Since the Huthi rebels overran the capital in September 2014, they have detained several Westerners, most of whom have been released through Omani mediation.

In September, a US citizen who ran an English-language school in Sanaa was detained by men who said they were security officers working for the Huthis, witnesses said at the time.

A rebel leader later said the US national was detained for providing the Saudi-led coalition with target coordinates for its deadly campaign against the Iran-backed Huthis.

A member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Oman has good ties with countries outside the wealthy bloc including with the Yemeni rebels.

It is the only GCC country not to have joined the coalition air war against the Huthis and their allies in Yemen, although it maintains good relations with regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Oman is also one of the few Arab countries to have a good relationship with Shiite Iran and has mediated between Tehran and Washington on prisoners in the past.

In September last year, Yemeni rebels freed six foreigners, two of them Americans.

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US-based iPhone maker has sought incentives from the government to set up a manufacturing unit in the country.

In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for incentives related to the Department of Revenue and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY), an official told PTI.

"They are doing their due diligence from quite some time. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will write to both the departments regarding this communication for their views," the official added.

At present, to boost electronic manufacturing in the country, the government provides benefits under Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS).

The scheme provides financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives subsidy for investments in Special Economic Zones, among other benefits.

Currently, Apple's products are manufactured in six countries including Korea, Japan and the US.

Apple's communication regarding setting up of a manufacturing unit assumes significance as the Finance Ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms, as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition for bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.

The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.

The government had also turned down the firm's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.

The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others.

It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

The government has announced incentives to promote electronic manufacturing in India and reduce the import bill.

Total import of electronics goods were valued at Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2014-15 as against Rs 1.95 lakh crore in the previous year.
Unfazed by the 'sit-in' by the Chinese border guards at Demchok in that led to a face-off with Indian troops earlier this week, Army engineers have finished the work for laying a water pipeline for irrigation purpose for local villagers in division.

Chinese had pressed its People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) personnel at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Demchok this time instead of usual PLA who came to erect a Fibre-Reinforced plastic (FRP) hut on Friday at the border but was not allowed by Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops, official sources said.

The sources said that while the face-off between the two sides continued for three days ending yesterday evening, the Army engineers, ignored the warnings by PAPF personnel and continued laying pipeline for nearly a kilometre for irrigation purpose of the villagers in Demchok, located 250 km east of Leh.

According to the sources, the formula of 'active patrolling' adopted by the ITBP and army ever since 2013 fortnight long stand-off near Daulat Beig Oldie has been reaping rich dividends and Chinese have been cautious in carrying out incursion especially in sector.

This time also, the sources said, army and ITBP personnel did not allow the PAPF guards to erect the hut and they were forced to take the material back to their base camp located a kilometre away at Demqog from the place of face-off.

The fresh incident had erupted on November 2 when Chinese troops took positions on the LAC and demanded that work be stopped as either side needs to take permission from each other before undertaking any construction work, a claim disputed by the India which says that as per the agreement between the two countries, information about construction needed to be shared only if it was meant for defence purposes.

Both sides pulled out banners and have been stationed on the ground, the sources said, adding the Army and ITBP troopers were not allowing the Chinese "to move an inch" ahead despite the PLA claiming that the area belonged to China.

The area had witnessed a similar incident in 2014 after it was decided to construct a small irrigation canal at Nilung Nalla under the MNREGA scheme which had been a sore point with the Chinese.

The PLA had mobilised villagers from Tashigong to pitch Rebos (tents) at Charding-Ninglung Nallah (CNN) Track Junction to protest Indian action.
Australian officials said today they were trying to confirm reports one of its nationals was kidnapped in Afghanistan, just months after another citizen was rescued after being taken at gunpoint.

"The Australian embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said in a statement.

"Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."



Australia warns its nationals not to travel to Afghanistan, saying in its latest advisory updated in September that the "kidnapping of Westerners is a serious threat throughout Afghanistan".

"We continue to see reports terrorists are planning to kidnap Westerners, including in Kabul and surrounding districts. Aid workers, journalists, and employees of foreign companies could be kidnap targets," its says.

An Australian aid worker, Katherine Jane Wilson, believed to be aged about 60, was rescued by Afghan special forces in late August.

She had been abducted by unidentified masked gunmen from Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan in late April.

Afghanistan's capital Kabul is plagued by organised criminal gangs who stage kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreigners and wealthy locals, and sometimes handing them over to insurgent groups.

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South Africa claimed two early second innings wickets as Australia set out on a record run chase on the fourth day of the opening Test here today.

Set a record fourth innings chase in Tests of 539 to win, the home side were 84 for two at tea having lost both openers.

Usman Khawaja was on 16 and Steve Smith was on 11, with South Africa's unbeaten record at the ground set to be extended.

A brilliant piece of fielding by the diminutive Temba Bavuma removed the dangerous David Warner for 35 to end an opening stand of 52.

Warner dropped the ball in front of him and set off for a quick single, with Bavuma pouncing from cover and unleashing a powerful throw while horizontal and still in mid-air.

It rattled the stumps at the non-striker's end with Warner centimetres out of his ground.

Four balls later fellow opener Shaun Marsh (15) was caught at second slip by Faf du Plessis from the bowling of Kagiso Rabada.

Things appeared to get worse for the home side when new batsman Khawaja was given out caught behind first ball against the part-time spin of JP Duminy.

Australia would have been 52 for 3 after losing three wickets without the addition of a run, but an umpire decision review saved Khawaja when it showed the ball had glanced his pad rather than the bat.

The injured Dale Steyn cannot bowl in Australia's second innings due to a shoulder injury that has ruled him out for at least six months.

South Africa declared their second innings at 540 for 8 after lunch when Vernon Philander was bowled by Australian captain Smith for 73.

It ended a brisk 72-run stand with Keshav Maharaj (41 not out) as the visitors batted the home side out of the match after resuming on 390 for 6 on Sunday morning.

South Africa's massive total was underpinned by 141 from Duminy and 127 from Dean Elgar.

The pair put on 250 for the third wicket to strengthen a remarkable comeback after their terrible first day.

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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said Punjabis are always ready to make sacrifices for safeguarding "unity, integrity and sovereignty" of the country as he dedicated the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial to the nation.

The Chief Minister said that despite the fact that Punjabis merely constituted 2.5 per cent of the country's total population, yet over 80 per cent of the sacrifices in terms of execution, incarceration or deportation to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar were made by Punjabis.

Addressing public gathering after dedicating the first phase of prestigious Jang-e-Azadi memorial here today, he said that it was really shocking that the Punjabis were known for creating history but they never bothered to preserve their rich legacy of supreme sacrifices.

He said the SAD-BJP government in consonance with this ideology has already constructed state of art Virasat-e-Khalsa memorial at Sri Anandpur Sahib, memorials of big and small holocaust in Kup Rahira and Kahnuwan respectively and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War memorial at Chappar Chiri.

Badal said that it was the humble effort made by the state government to set up Jang-e-Azadi memorial to perpetuate the supreme sacrifices made by the freedom fighters and patriots during the national independence movement.

Appreciating the indomitable spirit of Punjabis of unprecedented bravery, courage and valour, the Chief Minister said that they had invoked the spirit of self sacrifice from Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Arjun Dev, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, who had waged a relentless battle against injustice, tyranny and oppression to safeguard the human rights of the innocent and helpless people.

Badal recalled that the gallantry deeds of great Punjabi soldiers like Naik Karam Singh, Major Somnath Sharma, Air Commodore Baba Mehar Singh, Joginder Singh, General Harbaksh Singh, Air Chief Marshall Arjan Singh, Lieutenant General JS Arora, Captain Bana Singh and several others who brought laurels and glory for the country through their rarest of rare heroic deeds.

The Chief Minister said that the memorial would play a vital role and act as a beacon to acquaint the younger generations about the saga of great sacrifices made by martyrs especially from Punjab to free their motherland from the yoke of British imperialism.

Outlining the immense significance of these memorials, the Chief Minister said that only those nations survive who preserve their culture and other nations who ignored their glorious past were deemed to be vanished.

Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said that the memorial would live in the memory of the people of Punjab till eternity and would also serve as an inspiration to future generations to remember the martyrs of freedom struggle.

Describing SAD as the true representative of all Punjabis, he said while on one hand the party fought against the British empire tooth and nail, after independence also it was in the forefront of defending the rights of farmers and fighting for protection of democratic values.

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Bangladesh police said they arrested early today a veteran Islamist extremist who had "mentored" the assassins of a Japanese farmer shot dead last year.

Rangpur district police chief Mizanur Rahman said Belal Hossain, described as the recruiter and mentor of the killers of Kunio Hoshi, was detained along with three of his followers during an operation in the northern district.

"Hossain was an absconding militant and a senior member of the JMB who mentored and trained up Kunio's killers," Rahman said.

He was referring to the homegrown Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an extremist group which has been banned for over a decade.

"We caught four of them near an abandoned brick kiln," Rahman told AFP, adding the militants injured four policemen by hurling home-made bombs.

The official said the arrest of Hossain, 45, would help in the hunt for more militants since he was "a mentor to many others".

Hoshi, 66, was killed on October 3 last year in a drive-by shooting on a dirt road outside Rangpur, where he was a long-term resident.

Although the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for his killing, police later detained eight JMB members and formally charged four of them with the murder.

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities, among others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government blames local militant groups including JMB for the attacks, rejecting claims by the IS that it was behind the carnage.

Since a deadly attack in July on a Dhaka cafe in which gunmen killed 22 people - mostly foreigners - security forces have shot dead at least 40 Islamist militants.

Among those killed was a Canadian of Bangladeshi origin described by police as the mastermind of the cafe attack.

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Mysterious banners have appeared in Pakistan urging the country's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif, who is set to retire this month, to contest elections, a media report has said.

The banners put up on electricity poles in Rawalpindi urged 60-year-old Sharif to contest election in 2018.

Since government officials cannot enter politics for at least two years after leaving service, the banners urged that the mandatory period should be reduced in case of Sharif.

They claimed that election of Sharif will end tension between military and government.

It is not for the time the banners have appeared in favour of the army chief. Previously also banners addressing him had urged him to "stay on" and asked the government to extend his tenure.

In July, posters were seen in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and several other major cities, urging the general to impose martial laws instead of retiring.

The army has so far not commented on the banners.

Sharif in January announced that he would retire this year, laying to rest speculation about seeking extension in service.

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Launching a sharp attack on DMK President M Karunanidhi for his remarks that the ban on NDTV India could lead to a "second Emergency", BJP today asked why he had "forgotten" the Emergency imposed by the Congress government in 1975 when DMK had formed coalition with the party.

BJP's state unit President Tamilisai Sounderrajan slammed Karunanidhi for saying that the one-day ban amounted to violation of freedom of expression, referring to the infamous Dinakaran newspaper office burning incident in Madurai in 2007 when he was Chief Minister.

"Why Kalaignar (Karunanidhi), who talks of a second Emergency in the context of the ban on a TV channel, has forgotten the memories of Emergency while aligning with Congress," she said in a Twitter post in Tamil.

She was apparently referring to the arrest of many DMK leaders, including its Treasurer and former Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, under the stringent Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during Emergency, who were also allegedly assaulted inside prison.

DMK had aligned with Congress-led UPA in 2004, before walking out of the coalition in 2013 on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, even as the two parties patched up and joined hands for the May 2016 Assembly polls.

In another tweet, she took potshots at Karunanidhi on the Dinakaran office attack which had left three persons dead, besides the one on another Tamil daily during the DMK regime.

She questioned him why this freedom of expression did not "come to your mind when Dinakaran (office) was burnt". In context of freedom of expression, she insisted that the country's security was paramount.

In 2007, sibling rivalry in then ruling DMK had turned violent after supporters of Alagiri attacked Dinakaran office and set it afire while protesting against a controversial survey published by the Maran family-owned newspaper, showing a majority preferred Stalin over the Madurai strongman as Karunanidhi's 'possible political heir'.

Yesterday, Karunanidhi had described as "violation of freedom of expression" the one-day ban on NDTV India over the Pathankot attack broadcast and said that if such instances continue "it will lead to a second Emergency in the country".

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BJP Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna is all set to be appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with a high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearing his name.

The 55-year-old former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and BJP in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir will perhaps be the first active politician to be appointed as a member of NHRC, which is headed by a former Chief Justice of India.

Khanna's name was cleared by the panel comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with the Prime Minister as its head last month, official sources said.

As per Section 3 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which deals with the issue of "constitution of a National Human Rights Commission", only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed as NHRC chairperson.

The four full-time members, as per the Act, should include a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others "from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights".

After his Lok Sabha constituency of Hoshiarpur became a reserved seat, Khanna did not contest the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Later, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government appointed him as a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission. However, Khanna quit that post after about 13 months, when he was elected to Rajya Sabha.

When BJP was in the opposition, the party had favoured appointing persons of impeccable credentials to such posts. In 2013, the then Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, respectively, had opposed the move to appoint former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph as a member of NHRC claiming that there was an adverse intelligence report against him.

However, most of the other members, including the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the objection and cleared the appointment.

BJP had also opposed the then UPA government's move to appoint former chief of National Investigation Agency S C Sinha as member of NHRC as he had allegedly pursued the terror cases against right-wing outfits.

However, in case of Khanna, there was no dissent in the selection panel, the sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alleging the "government's hand" behind the killing of RSS and party activists in the state, Karnataka BJP President B S Yeddyurappa today said his party would hold protests across the state on November 8 against the murders and Tipu Jayanti celebration.

"We will be holding protests across the state on 8th (November) against the adamant decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti amidst killing of youths belonging to Hindu organisations and even in the wake of an atmosphere that has been created recently in Karnataka, where murders are taking place in the way it used to happen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu," Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

He said "in a way there is government's hand behind the killing of RSS and BJP leaders, it is our clear opinion. If there is a CBI or NIA inquiry, things will be clear", he said.

"It will be clear which minister has his hands behind it and how Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister) is supporting such activities...Truth will come out from the investigation," he said.

BJP has been alleging political conspiracy behind the series of incidents, where the party and the Sangh parivar activists have been killed. It also blamed "unholy nexus between Jihadists and Marxists" behind these murders.

Rudresh (35), a RSS worker, was allegedly hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men on October 16. He was with his friends after attending a Sangh event when the incident occurred. Five persons including the Popular Front of India (PFI) Bengaluru President have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.

A BJP worker, who is also a RSS activist, was on Friday found dead in mysterious circumstances near Magali in Mysuru district with his family and the party alleging it was a murder.

Also, the Congress government's decision to observe the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom, on November 10 has stirred a major row, with opinion sharply divided among intellectuals, academia and various communities and organisations, which have different views on his reign.

BJP and RSS have been strongly opposing the event, which last year had lead to violence in Madikeri and parts of coastal districts.

Speaking on the allegation levelled by BJP MP Shobha



Karandlaje against Minister Roshan Baig of him being "directly involved" in the murder of Rudresh, Yeddyurappa said "It is not for us to provide evidence for the allegations, you (government) order for inquiry, truth will come out."



Coming out in defence of Baig, Chief Minister Siddramaih had yesterday called the allegations as an attempt to "destroy" harmony in society, and had asked evidence for it.

Meanwhile, sticking to her statement today, Karandlaje demanded for CBI or NIA inquiry into the killings of Sangh and BJP activists, including that of Rudresh.

"I stand by my statement... If you want peace and prove your honesty to the people get it investigated by CBI or NIA. If you are proved innocent, I will felicitate you," she said without naming Baig.

She said she is ready to face legal notice, as threatened by Baig for her statement.
OBC leader Alpesh Thakor today threatened ghreao of Gujarat Assembly tomorrow seeking stricter prohibition laws on the lines of Bihar, even as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani assured doing everything possible for the strict implementation of the anti-liquor law.

In a show of strength, Thakor, who has emerged as a prominent OBC face in Gujarat, addressed a massive gathering at Gandhinagar to mount pressure on state government on various issues, including liquor prohibition, employment for local youths and decisive measures for the community's uplift.

Thakor had last month announced taking out today's rally, where he said if the government does not come up with such a law by this evening, they would gherao the Assembly tomorrow.

"Though Gujarat has Prohibition Act, it is not implemented properly. We also feel that the current Act is very weak, as a result bootleggers have no fear in carrying out their illegal activities by paying money to police," he said.

"We want the Gujarat government to bring a stricter law, just like what Bihar government brought recently, to deal with this menace. Under this new law, punishment for selling liquor should be at least 10 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh. The law must have provision of immediate suspension of the concerned police inspector of that area," Thakor added.

"The law should also have a provision of issuing notices to local MLA as well as DSP if liquor is found to be sold in their area. If state government does not come up with such law by today evening, we all will gherao the Assembly tomorrow. Till that time, we will not leave this place," Thakor, who is the president of OBC-SC-ST (OSS) Ekta Manch as well as that of Kshatriya Thakor Sena, a non-political outfit.

Thakor has asked the thousands of people who have gathered at the Satyagrah Chhavni in the state capital, not to leave the place till they mount pressure on the government over the demand.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rupani said, "Gujarat government also wants that youths of the state to stay away from all kinds of addictions. We are ready to work together in this direction."



"We have asked the authorities to strictly implement liquor prohibition in the state," he told reporters at a government function.

Apart from dealing with illegal liquor sale, Thakor



wants the state government to come up with clear policies regarding better employment opportunities for locals in industries and also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning his back on the unemployment issue affecting Gujarat's youth.

"Around 60 lakh youths are unemployed in Gujarat. Though Tata Motors was given benefits worth Rs 40,000 crores to set up their Nano plant, Tata is not ready to give jobs to local youths. Maruti and Honda plants are also operational, but, they are not ready to give jobs to locals. This is not acceptable," claimed Thakor.

"OSS Ekta Manch has sent at least 10 lakh postcards to the PMO on unemployment and requested the PM to address this issue. But, there was no response from the PM. Now, we will not wait further. If the state government does not come up with a clear policy by today evening in this regard, then we will uproot this government," said Thakor.

The OBC leader demanded a Rs 5,000 crore yearly package for uplifting the Thakor community and added that such packages should also be given to other backward communities.

Dalit leader Jignesh Mewani was also present at Thakor's rally to extend his community's support.

Though the OSS Ekta Manch was created to counter the Hardik Patel-led Patel quota agitation for the inclusion of Patels in the OBC community for reservation rights, Hardik has extended his support to Thakor on the de-addiction issue.
Ahead of British Prime Minister Theresa May's maiden visit, UK's Cairn Energy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding him that resolution to the Rs 29,047 crore retrospective tax demand it faces is still pending.

The Edinburgh-based firm told Modi that it has been more than 1,000 days that a tax notice was slapped on it using a retrospective legislation but a resolution is nowhere in sight.

Cairn Energy has also written a similar letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

When contacted, Company CEO Simon Thomspon refused to comment on its discussions with government.

Pressed further, he said pending resolution of the retrospective tax cases remains a concern for international investors and future investments particularly in the exploration and production sector depend on an amicable resolution.

The NDA government had made positive vibes when it had stated that it would not pursue tax terrorism including creating new tax demand using retrospective tax case, he said. "But our case remains unresolved."

In fact, only a draft assessment order was issued in January 2014 during the UPA rule and a final tax demand was raised by the present government.

"Why hasn't legislative been used to scrap the retrospective tax demands," he asked. "Such a move will provide impetus to investments in India."

It is in the interest of India that retrospective tax demand is resolved once and for all, he said.

Cairn Energy has initiated arbitration under the India-UK bilateral investment protection treaty but India is seeking to put on hold the proceedings and instead wants a parallel arbitration initiated by Vedanta Resources to be taken up first.

The government, using retrospective tax legislation, had in January 2014 issued a tax notice on Cairn Energy for alleged capital gains it made on a 10-year old internal reorganisation of its India unit.

Three months later in April 2014, it imposed a tax demand of Rs 20,495 crore on Cairn India, the UK firm's erstwhile subsidiary for failing to deduct tax on the capital gains. Cairn Energy and Vedanta, which had bought from the Scottish firm in 2011, had initiated separate arbitrations against the tax demands.

Cairn Energy had initiated the arbitration in March 2015 and the three-member arbitration panel had been constituted. But at a hearing last month, the government contended that the proceedings should be put on hold, sources said.

Its counsel argued that the government wants the arbitration initiated by Vedanta to be taken up first.

Sources said the counsel also made an application seeking more time to file reply to Cairn Energy's demand for $5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand.

As per the schedule drawn up, the reply was to be filed by mid-November.
In order to make the department more taxpayer friendly, (CBDT) has decided to install cheque deposit machines at Ayakar Seva Kendras (ASKs) and launch a modified website to assist assesses to ascertain their tax liability.

As per the road map prepared by the CBDT, the tax department will roll out several such initiatives, including expeditious refund in case the mismatch in Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) filing is up to Rs 1 lakh, over 3-4 months.

Also, it is planning to increase the number of tax return preparers (TRP) to 50,000, from the current 5,000, and add 65 more ASKs this fiscal.

"We have planned for upgradation of ASKs over the next 3-4 months. It is proposed to introduce automatic cheque deposit machine to facilitate the tax payers by providing them banking facilities," a revenue department official told PTI, explaining the rationale behind the move.

The ASKs are single-window touchpoints for all communications and help taxpayers interact with officers for queries relating to income tax, including, permanent account number (PAN), filing tax returns or refunds.

"Currently, there are 297 ASKs in the country. This year, we will add 65 more to the 297 and they are all being upgraded as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to provide quality service," the official said.

Besides, as part of further streamlining of taxpayer services, the department will start issuing refunds even if there are mismatches of up to Rs 1 lakh.

As part of the facilitation drive, the department has already started sending SMS alerts to as many as 2.5 crore salaried taxpayers informing them of their quarterly TDS deductions. It also plans to extend this SMS facility to another 4.4 crore non-salaried taxpayers.

There is more as the official said the department plans to launch a taxpayer friendly website with specific tools and apps to assist them in tax computation.

"We would soon launch an opinion survey of taxpayers covering all regions in India on how to improve our services, review our operation and also identify focus areas for future," the official added.

The tax department's drive comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to taxpayers that he will remove the fear of the taxman hounding them.

"Middle class, upper middle class used to be hassled with I-T officers, more than the police. I have to change this, I am working on it and will make the change happen," Modi had said in his Independence Day address to the nation.

The department is also planning to expand the Tax Return Preparer Scheme, under which TRPs are appointed and trained by the I-T department to assist assesses to file ITRs.

"Right now, there 5,000 active TRPs and we propose to expand it to 50,000 and they will be empanelled district-wise all over the country. This will enhance skill development and employment generation," the official said further.

Besides, the revenue department is exploring the option if these trained TRPs can be used for return filing under the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, which is likely to kick in from April next year.
Thousands of devotees celebrating Chhath Puja gathered on the banks of the Yamuna river, lakes and canals in the national capital early this afternoon to pay obeisance to the Sun God on the third day of the festival.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet of ministers visited several Chhath ghats and greeted people on the occasion. Water minister Kapil Mishra took a boat ride to take stock of the preparations. Leaders from other political parties also met people at the ghats.

East Delhi Mayor Satya Sharma visited the ghats under the EDMC jurisdiction and greeted people on the occasion.

"The first day of 'Arghya' went off peacefully with large number of people gathering at Geeta Colony and Sonia Vihar ghats. The crowd is much bigger than last year, but we have made adequate arrangements," she said.

Married men and women observing the over 38-hour fast stood in knee-deep water and prayed for the well-being and prosperity of their families.

The observance today, as part of the four-day festival, saw people offering prayers at more than 50 major sites across the national capital. Thousands of devotees thronged Qudsia Ghat, Wazirabad Ghat, Rambagh Ghat, Kalindi Kunj Ghat, Sonia Vihar and Geeta Colony ghats.

For the first time, ghats in North Delhi had CCTV cameras to monitor the crowd. Delhi government and civic bodies had worked in tandem to ready the river banks, and making safety arrangements for people thronging the ghats.

Makeshift pandals, sandbanks, floodlights and barricades were put up at the ghats' premises.

Traffic police said traffic situation this time is better compared to last year, when there were huge snarls on roads. Apart from a few areas surrounding Kalindi Kunj Ghat and ITO, traffic was smooth in the other areas.

"Since Chhath Puja fell on a Sunday, there were no school buses. Many people preferred to stay indoors because of smog. We could manage the traffic situation," a senior traffic police officer said.

The age-old tradition of paying obeisance to the Sun God, is observed mainly by the people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh or Poorvanchalis. The national capital has a sizeable population of people hailing from these two states.

The puja starts with the ritual of 'Nahai-Khai', in which devotees prepare traditional food after bathing. The second day is 'Kharna', during which devotees observe a day-long fast which ends after sunset.

On the third day, the devotees stand in water and offer 'Arghya' to the setting sun. On the final day of the puja, devotees and their friends and relatives assemble at the river bank before sunrise and offer 'Arghya' to the rising sun.

With an aim to woo the Bihar-UP migrant community that is seen as a major voting population in the city, Kejriwal had announced that 'kachha' Chhath ghats will be made into 'pucca' ones by next year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid deepening political crisis over defiant assertions by newly-elected pro-independence legislators that Hong Kong is not a part of China, a top Chinese legislative panel asked the government to intervene and take control of the situation, underlining that such a challenge posed a threat to national security.

"A handful of Hong Kong legislators-elect violated the oath intentionally, publicly advocating Hong Kong independence and insulting the Chinese nation at the swearing-in ceremony for the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)," said an official statement issued after a meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee last night.

The legislative panel said that two Hong Kong lawmakers' words and actions "posed a grave threat to national sovereignty and security."



If such a situation were to persist, the committee said, it would hurt the interests of Hong Kong's residents and the country's progress.

NPC, often termed as the rubber stamp of ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), is China's highest legislature with a strength of about 3,000 members. It meets annually once.

A Standing Committee NPC consisting of 150 important members holds bimonthly sessions to deliberate and legislate on important issues.

The panel met yesterday for the first time to deliberate on the crisis deepened after two pro-independence legislators, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, from Youngspiration party expressed support for Hong Kong's independence from China while taking oath in LegCo last month and used a derogatory term to describe Beijing.

Yau and Leung of the radical Youngspiration party altered their oaths to insert a disparaging Japanese term for China. Displaying a flag reading "Hong Kong is not China," they vowed to defend the "Hong Kong nation." Leung crossed his fingers while Yau used the F-word in her pledge.

Their oaths were ruled invalid but attempts at a do-over have resulted in mayhem in the legislature's weekly sessions.

Criticising the actions of the pro-independence legislators, the NPC statement said that in recent years, advocacy of "Hong Kong independence" has emerged in some sections of Hong Kong society.

"Some people have displayed Hong Kong independence flags and established Hong Kong independence organisations. They have even pursued violence," the statement said.

"These words and actions have openly challenged the Basic Law, hampered the normal operation of the authorities of the Hong Kong SAR and undermined the rule of law in Hong Kong," it said.

"They have hit the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle and posed a grave threat to national sovereignty and security," the statement said.

"If the situation is allowed to continue, the immediate interests of residents in the SAR and the development interests of the nation will be damaged," it said, stressing that the central authorities cannot afford to idly sit and do nothing, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

In a bid to set at rest the controversy over the oath, the Standing Committee has approved an official interpretation of the oath to be taken by the Hong Kong legislators.

The Standing Committee will conclude its deliberations tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.

While Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead, hosting weekend pop concerts with Beyonce and Katy Perry, Trump has embarked on a cross-country blitz through Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

Clinton and Trump -- along with their surrogates -- crisscrossed battleground states in their final push to rally voters and announced additional stops till late Monday.

Clinton, 69, would deliver her final address at a mid-night rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Clinton will lay out her plans to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and her vision for an America that is stronger together," her campaign said.

However, a bigger rally has been reserved for earlier in the night when Clintons -- Hillary and Bill -- would be joined by the Barack and Michelle Obama in Philadelphia. They will also be joined at the event by Jon Bon Jovi, who will perform.

Clinton will urge Pennsylvanians to elect her president on Tuesday and continue pushing for the "American ideals of progress, inclusion, equality and strength," that were enshrined in the Constitution in 1787, it said in a statement.

"Along with President Obama, she will also lay out how the division and dangerous views espoused by Donald Trump in his campaign make him unqualified, unfit and unworthy to lead this great nation," it said.

Encouraged by the polling figures, Trump, 70, also announced several new stops, including the Democratic stronghold like Minnesota.

"We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we're now either tied or leading. We're going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all, and we're doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll. We're going to Colorado, where we're doing phenomenally well. We're doing well everywhere," Trump said.

In a security scare, Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

Clinton (44 per cent) and Trump (43 per cent) are in a fierce battle among likely voters nationally -- including those who are undecided yet leaning towards a candidate or who have already voted, McClatchy-Marist poll said.

In September, Clinton led Trump by six percentage points in the same poll.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has the support of six



per cent, and Jill Stein of the Green Party garners two per cent. Three per cent support another candidate, and two per cent are undecided, it said.

As per RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all major polls, the Democrat leads the Republican by 1.7 percentage points.

After running even with Trump early last week, Clinton now holds a five-point lead in the latest Post-ABC Tracking Poll overall.

Clinton leads 45 per cent to 43 per cent in a Fox survey, within the poll's margin of error. Libertarian Gary Johnson earns 5 per cent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein takes 2 per cent.

Nearly 200 million eligible voters would elect their new president. More than 40 million electorates across 48 states have already cast ballots using the provision of early voting.

Trump's campaign schedule includes multiple stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. His vice presidential nominee will address rallies in Michigan, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Obama would continue with his election blitz by addressing rallies in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida.

Clinton's meetings are scheduled in Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Michigan, while her husband Bill, a former US president, would seek vote for her in Michigan.

Chelsea, Clinton's daughter, has as many as five meetings scheduled in Philadelphia, while the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has meetings scheduled in North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost to Clinton during the Democratic primaries, too has been campaigning extensively.

Over the next two days, he is scheduled to address meetings in Arizona and Nevada. Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania.

Trump may not have Clinton's celebrities, but he has relied on his family for public support at times.

However, the electoral college might present a different picture, given the nature of presidential elections.

Lee M Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said: "Although Clinton and Trump are separated by the slimmest of margins, the Electoral College can present a very different picture. Close popular votes can, but do not necessarily, translate into tight battles for 270 electoral votes," he said.
Two persons were murdered at their



residence located within the limits of Kotwali police station in the state capital here today, the police said.

Kotwali police station SHO Avinash Kumar said the deceased have been identified as Vipin Bihari Das and his wife Savita Sharma, both in their 70s.

The couple were found murdered at their residence 'Saloni Kunj' located in P&T Colony under Kotwali police station, the SHO said adding, both husband and wife were residing alone in the house.

The SHO said the police, which came to know about the the incident this morning through the servant, were investigating as tp when the couple might have been murdered.

"The couple, who have been murdered, were senior citizens. Prima facie it seems they were strangulated to death. The room, in which they were killed, was littered with household articles," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj told reporters here.

Maharaj said the police were investigating the matter from all angles and would very soon be able to solve the case.

A property dispute could be one of the reasons behind the murder, police officers said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The elevation of is likely to be delayed as the Congress top brass is expected to further defer the process of organisational polls, which had been postponed earlier by a year till this December-end.

A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top decision-making body of the party, tomorrow is unlikely to take a decision on the elevation of Rahul Gandhi, with a section within the party feeling that this should be done after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Party sources say the organisational elections are to be deferred by more than a year as there is very little time to hold the polls and the party has to focus on the upcoming assembly elections due early next year.

Many in the party are, however, divided on the timing of Rahuls elevation and want it to be deferred till the upcoming assembly polls. Some party leaders, however, also feel that in view of the current situation Sonia Gandhi should continue to steer the party and not take a back seat.

The current political situation is expected to be discussed at the CWC, including the one-day ban on NDTV which has created uproar in the opposition as also in the media.

The meeting is significant as the Winter Session of Parliament is starting from November 16 and the Congress will finalise its strategy for the session at this meeting.

The Congress is seeking to corner the government on several issues including on the issue of freedom of speech and expression in the wake of the NDTV day-long ban.

The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by December 31. The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules.

Besides the organisational polls and the strategy to be adopted for Parliament session, the meeting would also take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections to some states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab due next year, party sources said.

Among several political issues that the government seeks to raise during the Session in order to corner the BJP include making political gains out of the surgical strikes, killing of eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in an "encounter" in Madhya Pradesh and contentious issues like the triple talaq and uniform civil code being raked up.

The CWC meeting comes at a time when many feel Congress President Sonia Gandhi should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on August 2 when she was hospitalised.
Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers has been charged with invasion of privacy after photographing a women changing at the gym and poking fun at her on social media.

The model and actress thought she was being cute when she posted the snap of an unsuspecting naked 70-year-old woman on Snapchat in July and then added a selfie of her giggling, reported TMZ.

She captioned the shot: "If I can't unsee this, you can't either."



The Internet exploded with outrage and criticism towards the model, and bosses at the LA Fitness gym where the shot was taken immediately revoked Mathers' membership and reported her to police.

Cops couldn't file charges at the time because the woman in the photo was unidentified, but the alleged victim has since



come forward and reports suggest she is willing to testify against Mathers.

The model's attorney, Tom Mesereau, recently said, "Dani Mathers never tried to hurt anyone at any time and certainly never tried to break any law."



Mathers has since apologised for her actions on Snapchat, insisting she never meant to make the locker room photo public.

"That was absolutely wrong and not what I meant to do," she said in a video apology. "I know that body shaming is wrong. That is not the type of person I am."



She also apologised on Twitter, writing: "I'm sorry for what I did. I need to take some time to myself now to reflect on why I did this horrible thing."



Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed the criminal charges, stating: "Body-shaming is humiliating, with often painful, long-term consequences. It mocks and stigmatizes its victims, tearing down self-respect and perpetuating the harmful idea that our unique physical appearances should be compared to air-brushed notions of 'perfect'.

"What really matters is our character and humanity. While body-shaming, in itself, is not a crime, there are circumstances in which invading one's privacy to accomplish it can be. And we shouldn't tolerate that."



Mathers faces up to six months in jail if she's convicted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi Nagar Nigam employee was killed when a tractor collided head-on with the two-wheeler he was riding on near the Nandgaon police outpost under Barsana police station here, police said today.

"The accident occurred late last night when a tractor coming from the opposite directionhit the motorbike of Chandra Pal Singh, a resident of Astaman village under Kumher police station in Bharatpur district, near the Nandgaon police outpost," a police source said, adding that Singh, an employee of Delhi Nagar Nigam, was on his way home from Delhi.

He was rushed to the community health centre at Barsana where the doctors declared him dead, the source said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major haul, 200 detonators and 230 cartridge shells were recovered and three persons arrested at Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri today.

The three were residents of Nepal and staying in Assam More area under Pradhannagar police station limits for last six months, Commissioner of Police, Siliguri, C S Lepcha said.

They were picked up following a tip-off and police were trying to ascertain why so many detonators were stockpiled at their rented accomodation.

Police also seized several metres of wires from them.

The three earlier lived in neighbouring Assam's Silchar and told the sleuths they had worked in a mine there (in Silchar).

They were identified as Krishnaprasad Adhikary (50) and a couple - Puja Limbu and Dawang Shering Bhutia (40).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In simultaneous operations in different cities in Tamil Nadu, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a gold smuggling syndicate and recovered nearly six kg of the precious metal.

DRI said that it has "busted" a "smuggling syndicate," recovering 5.9 kg of gold bars and jewellery smuggled in from Dubai and Singapore, and valued at Rs 1.80 crore.

Four persons have been arrested in connection with the smuggling, DRI said in a statement.

Based on intelligence, special teams of DRI officers were deployed at airports in Chennai, Tiruchirappally and Madurai, besides on a National Highway, DRI said.

On Friday morning, officials intercepted a car at Chenglepet near here, and its occupants revealed that gold bars were concealed under the front seat of the vehicle.

They told the investigators that the gold was "smuggled through" Tiruchirapplly airport and that they had received them from "various gullible passengers" who had arrived from Singapore and Dubai, DRI said.

Further, when officials conducted a detailed search of the car, they found brand new cutting pliers, raising suspicion.

When the covers of the handles were removed, "eight specially moulded rods of gold were found sheathed in the two plastic grips of each of the cutting pliers," DRI said.

The officers also found some jewels neatly packed in packets.

As a follow-up action, searches were conducted at a house here and "crude gold bars/gold jewellery of foreign origin" were seized and two persons were apprehended in this connection, DRI said.

Further, DRI also seized another cutting plier with gold handle from a passenger who arrived from Dubai.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Promising to turn Uttar Pradesh into the richest state, BJP chief Amit Shah today said it could be possible only if people dumped SP and BSP and ushered in a government run by the saffron party.

"Enough of SP and BSP. You have given them enough chance. Now please dump these two parties and usher in a BJP government," he said at a 'parivartan rally' here.

"I promise you that UP will become the richest state in the country once BJP comes to power. There will be no loot of public money, no scams, as have been taking place all these years under Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party," he said.

Shah said Bundelkhand, of which Jhansi is a part, was rich in natural resources and once BJP came to power there would be no illegal mining in the area.

With BJP-led government at the Centre, the state can progress by leaps and bounds if there is a government of the same party in UP as corruption will become a thing of the past, he said.

"Even (BSP supremo) Mayawati says Samajwadi Party is not good...So give chance to BSP. But friends, SP and BSP are the two sides of the same coin and can never deliver the goods," he said.

Shah said no one could expect better law and order in the state under SP or BSP rule.

"Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he would give up his chair if gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's party QED merged with SP. The merger has taken place. Why is he continuing as CM? What happened," he asked.

Shah said SP was studded with tainted people like Afzal, Ateeq and Azam, while BSP had Nasimuddin in its fold.

"But, there are no goonda elements in BJP," he said.

On the issue of "triple talaq", he said BJP was for Uniform Civil Code and filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court opposing the practice.

He asked Congress, SP and BSP to clarify their stand on the issue.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said goonda elements ruled the roost in UP where law and order had touched the nadir.

"Let BJP come to power in UP. This situation will change," he said, adding BJP alone can give a corruption-free government.

Union ministers Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti and BJP vice president Om Mathur and state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya also addressed the gathering.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said some people are trying to politicise celebrations and disturb peace, as he directed the police to take strict measures to maintain law and order.

He had convened a meeting of senior police and Home Department officials to discuss about the law and order maintenance in the wake of on November 10.

The Congress government's decision to observe the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysuru kingdom, has stirred a major row, with opinion sharply divided among intellectuals, academia and various communities and organisations, which have differing views on his reign.

BJP and RSS have been strongly opposing the event, being celebrated since last year, which had triggered a major row and caused violence in Madikeri and parts of coastal districts in November last year.

"Few people are trying to politicise . They are trying to take political mileage out of it, and are also trying to disturb peace in the society. Such forces should not be given any opportunity," the Chief Minister's office said quoting Siddaramaiah.

The Chief Minister, who took stock of measures taken by the police department, has asked them to maintain law and order "efficiently".

Asking police to arrest anti-social elements as a precautionary measure, he told them to maintain strict vigil on those involving in instigation and provocations.

Also directing Deputy Commissioners of the districts to be present at their respective headquarters during the Jayanti, Siddaramaiah asked senior police officials to monitor bandobust by being present on the spot.

Tipu Jayanti celebrations have been opposed by various communities in several parts of the state like Kodagu, Chitradurga, coastal districts, alleging that their community had faced "atrocities and hardships" during his reign.

The issue of Tipu jayanti had even reached the High Court, which on November 3 had disposed a PIL challenging celebration by the state government, but directed the petitioner to make a representation to the state Chief Secretary to consider the objections raised against the eventand pass an order by November 8.

The order by a two-member division bench headed by Chief Justice Subrho Kamal Mukherjee had come a day after it questioned the government on the logic behind celebrating Tipu Jayanti observing that he wasn't a freedom fighter, but a monarch who fought to safeguard his interests.

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has said that the party will hold state wide agitation on November 8 against Tipu Jayanti celebrations and killing of party and Sangh parivar activists in the state.
A devastating fire destroyed a polyester yarn manufacturing unit in neighbouring Palghar district this morning, police said.

The blaze at the unit located at Kudus under Wada taluka started from one corner of the facility and quickly spread and engulfed the entire structure, reducing it to ashes, Assistant Police Inspector S N Chowdhar of Wada said.

There was as no casualty, he said, adding fire brigade was immediately mobilised from nearby Bhiwandi, Kalyan and other places.

Quoting fire services officials, Chowdhar said till around 10 AM only 15 per cent of the blaze was put out and it will take another 5 to 6 hours to completely douse the flames.

Thick smoke from burning polyester billowed from the unit making fire-fighting operation difficult, the police official said.

A short circuit was believed to have caused the fire, he said.

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Sri Lanka has rejected India's request for a three-year period to phase out current fishing practices by Indian fishermen in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait that separate the countries, a report here said today.

It has also not agreed to other requests by New Delhi to release confiscated boats and grant 80 days of fishing to Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters, the Sunday Times reported.

Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told the daily from New Delhi on telephone that the issues could not be resolved during talks with Indian ministers, who comprised External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan and State Minister of Shipping P Radhakrishnan.

The report said the Sri Lankan delegation led by Amaraweera and the foreign minister had failed to break the deadlock during the talks.

India had asked for time to divert Indian fishermen to deep sea fishing, but Sri Lanka said three years were too long a period for this, according to the report.

A joint press release after the talks in New Delhi said the two sides have agreed to appoint a joint working group to continue negotiations over the issues.

Member of Parliament M A Sumanthiran, part of the Sri lankan delegation, said close to 1,000 Indian trawlers operate in the Lankan waters, which, he said, was against the concept of sustainable fishing.

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With just two days to go for US polls, the focus is on the complex and lengthy electoral processes in the world's oldest democracy that are vastly different from how leaders are elected in India, which is the largest democracy.

The electoral fight between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton has captured attention, with American media describing the heated 2016 presidential election as the most unconventional in the country's history.

Both candidates have set records for unpopularity and have emerged as the most hated US presidential hopefuls ever. For instance, a Pew poll conducted in September showed widespread disenchantment towards this year's presidential contest among American voters.

This presidential election saw a campaign in which sober policy discussion has been drowned by personal insults and base offensives.

Both Clinton and Trump are among the oldest general election candidates in US history. If Trump wins the election, it will make him the oldest president in US history -- Ronald Reagan was just about 70 years old when he was elected to office in 1981. If Clinton wins, it will make her, at 69, the second oldest behind Reagan.

This year, the Republican field began with a long list of 17 candidates, including Indian-origin Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. The Democratic field, on the other hand, was not as crowded, with just Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders in the race.

Leading think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) explained that at stake in the primary and caucus are a certain number of delegates, or individuals who represent their states at national party conventions. After the primaries and caucuses, most political parties hold national conventions to finalise their choice for their presidential and vice presidential nominees.

The candidate who accumulates a majority of his or her party's delegates during the months-long process wins the nomination. In 2016, the Democratic candidate had to secure at least 2,382 out of 4,763 delegates to become the party's nominee while the Republican candidate had to secure at least 1,237 out of the 2,472 delegates.

Trump officially accepted the Republican party's nomination on July 22. Clinton, the former secretary of state, was officially nominated on July 26 at the Democratic Convention.

Voters select presidential electors, who in turn, will vote for the new president and vice president on November 8 through the Electoral College. Electors are apportioned to each of the 50 states as well as to the District of Columbia (also known as Washington, DC).

The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress to which the state is entitled, while the 23rd Amendment grants the District of Columbia the same number of electors as the least populous state, currently three.

Therefore, in total, there are currently 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 senators, plus the three additional electors from the District of Columbia.

It may be noted that electoral members are not members of US Congress.

In contrast, India, which has a multi-party political system, is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary and not the presidential system of government.

India has been divided into 543 parliamentary constituencies, each of which elects one MP to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament. The political party holding a majority in the Lok Sabha elects its leader as the Prime Minister of the country.

Over 814 million people were eligible to vote in Indian elections, considered the world's biggest democratic exercise where voting was held in 10 stages. India's general elections see a large number of political parties contest the polls. In the 2009 election for instance, 363 political parties took part in the polls.
NCP MP Supriya Sule has condemned the one-day ban on NDTV India over its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, saying freedom of speech is being "suppressed".

"Freedom of speech is being suppressed. I condemn such actions," Sule told PTI when asked about the punitive action against the leading Hindi channel by the Centre.

The daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar said she has always supported freedom of expression. "This action (against NDTV India) deserves condemnation from all quarters."



Freedom of expression has been enshrined in the Constitution, given to the nation by Dr B R Ambedkar and it should be respected, said the MP from Baramati in Western Maharashtra.

The decision on blackout, to be imposed on November 9, has drawn sharp condemnation from Opposition parties and media bodies which called it "shocking and authoritarian" and reminiscent of the Emergency days.

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Indian Beverage Association has expressed disappointment at the re-categorisation of aerated drinks under 'demerit' category in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate slabs, saying at Rs 10 for 200 ml, such drinks are neither luxury goods nor do they pose health hazards.

"Aerated drinks are not 'luxury' goods. Aerated drinks cater to the average hydration needs of Indians in the form of immediately-available hygienic and safe drink source," Indian Beverage Association (IBA) said in a statement.

The association, which has major cola and other beverages makers such as Coca-Cola India, PepsiCo India and Red Bull India among others as members, said aerated drinks are also not 'sin' goods "as the Union Government itself had accepted the position by removing such goods from Schedule VII of the Finance Act, 2005 in the 2015-16 Budget".

On the health issues linked to such drinks, IBA said: "There are observations by the court on the basis of the report of an expert panel that the ingredients present in aerated drinks do not pose any health hazard."

Last week, Council had announced that luxury items like high-end cars and demerit goods including tobacco, pan masala and aerated drinks, will be taxed at the highest rate of 28% and would also attract a cess in a way that the total incidence of tax remains at almost the current level.

Expressing disappointment at the decision, IBA said: "At Rs 10 for 200 ml, aerated drinks are neither luxury goods nor do they carry the kind of health hazards attributed to them."

It further said the consumer base of aerated drinks ranges from the low to high income group and they are supplied even to rural villages and semi-urban places.

When the applicable tax rates on aerated drinks with abatement already stands at an effective 30-31%, the IBA does not subscribe to the recommendation of an additional cess on aerated drinks over and above the 28% rate, it added.

Stating that food processing and aerated beverages have been one of the largest contributors to the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country, IBA hoped that it will not be "discriminated against in GST".

While increase in taxes will lead to an increase in the price of the soft drinks, the viability of the industry could be in grave danger due to a consistent adversarial tax approach, IBA added.
Authorities say a gunman opened fire on four people playing dominos at a pub in Jamaica, killing three and leaving one seriously injured.

Police say two males and one female were mortally wounded in the Friday night shooting in St Catherine Parish, in southeast Jamaica. One male survived and yesterday remained hospitalised in serious but stable condition.

The victims' identities and ages have not been released. Officers did not provide a motive for the crime, which was under investigation.

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Kamala Harris, California's Attorney General who is on the cusp of becoming the first Indian-American Senator in the US Congress, may push for strong India-US ties as a protege of President Barack Obama.

Described by Obama as "fearless", 51-year-old Harris is headed for a "landslide win" in the US Senate elections from California.

"It is going to be a landslide," M R Rangaswami, a Silicon Valley-based investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, said ahead of November 8 election described as a momentous occasion for the Indian-American community.

Considered to be protege of Obama, she is expected to be a fierce advocate of India US relationship.

"She would be a terrific person (for the community) to have in (Washington) DC," said Rangaswami.

Harris has already got the backing of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to be the state's next Senator, brightening her chances to become the first from the community ever to be a member of the Upper House.

She heads into the US Senate election with a considerable lead over fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez, whose plan to coalesce Republicans and Latinos behind her has not materialised, according to a new poll.

"Kalama Harris knows, you got to be fearless against special interest," Obama said in a latest advertisement for Harris being run across California.

Harris who was born in Oakland, California, is the daughter of an Indian mother who emigrated from Chennai in 1960 and a Jamaican American father.

"The kind of support she has got in the nation including the President, I think, she would be very well received by the DC crowd. She has got that national stature," Rangaswami noted.

On India-US relationship, Harris came out with flying colours when she was grilled by a group of prominent Indian- Americans in the Silicon Valley some six months ago.

"We had a very constructive dialogue. I think, as a result of the meeting she is closer to the issues that impact Indian Americans and India," Rangaswami said.

"She sees India as a strategic partner (of the US). There is no doubt (about it). Coupled with the fact that President Obama has been putting such a close relationship with India, she is kind of a protege of the President, I think she will advocate for a very similar policy that he has been advocating with India," Rangaswami said.

Rangaswami said she would be quite sensitive to the issues related to the community including immigration and India.

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Women who give birth to at least one child may be biologically 'older' than those who do not have any babies, a new study suggests.

Researchers analysed blood samples from 1,556 US women aged 20 to 44 who took part in a survey from 1999 to 2002.

They looked at the genetic material inside the women's cells, specifically the length of their telomeres.

Telomeres naturally shorten as people age, but the structures do not shorten at the same rate in every person.

The longer a person's telomeres are, the more times their cells could hypothetically still divide, research has shown.

Women in the survey who has given birth to at least one child had telomeres that were about 4 per cent shorter than those of women who had never given birth.

The findings held even after the researchers took into account other factors that could affect telomere length, including the women's chronological age, body mass index and smoking habits.

These findings suggest that a "history of live birth may be associated with shorter telomeres," researchers said.

Although the reason behind the link is not known, scientists hypothesise that having children increases stress levels, which is associated with shorter telomeres.

"It is possible that pregnancy, birth and child-rearing can induce chronic stress, leading to shorter telomere length perhaps through an inflammatory pathway," Anna Pollack, of George Mason University in the US was quoted as saying by the 'Live Science'.

However, because the survey was conducted at a single point in time, the researchers cannot determine which came first in the women's lives - giving birth or having shorter telomeres, Pollack said.

It is also possible that for some yet-unknown reason, women with shorter telomeres are more likely than women with longer ones to have children, she said.

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With heart diseases being one of the major causes of death in India, it is perhaps not surprising that most people presume any pain in the chest area to be an attack.

As a result, in a large number of cases a patient is rushed to the hospital, only to find that it is a mere heartburn.

To prevent the panic following a presumed attack, the victim and the people around him must exhibit the capacity to use the resources at their disposal and differentiate between the two.

According to Dr Vijay Kundal, HoD Medicine, GMC, Jammu, "The majority of victims who make it to the hospital are of non-cardiac origin."



One of the earliest distinguishing symptoms between a heartburn and a cardiac arrest, doctors say, is that the latter is often acompanied with breathlessness.

"Heartburn does not cause symptoms such as breathlessness. On the other hand, a cardiac arrest does not cause bloating or belching, which are common in case of a heartburn," says Dr Piyush Jain, Head Preventive Cardiology, Fortis Escorts institute here.

Jain says the uneasiness from heartburn can be treated with drugs that regulate the acid levels in stomach.

According to him, heartburn and heart attacks, though having striking similarities in symptoms, have absolutely nothing in common when spoken about in medical terms.

While the latter is essentially an ailment, a heartburn is merely a symptom, he says.

"We should know that heartburn is a symptom and not a disease itself...And more importantly, though the pain is located in the chest, it is not related to heart in any way. It is basically an acid reflux from stomach to the food pipe.

"A heart attack takes place when there is a loss of blood supply to part of the heart muscle," says Jain.

As far as medical diagnosis is concerned, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, cardiac surgeon and Founder of Naryana Health, a Bangalore based health speciality chain, the two can be easily distinguished in seconds with a "simple test" called 'CT angio'.

"CT angio is a phenomenal test. It takes five seconds for the doctor to know about the problem with this. It's like taking a photo. Morever, it can predict heart attacks even 5-10 years aMhead," says Shetty.

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Heroin worth Rs two crore in the international market has been recovered by the police from an Afghan national who had swallowed 57 capsules containing the drugs here, police said today.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said that on November 3, two Afghan nationals were going to Afghanistan and one of them, Ghulam Rabani, was offloaded by the airlines after he was unwell at the airport.

"The condition of the passenger (Rabani) was such that it arose suspicion regarding reasons for his state of health. He had arrived in India on medical VISA last month but had not visited any hospital for treatment," he said.

Bhatia said that Rabani was sent to AIIMS and during treatment it was found that he had swallowed a large number of capsules.

"He (Rabani) was operated upon by the doctors and during surgery the doctors took out from his stomach 57 capsules of very big size. These capsules were made of polythene. The weight of contraband was 525 grams. The capsules were opened and found containing Heroin," he said, adding that Rabani is currently in ICU and is undergoing treatment.

The police said that an FIR has been registered in this regard at the IGI Airport police station here and efforts are being made to unearth the syndicate and track the other co-passengers.

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The music album of "Rock On 2" has not become as popular as the original 2008 film, but director Shujaat Saudagar hopes the songs will be recognized once the movie is out.

Shujaat, who is making his directorial debut with "Rock On 2," said the lyrics of the rock musical drama film adds a lot to the story and people will start liking the songs when they will see them in the movie.

"I know the music has still not picked up with the audience. But I hope it will be liked by people once the film is released.

"The lyrics of the songs are part of the story. They add a lot to the whole scene. We have used a lot of local tunes and made an effort to bring alive the essence of Northeast through the music," Shujaat told PTI.

Despite having hit numbers in the first part, the filmmaker went on to create a whole new album and intentionally decided to not use the popular songs from the previous film, except the title track.

"We wanted to make a new film and carry forward the story. There is no point in using old songs. There wouldn't have been any difference in 'Rock On' and 'Rock On 2' if the old songs were retained.

"The only reason we took 'Rock On' the title track was because it is the theme song of the movie. The video is created only for promotional purpose as during the making I realized the song didn't have any video even in the first film."



While film has Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli reprising their roles, Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora are new addition to the cast.

Set in the state of Meghalaya, "Rock On 2" is scheduled to release on November 11.

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Himachal Pradesh BJP today expressed serious concern over the "huge loans" being raised by the state government and demanded a "white paper" on the financial situation of the state.

"It is a matter of grave concern that the government has raised a loan of Rs 1,000 crore this month and the state is being pushed into a debt trap," Himachal Pradesh BJP vice-president Ganesh Dutt said.

He claimed that the government had even ignored the advice of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to restrict the loans to a minimum and its total loan amount had now crossed Rs 45,000 crore which was a "warning" for it.

Demanding a "white paper" on the financial situation of the state, the BJP leader alleged that the government was indulging in "unproductive and wasteful expenditure" and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had announced projects and schemes worth Rs 25,000 crore in the last four years "without any budget allocation", which would "ultimately increase the burden on the common man".

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Huma Abedin, a close Hillary Clinton aide who was recently at the centre of the email scandal last week, has featured in a short documentary released by the Clinton Campaign that chronicles its election journey.

Abedin appears several times in the more than seven-minute documentary titled 'The story of us'.

She was at the center of a political storm last week after the FBI announced that it is reopening its investigation into Clinton's email scandal after they found pertinent emails related to the case on a laptop shared by Abedin and her estranged husband Anthony Weiner.

"Hold on!" Abedin exclaims to other aides abroad a campaign plane as the video cuts to footage of a channel that projects Clinton as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party this summer.

Abedin, who is both of Pakistani and Indian origin, also appears in the footage as Clinton takes the stage during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer.

Among other things, the documentary also shows the famous speech of First Lady Michelle Obama in which she says "when they go low, we go high".

Khizr Khan, the Pakistani-American and father of a US soldier who died in a combat operation in Iraq, also appears in the footage in which he is addressing the Democratic National Convention.

Abedin is also seen sitting alongside Clinton watching US President Barack Obama addressing the Philadelphia Convention in July.

The documentary chronicles the campaign since it was launched on April 12, 2015.

The film shares behind-the-scenes footage, chronicling the major moments of the Clinton campaign -- from the building blocks of Iowa, through the historic Democratic nomination and right up to today.

Hillary for America is looking to share the documentary with 20 million people via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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In a fresh trouble for controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi, the Income Tax department has booked him under the new and stringent anti-black money law after alleged untaxed foreign assets owned by the businessman and his family were detected by the department.

Officials said the taxman has recently issued fresh notices to Qureshi under the new Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 as probe led the department to few foreign assets owned or held by the meat exporter and his family in an alleged illegal manner as they were not declared or reported to Indian tax authorities.

They said while the department has already filed a complaint (charge sheet) against Qureshi in a local court here in connection with tax evasion case against him and his family it now feels that new revelations in the case qualify to be charged under the new Act.

Sources said Qureshi, who is also facing charges of alleged money laundering and hawala-like dealings and being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, has been asked to explain the alleged foreign bank accounts and assets being held by him and his family following which the I-T department will initiate a fresh prosecution against him under the new law.

The alleged untaxed overseas assets are said to be located in at least four countries including the UK and the Middle East.

Under the new anti-black money law cases of overseas illegal assets, which till recently were probed under the Income Tax Act, 1961, attract a steep 120 per cent tax and penalty on undisclosed foreign assets and income besides carrying a jail term of up to 10 years.

The I-T department had informed the court that one such foreign asset is in the name of his wife.

"Evidence clearly showed that Nasreen Moin Qureshi has not disclosed deposits in JP Morgan Chase Bank in the US for income tax and such deposits represent her undisclosed income, not offered to taxation in returns of income filed by her thereby causing huge loss to revenue," the department had said.

It had alleged that the meat exporter's wife had made false statement in verification in her returns of income filed for the relevant period.

The Qureshi case emerged after the taxman first carried out searches against him and his firm AMQ Group on February 15, 2014.

The meat exporter was recently in after he left the country from the IGI airport here despite a Look Out Circular (LC) issued by the ED against him.

He subsequently approached a local court here which had stayed till November 16 the LC by ED to detain him at the entry-exit points in India and directed him to appear before the agency on November 22.

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Sikkim is all set to host the 4th edition of INAS Nepali Film Awards 2016 from November 9.

Over 200 delegates from across 65 countries will be present at the event organised by the Sikkim chapter of International Nepalese Artists Society (INAS) in association with the state government.

The event will see over 200 Nepali film artists representing the Nepali Film Industry competing for the prestigious 16 categories while there will be delegates from 65 countries as participants.

The Governor of Sikkim will be attending this event as the chief guest, while the Chief Minister will be the guest of honour.

The special guest at the function is Surendra Kumar Karki, Minister for Information and Public Relations, Government of Nepal.

Veteran Bollywood actor and son of the hills Danny Denzongpa will be conferred with the 'Life Time Achievement Award' for his contribution to films in Indian Film Industry.

The CM Pawan Chamling will also be honoured with INAS Global Personality Award for his achievements in the field of Literature and Politics alongside



The objective behind hosting this event is to make the younger generation aware of the contributions being made by the artists if Sikkim and neighboring states in the Nepali film industry.

Promoting Sikkim as a new film shooting destination is also a major objective.

INAS was established in Copenhagen, Netherlands in the year 2012 to help, support, promote and encourage Nepali films and the artists in the international arena.

Since then, INAS has its presence and representatives having offices in 65 countries spread over Asia, America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

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Describing India as the UK's "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May today said her visit to India will reaffirm the importance of bilateral strategic partnership.

In an article published in the 'Sunday Telegraph' as she left for India for her first bilateral visit outside the UK, she said plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

She writes: "One of our most important and closest friends has to be India - a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

"In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

"That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

"We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the world's foremost champion of free trade."



The British premier, who will hold her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow, said she will be seeking concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

"Building 100 new 'Smart Cities', encouraging firms to 'Make in India', getting the country online with 'Digital India', delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance - these form Prime Minister Modi's vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries."



Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said that focussing on that is missing the point as while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.

"There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU," she said.

"That's why we are working with the Indians to strengthen



intellectual property rights, enable the UK's world-leading services sector to work in the India market, and offer support to Prime Minister Modi's aim to make India an easier place to do business," she said.

"It is why we are introducing new British businesses to the opportunities on offer. And alongside this, while we will maintain our support for an EU-India free trade agreement, we will continue our dialogue with India about a future bilateral trade arrangement between our two countries," she noted.

She said her visit to India is about "collaboration" and highlighting the opportunities for new ways in which we can collaborate in future.

"I want to encourage more Indian businesses to invest in Britain, I want to see more British firms doing business in India, and I want to work with Prime Minister Modi to deliver the ambitious visions we share for our countries. Free trade and increased cooperation will make us all more secure and more prosperous.Take advantage of the opportunities before us, and I truly believe that this can be the partnership of the century," she concluded.
London's Indian-origin deputy mayor for business on Sunday left for India with the message of ' is open' for Indian businesses and will also explore opportunities for a tie-up in the Smart Cities initiative.

Rajesh Agrawal, who will attend the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi to be opened by British Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, will also be visiting his hometown of Indore for the first time since his appointment at City Hall by mayor Sadiq Khan.

"I want to reassure India that remains the best place to do business, even post-Brexit," he said.

"India is one of the most important countries for the UK and, of course, for London. Indian businesses are extremely important to London's economy. India is the second largest source of foreign investment to the city," the 39-year-old entrepreneur said.

In reference to his visit to Madhya Pradesh, he added: "I am hugely excited about visiting my hometown. Indore is among the 100 cities selected by India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart Cities initiative and it is one of the three cities being supported by the UK.

"I would like to explore how London can collaborate on this initiative because we have some fantastic expertise in the field of smart cities."



Agrawal said he was disappointed with the June referendum favouring the Brexit but his mission now was to ensure London's interests are safeguarded.

"London is a great city and we must make sure that Brexit does not change that. London contributes about one-third of all the taxes in the UK. It contributes to about one-quarter of all the GDP and its population is more than Scotland and Wales put together.

"It is very important that London has a strong voice in any kind of negotiations because it will impact the city hugely. If it impacts London, it will impact the whole country because London is the economic engine of the UK," he said.
He became a household name after playing Mr Rishabh Bajaj on the 2001 show "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" and actor Ronit Roy believes it was a golden era of Indian television industry as more people used to enjoy daily soaps then.

The 51-year-old star says TV has now reached its worst possible stage which is why nothing seems to be working out for the audience - be it old show's hit plot or any writer's new experiments with characters.

"People have tried to do new programming on TV but it has not worked. May be, the time was not right or may be, it was not done correctly or the audience didn't understand the concept or they plainly rejected it because they wanted the old stuff," Ronit told PTI during a visit here.

"Television has hit a rock bottom. Because neither the new work is being appreciated nor the old. Across the board, TRPs are dropping, which is signaling that now it is time for something new."



The star has been a part of the Indian TV industry for more than a decade now, having worked in hit shows like "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", "Adaalat", "Kasamh Se" and "Bandini".

According to Ronit, soon there will be a "massive transition" on the small screen, which will bring the much-needed changes on TV.

"There will be a pioneer, who will come with something new and that will work for sure and the rest will follow. It's just a waiting game now for that person to come, who is going to show us the path to follow to walk on. And that time is almost there," he said.

When asked if that excites him, the actor said, "I can guarantee that this next boom of television is going to be better than cinema."



While discussing his experience about working in both films and TV, Ronit said stars like Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh have broken the stereotypes by proving the audience wrong that a TV actor cannot do well in films.

"The boys and girls of today's generation are very fearless. Earlier, people used to think that he has done TV, now he can't get any films. Somehow, Sushant, Amit, me and a bunch of other TV actors have changed the mindset. In fact people from cinema, who used to say no to TV, are now coming to the television.

"Though none of them are still doing TV, it's only me, who has been keeping a foot in both camps. But, I think in the long run, the audience likes your work irrespective of the medium," he said.

The actor will next be seen in Hadi Ali Abrar's "Dongri Ka Raja" alongside Ashmit Patel, Reecha Sahani and popular Marathi actor Gashmeer Mahajani.

The film is a love story, in which Ronit is essaying the role of an underworld don. It will release this Friday.

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A sniffer dog which was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device blast, set off by the Maoists in Odisha's Rayagada district on Thursday, would be sent to Chennai for better treatment.

The dog, belonging to CRPF deployed in Rayagada district for anti-Maoist operation, got injured while detecting explosives near Hatamuniguda in the Muniguda police station area during a bandh called by the extremists on November 3.

"The sniffer dog had received injury on his head and on his right eye. Preliminary treatment was done at the local veterinary hospital but as his wound is yet to heal, he will be shifted to Chennai for better treatment," said Monaj Kumar Sharma, commandant of 4th Battalion of CRPF.

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A district consumer forum has held an insurance company guilty of adopting unfair trade practice by rejecting the claim of a man for his stolen motorcycle and directed it to pay Rs 63,500 as compensation.

The forum awarded the amount to north Delhi resident Anurag Gupta and said the Oriental Insurance Company Ltd's repudiation of the claim was on "flimsy, illegal and unjustified grounds".

"We are of the considered view that the repudiation of the claim by the insurance company was on flimsy, illegal and unjustified grounds. We are, therefore of the view that they were deficient in services as well as adopting unfair trade practice and are liable to compensate the complainant," the forum, headed by its president K S Mohi, said.

According to the complaint, Gupta purchased a Bajaj-Pulsar motorbike on May 29, 2011, by paying Rs 74,330 which included insurance, registration, road tax, sale value and accessories.

It further said that all payments were made on June 16, 2011, but the registration certificate is dated July 13, 2011.

The compliant further alleged that on the intervening night of July 3 and 4, 2011, the motor bike was stolen and a complaint was lodged with the police next day itself.

The insurance company rejected the claim on the grounds that the vehicle was not registered in his name on the date of theft of the vehicle.

The forum, however, said the communication of registration of a vehicle by the dealer to the transport authority is only a procedural aspect.

It also took note of the insurance certificate issued to Gupta, which was valid from June 9, 2011 to June 8, 2012.

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Iraqi forces battled jihadists inside Mosul for the third day running today while civilians risked their lives dodging bombs and snipers to slip out of the city.

The Islamic State group put up fierce resistance to defend the city it seized more than two years ago and also claimed responsibility for deadly suicide attacks further south.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service has been spearheading the attack on the eastern front of the three-week-old offensive on Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years.

"Our forces are continuing to clear neighbourhoods including Al-Samah, Karkukli, Al-Malayeen and Shaqaq al-Khadra," CTS Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi told AFP.

The jihadists have given up some of its bastions in Iraq and Syria with barely a fight in recent months but its men began the defence of their last Iraqi hub with anger.

"Resistance is very heavy and they have suffered major losses," Assadi said of IS.

Soldiers from the army's 9th armoured division also battled jihadists in the southeastern neighbourhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported, as forces attempted to increase their footprint in eastern Mosul.

They first entered the streets of Mosul on Friday and were met with what one officer described as stiffer than expected resistance from IS jihadists.

The assault allowed some civilians to flee the city, most of whose million-plus residents remained trapped inside, sheltering both from their jihadist rulers and incoming fire from government forces and US-led coalition aircraft.

Some of the first civilians to manage to escape the city proper arrived at a camp near Khazir in Kurdish-controlled territory yesterday.

Abu Sara dodged gunfire, bombs, mortar rounds and coalition strikes to flee his neighbourhood of Al-Samah, such was his desperation to leave what many civilians who escaped IS rule describe as an open-air prison.

"We walked several miles, taking with us only the clothes we were wearing and white flags we waved the entire way," said the 34-year-old, wearing a brown fake leather jacket.

While the corridors called for by aid groups to allow the safe passage of civilians have yet to materialise, arrivals in the displacement camps dotting the area have increased markedly.

The government said it had taken in 9,000 displaced people in the past two days.

The International Organization for Migration said a total of about 34,000 people had been displaced since the start of rhe offensive on October 17.

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The Islamic State terror group has called for "slaughter" of American voters on Election Day and urged Muslims not to participate in the democratic process, according to a US-based terrorist monitoring group.

Ritz Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said on Twitter that the threats appear in an essay carried by the Islamic State's Al Hayat media centre that declares militants "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes."

The warning is carried in a seven-page manifesto, entitled 'The Murtadd Vote', The USA Today reported.

The essay, which uses lengthy religious arguments in an effort to justify such attacks, also declares there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties in their "policies against Islam and Muslims".

Katz posted excerpts of the essay on Twitter, saying the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, was inciting attacks on Election Day "in an attempt to disrupt the election process and gain media attention."

The full essay, in English, includes a photograph of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, as well as a photo Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat, holding a copy of the US Constitution during his dramatic speech at the Democratic National Convention, the report said.

Regarding possible vote-related threats, federal authorities are reviewing information about al-Qaeda's potential interest in conducting attacks in the US on the eve of Tuesday's elections, several federal and state law enforcement officials had said on Friday.

The credibility of the threat, which identified New York, Virginia and Texas as locations, has not been established, one official told USA Today.

"The counter-terrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States," the FBI said in a statement.
Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police today said findings of the judicial inquiry into the controversial encounter of eight SIMI activists following their escape from Bhopal Central Jail, will clear the air over questions being raised on the incident.

"The state government issued order for the judicial probe into the incident. Its report will bring forth the answers to your (media) questions," Shukla told reporters here when he was asked about the questions being raised on the role of police in the alleged encounter.

Asked if he was hopeful that police would emerge blemish- free following the judicial probe, the DGP said, "The finding of the inquiry is going to answer this question too."



Before informally talking to media, Shukla inaugurated the 4-day MP police state-level shooting competition here. Thirteen teams are participating in the competition.

Eight activists of the banned SIMI outfit were killed in an alleged encounter on the outskirts of Bhopal hours after they killed a head constable and pulled off an audacious escape from the high-security central jail in the wee hours of October 31.

The state government has ordered a judicial probe into the sensational jail-break and the alleged encounter. The probe will be conducted by retired MP High Court Judge Justice S K Pandey.

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The separatists in Kashmir today called for a joint meeting of all stakeholders on Tuesday to chalk out the "future course of action" with regard to the ongoing unrest in the Valley, while rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that development was the key to a solution.

"There is an urge to take all the stakeholders into confidence for taking the ongoing movement forward. All the forums among whom traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organisations, bar association and people from other walks of life have been called on Tuesday, November 8 ... To jointly deliberate and discuss future course of action," the separatists said in a joint statement.

The decision to invite the stakeholders for consultations came after a meeting of the chairmen of both Hurriyat factions - Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq - and JKLF chief Yasin Malik at Geelani's residence at Hyderpora here.

The statement said the separatist leaders "unanimously rejected" the statement of the Prime Minister "wherein he has said that development is the corner stone of Kashmir solution."



"It was asserted that the struggle ... Is not meant for any economic gains or packages but for the determination of future of millions of humans living in Jammu Kashmir," it said, adding "such manoeuvering has failed" earlier and would fail now as well.

The separatists also condemned the burning of educational institutions in the Valley, saying "this phenomenon is very grave" and alleged that these were intended "to defame the ongoing struggle."



Condemning the recent relaxation of the syllabus by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the separatists termed it as "ridiculous" and said the move "will tell upon the educational standards and individual potential of the students.

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today rushed to Mayapuri police station, where mother of the missing JNU student was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release.

Kejriwal also met the students of the university who were detained. Earlier, he also met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed concern over the tense situation in JNU.

The Chief Minister tweeted that he was going to Mayapuri Police station as soon as spread that Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees was detained there.

"Reached Mayapuri police stn. Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home.

"Najeeb's mother reached home. Spoke to her on phone. She is fine. Am leaving the police stn now. Urge police to quickly find Najeeb," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.

He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".

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Libya's coastguard said it rescued 115 migrants today who had been aboard a rubber boat that broke down off Tripoli, and that one migrant had drowned.

The migrants "were on a rubber boat that broke down northwest of Khoms," some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the capital yesterday, navy spokesman Colonel Ayoub Qassem told AFP.

He said the rescue began at 7:30 am local time and it took two hours to take the migrants to Khoms port where they were given medical aid.

They were then passed to the interior ministry's department tackling illegal immigration, he added.

The migrants were of various African nationalities.

People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

As many as 4,220 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year, a higher number than the full-year totals for 2014, 2015 or any other year on record, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Libyan Red Crescent said yesterday that in the past week it had retrieved the bodies of 40 migrants who had drowned attempting to reach Europe.

The same day, 10 migrants' bodies were recovered from a rubber boat and more than 2,200 people were rescued at sea, according to the Italian Coast Guard.

On Friday, 1200 migrants were rescued in eight operations.

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A majority of registered US voters, or 52 per cent, agree with Donald Trump's accusation that the US media is biased in favour of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to a latest Gallup poll.

Republican presidential nominee Trump frequently accuses the media of biasing its coverage of the 2016 election campaign in favour of Clinton.

A majority of registered voters (52 per cent) agree with Trump while eight per cent think the media favors him and 38 per cent perceive no media bias.

Therefore, not only do the slight majority of US registered voters believe the media is biased in favour of Clinton, but 87 per cent of voters who perceive any media bias believe that bias favours Clinton, Gallup said.

The findings released on Thursday are based on Gallup Daily tracking data collected October 27-28, 2016. About half of respondents were interviewed prior to the Friday release of a letter from FBI Director James Comey to Congress about the discovery of additional emails that might pertain to the FBI's investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Perceptions of media bias did not differ significantly between the two days, Gallup said.

Americans' perception of media bias is stronger in this election than during the 2004 presidential campaign, the only other time Gallup has asked the question.

In October of that election year, 45 per cent of registered voters believed there was no media bias, seven percentage points higher than today. Further, there was a bit more parity in perceptions of which party benefited from media favoritism, with 35 per cent saying it was biased in favor of Democrat John Kerry and 16 per cent in favour of Republican George W. Bush.

Among registered voters who perceived media bias, 69 per cent thought that the bias favored Kerry in 2004, 18 points lower than the perceived bias favoring Clinton in 2016.

Voters' perceptions of media bias in 2016 are closely related to their underlying opinions of Clinton and Trump. Among voters who have a favourable opinion of Trump, 90 per cent say that the media is biased in favour of Clinton. By contrast, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of those who view Clinton favourably say the media is not biased toward either candidate.

Notably, more of these Clinton supporters believe the media is biased toward her over Trump, 23 per cent vs. 13 per cent, respectively.

Voters' perceptions of media bias in 2016 are also related to political party affiliation. Majorities of Democrats (63 per cent) and independents (52 per cent) do not believe that the media is biased toward either candidate.

By contrast, the vast majority of Republicans (86 per cent) perceive media bias, and nearly all of them (80 per cent) believe the bias favours Clinton. Among independents and Democrats who perceive bias, large majorities also believe the bias favours Clinton. Gallup said.
A day after a man shot at a woman and her friend before shooting himself near Siri Fort in south Delhi, the police today booked the accused for attempt to murder while stating that the incident was a case of love triangle and not stalking, as they had suspected earlier.

The police have also booked accused Kajal Sarkar's father, who works in CISF, under the Arms Act, after it was found that the gun used belonged to him.

Sarkar had yesterday shot the 27-year-old woman and the man identified as Rajender in the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) campus here.

Initially it was suspected to be a case of stalking but it has turned out that Rajender and the girl had married in 2009 at a temple. However, the parents of the girl did not approve of Rajender and the two drifted apart and were estranged since 2011, said a senior police officer.

After some time the girl came to know Sarkar through Facebook and they started seeing each other, the official said, adding that she even changed her mobile number so that Rajender could not get in touch with her.

Yesterday, Sarkar and the woman, who belongs to Dibrugarh, went out for dinner and when they returned, they found Rajender outside the hostel where she lived, said the officer.

Rajender, who belongs to north Bengal, had arrived directly from the airport to meet the woman, police said. However, it is still unclear how he got to know of her whereabouts, they said.

Meanwhile, Sarkar also called one of his friends seeking assistance. A heated argument broke out between the three during which Sarkar pulled out a pistol and shot Rajender allegedly in a fit of rage. When the girl tried to intervene and asked him why he shot Rajender, Sarkar shot her as well, the official said.

Fearing that he might get caught, Sarkar shot himself too while his friend called up the police control room.

An emergency response vehicle passing by interevened and rushed the three to the AIIMS trauma centre where Sarkar and Rajender had to be admitted to the ICU.

Police probe has revealed that Sarkar had carried a licence pistol owned by his father Jatin Sarkar who works in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

"A case of attempt to murder has been registered against Sarkar. A case under sections of the Arms Act has been registered against his father as well," said the officer.

Meanwhile, all three were in hospital and not in a condition to give their statement to the police, the officer added.

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Mega Maldives Airlines, which will start direct flights from the national capital to Male this month, is in discussions with some Indian carriers for possible partnership.

Seeing India as one of the largest growing markets, the private airline also has plans to ramp up its presence here with direct flights from Mumbai and services from the national capital to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

"There is more than one good candidate for us to partner with. We are going to look at that further in the coming months," Mega Maldives Airlines' Founder and CEO George Weinmann told PTI.

Noting that it would be too early to divulge further details, he said various frameworks, including codeshare, would be looked at.

"It is little bit early to say what framework it will be. The easiest framework will be, what we call, SPA (Special Prorate Agreement). Basically, it means we agree to give a bundled price to other airlines. They will offer a fare and we will offer a fare so that the customer sees one price and we share the price between the two airline," he said.

The airline would operate three direct flights every week from the national capital starting November 15.

According to Weinmann, the services from Mumbai to Male and from Delhi to Dhaka are expected to start next month.

Bullish on prospects in the Indian market, the airline would, in due course, look at building network connectivities from other countries coming through India to Maldives.

During January-August this year, there has been 21.4 per cent increase in Indian tourists to Maldives.

The carrier flies to China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

About the new civil aviation policy, Weinmann said the winds of change are here, which would inspire people to come up with new ideas and ways of serving the market.

"I think for an airline in the SAARC region, one of the big things that the policy allows us to go anywhere within SAARC. I think that is a big thing for us. We can connect passengers from other parts of the region through India to Maldives and that's good for India and for us," he added.

Under the policy, the government would enter into an 'open sky' air service agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries as well as with nations with territory located entirely beyond a 5,000 kilometre radius from New Delhi.

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Projects launched by the Narendra Modi government since 2014 have the potential to transform India into a different country and enhance its confidence and stature at the global stage, a senior Taiwanese official has said.

"In 2014, there were two developments that changed the impression about India. First, people elected an able leader (Modi) to lead this country and elevate it to another level," James Tien, Trade Representative of Taiwan in India, said.

"Second, launching of projects like Make in India, Start up India and Smart Cities which would eventually transform India into a different country," he said.

He was speaking yesterday at the 'India Ideas Conclave 2016' currently underway in Goa.

"He (Modi) elevated the confidence level of India domestically and internationally," Tien said, addressing the plenary session of the event.

"Taiwan is not as lucky as other countries like India and US. It does not have natural resources. We have worked very hard to reach where we are now," he said.

"I'm always impressed with the economic miracle in Taiwan. Miracle will not happen just like that. In the last six decades, we have worked hard," the official said.

"Over the past 20 years, we are doing a wonderful job between our countries (India and Taiwan). Our trade volume has increased 600 per cent.

"We have also established 11 training centres, language training centres in some of the prominent universities and institutes--IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, JNU, you name it," he said.

"We would also like to provide scholarships for talented young Indian students to study in Taiwan. At this moment, we have 1,443 Indian students in Taiwan, of which over 200 have received scholarships," Tien said.

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Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt in Montenegro that included plans to assassinate the pro-Western prime minister because of his government's bid to join NATO, the Balkan country's chief special prosecutor said today.

Milivoje Katnic said the investigation leads to the conclusion that "nationalists from Russia" organized a criminal group that planned to break into the Montenegro Parliament on election day, kill Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power.

Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including a former commander of Serbia's special police forces, were arrested in Montenegro during the Oct. 16 vote.

Fourteen of them remain in custody, including some who have fought for pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russian officials have denied any involvement.

But they have openly supported the "patriotic" parties that are against Montenegro's membership bid in the Western military alliance.

"We don't have any evidence that the state of Russia is involved in any sense ... But we have evidence that two nationalists from Russia were organizers," Katnic told reporters.

Serbian authorities reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Djukanovic's movements from Serbian territory.

"Special prosecution of Serbia had those persons under its supervision ... And prevented them from realizing their plan," Katnic said.

"Those persons are not on the territory of Serbia any more. I don't know where they are now, in Russia or somewhere else."



Montenegro has been invited to join NATO despite strong opposition from its traditional Slavic ally Russia.

With Montenegro joining, Russia would lose strategic access to the Adriatic Sea and Serbia would remain its only ally in the region.

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Prime Minister Theresa May today called on British MPs to accept people's verdict favouring UK's exit from the EU and work on delivering Brexit, days after a high court ruled that a parliamentary approval is mandatory to trigger the proceedings.

In a statement issued before she left for her India visit, May said "while others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

"It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," she said.

Her comments came three days after the London High Court ruled that Prime Minister May did not have the right to use her executive power to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty.

May, however, said she is confident of winning an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court ruling.

The government appeal against the High Court verdict is expected to be considered by the Supreme Court early next month.

May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March, 2017.

"We need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country," she said.

"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain," she added.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not seek to reverse the referendum result.

But, he told the 'Sunday Mirror' that he would vote against Article 50 unless May agreed to press for continued access to the European single market and guarantee EU workplace rights after Brexit.

"We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe," he said.

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Mother and sister of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who is missing since 23 days, were today detained when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate demanding intensified efforts from police in tracing him.

Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb, was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students when they were on their way to India Gate, triggering criticism from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who decided to visit the police station.

Fatima and her daughter Sadaf, were later released.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee, and said he has been assured that the President will seek a report from the Home Ministry and the JNU administration on the issue.

"People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police yesterday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality. We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from Delhi Police and JNU in this regard," he said.

The Chief Minister also submitted a memorandum to the President expressing concern over the "worrisome" situation prevailing in JNU.

Delhi Police, which blocked all roads leading to the area since afternoon, said permission for the protest was not granted and that section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in the India Gate area because of Chhat Puja.

The protest comes days after Kejriwal and other opposition party leaders visited the university during a protest regarding the missing student. There, in his address to the students, Kejriwal had said "Let's sit on a protest at the India Gate".

Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before.

"The shameless Delhi Police, which failed to find Najeeb for the last 23 days, have misbehaved with Najeeb's mother. She was beaten up and dragged into the police van. His sister is also detained," said Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union.

Najeeb's family were detained at Mayapuri police station



but when Kejriwal reached they had left.

"Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home," he tweeted.

He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".

Meanwhile, police officials denied that agitating students or Najeeb's family were manhandled.

"During protest by JNU students today, none have been manhandled. A group of JNU students along with Najeeb's mother assembled near Archaeological Survey of India building. They were persuaded not to move towards India Gate. They didn't agree and were adamant to move ahead. They all were taken into a bus to Mayapuri police station. Fatima Nafees was duly attended to by lady Police officers and dropped at her place of stay," a police statement said.

Alleging inaction on part of the administration, JNU Student's Union (JNUSU) has been agitating against Najeeb's disappearance from campus.

The protesting students had even confined the Vice Chancellor (VC) and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours last week. Following directives from the Union Home Ministry, Delhi Police formed a special investigation team (SIT) to trace the missing student.
National Disaster Response Force's (NDRF) 9th battalion, which has deployed seven teams to tackle any disaster during Chhath puja, today rescued two children from drowning in separate incidents in Bihar.

In first such incident, NDRF team rescued a six-year- old boy from drowning in a pond where devotees were observing Chhath puja in Supaul district.

The incident occurred when the boy, Aman Kumar, suddenly slept and went deep into the pond at Gandhi Ghat in Supaul town, an NDRF release said.

NDRF rescuers jumped into the pond and rescued him.

In another incident, NDRF team rescued 14-year-old Ritik Kumar Yadav from drowning in river Ganga at Gaighat in Patna. Ritik is a resident of Anishabad locality of Patna.

The boy was taking bath along with his family in the Ganga but suddenly collapsed in the river and fell unconscious.

NDRF rescuers rushed to the spot and rescued the boy after the family members cried for help, the release said adding the victim, after providing pre-hospital treatment, was taken to a hospital by NDRF ambulance.

NDRF's 9th battalion Commandant Vijay Sinha said about 400 rescuers were deployed on various Ganga river ghats in several districts to avoid any untoward incident during Chhath puja, the release said.

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Nicaragua's first couple, President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, easily lead the field ahead of elections today that look likely to extend their rule over one of the poorest countries in the Americas.

Ortega, a former rebel who first took power after a Marxist revolution in the 1970s and returned as head of state since 2007, is known as "el comandante" (the commander) for his strong-fisted rule that has cleared away any serious rivals.

Murillo, extravagant, with a penchant for poetry and art, is no less redoubtable in her current role as the government's chief spokeswoman and - many believe - the eminence grise behind her husband.

Known as "Companera Rosario" (Comrade Rosario), she would be elevated to the post of vice president in the probable event of an election victory.

Ortega, who turns 71 on November 11, first seized control after his Sandinista guerrillas ousted the Somoza dynasty that had held power over Nicaragua with increasing autocracy from the 1930s to 1979.

Now, his critics accuse him of wanting to again turn Nicaragua politics into a family affair.

After his rebels triumphed in the country's bloody revolution, Ortega headed up the leftwing Sandinista government with the support of Cuba and the Soviet Union, and was elected president in 1985.

But, with the economy in ruins, Ortega lost re-election in 1990.

With his Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party in opposition, he spent the following 17 years "ruling from below" - fomenting violent protests and negotiating reforms with the government - while losing the next two re-election bids.

In the 2006 elections, he finally managed his comeback, benefiting from the death of a popular rival, former Managua mayor Herty Lewites, just months before the polls.

Back in the presidential palace, Ortega maneuvered to gradually take control over all state bodies, the police and the army and to sideline potential opponents.

Backed by the deep oil funds of Venezuela, under his ideological ally Hugo Chavez, he started social programs for the poor, who now continue to support him unconditionally. But he was also careful to nurture ties with the country's powerful business families, holding out promises of stability.

While Ortega has cut back on his public appearances in the past couple of years, his "loyal companion" and wife, Rosario Murillo, with whom he has nine children, two of them adopted, has taken the limelight.

"She is a very intelligent, original woman who has a commanding voice" and who has carved out her own space in the political sphere, Eden Pastora, another ex-rebel, told AFP.

He compared Murillo to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who was known as "the Iron Lady," and Indira Ghandi, an equally willful former prime minister of India.

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President Barack Obama today said that he would feel "deeply disturbed" if Donald Trump is sworn in as his successor and reiterated that the billionaire is not somebody who is fit to be president in any circumstances.

"He (Trump) is not somebody who's fit to be president in any circumstances. I would feel deeply frustrated, not because anything he said about me, but because I would fear for the future of our country," Obama told MSNBC.

"I say that mindful of the fact that there are disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, but I've said this in speeches before. When I ran against John McCain, I thought he had wrong ideas, and I believed I would be a better president," he noted.

"But I didn't think that if John McCain was president that basic standards of decency, basic constitutional norms would be out the window. When I ran against Mitt Romney, I disagreed with him on his economic policies, but he released his tax returns, I wasn't worried about what kinds of business interests that he might have," he added.

"When Donald Trump says that he is prepared to be president, and he will have his family run his businesses, not in a blind trust, when he's got all kinds of business interests that nobody knows what's what and where money is coming from and where it might be going, that is the kind of unprecedented attitude with respect to the highest office in the land that would make me concerned about the country as a whole," Obama said.

Obama who is on a campaigning blitz in key battleground states said the good is that the majority of the American people recognise that he's not fit to be president.

"The challenge that we always have, is that who votes doesn't always match up with the attitudes of the majority. If we had a system in which consistently the majority of the American people voted, not just during presidential years, but midterms, Congress would look very different and we'd have very different policies," he said.

"In Hillary Clinton, the country has somebody who is an outstanding public servant, knows her stuff, is as experienced as anybody has ever been for this office," he said.

"And you have another guy who is temperamentally unfit to be commander in chief, unqualified, doesn't know anything or seem to be concerned about learning basic public policy, who has shown himself to be a bully and willing to discriminate against people, who are not like him, or somehow oppose him," Obama alleged.

"When you have a choice that stark, the idea that you would sit on the sidelines is unacceptable," he said.

Observing that progress is never made overnight, Obama said the fact of the matter is that nobody is going to be able to deliver everything to everybody right away from this office, as powerful as it is.

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Oil India Ltd incurs an annual loss of Rs 50-60 crore in oil and gas production in Assam due to disturbances caused by bandhs and road blockades, the company's CMD Utpal Bora said today.

Last year, 2,000 tonnes of oil and gas worth Rs 45 crore was lost due to these two reasons, Bora told a press conference here.

The oil fields produce 100 kilolitres of oil per day and if the production is stopped, they cannot be restarted easily, he said.

"We are committed to the development of the Northeast and we need the support of the people," he added.

Over 100 tonnes of oil is also lost when miscreants close the oil wells by turning off the knobs in remote areas, steal their condensers and cut oil pipelines, he said.

"As the CISF and our own securitymen are engaged in protecting our installations where machines, offices and residential colonies are situated, we have sought security from the state government," Bora said.

He said that during a meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal yesterday, Sonowal had assured of deploying Assam Police battalions whenever a need arose.

"On oil production, he said, OIL produced 3.24 million metric tonnes against 3.8 mmt during 2011-12.

He said that OIL had 30 per cent of "non flowing wells" which needed intervention for 'stimulation' for sustained oil production.

An OIL official involved in oil drilling said efforts were on to reduce the 30 per cent 'non flowing' oil wells to 10 per cent with 172 such wells 'stimulated' this year against 150 last year.

The official also said that in the last 3-4 years, 40-50 new oil wells had been drilled per year with 53 new wells targetted this year.

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Older adolescents and adults can learn certain thinking skills including non-verbal reasoning more effectively than younger people, according to a new study which casts doubts on the saying 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'.

Researchers from University College London (ULC) in the UK, also highlights the fact that non-verbal reasoning skills can be readily trained and do not represent an innate, fixed ability.

"Although adults and older adolescents benefited most from training in non-verbal reasoning, the average test score for adolescents aged 11-13 improved from 60 per cent to 70 per cent following three weeks of ten-minute online training sessions," said Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore from UCL.

"This calls into question the claim that entry tests for selective schools that include non-verbal reasoning 'assess the true potential of every child'," said Blakemore.

The research involved 558 school pupils aged 11-18 and 105 adults, who were initially tested in various skills and then completed up to 20 days of online training in a particular skill before taking the tests again.

They were then tested six months later to see whether the effect of training lasted.

The non-verbal reasoning test involved looking at a 3x3 grid of shapes with the final square left blank.

Participants had to choose the correct shape to complete the pattern, and the shapes could vary by colour, size, shape and position.

In another test, numerosity discrimination, participants were shown two groups of different coloured dots in quick succession and had to judge which group had the most dots.

"We find that these cognitive skills, which are related to mathematics performance, show greater training effects in late adolescence than earlier in adolescence," said Lisa Knoll from UCL.

"These findings highlight the relevance of this late developmental stage for education and challenge the assumption that earlier is always better for learning," she said.

"We find that fundamental cognitive skills related to mathematics can be significantly trained in late adolescence," she said.

At the testing stages, volunteers were tested on various tasks, not just the ones they had trained in, to see if the training effects transferred to other skills.

No transfer effects were observed, suggesting that the effect of training was specific to each task.

"Some 'brain training' apps claim to improve your IQ by getting you to practise a specific task such as the non-verbal reasoning task we used in our experiment," said Delia Fuhrmann from UCL.

The study was published in the journal Psychological Science.

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An employee of Shiva temple at Trimbakeshwar near here was injured in a scuffle today, police said.

According to the police, an altercation started when Yogesh Game, a temple employee, stopped Sunilkumar Janu (28), an Army jawan hailing from Rajasthan, and his parents from entering through the north gate instead of standing in the main queue.

Janu allegedly hit Game with his helmet on the head. Game was injured and taken to a Nashik hospital.

In another incident, there was a dispute between temple employees and a devotee inside the sanctum sanctorum.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today announced in presence of Rio Paralympics medallist Deepa Malik that schools in six districts for physically challenged students.

Yadav said the state government will extend all help for setting up of an academy for such athletes. Malik was the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics in Rio. She won a silver medal in the women's shot put event with a throw of 4.61m at the Paralympics.

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Indian filmmaker Leena Yadav will make her international directorial debut with a tragic love story "Secret Sky" set in Iran.

The 45-year-old filmmaker, who has made Hindi films like "Parched", "Teen Patti" and "Shabd", will head the project along with Carol Polakoff's Viewfinder Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"This story, though political in nature and about civil rights, must be delivered through the heart and Leena has shown that she can make a beautiful film that will not only move viewers, but also deliver a socially impactful punch," Polakoff said.

The film follows the story of two teens as they're put in prison, go to trial and pay the ultimate price for their crimes. A female lawyer (also inspired by a real person) attempts to fight for their freedom.

Micah Schraft and Abdi Nazemian are writing the film. It's slated to shoot in early 2017.

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With TMC chief Mamata Banerjee indicating that she is ready to play a bigger role in national politics, several parties have welcomed the suggestion, saying there is a need to fight against BJP and its "communal politics".

That she is willing to play a bigger role in national politics by forming an alliance against BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was reflected in her recent statement. "I am appealing to all political parties. I have to tell all my friends to come together and sit together. Let us fight together," she has said.

Congress, JD(U), Samajwadi Party and AAP welcomed her comments which came in the backdrop of a series of incidents that rocked national politics last week.

"We have been fighting alone. If anybody comes, it is up to them. Whatever is happening is not in the spirit of federalism and our country. Questioning the government doesn't make you anti-national. Nobody should question our patriotism. We all love our country. No one is anti-Indian," she has said.

Banerjee came down heavily on the Centre and compared the situation with Emergency in the wake of incidents like the killing of eight SIMI activists in Bhopal in an alleged encounter, detention of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the ban on NDTV India.

Political observers say that by slamming the Modi government over the detention of Gandhi, Banerjee apparently made a subtle move to warm up to Congress again.

When contacted, a senior AICC leader told PTI, "I personally feel we all should unite against BJP and I don't have a problem with TMC's proposal. But the final call regarding our party's policy and stand will be taken by our party high command."



JD(U) Chief General Secretary and National Spokesperson K C Tyagi said, "We had supported Mamata Banerjee earlier and she too had supported us. If there is a secular front by Mamata di, JD(U) would be happy to participate in it. All the secular and like-minded forces, including Congress, need to unite to fight against BJP and its communal politics."



He said, "The communalism of BJP and RSS is a threat to the idea of secular India.

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Patanjali Ayurved, the FMCG venture promoted by Yoga guru Ramdev, will hire around 5000 people at its upcoming Rs 1,300-crore facility in Assam by the end of this fiscal year.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today laid the foundation stone of the Patanjali Herbal and Mega Food Park at Balipara in Sonitpur district.

"The unit will give direct employment to 5000 people and benefit one lakh farmers. The complete profit from the Food Park will be dedicated for the welfare of Assam by setting up school and skill development centres in each district," Ramdev said at a function.

He said the facility would incur an investment of around Rs 1,300 crore and would be ready by February 2017.

"This Balipara unit of Patanjali will produce Rs 20,000 crore annual production with an annual production capacity of around 12 lakh MT. We target to speed up our construction so as to open the Park formally on February 15, 2017.

"The unit will manufacture wide range of consumer products such as cosmetics, nutritional foods and kitchen essentials among others," Ramdev said.

"I request the local farmers to plant herbal and medicinal plants so that that they can supply their local produce to the unit and reap benefits. The plant will produce rice bran oil from the remains of rice husks," he said.

The Yoga practitioner-cum-entrepreneur said he would soon contemplate of creating a viable market for green tea to facilitate the small tea growers of Assam.

Stating the moment as historic, Sonowal claimed Patanjali Food Park would be the biggest project ever to be set up in Assam.

Present on the occasion, Bodoland Territorial Council Chief Hagrama Mohillary declared that he would allot 1,000 acres of land to Patanjali Ayurveda in Bodoland for setting up of a similar unit and a 'gaushala'.

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Philippine police killed a town mayor in his jail cell in a purported gunbattle, the second killing in a week of a politician linked to illegal drugs under President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal crackdown.

Rolando Espinosa Sr, the mayor of the town of Albuera in the central province of Leyte, and a fellow inmate were shot dead before dawn Saturday after they fired at officers who staged a raid in search of firearms and illegal drugs in the provincial jail in Leyte's Baybay city, police said.

Some officials and an anti-crime watchdog have called for an investigation of the circumstances of the killings, wondering how the mayor and the other inmate got hold of guns and what prompted them to clash with several policemen while in detention.

"Offhand, I can smell extrajudicial killing," said Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, adding that the suspicious deaths were the "biggest challenge" to the credibility of the national police force, which is undertaking the anti-drug crackdown.

Last week, police killed another town mayor, Samsudin Dimaukom, and nine of his men allegedly in a gunbattle in the southern Philippines.

Espinosa and Dimaukom were among more than 160 officials named publicly by Duterte in August as part of a shame campaign. Espinosa's son, an alleged drug lord, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates' capital city of Abu Dhabi last month.

After being linked by Duterte to illegal drugs, Espinosa surrendered to the national police chief in August in a nationally televised event. He was later released, but was arrested last month after being indicted on drug and illegal possession of firearm charges.

Police estimate that more than 3,600 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office on June 30. Many of those killed in the initial months of the crackdown were poor drug suspects, and police said "high-value targets," including mayors and drug lords, would be their next target in a new phase of the crackdown that was launched late last month.

The unprecedented crackdown and killings have helped ease crime, but the U.S. And other Western governments, along with human rights watchdogs, have been alarmed and called for an end to the killings. One human rights advocate has called the killings under Duterte a "human rights calamity."



Duterte has lashed out at President Barack Obama and other critics, saying he was dealing with a pandemic that has afflicted politics, corrupted even generals and threatened to turn the country into what he describes as a "narco state" similar to some Latin American countries.

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Aiming to bring down dust pollution, the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government on Sunday started the work of sprinkling water on roads.

"Dust clearing and water sprinkling on PWD roads started (sic)," PWD Minister Satyendar Jain tweeted.

Jain also directed the transport department to challan and impound overloaded vehicles and instructed them to ensure that non-destined vehicles -- not meant for Delhi -- should not be allowed to enter the city in compliance with Supreme Court orders.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that schools in Delhi will remain closed till Wednesday besides temporary closure of the Badarpur Power Plant and prohibition on construction and demolition activities.





ALSO READ: Delhi pollution: AAP govt shuts schools, bans construction for few days

Kejriwal said the government was also mulling over the possibility of bringing back the Odd-Even scheme. It was also going to discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain in the city which has turned into a "gas chamber" due to air pollution.
Shiv Sena has sought intervention of Home Minister Rajnath Singh to "protect" Marathi-speaking populace in border areas of Karnataka, saying they are being subjected to "atrocities" in the adjoining State.

"Atrocities are being committed on Marathi-speaking populace in Belgaum and other border areas of Karnataka. Singh should intervene to protect them," Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said.

Referring to the arrest of Marathi youths and activists of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), a regional outfit, for taking part in a 'Black Day' protest rally in Belgaum on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day on November 1, Gorhe said, "what is happening in Karnataka now is very painful."



Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should take due cognisance of what is happening in Karnataka and also speak to his counterpart in the Congress-ruled State, she said.

"Shiv Sena has always championed the cause of a united Maharashtra. We are fighting for the rights of Marathi people there," said the Sena legislator.

MES leaders have alleged their activists are being beaten and tortured by Karnataka Police. MES observes Black Day on November 1, which is celebrated across Karnataka as Kannada Rajyotsava Day or the day on which the State was formed.

The MES wants 814 villages, where the Marathi-speaking population is dominant, to be integrated with Maharashtra. In its report 50 years ago, the Centre-appointed Mahajan Commission had recommended that these villages remain in Karnataka.

Maharashtra Government has been fighting the case in the Supreme Court for nearly 12 years to get Belgaum and adjoining areas back from Karnataka.

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Around 2,000 villagers today held a 'rasta roko' agitation on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway to protest against Palghar district administration's action of destroying boats parked along Vasai coast on the suspicion that they are being used for illegal sand mining.

Traffic on the NH-8 was affected for over two hours in the morning due to the agitation in which villagers from Vaitarna, Khanivade and Khardi took part.

Former MP Baliram Jadhav of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), who led the protest, said, "The district administration has started destroying boats parked along Vasai belt. The local villagers have already lost their livelihood due to the suspension of dredging activity. The boats were stationary and not caught while dredging and hence the action of the district administration is uncalled for."



Palghar district authorities have been acting against the parked boats over the past few days on the suspicion that the local residents are using them for illegal sand mining.

"Due to this action, the local residents have been affected. Firstly, they lost their business and now they have also lost their boats," he added.

"If the administration wants to take any action, it should have at least issued notices to the villagers, but they went ahead with the destruction of boats without it," Jadhav said.

During the protest, District Collector Abhijit Bangar and other officials held talks with local MLA Hitendra Thakur and it was decided that the action would be suspended for the time being and a meeting will be convened tomorrow over the issue.

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Amid protests by farmers over "poor" procurement of groundnut by Gujarat Government, Union minister Purshottam Rupala today said all 58 centres in state will become functional tomorrow to improve the process.

Conceding that the administrative hitch affected the process on the first day yesterday, the Minister of State for Agriculture said that action has been taken against officials concerned who are responsible for "serious lapses" in the process.

"State government had decided to purchase groundnut from farmers at the set minimum support price (MSP) starting yesterday, after getting approval from Centre. But due to administrative issues, procurement remained poor on the first day. To sort this out, I met officials today and asked them to ensure that all 58 centres start from tomorrow for procurement," Rupala told PTI.

State government had promised to procure groundnut from farmers at MSP of Rs 844 per 20 kg starting yesterday, but a large number of centres did not operate on the opening day, leading to protest by farmers.

Against the backdrop of agitation by farmers, Rupala today held a meeting with concerned officials in Gandhinagar.

He said the officials concerned have been directed to sort out "administrative" issues and start all 58 approved centres.

Rupala said he had asked Agriculture Secretary, officials of the Gujarat State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Gujcot), the main government agency for procurement, as well as National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) to address the issue.

Yesterday, out of 58 centres only 14 centers remained open for procurement of groundnut.

Rupala said that farmers in Junagadh and Deesa in Banaskantha were worst hit due to the glitch.

"The Central government had given its approval to state to purchase groundnut from farmers at MSP, but procurement was poor on first day (Saturday), especially in regions such as Junagadh and Deesa.

"We have also taken action against officials of Gujcot in Junagadh and Deesa where serious lapses were seen in procurement," he said.

"A bumper groundnut crop this Kharif year compelled



farmers to sell their produce at Rs 700-750 per 20 kg to traders as against the MSP of Rs 844 per 20 kg set by Central government, said Jayesh Patel, president of Gujarat Khedut Samaj.

According to prevailing price of groundnut oil, farmers are expecting rate of Rs 950-1,000 per 20 kg for their produce.

To shield farmers from loss, the state government had announced that it will purchase cash crop from the farmers at the MSP rate, and earmarked Rs 100 crore for the same.

Government will purchase 1 lakh tonne of groundnut against the production estimates of around 3 million tonne, which is more than double of 1.4 million tonne produced last Kharif year.

Meanwhile, opposition Congress has termed the move a "lollipop", saying there is a least likelihood of any effective purchase.

"Procurement of 1 lakh tonne is not going to make much difference. Also, a farmer is asked to produce documents such as revenue records and meet certain quality conditions making it impossible for them to sell it effectively to government agencies," said Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.

Gujarat is the largest groundnut producing state in the country. Groundnut remains the main cash crop for farmers in Saurashtra region.
A Russian national was arrested and 1.9 kg charas allegedly recovered from him when he was trying to smuggle the drug from across the Indo-Nepal Border, a senior official said today.

Acting on a tip-off, a check post was set up on Indo-Nepal Border at Sonauli area here and Volpino De Niro (30) was apprehended last night, Sashstra Seema Bal (SSB) Deputy Commandant Dilep Kumar Jha said.

He said 1.9 kg charas worth Rs 20 lakh was recovered from his possession.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to selling contraband to local youths and admitted that he was the main supplier of drugs in the area, Jha said.

He has been booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

SSB guards the 1,751 km India-Nepal touching five states, including Uttar Pradesh.

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South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides today in a snowballing influence-peddling scandal which has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign.

Park's approval ratings have hit a historic low of five percent -- a record for a sitting president -- over the scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-Sil.

Choi has been arrested for fraud and also stands accused of meddling in state affairs -- including government appointments and policy decisions -- despite holding no official position.

Ahn Jong-beom, a former senior advisor to Park, was formally arrested early Sunday on charges of abuse of power and attempted coercion, the Yonhap agency reported.

He is suspected of helping Choi collect millions of dollars in donations from conglomerates like Samsung to two dubious non-profit foundations which Choi set up and allegedly used for personal gain.

Ahn, who has been in custody since Wednesday after stepping down late last month said he would "take responsibility" for failing to properly advise the president, Yonhap reported.

Prosecutors also arrested Jeong Ho-Seong, another former presidential aide, over allegations that he leaked classified information.

The 47-year-old Jeong, who was known as Park's right hand man and has assisted her since 1998, is suspected of passing presidential speeches and official documents to Choi.

Park has been scrambling to restore trust in her administration amid the deepening crisis, reshuffling ministers and senior advisers to bring in figures from outside her ruling conservative Saenuri Party.

But the reshuffle has done little to assuage public anger, with tens of thousands of protesters rallying to demand her resignation in a candlelight demonstration yesterday.

Police said around 50,000 people had turned out for the rally -- more than double the size of a similar anti-Park protest the week before. Organisers said the number was closer to 200,000.

Han Gwang-Ok, Park's new chief of staff who was appointed last week, said Saturday's protest reflected the gravity of the current situation.

"All senior secretaries must fully cooperate in uncovering the truth beyond any doubt," Han said during a meeting with the presidential secretaries today.

In a televised address Friday, Park agreed to be questioned by prosecutors, and sought to portray herself as an over-trusting friend who had let her guard down at a moment of weakness.

Her voice choking with emotion, Park said she had been living a "lonely life" as president and had turned to Choi for company and help.

The South Korean media has portrayed Choi, whose late father was a shadowy religious leader and an important mentor to Park, as a Rasputin-like figure who wielded an unhealthy influence over the president.

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Security forces were today deployed in strength in parts of Srinagar in the wake of fresh violence following death of a teenager, even as normal life remained affected elsewhere in the Valley for the 121st consecutive day due to separatist-sponsored strike.

"Adequate deployment of security forces has been made in parts of Srinagar, but there is no curfew in the city (here) or anywhere in Kashmir," a police official said.

He said security forces have been deployed in strength in some areas of the city to maintain law and order in the wake of yesterday's violence following death of a 16-year-old boy Qaiser Sofi due to alleged poisoning.

Sofi was reported missing on October 25 and found in an unconscious state in Shalimar area of the city six days later and hospitalised.

However, local residents of the area alleged that the teen was force-fed some poisonous substance.

Police have said an investigation is underway into the case registered under section 309 Ranbir Penal Code (attempt to suicide) at Nishat Police Station.

Although there was very less movement of people and vehicular traffic in the areas in the old city, the civil lines areas of the summer capital, including the areas around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk, witnessed a fair amount of traffic as private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen plying, the official said.

He said some shops were open in these areas along with the areas in the outskirts of the city, while many vendors set-up their stalls in the weekly flea market in the TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis passing through Lal Chowk.

However, most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut elsewhere in the Valley but are expected to open in the evening as the separatists have announced a 15-hour relaxation in the strike from 4 PM onwards.

The ongoing unrest in Kashmir, triggered by killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8, has completed four months.

The separatists, who are spearheading the ongoing agitation in the Valley, have been issuing weekly protest programmes.

As many as 85 people, including two cops, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

Around 5000 security forces personnel have also been injured in the clashes.

(REOPENS DEL17)



Meanwhile, a police spokesman said the situation across the Valley remained peaceful and under control today.

"During the day, normal movement of people and vehicular traffic was seen on the city roads as was also seen in other parts of the Valley.

"The famous Srinagar Sunday market opened early in the morning and huge number of shoppers thronged it for purchasing different articles," the spokesman said.

He said last evening, miscreants attempted to set on fire Government Boys Higher Secondary School at Zakoora on the outskirts of Srinagar.

"Fire tenders and police immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control and prevented any major damage to the school. However, furniture of the school was partially damaged in the incident.

"Srinagar police has taken cognizance of the matter and miscreants involved in the incident are being identified," he said.
Rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar-led Goa Suraksha Manch and the Shiv Sena have begun discussions on seat-sharing for the state Assembly elections due next year.

Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut and Velingkar met in Panaji on Friday and began discussions on the seat-sharing. The Sena has proposed to contest on 10 seats.

"Our leaders were of the opinion that the Sena should contest on three seats, Goa Praja party on two seats and 30 will be contested by them (GSM)," a senior GSM leader told PTI.

All the parties have decided to keep the details of alliance talks under wraps till the final announcement, which is expected to happen after November 10.

The leader said that Raut was not ready to accept only three seats and insisted that the party will contest at least on seven, he said.

However, at the meeting, which remained inconclusive, it was decided that GSM will hold its internal organisational meeting on November 8 wherein the discussion on seat-sharing would be taken up.

"The next meeting between GSM and Shiv Sena leaders is expected to happen on November 10," he said.

GSM is an offshoot of Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, a front demanding mother tongue as medium of instruction in elementary education in Goa schools.

The Shiv Sena has already announced its three candidates for the forthcoming polls.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had last month announced in-principle approval for alliance between GSM and his party for the forthcoming state elections.

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An 63-year-old man was today arrested for allegedly trying to sexually assault a four-year-old girl here, police said.

Police said Chandrasekharan, working as a security man at a daycare centre in Thrikkakara police station limits, was arrested based on a complaint by the parents of the girl.

In their complaint, the parents alleged that the man tried to sexually assault the child while she was alone at the daycare centre.

Chandrasekharan has been remanded in judicial custody, police said.

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A South Carolina man killed at least seven people in a hidden crime spree that lasted more than a decade and only was uncovered when police rescued a woman chained at the neck in a storage container, authorities said.

Todd Kohlhepp accepted responsibility for an unsolved 13-year-old massacre one day before the 13th anniversary of the deaths that stumped authorities, said Sheriff Chuck Wright, first elected a year after the murders.

Kohlhepp, 45, confessed to the deaths of the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper of Superbike Motorsports, a motorcycle shop in Chesnee, in Spartanburg County.

"God answered our prayers. If it wasn't for Him answering our prayers and Todd talking to us, I don't know that we'd ever solve that case," Wright said.

Wright says Kohlhepp also showed law enforcement officers Saturday where he says he buried two of his other victims on his 95-acre property near Woodruff. Kohlhepp, in handcuffs and wearing an orange jumpsuit, was at the site for less than an hour.

Those are in addition to the body found Friday at the site. Wright and Coroner Rusty Clevenger identified that victim as 32-year-old Charles Carver, the boyfriend of the woman found Thursday in a locked metal container.

Carver and the woman went missing around August 31. Their last known cellphone signals led authorities to the property.

The Associated Press is not naming the woman because the suspect is a sex offender, though authorities have not said whether she was sexually assaulted.

Carver died of multiple gunshot wounds. An anthropologist is helping determine how long Carver was buried, Clevenger said. He declined to say how many times Carver had been shot.

The sheriff says it's possible more bodies will be uncovered.

The wife of one of the 2003 victims said detectives told her Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the shop several times.

Melissa Ponder told The Associated Press she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives.

Detectives told family members of all four victims of the confession at the same time.

"He knew too much about the crime scene," Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. "He knew everything."



The Superbike killings stunned the Chesnee community, with rumors like they were committed by a Mexican drug gang or were part of a love triangle crushing the families of the victims.

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The Madhya Pradesh government is "seriously" considering installing electric fencing around its 122 jails to enhance prison security in view of the daring Bhopal jailbreak by eight SIMI activists.

The eight SIMI undertrial activists had escaped from the high-security Central jail here after killing a head constable on the intervening night of October 30-31. They were subsequently killed in an alleged encounter on the outskirts of the city on October 31.

After the encounter, conflicting versions from police and state Home Minister surfaced, leading to allegations that it might be fake.

"A top official has already left for Chhattisgarh to study the electric fencing of the jails in the wake of the Bhopal jailbreak. We are seriously thinking about following suit of the neighbouring state," MP Prison Director General (DG) Sanjay Choudhary told PTI today.

He, however, did not disclose the name of the official who has left for Chhattisgarh.

The security audit of the MP jails is underway, after which measures will be taken to ramp up the security of prisons, the DG said.

Asked about the Madhya Pradesh government's move to increase the height of boundary walls of the prisons across the state, Choudhary said all these things will be done after taking into account the security audit report of the jails, which is currently underway.

"We are not going to enhance jail security on piecemeal basis, rather we are going to initiate measures in one go after the report of jail security audit," he added.

Earlier, the state government had ordered a judicial probe into the sensational jail-break and the alleged encounter. The probe will be conducted by retired High Court Judge Justice S K Pandey.

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A lawyer, who represented eight SIMI activists killed in an encounter on October 31, today demanded a high court-monitored inquiry and termed as "mockery" the Madhya Pradesh government's order of judicial probe into the incident.

"It is baffling that the culprit of the encounter, which is the state government, has chosen its own investigator to probe its serious crime," said Parvez Alam, who represented the slain SIMI activists facing terror cases.

"This is a sheer mockery of democratic and judicial system. The state government, instead of requesting the MP High Court to order a judicial inquiry into the cold-blooded murder, has itself appointed an investigator, which is against the natural justice," Alam told PTI.

He said that the state government should have moved the MP High Court and waited for it to name a sitting or retired judge to investigate the fake encounter.

"We are going to petition the High Court for a judicial probe. We want the probe to be monitored by the High Court and it (probe panel) should have lawyers of both sides--the government and the deceased," he added.

Meanwhile, when asked if he had received any written communication from the government asking him to start judicial inquiry, the retired MP High Court judge S K Pandey said, "I don't have any information (yet)."



The MP Government announced judicial probe by Justice Pandey three days ago after the alleged encounter came under severe criticism. Home Minister Bhupendra Singh had till then maintained that no judicial probe into the encounter was necessary.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced a NIA probe into the jail-break during which the fleeing SIMI activists allegedly murdered a head warden.

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A soldier was killed as Pakistan Army shelled Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district today.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistan Army to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said here.

"An army soldier has been killed in cross border firing on the LoC in Poonch", the official said.

"Indian Army has retaliated using same calibre weapons. Shelling and firing exchanges are still on," he said.

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistan has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the LoC.

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Actor Stephen Merchant, who has worked with Hugh Jackman in "Logan," says the actor is a formidable talent.

The 41-year-old British actor, who plays Caliban opposite the Jackman as Wolverine in the third standalone movie about the metal-clawed superhero, was blown away his performance, reported Contactmusic.

"Oh yeah, that was enormous fun, he's one of the nicest men you could work with, all the rumours you have heard about how lovely and accommodating and lovely he is, is all true, he's just formidable talent," Merchant said.

However, he kept tight-lipped when asked about the injuries that took place on the set of the film.

"I'm not allowed to tell you anything about it unfortunately, I am sworn to secrecy, otherwise I think 21st Century Fox can hang, draw and quarter me if I said anything.

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With Delhi choking with smog created by burning of paddy straw in neigbhouring states, noted agri-scientist M S Swaminathan today suggested to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ways to commercialise the straw to help tide over the problem.

Swaminathan said paddy straw can be used for making animal feed, cardboard, paper and other products. He will soon send a detailed note to the PM in this regard.

"I have told the Prime Minister how we can make use of paddy straw instead of burning it. You cannot ask farmers to stop burning paddy straw as he has to prepare his field for the next crop. You must find a mechanism to commercialise it," Swaminathan told PTI on the sidelines of an event here.

A technology has been developed in Maharashtra for using paddy straw as animal feed, he said.

"You add urea and molasses in paddy straw, you can use it as animal feed. There are many different ways, paddy straw can be utilised. The PM was very interested and I will soon send a note to him on this topic," he said.

India produces 140 million tonnes of paddy and 280 million tonnes of rice straw in a year, he added.

Swaminathan, known as Father of India's Green Revolution, was sharing dias with the Prime Minister at first ever international conference of agro-biodiversity being held here.

While addressing the event, he spoke on the issue saying that when we talk about agro-biodiversity, it is not about grains alone but about the whole plant.

"Paddy straw enriched with urea and molasses is a wonderful animal feed," he said while citing example of research work done in Mynamar in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Centre has called a meeting of Environment Ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to curb stubble burning by farmers which has made Delhi a "gas chamber".

"There is an emergency situation in Delhi. The situation is bad, particularly for children, patients, women and elderly. We need to take immediate steps to deal with the situation," Union Environment Minister Anil Dave had said.

Cases of severe breathlessness, asthma and allergy have sharply risen in Delhi as the city remains blanketed in thick layer of toxic air due to the worst smog in 17 years, aggravated by use of Diwali crackers last week.

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In a novel way to tap the human resource potential of prisoners, the Telangana Prisons department has sent a proposal to the state government to use the services of those having good conduct for constructive work like maintenance of hospitals and schools.

Director General of Prisons V K Singh told PTI that he has sent the proposal to the Home department.

The views of education and health departments have been sought on the proposal, he said.

The idea is to use the services of prisoners who committed offences over issues like family disputes and property disputes and not those convicted in serious and grave offences, he said.

"The services of prisoners can be used at government hospitals or schools and the exercise would be within the ambit of law," he said.

Observing that many of the prisoners, who are not habitual offenders, do not run away at an available opportunity, Singh said prisoners also need to be kept engaged with some constructive work.

The energy of such prisoners can be used for the good of the society, he said.

The official said that he would take up the proposal with the Home department towards taking an early decision on it.

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BCCI president Anurag Thakur has written a letter to the Supreme Court appointed Justice RM Lodha panel, intimating them that he is ready to meet the members any day after November 9.

A reliable BCCI source confirmed the development.

"Yes, the president has informed the Panel that he is ready to meet post Wednesday. In his affidavit also, he had already apologised that he could not appear before the committee as the Monsoon session of Parliament was on at that point of time," a BCCI official in know of things told PTI today.

During the meeting last August, Secretary Ajay Shirke had appeared before the panel.

It has been learnt that both Thakur and Shirke will meet the panel together to discuss the implementation of the recommendations.

In fact, Thakur filed a 19-point Compliance Report as per Supreme Court's directions, in which he stated about the practical difficulties in implementing the Lodha Committee reforms in totality.

Thakur in his affidavit has stated since neither he nor the secretary (Shirke) have a vote, they cannot force the members units) to accept the recommendations.

In fact the freezing of annual grants has not been able to deter the state units who still maintain that BCCI is being run by Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.

Some of the major objections raised by the BCCI are One-State One Vote (Mumbai, Baroda, Railways etc lose voting rights), age cap of 70 years, One person-One Post, three-year cooling off period, three national selectors to name a few.

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Continuing its tirade against the LDF government in Kerala over the gangrape allegedly involving a CPI(M) activist, Congress led UDF Opposition today accused the government of attempting to sabotage the probe into the incident.

Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said there was "an attempt to sabotage the probe into the case and constitution of the investigating team was an indicator to it."



"We will discuss and decide whether to take up this issue in the assembly, that is meeting tomorrow after two days recess,", Chennithala said.

Meanwhile, Anil Akkara, MLA from Wadakancherry in Thrissur district, said police team investigating the case are "virtually dancing to the tunes the party".

All police personnel except the two women officers should be removed from the investigating team, he demanded.

Meanwhile, police today took statement from the victim as part of the probe.

The team led by ASP G Poonguzhal took a statement from the victim.

On a related development, BJP former state president V Muraleedharan alleged that the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not meet the victim even though he had given time for a meeting the other day.

Muaraleedharan in a statement here said Chief Minister's action amounted insult and injustice to the victim.

Congress stepped up its attack on CPI(M)'s Thrissur District Secretary K Radhakrishnan, who is also a former Assembly Speaker, for publicly naming the gang rape victim.

KPCC President V M Sudheeran said legal steps should be taken against Radhakrishnan.

Kannam Rajendran, state secretary of CPI, a partner in the ruling LDF, said "all citizens are equal before law. Legal action should be initiated if anybody has committed anything wrong", he said.

BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan had also demanded action against Radhakrishnan, a former minister,



Giving details of the rape victim is punishable under IPC section 228 (A) (disclosure of identify of the victim), he said, adding, Radhakrishnan had "deliberately" used the woman's name.

While addressing the media on November 4 at Thrissur on the suspension of two party workerswho had been named by the victim, Radhakrishnan had mentioned the woman's name.

The rape victim had appeared before the media here on November 3, alleging that Jayanthan, CPI(M) Wadakancherry municipal council member, had raped her along with three of his friends two years ago and continued to mentally harass her.

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Rapper Tinie Tempah pulled out of a planned performance at the MOBO Awards in Britain, blaming "music industry policies" for his decision.

The hitmaker, whose real name is Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, did not go into specifics but he posted a handwritten note on Instagram to confirm the he would be a no-show at the event in Glasgow, Scotland, reported Contactmusic.

He wrote: "I will not be performing at this year's MOBOs for reasons that are outside of mine and the MOBO's control."



Insisting he would be "watching and supporting" the show, he added, "The MOBOs is a ceremony I have grown up watching and



take pride in... I am gutted to not be performing."



MOBO bosses shared his post on their Twitter account and added the caption: "We appreciate the kind words and we will always support."



Tinie was nominated for two awards for Best Song and Best Male Act.

Professor Green was announced as a late addition to the line-up.

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A tribal villager, who was at the forefront of a protest against Maoist activities in his village, was killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said today.

The victim, identified as Samnath Baghel (28), was brutally killed with sharp edged weapons on Friday night at his native Nama village, a senior police official said.

The village is located about 20 kms from Tongpal on National Highway-30, which connects Jagdalpur to Sukma, which is around 400 kms from here.

Youths from Nama and the neighbouring Kumakoleng village (both fall under Kumakoleng village panchayat) had been demonstrating against Naxal activities in their villages.

Armed with bow and arrows and other traditional weapons, the youths in the area can be seen patrolling the peripheral areas of their villages throughout the night to ban the entry of rebels.

Baghel and his friend Aayta had led the protest and they mostly stayed away from home during the night hours for patrolling.

"On Friday, Baghel was at home with his wife to take care of their newborn. Suddenly, a group of armed guerrillas stormed into his house and killed him in front of his family warning locals not to engage in anti-Naxal demonstrations," the official said.

After the incident came to light, senior police officials of Bastar, includingInspector General of Police (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri,reached the spot yesterday.

A case has been registered in this connection, he said adding thatassailants have been identified and a combing operation was launched to arrest them.

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Republican White House candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to commotion near his podium.

US Secret Service and local police apprehended a suspect at the rally in Reno, Nevada. The federal agency said an investigation was continuing, but local media reported that the Reno Police Department had released the suspect.

The Secret Service said no weapon was found. "Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," it said.

"A thorough investigation is ongoing at this time by the US Secret Service and the Reno Police Department," it added.

The 70-year-old business tycoon returned to the stage just minutes after the incident, saying, "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped."

"I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," Trump said before returning to his speech.

Trump later said, "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response."

"I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us  we will make America great again!" Trump said.

CBS News reported that it all happened very quickly, but it appeared their was commotion near the podium.

While no weapon was found, some of those in the crowd were told there was a man with a gun. Others said they saw someone with a dark object, but did not think it was a weapon.

"I heard, 'He has a gun' and several of us went over to the side wall because we were frightened," an eyewitness was quoted as saying by NBC News.

The eyewitness said she was impressed with Trump's composure in continuing the speech.

Secret Service agents rushed to shield Trump onstage in March after a man tried to rush the stage during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, but the Republican nominee was not escorted off stage.

And a man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas in June after he tried to grab a police officer's gun, which he said he planned to use to shoot Trump.
Donald Trump's son Eric participated in a traditional 'aarti' at a Hindu temple in Florida to woo Indian-Americans as the Republican presidential nominee's family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his victory in the November 8 election.

Eric, 32, arrived at the temple in Orlando in a suit but changed his clothes and wore a cream-coloured Sherwani to attend the 'aarti'.

He took a tour of the temple where the priest explained him the significance of aarti and other rituals. He was also told the tales of God Rama and Krishna.

The priest presented him a saffron stole.

The crucial swing state of Florida has a wealthy and growing Hindu population which could play a significant role in the election.

Earlier Donald Trump, in his efforts to woo the Indian community, borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's winning slogan of the 2014 general elections and was seen in a TV ad saying "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar".

This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeting the Indian-American vote bank.

Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu temple in the key swing state of Virginia as part of the Republican presidential nominee's efforts to reach out to the Indian-American community.

Lara had said Donald Trump has great love and affection for India and its people.

As a mark of respect to the Indian culture, she removed her shoes before entering the Rajdhani temple in Virginia.

"I really like Hindu culture and I respect It," she had said.

Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was also scheduled to visit the temple but the Trump campaign asked her to go to a different place given the fast-changing dynamics of the polls.

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has slammed popular American rapper Jay Z for using indecent words during an election concert he held in support of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

"I actually like Jay Z, but, you know, the language last night, oh, ooh. I was thinking, Maybe I'll just try it. Should I use that language if I want to," Trump told thousands of his supporters in Tampa, Florida yesterday.

"Can you imagine if I said that? He used every word in the book. I won't even use the initials because I'll get in trouble. They'll get me in trouble. He used every word in the book last night," he said referring to the songs sung by Jay Z during the concern in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday night, attended by Clinton herself.

Trump later compared the Cleveland crowd with that of his rally at Hershey in Pennsylvania on Friday night.

"By the way, in Hershey, Pennsylvania last night, we had an arena. We had 27,000 people show up, maybe they couldn't get in. Far more than Jay-Z had with their free tickets. Free tickets. Far more. And Beyonce. And I like them both," he said.

Further slamming Clinton, Trump said, "But he (Jay Z) used language last night that was so bad, and then Hillary said I did not like Donald Trump's lewd language. My lewd language. I tell you I've never said what he said in my life. But that shows you the phoniness of politicians and the phoniness of the whole system folks".

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In a security scare, Republican White House candidate Donald Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

The man, who later identified himself to reporters as Austyn Crites, was then immediately detained and led out by a throng of police officers, Secret Service agents and SWAT officers armed with assault rifles to a side room.

A law enforcement official later told CNN no charges were filed against Crites.

After he was released from custody, Crites told reporters that the incident started off when he raised a "Republicans Against Trump" sign.

Crites said he was then assaulted by a group of people around him before someone shouted anything about a gun.

"All of a sudden, because they couldn't grab the sign, or whatever happened, bam, I get tackled by all these people who were just, like, kicking me and grabbing me...And just, just beating me," Crites was quoted as saying by KTNV.

"And somebody yells something about a gun, and so that's when things really got out of hand," he said.

The alleged assault against Crites is just the latest such incident to occur at a Trump rally, where other protesters have previously been roughed up.

The Secret Service said no weapon was found. "Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," it said.

The 70-year-old business tycoon returned to the stage just minutes after the incident, saying, "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped."



"I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," Trump said before returning to his speech.

Trump later said, "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response."



"I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us -- we will make America great again!" Trump said.

An eyewitness was quoted as saying by NBC News, "I heard, 'He has a gun' and several of us went over to the side wall because we were frightened."



The eyewitness said she was impressed with Trump's composure in continuing the speech.

Secret Service agents rushed to shield Trump onstage in March after a man tried to rush the stage during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, but the Republican nominee was not escorted off stage.

And a man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas in June after he tried to grab a police officer's gun, which he said he planned to use to shoot Trump.

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A Tunisian soldier has been killed in his home near central Mount Mghilla, an area where jihadist fighters operate, public television has reported late.

Citing defence ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati, the television channel yesterday said that army and national guard units had launched a search for the unknown attackers.

Tunisian authorities gave no comment when asked for further details by AFP.

Tunisian forces have, since 2012, been trying to flush out groups of extremists holed up in the country's mountainous regions, notably Mghilla and Chaambi, in the central Kasserine region.

Since a revolution in 2011, Tunisia has seen the rise of a jihadist movement responsible for the deaths of dozens of soldiers and police officers as well as civilians.

A total of 59 tourists have also been killed.

The country has been under a state of emergency since a string of deadly attacks in 2015.

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Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party today said it was pulling out of parliament after nine of its MPs including the two co-leaders were arrested in an unprecedented crackdown.

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the third-largest party in this legislature, said it would no longer be taking part in general sessions of parliament or commission work.

The arrest on Friday of the MPs, including party leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, added to tensions as Turkey wages a relentless battle against Kurdish militants and deals with the aftermath of a July 15 failed coup.

They have been charged with membership and promotion of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The move also compounded concerns among Turkey's Western allies that the state of emergency imposed after the coup bid is being used for a general crackdown against critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and not just the suspected plotters.

Yesterday, an Istanbul court ordered the jailing pending trial of nine executives and editorial staff from the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper.

Some 35,000 people have been arrested after the coup bid, which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, while tens of thousands more have been fired from their jobs.

The latest arrests of the HDP MPs prompted the Turkish authorities to restrict access to social media and VPN applications and also led to more heavy losses for the embattled Turkish lira.

In his first reaction to the arrests, Erdogan described the HDP as the parliamentary "branch" of the PKK and said it made him "smile a lot" to see the charismatic Demirtas compared to US President Barack Obama in Western media.

"It's very easy to to see their true faces," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

The HDP has always denied being a front from the PKK, which has waged an over three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state in search of greater rights and autonomy for the Kurdish minority.

The HDP said instead of sitting in parliament, its remaining MPs who are not under arrest will go from "house to house, village to village and district to district" to meet people and decide future strategy.

The HDP has 59 seats in parliament and their absence could enable Erdogan to push through his vision of a presidential system which the HDP has always vehemently opposed.

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Two women and a child were killed after they were hit by a speeding train when they were crossing the tracks near Anand railway station today.

Pujaben Bhil and Sonalben Bhil who were sisters and Sonalben's 2-year-old daughter Hani were killed when they were hit by Ahmedabad-bound Garib Rath Express, ASI (Railway police) Natwarsinh Dharia said.

"The two sisters, their brother and mother and the child were returning after praying at a temple," Dharia said, adding that the brother and the mother were not hurt.

They were residents of Vallabh Vidyanagar near Anand town.

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A UN peacekeeper from Togo was killed and two civilians seriously wounded today when a mine exploded as a military convoy passed through central Mali.

More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.

An African military source working within the UN mission told AFP: "We have lost, among our injured, a Togolese peacekeeper. There are also some injured," the source said.

The source did not specify the number of peacekeepers wounded, but said they were quickly evacuated to receive medical attention after the attack in the central Mopti region.

A local official meanwhile told AFP two civilians who had been following the convoy were seriously injured.

"The attack took place not far from the town of Douentza. The civilians were following the UN mission's convoy," the source said, describing the pair's future as "uncertain".

France intervened in January 2013 to drive out Islamist fighters overrunning northern Mali and the UN mission was deployed a few months later, but large tracts of the country are beyond the control of domestic or foreign troops.

MINUSMA, as the mission is known, is the UN's deadliest active deployment, with more than 30 peacekeepers killed this year alone.

The attack took place the same day that Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.

The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.

Further underscoring the fragility of Mali's security situation today, armed men ransacked an army base in the restive north, stealing weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.

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Washington is in "close contact" with Ankara over the assault launched by American-backed Kurdish-Arab forces on the Islamic State group's bastion Raqa in Syria, a senior US official said today.

"We are in close close contact with our Turkish allies and that is why the chairman of joint chiefs is in Ankara today," Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's envoy to the US-led coalition battling the jihadists, told a conference in the Jordanian capital Amman.

"We want this to be as coordinated as possible, recognising that there will be a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces of course do not see eye to eye, but they do share a very common and still very lethal enemy," he said of IS.

The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford, arrived today in Ankara on a previously unannounced visit and was to meet his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the Turkish army said earlier, without elaborating.

The US-backed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leading the fight to retake Raqa from the jihadists said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.

Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the SDF were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia which it considers an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades.

"It is a complex environment in Syria to say the least, but we are constantly in touch with all the different players, and I think in terms of the phasing of the overall Raqa campaign we have a fairly good understanding of what is to come," said McGurk.

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The top US general Joseph Dunford today made a previously unannounced visit to Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, the army said, as Kurdish-Arab forces launched an operation to capture the jihadist bastion of Raqa in Syria.

The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff was to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the army said, without giving further details.

The Kurdish-Arab force leading the fight to take the Syrian city of Raqa from the control of Islamic State jihadists had said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.

Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia.

It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades.

Turkey has repeatedly targeted the YPG inside Syria and indicated it would not support any operation that involved its fighters.

But US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had vowed during a visit to Ankara last month to ramp up joint efforts with Turkey to deal IS jihadists a "lasting defeat".

Turkey is staging its own operation inside Syria to back pro-Ankara rebels seeking to oust IS jihadists from the border area but also targeting YPG fighters.

Ankara has largely looked out from the sidelines at the US-backed Iraqi operation to retake Mosul from the jihadists, expressing alarm over the potential roles of anti-Ankara Kurdish fighters and Shiite militia.

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Declaring women empowerment as one of the top agendas of the state government, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the women have huge stakes in the peace process as they are the first casualty of any trauma or violence.

The Chief Minister spoke at two separate functions at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar and Dak Bungalow Baramulla while launching 'Empowering the Girl Child' scheme.

The Chief Minister handed over keys of scooters to 300 girl students of Government Colleges for Women MA Road and Nawa Kadal College in Srinagar and 150 students of Government Women's College Baramulla.

Under the scheme, the government provides subsidy on scooters for meritorious girl students.

"Women have huge stakes in peace as they are the first casualty of any trauma or violence. Also, the brunt of the societal losses is borne more by the women than the men. In our world which is full of chaos, investments must be made to empower women. If you empower a girl or a woman, you are empowering the entire nation," Mehbooba said.

Mehbooba said the scheme is part of an endeavour of the State Government to empower the girl child and to facilitate her independent mobility.

"Under the scheme, the state government will facilitate 50 per cent sponsorship of the cost of scooty for college going girls in the State. These vehicles will enable girl's independence of mobility and at the same time promote confidence in them," she said.

The Chief Minister reiterated her government's commitment is to work for the safety, development and empowerment of the womenfolk and added that this scheme will not only help girls in commuting but will also bring in her courage, self confidence and a feeling of self dependence.

She said the scheme was supposed to be launched in the Kashmir valley in the month of July, however due to the situation in the Valley it was delayed.

Referring to the education sector, the Chief Minister said it has suffered the most during the recent turmoil.

"While people who can afford shall manage the education of their children outside the state, however, the students from poor families have suffered massive academic loss. Even those who can afford also think twice in case of female child, who ultimately suffers again," she said.

The Chief Minister also announced an All-Terrain Mountain Bike (ATMB) scheme for meritorious boys on the pattern of Scooty Scheme for girl students.

She said under the scheme, any boy in the 10th standard belonging to lower economic background who has to cover a distance of more than 2 kilometres from his home to school and shall secure above 58 per cent in his class 10 exams would be eligible for a mountain bicycle if he gives in writing that he shall continue to pursue his education.

"Islam gives enormous rights to women but certain vested interests distort the real message to suit their politics. If we want peace and stability, women should also have stakes in our social and political processes. Looking after parents is not the job of sons only in the same way as cooking is for women," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Have you ever wondered what will happen if all the people on Earth jump together or if a person is born in outer space? These questions may appear to be weird but science has answers for them as well.

There are many popular educational channels on YouTube which provide answers to weird but natural questions and also explain the science behind the events happening around us or far in outer space.

Interesting videos related to the topics of science, psychology, human behaviour and general perceptions are uploaded on these channels.

These short videos can make a long-lasting impact on users by helping them in developing a better understanding of a given topic, experts say.

These videos can explain that if people on the Earth gathered at a particular place at a given time and jumped together, they will feel a slight shaking of Earth, although the intensity of this shaking will almost be negligible on Richter scale.

Greg Foot, a science presenter of BBC performed this experiment with 50,000 people at Reading Festival in the UK and recorded the intensity of the earthquake caused. It had a magnitude of 0.6 on Richter scale.

He then calculated that if the whole population of the Earth jumped at the same time, it will still be a factor of seven million short of changing the speed at which the Earth rotates.

Vsauce, AsapSCIENCE, MinutePhysics, CrashCourse and Scishow are some of the popular YouTube channels among the netizens.

"These videos are good enough to give a logical idea about scientific concepts," Dr S K Dhaka, Associate Professor at Department of Physics and Electronics, Rajdhani College, Delhi University told PTI.

"There could be a deviation from the expected results but that is close to reality if we do calculations," Dhaka said.

"Content of video discussing about impact on human body during space residence period is quite reasonable and based on real experiments carried on astronauts," he said.

However, Dr N S Goswami, Retired Assistant Professor of Chemistry in Delhi University emphasises on classroom studies and demonstrations to get command over the subjects.

"One can watch these videos but in-depth knowledge of any topic and command over the subject requires further studies and research," Goswami said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today sought people's support to launch an agitation for the 'special category status' for Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a public meeting at Indira Priyadarshni Municipal stadium here this evening, he said YSRCP will soon launch an agitation demanding special status for the state.

"I need your help and support. Please extend your cooperation to strengthen my hands to launch an agitation till we achieve special status for Andhra Pradesh which is in deep trouble after the bifurcation," he said.

Jaganmohan alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is "misleading" people by talking about special package offered by the Centre instead of pressing for special category status.

He also said the Centre is yet to announce Railway zone for Visakhapatnam, which is promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By William James and Kylie MacLellan

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would deliver a full exit from the European Union, hitting back at critics of her Brexit strategy who have threatened to try to block the process in parliament.

The government's plans to begin a two-year divorce process by the end of March next year were thrown into disarray last week when a court ruled that parliament must be consulted on the decision. May has said she is confident of overturning that ruling.

Nevertheless, the prospect of a parliamentary vote has enraged eurosceptic lawmakers who fear the 'hard Brexit' they want will be watered down, and emboldened political opponents who want a less radical split from the bloc.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, May signalled she would resist any attempt to force her to change her approach to leaving the EU, a historic break that was approved by 52 percent of Britons in a referendum in June.

"The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full," May wrote.

She said revealing her strategy for the talks would weaken Britain's negotiating position and that members of parliament who regretted the referendum result "need to accept what the people decided".

The head of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said in a newspaper interview that he would try to block the commencement of divorce talks with the EU if the government does not agree to his Brexit demands.

May's government, which has given little away about its plans for Britain's future relationship with the EU, has said that having to set out a detailed negotiating strategy to parliament would put it at a disadvantage in the talks.

"While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people," May said in a separate statement before leaving on a trade visit to India on Sunday

HALF-BREXIT

Arch-eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who led the influential UK Independence Party's Brexit campaign, said there was a growing movement to keep Britain within the EU's tariff-free single market - a scenario he called a "half-Brexit" that went against the referendum result.

"If the people in this country think that they're going to be cheated, they're going to be betrayed, then we will see political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed in this country," he told the BBC.

Parliament could in theory block Brexit because most members supported staying in the EU in June's referendum. But many lawmakers have signalled they would be willing to reverse their position to reflect the referendum result.

"I think it is highly unlikely that parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50," health minister Jeremy Hunt told the BBC, referring to the EU treaty mechanism for beginning the process of leaving.

Last week's court ruling could allow lawmakers to temper the government's approach, however, making a "hard Brexit" - where tight controls on immigration get priority over remaining in the single market - less likely.

Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror that Labour's "Brexit bottom line" would require guarantees for access to the single market for exporters, continued protection of workers' rights, safeguards for consumers and the environment, and pledges that Britain would make up any loss of EU capital investment.

Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson, later appeared to contradict Corbyn, saying the party had no intention of delaying the exit process.

"We want to make sure that people don't lose out in the solution, but we are certainly not going to hold up Article 50 if we don't get the deal," he told BBC radio.

Corbyn said he would welcome an early national election if May refused to meet his demands. But the next one is not due until 2020, and the government has so far resisted pressure to dissolve parliament and seek a stronger mandate.

"I think a general election is frankly the last thing that the government wants ... It's the last thing that the British people want," Hunt said.

A government appeal against the High Court ruling is expected to be considered by Britain's Supreme Court early next month. May has said she still plans to invoke Article 50 by the end of March.

The lead claimant in the High Court case, Gina Miller, said on Sunday that Scotland - which voted to remain in the EU in the referendum - was likely to join the case as it goes to the Supreme Court. However, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it had not yet decided to take part.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan, Larry King)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of British Prime Minister Theresa May's maiden visit, UK's Cairn Energy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding him that resolution to the Rs 29,047 crore retrospective tax demand it faces is still pending.

The Edinburgh-based firm told Modi that it has been more than 1,000 days that a tax notice was slapped on it using a retrospective legislation but a resolution is nowhere in sight.

Cairn Energy has also written a similar letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

When contacted, Company CEO Simon Thomspon refused to comment on its discussions with government.

ALSO READ: Air purifier sales soar as NCR chokes on pollution



Pressed further, he said pending resolution of the retrospective tax cases remains a concern for international investors and future investments particularly in the exploration and production sector depend on an amicable resolution.

The NDA government had made positive vibes when it had stated that it would not pursue tax terrorism including creating new tax demand using retrospective tax case, he said.

"But our case remains unresolved."

In fact, only a draft assessment order was issued in January 2014 during the UPA rule and a final tax demand was raised by the present government.

"Why hasn't legislative been used to scrap the retrospective tax demands," he asked. "Such a move will provide impetus to investments in India."

It is in the interest of India that retrospective tax demand is resolved once and for all, he said.

Cairn Energy has initiated arbitration under the India-UK bilateral investment protection treaty but India is seeking to put on hold the proceedings and instead wants a parallel arbitration initiated by Vedanta Resources to be taken up first.

The government, using retrospective tax legislation, had in January 2014 issued a tax notice on Cairn Energy for alleged capital gains it made on a 10-year old internal reorganisation of its India unit.

Three months later in April 2014, it imposed a tax demand of Rs 20,495 crore on Cairn India, the UK firm's erstwhile subsidiary for failing to deduct tax on the capital gains.

Cairn Energy and Vedanta, which had bought Cairn India from the Scottish firm in 2011, had initiated separate arbitrations against the tax demands.

Cairn Energy had initiated the arbitration in March 2015 and the three-member arbitration panel had been constituted.

But at a hearing last month, the government contended that the proceedings should be put on hold, sources said.

Its counsel argued that the government wants the arbitration initiated by Vedanta to be taken up first.

Sources said the counsel also made an application seeking more time to file reply to Cairn Energy's demand for USD 5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand.

As per the schedule drawn up, the reply was to be filed by mid-November.
B. Ashok couldn't be happier. The Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Oil Corporation, or IOC, doesn't have to run around meeting officials, unlike his predecessors, to seek permission for every piffling increase in prices and timely/sufficient compensation for selling products below market rates. With the dismantling of price control on fuels such as petrol and diesel, the days of being a supplicant are over - the company now has the freedom to sell most of its products at market rates. This is showing in revenue/profit numbers.

IOC reported an 85 per cent jump in profit to Rs 11,391 crore in the first half of 2016/17, despite the dip in revenue from Rs 2,11,043 crore to Rs 2,07,475 crore. This is after a Rs 10,399 crore profit in 2015/16, almost double from Rs 5,273 crore in 2014/15. This is the biggest-ever jump in profits of the country's biggest company by revenues. IOC's main competitors, BPCL and HPCL, reported 66 per cent and 41 per cent rise in net profits, respectively, during the year.

The rise in profits could not have come at a better time for IOC. It is in the middle of implementing some big projects. It is, for instance, anchoring the government scheme to provide LPG connections to all below poverty line households. This will require big investments in building infrastructure for importing and transporting LPG, including laying the ambitious 1,987-km pipeline for transporting 3.75 MT LPG from Kandla port to cities in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The profits will also ensure that it has the resources to upgrade refineries as part of a government plan to shift to the BS-VI fuel in a few years for which the cost will come to around Rs 30,000 crore.

Reforms/Low Prices

While Ashok has had his share of luck, the company has taken a few critical decisions to improve operational efficiencies during his tenure. On July 16, 2014, when he took charge, a barrel of crude oil cost $108. Today, it is available for less than $50. This has led to a spike in gross refining margins, or GRMs, of most OMCs. In October, for instance, the benchmark Singapore GRM rose 50 per cent to $7.2 per barrel from $4.82 a barrel in June due to higher margins on gasoline and fuel oil. Fall in oil prices also ensured robust demand growth in spite of the economic slowdown. It was also the reason the NDA government could dismantle the subsidy regime with ease that was unthinkable a few years ago.

The government's approach also helped. From January 2016, it started paying LPG subsidy directly to bank accounts of citizens. This plugged pilferage, brought in fiscal discipline, and improved cash flows. A predecessor of Ashok remembers the problems of his tenure. "Crude oil prices were high. So was the amount of under-recoveries. There was uncertainty if the government would compensate OMCs, and when and by how much. In some cases, the money didn't come at all," he says. IOC, as a result, had to borrow heavily from markets even to run daily operations. At the peak, its annual borrowings were close to Rs 1,00,000 crore. The freedom to price products changed this. Interest costs dipped from Rs 5,084 crore in 2013/14 to Rs 3,435 crore in 2014/15; in 2015/16, they were Rs 3,000 crore. The Reserve Bank of India decision to reduce rates also helped.

All this gave Ashok the freedom to re-engineer many operational aspects that his predecessors couldn't do. For instance, due to low oil prices, the company is nowadays relying more on spot market purchases, which are cheaper. This is ensuring better inventory management. "To make the purchases swifter, we close the deals within 36 hours," says Ashok, the first insider to head IOC after M.S. Ramachandran retired in March 2005. He has also been juggling the sources of crude oil and configuration of refineries. "Most of our refineries are either modern or we are investing to upgrade them. We are constantly working on either developing cocktails of crude oil variants acceptable to the particular technology of the refinery or improving the technology altogether. This allows us to buy different varieties of crude oil," he says.

IOC owns 11 out of India's 23 refineries. Its consolidated refining capacity is 80.7 MT per annum, 35 per cent of the national total. Ashok is trying hard to ensure that the refineries keep shutdowns to a minimum. In the previous financial year, the 11 refineries used 103.7 per cent capacity and sold 80.722 MT products. IOC is looking to build an additional 24 MT brownfield refining capacity in the next five years.

IOC seems to have everything going for it. However, there is always a risk of oil prices going up and putting pressure on finances of OMCs. Ashok is aware of this and is keeping a watch on OPEC's November 30 meeting where it will decide on a 100,000-barrel production cut, though Ashok's another predecessor, R.S. Butola, says the days of high oil prices seem to be over. "There are enough supplies to keep prices soft," he says. ~

@anileshmahajan
Samsung Electronics said Sunday it will offer an artificial intelligence assistant service in the upcoming flagship smartphone, as the South Korean firm seeks recovery from its global smartphone recalls.

The Galaxy S8 will let users order food or perform other tasks without going through a third-party application but by simply asking the phone's virtual assistant, Samsung said in a statement. The artificial intelligence service will also be made available in Samsung's other consumer electronics products, such as refrigerators.

The company declined to disclose what specific tasks the S8 phone will perform through its artificial intelligence feature.

Samsung is expected to unveil the next iteration for its flagship Galaxy device in spring as it has typically done in the past. Sales of the Galaxy S8 will be crucial for the recovery of Samsung's mobile business, which saw its latest quarterly profit nearly wiped out by two global recalls of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. Samsung estimates it has lost at least $5.3 billion as it discontinued the model, which overheated and caught fire.

The company said last month that it has not figured out what went wrong with the Note 7 phones.

The South Korean company joined the race to create the digital assistant service when it acquired in October Viv Labs Inc., a Silicon Valley startup launched by the same entrepreneurs who sold Siri to Apple. Past and current Samsung phones offer a voice assistant service called "S Voice" developed internally, but the feature did not gain much traction.

Samsung's acquisition of the Silicon Valley firm was seen as its taking another step to seek independence from Google, which offers its brand of virtual assistant service in Android-powered devices.

Executives at Samsung and Viv Labs said that the biggest difference between the existing digital assistant and the one they are jointly developing is that the latter will be an "open AI platform," meaning that third-party developers will be able to offer their services through Samsung's AI platform.

"Our Galaxy smartphones don't provide services that enable consumers to order pizza or coffee, but does provide third party applications. But the new AI platform will enable consumers to do things that they would usually do through a separate third party application," Samsung's statement said.
Most complaints to the Ombudsman's office were related to how the AHPRA had dealt with "notifications" of concerning behaviour or medical practices among qualified medical practitioners to the authority or one of the registration boards, most of which related to doctors, nurses and midwives.
But when it comes to the fields of his Stockinbingal farm, Wattle Flat, some things are out of Dr Angus' control. Grain prices, for example, or the heavy rains that flooded his land, drowned his barley and left him and his wife marooned on their farm for a total of 12 days.
"If there is breaking news in Cairns, in Orange or in Albury, national Nine News will be on the ground to cover it and our viewers in those communities will be able to rely on Nine News to bring them the best television coverage."
The Spanish operators Business Solutions arm said the deployment of Nokias VSR in a Provider Edge application for fixed networks was a significant step forward in the evolution of telecoms infrastructure.

It means Telefonica can now deploy and configure vPEs, expanding their VPN offerings o new locations more rapidly. It will also allow the operator to deploy on-net points of presence in areas with lower customer density.

Telefonica said it will also use the technology to deploy new PoPs in both Spain and other countries, although locations were not revealed.

Javier Gavilan, Telefonica's global CTO planning and technology director, said: "We have been working together with Nokia in our NFV Reference Implementation Lab for some time in order to advance the availability of virtualized solutions and, in fact, the Virtualized Service Router was successfully tested in 2015 and the current deployment is UNICA-ready as part of the overall strategy of the company."

The news comes just weeks after Nokia helped Telefonica achieve 4G download speeds of up to 800Mbps in network tests carried out with Qualcomm. It has also been involved in the process of upgrading the Spanish firms 4G network across its home market.

General manager for Nokia's IP routing business, said: "When multinational companies want to extend their VPNs - or add capacity to those already deployed - speed, performance and reliability are all essential.

Telefonica has taken a leadership role in virtualization, and with the certification and deployment of the Nokia VSR, they are well positioned to expand the range and reach of their VPN services and address their customers' evolving needs."
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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.

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You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Students returning Monday to a Fraser Valley high school where a Grade 9 girl was stabbed to death will need long-term support to prevent further tragedies years from now, says a mother whose son was killed at a school in Alberta.

Abbotsford Senior Secondary was closed last Tuesday, when 13-year-old Letisha Reimer and her 14-year-old friend, who survived the double stabbing, were heard screaming in the rotunda after an assailant walked in with a knife.

A video of the stabbing means the violence has been viewed online thousands of times despite pleas by police and the school district for people to stop sharing it.

Gabriel Klein, 21, has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault and is scheduled to be back in court Monday, the same day counsellors will be at the school to support students and staff.

Diane Lang, whose son was shot and killed at school in Taber, Alta., on April 28, 1999, said the long-term impact on students will depend on how the trauma is dealt with adults, whose best tactic will be to listen to teens' concerns while helping them return to normal routines.

"Something like this changes your life forever," said Lang, whose 17-year-old son Jason Lang was shot in the hallway of his high school while another boy, also 17, was wounded. The shooter was a 14-year-old student.

"You can't go back and change what happened," Lang said. "And if you're not able to move forward it leaves you in not a very healthy space, and that affects your health physically as well as mentally and emotionally."

Lang said the shooting at W.R. Myers High School occurred on a Wednesday afternoon, and the school was closed until the following Tuesday.

When it reopened that morning, Lang and her husband Dale Lang decided they had to be there to help students deal with what had happened.

So the couple stood at the spot where their son was shot  a hallway near the cafeteria  and talked to students.

"I think that helped, that we were there because they could say that if we weren't afraid to be at that spot, that it would help them to be there as well."

She said the couple found the strength to forgive the shooter after learning his actions were prompted by years of bullying and that Jason and the injured student were random victims.

"Dale was able to talk to the students, and the staff, and just say they were not being targeted, that this was a hurting person who took our son's life," Lang said, adding the Abbotsford students' healing will also come from choosing not to hold any bitterness toward the attacker.

Abbotsford police have said the attack on the two girls appeared to be random.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A gender-neutral bathroom in a British Columbia high school is providing some chuckles with a lesson in hygiene.

A large, blue sticker on the washroom door has an image of a person wearing both pants and a dress standing next to a person in a wheelchair.

Underneath it reads: "Whatever. Just wash your hands."

Some students at Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School in Maple Ridge, east of Vancouver, came up with the idea and the sign was made as part of an art project.

It was recently put up on a former staff-only, single-use washroom.

A spokeswoman with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District says many of its schools have added gender-neutral or all-gender washrooms, but this one is unique.

The other bathrooms all have the same district-approved sign  an image of a toilet and a handicapped symbol, says Irena Pochop.

That sign went up beside the gender-neutral bathroom at Samuel Robertson school last year and a small rainbow sticker was put in the corner of its door. But not many people noticed.

"We needed to promote that it was there," says Aaron, a member of the school's gay-straight alliance group, who asked that his last name not be published because he is still coming out as transgender to people in his life.

The 16-year-old says the school's art teacher came up with the design from others like it posted on the Internet.

Different gender-neutral signs have been popping up on bathrooms around the world in response to transgender rights. A sign on washrooms at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto made a splash in August. Under the image of a person wearing half pants and a half dress, it said: "We don't care."

Aaron says the new sign in his school injects some humour while conveying the bathroom is for everyone.

And, so far, it's turning heads.

Last week, Aaron saw people stopping in the hallway to take photos of the sign.

"They're like, 'Oh my gosh. That's so cool!' Like they're so proud of our school for being able to come that far."

The sign is also making rounds on Facebook and other social media sites, says Aaron.

And, maybe in the end, it's keeping everyone a bit cleaner too.

"I always wash my hands," Aaron says with a laugh.
Photo: Twitter

"We continue to stand with you."

That's the message the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs is sending to Sioux protestors at Standing Rock in North Dakota in an open letter.

Protesters have been rallying against a $3.8-billion pipeline for months, which has led to clashes over alleged plowing of burial sites.

UBCIC voted unanimously to support protesters at its Sept. 22 annual general assembly, leading to the penning of an open letter.

The letter makes note of visits to the Standing Rock area by Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and his wife Joan Phillip in August and September.

"Grand Chief Phillip and Joan were greatly moved and inspired by the struggle that the Tribe has taken on to defend your land and water, Indigenous sovereignty, and treaty rights, and by the solidarity that you have mobilized across North America," the letter reads.

"We are incredibly honoured to have a UBCIC flag flying at the site."

Through its resolution to support the protesters, UBCIC also opposes the Dakota Access Pipeline, which it deems a threat to the Dakota and Lakota people in the area.

"(It is) threatening to contaminate their waters, crops, and sacred burial grounds," says the letter, which is signed by Phillip, UBCIC vice-president Chief Robert Chamberlin and secretary treasurer Judy Wilson.

"And the construction of the pipeline violates United States federal law requiring meaningful consultation of Indigenous tribes."

Along with the open letter, UBCIC's executives will be showing support through social media, "showcases of solidarity" and, depending on resources, monetary and resource donations.

The letter also says the group will be circulating its resolution in order to bring more awareness to other communities and in order to rally support for the cause.

"We fully condemn the atrocious state-sanctioned violence that is being perpetuated against the defenders of the water and allies in your territory right now, and will continue to support you by publicizing and opposing these attacks," the letter reads.

UBCIC isn't the only group in B.C. to show support for Standing Rock protesters  a rally was planned in Kelowna for Sunday afternoon to show support from afar.
Check out the video above to watch Premier Christy Clark's keynote address at the B.C. Liberal convention.

The convention has run all weekend long, showcasing some of the new candidates for the upcoming election this May.

The Premier is assembling an incredible team of candidates, and Im so proud to be a part of it, said Convention 2016 co-chair Puneet Sandhar.

As proud BC Liberals, we come from an amazing range of backgrounds, walks of life, and professional experiences that will be on full display at Convention 2016.

On Saturday, delegates heard from keynote speakers Jim Messina, who led U.S. President Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign and advised on U.K. Prime Minister David Camerons 2015 majority win as an incumbent, as well as Kirstine Stewart, a former CBC and Twitter senior executive.

This morning delegates participated in a members-only strategy briefing with senior campaign officials, before the convention wraps up with the address from Premier Christy Clark, in which she is expected to lay out the partys message to British Columbians for the 2017 campaign.

More than 1,300 delegates, observers, and guests are expected to attend Convention 2016 events.

The provincial election is set for May 9, 2017.
Photo: Dustin Godfrey A recent Parks and Recreation Master Plan steering committee meeting.

A draft of a master plan for Penticton's parks and recreation has been released by the city.

That follows five months of community consultations, data collection, research and in-depth analysis by consulting firm Urban Systems.

The 144-page plan can be found on the city's engagement website, which also includes survey results and an opportunity for residents to weigh in on the draft.

A 10-page summary is also available on the site for a less in-depth look at the draft.

The draft includes data and documents from various community engagement initiatives, including survey results and summaries of input gathered from focus group sessions, online feedback and comments collected at the initial open house.

Another open house is scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., which will include consultants from Urban Systems and city staff in attendance to answer questions and receive feedback on the draft.

The master plan, which has been in the works since April, is intended to set out a direction for the city on parks and recreation for years to come, following input from over 5,000 residents.

The city is encouraging residents to have a look at the plan and provide feedback at the open house as well as on the engagement website, as input will be collected until Nov. 30.

That input will then be forwarded to consultants to revise the draft, and come back to the community for further consultation early next year.
Photo: Oliver Daily News

Casey Brouwer of Osoyoos will be School District 53's newest trustee, according to preliminary by-election results.

Those preliminary results peg Brouwer's vote count at 251, while runner-up Penny Duperron took 211. John Redenbach took just 87 votes.

Early voting on Oct. 26 largely favoured Brouwer, with 83 votes, while Duperron and Redenbach both received 27 votes.

But on voting day, it was Duperron who took the most votes, with 184 votes to Brouwer's 168, while Redenbach took just 60.

If final results confirm Brouwer's win, he will serve Electoral Area A of the Okanagan Similkameen school district.

That spot opened up after June Harrington handed the district her resignation on July 19, following a dramatic spring and summer in which the school board first voted to close Osoyoos's only secondary school, and, following funding from the provincial government, voted again to repeal the school's closure.

Harrington's resignation was tendered prior to the repeal vote, however she has kept her spot on the board until her replacement.

She was the only trustee to vote against the school closures.
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Next week, Comcast subscribers who use the company's X1 platform will be able to watch Netflix just like any other cable channel.

Announced earlier this summer, the integration finally appears to be rolling out and will allow cable viewers to browse and watch shows like "Orange Is the New Black" straight from their Comcast boxes. Of Comcast's 22.4 million TV subscribers, the deal will affect the roughly half who are (or will soon be) on the X1 platform.

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For two companies that not long ago were at each other's throats, the deal may come as a surprise. But circumstances are forcing Comcast and Netflix to work together.

Netflix is facing particular pressure from investors to show it can attract and keep users in the face of rising content costs. In July, analysts widely downgraded the company's stock after Netflix missed its new-subscriber targets by more than 30 percent. Although the streaming service has been expanding rapidly overseas, even that growth has slowed somewhat, and the company has encountered difficulties breaking into China.

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Partnering with Comcast could help Netflix sign up an additional 5 million subscribers in the United States, according to John Blackledge, an industry analyst at Cowen and Company. Although most Comcast X1 users are already Netflix customers, even slight growth around the edges is going to bolster Netflix's bottom line.

But the biggest benefit for Netflix, analysts say, may actually be in keeping its existing users tied to the service rather than letting them walk out the door. By deepening the ways in which users can interact with its content, Netflix is looking to stop the bleeding that began when it recently started to raise prices.

This is "more about increasing usage of existing (subscribers)," said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG.

On an investor call last month, Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said the Comcast deal would make Netflix easier for customers to use. "That increases word of mouth," he said.

Netflix isn't the only Internet video service that's being hit by departures; its churn rate is among the lowest of its competitors, according to an April survey. But for a company facing such steep expectations as Netflix, demonstrating staying power isn't just a matter of corporate well-being  it's a sign of how healthy the market is for online streaming overall.

In comparison, Comcast has to make the opposite calculation: that the rising popularity of online streaming, however niche, could potentially threaten its traditional video business. With hit shows like "Narcos" and "House of Cards" being available only on Netflix, Comcast is at risk of losing customer loyalty to the streaming video company. If people grow to love Netflix's shows too much, what's to stop them from canceling their Comcast TV subscription?

By putting Netflix on Comcast directly, the cable firm gets to keep consumers more within its own ecosystem. Users will be able to switch on Netflix, for instance, by saying "Netflix" into their Comcast-provided, voice-activated remote. And they'll be exposed to traditional cable content right alongside the Netflix content.

"Our incredible teams of engineers and designers have come together to create an experience that is . . . seamless and intuitive," said Neil Smit, Comcast Cable's chief executive.
Early on in his memoir, "Avid Reader," Robert Gottlieb, legendary editor at both Knopf and The New Yorker says, "I've simply always lacked even the slightest religious impulse  when people talk about their faith, I can't connect with what they're talking about. This isn't a decision I came to, or a deep belief or principle; I'm just religion-deaf, the way tone-deaf people hear sounds but not music. I suppose my religion is reading."

Gottlieb isn't kidding. In the early chapters he recounts his voracious reading as a child, including what he calls the "key books of my childhood," or even his "entire life," the Swallows and Amazons adventure novels of Arthur Ransome. Later, he would devour every volume of Marcel Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past," over the course of a week, reading for 15 hours every day, his friends bringing him sustenance.

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I consider myself a good reader, an "avid" one even, though I am not in Gottlieb's league.

I also have always been "religion-deaf," not through any animosity, or lack of exposure. As punishment for a speeding ticket (10 over in a school zone) when I was in graduate school, I was sentenced to attend church once a week for a year. Yes, it turns out that this isn't constitutional, but it beat the nearly $400 fine that was the alternative.

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I went to 30 different places of worship covering just about every major world religion and quite a few minor ones. While I was often stirred by the feelings of fellowship when among the congregations, the messages of specific faith in a higher power simply never resonated.

But as with Gottlieb, books and reading have occupied something of a sacred space, and have indeed filled a spiritual hole, helping me to believe in something more important than myself.

Don't we all wish to find an animating force, that cannot ever be fully known, but is nonetheless tangible, omnipresent? For some, a religious faith meets this need. For Gottlieb, books are a bedrock on which the self can be created.

I worry. I worry that we're creating a culture where that belief, that faith, whatever its form, is giving way to a view that our bodies, our selves serve a utilitarian purpose to earn and to consume and then earn and consume some more.

I worry because in a September editorial in The Daily Illini, the student paper of my alma mater, the University of Illinois, the Editorial Board advocated for less out-of-class work for students. Why? So they could have time for internships and part-time jobs that would help them relieve the burden of student loan debt more rapidly post-graduation.

They are, above all, worried about their ultimate success in the workforce.

Gottlieb's tale of how he landed his first job as an editorial assistant at Simon & Schuster is a story of wild circumstances and luck that the most talented novelist couldn't conjure. From that foothold, Gottlieb went on to edit books you may have heard of: "Catch-22," "The Chosen" and "True Grit," among hundreds of others.

Perhaps Gottlieb's story is of another time, when young people could afford to put faith in their faiths, and that time is past. The competition is fierce, and those things that bind us together are gone.

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I don't believe that has to be the case. I despair at what school has become for the students I work with. They see it as a slog, a place to stow away their dreams while they prepare for "life."

But "Avid Reader" reminds me that passion matters, that it is, in fact, everything.

John Warner is a freelance writer whose most recent book is "Tough Day for the Army."

Book recommendations from The Biblioracle

1. "Commonwealth" by Ann Patchett

2. "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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3. "Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult

4. "Nutshell" by Ian McEwan

5. "The Nix" by Nathan Hill

 Roma P., Chicago

I think Roma will enjoy the big-hearted humor of Laurie Colwin's "Goodbye Without Leaving," and if she enjoys that, she may be inclined to check out more of Colwin's work.

1. "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay" by Elena Ferrante

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2. "The End" by Salvatore Scibona

3. "Grief Is the Thing With Feathers" by Max Porter

4. "10:04" by Ben Lerner

5. "Super Sad True Love Story" by Gary Shteyngart

 Robert P., Hartford, Conn.

Robert has an interest in nonconventional narrative forms, so I think Jenny Offill's "Dept. of Speculation" will fit the bill.

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1. "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer

2. "Dubliners" by James Joyce

3. "The World According to Garp" by John Irving

4. "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth

5. "I Married a Communist" by Philip Roth

 Daniel R., Lake Forest

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Some pretty big names in this list. Other than Chaucer, it also focuses on stories about men trying to be better, and apparently eternal struggle. This writer isn't as well-known as these legends, but he's one of my favorite working novelists, "Return to Oakpine" by Ron Carlson.

What should you read?

Send a list of your last five books to printersrow@chicagotribune.com. Write "Biblioracle" in the subject line.
Lavelle Hayes was ordered held on $1 million bail in the home invasion slaying of Paul C. Sappington, 31. (Chicago Police Department)

A 20-year-old Chicago man living in Georgia was ordered held on $1 million bail Saturday in connection to a February home invasion slaying that began with him and a second man masquerading as utility workers to gain access to a South Side home.

Lavelle Hayes said nothing as Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. ordered bail at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Lavelle was arrested in a murder warrant for the Feb. 1 slaying of Paul C. Sappington, 31.

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U.S. Marshals arrested Hayes on the warrant on Oct 18 in Dekalb County, Ga., where he remained until he was extradited to Illinois this week.

Hayes and another man, Aaron Howell, 21, donned neon green work vests, white hard hats and gloves and claimed to be gas utility workers when they rang the doorbell at the victim's home in the 9000 block of South May Street around 10:15 a.m., Assistant State's Attorney Holly Grosshans told the judge.

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But when Sappington asked the men for identification, Hayes and Howell, who were both armed, forced their way inside the home, where Sappington and his wife lived, Grosshans said.

The men struggled with Sappington in the home's entryway, until several shots rang out, striking the victim once in the chest and once in the head at close range. Sappington, a barber and father, was pronounced dead at the scene. His shooting death was later ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

During the struggle, Hayes was shot in the right thigh. Both men fled the home in a vehicle driven by another person, authorities said.

Surveillance video outside the home captured the two men outside Sappington's home, and detectives noticed that one of the men appeared to be limping when he left.

After checking with area hospitals, police learned that Hayes showed up at Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center about 40 minutes after the shooting, claiming he was wounded during a robbery attempt, Grosshans said.

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But police weren't able to find any report for a shooting or robbery at the address Hayes provided, prosecutors said.

Blood samples taken from Hayes' blood-stained clothing at the hospital matched a DNA profile for blood found on the hard hats and gloves left at the crime scene, authorities said.

Howell was arrested and charged with murder last month, but earlier this week he was indicted on additional murder charges, along with home invasion and aggravated unlawful restraint.

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Hayes had moved to Atlanta, where he lived with his father and worked as an unarmed security guard for the last six months, according to his court-appointed attorney.

Authorities did not provide a motive for the home invasion.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy
Members of the Blue Lives Matter movement and the Black Lives Matter movement gathered to protest in Mount Greenwood on Sunday, following the death of Joshua Beal. Beal, a 25-year-old African-American, was shot and killed in Mount Greenwood on Nov. 5, in an incident involving off-duty Chicago police officers. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

A day after a police-involved shooting left a 25-year-old man dead, authorities Sunday worked to untangle how a chaotic scene on Chicago's Far Southwest Side erupted in fatal gunfire.

Joshua Beal, of Indianapolis, was visiting Chicago with his fiancee Saturday to serve as a pallbearer in his cousin's funeral, according to family members. Marcus Washington, 26, was found in a yard between two houses in Indianapolis, fatally shot in the head on Oct. 27, according to family and a local news report. Beal and Washington previously lived in Chicago.

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As several mourners left the cemetery, some headed back to the funeral home while others, including Beal, went to visit an uncle in the hospital, relatives said.

Beal, who never made it to see his uncle, was fatally shot after he and several relatives were involved in what authorities called a road rage incident with an off-duty police officer and an off-duty firefighter. A uniformed, off-duty Chicago police sergeant arrived at the scene in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood while on his way to work.

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Both the sergeant and the officer fired their weapons, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. It is not yet known which of their shots may have hit the man, he said.

Warning: Graphic content, strong language. A man was fatally shot by a Chicago police sergeant after a road-rage incident and fight involving an off-duty firefighter and another police officer in the 11100 block of South Troy Street on Nov. 5, 2016, in Mount Greenwood. (Submitted by Britnie Nelson) (Chicago Tribune)

Beal's mother, Tiffaney Boxley, of Chicago, said her son had a "promising" future.

Beal earned his associate's degree in business administration in December 2015 from Ivy Tech Community College and planned to enroll in Franklin University with the hope of one day owning his own business. Two months ago, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend and the mother of two sons, ages 4 and 2.

"He wasn't in no gang," Boxley said. "He was a good kid. He was good person. You took a child who took care of his family."

Boxley added, "I'm upset to be put in this position by the people who are supposed to be protecting us. They're breaking my family all around me."

The confrontation unfolded around 3 p.m. Saturday in a neighborhood that is home to many active and retired police officers.

While several carloads of relatives were stopped in traffic in the 11100 block of South Troy Street, an off-duty firefighter told one of the people driving with Beal's party that he or she was illegally blocking the fire lane, Guglielmi said. Police said Beal and his relatives began arguing with the firefighter.

Shortly after, an off-duty Chicago police officer nearby saw the altercation unfolding, approached the scene and became involved in the argument, Guglielmi said.

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The uniformed Chicago police sergeant, who was on his way to work, came across the scene and saw a man with a gun in his hand. The sergeant displayed his weapon, Guglielmi said. As the incident escalated and the man with the gun did not drop his weapon, shots were fired, and the man was struck multiple times, Guglielmi said.

Paramedics took Beal to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, said Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Jeff Lyle. He was pronounced dead at 3:44 p.m.

Beal's weapon, a handgun, was recovered at the scene, Guglielmi said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 33 Ameena Matthews, center, and other protesters rally on Nov. 20, 2016, in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side following a police-involved shooting earlier in the month. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police are investigating whether Beal's gun was "fired or may have misfired" during the incident, Guglielmi said.

Beal did not have a concealed carry permit in Illinois, Guglielmi said. If he had one in Indiana, it would not have applied in Illinois.

The police account sharply contrasts with Beal's relatives' version of events.

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Beal's sister Cordney Boxley said a man who she believed was a police officer ran her 17-year-old sister off the road. The man exited the vehicle and "he just started shooting," hitting the windshield of a car containing Beal, who had pulled his gun when he saw the man holding a gun on their cousin. Beal legally owned the gun and did not fire it, she said.

Two brief cellphone videos of the incident, filmed by witness Britnie Nelson, 32, of Hickory Hills, and obtained by the Tribune, show the last moments of the confrontation before shots are fired.

Several people can be seen in the street amid parked cars, yelling and screaming. A man wearing a red T-shirt and jeans approaches the group, pointing a handgun with his right hand. The same man, still holding the weapon, as well as another man, order a few people in the group to back away and later, to get on the ground.

The man in the red shirt later appears to tuck his weapon into the waistband of his jeans.

The group continues to yell and exchange words for several more seconds, while a young woman briefly approaches the men before being led away by a companion.

The camera continues to pan back and forth, showing a man in a white shirt briefly pointing a gun then lowering it.

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A still photo taken from a witness video appears to show a man in a red t-shirt holding a gun in the 11100 block of South Troy Street on Nov. 5, 2016, in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago. (Submitted by Britnie Nelson / Handout)

In the second video, which pans to the ground, there is screaming and then gunshots are heard  first, a series of two individual shots and then a volley of multiple shots in succession. There is a brief pause, then another solo shot. Then two more pops, and several pops in quick order. Then two more individual shots.

People can be heard screaming and crying, and can be seen running away from the scene as the video is still pointed at the ground.

"I felt bad because I never seen so much chaos," Nelson said. "It should've never happened in the first place. They come to lay someone to rest, then this person dies for no reason."

Investigators with the Independent Police Review Authority are talking to several eyewitnesses and are taking steps to authenticate the videos and images that have been widely circulated, IPRA spokeswoman Mia Sissac said in a statement.

"While it is still very early in the investigation, we can confirm that early ballistic evidence suggests that multiple firearms were discharged. It is our hope that people will wait until all evidence is brought to light before making any conclusions about what happened yesterday evening," Sissac said.

A 28-year-old man, who relatives identified as Beal's brother, has been arrested for attempting to disarm a peace officer and aggravated battery of a police officer. He tackled and placed the off-duty officer in a chokehold, Guglielmi said. Charges against him are pending.

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Tensions remained high with competing demonstrations Sunday afternoon near the site of the fatal shooting. Police patrols were increased in Mount Greenwood in response to the demonstrations.

Hundreds of Blue Lives Matter activists and Mount Greenwood residents attempted to drown out a brief gathering of about 15 Black Lives Matter protesters near 111th Street and Kedzie Avenue.

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"We want retraining for police officers so they can learn how to de-escalate the situation," local activist Ja'Mal Green said. "This should not be happening here in Greenwood. These people support police officers to kill black men."

A still photo taken from a witness video appears to show a man with a gun in the 11100 block of South Troy Street on Nov. 5, 2016, in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago. (Submitted by Britnie Nelson / Handout)

At a news conference Sunday night, Beal's sister Cordney Boxley, who was joined by members of Black Lives Matter Chicago, said her brother has been misrepresented.

"My brother is painted as this bad person when really he was a father, a family man who loved his kids and his family," she said.

"Justice will never be served. Because whatever happens, he'll always get to go home to his family," Boxley said, referring to the shooter. "I'll never see my brother again, my nephews will never see their father and my mother will never see her son."

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Chicago Tribune's Rosemary Regina Sobol, Grace Wong, Nereida Moreno, Dawn Rhodes, Jodi S. Cohen and Jeremy Gorner contributed.

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_tonybriscoe
The fate of 3-year-old Aliayah Lunsford has stymied police and frustrated her family since she vanished more than five years ago.

Questions were partially answered this week, when authorities announced that Aliayah was killed, allegedly by her own mother, Lenal Lunsford. Investigators believe Lunsford hit her daughter in the head with a blunt object inside their home in Ben Dale, an unincorporated community in Lewis County, West Virginia.

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Officials said Lunsford hid the child's body and lied to police when she reported her missing in September 2011, the Associated Press reported.

Lunsford was arrested on Thursday and charged with the death of a child by child abuse, Lewis County Sheriff Adam Gissy said during a news conference on Friday.

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The girl's body, however, has yet to be found.

"The investigation led us to believe that the one person who possesses this knowledge of Aliayah's whereabouts is in police custody," Gissy told reporters.

A criminal complaint cited by the AP states that Lunsford, now 34, kept witnesses from helping Aliayah after the child suffered the fatal blow and also asked them to keep quiet about what transpired.

Lunsford reported her daughter missing on Sept. 24, 2011. She told police she checked on her daughter early that morning, and Aliayah was gone when she checked on her again later that day, the AP reported.

An FBI official told reporters six months later that investigators did not believe someone broke into the home and took the child. The agency at that time offered few details about what investigators believe happened. At one point, the FBI offered a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to the little girl's whereabouts or to an arrest.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also had published an age-progressed picture of Aliayah. But no suspects were ever named or arrested - until this past week.

Lunsford, who's been living in Florida, was arrested in Pinellas County and has been extradited to West Virginia. She appeared in court on Friday, according to media reports. It's unclear if she has an attorney.

Family members, however, take little comfort in Lunsford's arrest.

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"We tried to prepare for this day," Vickie Bowen, Aliayah's great aunt, told West Virginia Metro News. "We've known in our hearts for years now that Aliayah is gone, but we all still held out that one little thread of hope. Now that's gone."

Sheriff Gissy, who offered very few details about the investigation during the news conference, said investigators found witnesses who had direct knowledge of Aliayah's death. He didn't say anything on who those witnesses were and didn't take questions from reporters. He said more information will be released at a later date.

"They ought to be tried too," Tina Smith, the little girl's aunt said of the witnesses, according to West Virginia Metro News. "Five years. Why wait five years?"

Lunsford was pregnant with twins when she reported Aliayah missing, according to media reports. She was charged with welfare fraud shortly after she reported her daughter missing and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Lunsford had also filed for divorce from Ralph Lunsford, Aliayah's stepfather. She had lost parental rights of her six other children.

"How could you do this to your own child?" Smith said of Lunsford. "She didn't deserve any of this. She was an innocent baby."

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The Washington Post
Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (Karin Laub / AP)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Defense Department has identified three soldiers killed in a shooting this week outside a military base in Jordan.

The department said Sunday that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base.

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The Defense Department is investigating.

The department says the soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

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Lewellen's family said in a statement to The Kirksville Daily Express he was raised in Kirksville, Missouri, and was a "born leader, a true American." They said his military awards included the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.

Associated Press
With hours until Election Day, the wildest U.S. presidential race in memory has grown more competitive in most of the battleground states, although Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton continues to hold a broader path to victory than Republican Donald Trump.

The political map suggests that Clinton can lose several key states long assumed to be in her column and still reach the 270 electoral votes she needs to win.

Trump, meanwhile, has a new reason for optimism, as a growing number of states appear potentially within his grasp. But to win, he would have to take nearly all of them.

The 11th-hour fluidity of the race had the two campaigns scrambling the travel plans of the candidates and their top surrogates. In Trump's case, it is an effort to grab what he considers emerging opportunities in the sprint for the finish line; in Clinton's, as insurance against surprises Tuesday in territory she has considered hers.

Trump said Saturday that he and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, will hold campaign events in Minnesota, a state that has not voted for a Republican since 1972. A Trump campaign official insisted that the move was not a feint, and that internal polling showed the Republican only three points behind Clinton there.

In a sign that Democrats are suddenly anxious about Michigan, on Monday, Clinton will be in Grand Rapids and President Barack Obama will campaign in Ann Arbor. Trump and Pence will also be in Michigan in the next two days.

At a rally Saturday in Tampa, which is a bellwether of crucial Florida, Trump said his campaign is moving aggressively to seize upon openings it sees across the country.

"We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we are now tied or leading," the billionaire real estate developer said.

He predicted that he will win Florida and Pennsylvania - which both voted for Obama in the past two elections - and said that he is "doing phenomenally well in North Carolina," where both candidates have invested significant time and resources over the past few weeks.

Clinton held a rally in south Florida that was cut short by rain. She was set to hold an event Saturday night in Philadelphia that would feature a performance by pop star Katy Perry, whose song "Roar" is featured in Clinton's closing ad running in 11 battleground states. Beyonce and Jay Z headlined a concert for Clinton on Friday night in Cleveland.

Also on the line Tuesday is control of the Senate, where Republicans are defending 24 seats, compared with 10 for the Democrats. Trump's performance at the top of the ticket could determine whether Democrats pick up the five seats they need to regain the majority - or four, if Clinton wins and her vice president, Tim Kaine, has a tiebreaking vote.

"The tightening of the race in many of these battleground states is providing a little bit of lift to our Senate races, and in some of these cases, it is going to be decisive," said Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

"I think we're really on the razor's edge," Law said of his party's prospects of holding the Senate. "Trump's final position in all of this is uncertain. I don't think he's close enough to the pin yet to lift most of these races into the win column."

On Thursday, the Cook Political Report predicted that Democrats will pick up four to six Senate seats, enough to gain control if Clinton is elected, but less than its earlier forecast of a five- to seven-seat gain.

Republicans also are bracing to lose seats in the House, which would diminish the largest majority they have held there since 1928. Neither side, however, expects a wave large enough to restore control to Democrats, who lost it in the 2010 midterm elections.

Clinton began the final weekend of campaigning with a narrow lead over Trump in the ongoing Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll. Through Thursday night, the rolling survey showed Clinton at 47 percent and Trump at 43 percent among likely voters. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson was at 4 percent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein was at 2 percent.

That's the largest margin between the two major-party candidates this past week - and a sign that Clinton may be starting to recover from a fresh round of attention to her use of a private email account and server while she was secretary of state.

Clinton's decision to ignore a directive that official business be conducted where possible on a government email account has dogged her since it became public last year. It reinforced the public's long-standing doubts about her honesty and judgment, and sparked an FBI investigation of whether national security might have been compromised.

A new chapter in that saga opened on Oct. 28, when FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that new emails, possibly pertaining to the investigation of Clinton's private account, had surfaced during a separate inquiry involving disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, D-New York, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Before that development, Clinton appeared in control of enough states to put her well over the 270 electoral-vote mark. The tightening of the polls since then has left enough states in doubt this weekend to force a modification of those earlier predictions.

A quartet of battlegrounds have dominated the Clinton campaign's calculation throughout the fall campaign: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama won those four in 2008 and all of them but North Carolina in 2012.

Until recently, it appeared that Trump needed to sweep all four to overcome Clinton's and the Democrats' electoral-map advantage. But as the race has tightened, Ohio seems to have moved into the Republican column, and other states outside those four have potentially come into play.

The GOP nominee is looking to states including Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin to make up a potential deficit, should he not win Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

One force that is factoring into both sides' assessments is that more and more Americans are voting before Election Day, either by mail or in person.

Upward of 37 million voters have already cast ballots. In key states such as Colorado, Florida, Nevada and North Carolina, it is likely that well over half the electorate will have done so before Tuesday.

Although those votes have not yet been counted, strategists from both parties are poring over the data about who has voted and to get a preview of the contours of the 2016 electorate. The figures also give them a sense of possible trouble spots.

In past years, more Democrats have participated in early voting, while Republicans have been more likely to wait until Election Day to vote.

This year, however, it appears as though Republicans are closing the early-voting gap in many key states. But it is not clear whether this reflects greater enthusiasm and better organization on their part, or just a shift in the behavior of people who would have shown up anyway on Tuesday.

Polling and early-voting data suggest a number of electoral cross currents as the race heads into its final two days.

Clinton has struggled to reassemble some version of the coalition that twice elected Obama, the combination of African Americans, Hispanics, single women and young voters.

Hispanic turnout appears strong, based on early-voting data. That is a major reason Democrats think Nevada will be an easy win for Clinton, although the polls are close and Trump scheduled a stop there Saturday.

Clinton also has a double-digit advantage among female voters, who in 2012 accounted for 53 percent of the electorate.

"If this is actually true, Trump's done," GOP pollster Christine Matthews said. "He's not going to be able to win men by a big enough margin to overcome a 15-point disadvantage with women."

But the Clinton campaign is worried about turnout among African Americans. The Democratic nominee and her top surrogates have made repeated visits to major cities in an effort to stoke enthusiasm among those voters, and she will end her campaign with a big rally in Philadelphia.

"Based on early vote returns, we know that strong get-out-the-vote efforts in the African American communities in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida and North Carolina will be needed to win on Tuesday," AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer said.

For Trump, one challenge is a socioeconomic split in the white vote. He has strong support among white voters without college degrees, but has seen an erosion in the traditional support for Republican nominees among white voters with college degrees.

This has been a central dynamic of the campaign and Clinton campaign officials view it as a potentially decisive factor in an electoral map that has shifted since the last election.

The split between college-educated and non-college-educated white voters has moved states such as Colorado and Virginia toward the Democrats, while giving Trump more hope of capturing industrial states in the Midwest such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, where there is a higher concentration of non-college-educated voters.

Democrats remain skeptical that Trump, who boasts of his ability to bring new Republican voters to the polls, can crack what in recent cycles has been a "blue wall" in the upper Midwest.

"Trump is making a last bet on white, non-college-educated men in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin," Podhorzer said. "That's been tried by Republican candidates before, and it hasn't worked."

The Washington Post's Scott Clement in Washington; Jose DelReal, traveling with Trump; and Anne Gearan, traveling with Clinton, contributed to this report.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, suggested Saturday that some officials at the FBI are "actively working" to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Kaine, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, made the claim during an interview with Fusion, a Miami-based television network targeting bicultural millennials. The comments mark an escalation in the Clinton campaign's response to the FBI's renewed inquiry into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she served as secretary of state.

Kaine called the FBI a "leaky sieve" and criticized director James Comey for breaking agency protocol by discussing a politically sensitive case so close to an election. He also dismissed former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani's decision to back off claims that he was given advance notice of the FBI's plans to possibly reopen the Clinton investigation.

"I don't think Giuliani's walk-back is credible," Kaine said. "I think the FBI sadly has become like a leaky sieve."

Giuliani, a prominent Trump supporter, told Fox News in the days before Comey alerted lawmakers to the FBI's renewed inquiry that there would be a "big surprise" coming from the agency. Asked about his claims again on Friday, Giuliani told Fox's "Fox and Friends" program, "you're darn right I heard something." But Giuliani pulled back on Saturday, saying he was only aware of "tremendous anger" from former FBI agents upset with Comey's decision.

Comey's decision to alert Congress about his review of the Clinton case "suggests that it's probably more likely explained that (Comey) knew that the FBI is not only a leaky sieve but there were people within the FBI actively working  actively working  to try to help the Trump campaign," Kaine said. "This just absolutely staggering, and it is a massive blow to the integrity of (the FBI)."

Kaine added he thinks that Comey was under pressure to release information to Congress because "subordinates would do it if he didn't."

The FBI decided to review the Clinton case after discovering new emails potentially relevant to the original investigation. Senior FBI officials were informed about the discovery of new emails, obtained in relation to an investigation of former congressman Anthony Weiner, D-New York, at least two weeks before Comey notified Congress, federal officials familiar with the investigation have told The Washington Post.

The officials said that Comey was told that there were new emails before he received a formal briefing and opted to inform lawmakers.

In the wake of Comey's announcement, the Clinton campaign has publicly questioned Comey's motives and fitness to serve - despite praising his leadership of the FBI after he announced in July that the agency wouldn't recommend the email case for prosecution. Clinton herself has raised the issue on the stump, while top aides and surrogates have called Comey's judgment into question.

Kaine was campaigning on Saturday in Florida when he made his remarks to Fusion. He is scheduled to maintain a breakneck pace in the closing hours of the campaign, including an appearance Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation"  where he'll likely be asked to clarify his comments to Fusion  and a visit to Wisconsin. On Monday he will campaign in his home state, as well as Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
Members of the Secret Service rush Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage at a campaign rally in Reno, Nev., on Nov. 5, 2016. (John Locher / AP)

A protester involved in a scuffle at a Donald Trump rally in Reno, Nevada denied accusations Sunday that he is an operative for Democrats.

"It's absolutely ludicrous," Austyn Crites said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "I stand by my principles, and that's the reason why I felt compelled to go in there to hold up the sign."

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The registered Republican was holding a "Republicans Against Trump" sign at the Saturday night rally while the GOP nominee for president spoke. A disturbance broke out and two Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and whisked him away.

The candidate returned later to finish his remarks.

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Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN the protester was "a Democratic plant or operative" but offered no details or proof.

Crites, 33, said he has donated money to Clinton's campaign and canvassed for her last week for "a total of three hours." But he has never met with Clinton or any campaign aides.

In a statement, the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted "Gun!" but that no weapon was found after a search of the person and the immediate area. The agency did not identify the person when reached Sunday. But the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

According to Crites, he was getting booed when things suddenly turned violent. People grabbed at his arms to get the sign down and then someone tackled him. He said that's when people kicked him and even grabbed at his crotch.

"As I'm down there being choked, I hear something about a gun," Crites said. "I'm telling people 'There is no gun, there is no gun. There's just a sign. I only have a sign.'"

Secret Service agents and Reno police took him to a backstage area and found no weapon on him. He was released after about an hour and a half.

Since the incident, Crites said he has been the subject of conspiracy theories and negative messages from online trolls. Crites said his Facebook page was deactivated after someone reported that it belonged to an impostor.

Crites said he would be supporting the GOP if another Republican  such as Sen. Ted Cruz or Sen. Marco Rubio  was running.

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"I actually liked Donald Trump when he was just a businessman who wrote about business," Crites said. "There was no ill will toward this man whatsoever until he started divisive rhetoric which I have zero tolerance for."

Associated Press
The Hines VA Mobile Medical Unit will be in Elburn to provide enrollment, immunizations, and other health care resources for area veterans. (Veterans Assistance Commission / Handout)

Kane County sponsors Veterans Benefits Seminar

The Veterans Assistance Commission of Kane County will host a Veteran Benefits Seminar at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Legion, 112 N. Main St. (Route 47) in downtown Elburn.

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The commission is holding the seminar in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and Elburn American Legion Post 630. A veteran benefits overview presentation will begin at 6 p.m. A veterans service officer will be available to help with applications. The seminar will end at 8 p.m.

The goal is providing services to veterans living in the Elburn, Maple Park and Kaneville areas, according to a news release.

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"We are putting a greater emphasis on outreach over the next year to make sure veterans across the county know what benefits they're eligible for," said Jake Zimmerman, superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kane County.

The Hines VA Mobile Medical Unit will be onsite to provide enrollment, immunizations and other health care resources for area veterans. Veterans service officers from the Veterans Assistance Commission will also be on hand providing application assistance in applying for veterans benefits such as service-connected disability compensation, nonservice-connected pension, as well as helping veterans obtain their DD-214 if they don't have a copy.

Kane County is the seventh largest county in Illinois by veteran population with 24,084 veterans, according to the release. Of those veterans residing in Kane County, 10 percent have a service-connected disability and 19 percent use the VA for health care, according to the commission.

For information, call the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kane County at 630-232-3550.

Tickets on sale for Steeple Walk

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Steeple Walk in Geneva.

Presented by the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, the eighth annual event will take place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Two audience groups will attend 20-minute concerts played simultaneously at United Methodist Church of Geneva, 211 Hamilton St.; and Geneva Lutheran Church, 301 S. Third St. Following the performances, the groups will switch venues to enjoy the other concert.

Patrons will then walk to the final performances  and similar rotation format  at both the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, 102 S. Second St., and First Church of Christ, Scientist, 111 S. Second St. A Steeple Walk guide escorts the groups to the next church, all within easy walking distance, and shares information about the architecture of each site, organizers said.

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Artists performing at each church include:

 United Methodist Church: The Geneva High School Jazz Choir.

 Geneva Lutheran Church: The Misty River Music Makers, an a cappella women's chorus group.

 Unitarian Universalist Society: A piano and violin duet featuring pianist Patricia Arzaga, who is a member of the North Central College Piano Academy, and violinist Elena Spiegel, who has played in the Chicago Youth Symphony.

 First Church of Christ, Scientist: Guitarist Tim Lockman.

Steeple Walk tickets cost $12 and are available on the city's website at www.geneva.il.us/steeplewalk. Tickets also are on sale at the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, 8 S. Third St.; Circa, 123 S. Third St.; or any of the participating churches. Seating is limited, and attendance by children under age 6 is not recommended.

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Kane County's Nature Book Group

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County's monthly Nature Book Group will meet to discuss books about the environment, nature or related topics, and cover a broad range of environmental issues. Participants should read the book and join the discussion.

"Nature Book Group" programs take place at Creek Bend Nature Center, within LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, at 37W700 Dean St., Saint Charles.

Upcoming books include:

"In Control of Nature" by John McPhee, Nov. 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

"The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols, Dec. 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

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"The Art of Seeing Things: Essays by John Burrough" edited by Charlotte Walker, Jan. 18, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren, Feb. 15, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Advance registration is required. Call 630-444-3190 or e-mail programs@kaneforest.com. To view a full roster of Forest Preserve District nature programs, go to www.kaneforest.com.

Health cooking class set at Rosary

Learn to prepare healthy holiday dishes at a cooking class at Rosary High School in Aurora from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 11.

The class is hosted by Rosary's Parents Auxiliary and will be taught by Rosary graduate Kristin Streit Gayman of My Whole Kitchen in Batavia.

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Participants will prepare stuffed acorn squash, roasted brussel sprouts, butternut squash soup, a salad and a healthy fall dessert.

The cost is $30. To register for the class, go to www.rosaryhs.com/cooking.

Rosary High School is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school for young women at 901 N. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora, and sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois.
Costumes and face painting, like this worn by Griselda Paulino of the La Chicanita Bakery, were popular Sunday at the annual Day of the Dead celebration in Aurora. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)

It may have been a few days late, but Aurora's Day of the Dead celebration Sunday was still a popular way to enjoy a weekend day downtown.

The Day of the Dead celebration is a Mexican tradition, typically celebrated Nov. 1-2, where those who have passed on are remembered and celebrated.

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For the sixth time, the event was presented through the efforts of local resident Jose Torres, who said his goal is to "continue the tradition and also get the American people involved."

He said there was a reason the festival was held Sunday.

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"We didn't want to have the celebration last weekend and have people confuse it with Halloween," Torres explained. "If we tried to offer this during the week, it's often too hard for people to come. We want to keep this tradition alive for people of Mexican heritage, but my goal is also for the American people to get involved and understand it."

Aurora resident Jose Torres (center) helped coordinate his sixth annual Day of the Dead event in Aurora Sunday. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)

Marissa Amoni, media events coordinator for Aurora Downtown, said the celebration - which took place on Benton Street - has moved around throughout the years including Water Street, the Aurora Township building and Jefferson Middle School. The Benton location drew nearly 400 people last year, and organizers were looking for more this year.

"We've seen this event continue to grow and what it does is draw people together," Amoni said. "Jose (Torres) does a great job with all the various groups and makes them feel welcome."

Highlights of this year's festival included Aztec dancers who performed throughout the afternoon, a mariachi band, and a number of local vendors selling a variety of goods.

Griselda Paulino wore special paint on her face and was working on behalf of the La Chicanita Bakery.

"We have about 60 loaves of bread we've brought, and we hope to sell them all," she said.

Torres said that sponsors for this year's Day of the Dead celebration had also donated two $500 and one $1,000 scholarships, which would be given to high school students planning to go to college.

An early crowd was already appearing shortly before 1 p.m. when the event opened, including Moraima Martinez and her husband Jesse. Moraima Martinez was crowned Miss Aurora Latino this year and said she also participated in the Miss Illinois contest, where she placed fourth. She said the Day of the Dead is something "Hispanics look forward to all year."

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"We remember our loved ones," she said. "For us, this is a holiday that's sort of on par with the American Thanksgiving. There are a lot of colors and foods."

Moraima Martinez said on the Day of the Dead, she often is reminded of her grandmother. Jesse Martinez said this year's celebration was particularly impactful as he just lost a cousin a few days ago.

"We were just at my cousin's service, and I'm also someone who was in the Marine Corps and I've lost friends in the service," he said. "For me, this is more of a time to celebrate those that are still with me and remember those moments we had with others."

The Aurora event also paid tribute to America's military. Aurora resident Ben Maravilla said a local artist planned to donate a painting to one of Aurora's VFW facilities "as a way to honor the soldiers that died for our freedom."

Aurora resident Jesus Suarez, who stands with his son Jesus Jr., planned to donate a painting he did to a local VFW to remember soldiers on the Day of the Dead. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)

The artist, Jesus Suarez of Aurora, said he has painted more than 40 pieces and that his painting, which included bits of rock in order to add a textural component, "was done in order to show my admiration and respect for soldiers."

"This took about four days to paint, and is a way to tell those soldiers how much we thank them for their services," he said.

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David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
A man was shot to death over the weekend on the 800 block of Iowa Avenue on the West Side of Aurora. (Linda Girardi / The Beacon-News)

A 64-year-old Aurora man was shot and killed early Sunday morning on Aurora's Near West Side.

Police said they are investigating the shooting as a homicide.

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At 12:55 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a home on the 800 block of Iowa Avenue for a reported gunshot victim, according to a news release from the police department.

Police found Samuel Smith Jr. inside his home with a single gunshot wound.

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Aurora Fire Department paramedics transported Smith to Presence Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:22 a.m., according to police.

Police did not say whether Smith was shot inside or outside his home.

Smith's 73-year-old girlfriend, asleep on the second floor, was the only other person home during the shooting, according to police.

Smith's girlfriend and at least one other person said they heard more than one gunshot fired, according to the news release.

Police said they are continuing to process evidence, and the investigation is in its preliminary stage.

Detectives "have several working theories but no firm motives," according to the news release.

Police said they do not yet know if Smith was targeted.

An autopsy is scheduled Monday at the Kane County coroner's office in Geneva.

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Police ask anyone with information about Smith's shooting to call Aurora police investigators at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.

Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to any arrests.

People also can submit tips through the Aurora Police Department's free My PD mobile app.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Two Kaneland High School students were killed in a crash west of Route 47 in Virgil Township in rural Kane County.

Arthur Stenger, 16, of the 1900 block of Cambridge Way, Montgomery, and 16-year old Elijah Vajgert, of the 42W200 block of Beith Road, Maple Park, were juniors at Kaneland High School in Maple Park.

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The teenagers were killed in a two-vehicle crash around 5 p.m. Saturday at Meredith and Beith roads, Kane County Sheriff's Office officials said.

Virgil Township is a rural area between Route 64 and Route 38, north of Kaneland High School.

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"Our hearts go out to the families," Kaneland School District 302 Superintendent Todd Leden said Sunday.

Leden said the boys were only midway in their high school careers.

"It is extremely sad and a tragic loss of life. These were two young boys in high school just beginning to experience life," Leden said.

Stenger and Vajgert were pronounced dead on the scene, according to Kane County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Lt. Pat Gengler.

"The only thing more difficult for a sheriff's office that has to inform a parent that his child is not coming home is that we have to tell two sets of parents," Gengler said.

According to the preliminary investigation, Stenger was driving a 2002 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck westbound on Beith Road and Vajert was a passenger.

Stenger stopped at the stop sign and for an unknown reason pulled into the intersection and collided into a semi-truck hauling corn. The truck was headed southbound on Meredith Road and did not have to stop, Gengler said.

The driver of the truck, Jack Krueger, 60, of Burlington, was treated at the scene and released, according to Gengler.

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"The driver of the semi reported that he had seen the pickup stop at the stop sign," Gengler said.

Gengler said the force of the crash forced both vehicles to roll on their side. A utility pole and power lines were also pulled down. The intersection was closed during the investigation and while ComEd crews repaired the utilities in the area.

Gengler said the Kane County Sheriff's Office and Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating the crash.

Leden said the district immediately implemented its crisis response support teams in preparation for students returning to school Monday.

Leden said Kaneland families were notified via an electronic letter that the students had died in an auto accident and the district was prepared to reach out to students overwhelmed by the loss of two of their classmates.

Leden informed parents that crisis response teams and counselors at Kaneland High School and Harter Middle School will be available to meet with students as long as necessary. Leden also suggested that parents be sensitive over the next few days to how their children might be responding to the tragedy. Parents with questions can also reach out to a child's teacher, the school counselors or members of the administrative staff, he said.

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"Students grieve in different ways. Some students will want to talk right away while others will take several days before they can process their thoughts. We will have our support in place at both the high school and middle school," Leden said.

Leden said both students have siblings that attend school in the district.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
Teriyaki Box in Lake Forest is a return to the Suzuki siblings restaurant and cultural roots, offering Japanese street food such as ramen and bento boxes. (Donald Liebenson) (Donald Liebenson / Lake County News-Sun)

Teriyaki Box, which Suzuki family members opened in September in the space of their former Lake Forest restaurant, Seasoned, is a return to the siblings' restaurant and cultural roots.

Teriyaki Box was the first family restaurant that Brandon, Brittany and Brook Suzuki worked at during its five-year run in Buffalo Grove a decade ago. This incarnation has evolved out of Seasoned, a tapas bistro, to focus on Japanese street food.

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"We thought about who we are and the Japanese casual food that we grew up on," said Brandon, general manager of Teriyaki Box. "It's the food we enjoy and love to make, and so we brought it back."

Brandon defines Japanese street food as "quick, easy and inexpensive. In Japan, it's (typically) food that people (order from vendors), eat in under 10 minutes and go back to work, or that they can take back to their houses."

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However, he added, patrons are welcome to linger, too.

The menu is dominated by the two Bs; Bowls and complete meal Bento boxes.

The bowls contain white rice (brown can be substituted) covered in various toppings including teriyaki chicken ($5.95), teriyaki salmon (cut fresh at the restaurant for $9.95), panko shrimp ($7.95), Teriyaki skirt beef ($8.25) and stir-fry vegetables ($6.95).

The boxes, which start at $11.95, contain white rice, a fried vegetable gyoza, edamame, potato salad, choice of salad or soup and entree. Choices include salmon ($18.95), panko shrimp ($14.95), teriyaki skirt beef ($16.00) and panko chicken cutlet ($13.25).

A children's version of the boxes, with either a mini burger, chicken fingers or chicken, meatballs or panko shrimp, are available for $6.95 each.

Also available for bowls or boxes is Dynamite Meatballs, one of Seasoned's signature dishes.

More intricate Japanese dishes are available as daily specials. The most popular that has emerged since the restaurant opened, Brandon said, is the Saturday special, Okonomiyaki ($9), a Japanese pizza.

The menu also contains trio of sushi selections ($6)

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Unlike at Seasoned, Teriyaki Box diners order at the counter and the food is brought to them.

Displayed on the counter is what Brandon calls Teriyaki Box's "mini-supermarket," containing shrimp chips, gummy candies and other sweet snacks. "We're Japanese, but we have American taste buds," jokes Brandon, who, like his siblings, was born in Bannockburn.

Their father Seiji Suzuki is not involved in the running of Teriyaki Box. Brandon called him more of a consultant. "He's the wise man we look up to," he said. Seiji is the former owner of Sushi Kushi Toyo. The Orange Wine House, a Ho Chi Minh City wine bar he opened still is in operation.

"Now we can feed him," Brandon said. "It's paying him back for what he's given us for 30 years."

Donald Leibenson is a freelance reporter for the News Sun.

Teriyaki Box

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Location: Teriyaki Box is at 840 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest

Information: Call 847-234-8797 or go to www.teriyaki-box.com

Hours: Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Every four years, Republicans and Democrats across the country hope to harness the enthusiasm and higher turnout resulting from a presidential election and apply it to candidates down the ballot in statewide and local races.

If there's a popular presidential candidate at the top of the ticket, the logic goes, that can only help candidates from the same political party who are running for Congress, the state legislature and even the county board.

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The only problem? This year, the two major-party candidates for president, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are perhaps the most disliked in modern history, polls have shown.

"It makes you wonder about turnout," said Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute of Governmental and Public Affairs and a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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And in Illinois, a state widely expected to tilt toward Clinton on Election Day, the candidates' unpopularity, and the unprecedented nature of Trump's campaign, could make Lake County Republicans' uphill battle even steeper.

"In the Chicago area, Trump's going to hurt the Republicans, probably in the suburbs," Mooney said.

Matthew Streb, a political science professor specializing in American politics at Northern Illinois University, concurred. The fact that Illinois "is not in play" for the presidential election, he said, "will make things a little more difficult for Republican candidates."

"I do think Trump will run well in certain parts of the state," Streb said. "But I wouldn't say in Lake County."

Trump "may struggle some in the collar counties," Streb added. "And that's not going to help Republican candidates."

But, there may be one exception to Republicans' woes, at least in Lake County, he said.

The fact that Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is in jeopardy of losing his seat to Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, Streb said, may actually help Republican Rep. Bob Dold, who represents the parts of Lake County in Illinois' 10th Congressional District. He's locked in his third consecutive tight contest against Democrat Brad Schneider, who has also held the seat.

Streb's logic: Moderate Lake County Republicans who turn out to boost Kirk, who also used to hold Dold's seat, may help propel Dold to victory in spite of Trump.

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"There's no doubt Kirk is in trouble in his race right now, and right now, it looks like he's likely to lose. And Trump hasn't helped Kirk," Streb said. "But Kirk may have helped Dold."

National pundits are watching Illinois  and Lake County  closely. The Kirk-Duckworth race factors heavily in Democrats' wish to take back the U.S. Senate from the Republicans. And in the unlikely event the Democrats also wrest away control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Dold-Schneider contest is one the Democrats would "absolutely have to have," according to Streb.

"I would give Schneider a slight advantage, only because I think it's more of a Democratic year," Streb said.

Barbara Altman, managing vice chair of the 10th Congressional District Democrats, said her organization is "pretty much going 12 to 20 hours a day now" in the home stretch before Election Day.

"The Democrats have dozens  actually, hundreds, maybe even thousands  of volunteers deployed all throughout the district, a very proactive get-out-the-vote effort," Altman said. "There's a lot of enthusiasm for our ticket, from the very top to the very bottom."

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 67 President-elect Donald Trump arrives at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York on Nov. 8, 2016. Trump stunned America and the world Wednesday, riding a wave of populist resentment to defeat Hillary Clinton in the race to become the 45th president of the United States. (SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images)

Mark Shaw, chairman of the Lake County Republicans, said there is "a lot of enthusiasm out there on the Republican side," as well.

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"I think the Lake County Republicans are going to do very well this election cycle," Shaw said.

While Trump may hurt Republicans near Chicago, the same might not be true of candidates in Southern Illinois. Mooney said a lot of people in the Chicagoland area "don't realize" that "Trump is quite popular downstate."

"I think it's pretty clear to say that he's not going to do as well in Lake County as he's going to do downstate," Mooney said of Trump.

But, Mooney added, "There's a lot more people living up here than there are living down there."

lhammill@tribpub.com

Twitter @lucashammill
Some of Garibaldis offerings: baked macaroni and cheese, turkey submarine with provolone and veal Parmigiana with spaghetti and garlic bread. (Shonda Talerico Dudlicek) (Shonda Talerico Dudlicek / The Courier-News)

With its 1950s decor and music, Garibaldi's is known as the place for a party. Whether that's a Girl Scout bridging, an end-of-the-year junior high band party, a milestone birthday or a reunion, there are bound to be crowds in the party room or hanging around the claw machine.

"It's just one of those things," general manager Steve Carlson said. "We tried to come up with a theme of Elvis and roller skates and 'Elvis ate here.' Plenty of our older customers come to eat and listen to the music. It brings back memories."

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Garibaldi's has been a mainstay in the northwest suburbs for the past 40 years. Owner Gary Mednicov ventured out to the Midwest from the Boston area, and two months later Carlson joined the venture.

The Italian eatery from the East Coast was up for the challenge of staking a claim in the land of deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, Carlson said..

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"The bigger surprise was what was here 40 years ago," said Carlson of Sleepy Hollow. "Woodfield mall had just been built. It was farmland and fields. We took a chance, and 40 years later, here we are."

Garibaldi's is known for its floppy New York-style pizza slices, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, hot oven grinders, breaded chicken breast sandwiches and Italian cold cut subs with oil and vinegar, which Carlson grew up eating. "Our Italian lemonade is known in all of the northwest suburbs. This lemonade is unique to Garibaldi's," Carlson said.

But what makes the restaurant special is the customers, Carlson said.

"I can't tell you how many customers came here as kids and now they bring their kids here. Or they worked here and now their kids work here. The parents come up to me and say they want to send their kids here because they like our work ethic," Carlson said.

With two locations, Garibaldi's finds ways to expand providing food service at outlets like the Hoffman Estates Park District, Schaumburg Boomers Stadium and, most recently, the Sears Centre, home of the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls' D-league.

That's in addition to hosting fundraising nights for local schools.

"We're committed to the community," Carlson said, "and once you commit to the community, they commit to you."

Pricing: Appetizers from $1.99 for French fries to $12.59 for 16-piece buffalo or barbecue wings. Salads from $3.69 for side Caesar to $8.29 for Gino's Italian. Hand-tossed pizza from $10.99 for a 12-inch cheese to $16.49 for 16-inch cheese. Slices from $3.75 for cheese to $54.25 for pepperoni or sausage. Specialty pizzas in seven varieties from $14.99 for 12-inch to $22.99 for 16-inch. Homemade Italian dishes from $6.29 for mostaccioli to $8.69 for veal Parmigiana. Submarine sandwiches from $6.99 for pepper and egg and $7.59 for Stromboli. Char-grilled sandwiches from $4.69 for Wisconsin cheeseburger to $6.59 for chicken breast Parmesan. Kids' meals $5.79 for five options.

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Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for the Courier News.

Garibaldi's Italian Eatery

Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Address: 2346 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates, and 1960 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights.

Contact: 847-884-8663 for Hoffman Estates or 847-577-4000 for Arlington Heights, or go to www.garibaldis.com
Left to right: Belle (Jesek West), Mrs. Potts (Jennie Goss), Lumiere (Andrew Taylor Swanson) and Cogsworth (Cullen Rogers) rehearse BrightSide Theatres production of Disneys Beauty and the Beast, running Nov. 11 to 27 at The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall in Naperville. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Cass/BrightSide Theatre)

Take a plucky heroine, a hideous beast, an enchanted castle and assorted singing household objects and you have the makings of a hit musical.

BrightSide Theatre's production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" will come to life Nov. 11 to Nov. 27 at The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth Ave. in Naperville.

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"I've always been a huge fan of this show since it was first on Broadway," director Jeffrey Cass said. "Here is a show that for the first time took a full-length animated film and put it on stage, and by doing so, strengthened the story."

And enhanced the score.

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"The music from the film is great, but I feel that the songs they added to the stage production soar even further," Cass said.

The musical is based on the Disney's Academy-Award-winning 1991 animated feature that retells an 18th-century French fairy tale. In the classic story, bookish and beautiful Belle must rescue her father who is being imprisoned in an enchanted castle by a mysterious beast.

"As with all fairy tales, there are lessons we're meant to take away and better ourselves with  there certainly is the lesson of acceptance of people who are different than us," Cass said. "In the town where Belle lives, everyone believes she's odd, but she holds true to who she is and who she loves."

Fans of the original film will not be disappointed in the live stage experience, he said.

"The story is the same as the animated film, but what's great is we get more musical numbers in addition to all the great numbers from the film," Cass said. "I think also seeing real people inhabit these characters will reach further and allow a stronger connection to the audience."

Bringing a belovedand animatedclassic to stage has its challenges, not the least of which is costuming the spellbound characters of the castle.

"There are the expectations of the film as well as the physical demands of the costuming," Cass said. "Not to mention the show requires an enchanted rose that drops petals as time passes, a magic mirror and spells that are cast and broken."

BrightSide Theatre's production uses a cast of 18 actors, an orchestra of eight and a crew of 15 to create Belle's provincial town and the Beast's cursed castle.

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"I feel that the actors and I have really worked on presenting our own production of the story while still honoring the animated film," Cass said. "I think also with the seating at The Theatre at Meiley Swallowwhere you cannot be more than 25 feet from the stageyou won't help be feel like you're in the story with these characters."

While the BrightSide Theatre Youth Project has performed Disney musicals before, this production marks BrightSide Theatre's first Disney production as part of its regular season. The professional theater company is starting its sixth season, which will celebrate classic Broadway: a classic Disney musical ("Beauty and the Beast"), a classic comedy ("Moon Over Buffalo") and a classic American musical ("Guys and Dolls.")

Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

'Disney's Beauty and the Beast'

When: Nov. 11 to Nov. 27

Where: The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth Street in Naperville

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Tickets: $24 to $27

Information: go to www.brightsidetheatre.com or call 630-447-8497
Lori Ryser (from left), John Lattuada and Paul Kendall were among the participants in Crown Point Do-It-Yourself Theatres Sketchubalee in August. Ryser and Lattuada return Nov. 12 for 24/7ish Play Festival at Crown Point Community Theatre. (Photo courtesy of Nelson Velazquez)

What a difference a day can make especially with Crown Point Do-It-Yourself Theatre's 24/7ish Play Festival.

The Nov. 12 event at Crown Point Community Theatre features short plays written, rehearsed and performed in the span of 24 hours.

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"It's going to be a lot of mostly local writers, actors and directors. They're going to be given inspirational pieces, maybe a line of dialogue or a prop that they have to incorporate into scenes they write," said Kerry Fitch, associate producer of 24/7ish Play Festival.

"They're writing specifically for those actors that they are assigned to," Fitch said.

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Participants include residents of Chesterton, Dyer, St. John, Schererville and even Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"There are people I haven't necessarily worked with before and I've been doing theater in Northwest Indiana for 15-some years so it's exciting to get new people involved," said Fitch, of Crown Point.

Taking part with friends in a similar effort in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is what Fitch said inspired 24/7ish Play Festival.

"It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had in theater. I just learned a lot through that instant gratification and really wanted to bring it back to Crown Point and Northwest Indiana because there's just so much talent out here.

"There's such a great system of communication between the theaters that I knew this would be something that would bring a lot of people together. Maybe people who couldn't commit to a two-month play schedule possibly could come and do just one day."

Co-producers of 24/7ish Play Festival include Angela Heid, of Kingsford Heights; Nelson Velazquez, of Crown Point; and Kate Wiersema, of Homewood, Illinois.

"There's always that complaint that there's not enough good roles for women. With so many women doing the writing, the acting and the directing, I think we're going to bring out some stories that don't necessarily get told all the time, not your typical kind of stories," Fitch said.

She recalled her days at Crown Point High School when art and English teacher Marion Kellum directed an effort for students to take elementary students' short stories and work them into scenes that were toured around elementary schools.

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"I've long been interested in bringing more in acting out original content for people," said Fitch, who has worked with Crown Point Community Theatre for approximately 12 years.

"There is a big movement right now toward original plays by local playwrights, and I think producing original work only inspires more people to make that leap and start writing. It's an honor to give writers this unique opportunity to see their work performed just hours after completing it."

Crown Point Do-It-Yourself Theatre, which presented Sketchubalee in August, also presents Makeshift Monologue Madness in partnership with the Lake Court House Foundation in January and Hysterical Figures on June 3.

Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

24/7ish Play Festival

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 12

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Where: Crown Point Community Theatre, 1125 Merrillville Road, Crown Point

Tickets: $15 adults; $12 students, seniors and veterans

Information: 219-310-8556 or www.cpct.biz

Etc.: presented by Crown Point Do-It-Yourself Theatre
Jason Thompson will join Amelia Heinle, Kristoff St. John and Gina Tognoni for a Soap Opera Festival that salutes their daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. The fan festival is set for Nov. 12 in the Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich. (Photo courtesy of Four Winds Casino Resort)

When it comes to soap operas, CBS' "The Young and the Restless" ranks as a longtime dispenser of juicy plots.

To celebrate that history, the "Soap Opera Festival" will salute the show at 4 p.m. EST Nov. 12 at Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich.

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The event, which kicks off at 4 p.m. local time, will give fans question-and-answer time with stars of the daytime drama. The cast members are set to interact with followers and offer tidbits about what goes on behind the scenes of their popular series.

"The Young and the Restless" has run for more than 40 years on CBS.

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During that time it has cultivated more than one generation of followers who are eager for an in-person experience with the likes of Jason Thompson, who portrays Billy Abbott.

"It's always fun to kind of meet new people," Thompson said in a phone interview this month. "I'm really excited to kind of get out there and meet the people that support our show.

"It's a time to kind of sit up there and just be ourselves and tell funny stories from behind the scenes. It's just a great opportunity to hear what people are feeling and how they're thinking."

A 39-year-old Los Angeles resident, Thompson has a character with colorful traits in Abbott.

"He's a little bit reckless in a way, but I think deep down he's got a heart of, like, tarnished gold," Thompson said.

Although he has only been part of the cast for less than a year, Thompson can sense what has made "The Young and the Restless" a consistent ratings king.

He likens the program to a "well-oiled machine" which has "focused and professional" people working on it.

"They're just having a good time doing it," the actor explained.

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Premiering in March of 1973, "The Young and the Restless" centers on friction, romance and dreams in Genoa City, a fictional Midwest metropolis.

The lives and loves of various families are well known to Y&R fans.

Abbott, Newman, Baldwin, Chancellor and Winters are clans that have provided the delectable twists and turns over the decades.

Saturday's soap fest affords a way of "promoting what's coming up," according to Thompson, who is scheduled to be joined by fellow cast members Kristoff St. John, who plays Neil Winters; Gina Tognoni, who plays Phyllis Abbott; and Amelia Heinle, who portrays Victoria Newman.

"She's got a couple of sides to her personality that people might enjoy watching," Heinle said. "She's a businesswoman. She's feisty sometimes."

Heinle noted that her character is the "love interest of Billy Abbott," whom Thompson plays.

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"They sort of have a Romeo and Juliet story going on," said Heinle, who played Mia Saunders on ABC's "All My Children," another venerable soap opera which ended its tales of Pine Valley in 2011 after premiering in 1970.

Heinle has guest-starred in the prime-time series "CSI: Miami" and "Ghost Whisperer," while also notching feature-film work, but acting in daytime dramas is a much different experience.

"It's a totally different ballgame," the 43-year-old New Jersey native said. "It's a very fast pace. They challenge us that way to get a lot taped in one day. We usually do a show, if not two, in a day."

A 12-year veteran of "The Young and the Restless," Heinle said she was amazed at colleague memorization abilities during her early days with the show.

"I couldn't believe how quickly they could get something memorized," the actress recalled.

Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Trib.

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'

'Soap Opera Festival'

Where: Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds Casino Resort, 11111 Wilson Road, New Buffalo, Mich.

When: 4 p.m. EST time Saturday, Nov. 12

Tickets: $40; minors must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older; minors younger than 5 not permitted

Information: 866-494-6371, www.fourwindscasino.com
John Gondell, of Gary, was killed Friday night when he lost control of his car exiting Interstate 65 at U.S. 231 and struck a light pole, the Indiana State Police said. (Indiana State Police)

A Gary man was killed Friday night when he lost control of his car as he was exiting Interstate 65, the Indiana State Police said.

John J. Gondell, 48, of the 600 block of West 51st Street, was trying to exit from southbound I-65 at U.S. 231 at about 10:05 p.m. when he failed to make the curve and drove into a light pole, Indiana State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Ann Wojas said in a news release.

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Gondell had to be extricated from the car and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County coroner's office. It is not known what factors were involved in his failure to exit safely on the ramp, the release said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Saturday that China will surmount all difficulties confronting the Chinese economy, maintain steady growth, and speed up economic transformation.

While addressing the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia, Li updated his audience on the latest developments of the Chinese economy.

China's confidence in its economic development comes from the country's vigorous efforts to adapt to the economic new normal and pursue supply-side structural reform while appropriately expanding aggregate demand, he said, adding that this has bolstered the internal development momentum of the Chinese economy.

He said China has consistently followed proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, and adopted new ways of macroeconomic regulation.

The premier noted that his country has also endeavored to advance economic restructuring and foster new growth drivers through energetic reform, opening-up and innovation.

Moreover, he said, China sought to apply market-oriented and rules-based methods to forestall and defuse risks.

Li added that looking ahead, the Chinese economy enjoys great potential, solid strength and ample room for maneuver, saying it is well-positioned to sustain medium-high growth rate and move to medium-high level of development.

China has every confidence in achieving this goal, said the premier.

China's development offers the world an opportunity thanks to the ever more open Chinese market, which will surely bring huge business opportunities to global companies including those from the CEE countries, he said, calling for concerted efforts from all sides to build a new type of partnership featuring inclusiveness and reciprocity for a bright future of China-CEE business cooperation.

Li is currently in the Baltic country for an official visit and a leaders' meeting within what is known as the "16+1" framework, which groups China and 16 CEE nations.

His trip marks the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Baltic country is the third stop of his ongoing eight-day Eurasia tour, which has already taken him to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and will conclude in Russia.
President of China's Xinhua News Agency Cai Mingzhao reads a letter sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping to congratulate Xinhua News Agency on the 85th anniversary of its founding at a ceremony marking its anniversary in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a letter congratulating Xinhua News Agency on the 85th anniversary of its founding.

In his letter, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that Xinhua, a news organization set up and led by the CPC, plays a preeminent role in the Party's media work.

Over the past 85 years, Xinhua has headed towards the direction guided by the CPC, followed the Party's principles and stuck to the principle of "being run by statesman," Xi said.

Xinhua has "breathed the same air as the people, and made progress with the times at the same pace," he said.

It has worked to disseminate the Party's propositions and spoken for the people, making important contributions to the Party's undertaking in uniting and leading Chinese people of all ethnic groups towards the great victories of the country's revolution, its development and reform, Xi said.

Xi called on Xinhua to stay true to its initial mission and forge ahead, unswervingly following the Party under the current situation, firmly keeping in mind the correct political direction, and effectively guide public opinion.

He urged Xinhua to pass on its revolutionary-period legacy and carry forward its fine traditions while seeking reforms and innovation as well as integrated development.

It should also expand external exchanges and speed up building itself into a new type of first-class global news agency in a bid to better serve the overall work of the Party and the state, as well as the general public, and live up to the great trust of the Party and the people, Xi said.

Xi's letter was read at a ceremony marking Xinhua's anniversary held on Saturday morning, which was attended by Xinhua President Cai Mingzhao as well as representatives of Xinhua staff.

In his speech, Cai said that Xinhua has become the backbone of the Party's media work. He went on to accentuate the "Xinhua spirit" of being loyal to the Party, being attentive to the people, seeking truth from facts, and being pioneering and innovative.

Members of Xinhua must unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, and inherit and carry forward the fine traditions passed on from their predecessors, he said.

They will work hard together so that the agency's news reporting chimes with the CPC Central Committee's governance practices, building Xinhua into a new type of first-class global news agency, and make new and greater contributions to China's two centennial goals and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Cai said.

Xinhua News Agency started on Nov. 7, 1931 as the Red China News Agency in Ruijin in southeast China. The agency changed to its current name in January 1937 in Yan'an in northwest China.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xinhua became the state news agency.

With 85 years of development, Xinhua now operates 32 domestic branches and 180 overseas bureaus worldwide, reaching users in over 200 countries and regions. Endi
China's top legislature on Saturday deliberated a draft interpretation to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The draft interpretation was submitted to legislators for deliberation at the third plenary meeting of the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which will conclude Monday.

Entrusted by the chairpersons' meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, Zhang Rongshun, vice chairperson of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, delivered an explanation of the draft interpretation, introducing the implication of the legislation and its legal principles.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, was present at the meeting.

Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR stipulates: "When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China."

In the group discussion in the afternoon, legislators believed it is both "timely and necessary" to make an interpretation to the article.

In recent years, advocacy of "Hong Kong independence" has emerged in some sections of Hong Kong society, according to a statement released after the discussion.

The statement said that some people have displayed "Hong Kong independence" flags and established "Hong Kong independence" organizations. They have even pursued violence.

A handful of Hong Kong legislators-elect violated the oath intentionally, publicly advocating "Hong Kong independence" and insulting the Chinese nation at the swearing-in ceremony for the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong SAR. After their oath-taking was declared invalid, the legislators-elect involved chose to break into the LegCo, making the body unable to hold normal meetings.

"These words and actions have openly challenged the Basic Law, hampered the normal operation of the authorities of the Hong Kong SAR and undermined the rule of law in Hong Kong," the statement said.

"They have hit the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle and posed a grave threat to national sovereignty and security," the statement said.

"If the situation is allowed to continue, the immediate interests of residents in the SAR and the development interests of the nation will be damaged," it said, stressing that the central authorities cannot afford to idly sit and do nothing.

It is in accordance with the rights provided in the Constitution of the nation and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR for the NPC Standing Committee to give a legal interpretation in time, the statement said, adding that the draft interpretation "complies with the provisions in the Constitution and the Basic Law."

Legislators proposed that the interpretation be adopted at the session, according to the statement.

"Those who were present at the discussion agree that the legal interpretation given by the NPC Standing Committee has the same effect as the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR," the statement said.

The legislation implications of the oath at swearing-in and its legal principles explained in the draft interpretation will help make clear the understanding in Hong Kong society, it said.

The draft interpretation is necessary for safeguarding the authority of the Basic Law and maintaining the stability of Hong Kong, it added, calling on the administrative, legislative and judicial organs of the Hong Kong SAR to obey the interpretation.
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China and Czech should view each other from a strategic and long-term point of view to ensure the smooth development of bilateral ties and pragmatic cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Saturday.

Li made the remarks while meeting with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on the sidelines of a meeting between the heads of the governments of China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, also known as the "16+1" summit.

Li also urged the Czech side to facilitate the setting up of the branches of Chinese financial institutes there.

Sobotka said Czech attaches high importance to its relations with China and respects China's core interests and major concerns.

He expected the two nations to further expand reciprocal investment and promised to support and facilitate Chinese investment in his country.
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A South Korean court approved arrest warrants early Sunday to formally detain two ex-aides to President Park Geun-hye over a scandal surrounding Park's longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Ahn Jong-beom, 57, former senior presidential secretary on policy coordination, was formally arrested on charges of abuse of power, according to local media reports.

He has been suspected of pressuring conglomerates into donating tens of millions of U.S. dollars to two dubious nonprofit foundations presumably controlled by Choi.

During the court hearing, Ahn allegedly had said he would take responsibility for wrongly assisting the president. He will be in custody for as long as 20 days for detailed investigation into whether President Park was involved in or ordered the forceful donations.

Jeong Ho-seong, 47, former presidential secretary in charge of presidential documents, was also placed under a formal detention as he is accused of leaking confidential papers to Choi on a daily basis.

He will also be detained for 20 days for a probe into the president's involvement. Prosecutors urgently arrested him on Thursday night for fear of flight and a possible attempt to destroy evidence.

Ahn and Jeong resigned last Sunday when Park accepted resignations of eight advisors. Jeong has been seen as one of so-called "three knobs of a door" that leads directly into the president due to his longtime aid since Park went into politics in 1998.

The former presidential advisors are suspected of helping Choi peddle undue influence for personal gains and interfere with state affairs behind the scenes by using her decades-long friendship with President Park.

In the televised national address on Friday, Park vowed to accept an investigation by prosecutors into herself if necessary, saying anyone found to have done something wrong would take responsibility for their wrongdoings.

During the address, Park made her second apology to the nation since the scandal came into focus last month, but her tearful apology failed to appease public angry as tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets nationwide on Saturday night to demand the president step down.

Views have spread that Choi, a 60-year-old woman who has no public position and security clearance, could not have committed wrongdoings without the president's connivance and protection.

As Park accepted the direct investigation into herself, prosecutors are expected to probe into the president's involvement in the scandal that put the first South Korean female leader into the biggest crisis since her inauguration in February 2013.

According to a weekly survey released on Friday, Park's approval rating tumbled to 5 percent, the lowest for any South Korean president.

Park, who has 16 months left in office, had seen her support scores move from 30 percent to 50 percent in the first three years since her inauguration.
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China and Romania eyed further cooperation on nuclear energy and thermal power in a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries in Riga, capital of Latvia, on Saturday evening.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China attaches high importance to the cooperation with Romania, and is ready to strengthen the integration of the two countries' development strategies, enhance cooperation on nuclear energy, thermal power, deep processing of agricultural products, and promote a balanced growth of the bilateral trade.

He also called for stronger tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said his country is committed to the friendly cooperation with China.

Romania welcomes Chinese firms to invest in local infrastructure like the ports, cooperate on agriculture and tourism, and promote major cooperation projects on nuclear energy and thermal power, he added.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Fifth Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries.
Workers at a coalmine in Huaibei, Anhui province. [Photo/China Daily]

BEIJING - Barely a few months ago, Chinese policymakers were crititizing certain local authorities for not doing enough to curb excess capacity in the coal industry, but an unexpected price rally is now forcing them to shift focus on ensuring supply.

During the past two months, several top-level meetings have been called by the country's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), to seek more supply to stabilize the market.

Authorities have pledged to ensure market supply without weakening capacity-cutting efforts, deciding to relax the limit on production days for efficient coal producers.

But so far, such efforts seem to little avail as the price rally continues.

The Bohai-Rim Steam-Coal Price Index, a gauge of coal prices in northern China's major ports, rose to 607 yuan ($89.9) per ton last week, the 18th consecutive rise and about 63.6 percent up on the start of the year.

The government's lengthy capacity-cutting campaign is believed to have played a major role in the price surge.

China is the world's largest consumer of coal. The industry has long been plagued by overcapacity and has felt the pinch over the past two years as the economy cooled and demand fell; addressing the issue has been on top of the government's agenda in the past few years.

The campaign has been effective. During the first three quarters of the year, China's coal output fell 10.5 percent year on year to 2.46 billion tons.

Official data also shows that by the end of September, over 80 percent of the 250 million tons of capacity up for the chop this year had already been eliminated.

The reduction comes amid China's booming property market, which increased demand for steel and hence for coal. That, along with widespread market speculation, have combined to push up prices.

Li Wenjing, industry analyst with commodities service provider www.100ppi.com, predicted coal prices will continue to increase in November and December as it takes time for coal producers to respond to government calls to increase supply.

In addition, rising demand for heating in the coming months will continue the price increases.

Li Hongsong, chief manager of the Inner Mongolia Coal Exchange Center, expects the price to see a correction around December, depending on government efforts to stabilize the market.

The NDRC is reportedly trying to push for medium-to-long-term supply and price contracts between producers and buyers to avoid drastic price fluctuations.

In the longer run, coal prices will be under notable pressure as demand for fossil fuels is set to retreat due to the development of clean energy and the green economy.

By 2020, China's coal consumption will reach 4.1 billion tons at most, while its coal production capacity will hit 4.6 billion tons even if capacity reduction goals are achieved, according to NDRC deputy secretary-general Xu Kunlin.

China has specified that it aims to increase its share of non-fossil energy to 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030. Coal consumption will be limited to 62 percent of energy use by 2020.

That means the country still faces a tough task to slim down the sector and capacity-cutting should not be weakened, Xu said.

China plans to cut coal capacity by half a billion tons in the next few years, and vast funds have been set aside to help displaced workers.
Fan Xiaomei, 70, a retired official of the Ministry of Education, plays pool at the Yanda Golden Age Health Nursing Center in Yanjiao, Hebei province, which is just outside Beijing. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY

Breaking with cultural norms, retirees pick communities with elder care and amenities

Traditionally, elderly Chinese prefer to age in place, or live in their own home and community, cared for by children or other relatives.

But a changing China is making that more difficult.

Retired professor Hu Qingying, 85, who lives alone, tried to maintain that tradition with her family by having cameras installed in her home so she could be monitored by her daughter, Cathy Liuwho is about 9,000 kilometers away in San Francisco.

"I know she cares about me and wants to check in on me now and then," said Hu, of the nanny cam-like devices installed in her Beijing home. "But it felt really weird. Even when I went to the bathroom, I knew there was a camera on."

Six months ago, after trying the cameras for nearly a year, Hu decided to move into a new, high-end suburban retirement community. The Yanda Golden Age Health Nursing Center charges 7,000 yuan ($1,035) a month to rent a fully furnished two-bedroom apartment with basic care, including a nurse call button. It is in Yanjiao, a bedroom community just outside Beijing, in Hebei province.

The center has a variety of amenities like a swimming pool and a gym and is home to 1,600 retirees. Most residents held positions of some responsibility during their working years. Among them are former professors, diplomats and a vice minister. At an average age of 82, 30 percent have children who live abroad.

"Our first-phase development, costing 2 billion yuan, has full occupancy," said Cui Kai, deputy general manager of the retirement community. The developer, Yanda Group, is pouring 3.2 billion yuan into the second phase. When finished in 2018, it will add 8,000 beds, bringing the total to more than 10,000.

Cui said he's intrigued by the overwhelming response. His staff provides tours of the site to some 300 to 400 senior visitors a week.

The community was originally planned to house foreign retirees and Chinese who returned from overseas, with apartments of American, European and Southeast Asian styles for them to choose from, Cui said.

"But we soon changed our mind, because we found visa requirements and domestic medical care conditions were major obstacles," he said.

To the developer's relief, retirees from the capital city soon filled the gap, paying 5,000 yuan to 13,000 yuandepending on the size of the apartment and the level of care that a resident needs. "We're surprised to find that most residents want a two-bedroom apartment, even though they live alone," Cui said, noting that they consider their new residence more like home than a nursing home.

Helping explain how all this is being paid for, elderly care researchers in Beijing found that almost all local seniors have pensions. Among couples, 23 percent receive more than 8,000 yuan or more a month, while 65 percent of single seniors collect 3,000 to 5,999 a month.

Also, in a city known for soaring housing prices, 81.8 percent of local seniors own their own homes, with 7.7 percent having more than one, which can also help support them in their later years if they sell or rent out their property, the researchers said in their recently published Blue Book of Elderly Care as an Industry in Beijing.

By the end of last year, Beijing had 2.2 million residents aged 65 or above, about 10.3 percent of the population. They are expected to double in 2020, official estimates said.

Beijing has anticipated 4 percent of all local seniors, or 160,000, will spend their twilight years in nursing homes by 2020. The majority will be taken care of by their families or community eldercare services.

But the lack of adequate caregiver support and medical services have encouraged many seniors with sufficient economic means to find alternatives to ward-like settings in traditional institutions.

Last year, Qian Liqun, 76, a renowned scholar and professor at Peking University, caused a small stir after he and his wife made the unconventional move of selling their house in western Beijing and moving into an elder-care community. Their 100-square-meter apartment, amenities and services cost 20,000 yuan a month at the tranquil Taikang Community, tucked away in the hills of Beijing's northern suburbs.

Qian said he now can concentrate on writing and reading, without worrying about housework and cooking.

For most well-off residents, being close to medical facilities is a top consideration.

Golden Heights, a high-end retirement community in downtown Beijing, prides itself on having a clinic open to both its residents and their neighbors. Its apartments, including a basic level of care, start at more than 10,000 yuan a month due to its "medical care and nursing" model and prime location.

The Yanda retirement community, where Hu lives, has its own modern, private hospital but charges lower rates mostly because it is outside Beijing's municipal borders.

As healthcare benefits vary between jurisdictions, those who live there but have their official residency in Beijing have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later in the capital, which has been a concern for seniors.

Cui, the vice president, said the local governments have been working to solve the problem, which could help lure more seniors to his community from Beijing.

While lower prices mean it takes longer to recoup the total investment, the project is already profitable and the future looks good because of plentiful demand, he said.
Photo taken on Sept 28, 2016 shows China's Hol Xil nature reserve in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. [Photo/IC]

XINING - China's Hol Xil nature reserve in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has gone through an initial evaluation to become a world heritage site.

The eight-day evaluation was conducted by Chinese and foreign experts, including the completion of the first ever aerial survey of the reserve, according to Buqung, leader of the reserve's management bureau.

Professor Lyu Zhi with the School of Life Science at Peking University, a member of the team, said that the reserve boasted rare natural landscape, abundant wild species and rich biodiversity.

"Through initial evaluation, experts have recognized its value as a natural heritage site and its competitive edge," she said.

At an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level, the reserve in Qinghai Province is the habitat of endangered Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks and wild asses, and has more than 7,000 lakes and 255 glaciers.

An inspection report will be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, while the final findings are expected to be released in the summer of 2017 at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee.

China currently has 10 world natural heritage sites.

UNESCO has acknowledged 1,031 world heritage sites across the globe: 802 cultural sites, 197 natural sites and 32 mixed sites. China has 48 such sites, just below Italy, according to the UNESCO official website.
WENCHANG, Hainan - China on Thursday launched its new heavy-lift carrier rocket Long March-5.

The rocket, which looked much "fatter" than other rockets of Long March series, blasted off at 8:43 p.m. Beijing Time from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province. The payload was sent into the preset orbit about 30 minutes later.

The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) later announced the complete success of the launch.

The launch was delayed for less than two hours from the previously scheduled time. Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the SASTIND, told Xinhua that as it was the first launch of Long March-5 in a new launch site, many parameters needed to be debugged and various systems needed to be matched with each other.

"It was normal preparation work to ensure a successful first launch," Tian said, adding that it caught up with the launch window.

The major targets of the mission are to verify the design and performance of the new rocket and test the rocket's flight program, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the developer of Long March-5.

A congratulatory letter sent late Thursday night by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission hailed the new rocket as the pinnacle of innovation in carrier rocket science and technology.

Its successful launch has propelled China to the forefront of the world in terms of rocket carrying capacity, and marks a milestone in China's transition from a major player in space to a major power in space, the letter said.

The Long March-5 is a large, two-stage rocket with a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low-Earth orbit and 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, the largest of China's carrier rockets. Its carrying capacity is about 2.5 times that of the current main model Long March carrier rockets.

According to the CASC, the rocket uses two kinds of fuel, kerosene/liquid oxygen as well as liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen, rather than highly toxic propellant, making it more environmental friendly and less expensive.

The rocket is about 57 meters long, with a takeoff weight of 870 tonnes and a thrust of 1,060 tonnes. It is equipped with eight liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engines in four strap-on boosters, two liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines in the first stage and two relatively small liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines in the second stage.

Li Dong, designer-in-chief, said the rocket was the most complicated of the Long March series with over 100,000 components instead of tens of thousands of components in other Long March rockets. Scientists conducted over 7,000 tests during its 10 years of development.

With a 5-meter diameter core stage, Long March-5 is much thicker than China's previous carrier rockets with 3.35-meter diameter core stages.

Other launch sites in China are located in inland areas. Accordingly, transportation of rockets rely on railways, so that rockets cannot be too wide.

The heavy-lift rocket launched Thursday was taken to coastal Wenchang from the northern port city of Tianjin by ship in early September.

"It is not just a simple enlargement of the diameter, it raised new requirements of materials, manufacturing and equipment," said Lou Luliang, deputy designer-in-chief.

Lou said the new technology in Long March-5 would be used in other Long March series rockets in a bid to upgrade all rockets.

The heavy-lift rocket is a milestone for China to become a real space power in the world, said Li Dong.

Experts said the Long March-5 will also lay the foundation for future rockets with heavier payload capabilities.

The new rocket is of great significance as China's space program relies on the carrying capabilities of launch vehicle systems.

With the heavy-lift carrier rocket, China can build a permanent manned space station and explore the moon and Mars.

In 2017, China will launch the Chang'e-5 probe to the moon, which will bring lunar samples back to Earth aborad the Long March-5. The 20-tonne core module of its first space station will also be delivered by the rocket in 2018.

The rocket will launch the Mars probe around 2021.

It is the second launch from the coastal Wenchang center. On June 25, China's new generation medium-sized Long March-7 made its debut at the site.

On Sept. 15 China sent Tiangong-2 space lab into orbit, making a step closer to the dream of building the country's permanent space station.

On Oct. 17, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft carried two Chinese astronauts to space. Two days later it docked with Tiangong-2.

The two astronauts will spend a month in the space lab and return to Earth, making it the longest-ever manned space mission of China.

Tian Yulong said at a press conference after the launch on Thursday that China is now developing a mega rocket with the capacity of sending up to 100 tonnes of payload to low-Earth orbit.

The mega rocket will probably make its maiden flight before 2030, Tian added.
At Taiyuan Zoo in north China's Shanxi Province, keeper Zhu Xiangbo (second from left) and his three male colleagues are playing mom to a female chimp deserted by her mother soon after she was born in May. [Photo/chinanews.com]

TAIYUAN - Zhu Xiangbo carries the baby in his arms, touching her head gently with one hand, as he uses the other to put a feeding bottle to her mouth. The little cutie looks up at him, pursing her lips slightly.

"She is fawning, requesting a kiss," Zhu says, also smiling.

Zhu's baby is a chimpanzee.

At Taiyuan Zoo in north China's Shanxi Province, Zhu, 30, and his three male colleagues are playing mom to a female chimp deserted by her mother soon after she was born in May.

The chimp is yet to be named. "Local media have suggested soliciting a name from the public," Zhu says.

As the chimp turned six-months-old on Wednesday, they were delighted to find she had reached four kilograms.

"It's four times the weight she was born at," Zhu says.

It was mother's first baby and after the delivery the mother, Laoqi, refused to even touch the baby.

"We tried several times to have Laoqi accept the baby, but failed," says another keeper Zhao Jing, 40, so the keepers have become the chimp's "mannies."

To raise the chimp, they searched the Internet and learned from scratch.
RIGA - The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrived here on Saturday afternoon, marking a milestone in the history of the two countries' cooperation in transport and logistics sectors.

The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrives at Central Station of Riga around 1:20 pm local time.[Photo/Xinhua]

Amid the sounding of trumpets and drums, the bright-colored freight train consisting of 84 containers entered the Central Station of Riga around 1:20 p.m. local time, and was greeted by a huge round of applause from a crowd of government officials, entrepreneurs, rail workers and journalists.

The direct freight route was then announced successfully inaugurated at a welcoming ceremony on the platform as representatives from both countries cut through a long red ribbon with golden scissors.

The train departed on Oct. 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in east China, and finished a journey of over 11,000 km following the China-Russia-Latvia route.

The containers were packed with small commodities made in Yiwu, mainly decorative items and souvenirs, Xiong Tao, deputy major of the city, told Xinhua ahead of the ceremony.

"Riga is the destination of the train, but not of these commodities. After the arrival, they will be distributed to different eastern European or Scandinavian countries within one to three days," he said.

Latvia is the first Baltic nation to have established a direct rail freight route with China under the unified brand China Railway Express which refers to all rail routes connecting China and Europe, thanks to the country's position as a major transport and logistics transit in the region.

The project was conceived in July during a visit to China by the Latvian Minister of Transport Uldis Augulis, who at Saturday's ceremony lauded the tremendous efforts made by both sides to fulfil the ambition within only three months.

"Every success story begins with an idea to try. China and Latvia made a decision to try something unprecedented, and now it has been realized. A lot of hard work has been put into it," said the minister.

He hailed the historical route as a great opportunity for both China and Latvia to work shoulder to shoulder to bring benefits for their economies.

"Latvia serves as a gateway to Europe because of our geographic location and China opens gates for us to Asia," he explained. "We're seeing a good example of our cooperation today on this platform. If people want to work together, if they share common understanding of ideas, then they can achieve great results."

Speaking at the ceremony, He Lifeng, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that the trans-Eurasia container trains were a "new organization model of international cargo transport" in response to the expansion of investment and trade between China and Europe.

He attributed the recent boom in China-Europe rail freight routes to the steady progress made in the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative.

The Belt and Road initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

Since the Initiative began to take shape, over 2,000 trains have passed from China to Europe along some 40 lines.

"As an old Chinese saying goes, a one-thousand-mile journey can only be completed with incremental steps. We'll take such steps with Latvia to boost investment and trade, and we will welcome more Latvia products to China on the container trains," He added.
China and Pakistan have fruitful collaborations in air force equipment, training and flight security and will continue to deepen their cooperation in air force related fields, according to Chang Wanquan, China's defense minister.

Chang met with Pakistan's chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, in Beijing on Friday after Aman returned from Airshow China 2016 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

China and Pakistan have upheld mutual trust, understanding and support and are staunch allies and comprehensive strategic partners, said Chang, adding that China and Pakistan air forces should enhance cooperation.

Aman said Sino-Pakistan relations have withstood international turmoil and become the foundation for protecting regional and international peace. Pakistan appreciates China's support and would further cooperate with China in anti-terrorism, equipment and technology as well as personnel training in order to promote regional security, he added.

China and Pakistan air forces have held regular military drills code-named "Shaheen", which means "eagle" in Urdu, with the first one held at Pakistan's Rafiq air force base from March 5 to 30, 2011, according to China Military Online.
BEIJING - Senior Chinese legislators on Sunday heard a report reviewing the results of a draft interpretation to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Qiao Xiaoyang, head of the Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), delivered the report at Sunday's chairpersons' meeting of the NPC Standing Committee.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the meeting.

The draft interpretation was submitted to legislators for deliberation at the bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee, which concludes Monday.

The meeting demanded the draft interpretation be submitted to the next chairpersons' meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, which will decide whether it should be put to a vote at the closing of the bimonthly session, after further deliberation and modification.

Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR stipulates: "When assuming office, the chief executive, principal officials, members of the executive council and of the legislative council, judges of courts at all levels and other members of the judiciary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must, in accordance with law, swear to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China."
Veterans of the Red Army will receive pro bono clinic services by Beijing specialists as the government launches a one-week campaign, starting from September 3, the National Health and Family Planning Commission announced on Thursday.

The government will send nine teams of medical doctors and nurses to nine old revolutionary base areas, including Ruijin in East China's Jiangxi province, and Yan'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Medical organizations from across China will also set up free clinic stations to serve the general public, with a special treatment for veteran soldiers including free medical examinations.

"We expect 20,000 medical facilities to join this movement, and we project that 15 million people will benefit from this nationwide," said Li Dachuan, a director from the Commission in charge of the event.

The opening ceremony will be held on Sept 3 in Ruijin, the starting location of the Red Army's Long March. The year 2016 marks the 80th anniversary of the success of the Long March, when three armies led by the Communist Party of China joined forces in Northwest China's Gansu after a two-year-long march.
China's largest missile-maker is promoting what it calls "the world's best anti-ship missile" for sales in the international market.

China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, one of the main defense equipment suppliers in the nation, is marketing its CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile to nations hoping to improve their naval capabilities.

CM-302 is the best anti-ship missile available on the world's arms market and "it's not an exaggeration", said Lyu Xiaoge, spokesman for the State-owned defense technology giant, who spoke to China Daily on the sidelines of the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow.

The justification for the statement is that the missile can fly at supersonic speeds during its entire 290-kilometer trajectory, and it can be mounted on ships, aircraft or ground vehicles. It can be used to knock out land targets as well, Lyu said.

Offerings from competitors do not have such advantages, Lyu said. "They can be supersonic only during one certain part of the flight and can't be mounted on multiple platforms."

Only two other supersonic anti-ship missiles are available in the market: Russia's P-800 Oniks, also known as the SS-N-26 Strobile, and BrahMos, a joint development by Russia and India.

The most widely sold anti-ship missiles are the United States' Harpoon series, which have a maximum range of 280 km, the first of which entered into service in the 1970s, according to Cao Weidong, a researcher with the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute.

Lyu said market research shows that "many nations" need potent weapons like the CM-302 to beef up their maritime defenses.

The missile, designed for export, resembles the YJ-12 heavy-duty, supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that made its debut at the V-Day military parade in Beijing in September of last year.

Aside from speed and flexibility, the CM-302 also has a greater ability to penetrate defenses and greater destructive power than others in the market, Lyu said.

He said only one CM-302 is capable of disabling a 5,000-metric-ton guided missile destroyer.

"I believe our clients will be highly interested," he said, noting that the CM-302 was one of the Chinese products that had attracted the most inquiries during the six-day Zhuhai Airshow, which ended on Sunday.

"They know we'll satisfy their maritime defense strategy on only a limited budget," Lyu said, although he declined to quote the missile's price.

Brochures from CM-302's developer, CASIC Third Academy, call the missile an effective weapon for use against large warships, including aircraft carriers and destroyers. CM-302 is characterized by its small size, light weight, strong power, modular design and high accuracy, the academy said.

With a 250-kilogram warhead, CM-302 is capable of approaching the target in a sea-skimming mode and maneuvering before striking, which makes it hard to intercept, said Yin Lixin, a senior researcher with the CASIC Third Academy.

It boasts a high accuracy rate of about 90 percent, designers said.

Military observers said China's best anti-ship missile for its own use is the YJ-18, also developed by the CASIC Third Academy. Some observers report that the YJ-18 has an even longer range of 540 km, and a cruise speed of 966 kilometers per hour. When approaching a target, its warhead can accelerate to three times the speed of sound.

The biennial Zhuhai Airshow, officially known as China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, claims to be the largest arms exhibition in Asia. It is held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn
Actor Wallace Huo and actress Qin Hailu. [Photo provided to China Daily] Hide and Seek , a Chinese remake of the South Korean hit with the same title, was open to Chinese cinemas on Nov 4.

Loosely adapted from true events, which saw some South Korean residences marked with mysterious symbols in 2010, the horror film narrates that a mental-disordered woman schemes to murder a middle-class family for moving into their luxury apartment.

Wallace Huo Chien-hwa, one of the most popular actors on China's television screen, plays the father in the victim family.

"My role has a complex personality. On one side he is a victim, but on the other side, he has his own sin. He also has mysophobia and obsession, making it a pretty challenge for me," says Huo, before a preview ceremony on Sunday.

Wallace Huo. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Another highlights in the cast include the awards-winning actress Qin Hailu, and up-and-coming actress Chun Xia, who won the 2016 Hong Kong Film Awards' best actress.

Liu Jie, a Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear nominator, says Hide and Seek is his first ever commercial-genre film in the career spanning for 24 years.

Gu Xiaobai, the scriptwriter, says the film also reflects the complexity of humanity, as well as exposure of some social issues.

Related:

Tokyo film festival closes with top prize going to Holocaust-themed film
China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation and Guangming Daily co-hosted China's first nation-level forum on social efforts in cultural heritage protection in Beijing on Nov 3.

Gu Yucai, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said on the forum that the administration will refer to more nongovernment efforts in the future, particularly in cultural relic restoration, museum work and public service.

Volunteers will be better organized to patrol around cultural heritage sites and relevant supervision work to create the foundation for a good atmosphere for more public participation.

There are 760,000 unmovable cultural heritage sites around China, which makes it difficult to fully rely on government to preserve them.

And, some successful experiences were shared at the forum, including adoption of traditional residence in Huangshan, Anhui province; an organization on old Western villa protection launched by Fuzhou citizens in Fujian province; and individuals' efforts building up database of the Great Wall.

Related:

China prevents auction of looted relics in Japan
A painting "Six Sisters from Yimeng" is among many pieces of art now on display at an exhibition that shows the new outlook in the Yimeng mountain area in Shandong. The exhibition is scheduled to last until Nov 9, 2016 in the Today Art Museum in Beijing. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

The China National Arts Fund, a charity fund, recently aided the launch of an exhibition that shows the social, cultural, and economic progress in the Yimeng mountain area which used to be stricken by poverty.

Li Zongwei is a senior leader with Shandong University of Arts.

"Today, the Yimeng mountain area has already shaken off poverty. These pieces of art try to reflect new changes, new progress and new achievements in Yimeng. In addition to Beijing, the exhibition will also be held in cities like Jinan, Weifang and Linyi of East China's Shandong province. This art exhibition means more than just a display of the economic and cultural achievements in Shandong, and it also inspires the public to pool strength in bringing new cultural development and prosperity in this area."

Li's university also contributed a piece of art entitled Six Sisters from Yimeng to the exhibition. And the Chinese Museum of Women and Children reportedly plans to house this painting for its historic value.

A total of over 100 pieces of artworks involved Chinese painting, printmaking, watercolor, experimental art, have been gathered from all over China and are now on display in the Today Art Museum in Beijing.

Related:

Famous paintings recreated with chocolate
South Koreans hold placards and candles as they march to protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye in Seoul, South Korea, Nov 5, 2016. [Photo/IC]

SEOUL - Tens of thousands of enraged South Koreans rallied in Seoul and other places Saturday night to demand President Park Geun-hye's resignation over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and ex-advisors.

The nationwide rally followed the president's second apology for the scandal surrounding Choi Soon-sil, suspected of peddling undue influence for personal gains and meddling in state affairs behind the scenes.

In the capital Seoul, police estimated that about 45,000 people gathered in the Gwanghwamun Square to attend the rally, almost quadrupling a 12,000-strong protest held a week earlier.

Around 18,000 police officers were deployed to the square to prevent a possible march toward the presidential Blue House that is Park's office and residence just 1-2 kilometers away from the square.

Organizers said as many as 200,000 turned out in Seoul when including those coming back after early participation.

An additional 100,000 turned out in other places nationwide, with smaller rallies in many major cities.

Candlelight vigils took place in southwest South Korea, traditionally seen as a major support base for the opposition bloc, and in the metropolitan area close to the capital city, according to local media reports.

Protests happened even in the country's southeastern regions, a political home turf for President Park and the ruling Saenuri Party. Participants held posters reading "Saenuri is an accomplice."

Another large-scale rally is scheduled for next Saturday, with some expecting the anti-government protest to reach another pinnacle over long-stacked satisfactions with government policies.
ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday lauded frequent high-level exchanges with China, saying they are important in promoting bilateral ties as well as communication and coordination between the two countries.

In his meeting with visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Istanbul, Erdogan spoke of his last talks with President Xi Jinping in early September on the sidelines of the G20 summit in eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, in which the Turkish leader said an important understanding was reached with Xi and a strategic planning was mapped out for the development of Turkey-China relations.

The Turkish leader also referred to Wang's meeting with Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek in Ankara a day earlier, when the two co-chaired the first meeting of a governmental cooperation committee mechanism of deputy prime ministerial level between their countries.

Noting that Turkey and China had agreed to deepen cooperation on security and counterterrorism, Erdogan pledged more efforts to address properly Beijing's concerns in this regard.

He voiced hope for boosted cooperation on tourism, investment and mega projects to promote bilateral trade in a balanced way, as Turkey and China boast huge potential for economic and trade cooperation.

He also pledged support for the Belt and Road Initiative, expressing readiness to join hands with China to revive the ancient Silk Road.

For his part, Wang noted that it is the common interest of both countries to deepen a strategic bilateral relationship, as both China and Turkey are key emerging economies and G20 members.

Wang said he visited Turkey with a view to implementing the understanding reached between Xi and Erdogan during their three meetings since last year, part of which is the agreement on a governmental cooperation committee mechanism of deputy prime ministerial level.

During the first meeting under the mechanism, Wang and Simsek coordinated the issues of advancing cooperation on politics, economy and trade, security and culture, as well as of addressing each other's key concerns, the Chinese vice premier told Erdogan.

Wang said the Chinese side has always treated its relations with Turkey from a strategic height, ready to build a solid foundation for political mutual trust, intensify cooperation on security and counterterrorism, work hard toward a balanced trade, promote the harmonization of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Middle Corridor plan on the Turkish side and push for a breakthrough in cooperation on big projects to the benefit of both peoples.

In his meeting with Wang in Ankara a day earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim expressed his understanding of China's concern about the security issue, saying Turkey will not tolerate the separatists trying to split China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

As Turkey and China had agreed on a high-speed rail linking Kars in Turkey's east with the western Turkish city of Edirne, Yildirim voiced hope for joint efforts to advance the project.
JAKARTA - Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province of western Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing a column of ash by up to 1.5 km, a senior official of disaster agency said.

The eruption took place at 7:46 am Jakarta time (0046 GMT), unleashing hot rock and ash to the southeast and east of the crater, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency, told Xinhua.

Tourists and visitors are barred from entering the slope of the volcano, located in Karo district, at the radius of 3 km from the crater, he said.

A warning for the danger of lava had been issued for the communities living alongside rivers with their upstream at the slope of the volcano, Sutopo said.

The 2,460-meter Mount Siabung is one of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
(Photo : Getty Images) Sitting ducks. Russian Army troops board their APCs.

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If a Russia-NATO war were to erupt today -- or in the next 10 years -- the badly outnumbered Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will lose decisively, due mostly to a huge dearth of modern surface-to-air missiles (SAM) capable of shooting down NATO's massive arsenal of ballistic missiles, jet combat aircraft and unmanned aerial drones.



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Without modern SAM systems, the Russian Army with its mass of conscript soldiers are sitting ducks for NATO and U.S. missiles, manned aircraft and armed aerial drones that can destroy its formations with impunity.



This grim estimate made by Russian military analysts and commentators said Russia's SAM shortage renders Russia unable to defeat a massive NATO attack in the next 10 years. Russia has sought to camouflage the scandalous weakness in its air defenses by over hyping in the media its newest S-400 and S-500 SAM systems to instill fear out of proportion to the grim reality.



The share of "modern" SAMs and radars in the inventory of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), which is responsible for the Russia's air defenses, is 45 percent, admitted General-Lieutenant Viktor Gumennyy, Deputy VKS Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Air and Missile Defense.



As for the again delayed S-500 "Triumfator" system that was supposed to have been deployed in 2015 and then in 2016, Gen. Gumennyy said Almaz-Antey (the state-owned conglomerate producing the SAM) is completing development work on the S-500, and VKS will receive it "soon."



According to Russian analysts, "soon" is realistically by 2020 or a few years thereafter, and not 2017, which is the new public relations deadline for this system becoming operational with front line defense units.



Deputy Minister of Defense and procurement chief Yuriy Borisov predicted in 2015 the S-500 won't complete development until 2017, however.



A Russian military website expects the S-500 to appear with operational units on an "experimental" basis in 2017.



Russia's modern SAM systems refer to the operational S-300 andS-400 and the long-delayed S-500. The S-500 has yet to be completed, while its S-400 predecessor can launch the older 48N6 and 9M96 missiles.



Only seven air defense divisions have been supplied with the S-400 since 2007, with another 49 waiting to receive them.



The S-300 is over 20 years old.



"The last S-300 was produced for the Russian army in 1994 or so," said Igor Ashurbeili, co-chairman of an expert council on aerospace defense and former chief designer at Almaz-Antey.



"Since then, Russia has only produced these systems for sale. But now even export orders for the S-300s have been suspended."



As for the non-existent S-500, it will be an S-400 with long-range missiles, according to Alexanderf Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis.



"The S-500s will at best be created in 2020 -- no earlier," he said.



"At present, and for the next 10 years, the chances of countering a massive NATO attack are very low. It takes a long time to recharge the S-300s, so, in the best case, they will only repel the first wave of an assault, which would be 100 to 200 targets," said Khramchikhin.



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TagsNATO, U.S., Russia, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, surface-to-air missiles, SAM, Russian Army, Russian Aerospace Forces, General-Lieutenant Viktor Gumennyy, Almaz-Antey, S-500, S-400, S-300
(Photo : Getty Images) China and Rwanda have vowed to develop their bilateral ties.

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Rwandese and Chinese government officials held meetings in Beijing this week where the two countries committed to strengthening the ties between the two countries.



The Rwanda delegation held talks with China's Vice President and officials from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



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According to Rwanda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo, who led his country's delegation, they discussed how they could strengthen cooperation between the two countries.



They also discussed the implementation of projects under the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, (FOCAC).



"We have great relations with China, and both countries are keen on taking the cooperation to another level," Mushikiwabo said in an interview with the press.



The Rwandese Minister added that they also discussed business opportunities in Rwanda and available investment opportunities.



According to the minister, construction and road projects, as well as the ongoing construction of the railway line in Rwanda, were discussed.



The Chinese government has supported various projects in Rwanda. Among the high profile ones are the construction of an office block that will host multiple government ministries.



A road network of up to 54 kilometers is also being constructed in Kigali.



Changing policies and trends in global peace and policy were also discussed, with the role that China can play in addressing them being the focus.



China has been actively involved in peacekeeping efforts and like Rwanda, Beijing has peace keepers in South Sudan.



The Rwandan delegation consisted of Minister Mushikiwabo, Lt. Gen. Karenzi Karake who is the presidential advisor on defense and security, and Rwanda's Ambassador to China, Lt. Gen. Charles Kayonga.



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A federal appeals court reopened a case on October 31st concerning the constitutionality of Christian prayers at county board meetings in Rowan County, North Carolina.

The case will be heard by all 15 members of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in late January in response to a request from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for a rehearing.

In March 2014, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of three county residents-- Nancy Lund, Liesa Montag-Siegel and Robert Voelker-- who said that the prayers, which were predominantly Christian, that Rowan County commissioners offered at county board meetings were coercive.

In May 2015, U.S. District Judge James Beaty ruled that the practice was unconstitutional .

In September, a three-judge panel overturned the 2015 decision that deemed the prayers unconstitutional by a 2-1 vote, citing a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in which prayer at public meetings were upheld in the town of Greece, New York.

The difference between the case in Greece and Rowan Countys lies in the people offering the prayers. In Greece, religious leaders from different faith traditions were invited to offer prayers for the board before their meetings. In Rowan County, however, elected officials were offering the prayers themselves, with 97 percent of those prayers being from the Christian tradition.

The full Fourth Circuit will review the decision that deemed the practice unconstitutional.
94-Year-Old American Woman Gets Baptised: 'It's Never Too Late to Become a Christian'

It is never too late to accept Jesus.

The remark came from Ophelia White, a 94-year-old new believer, who was recently baptised at the Cook Baptist Church in Ruston, Louisiana, according to The Baptist Message.

As she excitedly entered the baptismal waters, White told her friends watching the baptismal rites, "I want people to know it's never too late [to be a Christian]. Get with it."

For decades, White believed she already had a relationship with Christ. However, her roommate, Joy Campbell, found out later that White was not yet a Christian since she had not been baptised yet.

After Campbell talked with White on spiritual matters, White realised she needed to formally accept Christ as her Lord and Saviour.

"It's inspiring to people, particularly for senior adults, to know that God is still touching hearts even in the elderly years," Todd Free, the church's discipleship and administration pastor, told The Baptist Message.

"There are many others like Mrs. White who went their whole life thinking they knew Christ but understood later their need for Him," he said.

"I'm praying we have others in our congregation who have a similar story will have the courage to do as Mrs. White," Free said. "We see her testimony as a gift from God to our church and are grateful He allowed us to be a part of this."

Meanwhile, while she was leading White to Jesus, Campbell reflected on her late husband, Henry, to whom she had been married for 34 years.

During their time together, Henry was a deacon in the church but admitted to her that he had not made a profession of faith. At age 64, Henry accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.

"I was surprised he wasn't a Christian because he had been serving in the church so long," Campbell said. "We as Christians need to realise that some of our people are active in service but don't know Jesus."

Campbell said what happened to her late husband and her friend Mrs. White is a reminder "that it's never too late to become a Christian and that you should never give up on a person. It takes time, a lot of time."
The Bible Book That Doesn't Mention God: 3 Things To Learn From Esther

There's a book in the Bible that doesn't mention God at all. It reads more like a thriller or a historical novel than a Bible book. It has jealousy, treachery, romance, betrayal, bloodshed and a (reasonably) happy ending.

It's a great read, but it doesn't mention God. So why is it in the Bible  and what does God's absence from its pages have to tell us today?

The story: it's set in the time of the Exile, before the Jews returned to Jerusalem. King Xerxes, also known as Ahasuerus, was a Persian king famous for his attempt to invade Greece. He was married to Queen Vashti, and gave a feast for his nobles at which wine flowed freely. He ordered Vashti to appear at the feast, and courageously she refused. He repudiated her and decreed that "women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest" throughout his empire (1:20).

He then collected women from all over his empire for his harem, in what was actually a case of wholesale sexual slavery. A young Jewish woman, Hadassah, took his fancy and he made her his queen, as Esther.

Esther's uncle Mordecai was responsible for saving the king's life from assassins. However, he fell foul of an official of the king, Haman, who accused him of failing to show him respect. Haman's response was to attempt to destroy all Mordecai's people throughout the empire. (3:8). He convinced the king to order their destruction. At Mordecai's urging, Esther approached the king at the risk of execution and  after various plot twists  revealed her Jewish identity and accused Haman of trying to kill her and her people. Haman was hanged, or more likely impaled; the Jews were given permission to "destroy, kill and annihilate" their enemies, with their women and children (8:11), a permission of which they took full advantage. Esther asked for an extension of the bloodletting (9:13) and for the impalement of Haman's 10 sons; 800 men were killed in the capital Susa and 75,000 elsewhere in the empire. The Jews were saved, Mordecai was promoted and the events have been celebrated on the Feast of Purim ever since.

It's fair to say that the book of Esther is usually rather sanitised for Christian consumption, with the bloodthirsty bits decorously skated over. But what does it say to us about God, without mentioning God?

First, if God is anonymous it doesn't mean he's absent. Mordecai says to Esther: "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" In other words, you have been placed here in God's providence so that He can save His people through the choices you make. The whole book is about the people of God, and how they are miraculously preserved to bear testimony to His salvation down the generations.

Second, it speaks of the importance of right choices. Esther was not naturally heroic. When Mordecai first tells her she should speak to the king about Haman's plot, she is terrified. The king hasn't called for her for the last month  perhaps he has simply tired of her. If she goes into his presence without being told she might be executed; the king won't put up with more disrespect. Mordecai warns her the Jews will be saved one way or another, but she and her family will perish. It's her fear for her own safety that makes her do the right thing  but she does it. In the choices we make, our motives may be mixed and our hearts may be fearful, but we can still be heroes.

Third, it is absolutely true to life. Most of us, most of the time, don't hear God speaking in an audible voice. If we are wise, we'll pray regularly and read our Bibles, but we don't look for specific guidance on every detail of our lives; most of the time, we just live. God has given us minds and spirits capable of solving problems and rising to challenges because we're human. This is a story of people doing their triumphant best in line with God's will because of the relationship they already have with him, not because they are gifted with supernatural strength, courage or wisdom. We can admire Mordecai and Esther because they are like us.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Welby Weighs In Over Abuse Of Article 50 Judges

The Archbishop of Canterbury joined calls for Theresa May to admonish newspapers that attacked the three judges who ruled Parliament must vote on triggering Article 50.

Justin Welby said he was "horrified" at the "trolling" on the Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the lord chief justice, Sir Terence Etherton, the master of the rolls and Lord Justice Sales, the lord justice of appeal.

The Daily Mail described them as "enemies of the people" in a front-page headline after the ruling that said MPs must debate and vote before Article 50 can be triggered. The government had argued Parliament did not have a say and the Prime Minister could trigger the UK's exit from the European Union without consulting the House of Commons.

Theresa May has said she will appeal the ruling.

The Daily Telegraph's front page ran the leader: "the judges versus the people" and the Daily Express said "three judges yesterday blocked Brexit". The Sun also contributed to the critism with the headline: "who do EU think you are".

Justin Welby joined heavy criticism of the papers on Saturday with a series of tweets and a Facebook post. "British values call for honest but good disagreeing," he wrote. "We need reconciliation, not abuse.

"Those criticising the judges are not distinguishing between "Should we leave EU?" (yes we should, the vote said so) and "How legally do we do it?" (parliament confirms it)."

The Archbishop, who will have a vote should the issue reach the House of Lords, praised Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General and QC, who described the abuse as "chilling" and reminiscent of "Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe".

Grieve urged May to calm the row and said attacks on the judiciary were "chilling and outrageous" and "smacking of the fascist state".

After a long silence after the High Court ruling Theresa May said the "important principle" of democracy is at stake.

In an article for the Sunday Telegraph Theresa May warned there would be no "re-fighting the battles of the past" and declared there was no going back on Brexit.

The Prime Minister and her Lord Chancellor Liz Truss were also criticised for their failure to condemn the abuse. The Bar Council released a statement on Saturday afternoon saying it "condemns the serious and unjustified attacks on the judiciary arising out of the Article 50 litigation".

The statement went on: "It regrets the lack of public statement by the Lord Chancellor condemning these attacks and calls upon the Lord Chancellor to do so as a matter of urgency.

"A strong independent judiciary is essential to a functioning democracy and to upholding the rule of law."

Hours later Truss released her own statement. "The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and our judiciary is rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality," she said.

"In relation to the case heard in the High Court, the Government has made it clear it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal process must be followed."
Two Fort Worth women are considering a lawsuit after a Texas trooper allegedly ripped a nipple piercing in one woman's breast, according to Dallas TV station KXAS.

The trooper - identified by arrest records at Michael Tice - is on administrative duty pending an investigation, according to a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

The problems started when Tayler Myers, 18, and Courtney Palacios, 19, got pulled over for speeding as they were heading home from a Houston concert Monday.

READ MORE: Lawsuit: Police dog had teeth filed, still caused wound

The trooper who stopped them near Waco said he found a pill in vehicle and collared the women and their two male friends for drug possession, the TV station reported.

When the women - who said they knew nothing about the pill - were booked in the Falls County Jail, the trooper told them to take out their piercings.

NBC DFW

"And then we told him, 'Well, where do we go to take out our nipple rings?'" Myers told KXAS. "And he was like, 'You are going to have to do it right here, in the open'."

READ MORE: Harris County woman sues, says police officer broke her leg

They both took out their right piercings, but had trouble with the left side.

So the trooper allegedly picked up a pair of pliers and decided to lend a hand.

"He came up to me and he got really close to it, and he was just staring," Palacios recounted.

"He's like, 'I think it unscrews from the left side.' So then, without gloves or anything  and I could see dirt under his nails, it was extremely disgusting  he gets on there and he tries to twist it and he starts shaking from trying so hard and he ends up pulling it and ripping it and it starts bleeding."

READ MORE: Attorneys for Texas man want lawsuit dismissed

Palacios shrieked in pain and the trooper backed away.

"It was extremely uncomfortable and uncalled for and I don't think he should have been anywhere near me," she said.

In the end, they never managed to get the piercing out.

READ MORE: Texas police investigate Trump sign laced with razors

A female employee helped remove Myers' piercing, but she still described the trooper's actions as "not right."

Afterward, the pierced pair found a Fort Worth lawyer to take their case.

"He has violated every policy and procedure known to police work," said attorney Curtis Fortinberry.

"That is just absolutely mind-boggling that he would do this."
Monday

Chamberlain Hrdlicka Annual Tax and Business Seminar: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Westin Houston Memorial City, 945 Gessner.

Keynote speaker: Stephen Klineberg, founding director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University.

Keynote presentation: "Prophetic City: Houston at the Cusp of a Changing America."

Cost: $150 in advance; $175 on-site.

Reservations: www.chamberlainlaw.com/news-eventsrsvp-205.html.

Job Search 101: 1-3 p.m., 3300 Chimney Rock, Suite 102.

Topic: Job search teams. Also held on Thursday 1-3 p.m.

Cost: Free.

Reservations: http://js101.org, 832-834-3324 or js101info@gmail.com.

Tuesday

Job Search 101: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 3300 Chimney Rock, Suite 102.

Topic: Resume development. A resume lab will be held from 1-3 p.m.

Cost: Free.

Reservations: http://js101.org, 832-834-3324 or js101info@gmail.com.

National Association of Women in Construction: Houston Chapter meeting. 5:30 p.m., Maggiano's, 2019 Post Oak Blvd.

Reservations: Sandy Field, rsvp@nawic-houston.org.

Get Together Northwest: Lunch meeting highlighting Home Place of Texas. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Champion Forest Baptist Church, multipurpose building, 15555 Stuebner Airline.

Information: 281-253-9600.

Wednesday

MIT Enterprise forum of Texas: Meeting. 5:30-8:30 p.m., Houston Technology Center, 410 Pierce.

Speaker: William Radasky, president of Metatech Corp.

Topic: The vulnerability of the U.S. electrical grid.

Cost: $20-$40.

Registration: www.miteftexas.org.

Worldwide Employee Benefits Network: Houston Chapter meeting. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Maggiano's Little Italy, 2019 Post Oak Blvd.

Speaker: Tucker Maxwell, senior account executive with LTC Solutions.

Topic: The current state of long-term care insurance.

Cost: $30-$55.

Information: Nancy Gilbert at ngilbert@sarofim.com or 713-308-2717.

Job Search 101: 1-3 p.m., 3300 Chimney Rock, Suite 102.

Topic: Negotiating.

Cost: Free.

Reservations: http://js101.org, 832-834-3324 or js101info@gmail.com.

Thursday

Greater Houston Port Bureau: Luncheon. 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m., Brady's Landing, 8505 Cypress.

Topic: Janiece Longoria of the Port of Houston Authority. Topic: The Port of Houston and Global Trade.

Cost: $40-$45.

Reservations: 713-678-4300 or www.txgulf.org.

Sugar Land Heritage Foundation: Speakeasy party. 5:30-8:30 p.m., Anson Aviation, Sugar Land Regional Airport, 12890-A Texas 6, Sugar Land.

Cost: $50.

Reservations: www.slheritage.org.

Saturday

American Women's Society of CPAs: Mini-seminar. 8-11 a.m., Four Oaks Conference Center, 1330 Post Oak Blvd.

Topics: IRS identity theft update presented by Jason Webb, special agent with the IRS; Cross-cultural communications/leadership lessons presented by Patricia Villafranca, retired FBI special agent.

Cost: $35-$55.

Information: www.awscpahouston.org.
Sgt. David Hunter of the Liberty County Pct. 5 Constable's Office presented the Tarkington Area Community Crime Watch Program with both old and new tips to a group of concerned citizens in Tarkington Prairie at the Faith Tabernacle on Nov. 1.

The program began in January 2015 and is designed to help residents of Tarkington Prairie keep watch for criminal activity and help prevent or report it in order to better protect the citizens.

Hunter is the primary speaker of the program and explains how useful it is not only to local residents but also local law enforcement. He cited an incident where the program helped local law enforcement stop criminal activity.

"We worked through some nights and actually caught some thieves," he said.

The program has a Facebook page titled Tarkington Area Community Watch, which is monitored by Kasey Mabe and Patricia DeSpain. Local residents can post any potential criminal activity on the site.

The page also has the Liberty County Sheriff's Office non-emergency phone number, which connects to a dispatcher that operates 24/7.

Hunter also provided tips to those present on how to keep their homes, businesses and other property from being targeted by thieves.

"Most burglaries take place in the morning between 7 a.m. and noon," he said. "That's when these thieves know that's when most of us go to work."

One such tip Hunter gives is to never announce when you are gone from your home, such as when leaving on vacation. This includes making an announcement on social media.

"They [thieves] watch everything you post," he said.

A thief does not even have to be within your list of friends. They can find this information if they happen to be connected with some of your mutual friends.

Hunter advises using a number of protective measures on homes and other property, such as motion lighting, alarm systems, street lights, dogs or anything that draws attention to them.

Other tips include using dead bolt locks, fenced yards with locked gates, locking doors upon leaving your home, moving property such as vehicles out of site when not in use and making sure your house address number is visible on the property.

Hunter emphasized this last one's importance as it can help law enforcement and other emergency personnel find houses much easier. This includes EMS workers.

"You can never tell when you might need medical assistance," he said.

Hunter also made it clear that with the recent developments in the Houston area, many people from that area including criminals are migrating towards areas such as Tarkington Prairie.

"There's a lot of Harris County moving this way," he said.

This provides a challenge to law enforcement officers who need to make quick decisions in handling situations. Based on the involved elements in a situation, this can result in the unfortunate loss of life.

Hunter asked the crowd to be understanding of these instances even when their actions are reported as being careless.

"If we did it, it's because we had to," Hunter said.

Hunter explained that law enforcement officers do their jobs because it's in their heart.

"I know these guys," he said while pointing to fellow law enforcement officers present at the meeting. "They're doing the best they can."

The Tarkington Area Community Crime Watch program also relies upon cooperation among the citizens. Hunter stated that citizens need to get to know their neighbors and look out for one another to prevent more crime.

"Maybe if you and your neighbor get along, they'll watch out for you," he said.

A new tip given in the program is to be mindful of much older vehicles with paper tags.

Paper tags on a vehicle are known as E-tags and are temporary placeholders for a vehicle's license plates. While they are not uncommon on used vehicles, Hunter says a much older vehicle, which he describes as a beater with temporary tags, should raise a red flag.

"It's because they're registering month to month," he said.

Using temporary tags over and over again makes it harder to track vehicles according to Hunter.

Hunter also says children should learn safety tips as well such as knowing their home address and to be mindful of their surroundings.

The more people keeping watch for criminals, the better it is for local law enforcement to apprehend them. Hunter made it clear though that while self-defense is one issue, no citizen should try to be a hero.

Anyone with information regarding criminal activity in the local area is expected to report it by phone to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office or to the Facebook page. Signs are available to be placed in a resident's yard to notify criminals that they are being watched.

To purchase one of the signs, call Graphics Etc. at 281-593-2770. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 936-336-4500. Hunter can be reached at 281-593-3189. Tarkington Prairie residents are encouraged to join the Tarkington Area Community Crime Watch Facebook page and participate in the program.

"The purpose it was designed for is for the community," said Hunter. "For us to work together."
Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated ISD hosted the second "Churches & Schools Join Hands" luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 1, with nearly a dozen local ministries represented.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Leland Moore welcomed church leaders to discuss areas of concern mutual to schools and churches.

"These first two meetings have laid the foundation for cooperation and progress," said Moore about the meeting. "Our area pastors and church leaders have committed to making this initiative a truly collaborative, effective way to improve the lives of students and this community."

Clyde Hardin of New Destiny Fellowship discussed an after school program that might be funded by a grant, and a presentation was given by community member Katy Gibson for 3-Screens, an innovative motivational school assembly program that helps students learn important lessons on character, positive life choices and consequences of poor decisions.

Attendees included representatives from Victory Gospel Church, New Destiny Fellowship, Magnolia Baptist Church, Point Blank Community Church, Gospel Lakes Ranch New Waverly, Big Creek Cowboy Church, First Baptist Church of Coldspring, Coldspring United Methodist Church and more.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 10, at noon in the COCISD Administration Building's large conference room. All local ministers and church leaders are invited to attend. Lunch will be provided. For more information or to RSVP, call Cindy Elliott at 936-653-1114.
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A Conroe man could face life in prison after he was convicted Thursday on a slew of federal drug charges, the DEA said in a release last week.

Oscar Benitez, 44, had been the target of a federal drug investigation since early 2011, when DEA agents in Philadelphia seized 4 kilograms of cocaine out of a vehicle from the Houston area.

Feds found out the car had recently been sold by Arcola-based Bensol Auto Sales, a business Benitez owned.

READ MORE: Chipotle executive back on job after cocaine possession charge

That was when Houston agents realized one of their confidential informants had already been interacting with Benitez, who boasted that he moved 25 to 100 kilograms of the drug at a time.

Then in summer 2011, North Carolina Highway Patrol pulled over a pickup truck hauling 81 kilograms of cocaine.

The driver, Reuben Orozco-Garcia made a $9,000 deposit into a Bensol Auto Sales bank account the day of the bust - and prosecutors say Benitez was using that account to launder drug money. The Conroe man supplied Bensol vehicles to his drug supplier to transport drugs across the country, the jury heard during trial.

READ MORE: Attorney: Cocaine out of character for Marlins' Fernandez

In fall 2013, someone working for Benitez' Mexican drug supplier dropped 20 kilograms of cocaine at the car dealer's Conroe ranch.

Benitez was charged with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to launder money - and the jury found him guilty on all counts. A judge set his sentencing for February.

The Harris County man is facing 10 years to life in prison plus a $10 million fine.

He's been allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing.
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Spring ISD officials say a social media tip led to the arrest of a student who allegedly brought a loaded handgun onto a high school in October.

The juvenile Dekaney High School student faces a charge of possession of a firearm in a prohibited area. He never made it inside, according to Spring ISD Director of Communications Karen Garrison. Spring ISD police stopped the student before he entered the building and confiscated the gun.

"Please know that we take this matter very seriously," Garrison said in a statement. "The safety of our students and staff is always our absolute top priority, and we will take every precaution to ensure they have a safe and secure learning environment."

Spring ISD was at the center of national news coverage back in 2013 when then-17-year-old student Luis Alfaro fatally stabbed fellow student Joshua Broussard, according to previous Houston Chronicle reports. In September 2014, a Harris County jury found Alfaro guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Last month's gun incident was the first weapons incident in the Spring ISD since the fatal stabbing, Garrison said.

"Spring ISD has made safety and security a priority," Garrison said. "Ensuring safe and secure learning and work environments for all students and staff is one of the commitments outlined in our strategic plan, Every Child 2020, which includes recommendations that are part of the bond referendum that is on the November ballot."

Since 2013, the district's police department created a gang suppression unit that monitors activity in the schools. The unit also keeps an eye on social media for anything that may affect the schools.

The Police Department also meets with other law enforcement agencies on a monthly basis to discuss trends in crime in the Spring ISD area. On top of all that, the district expanded mentor programs, increased communication with parents and established an in-district Disciplinary Alternative Education Program at Richey Academy.

"We believe that making students aware of anonymous communication methods that include iWatch, Crimestoppers and our own anonymous tip line, encourages them to share their concerns with school staff and campus police officers," said Garrison, adding that the Police Department has been working on having a positive relationship with students. "Direct reports from our students and parents are how we receive most tips that help us to proactively prevent unwanted activity from occurring on or around our schools."

Anyone with information on crimes within Spring ISD is urged to visit www.iwatchharriscounty.com to report it anonymously.
Black Lives Matter and Anonymous supporters teamed up Saturday for an hours-long protest that snaked through Houston streets and landed at least one man in cuffs.

Dozens of mask-wearing activists bearing profanity-laced signs met up outside City Hall mid-afternoon to give speeches and denounce the government. Some openly smoked marijuana and others set out to flip the American flag upside down outside City Hall - a move that resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old Armageddon Lee.

Later, protesters against police brutality hurled obscenities and squared off with authorities in a series of tense confrontations on city streets. Some marchers taunted officers with shouts of "Oink, oink, bang, bang" and, "Keep 'em fat, where the doughnuts at?"

The rallies kicked off with an action by Anonymous, the anti-government collective that started more than a decade ago as a hacker group. Members often sport Guy Fawkes masks in homage to the dissidents in "V for Vendetta." Every year on Guy Fawkes Day, Anonymous groups across the world gather for a so-called Million Mask March.

The Houston march started as a rally with speakers on the City Hall steps decrying everything from the Dakota Access Pipeline to the war on drugs to college debt to political corruption.

Alexandra Hunter, 27, came in from Baytown to speak out against "what the DNC did to Bernie Sanders."

A man who asked to be identified as Viper also took issue with the state of politics.

"We ended up with Obama because Obama was supposed to become the president," he said. "When your only option is a joke or a mass murderer what are you gonna do?"

When he took to the steps to speak, the 34-year-old discouraged listeners from voting.

Other protesters targeted the economy.

"We need to do away with the capitalist class and instill true democracy," said 27-year-old Joseph Wade, who often attends Houston protests dressed like Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

Sporting a Guy Fawkes mask and plenty of enthusiasm, Lee concurred.

"To be honest with you, I believe that our system based on the monetary system we have has completely thrown off everything and I feel like a barter system would eliminate most of our problems," he said, not long before his arrest.

Amid the speeches and chanting, police finally arrived after Anonymous supporters started spilling into the street.

"You should join us dude," one protester told an officer.

At one point, a small group ventured around the building to flip the flag, an effort that ended with Lee pulled over to the side by police. When officers finally cuffed the Galveston man and hauled him away, protesters responded with a loud chorus of boos.

Back on the steps, ralliers collected blankets, food and winter supplies to hand out to any homeless they encountered along the way as part of an annual Anonymous action known as #OpSafeWinter.

Around 5 p.m., the crowd marched to Market Square Park, chanting, "We are the 99 percent," en route to meet up with Black Lives Matter supporters and a handful of Black Panthers.

"This is a march against police brutality. If you are Blue Lives Matter, this is not the event for you," BLM organizer Kaelyn Bibb, 20, told the growing crowd at the park.

After gathering forces by the fountain, protesters headed back out for the second march, shouting, "Black lives matter," and "Black power."

As they passed by bars and restaurants, some onlookers stared in confusion, while others shouted along in support.

At Capitol and Main, a small group of protesters got in a tense shouting match with police after an obstinate onlooker traded barbs with the marchers.

After four hours of marching and chanting, the group split in two. One set stayed out longer protesting, while the other headed to a nearby bar for a post-protest celebration.
AUSTIN - On a television ad airing ahead of Election Day, Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos declares: "It's voting season in Texas."

The 30-second spot tailored by international public relations giant Burson-Marsteller is supposed to serve as a quick explainer to educate Texans on new voter ID requirements ordered by a federal court.

Yet, Cascos and state officials say they cannot reveal where the secretary of state's office is spending taxpayer money to broadcast those ads and the names of an estimated 1,800 community groups partnering with Texas to circulate voter ID information at the local level.

Texas is using the lion's share of a $2.5 million voter education effort on paid media and outreach to community organizations, but has refused over the course of months to provide details of how and where it's spending public money for the public education campaign.

The secrecy has irked several lawmakers representing areas of the state with heavy minority populations affected by the voter ID law, as confusion over photo identification requirements has been reported around Texas during early voting.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, called it "disturbing" and "unacceptable."

"The lack of transparency from the Secretary of State is disturbing," Ellis said in an email, noting that a federal judge has already scolded Texas for distributing misleading information during its current outreach effort. "Now, they're shrouding the voter education campaign in secrecy and using millions of taxpayer dollars to do it. That is simply unacceptable."

Cascos, who was appointed secretary of state by Gov. Greg Abbott, said Texas is trying to educate voters to the best of its ability, but he pointed to ongoing litigation when asked about the ad buys and community groups.

'Pending litigation'



Texas' main argument to withhold the information boils down to this: Burson-Marsteller drew up the plans and provided them to the state under contract as "proprietary" information.

A federal judge in August sealed records related to ad buy markets and community groups targeted to receive "digital tool kits" with updated voter ID information. The secretary of state's office has since used the court seal as one of its reasons to deny media inquiries for the information.

Along with documents related to the current outreach program, the secretary of state's office has refused to disclose information related to ad buys and market placement for a voter education campaign in 2014, the first statewide election cycle in which the voter ID law was used. The agency also will not release the name of a state lawmaker it wrote a letter addressing details of the 2014 education effort.

The 2014 documents are not under federal seal, but the secretary of state's office has asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to allow the agency to withhold their release, arguing they are part of "pending litigation." The secretary of state's office has made the same argument with Paxton's office to withhold documents about ad buys related to the current education campaign.

Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, said the agency's is seeking to "protect the propriety interests of the state related to information purchased through a vendor."

"The public information act protects not only information sealed by court order but also information that is a subject of pending litigation," she said.

Paul Watler, a Dallas-based attorney who represents newspapers and broadcasters in public information and First Amendment cases, said the pending litigation exception in the Texas open records law is very effective for state agencies because it so broad.

"There are no real limits to that test," he said. "If it relates to pending litigation in anyway the information can be withheld."

'Proprietary and confidential information'

The secretary of state's office has said its ads are running statewide and that 30-second spots started airing on television and radio in mid-October but hasn't provided a breakdown for market-by-market spending. It also has not identified a single community group that received a digital tool kit.

Without more details, experts say, the public will be left in the dark about levels of ad spending in markets with large minority populations and which groups Texas is distributing education materials to.

A softened version of what was once considered the strictest voter ID law in the country is being implemented in Texas for the current election. In August, a federal judge in Corpus Christi ordered that people lacking one of seven state-mandated forms of photo identification will be allowed to cast a ballot by showing an alternate ID and signing an affidavit.

Texas was also ordered to conduct a robust education campaign about the changes as a court fight over the law continues to play out.

The only detailed information released so far has been in a court document in which the state says it planned to spend $1.3 million on paid media, another $256,000 for ad production and strategy and around $179,000 on "community engagement" with some 1,800 unnamed organizations. The total for those expenditures comes to nearly 70 percent of the $2.5 million that the state is spending.

Texas argued in court filings that documents related to the ad buys and community groups include "proprietary" and "confidential" information provided by Burson-Marsteller, which designed the state's voter education campaign. State lawyers also cited a 1978 case involving President Richard Nixon, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that media outlets could not have access to tapes from a Watergate obstruction trial.

Asked about the issue, Cascos earlier this week deferred to the court's sealing of the records.

"You'd have to take up that with the federal court," he said.

When pressed on the state's argument about the need to guard information provided by Burson-Marsteller over the public's access, Cascos said: "I was not involved."

'High burden'

However, that explanation falls short for some lawmakers.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat, said the public has a right to know how its dollars to educate voters are being used.

"While the state may believe there's an interest in wanting to protect this information, it's a very high burden and I don't think they've met it," said Martinez Fischer, who also chairs one of the civil rights groups suing Texas over its voter ID law.

State Rep. Poncho Nevarez, D-Eagle Pass, said cloaking important components of the voter ID education campaign in secrecy hurts the public's trust in how the state is using taxpayer money. Nevarez said he wants an explanation from the secretary of state's office about why the information is being kept secret.

"There's no reason why they shouldn't be transparent," he said. "Let's take the argument in good faith that their might be proprietary information regarding the ads. But when it comes to the community groups, there's no reason the public shouldn't know that."

'1,800 community groups'

According to a court document, Texas planned to send "digital tool kits" to 1,800 community groups with updated voter ID information as part of a strategy that "capitalizes on the connections community groups and organizations have to share information."

Elaine Wiant, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas, said her organization was never contacted by the secretary of state's office or Burson-Marsteller, despite being one of the largest active groups doing voter outreach.

"We've had many communications with the secretary of state's office on this," she said, "and it is a bit surprising they're engaging with community organizations and not including us."

On Friday, the secretary of state's office said it had sent out more than 1,800 digital tool kits to date and that the agency has been in regular contact with the League of Women Voters of Texas, including sharing information about its education efforts and having Cascos speak at events with local chapters.
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.
Caritas Cehia in cautarea unui expert/unei experte sau unei echipe de experti in prestarea serviciilor de consiliere psihologica (pe segmentul burnout) pentru echipa mobila de prestare a serviciilor psiho-sociale pentru refugiatii ucraineni
BEREA, Ohio -- At what has become a much anticipated event, Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem and the Active Senior Network presented the city's annual blanket making party Saturday evening inside the Berea Recreation Center.

The gymnasium, hallways and other open spaces were filled with large tables on which full-size fleece blankets were carefully clipped and constructed. Young and old alike participated in the project, from families and friends to people who traveled from afar to spread the warmth. Food, refreshments and door prizes were offered during the evening.

For Berea resident Mary Myers, the event was a time to celebrate the city in which she has resided for nearly 50 years.

"It's such a wonderful opportunity to help other people and just to show community spirit," Myers said while smoothing colorful swatches of material and positioning templates provided for accurate cutting. "What I like is that it's so Berea. I just love the feeling that someone is going to be so cozy and feel so loved that somebody took the time to make them a blanket."

Mayor Kleem's mother, Farrel, explained that the project emerged after her cousin discovered people in dire need living not far from his gated community in the Carolinas. He started a charity and made blankets. Farrel took up the cause in her home several years ago with just 10 women beside her. That's a far cry from the large crowd in evidence Saturday night.

"The next year more ladies wanted to come, and finally we just didn't have room in our house anymore," Farrel said. "It just keeps building. It's nice because the people in Berea have just been wonderful."

Nearly every open space in the Berea Recreation Center was used for blanket makers Saturday evening.

Watching everyone working together for a common cause seemed to evoke a warm and fuzzy feeling beyond even the soft comfort of a bright new blanket.

"We never dreamed it would be like this," she said. "It's so easy that kids can do it. And the people who receive them are so appreciative."

This year's blanket recipients are Malachi House, Family Promise and Edna House.
ELYRIA, Ohio -- We all know that Cleveland rocks. But Elyria -- just about 30 miles West of Cleveland -- rocks, too. Well, it has rocks, that is, amazing boulders bigger than houses tumbled along the Black River in historic Cascade Park.

The park is 135 acres of river, rocks that were rolled by the glaciers, and beautiful fall colors. It's free -- and easy to find. The stillness of the massive, silent stones, the whispering of the water, and the dazzling bursts of blazing leaves make for a mesmerizing walk that's just a short drive from Cleveland.

The Berea Sandstone, Bedford Shale and Cleveland Shale has been sitting in the park for more than 300 million years, frozen and eroded over time, and shoved about by glaciers that covered the area 13,000 years ago. Popping up along the river and through the rocks are Buckeye Trees, Cottonwoods, Tulip Populars, Maples, Black Walnuts and Willows among others. There is even a playground and picnic areas.

And let's not forget the falls themselves, easily viewed by a bridge that passes over the river.

This fall getaway is in reach!

See the Lorain County Metro Parks Website for park times and directions.
VERMILION, Ohio -- An Erie County man has been charged with murder in the death of a 58-year-old man Sunday in Vermilion Township.

Ian C. Seckt, 22, of Huron, is accused of killing David Quint at a house on Avenue A in the Mitiwanga Beach subdivision, the Erie County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Investigators did not say how or when Quint died. The Lucas County Sheriff's Office is performing an autopsy.

Seckt later told investigators he caused Quint's death, the sheriff's office said.

Seckt remains in custody at the Erie County Jail, records show. His first appearance in Vermilion Municipal Court has not been scheduled.

The Huron Police Department arrested Seckt on an outstanding warrant just after 12:45 a.m. on Middle Avenue in Huron. The warrant accused Seckt of several property crimes and identified Quint as the victim, the sheriff's office said.

Family members told police that Seckt had been at Quint's house shortly before being arrested. The family members requested a welfare check on Quint.

Sheriff's deputies checked Quint's house and found him dead. Evidence found in the house indicated a homicide, the sheriff's office said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted in processing the scene.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Sunday's crime and courts comments section.
penalty.jpg

Guest columnist Bob Taft, the 67th governor of Ohio, calls on Ohio's state legislators to enact reforms to the state's death penalty.

(Robert Higgs/cleveland.com/file photo)

Bob Taft is the former governor of Ohio.

Guest columnist Bob Taft served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999-2007. He now teaches at the University of Dayton

When I ran for governor in 1998, I hadn't given a great deal of thought to the duty I would be assuming to review clemency requests in death penalty cases. I campaigned on education, job creation and environmental issues.

However, as Governor I spent a lot of time reviewing the clemency cases that came before me. The death penalty is irreversible, and I wanted to make certain there was no question about guilt and no procedural errors.

At the time, the death penalty was an option I supported because it was pursuant to laws that had been enacted by the elected representatives of the people of Ohio. However, after reflecting on the cases I reviewed and the recommendations of the Ohio Supreme Court task force on the death penalty, I have come to have serious reservations about the effectiveness and necessity of capital punishment in most cases where it has been applied.

My first concern is that Ohio law allows the execution of individuals with serious mental illness. I believe this practice is not humane based on current standards of decency and the opinions of mental health experts across Ohio. Senate Bill 162 would end this practice, and I urge state legislators to enact it at the earliest possible date.

The legislature should also act to eliminate felony murders from the category of offenses to which the death sentence can be applied. These are murders in combination with other crimes often where murder was not the original intent, such as kidnapping, rape, aggravated arson, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary.

Felony murder cases have accounted for the vast majority of death cases in Ohio, and they are a major cause of the substantial racial and geographic disparities in the use of capital punishment, casting doubt about whether our criminal justice system is providing "equal protection under the laws." Fewer than 7 percent of felony murder cases result in a death sentence, which raises the issue of whether they are part of a "plea bargaining" strategy pursued by prosecutors.

The Supreme Court Task Force on the Administration of Ohio's Death Penalty was comprised of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, legislators, and legal experts. It completed its work in 2014 after a careful examination of Ohio's death penalty process; the two reforms I am endorsing are part of their recommendations.

Now is the time for the Ohio General Assembly to enact these reforms into law.

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue) just below.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.
Confederate Flag Future

The Confederate battle flags sometimes shows up in the most unexpected places. Maybe it's a sign of the times.

(Dave Martin, Associated Press)

Confederate flags appeared suddenly on the fronts of two houses within a five-minute walk of my home in Euclid late this past summer. The flags stood out in sharp relief because nearly every other house on the street showcased the American flag.

I began occasionally jogging and driving down the street, hoping to catch the flags' owners in their yards, although I really wasn't sure what I would have said or done if I had. I was more curious about the flags than offended. Free speech rights extend to flags, especially when that speech is expressed on private property.

It was the timing more than anything that got my attention. Did recently transplanted Southerners fly the rebel flag? Or were these flags designed to make some other social or political statement? Were my unknown neighbors deliberately trying to be a part of a coarsening and odious presidential campaign?

Then, several weeks ago, both flags came down and a "For Rent" sign was planted in front of one of the homes. The street seemingly returned to its look of suburban, middle-class normality.

But, what is normal anymore?

If anything, the current presidential election has demonstrated that the United States is a deeply divided nation that doesn't feel remotely united or normal. Spidery fissures have been illuminated. Potentially dangerous divisions that go well beyond class, race and geographic lines are readily apparent. Our national identity seems to be in dispute.

In 2016, what exactly does it mean to be an American? What does it mean to be a good American with a sense of honor, duty and patriotism? Sometimes, it seems that we no longer know or can identify sacred values, core principles and shared ideals that should define us as a people and a nation.

Some prognosticators forecast that the next occupant of the Oval Office will experience considerable difficulty governing, as untold numbers of Americans may reject the legitimacy of the election or the elected. That terrifying thought must not become a reality if the United States is to remain strong - and united.

As a young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln worried about such a possibility. He warned in 1838 that unruly mobs that disrespect the laws of the land or the nation's courts, could potentially destroy America.

"Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never!" Lincoln said in one of his earliest published speeches.

"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected?

"If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."

Twenty-three years after he delivered that speech, a divided nation went to war. More than 620,000 soldiers died in the Civil War, which divided families, friends and neighborhoods and devastated a nation.

I often reflect on the wisdom of Lincoln. I thought of him when I saw the Confederate flags flying in my neighborhood this summer. I also remembered his highly relevant warning.

Although much has changed about the nature of international threats and security since Lincoln's presidency, one of the greatest threats to America continues to be Americans.
Campaign 2016 Trump

People chant towards the media area before a rally with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

WASHINGTON -- Even before they elect a new president, voters are signaling a continued stalemate post-election on major issues such as health care, immigration and the Supreme Court. Hillary Clinton's supporters are eager for compromise on such issues. Donald Trump's backers want the government to stand on principle even if it means continued paralysis, a new McClatchy-Marist Poll found. "Democrats are willing to compromise. Republicans aren't," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the survey.

Supporters of Clinton think it's important for government officials to find common ground, but John Swinson of Wilmington, N.C., a Clinton voter, wasn't optimistic. "In Utopia, I'd like to see compromise but with the political environment that is going on now, that's impossible," he said. "It's a stand on principle and I don't give an inch." "You have to have border control," said George Wooton of Hazard, Ky. "I go with principle."

In general, 64 percent of likely voters said it's important for government officials to compromise to find solutions, the poll found. Eighty percent of Clinton backers but only about half of Trump's supporters agreed. On specific issues, the division is deeper. On the Supreme Court, for example, Trump supporters appear to support blocking any Democratic appointments, either in the remainder of Barack Obama's presidency or at the start of a Clinton term, if she doesn't accept their views.

The Republican-run Senate has refused to consider Obama's nomination of federal appellate Judge Merrick Garland to the court and some Republican senators have suggested the court can proceed with eight members and one vacancy well into the future should Clinton win. That seems fine with Trump backers. Sixty-five percent urge government officials to stand on principle regarding a Supreme Court nominee even if it means a vacant seat on the court. Seventy-four percent of Clinton supporters want compromise. Attitudes are similar on other incendiary issues.

Trump has made cracking down on undocumented immigrants and building a wall between the United States and Mexico central to his campaign. Fifty-three percent of his supporters want government officials to stick to his principles on immigration even if it means nothing gets done, while 84 percent of Clinton backers see it more important to compromise. There's a similar separation on allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. Clinton has been sympathetic.

Trump has urged suspending immigration from any nation he says has been "compromised by terrorism until such time it's proven that vetting mechanisms have been put in place." Eighty percent of Clinton loyalists want compromise; 70 percent of Trump supporters say stand on principle.

Another major Trump initiative involves the 2010 Affordable Care Act. He supports repealing and replacing it. Clinton wants to keep the keep the law but try to improve it. Eighty-three percent of her supporters see compromise as important, while 55 percent of Trump supporters want government officials to stand on principle.

Jordan Adams of La Cygne, Kansas, sees compromise as fine at times, but not on getting rid of the health care law. "It's important to stand your ground on health care," said Trump supporter. "I believe in a free market." But Valarie Grimes, a Clinton supporter from Savannah, Ga., saw a need for finding common ground on a wide range of issues. "I believe compromise is important," she said.

On guns, Clinton has suggested some curbs; Trump has been an advocate for gun owners. Nearly 80 percent of Clinton voters want compromise, while seven of 10 Trump backers urge sticking to principle. On economic issues, where the differences between candidates has not been as pointed, there's some sign of possible agreement. Eighty-three percent of Clinton voters want compromise on possible tax increases, while 51 percent of Trump followers feel the same way.

On trade, Trump has said he would get tough. Clinton won't go that far, but during the campaign said she opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. During negotiations four years ago, she called it the "gold standard." Eighty-three percent of Clinton supporters want compromise, but so do 56 percent of Trump supporters. And 84 percent of Clinton backers want common ground on a minimum wage; so do 61 percent of Trump backers.

Voters also were largely united in saying it was important for the losing candidate to publicly acknowledge the winner. Even if the loser does not concede _ and Trump has suggested he may not _ overwhelming majorities from both sides said the winner can move on as president. But they also see lingering divisions. Most Clinton and Trump supporters expect many or some efforts to intimidate voters Tuesday, and 63 percent of Trump backers see the election as rigged in Clinton's favor, as their candidate has repeatedly claimed. Seven percent of Clinton backers see the results tilted for Trump.

-- By David Lightman, McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Standing on his front porch, Frederick Douglass could look east into Maryland, and see the land where he was born into slavery.

And he could look north into downtown Washington, and see where he served 19th President Rutherford Hayes as U.S. marshal.

Is there anyone in U.S. history who so embodies the struggles and triumphs of African-American life than Douglass, the abolitionist, writer and orator who was born a slave and died a diplomat?

Visitors to the nation's capital can explore his complex and fascinating life at the large home he lived in from 1877 until his death in 1895. In 1972, the National Park Service opened the property to the public as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

The Smithsonian Institution's new National Museum of African American History and Culture has generated tremendous interest from the public in the struggles and triumphs of black America, in both the nation's capital and beyond.

But if you can't get into the new museum - and even if you can - there are numerous other sites around town that offer their own unique insight and perspective on African-American life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

After years of planning, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial opened in August 2011, just off the National Mall, across the Tidal Basin from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

The centerpiece of the memorial is a 30-foot-tall, white-granite carving of King. With his arms crossed and looking straight ahead, King appears focused and determined.

On one side of the statue, this quote: "Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope," from King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. Two large pieces of granite, at the entrance to the memorial off Independence Avenue, represent that mountain of despair.

(A paraphrased version of another King quote was removed from the statue in 2013, after criticism that it was misinterpreted. Look closely and you can see the spot where it was etched out.)

Bordering the memorial is a 450-foot Inscription Wall, with excerpts from 14 of King's most poignant and influential speeches and sermons, including this favorite, from 1967: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

From the King memorial, it's a short walk to the Lincoln Memorial, where you can look for the plaque that marks the place King stood when he delivered that famous "I have a Dream" speech.

U Street Corridor/African-American Civil War Memorial

In the 1920s, Washington's U Street Corridor was known as the "Black Broadway," a cultural center for the city's African-American community. Duke Ellington grew up and performed here. Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald were regulars, as well.

About 2 miles north of the National Mall, the neighborhood is not far from historically-black Howard University and is easily accessible via Metrorail.

In the 1950s, with the end of legalized segregation and the suburbanization of America's cities, the neighborhood lost its vibrancy. It was the epicenter of Washington's race riots in 1968, following the assassination of King. It devolved into one of the city's most neglected, scariest neighborhoods.

But during the past 15 years or so, the neighborhood has staged a remarkable comeback. Today, it's a popular shopping and dining destination, particularly for the young and hip.

The corner of U and 14 streets is the center of the action, with activity in every direction.

Among the recommended places to eat here: Mulebone, serving up creative comfort food, including fried green tomatoes, catfish tenders and skillet mac and cheese (2121 14th St. NW); and Marvin, which combines traditional soul food with Belgian cuisine, a nod to D.C. native Marvin Gaye (2007 14th St. NW).

There's also neighborhood mainstay Ben's Chili Bowl, serving up chili and half-smoke sausages for the past 58 years.

In addition, numerous clubs are still destinations for music lovers, including the historic Howard Theatre and Lincoln Theatre.

Also in this neighborhood: The African-American Civil War Memorial and Museum, at the corner of Vermont Avenue NW and U Street.

The centerpiece of the memorial is a 9-foot-tall bronze statue, Spirit of Freedom, which features three soldiers and a sailor on one side, and a family saying goodbye to a soldier on the other.

Across the street, a former school gym is home to a modest museum that tells the story of the U.S. Colored Troops, formed during the Civil War.

African Americans were initially prohibited from fighting during the Civil War, though they were permitted to serve in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Federal law was changed in mid-1862, which allowed black soldiers to fight.

Black troops played a major role in the Vicksburg campaign in June 1863; the Battle of Nashville in 1864; and the Siege of Petersburg late in the war.

By war's end, 209,000 African-American men had served. Among them: Frederick Douglass' two sons, Charles and Lewis.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Douglass dubbed his grand Washington home Cedar Hill, because of the cedar trees on the property. The house had 12 rooms when he bought it; he added a nine-room expansion off the back within a few years.

About 70 percent of the contents of the house are original, including hundreds of books, Douglass' iconic derby hat, sunglasses and several canes on display in the study.

In his bedroom: dumbbells he used to stay in shape. And in the parlor: a violin he taught himself to play (along with three languages).

Also hanging in the parlor is a painting that Douglass and his second wife, Helen Pitts, purchased on their honeymoon in Italy. The painting is a scene from the Shakespeare play, "Othello" -- symbolic, according to tour guide Chaniece Summers, because like Othello, Douglass was a black man married to a white woman.

His adult children, and much of the country, were outraged by the marriage.

"He was truly an integrationist at heart," said Ka'mal McClarin, site manager of the Douglass site. He pointed out that Douglass was biracial himself, his mother a slave and his father most likely the owner of the plantation.

The house is located in Washington's historically-black Anacostia neighborhood, just across the Anacostia River from downtown. Ironically, when Douglass bought the house, he broke a restrictive covenant on the property that prohibited its sale to anyone of African descent.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Anacostia suffered from white flight, an influx of public housing and an increase in crime. In recent years, the area has enjoyed significant reinvestment and redevelopment.

The history of the neighborhood can be explored at the nearby Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Also nearby:

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, 1318 Vermont Ave. NW: This three-story Victorian-era townhouse was Bethune's private residence and headquarters for the National Council of Negro Women, which Bethune founded in 1935 to help improve the lives of black women. Bethune also served as an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, a member of his "Black Cabinet." The site is operated by the National Park Service.
More than a decade ago, the illicit diamond trade was among the most urgent of humanitarian causes, with governments and celebrities rallying around efforts to curtail their role in the world's jewelry supply.

The issue has largely faded from the spotlight in recent years, and wars that fueled the worst of the abuses across the African continent have mostly subsided. Yet some experts argue the battle is far from won, even in light of a range of initiatives designed to curtail the flow of stones moving into the $81 billion market, some of which come from regions still roiled by conflict.

Less than 20 years ago, human rights advocates hailed the Kimberley Process, where dozens of countries agreed to impose stiff requirements on diamond certification to ensure they were "conflict free," and prevent such stones from entering the pool of legitimate diamonds.

Today, the overwhelming majority of the world's diamond supply comes from stable countries. However, experts warn that in a handful countries torn by civil strife like Liberia and Sierra Leone, the illicit minerals trade is alive and well  and funding the activities of violent dueling factions.

In a 2015 study, the Enough Project said the main armed groups in the Central African Republic reap anywhere between $3 million and $6 million annually from blood diamonds that funds war operations.

Alice Harle, an expert on minerals from the nonprofit organization Global Witness, told CNBC recently that the "conflict diamond problem has not gone away. ... Companies sourcing diamonds originating in countries like Central African Republic and Zimbabwe may risk indirectly supporting violence," she said via email.
watch now

As Americans head to the polls on Election Day, are hackers also preparing to vote? Some security researchers have found vulnerabilities with the machines some Americans will use to vote. The news comes in a hotly contested election cycle where hacked emails are being deployed furiously in an attempt to sway public opinion. Meanwhile, hackers have already tried to breach election systems in more than 20 states, according to the Department of Homeland Security. According to experts, the people doing the hacking may not have to try hard. "The machines themselves physically have been shown to be very vulnerable," Cris Thomas, a strategist for Tenable Network Security, a Maryland based cybersecurity company, told CNBC's "On the Money" recently. In a related development, some machines are using outdated technology. "The fact is we've been voting on old technology, old Windows 2000 based operating systems The voting machines themselves are archaic having been around for 10-15 years," said Congressman Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who has sponsored legislation on the issue.

Voters wait in line for casting their ballots during early voting for the 2016 general election at Forsyth County Government Center October 28, 2016 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Getty Images

Researchers at cybersecurity company, Symantec, tracked down voting machines used in the last election, and found plenty of security flaws. "It literally took a couple of dayswe were able to then reverse engineer all the stuff on that system. What was fascinating is the last election's information was still on those hard drives," said Samir Kapuria, a senior vice president of cybersecurity for Symantec , which makes Norton Internet Security. One particular machine works by giving voters a card to insert and use to cast their ballot, and the card is reused by multiple voters. Symantec would not reveal the manufacturer of those machines, but said they are still in use. That card could be reprogrammed to look like the same person cast a ballot multiple times, according to Kapuria. Even worse, he says there is no paper trail. "There isn't a recourse. That's why it's such a riskIt could create fear, uncertainty, or doubt in the whole election process," Kapuria said. The good news is that there are multiples types of voting systems across the country. "Right now we have over 9,000 jurisdictions all with different types of equipment and that sort of helps promote the resilience of our electoral system," Thomas told CNBC. In addition, most voting systems are not connected to the Internet, reducing the possibility of a Web-based attack. "The fact that these machines require physical access to cause harm helps to limit the possibility that there is any nefarious activity going on," Thomas said.
Nigel Farage, the interim leader of the U.K. Independence Party, has warned of civil unrest in Britain if citizens feel they have been "cheated" over the result of the Brexit referendum.

"Believe you me, if the people in this country think they're going to be cheated, they're going to be betrayed, then we will see political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed in this country," he told the BBC on Sunday morning.



The Brexit campaigner agreed there would be a real danger of disturbance in the streets. He called on Brexit backers to "get even" via peaceful protests, adding that lawmakers that want to "overturn this process" should not be supported. Watch the interview with the BBC here.
A U.S. fighter walks down a ladder from a barricade, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016.

A major U.S.-backed offensive to oust ISIS from its capital of Raqqa, Syria has begun, it was announced early Sunday.

The Kurdish-dominated Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition told a news conference that the goal of the operation, called Angry Euphrates, would be liberating the Syrian city from the militants.



More from NBC News:

U.S. Service Members Shot Dead in Jordan at Military Training Base

Trump vs. Clinton Battle Turning Heads in China

Facial Recognition Technology Raises Privacy Concerns



The offensive, which comes two weeks after a campaign to clear ISIS from Mosul, Iraq, will be supported by U.S. air strikes and involved 30,000 fighters, the SDF told reporters.



Residents in the city were warned to stay away from gathering places as those will be targets during the operation.



The U.K-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets believed to be from the U.S.-led coalition carried out airstrikes in in the

Warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition bombed places controlled by the "Islamic State" in Laqta area to the northeast of Al Raqqah but there was no immediate word on casualties.

The move to liberate Raqqa was signaled at the end of last month by Defense Secretary Ash Carter in an interview in Paris with NBC News.

The city is the de facto capital of the extremists' so-called caliphate which stretches from Syria into Iraq.
The ink on a new Clydesdale Bank 5 note (printed on a polymer substrate) can be removed through the use of a pencil eraser, though the manufacturer of the polymer calls the result not representative of what happens to a banknote under normal circulation conditions.

Multiple Scottish media reports inform that not only can polymer notes be baked and fried to shrink them, but the ink on them can also be erased to the extent that they are nearly unrecognizable. The discovery was made by a print center manager named Stuart McLean, who decided to experiment on a new Clydesdale Bank 5 note with a pencil eraser. He learned that he could remove large parts of the notes ink, leaving only serial numbers and the see-through hologram.

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McLean told the Scotland Herald in an interview: I had a bit of down time at work and we were talking about the new note, and I happened to have one on me so I got it out and noticed it had a dirty mark. I used a pencil eraser to rub it out and I found that the ink underneath rubbed away as well. I kept on going and was able to turn one side completely white. He then disclosed that he tried the same thing on a Bank of England polymer 5 note with similar results.

The story of McLeans exploits broke the same week De La Rue, the manufacturer of the Safeguard polymer substrate used for the note, issued a news release lauding its success with the material. Oct. 27 was the date of issue for the 21st note  coincidentally a Royal Bank of Scotland 5 note  to use the Safeguard polymer.

As for the erasing, a De La Rue spokesperson said that, under normal use, notes do not lose their ink and this was a case of excessive and abnormal activity. Furthermore, Whilst ink wear is the ultimate failure mode of polymer banknotes in circulation, the ink wear displayed here appears to us to have been achieved by a method not representative of what happens to a banknote under normal circulation conditions.

All three Scottish 5 notes (Clydesdale Bank, Bank of Scotland, and Royal Bank of Scotland), along with the English fiver, are now printed on the same polymer material.
Pitzer says trash fix a goal by end of tenure

Pitzer still has a goal he would like to accomplish by April: finding a solution to the city's trash collection system.
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Its Still Not Too Late To Get Into Energy Stocks

If you are wondering if it's too late to get into energy stocks the best answer is no. Energy prices are down from their peak and there is a potential slowdown in demand on the way but, for now, the underlying fundamentals are highly in favor of higher share prices.

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Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. The company operates through four segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, Terminals, and CO2. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment owns and operates interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline, and underground storage systems; natural gas gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities; natural gas liquids fractionation facilities and transportation systems; and liquefied natural gas liquefaction and storage facilities. The Products Pipelines segment owns and operates refined petroleum products, and crude oil and condensate pipelines; and associated product terminals and petroleum pipeline transmix facilities. The Terminals segment owns and/or operates liquids and bulk terminals that stores and handles various commodities, including gasoline, diesel fuel, chemicals, ethanol, metals, and petroleum coke; and owns tankers. The CO2 segment produces, transports, and markets CO2 to recovery and production crude oil from mature oil fields; owns interests in/or operates oil fields and gasoline processing plants; and operates a crude oil pipeline system in West Texas, as well as owns and operates RNG and LNG facilities. It owns and operates approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 143 terminals. The company was formerly known as Kinder Morgan Holdco LLC and changed its name to Kinder Morgan, Inc. in February 2011. Kinder Morgan, Inc. was founded in 1936 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
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We're back. Windows 7 users can finally return to the normal world, where operating system bug fixes are installed in a reasonable amount of time.

A few days ago, Woody Leonhard wrote about an improved version of Windows Update for Windows 7, one that installs bug fixes in mere minutes rather than hours or days. I have tried it on three Windows 7 machines, and it works fine, bug fixes install faster than a speeding bullet.

This updated Windows Update is only for those in the know, but reading this blog makes you one of the privileged few. Spread the word.

The procedure for installing the fast version of Windows Update, as Woody describes it, is a bit intimidating at first. The biggest complication involves Bluetooth running on Intel hardware.

What does installing a new Windows Update have to do with Bluetooth? Only Microsoft knows. Suffice it to say (Woody has the gory details) that the new Windows Update may break Bluetooth. So, the Defensive Computing thing to do is to make either a Restore Point or an image backup before doing anything else.

INTEL DRIVER UPDATES

Woody suggests first updating your Bluetooth driver using the Intel driver update utility. I was not impressed with the software.

For one thing, it installs the .NET framework version 4.5, without any up-front notice or warning. Then, it asks you to join the Intel product improvement program. Then, you have to reboot after installing it. And, when I first ran the software (version 2.6.1.4) it was so slow to start up that I thought something had gone wrong.

Worse still, were the results; it wanted me to install two different versions of a graphics driver. Why two versions? It didn't say.

Still not convinced? The version of the .NET framework 4.5 that Intel installed, needed about a dozen patches. Nothing inspires confidence like installing software with known bugs.

The final indignity is that when you un-install the Intel driver update software, the buggy .NET framework remains.

And, sad to say, any software from Intel now has to be considered suspect. Back in April, the company announced they were laying off 12,000 employees. There is no way to know which Intel software is still being maintained and which has been abandoned, especially since the company is shifting its focus away from PCs.

So, maybe skip the Bluetooth driver update and hope for the best.

PRE-REQ

The new Windows Update has a pre-requisite bug fix (KB3020369). Or, maybe two (KB3177467 supersedes KB3020369), it's a bit confusing.

The three PCs that I tested all had the necessary pre-req software, so this was a rabbit hole that I didn't have to go down. One of the PCs was last updated at the end of August 2016, another at the end of September and the third in early October.

According to Woody, if the pre-req software is missing, you simply get an error message, nothing breaks.

DOING THE DEED

To install the fast edition Windows Update, download either the 32 bit or 64 bit version of KB3172605 (the links are in Woody's article). Then, I would reboot. Woody doesn't suggest this, but it's always safer to install bug fixes on a newly booted system rather than one that has been running for a while.

Then, Woody says to go off-line, without saying why. My guess is that it insures that Windows Update is not running, something that Woody specifically says to check for.

Step 1 of installing the fast Windows Update on Windows 7

To install the software, run the downloaded .msu file. As shown above, it starts off asking if you want to install KB3172605. The installation took about 30 seconds on my computers, expect it to look like the screen shot below.

Step 2 of installing the fast version of Windows Update on Windows 7

After it installs, you have to reboot. Go back on-line, and Windows Update should be zippy again. The installation of KB3172605 creates its own Restore Point.

MY 3 TEST COMPUTERS

As noted earlier, I have tested this on three Windows 7 machines. None had Microsoft Office installed. The speeds that I refer to below are all in the first phase of Windows Update, where it detects the missing bug fixes. The downloading and installing phases have never been slow (if they are, that's a different issue).

The first computer I tried was a desktop machine without Bluetooth (bullet dodged). The last time bug fixes were installed on this PC was September 28th.

Earlier in the day, Windows Update ran for so many hours on this machine that I lost track and turned the machine off to put it out of its misery. Then, after installing the fast version, it took only three minutes (give or take) to find the missing patches. This was how I learned that the just-installed .NET framework v4.5, that the Intel driver utility had installed, was so buggy.

I un-installed the .NET framework 4.5, rebooted and ran Windows Update again. This time it took about 20 seconds. Yes, that's seconds not hours.

As expected, it found groups (a.k.a. rollups) of Windows ("October 2016 Security Monthly Quality Rollup ...") and .NET framework ("October 2016 Security and Quality Rollup for .NET Framework 3.5.1 ..." ) fixes. It also found a Definition Update for Windows Defender and the October edition of the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Nothing remarkable here, other than the timing.

Next, I tested a laptop that never uses Bluetooth (bullet dodged again) and had last been updated August 28th. The new and improved Windows Update took about 5 minutes to find 8 missing patches. There were individual patches from September 13th and 20th along with the same updates as the first machine.

The third machine was another desktop (yet again, no Bluetooth issue to deal with) where the last bug fixes were installed October 2nd.

The wrinkle here was that I couldn't take the machine off-line. It was being remotely controlled and had no keyboard, mouse or monitor connected to it.

Gambling that the point of being off-line was to insure that Windows Update wasn't running, I stopped the Windows Update service before running the .msu file. All went well, and the new improved Windows Update took about a minute and a half to find 5 missing patches.

Initially however, the just-installed Windows Update failed on this machine with a 80244019 error. A minute later, it worked fine. My guess is that this was due to the delayed startup for the Windows Update service. I was over-anxious to play with my new toy.



VIEW FROM A THOUSAND FEET

Taking a step back from the trenches, it's important to note that Apple and Google have no problems installing bug fixes to their operating systems. Users of iOS, OS X, macOS, Android and Chrome OS don't have to deal with anything remotely like the situation described above.

Yes, I know that most Android devices don't get bug fixes at all, but that's a different issue altogether. When there are bug fixes available for Android, the installation process is reasonably straightforward.

Windows 7 users, like myself, have endured slow patch installations for months. There is an available fix, but we have to learn about it on our own, and potentially deal with the fix breaking Bluetooth. Then, if the necessary pre-req software is missing, we have to decide whether to install KB3177467 or KB3020369. And, what's the deal with missing patches that are not checked by default? If the fix is missing, why not install it?

That Windows 7 users have to deal with things at this level is archaic in this day and age. An operating system should just work.

Google is leading the way here as Chromebook users can attest. And, the latest Android, running on the latest hardware, is going to update the operating system just as seamlessly as Chrome OS does. That, is the future.

I like Windows 7, but it's a dinosaur.
Close

Everyone once loved Nokia for their innovative and hardy phones. Sadly, Nokia had a bad run at business from 2010. Now, it seems that the company is trying to get back some of their market shares by releasing new smartphones and tablets.

Nokia is set to announce a whole lineup of devices by the end of 2016, and this news comes from Nokia's China president Mike Wang. Android Authority spotted that Wang spoke to a Chinese site The Paper about the upcoming Nokia lineup.

The new devices won't be manufactured by Nokia, but by HMD. In this day and age Nokia has to provide something breathtaking to capture the markets. There are no official news about the specs, but it is presumed through rumors that the phones can have 5.2-inch or 5.5-inch displays. Both of these display sizes would be QHD display, and Nokia will most likely make the phones out of metal. The phones will also get a massive camera of 22.6MP and will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor.

The phone would come either with an IP67 or an IP68 rating, which would put the phone's dust and water resistance at par with iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7. The phone would also ship with Android Nougat 7.0 out of the box and it is presumed that Nokia would be adding their own touches to the UI.

The smartphones would be announced by the year end and would be released by Q4 2016 or by Q1 2017.

As for the SoC, there is no news about HMD and Foxconn introducing custom SoCs for Nokia devices. Foxconn has been adding semiconductor design prowess to its chips, but it is highly improbable that they would be able to roll out anything comparable to the Mediatek low-cost SoCs.

Keep a steady eye on Nokia's events and announcements. A reveal is possible anytime soon.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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05 Kasm 2016 Cumartesi, 13:18



Cumhuriyet newspaper is a newspaper and publishing a newspaper is not a crime.

Ever since its initiation on 7 May 1924, Cumhuriyet newspaper has striven through its columns for the establishing of true democracy in all senses in our country and has never been the newspaper of any government or any party. It is a newspaper that has devoted itself to the unfettering of reason from bigotry and science from religion and to winning society over to the principle of secularism along the path of reason ushered in by the Republic and Ataturks revolutions and principles. This and this alone is the truth.

Cumhuriyet newspaper has not once wavered from the line informing its journalism that deems as indispensable the existence of a secular, democratic, welfare state based on the rule of law and defends of human rights. It is a newspaper that was born along with the Republic of Turkey that is a champion of democracy. It derives its strength from its readers. Cumhuriyet newspaper cannot be brought to its knees by any force and continues, and will continue, to publish true to its journalistic values.

We do not even deem it to be correct to reply to the accusations that have been made and find this to be beneath our dignity.

However, let us repeat a known fact. It is common knowledge that when it reported on the huge danger that Fetullah Gulen and the community organised around him posed for the Republic of Turkey in the endeavour to thwart their ultimate goal of dispensing with secularism and destroying the Republic of Turkey and, having usurped it, establish an Islamic state, it did so for the purpose of alerting the people to the truth. We greet with astonishment and sorrow the launching of an investigation against the very Cumhuriyet newspaper Foundation and Management that had alerted the public in a way that defies denial through this reporting based on the accusations of aiding and abetting the FETO/PDY and PKK/KCK terror organisations and while not being members, committing crimes on behalf of the organisation.

Press freedom, the principles of a secular, democratic, welfare state based on the rule of law and basic human rights and freedoms must be protected along with the universal principles of law.

We consider the acts of detention/arrest/seizure premised on all but incredible and unacceptable accusations such as committing crimes on behalf of terrorist organisations and making reports that serve to legitimise the 15 July attempted coup to be unacceptable and to be illegal acts. Acts that aim to remove legal certainty cannot be countenanced.

Investigations into press offences triggered by the Cumhuriyet newspapers reporting have become common place. It is perfectly natural for our journalists and reporters to be summoned give a statement to the Press Prosecutor's Office as to their reporting.

However, this case involved acts of detention/arrest and seizure/search conducted in a morning raid targeting the Cumhuriyet Newspaper Foundations managers and reporters.

We perceive these acts directed at our newspapers reporters, above all the Foundations Managers and Cumhuriyet Newspaper General Publishing Management, who are perfectly able to attend whenever summoned to make statement, to be the first move in the direction of stopping Cumhuriyet newspaper from appearing. Such a move is tantamount to the end of legal certainty and press freedom.

The move to stop Cumhuriyet newspaper from appearing through such accusations, devoid as they are of either legal basis or credibility, constitutes a blatant breach of press freedom and the right of the people to obtain news and find out the truth. An immediate halt must be put to the operations launched against Cumhuriyet newspaper and the endeavours to silence Cumhuriyet newspaper.

We at Cumhuriyet newspaper strongly condemn the efforts to stop our newspaper from appearing.

Let there be no mistake about it

Just as Cumhuriyet newspaper was not brought to its knees by any force in any coup period, just as yesterday it battled Gulenist prosecutors and judges and the forces under their command, today it has the strength to do battle until the end against all kinds of pressure regardless of where and who it emanates from.

We are convinced that our struggle will continue in tandem wth our readers and in a spirit of solidarity.

Even if Cumhuriyet newspapers managers and reporters have been arrested, our newspaper will pursue its fight for democracy and freedom until the end.

We thank all of our readers who have stood by Cumhuriyet newspaper, as well as all of those who feel solidarity towards Cumhuriyet newspaper as it refuses to buckle under the pressure, convinced of the enlightened future awaiting Turkey.

CUMHURIYET
Democrats saw a surge in new voters in Pennsylvania as midterms near
This is what happens when you call in the cowboys to do an important job. It goes wrong and you can't afford to fix it. You thought you could trust the Tory Party. You thought you could ignore our rather good constitution and bypass it with a referendum. I did warn you.

In May 2013, I pointed out the dangers of a referendum, asking: 'Has Parliament been abolished? Has a constitution been quietly introduced, which demands that such issues are decided by plebiscite, and makes the result of such plebiscites binding on Parliament?

Parliament, and the Civil Service, will 'take back control' of the process. And what we will get will almost certainly be the Norway option

'I've heard no such proposal, and can't see how it could be so, given the cowardly, ignorant or plain stupid attitudes of most MPs to this question.

'It's certainly understood, by constitutional lawyers, that such an obligation is important for any serious plebiscite, and its presence or absence in any legislation will be crucial. I suspect it will be absent.' And so it was.

Now you find out you were wrong, who are you going to call? For years I explained that the only way out of the EU was to replace the Tories with a genuinely patriotic conservative party that could win an Election. The referendum proves that the votes were there.

In October 2011, I said: 'Even if they succeeded in getting their referendum, and even if they succeeded in winning it it would not bind the British government. The only real solution is for a General Election to be won by a party committed to secession.'

We would then have had an actual government determined to do what the people wanted, without any need to hurry to prove itself, and with a good idea of how it would use our new-found independence once we regained it. Instead we had a cynical campaign led by people who still cannot escape the suspicion that they never intended to win and were shocked and dismayed when they did.

And we have a pantomime horse  a policy being ineptly and half-heartedly implemented by people who don't support it. And we have a constitutional crisis, as I said we would on June 12 when I also correctly predicted that 'Leave' would win.

So I can't join in the bizarre and rather lawless squawking of rage at the High Court's ruling that Parliament must vote on Article 50. It is a perfectly reasonable judgment, based on my favourite bit of the Constitution, the 1689 Bill of Rights which guarantees our freedom far more surely than any human rights rubbish.

Actually this doesn't mean that Parliament will block our formal exit from the EU. Only a small coven of kamikaze MPs would dare to do that. The elite have other, cleverer plans.

But it does mean that Chairman May will now have the excuse she needs to fudge our exit. Parliament, and the Civil Service, will 'take back control' of the process. And what we will get will almost certainly be the Norway option  continued access to the Single Market and very little control over our borders.

We will move from being halfway into the EU to being halfway out of it. The referendum's simple requirement, that we leave the EU, will be fulfilled, beyond question.

But of course that wasn't all that millions of people voted for. If we want the rest of it, especially border control, we simply cannot rely on the existing parties or the establishment to get it.

Mexico City's Day of the Dead parade, inspired by the Bond 2015 film Spectre

A monster created by 007

The current James Bond, Daniel Craig

This is why it matters when films and TV series make things up and tell lies for effect  like the ghastly King's Speech and the new Netflix series that claims to portray the private life of the Queen.

Reality nowadays copies what is on the screen. Poor Mexico City must now endure annual macabre, pagan Day Of The Dead parades, because the James Bond film Spectre showed such an event taking place there.

It didn't until now. But the Mexico City government thought it would bring in the tourists, so now they have to have it. I'd travel a long way to avoid this creepy, ugly event, but, as I know well, I'm out of touch.

Even weirder than the effect of movies and TV on truth is their effect on fiction. My favourite example of this is Inspector Morse who, in the original books, drove a Lancia but acquired a Jaguar in the later ones to fit in with the screen version.

How long before all the classics are rewritten and crammed with panting sex and incest, so as to make them conform with Andrew Davies's ghastly adaptations?

Sheer bleeding nerve department. One of the noisiest campaigners against new grammar schools is a body called the Education Policy Institute. It declares that it is 'independent, impartial and evidence-based'.

Oh, yeah? Here's some evidence-based research on it. It started life as a Liberal Party think-tank called the Centre for Reform and its main benefactors are often Liberal Democrats.

Among its leading figures are the former Lib Dem Minister David Laws, and the Blairite factotum Sally Morgan (neither known for their support of grammar schools).

Two of its major figures (one a donor to the Tories in the Cameron anti-grammar years) are also connected with 'Academy' schools, which tend to see grammars as rivals. Impartial? Independent?

Last chance for useless cops

The jailing of a Polish lorry driver for slaughtering a family while looking at his stupid phone is only partly just. Millions of British people have come close to doing something similar and have only been saved from it by the grace of God.

Using your phone while driving is about as sane and sensible as throwing knives at your children while blindfolded. The trouble is that people are so selfish and complacent that they do not find this out until they kill or maim someone.

And they don't believe they will. Nor are they in the least impressed by calls for 'tougher sentences' for this crime. Because they know as one driver I upbraided recently told me  that the police don't care and will do nothing about it.

Indeed they won't. I continue to be amazed that anyone still defends our police against the charge of uselessness which I ceaselessly level at them.

What is it that they do, apart from monitoring Twitter, festooning the place with tape and racing to crimes after they have happened and it is too late? When did you last see an actual traffic patrol? I'd guess 1987.

The solution may well be to sack the police and start again. But let's give them one last chance. Get out there now and arrest everyone you see using a phone at the wheel. The CPS can join in by actually charging them.

Only when everyone knows someone who's in jail for this moronic offence will it cease. That's how drunk driving was stamped out and how seat-belts became standard. Enforcement.
The constitution dictates that the executive  in this case the Government led by Theresa May  cannot take away the rights of the people simply by issuing an executive decree, writes Lord Falconer

Brexit turned our politics on its head. But it didnt change the fundamentals of our constitution.

As the Lord Chief Justice and his fellow judges spelt out in words of one syllable on Thursday, one of those fundamentals is that the executive  in this case the Government led by Theresa May  cannot take away the rights of the people simply by issuing an executive decree.

It doesnt matter where those rights come from  common law, statute, foreign treaties incorporated into our local law: if you have a legal right, it can only be taken away by an Act of Parliament.

That is why the courts have ruled that the Government cannot invoke Article 50 to trigger Britains exit from the European Union without first putting it to the vote in Parliament.

Both sides in the court case agreed that when the Article 50 notice expires, everybody in the UK would lose all their rights which came from the EU, and which had been incorporated into UK law and given to individuals by the European Communities Act 1972.

Mrs May has asserted in court, in Parliament and to the public her entitlement  alone and without the authority of Parliament  to set these rights to one side by the exercise of the Royal prerogative in serving a notice bringing the treaties to an end.

This is an assertion of the sort that Charles I used to make, and for which he lost his head.

The Civil War and then the Glorious Revolution, which unseated James II and enthroned William and Mary, were fought over installing a monarchy  the executive of its day  subject to parliamentary sovereignty.

The Bill of Rights passed in the aftermath of the revolution expressly forbade the executive from suspending the laws or dispensing with the laws effect by Royal decree.

It doesnt matter where those rights come from  common law, statute, foreign treaties incorporated into our local law: if you have a legal right, it can only be taken away by an Act of Parliament

If the executive can do what it likes with peoples rights, then the rule of law is lost. The losers in elections have no protection from what the executive can do. They have no protection from an elected dictatorship.

Nobody suggested, when Clement Attlee won a huge landslide in 1945, that that gave him the right to decree there should be an NHS or a nationalised steel industry, or to repeal the Tory legislation he didnt like. Only Parliament could do that.

Winning the EU referendum doesnt set the constitution aside.

The politicians must act upon the result of the referendum, but this was not a vote to set aside parliamentary democracy: it was an instruction to Parliament to leave the EU.

It was not an invitation to the Prime Minister to ignore the checks and balances in our constitution.

Yet this is what Mrs May has done. She said the rights given by the European Communities Act 1972 should be understood to be subject to the executives entitlement to bring the treaties to an end. Roughly translated, that means: What I say goes.

The courts have ruled that the Government cannot invoke Article 50 to trigger Britains exit from the European Union without first putting it to the vote in Parliament, writes Lord Falconer (pictured)

The court gave that argument short shrift. It pointed out that if her argument was right, it would effectively nullify the fundamental principle of Parliament that it  and it alone  has the power to remove rights through Acts of Parliament, which have protected and promoted the entitlements and freedoms of our citizens for more than 500 years.

She didnt dare assert to the court that the referendum allowed her to override the fundamental constitutional protections individuals have.

Her lawyers expressly said it didnt give her that power, and the court went out of its way in the judgment to say her lawyers were right.

She can appeal. Its an important case and the Supreme Court is ready to lay on a full court of all 11 Supreme Court Justices. She has said she will appeal, and in so doing she is making a grave error of judgment.

The Prime Minister should not be challenging such a sacred tenet of our constitution: she should be upholding, not challenging, the principle that only Parliament has the power to take away our rights.

This is the key issue: not whether the referendum and the will of the people will be respected or not. It will and, if its not, that will be down to politicians, not the judges.

Whatever her lawyers may be saying about her prospects of success in the Supreme Court, Mrs May, like all sensible leaders when faced with such monumental constitutional litigation, should ask herself whats the right result for the country: a PM who is subject to the protection of parliamentary control, or one who wields limitless power, untrammelled and unquestioned?

There is only one answer. She should be subject to parliamentary control.

The Prime Minister should not be challenging such a sacred tenet of our constitution: she should be upholding, not challenging, the principle that only Parliament has the power to take away our right

And that places the responsibility for giving effect to the will of the people where it should lie  with Parliament. Its not for the courts to interpret the result of a referendum.

As A. V. Dicey, the most authoritative writer on the constitution, said: Judges know nothing of the will of the people save to the extent it is expressed through Acts of Parliament.

If the court judgment stands, then the only authority which will allow her to serve a notice under Article 50 is an Act of Parliament which has passed through both Houses. A motion or resolution of the Commons will not do. It has to be an Act.

If Parliament refuses to pass such an Act, it would be defying the will of the people expressed in the referendum, and it would inevitably lead to a General Election.

Having taken ownership of the delivery of Brexit as the central purpose of her premiership, if the Commons refuses to allow her to proceed to deliver she has no option but to appeal to the people to give her a Commons that will give her the means to deliver.

Charles I thought he could use the Royal Prerogative to suspend treaties without the consent of Parliament

There will be legitimate issues as the Bill goes through the Commons as to what information Parliament should be given before Article 50 is triggered: leeway in fixing the date, and what safeguards should be in place before the EU rights are lost, ensuring, for example, people do not lose the entitlements to equal pay guaranteed by the EU but not explicit in UK legislation.

Although the Lords can consider and revise the Bill as it goes through Parliament, the points of principle must be determined by the Commons.

On this of all Bills, whatever many Lords may fear from the referendum result, the Lords must defer to the Commons.

The responsibility of the Prime Minister is to do her best to keep the country together.

A constitutional row fought through the courts, with the Government arguing for positions that would shame most monarchs since 1688, shows a conspicuous absence of leadership on her part.

My advice to Mrs May is to reflect. Read the judgment. Ask yourself whether you (not your lawyers) disagree with the way the court has expressed our constitutional principles.

Ask yourself whether you want to be the PM who argued that you could ignore Parliament, depriving every citizen in this country of their constitutional rights, without bothering to ask MPs whether they were willing, as I believe they are, to act upon the demands of the people.
Baby Gavin isn't rattled

Chief Whip Gavin Williamson had to grin and bear it in No 10 after his gay smear of Michael Gove and charisma-free b**** jibe at Theresa May were disclosed in this newspaper last week. The PMs team insisted on addressing him as baby-faced assassin Gavin. To his credit, Baby Face joined in the laughter.

Chief Whip Gavin Williamson had to grin and bear it in No 10 after his gay smear of Michael Gove and charisma-free b**** jibe at Theresa May were disclosed in this newspaper last week

Theresa May did another U-turn when she donned a builders hard hat and high-vis jacket to goad George Osborne at a Spectator magazine bash on Wednesday. She had refused point blank to wear a hard hat on a visit to a building project during the Tory conference in Birmingham last month, saying: I hate them  they ruin a ladys hair.

Nigel Farage was livid with the way a BBC mockumentary  Nigel Farage Gets His Life Back  showed him being shunned by drinkers in a pub for attacking free NHS care for foreigners. In real pubs they cheer me when I say things like that, said Farage. Maybe not in the fancy wine bars the Beebs Lefties go to.

Dog is happy to claim credit for the decision by Nigel Farages sidekick Raheem Kassam to abandon his Ukip leadership bid. Ignore Kassams feeble claims of press intrusion. The real reason was our expose of his vile comments about wrinkly ginger rival Suzanne Evans  and others too foul to print. Kassam trolled Dog via email and tweets  then quit the Ukip race.

Dog is happy to claim credit for the decision by Nigel Farages sidekick Raheem Kassam to abandon his Ukip leadership bid

Andrea is frozen out from a starring role

A senior Tory who has seen the film A United Kingdom  in which Rosamund Pike, below left, plays an Englishwoman in love with a prince in Bechuanaland (now Botswana)  says: Pike looks like a young Andrea Leadsom. Leadsom, right, nearly won her own UK starring role until Theresa May beat her in the Tory leadership race and sent her to the Climate Change Department  Whitehalls own Bechuanaland.

Wag wallops Wiggo

Teased that his sedate pedalling on an exercise bike during a Poppy Day stunt at Westminster posed no threat to Olympic champ Bradley Wiggins, Conservative MP Alistair Burt quipped: Of course not. I dont have asthma, do I? But I do have a verruca on my big toe  does that qualify me for a Tour de France medical exemption?

Pro-Brussels Labour peer Peter Mandelson was chided at a meeting with party MPs when he begged them not to give up hope of reversing Brexit. MP Anna Turley said: Its all right for you, Peter, you dont have to return to a parliamentary constituency every weekend. Her Redcar voters backed Brexit by two to one.
However much we disagree with our opponents, in our civilised system they remain opponents. They are, after all, our fellow countrymen

Centuries of social peace and freedom tend to make us forget how lucky we are.

In most of human history, most struggles for power in most places have been resolved through violence, bribery and menace, with little or no hope of justice. Turn on your TV and you can see it happening.

Not here. In this country we have the luxury of leaders we can dismiss, and an astonishingly clean system of government, overseen by courts whose honesty and fairness are genuinely the envy of the world.

All of these parts of our state can and do get things wrong. All should be subject to robust criticism, especially by the free and independent press which is also one of the key pillars of our liberty.

When passions are high, the temptation to go beyond robust criticism is understandably strong.

But in the case of the High Courts ruling on whether Parliament should vote on taking us out of the EU, critics should be careful.

First, their behaviour is inconsistent. They have fought hard and long for the restoration of sovereignty to Westminster from Brussels. How then can they attack a judgment which confirms Parliaments supremacy in our constitution?

But even more importantly, the fervent and personal denunciation of courts and of judges themselves endangers the delicate balance of our constitution.

However much we disagree with our opponents, in our civilised system they remain opponents. They are, after all, our fellow countrymen.

Our judiciary has become more liberal in recent years and some of its decisions have been more political than they should have been. But Thursdays High Court verdict is not eccentric or wild

Our judiciary has become more liberal in recent years and some of its decisions have been more political than they should have been. But Thursdays High Court verdict is not eccentric or wild.

It asserts a very old rule, that the Crown  nowadays Downing Street  cannot just issue decrees reversing Parliaments decisions. This is surely a good principle as well as an ancient one.

The vast majority of MPs and Lords understand that the referendum result, though technically not binding in law, is absolutely morally binding.

MPs who vote to override it would risk their seats, and rightly so. It was voters who made them MPs in the first place. They of all people cannot despise democracy or majorities.

Members of the Lords who did so would take an even deeper risk. They might bring about the abolition of their unelected and cumbersome chamber, so great would be public resentment at such defiance of clearly expressed popular will.

All that has really changed, thanks to the courts ruling, is that the Ministers charged with leaving the EU must now explain their actions to Parliament, and draft a simple Bill triggering our departure.

The Lord Chancellor, Liz Truss, yesterday belatedly defended the independence of the courts, which she should have done from the start

The really touchy question of exactly what sort of post-EU status Britain will have remains as murky as ever.

So it might have been wiser for the Prime Minister to concede such a vote from the start, especially given the strong possibility that the Supreme Court will confirm the High Court ruling.

For one result of this episode is that Mrs May has got herself into unnecessary trouble, and made her Government look remarkably wobbly despite what ought to be a commanding position.

Now is the time to put this right. The Lord Chancellor, Liz Truss, yesterday belatedly defended the independence of the courts, which she should have done from the start.
The mother of a baby boy who passed away at just 32 days old after battling whooping cough, has written candidly about the struggles with motherhood again, after welcoming a baby girl.

Catherine Hughes, from Perth, gave birth to baby Lucy in August, 17 months after her little boy Riley passed away.

Riley died after contracting whooping cough, and his parents Catherine and Greg have since campaigned tirelessly for mothers to vaccinate during pregnancy.

In an emotional post on her Facebook page Light for Riley, Ms Hughes spoke of her conflicting feelings about being a mother again.

Catherine Hughes, from Perth, gave birth to baby Lucy in August, 17 months after her little boy Riley passed away.

Ms Hughes wrote an emotional Facebook post about her different feelings since welcoming baby Lucy (pictured main)

'The day we found out Lucy was a girl, I was hit with a huge wave of different feelings,' Ms Hughes explained.

'More grief, knowing that I will probably never have a son again. Relief, thinking it would be easier for me to hold a baby girl after the loss of a boy. Excitement, thinking of our beautiful daughter Olivia being able to play with her baby sister. And lastly, I felt worried. Worried that I would lose her. Worried that something would be wrong with her. And to be frank, I was worried about how I would cope having a newborn again. Would I be a wreck?'

Ms Hughes described her pregnancy as the 'busiest' of her life - having worked at a pregnancy expo in the days leading up to her daughter's birth.

Riley (pictured) was just 32 days old when he passed away from whooping cough

Ms Hughes said her little girl was a 'blessing' but that the weeks after her birth were hard

Ms Hughes said that cameras were there 'filming almost every moment', something she'd agreed to in the hope it would raise more awareness about how to prevent whooping cough.

'I think deep down I feel so guilty that he died and hopeful that if I work my butt off, trying to prevent this from happening to others, that maybe one day I will feel less guilt,' Ms Hughes wrote candidly in her post.

Ms Hughes revealed that the first weeks of Lucy's life were hectic. The newborn cried a lot and Ms Hughes said she suffered from conflicting emotions.

Following baby Riley's death, his parents have campaigned tirelessly for women to vaccinate during pregnancy

Ms Hughes revealed that her baby daughter's looks made her think about her son, Riley (pictured) often

'I remember feeling that everyone expected me to be happy now, that I had Lucy and could move on with my life.' she wrote. 'I was happy in a way, but those first few weeks were HARD.

'I think I had over-romanticised what it was like to have a newborn baby, I thought it was going to be so easy, but it was difficult.

'I kept dressing her in pink and focused on the fact she was a girl, telling people "she looks so different to Riley", trying to convince myself that looking at her didn't make me think about him. But it wasn't true really... she still had ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes, soft skin and big blue eyes. She still made me think about him so much, especially in those quiet moments at 2am when it was just her, me and the darkness.'

Ms Hughes said she was excited to learn she was having a girl, so her oldest child Olivia (pictured with Riley) could play with her

'I kept thinking about the day he died,' Ms Hughes wrote about the day Lucy turned 32 days old

Ms Hughes said that the day Lucy turned 32 days old she was 'a mess'.

'Riley was 32 days when he passed away and I kept thinking about the day he died,' she wrote. 'How he was so real one minute and gone the next. I don't think I put Lucy down that day.'

Now Lucy is three months old, Ms Hughes said her big blue eyes still remind her of Riley, but that Lucy is developing her own personality.
A mother was reportedly anxious when her young daughter was sent an invite to attend a 'champagne breakfast' to celebrate a friend turning 13.

Dr Lorraine Baker, who is president of the Australian Medical Association Victoria wrote in the Herald Sun that the mother had brought her daughter, 12, to see her to explain the dangers of alcohol consumption.

'The parents of the birthday girl had done the right thing by including a permission slip for the guests parents to authorise the service of alcohol to the children, who all attended the same private school,' Dr Baker wrote.

A mother was shocked when her young daughter was sent an invite to attend a 'champagne breakfast' to celebrate a friend turning 13 (stock image)

'For me, this is an illustration of how distorted our cultures relationship with alcohol can be.'

She went on to say that alcohol consumption is the norm among Australians - meaning it is difficult to know when someone's relationship with alcohol is 'slipping toward the dangerous for both drinkers and the people around them.'

'Even if we manage to protect our children from under-age drinking, they often grow up witnessing the grown-ups drinking on a regular basis more than the recommended two standard drinks in any one session,' she said.

Dr Lorraine Baker said the invite was an 'illustration of how distorted our cultures relationship with alcohol can be'

One study that followed Australian teens between the ages of 12 and 16 found that those who had alcohol supplied by their parents were three times as likely to be drinking full serves at age 16 as kids whose families didnt supply alcohol.

Research from the UK, revealed in August that half of parents allow their kids to drink at home before the age of 14.

One in 10 parents let their children have alcohol at home once a month while some let them drink every day.

Research from the UK, revealed that half of parents allow their kids to drink at home before the age of 14.

11 per cent of around 1,000 parents surveyed by Churchill Home Insurance admitted letting their children to drink at home from as young as five to seven years old.

More than a third of those who let their children have booze at home said they did so to stop them rebelling.

Another third said it allowed them to keep track on how much alcohol their children drank.

Around a quarter said they saw nothing wrong with their children drinking alcohol, and one in ten said they made alcohol available at home because stricter age checks meant children could not buy it themselves.

A third of parents said allowing their kids to drink at home enabled them to keep track on how much alcohol their children were consuming

Parents were most likely to let under-14s drink at special family occasions, with 57 per cent saying they would allow this.

But 42 per cent said they would give children booze to reward them if they had done well at school.
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Gone are the days when weddings were remembered and celebrated with a series of formal family photographs.

The modern bride has a huge range of photography options available for her big day - everything from candid 'reportage' style shoots, to fun photo-booths can be used to capture the highlights.

But one New Zealand photographer is taking wedding shoots to a whole new level, by capturing newlyweds against the stunning backdrop of the mountain ranges close to his home town of Wanaka.

Newlyweds Pete and Nadia Stanton were captured in the mountain ranges in stunning photographs by Mickey Ross

The couple took a helicopter trip just minutes after exchanging their vows and posed for photos on the snow capped peak

The bride wore a stunning boutique gown and said she had so much fun on the mountainside she left her veil and bouquet up there

' I love living in the hills, exploring them as much as possible by foot, bike or with skis on my feet,' Mr Ross says on his website.

'I also love to tell stories with photographs and a wedding day is a perfect opportunity to do this.

'My photography has been described as honest, raw and fun. I like to think that my couples can concentrate on having the best day of their life and in doing so the photos will take care of themselves  with just a little help from me.

Mr Ross, who lives close to the mountain ranges, said his photographic style has been described as 'raw, honest and fun'

He said he enjoys exploring the hills and has captured many couples against the stunning backdrop of the mountains

The photographer said he will explore the area as much as possible by foot, bike or with skis on his feet

'I shoot a lot from behind the scenes, photographing the real emotion and moments that happen throughout the day, producing a collection of images that capture the feeling of the whole day.'

During one recent wedding shoot, Mr Ross flew in a helicopter with newlyweds Nadia and Pete Stanton up to Fog Peak glacier, where he captured the just-married pair in a series of stunning shots.

'My favourite part of the day was the helicopter ride to Fog Peak, it was really special spending this time with Pete just following saying our 'I dos',' Ms Stanton told Stuff.

Here a stunning photo show an embracing couple being dwarfed by the magnificent rock formation behind them

'I love to tell stories with photographs,' Mr Ross said of his incredible imagery

On his website, Mr Ross states that his wedding packages start from NZ$2645

'It was my first time in a helicopter and the stunning scenery just blew me away. It was such a mixture of happy emotions all at once, a feeling that I will cherish forever.'

The bride, who looked stunning in a boutique gown, added that she was having so much fun she left her bouquet and veil up on the mountainside, only realising what she'd done when she returned.
When Jason Carrasco was cleared of cancer, he wanted to share the good news with his best friend.

Cass Nascimento had also battled cancer and in a cruel twist just a day later she was told she had relapsed with a brain tumour. After a three year battle she passed away in November 2013, aged just 19.

Now Jason, from Wollongong, NSW, has opened up about the pair's very last moments together in a new book By Your Side. In it he details the best friends' final conversation - where they both said they loved each other.

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Jason Carrasco and Cass Nascimento shared a special bond while battling cancer during their teenage years

Jason and Cass met in their teenage years and formed a special friendship as they battled hurdles side-by-side.

The day Jason was told he'd beaten cancer was the same day Cass went for her standard three-monthly check up. The next day she was diagnosed with a brain mass in two parts of her brain.

Before Cass passed away, the pair filmed their journey together 'in the hope people could form relationships like ours through their own battles'.

Tragically, Cass lost her battle for life after three years, passing away in November 2013

Now in a book, Jason revealed heartbreaking details of Cass's last days in palliative care as she began 'fading fast'

Now in his book, Jason revealed heartbreaking details of Cass's last days in palliative care as she began 'fading fast'

'She was bedridden... and had stopped even trying to eat solid food,' he said, explaining Cass's mum Gloria tried to get her to sip soup but it would come back up.

The palliative care team helping Gloria and Joe, her father, care for her told them her death was imminent. 'But she didn't die,' he said.

'I visited with her every day. Sometimes she'd be sleeping and I'd just sit with her, other times she was feeling too ill to even talk. But she still had periods when she was well enough to post comments to Facebook or interact with me and the close girlfriends who came to visit.'

Cass Nascimento's cancer returned on the same day Jason was cleared of cancer

Jason explained he had the idea of giving Cass a virtual trip to Greece and took her photographs his sister had taken in Santorini and made a montage of them, replacing the faces in the pictures with those of him and Cass.

'She loved it and kept it by her bedside, giving me heaps about my dodgy Photoshop skills,' he said. 'I'd put her wigs on to make her laugh and let her paint my fingernails just to amuse her.

'I brought my iPod over with a playlist I'd made for her that expressed my feelings. It opened with the Taio Cruz song 'You're Beautiful'. Still, Cass clung to life. Four weeks had passed since her parents had been told her death was only days away.'

In the book, Jason said that the doctors told them people can keep going on sheer will, so as not to cause grief to their loved ones.

Cass wanted to share her experience with Jason (pictured) when he was battling cancer

'They advised that it could help for those closest to the dying person to tell them it was okay to let go. This was so hard for Cass's parents but they did it becasue they didn't want her to suffer any more,' he said.

'I, too had to say something. I told her that it was okay to stop fighting and things would get better. 'Do you trust me?' I asked her. She nodded and slowly opened her arms, choking back tears. I was also crying as I hugged her tight and said, 'I'll take care of your mum too, I promise.''

From then on, his best friend was most often asleep when he visited. On November 9, they spoke for the last time.

The pair decided to film their journey together 'in the hope people could form relationships like ours through their own battles'

'It was a huge effort for her to talk and she had to pause to gather her strength after every fer words,' Jason said. 'I held her hand as she said, 'I just want...to let you know...I love you...so, so much.'

A BEST FRIEND REMEMBERED Jason has partnered with the Sony Foundation's You Can initiative, with the goal of raising funds for a teenage cancer ward in memory of Cass. Proceeds from his book will help support the project. By Your Side by Jason Carrasco, published by Penguin is out now Advertisement

'She tried to squeeze my hand but it was the tiniest of flutters. I sobbed, 'Oh Cass, you know I love you too. Everything I've done is because I love you and because I think you're so amazing. I can never thank you enough. I promise I will finish what started''

Two days later, at 6am on November 11, Jason found out that his best friend had died.
News of Prince Harry's romance with Meghan Markle emerged just last week but their relationship appears to be hurtling ahead at full speed.

Following rumours that the American actress has already met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan has apparently been partying with her new boyfriend's cousin, Princess Eugenie, in Toronto.

The 35-year-old Suits star joined Harry, Eugenie and her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank in the Canadian city over Halloween, according to the Sunday Express.

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Meghan Markle has apparently been partying with her new boyfriend's cousin, Princess Eugenie, in Toronto

The newspaper's Camilla Tominey reports that the group attended a masked ball together at celebrity haunt Soho House.

The exclusive venue is part of an international chain of private members' clubs with branches in London, New York and Hollywood.

And Harry's new love has clearly made an impression on the royals, having become 'firm friends' with 26-year-old Eugenie who believes they are a 'perfect match'.

'They have all become great friends,' an insider told the newspaper. 'Eugenie loves Meghan to bits and believes she is perfect for Harry. They are thick as thieves and may even all go on holiday together soon'

Princess Eugenie and her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank. It has been reported that the group attended a masked ball together at celebrity haunt Soho House at Halloween

Harry and his new girlfriend are said to have spent the week 'hanging out' at her apartment in Toronto and playing with her dogs, Bogart and Guy

Last week it emerged the pair had been spending time together in Canada after Prince Harry jetted to Toronto in secret.

According to Canadian gossip columnist Shinan Govani, the couple, who have yet to be photographed together, even stepped out together in public.

The flame-haired prince and his girlfriend are said to have spent the week 'hanging out' at her apartment and playing with her dogs, Bogart and Guy.

Residents in the upmarket Toronto suburb where divorcee Meghan lives said they had seen black SUVs in the area on several occasions.

Meghan and Harry are believed to have struck up a romance after being introduced by fashion designer Misha Nonoo this summer

Meghan enjoyed a stint in London in June before jetting off on a sunny holiday to Madrid in Spain with Misha, who she counts as a close friend

Karen Henry told the Mail: 'One guy got out from the back of the car and you could see he had an earpiece.'

The pair are believed to have struck up a romance after being introduced by fashion designer Misha Nonoo this summer.

Meghan enjoyed a stint in London in June before jetting off on a sunny holiday to Madrid in Spain with Misha, who she counts as a close friend.
The nephew of Prince Harry's new girlfriend Meghan Markle has hit back at claims that his aunt is a social climber, saying that he 'happy and excited' actress and the Prince are the real deal.

Tyler Dooley told The Sun that the Toronto-based actress is not 'fake' or 'in it for money' and that her priority in a relationship is 'someone with chemistry'.

He revealed that the Suits star has been sharing her excitement over her royal relationship with her family, and even her plans to join her new beau in London as soon as her filming schedule allows.

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Prince Harry's new girlfriend Meghan Markle, 35, is very 'happy and excited' according to her nephew who says she's made no secret of the relationship with her family

'Of course she plans to go to London when she wraps up filming in Canada this month. They are going to find a way to see each other.'

Tyler said that while Meghan has not been bragging about her relationship with the royal, she is certainly not keeping it a secret from family and friends.

And he said he could tell that the couple are the real deal from the 'excitement' in her voice when she spoke about the Prince.

Tyler believes the Prince was attracted to Meghan's 'genuine' nature and the adventurous streak that runs in their family.

According to Meghan Markle's cousin, the actress is planning to join Harry in London at the end of this month when she wraps up filming for Suits in Toronto

He added that she is very happy and excited about their blossoming love and is 'going through a very positive phase of her life'.

'All I can say is she is happy. She is very happy and I am sure this is because of Harry,' he said.

However, not all members of Meghan's family have been so impressed by her new status as a royal girlfriend.

What would Harry say? Meghan Markle in a racy scene with Patrick J Adams who plays Mike Ross in Suits

Earlier this week, the Suits star was accused by her half-sister, Samantha Grant, of failing to support her family.

Miss Grant said the Queen's grandson would be 'appalled by what she's done'.

She also claimed her sister was a shallow social climber who would watch programmes showing the Royal Family as a child and had a soft spot for gingers.

And the mother-of-three, 51, claimed Meghan always wanted to be a princess and said she was narcissistic and selfish.

The 51-year-old has the same father as the television star. Thomas Markle, it can be revealed, was declared bankrupt only weeks ago.

Once one of Hollywood's most successful lighting directors, he filed for bankruptcy with debts of $30,000 (24,600), in what appears to have been a dramatic fall from grace.

The 72-year-old has since decamped to Mexico without leaving a forwarding address or telephone number.

Meghan's mother, Doria, who divorced Mr Markle when their daughter was six, also separately declared bankruptcy several years ago with credit card debts of $52,750.

The stunning brunette is going through a very positive phase in her life since meeting the Prince, according to her cousin

Meghan shows off her yoga moves: Earlier this week it was reported that the Prince bombarded the stunning brunette with texts until she agreed to date him

Mr Markle has another son, from before his marriage to Doria, who has also recently declared himself bankrupt.

Miss Markle's extraordinary family background emerged as she was busy declaring herself 'the luckiest girl in the world'.

Miss Grant, a writer from Florida, said she had brought up the actress for 12 years when she lived in California and declared: 'The Royal Family would be appalled by what she's done to her own family.

'The truth would kill her relationship with Prince Harry, he wouldn't want to date her any more because it puts her in a bad public light.

Meghan Markle leaves her home in Toronto Canada on her way to the film set. She is planning a visit to Harry in London despite the eyes of the world being on the new couple

'I certainly don't think Harry or his family would want to associate with her afterwards.' According to a report on the US website Radar Online, both Miss Grant and her father have been hurt by Miss Markle's 'lack of emotional and financial support' since she became famous.

Harry and Meghan have been reportedly dating since being introduced by a mutual friend when Harry visited Toronto - where LA-born Meghan films Suits - to promote his Invictus Games.

A 'besotted' Harry, 32, met the actress at a charity event and sent her messages until she said she would meet up with him - and, following a number of dates the pair are now said to be 'serious' about one another.

A friend revealed the royal had bombarded the TV star with texts until she agreed to go out with him.
Also visited Oman's first Children's public Library and did jigsaws

Camilla, 69, is on state visit to Middle East with Prince Charles

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have visited the spectacular Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque to promote religious tolerance.

Charles and Camilla first visited the mosque, in Abu Dhabi, in 2007 when it was still being built.

They returned as part of their tour to the Middle East on behalf of the British Government, having left Oman earlier on Sunday.

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The Duchess of Cornwall removed her shoes while her husband kepy on his black loafers on a visit to the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

The Duchess engaged in ainamted conversation with clerics at the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque

Camilla slipped out of her beige suede wedges in accordance with religious regulations as she visited the mosque

Charles was dressed in a linen suit and striped tie, while Camilla wore a blue headscarf, long jacket and trousers.

Visitors to the mosque must remove their footwear, and Charles walked round in black socks while his wife went barefoot.

The couple toured the mosque, which has stunning chandeliers and a wall featuring the 99 names of God in traditional calligraphy, before learning about its architecture.

The carpet in the main hall of the mosque, which took 11 years to build, is considered to be one of the largest in the world.

Prince Charles looked a little unsure of the spread being offered as his wife chatted to Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi

A laughing Prince Charles chats with Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed after arriving in Abu Dhabi

The Duchess covered her hair with a delicate blue headscarf

The Duchess puts her best foot forward during her second visit to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Following the tour, Charles and Camilla attended a reception for guests of different faiths and nationalities.

Bishop Paul Hinder, of the Roman Catholic Church, spoke with Charles at the mosque.

'For me, the visit is about recognition,' he said.

'The prince was able to speak to us and see the mutual tolerance which is reality in this country.

Camilla fixes her scarf before she leaves the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

On arrival at the mosque, Camilla was wearing a pair of camel suede shoes with a low wedge heel

Camilla later removed her camel suede wedges in accordance with religious rules

'It doesn't happen all over the world that we can meet in such a place in such a formation. Living and seeing this reality has an impact.'

The mosque was established in 2008 and sits at the entrance to Abu Dhabi City Island.

It aims to work with research centres and religious, educational and cultural institutions within the United Arab Emirates and across the world.

The royal pair looked delighted to be visiting the landmark,which was established in 2008 and sits at the entrance to Abu Dhabi City Island

The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales were shown around the spectacular religious site, which was erected eight years ago

Prince Charles was dressed in a linen suit and striped tie, while Camilla wore a blue headscarf, long jacket and trousers

Charles and Camilla were shown around the mosque by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, who was appointed as the new minister of state for tolerance in February.

The UAE is home to more than 200 nationalities, a large majority of whom are Commonwealth citizens.

Kim Debenham, deputy head of mission at the Australian embassy, said: 'It was my first opportunity to meet anyone from the British royal family so it was quite special.

'Prince Charles said he had visited Abu Dhabi before but the last time he was at the mosque it was a construction site.

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall attended a religious tolerance event at the Sheikh Zaved Grand Mosque, her first engagement on the Abu Dhabi leg of her royal tour of the Middle East

It was the royals' second visit to the mosque, which they first saw back in 2007, prior to its completion

Prince Charles descends the airplane staircase ahead of his wife Camilla as they arrive into Abu Dhabi Airport

The royal shares a joke with Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi

'We spoke about the different commonwealth communities here in Abu Dhabi and that they are growing all the time.'

Earlier today Camilla showed off her nurturing side as she joined children for story-time to promote literacy initiatives.

In keeping with tradition, Camilla wore a long-sleeved dishdasha dress in mint green and white sarwal trousers, although she did not cover her head.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall talks to children during a book reading outside Dar Al Atta Bookshop on the third day of a Royal tour of Oman

This little boy was so focused on his jigsaw puzzle that he only had time for a half-hearted handshake with the royal visitor

Camilla visits Maktabat Oman's first mobile library while promoting literacy initiatives

The first stop was the Dar Al Attaa 'Let's Read' initiative which encourages young Omani readers to pick up a book in its charity book shop.

Camilla say on the ground and made herself comfortable as she chatted to children during a reading outside the bookshop.

She also visited Oman's first Children's public Library and met young children who won a local writing competition. Their stories have now been published in their own book.

At the library, she examined students' work and helped young people complete jigsaws.

The grandmother-of-two, who is also step grandmother to Prince George and Princess Charlotte, looked very much at ease as she chatted to youngsters

A young boy gives a reading for the royal visitor during her visit to Oman's first Children's public library

Helping hand! The Duchess gives her guidance to a young girl as she completes a jigsaw puzzle

No help needed! The youngster manages to successfully complete the jigaw puzzle

Prince Charles and Camilla are on a Royal tour of the Middle East starting with Oman, then the UAE and finally Bahrain.

Camilla carried out her engagements solo this morning while her husband was otherwise engaged.

Charles was set to join a reception for Young Leaders in Oman before meeting the Crossing The Empty Quarter Expedition.

Camilla talks to children during a book reading outside Dar Al Atta Bookshop during the third day of her royal tour of the Middle East

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall chats the librarian, Hatim Al Mamari, on Maktabat Oman's first mobile library

Young students proudly show off their work for Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall

Camilla learns more about literacy initiatives at the Dar Al Atta Bookshop on the third day of a Royal tour of Oman

He spoke with Mark Evans, Mohammed Al-Zadjali and Amour Al-Wadibi, who recreated the 1931 journey of British explorer Bertram Thomas earlier this year.

Prince Charles then viewed images from the recent expedition across the Empty Quarter and a copy of the map from the original journey - which was the first crossing of the biggest sand desert on earth.

The royal couple departed Oman for Abu Dhabi, where they were met on arrival by the minister of foreign Affairs and international cooperation and HM ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

Camilla sits on a table with young childrento inspect their artwork as she visits Oman's first Children's public library

The Duchess looked elegant in a neutral colour palette and carried a floral print clutch

A delighted Duchess was all smiles as she chatted to children about their artwork

Showing her nurturing side: Camilla looked very much at ease as she chatted to young people while visiting literacy initiatives

Charles took a salute from the guard of honour before the couple attended the religious tolerance event at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

After touring the mosque including a brief photography exhibition and visiting the main hall to learn about the architecture they joined a reception to meet guests from different faiths and nationalities.
The Crown actress Vanessa Kirby has revealed how she uncovered a startling truth about the late Princess Margaret's relationship with the Queen while researching her role for the Netflix drama.

In the first episodes, viewers witness Margaret's affair with married Captain Peter Townsend who later divorced his wife to pave the way for marriage to the royal.

But the Queen refused to endorse the match and now Vanessa has reveals how she discovered that Margaret was still bitter about it 20 years later.

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Actress Vanessa Kirby who plays Princess Margaret in The Crown, the Netflix royal biopic, says that Princess Margaret never forgave the Queen for blocking her marriage to divorced Peter Townsend

While filming, she met someone whose parents had been in the royal's circle of friends.

The couple had married back in the '70s - two decades on from Margaret's love affair with Townsend - and one of them was a divorcee.

'He said that Margaret was very, very unhappy about it and made that known publicly,' she explained.

'I thought: "God 20 years on if you're still resentful towards people who are able to do something you weren't it must mean that you haven't forgiven everybody. Or yourself".'

rincess Margaret With Group Captain Peter Townsend At Shashi Railway Station Bechuanaland During The Royal Visit To South Africa In 1947

Princess Margaret went on to marry Lord Snowdon, formerly Anthony Armstrong-Jones, after her former lover announced his engagement to a 19-year-old Belgian woman

She added that while being forbidden to marry someone by your parents is one thing, being prevented by a sister must have been very difficult to cope with. '

It was recently revealed that Princess Margaret hastily announced her engagement to man-about-town photographer Tony Armstrong-Jones after receiving a letter from Townsend to say he was marrying a 19-year-old Belgian woman.

Four years had passed since Townsend, 16 years her senior and father of two sons from a dissolved marriage, had helped her write the emotional statement in which she announced that, 'mindful of the Church's teaching', she would not marry him.

However, many felt the truth was that she was not prepared to risk losing her place in the order of accession to the throne.

Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret in The Crown. The actress has revealed how the royal was seemingly feeling bitter over not being allowed to marry Captain Townsend two decades later

Princess Margaret at an official royal engagement in 1966 with her husband Lord Snowdon

Now, in his letter, Townsend told her that he was about to announce his engagement to a Belgian woman, Marie-Luce Jamagne.

His news really upset the princess because it broke a secret pact that neither would marry anyone else.

They had made it after ending their famous love affair which, for the princess, had begun when she was 14 and the tall, charming air ace arrived at Buckingham Palace as her father George VI's equerry.

The princess had passed her 29th birthday when she read her former lover's shocking letter, several years beyond the age at which most women got married in those days. Townsend was 45. His fiancee, Marie-Luce, who had similar darkly pretty looks to the princess herself, was just 19.

Sisterly bond: Vanessa Kirby (right) as Princess Margaret and Claire Foy as a young Queen Elizabeth in The Crown

The Crown sees Wolf Hall star Claire Foy taking on the part of a youthful Queen Elizabeth during the early decades of her marriage to Prince Philip.

Dr Who actor Matt Smith plays the Duke of Edinburgh in Peter Morgans much hyped new series The Crown, which documents the couple's relationship from November 1947 to the Suez Crisis of 1956.

Writer Morgan, of course, earned plaudits for The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, and this time teams up with The Audiences Stephen Daldry for what has been described as a meticulously researched and sumptuous series.

The ten-part drama doesnt shy away from the grim realities of life, however: including showing a scene in which the Queens late father, King George VI, coughs up blood into his toilet bowl.

He died from lung cancer in 1952, propelling his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, onto the throne in her twenties.

The series also shows one of his daughters (it is not yet clear which) seeing his body embalmed, which might cause some upset among viewers.

Scenes were filmed both at Elstree Studios and at some of the magnificent stately homes in the country: Hatfield House, Lancaster House, Loseley Park, Wrotham Park and Englefield.
Whether it's watching a retro movie, flicking through your old records or enjoying a favorite childhood snack, everyone likes to indulge in a bit of nostalgia now and then.

But sadly, ever since 2012, Americans haven't been able to buy one of the classic foodstuffs that was once a lunchbox staple: Dunkaroos. The cookies with frosting combo was discontinued by General Mills in the United States after sales declined.

However, a new movement by the company is now aiming to remedy this fact by providing an online community encouraging people to smuggle the snacks over the border.

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A favorite: A new website by General Mills aims to encourage Canadians to 'smuggle' Dunkaroos snacks into the United States as they were discontinued in America in 2012

Getting together: The website allows people to sign up as either a Canadian exporter or American importer

The project, appropriately dubbed Smugglaroos, was started last week by General Mills specifically aimed at bringing the tasty treats to America from Canada, where Dunkaroos are still being sold.

The website allows American Dunkaroos lovers to be matched up with Canadian travelers who will soon be arriving to their area.

The Canadian 'smugglers' bring the snacks along with them and meet up with their American matches to make the delivery.

According to General Mills, the initiative was created in order to help fans of the product avoid aftermarket price gouging.

'Online, we started to see that there was cross-border shopping: People were posting that Americans could purchase Dunkaroos online for grossly inflated prices,' General Mills' marketing director Jason Doolan explained to The Globe and Mail.

Back in the day: While the original product was for kids, the new initiative is aimed at adults who grew up loving Dunkaroos in the 1990s

Lending a hand: General Mills claim that they created the site to help people avoid aftermarket price gouging

'It was a wake-up call. There is still an affinity for this product.'

While the original product was a favorite of kids, the Smugglaroos website is aimed at adults, particularly those 1990s kids that grew up loving Dunkaroos.

The first page of the site asks if you are a Canadian looking to become an 'exporter' or an American 'importer' before asking you to log in with a social media account to match up a location.
When the Taliban killed Captain David Patton during a special forces mission in Afghanistan, his wife PAULA MAYRS thought she would never recover. Here she recounts how it has taken a decade for her to find peace  and love again

On the day my husband David was due back from serving in Afghanistan, I received the news every army wife dreads. It was 27 June 2006, and Id last seen David ten weeks earlier. In that time hed missed our only child Joannas first birthday, instead calling her from a secure landline in Kabul, breaking down in tears when he heard her giggling. It was the longest wed been apart since meeting 11 years earlier, and Id missed him like mad.

Paula Mayrs, 50, at her new home

I was buzzing with excitement about his return, impatient for the phone to ring, to hear his voice from the army plane. But that call never came. David was dead, lying face down in a field, gunned down by the Taliban who had ambushed his paratroop patrol during a covert mission in Helmand Province. I would never again see my husbands face (not even at the funeral where his coffin was sealed), and our daughter would never remember the dad who had so doted on her.

Would I have got involved with David if I had known the dangerous nature of his job from the outset? Growing up in Coleraine, Northern Ireland during The Troubles, Id vowed never to date a policeman or soldier, much less someone from special forces, who everyone knew were targeted. I had seen first hand the devastating impact army life could have on the wife left behind. My sisters husband, who was in the regular army, had been shot dead in front of her by the IRA at their home while on Christmas leave in 1992.

But in 1995, when I was 29, and introduced to David by a mutual friend, I remember looking at this exceptionally handsome man and thinking, Oh golly. We just fell for each other.

While I knew hed been in the army since he was 16 (he was 27 when we met), for the first four months of our relationship I was kept in the dark about him being in special forces. I had my suspicions, though. There was something different about David: he didnt seem like regular army  for one thing, his hair was longer than the usual compulsory crop. He had a special bearing: a quiet confidence, understated rather than cocky with a presence about him. Army business wasnt the kind of thing we discussed. There were security risks and people were naturally cagey in Northern Ireland.

Paula was helped through her grief by the War Widows Association

David didnt talk and I didnt push. Even after he confided he was in the SAS, he never told me the nature of his work. His job was the elephant in the room. We got married in 1998, on the week of the Good Friday Agreement [a peace deal that brought an end to The Troubles in Northern Ireland], in a very low-key ceremony at a local register office with just immediate family present. We knew the Agreement would change things, that his role would become global rather than based in Northern Ireland, and I became more nervous about his safety.

For the first few years of our marriage, we were fortunate in that David was stationed in the UK and could come home most evenings, and usually on weekends. We had a dream house with land and ponies. All we longed for to make our life complete was a baby. We tried for years and looked into IVF and adoption before deciding they werent right for us.

Then in 2004, when wed given up on a baby ever happening, I discovered I was pregnant. David had been training at the SAS base in Hereford, and was about to get on the plane back home for the weekend when I phoned and told him the news. He couldnt believe his ears and kept asking me to say it again. He was cock-a-hoop when he got back, giving me the biggest hug. But just after Joanna was born in May 2005, David was promoted to captain, and it was compulsory for him to do a tour of duty. Our happiness at having a baby was tinged, on my part, by fear.

Within six months of his promotion David told me he was to be stationed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. We both realised Afghanistan was extreme, that this was an actual war. Ill always remember the look that passed between us. I knew he wanted to go because he was a soldier through and through. And he knew I didnt want him to. Right, well, youve told me now, was all I said. His job was so stressful, I didnt want to make it any harder for him.

Saying goodbye was horrible. It was a Sunday morning in April 2006; Joanna was teething and I was tired so had gone back to bed with her while David packed. He came to kiss us goodbye, telling me not to get up because it would disturb Joanna, who was sleeping in my arms. I heard his footsteps moving down our tiled hallway, then I heard them coming back. He stood in the doorway looking at us, not saying a word as tears rolled down his face.

That look passed between us again. The last thing I remember is hearing his footsteps click-clacking away from us. It was the first time I hadnt waved him off  and the last time I saw him alive.

Back then we didnt have mobile phones, and I only spoke to David three times while he was in Afghanistan. When he phoned after missing Joannas first birthday, he said, I cant do this any more. I cannot have this separation from you. After his tour of duty he was due to be stationed in Hereford, and although I didnt want to leave Northern Ireland, I knew I had to do it for him. I told him, Well sell up. Youll have us with you. Well do whatever it takes.

Im glad he had the reassurance that we would be together as a family when he came back. The last time I heard from him was a week before his death. He was due home but told me he would be staying on an extra week, that the lads needed him. People said afterwards, I bet you wish youd told him to come back, but he would have stayed regardless, and then there would have been bad feeling between us.

On the day of his death, Id gone to work as usual in the admissions office of Ulster University, leaving Joanna at the creche. I was surprised to see Davids commanding officer in the doorway of my office. I started to smile, and then I saw his expression. He didnt say a word; he didnt need to.

Paula at David's grave on the first anniversary of his death

I ran out of the back door, along the corridor screaming, No, no, so loudly that they heard me on the floor above. I didnt know what I was doing, and crashed into a locked fire door, collapsing to the floor. My colleagues picked me up; all of the girls were crying. I didnt want to go near Joanna. I didnt want to make it real.

When I forced myself to go into the creche that afternoon, I walked past the staff without saying a word, picked her out of her high-chair and started to cry. But that was one of the only times I lost control in public. My attitude to coping was to get the job done, just like David had. He was the one who had fought and died  what right did I have to make this about me? In private it was a different story. When I looked at Joanna I wept; when I woke up in the morning I cried. I functioned on a perfunctory level, but that was all. The other half of me was missing.

It was ten days before Davids body was repatriated. His best friend, while sitting next to Davids coffin on the flight home, wrote me a 12-page letter detailing what had happened. Davids 16-man team had captured four Taliban leaders and were bringing them back to base when they were ambushed and outnumbered, taking cover in a ditch as the Taliban opened fire. The gun battle went on for hours and David had broken cover to run across a field when he was shot in the back. His regiment had to leave his body for a couple of days before it was safe to return and retrieve it, by which point it wasnt pretty.

When his friend broke the news about the need for the sealed coffin, I remembered David once joking, If anything ever happens to me, will you comb my hair before Im buried? Id laughed it off at the time, but now I anxiously blurted out, Is his hair OK? Will you comb it for me?

I cant remember much about the funerals (he had two: one military, one civil). I know I wouldnt allow myself to cry as I walked behind his coffin. I remember feeling my neighbours hand on my arm and wondering what she was doing. She said I looked so pale and stunned, she was worried I would fall. It was as if I was watching someone else bury their husband.

I lost the next three years of my life. I cant even remember Joannas second or third birthdays. Bits and pieces have recently started coming back to me, such as a friend dropping off Davids satchel three weeks after the funerals. It had been a big part of him, something I was always tripping over in the hall when he was home at weekends and, for a while, I couldnt go near it. When I eventually did, I found the photograph of Joanna and me that Id sent him a few weeks before his death. Turning it over, my breath caught in my throat as I noticed hed written on the back, Im about to go out on the ground. Im thinking about you both and love you very much. When I read his words, I cried and cried, knowing that hed died only hours later.

My next conscious moment was Christmas that year. Id gone into town to buy Joanna something when the heavens opened. While everyone else sheltered in the shops, I stood, soaked to the skin, unable to move for 20 minutes. After that I went to my GP and admitted I wasnt coping. He suggested antidepressants, but I didnt want to put my feelings on hold. It helped when he explained Id been trying to carry on as normal, when my situation was far from it. I didnt go back to the GP because I didnt want to be a nuisance.

About 18 months later, I started having panic attacks. When I went out Id feel I couldnt breathe, and wherever I was my go-to response was to grab Joanna, bring her home, close the door and not speak to anybody. It was a case of bringing the shutters down. Id been so used to keeping our lives a secret because of Davids job, I couldnt open up in grief either.

I lost my self-confidence because his death had shown me that you cant trust in the future. It was a help to be in contact with the War Widows Association, to know there were others like me who I could email or meet for lunch occasionally.

I also got support from Thea, Davids stepmother (his father had passed away some years ago), although she was based in Belfast, 60 miles away. The biggest help came from people in my church community, who were wonderful, coming round to check on me and even giving me a job in the church creche so that I could get out of the house while still being with Joanna.

Although Joanna doesnt remember her dad, I feel blessed that she was too young to bear the grief of losing him. I remember once finding an old camcorder and pressing play, only to hear Davids voice  and then Joannas from the next room saying, Thats Daddy. She was only two, and I was so floored that she knew it was him, I couldnt breathe.

Friends said I should start dating again. Joanna asked, 'Can I have a daddy?'

One time when she was older, she came home from school and said theyd been talking about what daddies teach you, and shed replied, He cant teach me anything because hes not here. I explained to her that that wasnt strictly true, and read to her his old diaries of his days as a junior soldier. Yes, he was a hero, but he was also human and I talked to her about his good and bad points. Shes very similar to him. Her attitude, her stance, how she thinks, even the Patton stare she gives me when Ive done something silly as if to say, Dont be a plonker!

After a while, friends began saying that I should start dating. Even Joanna sometimes asked, Can I have a daddy? I went on a couple of coffee dates over the years, but it never felt right. I didnt want another man coming into my life. I was still married to David, and it felt disloyal to consider anyone else. Every Friday night for years I would find myself preparing a special meal to welcome him home for weekend leave, then realise he was never coming back again.

Then, last year, a member of church asked if I would have coffee with his friend Steve. I refused, but reluctantly accepted his Facebook friend request. Steve messaged me to say that he knew I didnt want a relationship but he would still like to buy me a coffee. I really couldnt be bothered, but something made me go.

Paula with her second husband Steve on their wedding day, March 2016

When he walked into the cafe, I thought, Oh, this isnt going to go the way I thought. Yes, I was attracted to Steve, who is ten years my senior and a retired pilot, but it was more than that. He was exactly what I needed. He is kind and thoughtful, and calmed me down, bringing a peacefulness to my life. He made it easy for me to be me again, almost as if I could step back into the person Id been before tragedy struck. I can only describe it as feeling as though I could breathe again  and relax for the first time in almost a decade.

Steve is compassionate about my situation, but he doesnt feel sorry for me. I didnt need a knight on a white horse. We just clicked, and he bonded with Joanna straight away which was incredibly important. I explained our relationship to her by saying that from 2006, life was like a roadblock that our car couldnt pass. Traffic was going past us, and we watched it but didnt want to join it. But now its time to put our indicator on and move around the obstacle because weve met Steve and we have a new future.

Our relationship progressed very quickly  we met in October 2015, were engaged by Christmas and married in March this year. We knew how we felt about each other, so there seemed little point in waiting, although I did have an internal struggle about marrying on the tenth anniversary of Davids death. But after grieving for a decade, it felt OK to put my new life first. Joanna was over the moon to be a bridesmaid at our small wedding in a hotel by the coast. She has told me she thinks of Steve as Dad, although she hasnt the confidence to call him that yet. Shes a slow-burner; she gets that from David.

Paula and Steve with Joanna, now 11, at a charity dinner earlier this year

The fact Ive remarried doesnt mean Ive stopped being Davids widow. A part of me will always be left behind at that roadblock. I have an obligation and desire to keep his memory alive. Steve supports my wishes  I couldnt be with a man who didnt. He doesnt feel threatened by Davids memory.

When I go to Army events to represent David, I always ask Steve if he wants to come too, as I will do next week, on Remembrance Sunday. Its about marking the importance of the people who fought and the family they left behind, not the politics. Its when  for one day  the world joins me in how I feel every day.
Easy elegance and a curated collection of travel-themed touches make this Sydney home both chic and child-friendly

Charlies DIY shelves take centre stage in the family room. The ostrich painting is by Los Angeles artist Scott Zaragoza (saatchiart.com). The chairs and table were vintage finds

THE FAMILY Chloe Brookman, who co-runs childrens nursery emporium Olli Ella, her husband Charlie Wheeler, a motion graphics designer, and their children Tennyson, seven, Arlo, four, and Nell, eight months, live in a two-bedroom house in Balmain, Sydney, with Eshu the golden doodle. Advertisement

There is an assumption that when you have children, your interiors style can only go one of two ways, says Chloe. Either you have nothing nice in your home because youre worried about things getting broken, or you have a home full of beautiful things that your children are forbidden from touching. For me, its about striking a balance so that everyone feels comfortable.

Chloe and her family moved to Australia four years ago and have turned their Federation-era home into a masterclass in informal family living. Sydney seems a natural habitat for this look but, as Chloe says, You can do relaxed living anywhere, whether youre in London or Manchester, Sydney or Los Angeles.

For a similar paint, try Rich Black Matt emulsion, 21.29 for 2.5 litres, Dulux (dulux.co.uk)

Chloes style draws on the places she and Charlie have lived in and travelled to, but she has also added a healthy dose of 1970s boho into the mix, with macrame hangings, woven baskets and glossy pot plants in every corner. But these elements are cast in a fresh light and imbued with personal memories. Our home is a blend of the places weve been to, says Chloe, so our rugs tap into the cultures of Turkey and Morocco and our baskets are a reminder of how people store everything in Asia. And then there are the vintage Ercol chairs that we brought with us from Britain. Everything adds up to the story of us.

Tennyson and Arlo at the piano. They are really good friends, says Chloe. The seagrass wall hanging is a new Olli Ella item: Its a bit of a play on the feathery juju-hat wall decoration; I thought that idea was overdue an update, she adds

Chloe and her sister Olivia set up the cool childrens nursery store Olli Ella when they were both living in London and, as the brands popularity spread globally, Chloe followed its trail to head up the companys base in Australia. I lived here from the age of ten to 16, so it wasnt a huge adjustment, she says in a soft accent thats well on its way to a Sydney-siders lilt.

Tennyson and Arlo hang loose in the hallway. Ive learnt to live with skateboards in the house, but the rule is: no smashing straight into the walls, says Chloe

It took two years to find this doer-upper in the sought-after area of Balmain. It was very dilapidated, but had a gabled front, high ceilings and loads of period features, says Chloe. It was such a competitive market, though, that I had to put in a bid on the spot. The first time Charlie saw it was when we picked up the keys.

An Olli Ella rug, a soft sheepskin throw and chunky woven baskets add texture to the black and white dining area

The couple renovated the place themselves, but at their own pace. Getting a house done doesnt have to be a race, she says. I prefer to do the rooms gradually while our family grows up and enjoys the spaces. Plenty of Olli Ella fans have watched how Chloes home  and family  have grown, via social media: the Olli Ella Instagram account has more than 47,000 followers and counting. Half of our followers love the brand and half love seeing our home, says Chloe. And that is such a massive compliment.

olliella.com, @olliella

We call this the white room  for obvious reasons, says Chloe. A combination of Berber rugs, vintage Swedish armchairs by Arne Norell and a wall of art are a sophisticated riff on 70s style. Some of the art is from when my sister and I ran a London gallery, while other pieces are from local flea markets, says Chloe. Find a similar lamp at Graham and Green (grahamandgreen.co.uk). The rugs are from Olli Ella

The boys share one large bedroom. Actually, they pretty much share a bed these days, too, says Chloe. For a similar display house, try Bloomingville at Amara (amara.com). The bed throw was a vintage buy; find similar at Melin Tregwynt (melintregwynt.co.uk). The side table and rug are both Olli Ella. For a similar dinosaur poster, try Allposters.co.uk

GET THE LOOK

From left: MINI SHOPPER, 22, Yonder Living, yonderliving.com; BASKET, 37, Pentreath & Hall, pentreath-hall.com

GOOS ON YELLOW by Nicola King, 63.44, King & McGaw, kingandmcgaw.com

DREAM CATCHER, 26.95, Mia Fleur, miafleur.com; CACTUS VASE, 62.95, Howkapow, howkapow.com; SKULL, 120, Rockett St George, rockettstgeorge.co.uk
'Life is what it is  theres no point complaining'

Guilty pleasure? Watching rubbish TV, which can be a good way to clear the mind.

Where is home? I share a flat in North London with my girlfriend [actress Ruta Gedmintas], but grew up in Devon, which will always be home.

Career plan B? I dont have one, as I never had a plan A. I fell into acting after joining the National Youth Theatre when I was 16.

Who would play you in a movie of your life? I would definitely have to offer it first to my twin brother Harry, who is also an actor.

Biggest bugbear? Politicians and governments funding seemingly constant wars in the world  its a bit more than a bugbear, I know.

As a child you wanted to be The centre of attention.

Earliest memory? Swimming in a lake on a family camping holiday to France when I was about three.

Secret to a happy relationship? Love and understanding.

Your best quality? How long have you got? But seriously, I really dont know.

And your worst? Im too sarcastic.

Last meal on earth? My mums macaroni cheese  my favourite meal when I was growing up.

Dream dinner-party guests? Salvador Dali, Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Albert Einstein and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. It would be more of a lads night in than a dinner party.

Advice to teenage self? Dont start smoking  Im still trying to give up.

On a day off wed find you Reading scripts at home, going to the gym or for a run on Hampstead Heath, hanging out with friends.

Starstruck moment? Seeing Prince in concert in Toronto last year and having drinks with him afterwards  we had red wine and limoncello. It was a privilege and pretty surreal.

Cat or dog? Starring in the film A Street Cat Named Bob, I obviously have to choose cats. I bonded with Bob when we were filming  hes an absolute dude and came to my birthday party in September.

Big break? My first job, Brothers of the Head, a film I did when I was still at drama school.

Career highlight? Playing the lead role of Christopher in the stage version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2012.

Taking the production from workshop to the National Theatre and then the West End was an amazing journey.

Favourite tipple? Red wine, although Im not a connoisseur.

Hangover cure? Go for a run and drink lots of water.

What did you have for breakfast today? Avocado on toast and scrambled eggs.

Top of your bucket list? Its not a typical bucket list choice, but Id like to have children one day.

Philosophy? Life is what it is  theres no point complaining.

Where would you time travel to? To check out the dinosaurs.

First record you bought? A tape of Vs by Pearl Jam when I was about ten.

Happiness is Being with friends and family. They are the people who inspire you to try to be the best possible version of yourself.
A blanket of toxic smog is quietly smothering Delhi with experts saying on Saturday the air quality in the Capital may have returned to its pre-CNG days, when spending a day outdoors left a layer of black soot on the face.

Advocacy groups say gains made between the years 1998 and 2003 - when the first generation of reforms were ushered into Delhi by the Supreme Court (SC) and the citys entire public transport fleet converted to Compressed Natural Gas - may have been lost entirely.

Also, if aggressive measures are not taken immediately, long-term disastrous effects on the health of citizens will follow.

Heavy smog is hindering visibility in Delhi, especially in the early mornings.

The NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had led the change at the turn of the century.

Its executive director, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, said as per the India Meteorological Department, this is the worst smog with very poor visibility in 17 years.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport recorded the worst levels of smog in 17 years on November 2, with visibility as low as 300-400 metres. Delhis pollution scenario is definitely worse than even the pre-CNG days, she said.

Pollution levels spiked in the city after many firecrackers were set off to celebrate Diwali last weekend.

Schoolchildren, joggers and office-goers alike sport masks to get relief from the polluted air

Air quality in the Capital, one of the worlds most polluted cities, is usually very poor due to road dust, open fires, vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions and the burning of crop residues in neighbouring states.

The citys annual average of Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10) in the year 2002, stood at slightly less than 200 micrograms per cubic metre, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) figures.

This was immediately after the apex court enforced a plethora of major changes in the transport and pollution monitoring infrastructure of the city providing much relief.

This figure kept on growing till 2014 as vehicles, increased.

It had declined to some extent in 2015, with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court again spearheading a campaign against pollution with steps like green tax on trucks, putting a temporary ban on new diesel cars and disallowing the ones aged over 10 years.

People wear masks to protect them selves from the dangerous levels of air pollution

The annual average of Particulate Matter 10 (PM 10) in Delhi in 2015, stood at close to 210 micrograms per cubic metre.

In 2016, it has again been rising rapidly, peaking on Diwali at a 24-hour average of 448 g/m3 to 939 g/m3.

The concentration of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), tiny particles that can clog lungs, stood at 180 g/m3 to 440 g/m3.

We had tremendous expectations that authorities will follow up on the reforms introduced in 2015. Unfortunately, that did not happen, Roy Chowdhury said.

Sumit Sharma, Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) said: "Emissions caused by crackers added to already high PM2.5 levels in the city. Pollution was already high due to outside contributions from agricultural burning.

Further, lower wind speed and shallow inversion layer led to extremely high pollutant concentration this winter. A regional scale multi-sectoral air quality management plan is much required for NCR.

Doctors say infants and newborns are the worst affected.

Dr Arti Maria, associate professor of neonatology and paediatrics at RML hospital, said: Air pollution level is killing presently. Presence of even little smoke is considered harmful for newborn and toddlers. The air quality right now can lead to slow brain development, mental irritation and psychological problems.

Pollution was already high due to outside contributions from agricultural burning.

Further, lower wind speed and shallow inversion layer led to extremely high pollutant concentration this winter.

A regional scale multi-sectoral air quality management plan is much required for NCR.

Dr Shweta Goswami, gynecologist and IVF specialist from Max Hospital, explained that constant exposure to high air pollution increases the risk of miscarriage and early labour in pregnant women and also results in low-birth weight.

The choking smog and low-visibility conditions have battered road, rail and air traffic in Delhi as well as other parts of northern India, and have also led to schools shutting down and patients queuing up at hospitals with problems such as cough, wheezing and breathlessness.

The smog cover in the Capital on Saturday caused cancellation of the first days play in two Ranji Trophy games here with players complaining of irritation in eyes and breathing problems.

The matches cancelled were a group A league encounter between Bengal and Gujarat at the Feroz Shah Kotla and a group C match at Karnail Singh Stadium between Tripura and Hyderabad.

While poor light was cited as the reason for play being called off, its a rarity that players from both teams complain of burning eyes and breathing issues.

Kejriwal asks Centre to intervene

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday asked the Centre to intervene to control the smog situation in the National Capital Region.

The Centre needs to intervene to mitigate the alarming levels of smog, which have virtually turned Delhi into a gas chamber, mainly due to farm fires in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, an exasperated Kejriwal said.

Vehicle restriction measures like odd-even will not be able to bring down smog as initial studies suggest that the large scale influx of pollutant-laden smoke from Punjab and Haryana has aggravated the situation.

Kejriwal asked the Centre to sit with the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana to chalk out a solution

Pollution has increased to an extent that Delhi resembles a gas chamber.

Prima facie, the biggest reason seems to be burning of stubble in agricultural fields in Haryana and Punjab in huge quantity, Kejriwal elaborated.

Shutting down schools for a long time is not feasible, he added, when asked about the decision of civic bodies to keep schools run by it closed for a day.

The CM also pitched for providing alternatives and incentives to farmers so that they discard the traditional practise.

Kejriwal said that the Delhi government has very few methods at its disposal and the Centre needs to intervene.

The Centre can sit with the chief ministers of these states and chalk out a solution. Few reports have put the volume of stubble being burned at 16-20 million tonnes.

Fireworks during Diwali only marginally added to the pollution, he said.

Kejriwal said that the main sources of pollution in Delhi are vehicles, dust and waste burning, which he said could not be responsible for the pall of smog across the city.

I saw smoke across Punjab and Haryana during my visits. We need the Centres help. We are hiring an agency in a week or two to study the sources of pollution in Delhi afresh, he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain inspected Bhalswa landfill on Saturday and said that the dumping site is one of the major contributors of air pollution in the national Capital.

The Bhalswa landfill is often on fire. The Delhi government and civic bodies are jointly working out a plan to dispose excess garbage and douse the flames. MCD has asked for 15-20 days to douse the fire, Jain said.

We are also considering the usage of 50-60 per cent of the garbage for road construction.

The rest would be utilised in waste energy plants, the minister said. North Delhis
See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome

Indian SIM cards are being used by terrorists, drug lords and smugglers

Hours after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes in POK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) to destroy terror launch pads, residents of border villages in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab claim to have received dozens of telephone calls from Pakistan abusing the receiver or pretending to be senior army officers.

One such call receiver was Babhishan Singh of Malpur village in Akhnoor sector, Jammu, who is also a village headman.

Babhishan claims that the caller had introduced himself as a senior army officer from Delhi headquarters.

Kashmiri youth talking on mobile phone after the Union Home Ministry lifted its three months ban on prepaid mobile connections in Valley

Singh did not suspect the caller as the call was made using Indian SIM card.

He initially talked about the evacuation of people after the tensions grew on the border, but when he started inquiring about the movement of forces, Babhishan Singh informed the police.

The matter was handed over to the army authorities, who traced the caller based in Pakistan.

The authorities have not revealed the numbers, but, investigations revealed that similar calls were reportedly made to people in Punjab.

Most of the callers had asked about the movement of the Indian security forces, the villagers claim.

Not only in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, but the phone calls believed to be made by ISI spies had also used Indian SIM cards to call people in Ladakh.

Hardeep Singh Dhillon, ADGP Law and Order, Punjab Police, said: "We have found Pakistan mobile phone signals between three to five kilometres inside India (Punjab). Efforts are being used to jam the signals by installing jammers near the borders in Punjab."

Sanjay Puri, a resident of Pathankot, claims to have been abused by the caller, when he refused to give details.

Jammu police had recovered two Pakistani SIM cards along with a map showing the deployment of security forces from a Pakistani spy identified as Bodhraj

Indian authorities claim that this is the new modus operandi adopted by the enemy to get information on military.

SPIES ON PROWL

Indian security agencies have been on alert, ever since it was revealed that Indian Mobile Phone SIM cards were used to speak to people living on borders, to get secret information about army installations and deployment.

The authorities had recently launched a drive to make people aware, so that strategic information was not leaked unknowingly.

The army authorities have prohibited people from clicking photos of army vehicles and establishments including border out posts.

The BSF even refused permission to the television crews to shoot on border areas, which have been divided into sensitive and hypersensitive zones.

Using Indian SIM cards to communicate is the latest method adopted by the ISI, terrorists and spies. But technology has made it possible to trace the location of the caller. All callers were traced in Pakistan, a senior Army officer requesting anonymity told Mail Today.

How Pakistan spies, ISI or terrorists accessed Indian Mobile Phone SIM Cards could be a matter of investigation for Indian security agencies, it has also left them worried since the SIM cards have been used by anti-social elements to elicit secret information.

Sources claim the SIM cards were first registered using fake IDs in India, and then were allegedly used to connect with the terrorist outfits.

The Samjhauta Express or the Thar Express is allegedly used to send and receive SIM cards as the authorities rarely frisk passengers for SIM cards.

GOLDMINE FOR SIM

Pakistan has been a veritable goldmine for the unverified mobile SIM cards for terror outfits and drug smugglers.

According to an estimate, more than 50 million unverified SIM cards were in use in Pakistan, when the Taliban had killed 150 people including 134 school children in Peshawar on December 16, 2014.

It is also reported that only 10 percent of total mobile phone users in Pakistan are post paid customers.

Shiv Sena activities during a protest agains pakistan embassy chanakyapuriat suspected terrorists of the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed mounted a deadly attack on an Indian Army camp

Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which had launched a verification drive after the Peshawar school terror strike, had blocked 25 million sim cards in April 2015.

Sources claim that half of the unverified SIM cards are still active and may be openly used by the terrorists and smugglers.

The mobile phones which were used by the terrorists to attack Peshawar school were issued on the basis of a fake identity.

Highly placed sources said hundreds of Pakistan mobile SIM cards were active along the Indo-Pak international border.

BSF sources estimate the number of active Pak SIM cards near the border as around 150.

It is worth mentioning here that the Indians residing near the borders, rarely use Indian mobile network connections due to weak signal and poor connectivity.

That's why Indian smugglers, gangsters and spies have been found using Pakistan SIM cards to communicate to the Pakistan based drug lords or the terror networks.

On October 21, Jammu police had recovered two Pakistani SIM cards along with a map showing the deployment of security forces from a Pakistani spy identified as Bodhraj,who is a resident of Arnia sector and was arrested in Sambha sector.

Pathankot NSG Commando Stand guard inside at Indian Air Force Airbase during a search operation at Airbase after Complete Terrorist Attack operation in Pathankot

On January 4, 2016 a Pakistan SIM card was recovered from the possession of three drug smugglers Gurjant Singh, Sandip Singh and Jatinder Singh in Mohali, Punjab.

Dozens of Pakistan SIM cards were recovered previously from drug smugglers and spies, but the authorities have no details about their operators or its actual owners.

POWERFUL SIGNALS

As the population of mobile users in Pakistan's major towns, located close to the International Border has gone up, the mobile operators have installed powerful signals in Lahore,Islamabad, Sialkot.

Besides the civil mobile network, Pakistan Army Corps of Signals has also strengthened its network along the border.

Sources said Pakistan Rangers and Army also use common network operators for infiltration and spying activities.

As compared to the Pakistan's mobile network along the International Border, the signals of Indian mobile phone operators are very weak.

While Indian mobile phones stop working a few kilometres near the border, Pakistan mobile phone signals are so powerful that they can be accessed up to five kilometres.

Building wall on Indo-Pak border is tough

Home Minister Rajnath Singh's ambitious plan to seal the Indo-Pak border will be challenging one

H ome Minister Rajnath Singh's ambitious plan to seal the Indo-Pak border on the lines of Israel West Bank Wall will not only be a landmark, but also a challenging one.

Besides the limitations imposed by the geographical conditions, removal of human settlements along the 3223 km long border are also a big challenge.

Constructing a wall in 553 km border which passes through Punjab will be a herculean task, the 90 km long riverine route in particular.

Taming river Ravi and its tributaries including the Ujj Daria, which flows from Pakistan and joins the river at Makdi Pattan in Gurdaspur, will be a daunting task.

Though the BSF has installed 44 high mast floodlights at various points to step up vigil along the course of this river there are nearly a half dozen points which are considered entry points and are required to be sealed.

Army personnel in action inside the Army Brigade camp during a terror attack in Uri

Located near the Indo- Pak border, Chakri village in Gurdaspur district, was evacuated recently in the wake of tensions along the border.

Villagers of Chakri also witnessed the fear and pain of displacement.

According to the state government sources nearly 30,000 acre land is under cultivation near the zero line.

A sizeable chunk of farmers own most of their land close to the fence. More than 20,500 acres of land is being used to construct houses near the zero line.

Mail Today spoke to a few local residents, who have welcomed the proposal to construct a wall along the international border, but fear losing their agriculture land.

However, most of them suggested that the wall should be constructed on the zero line which will not only save them from the bullets, but will also make farming easier.

Nearly 90 km long riverine route out of 553 km long international border which passes through Punjab has become vulnerable to the infiltration.
Actor- BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha has slammed the Central government over the handling of the situation which followed in the national Capital, post the suicide committed by former soldier Ram Kishan Grewal over the issue of OROP.

In a series of tweets, Shatrughan Sinha said that the situation in Delhi could have been handled in a better and pragmatic manner.

I wish the Delhi situation after the death of an army veteran was handled in a more mature, proper, practical and fair manner, tweeted Shatrughan Sinha.

Shatrughan Sinha was angry at the treatment that was meted out to the family members of former soldier Ram Kishan Grewal

Sinha was angry at the treatment that was meted out to the family members of former soldier Ram Kishan Grewal, who according to him were beaten up in police station.

Instead of showing sympathy, the martyr's family was beaten up, that too in police station( where else), tweeted the BJP MP.

He further attacked his own government in the manner in which Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were detained after police used force on them for protesting Ram Kishan Grewals suicide.

He said that opposition leaders were treated in a manner as if they were enemies.

Leaders with huge following, who matter in society were detained with brute force and taken into custody. Why don't we understand that opposition leaders are not enemies, tweeted Sinha.

Slamming the Centre, Shatrughan raised questions whether Centre was trying to prove that power was permanent.
BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday slammed the BSP and SP, accusing them of indulging in corruption and ruining the infrastructure of Uttar Pradesh.

He said that the leaders of SP are busy fighting among themselves, while BSP is waiting to benefit from their family feud.

He was speaking at the flagging off event of the first of the four parivartan yatras that the BJP has planned to undertake in UP ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections.

BJP national president Amit Shah with his supporters during a rally for UP elections in Saharanpur on Saturday

If behenji (Mayawati) returns to power, UP will not benefit. Rather 50 to 60 more statutes will be erected, Shah said at Shahranpur.

Those who were given power to bring development in UP, are busy insulting each other. Uncle (UP SP chief Shivpal Yadav) is abusing nephew (UP CM Akhilesh Yadav); nephew is abusing uncle, in turn and Bua (BSP chief Mayawati) is abusing both of them while UP is suffering, Shah said.

He also raised the issue of Taj Corridor scam and accused Mayawati of bringing in a mafia raj in UP under her government.

He went on to say that the practice of triple talaq should be abolished.

Customs like Triple Talaq should be abolished. Muslim women should be given equal status.

Amit Shah further said that other parties are doing politics over the issue of triple talaq.

Shahs comment has come at a time when the matter is being heard in the supreme court, where the Centre submitted an affidavit arguing against triple talaq.

PM Narendra Modi had also spoken against triple talaq, saying that in the name of tradition lives of Muslim women could not destroyed.

Shah said that despite chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs tall claims, no development took place in UP under his government.

Hitting out at SP and BSP, the BJP chief also accused the parties of sheltering politicians with criminal background.

He said BJP is the only gunda-free party in UP and added that SP and BSP ruined the state in the fifteen years of their alternate rules.

Shah said that despite chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs tall claims, no development took place in UP under his government.

Akhilesh Yadav used to say that Mukhtar Ansari and Afzal Ansari (of Quami Ekta Dal) will not be allowed in SP.

Now, what can you (Akhilesh Yadav) say, asked the BJP president.

We are laying down the foundation of the upcoming BJP government in UP by launching election campaign from western UP like we did during the Lok Sabha polls, Shah said.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah accused the opposition of doing politics over suicide of an ex-soldier.

He said: Rahul only talks about OROP. It was the BJP government that implemented the policy, which Congress dragged for decades. A soldier commits suicide and they are doing politics for vote bank. This is disgusting, Shah said.

The four yatras will converge in Lucknow on December 24, after traversing over 17,000 km.

The second parivartan yatra will be launched from Jhansi on November 6 while the third and fourth from Sonbhadra and Balia on November 8 and 9, respectively.

The party has planned 30 rallies of its national leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address six regional meetings. BJP President Amit Shah will address 10 other rallies.
Theresa May has arrived in India at the start of a three-day visit expected to be dominated by discussions on trade and travel visas in the post-Brexit era.

The New Delhi government has made clear it will put pressure on the Prime Minister to relax restrictions on Indian nationals coming to Britain - particularly students.

But May's priority in India is to build the framework for a future free trade deal between the two countries after the UK leaves the EU, as well as reducing existing barriers to commerce.

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Theresa May has arrived in India at the start of a three-day visit expected to be dominated by discussions on trade and travel visas in the post-Brexit era

On her first trade mission as PM, May was joined by representatives of 33 companies from around the UK in what she described as an effort to "reboot an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity".

She will speak with some of India's most influential business figures in New Delhi and southern tech hub Bangalore, as well as holding more than two hours of talks with her counterpart Narendra Modi.

Mrs May hopes to secure agreement for official-level talks to pave the way for a post-Brexit trade deal.

Prime Minister Theresa May and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox accompanied by a business delegation at Heathrow Airport as they prepare to depart to India for trade talks

But she will face pressure from her hosts about the availability of UK visas for Indian workers and students, amid unease over higher salary thresholds for skilled workers announced by the Home Office just days before her arrival.

What India wants from the UK Nikita Sud, is the Associate Professor of Development Studies at the University of Oxford and an expert on trade relations. Sud says that although English is the common tongue, Britain is just not talking Indias language right now. According to Sud the coverage of this event in India and the UK is very different. She says: The UK is talking about trade partnerships and a renewed relationship with the Commonwealth. India on the other hand is saying - What's in this for us? Is the Common Market shutting down, should we be moving our capital elsewhere? Sud adds: India does not owe a friendly relationship to the UK because of colonialism. One thing that has barely been mentioned on the UK side of the issue, but is regularly mentioned in India, is migration and visas. 'Trade deals happen in a context of soft diplomacy and confidence building. For India to have a post-Brexit relationship with Britain there would need to be much better treatment of Indians seeking to work in the UK. Visas are too expensive. It is cheaper and easier for the Chinese to come to the UK than Indians, and that is reflected in student figures. Indian students coming to the UK have fallen over the last 5-7 years. Advertisement

UK officials said the trip would see commercial deals sealed to create 1,370 jobs in Britain, as well as the establishment of a new UK-India "smart cities" urban partnership with the potential to unlock opportunities worth 2 billion.

"The UK and India are natural partners - the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy - and together I believe we can achieve great things - delivering jobs and skills, developing new technologies and improving our cities, tackling terrorism and climate change," said Mrs May.

"This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain."

Among deals expected to be confirmed during the visit are:

:: A 1.2 million joint venture between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India to set up a manufacturing plant for rail projects;

:: A 15 million imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai by Lyca Health UK; and

:: A 350 million investment from British start-up Kloudpad in high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

Both governments are also due to sign an intellectual property co-operation agreement, while the UK will commit to extending assistance to help India improve its business environment, which has seen it languish in 130th place in the World Bank's ease of doing business index.

Joining Mrs May on her visit were International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, trade minister Greg Hands, as well as business figures including Standard Life chairman Sir Gerry Grimstone, Standard Chartered chairman Sir John Peace, Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes and Aviva chief executive David McMillan, as well as a number of small businesses.

Mrs May is also due to pay her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatma Gandhi during her stay in New Delhi.

Tense negotiations: British politician Stafford Cripps and Mahatma Gandhi negotiating the terms of Indian Independence. May is also due to pay her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatma Gandhi during her stay in New Delhi.

Theresa May and Liam Fox are travelling to India on a mission to do the groundwork for an "ambitious" free trade relationship
The war on terror has become a big media event, perhaps the biggest. It is also a big political event, and terrorist attacks can now be viewed as to their potential electoral gains.

India is perhaps more caught up in media news about terrorism than the rest of the world.

Political gains

Part of this media event consists of glorifying terrorists as victims or heroes, posting their pictures and expressing sympathy for their causes.

The war on terror has become a big media event in India, often glorifying terrorists as victims or heroes, posting their pictures and expressing sympathy for their causes

This includes questioning whether such individuals should be called terrorists, and if it is lawful to try to eliminate them by preemptive measures.

Some journalists emphasise protecting the human rights of terrorists, making sure they have fair trials before being punished, to the extent of trying to ignore their atrocities.

Unlike India, the USA promotes its war on terrorism by trying to eliminate as many terrorist leaders as possible by drone attacks. No media reporting or public scrutiny is part of the process.

India has terrorist encounters along its borders and inside the country. The media expects to be given all possible information and to monitor the battles against terrorists in person if possible.

It appears that the media feels that without their presence and approval such battles cannot be legitimate.

The media seems to functions as if they were an independent branch of government, necessary for validating the veracity and success of terrorist operations.

A Kashmiri man shouts pro-freedom slogans amid tear gas smoke during the funeral of Qaiser Sofi in Srinagar

But they seldom keep track of the victims of terrorism. While terrorists gain fame, those they kill fall into obscurity.

The media fails to note that by excusing terrorism oroveremphasizing the rights of terrorists, they may further abet terrorism.

Because India has a sizeable Muslim minority, raising questions about Islamic terrorism has special possible electoral advantages.

We are reminded of Digvijay Singh of Congress who went so far to promote the release of a book claiming that the 26/11 Mumbai attacks were actually done by the RSS, not by Islamic terrorists at all.

Not surprisingly, after terrorist attacks, the opposition seems to come together to defend the rights of terrorists against Indias central government, which they want to denigrate as anti-Muslim.

This use of the terrorist card in an effort to gain the Muslim vote is cynical and manipulative.

Dont be naive

Because India has a sizeable Muslim minority, raising questions about Islamic terrorism has special possible electoral advantages

Terrorists seem better defended and have more tears shed for them by the media than the numerous people they have killed.

Whether it is Ishrat Jahan, Afzal Guru or Burhan Wani, the media has inflated their importance, turning them into propaganda images.

The media claims that there may be something illogical about the details of terrorist encounters.

Naturally if there are terrorist attacks, or any type of fighting, there are bound to be uncertain or unexpected factors, as in the chaos that surrounds any battles  as well as different accounts as to what exactly transpired.

Terrorists cannot be treated like professional soldiers or ordinary criminals, expected to fight or surrender in a predictable manner.

Terrorist groups, which now include suicide bombers, are not rational people that you can have a fair discussion with.

Proxy war

Can there be excesses in the war on terror? Certainly, perhaps more than in ordinary wars.

A major consideration on the battlefield is to try to avoid civilian casualties along withthose of your own soldiers.

Kashmiri mourners shout pro-freedom slogans near the body of Qaiser Sofi, draped in a Pakistani flag during his funeral

In dealing with terrorists, the best way to be certain of this is to deal with terrorists quickly.

It is better to err on the side of protecting the possible victims of terrorist aggression, rather than trying to insure terrorists are always treated kindly and with due legal process.

Terrorism is not a law and order problem.

Terrorism is a proxy war that has not only religious but also political implications.

Terrorism today is supported by various nations, either directly in the case of the Islamic State or Pakistan, or indirectly in the case of other countries.

Terrorists are not criminals but guerilla fighters, specially trained to inflict as much damage as they can, and deception is one of their primary modes of operation.

To treat them like misguided criminals is naive, and may provide them more opportunities to inflict damage and further harm the innocent.
The Delhi Government will discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city

There is a ban on all construction and demolition activities

Finally waking up to the unrelenting smog in the National Capital, the Delhi Government has declared a slew of measures to bring down the alarming toxicity in the citys air.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced closure of all schools for three days, shutting down of Badarpur Thermal Power Plant temporarily, and ban on all construction and demolition activities as well as use of diesel gensets, except for emergency services.

The chief minister also advised office-goers to work from home, if possible, and said the government was considering artificial rain and re-introduction of odd-even traffic plan.

The Delhi government has declared a slew of measures to bring down the alarming toxicity in the citys air

The health department will issue the first pollution advisory on Monday. We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if needs be, said Kejriwal after an emergency meeting of Delhi Cabinet in the morning.

The extent of crop burning is way above what was seen over the last few years. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted, so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation, Kejriwal said, offering an explanation for the late measures.

The decisions come at a time when Delhi continues to reel under a thick cover of smog for the seventh consecutive day.

The toxic elements  PM2.5 and PM10  continued to hover at over 1000 microgram per cubic metre (standard level is 100) ever since the air quality deteriorated after Diwali last Sunday.

Delhi is so thickly covered in smog that there is poor visibility in all parks and green spaces

Experts said the air quality was hazardous not only for those suffering from respiratory and heart ailments but also healthy people.

During the cabinet meeting, the chief minister asked departments concerned to begin preparations for another round of odd-even scheme.

Vehicular emission contributes nearly 64 per cent to air pollution in Delhi. The chief minister said the government will discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city that has turned into a gas chamber, mainly due to large-scale crop burning in Haryana and Punjab.

Experts said the air quality was hazardous not only for those suffering from respiratory and heart ailments but also healthy people

A committee comprising the chief secretary and the environment secretary will take up with the central government the possibility of engineering artificial rain over Delhi so that the dust settles down, the chief minister said, adding the cabinet had received a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding.

The decision to shut down the coal-based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution in the city, will be for next 10 days beginning Monday.

The plant generates around 300MW of power. The Delhi Government said transportation of fly ash from Badarpur plant has also been prohibited for the next 10 days and water will be sprinkled on the fly ash dump there.

The AAP government said advisories will be issued by the health and environment departments on the prevailing situation.

Water sprinkling will also be done on the city roads which are above 100 feet wide by PWD staff at least once a week.

Kejriwal said municipal corporations have been directed to ensure that fires emanating from landfill sites are immediately put out.

The government has also decided to take tough action against open burning of leaves and other waste where officers concerned would be held accountable for any lapses in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

It was also decided at the cabinet meeting to start vacuum cleaning roads from November 10, even as the trials for the same were unsuccessful early this year.

For this, the government decided to procure 15 to 20 vacuum cleaning road machines on an immediate basis aimed at bringing down dust particles in the air.

The government has floated short-term tenders to procure such machines to immediately find a solution to the increasing dust pollution in the capital.

On Saturday, Kejriwal met Union environment minister Anil Dave and discussed a series of measures to deal with the air pollution.

Dave has called an emergency meeting of environment ministers of Delhi and neighbouring states on Monday.

The Royal Punjab (red) VS Jindal Panther (blue) Final Polo Match was played under a blanket of fog in Delhi

Gurugram, too, has decided to act against pollution and has decided to impose Section 144 to check burning of waste.

The report of the IIT-Kanpur study titled Source Apportionment Study of PM2.5 and PM10had recently identified dust particles and trucks as the largest contributors behind Delhis polluted air.

To deal with dust pollution, government has also plans to install mist fountain at five important traffic intersections including Mukarba Chowk and Anand Vihar, the most polluted area of the city.

Jet pressure pump technique will be used for water sprinkling on footpath edges, road bumps and central verges.

An app will also be launched where citizens will be able to lodge complaints against waste and leaf burning, said officials.
Train passengers face a Christmas of travel chaos but by planning ahead they can avoid the worst of any disruption  and even save money.

Network Rail, in charge of the countrys creaking railway infrastructure, has already indicated that 200 improvement projects are likely to disrupt travel plans for thousands of commuters over the festive period.

Those travelling to or from London, Manchester and Cardiff and using trains in the South West, Wales, East Anglia and Kent will be hit by the engineering works.

Christmas trains: Advance tickets are released up to 12 weeks before the date of travel

They start on Christmas Eve and will run until January 2  a period chosen by Network Rail because fewer passengers travel at these times.

This work is in addition to the general overcrowding, price hikes, delays and occasional strikes which long-suffering train users put up with all year round.

Southern Railway workers are staging strikes for three days beginning December 22.

With careful planning and by booking early you can avoid the worst of any disruptions  details of which can be found via the future engineering works link on the bottom of the National Rail enquiries website.

In addition, you can save more than 100 by booking in advance  savings that could be used to buy Christmas presents.

Advance tickets are released up to 12 weeks before the date of travel  though the discounts on offer vary between providers. For example, a single journey to Birmingham from London with London Midland can be pre-booked now for 6.

Seasonal service: But you can plan around engineering work

The train operators sell a limited number of discounted advance tickets in batches from now until Christmas. Each batch costs more  until the price reverts to what you would pay if purchasing a ticket on the day of travel.

In some cases it can be cheaper to book a first-class ticket in advance rather than buying a standard class ticket on the day. Providers such as Virgin Trains hand out free mince pies to first-class travellers while standard fare passengers get to be packed in like sardines.

A journey from London to Manchester can cost 22 in advance one way for standard travel with Virgin Trains on December 23 but 81.40 is the cheapest ticket on the day  with a flexible anytime ticket costing 166. Pre-booked first-class travel can cost 43.

Although booking in advance is the best way to save money, you can also drive down costs by split-ticketing. This is where one long-distance trip works out cheaper if it is bought as separate tickets for different legs of the same journey.

Specialist websites such as TicketySplit and Trainsplit will do the legwork for you.

Mike Richardson, owner of website Raileasy  which offers the Trainsplit function  says: Train operators do not offer as many advance tickets as they should. They are aware they have a captive audience over the Christmas period and want to squeeze as much money from travellers as possible.

I saved 37 on my fare - and the ticket is safely stored on my phone Early booker: Rachael Williams has already paid for a trip to see family Rachael Williams books trains well in advance when visiting family and friends at Christmas. The insurance broker has paid 23 for a single journey on December 23 from London to Swansea where her family live. If she had left it until the day of travel, it would have cost more than 60. By choosing to travel before Christmas Eve she will also avoid any possible engineering works. Rachael, 31, from Clapham, South-West London, used the Trainline website to book tickets. Although it meant she paid a booking fee, she liked the convenience of buying a ticket on her smartphone. Rachael says: There is no reason to leave the purchase of train tickets to the last minute. Booking in advance has given me an excuse to sort out my Christmas plans early. Buying the ticket on a phone app means I do not have to worry about losing it. I just press a button on the mobile and the ticket instantly appears  and it can be scanned to open barriers at electronic gates or be shown to an inspector.

Do not fall for train company website claims of cheapest prices. This is an empty boast as you may actually find a better deal by splitting the ticket into different legs.

Richardson says a single journey booked in advance from Birmingham to Glasgow (travelling after 3pm on December 23) costs 46.50. But by split-ticketing, the same journey costs just 18.80.

This is because the journey from Birmingham to Wolverhampton costs 3.80 while the Wolverhampton to Glasgow leg costs 15. Train- split takes a 10 per cent cut of the saving as a fee  2.77  so the actual saving you make is 24.93.

When planning to travel, it pays to be flexible. When you buy advance tickets, they are usually for specific trains and times  open returns are more costly. It is also cheaper to travel after 10am to get off-peak rates.

Online ticket seller Trainline says: You can beat the crowds and get cheaper deals over Christmas by avoiding the busiest days of December 22 and 23.

To make savings book now. Our customers saved a total of 22million by booking in advance for Christmas last year  its a no brainer.

Websites such as Trainline and RedSpottedHanky can do the bargain-price hunting work on your behalf. But be aware they charge for their service.

Flexible: It is cheaper to travel after 10am to get off-peak rates

RedSpottedHanky imposes a 1 booking fee while Trainline levies a booking fee up to 1.50 plus a further 2 per cent if you buy online using a credit card.

A spokesman for the industry trade body Rail Delivery Group says: It is always worth checking out the websites of the train companies directly as you might find they can get you the cheapest tickets available without further charges.

It is also worth purchasing a rail card if you travel at times other than just Christmas  it will soon pay for itself.

Railcards cost 30 and usually offer a third off the price.

Cards available include a 16-25 Railcard for youngsters, Senior Railcard for those aged 60 and over, a Two Together Railcard for two named people and a Family & Friends Railcard  which offers discounts for up to four adults and four children travelling together.

Although adults get a third off fares, the discounts for youngsters on the card aged 15 or under can be as much as 60 per cent.

Train operators occasionally offer special deals. For example, Great Western, whose passengers have suffered from staff strikes in the past, is upping the third off discount for holders of a 16-25 Railcard to 50 per cent for select journeys up to the end of January 2017.

A spokesman for Network Rail says: Upgrades usually take place over Bank Holidays as up to 50 per cent fewer people travel at this time.
Utility giant ScottishPower is still failing to deal effectively with customer complaints  just seven months after it was handed an 18million fine by regulator Ofgem.

In the latest episode of customer service ineptitude, it has allowed debt collectors to threaten an 87-year-old widow despite giving previous assurances that her billing problems had been resolved.

Jacqueline Leberne, who runs Pickwicks gift shop in Kensington, West London, is one of many victims of ScottishPowers disastrous billing debacle, which unravelled between June 2013 and December 2015 after the supplier completed an IT upgrade.

Billing debacle: Jacqueline Leberne was threatened by debt collectors

Its calamitous handling of the fallout  reported extensively by The Mail on Sunday  led to the massive fine by Ofgem in April this year.

We told in September how problems for Jacqueline began when ScottishPower failed to send her electricity bills based on meter readings she provided for her shop. It then billed her using incorrect tariffs. It also failed to send a breakdown of usage when she asked for it.

She was happy to pay money due  but only on receipt of an accurate bill stating the correct rates, rather than paying direct debits based on guesswork.

After The Mail on Sunday intervened, she was told all charges from January 2014 to early February 2016 would be removed in light of the errors ScottishPower had made. She was also offered 300 for the inconvenience suffered.

But 12 days later  early last month  Jacqueline received a letter from a debt collection agency called Face2Face Contact, claiming she still owed nearly 700.

After The Mail on Sunday contacted ScottishPower a second time, it confirmed Jacqueline would not be chased for money again and would receive the refund within a week. It promised to send flowers and chocolates by way of an apology.

The 300 duly landed in her account. But rather than an apologetic note and flowers, she received another hand-delivered letter from Face2Face Contact, informing her someone had visited in person about her outstanding debt.

It said the next step would be to apply to a local magistrates court for a warrant to enter her property and disconnect the supply.

Warning: Jacqueline Leberne received this debt collection letter

Jacqueline says: Im at the end of my tether. This has been handled extraordinarily badly by ScottishPower. To involve Face2Face when it knows my situation is unacceptable. I was delighted to get the money but I should have received a letter of apology rather than a threatening letter. Its not right.

She adds: Some vulnerable, elderly people in this situation would think a letter like this is the end of the world. It could damage their health.

BE PREPARED TO FIGHT BACK Although you are not responsible for debts you do not owe, you must deal with the hassle of contacting suppliers and debt companies as well as keeping records of correspondence to build a paper trail in your favour. Michael Agboh-Davison, of the StepChange Debt Charity, says: If someone is struggling to pay bills, or finds themselves being threatened with legal action, its important they contact their supplier to come to an arrangement. StepChange can help with debt advice at stepchange.org or by phoning 0800 138111. Citizens Advice can also help via citizensadvice.org or its helpline on 03454 040506. If you want to be guided through the complaints process, visit resolver.co.uk. If a supplier has not fixed or responded to a formal complaint within eight weeks refer your case to the Energy Ombudsman at Ombudsman-services.org/energy.

A GROWING PROBLEM

Large companies  including gas and electricity suppliers  are too swift to turn to debt collectors to demand money owed.

James Walker is founder of consumer rights website Resolver, which provides a free and independent hand-holding service for people struggling to sort out a dispute.

He says: Many businesses, including energy companies, find it easier to pass debts to collection agencies than to chase unpaid bills themselves. Its difficult for consumers to fully grasp who they should be dealing with and what the simplest route is to sorting out such problems.

Walker says more than half of complaints about energy companies made through his website so far this year relate to billing. He is now pushing for better communication between suppliers and their customers. Resorting to debt agencies too quickly means consumers are left unnecessarily frightened and uncertain, he adds. Often energy companies have automated processes that make it hard to get through to a human to sort out the problem quickly, logically and efficiently. This means consumers are regularly treated unfairly.

THE RESPONSE

On Friday ScottishPower yet again assured The Mail on Sunday that Jacqueline would not receive any further correspondence  or visits  from debt collectors. We asked the company how it selected debt collection agencies and ensured they behaved in a responsible way.

It said: A diligence process is completed prior to any agreement and once in place all agencies are regularly audited.

Luxury: ScottishPower's new 100million offices

THE RULES

Debt collectors acting on behalf of energy suppliers must abide by Ofgems rules for working with customers in arrears.

Vulnerable customers  classed as the elderly, disabled or households with young children  must not have their energy supply disconnected between October and April when the cold can bite. Visits in person to a property by a debt agency (as happened to Jacqueline) are allowed.

However, they are not bailiffs and cannot seize personal property. A supplier must apply to a court if they wish to disconnect a customers supply. If this happens customers will be given the opportunity to attend a hearing.

Citizens Advice recommends that people attend because it gives them the chance to argue their case. The court has the power to delay disconnection pending further investigation. Michael Agboh-Davison, of the StepChange Debt Charity, says: Debt collection agencies are almost always signed up to the Credit Services Association code of practice, which says any collection activity should be suspended if a debt is reasonably disputed or a complaint is received.

Co-op billing fiasco: Are you entitled to a refund? Co-op Energy customers affected by last years billing and service fiasco will share 1.8 million in refunds. The energy firm agreed the sum with regulator Ofgem after it failed 260,000 customers. The Mail on Sunday reported on the fallout last year. Customers who believe they are owed compensation should email customerexperience@cooperativeenergy.coop or call 0800 9540693.
K.L. writes: I was cold-called by SW1 Options Limited. The only thing I agreed was to read the companys literature, which I am now sending on to you. It does not say anything concrete and bears no similarity to the verbal promises I was given of returns of 3 to 4 per cent a week. I will decline its offer.

I wish I had room to print all the lies told by this so-called investment company. Any promises you were given about fantastic returns on your money using complex binary options would just make the list even longer.

SW1 Options, which uses addresses in London and also claims links to Israel and to Dubai and Sharjah in the Gulf, has told investors: SW1 Options was founded by a group of established hedge fund managers, traders and analysts with a proven track record of success within the financial arena.

SW1 Options used the name of RD Law, based in Tel Aviv in Israel (pictured) without permission

Well, no it was not. It was founded by Nicholas Alexander Hart, 27, from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, who has never been registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as any kind of trader or adviser.

When I challenged him, Hart admitted this, promising to change his sales pitch and pleading: I did not at any time try to conspire to misrepresent SW1 Options to clients in any way.

But he failed to name a single one of the experienced people he claimed had a proven track record.

So in that case, since he owns the company and is its sole director, where did Hart himself gain his expertise? He told me: I have only gained self-experience over a number of years. This is from associates, books and training seminars.

In other words, he has not worked in the financial sector and has never been licensed to offer financial advice or carry out a single trade. Although Hart is British, with an Essex home address and his company has used at least three separate addresses in London, terms and conditions issued to investors quote legal wording prepared by law firm RD Law, based in Tel Aviv in Israel.

Hart told me the lawyers requested to be a part of our terms and conditions to generate them more business.

This came as news to RD Law boss Tal Itzhak Ron, who assured me he had never even heard of SW1 Options. He said his firms name had been used without permission.

REVEALED... PHOTO DOUBLE TAKE Peter Allen: Corporate finance adviser at Deloitte, who has no connection to SW1 Options, but whose photograph appears to have been taken Daniel Parris: How the photograph appears on the SW1 Options website, with a biography claiming he is an independent financial adviser

A further puzzle is that SW1 Options decorates its website with awards and titles  Best Broker 2012, Traders Choice 2013  supposedly issued well before the company was set up in 2015.

But perhaps the biggest lies of all are the success stories displayed on the companys website. Daniel Parris describes himself as an independent financial adviser who worked for five years for the Financial Conduct Authority and its predecessor and joined SW1 Options after it poached one of his best clients.

The regulator refused to confirm or deny this, despite knowing there is a huge question mark over whether Parris even exists. You see, I found the picture of Parris displayed by SW1 Options is actually a photograph of Peter Allen, a corporate finance adviser with Deloitte in Belfast.

Deloitte told me last Thursday it had no connection to SW1 Options, explaining: It just looks like it has stolen a photo of Peter from our website and used it.

Other success stories are equally false. So-called senior wealth manager Peter Whistler is really Italian writer and lecturer Daniel Lumera. The photograph of head of analytics Alistair Crown is actually a picture of Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, a university professor in Stuttgart.

SW1 Options is a scam based on a tissue of lies.

This Tuesday, Companies House will announce it is starting proceedings to have SW1 Options Limited compulsorily struck off. This is better than nothing, but when will the authorities which are supposed to protect investors  the Financial Conduct Authority, the Fraud Squad and HM Treasury  wake up and smell the stench that arises from the entire binary options industry?
Shrewd: David Walton applies three tests to the continental companies he is thinking of buying into

Europe may still have its big economic, financial, political and social issues to deal with, but they have not stopped shrewd fund managers making good returns from buying into some of the Continents listed companies.

In the past three years, no one has been shrewder than David Walton, who runs the Marlborough European Multi-Cap Fund. Over the period, he has delivered 65 per cent  better than any of the 96 rival funds trying to generate gains from European equities.

Onlookers should not be surprised. Walton has an impressive curriculum vitae, having worked previously for blue-chip investment houses Baillie Gifford and M&G.

Since October 2013, he has been managing money for investment manager and private client stockbroker Hargreave Hale, which runs seven Marlborough-branded funds.

Under the stewardship of Giles Hargreave, the company has built a strong reputation for fund management and now handles assets worth more than 7billion.

Walton, like most fund managers at Hargreave Hale, is a stock picker first and foremost. The bigger picture (Europes economy) is of secondary importance and he does not take views on particular economies or stock market sectors as some rivals do. All he is interested in is buying outstanding shares that will help him deliver solid long-term returns.

As the funds name suggests, Walton is as happy buying fledgling companies as he is multi-billion pound European conglomerates. It means he can choose from about 3,000 stocks, though currently he is doing the forensics on only 200 and investing in 99.

Choice: Walton wants to hold companies that can grow above the average

He says: Im looking for companies that pass three tests. First, they must be well managed by people who preferably have taken their firms through one or two recessions. This reassures me that they have the nous and acumen to steer through the next recession, which is coming.

Second, I want to hold companies that can grow above the average. Finally, I want to buy a company when its share price does not reflect the potential of the underlying business.

The approach needs meticulous research. It also means spending time meeting those running the firms he is thinking of buying into.

I and Will Searle, assistant on the fund, get to see 450 companies a year, says Walton.

Its about keeping an eye on a broad range of firms  those we might like but whose shares are presently too expensive. All the time, were trying to better understand companies and their management in a quest to uncover the most promising businesses in Europe.

Belgiums Jensen Group is typical of the firms Walton likes to hold. The industrial laundry equipment maker is 51 per cent owned by the Jensen family and is run by a family member, chief executive Jesper Jensen.

The company is the world leader in developing robotic towel and dressing gown folders. The chief executive has been in his role since 1996, says Walton. He has seen it, done it and continues to do it. Its a successful business which continues to expand.

Despite the funds impressive returns, it remains a relative minnow, with assets of just 59million. Yet Walton is confident that with a three-year record behind him, investment advisers will start taking notice.
Richard Harpin began running businesses while he was a teenager, starting out with a mail-order fly-fishing tackle venture and moving on to create Hookers, which made earrings from the same fishing kit.

Today, aged 52, he is chief executive of HomeServe, a company he founded 23 years ago with a 500,000 investment and now valued on the stock market at almost 1.9billion.

Harpin still owns 12 per cent of the group, so he is personally worth more than 225million  a sum many people might choose to retire on. Harpin, however, believes that the best is yet to come at HomeServe and he is determined to be at the helm when it does.

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Chief executive Richard Harpin still owns 12 per cent of the group he founded 23 years ago

The shares are 595p and should move higher as Harpin expands the company both here and overseas.

HomeServe provides consumers with insurance cover against household emergencies, such as burst water pipes, broken boilers and faulty drains  the sorts of problems that arise at just this time of year and which are often excluded from standard household insurance.

More than 85 per cent of homeowners suffer from one of these emergencies at some stage and they are invariably stressful and expensive to remedy. HomeServe aims to make the entire experience as painless as possible.

Harpin started out working with South Staffordshire Water Company in a joint venture. The utility offered customers insurance cover against water-related emergencies, but Harpin ran the business, finding plumbers, sending them out where necessary and making sure the figures added up.

The company became independent, expanded beyond the Midlands and listed on the stock market in 2003, valued at 300million. Now, HomeServe works with 15 UK water companies and has 2.1million customers, which is about 10 per cent of British households.

Protected: HomeServe offers insurance for burst pipes

The UK business is profitable and growing steadily, but Harpin believes that the real opportunities for growth over the next decade come from expanding in the US, opening up in other countries and developing innovative gadgets to make homes less accident-prone.

HomeServe moved into America in 2003 and now has 2.7million customers there. Some City brokers have complained about the slow pace of growth in the US, but in July Harpin bought his major competitor there, Utility Service Partners, for $75million (61million). The deal should really bolster HomeServes US business.

Utility Service Partners has 400,000 customers, but it has signed an exclusive agreement with the National League of Cities, an organisation that buys goods and services on behalf of local authorities and water companies in 19,000 towns and cities across America.

Over the past 13 years, HomeServe has built up its US division by signing contracts with water and energy companies, allowing the group to market its insurance products to their customers. The National League of Cities agreement will give HomeServe access to 66 million homeowners.

The group normally manages to sell cover to about 10 per cent of those receiving its marketing material. Given the customers already on its books, HomeServe should end up with at least eight million US customers over the next few years.

HomeServe also intends to expand into other countries. Besides the UK and America, it currently operates in Spain, France and Italy, but Harpin hopes to move into at least ten more locations and has drawn up a shortlist of contenders, including Holland, Poland, Japan, Brazil, South Korea and China.

In each case, the company intends to work in partnership with a local water or energy company, to reduce the start-up costs and increase the chance of success.

Discussions are ongoing and Harpin expects to open in at least one new country over the next 12 months.

In the meantime, and closer to home, the company is working on several gadgets and services that use technology to manage and prevent domestic emergencies.

These include LeakBot, a device that can detect a leak anywhere in the home by monitoring the temperature of the mains supply. If the temperature is constantly cold, it is highly likely that there is a leak in the house. The LeakBot device alerts the homeowner, via an app, and alerts HomeServe too, so it can come to repair it.

Aviva, the UKs biggest domestic insurer, has already signed an agreement with HomeServe to provide LeakBot devices to selected customers and other insurers are likely to follow.

Leaking pipes are the biggest single problem in the home, costing 650million a year in the UK alone and 17billion worldwide. If leaks can be spotted before they cause serious damage, that will save insurers and homeowners significant sums of money.

HomeServe went through a catastrophic period a few years ago, when regulators fined it 30.6million for misselling. That precipitated a comprehensive overhaul of the UK business and a long, hard look at the group. Today, the company is firing on all cylinders.

Half-year results to September 30 will be released on November 22 and they are expected to be upbeat. Full-year figures should also show good growth, with analysts expecting pre-tax profits to rise 13 per cent to 105million in the year to March 31 with a 21 per cent surge in profits to 127million the following year. The dividend is expected to increase by 10 per cent to 14p next year and to 15.4p in 2018.
British drinkers stocking up on their favourite wine for Christmas may find they need a stiff drink at the checkout.

The plunge in the value of the pound has meant the cost of buying wine from the big wine-producing regions  including the Continent, Americas, Australia and South Africa  has shot up dramatically.

But this may prove a boon to Britains fast-growing wine producers, making their vintages more price competitive than foreign rivals.

English wines have seen a real surge as French and New World wines become too expensive

As one of the worlds biggest wine-drinking nations, but one of the smallest producers, Britain is very vulnerable to currency fluctuations. The UK imports 98.5 per cent of the 1.8 billion bottles of wine drunk here each year.

Dan Jago, CEO of London wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros & Rudd, says: There has been such an extreme shift in the value of the pound since the referendum that the cost of buying wine has gone up by about 15 to 20 per cent.

With the exchange rate as it is, we will see the cost of goods going up and price increases on wine across the board are inevitable.

Having traded for almost 320 years, Berry Bros is used to taking the long view, as Jago points out. It bought wine at the current exchange rate eight years ago.

But he adds: This recent change has been particularly dramatic. While it doesnt affect the stock we already have, it means what we buy from now on becomes more expensive.

Were looking very carefully at our pricing and will be putting the price up of some products.

Its not a blanket increase, but markets such as the 2015 Burgundy, which start selling next year, will be really affected, both because its one of the best vintages for years and you have the Forex effect on top of that.

Sparkle: Champagne Lansons Paul Beavis

In contrast, on the firms online trading platform, where private investors can buy and sell fine wines, business has been booming.

Jago says: Theres been a big increase in trading since the Brexit vote particularly from the US and Asia as people are seeing a good opportunity as prices in pounds have fallen by 10 to 15 per cent.

Among wine sellers, Berry Bros, a Royal Warrant holder, isnt the only one to put prices up.

Last month, online retailer Naked Wines emailed customers to say it was increasing the price on half of its wine by about 5 per cent, explaining: The cost of wine has gone up. Back in the good ole [sic] days of early 2016, we lowered our prices when exchange rates were in our favour. Since then the pound has steadily plummeted and duty has gone up (again), meaning the cost of wine has crept up.

Champagne Lanson is the second-biggest champagne brand in the UK. Its managing director Paul Beavis admits that having costs in euros and selling in pounds is not ideal. But he is waiting to see what the effect will be, telling The Mail on Sunday: We are in a planning phase at the moment and looking at the impact of the currency changes.

We dont know what the effects will be, but we do expect things to change next year because it is a pressure were not in control of. It will absolutely have an impact.

Last month, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association estimated that after the pounds fall in value the average bottle of wine from the Continent would go up by 29p. Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive, said: Wine prices are likely to increase. Sterlings fall in value as a result of the Brexit vote is of grave concern. The currency fluctuation has already been felt.

The WSTA is calling on the Government to rethink its excise duty policy, pointing out that planned tax rises on alcohol will add to the problem.

Beale said: Wine consumers could face a double blow if duty rises of 120million are added to the impact of the devaluation of the pound. Together it could cost over 400 million this year alone.

bad year: London wine merchant Berry Bros says certain vintages will be hit

Olly Wehring, editor of just-drinks, an industry news site, told The Mail on Sunday: The bottom line is the price of wine on UK shelves will rise. But for wine costing less than 10 a bottle, consumers are so used to buying at a certain price point they wont pay more for wine.

While big supermarkets are likely to resist putting up prices, they are expected to introduce wines from less-established areas that they can sell at prices consumers are used to.

Supermarkets are used to selling wine at certain prices, such as 3.99 or 4.99, says Jago, who worked at Tesco for eight years. Its difficult to get people to change and you dont want to break the relationship by selling at something like 5.19.

Wehring agrees: There is little brand loyalty at this level, he says. Instead of paying more for their usual brands, customers will look to buy different wines from lesser-known regions for the same price.

A beneficiary could be the domestic market, in particular sparkling wine. Jago says: English sparkling wines are seeing a real surge. Not only are English producers making great wines, theyre seeing real sales, growth in Europe and around the world.
Sainsbury's is expected to reveal its soaring pension deficit

BOND BLOW Analysts predict Sainsbury's will reveal its pension deficit has soared to 1billion this year, driven by a fall in the value of Government bonds.

It will become the latest retailer to highlight the widescale damage that low yield bonds are wreaking on pension funds.

Sainsbury's has injected 250million into the pension scheme since last year but has come under further pressure with its acquisition of Argos in February.

EXPORT BOOST British business reported stronger activity in the three months to October, following an initial slowdown after the Brexit vote.

The Confederation of British Industry said its monthly growth indicator rose in October from a six-month low in September.

CBI chief economist Rain Newton-Smith said: 'Manufacturing exports are riding high on the back of weaker sterling and consumers are continuing to spend on the High Street.'

STEEL STRIFE Some of Tata Steel's remaining UK operations could still be sold despite a dramatic boardroom coup which ousted its chairman, according to reports.

Cyrus Mistry has been replaced as the head of Tata Sons  the holding company  by family insider Ratan Tata.

RIVAL DEAL The successful float of wound specialist ConvaTec is thought to have spurred its rival into looking at a possible listing.

Richard Anderson, chief executive of Crawford Healthcare, said last month's float had sparked interest among fund managers.

OIL PLEA Trade body Oil And Gas UK has urged the Chancellor to use this month's Autumn Statement to boost the beleaguered industry.
MPs have accused Morrisons of axing staff benefits to fund the 40million cost of preparing for the new minimum wage.

The supermarket has watered down longstanding pay arrangements, abolishing paid breaks and the Sunday rate.

The 15-minute breaks earned staff 1.73 a time, while they used to be paid time-and-a-half for working on Sundays, according to evidence presented to Parliament.

Cuts: Morrisons has ablosihed paid breaks and the Sunday rate

The cases were branded disgraceful by James Berry, Conservative MP for Kingston and Surbiton.

Morrisons announced a year ago it would raise basic pay from 6.93 to 8.20 an hour in March this year. The firm pointed out this was well above the statutory rate of 7.20, introduced in April, which is set to rise to 9 an hour in April 2020.

The rise brought wages in line with those of German discount rival Lidl, which was the first supermarket to raise pay last year. But in one case a Morrisons worker complained to his MP, Helen Goodman, that after his benefits were scrapped his pay rose by just 1.64 a week.

The supermarket, which employs 125,000 staff, is the latest to be drawn into a growing row over cuts to benefits as firms seek ways to fund the cost of the pay rise.

Firms already embroiled in the wages spat with MPs include Marks & Spencer, B&Q, supermarket supply giant 2 Sisters and Ginsters pasty maker Samworth Brothers.

Morrisons said the Usdaw union backed the plan and added: Our staff told us they wanted their pay to be more competitive and simpler. Our hourly rate is now among the best in the sector and more than 90,000 colleagues have benefited. We ensured that nobody is worse off this year as a result of the changes.

But Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, said she had been told of the heartache of a family expecting a substantial rise in line with the announcement of the National Living Wage in 2015 by then Chancellor George Osborne, but which received very little.

She said the changes would not be fair on staff who regularly worked weekends, adding: It sets workers against each other. One persons pay rise is at the expense of another.

Berry said: We as customers can also take direct action by not shopping at Marks & Spencer this Christmas. He said it was important to call out those who breach the spirit of the rules but without wrapping them up in further regulation.
The European Commission is probing Goverment assurances to Nissan which persuaded the company to renew its investment in the Sunderland plant.

Nissan said last month it would build the next generation of the Qashqai in Sunderland as well as the next X-Trail  following a meeting between Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn and Prime Minister Theresa May.

A Commission spokesman said: We have seen press reports regarding this issue. As a result, the Commission at services level is in contact with the UK authorities. Such exchanges of information are common. In this specific case, the UK authorities have not notified any support to Nissan for assessment under EU state aid rules. We have not taken any formal views on the matter.

Car production: Nissan said last month it would build the next generation of the Qashqai in Sunderland as well as the next X-Trail

A spokesperson for the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: We are in regular contact with the European Commission on a range of issues. As the European Commission themselves have said, exchanges like these are common.

Nissan had publicly fretted over whether the UKs departure from the European Union would see it hit with tariffs both on its car exports and supply chain.

Almost two-thirds of cars produced in the UK are exported to the rest of the EU and the industrys supply chain is strung out across the Continent.

The Government has denied that it offered to pick up the cost of any eventual tariffs  with Business secretary Greg Clark saying that Nissan was merely assured that the Governments objective would be to ensure continued access to the markets in Europe and vice versa.
Petrol retailers are predicting that the price of fuel will soar to 120p per litre by Christmas and have written to the Chancellor to demand an immediate cut in fuel duty in his Autumn Statement.

The Petrol Retailers Association argues that the Chancellor has reaped an extra 1billion in fuel taxes this year  which is enough to cover a 3p a litre cut in prices on the forecourts.

Brian Madderson, chairman of the PRA, has written to Philip Hammond ahead of the November 23 statement.

Price increases: Oil is traded in dollars and the falling pound has led to higher petrol prices

He told Hammond that fuel prices are likely to have risen by 16p per litre by the end of the year from 104p per litre in January for combined petrol and diesel to an expected 120p per litre.

Petrol is currently an average of 116p per litre and diesel is 118p per litre. Madderson said: Drivers have been contributing more and more to the Exchequer over the past year as the volume of fuel sold has risen over previous year totals.

Higher revenues have followed and HM Revenue has quietly pocketed an extra billion pounds this year from the fixed excise duty of 58p per litre plus 20 per cent VAT on the windfall extra volume purchased.

Oil is traded in dollars and the weakness of sterling has led to rising prices for drivers. When fuel prices rise, VAT returns to the Treasury also increase.

Fuel tax is money which consumers cant spend elsewhere, added Madderson. Motorists should be given their money back next year by reducing the duty on fuel by a billion pounds  or 3p per litre of road fuel sold.
Three-quarters of UK firms say they have yet to feel any financial effect  positive or negative  from the vote to leave the EU.

But 16 per cent of all businesses, equivalent to 283,000 firms, said the vote had already had a negative financial impact on them, compared with just 5 per cent (85,000) who said it had had a positive effect.

The figures are from a survey of key decision-makers at a representative sample of 500 UK businesses by insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 and market researcher BDRC.

Three-quarters of UK firms say they have yet to feel any financial effect from Brexit

R3 president Andrew Tate said: Uncertainty over the future of the UK-EU relationship may put some important deals on hold, at least temporarily. While our members say they have yet to see any increase in Brexit-related appointments, some have reported an increase in calls from worried business owners looking for advice. And while recent surveys have reported confidence falling since the vote, that doesnt appear to have yet translated into a financial impact for most firms.
Britain's booming financial technology industry  known as fintech  faces an exodus of as many as 250 out of 300 firms, which are being lured to other European financial hubs because of Brexit, says an industry insider.

Tobias Schreyer, co-founder of cross-border payments firm PPRO Group, which was formed 11 years ago in Germany but moved its headquarters to London in 2012, has already opened an office in Luxembourg and has four staff there.

It has been warned that large banks will relocate out of Britain in early 2017 due to repercussions of Brexit on the industry.

Moving abroad: Tobias Schreyer, co-founder of cross-border payments firm PPRO Group, has already opened an office in Luxembourg (pictured) and has four staff there

But smaller fintech companies also provide their services under licence from the Financial Conduct Authority, and Schreyer said he too had to prepare for the worst-case scenario: the loss of EU passporting rights for British financial services providers. Passporting rules allow any EU-based financial firm to sell products across the union.

He said: We have 150 employees in total and about 20 in London. The business migrated to London after we got the UK licence in 2012. The senior staff are all located in the UK. Were a mid-sized firm with long-established relationships with large enterprises in Europe, and we have issued more than a million pre-paid cards. The basis for that is the great EU free market and the EU passporting for financial services.

He said that in the run-up to the referendum, we prepared what we would do if Britain should vote for Brexit. This involved meetings with regulators like the equivalent to the FCA in countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and Czech Republic.

He said: All of them were very friendly. They even started to organise Brexit meetings for interested financial service providers, such as banks and insurers. They had dinners and we were invited to the top-tier banks or investment firms to transfer business to their country.

They are interested in talented and well-paid people who pay a lot of taxes locally. I still receive invitations from Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands where the governments and financial services bodies try to market to UK licence companies.

'They want to get some of the UK fintech talent over and give them investment or accounting support, or creative accounting measures to allow them to do special write-offs of research and development investment or something like that. All of that was offered to us.

He added: Now, a few months later, we have established an office and hired staff, who would otherwise have been hired in London. I would say the transition period will probably be four or five years.

He said the process of establishing a licence there is a big burden and double licensing means costs of 750,000 to 1million a year, as well as the travel and extra accounting involved.

The Government has hailed London as the fintech capital of the world, but Schreyer said: All of them are at different stages of the same process. Some have already decided to go to Ireland, the Netherlands or Luxembourg and they are also preparing for licence applications. They either close their UK office or move a certain portion of their staff from London.

'Theres about 300 fintech companies in the UK, and probably at least 250 of them will need another location. Itll be a challenge for regulators.
A five-day trade mission to China and Hong Kong from Gatwick airport this week will see Jonathan Jones, managing director of English tea brand Tregothnan, and bosses of other small firms seek export opportunities.

Gatwick and its newest airline, Cathay Pacific, subsidised the flights for the Go Global mission, which was organised by business support network Enterprise Nation, with the aim of offering small companies the kind of export opportunities usually reserved for bigger firms.

Tregothnan became Britains first commercial tea grower in 2005 and exports tea via Heathrow airport.

Tea makers: A bee on a Manuka bush at a Tregothnan estate in Cornwall
A mayor on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's list of top drugs suspects was killed during a shootout at a prison on Saturday, police said, in the latest high-profile killing in his bloody war on narcotics.

Rolando Espinosa, mayor of Albuera town in central Leyte province, turned himself in to the national police chief in August after Duterte asked him and his son, Kerwin, to surrender over their involvement in the drug trade.

Espinosa was later allowed to go home but on October 5 was arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms.

He is the second local government executive on Duterte's so-called 'narco-list' killed during police operations.

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Filipino Rolando Espinosa, mayor of Albuera Township, is seen in this October 5 photo being escorted by officers following his arrest in Albuera, Leyte Island, Philippines. He was shot dead in his cell on November 5 during a 'firefight' in the Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay, Leyte Province

The shootout took place after Espinosa and inmate Raul Yap fired at a team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group who was on a mission to serve a search warrant against the detainees for firearms and illegal drugs, police said.

'As a matter of procedure, this incident will undergo investigation to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident,' Eastern Visayas Regional Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar said.

Some lawmakers expressed alarm over the killing of Espinosa inside his detention cell, with the chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, Senator Richard Gordon, describing it as a 'slap in the face' of the country's criminal justice system.

Gordon said he may file a resolution to look into such drug-related killings, while Senator Panfilo Lacson was quoted by local media as saying that Espinosa's death was 'a clear case of EJK (extrajudicial killing).'

'There's got to be a lot of questions that must be answered,' Gordon said in an interview with news channel ANC.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen in this October 26 photo delivering a speech at the Philippine Economic Forum in Tokyo. More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes in connection with the anti-narcotics campaign since Duterte took office on June 30

Police said they recovered a .45 caliber pistol and a .38 Super pistol from the cells of Yap and Espinosa. A small sachet containing suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also found inside Espinosa's cell, police said.

The presidential palace described Espinosa's death as 'unfortunate' and said an investigation was ongoing.

Espinosa had publicly denied any part in the drug trade but said his son was peddling 'shabu' (methamphetamine), which he gets from a jailed Chinese drug trader.

Espinosa's son, Kerwin, was arrested by Abu Dhabi police last month, according to Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

In October, Samsudin Dimaukom, a powerful mayor in Duterte's troubled home province of Mindanao, was also killed along with nine of his guards in a shootout, according to police.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes in connection with the anti-narcotics campaign since Duterte took office on June 30.
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For the majority of twenty-somethings, with every new week comes the same recurring challenges.

There's rent, responsibilities and the reality that unless they win the lottery, the simple life will remain a far off dream.

But for one young married couple from Brisbane, Queensland, the simple life follows them wherever they go.

While living permanently in a caravan may not sound luxurious, the reality is James and Steph's lifestyle is the envy of many.

Married couple Steph and James (pictured) are proving that being in your twenties doesn't mean you can't live the simple life

The pair left their rental home in Brisbane, Queensland, earlier this year and moved into this vintage caravan permanently

Since May this year the couple have travelled more than 10,000 kilometres across Australia inside their portable home

The couple document their travels and latest adventures inside the caravan through their prominent Instagram page

After marrying at the tender age of just 20, the couple returned home to their modest rental in suburbia.

'It was a great house that had everything we needed and was well located to the city,' Steph told Domain.

'(But) about 18 months ago, after a blissful holiday in a remote cabin where we had time to read, play music and be surrounded by nature, we started to wonder if we could live more simply on a permanent basis.'

While they aim to spend as much time as possible travelling, they do have a 'home base' at a five-acre clearing near Brisbane

Before moving into the caravan the couple undertook renovations, keeping many vintage aspects but adding modern style

Living in a home they can take wherever they go has seen the young couple be able to travel as far as the Northern Territory

'After a blissful holiday in a remote cabin where we had time to read, play music and be surrounded by nature, we started to wonder if we could live more simply on a permanent basis,' Steph said.

A chance conversation with a friend earlier this year instantly turned that idea from a dream into a reality.

Instead of downsizing to a tiny home, the couple were presented with the prospect of living in vintage caravan, an opportunity they grabbed with both hands when they moved into the van in May 2016.

'We purchased the caravan from grandad Rex and his wife Ann in Sydney and James drove it up to Brisbane to start its new life as our home, named RexAnn!' Steph said.

Before moving into their new home the couple undertook renovations, keeping many vintage aspects of the van while also adding modern styling.

The couple have set up a permanent 'home base' of sorts on a secluded five-acre clearing outside of Brisbane, owned by James' parents.

But the travel lovers say they hope their clearing just becomes somewhere to return to as they make the most of having a portable abode over the next few years.

In just the few months since moving into their caravan the couple have driven more than 10,000 kilometres around Australia and visited everywhere from Uluru to the Sunshine Coast.

The small rural clearing they call their home base is surrounded by lush grass and trees for as far as the eye can see

Inside the van the couple have worked to update the appliances and living areas, while they're also growing their own food

Having first met at 15, the couple decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together when they married at age 20

While they love their new lifestyle, the couple say one of the hardest aspects of their simple life adventure has been explaining to family and friends the reasoning behind their move.

'Neither James nor I grew up on a hippie commune, and so sometimes friends and family members are confused by our tiny home lifestyle choice,' Steph said.

'They wonder if we are OK or have fallen on hard times; then when we explain our reasoning, the tranquility as well as how much money we can save, it all becomes clear.'
It was a star-studded night for Hillary Clinton in one of her final appearances before America goes to the polls on Tuesday.

But calling upon the celebrity lustre of Beyonce and Jay Z at a concert in Cleveland, Ohio, spoke of the deepest fears of the Democrat candidate, who had until recently seemed all but certain to be heading to the White House.

The event at the packed 13,000 capacity Wolstein Centre was Clintons way of bolstering support from two groups whose waning enthusiasm threatens to scupper her chances of becoming the first female President: the under-30s and the black voters who voted in large numbers to help Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012.

The event at the packed 13,000 capacity Wolstein Centre was Clintons way of bolstering support from two groups whose waning enthusiasm threatens to scupper her chances

Beyonce said: I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless

Jay Z and Beyonce perform before Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke at a campaign concert in Cleveland

Ohio is one of the swing states that could settle the election this week

Ohio has chosen the winner in every presidential election going back to 1964. But according to the polls, Trump is ahead by nearly three per cent in the state  not that any of his supporters appeared to be at the concert.

Jay Z told the crowd that they were on the doorsteps of history.

Referring to the civil rights movement, he urged people to vote, because so many died for the right we have.

Jay-Z performing at a Hillary Clinton rally in Cleveland, where the rapper told the crowd they were 'on the doorsteps of history'

Hillary Clinton embraces rapper Jay Z as Beyonce looks on at the rally in Cleveland, Ohio

He said Trump was not an evolved soul so could not be his president, adding: Once you divide us, you weaken us. We are stronger together.

Beyonce added: I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless.

Clinton hugged the two stars as she came on to the stage and walked towards the audience holding their hands.

Beyonce performs on stage during a Get Out The Vote concert in support of Hillary Clinton at the Wolstein Centre in Cleveland

Rapper Jay Z and superstar Beyonce were pictured conversing with the Democratic presidential hopeful

She told the crowd: We have unfinished business. More barriers to break, and with your help, a glass ceiling to crack once and for all.

Tax administrator and Hillary fan James Barrow, 62, said: In Trump I see negativity, racism, bigotry and not paying his fair share. Ive been doing taxes for 35 years and what I see is a cheat.
One of Prince Williams favourite charities was last night accused of 'crude hustling' after offering wealthy supporters the chance to meet the Duke in exchange for donations of more than 40,000.

Centrepoint allegedly contacted a group of super-rich donors ahead of a gala dinner at Kensington Palace this week.

The charity  which supports young homeless people  promised access to the Duke of Cambridge in return for sizeable donations.

Centre stage: The Duke with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi at the Centrepoint dinner in 2013

Those willing to fork out were offered a seat at the top table for Thursday nights annual event, which will also include the presentation of the Centrepoint Awards.

It is understood one wealthy philanthropist was advised that 50,000 would be enough to have an award named after him.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: The charity reached out to a number of wealthy donors, giving them the chance to pay 40,000 and upwards to have a special reception with the Duke at the dinner.

'One of the people I spoke to was promised a seat at the top table with His Royal Highness in return for making a cheque out to Centrepoint for 40,000.

'These are long-standing donors who have been very loyal to the charity, but there is a feeling among some that this is more hustling than fundraising.

Centrepoint is raising money, which is great  but they are using the Prince in a frankly crude way.

Kensington Palace declined to comment on the offer.

The Duke is Centrepoints patron and will deliver a short speech at the dinner, as well as present awards to young people who have been helped by the charity.

He is scheduled to spend two hours at the event, which last year raised 1.5 million. Headline acts this year include Phil Collins, Craig David, Ellie Goulding and Dirty Vegas, while Centrepoint ambassador Jonathan Ross is hosting the evening.

Headline acts this year include Phil Collins, Craig David (pictured), Ellie Goulding and Dirty Vegas

The cost of producing the night is expected to be close to 400,000. Standard tickets, which are sold out, cost 1,250 and 1,100, depending on how close they are to the stage.

Corporate tickets were being sold for 3,000 and 5,000 each. Centrepoint last night confirmed that several guests had made private donations but declined to say if those donations included access to the Duke.

A spokesman said: Some guests have kindly chosen to make donations in addition to the ticket price.

'We are not in a position to provide details of private donations.

When questioned further about the cash-for-access allegations, Centrepoint appointed the Red Consultancy PR agency, which said: We are not aware of such an email, nor would we authorise an approach of this kind to any prospective donor or supporter.
An Italian man with Mafia connections is reportedly being investigated over the shooting murder of gangland lawyer Joe Acquaro.

He met a drug dealer from the Honoured Society crime gang at one of Victoria's highest security prisons about a week before Mr Acquaro was killed in Melbourne, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.

The revelation comes eight months after the 54-year-old criminal lawyer was shot five times as he walked towards his car after closing his Gelobar cafe and restaurant at Brunswick East.

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Gangland lawyer Joe Acquaro (pictured) was gunned down outside his Gelobar cafe in March

The Italian man flew back to his homeland in the days after Mr Acquaro was murdered, in the early hours of March 15, and was detained at an airport for questioning before being released, the News Corp story said.

He had met the Honoured Society drug trafficker, an enemy of Mr Acquaro, at Barwon Prison near Geelong about a week before the killing.

Other Honoured Society identities are believed to have visited this prisoner, housed in the Acacia section of the jail, which is regarded as one of Victoria's most secure compounds.

Another man, regarded as a potential early suspect, knew the late Mr Acquaro through his Gelobar business before they had a dispute over debt, the newspaper report said.

An enemy of Joe Acquaro met an Italian man with Mafia connections at Barwon Prison, near Geelong, about a week before the gangland lawyer was shot dead

Joe Acquaro was having disputes with crime figures before he was gunned down in March

A $200,000 contract to kill Mr Acquaros was hatched last year, court documents say.

Two months before Mr Acquaro was killed, a fire had been lit at his restaurant in Melbourne's inner north.

Mr Acquaro had told police about a man, believed to be mentally unstable, who had started the blaze out of revenge for payment being refused for work at the Lygon Street cafe.

The slain lawyer had represented gangland figures, including Alphonse Gangitano, Rocco Arico, former Mafia boss Pasquale Barbaro and Frank Madafferi, who was charged with conspiring to import 1.2 million ecstasy tablets from Italy in 2007.

He had been in a four-dispute with Madafferi over ownership of the inner-city restaurant, the newspaper report said.

That sparked a struggle between Mr Acquaro and, in particular, Tony Madafferi over influence in Melbournes Calabrian community, including the 'Honoured Society'.

The murdered lawyer wrote a will in August 2015 after finding out his life was in danger.

Victorian police declined to comment on Sunday.

The investigation into the death of Joseph Acquaro is ongoing (so) at this stage it would be inappropriate to provide any further comment," a spokesman told AAP.

Mr Acquaro had strong ties within Melbourne's Calabrian community and had been president of Melbourne's Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Reggio Calabria Club.
Campaigners are trying to stop Costa expanding into their scenic towns

With thousands of outlets across the country, it is the coffee chain to which many shoppers happily turn to for a cappuccino or shot of espresso.

But Costa is leaving a bitter taste for a growing army of campaigners who are determined to stop it expanding into their scenic towns.

They fear the chain will take business away from independent cafes and threaten the history and traditions of their ancient high streets.

Under threat: One of the quirky shopping streets in Dartmouth, Devon, where locals are protesting against a Costa moving in

Protests have been launched against proposed outlets in the towns of Dartmouth and Crediton in Devon, and at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.

And a plan to open a Costa branch in Ilfracombe, North Devon, is awaiting a final decision amid claims that there are already plenty of cafes nearby.

In the historic port of Dartmouth, more than 1,000 protesters have signed a petition opposing a planning application. Organiser Fran Newman accused the company of trampling on our towns heritage. She said: We already have great independent coffee shops. Dartmouth would be in danger of becoming a clone town where you could be in any part of the UK.

Guylaine Picanil, whose Saveurs Cafe is next to the proposed Costa, said: Dartmouth is a special place  it is the English St Tropez. Why allow something that is not special?

Tony Fyson, of the Dartmouth and Kingswear Society, claimed Costas presence would push up nearby shop rental costs, leading to more vacant premises. Such a clunking national intrusion would also introduce a whole new level of standardisation and predictability into the towns varied and quirky centre, he added.

In Crediton, town councillor and cafe manager Daniel Webb said every independent shop on the high street had backed a 1,700-signature petition opposing Costas plans. My fear is Costa can afford to run at a loss and undermine independent cafes, he added.

Campaigners are buoyed by an earlier success in Totnes, Devon, in seeing off a Costa outlet.

Despite some protesters there are also those openly backing pro-Costa petitions for their area

However, not every protest is succeeding. Earlier this year, residents opposed to a drive-through Costa outlet in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands failed to prevent it being approved.

Some residents have backed pro-Costa petitions. Carolyn Cocks wrote on Say Yes To Costa Coffee In Crediton: We dont need another charity shop... it will bring employment to Crediton and bring us up to date.

Costa is by far the biggest UK coffee chain with more than 2,000 outlets.
The barrister MP who quit over Brexit mocked the Attorney General blamed for the Government's High Court defeat as a 'third-rate provincial conveyancer', it was claimed last night.

Stephen Phillips, Tory MP for Sleaford in Lincolnshire, complained at not being given a top job by Theresa May and was scathing in private about Jeremy Wright, according to Conservative sources.

Phillips last night denied making the remarks about the Attorney General, saying: 'I have never used those words about anyone.'

Stephen Phillips, the barrister MP who quit over Brexit, mocked the Attorney General blamed for the Government's High Court defeat as a 'third-rate provincial conveyancer', it was claimed last night

But separately, Christine Talbot, a respected member of the Sleaford Tory Association executive, yesterday revealed Phillips complained about being passed over by Mrs May  even though he was offered a job as parliamentary aide (PPS) to Brexit Secretary David Davis.

She said: 'He came to a party in the summer and when I asked him why he looked miserable, he said, 'Because I haven't been given a job again.'

When I said he had been offered a post as PPS he said, 'That is a bag-carrier's job, I wanted a proper Minister's job.'

The Tory MP (left) for Sleaford in Lincolnshire, complained at not being given a top job by Theresa May and was scathing in private about Jeremy Wright (right), according to Conservative sources

'I told him PPS was a good opportunity and he still had his constituents to look after. He has betrayed his electorate.'

Phillips last night insisted he had taken up the PPS role but 'resigned quietly' when it became clear the Government would trigger the process of leaving the EU without parliamentary approval.
Anna Broinowski is the only 'Western filmmaker' to ever be granted complete access to the North Korean film industry

An Australian woman is the only 'Western filmmaker' to ever be granted total access to the North Korean film industry and now she's sharing what her experience was like in the country.

Anna Broinowski wanted to learn North Korean propaganda-making techniques so that she could use them and create her own film against coal seam gas (CSG) in her native country, the New York Post reported.

In addition, she read a 1987 book called 'Kim Jong-il: The Cinema and Directing' written by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The book revealed that he had a deep passion with film and had spent a lot of time when he was younger gathering what is said to be on of the world's greatest movie collections.

He went on later to make films that helped to establish his father and create the large movie industry in the country by 'producing more than 1,400 propaganda films over five decades.'

The only way for Broinowski to complete her goal of learning their techniques was to actually visit North Korea, which has strict rules in place regarding foreigners visiting.

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Anna Broinowski (pictured) wanted to learn North Korean propaganda-making techniques so that she could use them and create her own film against coal seam gas (CSG) in her native country

In addition, she read a 1987 book called 'Kim Jong-il: The Cinema and Directing' written by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (pictured above in 1979). She wanted to learn first hand about his deep passion for film-making

The only way for Broinowski (pictured above in North Korea) to complete her goal of learning their techniques was to actually visit North Korea

Broinowsk writes in detail about her experience in her new book, 'Aim High in Creation!: A One-of-a-Kind Journey inside North Korea's Propaganda Machine'.

She explains that she underwent a lengthy, two-year media-visa application process to gain access to the country, so that she could meet with the finest filmmakers who have been trained in Kim's principles.

While she awaited word on her application, Kim died and power was transferred to his son, Kim Jong-un. Shortly after, she received permission to visit North Korea, something that no other Western filmmaker has done.

As she flew in for the first of her two visits to the country, passengers on the plane were shown a video promoting Pyongyang's pollution-free air that announced 'people who visit it call it 'The City in a Park!''

Broinowski said she was served the country's famous 'meat with two breads sandwich', which is actually a hamburger.

When the plane landed, she said an all-female group of 'rosy-cheeked' women threw fresh-cut flowers at the plane.

Broinowski (pictured above in North Korea) wrote in detail about her experience and her interactions with the top filmmakers in the country

Above North Koreas top filmmakers are pictured while viewing Broinowskis film for the first time

'They are singing and dancing, waving frantically at us,' Broinowski explained.

'They seem to be filled with joyous ecstasy, simply because we've arrived. It's completely surreal.'

Broinowski went to the Pyongyang Film Studio where she met with the country's top actors and filmmakers, which included 'North Korea's Scorsese' who is known as Mr Pak.

He has filmed over 70 movies for Kim and is also the leader's favorite filmmaker in the country.

Broinowski was able to get an idea of how isolated Mr Pak and his colleagues were from the rest of the world, as she kept in mind her knowledge about Western movie culture.

Broinowski also had the chance to visit a movie set and watch the filming of an action film where she met the Dresnok boys, the sons of James Dresnok (above) who defected to North Korea in 1962

Broinowski met Ted and James Jr. (pictured in above center and left in a file photo) on a film set, where she had to step in and play the role of Ted's wife due to her 'Western appearance'

She noted that one of his films called 'Souls Protest', which was made in 2001, is very similar to the 1997 award-winning movie 'Titanic'.

Broinowski asked Mr Pak, 'Is it true you made your own version of 'Titanic,' with exactly the same plot?'

He apparently claimed that his movie was made first and joked, 'Maybe James Cameron copied us?'

During her visit, she saw various sides of her hosts that surprised her.

While searching through her bag for a cigarette lighter, Mr Pak gave her one and told her 'Women are like cigarette smoke; when you try to stroke them, they disappear.'

She wrote, 'I realize with a shock that he's flirting with me.'

In a separate conversation about erotic films, Mr Pak lamented, 'I have shot over 70 films, but sadly I haven't got to do a single sex scene yet.'

After her 2012 visit, Broinowski (pictured above with North Korean filmmakers) released her film, 'Aim High in Creation!', which was named after one of Kim's film-making rules. Her movie can be watched on Netflix

Broinowski also had the chance to visit a movie set and watch the filming of an action film where she met the sons of James Dresnok Sr.

James Dresnok Sr., a former American soldier who - stationed in South Korea and facing court-martial for forging signatures on leave paperwork - ran across a minefield in broad daylight on August 15, 1962 and defected.

He eventually married Romanian Doina Bumbea, a sculptor who supposedly worked at the Romanian embassy in North Korea.

Broinowski's new book (above), 'Aim High in Creation!: A One-of-a-Kind Journey inside North Korea's Propaganda Machine' tells about her experience in the country

'He and his comrades were snapped up by Kim Jong-il, installed in mud huts with North Korean concubines and put to work [as film actors]: playing the evil enemy in almost every military movie he shot,' the Post reported.

Dresnok eventually became a star in North Korea and retired from working there. His sons, who resemble him took over and Broinowski saw the brothers, Ted and James Jr., in action on set.

Given her Western appearance, she was put to work and played the wife of Ted in the film.

However, when she tried to speak with him, she was rejected.

'I approach Dresnok with the friendliest smile I can muster,' she wrote.

'Hello, is it true that you live here?' I say, and he surveys me with cold hatred: 'Yes, I am living here.'It's the same clipped accent I've heard in every North Korean doc I've watched.

'Perhaps Dresnok is the voice's original source  North Korea's go-to narration guy. It's like talking to an android  or Arnold Schwarzenegger.'

'Can I ask you a few questions?' I persist, and Dresnok's jaw clenches. 'I am busy. Talk to the boss,' he snaps. And stalks off.'
Prince Harry's girlfriend is set to join him in the UK over Christmas - as his former butler confirms the prince is 'in love' with the actress.

Meghan Markle, who stars in US television drama Suits, is rumoured to be joining the 32-year-old prince when filming on the show in Toronto wraps at the end of the month.

This comes amid former royal butler Grant Harrold revealing Harry is 'in love' with the 35-year-old actress, who already has the seal of approval from Prince Charles and the Queen.

Meghan Markle, who stars in US television drama Suits, is rumoured to be joining Prince Harry, 32, when filming on the show in Toronto wraps at the end of the month

Former royal butler Grant Harrold revealed Harry is 'in love' with the 35-year-old, who already has the seal of approval from Prince Charles and the Queen

The Prince reportedly took the TV star to Los Angeles in July where they decided to become an item after weeks of flirting.

One source told the Sunday People: 'Obviously, Meghan's not expecting to be joining the Queen at Sandringham for Christmas  but she'd love to spend some time with Harry somewhere.

'they're both happy to travel for each other whenever necessary. It's a sign of how committed they are.'

Miss Markle's nephew Tyler Dooley told The Sun: 'of course, she plans to go to London when she wraps up filming in Canada this month.

'They are going to find a way to see each other'.

In an interview given the green light by Clarence House, former royal butler Grant Harrold said Miss Markle was 'The One' - and claims the relationship has approval from both the Queen and Prince Charles.

The Prince reportedly took the TV star to Los Angeles in July where they decided to become an item after weeks of flirting

Meghan's nephew said: 'of course, she plans to go to London when she wraps up filming in Canada this month'

Mr Harrold worked for Prince Charles for seven years and has also looked after many other members of the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Mr Harrold said: 'Harry loves her and she loves him. And that will be what matters in the eyes of the Queen and Prince Charles'

Mr Harrold worked for Prince Charles for seven years and has also looked after many other members of the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

He now runs The Royal School of Etiquette and Butlers with HRH Princess Katarina, the cousin of the Duke of Cambridge.

Mr Harrold told the Sunday Mirror: 'Harry loves her and she loves him.

'And that will be what matters in the eyes of the Queen and Prince Charles. I don't see any reason why Meghan couldn't be The One.'

He added her past - which has included raunchy television scenes - would not matter to the Royal family, but added she would 'need to be careful how she behaves'.
Taxpayer-funded monthly classes will be run by a GP, Louise Newson, who dubs herself the Menopause Doctor

Police officers and firefighters are to undergo publicly funded menopause classes to teach them how to help female colleagues going through the change.

Emergency services staff will receive special training where they will learn how to deal more sensitively with co-workers experiencing hot flushes and mood swings.

Taxpayer-funded monthly classes will be run by a GP, Louise Newson, who dubs herself the Menopause Doctor, to try to halt a flood of older women leaving the services and to destigmatise the issue.

But Tory MP David Davies last night criticised the classes as a waste of money, adding: Policemen and women have enough to do, without another day of training for something we are all well aware of.

And broadcaster Jenni Murray warned of the dangers of implying that the menopause could make a woman less able to do her job.

But Dr Newson last night insisted there was an urgent need to educate sexist or ignorant managers, who too often regarded the menopause as a joke.

She is to hold sessions with staff at West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, which are jointly funding them. Dr Newson declined to say how much she was being paid, but insisted it was well below her usual private rate of up to 190 a session.

The GP, 46, who has already run some sessions with the emergency services, said ten per cent of menopausal women considered giving up work because of their symptoms.

Despite this, the issue was still not being taken seriously. There is a problem with policewomen working through the menopause and policemen not understanding them, Dr Newson said.

Menopause is taken as a bit of a joke. The attitude is, Youre a bit moody. But it can affect women very seriously  and its time we destigmatised it. Hot flushes could make working in uniform unbearable, she said, while some officers feared making mistakes due to the lapses in concentration which can affect menopausal women.

And she said too few people realised that mood swings and debilitating fatigue could also be triggered by changes in hormone levels.

Male managers could be unsympathetic, she said, but so too could female bosses. About 25 per cent of women dont have any symptoms when they go through the menopause, added Dr Newson. If thats your manager, she might say to you, Well, I was fine, so what are you going on about? 

Dr Newson will give staff tips on how to help those they suspect are going through the menopause, adding: Having a culture at work where it is possible to talk about the menopause will help.

The initiative follows a demand by Dame Sally Davies, Englands Chief Medical Officer, that employers do more to make workplaces menopause-friendly

She stressed the sessions, at which she will outline treatment options such as hormone replacement therapy, were voluntary and open to all within each organisation.

The initiative follows a demand by Dame Sally Davies, Englands Chief Medical Officer, that employers do more to make workplaces menopause-friendly.

There are about 3.5 million women of menopause age in work, according to official figures.

West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service confirmed they were paying for the sessions but declined to reveal the cost.

Mr Davies, once a special constable, added: If they are doing this in police time, then they are going to be paid to train for this instead of something more important.

And Dame Jenni, presenter of Radio 4s Womens Hour, warned: Great care must be taken never to imply menopause symptoms make a woman less able to do her job.

Middle-aged women suffer quite enough prejudice without their menopause being seen as a health hazard. It isnt.

Amanda Tozer, a consultant gynaecologist who runs the Libera centre, a Harley Street menopause clinic, added: I am sure most women would not want their symptoms to be viewed as an excuse for not working effectively.
Theresa May has vowed she will not allow her hands to be tied in negotiating a post-Brexit future for Britain, as she travelled to India on a mission to lay the groundwork for an "ambitious" trade deal.

In an indication that she will not allow the UK's preparations to be held back by EU rules blocking members from striking bilateral deals, Mrs May intends to use the three-day trip to seek official-level talks to pave the way for a post-Brexit free trade agreement, as well as moves to break down existing barriers to commerce and investment.

On her first trade mission as PM, Mrs May was joined by representatives of 33 companies from around the UK in an effort to "reboot an age-old relationship (with India) in this age of opportunity".

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Mrs May, left, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, right, are on the way to India to bang the drum for British business

Officials said the trip would see commercial deals sealed to create 1,370 jobs in the UK, as well as the establishment of a new UK-India "smart cities" urban partnership with the potential to unlock opportunities worth 2 billion.

Following the setback of last week's High Court ruling that she must seek Parliament's approval to trigger talks to withdraw from the EU, Mrs May issued a warning to Remain-backing MPs and peers that they must "accept what the people decided" rather than try to block Brexit.

And she indicated she remains determined to resist demands from Labour and other parties to spell out her negotiating strategy for withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the EU treaties, insisting that "putting all our cards on the table" was "not in our national interest".

Mrs May hopes to agree trade deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured)

The trip comes as the Government prepares to appeal against the judges' decision in the Supreme Court in a bid to preserve Mrs May's chances of hitting her target of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.

The PM will hold more than two hours of talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, as well as meeting business leaders in the capital New Delhi and southern commercial hub Bangalore.

Speaking ahead of her departure, Mrs May said: 'While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

'It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

'And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain.'

Britain and India were "natural partners" with shared interests in delivering jobs, developing new technologies and tackling terrorism and climate change, said Mrs May.

'This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity,' she said.

'It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain.'

Mrs May is likely to face pressure from her hosts about the availability of UK visas for Indian workers and students, amid unease over higher salary thresholds for skilled workers announced by the Home Office just days before her arrival as part of ongoing efforts to reduce non-EU migration.

The PM indicated she remains determined to resist demands from Labour, including its leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured), and other parties to spell out her negotiating strategy for withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the EU treaties, insisting that 'putting all our cards on the table' was 'not in our national interest'

Indian tech body Nasscom has called for a high-skilled worker mobility agreement with Britain, warning: 'A system that restricts the UK's ability to access talent is also likely to restrict the growth and productivity of the UK economy.'

Meanwhile, the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), A Didar Singh, warned that UK-Indian trade faces a "double hit".

'Exports from the UK to India have been declining,' Mr Singh told The Guardian.

'Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you've lost 18% of your pound's value. So if I'm sending something to the UK and getting a lower return on it, I'm going to have a think about that. It's a double hit.'

British Prime Minister Theresa May pictured during another foreign visit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Among deals expected to be confirmed during the visit are:

A 1.2 million joint venture between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India to set up a manufacturing plant for rail projects;

A 15 million imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai by Lyca Health UK; and

A 350 million investment from British start-up Kloudpad in high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

Both governments are also due to sign an intellectual property co-operation agreement, while the UK will commit to extending assistance to help India improve its business environment, which has seen it languish in 130th place in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index.

Joining Mrs May on her visit were International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, trade minister Greg Hands, as well as business figures including Standard Life chairman Sir Gerry Grimstone, Standard Chartered chairman Sir John Peace, Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes and Aviva CEO David McMillan, as well as a number of small businesses.
Demographer and columnist Bernard Salt has stirred up fresh controversy among young Australians, saying they should save their money for a house instead of holidaying in Bali and posting the photos on social media.

Salt's column, titled 'Till the money runs out' had the tagline - 'What's more important, living within your means or taking selfies from a Bali swimming pool?' and was featured in The Weekend Australian magazine on Saturday.

The author has been in the spotlight recently for another infamous column, where he berated millennials for complaining about housing affordability.

Demographer and columnist Bernard Salt (pictured) has stirred up fresh controversy among young Australians, saying they should save their money for a house instead of holidaying in Bali and posting the photos on social media

Salt's column featured the tagline - 'What's more important, living within your means or taking selfies from a Bali swimming pool?' Pictured is a couple in Rimba Jimbaran in South Kuta, Bali

Salt said the reason young people can't afford to buy houses, is they are too busy brunching on the weekends, spending $22 on smashed avocado on toast.

In his latest column he referred to people as belonging to two different groups - money mortals and money magicians.

According to Salt, money mortals are people that know how to save, while money magicians are 'exciting people who can do remarkable things with money: they can make it appear, they can make it stretch, and they are very good at making it disappear'.

His column said: 'The idea of budgeting is this: you pay everything that has to be paid first, and then you make your lifestyle fit around whatever you have left. But thats not all. Some money mortals do something else to ensure the survival of their species. Does anyone know what that is? Anyone? Thats right, they save.'

One person on Twitter said they hadn't gone on holidays to Bali since before Facebook and Instagram existed

Another person joked they would take time out from their reckless spending to send their Bali holiday photographs to Bernard Salt

This person joked that Bernard Salt would keep coming up with different reasons why millennials couldn't afford houses

'But then do you know what happens, boys and girls? A week after money magicians complain about being broke, they post on social media photographs of themselves in a pool in Bali!

'And at this precise moment the money mortals have a spiritual awakening and realise they belong to a different tribe, because such a transformation of circumstances is not possible in the real world. And therein lies the magic of the money magicians. They can do what money mortals cannot.'

Salt wrote 'money magicians' often complain about having no money. He said: 'A week after money magicians complain about being broke, they post on social media photographs of themselves in a pool in Bali!' Pictured is a view from Nusa Penida Island, south of Bali

The reactions weren't overly positive on social media, with one person tweeting: 'My last trip to Bali was before Facebook and Instagram, yet I still can't afford a house. Thanks for rubbing Bernard Salt into my wounds.'

Another person commented: 'Taking time out from my pathological profligacy to send along my Bali photos to Bernard Salt.'

Someone else said: 'Next week from Bernard Salt: If only young people didn't have to pay so much for rent, they'd be able to afford a house.'

One person pointed out that Bernard Salt had ignored the data about how much money Generation Y actually saves

A Bali news Twitter site even got involve in the debate, saying that Salt's suggestion to give up holidays in Bali was 'controversial'

A Balinese news Twitter account Bali Today even weighed into the debate, labelling Salt's column as 'controversial' for suggesting people should stop holidaying on the Indonesian island.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show Indonesia is among the top ten most visited countries by Australian residents.
She was the blacksmiths daughter whose seductive charm and stunning looks captured Lord Nelsons heart.

But any hopes Emma Hamilton harboured of being equally adored by the public were dashed after Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Now a previously unpublished letter written by Hamilton reveals the extent of her despair at being pursued by creditors and forced to flee to France to avoid prison.

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Muse: 1785 portrait of Lady Hamilton by George Romney

As Nelson lay fatally injured aboard his flagship having won a famous victory against the French, he whispered: Look after Lady Hamilton. However, his dying wishes were ignored. Experts believe she was smeared because the mood in Britain was to see Nelson as a national hero  and his adulterous relationship with Hamilton could not be tolerated.

In her letter, which last week went on public display for the first time at a major exhibition on her life, Hamilton rages: Who woud vegetate in fog and vapour when they can live cheaper and better and breathe pure air in another country. England has never done anything for me. She continues: Yet I trust there are souls who will feel I have done my Country great Services.

A 1799 portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson

The letter, dated July 16, 1814 and written while Hamilton was in exile in Calais, was sent to Alexander Davison, one of Nelsons great friends. It is on display at the exhibition  Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity, at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Exhibition curator Quintin Colville said: Emma lived a dazzling existence from poverty to wealth and back to destitution. She was smeared because Nelson was seen as a pre-eminent example of British greatness and people were keen to exculpate him of any failings in his life for passion or indulgence.

Lily Style, a great-granddaughter of Hamilton who runs the Emma Hamilton Society, said: Emma has been condemned for her immorality. It is important that people realise what she did for the country.

Beauty: Vivien Leigh plays Emma in the 1941 film That Hamilton Woman

Born in 1765 in a Cheshire mining village, Hamilton was a blacksmiths daughter who had an impoverished childhood.

She was drawn to London aged 12, becoming a dancer and mistress to rich men. As a society beauty, she was a muse for artists including George Romney. She eventually married Britains ambassador to Naples, Sir William Hamilton.

She became the favourite confidante of Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily, and they worked to combat the threat of invasion by Napoleon. Crucially it was Hamilton who intervened to help Nelson counter Napoleons incursion of Egypt. The pair fell in love in 1798 after a wounded Nelson returned from the Battle of the Nile and was nursed back to health by Hamilton.
Target: Smoke looms above Aleppo after Assad's forces launched attacks against rebels

President Assads warplanes resumed their bombardment of Aleppo last night raising fears of more civilian casualties in the devastated Syrian city.

Syrian Arab Air Force jets launched a blitzkrieg against jihadi bases hours after a ceasefire by Russian and Syrian government forces ended, witnesses said.

According to unconfirmed reports, the attacks on Al Atareb, a town in the Western Aleppo Governorate, included the use of cluster bombs, which are banned under international war treaties.

War monitors also claimed a five-year-old girl was killed in the latest shelling by Syrian government aircraft.

She was named locally as Nada Al Sayyed.

The resumption of hostilities follows an offensive by Islamic militant groups into areas held by President Assads troops. Around 74 civilians, including 25 children, have been killed by jihadists indiscriminate bombing of Aleppos suburbs, according to human rights groups.

Last night, a member of the White Helmets civil defence volunteers  who have rescued hundreds of casualties from the rubble of buildings destroyed in air strikes  spoke of his despair at the tactics of forces on both sides of the conflict.

Bebars Mishal, who runs ambulances and rescue teams in eastern Aleppo, said: Nothing can be done. Nobody can stop the planes. All we can do is take precautions and be ready 24 hours a day.

About 275,000 people live in daily fear of further bombings in besieged areas of eastern Aleppo. They are understood to have refused Russian requests to leave their homes and find sanctuary outside the city.

However, many civilians claim that Russias offers of safe passage are merely a ploy intended to deflect criticism from Moscow.

Victim: An injured boy is treated. Last night, charities warned that 1,500 wounded children remain trapped inside the city of Aleppo, without access to medical treatment

Syrian state media alleges that despite Russias promises, civilians were unable to leave the city after rebel groups opened fire along the agreed evacuation routes. Last night, charities Save The Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres warned that 1,500 wounded children remain trapped inside the city, without access to medical treatment.

Aleppo has become the focal point of fighting in Syrias war, which is now in its sixth year. The indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighbourhoods by government and rebel forces has led to widespread condemnation by human rights groups and the United Nations.

The use of this tactic by rebels, in a bid to destroy military targets in government-held western Aleppo, has led to calls for the US to cut off support for these groups.
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Secret Service agents rushed Donald Trump offstage on Saturday evening during a rally in Reno, Nevada after they determined a protester in the audience might pose a threat to the Republican presidential candidate.

'Go! Go!' agents shouted as they whisked Trump away and a combination of local police and private security wrestled Austyn Crites, 33, to the ground in the front of the crowd.

Crites identifies as a Republican who supports Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to his Facebook page.

A senior Trump campaign official told DailyMail.com that the suspect, whom rally-goers already identified as an anti-Trump protester, caused a panic when he reached into his waistband.

At that point, the campaign official said, a voice called out: 'He's got a gun!'

Trump's protective detail sprang into action, pulling him offstage as a sea of bodies scattered, screams rang out and authorities dragged Crites away as he kicked and strained.

Secret Service agents rushed Donald trump offstage on Saturday evening in Reno, Nevada after they determined that a protester in the audience posed a threat to the Republican presidential candidate

Security personnel rush off stage after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was escorted away during a rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada on Saturday

Members of the Secret Service acted quickly to remove Trump from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center without incident

The U.S. Secret Service said in a statement that 'a commotion' had occurred 'in the crowd immediately in front of the stage' and 'an unidentified individual shouted, "gun".'

'Secret Service agents and Reno police officers immediately apprehended the subject.

Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found,' the statement added.

Authorities never confirmed early reports that Crites or any civilians at the rally had a firearm.

One witness told DailyMail.com that a holstered gun was spotted on the hip of a plainclothes officer, adding to the confusion.

Just before the fracas, Trump could be seen shielding his eyes from the lights in order to peer into the crowd as a struggle broke out.

Three agents then stormed the stage and hustled the Republican presidential candidate away.

Crites, who has since been released, appeared on local newscasts saying he had merely been holding a sign that read 'Republicans Against Trump.'

When he reached into his waistband, however, police and good Samaritans took the man down.

The crowd surged backward in fright and strained against metal barriers enclosing the press section.

'CNN sucks!' one man yelled. 'You people caused this!'

Federal agents and tactical officers from Reno Police removed the man from the rally on Saturday. He has since been identified as 33-year-old Austyn Crites

At this time a motive is not clear. Authorities placed the man in a bathroom near a secure entrance where Trump's motorcade and the press vehicles were staged

Austyn Crites, 33, (pictured) was detained by Secret Service after trying to raise a flag that read 'Republicans Against Trump' when someone yelled 'gun' causing a panic during the rally

Witness Donald Newton, 45, of California who was in the crowd at the time, said he was next to Crites, who he said was holding a sign and started heading toward the stage.

'He had something on his belly. I don't know what it was,' Newton told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

'Somebody yelled "gun" and everyone jumped on him. My friend put his knee on his head, but he kept getting up.'

Federal agents and tactical officers from Reno Police removed Crites and placed him in a bathroom near a secure entrance where Trump's motorcade and the press vehicles were staged.

SWAT officers with high-powered rifles guarded the entrance to the restroom while reporters milled outside.

Television footage showed the white male suspect pinioned on the ground by officers and searched, before he was led away from the convention center.

Police officers and U.S. Secret Service rush a man in handcuffs out of the rally on Saturday

Audience members at the front of the crowd reportedly said they saw the man raise up a sign before a scuffle ensued

Crites told the Guardian that he was terrified how the crowd responded during the chaotic moment.

'I was in survival mode. I knew I could die at that moment,' Crites told the Guardian.

Crites was punched and kicked, and his neck was placed in a chokehold, he said.

At one point someone in the crowed even grabbed his testicles as he feared for his life.

While he is a Republican, he has a couple of posts on his Facebook with Clinton's logo and an American flag with the words, 'Nevada Republicans proudly voting for Secretary Clinton.'

'I understand that this election has people torn, but we must chose HOPE over HATE,' one post appearing on his Facebook page read.

Later on Saturday he wrote a post on his Facebook, which was slammed with negative comments and appears to have since been taken down, recounting Saturday's ordeal.

Crites identifies as a Republican who supports Clinton. He said he was terrified how the crowd responded in the chaotic moment

'Hi all, Not sure if you saw the news today, but I was beat up at a Trump rally for holding a sign and falsely accused of having a gun. I am ok and have been released,' Crites wrote.

'I have NO connection to the Clinton campaign apart from me supporting her HOPE over Trumps HATE.

'I have canvassed for her for about 3 hours, have contributed to her campaign, and voted for her.

'Though I do not agree with many of Hillarys policies, we cannot allow a fascist/dictator to take our beloved freedoms to simply boost his ego and get back at anyone who disagrees.

'Take what happened to me tonight as a classic example of dictator incident of violence  against your own Republican brother with a stupid sign.

'I am a Republican and cannot support Trump and his decisive rhetoric. This election cycle we all know what we need to do. PLEASE STAND UP WITH ME AND STOP TRUMP!

His brother, Cary Crites, also wrote in Facebook post, noting that his brother was okay.

'Hey friends, in case youre wondering, my brother Ty is ok after this whole Trump rally thing. I guess this is how people are treated when they raise a Republicans Against Trump sign at a dictators hype session,' he wrote.

'For reference: He is a Republican that has deep concerns over the damage Trump would have as leader of our nation.

'Went to the Trump rally in Reno, where he lives, held up the sign, then was beat down by a mob. Someone screamed gun, and the situation got ugly. Nevadan friends, youre better than this.'

The Secret Service said a thorough investigation into Saturday's incident is ongoing.

While authorities said no gun was found, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr retweeted a post on Twitter shared by special projects director at Citizens for Trump, Jack Posobiec who inaccurately described Saturday as an 'assassination attempt.'

'Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt,' Posobiec tweeted.

Others including Trump campaign social media director Dan Scavino Jr also retweeted the post inaccurately calling the incident an assassination attempt.

A short time after the fracas, Trump returned onstage and addressed the audience as he continued his rally speech, appearing unrattled by the scuffle and spoke with his usual self-confidence.

Later on Saturday he wrote a post on his Facebook, which was slammed with negative comments and appears to have since been taken down, recounting Saturday's ordeal

'Nobody said it was going to be easy for us,' he declared. 'But we will never be stopped. Never, never be stopped.'

'I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic. They don't get enough credit. They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people.'

Trump had spotted the protester and described him as a Hillary Clinton supporter before asking security to 'take him out.'

As he returned to his speech, he thanked a group of fans near the stage who had stepped in to subdue his would-be attacker.

'You were amazing, fellas,' he said.

'I saw what you were doing. That's a tough group of people right there... Nobody messes with our people, right?'

Secret Service agents escorted the Republican presidential candidate from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center without incident.

He and his staff made it aboard his custom Boeing 757, dubbed 'Trump Force One,' for of a flight to Denver where he will hold the day's fourth rally in as many stages.

Just before the fracas, Trump could be seen shielding his eyes from the lights in order to peer into the crowd as a struggle broke out

Police officers stand guard backstage after Trump was hustled off the stage by security agents

Trump issued a brief statement before the plane took off, but shed no new light on what had happened.

'I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response,' Trump said.

'I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us  we will make America great again!'

Trump and his traveling press corps had flown five hours from coastal North Carolina to western Nevada on Saturday to appeal to rock-ribbed conservatives in the key battleground state.

His 11th-hour punches left a mark on the U.S. Senate's most senior Democrat.

'Don't let crazy, broken Harry Reid and his corrupt political machine decide this election,' Trump said, painting the retiring Nevada senator as 'a political hack.'

The Republican presidential nominee has warned his devoted followers for nearly a year that America's elections  both primaries and general  are 'rigged', with him getting specific in Reno.

Trump later returned and addressed the audience minutes later following the scary ordeal

Trump thanked the Secret Service saying: 'These guys are fantastic. They don't get enough credit. They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people.'

Supporters watch as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno

'It's being reported that certain key Democratic polling locations in Clark County were kept open for hours and hours beyond closing time to bus and bring Democratic voters in,' he claimed, referring to the Las Vegas metro area on the state's southern tip.

'Folks, it's a rigged system. It's a rigged system and we're going to beat it. We're going to beat it.'

Saturday's incident marked the second time Secret Service had to intervene to protect the GOP's standard-bearer.

In March a man leaped over a police barricade during a Trump rally at an airport hangar in Dayton, Ohio.

Thomas Dimassimo was charged with disorderly conduct and inciting panic, but he never reached the stage.

Secret Service tackled him when he was still several yards away from the candidate.

'I was ready for him, but its much easier if the cops do it, dont we agree?' Trump said at the time.

'And to think I had such an easy life! What do I need this for, right?'

Separately, in September a British man pleaded guilty to trying to grab a Las Vegas police officer's gun so he could assassinate Trump.

The June incident at the Treasure Island hotel-casino did not put the Republican in any immediate danger.
Robert De Niro refused to take a photo with Arnold Schwarzegger at a gala held Thursday, it was reported this week.

'If you're supporting Trump, I want nothing to do with you,' De Niro said after skipping the photo op, according to Variety.

He and Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, both went to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Regional Gala, which was held in Beverly Hills.

Robert De Niro (left) refused to take a photo with Arnold Schwarzegger (right) at a gala held Thursday, it was reported this week

'If you're supporting Trump, I want nothing to do with you,' De Niro said after skipping the photo op. The two men, however, were photographed shaking hands

'Are you voting for Trump?' De Niro repeatedly asked the Predator actor, the report claimed.

Though De Niro turned down the photo op, Variety pointed out that photos were taken before the commotion.

On October 8, Schwarznegger wrote in a statement posted on Twitter: 'For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for president.

'Are you voting for Trump?' De Niro repeatedly asked the Predator actor. Though De Niro turned down the photo op, photos were taken before the commotion

De Niro and Schwarzenegger both went to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Regional Gala, which was held in Beverly Hills at The Beverly Hilton Hotel

'Like many Americans, I've been conflicted by this election - I still haven't made up my mind about how exactly I will vote next month.'

At the time, he said: 'as proud as I am to label myself a Republican, there is one label that I hold above all else - American.

'So I want to take a moment today to remind my fellow Republicans that it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party - it is your duty.'

On October 8, Schwarznegger wrote in a statement posted on Twitter: 'For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for president'

De Niro, according to Variety, said: 'If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.'

Referring to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, he told the Daily Beast in 2015: 'Hopefully it will be her, yes. I think that shes paid her dues.

'There are going to be no surprises, and she has earned the right to be president and the head of the country at this point.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is pictured in Florida on Saturday

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is seen on Saturday in Florida

'It's that simple. And she's a woman, which is very important because her take on things may be what we need right now.'

According to Variety, Larry King said at the Thursday event: '(Not voting) is a vote for Trump. But if that's the way they feel, I can't tell them to vote.
Donald Trump's presidential campaign was last night rocked by claims he cheated on his wife with a Playboy model who was then paid 120,000 'hush money'.

It was alleged that he had a ten-month affair with Karen McDougal, a former Playmate of the Year, months after marrying his third wife Melania in 2005.

With just three days to go before the election, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ms McDougal was set to go public about the alleged relationship this summer, but was paid off by the tabloid National Enquirer, which has openly supported Mr Trump.

It was alleged that Donald Trump had a ten-month affair with Karen McDougal (pictured), a former Playmate of the Year, months after marrying his third wife Melania in 2005

Republicans are furious at the timing of the claim, which has surfaced just as the candidates launch a final blizzard of campaigning in battleground states before Tuesday's election.

Mr Trump's spokeswoman issued a swift denial, calling it 'totally untrue'.

The latest poll for the Los Angeles Times puts Mr Trump more than five points ahead of rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Another  CNN's poll of polls  showed the pair in a dead heat.

Both candidates are now engaged in an 11th-hour race across crucial swing states such as Florida and Ohio in an attempt to galvanise their voters.

Yesterday, after arriving in Wilmington, North Carolina, Melania Trump offered her husband effusive support, saying: 'I have known this man, Donald Trump, for 18 years.

'He's giving and loving. Donald will make America great again!'

The latest poll for the Los Angeles Times puts Mr Trump more than five points ahead of rival Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Another  CNN's poll of polls  showed the pair in a dead heat. Above, The Donald holds a baby aloft at a rally yesterday

With just three days to go before the election, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ms McDougal was set to go public about the alleged relationship this summer, but was paid off by the tabloid National Enquirer, which has openly supported Mr Trump

And outwardly at least, Mr Trump appeared unperturbed by the claims. Earlier in the day, with typical ebullience, he carried a baby on to the stage at a rally in Florida after spotting 'the future construction worker' in the audience.

In its report, the Wall Street Journal said that a contract exists between American Media Inc, owners of the National Enquirer, and Ms McDougal, for 'all rights to her alleged affair with a married man'. She was also promised a fitness column in the magazine. But no story ever appeared and nor did any column.

American Media Inc last night denied 'paying off' Ms McDougal. 'AMI has not paid people to kill damaging stories about Mr Trump,' the company said in a statement.

Documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday show Ms McDougal split from her husband Jim Grdina in 2006, the same year as the alleged affair with Mr Trump.

Ms McDougal, 45, taught at a kindergarten before modelling. After Playboy she became a fitness model. Last night she had reportedly gone to ground with her parents.

With 80 per cent of Americans saying they are more disgusted than excited by the election, it was unclear just how damaging the allegations might prove. The 16-month campaign has been called the nastiest ever.

Yesterday, after arriving in Wilmington, North Carolina, Melania Trump offered her husband effusive support, saying: 'I have known this man, Donald Trump, for 18 years. 'He's giving and loving. Donald will make America great again!'

The day before the affair allegation emerged, Mr Trump aired a demeaning political advert linking Mrs Clinton to disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner who sent naked pictures of himself to underage girls.

She returned fire by portraying her opponent as nuclear-obsessed maniac Dr Strangelove, as portrayed by Peter Sellers in the 1964 film.

Both candidates plan victory parties in New York on Tuesday night. Mrs Clinton's will take place in the glass-encased Javits Center, symbolic of her 'shattering the glass ceiling', should she become America's first female President.

She saw a 12-point lead evaporate last weekend with the bombshell news that the FBI had reopened the investigation into whether she illegally stored classified information on her private email server while Secretary of State. Mr Trump has vowed to 'throw her in jail' should he get elected.

Meanwhile, as yet more mud was flung yesterday, Melania was accused of illegally working as a model when she first arrived in the US without a work visa.

Reports claimed she earned 15,000 for ten modelling jobs in 1996, before she had legal permission to do so. Her husband has made illegal immigrants 'stealing' work from Americans a centrepiece of his campaign.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton unveiled a new TV advert set to the music of Katy Perry  the latest pop star to back her campaign after Jay Z and Beyonce performed for her on Friday

Voter Shirley Wentzel, a housewife from Lebanon, Pennsylvania  a critical swing state  said yesterday that Mr Trump's supporters simply do not care about his sex life.

She said: 'I'm more concerned about our country and the direction it's heading. Nothing about Mr Trump and who he has or hasn't slept with is going to change my mind about him.'

The two rivals used the final Saturday before election day to make their closing pitches, with Mrs Clinton in South Florida and Philadelphia and Mr Trump hitting four states across three time zones.

Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton and her cronies will pillage the wallets of regular Americans if she is elected.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton unveiled a new TV advert set to the music of Katy Perry  the latest pop star to back her campaign after Jay Z and Beyonce performed for her on Friday.
Amy Quattromani believes that at age 17, her sister's life could have been saved.

She recalls pleading with paramedics in their family home on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, to take her sister, knowing it was a matter of life and death.

Just half an hour later, with Amy in the shower, Sophie Quattromani tried for the second time that day to take her own life.

While she survived four years ago, a fortnight ago her suicide attempt proved fatal.

'This could have been avoided when she was 17,' Amy told the Sunshine Coast Daily.

Amy Quattromani (left) recalls the heartbreaking battle her sister Sophie (right) faced with both depression and bipolar disorder, a battle that cost her life just a fortnight ago

'You don't realise how many times people would say to my sister, "Cheer up, you'll be fine, you've got a roof over your head, you've got beautiful parents'.

Amy's story of her sister's downwards spiral through depression and bipolar disorder is nothing short of heartbreaking.

Despite the best efforts of her and her family, they struggled to get the support to help Sophie.

'We begged and begged and begged and nobody took it serious,' she said.

'It doesn't matter. It is an illness and that's what needs to be spread. We need to treat it like it's cancer.'

Where illnesses such as cancer have a high public profile, bipolar and depression continue to fall by the wayside.

Sophie (pictured) had long suffered from the illnesses and had tried to take her own life on a number of occasions. Now her sister is determined to raise awareness for mental health issues

Amy (pictured) has created the organisation Let Me Walk In Your Shoes through which she aims to provide firsthand support and guidance to those dealing with, or supporting people, with mental health problems

But that's something Amy's determined to change.

Having experienced on a daily basis the battle her sister faced, she plans to teach others about the illness.

By creating a support group called Let Me Walk In Your Shoes she'll offer advice to anyone who wants or needs help.

Through a Go Fund Me page she also hopes to raise money to support a local bipolar support group.

She says it's the least she could do for her little sister.

'Sophie was so brave during her battle with this darkness, and it took only a moment of weakness for her to succumb to it,' Amy said.

'The Universe had a bigger plan for Soph, and during her time on Earth she sent a ripple through the community that has changed the way we perceive depression.'

Since her sister's death Amy has already raised close to $10,000 through a Go Fund Me page for a Sunshine Coast bipolar support group
passenger from the stolen Kia fled the scene and are still on the run

Another male that was in the Kia is fighting for his life

A teenager, 17, died after the stolen car he was in smashed into another

The six teens involved in the fatal high-speed crash in a stolen car that killed a 17-year-old and left another fighting for his life could be linked to the notorious Apex gang.

Victoria Police claim the teens may have robbed a bottle shop earlier on Saturday evening and could have links with Melbourne's notorious Apex Gang.

The six teens were in a stolen Kia when the driver allegedly sped through two red lights and collided with a white Holden in Narre Warren, flipping the car in a suburb in Melbourne's south east, at 7.30 on Saturday.

Dru Peterson, 17, was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital in critical condition but died on Sunday morning at around 8.45am.

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Dru Peterson, 17, died in hospital on Sunday morning after he was travelling in a car with five other people when the driver allegedly sped through two red lights and collided with a white Holden in Narre Warren, a suburb in Melbourne's south east, at 7.30 on Saturday

Dru Peterson, 17, died on Sunday after a fatal car crash in Melbourne's southeast

A teenager has died and another is fighting for his life when their stolen car smashed into another car and rolled in Melbourne

The Dandenong teenager was rushed to hospital by helicopter but died on Sunday morning, after the crash

Two passengers from the car with stolen number plates reportedly fled the scene, but one 15-year-old Hampton Park girl turned herself into police this morning and is assisting investigators, police said.

Mr Peterson's auntie, Heidi Samason, told Daily Mail Australia the family and herself were devastated.

'Their [family] universe is shattered', she said.

The other teenager airlifted to hospital required a blood transfusion and is being treated for head, pelvis and leg injuries.

Two passengers from the reportedly stolen Kia are still on the run after fleeing the scene

A 19-year-old man from Hampton Park and a 15-year-old boy from Narre Warren, were also taken to hospital in a stable condition, according to Ambulance Victoria.

The 19-year-old has since been taken into police custody.

The Age have reported alcohol was found at the scene of the crash, with police are investigating links the notorious Melbourne Apex gang and a robbery that occurred earlier that afternoon.

Police are searching for another two people - a male and a female - who they claim 'left their friends behind' with critical injuries, the ABC reported.

The driver, 20s, of the other car was taken to Dandenong Hospital but only suffered back pain.

Police said the Kia was believed to be stolen earlier in November, with residents complaining gang related crime has become rife in the area.

A young pregnant mother said she fears for her family's safety and feels police are not doing enough to contain the situation.

'I am so sick and and tired of these gangs getting away with whatever they like and getting a slap on the wrist,' the post said.

'Stealing cars while the owners are asleep in their beds, car jackings, violent home invasions.

'Enough is enough!'

Some residents of south east Melbourne are unhappy with the spate of robberies from the Apex gang that are terrorising parts of Melbourne

Some residents in the area were unhappy with the notorious Apex gang wreaking havoc.

The street gang have been responsible for a series of home invasions and thefts over the last year, which has unsettled residents in Melbourne's south east.

The Apex gang, named after a street in Dandenong, is made up of teenagers predominantly of African or Sudanese ethnicity.
times in his torso on Friday

A man has died in an ambulance on the way to hospital after being stabbed multiple times in the torso.

Aaron Monaco, 41, from Newnham in Launceston, Tasmania died after being attacked at his home in Launceston, Tasmania reported the ABC.

Police said were called to a home on Parua Road about 10.15pm on Friday after reports of a stabbing, and found Mr Monaco bleeding from several wounds.

Aaron Monaco, 41, (pictured) has died in an ambulance on the way to hospital, after being stabbed multiple times in the torso in Launceston, Tasmania

Mr Monaco had reportedly sought help from a neighbour who made the emergency call to police.

Police gave Mr Monaco first aid until the ambulance arrived, but he died on the way to Launceston General Hospital.

Nathan Thomas Smith, 32, and Belinda Leonie Colbran, 39 were later arrested in Lambert Road, Ravenswood.

They appeared in an out-of-hours court session on Sunday and have been remanded in custody until Tuesday.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to call Launceston Police, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Special forces currently working in Iraq have been handed a list of around 200 names of British jihadis they need to kill or capture in a bid to prevent them returning home and launching a terror attack in the UK.

They are regarded as some of the most dangerous terrorists on the planet and at least 12 bomb-makers on the list studied electronics whilst at universities in the UK.

Special forces currently working in Iraq have been handed a list of around 200 names of British jihadis

According to the Daily Star Sunday SAS have been told to 'use whatever means possible' to stop them leaving Iraq.

Troops have been warned that this operation could be seen as the most important in the regiment's 75-year history and that their success is vital to keep people in the UK safe.

Any British jihadis from the black list who are captured alive will be handed over to the Iraqi authorities, tried and possibly executed if found guilty of terror offences.

The order was issued after intelligence suggested hundreds of British terrorists are attempting to return to the UK.

One senior source warned: 'Foreign fighters serving with IS have been told to return home and carry out attacks.

The list has been produced following intelligence British jihadis have been told to return to the UK and carry out attacks

'We know there are hundreds of Brits who went to fight in Iraq and Syria, a lot have been killed but there could be up to 700 still alive.

'The race is now on to kill or capture those who are left.'

The Daily Star Sunday claims that Sally Jones, who calls herself Sakinah Hussain and is married to British jihadist fighter in Syria Junaid Hussain, is one of those on the list.

Troops have been warned that this operation could be seen as the most important in the regiment's 75 year history and that their success is vital to keep people in the UK safe

She vowed to behead Christians with a knife and is known to be active in Islamic State's recruiting team.
The government may scrap low tax rates for employees who make use of company car schemes, it has emerged.

Philip Hammond could reveal the changes, which could lead to 300,000 drivers paying more tax, in the Autumn Statement.

The government may scrap low tax rates for employees who make use of company car schemes, it has emerged. File image

Motorists who use low-emission vehicles would be the worst hit, with tax rates - now set at seven to 11 per cent - increasing to the marginal rate of 20, 40 or 45 per cent.

This would mean an employee driving an eco-car in the 40 per cent tax bracket would have to pay more than 5,000 over a three-year company car contact, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

This would make the schemes far less tempting.

The move is thought to be the result of concerns that companies are reducing the salaries of staff on the schemes, leading to lost revenue for the Treasury.

Mary Glindon, a former member of the transport select committee and the Labour MP for North Tyneside, opposes the changes

Mary Glindon, a former member of the transport select committee and the Labour MP for North Tyneside, opposes the changes.

Mrs Glindon told The Sunday Telegraph company car drivers should not be punished for 'doing the right thing'.

She added that the changes would remove incentives for low-polluting vehicles.

Former Chancellor George Osborne had previously warned popular salary sacrifice schemes could be curbed.

These can also be used for benefits such as gym membership and car parking spaces.

Campaigners said the majority of people who benefit are basic rate taxpayers  who have endured years of meagre pay rises  rather than executives.
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A judge has denied bond for a convicted rapist charged with a 2003 quadruple murder and holding a woman captive in a metal container on his property after authorities said he confessed to seven murders.

Todd Christopher Kohlhepp, 45, appeared before a magistrate judge in Spartanburg on Sunday. Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson said a circuit court could revisit the issue of bond later.

Kohlhepp wore an orange jumpsuit and declined to speak when Henson offered him the chance to make a statement. He didn't have an attorney.

He is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths at Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee 13 years ago. The family members of victims were there in court on Sunday.

In an investigative report filed Saturday, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said Kohlhepp confessed to the killings.

He is also charged with kidnapping a woman and keeping her chained on his property in rural Woodruff, South Carolina. Kala Brown's rescue on Thursday led to the break in the 13-year-old cold case.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said Kohlhepp also showed police officers the grave sites of two of his other victims buried on his 95-acre property on Saturday. That's in addition to the body that was found on Friday in a shallow grave at the site.

Wright and Coroner Rusty Clevenger identified that victim as 32-year-old Charles Carver, the boyfriend of Brown, who was found in a locked metal container on Thursday.

Investigators brought Kohlhepp back to his property late Saturday afternoon as part of a massive search of the area.

Kohlhepp's arrest has put to rest for local law enforcement and the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade.

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A judge has denied bond for Todd Christopher Kohlhepp, a convicted rapist, charged with a 2003 quadruple murder and holding a woman captive in a metal container on his property

Judge Jimmy Henson speaks to the family members of the bike shop murder victims during a bond hearing for Todd Kohlhepp at the Spartanburg Detention Facility on Sunday

Kohlhepp (pictured left), 45, the man accused of kidnapping Kala Brown, 30, showed detectives two additional graves on his farmland Saturday and confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder (a 'wanted' poster related to the case is pictured right)

But authorities have yet to locate the bodies contained in the two shallow graves revealed by Kohlhepp, Wright said on Saturday night. Detectives will continue searching the property for additional bodies and evidence.

But Kohlhepp has been 'very cooperative', Wright told reporters on Saturday.

He added 'God answered our prayers' in solving the 13-year-old cold case.

'We got 'em today. We got 'em today. I'm rejoicing that this community can know that four people who were brutally murdered, there's no wondering about it anymore,' Sheriff Wright said late Saturday night.

The crowd gasped when Wright announced Kohlhepp had confessed to the Superbike Motorsports murders.

Owner Scott Ponder, 30, his mother Beverly Guy, 52, service manager Brian Lucas, 29, and mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, were found fatally shot on November 6, 2003.

Sherbert's and Guy's bodies were found at the back of the store, while Lucas and Ponder were found in front of the shop, according to a cold case report on Crime Watch Daily.

The suspect at the time was described on 'wanted' posters as a white male between 25 and 40 years old, with dark brown feathered hair, approximately six feet tall and weighing from 175 to 200 pounds.

The case was Spartanburg County's first quadruple homicide, according to the Greenville News.

Kohlhepp hasn't revealed a motive in the killings and police have never been able to establish one.

Todd Christopher Kohlhepp (circled in red) returned to his property in Woodruff, South Carolina Saturday afternoon as investigators launched a massive search of the farmland

The crowd gasped when Wright announced Kohlhepp had confessed to the Superbike Motorsports murders. Owner Scott Ponder (left) and his mother Beverly Guy (right) were found fatally shot on November 6, 2003

Mechanic Chris Sherbert (left) and service manager Brian Lucas (right) also died in the 13-year-old quadruple murder. Their bodies were found in front of the shop while Ponder's and Guy's were found at the back

Investigators are seen working on Todd Kohlhepp's 95-acre property near Woodruff, South Carolina, on Sunday

Law enforcement personnel stand near police tape on Todd Kohlhepp's property on Sunday. A wooden storage shed is seen in the background

But the wife of one of the four people killed said Kohlhelpp was a disgruntled customer.

Melissa Ponder said she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call on Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives.

Ponder says detectives told her Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the shop several times.

'He knew too much about the crime scene,' Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. 'He knew everything.'

The Superbike killings stunned the Chesnee community, with rumors like they were committed by a Mexican drug gang or were part of a love triangle crushing the families of the victims.

'It isn't closure, but it is an answer,' she said. 'And I am thankful for that.'

Terry Guy, whose wife and stepson were among those killed in 2003, said the unexpected arrest will bring the families peace.

'I'm just so relieved,' he said outside Spartanburg County jail on his way to Kohlhepp's hearing on Sunday.

Tom and Lorraine Lucas lost their son, Brian, who was the service manager gunned down at the store. They spoke to reporters ahead of a bond hearing for Kohlhepp on Sunday, the 13th anniversary of the killings.

Standing with his wife outside the Spartanburg County Detention Center, Tom Lucas said he wants to be in court to look the man accused of killing his son in the eye.

Tom Lucas said, 'We want to see the face. I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing.'

Authorities believed Kohlhepp's confession because, Wright said, he told them 'some stuff that nobody else ought to know'.

One reporter asked Sheriff Wright on Saturday night if investigators thought they had a serial killer on their hands. 'It appears to be that that's what we're looking at,' Wright said.

'I'M JUST SO RELIEVED': FAMILIES OF 2003 QUADRUPLE MURDER SPEAK OUT Family members of victims in the 2003 bike shop murders comfort each other in the courtroom of Judge Jimmy Henson The arrest of a convicted rapist in a 2003 quadruple murder has put to rest for the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade. Scott Ponder, 30, his mother Beverly Guy, 52, service manager Brian Lucas, 29, and mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26, were found fatally shot inside Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003. The case stunned the community and baffled police for more than a decade. Rumors swirled that the slaying was committed by a Mexican drug gang or the victims were part of a love triangle, crushing the victims' loved ones. Now, on the 13th anniversary of the murders, the families say Todd Kohlhepp's arrest will bring them some peace. Kohlhepp is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said that he has confessed to the killings. Terry Guy, whose wife and stepson were among those killed, spoke with reporters outside Spartanburg County jail on his way to Kohlhepp's bond hearing on Sunday. Guy said Kohlhepp's arrest means his relatives and the families of others killed can now finally be at peace. 'I'm just so relieved,' he said. Tom and Lorraine Lucas lost their son, Brian, who was the service manager gunned down at the store. Standing with his wife outside the Spartanburg County Detention Center, Tom Lucas said he wants to be in court to look the man accused of killing his son in the eye. 'We want to see the face. I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing,' he said. Melissa Ponder said she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call on Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives. Ponder says the detectives told family members of all four victims the news at the same time - that Kohlhepp confessed to the killings. 'He knew too much about the crime scene,' Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. 'He knew everything.' She added: 'It isn't closure, but it is an answer - and I am thankful for that.' Advertisement

Doris Henry, Guy's sister and Ponder's aunt, is pictured left being comforted by her husband while awaiting to hear about them in 2003 after hearing four people were found dead. Pictured right is a deck of cards made by Lucas' father and passed out to inmates in South Carolina prisons

The building that once housed the Superbike Motorsports shop in Chesnee, South Carolina (pictured) has been abandoned since the quadruple murder rocked the city 13 years ago

Detectives told DailyMail.com they have begun sifting through missing persons records as they continued the search for more bodies in farmland where Brown was held captive.

It emerged on Friday that Kohlhepp was released from prison in Arizona in 2001 after being convicted of raping a 14-year-old at gunpoint.

At 15 years old, he was convicted of raping his teenage neighbor at gunpoint and threatening to kill her siblings if she called police. Kohlhepp had to register as a sex offender.

And he was described by a judge as 'impulsive, explosive, and preoccupied with sexual content' from the age of nine.

But that didn't stop him from getting a South Carolina real estate license in 2006 and building a firm.

Wright said 'it's strange' that Kohlhepp managed the pretext of a normal life for so long.

Scott Waldrop, who's lived next door to the Woodruff property for nearly 22 years, said he thought Kohlhepp was a serious Doomsday 'prepper' who liked his privacy, but 'he didn't seem like a threat.'

Waldrop said when he saw the container, it was full of bottled water and canned goods. After buying the property two years ago, Kohlhepp immediately started putting a chain link fence around it.

Waldrop said Kohlhepp paid him to put no trespassing signs, cut trees for him and other odd jobs around the property. Kohlhepp also installed deer cameras and put bear traps throughout.

'I was the only one he let over there, I think because I laughed at his jokes and listened to him,' he said. 'I just hate to know somebody who's done something like this.'

Kohlhepp has a house about nine miles away in Moore, where neighbor Ron Owen said Kohlhepp was very private, but when they did talk across the fence, he was a 'big bragger.'

Kohlhepp liked to talk about the money he made day trading online, for example, and about his two BMWs. He recently told Owen, 76, that he'd spent $80,000 on the chain link fence.

'We didn't see any signs whatsoever that this was going on,' Owen said. 'My first reaction's a baseball bat, but I know I'm not to take that in my own hands. God will deal with him.'

Brown (left), 30, was found chained up in a metal container on Kohlhepp's property after going missing in August. Authorities announced Saturday that a body found on the property was that of Charlie Carver (right), 32, her boyfriend

Meanwhile, a visibly shaken Sheriff Wright told reporters on Saturday: 'I do think this helps with a little bit of closure but I don't think this make everything better. We certainly wanted a different outcome.'

Authorities were still trying to determine how long Carver had been buried. They didn't find any ID on Carver's body and they said it wasn't immediately possible to identify him based on his appearance.

His mother Joanne Shiflet had told the Greenville News earlier Saturday: 'Until I see a body, I can't give up. For this to be over, I have to see him.'

Brown said her alleged captor had shot dead her boyfriend and told her there were four victims in all.

Scores of officers are searching the farmland, which sits back from the main road and where Brown was held captive in a container.

Wright told DailyMail.com: 'I'm going to be honest with you. I don't chain my dogs up and I wouldn't treat my dogs the way this lady was treated.'

Scores of officers are searching the farmland, which sits back from the main road and where Brown was held captive in a container. Investigators are pictured excavating one part of the property on Friday

One reported asked Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright (pictured) Saturday night if investigators thought they had a serial killer on their hands. 'It appears to be that that's what we're looking at,' Wright said

Police search for evidence on property owned by registered Kohlhepp today. Officers have marked off areas for searching in a grid pattern and special lights were brought in today to provide for night searches

He said Brown was fully clothed when she was found by police but the container had no air conditioning light.

She said her captor had fed her while keeping her in chains around her neck and ankles.

Asked about the enormity of the task in searching the land for more bodies, he said officers were well prepared.

'It doesn't make any difference if it was 500 acres because we think we have evidence out here. The men are resolved not to give up until we find everything that we need to find, period.

'It doesn't matter how long it takes. It is not an issue. This is one of the biggest crime scenes that I have ever been involved in.

'We are trying to make certain that nobody walks through anything and overlooks anything.'

Investigators relied on cadaver dogs, other means of investigation and 'God's grace' to find Carver's body, Wright told the Greenville News.

Officers have marked off areas for searching in a grid pattern.

A home owned by Kohlhepp in Moore, South Carolina, is pictured on November 5

The backyard of a home owned by Kohlhepp, in Moore, South Carolina, is pictured on November 5

On April 19, four months before the kidnapping, Kohlhepp replied to a post that reads: '(People need) to start appreciating the effort I put in to not be a serial killer.' Kohlhepp chillingly responded to the post: 'Why? Serial killers need love, too' (pictured)

Brown is said to be doing well and texting friends who supported the hunt for her after she and her boyfriend disappeared on August 30.

She was discovered on Thursday by deputies acting on a tip-off they received. She and Carver had last been seen on August 30. His car was found on the property on Thursday night.

Late Friday evening, Brown's family released a statement saying the brave survivor needed privacy to cope with what had happened.

'While Kala is doing well physically, emotionally she's having good moments and bad moments,' the family said.

'She's requesting privacy at this time and will make an official statement as soon as the authorities give her permission to do so. Right now Kala needs time to process and begin to cope with the events that have occurred.

'She thanks everyone for their love and support.'

On April 19, four months before the kidnapping, Kohlhepp replied to a post that reads: '(People need) to start appreciating the effort I put in to not be a serial killer.'

Kohlhepp chillingly responded to the post: 'Why? Serial killers need love, too.'

Spartenburg coroner Rusty Clavenger confirmed a corpse had been unearthed by police, less than 24 hours into the investigation of the sprawling property in Woodruff, South Carolina.

About two weeks after Brown went missing, Kohlhepp posted on his Facebook about 'filling ravines' on his property. It is unclear if this was in the area where the deceased body was found.

Flowers were left on a fence surrounding property owned by Kohlhepp, in Moore, South Carolina, on November 5

Brown has told investigators that there may be other victims and speculated that there were as many as four bodies buried on the property (pictured as police dig for evidence)

Carver's body was unearthed by police, less than 24 hours into the investigation (pictured, police search a field on property owned by Kohlhepp on Thursday)

'We're trying to get all this sorted out and figure out what were going to charge him with. One of the charges will be kidnapping, it could be murder. It could be a number of things,' Wright said after the search began

Todd Kohlhepp (pictured in blue shirt) appeared at a bond hearing at the Spartanburg County Detention Center Friday. He is likely to face at least one murder charge, and is being held without bond. His first court appearance is set for January 19

Solicitor Barry Barnette said Kohlhepp was 'a very, very dangerous individual' who kept chains in his bedroom, along with silenced handguns, assault weapons and an 'unbelievable' amount of ammunition

Earlier on Friday afternoon, Kohlhepp appeared before court for a bond hearing in the Spartanburg County Detention Center.

There, lawyers for the Woodruff Solicitor's Office said that Brown told deputies she saw the 45-year-old murder her boyfriend.

Solicitor Barry Barnette said Brown saw her captor shoot her boyfriend dead, and described him as 'a very, very dangerous individual'. She added: 'She told us this individual did kill him in her presence.'

Kohlhepp had a public defender during his appearance. He was not handcuffed, but sat with his hands behind his back.

Barnette then went on to tell the hearing Brown was found with chains around her neck and ankles, and that addition chains were found in Kohlhepp's bedroom, along with an 'unbelievable' amount of ammunition.

Investigators also found silenced 9mm handguns and assault weapons, he said.

He is to remain in jail without bond until his first court hearing on January 19, the judge ruled.

Investigators went to Kohlhepp's Moore, South Carolina, home and impounded his vehicles (pictured) after he was arrested on Thursday

A county sherriff helicopter lands at a property owned by Kohlhepp, where Carver's body was found Friday afternoon

Police are seen standing around a hole in the ground that had been dug as part of the search for bodies on the property Friday

A look at Kohlhepp's Facebook page suggests that the man became considerably more active online after Carver and Brown's disappearance on August 30.

Chilling: In a chilling Facebook post 16 days after Brown and Carver went missing, Kohlhepp posted about how most people who vanish turn up again

Between the start of July and the end of August, he only posted nine times, mostly showing properties that Kohlhepp - a realtor - was selling.

But in September he posted more than 40 times - sometimes multiple times a day, and more frequently about his feelings and thoughts on life.

The first post in this more active phase is on August 31, the day after the couple disappeared, in which he appears to have been focusing on the news.

'Its wednesday, the trash people picked up my trash at 5:30 this morning,' he wrote. 'this post is still way more interesting than whats on the news.. carry on.'

A more chilling post came on September 15, when he wrote: 'Reading the news.. this person missing, that person missing, another person missing.. oh wait.. that person just went to beach with friend, other person found with her parole violation boyfriend...

'In the event I become missing, please note no one would take me. I eat too much and I am crabby, they would just bring me back or give me 20 bucks for a cab ride.

Abuse: Kohlhepp also said that his family would hit him for as little as setting down a cup too hard at the table. His Facebook usage increased dramatically after the couple disappeared

'Most likely if I am missing, its because my dumb ass did something on that tractor again and I am too stubborn to go to the doctor... I got 9 lives.. I aint done yet..'

And in a post from September 26, he talks about how he was beaten by several members of his family.

'In my family you got backhanded for talking back or being disrespectful... actually acting up ended up a spanking that was epic.. you do NOT want to make the same mistake in my family again,' he said, going on to complain about rioters he'd seen on the news.

'My family believed raising me was a group effort,' he added in the comments. 'That means when I messed up, mom beat my a**, step father beat my a** when he got home.. next time I went to grandparents I got my a** beat... they made a believer out of you..'

He continued: 'you stood up for anthem, you shut up with adults spoke.. you sure as hell never set that cup down hard on the table.. noooooooooooo... and cop an attitude over anything... well.. you lost tv, bike.. friends that month..

'After the spanking.. you just didnt act up... these kids ( and adults ) just dont know.... damn shame too.. they might learn to appreciate if they did.'

Carver's family have said that some of the Facebook posts that he apparently made after his disappearance were out of character, and they believe that his account was hacked by someone who made fake updates.

Police stand guard outside a building on the property owned by Kohlhepp, who was arrested after a woman was found chained up in a metal container

Police use a backhoe on the massive property in South Carolina as part of the ongoing search for as many as four bodies investigators believe may be buried on the land

Helicopters were seen at the property on Friday morning, along with a backhoe and police dogs that were being used in nearby woods as part of the search.

A Greenville News reporter who flew over the property noted on Twitter that there was what appeared to be a camouflaged metal storage shed on the land.

Kohlhepp was also arrested for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in 1986, when he was 15. He was jailed from 1987 to 2001 over the incident.

Court documents, obtained by WFXG, detail how Kohlhepp pointed a 'small blue steel handgun at (the victim's) head' and led her into his house. Inside, he 'placed gray duct tape over her mouth' and 'tied her hands together with a rope', before removing her clothes and 'forcing the victim to have sexual intercourse with him'.

The judge who ruled on the case described Kohlhepp as 'impulsive, explosive, and preoccupied with sexual content' from the age of nine.

'He has not changed. He has been unabatedly aggressive to others and destructive of property since nursery school.

'He destroys his own clothing, personal possessions and pets apparently on whim,' court papers state. The documents also cite a psychiatrist's report that says the 45-year-old has 'emotional difficulties and poor impulse control'.

Kohlhepp got his realtor's license in 2006, before background checks for applicants were made compulsory.

A mugshot of Kohlhepp after his arrest shows him with a cruel smirk.

TODD KOHLHEPP'S SHOCKING PAST AS A 'MONSTER' WHO WAS JAILED FOR RAPING A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL Kohlhepp raped a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint in 1986, when he was 15, and openly admitted to the crime when police arrived to question him. This mugshot from that arrest shows him with a cruel smirk. He was jailed from 1987-2001 Court documents from an incident in 1986 that saw Todd Kohlhepp jailed for 14 years have shed light on his shocking past. Kohlhepp, who owns the property where Kala Brown was found chained up like a dog in a metal container on Thursday, kidnapped and sexual assaulted a girl when he was 15. A sentencing report, obtained by WFXG, claims Kohlhepp lured the girl outside by telling her an ex-boyfriend wanted to talk to her. When the two were outside, he then pointed a 'small blue steel handgun at her head' and 'told her to walk down the alley towards his house.' Once they got into Kohlhepp's bedroom, according to the documents, he duct taped her mouth, tied her hands together, and, 'removed her clothes, then his clothes and forced the victim to have sexual intercourse with him.' The victim allegedly told police Kohlhepp had threatened to kill her and her siblings if she told anyone about the incident, however she still called police when she got home. The document continues: 'When contacted by police, the defendant was holding a .22 caliber rifle which was pointed at the ceiling. When questioned regarding this incident, the defendant fully admitted his guilt and indicated he used the victim's ex-boyfriend as a ploy.' The judge who ruled on the case described Kohlhepp as 'impulsive, explosive, and preoccupied with sexual content' from the age of nine. 'He has not changed. He has been unabatedly aggressive to others and destructive of property since nursery school. He destroys his own clothing, personal possessions and pets apparently on whim,' court papers state. The documents also cite a psychiatrist's report that says the 45-year-old has 'emotional difficulties and poor impulse control'. It described him 'destroying his bedroom with a hammer; destroying other children's projects; hitting other children; cloroxing a goldfish; shooting a dog with a BB gun; being dismissed from the Boy Scouts because he was too disruptive; shredding his own clothes'. The judge's report said: 'He is extremely self-centered with high levels of anti-social personality functioning, and likely continuing aggressive behaviors toward others in the future.' Advertisement

Carver's family released a statement on Friday afternoon, shortly before Kohlhepp's bond hearing got underway and before authorities identified the deceased body as Carver's.

'We, Charlie David Carver's family, would like to begin by saying how wonderful it is Kala has been found and that she is receiving care and is back with family and friends,' it read.

'The outpouring of concern and affection from the community has been overwhelming and we are very thankful.

'At this time we know that no more than what has been reported within the media or statements made by law enforcement.

'We ask that you continue to pray for Kala's healing and for David's safe return as well. In the meantime, we ask for some time to ourselves as we process events as they unfold.

'Thank you for your understanding and expect updates as they become available.'

Brown's close friend, Leah Miller, said the 30-year-old started working for Kohlhepp only weeks before she vanished.

She said Brown helped Kohlhepp clear and clean properties before he put them on the market, according to Greenville Online.

'I was supposed to be helping Kala, but I recently had neck surgery,' Miller said.

A private property sign can be seen on a fence surrounding Kohlhepp's 100-acre property in Woodruff, South Carolina

A police staging area is seen being set up on the property where Brown was found in a metal container on Thursday

A county sherriff helicopter flies over the South Carolina property, where police are conducting a massive investigation after the discovery of Brown on Thursday

A shed for animals is seen surrounded by a wire fence on the property owned by Kohlhepp

'I'm just in shock, wondering if she tried to reach me to help her before she disappeared.'

Another friend, Lindsey Mayson, told WSPA the suspected kidnapper did not seem like a bad person when she met him.

'We went by his house to get a key before we went by his house to clean. Didn't seem like a person who would do anything to anybody. He seemed down to earth,' Mayson said.

Earlier, Wright said Brown was 'chained inside the container like a dog' when police found her.

He said she told deputies she had been kept in the container - which measured 30 feet by 15 feet by 10 or 12 feet - for two months and had been fed regularly.

'It's all by God's grace that we found that little girl alive,' Wright told NBC News.

A massive investigation is now underway on the 100-acre property owned by Kohlhepp. Authorities search a field on the property above

A deputy is seen leaving out of Kohlhepp's home carrying a computer on Thursday

Brown was taken to local hospital for treatment and Wright said she was 'obviously traumatized' but 'alive and well,' according to The State.

Anderson Police Chief Jim Stewart said his department's investigation into the disappearance of Brown and Carver led authorities to the property near Woodruff, 80 miles northwest of the state capital of Columbia, where the woman was found.

Stewart said more than a dozen search warrants were issued.

'We got computer and cellphone records that ultimately led us to the area in Woodruff,' Stewart said.

'We knew that was the last place that a cellphone tied to this case pinged.'

Kohlhepp was added to the sex offender registry in 1987 when he was convicted and sentenced to prison for kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl in Arizona in 1986.

Records indicate Kohlhepp, orginally from Arizona, is a licensed real estate agent as well as a licensed pilot.

Another deputy is seen leaving the home carrying a brown paper bag filled with evidence form Kohlhepp's home

Authorities said Brown (pictured left and right) had a chain around her neck when she was found on Thursday. She told deputies she had been kept in the container for two months and had been fed regularly

Kohlhepp, pictured in a Facebook photo (left) and in a mugshot in March (right) was added to the sex offender registry in 1987 when he was convicted and sentenced to prison for kidnapping and dangerous crimes against children in Arizona

Kohlhepp (pictured left flying and right in a photo for his real estate work ) is a licensed real estate agent as well as a licensed pilot

Authorities removed the cars from Kohlhepp's garage include his BMW

Brown (left) and Carver (right) had been dating for a few months before they vanished on August 30

He is listed as a self-employed and as the owner/broker in charge at Todd Kohlhepp and Associates LLC located in Greenville on his Facebook page.

Carver and Brown were last seen together leaving a friend's home on August 30.

The next day, surveillance footage caught Carver leaving his work. That day marked the last the couple's friends or family heard from them.

Carver and Brown had been dating just a few months, and had moved in together over the summer as Carver was going through a divorce.

After failing to answer calls or messages from their loved ones, the couple's parents searched their apartment a few days later and found Brown's Pomeranian inside without any food or water.

As the search for the missing couple started, Carver's Facebook - which he does not typically use - started becoming more and more active. Above shows an exchange on his Facebook page on September 6

Medications and Brown's glasses were also left behind in the abandoned apartment.

Neighbor Nicholas Arocho told Greenville Online that Carver's family took Pomeranian and paid the couple's rent for a couple of months after they disappeared.

Relatives believe that the account has been hacked. Above, a message that someone received from Carver saying he was 'fine'

The family later packed up the couple's belongings, he said.

As the search for the missing couple started, Carver's Facebook - which he does not typically use - started becoming more active.

On September 1, the account posted an update that the two had gotten married and then on September 6 his profile picture was changed.

Other posts include links to stories and GoFundMe fundraisers for the missing couple.

There are also several bizarre posts unrelated to the couple's disappearance, such as memes and comic book illustrations.

The most recent post from October 2 reads: 'What color ribbon supports the cure for people who can't keep their nose out of other people's business?'

When one concerned family member reached out to Carver on the account, they received a private message saying 'yes I'm fine'.

But family members believe the account was hacked since the posts are not in Carver's style.

Meanwhile, Brown's Facebook - which she used more than her boyfriend - has been completely silent.

A friend of Brown and Carver's mother told police that someone the couple knows has 'given them problems before'.

Brown's car was found in her apartment complex and her cellphone had not been used in the 48 hours before she vanished.

Pictures of the couple and 'MISSING' posters were shared on Facebook after their disappearance in August
A mother and son have had a lucky escape after a gunman opened fire on their car as they drove down a remote country road.

The woman, 39, and her three-year-old son were driving from Mandurah, Western Australia, to the town of Bodddington on Friday morning when they came under attack.

As they drove at 110km/h down the Pinjarra-Williams Road, the woman saw a man emerge from scrub carrying what she thought was a stick, Perth Now reports.

It was only some 20 minutes later when she arrived in Boddington that she found a bullet hole just centimetres from where her son was sitting that she realised the danger they were in.

A mother and son have had a lucky escape after a gunman opened fire on their car as they drove down a remote country road in Western Australia

The woman, 39, and her three-year-old son were driving from Mandurah to Bodddington on Friday morning when they came under attack from a man wielding a rifle. The gunman shot a bullet that pierced the rear left-hand door of the car where the young boy was sitting

'When he shot at us I continued on my way, I didn't want to stop,' the unnamed woman said.

'I rang my husband to tell him I thought the guy had hit us but I didn't really think a bullet had gone into the car.

'It wasn't until I got out of the car and saw the bullet hole in the car that I realised just how serious it could have been.'

Photos released by police show the power of the bullet and the just how luck the pair were to walk away unharmed.

A round bullet hole close to one centimetre wide pierced the rear left-hand door of the car, ripping the grey paint from the Mistubishi Pajero.

Just above where the bullet hit was the young boy sitting in a child's seat.

The woman said she saw the man in the distance as she drove down the Pinjarra-Williams Road (pictured) but only thought he was carrying a stick. She later realised the seriousness of the incident

Left extremely shaken by the incident, the woman said she had flashed her lights at other cars she passed to warn them of the man ahead.

She hopes other drivers in the area at the time may be able to help police as they search for the main.
A mother is accused of biting a bus driver's ear during a vicious fight after her daughter missed her ride to school.

Keisha Shannon, 28, parked her car in the bus' path, pried the doors open, and attacked driver Deamber Martin, who was sent to a Cincinnati, Ohio, hospital.

Police released surveillance footage that showed Shannon yelling expletives before the two women exchanged blows in front of terrified elementary school children.

Keisha Shannon, 28, (left) attacked school bus driver Deamber Martin (right), after her daughter, five, missed her ride to school

Shannon was dropping her daughter off at the bus stop when she called her back for a goodbye hug, during which the bus drove off.

Martin said she had previously warned the mother about leaving on time.

But on October 18, Shannon cut in front of the bus on Mustang Drive and parked her car before forcing her way onto the bus, police said.

According to the surveillance video obtained by WLWT, Shannon shouted: 'That was just so ignorant. Did you see me coming on this bus though, right? You see me getting my baby on this though right?'

She continued: 'You see me giving her a hug though, right? And if I punch you in the f****** face, you're going to be sorry as hell.'

The video shows the two women grappling with each other as terrified students at St. Joseph Catholic School cried and screamed 'Mommy!'

Martin said she feared for her life, and told WCPO: 'She tried to smother me. She tried to bite my ear off. She was scratching my face. She spit on me twice and she tried to puncture out my right eye as well.'

Two adults boarded the bus and tried to intervene, but it wasn't enough to stop the fight, which went on for several more minutes.

Shannon, who was arrested and held without bond, is facing misdemeanor assault charges.

This photo, taken from inside the school bus, shows Shannon's car, which she cut in front of the bus to block Martin from driving her students to St. Joseph Catholic School

Martin said she feared for her life, and surveillance footage showed students at St. Joseph Catholic School crying and screaming. Pictured, a photo of the bite marks in Martin's ear

Martin suffered scratches and bruising to her face, along with a burst blood vessel in her right eye
After Donald Trump was quickly hustled off a stage during a rally in Nevada amid a security scare, his son was quick to retweet a message claiming Saturday's security scare was an 'assassination attempt.'

Secret Service agents rushed Trump offstage in Reno after they determined a protester in the audience might pose a threat him.

As the agents removed the Republican presidential candidate, authorities quickly wrestled Austyn Crites, 33, to the ground in the front of the crowd.

As early details of the ordeal were being reported, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr retweeted a post on Twitter shared by special projects director at Citizens for Trump, Jack Prosobiec that suggested Trump had survived a murder attempt.

'Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt,' Posobiec tweeted.

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After Donald Trump was quickly hustled off a stage during a rally in Nevada amid a security scare, his son Donald Trump Jr (pictured in Nevada on Thursday) was quick to retweet claiming Saturday's skirmish was an 'assassination attempt'

The tweet was originally posted by special projects director at Citizens for Trump, Jack Prosobiec but was later retweeted by Donald Trump Jr (above)

The younger Trump also retweeted a claim early on as details were coming in that that someone in the crowd reportedly pulled a gun

Donald Trump Jr retweeted the message along with Trump campaign social media director Dan Scavino Jr also retweeted the post calling the incident an assassination attempt.

The Secret Service said they never found a weapon and called the fracas 'a commotion' in a statement.

News reporters and others on social media were quick to call out Prosobiec and others who described the incident as an assassination attempt or attempted murder.

'ATTENTION: Using phrase "assassination attempt" abt #Trump #Reno = RECKLESS & FLAT WRONG. Listen to @SecretService NO GUN "COMMOTION,' Major Garrett, Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News, tweeted.

Secret Service agents rushed Trump off the stage during a campaign rally in Reno on Saturday after they determined a protester in the audience might pose a threat to him

'Trump's social media director + his son tweeted about an "assassination attempt." That was obviously inaccurate,' Jose A DelReal, national political reporter for the Washington Post wrote.

While introducing Trump ahead of his rally in later on Saturday in Denver, one of the speakers also described the incident as an attempted murder.

'You attack him every time, thinking he raises a speech of hate,' Mohana said.

'Tonight I think, the hate [that a] lot of [the] media raised against him caused an attempt of murder against him in Nevada.'

A senior Trump campaign official told DailyMail.com that Crites, whom rally-goers already identified as an anti-Trump protester, caused a panic when he reached into his waistband.

News reporters and others on social media were quick to call out Prosobiec and others who described the incident as an assassination attempt or attempted murder, including Major Garrett, Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News

Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for the Guardian, also made note that Posobiec had called the incident an assassination attempt

Jose A DelReal, national political reporter for the Washington Post tweeted that Posobiec had inaccurately described the incident

At that point, the campaign official said, a voice called out: 'He's got a gun!'

Trump's protective detail sprang into action, pulling him offstage as a sea of bodies scattered, screams rang out and authorities dragged Crites away as he kicked and strained.

One witness told DailyMail.com that a holstered gun was spotted on the hip of a plainclothes officer, adding to the confusion.

Just before the fracas, Trump could be seen shielding his eyes from the lights in order to peer into the crowd as a struggle broke out.

Three agents then stormed the stage and hustled the Republican presidential candidate away.

Crites, who has since been released, appeared on local newscasts saying he had merely been holding a sign that read 'Republicans Against Trump.'

Secret Service agents rushed Donald trump offstage on Saturday evening in Reno, Nevada after they determined that a protester in the audience posed a threat to the Republican presidential candidate

Security personnel rush off stage after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was escorted away during a rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada on Saturday

When he reached into his waistband, however, police and good Samaritans took the man down.

The crowd surged backward in fright and strained against metal barriers enclosing the press section.

Witness Donald Newton, 45, of California who was in the crowd at the time, said he was next to Crites, who he said was holding a sign and started heading toward the stage.

'He had something on his belly. I don't know what it was,' Newton told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

'Somebody yelled "gun" and everyone jumped on him. My friend put his knee on his head, but he kept getting up.'

Federal agents and tactical officers from Reno Police removed the man from the rally on Saturday. He has since been identified as 33-year-old Austyn Crites

At this time a motive is not clear. Authorities placed the man in a bathroom near a secure entrance where Trump's motorcade and the press vehicles were staged

Austyn Crites, 33, (pictured) was detained by Secret Service after trying to raise a flag that read 'Republicans Against Trump' when someone yelled 'gun' causing a panic during the rally

Federal agents and tactical officers from Reno Police removed Crites and placed him in a bathroom near a secure entrance where Trump's motorcade and the press vehicles were staged.

SWAT officers with high-powered rifles guarded the entrance to the restroom while reporters milled outside.

Television footage showed the white male suspect pinioned on the ground by officers and searched, before he was led away from the convention center.

Crites told the Guardian that he was terrified how the crowd responded during the chaotic moment.

'I was in survival mode. I knew I could die at that moment,' Crites told the Guardian.

Crites was punched and kicked, and his neck was placed in a chokehold, he said.

At one point someone in the crowed even grabbed his testicles as he feared for his life.

Police officers and U.S. Secret Service rush a man in handcuffs out of the rally on Saturday

Audience members at the front of the crowd reportedly said they saw the man raise up a sign before a scuffle ensued

Crites identifies as a Republican who supports Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to his Facebook page.

While he is a Republican, he has a couple of posts on his Facebook with Clinton's logo and an American flag with the words, 'Nevada Republicans proudly voting for Secretary Clinton.'

'I understand that this election has people torn, but we must chose HOPE over HATE,' one post appearing on his Facebook page read.

Later on Saturday he wrote a post on his Facebook, which was slammed with negative comments and appears to have since been taken down, recounting Saturday's ordeal.

'Hi all, Not sure if you saw the news today, but I was beat up at a Trump rally for holding a sign and falsely accused of having a gun. I am ok and have been released,' Crites wrote.

'I have NO connection to the Clinton campaign apart from me supporting her HOPE over Trumps HATE.'

'I have canvassed for her for about 3 hours, have contributed to her campaign, and voted for her.'

Later on Saturday he wrote a post on his Facebook, which was slammed with negative comments and appears to have since been taken down, recounting Saturday's ordeal

'Though I do not agree with many of Hillarys policies, we cannot allow a fascist/dictator to take our beloved freedoms to simply boost his ego and get back at anyone who disagrees,' he continued.

'Take what happened to me tonight as a classic example of dictator incident of violence  against your own Republican brother with a stupid sign.

'I am a Republican and cannot support Trump and his decisive rhetoric. This election cycle we all know what we need to do. PLEASE STAND UP WITH ME AND STOP TRUMP!

The Secret Service said a thorough investigation into the incident is ongoing.

A short time after the fracas, Trump returned onstage and addressed the audience as he continued his rally speech, appearing unrattled by the scuffle and spoke with his usual self-confidence.

'Nobody said it was going to be easy for us,' he declared. 'But we will never be stopped. Never, never be stopped.'

'I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic. They don't get enough credit. They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people.'

Trump had spotted the protester and described him as a Hillary Clinton supporter before asking security to 'take him out.'

As he returned to his speech, he thanked a group of fans near the stage who had stepped in to subdue his would-be attacker.

Just before the fracas, Trump could be seen shielding his eyes from the lights in order to peer into the crowd as a struggle broke out

Police officers stand guard backstage after Trump was hustled off the stage by security agents

'You were amazing, fellas,' he said.

'I saw what you were doing. That's a tough group of people right there... Nobody messes with our people, right?'

Secret Service agents escorted the Republican presidential candidate from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center without incident.

He and his staff made it aboard his custom Boeing 757, dubbed 'Trump Force One,' for of a flight to Denver where he will hold the day's fourth rally in as many stages.

Trump issued a brief statement before the plane took off, but shed no new light on what had happened.

'I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response,' Trump said.

'I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us  we will make America great again!'

Trump later returned and addressed the audience minutes later following the scary ordeal

Trump thanked the Secret Service saying: 'These guys are fantastic. They don't get enough credit. They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people.'

Supporters watch as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno

Saturday's incident marked the second time Secret Service had to intervene to protect the GOP's standard-bearer.

In March a man leaped over a police barricade during a Trump rally at an airport hangar in Dayton, Ohio.

Thomas Dimassimo was charged with disorderly conduct and inciting panic, but he never reached the stage.

Secret Service tackled him when he was still several yards away from the candidate.

'I was ready for him, but its much easier if the cops do it, dont we agree?' Trump said at the time.

'And to think I had such an easy life! What do I need this for, right?'

Separately, in September a British man pleaded guilty to trying to grab a Las Vegas police officer's gun so he could assassinate Trump.

The June incident at the Treasure Island hotel-casino did not put the Republican in any immediate danger.
Firefighters are working through the night to contain blazes across New South Wales, with temperatures set to soar as residents brace themselves for more fire emergencies.

Sydneysiders will be basking in temperatures of up to 33 degrees on Monday but the risk of bushfires could flare up again as strong winds are expected to return.

Rural Fire Service crews has warned the danger of more bushfires across the state has shifted from 'high to very high'.

Blazes raging between the coastal town of Byron Bay and Eden on the South Coast remain on high alert as 18 fires out of 60 remain out-of-control.

Choking cloud of thick smoke shrouded the Hunter Region for much of Sunday, with hundreds of properties under threat as residents were forced to flee their homes.

However, the danger in Cessnock and Port Stephens has since been downgraded.

The blaze moved quickly along the Pacific Highway, causing major traffic delays after the roads were closed in both directions.

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A firefighter extinguishing a blaze on a property at Swan Bay in Port Stephens on Sunday

A controlled burn is conducted along the Pacific Highway at Swan Bay in Port Stephens

A shed burns on a property at Twelve Mile Creek in Port Stephens on Sunday amid bushfires

A ferorious bushfire burns on a property at Swan Bay in Port Stephens on Sunday evening

Inspector Ben Shepherd said more than 1,200 firefighters were on duty at the height of emergency warnings in the two areas.

By early evening, both fires were downgraded to 'watch and act'.

Crews in the Port Stephens area face 80km of fire edge over the next 48 hours as the weather showed no signs of easing until Wednesday, Insp Shepherd said.

'The fire has actually burnt out over 6500 hectares,' he said. 'So at the moment we've got a lot of uncontained fire on the Lone Pine fire.'

There were reports of property damage, but those were yet to be confirmed, he said.

The sky was dark in Cessnock well before nightfall on Sunday afternoon as out-of-control fires continued to burn in the Hunter Valley town's southern suburbs of Kitchener and Abernethy.

Cessnock resident Debbie Donn, a hotel manager in the nearby suburb of Kearsley, was worried for her business and her house, not far from the blaze.

'The wind's died down now, so hopefully they get it under control,' she said.

'It's not looking good, but.'

Smoke rises from trees near an intersection on the Pacific Highway in Port Stephens

A firefighter keeps watch on back burning along the Pacific Highway at Twelve Mile Creek

A NSW Rural Firefighting crew takes part in a controlled burn along the Pacific Highway

A shed turning to charcoal on a property at Twelve Mile Creek in Port Stephens on Sunday

A ferocious blaze ripped along the Pacific Highway in Port Stephens, causing traffic delays

NSW Rural Fire Service issued a watch and act warning for residents of Abernethy, Kearsley, Kitchener, Karuah, Balickera, Limeburners Creek and Swan Bay.

Residents advised to monitor the conditions and take advice from firefighters to keep up to date in case the situation changes.

'A south westerly change has moved across the fire ground however the fire is still burning behind the areas of Abernethy and Kitchener,' NSWRFS said in a warning.

'Residents of Abernethy, Kitchener, Limeburners Creek, Nine Mile Creek Road and Nine Mile Creek are advised to monitor the conditions and take advice from firefighters on the ground.

'Firefighters remain on scene and continue to be supported by aircraft. Kearsley, North Arm Cove and Carrington residents are advised to continue to monitor the situation.'

Kitchener Public School will be open on Monday but Kitchener Public School will be remain closed for the safety of staff and students.

A firefighter vehicle enters the Pacific Highway at Twelve Mile Creek in Port Stephens

Properties are under threat as hundreds of firefighters are battling blazes across the state

Fire crews are battling to contain more than 50 blazes across NSW South Wales on Sunday

A firefighter keeps watch on back burning along the Pacific Highway at Twelve Mile Creek

A resident at a tourist park hoses a caravan at Twelve Mile Creek in Port Stephens on Sunday

Fire crews are battling to contain more than 50 blazes across NSW South Wales on Sunday

Nine Mile Creek residents should take advice from firefighters on the ground while residents of Limeburners Creek, Swan Bay and North Arm Cove are being advised to monitor the situation closely.

'The fire has cut the Pacific Highway and is burning on the northern side of the township of Karuah, a south westerly change has moved across the fire ground in a northerly direction towards Limeburners Creek,' the NSWRFS said.

Several watch and act alerts have also been issued for the Forster-Tuncurry area on Sunday, but the RFS says it has gained the upper hand.

Fire crews are battling fires on Hind Avenue and The Lakes Way in Forster as well as grass fires on Churchill Road in Forster and Point Road in Tuncurry.

A firefighter takes part in a controlled burn along the Pacific Highway at Swan Bay on Sunday

A car trailer and shed burn on a property at Twelve Mile Creek in Port Stephens on Sunday

Dramatic aftermath of the bushfire as out-of-control blaze continue to rip through the state

Properties are under threat as hundreds of firefighters are battling blazes across the state

A firefighter points to an aircraft while controlling back burning at Twelve Mile Creek

Choking cloud of thick smoke has shrouded Cessnock in the Hunter Region of NSW on Sunday

Meanwhile, a bushfire has ripped through southern Queensland as emergency crews battle to contain the blaze near Dundathu on Sunday.

Despite the fire sparking a significant smoke haze, no homes were under threat.

Residents have been urged to shut their windows and doors as clouds of fumes are likely to sweep into the evening.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services issued a watch and act advice at 12.30pm on Sunday but the warning was cancelled by 2.15pm.

Firefighters take part in a controlled burn along the Pacific Highway in Port Stephens

Choking cloud of thick smoke has shrouded Cessnock in the Hunter Region of NSW

Fire crews are battling to contain more than 50 blazes across NSW South Wales on Sunday

Properties are under threat as hundreds of firefighters are battling blazes across the state

Hundreds of firefighters are battling blazes after strong winds intensified fire activity

Fire crews are battling to contain the blaze near Dundathu in southern Queensland on Sunday

A firefighter extinguishes a blaze on a property at Swan Bay in Port Stephens on Sunday

A bushfire has ripped through southern Queensland, sparking a significant smoke haze
An Australian aid worker has been abducted at gunpoint in Afghanistan after spending a night out with friends, local media reports.

The woman was ambushed by four armed men as she was walking home after having dinner with friends in the Qala-Fatullah area on Saturday night, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The group of men were reportedly wielding AK-47s rifles when they forced the woman - who is an Afghanistan and Australian national - into the car before driving away.

She has been working for Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development - a non-government organisation in the capital Kabul.

An Australian aid worker has reportedly been abducted at gunpoint in Kabul on Saturday

The woman works for Agency Coordinating Body for Afgan Relief and Development (pictured)

Freelance journalist Kabul Bilal Sarawary, who lives just a few streets away from where the woman was abducted, said there have been several reports of foreigners being kidnapped in the area.

'In recent months several foreigners who had been kidnapped have had ransoms paid, so they are seen as the golden goose,' Mr Sarawary said.

'This has the hallmarks the kidnapping for ransom...'

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman confirmed on Sunday the Australian embassy in Kabul was making urgent inquiries into the reports.

'Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further,' she said.

'We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Afghanistan because of the extremely dangerous security situation, including the serious threat of kidnapping.'

Kidnapping has long been a major problem in Afghanistan, affecting Afghans more often than foreigners, with ransom often the motive.

However, there have been several abductions of foreign aid workers, including at least two Australians this year alone.

Kerry Jane Wilson, who was abducted from the office of a charity in the eastern city of Jalalabad in April, was freed in August.
A man who claims he was sexually abused in the late 1960s while boarding at a Brisbane private school has protested the school's decision to name a building after its former headmaster.

John said he was 12-years-old when he was sent to the Anglican Church Grammer School's boarding house in 1967 for what he thought was going to be a new adventure, according to The Courier Mail.

But it was at the east Brisbane school, otherwise known as Churchie, John, who is now in his 60s, claims he was sexually assaulted by his housemaster, Harry Wippell, and caned by then principal Harry Roberts 'for telling lies'.

A man who claims he was sexually assaulted while boarding at Brisbane's Anglican Church Grammer School (pictured) in 1967 has protested the decision to name a building after the former headmaster

When the school announced last year it was renovating a building named after Mr Roberts, who allowed Wippell to be involved with the school for 26 years after John's complaint, the former boarder opposed the idea.

Churchie has since decided to remove Mr Roberts' name from the new building and name it the Centenary Library because of his decision to allow Wippell continued access to the school.

Mr Roberts oversaw four convicted paedophiles at Churchie after he was hired in 1947. It is unknown if Mr Roberts knew the men were paedophiles.

John claims Wippell, then a trained pharmacist in his 30s, would invite him in into his room at night to take his vitamin tablets before he would carry him to bed after the pre-teen fell asleep.

John said the then principal Harry Roberts caned him 'for telling lies' about his housemaster Harry Wippell after John claimed Wippell sexually assaulted him (stock image)

John said he was soon introduced to Wippell's friend, government stenographer Clarence Henry Howard-Osborne, who allegedly photographed him after making him take off his clothes and covering him in oil.

'I wasn't rapt in that because he was touching me, measuring me, and writing it all down,' John said.

He claims he was taken on several trips to a man's apartment where was sexually assaulted by Wippell and another man, the Courier Mail reported.

The next day, a horrified John said he wanted to set fire to Wippell's room at the boarding house but instead tool tablets he found and landed in the school's sick bay.

'I was there for the whole of the rest of the year,' he said. 'There were no more boarders' weekends. That was it. There was no more abuse once I moved into the cottage. I didn't tell my parents.'

When the school announced last year it was renovating a building named after Mr Roberts, who allowed Wippell to be involved with the school for 26 years, John, who is now in his 60s, opposed the idea (stock image)

After just a week out of the boarding house, John was told to report to Mr Robert's office to be caned for spreading stories about Wippell.

'I'd never been caned,' he said. 'I put on all the underwear I had.'

John said he was allegedly forced to remove his underwear before he was caned by Wippell and Mr Roberts.

John eventually moved off the school's campus to stay with his grandparents and left Churchie in 1969.
A dangerous rapist allegedly meeting women for dates and assaulting at least one while on the run from police has surrendered after two months.

Jessie Heke-Gray, 32, gave himself up when armed police surrounded a house in which he was hiding in Waipu, New Zealand, on Sunday.

The convicted rapist was on the run since September when he breached his parole conditions by leaving his approved address in Otara, near Auckland.

Jessie Heke-Gray (pictured) is on the run from police in New Zealand, is targeting women online for dates, and has allegedly violently assaulted a women he met up with last week

Police said Heke-Gray was to be held in custody before appearing in the Whangarei District Court tomorrow on a recall warrant, according to the NZ Herald.

During the manhunt he was alleged to be setting up dates with women through social media and dating apps.

Last Tuesday he was alleged to have violently assaulted a woman he met on social media.

Heke-Gray was jailed for eight years in April 2009 after he pleaded guilty to a violent sexual attack on a 21-year-old woman at a hostel in Nelson, reported stuff.co.nz.

The convicted rapist was on the run since September when he breached his parole conditions by leaving his approved address in Otara, near Auckland, and arrested in Waipu

He admitted one charge of rape, two of unlawful sexual connection, two of assaulting a female and one of injuring with intent to injure.

The arrest came after police went to a house in nearby Ruakaka on Saturday and found a silver car that was linked to Heke-Gray. It was being swept for evidence.

Officers went to an address in Whangarei last week after receiving information that he may be there, but he was not located.

Northland Police said Heke-Gray was 'a very dangerous man' believed to be a meth user and displaying signs of paranoia.

He was also believed to have access to weapons, including a firearm.
A decadent dessert with a provocative name has cost a well-known restaurant an expensive booking.

The indulgent 'Chocolate Sl*t' dessert had to be renamed after a Sydney restaurant cancelled their $25,000 function at Pee Wee's at The Point, in East Point, north of Darwin, The NT News reported.

The Sydney restaurant complained about the use of the word 'sl*t' on the menu, considering the current social discussion about violence against women.

'Chocolate Sl*t' dessert (pictured) cost a Darwin restaurant a $25,000 booking because the word 'sl*t' was used in the name

Pee Wee's at The Point (pictured) owner Simon Matthews: 'we don't want to be seen as some redneck business that is derogatory towards women'

Owner Simon Matthews said that his initial reaction was to the company's cancellation was 'they could get lost,' but after taking their point into consideration he thought it was the right thing to do.

'We don't want to be seen as some redneck business that is derogatory towards women,' Mr Matthews said.

Instead of finding the 'Chocolate Sl*t', they instead found 'Fifty Shades of Chocolate' to still keep with the decadent theme of the dessert.

The Sydney restaurant said their reason for cancelling was because of the current social discussion about violence against women

Mr Matthews renamed the decadent dessert was renamed to 'Fifty Shades of Chocolate' ()

Even though the dessert had all the same chocolate components; Belgian dark chocolate marquise, aerated chocolate, chocolate meringue, a chocolate macaroon, raspberry gel, with white chocolate & raspberry ice cream, the locals weren't pleased with the name change.

'Since weve changed it, weve had 50 complaints from our local customers saying, "wheres the sl*t?" basically,' he said.
migrants are set to move in this week amid fears of violence

It is higher than the Berlin wall standing at 12ft high and is partially

Locals say that having the

A 12-foot high barrier - higher than the Berlin Wall - is being erected in the German city of Munich to protect locals from young refugees who are set to move into the area.

Locals campaigned for the wall, in the suburb of Neuperlach Sud, after authorities decided that some 160 young unaccompanied migrants will move into a large shelter which is less than 100 metres from a residential estate.

Critics say the wall is further proof of the alienation voters feel with Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.

The wall is 12ft high and will separate a migrant housing complex from an established residential area

The new housing will be home for 160 unaccompanied young migrants who are set to move in next week

Deputy District Chairman Guido Bucholtz, said: 'I was frightened when I saw this monster of a wall.'

He added that he thinks the wall is too high as another similar structure designed to fence off a migrant camp was just three metres high.

He said: 'This whole propaganda really sucks.'

However residents from the neighbouring housing development from the asylum centre went to court to get the wall built.

One of their arguments for the wall was the fear that the value of their homes would plummet if there was nothing to separate them from the refugees who could be there for years to come.

Local residents said they are fearful of the 'noise and behaviour' of the refugees. The judge of the Administrative Court in Munich confirmed the wall in a judgment - noted that the migrants should not use if for 'ball throwing games' or other 'leisure use'.

The fact that it is higher than the Berlin Wall of the Cold War is not lost on locals and officials. But engineers said it had to be that high to provide an effective sound insulation.

The wall is nearly finished. Locals say they do not care about how it looks; only that it will separate them from the unaccompanied refugees who have often been at the centre of friction with locals in other German towns.

The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989. The much maligned wall separated the communist East Germany from West Germany

In Bautzen in east Germany there have now been two incidents of neo-Nazis hunting refugees through the streets, hurling stones and racial insults at them.

'Donald Trump wants to build a wall for Mexico, and we in Munich Neuperlach build one to keep us safe from refugees!', one couple told a local newspaper.

A group of 30 far-right supporters ambushed and beat up three young Afghan refugees in the town of Heidenau in east Germany on Friday night.

Angela Merkel's migrant policy has coincided with the rise of right wing groups across the country. Right-wing activists can be seen shouting slogans as they gather in Berlin on Saturday

The three Afghanis needed hospital treatment for their injuries but were later released. Two men from the mob which attacked them have been arrested and face charges of causing grievous bodily harm.
Layla Ibrahim, 29, (pictured) who was jailed for faking her own violent rape has vowed to clear her name

A woman who was jailed for faking her own violent rape has vowed to clear her name and claimed the conviction has 'ruined her life'.

Layla Ibrahim, 29, from Carlisle, was jailed for three years in 2010 after a court heard she ripped her clothes and gave herself a black eye to support her story.

But Ibrahim, who was seven months pregnant when she was put behind bars, is now launching an appeal, claiming the police failed to investigate possible suspects.

'This has ruined my life,' she told the Guardian.

'I know deep down that one day my name will be cleared. There will be some way to clear my name. My kids deserve that too. That's all that matters to me.'

The mother-of-three was convicted of perverting the course of justice six years ago following a 150,000 police investigation.

Her trial heard Ibrahim suffered a blow to the head and injuries to her breasts and vagina before she was examined and interviewed by police in January 2009.

She had turned up in a disheveled state at her sister's house in Carlisle in the early hours, saying she had been attacked on her way back from a night out with friends.

Detectives initially took Ibrahim's account that she had been raped or sexually assaulted on her way home from a night out seriously, launching a massive manhunt involving 40 officers.

But police became suspicious, and tests showed the Libyan-born former children's holiday rep had ripped her own clothes and inflicted the injuries herself to back up her fabricated claims.

After failing to withdraw her allegation she was charged with perverting the course of justice and convicted.

Ibrahim, who was seven months pregnant when she was put behind bars, is now launching an appeal, claiming the police failed to investigate possible suspects

Forensic physician, Dr Jason Payne-James, gave evidence at the trial, suggesting Ibrahim's injuries 'could' have been self-inflicted or caused by consensual sex.

But Ibrahim's new legal team has reportedly argued this evidence was 'highly speculative' and unreliable.

Her lawyers have written a letter to the criminal cases review commission, which probes potential miscarriages of justice, saying vital DNA evidence was ignored or destroyed.

A blond pubic hair found at the scene - but this was destroyed in the lab during DNA testing, her lawyers say.

Bloodstained leaves were also discovered near the scene, but the blood did not match any profiles on the DNA database at the time.

In their submission to the commission, Ibrahim's legal team said the conviction would be one of the 'most serious failures of the criminal justice system in recent times' if the mother's story was true.

'We would ask you to note that our client has now served her sentence and has been released  this is not an attempt to appeal by a person seeking release from custody, but by a person seeking justice,' it read.

Ibrahim did not appeal the decision when she was in prison because her previous lawyers reportedly told her there was no point.
Adrian Bill was a decorated former police officer whose life had spiralled downwards

Slumped in a chair at a hostel for the homeless, a dying man is cruelly humiliated by other residents as staff join in the mockery and take snapshots.

These appalling scenes occurred in 'supported' accommodation, where some of societys most vulnerable people are supposed to receive help and protection, costing the taxpayer at least 43 million a year in England alone.

But there was no support for Adrian Bill, a decorated former police officer whose life had spiralled downwards with drug and alcohol problems.

Just a few hours after these sickening images were filmed undercover for an ITV documentary, Mr Bill, 53, was dead from pneumonia, exacerbated by substance abuse.

Assuming he was merely drunk, some other tenants in the run-down hostel in Birmingham piled books, a plastic warning sign and a pot plant on top of him, and giggling security guards took photos on their mobile phones.

As other tenants began to realise the seriousness of Mr Bills condition, they repeatedly called in vain for staff to summon help, but one guard simply shrugged his shoulders and said: Hes breathing, and walked off.

One security guard not involved in the incident observed the next day: That is his last day on earth and they treat him like s***.

Mr Bill, right, is humiliated by fellow residents as toilet paper is stuck up his nose, plastic forks put in his hat and objects are piled up on him while he slumps unconscious in the hostels television room. It is the start of a disturbing sequence of events that will end in his death

The supported housing system for the homeless was set up by the Labour Government in 2003 to help provide people on the bottom rung of society with a chance to climb out of destitution and poverty.

The organisations running the hostels  many of them charities  are given as much as three times the usual rate of housing benefit in taxpayers money for each tenant, in some cases more than 200 a week.

In return, they are supposed to provide not only safe and secure accommodation, but also support to help meet their tenants medical, mental health and training needs.

Many doubtless fulfil that role, but angry MPs last night said the sector was open to abuse and needs urgent reform.

These appalling scenes occurred in 'supported' accommodation in Birmingham

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: Last year, we began to look into this area as we needed to make some changes and it suddenly became very apparent to us at the Department of Work and Pensions  who pay the bills for it but dont run it  that this system was open to enormous abuse.

That is his last day on earth and they treat him like sh***

As this investigation has found, too many places get the money without doing anything in terms of support. We need to safeguard the good charities which actually do the work, of which there are many, and make sure they get the money. The death of Mr Bill was the worst example exposed during filming of the programme in a shameful litany of abuse and neglect in the Birmingham hostel and another in Bristol. It also revealed:

Claims of a bullying culture by residents, unchecked by staff.

Residents openly smoking legal highs and other drugs.

Sleeping accommodation infested with bed bugs in one hostel.

Security staff aiming abuse at the homeless people they are supposed to care for.

Chaotic support sessions for vulnerable people with no privacy.

Undercover reporters for ITVs Exposure series found a grim picture at Waterside House Hostel in Birmingham and Wick House in Bristol.

Reporter Martin Read  who has been homeless himself  met Mr Bill, who told him he had been an undercover police officer, early on in his stay at Waterside. It is run by charity Expectations UK, which has 379 beds in 18 hostels across Birmingham, bringing in a turnover of 3 million a year.

Mr Bill summed up the view of many residents when he was asked about the support role of the staff. All theyre worried about is that, he said, rubbing his fingers together to indicate cash.

A few days later, Read and another resident saw Mr Bill, known as Aida, in the TV room looking very drunk and incoherent, making distressing noises and appearing to hallucinate.

Some residents had piled debris on him, putting items up his nose and writing on him. When security staff turned up, they joined in the mockery and took photographs, laughing.

Despite Read and other residents calling repeatedly for help from the security staff, nothing was done for Mr Bill.

Later, he got up and made it upstairs to another residents room, but received no medical assistance and died a few hours later.

In September, a coroner recorded a verdict of death as a result of pneumonia, aggravated by use of morphine and alcohol. Although some of the residents involved in his humiliation were reportedly evicted, the security guards kept their jobs, according to Read.

The Charity Commission has raised concerns about Expectations UK and confirmed that there is a regulatory compliance case ongoing against the charity.

Ex policemen criticises lack of carers: At Birminghams Waterside House Hostel, former police constable Adrian Bill, left, shares his concerns with a friend. There are 90 residents at the hostel, he says, and not enough staff to care for them.

The charity has a complex financial relationship with two property companies owned by wealthy Birmingham businessmen Nigel Clarke, 70, and his son Jonathon, 31.

According to the latest accounts, Jonathon Clarke, a former trustee and board member of the charity, is director of a company which is the landlord for just under half the properties used by Expectations. In March 2015, his company was owed 231,000 by the charity.

His fathers company, Nigel Clarke Properties Ltd, landlords of all the remainder of Expectations accommodation, in turn owed the charity 535,000 at the same date, according to the accounts.

Mr Clarke Jnr declined to comment when contacted by the MoS. His father did not respond.

Divorcee Mr Bill, a former officer with West Midlands Police, enjoyed a near 30-year career with the force and received a Chief Constables commendation for bravery in the 1990s when he tackled an armed man firing shots at the public in Birmingham city centre.

He was also highly commended for his work in Birminghams Broad Street district, centre of the citys nightlife, in 2011.

Mike Olley, general manager of the Westside Business Improvement District, who gave him the award, said: Broad Street can be a challenge for the police. Adrian Bill wasnt the team leader but he was the one all the other officers drew their confidence from  an inspiration.

No situation frightened him and he had a good way with the punters... like Dixon of Dock Green but with a bit more grit. Mr Bills former sergeant, Kim Rowbotham, knew him for 30 years. He was the sort of guy you would want by your side during a public order incident because he could look after himself and would always be looking out for his colleagues, he said.

A shocked security guard, right, not involved in the incident, is told about Mr Bills death. He says: His last day on earth and they treat him like s***.

Shortly after PC Bill won his commendation in 2011, the death of his girlfriend precipitated mental health and alcohol problems, said Mr Rowbotham.

He resigned from the police and, despite attempts by the force to support him, began on a downward spiral that would lead to drug abuse and homelessness. Mr Rowbotham, now retired, said he felt distraught that he never got to see his former colleague before his tragic death.

When reporter Read asked for a support session at Waterside, another resident barged in, and later a member of staff entered the room to do some photocopying. Expectations UK later said that should not have happened.

One senior member of staff at the charity who had earlier alerted the programme makers to conditions at Waterside, said: Its mostly the security day staff abusing tenants, swearing at tenants. And every time its been reported, its been covered up or pushed to one side.

Another undercover reporter on the programme found himself covered in bed bug bites after one night at Wick House in Bristol, despite spraying insecticide.

A female resident told him: My whole quilt lifted up last night.

The charity running the hostel, Bristol Sheltered Accommodation and Support, said it has spent more than 45,000 trying to eradicate the bed bug problem. BSAS is already under investigation by the Charity Commission over various issues, including possible misconduct and mismanagement.

He was the sort of guy you'd want by your side

A Charity Commission spokesman said: Trustees of charities that work with vulnerable groups have a duty of care to their charity which includes taking necessary steps to prevent any harm to the charitys vulnerable beneficiaries. Labour MP Clive Betts, chairman of the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, said: These are people who desperately need support to get them back to a normal living situation.

The extra money in housing benefit is there to fund extra care for these people, and in a case like this the local authority should immediately step in to investigate how that money is being spent.

Expectations UK failed to express any regret or apology over the death of Adrian Bill, saying he had many issues which the staff were aware of and tried to help him with.

They claimed they had no say on security staff, who are outsourced, but said the men took photos for their report. Expectations denied that they failed to help tenants with a range of issues from mental health to substance abuse. They said they had no control over the smoking of legal highs which were legal at the time of filming.

A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said: It is completely unacceptable that people are living in these conditions. Councils have a responsibility to ensure that hostels they fund meet the highest possible standard of care.
A father has recalled the devastating moment he watched as four of his family members were crushed to death by a Polish lorry driver who was using his phone.

Mark Goldsmith was driving behind the Vauxhall that was carrying his daughter Aimee, 11, partner Tracy Houghton and her two sons, Ethan, 13, and Josh, 11.

Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker, 30, smashed into Ms Houghton's car while scrolling through music as he drove along the A34 near Newbury - killing all four in the car.

Three months after the crash, Mr Goldsmith said he cannot stop replaying the moment he watched them get wiped out as they returned from a family holiday.

Mark Goldsmith (right) has recalled the devastating moment he watched as his daughter, partner Tracy Houghton (left) and her two children were crushed to death by a lorry

Ms Houghton's car was shunted underneath the back of a heavy goods vehicle and crushed to a third of its size in the horrific crash (pictured) on the A34 near Newbury

'It was a scene of total carnage. I still see it every night when I go to sleep and when I wake up,' Mr Goldsmith told the Sunday Times.

'I relive that moment every day. One big bang and they weren't there any more.'

Mr Goldsmith said he 'staggered' from his car to see if he could rescue anyone from the mangled wreckage on the busy road in Oxfordshire.

'I started sobbing. I threw up, they had died instantly,' he said.

His ex-wife, Kate, who is Aimee's mother, said Mr Goldsmith had suffered 'severe mental injuries' in the eight-vehicle crash.

She also revealed their son, Jake, who was travelling in Mr Goldsmith's car when the collision occurred, had been 'profoundly changed' by what he saw.

Mrs Houghton's son's Ethan ,13, and Josh, 11, and their stepsister Aimee Goldsmith, 11, (pictured together just days before the crash) were killed instantly in the crash on August 10

Tomasz Kroker (pictured left) was scrolling through his music when he crashed into Tracy Houghton's (right) stationary car

Mark Goldsmith (far right) and his ex-wife Kate (right) have joined with Doug Houghton (far left), who lost his two sons in the crash, and his sister, Vicki Hopkins (left), to call for the mandatory introduction of technology that can detect when a phone is being used by a driver

Mrs Goldsmith said she has not been able to watch the footage of the crash with sound on because she fears the sound of the song played will haunt her forever.

The dash-cam footage from two camera  one pointing into Kroker's cab and one looking at the road ahead  showed the driver looking at his phone, then glancing up just a split-second before impact.

The horrified driver then drops the phone and grabs the steering wheel to prepare for the impact.

Kroker's truck ploughed into a stationary queue of two lorries and four smaller vehicles which were stuck behind a slow-moving articulated lorry near the villages of East and West Ilsley.

Mr Goldsmith's Vauxhall Zafira was shunted into the back of the Corsa containing his daughter, Mrs Houghton and her sons.

Dashcam footage from Kroker's lorry cab shows him distracted by his mobile phone for between seven and 45 seconds before the fatal crash

The camera then captures the moment Kroker realises he is about to crash into the stationary traffic at 50mph

He attempts to brake and swerve but cannot stop in time and crashes into the traffic jam

Mrs Houghton's car was then pushed under a heavy goods vehicle and crushed to a third of its size.

Kroker, 30, was jailed for 10 years last week over the crash on 10 August.

Judge Maura McGowan said his attention had been so poor he 'might as well have had his eyes closed'.

The families of those killed in the crash have branded the sentence an 'insult'.

Doug Houghton, who lost both his sons and his ex-partner, vented his frustration, saying Kroker 'knew the law'.

'No sentence would have been sufficient. Its not going to bring our kids back,' he told the Sunday Times.

Aimee's parent's Mark and Kate Goldsmith (pictured) said the 10 year jail sentence handed to Kroker was not enough

Aimee Goldsmith (pictured), who wanted to be a vet, was killed along with stepbrothers when returning from a camping trip

Josh (pictured left) and Ethan (pictured right) were killed when lorry driver Kroker became distracted by his mobile phone

PHONE COMPANIES COULD BLOCK PHONE USE IN CARS The families of the four people killed when Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker, 30, smashed into their car while using his phone are demanding change. Mark and Kate Goldsmith, who lost their daughter Aimee in the crash, want to see the mandatory introduction of technology that can detect when a phone is being used by a driver. Doug Houghton, who lost his two sons and ex-partner, is supporting their call for improved detection. They welcomed the fact that Apple filed a patent in 2008 for technology that could 'lock out' a driver's phone if it senses movement. And now they want the government to make this 'obligatory' for all smartphones. Advertisement

In a heartbreaking victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Goldsmith spoke of her 'absolute and utter devastation' at the loss of her daughter, whom she called 'my hope, my happiness, my balance'.

She also described how after losing his sister Aimee and best friend Ethan, Jake had been 'changed forever', leaving him with little to say and plagued by anger, upset, nightmares and broken sleep.

'Anyone using a mobile whilst driving is guilty of dangerous driving. It only takes a second of distraction to kill someone, destroying your life, your family's lives, and those of your victim and their family,' she added.

The family, from Bedfordshire, were driving back from a camping trip and all died instantly in the horrifying crash.

Remarkably, their beloved pet Labrador, Honey, survived the disaster - after apparently fleeing from the wrecked car and running off.

But the dog now sits by the front door, waiting for the children who will never return.

Kroker, from Andover, Hampshire, admitted four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Reading Crown Court on October 10.

The Vauxhall was shunted underneath the back of a heavy goods vehicle and crushed to a third of its size

The family, who were driving back from a camping trip, all died instantly in the horrific crash that left their car unrecognisable
He wrote the crew can be hurt by fumes which can '

The head of in-flight safety for British Airways has admitted that passengers can be 'incapacitated' by toxic fumes on planes.

Mark Mannering-Smith reportedly wrote on an internal online forum that cabin fumes can be toxic and therefore hurt crew and travellers.

His comments which were posted on the internet have since been deleted, but were saved by BA staff, reports The Sun on Sunday.

Mr Mannering-Smith wrote staff members can wear protective gear called smoke hoods, which are similar to gas masks, 'regardless of customer perception'.

The head of in-flight safety for British Airways has admitted passengers can be 'incapacitated' by toxic fumes on planes

Customers on board the flight will not have the same protection by using the oxygen masks which drop down during an emergency, according to the paper.

A senior BA source told the newspaper's Stephen Moyes: 'Oxygen comes from tanks in the hold.

'But the masks they use are designed to allow cabin air in so they do not provide protection from fumes.'

The condition relating to breathing in cabin air is known as 'aerotoxic syndrome'.

Dee Passon, a former BA flight attended who had to retire because of her health, has campaigned on the matter after being forced to leave the company.

She argued that 412 crew members - some aged in their 20s and 30s - had died between 2006 and 2014.

The former employee added that she does not suggest 'aerotoxic syndrome' was the main cause of every death, but instead added it was simply a factor.

A BA spokesman said: 'We fly more than 100,000 people routinely every day and would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.

'Our crews are trained to deal with every circumstance in the cabin and our safety equipment and training exceed required industry standards.'

Customers on board the flight will not have the same protection by using the oxygen masks which drop down during an emergency, it has been claimed

It comes after a pilot on a London-bound BA flight was forced to land in Vancouver, Canada, after the pilot complained of 'toxic fumes' on the plane.

The Airbus A380, which had left from San Francisco, had to turn around after staff members fell ill and make an emergency landing.

In an audio recording, obtained by ABC News, a pilot, having been asked what the problem was by air traffic control, responded: 'Toxic fumes, toxic gas type fumes'.

The airline was tight-lipped about the cause of the emergency, which happened on a flight with more than 400 passengers on board.
took to London's streets and over 50 were arrested

Hackers Crash Override tweeted they were to start the hack last night

the Met Police's website for eight hours

They claim to have brought down

marched in London for the Million Mask March

Anarchist hacktivists Anonymous claim to have brought down Scotland Yard's news website for eight hours after anti-establishment protesters took to the streets of London in protest of the government.

As a mob of around 1,500 protesters descended on the capital wearing V-for Vendetta style masks their armchair colleagues targeted the Met's news portal as arrests were made.

The group had marched from Trafalgar Square past Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament waving placards and chanting 'what solution - revolution' and 'Tory scum.'

The Met Police's website was targeted after they arrested tens of violent protesters at the rally

There were angry scenes as the procession moved through London, with police forming a ring of steel outside Parliament

A masked protester in a crowd holds up a flare on Whitehall during the Million Mask March which falls on Guy Fawkes Night

But as tens of arrests were made hackers Crash Override took revenge by bringing down the news section of the Metropolitan Police website by tweeting 'arrests=downtime b****' around 9pm.

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: 'The website is now working again, but it was down from yesterday evening until about 7am.

'We are obviously going to speak to our suppliers regarding what the cause is. We are investigating.'

During the protest 53 arrests were made with the majority for drug offences and obstruction, as well as three for having a knife.

In a bid to avoid a repeat of last year's violence which left four officers and six horses injured 50 police vans and 2,000 officers were stationed around Whitehall, the Cenotaph, Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

Masked protesters confront riot police on The Strand, London, during the Million Mask March bonfire night demonstration

Police take down a protester wearing a V for Vendetta-style mask during the Million Mask March in Central London

The mob marched from Nelson's Column to Parliament and then back while violent thugs threw glass bottles and fireworks screaming 'whose streets, our streets'.

Members of the public watched in horror and ducked when screaming fireworks were thrown towards police who were attempting to calm the baying crowd.

Onlooker Sam Fletcher, 29, from Winchester, said: 'It's very scary and I wasn't expecting so many fireworks.

'I can't believe amount of police that are here, I think there way more police than protesters. It's crazy.

'It makes you very wary, the protesters look very intimidating and I'm not sure I support their cause.

'This isn't the right way to protest also I'm worried, if all of the police are here then are there other areas without proper policing?'

Another, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was so scared, I saw a man throw a bottle and I looked away because I didn't want to see who it hit.'

A splinter group of protesters headed off towards Buckingham Palace to set off fireworks and met with around 50 police officers and dogs.

A protester breathes fire as masked demonstrators gather in Trafalgar Square, Central London during the march

This protester was watched closely by several police officers in Parliament Square, London, during the Million Mask March

When police blocked off all roads leading out of the Square some members of the public took refuge inside restaurant Garfunkel's restaurant in Trafalgar Square.

Oxford University student Emma Janson, 18, came into the restaurant to get away from the mob with two friends.

She said: 'We don't know how we're going to get out of here.

'We only came in here to get away from them and there was no where else to go.

'It's really uncomfortable to watch them throwing bottles and fireworks from outside the window.

'Hopefully by the time we leave they will be gone.

'But we've been in here for more than an hour already.

'It's pretty scary.'

Speaking afterwards Commander Ben-Julian Harrington said: 'I would like to commend my officers policing this challenging event for their professionalism and faultless co-ordination.

A firework is let off as anti-capitalist activists wearing masks hold their demonstration against government cuts and austerity

The march carried the protesters through Westminster and included Trafalgar Square and Whitehall areas of Central London

'I would also like to thank those participants who conducted themselves in a peaceful manner as well as Londoners and those visiting our city for their patience and tolerance.

'We facilitate hundreds of peaceful protests every year in London usually with the co-operation of the organisers.

'On this occasion although the organisers did not engage with police, the majority of protesters did adhere to the conditions imposed.

'Only a small minority chose to breach the conditions and engage in criminality.'

The annual protest is one of several held worldwide on November 5 against government cuts, corruption, surveillance and a flurry of other causes.

Thousands of masked protesters, watched closely by police, were in the capital for the anti-capitalist Anonymous march

Smoke filled Trafalgar Square as masked anti-establishment protesters lit flares and waved flags and banners

Anonymous claimed it had hacked into the Metropolitan Police's website and taken it temporarily down during the protest

ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT GROUP 'TAKES DOWN MET POLICE WEBSITE' Anonymous claimed it hacked into the Metropolitan Police's website during the London march. The anti-establishment group posted on Twitter that it had 'attacked' the website causing it to temporarily come down. A spokesman for the Me tropolitan Police confirmed there had been a problem with the website but insisted it wasn't clear yet whether the domain had been hacked. Advertisement

There were angry scenes as the procession continued through London, with police forming a ring of steel outside Parliament.

Several masked supporters argued they should be free to pass on public roads.

While most opted for a Guy Fawkes mask, the crowd was also dotted with people dressed in Darth Vader helmets.

One protester blared NWA's anti-authority anthem F*** Tha Police into the procession.

Plumes of smoke wafted into the cold night air as the protesters moved past Big Ben, with police marching behind.

The range of subject the protesters demonstrated about included anti-American sentiment over alleged war crimes

Riot police protect Buckingham Palace as the protest, which is one of several held around the world, continues in the capital

At least 2,000 riot police were on the streets protecting key government buildings and areas of national significance

Dozens of protesters held aloft Socialist Worker placards during the march which said 'There's one solution: Revolution'

Police grapple with a protester during the demonstration. Concerns about the event were raised after the organisers said the police 'are not your friends'

A protesters dons a V for Vendetta-inspired Guy Fawkes mask and skeleton gloves during the Million Mask March

This family of protesters, who took part in the Million Mask March, included children. Their banners advocated peace

Police (pictured by Admiralty Arch) made more than 50 arrests for offences including carrying drugs and non-removal of masks

Anonymous, an anarchic network of 'hacktivists', has been linked with cyber-attacks on a varied list of organisations and states, including the US government, ISIS, Paypal, the Church of Scientology

Riot police contain protesters as they march along Whitehall. The march is one of hundreds taking place around the world

Protesters underneath Trafalgar's Square demonstrating against the government and MPs light a flare into the night sky

Police have warned 'masked criminals seeking to run amok' that they will be arrested if the protest turns violent

Masked protesters hold placards and flares as they stand on Nelson's Column during the Million Mask March

Later, some participants paused to read a message projected in green letters onto a building lining Parliament Square.

It read: 'Please observe Public Order Act restrictions. Failure to comply may result in arrest and prosecution. Officers may require you to remove facial covering. Failure to comply is an offence.'

It came after members of the crowd ignited fireworks and flares in front of Westminster Abbey.

The protest in Parliament Square dwindled by several hundred people at around 7.30pm as one man was seen being led away by officers.

Splinter groups roamed the length of the route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

One man climbed atop the memorial to Field Marshal Haig and shouted 'this is for all of us' to onlookers and passing motorists.

Shortly before 9pm, as the end of the march approached, there were chaotic scenes as riot police moved in to make an arrest.

A group of protesters surrounded and charged the officers, with shouts of 'f*** the police' and 'police brutality'.

This protester holds a placard in apparent reference to the autistic hacker Lauri Love who is due to be extradited to the US accused of hacking government computers

Last year four officers and six police horses were injured after masked protesters targeted them with fireworks

Scores of police were in the area marking a tight perimeter around the protesters who marched in Westminster

Protesters gather at the base of Nelson's Column holding placards and flags including the Russian national flag

Protesters dressed in combat clothing and masks on the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square

Metropolitan police chiefs' concerns were raised earlier in the week when the protest organisers, Million Mask March London, said on Facebook that 'the police are not your friends'.

Officers had surrounded obvious potential targets in the capital, including Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and Tory headquarters.

ANTI-CAPITALIST MARCHES AROUND THE WORLD HELD ON BONFIRE NIGHT London's Million Mask March was just one of hundreds being held in city centres around the world. Similar anti-establishment marches took place across the US and Europe as well as in the Philippines, Malaysia, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, Chile and Brazil. The annual global protest, on Bonfire Night, November 5, is against Government cuts, corruption, surveillance and a flurry of other causes. Advertisement

Anonymous, an anarchic network of 'hacktivists', has been linked with cyber-attacks on a varied list of organisations and states, including the US government, ISIS, Paypal, the Church of Scientology.

One woman on a loudspeaker warned 'there may be kettling' as the procession along Whitehall began.

Last year, some of the protesters were branded 'despicable' after deliberating targeting police horses during a rampage.

Six horses were injured as they were bombarded with fireworks by black-clad hooligans who attempted to blind them with laser pointers.

Metropolitan commander Harrington, said: 'Last year we saw participants causing criminal damage to public property, smashing the windows of businesses and attacking police officers all whilst harassing and intimidating families as they visited theatres, dined out or shopped in the West End.'

The hacking group Anonymous posted a message on Twitter which said 'people shouldn't be afraid of their government'

Police warned the public to be aware of the march taking place in Central London after concerns it would turn nasty

Thousands of supporters of Anonymous, the anarchic hacking group, were at the protest clad in Guy Fawkes masks

An activist with an anti-Tory placard stands on the steps of the National Gallery as tourists and fellow supporters walk past

Protesters with plastic trumpets and wearing face paint were in Trafalgar Square this evening watched by police officers

In a press release, Million Mask March London called on 'the Metropolitan Police to restrain from violence and their usual mob mentality'.

Police imposed conditions on the march, limiting it to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Speaking before the protest Chief Superintendent Pippa Mills said: 'We will always facilitate peaceful protest and have a strong history of doing so. However we have strong reason to believe that peaceful protest is the last thing on the minds of many of the people who will come along this year.

'Criminality at the event has increased year-on-year. Last year hundreds of Londoners on their way home from work, or out enjoying an evening in the capital, were harassed and intimidated by people causing them huge concern.
The family of David Gest are suing his legal team after he snubbed them in his will

The family of David Gest are suing his legal team after he snubbed them in his will and left most of his 10million fortune to his attorney.

Loved ones of the I'm a Celebrity star, 62, are furious after lawyer Edward Bearman got his five bedroom home in Tennessee, worth 450,000.

He was also left Gest's collection of memorabilia, worth around 1.6million, and clothes once belonging to the US entertainer's pal, Michael Jackson, reports the Sun.

TV producer Gest was found dead in his room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, in April this year.

It was later confirmed that he had suffered a stroke.

As well as appearing on the ITV reality series I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Los Angeles native Gest was also known for his short and troubled marriage to Liza Minnelli.

His sister Barbara Gerber, 60, is said to be taking legal action against the executors of his will - who are said to work at Mr Bearman's firm.

Pictured: Gest with Liza Minelli in 2002, the pair were married for five years and endured a troubled relationship

Gest's former bodyguard and fried Imad Handi, 40, was left 18,000 in the will, but said he was disappointed with the sum.
Comes as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces attempt to reclaim IS-held city of Mosul

U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces have announced their plan to retake the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa.

An official said the operation to liberate Raqqa, dubbed the 'Euphrates Rage' operation, had officially begun.

They said they hoped Turkey would not 'interfere in internal Syrian affairs.'

The statement said that 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation.

The announcement by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian forces, was made Sunday at a press conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, attended by commanders and spokespeople for the group.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commanders announce campaign to retake Raqqa from ISIS. They are pictured at a news conference in Ain Issa, Raqqa Governorate, Syria, on Sunday

The announcement comes as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces had entered the eastern edges of the IS-held city of Mosul and were working to push deeper into the last IS urban bastion in Iraq.

But the Kurdish officials said the two campaigns were not coordinated, but simply 'good timing.'

The SDF is dominated by the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG.

The United States considers the group as the most effective force against the IS, but Turkey views them as a terror organization and claims it's linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish group.

Turkish officials including President Recep Tayip Erdogan have said they will not accept a role for the Kurds in the liberation of Raqqa.

In this file photo soldiers from the Syrian army fire a rocket at Islamic State group positions in the province of Raqqa in February 2016

The announcement by the Syrian Democratic Forces said that 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation

Turkey's defense minister last week suggested that instead of the Kurds, Turkish-backed forces can present an 'alternative.'

But Kurdish officials have rejected any role for Turkey, or the opposition forces it backs inside Syria, in the Raqqa campaign, and U.S. officials have also acknowledged that the YPG will be a major part of any Raqqa offensive.

'Our hope is that the Turkish state will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria,' said an unidentified SDF official at Sunday's press conference. 'Raqqa will be free by its own sons.'

A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province on June 30, 2014

Militant Islamist fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province on June 30, 2014

A fighter of the Islamic State group waves their flag from inside a captured government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, in August 2014

There was no immediate comment from Turkey or the U.S. on the Kurdish announcement.

U.S. officials have acknowledged that ousting IS from Raqqa poses tougher political challenges than the offensive on Mosul, and have suggested the initial stage would involve isolating the city before any forces try to move in.

The commander of anti-IS coalition forces, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said last week that American intelligence has detected signs that Islamic State attacks against Western target are being plotted from Raqqa, adding urgency to coalition plans to encircle and eventually assault the city.

'We know this plot-and-planning is emanating from Raqqa. We think we've got to get to Raqqa pretty soon.'

Residents drive and ride their vehicles through a street in central Raqqa on September 25, 2014

Fighters from the Islamic State march in Raqqa, Syria. The city is the nucleus of the terror group's version of an Islamic caliphate (file photo)

But coalition leaders have been struggling with the timing for the Raqqa campaign, not only because of the demands of the large Iraqi-led Mosul operation but also because the political and military landscape in Syria is more complicated.

Townsend said more Syrian opposition fighters need to be recruited, trained and equipped for the Raqqa battle, but he and other officials have said in recent days that the Mosul and Raqqa operations will overlap.

Unlike in Iraq, where the coalition has a coherent government to work with, the U.S. and its coalition partners in Syria are relying on a hodge-podge of local Arab and Kurdish opposition groups, some of whom are fierce rivals.

The tensions are exacerbated by the presence of Russian and Syrian forces on one side and Turkish forces on another.

Townsend said, however, that the YPG will necessarily be part of the offensive.
The family of Stephen Dick watched in horror as he drowned selflessly trying to save his 13-year-old son from a deadly rip on an unpatrolled beach.

Seven months later they have returned to Boomerang Beach on the NSW mid-north coast for the first time to be reunited with the surfer who tried to rescue him.

'It was fun. We were just happy. Everybody loved to go into the water and play,' his wife Marianne Bonnay told Sunday Night of the fateful family beach outing.

The family of Stephen Dick watched in horror as he drowned selflessly trying to save his 13-year-old son from a deadly rip on a beach

Mr Dick was the father of six children aged between two and 16

Suddenly, their sons Jacque, 13, and Liam, 16, were pulled out to sea by the rip, and Mr Dick, 53, immediately sprang into action when his wife cried out.

'It started getting worse and worse. And just pulled me straight out. I was exhausted,' Jacque said.

'I wanted to just stop and lie down, 'cause you just get to the point where you're too tired to breathe.'

Seven months later his wife Marianne Bonnay returned to Boomerang Beach on the NSW mid-north coast for the first time

During the family outing, their son Jacque, 13, was suddenly pulled out to sea by the rip, and Mr Dick, 53, immediately sprang into action when his wife cried out

Liam, 16, was also stuck in the rip but managed to fight his way out

Ms Bonnay watched from the beach where her younger children were building sandcastles.

'So, it went on for, I don't know, 15 or 20 minutes. It was just like endless. And I could see them fighting,' she said.

Mr Dick was eventually able to drag Jacque far enough towards shore that he could stand up and walk out, and Liam managed to pull himself out of the rip.

But the effort completely exhausted Mr Dick and he collapsed face-first into the surf as his wife and sons yelled at him to keep going before they lost sight of him.

'And I was like saying "we're almost there! you can do it, you can do it!",' Liam said.

Mr Dick was eventually able to drag Jacque far enough towards shore that he could stand up and walk out

The rescue completely exhausted Mr Dick and he collapsed face-first into the surf as his wife and sons yelled at him to keep going before they lost sight of him

Ms Bonnay cried for help and was heard by a local over the road from the beach who called to carpenter, Jye Fischer, who was working next door.

'They yelled out to me "someone's drowning", and I kind of just took off as fast as I could to get down there,' he said.

A keen surfer, Mr Fischer took his board and paddled out Mr Dick, but by the time he found him it was too late.

'I knew pretty much straight away that he was gone, but miracles do happen and every second counts so I tried to do what I could,' he said.

Hearing cries foir help, local surfer Jye Fischer took his board and paddled out to when Mr Dick had fallen, but by the time he found him it was too late

The courageous rescuer had not seen the family since that day, until he met with Ms Bonnay on the beach for the program, carrying a bouquet of flowers

'His colour was green and his eyes were wide open and I knew we wouldn't get him back,' Ms Bonnay tearfully recalled.

They tried to resuscitate him but to no avail. He died on the sand in front of his wife and six children.

'I just kind of lost it. I turned around, to walk off the beach,' Mr Fischer recalled.

'And one of the youngest kids came up to me and grabbed me and cuddled me and said "thanks for trying". And I just broke down after that.'

'I'm guessing it has been probably a rough journey for him too,' she said after they shared a tearful embrace

'I miss his company. His jokes. He's the father of my children. He was my best friend,' Ms Bonnay said.

The courageous rescuer had not seen the family since that day, until he met with Ms Bonnay on the beach for the program, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

'I'm guessing it has been probably a rough journey for him too,' she said after they shared a tearful embrace.

'Because, he probably feels that if he was there a couple of minutes before, nothing of that would have happened.

'But he was there. And he took Stephen out. And that was very important to us.'

Now Ms Bonnay and her six children are trying to move forward without their sole breadwinner and loving husband and father.

Mr Dick drowned at Boomerang Beach (pictured) on the NSW mid-north coast

'I miss his company. His jokes. He's the father of my children. He was my best friend,' Ms Bonnay said.

'You know, happiness is different shades. There is passion. And there is also everyday life. I miss everything.

'We just have to learn to live without him. And learning what he has taught to us. And try to be happy again. Because I don't want to raise depressed children.'

But they know it was worth it - both eldest sons are alive and could not be prouder of him.

'Doing what he did and swimming against the rip, to get me back. He saved my life,' Jacque said.
Arch-Europhile Lord Patten today launched an extraordinary 'Blue-on-Blue' attack on a Cabinet minister for voicing doubts about the Brexit court ruling.

The former Tory chairman said Communities Secretary Sajid Javid should be 'out on his ear' as he did not understand 'what the rule of law means'.

The furious rebuke came after Mr Javid warned that the High Court case was an 'attempt to frustrate the will of the British people'.

Lord Patten vented his fury at Sajid Javid during an appearance on ITV's Peston show today

Communities Secretary Mr Javid described the court case last week as an 'attempt to frustrate' the will of the British people

He stressed that his criticism was of those who had brought the challenge - including businesswoman Gina Miller - rather than the judges who ruled that the Prime Minister cannot trigger Article 50 without votes in parliament.

Theresa May has insisted she disagrees with the outcome, which is threatening to tear to shreds her Brexit timetable, and declared that the government will appeal.

The stage is now set for a dramatic showdown in the Supreme Court that could potentially decide the future path of the country.

The PM says she is entitled to invoke Article 50 - the formal mechanism for starting Brexit - using ancient Royal Prerogative powers, under which she can also take the country to war if necessary.

Lord Patten, who served as an EU commissioner and was chairman of the BBC Trust, vented his anger at ministers' response to the judgement in an interview today.

'He should have been out on his ear,' the peer told ITV's Peston show.

He said that if one of his colleagues in the John Major government had made such comments 'quite a lot of us who would have been very reluctant to sit around a Cabinet table with him'.

The row escalated today as Nigel Farage warned that defying the result of the EU referendum could cause violence on the streets.

The Ukip leader faced off against Ms Miller as they both appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning.

Lord Patten, a former EU commissioner who served in John Major's Cabinet, said Mr Javid should be 'out on his ear'

Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Gina Miller, who spearheaded the legal challenge, clashed on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today

After Ms Miller said Mr Farage should be her 'biggest fan', he shot back: 'What part of leave do you not understand?'

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was 'highly unlikely' the Commons would seek to block Brexit by voting against the triggering of Article 50.

But he also warned MPs and peers against undermining Mrs May's negotiation strategy by trying to get details of the government's priorities.

'Our concern is a more fundamental one, which is if you are a Remainer and you are worried about the decision taken by the British people - I was a Remainer until June 23 - and you are worried about the impact on the economy, the impact on the economy will be far worse if through some parliamentary mechanisms Theresa May is forced to lay out her entire negotiating strategy,' Mr Hunt said.

'And there's a confusion here  parliament passes laws, it always has, but governments negotiate treaties. And the reason parliament can't negotiate treaties is because you can't decide an international treaty by a simply vote of MPs.

'There is another party involved there is negotiation, there is to and fro and in that situation you have to give the Government latitude to make a deal.'

Mr Hunt voiced similar concerns to Mr Farage about the public backlash if the referendum result was not implemented.

'For people who are worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy or whatever else it is, the damage to the fabric of our democracy will be far, far worse if people felt the establishment was trying to unpick a decision that was made,' he said.
A disabled yachtswoman who became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the UK has told how she has miraculously regained movement in her limbs.

Hilary Lister, who was paralysed from the neck down when she finished the 1,800-mile journey in 2009, opened up about her recovery after she was filmed playing with her dog and feeding herself a biscuit.

Footage shows the 44-year-old, who was struck down with a rare degenerative disorder in her teens, picking up a pen and raising a leg while she was lying down.

Ms Lister, from Faversham, Kent, said she kept her progress a secret from family, friends and full-time carers because she was terrified it may be temporary.

Disabled yachtswoman Hilary Lister (shown) who became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the UK has told how she has miraculously regained movement in her limbs

'As far as I know I'm the first person this has happened to. It is an incredible story, but it's true,' she told the Sunday Mirror.

'I was beyond words  ecstatic on one hand, but I was also terrified because I thought it might go away and also because it was potentially a huge life change for me.'

She recalled the moment she first felt pins and needles in her arms after having a spinal cord implant, designed for pain relief, fitted in September 2015.

'They turned it on and to everyone's astonishment it worked. I immediately felt pins and needles in both of my arms and my left leg and twitches where I'd never had anything before. It was like magic,' she said.

Ms Lister opened up about her recovery after she was filmed playing with her dog Mollie (shown)

She sailed into the history books when she completed the voyage around the UK in 2009

'In June this year I started to feel the first trembles of movement in my shoulders and more twitches, generally in my hands. It didn't happen overnight but gradually things progressed.'

The yachtswoman, who is understood to receive disability benefits to pay for three full-time carers, denied any suggestions she had lied about her capabilities.

Ms Lister was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy in her teens and gradually lost use of her limbs.

She became quadriplegic, losing movement in all four of her limbs, at the age of 28 when she became unable to use her hands.

The yachtswoman, who is understood to receive disability benefits to pay for three full-time carers, denied any suggestions she had lied about her capabilities

Ms Lister covered roughly 60 miles a day with overnight stops as she circumnavigated Britain

But she did not let this get in the way of her dreams and in September 2009 she sailed into the history books when she completed the challenge.

She covered roughly 60 miles a day with overnight stops as she circumnavigated Britain.

At the time, she was paralysed below the neck and had to rely on blowing through straws connected to a computer in order to operate a 20ft racing yacht.

Her team of supporters were on hand at all times, tracking her position every night so they could tow her into port and then back to the same place in the morning.

After arriving back in Dover, she said: 'I'm so relieved to be home but looking forward to the next challenge.'
It is four years since toddler Darcy Atkinson died, but his parents are no closer to finding out exactly what - or possibly who - caused his death.

After a coroner found New South Wales Central Coast boy Darcy, two, died in 2012 of a brain injury caused by swallowing too much water, it is possible his devastated parents may never what happened leading up to his death - or how he sustained other injuries that marked his body.

They spoke to 60 Minutes in the hope that it would aid their continuing fight to reveal the truth about what happened to their son.

Darcy Atkinson, two, before his death in December 2012. His parents are still looking for answers about the events leading up to their child dying

Darcy was admitted to hospital but despite that, died a day later

At the time of Darcy's death his parents, Peter Atkinson and Tara Maxwell, had split up and were living apart.

Mr Atkinson had moved back to Victoria to be close to his family while Ms Maxwell, Darcy and Ms Maxwell's older son, Gracen, stayed in the central coast of NSW.

Ms Maxwell was balancing being a single parent and holding down full-time work.

The day Darcy was admitted to Sydney's Westmead Hospital he was in the care of her partner at the time, Adam Taylor.

Darcy's parents Tara Maxwell (left) and Peter Atkinson (right)

They'd been paddle boarding and swimming. At some point Darcy hit his head and was also submerged for at least one second.

Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon later found that Darcy had died from a brain injury after ingesting water while in the care of Mr Taylor.

'Adam Taylor has more of a story to tell about that,' Mr Dillon said, '(This) troubling and suspicious set of circumstances remains unresolved.'

Despite that, there was no evidence to suggest Mr Taylor had caused Darcy any harm.

Darcy was described as an active, enthusiastic young boy full of life

Adam Taylor, who was taking care of Darcy when the toddler was hospitalised

Dr Barry Wilkins was one of the treating doctors at the hospital, he told the inquest Darcy had been thrashed, and received a blow to the back of the head.

They've ripped my whole life apart and given me this bag of sand and told me to bury it

'And even more importantly and relevant ... I know that he was boxed on the ears probably that day ... he died consequently,' Dr Wilkins told the inquest.

The confusion surrounding the case, and the strong evidence of abuse had Mr Atkinson constantly searching for answers.

'It is hard to point fingers when you don't know who to blame,' he told Daily Mail Australia in March 2016.

'I just want anyone with more information to come forward.

'They've ripped my whole life apart and given me this bag of sand and told me to bury it', he told 60 Minutes through tears.

Ms Maxwell - who moved to Darwin for a fresh start - said she wouldn't stop until she knew the truth.

'I won't stop until we find out what we need to find out.'

Mr Taylor declined to speak to 60 Minutes.

Ms Maxwell's partner at the time Darcy died was Adam Taylor (pictured)
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The first snow of winter has fallen in northern parts of Britain - causing chaos for motorists who were left stranded on the roads.

Britain is set to shiver for the next few days while the country is hit by cold winds and scattered showers.

Parts of the UK were affected today and drivers were forced to battle with the elements as heavy snow caused mayhem on the A689 near Nenthead, Cumbria, this morning.

In Tan Hill, North Yorkshire, a woman braved the chilly conditions to walk her dog near the North Pennines, where temperatures are set to drop to below freezing.

Motorists battle with the elements as heavy snow causes chaos on the A689 near Nenthead, Cumbria, on Sunday

A motorist was forced to ask for help after heavy snow caused chaos on the roads in Nenthead, one of England's highest villages

Staff at Hartside Cafe in Penrith, Cumbria, cleared snow from the patio as snowfall blanket parts of Northern England today

A black Hyundai had to be pushed after getting stuck in heavy snow which caused chaos on roads in Nenthead, Cumbria

Elsa, eight, was photographed sledging in the snow near Nenthead, Cumbria, as snowfall blanket parts of England today

A snowplough was photographed trying to clear the road near Nenthead as motorists attempted to battle the conditions

Rolo the dog was photographed playing in the snow covered fields near Nenthead, Cumbria, on Sunday morning

A woman braved the cold to walk her dog following a dusting of snow at Tan Hill in North Yorkshire on Sunday morning

The roof of a property in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, ended up being white after snow fell over northern parts of England last night

Roads were thankfully clear as motorists drove in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham - surrounded by snow on the hills

Meanwhile, eight-year-old Elsa, was photographed enjoying the winter snow as she went sledging near Nenthead on Sunday morning, where the temperature dropped down to just one degrees.

And the small market town of Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham was also hit by snow last night.

On Saturday, parts of the North Pennines were covered in snow as men, women and children were forced to pull their hoods over their heads as they walked in Cumbria.

And the snow is set to continue into next week in areas of the Peak District in Derbyshire, where temperatures will continue to drop.

On Sunday, the UK will feel cold again due to the chilly and brisk north wind, while gales will continue to batter the east coast of England, according to the Met Office.

Mark Wilson, a Met Office meteorologist, said: 'On Tuesday, rain coming from the west could turn into snow. In the Peak District, we could see some more snow.'

On Monday, most places in the UK will be sunny but there will be showers in the east of the country but the winds will die down.

Snow will fall on high ground in the north on Tuesday and Wednesday and it is set to stay chilly with showers.

But in the south, the sun was shining today and beautiful autumnal colours were on show at Bolderwood in the New Forest, Hampshire, while Londoners enjoyed a pleasant stroll through Regents Park.

Snow fell over parts of England last night and this morning as winter arrives in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham

A light dusting of snow had fallen on a sign for the Yorkshire Dales National Park near Tan Hill in North Yorkshire

But in the south, the sun was shining and beautiful autumnal colours were on show at Bolderwood in the New Forest, Hampshire

People were photographed running in Regents Park, London, on a beautiful autumnal day on Sunday morning

One woman wearing a black bobble hat was pictured relaxing on a bench in Regents Park in central London

A man and woman took a stroll as golden leaves were on the ground in Regents Park in central London on Sunday

November lambs were photographed relaxing in the sunshine in the fields at Woolgarston in Dorset on Sunday

Two walkers were enjoying a sunny, but cold morning, up on Corfe Common in Dorset on Sunday as temperatures begin to drop
Hillary Clinton regularly instructed her housekeeper to print government emails and documents when she was secretary of state  including classified materials, according to FBI memos.

FBI memos show Marina Santos often handled sensitive information, but didn't have the security clearance to do so, the New York Post reports.

The housekeeper was paid to look after Clinton's home in Washington, known as Whitehaven.

But the Democratic nominee also trusted the Filipina immigrant with state secrets, asking her aides to forward messages and attached documents they sent her on to Santos to print at home.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blasted the arrangement on Sunday morning, telling a Sioux City, Iowa crowd that Clinton was 'completely jeopardizing the national security of the United States.'

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Hillary Clinton (above) regularly instructed Marina Santos (pictured right on Friday outside Clinton's Washington home) to print government emails and documents when she was secretary of state  including classified materials, FBI notes say

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blasted Clinton's housekeeper arrangement on Sunday morning, telling a Sioux City, Iowa crowd that she was 'completely jeopardizing the national security of the United States'

Clinton asked Santos to print drafts of her speeches, confidential memos as well as 'call sheets'  talking points and background information prepared before calls to foreign leaders, according to the Post.

'Pls ask Marina to print for me in am,' Clinton emailed Huma Abedin, about a redacted message from 2011 which was marked sensitive, but unclassified.

In a classified email from 2012 about the new president of Malawi, Clinton's aide Monica Hanley told her: 'We can ask Marina to print this.'

The housekeeper also had access to the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF)  an extremely secure room agents set up at Whitehaven.

Santos did not have clearance for the SCIF, yet 'collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton,' according to FBI notes.

The bureau noted that Clinton periodically received the Presidential Daily Brief, a top secret document prepared by the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

FBI memos show Marina Santos (pictured outside Clinton's home on Friday carrying dry cleaning) often handled sensitive information, but didn't have the security clearance to do so

But Clinton was never asked to hand over the computers Santos received the emails on, the printed documents or the printer she used to print them.

In the final days of the campaign, Clinton has faced extraordinary challenges after the FBI confirmed plans to renew its focus on the former secretary of state's email practices.

Clinton has said she made a 'mistake' over her use of a private email server for work correspondence while she was US secretary of state.

An FBI investigation concluded in July that Mrs. Clinton and her staff had been 'extremely careless' with classified information, but there was no evidence she knowingly shared sensitive material and criminal charges were not recommended.

Trump has claimed Clinton should be in jail over the scandal and a special prosecutor will be instructed to investigate her if he is elected president

Just over a week before election day, FBI director James Comey announced the case was being reopened after new emails 'pertinent' to the investigation had been discovered.

Trump predicted Sunday that 'there's little doubt that FBI director Comey and the great special agents within the FBI will be able to collect more than enough evidence to garner indictments against Hillary Clinton and her inner circle.'

'We could very well have a sitting president under felony indictment, and ultimately a criminal trial,' he said.

Clinton's 'scandals and controversies,' he said, would 'continue through out her presidency' and 'make it virtually impossible for her to govern.'

'Let's hope we don't have to think about it.'

The unearthed emails were found during the FBI's investigation into former New York Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner, who is accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old and is married to Mrs Clinton's aide Huma Abedin.

Donald Trump has claimed Clinton should be in jail over the scandal and a special prosecutor will be instructed to investigate her if he is elected president.

In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted Clinton for her 'pattern of dangerous and unethical behavior.'

'We've known for months that Hillary Clinton egregiously mishandled classified information and jeopardized national security by setting up a secret email server but the revelations she asked her maid to print out classified material at her home gives the word reckless a whole new meaning,' he said.
Kaine believes FBI director James Comey only wrote his letter to Congress about Clinton's emails to stop his subordinates from leaking information

'It is a massive blow to the integrity of [the FBI],' the VP nominee said

He later walked back his claim - but Kaine called his walk back not credible

Ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani's claimed he knew about the FBI's investigation into Hillary's emails weeks before Comey's letter

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine accused some people in the FBI of 'actively working' to help Donald Trump's campaign.

Kaine believes that FBI Director James Comey only wrote his letter to Congress about the new investigation into Clinton's emails because 'there were people within the FBI actively working  actively working  to try to help the Trump campaign.'

'This is absolutely staggering,' he told Fusion.

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Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine accused some people in the FBI of 'actively working' to help Donald Trump's campaign

The potential VP branded the bureau a 'leaky sieve', adding that he believed Trump surrogate and ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani's earlier claim he knew about the FBI's investigation into Hillary's emails weeks before Comey's letter.

Top House Democrats have already called for an official investigation.

Giuliani later walked back the claim, saying that all he knew was that former FBI agents were furious that Comey had not filed a criminal investigation into Clinton.

Kaine branded the bureau a 'leaky sieve', adding that he believed Trump surrogate and ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani's (left) earlier claim he knew about the FBI's investigation into Hillary's emails weeks before Comey's (right) letter

But Kaine dismissed the Trump surrogate's denial as not 'credible'.

'It is a massive blow to the integrity of [the FBI],' he said.

Kaine told Fusion that he does not believe that Comey's letter to Congress - just days before the election - was an attempt to influence voters.

Instead, he believes that the director felt pressured to do something because his 'subordinates would do it if he didn't.'

However, he said that it was a 'massive mistake' to release information about the pending investigation - in a breach of protocol - so close to the election.

Kaine, who is the running mate for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (pictured together) said the leaks have been a massive blow to the integrity of the FBI

Kaine warned that any complaints from Trump (pictured) about the legitimacy of the election following the results, would just be 'the words of a sore loser'

'I think there are clearly people in the FBI who are trying to put their thumb on the scale in an election,' he said. 'It is very troubling.'

Kaine said that once the election is over, Comey and the bureau would face a 'lot of questions.'

Meanwhile, he warned that any complaints from Trump about the legitimacy of the election following the results, would just be 'the words of a sore loser.'
The family of a sex abuse fantasist who made false claims against war hero Lord Bramall have called for the man known only as 'Nick' to be charged.

A woman who was married to the accuser's father told The Sunday Telegraph that he should be prosecuted over his 'evil' lies.

'When I think what his claims have cost - both financially and emotionally - to different people I can not believe how evil he is,' the woman said.

Both she and his siblings have reportedly called for him to be charged with perverting the course of justice. He cannot be identified because of laws that protect complainants of sexual abuse.

Her comments come as Scotland Yard is set to release its findings into the decision to raid homes of dignitaries, such as Lord Bramall, based purely on 'Nick's' unfounded claims.

The report will be published on Tuesday, the day of the US election.

The Metropolitan Police did not tell Lord Brittan (left) he had no case to answer before he died last January. The force announced last month it had dropped the investigation into Lord Bramall (right)

It was claimed by 'Nick' that the so-called 'VIP paedophile ring' operated out of a flat in Dolphin Square

Scotland Yard was forced to admit last year it had made a mistake when a senior officer described Nick's claims as 'credible and true' when it launched a murder investigation.

Det Supt Kenny McDonald used the phrase in 2014 after the force announced an investigation into the alleged killing of three young boys linked to a suspected VIP paedophile ring at the Dolphin Square apartments in Westminster, said to have been active in the 1970s and 1980s.

The probe led to a series of dawn raids and arrests of public figures - including the 92-year-old Lord Bramall, Lord Brittan, Sir Edward Heath and former MP Harvey Proctor.

But the Met was later forced to admit that without Det Supt McDonald's declaration of belief in the witness 'we would not have investigated in the way we have'.

'Nick' also made allegations concerning former Prime Minister Edward Heath. The police have since said they were wrong to call his claims 'credible and true'

Nick went to police with the allegations in 2014 and ended up giving more than 70 hours of videotaped evidence, in which he claimed his stepfather farmed him out to a cabal of VIP paedophiles and, for the next decade, he was regularly abused.

Scotland Yard dropped its investigation into Lord Bramall in January and it was revealed that the case against him was so weak that a file was not even submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Nick's own family described some of his allegations as 'fantasy' and submitted evidence  including photographs  which they say will discredit the claims.

The allegations by Nick sparked the Metropolitan Police's Operation Midland investigation, which is estimated to have cost the taxpayer 2 million to run.

In January it emerged that Nick had also claimed to be a Jimmy Savile victim while appearing on a TV crime documentary in 2014, but during an interview on the show he made no mention of abuse by a political or military figure.
Two members of the violent Apex street gang are set to be deported after their visas were revoked.

They're just a pair of offenders among 173 in Victoria alone who face deportation after their visas were cancelled in the past year due to their criminal activities.

The 19- and 20-year-olds, are serving time in youth detention and afterwards will be kicked out of Australia or placed in immigration detention, the Herald Sun reported.

Members of the Apex gang pictured earlier in 2016. Two other members (not pictured) of the gang have had their visas revoked

The gang (one member pictured above) has gained notoriety for violent crimes including theft and carjackings in Melbourne's suburbs

There are allegedly two more members of the gang who are set to face the same punishment.

According to the newspaper, the duo who have already had their visas revoked are Sudanese-born Isaac Gatkuoth, 19, and a New Zealand-born member of the gang, 20.

Apex - which takes its name from a street in Dandenong, Melbourne, has recently gained notoriety for violence, thefts and carjackings.

Gatkouth has denied being part of the gang.

Apex has recently gained notoriety for violence, thefts and carjackings carried by its members

The gang takes its name from a street in Dandenong, Melbourne

Immigration minister Peter Dutton refused to comment about the pair to the Herald Sun.

However, he said he was still focused on revoking the visas of criminals.

'Australia is a generous nation and we settle a record number of people in our country each year, but we wont hesitate to cancel visas of people who commit crimes against Australians.'

Previously, members of outlaw motorcycle gangs have felt the effect of the 2014 law change.

Since they came into effect, more than 1500 people have had their visas cancelled.
He was found not guilty of murdering Tinder date Warriena Wright, 26

Gable Tostee has been confronted over his lack of emotion and the perception he is a 'heartless, cruel bastard' in a paid tell-all interview with 60 Minutes that has been slammed on social media.

An snippet of the interview, which is rumoured to be earning the 30-year-old carpet layer a six-figure sum, shows Tostee fidgeting and stammering as he responds to questions from journalist Liam Bartlett.

Tostee was found not guilty last month of the murder or manslaughter of 26-year-old New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright, who fell to her death from his 14th floor Gold Coast balcony in August 2014.

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Gold Coast playboy Gable Tostee (pictured) has been confronted over the perception he is a 'heartless, cruel bastard' in a snippet of an intense tell-all interview with 60 Minutes

The 30-year-old carpet layer, who was found not guilty of the murder of Warriena Wright (pictured) in 2014, appeared to be fidgeting and stammering responses to journalist Liam Bartlett

Tostee, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, has been criticised for calling his father and going to get a slice of pizza immediately after Ms Wright, who he met on Tinder that night, died.

In the interview, which is to air on November 13, Tostee maintained he was trying to stop Ms Wright from 'attacking' him on that fateful night and she was 'a guest' in [his] home.

'I don't know what else to do. I wanted it to stop,' Tostee tells Ms Bartlett of the pair's recorded altercation.

The interview is reportedly earning Tostee (pictured) a six-figure payout

Ms Wright fell to her death from his 14th floor Gold Coast balcony in August 2014, the same night she met Tostee for the first time on Tinder

Prosecutors claimed during Tostee's trial Ms Wright had become so intimidated by him she climbed over his balcony, trying to reach the one below (pictures is a police re-enactment)

In the recording taken by Tostee, Ms Wright can be heard yelling 'no' more than 30 times, to which Tostee responds she was 'certainly trying to make a lot of noise.'

'Can you understand why many people would think youre a cold, heartless, cruel bastard?' Ms Bartlett asks Tostee during the clip.

'When you put it that way, umm,' Tostee said before the snippet ended.

The interview has already incited social media backlash from viewers who criticised Channel Nine over the paid interview.

The interview has already incited social media backlash from viewers who criticised Channel Nine for hosting the tell-all (pictured)

The Gold Coast playboy had reportedly become the centre of a bidding war between Nine and Seven Network's flagship current affair programs, 60 Minutes and Sunday Night, according to The Daily Telegraph.

If #60minutes had any credibility left it has lost it paying for #Tostee interview. Cant believe he profits from her death as well, one man said.

Please tell me #60mins hasnt paid Gable Tostee to get his head on TV? Have some respect for her familys loss, a woman wrote on Twitter.

So he wouldnt take the stand in court but will tell his story for money? another woman said.

Tostee has maintained he Ms Wright became violent with him so he placed her on his balcony (pictured)

Tostee is seen outside the Brisbane Supreme Court prior to being found innocent

@60Mins instead of interviewing Gable Tostee and paying him a 6 figure amount use the money to educate men on what no actually means, viewer complained.

Tostee was in the spotlight again earlier this week when he became the first person ever to conquer Gold Coast cafe Gangster and Gatsby's monstrous 'godfather' milkshake.

Ingredients include 5L a whopping five litres of ice cream, a litre-and-a-half of cream and a splash of milk.

The cafe announced his achievement in a triumphant Facebook post - using the name Mr Tostee recently assumed, Eric Thomas.

'Eric Thomas is the first person ever to emerge victorious in the Godfather Challenge!'

He downed the humongous drink in a 'mind blowing' 13.28 minutes.

In a photograph shared online, Mr Tostee could be seen cheering his achievement with a full belly and triumphant smile.

Tostee is pictured after conquering the 'Godfather' shake earlier this week

He became the first person ever to conquer Gold Coast cafe Gangster and Gatsby's monstrous 'godfather' milkshake (pictured)




Those using taxpayer money for appeals include killers and sex offenders

Up to $195 million per year is provided for appeals, according to report

New South Wales Legal Aid provides funding for criminal appeals

Killers and sex offenders are among those using taxpayer money to fund appeals against their sentences.

In New South Wales alone, Legal Aid provides $195 million of its government funding for criminal appeals per year, a report claims.

There are 'dozens' of examples where criminals have received legal aid for such appeals, according to The Daily Telegraph.

School teacher and bride-to-be Stephanie Scott's killer, Vincent Stanford. He's lodged an intention to appeal his life sentence for the killing

Quakers Hill nursing home killer Roger Dean, who intentionally lit a fire that killed 11 people

Among those was Quakers Hill nursing home killer Roger Dean, who intentionally lit a fire that killed 11 people.

Another was Anthony 'Rooster' Perish, whose 2012 murder and mutilation of drug dealer Terry Falconer inspired a series of the television show Underbelly.

Vincent Stanford, the recently convicted rapist and killer of school teacher and bride-to-be Stephanie Scott has lodged and intention to appeal his life sentence.

And Paedophile Richard Wright, who abused a girl from the age of 12, was also given funding to appeal his sentence.

Anthony 'Rooster' Parish, who in 2012 killed and mutilated drug dealer Terry Falconer

The three who have already received taxpayer funding had their appeals dismissed or quashed.

Relatives of Dean's victims described to The Daily Telegraph being devastated by the fact their loved ones' killer had received money to appeal.

Homicide Victims' Support Group trauma and bereavement counsellor Clare Blanch said: 'As all family members of homicide in our group unfortunately come to know, our system is offender-friendly, not victim-friendly.

'An offender will now appeal almost automatically as it is a "free go" and they have nothing to lose  but a Crown appeal is incredibly rare.'

A Legal Aid spokeswoman said it was couldn't comment on individual matters when contacted by The Daily Telegraph.
Marvin Sweers, of Orlando, Florida, was found dead on Saturday after a late-night fishing trip on Friday. Before his mysterious death, he uploaded this image to Facebook

The body of a 61-year-old Florida man, who went missing after uploading images to Facebook while he was fishing on his boat, has been found, police said.

Marvin Sweers, of Orlando, Florida, was reported missing on Saturday by his wife after leaving for a short fishing expedition on Friday evening after work.

She reported to police she'd last heard from her husband at about 7pm on Friday.

Sweers' wife also said her husband uploaded two pictures from his fishing trip to Facebook on Friday evening before he vanished.

One image shows Sweers with a fish he caught during the trip and another shows the sunset as his boat motored through the water.

When his wife tried to call his cell phone, he didn't answer, she told officers.

Orange County Sheriff's deputies and the Coast Guard (pictured) began their search on Saturday morning and at 7.20am, Sweers boat was discovered near one of his favorite fishing spots

Sweers (right) also posted this photo of the sunset (left) before he disappeared on Friday night

Orange County Sheriff's deputies began their search on Saturday morning and at 7.20am, Sweers boat was discovered near one of his favorite fishing spots, according to police.

However, Sweers was not aboard the boat and no where to be found.

'His boat was discovered there at Big Lake Conway still running, but nobody was aboard. All the equipment was aboard at the time,' Sheriffs Office spokesman Jeff Williamson told WFTV.

Sweers' body has since been recovered and an investigation is ongoing into what caused his death

At about 3.30pm, marine and chase units arrived and found his body in the water.

It is believed Sweers' was alone while he was out fishing.
Sydney's iconic Fish Market will be torn down for apartments and a $250 million version built nearby to double tourist numbers.

The plan includes a new 35,000 square metre fish market with 15,500 square metres of retail space, double the current 6,582, over several levels including below the waterline.

More than three million tourists visit the markets every year, but the NSW Government wants to double this to six million.

Sydney's iconic Fish Market will be torn down for apartments and a $250 million version built nearby to double tourist numbers

The plan includes a new 35,000 square metre fish market with 15,500 square metres of retail space, double the current 6,582 (artist's impression)

There would also be restaurants with outdoor dining space for 3,000 customers, an atrium, a possible rooftop bar, and wharves for fishing boats, according to News Corp.

The new building would also include public boardwalks, improved open foreshore space linking Wentworth Park with the waterfront, and a wholesale market with live auctions.

Huge costs for the project would be offset by apartment blocks built on the current market site and its car park, with construction to begin in 2018.

The apartments would contribute towards the 2,760 dwellings mooted to be built in the Bays Market District as part of a $20 billion overhaul of the surrounding areas

There would also be restaurants with outdoor dining space for 3,000 customers, an atrium, a possible rooftop bar, and wharves for fishing boats (artist impression)

The apartments would contribute towards the 2,760 dwellings mooted to be built in the Bays Market District as part of a $20 billion overhaul of the surrounding areas.

The Greens claimed last month this would be the equivalent of 10.5 of the huge towers being built in Barangaroo.

The state government has called for registrations of interest from the 'worlds best design and engineering experts' to produce the new markets by 2020.

More than three million tourists visit the markets every year, but NSW Premier Mike Baird (L) wants to double this to six million

The state government has called for registrations of interest from the 'worlds best design and engineering experts' to produce the new markets by 2020

Premier Mike Baird said the markets were one of Sydney's great tourist attractions but were in desperate need over an upgrade.

'The current facilities are tired and run down. As part of this plan, brand-new, world-class food and dining facilities will be built on Sydney Harbour, creating a haven for foodies and tourists.'

Sydney Fish Market general manager Bryan Skepper welcomed the announcement, saying: 'As much as Sydney loves its fish market, we have long outgrown our existing facilities.'
Leah is now seeking damages from TUI holidays for the unprovoked attack

The 8ft long beast had its teeth in her flesh for a painful

ran Canaria when she was bitten

A selfie hunting tourist was brutally savaged by a tamed sea lion as she waited her turn for a photo with the creature.

Leah Edgar, 20, wanted a snap of the 8ft long and 700Ib animal giving her kiss on the cheek at a water park on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.

However just before her turn the sea lion known as Rocky ran towards the young woman and sank its teeth deep into her thigh.

Leah Edgar wanted Rocky to giver her a kiss on the cheek but he savagely bit her leg

Leah shows her bite wounds in a Gran Canaria hospital. She now wants compensation from TUI holidays

The heavy set animal had its teeth in Leah's thigh for an excruciating five seconds until Rocky's keeper, who was selling more tickets at the time, managed to chase it away.

The shocked woman said: 'It started lumbering towards me at a rate of knots.

'It stopped and stared inches from my face.

'I decided to look away and as I did it sneezed and grunted, and sank its tusks into my thigh. It was agony.'

The 5ft tall Leah went to Aqualand Maspalomas with boyfriend Tom Feeley, 25, at the end of their holiday to Meloneras in September.

She had to visit a local hospital after to receive treatment for her wounds.

Aqualand Maspalomas says visitors of the park can 'admire the beauty and absorb the intellect of the sea lion' which is one of the 'friendliest animals in the ocean.'

Although Sea Lions are known as usually calm creatures capable of tricks they have attacked people on a number of occasions in the wild and captivity

Leah, of Keighley, West Yorks, booked her holiday through tour agency First Choice.

She paid an 58 euros for water park tickets from Thomson Holidays and an extra 12 euros to swim with Rocky.

She received a refund for the tickets but now wants compensation from TUI, which owns First Choice and Thomson.
Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway mocked Hillary Clinton's concert tour  suggesting to CNN's Jake Tapper that people wouldn't come out to see the Democratic nominee without stars at her side.

'I think she's going to have to sort of travel nonstop with Beyonce, Jay Z and the likes of that just to prop her up and get a decent crowd,' Conway said Sunday morning on 'State of the Union.'

'People, by the way, are there to see Beyonce, not to see her,' Conway added.

Conway and the CNN newsman had a contentious Sunday show segment when Tapper didn't want to focus on Trump's rise in the polls.

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Donald Trump's Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway mocked Hillary Clinton's crowds, suggesting that the Democratic nominee would have to bring Jay Z and Beyonce with her everywhere to get any real enthusiasm

Jake Tapper and Kellyanne Conway had a contentious back-and-forth Sunday morning, with Conway questioning the 'storyline' Tapper wanted to talk to her about, instead of focusing on Trump's rise in the polls, which predict that he could pull off a surprise win

Tapper began the interview pointing to events that occurred on the campaign trail last night in Reno, Nevada, with Secret Service agents sweeping in and pulling The Donald offstage when someone in the audience reportedly yelled that a protester had a gun.

No weapon was found at the scene and the protester was identified as a disaffected Republican, now siding with Clinton in the presidential race.

Tapper pointed to a tweet that both Donald Trump Jr. and the campaign's social media director Dan Scavino had retweeted, which said, 'Hillary ran away from the rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.'

Tapper pointed out that what happened wasn't an 'assassination attempt' and asked Conway if it was responsible for top campaign officials to be spreading misinformation.

'Well I'm glad you're happy that everybody's OK,' Conway said, slightly sarcastically. 'That's really the main focus here.'

CNN's Jake Tapper pointed to this tweet, which had been retweeted by Donald Trump Jr. and social media head Dan Scavino and asked Kellyanne Conway if the Trump campaign should be spreading disinformation - as last night's incident was not an assassination attempt

'It's scary,' she added. 'All the coverage is about our protesters wreaking havoc and making people feel afraid and this certainly goes both ways.'

'And it does remind you that in these closing day, especially as the polls tighten, many of us are getting more death threats, getting more angry messages on social media and elsewhere, and it's a pretty fraught environment there,' she continued.

Conway said the protester had canvassed and donated money to Clinton's campaign, calling him a 'Democratic operative' trying to interrupt Trump's rally, adding that her candidate looked 'nimble' and 'resilient' during the threat.

She also pointed out that Donald Trump Jr., who had retweeted the tweet, was likely rattled by what he saw on the television screen, with Secret Service agents pulling his dad off the stage.

'So I'll excuse him now,' Conway said.

Tapper, again, pointed out that what happened wasn't an assassination attempt. 'It was apparently a local voter, a Republican, who says he is supporting Hillary Clinton,' Tapper cut in.

'But most importantly he wasn't trying to assassinate anyone,' Tapper continued.

Things got uglier from there on out.

'First, of all, that's really remarkable, I have to say,' Conway said. 'That that's the storyline here.'

Referring to the tweet, and that Clinton had gotten rained out in Florida yesterday, Conway said, 'I thank you for reminding everybody the rain chased her away.'

'There weren't a lot of people there at her rally to being with and the rain just left them running for cover,' she continued.

Kellyanne Conway said that Hillary Clinton (center) would need to bring Beyonce (left) and Jay Z (right) with her everywhere if she hoped to attract the kinds of crowds that Donald Trump generally brings in

Hillary Clinton (right) has used celebrities including Katy Perry (left), Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Jay Z and Jon Bon Jovi to excited the Obama coalition of Latinos, African-Americans, women and millennials

Conway added that Clinton would need to bring Beyonce and Jay Z, who performed at a concert for Clinton on Friday night in Cleveland, along with her if she wanted to get Trump-sized crowds.

The Democratic nominee has enlisted a number of celebrities  Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and more  to appear alongside her at rallies to help her boost voter turnout among the Obama coalition of Latinos, women, millennials and blacks.

'Hillary Clinton has made tens of millions of dollars on speeches and she gives them for free now and nobody seems to want to show up and listen to them,' Conway also said.

'Her crowds look like she's a professor giving a lecture,' the top Trump operative added.

Conway lit into CNN too, asking Tapper if the network was going to 'retract all the storylines, all the headlines, all the breathless predictions over the last two weeks that turned out not to be true.'

'The race is over, the path is closed, it's going to be a blowout,' Conway continued.
Mr Hussain said he is the victim of 'extreme

Nissar Hussain, from Bradford, suffered a broken kneecap, a fractured forearm and a concussion in the attack in November

A man has been forced to flee his home for the second time amid fears for his safety after suffering 'seven years of persecution' for converting from Islam to Christianity.

Dad-of-six Nissar Hussain, who appeared in a 2008 Channel 4 TV documentary about mistreatment of Muslim converts, was hospitalised last year after a brutal attack caught on CCTV in November.

Two hooded men, one armed with a pick-axe handle, assaulted him - leaving him with a smashed kneecap and a broken hand.

The 50-year-old and his family had been planning to leave their home in Bradford, West Yorks., for the past year, but this week armed police arrived and moved them to a safe place.

Mr Hussain said the culmination of the 'extreme persecution' had devastated his family and the dramatic arrival of armed police was a complete surprise.

He said: 'My family are distraught and extremely traumatised to be leaving.

'But when your life is at stake there is no other choice.'

Mr Hussain converted to Christianity 20 years ago, but says in recent years he has been subjected to harassment and violence by sections of the Islamic community, particularly after the documentary aired.

He said: 'This extreme persecution by certain people in the Muslim community because we are converts has broken us as a family.

Nissar Hussain, 49, with his wife Kubra, 45, pictured at their home in Bradford. He and his family have been targeted by thugs because he converted from Islam to Christianity, he claims

Police are pictured outside the home of Nissar Hussain following the attack in November

'We are fragmented and I do not know how we will recover from this. We haven't functioned properly for years.'

He said 'serious questions' needed to be answered.

At the time of the attack last year, Mr Hussain said he and his family were being driven out of the city and he was making plans to leave.

This week he had started packing up his belongings when the police arrived on Thursday.

He briefly returned home on Friday to collect more items, with police guarding, before leaving Bradford for good.

Mr Hussain, who was a nurse before leaving work due to post-traumatic stress disorder, said his six children, aged eight to 24, and wife would never see their friends again.

He had been expecting an attack for some months, but when the police arrived he was 'none the wiser' that he was at such serious risk.

The Hussain family were denounced as 'apostates' - a term used for those who renounce a religion for another - which in some hardline Islamic countries is punishable with death

In 2015, Mr Hussain has had his car windscreen (pictured) smashed six times at a cost of 5,000

The 50-year-old and his family had been planning to leave their home in Bradford, West Yorks., for the past year and have suffered years of abuse including their property being smashed (pictured)

He said: 'The armed police arrived at about 3pm on Thursday.

'I had been loading a van up with our belongings for eight hours, having to stealthily check no-one could see what I was doing, before they arrived.

'It took me completely by surprise, but their [the police] professionalism was deeply reassuring, and they escorted my family and I to a safe haven outside Yorkshire.'

The Daily Mail first reported the family's ordeal in 2005 when they accused Muslims of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against them.

A year later they moved to a different part of Bradford to start again.

Neighbours welcomed them into the community and all was well until Mr Hussain took part in the Channel 4 Dispatches TV documentary, which was screened in 2008.

They were recognised by a large Muslim family of seven brothers and four sisters living on the same street and were immediately ostracised.

The assault on Mr Hussain was caught on CCTV. West Yorkshire Police confirmed they were treating this as a religious hate crime

Mr Hussain went outside at around 5pm to move his car outside Lawcroft House Police Station. He was attacked by two men, who suddenly stopped their car on the other side of the road

The younger children from both families attended the local Church of England primary school, where a majority of pupils were Muslims of Pakistani heritage, but car sharing trips were soon stopped by the other family.

Mr Hussain said 'word was spread around the playground' about them being Christian converts and their youngest daughter was bullied.

Youngest daughter Leena was told by her friends 'our parents say we mustn't mix with you because you are a convert.' Mr Hussain said: 'She was heartbroken and made to feel like a second class citizen.'

The family were denounced as 'apostates'  a term used for those who renounce a religion for another  which in some hardline Islamic countries is punishable with death.

The 50-year-old was hospitalised in Bradford Royal Infirmary following surgery after the unprovoked assault outside his home in Manningham

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said hate crime would not be tolerated and officers had been working with the family.

He said: 'Our priority has always been to work effectively with our partners to minimise the risk to Mr Hussain and ensure that we maximise opportunities to put control measures in place to safeguard him, his family and consider any wider impact upon the communities across West Yorkshire.

'We are disappointed that Mr Hussain and his family have decided to leave Bradford, particularly as police and partners have been working together for some time to try and resolve the situation to the benefit of all parties concerned.'

He added that an investigation is continuing.

The spokesman continued: 'Police and partners would like to stress that there are a number of other people living in the Bradford district who have not experienced any issues based on their faith, conversion to another faith or choosing not to have a faith.
Donald Trump's campaign office in Denver was vandalized twice in the same day.

Police responded to the office at Clarkson Street and 18th Avenue shortly before 9pm on Friday after a rock was thrown through a window.

Michael Ferrara, 33, was taken into custody on suspicion of criminal mischief, CBS Denver reports.

Ferrara was reportedly detained at the scene by a security guard with Trump's campaign until officers arrived.

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A rock was thrown through the window of Donald Trump's campaign office in Denver on Friday. Above, the window after the incident

Around two dozen volunteers and campaign staff were inside at the time, but no one was hurt, according to the local station.

The incident came hours after the building was vandalized with graffiti that included the words 'pervert' and 'a**wipe'.

The insults were painted on the office's facade in the early hours of Friday morning.

No suspects have been identified or located in that incident.

In the early hours of Friday morning, someone painted graffiti on the campaign office building

It comes after a GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed last month.

Michael Ferrara (pictured) was taken into custody on suspicion of criminal mischief for the rock throwing incident

Trump held a rally in Denver on Saturday night, shortly after he was rushed off stage at an event in Reno, Nevada, over fears a protester had a gun.

No weapon was involved in the commotion that briefly disrupted the rally.

In a statement the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted 'Gun!' but no firearm was found on the person or in the immediate area.

Despite this, Trump's son, Donald Jr., and Dan Scavino, who runs Trump's social media operation, re-tweeted a message that read: 'Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt.'

At the Denver rally, a pastor, introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, falsely called the Reno incident 'an attempt of murder against Mr. Trump.'
The Prime Minister's ability to take us to war if necessary could be threatened by the Brexit court ruling, former defence chiefs have warned.

Two senior military figures have voiced concern that the controversial High Court judgement risks undermining the principle that underpins such decisions.

In the legal case last week judges concluded that Theresa May could not trigger Article 50 - formally starting the Brexit process - without gaining approval from both Houses of parliament.

Lord Dannatt said he feared the judgement on Article 50 could have wider implications

The ruling has thrown the PM's timetable for cutting ties with Brussels into turmoil, with speculation over years of delay as MPs and peers fight a desperate rearguard action to limit the impact of the referendum.

Mrs May has vowed to appeal against the outcome, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown at the Supreme Court next month which could shape the country's future.

But Lord Dannatt and Admiral Lord West have warned that the impact of another defeat for the government could go even wider than Brexit.

The ancient Royal Prerogative powers the PM had relied on to justify invoking Article 50 without reference to parliament are similar to those used to deploy troops.

Since the Iraq war a convention has developed that premiers will seek support from the Commons before launching military action.

David Cameron was initially prevented from launching airstrikes on Syria after losing a vote among MPs.

But ministers have always reserved the right to use forces without formal parliamentary backing if there is no time.

Lord Dannatt told the Sunday Telegraph: 'This judgement should not be allowed to impact on the future use of the Royal prerogative as far as authorising military action is concerned.

'I fear it might, but it is up to the Government now to make it quite clear that that linkage is not legitimate and should not be made.'

Admiral Lord West said Royal Prerogative powers were key to keeping the country safe

Lord Dannatt said protecting the country was 'the most basic duty of government'.

'It's very easy for people to make the case: "There is a precedent now. We rolled over on the Brexit business, the Royal prerogative is a 19th century or 20th century thing, we must get Parliament behind anything we do,"' he said.

'That is kind of consensus government, whereas actually the Prime Minister has to be a leader, to take decisions and live with the consequences.'

Lord West, a former Labour security minister, told the newspaper: 'There are people who don't like the ability to use the Royal prerogative to react and go to war rapidly if you need to as a nation and I'm afraid they are wrong.

'We elect a government and the whole duty of a government is to govern. There may an occasion where you have to take action because the time to act is so little. You can't go and have a debate in Parliament about it.

'Military forces have to move immediately and actions have to be taken immediately. Therefore I think one needs a Royal prerogative or a similar mechanism to allow a Government to take action.'
A British teacher living in Myanmar was found dead in his colleague's apartment today.

The victim, 47, was found with head and chest wounds in the flat in the capital of Yangon on Sunday.

Another teacher, 25, who is also believed to be British, is wanted by police in connection with the crime.

The suspect and victim have not been named but both are believed to work at Horizon International School, a private school in the city.

A British man was found dead inside his co-worker's apartment with wounds on his head and chest in 39th Street in Yangon (file photo)

According to local media reports, the victim's wife told police the men spent Friday night drinking together in downtown Yangon.

At around 4am on Saturday the suspect's girlfriend phoned the victim's wife and told her the two men had been arguing and fighting.

The victim's wife could not reach her husband the following morning.

She reportedly went to his colleague's apartment on Sunday and phoned police when she discovered her injured husband inside.

The 25-year-old suspect is still at large, police said.

Horizon International School, a private institution that offers kindergarten to high school classes, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Police said the victim and defendant are school teachers from Horizon International School and they are friends (file photo)

Violent crimes involving foreigners are rare in Myanmar, a former junta-run country that still has a small though swiftly-growing expatriate community and tourism industry.

In contrast, fatalities and accidents involving foreigners frequently make the headlines in neighbouring Thailand, a backpacker magnet home to a large foreign population.

In September, Thai police arrested three Americans in Bangkok after discovering the frozen body parts of another foreigner inside their freezer.
Nigel Farage has seen his pay rise by around 1,000 since the referendum

Nigel Farage and other MEPs have seen their salaries soar by a thousand pounds a month in the wake of the Brexit vote, it has emerged.

The Ukip leader is among the politicians who have received significant hikes due to the fall in the value of sterling since the historic referendum.

MEPs are paid in euros, and their salary currently works out as 8,213 per month.

In May that was worth 6,317. But the pound's fall in value following the Brexit vote means it is now more like 7,300.

Liberal Democrat Tom Brake, who did the calculations, told the Sunday Times: 'While the fall in sterling is hitting families through higher prices in shops, Farage and his Ukip colleagues are enjoying a Brexit bonus worth thousands of pounds.

'Ukip MEPs claimed that voting 'leave' would put them out of a job; it's time they honoured that promise and resigned, instead of milking the taxpayer to the bitter end.'

Ukip insisted most of MEPs' salaries were spent in Brussels, and so they had not seen a significant benefit.

The salaries for the 73 UK MEPs are due to be adjusted in January to bring them more into line with pay for MPs.

Mr Farage warned of violence on the streets if Brexit is denied today as he engaged in angry clashes with Gina Miller on live TV.

The businesswoman and former model insisted the Ukip leader should be her 'biggest fan' because her High Court case had restored power to parliament.

But Mr Farage hit back by warning of riots if the outcome of the historic EU referendum result was not implements, asking her: 'What part of the word 'leave' don't you understand?'

The explosive exchanges came as the pair appeared together on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme this morning.

The shock High Court judgement last week is threatening to tear apart Theresa May's timetable for cutting ties with Brussels.

The judges endorsed the case brought by Ms Miller and Remain supporters allies that the PM cannot invoke Article 50 - the formal mechanism for leaving the EU - without votes in parliament.

Mr Farage, who has said he will stay on as an MEP until the UK leaves the EU, clashed on TV today with Gina Miller who brought the High Court challenge to Article 50

The government has argued that it is able to launch the process using ancient Royal Prerogative powers, which are used for actions such as taking the country to war.

The case is now slated for a dramatic showdown in the Supreme Court next month, which could potentially shape the future of the country. If ministers are forced to pass legislation MPs and peers are expected to fight a rearguard action to limit the scope of Brexit and keep us in the single market.

Mrs May insisted today that she disagreed with the verdict, and saying that she was determined to implement the will of the people 'in full'.

Speaking today, Ms Miller told Mr Farage he should be her 'biggest fan'.

But the Ukip leader retorted: 'I just want to ask her what part of the word leave don't you understand?'

Ms Miller shot back: 'Have you read the case?'

Mr Farage pressed Ms Miller over whether she wants the UK to remain part of the single market, prompting her to reply: 'I'm not the politician here. I'm the person who saw the elephant in the room, which is there's no legal certainty.

'You should actually be my biggest fan because I've just created the legal certainty so that Theresa May can now, rather than appealing, go ahead, have the debate and leave - not interrupt her timetable.'

Mr Farage accused Ms Miller of giving those in Parliament who argue the referendum does not mean Britain should leave the single market 'the chance, effectively, to overturn' Mrs May's wish and mandate her.

He added: 'If that happens, you will have stirred up, I think, the biggest political upset we've ever seen.'
An Irish jihadi who was killed in a botched suicide attack in Iraq on Friday failed to kill any of his targets.

Iraqi officials confirmed that Khalid Kelly, known as Terry Taliban was driving a large bomb built inside a specially-armoured truck when it was struck by an anti-tank missile.

The 49-year-old terrorist, who converted to Islam while in prison in Saudi Arabia for smuggling alcohol.

An image said to be released by ISIS of Khalid Kelly who the group confirmed had killed himself in a suicide attack in Mosul

ISIS announced that Kelly, who they called Abu Osama Al-Irlandi, died during the attack outside Mosul.

Kelly, who was from The Liberties area of Dublin's inner city, was driving his truck bomb towards Popular Mobilization Forces when one of their fighters launched the anti-tank round

ISIS were filming the attack to use Kelly's death as a propaganda tool.

A source for the PMU told the Irish Times: 'We had eight injured troops from shrapnel and blast wave. No deaths thank God.

'He was stopped with the second RPG7 that got the vehicle but was close enough that shrapnel reached some troops not sheltered in vehicles.'

The 49-year-old father-of-one, travelled to Saudi Arabia to work tax free but was caught with a crate load of Johnnie Walker scotch and was jailed.

While in prison he converted to Islam and was soon radicalised, glorifying the 9/11 attackers and the London suicide bombers of 7/7.

Kelly was born Terence Kelly and became a close friend of hate-preacher Anjem Choudary.

Khalid Kelly in 2009 with his son, who he called Osama after his hero Osama Bin Laden

Kelly was born as Terence Kelly in Dublin and had also become known as Abu Osama Al-Irlandi

In 2009, Kelly was living in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, just 60 miles from the Afghan border.

He believed that it was up to Allah whether he fights and dies for Islam, but claimed that he has no concerns as to his fate.

Speaking in 2009, Kelly said: 'I am from Dublin but I am no longer a Westerner. I am a Muslim. I am living 60 miles from the Afghan border. I may travel there and if I came across a Dubliner in a British Army uniform I would not have any problem in fighting, bombing or killing him as I would anyone who is harming Muslims.

'The people here in Pakistan and Afghanistan are now my people. If my own brother was harming Muslims I would have no hesitation in killing him.'

Men are held by Iraqi national security agents, to be interrogated at a checkpoint, as oil fields burn in Qayara, south of Mosul

An Iraqi army captain rides past burning oil fields in Qayara, south of Mosul as the battle rages on

Kelly appeared on the Late Late Show on RTE in October 2003 as part of his mission to raise awareness of his radical group Al Mahajiroun, which was later banned by British authorities.

In a lengthy interview he talked about how he was never able to accept Christianity from his Catholic upbringing and was converted to Islam because he believed the Qu'ran was written to correct mistakes about God and Allah.

Not only did he give up drinking when he left prison, but he sold his house because interest is forbidden in Islam and as he had a mortgage, he had to give up his property ownership.

Speaking about the 9/11 attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., he said: 'I believe Allah gives life and takes life.

'They [the 3000 who died] would have died wherever they were in the world, it is just a condition of their death.'

Iraqi special forces today attacked ISIS in Mosul from a new entry point, to the city's northeast

The suicide attack comes as Iraqi special forces cleared buildings on Saturday in neighborhoods they entered in eastern Mosul a day earlier, after pushing out Islamic State militants in their drive to take back the city.

Fighting continued in the morning, with both sides firing mortars and automatic weapons on each other's positions, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Clashes were most intense in the al-Bakr neighborhood. Sniper duels played out from rooftops in the mostly residential areas, where the majority of buildings are two stories high.

Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces said: 'Daesh [ISIS] is in the city center and we must be very careful as our forces advance,'

With more densely packed neighborhoods ahead, his forces will be challenged to avoid both higher military and civilian casualties.

The special forces launched a two-pronged assault deeper into Mosul's urban centre on Friday, unleashing the most intense street battles against ISIS since the offensive to retake the city began nearly three weeks ago. At least seven special forces troops have been killed in the fighting.

More than 3,000 Iraqi troops took part in the assault under heavy U.S.-led coalition air support, but the pace of the fight also slowed as Iraqi forces moved from fighting in more rural areas with few civilians to the tight, narrow streets of Mosul proper. At least seven suicide attackers in explosives-laden vehicles attacked troops on Friday, five of whom were killed before nearing their targets.

A tank of Iraqi security forces is seen during a battle with Islamic State militants in Ali Rash, southeast of Mosul

In the town of Salhyia, members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police detain and question suspects who were coming from the direction of Mosul

MOSUL RESIDENTS TELL OF HORROR AS THEY DODGE BOMBS TO FLEE ISIS When he saw Iraqi forces approaching Mosul from afar, Abu Fahad yanked the white headscarf off his father's head, turned it into makeshift flag and decided to sneak out. The Iraqi managed to herd around 40 members of his extended family out of the neighbourhood of Samah 'by advancing quietly, hiding under stairs, sidling along walls'. On Saturday, he and his relatives were receiving assistance at a camp in Khazir, a Kurdish-controlled area further east, where displaced civilians are arriving in growing numbers. Most are from Mosul's outskirts, but Abu Fahad and a few others were able to find a gap in the tight seal the Islamic State group had imposed on the city. An Iraqi woman embraces relative who was displaced from Mosul as she visits her at a refugee camp in the Khazir region between Arbil and Mosul Two weeks after Iraq launched its largest military operation in years to retake Mosul, the last major Iraqi hub in the jihadists' shrinking 'caliphate', forces reached the edge of the city. Now the million-plus people believed to be trapped inside have to survive fire from both sides to flee the brutality of the jihadists who have ruled them for more than two years. Abu Sara fled the same neighbourhood, dodging gunfire, bombs, mortar rounds and strikes from the US-led coalition, such was his desperation to leave what many civilians who escaped ISIS rule describe as an open-air prison. 'There were snipers shooting, mortars crashing down, it was hell,' said the 34-year-old, wearing a brown fake leather jacket. 'We walked several miles, taking with us only the clothes we were wearing and white flags we waved the entire way.' Sitting next to him and stroking her belly, his pregnant cousin Umm Mustafa said she could hardly believe she had finally escaped her life spent 'hiding under niqab' face veils. Despite the cold filling the tent that is their new home in Khazir, she was all smiles and wore a teal-coloured dress with matching scarf. 'We're coming back to life,' said Umm Mustafa, keeping a watchful eye on some of her seven children as they played in the gravel at her feet. Abu Ahmed also said that 'life had stopped' for many of the million-plus people who remained in Mosul after ISIS proclaimed its 'caliphate' in June 2014. 'All the factories stopped working, there was no work and no money,' said the 60-year-old man, who worked in the oil sector before the jihadists took over. Sitting next to water taps at the intersection of four of the camp's alleys, Abu Ahmed said he hadn't initially planned to flee Mosul and his neighbourhood of Al-Khadra. He recounted the night that he and his wife were having dinner at their children's place in the Samah neighbourhood. 'We stayed in their home because the bombing was just too intense to go out, but then we escaped and I found myself here,' he said. 'We left everything behind, we have only God.' Abu Fahad, his wife and six children also fled with none of their belongings but they are safe, unlike some of their relatives who remained trapped in Mosul. 'I still have two sisters in the Al-Karama neighbourhood... and I have absolutely no news,' she said. Al-Karama is one of the first districts that the elite Counter-Terrorism Service entered on Friday. The force's commanders said they encountered fierce resistance there and intense fighting was still ongoing on Saturday. 'There's no phone network there, the only place where you might get a signal is on roofs but there are snipers up there,' said Abu Fahad. He said he had heard from neighbours who escaped after him that five residents of the area were killed trying to flee. Advertisement

The operation to retake Mosul is expected to take weeks if not months. Moving from neighborhood to neighborhood in house-to-house battles through warrens of booby-trapped buildings is time consuming and Iraq's military has repeatedly opted for slower operations in an effort to minimize casualties.

Some one million civilians still remain in the city, complicating the advance.

ISIS have driven thousands of residents deeper into the city's built-up areas to be used as human shields, while hundreds of others have fled toward government-controlled territory and thousands have headed west into Syria.

Mosul is the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq, and expelling the militant group from the city would be a major blow to the survival of its self-styled 'caliphate' that stretches into Syria.

Iraqi forces have made uneven progress in closing in on the city since the operation began on Oct. 17. Advances have been slower from the south, with government troops still some 20 miles (35 kilometres) away. Kurdish fighters and Iraqi army units are deployed to the north, while government-sanctioned Shiite militias are sweeping in from the west to try to cut off any ISIS escape route.

A displaced Iraqi woman, who fled the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, makes bread in Khazer refugee camp

Displaced Iraqi people, who fled the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, eat in Khazer refugee camp

Displaced Iraqi people, who fled the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, have an emotional reunion as they meet their relatives in Khazer refugee camp

Those who have been displaced in the bombings and air strikes have fled to a refugee camp in Khazer.

Aid workers have warned of a major humanitarian crisis when fighting begins in earnest for Mosul, which is home to more than a million people, but thousands have already been fleeing surrounding areas.

Islamic State fighters launched counterattacks in the thin strip of territory Iraqi special forces have recaptured in eastern Mosul, highlighting the challenges ahead as the battle moves into more densely populated neighborhoods where coalition air power must be used more selectively.

A displaced Iraqi father plays with his child as the family prepares to live in the Khazer refugee camp while Mosul is a war zone

Iraqi boys play football together in the camp after fleeing because of the Islamic State violence

Iraqi boys wait to receive food at a refugee camp. Aid workers have warned of a humanitarian crisis as thousands fled the city

Iraqis greet their families through the fencing around the camp as relatives are reunited at the refugee camp

Some advances are being made in the south, however. On Saturday, Iraqi forces assaulted ISIS positions in the town of Hamam al-Alil, which lies along the Tigris river about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the southernmost parts of Mosul.

Kurdish television channel Rudaw broadcast live footage of Iraqi troops and armored vehicles amassing outside the city as an attack helicopter fired rockets into the city.

Truckloads full of as many as 1,600 civilians may have been forcibly moved from Hamam al-Alil to Tal Afar earlier this week and could be transferred onward into Syria for likely use as human shields, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned Friday. Another 150 families from the town were moved to Mosul itself, the U.N. said.
The arrest of a convicted rapist in a 2003 quadruple murder has put to rest for the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade.

Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot inside Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 6, 2003.

The case stunned the community and baffled police for more than a decade.

Rumors swirled that the slaying was committed by a Mexican drug gang or the victims were part of a love triangle, crushing the victims' loved ones.

Now, on the 13th anniversary of the murders, the families say Todd Kohlhepp's arrest will bring them some peace.

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The arrest of a convicted rapist in a 2003 quadruple murder has put to rest for the families of the victims a mystery that has haunted them for more than a decade. Above, the family members of the victims comfort each other in the courtroom on Sunday

Tood Kohlhepp (pictured) is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths

Kohlhepp is charged with four counts of murder in the shooting deaths and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office said that he has confessed to the killings.

Terry Guy, whose wife and stepson were among those killed, spoke with reporters outside Spartanburg County jail on his way to Kohlhepp's bond hearing on Sunday.

Guy said Kohlhepp's arrest means his relatives and the families of others killed can now finally be at peace.

'I'm just so relieved,' he said.

Tom and Lorraine Lucas lost their son, Brian, who was the service manager gunned down at the store.

Standing with his wife outside the Spartanburg County Detention Center, Tom Lucas said he wants to be in court to look the man accused of killing his son in the eye.

Scott Ponder and his mother Beverly Guy (pictured) were found dead at the bike shop in 2003

Service manager Brian Lucas and mechanic Chris Sherbert (left) also died in the 13-year-old quadruple murder

Doris Henry, Guy's sister and Ponder's aunt, is pictured left being comforted by her husband while awaiting to hear about them in 2003. Right, a deck of cards made by Lucas' father and passed out to inmates in South Carolina prisons

'We want to see the face. I want to look at him, and I want to try to use that in healing,' he said.

Lorraine Lucas said she started counseling sessions several weeks ago to prepare herself in case a suspect was ever arrested.

'I needed to be prepared for when they do make an arrest, so we can accept what happened,' she said.

Melissa Ponder said she was resigned that her husband Scott's death would never be solved before getting a phone call on Saturday evening from one of the case's original detectives.

Ponder says the detectives told family members of all four victims the news at the same time - that Kohlhepp confessed to the killings.

Judge Jimmy Henson speaks to the family members of the bike shop murder victims during a bond hearing for Todd Kohlhepp at the Spartanburg Detention Facility on Sunday

Todd Kohlhepp is addressed by Judge Jimmy Henson during a bond hearing on Sunday

'He knew too much about the crime scene,' Ponder said of Kohlhepp's account to detectives. 'He knew everything.'

She added: 'It isn't closure, but it is an answer - and I am thankful for that.'

Detectives told Ponder Kohlhepp was an angry customer who had been in the shop several times, she said.

All four victims were shot multiple times, authorities said at the time.

Before Kohlhepp emerged as a suspect, investigators said all four victims were killed with the same 9 mm pistol.

They theorized that the killer came in the back, perhaps through an open garage door, and killed mechanic Sherbert, 26, as he worked.

Bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52, was found just outside the bathroom in the middle of the showroom.

Thirty-year-old shop owner Scott Ponder was found just outside the door in the parking lot. Brian Lucas, 29, was in the doorway.

At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters as a white male, aged between 25 and 40, with dark brown feathered hair, approximately six feet tall and weighing between 175 and 200 pounds.

Kohlhepp (pictured left) confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder. At the time, the suspect was described on 'wanted' posters (right) as a white male, aged between 25 and 40

Law enforcement personnel stand near police tape on Kohlhepp's property in Woodruff, South Carolina, on Sunday

Police work on Todd Kohlhepp's property on Sunday after Kohlhepp showed officers where two other people are buried on his property

The case was Spartanburg County's first quadruple homicide, the Greenville News reported.

Kohlhepp hasn't revealed a motive in the killings and declined to speak when Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson offered him the chance to make a statement at his bond hearing on Sunday.

The victims' families were there as Henson denied bond for Kohlhepp.

After Kohlhepp left the courtroom, Henson addressed the victims' families, saying: 'What you've gone through ... is beyond what a lot of people would understand.'

Kohlhepp is also charged with kidnapping a woman and keeping her chained on his property.

Kala Brown's rescue on Thursday led to the break in the 13-year-old cold case.

A body found Friday has been identified as her boyfriend Charles Carver.
The man who claims to be Bill Clinton's illegitimate son has called on Barack Obama to secure a DNA sample from the former president.

Danney Williams, 30, has claimed to be Clinton's son for more than two decades, and he is now saying Obama should help him prove it as one of his final acts in office.

The father-of-five was born on December 7, 1985, to Bobbie Ann Williams. Williams claims his mother, who worked as a prostitute in Little Rock, Arkansas, told him she had sex with Bill Clinton as many as 13 times.

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Danney Williams, the man who claims to be Bill Clinton's illegitimate son, has called on Barack Obama to secure a DNA sample from the former president

Williams made his plea to President Obama in the latest video posted to his YouTube channel earlier this week.

The two-minute clip, titled 'Bill Clinton's Son - Danney Williams appeals to President Obama', shows the 30-year-old initially comparing himself to the President.

'I am reaching out to you today, because I know you can understand me. You also grew up without a father,' Williams said in the video.

'You have supported Black Lives Matter, and My Brothers Keeper, so I know you believe my life matters.

Williams made his plea to President Obama in the latest video posted to his YouTube channel earlier this week

'I am reaching out to you today, because I know you can understand me. You also grew up without a father,' Williams (pictured infront of a portrait of Bill Clinton) said in the video

'President Obama, I know you are endorsing my step-mother for president. Please ask her to step up to prove my life does matter. That me and my kids have a place in her village too.'

Williams' latest video comes after he appeared at the National Press Club earlier this week and asked Monica Lewinsky to provide him with a sample of Clinton's DNA from her infamous blue dress.

'I respectfully request you provide the sample of genetic matter we require so that we may match it with my own sample,' he wrote in a letter to Lewinsky, which he announced during the Press Club appearance.

President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally to a crowd at a Hillary Clinton rally in Florida

Williams has claimed for more than two decades to be Bill Clinton's illegitimate son

Williams has been thrust into the spotlight throughout the election, and last month he revealed plans to sue Clinton to force him to provide a new DNA sample to determine once and for all whether the former president is his father.

A DNA test was carried out in 1999 and it found it was not possible for Clinton to be the 30-year-old's father, according to Star Magazine.

However, some still question the test, saying it relied on 'imprecise' data.

Despite the test results, Williams and others have continued to make the unproven allegations.

Williams' appeared at the National Press Club earlier this week and asked Monica Lewinsky to provide him with a sample of Clinton's DNA from her infamous blue dress
Theresa May last night defended the free Press's right to criticise the judiciary  saying it 'underpins our democracy'.

The Prime Minister intervened amid protests from lawyers and Remain-supporting MPs over the reporting of last week's hugely controversial High Court ruling that Parliament must be given a vote on Brexit.

The Government is appealing against the decision, saying it was made clear when the referendum was called that the people were being given the final say on whether to remain in the EU.

The Prime Minister said she valued the independence of the judiciary but insisted the freedom of the press was important (stock image)

Theresa May and Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, are welcomed by officials as they arrive with a delegation in India

Ex-Armed Forces chiefs warned the ruling could make it harder for Britain to launch urgent military action by undermining the Royal Prerogative.

Yesterday Cabinet ministers said groups such as the Bar Council were in danger of 'exaggerating' the row over Press headlines. They suggested the judges criticised by the Mail and other newspapers were not going to 'lose sleep over a disobliging headline'.

On a trade mission to India, Mrs May  who herself described the court's verdict as disappointing  twice defended the freedom of the Press. She decided to speak out after ferocious criticism on social media and the BBC of both newspapers and Justice Secretary Liz Truss.

Mrs Truss was savaged by Remain-backing MPs and lawyers for not attacking the Press over its comments. The legal profession said she had a duty to protect the independence of the judiciary.

Mrs May said yesterday: 'I believe in the value of the independence of our judiciary. I also value the freedom of our Press. I think those both underpin our democracy and they are important.

'Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments  I believe as a Government we have got strong legal arguments. The Supreme Court will now decide.

'I also reiterate that Parliament gave this decision to the British people in the referendum, and I think for MPs and peers they should remember that the British people gave their view. The majority said we should leave the EU.'

Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd was one of three judges behind the Brexit ruling, which found Theresa May does not have the power to trigger the process of leaving the EU

He was aided by 'Master of the Rolls' Sir Terence Etherton (left) and Lord Justice Sales (right)

PM MUST CONDEMN EDITORS, SAYS EX-BBC CHAIRMAN Former European commissioner Chris Patten last night demanded Theresa May chastise newspapers that dared question last week's High Court ruling on Brexit. The former chairman of the BBC Trust, who is now chancellor of Oxford University, called on the PM to display 'leadership' by publicly attacking the Press. Tory peer Lord Patten, who opposed Brexit, also called for Sajid Javid to be sacked over comments on the ruling. The Communities Secretary said the judges had been seeking to 'frustrate the will of the British people'. He praised former attorney general Dominic Grieve, who said the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph's coverage was like 'living in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe'. Speaking on the ITV Peston on Sunday programme, Lord Patten said: 'Here we are with a debate in this country that is starting to make us look mean and a bit nasty. 'Theresa May should make it clear that she doesn't like the way that tabloid editors have been pushing this debate, that we need to be, to behave more decently to one another with a great deal more respect.' The ex-Tory party chairman helped introduce the poll tax. He later served as the last governor of Hong Kong and was appointed by Tony Blair as one of the UK's European commissioners. Advertisement

The PM added: 'It is important that we have the independence of the judiciary. It is also important that we have a free Press.'

Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC also defended the right of the Press to criticise, as well as the independence of the judiciary.

Addressing a meeting on pro bono legal work this morning, Mr Wright said: 'The claimants in this and every other case are entitled to bring their case and to have it heard by the court and are entitled to do so without being harassed or intimidated. The judges in this case are entitled to decide this case in any way they choose in accordance with their judgment.

'Im sure they would accept they are unlikely to decide so without criticism. But the principles [of the rule of law] remain critical in cases as big and fundamental as this one.

'I can and do defend those principles at the same time that I disagree respectfully with the court. But the good news is that theres a mechanism to allow those who disagree. Its called an appeal and we will make use of that mechanism.'

And Jeremy Hunt said he would 'defend to the hilt' the right of newspapers to write what they like as it was an important aspect of democracy.

The Health Secretary referenced the Mail's front page from Friday, which called the judges 'enemies of the people', telling the BBC's Andrew Marr show that the 'democratic right of newspapers to disagree whenever they want with what judges decide' was important because 'we're an open society'. The sentiments were echoed by Commons Leader David Lidington, who told ITV's Peston on Sunday that judges were 'tough old birds' who could survive a disobliging front page.

He accused the Bar Council, which represents barristers, of exaggerating the harm newspaper headlines can do to the principle of judicial independence.
Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea allegedly used resources from the Clinton Foundation for her wedding, a new dump of Wikileaks emails appear to reveal.

In several emails, Doug Band, a former top aide to president Bill Clinton and a former Clinton Global Initiative board member, complains about Chelsea Clinton (writing 'cvc' for Chelsea Victoria Clinton).

In one email, dated January 1, 2012, Band emails John Podesta, Chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, and says Chelsea Clinton was conducting an internal investigation into CGI and the Clinton Foundation, which posed a conflict of interest.

It is unclear why Chelsea Clinton was investigating her family's foundation and its dealings with money.

Hillary Clinton's (center, left) daughter Chelsea (center, right) allegedly used resources from the Clinton Foundation to go toward her wedding, new Wikileaks emails purport

An email from former Bill Clinton (right) top aide Doug Band claims Chelsea (left) was conducting an internal investigation of Foundation funds, which was a conflict of interest because she had allegedly used resources for her wedding

But the emails appear to reveal that Chelsea Clinton told one of former president George W Bush's daughters about the investigation, which put the information into the hands of the GOP - what Band referred to as a 'conflict of interest'.

It is not known which daughter Chelsea Clinton told this information to or why she disclosed that she was conducting the internal investigation.

The email from Band reads: 'I just received a call from a close friend of (William Jefferson Clinton) who said that cvc told one of the (George W Bush) kids that she is conducting an internal investigation of money within the foundation from cgi to the foundation.

'The bush kid then told someone else who then told an operative within the republican party.

'I have heard more and more chatter of cvc and (Bari Lurie, chief of staff to Chelsea Clinton at the Clinton Foundation) talking about lots of what is going on internally to people. Not smart,' he wrote.

DOUG BAND'S ONGOING TENSION WITH CHELSEA CLINTON Through the Wikileaks email leaks, a tense relationship between Doug Band, a former top aide to president Bill Clinton and a former Clinton Global Initiative board member, and Bill and Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea has become clear. Emails show him complaining about Chelsea 'going to daddy' in order to get her way and alleged resources from the Clinton Foundation going to her wedding. Other emails show Band calling Chelsea 'a spoiled brat' and suggested she wasn't concerned about leaving a senior Clinton Foundation executive close to suicide. In an email dated November 2011, which is when Chelsea Clinton stepped up to play a greater role in the Clinton Foundation, Band goes off about the former first daughter to Podesta and Cheryl Mills, Hillary Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department. 'She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she's doing because she, as she has said, hasn't found her way and has a lack of focus in life,' Band wrote of Chelsea Clinton In another email, Band accuses Chelsea Clinton of causing one staff member so much stress, she nearly killed herself. 'Late last night, laura graham called me as she couldn't reach my brother or her shrink,' Band writes. 'She was on Staten Island in her car parked a few feet from the waters edge with her foot on the gas pedal and the car in park.' 'She called me to tell me the stress of all of this office crap with wjc and cvc as well as that of her family had driven her to the edge and she couldn't take it anymore. 'I spent a while on the phone with her preventing her from doing that, as I have a few times in the past few months, and was able to reach roger and her shrink. 'Bruce said the stress of specifically the office had caused his very serious health issues as you both know,' Band said. In 2015, Band cut his ties with the Clintons by leaving the board of the Clinton Foundation several months into Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Advertisement

Podesta replied calling his comments an 'understatement'.

Band replies: 'I learned from the best. The investigation into her getting paid for campaigning, using foundation resources for her wedding and life for a decade, taxes on money from her parents ...

'I hope that you will speak to her and end this. Once we go down this road....,' Band wrote ominously.

Chelsea Clinton's wedding is estimated to have cost about $3 million, but is unclear how much money or resources went from the Foundation to the wedding and what it went toward, if in fact, funds were used.

The FBI is allegedly looking into the dealings of the Clinton Foundation, but it is unclear what - if anything - is being investigated.

Hillary Clinton has also previously said emails she deleted from her private server were related to Chelsea's wedding, according to FOX News.

Chelsea Clinton's wedding (pictured) is estimated to have cost about $3 million, but it is unclear what kind of resources were used toward the wedding and how much money - if any - was used

The Clinton Foundation is also going through the process of an internal audit and is trying to separate itself from Teneo, an advisory firm and investment banking platform company launched in part by Band in summer 2011.

An 11-page email released by Wikileaks from Band said that Teneo was meant to enrich the Clinton Foundation and in one email writes he 'sought to leverage my activities, including my partner role at Teneo, to support and to raise funds for the Foundation'.

Later in that 11-page email, Band writes about Marc Lasry, a billionaire hedge fund manager who Chelsea Clinton once worked for, as a good example of 'the complex relationships a friend/supporter can have within the foundation', according to FOX News.

Lasry held fundraisers for the Clinton Foundation while Band was an adviser to Lasry's firm, Avenue Capital, and on its payroll.

Lasry's firm also is the publisher for the National Enquirer.

'He has been helpful on a number of fronts, including  responding favorably to our requests to use his plane for Foundation and the Clintons personal purposes, killing potential unfavorable stories in the Enquirer (of which he owns a controlling share of the debt)' Band wrote in one email, according to FOX News.

After this email went out, lawyers from Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP, who were hired to conduct an internal audit of the Foundation, recommended a conflict-of-interest policy be implemented since the charity did not appear to have one.

'I hope that you will speak to her and end this. Once we go down this road....,' Band wrote ominously to John Podesta in an attempt to reign Chelsea in

A December 5 memo from the audit said: 'In addition, some interviewees reported conflicts of those raising funds or donors, some of whom may have an expectation of quid pro quo benefits in return for gifts.'

Another part said that 'interviewees also mentioned instances in which gifts and payments received by staff had not been properly disclosed' and that there was no transparency into how 'comp lists' of people who were given complimentary $20,000 memberships for the Clinton Global Initiative were decided, according to Wikileaks.

Lawyers reported problems in the Clinton Foundation's IRS Form 990, which is a document that makes the organization tax exempt, according to FOX News.

But the form indicated there was a written conflict-of-interest policy - which differed from the initial audit report - that was not being enforced.

The lawyers said another issue they noticed was a 'very small' foundation board, whose members were all insiders. It also said each year members never changed.

In an email dated November 27, 2011, Band gets angry with Chelsea Clinton for going to her 'daddy' to re-schedule a meeting around the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (pictured with husband Marc Mevzinsky)

Other alleged emails from the months before and after the email alleging the Chelsea Clinton used Foundation resources for her wedding show clear frustration from Band directed at the Clintons' daughter.

In a Wikileaks email dated November 27, 2011, Band allegedly gets angry with Chelsea Clinton for going to her 'daddy' to re-schedule a meeting around the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

WHAT IS THE CLINTON FOUNDATION? The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, commonly called the Clinton Foundation, is an American non-profit charity run out of New York and Arkansas. The goals of the charity are listed as: 'Works to improve global health & wellness, increase opportunity for women & girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity & growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.' Watchdog site Charity Watch has given the Clinton Foundation an 'A' rating, and has determined that 88 per cent of the charity's money goes to projects while 12 per cent is used as overhead. Charity Watch uses tax forms and statements, which the Foundation has provided, in order to make this determination. It is estimated the charity's total expenses are $242,000,000. Voice of America News reported that it is unclear if there was donations made to the Foundation in exchange for favors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. However, the site reported, the Foundation has 'done life saving work from fighting childhood obesity in America to providing low-price HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa'. Sources: Clinton Foundation, Politifact, VOA News, Charity Watch Advertisement

An initial email sent from Robert S. Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Clinton Foundation, asked the recipients if they would be able to schedule meeting before Sundown on the first night of Yom Kippur, Wikileaks purports.

Chelsea Clinton emails back in the chain writing: 'Thank you Bob. I'll talk to my Dad about the below later today. Hope everyone had wonderful Thanksgivings.'

Later, a private email to Podesta shows Band tearing into Chelsea Clinton.

'This is the 3rd time this week where she has gone to daddy to change a decision or interject herself in the process she says is so important to maintain.

'Her father decided to keep cgi as it always was and bob is jewish/didnt like that decision and went to cvc and thus it will be changed,' Band wrote.

At this point, Chelsea Clinton had been married to husband Marc Mezvinsky, who is Jewish, for more than a year and would be observing the high holy day.

Another email from Band appears to go after Mezvinsky as well.

'Marc mez had an idea to put together a poker night for the foundation to raise money.

'His raising money for his own fund hasn't been going well and he has cvc making some calls for him to get mtgs with some clinton people.

'Marc has invited several potential investors and a few current business ones to the poker night. I assume all are contributing to the foundation, which of course isn't the point.

'What is the point is that he is doing precisely what he accused me of doing as the entire plan of his has been to use this for his business which he is,' Band writes.

The Clinton Foundation, formally referred to as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, is a non-profit charity run by the Clinton family.

It's goals include improving global health & wellness, increase opportunity for women & girls, reduce childhood obesity among other things. The organization has a 'A' rating from watchdog site Charity Watch.
A federal court has lifted a ban aimed at stopping voter intimidation in Ohio, after an appeal was filed by Donald Trump's campaign.

The Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit Court of Appeals announced in a short ruling on Sunday morning that it had cancelled out the injunction put in place by US District Court Judge James Gwin on Friday.

Friday's injunction came at the request of the Democratic party, and when announcing its decision on Sunday morning, the appeals court said Ohio Democrats' request did not meet the standard required to have it in place, documents obtained by Politico state.

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A federal court has lifted a ban aimed at stopping voter intimidation in Ohio, after an appeal was filed by Donald Trump's campaign

The initial decision made by Judge Gwin created the possibility of fines or jail time for Trump allies who harass voters.

Gwin's order had been specifically created with the Trump campaign in mind, as well as one of its backers, Roger Stone and his Stop the Steal group.

As a result of the injunction, it would have been illegal to interrogate voters as they were lining up or near polling places or to hinder or delay people waiting to cast their ballot.

It was seen as a significant victory for Democrats who had worried the reality television host was encouraging supporters to cause mayhem at the polls on November 8.

Ohio voters cast their votes at the polls for early voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election in Medina, Ohio

Trump has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the election throughout his campaign, and called on his supporters to be on the look-out for potential voter fraud.

Numerous studies have found that US voter fraud is exceedingly rare.

Voting-rights advocates also won legal victories in three other states on Friday, building on a string of decisions that have rolled back election restrictions across the country.

In Arizona, a federal judge suspended a state law that prohibits advocates' ability to collect absentee ballots.

Voter fraud has been a popular theme among Republicans this year, from Trump to state Republican leaders who cite fraud as a reason to make it more difficult to vote

Supporters cheer for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Canton Memorial Civic Center

'Having more options to turn in your ballot ensures that more people take part in the democratic process,' said Spencer Scharff, voter protection director of the Arizona Democratic Party.

In North Carolina, a judge ordered election officials to restore the voting rights of thousands who had been removed from registration lists in recent weeks.
An Iowa Congressman claimed on Sunday that Republicans on Capitol Hill have copies of the 650,000 emails the FBI recovered from a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner.

'The good thing is, Congress has preserved them for our access,' Iowa Rep. Steve King said before a Donald Trump rally in Sioux City.

'So the Weiner leaks, the WikiLeaks, you name your leaks, we've got our hands on all of them  650,000 emails.'

King also suggested that the number of emails related to the FBI investigation may be larger than 650,000.

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Iowa Rep. Steve King said Sunday that Congress has its own set of the 650,000 emails that Anthony Weiner housed on his laptop before the FBi seized it

King (left) pictured on Nov. 3 with Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence and Sen. Ted Cruz, once supported Cruz but now backs Trump

'It's crazy to think that this America is going to step into a world of Hillary,' the conservative congressman said, 'a world of Hillary with her corruption that goes so deep that we're now at 750,000 hidden emails.'

The FBI seized Weiner's laptop as part of a federal probe into allegationsm, first reported by DailyMail.com, that he carried on a lurid sexting relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

The machine has yielded a treasure trove of messages that include some related to Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.

Some of those emails could disprove Clinton's claim under oath that she gave the State Department all of her work-related messages in 2014.

It's unclear how members of Congress might have obtained copies of the emails from Weiner's laptop, since they are part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

But news reports have described an atmosphere of outrage at the FBI among rank-and-file agents who believe Clinton was let off the hook after thousands of classified documents were found among the messages on her server.

King's Capitol Hill spokeswoman did not respond to a request for clarification.

Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Hillary Clinton confidante Huma Abedin and a disgraced former congressman, kept 650,000 emails on his laptop  some of which reportedly concern Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state

The rock-ribbed right-winger, who once backed Sen. Ted Cruz on the basis of his Christian bona fides, is now in Trump's corner as Tuesday's election could swing Iowa in either direction.

'Donald Trump and the Republican Party have the right stand' on a range of issues including 'abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research and same-sex marriage,' he said.

Trump returned the compliment in his own way, calling King a 'great guy.'

'I even liked him when he was endorsing Ted. And I still like him,' he said.

'It took him awhile to come around.'

Trump has blasted Weiner as a 'pervert' who likely had access to classified information without the proper security clearance.
After an angry campaign that has featured a series of vicious personal attacks, Hillary Clinton spoke about the God's biblical commandment to 'Love Thy Neighbor' in the final Sunday before Americans go to the polls.

But before she spoke, Senator Cory Booker brought up a shameful chapter in the history of the FBI  the bureau's spying on Dr. Martin Luther King, following an election where FBI Director James Comey shook up the campaign with a surprise statement about looking into Clinton's emails.

Clinton motorcaded to Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Philadelphia as part of her campaign's last minute effort to lock down Pennsylvania, amid signs that African American turnout has slipped in North Carolina, which has early voting.

She invoked a series of racially tinged struggles the country still faces, from police shootings to poisoned water in Flint, Michigan  while also pointing to some of early discriminatory flaws of the U.S. political system at its founding.

'Jesus knew that we all werent gonna love each other, but we had to get up every day and keep trying,' Clinton said.

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Clinton got a hug from 11-year old Gabrielle Green, who delivered a rousing rendition of 'America the Beautiful' backed by the church choir at Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Philadelphia Sunday  the latest weekend before Pennsylvanians go to the polls

Gospel star BeBe Winans fired up the congregation, singing Donnie McClurkin's 'Stand' and providing some solace after the angry 2016 slugfest that has featured Donald Trump calling Clinton 'crooked' and a 'liar,' and Clinton blasting Trump 'assaulting' women and 'racist' statements about hispanics.

'What do you do when your friends turn away and youre standing there on your own?,' Winans sang. 'Tell me what do you give when youve given your all seems like you cant make it through?

'After you've done all you can, you just stand,' he sang in the song's refrain.

'I needed that, BeBe. I needed that,' Clinton said when the song was finished.

Speaking before Clinton, Senator Cory Booker invoked the FBI's shameful spying on Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights era  when King's phones were tapped and his personal life was tracked by J. Edgar Hoover's agents.

Clinton spoke of the Bible's Second Commandment after an angry presidential campaign

AFTER YOU'VE DONE ALL YOU CAN: Before she spoke, Clinton listened to gospel singer BeBe Winans sing 'Stand'

'We saw what the FBI tried to do back in Martin Luther King's day,' said senator Cory Booker  a reference to the bureau's spying on the civil rights leader

Hillary Clinton attended Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Philadelphia Sunday, as she urges voters to go to the polls on Tuesday

'We saw what the FBI tried to do back in Martin Luther Kings day,' Booker said  without directly referencing the FBI's role in the 2016 election.

Booker didn't mention the FBI's role in the current campaign. Clinton loyalists fumed after Comey announced that the bureau was reviewing Clinton emails again after new emails turned up on the computer for disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner.

Booker also warned the predominantly black congregation about voter suppression he said was underway.

'Christ does not strengthen you to sit on your couch to do nothing. Youve got to make something happen. I want to tell you right now: there are forces aligning to suppress the vote and the turnout. Ive been all over the country and Ive seen it with my own eyes,' booker said.

Clinton also spoke of the nation's early struggles for equality  and made comparisons between the rights of African Americans and women.

'They left out African Americans, they left out women, they left out all of us, but that didnt stop generations of Americans from pushing forward,' she said, referencing the nation's founding documents.

Spekaing about the bible, Clinton said, 'Jesus knew that we all werent gonna love each other, but we had to get up every day and keep trying.'

'We know the painful chapters of our past. But the greatness of our country lies in our willingness and our ability to right these wrongs,' Clinton said.

Speaking after she repeatedly invoked Donald Trump's endorsement by a newspaper of the Ku Klux Klan, Clinton said of the nation's future: 'Will it be dark and divisive, calling up the specters of our past, as Cory said a rerun of some of our worst moments?

'I personally believe we have come too far to turn back now,' Clinton said.

After Clinton's speech, 11-year old Gabrielle Green delivered a stirring rendition of 'America the Beautiful'  then beamed when she got a hug from the former first lady on stage.

After church, Clinton visited the Cedar Park Cafe in west Philadelphia and met with customers who were there.

'Thanks for your help. We're going to do this on Tuesday,' Clinton said.
Women should not feel ashamed to ask for pain relief when they are giving birth.

Doctors are expected to condemn the myth that painful childbirth is better for mothers and babies at a meeting of the Royal Society of Medicine next month.

Evidence will be presented that supports medication such as epidurals have no adverse effects during labour.

Doctors are expected to condemn the myth that painful childbirth is better for mothers and babies

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Dr Felicity Plaat, president-elect of the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association, said: We decided it was about time the public were told about pain and pain relief in labour by a group without a natural agenda.

Too often have I been asked to discuss or provide epidural analgesia to women not just suffering from extreme pain of labour but a feeling that they have failed because they ask for or need epidural analgesia  a feeling sometimes amounting to shame.

Pain relief, including epidurals - a numbing injection - should not be viewed so negatively by women

We want to inform women so they enter labour not afraid and for those women who need pain relief, we want them to use it proud of the amazing thing they are doing.

Those attending the Royal Society of Medicine meeting are expected to hear how pain increases the amount of work that the body has to do on top of the effort of labour itself, potentially increasing the level of stress hormones in the body.

While this may have no long-term consequences for healthy women with healthy babies, it can be detrimental to women with certain medical conditions or where the unborn child is already vulnerable.

Research by doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre in the US suggests that the greater the pain suffered by women during labour, the more likely they are to suffer depression in the months after the birth.

An estimated 140,000 women giving birth each year in the UK are thought to suffer depression, anxiety or other mental health problems during pregnancy or in the months after birth which is now believed to be closely linked with labour pains.

But woman continued to have to fight off comments that they are not real women and have not really given birth if they take pain relief.

Outspoken mother-of-three Katie Hopkins has previously said: If you give birth naturally then you are a stronger, more powerful woman.

Katie Hopkins pictured with her three children (l-r) Poppy, Max and India, who she gave birth to without pain relief

Female celebrities continue to be judged when they choose to have an epidural or even a C-section, but why should this make you less of a woman.

In contrast to Mrs Hopkins, TV presenter Kirstie Allsop said women who have c-sections, like she did, should not be made to feel like failures.

Kirstie Allsopp, pictured on an episode of Kirstie's Vintage Home, says women shouldn't feel like failures if they don't give birth naturally or without pain relief

Women should not be made to feel that they need to go through pain to truly give birth and not be judged by others.
A young woman felt 'dirty, embarrassed and so, so offended' after she was accidentally added to a group chat in which men were sharing photographs and obscene jokes about her.

Eleanor Henry, 22, was horrified to learn her fellow university students had referred to her as a 'bike' and encouraged one of them to pursue her with obscene tips.

The law student from Melbourne, Australia, posted the messages publicly on Facebook in a bid to show the objectification women can be subjected to.

It led to an outpouring of anger from readers who criticised the young men's 'repulsive comments', while one of the men messaged her saying the conversation was taken out of context and 'looks wrong'.

Melbourne law student Eleanor Henry was horrified to learn her fellow university students had been discussing her and encouraging one friend to pursue her

One of the men ask what they should say to her, and are told by another: 'Show me where u p*** from. Works 9/10 times'

'It IS WRONG,' Ms Henry replied to the man.

She is considering reporting the classmates to the university when exams finish in a few weeks, because having classes with them would make her uncomfortable.

In the thread, one man asked his friends how he should invite Ms Henry on a date, prompting his friends to give him crude advice.

'Bring her to Thailand,' one replied. 'We need a bike.'

Another suggested he say: 'Show me where you p*** from. Works 9/10 times.'

'I'd throw her on that bed,' another said.

The men also shared pictures taken from her Facebook.

The 22-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, shared the messages on Facebook in a bid to show the objectification women can be subjected to

Ms Henry did not get a chance to write anything in the group chat because she was quickly removed from the conversation  but was still able to see their chat history.

She shared the post on Facebook and wrote: 'Let's all wave hello to my fellow peers at Melbourne University. This is why I'll die a feminist. It's 2016. Let's get back to that conversation on equality.

'Oh and for those asking, they accidentally added me to their chat group without realizing I could read everything prior.'

One friend suggested she send the screen grabs to their parents: 'I bet they'd be real proud of their offspring.'

Another said 'no one should have to  deal with that'.

Ms Henry said about 98 per cent of the responses were supportive.

Ms Henry said: 'Let's all wave hello to my fellow peers at Melbourne University. This is why I'll die a feminist. It's 2016.. Let's get back to that conversation on equality'

The 22-year-old told Daily Mail Australia she had only met two of the men in a group assignment for university.

'Aside from this contact I have never really engaged with them on a social level,' she said. 'The other two boys in the chat I have never met in my life.'

She said she found her phone 'blowing up with messages' on Saturday night when she discovered she'd been added to the Facebook group chat.

'My stomach dropped and I felt really sick, to the point where I felt I needed to close my blinds and hide under my blankets,' Ms Henry told Daily Mail Australia.

She called her sister, who suggested she post it on Facebook to 'bring awareness' to 'this kind of rape culture'.

'After speaking with my sister I began to feel angrier and more passionate to evoke change.

'Initially though, which is very unlike me, I felt dirty, embarrassed and so, so offended. As a result I decided to publicly post the screenshots because I don't think it's right that this culture is perpetuated.

'I felt dirty, embarrassed and so, so offended,' Ms Henry told Daily Mail Australia

Ms Henry shared the post online: 'Let's all wave hello to my fellow peers at Melbourne University. This is why I'll die a feminist'

'I think this kind of event shows that whilst equality is spoken about on a daily basis, it's clearly not permeating even our most educated demographic.'

Ms Henry acknowledged that the two men she knew had sent her 'relatively heartfelt apologies'.

However, she received a 'concerning' message from another of them.

'I understand why you might be upset but that was all said as a joke and no one was taking anything seriously in that group,' the man said.

'I don't think posting something like that publicly will do anyone any good.

'If you were so offended I apologise.'

One of the men messaged her on Facebook: 'I don't think posting something like that publicly will do anyone any good'

'If you were offended I apologise,' the man said. Ms Henry reaffirmed to him the men's conversation was wrong

He said people might take their conversation out of context, but Ms Henry said it was 'clear as day'.

'You're squirming because you're in trouble. You're just sorry you were caught out,' Ms Henry responded.

'I'd strongly suggest ceasing contact with me.'

The man continued to message her.

'We are all close mates, we say random stuff. Do you not say weird stuff to your best mates? It's just unnecessary to build a scene, but up to you. I just wanted to tell you from our point of view.

'Because when someone from outside sees stuff like that it looks wrong,' he finished.

'It IS WRONG,' Ms Henry said.

She had no intention to publicly name and shame the men, she told Daily Mail Australia.
Drew Hastings is seen above in a mug shot

A veteran standup comedian in his second term as an Ohio mayor is scheduled to go on trial on charges alleging official misconduct.

Drew Hastings, 62, faces four felony counts, with potential jurors due to report Monday to the Highland County courthouse.

An unusually large pool of around 80 people was summoned for the case that's been closely watched and debated in the small city of Hillsboro, with a population of some 6,600 people 60 miles east of Cincinnati.

In pretrial filings, Hastings' attorney blasted the accusation he falsified his residency by pointing out Ohio's attorney general had already investigated that matter in 2013 and also saying that it's not an issue for a jury to consider.

Throwback: Comedian Drew Hastings during an interview with host Jay Leno on October 01, 2001

Hastings is seen mingling with students during part of his duties as mayor. he was elected in 2012

Special prosecutor Robert F. Smith of the Ohio auditor's office has said water records and furnishings show that Hastings' real residence is his farm outside the city, not his downtown apartment.

Attorney James Boulger described other charges as misleading, improperly combining Hastings' private life with his mayorship.

Hastings is also charged with misuse of a city trash bin and altering documents to claim a $500 building fee refund.

Boulger said the refund involved an ordinance the city doesn't enforce.

Hastings has been performing stand-up for two decades and says he is 'known as an edgy, intelligent, performer in venues from comedy clubs to theaters'. he is seen above in 2006 performing during HBO & AEG Live's 'The Comedy Festival' - Friends of Bob & Tom Radio Show Comedy Tour at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

The Republican was handily re-elected to a second four-year term last November. He has said he's done nothing wrong, but has been targeted for trying to represent the citizens 'without the consent of an established political structure.'

Retired Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Ann Cosgrove will hear the case after a Highland County judge recused himself.

She has ordered trial participants not to discuss the case with the news media or comment about it on social media.

The Times-Gazette newspaper of Hillsboro reported potential defense witnesses were summoned to report November 8, indicating jury selection is expected to last all day Monday.

It also reported that a second special prosecutor, Julie Korte of the Ohio Ethics Commission, withdrew after concluding there was insufficient evidence of ethics violations in the Hastings case.

On Hastings' website he says of his decision to run for the position: 'I think this country is going to hell in a hand basket  I'm not sure we even make our own hand baskets here anymore. I can't do anything about the whole U.S. But I can do something about the one place I live.' Pictured above while fulfilling mayoral duties

On his website Hastings describes himself as a comedian, mayor and farmer.

He has been performing stand-up for two decades and says he is 'known as an edgy, intelligent, performer in venues from comedy clubs to theaters'.

It adds that he is a regular favorite on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Radio show which has given him a huge Midwest following.

He has also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

In 2006, he left Hollywood after 13 years and tried his hand as a farmer. He has a cattle farm in southern Ohio, which he says has helped form a lot of his new comedic material recently.
Three new national polls show Hillary Clinton with an advantage over Donald Trump, with less than 48 hours to go before polls open on election day  while two of the biggest battleground states show promise for Trump.

Politico and Morning Consult's final presidential poll shows Clinton 3 points ahead, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has Clinton 4 points ahead and the ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll has her up 5.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll had Trump 1 point ahead of Clinton momentarily, after the former secretary of state being up 12 points in the previous week, before FBI head James Comey alerted Congress of the presence of new emails to investigate.

Now, of course, national polls don't tell the whole story because the country doesn't hold a national election. New polls out of Florida and Ohio show an extremely tight race.

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Hillary Clinton (left) is ahead of Donald Trump (right) in national polls, but state polls show that Election Night could be a nail-biter, as the GOP hopeful could rout her in the electoral college

A new CBS News/YouGov survey shows Trump with a 1-point advantage over Clinton.

He receives 46 percent of the vote to Clinton's 45 percent, with Libertarian Gary Johnson getting 3 percent and Green Party hopeful Jill Stein receiving 2 percent.

In another poll out of Ohio today, it's Clinton who's up 1 point over Trump.

The Columbus Dispatch is saying the presidential race is too close to call in the Buckeye State, with Clinton earning 48 percent to Trump's 47 percent, according to the newspaper's survey.

Clinton is winning among early voters in the battleground state, holding a 10 point advantage, the poll shows.

President Barack Obama was also leading Mitt Romney in early voting, though lost to the Republican among votes cast on Election Day.

Obama won the state.

Both Trump and Clinton are unpopular in the state and a chunk of voters for each say they are motivated to keep the other candidate out of the White House.

A third of Clinton's voters say they're voting for the ex-secretary of state because they dislike Trump, while four in 10 Trump voters say they're selecting the Republican because they don't want to see another Clinton in the White House.

The Real Clear Politics average of the Ohio polls shows Trump with a better advantage, leading Clinton by 2.8 points.

In Florida, a state that Trump needs to win if he's going to ultimately win the race, things also look tight.

Today's new CBS News/YouGov Florida poll shows Clinton and Trump tied at 45 percent, with Johnson receiving 4 percent and Stein grabbing 2 percent of the Sunshine State vote.

Trump's performance has improved because Republicans have come home to him, with 86 percent now supporting him, up from his previous total of 82 percent.

Florida Democrats have been solidly with her, with 91 percent saying they plan to cast a ballot for the former secretary of state.

Fifty-three percent of Florida voters say that Clinton is 'part of what's wrong with politics in today,' which only 36 percent use to describe Trump.

Another 43 percent see him as completely separate from politics.

Like in Ohio, Clinton looks to have an early voting advantage in Florida, while Trump tops her among voters who plan to cast a vote on election day.

There, his lead is large, and so strong turnout could predict a Trump victory.




Militants arrested over an alleged coup attempt in Montenegro were backed by Russian nationalists, the country's chief prosecutor said on Sunday.

Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens were arrested on suspicion of planning armed attacks against Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on October 16, the day of the country's parliamentary elections.

The plot is said to have included plans to assassinate Mr Djukanovic over the government's bid to join Nato, a move that is strongly opposed by Russia.

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Some 20 people were arrested on suspicion of planning armed attacks against Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, pictured, on October 16, the day of the country's parliamentary elections

Montenegro chief special prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said the investigation indicated Russian nationalists were behind the alleged coup.

They are believed to have organised a criminal gang that planned to break into the Montenegro Parliament on election day, kill Mr Djukanovic, and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power, Mr Katnic said.

Fourteen of those arrested on October 16 remain in custody, including some who have fought for pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russian officials have denied any involvement. But they have openly supported the 'patriotic' parties that are against Montenegro's membership of Nato.

Opposition leaders made frequent visits to Moscow ahead of the vote.

If the bid was successful, Russia would lose strategic access to the Adriatic Sea and Serbia would remain its only ally in the region.

The plot is said to have included plans to assassinate Mr Djukanovic, pictured centre celebrating, over the government's bid to join Nato, a move that is strongly opposed by Russia

Mr Katnic said: 'We don't have any evidence that the state of Russia is involved in any sense ... but we have evidence that two nationalists from Russia were organisers.'

Serbian authorities reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Mr Djukanovic's movements from Serbian territory.
They foresee a harsher winter for much of the nation, including a return of the dreaded polar vortex

meteorologists use Siberian snow cover to predict forthcoming winter weather in the States

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Giant-sized snowballs have appeared along the Siberian coastline - which experts warn could have freezing consequences for the United States.

The frozen balls, which each measure almost three feet across, stretch across an 11-mile section of coastline near the village of Nyda which sits above the Arctic Circle, according to Russian media.

A village administrator told The Siberian Times that the snowballs formed in late October when the Gulf of Ob rose up onto land and covered the beach in ice.

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Giant-sized snowballs have appeared along the Siberian coastline - which could have freezing consequences for the United States

The frozen orbs, which each measure almost three feet across, stretch across an 11-mile section of coastline near the village of Nyda

A village administrator told The Siberian Times that the snowballs formed in late October when the Gulf of Ob rose up onto land and covered the beach in ice

As the water retreated, the remaining ice chunks rolled over creating snowballs which grew and grew in size until they hit gigantic proportions.

Siberia is near record cold for this time of year, and snow cover is at around the highest level for this time of year since at least 1998.

And the bizarre weather in the freezing Russian region could have consequences for the US, Mashable reports.

Some meteorologists use Siberian snow cover levels in October to forecast how weather patterns will form across the United States.

They believe the heavy early snow, could indicate heavier snowfall in parts of North America and Western Europe this winter.

The huge snowballs have been left sitting on the beach in Siberia which has hit record snow cover

A woman sits atop a collection of huge snowballs on the beach as some warn that the record snow cover in the region could mean a harsh winter for the US

A young girls sits behind a snow ball which is almost as big as she is as temperatures in Siberia dropped

Private weather forecasters foresee a harsher winter for much of the nation, including a return of the dreaded polar vortex, which funnels cold Arctic air into the US.

Judah Cohen of Atmospheric and Environmental Research in Lexington, Massachusetts, forecasts an unusually cold winter for the eastern and middle two-thirds of the nation, especially raw east of the Mississippi River.

Cohen, whose research is funded by the National Science Foundation and closely followed by meteorologists, links North America's winter weather to Siberian snow cover in October.

He warns that the Polar Vortex is on the move unusually early this year, could strike the US in January.

WINTER IS COMING: HOW POLAR VORTEX WILL HIT U.S. For more than 30 years, the polar vortex has been weakening because of this sea-ice loss in the Arctic, which is linked to human induced climate change. When this happens, a piece of the vortex can surge to the southern part of the globe, which it then pushes Arctic cold into areas of North America and Europe. This is the event that happened in early 2014 and 2015, and some experts say the polar vortex is already on the move this year  which could be very troubling later on. According to the study, North America is expected to experience bitter temperatures beginning in the late winter and lasting until the early spring - from February to Mach. Advertisement

However, he believes Maine will escape the Arctic conditions with a warmer winter than normal. He also predicts a warm Southwest.

The private Accuweather of State College, Pennsylvania, calls for frequent storms in the Northeast, early snow in the Great Lakes, bitter cold in the northern tier and occasional cold in the middle.

Like other forecasters, it predicts a warm and dry southwest, with some hope for rain and snow from San Francisco northward.

A recent study claimed Arctic sea-ice loss is causing the Polar Vortex to shift and as a result, winters are expected to get longer and more bitter. Now, forecasters say it is 'unprecedentedly early'.

The Polar Vortex hit the US hardest in 2014 , affecting 200 million people and causing billions of dollars in damages, but climatologists told DailyMail.com that, thankfully, it won't be as severe this time around.

'The winter of 2014 was a really extreme case, as the cold was so persistent and it was focused on one area, which makes it very hard to reproduce,' Cohen told DailyMail.com.

'Normally when a vortex stretches it eventually bursts, but in 2014 it just kept stretching and bouncing back.'

'That event was highly unique and very hard to duplicate, Im not saying it is impossible, but there are no signs that we are going to get a repeat.'

Experts say the polar vortex is already on the move this year  which could be very troubling later on.

'There has been an unusual weakening, but it is unprecedentedly early and if we look at it chronologically it should hit in January,' said Cohen.

'Researchers are attributing the weakening in the study it to see-ice, which is contributing to the shift.'

'But whats unique is snow cover is also increasing and the combination of the two at the same time is what makes me think it will happen in January and not February.'

AccuWeather's data seems to agree with Cohen's prediction, as David Samuhel, senior meteorologist, told DailyMail.com that if the polar vortex hits it would be in January.

'We see the most below average temperatures in the north east during January, but they will only be about 1 or 2 degrees Fahrenheit below normal,' he said.

The bizarre weather in the freezing Russian region could have icy consequences for the US

Some meteorologists use Siberian snow cover levels in October to forecast how weather patterns will form across the United States. They believe the heavy early snow, could indicate heavier snowfall in parts of North America and Western Europe this winter

Other forecaster predict a warm and dry southwest, and colder temperatures along the northeast

For more than 30 years, the polar vortex has been weakening because of this sea-ice loss in the Arctic, which is linked to human induced climate change, reports Think Progress.

And when this happens, a piece of the vortex can surge to the southern part of the globe, which it then pushes Arctic cold into areas of North America and Europe, reports The Weather Channel.

'The coldest areas this winter are expect to be in the Great Lakes near the northern plains,' Samuhel told DailyMail.com.

'But it looks like the south should have a pretty warm winter, especially the south central states.'

Samuhel also predicts that there will be a major difference between the northern and southern areas of the US, which will result in severe storms across the board.

Two years ago, this bitter shift caused the US economy some $5 billion in fights and infrastructure repairs.
Cecilia the chimpanzee has spent years living alone after the death of two of her mates and has been spending her days in a concrete enclosure at a zoo in Argentina.

But after a historic court ruling her dismal life is set to change.

According to local media, Cecilia, who is believed to be in her 30's, is one of the most loved residents of Mendoza Zoo, in Argentina.

Cecilia the chimpanzee has spent years living in concrete enclosure on her own

But as these pictures show, she has been living in horrible conditions, lying alone on a concrete floor with a blanket after her only companions Charlie and Xuxa died.

On Thursday, Argentine Judge Maria Alejandra Mauricio declared that Cecilia isn't a thing, but rather a being who is "subject to non-human rights".

She ordered that Cecilia be released from her barren home at the infamous Zoo and sent to live among her own kind at a sanctuary in Brazil.



On Thursday, Argentine Judge Maria Alejandra Mauricio declared that Cecilia does have rights to a better life

In September 2014, Pedro Pozas Terrados, executive director of the Great Ape Project, in Spain, visited the Zoo and after witnessing the living conditions of Cecilia he complained to the Argentine media.

He has been working together with the Great Ape project, in Brazil, who runs a chimpanzee sanctuary that cares for chimps from circuses and zoos.

After two years of hard work the Association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) and the Great Ape Projects can celebrate victory for Cecilia.

Protesters argued Cecilia's confinement without companionship were unlawful and that her health was deteriorating

Pedro Pozas Terrados said 'this landmark judgement supports our struggle to consider animals rights and change their futures'.

The organisations had argued that the circumstances of Cecilia's confinement without companionship were unlawful and that her health was deteriorating as a result.

Judge Mauricio agreed, stating in her verdict that non-humans indeed possess rights related to their "animal essence," and decreeing that Cecilia should be transferred to the Great Ape Project's sanctuary in Brazil within the coming months  the first time a habeas corpus case for an animal has resulted in this action.

She will be moving to this amazing Great Ape Project's sanctuary in Brazil in coming months

'We're not talking about the civil rights enshrined in the Civil Code,' she told the journal Los Andes, 'but instead the species' own rights: to development, to life in their natural habitat.'

Mendoza Zoo is undergoing restructuring with support of the Secretary of Environment and Territorial Planning and Chief of Cabinet of the Ministry of Environment of Mendoza.

The Zoo has already made headlines for the conditions its animals are living in.

Polar bear Arturo was believed to be depressed after losing his partner and being left in enclosure that was not fit

In 2014 the MailOnline reported on a petition to save the 'world's saddest animal' the polar bear Arturo, whose horrendous living conditions were causing abnormal behaviour.

The bear was not only living in an enclosure with a temperature of up to 40C (104F) but sitting on concrete the bear often paced up and down and could be seen rocking.

The petition gathered more than half-a-million signatures but he died in July this year.

He would pace up and down and was often seen standing along rocking
Julia Hickling, 44, was distraught to learn a company driver had crashed her Citroen C2  while it was meant to be safely locked up

A holidaymaker has branded an airport parking firm despicable after she returned home to find it had written her car off.

Julia Hickling, 44, was distraught to learn a company driver had crashed her Citroen C2  while it was meant to be safely locked up.

To make matters worse, she claims Cheshire Meet and Greet is refusing to accept any wrongdoing and has yet to apologise.

It follows complaints from hundreds of airport parking customers across Britain that their cars have been returned damaged or with excessive mileage.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Cheshire Meet and Greet, which claims to provide 24-hour surveillance in a secure site, was leaving cars in pub car parks.

On April 8, Miss Hickling left her Citroen C2, which cost her 2,000, at Manchester Airport before she flew off on a two-week holiday to Croatia.

On her return, she was shocked when a company representative told her I have been dreading your call, before revealing the car she had owned for three years had been in a crash.

The staff member explained the driver had been pushed off the road by another motorist  who fled  on the way to the firms lock-up in Lymm, Cheshire, around 11 miles away.

On her return from holiday, she was shocked when a company representative told her the car she had owned for three years had been in a crash

But when Miss Hickling obtained a police incident report the next day, it revealed the crash had in fact happened more than 36 hours later  when the car should already have been locked away.

It emerged the vehicle had hit a wall and smashed into several other parked cars about half a mile from where it was supposed to be safely held.

On a 30mph road, the airbags were deployed, the front wheel was shorn off and the front of the car crumpled.

With the car completely written off, Miss Hickling said it took her weeks of stress and anxiety chasing up the owner of Cheshire Meet and Greet, Lee Anderson, to sort out her insurance. She claims he refused to answer calls.

[He] still hasnt bothered to apologise to me and he seems to be refusing to accept any wrongdoing, she said, adding: I accept accidents happen, but I just want an apology.

Miss Hickling left her Citroen C2, which cost her 2,000, at Manchester Airport on April 8 before she flew off on a two-week holiday to Croatia

Its despicable  It seems like Lee Anderson thinks he can walk all over people and it doesnt matter, but it does and he shouldnt be able to get away with it.

Offering rates of 31.50 per week, Cheshire Meet and Greet claims to provide the safest and most secure service, with chauffeurs who have years of experience.

But on Google, the company has less than a two-star rating  with several reviews complaining of abusive staff and of chauffeurs turning up hours late.

In July, an investigation revealed the family-run firm was leaving cars in an unmanned pub car park 15 miles from the lock-up.

When asked for comment at the time, Mr Anderson said: Todays news, tomorrows chip shop papers. Run what you like.

The following month, Manchester council announced a crackdown on rogue meet and greet firms after receiving more than 100 complaints.

It is understood the number of airport parking companies has trebled to roughly 50 around the city  with some suspected to be run by low-level organised crime gangs.

On her return to the airport, she was shocked when a company representative told her I have been dreading your call, before revealing the bad news

Miss Hickling, a cruise ship marketing manager from Silkstone Common, South Yorkshire, said she has received her insurance pay-out  but has lost her no claims bonus.

Yesterday, Mr Anderson said the car had been stored overnight at another meet and greet companys site.

As it was taken to the firms own site in Lymm the next day, he said a passing car squeezed my driver into a BMW that was illegally parked and caused damage to over three cars.

He claimed that the accident had been reported to his insurers and left with them so as not to make an unfortunate incident any more stressful to Miss Hickling.

Other car park users have come forward with their own tales of woe at meet and greet-style services.

Mike Hicks said his Mercedes E-class was stolen from a National Car Parks service at Birmingham Airport in April 2014.

He said it was removed from a car park being run by Meteor Parking despite it being left in a secure, gated area with CCTV cameras.

Mr Hicks said: 'They then got out of this car park with no apparent issue, they then got out of the airport avoiding the ANPR cameras on the airport site, to apparently change the number plate and vanish.

'To make matters worse they didn't notice the car was missing originally until someone pointed out broken glass to them on the floor obviously where my car was.'

He added: 'I lost 1,000 worth of clothing, luggage, equipment which was never reimbursed.

'All parking companies involved refused to take liability or offer any assistance with the claim and, in fact, sent me a fine letter for leaving the car park without paying which they allegedly had cctv and pictures of.'




It is a mass of mathematical symbols that you might expect Professor Stephen Hawking to use when probing the secrets of the Universe.

But the baffling equation could actually help define the perfect sperm  and hold the key to fertility for couples hoping to conceive.

Devised by British scientists, the algebra describes how efficient a sperm is when moving towards the egg, taking into account factors such as the length of its tail and the rate at which it oscillates.

This equation holds the key to defining the 'perfect sperm', a team from Birmingham University has revealed

It is just one of a series of equations that scientists hope will help couples undergoing fertility treatment by enabling them to use only the most efficient specimens.

The Birmingham University team even think the maths will help them create a mobile phone app that rates a mans fertility in seconds, by analysing magnified images of sperm samples.

Project leader Dr Dave Smith said: This has the potential to transform fertility treatment.

One in six couples has trouble conceiving, and faulty sperm are thought to be a factor in half of cases. But gauging the quality of a mans sperm remains an inexact science, leading to uncertainty about treatment.

Professor Allan Pacey, an expert in male fertility at Sheffield University, said: Identifying sperm that are up to the job is actually very hard to do. The principles behind the current test date from 1952.

Project leader Dr Dave Smith said: This has the potential to transform fertility treatment

Improving semen analysis, he said, was seen as the holy grail for doctors like him.

Currently specialists use a microscope to count the number of moving sperm in a semen sample. They also look at the shape of sperm  but the judgments they make are subjective.

For men with very poor-quality sperm, identifying the best individual candidate to inject into a womans egg is even more challenging  compromising success rates.

The Birmingham team believe they can drastically improve accuracy by automatically measuring vast numbers of sperm using high-powered cameras, then analysing which are best using computers.

Then we remove the human error that comes from looking and counting them, said Dr Smith, To do this they are examining two factors in particular: how well sperm move, and the shape of their heads.

Scientists hope the breakthrough will help couples who have struggled to conceive

His colleague, Dr Jackson Kirkman-Brown, said: If a sperm cant get to the egg, it has got no chance of fertilising it. So swimming ability is critical.

However, sperm dont swim in straight lines like Michael Phelps, Dr Smith said.

They basically have to swim through mucus, and to do that they snake through it in an S-shape  and the equation above describes how efficiently they do that.

He said the other important factor was how tidily the sperms DNA payload was packed into its head.

Sperm are tiny  their bodies about five thousands of a millimetre long  but Japanese researchers have already taken detailed pictures of them on a phone camera adapted with a magnifying lens.
He's no stranger to getting himself into trouble.

And Ross Barton is set to push his luck once again in an upcoming episode of Emmerdale, planting an unwanted smacker on his sister-in-law Victoria Barton's lips.

In scenes set to air next week on the ITV soap, the furious brunette pushes him off her before delivering a hard slap.

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Unwanted attention: Ross Barton is set to push his luck once again in an upcoming episode of Emmerdale, planting an unwanted smacker on his sister-in-law Victoria Barton's lips

Ross - played by Michael Parr - challenges Victoria (Isobel Hodgins) to tell her husband Adam about the kiss.

Shortly afterwards, Adam (Adam Thomas) comes to blows with his half-brother Ross after discovering the truth about the kiss.

During the Barton boys' farm brawl, Victoria unfortunately gets caught in the crossfire and ends up being rushed to hospital, clutching her stomach.

Serve him right! In scenes set to air next week on the ITV soap, the furious brunette pushes him off her before delivering a hard slap

Cheeky: Ross - played by Michael Parr - challenges Victoria (Isobel Hodgins) to tell her husband Adam about the kiss

But the kiss isn't the only bombshell since Victoria admits to Adam that there's a chance she could be pregnant.

Actress Isabel told Digital Spy: 'We don't know how hurt she is, but the main impact is in the rib area.

'She needs medical attention, but she's also been suspecting that she's pregnant for a couple of weeks, although she's been putting it to the back of her mind.'

Fight: Shortly afterwards, Adam (Adam Thomas) comes to blows with his half-brother Ross after discovering the truth about the kiss

Actress Isabel confessed she isn't sure whether Adam would be pleased with the idea of being a dad.

The star mused: 'Adam is not as sold with it as Victoria is. I think Victoria would be a good mum, though.'

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV.
Actress Emma Watson may be a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador but her choice in music does little to promote the feminist cause.

When the Harry Potter star was allowed to choose the final song of the evening at the Harpers Bazaar Women of The Year after-party at Claridges last week, she selected a controversial rap that alludes to date-rape.

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Actress Emma Watson may be a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador but her choice in music does little to promote the feminist cause

My spies tell me that when organisers announced that the party was about to finish, Emma, right, joined a chorus of people chanting: One more song! Eventually the DJ relented and allowed Emma to choose one more track  and she didnt hesitate to request Timber by American rapper Pitbull. The song is about the protagonist trying to get women so drunk that they will sleep with him, despite having previously turned him down when sober.

Earlier, the crowd had been dancing to a DJ set by Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe  the stepbrother of Prince Harrys ex Cressida Bonas. At one stage he allowed Emma into the DJ booth, such was her enthusiasm for the party.

Theresa and her Royal ties

Fashion conscious Theresa May has given her seal of approval to silk scarves made by a charity set by Princess Eugenie.

The PM wore the Key To Freedoms scarf when she and Eugenie, above, attended a Westminster Abbey service last month to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and raise awareness about modern-day slavery.

Fashion conscious Theresa May has given her seal of approval to silk scarves made by a charity set by Princess Eugenie

Key To Freedom was set up by Eugenie, her sister Beatrice and their father Prince Andrew to give vulnerable women from India a job making the scarves.

A source close to Eugenie said she was delighted by the PMs endorsement. Perhaps some kitten heels next?

Jemima Khan spent last week fielding calls from prospective buyers clamouring to purchase her lovely 7.95 million house in West London, after she decided to sell it because her two children have grown up.

But when she eventually moves out of the much-loved family home she will not be found nesting with PR guru Matthew Freud, as the pair have parted ways, I am sorry to report.

Heiress Jemima, 42, and Matthew, 53  who was previously married to Rupert Murdochs daughter Elisabeth  have been pals for years, but in April the friendship developed into romance.
Since her debut on X Factor Australia, she has been the centre of rumoured disagreements with each of the other three judges.

But Iggy Azalea gets along fine with fellow judges Adam Lambert and Mel B. According to 'nice guy' judge Guy Sebastian, it's him she really clashes with.

The homegrown talent told The Daily Telegraph the pair often find themselves at loggerheads with each other.

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Clash: The X Factor's Guy Sebastian says it's not Mel B who clashes with fellow judge Iggy Azalea on the show, it's him

Staying true to character, Guy says he tries to hold in his spiteful retorts, and confessed he expresses his anger or annoyance internally.

'We're just not similar people at all and I definitely have to bite my tongue,' he said.

'I've said a lot of things in my head.'

Centre of the rumour mill: Since making her debut on the talent show, Iggy has been the cause of many gripes for the other judges

Despite their constant clashing, the 35-year-old says he hasn't come to understand where the clash came from.

'She's at me all the time and I don't know what it is because she doesn't go after Mel and Adam,' he explained.

The constant feuding between them was incredibly evident during Guy's three seat challenge, where he needed to whittle his team down to just three contestants.

Happy families: The judges are all quite charismatic and while Guy appears to have taken on the 'nice guy' role, Iggy finds herself struggling not to be the show's villain

With every choice he made, Iggy found herself yelling at the Battle Scars hit maker to tell him he was wrong.

The admission is shocking because host Jason Dundas and various media have all implied there is an issue between Iggy and Mel B, both opinionated women.

Former Spice Girl Mel has constantly denied the claims and refuses to engage in any heckling of the other judges when Jason tries to incite drama on the live shows.
She rarely shares photographs of her family.

But Heidi Klum must have been feeling homesick as she posted a sweet picture of herself alongside mother Erna, father Gunther, and brother Michael on Instagram.

'Good to be home with Mom ...Dad...and my brother Michael,' the Project Runway host shared, along with smiley face and German flag emojis.

Family matters: Heid Klum showed off a big smile as she posed alongside her mother, father, and brother in a snap shared to Instagram on Saturday

The 43-year-old showed off a big smile in the picture, in which she also sported skintight, dark wash jeans and strappy, black heels.

She and her family were spotted squeezed into the doorway of a small plane as Heidi seemingly made a visit to Germany.

The mother-of-four captioned the image with an emoji of the German flag, and later shared a gif of herself on the set of Germany's Next Top Model.

Back at it! The blonde-haired beauty later shared a gif from the set of Germany's Next Top Model

Here we go: The star, who serves as host, lead judge, and executive producer of the series, was seen walking down a runway hand-in-hand with two, well-dressed men

Heidi is a host, lead judge, and executive producer for the show, which is based on a concept introduced by Tyra Banks with America's Next Top Model.

Tyra has since stepped down from her series, which was cancelled from The CW. It was picked up by VH1, with Rita Ora set to host alongside judges Ashley Graham, Drew Elliott, and Law Roach.

Heidi shared a German caption along with her Germany's Next Top Model post, which saw her strolling down a runway, hand-in-hand with two well-dressed men.

Dad duty: Meanwhile, ex-husband Seal, 53, was spotted at a peewee football game with three of the former couple's brood

Meanwhile, ex-husband Seal, 53, was spotted at a peewee football game with three of the former couple's brood.

Henry, 11, and Johan, 10 were dressed in peewee touch football uniforms complete with gloves, while daughter Lou, seven, sported a white shirt and skirt combination along with some stylish hot pink wedge sneakers.

Seal himself looked sporty in a slate grey tracksuit, white v-neck t-shirt and white trainers.

He also carried a satchel and wore some mirrored aviator shades.

Ready for the gridiron: Henry, 11, and Johan, 10 were dressed in peewee touch football uniforms complete with gloves

Young fashionista: Daughter Lou, seven, sported a white shirt and skirt combination along with some stylish hot pink wedge sneakers

Leading by example: Seal himself looked sporty in a slate grey tracksuit, white v-neck t-shirt and white trainers

Eleven-year-old Leni, whose birth father is Flavio Briatore, and who was adopted by Seal, was not present.

Heidi recently defended her Halloween costume, telling Us Weekly: 'I loved [my costume]. I know that some people loved it and some people hated it, and that's always going to be the case.'

Heidi had arrived to her 17th annual Halloween bash along with five clones of herself, all sporting long, blonde tresses, coordinating, nude thigh-high boots and bodysuits, and prosthetics to look just like the German star.

'I like to be creative. I don't like to do things that have been done before, and I've never seen anyone do this before, and so I just like to be unique,' she added.
They endured a difficult split last summer after almost ten years together.

But it seems Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are still on good terms, after they were seen leaving Kris Jenner's birthday dinner in California together on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old brunette and her on/off love, 33, appeared to still be comfortable in each other's company as they left the low-key dinner at The Grill in Westlake to celebrate the famous momager's 61st birthday.

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Working it out: Kourtney Kardashian, 37, and her ex boyfriend Scott Disick, 33, were seen leaving Kris Jenner's birthday dinner together on Saturday night

While Kourtney had opted for a daring sheer outfit the previous evening, Kourtney kept things more casual and subdued for Saturday night's affair.

The mother-of-three had attended the party in a pair of black distressed jeans, which clung to her slender legs, and a bleached Elton John T-shirt.

She then layered a chic black bomber jacket on top, which featured a chunky silver zip down the front.

Good terms: After an on/off relationship of almost ten years, the troubled couple announced their separation in July 2015 - and have embarked on 'co-parenting' their three kids ever since

Keeping her accessories simple and classic too, the reality star added a pair of oversized Aviator sunglasses and comfy black Vans trainers.

Leaving her brown locks in their loose, straight style and remaining fairly fresh-faced, Kourtney showed off her natural beauty as she celebrated more intimately with her close family.

Meanwhile her former partner Scott, who she has three children with, seemingly did not feel the need to dress up for the occasion.

The reality star, nicknamed 'Lord Disick', kept comfortable and casual in a simple khaki hoody and black tracksuit bottoms.

Off-duty beauty: While Kourtney had opted for a daring sheer outfit the previous evening, Kourtney kept things more casual and subdued for Saturday night's affair

Adding black sports trainers and a pair of dark shades, the New York native maintained a low-profile as he headed home alongside his ex girlfriend.

The pair first met in 2006 in Mexico, and went on to welcome three children - Mason Dash, 6, Penelope, four, and Reign, who turns two in December.

However after maintaining an on/off relationship for the duration of their romance, the couple finally announced their separation in July 2015 - and have embarked on 'co-parenting' ever since.

Low key: The mother-of-three had attended the party in a pair of black distressed jeans, which clung to her slender legs, and a bleached Elton John T-shirt

During an interview with Australian chat show Today Extra, the brunette admitted her split from Scott caused her 'a lot of anxiety', which influenced her view towards a healthy lifestyle.

'I was never really an anxious person. I'm usually really calm but when I'm going through something in my life and when Scott and I broke up, I just had a lot of anxiety,' she confessed.

'And so that's when I really stepped up my workouts. Like I would go in some days like shaking.

'I could almost not even...it was so hard to even start my work out,' she admitted.

Casually cool: She then layered a chic black bomber jacket on top, which featured a chunky silver zip down the front

Classic kicks: The reality star accessorized simply too, throwing on a pair of Vans sneakers and aviator sunglasses

Sister Khloe was seen arriving in Calabasas just before her, wearing a little less of a low key look.

Khloe poured her curves in a pair of her Good American jeans and wore a nude semi-sheer bodysuit.

The night before the whole family celebrated Kris' 61st with a dinner at Catch LA in West Hollywood.

Oh la la: Sister Khloe was seen arriving in Calabasas just before her, wearing a little less of a low key look

Party time: The night before the whole family celebrated Kris' 61st with a dinner at Catch LA in West Hollywood

For the party, Kourtney wore a sheer turtleneck dress with a pair of high waisted panties and an Agent Provocateur bra.

The star accessorized the look with a pair of nude and perspex heels from brother-in-law Kanye West's collection.

Aside from family, also attending the dinner was Kris' boyfriend Corey Gamble and The Spin Crowd stars Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck.
She has spent the last week dressing up in the latest designer trends for the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival events.

And on Saturday, Australian actress Rachel Griffiths attended Stakes Day with her 11-year-old daughter Adelaide.

At the week's final horse racing event, the 47-year-old glowed as she dressed in a deep navy ensemble, which she accessorised with a matching hat.

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Family affair: Australian actress Rachel Griffiths stunned on Saturday as she dressed in a navy ensemble as she attended Stakes Day in Melbourne with her 11-year-old daughter Adelaide

The designer garment featured a V-neck and was tailored to show off her feminine curves.

While showing off a wide smile, Rachel showed off her flawless complexion as she opted for a nude-base makeup.

For the occasion, she wore her golden locks out and styled with a loose wave.

Matching: The 47-year-old's young daughter looked adorable during the family day out, wearing a black trench coat and a metallic gold headpiece

Her young daughter looked adorable during the family day out, wearing a black trench coat and a metallic gold headpiece.

Days earlier, the Australian actress put on a very beige display at Oaks Day, which was also held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Rachel wore ill-fitting cropped trousers, flats and a fringed woven jacket, complimented by a gold leaf headpiece.

Dressing down: Days earlier, the Australian actress put on a very beige display at Oaks Day, which was also held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne

Seen in the Emirates marquee, the brunette wore a white blouse underneath her jacket and wore simple jewellery including a watch and bracelet.

The Brothers and Sisters star wore her dark tresses out and neatly blow-dried while her makeup was kept simple with foundation, mascara, blush and a gentle pink lip.

Earlier this year, the Hollywood star revealed to Daily Mail Australia she had moved back to Australia with her family, including husband Andrew Taylor and their three children.

Neutral: Rachel wore ill-fitting cropped trousers, flats and a fringed woven jacket, complimented by a gold leaf headpiece

'We just really missed our families, my husband and I,' Rachel confessed, having been based in the US.

'I guess it's the chance to give our children the life that we had, which was knowing our grandparents and having a really close relationship with our cousins.

'If you are overseas you are denying what I feel is the best aspect of my childhood that I remember and that's the same for my husband too.'
Caz Hammond's master plan to seek revenge on Maria Connor is growing ever more menacing.

In upcoming scenes set to air next week on the ITV soap, the troubled Weatherfield resident can be seen watching her target from a webcam, monitoring her every move.

Official stills show Caz sitting on her sofa, a menacing look on her face as she surveys the footage from the hidden camera she has planted in hairdresser Maria's home.

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Creept: In upcoming Coronation Street scenes, Caz Hammoned can be seen watching Maria Connor from a webcam

Meanwhile, Kirk calls at Maria's flat in a bid to put her mind at rest, checking every corner of the flat to reassure her there's nothing to worry about.

Maria - played by Samia Longchambon, nee Ghadie - was horrified when she returned from London last week to find her flat trashed and blood smeared up the walls.

And following Caz's mysterious disappearance, evidence is stacking up against poor Maria, who was taken in for questioning by police.

In trouble: Caz's masterplan to seek revenge on Maria is growing ever more menacing as the police suspect the hairdresser of murder

Watch out! Official stills show Caz sitting on her sofa, a menacing look on her face as she surveys the footage from the hidden camera she has planted in hairdresser Maria's home

Maria is now the number one suspect after cops uncovered a phone, purchased with a credit card registered to her, from which threatening text messages to Caz were sent.

She also found a pair of bloody scissors in her work bag - just as police officers arrived to search her flat.

Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) has been her knight in shining armour throughout, offering his support and even helping her dispose of the weapon.

Prime suspect: Following Caz's mysterious disappearance, evidence is stacking up against poor Maria, who was taken in for questioning by police

It has now been revealed that in the midst of the drama, Aidan is going to cheat on his girlfriend Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) with Maria - again.

Worried Eva tells Aidan to go and stay with her best friend and keep her safe, unaware the pair have feelings for one another.

The duo - who had a one night stand earlier this year - are set to rekindle their passion, leaving Eva heartbroken when she discovers the truth.

Coronation Street continues on Monday November 7 at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
On Halloween, The Bachelor's Kiki Morris debuted her new romance with boyfriend Jeremy.

And it seems the busty former glamour model is as smitten as ever, as she cosied up to her man on Instagram on Sunday.

The 29-year-old shared a shot of Jeremy kissing her, captioning part of the post: 'We're more like a really small gang,' adding a wink emoticon.

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Smitten: The Bachelor's Kiki Morris debuted her new romance with boyfriend Jeremy (pictured) on Halloween and on Sunday cosied up to him in a sweet image (seen)

The brunette added: 'Recovering from my weekend by hiking and swimming on this amazing Sunday.'

Jeremy also shared another shot of the pair online on Saturday, wearing the same outfits, as they smile at the camera.

In the snaps, he wears a white collared shirt while Kiki wears a pink singlet.

Take two! Jeremy also shared another shot of the pair online on Saturday, wearing the same outfits, as they smile at the camera

She's dolled up in the shot, wearing a full face of makeup including a smokey eye, with her hair out in loose tousled curls.

The pair debuted their new love on social media last weekend as they celebrated Halloween.

Sharing a shot of the pair dressed up in costumes, Kiki wrote: 'When you find good selfie light and Bae just wants to suck your blood! Happy Halloweeny. Girl Scout for life (sic).'

Going public: The pair debuted their new love on social media last weekend as they celebrated Halloween

The former glamour model's fellow Bachelor contestant Rachael Gouvignon took to the comments section to congratulate the bombshell.

'Ohh, there's the mystery man, so happy for you babe,' Rachael wrote underneath the photo, adding several love heart Emojis.

Jeremy also shared a snap of himself and Kiki from the same outing to his social media account.

A fun night: Jeremy also shared a snap of himself and Kiki from the same outing to his social media account

'Getting Halloweeny with my little Girl Scout (sic),' the handsome lad wrote, referring to his girlfriend's costume.

Jeremy is the first man Kiki has been linked to since being booted off The Bachelor.

But despite being sent home without a rose quite far into the competition, Kiki insisted she knew there wasn't a romantic connection with Richie Strahan.

Off the market: Jeremy is the first man Kiki has been linked to since being booted off The Bachelor (seen)

'I knew that my relationship with Richie hadn't progressed like the other girls,' the busty model told Popsugar.

'He's not normally my type and personality-wise.

'He's a very light-hearted, jokester kind of person and I look for quite a deep intellectual connection as well as a physical one, as well as a humourous one.'
Nikki Gogan was left to lean on little sister Dani after Richie Strahan broke her heart on The Bachelor.

But now the tables have turned, with Nikki having to switch into protective big sister mode after Dani's small clothing boutique in Melbourne was robbed this week.

The 29-year-old took to Instagram to rant about the robbery to 109,000 followers.

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'My baby sis was broken into this week:' Nikki Gogan took to Instagram to reveal that little sister Dani's boutique had been robbed

'My baby sis @savvybrands was broken into this week and while nobody was hurt which is the main thing, it's just so disappointing when I see how hard she works,' she wrote.

She continued: 'I know all small business owners will relate to this - hats off to everyone hustling daily in their own small way.

'I wonder if the thieves really have any idea, yo thieves, stop being bad humans!'

'I wonder if the thieves really have any idea, yo thieves, stop being bad humans!' The Bachelor star chastised the robbers in her own uniquely vanilla way

Family affair: The 29-year-old is incredibly close with her sister and parents

The reality star then got into promotional mode by using the rant to give her sister's boutique a sly plug.

Sharing a photo of one of the store's products, Nikki wrote: 'It's a shame these gorgeous @becandbridge numbers were taken 'cos wearing this only for a minute bought me joy and now another woman won't experience that joy as some silly billy decided to be well, a big silly billy this week!'

She then finished the post by offering some sisterly support to Dani.

Promotion? Nikki appeared to be giving her sister's boutique a bit of a plug in the post

'You simply got on with it this week Dan, you chose to see all the positives and you continue to make me so so proud.'

In other news, Nikki is currently tipped to become the next Bachelorette.

One of the show's executive producer's told The Courier Mail: ' I go back to my notes from when we were casting The Bachelorette (this year) and what we were looking for and Nikki's got all of the things we like.'
Camilla Belle must have known there was going to be a purple carpet instead of red at the Breeders Cup.

The actress wowed in a gorgeous lilac lace gown as she arrived for the race meet at Santa Anita Park on Saturday.

Wearing her long brunette tresses is loose ringlets around her shoulders, the 30-year-old let her natural beauty shine through the barest touch of makeup.

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Fab: Camilla Belle wowed in a gorgeous lilac lace gown as she arrived for the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita Park on Saturday

She also colour coordinated her accessories, rocking a four amethyst stone pendant on a pearl necklace.

While she famously fell for Joe Jonas back in 2008 when they met on the set of his video for Lovebug, she revealed last month that she would never date a co-star again.

'To date on set is an absolute mess,' the she exclaimed in the cover interview for Hello! Fashions November issue.

'Its so easy  you can be in a really romantic place and maybe your co-star happens to be good looking and you have chemistry and youre staying at the same hotel and go out to dinner

Natural: Wearing her long brunette tresses is loose ringlets around her shoulders, the 30-year-old let her natural beauty shine through the barest touch of makeup

Jewel: She also colour coordinated her accessories, rocking a four amethyst stone pendant on a pearl necklace

'And then, when you get back home, do you continue? I avoid it. I do my work and leave.'

But she does give herself a bit of leeway, saying: 'If something develops afterwards, thats a different story.'

Still, something good did come out of The American Side star's fling with Joe, 27, as they are now friends.

Front page news: The actress looked stunning in a white lace dress for the front cover of Hello! Fashions November issue

'When youre doing different lines of work and can still keep that friendship and support each other, its really nice,' she said. 'We have a history and we know each other really well.'

Camilla admitted that its not always possible to remain friends with an ex 'but when it works its really special.'

Camilla has two projects on the go: lunatic asylum drama, The Mad Whale, and Bangkok Love Story.
They are the picture-perfect couple who regularly light up the red carpet at events.

Now, Zoe Foster Blake has opened up about the moment she first met her husband Hamish Blake in 2004.

Speaking to Good Weekend, the 36-year-old revealed she met the radio funnyman at a 'horrible men's deodorant launch' while they were both with their prior partners.

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Flashback: Zoe Foster Blake has opened up about meeting her husband Hamish Blake in 2004 at a 'horrible men's deodorant launch'

At the time of their first meeting, Zoe was dating NRL sportsman Craig Wing while Hamish was with lawyer and actress Anna Jennings-Edquist.

The mother-of-one explained she and Hamish formed a close friendship and after they both became single in 2010 they began 'hanging out'.

Zoe admitted there was no sparks or physical attraction between them at the start and that after 'a few conversations and it slowly unravelled'.

The past: The 36-year-old revealed at the time of their first meeting, she was dating NRL sportsman Craig Wing while Hamish was with lawyer and actress Anna Jennings-Edquist

Bond: She explained the pair formed a close friendship and after they both became single in 2010 they began 'hanging out' and after 'a few conversations and it slowly unravelled'

After dating for two years, they made things official and got married in December 2012.

During the interview with Fairfax magazine, Hamish gushed about his wife, saying: 'I had never met anyone like her  confident, hilarious, obviously beautiful and very full of fun and life.'

The pair's comments about their blossoming love story comes weeks after Zoe admitted she wants to expand her brood and have more children.

Gushing: During the interview, Hamish gushed about his wife, saying: 'I had never met anyone like her  confident, hilarious, obviously beautiful and very full of fun and life'

Family: The pair's comments about their blossoming love story comes weeks after Zoe admitted she wants to expand her brood and have more children

'I make it no secret I'd like more, but I always said I'd wait until Sonny was two,' she told TV Week magazine.

'He's just turned two so I'll get around to it.'

Her confession came after a source told New Idea she and Hamish had been trying for another baby.

'They've been trying for another baby for a while now, and we're hoping for an announcement soon,' the unnamed friend of the couple told.
Megan Fox became a mother for a third time almost exactly three months ago, and on Saturday the star showed the world a glimpse of her svelte, post-baby shape.

The 30-year-old wore a pair of black and pink leggings that clung to her super toned limbs as she headed out to the movies with a gal pal in Calabasas.

Megan certainly looked as if she was headed to the gym, if her outfit was anything to go by.

What a sport! Megan Fox was more than happy to show off her svelte, post-baby shape as she headed out to the movies with a gal pal in Calabasas on Saturday

On top of her sporty leggings, the Transformers actress wore a graphic print tee and grey Nike trainers.

She wore her glossy brunette strands down loose and accessorized with a pair of edgy black sunglasses.

The actress also opted to let her famously gorgeous features shine through as she looked to have gone for minimal makeup.

On August 4, Megan and her husband Brian Austin Green welcomed their third child, a son named Journey River.

Fit and fantastic! Megan certainly looked as if she was headed to the gym, if her outfit was anything to go by

Bundle of joy: On August 4, Fox and her husband Brian Austin Green welcomed their third child, a son named Journey River

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles star and her actor husband Brian Austin Green are also parents to sons Noah, four, and two-year-old Bodhi.

The 43-year-old actor additionally has 14-year-old son Kassius from his relationship with Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil.

Megan and Brian had separated in August 2015 and the actress filed for divorce a few days later.

However in April, it was revealed that Megan was pregnant, and the pair reconciled and called off the divorce.

Parenthood: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles star and her actor husband Brian Austin Green are also parents to sons Noah, four, and two-year-old Bodhi
There was no mistaking whose big day it was.

Kris Jenner strutted her way into her birthday party in Calabasas, California, on Saturday.

The 61-year-old, with her young love Corey Gamble in tow, made quite an entrance into to her family party.

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Here comes the birthday girl: Kris Jenner strutted her way into her party in Calabasas, California, on Saturday

Despite a big dinner the night before, the momager was ready and raring to go for yet another celebration dedicated to her.

For her party, Kris went for an all-black ensemble featuring some seriously sexy thigh high boots.

Aside from the frisky footwear, the reality star wore tight black pants with a matching tank and a tailored jacket with a number of brooches and chains which draped across her chest.

With the chains already glistening in the light, the matriarch skipped wearing a necklace but did add giant diamond studs to the look.

Party outfit: For her party, Kris went for an all-black ensemble featuring some seriously sexy thigh high boots

Celebratory coat: Aside from the frisky footwear, the reality star wore tight black pants with a matching tank and a tailored jacket with a number of brooches and chains which draped across her chest

Having a ball! Kris looked like she'd had a lovely evening as she left The Grill with her 35-year-old beau by her side

Boyfriend Corey also dressed in all-black wearing an Adidas tracksuit and jacket over a plain tee with some of Kanye West's sneakers.

The party was a family affair with daughter Kylie Jenner and boyfriend Tyga arriving just after Kris.

For her mom's birthday, the 19-year-old got another wear out of her Unravel Project leather pants.

Woman of the hour: Kris ensured she stole the show in her sexy but sophisticated suit ensemble, teamed with racy leather thigh-high boots

Just in time: The party was a family affair with daughter Kylie Jenner and boyfriend Tyga arriving just after Kris

Hell for leather: For her mom's birthday, the 19-year-old got another wear out of her Unravel Project leather pants

Keeping it casual: Tyga wore a Palace T-shirt with Puma pants and a pair of Gucci sneakers

The star wore the same skin flashing lace-up pants to her sister's birthday earlier this week.

The pants - which are created by their makeup artist Joyce Bonelli's fiance Ben Taverniti - have been also seen on big sisters Kim and Kendall over the past 12 months.

Kylie wore the look with an oversized sweater from her boyfriend's collaboration with streetwear star Daniel Patrick as well as some white sneakers and a matching Hermes bag.

Make a wish: Scott Disick was also there to watch Kris blow out her candles

Star of the show: Aside from having a dinner for their mom, they rented out a movie theatre to enjoy a family film night

Family fun: 'So it's my mommy's birthday, and what do you do on your mom's birthday? You rent out the theater!' Khloe squealed on her own Snapchat account

Arriving before the birthday girl was Kourtney and Khloe, who each took different approaches to dressing.

Kourt went for a casual look of black ripped jeans with a bleached Elton John tee and a black bomber jacket.

While Khloe poured her curves in a pair of her Good American jeans and wore a nude semi-sheer bodysuit.

Family time: Arriving before the birthday girl was Kourtney and Khloe, who each took different approaches to dressing

Nothing fancy: Kourt went for a casual look of black ripped jeans with a bleached Elton John tee and a black bomber jacket

Head-turner! While Khloe poured her curves in a pair of her Good American jeans and wore a nude semi-sheer bodysuit

Aside from having a dinner for their mom, they rented out a movie theatre to enjoy a family film night.

'So it's my mommy's birthday, and what do you do on your mom's birthday? You rent out the theater!' Khloe squealed on her own Snapchat account.

The previous evening, Kris had also celebrated her 61st year with a dinner at Catch LA in West Hollywood.

Double the fun: The family had also celebrated the night before at Catch LA in West Hollywood
Melissa McCarthy went shopping on Saturday wearing a 'rebel' sweatshirt.

The Ghostbusters reboot star sported the burgundy statement number as she dropped by a DIY store in Los Angeles with her daughters.

The actress, 46, wore a dark-colored bandana over her hair and wore black patterned leggings.

Casual Saturday: Melissa McCarthy, 46, sported a burgundy sweatshirt with a 'Rebel' statement in black on the front as she dropped by a DIY store in Los Angeles

She completed her casual weekend look with a pair of black high-top trainers, and some large sunglasses.

Her lookalike daughter Vivian Falcone, nine, helped out by carrying some of the purchases in a shopping bag as her mom wheeled other supplies including oversized pillows in a shopping cart through the parking lot.

The pair then loaded their purchases into the back of a SUV.

Had help: The Ghostbusters reboot star was accompanied by daughter Vivian Falcone, nine, who helped out with carrying their purchases to their SUV

Comfort run: Melissa wore a dark-colored bandana and black leggings and trainers for her shopping trip which led to the purchase of some oversized pillows

McCarthy has been juggling her Hollywood fame with some political campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and urging her fans to follow her lead.

On Thursday, the Plainfield, Illinois native took to Instagram to post an image of herself with four friends, all wearing starry pink T-shirts with the phrases 'Vote' and 'Hillary.'

Melissa captioned the image, 'Us girls are getting out and voting, you should too! #wevote.'
She's the single mother who won the heart of Richie Strahan on The Bachelor Australia earlier this year.

Now, Alex Nation has revealed her true feelings for the hunk and her plans to start a future with him.

During a self-run 'Ask Alex' session on social media on Sunday, the 24-year-old told fans she was 'crazy in love' with Richie and hopes to have a family with him in the near future.

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Forward thinking: Alex Nation told social media fans on Sunday she's 'crazy in love' with Richie Strahan and hopes to have a family with the ex-Bachelor in the near future

'I would absolutely love to have more children in the future,' she told one fan.

Alex went on to explain to another: 'I definitely want more children, however not anytime soon.

'Richie and I have much to do first!! We also want to enjoy our time with Elijah as well for now.'

Future: The 24-year-old told: 'I would absolutely love to have more children in the future'

On hold: The single mother added: 'I definitely want more children, however not anytime soon. Richie and I have much to do first! We also want to enjoy our time with Elijah as well for now'

While on the topic of parenthood, the reality TV star opened up to fans about her need to protect her five-year-old son, Elijah from the public eye.

'When it comes to my little man, his privacy is very important and I do my very best to protect him from a lot of the craziness,' she told.

'It's a weird and wonderful world. We often get asked for photos but when I am with Elijah I don't get photos taken in order to protect him.'

His protector: While on the topic of parenthood, the reality TV star opened up to fans about her need to protect her five-year-old son, Elijah from the public eye

Keeping him hidden: She explained: 'It's a weird and wonderful world. We often get asked for photos but when I am with Elijah I don't get photos taken in order to protect him'

Alex added despite it being a crazy time in her life between being a mother and running media round following her appearance on The Bachelor, she always finds a 'work life balance'.

'Life is all about balance and sometimes it's really bloody tough,' she admitted, adding: 'We are all only human (sometimes I totally wish I was super human) but I am fortunate enough to have an amazing support network with my family and Elijah's Dad.'

While talking about her little man, Alex recalled the moment she first laid eyes on him in the delivery room five years ago.

She detailed to her followers: 'The first thing I noticed was his little nose.

First moment: While talking about her little man, Alex recalled the moment she first laid eyes on him in the delivery room five years ago, saying: 'The first thing I noticed was his little nose'

Head over heels: When asked why she liked her experience on The Bachelor, she took the opportunity to gush about Richie: 'I found someone so special who makes me very happy'

'I remember looking up at Joel (his dad) and saying "he's got your nose" whilst balling my eyes out. Very special moment.'

When asked by an Instagram follower what she liked about her experience on The Bachelor, she took the opportunity to gush about Richie.

'When reflecting upon my time on the bachelor I just feel so thankful,' she said.

'I am filled with so much gratitude for being able to experience why I did with incredible people and mostly because I found someone so special who makes me very happy.'

Alex and Richie went public with their relationship in September after dating in secret for three months after filming of the TV series wrapped.
This star does not need a red carpet to make a red carpet-ready style statement.

While Nicole Kidman has had a few fashion missteps of late, the actress erased all that with one look on Saturday night.

The 49-year-old glided out of Catch LA in West Hollywood, California, in a stunning flowing look.

Stunning style: While Nicole Kidman has had a few fashion missteps of late, the actress erased all that with one look on Saturday night at Catch LA in West Hollywood, California

For a night at the new celebrity go-to spot, the Australian actress wore a light as air tulle gown.

The nude frock was part mythical fairy and part Grecian goddess and ensured the star stole the spotlight for all the right reasons.

The dress featured cap sleeves with twisted rope creating a defined top before the fabric flowed out in layers of pleated tulle.

Following the dress' flowing style, the star wore her famous flame locks in a side ponytail with wisps of hair escaping from it.

Floating on high: For a night at the new celebrity go-to spot, the Australian actress wore a light as air tulle gown

Ethereal everything: The nude frock was part mythical fairy and part Grecian goddess and ensured the star stole the spotlight for all the right reasons

Tied it up: The dress featured cap sleeves with twisted rope creating a defined top before the fabric flowed out in layers of pleated tulle

Nicole added lots of gold and diamond rings and a vintage diamond watch with bracelet band.

Not done there with bling, the Paper Boy star wore diamond and ruby gold drop earrings.

Nicole's makeup was done so that it had a shimmer to it and she added a splash of colour with some bright red lipstick.

Minus a point: The star let her beautiful look down slightly be wearing the dress with a pair of black strappy heels which still looked good, but were a touch heavy for such a light dress

Shine bright: Nicole added lots of gold and diamond rings and a vintage diamond watch with bracelet band

Event: Once inside she joined Flaunt and Vionnet's celebration of The Nocturne Issue

Two of a kind: She posed up a storm with Vionnet Designer Goga Ashkenazi

The star let her beautiful look down slightly be wearing the dress with a pair of black strappy heels which still looked good, but were a touch heavy for such a light dress.

Once inside she joined Designer Goga Ashkenazi as they celebrated Flaunt and Vionnet's Nocturne Issue.

She was without husband Keith Urban for the night.

The couple had walked the red carpet together on Wednesday night at the annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.

Complementing each other: Ashkenazi looked gorgeous in a black velvet gown

Going solo: Nicole was without husband Keith Urban for the night
Russell Crowe's former bandmates in 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts have reportedly been living rent-free in his luxury Sydney apartment block for more than a decade.

But the Gladiator star is set to end the free-ride, as he finalises a divorce settlement with his estranged wife Danielle Spencer, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper has been informed that Russell will sell his block in the city's eastern suburb of Kingsford, four years after he split with the Australian actress.

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End of an era: Russell Crowe's former bandmates in 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts have reportedly been living rent-free in his luxury Sydney apartment block for more than a decade - but the free-ride appears to be over

It is said to leave former bandmates Dave Wilkins, Dave Kelly, Billy Dean Cochran, Garth Adam and Stewart Kirwan looking for a new home after lodging at the property for 15 years.

As part of the long-coming divorce settlement, Russell will reportedly also have to consider the value of all his assets.

Russell and Danielle had an on-again-off-again relationship since 1989, with the pair marrying in 2003, before welcoming their two sons Tennyson, nine, and Charles, 12.

Danielle called it quits on her nine-year marriage with 52-year-old Russell in 2012.

For sale! As part of his divorce settlement with ex-wife Danielle Spencer, Russell is set to sell his apartment block in Sydney's eastern suburb of Kingsford

The Romper Stomper actor was reportedly trying to come to terms with Danielle's new boyfriend Adam Long spending time with his sons.

The thought that someone else is spending more time with them than he is  and is slotting into life with his entire family  anyone would feel jealous, a source allegedly told Womans Day.

Its never easy to watch someone move on and be happy with someone else, but everyone knows Russell has and will always love Danielle.

Its never easy': Russell was previously reported to be trying to come to terms with Danielle's new boyfriend Adam Long spending time with his sons

'I've loved Danielle Spencer since 1989': The 52-year-old actor said his feelings for Danielle have never changed

The New Zealand-born star told The Sunday Times newspaper: 'I've loved Danielle Spencer since 1989 - that's never going to change - and that's one of those things where I stare at her and go, "How did this fail?"

'I still can't work it out, because my feelings for her have never changed.'

Asked if there was a chance of a reconciliation, he added: 'Once I commit to something, I stick with it, so you never know...'

30 Odd Foot of Grunts formed in 1992, before breaking up in 2005.
Chelsey Crisp and Rhett Reese are now husband and wife.

The Fresh Off The Boat actress her writer-producer beau tied the knot on Saturday.

The couple married in front of 225 guests in Paradise Valley, Arizona, according to People Magazine.

Setting sail together! Fresh Off The Boat star Chelsey Crisp married fiance Rhett Reese on Saturday

'We both grew up in Phoenix, so having all of our friends and family meet there for the wedding is unbelievably special to us,' she told the mag.

'Saying "I do" in our hometown, with the sun setting over Camelback mountain and everyone we love around us is a perfect way to start our life together.'

She revealed to People at the start of the year Rhett's Christmas proposal took her completely by surprise.

'It's hard to pull one over on me, but he definitely surprised me with the engagement,' she admitted.

Almost there: Way to bring the gorgeous weather #Phoenix - One more sleep til this dude is legally mine,' she posted on Instagram on Friday

'It was a beautiful and funny proposal  pretty much exactly what life has been like with him so far.'

Rhett slipped an emerald-cut diamond in a vintage-inspired setting on his intended's finger during their vacation at Cal-A-Vie Health Spa in San Diego, two hours south of Los Angeles by car.

The Zombieland writer created the bling with Sarah Leonard Jewelers.

The couple began dating three years ago, according to People, after meeting at a wrap party for Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show. Chelsey acted in the comedy series and Rhett was an executive producer.

She is best known as fan-favorite character Honey on ABC'S Fresh Off The Boat while Reese wrote Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds.
Shes looking ahead to the imminent birth of her first child with reality TV personality Rob Kardashian.

And Blac Chyna has reportedly ensured the arrival takes place in very familiar surroundings by choosing the same lavish hospital suite used by Robs sister Kim and husband Kanye West for the birth of their young son, Saint.

TMZ claim the voluptuous star, 28, is ready to pay the $4,000 a night fee for her own private rooms at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles when she gives birth in November via caesarean section.

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Grand plans: Blac Chyna has reportedly ensured the arrival of her first child with Rob Kardashian takes place in very familiar surroundings by choosing the same lavish hospital suite used by Robs sister Kim and husband Kanye West for the birth of their young son, Sain

Each maternity suite is understood to come with three beds, two bathrooms and their own private lounge  meaning plenty of room for expectant father Rob and his extended family.

MailOnline have contacted Blac's representatives for further comment.

Kim, 36, gave birth to her second child with rapper Kanye at Cedars-Sinai in December 2015.

Reports at the time suggested her labour was long and painful, with TMZ claiming the reality star had placenta accreta, a serious pregnancy condition in which the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, resulting in heavy blood loss after delivery.

Grand surroundings: TMZ claim the voluptuous star, 28, is ready to pay the $4,000 a night fee for her own private rooms at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where Kim reportedly endured a long and painful labour with her second child

Kim had the same condition while delivering daughter North, two, and said doctors had told her it was likely she would suffer from it again.

TMZ claims that the labour took an extra two hours while doctors dealt with the placenta accreta, and that Kim has allegedly been describing it as the 'most painful experience ever'.

A C-section is often advised with the condition, but Kim still managed to have a natural birth, the website added.

New addition to the family: On Friday and Saturday, Blac Chyna documented her first two days with her new puppy Tilden, whom she nicknamed Tilda upon discovering the dog was female

As Blac awaits the birth of her second child - she is already a parent to son King Cairo with ex Tyga - the TV personality has decided to add yet another member to her constantly expanding family.

On Friday and Saturday, she revealed to her Snapchat followers that she'd brought home a new puppy she'd initially - and mistakenly - thought were male.

Early Snapchat videos indicated that she and a friend of hers called Paige had both, in fact, decided to adopt dogs.

Dynamic duo: The 28-year-old's friend Paige had herself brought home a puppy called Cameron, who was also initially and mistakenly thought to be male

Paige's little Emilio, whose name seems to have ultimately become Cameron, bit Chyna repeatedly. 'What's the matter with you, man?' the soon-to-be Mrs Rob Kardashian vamped. 'I thought we was cool.'

Through Friday and Saturday, the puppies both repeatedly tousled with each other, an activity Chyna cooed was 'brotherly love.'

Little Tilden, whose fur was white where Cameron's was a pale gold, was, as the 'video vixen' put it, 'my baby.'

'She's actually heated': To Chyna's amusement and Paige's exasperation, they discovered at the veterinarian's office that their new adoptions had been of females

Later on, Paige and Chyna wound up taking their new charges to a veterinarian's office. Before their appointment, Chyna squealed: 'Who's getting shots today?'

It was from that waiting room that the two women announced their discovery. They'd got Snapchat to alter their voices and add animated dogs' ears and snouts to their faces, staring straight at the camera.

'Okay, so, we are at the vet, getting our puppies shots, and guess what, you guys?' said Chyna. 'It's not two boys, but it's two girls.'

As Paige shook her head, an exasperated look on her face, her friend continued: 'So, Paige isn't too happy about them being too girls. She's actually heated.'

Bonding time: King Cairo, the 'video vixen''s four-year-old son by her former flame Tyga, had a good deal of fun carrying his new pet about the house

After a laugh, she went on: 'I guess it's gonna be a house full of girls, and their new names are Cameron and Tilda, not Tilden.'

King Cairo seemed to be having a wonderful time with his new pet, carrying her about the house.

He did, however, call her 'him,' prompting his mother to have to remind him: 'It's a girl!'
She recently announced she would be gracing the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway for her third year.

And with less than 30 days before the massive event, preparations for Kelly Gale's runway appearance are in full-swing, ahead of the runway show to be held in Paris this year.

The 21-year-old model was spotted on the streets of Manhattan on Friday after her Victoria's Secret fittings.

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Practising her runway strut: Kelly Gale was spotted on the streets of Manhattan on Friday after her Victoria's Secret fittings ahead of walking in the annual fashion parade to be held in Paris

She appeared to be in high spirits after the fitting, and even worked her angles for the camera with a sultry pout.

Dressing warm for the New York outing, the Swedish-Australian model cut a stylish figure in skin-tight ripped jeans and a two-tone leather jacket.

A pair of simple thigh-high suede boots highlighted her long and lean legs, as she strutted through the city streets.

Strike a pose! A pair of simple thigh-high suede boots highlighted her long and lean legs, with skin-tight jeans and a two-toned leather jacket completing her fashionable ensemble

Golden gal! The dark-haired beauty added to her neutral toned ensemble by toting a beige handbag with gold accents that matched her jacket's zippers

The dark-haired beauty added to her neutral toned ensemble by toting a beige handbag with gold accents that matched her jacket's zippers.

Kelly's phone was never too far away, with the model either watching her screen or holding it up to answer a call with a gleaming smile.

It appeared the statuesque stunner attended the fitting with minimal make-up and unstyled hair.

Chatty! Kelly's phone was never too far away, with the model either watching her screen or holding it up to answer a call with a gleaming smile

Natural beauty: It appeared the statuesque stunner attended the fitting with minimal makeup and unstyled hair

It was only a week ago that the model announced her acceptance to join the Victoria's Secret runway for the third time, uploading a snap of herself from a previous attendance.

The post started with: 'Paris Baby- I'm coming for you! Aaaaaaah a dream come true once again, It's such an incredible feeling to be able to tell you guys that I am back For my third VSFS this year.'

She also thanked the organisers and her 474,000 followers, and received more than 14,200 hearts on the social media platform in response.

'Paris Baby- I'm coming for you!': Kelly announces her return to the Victoria's Secret runway last week on Instagram sharing a snap of her involvement from a previous show

For the first time ever, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will be held in Paris at the famous Grand Palais on December 5.

Australian model Bridget Malcolm has also confirmed she will be hitting the glitzy runway with Kelly, meanwhile Shanina Shaik missed a spot in the show this year.

The main event - the fantasy bra - is worth $3 million this year and adorned with 450 carats and 9,000 gemstones.

It's set to be worn by American model Jasmine Tooks.

Cara Delevingne has also been personally invited to attend this year, after the committee knocked back claims made by a British paper regarding her absence at the 2014 show.

The paper claimed she wasn't invited due to being 'bloated' but Victoria's Secret claim she was already 'enthusiastically confirmed' but was busy filming a movie.

Will she return? Cara Delevingne has also been personally invited to attend this year, after the committee knocked back claims made by a British paper that labelled Cara being 'bloated'was the reason for her absence at the 2014 show




He is described as a loving 'hands on father' by his wife Elsa Pataky and is often seen playing with his children in family snaps across Instagram.

And on Sunday, Elsa posted yet another picture of her husband Chris Hemsworth embracing one of their brood, as the superhero sat at the base of slide with the bub.

The sun-drenched picture shows Chris cuddling up to what appears to be one of the twin boys, as the pair shared a loving father-son moment in between play-time.

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Doting dad! Chris Hemsworth shared a tender moment with one of his twin boys as they played around, with his wife Elsa Pataky sharing the sweet snap of the father-son moment to Instagram on Sunday

The Thor star appeared to be shirtless in the snap with his bulging biceps visible as one arm rested on his knee, as the other was tightly wrapped around his offspring.

Chris is often seen playing with his three children - twins Tristan and Sasha and daughter India.

Elsa told The Herald Sun that the thing she loves most about Chris is his 'hands on' approach to parenting.

She said: 'Thats the thing I love most about him is what an amazing dad he is and how much he loves playing with them.

'Its a great time for just him and the kids, he loves that time, too,' she added.

In another snap posted on social media by Elsa, Chris can be seen sitting with his sons on a rocking horse.

Rocking around! In another snap posted on social media by Elsa, Chris can be seen sitting with his twin sons Tristan and Sasha on a rocking horse in a playground

Tired? Chris, who has been filming the new Thor film, was seen cradling one of his sons and his daughter, India, in another snap and it seems it was so comfortable in their father's arms, the trio fell asleep that way on the flight

In another, the actor is seen cradling one of his sons and his daughter on a plane and it seems it was so comfortable in their father's arms, the trio fell asleep that way on the flight.

The former Home And Away actor started dating Spanish actress Elsa in early 2010, and they tied the knot in low-key ceremony in December that year.

He told Good Morning Britain: 'There was no great plan to any of it to be honest.'

'We were on holiday and we said "why don't we get married too?" There probably should have been some planning but it all worked out.'

'Family is important': The pair, who met in 2010, live in a $7.2 million luxury home in Byron Bay and say that family is extremely important to both of them

Family outing: The family were seen attending Bluesfest together and are often seen spending quality time together outdoors - one of the reason they wanted the children to grow up in Australia

The pair who live in a $7.2 million luxury home in Byron Bay say that family is extremely important to both of them.

They added that Byron makes for the perfect location for their family because of how 'close knit' their community is.

Chris has been filming the third Thor film, Ragnarok, on the Gold Coast, which recently finished shooting and is relishing in time with his family.

The newest addition to the Thor series is set to release in the U.S. in November next year.
She's the world's most successful transgender model and is often spotted wearing extravagant ensembles in her day-to-day life.

And on Saturday, Andreja Pejic flaunted her fashion-forward style in a salmon and black two-tone coat, as she stepped out of London's Heathrow airport.

The 25-year-old who previously admitted she would wear a 'gown to a grocery story' looked every bit the supermodel as she walked through the terminal.

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Think pink: Andreja Pejic flaunted her fashion forward style in a layered look, which included in a salmon coloured coat and PVC boots, as she stepped out in London's Heathrow airport on Saturday

She strutted about the exit in PVC heeled boots, which sat part-way up her calves, while she carried designer luggage in her hand and a designer purse over her shoulder.

Dark shades, complementing the soft tones of her coat, covered her flawless complexion.

The blonde beauty highlighted her model figure by cinching in the coat at the waist with a black turtleneck blending in to her coat collar to elongate her torso ever so slightly.

A slick of bright pink lipstick appeared to be the only make-up on the stunner's face, while she kept her golden locks pulled back in a tight ponytail.

Stunner: The 25-year-old looked every bit the supermodel as she walked through the terminal with her designer luggage

Walking through the terminal, Andreja appeared to smile as photographers snapped pictures of her in the glamorous outfit.

Last month, the sought-after supermodel revealed her personal style and goals for the future to Australian Vogue.

'I'm that kind of girl who will wear a gown to a grocery store,' the 25-year-old revealed to the publication.

Looking good: A slick of bright pink lipstick appeared to be the only make-up on the stunner's face, while she kept her golden locks pulled back in a tight ponytail

The stunner continued: 'Sometimes I can't decide whether I want to look like Mommie Dearest or Almost Famous ultra-chic and classic or boho rock chic.'

Andreja added she's a fan of luxury designer labels like Balenciaga, Gucci, and Celine, as well as trendy Parisian label Vetements.

On top of discussing her style, the blonde beauty also revealed her desire to become an actress in the future.

'I would wear a gown to a grocery story': Andreja recently revealed that she's a fan of luxury designer labels like Balenciaga, Gucci, and Celine, as well as trendy Parisian label Vetements

'I've dabbled in lots of acting on Turkish television,' she explained, before acknowledging: 'I know it's a very cliche thing for a model to get into acting.'

Despite Andreja's acting ambitions, she isn't planning on leaving the modelling world behind.

'I like modelling and I think I'm pretty damn good at it, so I never want to completely turn my back on that,' the Elle cover girl said.
Via The Straits Times: 3 doctors first to sound the alert on Zika here.

It was the second week of August when the three doctors at Sims Drive Medical Clinic became puzzled when they spotted a pattern emerging among patients.

Construction workers had come in with similar symptoms: rashes, joint pain and sore eyes. Then the symptoms showed up in other residents and office staff who had almost no contact with the workers.

Around 10 people a day were coming in with similar signs. But tests for dengue, chikungunya, measles and rubella all came back negative.

Unable to pin down the mysterious virus, Dr Tan May Yen, 37, Dr Lim Chien Chuan, 52, and Dr Chi Wei Ming, 47, had no choice but to provide them with general advice on how to treat their symptoms. But they still felt uneasy.

"I was uncomfortable because I owe my patients a duty of care," recalled Dr Lim. "They would want to know if their conditions were infectious, and what complications they were going to have."

The doctors considered the possibility of Zika, a viral infection transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Though generally a mild disease, it has been associated with congenital defects in babies born to women infected during pregnancy. But not one of them had travelled to an area that had been affected by Zika.

Concerned about the potential implications of the virus on vulnerable members of the community, the doctors contacted the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Aug 22 for help in identifying the mystery virus.

They alerted authorities to the possibility that Zika had come to Singapore and, days later, the first locally transmitted case was confirmed. It was one of the clinic's patients, a 47-year-old Malaysian working in the area.

Efforts were made to contain the spread of the virus. Those with symptoms were urged to go for testing and guard themselves against mosquitoes. MOH also offered to help the clinic provide free consultations at the Communicable Disease Centre for patients with symptoms.

The situation around the clinic was tenseand regular patients avoided the clinic. But the doctors were more concerned about helping to contain its spread.

"The challenge was trying to educate the patients who were infected about precautionary measures that they could take, while telling them that they did not have to worry so much," said Dr Chi.

With the protocol put in place by the authorities, the infections dwindled. Fogging also helped to reduce the number of cases in the area.

After seven weeks, the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive cluster was closed on Oct 9, and kept under surveillance. The clinic saw more than 150 cases throughout that period.

Professor Duane Gubler, founding director of the emerging infectious diseases programme at Duke- NUS Medical School, said the collective effort by authorities and community managed to contain what could have been a major epidemic.
She spent the day celebrating her mum Kris Jenner's 61st birthday in style with her famous clan.

And Khloe Kardashian was back to business as she headed straight to LAX airport after the festivities to catch a flight out of Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The 32-year-old reality star looked every inch the punk rock-chic in a tiny black bomber and skin-tight leggings, which she teamed with sexy knee-high boots.

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Jet-setter! Khloe Kardashian, 32, was back to business as she headed straight to LAX airport after celebrating Kris Jenner's 61st birthday to catch a flight out of Los Angeles on Saturday night

A red and black plaid shirt was tied around her waist and showed off her sensational curves, which have been honed with gruelling workouts over the past year.

A figure-hugging black bodysuit clung on to her frame under her bomber and she dressed her spectacular decolletage with a delicate gold necklace.

The Strong Looks Better Naked author's shoulder-length blonde tresses were still perfectly intact from her family celebrations earlier in the evening.

Edgy: The reality star looked every inch the punk rock-chic in a tiny black bomber and skin-tight leggings, which she teamed with sexy knee-high boots

Sexy lady: A figure-hugging black bodysuit clung on to a frame under her outerwear and she dressed her spectacular decolletage with a delicate gold necklace

Punk: A red and black plaid shirt was tied around her waist and showed off her sensational curves, which have been honed with gruelling workouts over the past year

And despite the fact that it was night time, Khloe opted to wear a pair of over-sized black shades from Quay as she strutted through the airport.

Like the thousands of other passengers that day, the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star was stopped for an in-depth security check, which saw her removing her jacket to bare her toned arms.

She was also forced to take off her shades, which showed off her perfectly chiselled make-up application.

Mane attraction: The Strong Looks Better Naked author's shoulder-length blonde tresses were still perfectly intact from her family celebrations earlier in the evening

Standing out: She certainly didn't opt for a low-key airport attire

Same rules and regulations apply! The Keeping Up With The Kardashian star was stopped for an in-depth security check, which saw her removing her jacket to bare her toned arms

Pretty: She was also forced to take off her shades, which showed off her perfectly chiselled make-up application

Good day for him: One LAX staffer seemed thrilled at Khloe's presence

While it wasn't clear what destination she was jetting off to, Khloe certainly made her presence known in Calabasas, California earlier that day as she celebrated Kris' birthday.

Khloe set pulses racing as she went braless under a plunging nude leotard with a very tight pair of jeans.

The ex of Lamar Odom added lace-up leopard print boots with a peep toe to the ensemble and hid behind a pair of large mirrored aviator sunglasses.

The third eldest Kardashian sister was one of the first to wish her mama a happy 61 on Saturday as she shared a flashback photo.

Not shy: Khloe set pulses racing as she went braless under a plunging nude leotard with a very tight pair of jeans earlier on in the day to celebrate her mum's birthday

Sartorially savvy: The ex of Lamar Odom added lace-up leopard print boots with a peep toe to the ensemble and hid behind a pair of large mirrored aviator sunglasses from Quay

On her site khloewithak.com she added: 'It's the HBIC's (Head B**** In Command) bday!! Kris Jenner is hands down the ultimate momager and bada** b****, not to mention a wonderful mother. I love you Mom! Thank you for all that you do for me and our family!'

On Instagram the siren shared a group photo from Kris' last birthday party - a Great Gatsby themed extravaganza in LA - and added that the momager is everyone's 'angel' while also captioning it: 'Happy birthday mama!!'

Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick, Kendall Jenner and Tyga also celebrated Kris' birthday while Kim Kardashian was noticeably absent with her wishes on social media.
Danniella Westbrook has insisted she is drug free after worrying pictures emerged of the former soap star sporting a bandage beneath her nose.

The actress, 43, prompted concern after stepping out with a small patch of medical dressing beneath her nostrils on Saturday morning.

Danniella, who is understood to be drug and alcohol free following a reported relapse in 2014, frequently appeared to conceal the plaster with a free hand while taking a brief stroll.

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Clean and healthy: Danniella Westbrook has insisted she is drug free after worrying pictures emerged of the former soap star sporting a bandage beneath her nose

The troubled star has since responded to fears that her septum has collapsed, more than a decade after undergoing reconstructive surgery to have it rebuilt following years of cocaine abuse.

A representative told MailOnline: 'Danniella Westbrook has septicemia caused by dental problems.

'She is very unwell and has been in and out of hospital several times over the last two months.'

In recovery: A source told MailOnline Danniella is 'very unwell and has been in and out of hospital several times over the last two months'

Separate sources have since reiterated that her blood infection has been caused by rigorous dental surgery.

'Steel rods going into her gum have caused an infection and therefore she is wearing a plaster with a sponge in her nose to stop the infection spreading,' a spokesperson told The Mirror.

Danniella revealed in October that she was undergoing a series of cosmetic procedures, including a breast lift and dental work, in a bid to rebuild her shattered confidence.

Getting better: Separate sources have since reiterated that her blood infection has been caused by rigorous dental surgery

'My drug habit has aged me and it shows through my looks,' she told Reveal magazine. 'I'm not worried about being 41, but I feel like an old woman.'

She was later seen nursing her mouth with an ice pack after visiting a central London dental clinic in August.

That appearance came after series of bizarre messages surfaced on her Twitter account, claiming she was pregnant and had been hospitalised after suffering a drug addiction relapse.

A separate message sent from Danniella's email account to MailOnline also read: 'I really need help. I'm relapsing so bad.'

The actress later used Twitter to blast the allegations, claiming her social media and email accounts had been repeatedly hacked.

Speaking to MailOnline about the disturbing incident on Wednesday, she reve she is hoping police will take swift action and 'send this crank to prison.'

She added: 'It's not nice to think they are fixated on pretending to be me and getting access to all my private emails.
She's been busy filming for the BBC series' explosive return over the last few weeks.

But Suranne Jones was spotted taking a break from the tense scenes on Sunday as she relaxed with a hot water bottle on the Doctor Foster set in Hertfordshire.

The 38-year-old leading lady armed herself against the chilly autumn day by clutching the warming item to her chest, as she ran lines for the new series between takes.

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Don't catch a chill! Suranne Jones, 38, was spotted taking a break from the tense scenes on Sunday as she relaxed with a hot water bottle on the Doctor Foster set in Hertfordshire

Clad in a chic black puffer jacket with large lapels and a chunky zip fastening, Suranne looked very professional as she channeled her doctor character, Gemma Foster.

Keeping the look formal and appropriate for the character's day at the surgery, she layered a blue shirt underneath and styled her hair into a sophisticated curled bob.

However feeling the chill of the British weather as she filmed outdoors with co-star Navin Chowdhry, the former Corrie actress ensured she stayed warm and focused on the scene by holding a red water bottle to her chest.

Working woman: Clad in a chic black puffer jacket with large lapels and a chunky zip fastening, Suranne looked very professional as she channeled her doctor character, Gemma Foster

Sooting: However feeling the chill of the British weather as she filmed outdoors, the actress ensured she stayed warm and focused by holding a red water bottle to her chest

Suranne chatted animatedly with her co-star and the show's producers - perhaps discussing the extensive notes on the script that she held in her hand.

The actress has been seen multiple times in recent weeks filming for the upcoming series - including one where she appears to get a parking ticket, and another involving a heated row with unfaithful husband Simon, played by Bertie Carvel.

The clan reunited last month to kick off the second instalment - which drew in 10 million views for its grand finale last September.

The five-part series, which first aired on BBC One last September, told the story of loving wife and mother Gemma (Jones), who became suspicious that her partner Simon (Carvel) was seeing another woman when she found a blonde hair on an item of clothing in her home.

Working on the character: Suranne chatted animatedly with her co-star and the show's producers - perhaps discussing the extensive notes on the script that she held

The series ended on her discovery that he'd been involved in a sexual relationship with a much younger female for the past two years - enthralling viewers and leaving them wanting more.

One viewer said on Twitter after the explosive finale: '#DoctorFoster was some of the best TV in a long time! Please say there's a second series.'

'Absolutely loved #DoctorFoster best programme probably that I've ever watched, another tweeter added. There's got to be a second series? I don't know how but...'

The actress then confirmed the show was returning earlier this year, to the delight of fans.

Comeback: The clan reunited last month to film the second instalment of popular drama Doctor Foster - which drew in 10 million views for its grand finale last September

Suranne said excitedly: I am thrilled to announce we will all be reunited to tell Gemma's next chapter, and I can't wait for the audience who invested in these characters to find out the explosive twists and turns Mike has in store.

Now we can look into what happens to a woman after divorce, deceit and revenge has taken its toll. What a gift of a part and a dream to work with Mike Bartlett again!

The shows creator, Mike Bartlett, added that he was looking forward to returning to work on betrayed Gemma's life and heartbreak.

I've been astounded by the response to Doctor Foster, he said in a statement. I'm thrilled that alongside Drama Republic and the phenomenal Suranne Jones, we're now going to tell the next chapter in Gemma's story.

Her life in Parminster may look better on the surface, but as she will discover to her cost, every action has its consequences eventually. No one comes through hell unscathed.
They undoubtedly lead a hectic life, with two young children to look after amidst his stint as host on one of the most popular US chat shows.

But James Corden and his wife Julia Carey ensured they made time for each other on Saturday, as they enjoyed a date night at Catch in Los Angeles.

The Late Late Show host, 38, and his gorgeous blonde wife Julia looked casual but comfortable in each other's company as the headed for dinner at the LA hotspot hand-in-hand.

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Date night: James Corden, 38, and his wife Julia enjoyed a romantic dinner together on Saturday at Catch restaurant in LA - without their two young children in tow

The Gavin and Stacey star's wife looked effortlessly chic in figure-hugging black jeans and top, with a striking bomber jacket on top.

The trendy coat, which added a youthful and vibrant style to the outfit, was made of black satin and was printed with bright red flowers and daisies all over it.

Matching the outfit with a quirky touch, Julia then added a pair of pointed court shoes, adorned with a co-ordinating red love heart on the toes.

Natural beauty: The Gavin and Stacey star's wife looked effortlessly chic in figure-hugging black jeans and top, with a striking floral bomber jacket on top

Keeping her blonde hair loose and her make-up fresh barring a sweep of metallic eyeshadow and lipstick, the mother-of-two looked naturally gorgeous as she headed out for an intimate evening with her husband of four years.

Meanwhile James, who has made the big time since moving to America, kept things low-key in a similar bomber jacket of plain black, teamed with Paige Denim jeans and a cool pair of leather loafers emblazoned with a gold print.

The happy couple, who are parents to Max, 5, and Carey, two, looked as loved-up as ever as they headed into the swanky seafood restaurant Catch.

Success story: Meanwhile James, who has made the big time since moving to America, kept things low-key in a similar bomber jacket of plain black

The eatery has become a popular haunt with celebs recently - drawing in the likes of David Beckham, Jamie Foxx and the Kardashian clan, after Kendall Jenner hsted her 21st birthday party there last week.

A far cry from his humble former life in the UK, James has found huge success and worldwide fame since he replaced Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show as host in 2014.

The series was an immediate success, and the show has since gone on to win an Emmy this year.

Man of the hour: A far cry from his humble former life in the UK, James has found huge success since he replaced Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show as host in 2014

Perhaps most famous and popular of all is his iconic Carpool Karaoke segment - which sees James take celebrities out for a spin and singalong in his car.

Stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama and Stevie Wonder have all taken part in the skit - as well as Lady Gaga most recently, with James copying her infamous meat dress to give the lift.

More recently however the comedian has begun to create music videos with his guests for the show instead.

Friends in high places: Perhaps most popular of all is the show's iconic Carpool Karaoke segment - which sees James take celebrities (such as Justin Bieber, above) out for a spin

He first created a Halloween-themed version of Ginuwine's Pony with Niall Horan of One Direction, and has since created a parody of the Lionel Richie and Diana Ross classic with Zooey Deschanel, entitled Endless Glove.

Talking on ITV's Lorraine earlier this year, James said he owes his success all to wife Julia - who agreed to make the move stateside at a chaotic time.

He said: 'All credit to my wife, who agreed to move when our daughter [Carey] was five weeks old and our son [Max] was three.

New projects: More recently the comedian has started to create music videos with his guests, parodying a classic Lionel Richie and Diana Ross hit with Zooey Deschanel last week

'It was a massive undertaking. I work so hard in the week and then at the weekend, you click your fingers and it's like you are in the South Of France.

He then added in his usual witty style: 'Luckily it's our life for the foreseeable future or until I get sacked.'

The One Man, Two Guvnors star proposed to Julia on Christmas day 2010 and the pair welcomed their son Max less than three months later.

They then married in a lavish 250,000 ceremony at Babington House, Somerset in September 2012.
Ryan Seacrest served as his sister's Man of Honor as she tied the knot in an intimate Mexico wedding.

The 41-year-old former American Idol host shared his excitement with a series of snapshots and tweets leading up to Meredith's special moment.

'Todays the day excited for my sis! Proud to be her man of honor,' he tweeted on Saturday.

'Trying to fit in!': Ryan Seacrest served as his sister, Meredith's Man of Honor as she tied the knot in an intimate Mexico wedding on Saturday

The TV host and personality posted a heartwarming photo as he stood alongside the stunning bride and her bridesmaids.

'Trying to fit in... final countdown!' he captioned the image of himself looking dapper in a royal blue suit.

Meredith - who serves as the executive director and COO at the Ryan Seacrest Foundation - wore a gorgeous Vera Wang gown with sequinned embellishments.

'The day your sis grows up': The 41-year-old former American Idol host shared in an Instagram photo early Saturday morning with his younger sister

'Excited for my sis!': The TV host and personality shared several tweets leading up to her special moment

The KIIS FM radio host was the perfect MOH and even joined his little sister in picking up her bridal dress on Thursday.

Ryan shared a photo of the moment on Twitter and wrote: 'Meres got the dress, cant wait for her big day Saturday!'

Meredith tied the knot during an intimate ceremony to Jimmy Leach, a senior executive at TOMS shoes.

'Meres got the dress!': The KIIS FM radio host was the perfect MOH and even joined his little sister in picking up her bridal gown on Thursday

The wedding party each wore a pair of the charitable company's footwear, which donates a pair of shoes to an impoverished child for each pair sold.

Each of the groomsmen also wore suits and accessories by the Ryan Seacrest Distinction collection.

In October 2015, Ryan announced via Instagram that he would play the major role in his sister's wedding by posting a photo of a sweet poem she wrote for him.

'Finally time for man of honor duties!': Ryan kept fans updated on his weekend activities

'So happy for you both!': The Atlanta native was elated to welcome his brother-in-law, Jimmy Leach, a senior executive at TOMS shoes, into the family

'I'm on my way to say "I do," and wanted to talk about me and you,' she began.

'You've been by my side all of my life, and I wouldn't want you anywhere else, when I become a wife.'

Her heartfelt message continued: 'Im so lucky to have you as my brother, and couldnt imagine celebrating with any other.'

'So basically what Im trying to say Will you be my Man of Honor on my special day?!'
It is the most expensive television series to have ever been produced, with a budget of 100million.

And Netflix's The Crown is certainly not holding back with its second series - as it took over the entirety of Trafalgar Square on Sunday to begin filming for the next installment.

The show, starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith, has already been recommissioned for a second season, after its debut last week was met with the highest praise.

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No expense spared: Netflix's The Crown took over the entirety of Trafalgar Square on Sunday to begin filming its second series - not holding back on its 100million budget

Depicting a chaotic war rally in the iconic London location, the 100million drama spared no expense as they clad their extensive cast in authentic period dress for the extravagant scene.

Closing off the tourist attraction for the shoot, the famous square was flooded with actors dressed as photographers and journalists in suits, coats and hats of the 1960s fashion.

These extras were then joined by a large group of policeman, who sported the traditional, high-quality uniforms worn back in the day - complete with the hard hats and embellished acheivements on their jackets.

Impact: Taking centre stage was an actor giving a speech to the hundreds of people present from the heights of the square

Realistic: Depicting a war rally, the 100million drama spared no expense as they clad their extensive cast in authentic period dress for the extravagant scene

Taking centre stage was an actor, perhaps portraying a politician or radical party leader, giving a speech to the hundreds of people present from the heights of the square.

The scope of the show was later seen as the actors relaxed between takes by the huge fountain - spanning the huge expanse to give the impression the whole location had gone back in time.

Despite playing Queen Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip on the series, which is the most expensive show to have ever been produced, stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith were not present on set.

Takeover: The scope of the show was later seen as the actors relaxed by the huge fountain - spanning the huge expanse to give the impression the whole location had gone back in time

Classic characters: Extras were then joined by a large group of policeman, who sported the traditional, high-quality uniforms worn back in the day

Set against the backdrop of a Great Britain still recovering from the aftermath of World War II, the thrilling drama follows a young Queen Elizabeth (Foy) facing enormous responsibilities to Crown and country.

The drama promises a look at the intrigue, love lives and machinations behind the most notable events, after it was billed as the 'the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world  Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.'

The first series, which begins before Elizabeth's ascension in 1952 and runs until 1955, made its debut on Netflix on Friday - and was immediately met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike.

Day off: Despite playing Queen Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip on the series, stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith were not present on set

Powerful: The cast then held on to hundreds of handwritten protest signs and incredibly intricate vintage cameras for the mesmerising scene

Christopher Stephens for the Daily Mail called the first episode 'a sumptuous display of small-screen splendour' and deemed the series 'so breathtaking that youll want to wolf it all down in a weekend, and then return to savour every moment.'

The Guardian then confirmed that the staggering budget had been more than worth it, with leading lady Foy 'managing to register every layer of misery and frustration as Elizabeth' while the remaining cast were 'uniformly excellent'.

The show was also met with high praise from US critics too - making the British production an overwhelming success.

Retelling history: The drama promises a look at the intrigue, love lives and machinations behind the most notable events

Hooked: The first series made its debut on Netflix on Friday - and was immediately met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike

The Hollywood Reporter said: 'W hile it lacks for nudity and dragons and bloody upheavals, Netflix's new series The Crown makes a solid argument for the exercise of power as the stuff of compelling drama in its own right.

'The Crown is surely Netflix's strongest push yet into the realm of prestige drama,' it concluded, adding it will be a 'real player' when awards season rolls round.

Then the NY Times observed that while Claire Foy's Queen-Elizabeth II isn't 'the kind of hard-living, bloodthirsty ruler who makes for frothy television... Netflix, doesnt try to pretend that she is'.

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair added that it was a 'dynastic family drama, told on an extravagant scale'.

Leading man Matt Smith even praised the show's writing, admitting on BBC Radio 2 last week: 'The script is very good. Hes clever that writer, Peter Morgan. Even if you think you know the story... you dont.'
She was left with little to smile about, following her injury-marred performance on Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing, which led to her being voted off the show.

But Laura Whitmore managed to raise more than a grin as she arrived to host the 2016 MTV EMA Awards in Rotterdam on Sunday night.

The 31-year-old presenter ensured she all eyes were on her as she sashayed down the red carpet, thanks to a leg-flashing layered mini dress.

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A VERY leggy display: Laura Whitmore managed to raise a smile as she arrived to host the 2016 MTV EMA Awards in Rotterdam, on Sunday evening

Having ditched her ballroom wardrobe from the night before, Laura chose to a saucy yet chic ensemble for her outing as this year's host.

The Irish beauty, who has shot to new heights of fame in the UK thanks to her stint on Strictly, made sure to show off the fruits of all her long hours in the dance studio.

Slipping her lithe form into a thigh-grazing, form-fitting number, the MTV favourite ensured that her slender curves were firmly on display.

Sheer sass: The 31-year-old presenter ensured she all eyes were on her as she sashayed down the red carpet, thanks to a leg-flashing layered mini dress

Teamed with a pair of towering black peep-to shoes, the cut of the dress allowed Laura to show off her toned and tanned legs to the max.

Keeping things simple she left her look uncluttered, and opted to only wear a smattering of jewellery.

Wearing her trademark blonde locks styled into cascading waves down past her shoulder, the pale beauty allowed her tresses to frame her pretty face.

Figure-flaunting: The Irish beauty, who has shot to new heights of fame in the UK thanks to her stint on Strictly, made sure to show off the fruits of all her long hours in the dance studio

Sassy: Slipping her lithe form into a thigh-grazing, form-fitting number, the MTV favourite ensured that her slender curves were firmly on display

Tottering along: Teamed with a pair of towering black peep-to shoes, the cut of the dress allowed Laura to show off her toned and tanned legs to the max

Alabaster beauty: Wearing her trademark blonde locks styled into cascading waves down past her shoulder, the pale beauty allowed her tresses to frame her pretty face

Fashionable team: She was joined on the red carpet by her co-presenter for the evening, Sway, who cut a dapper figure in a roll-neck and velvet jacket

Wearing a simple palette of make-up, Laura picked out her blue eyes with a dark smokey shadow, before plumping her lips up with a pale berry lipstick.

She was joined on the red carpet by her co-presenter for the evening, Sway, who cut a dapper figure in a roll-neck and velvet jacket.

Laura and the rapper looked to be in high spirits as they kicked off their coverage in front of the crowds.

Ready? Laura and the rapper looked to be in high spirits as they kicked off their coverage in front of the crowds

GO! The two put on a professional yet animated display as the event kicked-off

With a smile on her face, the Irish model and presenter looked to have bounced back from her poor performance on Strictly the night before, which saw her voted off on Sunday night's broadcast of the show.

She struggled to fight back tears after an awkward timing issue during her samba to the Gipsy Kings' Bamboleo with partner Giovanni Pernice.

Squinting her eyes and sighing 'sorry' to her partner, the Irish presenter looked crestfallen as she listened to the judges' comments.

Sing it out loud: Anne-Marie kicked proceedings off with a special performance on the red carpet

Stylish sirens: Presenter Becca Dudley (L) and blogger Sonya Esman (R) sported contrasting floral ensembles

Here come the girls: The events' style influencers arrived en mass (L-R) Eleanor Calder, Monica Gauze, Sandra Lambeck, Betty Autier and Sonya Esman

MTV EMA 2016: WINNERS Best Video The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk  Starboy Best Song Justin Bieber  Sorry Best Female Lady Gaga Best Male Shawn Mendes Best Live Twenty One Pilots Best New Zara Larsson Best Pop Fifth Harmony Best UK and Ireland Act Little Mix Worldwide Act Troye Sivan - Australia Shawn Mendes  Canada Maluma  Columbia GOT7  Korea Wizkid - Nigeria Zara Larsson  Sweden Best Rock Coldplay Best Alternative Twenty One Pilots Best Hip Hop Drake Best Electronic Martin Garrix Best Push DNCE Best World Stage Martin Garrix  Isle of MTV, Malta (2015) Biggest Fans Justin Bieber Best Look Lady Gaga Icon Award Green Day Advertisement

Strictly emotional: With a smile on her face, the Irish model and presenter looked to have bounced back from her poor performance on Strictly the night before

Luckily, the starlet had no need to be worried, as her passionate performance earned her a respectable 32 points from the judges.

Attempting to console her, Len Goodman exclaimed: 'She is a star,' but added: 'I'd have liked [to see] a little more Laura than Giovanni!'

He also disagreed with the pace in music as he explained: 'You sacrificed technique to give us impact.'

Onwards and upwards: She struggled to fight back tears after an awkward timing issue during her samba to the Gipsy Kings' Bamboleo with partner Giovanni Pernice

Bruno Tonioli was full of praise, as he shouted: 'It really sizzled, you gave everything, got everyone going.'

Meanwhile, Craig Revel Horwood admitted: 'It looked a bit awkward but I thought you did a very good job.'

Darcey Bussell sympathised, sighing: 'It's a shame you lost sync,' but praised her as she explained: 'You worked those hips!'
Highland Reel wins Breeders' Cup Turf

Highland Reel swept to a wire-to-wire victory in the $4 million Turf at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, giving Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien an 11th Breeders' Cup victory but his first of 2016.

Jockey Seamus Heffernan's bold ride paid off with a first Breeders' Cup victory ahead of Flintshire and defending champion Found.

The O'Brien-trained Found had beaten Highland Reel across the line at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last month, but it was her stablemate who found the going to his liking on the sunbaked turf course in California.

Highland Reel ridden by jockey Seamus Heffernan wins the Longines Turf race on day two of the 2016 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park on November 5, 2016 in Arcadia, California Harry How (Getty/AFP)

Highland Reel led the field down the hill from the starting gate, notching a quick 48 seconds for the first half-mile.

The winner of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot extended his lead on the backstretch, opening a gap of eight lengths that his rivals were finally unable to close.

"He's the type of horse that's brave in front," Heffernan said. "And when he wants to go, you let him go and he turns it on.

"I thought there were a few horses that were going to come from the back and come quick. So if I was going, I wanted to go early."

Flintshire jockey Javier Castellano seemed to be taken by surprise.

"He tried to steal the race and he stole it," said Castellano, whose mount was sent off as the 9-5 favorite but finished 1 3/4 lengths behind.

"Usually you don't see the European horses run so aggressively, open up and carry their speed," Castellano added, "especially at 1 1/2 miles -- but it worked out great for him."

Flintshire trainer Chad Brown said there was nothing Castellano could have done on the day.

"The course is very, very firm and when you have a classy horse (Highland Reel) like that alone on the lead, it's dangerous," Brown said. "We had no excuses."

Found, ridden by Ryan Moore, recovered well from an awkward start but even running well at the end never looked like challenging Highland Reel.

Heffernan said Moore had told him before the race that it could well be Highland Reel's day.

"Ryan Moore told me it was his best chance on this track the way the ground was," he said. "I wasn't sure if I was given the chance, I'd want it to be firm, but Ryan was right."
S. Korea scandal widens as presidential aides arrested

South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides Sunday in a snowballing influence-peddling scandal which has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign.

Park's approval ratings have hit a historic low of five percent -- a record for a sitting president -- over the scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-Sil.

Choi has been arrested for fraud and also stands accused of meddling in state affairs -- including government appointments and policy decisions -- despite holding no official position.

Protesters call for the resignation of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, on November 5, 2016 Ed Jones (AFP)

Ahn Jong-beom, a former senior advisor to Park, was formally arrested early Sunday on charges of abuse of power and attempted coercion, the Yonhap news agency reported.

He is suspected of helping Choi collect millions of dollars in donations from conglomerates like Samsung to two dubious non-profit foundations which Choi set up and allegedly used for personal gain.

Ahn, who has been in custody since Wednesday after stepping down late last month said he would "take responsibility" for failing to properly advise the president, Yonhap reported.

Prosecutors also arrested Jeong Ho-Seong, another former presidential aide, over allegations that he leaked classified information.

The 47-year-old Jeong, who was known as Park's right hand man and has assisted her since 1998, is suspected of passing presidential speeches and official documents to Choi.

Park has been scrambling to restore trust in her administration amid the deepening crisis, reshuffling ministers and senior advisers to bring in figures from outside her ruling conservative Saenuri Party.

But the reshuffle has done little to assuage public anger, with tens of thousands of protesters rallying to demand her resignation in a candlelight demonstration on Saturday.

Police said around 50,000 people had turned out for the rally -- more than double the size of a similar anti-Park protest the week before. Organisers said the number was closer to 200,000.

Han Gwang-Ok, Park's new chief of staff who was appointed last week, said Saturday's protest reflected the gravity of the current situation.

"All senior secretaries must fully cooperate in uncovering the truth beyond any doubt," Han said during a meeting with the presidential secretaries on Sunday.

- Modern-day Rasputin -

In a televised address Friday, Park agreed to be questioned by prosecutors, and sought to portray herself as an over-trusting friend who had let her guard down at a moment of weakness.

Her voice choking with emotion, Park said she had been living a "lonely life" as president and had turned to Choi for company and help.

The South Korean media has portrayed Choi, whose late father was a shadowy religious leader and an important mentor to Park, as a Rasputin-like figure who wielded an unhealthy influence over the president.

Choi is the daughter of late religious leader Choi Tae-Min, who was married six times, had multiple pseudonyms and set up his own cult-like group known as the Church of Eternal Life.

Park has been forced to deny that she fell for a religious cult or allowed shamanist rituals to be performed in the presidential Blue House.

Despite the mass protests, Park is not expected to resign with just over a year of her single term in office left.

Whatever transpires, the very personal nature of the scandal has severely undermined Park's ability to govern, turning her into the lamest of lame-duck leaders at a time of slowing economic growth, rising unemployment and elevated military tensions with North Korea.

Bystanders shout slogans, calling for the resignation of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, in Seoul, on November 5, 2016 Ed Jones (AFP)
Australia investigates reported Afghan kidnapping

Australian officials said on Sunday they were trying to confirm reports one of its nationals was kidnapped in Afghanistan, just months after another citizen was rescued after being taken at gunpoint.

"The Australian embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said in a statement.

"Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."

Afghanistan's capital Kabul is plagued by organised criminal gangs who stage kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreigners and wealthy locals, and sometimes handing them over to insurgent groups Wakil Kohsar (AFP/File)

Australia warns its nationals not to travel to Afghanistan, saying in its latest advisory updated in September that the "kidnapping of Westerners is a serious threat throughout Afghanistan".

"We continue to see reports terrorists are planning to kidnap Westerners, including in Kabul and surrounding districts. Aid workers, journalists, and employees of foreign companies could be kidnap targets," its says.

An Australian aid worker, Katherine Jane Wilson, believed to be aged about 60, was rescued by Afghan special forces in late August.

She had been abducted by unidentified masked gunmen from Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan in late April.
Japan protests as China ships sail near disputed isles

Japan protested to China on Sunday after Chinese coast guard ships sailed into territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Tokyo said.

Four Chinese vessels entered the waters surrounding the islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, around 10:00 am local time (0100 GMT), according to Japan Coast Guard.

They left the territorial waters within two hours, the coast guard said.

Tokyo has lodged at least 32 protests through diplomatic channels in 2016 over what it says have been a total 31 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in Japan's territorial waters Japan Coast Guard (Japan Coast Guard/AFP/File)

The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited, Tokyo-controlled islets.

Japan has routinely complained that China is escalating regional tensions by regularly sending ships to the island chain despite repeated protests from Tokyo.

On Sunday, Tokyo lodged a protest to China's foreign ministry through its embassy in Beijing saying the islands are "an inherent territory of Japan," while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office beefed up its team in charge of monitoring Chinese ships, a government official told AFP.

Tokyo has lodged at least 32 protests through diplomatic channels this year over what it says have been a total 31 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in the territorial waters.

China is also involved in maritime disputes in the South China Sea by claiming most of the area despite partial counter-claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Tourism boom threatens Vietnam's 'Tonkinese Alps'

At the top of Vietnam's Fansipan Mountain, throngs of giddy tourists wielding selfie sticks jostle for a photo op on the once-remote peak in the Sapa region, famed for its breathtaking views across undulating rice terraces.

Getting to the top traditionally takes a two-day trek but these days most visitors opt for a 20-minute ride by cable car instead -- the latest flashy tourist attraction to heighten concerns over rapid development destroying Sapa's natural beauty.

Known by some as the Tonkinese Alps, the former French outpost has seen a tourism boom in recent years with a new highway from the capital and hotels popping up at breakneck pace.

Tourists pose for photos on the top of Fansipan Mountain in the northern Sapa tourist town in northern Vietnam Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)

"If more and more building (happens), then one day we will lose Sapa, we won't have any more mountain," said guide Giang Thi Lang, from the Black Hmong ethnic group.

Vietnam's tourism industry has taken off in recent years, especially among domestic visitors with growing appetites and budgets for travel.

The country has also become a draw for foreign visitors turning their backs on better-known Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand's Chiang Mai, seeking instead a road less travelled.

But some lament the commercialisation of Vietnamese treasures, with reports of locals complaining about multi-course meals served in Ha Long Bay's famous caves, or trash-strewn beaches in the resort town of Phu Quoc.

- 'They didn't listen' -

In Sapa town, where heaps of rubble mark hotel sites under construction, the number of rooms has surged from 2,500 in 2010 to 4,000 last year, according to official figures.

Visitor numbers have snowballed too, reaching around 700,000 last year, and revenues have more than tripled since 2010 to $50 million.

Part of that growth is thanks to the cable car -- the longest of its kind in the world according to operators -- which opened in February with the capacity to ferry 2,000 people to the top of the mountain daily.

"It's good for Sapa when they can attract more tourists... and we have a big number of the local people that can find jobs," said Nguyen Van Manh, deputy director of Sapa's Tourist Information Center, adding that the sector provided employment to thousands.

But some locals tell a different story.

"Before the cable car, there were more porters from the village with regular work," said Hmong trekking guide Ma A Tro from Fansipan's summit, where he had just led a two-day trip.

"Now with the cable car there, village residents no longer have jobs, mostly becoming freelance construction workers."

The government ignored opposition to the cable car, he said, lamenting that business has dwindled since its construction with fewer people climbing the mountain.

"We talked to them, but they didn't listen. The central government came and said they had to do it, so they did it," he added.

- 'Disappointed' -

Some tourists also say Sapa is losing its appeal, with Fansipan's picturesque summit replaced by concrete steps, souvenir shops and still-under-construction temples.

"I imagined I would come to the top and it would be really natural, but it's developed here, so for me it's a bit disappointing," said trekker Duong Hoang Minh, who hiked to the top of the 3,143-metre (10,311-foot) peak.

But still, he decided to take the cable car down and agreed that more people can enjoy the mountain because of it.

"For other people I think it's better because it's safer for them," said the 23-year-old teacher, his white sweatpants slicked with fresh mud.

Most tourism operators agree the boom has brought much-needed development -- roads, schools and clinics, for example -- to a region where the majority of the population belong to one of Vietnam's 53 ethnic minorities, who have traditionally lagged behind the rest of the country.

But without sustainable growth Sapa risks "shooting itself in the foot", said Hubert de Murard, manager of the Topas Ecolodge about 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Sapa town.

The lodge, with its 25 white granite bungalows overlooking a rice terraced valley, employs mostly locals, was built using materials found nearby and was designed to blend in with the surrounding environment -- a business model de Murard said he'd like to see newcomers adopt.

He worries that some investments have been short-sighted, aimed at maximising the number of visitors.

"For a natural destination like here, with a preserved environment, this would not really be good," he told AFP as the sun set over the yawning valley behind him.

"We need to be a bit more careful to avoid the mistake of mass tourism in Sapa."

A Topas Ecolodge building sits on a hill-side outside northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)

A new hotel is being built on a hillside in northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)

Tourists disembark from a cable car near the top of Fansipan Mountain, outside northern Vietnam's Sapa tourist town Hoang Dinh Nam (AFP)
Mangrove protection key to survival for Senegalese community

Pelicans, flamingos, monkeys and even hyenas are under threat in Senegal along with the livelihoods of the local people as thick clusters of mangroves are disappearing.

And it seems that not even an ancestral spirit can save them.

The protected marine area (AMP) of Joal in western Senegal, just to the north of the Gambia, is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity.

Farmers collect oysters from Joal mangrove in western Senegal Seyllou (AFP)

The hardy mangrove shrubs thrive in salty water, thick mud and hot, humid conditions that would kill most other plants.

Part of Senegal's peaceful Petite Cote, Joal's mangroves are being eroded by a combination of factors, including global warming, deforestation, public works, oyster and clam fishing, salination of the fresh water river and drought.

All along the riverbed, great swathes of sandy dunes have appeared in place of the once suffocating canopy of mangroves.

"The empty spaces are areas where the mangrove has disappeared," said Abdoulaye Sagna, a manager at the Joal AMP.

Mangroves are not just tough survivors. Scientists now believe the swamps are hugely important to the well-being of the planet as a whole.

Senegal's mangrove system supports a vast range of species and organisms.

Baobab trees and acacia shrubs grow in between the tangled roots, which are a habitat for molluscs, crabs and insects.

Animals such as monkeys and hyenas also live in the mangroves, and flamingos, pelicans, terns, herons and other types of birds nest in the trees.

"All these species are victims of the disappearance of the mangrove," added Sagna.

The protected area may be vast but outside of the AMP, the mangrove is receding, according to Abdou Karim Sall, a member of the Joal AMP's organising committee.

- 'Degraded' mangroves -

But he insists that the establishment of the 174-square-kilometre (67-square-mile) protected area has had a positive effect on safeguarding the local environment.

"There was nothing here, no mangroves, but from 2009 we started reforesting," said Sall.

"In villages not covered by the AMP, the mangrove is more degraded. We fear it will disappear in certain areas where entire hectares have been cut down."

Despite the reforestation policy, Senegal is losing much of its mangroves, not least to those looking for firewood and construction materials.

"Senegal has lost 40 percent of its mangroves since the 1970s," said ecologist Haidar El Ali, a former minister of the environment.

As the mangroves recede, it is becoming harder to find oysters and clams, which are among the mainstays of the local economy.

"Before, all you needed to do was go 10 metres (32 feet) into the river to find oysters and clams. But now, you have to go much further," complained Marie-Madeleine Diouf, head of a group of seafood traders in Joal.

"We can't find the quantity we want and demand is increasing."

Other than the abundant mollusc fishing, Joal -- famous for being the birthplace of Senegal's first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor -- is also known for tourism and local handicrafts, based on clam shells and sea snails found at the island of Fadiouth, which is linked to Joal by a bridge.

- Ancestral spirit -

But that has attracted many unscrupulous outsiders, and not even a local spirit in the deeply superstitious society can keep them from exploiting the mangroves.

"Joal's ancestral spirit, Mama Ngueth, the town's protector, banned the cutting down of mangroves," said Sall.

"Everyone respected that ban and belief in that spirit was a factor in the conservation of the mangrove.

"But now there are a lot of migrants in Joal who couldn't care less about this spirit, or the conservation of the mangrove."

One solution has been to build an oyster farm in Joal to boost production.

Yet another is to try to protect young molluscs.

Oyster farmer Leopold Ndong wields a knife to cut oysters from the intertwined mangrove roots to "plant" them in mud.

"These are spat, baby oysters... After a year they will be mature," he said.

According to Diouf, the fight to preserve the mangroves is not a forlorn one and is worth the effort.

"We have to replant every day because people keep cutting (down mangroves)," she said.

"People will keep cutting, and we'll keep replanting."

Protected marine area of Joal in western Senegal, just to the north of the Gambia, is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity Seyllou (AFP)

Abdoulaye Sagna, a manager of the Protected Marine Area (AMP) of Joal in western Senegal Seyllou (AFP)
Could Trump unravel Paris climate change deal?

Diplomats gather next week for a fresh round of UN climate talks in Morocco, but all eyes will be on the US where presidential elections may determine the planet's future.

Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has described global warming as a "hoax", said in May he would "cancel" the climate-rescue Paris Agreement if elected leader of the free world.

The pact, concluded in the French capital last December after years of haggling, came into force on Friday -- its goal to stave off worst-case-scenario global warming.

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he would "cancel" the climate-rescue Paris Agreement if elected Derek Blair (AFP/File)

Climate scientists and NGOs have long warned of dire consequences if Trump is elected.

On Friday, President Barack Obama warned in an interview with US talk show host Bill Maher that: "All the progress we've made on climate change", among other crux issues, "is going to be on the ballot" next Tuesday.

Can Trump withdraw the US?

Obama ratified the agreement, giving it a major boost towards the threshold of endorsements required for entry into force.

The cutoff was ratification by 55 of the 197 parties to the UN's climate convention (UNFCCC), representing 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

That having been achieved, it would be cumbersome, but far from impossible, for a country to withdraw from the international treaty.

Trump would have three options.

1) He could withdraw the United States from the 1992 climate convention, the framework within which the deal was negotiated.

According to the terms of the convention, withdrawal would take effect one year after notification, and any departing state "shall be considered as also having withdrawn from any protocol", such as the Paris Agreement.

2) The agreement itself makes provision for parties to withdraw, but notice can only be given three years after Friday's entry into force. The actual withdrawal would take effect a year later.

Because an executive decision, rather than a vote in the Senate, led to US accession, "a Trump administration could simply withdraw", said international relations associate professor Robert Falkner of the London School of Economics.

3) Trump could abandon or ignore the US' national emissions reduction targets, which contribute to the overall international effort. Analysts say this is his most likely course of action.

The real estate mogul has already said he would expand offshore drilling, increase natural gas production and scrap the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.

Can the agreement survive without the US?

America is the world's second-largest greenhouse gas polluter, representing nearly 13 percent of emissions.

Trump's threats, if carried out, would recast the United States in the role of climate villain.

The Obama administration has been an ardent champion of the Paris Agreement, a role Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has vowed to continue.

Washington and Beijing played a key role in helping break the deadlock between negotiating parties in the tense lead-up to last year's make-or-break Paris conference.

Obama then beat the drum for the deal's rapid, pre-election, ratification.

By Saturday, it had been ratified by 97 parties representing 67.5 percent of emissions, meaning that without the US, it would fall just short of the 55 percent emissions threshold.

At the rate by which countries are signing up, however, it is likely to pass that critical point before year-end, observers say.

The agreement is mum on the legal ramifications of countries withdrawing. Legal experts told AFP this means there are none, and that the binding pact remains in force no matter what happens.

Symbolic blow

A US withdrawal from the hard-won agreement will likely be more of a moral and diplomatic blow than a legal one.

"Not everyone is on board yet, things are still delicate, busy settling into place... there hasn't been enough time for it to become irreversible" said Teresa Ribera, director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris.

A US departure would be the perfect excuse for other doubters to back off.

"I see the real danger of Trump being elected as jeopardising the enormous change in the psychology on climate change," said Louise van Schaik, an expert in multilateral negotiations at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands.

Nearly 400 scientists, including a Nobel laureate, slammed the Republican in an open letter in September for promising a "Parexit" they said would have severe and long-lasting consequences.

Climate negotiations expert Jennifer Morgan of Greenpeace International warned the US risked becoming a diplomatic pariah.

"If the US were to pull out, it would be a foreign policy problem," she told AFP.

The Paris agreement: key points Jonathan STOREY (AFP)
US-backed forces push closer to IS 'capital' Raqa

A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance pushed closer to Raqa in Syria while Iraqi forces seized a key town near Mosul as offensives progressed against the two Islamic State group strongholds.

After announcing the launch of the long-awaited assault on Raqa on Sunday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance said it had moved south towards the city despite fierce jihadist resistance.

South of Mosul, Iraqi forces retook Hamam al-Alil from IS, a key objective in their three-week advance on the city.

Iraqi forces flash the sign for victory in the Hamam al-Alil area, about 14 kilometres from the southern outskirts of Mosul, on November 7, 2016 after recapturing it from Islamic State group jihadists Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP)

Iraqi forces said Monday they found a mass grave in the area containing around 100 decapitated bodies.

Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under the jihadists' control.

Their capture would deal a huge blow to the self-styled "caliphate" IS declared in mid-2014.

The US-led coalition that launched operations against IS two years ago is providing crucial backing to the offensives, with air strikes and special forces advisers on the ground.

SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told AFP that the alliance's forces had advanced on two fronts towards Raqa amid heavy fighting.

SDF fighters had pushed at least 10 kilometres (six miles) south towards the city from the towns of Ain Issa and Suluk, she said.

In both cases the SDF was still some distance from Raqa -- on the Ain Issa front at least 30 kilometres (20 miles) away.

"The offensive is going according to plan," said Ahmed, adding that the SDF had captured at least 10 villages.

- 'Fight will not be easy' -

An SDF commander said IS was fighting back with its favourite tactic of sending suicide bombers in explosives-packed vehicles against advancing forces.

"IS is sending car bombers but coalition planes and our anti-tank weapons are limiting their effectiveness," the commander said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

After taking Abu Ilaj north of Raqa, SDF fighters dug trenches and piled sandbags at the entrance to the village.

"In every area that we advance we are digging trenches with tractors and bulldozers to protect the front line, to prevent the jihadists from getting in and to stop car bombs," one fighter said.

The SDF says some 30,000 of its fighters are taking part in operation "Wrath of the Euphrates", which aims to surround and isolate IS inside Raqa before making an assault on the city itself.

Officials have warned that the battle is likely to be long and difficult.

"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead," US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said.

Driving IS from both cities has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against it in 2014, shortly after the jihadists seized swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Some 50 US military advisers are involved in the Raqa operation, particularly to guide air strikes, according to an SDF source.

Near Mosul, forces established full control over Hamam al-Alil, the last town of note on the way to the city from the south, AFP reporters said.

It lies on the west bank of the Tigris river, about 15 kilometres (nine miles) southeast of the edge of Mosul.

Life quickly resumed in Hamam al-Alil, with some residents reopening shops and others bathing in the town's sulphur springs.

- Mass grave found -

However, police said they found a mass grave Monday at an agricultural collage west of Hamam al-Alil.

The Joint Operations Command said "Iraqi forces found... 100 bodies of citizens with their heads cut off".

The US is using Apache helicopters in the battle to retake the city, the Pentagon said late Monday, directing attacks at explosive-packed vehicles.

Fighting also continued east of Mosul, with Kurdish forces advancing into the town of Bashiqa and the elite Counter Terrorism Service battling IS in the city's suburbs.

"Up to seven neighbourhoods are under the control of counter-terrorism forces, and they are now completely securing them and clearing them of pockets of terrorists," CTS spokesman Sabah al-Noman told AFP.

A peshmerga statement said its forces were in Bashiqa and had "begun house-to-house clearances".

The Mosul offensive has advanced faster than expected, but the battle for Raqa is more complicated.

Unlike in Iraq where the coalition has a state-controlled ally in federal forces, in Syria its ground partner is comprised of local militias, including some rebel groups that have battled President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Aid groups have voiced concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, warning they may be used as human shields.

More than 34,000 people have been displaced since the Mosul operation began on October 17, the International Organization for Migration said.

More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul.

Raqa had a population of some 240,000 before 2011 but more than 80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of Syria.

The battle for Raqa Paz Pizarro, Thomas Saint-Criq, Omar Kamal, Kun Tian (AFP)

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, patrols in the village of Abu al-Ilaj on November 7, 2016, as the group launched an offensive on Raqa Delil Souleiman (AFP)

Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq

The Syrian Democratic Forces say some 30,000 of its fighters are taking part in the operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates" Delil Souleiman (AFP)
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad claims Western powers are 'becoming much weaker' in his country and 'do not have a leg to stand on'.

Assad also praised Russia and Iran for helping him to turn the tide in the fight against ISIS, saying Vladimir Putin had provided the 'firepower' needed.

In an interview, he also confirmed his determination to crush rebel forces in Aleppo, the one-time economic powerhouse that has been under a three-month government siege.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Russia played a decisive role in pushing back against the jihadist terrorists

He told the Sunday Times: 'In the past if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected from reality. Now it's different. The West is becoming much weaker. They don't have a leg to stand on explaining to people what's going on.

'ISIS was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oilfields under American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying anything. Whereas here the Russians interfered and ISIS started to shrink in every sense of the word.'

Assad acknowledged the key role played by Russian airstrikes, saying firepower had 'made the difference'. He also praised 'Iranian support' in the interview.

Assad also praised Russia and Iran for helping him to turn the tide in the fight against ISIS, saying Vladimir Putin had provided the 'firepower' needed. Smoke is pictured rising after Russian war planes pound rebel positions in Aleppo over the weekend

In an interview, Assad also confirmed his determination to crush rebel forces in Aleppo, the one-time economic powerhouse that has been under a three-month government siege

But he denied the Russians intended to make him a 'puppet president' in return for their assistance.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted with anti-government protests in March 2011, and the situation for civilians in Aleppo is particularly dire.

Asked if he could sleep with the knowledge of the children being killed every day in Aleppo and elsewhere, Assad laughed and said: 'I know the meaning of that question.
Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad on Sunday, officials said.

One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber.

The Tikrit attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10 died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra, security and medical officials said.

An Iraqi man inspects the site of a car bomb attack in Samara city, 200km northern Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday

Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal sectarian violence.

IS issued a statement claiming Sunday's attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.

A police lieutenant colonel also said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one in the city.

The IS statement identified two of the bombers as 'Al-Moslawi' - a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.

Iraqi security forces inspect the site of a blast where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance in Iraq's holy city of Samarra

Destroyed cars are seen at the site of a blast where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance in Iraq's holy city of Samarra

Iraqi forces are fighting to retake Mosul, the jihadist group's last major urban stronghold in the country, in a massive operation that was launched on October 17.

IS has carried out a series of diversionary attacks since the start of the Mosul offensive in a bid to draw both attention and forces away from the battle.

But aside from the names of the two bombers, the IS statement made no reference to Mosul.

The Sunni extremist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air support have since regained significant ground.
Iraq forces gain ground in Mosul despite fierce resistance

Iraqi forces battled jihadists inside Mosul for the third day running Sunday while civilians risked their lives dodging bombs and snipers to slip out of the city.

The Islamic State group put up fierce resistance to defend the city it seized more than two years ago and also claimed responsibility for deadly suicide attacks further south.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service has been spearheading the attack on the eastern front of the three-week-old offensive on Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years.

Smoke rises from burning oil wells in Qayyarah, on the outskirts of Mosul, on November 4, 2016 Ahmad Mousa (AFP)

"Our forces are continuing to clear neighbourhoods including Al-Samah, Karkukli, Al-Malayeen and Shaqaq al-Khadra," CTS Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi told AFP.

The jihadists have given up some of its bastions in Iraq and Syria with barely a fight in recent months but its men began the defence of their last Iraqi hub with anger.

"Resistance is very heavy and they have suffered major losses," Assadi said of IS.

- Perilous escape -

Soldiers from the army's 9th armoured division also battled jihadists in the southeastern neighbourhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported, as forces attempted to increase their footprint in eastern Mosul.

They first entered the streets of Mosul on Friday and were met with what one officer described as stiffer than expected resistance from IS jihadists.

The assault allowed some civilians to flee the city, most of whose million-plus residents remained trapped inside, sheltering both from their jihadist rulers and incoming fire from government forces and US-led coalition aircraft.

Some of the first civilians to manage to escape the city proper arrived at a camp near Khazir in Kurdish-controlled territory on Saturday.

Abu Sara dodged gunfire, bombs, mortar rounds and coalition strikes to flee his neighbourhood of Al-Samah, such was his desperation to leave what many civilians who escaped IS rule describe as an open-air prison.

"We walked several miles, taking with us only the clothes we were wearing and white flags we waved the entire way," said the 34-year-old, wearing a brown fake leather jacket.

While the corridors called for by aid groups to allow the safe passage of civilians have yet to materialise, arrivals in the displacement camps dotting the area have increased markedly.

The government said it had taken in 9,000 displaced people in the past two days.

- Suicide bombings -

The International Organization for Migration said a total of about 34,000 people had been displaced since the start of rhe offensive on October 17.

Relief organisations were fighting the clock to build up their shelter capacity ahead of the feared mass exodus from Mosul.

Despite IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving his fighters a pep talk on Thursday, urging them not to retreat from Mosul in a rare audio message, the outcome of the battle was in little doubt.

The jihadists, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 fighters in Mosul, could hold out for weeks and inflict heavy casualties on government forces but they are outnumbered about 10 to one.

The group's ability to hit back with ground offensives elsewhere appears to be gone and IS has responded with a string of diversionary attacks, including spectacular operations in Kirkuk and Rutba.

On Sunday, it claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks in Tikrit and Samarra, the two main cities in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials spoke of only two bombers, one who detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, and another who blew up an ambulance in Samarra.

Jassem al-Jbara, the head of Salaheddin province's security committee, said that the Tikrit attack killed 12 people and wounded 20, while six died and 12 more were injured in Samarra.

IS identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has visited the Mosul front lines several times since the offensive started, has vowed to rid the country of IS by the end of the year.

Retaking Mosul could effectively end the IS group's days as a land-holding force in Iraq and deal a death blow to the "caliphate" Baghdadi proclaimed in the city in June 2014.

Displaced Iraqi boys wait to receive food at a refugee camp in the Khazir Region -- between Arbil and Mosul -- on November 5, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP)

Iraqi forces launched the offensive to retake Mosul on October 17 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

The battle for Mosul Sabrina BLANCHARD, Thomas SAINT-CRICQ (AFP)
Hong Kong police clash with anti-China protesters

Hong Kong police used pepper spray Sunday to drive back hundreds of protesters angry at China's decision to intervene in a row over whether two pro-independence lawmakers should be barred from the city's legislature.

In chaotic scenes reminiscent of mass pro-democracy protests in 2014, demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police outside China's liaison office in the semi-autonomous city.

Protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from the spray as they tried to approach the building, while some threw water and water bottles at police.

A protester reacts after police used pepper spray to stop protesters charging outside the Chinese Liason Office in Hong Kong, on November 6, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)

"We are quite shocked. We just wanted to express our demands at the liaison office," Cas Wong, a 19-year-old student, told AFP.

At least one person was seen taken away by multiple officers before scuffles broke out.

Police warned protesters they were involved in an "unlawful assembly" and told them to disperse, as they donned riot gear.

Demonstrators later occupied a major intersection near the liaison office, leaving dozens of trams and buses stuck on the road.

They again charged police lines in an attempt to approach the building and were pushed back and sprayed by helmeted officers.

After a lengthy stand-off which saw one female protester lay in the road between police and demonstrators, riot officers with shields pushed back the core of around 200 protesters who remained, clearing them from the intersection.

Protesters wearing goggles and face masks chanted: "Hong Kong independence!"

"I'm very angry and scared," said Joey Lui, 46, who was among the crowds.

"China are now very strong...Many Hong Kongers don't like the Chinese government."

The protest began with a peaceful city centre march in the afternoon. Organisers said 13,000 people took part in that, while 4,000 people rallied outside the liaison office.

Police estimates were not immediately available.

- Beijing intervention -

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing government is trying to bar newly appointed pro-independence legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching from taking their seats in the Legislative Council (Legco) after they deliberately misread their oaths of office last month.

As fears grow that Beijing -- to whom any independence talk is treasonous -- is tightening its grip on the city, China has announced that its parliament will interpret Hong Kong's constitution, which states that council members must swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China".

The decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee is expected to be announced on Monday.

China is reviewing the issue even though a Hong Kong court is also considering the matter, a move local lawyers say erodes the independence of the city's judiciary.

Hong Kong was handed over by Britain to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal which guaranteed its rights and freedoms for 50 years.

There are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are under threat.

In Sunday's demonstration protesters carried banners reading: "Chinese law interpretation tramples on Hong Kong people."

"Hong Kong has its own legal system, it should not be controlled by Chinese authorities," Alex Wong told AFP.

"We must tell the government we are not happy," the 35-year-old office clerk said.

Monday's expected announcement will mark the fifth time since the handover that China has interpreted Hong Kong's constitution.

The lawmakers at the heart of the controversy have previously said the interpretation would deal a "lethal blow" to the city.

Yau and Leung won seats in September's citywide polls, in which several new lawmakers advocating self-determination or independence swept to victory.

The pair have yet to be sworn into Legco, after their first oath attempt last month was declared invalid. They draped themselves in banners reading "Hong Kong is not China" and altered the wording of their pledges to include derogatory terms and expletives.

Yau Wai-ching (left) and Baggio Leung -- the two Hong Kong lawmakers at the heart of the controversy -- answer questions during a press conference in Hong Kong, on November 4, 2016 Anthony Wallace (AFP/File)

Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying has been in power since 2012 Anthomy Wallace (AFP)

Hong Kong's new parliament Laurence CHU, John SAEKI (AFP)
Syria's SDF: US-backed alliance targeting IS-held Raqa

The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that on Sunday announced the start of operations to capture Raqa from the Islamic State group was formed just over a year ago.

It has since emerged as a key fighting force against IS in northern Syria and the main ground partner of the US-led coalition that launched a campaign against the jihadist group in mid-2014.

The SDF has scored a series of victories in the past 12 months, the most important the recapture in August of the strategic northern city of Manbij.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a campaign against the Islamic State group in mid-2014 Delil Souleiman (AFP)

But the dominant role of Kurdish forces in the alliance has raised concerns with Turkey, whose military has hit SDF positions.

- United against common enemy -

The SDF was formed in mid-October last year as Kurds, Arab Muslims and Christians, and other groups joined forces to battle IS in northern Syria.

Syria's five-year civil war has seen the country divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms but in IS the disparate members of the SDF found a common enemy.

The alliance is estimated to command about 30,000 fighters, including some 25,000 Kurds and 5,000 Arabs.

The Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which had already dealt IS several defeats including seizing the key border town of Tal Abyad, forms the backbone of the alliance.

Along with the Kurdish female Women's Protection Units, the SDF includes Arab factions, Syriac Christian fighters and Turkmen units.

The Raqa Falcons Brigade, a 1,000-strong Arab force whose fighters all hail from Raqa, is expected to be a key component of the fight for the city.

- An ally for Washington -

After launching the coalition air war against IS in Syria and Iraq, Washington struggled to find a reliable partner on the ground.

A much-touted $500 million programme to build a rebel army to fight IS collapsed after many candidates failed to pass the screening process, and one group surrendered equipment to an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

But since its creation the SDF has benefitted from strong US backing, including weapons drops and air strikes in support of its operations.

Shortly after the SDF was formed, the White House announced the first sustained deployment of US special forces to Syria, reversing a longstanding refusal to put boots on the ground.

Some 50 special operations personnel were deployed in northern Syria and the number has now grown to between 200 and 250.

US officials including President Barack Obama's envoy to the coalition Brett McGurk and Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command, have since met with senior SDF commanders on visits to northern Syria.

- A string of victories -

The last months of 2015 saw a string of early victories for the SDF, with the alliance clearing IS from some 200 villages in the northeastern province of Hasakeh.

The SDF also moved against IS in Aleppo province, where its fighters captured the Tishreen Dam, and fought off a jihadist offensive against the SDF-held town of Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Raqa.

SDF fighters clashed with other, mostly Islamist, rebel forces in Aleppo province, seizing control of the town of Tal Rifaat and the Minnigh airbase.

In February the SDF took Al-Shadadi, which had been the largest town controlled by IS in Hasakeh, and the Kibabeh oil field to the northeast.

In June the alliance launched its most ambitious offensive yet, to take the city of Manbij just south of the Turkish border and sever a key supply route to Raqa.

The alliance faced fierce resistance, including near-daily suicide bombings, but was able to seize control of Manbij in early August.

- Turkish worries -

The rise of the SDF has raised deep concerns in Turkey, which considers the YPG a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

Turkey launched an operation inside Syria on August 24 alongside allied opposition forces who have managed to retake the IS stronghold of Jarabulus and the symbolically important town of Dabiq.
Shippensburg residents stepped out a few days early Sunday to recognize their local heroes in advance of Fridays Veterans Day.

The Joint Veterans Council of Shippensburg hosted its annual Veterans Day parade Sunday, which saw Ship residents line the streets in honor of paying tribute to the courageous men and women who proudly wore, and continue to wear, the uniform of the U.S. armed forces.

Dorothy Bughman, who lives along the parade route, and is a proudly born and raised Ship native, said that shes always attended the annual event. Luckily for her, she can take in the parade from the comfort of her front porch and watch the vehicles and participants go by without leaving her home for the most part.

However, while she enjoys the parade, her one wish is that more people would attend.

So many people do not come anymore, so I think its wonderful for those that do show up and bring their families, so that the next generation knows what Veterans Day is all about, she said.

While the sidewalks and curbs were busy with spectators Sunday, Bughman can remember a time when there was barely any room to move the closer one got to the motorcade.

When I was younger it was a big deal, Bughman claimed. You had big crowds because the men that made it back home from WW II and Vietnam, they were around and they attended.

Another resident taking in the action from a curb along East King Street, reclining in a lawn chair, called attending the event the duty of the town folk.

Shippensburg Police Chief Fred Scott and this years Honorary Parade Marshall Leroy Buzz Martin led off the parade around 2 p.m., followed closely by several vehicles carrying World War II veterans from several branches of the armed forces, Boy Scouts, local legion posts, and local school marching bands.
UN peacekeeper, two civilians killed in Mali attack

A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said.

More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.

Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.

Northern Mali has fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos

After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.

A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians following the convoy.

The attack came the day after a soldier serving with France's "Barkhane" counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.

He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday called on Mali's president to take the "necessary initiatives" to establish peace in the country's restive north.

"I stress regularly to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita that he must take the necessary initiatives to ensure the integration of the people of the north into the Malian community," he told French media.

In Bamako, however, a Malian minister who did not wish to be named, hit back saying Mali did not need "national unity lessons" from Le Drian.

"We have been working on national unity for a long time. Unity should go hand in hand with the fight against terrorism, insecurity," the minister said.

"The situation in Kidal is not because of the Malian government."

However, the Malian president convened an emergency meeting and instructed security forces to take more mobile positions in several parts of the country, especially the north, also calling for more patrols.

"The state will provide the means needed to fight against terrorism," one participant at the meeting said.

Also on Sunday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.

The claim of responsibility was issued by Mauritanian news agency al-Akhbar, which regularly carries statements from jihadist groups operating in the Sahel.

The jihadists said they had killed "several" Malian soldiers but this was denied by independent sources and military officials contacted by AFP.

- Deadliest mission -

More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.

It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.

The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.

Sajjan said Canada wanted to "take our time" before deciding which nation to support, but added Canada was "not averse to risk".

The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.

MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, following a French counter-terrorism force that landed in January to drive jihadists from key northern cities they had overrun.

Northern Mali had fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos.

Although the jihadists were routed, large swathes of Mali remain outside the control of domestic and foreign troops.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali Daniel Leal-Olivas (AFP/File)

More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali Sebastien Rieussec (AFP/File)
Tanks of Iraq's 9th division rumble into Mosul

Every shot sent shock waves all around and left ears ringing: the tanks of the Iraqi army's 9th armoured division were advancing through the streets of Mosul's Intisar neighbourhood.

When Iraqi forces finally punched into the streets of Mosul in the past few day, the three-week-old offensive to wrest the city back from the Islamic State ground entered a new phase.

"We're now involved in urban battles, facing a mobile enemy that moves in small groups and opens fire on troops and civilians indiscriminately," said Lieutenant General Qassem Jassem Nazzal.

A tank from the Iraqi army's 9th armoured division fires at a suspect car approaching their position in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul, on November 6, 2016 Odd Andersen (AFP)

In Intisar, a modest neighbourhood on the eastern edge of Mosul, civilians kept as low a profile a possible.

Most of them shuttered their homes and only a handful ventured out after making sure it was the Iraqi army and not the jihadists coming down their street.

Mohammed Ibrahim, 47, emerged cautiously after more than two days locked inside his home with 20 members of his family.

"We're caught in the middle: the army is firing in one direction and the Islamic State in the other," he told an AFP reporter.

"We adults can take this but the children live in constant fear, they cry all the time," said his neighbour, a retired officer who gave his name as Ahmed.

Another threat comes from the sky in the shape of the hundreds of munitions being dropped by the aircraft of the US-led coalition assisting Iraqi forces in their war against IS.

- Decomposing bodies -

Ibrahim said he holed himself and his family up in his home after spotting six jihadists posted on the corner of his street. They were taken out in an air strike.

"Their boss was a foreigner, they were all killed by the planes," said Ibrahim, who wore thick black-rimmed glasses.

His neighbour said the killed leader was a Turk.

Only two of the bodies were taken away. The four remaining corpses were left decomposing in the street, the blankets that had been thrown over them doing little to stop the stench.

Just a few houses down, around a dozen children snuck out from behind an iron gate, several of the girls keeping their hands over their ears to block out the booms of canon shells and mortar rounds.

The fighting was gradually moving deeper into Mosul by Sunday afternoon but the odd sniper bullet whizzing by was a reminder of the dangers remaining for the residents of Intisar.

"We have advanced to the second half of the neighbourhood," Lieutenant General Nazzal said.

Mostafa Sabah Yunes, a brigadier general in the 9th division, explained they would move into the adjacent neighbourhood of Judaidat al-Mufti after clearing Intisar of roadside bombs and flushing out any remaining jihadists.

Civilians in Intisar were also keen to see the army advance as fast as possible.

"They have to reach the city centre," Mohammed Ibrahim said. "That way the fighting will be over there and we'll be safe here at the rear."

In Intisar, a modest neighbourhood on the eastern edge of Mosul, civilians kept as low a profile a possible Safin Hamed (AFP)
Libya pro-government forces rescue 14 civilians in Sirte

Libyan pro-government forces fighting the Islamic State group in Sirte evacuated 14 civilians from a battleground district of the city, they said on Sunday.

"Our forces today successfully secured the departure of 14 civilians, mostly women and children," from the last part of the city where IS fighters are holed up, the pro-government forces said in a statement.

IS fighters have been cornered in a single area of Sirte after a months-long assault by forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNA).

Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, had a population of 120,000 before IS seized it in June 2015 and residents began to flee

It is not known how many civilians remain in the Al-Jiza Al-Bahriya neighbourhood.

Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, had a population of 120,000 before IS seized it in June 2015 and residents began to flee.

Pro-GNA forces said in October they had managed to rescue an Egyptian and a Turk from IS-controlled zones, as well as 11 Eritreans who were thought to have been held hostage by the group.

Backed by US air strikes, pro-GNA forces are facing snipers, car bombs, suicide bombings and booby traps as they advance on the jihadists' last holdout in Sirte.
US in 'close contact' with Turkey over Raqa assault

Washington is in "close contact" with Ankara over the assault launched by American-backed Kurdish-Arab forces on the Islamic State group's bastion Raqa in Syria, a senior US official said Sunday.

"We are in close close contact with our Turkish allies and that is why the chairman of joint chiefs is in Ankara today," Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's envoy to the US-led coalition battling the jihadists, told a news conference in the Jordanian capital Amman.

"We want this to be as coordinated as possible, recognising that there will be a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces of course do not see eye to eye, but they do share a very common and still very lethal enemy," he said of IS.

Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, Brett McGurk, speaks during a press conference in Amman on November 6, 2016 Ahmad Abdo (AFP)

The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford, arrived Sunday in Ankara on a previously unannounced visit and was to meet his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the Turkish army said earlier, without elaborating.

The US-backed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leading the fight to retake Raqa from the jihadists said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.

Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the SDF were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia which it considers an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades.
Iraqi forces battle car bombs with commercial drones

On the Mosul front lines, Iraqi forces have found a new tool to counter the Islamic State group's suicide car bombs: small commercial drones.

"It's a car bomb!" Mohammed Salih alerted his forces after checking the live feed from a drone his men were flying over the area, on the Mosul battle's southern front.

A few seconds later, a large plume of smoke rose up where an attack helicopter had fired two rockets and taken out the explosives-laden vehicle that was heading straight for his men.

An Iraqi army sniper from the 9th armoured division walks to take his position in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul, on November 6, 2016 Odd Andersen (AFP)

The dust had not yet settled when another threat materialised on the drone's monitor.

"There are four Daesh (IS) members on your right-hand side. They are not friendlies, repeat, not friendlies," Salih said.

Men of the Iraqi army's 15th division were advancing through Salahiyah village, on the edge of Hamam al-Alil, one of the main targets on the vast southern front.

The drone flew over enemy lines and landed back on the roof of the village school, which sits atop a hill overlooking the plain and has been turned into a temporary command centre.

"This drone allows us to reconnoitre the area, spot the enemy's movements and direct our soldiers more efficiently towards their targets so we can destroy them," Salih said.

The toy-like device is barely wider than a foot and is available in shops or online for around $600, or less than the latest iPhone.

It has a camera, four rotors and is guided with a joystick connected to a tablet that feeds images that can be shot from an altitude of more than 150 metres (500 feet).

IS fighters use snipers and mortars when Iraqi forces approach their positions, but when both sides engage on the ground, the jihadists' weapon of choice is the suicide car bomb.

- 'Not real men' -

They have unleashed dozens of them every week since the start of the offensive against Mosul on October 17, inflicting casualties on Iraqi forces although the authorities have not provided any figures.

"Some of them fight and die but others run away -- these are not real men," Ali, a 25-year-old fighter from the division's commando unit, said.

He thumbed bullets into six magazines for his M-16 assault rifle. "I'm determined to use all of them and I have more in stock," he said with a grin.

Ali's mood changed when he pulled up a picture of a smiling young man on his mobile phone.

"He was my friend. The day before yesterday, they blew up his Humvee with a guided missile. He burned to death inside the vehicle," he said.

The 15th division moved towards Hamam al-Ali, despite intensifying fire from IS and the seemingly endless detonations of roadside bombs.

Helicopters flying overhead fired missiles at IS positions dozens of times to open the way for army convoys.

The first wounded soldier was brought in with a hole in each thigh from the same bullet, his own blood running down his rifle barrel.

The drone's latest information was inconclusive: were the men spotted about 600 metres (yards) from the village mosque IS militants or his own fighters?

"We need to check this out," Salih said, walking over to the site with his red beret but no protective gear.

His left elbow still had pins sticking out of it, following a wound sustained during a previous battle.

The streets of Salahiyah were too narrow for two vehicles to cross, some roofs had collapsed and the ground was carpeted with bullet casings.

In the deserted village, the explosions ebbed and eventually stopped with nightfall. The area was now under government control.

"The next move is Hamam al-Alil and then Mosul," Salih trumpeted, to cheers from his men who vowed to follow him "right to the heart of Daesh".

The Iraqi army's 9th armoured division fires at a suspect car approaching their position in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul, on November 6, 2016 Odd Andersen (AFP)
Morale high among anti-IS fighters marching on Raqa

For Shawakh Gharib, it's time to take revenge. With the start of the offensive to conquer Raqa, the Syrian fighter believes his dream of going home will soon come true.

Gharib, 25, fled Raqa in 2014 when fighters of the Islamic State group arrived, but on Sunday he was upbeat at the prospect of returning.

"I'm very happy, very happy. All my comrades are from Raqa. I cannot describe my joy," he tells AFP.

A member of US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces readies to deploy on the frontline, one kilometre from the Syrian town of Ain Issa on November 6, 2016 Delil Souleiman (AFP)

"We want to take these positions back from the oppressors. They say they come in the name of Islam but do not know Islam. God willing, we will be victorious."

His face bearded and head wrapped in a black scarf, Gharib is speaking near Ain Issa, an operations centre for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Kurdish-Arab alliance.

He is just one of the 30,000 men and women, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens, engaged in operation "Wrath of the Euphrates".

SDF forces are advancing against the de facto IS capital in Syria on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north, and from the village of Makman to the east.

"The US forces are supporting us. Thank God, we have everything we need. We have weapons, PKC machine guns, artillery, everything is ready and our morale is high," Gharib adds.

From a mound of earth in the rocky desert landscape, SDF fighters and nearly two dozen Western soldiers watch IS positions a few kilometres (miles) away to determine targets for coalition air strikes.

The rumble of aircraft engines overhead is constant.

In the distance, black smoke rises. One of the fighters says it was probably an IS car bomb that was hit.

- Four car bombers -

Near an all-terrain vehicle piled with equipment, four soldiers are busy, one with American markings on his helmet.

Another soldier in black glasses who is holding a drone speaks French.

"Everything is going well," he tells AFP.

The SDF asks the AFP journalists not to approach the other soldiers because they are "guests".

Returning from the front line, fighters bearing rocket-propelled grenade launchers and light weapons drink tea as they take a break.

Women fighters in military fatigues chat among themselves.

"There are a lot of clashes, and in particular they (IS) are sending car bombs. So far they sent four," says Diljin Kobani, a local commander with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) a backbone of the SDF alliance.

She says two were destroyed, a third blew himself up and the last was hit and retreated.

"For the world Raqa has a great importance, and that is why the coalition forces help and support us in this campaign," Kobani adds.

"They help us with their air force coordinating on the ground, with reconnaissance aircraft and strikes on the positions of IS elements. Their support is outstanding."

Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria are the last two major cities still controlled by IS, which has lost much of the territory it conquered in 2014 in both countries.

Talal Sello, a spokesman for the SDF based in the northeastern city of Hasakeh, told AFP earlier on Sunday by telephone that forces would first seize areas around Raqa before moving on the city itself.

Potential routes for offensive against IS stronghold in Syria Kun Tian, Gillian Handyside, Paul Defosseux (AFP)

A member of US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces, one of 30,000 men and women, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens, engaged in operation "Wrath of the Euphrates" Delil Souleiman (AFP)
All Black Moala heads home after Ireland injury

Centre George Moala will miss the rest of the All Blacks' Northern Hemisphere tour after injuring his elbow in Saturday's historic loss to Ireland, team officials said Monday.

But fellow centre Ryan Crotty will stay with the team and undergo further assessment after straining a hamstring in the 40-29 loss to Ireland in Chicago.

Seta Tamanivalu, fresh from the Barbarians' 31-31 draw against South Africa at Wembley, will replace Moala, the All Blacks said on their official Twitter feed.

George Moala of New Zealand receives treatment on November 5, 2016 in Chicago, United States Phil Walter (Getty/AFP)

After suffering their first-ever loss to Ireland in the 111-year history of clashes between the two teams, New Zealand face further Tests against Italy, Ireland and France.
Afghan official: Australian woman abducted in Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Unknown gunmen kidnapped a female Australian employee of a non-governmental organization in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Afghan police said Sunday.

Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the Kabul city police chief, said that a Pakistani born- Australian woman was abducted on Saturday night.

Rahimi added that she was with her driver while she was taken away by gunmen. It is not clear what happened to her Afghan driver.

"We have had lots of developments in the abduction case ... but right now I can't share it with the media," said Rahimi.

Another police official with the Kabul police chief's office, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said that she is more than 40 years old and works for the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief or ACBAR.

In Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement, that the embassy was making "urgent inquiries" into the issue.

The statement added, "We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Afghanistan because of the extremely dangerous security situation, including the serious threat of kidnapping."
The Latest: Trump raps McAuliffe for restoring voting rights

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times EST):

1:35 a.m.

Donald Trump is accusing Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe of acting "illegally" to return voting rights to convicted felons who've served their sentences.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking at a rally Monday, Nov. 7, 2016 in Leesburg, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The GOP nominee tells supporters at a midnight rally in the state that the governor is "letting criminals cancel out the votes of law-abiding citizens."

He's imploring his supporters to get out to vote.

He says, "We are going to have one of the great victories of all time," comparing it to the "Brexit" vote by The UK to leave the European Union "times 50."

Virginia's highest court ruled in July that governors cannot restore felons' right to vote en masse, but must consider them on a case-by-case basis. That ruling invalidated a sweeping executive order issued by McAuliffe that had given more than 200,000 felons who'd completed their sentences their right to vote back.

12:49 a.m.

Donald Trump is ending a marathon day of campaigning with a final rally well past midnight in Virginia.

Trump took the stage in Leesburg, Virginia, and was cheered by supporters who arrived for the event they expected to start at 9:30 p.m.

"This is a marathon," he told supporters in Leesburg, Virginia. He dubbed the event his "midnight special speech."

Trump joked that the traveling press were exhausted after following him to five rallies in five states. He said even the cameras were sagging.

Trump also took note of a woman in the audience that he depicted as "obnoxious." He shook his head and then said, "You even find them at 12 o'clock in the evening." The woman was asking the candidate about allegations that he grabs women. "Do you respect women, Donald?" she asked.

___

9:40 p.m.

A New Hampshire crowd is booing as Mike Pence mentions the FBI's new announcement that Hillary Clinton will not face charges related to a new email investigation.

Pence says New Hampshire voters can make sure Clinton will never be president. He says, "it ends here, it ends now."

The GOP vice presidential candidate is speaking at a rally in southern New Hampshire. He'll be back in the state Monday for a final rally with Donald Trump.

Pence says in two days Americans can "close the history book on the Clintons once and for all."

___

9:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton says the country is facing a "moment of reckoning" on Election Day, and Americans must choose between "division and unity."

Clinton is closing out the final hours of her presidential campaign with a more positive message focused on uniting the country, as she appeals to Americans of all political affiliations. The Democratic presidential candidate says she is "hopeful and optimistic" about the future.

She says: "We have to heal this country."

The Democratic presidential candidate is campaigning in Manchester, New Hampshire. She was introduced by Khizr Khan, the Muslim-American father of a slain Gold Star solider and folk singer James Taylor.

She plans to conclude her campaign with stops in Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia and Raleigh on Monday.

___

9:15 p.m. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid says the latest letter from FBI Director James Comey about newly discovered emails "underscores the irresponsibility" of the law enforcement chief's notice to Congress nine days ago about Hillary Clinton.

Reid issued a statement late Sunday noting that Comey created a political firestorm in the presidential race 11 days before the election about emails that might be related to Clinton's use of a private email server. On Sunday, Comey sent a new letter informing Congress that a review of the emails had not changed the FBI's July view that there were no grounds for criminal charges against Clinton.

The Nevada lawmaker complained that Comey's actions were contrary to Justice Department rules and longstanding practices and may have violated the law barring federal officials from using their official authority to influence an election.

Reid said of the latest letter from Comey: "By confirming that the new emails were meaningless, today's letter underscores the irresponsibility of Director Comey's original letter."

___

7:46 p.m.

Donald Trump is accusing the FBI of impropriety after its director lifted a cloud hanging over his rival Hillary Clinton.

FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday that the bureau had found no evidence to warrant criminal charges against Clinton in a trove of newly-discovered emails.

Trump insisted at a rally in the Detroit suburbs that it would have been impossible for the FBI to review what has been reported to be as many as 650,000 emails in so short a time.

He claims she's being protected by "a rigged system."

Trump says, "Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, The FBI knows it. The people know it."

He says it's now up to "the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8."

___

7:19 p.m.

In financial trading Sunday evening, Dow Jones index futures jumped about 200 points ahead of Monday's stock market opening, apparently in response to FBI Director James Comey's decision that seemed to lift a cloud over Hillary Clinton.

Comey announced Sunday that a review of new Hillary Clinton emails did not change the FBI's recommendation that she should not face charges.

The futures jump Sunday presaged possible substantial gains. The market wilted on Oct. 28 after the FBI notified Congress that it was reviewing new, potentially relevant emails linked to Clinton. The stock market is allergic to that kind of uncertainty coming so close to Election Day.

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6:38 p.m.

Donald Trump says he would give local residents the power to prevent refugees from settling in their communities.

Trump told supporters at a rally in Minneapolis that the U.S. would "not admit any refugees without the support of the local community where they are being placed."

He says, "It's the least they could do for you. You've suffered enough in Minnesota."

Trump cited the September knife attack in a St. Cloud mall as he warned about the risks posed by radicalized immigrants. And he again singled out the Somali population, which in the past has condemned Trump's comments.

He says, "Here, in Minnesota, you've seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, without your support or approval and with some then joining ISIS and spreading their extremist views all over our county and all over the world."

Trump has vowed to stop admitting immigrants from "terror-prone regions" until new, more intense vetting mechanisms are put into place.

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6:04 p.m.

Republican presidential nominee Mike Pence is suggesting he isn't satisfied with the FBI's conclusion on Hillary Clinton's handling of national security documentation while serving as secretary of state.

Pence told a raucous crowd in Hickory, North Carolina, that "mishandling classified information is a crime."

The Indiana governor's marks came hours after FBI Director James Comey confirmed that that agency still recommends no criminal prosecution related to Clinton's use of a private email server while leading the State Department.

Comey had rocked the presidential election with a late-October announcement that agents were reviewing another cache of emails potentially related to the investigation he had declared closed in July.

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4:55 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is campaigning with basketball star LeBron James in Cleveland on Sunday, hoping to motivate African-American voters to the polls.

She's praising the NBA player for his basketball skills and "what he does off the court."

Clinton says: "What he does off the court is to care for every child as though that child is his own."

James tells the crowd that their votes matter. He says, "it really does."

Clinton's team is worried about their chances in Ohio, where polls show her in a dead heat with her Republican rival, Donald Trump. She hosted a free concert in the state on Friday with rapper Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce Carter Knowles.

Clinton will campaign later on Sunday in Manchester, New Hampshire, with songwriter James Taylor.

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4:40 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says Americans can end the Clinton era by voting for Donald Trump.

Ryan's tepid support for the Republican presidential nominee has elicited criticism from some fellow Republicans. But the speaker issued a statement Sunday shortly after FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that a review of additional emails provided no grounds for criminal charges against Hillary Clinton.

Ryan said regardless of Comey's decision, Clinton put the country's secrets at risk and compromised national security.

Ryan's statement comes a month after the Wisconsin Republican told his House GOP colleagues that he would neither defend Trump nor campaign with him.

Ryan is running for speaker again. He retains the support of a strong majority of congressional Republicans, but some GOP lawmakers are unhappy that he distanced himself from Trump and didn't campaign for him.

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4:25 p.m.

Donald Trump made no mention of FBI Director James Comey's announcement that a review of new Hillary Clinton emails did not change the FBI's recommendation that she should not face charges.

But Trump, holding a rally in Minnesota on Sunday, did make his usual claim that Clinton "will be under investigation for a long, long time, likely concluding in a criminal trial."

Trump went on to say that Clinton is "protected by a rigged system. She shouldn't even be allowed to run for president."

Comey's letter was released minutes before Trump took the stage in Minneapolis. He has three more rallies slated for Sunday.

Comey's initial announcement last month that the FBI was reviewing the emails was a political gift to Trump, who claims that a cloud of scandal would follow her into the White House.

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4:20 p.m.

A former Republican senator from New Hampshire is featured in a new digital ad urging people to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Gordon Humphrey served New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate through the 1980s and was known as a staunch conservative. He backed John Kasich in the Republican primary and has been vocal with his anti-Trump stance.

Humphrey calls Trump "cruel," ''shameless" and "a bully" in the direct-to-camera appeal. He warns Trump could lead the nation into nuclear war.

He ends the video by saying voting for Clinton is "the responsible thing to do."

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4:07 p.m.

President Barack Obama is telling voters in Florida the race for the president is over if Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wins the state.

Obama has returned to Florida on the final day of early voting before Election Day. "If we win Florida. It's a wrap," he says.

Obama is speaking at a baseball stadium in Kissimmee where Stevie Wonder performed earlier. He is telling the audience that's he's read that the campaign for Republican nominee Donald Trump has shut down his Twitter account in the campaign's final days. Obama says if somebody can't handle a Twitter account, they can't handle control of the nation's nuclear weapons.

Obama is also reaching out to minority voters in Florida and says Trump has vilified minorities and called immigrants criminals and rapists.

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4:05 p.m.

President Barack Obama is telling voters in Florida they can't stick Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with a Republican-controlled Congress.

Obama is in Kissimmee trying to sway voting in the state's U.S. Senate race where incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, is running against Democrat Patrick Murphy.

Obama says "if you want more endless gridlock, vote for Republicans."

He also is trying to tie Rubio to Republican nominee Donald Trump. Obama says Rubio once sent a tweet that said friends don't let friends vote for con artist  a reference to Trump  but then ended up voting for him because it was politically expedient.

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3:55 p.m.

Donald Trump is defending his decision to make a last-minute campaign stop in Democratic Minnesota  saying the pundits have been wrong about him before.

Addressing a rally that drew thousands in Minneapolis, Trump is criticizing rival Hillary Clinton for not spending enough time in the state. She last campaigned here in July.

He says, "Hillary doesn't even come here. She refuses to campaign in Minnesota. Do you really want a president who's never shown up?"

Trump says that he "took so much heat" for adding the stop to his scheduled Sunday. But he says that he expects to win, despite the fact that the state hasn't cast its electoral votes for a Republican since 1972.

He says, "Two years, I've been right" and the pundits have "been wrong."

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3:50 p.m.

FBI Director James Comey says that agents have "reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton" that were part of newly discovered emails.

Comey sent a letter to Congress Sunday informing them that the FBI has "not changed our conclusions" from earlier this year that she should not face charges.

The emails were found on the computer of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Comey's brief letter did not indicate how many emails were reviewed or what sort of material was found in Abedin's emails.

Comey's initial letter last month revealing that agents were reviewing the newly discovered email breathed new life into Donald Trump's campaign. Trump has repeatedly warned that a cloud of scandal would follow Clinton to the White House.

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3:43 p.m.

Hillary Clinton will be joined by another special guest on Monday night: Singer Bruce Springsteen.

The rock star will perform at an event with Clinton, her husband, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in Philadelphia.

The event is being billed as the capstone of her presidential campaign.

Clinton has been trying to tap into star power in the final days of the race, hosting a series of events with celebrities designed to boost turnout among young and minority voters.

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3:40 p.m.

Hillary Clinton's campaign is praising a letter by FBI Director James Comey confirming his July conclusions in her email case.

Says campaign communications director Jen Palmieiri: "He has confirmed the conclusions that he reached in July and we're glad this matter is resolved."

In a July press conference, Comey said he did not recommend charges against Clinton for her use of a private server as secretary of state. A letter sent nine days ago to congressional leaders said he was re-examining emails for relevance to her case.

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3:30 p.m.

FBI Director James 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.

Comey sent the letter Sunday, just two days before Election Day.

In July, he chastised Clinton's use of the private mail server but said that the bureau would not be recommending criminal charges against the Democratic nominee.

The new letter follows one Comey sent late last month in which he said agents would be reviewing newly discovered emails that may be connected to Clinton. They were found on the computer of Anthony Weiner, the disgraced congressman and estranged husband of Clinton's close aide Huma Abedin.

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This story corrects the spelling of James' first name LeBron, not Lebron.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

FILE - In this July 7, 2016 file photo, FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Oversight Committee to explain his agency's recommendation to not prosecute Hillary Clinton. In a letter from Comey released on Nov. 6, he tells Congress review of additional Clinton emails does not change conclusion she should not face charges. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks to supporters at campaign rally, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, left, accompanied by LeBron James, right, takes the stage at a rally at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans seem likely to keep their House majority in the Nov. 8 elections, though its expected to shrink. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

President Barack Obama arrives to speak at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri speaks to members of the media aboard Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign plane, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, after FBI Director James Comey tells Congress in a Nov. 6 letter, that a review of new Clinton emails has "not changed our conclusions" from earlier this year that she should not face charges. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/ Brennan Linsley)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at Mt Airy Church of God In Christ in Philadelphia, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)r

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at Mt Airy Church of God In Christ in Philadelphia, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)r

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., center, speaks at Mt Airy Church of God In Christ in Philadelphia, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)r

Richard Hendrickson of Minnetonka, Minn., right, waits in line with other supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, before a campaign stop at the Minneapolis International Airport Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Montenegro: Russians behind coup attempt, plot to kill PM

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP)  Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt in Montenegro that included plans to assassinate the pro-Western prime minister because of his government's bid to join NATO, the Balkan country's chief special prosecutor said Sunday.

Milivoje Katnic said the investigation leads to the conclusion that "nationalists from Russia" organized a criminal group that planned to break into the Montenegro Parliament on election day, kill Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and bring a pro-Russian coalition to power.

Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including a former commander of Serbia's special police forces, were arrested in Montenegro during the Oct. 16 vote. Fourteen of them remain in custody, including some who have fought for pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine.

FILE - A Monday, Oct. 17, 2016 file photo of Montenegro's Prime Minister and long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists leader Milo Djukanovic, center, speaking in his party headquarters, in Podgorica, Montenegro. Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt and wanting to kill its pro-Western prime minister because of his governments bid to join NATO, the Balkan countrys chief special prosecutor said Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

Russian officials have denied any involvement. But they have openly supported the "patriotic" parties that are against Montenegro's membership bid in the Western military alliance.

"We don't have any evidence that the state of Russia is involved in any sense ... but we have evidence that two nationalists from Russia were organizers," Katnic told reporters.

Serbian authorities reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Djukanovic's movements from Serbian territory.

"Special prosecution of Serbia had those persons under its supervision ... and prevented them from realizing their plan," Katnic said. "Those persons are not on the territory of Serbia any more. I don't know where they are now, in Russia or somewhere else."

He said the coup plot was for 500 people to enter Montenegro on election night to "cause violence ... and hire professional sharpshooters to kill the prime minister."

"The plan was to stop Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path, especially to prevent it from entering NATO," Katnic said.

Montenegro has been invited to join NATO despite strong opposition from its traditional Slavic ally Russia. With Montenegro joining, Russia would lose strategic access to the Adriatic Sea and Serbia would remain its only ally in the region.

NATO's Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller, who visited Montenegro last week, said she expects the country to become a member next spring after all 28 NATO member states ratify the agreement in their respective parliaments.

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HARRISBURG  Three candidates are vying to unseat Pennsylvanias Democratic auditor general, Eugene DePasquale, in the Nov. 8 election.

The auditor general is the commonwealths top fiscal watchdog, and is limited to two, four-year terms.

A look at the office and the candidates:

The job

The auditor general oversees an office with more than 400 employees and a budget of over $50 million.

The department is tasked with auditing state spending and reviewing best practices for state agencies and employees.

Recent audits have included reviews of higher education institutions. In August, DePasquale announced his office would audit Penn State Universitys performance across its 24 campuses.

The position has been used as a political springboard. The last three elected auditors general  Jack Wagner, Bob Casey Jr. and Barbara Hafer  each later ran for a higher office.

The auditor generals annual salary is $157,598.

The candidates

Democrat Eugene DePasquale, 45, is the incumbent. He previously served as a state representative for three terms before he was elected to his current office in 2012. He holds a law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Republican John Brown, 55, currently serves as the Northampton County executive. He previously served as mayor of Bangor after spending most of his career in the private sector. His private sector work included working with struggling companies and business startups. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Green Party candidate John J. Sweeney, 63, is the Falls Township auditor in Wyoming County. He has served as the states Green Party chair and operates a wood-finishing and painting business there. Sweeney studied at Temple University and the Philadelphia College of Art.

Libertarian candidate Roy Minet, 75, is a retired Lancaster County businessman. He previously served on the Pennsylvania Libertarian Partys board of directors. He has worked in engineering, sales, management, owned a beer distributorship and founded a computer software company later sold to 3M Corp. Minet holds a masters degree in business from Northwestern University.

Candidate platforms

DePasquale: He said he plans to build upon his first term to find additional savings, improve state infrastructure and create jobs. He is pledging to perform a follow-up audit of the Department of Environmental Protection. In his first term, some of the audits performed by his agency looked at school districts, a hotline that handles reports of suspected child abuse and municipal pension debt.

Brown: A top priority for Brown is highlighting inefficiencies in state programs and agencies. He says he would work with municipalities to create plans to resolve identified issues. He also says he would monitor the governors spending plan.

Sweeney: He is pledging to audit agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation and Turnpike Commission, as well as to review the General Assemblys operating budget.

Minet: He said he would target government inefficiencies, and if elected, would recommend ways to shrink government.
Kosovo opposition skeptical of supporter's death in custody

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  An opposition party in Kosovo blamed the government on Sunday for the death of one of its members while in police custody as questions swirled about where and how the 26-year-old medical student died.

A police statement said Self-Determination Movement activist Astrit Dehari died Saturday under still unclear circumstances and an autopsy would be conducted to clarify what killed him.

The movement blamed the government for Dehari's death and expressed doubts about media reports suggesting he arrived dead at a hospital after allegedly swallowing a fatal dose of prescription medicine.

The opposition questioned differing accounts from police, prison officials and prosecutors on what time Dehari died and whether it happened at the jail where he was being held or at a hospital.

"The death of our supporter Astrit Dehari is a direct state responsibility because Astrit died while held in jail and because Astrit and the others ... are being terrorized with dirty and undefined charges," Self-Determination leader Visar Ymeri said at a news conference.

Prosecutors in Prizren, the city 84 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the capital, Pristina, where Dehari died, said he was transported to the hospital already dead, but said they are awaiting autopsy results to determine if the death was accidental, self-inflicted or a homicide.

Dehari's family has asked to have an independent doctor of its choosing witness the autopsy.

"Institutional statements qualifying our son's death as suspicious and also the contradictions in the statements of different institutions are too much of a concern for us," his relatives said in a statement. "We insist that in no way the autopsy should be held without the presence of the doctors named from the family."

The Justice Ministry said it would honor the family's wish to have an outside expert observer on hand for the autopsy.

Dehari and five other party supporters were arrested in late August for their alleged involvement in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on Parliament that damaged the building's exterior but caused no casualties.

The Aug. 4 attack occurred amid political tensions over the government's August 2015 agreement with neighboring Montenegro determining their common border.

Opposition parties vehemently oppose the deal, arguing it cedes territory to Montenegro. They also are against another agreement giving more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo.
Police encounters resulting in black deaths span US

CINCINNATI (AP)  Sam DuBose was pulled over near the University of Cincinnati campus for a missing front license plate. Walter Scott got stopped for a broken taillight in South Carolina.

Neither black man got out of the traffic stops alive.

Former university police Officer Ray Tensing, 26, is on trial for murder in Cincinnati in the July 2015 fatal shooting of DuBose, 43. Former North Charleston, South Carolina, officer Michael Slager, 34, is on trial for murder in Charleston in the April 2015 fatal shooting of Scott, 50. Both officers, who are white, have pleaded not guilty.

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2014 file photo, Tomiko Shine holds up a picture of Tamir Rice, the 12 year old boy fatally shot by a rookie police officer in Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 22, during a protest in Washington, D.C. Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by a Cleveland police officer near a gazebo in a recreational area in November 2014. Officers were responding to a report of a man waving a gun. The boy, who had a pellet gun tucked in his waistband, was shot right after their cruiser skidded to a stop a few feet away. A grand jury in December 2015 declined to indict patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shot, and training officer Frank Garmback. The city in 2016 agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Tamir Rices family for $6 million. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

The cases are among a series across the country since mid-2014  from the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy in a Cleveland recreation area to that of a 66-year-old woman in her Bronx, New York, apartment  that have raised a national debate over race and policing.

A summary of other deaths of black people after police encounters:

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ERIC GARNER

The 43-year-old man died in July 2014 in New York City after a white officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. A grand jury declined to indict the officer who put Garner in the hold or any of the other officers involved in the arrest. The city agreed to pay a $6 million civil settlement.

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MICHAEL BROWN

The 18-year-old was shot and killed in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. A grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, the white officer who shot him. The Department of Justice also opted against bringing civil rights charges against Wilson. The death of Brown, who was unarmed, led to months of sometimes-violent Ferguson protests and became a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement, which rebukes police treatment of minorities.

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JOHN CRAWFORD III

Police in the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Beavercreek responded to a Wal-Mart store in August 2014 on a call of a man waving an apparent rifle. A white officer fatally shot Crawford III, 22, who was carrying what turned out to be an air rifle from a store shelf. Police said they believed it was a real gun and that he didn't respond to their commands to put it down. A grand jury declined to indict the officers. The U.S. Justice Department has been reviewing the case.

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LAQUAN MCDONALD

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 20, 2014, shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke, who is white, was charged in November 2015 on the same day that the city, under judge's orders, released dashcam video showing the 17-year-old McDonald being shot 16 times. Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty and is free on bond. The video has prompted local and federal investigations of both the shooting and the Police Department.

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AKAI GURLEY

Peter Liang, a rookie New York City police officer, was convicted Feb. 11 of manslaughter in the November 2014 death of the 28-year-old Gurley. Liang was patrolling a public housing high-rise with his gun drawn in 2014 when he fired and a bullet ricocheted off a wall, hitting Gurley. Liang, an American of Chinese descent, said he had been holding his weapon safely when a sound jarred him and he accidentally fired. In April, a judge reduced the conviction to negligent homicide and sentenced Liang to five years' probation and 800 hours of community service. An attorney for Gurley's family said in August that New York City reached a settlement of more than $4 million with the family.

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TAMIR RICE

Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by a white Cleveland police officer near a gazebo in a recreational area in November 2014. Officers were responding to a report of a man waving a gun. The boy, who had a pellet gun tucked in his waistband, was shot right after their cruiser skidded to a stop a few feet away. A grand jury in December 2015 declined to indict patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shot, and training officer Frank Garmback. The city in 2016 agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Tamir Rice's family for $6 million.

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FREDDIE GRAY

The 25-year-old man entered a Baltimore police van in April 2015 shackled but alive. He died of severe neck injuries suffered during the ride that followed. His death led to rioting. Prosecutors in July 2016 said they were dropping charges against the remaining police officers awaiting trial, leaving no convictions against six officers who were charged initially in the case. Gray's family agreed to a $6.4 million settlement with the city in September 2015.

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ERIC HARRIS

Former Tulsa County volunteer sheriff's deputy Robert Bates, age 74, was sentenced in June to four years in prison on a second-degree manslaughter conviction in the April 2015 death of Harris, 44, an unarmed and restrained black man, during a sting operation. Bates, who is white, has said he confused his stun gun with his handgun. That shooting led to the temporary suspension of the reserve deputy program after a report found poor training of the volunteer officers, a lack of oversight and cronyism. Bates is appealing his conviction.

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WILLIAM CHAPMAN II

Former Portsmouth, Virginia, Police Officer Stephen Rankin was sentenced Oct. 12 to 2 years in prison for fatally shooting William Chapman II, 18. Rankin shot the unarmed Chapman on April 22, 2015, after responding to a shoplifting call outside a Wal-Mart store. Prosecutors allege Rankin killed Chapman "willfully, deliberately and with premeditation." Chapman's body was delivered to the medical examiner with handcuffs still bound behind his back, according to news reports at the time. Some witnesses said Chapman was combative, and one said he knocked away Rankin's stun gun, according to the reports. Rankin, who is white, was fired after the shooting.

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WALTER SCOTT

Michael Slager faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder in the shooting death of Scott in April 2015 in South Carolina. The shooting was captured on cellphone video by a passer-by. Slager told investigators Scott had grabbed his Taser and pointed the stun gun at him as they fought on the ground. Slager was fired by the North Charleston Police Department. There has been a $6.5 million settlement between North Charleston and the Scott family. Slager also faces federal charges including for allegedly violating Scott's civil rights.

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SAM DUBOSE

Ray Tensing faces 15 years to life if convicted of murder of Sam DuBose, killed in July 2015 near the University of Cincinnati campus. Tensing's body camera captured much of the traffic stop, although the two sides dispute what conclusions can be reached. Tensing's attorney says DuBose was using his car as a weapon that could have killed him. The university fired Tensing, hired outside consultants, and restructured its public safety department. The school also reached a $5.3 million settlement that includes free undergraduate tuition for DuBose's 13 children.

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DARRIUS STEWART

A federal prosecutor announced in September there was insufficient evidence to file civil rights charges in the July 2015 fatal shooting of Stewart, 19, by Officer Connor Schilling. Schilling, a white Memphis, Tennessee, police officer, shot Stewart during a struggle following a traffic stop that escalated after an attempted arrest for outstanding warrants. Schilling has said he shot Stewart because he feared for his life. He retired due to a disability, police said, in a move that allows him to receive disability pay. A grand jury in November 2015 declined to charge the officer.

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JEREMY MCDOLE

Jeremy McDole, 28, was sitting in his wheelchair when he was shot and killed in September 2015 in Wilmington, Delaware, after police received a 911 call about a man with a gun. A bystander's cellphone footage showed officers repeatedly telling McDole to drop his weapon and raise his hands, with McDole reaching for his waist area before shots erupted. The Delaware attorney general's office decided against criminal charges against four Wilmington police officers involved, although investigators concluded one officer showed "extraordinarily poor" police work.

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RICKY BALL

Former Columbus, Mississippi, police officer Canyon Boykin, who is white, was indicted in September for manslaughter in the shooting death of Ricky Ball, 26. Boykin, facing trial Nov. 28, has said he shot Ball because the man appeared to point a gun at him during a foot chase in October 2015. The city fired Boykin as he was trying to resign, saying he had broken department policy by not turning on his body camera, by inviting his fiancee to ride along without permission, and by making derogatory social media posts about African-Americans, women and disabled people. Boykin has sued the city, claiming violations of his constitutional rights.

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DEMARCUS SEMER

A Florida grand jury cleared two police officers in September who fatally shot Semer, an unarmed black motorist, in April 2016 as he fled. Prosecutors said the man's actions gave the officers a reasonable belief that their lives were in danger. The St. Lucie County Grand Jury cleared Fort Pierce police Sgt. Brian MacNaught and officer Keith Holmes for the shooting of Semer, 21, during a traffic stop. Prosecutors say their investigation showed he refused to get out of his car and then tried to drive away, clipping Holmes and dragging MacNaught. Both officers are white.

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ALTON STERLING

Sterling, 37, was shot to death July 5, 2016, as two white officers pinned him to the pavement outside a convenience store where he had been selling CDs. The killing was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely online, sparking widespread demonstrations across Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II were placed on administrative leave. Neither officer has been charged in the case, which was turned over to federal investigators.

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PHILANDO CASTILE

Castile was shot and killed July 6 by officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Hispanic, after being pulled over as he drove through a St. Paul, Minnesota, suburb with his girlfriend and her young daughter in the car. His girlfriend began livestreaming on Facebook shortly after the shooting and said Castile, 32, was shot while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed. Yanez and his partner, Joseph Kauser, who was present for the shooting, were placed on administrative leave. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has turned its findings over to a county prosecutor, who will review the case.

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TYRE KING

The 13-year-old Ohio youth was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer Sept. 14 after running from police investigating a reported armed robbery. Police said he a pulled a BB gun that looked like a real firearm. Officer Bryan Mason, who is white, was put on administrative desk duty while the investigation into Tyre King's death continues. The attorney for his family has asked for a Justice Department review.

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KEITH LAMONT SCOTT

The North Carolina State bureau of Investigation is reviewing the fatal Sept. 20 shooting of Scott by a black Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer. Scott, 43, was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of his Charlotte apartment complex when he was shot by police trying to find a different man. Police video showed officers shouting for Scott to drop a gun numerous times as he slowly backed out of an SUV. Scott's family said he did not have a gun and was reading a book. The shooting, part of which was recorded by his wife and shared widely on social media, caused days of violent protests and a state of emergency to be declared in Charlotte.

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TERENCE CRUTCHER

Tulsa, Oklahoma, police Officer Betty Jo Shelby was charged with first-degree manslaughter on Sept. 22 in the shooting of Crutcher, an unarmed man. Shelby, who is white, shot the 40-year-old Crutcher on Sept. 16 shortly after she arrived on a street to find his SUV stopped in the middle of the road. Crutcher was seen without a weapon and with his hands up on videos from a patrol car dashboard and a police helicopter before Shelby shot him. Police Chief Chuck Jordan has said that Crutcher did not have a gun on his body or in his SUV when he was shot. Shelby has pleaded not guilty and is on unpaid leave.

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ALFRED OLANGO

In the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, a police officer opened fire on Ugandan refugee Alfred Olango within a minute of arriving at the scene on Sept. 27. Olango's sister had described her brother as mentally unbalanced in multiple 911 calls. Video released by police shows the officer approached the 38-year-old man with gun drawn, as Olango paced in a strip mall parking lot. Olango pulls something from his pocket, takes what police call a "shooting stance," and aims something at the officer, who then fires his gun. A second officer fired his Taser simultaneously. The object in Olango's hands turned out to be a 4-inch electronic cigarette device. The two officers were placed on leave as the district attorney investigates.

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DEBORAH DANNER

New York police were responding Oct. 18 to a 911 call about an emotionally disturbed person when Sgt. Hugh Barry encountered Danner, 66, in her Bronx apartment. The mentally ill woman picked up a baseball bat in her bedroom and tried to hit Barry, who fired shots that killed her. New York's mayor rebuked him publicly the next day, and he has been stripped of his badge and gun and placed on desk duty while the state attorney general's office determines whether the case falls under its authority to investigate police shootings of unarmed civilians. Police are also investigating the officer's actions.

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Farrar reported from New York.

FILE - In this July 7, 2015, file photo, Gwen Carr holds a picture of her son Eric Garner during a news conference in New York with relatives of New Yorkers killed by police. died in July 2014 in New York City after a white officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. A grand jury declined to indict the officer who put Garner in the hold or any of the other officers involved in the arrest. The city agreed to pay a $6 million civil settlement. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

FILE - In a Dec. 16, 2015 file photo, Jazmin Holloway sits below a mural depicting Freddie Gray at the intersection of his arrest, in Baltimore. The first effort to find a police officer criminally responsible for Freddie Gray's death from a broken neck in a police van ended Wednesday with a hung jury and a mistrial. Gray's death led to rioting. Prosecutors in July 2016 said they were dropping charges against the remaining police officers awaiting trial, leaving no convictions against six officers who were charged initially in the case. Grays family agreed to a $6.4 million settlement with the city in September 2015.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

FILE - In a Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, former North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager, second from right, sits at the defense table in the courtroom during his trial, in Charleston, S.C. Slager faces 30 years to life if convicted of murder in the April 2015 death of Scott, whose shooting, captured on a bystander's dramatic cellphone video, spread on social media and stunned the nation. (Grace Beahm/Post and Courier via AP, Pool, File)
McCarron wins PGA Tour Champion playoff event in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Scott McCarron came into the season with a goal of winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

He put himself in position to do just that Sunday in the Dominion Charity Classic, making a 6-foot putt on the first hole of a playoff with Tom Byrum to win the second of three PGA Tour Champions playoff events. McCarron will start next week in Scottsdale, Arizona, second in points to two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer with the cup on the line.

"I think it's awesome. Bernhard Langer's had a great year, a phenomenal year, one of the best years ever, but it's a playoff. You've got to play well in the playoffs," McCarron said, who moved into the top five in the rankings by finishing sixth last week in California. "If I can play well next week, I control my own destiny."

The three-time PGA Tour champion won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa in June for his first senior victory.

"Any time you win an event, you've got a lot of good feelings about your game, you're playing well. To win in a playoff in the fashion I did just gives you a lot of confidence," he said. "For me, going into next week, again, I'm second in the Schwab Cup, and if I can win, I can win the Schwab Cup, which I think is amazing."

McCarron, one of the longest hitters on the tour for players 50 and older, did most of his scoring on the longest holes.

"I thought that if I could take advantage of the par 5s, I could possibly have a great tournament, and I certainly did that for most of the week," he said.

For the season, McCarron has had birdie or better on 54 percent of par 5s. This week, be birdied nine out of 13, including the playoff hole.

McCarron and Byrum each shot 3-under 69 in regulation to finish at 13 under on the James River Course at The Country Club of Virginia. Byrum created the tie with a birdie at the 16th hole. Both made pars on the next two holes before McCarron's winning putt on the extra hole gave him his second victory this season.

Byrum, seeking his first victory in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 1989 Kemper Open, putted first, but his 15-foot putter slid past on the left edge. McCarron then rolled a slightly bending putt into the center of the cup.

"I hit that putt just like I wanted," said Byrum, who left soon after the loss to catch a plane. "I thought I made it."

McCarron had missed a birdie putt on the 54th and final hole of regulation to necessitate the playoff.

Kevin Sutherland shot a course-record 63, with seven birdies and an eagle, to tie for third with Brandt Jobe (67) at 11 under.

Fred Funk was alone in fifth at 10 under. He closed with four consecutive birdies for a 67.

Sutherland also challenged for a coveted top five-spot in Scottsdale. But he needed McCarron to falter and, when the 51-year-old did not, Sutherland wound up sixth in the standings.

The points were reset after the event, so that the top five Langer, McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez  only have to win the season finale at Desert Mountain to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.

Langer, who played despite a sore knee that kept him out of last week's tournament, would have locked up the championship weeks ago because of his huge lead in the player standings, but the first-year format means he has to play to claim the title. He shot a 71 on Sunday to tie for sixth at 9 under.

"Glad I played. I know what to work on, a couple of things that weren't firing," said Langer, who also won the Cup in 2010 and was the dominant player on the circuit this season. "Spend the next few days working on that and hopefully be ready next week."

Each dollar earned Sunday was worth two points  McCarron earned $305,000 worth 610,000  and was added to the regular-season total.

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Streets blocked as big artist studio hauled through Denver

DENVER (AP)  A large building has been moved several blocks through Denver to a new location downtown, despite losing a few bricks along the way.

The Vance Kirkland Studio building is a century old and 26 feet high.

The Kirkland Museum for Fine and Decorative Art says that the building arrived in front of its new home Sunday night and would be moved into place early this week.

Workers prepare to move the building that housed the studio of renowned artist Vance Kirkland from its location east of the State Capitol building to a new location near the art museum early Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Denver. The move, which will take the entire day to complete, will be carried out by using remote-controlled wheels to propel the structure eight blocks through the center of the city. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Movers used remote-controlled wheels to move the building eight blocks.

The move required the city to raise traffic lights and block streets during the move, which took much of the day.

The three-room studio was the artistic home of painter Vance Kirkland, who is considered one of the most important Colorado and Western painters of the 20th century. Kirkland, who died at age 76 in 1981, worked in the building for most of his 55-year career, the Kirkland Museum for Fine and Decorative Art says on its website.

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UN peacekeeper killed, 7 wounded in north Mali convoy attack

BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Authorities say Islamic militants have launched attacks on both a U.N. peacekeeping convoy and a Malian military camp in the country's north, killing at least three people.

Radhia Achouri with the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA, said a Togolese peacekeeper was killed Sunday morning along with two civilians when the convoy was attacked in Gourma.

Seven other peacekeepers were wounded, three of them seriously, Achouri said.

The attack came several hours after other jihadists assaulted a Malian military camp in nearby Gourma-Rharous. While there were no casualties, residents say the militants were able to steal five army vehicles including an ambulance.
UK austerity agenda was underlying reason behind Brexit vote, says Sturgeon

The UK Government's austerity agenda was one of the underlying reasons for the vote to leave the EU, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will suggest in a major speech on Monday.

Ms Sturgeon will use her address in Sheffield to set out her own alternative economic policy and urge the Chancellor to back inclusive growth and invest in public services.

The speech comes as a court ruling on triggering Brexit talks threatens to derail the UK Government's plans, and as Philip Hammond prepares to deliver his Autumn Statement later this month.

Nicola Sturgeon is to set out her own alternative economic policy

Mr Hammond has already abandoned his predecessor George Osborne's plan to eliminate the deficit and achieve a surplus by 2020, and has indicated he will prioritise investment in infrastructure and housing through borrowing.

Speaking to an audience of 1,200 at the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute, Ms Sturgeon will say that the vote for Brexit was also a vote against austerity.

The First Minister, who has called for the UK to retain its membership of the single market, is expected to say: "We need to demonstrate that being open to free trade and free movement isn't just good for the economy as a whole.

"It benefits individuals and communities too. It creates, rather than curtails new opportunities for everyone. And it can lead to a society which is more prosperous, more inclusive, and more cohesive."

She is expected to add: "Austerity has already caused huge social harm and brought no economic benefit - it has failed, categorically and comprehensively, on its own terms.

"We know that people on low incomes were more likely to vote to leave the European Union, as were areas with low employment rates. UK economic policy has just not given enough people, enough grounds for hope.

"While the UK Government may have abandoned its original debt reduction target, the pain for working people is set still continue - the Resolution Foundation estimates working families on low incomes will be worse off in the years ahead as a direct result of both austerity and Brexit.
White House candidates dogged by controversy and accusation

As Americans prepare to choose their next president, polls suggest Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most unfavoured candidates in recent history.

Here the Press Association looks at some of the controversies that have dogged their campaigns ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Donald Trump

Edenbridge Bonfire Society burned a celebrity guy effigy of Donald Trump on November 5

:: Sexual assault allegations

A number of women have come forward to accuse Mr Trump of sexual assault.

They include Summer Zervos, a former contestant on the US version of The Apprentice, who said the property tycoon forced himself on her at a hotel and began "thrusting his genitals".

Another woman is suing Mr Trump for allegedly raping her when she was 13. She had planned to speak publicly about the lawsuit but backed out of a press conference after receiving threats, her lawyer Lisa Bloom said.

Mr Trump has insisted the sexual assault allegations are "100% made up", while his wife Melania suggested the claims had been co-ordinated by his political rivals.

:: Lewd comments about women

A 2005 video recording of Mr Trump in which he is heard talking about grabbing women ''by the p***y'' plunged his presidential campaign into turmoil.

A series of prominent Republicans withdrew their support for Mr Trump following his comments to TV presenter Billy Bush, while some called for him to drop out of the presidential race.

Mr Trump apologised for his remarks and dismissed them as "locker room talk".

Mrs Clinton said Mr Trump's comments represented "exactly who he is" after she previously criticised the Republican for calling women "pigs, slobs and dogs".

:: Failure to pay federal tax

Mr Trump admitted he used a 916 million-dollar loss he claimed in 1995 to avoid paying federal income tax.

The Republican defended his actions, saying the move was "smart" and insisted many of Mrs Clinton's donors had also taken "massive tax write-offs".

Mr Trump has refused to release his tax returns during the election campaign - unlike other candidates in recent years - saying he would not publish them before a routine audit was completed.

:: Comments on Muslims and Mexicans

Mr Trump attracted widespread criticism when he called for a ban on Muslims entering the US in the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack in December 2015.

He later claimed the proposal was "just a suggestion" before outlining plans for "extreme vetting" of would-be immigrants to exclude Islamic terrorists.

Mr Trump has also faced accusations of racism over his plan to build a wall separating Mexico and the United States, with the intention of keeping out illegal immigrants.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

Hillary Clinton

:: Use of a private email server

Mrs Clinton said she made a "mistake" over her use of a private email server for work correspondence while she was US secretary of state.

An FBI investigation concluded in July that Mrs Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" with classified information, but there was no evidence she knowingly shared sensitive material and criminal charges were not recommended.

Just over a week before election day, FBI director James Comey announced the case was being reopened after new emails "pertinent" to the investigation had been discovered.

The unearthed emails were found during the FBI's investigation into former US congressman Anthony Weiner, who is accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old and is married to Mrs Clinton's aide Huma Abedin.

Mr Trump has claimed Mrs Clinton should be in jail over the scandal and a special prosecutor will be instructed to investigate her if he is elected president.

:: Benghazi attack

Mrs Clinton says she takes responsibility for the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans in 2012.

She asked ambassador Chris Stevens - one of the four embassy staff killed - to go to Libya as US envoy while she was secretary of state.

Mr Trump claimed Mrs Clinton slept through the Benghazi attack and directly blamed her for Mr Stevens' death.

"He was left helpless to die as Hillary Clinton soundly slept in her bed," he said.

:: Clinton Foundation

Mrs Clinton has faced claims her charitable foundation had influence over the US state department during her time as secretary of state.

A batch of unreleased emails, obtained by legal group Judicial Watch, showed exchanges between the Clinton Foundation and state department employees.

Mr Trump described the Clinton Foundation as "the most corrupt enterprise in political history" - but it later emerged he had donated more than 100,000 dollars to the charity.

:: Sexual misconduct allegations against Bill Clinton

Mr Trump met women who accused the former US president of rape and other unwanted sexual advances shortly before his second US presidential debate.

The Republican claimed Mr Clinton had been "abusive to women" and Mrs Clinton should be "ashamed" for attacking her husband's accusers.

On the debate stage, Mrs Clinton did not respond directly to Mr Trump's accusations but repeated comments made by First Lady Michelle Obama - "When they go low, you go high".
Academics warn of uncertainty if Donald Trump becomes president

A presidency under Donald Trump could see protests, would bring uncertainty and the UK should not expect any favours under his leadership, experts have warned.

Three academics have spoken speculatively about what we could possibly expect if the Republican candidate clinches victory in the US election - and the outlook is not good.

Civil unrest, legal challenges and the potential of a "cozy up" to Russian president Vladimir Putin are all concerns voiced by professors Scott Lucas, Iwan Morgan and Mike Cullinane.

A presidency under Donald Trump could see protests, would bring uncertainty and the UK should not expect any favours under his leadership

"My feeling is that Trump is going to treat the presidency as the equivalent of a CEO position - and it isn't that," Professor Morgan, who lectures US Studies at University College London, told the Press Association.

"The presidency has to be held by someone who understands the necessity for persuasion, it isn't a place for command."

He said everything he has seen about Mr Trump makes him "worry he doesn't quite understand" that being president is a "system of checks and balances between co-equal branches of government".

Professor Lucas, a US citizen who teaches American Studies at the University of Birmingham, said with Mr Trump as president of the free world "god knows what you get".

"He is completely unpredictable, he is incoherent - I have not heard him express a coherent thought on foreign policy in his campaign," he said.

"He talks in slogans, but that doesn't actually make a policy."

Professor Lucas added: "I think with Trump we are into the realm of the unknown, and the unknown is never good for stability - in foreign policy and international relations to say the least."

Both Professor Morgan and Professor Lucas agree there are uncertainties about who Mr Trump would choose for key cabinet and White House staff posts, as no one is sure who is around him.

While Professor Cullinane, who lectures in US History at Northumbria University and who is also an American citizen, said Mr Trump's first priority if elected will be domestic issues.

"He is going to have to worry about protests and popular unrest about his presidency," he said, suggesting if Mr Trump does make it to the Oval Office, it will be by a "narrow victory".

"Some states will be closer than others and there will, I suspect, be legal challenges to Trump's victory in those states which are particularly close," he added.

When it comes to the UK, Professor Cullinane said he does not think the British people will "open their arms to Trump immediately".

Referencing Mr Trump's recent re-use of the term "Brexit president", Professor Cullinane said he thinks he will try and align himself with Brexiteer figures in the UK.

"There will be some people he would reach out to in the British cabinet like Liam Fox," he added.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Trump is president that he does try and reach out to some of the backbenchers in the Tory party in order to try and build relations."

On trade and any deals that Mr Trump may strike with the UK, Professor Morgan warned: "I don't think we could expect any favours when it comes to trade deals.

"Trump will be what you might call a realist. I don't think he has any commitment or feelings for the special relationship."

He also said he thinks "Trump would look to develop a relationship with Putin", a sentiment echoed by Professor Lucas.

Under a Trump presidency, he said it is likely we would see a "much more uncertain relationship between the US and Russia, because we don't know if he is going to cosy up to Putin or maintain distance".

And he warned that an already badly damaged American image would "plummet even further" in some parts of the world in the event of Mr Trump becoming president.

Professor Morgan said Mr Trump being elected would almost be a last "primeval scream of white blue collar America which feels aggrieved with the establishment" for sending well-paid jobs in manufacturing abroad.

"What is interesting and horrific in some ways about this election is that regardless of what Trump says and does, it doesn't really affect his core support," he added.

"And the reason for that quite simply is that when Trump, as we see it, misbehaves or conducts himself in a fashion that has little parallels in modern American politics, that only reassures the supporters that he is not part of the establishment.
Clinton v Trump: Race to the White House

Whoever becomes the next US president will make history.

Democrat Hillary Clinton, 68, would be the first female in the top role while, at 70, Republican Donald Trump would be the oldest person to assume the presidency.

Here are some of their key moments in the race for the White House:

Latest politics news

:: July 19

Businessman Donald Trump is declared the official Republican candidate, having pledged a year earlier to "make America great again" when he announced his intention to run.

:: July 26

Hillary Clinton is declared candidate for President at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, fending off stiff competition from her rival Bernie Sanders who gave his public backing saying he was "proud to stand with her".

:: August 12

Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton release their tax returns, showing they earned 10.6 million dollars (8.2 million) last year. Trump continues to refuse to make public details of his own finances, breaking tradition with previous campaigns, saying he will not reveal them before a routine audit is completed.

:: September 11

Clinton has to leave a memorial event for 9/11 victims early. Video footage appears to show her being helped by aides after she stumbles outside and it later emerges she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

In a sharp rebuke to Trump during the first of three presidential debates she ensures him she has the "stamina" to be the country's next leader.

::: October 7

Trump's bid is plunged into crisis when a 2005 tape emerges in which he is heard talking about groping women and saying he could "grab them by the pussy" because he was a celebrity.

He apologises after the tape sparks outrage but deems it "nothing more than a distraction" from the campaign.

A number of women come forward in the weeks following the tape leak, accusing Trump of unwanted advances or sexual assault. He denies all allegations, saying he believes the election is being rigged against him.

:: October 20

In the third and final debate Trump suggests he may not accept the election result. When pressed on it later he assures those gathered at a rally in Ohio that he will accept the final vote "if I win".

He says he will not commit to honouring the result because he wants to reserve his right to file a legal challenge "in the case of a questionable result".

During the debates the candidates exchanged jibes on various issues, including Clinton referring to Trump as a "puppet" of Russian president Vladimir Putin, and the Republican labelling his Democrat rival a "nasty woman".

:: October 28

The FBI announces it will look at whether there is classified information contained in newly discovered emails, to see if they are relevant to its investigation into Clinton's private email server. It closed its probe into her handling of classified information without filing charges in July.

Clinton maintained there has been no wrongdoing and urged an urgent release of all the relevant information, while Trump praised the FBI, saying the election "might not be as rigged as I thought".
Hillary Clinton stakes her claim to history

Hillary Clinton could make history by becoming America's first woman president, fulfilling her own long-held ambition to take the top job in the White House.

The former first lady, senator and secretary of state narrowly missed out on being the Democrat party's presidential candidate in 2008 to Barack Obama.

Born in Chicago in October 1947, Mrs Clinton became active in student politics when she attended Wellesley College, Massachusetts, in the 1960s.

Latest politics news

She went on to study at Yale Law School, where she met her future husband Bill Clinton. The couple married in 1975, three years before he became governor of Arkansas. They had their daughter Chelsea - the couple's only child - in February 1980.

After Mr Clinton was elected US president in 1993, Mrs Clinton used her role as first lady to campaign for women's rights and universal healthcare.

But she and her husband also became linked to political scandals during their time in the White House.

An investigation was launched into the Whitewater affair, a failed property project in which the Clintons had invested, but they were cleared of wrongdoing.

Mrs Clinton also faced intense media attention over Mr Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which came to light in 1998.

She declared in an interview at the time that the scandal - which led to impeachment proceedings - was inspired by a "vast right-wing conspiracy".

In the later stages of her husband's presidency, Mrs Clinton ran successfully for New York senator, and was re-elected in 2006.

In 2008 she sought the Democratic nomination for the presidential election, losing out to Mr Obama who went on to win against Republican rival John McCain.

During Mr Obama's first term, Mrs Clinton was named US secretary of state and visited 112 countries in her four-year term - a record for a politician in her role.

But she faced criticism after an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012 killed four Americans while she was secretary of state.

Her use of a private email server for work correspondence also caused controversy.

An FBI investigation concluded in July that Mrs Clinton and her staff had been "extremely careless" with classified information, but there was no evidence she knowingly shared sensitive material and criminal charges were not recommended.

Just over a week before election day, FBI director James Comey announced the case was being reopened after new emails "pertinent" to the investigation had been discovered.

The unearthed emails were found during the FBI's investigation into former US congressman Anthony Weiner, who is accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old and is married to Mrs Clinton's aide Huma Abedin.
Here is a list of Veterans Day events and ceremonies scheduled across the Midstate:

Sunday, Nov. 6

Shippensburg: The Joint Veterans Council of Shippensburg will host its annual parade starting at 2 p.m. The parade will form at King and Prince streets and end at King and Morris streets. The council consists of American Legion Post 223 and VFW Post 6168.

Silver Spring Township: The Silver Spring Veterans Memorial Committee will hold a ceremony at the memorial, 80 Willow Mill Park Road, starting at 1 p.m. The event will honor veterans by dedicating new bricks and plaques and by hosting a blood drive before and after the ceremony. Public tours of the memorial will be given at 12:15 p.m. and after the ceremony.

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Middlesex Township: Starting at 11 a.m., the Army Heritage and Education Center will host a program where three centuries of the development of infantrymen will be explored. Reenactors depicting soldiers of the past and Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers of today will talk about the life of an infantryman and display items soldiers would have used during their respective eras of combat.

Middlesex Township:The Army Heritage and Education Center will host a Veterans Day program from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. called This Well Defend: The Armys Infantry Through the Ages. Former Army Sgt. and motivational speaker Noah Galloway will be the keynote speaker. An Iraq veteran, Galloway was severely injured in 2005 by an improvised explosive device that made him a double amputee. His life story of perseverance includes a near-death experience on the battlefield followed by a personal struggle to overcome addiction and depression before he became an actor and mens fitness personality.

Thursday, Nov. 10

Carlisle: The Carlisle Vietnam Veterans will conduct their annual all-night vigil starting at 11 p.m. on the steps of the Old Courthouse to honor and remember all POW-MIAs. The vigil ends at 11 a.m. Friday.

Friday, Nov. 11

Carlisle: VFW Post 477 will hold a ceremony at 2104 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle, starting at noon. A light lunch will be provided for veterans preceded by the indoors posting of colors by the Cumberland County Honor Guard. There will be a guest speaker from the Army War College with a presentation of a Veterans Tribute Plaque to the post.

Carlisle: The Joint Veterans Council of Carlisle will conduct its annual ceremony in the second floor courtroom of the Old Courthouse starting at 10:30 a.m. A special unveiling and dedication of a memorial to the Medal of Honor recipients of Cumberland County will be conducted in the Veterans Memorial Courtyard immediately following the indoor ceremony. The monument is the Eagle Scout project of Matt Kunkle. The Cumberland County Honor Guard is providing the firing squad and bugler. The guest speaker will be R.J. Harris of WHP 580 Radio.

Carlisle: Cumberland Crossings will a Veterans Day celebration at 11 a.m. at the senior living community, 1 Longsdorf Way. People are invited to a celebration of veterans of all branches of the U.S. military, says Melissa Stanton of the Cumberland Crossings staff. To RSVP, people should contact Wood at 240-6013.

Mechanicsburg: Lower Allen VFW Post 7530 will hold a ceremony starting at 11 a.m. at the post building, 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg. Guest speakers will be Brian Spagnoletti and Lt. Col. Jonathan Doyle.

Mechanicsburg: The Mechanicsburg Area Veterans Council will conduct ceremonies at the GAR Monument in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery at the corner of Frederick and Marble streets starting at 11 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be at American Legion Post 109. The guest speaker will be Army Sgt. Maj. James M. Lethiecq. The council consists of the American Legion Post and VFW Post 6704.

Newville: The Newville Joint Veterans Council will host a service at 11 a.m. honoring all veterans by placing flowers at the memorial located at the town fountain. There will also be the playing of taps. Hometown Heroes Banners will be given to family members. CWO3 Lonnie Frampton will be the guest speaker. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at the local VFW post, West Main Street, Newville.

South Middleton Township: St. Patricks School will have a Veterans Day program starting at 1 p.m. at the school, 87 Marsh Drive. The program will begin with a procession of veterans.

Sunday, Nov. 13

Mechanicsburg: First United Methodist Church in Mechanicsburg at 135 W. Simpson St. in Mechanicsburg will host former Army Chaplain Rev. David Smith, and honor all veterans during morning worship services on Nov. 13. The public, and especially veterans, are invited to attend this free event.

Rev. Smith serves as the coordinator of the Soul Care Initiative for JustPeace. Previously, he was an Army Chaplain for 30 years. During his service, he was deployed nine times, including four combat deployments. He will speak during services at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., and during a special program at 9:30 a.m.
Theresa May defends freedom of the press and the judiciary

Theresa May has defended freedom of the press, amid a furious row over media commentary on the High Court's Brexit ruling.

There have been calls for ministers to come to the defence of the three judges who issued a judgment that Mrs May must seek MPs' approval before beginning EU withdrawal negotiations, after they came under fierce attack from critics.

One newspaper branded the three judges - including Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas - "enemies of the people", while Ukip leadership candidate Suzanne Evans said judicial appointment rules should be changed to allow judges to be sacked for opposing the popular will.

Lord Thomas is the Lord Chief Justice

But speaking during a visit to India, Mrs May said: "I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary. I also value the freedom of our press.

"I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important.

"Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We've got as a Government strong legal arguments for our case.
For second time in a week, China berates Trump on climate pact threat

By Sue-Lin Wong

BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. would be the main victim if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump were elected and then backed out of a global climate accord, a Chinese official said on Friday, as the step would hurt its global standing and diplomatic ties.

It was the second rare comment on a foreign election by a Chinese official in a week, condemning Trump's threat to spurn the Paris Agreement, made by nearly 200 governments, which takes effect on Friday.

"If Trump were to insist on doing things his own way, then he would pay a heavy price both politically and diplomatically," said Zou Ji, deputy director of the National Centre for Climate Change Strategy, which is a part of China's state planner.

"The U.S. would suffer the greatest harm and of course, the rest of the world would also be implicated," he told reporters.

On Tuesday, China's top climate change negotiator had rejected Trump's plan to back out, saying a wise political leader should make policy in line with global trends.

Chinese officials are often hesitant to weigh in on foreign elections, although they will defend Chinese policies when attacked in candidates' policy platforms.

Regardless of the outcome of next week's U.S. presidential election, China will continue to be a "guardian, advocate and strong implementer of the Paris Accord," Zou said.

"We are a responsible country and we will do our utmost to ensure the Paris Accord is upheld and implemented."

Accord signatories had taken into consideration the U.S. political system when negotiating and it would be very difficult for Trump, if elected, to back out, he added.

Zou said he pinned his hopes for a wise decision on the people, and companies, of the United States.
Bulgaria exit polls show narrow win for Socialist ally in presidential vote

By Tsvetelia Tsolova and Angel Krasimirov

SOFIA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Former air force commander Rumen Radev narrowly won the first round of presidential elections in Bulgaria on Sunday, exit polls showed, raising prospects of political instability in the small Black Sea state and a strategic shift towards Russia.

Radev, a 53-year-old ally of the opposition Socialist party, has called for an end of European Union sanctions against Russia and has said EU member Bulgaria should hedge its bets when it comes to international alliances.

Exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International showed Radev winning 24.8-26.7 percent of the vote in which 20 other candidates also competed. First partial results will be released early on Monday.

A failure to secure an overall majority would mean Radev will face a runoff vote next Sunday against the runner-up, which exit polls showed as Tsetska Tsacheva, 58, the centre-right GERB ruling party candidate.

Opinion polls conducted ahead of the election showed Radev was likely to lose the first round but win the runoff. Sunday's exit polls showed Tsacheva winning 22.5-23.5 percent of the vote.

Speaking to reporters, GERB Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said he would resign if Tsacheva loses the expected runoff. Prior to the vote, he pledged to step down if his party's candidate lost the first round.

"We will wait to see the final results. We are mobilising our forces for the second round and I think we have a chance to win it. If we lose the runoff, we are heading to early elections," Borisov said.

Analysts said that a loss by Borisov's party in the first round would be a blow his minority government.

"It is likely the GERB candidate will lose the runoff, too. That means a government reshuffle is on the horizon and we can expect an early election next year," said Kiril Avramov, a political analyst with New Bulgarian University.

Government officials signalled any decisions would be taken in the coming days, after official results were in. But exit poll results underscored how GERB's popularity has been eroded by disappointment over the pace of reforms, particularly in health care and education, as well as anti-corruption efforts.

In his campaign, Radev tapped into public anger with political elites and a fear of migrants, saying on Sunday that he would "not allow Bulgaria to become the migrant ghetto of Europe."

"Bulgarians said 'no' today to apathy and voted for change," a jubilant Radev told a news conference.

Under the constitution, the president's job is largely ceremonial, but he or she can influence public opinion, veto legislation and lobby for policies.

NATO member Bulgaria has long been an anomaly in Europe because of its warm ties with Russia. But Radev's election could also add another voice within the EU against the resettlement of refugees from the Middle East.

Relatively few migrants have crossed into the country of 7.2 million at the height of a crisis last year, choosing a shorter route through the Balkans towards western Europe instead. But Sofia is concerned about a possible new wave. It has said the number of people trying to cross the country's borders has been on the rise since June.

Economically, signs of political instability could further deter investment from the EU's poorest country, which has suffered relatively more than other member state as a result the bloc's sanctions against Russia over its actions in Crimea.
Dozens arrested for attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Police in Bangladesh have arrested dozens of people following fresh violence against Hindus, the country's biggest minority community, a senior officer told reporters on Sunday.

The Hindu community in the Brahmanbairs district has been under attack after a local youth allegedly shared a Facebook post that Islamic hardliners said denigrated the Masjid al-Haram - a holy site for Muslims.

Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against the Hindu youth, who denies sharing the post. Police arrested the youth for hurting religious sentiments, but the arrest failed to defuse the tension.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimates more than one hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence broke out on Oct 30.
After years of delay, climate talks face a new problem: speed

By Laurie Goering

LONDON, Nov 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Efforts to build a new global deal to tackle climate change were for many years criticised for moving at glacial pace. But this week climate negotiators meeting in Morocco find themselves facing an entirely new problem: a deal that, astonishingly, has come into effect more than three years ahead of schedule.

The Paris Agreement on climate change, designed to start in 2020, entered into force on Friday after 96 countries and the European Union - together representing nearly 70 percent of the world's climate-changing emissions - ratified it.

That has been a cause for celebration - and some puzzlement.

"We're now in an interesting conundrum we never thought we'd find ourselves in: After pushing for decisive and speedy action, we got it," said Paula Caballero, global director of the climate programme at the Washington-based World Resources Institute.

The immediate challenge for negotiators is that, by law, countries that have ratified the deal must start agreeing the rules to implement it at the next U.N. climate conference.

But that meeting starts on Monday in Marrakesh. That has left officials a very short time to iron out a host of technical issues - and only about half the parties that crafted the Paris deal eligible to participate in the early decision-making.

"Because we've jump-started the (deal), we now have to find a way for negotiators to discuss the rules while still finding ways for other countries to come in and join," said Liz Gallagher, a climate diplomacy expert at London-based E3G, a sustainable-development think tank.

But that is "a good problem to have", she said. "It's the first time we really feel the urgency in the negotiations is reflected."

TRUMP EFFECT

The rapid approval of the agreement - one of the fastest in the history of international deal-making - has happened in large part because a growing number of countries feel the urgency of taking swift action to deal with climate change and its worsening impacts, while big climate polluters such as China and the United States have jointly stepped up to push the deal.

But many nations also have an anxious eye on this week's U.S. elections, where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has promised to pull his country out of the climate agreement if elected, analysts said.

That threat, in recent months, has spurred a rush to ratify the agreement and ensure it takes force before the U.S. vote.

Under the rules of the Paris Agreement, once it has come into effect, "legally a country cannot withdraw before the next five years are over", said Sven Harmeling, international climate change policy coordinator for the aid agency CARE.

The quick ratification of the global climate deal, however, will likely require a bit of procedural fancy footwork at the Nov. 7-18 U.N. climate talks.

Negotiators, for instance, likely will open the first meeting of the governing body of the Paris Agreement and then suspend it soon after until 2017, or more likely 2018, said Ulriikka Aarnio, international policy coordinator for Climate Action Network Europe.

Talks can then continue but no decisions will need to be made until the suspension is lifted, she said. As only countries that have ratified the agreement can vote on the rules, the suspension could spur countries that have not yet passed the deal to do so quickly, she and others said.

"We need to find a way to ensure that the inclusiveness that has been at the core of the agreement is maintained, so that all countries that want to ratify and haven't been able to do so are able to fully participate in the rule-making process," said WRI's Caballero.

TEMPERATURE THREAT

Negotiators in Morocco will be trying to push ahead on a few key points, however, looking at immediate actions that could be taken to cut emissions and how emissions reductions could be ratcheted up from existing promises after a 2018 progress assessment.

They also will dig into how the world will make a promised shift to using virtually no fossil fuels by the second half of the century and how to hold global temperature rise to an ambitious target of "well below" 2 degrees Celsius.

"It's now starting to sink in," Aarnio said. "It means really, really drastic mitigation in all sectors, much faster than anything we've seen before.

That effort has had a boost in recent weeks with the passage of an accord to begin limiting the use of hydrofluorocarbons - refrigerants that are major contributors to climate change - and a separate deal to cap increases in aviation emissions by 2020.

Critics, however, say both deals and the national commitments so far made under the Paris Agreement are less ambitious than what is needed.

The U.N. environment agency, UNEP, says those national pledges put the world on track for temperature hikes of 2.9 to 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Record temperatures and worsening weather extremes are already putting many people at risk even with the warming of just over 1 degree Celsius registered so far, development experts say.
Hong Kong police, protesters clash over Beijing crackdown

By Venus Wu and James Pomfret

HONG KONG, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Police fired pepper spray in running battles with thousands of demonstrators on the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday as they tried to encircle China's representative office in protest against Beijing's attempts to stop independence activism.

Streets filled with mostly young people, many dressed in black, brought to mind weeks of pro-democracy marches in 2014.

This time they were protesting before a ruling due on Monday that is expected to bar two lawmakers from taking office in Hong Kong's legislature.

The situation is seen by many of the territory's legal and political elite as one of the biggest tests of Hong Kong's independent rule of law that the global financial hub has faced since its handover to China nearly two decades ago.

Critics say the ruling from a top committee of China's parliament essentially circumvents local courts.

The two lawmakers, Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung, had pledged allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displayed a "Hong Kong is not China" banner during a swearing-in ceremony for the city's legislative council in October. Their oaths were not accepted and their right to retake them is being challenged in the local courts by the autonomous Hong Kong government.

Close to a thousand police officers, some with riot shields and batons, and some behind temporary metal barricades, were deployed to prevent protesters surging towards the central government's Liaison Office, viewed by many as a symbol of Beijing's increasing influence on the free-wheeling city.

Chanting "Hong Kong Independence" among other slogans, the protesters, some with medical masks and cling film to shield their eyes, tried repeatedly to charge through police lines but were forced back. Several were arrested.

Also reminiscent of the 79-day democracy protests two years ago, many opened umbrellas to protect themselves from pepper spray and blocked a major road running past the China Liaison office, erecting makeshift barricades out of bamboo, wood and rubbish bins to hamper traffic.

"We can't just wait to die," said 60-year-old protester Alexandra Wong who sat in the middle of the road with a yellow umbrella. "We must come out and resist, to wake up more people to the risks of China destroying our way of life."

The protesters were eventually dispersed by police after a nearly six-hour standoff.

"SEVERE BLOW" TO RULE OF LAW

Calls for independence are considered taboo by Beijing's Communist Party leaders who see Hong Kong as an "inalienable" part of China after more than a century of British rule.

The standing committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, this weekend discussed invoking a rarely used power to interpret Hong Kong's mini "Basic Law" constitution to stop Yau, 25, and Leung, 30, from taking office.

China Central Television quoted national lawmakers as saying the pair were a threat to China's "sovereignty and security".

"If this kind of situation continues it will harm the immediate interests of the people of Hong Kong ... and the interests of national development. The Central Government cannot sit by indifferently," they were quoted as saying.

As such, an NPC interpretation was "very timely and extremely necessary", the report said.

Under a "one country, two systems" formula by which Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, Beijing promised to grant the city a high degree of autonomy, including judicial freedom.

Martin Lee, a veteran democrat and barrister, said Beijing's move to interpret the Basic Law would bind the hands of the Hong Kong court that will hear the government's challenge against the pair.

"(It) makes it impossible for the court to exercise its own judgment," he said.

The Hong Kong Bar Association has said an intervention by Beijing now would deal a "severe blow" to the city's judicial independence and undermine international confidence in Hong Kong's autonomy. Chinese officials are expected to call a news conference on Monday morning regarding the situation.
Heads of Turkish and U.S. militaries meeting in Ankara - Turkish military

ANKARA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The chief of general staff of the Turkish Armed Forces met with his U.S. counterpart in Ankara on Sunday on the request of the U.S. military, the Turkish armed forces said in a statement.
Prominent UK rights activist, fearing for safety, leaves Thailand

By Alisa Tang

BANGKOK, Nov 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Prominent British rights activist Andy Hall left Thailand early on Monday, saying he feared for his safety amid legal problems and growing harassment from companies that have been "irrational, vindictive and aggressive".

Hall, who has worked on the rights of migrant workers in Thailand for 11 years, has recently faced defamation lawsuits by companies he has accused of labour violations.

"The situation is not good right now," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone on Sunday before his flight, speaking from Mahachai, a town near Bangkok and the centre of Thailand's seafood processing industry.

"It's rapidly deteriorating. It doesn't feel safe. There are people who are intent on wearing me down. I've worked with so many companies in Thailand, and it's rare to have a company that is so irrational and so vindictive. It's enough to wear anyone down."

In September, Hall was handed a suspended three-year jail term and fined 150,000 baht ($4,300) for criminally defaming Natural Fruit Company, a pineapple wholesaler that supplies the European Union.

Rights groups called the verdict an alarming precedent in the fight against labour exploitation.

Emboldened by the ruling, a chicken farmer who lost his EU contracts and had to shut down his 1.6 million-chicken operation after Hall exposed alleged labour violations on one of his three farms, said he planned to pursue his own defamation case and has hired the Natural Fruit lawyer.

Supported by Hall, the chicken farm workers had sued the farmer in September, alleging forced overtime, unlawful salary deductions, confiscation of their passports and limited freedom of movement. They demanded $1.3 million in compensation and civil damages.

The chicken farmer countered with defamation lawsuits against 14 of the migrant workers, Hall said, adding that he didn't know if suits had been filed against him or the non-governmental organisation he co-founded, the Migrant Worker Rights Network.

Thailand, one of the world's key food exporters, employs an estimated 3 million migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar. Many migrants face labour violations, such as unpaid wages, confiscated travel documents and limited freedom of movement.

Hall's legal problems began after he conducted research for Helsinki-based Finnwatch for a 2013 report called "Cheap has a high price". A company in the report, Natural Fruit, filed four defamation cases against Hall.

One case related to an interview Hall gave to Al Jazeera in Myanmar in 2013 about the legal fallout of the Finnwatch report. A court in Bangkok dismissed the charges, but Thailand's attorney general and Natural Fruit appealed.

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected that appeal. The verdict had originally been scheduled to be read on Nov. 25, but Hall said he requested the court to move the date forward because of his increasingly precarious situation.

"It's time for the good companies, the good actors, to speak to these people. I work with a lot of good companies ... I fear for my safety because of the unstable situation. I don't want to be here another three weeks," he said.

"My work is not productive at the moment. It's like walking on broken glass. I don't feel secure to be working here. Why would you want to put yourself in this situation where you're just being worn down and stuck in the court system?"

"CORRUPT, MAFIA SYSTEM"

Because of the cases, Hall has had his travel restricted since June 2014 and his passport confiscated by two different courts. He was unable to live outside Thailand and had to ask the court's permission each time he left the country.

"You're at the whim of this corrupt, mafia system, and you can't get out of it ... I've done everything I'm legally obliged to do, and now is the time to step away and see if this will get better."

He said once the chicken farmer filed criminal defamation charges against him, he would be subjected to travel restrictions again - another reason to leave now.

"The reason I'm leaving is they said in court they're going to file a new criminal case against me, because it comes with all the restrictions - I'm not willing to be subjected to that criminal process again, and I'm also leaving because of the security issues."

Meanwhile, he said there had been a clear impact on civil society and freedom of speech, as many watchdogs and activists have warned.

"No one dares to say anything about anyone doing anything wrong in Thailand. They just say it's 'a factory', or 'a company' in Thailand," he said.

"I want to come back, but it's a matter of do I have enough support and encouragement to come back? Now I feel very uncomfortable," he said.

Hall left on a Paris-bound flight that departed from Bangkok shortly after midnight on Monday. He has not specified a return date.
NEWSMAKER-Wily Cold War icon Ortega's tight hold on Nicaraguan democracy

By Enrique Pretel

MANAGUA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - It took Daniel Ortega just one meeting to persuade Fidel Castro to support the Sandinista rebels in their struggle against dictatorship in Nicaragua after the Cuban leader had spent years studiously avoiding doing just that.

The 1978 feat, recounted by his brother Humberto, established Ortega as the most visible face of a leftist movement that would overthrow Anastasio Somoza a year later.

It also marked the beginning of his ascent to becoming one of the most successful politicians in Latin America.

The mix of guile, persuasion and charisma is set to propel Ortega, 70, to a third consecutive presidential term in an election on Sunday - and feed accusations he has built a dynastic dictatorship with his wife and running mate Rosario Murillo.

Ortega's critics argue that after a stroke of luck won him the presidency in 2006, he tampered with Nicaragua's constitution, manipulated the justice system and rigged elections to secure re-election in 2011.

But fans praise Ortega for giving hope to the poor without scaring the rich, combining economic conservatism with a social consciousness, and allowing him to create a base of 70 percent voter support in 2016, according to recent polls.

Bearing himself slightly aloof, Ortega is a born negotiator, whose knowledge of the inner workings of Nicaraguan politics has allowed him to see eye to eye with the opposition, businesses and the Catholic Church, friends and detractors say.

"Ortega is a political animal that cannot be underestimated. He is a long distance runner (with) strength and ambition," said Carlos Chamorro, an editor who headed up the Barricada Sandinista newspaper in the 1980s. "He instinctively recognizes how to manage power and the powers that be."

Once a Marxist guerrilla imbued with revolutionary fervor that led him to kill, rob, suffer imprisonment and torture, Ortega had to reinvent himself after losing the Nicaraguan presidency in a 1990 election to Chamorro's mother, Violeta.

By then, the country was ruined and badly divided after years of bloody Cold War-era conflict between the Sandinistas and U.S.-backed right-wing rebels known as Contras.

Ortega ditched his military fatigues and horn-rimmed glasses for sober white shirts, and replaced his revolutionary rhetoric with talk of peace and reconciliation, invoking God to reach voters in a young and deeply religious country.

Loosening his ideological ties, Ortega secured millions of dollars in funding from late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, while courting private capital. He sought to ease tensions with Washington, without abandoning his links to Russia, China and Iran.

He even changed the classic Sandinista red and black for the light blue and fuchsia of his campaign, swapping a jeep for a Mercedes and keeping only his trademark thick mustache.

"He managed to adapt," said Luis Haug of Central American pollster CID Gallup. "He left behind the Cold War 'anti-imperialist' discourse and opted for a 'pro-people' one. He now leads a very strong status quo that he knows how to handle."

THE HERMIT'S CHARISMA

Ortega was born into a middle-class family in the poor mining town of La Libertad. The first two children died of malaria. When Ortega was five, the family moved to a working class neighborhood in Managua, where he grew up with a sister and two brothers, who would also join the Sandinista revolution.

The Ortegas learned to hate Somoza from their youth after their father proudly showed them a telegram from the dictator ordering him to "eat shit" for refusing to accept financial aid. Their mother told them of a time she was arrested for corresponding with a Costa Rican boyfriend.

Daniel abandoned his university legal studies to join the Sandinistas, where he led the urban guerrilla movement and fought briefly in the mountains before spending seven years in prison for robbing a bank to finance the cause.

He has said that in prison he learned to overcome his shyness, and acquaintances say torture and isolation made him a more reserved man who avoids open spaces and eye contact.

But he led the post-Somoza junta from 1979-1984 before becoming the first Sandinista president thanks to what some put down to an ability to stake out the middle ground between warring factions, and what others described as malleability.

In those turbulent years he honed his public speaking skills and forged a strong bond with his core voters.

"Because of it, even in the worst of times, 35 percent of the electorate has remained absolutely loyal to Daniel," said Arturo Cruz, a former Ortega ambassador in Washington.

THE COMMANDER AND THE POET

During the long years in opposition, Ortega largely forged his own political path until his wife, a 65-year-old poet, slowly took on more power.

"I remember Rosario the day after we accepted the (1990 election) result (saying), 'Now we're going to fight from the bottom,'" Ortega said in July.

Born into a middle-class family in Managua, Murillo has long been a source of strength for Ortega, and rescued his political career from ruin, defending him from accusations of sexual abuse by her own daughter, Zoilamerica Narvaez Murillo.

Ortega has denied the allegations.

Murillo's soft-spoken approach and political acumen have turned her into a favorite of his "Christian, socialist, solidarity revolution," while her slim figure, colorful dresses and lavish jewelry have burnished her husband's celebrity.

"The system revolves around him and is executed by her," said Narvaez Murillo in Costa Rica, where she says she was "exiled" by her mother's harassment. "They justify a series of things by having a divine mission. It's a kind of Messianism."

The president's allies argue that democratic excesses and corruption have been a constant in Nicaraguan politics, but that "Commander Ortega" has achieved tangible success in reducing poverty, stabilizing the economy, and maintaining security.

"He may have many authoritarian flaws ... but he has a huge heart for defending the people," said Fanor Avendano, an ally who leads the small Christian Social Party.

That has helped Ortega become the second most popular leader in Latin America, according to pollster Latinobarometro, giving him the wherewithal to eliminate term limits, name his wife as running mate, and put political adversaries in check.

With several of his seven sons in key government and media positions, the opposition says Ortega's increasing control over the Supreme Court, the electorate, and the military, will allow him to retain a firm hold on the levers of power.

"Today, he speaks ill of imperialism, tomorrow he will praise it. Today he says capitalists are vultures, the next day he'll say they are benefactors," said Dora Maria Tellez, a former Sandinista who is now a sworn enemy of Ortega.
Mexico peso jumps after FBI clears Clinton over emails ahead of election

MEXICO CITY, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Mexico's peso jumped on Sunday after the FBI announced it stood by a previous decision to not charge Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over emails related to her private server, a decision that comes just two days before the election.

The peso, which has been hit by the rise of Republican candidate Donald Trump and his policies that are seen hurting Mexico's economy, rose as much 2.2 percent, but later pared gains to trade up 1.6 percent at 18.708 pesos per dollar.

In a letter to Congress on Sunday announcing the end of a review of newly discovered emails related to Clinton's private server, FBI Director James Comey said the agency had not changed its conclusions from July that no criminal charges were warranted against the presidential contender.

Comey informed Congress of the newly discovered emails more than a week ago, throwing the race for the White House into turmoil and eroding Clinton's lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch before Tuesday's vote.

With just two days to go until the Nov. 8 election, Comey's decision handed a major boost to Clinton, who has been accused of criminality by her rival Trump over her handling of government emails during her time as Secretary of State.
New Delhi Declaration, Asian Regional Plan adopted at AMCDRR 2016

Published: November 5, 2016

The 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) adopted New Delhi Declaration and Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework.

It was the first AMCDRR to be held after the advent of the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR) 2015-2030. The next AMCDRR will be held in Mongolia in 2018.

AMCDRR was established in 2005. It is a biennial conference jointly organized by different Asian countries and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

World Tsunami Awareness Day

The Conference also commemorated the first World Tsunami Awareness Day (observed on 5 November) to spread awareness on tsunami. The observance of the day stressed on the importance of early warning systems and preparedness of communities in order to mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard.

New Delhi Declaration of AMCDRR

It is a political commitment of participating governments towards preventing and reducing disaster risk in the Asian region.

It also committed for strengthening the resilience of communities, nations and the Asian region for Disaster Risk Reduction.

It commits to a people-centred and whole-of-society approach towards DRR in order to accelerate the implementation of global frameworks.

It also emphasises the need to enhance the capacity of communities and ensure participation of all stakeholder groups towards achieving resilience.

Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework

It focuses on the how to reduce disaster risk at national and local levels.

It has longer term road map of cooperation and collaboration, spanning the 15-year horizon of the Sendai Framework.

Besides, it also has a two-year action plan to further disaster risk reduction with specific, actionable activities.

What is Sendai Framework for DRR?

The SFDRR was adopted by at the Third World Conference on DRR at Sendai in Japan in March, 2015. It identifies targets and priority action areas towards reducing disaster risk by reducing the damage caused by natural hazards like floods, droughts, earthquakes and cyclones through an ethic of prevention.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2016

Topics: AMCDRR 2016  Asian Regional Plan  Disaster Management  National  New Delhi Declaration

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Illegal mining, weak government help Taliban expand in Afghan north

By Jawad Kakar

FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Afghan Taliban militants have strengthened their grip on lucrative illegal mining operations in the north of the country, as security forces focus most of their efforts on battling the insurgency in the volatile south, officials said.

Abuses by local commanders with private militias and beyond the purview of central government have also driven people into the hands of Islamist fighters, the officials added, making it easier for them to profit from small-scale mines in the region.

"The Taliban provide protection for the villagers to mine and the people are happy to do it despite the fact that there's a presidential decree banning any uncontrolled mining," said Gul Mohammad Bedar, deputy governor of Badakhshan province.

He estimated that the militant group, fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government in Kabul, raised about a third of its funding needs in Badakhshan from deposits of minerals, including semi-precious lapis lazuli, found in its mountains.

Opium, grown mainly in the south of Afghanistan, is by far the biggest source of revenue for the Taliban nationwide, with the total value of opiates reaching as much as around $2-3 billion annually, according to the United Nations.

Mining, by comparison, is worth several tens of millions of dollars a year, although that proportion rises in the north.

Insurgents have taken authorities by surprise in the last year or so by seizing large swathes of territory in a part of the country where their presence has traditionally been weaker.

"We always thought that since much of the north, especially Badakhshan, Takhar and even parts of Kunduz, were anti-Taliban, we would be fine and the militants would never be able to gain ground, but we were wrong," said one Afghan security official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Last month's attack on Kunduz, the city that the Taliban briefly seized last year, underlined the movement's growing strength in the north and the problems the government has had in enforcing its authority even in a traditional stronghold.

The grip the Taliban still holds on surrounding area was underlined last week by a raid by Afghan and U.S. forces on a nearby village in which two Americans died.

More than 30 civilians, half of them children, were killed in an air strike called in to protect the troops, and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has promised an investigation.

MINES THERE "FOR US"

Lack of security and infrastructure has meant mine reserves in Afghanistan remain largely untapped, and up to 10,000 deposits are estimated to be outside government control.

Most being exploited are small, artisanal operations.

"I have been digging mines, especially lapis, for years," said Mohammad Zahir, a farmer in the Mahdan area of Keran Munjan district in Badakhshan.

"These mines are created by our Allah for us to dig and feed our families and it is not the property of the government or others."

As well as lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone mined for thousands of years in the region, gold mines and emeralds in Raghestan and Keran Munjan districts have grown in importance over recent years, according to Bedar.

The country also boasts major deposits of industrial metals, including the huge Mes Aynak copper deposit in Logar province near Kabul that is valued at $3 billion.

But security concerns and the shortage of roads and railways mean the Chinese company that bid to develop it has yet to start production nine years after winning the contract.

LOCALS "INVITE TALIBAN BACK"

Afghanistan is estimated to contain mineral deposits worth $1-3 trillion, including gemstones and precious metals, copper, marble and iron ore.

Much of it is in remote northern regions like Badakhshan, where Taliban revenue collectors have moved in, working with smugglers to ship stones out of Afghanistan for processing.

Allowing the Taliban to boost its revenues has given them a financial base to expand operations in the north, where government control outside the main district and provincial centres is minimal.

Maheullah Noori, a spokesman for the ministry of mines, said the government had no official estimate of the amount raised by insurgents from mining, but local MP Safiullah Muslim said the figure ran into millions of dollars a month.

"Gold, emeralds, rubies, and amethyst are all illegally mined by local militiamen and the Taliban who profit by hundreds of millions of afghanis monthly," he said.

Shir Aziz Kamawal, commander of police for the northern zone, said abuses by local strongmen had encouraged some local villages to work with the Taliban instead.

"Now that the Taliban are there, they have been looking into funding their fighting and digging mines."

For much of the past two years, as Afghan forces fought largely alone following the withdrawal of foreign combat troops at the end of 2014, the strategic focus has been on southern provinces like Helmand, a Taliban heartland and source of much of the country's opium.

But in the north as well, local officials said it would be difficult to restore trust in Kabul's authority.

Abdullah Naji, a member of Badakhshan's local provincial council, said there had been two recent operations by Afghan forces to push the Taliban back, but security forces struggled to hold areas they captured, and insurgents soon returned.
State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene yesterday dismissed statements that the Aava group operating the Northern Province had political and military backing of the government.

He said the government would not let anyone or any organization in the country to take the law into their hands, especially after the end of the three decade long war.

The group called Aava is a small number of people who are trying to distress the public, he said.

Addressing an event in Biyagama, the State Minister said he disappointed that some individuals were trying to gain political mileage by connecting the Aava group to the military.

The security forces have identified the members involved with the Aava group. They will be arrested soon and punished in accordance with the law, mnister said.

The country that was freed by the military would be protected in years to come, Wijewardene said.(Darshana Sanjeewa)
Says move will distort market place and hinder right for consumer choice

New pricing system an Indian model suitable for large market with substantial domestic production

Most originator brands faced with unviable ceiling price

Could have many negative unintended consequences to consumer, market and economy

Sri Lankas premier trade chamber, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), yesterday in a strongly-worded statement slammed the governments move towards introducing price controls for certain medicinal drugs saying it limits the customer choice and distorts the market place. To the much surprise of the countrys pharmaceutical sector stakeholders, the Health Ministry through a gazette notification hastily introduced price controls on 48 high-demand drugs, presumably with the good intention of creating public access to medicinal drugs at affordable prices.



Though the intentions may have been good, the CCC noted that such ad-hoc moves, distorting the market, could have a lot of negative unintended consequences to the consumer, market place as well as to the overall countrys economy.



It severely impacts private sector decision making, harms Sri Lankas international standing as an open economy, restricts consumers/patients ability to make free choices based on their individual affordability, and creates overall distortionary effects that hamper a smooth functioning of markets, CCC said.

And added, The CCC strongly urges the government to refrain from introducing ad-hoc, poorly designed and unviable regulations, that cause undesirable market distortions and undermines the countrys overall socio-economic goals.



As the trade chamber points out, Sri Lanka has a strong and accessible public healthcare system, complemented by a quality private healthcare system that is catering to evolving needs of the Sri Lankan people.

While all Sri Lankans, regardless of socio-economic conditions, have access to free public healthcare, patients have the freedom to seek private healthcare as well, particularly medicinal drugs from private providers. In this context, the CCC argues that the new pricing rules are hurting the efficient operation of the private healthcare market and are hurting consumer choice.



While Sri Lanka has a small local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, it accounts for approximately less than 10 percent of the private sector supply and 90 percent is supplied by private firms who are the designated local agents for pharmaceuticals imported from international principals. It is these private providers who largely import generics or branded generics and originators.



According to the CCC the new pricing system that has been announced is one derived from the Indian model, suitable for a large domestic market with a substantial domestic drug-manufacturing base and not for Sri Lanka.

This pricing mechanism uses the median price of any drug that commands a 2 percent or more market share (by volume). In most instances, the median price is a branded Indian generic due to the large volumes of such drugs sold in the Sri Lankan market. As a result, most originator brands are faced with an unviable ceiling price, that is neither reflective of cost nor of quality.

This also means that prices of such drugs would be well below regional ceiling prices, which international providers operate on the basis of. The international firms would not want to subject their products to the possibility of unofficial arbitrage trade in the region, originating from Sri Lanka, the CCC pointed out. The trade chamber said it was aware of incidents over the past week of authorities having to seize drugs being brought illegally, as baggage goods by travellers, and all of these are items coming under the new price controls.



This is a clear indication of how economic actors will attempt to circumvent unviable controls, CCC stressed.

Meanwhile, with the majority of Sri Lankas pharmaceutical drug requirements depend on imports, where costs vary with every shipment due to exchange rate variability, fixed prices become highly infeasible, CCC pointed out.

Echoing recent statement by the country pharma chamber, Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), the CCC said branded generic and originator drugs are strongly impacted by the new pricing rules, and can result in shortages as well as restrict patients choice.



Early reports indicate that several originator drug companies have signaled they would discontinue supplying to the Sri Lankan market, CCC noted.

In this backdrop, the trade chamber urged the pharma regulator to consider an automatic pass through for exchange rate volatilities, where a quarterly revision of prices is linked to Central Bank approved exchange rate.

In the absence of such a mechanism, a devaluation for instance would result in each pharma importer requiring NMRA pricing committee approval for price increases on all products stemming from a change over which the importer has no control.



Point out another possible dangerous scenario, the CCC warned that the recent gazette could prevent higher quality drugs developed with innovation in the originator countries coming into Sri Lanka

This affects not only individual choice of consumers, but also affects the countrys ability to continually access the newest medication. Moreover, price controls can lead to the proliferation of lower quality and counterfeit drugs, which is dangerous to public health, CCC cautioned.

Meanwhile, CCC said industry representatives, affiliated to the chamber, had pointed out that changes were made in an ad hoc manner and without full consultation with key industry stakeholders.

Moreover, the suggestion made by industry bodies of implementing a verifiable CIF (like in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Singapore) where it can be ensured that the CIF offered to Sri Lanka is not higher than the region, had not been given full consideration.

While the industry had clearly indicated support for a rational pricing mechanism, the process under which the new price controls were implemented is far from desirable, CCC said.
A pension would be paid for war heroes, who delisted on grounds of disability, Army Spokesman Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne said.

The soldiers who voluntarily delisted from the army, before their 12 year service period ended, due to their disability have been demanding for a pension since 2008, he said.

He said that the Cabinet had decided to solve the problem after Presidents attention was drawn to the matter.

Steps have been taken to allocate a provision in the Budget for 2017 for the payment relevant pension and to pay from 2007 on the instruction of President, he said.

The pension salary would be paid to disabled war heroes from February next year, in addition to salary and allowances, and the disability allowance, now they were being paid, he said.

The President, Defence Ministry and the Commander of the Army and the Government have made them aware of these steps. But it is regrettable that some are holding protests to bring disrepute on the Government, taking it as a political project, he said.
President Maithripala Sirisena left for India a short while ago to attend the global anti-tobacco conference organized by the World Health Organization in New Delhi.

During his two-day visit, President Sirisena will take part in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control with representatives of 180 countries as well as regional economic integration organizations like the European Union.

The President is schedule to address the convention as a special speaker on the inaugural day. He will also meet Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.(T.K.G. Kapila)
Tomorrow, 8 November, the people of the worlds most powerful nation will elect a new president. The choice is between the billionaire businessman with no political experience -Donald Trump of the Republican Party- or former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hilary Clinton of the

Democratic Party.



Having just eight years ago, elected the first African-American president one of the best in history- will the US elect a woman as president this time around? Perhaps it is the right time.

With the US presidential election system differing from those held in other parts of the world, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty, which the victor at this years elections could be, though polls suggest Clinton holds a slim lead.



This years run-up to the presidential election has been extremely confrontational, divisive, vituperative and resembles more, an election in one of the more recently independent former colonies, where democracy has not taken root, than in a nation which has been a practicing democracy for over two hundred years.



This election has raised questions about democracy itself in the US. The Republican nominee has encouraged violence against opponents and has threatened to jail his rival if he wins the election. He has also claimed the election is rigged and has refused to accept the result in the event he fails to win! He has attacked women, questioned the capacity of the US military and intelligence services, been accused of sexual abuse, attacked minorities and accused Latin-American and Asian immigrants of being anti-American and fifth columnists.

On an international level he has dished US allies and literally accused them of sucking America dry. His opponent and the US administration itself have openly accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the outcome of the election.



The decorum which marked previous US elections is dead, the country is polarized, its international allies left feeling ill-used and the rest of the world confused.

There is also a growing discontent in the US -a study by the Washington Centre for Equitable Growth- shows the share of income going to the top 1 percent of families those earning on average about $1.4 million a year increased to 22.0% in 2015, from 21.4% in 2014. Whereas the bottom 99% of families grew by just 3.9% over 2014 levels!

US voters are understandably angry at the political establishment which bailed the wealthy out during the recent recession, which hit the US, while ordinary Americans lost even the little they owned.

Clinton has been part of a political establishment that shaped these differences. She also stands accused of corruption. US society is today polarized between white Americans and the rest, its international partners left insecure of their position vis-a-vie their main bastion.



The incoming president needs to bring civility back into the US political system. She/he will need to allay the uncertainty among US allies.

A he /she needs to understand that the world has changed and no longer accepts US hegemony. The example of the Philippines and more recently Malaysia moving towards a Chinese orbit is an example that times are a changing.

Secretary Clinton has openly stoked tensions with Russia, claiming interference in the US presidential election. In East Asia the US is needling China via provocative interference in the South China Sea and backing opposition groups in Hong Kong an integral part of China.



In a bid to shore up its sagging support in South Asia the US has aligned itself with its old foe India in a bid to confront growing Chinese influence in the region. It has simply discarded its ally in the war against terror Pakistan.

In the Middle East Secretary Clinton has adopted a hawkish attitude to efforts to bring peace to the region despite the ongoing killing of civilians.

Republican nominee Trump has spoken of a need to work with Russia in the effort to end confrontations. However, Trump has also spoken of tearing up trade agreements with all and sundry and pushing the US into isolation.

Whatever the outcome, the incoming president will have to face the reality that in this day and age no one accepts US hegemony. The incoming president has to change strategies to suit changing worldwide relationships. It needs to switch to co-operation rather attempting to impose its will or world view ranging from issues related to climate change, to trade agreements or keeping the peace.



To meet the challenges of a changing world requires vast political acumen, intelligence and facts at ones fingertips. The three presidential debates revealed the Republican nominee was wanting in all three. The US is faced with a choice between a loose cannon Trump and a hawkish Clinton. A sad lack of choice, coming especially in the aftermath of the equanimity of an Obama presidency.
We must not forget that LTTE was formed five years before Hezbolla, ten years before Al Qaeda and Hamas and 15 years before the Taliban. We had also gone through two insurgencies in the South as well. Why did we so far fail to assess the shortcomings to plan the future course of action for the benefit of the citizens as one nation? Unfortunately, after having defeated the LTTE, why couldnt we resolve many of the post war issues too?



Why did Ven. Sobitha Thera come forward uncompromisingly to defeat the former regime? What was the late prelate trying to achieve as a member of the Maha Sangha, a member of the spiritual community, of our beloved motherland? Did he try to establish an evolution of Dharmically - based political theory? No doubt, he fought for the establishment of an ethical government, - a Government based on moral principles based on the Dharma. Let me call it a dharmarajyaya in this article. In a Dharmarajya, everyone upholds moral order so that all are required to behave towards each other based on consideration and justice. Dharmarajya concept is found in Hinduism too. Rulers listen to subjects carefully to fulfil their wishes thus ensuring that all interests are taken in to account in determining the policy of the state. Such a State, would not involve power to serve a section of people. It does not permit elected representatives serving themselves - for the benefit of the rulers.



In Asia particularly, there had been a symbiotic relationship among the king, the monks and the lay people in the past, which no doubt was healthier for the benefit of the people. Ven. Sobitha, therefore, attempted to establish a good and just political system which guaranteed basic human rights that contained checks and balances to the use of power.

Do we have good committed representatives elected by us representing the citizens? Our representative democracy is very often poetically described as a government of the people, for the people, by the people because there are periodic elections held to the Presidency, Parliament, Provincial Councils and the local bodies.



Nevertheless, what we see and experience both theoretically and in practice are far more complicated and confusing. These complexities the prelate had said were due to the actors and not due to the institutions. In fact, most of our leaders have been unexceptional.

We could also see large numbers of Buddhist monks on numerous political stages of various parties at present. There is evidence that Buddhist monks have engaged themselves in statecraft from the time of the ancient kings in providing guidance and advise to the rulers regarding the proper application of teachings of Lord Buddha in day to day governance. However, in the past few decades we also saw monks contesting elections and representing seats in Parliament. The Hela Urumaya contested parliamentary elections and won several seats. They argued that they would be able to improve the quality of the Parliament and the Parliamentarians in the interest of the citizens and the country. Did they succeed in their endeavour? Not at all.



Due to all these reasons, there came an era where politicians always had their say and neglected the country having pushed the masses to poverty and endless economic, social, cultural and other problems. In Chakkavatti Sihanada Sutta, Buddha shows how the loss of values could lead to economic instability and social turbulence  Because of goods not being accrued to those who are destitute, poverty becomes rife. From poverty becoming rife; stealing, violence, murder, lying, evil speech, adultery, incest finally lack of respect for parents, filial love, religious piety, and lack of regard for ruler will result. Buddha had also preached  when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and file become just and good; when the rank and file become just and good, people become just and good. Our rulers in the past several decades had failed to govern the country in a manner that would benefit the people. Ven. Sobitha provided leadership at a crucial period to other religious leaders and the civil society to fight against bad governance including corruption.

There is evidence on various instances of how Buddhist monks came forward to protect the country and particularly the people from tyrannical rule. Ven. Sobitha campaigned with self-sacrifice that the rulers should follow the path that helped the well-being of the citizens.



Furthermore, there is good enough evidence that during the reign of King Dutugamunu Buddhist monks had played a prominent role in numerous national, political, cultural and social events. During the time of King Bhatiya the Judgeship had been given to a monk. There had therefore been instances when monks had taken an active role in activities of governance/national development decisions.

It may be relevant to mention that after the death of King Saddhatissa (77  59 B.C.) the Assembly of Monks had ruled that Prince Lajji-Tissa who should have become the king be not made the king and that Prince Thullanatha be appointed as the king instead. It is also on record that King Kashyapa assassinated his own father to become the king. The Maha Sangha thereafter unanimously had rejected to accept Kashyapa as the King and had decided to dethrone the king and enthroned his brother Moggallana instead.



Again in another instance, the monks had intervened to settle a dispute between King Gajabahu and King Parakramabahu and had restored peace in the country. The two kings had thereafter entered into a peace treaty and the inscriptions found at Mandalagiri and Samagamu Viharas prove the involvements of the Maha Sangha for this purpose. During the reign of King Dutugamunu there were numerous instances where monks had assumed a prominent role in the country.



Let me ask the question why did Ven. Sobitha Thera come out having formed the Movement to establish a Just Society. After colonisation and thereafter in the not so-distant past, the system of governance had changed drastically. These developments later alienated the Maha Sangha too from the role they played in politics, national issues for the benefit of the citizens.

Owing to these reasons, several decades ago, Peliyagoda Vidyalankara Pirivena being the leading Buddhist Monastery in Sri Lanka at the time had issued a Public declaration in 1946 entitled Bhikkhus and Politics which stated that it was nothing but fitting for Bhikkhus to involve themselves with activities conducive to the welfare of the people. It could now be seen that the Maha Sangha takes a lead role in shaping up the countrys destiny together with the support of other religious dignitaries in the country. The late Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda had stated that the Buddha Dhamma suggests the ways and means to approach the complications in society and to reform the individuals through which the society could be made to act more humanely with a view to provide equal opportunities to all the human beings without being discriminatory.



Ven. Sobitha pointed out that the politicians during the last several decades had destroyed the country economically, socially, culturally. Party leadership had paved the way to greedy power-hungry eccentrics to rule the country. Politicians now openly misuse political power. They also give protection to their political associates who are corrupt. They craftily organise political deals undemocratically to strengthen political power.

I was personally aware that Ven. Sobitha believed that there was an extra effort needed to improve the running of the State machinery to fulfil its duties and obligations towards the unfortunate masses. The State is currently controlled by a remarkably small body of dishonest people who ultimately wield enormous power. They do not have a sense of empathy and goodwill for the ultimate benefit of the poor masses. In this sense, our leaders are not patriots because they do not have any love for their own subjects. Dont they only love themselves? Arent they a band of pickpockets in spotlessly white national costume?

This is basically the CHANGE that the prelate wanted to be done in the country for the benefit of all Nationalities. He emphasised the need to learn to love the country and its people with a view to widen that love towards all human-beings irrespective of the caste, creed or race.

He always meant that he had the power, ability and the tenacity to resolve the issues faced by the country owing to lack of good governance. He wanted to transform an ordinary Rajya in to, may I say a Dharmarajya. He had even consented once to contest presidency as politicians cannot be trusted.



What happened? He passed away after the dream government had been elected. As we know, the Movement for a Just Society blossomed after a statement made by the Ven. Madoluwawe Sobitha at the BMICH.

He assured the country that he would dedicate his life to abolish Executive Presidency and restore clean, ethical and rule of law in the country. He said GOOD GOVERNANCE was a sine-qua non for achieving economic development and growth in the country.



On the occasion when we commemorate his first death anniversary, after his untimely passing away, time has come for all patriotic citizens to honour the Nayaka Thera by ensuring that we too should commit ourselves with firm determination, to achieve the dreams of the late Ven. Sobitha in this precious land which had been previously called Paradise Island and destroyed by all successive governments.

Let us also extend our best wishes to Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya who took over the leadership of the Movement after the untimely death of the respected prelate.

May long live the Movement for Just Society in our motherland.
No new faces, no innovations, no out of the box thinking, no principles  appeals not to the floating voter; the vote that changes regimes, as did the good governance kids in 2015 - more inclined to be anti establishment- to the old or new outlaws. Both sides of the divide are populated with dandies that dye their hair and retain green or blue shirts in stock, if a switch is required in an emergency.



Prof. G.L. Pieris is an eminent choice for chairmanship of an emerging party as he is devoid of sharp practices and honest on financial transactions (except travelling in unaffordable luxury around the globe at great cost to the public) and is able to win the goodwill of party seniors as he is a hospitable food and beverage (F&B) provider for a hungry leadership in lean times. In a school for scoundrels none is more acceptable than the tuck shopkeeper, if he keeps his doors wide open to a bunch of ravenous lads.



Expectations were shattered, with scams on the ascent; by those promising good governance became part of the filth and squalor.

Cost of living is the prime issue not economics-unless it is personal home economics! Selfishly, each voter thinks of his wallet in the hip pocket! Is it bulging or shrinking?

Nursery rhymes this little pig went to the market where he learns the local market conditions. Finance Minister does not market in the proper street. He markets in stocks shares and bonds and not at the village fairs wherein lie the rural vote that does not attract him coming to parliament from Colombo North.



Scams at the bond issue bother Colombo Society: Is irrelevantly treated in the Sinhala and Tamil newspapers. Ranil Wickremesinghe read the message correctly and is not disturbed of the outcome at the Central Bank, as it does not impact on the votes of the majority poor. Likewise the previous administrations corruption issues do not bother the shirtless and sleeveless. President Sirisena, after his bold speech is cornered. He damaged the concept of collective responsibility from the top berth of Presidency and now has to get back tamely into the UNP corner like a little boy lost to pick votes. Speech was counter-productive except that it pushed a nightclub incident into the background. His efforts to attract Gotabhaya [Gota] Rajapaksa were rebuffed positively as Gota cannot for his own upward mobility rise without the blessings of his popular elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The split within the SLFP places Sirisena in the mini class in local politics as he cannot muster votes from his remaining team of SLFP appointed MPs as they are the defeated candidates of 2015.They would collect fewer SLFP votes in 2020 having sat in Ranil Wickremesinghes cabinet. MR would be a loser if he attached those candidates to his list; ultimate beneficiary could be Ranil Wickremesinghe if he is courageous to jettison the muck from the decadent SLFP and bring new faces to the front. Are we looking in 2020 at a leadership beyond 70 years with new votes churning in numbers from youth of 18 years above? MRs strength lies in Team Sirisenas inherent weakness. The ultimate winner Sirisena in 2015: acquires the losers award in 2016, as he has antagonized the voters both in the UNP and SLFP. Still 2020 is a distance away.



Lets peep in the midst of gloom and doom at the positives of the present government. It lies in the absence of fear psychosis in the expression of thought in the open. This had led to more media freedom with scandals and scams surfacing faster as media is not afraid to carry such news whereas during the last government such would be revealed only by way of idle gossip. With no authentication or denunciation once revealed to the chattering society, it gathers moss and the tales became sleazier and snottier. If it originates from responsible sources the news items would retain an authoritative value with defamation as a possible safety valve. The present government has failed to present any evidence against the discriminatory selected members of the previous government against whom charges are framed in court awaiting trial while the suspects are ritually paraded before the FCID. Not an iota of evidence has been placed in substance in any court because of ineptness of some of the prosecuting officers of the Attorney Generals/Bribery Commissioners Departments.



One single officer Ian Wickremanayake, did his work alone in keeping bribery under control while the threesome in the Bribery and Corruption Commission appointed by the Constitutional Council has shown no results to make it a worthwhile entity. Could these aged lads show results in their septuagenarian age? Still worthwhile to park for the emoluments and perks obtained in office. What became of the well-documented case against the TRO that was presented to the Attorney Generals Department by the anti-terrorist outfits of the State? [Could personally vouch having personally studied the evidence] State officers will undo this government, more than the previous government, if their work is not kept under surveillance. Being paraded before the FCID may become an easy way to enter the next parliament.



The State should retain Special Prosecutors from the private bar like the engagement of great George Chitty in the Bandaranaike murder case. The last government requested a non-Presidential Counsel to appear for cases where they felt State Counsel were deemed too feeble to present a case. Successful results were obtained without incurring fees. This government is more fortunate in having an array of eminent good governance counsel who no doubt would appear with or without fees if tapped for service. At the Udalagama Commission on war crimes Yasantha Kodagoda of the Attorney Generals Department led evidence admirably for the prosecution on a virtual three days-a-week basis to complete 17 trials in 13 months. There are many able lawyers in the state sector amongst the more visible offenders. This government should hand the bribery/corruption cases to their trusted counsel with the spirit of good governance who may accept it as a national service or for an agreed fee or pass it to a selected dedicated state counsel.



COPE brought into spotlight Sunil Handunhettige, a balanced JVP MP, with no past scratches, steered a controversial report with aplomb and composure. Leadership material for the future; his workmanlike nature sure deserves appreciation after years of loose rhetoric originating from the JVP. This was a great victory for the media, especially for investigative journalist suave Faraz Shaukate Ali, TV 1 and Financial Times that broke the story that stands confirmed by the COPE report. They are recipients of a trophy in the form of letters

of demand.

Sometimes defamation plaints and the accompanying letters of demand are empty epistles to deter parties from making further exposures by the filthy rich who can afford to write off legal expenses. It is hard to imagine a party disgraced entering the witness box as plaintiff to loosen doors in cross-examination for the eliciting of other muck against him. Sometimes lawyers give advice to make a buck and clients should on their own weigh evidence before rushing to court. Otherwise they may look foolish.



Old familiar faces must be retired, as they are recipients of healthy pensions. We need a fresh leadership from a new generation if we are to overcome the problems. For sure the old boys must be packed home otherwise they would be interested in ending their days in stately comfort unaffordable on their own might. Where have all the young men and women gone? Issue search warrants seeking young people if you want to bring investigations to a successful end. Otherwise tri- partisanship of the UNP/SLFP old/new wings would bring inquiry to naught.
The recent debates over secret information revealed by Julian Assange through Wikileaks, including a discussion with renowned journalist John Pilger, has explosive material involving Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's controversial emails.

Her intelligence interests involve even her intervention in the overthrow of the Honduran government, of which she was proud despite "regime change" in a country which was no threat to its neighbours or any powerful country. She also supported intervention in the post-Arafat PLO election, according to Assange.

Why doesn't Assange come out of the Ecuador embassy in London since the UN has exonerated him of all charges against him? Because he cannot go to Sweden even though charges against him have been dropped. In his discussion with Pilger, Assange has said Sweden would extradite him to the US where he would be imprisoned on false charges, so he continues in seclusion in the Ecuador embassy. Ironically, Ecuador is a small country of 16 million people, standing up to the pressures of mighty giants like the US.

So what is Assange's crime? Information is today the equivalent of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. Imagine if the FBI had fully exposed Clinton's emails, on which they stalled as long as possible, before refusing practically blank "redacted" emails which were 90 per cent blank or more, censured by the FBI to protect the next President of the United States, irrespective of law or probity.

Of course, the use of official email channels as officially recorded by Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state, was quite legal. The problem was the use by Clinton of official email channels for private emails which were well more than thousands is a misuse of US state media machinery.

But the "deep state" of the US desperately needs Clinton and without her, many politicians, business magnates and powerful media, have severe objections to the brash "outsider" Donald Trump. Trump wants good relations with Russia, in order to avoid great power tensions with the US's bete noire.

Julian Assange has said Sweden would extradite him to the US where he would be imprisoned on false charges. (Photo credit: India Today)

The power elite cannot accept that. The US needs enemies to justify the monstrous growth of what President Eisenhower called "the military industrial complex (MIC)", which he warned the American people about. The MIC continues selling arms to all sorts of buyers. For example, Saudi Arabia, a funder and staunch supporter of the Islamic State, was sold some $4 billion in armaments in 2015. What threat do the Wahhabi Saudis have from Wahhabi IS? And why do the Saudis who are also bombing along with Qatar the tiny Yemen, and the Shia Houthis, need so many billions of dollars in arms?

One obvious reason. The MIC has to sell its arms to recoup its interests, and further spread its influence throughout out the world, as part of its greater aim of being the unchallenged "world order". This term is used less often now, but is clearly the theory behind the policy of "regime change" which the US and NATO started in Afghanistan, decades ago, and are trying to continue in Syria.

Russia, supported by Iranian militia and Hezbollah, has been fighting back the Syrian "rebels" closely aligned with the terrorist outfit Al Nusra Front, whose linkage including in Aleppo continues, despite the US claim that it is trying to delink from Al Nusra, which few believe.

So great powers are unscrupulous, manipulative, and committed to increase leverage to become even greater powers. Those who have emigrated to the US, including Indians, have become integrated into the American ideological and cultural system, becoming "American Indians" who are keen to be treated as bonafide (white) Americans.

The 64 dollar question is that despite all these powers and facets, why is the US so insecure in the run up to the presidential election? Why this hysterical attack on Russia? Insecurities of a superpower?
A local man has been inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame and has received a special award recognizing his actions.

Flavey Buster, 70, of Valles Mines, walked into White Castle in Farmington in March of 2015 to get lunch like he has done many times before. That day ended up changing Busters life.

Stopping there for lunch that day gave Buster a new purpose in life and set him forward on a mission, which is raising money for Autism Speaks. Buster has gone above and beyond to help a cause he now feels passionately about.

Buster said when he walked inside to get lunch that day, a woman, who happened to be the store manager, Lonna Loveless, exclaimed that her dream car was in the parking lot.

I got to looking around and thought to myself that the only car I saw that was a dream car was my Camaro, remembered Buster. She came out the front and asked if it was mine. When she came back in after looking at it, she asked if I would like to donate to Autism (Speaks).

Buster said he donated $20 and thought about it that night. He had lost his wife five years ago and she would donate a lot.

After thinking about it, I decided I would go back and tell her I would donate $1,000 to Autism, said Buster. She wasnt there and wasnt supposed to be there until 1 p.m., so I asked them to call her to come in earlier.

Buster explained that they told him she was at Auffenberg, so he went down there and told her he was going to bring her $1,000 for Autism Speaks the next day.

I told her she had to do something for me, laughed Buster. Before I could finish she said, 'you know Im married.' I told her if she knew anyone who would like to talk, like I needed to after my wife died, to let me know.

Buster said he was true to his word and brought $1,000 to donate to the autism cause, but he didnt stop there. H

I would go into businesses and I even walked a whole street in De Soto going into each business raising money, said Buster. Auffenberg is going to offer $50 for autism for every sale he makes if they mention my name. That will be saved up until April 1 and hopefully it is a bunch of money.

Buster said he has raised approximately $1,008 so far this year and hopes to raise more before the end of the year. He goes to three places ritually that are helping him: Rural King, Save-A-Lot and Auffenberg in Farmington.

I will be at Rural King Nov. 18-19 and Save-A-Lot in De Soto on another weekend taking up collections, said Buster. I want to thank the people that have donated, also the businesses on Main Street in De Soto, the people at Save-A-Lot and many more.

Buster was presented the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame plaque on Oct. 12 in Columbus, Ohio at a special banquet. They contacted him and said out of over 500 people who were nominated, there were only 11 or 12 selected.

Ive ate a lot of White Castles, but I was probably selected because of my hard work and all the money I have donated, said Buster. I have also gained a friend out of all this. I wouldnt be alive today if it werent for (Lonna). She checks on me and we are great friends. I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for her.

Loveless said every April White Castle does a campaign for Autism Speaks and they raise money.

He has basically become a part of our store and he continually helps raise money for Autism Speaks, Loveless. White Castle inducted him into the 2016 hall of fame this year for his great contributions and support and love of brand.

Loveless said she nominated him for the White Castles Cravers Hall of Fame and there were over 500 stories submitted.

There were, I believe, 16 inducted this year, said Loveless. Its phenomenal how much he has done for autism and he continually helps. I feel that is what he is living for right now, to help and to raise awareness and get contributions throughout different communities. Its overwhelming and at the same time its what he is living for. I will always be there for him and he is an amazing individual. He is phenomenal and I appreciate everything that he does.

Buster said he does this for the kids and it means so much to him when he sees kids who drop a coin in to donate.

It just keeps me going, said Buster. I thank them all, whether its $20 or change. For it to hit your heart, you have to see something that is coming from the heart. Seeing those kids, this one lady handed each one of her kids a coin and every one of them put it in there. It just tore me up, because they are teaching those kids to give instead of receiving. Until I pass, Im going to do my best. If I win the lottery, its going to autism for the kids.
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FBI Director James Comey knew exactly what was going to happen.

He was already a controversial figure in the presidential campaign. His statement this summer, that Hillary Clinton had been "extremely careless" in handling her government email accounts, has been repeated endlessly in Donald Trump ads.

And now he's done it again. He wrote a letter to Congress, less than two weeks before the election, saying that a new trove of emails discovered on the computer of Anthony Weiner -- the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin -- may be relevant to the Clinton case, which had been suspended months ago.

There was no hint of wrongdoing on Clinton's part. When Comey wrote his letter, neither he nor any of his investigators had evaluated the Weiner emails. And yet he had to know that his letter -- no matter how carefully couched -- would immediately be distorted and exaggerated by the Trump campaign.

And it was. The FBI director had provided yet more fodder for Trump's attacks. But this time, it was not Hillary Clinton who was "extremely careless." It was Comey himself.

Comey cannot plead ignorance. He knew the rules. He knew that very clear Justice Department guidelines prohibit doing precisely what he did: injecting the country's most powerful law enforcement agency into a political campaign.

As The Washington Post reported, in early October, Comey had specifically invoked those guidelines in declining to join a statement issued by the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security. The statement blamed Russia for cyber attacks aimed at influencing the American elections, but Comey thought "it was too close" to Election Day for him to get involved.

Even many Republicans have joined the chorus condemning Comey's misjudgment. George J. Terwilliger III, deputy attorney general under George Bush 41, told The New York Times: "There's a longstanding policy of not doing anything that could influence an election. Those guidelines exist for a reason. Sometimes that makes for hard decisions. But bypassing them has consequences."

Larry Thompson, deputy attorney general under Bush 43, co-authored an op-ed piece in the Post that asserted, "It is antithetical to the interest of justice, putting a thumb on the scale of this election and damaging our democracy."

Joe Walsh, a former Congressman and fiercely conservative radio host, tweeted about Comey: "What he just did 11 days b4 the election is wrong & unfair to Hillary."

There's no evidence that Comey was deliberately trying to help Trump, and charges that he violated the Hatch Act -- which bars political activity by federal employees -- seem unfair. But Comey was guilty of a different sin: placing his own ego and his concern for his personal reputation ahead of his responsibility to the FBI or the democratic process.

As Matthew Miller, a Justice Department spokesman during Barack Obama's first term, wrote in the Post, "This case in particular has exposed how Comey's self-regard can veer into self-righteousness." The FBI director seems to believe "that the rules that apply to every other Justice Department employee are too quaint to restrict a man of his unquestionable ethics."

Comey's ill-advised letter would not be so damaging to Clinton if she had not, throughout her whole career, earned her reputation for cutting corners and bending rules. The trope that all her troubles are caused by a "vast right-wing conspiracy" and a media that unfairly exaggerates her flaws is simply not true.

The Clintons have always given their enemies plenty of ammunition: her misguided use of a private email server as secretary of state; the appearance of tawdry influence-peddling that clings to the Clinton Foundation; her greedy determination to rake in millions of dollars in paid speeches from institutions that were clearly currying favor with a possible future president.

Perhaps worst of all: Bill Clinton's egregious decision to meet with Attorney General Loretta Lynch last June while the Justice Department was concluding its investigation of his wife's handling of classified emails. As a result of his stupidity, Lynch has little leverage over Comey.

We won't know until next week whether Comey has altered the course of the election. His letter will probably cause few voters to change sides, but recent polling indicates that some Democrats are discouraged, while Republicans are energized. And intensity and turnout matter in close races -- for the Senate as well as the White House.

But we do know this: In trying to protect his personal reputation, and the reputation of his agency, James Comey has badly damaged both.

Steve and Cokie Roberts can be contacted by email at stevecokie@gmail.com
The following companies are subsidiares of ABB: ABB (China) Investment Limited, ABB (China) Ltd., ABB (Hong Kong) Ltd., ABB (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd., ABB (P.J.S.C.), ABB (Private) Ltd., ABB (Pty) Ltd., ABB (Pvt) Ltd., ABB A/S, ABB AB, ABB AG, ABB AS, ABB AUTOMACAO LTDA, ABB AUTOMATION AND ELECTRIFICATION (VIETNAM)COMPANY LIMITED, ABB AUTOMATION HOLDINGS (THAILAND) CO. LTD., ABB Algeria SpA Asea Brown Boveri, ABB Algerie Produits SpA, ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd, ABB Asea Brown Boveri SRL, ABB Ausbildungszentrum Berlin gGmbH, ABB Australia Pty Limited, ABB Automation (Thailand) Co. Ltd., ABB B.V., ABB Bailey Beijing Engineering Co. Ltd., ABB Bailey Japan Limited, ABB Beijing Drive Systems Co. 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Ltd., Turbo Systems Verwaltungs Ltd, Turbocharging Bangladesh Limited, Turbocharging Brasil Ltda., Turbocharging Systems Co. Ltd., Turbocharging Systems France SAS, Turbocharging UK Limited, Turbosystems Nigeria Limited LTD, Validus DC Systems, Vectek Electronics, Ventyx, Verdi Holding Corporation, W.J. Furse & Co. Ltd., Yangzhou SAC Switchgear Co. Ltd, and Zhejiang Chargedot New Energy Technology Co. Ltd..

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The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical, and regenerative medicine products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: US Specialized Therapeutics, US General Medicine, and International. It offers a portfolio of products in various therapeutic areas, including medical aesthetics and dermatology, eye care, neuroscience, urology, gastrointestinal, women's health, and anti-infective therapeutic products. The company also offers breast implants and tissue expanders; and RM-131 (relamorelin), a peptide ghrelin agonist for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. In addition, it develops medical and cosmetic treatments; therapies for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and other liver diseases; inhibitor for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders; atopic dermatitis drug candidate; peri-ocular rings for extended drug delivery and reducing elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients; and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Further, the company develops RST-001, a novel gene therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa; small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases; topical medicines for fat reduction; and delivery system and botulinum toxin-based prescription products. It has collaboration, option, and license agreement with Lyndra, Inc.; and strategic alliance and option agreement with Editas Medicine, Inc. Allergan plc also has licensing agreements with Assembly Biosciences, Inc.; MedImmune; and Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd. The company was formerly known as Actavis plc and changed its name to Allergan plc in June 2015. Allergan plc was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
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 following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hemmelrath International Trade (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Karl Woerwag Lack-und Farbenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holdings Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, Milamar Coatings LLC, OOO Tikkurila, PPG A P Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc./PPG Revetements Architecturaux Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l, PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG Business Services S.A. de C.V., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cetelon Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. 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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Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells petroleum products in the People's Republic of China. It operates through five segments: Synthetic Fibers, Resins and Plastics, Intermediate Petrochemicals, Petroleum Products, and Trading of Petrochemical Products. The Synthetic Fibers segment produces polyesters, acrylic fibers, and carbon fibers that are primarily used in the textile and apparel industries. The Resins and Plastics segment produces polyester chips that are used to produce polyester fibers, coating, and containers; polyethylene resins and plastics, which are used to produce insulated cables and mulching films, as well as molded products, such as housewares and toys; and polypropylene resins that are used for films and sheets, as well as molded products, such as housewares, toys, consumer electronics, and automobile parts; and PVA granules. The Intermediate Petrochemicals segment produces p-xylene, benzene, and ethylene oxide, which are used as raw materials in the production of other petrochemicals, resins, plastics, and synthetic fibers. The Petroleum Products segment operates crude oil refinery facilities used to produce refined gasoline, fuel, diesel oil, heavy oil, and liquefied petroleum gas. The Trading of Petrochemical Products segment is involved in the import and export of petrochemical products. The company was founded in 1972 and is based in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited is a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.
RICHMOND  A Louisa County sheriffs deputy was seriously injured when he was struck by a car on U.S. 15 near Rocky Road on Friday evening, Virginia State Police said.

Deputy D.J. Hart suffered two severely broken legs, but no life-threatening injuries, according to the Louisa County Sheriffs Offices Facebook page.

He underwent surgery Friday night, the post said.

Hart was assisting a disabled vehicle on southbound U.S. 15 in Louisa around 7 p.m. Friday.

After a wrecker had loaded the car, the deputy went to cross the road and was struck by a northbound 2016 Volkswagen, state police said.

Hart was transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center, police said. The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation.
Death row cell, San Quentin State Prison, California

Days before California voters decide whether to ban capital punishment or expedite executions, state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials have sent a new execution protocol to its final administrative review.





"The Office of Administrative Law has up to 30 working days to review and approve it," said CDCR spokeswoman Terry Thornton. Depending on when they are approved, the new rules would take effect no later than April 1.





A federal judge put a stop to executions in 2006, citing concerns about the state's three-drug execution protocol. The Brown administration agreed to develop a new protocol as a result of a lawsuit brought by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation.





Nearly 20 inmates on California's death row have exhausted their legal appeals and are eligible for execution. But Thornton would not speculate on when the next execution would be scheduled if voters reject Proposition 62, which would outlaw capital punishment.





"It's odd timing," said Matt Cherry, executive director of Death Penalty Focus, which is supporting Proposition 62. "We believe the whole question of how to kill prisoners is moot until after the election," he added.





Cherry said he's certain if Proposition 62 fails, a legal challenge would be brought against the new execution protocol.





"Even if they survive legal challenge, which I doubt they would, they would still have to find the drugs," Cherry said. "What we know about the 4 drugs proposed by the state is that 2 are forbidden by the manufacturer to be used in executions."





A CDCR official said the state has its own compounding pharmacy to make the drugs, if it comes to that.





The other 2 drugs in the new protocol, Cherry said, have never been used in executions. "Using them for that would amount to human experimentation," he added, suggesting a legal line of attack.





A new Field Poll shows Proposition 62 leading 51 % to 45 %, with the rest undecided. Proposition 66, which would expedite executions, is favored by 48 % of voters, while 42 % are opposed and 10 % aren't sure.





If both measures pass, whichever gets more votes would prevail.

California looks to single drug for carrying out executions

The death chamber's control room at San Quentin State Prison

California's death row inmates could be executed using one of four different drugs or choose the gas chamber under regulations submitted for final approval Friday, just days before state voters consider whether to do away with the death penalty or reform it.





The plan by corrections officials responds to court pressure and amid a nationwide shortage of execution drugs.





The Office of Administrative Law now has 30 working days to review the regulations for technical problems. If approved, the rules could go into effect early next year, barring court challenges.





California has 750 condemned inmates on the nation's largest death row. However, the state hasn't executed anyone since 2006 and frustration over the law and the endless appeals that go with it spawned competing initiatives on Tuesday's ballot.





Proposition 62 would end the death penalty and keep condemned inmates in prison for life. Proposition 66 would speed up appeals and let officials begin single-drug executions.





The regulations submitted Friday would let corrections officials choose between 4 powerful barbiturates - amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital or thiopental - for each execution, depending on which one is available. Inmates also could continue to choose the gas chamber for their execution.





8 states have used a 1-drug method, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes executions and tracks the issue. 5 states in addition to California have announced plans to use a single drug but have not done so.





Executions in California stalled amid legal challenges after 76-year-old Clarence Ray Allen was put to death with 3 drugs in 2006 for ordering a triple murder.





Federal and state judges suggested the state could resume the punishment if it began using a single drug, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to say in 2012 that California would consider a 1-drug lethal injection.





But there was little progress on the change until a judge forced the state's hand with a ruling last year.





Death chamber and witness room, San Quentin State Prison

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California said 2 of the 4 drugs identified in the state proposal have never been used in executions.





It also questioned whether the drugs will be safe and effective, since the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation plans to have the one used for each execution specially made.





The department "is engaging in nothing less than human experimentation," Ana Zamora, the ACLU's criminal justice policy director, said in an email.





About 36,000 people submitted about 167,000 individual comments on the new regulations, department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.





The department tried to adopt regulations for a 3-drug method in 2009 and 2010, but the attempts were blocked by a judge in 2012.





Matt Cherry, director of the campaign to eliminate the death penalty, said the "arduous legal battle over California's broken death penalty system" is another reason for voters to eliminate it.





Michael Rushford, president of the Sacramento-based Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, also expects more bureaucratic and legal challenges to stall executions. The foundation sued to force corrections officials to adopt the new rules.





Proposition 66 would speed things up by eliminating the need for the department to continue the usual administrative process, he said, speaking for the pro-death penalty campaigns.





Opponents already have signaled they are likely to challenge the regulations in court, meaning more delays are likely before anyone is executed if voters keep the death penalty.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: KQED news, November 5, 2016Source: Associated Press, November 5, 2016
Americans in the health insurance markets created by President Barack Obama's law will have less choice next year than any time since the program started, a new county-level analysis for The Associated Press has found.

The analysis by AP and consulting firm Avalere Health found that about one-third of U.S. counties will have only one health marketplace insurer next year. That's more than 1,000 counties in 26 states  roughly double the number of counties in 2014, the first year of coverage through the program.

With insurance notices for 2017 in the mail, families are already facing difficult choices, even weighing whether to stay covered.

"At this point, we are at a loss," said Ryan Robinson of Phoenix. "We don't know what the next step is."

He and his wife, Nicole, only have plans from one insurer available next year, and the company doesn't appear to cover an expensive immune-system medication for their 11-year-old daughter.

Phoenix is the market hardest hit by insurer exits, shrinking from eight carriers to one. With many other communities affected, however, the problem of dwindling choice may create even bigger political headaches than the rising premiums announced earlier last month.

Largely as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the nation's uninsured rate has dropped to a historically low level, less than 9 percent. But the program hasn't yet found stable footing, and it remains politically divisive.

Insurer participation rose in 2015 and 2016, only to plunge.

Dwindling choice could be a trickier issue than rising premiums for the Obama administration and advocates of the 2010 law, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Most customers get financial assistance, and their subsidies are designed to rise along with premiums, which are increasing an average of 25 percent in states served by HealthCare.gov. But there is no comparable safety valve for disruptions caused by insurers bailing out.

"Rising premiums get all of the political attention, but lack of choice between insurers could be a bigger problem for consumers," said Caroline Pearson, a senior vice president with Avalere.

Five states  Alaska, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming  have one participating insurer across their entire jurisdictions. Only Wyoming and South Carolina had faced that predicament this year.

Another eight states  Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada and Tennessee have only one participating insurer in a majority of counties.

Citing big financial losses, several marquee insurers sharply scaled back their participation for next year. United Healthcare exited from more than 1,800 counties, and maintains only a minuscule presence, according to the analysis. Humana nearly halved the number of counties where it offers plans.

Insurers say enrollment was disappointing, patients were sicker than expected, and an internal system to help stabilize premiums didn't work well. The Obama administration says insurers are correcting for initially pricing their plans too low.

HealthCare.gov has taken steps to help consumers whose insurer is leaving by matching them to the closest comparable plan on the marketplace next year.

Administration officials also point out that many private employers offer workers just one plan.

The upheaval in the health insurance markets has consumers scrambling to figure out options. Sign-up season started Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31.

South of Minneapolis, in Goodhue County, Minnesota, farmer Eugene Betcher said his Blue Cross Blue Shield family plan is going away. The insurer is dropping its popular preferred provider plan, which covers more than 100,000 area residents.

Betcher has an appointment with his insurance adviser, but he expects sharply higher premiums and having to switch doctors.

In his early 60s, he's mulling just keeping his wife on the plan. "I'm thinking of not covering myself and hoping to get to 65 and Medicare," said Betcher. He'd risk a fine, but he says that financially he would probably come out ahead even if he had to pay out of pocket for medical care.

In Birmingham, Alabama, property insurance adjuster Jacob Bodden said his Humana plan is pulling out and Blue Cross Blue Shield remains his only option. He gets no subsidy from the government, so he'd have to cover the entire premium increase himself.

"I don't trust the incompetents who created this mess can fix it," Bodden said.

In Phoenix, Ryan and Nicole Robinson are at the epicenter of the health law's latest troubles. Maricopa County has seen the most insurers bail out, and premiums for a benchmark plan are spiking 145 percent next year, beyond any other major market on HealthCare.gov.

Ryan Robinson, who works in sales for an out-of-state health care company, said the family's premium will go from $821 to $1,489. It's more than their mortgage and they don't qualify for an income-based subsidy.

But what the Robinsons most worry about is that neither of their daughter's two medications appears to be covered by the remaining insurer. That includes an immune-system drug costing about $5,000 a month.

"I shouldn't be getting government assistance, but I shouldn't be offered a plan that's ludicrous," said Ryan Robinson. He says the idea behind the law "was good and principled," but "there have got to be other solutions out there."

The Obama administration says consumers in such situations can seek an exception. "The law guarantees access to necessary prescriptions, even if they aren't on a formulary, through an exceptions process," said spokesman Aaron Albright.

Meghan Hoyer and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar write for The Associated Press. Avalere is a consulting and data-crunching firm that provides nonpartisan analysis for health care industry and government clients. It compiled insurance marketplace data from 49 states and the District of Columbia for this analysis. That represents markets in 3,129 counties, where 12.3 million people selected plans for 2016. Only Massachusetts was unable to provide 2017 data by deadline.
Thank you for your service is now frequently heard when people meet someone on active duty or a veteran. As a veteran, Ive reflected on what a positive change this is from the reception given Vietnam returnees. That national surveys now show the military being held in high public esteem is a welcome departure from the past.

Against that upbeat background, I read The Daily Progress Oct. 27 editorial concerning a major mix-up involving bonuses paid to thousands of California National Guard soldiers almost 10 years ago (Pentagon needs to fix its own errors, online Oct. 26). It seems that, in retrospect, it was determined that these bonuses were paid in error and recipients were instructed to return them. It is probable that these funds have long since been spent, and to return them as directed would create all manner of stress.

Despite being a matter of major internal concern for the Army and the Department of Defense, it took a newspaper inquiry to just recently surface this problem for the public.

There is every reason to believe that the vast majority of bonus recipients received them in good faith, although some situations may be problematical. In any case, this creates a stressful situation for the recipients and their families, who have already been impacted by tours of active duty, many repeated ones in a war zone.

The secretary of defense has now promised to look into the situation. Some cases have been reviewed  many are waiting. It sounds like there is still a lot of work to do to straighten it all out.

In any case, a sacred rule I learned in my Army days has been broken; namely: Soldiers pay must be treated with great care. It certainly wasnt for the thousands impacted almost 10 years ago. One can just imagine the havoc this has caused.

Simply put, in todays all-volunteer force, administration of pay is especially important and must be treated with great care. The way the California National Guard case was being managed does not thank them for their service.

Jim Kennan

Albemarle County
Phone lines in the execution chamber's control

room at San Quentin State Prison, California

Crossing the Richmond Bridge to San Quentin State Prison, the fog-shrouded compound looks ominous. It is the biggest, most expensive death row facility in the Western Hemisphere.





As I walk the long walk from the entrance of the prison to the condemned visiting block, a sign reads, "Walk, Don't Run." I walk slowly. "Halt,", a guard yells, holding up his right hand. I stop, heart pounding. A phalanx of guards with automatic weapons walks across my path to the guard tower. I am signaled to go on. I walk past the death chamber on my way to see "J." That was over 21 years ago. J. was 27 years old, the same age as my eldest son.





After my first visit with J, I felt sick to my stomach. I ventured to a bar in the City in Little Italy, took a couple shots of Jack and felt a little better. I still get a bad a feeling when I visit death row; you don't get used to it.





On November 8, California voters will decide between 2 competing ballot measures: Proposition 62, which will end the death penalty and replace it with life without parole, or, Proposition 66, which will move to speed up the executions and shorten the appeals process for condemned inmates.





Since 1967, California sentenced over 1,000 defendants to death, spending over 4 billion taxpayer dollars to execute 13 condemned men. There are now 747 condemned inmates on death row; 352 inmates are waiting for an attorney to be appointed on their state habeas appeals, most wait an average of 12 years before habeas counsel is appointed. The number of death-sentenced inmates without habeas counsel increases annually because the appointment of qualified counsel cannot keep pace with the increasing judgments of death. California added 14 convicted men to death row in 2015, 27 % of all death sentences meted out in the country last year.





The California Supreme Court has trouble finding qualified attorneys willing to take on such appointments. There are only 332 active criminal law specialists in California. Many specialists do not have the requisite skill set and training to represent capital defendants in death penalty appeals.





Prop. 66 advocates speeding up the appeals process by relaxing the standards and qualifications of appointed counsel, requiring experienced Court of Appeal panel attorneys to accept death penalty appointments or be removed from those panels. Numerous panel attorneys have said they will resign from the appointment panel rather than be coerced into taking a death case. The defense bar lacks the manpower to deal with death cases.





The U.S. and California Constitutions require that death sentences be carefully reviewed by the courts. Our robust system of post-conviction review of death sentences is not a quick casual process, and only 3 persons have been exonerated from death row since 1981.





It takes at least 15 to 25 years for these cases to be reviewed by the California Supreme Court and the federal courts. There is now a backlog of over 150 fully briefed capital appeals and habeas petitions before the court. Death penalty appeals and habeas petitions cannot be done in 5 years as proposed by Prop. 66.





There are not enough qualified lawyers, court resources, or money to make the death system work; it cannot be done on the cheap and it is not a process that can be fast tracked.





Assuming the proponents of Prop. 66 could expedite executions at a rate of one execution a week, it would take over 14 years to kill the 747 inmates now on death row. During that same time, California will add at least another 200 condemned inmates.





Executions by lethal injections have been prohibited in California by the federal courts for the last 10 years. Any resumption of executions in California is years away, because the litigation over newly proposed protocols for the drugs that will be used and the procedures to administer the lethal injection has not made its way through the state and federal courts. The proponents of Prop. 66 want to allow the state to procure lethal drugs secretly and eliminate court oversight of the protocols in administering the lethal drugs during an execution.





Regardless of one's moral views on the death penalty, there is a consensus that California's death penalty system cannot be fixed. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has said, "The choice for voters [is] not whether you believe in [capital punishment] anymore, rather, the 'effectiveness and costs' of the system."





United States Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Breyer, recently criticized California's costly administration of the death penalty, citing its unreliability, arbitrariness in application, and unconscionably long delays.





J's case is now on hold because the Supreme Court has not reimbursed his attorneys for work performed back in 2011. Delays in funding death penalty litigation are not unusual, as California struggles to find the necessary resources of an already stretched state budget.





Since I first met J over 21 years ago, his father, mother, brother, and sister have died. I send him birthday cards, books, magazines, and colored drawing pencils.





J will be 49 on his birthday this November. When I look at the drawings he sends me, I wonder how many more years I will be able to make the trip across the Richmond Bridge, I'll be 70 soon. I'm sick and tired of the trip.





The Justice That Works Act of 2016, Prop. 62, will end California's death penalty and replace it with Life Without the Possibility of Parole, saving the taxpayers about $150 million annually.





No capital defendant sentenced to life without the possibility of parole has ever been released from custody.





It's time to stop the bleed of billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for the dirty, grisly business of state killings. California's death penalty system is a multibillion dollar failure, broken beyond repair.





Source: Santa Barbara Independent, Op-Ed; Robert F. Landheer, November 5, 2016. Mr. Landheer is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar and is a Criminal Law Specialist certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization, who has represented death cases in the trial courts and on appeal for over 30 years.

California to decide if their state will continue to have the death penalty

On October 25th, 1994, Dora Buenrostro almost got away with the murder of her 3 young children.





It all began in the small town of San Jacinto, in the Riverside County of California. A then 34-year-old mother of 3, Mrs Buenrostro stewed what she thought would be the perfect cover on her estranged husband.





Mrs Buenrostro ran into the police station in the early hours of Thursday morning, saying her estranged husband had appeared at her apartment and she was afraid.





15 minutes after her panicked arrival, the police found her 9-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son in the family's apartment. Her other daughter, 4-year-old Deidra, was later found in an abandoned post office. All 3 had suffered fatal stab wounds.





The police originally took her husband in for questioning, but after producing a credible alibi - he was released. Mrs Buenrostro was arrested a few days later, and has sat on death row for the past 18 years awaiting her execution.





Sandi Dawn Nieves told police she killed her four daughters to get even with the men in her life.





In 1998, the then 34-year-old was fighting with her ex-husband to hang on to her 4 daughters in what was an ugly custody battle. Ms Nieves claimed her ex-husband's older son was a threat to her 4 daughters.





But in June of that same year, Nieves allegedly encouraged her 4 girls - aged 5, 7, 11 and 12 at the time of their death - to hold a slumber party in the kitchen of the family's Santa Clarita home.





It was there that Mrs Nieves asphyxiated them with natural gas from the oven, then allegedly used gasoline to ignite a fire that blackened the inside of the home but did little damage to its exterior, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and coroner's sources said.





The 4 girls were found tucked into sleeping bags on the floor of the kitchen, while Mrs Nieves and her other child were taken to a hospital for treatment.





As soon as she recovered, Mrs Nieves was taken to jail - where she has spent the past 16 years.





Both Buenrostro and Nieves sit alongside 747 other murderers, rapists and abusers waiting on death row in California for their name to be called.





California's brand new execution chamber In the state of California, the death penalty is still a legal form of punishment, along with 29 other states across the country. But it has been 10 years since the last lethal injection was carried out in the state. In the state of California, the death penalty is still a legal form of punishment, along with 29 other states across the country. But it has been 10 years since the last lethal injection was carried out in the state.





On election day, Californian voters will have the choice between 2 ballot decisions. Vote for Proposition 62, which would abolish the death penalty in the state, or Proposition 66 - which would speed up the execution of those waiting on death row.





While only 13 executions have been carried out since the penalty was reinstated in 1978, all could change for the 749 men and women currently sitting on death row if the votes swing to Prop. 62.





According to a poll conducted by Sacramento State's Institute for Social Research, there are more voters in favour of ending the death penalty across the state over the proposition to speed up executions.





But the poll also revealed that not enough voters had made up their mind that would be required for a new law to pass.





According to the Los Angeles Times, this is because a large pool of voters are confused about what each measure promises, and because people remain strongly divided on the issue of capital punishment.





"The death penalty is much more controversial, in a sense," pollster Anna Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research said.





"People have strong religious or moral opposition on both sides of the issue. They have core values."





Further to this, the latest Pew Research survey, which was released in September, found 49 % of Americans favoured the death penalty, the lowest in more than 4 decades.





"Only about 1/2 of Americans now favour the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 42 % oppose it," the paper read.





"Support has dropped 7 % points since March 2015, from 56 %.





"Public support for capital punishment peaked in the mid-1990s, when 8-in-10 Americans favoured the death penalty and fewer than 2-in-10 were opposed.





"Opposition to the death penalty is now the highest it has been since 1972."





But according to a poll conducted by Chicago-based organisation, the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, a survey to all 749 death row inmates in California revealed that they opposed the abolishment of the death penalty because "people feel that it [Prop. 62] was just a death sentence with a different name."





Lilly Hughes, director of the organisation, told Mother Jones that for a prisoner - abolishing the death penalty, and letting them live out their life in jail - would fundamentally be "another method of execution."





"You die in prison. It just takes a longer, slower time to do it."





Many prisoners also feel that abolishing the death penalty will also eliminate the state-sponsored resources guaranteed to them as they fight their convictions while facing execution - such as above average psychiatric care and support from international anti-death penalty communities.





The last time the state of California went to the polls to cast their vote on capital punishment, a widely petitioned ballot initiative to replace capital punishment with life without parole lost by a narrow margin. The whole population of prisoners waiting to be executed went on suicide watch.





State prison spokesman Terry Thornton, told the Los Angeles Times that "death row is complicated" and that 24-hour vigils were likely to be implemented again next week during the election, to "address the mental health needs" of the condemned.





How Riverside County became California's death penalty leader

California voters next week will consider the fate of the death penalty, and in few places are the stakes as high as Riverside County.





10 years into a state moratorium on executions, many prosecutors have stopped seeking capital punishment altogether. Riverside, however, is condemning killers at the highest rate in the country. The county has sent 22 people to death row in the past 5 years, the same number as Los Angeles County - where more than 6 times as many murders were committed.





Whether a crime merits execution, according to both legal experts and public officials, is a matter of geography as much as anything.





"That's how it should be," Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said, contending that how the death penalty is used in each county should reflect the local sentiment.





There are 2 measures on the ballot Tuesday: 1 calling to repeal the death penalty and the other seeking to narrow the time frame from sentencing to execution.





Since capital punishment was put on hold a decade ago over questions surrounding lethal drug protocols, prosecutors in 33 California counties have not condemned a single person. Half a dozen counties recently have taken inmates off death row, abandoning legal appeals to keep them there.





But in Riverside, death sentences increased after the freeze.





"I know we are seen as the death penalty center," said Hestrin, a Republican. But capital cases are reserved for what he said he views as the most horrible crimes - and are essential to defining community values.





"It creates a common feeling that we seek and deliver justice. ... It expresses outrage at heinous acts."





He cited the death sentence given last year to Tyrone Harts, who shot his girlfriend and then set her on fire, leaving 4 of her children to try to douse the flames with small cups of water.





In deciding to seek capital punishment, Hestrin said, he measures "evil" - whether the killing involved "a predator, stalking, planning."





The prosecutor attributed Riverside County's meting out of the death penalty to a crime rate he said is relatively high. California Department of Justice reports, however, show Riverside ranked in the bottom fourth for violent crime in 2015.





Moreover, Hestrin said, a majority of the voters he serves supports capital punishment. In 2012, almost 2/3 of them voted against a ballot initiative to repeal death sentences.





"We are a county that wants law and order," he said. "I don't shy away from that. ... I feel we seek and deliver justice."





California's execution freeze also plays a part. Hestrin said Riverside voters would be less supportive if those death sentences were not "symbolic."





According to death row rosters across the nation, 25 people have been sentenced this year - a dramatic fall from the 49 death penalties handed down in 2015, which was a 41-year low.





At its peak in 1996, the nation condemned 315 individuals.





Death penalty opponents say the sentencing decline reflects shrinking public support for capital punishment.





"They carry those doubts with them into jury deliberation rooms," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.





Supporters instead see more selective prosecution, with fewer questionable outcomes.





"That is how it should be," said Kent Scheidegger, director of the Sacramento-based Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which has gone to court to force California to resume executions.





The discretion county prosecutors have in deciding to seek a death sentence is wide, so often it depends on who is making the call.





Hestrin said there were 22 pending death penalty cases in Riverside County when he took office.





He removed 7 from the list, including a homicide that involved a love triangle, deciding execution would be an inappropriate outcome. Cases he has added for trial include a man who killed his father, uncle and a bystander after being discharged from a psychiatric facility and another accused of killing two Palm Springs police officers.





Other defendants who could face the death penalty in Riverside County if convicted include a woman accused of shooting her husband to take his money, a man charged with kidnapping and killing a teenager on her walk home from school and a gang member accused of firing into a house, killing a 6-year-old.





Four pending cases in Orange County, by contrast, involve three accused serial killers and a man charged in the mass murder of 8 people.





"These are literally the worst of the worst of the worst," said Susan Schroeder, chief of staff for the Orange County district attorney's office. The death penalty, she said, should be reserved for crimes in which "the only just punishment available to us in a civilized society is death."





The disparities have led some defense lawyers to argue that it is as wrong to condemn a person by geography as it would be by race.





Appellate lawyer Mike Clough - whose clients include the serial arsonist who started the Esperanza wildfire that killed 5 firefighters - said the rate at which the death penalty is handed out in Riverside does not follow crime trends, demographics or even voter leanings.





"There isn't any answer but politics," Clough said, adding that Riverside's judicial system is tilted to favor a death verdict.





3/4 of the county judges who have upheld death sentences since 2011 previously worked as prosecutors. And 7 judges presiding over trials in which 39 defendants were condemned had been death penalty prosecutors.





"It becomes a self-replicating system at that point," Clough said.





Prosecutorial discretion also has left some crime victims struggling to comprehend when the death option is taken off the table.





Sometimes, the reason is purely financial.





In an appeal that took 13 years for a hearing, the state Supreme Court in 2015 ordered a new sentencing trial for a man condemned in the torture slaying of a 20-year-old woman in Shasta County.





Her brother, Jason Sinner, said county officials told him a new sentencing trial would cost $2 million - and introduced him to the woman prosecuting child abuse cases who could use the money instead.





"My sister was just as good as anybody," Sinner said.





"All I wanted them to do is stand up a little bit and say the death penalty is messed up. Get rid of it, or embrace it and get it working."

California: Proposition 62 and Proposition 66 explained





This November, Californians face important votes on two ballot initiatives related to the death penalty: Prop 62 and Prop 66.





Prop 62 proposes to repeal the death penalty in California and replace it with imprisonment for life without possibility of parole. proposes to repeal the death penalty in California and replace it with imprisonment for life without possibility of parole.





Prop 66 proposes to speed up the process of adjudicating capital appeals in state court through a number of complex adjustments to the process. Both propositions would require prisoners to work in prison to pay restitution to the family members of homicide victims. proposes to speed up the process of adjudicating capital appeals in state court through a number of complex adjustments to the process. Both propositions would require prisoners to work in prison to pay restitution to the family members of homicide victims.





The Death Penalty Information Center is a national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. The goal of this site is to provide voters with impartial analysis concerning Props 62 and 66, to fact check both campaigns, and ensure that Californians have everything they need to make an informed choice on November 8.





 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: news.com.au, November 5, 2016Source: Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2016
Judd Culver wanted to be a helicopter pilot when he was young, but now hes a turkey guy.

Culver and his wife, Cari, run Kelly Turkeys USA, raising free-range KellyBronze turkeys on a farm in Crozet.

Culver became a turkey farmer while studying animal and poultry sciences and poultry nutrition at Virginia Tech, where he and Cari met. The couple eventually moved to Europe, where he met the Kelly family, who started selling KellyBronze turkeys in the 1980s in England.

Basically, the Kellys and I got to know each other really well, Culver said. We kind of hit it off; we had a lot in common. Paul Kelly and I are like two peas in a pod, to be honest. Hes 10 years older than me, but ... we think alike and get along really well.

The Culvers were moving back to the United States to better support their oldest son, who is autistic, when Paul Kelly asked about starting a KellyBronze farm across the pond.

The Culvers agreed, and in 2012, they sold the first 125 KellyBronze turkeys raised in the United States.

Its not easy to grow turkeys; a lot of people find it difficult, Culver said. I do not; my wife and I do not. To us, I guess, its very intuitive.

Any animal that you take, if you try to understand the psyche of the animal or why that animal does what it does, then you can probably care for it, he said.

Different hens, he said, have different attitudes, just like humans.

You have quiet ones, and you have loud ones and you could have some obnoxious ones, and we get some bullies, he said. Any human trait, if you just think about all the different characters that you went to school with, or maybe at work now, they have all those characteristics.

In the late summer, they start selecting breeders for the eggs that will hatch the next spring. Once the birds hatch, theyre out in the field for six months. The farm begins slaughtering the birds on Nov. 1 because they dry-age the turkeys for up to 25 days. Customers can pick up their turkeys from the farm the Saturday before Thanksgiving, have it delivered to them or they can pick them up from some local grocery stores.

Then we all pass out for the month of January, Culver said. February is game on; we start getting prepared for the eggs.

This season, they have about 1,250 turkeys and already have sold about 1,100. Next year theyre aiming to have 3,000. They passed inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this year, which allows the turkeys to be sold outside of Virginia.

KellyBronze turkeys cost $12.55 per pound and range in size from 9 to 22 pounds. According to a survey of grocery stores from the Virginia Farm Bureau, the average cost of a 16-pound turkey in Virginia in 2015 was $18.86, or $1.18 per pound, down from $1.37 per pound in 2014.

Their taste is completely different than a turkey that is killed at 12 weeks of age versus 20-some-odd weeks of age, Culver said. These birds live nearly double the life of a normal turkey and they eat triple the amount of feed because when they get older, they eat more.

He said growing the birds to maturity, plus the hand-plucking and dry-aging, creates a juicer, tender turkey, different from the typical frozen turkey.

When you start selecting down for the fastest-growing, biggest bird, you lose traits; you lose the ability to live outside, he said.

The Culvers use 11 pure-line breeds that are specifically bred to live outside and for that juicy taste, he said.

In order to have birds that finish between 10 pounds and 22 pounds, youve got to have all different strains because if you have one strain, theyre all going to finish within a pound, Culver said. All of our strains will finish at different weights but still all be the same age.

All turkeys come with cooking instructions and a thermometer with a marked zone that says when to take the turkey out of the oven.

A 14-pound KellyBronze is going to cook in about two hours, he said. Typically, whoever's cooking a turkey, they don't believe me. Trust me, please do trust me  we have done this.

Kelly Turkeys USA has received grants from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Albemarle County and the USDA to help grow the farm, but they still depend on family and friends for help.

We rely on family heavily, he said. My dad spent 81 days down here last year and my in-laws have helped. They come here as much as they can, and they also help with the children quite a bit  that allows Cari to help us more.

Culver still works a full-time job in poultry nutrition sales, and Cari Culver does most of the work on the farm while hes gone. During busy times around the holidays, they have 20 seasonal workers. They employ two farmhands as needed for projects throughout the year. Culver said he hopes to hire a full-time, year-round employee next year.

Now that we finally have momentum, were selling birds and making money, we can afford to finally hire people, he said.
Public beheading in Saudi Arabia

2 Malayalis in Saudi Arabia who were on death row for murdering another Keralite, were pardoned by the Saudi king.





Shaji Sedhumadhavan of Vazhikadavu near Nilambur and his accomplice Abdul Rasaq of Irikkur in Kannur were arrested by the police for murdering Senmon Joseph of Mylapra in Pathanamthitta on March 7, 2008.





Joseph, who was working as a salesman in Saudi Seafood Company, was on his way to Jizan with a large sum of cash, when he was killed by the accused.





Both were known to Joseph and had accompanied him in his van and murdered him before decamping with SR10,000.





They were nabbed by the Saudi police and a local court in Abha awarded death penalty to Sedhumadhavan while Rasaq was sentenced to 17 years in prison and 3,000 lashes.





Relatives of both the accused managed to arrange blood money to pay up as compensation to the family of the victim.





They handed over about SR 3,05,000 to Sedhumadhavan's kin who forgave them in exchange for the money. However, the prosecution moved a higher court challenging the move to release the killers.





The lawyers pointed out that the offence compromised the country's internal security and the court ordered to execute both the accused.





In a last ditch at tempt the accused filed a mercy petition before the king who ordered for their release.





Ending 8 years of uncertainty, both of them have been shifted to a deportation cell in Jeddah from where they will be transported to India, said Muhammed Abdul Rehman Al Ahmari, the jail officer at Abha prisons.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: The Times of India, November 5, 2016
Why yes you are



creepy self absorbed pathological liar who thinks he is gods gift to humanity only to find out later that his only friend is his own tiny calloused over used penis wrinkle.
I guess its not many people who actually work on their marriages after infidelity. Vows don't mean anything anymore. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people working things out after problems and staying together. It is only up to the two people in that relationship to decide, not millions of strangers who think they know better. Get real.
Good work Jimmy. That's directly from Snopes, who gave a "false" rating to this picture. Even communist organizations get things right sometimes, huh?



It's a photoshopped pic, as any pixel-level inspection reveals. But see how presenting false info goes? Anyone who knows Trump is a slime ball would see that picture and say, "SEE???"



That's what this election cycle has been reduced to: "unnamed sources," innuendo, false dichotomies, and bald-faced lies.
The exhibit, centered around one of our nations Founding Fathers, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and the subject of the hit Broadway musical phenomenon, opens November 29 at Centerville Library, 111 W. Spring Valley Road. The exhibit will be open to the public through the end of the year during open library hours.

We are thrilled to have this exhibit at a time when Hamilton is getting a lot of interest and exposure due to the success of Lin Manuel Mirandas musical, says Sue Shay, exhibit coordinator. The exhibit is on loan from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of New York and examines Hamiltons central role during the Revolutionary War and his influence as a soldier, lawmaker, immigrant, economist, and futurist for modern American.

The exhibit is complemented by several opportunities to learn more about Hamilton, the man, and Hamilton, the musical. All events will be at Centerville Library and no reservations are needed. Events for adults and older students include:

Who Was Hamilton?  November 29 & November 30, 7 p.m., presented by Paul D. Lockhart, PhD, Wright State University; and

Hamilton on Broadway  December 6 & December 7, 7 p.m., presented by Gary Minyard, VP of Education & Engagement of the Victoria Theatre Association.

For more information on Hamilton, the exhibit, or events visit www.wclibrary.info
Today I myself a smaller amount.



F-35s we not in future defense.



Think me less quantity and even after 2017.



320 F-18 E / F aircraft carrier.



180 F-22 Raptor in the southern Marine corps.



500 winger air craft are max.



The army will be only air defense then land bases.



Strenght I want are in justice with new leader and vice President and third high in white house some Kerry situation today in Obama admin.



Are little under today force.
New Delhi: The government has asked financial institutions including LIC and banks to keep a watch on developments in Tata group to safeguard the interest of investors.

The government feels that since LIC as well as banks have invested depositors money in various companies under Tata Sons, it is their duty to see that public money is not put at risk.

Sources said that safeguarding depositors interest is paramount and as investors, banks and financial institutions are keeping a close watch on various developments taking place post the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons.

Even though there is no doubt that Tata Group is one of the largest and reputed industrial houses in the country, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has to be followed in all the cases, said sources.

Sources in the government feel that this boardroom battle in the Tata group may be heading for a prolonged legal war so it is important to keep an eye on the developments.
In the recently concluded spectrum auction, the debt-ridden telecom sector had ignored premium radiowaves in 700 MHz band.

New Delhi: Weeks after the 700 MHz spectrum went unsold in India's biggest auction, BSNL has approached the Telecom Department for airwaves in the premium band for rolling out 4G services.

The telecom PSU has suggested that a 5 MHz block in the 700 Mhz band be assigned to it by the government through the equity route. When contacted, BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava told PTI, "Yes. We have written to the Department of Telecom seeking 5 MHz block on 700 MHz band through equity route".

In the recently concluded spectrum auction, the debt-ridden telecom sector had ignored premium radiowaves in 700 MHz band -- which was put up for sale for the first time -- at a reserve or base price of Rs 11,485 crore per MHz.

Industry bodies like GSMA have urged Indian Government to reconsider the pricing for 700 MHz band, which failed to find buyers due to its "unrealistically" high pricing.

But Shrivastava downplayed the concerns on pricing, saying that spectrum in the 700 MHz band would be an asset for the corporation, given its plans for 4G services. "We do not have right kind of 4G spectrum which can give us coverage, although we have some 4G spectrum which can give us the capacity.

But 700 MHz, if it comes, in combination with 2500 MHz band available with us, will put us in a position to roll out 4G services through spectrum route across the country," he said.

He also said that 700 MHz offered clear advantage such as "good coverage" with lesser number of base stations. "The 700 MHz spectrum can penetrate homes, so that means improved indoor coverage," he said.

Explaining the model being proposed by BSNL, he said that the spectrum could be assigned, in lieu of Government raising its equity in the corporation. "We are proposing that 700 MHz spectrum comes to us and in lieu of that, the paid-up equity of the government can increase to that extent in BSNL," Shrivastava pointed out. BSNL is a 100 per cent Government of India Public Sector Undertaking.
The Edinburgh-based firm told Modi that it has been more than 1,000 days that a tax notice was slapped on it using a retrospective legislation but a resolution is nowhere in sight.

New Delhi: Ahead of British Prime Minister Theresa May's maiden visit, UK's Cairn Energy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding him that resolution to the Rs 29,047 crore retrospective tax demand it faces is still pending.

The Edinburgh-based firm told Modi that it has been more than 1,000 days that a tax notice was slapped on it using a retrospective legislation but a resolution is nowhere in sight.

Cairn Energy has also written a similar letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. When contacted, Company CEO Simon Thomspon refused to comment on its discussions with government.

Pressed further, he said pending resolution of the retrospective tax cases remains a concern for international investors and future investments particularly in the exploration and production sector depend on an amicable resolution.

The NDA government had made positive vibes when it had stated that it would not pursue tax terrorism including creating new tax demand using retrospective tax case, he said.

"But our case remains unresolved." In fact, only a draft assessment order was issued in January 2014 during the UPA rule and a final tax demand was raised by the present government.

"Why hasn't legislative been used to scrap the retrospective tax demands," he asked. "Such a move will provide impetus to investments in India." It is in the interest of India that retrospective tax demand is resolved once and for all, he said.

Cairn Energy has initiated arbitration under the India-UK bilateral investment protection treaty but India is seeking to put on hold the proceedings and instead wants a parallel arbitration initiated by Vedanta Resources to be taken up first.

The government, using retrospective tax legislation, had in January 2014 issued a tax notice on Cairn Energy for alleged capital gains it made on a 10-year old internal reorganisation of its India unit.

Three months later in April 2014, it imposed a tax demand of Rs 20,495 crore on Cairn India, the UK firm's erstwhile subsidiary for failing to deduct tax on the capital gains.

Cairn Energy and Vedanta, which had bought Cairn India from the Scottish firm in 2011, had initiated separate arbitrations against the tax demands. Cairn Energy had initiated the arbitration in March 2015 and the three-member arbitration panel had been constituted.

But at a hearing last month, the government contended that the proceedings should be put on hold, sources said. Its counsel argued that the government wants the arbitration initiated by Vedanta to be taken up first.

Sources said the counsel also made an application seeking more time to file reply to Cairn Energy's demand for USD 5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand. As per the schedule drawn up, the reply was to be filed by mid-November.
New Delhi: To ensure better compliance, the Corporate Affairs Ministry plans to conduct workshops for officials and other stakeholders to sensitise them about social welfare spending norms under the companies law.

The move comes against the backdrop of instances of discrepancies in data and lapses being noticed by the Ministry with regard to compliance with CSR rules for the financial year 2014-15 -- when these norms came into effect.

Under the Companies Act, 2013 -- implemented by the Ministry -- certain class of profitable entities are required to shell out at least two per cent of three-year annual average net profit towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. In case of non-spending, then they have to provide reasons for the same.

Sources said there have been instances of requisite forms related to CSR spending not being filled properly, making it even difficult to understand whether the companies concerned comes under the CSR ambit or not.

The Ministry is facing problems in compiling the data and it has been decided to conduct "sensitisation workshops" for the stakeholders at various places across the country, they added.

According to sources, these workshops are aimed at ensuring that there is "better compliance" with CSR regulations. Earlier this year, the Ministry had asked hundreds of companies to submit details about utilisation of CSR funds after noticing discrepancies in the data submitted by many of them in their statutory filings.

A random analysis of filings had indicated discrepancies in submissions about CSR activities, with instances of firms submitting that they do not come under CSR ambit whereas financial data suggested otherwise, according to sources.

Companies having a turnover of at least Rs 1,000 crore, minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore and those having net profit of Rs 5 crore or more in a financial year are required to comply with CSR norms.

In July, the government had said that more than 1,900 companies shelled out a total of Rs 8,029 crore towards CSR activities in 2014-15 "An assessment of CSR expenditure of 4,257 companies for the year 2014-15 indicates that 116 public sector undertakings and 1,790 private sector companies together have spend Rs 8,029 crore during 2014-15," Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal had said.
Since LIC as well as banks have invested depositors' money in various companies under Tata Sons, it is their duty to see that public money is not put at risk, Finance Ministry sources said.

New Delhi: Amid on-going boardroom battle at Tata Group, Finance Ministry has asked financial institutions including LIC and banks to keep a watch on developments to safeguard the interest of investors.

Since LIC as well as banks have invested depositors' money in various companies under Tata Sons, it is their duty to see that public money is not put at risk, Finance Ministry sources said.

Safeguarding depositors' interest is paramount, they said, adding that as investors, banks and financial institutions are keeping a close watch on various developments taking place post the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons.

Sources said that while there is no doubt that Tata Group is one of the largest and reputed industrial houses in the country, Standard Operating Procedure has to be followed in all the cases.

Life Insurance Corporation of India alone has an exposure of about Rs 37,500 crore to different Tata Group companies. While LIC owns 3.2 per in TCS, which is the most profitable Tata firm, it owns 13.6 per cent in Tata Steel which is the most troubled group company now due to the lingering troubles at its British operations.

At the same time, New India Assurance another public sector insurance firm owns 1.17 per cent in Tata Steel. In Tata Power LIC owns 13.1 per cent stake, 7.13 per cent in Tata Motors, 8.8 per cent in Indian Hotels and 9.8 per cent in Tata Global Beverages.

Mistry was unceremoniously removed last month by the board of Tata Sons as its Chairman. Interim chairman Ratan Tata has met V K Sharma, the acting chairman of LIC.

Mistry has accused Tata Sons of cornering him into being a "lame-duck" chairman in the near four-year tenure and also hiding USD 18 billion of potential write-downs across five group firms, including Tata Motors and Tata Steel Europe.

He has also alleged potential financial issues at the various companies and violations of securities regulations. His family firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group has 18.4 per cent in Tata Sons. As much as 66 per cent shares in Tata Sons are held by philanthropic trusts endowed by members of the Tata family.
Stating that food processing and aerated beverages have been one of the largest contributors to the FDI in the country, IBA hoped that it will not be "discriminated against in GST". (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: Indian Beverage Association has expressed disappointment at the re-categorisation of aerated drinks under 'demerit' category in the GST rate slabs, saying at Rs 10 for 200 ml, such drinks are neither luxury goods nor do they pose health hazards.

"Aerated drinks are not 'luxury' goods. Aerated drinks cater to the average hydration needs of Indians in the form of immediately-available hygienic and safe drink source," Indian Beverage Association (IBA) said in a statement.

The association, which has major cola and other beverages makers such as Coca-Cola India, PepsiCo India and Red Bull India among others as members, said aerated drinks are also not 'sin' goods "as the Union Government itself had accepted the position by removing such goods from Schedule VII of the Finance Act, 2005 in the 2015-16 Budget".

On the health issues linked to such drinks, IBA said: "There are observations by the court on the basis of the report of an expert panel that the ingredients present in aerated drinks do not pose any health hazard."

Last week, GST Council had announced that luxury items like high-end cars and demerit goods including tobacco, pan masala and aerated drinks, will be taxed at the highest rate of 28 per cent and would also attract a cess in a way that the total incidence of tax remains at almost the current level.

Expressing disappointment at the decision, IBA said: "At Rs 10 for 200 ml, aerated drinks are neither luxury goods nor do they carry the kind of health hazards attributed to them."

It further said the consumer base of aerated drinks ranges from the low to high income group and they are supplied even to rural villages and semi-urban places. When the applicable tax rates on aerated drinks with abatement already stands at an effective 30-31 per cent, the IBA does not subscribe to the recommendation of an additional cess on aerated drinks over and above the 28 per cent GST rate, it added.

Stating that food processing and aerated beverages have been one of the largest contributors to the FDI in the country, IBA hoped that it will not be "discriminated against in GST".

While increase in taxes will lead to an increase in the price of the soft drinks, the viability of the industry could be in grave danger due to a consistent adversarial tax approach, IBA added.
Mumbai: Deepika Padukone is all geared up to attend the prestigious MTV European Music Awards in Rotterdam, which she described as a step forward in my global career.

The 30-year old actress shares that she was puzzled when she received the invite.

She said, "I was pleasantly surprised when I got the invite. It is very gracious of them to invite me. I have grown up watching the MTV awards and I didn't think that one day, I would be walking down the red carpet and presenting an award at this global music event. It's a step forward in my global career."

"This is my first time at such an event so I don't know what to expect. I am going there just to have fun. I understand the platform and what it is all about; it is a music award and I love music. I listen to a lot of music of the people, who are playing there, so right now, everything seems surreal in that sense," added the 'Tamasha' actress.

The pretty lady has been sensationally achieving all goals one by one and has been applauded by the audience for her performances.

After becoming a part of 'xXx : Return of Xander Cage' with Vin Diesel, for which Miss Padukone garnered tremendous response from her fans and the audience for the teaser, trailer & individual posters for the film, the actress will now be attending the renowned MTV European Music Awards.

Besides being at the award show, the actress also will be presenting an award on November 6.

Deepika will be amidst other Hollywood celebrities like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Beyonce and Ariana Grande and others.

On a related note, the Mastani of Bollywood will next be seen in her Vin Diesel starrer Hollywood debut 'XXX: Return of Xander Cage' that is slated to release early next year.
Since the film is set in the late 1800s and tells the story of Queen Victoria, the leading duo, Ali and Judi, needed to learn how to behave like royalty.

Ali Fazal has been busy shooting for British filmmaker Stephen Frears directorial, Victoria and Abdul, for the past three months. He will be starring opposite the evergreen English actress and author, Judi Dench.

Frears, it would seem is quite the perfectionist, and has gone as far as to appoint a special crew member, Hugo Victor, to groom his leading duo for the period drama.

Says a source close to the sets, Since the film is set in the late 1800s and tells the story of Queen Victoria, the leading duo, Ali and Judi, needed to learn how to behave like royalty. Hugo Victor, who has been allotted this responsibility of training them, has experience serving the British royal family.

The film is just a few weeks away from its completion and the actor has been busy shooting in London and Scotland. The team will shoot in India from November 11 in Delhi and Agra.
Robert De Niro has been vociferous of his criticism of Republican candidate Donald Trump. (Pic: AP/AFP)

Mumbai: Veteran actor Robert De Niro refused to pose for a picture with Arnold Schwarzenegger at a VIP cocktail reception here.

If you're supporting Trump, I want nothing to do with you," said De Niro, 73, after refusing to pose for a photograph with Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California.

The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Regional Gala was held in Beverly Hills, reported Variety.

"Are you voting for Trump?" De Niro kept asking Schwarzenegger, 69.

The Terminator star tweeted on October 8 that he would not be voting for Trump, he still has not made clear for whom he will be voting.

"For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President," Schwarzenegger had written.

"If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem," said De Niro.
After injuring the woman and her friend, the accused also shot himself, police said. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: A woman and her male friend were allegedly shot at by a man, who was allegedly stalking the woman, near Siri Fort in South Delhi.

After injuring the woman and her friend, the accused also shot himself, police said.

The incident took place around 9.45 pm on Saturday and all the three were rushed to AIIMS, they said.

Kajal and Jatin Sarkar, who work together at a call centre in Noida, were talking outside a park when the accused walked up to them and allegedly got into an argument with them and later fired at them, police said.

The accused is the son of a CISF constable and had used his father's licensed pistol to shoot the two.

Police said that Jatin had gone to meet the woman along with his friend Alok who managed to escape and informed police.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.

Jatin and Kajal have sustained bullet injuries on their abdomen and chest respectively, while the accused fired at his forehead.

The accused had been stalking the woman for some time now and suspected her of being in a relationship with Jatin.
Chennai: A 31-year-old software professional who went missing from Thuraipakkam was found murdered in the wetland between Kovalam and Mahabalipuram, on Saturday.

The murder came to light after Therkupet villagers noticed the body stuck in the marshland abutting the Buckingham canal, and alerted Mahabalipuram police.

The body was moved to Chengalpet GH.

The deceased was identified as V. Karthikeyan, (31), who was employed with TCS in Thuraipakkam, with the help of the missing complaint lodged by the family with Thuraipakkam police.

Karthikeyan, who was staying along the IT CorridorOld Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), had moved to a rented house from mens paying guest accommodation in Thuraipakkam on November 2. He and his mother had the house-warming ceremony in the afternoon.

Shanmugam, uncle of the techie, told Deccan Chronicle that he had gone to fetch money for advance, leaving his mother in the newly moved neighbourhood, and never returned.

He last contacted the landlord to say that he has money at hand and would come soon. As efforts to reach him failed, we preferred a complaint with the cops, he said.

Murugavel, another relative, said they strongly suspect that the techie could have been murdered in a strained financial transaction among occupants of the boarding house.

A look at the body suggested that the face was smashed with some object, and an eye was missing from its place. The boy took about Rs 50,000 from the family two months ago, citing an emergency for a friend, he said.

Mahabalipuram police said that the case would progress based on the outcome of the autopsy result. "On establishing foul play, the case will be transferred to Thuraipakkam police for further action who might alter their man missing case into murder," said a senior police officer.

Asked about the injuries, the official maintained that the body had already bloated, and was in a highly decomposed state. "Since the marshland has a rich ecosystem, either fish or birds might have fed on the carcass. The autopsy is likely to shed light whether injuries occurred ante-mortem or after death", the officer observed.
Bengaluru: Rash and negligent driving in an inebriated state by a group of three Tanzanian students claimed the life of a 55-year-old milk vendor in Chikkajala traffic police limits on Sunday morning.

Tension prevailed when the local residents gathered and allegedly pulled out the three students. Chikkajala and Sampegihalli policemen arrived just in time and saved the accused from the wrath of the residents.

The police said that the three foreign students were drunk beyond permissible limits. Kevin Muziba, 21, a BCA student of Koshys College, who was driving the car, was highly intoxicated at the time of accident at 5.55 am at Hegdenagar Circle, off Thanisandra Main Road. Kevin was driving an Opel Astra at a high speed when it knocked down the milk vendor, Veluswamy.

Kevin and two others were returning from their friends house. When the car reached the Hegde Junction, Kevin lost control and crashed into Veluswamys TVS moped. Veluswamy, who on his way to supply milk, had stopped the moped. The impact was so high that Veluswamy was thrown up in the air, while his moped was crushed against the metal railings. He died on the spot, sustaining critical head injuries.

Soon, a large crowd gathered and allegedly pulled out the three students. However they were saved by a whisker by the jurisdictional police, who were alerted, rushed to the spot and detained all the three.

When the police tested Kevin, they found 283 mg of alcohol in his blood which was was beyond the 40mg limit. The police said they are verifying the details of his student visa. Kevin has been booked under Section 304 on IPC, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the police said.

The residents of Hegde Nagar, led by the family members of Veluswamy, staged a flash protest after the accident. They blocked the road and did not allow the body to be removed. The Chikkajala and the Sanpegihalli police rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters .
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has completely recovered and it is up to her to decide when to go home, Apollo Hospitals Chairman Pratap C Reddy said here Friday. All I can say is, very clearly, she is very satisfied... What I mean by very satisfied, that means she has completely recovered. She is aware of what is going on around her, he told reporters. She is completely aware of what is happening. Asks and demands what she wants and I believe and everybody, even she, is looking forward when she will go home and take back the reigns, he said.

She controls the doctors and nurses around her; what she should do and what they should do, Dr Reddy said, sounding very happy. Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo on September 22 with fever and dehydration. The hospital later said she was being treated for infection with respiratory support. Specialists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and from London have been treating her.

Dr Reddy, in his media interaction, said it was now up to the CM to decide on her discharge from the hospital. She will ask us very soon when I am going home. I believe it must be on top of her mind...when to go home is a small thing. These decisions will be made by her and we will coordinate, he said, adding, It will be not too long before she sees all of youthe most important part of the treatment has been very successful.

Stating that Jayalalithaa and her attendants were happy in every respect, Dr Reddy said it was the combined efforts by the team of doctors, paramedics and other staff at the Apollo with the world's best heath care facilities, besides the prayers of millions of people, that made this excellent progress in managing the health of our dear CM. You know, the hospital has done some part and millions of people across the nation prayed for her and all those prayers have done (their bit) in bringing the recovery. We all must say the prayers and the doctors team at Apollo and the doctors who visited from AIIMS and England (Richard John Beale), all of them have given the best for her recovery today, Dr Reddy said.

AIADMK spokesperson C.R. Saraswathy also said the CM would return home soon. Shewas "taking normal food" three times a day and was doing her chores, she said. Apollo Hospitals, in its last medical bulletin on Oct. 21, had said Jayalalithaa was interacting and progressing gradually. Ever since her hospitalisation, state ministers and AIADMK cadres have been organising special poojas at various temples across the state, praying for her speedy recovery. Prayers had also been held in places of worship in Erode and Karur, among others.

Late last week, an official document had stated that Jayalalithaa used her left thumb impression in the nomination papers of her party candidate for November 19 bye-poll to Thirupurankundram as she had an "inflamed right hand". The document was attested by Dr P.Balaji, Prof of Minimal Access Surgery, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and signed by Dr Babu K Abraham of Apollo Hospitals as witness. A galaxy of political leaders, including BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin, besides film personalities like Rajinikanth and Khushbu, who is also the Congress spokesperson, had visited the hospital and were briefed by the doctors on the CM's progress.
Congress on Sunday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government has failed to take remedial measures to tackle the air pollution. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Expressing grave concern over Delhi witnessing an emergency situation due to alarming pollution level, Congress leader Ashwani Kumar on Sunday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has failed to take remedial measures to tackle the same.

Kumar told ANI the single most important challenge apart from the situation in Kashmir and terrorism is the issue of climate change and environmental pollution.

"It is absolutely true that the environmental pollution in Delhi was never as grave as it is today and despite the fact that the Standing Committee of the Parliament had unanimously junked the TSR Subramanian Committee report that has sought to further liberalize the environmental protection laws the situation seems to be going from bad to worse," said Kumar.

"This government instead of tightening the environmental laws is seeking to further dilute the environment protection laws in negation of the unanimous recommendations of the Standing Committee on the Parliament," he added.

The Congress leader further said the Supreme Court should take suo moto cognisance in public interest and issue binding instruction to all concerned authorities.

"The reason for pollution is not limited to situation to Delhi alone it has a direct baring with reference to the stubble burning in the states of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh," he added.

Kejriwal today announced a list of measures to be enforced by the state government to curb the soaring pollution in the national capital, including putting all construction projects across the city on hold for the next five days and ordering the shutdown of all schools for the next three days.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave stated that according to the satellite images by ISRO, it was clear that the neighbouring states were responsible for only 20 percent of the pollution, whereas the remaining 80 percent was strictly from Delhi and mainly due to its garbage problem.

However, the Delhi Government remained adamant on its stand that crop burning by the neighbouring states was the main contributor towards the 'gas chamber' like situation in the city.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain stated the source of pollution is not from within Delhi but from its neighbouring states.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Rituraj Govind Jha has been arrested on charges of apprehension of breach of peace in Outer Delhi's Kirari area.. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MLA Rituraj Govind has been arrested on charges of apprehension of breach of peace in Outer Delhi's Kirari area before Chhath Puja, making him the 15th party legislator to be apprehended.

Confirming the arrest, DCP (Outer) MN Tiwari today said, "He was arrested last night on charges of apprehension of breach of peace in the area before Chhath Pooja."

Police said section 144 of the CrPC (prohibiting assembly of more than four people) was imposed in ghat area, which is a heritage property, from Saturday morning in view of the Chhath puja and the MLA had allegedly violated the order.

Rituraj said on Saturday that he was trying to build a ghat at Nithari Talaab near the Expressway on the occasion of Chhath puja along the river bank in Kirari which is his constituency.

His move was objected to by the local villagers even as he said the construction of the ghat was funded by the Delhi government.

Fifteen party MLAs have been arrested so far.

On October 16, party's Gujarat affairs in-charge Gulab Singh surrendered before Surat Police and was arrested by Delhi Police after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with an extortion case.
New Delhi: BJP Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna is all set to be appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with a high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearing his name.

The 55-year-old former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and BJP in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir will perhaps be the first active politician to be appointed as a member of NHRC, which is headed by a former Chief Justice of India.

Khanna's name was cleared by the panel comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with the Prime Minister as its head last month, official sources said.

As per Section 3 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which deals with the issue of "constitution of a National Human Rights Commission", only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed as NHRC chairperson.

The four full-time members, as per the Act, should include a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others "from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights".

After his Lok Sabha constituency of Hoshiarpur became a reserved seat, Khanna did not contest the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Later, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government appointed him as a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission. However, Khanna quit that post after about 13 months, when he was elected to Rajya Sabha.

When BJP was in the opposition, the party had favoured appointing persons of impeccable credentials to such posts. In 2013, the then Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, respectively, had opposed the move to appoint former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph as a member of NHRC claiming that there was an adverse intelligence report against him.

However, most of the other members, including the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the objection and cleared the appointment.

BJP had also opposed the then UPA government's move to appoint former chief of National Investigation Agency S C Sinha as member of NHRC as he had allegedly pursued the terror cases against right-wing outfits.

However, in case of Khanna, there was no dissent in the selection panel, the sources said.
New Delhi: China could stop opposing Indias efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, a meeting between the top security officials of the two countries has led to forward movement on the matter.

A positive, five-hour-long meeting national security adviser Ajit Doval had with powerful Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on November 4 may have led to the change in Chinas stance, said the report.

China blocked New Delhis appeal to the United Nations in April this year to label Pakistan-based Azhar a terrorist, putting a technical hold on the proposal.

China is the only one in a 15-member UN panel to block the appeal. Azhar has been held responsible by India for the Uri and Pathankot terror attacks earlier this year.

China might allow its technical hold on the proposal to proscribe Azhar to lapse when the panel dealing with the matter meets in January.

Chinas decision comes about as a result of the realization that it was being isolated in the UN panel on the issue.

Last month, Pakistan froze the bank accounts of thousands of terror-linked individuals including that of Masood Azhar. Beijing is said to have spoken to Islamabad on Masood Azhar later.

There was, however, no movement in the Doval-Yang meeting on Chinese objections to Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Chennai: Rahul Gandhi's detention thrice in two days by the Delhi Police, which directly comes under the supervision of the Union Government, over the One Rank One Pension issue and his popularity among the people, has triggered a slug fest in Tamil Nadu politics with the state units blazing all guns against each other.

The new TNCC chief Su Thirunavukarasar, who enjoys cordial relationship with the Congress high command, seems to be emerging as the new gladiator of the state politics as he tries to keep the party alive albeit on television channels and interviews.

The former Minister in the AIADMK cabinet of late M.G. Ramachandran and later A B Vajpayee at the Centre is particularly targeting his former party, the BJP on issues of national importance.

The war of words between the two national parties, which have little significance in the state politics, early this week reached a crescendo on Saturday when state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan challenged her TNCC counterpart for a debate on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan launched a tirade against Mr Thirunavukarasar on Tuesday when he asked him to learn a thing or two from AICC spokesperson Khushboo on the Uniform Civil Code. Ms Khusbhoo had come out in support of the UCC though her party has been opposing it stoutly.

The unequivocal criticism of the TNCC chief against the BJP is seen by many in the Congress as an imitation of the bombastic politics of predecessor E V K S Elangovan, considered darling of the media. And Mr Thirunavukarasar provides much fodder to the sound-byte-hungry media which laps it up getting reactions for every word spoken by him from the opposite side.

When Mr Gandhi was detained by the Delhi police on Thursday, Mr Thirunavukarasar was quick to dub the BJP Government as arrogant and one that is run by a dictator. The PCC chief went all guns blazing on Friday targeting Mr Modi, his colleagues and the Delhi Police for stifling democracy in the national capital by detaining a leader of national repute thrice in two days.

Responding to this, Mr Radhakrishnan reminded Mr Thirunavukarasar of the emergency and how Indira Gandhi singlehandedly decimated the Congress in the 1970s. Mr Thirunavukarasar should know the history of Congress before speaking. Emergency was imposed in the country only once and that was done by the Congress under Indira Gandhi, he said.

The icing on the cake in the war of words came on Saturday when Ms Tamilisai Soundararajan claimed Mr Modi was the mo-st popular in the country and rubbished Mr Thirunavukarasar's claims that Mr Gandhi was more popular than anyone. I challenge the TNCC chief for a debate on who is most popular in the country  Mr Modi or Mr Gandhi, she thundered.

Picking up the gauntlet, Mr Thirunavukarasar asked Ms Soundararajan to decide on the date and venue for her debate. Analysts say a political fight on who's popular  Modi or Rahul  is of no importance in Tamil Nadu politics and the state captains of the two parties are merely trying to stay relevant in the Dravidian state.
The dark, wet forest floor, up a service road 20 miles east of Sweet Home, is a jumble of leaves, fallen logs and ferns.

And mushrooms.

Nearly 100 species of the fungus riot on almost every surface. There are flat ones, tall ones, orange ones, big spongy ones, round ones, speckled ones, little buttons, and broad caps with dots in the center.

Some are culinary delicacies. Others will kill you. Knowing the difference is crucial in this fungi wonderland, where even the slightest variation in a pattern or texture means the difference between a lovely dish and a trip to the emergency room.

On a sunny Friday in October, more than 20 people have come out to this remote spot for the Sweet Home Ranger District's Fall Edible Mushroom excursion. Here we learn how to recognize the good from the bad in the wild mushroom world, under the guidance of experienced mushroom identifier Alice Smith, a botanist with the U.S. Forest Service. She and her colleague, field biologist Erik Larkin, lead two such expeditions each year, showing the group how to find and identify the edible ones, and to learn a thing or two along the way.

And if Alice is an appropriate name for our guide in this wonderland, then Larkin is like the Cheshire Cat, appearing at random in the forest, ready to dispense advice on whatever mushroom we might find.

What we are mainly hunting for are the chanterelles, both golden and white, which grow like fat, meaty, wrinkly trumpet horns, and make for some of the best eating. Still, it can get tricky: there are "false chanterelles" out here as well, and the difference is incredibly subtle.

"This whole mushroom world is really interesting," says Larkin, stooping near a moss-covered log dotted with little caps and dainty white petals. A clump of dome-capped mushrooms with long stems and a dark dot on top stands nearby. They're shaggy stock parasols, and they are poisonous.

"They're just kind of neat to look at," Larkin says of the parasols. And then he describes an even stranger aspect of the mushroom world: the Russula, a white, broad-capped mushroom, is poisonous only until it is parasitized by another fungus. When that happens, the mushroom turns rusty red, changes shape, and turns into a lobster mushroom, which is edible.

Knowing all of this takes time. And while a qualified field guide is a good reference for mushroom hunting, having real hands-on knowledge of this strange universe is key. Even stranger still is the fact that trial and error played a large role in the generational knowledge Larkin and his contemporaries have.

When ancient humans first discovered wild mushrooms, they didn't also run across a hardbound field guide on the subject. Here's an example: Larkin explained that one way to determine whether or not a particular mushroom is poisonous is to squeeze the spongy part under the cap. If the squeezed spot turns black, don't eat it.

Imagine the scenario in which early mushroomers gained that little bit of knowledge. And that little trick is just one in a collection of nuanced and varied inspection methods for a diverse organism that is nearly as strange as an alien life form.

"What we're seeing on the top is just the fruiting body," Larkin continues, "It's connected to a big mesh network underground called the mycelium."

As the hunters return to the trucks with their bags and baskets full of what they've found, Alice inspects their hauls, advising on what not to keep.

"This is a bad one," she declares, holding up a fist full of little butternut-colored caps. "Don't anybody put this in their basket. They're called sulfur tuft."

With that, she tosses them into the forest, cautioning the novice mushroomers as well to always cook their mushrooms.

"There are some that are poisonous raw but edible cooked," she says.

Why go to all the trouble?

Coming home with a bag of fine edible mushrooms, for some, is a matter of wheeling over to the local grocery. This business of mucking around on the forest floor and negotiating a labyrinth of both bad and good mushrooms is not for them. Others, like Phill Hays, a retired microbiologist from Corvallis, have come out here specifically because of the challenge. He described with excitement that he recently got to do a complete microscopic ID of all the mushrooms in his yard. This is the mark of a serious mushroomer.

Others, like Bill Chenoweth, a retired computer systems engineer who recently moved to Lebanon from Maine with his wife, Barbara, is intensely curious on a general level. He shares clever trivia and tells stories while hunting.

Maybe another element for the ones who favor the forest floor to the produce aisle is the uncertainty. In fact, all the people out today are wearing orange vests, just in case any hunters might mistake them for big game. And to be sure, a dish made from wild mushrooms found on such a trip will not only taste a little better, but will also bring a much more interesting story to the table. Not to mention the fact that in the store you'll pay maybe $26 per pound for chanterelles alone.

"People like mushrooms, and this is a great way to learn about them," says Chenoweth.
Lucknow: The Congress Party on Sunday downplayed election strategist Prashant Kishor's second purported meeting with Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and categorically stated that it would not enter into an alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh for next year's assembly polls.

"Prashant Kishor ji joined the Congress Party to give some advice. Other than that, he has his own status. He has the position of an advisor to the Bihar Government. He has the rank of a Cabinet Minister. So, he visits places because of that," Congress leader P.L. Punia told ANI.

The Congress leader lambasted the media for spreading false information, which he dubbed as absolutely ridiculous.

"There is no truth in it. The Congress will fight the elections alone and there is no decision of alliance with any party," he added.

Kishor earlier on Tuesday held a two-hour long meeting with Mulayam, who is trying to form an alliance of like-minded parties ahead of next year's assembly polls.

Kishor met the Samajwadi Party leaders and apparently discussed the possibility of an alliance before the poll dates are announced.

Mulayam is currently struggling to resolve a power tussle between his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his younger brother Shivpal Yadav.

The Samajwadi Party boss is said to be in favour of such an alliance to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the politically crucial state.
A view of Rajpath covered in smog in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet at 12:30 pm to discuss the issue of large scale air pollution clogging Delhi.

Air Quality Index (AQI) from Delhi on Sunday morning was PM10 in RK Puram at 999, 436 at IGI airport, Punjabi Bagh at 999, and Shanti Path area at 662. Heavy smog continued to cover many parts of the city.

Meanwhile, a protest was held at Jantar Mantar against the situation in the city.

With Delhi facing its worst smog in 17 years, the Centre on Saturday described the situation as a emergency. A meeting of environment ministers of all states neighbouring Delhi might be held on Monday to explore ways to address the crisis, said a report in the Indian Express.

Meanwhile, a thick blanket of haze continued to cover the national capital on Sunday with pollution level remaining very high and breaching the safe limit by over 17 times at several places.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave appealed for a united response, adding that no one should indulge in political blame game on the issue.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday had met Dave and asked him to impose curbs on the burning of farm stubble in neighbouring states, which Kejriwal blamed for turning Delhi into a gas chamber.

There is an emergency situation in Delhi. The situation is bad, particularly for children, patients, women and elderly. We need to take immediate steps to deal with the situation, Dave said after meeting Kejriwal.

Dave also said a health advisory may be issued if the need be.

Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung has also called a high level meeting tomorrow on the issue in which immediate, short-term and long-term measures to combat the growing air pollution in the city are to be discussed.

Delhi Chief Minister, PWD Minister, Environment and Forest Minister, Chief Secretary, NDMC Chairman and all three Municipal Commissioners are among those attending the meeting.

Meanwhile, the first day's play of two Ranji Trophy games in New Delhi was cancelled yesterday due to poor light caused by smog.

The players complained of irritation in eyes and breathing problems.

The matches cancelled were Group A league encounter between Bengal and Gujarat at the Feroz Shah Kotla and Group C match at Karnail Singh Stadium between Tripura nd Hyderabad .

On Saturday, the Delhi CM said vehicle restriction measures like odd-even will not be able to bring down smog as initial studies suggest that the "large scale" influx of pollutant-laden smoke from Punjab and Haryana has aggravated the situation.

"Pollution has increased to an extent that outdoors in Delhi are resembling a gas chamber. Prima facie the biggest reason seems to be burning of stubble in agricultural fields in Haryana and Punjab in huge quantity," Kejriwal told a press conference.

Shutting down of schools for a long time was not a feasible solution, he said, when asked about the decision of the civic bodies to keep schools run by it closed for a day in view of pollution.

Kejriwal pitched for providing alternatives and incentives to farmers so that they discard the traditional practise.

He said the Delhi government has very few methods at its disposal and the Centre needs to intervene.

"The Centre can sit with the Chief Minister of these states and chalk out a solution. Few reports have put the volume of stubble being burned at around 16-20 million tonnes.

"Fireworks during Diwali marginally added to the pollution. But other things inside Delhi did not drastically change. So the smog is mainly due to smoke from farm fires," he observed.

Kejriwal identified the main sources of pollution inside Delhi as vehicles, dust and waste burning, which he said could not be responsible for the pall of smog across the city.

"I saw smoke across Punjab, Haryana during my visits. We need Centre's help. We are hiring an agency in a week or two to study the sources of pollution in Delhi afresh. The Centre needs to intervene," he said.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendra Jain addressing a press conference on issues related to Delhi at his Residence in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Centre and states need to join hands to join the pollution crisis in Delhi instead of pointing fingers and playing politics.

Calling for emergency measures, Kejriwal, following a Delhi Cabinet meeting, said that all the constructions and demolitions will be shut down, including metro constructions, for the next 5 days.

The Delhi CM announced that landfill sites would also be bulldozed.

Asking people to stay indoors, the CM stated that all schools would remain closed for the next 3 days.

No DG will be used in Delhi for next 10 days except in hospitals and emergency places, Kejriwal said, adding that the Badarpur power plant would also be shut down.

Stating that his government was considering reimplementation of the odd-even scheme, Kejriwal also announced that streets would be watered every day and that vacuum cleaning of roads would begin from November 10.

Kejriwal also said that the idea of causing artificial rain was discussed in the meeting. However, he claimed that not much relief could be expected soon as crop burning in other states would continue.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal is scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee at 1:30 pm to discuss the issue of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmad.

The Centre on Sunday slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, stating that only 20% of pollution in Delhi was due to activities in other states.

The AAP government including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier blamed crop burning in Delhis neighbouring states for the heavy smog and pollution in Delhi which is causing breathing problems and has led to schools shutting down.

Central Environment Minister Anil Dave said that 80 per cent of Delhis pollution was the result of garbage burning in the city. He claimed that by blaming other states, AAP was politicising the issue.

Dave called on AAP to come out of the 'blame game mindset'.

"What help do they need? Tell us. We have provided help time to time. But implementation is state's responsibility," Dave said.

However, Dave defended Kejriwals decision to call a Delhi Cabinet meeting at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

Technologies like jet sprinkling and the dust sweep machine will be discussed at length during the meeting to be held at Kejriwal's residence.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday rubbished Kejriwals allegations that pollution in Delhi was a result of stubble burning in Punjab, among other states.

Badal said that farmers in Punjab have been provided with mechanised farm equipments. However, he admitted that some farmers may still resort to the old technique of crop burning.

The Centre has called a meeting of Environment Ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to put an end to crop burning.

Meanwhile, Congress party on Sunday alleged that it has become the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's habit to blame others for everything.
New Delhi: Cases of severe breathlessness, asthma and allergy have sharply risen in Delhi as the city remains blanketed in thick layer of toxic air due to the worst smog in 17 years.

Doctors and experts say that besides spike in fresh cases, health complications have aggravated in people having a history of asthma, allergy or other related ailments.

"Earlier 15-20 per cent pollution-related ailment cases were reported at our hospital. But now these have gone up to 60 per cent.

"The most common problem is related to respiration. But this time we are seeing a rather large number of cases of severe breathlessness, coughing and sneezing and bronchiolitis due to the smog," says Dr S P Byotra, senior consultant and chairman of the department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs.

"Children and elderly are the most vulnerable to infections and allergies due to smog and pollution. So, they should take extra care, and try not to venture during early morning and at dusk when the toxic level is highest," Byotra says.

Delhi is facing its worst smog in last 17 years, prompting the high court to observe that it was akin to "living in a gas chamber".

The Centre has termed it an "emergency situation" and called a meeting of environment ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to curb stubble burning by farmers.

According to experts, it is estimated that over 20 per cent of the world's population suffers from allergic diseases such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis, atopic eczema and anaphylaxis.

"We are seeing a rise of 60-70 per cent in ailment cases related to pollution. Breathlessness, asthma, eye and skin allergies case have jumped. We are getting patients as young as a two-month-old baby who had bronchiolitis.

"People who had a history of or are predisposed to such ailments, such cases have also risen. Children getting affected more, as their immunological state is low. Besides, the infections are taking longer time to subside," says Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head, Pediatrics, at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj.

"Children should as far as possible avoid venturing out in the open early morning and late evening, and peak hours of the pollution. The number of cases have increased due to the smog in the last few days," says Dr V K Paul, pediatrician at AIIMS.

Cases of asthma and allergy have also doubled at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, with doctors saying cases of coughing, sneezing, and eye and skin allergy on the rise in the wake of thick smog that has engulfed the city for past few days.

"The incidences have surely risen, and in many ailments it has doubled almost. Asthma, allergy and other ailments triggered by pollution have increased and it is the elderly, who are suffering the most," consultant (internal medicine) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr Suranjit Chatterjee says.

A thick shroud of menacing grey haze blanketed the national capital yesterday even as pollution level breached the safe limit by over 17 times at places, prompting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to also describe Delhi as a "gas chamber".

Kejriwal appealed to people to minimise the use of private vehicles in view of the situation and switch to public transportation facilities.

"Vehicular pollution is a major factor and it is my view that private vehicles should be limited and people should take up public transport more. The vehicles should have compliance with international green norms, but more than that we need sustained efforts to address this issue," Chatterjee says.

Nearly 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were yesterday closed in view of the heavy smog and pollution.

Asthma is a worldwide problem, with estimated 300 million affected individuals and global prevalence which ranges from 1-18 per cent in different geographical regions.

Air pollution is killing nearly eight lakh people annually in the South East Asian Region with India alone accounting for over 75 per cent of the casualties caused by cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, according to WHO.

According to a recent WHO report, a few Indian cities, including Delhi, Patna and Gwalior were identified as among the severely polluted cities in the world. Experts say global warming and pollution are among the major factors responsible for causing allergic ailments.
The court also said if the wife wakes up late in the morning or wants tea to be served in bed would at best show that she is lazy, but not cruel. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: Denial of sex by a woman during her pregnancy is not cruelty towards her husband entitling him to get divorce on that ground, the Delhi High Court has said.

The court also said if the wife wakes up late in the morning or wants tea to be served in bed would at best show that she is lazy, and "laziness is not cruelty".

The observations by the court came while dismissing a man's appeal against a family court's decision rejecting his plea for divorce on grounds of cruelty.

"The plea that wife denied consortium to husband after August, 2012, even if true has to be understood in light of the fact that by the third week of May, 2012 she was in the family way.

"Carrying a foetus in the womb she would obviously be inconvenienced by sex and assuming she totally shunned sex with the petitioner (husband) as her pregnancy grew would not constitute cruelty," a bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani said.

The court further said, "The assertion that wife would get up late and would want tea to be served to her would at best show that she was lazy, and laziness is not cruelty."

The Family Court was of the view that the allegations made by the man in his plea were "sans any particulars" and "vague".

The high court agreed with this view of the lower court, saying the man in his plea has not disclosed any particulars regarding the allegations he has made against his wife.
A Chinese-made low-intensity hand grenade was set off on Sunday by unidentified men in Imphal. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Imphal: A Chinese-made low-intensity hand grenade was set off on Sunday by some unidentified persons at Uripok Mayai Leikai in Imphal West district, police said.

A senior police officer said the Chinese-made low intensity explosive went off in front of a new shop in the area around 5 am.

The blast did not cause any casualty or damages and could be related with monetary demands, the officer said.

The shop is owned by one Aribam Bimol, 50, who also runs a jewellery outlet in the state capital.

Meanwhile, Manipur police commandos swung into action and arrested one suspect identified as 45-year-old Y Somorendro from his residence at Napet Palli area in Imphal East district, the officer said, adding his direct involvement in the incident is not yet confirmed.
Two army jawans were killed and five others were injured as Pakistani army opened unprovoked firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Jammu: Two army jawans were killed and five others  two soldiers, two civilian women and a BSF officer  were injured as Pakistani army opened unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district on Sunday, violating the ceasefire.

In Krishna Ghati, Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids, killing one soldier, an army officer said, adding that the attempts to push in infiltrators have been foiled.

In Poonch sector, at least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani army, targeting civil and defence facilities and civilian areas. An army jawan was killed and five others were injured in the

Pakistani firing in Poonch sector which continued till last reports came in, the officer said.

The Indian army said that while the infiltration bids were foiled, it has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector.

"One soldier was killed in Krishna Ghati sector earlier in the day while foiling infiltration bids, another soldier was killed and five others were injured in cross-border firing in the Poonch sector of Poonch district," the officer said.

The soldier killed in the Krishna Ghati sector has been identified as Sepoy Gursewak Singh (23) of 22 Sikh Regiment. Singh is a resident of Taran Taran area of Punjab.

The injured women have been identified Saleema Akhtar and Zareefa Begum, both residents of Poonch. Zareefa Begum works as a special police officer. They have been admitted to a hospital in Poonch where their conditions were stated to be stable, a police officer said.

"The identities of the soldiers killed and injured in Poonch sector will be shared later after their families are informed," the army officer said.

A sub-inspector of BSF, identified as Nitin Kumar, also sustained splinter injuries and he was evacuated to the Army hospital where his condition is stated to be stable, a BSF officer said.

Meanwhile, the army said that unprovoked ceasefire violation in Poonch sector continued.

"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons," an army spokesman said, adding that "our troops are responding befittingly, there has been heavy damage to Pakistan army posts."

"The army foiled two infiltration bids on the intervening night of November 5, 6 along Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati Sector," he said.

"The infiltrators opened fire while trying to sneak back towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir side of the Line of Control (LoC). In the ensuing firefight with infiltrators, Sepoy Gursewak Singh suffered gunshot wound and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated," he said.

Today's ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed along the LoC and the International Border (IB).

"The violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strike against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control," officials said.

Expressing concern on the situation along the borders former J-K chief minister Omar Abdulla tweeted, "Condolences to the families of the brave soldiers. The situation along the border/LoC is a matter of grave concern (sic)."

There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.

"Pakistani troops have carried out over 100 ceasefire violations along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strike by the Indian army on terror launch pads in Pok," another Army officer said.

The officer said that there have been 84 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along LoC in Jammu region falling under 16 Corps area.

As many as 16 ceasefire violations have been recorded along LoC in Kashmir region falling under 15 Corps area, he said.

The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of J&K, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.

The state government had closed over 400 schools along the IB and the LoC in Jammu region in wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.

A total of 18 people, including 12 civilians, were killed and more than 83 suffered injuries in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had on Wednesday asked the army personnel posted along the Line of Control to remain alert and give a befitting response to any "misadventure" from across the border.

While complimenting their valour and fortitude, which Parrikar said was the entire nation's pride, he also impressed upon the soldiers to remain in a very high state of alert to give a befitting response to any misadventure from across.

There is over 510 km of LoC with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi: Mother and sister of JNU studentNajeeb Ahmed, who is missing since 23 days, were on Sunday detained when they along with scores of agitating students tried to take out a protest march to India Gate demanding intensified efforts from police in tracing him.

Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb, was virtually dragged into a bus by police along with other students when they were on their way to India Gate, triggering criticism from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who decided to visit the police station. Fatima and her daughter Sadaf, were later released.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee, and said he has been assured that the President will seek a report from the Home Ministry and the JNU administration on the issue.

"People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police yesterday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality. We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from Delhi Police and JNU in this regard," he said.

The Chief Minister also submitted a memorandum to the President expressing concern over the "worrisome" situation prevailing in JNU.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at the police station (Photo: Twitter)

Delhi Police, which blocked all roads leading to the area since afternoon, said permission for the protest was not granted and that section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in the India Gate area because of Chhat Puja.

The protest comes days after Kejriwal and other opposition party leaders visited the university during a protest regarding the missing student. There, in his address to the students, Kejriwal had said "Let's sit on a protest at the India Gate".

Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before.

"The shameless Delhi Police, which failed to find Najeeb for the last 23 days, have misbehaved with Najeeb's mother.

She was beaten up and dragged into the police van. His sister is also detained," said Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union.

Najeeb's family were detained at Mayapuri police station but when Kejriwal reached they had left.

"Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home," he tweeted.

He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".

Meanwhile, police officials denied that agitating students or Najeebs family were manhandled.

"During protest by JNU students today, none have been manhandled. A group of JNU students along with Najeeb's mother assembled near Archaeological Survey of India building. They were persuaded not to move towards India Gate. They didn't agree and were adamant to move ahead. They all were taken into a bus to Mayapuri police station. Fatima Nafees was duly attended to by lady Police officers and dropped at her place of stay," a police statement said.

Alleging inaction on part of the administration, JNU Student's Union (JNUSU) has been agitating against Najeeb's disappearance from campus.

The protesting students had even confined the Vice Chancellor (VC) and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours last week. Following directives from the Union Home Ministry, Delhi Police formed a special investigation team (SIT) to trace the missing student.
New Delhi: No sum of reparations by the British, who reduced India to one of the poorest countries in the world, can compensate for the "horrendous" crimes the Raj committed against the Indian people, writer and politician Shashi Tharoor has said.

Tharoor, who makes a convincing case against the imperial Empire in his new book "An era of Darkness: The British empire in India", said the European country became prosperous primarily by impoverishing India.

"The rise of Britain for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India. And certainly, we were a principle cash cow for Britain throughout the nineteenth century. We paid for our own oppression," Tharoor said at the launch of his book at Taj Mahal hotel here, last week.

"There is and has been a sort of deliberate historical amnesia in Britain about the Raj and about the iniquities of the colonial era. There has been no attempt whatsoever to teach British school children the realities of colonialism.

After all, the beauties of London were built by resources extracted from the colonies," he said.

The 333-page book published by Aleph Book company is an outcome of the politician's speech at Oxford last year, in which he demanded reparation for Britain's colonial crimes.

The book critically examines the 200-year long British legacy in India and provides clinching evidence and incisive arguments against its supposed boons.

Tharoor demolishes the myth of "enlightened despotism" and debunks the "preposterous" vindications given by "Raj apologists" and Anglophiles in favour of the alleged benefits of the rule in India, a country, he writes, was "no primitive or barren land but a glittering jewel of the Medieval world".

"At the beginning of the 18th century, India's share of the world economy was 23 per cent, as large as all of Europe put together. By the time the British departed India, it had dropped to just 3 per cent. The reason was simple: India was governed for the benefit of Britain. Britain's rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India," he writes.

The 60-year-old author asserts that India was "deliberately" deindustrialised and drained of its resources, and left with landlessness and poverty.

"While comparisons of human deaths are always invidious, the 35 million who died of famine and epidemics during the Raj does remind one of 25 million who died in Stalin's collectivisation drive and political purges, the 45 million who died during Mao's cultural revolution, and the 55 million who died during World War II," he states. He emphasises that Britain's Industrial Revolution flourished at the expense of crumbling Indian manufacturing industries, "abetted by tariffs and regulatory measures that stacked the decks in favour of the British".

"It is preposterous to suggest that India's inability to industralise while the Western world did so was an Indian failure...If India's GDP went down because it 'missed the bus' of industralisation, it was because the British threw Indians under the wheels," he writes.

Mounting a scathing attack on "benefits" like railways, the English language and the rule of law, Tharoor argues that they were never actually introduced for the benefit of the Indians but to serve Britain's colonial interests.

He said that it was getting late for Britain to atone for its crimes, and asserted that the UK Prime Minister emulates the example of his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau who apologised on behalf of his country for denying permission for the Indian immigrants on the Komagata Maru to land in Vancouver.

"I, for one, dearly hope that a British prime minister will find the heart, and the spirit, to get on his or her knees at Jallianwala Bagh in 2019 and beg forgiveness from Indians in the name of his or her people for the unforgivable massacre that was perpetrated at that site a century earlier," he remarks.

Tharoor also demands the return of some of the treasure troves looted from India in the course of colonialism.

"The money exacted in taxes and exploitation has already been spent, and cannot realistically be reclaimed. But individual pieces of statuary sitting in British museums could be, if for nothing else than their symbolic value.

"After all if looted Nazi-era art can be (and now is being) returned for their rightful owners in various Western countries, why is the principle any different for looted colonial treasures?" he asks.

Written in a perspicacious style, "An era of Darkness" is an eye-opening volume that goes a long way in correcting many misconceptions about the British Empire in India.
Locals say that this firing from the Pakistani side with an intention to destroy rice crops is now an annual affair. (Photo: PTI/Representational Image)

Srinagar: 40,000 acres of basmati rice in Jammu and Kashmir is now under threat from Pakistan.

According to a report in DNA, firing and shelling from Pakistani soldiers have caused rice farmers to flee, ensuring that crop cultivation of basmati rice on the Indian side of the International Border (IB) is next to impossible.

In RS Pura, the rice bowl of India, the sound of the tractor instantly invites the sounds of the gun from across the other side of the border.

Locals say that this firing from the Pakistani side with an intention to destroy rice crops is now an annual affair. It is meant to attack the Indian farmer, hurt India's basmati rice crop, and ensure that Pakistan's rice crop flowers. As a result, farmers working on the fields have been made to vacate the area. The paddy now stands neglected.

"If there is no one to harvest, the crop will die in 10-12 days," a local farmer was quoted as saying.

Most area in and around the RS Pura region is extremely fertile and best suited for basmati cultivation, but shelling and firing has destroyed the crop for the last 3 years.

If the crop remains uncultivated this year, India would lose approximately Rs 125 crore.

Ashok Malhotra, Director of Agriculture, Jammu and Kashmir, feels that the government must counter the Pakistani aggression by taking urgent steps to protect the rice farmer, but says the appeals have so far gone unanswered.

Moreover, the Border Security Force (BSF) presence in the area does not allow farmers to use machines on their fields. Manual harvest will take a much longer duration, as at least 20 per cent of the crop will get destroyed, said the report.

Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, J&K Agriculture Minister, confirmed that there will be loss of crops this year, added the report.
National Weather Service forecasters are expecting a period of heavy rain Saturday for the Willamette Valley, the Interstate 5 corridor and the greater Portland and Vancouver metro area.

In a weather statement issued Saturday morning, forecasters said localized urban or stream stream flooding is possible.

A very moist and slow-moving frontal system is moving onshore Saturday morning, forecasters said, bringing with it the potential of heavy rain as it moves across the inland valleys of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.

Rainfall rates on the order of one-third to a half-inch of rain per hour are possible near the front, forecasters said, noting even two to three hours of this type of rain can cause problems with urban or small-stream flooding.

The heaviest rainfall could come in the midday to afternoon hours, forecasters said.

Here are your updated local forecasts:

Albany

Saturday: Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Rain, possibly heavy at times. High near 58. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Saturday night: Rain before midnight, then showers likely after midnight. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 49. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Corvallis

Saturday: Rain, possibly heavy at times. High near 58. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Saturday night: Rain before 11 p.m., then a chance of showers. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 49. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers before 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Lebanon

Saturday: Rain, possibly heavy at times. High near 59. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Saturday night: Rain before 11 p.m., then showers likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 49. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers before 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
The firing started at 2 am today at the KG Sector, where the Border Security Force (BSF) is aptly retaliating to the firing initiated by Pakistan. (Photo: Representational Image/ PTI)

Poonch: Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday woke up to heavy shelling and firing again, as Pakistani Rangers violated ceasefire, three days after two women were killed and a child was severely injured.

One civilian was also injured in the firing. The injured civilian has been admitted to a nearby district hospital for immediate medical aid.

The army also foiled two terrorist infiltration bids, which were assisted by the continuous ceasefire violations.

The firing started at 2 am today at the KG Sector, where the Border Security Force (BSF) is aptly retaliating to the firing initiated by Pakistan.

1 jawan was killed in the firing at Mankote.

On Thursday, two women were killed in heavy firing and mortar shelling in Manjakote Sector of Rajouri district.

Also, a 14-month -old child was injured in cross-border firing and continues to be critical.

Authorities in Kashmir have already evacuated hundreds of people from villages along the frontier with Pakistan following frequent ceasefire violations.

This is the 101st incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following India's surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29th, targeting Pakistan occupied Kashmir-based terrorist launch pads.
Vehicles ply on smog covered Rajpath in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As Delhi continues to reel under heavy smog, the Centre slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, stating that only 20% of pollution in the city was due to activities in other states.

The AAP government including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier blamed crop burning in Delhis neighbouring states for the heavy smog and pollution in Delhi which is causing breathing problems and has led to schools shutting down.

Central Environment Minister Anil Dave said that 80 per cent of Delhis pollution was the result of garbage burning in the city. He claimed that by blaming other states, AAP was politicising the issue.

Dave called on AAP to come out of the 'blame game mindset'.

"What help do they need? Tell us. We have provided help time to time. But implementation is state's responsibility," Dave said.

However, Dave defended Kejriwals decision to call a Delhi Cabinet meeting at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

Technologies like jet sprinkling and the dust sweep machine will be discussed at length during the meeting to be held at Kejriwal's residence.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday rubbished Kejriwals allegations that pollution in Delhi was a result of stubble burning in Punjab, among other states.

Badal said that farmers in Punjab have been provided with mechanised farm equipments. However, he admitted that some farmers may still resort to the old technique of crop burning.

The Centre has called a meeting of Environment Ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to put an end to crop burning.

Meanwhile, Congress party on Sunday alleged that it has become the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's habit to blame others for everything.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI there is an element of some kind of problem from the neighbouring state but charity has to begin from the house.

"The Environment Department of the Delhi state should be more activated and the Health Minister should be more active. There are issues concerning Delhi which need to be immediately taken into consideration, emergency steps must be taken. Yes, they can talk to the neighbouring states through the Central Government but to blame the entire thing on the neighbouring states is not fair," he said.
The energy of such prisoners can be used for the good of the society, he said. (Photo: DC/Representational image)

Hyderabad: In a novel way to tap the human resource potential of prisoners, the Telangana Prisons department has sent a proposal to the state government to use the services of those having good conduct for constructive work like maintenance of hospitals and schools.

Director General of Prisons V K Singh said that he has sent the proposal to the Home department.

The views of education and health departments have been sought on the proposal, he said.

The idea is to use the services of prisoners who committed offences over issues like family disputes and property disputes and not those convicted in serious and grave offences, he said.

"The services of prisoners can be used at government hospitals or schools and the exercise would be within the ambit of law," he said.

Observing that many of the prisoners, who are not habitual offenders, do not run away at an available opportunity, Singh said prisoners also need to be kept engaged with some constructive work.

The energy of such prisoners can be used for the good of the society, he said.

The official said that he would take up the proposal with the Home department towards taking an early decision on it.
A woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs 61 lakh. (Representational image)

New Delhi: A woman has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs 61 lakh by hiding it inside denim shorts worn by her at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi.

The accused was intercepted by the customs officials after her arrival from Dubai on Friday.

"During her detailed examination and personal search, it was found that she was carrying 12 gold bars of 24 carat, weighing 1,400 grams valued at approximately Rs 42.75 lakh in the front pockets of her denim shorts underneath her dress.

"She also carried two more pouches in the back pockets which contained 110 items of assorted gold jewellery weighing 780.82 grams of latest designs having market value of Rs 18.62 lakh," a press release issued on Sunday by the customs said.

The total value of the gold, which has been seized, is assessed to be Rs 61.37 lakh.

The woman has been arrested by the customs officials.
HYDERABAD: Union minister for information and broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu exhorted the media fraternity on Sunday to act in a manner that keeps the interests of the nation in mind. All of us are citizens of the country first, he stressed.

Our actions should not compromise interests of the country. Even creating unrest in society or disturbing the peaceful atmosphere is unwarranted. Three things should be kept in mind  laws of the land, countrys interests, and the nation above everything else, he said, in an indirect reference to the government ordering a one-day blackout of NDTV India for its coverage of the Pathankot attack last year. The governments action has been severely criticised in some quarters as compromising the freedom of the media.

He went on to say that the media should refrain from sensationalism and focus on issues that are close to truth and reality. News is no more news in present times. Now news is mixed with views. Views should be confined to the editorial page, where one can freely express their view. What Venkaiah Naidu speaks should be presented as it is. Views about my speech should come in editorial pages, he said.

He said violence, obscenity, and vulgarity dominate cinema and the electronic media. Self-regulation is the need of the hour to focus on healthy and enlightened debates.

Mr Naidu was speaking after inaugurating the one-day orientation programme for Urdu journalists at the Salar Jung Museum Auditorium. He claimed that his ministry was taking several initiatives to give a fillip to regional media (Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil etc.). Increasing the duration of daily Urdu bulletins on Doordarshan is on the cards, Mr Naidu stated.
Lucknow: In a state where female feticide is common in the rural interiors, this mother-in-law deserves to be lauded. Prema Devi, a retired inspector from the health department of Uttar Pradesh, has acquired a celebrity status in Hamirpur district after she gifted a luxury car to her daughter-in-law when the latter gave birth to a baby girl.

Prema, who gifted a Honda City car to her daughter-in-law, says that daughters are better than sons. She also hosted a small party with Khushboo, her daughter-in-law, to welcome the baby girl in the family.

The practice of female infanticide in India will only end after daughters-in-laws are treated as daughters. They are someone elses daughters as well. If daughters-in-law are loved the way daughters are loved, they bring joy to home, she told reporters.

Khushbo, on the other hand, is overjoyed to have a mother-in-law like Prema. She said that in order to bring a change in society, women must first learn to love and respect each other that way her mother in law does. Even daughter-in-laws must love their mother-in-laws like their own mother, she added.

Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by the husband of her tuition teacher and later her body thrown in a pond, police said.

The crime was committed yesterday in Purnagiri locality under city Kotwali police station here. The body of the victim was recovered on Sunday.

The girl, a class 6 student, had gone for tuition after her school, but did not return home prompting her family members to go to Kohena police station. But, as their complaint was not registered, they began a search on their own and found her bag and slippers near a pond. Later, when police arrived, the class 6 students body was found in a sack submerged in the water.
Lucknow: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh was worsening by the day and said that if the BJP came to power, it would review all false cases that have been lodged against various sections of the society, including farmers.

Singh, while flagging off the BJPs second Parivartan Yatra from Jhansi on Sunday, said that in the past two-and-a-half years of the Modi government, there had not been a single corruption charge against the government. He said Bundelkhand had remained steeped in backwardness because the state governments in UP had not solved the water problem in the region.

The BJP will solve the water problem in Bundelkhand within 5-10 years if given a chance, he said. BJP president Amit Shah, while addressing the rally, said that the Modi government introduces new schemes every 15 days, but the Samajwadi Party spends time in fighting because they cannot decide who will inherit Mulayams political legacy.
Neighbours and police in front of the house where four hanged themselves in Chennai on Saturday (Photo: DC)

Chennai: In what seems to be a suicide pact, a family of four, a couple and two daughters, were found hanging to death in suburban Anakaputhur.

Poverty could be a reason behind the extreme step, police said. Their decomposed bodies were taken out of the rented premises on Gopalachetty street and shifted to the Chromepet GH by the police after neighbours complained about foul smell emerging from the house. They were all found dead hanging two ends of two ropes.

Police identified the deceased as S. Sudalamuthu, 34, a worker in a welding shop, his wife Thulasi, and their daughters Preeethi, 8 and Saranya, 5. Thulasi was housewife, while Preethi was a class III student and Saranya was attending UKG.

It is not clear how the couple convinced their kids to be part of the suicide pact, police said. Police said that Sudalamuthu and his elder daughter were found hanging in two ends of a single rope while Thulasi and Saranya were found hanging from two ends of another rope.

Their bodies were decomposed and the neighbours had not seen the family members for the last five days, police noted. Though there was no suicide note, police said the family was fighting financial problems.

Thulasi used to talk about their debt and struggle to manage the family with the salary received by my son-in-law. But we never expected such an act, said Kala, mother of Thulasi, fighting bac tears.

Local residents expressed grief when they saw police shifting the bodies of school going kids.

The family shifted to this street one and a half months ago because they were struggling to pay rent at Kulakarai street, where they resided earlier. There were no crackers or new clothes for kids for Deepavali in their house. There were always quarrel between the Sudalamuthu and Thulasi, said one resident from the street. Sankar Nagar police said they were also looking into the possibilities of the family being threatened by usurers after Sudalamuthu failed to repay loans.
Union information and broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu addresses the gathering at the platinum jubilee celebrations of Builders Association of India on Saturday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu took strong exception to the Congress for criticising the Centre's schemes, especially the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme and warned the Opposition to stop dragging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name for the sake of publicity.

Claiming that the Congress-led UPA had done nothing when it was in power for 10 years and that it was the Narendra Modi-led BJP government that has come out with OROP, he said the UPA government has allotted pension sum of Rs 500 crore in the budget. "Our government raised it to Rs. 29,000 crore. That is the fact," Mr Venkaiah said on Saturday. He accused the Congress of making an issue out of everything.

Infrastructure grows at a rate of 9 to 10% annually Earlier, addressing the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Builders' Association of India (BAI) here on Saturday Mr. Venkaiah said development was the major goal of the Centre. "Construction domain is vital for the development and growth. Construction industry is building infrastructures whereas government is building the nation.

Infrastructure growth is at the rate of 9 to 10 % annually. Growth in any sector should be inclusive and sustainable and benefit even the people at grassroot level," he said.

He released the 75 Years Journey Book of BAI, which was received by B. Seenaiah, All India Past President of BAI. Post Master General B. Radhika Chakravarthy released the Special Postal Cover marking the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and it was received by All India Past President & Trustee, BAI A.S. Chinnasamy Raju. Former Vice President, Larsen & Toubro K.V. Rangaswami was honoured with Nirman Ratna Award and Bishma R. Radhakrishnan, All India Past President of BAI, was honoured with Seva Ratna Award, for their contribution to the Indian Construction Industry.

The association's All India President Avinash M. Patil released a souvenir and it was received by Mu. Mohan, All India Vice president from Southern Centre.
Many celebrate Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, but across the country, Veterans For Peace and other peace and justice groups will be ringing bells to commemorate Armistice Day.

The Armistice of 1918 ended the terrible slaughter of World War I. Thirty million soldiers were killed or wounded in that war.

As the armistice took effect, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the world agreed World War I must be the War to End All Wars.

In hopes of sealing the deal, 62 countries signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928, promising not to use war to resolve disputes. The United State Senate ratified that treaty by a vote of 85-1.

So how did Armistice Day become Veterans Day?

Armistice Day in the U.S. was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, to honor the war dead but also to show [Americas] sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations. Congress adopted Armistice Day as a national holiday in 1926, to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.

In 1954, World War II veterans urged President Eisenhower to change the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Thats it. The original intent of Armistice Day remained; just a name change.

But as the U.S. expanded its economic sphere of influence, U.S. foreign policy increasingly relied on armed aggression.

Why is that? Because war is a very lucrative business. As Marine Gen. Smedley Butler said, War is a racket.

Consider these numbers:

 The Pentagon budget consumes over 50 percent of the federal discretionary budget.

 Every hour, taxpayers spend $8.36 million on the Pentagon and homeland security, not including military health and retirement benefits.

 In 2015, Linn County taxpayers paid $91 million and Benton County $106 million to fund the Pentagon budget.

 Defense contractors have donated $24.7 million to election campaigns in 2016 (as of this writing). Is there any question that this money buys access and influence?

What could these "defense" dollars fund in local projects, e.g., schools, roads, needy family assistance?

See nationalpriorities.org for details.

What about the veterans for whom the Nov. 11 holiday was renamed to honor?

How best to honor them? We could start by providing the health care and support they were promised.

Twenty veterans take their own lives every single day. The Veterans Administration is so severely underfunded that it cannot adequately serve medically needy Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, let alone the thousands of veterans of prior wars.

Most studies estimate that up to one in every three homeless people is veterans. The homeless veteran population is becoming larger and younger, as veterans suffering from PTSD (and coping by abusing drugs and alcohol) have trouble finding and keeping a job.

Of particular concern to us in Veterans For Peace are the thousands of veterans who continue to suffer the effects of Agent Orange defoliant exposure in Vietnam.

How best to honor our veterans?

How about we bring our troops home and reduce the size of the military to what is minimally necessary to defend our shores? How about shifting Pentagon funds to colleges, technical training, health care and green energy, creating millions of new jobs?

Please join Veterans For Peace, Albany Peace Seekers, the Corvallis branch of the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, Corvallis Alternatives to War and other local faith, peace and justice groups in truly honoring veterans on Nov. 11 (and every day) by working for peace, not celebrating militarism and war.
Chennai: Union information and broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has expressed happiness over the recovery of AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22.

During a brief chat with reporters here on Saturday, the minister said he spoke to the state chief secretary Dr P. Rama Mohana Rao and enquired about the health condition of Ms Jayalalithaa. He told me that the Chief Minister has been recovering well, Mr Venkaiah said.

On Friday, Apollo Hospitals Chairman Dr Pratap C. Reddy, in his first ever interaction with the media since the hospitalisation of the Chief Minister, said Ms Jayalalithaa has completely recovered and she has to decide on when to get discharged from the hospital.
Patients from Africa and CIS contact the hospital and follow all the modalities and instructions given to them.

Hyderabad: Three million patients from abroad sought medical treatment in India in 2015-16. What is called the medical tourism industry is expected to grow to 10 million patients by 2019.

In Hyderabad, the Apollo Group of Hospitals treated the most overseas patients  1.5 lakh. Ten other major hospitals in the city catered to another 20,000 patients.

Dr H.N. Garg, director of International Indian Wellness and Medical Tourism Association, says that Apollo Hospitals is the only group that ensures that the patient from the foreign country comes to their hospital. They have ensured that the patients are not lured to other hospitals by brokers, agents or even translators at the airport. Their paper work is meticulous, which is very important for these patients. That is one of the reasons they have such high numbers.

A majority of the foreign patients are from Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the United Arab Emirates. The number of patients from the UAE has seen a drop in the past three years, from 1.5 lakh in 2013 to 70,000 in 2015 and 95,000 in 2016.

The association has asked all hospitals to pay attention to these patients and address the issues of harassment that they face. Dr P.N. Rao from a corporate hospital said, Patients from the UAE have relatives or friends here and they compare rates of various hospitals. Sometimes after the surgery, they find that they have been charged more or feel they would have got better treatment elsewhere."

Patients from Africa and CIS contact the hospital and follow all the modalities and instructions given to them. Dr Garg says many patients come for dental treatment, liver, heart and orthopaedic procedures.
New Delhi: In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.

I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about /1 @templetree1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 6, 2016 the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh. @templetree1 /2  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 6, 2016

In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.
According to reports, those detained have been taken to Mandir Marg police station. (Photo: Twitter)

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Sunday detained the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who were staging protest against the authorities at the India Gate here for not taking firm steps to locate their missing colleague Najeeb Ahmed.

Najeeb's sister Sadaf Mosharraf, who was also among those detained by the police, vented her ire at the men in uniform.

"We were protesting very peacefully but the Delhi Police detained us without any reason," she said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged that the Centre was adopting 'dictatorship' policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures.

"Why is the Prime Minister afraid of protests? If one student is missing since the last 22 days then other students have the right to protest. This is their constitutional right and the government is trying to snatch their rights from them," said Kejriwal.

Commenting on the Delhi Police's move to summon nine people in connection with this case, Kejriwal said that the men in uniform have just done a formality in the name of investigation.

Najeeb Ahmed's mother being dragged away by Delhi police. (Photo: Twitter)

"The BJP is ruling the nation and Delhi Police is afraid of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). So, they didn't have the courage to call the ABVP people from past 22 days and just for formality they called few ABVP members for interrogation yesterday," he said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police, in a statement, said, "JNUSU had given a call today for demonstration and sit in dharna at India Gate. Delhi Police requested in writing not to assemble near India Gate as prohibitory orders u/s 144 crpc in force. NSUI, CYSS and others also joined the call.

"They were advised to assemble at Jantar Mantar. But in various groups they started assembling around India Gate despite the advisory. Delhi Police at various locations stopped the protesters, dissuaded them to move towards India Gate and were taken to Police Stations."

Earlier today, Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention into the matter.

Speaking to the media here after meeting with the President, Kejriwal pinned the blame on Delhi Police, accusing them of refusing to take action after coming under political pressure.

The Chief Minister further said that President Mukherjee had assured him of seeking a report both from the JNU administration and the Delhi Police as well.

Last week, Kejriwal had made a beeline to the JNU campus along with other party leaders to take on the Centre over the missing student.

"The way the country has progressed in the last two years is of grave concern. Today Najeeb is missing. Tomorrow my son can go missing," Kejriwal then said.

Najeeb went missing on the intervening night of October 14 and 15 after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising of the ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections.
Jhansi: Promising to turn Uttar Pradesh into the richest state, BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday said it could be possible only if people dumped SP and BSP and ushered in a government run by the saffron party.

"Enough of SP and BSP. You have given them enough chance. Now please dump these two parties and usher in a BJP government," he said at a 'parivartan rally' here.

"I promise you that UP will become the richest state in the country once BJP comes to power. There will be no loot of public money, no scams, as have been taking place all these years under Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party," he said.

Shah said Bundelkhand, of which Jhansi is a part, was rich in natural resources and once BJP came to power there would be no illegal mining in the area.

With BJP-led government at the Centre, the state can progress by leaps and bounds if there is a government of the same party in UP as corruption will become a thing of the past, he said.

"Even (BSP supremo) Mayawati says Samajwadi Party is not good...so give chance to BSP. But friends, SP and BSP are the two sides of the same coin and can never deliver the goods," he said.

Shah said no one could expect better law and order in the state under SP or BSP rule.

"Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he would give up his chair if gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's party QED merged with SP. The merger has taken place. Why is he continuing as CM? What happened," he asked.

Shah said SP was studded with tainted people like Afzal, Ateeq and Azam, while BSP had Nasimuddin in its fold.

"But, there are no goonda elements in BJP," he said. On the issue of "triple talaq", he said BJP was for Uniform Civil Code and filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court opposing the practice.

He asked Congress, SP and BSP to clarify their stand on the issue.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said goonda elements ruled the roost in UP where law and order had touched the nadir.

"Let BJP come to power in UP. This situation will change," he said, adding BJP alone can give a corruption-free government.

Union ministers Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti and BJP vice president Om Mathur and state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya also addressed the gathering.
Chennai: Ruling AIADMK on Sunday said that its hospitalised General Secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was "well" even as BJP MP Tarun Vijay visited Apollo Hospitals, where the 68 year-old leader is admitted.

"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is well. God has given her good health and we are very happy," AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy told reporters.

Meanwhile, Vijay said Jayalalithaa was "recovering fast" and would resume work soon.

"I have specially brought holy water of lake Manasarovar of Mount Kailash for the Chief Minister. Amma is recovering very fast. Very soon (she will be) out of hospital and start working," he said.

Vijay said that the "prayers of millions of people are working and she will be very well."

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.

Later, the hospital had said she was being treated for infection with respiratory support, among others.

Specialists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and from London, among others, have treated her during the period.

On Friday, the hospital Chairman Pratap C Reddy had said that the Chief Minister had completely recovered and that it was upto her to decide when to go home. Later, Vijay had handed over 'prasadam' meant for Jayalalithaa with senior AIADMK leader and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, M Thambidurai.

He gave a "special Prasadam from Kedarnath and holy water from Lake Manasarovar," a release from his office said.

It said he was told by the doctors attending on the Chief Minister that "she has recovered and in a day or two would be shifted to her private room in hospital."

"Vijay said that Uttarakhand people are specially thankful to her (Jayalalithaa) for her support to Thiruvalluvar Ganga Payanam (journey) and hence the special prayers were conducted for her health in Uttarakhand's various temples," it said.

Earlier, Jayalalithaa had voiced support to Vijay's efforts to install a statue of Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar on the banks of Ganga at Haridwar, which was reportedly opposed by some local sadhus.

She had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue after it emerged that the statue was reportedly lying wrapped in a park there.
Rajahamundry: Popular Tollywood actor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is likely to plunge into active politics in the state in 2018, just a one year ahead of the general elections. However, it is not known whether he would ally with other political party or not and it will be decided depending upon the prevailing political atmosphere at that time.

Jana Sena activists claimed that ever since the party was established in 2014, they had been taking up a series of service-oriented activities like blood donation campps, health camps and awareness campaigns to reach out to the people.

They said Mr Pawan Kalyan had asked them to keep a watch on the society to find out any suffering or injustice being meted out to the people. For instance, in the case of proposed setting up Godavari Mega Aqua Food in West Godavari, over 300 people from the area met the party chief and sought his intervention.

Accordingly, he reportedly spoke to the government authorities and helped the release of over 50 persons who were arrested allegedly illegally by the police when they were staging a stir opposing the park.

At Eluru alone, nearly 10,000 persons had taken membership of the party in the recent past. While the party is working at the grassroots level, Mr Pawan Kalyan seems to be going in a strategic manner by giving occasional feelers.

Recently, the party issued a statement stating that the party chief would enrol as a voter at Eluru in West Godavari and this indicates that he would be contesting from AP in the next elections. He also asked the party activists to look for an office space and residential building for their leader at Eluru.

As Mr Pawan Kalyan is scheduled to address a public meeting at Anantapur on special category issue, his supporters are holding religion events praying for its success and safety to the lakhs of people who are expected to attend.

Jana Sena activist from Eluru Sagar Babu said, "We are cent per cent confident that our party will come to power in the 2019 elections as the people want change."
Babasaheb Ambedkar, and the members of the Constituent Assembly, sought to draft our Constitution with the express purpose of creating the right balance between the three fundamental pillars of governance: the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Legislative supremacy in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, an apolitical bureaucracy and civil service, and a free and independent judiciary, were the key features of the Republic. However, recent developments create serious doubts about the intention and the actions of the BJP-ruled Central government. Is there a design to unhinge the carefully worked out system of checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution?

The recent public outburst of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur of the Supreme Court on the BJP governments non-cooperation in clearing the names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium for appointment of judges is a matter of serious concern. It is true that the government wished to change the system by which judges appointed judges under the collegium system. In fact, perhaps India is the only democratic country in the world where judges have exclusive jurisdiction in the selection of judges. The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act (NJAC), passed with overwhelming support in Parliament in 2014, sought to change this practice. But, it is also true that the Supreme Court in its wisdom struck down that bill. That restored the status quo ante.

The question now is this: if the Supreme Court has declared the NJAC to be ultra vires of the Constitution, should the government seek to subvert or derail or delay judicial appointments through executive obstructionism? The legislature is always free to pass a new act (and that too could be challenged in the Supreme Court), but once the Supreme Court has pronounced judgment on the old one, the executive cannot challenge the supremacy of the judiciary through other means. This principle is important because the independence of the judiciary is a fundamental feature of the Constitution. Cooperation, not confrontation, should guide the governments interface with the judiciary, but today we have the unedifying spectacle of the Chief Justice of India publicly lamenting that, given the governments approach, the very process of dispensing justice could grind to a halt.

It appears that there is also a systematic attempt to dilute the apolitical character of the executive. There are complaints from many quarters that officers to key positions are being screened for their political loyalties. Such complaints speak of a carefully designed attempt at saffronisation in bureaucratic appointments. This process is particularly in evidence in the choices being made by the ministry of HRD and that of culture. The idea seems to be that once an appointment is made of a person with the right loyalty, he or she becomes imbedded in the executive matrix, and can be relied upon to select and promote more people of the same ideological hue. The net result is a ripple effect, whose implications can continue long after the current dispensation demits power.

Where the legislature is concerned, the BJP has an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha won through a legitimate democratic process. But should this legitimate majority in the Lower House prompt some of its senior leaders to question the legitimacy of the constitutionally-sanctioned powers of the Rajya Sabha, merely because in the Upper House their party does not have a majority? Does the brute strength enjoyed by the BJP in the Lok Sabha entitle it to redefine what constitutes a money bill, so that Rajya Sabhas powers in the clearance of bills are diluted? The Rajya Sabha, as the Council of States has, in the constitutional scheme of things a clearly defined role to play, that acts as a check to a possibly impetuous majority in the Lok Sabha. Threats to bypass it by holding a joint session of both Houses may be possible, but hardly desirable.

The media is considered the informal fourth pillar of a democracy. But here too we are witnessing a concerted move to erode its freedom. Editors, who have the courage of their convictions and refuse to become compliant, are being summarily fired. An identifiable and large segment of the media has been constrained to choose supine conformity as against robust objectivity. Some of this pressure is blatantly coming from the government. Why else would the ministry of information and broadcasting ban the transmission and retransmission of NDTV India for a day on November 9? Strongly condemning this action, the Editors Guild of India has said that it is reminiscent of the Emergency. The News Broadcasting Association (NBA) has also expressed its deep concern. As expected, the government has dubbed these comments as politically inspired!

Civil society, another essential ingredient of all vibrant democracies, is also being pressured. Using the technicalities of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, the Union home ministry has already cancelled the licences of 11, 319 NGOs. Licences of another 1,736 NGOs have been withheld on the plea of non-sufficient documents or deficient documents. Roughly one-third of Indias 33,138 NGOs have been debarred from receiving foreign funding. Most recently, 25 more NGOs have been refused the renewal of their registration because of activities not conducive to national interest.

Any criticism of the way things are heading is deflected by the absurd invocation of pseudo-nationalism. Essentially this boils down to asserting that if you support the BJP you are patriotic, and if you oppose it you are anti-national. Charges of sedition are slapped on dissenters at the drop of a hat. There is a brittle rejection of any difference of opinion, a muscular dismissal of even constructive criticism, on the specious ground that your bona fides as a loyal citizen of India are suspect. Just half way through its term, BJP rule at the Centre has brought into sharp focus some foundational questions about the kind of Republic we were envisaged to be, and how that ideal is being eroded on a daily and institutional basis. It is time for all Indian citizens to clearly see the warning signs.

The writer, an author and former diplomat, is a member of the JD(U)
The Parkash Singh Badal government celebrated the golden jubilee of the formation of Punjab with great fanfare at Amritsar last week. Besides showcasing the culture and history of the state, the government also gave awards to prominent Punjabis. While the roll call included a number of familiar names, there were several glaring omissions, which did not go unnoticed by the audience. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first Sikh to have held the post for a record 10 years, was missing. Similarly, former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and former Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill were not honoured.

One Akali Dal insider said Dr Singhs name was on the initial list but he was not sure how it disappeared. Different explanations were offered by the other party leaders but they maintained there was little point in calling the former PM and the others associated with the Congress as they would have declined to attend. But Bikram Singh Majithia, a Cabinet minister in the Punjab government, came out with the a forthright answer. The Akali government, he explained, could not afford to be seen in the company of Congress leaders on a day which marks the anniversary of the 1984-anti-Sikh riots.

When the Election Commission organised a two-day international conference on voter education recently, press persons evinced unusual interest in the names of the participants from Nepal. The reason was not far to seek. The meeting was being held at a time when the media had carried reports suggesting that Nepal election commissioner Ila Sharma and former Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y. Quraishi were romantically involved. These reports were subsequently denied by Mr Quraishi.

Realising that their conference would be washed out if they announced Ms Sharma would be attending the two-day meet, the organisers took a conscious decision to maintain that she would not be attending the meeting. But it now transpires that Ms Sharma did participate in the conference and was seen in deep conversation with Mr Quraishi. Interestingly, the two were said to have met at a conference in Mexico last year. The organisers are pleased at keeping her participation a secret.

Two ministers in the Narendra Modi government have hit the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. First, minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju castigated mediapersons for questioning the government, saying it was not a good culture. He made this comment when questions were asked about the manner in which the MP police shot dead eight terror suspects who had escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail. Even as Mr Rijiju was being flayed for this statement, former Army Chief Gen. V.K. Singh, generated a fresh controversy when he questioned the mental state of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal who committed suicide.

To make matters worse, the minister said the jawan was a Congress worker. According to the Delhi grapevine, the two ministers have fallen out of favour with the leadership and are making such statements in the desperate hope that Prime Minister Modi will be impressed with their loyalty. However, in an effort to win back the leaderships trust, the two ministers have only ended up embarrassing the government.

Like all other state units, Rajasthan Congress is also wracked by factionalism. Though former Union minister Sachin Pilot was named president of the Rajasthan PCC over two years ago with the purpose of promoting younger faces. Mr Pilots appointment had the blessings of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who is keen that Gen-Next be given greater responsibilities in the party organisation. However, the old guard is not ready to give up. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who still retains a hold over the state unit, is not allowing Mr Pilot to function who has been branded as an outsider. In fact, the buzz in Rajasthan is that Mr Gehlot will eventually oust Mr Pilot if and when the party manages to regain power in the desert state. In fact, Mr Gehlots recent appointment as chief of the Congress screening committee for the Punjab Assembly elections is being seen by his supporters as a clear sign that the former chief minister still enjoys the trust of the party leadership which is not willing to let go of him so soon.

The writer is a Delhi-based journalist
While the United States has been locked in a bitter campaign between two contenders to the presidency and major policymaking is on hold, China has been busy trying to win friends and influence in its neighbourhood. It has had two striking successes with the leaders of the Philippines and Malaysia, each inclined to endear himself to Beijing for his own reasons.

The more dramatic visit was of the new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, Americas traditional closest ally in the region. After earlier abusing President Barack Obama at regional gatherings with epithets hardly in the realm of polite conversation, he declared in China that he wanted separation from the US.

It is still far from clear whether he has thought through a new policy, but his invectives were full of venom against Washington DC tracing his own mixed ancestry to China, seeking the withdrawal of US troops stationed in his country and implying that he would abrogate a bunch of new agreements signed rather recently. What seems to have particularly annoyed him was criticism of his tough policy of eliminating drug addicts without often observing the rule of law.

Mr Duterte was, however, signalling a desire to draw closer to China because it was a neighbour. Ironically, the Philippines had won a major court battle at The Hague international tribunal on a plea by the preceding regime rubbishing most of Chinas claims in the South China Sea. Mr Duterte, however, has gone soft on this verdict in the hope of building better relations with Beijing.

Although Washington has shown patience and tolerance over Mr Dutertes extravagant and insulting rhetoric, the apparent change in Manilas policy represents a major setback to the so-called US pivot to Asia. It is not clear, however, how far Mr Duterte will go in implementing the radical changes he has been proclaiming. In striking contrast to his rhetoric in China, he has toned down his proposals on his return home. Apart from the strategic implications of implementing his anti-American ideas, he cannot be ignorant that the US occupies very high popularity among Filipinos, a significant number of whom live in the US and send remittances home.

The second suitor China entertained recently was Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has had more than his share of problems, particularly over the losses incurred by the state company 1Malaysia Development Berhad being investigated in the US for embezzlement. China helped by buying 1MDBs power assets, thus reducing its debt.

China is Malaysias largest trading partner and what has caused waves in Washington are a number of agreements signed in Beijing, including a wide-ranging cooperation deal jointly to develop coastal patrol vessels and on a high speed train between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The US and Russia have been the traditional arms suppliers to Malaysia.

Although both these Southeast Asian countries might have their own reasons to overlook the severe reverse Beijing suffered at the hands of The Hague court, China has perhaps slowed down but not reversed its decision to transform hilly formations in the South China Sea into islands capable of hosting military assets. At the very least, the kind of support Washington expected from those directly affected by the Chinese grab of hilly formations in the South China Sea has not materialised.

Indeed, the next US President will have his or her hands full in making sense of Mr Obamas pivot to Asia in the new circumstances of a two-way wooing of neighbouring states. The Obama policy of minimising commitments in the Middle East, except to tackle the so-called Islamic State through air attacks and minimal special forces, has still to bear fruit.

Beijing, in the meantime, is seeking to strengthen its own position by sprinkling economic favours tinged with an implied fear factor of a new powerful China capable of settling scores to the disadvantage of a far-off superpower.

With the Philippines wobbly and Malaysia guarding its China flank, Washingtons planners are now having to remain content with a loose coalition comprising Japan, Australia, Vietnam and India in taking on Chinas new offensive to stamp its authority in the region. Here again, the Washington interregnum will prove to be a handicap.

In a sense, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was a highly successful grouping in knitting the nations together. Once China activated its diplomacy, Asean is in danger of becoming a toothless tiger in acting on major political issues concerning the region because it had bought the loyalty of countries such as Cambodia and Laos through major financial assistance. The negative votes of one member state nullify any proposal Beijing considers inimical to its interests.

In the new circumstances, perhaps Mr Obamas pivot to Asia will have to be reconfigured. It is no longer a question of moving more military assets to the region in the shape of aircraft-carriers and other symbols of naval might. Rather, Washington is in an intense conflict with Beijing on winning regional friends and guaranteeing them of American protection from hostile moves by the dominant regional power.

Whoever wins the US presidency, the problems thrown up by Chinas new muscular policy will not go away. Washington will have to work out a new calibrated policy taking account of Beijings legitimate interests while seeking to deny it the capacity to play mischief.

The Beijing power structure is in a particularly optimistic mood, President Xi Jinping having been crowned the core leader. While power seems to have been further centralised, the Chinese are averse to taking risks unless a major interest is involved.

What remains to be determined is how soon after the presidential election result the new President will get to the Asian theatre. If Hillary Clinton wins, the future will be more predictable in reorienting the pivot. In the case of Donald Trumps victory, no one knows the answer. His rhetoric has been laced with so many extravagant proposals that the outcome remains unpredictable.
Here is your own personal briefing on whats really going on in the Democrats attempt to win back the U.S. Senate. Regarding the individual races, a lot of this is information that you wont find elsewhere.





The Democrats hold 46 of the 100 seats in the Senate. They need to pick up 4 Republican seats if Clinton wins the White House (because VP Kaine will then cast the deciding vote when the Senate ties 50-50), and they need to pick up 5 Republican seats if the Apocalypse arrives. (Im looking at you, Trump.)





Team Blue expects to win GOP Senate seats in Illinois and Wisconsin. That looks solid in Illinois, but as I mentioned yesterday, Wisconsin is far less certain. The latest two polls have Democrat Russ Feingold winning by one point and by two points, both within the margin of error. (OTOH, the average voter in Green Bay will see 90(!) Feingold ads in the last two weeks, and only 21 for his opponent.) If the Democrats win both IL and WI, that takes them to 48. For a majority, they would need two more Senate seats, or three more if flesh melts and the twelve plagues return. There are six Senate races where the polling has been within the margin of error for months. Five of those are GOP seats: New Hampshire, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana. One is a Democratic seat: Nevada. Since one of these is Democratic, if Hillary wins, and the Democratic Senate candidates in IL and WI win, then the Democrats need to win three of these six seats to take a majority in the Senate. Here is whats happening in each of these six Senate races:

New Hampshire: The GOP incumbent, Ayotte, has led in five of the six polls this week, but only by two points. Her campaign is out of cash, and neither the GOP nor the Koch Brothers are beating the drum for her. The Democrat, Hassan, is looking to spend a ridiculous $8 million on TV ads in the last two weeks of the campaign. But Trump is surging in New Hampshire, and the state is extremely polarized. I honestly dont know whether the GOP has cut its spending because they think Ayotte is going to lose, or because she has it in the bag.





Missouri: The corrupt GOP incumbent, Blunt, may have enlisted every single family member to become a paid lobbyist. That would seem to invite a populist, progressive Democratic challenge, but the Democrat, Kander, probably is the most right-wing Democratic Senate candidate in the country. This race has been extremely close for the last two months, since Kander started running an ad featuring him assembling a rifle blindfolded. (Remember, a neighboring state, Iowa, elected Joni Ernst to the Senate when she ran an ad bragging about her castrating pigs.) However, Romney carried Missouri by ten points just four years ago, so its just not blue territory. Most of the money being spent in the last two weeks of the race is from Super PACs, $5 million for the GOP and $2 million for the Dems. The average voter in St. Louis will see 71 GOP ads during that time. Advantage: GOP.





North Carolina: The GOP incumbent, Burr, has been ahead in six of the polls during the last two weeks. His Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross, has been ahead in three. Two polls were tied. Burr and Ross are essentially spending equal amounts of money on TV in the last two weeks, but they have become bit players in this drama, thanks to the national parties and the Super PACs. The Democrats are spending $8 million, and the Republicans (and allies) are spending $13 million. The average voter in Charlotte will see 62 Democratic TV ads and 87 GOP TV ads, in 14 days. If that doesnt make you want to switch to Netflix, I dont know what would. Burr seems to have a slight advantage.

Pennsylvania: The GOP incumbent, Toomey, has had a lot of trouble trying to figure out whether he should like Donald Trump or hate him. His Democratic challenger, McGinty, is essentially just hoping for all the Clinton votes, since Clinton has won every Presidential poll in Pennsylvania since June-- until yesterday, when a GOP polling firm reported a tie in both the Presidential race and the Senate race. In the final two weeks, the Democrats are being hugely outspent on TV: $12 million for the GOP versus $4 million for the Democrats. The national Democrat Party wasted $4 million on the primary back in April, helping McGinty to defeat Democrat Joe Sestak even though Sestak polled far better against Toomey (Huffington Post reported yesterday). The Democrats sure could use that money now. But if the African-American vote in Philadelphia remains high, as it was for the primary, then McGinty may squeak in. The GOP incumbent, Toomey, has had a lot of trouble trying to figure out whether he should like Donald Trump or hate him. His Democratic challenger, McGinty, is essentially just hoping for all the Clinton votes, since Clinton has won every Presidential poll in Pennsylvania since June-- until yesterday, when a GOP polling firm reported a tie in both the Presidential race and the Senate race. In the final two weeks, the Democrats are being hugely outspent on TV: $12 million for the GOP versus $4 million for the Democrats. The national Democrat Party wasted $4 million on the primary back in April, helping McGinty to defeat Democrat Joe Sestak even though Sestak polled far better against Toomey ( and still does , as thereported yesterday). The Democrats sure could use that money now. But if the African-American vote in Philadelphia remains high, as it was for the primary, then McGinty may squeak in.





Indiana: It looks like the Democrats have blown this one. The GOP incumbent is retiring, and the Democrats recruited former Senator Evan Bayh (and his $10 million of cash on hand) into the race just before the filing deadline. But Bayhs cash has evaporated, and the recent revelation that he was auditioning for Wall Street during his last term in the Senate has been something of a turn-off for independent voters. Here again, the GOP is vastly outspending the Democrats on TV in the last two weeks: $7 million for the GOP versus $1.5 million for the Democrats. And, of course, this was red territory to start with. It sure looks like Bayh will lose.





Nevada: In the one Democratic seat out of these six close races, the Democrats are, as usual, being outspent on TV in the last two weeks: $9 million for the GOP versus $6.5 million for the Democrats. But a lot of the Democratic money is candidate money, and candidates (by law) get cheaper TV rates. Thus in Reno, the GOP is spending twice as much, but the Democrats are getting twice the air time. The polling has been all over the place; last week, within 24 hours, one pollster claimed that the Democrat was winning by six points, and another claimed that she was losing by seven. I suspect that heavy Hispanic turnout in Nevada, as reported for early voting, will keep this seat in Democratic hands.





And Florida? Patrick Murphy was doomed the moment that his father reneged on the $10 million pledge that bought Murphy the nomination.





Bottom line: I see 49 seats for the Democrats, but Im not overly optimistic about 50. I wish that these hand-picked Democratic Senate candidates had run more substantive campaigns, and given the voters solid reasons to vote for them. All around the country, the GOP Senate candidates are preaching the gospel of lower taxes, deregulation, fiscal prudence and small government, while the Democrats are primarily heaping scorn on Donald Trump-- with the Presidential race virtually tied.





Except for Russ Feingold, who has run a principled progressive campaign from Day One. And there is no way-- absolutely no way-- that the Democrats can take back the Senate if Russ Feingold loses. Therefore I ask you, one more time, to contribute to Russ Feingolds Senate campaign





When you look around the country, and you see how thoroughly DC party bosses have purged liberal candidates, you realize that a progressive is a terrible thing to waste.





Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson








The one-day ban imposed as punishment on NDTV India offers the latest instance of the Modi governments efforts at suppressing free expression. The Hindi channel has been directed to go off air for 24 hours on November 9 by an inter-ministerial group under the ministry of I&B for its coverage of the Pathankot terrorist attack in January.

The charge is that the channel disclosed the location of the ammunition dump at the airbase and of the terrorists holed up there, and this could have been exploited by the terrorists handlers. The allegation is pathetic. As the channel has noted in response, it did not tell its viewers anything different or more than the other channels. The singling out obviously owes to other reasons. This channel was known to be broadly objective in its approach, and not fawning, unlike much of audio-visual and not a few of the print media.

The action of the bureaucratic group  to deliver an object lesson so that others may beware  reeks of political prompting. It is unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny. Will NDTV summon the nerve to take the government to court? This is an open question. NDTV English recently declined to play an interview of former home minister P. Chidambaram, who was apparently critical of the regime, after airing promos. Worse, in an internal memo its top editors were instructed not to carry unsubstantiated political bilge that questioned the armed forces and national security. Evidently, the NDTV group is now being hoisted by its own petard. Had it not declined to stand up to bullying earlier, it is possible the government would not have had the gumption to fix its Hindi platform.

Another recent glaring instance of self-censorship is CNN18 pulling off air audio-clips of self-incriminating police chatter in the recent Bhopal jail-break case. Media houses have begun to be careful. There is apprehension abroad. The government seems to have taken to propaganda in a massive way, and those engaged in straightforward, old-fashioned journalism are under suspicion. Anything other than the official narrative is frowned upon. The wise are taking their cue. To have its way, the government brandishes idiotic and pseudo-patriotic slogans like nation first, national security, as though we were an Army-run state. The dangerous assumption is that while ordinary citizens may turn out anti-national, it is the government that knows best. This is unacceptable.
The media itself has been in the news in the last few days. First, Indias most popular English journalist quit his position as anchor of a path-breaking show. Arnab Goswami decided to end a decade in which he reformed the way journalism in India is done. He did this not through reporting but anchoring. The editor of an English daily made a terrific speech a few days ago in front of the Prime Minister in which he referred to selfie journalism. He described this as journalism with the camera faced towards the journalist rather than the world. Arnab was the pioneer of this style, at least in India, and its best exponent.

His channel had a small viewership as all English channels do. And it was not particularly big commercially because newspapers still generate much more money than news channels do. But it was influential because urban upper classes watched him. It was because of this that the stories that Arnab spoke most passionately about, such as slogan shouting in Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the murder of a socialites daughter, could be totally irrelevant for most Indians. The issues of poverty, illiteracy and hunger did not make his show: His concerns were Pakistani terrorism and surgical strikes.

It is true that his unbalanced harangues damaged his country but it is also true that he was very good at what he did. So why did he quit? Perhaps he was disgusted by what he had done and wanted no more of it. It was reported that he wants to own a channel. If this is true I hope he recognises that the forum is important for a journalist. Many people who have been popular in one place have flopped in another. Glenn Beck was one of Fox News Channels biggest stars before he started his own venture which is failing. Anyway, good luck to him and I hope he does reporting on the issues which actually affect Indians.

The second story was the government imposing a one-day ban on another news channel, NDTV, for reporting some information which the government says was sensitive and threatened national security. This was concerning an encounter, which was being covered live by many channels. Reports suggest that the NDTV coverage was not really as damaging as the government suggests. The Editors Guild put out a statement comparing the one-day ban to Indira Gandhis Emergency in which media was heavily censored.

We do not yet know how damaging the coverage actually was and viewers know NDTV to be usually a cautious and conservative channel. But I can say that television news coverage in general has become dangerous. It is reckless because the investment in terms of airtime is not on reporting but on commentary. And the comment begins as soon as a story breaks, meaning before the material has been fully examined and digested.

That is the nature of the TV medium and unfortunately things will not change. The third thing in the news was a report describing the way in which the Indian Readership Survey is being conducted. This is a huge exercise in which lakhs of people are polled on which newspapers and magazines they read. The survey has not been published in the last couple of years after there was a controversy over the numbers. Many papers showed declining or flat readerships, which is, of course, a trend in the West where newspaper readerships and revenues are falling rapidly. My guess is that the survey, if and when it comes out, is likely to show that the trend has also affected Indian publications. Magazines here are already facing severe pressure and newspapers will follow soon.

To me, this is a great tragedy for this country. We have an environment where TV is not interested in serious journalism. And it is not equipped to do reportage as a newspaper is. Social media to me is not a substitute for what newspapers do. Full-time reporters writing about beats with contacts and experience on the field cannot be replaced by millions of people sending out 140 character observations. In a future where newspapers are gone, the public will have a severe lack of material to be properly informed. If the transition to a newspaper-less world happens soon, I worry that there will be no proper medium left to pick up the space papers are leaving behind.

We will be left in a world of journalism that is entirely populated by Arnab and anchors like him, competing on the basis of passion and anger, and by people who pull out their phone and tweet a comment without first-hand information. It will be a frightening world.

Aakar Patel is a writer, columnist and executive director of Amnesty International (India)
The government has now made it mandatory that only IAS officers can apply for the post of Permanent Representative of India in Unesco, Paris.

Advantage IAS:

The government has now made it mandatory that only IAS officers can apply for the post of Permanent Representative of India in Unesco, Paris, which be open once Ruchira Kamboj, a 1987 batch IFS, ends her term next year. This joint secretary-ranked post comes under the control of the department of higher education under the ministry of human resource development, and was not reserved for IAS officers exclusively.

But now, sources say, a letter from the department of personnel and training issued recently states that the first mandatory qualification for an applicant is that the officer should belong to the IAS, and who has been empanelled to hold joint secretary or equivalent posts at the Centre. Before Ms Kamboj took charge as Permanent Representative of India to Unesco in April 2014, an IAS officer of 1979 batch  Vinay Sheel Oberoi held that Paris-located post very competently. Mr Oberoi, who is now a secretary in HRD, was given extensions for personal reasons and he held the post for four years.

Though the Unesco post was always considered an IAS post, earlier advertisements never mentioned it categorically that only IAS officers could apply. Had it been so, Ms Kamboj would not have been selected at all.

MPs new chief secretary:

The appointment of Basant Pratap Singh as the new chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh has ended furious speculation among babus about the successor to Anthony de Sa, who retired after serving as the longest serving chief secretary. Mr Singh, a 1984-batch IAS officer, was additional chief secretary in the home department before his new appointment. Among Bhopals babu circles it was widely believed that.

Mr De Sas successor would be an officer of the 1982-batch. But the twists and turns of luck have resulted in the 1982 batch officers missing out. Informed sources say that four IAS officers of the 1982 batch, who would have been eligible, are serving as secretaries in the Centre and have no interest in returning to the state. One officer Pravesh Sharma took voluntary retirement earlier this year. The sole member of the 1982 batch serving in the state, S.R. Mohanty, is now expected to be posted out of Mantralaya now that his junior has been made chief secretary.
With firing continuing unabated on the borders following Pakistani provocation, the situation in the Kashmir Valley still tense since and diplomatic ties with Pakistan on a rapid downslide, former commander of the Indian Armys Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) tells Sridhar Kumaraswami in this email interview about what he sees ahead for India-Pak ties amid the volatile situation in the Valley.

With firing continuing unabated at the LoC and International Border (IB) in J&K, what is the way forward? Do you see peace returning gradually, as happened in 2014, or else further escalation?

We have seen the phenomenon of LoC/IB firing too many times in the past. These are the most convenient places which offer Pakistan the scope to keep the J&K issue in the focus of the international community and the powers that matter. This time it is also about displaying solidarity with the street protesters. It will eventually taper off because stamina on Kashmirs streets will also dilute but peace as such may not return. The LoC/Jammu IB will remain tense. Clearly, deterioration of the bilateral political climate adversely affects the military situation too. I do not foresee scope for improvement in the political climate for quite some time. The informal ceasefire which came about on November 26, 2003, is under more serious threat than ever before.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has spoken of a new normal wherein India will not suffer in silence any more and will inflict heavier costs on Pakistan. How do you see this new strategy of the Modi government?

No doubt this government has been very resolute on both fronts. It first took considerable risk at re-initiating the peace process and Narendra Modi risked even personal reputation through his Lahore visit. However, since the deep state in Pakistan was not willing to seize the hand of friendship extended by the Modi government, the latter has shown that it can display the will to respond in other ways too. The surgical strikes were necessary and they were meaningless without political ownership. It will create a dilemma for Pakistan and force a rethink on the threshold strategy it follows.

Ties have further dipped even diplomatically, with India and Pakistan recalling their diplomats but diplomatic relations have not yet been snapped. Whats the role for diplomacy in such a hostile situation?

I doubt diplomatic relations will be snapped; they may be marginally and temporarily downgraded to communicate strategic messaging. Remember, Pakistan is in the grip of its military along with its unpredictability and irrationality. The civil society and the elected government are both extremely weak and forced into anti-India utterances. Our diplomacy must play to these and prove the rogue status of the Pakistan Army to the world as also to the Pakistani public.

How do you see the situation in J&K now amid the continuing shutdown where there is a gradual sullen limping back to normalcy after three months of violence, especially since it was this that triggered the latest round of India-Pak hostilities?

First, the round of India-Pak hostilities was initiated by Pakistan to express solidarity with the street hooligans of the Valley in the hope that this time, unlike 2008-10, the protests would have continued into winter and even beyond. However, the timely move of the Armys two brigades into South Kashmir and the correct concept of operations that 15 Corps has followed has stemmed the rot to a great extent. The CRPF and the J&K police too have played no mean role. The toll on the social milieu of the Valley has been much larger than in 2008-10. Vigilantism by adolescents is currently the norm in the towns and villages. So, there is a tenuous calm while the calendar of protests continues with less fervour. We are still far from normalcy. The process of getting the J&K police to its original confidence must continue. I am also glad to see that the state government is not standing between operational necessities and political compulsions.

How do you read the internal situation in Pakistan after controversy over the civilian-military rift and with Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif all set to hang up his boots. Will he go quietly?

About four weeks ago, it seemed Gen. Sharif was setting up a situation for his inevitable continuation. That seems to be changing although its yet reasonably uncertain. He has a fairly positive image in Pakistan and may not like exiting with a kind of whimper having given the Indian Army an opportunity to roar. So what we may be witnessing at the LoC and the Jammu IB may be Gen. Sharifs idea of redemption before he hangs up his boots. I doubt he is going to follow (the previous Pakistan Army Chief) Gen. A.P. Kayani into oblivion.

The Quetta attack in Balochistan on the Pakistan Police Training College has convinced the Pakistanis that there is a grand plot by India and Afghanistan to destabilise them, instead of realising that they are reaping the bitter harvest of terrorism. Has Pakistan learnt any lessons from the Uri misadventure and Indias surgical strikes at the border?

Pakistan is a master at the psychological game. It has convinced its public that every terror activity inside Pakistan has the hand of India behind it. Privately, most educated Pakistanis admit that India too has an obsession but that obsession is about its economic development and improvement of social parameters. We have been unable to project that to Pakistans public. This is where our security establishment has always been found wanting, the information and the psychological game. A focused campaign to convince the Pakistani public and important elements of the international community is the need. Who will do it, whose role and responsibility is it in India? Given the abysmal state of civil-military relations in India the effect is most felt at the national strategic level.

Pakistan has said that ties cannot improve during the tenure of Mr Modi whom they see as more than willing to hit back both diplomatically and militarily. Do you think the policy of diplomatic isolation of Pakistan has worked?

First, I dont think Mr Modi has, in any way, shut out dialogue or improvement in relations. For a leader who wishes to see India in the highest league will be the last to remain obsessed with war or a kinetic approach. He displayed enough desire to pursue peace. Pakistan does not like a strong personality at Indias helm, especially the Pakistan Army. The diplomatic isolation of Pakistan cannot be a one-off attempt; it needs continuity and, importantly, a more holistic approach. We need to take the diplomatic battle to beyond just conventions, conferences and big-ticket events and fight it at every level.

Theres a new Army commander at the Srinagar-based 15 Corps which you once commanded. Are you satisfied with the way in which the Army has responded to Pakistans provocations?

The 15 Corps is the Indian Armys pride. Its ability to calibrate from conventional to hybrid is amazing. I also wish to compliment the Army Commander Northern Command for staying the course. His understanding of the concept of operations needed at this juncture has been superb.

I would like to see the Unified Command being made use of as often as possible. Most importantly, the entire situation in J&K is what we call in military parlance, hybrid warfare. Unlike the conventional or pure sub-conventional, this needs a whole of government approach. The more the Army advises governments at Centre and state the better will be the response.
Veterans India members pay tribute to retired army soldier Ram Kishan Grewal who committed suicide on OROP issue, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

The continuing agitation by retired military officers against the one-rank-one-pension, or Orop, scheme announced earlier this year by the government is generating both concern and confusion.

As disturbing as the sight of protesting retired soldiers is the murky bureaucratese of the military pension system. This invariably leads to the question: what really is the Orop agitation all about?

Simply put, Orop means that anyone superannuating from the armed forces will receive the same pension as a person of similar rank and length of service, no matter when they retire. Moreover, every time pension rates are enhanced, the increase will automatically be passed on to all pensioners new and old.

This scheme was put into effect in February 2016 and since then more than two million military pensioners and their widows have received enhanced pensions, which are reported to have cost the exchequer more than Rs 5,500 crores. About one lakh more pensioners, many of them old and with lost records, are yet to receive pension benefits.

However, a section of retired armed forces officers has rejected the governments Orop scheme and resumed their agitation. One outcome of this was the recent tragic suicide of an ex-serviceman.

The Orop agitation now has spiralled into a full-blown political war with the Opposition targeting the government for not fulfilling its pledge to the armed forces.

Instead of easing heightened emotions, the government has blundered by making insensitive statements and trying to run down the agitation as an Opposition-sponsored one.

The defence minister, far from assuaging the Orop agitators, has hardened his position by claiming that the vast majority of servicemen support the governments implementation of Orop.

This points to a failure to connect with the military. Reports suggest that the continued agitation is causing confusion and concern within the military ranks as the reward of a lifetime pension is primarily what attracts recruits.

A significant section of retired service officers, it must be noted, do not support the current agitation or the manner in which it is being conducted. They point out that in every negotiation there must be some give and take and no one party should expect 100 per cent satisfaction. They maintain that unlike past governments, the Narendra Modi government has fulfilled 90 per cent of the Orop demands and that hundreds of thousands of ex-servicemen and military widows have benefited from the increased rollout of pensions.

These officers believe that their agitating co-officers should acknowledge the fact that the reasons behind the governments inability to meet every demand is due to fiscal constraints and not an anti-military mindset.

They also argue that military officers today cannot be considered impecunious by any means. Pensions today are generous by most standards and retired personnel enjoy free medical benefits, subsidised canteen and other facilities, which civilians do not. All this, say the proponents of the Orop agitation, is beside the point.

They claim what the present government has implemented is a watered-down version of Orop. The agitators among other things want pensions to be revised every year instead of every two years (compared to every 10 years earlier) and oppose the exclusion of Orop for personnel who opt for premature retirement.

The military, being a highly pyramidical organisation, compulsorily retires almost 90 per cent of its personnel before they are 40 years old. A great percentage of the older ones who remain do not have promotion prospects and many of them seek premature retirement. For thousands of such officers, pension remains a prime concern.

However, the Orop agitation is not so much a matter of detail, of how much the government has given or not given, whether the Orop idea has been implemented in spirit or, as civilian bureaucrats maintain, an issue reflective of the insatiable greed of a group of service personnel.

The problem is the bureaucracy and its blatant machinations since 1973 when the Third Pay Commission gave the first body blow to the military. Both pensions and salaries of the military were slashed while those of the civil services hiked. The latest pay commission continues along the same lines and has been rejected by the service chiefs.

Since then there has been a growing feeling in the military, particularly the Army, that their status and emoluments relative to the civil bureaucracy have deliberately and systematically been eroded.

This feeling finally snowballed into the full-fledged agitation in 2009 with senior retired officers coming out in the streets. This was an agitation without parallel and its continuance remains a great source of worry for ordinary citizens.

Ironically, issues that are only tangentially connected to Orop are currently agitating ex-servicemen and giving a fillip to Orop agitators.

The two specific issues of great emotive value for the military are disability pension and its status vis-a-vis the civil bureaucracy.

On October 18, 2016, a joint secretary in the ministry of defence reportedly issued a circular according to which all senior officers were downgraded against their civilian counterparts. Thus, a major general who was earlier equivalent to a joint director was downgraded to a principal director, a colonel to a joint director from director and so on.

Some years earlier, Pranab Mukherjee had suggested upgrading the status of military officers as compared to their civilian counterparts, but the bureaucracy ensured the opposite happened.

The defence minister was told by his bureaucrats that nothing had changed and that the reports of the downgrading of ranks were false. The minister believed them.

What made matters worse was that the administrative diktats downgrading the military coincided with the surgical strikes carried out by the Army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was tantamount to waving a red rag before an already unsettled military.

Similarly, disability pensions were slashed on the very day of the surgical strikes, causing huge resentment in the military. A military life is inherently dangerous and injuries leading to disabilities can destroy a soldiers life.

Unlike civilian employees, thousands of soldiers get booted out of the military prematurely if they fall short of medical requirements. A disability pension is the only way to compensate these unfortunate men who have lost out.

Yet, a bureaucratic order on September 29 this year introduced a slab system for disability pension under which an officer would get a flat rate of Rs 27,000 per month, a junior commissioned officer Rs 17,000 and all other ranks Rs 12,000. This effectively lowered actual payments made under the earlier percentage system where disability pension was calculated as a percentage of last pay drawn.

Mischievous bureaucrats increasingly pose a grave threat to national integrity. They thrive in a system that allows too much power in their hands and remain unaccountable to all except their minister. If the minister can be managed, the bureaucrats can get away with anything.

Today the entire Orop controversy is quintessentially a battle between a section of the military and the civil bureaucracy. To make matters worse this fight has escalated into a full-scale political one, and will stay that way.

It will require great statesmanship to rid the military community of its collective angst and steer the military establishment away from the brink. Sadly, given the current political climate, it seems unlikely anything like that will happen.
Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Raj Babbar and Kumari Shelja at Mandir Marg Police Station where party Vice President Rahul Gandhi was detained by the police in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

It is believed that when the cats are away, the mice will play, and that is exactly what is happening in the Uttar Pradesh Congress headquarters in Lucknow these days.

All top party leaders, along with Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar, are in New Delhi, either planning party programmes or participating in them. The Congress yatras have kept the state leadership away from Lucknow and while they are working to resurrect the Congress in the coming Assembly elections, the second-rung leaders are working to dismantle their plans.

Afternoons in the UPCC headquarters are devoted to exchange of gossip with mediapersons and reports of political strategist Prashant Kishor planning to quit the campaign are planted from here.

A veteran party leader rightly remarked that the biggest rival of the party in Uttar Pradesh is the party itself.

Our leaders love running down the party in public and have no fear of action being taken against them. No one can dare to indulge in this kind of talk in the BJP, BSP or SP but in the Congress, it is a free for all. Before reviving the party, the leadership should take note of such leaders who have no work except gossiping, he said.

And Team Prashant Kishor could not agree more this time.

Stirring a hornets nest

Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises Giriraj Singh did not know his misadventure in Odisha would never go unpunished. A day after he blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the countrys youths not being skilled because of his faulty policies, he was shown black flags by Congress activists. Congress activists tried to intercept the ministers vehicle but were stopped by policemen.

He (Giriraj Singh) is a Union minister. On the one hand, he admits that Jawaharlal Nehru spread education in the country. On the other hand, he blames him for not making the youths skilled. He does not have the minimum idea that education and skills are interlinked. Who will buy his words that a man who spread education was not serious about skilling the youths of the country? asked state Youth Congress president Lokanath Maharathy.

No BJP leader of Odisha came forward to defend Mr Singh knowing well that he had stirred a hornets nest.

Didis singur stand

Only days after Mamata Banerjee started the process of returning the land of Tata Motors defunct Nano plant in Singur to the farmers, Cyrus Mistry was forced to step down as chairman of the Tata Group. Ratan Tata who had in the past belligerently attacked Didi, once again took over the reins of the $103 billion conglomerate. The first reaction of many political pundits was that it was kind of a setback for the Bengal chief minister.

With Mr Mistry at the helm, relations between Didi and the Tatas were steadily improving. So much so that Didi even gave a call to the Tatas twice within a few days to set up automobile plant elsewhere in

the state. She even offered the same volume of land (1,000 acres), which her government wrested from Tata Motors in Singur following the Supreme Court order.

While announcing his decision to shift the Nano plant from Singur to Sanand in October 2008, Mr Tata had observed that Didi had pulled the trigger. According to a Mamata confidant, Mr Tatas return to the top position in the behemoth spoiled her mood a bit when she was savouring the Singur victory.

When Mr Mistrys ouster led to a war of words between the two tycoons, a washing of some dirty linen in public was inevitable fallout. In his counter-attack, Mr Mistry wrote a long letter in which he painstakingly pointed out the mistakes Mr Tata made which resulted in huge losses to the Tata Group. According to Mr Mistry the Nano losses have touched Rs 1,000 crores. He suggested that the Nano project should have been shut down, but the crucial decision was not taken because of emotional reasons.

A little bird tells us that this came as music to Didis ears. Didis Singur stand has been vindicated once again, claimed the Mamata aide.
Facebook said it wouldn't comment on the status of a possible investigation.

German prosecutors say they're investigating a lawyer's complaint against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and others, a case reportedly involving accusations of them being accessories to incitement.

Munich prosecutors said Friday they will look into whether any crime was committed, whether German law is applicable and whether they're responsible for the case.

They didn't detail the accusations, but Der Spiegel magazine reported that the criminal complaint by a Bavaria-based lawyer alleges Facebook managers have tolerated threats of violence among other things.

Facebook has faced criticism in Germany for what critics say is an insufficient response to hate speech.

Facebook said it wouldn't comment on the status of a possible investigation. However, it said "the allegations lack merit and there has been no violation of German law by Facebook or its employees."

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After the men are shown being shot dead by a firing squad in front of a large group of nomadic tribesmen, a commentary issues the threat of a similar fate to the local population if they are tempted to sell information. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Bamako, Mali: An al-Qaeda-linked group has released a video showing the purported execution of two Malians accused of collaborating with French counter-terrorism forces in Mali.

France established a military presence in the Sahel nation in January 2013 to combat Islamists including the group behind the video, al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM), which had overrun key northern cities.

The images released late Friday show the public execution of two men, named as Mohamed Ould Beih and El-Hussein Ould Badi, who were respectively accused of being paid to recruit informants and of showing French troops jihadists' weapon stashes.

Badi was also accused of collaborating with Mauritania to provide it with intelligence about jihadist fighters in Libya.

After the men are shown being shot dead by a firing squad in front of a large group of nomadic tribesmen, a commentary issues the threat of a similar fate to the local population if they are tempted to sell information.

The clip entitled "Traitors 2" was released by AQIM's media arm Andalus Media, lending it significant credibility.

It appears to be a sequel to a December 2015 video named "Traitors" in which two Malians and a Mauritanian were killed for similar reasons, also before an audience.

The men in the latest video are identified as being from Timbuktu in northern Mali, but the site of the killings is not identified.

The video was released the same day that a French soldier deployed in Mali sustained fatal injuries after the vehicle he was travelling in hit a mine close to the northern city of Kidal.

The jihadist group Ansar Dine, which also has ties to al-Qaeda, claimed that attack on social media.

Jihadists have been driven back from Mali's main cities due to French operations and the presence of a UN mission, but vast swathes of the country remain out of the control of Malian and foreign forces.
The Islamic State group has called for slaughter of American voters on Election Day, the SITE Intelligence Group said. (Photo: AFP/Representational)

Washington: The Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, has called for "slaughter" of American voters on Election Day and urged Muslims not to participate in the democratic process, according to a US-based terrorist monitoring group.

Ritz Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said on Twitter that the threats appear in an essay carried by the ISIS's Al Hayat media center that declares terrorists "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes."

The warning is carried in a seven-page manifesto, entitled 'The Murtadd Vote', The USA TODAY reported.

The essay, which uses lengthy religious arguments in an effort to justify such attacks, also declares there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties in their "policies against Islam and Muslims".

Mr Katz posted excerpts of the essay on Twitter, saying the ISIS was inciting attacks on Election Day "in an attempt to disrupt the election process and gain media attention."

The full essay, in English, includes a photograph of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, as well as a photo Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat, holding a copy of the US Constitution during his dramatic speech at the Democratic National Convention, the report said.

Regarding possible vote-related threats, federal authorities are reviewing information about al-Qaeda's potential interest in conducting attacks in the US on the eve of Tuesday's elections, several federal and state law enforcement officials had said on Friday.

The credibility of the threat, which identified New York, Virginia and Texas as locations, has not been established, one official told USA TODAY.

"The counter-terrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States," the FBI said in a statement.
Secret Service agents rush Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump off the stage at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada. (Photo: AP)

Reno, Nevada: No weapon was involved in a commotion that briefly disrupted Donald Trump's Saturday night rally and caused agents to hustle Trump from the stage, the Secret Service said.

The Republican presidential nominee had been speaking to supporters for a while when a disturbance broke out in the crowd close to the podium. Two Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump, then hustled him away.

In a statement, the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted "Gun!" but that no weapon was found after a search of the person and the immediate area. The person was apprehended, but officials did not identify the person or disclose whether the person had been charged with a crime.

The Secret Service said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Upon his return to the stage a few minutes later, Trump thanked the Secret Service and told the crowd: "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us. But we will never be stopped. Never ever be stopped."

The Secret Service statement noted that magnetometers are used at presidential campaign sites.

"All general public attending these events must go through a magnetometer screening prior to entering a protected area," the agency said.
HCM City workers go home early after refusing worms for lunch at Chinese factory

On October 29, 109 factory workers suffered food poisoning at a Chinese-owned factory in Ho Chi Minh City, prompting a boycott on the company canteen.

Thousands of workers at a Chinese garment firm in Ho Chi Minh City went without lunch, on Saturday, after some reportedly found worms in their soup.

According to a story that appeared in Thanh Nien newspaper, on Sunday, a number of workers at the Worldon Company in Cu Chi District vomited at the sight of the worms.

The company sent everyone home early that afternoon after a number of workers fainted and others complained of exhaustion.

This wasn't the first sign of trouble at Worldon's canteen.

On October 29, a lunch of ground fish, shrimp, stir-fried vegetables and cabbage soup sent 109 employees to the hospital.

Doctors held seven of the workers overnight to treat them for severe food poisoning.

In May, dozens of workers became ill after another bad lunch.

Worldon Vietnam is owned by Shenzhou International, a Chinese clothing manufacturer based in Zhejiang Province in eastern China. The company employs more than 6,000 workers.

Food poisoning has been on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City over the past five years.

The most prominent cases involve cafeterias at school and factories.

Last year, the municipal Food Safety Agency logged 171 incidents of food poisoning that killed 23 people and sent nearly 5,000 others to hospital.

The victims rarely resort to legal action.

In March, the city fined South Korean fast food chain Lotteria Vietnam VND146 million ($6,500) for a mass poisoning case that put 60 workers from a Danish company in the hospital.

The city also fined Tam Tam Company, a local lunch provider, VND48 million ($2,200) after 44 primary school students fell ill after eating their food.

Related news:

> Vietnam orders probe into food poisoning of Japanese students

> Food poisoning strikes 109 workers at Chinese garment firm in Vietnam

> 34 Japanese fly home from Vietnam with food poisoning symptoms
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Tempe, Arizona, and those of Republican Donald Trump in Baton Rouge, La. (Photo: AP)

New York: Indian-American voters can turn the tide in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Colorado, and decide the fate of White House aspirants Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who are in a dead-heat in major polls just days ahead of the election, community leaders say.

Former chief of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and community leader Bhupi Patel asked the Indian-Americans to vote for Clinton especially in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, saying the vote of the community in the red states (Republican leaning) "is going to carry 30-40 per cent more weight".

Patel cited the famous 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush that had stretched into December after recounting in Florida with Bush ultimately winning by a margin of just 537 votes.

"The Indian-American vote has value. If you can lose an election by 400-500 votes, then in places like Florida, the 30-40 per cent weight of the Indian-American vote will be important and both Democrats and Republicans will notice our value," Patel said during a press conference here this week.

Noting that 70 per cent of Indian-Americans are Democrats, he asked the community in the red states to vote for Clinton, especially in Ohio, Florida, Colorado.

"Make sure you go and cast your vote, it is going to carry a lot of weight in these states," Patel said.

Citing immigration, healthcare and education as issues of key importance to the Indian-American community, Patel said Clinton's agenda in these areas will benefit the community and urged them to vote for her.

Prominent hotelier and former commissioner in President Clinton's White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders Mike Patel, a Clinton supporter, said it took Al Gore only a few hundred votes to lose the elections in 2000 and "so the Indian-American cannot be complacent".

"The Indian-American voters in Ohio, Florida have to come out and vote because these are the states that are needed to win the election," Mike Patel said.

Bhupi Patel said the Indian-American community has to make its vote count since "it is very important for the community to be involved in the political process otherwise no one notices you. We are three million in number and are a very powerful community, contributing to the American fabric in a lot of ways. We must make our presence felt and we must exercise our voting rights".

Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Chairman of the group 'Indian-Americans for Democrats and Friends of Hillary for President', also cited the presidential election of 2000 where Al Gore lost with a small margin, saying "the

In states where there is a very tight race each vote counts a lot, he said.

Urging the community to vote for Clinton, Chatwal said it should not think "we are a minority as your vote can make the next President of the US".

Eminent New York attorney Anand Ahuja, Vice President of political action committee 'Indian Americans For Trump 2016', however, offered a different view, saying it is very difficult to predict which side the India-Americans will go and to expect that they can in a way influence the results is like "living in a fantasy land".

While acknowledging that "each vote counts", Ahuja said that "a lot of Indian-Americas are hard-core Democrats but they are also silent supporters of Trump and one of the reason for this is his pro-Hindu position".

He said most of the Indian-Americans he comes across like Trump's policies but not his temperament.

Ahuja said it is very difficult to predict which party will win the elections as the race has gotten very tight in the final lap.

He said Trump addressing the Republican Hindu Coalition rally in New Jersey "reflects that each and every vote counts and this time we do not know whether blue states (Democratic-leaning) may become red (Republican leaning)".

Given the problems Clinton created for herself, especially through the email controversy, "Trump was going to get the presidency on a platter but he thought if Clinton can create her own problems why should I stay behind".

"He should have started behaving like a presidential candidate right after the nomination. It would have been much easier for him to become President but for his loud mouth. Now the race is neck to neck," Ahuja added.
Washington: Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last-minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.

While Ms Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead, hosting weekend pop concerts with Beyonce and Katy Perry, Mr Trump has embarked on a cross-country blitz through Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

Infographic

Ms Clinton and Mr Trump criss-crossed battleground states in their final push to rally voters and announced additional stops till late Monday. Encouraged by the polling figures, Mr Trump, 70, also announced several new stops, including the Democratic stronghold like Minnesota.

Ms Clinton (44 per cent) and Mr Trump (43 per cent) are in a fierce battle among likely voters  including those who are undecided yet leaning towards a candidate or who have already voted, McClatchy-Marist poll said. However, as per RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all polls, the Democrat leads the Republican by 1.7 percentage points.
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton take a selfie as they wait for Clinton to arrive at a rally in Pembroke Pines, Florida. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Estelle Liebow Schultz, who is 98, was born before her fellow countrywomen had the right to vote. Now she has proudly cast a ballot for the candidate she hopes will make history as the first American woman elected president.

Hillary Clinton hopes to become that woman on November 8, breaking the ultimate glass ceiling after having become, at the Democratic nominating convention in July, the first female candidate for a major party.

Schultz was born in June 1918, two years before American women gained the vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. To see such an accomplishment in my lifetime is momentous, said the retired teacher, who lives in the Washington suburb of Rockville, Maryland.

Having cast an early vote  as several states permit  she hopes to see the inauguration in January of the first woman president, following the succession of 44 men that began with George Washington in 1789.

It has been a long road, starting with the presidential campaign in 1872 of Victoria Woodhull  who at 34 was technically a year too young to become president  as candidate of the Equal Rights Party. History books list the vote totals won by her male rivals, but not hers.

Britain, Germany, Croatia, Norway, Chile and South Korea have women leaders; Israel, Brazil, Argentina and Pakistan have been led by women. We are very late compared to many other countries around the world, said Jeanne Zaino, a political scientist at Iona College in New York.

Only two women have made it onto major party presidential tickets: the Republican Sarah Palin, who was John McCains running mate in 2008, and Geraldine Ferraro, who joined Walter Mondale on the Democratic ticket in 1984. Both lost.

Some women failed to survive the brutal primary election process, chewed up by the big parties political machines. Others became historical footnotes in the quixotic campaigns of splinter parties. When you dont support women in a structural way, you have fewer women who can rise to the top, in politics and other arenas, Zaino said.

Ms Clinton has sometimes presented herself as a mother or a grandmother, but the 69-year-old has used the woman card sparingly, intent on being judged first for her competence and experience.

At the same time, her rival Donald Trump has not hesitated to draw on stereotypes of women, describing the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state as weak and lacking stamina.
Protesters use umbrellas to block the pepper spray from police officers after clashing outside the Chinese central government's liaison office as thousands of people march in a Hong Kong on Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Hong Kong: Hong Kong police on Sunday used pepper spray to drive back hundreds of protesters angry at China's decision to intervene in a row over whether two pro-independence lawmakers should be barred from the city's legislature.

In chaotic scenes reminiscent of mass pro-democracy protests in 2014, demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police outside China's liaison office in the semi-autonomous city.

Protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from the spray as they tried to approach the building, while some threw water and water bottles at police.

"We are quite shocked, we just wanted to express our demands at the liaison office," Cas Wong, a 19-year-old student, told AFP.

At least one person was seen taken away by multiple officers before scuffles broke out.

Police warned protesters they were involved in an "unlawful assembly" and told them to disperse, as they donned riot gear.

The protest began with a peaceful city centre march in the afternoon. Organisers said 13,000 people took part in that, while 4,000 people rallied outside the liaison office.

Police estimates were not immediately available.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing government is trying to bar newly appointed pro-independence legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching from taking their seats in the Legislative Council (Legco) after they deliberately misread their oaths of office last month.

As fears grow that Beijing  to whom any independence talk is treasonous  is tightening its grip on the city, China has announced that its parliament will interpret Hong Kong's constitution, which states that council members must swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China".

The decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee is expected to be announced on Monday.

China is reviewing the issue even though a Hong Kong court is also considering the matter, a move which local lawyers say erodes the independence of the city's judiciary.

Hong Kong was handed over by Britain to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal which guaranteed its rights and freedoms for 50 years.

There are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are under threat.

In Sunday's demonstration protesters marched to the city's court of final appeal and the Chinese liaison office, carrying banners reading: "Chinese law interpretation tramples on Hong Kong people."

"Hong Kong has its own legal system, it should not be controlled by Chinese authorities," protester Alex Wong told AFP.

"We must tell the government we are not happy," the 35-year-old office clerk said.

Monday's expected announcement will mark the fifth time since the handover that China has interpreted Hong Kong's constitution.

The lawmakers at the heart of the controversy have previously said the interpretation would deal a "lethal blow" to the city and branded the chairman of the Chinese legislature's standing committee and the city's leader "traitors to Hong Kong".

Yau and Leung won seats in September's citywide polls, in which several new lawmakers advocating self-determination or independence swept to victory.

The pair have yet to be sworn into Legco, after their first oath attempt last month was declared invalid. They draped themselves in banners reading "Hong Kong is not China" and altered the wording of their pledges to include derogatory terms and expletives.
London: Defence, security and trade relations will top the agenda of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May as they will cover the "breadth" of ties, a top Downing Street official has said.

The two leaders will discuss the "breadth" of India-UK relations during their working lunch at Hyderabad House on Monday afternoon, May's official spokesperson told reporters at Downing Street here.

"It will not be about how many deals are signed or that kind of transactional visit but more about the depth of the ties and working towards creating more jobs and growth in both countries. Defence and security will be an important part of the bilateral discussions. We are keen to develop that partnership and see how we can put in more energy and enthusiasm into that," she said.

"Why the Prime Minister is going to India for her first bilateral visit outside Europe, and her first trade delegation, is because India matters to us -- now more than ever. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union (EU), the aim is two-fold- to build on the groundwork already done to bring down trade barriers and deepen the UK's relationships outside the EU," she noted.

In reference to discussions on a potential India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), the spokesperson stressed that the UK would not be pursuing a bilateral trade deal with India while it remains a member of the EU.

"We will continue to support the India-EU FTA, respecting our rights and obligations within the EU," she said.

While there has been wide speculation over a potential India-UK FTA, Britain remains inhibited from openly pursuing bilateral trade negotiations until Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty triggers the official process of Brexit.

May will begin her India visit by opening the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday morning alongside Modi.

Following her bilateral talks with Modi, both leaders will issue a joint statement.

While in New Delhi, she is also expected to visit the Gandhi Smriti and War Memorial at India Gate.

On Tuesday, she will leave for Bengaluru, where she has a series of business engagements as well as an address to a tech summit.

The British premier will be accompanied by 40 small and medium enterprise (SME) representatives from across the UK, many of whom are on the lookout for a foothold in India.

The recent tightening of the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) visas, expected to hit Indian IT companies the hardest, is expected to be on the agenda from the Indian side.

However, Downing Street stressed the UK remains open to the "brightest and the best" from India and that Indians had been issued more work-related visas than the US, China and Australia combined.

On the sharp decline in Indian student numbers coming to study in the UK over the years, she highlighted that 89 per cent of all Indian students who applied to study at UK universities were given visas.

"This visit is about highlighting that the UK-India relationship really matters. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and India is the second largest job creator in the UK. There are strong bonds and ties there and it is important to keep up the momentum," the spokesperson said.

May will be accompanied by international trade secretary Liam Fox and minister of state in the Department for International Trade, Greg Hands.
German President Joachim Gauck said he was worried about the prospect of Donald Trump winning the race for the White House. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: German President Joachim Gauck said he was worried about the prospect of Donald Trump winning the race for the White House, citing the US Republican hopeful's "unpredictability" as a cause for concern, according to a magazine interview published on Sunday.

"We can't say what could be expected from a President Donald Trump," Gauck told Germany's Der Spiegel weekly. "To me, and to many people in the United States and here at home, this constitutes a problem."

With just two days to go in a closely fought election that is being watched around the world, Gauck added: "When I look at Washington, I am worried."

The German president, whose role is largely ceremonial, said he hoped "that American democracy, which does not allow the president to act as an autocrat, that the system of checks and balances, of mutual control" of power would be maintained.

The latest major survey, the ABC/Washington Post tracker released early Sunday, gave Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton a five- percentage point 48-43 lead over Trump. Polling averages however are closer.
London: Describing India as the UK's "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday said her visit to India will reaffirm the importance of bilateral strategic partnership.

In an article published in the 'Sunday Telegraph' as she left for India for her first bilateral visit outside the UK, she said plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

She writes: "One of our most important and closest friends has to be India a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

"In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

"That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

"We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade."

The British premier, who will hold her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow, said she will be seeking concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

"Building 100 new 'Smart Cities', encouraging firms to 'Make in India', getting the country online with 'Digital India', delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance these form Prime Minister Modi's vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries."

Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said that focussing on that is missing the point as while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.

"There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU," she said.
A minor boy pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping his sister after watching hardcore incest porn on the internet. (Representational image)

Gloucestershire: A 14-year-old in Gloucestershire, South West England, on Friday pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping his sister during the summer of 2015 after watching hardcore incest porn on internet.

According to a report in Mirror, the boy was 12-year-old when he committed the crime and his sister was aged nine.

They were not solitary acts and had taken place in her bedroom at a time when he was sure he wouldn't be disturbed, Ian Fenney, prosecuting, told Cheltenham Magistrates' Court.

Judge Joti Bopa-Rai sent the boy to 12-month supervised treatment and handed him a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for five years. He subjected his sister to inappropriate sexual "experimentation", Rai observed.

The judge has instructed the boy to not contact his sister and warned him against associating with anyone below the age of 16.

The court has given him access to internet during the supervision period, but he will not be allowed to delete the history. Police will regularly inspect his electronic devices.

Once released from the treatment centre, the boy will be monitored by the police till he turns 19, the judge said.

The incident came to light when the minor girl told her mother about the sexual abuse. The boy had then claimed that his sister had agreed to have sex with him.

Before sexually assaulting his sister, the boy told her that "she wouldn't be his sister anymore" if she refuses to have have sex with him.

The judge had on Friday observed that a psychological report revealed the boy shows a level of maturity for his age, which gives rise to this offending.
Munich: In a bid to protect its citizens from young refugees who are going to be moved to Munich, Germany is building a 12-foot high wall  higher than the Berlin Wall.

The authorities have decided to move 160 young, unaccompanied migrants into a shelter which is less than 100 metres from a residential estate. Locals have demanded for a wall to keep the refugees away, the Daily Mail reported.

The local residents said they feared the noise and behaviour of the refugees and went to court to get the wall built. The judge of the Administrative Court in Munich confirmed the wall in a judgment, noted that the migrants should not use if for ball throwing games or other leisure use, according to the Mail.

The locals also argued that the value of their homes would plummet if there was nothing to separate them from the refugees who could be there for years to come, the Mail said.

The fact that it is higher than the Berlin Wall of the Cold War is not lost on locals and officials. But engineers said it had to be that high to provide an effective sound insulation.
The petitioner, a resident of Kasur district, some 40 kms from Lahore, said she had started feeling physical changes in her body when she was 14. (Photo: AP, Representational Image)

Lahore: A 24-year-old Pakistani woman has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking permission to undergo sex change after doctors in the conservative country refused to perform the surgery without court order.

The girl filed the petition through advocate Naseer Husain Sindhu in the LHC yesterday.

The petitioner, a resident of Kasur district, some 40 kms from Lahore, said she had started feeling physical changes in her body when she was 14.

She said she began consulting gynecologists at a private hospital here after feeling frequent pain and gender disorder. "Doctors at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore have suggested me to immediately undergo surgery for a sex-change.

However, the surgeons I approached refused to conduct the required surgical procedure apprehending possible legal action against them as they are not clear about what the law says in this regard.

"The doctors have advised me to first get permission for the surgery from a court of law," she said.

The procedure is not available at Fatima Memorial Hospital and the petitioner has requested the court to allow her to undergo a sex-change surgery in the light of her ultrasound scan report.

Advocate Sindhu said there has been no bar in the Pakistani law to undergo sex change surgery.

"But since some social stigma is attached to this kind of thing (sex change), surgeons are usually apprehensive and shy away from performing such procedures here," Sindhu said.
Vietnamese director Victor Vu and actor Dustin Nguyen also took home awards at the fourth-annual film festival.

Remember the 2015 Canadian-German thriller about Nazi revenge won "Best Feature Film at the fourth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF).

The movie tells the story of Zev (Christopher Plummer) and the revenge he seeks against a Nazi officer who murdered his family. What follows is a remarkable cross-continent road-trip with surprising consequences. Plummer, 86, won "Best Leading Actor" award.

Remember also took the prize for Best Original Screenplay at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards 2016 and the Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Award at Venice Film Festival 2015.

The Filipino film Ordinary People won Best Leading Actress and Best Feature-length Director. The film tells the story of a couple who earn their living stealing on the streets.

Two Vietnamese contenders went home with major awards.

The comedy "Trung so" (Jackpot) from Vietnamese-American Actor Dustin Nguyen took the Peoples Choice Award for Feature Length Film, while the children's film Yellow Flowers by Victor Vu won The Special Jury Prize for a Feature-length Film.

Pham Ngoc Lan, an up and coming Vietnamese talent took Best Young Director (under 30 years) in the Short Film category.

The Fourth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) opened at the Vietnam-Soviet Cultural Friendship Palace in Hanoi on November 1. This years event featured 146 films from more than 40 countries.

List of awards at HANIFF 2016

Best Feature Film: Remember, by Atom Egoyan, Canada

The Jury Prize for Feature Film: One Way Trip, by Choi Jeong-yeol, South Korea

Best Director: Eduardo Roy Jr., Ordinary People, Philippines

Best Leading Actor: Christopher Plummer, Remember, Canada

Best Leading Actress: Hasmine Killip, Ordinary People, Philippines

The Special Jury Award For Feature Film: Yellow Flowers, by Victor Vu, Vietnam

Peoples Choice Award for Contemporary Film: Taxi, Whats Your Name?, by Do Duc Thinh and Dinh Tuan Vu, Vietnam

Peoples Choice Award for Feature-length Film: Jackpot, Dustin Nguyen, Vietnam

NETPACs Award: The Green Carriage, by Oleg Asadulin, Russia

Best Short Film: Three variations of Ofelia, Mexico

Jury prize for Short Film: Heart of The Land, Finland

Best Young Director (under 30 years of age) of Short Film: Pham Ngoc Lan, Another city, Vietnam

Related news:

> Stars hit red carpet for Hanoi film fest

> Venice nominees vie for Best Picture at Hanoi Film Festival

> Vietnam movie 'Yellow Flowers' to vie for Oscar's Best Foreign Film
Bangladesh police said they on Sunday arrested a Islamist extremist who had mentored the assassins of a Japanese farmer. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

Dhaka: Bangladesh police said they on Sunday arrested a veteran Islamist extremist who had "mentored" the assassins of a Japanese farmer shot dead last year.

Rangpur district police chief Mizanur Rahman said Belal Hossain, described as the recruiter and mentor of the killers of Kunio Hoshi, was detained along with three of his followers during an operation in the northern district.

"Hossain was an absconding militant and a senior member of the JMB who mentored and trained up Kunio's killers," Rahman said.

He was referring to the homegrown Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an extremist group which has been banned for over a decade.

"We caught four of them near an abandoned brick kiln," Rahman told AFP, adding the militants injured four policemen by hurling home-made bombs.

The official said the arrest of Hossain, 45, would help in the hunt for more militants since he was "a mentor to many others".

Hoshi, 66, was killed on October 3 last year in a drive-by shooting on a dirt road outside Rangpur, where he was a long-term resident.

Although the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for his killing, police later detained eight JMB members and formally charged four of them with the murder.

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities, among others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government blames local militant groups including JMB for the attacks, rejecting claims by the ISIS that it was behind the carnage.

Since a deadly attack in July on a Dhaka cafe in which gunmen killed 22 people  mostly foreigners  security forces have shot dead at least 40 Islamist militants.

Among those killed was a Canadian of Bangladeshi origin described by police as the mastermind of the cafe attack.
Dhaka: Nine more people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the recent attacks on the Hindus living in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila.

The fresh arrests were made during drives in different areas early Sunday, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

Confirming the arrests, Nasirnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafar said that they would be produced before the local court without remand plea.

So far, 53 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks on the Hindu community.

A disruptive mob equipped with sharp weapons on October 30 went wild and demolished a number of Hindu temples and nearly 100 houses in Nasirnagar upazila following rumour of a Facebook post demeaning Kaaba.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Saturday for removing Krishna Saini as the chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).





On Friday, the Lieutenant Governor ordered Sainis removal on grounds that his permission was not sought for the appointment.



A day after the LGs order, Kejriwal alleged that decision is part of a conspiracy to increase power tariffs in the city and added that he will not let that happen as long as he is chief minister.



He further claimed that the Centre, through the LG, is trying to protect private power distribution companies in the city.



As DERC chairperson, Saini had issued many orders that made the power distribution companies accountable to the consumers. There is a conspiracy by the BJP to increase power tariffs in the city, Kejriwal said, addressing the media, on Saturday.



The LG didnt object when a selection committee was formed in January to appoint a DERC chairperson. Information of Sainis appointment in March was sent to the LG and he didnt object then, he claimed.



How can the LG say, after eight months, that his approval was not sought?, the Chief Minister charged.



The government conveyed to the LG that he does not have the constitutional authority to remove the DERC chief. We requested that the matter be sent to the President, which the LG refused, Kejriwal said.



I was examining the file when the LGs office called up the power secretary and ordered him to cancel Krishna Sainis appointment, he said.



He cannot pass removal orders without the knowledge of the chief minister. Weve cancelled the removal order and Krishna Saini will continue as DERC chief, Kejriwal said. He alleged that the Centre, at the behest of discoms, had pressured the LG to pass such an order.



The BJP-led Centre, through the LGs office, intends to replace an honest officer like Krishna Saini with someone suitable to the power distribution companies, the Chief Minister said.



The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission is responsible for determining power tariffs in the national capital. A three-member selection committee appointed Krishna Saini, a former Indian Revenue Services officer, as DERC chairperson in January.
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by eight men at a hotel in Central Delhis Paharganj area. Three of the accused have been arrested and search for the rest is underway.





Most of the accused are dreaded criminals with one of them identified as Rehan has cases pending against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), said one of the family friends of the victim.



We have arrested few of the accused, rest of them will also be nabbed soon, said Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central). The incident took place on Thursday night when Kamran, a man known to the girl, came to her house and asked her to come out for a talk.



As the girl stepped out of her house and started walking towards the road with Kamran, a car stopped near the two and seven men emerged out of it. Before the girl could gauge their intention, all of them pulled her inside the vehicle and drove her towards a hotel in Paharganj.

According to the victims family friend, the girl was gang-raped by all of them. However, police said only one person raped the girl while the rest abetted it.



Only one person who is known to her raped her. However, as of now we are treating it as a gang-rape till further information emerges, Randhawa added.



The girl allegedly reported the incident first to her mother who then took her to the local police station on the same day. After her medical examination, a case of gang-rape was registered at Paharganj police station under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) ACT.



The girl lives with her mother and a younger brother in the Paharganj area only. Her father had died last year and since then her mother has been raising the family. Her mother knits clothes for a living, said the family friend.



Police are questioning the arrested people to know more about the incident. Police are also ascertaining the kind of relationship the girl was sharing with the accused who lured her out of her house. Raids at different places are on to nab the rest of the culprits, said police.
Two broken marriages, grappling with court cases and financial dependence made Naina (name changed) sever all ties with everyone for two and half years as she fought her way through depression.





Naina, a teacher at a government school in Delhi, is now comparatively stable as she recovers from this mental stress leading to isolation and a struggle for her on all fronts. She says it all began when she was a kid.



I was a pampered kid since childhood, but this gave me a feeling that my siblings were being ignored. I was never keen on studying, nor did I want to work to become economically independent. I wanted to get married. But depression had started during this time, says Naina.



This pessimism led Naina into a marriage which lasted for only one and half years. Initially, she did not understand the reason.



I was always in denial mode. I had not explored my own capabilities and was living a laidback life. Wherever I went, I was introduced by either my siblings name or by my parents. I did not have my own identity. Besides this, I was cranky and irritated most of the time. I was living a robotic life, she says.



After her broken first marriage, Naina married a man who was much older. But after spending 10 years together, they mutually decided to end it.



Naina considers depression as the reason for her failed marriages. The harassment that she went through because of her court cases pushed her further in the black hole of negativity, leading to isolation.



My son was studying abroad. I was fed up with all the fights and often experienced mood swings. Life was even more chaotic after my fathers death following which I severed ties with everyone and started living alone. I rarely used to go to my parents house and talked in monosyllables to them.



In 2002, Naina visited a psychiatrist for the first time. The visit was actually meant for her son. I was advised to take my son to the doctor because he reacted violently at the smallest of things. It was there the doctor told me that even I was suffering from depression, after seeing me. Thats when my treatment started.



It took her eight long years to come close to normal. There was little medication, and counselling sessions. I have recovered, though not fully, and now have positivity filled in me which was lacking earlier, says Naina.



The depression led her not to trust anyone. She believes that lack of interaction with people and financial instability had taken a toll on her. But after her treatment things changed.



I became confident and upfront about the mental stress and even told people at work that I was suffering from this. It was their choice to talk to me after this. She believes a lot of people are suffering from depression, because of the competitive environment and the dejection of not achieving their goals.

Three or four students in the class 10 she teaches are also complaining about this, she says. The reason behind this is a disturbed childhood and the environment. There is no bonding, but only binding which is leading to an increase in the number of such cases, says Naina.



People should not hesitate from seeking medical advice, she believes. One should go to the doctor and get themselves treated. In my case, my condition was identified by the doctor by seeing my eyes. She says, Counselling gives a ray of hope to patients who have darkness around them.



Dr Manish Jain, who treated Naina, says her case was complex. There were a lot of issues which were bothering her, both personal and professional. But now the severity of those issues has decreased as she can handle the situation well, says Jain.



Jain says the stigma attached with the disease makes it difficult for the patient to recover. People tend to be obstinate. The families are seen to be less supportive and do not accompany the patient to the doctor, he says. Behaviour of the relatives change swhich makes it difficult for the person to recover, he says.



Depression is often difficult to diagnose  as in the case of 45-year-old Jeevan (name changed. He was suffering from `sleep paralysis and no doctor could identify the problem till he went to Jain at BLK Hospital.



The doctor diagnosed me with depression following which I underwent counselling and was under medication. I am now 80 per cent cured and look forward to a healthy life which I had lost hope of, says Jeevan.



The symptoms Jeevan witnessed included anxiety, sleeplessness and isolation. I was never open and did not speak my heart out. But things have changed and my family has been a huge support for me, he says.
It is not just the stigma over depression and other mental health problems that prevents people from seeing a psychiatrist. There is a shortage of psychiatrists and general physicians often fail to spot what is wrong



At the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied sciences(IHBAS), the largest hospital in Delhi for mental illnesses, about 700 patients attend the general OPD per day. These include 90 to 100 new patients, according to its director Dr Nimesh Desai.



But the extent of the problem could be even worse. According to many surveys nearly 30 to 40 per cent of patients suffering from mental illness do not seek help until it is severe, says Dr Nand Kumar at the Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).



The stigma attached to mental health problems stops many from seeking professional help. But it is also true that mental health problems are not as easily detectable as physical health problems, says Kumar.



Kumar says it is often difficult to gauge that a constant `low mood can be depression. Mostly the beginnings of depression seem like physical illnesses  like fatigue, stomach problems and headaches. Many go to a general physician to get treatment, he says.



This is exactly what happened in the case of the 65-year-old woman Deccan Herald met, sitting in a park with her daughter at Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS). She says too had sought general physician first when she was suffering from loose motions. That was six months ago.



Sharda (name changed) says the doctor at VIMHANS told her she is suffering from general sadness, which is very common these days.



Sharda has been feeling `strange. Her daughter says she stopped doing things she used to  like going out for morning walks, daily prayers, yoga, cooking, meeting people at home. But Sharda still didnt believe her daughter when she told her that something was wrong with her.



I used to cry when I sat in the puja room to pray, every time. This started six months ago, she says.



I didnt know why I was crying but it used to happen every time. I think its because I felt bad that I am not able to get my daughter married when she is supposed to, she adds. She says she doesnt know why this would bother her. But it did.



Her daughter says, We saw that she was suffering but earlier we didnt think we would require medication. But since its been going on for six months and she has also reduced so much weight, I thought I could relieve her of this by taking her to a psychiatrist.



It was a general physician who referred Sharda to a psychiatrist at VIMHANS, says her daughter. She had a running stomach for months and was taking medicines. The doctor said it could be thyroid, it could be diarrhoea, but he later told us that we should go to a psychiatrist, says the daughter.



But Sharda didnt feel the need to see a psychiatrist. I am not here because I feel something is wrong with me. I am here because my daughter and husband convinced me that this will be good for me, she says.



I am already feeling better sitting in this park and I havent even started with my medication, she says.



Dr Nand Kumar says a general sadness which lasts for more than two weeks can be depression. People in depression often feel that it will go away with their will power, but there is little possibility of that.



A person who cannot deliver because of his constant low state of mind should seek help, he says. If they are facing difficulty in doing daily jobs that they used to do easily and this is affecting their work and relationships, it means that something is wrong.



At least 12 per cent of urban citizens in India are suffering from mental illnesses and seven per cent of them are depressive disorders, says Dr Desai of IHBAS.



But still many feel that taking medicines is going a notch higher in accepting themselves as sufferers of mental illness. First social stigma and then long-term medication makes them anxious about going to a doctor.



Kumar says mild depression is treated with therapy and counselling, Some can also be treated with mere lifestyle changes. But severe depression does require medication which can last up to nine months, he says.



Just like the physical illnesses which occur because of deficiencies which can be controlled through medicines, some mental illnesses can be controlled in a similar way. Most depressive disorders are due to deficiency of serotonin and dopamine and medicines correct these deficiencies.



Different approaches



But medicines dont work for everyone. Patients report side-effects or stop taking their anti-depressants. On some patients, AIIMS has now started Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a therapy which involves using a magnet to target and stimulate certain areas of the brain. It is being practised in the United States since 1985. But no institution in India had taken it up so far.



Piyali (name changed) is being treated by Dr Kumar with this therapy. The 30-year-old-journalist suffers from `episodic depressive illness which made its onset in 2007 with a depressive episode which lasted for nine months. The trigger was academic failure and interpersonal conflict, according to her case study.



Piyali frequently contemplated self-harm and had a dysfunctional social and work life, poor personal care and disturbed biological functions, Kumar says. She took medicines but still had a depressive cycle every two years.



She lost her job during one of such episodes, ended a relationship with her boyfriend and would remain confined to her room. The dosage of her antidepressants was raised, but there was no improvement. She started experiencing side-effects. She declined to continue with her medication. Then we advised her to try rTMS, says Kumar.



Over the next three weeks, 15 sessions of rTMS were carried out on her. After five sessions, there was improvement. During the period of `remission, she started preparing for competitive examinations. She also got married.
Defence and security relations will be an important part of bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May in New Delhi on Monday as the two leaders will cover the "breadth" of ties during their dialogue, including economic and trade relations and counter-terrorism issues.





The two leaders will discuss the breadth of India-UK relations during their working lunch at Hyderabad House on Monday afternoon, May's official spokesperson told reporters at Downing Street here.



"It will not be about how many deals are signed or that kind of transactional visit but more about the depth of the ties and working towards creating more jobs and growth in both countries. Defence and security will be an important part of the bilateral discussions. We are keen to develop that partnership and see how we can put in more energy and enthusiasm into that," she said.



"Why the Prime Minister is going to India for her first bilateral visit outside Europe, and her first trade delegation, is because India matters to us  now more than ever. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union (EU), the aim is two-fold  to build on the groundwork already done to bring down trade barriers and deepen the UK's relationships outside the EU," she noted.



In reference to discussions on a potential India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), the spokesperson stressed that the UK would not be pursuing a bilateral trade deal with India while it remains a member of the EU. "We will continue to support the India-EU FTA, respecting our rights and obligations within the EU," she said.



While there has been wide speculation over a potential India-UK FTA, Britain remains inhibited from openly pursuing bilateral trade negotiations until Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty triggers the official process of Brexit.



May lands in New Delhi on Sunday evening and will begin her visit by opening the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday morning alongside Modi. Following her bilateral talks with Modi, both leaders will issue a joint statement. While in New Delhi, she is also expected to visit the Gandhi Smriti and War Memorial at India Gate.



On Tuesday, she will leave for Bengaluru, where she has a series of business engagements as well as an address to a tech summit. The British premier will be accompanied by 40 small and medium enterprise (SME) representatives from across the UK, many of whom are on the lookout for a foothold in India.



The recent tightening of the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) visas, expected to hit Indian IT companies the hardest, is expected to be on the agenda from the Indian side.



However, Downing Street stressed the UK remains open to the "brightest and the best" from India and that Indians had been issued more work-related visas than the US, China and Australia combined.



On the sharp decline in Indian student numbers coming to study in the UK over the years, she highlighted that 89 per cent of all Indian students who applied to study at UK universities were given visas.



"This visit is about highlighting that the UK-India relationship really matters. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and India is the second largest job creator in the UK. There are strong bonds and ties there and it is important to keep up the momentum," the spokesperson said.



May will be accompanied by international trade secretary Liam Fox and minister of state in the Department for International Trade, Greg Hands.
The Defence Ministry is likely to allow opening of the commercial bids for four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) tomorrow, an over USD 3 billion project for which two Indian private shipyards are vying under the 'Make in India' initiative.



Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is set to meet tomorrow, is also likely to give nod to Indian Navy's other plan to acquire 12 amphibious aircraft from Japan that is likely to cost about Rs 10,000 crore.



While this was never part of the priority planning of the Navy, it is likely that India and Japan may agree on the project during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Tokyo.



However, the main takeaway from the meeting would be the new blacklisting policy, as told by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar last month.



Blanket blacklisting policy of the earlier UPA government has resulted in significant reductions in competition, particularly for Army programs with four leading suppliers blacklisted.



The new policy is likely to be a mixture of heavy fines and graded blacklisting. The new policy would also allow many of the stuck programmes, like the heavy weight torpedos for the six Scorpene submarines, to move ahead with clarity.



Sources said other issues on the agenda will be a formal nod to IAF's programme to acquire 83 new version of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, a number which has been publicly stated by the Defence Ministry earlier.



One of the key projects will be the one for LPDs. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL), formerly the Pipavav, are gunning for it.



Only these two shipyards had cleared the financial and technical examination started last year.



A third vendor, ABG Shipyard, which has a tie up with a US firm, could not clear the financial examination.



L&T has a tie-up with Navantia of Spain, and RDEL with DCNS of France.



The Navy floated the tender in 2013 for production of four LPDs, and bids were sent to domestic shipyards, L&T, RDEL, and ABG Shipyard.



Under the programme, two LPDs will be built by a private shipyard, and then state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited will build the remaining two LPDs at the same cost.



However, sources said the DAC will also review the performance of HSL on Fleet Support Ship program where it has missed major milestones.



Whether HSL should be awarded two out of the four LPDs will also be part of this discussion, sources said.



Indo-Russia project for four new state-of-the-art stealth frigates will also come for discussion.




Clinton (44 per cent) and Trump (43 per cent) are in a fierce battle among likely voters nationally - including those who are undecided yet leaning towards a candidate or who have already voted, McClatchy-Marist poll said.





In September, Clinton led Trump by six percentage points in the same poll. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has the support of six per cent, and Jill Stein of the Green Party garners two per cent. Three per cent support another candidate, and two per cent are undecided, it said.





As per RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all major polls, the Democrat leads the Republican by 1.7 percentage points. Clinton and Trump - along with their surrogates - have been crisscrossing battleground states in their final push to rally voters and announced additional stops till late Monday.





Clinton would deliver her final address at a mid-night rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.





"Clinton will lay out her plans to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and her vision for an America that is stronger together," her campaign said.





However, a bigger rally has been reserved for earlier in the night when Clintons - Hillary and Bill - would be joined by the Barack and Michelle Obama in Philadelphia. They will also be joined at the event by Jon Bon Jovi, who will perform.





Clinton will urge Pennsylvanians to elect her president on Tuesday and continue pushing for the "American ideals of progress, inclusion, equality and strength," that were enshrined in the Constitution in 1787, it said in a statement.





"Along with President Obama, she will also lay out how the division and dangerous views espoused by Donald Trump in his campaign make him unqualified, unfit and unworthy to lead this great nation," it said.





Clinton's campaign said Obama will add that voting for her is a vote to build on the progress made under his presidency.





Nearly 200 million eligible voters would elect their new president. More than 40 million electorates across 48 states have already cast ballots using the provision of early voting.





Encouraged by the polling figures, Trump announced several new stops, including the Democratic stronghold like Minnesota. On an average Trump would be addressing five rallies.





"We are going to be doing at least five of these today. The arenas are all packed all over the country. We are going into different locations," the tycoon said at a campaign stop.





"We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we're now either tied or leading. We're going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all, and we're doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll. We're going to Colorado, where we're doing phenomenally well. We're doing well everywhere,' Trump said.





Trump's schedule announced yesterday includes multiple stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. His vice presidential nominee will address rallies in Michigan, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.



Obama would continue with his election blitz by addressing rallies in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida.



Clinton's meetings are scheduled in Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Michigan, while her husband Bill, a former US president, would seek vote for her in Michigan.



Chelsea, Clinton's daughter, has as many as five meetings scheduled in Philadelphia, while the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has meetings scheduled in North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.



Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost to Clinton during the Democratic primaries, too has been campaigning extensively.



Over the next two days, he is scheduled to address meetings in Arizona and Nevada. Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania.



Trump may not have Clinton's celebrities, but he has relied on his family for public support at times. However, the electoral college might present a different picture, given the nature of presidential elections.





Lee M Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said: "Although Clinton and Trump are separated by the slimmest of margins, the Electoral College can present a very different picture. Close popular votes can, but do not necessarily, translate into tight battles for 270 electoral votes," he said.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are in a dead-heat in major polls on the final weekend before the presidential election that has the world on edge, with the two rival candidates and their surrogates scrambling through key battleground states that could prove decisive on Tuesday.
A cable car passing over mountains between the top of Fansipan Mountain and the northern Sapa tourist town. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

'If building continues at this rate, then one day we will lose Sapa.'

Throngs of giddy tourists wield selfie sticks on the peak of Vietnam's Fansipan Mountain.

Amateur trekkers once spent two days slogging to the top for a photo of Lao Cai Province's undulating rice fields.

But most in today's crowd take a 20-minute cable car to the highest peak in Indochina.

Insiders say this quick ride has upended tourism in the tiny mountain resort of Sapa, where the completion of a new highway to Hanoi coincided with a boom of hotel construction.

"If building continues at this rate, then one day we will lose Sapa," said Giang Thi Lang, a guide and member of the Black Hmong ethnic group. "We won't have any more mountain."

'They didn't listen'

In Sapa, lots piled with rubble mark out the sites of future hotels.

Way back in 2009, the misty hill station had a permanent population of just over 50,000 people.

The following year, it reported 2,500 hotel rooms. Last year, it had 4,000, according to official figures. Visitor numbers snowballed too, hitting 700,000 in 2015.

During the same period, tourism revenues tripled to yield a whopping $50 million.

At the center of that growth lies the Fansipan Sa Pa Cable Carthe longest in the world, which launched its maiden voyage in February. The three-rope system now has the capacity to ferry 2,000 people to the mountaintop, daily.

This picture taken on October 1, 2016 shows tourists posing for photos at the very top of Fansipan Mountain in northern Sapa tourist town. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

"It's good for Sapa that they've attracted more tourists," said Nguyen Van Manh, deputy director of Sapa's Tourist Information Center. "A large number of locals now have jobs."

But some tell a different story.

"Before the cable car, more porters in the village had regular work," said Hmong trekking guide Ma A Tro as he stood on Fansipan's summit following a two-day trip. "Now with the cable car, villagers no longer have jobs; most now work as day laborers on construction sites."

The government ignored opposition to the cable car, he said, lamenting that the number of aspiring mountain climbers has dwindled since its completion.

"We talked to them, but they didn't listen," he added. "The central government came and said they had to do it, so they did it."

'Disappointed'

This picture taken on October 1, 2016 shows a house being demolished to give place to a new hotel in downtown area of northern Sapa tourist town. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

A number of tourists warn Sapa is losing its appeal.

Fansipan's picturesque summit now features concrete steps, souvenir shops and several temples under-construction.

"I imagined I would get to the top and it would be really natural, but it's developed here, so for me it's a bit disappointing," said trekker Duong Hoang Minh, who hiked to the top of the 3,143-meter (10,311-foot) peak.

Minh took the cable car back down to town and agreed that more people can now enjoy the mountain because of it.

"For other people I think it's better because it's safer for them," said the 23-year-old teacher, his white sweatpants slicked with fresh mud.

Most tourism operators agree the boom has brought much-needed development -- roads, schools and clinics, for example -- to a region where the majority of the population belongs to one of Vietnam's 53 ethnic minorities.

The country's tribal communities have historically lagged behind the rest of the population in terms of income and other development indicators.

Nevertheless, Hubert de Murard, manager of the Topas Ecolodge, warns that without sustainable growth, Sapa risks "shooting itself in the foot."

Nestled on a hill 18 kilometers outside Sapa, the lodge's 25 white granite bungalows overlook a stunning valley lined with terraced rice fields.

This picture taken on September 30, 2016 shows two Red Dao ethnic women walking past Topas Ecolodge on the outskirts of northern Sapa tourist town. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

The lodge sourced most of its building materials and employees from the surrounding community, leading to an operation that seeks a certain harmony with the surrounding environment -- a business model de Murard says he'd like to see newcomers adopt.

He worries that some investments have been short-sighted, aimed at maximizing the number of visitors.

"For a natural destination like this, with a preserved environment, this would not really be good," he told AFP as the sun set over the yawning valley behind him.

"We need to be a bit more careful to avoid the mistake of mass tourism in Sapa."

Vietnam's tourism industry has taken off in recent years, as domestic travelers develop the budget and appetite to travel.

The country has also become a draw for foreign visitors turning their backs on better-known Southeast Asian destinations, in search of a road less traveled.

But some lament the commercialization of Vietnam's treasures.

Locals have notably complained about multi-course meals served in Ha Long Bay's famous caves, or trash-strewn beaches in the resort town of Phu Quoc.

Related news:

> New York Times names Vietnam a place to travel in your 20s

> Travel back in time with Vietnams traditional guilds festival
Two army jawans were killed and five others -- two soldiers, two civilian women and a BSF officer -- were injured as Pakistani army opened unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district today, violating the ceasefire.



In Krishna Ghati, Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids, killing one soldier, an army officer said, adding that the attempts to push in infiltrators have been foiled.



In Poonch sector, at least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani army, targeting civil and defence facilities and civilian areas. An army jawan was killed and five others were injured in the Pakistani firing in Poonch sector which continued till last reports came in, the officer said.



The Indian army said that while the infiltration bids were foiled, it has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector.



"One soldier was killed in Krishna Ghati sector earlier in the day while foiling infiltration bids, another soldier was killed and five others were injured in cross-border firing in the Poonch sector of Poonch district," the officer said.



The soldier killed in the Krishna Ghati sector has been identified as Sepoy Gursewak Singh (23) of 22 Sikh Regiment.





Singh is a resident of Taran Taran area of Punjab.



The injured women have been identified Saleema Akhtar and Zareefa Begum, both residents of Poonch. Zareefa Begum works as a special police officer. They have been admitted to a hospital in Poonch where their conditions were stated to be stable, a police officer said.



"The identities of the soldiers killed and injured in Poonch sector will be shared later after their families are informed," the army officer said.



A sub-inspector of BSF, identified as Nitin Kumar, also sustained splinter injuries and he was evacuated to the Army hospital where his condition is stated to be stable, a BSF officer said.



Meanwhile, the army said that unprovoked ceasefire violation in Poonch sector continued.



"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons," an army spokesman said, adding that "our troops are responding befittingly, there has been heavy damage to Pakistan army posts."



"The army foiled two infiltration bids on the intervening night of November 5, 6 along Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati Sector," he said.



"The infiltrators opened fire while trying to sneak back towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir side of the Line of Control (LoC). In the ensuing firefight with infiltrators, Sepoy Gursewak Singh suffered gunshot wound and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated," he said.
Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad today, officials said.



One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber.



The Tikrit attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10 died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra, security and medical officials said.



Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal sectarian violence.



IS issued a statement claiming today's attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.



A police lieutenant colonel also said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one in the city.



The IS statement identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.



Iraqi forces are fighting to retake Mosul, the jihadist group's last major urban stronghold in the country, in a massive operation that was launched on October 17.



IS has carried out a series of diversionary attacks since the start of the Mosul offensive in a bid to draw both attention and forces away from the battle.



But aside from the names of the two bombers, the IS statement made no reference to Mosul.



The Sunni extremist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air support have since regained significant ground.
Bangladesh Police today arrested nine more persons in connection with attacks on Hindu temples and members of the community in the Muslim-majority country, taking the total number of arrests to 53 so far.



The arrests were made when police carried out drives in different areas, Nasirnagar police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafar said.



Police said they have arrested nine more persons for their alleged involvement in the recent attacks on the Hindus living in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila, taking the total number of people arrested so far to 53, Dhaka Tribune reported.



The arrested people would be produced before local court without remand plea, he said.



Authorities have suspended Nasirnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Chowdhury Moazzem Hossain.



Miscreants set on fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack on Friday in Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least fifteen temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.



"They (miscreants) fled the scene immediately after torching the houses and two small temples were also damaged," a police officer told PTI.



Many Hindu families have deserted their houses after the attacks on temples and have taken refuge in other areas.



Tensions have escalated in the neighbourhood after the fresh assault reported on Friday.



Police had detained a total of 44 people in connection with the attack till Saturday.



Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have rallied in the capital demanding stern action against perpetrators of attacks on Hindus. Several hundred Hindu youths joined by Muslims staged a street protest at central Dhaka's Shahbagh Square.



Several political and rights groups also held another rally in front of the National Press Club demanding immediate and stern actions against the culprits.



The protesters at Shahbagh area enforced a blockade on the busy streets around the area for more than half an hour and forced ruling Awami League's joint general secretary Mahbul Alam Hanif to get out of his car, stuck in barricade, and express solidarity with them.



The protesters demanded resignation of a minister who had accused journalists of "exaggerating" the Nasirnagar attacks.



"(Livestock) Minister Sayedul Haque was in the area just few days after the (Sunday) attacks while a fresh attack took place after he visited the scene," the general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebrations Committee said.



"Stern punitive actions await the attackers as the Sheikh Hasina-led government has taken a tough position to this end," Awami League general secretary and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said at a function here.



Yesterday, police recovered a stolen idol from a mosque in the area.
Alleging the "government's hand" behind the killing of RSS and party activists in the state, Karnataka BJP President B S Yeddyurappa today said his party would hold protests across the state on November 8 against the murders and Tipu Jayanti celebration.



"We will be holding protests across the state on 8th (November) against the adamant decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti amidst killing of youths belonging to Hindu organisations and even in the wake of an atmosphere that has been created recently in Karnataka, where murders are taking place in the way it used to happen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu," Yeddyurappa told reporters here.



He said "in a way there is government's hand behind the killing of RSS and BJP leaders, it is our clear opinion. If there is a CBI or NIA inquiry, things will be clear", he said. "It will be clear which minister has his hands behind it and how Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister) is supporting such activities...truth will come out from the investigation," he said.



BJP has been alleging political conspiracy behind the series of incidents, where the party and the Sangh parivar activists have been killed. It also blamed "unholy nexus between Jihadists and Marxists" behind these murders. Rudresh (35), a RSS worker, was allegedly hacked to death by two motorcycle-borne men on October 16. He was with his friends after attending a Sangh event when the incident occurred. Five persons including the Popular Front of India (PFI) Bengaluru President have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.



A BJP worker, who is also a RSS activist, was on Friday found dead in mysterious circumstances near Magali in Mysuru district with his family and the party alleging it was a murder. Also, the Congress government's decision to observe the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom, on November 10 has stirred a major row, with opinion sharply divided among intellectuals, academia and various communities and organisations, which have different views on his reign.



BJP and RSS have been strongly opposing the event, which last year had lead to violence in Madikeri and parts of coastal districts. Speaking on the allegation levelled by BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje against Minister Roshan Baig of him being "directly involved" in the murder of Rudresh, Yeddyurappa said "It is not for us to provide evidence for the allegations, you (government) order for inquiry, truth will come out."



Coming out in defence of Baig, Chief Minister Siddramaih had yesterday called the allegations as an attempt to "destroy" harmony in society, and had asked evidence for it.

Meanwhile, sticking to her statement today, Karandlaje demanded for CBI or NIA inquiry into the killings of Sangh and BJP activists, including that of Rudresh.



"I stand by my statement... if you want peace and prove your honesty to the people get it investigated by CBI or NIA. If you are proved innocent, I will felicitate you," she said without naming Baig. She said she is ready to face legal notice, as threatened by Baig for her statement.


Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the Americans are living through the "greatest jobs theft" in the history of the world, saying US companies were moving out jobs to countries like India, China, Mexico and Singapore.



"America has lost 70,000 factories since China entered the World Trade Organisation, another Bill and Hillary backed disaster. We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world. There's never been a country that's lost jobs like we do, so stupidly, so easy to solve," he said while addressing his supporters in Tampa, Florida yesterday.



"Goodrich Lighting Systems laid off 255 workers and moved their jobs to India. Baxter Health Care Corporation laid off 199 workers and moved their jobs to Singapore. Essilor Laboratories laid off 181 workers and moved their jobs, surprise, to Mexico. It's getting worse and worse and worse," he added.



Trump said that his contract with the American voter begins with a plan to end government corruption and to take back the country from the special interests.



"I want the entire, corrupt Washington establishment to hear the words we are about to say. When we win on November 8th, we are going to drain the swamp. Going to do it," he claimed.



The New York-based billionaire said the core of his contract is his plan to bring back jobs that have been stolen, stolen by either very stupid or corrupt politicians.



"Florida has lost one in four of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a deal signed by Bill Clinton and supported by Hillary," Trump said.



A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America and will stop the jobs from leaving the great state of Florida, he said.



He further claimed that the theft of American prosperity will end quickly and effectively, saying, "if a company wants to fire their workers, leave Florida, move to another country, and then shift their product back into the United States, we will make them pay a tax of 35 per cent".



"They're never going to leave this country. They're never leaving. He knows. They're never going to leave this country. A Trump administration will renegotiate NAFTA. If we don't get the deal we want, we will terminate NAFTA and get a much better deal for our workers," he added.



Slamming his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Trump said he will immediately stop the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership, claiming it as another disaster in the making that Clinton said is the gold standard.



"Yeah, it's the gold standard for other countries, not for us. The gold standard for the countries that want to be part of that deal.



"As part of our plan to bring back jobs, we're going to lower taxes on American business from 35 per cent to 15 per cent. We're the highest taxed nation in the world, one of the main reasons that they're leaving. We will massively cut taxes for the middle class, also," Trump said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May flew in here on Sunday on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.





On her first bilateral trip outside Europe since taking office in July in the aftermath of Britain voting to exit the European Union, May will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday. She will also inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit with him.



Before leaving London, she described India as the UKs most important and closest friend and a leading power in the world, adding, We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade.



May, who is accompanied by senior British ministers and a big trade delegation, will also travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday where she will attend some business events and meet the chief minister.


While the border dispute between India and China remains unresolved, and political differences between the two countries widen on bilateral as well as regional issues, water has emerged as yet another subject where differences are widening with the potential of conflict in the future.





India is worried about Chinas dam projects on the Brahmaputra river and both countries are asserting to defend their national interests and claims in controlling the water as it flows from the Tibetan plateau to the riparian states downstream in India and Bangladesh before flowing down to join the Bay of Bengal.



No sooner than China successfully blocked Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and equating India with Pakistans claim for the same, India announced plans to assert its rights within the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. China retaliated within days of Indias announcement saying that it was building a dam on a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet). It soon transpired that this will be its most expensive hydel project. As a lower riparian state, India will be directly affected.



India sees red in Chinas dam building overdrive. New Delhi is concerned because there are no bilateral or multilateral treaties on the water. Since Brahmaputra flows though the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, building a dam on the river could help China assert its claim over the state.



For quite some time, China had been claiming Tawang in the state of Arunachal Pradesh as its own and then started claiming the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory. India fears that if China builds dam projects in the Tibetan plateau, it would threaten to reduce flow of river water into India.



Water is a critical resource for any nation that fetch rich economic dividend. Therefore, a country can use water by constructing dams, canals and irrigation systems as political weapon, which can be used both in war and also during peace time. In Brahmaputras case, Chinas act signal annoyance with the riparian states. Also, denial of hydrological data becomes critical when the flow in the river is very high.



India is also concerned that China is contemplating northward re-routing of the Brahmaputra, though this is an idea that China does not discuss in public. If China diverts the river, it could have devastating consequences for Indias northeastern plains and also for Bangladesh, either with floods or reduced water flow.



In 2010, China built the first dam on the main upper reaches of the Brahmaputra at Zangmu. In February 2013, India complained to China about its hydro projects on the Brahmaputra in Tibet in addition to the one being built. This caused considerable disquiet in India as it was not informed of it before.



A document listing projects to be completed in Chinas 12th five-year-plan, a blueprint for the energy sector, approved by the Chinese Cabinet, made passing reference to the three hydropower bases on the Yar-lung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu (small scale projects) on Brahmaputra without giving any details.



India and China signed two pacts in 2008 and 2010 which facilitated India with data on water levels and rainfall twice a day from June 1 to Oct 15 at three hydrological stations in Tibet. In 2001, an artificial dam in Tibet collapsed and killed 26 people besides damaging property worth Rs 140 crore along the river Siang in Arunachal Pradesh.



China claimed that the project had gone through scientific planning and study with consideration of the interests of lower and upper stream countries. Such defence, however, did not assuage the concerns of the lower riparian countries.



China has another project, the Lalho project, on the 195-km long Xiabuqu river in Xigaze, also known as Shigatse (close to Sikkim) with an investment of $740 million. In 2015, China inaugurated the Zam hydropower station, the largest in Tibet, the highest dam built on Brahmaputra. From 2011 onwards, the situation has drastically changed.



Long-term goal

Not only now China continues to build dams on the river with impunity, and has already planned to implement its long-term goal to divert waters of the Brahmaputra to its parched northeast, it refuses to accede to any international rule of law. There is no bilateral water treaty between India and China. China is not ready to even discuss the issue with India.



As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters or the river, India has conveyed its views and concerns to the Chinese authorities and urged China to ensure that the interests of downstream states are not harmed by any activities in upstream areas.



An NGO in Assam, Jana Jagriti, alleges that China is building 26 hydropower dams, not just three, on the upper reaches of the river in Tibet.



The NGO made public photograph in support of its claims that the projects are to divert the waters, which it calls South to North Water Diversion Projects. The NGO claims that once the Chinese complete the projects, Assam will receive 64% less water during the monsoon and in the non-monsoon season, 85% less water will come from China to India. Brahmaputra is the lifeline of Assam as well as the states cultural heritage, besides being connected with the states religious sentiments.



The truism, however, is that apart from the economic benefits that China is going to derive from the projects, it would have strengthened its strategic reach. That would be more worrying for India. New Delhi needs to take a tough stance to protect and if need be defend its interests.



(The writer is ICCR India Chair Visiting Professor at Reitaku University, Japan)
When it comes to energy, West Asia and Persian Gulf are best known for their oil and gas. But across the region, governments, power companies and investors are beginning to exploit another abundant resource: the sun. In places like Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, solar power plants are providing an affordable and reliable source of electricity, badly needed by nations that produce oil and those that must import it. Wind farms are appearing, too.



The move towards renewable energy is in its earliest stages. Clean sources account for less than 5% of the regions power capacity and face obstacles, including widespread subsidies that make conventional sources of electricity artificially cheap. But experts see real potential for growth in an area that gets some of the strongest and steadiest sunshine in the world. Parts of Jordan, for example, average 330 sunny days a year.



In the past, whenever I used to meet with ministers of energy in some of the oil or oil-and-gas-rich countries, they would talk about renewable energy, and that meeting would end in a nanosecond, said Nabil Habayeb, General Electrics president and chief executive for West Asia and North Africa. Today, many of them are eager to talk about it. Whether youre oil-rich or not, its a big trend.



After a previous wave of interest in renewable power was derailed by the global financial crisis in 2008, the fresh surge of investment has been driven by anxiety over maintaining reliable supplies of energy in times of political and economic turmoil and the allure of solar panels that are 60% cheaper than in 2009, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimated.



Many experts and renewable energy advocates see solar as the smartest way to meet a demand for power that the energy analysis firm says has been climbing by about 4.5% a year, as growing populations increasingly embrace middle-class comforts like air-conditioning.



While there has been more talk than action in some nations, particularly those with their own oil reserves, things are beginning to change, said Elena Giannakopoulou, an energy markets economist at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. We expect them to start ramping up, she said.



There are frustrations. Shifting policies and the failure of officials to follow through on ambitious plans have left some international companies disappointed, said Browning Rockwell, executive director of the Solar GCC Alliance, a solar trade group for the gulf. He cited Egypt, where a government standoff with investors over contract terms, followed by an abrupt shift in promised payment levels, cast uncertainty over planned projects. Centralised political power and state control of utilities can also make doing business difficult, he said.



Jordan has a keen enthusiast in King Abdullah II, who last year opened a solar plant to provide electricity to his palace and court, including for a new royal fleet of electric cars. In Abu Dhabi, a developers bid in September set a record for the worlds cheapest projected production of solar power, lower even than the cost at some coal-fired plants.



And Iran, reopening to the world as sanctions ease, is anxious to modernise its electricity infrastructure, and plans to invite developers to bid on solar and wind power projects that could total $12 billion, Bloomberg has reported.



The regions biggest energy divide is between countries rich in oil and gas, most notably Saudi Arabia, and those that must buy fuel beyond their own borders. Both have an incentive to expand solar generation  oil- and gas-producing nations so they can sell more of what they drill and importers to reduce their dependence on volatile international markets.



Not surprisingly, though, it is the energy importers who are moving most aggressively. For countries like Jordan, which endured disruptions to natural gas supplies from Egypt when a pipeline was repeatedly bombed during the Arab Spring uprisings, energy independence is a question of political and economic security.



The Shams Maan solar farm, built by First Solar and owned by a consortium of companies, began commercial operation in September near the ancient city of Petra, generating enough power for 35,000 homes, First Solar, which is based in Arizona, said.



And the 38-turbine Tafila wind farm increased Jordans total power capacity by 3% when it opened last year, said Masdar, one of the projects developers. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, are also serious about renewables. The Gulf states emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide are among the worlds highest, and the UAE has vowed to shrink its footprint. Dubai aims to get 25% of its energy from clean sources by 2030 and 75% by 2050.



They have understood here very clearly that they need to change, said Christian von Tschirschky, an energy expert at Ernst & Young in Dubai. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said in May that it had received a bid of 2.99 United States cents per kilowatt-hour from developers vying to be part of the third phase of the giant Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park, expected to be among the worlds largest when complete.



It was a record that didnt stand long. In September, neighbouring Abu Dhabi received a bid of 2.42 cents, marking another milestone in a sector whose costs have been dropping drastically toward competitiveness with more traditi-onal fuels. Egypt is also pushing forward on solar, although a shortage of hard currency and shifts in policy have put some big projects in question.



Saudi role

Leaders in Saudi Arabia have vacillated about their commitment, announcing ambitious renewable power goals and then backing away. The low price of oil has created serious budget pressures in the kingdom, which relies on oil for much of its income and still burns some of its crude for electricity.



They could release it to the world markets and generate increased revenues, von Tschirschky said. And if oil rises, the incentive to export at a higher price is even higher. If Saudi Arabia chose to put muscle into developing a solar power sector, its companies could become the regions suppliers and installers, said Rockwell of the Solar GCC Alliance.



Saudi has always been the big multiplier for the region, because if the Saudis can figure out how to make it work in their country, theyll go elsewhere, he said. They can drive development of solar in other markets. That has yet to happen. If Saudi leaders fail to make a big push on solar, Rockwell said, they will miss a chance to bolster power production and to create a new source of jobs for a generation of well-educated but underemployed young people.



Across the region, he said, the biggest obstacle to clean powers growth is the widespread subsidisation of energy from fossil fuels. The International Monetary Fund estimates that West A, North Africa and Pakistan account collectively for 47% of world energy subsidies, although nations including the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have begun scaling back.



Experts say the subsidies fuel corruption, discourage efficient energy use and make it hard for newer sources to compete. The biggest advantage solar now has, though, is its falling cost. That was the main challenge in the past, said von Tschirschky of Ernst & Young. Renewable energy was more expensive than the technolog-ies to burn oil and gas. Now, its more attractive.


Masked motorbike-borne miscreants attacked three sisters with acid in Uttar Pradeshs Allahabad town, about 200 km from here, inflicting severe burns on them.





The three sisters, two siblings and another cousin, were attacked with acid, when they were returning home from the market on Saturday night, according to police sources.

The victims were admitted to the hospital by locals, who rushed to the spot on hearing their cries, the police said.



The eldest among them is stated to be critical.



Five people were arrested in connection with the incident on Sunday. While one of the reported culprits was the neighbour of the victims, the others were students of a nearby inter college.



Police officers said that it appeared to be a case of one sided love.



The target was one of the sisters, but the other two also became the victims, said a senior police officer in Allahabad.
A day after a battle in Boz Qandahari on the outskirts of Kunduz, Afg-hanistan, residents readily pointed out the smears of what they said was American blood on a packed-dirt street. But they were less forthcoming about whether there had been any Taliban in their neighbourhood when the Americans were killed last Thursday.



The dead-end street is so narrow, 10 feet across and hemmed in by the high mud walls around homes on either side, that the answer was obvious: The gunfire that killed two US Special Forces soldiers could have come only from their street.



There are no Taliban here, said Mohammad Ayub, an elder in Boz Qandahari, about 4 miles from the centre of the city of Kunduz. A journalist visiting the village last Friday, just a day after the battle, however, saw two dozen armed Taliban militants lounging idly on the street and inside the walls around its houses.



The narrative by now is a familiar one. US ground forces get into trouble, and they respond by calling for airstrikes, which often kill civilians. According to the latest figures for last weeks clash, 36 civilians were killed, along with 14 Taliban fighters and at least five coalition soldiers.



In such cases, the Taliban quickly issue a social media bulletin blaming the US and its Afghan allies for any civilian deaths, survivors and relatives of the victims denounce the episode as an atrocity, the US military promises an investigation, and human rights groups deplore the senseless loss of civilian life.



On the ground, as last Thursdays events demonstrated, the reality is sometimes less straightforward. There is no doubt that many civilians died on this street, including 25 relatives of Allahdad, 70, who works as a teacher trainer for a Western-financed aid group and who, like many Afghans, has only one name.



Allahdad lost a brother, four sisters-in-law, a cousin, three of his own children and 16 other relatives, mostly children 10 or younger. Three of his relatives houses, all on the same block of the street on which the Americans died, were heavily bombed and severely damaged. Nearby homes were untouched.



What Allahdad apparently did not lose were any fighting-age male relatives, and among the rest of the civilian dead there were only a handful; most were children, women and old people. Residents said their young men had all emigrated to Iran for work, but there were plenty of young men in the village on Friday, many of them heavily armed.



Around the corner from the scene, two armed Taliban fighters were guarding a compound where a captured Afghan army Humvee was parked. The vehicle, too, had been bombed. They shooed away a reporter.



Adamant villagers

Funerals were taking place throughout the neighbourhood on Friday, and at least 40 young men, apparently members of the Taliban, were visible. Most were not armed, but they carried walkie-talkies, and many wore heavy boots and combat fatigues.

Graffiti painted on the mud walls declared an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and listed the names of those newly martyred. Yet, Allahdad insisted that the airstrikes on his neighbourhood had nothing to do with the Taliban.



I am demanding that the government avenge this incident, arrest those who were involved and punish them, he said. They should also rebuild our houses destroyed in the airstrikes. If the government does not heed our demands, we will do whatever we need to do, and we are ready to die in this way.



Ayub, the village elder, was similarly adamant that the villagers human rights had, as he put it, been destroyed. There were no Taliban in our houses when they bombed them, he said.



Americans are here to help us, they are not here to kill us, he said. We want them to be tried in international court. If the government does not accept our demands, we will block all routes, we will end our relations with the government, and we will stand with the Taliban.



It was clear that many in the neighbourhood already did stand with the insurgents. Abdul Basit, 25, who said the airstrikes had wounded two sisters, two uncles and many other relatives, guided a reporter to the scene.



Basits clothes were splattered with blood, which he said was from helping his wounded relatives. He himself had nothing to do with the Taliban, he said, although he also warned the reporter exactly where to walk to avoid hidden explosive devices on the street leading to where the Americans had been killed.



If the Americans are trying to kill the Taliban, they shouldnt come to my home, Basit said. They should go to where they are. Later, apparently unaware of the contradiction, he pointed out the home of one of the Taliban fighters who he said a US soldier had killed.


Department heads of government offices across Karnataka might soon get to watch the legislature proceedings live in the comfort of their offices.





A decision has been taken to broadcast the proceedings to all these offices through the Internet. Presently, there is no provision for live streaming of the proceedings. The legislature proceedings are being telecast to only a limited number of offices housed in the Vidhana Soudha, through closed circuit televisions.



Only the offices of the chief minister, governor, legislative assembly Speaker, legislative council Chairman, parliamentary functionaries, leaders of the House, Opposition leaders and party offices housed in the Vidhana Soudha, have access to live coverage of the legislature proceedings.



Sources in the Legislative Assembly secretariat told DH that the idea is to link all government offices, especially that of ministers, principal secretaries, directors and commissioners through the governments local area network.



To begin with, offices in the Vidhana Soudha, the Vikasa Soudha, MS Building, Visvesvaraya Towers and Khanija Bhavan will be linked.



Speaker K B Koliwad said the idea is to eventually link offices of all heads of departments across the state. This is being done to ensure speedy dispensation of work. For instance, the deputy commissioner of Haveri or the superintendent of police of the district can sit in their offices and watch the proceedings and attend to the matter immediately, thereby ensuring quick action. This will not only help in better administration, but also save a lot of time, he added.



The Assembly secretariat deputy secretarys office has been entrusted with the responsibility of linking all the offices. An estimate is yet to be readied for carrying out the works. Earlier, a decision was taken to introduce a channel similar to the Lok Sabha TV in Parliament.



However, this proposal has not been furthered even after several months of the decision. Sources said the decision had been put on the back burner as it proposed to restrict live media coverage.




A 58-year-old man was killed on the spot after he was hit by a car driven by a drunk Tanzanian student on Sunday morning.





The victim, Velu Swamy, a milk vendor and a resident of Hegde Nagar, was on his way to supply milk to houses when the accident took place near Hegde Nagar Circle in Chikkajala, off International Airport Road. The police have arrested the car driver, Kelvin Muzani Musimba (22), a degree student at Koshys College in Bagalur.



Around 5.50 am, Kelvin and his friends Clavin and Clovin were returning to their house in Kothanur after visiting a friend at Kattigenahalli near Yelahanka. A speeding Kelvin lost control over the car and hit Swamy, who was standing near his scooter at Hegde Nagar Circle. Swamy fell on a compound wall. He was sandwiched between the compound wall and the car and suffered severe head injuries. The public alerted Chikkajala traffic police, who shifted Swamy to a nearby private hospital where he was declared brought dead.



After the accident, Kelvin and his friends tried to flee the spot. But, the local residents chased and caught them. They also thrashed the three Africans, added the police. The police seized the car and took the trio to the police station. Kelvin was subjected to breath test and it was found that he was drunk beyond the permissible limit, with a reading of 282 mg, the police said.



Kelvin was booked under the IPC Sections 304 and 279 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash driving respectively).



He has been remanded in judicial custody till November 19. Kevin had come to Bengaluru on student visa, a few years ago. The police are verifying his visa and passport.

Meanwhile, the local residents gathered at the accident spot and staged a protest, demanding the police take stern action against African students indulging in illegal activities.



In February this year, tension prevailed at Soladevanahalli in north Bengaluru when a woman was mowed down by a car driven by an African student.




The Sullia police have registered a criminal case against a judge from Kerala on the charges of assaulting police personnel and an autorickshaw driver here on Sunday.





The police said Unnikrishnan, working as a magistrate in Kasargod and a resident of Thrissur, had been to the pilgrim centre of Kukke Subrahmanya in Sullia taluk. From there, he arrived here by a bus. Later, he took an autorickshaw and told the driver Aboobakker something in English, which he did not understand. While travelling, the driver asked Unnikrishan in Malayalam what he had told him in English. The judge continued to speak in English and subsequently tried to assault the driver, the police said. A shocked Aboobakker drove straight to the police station, where the judge assaulted him. When police constable Suchin and home guard Abdul Gafoor tried to intervene, Unnikrishnan assaulted them too, the police said.



Later, he reportedly held assistant sub-inspector Purushotham and sub-inspector Chandrashekar by the collar, inside the police station.
The special court to try land-grab cases has taken up a complaint against Govindarajanagar MLA Priya Krishna and 52 others for grabbing 279 acres belonging to the Muzrai department.





The court of Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) on Saturday, issued a notice in this regard to the Bengaluru South tahsildar to produce all documents, including mutation register extract of the land in survey numbers 7-11 at Peddanapalya in Tavarekere hobli.

The next hearing has been posted to November 30.



The complaint was filed before the special court by Hemanth Raju, accusing Priya Krishna, son of Housing Minister M Krishnappa, Sarva Mangala Builders and Developers and 51 others of grabbing the land which belonged to the Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangapatna.



279 acres grabbed

Of the 880 acres held in the name of the Ranganathaswamy temple, 279 acres at Peddanapalya village, Tavarekere, Bengaluru south, have been grabbed, Raju has said in the complaint, submitted along with documents.



Tahsildar told to file report

The special court, after a preliminary hearing, said, This seems to be a serious complaint. The old records submitted along with the complaint reveal that 279 acres belonged to the Ranganathaswamy temple. It is stated in the complaint that the accused, with the help of Revenue department officials, have converted the land, right through registered sale deeds and documents, by illegal means.



However, since the entire set of documents are not available, the tahsildar is directed to submit all the documents along with a report before the next date of hearing.

Raju, in his complaint, said that Dwarakabai Vedantam had donated 880 acres to the temple in 1939.



However, most of the land was grabbed by vested interests by creating fake documents.

D B Natesh Babu, sub-divisional officer, Bengaluru south, told DH that he would verify the records and documents related to 279 acres in Peddanapalya belonging to the temple and submit a report.



For farming purpose

About 880 acres was donated to the temple. Later, many used it for farming purposes, while a few filed applications for regularisation.



The land has been allotted to many over the years. Now, there are many layouts here, he said and added that the land records had been computerised and it was not possible to produce fake documents.


After years of dillydallying, the work on the eight-lane signal-free corridor between Okalipuram Junction and Fountain Circle is in full swing. Located in the northwestern quadrant of Bengaluru, the project is expected to be ready by 2017-end, which means a delay of four years.





At present, the South Western Railway (SWR) has taken up construction of road under bridges (RUB) on the Chennai and Tumakuru railway lines in two phases. We will be constructing six boxes (bridges) each at these places, using box-pushing method (segments cast outside are pushed through heavy embankments of rail by jacking). The eight-lane stretch will have a provision for padestrian movement. Lakshman Singh, Divisional Railway Manager (Works), SWR told DH.



We have started the work in phases to ensure smooth traffic flow. The SWR has set a target to complete it by September, 2017, he noted.



On the other hand, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has the responsibility to construct four-lane flyover (two lane each connecting Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmilayout and Malleswaram to City and Railway station) and an underpass (Platfrom Road, Malleswaram to Rajajinagar), which is part of Rs 109-crore project.



K T Nagaraj, Chief Engineer (Projects), BBMP, told DH that the Palike has set December 2017 as the deadline for completing the work on the entire corridor. The work related to flyover as well as underpass connecting Malleswaram and Rajajinagar with the railway station is in full swing. We have deposited Rs 80 crore with the SWR and they too have started work related to underpass, he explained.



The foundation stone for the project was laid in December 2012, when Jagadish Shettar was the chief minister. The work was awarded to Simplex Infrastructures Limited with a one-year deadline for completion. Besides shifting utilities of BWSSB, BSNL, Bescom and KPTCL, the project entails demolition of SWRs 52 quarters and electrical office as well as felling of few trees.


The Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, had to know the calls were coming, after Bishop William Murphys letter was read in Sunday Masses.

Support of abortion by a candidate for public office, some of whom are Catholics, even if they use the fallacious and deeply offensive personally opposed but ... line, is reason sufficient unto itself to disqualify any and every such candidate from receiving our vote, the bishop advised Catholics in Long Island and other communities east of New York City.

Murphy added, Let me repeat that, and did so  word for word.

The bishop also said he believes America is heading in the wrong direction  especially on religious freedom  and asked each believer to examine your conscience before voting.

A diocesan spokesman stressed that Murphy was absolutely not signaling support for Donald Trump for president.

This unusual Rockville Centre salvo was news, in part, because U.S. Catholic leaders have been surprisingly quiet in 2016  even with Sen. Tim Kaine, a Catholic progressive, in the vice president slot for the Democrats. Some Catholic leaders have even received flak, from left and right, for noting that both major-party nominees have disturbing track records on matters of character and honesty.

Meanwhile, many Catholic voters will remember an earlier war of words between Trump and Pope Francis on immigration, with the pope noting that a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.

All of this matters, of course, because its almost impossible for Republicans to take the White House without winning the Catholic vote in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other swing states.

Meanwhile, a recent Public Religion Research Institute poll showed white Catholics were evenly split (44 percent each way) between Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Hispanic Catholics (84 percent) strongly backed Clinton.

Gender numbers were even more interesting, with 49 percent of white Catholic women supporting Clinton, and 58 percent of white Catholic men backing Trump. Another 13 percent of white Catholic men were undecided or refused to answer, along with 9 percent of white Catholic women.

Thats a lot of undecided voters, especially if many of them are in strategic blue-collar communities, noted ETWNs Raymond Arroyo, the Catholic networks managing editor for news. While much has been said this year about angry white males hurt by global economic trends, the experts often fail to note that lots of them are from typical labor-union Catholic backgrounds, either Polish, Italian, German or whatever, he said.

Catholics are considered bellwether voters, but I think thats true because theyre actually quite secular and they go where the country goes, said Arroyo. Catholics dont vote because of any one issue. Its a matter of feeling and fit. ... Im hearing from lots of people who are still looking at Trump and trying to figure out who he is as a person. Theyve heard all the locker-room stuff. But many of these working-class Catholics dont mind that hes a guy who has been around and messed up  like they have. ... Theyre mad and theyre looking for a fighter.

In a recent EWTN interview, Arroyo asked Trump hard questions about issues of honesty, character and morality, and received familiar, evasive Trump answers.

The GOP nominee, as expected, jumped on WikiLeaks emails that appeared to show Clinton staffers  including campaign chair John Podesta  discussing their clashes with traditional Catholics and the need for a Catholic Spring to force changes in Catholic doctrine, thus ending a middle ages dictatorship.

The New York billionaire said his favorite saints are Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, the latter because he had a special something. ... There was a toughness, but there was a warmth that was incredible. Trump declined to discuss his prayer life, saying that subject is between me and God.

What now? Arroyo offered this Election Day advice: Watch Catholic men in the Rust Belt.

Lots of working-class Catholics arent sure if theyre Republicans or Democrats these days, he said. They keep swinging back and forth. ... What I hear them saying is: Ill go in that voting booth and make a choice, but Im not talking about it. Ill go behind that curtain and do what I have to do.

Lots of working-class Catholics arent sure if theyre Republicans or Democrats these days.  Raymond Arroyo
Construction without setback





This is to bring to the notice of the authorities that in Banjara Layout, Horamavu, which is adjacent to our house, construction work is going on in survey numbers 57, 58, 60 and 61, with little regard to the BBMP rules on leaving the setback. Walls at the under-construction sites are being erected adjoining our compound wall. When we raised objections, the owner ignored our complaint.

It may also be noted that there is neither a sewage line here nor have drinking water facilities been extended to our locality. The occupants/owners are supposed to dig pits for sewage lines. Such arrangements, however, are not in place at these construction sites.

A resident





Paint median strips

Most of the concrete median strips on the citys roads are either not painted as per the prescribed specifications or the paint has faded. Added to this is the insufficient illumination of roads at night. These things pose a constant safety hazard for motorists. The authorities should launch a special drive to paint all median strips in reflective double colours.

Kamal Laddha

Mothinagar



Traffic signal required

The cross road of Devarachikkanahalli main road, near Evershine department store adjacent to Vijaya Bank Layout, has become a bottleneck as there is always a traffic jam during peak hours. The authorities are requested to instal a traffic signal at the junction to ease the congestion and enable free flow of traffic. In the meantime, a policeman could be posted to regulate traffic.

Dilip Gurjar

Akshaya Nagar



BMTC buses badly maintained

Some BMTC buses need to be upgraded. For instance, a BMTC bus plying on route No 95 and originating at Shivajinagar (KA O1F 8995) is in a poor condition with its windowpanes being jammed.

Francis Xavier,

MS Nagar



Thursday jam in Vidyaranyapura

The Sai Baba temple in Vidyaranyapura is visited by hundreds of devotees, especially on Thursday. The streets leading to the temple are crammed with two-wheelers and cars, leaving no space for pedestrians. The temple management, with the help of the traffic police, should provide alternative parking space.

Shankar K G





Footpath needs improvement

The footpath at 12th Main Road near Ideal Homes, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, is unusable. It is not safe for pedestrians to walk on the narrow and broken footpath. The footpath should be widened to benefit pedestrians.

Raghavendra Desai



Complete flyover work

Despite many complaints to the authorities concerned, no action has been taken to

complete the flyover near the Baiyappanahalli railway cross. At a time when

commuters in this part of the city are put to hardship, the state government is busy allocating funds for a steel flyover from Chalukya Hotel to Hebbal. Our MLA K J George, who happens to be the Bengaluru development minister, is also not taking any interest in completing the flyover.

G Gopinath,

Banaswadi





Dangerous footpath at Yeshwantpur Circle

The footpath at Yeshwantpur Circle, adjoining Salarpuria Luxuria apartment, has been in a dilapidated condition for several months now with numerous holes making it unusable for pedestrians. I filed a complaint at BBMPs Sahaya website last week but no action has been taken to cover the holes. I also sent an e-mail to the BBMP and appealed to the local MLA to fix the holes. This is a widely used footpath at one of the city's main intersections. Hope the BBMP attend to our complaint and get the footpath fixed at the earliest.

Sandeep Basrur



Vacant site left untended

A vacant site at 3rd Cross, Lalbagh, Siddapura, Jayanagar 1st Block, has become a dumping yard, leading to an increase in mosquitoes. Cases of dengue have been reported in the locality, with the latest victim being a child living adjacent to the vacant site. The owner has turned a deaf ear to our pleas to keep the site clean. It is an ardent request to the authorities to make the owner accountable for the same.

Kavitha Sridhar,

Jayanagar 1st Block





Need a hand? Write to us

n Letters of grievances are pouring in and we are doing our best to accommodate as many as possible. Readers may write in to highlight civic problems affecting their locality and we will help address them in an interactive and effective manner.



Grievances and issues related to public utility agencies such as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom) would be highlighted in the weekly column.



The writeups, which could be accompanied by photographs highlighting the problems, will be published on Mondays.



Mail your grievances

to: peoplesproblems @deccanherald.co.in
The Elko Daily Free Press interviewed former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on Saturday night at the Elko Regional Airport Terminal following his rally for Donald Trump:

FP: So how close were you to Donald Trump when he had to get pulled off the stage in Reno?

Giuliani: "Well, I was right there. I was right down at the bottom of the stage. He had just brought me up and I had given a speech before him and then he had brought me up to say some nice things about me to the crowd, then I went down and then all of a sudden I saw the Secret Service taking him off the stage and my son pushed me  my son Andrew, right here  pushed me in the back and then we heard that the Secret Service had heard that a man in the crowd had a gun. And they took him (Trump), and they put him in his car in the back, and he sat there and he said Im going back. The Secret Service wasnt so sure he should. And he said Im going back, Im leaving this place. And they cleared out, they got rid of the guy, they secured it. The crowd stayed, we went back out, and he took up the speech exactly where he left it off. He was completely calm, he was completely cool, and if you need a test  can he be commander in chief?  I saw firsthand hes ready to be commander in chief. This guys got a pair of you know what.

FP: Are you expecting any more news to come out in regards to Hillarys emails?

Giuliani: Well, I dont know. They seem to come out every day from Wikileaks or from some other place. I dont know ... well see. Theres enough out now that could put her in jail for so long we would never have to worry about her again. I mean, its incredible the amount of crimes that are now in emails, uh, as a matter of record, shes guilty of massive bribery in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Shes responsible for disclosing at least twelve hundred pieces of classified material. We now have this additional six hundred and fifty thousand emails on the server of her number one person, who is also married to a man who is under investigation for sexual texting with a 15-year-old boy, a totally irresponsible person. In fact, she should never have had a person married to her whos married to a pervert like Anthony Weiner. Somebody like that should not get that close to national secrets. That was, adds to the -- what did Comey say -- she was completely reckless in handling national security information. Well now shes even more than completely reckless in handling national security information, and that violates 18 United States codes, section 971, which carries a five-year prison sentence, which she should have been indicted for back in July. Now, when Comey didnt indict her, Democrats all loved him. And now, when Comeys hit with these six hundred and fifty thousand emails, which are not his fault  its her fault for hiding them  now Comey is a bad guy, the FBI are a bunch of old men, a bunch of old, white men, they all like Trump. I mean, theyre trying to attack everybody they can. You know, Hillary, some day  maybe its now  people are going to figure out the real problem is you, because youre a crook. Youve been a crook since the time you were in Arkansas. There, you and Bill were small-time crooks, you got to the White House and you became middle-level crooks, and then when you got to State Department, man, youre making some of these big crooks look like small crooks. I mean were talking hundreds of millions. Uranium to Russia. Stepping in for UBS Bank to hide the identities of four or five hundred people, I mean forty or fifty thousand people. Keeping Ericsson off the list of companies that were not barred from doing business in Iran. And then having Huma Abedin as an employee. And you explain to me how she can hold three jobs, and still work for the State Department, and thats secure. She worked for the State Department, the Clinton Foundation, and a politically connected company called the Teneo Corporation, and the State Department ethics office approved that, which means that the State Department Ethics Office is an unethical office. And Hillary Clinton has succeeded in corrupting the Justice Department and the State Department. And Donald Trump has to come in and drain the swamp in Washington, get rid of these crooks, and put honest people in office.

FP: We have a piece of the World Trade Center incorporated in a sculpture in front of our city hall ...

Giluiani: Thank you.

FP: ... and I was wondering if you could tell us what direction the country is going in terms of preventing something like that from happening again.

Giuliani: Our country is going right now in a very bad direction to preventing something like that from happening again. In the last ten months weve had more radical Islamic terrorist attacks in the United States and Western Europe than any time since September Eleventh. The number of radical Islamic terrorists that we have to face now, as opposed to when Obama or Hillary came into office, is many times more. Remember, they created ISIS. Theyre the ones who withdrew our troops from Iraq that made ISIS possible. ISIS is now in thirty-two countries, there are one thousand investigations of them in the United States, and this country is in more danger now than it was before September Eleventh. And to say that breaks my heart, because I didnt think we would make the same mistake twice, but Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were able to accomplish that by helping to create ISIS. And then by overthrowing Qaddafi in Libya she created another terrorist headquarters where they are making plans to come here and kill us.
Sonarika Bhadoria's Saansein Is Now Buzzing The Musical Treats
Analysts fear global markets will be plunged into turmoil this week if Donald Trump wins the race for the White House, with currency turbulence and a drop in US stocks not seen since the financial crisis. As Americans prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, the Sunday Telegraph reported that experts were warning a victory for the Republican presidential candidate would trigger short-term market ructions and inflict long-term damage on the worlds biggest economy.

Supermarkets are being asked to raise the price of Birds Eye fish fingers and Walkers crisps by up to 12%, as the battle rages on between household brands and retailers over the collapse in the value of the pound. The Observer said Birds Eye, which is owned by New York-listed Nomad Foods, was seeking price rises and looking to shrink pack sizes as it said many of its raw materials were priced in dollars and so its sterling costs had risen.

Households will have the chance to buy their homes after 25 years of paying rent, under the government's new buy as you go plan that could be announced by the chancellor at the end of the month. Under a major revamp of the housing market, housing associations will be able to offer a new type of tenure where buyers will not need to have paid a deposit or require a mortgage but will build up equity in their homes over time, the Observer reported.

Businesses expect economic activity to accelerate over the next three months, according to a survey by the CBI. A net 13% of companies are forecasting an increase in activity, with predictions of growth across all sectors, after a net 8% of companies said growth picked up in the three months to October, the Sunday Times revealed.

Robust retail spending and increased export orders helped British companies continue expanding in October, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry reported in the Sunday Telegraph. Manufacturers' exports have been helped by the collapse of sterling, although the exchange rate is pushing up price of components imported by those same firms.

Theresa Mays hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal with India suffered a blow as Delhi warned some aspects of UK immigration policy could wreck the deal. As the prime minister prepared to make her first official visit to India, a spokesman for the country's minister of external affairs told the Observer that a policy brought in by May as home secretary restricting the right of Indian students to stay in the UK after graduation could prove to be a block on any progress.

The Bank of England has warned fund management firms to prove that they could deal with fire sales in any future financial crisis. The remarks are seen as foreshadowing the introduction of a formal stress test across the industry, the Sunday Times said.

The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority is understood to be hiring advisers to assess whether the proposed acquisition of Williams & Glyn by Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank (CYBG) would harm the challenger bank. The by the Sunday Telegraph reported that there are concerns that integrating W&Gs notoriously troublesome computer systems could cripple CYBG.

Plans by the Chancellor to levy a minimum price on cigarettes could hike the cost of the cheapest pack surge 50% to over 8.50 as part of the autumn statement this month. Ministers are understood by the Sunday Times to be analysing the benefits to public health against the cost to the public finances of lost duty through lower sales.

Sainsbury's pension deficit is understood to have inflated to 1bn this year as the fall in gilt yields mingles with extra liabilities of the scheme run by acquisition Argos, the Mail on Sunday reported. The soaring deficit, set to be revealed in this weeks half-year results, with the company also expected to release the results of its three-year pension review.

One of Britains biggest investment groups has called for BT to explore a voluntary sale of its Openreach infrastructure division as some investors feel the telecoms giant is being damaged by the long battle with rivals and regulators. Aviva Investor's head of UK equities, Trevor Green, told the Sunday Telegraph that now is the time for the company to have open discussions with investors about a potential split.

Marks & Spencer's chief executive Steve Rowe will announce dozens of store closures this week as he unveils another quarterly decline in clothing and homeware sales. Rowe is expected to reveal his intention to close some of the 914 shops in Britain, China and France and turn some clothing focused areas into food halls.

The 2.1bn deal to rescue Premier Oil, one of the North Seas largest independent oil companies, has been delayed until the turn of the year as debt markets begin to back away from risky exposure to the sector. Premier had expected to unveil a full-scale financial restructuring by the end of September but the rescue package remains under wraps as a team of 40 lenders struggle to finalise one of the most complex debt-financing deals in the North Seas history, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

MPs have accused Morrisons of axing staff benefits to fund the 40m cost of preparing for the new minimum wage.

The Yorkshire-based supermarket group has watered down longstanding pay arrangements, abolishing paid breaks and the Sunday pay rate, the Mail on Sunday said.

The worlds biggest fund manager has attacked the generous pension payments of several FTSE 100 bosses and called for these bumper contributions to be slashed. The Sunday Times reported that BlackRock, which manages 4trn of assets, has written a letter to the business select committee calling for the top bosses to have pension contributions that are more in line with the sums paid to employees, where pension payments are on average worth just 2.5% of their salary.

Sports Direct, the retailer run by billionaire Mike Ashley, has won government approval to pursue a legal case that aims to simplify its tax requirements and result in it paying substantially more VAT in the UK.

The case relates to the overseas sale of goods from its website on which it charges and pays millions of pounds in VAT, the Mail on Sunday said.

Sir Philip Green is arguing with BHS administrators FRP Advisory, who are investigating whether a 35m charge held by his Arcadia Group can be distributed to a group of creditors, which includes the BHS retirement scheme. Green says the funds should be return to him so, according to Sunday Times sources, he can use it in his settlement with the pensions regulator.

A government campaign led by GlaxoSmithKline chairman Sir Philip Hampton will call for businesses to boost the ranks of female executives by targeting women two levels below the board for fast-track promotion. Hampton, the Sunday Times revealed, is also expected to demand that women occupy about a third of the top-earning positions in FTSE 350 companies.
Delaware boy gets year of free fries for McDonald's Halloween costume

The Halloween costume of Blake Mompher, 9, who has spina bifida, caught the attention of McDonald's.
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While most people made the most of the Bank Holiday and the Halloween celebrations on Monday, others would have been in quiet mourning, recalling a tragedy that claimed five lives 35 years ago on that date.

Among those who died on October 31, 1981, when the Skifjord fishing trawler sank after striking a reef off Burtonport, were a father and son from Bruckless.

Skipper Francis Byrne (40), his son James (16), Desmond McGovern (22) from Mayo, Jimmy Laverty (20) from Ballycastle and Tony OBrien (21) from Dublin lost their lives in the tragedy.

Four other crew members - Gerry Laverty (26) from Dunkineely, John McGuinness (19) from Killybegs, Eamonn Mullin (29) also from Killybegs and the boats chef Standish OGrady (33) from Dublin - survived the catastrophe.

The Byrne family had already suffered heavy losses on the seas. Mr Byrne's own father James and uncle Danny had died in a fishing tragedy off St John's Point 36 years earlier and his uncle Anthony, drowned, aged 18, near Kilalla, Co. Mayo.

Because Francis Byrne's remains were never recovered, no death certificate issued. This meant that his wife Winnie was left to raise eight children on her own, with no widow's pension.

Thirty-five years after the disaster, the Byrne family has still not received redress from the Lost at Sea scheme, which was announced in 2001 to help bereaved families such as theirs. One of Francis and Winnie's sons, Danny, has tirelessly campaigned to secure this redress.

In 2009, Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly found that the family had wrongfully been excluded from the Lost at Sea Scheme. She recommended to the Government that the family be paid compensation of 245,075, in lieu of new fishing tonnage.

The next year, however, the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee found that the scheme had been administered properly, thereby ruling out a payment.

In February 2014, Danny Byrne and Jim Higgins MEP took the case to the European Parliaments Petitions Committee.

Nearly two years later, the issue has still not been resolved.
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Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
The Michigan Republicans in the Senate are getting new offices that will cost taxpayers at least $134 million over the next three decades. They are moving from their existing location in the Farnum Building in Lansing to new offices in the Capitol View building owned by GOP donor Ron Boji. New documents not released until now show just how much Ron Boji and his company Boji Group, LLC are profiting from this development. I have been provided with the purchase agreement between the Senate and Boji Group, LLC which you can read HERE. It is a document that, so far as I can tell, has not been made public until now.

The Senate is purchasing the bottom seven floors plus the basement of the Capitol View building for $41 million which amounts to $320.22/square foot for the 128,035 square feet of office space. These floors are known as Unit 1. Unit 2 is the top two floors which house the offices of the lobbying law firm Dykema and will continue to do so.

This purchase agreement is a significant departure from the initial bid which was a monthly LEASE for $16.75/square foot. At some point after Boji was awarded the contract, this project went from a monthly lease of $16.75/square foot to a $41 million PURCHASE of the office space. In other words, Boji won the bid with a low per-month lease price and then ended up selling the office space to the Senate instead.

And selling the office space is a pretty big deal because the $41 million price tag is far in excess of the $17.5 million value of the entire building given by the state in 2004 for the entire building (not just seven of the nine floors.) A Lansing appraiser claims that its actually three times greater than anything that has sold downtown of comparable use:

[Lansings assessor of record William] Fowler says that his office currently has Capitol View assessed at about $12 million, a figure he says is closer to what its actually worth. Were it to be built brand new today, his office estimates it would cost just under $22 million.

That $29 million difference between what the Senate paid and what the property is worth today is a tidy profit for Boji and you wont be surprised that Senate Republicans never had the building appraised before agreeing to the $41 million price tag:

But 7 Action News has learned that, before buying the building, the Senate didnt bother to have it appraised, instead relying on negotiations to set the final price. Lawmakers who were already critical of the project say the assessors comments provide further evidence that the deal stinks. When youve got a heavy duty Republican donor whos selling a building to the state for a price that seems to be way out of line with the real estate market, and there was no appraisal done? said Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor). Wow, thats troubling.

Bojis profit doesnt stop there, however. The purchase agreement also shows a condominium agreement in which the Manager will be paid an additional $128,000 each year as a management fee for the offices, a five-year contract worth over a half million dollars. And who does the contract designate as the Manager? Boji Group, LLC, of course. Boji also retains the right of first offer for Unit 1 meaning that he gets to buy back Unit 1 should the Senate decide to move again. He may also expand Unit 2 should he decide to.

All of this is a sweetheart deal for a man that has given tens of thousands of dollars to Republicans over the years. As I wrote about earlier this year, Boji has given at least $110,000 to the Michigan Republican Party, at least $27,800 to Congressman Mike Bishop and his various political funds, nearly $35,000 to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, and at least $41,000 to Governor Rick Snyder and his political funds. He also gave at least $72,600 to the Michigan Senate Republican Campaign Committee, Senator Randy Richardville, and individual Republican senatorial candidates. Based on these generous and well-timed donations, it appears that its no coincidence that former Senator Richardville was the top Republican in the Senate when he signed the agreement. Its also no surprise that Attorney General Schuette has refused to investigate the deal despite repeated requests by Democratic state Representative from the 110th state House District Scott Dianda of Calumet.

The effort to move Senate offices to a new building, in fact, originated with Boji himself:

The deal dates back to 2012, when state officials were considering moving some state agencies out of privately-owned buildings in Lansing to save millions in rent. Concerned that the Department of Community Health might break its lease on seven floors in his relatively-new Capitol View building, developer Ron Boji began proposing that senators leave the state-owned Farnum Building for renovated offices in Capitol View. He found a sympathetic ear in Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, a Monroe Republican who couldnt stand the out-dated Farnum Building, which was notorious for heating and cooling problems, as well as leaks and other inconveniences. State officials said it would have cost between $11.5 million and $20 million to renovate the Farnum Building. Instead, Richardville invited developers to submit proposals to the Senate, and he convened a team of state officials to review the deals and report back to him. Four developers made the cut, and were given seven questions that officials said they should be prepared to answer. Three of those developers voluntarily provided written answers. Only the Boji Group did not. One of the questions the developers were asked is whether they owed any taxes. At the time, the Boji Group owed more than $65,000 in Michigan Business Taxes. Boji spokesman John Truscott says Boji doesnt recall whether state officials asked him during an oral interview if he owed taxes.

In other words, Boji should never have been allowed to bid on this project to begin with because he owed the state a great deal of money in back taxes. Not only that, he had millions of dollars of liens on his properties over the years going back as far as 1979:

Building on a story posted Wednesday by TV station FOX 2 Detroit, the Michigan Democratic Party released documents showing Boji executives had racked up $1.8 million in state and federal tax liens dating back to 1979. That should have prohibited the Senate from signing a deal to buy office space at the Boji-owned Capitol View building, Democrats said at a news conference Thursday. Though all of the liens cited by the Democrats have since been released because the taxes were paid, a more than $65,000 lien was on file against all of the Boji Groups properties, including Capitol View, when the group submitted its bid to the Senate in July 2014.

Rep. Dianda has a resolution pending  H.R. 344, a resolution to request that the Michigan Attorney General and Michigan State Police investigate the possible waste, fraud, and abuse of power by former Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville and the Senate Business Office regarding the lease of the Capitol View Building  demanding that the state House and the state attorney general take action on what Democrats are calling The Capitol View Boondoggle.

In light of these new revelations, Rep. Dianda released the following statement and notes that former Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, the man who signed the contract with Boji, is now paid by Boji for consulting services:

The story is clear. The developer is on record donating money to top Republican leaders. Soon after, Senate leadership awarded the same developer a $134 million contract for new office space. Senate leadership then gave the same developer a million dollar management contract to maintain those offices after completion. Finally, the Senator who signed the purchase agreement now consults for the developer. This is corruption and abuse of power. I have said it since the beginning that this deal does not pass the smell test. The numbers prove this deal was shrouded in secrecy and that we wastefully overpaid for a building at the will of political favoritism. An unjustified profit is being handed over to the developer at the cost of taxpayers pocket books. The right move forward would be an immediate investigation into the waste, fraud and abuse for those who sat at the closing table. My resolution (HR 344) would compel Michigans Attorney General Bill Schuette to open an investigation into the transaction. My U.P. constituents and I agree that this is a shameful waste of taxpayer money, and its time we get answers to our questions.

You may wonder why this purchase agreement has never made it to the light of day before now. Its likely because Senate Republicans dont want it revealed that they are spending far more money than they should on this new building to the benefit of one of their top donors. And, dont forget, the state Senate, along with the state House, are immune from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

We already knew this scheme had the stench of corruption and political favors surrounding it. Now that stench has gotten just a bit more rancid.

One final thing: The fact that the new Senate offices share a building with a powerful Lansing lobbying firm should raise red flags for ALL of us.
Eighty years ago, when sun exposure was first associated with skin cancer, popular culture was exalting tanning by emphasizing that a fine brown color suggests health and good times and is a pleasant thing to see.

We know that sun exposure can be deadly and todays public awareness campaigns strongly focus on sun avoidance to prevent skin cancer. But we also know that sunlight is important to our health and plays a role in many biological processes in our bodies.

Some physicians and scientists are taking a closer look at sunlight to expose the lesser known benefits of ultraviolet (UV) light.

In fact, some physicians and scientists are taking a closer look at sunlight to expose the lesser known benefits of ultraviolet (UV) light.

What is UV Light?

When we are talking about the dangerous component of sunlight, we are really talking UV light. UV light is ionizing radiation, meaning that it frees electrons from atoms or molecules, causing chemical reactions. UV light is divided into three categories listed in order of increasing energy: UVA, UVB, UVC.

UVC is the most harmful, but the ozone layer and other components of the atmosphere filter all of it out before it reaches us. Thats also the case for a large percentage of UVB light. But nearly all UVA light reaches the Earths surface.

Both latitude and season play large factors in our individual exposure to UV radiation. Countries farthest from the equator during winter months receive the least amount of UV radiation, while equatorial countries receive the most.

UV Light Causes Chemical Reactions in the Body

Unlike visible light, the energy from UV radiation can be absorbed by molecules in our body, causing chemical reactions. When the energy from UV radiation is absorbed by DNA, it can cause reactions that lead to genetic mutations. Some of these mutations can lead to the development of skin cancer, which is the most common cancer in the U.S. Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma (one of the deadliest cancers) are all associated with UV light exposure.

However, not all chemical reactions that UV light induces are harmful. In fact, some of them are beneficial. For instance, we can get vitamin D from eating certain plants and animals, but a main source of vitamin D comes from exposure to UV radiation.

Vitamin D is critical to maintaining bone density by increasing calcium absorption in the gut. Chronically low levels of vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis. Apart from its effects on bone, vitamin D has also been shown to improve balance and muscle strength in the elderly, which decreases the number of falls leading to fracture.

UV light induces the body to synthesize other molecules as well, including opioid-like molecules thought to cause a tanning high.

UV Decreases Cancer Mortality

Research suggests that the risk of developing lung, prostate, breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancer may be decreased by sun exposure. This protective effect against cancer is most pronounced in sunny countries. While smaller studies of colorectal and prostate cancer have conflicted with this finding, many studies support a beneficial relationship between sun exposure and internal cancers and it has been suggested that the risks associated with sun exposure may be outweighed by its ability to prevent certain types of internal cancers.

Sunlight may also improve cancer outcomes. The prognosis for patients diagnosed in summer and fall is better than those diagnosed in winter and total sun exposure prior to diagnosis is a predictor of survival.
Chicagothe

most bike-friendly city in the U.S.might be building a floating, solar-powered bike path atop its eponymous river to help bicyclists navigate the waterway 24/7.

A floating bike trail on the Chicago River? Here's what it could look like https://t.co/oQQlEsb4Y3 pic.twitter.com/fHLTe9RTqO  Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) November 1, 2016

DNAinfo Chicago reported that the RiverRide project was recently presented by entrepreneur James Chuck of the company Second Shore at a 33rd Ward Transportation Action Committee meeting.

This is not your average bike path. Instead of one long continuous road, the RiverRide consists of steel-reinforced concrete pontoon segments developed by Marinetek, an international company that builds floating structures. Like Legos, the floating segments can be daisy chained together or taken apart if reconfiguration is necessary.

Chuck said that each segment would measure 82 feet long and 6-12 feet wide. The proposed car-free trail will float on the Chicago River between Horner and Ping Tom Parks.

As DNAinfo Chicago noted, the idea of a floating walkway is not newcities like Portland and Philadelphia already have their own floating paths that allow folks to get from A to B over bodies of water. However, what makes the RiverRide special is that Windy City bikers would be able navigate the Chicago River at night and even when it snows.

The RiverRide design incorporates solar panels above each floating segment to provide light even after the sun sets. Additionally, precipitation-activated awnings and an embedded heating conduit will prevent icing and snow build-up.

Chuck said that it would cost approximately $5 million to $10 million per mile of floating trail, which could come from public or private funding. He is reportedly working to gain support for RiverRide pilot segments, and if approved, they could be installed by summer 2018.

According to DNAinfo Chicago, some Transportation Action Committee members questioned some aspects of the proposal, such as the awning and the segments narrow width. But in some good news for the company, 33rd Ward alderman Deb Mell tweeted a link to the DNAinfo story and wrote that she hopes to pilot the bike trail in her ward.

https://twitter.com/debmell/statuses/793472222870376448
(Photo:  Peter Williams / WCC)The Reformation Truck unveiled in Geneva, Switzerland on 4 November 2016.

A series of events to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation started in Geneva with the unveiling of a truck in "the city of peace" and the "city of [Jean] Calvin," in a a tack that aims to use the past to propel ways to influence the present.

By unveiling the engaging Reformation truck in a Geneva city park, events marking the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation were launched Nov. 4.

The Reformation truck will travel from Geneva to 67 Reformation cities in 19 countries and was unveiled at the international launch.

The ecumenical spirit of the commemoration of half a millennium since the Reformation had begun at the begining of the week in Lund, Sweden.

There Pope Francis shared the altar with Lutheran leaders Bishop Munib Younan and Rev. Martin Junge,

The start of the year-long pilgrimage of teaching and historical education in Geneva is in a city that welcomed the World Council of Churches since its first, preparatory offices were opened in 1939, said Rev. Olav Fkse Tveit, who leads the WCC.

"Among some, especially in the circles of Reformed Protestants, Geneva is sometimes called 'the city of Calvin'," after the Protestant Reformer Jean Calvin who died in the Swiss city in 1564.

"In the early years of the Reform, Geneva also began to be called 'the city of refuge' as it offered shelter to French Huguenots and other oppressed minorities," said Tveit.

STORYMOBILE LOADED WITH TESTIMONIES

Due to being regarded as a peace city, Geneva was chosen as the first of 67 stops for the "storymobile," loaded with testimonies and interactive experiences related to the Reformation.

Switzerland's Home Affairs minister, Alain Berset described the Reformation as being "a movement whose spiritual, cultural, societal and political influence has shaped large parts of the globe for half a millennium."

He noted the role played by Switzerland in the Reformation, which lead to a breakaway from the church of Rome that pitted Catholics and Protestants against one another for centuries, even triggering international conflicts.

"Switzerland was one of the epicenters of this spiritual and social earthquake." Berset said calling for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation to be celebrated inter-denominationally. It should be used to deepen dialogue, as there is much more that unites Protestants and Catholics than divides them, he said.

The choice of Geneva as the first stop for Reformation roadmap is a great honor for the city, stated Francois Longchamp, president Geneva's State Council.

"Geneva owes its values to a Protestant culture based on hospitality, attention, simplicity, rigor and a strong work ethic.

"It owes not only its economic strength to the Reformation, but also its spiritual influence and, to a great extent, its humanism to the movement as well", said Longchamp.

Gottfried Locher, president of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, said during the ceremony, "The Reformation inspired hearts and minds, and changed the world. And that is what we are celebrating."

With the notion that all people are equal before God, the Reformation has spurred the triumphant global march of democracy - and Switzerland and all Europe has benefitted vastly from this movement, he said.

However, "the meaning of Reformation remains unchanged: to translate the word of God into the language of the people."

Locher said the Reformers of 500 years ago were not looking to create a schism within the Church, but simply to renew the existing Church.

For the Federation of Churches, what counts most is not Luther's posting of his theses 500 years ago, but rather to reflect on what the Reformation means to the generations of today and tomorrow.

"Think open  act free  believe anew," is the slogan that the Church seeks, he said.

The Reformation truck, which will pass through 19 countries, highlights the fact that the Reformation is a global citizen", commented Chairman of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.

The Reformation truck will stop for 36 hours in each city in order to present the local history of the Reformation.

The final destination is the German city of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther lived and worked, and where the World Reformation Exhibition  Gates of Freedom opens on May 20, 2017. Switzerland will be present with an artistic concept.
Begin early

Professional course s should be made available to students after class XII. It is about offering students a choice to pursue their interests and earn a living. Arguments ranging from interests change over time to no stability should not deter you from following your dream. It is high time students were given the freedom to think for themselves and study what they like. To say that you can study for an undergraduate degree in a certain field and then pursue your passion later is another way of saying, We hope you will stop thinking about that hobby in due course of time. Or, this could simply mean letting the student waste some years. Why wait a few years to become a photographer or an artist, when you know from the start that is what you want? If anything, those few years can be spent sharpening your skills for your dream job.

>> Akshit Dhar

Bachelor of Mass Media, Mumbai

Holistic view

Professional courses are a mix of general studies and specialised skills training in a particular field. Studying for a journalism degree not only made me learn about every branch of the media, but it also gave me an overview of subjects such as economics and political science, which are connected to my main discipline in some way or the other. While showing a specific path towards a particular field that interests us the most, such courses also help students connect with other areas. This meets our career and personal requirements more efficiently. Hence, it is appropriate to offer professional courses to students after plus-two level.

>> Srishti Sharma

BA (Hons) Journalism, Delhi

Maturity and sensitivity

A student must have a certain level of maturity to study a professional subject. For example, as a law student, you need to be sensitive enough to understand and analyse each case, which could relate to divorce or murder and other crimes. A student fresh out of school may not have the exposure required to deal with such situations. It is better to complete an undergraduate degree in core subjects before opting for a professional course such as law. For example, I read political science at undergraduate level, which helped me to understand social systems better.

>> Jahnvi Sharma

LLB, Noida

Saves time

If a student wishes to, at any point in time, make a professional career, it would be beneficial to him/her and to the nation that he take up the course after class XII. If the ultimate aim is to look for a job, then a professional course at post-secondary level will obviously save you time. Studying an undergraduate course for the sake of it is a waste of time because the student may not find an opportunity to utilise the skills he/she may gain there later in life. Thus, it is advisable to enrol in a professional course after completing your school education. India is a developing nation. Most of the quality options, be it professional courses or traditional degrees, are subsidised by the government. Thus, every seat matters.

>> Anant Khanna

BA, LLB, Bangalore

More options

After plus-two level, students should choose careers at the beginning since this has a long-lasting impact on their future. By selecting professional courses, a wide range of work options open to them. It is important for them to choose the options carefully according to their interests. As students, we must know what our abilities are, so that we can set our goals.

>> Anushree Singhdeo

BBA, Bhubaneswar

Gain exposure

Professional courses provide exposure. Students who have completed plus-two level studies lack the maturity required to understand the nuances of the subject. Also, a professional discipline calls for a certain perspective, which a very young person may not have. That is why professional courses are only suitable for candidates with Bachelors degrees.

>> Nishant Bhatia

Postgraduate Programme in Management, Ahmedabad



 Compiled by Sonali Sharma
Asteroids are large pieces of space rocks which are formed in many ways. Since they are small enough to not actually have any gravitational force of their own. They move around aimlessly in various directions based on nearby stars and planets.

Our solar system has many asteroids. Most of them are far away but sometimes they come close to Earth. Statistically speaking, many asteroids come close to Earth yet they are small enough to become a threat.

A recent report by NASA covered by Russia Today mentions how NASA's scout system detected a large asteroid headed in the path of Earth on the night of October 25th.

This new early warning system called Scout is proving to be very useful as it can warn humans about early signs of a possible asteroid impact.

The Jet Propulsion Lab at NASA work alongisde with Scout and it is said to use various telescopes all at once to quickly process data and detect movements of nearby asteroids in order to determine which are a threat and which are not.

However, luckily enough the asteroid's path was quickly calculated by Scout and it was determined the asteroid will dash by earth at a distance of over 300,000 miles.

Although that seems like quite the distance, the universe is so spatial and massive that 300,000 miles is considered relatively very close to planet Earth and could prove to be dangerous.

NPR reported the asteroid passed by earth a day ago. Unfortunately it was unable to be seen by the naked eye considering it is not a glowing comet. Asteroids emit no light and since they were not near the atmosphere of a star or planet they would not catch on fire to emit light.

However one can safely sit in their chairs knowing the earth is safe from large asteroids, for now.
The atmospheres of the Earth and Mars are depleted of the noble gas Xenon, whilst meteorites similar to the rocky material that formed the Earth have it in abundance. All the other so-called noble gases appear in the Earth, Mars and meteorites. So what happened to Xenon and where has it gone? Researchers from the University Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, are spending the weekend at the ESRF in their quest for the vanished noble gas.

Sherlock Holmes would have a field day at the ESRF. A big synchrotron, a beamline where you can transport the samples to the centre of the Earth and a team of eager scientists who will work around the clock trying to find the missing Xenon. It is one of the great puzzles of science and, who knows, maybe they will find the clues that will solve it this time?

Like in a detective story, the researchers from the University Pierre et Marie Curie have already come up with some ideas of where the missing Xenon might be: We think that Xenon might have been stored underground, based on previous experiments and on remains of primitive rocks found on Earth, explains Chrystele Sanloup, leader of the group, adding that maybe it sank there in the early days of the Earth.

The team on BM23, in front of the set-up. From left to right: Jennifer Hudspeth, Angelika Rosa (from the ESRF) and Celine Crepisson. Crystele Sanloup is missing in the photo. Credits: C. Argoud.

The experiment they will carry out will submit the samples to the extreme pressure and temperature conditions of the crust and upper mantle of the Earth. The team will insert the gas onto quartz and feldspars, two minerals found in these layers. They will not only study Xenon but also Krypton, a noble gas more abundant in the Earth, Mars and meteorites. The aim is to compare the behaviour between the two noble gases.

A challenging experiment

The approach is unusual, as the team will use X-ray absorption spectroscopy on BM23, a technique not normally used for these experiments. It is the first time that such a technique is used to probe the Xenon bonding in minerals, says Celine Crepisson, who is studying this as the subject of her PhD. Hopefully, it will provide us with answers about how Xenon differs from other gases, she adds. As for the technical challenges of the experiment, Angelika Rosa, the ESRF local contact, explains that the sample is very small under extreme conditions and we have very low concentrations of the gas, so it is very difficult to get a signal.

Celine Crepisson in the lab. Credits: Chantal Argoud.

Another challenge of the experiment is the cell where the sample will be placed. In a little box, tiny pieces are separated into small compartments. Jessica Hudspeth, post-doctoral researcher in the group, is in charge of putting the sample in the cell, and explains that the cell assembly has to be very stable and as transparent as possible so it lets the X-rays through. It was developed by Yoshio Kono, at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and it is a crucial part for the success of the experiment. We also collaborate with Tetsuo Irifune in Ehime University (Japan), who synthesised the nanopolycristalline diamond needed for this kind of experiment.

Crystele Sanloup recalls the first time she attempted to do this experiment: It was 15 years ago and I didnt get any good data. The ESRFs capabilities were not those of today, and I still had to learn a lot about the subject. And networking has proven essential in this field. Luckily things have improved and I am quite confident that we will get interesting data. Recently, since papers have started coming out, more motivated scientists have taken on this subject of research, namely chemists and high pressure physicists, and this is great as we are all contributing to it.

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny
Michael Emerson and Veronika Movchan (Centre for European Policy Studies)

The Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Ukraine was signed in Vilnius already in November 2013. It was, however, ratified by Ukraine only in September 2014 following its refusal by the then President Yanukovych, Euromaidan and Russias subsequent aggression in the east of the country. EU Member States ratified the agreement only throughout 2015 and early this year and the Netherlands has not ratified it yet. What are the relationships between the EU countries and Ukraine like after the ratification of the SAA?

The essential elements of the SAA are the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. Regarding human rights in Ukraine, we encounter the problem of enforcing the right to a fair trial. The rule of law is the weakest aspect of democratic governance in the country. However, reforms meant to bring about a significant improvement in the situation were implemented in June. The newly passed laws have particularly affected the judiciary, which is considered, together with the police and public administration, as the most corrupt institution in Ukraine.

The signing of the SAA also means the possibility of the facilitation of travel for Ukrainian citizens to the EU. Therefore, in December 2015, the European Commission recommended the cancellation of visas. The Council allowed Ukrainian citizens to travel to the EU visa-free in case of tourist travel, but only with biometric passports. The completion of the process of launching a visa-free regime is now in the hands of the European Parliament.

Regarding public procurement, it is regulated by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which is an important part of the SAA. DCFTA also addresses market access, which does liberalize but in a very asymmetric way. While the EU has a fully liberalized market, Ukraine is expected to have one within three to seven years. DCFTA deals with customer service, technical standards for industrial products, food safety regulations, intellectual property rights and services in general. Public contracts are of high importance for both the EU and Ukraine. They account for approximately 18 percent of the EUs GDP, and thus offer a huge potential market for Ukrainian companies. A reform of public procurement policy has been the governments priority for several years and, due to the fiscal deficit, the need for fiscal consolidation and better public spending, it will also remain one of the top priorities in the coming years.

How successful reforms in Ukraine will be remains a question for the future. In case they are successful, we can expect that this will lead especially to the strengthening of economic relations between the EU Member States and Ukraine. However, predicting future development is fairly problematic in light of the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine, which could significantly destabilize the country and also affect the implementation of reforms.

The study can be downloaded here
The GBP to ZAR exchange rate continued to strengthen on Friday as US election jitters dragged down Rand appeal.

The Pound Rand (GBP ZAR) exchange rate slipped from its daily best levels on Tuesday afternoon, as investors indulged in another bout of buying emerging market currencies like the Rand as US citizens went to the polls.

In the event of a Clinton win, GBP/ZAR could continue to fall. However, this movement may not be long-lasting, as markets would likely return to normalcy within a few days.

The Pound to Rand exchange rate today (08/11/16): -0.51pct lower on the day at 16.51528.

The South African Rand to Pound exchange rate today: +0.51% at 0.06055.

With the polls opening on the final day of the US election campaign markets have returned to a more cautious state, leaving the Rand with little support.

Although UK industrial production fell short of forecast in September this failed to particularly dent the GBP ZAR exchange rate, with investors instead encouraged by stronger manufacturing output figures.

Monday's session on the foreign exchange markets saw the Pound Rand (GBP ZAR) exchange rate continue to plummet, losing over 2 per cent in value at some points and having already lost most of last weeks Sterling bullishness.

Markets continued to favour emerging market currencies due to the perception that status quo Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton could win the White House in Tuesdays US election.

GBP/ZAR slipped to a low point of 16.41 on Wednesday as local political news boosted Rand sentiment.

However, by Friday morning Sterling had surged and the Rand had weakened on US election jitters, taking the pair up as high as 16.95.

While the initial optimism over the High Court Brexit ruling has dissipated the GBP/ZAR exchange rate has slumped sharply at the start of the new week.

Largely this is due to an increased atmosphere of market risk appetite, with investors take a more optimistic view of the US presidential election after the FBI cleared Clinton of charges relating to a fresh batch of emails.

Latest Pound/Rand Exchange Rates

On Tuesday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1

The pound conversion rate (against pound) is quoted at 1 GBP/GBP.

The GBP to EUR exchange rate converts at 1.162 today.

Today finds the pound to us dollar spot exchange rate priced at 1.148.

NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 1st Nov 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.

British Pound (GBP) Appreciates Against the SA Rand (ZAR) Rate Takes Advantage of US Election Jitters

Both the Pound and South African Rand have experienced bullishness over the last week for various reasons.

While the Pound was largely mixed until Thursday, a decision from the UK High Court gave investors cause for cheer.

Three High Court judges deemed it unconstitutional for the government to activate Article 50 without a discussion from MPs, adding to market hopes that MPs would be able to fight for access to the EUs single market before the process begins.

The Bank of Englands (BoE) policy meeting gave Sterling an additional boost as policymakers decided unanimously to leave the banks current measures frozen. This, as well as higher UK growth forecasts, caused bets of further easing in the near to mid future to plunge.

Over in South Africa, news that a report detailing potential points of corruption from South African President Jacob Zuma cheered SA markets earlier in the week.

Attempts to oust the unpopular leader are often correlated with Rand strength. However, with next weeks US Presidential election drawing ever nearer, the Rands bullishness was restrained and the currency began to plunge on Friday, allowing GBP/ZAR to end the week higher.

Pound (GBP) Forecast: Quiet Eco-Calendar Ahead for Britain

Next weeks Pound Rand exchange rate movement may not be as impressive as the week just gone, with far less big news on the weeks economic calendar. Sterling could trend relatively limply for most of the week unless developments in Brexit news storm headlines once again.

The weeks UK data includes September industrial and manufacturing figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday, followed by NIESRs October Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate.

Better-than-expected growth predictions may not inspire Sterling bullishness, as the Bank of England (BoE) has already predicted higher growth for 2016 and 2017.

US Presidential Election Main Driver for South African Rand (ZAR) Next Week

Similarly to Britain, there wont be much in the way of highly influential South African data published in the coming week.

Octobers foreign exchange reserve scores will be published on Monday, with September production data coming on Wednesday, but these will be low-influence compared to the weeks main global events.

As an emerging market currency, demand for the South African Rand is heavily correlated with appetite for risk, and next weeks 2016 US election will be a particularly pivotal point for market uncertainty.

If Republican Donald Trump continues edging higher in polls and takes the White House, markets will be sent into uncertainty due to his unorthodox economic policy. This could cause investors to be put off risky currencies for quite some time and GBP/ZAR will extend its recent gains.

However, if status quo candidate Hillary Clinton wins the Presidency, markets are likely to settle more quickly, which will allow the Rand to continue trending more normally.
The USD to JPY exchange rate extended its bearish run last week after building fears that Hillary Clinton could lose the US election weakened the US dollar.

The US Dollar to Japanese Yen exchange rate today (08/11/16): +0.31pct at 104.8218.

The Japanese Yen to US Dollar exchange rate today: 0.00954.

US Dollar News: Fears of Trump election victory building

Fears of Trump election victory building USD slumps as election polls tighten: FBI investigation in Clinton sees poll lead collapse.

FBI investigation in Clinton sees poll lead collapse. JPY strong after BOJ meeting: Bank holds neutral policy bias.

Bank holds neutral policy bias. USD/JPY forecast: US Dollar to remain weak as voting day approaches.

USD/JPY continued to trend with an upward bias on Tuesday afternoon, which was a strong indication that investors were still confidence in an election win for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

However, if Trump pulls a Brexit-like surprise win the Japanese Yen will surge. This level of safe haven demand may even be enough to push USD/JPY back towards the key level of 100.00.

Despite investors taking a generally cautious view ahead of the results of the US presidential election the US Dollar to Japanese Yen exchange rate has continued to trend higher.

While these gains could dwindle over the course of the day markets have nevertheless maintained a relatively high pricing of a Hillary Clinton victory.

So where do leading FX strategists at Bank of Scotia Nova see the future of the US dollar to yen rate?

"Momentum signals are close to neutral and DMIs are muted. USDJPY has climbed back above its short-term MAs (21 day at 103.99 and 9 day at 104.13) to the mid-point of its one month range roughly bound between 102.50 and 105.50. We note the emergence of near-term resistance above 104.50 and look to near-term support around 103.80."

USD/JPY continued to surge ahead on Monday afternoon as markets continued to believe that the FBIs conclusion that Clinton did not break the law in her use of an email private server would help her chances to win the White House on Tuesday.

USD/JPY has already regained most of the ground it lost during last weeks trade. If Clinton wins as markets have begun to expect, USD/JPY will surge higher still and could finally break higher than the key level of 105.00

After the FBI announced that it would not bring any charges against Hillary Clinton after examining a fresh batch of emails the US Dollar was prompted to jump.

With markets in a generally more optimistic mood ahead of the election results the appeal of the Yen declined, offering the USD/JPY exchange rate a stronger boost.

The FBI announcing it would reopen investigations into Hillary Clinton caused her strong poll lead to collapse, weakening the USD/JPY exchange rate during the past few days.

Swissquote Banks Head of Market Strategy Peter Rosenstreich explains;

While the political risk has increased with national polls narrowing, Clinton continues to have the lead. CNN polls indicate that Clinton has a 46% to 45% lead of Trump. Heading into the last weekend before America heads to the polls, anything can happen.

Investors are selling out of the US Dollar, as well as the stock markets, as they turn to safer assets, like government bonds and the Japanese Yen.

Latest Exchange Rates

On Tuesday the Japanese Yen to British Pound exchange rate (JPY/GBP) converts at 0.006

The pound conversion rate (against japanese yen) is quoted at 170.21 JPY/GBP.

At time of writing the pound to euro exchange rate is quoted at 1.162.

The live inter-bank GBP-GBP spot rate is quoted as 1 today.

NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 1st Nov 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.

Japanese Yen (JPY) Gains on Peers on safe-Haven Status

The Japanese Yen advanced steadily against the US Dollar during the past week thanks to election jitters, largely supported by domestic developments.

Concerns that Donald Trump may win the US presidency paved the way for the safe-haven Japanese Yen to advance last week.

Poor data caused a dip at the beginning of the week after Sundays industrial and retail data printed significantly worse than forecast.

There were no surprises from the weeks Bank of Japan policy meeting, with the BOJ announcing no changes to stimulus and suggesting that it holds a neutral policy bias unless something shocks the economy.

All About the US Elections This Week

Markets need to be prepared for either outcome of the general election to cause US Dollar exchange rate volatility, according to Morgan Stanley.

There is little economic data from the US due the early next week, although this is a moot point considering markets will be focussed entirely upon the US election, which takes place on November 8th.

Morgan Stanley believes that the US Dollar sell off is likely to continue, warning;

First, USD selling may continue into election day unless opinion polls, for whatever reason, swing back more into Clintons favour. Second, on November 8, markets may be best prepared for a market-unfriendly outcome. Hence, a risk-favourable election result may push USD sharply higher while options markets may converge towards lower volatility levels.

While United Overseas Bank notes that USD/JPY exchange rates may not head much lower, downwards pressure continues to limit JPY downside risks.

According to United Overseas Bank;

USD touched a low of 102.54 [on Thursday], holding just above the key support indicated at 102.50. Despite the overall negative undertone for this pair, a sustained move below 102.50 seems unlikely (the next support is closer to 102.00). That said, only a move back above 104.00 would indicate that the immediate downward pressure has eased.

Traders will begin next week having read the Bank of Japans (BoJ) latest meeting minutes over the weekend, with wage growth figures providing further food for thought regarding the future of Japanese monetary policy.

Considering election fears are likely to pressure the US Dollar lower, JPY/USD exchange rates could advance regardless of an empty data calendar on Monday and Tuesdays late-night trade balance and bank lending figures.
A former Republican legislator, backed by tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from energy companies, is favored to win an open seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the states oil and gas industry.

Wayne Christian, a state representative from 1997 to 2013, has raised far more money than any of his three opponents, nearly two-thirds of it from the oil and gas industry, state campaign finance records show.

Christian, 66, of Center, has collected nearly $300,000 in political contributions this year, with nearly $190,000 from oil and gas interests.

Thats triple the amount raised by candidate Mark Miller, a Libertarian, who collected nearly $100,000 in contributions, primarily from the technology industry.

Green Party candidate Martina Salinas raised less than $2,000, and a Democrat, Grady Yarbrough, reported no contributions.

Christians fundraising continues a long tradition of the oil and gas industry pouring money into the campaigns of officials who would regulate it, renewing questions among environmental and watchdog groups of whether the commission protects the public interest or that of industry.

The Railroad Commission is pay-to-play politics at its worst in Texas, said Tom Smith, the director of the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen, which monitors campaign finance and energy policy.

Commissioner Ryan Sitton, who was elected in 2014, defended the practice of accepting money from the oil and gas industry. Sitton collected more than $127,000 in contributions from the industry in the first six months of this year, even though hes not up for re-election until 2020, campaign finance records indicate.

Good regulation is in the interest of the industry, and contributions to my campaign in no way influence the work I have committed to do, Sitton said. As an elected official, my job is to engage and inform the public about the work of the Railroad Commission. For ethical reasons, we dont use state dollars to do that, which is why the fundraising process is so essential.

The Railroad Commission is one of the most important down-ballot contests because its members oversee the industry that drives the Texas economy. It regulates the largest oil and gas market in the lower 48 states, a task that includes monitoring more than 436,000 active and inactive oil and gas wells and nearly 220,000 miles of pipelines.

The panel comprises three commissioners who serve staggered six-year terms, meaning one seat is up every two years. The job pays more than $135,000 a year. The contests, however, often are overlooked by voters because of the incongruous name and insider culture that benefits from the commissions low public profile, critics say.

Christian apparently prefers a low profile, too. He didnt respond to several interview requests, and his opponents say he didnt appear at either of their two debates. Christian served 15 years in the Legislature, where he distinguished himself as a champion for ultra-conservative causes, attacking fellow Republicans who didnt support his views. Texas Monthly voted him one of the worst Texas legislators in 2011.

Christian, who billed himself as the only Christian in the Texas Legislature, lost his seat in 2012 and made a failed bid for the Railroad Commission in 2014, when he lost to Sitton in the GOP primary. This year, Christian beat six other Republicans to win the primary and runoff election for his partys nomination for the seat being vacated by David Porter, the commissions chairman.

Christians biggest donation, $12,500, came from the Exxon Mobil PAC. Several $10,000 donations came from CEOs of energy companies, including Jeffery Hildebrand, CEO of Hilcorp Energy, an oil and gas exploration company; J.L. Davis, owner of West Texas Gas, a natural gas transmission and distribution company; and Timothy Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating, also an oil and gas exploration company.

Miller, the Libertarian, called the commission one of the least transparent agencies in the state, a problem he said might start to be solved by changing the panels name. Christians campaign contributions, Miller said, show no one pays much attention to the commission, save the oil and gas industry.

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.

Its not nefarious, he said. But it just says that only oil and gas people are interested in the panel.

Environmentalists and other critics agree an important first step in making the commission more visible and accountable would be to change its name.

Adopting a new name, the Texas Energy Resources Commission, is one in a list of recommendations made by the Texas Sunset Commission, a group charged by the Legislature to conduct periodic reviews of the states agencies.

State agencies typically undergo Sunset Reviews every 12 years to determine if they should be reauthorized. The Railroad Commission is in its third review since 2010 because of controversy over some of the Sunset Commissions suggestions.

One of the most controversial has been a proposal to reduce the influence of oil and gas interests by allowing commissioners to raise political contributions only in the years they run for re-election.

The proposal, which the Sunset Commission dropped from its latest recommendations, was aimed at preventing the commissioners from using access to oil and gas money to build large campaign war chests that can scare off challengers.

Ryan.handy@chron.com
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San Antonio firearms dealers may not exactly want Hillary Clinton to win the presidential election Tuesday, but a Clinton victory could do wonders for sales.

Gun shop owners in San Antonio have bolstered their inventories in anticipation of a Clinton victory fueling fears of stricter gun measures. Some have already seen larger receipts and more foot traffic as anxiety mounts, while others believe customers are waiting on the elections outcome to decide whether to buy a gun.

This wouldnt be the first time that a presidential election led to a post-Election Day blowout in Texas: Rampant gun buying followed both of President Barack Obamas wins.

Federal background checks for firearm purchases, used to indicate firearm demand, jumped 43.8 percent in Texas from 92,043 in October 2008 to 132,359 in November 2008, compared to an 8.9 percent jump the previous year, according to data from the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The next presidential election cycle saw a 33.1 percent bump in Texas-based background checks, from 112,530 in October 2012 to 149,821 in November 2012. Thats compared to the 15.7 percent increase in background checks performed during the same time frame the previous year.

Everyone realizes that if the Democratic Party gets in charge, theyre going after the guns, said Jerry McCall, owner of Texas Guns in San Antonio. He later added, In 2008, my walls were bare of ARs and AKs. Thats what I would expect again.

U.S. gunmakers, distributors and retailers expect to have a blockbuster year no matter who becomes the next commander in chief. Deadly mass shootings in San Bernardino and Orlando  accompanied by pledges by Democratic politicians to limit firearms  have helped trigger a wave of gun buying.

Federal background checks for firearm purchases climbed to 22.2 million nationwide for the first 10 months of this year  up 26.3 percent from the 17.5 million conducted by this time last year, FBI data shows.

Those people feel that they need to be armed with something to protect them and their families, McCall said.

Stocks for gunmakers Sturm, Ruger & Co. and Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. have seen substantial gains during the past 12 months, growing by 17.1 percent and 54.4 percent, respectively, since this time last November. Smith & Wesson stock is up 3.1 percent for the week before the election, closing at $27.24 a share Friday, while Sturm, Ruger & Co. is up 3.8 percent, ending the week at $63.85 a share.

Rugers third-quarter net sales jumped 34 percent from $120.9 million in 2015 to $161.4 million this year, likely bolstered by the political campaigns for next weeks elections, incoming Ruger CEO Chris Killoy said in a call with investors Tuesday. The company interpreted a 21 percent increase in its sales to retailers as a sign of larger demand partially prompted by the election cycle. The company traditionally uses sales to retailers as a gauge of demand.

Outgoing Ruger CEO Michael Fifer declined to say whether the company sees a Clinton victory as boosting sales, but did say during the call that the company has completed extensive contingency planning in connection with the presidential and congressional races.

Some sellers have already experienced higher sales volume in the months leading up to the election. Jonathan Hirsch, owner of Adelbridge & Co. Firearms in San Antonio, said his store saw a heavy uptick in sales in September and October  a boost in a year when hes already seeing 30 to 40 percent year-over-year sales growth, some of which is attributable to the store expanding its selection. Pistols make up about 65 percent of purchases while about 35 percent are for long guns  and, increasingly, many of the buyers are women, Hirsch said.

I think the general consensus is, we want to buy this while we still can, Hirsch said.

Hirsch said his store saw increased traffic in December 2012 following the presidential election and the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 26, including 20 children younger than 7 years old. Traffic also increased in June after a shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida that left 49 people dead. Hirsch said he expects receipts during the November and December holiday shopping season to grow if the election leaves his customers worried about gun law changes. Currently, he has 1,700 guns in stock.

Ive already brought in more inventory than ever in preparation for this, Hirsch said. If there is panic buying, hopefully were well stocked for some time to keep customers happy.

McCall of Texas Guns, which deals in higher-end assault weapons, said hes added $600,000 worth of inventory on top of his usual $400,000 stockpile for the year.

I can hardly squeeze another gun in this store at this point, McCall said.

Other sellers are more cautious. Johnny Dury, an owner of Durys Gun Shop, said he bought about three months worth of inventory in September to prepare for the election season.

I took a bet on it two months out and I said, Lets just go and lets bring our inventory up a moderate amount because if she gets in, well sell them through easy, Dury said. If she doesnt, I dont want to stock with a bunch of inventory that aint gonna sell for nothing.

But Dury worries that this election season wont generate the level of sales of assault rifles as the previous two election cycles because those buyers have already purchased the firearms theyre worried may become illegal. He said the candidates personalities, rather than policy proposals, have taken up much of this years discussion.

Though the nation has been rocked by high-profile mass shootings within the past 12 months, Clinton and Trump have not put gun policy in their cross hairs. The candidates did agree during the final debate Oct. 19 in Las Vegas that people listed on U.S. terror watch lists should not be allowed to purchase firearms, but Trump added the caveat that people on the lists should have an easier appeals process to have their names removed.

That lack of discussion, Dury said, may prevent potential buyers from turning out to gun stores.

Gun sellers see another potential spoiler for sales, though they see it as a win for gun rights: a Trump victory. As of Friday afternoon, the FiveThirtyEight election forecast  which measures polls, the state of the economy and other historical data to predict which candidate will win  gave Trump a 35.2 percent chance of winning the election, nearly 15 points more than the forecast gave him this time last week. Clinton currently has a 64.7 percent chance of a victory, according to FiveThirtyEight.

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.

But, vendors have their contingency plans: Black Friday deals.

If Hillary gets in, were just going to advertise them at the normal price and try to just blow them out and run out of our inventory, Dury said of the stores planned Black Friday sale. If Trump gets in, were going to discount them down and get them out of here, Dury said.

McCall of Texas Guns said, If theres all good news, Ill be overstocked  other than the next terrorist attack or the next mass shooting.

Demand for handguns, rifles and shotguns doesnt appear to be going away. The number of background checks performed each year has increased by more than 170 percent since 2000, according to the FBI. About 23.1 million background checks were completed in 2015 compared to almost 9 million in 2000.

More Texans are in the market for a gun this year. Federal firearm background checks based in the Lone Star State rose by 16.6 percent from almost 1.2 million during the first 10 months of 2015 to almost 1.4 million during the same time frame this year, FBI data shows. More than 1.5 million Texas-based checks were made in all of 2015.

Gun manufacturers have also significantly stepped up production within the past decade, producing 10.8 million firearms in 2013 compared to 3.3 million in 2003, according to the latest available data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Gunmakers produced more than 9 million pistols, shotguns, rifles and other guns last year, down from 2013 but still about triple 2003s output.

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports
I started my first year of high school at Holmes High School the second year it was open in the mid-1960s. I remember a sulfur mine where Ingram Park mall is today. When they would blast, the sulfur smell would overwhelm our hallways and classrooms even though there were no open windows. I believe we were the first air-conditioned school in San Antonio. I mention this occasionally, and no one else remembers the sulfur mine.

 Jacque Petterson

You must have started school there in 1965. Oliver Wendell Holmes High School - named after a Supreme Court justice, according to Northside Independent School District convention - opened in September 1964 as the first round (circular) school in Texas. The three original buildings were described at the time as saucers and reflected a 1960s trend for school buildings that were supposed to be more efficient because they had no useless corners to heat or clean.

Holmes was NISDs second high school; the formerly rural districts first was John Marshall, known as Northside High School from its opening in 1950 until Holmes was named in 1963. After receiving the results of a study that predicted a 150 percent increase in student population through the mid-1960s, the district purchased a 30-acre site at Loop 410 and Ingram Road, at one end of the Thunderbird Hills subdivision between Ingram and Bandera roads, to build its new high school. At 6500 Ingram Road, it was intended to be centrally located for students from the southern and western sections of the district, according to the San Antonio Express, June 9, 1962.

Three buildings were planned by the architecture firm of Marmon and Mok (thats what it was called then; its Marmon Mok now) for the hillside campus  a two-story academic building to contain classrooms, a library and faculty offices; another for a gym and cafeteria; and the third for administrative offices, auditorium and music and homemaking department. All were connected by covered walkways, and classrooms had doors that opened onto interior as well as exterior hallways to relieve traffic between classes.

In its first year, Holmes only offered grades nine through 11, to allow seniors to stay at Marshall through graduation. The campus was expected to accommodate 800-900 students in the 1963-64 school year, could serve 1,200 with the addition of a 12th grade and as many as 1,800 when a fourth building was constructed.

At $1.3 million, the unique, pace-setter schools cost was comparable to high schools of conventional construction, architect Harvey Marmon told the Express, Sept. 14, 1963, and the cost might have been lower except that contractors have had little experience with circular-type construction.

The stone buildings glass outer walls and a skylight in the academic building were supposed to make use of natural light, cutting energy expenses. Holmes was not fully air-conditioned; at its opening, only the administrative offices, auditorium, library, laboratories and part of the music department had that advantage, although provisions had been made to air-condition the whole school later. The classrooms were supposed to be cool anyway, because the interior circular corridor (would) funnel air through the entire structure.

Caroline Wernli, Ed.D., past president of the Northside School Museum Association, was unable to confirm that Holmes was San Antonios first fully air-conditioned school.

Still, Thunderbird Hills developers advertised the subdivisions proximity to Holmes as the new air-conditioned Holmes High School. They also promised quiet country living and no city taxes in the neighborhood marketed to workers at Kelly and Lackland Air Force bases.

Both the subdivision and the school were located in an unincorporated area, says Wernli, who moved to Thunderbird Hills with her family in 1969. The city of San Antonio did not provide for waste removal or trash pickup. The sewage was handled by a private company located on the access road inside of Loop 410 approximately one-half mile east of Holmes High School. The sewage was aerated (exposed to air to promote digestion of solids by aerobic bacteria) on an open field, which produced a foul odor.

Your nose wasnt wrong, though. That odor came from a combination of methane and other gases, quite probably including hydrogen sulfide, a sulfur-based gas often found in connection with sewage, as in backed-up septic systems. Thunderbird Hills, whose own ads boast of rapid growth, already had a problem in this regard before Holmes opened. A study commission by the San Antonio River Authority in 1963 found the subdivision to be one of the areas sewage-treatment trouble spots that required corrective action, citing deterioration of quality of effluent and recommending that sewage by piped from the plant to eliminate flow from road draining ditches.

Wernli also checked with Jack Jordan, Holmes first principal from 1964 to 1966; neither remembered a sulfur mine, but there was a gravel pit across Loop 410 from the school, which might be the operation you remember where Ingram Park Mall was built in 1979.

The Northside School Museum is located in Leon Valley School at 6632 Bandera Road. Displays are open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Alamo Colleges district is preparing for another internal conversation over The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People after the agency that accredits the five colleges concluded that trustees bypassed faculty in requiring that the self-help lessons be included in the curriculum districtwide.

In a preliminary report after visiting Northwest Vista, San Antonio and St. Philips colleges, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges cited that example and asked the three institutions to demonstrate faculty control over curriculum. It was the most substantial of seven recommendations that came out of the September visit.

Those three colleges were scheduled for accreditation reaffirmation this year, but the agency deferred its decision in June so a special committee could determine whether the colleges were given proper autonomy as independently accredited institutions. The agency is scheduled to make its final decision next month.

The delay in reaffirmation caused more than 100 Northwest Vista faculty members to revive a 2009 vote of no confidence in Chancellor Bruce Leslie. The same faculty, critical of district centralization, praised the accrediting agencys report.

The report clearly assigns the responsibility for curriculum development  to the faculty, Craig Coroneos, a government professor and spokesman for the colleges chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said in a written statement. It also calls into question the scope and cost of the nearly decadelong expansion of the (Alamo Colleges) central office into areas not authorized by the accrediting agency.

The districts board of trustees enacted a policy, updated last year, that states that Stephen R. Coveys 7 Habits book was to be included in the curriculum to further develop leadership competencies in our students.

7 Habits is supposed to make up a small component of EDUC 1300 and an alternative course for students who score lower in reading, said Jo-Carol Fabianke, vice chancellor for academic success. Incoming Alamo Colleges students are required to take one of those courses, which emphasize leadership strategies and are intended to help students transition to college.

Faculty and some administrators protested two years ago when the district tried to replace a humanities course with EDUC 1300 in the core curriculum. The course is included in the first term of all the new Alamo Institutes degree plans, Fabianke said, but it is not a core course or a graduation requirement.

Fabianke said she did not know whether 7 Habits would be removed from the courses as a result of the accrediting agencys report.

Theres going to have to be a lot more discussion on that, she said. The board put it in policy. What do we do with that now? I dont know.

With or without 7 Habits, the courses should still be required for students because theyve lead to higher persistence and graduation rates, Fabianke said.

Lets dont get the 7 Habits mixed up in that, she said. We dont want to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Administrators now have to talk to the curriculum review committees at all five colleges to determine whether they approved 7 Habits as part of the new-student courses, said Tom Cleary, a district vice chancellor, interim president of Northeast Lakeview College and a lead accreditation adviser. Trustees will also have to discuss whether to change their policy, he said. At issue is whether all the contents of a course need to go through the curriculum review committees, he said.

The other six recommendations in the accrediting agencys preliminary report were undisputed and will be quickly implemented across all five colleges, Cleary said. They include accepting courses for transfer at the college rather than district level, a policy that existed but was not being followed; calculating grade-point averages at the college as well as the district level; and changing employment contracts and other documents to represent each college rather than the district.

Instead of finding structural things, they found small, technical things, so its a very good place to be, Cleary said.

amalik@express-news.net

Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
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San Antonio political activist Lourdes Galvan was taking a breather, enjoying Mexican food with fellow Democrats after another day of driving dozens of elderly voters to the polls for early voting.

I already have one pickup scheduled for Election Day for 10 people, she said, a week ahead of time.

After months of grassroots activity, the payoff was in sight, Galvan said. I've never seen participation like this and Ive been working campaigns for over 40 years, she said.

A similar fervor could be felt last week at Bexar Republican headquarters, where volunteers of all ages  some from other Texas cities  were telephoning likely GOP voters to encourage them to turn out. They also were mapping plans for the last few days of block-walking to help U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, whos in a close race with former Rep. Pete Gallego in the 29-county District 23.

There comes a time when you quit trying to change peoples minds and you just activate the people you know are going to be your base, said Texas GOP vice chair Amy Clark of Three Rivers. Thats what everybody, universally, is doing right now, she said while volunteering in San Antonio.

The same urgency was showing in Harris County and the Rio Grande Valley, where both major parties were fully engaged in classic get-out-the-vote ground wars.

In Bexar County and the rest of Congressional District 23, those basic campaign efforts are augmented by an unprecedented air war  political ads on TV and social media. A record $14 million has been poured into ads for the Hurd-Gallego contest, the states most competitive and expensive congressional race and one of five targeted nationally by the political parties.

Yet, even with the endless hammering of the Hurd and Gallego ads, most of them attack ads, personal contact with voters still rules.

Its amazing to me that in 2016, with all the social media and all the technological advances, still the best way to make voter contact is in person, and that hasn't changed since (Abraham) Lincoln, Clark said.

Clark, serving a second term as the GOPs state vice chair, said new volunteers continue to emerge as people show up at party offices and say put me to work.

We have to find more phones. We have to find more chairs. Its a good problem to have, she said.

Across Texas this weekend, campaigns have been reaching out to any remaining potential voters. Through Friday, 4.5 million Texans had voted early or by mail in the states 15 largest counties, including 436,731 in person in Bexar County, a record.

On a sunny afternoon in Pharr last week, Mary Gow knocked on doors, urging people to vote and checking them off her list of registered voters. When no one answered the door, Gow, the get-out-the-vote coordinator for ARISE, a community-based organization in the Rio Grande Valley, leaves fliers with voter information, including the nearest polling locations.

"We aren't politiqueras, we don't tell them who to vote for, but we do encourage them to vote," Gow said. "Compared to the last election, we've had a lot of people calling us to ask about getting registered and where to vote," she said, though some arent engaged by this election.

I won't vote, Elias Santoyo, 23, told Gow. I'm not really for either candidate. They tell me if I don't vote I don't have a voice, but I really don't like either of the candidates, said Santoyo, who voted for Obama in 2012.

I'll vote, said Alberto De La Cruz, 57, after speaking with Gow and her team of community organizers. I'm going to vote for Hillary (Clinton), because the other guy is a little crazy, and he's against Hispanics.

The door-knocking phase of the campaign was winding down over the weekend, as preparations were under way for Election Day mobilization. In San Antonio, Galvan was lining up more elderly voters to deliver to polling sites on Tuesday.

At the street level, theres a lot of excitement. A lot of people are upset with Trump, particularly on the West Side. They are really upset and they call him all kinds of names, said Galvan, a former councilwoman who serves as LULACs national vice-president for women.

Youve got to be on the ground. Youve got to do the grassroots. They don't want to hear you on the phone. They want you to go knock on their door and tell them about the candidates, Galvan said.

Bexar Democratic Chairman Manuel Medina said the partys efforts have improved since the last presidential contest.

The big difference between this and past elections is were not only targeting likely voters, were targeting all voters. Were knocking on all their doors. Were pushing straight-ticket Democrat. Thats one reason we have turnout as high as it is this time around, Medina said. The countys early voting set a record, surpassing high marks set in 2008 and 2012.

We have an army ready to go for Election Day, Medina said. About 500 volunteers will be in the field, offering rides to the polls and promoting candidates at the countys 303 polling sites.

Valley more competitive

Medinas counterpart in Hidalgo County has been enthused by the turnout in the Rio Grande Valley.

At last count we're up close to 44 percent compared to 2012, and we're actually a little higher than 2008 numbers, so I suspect we're going to break records. Right now I think you're seeing a lot of conservative and middle-of-the-road people vote in the first few days, and then we'll see more of the Democratic base coming out, said Hidalgo Democatic Chairman Ricardo Ric Godinez.

High-profile Democrats such as U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, have swooped through the Valley to help the partys effort.

Most of the campaigns are safe, with the exception of the biggest race, (Texas House) District 41," he said, where state Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission, is in a close race with GOP candidate Hilda DeShazo.

In Cameron County, Democratic Chairwoman Amber Medina said the traditional campaign efforts continue, and while turnout has improved since four years ago, it could be better.

What we've tried to do this time around is focus on those people who haven't voted every single time in every election. We're reminding them what's at stake in this election, that we're here if they need anything, the Cameron chair said.

I think this year more than any year people are saying 'Wait a minute, this is going to affect me and my family. If I don't do something about it then maybe something bad is going to happen," Amber Medina said.

But Republicans in the Valley see much at stake as well, and theyre pushing hard to challenge the areas legacy of Democratic dominance.

Here in South Texas, you've got some Democrat candidates who are pushing their people, their politicqueras are pushing, said Hidalgo GOP Chairman Sergio Sanchez. But now that we're building our party, we've created a buzz on the ballot. The big race for us is the District 41 race (between Guerra and DeShazo), Sanchez said.

We need some political competition, that's the battle cry from our office, he added.

Hurd strike force

Republicans from San Antonio to El Paso were busily working on Hurds behalf. Volunteers including members of the state GOPs Mighty Texas Strike Force, were in the 23rd District to encourage them to vote Tuesday, when polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott will campaign for Hurd in Bexar County on Monday evening.

In Fair Oaks Ranch on Saturday, 20 GOP volunteers including college students from around Texas went door-knocking for their party. The group included strike force member Beryl Dowd of North Richland Hills, who was advocating for Hurd.

Its extremely important. Im worried about what may or may not happen Tuesday, she said.

Bexar GOP Chairman Robert Stovall also blockwalked for Hurd in Fair Oaks, bouyed by the high turnout so far.

Theres always more to do. We need everyone to come out on Election Day, he said.

Statewide battles

The South Texas campaigning was just part of the strategies of the two major parties. Throughout the state, Democrats and Republicans were working the traditional get-out-the vote tactics. Volunteers last week made thousands of phone calls, offered rides to the polls, reached out and battled on social media.

They also dispatched homegrown stars around the state to fire up the troops. While Democrats including HUD Secretary Julian Castro have been courting Texas voters for months, Republican luminaries including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Land Commissioner George P. Bush have campaigned actively for the GOP.

Republican Party of Texas spokesman Mike Joyce said, Basically just every day until the election happens on Nov. 8, when polls close, we are going to be on the phones and walking all over the state to elect Republicans from the White House to the courthouse. That includes Donald Trump, and that includes the last Republican that you find on the end of your ballot, all the way at the bottom.

Thousands of calls were being made daily from each of 20-plus offices in the state Victory 2016 effort that are doing phone banking, Joyce said, and county parties also have phone-bank operations. Bush, who chairs the GOP victory effort, joined volunteers phone banking for Hurd and Republican state Reps. John Lujan and Rick Galindo in Bexar County.

Under Bush, Victory 2016 is hitting all its marks, said Bush campaign spokesman Kasey S. Pipes.

Victory has secured significant resources to help down-ballot candidates across the state. Victory has activated thousands of grassroots volunteers around the state who will make 500,000 voter contacts in the last week of the campaign alone, Pipes said.

Victory is also implementing an in-state Texas strike force (through Tuesday) to help out in targeted races. And on Election Day, Commissioner Bush will be personally getting out the vote in several locations around the state, Pipes added.

Abbotts efforts, said spokesman John Wittman, include get-out-the-vote events such as one on Oct. 24 in Harris County and Monday in Bexar County. Abbott has led events and fundraisers in competitive districts around Texas along with his wife, Cecilia; a teletown hall that he said would call 750,000 voters; digital (video) ads for more than a dozen state representatives; and a radio ad that will run more than 3,000 times in markets across the state.

Democrats, meanwhile, said they have a coordinated effort that includes the county and state parties and the Clinton campaign. They tout work theyve put into building a voter database, sophisticated modeling of voter data and ensuring local leaders have the tools to mobilize their voters.

Appearances by Democratic draws like the Castros are tied to events aimed at voter contact, whether phone calls or knocking on doors, said Cliff Walker, campaign services and candidate recruitment director for the Texas Democratic Party. We grind it out on the streets, he said.

Groups including Planned Parenthood, labor organizations and Battleground Texas are involved in organizing events.

The Clinton campaign in Texas planned at least 150,000 calls in the last week of the race that I know about, said former state land commissioner Garry Mauro, Texas for Hillary chairman, with two-thirds of the calls being made to turn out Texas voters and the rest to other targeted states. Those are solely Clinton campaign calls and dont include those made under the auspices of the party, said Manny Garcia, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.

The biggest difference between us and the Republican Party right now is we can push for straight ticket and folks are proud to be pushing for straight ticket. Folks want to vote straight ticket. And the other partys got a significant problem with that, Garcia said.

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez
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With the support of sponsors, 170 runners and kayakers, and mild November weather, the new River Relay & Get Outdoors race and festival cemented its place Saturday as a family-friendly annual event on the rise, with a goal of promoting the benefits of outdoor recreation and the environment.

In only its second year, the competitive 5-kilometer run and 4-kilometer kayak race, a fundraiser of the nonprofit San Antonio River Foundation, was held in collaboration with Get Outdoors, a free festival, now in its eighth year by the San Antonio River Authority, with demonstrations and information booths on healthy, environmentally friendly ways of living at Mission Park Pavilions on the South Side.

This is the first time weve had lovely weather, following a sleet storm for last years inaugural event, said Shana Avery, director of development with the foundation, which supports park beautification and amenities along the river, such as parks and public art.

The first female to finish the kayak course was Erin Fantus of Schertz. She posted a time of just under 31 minutes, 26 seconds, even though it was her first kayak trip on the river. Using her own sea kayak, which at 16 feet long is twice the length of some river kayaks, Fantus had been used to paddling the waters of Puget Sound in her home state of Washington.

It was a little challenging at the chutes on the river, she said.

But Fantus, who took home a first-place medal and $50 Visa gift card, enjoyed her first encounter on the historic waterway and looked forward to returning.

I really enjoyed it. Ill come back to the river again, maybe with a shorter kayak next time, she said.

One of the main objectives of the relay is to promote use of the improved river water course and Mission Reach pedestrian trail. Participants could compete in the run or kayak race alone, or enter as a two-person team and do both simultaneously, with one running as the other paddled.

A lot of them had never run or kayaked on the river before. We want more people to use those resources, Avery said.

She projected that proceeds from Saturdays event would run about $30,000 from sponsorships and registration fees, with the potential to raise more next year as the event grows.

After the race, competitors and the public had an opportunity to take home a young Texas mountain laurel, redbud or other native tree furnished by the city, and other free schwag  reusable shopping bags, water bottles and other items that support healthy living. There also were chair massages and childrens face-painting. Dozens of booths provided information on energy efficiency, state parks, volunteer and youth groups and natural resource conservation. Visitors enjoyed live music and beer.

The main goal is to increase the awareness of outdoor recreation, said Yviand Serbones, community relations coordinator with SARA.

Officials said they plan to continue having the race and festival, which used to be a spring event, on the first Saturday in November, so people can plan on attending, connecting with the rivers beauty and amenities as cooler fall weather begins to settle in.

Visit riverrelay.org for more information on the event, and iruntexas.net for Saturdays results.

shuddleston@express-news.net

Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
Investigators are searching for a San Antonio woman who went missing at a ranch in west Kerr County on Nov. 2.

Megan King, 26, was last seen at the Auld Ranch, a sprawling, 5,600-acre property along Hwy 83 about 30 miles west of Kerrville.
Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Busch, For The San Antonio Express-News / For The San Antonio Express-News

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Three teams of engineering students spent Saturday morning building trebuchets, a French term for catapults, as part of the University of Texas at San Antonios eighth annual pumpkin-smashing contest.

But when the engineering college competition started in a school parking lot in front of 200 onlookers, two of the catapults echoue a lancer  failed to launch.

The good news for the spectators was that the one catapult that did work flung its pumpkin payload in what could best be described as an arc de triomphe.

As the gourd splattered across the pavement 273 feet away  or, more appropriately, 83 meters, given that France developed the metric system  Mia Esposito raised her arms in victory as the crowd cheered.

The senior, who led the civil engineering team, resisted the urge to trash-talk the automotive and mechanical engineering squads, choosing instead to savor the chance to learn outdoors.

This event is a way for us to get hands-on experience, said Esposito, 23, a Boston native who attended OConnor High School in San Antonio. We can take what were taught in the classroom and apply that knowledge out here. Its a way for us to see how things really work.

Her team constructed a wood catapult that held a half-ton counterweight, which generated ample speed for the lever arm that sent the gourd soaring.

Whats good about a project like this is that youre working together and you have the same goal, she said. Its all about teamwork.

For Matthew Salz, a junior and member of Espositos squad, the contest offered a welcome opportunity to set down textbooks and pick up power tools.

I like building stuff, so this is a fun way to do that, he said. Its always good to take what you know out of the classroom and see how things work.

mkuz@express-news.net
AUSTIN  When Gov. Greg Abbott looks past Tuesdays election to the legislative session that will convene in just two months, he sees a state whose priorities will be shaped by the occupant of the White House.

If its Hillary Clinton, job one will be fighting the feds - just as it has been under President Barack Obama.

Thats what Abbott said in a telephone town-hall meeting with supporters when he was asked what hed like for the Legislature to accomplish next year.

The outcome of the election will dictate that in part, Abbott responded. If Clinton is elected, especially, what we are going to have to do as our top priority is find ways to fight back against the overreaching federal government.

We must protect you, your individual rights, your liberty and the freedom that we stand for here in the state of Texas. And we will not allow the federal government to run over us, Abbott said.

Abbott didnt specify exactly how the Legislature would wage such a fight, although at least some legislative leaders are picking battles. For example, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants a state law to ban transgender-friendly bathroom policies, a fight spurred when Obama issued a directive for schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom associated with their gender identity.

The transgender-bathroom issue also is being fought in the courthouse, a typical battlefield as Texas has pushed back on federal action on issues including health care and the environment. Abbott, a former attorney general, bragged about the many lawsuits he filed against the Obama administration, a practice continued by his successor, Attorney General Ken Paxton.

From a practical perspective, theres very little the Texas Legislature can actually do to fight back against Washington due to the Supremacy Clause making the U.S. Constitution and federal law the supreme law of the land, said Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones.

But the court system could become less friendly to conservative causes if Clinton is elected and fills the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of conservative Antonin Scalia with a more liberal justice, Jones pointed out.

One of the difficulties Texas faces in the next administration is that many of its battles with the federal government have occurred within the judicial arena, and with a Supreme Court that was more favorable to the states position on a host of issues than is likely to be the case with the Clinton administration, Jones said.

Fighting the federal government  if Clinton beats Republican Donald Trump  isnt the only thing Abbott has on his agenda. He also cited a host of other issues for the Legislature, such as education, including school finance and school choice; public safety, including border security; banning sanctuary cities; boosting economic opportunity; and cutting taxes (although a chilled revenue picture will make that last one a challenge).

But Abbott emphasized, The big issue in the room is going to be whether or not we need to spend our time and resources fighting back against our own federal government to protect the thing thats most precious to us all, and that is our liberty.

Democratic strategist Harold Cook didnt think much of the focus on fighting the feds at time when the state faces a host of challenges.

I guess it makes sense for his politics, Cook said, but he believes Texans would prefer that Republican leaders focus on issues including a child protective services system in crisis and public education funding.

It makes no sense from a policy standpoint for the Republicans to keep obsessing about what happens in Washington when they dont have their own ducks in a row in Austin, Cook said, offering a basic human relations suggestion.

If the Republican leadership wants to get more out of their federal government, maybe  and maybe this is crazy, but  sitting down with them and figuring out the things they agree on might be a bit more conducive than suing them every day, Cook said. Thats what people in leadership positions used to do in both parties all the time.

Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak -- who wrote in a vote for conservative Evan McMullin rather than backing Trump  called Abbotts approach a reasonable one even though he said its not certain that Clinton will use the executive branch the way Obama has.

She values legislative relationships and she is going to want  bipartisan accomplishments, he said.

Still, Mackowiak said, Trump doesnt stir fears of federal overreach the way Clinton does  even though the Republican nominee is obviously a little bit unpredictable.

I dont think that he (Abbott) is saying that if Hillary wins all we are going to do is fight the feds, Mackowiak said. I think he is saying if Hillary wins, that becomes priority in a way its not a priority if Trump wins. I think thats entirely reasonable.

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac
The farming industry has made fresh calls to dairy processors to explain why they are not increasing prices to farmers, despite a new surge in global markets and the continuing weakness of sterling.

What I am saying is a twist on the old adage to put up or shut up," Ulster Farmers Union president, Barclay Bell explained.

In this case, if they continue not to put up, in terms of higher prices, there is no justification for shutting up. They need to explain to farmers, whether they are members of a cooperative or not, why they are refusing to increase prices to reflect the better returns they are receiving, said Mr Bell

Farming unions across the UK have said farmers had 'every right to be angry' about the situation

Farming unions have said the case for an increase was put beyond question this week by the big increase in the Fonterra auction price in New Zealand.

It rose by over eleven per cent, with whole milk powder, a key product for the UK, leading the auction upwards.

This is the best barometer of world trade and it is pointing upwards. So too is the Milk Market Observatory in Brussels. No arguments can be put forward by processors here against a substantial and immediate price increase," Mr Bell explained.

'Processors interested in their own profits'

Mr Bell said if processors continue holding back, the only conclusion farmers' will have is that processors are more interested in their own profits than in ensuring farmers have the prices and profitability they need to remain in business.

And at the end of the day, without farmers willing to maintain supplies processors will not have a business, said the UFU president.

Farming unions across the UK have said farmers had 'every right to be angry' about the situation, and that there would be serious consequences for the entire industry in they continued to lose faith in processors.

If they are reluctant to tell farmers why they are not paying more, this suggests they do not have a credible explanation, Mr Bell said.

Mr Bell added that, in the case of Northern Ireland, some businesses with ownership south of the border had increased prices there, despite the weakness of sterling having a negative impact in the eurozone.

This is because they are responding to pressure from farmers for higher prices. They need to understand that farmers here have even better arguments for higher prices and can no longer be ignored, concluded Mr Bell.
An outbreak of Asian hornets has been successfully contained by bee inspectors who promptly tracked down and destroyed their nest in Gloucestershire.

Asian hornets were first discovered in the Tetbury area in September, but the National Bee Unit moved swiftly to find the nest and remove it.

No further live Asian hornets have been seen since the nest was treated with pesticide and removed in early October.

Two dead Asian hornets were discovered in separate locations close by in north Somerset, but no nests or live hornets have been located by inspectors and there have been no further sightings.

Asian hornets pose no greater risk to human health than a bee, though they are a threat to honey bee colonies. The species arrived in France in 2004 and is now common across large areas of Europe. It was discovered for the first time in the British Isles in Jersey and Alderney this summer.

It is possible Asian hornets could reappear in England next year and members of the public are urged to report any suspected sightings in the spring.

NFU acting chief horticulture adviser Chris Hartfield said the first finding of this "new serious" pest of honeybees represents a "worrying time" for bee farmers and beekeepers.

"Robust control measures are already in place, so lets hope its a limited outbreak that can be quickly contained and controlled," said Mr Hartfield.
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Kris Jenner's children have paid tribute to her on her 61st birthday.

Kris Jenner

The momager celebrated her big day on Saturday (05.11.16) and daughter Khloe Kardashian was the first of her offspring to post a message.

She wrote: "Happy birthday mama!! My greatest wish is to grow up and be as fantastic as a mother as you have been to us! Thank you for always being there for every single one of us! You are our angel! I love you mommy! (sic)"

She added on her website KhloewithaK: "It's the HBIC's (Head Bitch In Command) bday!! Kris Jenner is hands down the ultimate momager and bada** bitch, not to mention a wonderful mother. I love you Mom! Thank you for all that you do for me and our family! (sic)."

Rob Kardashian and his fiancee Blac Chyna sent a selection of balloons to Kris' house, which carried the messages "Happy Birthday" and "Love You" and Kris shared pictures on Instagram.

She wrote: "Thank you Rob and Angela for the amazing Birthday Balloons!!!!!! So sweet I love you guys!!!!! @robkardashian @blacchyna #blessed (sic)."

Although Kim Kardashian West did not post on social media, as she has been keeping a low profile since she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris last month, she created a special emoji just for her mother.

Kris tweeted a picture of it and wrote: "Thank you Kimberly for making me my Birthday Kimoji!!! I love you so much my beauty @kimkardashian #kimoji #priceless (sic)."

Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner wrote on Kendallj.com: "Happy birthday to the most amazing mom a girl could ever ask for! Mom, you have always made us feel so loved, been super supportive and are just the BEST! I love you so much and can't wait to celebrate! (sic)."

And younger sister Kylie added on Kyliejenner.com: "Happy birthday to the best mother ever!!! You're the one person I admire most and you inspire me in everything I do. I can only hope to be half the businesswoman you are! I love how close we are and the sweet little texts you send me (sic)."
Prince Harry reportedly enjoyed a number of dates with a Burberry model while wooing Meghan Markle.

Prince Harry

The 32-year-old royal is said to be smitten with the 35-year-old 'Suits' actress, who he started dating during the summer but it has been claimed that before things got serious, Harry also pursued Burberry model Sarah Ann Macklin, 27, who previously dated David Gandy.

A source told the Mail on Sunday: "Their fling is an open secret among her friends.

"David Gandy knew that Harry was pursuing her and tried to get her back. At one point she had the country's most famous male model and a prince vying for her affection, and the novelty was not lost on her.

Harry's reported other love interest model Sarah Ann Macklin

"She ended up turning David down and dating Prince Harry. It eventually fizzled out but they are on friendly terms."

Another source added: "They were introduced at a social gathering and Harry made a beeline for her. She was very flattered by the attention and they went on a few dates. Everything was kept very below the radar.

"They got on, but are quite different. She is very clean living and barely drinks and in that respect they were on a different wavelength. Harry also seemed a bit non-committal and it never really got off the ground. Things fizzled out before he went to Africa for a month in August."

Meghan Markle

And Harry is now said to be smitten with US actress Meghan, with former royal butler Grant Harrold saying the pair are "in love".

He told The Sunday Mirror: "Harry loves her and she loves him.

"And that will be what matters in the eyes of the Queen and Prince Charles. I don't see any reason why Meghan couldn't be The One."

Meghan finishes filming 'Suits' in November and is expected to travel to the UK to spend time with Harry over the festive season.

A source told The People: "Obviously, Meghan's not expecting to be joining the Queen at Sandringham for Christmas - but she'd love to spend some time with Harry somewhere.

"They're both happy to travel for each other whenever necessary. It's a sign of how committed they are."
Green Day's frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has got an answer for those confused about Donald Trump's rise to prominence: "uneducated white working-class people".

Green Day

Speaking to NME in the new edition of their magazine, Armstrong compared Trump to Hitler and added: "That's the problem right there. There's this white nationalism that's been brewing under the radar for a long time. But now [Trump's] been able to cause people to lash out and blame minorities and it's really confusing. I mean, blatant misogyny going on at the same time."

He also admitted some of his own family will be voting for Trump, explaining: "I've got family members from Oklahoma that are big Trump supporters. And there's no clear answer on why they're supporting him because he doesn't even have any policies.

"How can you have an opinion about who you want for the Leader of the Free World when the guy running doesn't have answers to any questions?

"Except for a f**king wall! That's never going to happen, give me a break. You know, dude, I just think it's been mass manipulation. Your grandparents have been hijacked by Fox News [who are] getting their information from the National Enquirer [and] tabloids that are saying, 'Hillary Clinton adopted an alien baby'. I'm not kidding you. Like, an alien from outer space! They're grasping at straws to do anything to destroy her."

The Green Day edition of NME is available now.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Fan-favourite Avenger Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner in Marvel's cinematic universe has always been the subject of conversation when it comes to the company's television shows. Renner has now spoken about how he'd be willing to get involved in the project if the opportunity ever came up.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

Speaking to IGN whilst promoting his new movie Arrival, Renner spoke about the possibility of a Hawkeye television series coming to Netflix. He said: "I don't know the practicality of that, but any of these characters that I play I'd love to dig into more. I never feel like I get enough time with any character I play, and that's one of them."

Though Renner is willing and the fans would surely love to see more from the character, no real indications of the show even being discussed haven't been given.

Finding a space for Hawkeye might not be as easy as many believe, but a series would surely be a huge success.

Marvel's Daredevil seasons 1-2, Jessica Jones season 1 and Luke Cage season 1 are available to stream on Netflix now.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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The race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is in its final days and the new President of the United States will be announced on November 8. Both the candidates have campaigned thoroughly and it's up to the American people to decide who their next POTUS would be.

Salman Khan has shown his support for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for President and posted her picture on Twitter and captioned it, "Hope you win. May god give you the strength to follow the constitution and human values. All the best. #HillaryClintonforpresident."

Now whether Salman Khan's wishes would be true or not, we'd have to wait till November 8th for the final results. Also quite a few Bollywood stars were vocal about Donald Trump and disliked his policies. Priyanka Chopra dislikes Trump's idea of immigration and spoke against it. "I just think you can't put a ban on anyone. Generalising a type of people is really primitive."

Ileana D'cruz also supported Hillary Clinton and said, "But if you are asking me if I support Donald Trump? She added "I don't." A few months ago, Shenaz Treasurywala had posted a provocative post on Twitter condemning Donald Trump's policy on immigration and she received flak from her followers and Trump supporters for being too provocative on the issue.
GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS -- (Marketwired) -- 11/06/16 -- Tethys Petroleum Limited ("Tethys" or the "Company")(TSX: TPL)(LSE: TPL) today announces that it has received non-binding proposals from private investors, Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipillai and Medgat Kumar (each, an "Investor" and together, the "Investors") to acquire ordinary shares in the Company (together, the "Share Acquisition Proposals").

The key commercial terms of the Share Acquisition Proposals are summarized below. The Share Acquisition Proposals are subject to, among other things, agreement on definitive documentation, completion of legal and financial due diligence by the Investors and receipt of approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"). The parties do not anticipate any other regulatory or merger control approvals to complete the transactions. The Investors have advised that they expect to be able to complete their due diligence by November 11, 2016, and the Company expects that, subject to satisfaction of the conditions noted above, the placing would close on or about November 11, 2016. If completed, the placements will bring much needed funding to the Company as well as provide it with strong in-country partners in Kazakhstan and internationally.

Summary of Share Acquisition Proposals

-- The Investors would each acquire 43,951,698 ordinary shares of Tethys which, calculated separately and based on the total number or ordinary shares currently in issue of 400,004,848, would result in each Investor acquiring approximately 9.9% of the enlarged share capital of the Company. The price for the ordinary shares would be US$0.01593 per share (or CDN$0.02136 based on the November 4, 2016 exchange rate) representing a 24% premium to the volume weighted average price ("VWAP") of CDN$0.01726 for the five trading days to November 4, 2016. The total proceeds would amount to approximately US$1.4 million. -- The Company would grant each Investor share purchase warrants giving each Investor the right to acquire up to 43,951,698 ordinary shares of Tethys for a period of three years from the grant date. The exercise price for the warrants would be US$0.031 (or CDN$0.041 based on the November 4, 2016 exchange rate) representing a 138% premium to the VWAP of CDN$0.022 for the five trading days to November 4, 2016. Neither Investor would be entitled to exercise the warrants if that would result in such Investor and his affiliates holding 10% or more of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (after giving effect to such conversion) until such time as the TSX has approved Personal Information Forms ("PIFs") and provided further that only up to an aggregate of 12,098,816 warrants may be exercised by the Investors until such time as shareholder approval has been obtained for the exercise of any further warrants or it has been determined by Tethys or confirmed by the TSX that no shareholder approval is required. -- Each of the Investors or his respective nominee would be appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company on closing of the placings, and each appointee would be nominated for re-election at the next General Meeting of the Company in accordance with the Company's Articles of Association. The Investors would each continue to have this nomination right whilst their respective shareholdings are 9.9% or more of the total number of issued ordinary shares of Tethys. -- The proceeds would be used for general working capital purposes at the discretion of the newly reconstituted Board of Directors. -- The Company would not be permitted to enter into any form of debt funding that would result in share dilution for a period of 12 months unless approved by both Investors (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld) provided that this would no longer apply to an Investor if the respective Investor's shareholding is less than 9.9% of the total number of issued ordinary shares of Tethys. -- The Investors would enter into a Relationship Agreement with the Company. The Relationship Agreement would address, inter alia: i. the composition of the Board of Directors and Board Committees; ii. a requirement to ensure Investors and Tethys comply at all times with applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements and its Articles of Association; and iii.a requirement that any transactions which may be undertaken by Tethys and the Investors would be at arm's length and on normal commercial terms and the Investors would not vote on any related party transactions between the Company and Companies controlled by or affiliated to them. -- The Investors would work with Tethys to assist it to: -- Favorably resolve any detrimental issues the Company may be facing in Kazakhstan; -- Obtain a bank loan from a reputable bank in Kazakhstan for the Company's subsidiary Tethys Aral Gas LLP ("TAG") to enable it to repay and restructure current loans and to fund operations; -- Market the Company's gas sales for export; -- Improve the pricing of Tethys' oil and gas products; -- Engage with the Company's current corporate lenders with a view to restructuring existing loan terms in order to improve cash flow.

About Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipillai

Winston Sanjeev Kumar Soosaipillai ("Sanjeev Kumar") and his wife Arani Kumar are joint owners of the State Oil Group ("SOG"). Headquartered in London, UK and with trading offices in Zug Switzerland, Singapore and Houston Texas, SOG is a leading independent trading, storage, distribution and retail conglomerate dealing in petroleum products and biofuels. The group has substantial syndicated banking facilities which provide a platform to support SOG's international ambitions. SOG is extremely well connected across the world to influential individuals and powerful oil companies. SOG has an experienced management team that has successfully integrated a number of substantial strategic acquisitions into their group.

About Medgat Kumar

Medgat Kumar is the owner and Director of Petro Impex Trade LLP. Petro Impex Trade LLP is a Kazakhstan based company whose primary activities are trading of crude oil and petroleum products, oil refining and terminals businesses.

About Tethys

Tethys is focused on oil and gas exploration and production activities in Central Asia and the Caspian Region. This highly prolific oil and gas area is rapidly developing and Tethys believes that significant potential exists in both exploration and in discovered deposits.

Disclaimer

Some of the statements in this document are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the intent, belief and current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the potential that exists in both exploration and in discovered deposits in Central Asia and the Caspian Region and completion of the Share Acquisition Proposals with associated anticipated benefits to Tethys. When used in this document, the words "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "will," "should" and similar expressions, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are not promises or guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those suggested by any such statements including risks and uncertainties with respect to the potential that exists in both exploration and in discovered deposits in Central Asia, completion of the Share Acquisition Proposals with associated anticipated benefits to Tethys.

No part of this announcement constitutes, or shall be taken to constitute, an invitation or inducement to invest in the Company or any other entity, and shareholders of the Company are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Save as required by the Listing Rules and applicable law, the Company does not undertake to update or change any forward-looking statements to reflect events occurring after the date of this announcement.

Contacts:

Tethys Petroleum

info@tethyspetroleum.com

www.tethyspetroleum.com




Wonderflow, an Amsterdam, The Netherlands-based consumer feedback analysis platform, raised a further funding of undisclosed amount.

Several Dutch entrepreneurs participated in the round, which followed the seed received in 2015.

The company intends to use the funds to strengthen its position in the market, by consolidating the consumer feedback analysis platform towards a SaaS model, and targeting such industries as hotels, automotive and airlines (following a pilot run in collaboration with KLM).

Led by CEO Riccardo Osti and CTO Giovanni Gaglione, Wonderflow provides marketers and engineers with a platform that extracts actionable insights from consumer generated reviews and customer service data.

In addition, the company has announced the launch of CX-Report, a single-page report that offers a snapshot of key consumer insights based on the analysis of online reviews for a given product.

FinSMEs

05/11/2016
As America gears up for the US election 2016, the public opinion suggests that they are fretting over the catastrophic dilemma that awaits them this November. While Trump vs. Hillary may appear as a 'lose-lose' battle, the track record of past US Presidents has not been blemish-less either.

Various documentary makers have chronicled the controversies that former Presidents were embroiled in. Here are our picks  the five best documentaries on US Presidents:

Fahrenheit 9/11

This 2004 documentary by the Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore takes an anti-George Bush stand and traces his controversial journey from gaining electoral power through an allegedly rigged election to his indifference, and alleged involvement, in 9/11. It also investigates how Bush exploited the terror attack to further his political agenda with the aid of corporate media houses. Moore admitted that his product was an instrument to polarize the voters and prevent Bush from getting re-elected to power again. Nonetheless, Bush made it to the Presidents position months later in the 2004 American presidential election.

Watergate

Co-produced by BBC and Discovery, the documentary transports the viewers back to one of the biggest political scandals in American history  Watergate in early 1970s. It effectively recreates the efforts of the then-President Richard Nixon and 'All the Presidents Men' to cover up their involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington D.C.

Oswalds Ghost

The 2008 documentary film by Robert Stone examines the assassination of former US President John F Kennedy in 1963, the conspiracy theory behind the same, the backstory of the executor Lee Harvey Oswald and the aftermath of the murder that left many Americans shocked.

Michael Moore in Trumpland

The most recent one of the list, this 2016 documentary film features Moore himself in which he delivers a one-man show to all the Trump supporters before the presidential election and convinces them why not to vote for the blabbermouth. It is a hilarious take on Trumps regressive and shameless statements.

Obama At War

The 2015 documentary film by Frontline veteran Martin Smith brings to the forefront the hard choices that the current American President Barack Obama had to take in order to combat the Isis and the deadly civil war in Syria. The documentary features interviews of men in key diplomatic and military positions as they narrate the unfortunate series of terror attacks in the war-torn country and the measures taken by and inhibitions displayed by Obama in solving the crisis.

The aforementioned documentaries take the audience through a detailed account of the history of America  some aspects that made it to the school textbooks and some that were brushed under the carpet. However, irrespective of the administrations calculated efforts to conceal the facts, conspiracy theories always made their way to the creative space.

Now that the 2016 presidential elections are days away and dirty linen is being washed in the public, this run-up is sure to make for a great watch. We hope that the filmmakers are listening!
After some photojournalists were assaulted by Tata Sons' security guards on Friday, the Mumbai Press Club has given an ultimatum to business giant to remove TOPS guards, not only from Bombay House but also from all Tata Group companies latest by 12 pm on Monday. The organisation warned of "massive protests" against the company if it did not act upon the Press Club's request.

"Mumbai Press Club along with other organisations including Bombay News Photographers Association, Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, TV Journalists Association and BUJ have decided to lead a massive protest march on Tuesday, 8 November, from Mumbai Press Club to Bombay House in case the Tata Sons fails to remove TOPS guards from Tata Group of companies by 12 pm on Monday. More agitations will continue in the coming days if our demand is not met," the press club's official media release read.

On Friday, at least three news photographers were injured at the premises of Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata Group, after they were beaten up by the Tata security staff when they were trying to click pictures of the company's recently sacked CEO, Cyrus Mistry. Mistry was present at the Bombay House to chair a board meeting of Tata group firm, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IGHCL), when the photographers rushed to get his pictures. The photographers, reportedly went beyond the cordoned area, and were later beaten up by the guards.

According to the Mumbai Press Club's media release, Atul Kamble, a photo-journalist from Mid-Day was pinned down by four-five security guards, and assaulted. Apart from Atul, two other photo-journalists  Shantha Kumar from The Times of India and Arijit Sen from Hindustan Times  were also injured and are undergoing treatment in a hospital. The camera and other equipment of many photographers was badly damaged or broken by the security personnel.

According to a Tata group spokesperson, some members of the security staff too suffered injuries in the scuffle. Cameras belonging to the photojournalists of Mid-Day and Hindustan Times were also damaged.

Following this, Tata Sons also gave out a formal apology to journalists stating, "We deeply regret about the incident during the entry of certain board directors today & apologize to press & their families," according to ANI.

The Mumbai Press Club had condemned the attack on the lens men. The Mumbai Press Club does not expect a corporate house like Tatas to indulge in violent practices against media persons, and demands explanation from the corporate authorities who allowed security personnel to take this extreme step, the Press Club said in its official statement.

The company, already embroiled in controversy over the unceremonious ouster of Mistry, has made it to the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Tata Sons is the main holding company of the group. The Tata group has been hoping that Mistry will step down from the positions he occupies in the group firms after being replaced as Chairman on 24 October 24. However, according to PTI, sources close to Mistry suggest he has no plans to step down from his other positions in the group.

At present, he is the Chairman of Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL), Tata Power Company, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Chemicals, Tata Industries and Tata Teleservices.

With inputs from PTI
When she finally arrives in India on Sunday for a three-day visit, British Prime Minister Theresa May will have to do a greater balancing act than even trapeze artists. Amid deepening anxieties and increasing uncertainties ushered in by Brexit (the terms of which got even more complicated due to a British court ruling on Thursday), Britain would like nothing more than to be in a position to strike sweet deals with major trade partner India when it eventually leaves the European Union by 2019.

Yet, in order to get access to the fastest growing and one of the largest economies in the world, May must find a solution to the biggest conflict that underlines her tenure as a leader: how to keep the wheels of a sagging economy turning by undertaking free-trade agreements with major economies  a key Brexit promise  while acting against her past instincts as a hard-nosed former home secretary who presided over a hawkish immigration policy and explaining to Brexiteers why achieving the net immigration target of below 1,00,000 per year is a ridiculous, self-defeating policy.

Make no mistake, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his key negotiators sit across the table with May and her entourage, liberalisation of UK's regressive visa policy will be one of the key Indian demands. Short of that, there is every chance that trade negotiations won't proceed beyond exchanging of Diwali greetings. Complicating the situation for the British PM are a set of two apparently unrelated events, both of which have a strong bearing on the upcoming trade talks.

The first one took place on Thursday when a British court ruled that Brexit referendum isn't enough to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which formalises exit negotiations and that the government needs parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, reports Reuters.

The May government has reacted with dismay, threatening to move the Supreme Court and vowing to stick to the timetable of March 2017 by which she plans to begin divorce negotiations with the EU. But if the Supreme Court upholds the British court verdict then, as Reuters suggests, the British Parliament may have to promulgate a new law to honour the referendum. The ruling has already drawn sharp criticism from 'Leave' leaders who accuse power elites and judiciary of trying to 'subvert the will of the people'.

For India, Indian students and Indian businesses in the UK, the puzzlement over whether the UK will settle for a "soft" or "hard" Brexit just became worse. The court ruling increases the nervousness of Indian investors in UK, who, according to BBC, account for biggest foreign investors in the UK. Data from UK Department of International Trade finds that India invests more in the UK than the rest of the EU combined. Indian businesses are also the third largest job creator in the UK in 2014-15, with about 110,00 people currently employed in Britain by Indian firms.

Any "hard" Brexit or a toughening of the immigration and visa norms will make it infinitely more difficult for Indian businesses to perform in the UK and also go against the interests of Indian students, many of whom are already struggling with the existing norms.

If anything, the scenario became, even more, tougher with the UK on Thursday rolling out a new immigration policy, the terms of which appear specifically tailored to prevent Indian companies in the UK from tapping into India's skilled white-collar workforce and to discourage Indian students from travelling to the UK for studying.

Under the new visa rules announced by the UK Home Office, reports PTI, anyone applying after 24 November under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category must have a higher salary threshold of 30,000 (Rs 25 lakh) from the earlier 20,800 (Rs 17.4 lakh). The ICT route is used largely by Indian IT companies in Britain, and the UK's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) had found earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted for nearly 90 percent of visas issued under this route.

Another report in The New Indian Express points out that besides the Tier 2 ICT salary threshold hike, the UK has also increased Tier 2 (general) salary threshold for experienced workers to 25,000, with some exemptions; reducing the Tier 2 (ICT) graduate trainee salary threshold to 23,000 and increasing the number of places to 20 per company per year; and closing the Tier 2 (ICT) skills transfer sub-category.

Not just discouraging Indian companies from hiring skilled Indian workers or putting clamps in place to dissuade the restaurant industry from hire Indian chefs, some of the rules go even to the extent of preventing Indian workers from uniting with their families. Under new rules, as Hindustan Times points out, partners and parents of immigrants applying to extend their stay after 2.5 years in Britain will need to pass a new English language requirement test.

Bear in mind that these rules are in addition to the 2012 ruling (upheld by a UK Appeals Court in 2014) that a worker must have a minimum income threshold above 18,600 a year if he/she wants to bring over his/her partner from abroad, a ruling that many campaigners want to be repealed because it goes against the workers' right to have a family life.

Interestingly, while the number of Indian students in the UK has gone down from 40,000 to about 20,000 in five years (during Theresa May's tenure as longest-serving home secretary), data suggests that the number of Chinese students arriving in Britain has grown exponentially during the same period. The difference in policy towards Indian and Chinese students could be explained by the fact that Indians, due to greater synergy with Britain in terms of language and culture, are more likely to look for a job once the study period is over.

May will have a hard time explaining to Indian negotiators the terms of this new policy even as she seeks to woo Indian investors. India's external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup has already indicated that these issues, if not addressed, may impact any bilateral trade deals or negotiations.
SRINAGAR, India The Indian army said Pakistani shelling killed two of its soldiers at posts along the border of Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday, and five others including three civilians were injured.It said it retaliated by destroying several Pakistani posts.Artillery tit-for-tat exchanges and skirmishes between the two have intensified along the frontier running through the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir over the last few months. The dispute over Kashmir has sparked two of the three wars between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan since partition and independence from Britain in 1947.

"We are giving a fitting response. (We) will hit them where it hurts the most," said Indian defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta."It is very unprofessional act of the Pakistan army to target our residential areas."

On Thursday, Pakistan named eight Indian diplomats it accuses of espionage and terrorism. New Delhi dismissed the allegations as "baseless and unsubstantiated".

Ten days ago, the two countries expelled one diplomat each from the other's embassies, each accusing the other of spying. (Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Louise Ireland)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By William James and Kylie MacLellan

| LONDON

LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would deliver a full exit from the European Union, hitting back at critics of her Brexit strategy who have threatened to try to block the process in parliament.The government's plans to begin a two-year divorce process by the end of March next year were thrown into disarray last week when a court ruled that parliament must be consulted on the decision. May has said she is confident of overturning that ruling. Nevertheless, the prospect of a parliamentary vote has enraged eurosceptic lawmakers who fear the 'hard Brexit' they want will be watered down, and emboldened political opponents who want a less radical split from the bloc.Writing in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, May signalled she would resist any attempt to force her to change her approach to leaving the EU, a historic break that was approved by 52 percent of Britons in a referendum in June."The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full," May wrote.She said revealing her strategy for the talks would weaken Britain's negotiating position and that members of parliament who regretted the referendum result "need to accept what the people decided".The Daily mirror reported that the head of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said he would vote against the commencement of divorce talks with the EU if the government does not agree to his Brexit demands.He later tweeted that he would not try to block the process.

May's government, which has given little away about its plans for Britain's future relationship with the EU, has said that having to set out a detailed negotiating strategy to parliament would put it at a disadvantage in the talks."While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people," May said in a separate statement before leaving on a trade visit to India on SundayHALF-BREXIT

Arch-eurosceptic Nigel Farage, who led the influential UK Independence Party's Brexit campaign, said there was a growing movement to keep Britain within the EU's tariff-free single market - a scenario he called a "half-Brexit" that went against the referendum result.

"If the people in this country think that they're going to be cheated, they're going to be betrayed, then we will see political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed in this country," he told the BBC. Parliament could in theory block Brexit because most members supported staying in the EU in June's referendum. But many lawmakers have signalled they would be willing to reverse their position to reflect the referendum result."I think it is highly unlikely that parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50," health minister Jeremy Hunt told the BBC, referring to the EU treaty mechanism for beginning the process of leaving.Last week's court ruling could allow lawmakers to temper the government's approach, however, making a "hard Brexit" - where tight controls on immigration get priority over remaining in the single market - less likely.

Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror that Labour's "Brexit bottom line" would require guarantees for access to the single market for exporters, continued protection of workers' rights, safeguards for consumers and the environment, and pledges that Britain would make up any loss of EU capital investment.Corbyn said he would welcome an early national election if May refused to meet his demands but later toned down his position on any parliamentary vote, tweeting: "We won't block Article 50 but will fight for a Brexit that works for Britain." The next national election is not due until 2020, and the government has so far resisted pressure to dissolve parliament and seek a stronger mandate."I think a general election is frankly the last thing that the government wants ... It's the last thing that the British people want," Hunt said.A government appeal against the High Court ruling is expected to be considered by Britain's Supreme Court early next month. May has said she still plans to invoke Article 50 by the end of March.The lead claimant in the High Court case, Gina Miller, said on Sunday that Scotland - which voted to remain in the EU in the referendum - was likely to join the case as it goes to the Supreme Court. However, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it had not yet decided to take part. (Reporting By Raissa Kasolowsky)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
As pollution levels worsened in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said schools in the city will remain closed till Wednesday and announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant.

Kejriwal was addressing the media after chairing an emergency Cabinet meet, called to discuss a likely action plan to immediately cull pollution in Delhi. Stating that the Delhi government was not interested in indulging in "blame games" on such a serious issue, he said that the need of the hour was that instead of politicising the issue, everybody must come together to solve it.

He said the government will discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain in the city that has turned into a "gas chamber" mainly due to large-scale crop burning in Haryana and Punjab.

The chief minister also listed out a slew measures that will be implemented to improve the worsening air quality in the national capital. He announced that all schools will be shut for three days.

"Schools will be closed for the next three days. Health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow. We also appeal to people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even. We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be," he told reporters at his residence.

Stating that there should be no blame game over the environmental crisis that has gripped Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also announced a ban on the use of generator sets in the city.

The AAP government was also mulling the possibility of bringing back the odd-even scheme. The Chief Minister also appealed to people to stay indoors and if possible work from home considering the situation, adding that strict action will be taken against those found burning garbage.

Moreover, Kejriwal also said that vaccum cleaning of roads will start from 10 November to get rid of dirt which adds to the already alarming levels of particulate matter in the city's air, according CNN-News18. The government also announced that the Badarpur Thermal Power Plant will remain shut for 10 days to grant immediate relief to Delhiites dealing with high levels of pollution. Transportation of fly ash will also be stopped during these days and water sprinkling on mass scale will be conducted to further cut down on dust and particulate matter in the air.

The other measures announced by Kejriwal include sprinkling of water on roads on a large scale from Monday, strict enforcement of ban on burning of leaves (and waste) in the open and a promise to begin vacuum cleaning of roads from November 10.

"All DG sets, except those used in emergency services in hospitals and mobile towers, will not be allowed for the next ten days. All PWD roads, wider than 100 feet, will be vacuum cleaned at least once a week from November 10. And an app will be launched on burning of leaves tomorrow," Kejriwal said. He said power connections will be provided even in unauthorised colonies to tackle the menace of DG sets. Power connection does not mean regularisation though, he said. He said local sanitary inspectors will be taken to task if there are instances of waste burning in the open. The MCDs have been informed to take measures to douse fires in the landfill sites, he said. Kejriwal stressed on the need to hammer out solutions together.

He also said that the extent of crop burning was way above than what was seen over the last few years. "Government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted from the beginning so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation," he said.

Meanwhile, a rise in the number of cases of allergic and breathing ailments was recorded in the city as experts and doctors said that besides spike in fresh cases, health complications have aggravated in people having a history of asthma, allergy or other related ailments.

"We are seeing a rise of 60-70 percent in ailment cases related to pollution. Breathlessness, asthma, eye and skin allergies case have jumped. We are getting patients as young as a two-month-old baby who had bronchiolitis," says Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head, Pediatrics, at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj.

Recently, the National Green Tribunal had pulled up the Centre and AAP government for "shifting blame" and not taking steps to tackle the alarming air pollution level in Delhi, saying what a "terrible" future are we giving to our children.

The national capital was facing the worst smog in 17 years, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had said on Thursday, while asking the Delhi government to issue health alerts and convey that children should stay indoors as there was a state of health emergency due to peaking air pollution.

Peak level of respirable pollutants PM 2.5 and PM10 had also violated the safe limits by over 15 times at places like RK Puram. The prescribed standard of PM 2.5 is 60 micrograms per cubic metre, but it touched 955 in real-time during early morning hours.

Admitting that the enforcement of rules for tackling air pollution was "weak", the Environment Ministry on Friday had asked states to "strictly" implement a host of measures, including checking spread of fly ash from Delhi's Badarpur plant and shutting down of old brick kilns.

With inputs from PTI
Editor's note: This article was originally published on 6 November, 2016. It is being republished in light of the celebrations and protests underway across Karnataka on the occasion of Tipu Sultan Jayanti. Catch all the LIVE updates here.

Vote bank politicking is always toxic. It polarises communities and generates hatred and violence. And most often innocent bystanders end up as the victims of collateral damage.

And this is exactly what happened last year, when the Congress-led government in Karnataka decided to celebrate for the first time, the birth anniversary of the controversial Tipu Sultan  erstwhile ruler of Mysore.

As news of the celebrations spread, riots broke out all over the state. Members of various aggrieved communities who had documentary evidence that Tipu had either massacred or forcibly converted their ancestors during his reign started the protests. They were egged on by various political parties wanting to fish in troubled waters. The most violent protests came from Kodagu (Coorg), one of the areas which was worst affected by Tipus brutal invasions and forcible conversions.

And, as usual, the saner voices of historians and other scholars got lost in the din.

It is not surprising therefore that the clamour has started rising once more as the Karnataka Chief Minister has announced that, come what may, he will be celebrating for the second year in succession the birth anniversary of the ruler who was viewed as a tyrant and mass killer by many. Petitioner KP Manjunath a resident of Kodagu requested the Karnataka High Court to stop this event, citing the violence it had generated last year.

The division bench at the High Court which heard the petition was headed by Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee who during the preliminary hearing, asked the government why it was celebrating the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, who was not a freedom fighter, but a monarch who fought the opponents to safeguard his interests. The court also questioned the logic behind the Congress-led Siddaramaiah governments plans when tensions are high and violent and clashes took place last year during the celebrations. However on Thursday, 3 November, the court disposed of the petition by putting the onus on the Chief Secretary. It said that since this was a policy decision by the cabinet, the petitioner should directly appeal to the government through the Chief Secretary and get a decision before 8 November.

The Court did not attempt to address the more fundamental questions of whether the government was right in spending taxpayers money on such a controversial event when the state was facing more severe and immediate problems. Or whether it was correct to celebrate the birthday of an erstwhile king at such an expense in a secular country which has actually through Article 18 of its Constitution, abolished royalty.

So who really was Tipu? Freedom fighter? Social reformer? Secularist who donated largesse to religious institutions? Or was he a religious fanatic who forcibly converted thousands of Hindus and Christians into Islam? Was he a superb war strategist who used the famous indigenously made Mysore rockets to fight valiantly against the British? Or was he an ambitious ruler of his times whose perception of humanity and the value of human lives was very different from what it is today? Was he an usurper of the kingdom of Mysuru or its saviour?

Probably he should just be viewed as a ruler of his times who did what any other ruler would have done to consolidate and expand his kingdom.

According to historian Richard Cavendish: Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, or Tippoo Sahib as the British called him, was the Indian ruler who resisted the East India Companys conquest of southern India. Public opinion in England considered him a vicious tyrant, while modern Indian nationalists have hailed him as a freedom fighter, but both views are the products of wishful thinking. A small, plump man with a round face and black moustache, who wore clothes glittering with jewels, Tipu was vigorous, forceful, brave, warlike and cruel; a devout Muslim ruling a mainly Hindu population. He had inherited the throne from his father Haidar Ali, who had driven out the previous Hindu dynasty.

No historian or politician can actually wish away the fact that Tipu was a cruel and ruthless ruler. My own grandparents never celebrated Deepavali because it was on this auspicious day that Tipu killed our ancestors. over 700 men, women and children belonging to the families of two of his Mandyam Iyengar pradhans who he believed had betrayed him. They had been kept in dungeons for months on end until he found a symbolic day on which to annihilate them. Their bodies were dumped in the Cauvery which, according to family legend, turned red with their blood. Tipus soldiers also ransacked their sacred temple at Melkote and stole the precious Vairamudi crown made of uncut diamonds. The assault on this peaceful agricultural community forced them to abandon their lands and flee to safer places. All this happened within the living memory of my great-great-grandparents

The killing of Mandyam Iyengars (the community to which Chief Minister Jayalalitha also belongs) is not recorded in most of the accounts of Tipus massacres probably because their numbers were few and the story was passed on to us only through oral history. In comparison the annihilation and forcible conversions of thousands of Kodavas, Nairs, Namboodiris, Syrian Christians, Manglorean Catholics, Konkani Hindus and others has been documented by various contemporary historians and other narrators.

The point is bloody wars have been waged before that and will probably continue to be waged in the future. History is history and we can neither wish it away nor brush it away. But we should also not let politicians manipulate history or historical figures to suit their own agenda or for short term political gains.
There are four critical points that need to be made on the NDTV hullabaloo: the governments decision to take NDTV India "off air" was erroneous, the governments defense on Saturday was unconvincing, the reaction by the media to this decision is overblown and dramatic and the media coverage on terror attacks is very often insensitive and thoughtless. All four are true and need to be measured in when engaging in a debate on this.

First things first, the governments decision to ban NDTV India is indefensible. It sets a very wrong example, and even if one assumes the intention of this government is right, the power itself is highly discretionary. It very likely will become another political tool in the future if it's not strongly resisted today. Its also not about how earlier governments handled this issue in the past. Two wrongs do not make a right. The government, it seems, wanted to make an issue of public security, but in turn it has become a raging controversy on press freedom.

Secondly, in its defense on Saturday, the I&B Minister raised two fair questions on Twitter: "Isnt showing anti-terror ops in broad day light a more serious threat to our country and whether security of the nation or TRPs are more important?"

Isn't showing anti-terror ops live in broad day light a more serious threat to country? people know which is a serious concern. 2  M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) November 5, 2016

Its time to ponder if security of the nation is important or TRPs -television rating points of tv channels.  M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) November 5, 2016

What is still unclear though is that why did the government have to single out NDTV India when others may have similarly "violated some norm" or "shown lack or restraint"? Was NDTV Indias coverage was so reprehensible and so different from others that the government had to take this retrograde step? Did NDTV India really disclose and reveal sensitive details that caused or could have caused harm to the public? If so, then what were these? Why can't the government spell out this information clearly to the public? How did NDTV India fail to follow the guidelines as laid out by the government? Even if it did, do the new rules match up to international standards of press freedom? These are hard questions, but none of which were answered. Instead the minister quipped that he is "happy that countrymen broadly supported governments decision on NDTV India".

This smacks of clear politicking and something that completely makes you want to tune off from this government. In its desire to take the higher moral position, it has managed to create a huge political snowball for itself. Its ability to indulge in self-defeating tactics is unrivalled and unparalleled. Strangely or otherwise, the only credible opposition to this government is itself.

Thirdly, the media and many well-meaning journalists are understandably furious and have shown no qualms in showing their displeasure. But there is no doubt to the casual viewer that they have gone overboard. We are not Pakistan, this is not being done to test medias unity and no fundamental rights are being curbed upon.

All of these are prominent journalists, but they need to accept that they hyperbolise and misrepresent the facts when they use the term "emergency" to define every other political transgression. NDTV India wasnt asked to go "off air" because it published material against the party in power, but because it allegedly "revealed information on the ammunition stockpiled in the airbase which was likely to be used by terrorists or their handlers". And that is a huge difference. In no stretch of imagination is this similar to what happened during the emergency, but then no other word signifies misery and attracts sympathy as much as "emergency".

This raises another critical issue. What if the accusations against NDTV India do turn out to be true, then will the many in the media own up to it and apologise? Should it still give the government power to penalise NDTV India? If so, then how does the government do it? But what do you do when one has already assumed that there was no wrong that that was committed.

And lastly, it is also true that some of the media coverage during a terror attack is horrendous at best. It does sensationalise when the broadcast should be moderate and objective. It can be utterly tactless in its pursuit to outdo its competitor for that "exclusive byte or coverage". If you compare Indian broadcast with that of Europe or United States, its not as distasteful and disrespectful to victims, their families or generally to the viewers.

In essence, one can stand in support of the media arguing for press freedom while disagreeing on the intensity of the outrage. Or one can support the government for its intention to penalise what may have been "irresponsible and unrestrained coverage" while countering its desire to force a ban on a TV channel.

Undoubtedly, it is a slippery slope but neither side is willing to have a meaningful discussion.
Lucknow: Amid the raging debate over 'triple talaq', All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) on Sunday crticised the signature campaign launched by the AIMPLB, dubbing it as a move to "mislead" women from the community. "The campaign is not to empower Muslim women but to mislead them," AIMWPLB President Shaista Amber told PTI in Lucknow.

Her comments came days after the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) carried out a signature campaign against Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court against 'triple talaq' and the questionnaire prepared by the Law Commission regarding Uniform Civil Code. She said it would have been better had the AIMPLB written in its documents that it wholeheartedly supported the provisions in the Holy Quran about 'triple talaq'.

AIMPLB could also punish those who utter 'talaq' thrice in one go, she suggested. Amber said the affidavit before the apex court smacked of votebank politics and efforts to disintegrate the society. "On the pretext of the issue, the government was trying to push the agenda implementing Uniform Civil Code," she said.

Implementation of a common code is part of the BJP's election manifesto. Amber said that rather than following the clerics, Muslims should abide by what is written in the Quran. This would also ensure that there is no tinkering with the basic spirit of the Muslim Personal Law.

On the issue of 'triple talaq', the Centre had in an affidavit in the Supreme Court last month opposed the practice. The AIMPLB and various other outfits have objected to the affidavit and Law Commission's questionnaire on Uniform Civil Code and announced their boycott of the move, accusing the government of waging a "war" against the community.

In an appeal issued on 7 October, the Commission had said the objective of the endeavour was to address discrimination against vulnerable groups and harmonise various cultural practices.

In the appeal, it has assured the people that the "norms of no one class, group or community will dominate the tone and tenor of family law reforms". Indicating need for wider consultation before taking a call on Uniform Civil Code, the government had in June asked the Law Commission to examine the issue.

The move asking the law panel to examine the issue assumes significance as the Supreme Court had recently said it would prefer a wider debate, in public as well as in court, before taking a decision on the constitutional validity of triple talaq, which many complain is abused by Muslim men to arbitrarily divorce their wives.
A clean, private and accessible toilet isnt a given. In the time that they take to reach it, mentalities contract and expand many times, and only when civic pressures are at their peak, are they released from the pain of the ill-digested thought that it is expensive and inconvenient to maintain a toilet. In the context of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), one has to make a trip to Mewat where the presence of functional latrines in one village juxtapose its socio-economic well-being against that of its district.

Less than 60 km from the swanky malls and towering offices of multinationals in Gurgaon, along the Sohna-Alwar highway, is a village called Hirmathala in district Nuh. Up until 2012, its population of 2,000 was walking half a mile to defecate. In 2011, (three years before SBM arrived on the scene) Sulabh International, an NGO famous for its environmental sanitation practices, pledged to develop it as an ideal.

Today, in Hirmathalas 150 to 175 households, there are 165 toilets. Its people have stories to tell. Susheelas marriage brought her to Hirmathala from Ballabhgarh, Faridabad in 2004. Her maternal village had toilets and she realised a new kind of shame when the women in her husbands family asked her to curb the urge to urinate. Today, Susheela works as a hospital assistant in Nuh.

On rainy days, Geeta Devi and her young daughters have waded through knee-deep muck to reach drier spots near the highway where snakes and scorpions roam. Often, they would be eve-teased by truck drivers. Today, her daughters go to school on time and say they feel more confident in front of men.

Vijaylakshmi painfully reveals that her son was born with a big head and thin legs because she was too dehydrated to walk toward the fields. Throughout her pregnancy, she kept dreading the possibility of having to deliver a child in the fields. The same children who used to playfully squat anywhere earlier, she says, now come back home even if they feel the need to wash their hands.

Shakuntala has built three toilets in her house, one for each daughter-in-law. She feels a toilet is a bigger asset than a constructed room or even jewellery. Deaths due to dysentery, malaria and jaundice were not uncommon earlier. The closest hospital is still 10 km away, but the presence of a local doctor multiple times a week has increased the focus on healthcare.

Ladies from the village say they dont have faith in any political party. They call Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, their saviour. After enormous civil society efforts, Hirmathala won the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in January 2012. Since then, its women have been invited to tie raakhis to Modi and were seen brooming Delhis roads to campaign for SBM. Sarpanch Mamandin is proud to have been honoured by the President of India in 2012 for effectively supervising the construction of the toilets. They are tickled when they watch ads for Swacch Bharat on the television, especially the one that shows a certain Shukla ji, whose life priorities are mocked at when he buys a new television but still excretes in the open. The residents of Hirmathala feel the campaign, that missed them by three years, is on the right track in using creative antics to invoke shame but should be more women-centric. Women, they explain, suffer secretly and realise the humiliation deeply.

Meanwhile, the government is assessing the impact and implementation of SBM. Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, in the letter dated 20 September 2016, directed ministries of Rural Development, Water Resources, Urban Development, Chemical & Fertilisers among others to submit action taken reports on the recommendations of group of secretaries on SBM in March, 2016. The group of secretaries will review the action taken in the last six months and make a presentation before the council of ministers in the near future.

As of 4 October, they were still preparing the action taken report as far as SBM is concerned. In the 13-point recommendation, which will be reviewed by the group of secretaries, it is stated that the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation and State governments should involve people in community sanitation programmes based on the lessons learned from the Seechewal model (A low cost model that collects sewage water from ponds and treats it in a natural way so it can be used for agriculture and irrigation purposes).

Hirmathalas story is both a lesson for policy makers and an inspiration for administration in other villages. What we realised here was that people didnt want to maintain toilets because they assumed they would have to spend at least Rs 25,000 to build them and even more to water-power them. Moreover, they didnt want outsiders talking to them about something as private as their bathroom habits, says Mohammad Arif, who worked as a mediator between the social workers and the locals during the movement.

Most of Nuh is Muslim-dominated but Hirmathala is 50 per cent Hindu. It was slightly easier to convince the Maulvis and the village elders on the issue. Its harder in other places that are more orthodox, he adds, stressing the importance of earning peoples faith in making any sanitation mission successful.

Simply constructing a toilet for national statistics isnt enough. Whats required is monitoring at the district/block level. Not one but many toilets in government schools in the districts Chandeni and Dhir Dhaunka villages are under lock and key because there isnt any water supply. Recently, inside a Sulabh toilet in Punahana gaon, somebody was found running a shop. Tain, Ferozepur Namak and Bainsi are still grappling with dirt and infections because only a handful of homes here have toilets.

When Sulabh adopted Hirmathala in 2011, villagers had only heard of the single pit model. This featured a 10  12 ft deep pit. We noticed that some people dug so deep into the ground that the pit touched the water bed and waste came out from the hand-pump, leading to fecal-oral contamination, says Naseem, a volunteer with Sulabh that started the trend of 4 ft x 4 ft two-pit, pour-flush toilets. These use only a litre of water each time, as opposed to 8  1o litres in a regular western style model found in urban spaces.

A total of 100 toilets were constructed using CSR funding from Railtel Corporation of India Limited that paid Rs 15,000 for each. The other 67 were made by Sulabh. We took Rs 3,000 from each household (in the form of labour, masonry or money) during the construction because people dont feel involved or understand the worth of something they get for free, explains Naseem. He gives the example of the Depot Medroxy Progesterone Acetate (DMPA) injectable contraceptive that costs Rs 500 and is now being offered by the government for free. But, owing to strict monitoring by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), people are completing the course of four injections, each taken after an interval of three months.

As a part of the SBM, the government offers a refund of Rs 12,000 to those who get a toilet constructed in their residence. To avail the scheme, there are pre-requisites like a mounted water tank and a wash basin and several rounds of documentation, which villagers mostly need assistance in. We have seen cases where people construct the toilet to get Rs 12,000 from the government and later use it as a storage room. That is the mindset we have managed to change in Hirmathala, says Arif.

Here, Sulabh also runs a skill-development centre where women are taught stitching, computers and beauty parlour skills. Locals say Zakir Hussain, MLA from Indian National Lok Dal, has never visited the centre. The system is working harder than these NGOs. On early mornings and late nights, we conduct raids in fields and expose those who are still in the habit of defecating in the open, says Govind Ram Prajapati, District Consultant, SBM. By making video clippings of offenders and putting their pictures in newspapers, state authorities are shaming and chasing them away from open areas. He talks about Rojka gaon, where 147 homes still dont have toilets and the few houses that do, dont use them.

The movement has picked up greatly in the last three months, with the adoption of Community Led-Total Sanitation by the state. This is a methodology for mobilising communities to completely eliminate open defecation. Pioneered in Bangladesh, CLTS focuses on the behavioural change needed to ensure real and sustainable improvements  investing in community mobilisation instead of hardware, and shifting the focus from toilet construction for individual households to the creation of open defecation-free villages.

In Hirmathala, Modis much-evocative quote from his address at the Red Fort in 2013 pehle sauchalaya fir devalaya (toilets first, temples later) is painted on walls and recited often. The only difference is that before it was first said, a force had already exerted all its strength to pull the flush on filthy old practices.
"So much changed. When there was a wedding in the family, for the first time I did my own shopping. I felt so good that I didnt have to ask my father or bother," said Rukhsar happily.

"She isn't married," chipped in Farah from another corner, intending to explain why Rukhsar mentioned 'father and brother', instead of husband. After all, traditionally it is the husband who takes care of a womans needs. Not that Farahs husband has been a great help in that department.

"Hardly anything is left to spend on me madam; after paying for the childrens school fees and ration for kitchen. My husband has a small income," Farah revealed, with extreme reluctance. She doesnt like to share her story as it brings up bad memories. But today she is financially independent, and is proudly running her household.

***

Rasheeda has three sons, one of whom has cerebral palsy and is paralysed from the waist down. She was born in Nizamuddin Basti and grew up making and selling needles at the Nizamuddin market. Today, she is a fine crochet artist with the Insha-e-Noor family, earning a salary of Rs 12,000 per month and supporting her sons health care.

These are just some of the stories of change, from the women of Nizamuddin Basti.

Stories that started with the Humayuns Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative, a public private partnership (PPP) between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and Aga Khan Foundation at one side and the Archeological Survey of India, Central Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (now South Delhi Municipal Corporation) on the other.

The PPP was initiated by AKTC as part of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme which revitalises urban heritage centers across the world in ways to not only protect the sites and monuments but to also spur social, economic and cultural development.

The Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin embodies living heritage, with over 700 hundred years of history. This is the birth place of Sufism. The most revered Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was buried here in 1325 AD and since then, the place is considered a holy site with millions of devotees visiting the Sufi shrine. The area is rich with culture, music, art, architecture and poetry. Yet, to an ordinary visitor in Delhi, this is just another minority community ghetto seeped in poverty, dirt, filth, crime, drug peddling and so on.

"It was clear that the heritage site cannot be conserved without rebuilding the lives of the community settled here. So we have a multi-disciplinary team working towards the improvement of quality of life, including the gender component," said Ratish Nanda, CEO, AKTC.

Was gender development a specific component in the renewal initiative?

"Well, yes and no. AKTC is not a womens right organisation. That said, the community women have been key beneficiaries of various AKTC initiatives which addressed poor streets, dysfunctional MCD school, lack of proper health clinic, employment opportunity and so on," explained Jyotsna Lall, director of programmes, AKTC.

Sadrulnisha manages the ladies section of the community toilet which has provided safety and dignity to thousands of community women. With monthly or daily fees, the community toilets (which remain open 24x7) can also be used for bathing and washing clothes. The job helps her earn Rs 8,000 a month, and support her childrens education.

As the SDMC polyclinic got a facelift, women like Naeem and Shama  for the first time  learned to address their own maternal and reproductive health concerns. Today, they are part of a 50-member team of sehat sahelis (community health team) visiting 180-200 households every month, be it in summer, winter or the monsoon, addressing womens health.

"Women around this area didnt know anything about their health. They could not even talk about their menstruation cycle. Initially they didnt want to talk to us; men used to say these AKTC people are bad, dont let them talk to our women. But today they depend upon us, trust us. It feels great to be part of this change, Said Meherunissa.

***

Culture-sensitive health manuals have been designed by AKTC to break the ice on sensitive topics like reproductive health, sexual health  an effort which goes the extra mile in gaining the communitys trust and cooperation for various projects. Ratish Nanda believes that without community support, no conservation project can survive.

The womens self-help group organised under the brand Insha-e-Noor (creation of light) is one of the most successful initiatives by AKTC. Shaheen still fondly remembers the day, seven years ago, when all the Basti women went to Humayuns Tomb to attend the Saanjhi Jaali Paper Cutting training workshop.

Did you have any restriction on going out of home? "No, my husband and father-in-law didnt impose any restriction. They only said, go, but carry your modesty'," said Shaheen.

Clearly women are still required to take mens permission for what are their basic rights, and must "carry their modesty"  an ambiguous concept. At the same time, the communitys men have accepted women going out and attending various activities for the simple reason that it brings home extra income.

"There was lot of suspicion in the community, that these AKTC people would not give us any money. But the day I first received my salary, it was such a great feeling. My own money! says Shaheen.

Shaheen now earns Rs 15,000 per month doing the saanjhi jaali work, managing Insha-e-Noor stalls at Dastkar Nature Bazaar, and other activities. As of the previous financial year, Insha-e-Noor has a turnover of Rs 20 lakhs, thanks to a stunning collection of artistic products (made) using the crafts of saanjhi Jaali paper cutting, crochet and embroidery.

Also growing, is the business of Zaika-e-Nizamuddin, another womens self-help group which was launched as a strategy to address malnutrition among children below six years of age. The brand aims at being the first supplier of healthy, low-cost, hygienic and tasty snack options for the children of the Basti, while economically empowering the women members.

Lest we think that this empowering of women only takes place through perceived safe indoor activities like cooking, sewing et al, it is worth noting that AKTC has also addressed the lack of open and safe public spaces for women. In partnership with the Delhi Development Authority, they now have a lively public park with an open air gym exclusively for women.

In the evening, young girls take a stroll here, they throw their arms and legs about in an unladylike manner, without inhibitions; working class women meet each other after a days labour for a bit of chit-chat (which may also lead to unionising and revolution  the possibilities are endless).

As of this date, the historic Nizamuddin Basti has 1,900 households with a population of 10,000-plus. Much of this is a floating population. AKTCs efforts to improve the quality of life in the Basti has positively impacted 9,000 lives within the Basti alone. In addition, there are the millions of visitors to the Sufi shrine, who are also benefited. Perhaps in the larger scheme of things, in a country of 1.2 billion people, these are not path breaking numbers. And even within the Nizamuddin Basti, there are still several women who are battling deep, cultural and religious barriers to women's autonomy and self-determination. However, every single life changed has a domino effect.

Every change goes a long way. A way where there is hope.

Sanjukta Basu is a TED Fellow, a freelance writer and photographer and feminist scholar. All photos are sole property of Sanjukta Basu, except as specified above.
Chennai: Launching a sharp attack on DMK President M Karunanidhi for his remarks that the ban on NDTV India could lead to a "second Emergency", on Sunday BJP asked why he had "forgotten" the Emergency imposed by the Congress government in 1975 when DMK had formed coalition with the party.

BJP's state unit President Tamilisai Sounderrajan slammed Karunanidhi for saying that the one-day ban amounted to violation of freedom of expression, referring to the infamous Dinakaran newspaper office burning incident in Madurai in 2007 when he was Chief Minister.

"Why Kalaignar (Karunanidhi), who talks of a second Emergency in the context of the ban on a TV channel, has forgotten the memories of Emergency while aligning with Congress," she said in a Twitter post in Tamil.

She was apparently referring to the arrest of many DMK leaders, including its Treasurer and former Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, under the stringent Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during Emergency, who were also allegedly assaulted inside prison.

DMK had aligned with Congress-led UPA in 2004, before walking out of the coalition in 2013 on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, even as the two parties patched up and joined hands for the May 2016 Assembly polls.

In another tweet, she took potshots at Karunanidhi on the Dinakaran office attack which had left three persons dead, besides the one on another Tamil daily during the DMK regime.

She questioned him why this freedom of expression did not "come to your mind when Dinakaran (office) was burnt". In context of freedom of expression, she insisted that the country's security was paramount.

In 2007, sibling rivalry in then ruling DMK had turned violent after supporters of Alagiri attacked Dinakaran office and set it afire while protesting against a controversial survey published by the Maran family-owned newspaper, showing a majority preferred Stalin over the Madurai strongman as Karunanidhi's 'possible political heir'.

On Saturday, Karunanidhi had described as "violation of freedom of expression" the one-day ban on NDTV India over the Pathankot attack broadcast and said that if such instances continue "it will lead to a second Emergency in the country".
In a move that is likely to stir up a political battle and has kicked up quite a storm on social media, the NDA government has decided to appoint BJP leader and vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna as a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

According to a report by The Indian Express, this is the first time a politician is being appointed to this post, and it has remained vacant for two years now.

The members of the NHRC are selected after careful consideration by a high-level committee which is headed by the Prime Minister, and also has the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Union Home Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The Indian Express sources state that the panel met in October to discuss possible candidates for the vacant post and after discussion of some names, cleared Khanna's name without any dissent.

Section 3 in The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 clearly states that the Commission shall consist of:

a Chairperson who has been a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; one Member who is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court; one Member who is, or has been, the Chief Justice of a High Court; two Members to be appointed from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights.

Interestingly, in 2013, when the UPA-led government appointed retired Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph, the BJP had opposed to the appointment alleging that Joseph had "political links." The UPA government had selected Joseph to occupy the post in NHRC. The Opposition, led at the time by Arun Jaitley, had raised an objection and had written a letter to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voicing their dissent.

Twitter reacts

Various politicians and eminent personalities opined their disagreement to the government's decision. Former Swaraj Abhiyan leader Prashant Bhushan tweeted, "Modi government's alarming decimation of all Accountability Institutions continues with appointment of BJP's JK VP as member NHRC."

Modi govt's alarming decimation of all Accountability Institutions continues with Appt of BJP's JK VP as member NHRChttps://t.co/cybiCiPnK3  Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) November 6, 2016

BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria tweeted, "BJP government is trying to change character of NHRC by appointing party nominee."

AAP leader Alka Lamba tweeted, "Ab Hoga Purn Nayaay ... ??? (Now, we will see complete justicea???). BJP Leader will be the 1st political Leader to become d member in NHRC."

Ab Hoga Purn Nayaay ... ???

BJP Leader will be the 1st political Leader to become d member in NHRC. https://t.co/CZNiFw81rb  Alka Lamba (@LambaAlka) November 6, 2016

Noted historial Ramchandra Guha said, "The National Human Right Commission's standing is already low: this move will lower it further."

The National Human Right Commission's standing is already low: this move will lower it further:https://t.co/BTptRC1MUG  Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) November 6, 2016

The Leader of Opposition in RS did not object to the appointment of an active politician to NHRC. Nice! https://t.co/PjZYDp484f  Ritika Chopra (@KhurafatiChopra) November 6, 2016

BJP V-P is member NHRC. Likely to do an outstanding job when dealing with cases in BJP states such as SIMI encounterhttps://t.co/A9uUBBudSo  Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) November 6, 2016

Who is Avinash Rai Khanna?

Khanna, vice president of the BJP is the party in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan. He has earlier served as the member of the Rajya Sabha and has remained the member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. In 2010, he was elected the Rajya Sabha member and then appointed as the chief whip of the party in the Upper House. He has also remained a member of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission in April 2010 for 10 months.

Khanna had started his career as an advocate.
Chennai: Ruling AIADMK said on Sunday that its hospitalised General Secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was "well" even as BJP MP Tarun Vijay visited Apollo Hospitals, where the 68 year-old leader is admitted.

"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is well. God has given her good health and we are very happy," AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy told reporters.

Meanwhile, Vijay said Jayalalithaa was "recovering fast" and would resume work soon.

"I have specially brought holy water of lake Manasarovar of Mount Kailash for the Chief Minister. Amma is recovering very fast. Very soon (she will be) out of hospital and start working," he said.

Vijay said that the "prayers of millions of people are working and she will be very well."

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on 22 September after she complained of fever and dehydration.

Later, the hospital had said she was being treated for infection with respiratory support, among others.

Specialists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and from London, among others, have treated her during the period.

On Friday, the hospital Chairman Pratap C Reddy had said that the Chief Minister had completely recovered and that it was upto her to decide when to go home.

Later, Vijay had handed over 'prasadam' meant for Jayalalithaa with senior AIADMK leader and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, M Thambidurai.

He gave a "special Prasadam from Kedarnath and holy water from Lake Manasarovar," a release from his office said.

It said he was told by the doctors attending on the Chief Minister that "she has recovered and in a day or two would be shifted to her private room in hospital."

"Vijay said that Uttarakhand people are specially thankful to her (Jayalalithaa) for her support to Thiruvalluvar Ganga Payanam (journey) and hence the special prayers were conducted for her health in Uttarakhand's various temples," it said.

Earlier, Jayalalithaa had voiced support to Vijay's efforts to install a statue of Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar on the banks of Ganga at Haridwar, which was reportedly opposed by some local sadhus.

She had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue after it emerged that the statue was reportedly lying

wrapped in a park there.
New Delhi: On Sunday the BJP accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and the Left of "orchestrating" the protest by JNU students at India Gate, saying they cannot digest the "good work" done by the Narendra Modi government.

BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said the party prays that JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing since 14 October, is found safe, adding that it was "tragic" that he could not be traced yet.

"The police permission was taken for Jantar Mantar but they have intentionally gone to India Gate where Section 144 of CrPC is imposed. Arvind Kejriwal had gone to (JNU) campus a few days back and influenced the students to take this step," Sharma alleged.

He asserted that none of the political leaders in the opposition had any concern for the missing students and that they were only "playing politics".

"The opposition, be it the AAP, Congress or the Left cannot digest the fact that the Modi government is fulfilling all its promises even as they can't. It is shameful that they are using students to hit out at the Modi government," Sharma said.

He claimed that the BJP was providing a corruption-free government and hence the opposition was trying to use various incidents to attack it.

Stating that the opposition was "devoid of ideas", he slammed them for resorting to politically milk the tragic incident of a missing scholar.

Najeeb, a Biotechnology student, has been missing since a brawl at his hostel on October 14. The Left-linked All India Students Association (AISA) has alleged that before he vanished, Najeeb was beaten up by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the RSS.

The ABVP, however, has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

The protest comes days within days of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of the opposition parties visiting the university during a protest regarding the missing student.

The students have accused the JNU authorities of "not doing enough" to trace him. Last month, the protesting students had kept the Vice-Chancellor, Rector and other University officials confined in the administrative block

for a whole night, demanding that they take action to trace Najeeb.

The police have announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information on Najeeb.
Kolkata: With TMC chief Mamata Banerjee indicating that she is ready to play a bigger role in national politics, several parties have welcomed the suggestion, saying there is a need to fight against BJP and its "communal politics".

That she is willing to play a bigger role in national politics by forming an alliance against BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was reflected in her recent statement. "I am appealing to all political parties. I have to tell all my friends to come together and sit together. Let us fight together," she has said.

Congress, JD(U), Samajwadi Party and AAP welcomed her comments which came in the backdrop of a series of incidents that rocked national politics last week.

"We have been fighting alone. If anybody comes, it is up to them. Whatever is happening is not in the spirit of federalism and our country. Questioning the government doesn't make you anti-national. Nobody should question our patriotism. We all love our country. No one is anti-Indian," she has said.

Banerjee came down heavily on the Centre and compared the situation with Emergency in the wake of incidents like the killing of eight SIMI activists in Bhopal in an alleged encounter, detention of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the ban on NDTV India.

Political observers say that by slamming the Modi government over the detention of Gandhi, Banerjee apparently made a subtle move to warm up to Congress again.

When contacted, a senior AICC leader told PTI, "I personally feel we all should unite against BJP and I don't have a problem with TMC's proposal. But the final call regarding our party's policy and stand will be taken by our party high command."

JD(U) Chief General Secretary and National Spokesperson K C Tyagi said, "We had supported Mamata Banerjee earlier and she too had supported us. If there is a secular front by Mamata di, JD(U) would be happy to participate in it. All the secular and like-minded forces, including Congress, need to unite to fight against BJP and its communal politics."

He said, "The communalism of BJP and RSS is a threat to the idea of secular India."

Echoing Tyagi, SP General Secretary Amar Singh said, "We welcome her (Banerjee's) statement. Whatever she has said is absolutely right. We share a very cordial relationship with her.

"The time has come for secular minded parties to unite against the communal politics of love jihad, cow protection,

Ghar Wapsi," he said.

An AAP spokesperson said, "Our leader Arvind Kejriwal and TMC supremo Mamata di share a very cordial relationship but the policy decision will be taken by our party leadership."

BJP, however, ridiculed any such move and said Banerjee should look after her own state before "dreaming" about

national politics.

"She should stop dreaming about playing a role in national politics and concentrate in her own state. She should first manage her own state.

"Under TMC and Banerjee's appeasement politics, West Bengal has turned into a safe heaven for Jihadis. Law and order has completely failed in 12 districts," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in-charge of Bengal, said.

Banerjee's outbursts against the Modi government has taken the political community by surprise as the party had been maintaining a stoic silence on various issues for the past one year like Lalitgate, Vyapyam scam, political crises in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and the killing of Mohammed Akalaq in Uttar Pradesh.

A senior TMC leader said the move was not sudden and has been done with an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha election.

"Whatever our supremo has said is a proposal. It is for other like-minded secular parties to take their call. We want to unite the secular forces and parties across the country. TMC will play a pivotal role and act as a glue to hold the secular forces together," he said.

He said the political posturing of the party would be more aggressive after the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election next year.

The TMC leader said, "As time passes, the call for anti-BJP platform will gain momentum. We want to fill that vacuum of the opposition space nationally. The anti-BJP platform cannot be formed without TMC."

TMC MP Saugata Roy said, "It is not right that we had maintained silence. Our party's standpoint and policies can't be decided by other parties."

Asked to comment on Banerjee's earlier attempts to form a federal front which did not materialise, he said, "Just because you have not been able to taste success earlier doesn't mean that you won't get it this time."

TMC leaders said Banerjee's attacks on Modi government would also serve the purpose of countering CPI-M's allegation that she is "playing a fixed political match" with BJP over the Narada and Saradha scams.

The CPI(M) leadership, however, termed the statements by Banerjee as a "gimmick" to fool the people.

"All of a sudden she realises that there is a Emergency- like situation. What were they (TMC) doing for last one year ? Actually these statements are nothing but a political gimmick to fool the masses.

"The TMC and BJP have lot of things in common," a CPI(M) leader said.
Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war  Donald Trump

Indeed, the Samajwadi Party thinks like Donald Trump. The party, which looked defaced and defiled almost completely in the wake of its continued internal feud, now believes that it can dash first past the post in a multi-cornered contest in the battleground of Uttar Pradesh by copying Bihars winning modus operandi  mahagathbandhan (grand alliance).

And dont be shocked if this strife-torn party does find itself placed on the verge of winning the war. Just like Donald Trump. Its politics. And you never know, anything can happen in chaotic UP or, for that matter, an even more confused USA.

Talk to any top SP leader worth his salt and he would tell you that his party had, in the past six weeks, fallen way behind the BSP and the BJP because of two reasons: crisis of image and crumbling vote-bank. He would also tell you that Muslims, who had almost always stood behind the party in the past 25 years, are now an uncertain lot. Many of them have already drifted towards Mayawatis BSP, more so in western part of the state. The Muslim-Yadav vote bank of Maulana Mulayam has almost fallen apart, giving way to a new Dalit-Muslim axis.

Whats then the way out of this morass for the SP? Mahagathbandhan? Yes, probably. For, only a formidable looking grand alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Choudhary Ajit Singh and Rahul Gandhi on board can have the potential of halting the exodus of Muslims. And if Muslims do remain with Mulayams party, the war is almost won. As simple as that without any doubt.

You may now understand why the foundation day festival of the Samajwadi Party was turned into a show of solidarity by different offshoots of the socialist family  RJD, JD(U), JD(S), RLD and INLD. All the visiting leaders who came to Lucknow to grace the occasion vowed to beat the BJP this time come what may. "Just as a jackal is made to flee from the village, we shall see to it that the BJP is driven out of UP," Lalu Prasad Yadav said, gloating over the fact that Amit Shahs party had suffered humiliation in Bihar in 2015.

Clearly, the main aim of the organisers of the Lucknow function was to give the impression that the mahagathbandhan would, when formed, stand for secularism in general and anti-Modism in particular. By doing this they think that the Muslim vote-bank remained united in favour of the grand secular outfit.

But its easier said than done.

Alarmed over the development, Mayawati swung into action equally fast. She addressed a press conference the same day to make it clear that "a vote to the SP, in effect, means a vote to the BJP". She reiterated what she had been saying earlier: "There is a latent understanding between the SP and the BJP." From her tone and tenor, it was clear that the BSP supremo was essentially trying to convey to the Muslim masses the reason why they should stick to her and not SP.

What was also clear was that Mayawati would leave no stone unturned from now on to protect her Dalit-Muslim axis. Apparently reaching out to the prospective constituents of the mahagathbandhan, she pleaded that an alliance with SP would mean strengthening the BJP  a party thats known for its anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim credentials.

Even for the BJP, the Muslim issue occupies top-of-the-mind-slot. It was not for nothing that they flagged off their parivartan yatra from Saharanpur. The choice of Saharanpur as starting point of their election campaign says it all. According to Sanjay Singh of Firstpost, "this particular western UP district is known for its near equal ratio of Hindus and Muslims. As per 2011 census, around 51 percent of the population is Hindu and 46 percent is Muslim. Its also adjacent to Kairana, the famed site for Hindu exodus, where BJP had claimed that Hindus were being forced to sell off or lease their property and migrate to different parts of the country".

Obviously, the BJP is working towards polarisation. They know that they wouldnt have come to power at the Centre in 2014, if the Hindu-Muslim polarisation had not taken place in wake of the Muzaffarnagar riots. True, without 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats from UP in their kitty, Narendra Modi wouldnt have been the Prime Minister today.

The BJPs calculation is simple: there will be a Hindu backlash in the event of Muslim solidarity. And if the Muslims are divided, their path is easier. All the more.
Jhansi (UP): Promising to turn Uttar Pradesh into the richest state, BJP chief Amit Shah said on Sunday that it could be possible only if people dumped SP and BSP and ushered in a government run by the saffron party.

"Enough of SP and BSP. You have given them enough chance. Now please dump these two parties and usher in a BJP government," he said at a 'parivartan rally'.

"I promise you that UP will become the richest state in the country once BJP comes to power. There will be no loot of public money, no scams, as have been taking place all these years under Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party," he said.

Shah said Bundelkhand, of which Jhansi is a part, was rich in natural resources and once BJP came to power there would be no illegal mining in the area.

With BJP-led government at the Centre, the state can progress by leaps and bounds if there is a government of the same party in UP as corruption will become a thing of the past, he said.

"Even (BSP supremo) Mayawati says Samajwadi Party is not good...so give chance to BSP. But friends, SP and BSP are the two sides of the same coin and can never deliver the goods," he said.

Shah said no one could expect better law and order in the state under SP or BSP rule.

"Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said he would give up his chair if gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's party QED merged with SP. The merger has taken place. Why is he continuing as CM? What happened," he asked.

Shah said SP was studded with tainted people like Afzal, Ateeq and Azam, while BSP had Nasimuddin in its fold.

"But, there are no goonda elements in BJP," he said.

On the issue of "triple talaq", he said BJP was for Uniform Civil Code and filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court opposing the practice.

He asked Congress, SP and BSP to clarify their stand on the issue.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said goonda elements ruled the roost in UP where law and order had touched the nadir.

"Let BJP come to power in UP. This situation will change," he said, adding BJP alone can give a corruption-free government.

Union ministers Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti and BJP vice president Om Mathur and state BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya also addressed the gathering.
New Delhi: In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.

In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified suspects set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Suspects set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well-orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.
By Venus Wu and James Pomfret

| HONG KONG

HONG KONG Hong Kong police fired pepper spray and protesters threw bottles and road cones in clashes near China's representative office on Sunday night where activists had gathered to demonstrate against Beijing's attempts to stop a fledgling independence movement.A ruling on Monday from a top committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, is expected to effectively bar the recently elected lawmakers Yau Wai-ching, and Baggio Leung from taking office in Hong Kong's legislature.The pair pledged allegiance to the "Hong Kong nation" and displayed a "Hong Kong is not China" banner during a swearing-in ceremony for the city's legislative council in October. Their oaths were not accepted and their right to re-take them is being challenged in the local courts by the Hong Kong government.The situation is seen by many of Hong Kong's legal and political elite as one of the biggest tests the financial hub has faced since its handover to China nearly two decades ago, with some fearing its independent rule of law is under threat.Hundreds of police, some with riot shields and batons, and some behind temporary metal barricades, were seen near the central government's Liaison Office, traditionally well protected by local police, and viewed by many as a symbol of Beijing's increasing influence on the free-wheeling city. As police reinforced their lines, protesters took their own precautions, some donning masks and goggles and wrapping cling film over their eyes to protect against pepper spray.

At least one protester was arrested. About 20 were hit by pepper spray - some protecting themselves with umbrellas, the symbol of the 79-day democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2014."This is about our future," said one woman, while others chanted for independence, long a taboo subject in the global financial hub and anathema to Beijing's Communist Party leaders.The standing committee of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, this weekend discussed invoking a rarely used power to interpret Hong Kong's mini "Basic Law" constitution to stop Yau, 25, and Leung, 30, from taking office.China Central Television quoted national lawmakers as saying the pair were a threat to China's "sovereignty and security".

"If this kind of situation continues it will harm the immediate interests of the people of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the interests of national development. The central government cannot sit by indifferently," they were quoted as saying.As such, an NPC interpretation was "very timely and extremely necessary", the report said.Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula that gave the territory wide-ranging autonomy, including judicial freedom.

Martin Lee, a veteran pro-democratic figure and barrister, said Beijing's move would bind the hands of the Hong Kong court that will hear the government's challenge against the pair."(It) makes it impossible for the court to exercise its own judgment," he said.The Hong Kong Bar Association has said an intervention by Beijing now would deal a "severe blow" to the city's judicial independence and undermine international confidence in Hong Kong's autonomy.Earlier on Sunday, thousands - including Yau and Leung -marched to the city's financial district. Several hundred then pressed on to Beijing's Liaison Office. Organisers put the numbers at 11,000; police said 8,000 turned out. (Editing by Louise Ireland)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
JOHANNESBURG In his first public appearance since investigators documented signs of government corruption, South African President Jacob Zuma told supporters on Saturday he wasn't scared to go to prison because he had been jailed during apartheid.The Public Protector, an anti-graft watchdog, said in a report last week that a judge should investigate whether Zuma, cabinet members and some state companies acted improperly in their dealings with wealthy Indian businessmen.The Gupta brothers, Ajay, Atul and Rajesh, who are friends of Zuma and work with his son, have been accused of influencing cabinet appointments and securing sweetheart government tenders. Zuma and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing.Thousands of protesters called for the president to resign after the 355-page probe was released and some opposition politicians said Zuma should face criminal charges."I'm not afraid of jail. I've been to jail during the struggle," Zuma told a cheering crowd in his home Kwa-Zulu Natal province. Zuma spent 10 years as a political prisoner on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela during white-minority rule.

"There's no longer any space for democratic debate. The only space there is for court arguments by lawyers. That's not democracy," Zuma added.The Public Protector's investigation stopped short of saying crimes had been committed, but recommended a judge take the investigation forward.

In one case, the report cited "extraordinary and unprecedented" government intervention in a private business dispute involving Zuma's friends and his son.This, it said, may have created "a possible conflict of interest between the President as head of state and his private interest as a friend and father".

Zuma faces a no-confidence vote in parliament next week. He has survived two similar votes this year, backed by the support of his African National Congress (ANC) which controls about two-thirds of the assembly.Since taking office in 2009, Zuma, 74, has overcome several corruption scandals with the backing of top echelons of the ANC. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Catherine Evans and Stephen Powell)

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By Luciana Lopez

| MIAMI

MIAMI The man answering a volunteer's knock on the door in the Kendall section of Miami-Dade County on Saturday was emphatic: Not only would he vote but esperamos que la presidenta gane" - Spanish for "we hope Madam President wins."Volunteers across Florida made a last-minute push to get voters to the polls this weekend with early voting ending on Sunday ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton, or "la presidenta," as the man at the door called her.Latino voters like the man in Kendall and elsewhere could have an outsized influence in Tuesday's election. Early voting data may portend a jump in the number of Hispanic voters this year, especially in the key swing states of Florida and Nevada.Clinton has polled much stronger among Latino voters nationwide, suggesting she would benefit more from a surge in early voting in those two states, voting experts say. Trump has fared poorly in that demographic, having repeatedly angered Hispanics with disparaging comments about their communities. A recent poll conducted by the firms The Tarrance Group and Bendixen and Amandi found that Hispanic registered voters in Florida favor Clinton 60 percent to 30 percent. In Nevada the gap was even wider - 72 percent for Clinton and 19 percent for Trump.In Florida, the Clinton campaign estimates early Latino voting is up 139 percent, or more than twice as much, compared to 2012, according to a field report dated Wednesday.Democratic strategist Steve Schale, a Florida expert, estimated that 170,000 more Hispanics had voted early or by mail as of Wednesday than had voted early or by mail in the entire 2012 election, according to a post on his blog.And keep in mind, because Hispanic is a self-identifying marker, studies have found that the real Hispanic vote is larger than the registration. So while Hispanics might make up 14.2 percent of the voters who have voted so far, in reality, the number is larger, he wrote.But the raw data leave a number of questions. Will Latinos keep up the higher turnout rates on Election Day? For which candidate did they vote? Will turnout from Latinos and other minorities make enough of a difference to swing Florida and other states?

Trump kicked off his maverick campaign last year by calling many Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, and his relationship with Latinos hardly improved from there. From his calls to build a wall on the border and have Mexico pay for it, to comments that an American-born judge could not do his job because of his Mexican heritage, Trump has consistently had low polling figures with Latinos across the country.The state of Nevada does not note race or ethnicity on its voter registration but other data there suggest Latinos also are turning out in force.DEMOCRATIC EDGE IN KEY COUNTY

For one thing, Clark County has seen a surge in early voting. Between in-person and absentee voting, registered Democrats have now returned over 72,000 more ballots than registered Republicans there. Those figures do not indicate which candidate voters picked, only the party with which the voters are registered.Friday alone saw 57,172 votes in person in Clark County. Photos making the rounds on social media showed especially long lines at a Cardenas market voting site, which stayed open late to accommodate the surge of voters.Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, has a large Latino population  30.6 percent, compared to 28.1 percent for Nevada as a whole, according to the U.S. Census.Even more Republican votes elsewhere in the state are so far not enough to counterbalance that Democratic lead in Clark County. Overall, the Democrats have cast around 46,000 more ballots in Nevada than Republicans.Thats not an accident, said Artie Blanco, the Nevada state coordinator for the progressive group For Our Future. Her organization and others banded together in a major get-out-the-vote push, especially among voters of color, and the coalitions data suggest that the effort paid off.

Twenty-two percent of Democrats who voted on Friday had a conversation with someone from that progressive coalition at some point after Oct. 15, Blanco said. Among Latino voters on the last three voting days, the coalition had conversations with 14 percent of them after Oct. 15, according to the groups data.Trump on Saturday hit out at the early voters in Nevada, looking to undermine the states results before Election Day.They didnt get the kind of vote that they needed to stop us on Tuesday, Trump said in Reno. Tuesday is our day in this state.He said Reno and northern Nevada could carry us all the way to Washington. But Blanco said the votes were instead the result of major work to bring out voters, especially people of color and that progressive organizations were not done yet.We have all these voters that we need to now go back and say, 'Youve got one day,' she said of those who had not yet cast ballots. (Writing and reporting by Luciana Lopez; Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Bill Trott and Mary Milliken)

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London: Defence, security and trade relations will top the agenda of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May as they will cover the "breadth" of ties, a top Downing Street official has said.

The two leaders will discuss the "breadth" of India-UK relations during their working lunch at Hyderabad House on Monday afternoon, May's official spokesperson told reporters at Downing Street in London.

"It will not be about how many deals are signed or that kind of transactional visit but more about the depth of the ties and working towards creating more jobs and growth in both countries. Defence and security will be an important part of the bilateral discussions. We are keen to develop that partnership and see how we can put in more energy and enthusiasm into that," she said.

"Why the Prime Minister is going to India for her first bilateral visit outside Europe, and her first trade delegation, is because India matters to us  now more than ever. In the context of Britain leaving the European Union (EU), the aim is two-fold  to build on the groundwork already done to bring down trade barriers and deepen the UK's relationships outside the EU," she noted.

In reference to discussions on a potential India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), the spokesperson stressed that the UK would not be pursuing a bilateral trade deal with India while it remains a member of the EU.

"We will continue to support the India-EU FTA, respecting our rights and obligations within the EU," she said.

While there has been wide speculation over a potential India-UK FTA, Britain remains inhibited from openly pursuing bilateral trade negotiations until Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty triggers the official process of Brexit.

May will begin her India visit by opening the India-UK Tech Summit on Monday morning alongside Modi.

Following her bilateral talks with Modi, both leaders will issue a joint statement.

While in New Delhi, she is also expected to visit the Gandhi Smriti and War Memorial at India Gate.

On Tuesday, she will leave for Bengaluru, where she has a series of business engagements as well as an address to a tech summit.

The British premier will be accompanied by 40 small and medium enterprise (SME) representatives from across the UK, many of whom are on the lookout for a foothold in India.

The recent tightening of the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) visas, expected to hit Indian IT companies the hardest, is expected to be on the agenda from the Indian side.

However, Downing Street stressed the UK remains open to the "brightest and the best" from India and that Indians had been issued more work-related visas than the US, China and Australia combined.

On the sharp decline in Indian student numbers coming to study in the UK over the years, she highlighted that 89 per cent of all Indian students who applied to study at UK universities were given visas.

"This visit is about highlighting that the UK-India relationship really matters. The UK is the largest G20 investor in India and India is the second largest job creator in the UK. There are strong bonds and ties there and it is important to keep up the momentum," the spokesperson said.

May will be accompanied by international trade secretary Liam Fox and minister of state in the Department for International Trade, Greg Hands.
Varanasi: Baloch nationalist leader Naela Quadri on Sunday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the plight of people in Balochistan, where she alleged that Pakistan army was involved in "genocide" for the past 70 years with the help of China.

"Balochistan is fighting for its freedom but Pakistan army with support of China is committing genocide on innocent people to suppress our freedom movement," Quadri said.

"We have been facing the atrocities from the past 70 years but the world came to know when Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue," she said.

She praised Modi for highlighting the plight of people of Balochistan.

"He has become our hero, the hero of Balochistan, because it is for the first time that the issue has received such attention," she said.

"Pakistan army has crossed all the limits. They rape our women and girls and even take the organs after killing the people," she said, adding "for even small matter, there is bombardment in our region."

She said, the freedom struggle in Balochistan has intensified after getting the moral support from India.

During the two-day 'Sanskritik Sansad' organised by Ganga Mahasabha, another Baloch leader Mazdak Dilshad said, "this freedom struggle has been continuing for the past 70 years. After getting moral support from India, the struggle for the freedom of Balochistan movement has been intensified."

The event deliberated on several issues including atrocities in Balochistan, Triple talaq, challenges of national security, free flow of Ganga among others.

Senior RRS functionary Indresh Kumar, noted Islamic Scholar Moulana Sadiq Kalbe, Swami Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswati and Varanasi based Ganga Mahasabha's National General Secretary Swami Jitendranand Saraswati among others were present on the occasion.

The President of World Baloch Women's Forum Quadri also said that if Balochistan achieves freedom, it will allow the entry of people from India without visa.

"If Balochistan achieves independence, we would install a statue of PM Modi in the region," she said.
Peshawar: Pakistan will not deport Sharbat Gula, National Geographic's iconic green-eyed 'Afghan Girl', for using fake ID cards to stay in this city, a media report on Sunday quoted an official as saying.

Gula, who was immortalised after her haunting picture taken at a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1985 was carried by the magazine on its cover and became a symbol of her country's wars, was arrested on 26 October from her home in Peshawar.

A special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered Gula's deportation to Afghanistan on Friday after serving a 15-day jail sentence besides slapping a fine of 1,10,000 rupees (USD 1,100).

Gula will complete her sentence on Wednesday. She will not be deported from Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government official Shaukat Yousafzai said. The provicncial home department has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan requested KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to not deport Sharbat Gula. The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

Gula, who was dubbed as 'Mona Lisa of Afghan war', was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for alleged forgery of a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

She gained worldwide recognition when her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when she was approximately 12 years old.

According to interim charge sheet submitted on 1 November, the prosecutor said that she accepted the main charge of faking her identity to get the CNIC.

Gula said that her late husband, Rehmat Gul, had earlier made a manual national identity card in 1988, which was used to get the CNIC with the help of an agent who was bribed. The FIA also registered an FIR on October 20 against three former government employees for fraudulently issuing Pakistani CNICs to Afghan nationals, including Gula.

Pakistan has been tackling the Afghan refugee crisis for over three decades. It is estimated that some three million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan, half of whom are unregistered.
Julian Assange has turned into a parody of himself. The overweening ego and wild claims have overshadowed all else. Rising to fame as a Michael Blomkvist-style anti-establishment hero, Assange has since tumbled into self-serving victimhood.

"Assange has evolved into a megalomaniac rhetorician, who seems to have very little contact left with reality," declares Svenska Dagbladet daily, summing up the national consensus on Australia's most famous citizen. The list of inconvenient truths on Assange's must-avoid list is long.

Let's start with the big one, as in: Those evil Americans are not, in fact, out to get Assange.

"I ask President Obama to do the right thing: the United States must renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks," Assange thundered from the balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Except there is no "witch-hunt": "Despite claims by Julian Assange that Washington is plotting to extradite and execute him, US and European government sources say the United States has issued no criminal charges against the WikiLeaks founder and has launched no attempt to extradite him."

The Obama administration has little interest in risking the bad PR that inevitably follow a very public and contentious extradition  and the Swedish government feels exactly the same. "There would be a storm in the media worldwide stopping any extradition. That would be the best guarantee he would have, together with the formal conditions," notes former prosecutor Sven-Erik Alhem. Having Wikileaks back in the headlines serves no one's interest except that of Assange.

The US government's greatest crime right now is calling Assange on his, ahem, bovine manure. The US State Department spokesperson got it exactly right when she accused him of making "wild assertions about us, when, in fact, his issue with the government of the United Kingdom has to do with whether he's going to go ... face justice in Sweden for something that has nothing to do with WikiLeaks."

The Swedes resoundingly agree. In his attempt to evade justice, Assange has smeared a nation with an excellent record of protecting individual rights. Reuters notes: "Along with other Nordic countries, Sweden sees itself as a legal safe haven and it has welcomed thousands of leftist refugees from dictatorships in Latin America in the 1970s to Iraqis fleeing the US-led invasion and war after 2003. The World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2011 report ranked Sweden first of 66 nations on fundamental legal rights." In comparison, Ecuador  praised by Assange as "a courageous Latin American nation [which] took a stand for justice" under President Correa has a long and shameful record of squelching press freedoms.

But that hasn't stopped self-styled liberals like Michael Moore and Oliver Stone from claiming that Assange ought to get a special pass from standard questioning regarding the rape and sexual molestation charges.

And that brings us to inconvenient truth number two: Protecting Assange from the Swedish judicial system does not constitute "a stand for free speech on behalf of the entire globe."

Assange failed to mention the charges in his ten-minute tirade, opting for outright denial. But his supporters have been far more vocal in their efforts to dismiss the allegations as  to use Moore's word  "hooey." The theme has been sounded by many, the latest being a Scottish MP who is in trouble for defending Assange on the supposedly lesser charge that he had sex with a woman while she was asleep and without wearing a condom. In his video blog, George Galloway laid out the Assange defence:

Some people believe that when you go to bed with somebody, take off your clothes, and have sex with them and then fall asleep, you're already in the sex game with them. It might be really bad manners not to have tapped her on the shoulder and said, 'do you mind if I do it again?' It might be really sordid and bad sexual etiquette, but whatever else it is, it is not rape, or you bankrupt the term rape of all meaning.

The argument is being widely mocked on social media. A satirical poster of Assange from the London Feminist Network sums up the pushback: 'It's not really extradition if you're extradited in your sleep.'

Condom use is also at the heart of the other case where the woman claims that Assange pinned her down, and held her legs open. Assange's lawyer Beth Emmerson described the incident in a British court in these words:

Assange wanted to insert his penis into her vagina directly, which she did not want since he was not wearing a condom  She did not articulate this. Instead she therefore tried to turn her hips and squeeze her legs together in order to avoid a penetration  AA tried several times to reach for a condom, which Assange had stopped her from doing by holding her arms and bending her legs open and trying to penetrate her with his penis without using a condom. AA says that she felt about to cry since she was held down and could not reach a condom and felt this could end badly.

The charges have sparked an intense debate over the notion of sexual consent. But my personal favourite is this comment on my Facebook news feed:

Lemmee see if I have this: Assange supporters do understand how he could consent to being questioned by the Swedish authorities if he's in England but not if he's in Sweden, to go to Sweden if he won't be extradited to the US but not if he might; but they profess not to understand that a woman could consent to f*** with a condom but not without one?

Of course, the entire debate is mostly moot since it ignores the other and final inconvenient truth: Assange is in little danger of being jailed on rape charges.

Swedish legal experts note that 9 out 10 rape charges are usually dropped before they reach the court, and the case against Assange is likely to meet the same fate. "But where there are no witnesses, no pictures and no technical evidence, only the accusation of the woman against the man and he says that sex was consensual, then normally the situation is that the word of the woman will not be enough for a conviction," Swedish law professor Christian Diesen tells Reuters. So much for the grand CIA-engineered plot to take down Assange.

To sum up then: Julian Assange is not hiding in an Ecuadoran embassy to save himself from American persecution or as a brave stance against censorship, but to avoid facing the consequences of his actions, which may or may not rise to the definition of rape, but are most certainly are, as his lawyer puts it, "disreputable, discourteous, disturbing or even pushing towards the boundaries of what they were comfortable with".
New York: Given Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's strident anti-immigrant stance, he surprised a lot of Americans by declaring that he is a "big fan of Hindu." The sudden declaration of fandom was meant to soften up Hindus for votes, but Trump is going to be royally rebuffed on Election Day by South Asian millennials who say they see through him.

A galaxy of young South Asian celebrities, actors, writers, comedians and musicians are spearheading a campaign called #VoteAgainstHate. They have released a video that has gone viral pleading with the older generation to vote against "hate-mongering" Trump. The video captures how Arish Singh, a Sikh-American protestor was tossed out of a Trump rally in Iowa. Egged on by Trump, the thrilled crowds chanted "USA!" as Trump made a barbed hat joke at the turban-wearing businessman's cost.

"Bye, bye," Trump mocked the Sikh man as he was unceremoniously ejected from the arena.

Indian-American actress Sheetal Sheth who lends her celebrity to the "Vote Against Hate" video which has picked up 3.5 million views makes no secret about who she supports. Sheth, who has hits such as ABCD, I Can't Think Straight, The World Unseen, American Chai and Indian Cowboy, has urged her large fan base drawn heavily from South Asians and millennials to vote for Clinton.

"Hillary is running against a man, who is so unabashedly misogynistic, narcissistic, hypocritical, and adolescent; he, himself, a proved champion of superlatives wouldn't be able to come up with enough words to thoroughly describe the embarrassment he is," wrote Sheth who has been blogging fast and furiously this year in support of Clinton.

"Not one living President thinks Hillary's opponent is fit or qualified to be President. This from men from both sides of the aisle who have actually done the job," blogged Sheth.

The South Asian community has been stung by Trump's penchant to brand completely innocent members of the community terrorists. Trump has gunned for Clinton's top aide Huma Abedin and floated conspiracy theories about her terrorist ties in press interviews. "Today Trump is calling Huma Abedin a terrorist. Why because she is brown? She has an Indian father and a Pakistani mother so Trump just brands her a terrorist! It is outrageous," said Virat Kumar, a young New Yorker.

"This is the kind of dangerous terrorist name calling that gets Sikhs beaten up for wearing a turban or an Indian manning a deli racially abused by customers for having a brown face. Trump is fanning ignorance and hate by making everything about race."

Abedin, who has been swept up in the swirl of controversy regarding Clinton's emails, has been raised by two moderate Muslim intellectuals. Abedin's late Indian father, Syed Zainul Abedin was born in New Delhi. He received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania as a Middle eastern scholar. Abedin's Pakistani mother is an associate professor of sociology.

The Republican Hindu Coalition which tried belatedly to rally support for Trump by organizing a Bollywood style flight of fancy in Edison in October has come out with a salacious ad for large Indian broadcasters in the United States like Star TV, Zee TV, TV Asia and other networks.

"Huma Abedin is of Pakistani origin and will become chief of staff if Hillary Clinton wins," declares the political ad aimed at Indian American voters. The Republican Hindu Coalition has also reportedly sent out some 65,000 flyers in the mail with the same message.

"The South Asian community has everything to fear from Trump and his supporters. They stoke divisions," said Anjali Biswas, a philosophy major at New York University.

"Trump is a plain racist. And yet sadly, he finds pockets of support in our own Indian community. That is stunning. But we are not fooled," said Biswas. "Young people from the South Asian community are all voting for Hillary."

The Indian American community "overwhelmingly leans Democratic, with 70 percent planning to vote for Hillary Clinton compared with 7 percent for Trump, according to the most recent polls," reported The Washington Post.
That's not even the worst news, though. According to the same PWC survey, 25% of baby boomer workers have already taken money out of their retirement accounts for non-retirement expenses. What's more, 36% think they'll need to pull money out of their retirement accounts for non-retirement expenses in the future.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Half of baby boomers have less than $100,000 in savings. A quarter of baby boomers are already tapping their retirement accounts to cover other expenses. And over a third think they'll have to do so.

Image source: Getty Images.

Tough circumstances

Many baby boomers are backed up against a wall, with little time to save and put the stock market's compounding magic to grow their nest egg. And can you really blame them?

MetLife estimates that almost 10 million adult children -- most of whom are baby boomers -- are caregivers for their aging parents. That's expensive: In fact, MetLife estimates that these caregivers have forfeited roughly $3 trillion in Social Security benefits, wages, and pension payments for taking care of their parents.

On the flip side, 32% of young adults aged 18-34 are living with their parents. That's the first time Pew has found a plurality of adult children in the U.S. living with their parents (the survey dates back to 1880). Given continued high rates of unemployment and underemployment for Millennials, their parents are doing their best to help -- something that comes with financial consequences.

And don't forget the decline of the traditional pension plan system, which means that around 18% of the private labor force is covered by a guaranteed benefit plan, down from 35% two decades ago. That's left baby boomers -- many of whom were raised on the expectation of a pension -- stuck without time and without the resources to build up the savings needed to replace those pensions.

The medicine won't be easy, but there's still time -- and hope.

Two simple (but difficult) solutions

The first -- and most obvious -- solution is for baby boomers to work longer. It's the solution that most cash-strapped baby boomers are planning to implement -- 52%, according to the PWC survey.

It's easy to see why: It has a multitude of financial benefits. These include more time to build savings, less time to need savings (a shorter retirement period), and a greater annual Social Security benefit (an 8% increase per yearThere are significant health benefits

The key problem with this solution is that most current American retirees retired sooner than they expected

Door No. 2 involves debt reduction. Twenty-three percent of baby boomers who plan to delay retirement cited debt as a reason for their delay. And with 46% of the same generation reporting that they consistently carry a balance on their credit cards (roughly one-third of whom have trouble making their minimum payments), it's no wonder. Debt, after all, takes the power of compounding and turns it against you -- creating a situation in which the money you owe keeps growing unless you take intentional steps to pay it all back.

Debt reduction is difficult, and there are no simple shortcuts. But we have a list of ways you can wipe out your debt

If you're a baby boomer without any debt, option three is to boost your savings rate. Also not easy, but the first step is to think through budgetingnumber of innovative ways2016 limit: $24,0002016 limit: $6,500

Here's what it all really comes down to

None of these solutions is necessarily a silver bullet by itself -- but some combination can hopefully help you improve your financial position so you have a better opportunity to get the retirement you want. There's still time: Use it wisely.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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States set to hold votes on whether to increase minimum wage on Tuesday should be able to do so without interference from the federal government, according to Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants and economic advisor to Republican nominee Donald Trump.

States have every right to decide what the minimum wage should be, Puzder said during an appearance on Mornings With Maria on Sunday. Ive been opposed to minimum wage increases that kill jobs, and a lot of these state increases are to that level that they would kill jobs. I think thats bad for American workers. But working in a cabinet, working in the federal government, theres really nothing you could do to stop states from raising the minimum wages.

Residents in Arizona, Colorado and Maine will vote on whether to increase minimum wage to $12 per hour. Voters in Washington will weigh in on an increase to $13.80 per hour. Both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are in favor of minimum wage increases. Trump supports an increase to $10 per hour, while Clinton proposes $12.

Puzder said a Trump administration would work to address several economic issues within its first 100 days in office, including a revision of the tax code, an increased focus on becoming energy independent through fossil fuel extraction and a rollback of President Barack Obamas executive orders on regulation of businesses.

The chief executive of Carls Jr. and Hardees fast food chains also laid out a plan to reform the healthcare system post-Obamacare. Puzder called for a system that would provide incentives, such as health savings accounts and tax deductions, to motivate the middle class to buy insurance.

Then weve got competition from insurance companies, because youve now got people who have an incentive to purchase insurance, Puzder said. Theyre not being forced by the government to purchase it or compelled or penalized. Theyre being given a benefit, much like employers are with employee insurance. Theyll have the incentive to purchase, and then youll have insurance companies competing for their business, which will drive down the cost of insurance and drive up the quality of insurance.
Dave Chappelle shared his opinions about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during a surprise show on Friday night in New York. The comedian will make his Saturday Night Live hosting debut on Nov. 12  the first episode post-election Tuesday.

According to the Observer, Chappelle slammed the media for twisting Donald Trumps words in the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump tells Billy Bush, When youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, and the now-famous line, Grab em by the p---y.

What I heard on that tape was gross, the Observer reported Chappelle saying. But the way I got to hear it was even more gross. You know that came directly from Hillary.

Chappelle added that, to him, Trumps comments could not be classified as sexual assault, according to the Observer, which is published by Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, husband to Ivanka Trump.

Sexual assault? It wasnt. He said, And when youre a star, they let you do it. That phrase implies consent. I just dont like the way the media twisted that whole thing. Nobody questioned it, Chappelle said.

Shes going to be on a coin someday. And her behavior has not been coin-worthy, he said. Shes not right and we all know shes not right.

The comedian also joked about his SNL hosting duties.

You know theres a pool going on whether or not I show up. I got $100,000 that says I wont.
Michael Bubles son doesnt have leukemia, according to the childs aunt, who said she wants the public to stop speculating about the boys illness.

Daniela Lopilato told an Argentinian TV- station that three-year-old Noahs cancer diagnosis has left the family broken in half, the UK Express reported Saturday.

But she tried to stop rumors being spread about the specific type of cancer, writing to a reporter: Michael and my sister will publish more statements and I cant say anymore but its not leukemia or the central nervous system as people are saying. Thats all I can say.

She added: The only thing I ask is that you dont speculate because not everyone has children and can understand what this means.

Buble and his Argentinian-model wife Luisana Lopilato announced Friday that their son was diagnosed with cancer after he became ill with what they thought were the mumps.

We are devastated by the recent diagnosis of cancer of our eldest son Noah who is currently receiving treatment in the United States. Weve always talked about the importance of family and the love we have for our children, they said on Facebook.

The couple, who also have a 10-month-old son Elias, declined to identify what kind of cancer Noah has, and said they are putting their careers on hold to get the child treatment.

Click here to read more in the New York Post.
Health news from AskDrManny

Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner has reportedly entered treatment for a cybersex addiction amid the latest revelation that he was exchanging sexually explicit messages with an underage girl. Cybersex can include viewing sexual images or content online, talking about it with others or engaging in two-way conversations about sex acts. It can also include the use of cameras to engage in sex acts with another online partner.

Aside from the obvious "is it too little too late?" question, I want to know if Weiner is hiding behind a so-called cybersex addiction and portraying himself as a victim to avoid facing the fact that he is a deeply flawed individual who should be labeled a criminal.

Of course, we know that there is concrete data on Internet sex addiction which includes pornography, and that our growing dependence on technology is helping to fuel a crisis. At the alleged in-patient facility that Weiner is reportedly holed up in, all electronic devices are banned. The unidentified facility reportedly separates patients by gender, and offers treatment for anonymous sex, pornography and exhibitionism in addition to cybersex. What bothers me, is that Weiner has chosen such a specific label for himself rather than simply admitting to a sex addition.

In 2007 a brief survey on cybersex and the effect it had on the family found that in 60.6 percent of cases, the sexual activities were limited to cybersex and did not involve physical contact. Cybersex was revealed to be a major contributing factor to separation and divorce of 22.3 percent of couples in the survey. Surprisingly, some of the couples involved reported no relational sex in months or years, and 52.1 percent of admitted addicts had decreased interest in sex with their spouse. In the same survey, 31 percent of partners said that the cybersex activities were a continuation of preexisting compulsive sexual behaviors.

Cybersex is categorized under the larger umbrella of sex addiction. According to Addiction Hope, an online addiction help & recovery resource website, sex addiction is marked by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts alongside difficulties with intimacy that can demonstrate itself as uncontrollable compulsions with pornography, masturbation, phone sex, cybersex, escorts, prostitutes, meaningless affairs, strip clubs, voyeurism and exhibitionism.

Let's recall the first time Weiner got caught sexting back in 2011. He took two weeks paid leave and sought "treatment" with a therapist in Texas where he said he was going to work on becoming a better husband and person. It's safe to say that the handful of sessions he attended didn't work, as during his 2013 mayoral bid as he pleaded to New Yorkers to trust him, his sexting alter ego "Carlos Danger" sank his campaign. You would think that after two humiliating scandals, Weiner or someone in his inner circle -- like, say, his then-devoted wife -- would urge him to seek treatment for his so-called cybersex addiction. While we don't know what was said behind closed doors between the two of them, we now know that he continued in his demonic ways, and that he had no moral objections to snapping a nearly-nude photo of himself next to his sleeping son, nor did he have any issues with striking up a sexting relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

With Weiner hidden away seeking treatment for his "addiction," he avoids being labeled as a criminal pedophile and a morally flawed individual. Do you see what the problem is here? The truth is, I have a very difficult time believing that he is addicted to cybersex, because if he was, it should have come out during his treatment at the time of the 2011 scandal, and no quality licensed medical professional would have allowed him to return to work after a mere few sessions of counseling.

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy estimates that sex addiction affects approximately 12 million adults in the U.S., with patients possibly displaying a lack of ability to set limits or boundaries on sexual urges, experiencing negative consequences as a result of sexual behavior, ignoring personal obligations or social activities to spend time indulging sexual fantasies, frequent use of impersonal sources of sexual fulfillment that do not require emotional engagement such as cybersex, emotional engagement and pornography, experiencing a sense of shame or guilt yet being unable to stop, engaging in attempts to stop the behavior and relapsing and the need to intensify sexual behavior or risk-taking activities to achieve the same high. A rise in Internet usage has also made access to hypersexual behaviors easier for addicts.

A September survey of college-aged students concluded that those who use the Internet excessively may have other mental health problems. While the standardized test used to measure excessive use of the Internet, called the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), was developed in 1998, researchers in this survey administered additional self-reported tests to measure possible addiction. The survey focused on 254 students in Canada and correlated Internet use and general mental health and wellbeing. Of the students surveyed, 33 met screening criteria for Internet addiction according to IAT. However, 107 students met the criteria for problematic Internet usage using the new tests.

"We found that those screening positive on the IAT as well as on our scale, had significantly more trouble dealing with their day to day activities, including life at home, at work/school and in social settings," Michael van Ameringen, chief researcher, said. "Individuals with Internet addiction also had significantly higher amounts of depression and anxiety symptoms, problems with planning and time management, greater levels of attentional impulsivity as well as ADHD symptoms."

At the survey's conclusion researchers pondered whether experts are underestimating the prevalence of Internet addiction, and whether the other mental health issues reported are a cause or consequence of excessive reliance on the Internet. Researchers are inclusive about sex addiction for the same reasons, as it's not clear if the disorder is a result of brain chemistry issues or a cluster of psychiatric conditions. Experts urge both types of addicts to seek help, as there are 12-step programs and treatment centers tailored to specific needs.

Addiction is a serious disease, and not one that should be tossed around cavalierly by public figures who are simply seeking an excuse for their morally wrong behavior, or are possibly trying to escape criminal persecution. If Average Joe was caught sexting an underage girl or exchanging explicit images with her, you can bet there would be charges levied against him. If Weiner is truly sick with an addiction, then I wish him nothing but the best and hope that the alleged treatment center he has chosen can help him in his journey toward better health. But should he come out the same morally flawed sexter, I'm going to hate to have to say "I told you so."

The post Treating Weiner: What is a cybersex addiction? appeared first on AskDrManny.
Heres the astonishing truth the medias not talking about and Democrats refuse to believe  Donald Trump is getting more than double, and sometimes more than triple, the black vote Romney got 4 years ago.

Recent polling by Remington Research shows Trump getting 22% in Florida, Romney got 5 percent. In North Carolina, Trumps getting 19%, Romney got 4 percent. Trumps getting 22% of black voters in Wisconsin compared with Romneys 6% 4 years ago. And in Pennsylvania, Trump scores an astounding 29% against Romneys 7% share in 2012.

Nationally, Romney received less than 7% of the black vote in 2012. Even Trumps worst numbers among African-Americans show him getting 19%, and some polls show him doing much better.

Even more exciting for Republican prospects, increasing black support is not confined to Trump. In Wisconsin, Ron Johnson has pulled even in his race for re-election to the U.S. Senate thanks largely to black defection from the Democrat party. A CNN poll shows Rob Portman getting 32% of non-white voters in Ohio, mostly African Americans. In North Carolina, a Quinnipiac Poll shows Richard Burr gets 24% of the ethnic vote, most of them African Americans.

Generally, there are three reasons African-Americans are voting in record numbers for Republicans this year.

First, for the first time since anyone can remember, Republicans have broken the communications monopoly Democrats have enjoyed among African-Americans. Trump is persistently reaching out to them; visiting their churches and neighborhoods, making a commitment to rebuild Americas cities, economy and jobs.

Second, Trumps not the only one speaking to African Americans. The organization I am honored to Chair, the 2016 Committee  best known for our successful effort to draft Dr. Ben Carson into the presidential race  has, in the last three months, raised and spent more than $1.3 million in 6 battleground states on radio ads targeted to African American voters. Its an ad effort focused on Trump, but providing real value for Republicans down-ticket as well.

Our ad campaign is based on concrete test data. In fact, the predecessor to The 2016 Committee, the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, ran a test of this approach in the North Carolina Senate race two years ago which pit incumbent Kay Hagen against challenger Thom Tillis.

We ran radio ads for 8 weeks in that part of North Carolina where just under two-thirds of African Americans live. Radio ads were not run in the northern tier of the state on the Virginia border, nor in the southern crescent adjacent to the South Carolina border.

Rasmussen polling before the ads started showed that Kay Hagen was winning 99% of the African American vote -- about the same support she received in 2008 with Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. A few weeks after the ads started running polls indicated a notable shift in black voter preference.

On election day, exit polls taken by Rasmussen showed Thom Tillis received 11.9% of the African-American vote statewide. This is clearly a result of the more than $300,000 worth of radio ads run by the Committee.

As further validation, Tillis received precisely the result youd expect if he won 1% of the black vote where the ads did not run and 18% in the areas where ads could be heard.

The third and most significant reason for the shift in African- American voter preferences this year is African-Americans have grown weary of shopworn liberal policies aimed at buying black votes while limiting black opportunity and prosperity. Hillary promises to double down on those failed policies.

The 2016 Committees radio ads make the case with examples from three broad issue areas: education, jobs and abortion.

Our ads show how Hillarys unconditional support for teachers unions and opposition to charter schools condemn poor children to continuing poverty.

We discuss Hillarys support for higher taxes, more regulation and bigger government  the liberal trifecta that restricts minorities to the economic hole leftist policies have anchored them in, prohibits job growth in the private sector, and guarantees deteriorating living conditions.

And we point out that despite boasting of her work for kids, she defends abortion in horrifically painful ways right up to the last hour even though one of three babies aborted in America is black. How can she take for granted black votes when she isnt interested in protecting the lives of black babies?

Those who claim a Trump win depends entirely on his running the board with white voters are missing a historic shift in party alignment that will profoundly impact American politics.

Given the growing desperation of minorities victimized by liberal policies for the last 6 decades, it cant happen soon enough.
Former President Bill Clintons top aide wrote in 2012 that Chelsea Clinton used Clinton Foundation resources for her wedding and life for a decade and a top Foundation donor was responsible for killing unfavorable press coverage  all as an internal Foundation audit uncovered numerous conflicts of interest and quid pro quo benefits, according to emails released Sunday by WikiLeaks.

Doug Band, founder of global strategies company Teneo and Bill Clintons personal assistant since the 1990s, wrote the Jan. 4, 2012, email to future Hillary Clinton presidential campaign chair John Podesta and two other Clinton aides after receiving word that Chelsea had told one of the [President] bush 43 kids and others about an internal investigation of money within the foundation. Band wrote such chatter was not smart.

The investigation into her getting paid for campaigning, using foundation resources for her wedding and life for a decade, taxes on money from her parents., Band wrote. I hope that you will speak to her and end this[.] Once we go down this road.

EMAIL DETAILS HOW TOP AIDES MADE EX-PRESIDENT CLINTON RICH

The FBI reportedly is looking into The Clinton Foundation, although the extent and focus of the investigation is unclear. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, had previously said some of the personal emails she deleted from her secret, homebrew server  the subject of another FBI probe  were related to Chelseas wedding.

Bands email, which was revealed after Podestas Gmail account was hacked and subsequently uploaded to WikiLeaks, came at a time of turmoil and upheaval within The Clinton Foundation. Aside from the internal audit, previous emails show a prolonged effort to untangle Teneo from the Foundation. When Band launched the company in summer 2011, he was still employed by the Foundation and Bill Clinton was listed as a Teneo adviser.

But after much haggling, Clintons and Bands roles were clearly delineated: Band continued on as a personal aide to Clinton and Clinton became a Teneo client. During the back-and-forth that produced the final document spelling out each of the mens roles, Band on Nov. 12, 2011 wrote an 11-page memo outlining how Teneo was created and how it had helped to enrich Clinton and the Foundation. In that draft of the memo, Band wrote he had sought to leverage my activities, including my partner role at Teneo, to support and to raise funds for the Foundation.

I am sure I have done so imperfectly, he added.

In another section of the memo, which was later deleted, Band wrote about billionaire hedge fund manager Marc Lasry as a good example of the complex relationships a friend/supporter can have within the foundation. Chelsea Clinton worked for Lasry, Lasry held Foundation fundraisers and Band was a paid adviser for Lasrys firm, Avenue Capital, an investment company whose holding American Media Inc. publishes The National Enquirer.

But fundraisers and jobs werent Lasrys lone contribution to Team Clinton.

He has been helpful on a number of fronts, including  responding favorably to our requests to use his plane for Foundation and the Clintons personal purposes, killing potential unfavorable stories in the Enquirer [of which he owns a controlling share of the debt] Band wrote.

Less than a month after Bands Teneo memo went out, lawyers from Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP, the firm contracted to run the internal Foundation audit, emailed a draft of a governance memorandum and recommendations to Podesta, who was serving as a special adviser to the Foundation, and Bruce Lindsey, then the Foundations CEO.

The audit draft noted substantial issues, including a Conflict-of-Interest Policy that had not been implemented, conflicts that were not disclosed in a timely fashion and board members not following the policy when they became aware of conflicts.

In addition, some interviewees reported conflicts of those raising funds or donors, some of whom may have an expectation of quid pro quo benefits in return for gifts, according to the Dec. 5, 2011, draft. Another section of the document noted that interviewees also mentioned instances in which gifts and payments received by staff had not been properly disclosed.

There were other problems, including 1,298 complimentary $20,000 memberships for the Clinton Global Initiative as opposed to just 500 paid memberships. Of the complimentary group, 276 were coded discretionary, the audit noted.

Interviewees informed us that there is no transparency into how the comp list is developed, the document stated.

The lawyers conducting the audit also noticed problems in the Foundations IRS Form 990, the tax return document of an organization that is exempt from income tax. While charitable groups are allowed to pay board members and staff a reasonable salary, none of the reasonable compensation calculations identified by the lawyers were ever done, the 990 form showed. The lawyers also wrote the 990 indicated the Foundation had a written conflict-of-interest policy that was enforced.

However, we did not find evidence of that enforcement, the memo stated.

Other problems included a very small Foundation Board comprised solely of insiders; unsigned Board minutes that appear to have been cloned from one year to the next; material weaknesses in the segregation of accounting duties, review of journal entries, audit adjustments and financial statement preparation, and lack of Board meetings.
The Clinton Foundation has said it accepted a $1 million gift from the Qatari government without notifying the State Department that it had done so, an apparent violation of an ethics agreement Hillary Clinton signed when she became Secretary of State in 2009.

Under the terms of the agreement, Clinton promised the foundation would notify the State Department's ethics official if a new foreign government wished to donate or if a current foreign donor wished to "increase materially" its contributions.

PODESTA RELATIVE EARNED SIX-FIGURE FEES LOBBYING CLINTON'S STATE DEPARTMENT DURING HIS TENURE THERE

Qatari officials pledged the money in 2011 to mark former President Bill Clinton's 65th birthday. The following April, Amitabh Desai, the Clinton Foundation's foreign policy director, emailed several of his colleagues to say that the Qataris wanted to meet Bill Clinton "'for five minutes' in NYC to present [the] check." Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state until Feb. 1, 2013.

When contacted by Reuters, which first reported on the deal's ethical ramifications, Clinton Foundation spokesman Brian Cookstra said the $1 million gift did not constitute a "material increase" in the Middle Eastern nation's contributions.

ABEDIN IMPLICATED CLINTON IN FOUNDATION TRADE-OFF WITH MOROCCO AMID $12 MILLION COMMITMENT



Reuters, citing the foundation's own website, reported that Qatar's own government has directly given a total of between $1 million and $5 million over the years.

The State Department told the news agency it had no record of the Qatar donation and said it was up to the foundation to submit it for review.

The number of foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation has opened the Democratic nominee up to conflict-of-interest accusations and raises the possibility that donors gave money with the expectation of receiving political favors in return.

Republican nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Clinton to return donations from countries like Qatar, which has a questionable human rights record.

Last year, the Foundation admitted that no complete list of donors to its health program, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, had been published since 2010, despite promises from Clinton two years earlier that such a list would be produced annually.

The email from Desai was part of a trove of hacked messages from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's account that were published by Wikileaks last month.

Click for more from Reuters.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Japanese Embassy in Vietnam Nagai Katsuro

(Source: VNA)

The visit is expected to contribute to boosting the relations between Vietnam and Japan, as well as peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large, the PM told Minister at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam Nagai Katsuro in Hanoi on November 5th.



He said the relationship has developed strongly and pragmatically across fields over the past years with enhanced political trust, noting his hope that Katsuro will make more contributions to the bilateral ties.



For his part, Katsuro pledged to do its utmost to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in economy through specific projects, thus contributing to socio-economic development in Vietnam.



He said the visit by Emperor and Empress, scheduled in the spring of 2017, is of historical significance as this is their first trip to the Southeast Asian country.



The Japanese Embassy will partner with the Vietnamese side to prepare for the visit, helping create a milestone for the bilateral ties, he promised./.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is enjoying support from national Republicans as his rematch with Democrat Russ Feingold appears headed for a tight finish.

On Saturday, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence joined the fight in the Badger State. The Indiana governor stood shoulder to shoulder with all the members of Wisonsin's conservative power bloc: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, and Johnson himself.

It would have been nice to have the posse come around a lot sooner," Johnson told reporters. "But bottom line, Im glad they are here now, and I think it will make all the difference. And I think it certainly indicates how close this race is."

Feingold held his Senate seat for 18 years before being defeated by Johnson as part of the 2010 Republican wave. Until recently, Feingold was favored to return the favor, but a recent Marquette University Law School poll showed the race as a virtual tie after previously putting Feingold in front by six points.

Both parties have poured money and manpower into the race, seen as crucial to determining control of the Senate. No fewer than 45 outside organizations are now spending money in Wisconsin on Johnsons behalf. Sixteen of them have spent more than $100,000, which is enough to buy television ads and contribute to the air war.

"This is a man we are going to send back to the United States Senate in a renewed Republican majority," Pence told the crowd in Mukwonago. "A man who was an outsider, a businessman who brought common sense conservative values to the United States Senate and Wisconsin is going to send Johnson back to that renewed majority.

"We need to return Ron Johnson the United States Senate because hes a workhorse," said Ryan, who has joined up with Johnson's campaign bus tour. "Hes an effective conservative."

At a rally in Madison, Feingold jabbed Johnson over abortion, privatization of Social Security, the minimum wage and Donald Trump.

"On these issues with Senator Johnson, you dont even have a fighting chance," said Feingold. [There is] zero chance he will vote with you against the corporations and the billionaires and the multi-millionaires."

Feingold and his supporters are up against a Republican ground machine thats been oiled, tested and refined in the election, recall and re-election of Governor Scott Walker. An internal memo from the Johnson campaign boasts that volunteers for Johnson have knocked on 1.6 million doors in Wisconsin, and they are continuing at a rate of 84,000 visits per week.

"In the final days we are right where we want to be and the wind is at our backs, one excerpt from the memo reads.

Supplementing the party's efforts, the conservative group American Majority Action (AMA) is boasting that their volunteers knocked on 50,000 doors to get out the vote for Johnson.

"Control of the US Senate comes down to Wisconsin," AMA National Executive Director Matt Batzel told Fox News. "This Senate race will be won or lost on the doors in key neighborhoods."


Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed offstage by the Secret Service during a rally in Nevada Saturday night, but returned within minutes.

Moments ago: @realDonaldTrump was rushed off stage after a security incident at his Nevada rally, he returned moments later. pic.twitter.com/bG8iVtwkPr  Fox News (@FoxNews) November 6, 2016

The agency said in a statement that Trump was removed from the stage at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center after someone shouted "Gun!", causing a commotion. The Secret Service said that one person was apprehended and no weapon was found after a search of the surrounding area.

KRXI reported that one man holding a "Republicans Against Trump" sign was briefly detained and was later released from custody.

The man identified himself as Austyn Crites, 33, of Reno. In an interview with the Guardian, Crites described himself as a Republican and a conservative who was opposed to a possible Trump presidency.

A source told Fox News that someone in the crowd saw another attendee reach around his back and toward his waistband. The first person shouted "Gun!" several times, sparking panic right in front of the stage where Trump was speaking.

Two Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump before hustling him off the stage. Trump returned moments later and told the crowd," "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us. But we will never be stopped. Never, ever be stopped."

Witness David Newton told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the man holding the sign was trying to get closer to the stage just before the disturbance.

"He had something on his belly. I dont know what it was, Newton told the paper. Somebody yelled 'gun' and everyone jumped on him. My friend put his knee on his head, but he kept getting up.

Crites confirmed witness accounts that he was moving toward the crowd toward the stage, but denied that he was aggressive or rude. He told the Guardian the sign was initially greeted with boos, but then "people next to me [started] to get violent; theyre grabbing at my arm, trying to rip the sign out of my hand."

Crites went on to claim that members of the crowd kicked and punched him, while at least one person grabbed his testicles. He said he was relieved when authorities put him in handcuffs and escorted him from the arena.

"The people who attacked me  Im not blaming them," Crites said. Im blaming Donald Trumps hate rhetoric." The man went on to call Trump a "facist" and a "dictator."



After the incident, Trump's son, Donald Jr. and top campaign aide Dan Scavino falsely claimed that there had been an "assassination attempt" against the candidate, even though no weapon was found.

Both men re-tweeted a message that read, "Hillary ran away from rain today [at a rally in Florida]. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt."

At Trump's next rally in Denver, a pastor, introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, also falsely called the Reno incident "an attempt of murder against Mr. Trump." Mahanna blamed the incident on the media for inciting hate against the Republican nominee.



The Secret Service statement noted that magnetometers are used at presidential campaign sites.

"All general public attending these events must go through a magnetometer screening prior to entering a protected area," the agency said.

Fox News' John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities have confirmed that the body found on a rural South Carolina property is the boyfriend of a woman found chained inside a storage container.

A woman who was found chained "like a dog" in a rural South Carolina shed told authorities she watched her alleged kidnapper shoot her boyfriend who vanished with her in late August, investigators said Friday.

Search teams digging on the property owned by 45-year-old Todd Christopher Kohlhepp found one body and fear there may be more.

The remains have not been identified, but prosecutor Barry Barnette said the woman, 30-year-old Kala Brown, saw her captor shoot and kill her boyfriend, 32-year-old Charles Carver, who went with her for a cleaning job on the suspect's property.

ABC NEWS INVESTIGATES PRODUCER OVER DOCTORED 'CRIME SCENE' LIVE SHOT

"This is a very, very dangerous individual," Barnette said.

Kohlhepp, a registered sex offender with a previous kidnapping conviction in Arizona appeared Friday at a bond hearing in Spartanburg on a kidnapping charge. More charges are expected.



The judge did not set bond and instead referred the matter to circuit court. The suspect didn't appear to have an attorney.

SEX OFFENDER IN CUSTODY AFTER WOMAN FOUND IN METAL CONTAINER

Kohlhepp was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old Arizona girl in 1986. Online prison records show he served about 14 years for the felony. He was released in 2001.



Records from the case obtained by Fox Carolina show that a judge decided in 1987 to transfer the case to adult court partly because of Kohlhepp's aggressive nature.



"At less than the age of 9 this juvenile was impulsive, explosive and preoccupied with sexual content. He has not changed. He has been unabatedly aggressive to others and destructive of property since nursery school," the judge wrote.



Brown and Carver disappeared about Aug. 31 when they went to do the work on the suspect's nearly 100-acre property near Woodruff, said Daniel Herren, a friend who sat with the woman in her hospital room after she was rescued Thursday.



"They were going to do some work, help cleaning up the property. And he pulled out a gun and took them hostage," Herren said, adding that the abduction happened quickly.

Herren said Brown described to him the details of her captivity, telling him she was in the container nearly the entire time except for when she was taken out for occasional walks.



"He never took the chain off of her, but he was taking her around, let her get, not so much exercise, but let her walk around some," Herren said. "It didn't sound like it was every day. It was kind of sporadic."



She left the hospital late Thursday and is staying with family, Herren said.



The property includes grassy areas, some covered in waist-high weeds, as well as stands of trees. Most or all of it is surrounded by a chain-link fence 6 to 7 feet tall.



In the middle was the cargo container, which measured about 30 feet by 15 feet. It was next to a two-car garage that had a living space on top, Barnette said.



Guns and a large amount of ammunition were seized from Kohlhepp, the prosecutor said.



"It's unbelievable how much he had," he said, adding that Kohlhepp frequently took target practice in an area near the storage container.



Records show Kohlhepp received his South Carolina real-estate license in 2006 before a state law went into effect requiring background checks.



A real estate agent who worked at the firm run by Kohlhepp said she had known him for 10 years after they met at a university in the Spartanburg area and were study partners. She said she was in disbelief.



"He's not the kind of person to do something like this," Cherry Laurens said by phone. "Working with him, he was an excellent boss. He stood up for us whenever we needed him."



She said it was widely known that he was registered as a sex offender, but he told people that it was based on trumped-up charges after he "had gone joyriding with a girl" and upset her father.



Kohlhepp made frequent online posts about moving around rocks and trimming trees at the rural property, according to the Facebook page that Laurens confirmed was his.



About two weeks after the couple disappeared, he wrote a post about news reports on missing people: "reading the news.. this person missing, that person missing, another person missing.. oh wait.. that person just went to beach with friend, other person found with her parole violation boyfriend... in the event I become missing, please note no one would take me. I eat too much and I am crabby..."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from FoxCarolina.com.
Georgia police are investigating an accidental shooting in a home Saturday involving two boys, 12 and 11, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.

The station reports the older boy was seriously wounded when the gun went off. He underwent surgery at a hospital.

Clayton County police said the shooting took place at a home in Jonesboro Saturday afternoon.

Police said the two boys were playing with a third child, 10, when they found the gun.

The gun went off as the 11-year-old was putting it back, Fox 5 reported.

An adult was in another part of the house at the time, according to the station.

The station reported that a witness on scene saw a woman who was distraught and heard the woman say, Thank God, my nephew is alive.

Click for more from Fox 5 Atlanta.
A messy controversy over the $2.8 million top prize in the worlds largest billfish tournament has turned into a federal case, according to a report Saturday.

The Baltimore Sun reports the dispute arose after a Florida angler caught the winning 76.5-pound white marlin in the White Marlin Open in August. Organizers said Phil Heasley lied about the big catch and then flunked two lie-detector tests.

The Sun reports that organizers now want a federal judge to disqualify Heasley so they can redistribute the $2.8 million to the also-rans. Heasley hasnt seen a dime yet and wants the judge to rule in his favor.

Big fishing tournaments like the White Marlin Open, which is held off Ocean City, Maryland, use polygraphs to prevent cheating.

"There's no policeman out in the ocean," White Marlin Open president Jim Motsko told the Sun. To keep it from being a "free-for-all, we learned real quick, you got to have rules and stick with them."

The complaint against Heasley says he altered the time he caught the fish on paperwork from 8:15 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.

The tournament has a rule that doesn't allow fish to be caught before 8:30 a.m.

The Sun reported that Heasley has denied breaking any rules and questions the validity of the lie detector tests.

His lawyer wrote that the time the fish was caught was changed to reflect the correct time.

Motsko has been holding the White Marlin Open since 1974.
Two children and a woman were fatally stabbed at a Newark home during a rampage Saturday and three other people were injured, authorities said.



The attack, which Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called "one of the most tragic and savage" he's seen, left an 8-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman dead. Three others, a boy and a girl, both 13, and a 29-year-old woman, were in stable condition at a hospital. Authorities said many of the victims were family members and they had been stabbed with a knife or knives.



Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said at a news conference Saturday night that police are seeking a 26-year-old man who is a person of interest in the case. She said he already was wanted on charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault for an unrelated incident on Oct. 9. He has not been charged in Saturday afternoon's stabbings.



Baraka pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, NJ.com reported. "We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," he said. "As long as he's on the street, nobody is safe."



The mayor said, "This is probably one of the most tragic and savage situations that I've seen in a very, very long time here."



Essex County's major crimes task force and Newark police are investigating the attack.



Police have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.


Russian emergency officials say six people are dead and four in serious condition after a gas explosion in an apartment building.

The explosion hit a two-story apartment building before dawn in the city of Ivanovo, 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Moscow. The explosion tore out a large section of the brick building's wall and collapsed some of the second story.

Russian news agencies cited a spokeswoman for the regional emergencies ministry, Olga Doleva, as saying the dead included a 4-year-old girl.
Germany is to investigate all military recruits amid fears Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists are trying to join its armed forces.

A spokesman for the counter-espionage service (MAD) said 20 Islamists had been identified in the Bundeswehr and 60 other potential cases were being investigated.

The German parliament is to consider legislation that would make it mandatory for all recruits to be screened in a bid to stop jihadists infiltrating the military and obtaining weapons training, according to German media group Funke.

The spokesman for MAD said recruiting offices had received a number of queries from people who wanted join the military for just a few months.

He said they had expressed an interest in intensive weapons and equipment training.

Click for more from Sky News.
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A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack in Turkey's southeast, following a claim by the Islamic State group for the same attack.

TAK, also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, stated on its website Sunday that it conducted the suicide attack in the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir in response to Turkey's "relentless oppression and attacks."

TAK is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.

The Friday morning explosion near a riot police building killed at least 11 people, including two police officers.

The Diyarbakir governor's office says PKK militants were behind the attack, based on radio intelligence and has dismissed the claim of responsibility by IS militants.
Nigeria's army says it has rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamic extremists more than two years ago in a raid on a forest hideout.

Spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said Saturday the schoolgirl was found with a baby boy born to an extremist.

It was the first army rescue of a Chibok girl.

Nigeria's government last month secured the freedom of 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls in the first such release negotiated with Boko Haram. Another girl escaped from captivity in May.

Some 276 girls were seized from a school in northeastern Chibok town in April 2014. Dozens quickly escaped.

Officials have vowed to secure the release of nearly 200 who remain captive.
At the seminar (Photo: VNA)

The seminar was held by the Vietnamese Embassy in India in conjunction with the National Library of Kolkata (NLK) and the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee (IVSC) in West Bengal.



Addressing the event, IVSC President Geetesh Sharma highlighted milestones of cooperation and friendship between the two countries, especially sentiments of citizens of Kolkata city and India in general towards Vietnam during its struggle against foreign invaders in the 1970s.



NLK Director Arun Kumar Chakraborty called for the Vietnamese Embassys collaboration in providing new books on Vietnams socio-economic development for the library, helping increase mutual understanding between the two countries people, particularly young generations.



Minister at the Vietnamese Embassy in India Tran Quang Tuyen stressed that cultural cooperation is one of the five pillars of the Vietnam-India strategic partnership.



Indias Act East policy and the elevation of the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership will create favourable conditions for the two sides to tap their potential and strengths in order to foster the relationship, he said.



Tuyen said the embassy is working on a plan to organise cultural activities in Kolkata and New Delhi marking the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties (January 7th, 1972), contributing to boosting cultural links and people-to-people exchange between the two countries.



At the end of the seminar, Geetesh Sharma introduced his book titled Da Nang: The city of wonder in which the writer expresses his impressions at dramatic changes in Da Nang over the past 20 years. This is one of the tens of English books about Vietnam written by Geetesh Sharma./.
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced the start of a plan Sunday to retake the Islamic State terror group's de facto capital of Raqqa -- an operation they called "Euphrates Rage."

The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian forces, was made Sunday at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, attended by commanders and spokespeople for the group. The statement said 30,000 fighters would take part in the operation.

IRAQI FORCES INCH THROUGH MOSUL AS SUSPECTED ISIS BOMBS KILL AT LEAST 20

The announcement came as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces had entered the eastern edges of the ISIS-held city of Mosul and were working to push deeper into the last ISIS urban bastion in Iraq. The Kurdish officials said the two campaigns were not coordinated, but simply "good timing."

The SDF is dominated by the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG. The United States considers the group as the most effective force against ISIS, but Turkey views them as a terror organization and claims it's linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish group. Turkish officials including President Recep Tayip Erdogan have said they will not accept a role for the Kurds in the liberation of Raqqa.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the news, saying, "The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves."

GREG PALKOT REPORTS: AVENGING THE ISIS TERROR MONSTER



"It's important to recognize that the SDF also includes a lot of Arab fighters from the area, and the Coalition will continue working with the SDF to train and recruit more. The isolation phase will be first--it may be some time before these forces reach the city," Col. John Dorrian, Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, told Fox News.

Turkey's defense minister last week suggested that instead of the Kurds, Turkish-backed forces can present an "alternative."



But Kurdish officials have rejected any role for Turkey, or the opposition forces it backs inside Syria, in the Raqqa campaign, and U.S. officials have also acknowledged that the YPG will be a major part of any Raqqa offensive.



"Our hope is that the Turkish state will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria," said an unidentified SDF official at Sunday's press conference. "Raqqa will be free by its own sons."



There was no immediate comment from Turkey or the U.S. on the Kurdish announcement.



U.S. officials have acknowledged that ousting ISIS from Raqqa poses tougher political challenges than the offensive on Mosul, and have suggested the initial stage would involve isolating the city before any forces try to move in.



The commander of anti-ISIS coalition forces, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said last week that American intelligence has detected signs that ISIS attacks against Western target are being plotted from Raqqa, adding urgency to coalition plans to encircle and eventually assault the city.



"We know this plot-and-planning is emanating from Raqqa. We think we've got to get to Raqqa pretty soon."

But coalition leaders have been struggling with the timing for the Raqqa campaign, not only because of the demands of the large Iraqi-led Mosul operation but also because the political and military landscape in Syria is more complicated. Townsend said more Syrian opposition fighters need to be recruited, trained and equipped for the Raqqa battle, but he and other officials have said in recent days that the Mosul and Raqqa operations will overlap.



Unlike in Iraq, where the coalition has a coherent government to work with, the U.S. and its coalition partners in Syria are relying on a hodge-podge of local Arab and Kurdish opposition groups, some of whom are fierce rivals. The tensions are exacerbated by the presence of Russian and Syrian forces on one side and Turkish forces on another.



Townsend said, however, that the YPG will necessarily be part of the offensive.



"The facts are these: The only force that is capable on any near-term timeline is the Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the YPG are a significant portion," Townsend said. "So, we're negotiating, we're planning, we're having talks with Turkey and we're gonna take this in steps."

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Scene at the deputy ministerial-level defence strategic dialogue

between Vietnam and China (Photo: VNA)

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission co-chaired the function.



In his opening speech, Vinh stated that the two countries can tackle current differences and gain mutual benefits with political efforts from the two Party leaders and correct perception of both militaries.



Sun Jianguo pointed to the importance of the 6th dialogue as it was held 25 years after the two countries normalised their relations, adding that the long-lasting friendship has been fostered by generations of leaders.



The two chairs expressed that they are pleased with the thriving bilateral military cooperation, contributing to the Vietnam-China strategic comprehensive cooperative partnership.



Since the previous defence strategic dialogue, upbeat outcomes have been recorded in delegation exchanges, education-training and naval collaboration. The sides operated their hotline and exchanged experience in participating in UN peacekeeping missions. Their annual border defence friendship exchanges have been considered a highlight in joint activities.



Vinh and Sun agreed to maintain the pace of and expand collaboration in a number of fields, including press exchanges, defence industry as well as teaching Chinese and Vietnamese.



They acknowledged that both sides should carry out groundwork for the signing of documents on the Vietnam-China military cooperation joint vision and the systematisation of Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchanges.



They highlighted the need for proper preparation of their upcoming border defence friendship exchange slated for early 2017.



They hoped that the Vietnamese Institute for Military Strategy and the Chinese Academy of Military Science to promptly implement a join project on collection of documents and memorabilia about the friendship between the two countries armies and the Ho Chi Minh-Mao Zedong ideology on solidarity during the resistance wars against France and the US.



Concerning regional security, Sun said China wants to develop friendly relations with its neighbouring countries, while Vinh stated that Vietnam welcomes increased collaboration between China and ASEAN member states for peace and stability in the region.



The officials frankly talked about the two countries differences regarding the East Sea issue.



They achieved consensus on well controlling disagreements and increasing education to raise awareness of the two countries military personnel and people on respecting common perceptions reached by their Party and State leaders.



Vinh reiterated Vietnams persistent stance that all parties involved ought to settle disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).



They should seriously implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon complete the building of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), he added.



We are determined to protect our sovereignty, abide by international law, respect benefits of side involved, and prevent disagreements from developing into conflicts, Vinh stated.



At the meeting, China also briefed on its military reform and the 6th plenary session of its 18th Party central committee.



The next dialogue will be held in Vietnam next year./.
Pastel Workshop Instructor & Artist Marla Baggetta Chosen For Pastel Journal 100

The renowned pastel artist and teacher Marla Bagetta known for her highly sought after workshops and nationally acclaimed award-winning artwork has been recognized with an entry in the esteemed Pastel Journal Top 100 competition which featured over 2000 entries for artists across the world.

--

Renowned pastel painter, teacher and author, Marla Baggetta has been recognized with an honorable mention in the Pastel Journal Top 100 competition for her piece, "Summer Reflections".

Baggetta is a prolific, award-winning painter whose work has been featured in art publications and is included in numerous public and private collections across the country. She is an experienced art instructor, offering highly sought after workshops focused on the development of each student's individual painting style in a nurturing and friendly environment.

Baggetta is known for her luminous and poetic landscapes which blend realism and abstraction to convey a sense of calm and balance. Her work has earned her IAPS Master Circle honors among other prestigious awards. This is Baggetta's third time being recognized in the Top 100 competition by the Pastel Journal. The Pastel Journal Top 100 competition, received over 2000 entries from some of the most talented pastel artists around the world.

Baggetta's unique and personal approach to art instruction includes online painting lessons. These lessons include membership subscriptions which afford students the opportunity to work directly with Marla to receive personalized help. This site is unique because students receive a video critique of Marla in front of their artwork which they submit online. More information is available at: http://pastelists.lessonswithmarla.com/pastel-journal.

Marla Baggetta explains that "my approach to painting reflects both the formal art education I received at Art Center College of Design and the years of experience that can only be gained from behind the easel. It's a great honor to work with students to pass on some of the knowledge I've gained from my many great instructors and my own discoveries as a painter".

She adds that "I'm a true believer that the fundamentals of painting combined with our individual voices make painting a uniquely satisfying endeavor. As a teacher, I provide a strong base of the fundamentals of painting to guide every student in reaching their unique artistic intentions in a supportive, relaxed and creative environment".

For more information, please visit http://pastelpaintinglessons.com

Contact Info:

Name: Marla Baggetta

Organization: MarlaBaggetta

Address: 10673 SE 21st Ave

Phone: 360-466-3125

Release ID: 143684

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Des Hague Initiates Froozer Partnership With Food Bank of the Rockies

Froozer Fuels Fund to provide nutritious snack alternative for Food Bank of the Rockies' Kids Cafe

--

Froozer, a provider of healthy frozen snacks, has formed a partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies to help eradicate childhood hunger and malnutrition. On September 27th, the company will announce the launch of the Froozer Fuels Fund and a major initiative designed to provide healthy snacks in support of good nutrition to at-risk and underserved youth in Colorado through a major donation to Food Bank of the Rockies' Kids Cafe Program.

"Our partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies will allow us to aid the organization's efforts to provide hunger relief and ensure that at-risk kids receive healthy, natural food that is packed with the nutrition they need to grow and thrive," said Froozer CEO and Chairman of the Board, Des Hague. The Kids Cafe Program is designed specifically for children at risk of hunger. After-school and during the summer, Food Bank of the Rockies provides free hot meals or shelf stable packaged meals to children at more than 80 sites across the state. Last year, Food Bank of the Rockies distributed 635,709 meals through the Kids Cafe program. "We are delighted to partner with Froozer," said Kevin Seggelke, President and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies. "Their frozen fruit and vegetable treats are a fun, kid-friendly way to ensure hungry kids eat more fruits and vegetables. Nearly 1 in 4 kids in Colorado lives in a family struggling to put food on the table. We are so very grateful for Froozer's contribution and look forward to distributing the treats through our Kids Cafe and After School Snacks programs," concluded Seggelke.

In Colorado 1 in 7 kids don't know where their next meal is coming from. Research has shown that children who suffer from food insecurity have more social and behavioral problems and are more likely to experience development impairments. September is Hunger Action Month and Froozer is hoping that its partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies will shine the light on the issue of childhood hunger. "I'm excited to partner with the Food Bank of the Rockies to help make Froozers accessible to all children in Colorado," said Rich Naha, President of Froozer. "Froozer is one of the healthiest products available, and Food Bank of the Rockies has vast distribution in the area. We will make perfect partners."

About Froozer - "simple ingredients. real nutrition."

Froozer products, the official healthy frozen fruit and vegetable snack of US Speedskating, represent the pure goodness of freshly harvested fruits & veggies picked at the peak of their ripeness, flash-frozen whole and blended for optimal taste, nutrition and digestion. Natural fruits and veggies in all their glory, nothing added or subtracted, not even a drop of water. Available in three delicious flavors - STRAWBANANA BLISS, TROPICAL SUNSET and BLUE ALOHA - in 6-pack boxes. Look for Froozer in your local grocery store freezer at selected retail locations in and around Denver, including WholeFoods and Alfalfa's, and various select retailers in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington State, Rhode Island and Alaska, or place your order at http://www.Froozer.com or http://www.Amazon.com to have your Froozer delivered directly to your home or office.

Des Hague Home Page: http://www.deshague.com

Des Hague Sets Up Froozer Health and Wellness Council To Drive Innovation: http://www.abc6.com/story/33628200/des-hague-sets-up-froozer-health-and-wellness-council-to-drive-innovation

Des Hague Sets Up Froozer Board Of Advisors To Drive Growth: http://www.newschannel10.com/story/33628196/des-hague-sets-up-froozer-board-of-advisors-to-drive-growth

For more information, please visit http://froozer.com

Contact Info:

Name: Renate Siekmann, VP Marketing, Corporate Strategy and Communications, Froozer

Email: rsiekmann@froozer.com

Organization: Froozer

Phone: 215-539-9481

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/des-hague-initiates-froozer-partnership-with-food-bank-of-the-rockies/143764

Release ID: 143764

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Medical Cannabis & Marijuana Online Mail Order in Canada Pot Dispensary Launched

The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada is launching a Mail Order Marijuana Service to improve their cannabis medical clients overall well being. The service will change things in the Medical Cannabis space for the better. Further information can be found at http://cannabismedical.net

--

Earlier today, The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada announced the launch of its new Medical Cannabis Online Service in Canada as a socially responsible business based on principles of integrity, safety and environmental sustainability. The service is set to go live 11/07/2016. For anyone with even a passing interest in the world of Medical Cannabis, this new development will be worth paying attention to, as it's set to shake things up.

Currently, with even a passing glance, a person will notice a lot of Cannabis available in Canada is grown without proper care and often using harmful products. The difference with these therapeutic Medical Cannabis strains is that they are grown organically on Vancouver Island using natural culture and production methods.. The CEO at The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada, Anteek, makes a point of saying "things are going to change with the release of the new Medical Cannabis Online Service in Canada and with the safe lab tested cannabis products.

Anteek continues... " They always see other competitors doing the same old thing, what is different with this is that part of the offer is dedication to the cannabis medical clients health, including providing them with compassionate and reliable Cannabis Medical Care and Information. The reason do this, is because of the understanding and the believe that each Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada clients has a unique medical condition requiring their own specific level of support. "Ultimately this Canada mail order cannabis service is going to be a huge benefit to them the customers because of the premium cannabis medical products and extracts that contain no harmful solvents, byproducts or residues."

Anteek added... "Currently, the alternative to this type of services for a lot of cannabis patients is to buy their cannabis, pot, marijuana or weed whatever you want to call it, from a local dealer with all the risks that it involve. The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada improve on that, because of the Cannabis Medical team that have the product knowledge and a deep understanding of it health benefits, and maintain the strictest of lab protocols in the production and distribution of all the cannabis products. This kind of product quality alone is predicted to make The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada popular, as it offer a range of therapeutic medicinal Cannabis varieties and whole cannabis flowers, as well as cold-water extract of Cannabis oils, bubble hash, and cannabis edibles products."

The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada was established in the fall of 2016 and the Cannabis Medical staff as over 20 years of experience in the Medical Cannabis Business. The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada ultimate vision is to help people with chronic and terminal illnesses and improve their quality of life with cannabis when conventional medicine just isn't enough.

Once again, they are releasing their new Medical Cannabis Online Mail Order Service in Canada with cannabis products that are grown and made in accordance with rigorous health and safety standards and that are regularly tested by certified labs. The mail order service is set to launch 11/07/2016. To find out more about The Cannabis Medical Online Dispensary Canada, the place to visit is http://cannabismedical.net

Contact Info:

Name: J Beaudoin

Organization: Anteek Netshop

Address: 3728 5th Av



Release ID: 143797

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By Stef Gijssels We love solo bass albums, and it seems that they keep coming in great numbers. The overview below is indeed nothing more t...
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Despite Claire Williams' claims that rookie Lance Stroll was chosen on his merit, there's no doubt the young Canadian has benefited immensely from his father's financial might.

Billionaire fashion mogul Lawrence Stroll has bankrolled his son's career from the outset, sparing no expense - literally - to the family's dream of racing in Formula 1.

Young Stroll himself readily acknowledges his father's financial support, but also believes his achievements have earned him a rite of passage to the big time.

In order to facilitate his son's development, Stroll senior simply bought the Prema F3 outfit and appointed former Scuderia engineer and Ferrari Driver Academy boss Luca Baldisserri to manage his son's footsteps.

This provided the teenager with the best possible guidance in a team entirely devoted to his cause. But Stroll senior also had a special simulator installed at Williams which only his son could use.

To fast-track the latter's access to Formula 1, Stroll also financed a massive testing programme with a 2014 Williams, supported by a staff which included 5 Mercedes engineers and two specially prepared engines from the German manufacturer.

The comprehensive schedule saw the young hopeful accumulate a wealth of mileage and experience at a diversity of tracks and venue such as Silverstone, Hungary, Monza, Austria, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, Austin and Sochi.

In the end, Lawrence Stroll has allegedly spent an estimated $80 million to insure his 18-year-old son's proper entry into Grand Prix racing!

Indeed, Williams Pat Symonds reckons Lance Stroll is perhaps the best prepared rookie to enter Formula 1 since another Canadian and Williams driver some twenty years ago.

"The last rookie with that many kilometres of testing for his debut was Jacques Villeneuve," Symonds said.

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>The Steven and Gill Bullock Award recognises those who, in the 10 years since completing a Nuffield scholarship, have made the best use of their learning to grow their business, develop their career and contribute to the industry.

Find out more This years Nuffield conference takes place on 23-25 November in the Gosforth Park Hotel, Newcastle. For more information see the Nuffield website.

A prize of 1,000 is awarded to the winner at the annual Nuffield Farming Conference.

The award is given in memory of Steven Bullock, who managed the Farmers Weekly farms from 1963-88 and then became a director of the Nuffield scholarship scheme.

This year, the judges were Stephen Fell, chairman of Leaf; Michael Jack, agriculture and food adviser to HSBC; and Karl Schneider, editor of Farmers Weekly.

We profile the three 2016 finalists.

Neil Rowe

Farm manager, Manor Farm, Marcham, Oxfordshire

For his Nuffield project Neil Rowe set out to understand how farmers can best exploit the potential of robotic milking systems  inspired by the failure of many UK dairy farmers to make the technology work for them.

His success has led to him becoming one of the UKs most sought-after experts on high-efficiency dairy operations, called upon by organisations including AHDB, RABDF and Rase to run workshops and training sessions for other dairy farmers.

Neil pioneered the use of robotic milking with extensive grazing. We were grazing 24 hours a day, 300 days a year, he says.

See also: How Nuffield learning benefits farming practice

His Nuffield research helped him to clarify the key ingredients required to optimise this approach, including the importance of:

Adapting all aspects of the dairy operation  including genetics, feeding and calving systems  to make the most of robotic milking

Understanding cow psychology and using this to design the system and environment to encourage the cows to do the work for you

Capturing and analysing data to give an insight into all aspects of the operation and using this to drive all critical decisions.

Dairy lessons for beef

More recently, Neil has taken the learning he has gained in the dairy sector and applied it to beef production.

He now runs one of the UKs most efficient and sustainable beef units, earning him a string of industry awards and a place on the finalists podium for the 2012 Farmers Weekly Awards Beef Farmer of the Year title.

Neil designed his beef system from the ground up.

His research led him to go for Stabiliser genetics because of the scientific approach taken to optimise the breed.

And he had a beef house built to his own design, using innovative technology and his understanding of cow psychology to reduce the amount of labour and energy required to operate it and to promote cow health.

Stabiliser genetics

Neil now spends half of his time running the beef unit and half running his own consultancy business.

Although no longer running a dairy operation, his dairy expertise is still highly in demand.

As well as running training courses Neil operates a telephone advice service used by 250 Omsco organic dairy farms.

Neil has given more than 100 talks to a wide range of audiences since completing his Nuffield project.

He says he relishes the opportunities he gets to share the insights he has gained.

I spend a lot of time  and consider it a great privilege  mentoring and running open days for students, passing on what I have learned to the next generation.

Martin Thatcher

Managing director, Thatchers Cider, Sandford, Somerset

The insight gained from his Nuffield scholarship has helped Martin Thatcher transform the fortunes of his familys cider-making business.

Martin visited more than 100 businesses in the UK, US, Europe, Australasia and China to investigate how to add value and consumer benefits in non-citrus fruit juices.

Some showed me what to do, and some showed me how things shouldnt be done, he recalls.

But I learned something from every single one of them.

Reflecting on his experiences, Martin identified three important lessons that have changed the way he thinks about his business  and have underpinned significant changes to the way it operates.

First, its important to be the best at what you do.

As Martin explains: This is because in the good times you will grow alongside many others, but in the bad times retailers will shrink their categories, and if youre not at the top you wont just lose a percentage but, potentially, the whole lot.

Production values

Second, you have to decide if you are going to be a high-value brand producer or a high-volume, low-value producer.

Both can work equally well, says Martin.

But these are two very different philosophies and it is very difficult to have both in a business.

Third, you need not just a great product, but also a great brand reputation around it.

The combination gives you a powerful sales proposition.

When he returned from his travels Martin set about putting these ideas into practice.

At the time 80% of the cider made by Thatchers was produced for other businesses such as supermarkets to sell under their own label.

But Martin decided that his companys future was as a brand producer.

Within 18 months of making this decision we were producing less than 20% of own-label, he says.

As a result profits doubled from the same turnover.

He also focused on building up the Thatchers brand, creating the companys first TV advert and building up the marketing team.

His conviction that Thatchers has to be the best at what it does has prompted a series of investments over the past decade, designed to increase efficiency, boost quality and deliver that quality consistently.

Hedgerow planting

In the orchards, a new method of planting trees hedgerow-style is expected to boost yield per hectare.

In the cider-making plant, new software monitors and controls every part of the process to ensure consistency in quality.

The results are undeniable: turnover is now 65m/year  more than 10 times higher than a decade ago  and profits have grown more than twentyfold.

Martin has recently taken a more prominent role in the wider industry: for the past two years he has chaired the National Association of Cider Makers.

Representing the cider industry at government level has been a huge honour, he says. He believes that his Nuffield experience has helped give him the confidence and communications skills he needs to do this effectively.

Chris Newenham

Joint managing director, Wilkin & Sons, Tiptree, Essex

Dont look inwards, look outwards is the key lesson Chris Newenham took from his Nuffield research project.

Chris is joint managing director at Essex based Wilkin & Sons, which grows fruit on its own farms to produce jams and other fruit preserves under its famous Tiptree brand.

For his Nuffield project Chris visited China, New Zealand, Australia and Chile to study the latest practices being used by fruit growers, and look into alternative sources of fruit.

When I did my Nuffield our breakeven cost of production for strawberries on the farm was about 1,200/t, Chris says.

That same tonne of strawberries was available from overseas in individual frozen form, delivered to our door, for 400/t.

Sticking to principles

Despite this huge price differential, the company decided that growing its own fruit was an essential part of the Tiptree brand.

In fact, in the light of my experience, we have grown both the volume and range of the fruits that we produce, Chris says.

We decided that it was important to stay true to our principles, not drive for the lowest cost of production.

The source of fruit may not have changed, but the methods of production have undergone a revolution, thanks in no small part to what Chris saw on his Nuffield travels.

In New Zealand and Chile, Chris was hugely impressed by the willingness of growers to actively seek new ideas and technologies from far and wide, adapting them to suit the needs of the fruit growing business. It was this outward-looking approach that he brought back from his travels.

On the back of my Nuffield experiences we did things we had never imagined, he says.

For example, we have moved more quickly than we would have done to use substrate production on the farm.

Water technology

Tiptrees farms are in the driest part of the UK, so access to water is a constant challenge.

One innovative solution has been to recycle waste water from the jam factory.

We went out and found that Israelis also dont have much good water available, Chris recalls.

So we brought back some of their technology to tap what was otherwise an unused resource

On the farm the company is introducing what it calls its New Growing System for strawberries  a tabletop system under polytunnels that uses rows of growing surfaces that can be raised and lowered.

This makes eliminates the need to leave alternate rows empty for harvesting, resulting in up to four times more strawberry plants on each hectare.

Chris says he is still in touch with some of the people he met during his Nuffield year. I met some great people, he says. Its a very useful network to have.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date, Price, Specs and Rumors: S8 Will Defeat iPhone 8?

After the disappointing performance of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung fans all over the world are looking forward to the Samsung Galaxy S8 release date. The flagship smartphone of the Giant, Samsung, has been the main focus of the the latest reports and speculations all over the internet.

There is no official announcement of what we can expect from the Samsung Galaxy S8 but consumers and other experts have already shared their predictions as to what this new iPhone 8 killer can offer.

There are rumors that the aside from a major design overhaul, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will most likely have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 830 chip or the Samsung Exynos 8995. The screen will potentially be a 4k, Edge- style screen sporting a dual camera and an enhanced artificial intelligence system.

According to Samsung's Vice Chairman, Lee Jae-Young, aside from the new camera and artificial intelligence, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have a new and "slick look"

A report was also released stating that compared to the Samsung Galaxy S7, the new and imroved Samsung Galaxy S8 will do away with the home button and will incorporate its functionality to the screen itself via a finger print scanning feature.

The iPhone 8 is also rumored to have this same feature as the Samsung Galaxy S8. Their plan to incorporate finger printing technology in their screen will most likely use the OLED screens developed by Samsung's display manufacturing arm.

The news about the Samsung Galaxy S8 release date will be massive because it is rumored to be the latest iPhone 8 killer. News about the possible delay of the launching was mentioned by some sources, indicating that after the Note 7 issues, the South Korean company is no longer taking chances and will make sure the Galaxy S8 will be perfect.

There is no word yet about the official Samsung Galaxy S8 release date so it's best for all fans to watch out for the news. One thing is for sure though, with all of its latest features, it will be one powerful phone on the market.
Samsung Galaxy S8 News & Updates: Will Samsung Unveil Bixby AI Assistant With Next Flagship Phone? App Set To Rival Siri, Corona, Assistant

Artificial Intelligence app specification is now the new trend among big tech companies. Whereas Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant compete in dominating the tech market, Samsung is working on the development of its first virtual assistant to join the race. Its upcoming flagship phone, "Samsung Galaxy S8", has raised expectations among consumers and tech community alike that it will feature this new AI assistant app that the Korean tech giant is currently working on.

"Samsung Galaxy S8" will undoubtedly be a big release for Samsung considering the recent fiasco of Galaxy Note 7. If speculations are to be believed, "Samsung Galaxy S8" could possibly sport an AI assistant specification that will be called "Bixby."

As per Android Headline, Samsung was spotted filing for a trademark for "Bixby" which was described as a "computer application software for smartphones, mobile telephones, portable computers, and tablet computers. Namely, software used to operate voice recognition system."

Bixby is apparently an application that features a voice recognition and hands-free operation. These features incidentally resemble AI assistant programs like Siri, Corona, and Assistant. For tech savvies, this could possibly mean one thing. That is, Samsung is planning to incorporate Bixby on "Samsung Galaxy S8."

This speculation is further sparked with Samsung's reported recent purchase of Viv Labs. It is a firm that specializes in AI assistant programs. As such, it is most likely that "Samsung Galaxy S8" users could experience Samsung's first virtual assistant.

Moreover, "Samsung Galaxy S8" would also feature several updated specifications including an improved software interface. As per WCCFTech, Samsung will most likely to adopt an updated operating system considering the latest development of Android.

As there is no official confirmation from Samsung yet, readers should treat these speculations with a pinch of salt. Full details and specifications of "Samsung Galaxy S8," however, are to be expected to come a little sooner so stay tuned for more exciting updates!

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"Samsung Galaxy S8" is set to be released in spring next year following its February reveal.
'Google Fiber' News & Updates: Google Halts Fiber Optic Expansion to Explore Wireless Technology

Despite the consumers' low enthusiasm over "Google Fiber," Google is still confident that it can enhance its technology to achieve its central mission of connecting people to an ultrafast and abundant Internet data.

It has been announced last month by Access CEO Craig Barratt, division in charge over "Google Fiber," that the tech giant will temporarily stop the operations of Google Fiber.





"We're going to pause our operations and offices while we refine our approaches," Barratt wrote on a blog post at Google Fiber This announcement is in lieu of his resignation as the division's CEO. Although many were shocked by this action, it is a given fact that "Google Fiber" have been laying off its employees over the last few months.





According to Top Tech News, CEO of Alphabet Larry Page, Google's parent company, has ordered Barratt to cut off the workforce of "Google Fiber" considering its significantly low number of subscriptions.'

Barratt, on the other hand, further wrote, "It entails us ["Google Fiber"] making changes to focus our business and product strategy. Importantly, the plan enhances our focus on new technology and deployment methods to make superfast Internet more abundant than it is today."





Following this, Google reportedly submitted a request to the Federal Communications Commission in order to test an experimental wireless broadband service in cities across America.





As per Sandiego Union-Tribune, this wireless technology can deliver gigabit data rates but within short distances but it is less expensive comparative to the fiber optic lines that "Google Fiber" is currently using.





Although some are skeptical over the wireless technology expansion of "Google Fiber" considering the technology's viability and tedious developmental and legal processes, recent improvements in antenna technology and beam formatting techniques can turn the table around. It might not be long before "Google Fiber" can adopt a wireless Internet service.





As further reported, these improvements steer high frequency airwaves that the tech community earmarked as integral part for the upcoming gigabit class 5G cellular networks. With these technologies, it would only take a minute or even less to download an entire digital movie.





Whereas this sounds as the Internet data access that consumers are dreaming of, Google is on its way to make this dream a reality. Time, however, is yet to tell its success. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Criminal Minds Season 12 Latest Spoilers, News & Update: Low Ratings Signal Potential Show Cancellation? Fans Continue Boycott

Many viewers were saddened with Thomas Gibson's departure from "Criminal Minds." The actor's exit from the CBS show have led avid fans to boycott the series while TV ratings continued its downward trend.

"Criminal Minds" Season 12 debuted with low TV ratings as compared to the CBS show's previous season. With a 1.8 demo rating among viewers aged 18 to 49, it marked an almost 10 percent dip versus its Season 5 premiere. Aired in late September, Season 6 episode 1 drew in 8.9 million viewers which is nearly 12 percent lower than the previous season.

TV ratings continued to dip with episode 4 posting a 1.56 demo rating and a viewer count of 7.6 million, according to TV Series Finale. The said ratings and demographics are lower if compared against the previous season's episode 4 by 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

With the rating's downward trend, several reports have speculated that CBS executives may decide against renewing "Criminal Minds" for another season. Some fans have also conveyed their disappointment with Gibson's removal, who was fired from the series after an altercation with a producer writer.

Some viewers also took to social media to convince other fans to boycott "Criminal Minds" Season 12. The hashtag "#NoHotchNoWatch," along with other supportive Gibson messages, were posted on Twitter and other social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the upcoming episode 5 will feature the first episode where Gibson's character Agent Hotchner officially started his special assignment outside of the BAU. Titled the "Anti-Terrorism Squad," the said episode will tackle bullying in school and a gruesome murder, according to episode spoilers posted on Spoilers Guide.

The episode will also feature a cute moment between Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness) and Alvez (Adam Rodriguez). After discovering that Alvez's Roxy is a dog and not a woman, Garcia will present the new member of the BAU with several doggie treats and a pink sweater.

"Criminal Minds" Season 12 airs every Wednesday on CBS. Watch the preview for episode 5 below:
'Doctor Strange' Review, Updates: Stellar Visual Effects And Strange Storyline Brings Another Dimension of Marvel Cinematic Universe

"Doctor Strange" took its viewers into a whole lot new level and dimension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Astounded by the stellar visual effects and unpredictable action sequences of "Doctor Strange," viewers were left hanging as the film concluded in a two-hour run time. Hitting theaters last November 4, "Doctor Strange" did not disappoint its fans by bringing the promised psychedelic visual scenes.

Unlike previous installments of the Marvel franchise, however, "Doctor Strange" stood faithful to its own community and established its own storyline rather than exposing the other gigantic web of narratives of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As per Wired, the fourteenth installment of Marvel gave its audiences a different yet beautiful experience of MCU. With this approach, "Doctor Strange" is deemed worthy of a full 3D version.

Also, through its screenplay that focused on the narrow community of sorcerers, "Doctor Strange" was able to diverge away from the usual formula of Marvel movies. The media outlet further pointed out some significant breakaways including the adventures of "Doctor Strange" that are not apocalyptic in comparison to other Avengers heroes' exploits. Likewise, "Doctor Strange" successfully established a memorable antagonist whereas usual foes of other heroes are one-and-done.

"In each sequence, there was a general concept to do a set piece that hadn't been done before. Each one of them was an idea that I just hadn't seen in a movie before," Scott Derrickson, director of "Doctor Strange," divulged, as quoted from an interview with ABC7.

This could be Marvel's first step on breaking away from its usual and already predictable cinematic formulas as "Doctor Strange" introduce fans into the world of supernatural and magic for the first time.

Don't forget to catch "Doctor Strange" in theaters this November and be the judge. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
OnePlus 3T Release Date, Specs, Features, Price, News & Update: November Release Confirmed? Smartphone Better than iPhone 7; OnePlus 4 Launching Revealed

OnePlus 3T is said to be an upgraded version of OnePlus 3 and will reportedly come out in the market anytime soon with a $479 price tag. The upcoming smartphone will be priced $80 higher than the original device; however, it will also carry more impressive specs and features than the previous handset, which came in June this year.

According to reports, the new OnePlus 3T will run on a Snapdragon 821 processor from Qualcomm, which is more advanced than the Snapdragon 820 in OnePlus 3. The plan of the Chinese tech manufacturer is to make sure that its flagship smartphone can compete well with the latest releasese from Apple, Samsung and Google. Apparently, the company wants to challenge the recently released iPhone 7 as the best smartphone in the world.

OnePlus 3T Specs and Features

In a report by Tech Buffalo, OnePlus 3T will carry a 5.5 inch screen with Optic AMOLED disaplay; however, there are reports suggesting that the company might go with an LCD display technology. There are also speculations circulating all over the Internet suggesting that the device will also sport a 16 MP primary camera with sony IMX398 sensor. The powerful processor of OnePlus 3T will also be paired with 6 GB of RAM and a 64 GB storage capacity.

As of the moment, the Chinese tech giant has yet to provide the official details of its development and release; however, several reports have already revealed its specs. Rumor has it that the upcoming OnePlus 3T will also run on Google's latest mobile operating system, the Android 7.0 Nougat. Although the device will carry the same exterior design of the original OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T will certainly have more power under the hood.

OnePlus 3T Release Date

According to reports, the new OnePlus 3T could be released in November, which is perfect for the coming holiday season. As for its next iteration, tech observers believe that OnePlus 4 will be launched during the second quarter of 2017.
'Longmire' Season 6 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Netflix Renews Show for Final Season, Production to Shoot in Mexico

Great news for fans of the Netflix series "Longmire," as the streaming service has renewed the show for "Longmire" Season 6. The downside to it is that it will be the show's last.

Following a successful social media stampede hosted by @LongwirePosse last week, Netflix renews show for final season. "Longmire" season 6 is officially a go.

According to Deadline, fans will finally get to see "Longmire" season 6, which will be the last of the show. The John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin-developed series has had quite a history. It debuted on the A&E network back in 2012 before being canceled when the third season ended. The show debuted on Netflix last year for its fourth season. The fifth season premiered this year.

"Longmire" season 6 will see the return of Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff for 10 final episodes of the crime drama. Baldwin, Coveny, and Greer Shephard, who serve as executive producers for the show, have expressed their gratitude to Netflix for "the opportunity to compose a closing chapter for these beloved characters that inspires lasting memories."

Now that "Longmire" season 6 is officially a go, the Seattle Times reports that production is set to shoot in Mexico very soon. Production will head to Mexico in March 2017 to begin filming. Santa Fe Film Office Director Eric Witt reveals that production will head to locations in Santa Fe, Pecos, Los Alamos and Las Vegas to shoot "Longmire" season 6.

The show will see the return of Taylor as Walt Longmire, Sackhoff as Vic Moretti, and Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear. Production for "Longmire" season 6 begins early next year, for a release most likely in the fall 2017 TV schedule. Keep checking back for the latest on "Longmire" season 6.
Donald Trump Latest News & Update: Giant Effigy Elected To Be Burned At Guy Fawkes; UK Bonfire Is A Tradition

A giant effigy of Donald Trump was burned in a bonfire at Edenbridge, England. This event is just part of the traditional Guy Fawkes Night held every November 5.

Donald Trump Latest News & Update: Image Was Elected To Be Burned This Year

The residents of the village fulfilled a promise to burn a giant effigy of the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The organizers of the Society of Bonfires report that the 11-meter high image was elected by an overwhelming majority to be burned this year. Last year, they elected the painting of the FIFA president Sepp Blatter to be burned at the bonfire.

Guy Fawkes UK Bonfire: A Tradition That Commemorates November 5 Attack

Burning images at Guy Fawkes is a traditional event that commemorates an attack that occurred on November 5, 1605. The attack was made by a conspiracy with 13 members. It includes Guy Fawkes and they blew up the House of Lords in response to the persecution of Catholics undertaken by Queen Elizabeth I. It was continued by his successor, King James I.

The group managed to install 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords. But one of the members of the conspiracy wrote a letter of confession and this came to King James I. Guy Fawkes, who was ready to blow up the barrels of gunpowder, was tortured and then executed. According to Reuters, Britain was celebrating this event realizing that the scheduled November 5, 1605, attack would kill many innocents. Fawkes was used by the English kingdom as a figure of terror at the national level and represented the Catholic extremism. This gave the kingdom the pretext needed to continue repressing the followers of this religion.

According to Usa Today, every November 5, bonfires and fireworks are lit throughout Britain to commemorate the failed attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up the English Parliament. Guy Fawkes is now a yearly event in which people protests, marches, and makes bonfires and fireworks. The burning of the presidential candidate Donald Trump effigy is done to acknowledge the former American colonies at the bonfire night.

Today, the face of Fawkes is used in masks at protests and was popularized in the film adaptation of the graphic novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. It is also used in anti - system movements like Anonymous and marches.
Samsung Galaxy S8 News & Update: AI Digital Assistant in Store for Flagship Device; More Details Here!

Amidst the media backlash that Samsung has received following the exploding Galaxy Note 7's released this year, the company is making a turnaround. It has announced some sleek new features for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8. The latest news surrounding the flagship device is that it will feature an AI digital assistant.

According to ABC News, the South Korean company is working to include an AI digital assistant in the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8. The flagship device is due out in Spring 2017. Acting much like a revamped Siri, the AI digital assistant will be able to perform tasks without any third party apps.

Just recently, Samsung experienced a loss of as much as $5.3 billion as they recalled and discontinued the Galaxy Note 7 that had faulty, explosive batteries. The company is now putting all of its efforts in developing the next iteration of their flagship device. Offering an AI digital assistant in the Samsung Galaxy S8 looks like a good way to get back on track.

The AI digital assistant in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 is assumed to be created by October Viv Labs Inc. This is the same company that created and sold Siri to Apple. The company was recently acquired by Samsung. They are now jointly developing an AI digital assistant in an "open AI platform" setting, which enables users to perform tasks without using any third party apps.

According to Reuters, the AI digital assistant is set to be available not just on the Samsung Galaxy S8, but also across Samsung's other products. Such products expected to feature the AI digital assistant in the near future are the refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, etc.

The race towards putting more AI into everyday devices such as smartphones has heated up in the last months, as voice-powered assistants have been prominently featured in the latest iterations of mobile phones and other devices. Check back for the latest on Samsung Galaxy S8 and comment below what other features you'd like to see next year.
Legends Of Tomorrow Season 2 Spoilers, News & Update: Teams Goes Against Old Enemy, Will Sarah Prioritize Team Goals Over Personal Revenge?

The upcoming "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 5 titled "Compromised" promises one thrilling episode as the team will tackle on Cold War issues. According to its synopsis, the team will be facing an old enemy, one that has managed to insert himself in the corridors of power.

'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap

In the previous episode of "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2, the team had to travel to a Civil War era Mississippi, where a horde of the undead was to be unleashed into the unsuspecting Confederates army. It fell upon the team to stop the zombies from wreaking havoc and at the same time ensure the victory of the Union.

Apparently, a zombie-themed episode was the perfect material to explore during Halloween. "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 4, titled "Abomination," was a very entertaining installment, with the team split up to deal with the threat. Sara and Nate had to warn Ulysses S Grant about the coming zombie threat where they had to fight a seemingly endless horde of the undead.

On the other hand, Ray and Professor Stein was trapped in a horror movie in the latest "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode. Meanwhile, Jax and Amaya were tasked to steal top-secret Confederates documents, where Jax had to come face to face with the harsh realities of that era, slavery.

'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2 Episode 5 'Compromised'

In the coming "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 5 will veer away from the undead. However, it does not mean that the situation would be less perilous.

The synopsis for "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 5 hints that the team will have to deal with threats within America's halls of power. This time, the episode will be set in the Reagan era presidency, where the team will make a surprising discovery. Apparently, their old enemy Damien Darhk, has infiltrated the Oval Office and is now President Reagan's senior adviser, reports Coming Soon.

But it won't be a simple bad guys versus good guys in "Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 5. The synopsis hints that some of the team members will have personal issues to work out at the same time. For instance, Sarah will be presented with a choice between the team's mission and her own personal revenge. Meanwhile, Stein has to stop his younger self from creating an even greater mess in middling with time.

"Legends of Tomorrow" season 2 episode 5 airs this coming Thursday, November 10, 2016. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for updates.
Firefighters rescued a dog and two Oregon State University students were displaced after an apartment caught fire Friday night.

More than 15 firefighters responded just after 8 p.m. Friday to a fire on the second-floor of an apartment at 325 S.E. Lilly Ave. After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters rescued a dog from inside the apartment.

The two OSU students who live at the apartment were not at home at the time of the fire. No one was injured and the dog was appeared unharmed, officials with the Corvallis Fire Department said Saturday.

The fire and smoke likely destroyed the entire room and contents, officials said.

We arrived to find flames coming out of a second-story window, said Lt. Kevin Fulscher of the Corvallis Fire Department, adding that it took roughly 45 minutes to extinguish the fire. After we had initial knockdown, we received a report that there was potentially a dog inside. We had one of our crews do a search and they located the dog, which was alive, and got it out. Its a good save there for a pup.

Three engines, a ladder truck and an ambulance responded to the fire.

Jim Patton of the Corvallis Fire Department said Saturday the two OSU students have been displaced indefinitely and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
53rd Street roundabout

The story: Benton County completed a new roundabout in July at Southwest 53rd Street and West Hills Drive at a cost of about $542,000 for construction plus $270,000 for right-of-way acquisition. It was the first roundabout at a major intersection in the Corvallis area.

The latest: While the roundabout drew numerous complaints from skeptical area residents, it has drawn praise from the Oregon chapter of the American Public Works Association. The organization gave the 53rd Street roundabout its Public Works Project of the Year Award for projects of $5 million or less.

Bennett Hall

Climate action plan

The story: A city of Corvallis task force has been drafting a climate action plan. Producing such a document is one of the City Council goals for this two-year election cycle.

The latest: The task forces final draft is ready for review at http://www.corvallisoregon.gov/index.aspx?page=1842. A copy of the plan also is available at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Residents can comment until Nov. 14 by emailing climategoal@corvallisoregon.gov. The City Council will review the draft at its Dec. 6 work session, with the adoption of the plan scheduled for its regular meeting Dec. 12.

James Day

Drug takeback event

The story: The federal Drug Enforcement Administration conducts annual takeback events in which residents can get rid of old, unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication. The goals of the program are to prevent accidental poisonings and keep medications out of the watershed. The event is sponsored by the Corvallis Police Department, the citys Public Works Department, Oregon State Universitys College of Pharmacy, the Benton County Health Department and Republic Services.

The latest: City of Corvallis officials report that more than 500 pounds of medications from 338 households were turned in at the Oct. 22 event at the Republic Services facility on Northeast Walnut Boulevard. Officials said that total was more than double that which was collected last year. This is the final year that the DEA will host such events. The city of Corvallis hopes to work on future drug takeback programs with area pharmacies.

James Day

Municipal judge

The story: Chris Dunfield is the municipal judge for the city of Corvallis. The judge oversees the traffic and parking citations that occur in the city limits. More serious crimes are handled by Benton County Circuit Court. Dunfield reports to the City Council. The municipal judge is one of three positions evaluated by the council. The other two are the city manager and the city attorney.

The latest: Dunfield, who works 49 hours per month, was awarded a new two-year contract at the Oct. 17 council meeting. The new deal takes effect Jan. 1. Dunfield will receive a 2 percent cost of living increase in the first year of the contract. The raise mirrors the COLAs given to salaried city staff. Dunfield also will be eligible for whatever COLA is given to exempt employees in the second year of his contract. Dunfields base pay heading into the new contract is $78,600 per year.

James Day
Three months and five days.

That may not sound like a lot of time, but it can really add up.

In the case of retired Navy Cmdr. Christian Gross, it added up to a bill for $10,186.

Thats how much the 71-year-old Corvallis resident owed in excess pension payments due to a clerical error made decades earlier, according to the government.

In a letter dated Aug. 17, 2015, the Navy Personnel Command informed him he had 90 days to pay the debt in full. If he didnt meet that deadline, the letter said, the debt would be considered delinquent, interest and penalties would apply, he could be reported to a credit bureau and the debt could be sent to a collection agency.

Rather than pay up, Gross chose another option offered by the letter: He applied for a waiver.

Almost a year later, on Sept. 6, 2016, Gross was notified that the waiver had been granted and he would not have to pay back the $10,186.

In the meantime, however, the Navy had reduced his monthly retirement check to correct the clerical error, which involved the misapplication of an old law: the Reserve Officers Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964.

Its not a lot of money  the reduction in Gross retirement pay amounts to just $44 a month, or $528 a year. But he still feels slighted.

You think of the phrase Thank you for your service a little differently after something like that, he said.

Record of service

Gross military career began in September 1963, when he joined the Navy ROTC program at the University of New Mexico as a way to pay for college. The Navy covered his tuition and books and paid him a $50 monthly stipend while he took classes and participated in military training.

Part of his commitment as an NROTC midshipman was to take part in three six-week training cruises during summer breaks from school.

The next year he took his first training cruise, a six-week deployment on the destroyer U.S.S. Ingersoll that took him from San Diego to Seattle, with a stop in Portland along the way to take part in the Rose Festival.

For his 1965 summer training, the Navy flew him to Corpus Christi, Texas, for flight indoctrination, then to Coronado, California, for instruction in amphibious operations.

In 1966 he went back to sea, this time aboard a diesel submarine, the U.S.S. Sabalo, on a cruise from Pearl Harbor to San Diego by way of Acapulco.

Gross graduated from college in 1968 with a degree in biology and secondary education and was commissioned as an ensign, traveling from New Mexico to Pensacola, Florida, where he began intensive training as a naval flight officer, learning skills ranging from aerial navigation to anti-submarine warfare techniques.

He joined a squadron of P-3 Orions, four-engine turboprop aircraft equipped for anti-submarine and maritime surveillance operations. During a three-month period in 1970, he flew out of Cam Ranh Bay in South Vietnam as part of Operation Market Time, looking for boats running weapons to North Vietnamese forces.

From the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, he was stationed at Moffett Field near San Francisco Bay, where he flew and provided operational control for surveillance patrols. The mission was to keep an eye out for nuclear-armed Soviet submarines cruising offshore.

Those Soviet subs with the ballistic missiles on them, there were always one or two going up and down the coast, Gross said.

He seemed to have a knack for pinpointing the elusive vessels. He thinks his final training cruise as a middie, aboard the Sabalo, may have given him a feel for submarine operations.

I flew on 30 or 40 missions that found Soviet subs, Gross said.

His final posting was a six-year stint on the staff of the commander of U.S. naval forces in Japan.

Gross retired from the Navy with the rank of commander in April 1991, with 23 years, three months and five days of active service to his credit.

Or so he believed.

Difference of opinion

Gross creditable time served, as the Navy calls it, included all three of his training cruises as a midshipman, the standard that was in place when he signed up.

At that time, 1963, the cruises were considered active duty, Gross explained. The concept was that if you stayed in the service, somewhere down the line it would be applied to your retirement.

And as far as he knew, all three of his ROTC training cruises did count toward his retirement pay.

In fact, the Navy continued to count training cruises as creditable time served through the end of 2009. Thats when a review by the Navy Personnel Command Legal Office determined that the service had been misapplying the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964.

Subsection 2107, paragraph (g) of the act is straightforward: In computing length of service for any purpose, an officer appointed under this section may not be credited with service either as a cadet or midshipman or concurrent enlisted service.

Whats not clear is exactly how that section should apply to enlistees like Gross, who had already joined the ROTC program before the act was signed into law on Oct. 13, 1964.

The Navy contends that only his first training cruise, which took place before the law was enacted, should count toward his retirement. But Gross believes his length of service should be computed based on the rules that applied when he signed up.

Nobody told me any different, Gross said. Nobody offered me any options.

Oddly, the Navys own correspondence with Gross seemed to support his position.

The very first letter he received from the Navy Personnel Command stated that the law does not allow retirement credit for midshipman training cruises for officers who entered the NROTC program after the enactment of the 1964 Reserve Officers Training Corps Vitalization Act.

No fewer than four other letters to Gross from various Navy functionaries repeated that statement, yet he still was being told that he was not entitled to retirement pay for his ROTC training cruises.

Gross contacted his congressman, U.S. Rep Peter DeFazio, who wrote a letter to the Department of the Navy on his behalf.

Finally, last December, Gross got an explanation of sorts in a two-paragraph letter from H.P. Roux Jr., assistant commander for career progression with the Navy Personnel Command. The letter begins with a reference to the earlier assertion that retirement credit cannot be awarded for training cruises taken by midshipmen who entered the NROTC program after the law was changed in October 1964.

While that is a correct statement, the letter continues, the Act does not allow credit to be given for any midshipman cruises taken after the enactment of the Act.

That just doesnt sit right with Gross.

Its the principle, he said. Fifty-two years later, they modified my contract. I dont think you can modify a contract 52 years later.

Letter of the law

The Navy sees things differently.

Despite the lack of a specific provision spelling out how the law should apply to those who entered reserve officers training before the ROTC Vitalization Act took effect, the Navy sees no ambiguity.

The 1964 law did not make an exception for NROTC midshipmen who entered the NROTC program prior to 13 October 1964, but participated in cruises after 13 October 1964, Capt. Steve Lepp, director of the Career Transition Division of the Navy Personnel Command, wrote in response to questions emailed by the Gazette-Times.

Therefore, NROTC midshipmen who were enrolled in the program prior to 13 October 1964 could not receive credit for cruises taken after 13 October 1964.

Asked how the misapplication of the law could have gone undetected for so long, Lepp said the personnel computing retirement credit were simply unaware of the statutory change until the 2009 legal review that caught the mistake.

Once the mistake was recognized, he said, the government had no choice but to try to recover the debt  although he also pointed out that retirees who were overpaid were all offered the option of applying for a waiver and that the assistant secretary of the Navy formally recommended favorable consideration of those waiver requests.

As for the reduction in retirement pay, Lepp concluded, the Navy has no choice but to comply with the law and pay only the amounts authorized by law.

According to the Navy, approximately 1,600 retired service members received similar demands for repayment, including 165 who, like Gross, owed more than $10,000.

The case bears some resemblances to a much more heavily publicized situation playing out in California, where nearly 10,000 soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are being ordered to repay tens of thousands of dollars in enlistment bonuses they received from National Guard recruiters who may have abused the system to meet recruiting targets.

Its not clear how many of the Navy retirees were granted waivers of their debt, but DeFazio said these veterans deserve better treatment from their government.

Its enough of an embarrassment that the Department of Defense is only now recognizing a decades-long accounting error, but it is unacceptable that the Navy would burden veterans who served this nation honorably with the consequences of bureaucratic administrative mistakes at a point in their lives when they are on fixed incomes, DeFazio said.

Todays enlistees have no reason to trust that an agency still fixing its accounting mistakes from more than 50 years ago will accurately grant them their own retirement benefits in the future. The Navy needs to provide assurances that they are taking action to improve their systems and are properly calculating what our current service members and retirees are owed for their years of service to our nation.

DeFazio said he will write the secretary of the Navy to ask whats being done to ensure retirees are not being penalized for the Navys clerical mistakes.

The whole thing has Gross shaking his head. While hes relieved that his $10,000 debt has been waived, the reduction in retirement pay to correct the Navys accounting error still rankles.

Sometimes you just make a mistake and you have to eat it, he said.

Im not bitter, he added. Its sad, almost. It just seems like the government sometimes goes too far.
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BlackBerry to Launch DTEK 50 and DTEK 60 on Nov 7: Find Out Everything Here Features oi -Rohit BlackBerry is launching its latest Android smartphones DTEK 50 and DTEK 60 in India tomorrow

BlackBerry is all set to launch its latest Android phones- DTEK 50 and DTEK 60 in India on November 7, Monday. The Canadian tech giant is hosting an event in New Delhi on Monday where the company will unveil the Android smartphones.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft Surface Phone Lifestyle Images Hit the Web Revealing its Stunning Looks

BlackBerry DTEK 50 Claimed to be the world's most secure Android smartphone, DTEK 50 was first introduced by company in July 2016. BlackBerry DTEK50 flaunts a 5.2-inch FHD 1080p scratch-resistant display with an anti-smudge coating and employs an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor under its hood with 3 GB RAM and 16 GB storage that can be expanded up to 2 TB. The device comes with a 13 MP main snapper with dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture, and PDAF, and an 8 MP front-facer with 84-degree wide angle lens, f/2.2 aperture and LED flash. There are 4G LTE, and NFC connectivity features as well. A 2,610 mAh battery with fast charging powers the device. DTEK 50 is already available on Amazon.in While company is officially announcing the handset tomorrow, DTEK 50 is already selling on Aamzon.in at a price of Rs. 24,400. However, the actual price-point will be unveiled by BlackBerry tomorrow at the event. BlackBerry DTEK 60 Touted as the last smartphone to be manufactured by BlackBerry, the DTEK 60 features a 5.5-inch Quad-HD display. It is powered by Snapdragon 820 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM, 32GB inbuilt storage. The highlight of the handset is its 21MP rear PDAF camera with f/2.0 aperture. There is 8MP selfie snapper and the handset is backed by 3000mAh battery unit with Qualcomm quick-charge technology. The inbuilt memory can be expanded by up to 256GB and the smartphone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with support for Google Play. Highlight of DTEK smartphones- Timely Security Updates The highlight of the smartphones is that BlackBerry assures to deliver timely security patches for the new handsets, which is one of the main glitches that Android smartphones are grappling with. Are they really secure? Both the handsets come with DTEK Security App, which as per BlackBerry monitors the OS and the installed applications continuously. The app keeps alert users if their privacy is at risk. Moreover, the app also notifies users whenever photos or videos are taken or text messages are sent from your smartphone without your knowledge. This is not it; BlackBerry also claims to have included an improved boot-loader that assures a secure boot process and only a BlackBerry signed OS can be installed. Both the smartphones are claimed to protect user's data in case of loss or theft with the FIPS 140-2 Compliant Full Disk Encryption. Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

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Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Nov. 5, 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

Attackand remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Ayn Isa, three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and destroyed three vehicles and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

-- Near Mar'a, five strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, rotary and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Bayji, a strike destroyed an ISIL generator.

-- Near Mosul, nine strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units and four staging areas; destroyed five vehicles, three weapons caches, three mortar systems, a storage facility, a car bomb, an ISIL-held building, and damaged an ISIL supply route, a bridge, and a tunnel.

-- Near Tal Afar, five strikes engaged an ISIL vehicle depot, a headquarters building, a weapons production facility and destroyed a mortar system.

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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Xinhua Insight: China proposal boosts pragmatic cooperation among SCO members

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:08, November 05, 2016

BEIJING, Nov. 4 -- A six-pronged proposal laid out by Chinese Premier Li Keqiangat the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers' meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, will help the alignment of China's Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of other SCO member states.

Li called on all member states to work on joint security efforts, alignment of development strategies, production capacity and innovation cooperation, as well as regional financing and people-to-people exchanges.

COMMON DEVELOPMENT

Celebrating the 15th year of SCO cooperation, Li said that only through cooperation can SCO members achieve common development and long-term peace and stability in the region.

Security and stability are the basis of economic cooperation among SCO member states and, in this regard, Li suggested deepening information exchanges and cooperation in law-enforcement.

As a driving force in regional security and stability, the SCO has always made security cooperation a priority, said Chen Yurong, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.

Although the SCO has made some remarkable achievements in battling terrorism, extremism and separatism, these "three evils" still pose considerable threats to regional security and stability, Chen said.

As for the alignment of development strategies, the premier called for coordination and dovetailing of economic development policies of SCO members, through the growing synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The EEU groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The SCO, an inter-governmental organization founded in Shanghai in 2001, includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The combined GDPof the member states reached 12.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015.

CHINA'S CONTRIBUTION

The six-pronged proposal emphasizes pragmatic cooperation and common development. It also draws up a blueprint for SCO development.

In line with the "Shanghai Spirit" of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development, China has played a positive role in the development of the mechanism.

China is committed to building a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. The Belt and Road has engaged more than 100 countries and international organizations since it was proposed in 2013, and has already made great progress.

China invested a total of 51.1 billion U.S. dollars in Belt and Road countries from autumn 2013 to July 2016, accounting for 12 percent of its total outbound direct investment.

The SCO has agreed that regional economic cooperation, including the Silk Road Economic Belt, is conducive to new models of international cooperation and cementing ties between members, according to a joint communique issued after the meeting.

Only by removing trade barriers and boosting connections within the framework of SCO, can members achieve win-win cooperation and build a community of shared destiny.

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US vows to probe 33 civilian deaths after airstrike in Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 8:17PM

The commander of US forces in Afghanistan has promised an investigation into the recent death of more than 30 Afghan civilians, including women and children, in an airstrike.

General John Nicholson said Saturday that the airstrike on the village of Buz Kandahari, just outside the northern city of Kunduz on Thursday, would be probed.

Three Taliban leaders were supposed to be targeted in the raid, but the forces met "significant enemy fire from multiple locations" and called for help from a US aircraft, which left 33 civilians, including 17 children, dead.

"An initial investigation has determined that efforts near Kunduz on November 3 to defend Afghan National Defense and Security Forces likely resulted in civilian casualties," Nicholson said in a statement. "We will work with our Afghan partners to investigate and determine the facts and we will work with the government of Afghanistan to provide assistance."

The targets were high-ranking elements of the Takfiri group that were supposed to be hit in their houses, according to Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri.

"They weren't ordinary people who had gathered. They were leading fighting in Kunduz. They were the commanders of their military commission," Waziri said.

Taliban militants were removed from power following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, but they have stepped up their activities in recent months, attempting to overrun several provinces.

Afghan forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with Taliban to contain the ongoing insurgency across various parts of the violence-wrecked country.

The rising violence in Afghanistan comes despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops in the country.

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South Africa's Zuma censures judiciary amid corruption probe

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 5:8PM

South African President Jacob Zuma has censured an investigation into corruption allegations against him as a new example of the judiciary's growing interference in the democratic system.

"There's no longer any space for democratic debate. The only space there is for court arguments by lawyers. That's not democracy," Zuma said on Saturday.

The embattled president ensured his supporters in his home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal that the investigation into alleged influence peddling in his government and a potential prison sentence would not scare him at all as he had been imprisoned during the fight against South Africa's apartheid, which ended 22 years ago.

"I'm not scared of jail. I've been to jail during the struggle," said Zuma of the years when he fought alongside late Nelson Mandela to free South Africa from discrimination.

Zuma, the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), a party founded by Mandela that has been ruling South Africa since 1994, has faced an array of charges over the past years.

The charges range from Zuma's misuse of government resources for personal purposes to influencing elements in the administration to funnel money to close allies and friends.

South Africa's anti-graft watchdog, known as the Public Protector, said last week that it had ordered an investigation into claims of financial wrongdoings in Zuma's government.

The president and some cabinet members and state companies are accused of acting improperly in their dealings with wealthy Indian businessmen, namely the Gupta brothers.

The Public Protector released a 355-page probe showing that Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who are friends of Zuma and work with his son, had benefitted from "extraordinary and unprecedented" government intervention in a private business. Zuma denies allegations of providing special favors to the Indian friends.

The hype around Zuma's influence peddling grew after reports emerged last month showing that he was behind a court action against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a relatively popular and successful economist and politician in the eye of many people. Gordhan is facing corruption charges.

Mass protests have erupted across South Africa with many calling for Zuma's resignation in the face of growing political and economic woes. Zuma should also face a vote of confidence in parliament next week. He has survived two similar votes this year.

Senior elements inside the ANC have also called for the collective resignation of the party's senior figures to open the way for a new and young leadership and to save the party from the current turmoil.

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Police use tear gas to disperse banned protest in DR Congo

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 3:22PM

Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who participated in a banned opposition protest calling for President Joseph Kabila to step down before the year's end.

The police fired at least five tear gas shells on Saturday morning to disperse about 60 opposition supporters who had convened near the house of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi in the center of the capital Kinshasa.

A large number of police forces had already been deployed across the capital to break up the banned demonstration. Some of the officers were armed with water cannon.

The central African country has further plunged in political turmoil and repeated bouts of unrest since early October, when the electoral commission announced it had postponed the scheduled elections from December 2016 to April 2018, paving the way for the 45-year-old Kabila, whose second term in office expires late this year, to remain in power.

A court has also said Kabila can stay in power until the next election.

Kabila had earlier announced his decision to prolong his term. A few days after the commission's official decision, the president claimed that it had delayed the elections in an attempt to make sure the country was better prepared for the vote. His supporters also argue that logistical and financial constraints mean it is not possible to hold fair polls as scheduled.

The president, in office since 2001, is barred by constitutional term limits from standing for a third term but the opposition is accusing Kabila of manipulating the electoral system to stay in power.

Kabila first took office in 2001, after his father was assassinated.

In 2006, a new constitutional provision limited the presidency to a two-term limit that expires in December. He is, therefore, barred from standing for a third term.

Opposition parties have also called for restructuring the electoral commission and the Constitutional Court, saying they are partisan to Kabila.

In September, a wave of deadly clashes pitting the police against demonstrators rocked Kinshasa as the opposition demanded Kabila's resignation. Over 50 civilians were killed in the clashes and dozens more were injured. Since the deadly clashes, city officials have prohibited all unauthorized gatherings, with security forces vowing to enforce the ban.

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Daesh claims responsibility for killing of Egyptian general in Sinai

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 8:57AM

The Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh, which is mainly active in Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the killing of an Egyptian general in Egypt's restive North Sinai Province.

The group claimed that its gunmen had killed Hesham Mahmoud Abualazm, 47, in a drive-by shooting in the northeastern Egyptian province's capital of El Arish, reports said on Friday.

Two weeks ago, unidentified militants gunned down Brigadier General Adel Ragaei, who used to command an armored division deployed to Sinai.

Militants have slain hundreds of soldiers and police officers in the sparsely-populated Sinai Peninsula over the past several years.

Daesh has been active in the region through its so-called Velayat Sinai offshoot, which, back in July, killed a high-ranking Egyptian police officer, named as Colonel Hassan Ahmad Rashad.

Such attacks have increased since the 2013 ouster by the military of Egypt's first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

Egypt's military launched a high-scale security operation against the militants' positions in Sinai in September 2015, following coordinated terrorist attacks on several army checkpoints that claimed the lives of 21 soldiers in July that year.

Also on Friday, Ahmed Aboul Fotouh, an Egyptian judge who was involved in the trial of Morsi, survived an assassination attempt in the eastern Cairo neighborhood of Nasr City.

The Hasam Movement, a newly-emerged militant group, claimed responsibility for the bombing that targeted but failed to kill Fatouh.

The movement has so far also claimed a failed attempt to assassinate a senior Egyptian cleric.

In a separate development, Egyptian authorities said they had arrested members of the Hasam Movement and another group, Louwaa al-Thawra, with weapons and explosives.

The Interior Ministry said on Friday that five leaders and other members of the two groups had been detained.

Egyptian authorities also said both groups were linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, with which Morsi has been affiliated.

Since Morsi's ouster in a military coup in 2013, the Egyptian government now ruled by the military general who orchestrated the coup has been cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi's supporters.

The former Egyptian president has been sentenced to death by the new government.

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Second Egyptian General Killed In Sinai In Two Weeks

November 05, 2016

An Egyptian general was killed by militants near his home in North Sinai, the military said, the second soldier of his rank to be shot dead in as many weeks.

The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack on November 4, in which gunmen opened fire on Brigadier General Hesham Mahmoud Abualazm from a moving car in Arish city, North Sinai's provincial capital.

Abualazm, 47, died instantly. He was on a visit to Arish, where he owned a house, and does not serve in Sinai, security sources said.

Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in an Islamist insurgency led by IS in the rugged and thinly populated Sinai Peninsula. The IS affiliate in the Sinai has also claimed responsibility for the downing of a Russian jet carrying hundreds of Russian tourists there.

Militant attacks have increased since the military in 2013 overthrew President Muhammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, following mass protests against his rule.

A new group calling itself Louwaa al-Thawra, or the Revolution Brigade, claimed responsibility for an attack on October 22 in which another general was killed in the same way as Abualazm.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/islamic-state-second-general- killed-sinai/28098552.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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US Military: Counter-Taliban Action 'Very Likely' Caused Civilian Casualties

By Ayaz Gul November 05, 2016

The United States military says this week's deadly clashes with Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan "very likely" harmed civilians.

Thursday's pre-dawn joint counterinsurgency air strikes near the northern city of Kunduz killed at least 33 civilians, half of them children, provincial authorities said Saturday.

Two U.S. soldiers and several Afghan commando forces were killed before airstrikes were called, but the U.S. military until now had not spoken about possible collateral damage.

"An initial investigation has determined that efforts near Kunduz on November 3 to defend Afghan National Defense and Security Forces likely resulted in civilian casualties," U.S. military spokesman Brigadier General Charles Cleveland said at a news conference in Kabul.

He backed Afghan officials' assertions that U.S. forces had advised their local partners to undertake the operation in the Boz village to deter Taliban insurgents who were planning additional attacks in Kunduz city. Cleveland said the operation had eliminated several top Taliban commanders.

He promised the U.S. military, with the help of Afghan officials, would work to further investigate and determine the facts related to this event.

The spokesman defended the action, saying "every aspect" of this was clearly aimed at protecting the people of Kunduz.

"But every indication that we have right now is that the Taliban were firing on these friendly forces and every part of this was to defend those friendly forces," he said. "And what we know is that we have had Afghans who have been martyred, we have had Afghan soldiers who were wounded, and we have had American soldiers who were killed and American soldiers who were wounded."

General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, deeply regrets the loss of innocent lives, regardless of the circumstances, Cleveland said.

The civilian casualties have outraged residents in Kunduz, and they have staged street protests against it. Senior Afghan politicians, including ex-President Hamid Karzai, also criticized the U.S. military for causing the collateral damage.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri, while addressing the same news conference, said the joint raid targeted senior Taliban leaders while they were conducting a war meeting.

Both Waziri and Cleveland condemned the Islamist insurgents for using their families as human shields during such activities.

"They conduct meetings in their own houses so if there are civilian casualties they can use it to say the government killed civilians," Waziri said, adding there were women and children of Taliban families among the dead.

But he would not discuss exact figures, nor did he confirm the 33 civilian deaths, saying investigations into the incident were continuing.

The Taliban has confirmed that three of its fighters were killed, but it has not immediately responded to allegations of using members' families as human shields.

The insurgents briefly captured Kunduz about one year ago.

The U.S. military, while conducting airstrikes in support of Afghan forces to evict the Taliban from the city at the time, mistakenly struck a hospital run by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym of MSF. The facility was destroyed, and more than 40 people were killed. Mainly, MSF doctors, staff, patients and their attendants were among the victims.

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Suicide Car Bomb Kills at Least Three in Somalia

By Mohamed Olad November 05, 2016

A car bomb attack near the parliament building in Somalia's capital Mogadishu killed at least three people and wounded six others on Saturday, a security official and witnesses said.

"A car bomb rammed into a security checkpoint close to the parliament house. There are casualties both death and injuries, but I cannot give you a specific number now as an emergency operation to assist the wounded and secure the area is underway," Abdifitah Omar Halane, a spokesman for the Mogadishu regional administration told VOA.

But Aden Mohamed Hassan, a police officer who was among the first responders, said he saw the dead bodies of two soldiers, a suspected suicide bomber and at least six wounded government soldiers.

"The suicide bomber was apparently targeting a security convoy which returned from a routine city night patrol," Hassan said.

The attack comes as the first members of the Somalia's upcoming national parliament were elected in Garowe, the provincial capital of Puntland.

No group has immediately claimed the responsibility of the attack, but it has the hallmarks of al-Shabab, al-Qaida affiliated group.

Al-Shabab was pushed out of Mogadishu by African Union peacekeeping forces in 2011 but has remained a potent antagonist in Somalia, launching frequent suicide attacks on hotels, restaurants, government buildings and African union troops.

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ISIL Terrorist Locations Hit in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Nov. 6, 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 15 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Ar Raqqah, a strike engaged oil processing equipment.

-- Near Ayn Isa, seven strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units, destroying a vehicle and four fighting positions.

-- Near Mar'a, seven strikes engaged seven ISIL tactical units, destroying three vehicles, an artillery system, and a fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, rotary and remotely piloted aircraft, as well as rocket artillery, conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Bayji, a strike destroyed two rocket systems and a front-end loader, and engaged two fighting positions.

-- Near Haditha, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles.

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike engaged two ISIL tactical units, two staging areas and destroyed a weapons cache and an observation post.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged four ISIL tactical units, a mortar system and a fighting position; destroyed four vehicles, three mortar systems, a car bomb, a command and control node, an artillery system, and a weapons cache; and damaged three tunnel systems and a vehicle.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIL-held building.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIL car bomb facility.

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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Mali attack kills UN peacekeeper, civilians

Iran Press TV

Sun Nov 6, 2016 6:24PM

A suspected militant attack in central Mali has killed one soldier from the United Nations peacekeeping mission and two other civilians.

The three were killed Sunday when traveling through the Mopti region in central Mali as part of a military convoy.

The soldier was from Togo, military sources said, adding that a number of UN peacekeepers were also injured in the attack.

"We have lost, among our injured, a Togolese peacekeeper. There are also some injured," a source said, without elaborating on the number of peacekeepers wounded. He said the injured soldiers and personnel were swiftly transferred to a hospital to receive treatment.

A local official said the incident seriously injured two other civilians who were following the military convoy.

"The attack took place not far from the town of Douentza. The civilians were following the UN mission's convoy," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. He said the pair's future was "uncertain."

The UN peacekeeping force in Mali, known as MINUSMA, has more than 11,000 military and police personnel from various nations. It has been established to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation. The force has been the UN's deadliest active deployment, with more than 30 peacekeepers killed this year alone.

MINUSMA was deployed in 2013, months after France's military intervention began in January that year to drive militants out of the country. However, domestic or foreign troops have yet to fully exert their control over large tracts of Mali.

On Sunday, Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan was in Bamako for talks on the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Mali and other parts of Africa. The deployment could come after January when Dutch peacekeepers end their mission.

Also on Sunday, armed men stole weapons and vehicles from an army base in the restive northern region of Mali after ransacking the base.

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Boko Haram militants kill two Nigerian soldiers

Iran Press TV

Sun Nov 6, 2016 6:16PM

Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists have killed at least two Nigerian soldiers and razed a village in the troubled northeastern part of the African country.

Local residents said on Sunday that a group of Boko Haram gunmen arrived in Akwada village late Saturday and torched homes after looting food supplies.

"Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village around 7:30 p.m. They fired indiscriminately and hurled explosives," AFP quoted resident Bitrus John as saying.

"They killed two soldiers and injured another one in gunfight," John said.

Bulus Samson, another witness, said, "The village has been entirely burnt, there is nothing left apart from burnt rubble of our mud houses."

Akwada adjoins the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, where the terrorist group kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls two years ago.

Nigerian soldiers had deployed in the area following incessant attacks there in recent months.

The latest attack underscores the continued threat of Boko Haram in Nigeria's volatile northeast. It came two weeks after similar raids on two nearby villages, where the militants looted and burnt homes.

In a separate development, the Nigerian army said on Sunday it had retaken some villages from the militant group in the Lake Chad region in operations on Friday and Saturday and "rescued" 85 people.

Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that 37 Boko Haram terrorists were killed in another operation in four villages in the south of Borno state.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and some 2.6 million people have been displaced since Boko Haram began its terror activities in 2009. Many blame corrupt officials in the Nigerian government and army for the continued militancy. Recent reports say the terrorist group is receiving some of its arms and ammunition from corrupt Nigerian officials.

The group has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists operating mainly in Syria and Iraq.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (8th L) and the heads of government of 16 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) pose for a group photo during the Fifth Meeting of Heads of Government of CEEC and China in Riga, Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday put forth five proposals for expanding pragmatic cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), in light of the slower-than-expected world economic recovery and lackluster global trade.

In a keynote speech delivered to the Sixth China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum here, Li proposed measures including promoting trade and connectivity, stepping up production capacity and tourism cooperation, and exploring innovative ways of financial cooperation.

The Chinese premier arrived in Latvia Friday morning, continuing an eight-day Eurasia tour that has already taken him to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and will conclude in Russia.

He also attended a meeting here between the heads of government of China and 16 CEE countries, also known as the "16+1" summit.

To expand two-way trade, an investment-friendly environment should be created, while customs and quarantine coordination mechanisms should be established and improved, Li said.

The premier also called for development of cross-border e-commerce, promising China will import from CEE countries quality agricultural and industrial products while urging easier access of Chinese products and businesses to the CEE market.

For greater connectivity, China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to participate in infrastructure construction in CEE countries through various forms, Li said, adding that China supports the early completion of the Hungary-Serbia railway and the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line, and backs the construction of Asia-Europe transportation channels, increasing the number of trains running between China and Europe, and setting up more logistic centers in CEE countries.

To promote production capacity cooperation, Li pledged China's willingness to build industrial and technological parks together with CEE nations.

On financial cooperation, he noted that a 16+1 financial holding company will be established, which mainly supports the purchase of Chinese equipment and products in connectivity and production capacity cooperation projects under the 16+1 framework.

Li also proposed that all sides should promote tourism cooperation by easing visa policies, simplifying border entry procedures and launching more direct flights.

The Chinese premier hopes that the number of tourists between China and CEE countries will double in five years.
Montenegro Says Russian 'Nationalists' Were Behind Plot To Kill Djukanovic

RFE/RL November 06, 2016

Authorities in Montenegro say an investigation shows that Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt that included a plot to assassinate the country's pro-Western leader because of his plans to have the Balkan nation join NATO.

Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said on November 6 that investigators have concluded that "nationalists from Russia" organized a criminal group that planned to break into parliament and kill Montenegrin Prime Minster Milo Djukanovic on October 16 -- the day of the former Yugoslav republic's parliamentary elections.

Katnic said investigators had not discovered evidence of direct involvement by the Russian state in the planned coup and attempted assassination aimed at bringing a pro-Russian coalition into power.

Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including a former commander of Serbia's special police forces, were arrested in Montenegro during the October 16 elections and are accused of trying to stage the coup and kill the prime minister.

Authorities in Belgrade reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Djukanovic's movements from within the territory of neighboring Serbia.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement.

NATO in December 2015 formally invited Montenegro to join the alliance.

Djukanovic's government signed an accession protocol with NATO in May 2016.

Djukanovic announced on October 26 that he was resigning as prime minister, but his office said in a statement that his decision was "carefully planned" and had "nothing to do with the alleged coup."

That statement also accused Moscow of supporting parties opposed to Djukanovic's goal of bringing Montenegro into the European Union and NATO.

His decision to step down has been seen by many as part of a transition within Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists aimed at improving the country's changes of EU membership.

Djukanovic will remain in the post of chairman of his party.

Deputy Prime MInister Dusko Markovic has been nominated to replace Djukanovic. Markovic previously had been the chief of Montenegro's state security

The Democratic Party of Socialists came in first in the October 16 election but will need to form a coalition to stay in government.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/montenegro-russian-nationalists- plot-assassination-djukanovic/28100046.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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US ready to hack Kremlin, Russian infrastructure: Report

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 12:20AM

US military hackers have penetrated Russia's political heart and its critical infrastructure and are ready to cause damage in case Moscow attempts to disrupt the upcoming presidential election in America, a report says.

The Pentagon has been able to break into Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable for the final attack, the NBC News reported Friday, citing senior intelligence officials and documents with top secret classification.

According to one official, the US hackers have placed specially designed malware on Russian networks to take them down when needed.

Moscow and Washington have long been at odds over claims by American intelligence officials about what they refer to as an attempt by the Kremlin to disrupt the November 8 presidential vote.

The allegations against Russia first came a few months ago, when the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks released thousands of emails belonging to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

The hacked emails were provided to WikiLeaks via a hacker who goes by the name "Guccifer 2.0" and is deemed Russian by American intelligence agencies.

The hackings prompted warnings from the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton against what the former first lady and her aides called foreign interference in favor of Clinton's Republican rival Donald Trump.

On Friday, Guccifer 2.0 posted a tweet, warning the White House that they would monitor the US election cycle "from inside the system."

While the Clinton campaign constantly accuses Moscow of trying to get Trump elected, the New York businessman keeps claiming that the whole election is "rigged" against him and in Clinton's favor.

The Kremlin has constantly denied the American accusations, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that Russia "on a state level has never done this."

"Don't we know that official bodies of the United States are spying and eavesdropping on everyone?" Putin told reporters in late October.

It has been reported that the FBI spent most of the summer verifying claims by the Clinton campaign that Trump was linked to Putin, and Moscow was trying to influence the November 8 vote in his favor.

However, the bureau failed to find any indications of the alleged ties after scrutinizing advisers close to Trump and investigating the real estate mogul's financial ties and even his emails, the New York Times reported this week.

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US Military Hackers Claim Penetration of Russian Infrastructure

Sputnik News

03:12 05.11.2016

US military hackers have penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications networks and Kremlin's command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons, according to a series of reports by a major US television network.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  NBC News disclosed the penetration in a series of reports, explaining that US efforts parallel claims, also by US officials, that Russia, China and other nations have placed hidden malware on parts of US critical infrastructure.

The penetration by all sides appears to be in preparation for an all-out war in cyberspace, according to NBC News, which said it was briefed by a US intelligence official and given an opportunity to review highly classified documents.

At the same time, the network downplayed the prospect of a cyber war, making it appear as if the leak was intended as a warning to US adversaries.

NBC News then attempted to link its explosive report to Tuesday's US presidential election, citing concerns of mischief by Russian hackers that would fall far short of the Armageddon-like scenario that the report implied.

Instead, the network explained US election-related concerns as "cyber mischief," which could involve releasing fake documents or creating bogus social media accounts to spread misinformation.

The Obama administration has created a public, but unconfirmed narrative, that hackers controlled by the Russian government have stolen emails from the Democratic Party headquarters, a private computer used by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while serving as secretary of State and computers used by Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta.

According to the narrative, Russia stole the emails and gave the messages to WikiLeaks, which has flooded the internet with the material on a daily basis leading up to Tuesday's election.

Russia has denied any responsibility for the Clinton-related hacks and links between WikiLeaks and Russian intelligence have never been substantiated.

Moreover, recent media reports in the United States indicate that Clinton's private server she used for official business during her tenure as secretary of state had been penetrated by at least five foreign intelligence services.

The emails have proved especially embarrassing for the Clinton campaign by disclosing decisions in the Clinton State Department that favored large donors to the Clinton Foundation in what appear to be "pay-for-play" schemes of selling access and influence.

Moreover, the activity appears to coincide with lucrative speaking engagements for former President Bill Clinton.

Earlier this week, Fox News cited two unnamed sources claiming that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is close to recommending that Hillary Clinton be indicted for corruption while she served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

The FBI has never publicly confirmed an investigation of Clinton Foundation fundraising links to the State Department.

Instead, the FBI has limited its comments to a separate probe of whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using a private server.

FBI Director James Comey closed the latter investigation without an indictment of Clinton, only to reopen it last Friday, claiming agents had discovered new emails on a computer used by the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Former federal prosecutor and New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani has said publicly that FBI agents are in open rebellion against the US Department of Justice for attempting to quash both Clinton criminal investigations.

 Sputnik

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Basque Separatist ETA Leader Arrested in France

By VOA News November 05, 2016

The leader of the once-feared Basque separatist group ETA was arrested Saturday in southwestern France during a joint operation by French and Spanish security forces, Spanish officials said.

Mikel Irastorza, 41, was detained in a French village in the Pyrenees, near the Spanish border. Spain's Interior Ministry said he was the "most senior leader of the terrorist group ETA still at large." Irastorza reputedly had been leading the separatist organization for just over a year, since the arrests in France of two of his predecessors.

The couple living at the home where Irastorza was arrested also were detained, and authorities said they expected other arrests to follow.

A police raid last month uncovered a cache of more than 100 handguns hidden in a forest north of Paris, supposedly by ETA, but there was no information on whether that operation was linked to the successful hunt for Irastorza, who has been a fugitive since 2008.

ETA has been blamed for the deaths of more than 800 people since the late 1960s in its push to carve an independent homeland out of territory in northern Spain and southwestern France.

The group has been weakened by attrition and a string of high-profile arrests in the late 1990s and 2000s. ETA, an acronym for the phrase "Basque Homeland and Liberty," has not been linked to any deaths in Spanish territory since 2009; its last known victim was a French police officer killed in Paris in 2010.

The separatists declared a unilateral cease-fire in 2011 but refused to surrender or lay down their weapons. ETA has since sought to negotiate an amnesty with France and Spain, but in its current weakened state it is not seen to possess any significant bargaining power.

Spain has so far resisted any settlement that would allow members of the outlawed group or their supporters make an easy transition to legal political activity in the Basque region.

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HK opposition has no respect for Basic Law

People's Daily Online

(Global Times) 09:48, November 05, 2016

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government told the media on Friday they have been informed by the central government that an interpretation to Hong Kong's Basic Law Article 104 has been included in the schedule of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. It's said that the NPC itself brought up the subject of interpretation.

Following the news, the two Hong Kong legislators-elect who defied norms and openly touted "Hong Kong-independence" during their swearing-in and a few extreme opposition forces expressed their opposition, and some Western media joined their attack on the NPC decision. They claimed the NPC's interpretation means the central government is taking direct control of Hong Kong and damaging its autonomy. Their response is anything but surprising.

It's widely known that the Article 158 of the Basic Law states that the NPC holds the right to interpret the law. Now that the Hong Kong society is split over how to interpret Article 104, which specifies Legislative Council members' swearing-in obligations, it is the responsibility of the NPC Standing Committee to interpret the article in order to maintain the stability of Hong Kong. It will help Hong Kong better understand the Basic Law and end the dispute. Hong Kong localists and radical opposition parties only represent one side of opinion; while the voices condemning the legislators-elect's actions are also very loud in Hong Kong.

The Basic Law is more than 20 years old, and it could not foresee what we face today. Laws must keep up with the times.

The behavior of tampering the oath and unfolding "Hong Kong-independence" banners clearly violate the Basic Law.

However, Article 104 has no specific reference on how to define such behavior and what punishment should it carry. There were a number of similar issues in the past when some people willfully violated the law and imperiled national security but claimed to have acted within the law, resulting in a great deal of dispute and confusion.

The legitimacy of Hong Kong's legal system originates from the authorization of the NPC, and it must operate under the principle of "One country, two systems." The stand of Hong Kong opposition forces shows that they don't intend to abide by the law at all or they only have partial understanding of the law.

The opposition forces' resistance against the central authorities is politically motivated and has nothing to do with the law itself.

It is time for the central authorities to uphold the bottom line of the Basic Law, re-establish the supremacy of law and resolutely respond to extreme political forces.

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Advisers Point to Key Differences Between Clinton, Trump on China Policies

By Michael Lipin November 05, 2016

How do the two leading U.S. presidential candidates differ in their policies toward China? In the latest VOA China 360 podcast, senior advisers to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump provided exclusive insight into three key differences between the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Expertise

In an interview with VOA last month, Clinton foreign policy adviser Laura Rosenberger drew a sharp contrast between the foreign policy expertise of real estate tycoon Trump and her boss, a former U.S. secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady.

"Hillary believes the U.S.-China relationship is maybe the most complex and consequential in the world today and would approach it by expanding cooperation wherever we can, and standing up when China is working against our interests," Rosenberger said, while describing Trump as "somebody who has a very simplistic view of the relationship with China  one that, as a matter of concern, is potentially informed by his own business interests."

Rosenberger cited U.S. media reports alleging that Trump owes significant debts to a Chinese bank and quoting him as raising the possibility of cutting economic ties with China if it prevented Chinese people from visiting the U.S. and staying at Trump hotels.

"Trump would be motivated by the fact that he believes China is harming his businesses. The idea that America could just cut off ties with China is ludicrous. We have so much that we need to work with China on, that we simply cannot wall ourselves off from the rest of the world," she said.

Trump senior defense adviser Alexander Gray pushed back against those criticisms in a separate VOA interview last month.

"Trump has laid out a vision for rebuilding our military and strengthening our alliances, including in the Asia-Pacific, with a ballistic missile defense system. This vision is anything but simplistic  it will provide the stability we need in that critical region," Gray said, adding that Trump's experience as a negotiator "who gets optimal outcomes for himself, his businesses and other parties" is the kind of experience needed to deal with some of Asia's "thorny issues."

Gray said Trump would provide more reassurance to America's Asian allies than Clinton did when she served as President Barack Obama's first secretary of state.

He said Clinton initiated a rebalance to Asia, telling U.S. allies that "we are going to be back in force in the region," while in reality the U.S. "cut back on our Air Force and Navy shipbuilding, sent some ships to Singapore and Marines to Darwin, Australia, and that is about it."

Gray said U.S. allies "can see that the trends are not good," citing North Korea's four nuclear tests during the Obama presidency, China's recent reclamation of 3,200 acres of land to create artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, and its declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea in 2013.

"Instead of talking about an indefensible record, [Clinton's team] wants to talk about innuendo regarding Donald Trump," he added.

South China Sea

Rosenberger said Clinton's policy on South China Sea sovereignty disputes involving China and its neighbors would be to uphold her 2010 declaration, made while she was secretary of state, that the U.S. "opposes the use or threat of force by any claimant" and has a national interest in a "collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various territorial disputes without coercion."

"The U.S. will not take a side on the territorial disputes, but it is important that we not militarize the South China Sea, where we see so much commerce going through, where freedom of navigation is so critical to American businesses," Rosenberger said. "So for Hillary, this is about making sure that China is playing by the rules, while cooperating where we can  for instance, on climate change, where we have seen a lot of U.S.-China cooperation in recent years."

Gray said that kind of dual-track strategy toward China misses a key element.

"Trump is saying: We are going to make sure that the U.S. military has the most comprehensive buildup since Ronald Reagan was president, and we are going to invest in a missile defense system that our allies South Korea and Japan and our Southeast Asian allies want," he said. "Once we have done that, we can say to China: You stepped out of line, your actions are not in keeping with peaceful, liberal order in the region. And we will have the teeth to show that the U.S. is credible."

Gray said the Obama administration's occasional freedom-of-navigation exercises in the South China Sea lack such credibility.

"What China is doing in the South China Sea violates international law, as we have seen in the July ruling by the international tribunal in The Hague. What Trump is going to say is: We are going to restore our naval power, and when we assert our freedom-of-navigation rights like every power in the world, we will do it appropriately. There will be no ambiguity about it."

North Korea

Another focus of both candidates' advisers is China's relationship with its longtime ally and impoverished neighbor North Korea, a state that has drawn international condemnation for conducting a series of nuclear and missile tests this year.

Rosenberger said those North Korean tests are of deep concern to Clinton.

"She believes that we simply cannot and will not allow North Korea to obtain a deliverable nuclear weapon, which would be a direct threat to the U.S.," Rosenberger said. "She also believes that we need to work with our allies to increase the pressure on North Korea, so that it understands that its only choice is to give up its nuclear program. So far, they have been sanctioned, but not to a degree that has inflicted pain."

She said Clinton also would work with China to impose significant additional pressure on North Korea.

"That means doing some things that China may not like  taking a look at our defense posture and making sure we are doing everything we need to do to protect the U.S. and our allies from the threat North Korea poses. It is incumbent on China to make sure that the threat from North Korea is removed, so that China does not face that same kind of pressure from the U.S.," Rosenberger said.

Gray said Trump would seek to negotiate with China rather than pressure it to restrain North Korea.

"Trump is willing to negotiate from a position of strength with China to see if we can come to an agreement. He wants to say it is not in China's interests to have this reckless, rogue nuclear regime on its border, especially when it is showing signs of strain," Gray said, pointing to the August defection of North Korea's deputy ambassador to London and South Koran media reports of senior North Korean military and government officials being executed this year.

"Trump is willing to look at the [U.S.-China] relationship holistically and see if Beijing can play a constructive role with Pyongyang," he added.

VOA Ukrainian service journalist Tatiana Vorozhko contributed to this report.

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US blocks North Korea access to its financial system

Iran Press TV

Fri Nov 4, 2016 8:47PM

The US Treasury Department has issued new rules, banning American financial institutions from opening or maintaining accounts created on behalf of North Korean banks.

The move on Friday, which extended sanctions already imposed on the isolated Asian country over its nuclear and missile programs, closed off Pyongyang's access to the US financial system.

The American financial institutions must "apply additional due diligence measures to prevent North Korean financial institutions from gaining improper indirect access to US correspondent accounts," according to a statement by the Treasury Department.

"North Korea continues to use front companies and agents to conduct illicit financial transactions  some of which support the proliferation of WMD and the development of ballistic missiles  and evade international sanctions," said Adam J. Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

"Such funds have no place in any reputable financial system," he said.

The decision comes after the Treasury in June declared North Korea a "primary money laundering concern."

The US is pushing for tougher United Nations sanctions against North Korea after it conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test on September 9.

The test prompted the UN Security Council to announce that it would begin to prepare a fresh round of sanctions against Pyongyang.

In January, North Korea said it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, its fourth nuclear test, to counter what it describes as joint US and South Korean "provocations" in the region.

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.

The country has also been testing different types of missiles at an unprecedented rate so far this year.

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DPRK Government Will Make Every Effort to Ensure Rights of People and Improve Their Living

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, November 5 (KCNA) -- There was a discussion on agenda item "Human Rights Protection and Promotion" from Oct. 28 to 31 at the meeting of the Third Committee (society, human rights and humanitarianism) of the 71st General Assembly of the United Nations.

The DPRK delegate said that thanks to Marshal Kim Jong Un's policy of loving the future generations and the people, all the people fully exercise their rights and enjoy genuine human rights under the Korean-style socialist system centered on the popular masses.

He said the DPRK government regards it as the most important state affair to take responsibility and care of the people's living and eradicate their sufferings and misfortunes.

The state is taking measures to mobilize all manpower, material and technical potentiality to bring as early as possible to normal the living of the people in the northern part who suffered serious damage owing to the unprecedented strong wind and heavy rain at the end of August and early in September and provide them with stable living conditions, he said, and went on:

The DPRK government will as ever make every effort to steadily develop the state system of guaranteeing human rights, ensure people's rights and improve their living.

Denouncing the reactionary nature of the "human rights" racket frantically kicked up by the hostile forces to bring down the idea and social system of the DPRK, he demanded the UN take up tortures of the CIA, all human rights abuses in the U.S., Japan's cunning moves to escape apology and reparation for the hideous unethical crimes, the south Korean puppet forces' group abduction of citizens of the DPRK, etc. as agenda items, and immediately take measures for them.

With regard to the fact the U.S. and Japan made provocations pulling up the DPRK over its non-existent "human rights issue", he urged the U.S. to mend the miserable human rights abuses in the U.S., the worst tundra of human rights in the world, before finding fault with others. He strongly demanded once again Japan immediately make an apology and reparation for the unethical crimes, not blindly following the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK. -0-

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German Military Uncovers 'Islamists' Within Its Ranks

Sputnik News

21:52 05.11.2016(updated 23:14 05.11.2016)

Germany's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) has discovered at least 20 "Islamists" among the country's armed forces and has put another 60 under surveillance for suspected Islamist leanings, German media reported November 5.

At least 29 German veterans have also gone to Syria or Iraq, Die Welt reported in August, citing military sources, and some have joined Daesh there. Between 2007 and April 2016, the country identified 22 active Islamists within its armed forces and dismissed 17 of them. (Five had reached the end of their term of service.)

Under German military law, background checks are only allowed after a person has been employed. But Daesh and other organizations are actively encouraging their followers to join state military forces to get training, according to the Berliner Morgenpost. Recruitment offices around Germany have flagged "individual inquiries from applicants who are strikingly interested in service in the Bundeswehr, expressed a commitment request of only a few months and were expressly interested in intensive weapon and equipment training," a MAD official reported.

Soldiers in basic training get medical training and are taught shooting, marksmanship, orienteering and basic urban combat.

The German military decided in August to amend legislation to allow preliminary background checks to be done starting in July 2017. A spokesman for the country's Defense Ministry at the time said the government intended "to respond adequately to the changed security situation and prevent the use of the Bundeswehr as a training facility for potential terrorists, extremists and traffickers." Now it appears the checks may take effect as early as January, according to some reports.

In August, it was reported that more than 300 German soldiers were being investigated for some form of suspected extremism: 268 suspected right-wing extremists, 64 suspected Islamists and six suspected left-wing extremists.

 Sputnik

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Mosul residents storm Daesh-run jail, free dozens of inmates

Iran Press TV

Fri Nov 4, 2016 11:12PM

Residents of the Daesh-held Iraqi city of Mosul have managed to storm the city's main prison and free dozens of inmates amid a major military operation by the Iraqi forces who are tightening the noose around the terror group holed up in the northern city.

Iraq's Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network quoted an unnamed security source as saying that the Mosul residents on Friday evening broke into the city's main prison, located in the eastern part of Mosul, and freed at least 45 prisoners after killing all of the Daesh militants manning the jail.

The development comes as Iraqi army troops, backed by the country's Hashd al-Shaabi forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, are closing in on Daesh's last stronghold in Iraq from almost all directions in a full-scale operation launched on October 17 to liberate the city.

The Iraqi troops managed to enter Mosul's limits earlier this week for the first time since June 2014, when Daesh began its terror campaign in northern and western Iraq. So far, a large number of the city's villages and districts have been purged of terrorists. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that the country's second largest city will be fully recaptured by year-end.

'Daesh killing hundreds, recruiting children'

Meanwhile, UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani has announced that the terrorists have executed hundreds of people, including 180 former Iraqi government employees who were killed on Wednesday as the Takfiri group was withdrawing from Gogjali town.

Citing "credible reports", she added that the terrorists also executed 50 deserters at the Ghazlani military base in Mosul on Monday.

Shamdasani, who was speaking on Friday at a regular UN briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, went on to say that Daesh had moved 1,600 people, likely to use them as human shields against airstrikes, from the town of Hammam al-Alil to Tal Afar near Mosul on Tuesday, and told them they might be taken to Syria.

She also warned that Daesh was trying to recruit children, particularly boys above the age of nine, in Hammam al-Alil as the group was increasingly losing its adult terrorists in clashes with the Iraqi troops.

"They've been knocking on people's doors and asking for their boys," Shamdasani further said, adding that defiant families were threatened with harsh punishment.

The UN official also said that Daesh was currently holding about 400 Kurdish, Izadi and Shia women in Tal Afar, and had possibly killed up to 200 people in Mosul.

On Friday, the Iraqi special forces launched an assault to advance deeper into the city's urban center, and engaged in fierce fighting with Daesh terrorists, estimated to number between 3,000 and 5,000 in the sprawling city.

Iraqis fleeing Daesh reunite with families

In another related development, Iraqi civilians fleeing Daesh in Mosul reunited with their families for the first time in more than two years at the al-Khazar camp, to the east of the city, on Friday.

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Premier Li Keqiang shakes hands with guests at the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum in Riga, Latvia on Saturday.Provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday put forward four principles guiding the "16+1" cooperation mechanism with central and eastern European (CEE) countries.

During his keynote speech at the Sixth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum in the Latvian capital of Riga, Li said that over the past five years, the "16+1" cooperation has become more mature and productive, making new progress and achievements every year.

The principles that contributed to its success should be reaffirmed and upheld, he noted.

First, he said, based on the principle of equal consultation, mutual respect and mutual assistance, China and CEE countries should extend understanding and support to each other and refrain from imposing one's own will on the other side.

Second, Li called on China and CEE countries to seek mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, saying they should bring into full play their respective advantages, complement and learn from each other.

The Chinese premier pointed out openness and inclusiveness as the third principle for the "16+1" cooperation mechanism.

The "16+1" cooperation is a component and useful supplement to cooperation between China and the European Union, he said, adding that it does not exclude any third party.

Fourth, China and CEE countries should stick to the principle of interconnected development, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

The "16+1" cooperation requires the participation of each country, and as a group, China and CEE countries should seek to create synergies among their development strategies and pursue innovation-driven development, Li said.

Li is currently in the Baltic country for an official visit and a leaders' meeting within what is known as the "16+1" framework, which groups China and 16 CEE nations.

Li's trip marks the first time for a Chinese premier to visit Latvia since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Baltic country is the third leg of his ongoing eight-day Eurasia tour, which has already taken him to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and will conclude in Russia.
UK spies believe Daesh chief escaped Mosul: Boris Johnson

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 3:50PM

UK intelligence sources believe that Daesh chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has managed to escape the besieged Iraqi town of Mosul, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says.

"It is a cruel irony that some of the intelligence we have, you may know, suggests that the gentleman in question has actually vacated the scene himself and is nonetheless using internet media to encourage people to take part in violence," Johnson said in an address to Parliament on Friday.

He said Baghdadi may have fled Mosul using a series of underground tunnels that were uncovered by Iraqi forces, according to spy sources.

This is while, reports say the Daesh chief is now trapped in the city as a full-scale operation has been underway since last month to drive out Daesh terrorists from their last stronghold in Iraq.

The Iraqi army as well as various military groups in the country, including Shia, Sunni and Kurdish forces, managed to enter Mosul's limits earlier this week for the first time since June 2014, when the city fell to Daesh. The forces are now closing in on the city from almost all directions.

On Thursday, the terrorist group released an audio message purportedly from their leader, al-Baghdadi, in which a man speaks confidently in Arabic about victory in Mosul and urges followers to continue fighting.

"Do not retreat," 'said the audio recording. "Holding your ground with honor is a thousand times easier than retreating in shame."

Before taking control of the terrorist group, Baghdadi was once detained by US forces in the Iraqi town of Fallujah in the Anbar province on February 4, 2004, according to a Pentagon statement.

He was held until the following December at a prison at Camp Bucca, but a review board later recommended his "unconditional release," according to the Pentagon.

He was first seen in public back in July 2014, when he was delivering a sermon at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul.

The British foreign secretary further warned that Daesh will be "vindictive" as their defeat becomes inevitable.

"This is the toughest task that Iraq's security forces have yet encountered, and success will take time," Johnson said.

"The terrorists have threatened to inflict a scorched earth campaign once the loss of Mosul becomes inevitable," he added.

Johnson also praised a so-called anti-terror campaign being conducted by British and US forces and some of their allies in Iraq and Syria as well as the presence of British forces in the region as "crucial to this effort."

He said there are currently 500 British soldiers in Iraq, where they are helping to train the country's armed forces.

The UK, along with the United States and some of their allies, has been conducting a so-called anti-terror campaign in Syria and neighboring Iraq for more than two years.

However, they have done little to stop the Takfiri terrorists; instead their air raids have killed many civilians, and caused extensive damage to the country's infrastructure.

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Multiple bomb blasts leave ten civilians dead in, around Iraq's Baghdad

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 4:0PM

At least 10 people have been killed and 37 others wounded in a series of bomb explosions that ripped through residential neighborhoods in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, security and medical officials say.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three people lost their lives and nine others sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device went off close to a market popular with mechanics in Sheikh Omar neighborhood of central Baghdad on Saturday.

Other bomb attacks struck the southern al-Obaidi and al-Rashid neighborhoods plus the town of Abu Ghraib, located some 25 kilometers west of Baghdad.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the acts of violence. However, Iraqi authorities usually blame such attacks on the Daesh Takfiri group.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) says a total of 1,792 Iraqis were killed and 1,358 others injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in October.

According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities stood at 1,120. Violence also claimed the lives of 672 members of the Iraqi security forces. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in the capital province of Baghdad, where 268 civilians were killed.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are trying to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by volunteer fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched an operation on October 17 to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

So far, a large number of villages and districts around the city, located 400 kilometers north of Baghdad, have been purged of the extremists.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, once Iraq's second largest city before Daesh militants overran it in June 2014, will be fully recaptured by the year-end.

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Iraq forces advance against Daesh in Mosul from city's south

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 11:1AM

Iraqi troops have pushed into the center of the last town before Mosul where Daesh terrorists await a final offensive by the army and volunteer forces to drive them out.

Units of the police force on Saturday moved into the town of Hammam al-Alil which includes a vast territory on the banks of the Tigris river and hoisted the Iraqi flag over buildings.

They also captured six villages near the town, which is located some 25 kilometers south of Mosul, after launching an offensive on Friday.

To the southwest of the city, troops liberated three villages and killed a Daesh commander.

Iraqi police commander Major-General Thamer al-Husseini said federal police forces had entered the Salahiya district of Hammam al-Alil, adding the town and its surrounding areas will be liberated "within hours."

Elsewhere in the northern city of Kirkuk, 32 members of Daesh terrorist group were killed in two car bomb blasts. The circumstances of the explosions were not immediately clear.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, liberated three villages west of Mosul.

The development comes as Iraqi army troops, backed by Hashd al-Shaabi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, are closing in on Mosul, Daesh's last stronghold in Iraq, from almost all directions in a full-scale operation launched on October 17.

On Friday, Iraqi special forces launched an assault to advance deeper into the city's urban center, and engaged in fierce fighting with Daesh terrorists, estimated to number between 3,000 and 5,000, in the sprawling city.

The Iraqi troops managed to enter Mosul's limits earlier this week for the first time since June 2014, when the city fell to Daesh amid a large-scale terror campaign in northern and western Iraq.

So far, a large number of the villages and districts around the city have been purged of the terrorists. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that the country's second largest city will be fully recaptured by year-end.

In another development, two roadside bombs struck a convoy carrying Iraqi families fleeing Daesh in Mosul late on Friday, killing 18 people.

The incident took place late on Friday as the Iraqi citizens from the town of Hawijah, about 120 kilometers south of Mosul, were being taken to al-Alam, next to the Tigris River.

Police say 17 civilians and one policeman lost their lives in the incident.

Thousands of people have fled Mosul and its surrounding areas since Iraqi forces launched their offensive three weeks ago to liberate the city from Daesh terrorists.

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Iraqi Government Forces Advance Slowly, Steadily Into Mosul

By Edward Yeranian November 05, 2016

Iraqi government forces traded artillery fire Saturday with Islamic State militants as they attempted to advance into areas of eastern Mosul. Government media reported the troops had entered at least five eastern districts of the city within the past 48 hours and that bitter fighting was continuing.

Iraqi commander General Sami Aridi told state media his forces were continuing to advance. He said his forces had moved into the Mosul districts of Zahra, Karama and Tahrir and were trying to push farther into adjacent areas, but that the battle was still going on.

Commander Qassim Jassam of the Iraqi military's 9th Division said the Islamic State militants were mounting bitter resistance. He contended that IS fighters were being defeated in the Intisar district but had slowed the government advance with at least six car bombs, several suicide bombs and a variety of booby-trapped objects. He said the group was committing atrocious war crimes.

The Texas-based private security firm Stratfor released a series of satellite images taken earlier this week that showed IS defenses inside Mosul. A variety of obstacles, including cement barriers, trenches and other rubble, could be seen blocking routes into the city center.

On the western side of the Tigris River, which divides the city, satellite images revealed that IS had created a no-man's land near a strategic former military base and outside the city's main airport. Buildings that might have been used for cover by advancing Iraqi forces had been destroyed.

Government forces trying to reach Mosul from the south of the city reportedly captured the village of Hamam al-Alil, six kilometers outside the city, according to Iraqi state TV. Shi'ite volunteer militiamen, known as "al-Hushd," were reported to have captured four villages west of Mosul, near the town of Tel Afar.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who visited the Iraqi army's front lines near Bartella on Saturday, insisted that a decisive victory was close at hand. He said IS would be defeated and all of Mosul would be liberated very soon. He said the military's Anti-Terrorism Brigade was the first to enter the city, but claimed that units were advancing on all fronts.

On the western side of the Tigris River, which divides the city, satellite images revealed that IS had created a no-man's land near a strategic former military base and outside the city's main airport. Buildings that might have been used for cover by advancing Iraqi forces had been destroyed.

Government forces trying to reach Mosul from the south of the city reportedly captured the village of Hamam al-Alil, six kilometers outside the city, according to Iraqi state TV. Shi'ite volunteer militiamen, known as "al-Hushd," were reported to have captured four villages west of Mosul, near the town of Tel Afar.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who visited the Iraqi army's front lines near Bartella on Saturday, insisted that a decisive victory was close at hand. He said IS would be defeated and all of Mosul would be liberated very soon. He said the military's Anti-Terrorism Brigade was the first to enter the city, but claimed that units were advancing on all fronts.

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Iraqi and Kurdish Commanders See Cracks in Jihadist Discipline

By Jamie Dettmer November 06, 2016

While there are no signs that the Islamic State group's forces are falling apart in northern Iraq under the pressure of the offensive on Mosul, the militants' last major urban stronghold in Iraq, commanders of both Kurdish and Iraqi military units have told VOA they see cracks emerging in jihadist discipline, indicating the resolve of some militants is weakening.

The picture is not totally uniform, according to the commanders in charge of the Iraqi-Kurdish assault. Some extremists are withdrawing from the fight unilaterally, they say, not under orders from their superiors to do so. This contrasts with other jihadist withdrawals that are clearly tactical.

"It often depends on the determination of the local IS emir," says Kurdish General Nuraddin Tatarkhan, who commands the seventh peshmerga division, which has encircled the town of Bashiqa, 24 kilometers from Mosul.

"It really depends, also, on individual fighters," Tatarkhan said. There is no widespread panic among jihadists, he adds, but suggests their resistance will crumble in the face of the much larger forces ranged against them.

Militants' staged withdrawals

Iraqi and Kurdish commanders have noticed a pattern developing across all fronts in northern Iraq: The first village on a front line is the hardest to recapture from the jihadists, with the second succumbing more easily.

That was seen last week in Mosul when IS resistance was fierce for four days in the eastern district of Gogjali, the first neighborhood inside the city limits overrun by soldiers from Iraq's elite Golden Division. Then Friday Iraqi soldiers forced their way into the adjacent district of Samaha much more quickly than they had expected, encountering lighter resistance than they had faced all week in Gogjali.

This pattern is being dictated by top IS commanders, the top ranks of the Iraqi and Kurdish forces believe. They add, though, that other Islamic State withdrawals appear to be the result of decisions taken by local emirs or, in some cases, by individual fighters from small units where discipline has collapsed. IS resolve seems to deteriorate more quickly when no foreign members of the terror group are present.

Fierce resistance from Chechens, Kazakhs

"Resistance is much fiercer when there are Chechens, Kazakhs or Central Asians" present among the fighters, Tatarkhan says.

Islamic State's leader and self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, broke nearly a yearlong silence last week with a 31-minute audio recording urging his forces to remain firm in the face of the three-week-long offensive on Mosul, the city where he announced to the world that his caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq had been established.

"Know that the value of staying on your land with honor is a thousand times better than the price of retreating with shame," Baghdadi said. "This war is yours. Turn the dark night of the infidels into day, destroy their homes and make rivers of their blood."

The audio recording prompted some Western analysts to speculate that Baghdadi might be trying to stave off his forces' collapse. U.S. officials say they see no evidence of panic among the jihadists, but the picture on the ground appears more mixed and confused.

Civilians tell of their escape

Displaced civilians have confirmed to VOA that not all IS fighters are standing their ground, or appear to be in a rush to embrace "martyrdom" on the battlefield.

"Only two Daesh fighters remained in the village. They said to us, 'You can go,' and everyone ran," 33-year-old Khaleel said.

Civilians in his village, Abu Jerbua, did not hesitate, Khaleel said. They seized the moment and dashed toward government lines as fast as they could.

In an interview later in the packed Khazir Refugee Camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he and his family have found refuge, Khaleel described conditions in his village just before he left: "There were heavy airstrikes and a lot of militants were killed. Others just fled."

"Most of the militants were Iraqis, with some Syrians," he said. "The Iraqis were not from our area, they were strangers from Anbar [province], mainly."

Casualties from airstrikes

Abu Jerbua, just south of Bashiqa, had a population of about 500 people before fighting began, but there have been civilian casualties.

"Two whole families died when their houses collapsed on them after being hit in the airstrikes," Khaleel said.

As for Mosul itself, there are a lot of foreign, non-Iraqi fighters there, he added, "I have seen them with my own eyes."

His wife gave birth in a hospital in Mosul a few months ago, Khaleel said, and there was a foreign woman who he thinks was European in the neighboring bed, also giving birth.

In contrast to the flight by IS militants from Abu Jerbua, extremists in other villages appear to be much more disciplined and organized, rounding up men and boys and herding them to Mosul.

But in the village of Qaryat Bir Hallan, 20 kilometers east of Mosul, Sarheed, a villager, says he "saw fear in the faces of Daesh fighters."

Militants panicked under fire

Sitting in a tent in the Khazir camp with his family as a sandstorm darkened the sky outside, the 42-year-old school janitor said he tried to keep his teenage sons in their home at all times during the past two years, out of fear that IS would try to recruit them as "cubs of the caliphate."

"When the offensive started, the militants in our village were afraid," Sarheed said. "On the second day there was a lot of disorder and they seemed to be panicking, running all over the place."

As Sarheed described the chaos, his 61-year-old father, an Iraqi army combat veteran from the Iran-Iraq war who lost his leg in 2006, raised his hands to heaven.

Elsewhere on the front lines, Iraqi and peshmerga fighters say they are encountering total commitment from the IS militants.

"We have not captured any Daesh fighters," said one peshmerga commander. "How can you capture militants who want to die? Many of them have suicide vests on."

Even when a neighborhood or village is seized from IS, Iraqi and peshmerga forces are often surprised by militants infiltrating back in, especially at night, to launch hit-and-run attacks.

IS militants evaded government forces and sneaked back into Qayyarah to mount just such a raid; 13 of the extremists were killed, the Iraqis said.

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Japan Investing in Djibouti Military Base to Counter China's Influence in Africa

Sputnik News

14:03 05.11.2016

Tokyo plans to expand its outpost located in Djibouti to counterbalance China's rising influence in the region at a time when Beijing is constructing its first overseas military base in the small African nation and spending tens of billions on regional investment projects, London-based researcher Rob Edens wrote for the National Interest.

Japan is reportedly intent on leasing an additional plot of land adjacent to its 30-acre military base in Djibouti, as well as deploying Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles and extra troops. The nation has stationed 180 soldiers at the site since 2011.

The analyst referred to these developments as a "surprise decision," adding that it "should be seen within the context of Tokyo's growing desire to engage with the African continent and counterbalance China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and elsewhere."

Beijing has been criticized for its land reclamation initiatives in the South China Sea, but Chinese officials and military commanders have repeatedly said that these efforts are peaceful.

Tokyo's charm offensive in Africa includes a pledge to invest $30 billion in infrastructure development, education and healthcare projects over the next three years. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement at the latest Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 6). In addition, in 2013, Japan said that it would spend $32 billion over a five-year period in Africa.

"These generous investments serve the long term goals Japan has set for Africa: with China's economy slowing down and with many export-dependent countries feeling abandoned by Beijing  including Angola and South Africa  Tokyo is ready to fill the void," Edens observed.

China's financial contribution to Africa's development is impressive. For comparison: in December 2015, President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion to the continent over the next three years. This appears to indicate Beijing's commitment to provide financial assistance to African nations despite the fact that Chinese economy has been slowing down.

There is another factor to keep in mind with regard to Tokyo's plan to enlarge its military installation in Djibouti. It will take place at a time when Abe is trying to boost the role of the country's Self-Defense Forces in Africa and elsewhere, a departure from Japan's traditional pacifist defense stance.

 Sputnik

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Foreign diplomats urge Myanmar to probe rights violation

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 5:56AM

Foreign diplomats have called on Myanmar's government to launch a transparent inquiry into human rights violations in the western Rakhine state, home to many Rohingya Muslim minorities.

The diplomats, including those from the European Union and the United Nations and the US, made the request on Friday following a two-day visit to the region, where security forces stand accused of rape, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and burning of homes.

"Given the large numbers of allegations of human rights violations, we urge the government to form an independent and credible investigation committee that can look into the allegations and establish the truth," said Renata Lok-Dessallien, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar.

EU Ambassador to Myanmar Roland Kobia also confirmed the people's suffering and called for "human rights to be protected of all communities, transparency to be ensured and communication, and  access to humanitarian aid."

He further expressed the international community's readiness to help find a "long-term solution that addresses  the root causes of the issues" and bring peace to the troubled region.

Rakhine, home to about 1.1 million members of the minority Rohingya Muslim community, has been the scene of communal violence since 2012.

The state was again in the spotlight on October 9, when gunmen attacked three police outposts in the town of Maungdaw near the Bangladeshi border, reportedly leaving nine police officers dead.

Myanmar's government blamed the incident on a Rohingya group, adding that the assailants made off with dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said her government will not place blame for violence in Rakhine before investigators have gathered all the evidence.

According to the UN, Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The government denies full citizenship to the community and imposes severe restrictions on their movement, branding them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even as many trace their lineage in Myanmar back generations.

Many of the Muslims have been killed while tens of thousands have been forced to flee as a result of attacks by Buddhists.

Reporters covering Rakhine violence suppressed

On October 27, The English-language Myanmar Times newspaper carried a report citing multiple gang rapes by soldiers.

Reuters also reported on the abuse allegations and interviewed eight women who said they were raped by government forces.

Days later, Myanmar Times special investigations editor Fiona MacGregor said she was told by the daily's senior management that she was being fired for damaging the paper's reputation by reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.

"It's extremely concerning and unacceptable that representatives of the democratically elected government would use social media and bullying tactics to suppress stories about important issues like gender-based violence in conflict," MacGregor said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) further warned that journalists trying to cover the situation in Rakhine faced obstruction and harassment.

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Koreans rally in big numbers, urge Park to resign

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 6:12AM

Thousands of South Koreans have taken to the streets, calling on President Park Geun-hye to resign amid deepening fallout from a corruption scandal.

As many as 20,000 police officers were deployed on Saturday throughout the capital Seoul to check protesters who ignored a government ban to march through the streets.

Some 40,000 demonstrators were expected to turn out at the rally in central Seoul and authorities were braced for protesters trying to make their way towards the presidential Blue House.

The protesters chanted slogans and carried banners urging Park to step down, the day after she issued a tearful televised apology over the influence-peddling affair which has shattered public trust in her leadership.

The president consented to the launch of a formal corruption investigation against her and pledged to cooperate with investigators.

Park conceded that the scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil was "all my fault," but rejected reports that linked her and Choi to a religious cult.

The corruption probe is reportedly focused on allegations that the 60-year-old Choi manipulated her close ties with the South Korean president to persuade local business institutions into donating large sums to doubtful non-profit foundations that she then used for personal gains.

Choi was formally detained on Thursday on charges of fraud and abuse of power.

Public anger, however, has mainly focused on reports that she intervened in governmental affairs and enjoyed access to confidential documents, despite lacking any official position or security clearance.

South Korean news outlets have further portrayed Choi, whose late father was a shadowy religious leader and a key mentor to Park, as a Rasputin-like figure who wielded a harmful influence over President Park.

While Park is not likely to quit the presidency, local analysts suggest that she will limp along to conclude her current term in office with her authority gravely weakened at a time of declining economic growth, rising unemployment and continuing military tensions with rival North Korea.

Meanwhile, the country's main opposition Democratic Party reacted to Park's televised address by insisting that her changes had been cosmetic, further vowing to wage a campaign for her ouster.

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Tens of Thousands Protest Against South Korea's President

By VOA News November 05, 2016

Tens of thousands of South Koreans protested in the streets of their capital Saturday, demanding President Park Geun-hye's resignation over a scandal involving her longtime confidante and former advisers.

South Korean reporters said the mass demonstration in Seoul was the largest display of anti-government sentiment in years. They quoted police estimates of the number of protesters ranging up to 50,000 people, although organizers claimed the crowd was several times larger than that.

A mass of demonstrators holding banners and signs accusing the president of treason gathered in a central square, Gwangwhamun, for the rally, which lasted for hours but began to disperse before midnight. Nearly 20,000 police were on hand, ready to prevent any move by the protesters toward the presidential office and residence, the Blue House, less than two kilometers away.

Candlelight vigils and other anti-Park rallies took place in other cities and in the province considered to be her stronghold.

Park friendship

The protests centered on Park's friendship with Choi Soon-sil, 60, the daughter of a late cult leader, and two former presidential aides. They are accused of pressuring South Korean businesses into giving $70 million to foundations that Choi controlled. Beyond that, demonstrators said they thought Choi had manipulated government policy and actions and had exerted undue influence over the president  even editing advance texts of Park's speeches.

Choi was arrested several days ago, and Park's former advisers have been detained.

In what was seen as an apology to the nation, Park discussed the corruption allegations late Friday and promised that she would allow an investigation of her conduct in office. She did not, however, mention the charge that she had allowed Choi to meddle in important government decisions on policy and personnel.

In the streets Saturday, protesters repudiated Park's statement and said they would not be satisfied until she stepped down or was removed from office. At a minimum, they said, the president must abstain from any role in domestic affairs, and turn over her duties to a prime minister chosen by parliament.

A national poll released Friday said Park's approval rating had dropped to just 5 percent  the lowest for any president in South Korea since the country shook off decades of military dictatorship in the 1980s and began a period of free elections and democratic rule.

A university student demonstrating Saturday in Seoul said she fully supported Park's removal from office, even though an abrupt change could create a power vacuum in the country. "However, that is no worse than giving all of the power given by the people to some stranger [Choi Soon-sil]," Choi Eun-hye told the semiofficial Yonhap news agency.

'Power of citizens'

Another demonstrator, Han Jin-wook, told a reporter, "I wanted to show my children the power of citizens. ... Some media reported the rally would be violent, but I feel totally safe."

As Saturday night's protests subsided, demonstration leaders said they expected to hold an even bigger gathering next week.

Park has 15 months left in her term. If she resigns early, the country is required to hold an election to choose her replacement within 60 days.

Park, 64, became South Korea's first female president in 2013. She is the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea as a military strongman from 1961 to 1979, when he was assassinated.

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Russian militants in Syria pose threat once back home: Medvedev

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 6:49PM

A large number of Russians, currently active in the ranks of terrorist groups in Syria, might also launch terror attacks once they return home, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warns.

"Thousands of Russian citizens and individuals from other post-Soviet republics are fighting in Syria. These completely brainwashed people return home as professional murderers and terrorists. And we don't want them to stage something similar in Russia after their Syrian stints expire," Medvedev said on Saturday.

Late last year, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, known as the FSB, revealed that some 2,900 Russians had left the country to join terrorist groups operating in the war-torn Syria. According to official figures, over 90 percent of these people left after mid-2013.

"We have already experienced this, including in the context of the Caucasus war in the 1990s. First of all, we want them to stay there. Second, the Syrian government asked Russian leaders to help them reinstate law and order," Medvedev said.

Russia has been engaged in an anti-terror campaign through conducting airstrikes against the positions of terrorists in Syria since September 30, 2015, based on a request from the government in Damascus. According to analysts, the campaign has largely been successful in helping Syrian government forces dislodge foreign-sponsored militants from many regions across the country.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Russian premier reiterated that "the people of Syria" must decide their political future, whether their leader be the incumbent President Bashar al-Assad or someone else.

"This is not our business. But we don't want Syria to disintegrate into a number of enclaves and sectors, where each sector would be controlled by separate terrorist groups," Medvedev said.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

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Premier Li Keqiang (left, second) and his Latvian counterpart jointly launch a financial joint venture Sino-CEEF Holdings Co Ltd in Riga, Latvia, on Nov 5.

A financial holding company was officially established on Saturday under the cooperative framework of China and 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, a crucial move to promote China-made equipment and products by helping finance joint projects in the region.

The Sino-CEEC Financial Holding Company Limited was inaugurated by Premier Li Keqiang and his hosting Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis after the 5th Meeting of Heads of Government between China and CEE countries in the Latvian capital Riga.

A financial holding company is a financial institution that engages in nonbanking activities to offer customers a wide range of financial services, including the chances to purchase insurance products and invest in securities.

The company will focus on projects in connectivity and production capacity cooperation that will purchase China-made equipment and products, Premier Li said while addressing the 6th China-Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum.

The company was part of Lis proposal to enhance financial cooperation in order to support China-CEE cooperation, also known as 16+1 cooperation, and provide financing for joint projects through diverse forms.

In 2013, China announced it would offer CEE countries loans of $10 billion, aiming to boost production capacity and infrastructure cooperation with the region. The company was originally an initiative proposed by Premier Li during the 4th annual China-CEEC leaders meeting in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, last November. Industry and Commerce Bank of China, Chinas largest commercial bank, takes the lead in contributing funds to the company with participation of two other Chinese banks.

Li said a large amount of yuan and certain euros will be injected into the company, but didnt unveil the specific amount. China has signed memorandum of understanding with Poland and Czech to make contributions to the financial holding company and other CEE countries are welcome to join us, Li said.

Financial cooperation is still a shortcoming for China-CEE cooperation and it takes more time to establish an inter-bank consortium that is able to better finance joint projects, said Kucinskis.

China is ready to use more yuan and euros to promote the companys financing capacity in the international market, meanwhile Chinese financial institutions such as the Silk Road Fund will support China-CEE projects in forms of equity and bonds, Li vowed.

More than 15 cooperative agreements were signed between China and CEE countries on Saturday after the fifth annual leaders meeting. Premier Li is scheduled to fly to St Petersburg on Sunday to visit Russia and attend the 21st Regular Meeting between Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers.
Militant offensive on Aleppo kills 74 Syrians in 8 days: Group

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 2:26PM

Dozens of civilians have lost their lives since foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants launched an offensive against the government-held part of the Syrian city of Aleppo more than a week ago, a Britain-based monitoring group says.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that 74 civilians, including 25 children, have been killed since Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as al-Nusra Front, and so-called Free Syrian Army militants launched counter-attacks against government soldiers and their allied forces to break a months-long siege on the eastern part of Aleppo, located some 355 kilometers north of the capital, Damascus, on October 28.

The group went on to say that three civilians were also killed in the militant-held eastern Aleppo during the mentioned period.

The report comes as Takfiri militants are employing heavy and indiscriminate shelling in their assault on the government-held part of Aleppo, leaving dozens of civilians killed and wounded.

Aleppo, once Syria's largest city and the country's industrial and financial center, remains divided between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

On September 22, Syria announced the start of a new military operation in Aleppo aimed at driving out the terrorists.

The Syrian army campaign came three days after a week-long truce, brokered by Russia and the United States, came to an end across the crisis-stricken Arab country.

The Damascus government refused to extend the deal after the so-called US-led coalition, which is purportedly fighting Daesh terrorists, violated the agreement by hitting a Syrian military base near the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr, leaving more than 80 Syrian troops dead and some 100 others wounded.

Meanwhile, Syrian Air Force fighter jets struck terrorists' positions in al-Jeneh, al- Mansurah, Dahret Abed Rabbouh, Khan al-Assal, al-Rashidin and Orum al-Kobra villages in the countryside outside Aleppo on Saturday, killing and wounding scores of Takfiris.

Syrian warplanes also pounded the positions of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Daesh terrorists in the towns of Taybat al-Imam and Mourek as well as the villages of al-Lataminah and Latmin in the central province of Hama.

An unnamed military source told Syria's official news agency, SANA, that a large number of militants were killed and their machinegun-equipped vehicles destroyed in the process.

Elsewhere in the Dara'a al-Balad district of Dara'a, located about 90 kilometers south of Damascus, several terrorists were killed when Syrian army units shelled their hideouts in the area.

The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

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Militant shelling wounds two Russian troops, Syrian journalist

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 6:47AM

Foreign-backed militants have fired rockets at a humanitarian corridor established by Syria and Russia in Aleppo, wounding two Russian troops and a Syrian journalist.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the shelling targeted the western part of the key Castello Road in Aleppo during a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire on Friday.

The 10-hour-long truce took effect at 0700 GMT on Friday, the second such temporary truce announced in the city by Russia and Syria.

The corridor attacked by the militants was one of a total of eight passageways established to allow civilians and militants not affiliated to terrorist groups to leave Aleppo's militant-held east.

The journalist wounded in the Friday shelling worked for the Syrian state TV.

The ministry said that around 50 representatives of Russian, Western and Arab media had to be evacuated from the area and online monitoring of the humanitarian corridor had to be temporarily suspended because of the shelling.

Syria's state news agency (SANA) said the militants sought to prevent civilians from leaving by shelling the corridor, the second time they did so in the past month.

One Aleppo resident who managed to leave said people inside were being prevented from leaving the city by the terrorist groups of Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Nusra Front.

Meanwhile, Fadi Ismail, an official in Syria's Reconciliation Ministry who is based in Aleppo, said 250,000 civilians had been trapped in the militant-held areas of Aleppo.

Moscow said on Thursday that Russia and Syria were giving the ceasefire another try in an attempt to "prevent senseless casualties."

Foreign-backed militants, however, have ignored the gesture and last week they used the pause to launch one of their most ferocious offensives in order to break an army siege on eastern Aleppo.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday that rocket fire on the government-held districts of Aleppo in the west had killed at least 15 people, bringing the civilian toll in the area in recent days to 70.

Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, has said the militants had intentionally killed scores of civilians in the west of the city.

The Syrian army launched operations to reunite the government-held western part and the eastern section of Aleppo on September 22.

'Turkish military hits targets in Syria'

In a separate development, the Turkish army said in a statement on Saturday that it had hit targets inside Syria over the past 24 hours.

The statement claimed that Turkish army forces had targeted 71 positions belonging to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in northern Syria, killing five of them.

At least five Turkish-backed militants as well as a soldier were also killed, the army said, without elaborating.

The statement further said that another eight Daesh militants were killed when the US-led coalition targeted their position in the area.

Turkey has been hitting targets in northern Syria in the recent past without permission from the government in Damascus. Turkey has also been pounding targets in Iraq, also without authorization from the central government in Baghdad.

The targets of the Turkish military in the two countries are mostly Kurdish fighters. Ankara, however, claims to be targeting Daesh, too, as in the latest strikes.

On August 24, Turkish special forces, tanks, and jets backed by planes from the US-led coalition launched their first coordinated offensive in Syria. Damascus quickly denounced the intervention as a breach of Syrian sovereignty.

Turkey said the incursion was meant to engage the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the Syrian-Turkish border area as well as Kurdish fighters, who were themselves fighting Daesh.

Turkey stands accused of supporting some of the militants fighting against the government in Syria.

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Syrian Army Destroys al-Nusra Front Units in Daraa Province Bordering Jordan

Sputnik News

16:09 05.11.2016

The Syrian government troops destroyed several units of the Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) terror group in the southwestern province of Daraa bordering Jordan, state-run media reported.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  The Syrian army carried out airstrikes against Jabhat Fatah al Sham, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their fortifications, the SANA news agency reported.

The government troops also eliminated a number of Daesh terrorists in the province of Suwayda and destroyed one of their fuel tankers.

Earlier this week it was reported that Syrian government forces eliminated nearly all al-Nusra Front militants in southern parts of Daraa city in southwestern Syria.

 Sputnik

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Opposition-Run Media Reports Shelling in Aleppo Province

By VOA News November 05, 2016

The opposition-run Syrian news agency Thiqa posted a video online Saturday purported to show a missile falling on Darat Izza, a town in northwestern Aleppo province.

The footage showed a huge explosion and large plume of smoke rising over the town.

Russian and government forces continued to bomb rebel positions in the western part of the Aleppo province, Syrian activists said.

According to the Syrian Civil Defense, at least three people were killed and 15 others were injured in the airstrike.

Meanwhile, a temporary Russian halt on airstrikes on rebel-held parts of Aleppo expired.

Although Russian and Syrian officials called for the evacuation, local reports say none of the area's estimated 275,000 residents left the territory.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that at least 74 civilians, including 25 children, were killed in the 8-day offensive launched by Syrian opposition fighters against the western edge of the government-held part of Aleppo city.

The Syrian military said 80 people were killed in the first three days of the rebel offensive.

It was not immediately possible to reconcile the discrepancy in casualty figures.

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Taiwan regrets exclusion from Interpol assembly

ROC Central News Agency

2016/11/05 14:20:08

Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) Taiwan on Saturday expressed its deep regret and discontent with the International Criminal Police Organization's (Interpol) rejection of its bid to attend the organization's upcoming general assembly.

The government will continue to work closely with the United States and other like-minded countries to promote Taiwan's participation in Interpol, in the hope that Taiwan can be included in the global network for public security protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.

Taiwan was forced to withdraw from Interpol in 1984 when China joined the organization.

For the first time in 32 years, the government in October applied with Interpol to participate as an observer in its 85th general assembly to be held Nov. 7-11 in Bali, Indonesia.

In response, Interpol President Mireille Ballestrazzi and Secretary-General Jurgen Stock have written separately to Criminal Investigation Bureau Commissioner Liu Po-liang () stating the organization's decision to turn down Taiwan's application, MOFA said.

The ministry stressed that Taiwan's bid to participate in the Interpol general assembly does not involve politics but is intended to facilitate cooperation with the police of other countries and contribute to global efforts against organized crime, cyber crime, cross-border crime and terrorism.

With cross-border crime becoming a serious problem amid the trend of globalization, having no access to Interpol information is posing a challenge to Taiwan's crime-fighting operations, the ministry said, urging Interpol to deal with Taiwan's case positively and pragmatically based on the need to maintain global security.

Considering the need for security maintenance during the 2017 Universiade in Taipei, the ministry has also requested Interpol to allow Taiwan to access the I-24/7 global police communications system and the Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.

The ministry, meanwhile, expressed its appreciation to the United States for supporting Taiwan's Interpol participation.

Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill in March requiring the U.S. secretary of state to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in Interpol. The bill was then signed into law by President Barack Obama.

(By Tang Pei-chun and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/cs

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China urged not to block Taiwan internationally

ROC Central News Agency

2016/11/05 18:05:09

Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Saturday urged China stop obstructing Taiwan's efforts to take part in international activities, after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) rejected Taipei's request to attend its upcoming general assembly, apparently due to a objection from Beijing.

Taiwan and China should treat each other in a friendly way in the international community and seek to resolve differences of opinion through bilateral dialogue in the interests and well-being of their people, the council said.

The MAC stressed that Taiwan has the right to participate in the international community with dignity, arguing that excluding the nation from Interpol goes against the interest of the Taiwanese people and that of the wider international community.

A survey conducted by the MAC in October revealed that 80 percent of local residents believe Taiwan's bids to take part in international organizations should not be subject to political interference, the council said, urging Beijing and the international community not to ignore public opinion in Taiwan.

Taiwan was forced to withdraw from Interpol in 1984 when China joined the organization.

For the first time in 32 years, the government in October applied to participate as an observer at Interpol's 85th general assembly to be held from Nov. 7-11 in Bali, Indonesia.

However, that application was rejected, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier on Saturday.

Asked if Beijing was behind Interpol's decision, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee () said "that is a very obvious factor."

(By Tang Pei-chun and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/AW

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Taiwan to hold humanitarian rescue drill in South China Sea

ROC Central News Agency

2016/11/06 21:46:14

Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and the Navy will hold a joint drill in the South China Sea at the end of this month, it was announced on Sunday.

The joint drill will focus on humanitarian rescue missions and be led by the Coast Guard Administration with support from the Navy in line with the policy of the Navy supporting Coast Guard Administration operations.

President Tsai Ing-wen () has instructed that Taiping Island - the largest island in the South China Sea controlled by Taiwan - should be turned into a center for humanitarian rescue and a supply base, following an international arbitration court ruling in July that Taiping is a "rock."

The joint drill will demonstrate the progress being made in efforts to turn Taiping into a humanitarian rescue center. The CGA and Navy will also conduct joint operations to protect Taiwan's fishing boats and improve anti-terrorism capability at sea to guarantee the safety of Taiwan fishermen.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROC taking over Taiping Island from Japan, the government selected this month to hold the joint drill.

On Nov. 24, 1946, the ROC government sent four military vessels, which arrived in the South China Sea at the end of that month and early December. The ROC took over Taiping Island on Dec. 12.

An international arbitration court ruled in July that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to resources within the South China Sea falling within a "nine-dash line" and that all high-tide features in the Spratly Islands, including the Taiwan-controlled Taiping, are legally "rocks."

In the case brought by the Philippines against China over the South China Sea dispute, the court said there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources of islands in the South China Sea.

There is therefore no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the areas falling within the "nine-dash line," the court said in its ruling.

The Philippines brought the case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing that the land formations claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea are not islands and therefore do not have a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

China's "nine-dash line" territorial claim over South China Sea waters is unlawful under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Philippines argued.

While Taiwan is not a party to the case, its claims in the South China Sea are similar to those of China and Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba), which is controlled by Taiwan, was mentioned in testimony during the court hearings.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu)

enditem/ AW /

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Istanbul court orders imprisonment of 9 Cumhuriyet journalists

Iran Press TV

Sat Nov 5, 2016 12:55PM

A court in the Turkish city of Istanbul has ordered the imprisonment of nine of 13 journalists and staffers of a major opposition newspaper, saying they should go to jail pending trial.

Local Turkish media said the nine from Cumhuriyet daily were imprisoned on Saturday but no date was specified for their trial.

On Friday, Turkish authorities arrested Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the co-leaders of the country's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, also known as the HDP, along with nine other lawmakers.

The arrests marked an escalation in the government's months-long crackdown that has seen many put behind bars or suspended from work over allegations of being linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating the abortive coup of July 15. Gulen denies the accusation.

Thirteen staff members of Cumhuriyet, including some of the most prominent names in Turkish journalism, were detained on October 31.

The Cumhuriyet staffers imprisoned on Saturday include editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, celebrated cartoonist Musa Kart and influential columnist Kadri Gursel. Columnists Hikmet Cetinkaya and Aydin Engin were released on judicial control while two others who were accountants working with the paper were released without charge.

The new court order is expected to stir unprecedented criticism from Turkey's allies in the West as they had earlier voiced concern about Ankara's repressive policies toward the media.

Officials in the European Union and the United States also reacted with concern to the arrest of HDP lawmakers on Friday. The HDP leaders and lawmakers face allegations of supporting the PKK in its activities in southeastern Turkey.

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World Leaders Condemn Turkey's Arrest Of Kurdish Lawmakers

RFE/RL November 05, 2016

World leaders have strongly condemned Turkey's arrest of a dozen Kurdish lawmakers in a widening crackdown on dissent since a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Early on November 4, Turkey jailed, pending trial, the co-leaders of parliament's third-largest party, the Peoples' Democratic Party or HDP, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, as well as 10 other lawmakers from the same party. Three were later released.

The arrests followed the detention or suspension of more than 110,000 officials since the coup attempt in July, and "go beyond what is permissible," the United Nations human rights office said.

The White House said it was "deeply disturbed" by the arrests of lawmakers, while Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark summoned Turkish diplomats over the detentions.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the actions "call into question the basis for the sustainable relationship between the EU and Turkey."

But Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim insisted the arrests were legal, even as Turkish police raided and searched the HDP party's head office in Ankara and blocked access to HDP headquarters.

"Turkey is a nation of laws, nobody has preferential treatment before the law... What's been done is within the rule of law," he said.

The Kurdish lawmakers were arrested after they refused to give testimony in a probe linked to what the government termed "terrorist propaganda."

"Politics can't be a shield for committing crimes," Yildirim said.

The HDP party made history last year by becoming the first Kurdish party to win 10 percent of the vote and enter parliament. It warned that the detentions risk triggering civil war with Turkey's 15 percent minority Kurdish population.

The HDP on Twitter called on global leaders "to react against the Erdogan regime's coup."

"This is a dark day not only for our party, but for all of Turkey and the region as it means the end of democracy in Turkey," it said.

'Judicial Theater'

The arrested party leader Demirtas said he does not fear "a fair and impartial judiciary," but believes the courts have lost their independence and the cases against party legislators are "judicial theater...ordered by Erdogan."

The HDP said the charges are politically motivated and Kurdish lawmakers are being targeted because the party opposes Erdogan's efforts to change the constitution and give himself new powers at the expense of parliament, weakening checks and balances.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights Tom Malinowski said on Twitter that he was "deeply troubled" by the arrests.

"When taking legal action against elected reps, democracies have a higher duty to justify actions and preserve confidence in justice," he added.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was "extremely worried" by the detentions, and raised her concerns in a telephone call with Turkey's foreign and EU affairs ministers late on November 4.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Ankara had a right to fight terrorism, but could not use it to justify gagging opponents.

"The kind of detentions of democratically elected members of parliament we are seeing in Turkey today is an assault on the right to political representation and participation for millions of voters and defies fundamental principles of any country that claims to be democratic and based on rule of law and human rights," said Human Rights Watch's Turkey director, Emma Sinclair-Webb.

The leader of Turkey's main opposition group, the Republican People's Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, warned that the detentions will "butcher democracy" in the country.

Erdogan and the ruling AK party accuse the Kurdish party of having links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish militant group that has waged an insurgency against the government for decades.

The HDP denies any direct links and says it is working for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish conflict. Among those arrested were the party's negotiators seeking to forge peace between the PKK and the government.

Even before arresting the lawmakers, Turkey had removed dozens of elected HDP mayors from office and replaced them with trusted Ankara loyalists.

In a video message after the lawmaker arrests, one of the PKK's top commanders, Murat Karayilan, said the group would intensify its armed struggle against Turkey and called on all Kurds -- the country's largest minority -- to react.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/world-leaders- condemn-turkey-arrest-kurdish- hdp-lawmakers-/28098261.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkish Police Disrupt Protest Over Journalists' Arrests

By VOA News November 05, 2016

Turkish police used water cannon and tear gas on hundreds of protesters Saturday in Istanbul to disrupt a march in support of an opposition newspaper whose staff had earlier been arrested as part of a government crackdown.

The protest erupted hours after Turkish authorities ordered nine executives and journalists from the opposition secularist Cumhuriyet newspaper held for trial.

Prosecutors linked the arrests to the newspaper's alleged support for a fugitive cleric suspected of orchestrating a failed coup attempt in July, and for its alleged links to Kurdish militants battling the Ankara government for an autonomous homeland in Turkey's southeast.

Cumhuriyet is one of few opposition newspapers in Turkey still critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who launched a massive crackdown leading to the arrests of more than 100,000 people  including teachers, journalists, police and judges  since the July 15 coup attempt.

The crackdown has sparked widespread human rights concerns among Turkey's Western allies  concerns that mounted Friday when Turkish police detained a dozen lawmakers of the pro-Kurdish HDP (the Peoples' Democratic Party), the country's third-largest political party.

Among those arrested were HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag. The HDP lawmakers were taken into custody after failing to respond to summonses by prosecutors asking them to testify in a terrorism propaganda case, according to a statement issued by a government office.

Hours after that roundup, a car bomb killed nine people and wounded more than 100 others near a police station in the southeastern Turkish city Diyarbakir, where some of the lawmakers were being held.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Kurdish militants were responsible for the bombing, and that one suspected member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was killed in the blast. However, later Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has been under emergency rule since the failed July coup. There has been a widening crackdown on dissent by Erdogan, who blames the attempted overthrow of his government on Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who lives in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

The government in Ankara has repeatedly called for the United States to extradite Gulen and warns that failure to do so will cause great harm to relations between the two countries.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton participates 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)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 -- The next U.S. president is likely to face investigations by the rival party no matter who wins the White House next Tuesday, according to local media.

Multiple Republicans this week have predicted impeachment could be on the table if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins the election, and Democrats would almost certainly seek to launch their own inquiries into Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump if he wins, The Hill reported on Saturday.

"The climate, the atmosphere, the vitriolic nature of our politics does not change on Nov. 9," one former top Democratic House staffer told the U.S. political website.

FBI director James Comey dropped a bombshell last week when he announced his bureau had discovered new evidence that could be related to its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

While authorities are unlikely to disclose the results of the FBI investigation any time soon, a handful of Republican lawmakers, including House Armed Services chairman Michael McCaul, have recently suggested that Clinton could be impeached if elected.

But Clinton on Monday played down the damage of the probe, telling a rally in the swing state of Ohio that "there's no case here" and that she's confident no charges will be made.

While it would be difficult for Democrats to launch investigations into Trump's business dealings if Trump wins the White House and Republicans almost control both chambers of Congress, Democrats could use informal hearings, press events or other ways to generate attention, according to The Hill.

"It doesn't really take a congressional committee to do anything for those to continue on. The Trump University trial is going to continue on, all the litigation in regards to his business will continue on," another former top House Democratic staffer was quoted as saying.
Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP partially boycotts parliament

Iran Press TV

Sun Nov 6, 2016 9:10AM

Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, known as the HDP, has decided to halt its legislative activities in the parliament in protest at the recent arrest of its leaders and other lawmakers.

HDP spokesman Ayhan Bilgen made the announcement in a statement read out in front of the party's offices in Diyarbakir and broadcast on the Internet on Sunday.

"After discussions with our parliamentary group and our central executive board, we have decided to halt our legislative efforts in light of everything that has happened," he said.

Bilgen further noted that a full withdrawal from the Turkish legislature could be considered after consultation with the supporters of HDP -- the third-largest party in the legislature.

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities took into custody Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the HDP co-leaders, along with seven other lawmakers. They were charged with alleged membership and promotion of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In another development on Sunday, the police detained 15 suspects in an operation targeting the PKK across Turkey's southern province of Adana.

The raids, backed by helicopter, were carried out simultaneously at various spots, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

A shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK that had stood since 2013 was declared null and void in by the militants last July following the Turkish strikes against the group.

EU raps decline in Turkey press freedom

Meanwhile, the European Union has expressed concerns over a decline in press freedom and judiciary independence in Turkey amid a widening state crackdown on opposition following the failed July 15 military coup.

The European Commission, the EU's executive body, made the criticism in a report, which is expected to be published on Wednesday.

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said on Sunday that the report had cited "a significant relapse" in press freedom in Turkey and noted that one fifth of prosecutors and judges in the country had been dismissed after the abortive putsch.

The Ankara government has applied legal decisions over national security and the fight against terrorism "selectively and randomly," the report was further cited as saying.

According to the German paper, the report had voiced significant concerns about the number of Turkish journalists arrested and media outlets shut down following the attempted coup, saying some of the detainees had been held for up to 30 days before standing trial.

The report also raises "very serious questions" about the Turkish government's collective actions against those suspected of ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the failed putsch. Gulen denies the accusation.

It seems that people were being arrested over mere "association" with Gulen rather than any specific individual actions, the report was cited as saying.

Earlier this week, Turkish police arrested over a dozen journalists and executives of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet on suspicion of having links to Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). A court jailed nine of the detainees on Saturday.

In Saturday's front page, the daily said, "You will stand ashamed in front of history," in a message to the government.

Supporters and staff at Cumhuriyet also held a demonstration in support of their colleagues, holding up copies of the paper's latest edition.

Under the post-coup state of emergency declared in Turkey, over 110,000 judges, policemen, teachers and civil servants have been detained or suspended while some 170 newspapers, magazines, news agencies and TV stations have been closed.

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Turkey's Pro-Kurdish Party Pulls out of Parliament

By VOA News November 06, 2016

Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party announced Sunday that it is withdrawing from parliament after the unprecedented arrests of nine of its lawmakers, including the party's two co-leaders.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on the HDP in a televised speech to "return from this mistake before it's too late," adding that they may say whatever they want in parliament "but no politician can be a shield to terror by abusing their position."

Turkey drew international condemnation Friday following the arrests of HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag on terrorism-related charges, along with seven other lawmakers.

The arrests also heightened concern among Western allies about the state of democracy in Turkey, a NATO member which aspires to join the European Union.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe Sunday of supporting and arming the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and said he did not care if it called him a dictator.

"They (Western critics) should not preoccupy themselves for nothing. We know well who they are," Erdogan said. "We studied their history well. We know it well. I got to know them very well during my 14-year-old tenure as a prime minister and a president. I can now read them like an open book. I don't care if they call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out of the other."

The PKK has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and along with its allied groups in Syria enjoy U.S. support in the fight against Islamic State.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, which entered Turkish parliament last year as the country's third-largest party with 59 lawmakers, has denied being a front for the PKK.

The absence of its deputies could enable Erdogan to push through his vision of a presidential system which the HDP has always vehemently opposed.

Turkey has suspended more than 110,000 officials, from soldiers and judges to teachers and journalists, and has made some 35,000 arrests since a failed military coup in July, which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Erdogan's critics, however, have said it is a crackdown on all forms of dissent.

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A proposed new Riverfront Park at Main Street and Memorial Drive could bring development to the nearby White Mill building, city officials said.

City Manager Ken Larking said officials would work with developers to help them redevelop the White Mill, which was built in 1920 and was part of Dan River Inc.

The Riverfront Park would help attract businesses and industry to the 650,000-square-foot structure. The park would be built on four acres between the White Mill and the King Memorial Bridge across from the YMCA.

It would make that property a lot more attractive, Larking said.

The park would include walking trails, a splash pad, gathering area, staging area, seating steps and other features.

After watching the White Mill sit idle for more than a decade, Danville officials were jubilant in July 2009 when Gibbs Internationals subsidiary, White Mill Development LLC, purchased the landmark building for slightly more than $1.5 million and announced it was bringing 400 high-tech jobs with an average salary of $40,000 to the city.

The company promised to bring the jobs and a total of $400 million in capital investment to the project, over the course of five years. But the plans never materialized.

As for whether a new park would increase the appeal of the property, Gibbs International President Greg Boozer agrees it would spur growth in the area.

With more people downtown, that means more opportunities and more desire for other things to be downtown, Boozer said Friday. Gibbs International is based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Boozer said Gibbs is seeking the right tenant for the property every day, and is in talks with Danville economic development officials about it every week. They are doing a great job marketing the site, he said.

Mixed-use residential and retail would be the best type of development for the property, Boozer said.

Corrie Teague Bobe, Danvilles assistant director of economic development, said mixed use with commercial and residential would enable more people to view and enjoy the Dan River and the park.

The location right on the river would be ideal, Larking said.

It really is an outstanding space, Larking said. I see the potential for the White Mill to be a successful development.

However, the property does pose challenges, including its massive size. Its 650,000 square feet of space includes four floors with 150,000 square feet each, and thick columns, Danville Economic Development Director Telly Tucker pointed out.

The challenge with the property is its so large, Tucker said, with the columns posing a challenge for industry.

Representatives with potential industries have brought up the columns as an issue, he said. Modern manufacturing buildings have high ceilings with large, clear expanses of area, Tucker said.

It may not be an issue for some industries, but it may be an issue for others, he said. It depends on the use.

Boozer agreed that the buildings size was an issue, but he sees no problem with the columns.

A riverfront park  with its increased foot traffic in the area  would make adjacent properties want to take advantage of the added activity, Tucker said.

City economic development officials will look at  and possibly visit  other communities that have used riverfront parks as a means of economic development, Tucker said.

The White Mill building represents a significant part of Danvilles history for residents in the area, Tucker said.

Its such an iconic structure, wed like to find a use that would be acceptable to the community and to City Council, Tucker said. This riverfront park should help us in that regard.

Tucker said the White Mill property is listed in the citys commercial property database, on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership database and on the states website. City officials also mention it to developers working on other projects in the area, he said.

For Boozer, the propertys location next to the water is perfect.

What better site to be than right here on the river? he said.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Riga, capital of Latvia, Nov. 5, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Weibin)

BELGRADE, Nov. 5 -- A meeting between the heads of the governments of China and 16 central and eastern European (CEE) countries, or the "16+1" summit, will further strengthen ties among China, Serbia and the rest of CEE countries, an expert said on Saturday.

Aleksandra Joksimovic, head of the Belgrade-based NGO Centre for Foreign Policy, said CEE countries will prioritize infrastructure construction and privatization of public companies while seeking cooperation with China.

The expert believed "China is strategically oriented towards the further promotion of the New Silk Road" at the summit in Riga, capital of Latvia.

"China sees Central and Eastern Europe as a promising market where the country can offer its products," she said.

Joksimovic says joint projects in the past have shown deals sealed at "16+1" summits are serious.

Citing Serbia-China cooperation as an example, Joksimovic said Chinese company HeSteel's acquisition of Serbian steel mill in Smederevo was conducive to local economy.

Acquisition and revitalization of troubled public companies is important to Serbia because it solves problems and allows the country to further its economic development, according to the expert.

"China is one of the world's biggest steel manufacturers and it wishes to expand its industry to Europe. This has strategic importance for us because it solves some of problems hindering our economic development and stabilization," she continued.

Besides the steel mill project, the two countries now have moved forward their cooperation towards the construction of a high speed railway linking Belgrade to Budapest.

Joksimovic said infrastructure projects were of key importance in Serbia-China cooperation.

"As an important country in the Balkans, Serbia has an urgent need for infrastructure construction and connection with other countries of the region in order to become a part of the transit route between the East and the West," she said.

Talking about the Riga Summit, Joksimovic said it will continue the good momentum of developing bilateral ties between Serbia and China on the basis of the achievements during previous summits.

Cooperation with China is of strategic importance for Serbia, who needs to seize the opportunities that China provides, she said.

She also believes China is preparing for bigger investments, as proved by the expected arrival of Bank of China in Serbia.

"When serious investments are planned, banks from the investor are established," she said.
Our voting machines are not connected to the Internet. Most voting machines have a paper ballot backup process  The paper trail from electronic machines would also have to be manipulated, and that accounts for about 80 percent of all of them in use since only 20 percent or so lack that mechanism. The vast majority of states are getting help from DHS to ensure the voting systems and networks remain secure. The counting of votes is done by state governments, not the federal government. There is no control by any one political party. The people, processes and technology involved are well-known and generally trustworthy. This has been a repeatable process for many, many years. Voter lists and databases are constantly verified and updated. It is very, very difficult to massively change the voter database rolls. (Yes, there are examples of dead people voting, but we are talking about a very small fraction of people with millions of voters.) This is not a new problem. We have recount rules for tight races. Remember the hanging chads in Florida? The people I speak with on the inside around the country (who do this for a living) are confident of continued success. Official monitors, election commissions, global watchdogs and many others are watching closely to ensure a fair, accurate vote counting process. They examine every aspect of the system to ensure proper oversight. History is on our side, and good people have been working on this election process for a very long time. I am a believer that if voter fraud does occur, it will be found out and corrected as in the past.

Were almost there. After months and months of ups and downs in rival campaigns to become, the countdown to counting the state-by-state voting results in our 2016 election has reached the final hours.And there are plenty of reasons to worry about the coming daysHere are a few of the scary headlines from the past few weeks involving the election process:I could go on and on and on.I could provide scary excerpts from each of these articles or hundreds of other similar pieces that have been published over the past few months. I could also quote some trusted cyber pros who think the Dyn DDoS attack was a precursor to a bigger online attack  perhaps coming this week on Election Day or the day after.But Im picking sides and reiterating my view that I think. This assessment is not pro-Trump or pro-Hillary (nor anti-anything), but my honest professional opinion after working for more than two decades within the federal, state and local government world that supports the people, processes and technology that counts your votes.I will explain my reasoning below, but I want to start by clearly telling you what I believe and dont believe about this vote integrity topic. As I write this on Saturday Nov. 5, 2016, I acknowledge that things will go wrong. They always do.Expect sporadic news reports (this week) of voter suppression, ballots not counted, hackers on the loose, DDoS attacks against somebody, terrorist sightings and much more. There are already poll monitors or agitators or angry men and women who have written their observations of irregularities at polling places  before most polls even open. Someone will punch someone, somewhere  and a bystander will catch the whole thing on their iPhone  and it will go viral. And prove what?You will hear about examples of all kinds of election problems from commentators on the right and the left at both www.Drudgereport.com and www.Huffingtonpost.com to prove their partisan points.And expect rain and wind and low pressure and a dark sky somewhere in the United States  but that does not mean a Category 4 hurricane will strike any coast.Why write about this now? Recent media reports claim that : More than a quarter of Mr. Trumps supporters say they will probably not accept the outcome if Mrs. Clinton is declared the winner, and nearly 40 percent of them say they have little or no confidence that Americans votes will be counted properly. Other discouraging reports came from pro-Clinton camps.I reluctantly decided to write this blog after many colleagues, friends and family members contacted me over the past month with serious concerns about the entire election process. After explaining my views to them, several urged me to write about my perspective to (hopefully) help people on the left, right and center calm down a bit.I want to start my defense of our voting systems by reminding readers that I was one of the first global bloggers in 2016 to ask the question: Could the election be hacked? In March of this year, I brought the topic up  well before it was popular to write about election hacking by the mainstream media.In that piece, I ended by saying: Im betting on the good guys. I still am optimistic  and here are 10 reasons why:Thejust published: Five possible hacks to worry about before Election Day . We must take these items seriously, but they are also being addressed.I find it interesting that most of the items covered in the media about upcoming election problems dont address the voting process itself, but items like WikiLeaks disclosures, social media propaganda or website shutdowns that can impact voter turnout.No doubt, there are, and always will be, continued online fraud phishing scam and other types of clickbait to watch out for. On Tuesday, there will problems with voting machines, unhappy people, hackers on the loose and much more. How do I know? Because weve seen elections with these issues before.There are cyberattacks every day, and the most successful online attacks areSo with many other technology and security industry experts, I think Election Day cyberattack risks are overblown . Yes  I think the good guys are ready for this upcoming week in cyberspace and in your polling place.And I say again: I think you can trust the vote.
Airplane manufacturers around the world have been exhibiting their aircraft for private use at the ongoing Airshow China in south China's Zhuhai, with companies looking to capture a piece of the growing Chinese market.

Aircraft for private ownership from Airbus, Bombardier, Gulfstream and other companies have shown up in Zhuhai.

Reportedly, the same model owned by actor Jackie Chan can also be seen here.

Over the past years, China has seen an increasing demand for private jets.

Since entering the Chinese market five years ago, German gyroplane manufacturer AutoGyro has sold 50 gyroplanes in China, with 30 sold this year.

"We just have a certain number of hours a day. If I can get there quicker, and if I could get there ahead of my competition, I would be more competitive. So the private jet is a tool to let you do that," Bill Schults told CCTV News.

Shults is the Senior Vice President of Textron Aviation, one of world's leading manufacturers of private business planes.

However, along with a rising demand for planes, China now faces a shortage of pilots.

Schults said in an interview with CCTV that China annually needs 5,000 pilots and that there is a significant shortage. As more pilot training schools are being established, many challenges still remain.

Many people do not know how to apply for flying permits after buying a private jet.

China has not fully opened its low attitude flying zone, which also limits the usage of private jets.

China has shown clear determination to boost the development of its civil aviation industry.

The State Council, China's cabinet, announced a plan in May to build more airports throughout the country. The plan, when fully carried out, will see 500 airports across China by 2020.
BEIJING, Nov. 6 -- A total of 66 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been added to China's New Third Board this week.

The number of companies listed on the board was 9,384 as of Nov. 4 and represents China's efforts to encourage the development of SMEs amid downward economic pressure.

Turnover on the board reached 4.74 billion yuan (around 707.46 million U.S. dollars) last week, according to RoyalFlush Information, a financial information service provider.

The New Third Board, or National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ) system, is a national system for SMEs to transfer shares and raise funds.

It began life in 2006 as an experimental platform for non-listed small high-tech enterprises in Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park. The present system was officially established on Jan. 16, 2013 after trials in cities including Shanghai, Tianjin and Wuhan.

It complements the existing stock exchange, the SME board and the ChiNext board. The board is seen as an easy financing channel with low costs and simple listing procedures.
The National Science Foundation has released a new funding opportunity for NRI (National Robotics Initiative) 2.0 ( NSF 17-518 ) that will award up to a total of around $45 million to accepted research projects. The estimated award ceiling is $1,500,000; the estimated floor is $300,000.

The goal of the US National Robotics Initiative (NRI), launched in 2011 by President Obama, is to support fundamental research that will accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside or cooperatively with people.

The original NRI program focused on innovative robotics research that emphasized the realization of collaborative robots (co-robots) working in symbiotic relationships with human partners.

The new NRI-2.0 program significantly extends this theme to focus on issues of scalability: how teams of multiple robots and multiple humans can interact and collaborate effectively; how robots can be designed to facilitate achievement of a variety of tasks in a variety of environments, with minimal modification to the hardware and software; how robots can learn to perform more effectively and efficiently, using large pools of information from the cloud, other robots, and other people; and how the design of the robots hardware and software can facilitate large-scale, reliable operation.

In addition, the NRI 2.0 program will support innovative approaches to establish and infuse robotics into educational curricula; advance the robotics workforce through education pathways; and explore the social, behavioral, and economic implications of our future with ubiquitous collaborative robots.

The NRI 2.0 program is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the US Department of Defense (DOD).
GREENWICH Polls are set to open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Greenwichs voting locations. Officials are bracing for a large turnout.

Although Connecticut allows people to register on Election Day itself, local voters cannot register at the polls. They must register at Town Hall.

Democratic Registrar of Voters Sharon Vecchiolla said the town had hired temporary staff to handle as many as 400 people registering on Tuesday. She cautioned that even with more staff, the waits could be so long that newly registered voters wont make it to the polls in time.

By the end of the official registration period last Tuesday, 37,065 people were listed on Greenwichs voting rolls, a jump from 2012, when 36,726 people were registered to vote. In contrast, 30,383 people were registered to vote in 2015s municipal elections. Town Clerk Carmella Budkins said her office sent out more than 4,000 absentee ballots this year.

While the clash between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump for the presidency has dominated national headlines, Greenwich residents will see other familiar names on their ballots.

Incumbent State Sen. L. Scott Frantz is running against Democratic challenger John Blankley to represent the 36th District; incumbent State Rep. Fred Camillo is in a contentious race with Democrat Dita Bhargava in the 151st district.

Both Frantz and Camillo are seeking their fifth terms in office. State Reps. Livvy Floren (R-149th) and Michael Bocchino (R-150th) are running unopposed.

Also on the ballot: incumbents U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th), who are both Greenwich residents, are running for new terms. Blumenthal is opposed by Republican State Rep. Dan Carter and Himes is challenged by Republican State Rep. John Shaban.

Both Republican Town Committee Chairman Stephen Walko and Democratic Town Committee Chairman Jeff Ramer predicted a high local turnout, in part because of the controversies on the national campaign trail.

There has been a lot of increased activity at our party headquarters, Walko said on Friday. People are coming in and theyre not only making sure they know where to vote but they want to learn more about our candidates and their stances on the issues. Thats been very good to see.

Ramer said he believed Trumps presence at the top of the Republican ticket could drag down Republicans, giving Democrats an opportunity.

There are two candidates in this race that have been very polarizing to the electorate, Ramer said. People do not have benign attitudes toward either of the candidates. There are going to be people who will find it hard to vote for Trump and ... it could be a reason for some moderate Republicans to stay home.

Locally, Greenwich generally favors a Republican candidate. In 2008, Barack Obama beat Republican John McCain in Greenwich, the first time a Democrat took a majority of Greenwich resident votes since 1964, when Lyndon Johnson famously blew out Republican Barry Goldwater nationwide in a landslide.

In 2012, nearly 82 percent of Greenwichs registered voters and 4,197 absentee voters cast a ballot, the majority for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

kborsuk@scni.com
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GREENWICH  Kai Sherwin can speak to an audience.

The 17-year-old Greenwich High senior has honed the skill over the time as an essayist, a student news blogger and, most recently, representing his demographic for a four-minute segment for MSNBCs We the Students feature.

Sherwin said he was probably chosen for the show because he was easy to characterize: a New England moderate Democrat and, most notably, a writer

Ive had a good amount of experience in the past six months being in front of a camera, being interviewed, he said. I had always known that public speaking and expressing your opinion in a good way, in a thoughtful way, was important, but the past six months have really shown me the importance.

His guest appearance at 30 Rockefeller Plaza with MSNBC news anchor Craig Melvin which started with a 7 a.m. limo ride and included summing up GHS student feeling about the upcoming presidential election (Its very divided) is one episode in a string of recent accomplishments by the teen.

For the past few months, he has periodically created blog posts and videos for the Channel One News Team OneVote series, a program which profiles eight diverse high schoolers across the country and reaches 6,300 schools and more than 4 million students daily.

Sherwins writing talents are really what got him noticed by Channel One, he said. One of three editors-in-chief for the GHS Beak student newspaper, Sherwin won the Yale University Buckley Essay Contest in 2015 for his piece on how political correctness is the greatest threat to free speech.

I actually forgot about the deadline until the day of, he said. So I spent a Saturday night doing it in a few hours, which is not the best way to enter a contest, but I did it nonetheless.

A few months after his Yale win, Sherwin applied and was selected as one of Huffington Posts teen contributors.

His 12 blog posts for the media giant have varied from the role of the media in politics to the true weight of the phrase living in the moment to his generations stand-out entrepreneurs.

Sherwins own resume includes the title of entrepreneur: Along with GHS Senior Spencer Grabel, Sherwin is the co-founder of a drone company that specializes in aerial real estate photography and cinematography.

We found out that aerial photography was a thing, said Sherwin, but the realtor would call a company that specialized in it, and the company would have a helicopter or a plane with a photographer in it fly over a swath of town.

"So we thought, why not take it to the next level? he said. And ... use a drone. The drone, in our opinion, is a perfect solution.

But while interested in technology and business, Sherwin said, politics has always been a passion of his.

For as long as I can remember, Ive always watched the news with my parents at night, he said. Politics have always been around me.

This election cycle has made him, like so many of his peers, more interested in politics than ever, he said.

This election has really catalyzed a lot of political thought and engagement, mostly because its so polarized, Sherwin said.

With his writing, blogging and student news shows so steeped in politics, it still came as an exciting moment when he was asked to appear on MSNBC, he said.

Appearing next to Channel One News Executive Producer Angela Hunter, Sherwin shared his political insight with Melvin.

Its been not difficult, but a very interesting, entertaining few months to talk with my peers about the election and who theyre voting for, he said.

As for himself:

I voted for Hillary Clinton, he said, referencing his schools mock election. Shes the most responsible and the most thoughtful.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
GREENWICH  For Aisling Hoey, 16, and Bella OBoyle, 16, their adventure in the U.S. began with a snapchat.

Do you want to do an exchange? Hoey asked.

The next day, the girls drafted applications to the Sacred Heart Exchange Program from their bedrooms in Dublin, Ireland. Within a week, they received their placements and booked their flights: They were heading to Greenwich.

It was quite a once-a-lifetime opportunity, said OBoyle.

Since its start more than two decades ago, Sacred Heart Greenwich has been growing its student exchange program that allows middle and upper school students to spend two to six weeks at another Sacred Heart school in the U.S. or abroad.

Last year, Sacred Heart Greenwichs program had its highest participation ever with 27 students opting in. This year, the school is on target to match that with 23 confirmed participants and 4 pending placements.

The school is currently hosting five Sacred Heart exchange students from schools in Barcelona, Spain, and Dublin, Ireland.

The growth is related to the number of locations abroad, which has expanded, and the interest of the students to have a global experience, said Upper School Exchange Contact Jenn Bensen. We also see a trend with our students looking for an opportunity to use their world language and be immersed in a new culture.

Sacred Heart sophomores can visit a Sacred Heart school on one of 27 countries, including Peru, Egypt, Scotland, Australia and Japan. For the first time this year, students can visit Sacre Couer Wien, a school in Vienna, Austria.

During their exchange, Greenwich students stay in boarding school facilities or with a host family while attending classes at a Sacred Heart School abroad. Typically, the girls also host Sacred Heart students from the schools they visited.

Sacred Heart eighth graders can also do an exchange for one week in the United States at Sacred Heart schools in New Jersey, California, Louisiana, Florida, Michigan or Texas.

The goal of the program offers our students a unique opportunity to broaden their global awareness  academically, socially and culturally  while experiencing a new level of independence within a secure environment, said Bensen.

Sacred Heart Greenwich sophomore Shantel Guzman said she signed up for the exchange program to work on her Spanish skills.

I want to put (my Spanish) to use in a place where it is just exclusively Spanish, she said.

Guzman is currently hosting Elena Pujol, 15, from Barcelona, Spain. The two have been teaching each other Spanish and American slang.

Its like the movies! said Pujol, about her impressions on Sacred Heart Greenwich. She said she had never seen school buses or lockers except in American films and television shows until she came to Connecticut.

Sacred Heart Greenwich sophomore Olivia Batal, who is hosting Aisling Hoey, said she has liked the fresh perspective that exchange students bring to Sacred Heart Greenwich.

Ive enjoyed seeing everything through fresh eyes, said Batal, who has attended the school since fifth grade. Its really interesting to see somebody else experience the school and observe the school.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
OK, we did some of the heavy lifting for you. We interviewed candidates, did some truth-squadding on their claims and offered our opinions on which of them we believe are best prepared to serve in office.

We are not suggesting our preferences are the only good candidates out there. In some cases, there were narrow distinctions between the candidates we favored and their rivals. In other cases, its simply a matter of which principles and values you embrace.

Dont envy the work our local winners have in store for them. They will sacrifice family and career time to travel to Washington, D.C., or Hartford, and while constituent work can nourish the soul, the rewards are countered by the grind, political opposition and public criticism.

Heres a summary of our endorsements. We have not cast choices in unopposed races. Now its your turn to take a stand.

U.S. President: Electing our first woman president is a pivotal next step in Americas evolution as a country with ideals that have still not been fully realized after 240 years. President Hillary Clinton is the only outcome that furthers those principles this November. The grand experiment that is the United States of America once again needs its people to collectively push it forward.

U.S. Senate: (Richard Blumenthal) has kept his focus  and his not inconsiderable muscle  on the big issues, including, but not limited to, gun safety, rail safety and fighting for the middle class and consumers by continuing the work he began as attorney general in Connecticut.

U.S. House: We endorse Jim Himes for another term and expect that he will work to make college more affordable, fix the Affordable Care Act, and reform immigration while helping the middle class and the economy with more skilled jobs in Connecticut.

State Senator, 36th District: As a member of the minority Republican Party, L. Scott Frantz has raised his voice to oppose weak bills and inappropriate taxes.

State Senator, 151st District: (Fred) Camillos reasoned approach and passion for constituent work have earned him the right to continue to represent the 151st district.

For deeper coverage, including complete endorsements and videos of candidates making their elevator pitches, go to greenwichtime.com/elections/
China's top legislature began on Saturday to review a "draft interpretation" of part of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

It's widely believed to be aimed at countering the advocacy of "Hong Kong independence."

The draft interpretation applies to Article 104 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It relates to the requirement for local officials, legislators, judges and other members of the judiciary to uphold Hong Kong's Basic Law when assuming office.

The explanation comes less than a month after a handful of Hong Kong legislators-elect publicly advocated "Hong Kong independence" and insulted the Chinese nation at the swearing-in ceremony for the sixth Legislative Council, or LegCo, of the Hong Kong SAR. Some even interrupted LegCo's normal meetings after their oath-taking was declared invalid.

Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), says the interpretation gives a clear signal against separatist attempt in the city.

"Hong Kong Independence is a serious problem. It challenges the "one country, two systems" principle and may even jeopardize the unification of the nation. It's why the interpretation should be made. The NPC is expected to release a clear signal that the central government will neither make concessions over Hong Kong Independence nor tolerate any separatist attempt."

This is the fifth time that China's top legislature has made interpretations to Hong Kong's Basic Law since 1997.

Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, former president of Hong Kong's Legislative Council, notes an interpretation takes place only when the central government thinks the situation is serious.

"Only when there is something in Hong Kong that may threaten national sovereignty, would the central government take strict measures. The central government is fully aware of the influence of its previous interpretations. It made interpretations only when it's really necessary."

Hong Kong's High Court is scheduled to give a ruling over the oath-taking incident on Monday.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, says the explanation could also provide some technical help before the court process concludes.

"The ruling is about to come out, but an appeal is very likely, which may last for a long time. Before the court process comes to an end, there is nothing that can justify whether any swearing in is valid. So from this perspective, the interpretation can also help."

The NPC delegates attending Saturday's group discussion believed it is both "timely and necessary" to make an interpretation.

A statement released after the discussion notes it is in accordance with the rights provided in the Constitution of the nation and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR for the NPC Standing Committee to give a timely legal interpretation.

The statement also acknowledged the advocacy of "Hong Kong independence" has emerged in some sections of Hong Kong society in recent years. Some people have displayed "Hong Kong independence" flags and established "Hong Kong independence" organizations and have even pursued violence.

It noted the draft interpretation is necessary for safeguarding the authority of the Basic Law and maintaining the stability of Hong Kong.

NPC lawmakers proposed that the interpretation be adopted before the bimonthly session wraps up on Monday.




Haiti - Health : 13,650 affected women will give birth in less than 90 days





The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged greater attention to womens vulnerability following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, which devastated not only peoples livelihoods but health facilities and other vital infrastructure.



"Our urgent task is to protect the health and rights of women and girls, and to ensure that their basic needs, which are often overlooked in humanitarian situations, are quickly met," declared UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin.



Of the 2.1 million people affected, about 546,000 are women of reproductive age, with an estimated 13,650 women expected to give birth in the next three months. UNFPA also estimates that 10,920 women and adolescent girls are at risk of sexual violence.



A recent joint evaluation, with the Haitian ministries of public health and womens affairs, of health infrastructure in the two worst affected departments of GrandAnse and Nippes, found that 23 of 26 facilities were affected. Of 11 facilities in GrandAnse alone, two were completely destroyed, two were closed, none have power or water, and all require health workers.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/11/06 | Source

Korea's famous haenyos or women divers who dive deep for shellfish, octopus and other seafood without breathing apparatus have come a step closer to being listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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The Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday that the haenyos have been given the green light by a sub-committee under the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The final decision will be made between Nov. 26 to Dec. 2 at a session of the committee in Ethiopia.

The CHA said a green light from the sub-committee is a virtual guarantee of final approval. The sub-committee reviewed 37 applications for listing as intangible assets this year and approved 18 of them.

Korea now has 18 entries on the intangible heritage list, including royal ancestral rites and ritual music of the Jongmyo shrine (2001), Pansori narriative songs (2003), the folk song "Arirang" (2012) and kimchi-making culture (2013).
324 arrested in China's vaccine scandal so far

The main suspect of the vaccine scandal Pan Hongwei was arrested in 2015, but the scandal was revealed in March of this year. [Photo: thepaper.com]

Another 27 suspects have been arrested for the vaccine scandal revealed last March in east China's Shandong province, adding the total number of the arrested to 324.

The number is released by Cao Jianming, procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate.

100 officials have been put under investigation under suspicion of taking bribes, abuse of power, and negligence, according to the authority.

The scandal which shocked and stunned the public was first unveiled in March, 2016.

The main suspect Pang Hongwei, a former pharmacist at a hospital in Shandong, and her 21-year-old daughter were found illegally selling 12 different kinds of vaccines, 2 kinds of immune globulin and one kind of therapeutic product across the country.

Prosecuting authorities have approved the arrests of 125 people suspected in a vaccine scandal involving 570 million yuan. [Photo: thepaper.com]

Investigation later found a trade ring surrounding Pang with 300 illegal distributors across 24 provinces and regions.

Most of the vaccines are supposed to be used for children and the elderly.

They allegedly kept the vaccines at home, at temperatures of about 14 degree Celsius, much higher than the required 2 to 8 degree Celsius for storing and transporting vaccines.

Storing at improper temperatures could make the vaccines ineffective or even harmful if used.

The vaccines are worth more than 570 million yuan or 88 million U.S. dollars, making the case the largest of its kind in China in terms of the amount of money involved.
By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2016/11/05

The film is based on the actual life of Korean Kyokushin Karate founder Choi Bae-dal, who immigrated to Japan after World War II to become a pilot. Instead, he ended up changing his name to Masutatsu Oyama, and became an unbeatable fighter.

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The script tracks his first steps in Japan, where he ends up in a military training camp, along with Choon-bae, a friend who initially tried to con him. While there, they are treated harshly by the Japanese commander Kato, in a series of events that end up with Bae-dal fighting him one on one. He loses easily, but at that moment, the Americans bombard the base and the two Koreans escape.

Later on, the two of them operate a pachinko, but are once more, tormented by the Japanese, yakuza this time. They are saved by a fellow Korean named Beom-soo, who takes them in the circus he works, and starts training Bae-dal in martial arts. Bae-dal soon becomes something of a local hero as he defends Japanese women from American soldiers. Eventually he meets a girl, Yoko, and the two of them become a couple. However, his days of joy do not last for long, as the circus troupe ends up fighting local gangsters, and losing. Bae-dal then vows not to lose a fight again and starts training rigorously in the mountains. When he finishes, he proceeds on challenging every Japanese master in the country, in a series of events that bring Kato in his life once more.

Yang Yoon-ho directs a film that is a drama as much as it is a martial arts film. In that fashion, he highlights the oppression the Koreans living in Japan had to endure from the locals, in a life that usually became unbearable. Furthermore, the acting is on a higher level than the majority of similar productions, with Yang Dong-geun as Bae-dal, Jung Doo-hong as Beom-soo and Jung Tae-woo as Choon-bae giving competent performances.

This however, does not mean that the action element is placed in the background. To the contrary, the duels between the protagonist and the Japanese experts of various styles are impressive, despite their short duration, with their focus lying on realism. Jung Doo-hong has done a great job in that department.

Shin Ik-hyun's cinematography is also extraordinary, particularly during the training sequence in the snow and the various battles. Park Soon-deok's editing is accomplished, as it gives a frantic pace to the film during the various duels, and in contrast to the rest of the movie, where the pace is regular. Lastly, the depiction of the various eras is accurate and much concern has been given to the details that highlight each of them.

Context, drama, and adequate acting make "Fighter in the Wind" a unique entry in the martial arts genre, and one of its most impressive.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Fighter in the Wind" is directed by Yang Yoon-ho and features Yang Dong-geun, Aya Hirayama, Masaya Kato, Jung Tae-woo, Jung Doo-hong and Park Sung-min.

Available on Blu-ray from YESASIA



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By Vasia Orion | Published on 2016/11/06

Je-ha is out of commission during episode fourteen of "The K2" and you would think that he is secretly the President, because everything collapses around him. All of our antagonists gather like panicked, hungry vultures over our hero and the new plot device USB, new obstacles appear and Ahn-na is left temporarily exposed, alone and defenseless against Yoo-jin and her desire to see Ahn-na gone.

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The series has reached the lowest point it can hit consistently- and story-wise in this episode. This is a common result of live filmed material further exacerbated by an already badly constructed concept. The flashbacks are constant, even for scenes we witness minutes before them and even a dramatic near-death experience is turned into an awkward romantic montage and Subway product placement. "Their sandwiches are to die for" says the series as Je-ha (Ji Chang-wook) fights for his life.

Speaking about the romance, the drama opts for noble idiocy on behalf of Ahn-na (Yoona) and uses it to enhance Yoo-jin's (Song Yoon-ah) evil status, which has kicked into high gear as of late. I do not feel Ahn-na being as naive is out of character at all and I would have no problem with sacrifices from her and Je-ha if they arrived earlier and for a fleshed out romance, but theirs has been so poorly developed and we are two episodes away from the end.

The biggest problem with these sacrifices is that they add another mess to sort in just these two remaining episodes. It feels as if the the creators are trying so hard to inject hooks for viewers to latch on to and stay with the drama until the end that they have given up on considering where those hooks will lead. A romance, a main antagonist's fate, a revenge, shifting of loyalties and even the country's future hanging in the balance is just too much.

Shifting loyalties is a concept ripe with dramatic potential and so it is not a problem in the right context, but the ever so regretful lack of back story ruins the day once again. What is Yoo-jin's past with her three main subordinates? Kim (Shin Dong-mi) disobeys her, Kook (Ko In-beom) betrays her and Joo (Jeon Bae-soo) latches on for whatever reason, but there is no gravity to any of these actions.

At this point there is no possible way to address all of these new issues or wrap all the plot points up gracefully, not that the series has been very graceful to begin with. At least Ji Chang-wook probably got to sleep while playing injured. My sympathies to the hardworking cast and (most of the) crew and a thank you for doing their jobs diligently.

"The K2" is directed by Kwak Jeong-hwan, written by Jang Hyeok-rin and features Ji Chang-wook, Song Yoon-ah, Yoona and Cho Seong-ha.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Note: Due to licensing, videos may not be available in your country
Published on 2016/11/06 | Source

Samsung Electronics has been named the most-loved brand in Russia for the sixth straight year, the company said on Sunday.

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Russian market researcher OMI surveyed 1,500 people living in cities with a population of at least 1 million about their brand preferences.

German sportswear brand Adidas came second, followed by Japan's Sony and Apple of the U.S.

By category, Samsung took first place in white goods for the eighth year in a row, in TV and audio for the sixth straight year, and in smartphones for the fourth straight year.
Published on 2016/11/06 | Source

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken (front right) enjoys sundubu jigae or tofu stew with U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert (front left) in Jongno, Seoul on Friday during his visit to Korea, in this photo posted on his Twitter account.

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U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Korea last week.

He posted a photo on his Twitter account of him enjoying sundubu jigae or tofu stew with U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert in Jongno, Seoul on Friday.

Not only Lippert, but former U.S. ambassadors to Korea such as Sung Kim and Kathleen Stephens also reportedly liked the stew.
ISTANBUL, Nov. 6 -- Two men opened fire into the air at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in the wee hours of Sunday, prompting a brief ban on movement in one of the busiest airports in the world.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin tweeted that the incident happened when police intended to stop two men on a motorcycle at the main entrance of the airport.

"The duo disobeying stop warning opened fire into the air," Sahin wrote, noting the two men were detained later.

The firing prompted the authorities to bar people from moving in and out of the airport for a while.

The police did not find any weapon or explosive about the men creating the chaos, said the governor.

According to the Hurriyet daily, one of the man is Turkish while the other is a Syrian national.

The firing occurred at a time when the situation has been tense in Turkey in the wake of the arrest of nine lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, including the party's co-chairs.

The authorities blamed them for not appearing in a terrorism investigation, a charge denied by the detainees.

Hours after the detention on Friday, a car bomb was detonated in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, killing 11 people and wounding at least 100 others.

The Ataturk Airport came under triple suicide bombing attacks in late June, in which 44 people were killed.
When Is an Interstate Agreement Not an Agreement?

by Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii, November 6, 2016

For a very long time, states have been wrestling with the problem of how much to tax entities operating in more than one state. States generally are not willing to simply let the taxpayer decide how much to report in each jurisdiction in which it does business (which happens to be the system used for federal tax) because, if left to their own devices, some taxpayers will report more of their income in jurisdictions where the tax rate is not so high, or will play other games that the tax authorities don't like.

In the 1950s and 60s, a group of states, worried that the federal government was going to solve the problem in a way that nobody liked, got together and came up with an agreement called the Multistate Tax Compact. The Compact, which took effect in 1967, said that taxpayers could calculate the percentage of property, payroll, and sales done in each state, and then average the three percentages for each state. The product of that percentage and the taxpayers net income would be the amount of income taxed by that state. That formula was written into the Compact so taxpayers could have the option to apply it. Hawaii was one of the states that adopted the Compact.

After a decade or two, the inevitable happened. Some states legislatures thought they could improve upon the Compact formula. Florida was the first to depart from it in 1972, mandating that taxpayers use a modified formula where sales was given double the weight of the other factors, regardless of what the Compact said. Other states, probably the biggest of which was California, adopted the same modification.

In 2006 or so, several big companies, such as Gillette, the razor maker, sued California. The companies said that the Compact gave them a right to have their taxes computed under the original formula, not the altered one. It just so happened that the plaintiffs tax bills would be $34 million less under the original formula. Their argument was quite simple: states had made an agreement, and no state had the right to alter just part of it. Gillette argued that the Compact allowed California two choices, namely opt in to the Compact, so that it would be bound to the original formula among other things, or opt out by taking the steps specified in the Compact to get out of it altogether. The California Court of Appeal was persuaded by this logic, and ruled for Gillette.

The California Franchise Tax Board appealed to the California Supreme Court, which saw the situation differently. It viewed the Compact and the Multistate Tax Commission, the agency created by it, as parts of a system that merely recommends uniform legislation to the member states, so states were free to adopt or decline to adopt all or pieces of those uniform laws under their own legislative processes. The Commission itself supported that interpretation (perhaps motivated by the fact that California contributes a very large amount toward the Commissions budget). Several states in fact passed variants of the original three factor formula, and only a handful, including Hawaii, kept the original formula. Neither the Commission nor any of the Compact states ever put up a fuss about those states failures to toe the line. The court found that the states didnt bind themselves to an apportionment formula in the Compact, and entered judgment for the Franchise Tax Board.

Gillette then went to the only place left: to the Supreme Court of the United States. On October 11, that court denied review without explanation.

To understand what happened here, here is the text of Article III of the Compact:

Any taxpayer subject to an income tax whose income is subject to apportionment and allocation for tax purposes pursuant to the laws of a party State or pursuant to the laws of subdivisions in two or more party States may elect to apportion and allocate his income in the manner provided by the laws of such State or by the laws of such States and subdivisions without reference to this compact, or may elect to apportion and allocate in accordance with Article IV.

That language doesnt sound like a model law which states are free to adopt or modify. It gives a taxpayer the right to choose between the formula provided by the laws of the state, and the Compact formula in Article IV.

Politics may have prevailed over justice in California, but the issue is being litigated in other states. Maybe other states will have the courage to treat an agreement as, well, an agreement.
Better Ways to Fix Traffic on Oahu

by Aaron Lief, Grassroot Institute, Oct 27, 2016

Honolulu drivers sitting under the shadow of a behemoth rail system have a lot of time to wonder, What couldve been done instead of rail? Dr. Panos Prevedouros, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has offered a number of solutions that could still be done  and wouldnt cost very much.

What could Hawaii have done for the price of the rail? According to Dr. Prevedouros, simply updating the stoplight system would make a significant impact. By tinkering with the traffic lights, its possible to reduce traffic by 14,000 cars every year.

Another quick solution involves opening contraflow lanes, an idea that has been implemented on Kapiolani Boulevard with much success. By adding a few contraflow lanes on highly traveled routes such Nimitz Highway and Dillingham Boulevard, traffic capacity would increase by 55% in the mornings and 60% in the evenings. These two solutions  which could be implemented fairly quickly  would amount to less than 1% of rail costs.

Additionally, Dr. Prevedouros identified room for improvement within Hawaiis infrastructure in the form of an underpass. Imagine approaching a red light; instead of slowing down, you continue underground and zip out on the other side of the road, and you havent lost any time.

This underpass in Lahore, Pakistan allows traffic to fly under without waiting for the stop light.

In 2004, Dr. Prevedouros pinpointed four highly congested intersections which were perfect candidates for an underpass system. By placing underpasses at these strategic locations, Oahu would see an 11% reduction in rush hour traffic time.

According to Dr. Prevedouros, building an underpass system would cost peanuts compared to the cost of the rail, at a mere $15 to $50 million. An animated simulation of the proposed Nimitz/Bishop underpass can be seen here.

Traffic simulation at Pali Highway and Vineyard Boulevard, before the underpass.

Traffic simulation at Pali Highway and Vineyard Boulevard after an underpass.

Other solutions mentioned by Dr. Prevedouros include an improved bus system, an elevated express lane, and a ferry system, all of which would have been less expensive than the rail, combined.

Even after implementing these solutions, the Department of Transportation could have constructed a $6 billion underwater tunnel from Ewa Beach to downtown Honolulu, and the cost would still be far less than current rail projections. Plus, an underwater tunnel would cut travel time from the west side to Honolulu down from 60 minutes to only 6 minutes!

Instead, Oahu drivers will likely see more traffic, even after the rail is completed. Dr. Prevedouros said, By 2030, were going to have tremendous congestion, because essentially, we threw all our transportation money to a boondoggle that not a lot of people are going to use.

For more solutions to Hawaiis traffic problems, check out a video of Dr. Prevedours full lecture, How to Solve Traffic Problems in Hawaii.
Build up, build out, or accept Hawaiis high cost of living

by Aaron Lief, Grassroot Institute, Nov 4, 2016

For most residents of Hawaii, the high cost of living is a small price to pay in order to call the islands home. I, like many others, sacrificed a higher paying job and mainland prices in order to continue my life hereand I would make that decision again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, as the cost of living continues to increase, many people will be forced to move away, or settle for substandard living conditions.

So what can we do? For starters, we could look at what isnt working. Hawaii lawmakers require developers to build affordable housing, which is a laudable goal; any time a developer wants to build a project, 25% of the new units must be affordable housing. However, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found that this well-meaning policy actually led to a reduction in affordable housing. Oops.

Some people believe rent control is the answer. But as weve written before, this also reduces housing options. Even if rent control were implemented, it wouldnt change the fact that there simply arent enough homes for Hawaii residents.

It comes down to supply and demand. If there are more available houses than people, the cost of living will go down. However, if there are more people than houseswhich is the current case in Hawaiithe cost of living increases. That gives us two options: increase the supply of housing, or decrease the demand.

Increasing supply in Hawaii can be difficult. The public generally frowns on new housing projects, even though they may wish for a better house for themselves. Its a catch-22; while many people say that they dont want to see mass urbanization of Hawaiis agricultural and conservation land, they also want to see more affordable housing for our residents.

But red tape adds another hurdle. Hawaiis regulations are the most restrictive in the nation for new developments. Less than 5% of Hawaiis land mass is zoned for urban development. This leaves 95% of the land in Hawaii for conservation and agriculture, but that means its almost impossible to build out.

If we dont want to expand out, then the solution is simple: build upward. Building taller buildings would conserve open space while providing more housingand ultimately lower home prices.

If the solution seems too good to be true, its because it is. Hawaiis zoning laws generally limit buildings to no more than 25 feet in residential neighborhoods, and 350 feet in downtown Honolulu. Changing these laws would be difficult since many residents are worried about losing their view.

At the end of the day, we cant have it both ways. Either we build or we dont. But it may be time to accept that creative solutions to housing development may be the best chance for a future in Hawaii where locals can finally stay in paradise.
Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla was on his way to Iran on Sunday to try to strike new oil deals, sources close to his delegation said at Cairo airport, after Saudi Arabia suspended its oil agreement last month, Reuters reported.

After that suspension, Egypt voted in favor of a Russian-backed U.N. resolution on Syria in October that excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo, which Saudi Arabia strongly opposed.

Saudi Arabia has showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid since 2013, when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted elected Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and banned the Islamist movement, which Riyadh opposes.

The Saudi deal was for 700,000 tonnes of oil products a month for five years under a $23 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) to be paid off over 15 years.

Molla is set to meet several senior Iranian officials to discuss the possibility of securing oil supplies from Tehran, one source, who accompanied Molla to the airport, said.

His visit to Iran, Saudi Arabia's main regional rival, may signal a further rift between Egypt and its top benefactor.

Molla said last month it was unclear when the Saudi oil deliveries would resume and Saudi Arabia has provided no reason for their suspension.
We're not closing Edneyville school, commissioners say

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners has no plans to close Edneyville Elementary School, two commissioners and the county manager said last week.



Saying that a letter they sent Oct. 11 to the School Board had been misinterpreted, Commission Chair Tommy Thompson, Commissioner Bill Lapsley and County Manager Steve Wyatt seemed to rule out closing Edneyville, the last of the countys 23 public schools to claim the Yellow Jacket mascot. School closings are a sensitive topic in the apple country, which is still smarting 23 years after the School Board replaced Edneyville High School with the new North Henderson High School, which adopted the Knight as its mascot.

In interviews with the Hendersonville Lightning, the commissioners and Wyatt said the letter's chief point was that there may be a less expensive way to accommodate the school facility needs for the elementary age population in the northern part of the county.

We have never indicated and we have no intention of ever closing that school, Thompson said. Thats the furthest thing from our thoughts. We are not interested and no one has ever said we just need to close it. Thats never been a part of the conservation. The conservation revolved around the statistics that the School Board themselves gave us well over a year ago showing an enrollment decline in three years. When you have Clear Creek, Edneyville, Sugarloaf, Dana and Upward so very close together (it was clear) that there was plenty of capacity," Thompson said. "So as far as Edneyville is concerned we cannot think or believe that the capacity is the driving matter that makes them want a brand new school.

School Board members have not said that more classroom space is the reason they favor a replacement; they have cited concerns about trailers, inadequate library space and generally deteriorating conditions as the main reason for a new school.

Responding to the School Boards letter conveying the unanimous view that a new Edneyville Elementary is a higher priority than Hendersonville High School, commissioners said it appeared enrollment projections dont justify a new school at a cost of $25 million.

A compelling case for the construction of a new elementary school simply has not been presented, commissioners said. Projections show enrollment declining by 110 students by the 2019-20 school year, the commissioners said.

Edneyville Elementary School's parent association met Tuesday night during which four School Board members and associate schools superintendent John Bryant all said the administration and the elected School Board had no desire to close the school.

Thompson, who lives in Dana and is in the Board of Commissioners district that includes Edneyville, addressed parents' concern that no commissioners attended the meeting.

We werent invited, he said. Didnt know it was taking place. You dont go where youre not invited.

Lapsley also sought to assure Edneyville folks that a school closing is not planned.

Commissioners have never  not in my presence  made any comment or indicated or suggested that they would close Edneyville Elementary School, he said.

We discussed it individually amongst ourselves and we had seen numbers that suggest rather than build an entirely new school the county could renovate the existing school. The suggestion was made that perhaps the new students could if they live out on the fringes of the district, that Sugarloaf or Dana may in fact be closer and that would save having to expand the capacity of Edneyville.

Lapsley said that approach, if the School Board and county commissioners agreed to it, would not involve pulling any existing pupils from Edneyville.

Again the bottom line is were trying to save the taxpayers money, he added. If we could move 20 Edneyville students into other schools that have excess capacity then we could save $2 or 3 million. If we can handle those people in existing schools rather than pay for expanding and adding new classrooms at Edneyville that makes sense to me.

Wyatt said that he had not been involved in any conversation or overheard any conversation that involved the closing of that school.

What we have talked about is what is the best way to approach the need for serving students in that community, he said. The School Boards own statistics show that the census of those students is falling but what Im hearing from folks in that area are issues of distance to the current location. One thing I talked to a couple of county commissioners about is should it be one school or is there a location somewhere else where instead of a 700 capacity school maybe you build 350 or 400 and maybe you go north or some other direction where the transportation issue is less.

Lets be clear, Wyatt said. I dont know. I just ask those questions. There are a lot of questions that have to be asked and answered before you spend $25 million.

The key to this thing is continuing the conversation, he said. Do I think there will be more conversation face to face with the School Board and county commissioners? Ive been advocating for that and the commissioners certainly are interested in that. After the School Board election I think youll see more conversation about the Hendersonville High School project and Edneyville project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

As of today, expenditures within the implementation of the SOCAR Polymer project, which envisages the construction of plants in Azerbaijan on the production of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene, amounted to $340 million, Farid Jafarov, general manager of SOCAR Polymer, told reporters in Sumgait.

Jafarov said that the work on construction of the polypropylene plant continues in line with the schedule.

Currently, the engineering work at the plant for the production of polypropylene has been completed by 95 percent, purchases  by 90 percent, and construction work  by almost 30 percent, said Jafarov. The project is planned to the completed in the first quarter of 2018.

As for the high-density polyethylene plant, we are even ahead of the schedule by 3-4 percent, he noted it will be completed in mid-summer 2018 and the production will start.

He said also that Russias Gazprombank JSC allocated about $230 million out of the banks $489-million loan for the project.

Total cost of the SOCAR polymer project is $750 million. The project is being implemented in the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park (SCIP) of Azerbaijan.

At the initial stage, production capacity will be 120,000 tons of polyethylene and 180,000 tons of polypropylene. The total capacity could reach 570,000 tons by 2021.

Thirty percent of the plants output will be sent to domestic market, while 70 percent  for export to Turkey, Europe and CIS countries, according to project estimates.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Fatih Karimov  Trend

Irans petrochemical exports to the European countries have increased by 200 percent during the first seven month of current Iranian fiscal year(started March 20), Ali Mohammad Bossaqzadeh, director of production control at National Petrochemical Company (NPC), said.

Bossaqzadeh also said that Irans petrochemical output has increased by 6 percent to 28.7 million tons in the same period, SHANA news agency reported.

He further said that among the countries 21 petrochemical complexes Kermanshah Polymer Complex, Polinar, Kargh and Khorasan plants witnessed an output over their actual production capacity.

The countrys total petrochemical export has registered a rise by 4 percent year-on-year, Bossaqzadeh said.

Asian countries like China and India are Iran's top petrochemical customers, he said, adding that Tehran is currently exporting petrochemicals to various European destinations including Germany, Hungary and the UK.

He said NPC's strategy is to keep the price of products abreast with the Middle East and Far East markets in order to diminish price fluctuations.

Iran produced 46.4 million tons of petrochemicals during the last fiscal year (ended March 20), but for the current year, the figure is planned to reach 54.7 million tons.

The countrys actual petrochemical output capacity is around 63 million tons per year.

Iran hopes to bring the capacity to 120 million tons by 2020 and 160 million tons by 2025.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Israel is considering the possibility to transport its gas to Europe via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey, Israels Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dan Stav said in an interview with Trend.

"This is a very interesting option for us," Stav said. "We have to study carefully all the relevant questions  political, economic, economic viability, but it is certainly an option that will be duly considered, because we want this market. Turkey is also a big market, a very important market."

A big discovery of gas and to a lesser extent oil in 2009 and especially 2010 was a kind of gift from Heaven for Israel, the ambassador said.

"Obviously the quantity of gas that probably exists is enormous," he noted. "It is much more that Israel will need. For example, the estimation for the gas fields that have been explored is between 750 bcm and 900 bcm. Israels gas consumption today stands at 8.5 bcm and in 2030 consumption might grow to 18 bcm."

"You see that there is a huge gap between our demand and the size of the gas storage," he said. "What we want is to export it. We are lucky in the sense that there is a big market not far away from us  the EU. Now there is a question how to export it. There are all kind of options discussed."

There are discussions on possibility of joining of Israeli gas to TANAP, Stav added.

The ambassador reminded that Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz visited Ankara in October and discussed this issue with Turkeys Energy Minister Berat Albayrak.

"We are trying to consider how to do it," Stav said. "Such projects take years. There are a lot of technical issues, and other issues - where to lay the pipeline, who will buy the gas, whether it will go to Turkey and through the TANAP to Europe. Many questions are yet to be decided. Only then the decision will be endorsed. There are a number of options, so we have to calculate which one is the most preferred."

"We follow with great interest developments regarding TANAP and TAP," the ambassador noted. "We understand the importance of these projects to Azerbaijan and other countries  Turkey and Europe."

Stav went on to add that Israels political relations with Turkey are improving, while Israels relations with Azerbaijan are excellent.

"It is certainly an important aspect in our relations with both Azerbaijan and Turkey," he said.

At the same time, the ambassador reminded that among the other options for transportation of Israels gas to Europe, the country is considering the possibility of LNG supplies through Egypt, as well as via pipeline through Cyprus to Greece.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The length of TANAP is 1,800 kilometers with the initial capacity of 16 billion cubic meters.

Around six billion cubic meters of this gas will be delivered to Turkey and the remaining volume will be supplied to Europe.

The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018, and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipelines construction, the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.



TANAP shareholders are Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR (58 percent), BOTAS (30 percent) and BP (12 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Desmond T. Doss stood as straight as an honest mans word.

President Harry S. Truman smiled and placed Americas highest honor possible for a soldier upon him. The day was Oct. 12, 1945. Before God and country, the man who wouldnt kill was honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor for having saved.

Now on Friday Doss, who died in 2006 at age 87, will grace the silver screen when the Mel Gibson-directed feature film, Hacksaw Ridge, opens nation-wide. It screens locally at theaters including Cinemark Tinseltown in Bristol, Virginia, Abingdon Cinemall in Abingdon, and at Marquee Cinemas at The Pinna-cle in Bristol, Tennessee.

I saw a love story wrapped in carnage, Desmond Doss Jr., Doss son, said. Its very graphic. Its so true to life.

Hacksaw Ridge brands as factual, he said.

The movie depicts the Lynchburg native at home and at war. From small town Virginian and Seventh-Day Adventist to conscientious objector during World War II and particularly the Battle at Okinawa in Japan, Doss became a national he-ro.

This movie, near as I can tell, is a love story, Doss Jr., who lives in Ilwaco, Washington, said. Its about a man. He loved his church. He loved his mom. He loved the men he served with even when they didnt like him. He loved his country.

Doss hometown has through the years honored him in myriad ways. A school in Lynchburg, the Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy, bears his name.

Drafted into the United States Army in 1942, Doss entered World War II as a medic who defiantly refused to carry a gun and thus kill a fellow human being. He was a nonviolent man caught in a maze of violence who performed extraordi-narily with intent upon saving lives. Thats depicted well within Gibsons movie.

I told Mel Gibson that it was the right movie at the right time, Doss Jr. said. He put his heart and soul into this.

Andrew Garfield, who played Spider-Man/Peter Parker in 2012s The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel, portrays Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge.

I went to the premiere, saw it (at The National WWII Museum) in New Orle-ans, Doss Jr. said. They also showed it to me about a month ago in a pri-vate setting. Andrew Garfield, he put his heart and soul into this. This was no slouch part.

Apropos, given that Desmond Doss was no slouch of a man.

You couldnt even tell everything the guy did because it becomes almost unbelievable, said Gibson to the Associated Press at the films premiere.

Within Beyond Glory, an oral account from Medal of Honor winners, Doss referred to a poster that hung within his home as a child. It depicted a club-wielding Cain as he stood over his brother, Abel, whom he had killed. The Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer were included in the poster, which his fa-ther had bought at auction.

And when I looked at that picture, I came to the Sixth Commandment, Thou shalt not kill, Doss said in Beyond Glory. I wondered, how in the world could a brother do such a thing? It put a horror in my heart of just killing, and as a result I took it personally: Desmond, if you love me, you wont kill.

Therein lies the core of Hacksaw Ridge.

This is who my dad was, Doss Jr. said. This comes from his insides. When you see this movie, youll see that there were things that internalized his convictions.

Steadfast upon a Thou shalt not kill credo, Doss was nonetheless sent overseas as part of the 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, in 1944. To Guam and the Philippines he went and served as a combat medic. He won the Bronze Star while there.

He did this kind of stuff over and over, Doss Jr. said. It wasnt just a one-time event.

Okinawa, Japan, followed for Private Doss and the men with whom he accompa-nied in 1945. On May 5, a Saturday, atop Hacksaw Ridge at Okinawa, the Japa-nese attacked. It was there and despite vast numbers of American G.I.s having been deterred, Doss remained to save the wounded left behind and atop the ridge.

Gibsons Hacksaw Ridge focuses on that day and its immediate aftermath.

I talked with three vets from Okinawa, Doss Jr. said. They said it de-picted it exactly as it was.

Unsurprisingly, Hacksaw Ridge bears an R rating. Its display of heads exploding, bodies burning and limbs torn apart is not for the faint of heart. However, heart aplenty fills the film.

It gave me a whole new respect for my father, Doss Jr. said. Ive heard his story, but seeing it brings it into living color.

Doss earned the Medal of Honor for his above-and-beyond heroism as performed on Okinawa. It officially heralds him for having saved 75 men on Hacksaw Ridge.

An occasional book and movie hit the marketplace through the decades there-after. For instance, in April 1946 a volume of True Comics featured Doss. A decade later, Doss stepped into the small screen for an episode of This Is Your Life in 1959.

Mostly, Doss resisted such attention.

He always said that he wanted the glory to go to God and not him, Doss Jr. said. He was a very quiet man. Not a lot of fanfare. He was a regular, ordinary human being.

Still, biographies followed. Volumes included 1967s The Unlikeliest Hero and Adam Palmers The Medic: Miracle on Hacksaw Ridge. Doss also turns up in Bill OReilly and Martin Dugards Killing the Rising Sun, a current bestseller.

People had wanted to do films and books, an endless stream, and I saw him turn them down, Doss Jr. said. I think he would be very appreciative of (Hacksaw Ridge). This is factual.

Doss lived most of his remaining years after the war in Rising Fawn, Geor-gia. Hes buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

My dad was an ordinary man, Doss Jr. said, who did extraordinary things.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 6

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

The international conference Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan (OGT 2016) will be held Dec. 7-8, 2016 in Ashgabat, said a message from the countrys oil and complex.

As part of the event, a discussion will be held on the organization of financing of big oil and gas and infrastructure projects, including the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

Top managers of the countrys oil and gas sphere will be among main speakers of the OGT 2016.

Representatives of Russian Energy Ministry, the European Commission, US State Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), as well as representatives of ministries of India, Afghanistan and Pakistan will be among foreign participants of the conference.

Afghan Gas Corporation, ARETI, BOTAS, BP, Buried Hill Energy, CIFAL, CNPC, Dow Oil, Gas & Mining, Dragon Oil, GAIL, Galkynysh Pipeline Company, Huawei Tech. Investment Co, Ltd , Hyundai Engineering Co, Ltd, LG International, Pakistan Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited, Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, Samsung C&T, Shell, SICK AG, SOCAR, Sumitomo Corporation Europe Ltd., Total and other companies will be represented during the conference.

The OGT conference, held in Ashgabat in 2015, was attended by 600 delegates from 36 countries.
Who were the top Washington County football performers in Week 9?

Big plays and turnovers were plenty as the winners overwhelmed the losers in the final week of Washington County's regular season.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Fatih Karimov  Trend

Irans deputy Minister of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare Mohammad Amin Sazegarnejad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with obert Urazov, general director of Worldskills Russia Union on vocational training.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of Sazgarnejads visit to Moscow, Mehr news agency reported Nov. 5.

Sazegarnejad, who heads Irans Technical and Vocational Training Organization, said that Iran and Russia can launch constructive cooperation and exchange experience in the context of the vocational training.

The deal envisages holding scientific seminars, workshops and exchanging experts to boost mutual cooperation.

Submitting standards, providing training resources and equipment as well as updating the knowledge of the parties through organizing research tours, joint workshops and courses are also among the MoUs provisions.

Following the removal of international sanctions last January Iran has signed similar deals with other countries including Germany and Ireland.

Under a deal which was signed between Irans Technical and Vocational Training Organization and Germanys Education and Researches Ministry last month, the two sides are to hold a workshop in Tehran in December.

The workshop aims to strengthen mutual understanding of Iran and Germany technical and vocational and educational system.

line of the event.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci and Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, have joined a meeting on Nov. 6 in Tehran to discuss ways for expansion of trade and economic ties.



Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh has said that the two countries have implemented an agreement on preferential trade since early 2015 that has caused a push in the volume of trade ties between the two countries, SHATA news portal reported.



According to the minister, the sides have discussed adding 15 new commodities to the list of the agreed products under the preferential trade agreement between the two countries.



The minister further added that the number of the agreed products is expected to reach 200 over the current year.



Trade turnover between Iran and Turkey stood at $5.4 billion during the first seven months of 2016 and it is projected to hit $30 billion in the future.
With Election Day coming Tuesday, 10 candidates are running to fill three open seats in the Catawba County Schools (CCS) Board of Education race.

The positions are at-large so the three with the most votes get the spots.

Two of the three incumbents are seeking re-election: Ronn Abernathy and Cathy Starnes.

The current School Board Chair, Marilyn McRee is not running again. The board has seven spots total.

The other registered candidates in the board race include: Doug Brady, Becky Brittain, Donna Lutz-Carpenter, Ray Cerda, Beth Isenhour, Ron Jones, Brannon Pittman and Tracey Stracener.

A look at responses to The Records inquiries with each candidate about their reasons for seeking office and their priorities if elected:

Ronn Abernathy

Abernathy grew up in Catawba County and is a Maiden High graduate and earned a BA in Psychology and a MA in Bible and Theology.

He currently works as a Chief Court Counselor for North Carolina Department of Public Safety/Juvenile Justice/Judicial District 25.

He credits his time working in the Juvenile Justice System over the last 22 years for helping develop a good working relationship with all three school systems in the county.

Thus, four years ago I felt I had something to offer the Catawba County Board of Education, and I was elected by the good people of Catawba County in 2012, Abernathy said in a statement. Now, after serving on the board, I feel I have even more to offer both the board and the students of Catawba County because of the experience I have gained as a board member. I have a heart for young people, and I am very much concerned about their education and well-being.

While children are our future, they are also our present responsibility to make sure they have everything available to get the best education possible.

Abernathy is focused on insuring every student has an equal opportunity to learn while being in a safe environment and to be adequately equipped to go to college or a vocational school or straight into the work force.

I will also fully support our principals, assistant principals, teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitors and maintenance workers, Abernathy said. Assuring they have what is needed and essential to create a learning environment for our students.

If elected, Abernathy said he plans to continue to work wholeheartedly with the rest of the school board and the Catawba County Schools new Superintendent Matthew Stover along with all of the Central Office staff.

He will work on staying focused on the many issues we are currently facing: facility upgrades, new schools, salaries, teacher retention, school improvement plans, state and federal mandates.

Doug Brady

Brady lives in the Startown community with his wife and recently retired after 32 years with Catawba County Schools. He is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University (LRU) and earned a MSA in Educational Leadership from the University of Scranton.

He owns Doug Brady Piano Company in Hickory.

Brady sees his time as an educator giving him a good understanding of what it takes each day to educationally grow students.

I am also aware that all adults within the school environment have very important roles to fulfill that foster the development of our children, he said in a statement. Therefore, my role as a board member would be to support, encourage and help obtain what each person needs to teach, learn and lead for the future.

What I feel that Catawba County needs most as far as teacher support, student support. is to have a board that is approachable, friendly and in the buildings on a regular basis.

That creates an open line of communication and that can give the information necessary to the board and to the superintendent so the children can have every single opportunity they need to learn.

Education is my passion, but seeing a child learn is my joy. but it starts with happy teachers.

Being more visible in the schools is also important for Brady.

Im lucky in being retired somewhat and having my own business, I can set my schedule, he said. My goal is to be in the buildings on a daily basis. To be open and able to communicate back and forth with the parents, teachers and students and to feel comfortable with us so we can go back and share with Central Office staff what we hear in the schools.

Spending more time in the schools will also allow him to be there to celebrate with students and teachers when they have successes.

Knowing that I care enough to be there at these times will ensure all stakeholders that being on the board is more than a position, Brady said.

Becky Brittain

Brittain is a former teacher and currently runs a local business with her husband and has been active with the Parent Teacher Organization at Catawba Elementary. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a Master's Degree in Middle Grades Education with a concentration in Mathematics.

Im hoping to be a presence in schools, to get feedback and to make a connection with the schools, Brittain said. You have to have the support of the parents.

I can tell you from looking at the curriculum, theyre not doing whats best for the children. Theyre teaching curriculum to students instead of going in depth and being able to let them choose their topics and be able to explore more topics instead of being on testing regiments.

She would like to see students shown more options for careers after high school.

All children are not destined to go to a four-year college, she said. Community colleges are wonderful options.

The business we run is heating and air conditioning and I can tell you it is very difficult to find qualified employees. 

 think we need to address, especially in middle school and the high schools, different programs where they are exposed to different careers.

She would also like to see students have more input in what theyre studying connected to their interests.

We have to nurture this otherwise were shutting them down, Brittain said. Ive seen students in the classroom, theyve been forced to do certain tasks and they cant do it. It completely turns them off. Weve got to nurture their strengths.

She sees a connection between strengthening these kinds of programs and strengthening the countys number of skilled workers.

Brittain also learned about the outside funding schools seek and need every year as a member and officer of the PTO at Catawba Elementary. She developed programs collecting Box Tops for Fundraising Fridays as well as helping organize Spirit Wear sales, a Butter Braid fundraiser and a Fun Pasta fundraiser.

Donna Lutz-Carpenter

Carpenter has lived in Catawba County her entire life and along with her husband is a product of the Catawba County Schools system. She has a long connection with education locally and is currently a substitute teacher for CCS and Lincoln County Schools.

She attended Wingate College and Appalachian State University. Upon certification, she worked at Tuttle Middle one year, Maiden Elementary one year, and split her first year in high school between Bunker Hill and Bandys in 1986-87, where she completed her career as a full-time teacher.

Her primary reason for running is to be a voice for teachers while helping to make CCS a stronger system.

Since retirement, I have substituted in several CCS schools, Carpenter said. I have observed awesome teachers, students, administrations and staff.

I want to continue to be part of the system, and becoming a board member is a way to help strengthen Catawba County Schools.

Additionally, I am concerned with the way teachers were moved, transferred or forced to resign for poor or no apparent reasons under the previous leadership.

If elected, my goals include being a voice for all teachers, finding money to bring TAs (teacher assistants) back to elementary schools, and strengthening the central office.

Additionally, she said she is concerned with poor teacher pay and low teacher morale.

It is no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in large numbers, Carpenter said. I want to help make Catawba County a great system in which to work.

If elected, I will strive to hear the needs and concerns of teachers. When morale improves, everyone wins.

Ray Cerda

Cerda has lived in Catawba County for the last 11 years. His wife is an educator and they have four children. He works in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) as a Medical Support Assistant and is a Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) Adjunct Instructor.

Cerda is also a retired from the U.S. Navy as a Master Chief Petty Officer and hes a former instructor at St. Stephens High.

For Cerda, running for the school board is about civic duty and responsibility to give back to the community.

Specifically, the students, teachers and administration I had the honor to work for and with from 2001 to 2012 as the Naval Science Instructor at St. Stephens High School, he said in a statement.

A key focus for Cerda, if elected, includes focusing on safety  advocating the installation of seat belts for all school buses. He also would like to see the drop out age raised from 16 to 18 in the system.

He is also interested in looking at Common Core  study empirical evidence and revise standards that fit the school systems population and demographics.

Cerda would look at running a facilities assessment in the county, monitoring cleanliness, maintenance and upgrades and plan for the future by having new schools wired for technology and energy efficiency Green Schools.

He would also like to assign Literacy Specialists at all school levels and reintroduce cursive writing beginning in kindergarten.

Other initiatives would be to schedule school visits at all the schools in the system along with attending PTA meetings and meeting with Student Councils and visit the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh annually for current policy briefing and future goals and milestones.

Cerda supports increasing the supplement pay for teachers in order to stay competitive with other school districts, and he also wants to make sure teachers have the administrative support and materials needed to successfully assist students in meeting local, state and national standards.

Beth Isenhour

Isenhour recently retired from Catawba County Schools after 35 years, working both as a teacher and more recently as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. She also served as a principal (Mill Creek Middle) and assistant principal (Balls Creek Elementary) in the school system.

I think communication is the biggest concern I have with Catawba County Schools at every level, communication between the superintendent, the central office, the principals and the teachers and the parents and all the way around so its an active communication, Isenhour said. We got to get to the whys. Weve got to stop saying Were going to do this and stop giving the justifications for it.

We cant just blame it on the Department of Public Instruction. We need to get feedback from all of our stakeholders, all those who share in the education of our children.

If elected, Isenhour would focus on improved communication between the board and Central Office, the Central Office and the schools, and the district and the families served.

Communication is one of the main objectives of the District Strategic Plan, she said in a statement. Unfortunately, there is much work to be done to improve understanding and promote transparency at every level.

Isenhour also sees a need to make equity in the school system a focus for the board.

Our employees need to mirror the diverse population our schools serve, she said Equity and diversity need to be integral to the mission of our schools.

Another priority is the need to re-evaluate the major initiatives and finances used to support them. The board needs to ensure expenditures are justified. Shes concerned too often the board switches initiatives mid-stream before seeing the opportunity for students to reap the benefits.

Over the past five years our fund balance has almost been depleted beyond a safe level, but yet we have so many needs, Isenhour said. I want to be a very integral part in the financial future to see what we can do to get more money at the school level.

Ron Jones

Jones is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and has a Bachelors degree in Mathematics. Hes taught at the graduate level, wrote curriculum and managed everything from a registrar, supply logistics, facilities, and future-classroom technology implementation. His wife is also a veteran teacher.

I think the fact Im not an educator is actually an asset. Teachers are the experts, Jones said in a statement. I have a management-by-walking around attitude so I plan on being visible and accessible to teachers and parents.

What I will not do is micro-manage classrooms. What is often needed on school boards are people who understand public policy and have management experience.

If elected, his goals would include improving teacher morale, providing training opportunities, creating greater stability/predictability and implementing clear policies that put teachers first.

Teachers should be the VIP customer of administrator and county offices, Jones said. I will be an advocate for our teachers.

He also wants to create a long term strategic plan.

Predicting capital expenditures reduces the shock on the system and taxpayers, Jones said. For example, how do we ramp up and phase out ESL programs for our immigrant population?

Jones also thinks the board should examine how it can establish low cost programs that provide high yield outputs. For example, he would like to see seminars for pre-school age parents to provide information on what age appropriate home-based education practices should be occurring to prepare their children for elementary school.

Budgets are tight at every level and improving our schools through elections can prove to be disappointing because of weak economy and fiscal problems at the state level are apolitical but yet still prevents expanded funding, Jones said. Our state employee pension fund issue is one example. At the local level, we simply have to guard every penny to make it go further.

The financial burden should not be placed on classroom teachers, and I will seek ways to find funding so teachers aren't buying school supplies out of their own pocket.

Brannon Pittman

Pittman moved to Catawba County in 1998 to work as a chemist at HK Research Corporation in Hickory. His wife teaches at Oxford Elementary.

He attended Middle Tennessee State University and graduated in 1995 with a degree in Chemistry and Secondary Education.

I think a major need for Catawba County Schools is support for our teachers, Pittman said. I hear a lot of people asking me why Im running for schools. Well were doing it for the kids. We want to have better education for the children, thats the obvious reason.

But how does that look. What does that look like? The teachers of my children spend almost if not more time with my kids as I do. A lot of times, I think these teachers feel under appreciated.

In going around the county, he hears the same things from teachers, how much they love their job and put endless hours into their classes for their students.

But a lot of times they say theyre tired of the bureaucracy that comes with teaching. Im sick and tired of the paperwork, all the little things we have to do that doesnt allow me to do my job, Pittman said. What I want to do as a school board member is to support our teachers, faculty and staff and administrators to help them do their job more efficiently, take away some of this bureaucracy and let them educate our students.

Pittman would like to see the board be more involved in each of the communities.

What I mean is the School Board does not need to micromanage every principal, every teacher, he said. Thats what they hire a great superintendent for.

We have seven board members and they could spend a few hours each month at a different feeder district. find out what the needs are in that district.

His objective would be to find out what is going well at one school and share the information with the rest of the Board and the schools in the system.

Cathy Starnes

Starnes is a St. Stephens resident and said most of her contact as a current member of the CCS School Board happens in that area of the county. She and her husband help with the wrestling programs at St. Stephens High and H.M. Arndt Middle School.

Our next challenge for me is that we have to engage our children in something they want to do to make them want to stay in school, Starnes said. Statistics show if a rising ninth-grader doesnt pass those first tests or first grades at that level, the chances of them not making it to graduation are significantly higher.

At River Bend Middle we have implemented a Trout in the Classroom project where we are teaching conservation and responsibility for our natural resources and that came about by a Trout Unlimited project.

Starnes is excited to see the K64 initiative started by CVCC, a partnership with all the school systems in Catawba County. She also sees the Career/Technical Education (CTE) program in the school system as one of the highest quality programs in the state and another good pathway into a career after graduation.

Its where were training our young people to work as soon as they get out of our high schools, Starnes said. I agree, not every child is college bound. Some of them because of their parents financial needs or their financial needs or they just dont have the desire to do it, maybe then but maybe later on in life like me.

Starnes went back as an adult learner to earn a bachelors degree from Gardner-Webb University.

You can fix some of these priorities but not everything can be fixed in a single period of time, she said. Weve been working on some things currently on the Board that have taken us a couple of years to get started, so not everything is going to happen immediately.

Its those alternative choices Starnes sees as what will inspire students to be more than they think they can be after graduation.

Tracey Stracener

Stracener was a counselor at St. Stehphens High for eight years and recently went into private practice in Hickory. She earned her M.A. degree in counseling from LRU.

The reason Im running is because all four of my kids went through Catawba County Schools so I have a commitment here, Stracener said. Catawba County Schools have been amazing to my kids. Im not done yet with them. I worked with the kids. I loved working with the kids. I have a passion for education.

Stracener sees teachers as heroes.

I cant believe they get up and do what they do every day, she said. Its truly a calling. They are amazing people who do amazing things.

Its respect for educators that leads to one of her priorities if shes elected

As much money as we can give to our teachers and to support our teachers, I would love to do that, Stracener said.

She also wants to keep the work the board does as transparent as possible.

School Board meetings are at 5:30 on a Monday night, Stracener said. I dont know how many people here are doing nothing on a Monday night but a lot of us are feeding our kids and helping with homework, and we have the technology to make it a public thing.

Two things Stracener plans on focusing on if elected is the safety and security for students and provide additional resources and support teachers and staff need.

We want every child to feel secure in our schools, free of bullying and fear, she said on her website. I am a strong believer in providing more mental health care access and counseling for our students.

Stracener also sees the current relationship with CVCC as a key component in helping those students who arent ready for a four-year college, find other ways to build their futures.

Our public schools must focus first on the success of all students, she said. Educational excellence for all our children is the key to their future success and that of our county.
Amid the usual atmospherics that accompany bilateral visits, one item that stands out in Prime Minister Theresa Mays visit to India is trade, given that the post-Brexit Britain will desperately need options after potentially losing access to the European market.

There is already criticism that the focus on trade is making the May governments approach to India transactional, but official sources said a host of commercial deals are scheduled to be signed during the visit.

Read: Visa cloud over trade ties as British PM Theresa May arrives in India

Deals worth 9 billion pounds were signed during the November 2015 visit to London by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The fate of those deals or at what stage they were remain unknown, but the singular focus on trade reflects the reality that now Britain needs India more than ever.

The deals during Mays visit are expected to create 1,370 jobs in Britain, where India is already one of the job-creators in recent years. A new India-UK urban partnership is supposed to unlock opportunities worth 2 billion pounds, officials say.

The new deals include: a 1.2 million joint venture initiative between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India  to set up a state-of the-art manufacturing plant in India, supplying metro and Indian rail projects across the country; a 15 million high-end imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai to be developed by Lyca Health UK; and a 350 million investment from British start-up, Kloudpad, into high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May sits in her car after her arrival at the airport in New Delhi. (REUTERS)

The company will create a manufacturing facility and a highly advanced research and development facility allowing them to expand their global reach.

The Scotch Whisky Association, which is part of Mays delegation, will seek lowering of steep import tariffs in India, which has shown record 41 per cent growth this year and is one of the industrys largest markets.

Read: India is Britains closest friend, a leading world power: Theresa May

Also on the cards is an agreement to improve the intellectual property landscape in India with a programme of co-operation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

The UK will also commit to extend assistance to India to improve the business environment, including by providing advice on reducing regulation, tax and public administration, standards and insolvency.

The India-UK Urban Partnership on smart cities and urban development is expected to focus on Madhya Pradesh with Varanasi also set to benefit.

However, Bill Esterson, Labours Shadow International Trade Minister, said: May needs to give Indian businesses confidence in the UK economy. Foreign investors want certainty and the British Prime Minister should tell her Indian counterpart what her plan is for international Trade. Otherwise UK based Indian businesses will look elsewhere for their certainty with damaging consequences for UK jobs and our economy.

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The battle for control of the Tata empire is likely to intensify in the coming weeks as the group braces to face the possibility of more support for ousted chairman Cyrus Mistry from the boards of key group companies, similar to the way independent directors of Indian Hotels endorsed him last week.

The Tatas are looking at all options to back their decision to replace Mistry at group companies and are not ruling out seeking shareholders support.

This new stance of Bombay House is a marked departure from that till last week when there was the willingness to wait and expect Mistry to voluntarily step down from the chairmans post at group companies.

According to people familiar with the developments, the change may have been prompted by the unexpected endorsement of support for Mistrys leadership by independent directors of Indian Hotels last week, reportedly proposed by Indian Hotels MD and CEO Rakesh Sarna, who had been appointed by Mistry.

The boards of at least two large group companies are meeting soon --- Tata Steel on November 11 and Tata Motors on November 14. A show of support for Mistry at these companies can dilute the stances of Tata Sons and principal shareholder Tata Trusts.

The Tata group is marshalling support for its decision to replace Mistry. According to informed sources in Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata group, the group has all along expected Mistry to step down from the chairmans post at group companies. Now that the trend is beginning to look different, the group will take all steps required to bring the process to its logical conclusion, which could also include seeking shareholder support.

Read: The inside story of how Tata strategy leader Nirmalya Kumar got fired

A Tata Sons spokesperson did not comment on queries to verify whether such a stance by the Tatas is being explored. If it goes ahead, it could mark the beginning of an aggressive battle for control of the $103 billion Tata Group.

It will be tough for any move to oust Mistry from the chairman post of Tata Motors. By law, while the board can vote to replace him as chairman, to remove him as director it will need shareholder approval. That can be a long-drawn cumbersome process, says Sandeep Parekh, founder of Finsec Law Advisors and former executive director at Sebi.

Mistrys support from independent directors came at a time when Indian Hotels, owner of marquee properties such as the Taj group of hotels, returned to profitability. Mistrys move to improve efficiencies, sell non-core assets such as the Taj Boston in the US and to raise questions on a costly acquisition taken before he took charge, had irked sections within Tata Sons and was widely seen as one of the factors that led to his ouster.

While support at Indian Hotels came from independent directors  stalwarts such as HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and Hindustan Unilever former chairman Keki Dadiseth vouched for his competence  there are unconfirmed reports of a similar backing from a non-executive section of the Tata Motors board also.

Read: Tata Sons appoints new execs to steer group

The $42 billion automobile company that also owns Jaguar and Land Rover, has many prominent professionals as independent directors, including industrialist Nusli Wadia, veteran technocrat Raghunath Mashelkar, former IDFC founder Nasser Munjee, Eicher group chairman emeritus Subodh Bhargava, former bureaucrat Vinesh Jairath and financial services professional Falguni Nayar.

Tata Motors has already officially admitted that the Nano - a brainchild of interim chairman Ratan Tata  is a loss making product and that the company is taking steps to refocusing its strategy on growing and attractive segments of passenger vehicle market

The statement affirms Mistrys charges made after his ouster that the Nano project is loss making and should be shut down. Mistry had also said that Tata Steels challenges include potential impairments of $10 billion, which has since been countered by the steelmaker that the financials are in line with prudent accounting standards.

Read | Why Cyrus P Mistry is unlikely to go quickly or quietly

(The writer is the editor-in-chief of Mint.)

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He who opens a school door, closes a prison- Victor Hugo

The happenings in the Kashmir Valley are running contrary to Hugos credo. School buildings are being burnt down, government employees being prevented from going to work and the houses of ministers, MLAs and those claiming to be peoples representatives are being torched.

In the 21st century, at a time when young people across the nation are nurturing dreams of India becoming an economic superpower, why is this state, known as the nations crown, going into reverse gear? Dont its citizens know that guns can only cause harm?

Kashmiris have known this fact for years.

Let me tell you a first-person story. Work (I was then at a TV channel) had taken me to Srinagar when my correspondent there suggested that I visit Gulmarg. Youll get to see so much snow that youll forget everything else, he said.

Read: Kashmir: Police identify 7 stone pelters for burning of schools, arrest 5

Once teeming with tourists, this picturesque region, unfortunately, was deserted when I went there. We took the cable car to the summit. What a breathtaking view! Snow-capped peaks, tall trees and the whistling sound of the wind. At that time, apart from the employees who ran the mountain gondola, there was just one person at Kongdoori Peak. The man looked dishevelled and frail.

After some time, he came to us on his own and asked: Will you have paranthas? Paranthas, here in the snow, I asked? Concealing a stove in his phiran, the man appeared to be really disadvantaged. I said yes in order to help him make a living. I also wanted to chat with him to understand the condition of people living in rural Kashmir.

Read: Why cant the J&K government leverage technology to teach curfew-hit students

What he told me made the bland parantha even less appetising. Like other people in his village he too had resigned himself to living in penury. Then he took the payment for the parathas and began walking away from us. Suddenly, he turned around and shouted in Kashmiri. I asked the correspondent, who had accompanied me to Gulmarg, about what the man was saying? We want roti, not azaadi! came the answer. I wasnt really surprised by this but was saddened by the fact that the television correspondent stood there like a mute spectator and didnt even think about taking out his camera from his bag. In my view, this was an eye-opener of a story.

I sternly asked him to take his camera out. He took it out reluctantly but it was too late. By then the gondola workers had instructed the parathawala in their local tongue. I asked the correspondent to do a piece-to-camera and repeat what the parathawala had shouted earlier. On the way back, my colleague admonished me saying that I would return to Delhi the next day, but he was the one who had to stay in Kashmir itself.

Read: The Kashmir manifesto: Delhis policy playbook in the Valley

I realised that despite spending billions of rupees, we have failed to express the agony of the Kashmiri people to the country and the world. Those bureaucrats, politicians, journalists and agencies that should be doing this, are either silent or forced to dole out half-truths.

Jammu and Kashmir is tired of living out half-truths since Independence. More than the armed forces, the people they consider their own have given them a raw deal.

In the last few months, around 30 schools have been set afire in the Valley. This is a tried-and-tested tactic for the separatists. This is a farce that has been enacted again and again in Pakistans Swat Valley. Between 2007 and 2009, the Taliban torched more than 200 schools there. A Unicef report reveals that this ordeal isnt just limited to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Owing to the barbaric deeds of the Boko Haram, one million Nigerian kids could not go to school.

Read: Dialogue is the only way forward in Kashmir

Separatists want to foist illiteracy, poverty and ignorance on people so that the flames of dissatisfaction can be stoked conveniently.

The signals from Kashmir are clear. The separatists are preventing children from going to school so that they can use them for their own designs. School-going children nurture dreams of a rosy future: they dont throw stones at the Army.

Heres an example: At the beginning of the week, three girls were hit in the eye by pellet guns. Clearly, the soldiers of the armed forces did not target them indoors, in their homes. Innocent children easily turn aggressive on being offered meagre incentives, being subject to pressure or false promises. And when children get hurt, the evil impression is sent out that the government in Delhi is inflicting torture on the residents of the state.

It is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. Nobody is better suited to provide this alternative than the democratically elected government. Mehbooba Mufti is making an attempt to do this but circumstances are not in her control. Shell have to change her strategy, since the path to peace in the Valley passes through its schools. In the 21st century, Kashmir doesnt need the wayward sons of Sikandar Butshikan (the sixth sultan of the Shah Miri dynasty of Kashmir), but educated young people.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan

letters@hindustantimes.com
India is certainly the bright spot in the global economy today and I especially look forward to my visit to New Delhi, for the first meeting of the India Sweden Business Leaders Round Table, gathering a highlevel Swedish business presence. This manifests a high interest from Sweden in India, attracted by a dynamic development and the high ambitions we see shaping the future. The magnitude and diversity of India has the potential to drive development and change, such as Make in India and Smart Cities, Digital India and other flagship projects aims at.

I believe Swedish innovation has a lot to offer India and our partnership not least in these fields, just as we know that India has a lot to offer Sweden and Swedish industry. Building on the commitment of our Prime Ministers meeting in Mumbai in February of this year, I now visit India with a strong industry delegation for a first formal meeting of the India Sweden Business Leaders Round Table. This will be the first time that the leaders of our two countries business communities can sit down in this unique high level format to identify and discuss possible fields of future cooperation. This discussion will undoubtedly lead to new and interesting fields of cooperation.

I will be bold and say that creativity flourishes in all sectors in Sweden: in the traditional technical sectors as well as in the creative industries and the public sector. Our tradition is strong in cooperation between Government and society, including academia and industry. With strong government and societal support for industry to meet societal challenges domestically as well as globally, our industry has risen to be global leaders in key fields. This has strengthened Swedens position in the global economy. Because of our limited local market, our drive to support global free trade is strong.

Examples of Swedish innovations that have become a world standard are the propeller, dynamite and the pacemaker, as well as 2G, 3G, 4G and soon 5G. Innovation drives both the traditional industry to do things better as well as the start-ups and the creative industries. I think that this diversity is one explanation for why Sweden is consistently ranked as the European Unions number one innovator and one of the global leaders when it comes to innovation.

The public sector is a key driver of strong innovation, traditionally requesting better solutions for citizens and society, but also providing education, healthcare and security. It is not enough to innovate. It is clear to me that there has to be a strong commitment from all involved parties in order to successfully implement these innovations. In Sweden, the public sector has taken on a role of supporting both small test projects as well as introducing rules and regulations to ensure a long-term success of new inventions. We want to see more examples of this.

And the strong India Sweden-partnership gives us an opportunity to explore together what innovation can do to strengthen our cooperation and further our partnership. We already have examples of Swedish innovations entering India at all levels, but we want to see more and give them a higher profile. Areas such as electric mobility, renewable energy, sustainable urban development, defence and digitalisation are among those that can benefit from such a deepened cooperation, driven by innovation. India faces enormous challenges, for its population to rise; to handle urbanisation and development sustainably; and to prosper and compete on global market. None of this may be possible without innovation. Sweden and India are well matched to take on these in partnership.

(Mikael Damberg is minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Sweden.)
The BJP accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and the Left on Sunday of orchestrating the protest by JNU students at India Gate, saying they cannot digest the good work done by the Narendra Modi government.

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the party prays that JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing since October 14, is found safe, adding that it was tragic that he could not be traced yet.

The police permission was taken for Jantar Mantar but they have intentionally gone to India Gate where Section 144 of CrPC is imposed. Arvind Kejriwal had gone to (JNU) campus a few days back and influenced the students to take this step, Sharma alleged.

He asserted that none of the political leaders in the opposition had any concern for the missing students and that they were only playing politics.

The opposition, be it the AAP, Congress or the Left cannot digest the fact that the Modi government is fulfilling all its promises even as they cant. It is shameful that they are using students to hit out at the Modi government, Sharma said.

He claimed that the BJP was providing a corruption-free government and hence the opposition was trying to use various incidents to attack it.

Stating that the opposition was devoid of ideas, he slammed them for resorting to politically milk the tragic incident of a missing scholar.

Najeeb, a biotechnology student, has been missing since a brawl at his hostel on October 14. The Left-linked All India Students Association (AISA) has alleged that before he vanished, Najeeb was beaten up by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is linked to the RSS.

The ABVP, however, has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

The protest comes days within days of Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and other leaders of the opposition parties visiting the university during a protest regarding the missing student.

The students have accused the JNU authorities of not doing enough to trace him. Last month, the protesting students had kept the Vice-Chancellor, Rector and other University officials confined in the administrative block for a whole night, demanding that they take action to trace Najeeb.

The police have announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information on Najeeb.
Delhi Police arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Rituraj Govind on charges of assault on Sunday, ANI reported, adding to a growing list of legislators from the outfit mired in legal trouble.

Govind, the MLA from west Delhis Kirari, was accused of assault during the ongoing Chhath Puja celebrations, agencies added, a day after the legislator was embroiled in reported scuffles over trying to build a ghat in the area.

Since the AAP stormed to power last year, at least 12 other party MLAs have been arrested and 15 booked by Delhi Police on various charges. The stream of legal action has triggered allegations  especially from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal  that the Centre was trying to impede the city governments work by arresting legislators. Delhi Police reports to the Union home ministry.

Read:AAPs legal wrangles: 12 MLAs arrested, 15 booked since it came to power

His arrest came a day after he was picked up by police while trying to build a ghat on a heritage site along the Yamuna bank for Chhath Puja, where devotees offer prayers to the Sun and take dips in river or pond water.

Reports said there was stone pelting in the area and villagers objected to the ghat building. Police told PTI that prohibitory orders had been imposed in the area, which the MLA had allegedly violated.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Fatih Karimov  Trend

At least 10 Iranians were killed in suicide terror attack in Iraqs Samarra city, Mohammad Javad Daneshyar, an official with Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, said, ISNA news agency reported Nov. 6.

The killed Iranians are mainly from Sistan and Baluchestan and Hormozgan provinces, he said.

Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a security checkpoint in Tikrit city and a car park for Shiite pilgrims in Samarra a holy site for Shia pilgrims on Nov. 6.

At least 39 people were killed in the attacks and other 40 were injured.
About 200 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and their missing colleague Najeeb Ahmeds mother were detained on Sunday, as they prepared to stage a protest near India Gate against alleged police inaction in the case.

Policewomen physically lifted a weeping Fatima Nafees, who hails from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, as male policemen prevented other students from coming to her rescue. She was put into a Delhi Police bus and driven away.

Minutes earlier, as police began breaking up the student protest citing prohibitory orders clamped in the area, Fatima -- who had been camping in the JNU campus for weeks -- turned emotive.

Mera bachcha kahan hai? Mujhe mera bachcha chaiye (Where is my child? I want my child), she screamed when journalists approached her.

Her son Ahmed, a 27-year-old first-year MSc student, went missing from campus on October 15 after getting into an altercation with members of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. There has been no information about Ahmeds whereabouts so far.

Read: JNU student missing: Different versions of the mystery

Missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmeds sister detained by Delhi Police. (HT PHOTO)

Shahid Raza, a protester, said: The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Najeebs mother... in fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official.

However, joint commissioner of police Dependra Pathak said no one was manhandled.

A police official said the protesters were detained since restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning assembly of four or more people at one place, are in force around the India Gate.

After the police stopped the JNU students from staging a protest, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was adopting a dictatorship policy.

He rushed to Mayapuri police station, where Fatima was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release.

Kejriwal, who had earlier urged JNU students to hit the streets outside the campus, said: Why is the Prime Minister afraid of protests? If one student is missing since the last 22 days then other students have the right to protest. This is their constitutional right and the government is trying to snatch their rights from them.

Read: Missing students family accuses admin of inaction

Members of AISA and JNUSU shouting slogans during their protest in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

He earlier met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention. After the meeting, Kejriwal said the President had promised to seek a report from the home ministry and the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The chief minister said if even half of the policemen deployed on Sunday were used to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.

If you stop the youths, they will get more agitated. I have told you many times, Modi-ji, dont mess with students, he later said in a tweet.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, accused the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and the Left of orchestrating the protest by JNU students, saying they cannot digest the good work done by the Narendra Modi government.

JNU Students Union general secretary Satarupa Chakraborty, for his part, said they were protesting as no effective action had been taken to find Ahmed.

The students who beat up Najeeb were called for interrogation only on Saturday. This is too little, too late, Chakraborty said.

The Sunday protest and the subsequent police action resulted in heavy traffic jams in central Delhi, with the streets around the India Gate being cordoned off.

Massive Traffic Jams In lutyens delhi Due To JNU Protest, pic.twitter.com/jJxZISrwHX  Kapil Bhargava (@_kapil1) November 6, 2016
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal called an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Sunday, ANI reported, to deal with tackle the spiking air pollution and thick layer of smog in the Capital that has refused to lift since Diwali last week.

The Delhi cabinet meeting comes a day before similar meets called by the Centre and the city lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung.

Kejriwal has blamed burning of farm residue in Punjab and Haryana for what is being described as the worst smog in Delhi in almost two decades. On Saturday, he called the city a gas chamber and appealed to the Centre to step in.

We are talking about source of pollution; Farmers will not stop burning the crops till they are given incentives, city health minister Satyendra Jain was quoted as saying by ANI.

Hindustan Times air quality index showed that the pollution  described as the worst in almost two decades  showed no signs of abating on Sunday. Most places in south, central and north Delhi recorded severe air quality with PM 2.5 levels between 12 and 15 times the safe limit. Sirifort in south Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delhi were among the most polluted.

Read| Delhi pollution levels 15 times the safe limit, no respite in sight

On Monday, Union minister of state for environment Anil Madhav Dave will meet with ministers from neighbouring states, identified as among the major polluters due to the burning of farm residue.

Jung has called a separate meeting, to be attended by Kejriwal, member-secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), besides other officials.

The Centre and state government are worried about the haze that has enveloped the city since Diwali last week, exposing millions of people to potential health problems.

We need to give farmers alternative technologies so that they stop burning the remaining parts of crop. We need the help of the central government for that. The Delhi government doesnt have too many methods to tackle this crisis as reason of smog is outside Delhi, Kejriwal told reporters.

Hospitals across the city reported a surge in patients with respiratory disorders. Two Ranji Trophy matches were also suspended due to smog, officials said. Though the BJP-controlled municipal corporations kept about 1,800 schools shut on Saturday because of poor air quality, Kejriwal said his government had no plan to order the suspension of classes.

Read| Air so dirty you can smell, taste: Delhi grapples with toxic pollution

For full coverage on pollution in Delhi, click here


All schools in Delhi would remain closed for three days and road-rationing could be brought back, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, announcing a list of emergency measures as the city continued to battle smog.

Kejriwal called an emergency meeting of his cabinet during the day as pollution levels remained alarming for the sixth day running. We never anticipated air pollution would reach such alarming levels. We are not solely blaming crop burning, said the chief minister.

He announced a five-day ban on all construction and demolition in the city. Dust arising out of these activities is one of the big reasons for the rise in PM 2.5 levels. The tiny dust particles can lodge deep in lungs and blood tissues, triggering respiratory and cardiac problems.

People should stay at home as much as they can, work from home, Kejriwal said, adding bulldozers would be used to put out fires that burn at landfill sites.

The coal-fired Badarpur plant will be shut down for 10 days and fly ash, or the fine dust produced in coal burning, will not be transported out of the plant during the period. The fly ash, used in making bricks, lying at the plant site would be sprinkled with water so it doesnt disperse in the air.

Water sprinkling of roads will begin Monday and vacuum cleaning from November 10. Diesel generators also face a 10-day ban except at hospitals and in emergency situations.

Read| Delhi pollution levels 15 times the safe limit, no respite in sight

The government, Kejriwal said, was preparing for another round of the odd-even plan, an emergency measure first implemented in the city in January that limited the use of private cars.

Those with odd-numbered plates could only be brought out on odd dates and those with an even number as the last digit on even days.

To clear the heavy layer of dust hanging over the city, the government had proposed artificial rain through cloud seeding and sought the Centres help, Kejriwal said.

The chief minister had on Saturday described the city as a gas chamber and pointed finger at burning of farm residue in Punjab and Haryana for the worst smog to hit Delhi in almost two decades.

Hindustan Times air quality index showed that the pollution showed no signs of abating on Sunday. Most places in south, central and north Delhi recorded severe air quality with PM 2.5 levels between 12 and 15 times the safe limit. Punjabi Bagh in west Delhi and Anand Vihar in east Delhi were among the most polluted.

The Centre and the city lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, too, have called meetings on Monday to find ways to clear the citys toxic air that poses a health risk to millions of people.

The smog is so thick that it has left a bitter taste in the mouth and eyes watering. Hospitals are reporting a rise in cases of respiratory distress, with elderly and children the worst hit.

(With agency inputs)

Read| Air so dirty you can smell, taste: Delhi grapples with toxic pollution

For full coverage on pollution in Delhi, click here
The Delhi government woke up after breathing toxic air since Diwali and announced a spate of emergency measures on Sunday  shutting down schools and halting all construction activities  to combat the crippling smog that has engulfed the Capital.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who compared the citys conditions with that of a gas chamber, held an emergency cabinet meeting before announcing the list of steps to tackle the air pollution that was worst in almost two decades on Sunday.

Read: Traffic jam in heart of Delhi clogs arterial roads, adds to smog misery

The Capital, which topped a 2014 World Health Organization list of cities with the foulest air, recorded an average level of PM2.5  tiny particulate matter that can clog lungs  at nearly 600 micrograms per cubic meter on Sunday. Thats more than 60 times the level considered safe by the WHO and 10 times the governments norms.

Anumitra Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) compared the conditions with that of the 1952 Great Smog in London, which killed about 4,000 people.

The urgent measures announced on Sunday include shutting all schools  private and public  till Wednesday, a move that the Aam Aadmi Party government was forced to take after saying it was not necessary earlier in the week.

Anti-pollution experts, however, welcomed the decision to put construction projects on hold for at least five days, to temporarily shut the coal-fired power plant at Badarpur, which produces fly ash, and to vacuum clean and douse roads with water.

A traffic policeman wearing a pollution mask due to heavy smog and air pollution in Gurgaon on Sunday. (PTI)

Read: Its not fair to blame Punjabs farmers for Delhis red pollution map

Another welcome step was a five-day ban on the use of all diesel-powered electricity generators, except at places such as hospitals and cellphone towers. The government also decided to enforce strictly a ban on the burning of leaves and garbage in the city.

The chief minister, who advised residents to stay indoors, said his AAP government could consider a proposal for artificial rain through cloud seeding.

We have asked officials to work with the Centre and assess its possibility and effectiveness.

The efficacy of cloud seeding is doubtful because such measures in pollution-hit Beijing have proved futile and highly expensive.

Pollution reached an alarming level in a large swathe of northern India as smog-related road accidents in Haryana killed at least nine people and injured 10 on national highway 24 in Uttar Pradeshs Rampur.

The smog cover led to the cancellation of two Ranji Trophy matches  Bengal and Gujarat at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium and Hyderabad versus Tripura at Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi.

Weather officials and pollution monitoring agencies, however, held out hope, saying the overhanging grey smog could clear by Wednesday.

As people gasped for air, Kejriwal said: Please stay indoors and try to work from home as much as possible.

His government is also planning another round of the odd-even road rationing formula, which was tried before for two fortnights in January and April.

Delhis pollution levels shot up after Diwali on October 30. Smoke from firecrackers, vehicle and factory exhausts, and the burning of post-harvest stalks of paddy and other cereal plants in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab combined to make matters worse. Low wind speed and high humidity also blocked dispersal of pollutants.

Kejriwal blamed Delhis neighbours for choking the city and accused the Centre of doing little to curb the practice of farmers burning crop stubble.

But the Centre disagreed, saying 80% of the pollution was because of the litter the city generates. Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave told news agency ANI that satellite images from ISRO show neighbouring states were responsible for only 20% of the pollution.

Haryana environment and industries minister Vipul Goel countered Kejriwal, saying the Delhi chief minister should not play politics over pollution and indulge in blame game. We should work together to give the people a clean environment. Our government has come down hard on hundreds of farmers burning crop residue. The situation is being constantly monitored.

For his part, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who facing a tough election next year, said farmers have been asked not to burn crop stubble.

We have also given better farm equipment, which can help in cutting of crops in a better way but they do some or the other mistake.

The Centre and Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung called meetings of officials on Monday to find ways to clear the citys toxic air, which is posing a health risk to millions of people.

Hundreds of people, including children, on Sunday staged a protest in New Delhi over the worsening air quality, demanding immediate and effective steps from authorities.

(With inputs from HTC Chandigarh and agencies)

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Delhi University with its collegiate structure is perhaps the only university in the country modelled on great institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge. For good measure, it boasts what its website calls Delhi University Press (DUP), which seems to borrow its name from the iconic university presses such as Oxford University Press (OUP) and Harvard University Press (HUP).

But this is where the similarities end.

While other university presses such as the OUP and Cambridge University Press (CUP) are global publishing giants, advancing their institutions mission of research and scholarship, DUP, since its inception in 1961, has been nothing more than a printing shop. It prints envelopes, registers, answers sheets, minutes of meetings, etc.

Ironically, the university, which was a defendant in a copyright suit filed by a consortium of publishers against a photocopying shop on its premises, has failed to realise that one of the objectives of a university press is to make high-quality academic text available to students at affordable prices.

Delhi University Press is like a museum of vintage printing machines. (Manoj Sharma/HT Photo)

Delhi University Press has been allowed to die a slow death  its printing facility on DU campus is a museum of vintage treadle printing machines, rusting and gathering dust for decades. The two offset machines bought in the late nineties with grants from Ford Foundation havent been used for over a decade. Its website says, due to lack of infrastructure and staff, presently university press prints, degrees, answer books, envelopes, etc.

Over the years, its staff strength has been dwindling. The press has 10 people (against a sanctioned strength of 95), including two machine operators, three clerks, and a storekeeper. Interestingly, for a university press that prints only answer sheets and envelopes, it has a formidable advisory committee that includes a battery of professors, deans, and deputy registrars, among others.

No vice-chancellor ever showed any interest in the Delhi University Press, creating an editorial team and developing a publishing programme, says a professor, not wishing to be named.

Read | What the Delhi University Press can learn from Asias best academic presses

Both the vice-chancellor and the registrar did not respond to HTs repeated phone calls, SMSes, and emails regarding the state of affairs at the press.

Many former and present teachers believe that a university press is the academic arm of the university and DUP should be an instrument of learning and teaching, not printing.

I wanted my books to be published by Delhi University Press but got to know they do not have an editorial team. I would first like to give my book to our own university press because it is a matter of pride for a teacher to be published by his her own university press, says Anjana Neira Dev, who teaches English at Gargi College, and has written several books, including course books for Delhi University, to her credit. Unlike a commercial publisher, a university press can easily make academic books available to students at affordable prices.

Famous university presses Oxford University Press, 1586: The worlds largest university press is a department of the University of Oxford and publishes more than 6,000 titles a year worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 countries, including India where it has had an office since 1912. OUP India publishes nearly 150 new academic and higher titles every year.

The worlds largest university press is a department of the University of Oxford and publishes more than 6,000 titles a year worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 countries, including India where it has had an office since 1912. OUP India publishes nearly 150 new academic and higher titles every year. Cambridge University Press, 1584: It is the oldest and the second largest university press in the world. It has offices in more than 40 countries and publishes 2,500 books and 200 journals every year.

It is the oldest and the second largest university press in the world. It has offices in more than 40 countries and publishes 2,500 books and 200 journals every year. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1878: It is the oldest press in the US. Daniel Coit Gilman, the founder, had this to say about the need of a university press: "It is one of the noblest duties of a university to advance knowledge and to diffuse it not merely among those who can attend the daily lectures, but far and wide".

It is the oldest press in the US. Daniel Coit Gilman, the founder, had this to say about the need of a university press: "It is one of the noblest duties of a university to advance knowledge and to diffuse it not merely among those who can attend the daily lectures, but far and wide". Columbia University Press, 1893: Some of its most famous publications include The Columbia Encyclopedia. The press currently publishes approximately 160 new titles every year in the fields of Asian literature, philosophy, politics, and history, etc.

Some of its most famous publications include The Columbia Encyclopedia. The press currently publishes approximately 160 new titles every year in the fields of Asian literature, philosophy, politics, and history, etc. The Yale University Press, 1908: It publishes 300 books every year. In 2001, it partnered with Harvard University Press and MIT University Press to build a 155,000 square foot warehouse and distribution centre in Rhode Island, US.

It publishes 300 books every year. In 2001, it partnered with Harvard University Press and MIT University Press to build a 155,000 square foot warehouse and distribution centre in Rhode Island, US. MIT Press, 1962: It publishes over 220 new books every year and over 30 journals in the field of science, art, architecture, economics, cognitive science, game studies and computer science to name a few.

It publishes over 220 new books every year and over 30 journals in the field of science, art, architecture, economics, cognitive science, game studies and computer science to name a few. Stanford University Press, 1895: It publishes 140 books/year across humanities, social sciences, law and business.

It publishes 140 books/year across humanities, social sciences, law and business. Harvard University Press, 1913: It has since published 4,500 books. Some of its most famous publications include Lovejoys Great Chain of Being and Giedions Space, Time and Architecture.



Swati Pal, principal, Janki Devi Memorial College, who has co-authored a course book for Delhi University, says the objective of a university press is to promote academic rigour and excellence. A university understands its academic needs and requirements better than any outside publisher. There is certainly a need for a re-look at the functioning of the Delhi University Press, says Pal.

Having a good press, she says, is necessary because publishing books, monographs and study papers have the highest rating in the Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores of the faculty. It is like publish or perish, says Pal. The university has to be a patron of learning; a university presss publishing programme shows that the university is the equal partner in the academic development of the faculty, says Dev. The books published by a university press are the permanent record of the universitys academic achievements, and enhances its brand value.

The offset printing machines at the DUP have not been working for over a decade. (Manoj Sharma/HT Photo)

Dealing with commercial publishers, which is what most faculty members do at DU in the absence of university press publishing programme, is a complicated process, said Pal. She said that a commercial publisher may not be interested in an academic or scholarly book that a faculty member or the university wants to publish because the market, and not the universitys academic needs, are its primary focus. But a teacher does not face this problem with a university press because the faculty members are on the editorial board and they are on the same wavelength as you, said Pal.

Professor PB Mangla, a former head, department of library and information science, Delhi University, who served on the DUP advisory committee, says university press is an essential component of the varsitys research and academic pursuits.

The Delhi university Press should be professionalised and have a well-defined publishing programme in the interest of both teachers and students, he says. Most prestigious universities across the world have their own presses with diverse publishing programmes.

He is not exaggerating. There are about 100 universities presses in the United States and even an association of university presses  and their strength is reflected in the diversity of their catalogue. Not just the US and Europe, many universities in Asia such as National University of Singapore and Hong University have presses whose sole objective is supporting the universitys academic goals.

University presses just have a different set of goals than the commercial ones. Most of us are able to stay focused on the quality of research and publishing to support a field of research, and then trying to make that work accessible to the public, with affordable pricing, says Peter Schoppert, managing director, NUS Press.

The Oxford University Press in Oxford, United Kingdom. (Picture courtesy: Wikipedia)

Malcolm Litchfield, publisher and director, Hong Kong University Press, shares his view: The books we publish typically would not be published by commercial publishers because they are not likely to make a profit, so if it were not for us, they would not be published at all. The Hong Kong University Press also has its bookshop on the campus.

In India, there are some exceptions such as Jamia Millia Islamia, which perhaps has the oldest university press in the country with its own bookshop. Called Maktaba Jamia, it was established in 1922 as a book depot to help Jamia procure textbooks for students. Two years later, Maktaba started publishing books and journals, and today it is one of the biggest publishers of Urdu books with thousands of titles to its credit.

Some universities and institutions such as Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and Manipal University launched their universities presses in the past decade and their publishing list is growing slowly but steadily. The IISc Press that started in 2009 has so far published about 31 books  8 of them textbooks.

Eighty per cent books that we publish are from our own faculty members, most of whom do not want to be published by foreign publishers because that means the price of their books will be too high and students in India would find them unaffordable, said Prof GK Ananathasuresh, who heads the IISc Press committee. The objective of the press is to make high-quality books available to post-graduate students at affordable prices.

Some of the journals published by Indian Institute of Science Press. (HT Photo)

The Manipal University Press too has a fledging publishing programme and has brought out 55 books -- both academic and general interest -- since its inception in 2011. It is slated to release about 40 more titles in the coming months.

Having a world-class university press and its bookshops will help the cause of Delhi University students more than promoting photocopying shops on its campus. The university has the academic and intellectual resources to develop a world-class university press, said another professor who does not wish to be named.

Typical structure of a university press Editorial Board: Most university presses have an editorial board that has faculty members and professionals.

Marketing and sales: Prominent university presses such as Oxford and Cambridge have their sales marketing division and offices and sales representatives in many countries.

Distribution: Very few university publishers have their own distribution networks and outsource it to their professional distributors.

Rights and permission department: Looks after the copyright issues and granting of rights.

Printing facility: Most university presses have had their printing facilities, but now prefer to outsource their printing.



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A choked Capital was clogged too on Sunday, recording long traffic snarls after police closed a busy roundabout at India Gate where students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) gathered to protest against the disappearance of a fellow student from the campus.

As roads leading to the C Hexagon, which carries traffic from north to south and east to west, became out of bounds for vehicles around 1.30pm, tailbacks extended from various intersections in central Delhi.

The situation worsened with hundreds of people travelling to the Yamuna banks for Chhath Puja.

Police blamed the abrupt shutdown on JNU students. We requested the protesters not to assemble near India Gate as prohibitory orders are in force but they did not listen. We had to shut the C Hexagon to stop them from going to India Gate for security reasons, New Delhi deputy commissioner of police Jatin Narwal said.

Even chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was not allowed to pass through the roundabout.

India Gate was turned into fortress. I was going to meet the President and got 15 minutes late. What are they doing in the country? This is being converted into police state, he said later.

Road management for Chhath Puja also affected traffic flow. Vikas Marg was cordoned off, leading to a gridlock on Mathura Road. Commuters were clueless as traffic police didnt provide diversions and alternative routes.

Getting stuck in traffic on a day when the air quality was poorest in 17 years was a nightmare. My daughter was continuously coughing, there was no visibility and we got stuck for two hours. I tried to take a different route, but nothing helped, Said Shashank Saha, a businessman, who was taking his daughter to a doctor. They missed the appointment.

If they had to block the route, they should have issued an advisory.

The worst-hit areas were Mathura Road, Prithvi Raj Road, Parliament Street, Rafi Marg, ITO, Krishna Menon Marg, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Lodhi Road, and Daryaganj.

Adequate policemen were deployed to ensure smooth movement of traffic, but situation became difficult during peak hour. The C Hexagon was opened around 7pm, which helped ease the situation, joint commissioner of police (traffic) Garima Bhatnagar said.
The Delhi University Press, modelled after academic presses at Oxford and Cambridge, was established in 1961. But since its inception, the DUP is nothing more than a printing shop, churning out answer sheets and envelopes. Not a single academic work of note or even a course book has been published by the press for many years.

In contrast, universities in Asia such as the National University of Singapore and Hong Kong University have printing presses whose sole objective is to support the universitys academic goals.

Hindustan Times spoke to Peter Schoppert, managing director of National University of Singapore (NUS) Press and Malcolm Litchfield, publisher and director of the Hong Kong University Press, to gain some insight into how their university presses work.

Peter Schoppert, managing director, National University of Singapore Press

We publish around 30 books a year, plus three journals. We will launch a new journal early next year on Southeast Asian contemporary and modern art. Our biggest markets for book sales are Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States, in that order.

Our authors come from all over the world. We work particularly hard to recruit authors from our region, Southeast Asia, and we have many authors and series editors in Australia and Japan, as well as Europe, North America and the rest of Asia. Authors from the National University of

Singapore make up only around 20% of our authors. We publish three or four translations every year.

Profit-making is not our main goal, though we operate as a business. The modest support we receive from the National University of Singapore helps us pursue our first goal, which is to publish high-quality, high-impact humanities and social science research of relevance to the region.

Our typesetting/composition and printing are largely contracted out to suppliers mostly in Singapore, Hong Kong or in India.

We work closely with sales, marketing and distribution partners around the world, including the University of Chicago Press in the US. We have two head count in Singapore dedicated to sales, marketing and promotions and publicity, managing our distribution partners.

University presses just have a different set of goals than the commercial presses. Most of us are able to stay focused on quality of research and publishing to support a field of research, and then trying to make that work accessible to the public, with affordable pricing. Weve learned that staying focused on a few areas of expertise delivers better results than trying to be too broad in approach.

Malcolm Litchfield, Publisher and Director, Hong Kong University Press

HKUP is a non-profit department of the University of Hong Kong and is partially subsidized by the university in addition to our sales revenue. If you take out the subsidy, then the press does not make any profit.

Our goal is to publish 60 new titles a year, but are presently publishing about 30-35 new titles every year.

We look for authors all over the world  anyone who is a respected academic working in an area in which we publish, primarily Asian studies. Looking at our Fall 2016 catalogue, I see that nine authors are from Hong Kong, four are from the US, three are from the UK, two are from Australia, one is from mainland China, and one from Macau.

Our goal is to serve the academia by publishing works of high scholarly merit that may have low commercial potential. The books we publish typically would not be published by a commercial publisher because they are not likely to make a profit, so if it were not for us, they would not be published at all.

While our books often have a very small audience of specialists, the publication process remains important to the progress of scholarship. That is the endeavour to which we contribute.

(As told to Manoj Sharma)

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Two persons including a 12-year-old girl were killed and four were injured after the alto car (UK 13-1178) they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Dadahu on Renuka-Satuan road on Sunday afternoon.

Shruti (12) died on the spot while Nitin (32) succumbed to injuries on the way to Nahan from Dadahu. Injured indentified as Mamta (22) and Suchita (24) have been referred to PGIMER, Chandigarh, in a critical condition. Other two, Parwinder and Charu are undergoing treatment at referral hospital, Dadahu.

According to police, all six of them were returning to Lakhwad village in Uttrakhand after visiting Renuka ji temple here.

One of the injured admitted at Dadahu hospital on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Sub-divisional magistrate Kritika Kulhari, chief parliamentary secretary Vinay Kumar and deputy commissioner BC Badalia visited the injured at Dadahu hospital.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian high commissioner in Bangladesh to covey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Indias concerns about the safety and well being of Hindus following attacks on members of the community.

Bangladesh police have arrested more than 50 people in connection with attacks on Hindu temples and members of the community in the Muslim-majority country.

Miscreants set on fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack on Friday in Brahmanbarhia districts Nasirnagar, the place where at least fifteen temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Many Hindus from Bangladesh have been reaching out to Swaraj, seeking her intervention. I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and well being of Hindus in Bangladesh, Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.

Several Hindu families have deserted their houses after the attacks, according to reports.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimates more than one hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence broke out on October 30.

Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against a Hindu youth who they say shared Facebook post. Police arrested the youth for hurting religious sentiments, but the arrest failed to defuse the tension.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday a neighbouring country is trying to destabilise India by encouraging cowardly acts of terrorism but our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone.

A neighbouring country of our again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India. Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards, Singh said at the concluding ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav  the 16th foundation day celebrations at Naya Raipur.

Referring to the surgical strikes carried out by the army after the Uri attack, he said, You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job. I want to assure that this government will never let India bow its head before anyone.

Singh also said some countries were unable to stomach Indias rapid growth and were trying to destabilise the nation.

Today, India is progressing rapidly. It is the country which has highest economic growth rate in the world presently. Some countries are jealous of us and trying to destabilise (the country). They are trying to weaken India. But I assure you that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no power could weaken India, he said.

Singh also re-affirmed his commitment to extend every possible support to Chhattisgarh in its fight against Maoists.

Development is taking place rapidly in Chhattisgarh but the Maoist activities have been a matter of concern for all of us.

The ruling BJP government in the state has accepted the challenge and it will definitely achieve success. The Centre will provide all kinds of support to the state in tackling this menace, he said.

Maoists never wanted roads to be built in the remote villages, good education for children, better communication system, good jobs for youth, the minister said.

I have already said to Maoist to stop their activities for some time and then government will show them what is development and how it takes place.

China was a huge supporter of Maoism but now there is no place for it (Maoism) in its their future. But here (in India) there are attempts going on to encourage Maoism, Singh said while warning Naxals, You must leave it (Maoism) or you will have to.

The Minister said India is poised to emerge as a global economic power and the efforts initiated by the Narendra Modi government will start bearing positive results in the days to come.

He, however, said the Centre not only wanted to make India a global economic power but also a Vishaw Guru (world-teacher).

Singh praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for carrying out development oriented works in the state.

Meanwhile, 18 people and two organisations were also felicitated with state awards on the occasion for their contribution in different fields.

Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the concluding ceremony.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 6

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi has slammed suicidal attacks in two Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Samarra which claimed at least 39 lives.

Bahram Qasemi extended his condolences to the families of the victims and called on the international community to take serious measures against the savage actions of the terrorist groups, Mehr news agency reported.



According to reports by Iranian media outlets, at least a dozen of Iranian nationals were among the casualties of the Sundays terrorist attacks in Iraq.

Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a security checkpoint in Tikrit city and a car park for Shiite pilgrims in Samarra a holy site for Shia pilgrims on Nov. 6.

At least 39 people were killed in the attacks and other 40 were injured.
China could drop its opposition to Indias efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar designated a global terrorist after a meeting between their top security officials recorded forward movement on the matter.

The outcome was from a positive, five-hour-long meeting national security adviser Ajit Doval had with powerful Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi a day earlier, government sources said on Saturday.

In April, China blocked New Delhis appeal to the United Nations to label Pakistan-based Azhar a terrorist, putting a technical hold on the proposal. Beijing extended that decision last month, once again highlighting its closeness with all-weather ally Pakistan.

China is the only one in a 15-member UN panel to block Indias appeal on the chief of Jaish, which was blamed for a militant attack on an Indian army camp in Uri, which left 19 soldiers dead in September.

The government sources said China might allow its technical hold on the proposal to proscribe Azhar to lapse when the panel dealing with the matter meets in January. They said Beijing too had spoken to Islamabad on Azhars status.

Chinas possible change of heart is being attributed to the fact that there is growing realisation that Beijing stood to get isolated on the key UN panel as every other nation supported Indias proposal.

There was, however, no movement in the Doval-Yang meeting on Chinese objections to Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

China has held back on supporting Indias NSG bid, saying it would wait for a larger consensus on admitting any country to the group that hasnt signed the non-proliferation treaty.

Doval and Yang also discussed other outstanding bilateral issues. They did not discuss their vexed border issue, which is being dealt with in a dialogue of Special Representatives.

Doval and Yang report directly to the head of their respective government  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

JAPAN NUCLEAR DEAL NEXT WEEK

On Saturday, Doval met his Japanese counterpart Shotaro Yachi, focussing on closing a crucial nuclear agreement that will allow India to build nuclear plants in Kowada in Andhra Pradesh and Mithi Virdi in Gujarat with the help of Japanese technology.

The final deal will be signed when Prime Minister Modi visits Japan on November 11.

Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, has been demanding additional non-proliferation guarantees from India, which has a nuclear weapons programme, before exporting nuclear reactors.

A final deal with Japan will benefit U.S. firms. India has already given land for nuclear plants to GE-Hitachi - which is an alliance between the U.S. and Japanese firms - and to Toshibas Westinghouse Electric Company.

The 6600 MW Kowada plant will be built by NPCIL and Toshiba-Westinghouse while the 9,000 MW Gujarat plant is being set up by GE-Hitachi.

The two countries, however, are yet to be able to close New Delhis plans to spend more than a $1 billion on buying ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft from Tokyo. These sea rescue aircraft costs $120 million apiece.

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The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys highest decision making body, will meet on Monday to take a call on the organisational elections, the deadline for which ends on December 31.

The tenure of Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also likely to be extended by another year. She already holds the record of being the Congress chief for 18 consecutive years after taking over from Sitaram Kesri in 1998.

According to the agenda circulated to CWC members, the meeting will discuss the political situation in the country and organisational matters. It is also expected to discuss the strategy for the winter session of Parliament that begins on November 16.

Congress sources ruled out holding internal polls at this moment in view of the upcoming assembly elections in five states where the top brass and other leaders will be busy campaigning. Apart from Uttar Pradesh, elections are scheduled to be held in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur in February-March next year.

Congress leaders, however, insisted that extension of Sonias term till December 31 next year does not necessarily mean that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi will have to wait another year to take over the reins of the party.

A Congress functionary said the timing of the change of guard has to be decided by Sonia and Rahul. He further explained that the CWC resolution on Sonias extension is a technical requirement that will have no bearing on Rahuls elevation.

But some leaders did refer to the party constitution to suggest that the change of guard could take place any time. The Congress constitution gives special power to the CWC to take any decision, including the appointment of party chief, with the condition that the move has to be ratified by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) within six months.

It was on March 14, 1998 that the CWC exercised this provision to appoint Sonia as the Congress president in place of Kesri. The AICC ratified the move on April 6, 1998. The CWC had also anointed Rahul as the party vice-president on January 19, 2013 at Jaipur, and the AICC endorsed the move next day.

The CWC had on September 8 last year extended the date of completion of the organisational elections by one year. With it, Sonias term as Congress president was also extended by a year.

The party had then informed the election commission of its decision. A political party is required to inform the poll body of the mode and periodicity of organisational elections at different levels.

The polls have been delayed as Rahul is keen on holding internal elections across all the rungs of the party.

On many occasions, he had expressed concern over the increasing trend in the party to boost numbers through fake membership.

In the past, there have been allegations that leaders manipulate figures by dubious methods to outsmart their rivals and influence the outcome as happened in Youth Congress elections.
There is surge of curiosity among the youth in Bhopal, particularly in the old city area about the banned SIMI and its operatives following the audacious jailbreak and the killing of eight undertrial prisoners belonging to the outfit on October 31.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, many youth from Old Bhopal told HT that many of them were searching online about SIMI and the eight men who were killed in the encounter.

Read: Surround, finish them all: Cops alleged conversation on SIMI encounter

Police kills eight unarmed youth at the same spot in our city. They are martyrs for us. After their martyrdom, my friends and I googled about them to see what they had done and what made them join SIMI, said a 23-year-old man near Peergate in Old Bhopal.

Another 17-year-old student said he watched different TV news channels, video clips on WhatsApp and even read some newspapers, but couldnt understand clearly what happened that day and why only these eight SIMI men escaped and were killed.

We also checked on the Internet. There is lot of information on SIMI, how it started and so on, but not much information on these eight men, he said.

Sahil from the old city said there is lot of misinformation about the incident in the public and the media. We dont know what actually happened and why they were killed, but it is a natural thing that we want closure on this issue. Otherwise it will keep haunting our conscience, he said.

Read:

There is palpable anger among some sections of the youth over the encounter, which they allege was staged. They feel it needs to be probed in a transparent manner. Many youngsters had come from Old Bhopal to the Hamidia Hospital mortuary on Tuesday when the bodies of the SIMI operatives were handed over to their families

Many had tears in their eyes. They didnt say anything and left the spot after some time. Two days later in the huge gathering after the Friday prayers in and outside the Tarjume Wali mosque, the agitated young men raised slogans and spoke openly about the incident.

Many of them spoke to HT and shared their feelings and raised many questions on the encounter. Some of them doubted that justice would be done in this case. We know what happens in such cases. We may never know the official truth, but in our hearts we do, said a youth in his 20s.

The rage among the youth over the incident is a cause for worry for many. Some are apprehensive that given the questions the encounter has raised, they could be used by terror elements to recruit the youth into SIMI or any other outfit.

Muslim leaders say the anger among the youth is natural as this is the first such incident which the young generation has come across. Masood Ahmed Khan, secretary, Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims Madhya Pradesh said the scale of the incident was bound to create a stir in the minds of the youth.

There are so many unanswered questions, but we are trying our best to calm the agitated youth and ensure they dont take any such step that vitiates the atmosphere here. In Bhopal, we have ensured that nobody disturbs the communal harmony. But if justice is not delivered in this case, we cant say anything where this anger will lead these youngsters, he cautioned.

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Amid criticism from the Opposition and media over action against NDTV India, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday the NDA government is committed to freedom of press but the media should use it keeping in mind the interests of the nation.

The information and broadcasting minister also said the well-being of the country and society should be kept in mind before broadcasting or publishing any news, and stressed that news and views should not be mixed.

A big discussion is going on in the country that there should be freedom of press. It should compulsorily be there and the government is committed to this. But, there is a need to think. We are citizens first and then the journalists. Thats my view, he said.

Read: Why was NDTV India banned and what does the law say?

Political parties including the Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and several other national parties and leaders have strongly criticised the ban.

The Congress accused the Narendra Modi-led government of trampling the three pillars of democracy - executive, judiciary and media, and said there was no place for dissent. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the attitude of the government did not match with Indias pluralist character.

Naidu said while broadcasting news, one should keep in mind the interests of society and nation.

Our government believes in freedom of press and wants the media to truly appreciate the value of such freedom so that it is best used in the interest of the country and the people, Naidu said at a programme for Urdu journalists.

The news you are giving should not promote clashes between groups, religions or create unrest in society. The news should not cause harm to the nations interests. There should be self-restraint (in following rules), he said.

Journalists should remember that freedom of expression is best utilised only when the value of such freedom is fully appreciated, he said, adding that when this freedom is not exercised judiciously, our existing laws provide for necessary interventions.

He advised that journalists must always look for information, but must run the news only after confirmation.

Be nearer to truth and keep away from sensationalism. But what is happening in the electronic media is sensationalism, he said.

Stating that there are some regulations that media should not preach, something which is anti-national; not propagate against the interest of the country aspects like obscenity, vulgarity, encouraging violence, Naidu asked electronic media and cinema should seriously think about how to avoid vulgarity, obscenity and violence.

He said: The important thing in media is credibility... which is very important...but now credibility is missing in most of the media, which is unfortunate. We must always work for credibility.
NCP MP Supriya Sule on Sunday condemned the one-day ban on NDTV India over its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, saying freedom of speech is being suppressed.

Freedom of speech is being suppressed. I condemn such actions, Sule told PTI when asked about the punitive action against the leading Hindi channel by the Centre.

Read | Oppn, media slam govt for one-day ban on NDTV India over Pathankot coverage

The daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar said she has always supported freedom of expression. This action (against NDTV India) deserves condemnation from all quarters.

Freedom of expression has been enshrined in the Constitution, given to the nation by Dr B R Ambedkar and it should be respected, said the MP from Baramati in Western Maharashtra.

The decision on blackout, to be imposed on November 9, has drawn sharp condemnation from Opposition parties and media bodies which called it shocking and authoritarian and reminiscent of the Emergency days.

Read | Ban on NDTV will lead to second Emergency in the country: DMK
Describing India as one of the UKs most important and closest friends and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she will hold talks with counterpart Narendra Modi to bolster bilateral strategic ties.

May reached New Delhi on Sunday night on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing partnership in the key areas of trade, investment, defence and security.

Ahead of her visit to India --- which is Mays first bilateral visit outside the UK --- an article published in the Sunday Telegraph quoted her as saying that she plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

May will hold talks with counterpart Narendra Modi to bolster bilateral strategic ties in areas such as defence, security and trade.

She writes: One of our most important and closest friends has to be India -- a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

Read: Bogged down by Brexit, Britain PM Theresa May turns to India for good news

In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade.

May, who will hold bilateral talks with PM Modi on Monday, said she will seek concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

Read more: India explores special visa options before UK PM Theresa Mays visit

I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree to concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

Building 100 new Smart Cities, encouraging firms to Make in India, getting the country online with Digital India, delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance -- these form Prime Minister Modis vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries.

Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.
With Delhi choking on smog created by burning of paddy straw in neigbhouring states, noted agri-scientist MS Swaminathan has suggested ways to commercialise the straw to help tide over the problem.

Swaminathan said paddy straw can be used for making animal feed, cardboard, paper and other products. He will soon send a detailed note to the PM in this regard.

I have told the Prime Minister how we can make use of paddy straw instead of burning it. You cannot ask a farmer to stop burning paddy straw as he has to prepare his field for the next crop. You must find a mechanism to commercialise it, Swaminathan said.

Read: Delhi sees seasons most polluted day, situation might improve this week

A technology has been developed in Maharashtra for using paddy straw as animal feed, he said.

You add urea and molasses in paddy straw, you can use it as animal feed. There are many different ways, paddy straw can be utilised. The PM was very interested and I will soon send a note to him on this topic, he said.

India produces 140 million tonnes of paddy and 280 million tonnes of rice straw in a year, he added.

Swaminathan, known as Father of Indias Green Revolution, was sharing the dais with the Prime Minister at first ever international conference of agro-biodiversity.

While addressing the event, he spoke on the issue saying that when we talk about agro-biodiversity, it is not about grains alone but about the whole plant.

Paddy straw enriched with urea and molasses is a wonderful animal feed, he said while citing example of research work done in Mynamar in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Centre has called a meeting of environment ministers of all neighbouring states on Monday to curb stubble burning by farmers which has made Delhi a gas chamber.

There is an emergency situation in Delhi. The situation is bad, particularly for children, patients, women and elderly. We need to take immediate steps to deal with the situation, Union Environment Minister Anil Dave had said.

Cases of severe breathlessness, asthma and allergy have sharply risen in Delhi as the city remains blanketed in thick layer of toxic air due to the worst smog in 17 years, aggravated by use of Diwali crackers last week.
The eight Simi men who were killed in an alleged gunfight with police a few hours after their escape from Bhopal jail faced multiple cases including those of murder, sedition and robbery, police and court records reveal.

Twenty-three cases were pending in the Bhopal district court against the men who were shot dead on October 31 almost eight hours after they broke out of the high-security Bhopal Central Jail. In many cases, charges were yet to be framed.

Prime witnesses in most cases had turned hostile but before the men could prove their innocence, they were murdered in cold blood, Zeenat, lawyer for three of them, told HT.

Even if some witnesses turn hostile, it doesnt matter. Sometimes a single witness and evidence are proof enough for a judgment, Superintendent of Police (Bhopal north) Arvund Saxena said.

Polices version of the events of October 31 has come under increased scrutiny, with activists and opposition accusing the force of staging the killings.

The men, who were hardened criminals, escaped by killing a warder and attacked police too. According to law and Constitution, this sole incident is enough for justifying the encounter, Saxena said.

The charges against the eight members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India vary but sedition, murder and carrying illegal arms are common to most of them, records reveal.

Read| Surround, finish them all: Cops alleged conversation on SIMI encounter

They were involved in heinous crime like murder and bomb blast. Cases are pending against them in other states including Telangana and Gujarat. There is no doubt that they were hardened criminals, Saxena said.

Zakir Hussain had the highest -- 12 cases  against his name followed by Mehboob Guddu with eight. In contrast, Abdul Majid, an Ujjain-based electrician, was named in only one case.

Majid gave himself up to the court in 2014. He didnt escape from the jail but he was brought out and killed, Zeenat said. If he feared jail, he would not have surrendered, said Zeenat, who also represented Hussain and Guddu in the district court.

Its difficult to digest that after surrendering Majid would make an attempt to escape from the jail, she said. He didnt face serious charges -- he was booked under explosives act -- and he knew he would be out soon, she said.

Majid, according to police, was an expert at making rod bombs. An investigation into recovery of a cache of bombs from neighbouring Maharashtra in December 2013 revealed that the bombs were assembled by Majid in Ujjain.

Hussain had a long list of cases against his name -- murder, attempt to murder, forgery, dacoity, harbouring offenders, escaping from jail and resisting arrest.

Guddu was an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts that left 56 people dead. The eight cases against him also include sedition, murder, forgery and fanning enmity between different groups. He was also accused of keeping illegal arms.

Mohammad Aqeel Khilji, a resident of Khandwa which is considered Simi hotbed in Madhya Pradesh, was named in cases of attempt to murder, sedition and arms act among others.

Amjad Khan was an accused in six cases including that of murder, sedition and fraud.

Mohammad Khalid Ahmad and Mukesh Sheikh, too, faced charges of murder. They were also named in cases of attempt to murder, fraud, dacoity and carrying illegal arms.

Mohammad Saliq was accused of attempting murder and resisting arrest.

All cases will be closed once police officially informs the court of their death.

Read| MP government says no to NIA probe into Bhopal jailbreak, encounter

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The encounter of eight suspected SIMI operatives who were gunned down hours after they escaped from a Bhopal jail needs a high court-monitored probe , their lawyer said on Sunday.

Parvez Alam, who represented the slain SIMI activists, who were facing terror cases, termed the Madhya Pradesh governments order of judicial probe into the incident as mockery of judicial system.

It is baffling that the culprit of the encounter, which is the state government, has chosen its own investigator to probe its serious crime, Alam said.

This is a sheer mockery of democratic and judicial system. The state government, instead of requesting the MP High Court to order a judicial inquiry into the cold-blooded murder, has itself appointed an investigator, which is against the natural justice, Alam told PTI.

He said that the state government should have moved the MP high court and waited for it to name a sitting or retired judge to investigate the fake encounter.

We are going to petition the High Court for a judicial probe. We want the probe to be monitored by the High Court and it (probe panel) should have lawyers of both sides--the government and the deceased, he added.

Meanwhile, when asked if he had received any written communication from the government asking him to start judicial inquiry, the retired MP High Court judge S K Pandey said, I dont have any information (yet).

The MP Government announced judicial probe by Justice Pandey three days ago after the alleged encounter came under severe criticism. Home minister Bhupendra Singh had till then maintained that no judicial probe into the encounter was necessary.

Earlier, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced a NIA probe into the jail-break during which the fleeing SIMI activists allegedly murdered a head warden.
When former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to know if his teaching job amounts to holding an office of profit, he probably started a trend of sorts. In the past few months, many MPs have sought prior approval from the Parliaments joint panel on office of profit for taking up an outside position.

As many as 10 MPs  ranging from SPs Jaya Bachchan to BJPs Sanwar Lal Jat  have applied for clearance until now. While Bachchan sought the Satya Pal Singh-headed panels clearance to become the chairperson of West Bengals committee on film heritage, Jat wanted it to approve his appointment as head of the Rajasthan farmers commission.

The panel has cleared all such requests brought before it.

The office of profit refers to an executive position that draws regular salaries or other perks. MPs are barred from taking up such responsibilities.

The idea behind the concept of office of profit  which evolved in England  is to preserve the independence of the legislature by keeping its members away from any temptations from the executive that may obstruct the independent discharge of their duties. It also seeks to enforce the principle of separation of power between the legislative, judiciary and executive  a basic feature of the Constitution.

In 2006, Congress president Sonia Gandhi landed in a controversy after critics alleged that the National Advisory Council  a body headed by her  was not exempted from the office-of-profit law. Gandhi resigned from the Lok Sabha, only to return with a bigger victory margin. The UPA government later amended the law to exclude NAC and some other bodies from its ambit.

The Sonia Gandhi incident probably acted as an eye-opener. Many MPs are cautious now. They apply for clearance before taking up the job, said a panel member.

The Rajasthan government also sought clearance from the body to appoint MPs to district school advisory committees. Similarly, it was only after acquiring the panels nod that senior-most MPs of the two houses were nominated to the National Council for Senior Citizens.

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13:55 (GMT +4) At least 39 people were killed in suicide bomber attacks in Iraq's cities of Tikrit and Samarra and 40 were injured, Sputnik reported.

After the tragedy, a curfew was placed in the area.

12:49 (GMT +4) Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials said, Reuters reported.

The twin attacks took place in Tikrit and Samarra, as Iraqi troops and security forces battled to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years.

They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists, who have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign.

In Tikrit, a bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance at the southern entrance to the city during the morning rush hour, killing 13 people, police and hospital sources said.

Another attacker detonated a vehicle in a car park for pilgrims visiting one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines, al-Askari mosque in Samarra, south of Tikrit.

The bomb killed at least eight people, local officials said, including two Iranian pilgrims. The local operation command, a joint military and police unit, said the vehicle used in Samarra was also an ambulance.

Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks.

11:57 (GMT +4) A suicide attacker detonated an ambulance packed with explosives in Tikrit on Sunday, killing nine people at the southern entrance to the city, police and hospital sources said, Reuters reported.

The bomber struck during the busy morning rush hour. Authorities declared a curfew in the city, saying they had information that further attacks were possible.

In Samarra, about 50 km (30 miles) south of Tikrit, two people were killed when a suicide car bomber struck a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims visiting the city's al-Askari mosque, sources said.
Only the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) can stop casinos in Goa, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a video message on Sunday.

In his 17-minute message to Goan voters, Kejriwal spoke about government-run schools and other infrastructure achievements by his Delhi government while making a pitch for votes for his party in the 2017 assembly elections.

Everyone in Goa wants casinos to shut shop. Both the BJP and the Congress could not do it because leaders from both parties are tied up with the casino lobby. Only the AAP can stop casinos. It can stop the ruin of Goan culture, Kejriwal said in his message broadcast on YouTube.

Kejriwal also urged voters to ignore the Congress, claiming it was not even a factor in the elections and that voting for them would mean a split of votes and favour the BJP.

Please do not split votes. Congress is over. Congress is not in the race. If some of you vote the Congress and others for AAP, the vote will be split and BJP will come back to power, Kejriwal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party co-convenor also said that the BJP had let down the state.

Everyone should vote for AAP and those who vote for BJP, I want to ask them: Has the BJP given you anything? BJP gave you a mohalla clinic? BJP gave you good education system? BJP gave you a good governance system?

BJP gave you only corruption and communalism. So those who vote for the BJP, please do not vote for them.

After five years, everyone in Goa says we were cheated (again). BJP turned out to be doubly corrupt than the Congress and (Manohar) Parrikar betrayed the people, he said.
Pakistans ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the grave atrocities being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the high commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Lodhi said the calls by the high commissioner for sending a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the high commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.
Unprovoked Pakistani firing killed two Indian soldiers and wounded four people, including a Border Security Force (BSF) officer and a woman, along the border in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district on Saturday night and early Sunday.

The Pakistani army fired at Indian posts and frontier villages to help militants cross the heavily-guarded Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two nations. But Indian troops foiled attempts to push militants, the BSF said.

Our troops observed suspicious movement and challenged the militants who had sneaked into the Krishna Ghati sector on Saturday night. They fired at the soldiers while trying to cross over to the Pakistan side, an army officer said.

Bullets fatally hit a 23-year-old sepoy, Gursewak Singh, of 22 Sikh Regiment and he died of his wounds.

A view of an Indian border post near fencing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot Sector in Poonch. (PTI)

Read | A look at the tough life of soldiers guarding the border

Singh of Warana village in Punjabs Tarn Taran district was to get married February next year. He is survived by parents and an elder brother. The body will be brought to Amritsar for the funeral at his village on Monday.

The second soldier to die was Tukpare Rajendra Narayan, a native of Maharashtras Kolhapur. He died of shrapnel wounds as Pakistanis fired 120mm and 82mm mortar shells in the Poonch sector.

At least 20 people, including children, have been killed in more than a fortnight since Pakistan started pounding border villages with mortar shells and heavy machine gun fire, betraying a ceasefire agreement between the two neighbours. There was brief lull of four days, but the Pakistanis resuming firing again on Saturday night.

BSF sub-inspector Nitin Kumar, two army soldiers and a 29-year-old woman, Tasleema Akhter, were wounded in the attack in Poonch.

Border skirmishes escalated after Indian forces destroyed militant hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 28. Pakistan too suffered fatalities in Indian retaliatory fire.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be the mascot of Incredible India campaign as the Tourism Ministry decided to do away with plans to rope in any Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, for the role which was lying vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year.

No Bollywood actor will be engaged for the campaign aimed at attracting foreign travellers and video footages of Modi during the last two-and-a-half years where he has talked about tourism in India and abroad, will be used for the campaign, a senior ministry official said.

The ministry is planning to use -- for radio and audio release -- two types of videos of different durations where Modi had talked about the uniqueness and diversity of the country, the official said.

At present, the ministry is working on selecting the footages, the official said, adding that the campaign would be released in the next 40-45 days as the Indian tourism season starts by November-end due to favourable weather.

The official said the process of selecting the agency, which will carry out the task of running the campaign, is ongoing.

The tourism minister, Mahesh Sharma, had endorsed Modi for the role, saying he is the best face to promote Incredible India campaign. He said the more tourists have come to India from nations visited by the Prime Minister.

He added that the ministry did not need a Bollywood face for the campaign.

The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years, with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister, Sharma had said.

Supporting Sharmas remarks, a senior ministry official said tourist inflow from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Australia, the UK, Canada and Myanmar, among others, has witnessed a significant jump after Modis visit to these nations.

Earlier names of megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Priyanka Chopra were speculated for the campaign that is aimed at promoting India as a tourist destination abroad after actor Aamir Khans ouster as the campaigns brand ambassador.

Though it was believed that Khan was eased out of the campaign in January after being associated with it for several years over his remarks on perceived intolerance, the Tourism Ministry had maintained that he was not hired by the government and that the contract with the advertising agency which engaged him had expired.
This is just another assignment for me but I am yet to get a formal order regarding my appointment. This was the reaction of retired justice SK Pande after he was named to head the judicial commission that will look into the alleged escape and subsequent killing of the 8 SIMI operatives in a police encounter in Bhopal last week.

All the 8 SIMI operatives were killed on the outskirts of Bhopal within 8 hours of their alleged escape.

Facing a barrage of attacks from the Opposition and rights activists, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a judicial probe into whole incident on Friday. However, a formal order is yet to be issued by the state secretariat.

Justice Pande refused to answer queries and said this was all he had to say.

A native of Rewa district, Pande was the district judge of Bhopal before his elevation as a high court judge posted at Jabalpur. He was justice at the high court from March 21, 2003 to August 4, 2006.

However, what is causing consternation in the states power corridors is a post by former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju on Saturday.

His post on Twitter and Facebook read, Often when a judicial probe is announced you can know its outcome by knowing the name of the judge.

While he left many guessing with his post, Katju later posted another comment on Twitter in response to a followers query for an example of the same. He posted, I gave example of Ranganath Mishra, former CJI, enquiring about Sikh massacre in 1984.

Justice Pande has in the past headed an inquiry commission that looked into a stampede in Datia in 2013. He gave several recommendations but the state government reportedly swept them under the carpet.

Talking to the Hindustan Times, RTI activist Ajay Dubey said, Justice Pande did an excellent task during his tenure and he was an upright and efficient judge. As the chairman of a previous commission he gave several good recommendations on Datia stampede but the government didnt implement it.

Advocate SR Gupta from Jabalpur said justice Pande used to write his orders in his own hand and his judgments, especially those related to civil disputes, were supposed to be milestone.

A senior bureaucrat who did not want to be named said he had observed justice Pande for a long time and what impressed him most about the judge was that he used to travel to Rewa from Jabalpur by a regular bus during his leave. He never used the official car for personal use.

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The police on Friday arrested three men, including two BSF soldiers, for molesting the wife and sister of a city based lawyer while watching a movie at Satyam mall. He said when he intervened, they threatened him of dire consequences.

The police arrested Sumit, Amit and Neeraj of Rohtaks Sampla town after receiving a complaint from the lawyer. In his complaint, the former bar-association president of Rohtak said, One of the three men removed his shirt and started starring at my wife and sister. When I protested, they started abusing and molesting them and gave death threats to me.

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ashwini Kumar, investigating officer of the case, said during investigation they gave their false identities. After our strict probe, they revealed that Sumit and Amit were BSF jawans who had come home on leave while Neeraj was a pehelwan, he said.

The three were produced in a court on Saturday, which sent them to judicial custody.
The BJP demanded on Sunday a separate state for Bundelkhand and alleged the Uttar Pradesh government was blocking the Centres welfare schemes, aiming to make inroads into the water-starved region known as a Samajwadi Party stronghold.

Speaking at a rally to flag-off a road-show in Jhansi, party president Amit Shah said if illegal mining in the region  which comprises eight districts in UP and five in MP -- came to an end, every Bundelkhandi would be able to afford a car.

I promise you that UP will become the richest state in the country once BJP comes to power. There will be no loot of public money, no scams, as have been taking place under Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, he said, flagging off the Parivartan Yatra.

This was the second of four such yatras to be launched ahead of next years assembly elections.

Union water resources minister Uma Bharti demanded statehood for Bundelkhand, a longstanding demand in the under-developed region where locals struggle despite abundant natural resources.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh was also present for the event and said if the BJP formed the government, it would end the areas water crisis in 5-10 years.

Shah flagged off the first Parivartan Rath from Saharanpur on Saturday. Two more Parivartan Rath Yatras will be taken out, one from Sonbhadra and another from Ballia on November 8 and 9, respectively. Uma Bharti will lead the Jhansi leg of the yatra will November 10.

These Parivartan Rath Yatras will criss-cross all the 403 assembly constituencies in next 50 days before culminating at Lucknow on December 24 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a mega rally.

The yatras are aimed helping the BJP connect with the rural and backward constituencies ahead of state polls where the saffron party is facing a strong fight from the SP, BSP and Congress.

In the rally, Singh called honesty the hallmark of the BJP and said governments led by party chief ministers such as Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and himself never faced corruption charges.

He also pointed out that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had a clean record.

Commenting on the family feud in the ruling Samajwadi Party, he said elections must be called immediately to end the uncertainty if the power tussle doesnt end soon.

(With agency inputs)

Read| Shah targets Yadav family feud, Mayawati to kick off BJPs UP poll campaign
The stringent visa regulations by the British cast a shadow over the prospect of two countries hammering out an ambitious trade and investment partnership post-Brexit as UK Prime Minister Teresa May arrived in the country on Sunday night.

This is the first visit by May to a country outside the Europe after taking over the prime minister, but a slew of commercial deals are expected during the visit.

She is accompanied by international trade secretary Liam Fox and trade minister Greg Hands and key business leaders and the visit is expected to pave way for two countries stepping up their business ties as UK tries to recast its business ties with countries after the referendum to leave European Union.

But the stringent visa regulations by the British have raced hackles in New Delhi and Indian side will raise their concerns over the visa rules that affecting Indian students as well as skilled workers when May meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

India has been raising its concern related to visa and migration with the UK for sometime now. In the past five years, the number of Indian students studying in UK got halved from 40,000 to 20, 000 due to the change in the visa rules on post-study work.

Mobility issues are of importance to us. We cannot separate free movement of people from free flow of goods, services and investments. We hope for UK being responsive to our concerns, said an Indian official.

Said S Irudayarajan, migration expert and long time consultant for government on mobility issues India is an important country for UK. And curbing the flow of good minds whether they are students or skilled workers is not good for UK.

About the visit May had said this is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain.

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It was like any other marriage. Hundreds of jubilant baraatis danced to the tunes of trumpets and drums as priests recited mantras in majestic settings. The 40 couples clad in red and gold were not men and women, but bulls and cows!

The grand wedding was held as per Hindu traditions at Jarkhod cow shelter in Deeg town of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan on Saturday.

The organisers, who run the shelter, said thousands of people from as far as Shillong in Meghalaya, and Mumbai, Delhi, Mathura, Chandigarh, as well as from 10 neighbouring villages attended the grand ceremony. Guests were accommodated in around 200 cottages built for the occasion.

Rajendra Das, the shelter in-charge, said they had received Rs 25 lakh as blessings and it would be used for the upkeep and development of the shelter, which houses more than 5,000 bovines.

Gopesh, who work at the shelter, said 40 bulls were brought for the wedding from Pathmeda Gaushala, said to be the biggest cow shelter in India, located in western Rajasthan.

A bovine getting prepared for the ceremony. (HT Photo)

The cows will be impregnated by the native breed of bulls so that their numbers increase, he said, stressing on the importance of cows in Hinduism.

People who participated in the ceremony were of similar view, saying, every Hindu should own a cow for the preservation of the religion.

Smuggling of cows for slaughter is a thriving business in Mewat region in eastern Rajasthan along the border with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Forty cases have been registered against smugglers till July this year as compared to 65 in 2015 under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995. At least 39 police outposts were created in 2014 for cow protection, of which six are in Mewat region.

People from Jarkhod cow shelter, which was established four years ago to provide care to abandoned and sick bovines, said such marriages would be organised every year to facilitate increase in animal numbers.
A two-year-old rape case in Wadakancherry town of Kerala got fresh momentum on Sunday after a police probe team recorded the statement of the 34-year-old victim here.

The victim has publicly named, among others, two CPI-M leaders, including municipal councillor PN Jayanthan, who has denied of the accusation and admitted that the two others had financial dealings.

The 2014 case became public on Thursday when the woman along with her husband and two women activists narrated the incident to the media in Thiruvananthapuram.

Following this, the CPI-M state government of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was forced to order a fresh probe into the case as pressure mounted from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the media.

The chief minister is also in the dock as he was one of the first people to be informed of the rape, when the victim in August this year wrote to him about the sexual assault.

On Sunday, Wadakancherry legislator Anil Akkara of the Congress told reporters that most officers of the probe team were known sympathisers of the CPI-M.

Barring the two women IPS officials, all the rest were cleared by the party officials in Thrissur, and hence if the DGP (director general of police) is serious in getting to the bottom of the truth in the case, such officials should be removed from the probe team, said Akkara.

The case has rocked the CPI-M in general and particularly the party unit in Thrissur.

On Sunday, the case was the centre of discussion at the party state secretariat meeting held here in the state capital.

Former assembly speaker and senior CPI-M leader K Radhakrishnan, known for his pleasing manners and soft nature, took a beating for naming the victim in an interaction with the media last week.

When the media pointed out to him that it was wrong to name the victim, he shot back and said if Jayanthan can be named, then the details of the victim can also be revealed.

The National Commission for Women has served a show cause notice to the former speaker and the police have launched a preliminary probe into it following a few complaints.
Turkish-backed ground forces and coalition airstrikes have killed 24 Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, the military said Sunday, Anadolu reported.

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said that 30 Daesh targets, including defensive positions and mortars, were destroyed around the villages of Shudud and Numan in airstrikes by coalition jets.

A Free Syrian Army fighter was killed and eight injured, the update on Operation Euphrates Shield added. The operation was launched in late August to clear Syria's northern border area of terrorists.
A huge cache of explosives and detonators were seized by police in Siliguri in North Bengal, where it arrested three Nepali citizens including a couple. Police seized 609 gelatin sticks and 200 detonators.

Bringing back memories of Khargragore in Burdwan, the explosives were seized from a rented house where the couple lived.

Sleuths did not rule out connection with terrorist organizations and further probe is on.

Acting on specific information, police on Saturday night raided the rented house of Dawa Tshering Bhutia here at Darjeeling More and recovered 609 gelatin sticks and 200 detonators and 630 meter long codex wire.

Read:Bengal tops list of states in arrest of ISI linkmen

C S Lepcha the commissioner of Siliguri Police said Dawa Tshering Bhutia who also goes by another name Dawa Gurung (50), his wife Puja Limboo (35) and Krishan Prasad Adhikari all from Nepal have been arrested.

Though Lepcha did not disclose whether they have any link with militant and terrorist organizations, she said the arrested persons were working in a coal mine at Shillong in Meghalaya before they came to Siliguri about six months back.

The seizure of such a large number of gelatin sticks and detonators came in the wake of intelligence reports that terrorists might strike in and around Siliguri located in the chicken neck having close proximity with countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Police said Dawa and his wife Puja were running a fast food shop near Darjeeling More while Krishna Prasad was working as a security guard.

Police Commissioner said the trio would be produced in a local court here and Police would seek their police remand for further interrogation.

Khagragore blast which took place in Burdwan on October 2, 2014 blew the lid of JUMB network, apart from indoctrination centres and arms making hub in West Bengal. Couples with children were using a rented apartment in the area as a bomb making factory.

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In a precursor to a grand show of strength in Mumbai, the Maratha community on Sunday staged a silent bike rally to press for their demands, mainly 16% reservation in education and government jobs. The bike rally in Mumbai is the first deviation from the usual silent gatherings.

The rally started around 10am from Somaiya Grounds in Chunabhatti and concluded at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in South Mumbai. According to the participants, nearly 20,000 bikes ridden by men and women from across Maharashtra took to the Mumbais streets to draw attention to their demands.

Maansingh Pawar, a Maratha leader from Aurangabad, who started the protests said, Todays bike rally in Mumbai was just a warm up for raising our voice in the states capital. We have been thinking about organising a full-blown rally in the city, but that would be our ultimate move that we will resort to if push comes to shove.

He added, A full-fledged protest will shut down the city, and no one wants that to happen considering it is the states economic hub. So a protest in Mumbai will be our last resort. As of now, theres no final decision on it.

The protestors followed the code of conduct laid down by the organisers with almost all riders wearing helmets and pillion riders sporting saffron turbans. There were no speeches made at the rally and all participants took a U-turn after paying respects to a large Chhatrapati Shivaji banner installed opposite the CST station. The rally saw participation from youngsters and women from the city and Thane alike.

I think we are losing out on higher education opportunities because of the quota system, which enables everyone else to access better colleges and professions of their choice. I am here to express solidarity, said Pratik Deshmukh, a Science graduate and a local from Priyadarshani circle, who joined the rally from it starting point in Chunnabhati.

Sunday rally witnessed participation from Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar, who later stated that the agitation was not against the government.

The Maratha community has been staging protests across Maharashtra for the last few months, demanding reservations in education, government jobs and a revision of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act alleging its misuse.

In the last two months, Marathas have staged protests across cities such as Aurangabad, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Solapur, Kolhapur and Nagpur, among others. The community also planning to stage a silent protest on December 14 during the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur.

With several Maratha organisations lending support to the protests, the community has also formed a panel of judicial experts to help strengthen the states case for Maratha reservations in the Bombay high court.

Commenting on the issue, Vinod Tawde, state education minister and in-charge of the state committee for Maratha reservations, said, After the Mumbai bike rally, a delegation of the community comprising legal experts, retired judges and academicians should ideally come and meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state government representatives to further discuss how the state can present its side to secure reservations for the Maratha community.

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After inaugurating sewa kendra at Attari, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced commencement and functioning of 113 sewa kendras in the city along with 900 rural sewa kendras.

The deputy CM said that these kendras will help people to avail government services in a corruption-free and hassle-free manner. He said that working of sewa kendras will be efficient and transparent. There will be frequent inspections to check the efficiency.

Badal said that it is a red letter day in the history of Amritsar as hundreds of sewa kendras have begun operations. After the announcement, Badal slammed Congress and said that they have ignored the interests of Punjab.

Congress history is replete with instances of discrimination against Punjab, despite the fact that Punjab has always been in the forefront of defending the nation as well as contributing to its economy, said Badal.

Captain Amarinder Singh, who is now so vociferously supporting the cause of farmers and indulging in chest-thumping on the issue, is the one who had levied hefty power bills during his tenure and committed atrocities upon them, he added.

Badal said, It is Congress only that violated the sanctity of Darbar Sahib by attacking it with tanks, so how can its aristocratic leader, Captain Amarinder Singh, be trusted to safeguard the interests of Punjab. Talking about the overall development of Punjab, he said that the SAD-BJP government has always stood for the holistic development of the state. He said that their government has taken pro-people initiatives and is concerned about all sections of the society.

At the event, cabinet minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, DIG AK Mittal, SSP Rakesh Kaushal, additional deputy commissioner Tejinderpal Singh Sandhu and SDM Rajesh Sharma, were also present.
Four armed men looted Rs 2.50 lakh from a milk agency in Labour Colony of Dugri phase-1 area on Friday night. The robbers fled after injuring the owners son.

Ramesh Kumar, owner of the shop, said his son Jatin Kumar, 23, was managing the shop while he was in his house above the shop when four armed robbers struck there. They attacked Jatin with sharp-edged weapons and took money from the cash box. By the time he came down hearing screams, the accused had fled.

Ramesh rushed his son to civil hospital, from where he was referred to Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). His condition was stated critical.

Ramesh said locals tried to stop the robbers, but since they were carrying weapons, they managed to flee.

The whole incident was captured in the CCTVs installed inside the shop.

The Dugri police registered a case under Section 392 (robbery) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in this context against unidentified persons, following the statement of Ramesh. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jatinder Kumar, who is investigating the matter, said the police have been scanning CCTV footage to identify the robbers and will arrest them soon.
The politics over Bhiwani ex-soldier Ram Kishan Grewals, who committed suicide allegedly over the one rank, one pension (OROP) issue, continues.

Even as the controversy over Union minister of state for external affairs VK Singhs claim that Grewal contested panchayat elections with Congress backing has not died down, one of his colleagues has come up with another such remark about his (Grewals) sons political affliation.

Union minister of social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale, who represents Republican Party of India (RPI), an ally of the NDA, reached Grewals residence in Bhiwanis Bamla village on Saturday to pay his condolences to the family.

Responding to a medias query about ex-army chief VK Singhs comment, Athawale said Grewals son Jaswant was a block-level leader of his party RPI.

Athawale said, Jaswant is RPIs block president. We are very saddened over Grewals suicide, but the Modi government is extremely serious about fully implementing OROP.

The minister also offered a government job to one of the kin of Grewal. Besides the state government, our department, too, will give a job to one of the sons of the ex-soldier, he said.

The Delhi government, too, had announced a government job for a family member of Grewal, as per their policy of compensation to martyrs.

Meanwhile, the Dalit leader urged people to promote inter-caste marriages and said he was contemplating on a scheme to give government jobs to those opting for such marriages. But to ensure these marriages are not mere tricks to get a government jobs, we will snatch jobs from the couples who would go for divorce, he said.
In a mysterious incident, a cook, working at the house of Phillaur Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Baldev Singh Khaira, died after sustaining bullet injuries in his chest on Sunday.

The victim is 23-year-old Mohit from Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh.

Station house officer (SHO) Phillaur Jarnail Singh said Mohit was trying his hands on the weapon when he accidentally pulled the trigger.

He was taken to Arora hospital in Phillaur and later shifted Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) Ludhiana but he could not survive.

After the incident, security personnel and others rushed the victim to the hospital.

Police said the incident occurred due to the negligence of constable Bikram who was deputed for Khairas security. As alleged, Bikram had kept his loaded weapon abandoned on the bed.

A case under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the constable, said the SHO. The .32 bore weapon has also been seized, he added.

Kapurthala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajinder Singh (also officiating Jalandhar rural SSP) ruled out the murder angle and said the shooting was accidental.

SAD candidate Khaira said Mohit had joined as cook four days ago. We have informed his family members about the unfortunate incident,  he said.

The body has been kept at DMCH while the post mortem will be held on Monday after the his family members arrive.

AAP demands probe

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised doubts regarding the incident and demanded a probe by retired judge in this case.

In a press release, AAP Phillaur candidate Swaroop Singh Kadiana said police have been trying to hush-up the episode under political pressure, but the AAP is with Mohits family, and will raise the issue.
Of Rs 23,500 crores received by the Punjab government as cash credit limited (CCL) for paddy procurement, Rs 10,000 crores lapsed on October 31. No farmer has been paid for the produce procured from him in the past 10 days.

Officials of food and civil supplies department told HT that first instalment of CCL had a validity of a month. We have asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to send back the lapsed CCL and the second instalment of Rs 4,500 crore for November, a food department official said. Of 145-lakh tonne paddy procured by five agencies of Punjab, payment for 70,000-lakh tonne grain was pending since October 20. As on November 6, the state agencies owe farmers Rs 13,500 crore and the paddy continues to arrive in mandis. This season the procurement is expected to tough an all-time high of 165-lakh tonne.

AAP to stage protests on Monday

In the wake of farmers awaiting payment for paddy procured by government agencies, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to stage protests in all the main mandis of the state on Monday.

Punjab co-convener of the AAP Jarnail Singh said, For 10 days farmers have not been paid. They are suffering for no fault of theirs. We have decided to raise the voice in support of the farmers.

President of AAPs kisan morcha Gurbinder Singh Kang said dharnas would take place at mandis in every district.
The district administration has denied permission to Sikh radical leaders for holding Sarbat Khalsa (congregation of the Sikhs) scheduled for November 10 at Talwandi Sabo, even as the police made 80 preventive arrests as a follow-up to stall the event.

We have detained around 80 people across the police zone as a preventive measure, Bathinda inspector general of police SK Asthana told HT. Radicals claim that police have rounded up over 1,000 persons across the state so far ahead of the Sarbat Khalsa. Among those arrested include Sarbat Khalsa-appointed acting Akal Takht jathedar Dhian Singh Mand. Heavy police force has been deployed in Talwandi Sabo ahead of the event.

Bathinda deputy commissioner Basant Garg said the permission to hold Sarbat Khalsa was denied on Saturday keeping in view the law and order situation.

Sikh religious preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal, the Sarbat Khalsa-appointed jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib said the cops directed to remove tents put up for the event. He said that they will announce their next move after a hearing on their appeal filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking permission for the Sarbat Khalsa.

Bathinda senior superintendent of police Swapan Sharma said police didnt remove or ask the organisers to remove tents. The organisers had started putting up tents on over 60 acres on the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo road for the event.

Sikh radical groups, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), United Akali Dal, Panthic Sewa Lehar and some other organisations had announced to hold the Sarbat Khalsa on November 10 at Talwandi Sabo. Similar congregation was held in Chabbewal in Amritsar on same day last year following series of desecration incidents of Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent killing of two persons in police firing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot during protest against the sacrilege incidents.

Meanwhile, SAD (A) president Simranjit Singh Mann has accused the Punjab government of trying to sabotage the congregation. He even threatened self-immolation if they were denied permission for Sarbat Khalsa.

District magistrate Basant Garg said as per the report submitted by the SSP, there were apprehensions of breach of peace during the event. We have arrested some persons to subvert their plans to disturb peace and communal harmony, he said.

13 ARRESTED IN GURDASPUR

GURDASPUR: Police arrested 13 Sikh hardliners in Gurdaspur district on Sunday to prevent them from taking part in the November 10 Sarbat Khalsa at Talwani Sabo. Similarly, six persons were arrested in the Batala police district.

These persons taken into preventive police custody under Sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and were presented in Gurdaspur and Batala courts from where they were sent to judicial custody till November 18.

SAD(A) CHIEF SCUFFLES WITH COP

BARNALA: Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann entered into a scuffle with a station house officer on Saturday night when police tried to detain him near Ghunas village in Barnala district.

While Mann remained incommunicado after the incident, SAD (Amritsar) general secretary Kushal Singh Mann confirmed the report.

Meanwhile, in Ludhiana, an ailing radical leader, Palwinder Singh Giaspura, on Sunday. Police also arrested SAD (A) district president Jaswant Singh Cheema among others under Section 107 and 151 of the CrPC. Giaspura claimed he was suffering from chikungunya.
On Diwali, I had a drink with director, sorry, Brigadier Seedha-Sadha Singh. Soon we were joined by joint director, sorry, Colonel Bhola Ram. Senior assistant, sorry, Captain Simon Pure came in at the fag end of the evening. What am I getting at here? These, my fellow Indians, are the equivalent civil ranks that our armed forces officers have been reduced to on the authority of a ministry of defence (MoD) letter. This downgrading of rank, sought to be done silently, has the approval of no less than the defence minister. He has, however, sought to quell the resultant uproar by limiting the equivalencies to the MoD.

A Gunner veteran, resplendent in his medals, at the venue of the OROP agitation. Like him, Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal was the salt of the earth, determined to fight for a just cause and win. (Photo: IESM)

This is the latest in a series of insidious attempts by conniving politicians and a Machiavellian bureaucracy to cut the militarys pay, pensions, standing and disability allowances. In the latest missive, numerous earlier references have been given to argue that these were the functional equivalencies between armed forces and civilian officers. What has been left unsaid, perhaps deliberately, is that a Group of Ministers, after due deliberation, had supplanted all these previous letters in 2009 by fixing the equivalent of a Major General as a civilian joint secretary.

Attack on 30 RR

Early in the morning of October 6, three terrorists attempted an attack on the camp of 30 Rashtriya Rifles battalion HQ at Langate in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. A classic perimeter defence, followed by a counter-attack took place. The alert boundary sentries opened fire, repelling the assault. The ready-for-action QRT (quick reaction team) engaged the terrorists, fixing them in place. Among the troops resting, second and third responders were quick off the mark, surrounding the attackers. All that remained was to overwhelm the terrorists using larger numbers and firepower. This was done without any casualties to our own troops.

The successful action shows the high motivation of the battalion (affiliated to the Mahar Regiment with 33% personnel coming from other arms and services) instilled by good command dynamics. Colonel Rajiv Saharan, the commanding officer certainly has cause for satisfaction. On a broader plane, the repulse of terrorists at Langate indicates that after the cross-LoC strikes, the Army on the counter-insurgency grid is ready and watchful for any retaliatory attacks.

Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal

What sort of a person was the late Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal? I didnt know him personally, but can make an accurate guess from his career profile and the work he did after retirement. Joining the 105 Infantry Battalion TA (Rajputana Rifles) in Delhi Cantt, he served for six years before becoming a regular soldier with the Defence Security Corps, in which capacity he protected defence installations. After retirement, he entered public service as the sarpanch of his village. Development works initiated by him and his outstanding social work brought him a presidential award. He was typical of the regulars who made the venue of the OROP agitation at Jantar Mantar their home. Straightforward, selfless, keen to help others and indefatigable in pursuit of their rights  in short, the salt of the earth. These veterans had the courage and stamina to take their endeavour forward. I do not support suicide but if his death shocks this unfeeling nation into caring for its veterans, it wouldve been worth it.

Please write in with your narratives of war and soldiering to msbajwa@gmail.com or call/WhatsApp on 093161-35343
MIGRATORY MARVELS

While the Union Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has placed objections against the satellite tagging of birds citing security reasons, a seminal project to study the migration of common cuckoos has yielded the result that some of these birds cross India from China and winter in Africa. This discovery arose from the Beijing Cuckoo Project, which tagged five cuckoos in China with satellite transmitters. While one cuckoo, named Skybomb Bolt, flew 3,700 km non-stop from Central India across the oceans to reach Somalia on October 30, another cuckoo, Flappy McFlapperson, flew 2,000 km non-stop from Uttar Pradesh to reach Masirah Island, just off the coast of Oman, on November 4.

The British Trust for Ornithology fitted the cuckoos (which weigh about 100g) with satellite tags of 4.5g. The results also tell us that Pied cuckoos are not the only cuckoos to migrate to Asia from Africa. The Pinjore-based Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre is still awaiting permission from the DoT to satellite tag captive-bred vultures for release into the wilderness.

THE RAGING WHISKERS

Visitors to Chhatbir zoo will observe that leopards are usually calm in their display enclosures and do not lunge at the humans gawking at them. However, the same leopard changes into an aggressive cat when confined in the secluded chambers for feeding and the night retreat. Take the leopard, affectionately named Lemoo by his handler, Lajja Ram. Lemoo was brought to the zoo following rescue from Pathankot in 2013. Visitors cannot imagine the change that overcomes Lemoo when he sees a human outside the bars of his small, inner chamber that is restricted to entry. He will forget his feed and charge repeatedly at the bars of the chamber to get at the human, his long moustaches twitching, ears pressed down hard, snarling like a confined dragon and saliva spraying through the bars in fuming jets. I asked evolutionary biologist Dr Vidya Athreya to explain why leopards turn so violent when in close confines and eyeball-to-eyeball contact with humans.

Lemoo rages at the human presence outside his chamber. (PHOTO: SHIVJOT S BHULLAR)

The leopard probably has bad memories of cages when it was earlier tranquilised, netted or trapped and then shifted in a cage for transport to the zoo. The animal has no way of knowing that the tranquilisation etc was not intended to harm him. So, when confined in a small enclosure later, it suspects that the humans are out to harm it and reacts violently. When out in the bigger public display enclosures, the humans are not so close, the space is not so confined, and the bigger arena does not evoke bad memories of being trapped, tranquilised and waking up to find so many curious humans peering into the cage, said Dr Athreya.

THE BLOOD ARTS

As an artist specialising in painting wildlife in the miniature realism tradition, the Jaipur-based Pappu Chand took his exhibition to Amritsar. The viewers there either showed sparse inclination to appreciate his paintings or displayed crass ignorance by mistaking them to be photographs! This was because his work was so finely executed in the signature style of Jaipur realism. Chand then brought his works to Chandigarh, where they are currently on display at the Punjab Kala Bhawan as part of the exhibition of Rajasthan and Bhopal artists titled, Creative Creators. Chand is grateful, and emboldened by the response of the City Beautifuls art lovers, who have had the patience to unravel his paintings subtle textures, colours and forms.

Pappu Chands painting of humming birds. (PHOTO: RAMASHANKAR MISHRA)

So deep and intricate are the works of Chand and the exhibitions other miniature artists that the magnifying lens offered to viewers does not result in a distortion of the paintings micro-execution. The integrity of the art holds steadfast, like the finest of spider webs. The dexterity of native painters such as Chand was once harnessed by British zoologists/ornithologists like Thomas Hardwicke and TC Jerdon to illustrate in water colours their seminal, 19th century tomes on the sub-continents faunal riches.

The Ranthambore painting by Pappu Chand. (PHOTO: RAMASHANKAR MISHRA)

Chands painting on Ranthambores tigers, reveling in the ruins of the erstwhile nobilitys hunting lodges, is a collage of immense romanticism and beckoning charm. It took him three months to conceptualise and execute this one, which he will sell for Rs 50,000 back home in Jaipur to dealers and showrooms frequented by foreign tourists. I either take pictures of wildlife or study books, and then cast these into paintings with an aesthetic ambience. I have been practising wildlife art for 20 years. Wildlife was a childhood passion for me as I roamed the jungles admiring creatures, plants and scenery, Chand told this writer. But there is one colour that has not dried, and yet has remained virtually invisible through the history of miniature painting. It is the colour of blood. The blood of squirrels and mongooses, whose tail hair make for the finest brushes. Some artists even deploy a one-hair brush for ultra-fine miniatures. Such is the price that finesse extracts.

nvjswild1@gmail.com.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) on Sunday announced the suspension of its parliamentary activities following the arrest of 12 of its lawmakers on Friday, Anadolu reported.

We have decided to suspend our activities in the legislative power and to meet our people again, party spokesman Ayhan Bilgen said following a meeting of partys executive in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

The HDP, parliaments third largest party, has 59 deputies in the Grand National Assembly. On Friday, 12 were arrested for failing to answer a court summons linked to a counter-terrorism investigation.

Nine, including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, were remanded in custody pending trial. Arrest warrants for three others remain outstanding.

Parliamentary immunity from prosecution for lawmakers facing criminal investigation was lifted earlier this year. Although it affects deputies from all four parliamentary parties it is mostly politicians from the HDP, which has been accused of ties to the PKK terrorist organization, and the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) that are involved.

Most HDP politicians face charges of spreading terrorist propaganda through speeches.
Promising action against corrupt Akali leaders if his party is voted back to power, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday challenged Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal for a public debate on any election-centric issue.

I will not spare the corrupt Akali leaders once the Congress comes to power, the former chief minister said at a press conference, after inducting AAP supporters along with Youth Akali Dal (YAD) Malwa spokesperson Gurpreet Singh Happy into the party fold here.

Responding to a question on Kejriwals charge of nexus between the Congress and Akali Dal, Capt pointed out that he had been running around courts for the past 10 years under the Badal regime.

Does that indicate a nexus? he asked, asserting that he will not spare Badal once he is back in power. We did it earlier; we will put him in his place again, said Capt, charging chief minister Parkash Singh Badal with making empty promises to farmers and other sections.

Accusing Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in theatrical gimmickry in order to become Punjab CM, Capt said the AAP national convener was trying to run away from a debate on one pretext or the other.

As a CM aspirant, he (Kejriwal) should have the guts to face me directly, rather than put others in front, said Capt.

FOR MARTYR STATUS TO GREWAL

Capt also said he was in favour of giving martyr status to retired soldier Ram Kishan Grewal, who killed himself in protest against unequal pension policy for military veterans. He laid down his life for his brethren, so that they could get their rightful dues, and he deserves to be treated as a martyr, he said.
Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, was removed from the stage while speaking at an election rally on Saturday over a security scare. He returned soon after and this presidential race, the most wildly unpredictable one in recent memory, was back on track.

Nobody said it was gonna be easy for us, but we will never be stopped, Trump said, resuming the speech in Nevada, a swing state.

There was no time to waste clearly, as he and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton blitzed battleground states in a race that has continued to tighten, according to new polls, providing both new opportunities and worries with just 48 hours left to polling.

While Clinton remains ahead in surveys, clinging to a slim margin that stood at 1.8 points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls, and is widely considered to be on course to the 270 electoral college threshold for winning the White House, she has seemed vulnerable in some states, giving Trump an opening.

The Republican is making a play for the state of Minnesota, a Democratic state that last voted Republican in 1972, and where Clinton leads by 6 points. His campaigns internal polling shows him trailing within reach of Clinton, who is ahead only by 3 points. Both Trump and his running mate Mike Pence were planning to be there on Sunday.

Trump is also making a bid for Virginia, a swing state in which Indian Americans play a determining role far in excess of their numbers and which his campaign had given up a few weeks ago. He was to be there late on Sunday, to be followed the next day by his daughter Ivanka Trump.

Were going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we are now tied or leading, he said at a rally in Florida, a battleground state he was once confident of winning, as he was of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, other key states he needs to win to stay in the hunt.

But with polls not looking good, Trump has turned to New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan, states that were to be a part of Clintons firewall. Trump is now ahead of her in New Hampshire, which is where he plans to end his campaign on Monday.

In a sign of anxiety about these states in the Democratic camp, the Clinton campaign has moved to swiftly deploy resources and surrogates there  she is touring New Hampshire on Sunday and Monday, and President Barack Obama will be in Michigan on Monday.

Both campaigns are scrambling to deploy resources and surrogates wherever they find vulnerabilities and opportunities as the clock winds down on what has been described as one of the most volatile presidential races in recent years.

More than 37 million Americans have already cast their ballots in early voting states  including battleground states  with more expected over the remaining two days, as both campaigns scale up their get-out-the-vote operations.

Clinton has the edge in most polls and forecasts such as those by RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight, but Trump has managed to stay close behind, narrowing the gap nationally and in battleground states that will determine the outcome.

Just for some perspective on the race, it is as closely poised now at this stage, two days from polling, as in 2012, when President Barack Obama was leading his Republican challenger Mitt Romney 47.4%-47.2%. It was much closer then; yet Obama went on to win convincingly.
The Islamic State has called for the slaughter of American voters on Election Day and urged Muslims not to participate in the democratic process, according to a US-based terrorist monitoring group.

Ritz Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said on Twitter that the threats appear in an essay carried by the Islamic States Al Hayat Media Center that declares militants have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes.

The warning is carried in a seven-page manifesto, entitled The Murtadd Vote, The USA TODAY reported.

The essay, which uses lengthy religious arguments in an effort to justify such attacks, also declares there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties in their policies against Islam and Muslims.

Katz posted excerpts of the essay on Twitter, saying the Islamic State, also known as IS, was inciting attacks on Election Day in an attempt to disrupt the election process and gain media attention.

The full essay, in English, includes a photograph of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, as well as a photo of Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat, holding a copy of the US Constitution during his dramatic speech at the Democratic National Convention, the report said.

Regarding possible vote-related threats, federal authorities are reviewing information about al-Qaedas potential interest in conducting attacks in the US on the eve of Tuesdays elections, several federal and state law enforcement officials had said on Friday.

The credibility of the threat, which identified New York, Virginia and Texas as locations, has not been established, one official told USA TODAY.

The counter-terrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States, the FBI said in a statement.

Read| Al Qaeda threat looms as poll day nears, US authorities on alert
Donald Trumps son Eric participated in a traditional aarti at a Hindu temple in Florida to woo Indian-Americans as the Republican presidential nominees family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his victory in the November 8 election.

Eric, 32, arrived at the temple in Orlando in a suit but changed his clothes and wore a cream-coloured sherwani to attend the aarti.

He took a tour of the temple where the priest explained him the significance of aarti and other rituals. He was also told the tales of God Rama and Krishna.

#WATCH: Donald Trump's son Eric takes part in an 'aarti' ahead of Election Day on November 8 #Florida pic.twitter.com/XM0HRgkYw3  ANI (@ANI_news) November 5, 2016

Read | US Hindus at Trump event snub him for un-presidential anti-Muslim rhetoric

The priest presented him a saffron stole.

The crucial swing state of Florida has a wealthy and growing Hindu population which could play a significant role in the election.

Earlier Donald Trump, in his efforts to woo the Indian community, borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modis winning slogan of the 2014 general elections and was seen in a TV ad saying Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar.

Read | Ab ki baar Trump sarkar: Donald reaches out to Hindu Americans with new ad

This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeting the Indian-American vote bank.

Donald Trumps daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu temple in the key swing state of Virginia as part of the Republican presidential nominees efforts to reach out to the Indian-American community.

Lara had said Donald Trump has great love and affection for India and its people.

As a mark of respect to the Indian culture, she removed her shoes before entering the Rajdhani temple in Virginia.

I really like Hindu culture and I respect It, she had said.

Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump was also scheduled to visit the temple but the Trump campaign asked her to go to a different place given the fast-changing dynamics of the polls.

Read | Trumps daughter-in-law celebrates Diwali at Hindu temple
Two Italians and a Canadian citizen kidnapped in southern Libya in September were freed unharmed and brought to Italy early Saturday, authorities said.

Italian authorities said the intelligence services of Libya, Italy and Canada cooperated in securing the release of the three men after nearly seven weeks of captivity. The men, technicians working on an airport construction project, were seized September 19 by armed, masked men who blocked their vehicle in Ghat, a Sahara Desert city in southwestern Libya near the border with Algeria.

A number of criminal and extremist groups operate in the area, but it wasnt immediately clear which group was involved.

Today is a moment of relief and joy that I would like to share with the families of our technicians, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said, expressing special thanks to Libyan authorities and security forces.

Italy identified the Italians as Danilo Calonego and Bruno Cacace and the Canadian citizen as Frank Poccia. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the two Italians had not been mistreated during their captivity and were in good health.

Chantal Gagnon, the spokeswoman for Canadas Global Affairs department, would not comment on Poccias health, saying his family has requested privacy. She said the Canadian government does not pay ransom requests and officials would not comment on whether or not a ransom was discussed.

The ANSA news agency said the Italians were employed by an Italian construction company. It was not immediately clear whether Poccia worked for the same company.

Italian prosecutors questioned the men for hours Saturday, seeking more information about possible terrorist involvement in the case. The two Italians were seen getting into cars after the questioning. Both had grown beards, in contrast to the clean-shaven looks they sported before their captivity.

Their relatives, waiting to be reunited, told Italian media of their huge relief at the news.

I lived through hellish days but now its all over, said Maria Margherita Forneris, Cacaces mother, according to ANSA.

Libya was once an Italian colony and Italy continues to have a strong commercial presence in the North African nation. Libya has fallen into chaos since former dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled in 2011 and killed by Libyan rebels.
At least four people were killed and 40 injured on Sunday in multiple pile-up accidents along an expressway in Shanghai as heavy smog engulfed several cities in China.

Several road accidents were reported along the S32 expressway in Pudong New Area due to foggy weather.

Hospitals in Pudong, Zhoupu and Shuguang cities received 44 people, Shanghai municipal health department said.

Four of them died despite medical efforts, and among the other 40, nine were seriously injured, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Read | Air pollution: China on track but Delhi still on a death wish every Diwali

Shanghai weather station at 6 AM issued an orange alert on heavy fog, the second highest level in Chinas weather alert system, which means a fog with visibility of less than 200 meters in the following six hours.

Meanwhile, heavy pollution continued to haunt China as a spell of heavy smog, which has enveloped northeastern and northern parts, has affected more than one tenth of countrys land territory.

Some 6.30 lakh square kms of land in northeastern China and 3.80 lakh square kms of land in northern China have been under the influence of the latest smog spell. Adverse meteorological conditions were to blame, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on Saturday.

Read | China, India account for over 50% worldwide deaths due to pollution

Seven provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Tianjin, saw their air pollution index hike, with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings hitting 500 in 11 cities in northeastern China over the November 3-5 period.

In northern China, average density of PM2.5 - airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter - peaked in multiple cities on Friday, but air pollution ebbed on yesterday, the MEP said.

The ministry said it had already sent 12 inspection teams to the Tianjin municipality and the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong for emergency inspections.

Problems found by the inspections teams so far included weak emergency responses and inadequate countermeasures against heavy air pollution, suspected excessive discharge by 39 enterprises, and large-scale straw burning, the report said.
Karan Bilimoria, a member of the House of Lords and one of Britains celebrated entrepreneurs, has been the target of sustained racist attacks during and after the EU referendum, asking him to go back to India and take your lot along.

Son of the decorated Indian Army veteran Lt Gen FN Bilimoria, the founder of a successful drinks company came to Britain as a 19-year-old student and is often held up as an example of British internationalism and success of the countrys immigration policy.

But the June 23 Brexit vote has soured his success story: This is not the Britain I know and not the Britain I love. In 35 years I have never experienced any hate crime except for this year  and this year I have received it in abundance, Bilimoria, 54, told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

Currently on a visit to India  where he has major investments  as part of the delegation of Prime Minister Theresa May, he said: It is nasty, blatant. Whether it is tweets, emails or letters, I cannot even repeat what people have been saying to me. It is no longer anonymous, people are openly identifying themselves in the hate mail to me.

It has saddened me. And yet this is the country that Liam Fox (international trade secretary) talks about opening up to the world. The world is laughing at us. They see us as closing up to the world, inward looking and insular, not open, not diverse, not plural, not tolerant and not brilliant.

Bilimoria recalled that there was prejudice in Britain when he arrived as a student, but said it evaporated as the country over the years became a meritocracy, without glass ceilings. But the wretched EU referendum seemed to have given licence to unleash racist abuse at immigrants.

It is not enough to say that the police will deal with hate crime. Something has to be done about it, Bilimoria said, reflecting similar views expressed by others since the EU referendum, including by parliamentarians.

According to Chris Smith, independent member of the House of Lords, some of the most senior academics from EU background in the University of Cambridge had also directly experienced racist abuse: It is almost as if licence has been given to denigrate and to hate. Where, oh where, is that tolerant, internationalist, welcoming, quirky, slightly grumpy, outward-looking, gentle, civilised country that I thought we were living in? I want it back.

Bilimoria wants Prime Minister Theresa May to send at least two major signals while in India to improve negative perceptions about Britain: extend the pilot for longer and cheaper UK visa currently underway in China to India, and to remove students from net migration statistics.

India needs to be reassured that there will be no hard Brexit, that Indian companies will continue to have the same access and rights after the process of exiting is complete. Removing students from net migration statistics will go a long way to remove negative perception about Britain in India and elsewhere, he added.

As Home secretary, May has refused to meet the demand of universities and other stakeholders to remove non-EU students from overall migration statistics that are closely watched given the Conservative government's promise to reduce annual immigration to "the tens of thousands instead of hundreds of thousands".

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Three persons were killed and one seriously injured when a gunman opened fire on four people playing dominos at a pub in Jamaica, authorities said.

Police say two males and one female were mortally wounded in the Friday night shooting in St Catherine Parish, in southeast Jamaica. One male survived and on Saturday remained hospitalised in serious but stable condition.

The victims identities and ages have not been released. Officers did not provide a motive for the crime, which was under investigation.
Islamic State fighters launched counter-attacks Saturday against Iraqi special forces in eastern Mosul, emerging from populated areas deeper in the city to target the troops with mortars and suicide car bombs in clashes that raged late into the night.

Artillery shelling thundered across the city as snipers traded fire from rooftops and civilians emerged from the front lines waving white flags. There were fresh indications that other residents were being held back by the militants to be used as human shields.

The seesawing battle highlights the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more densely populated neighbourhoods of the countrys second largest city, where they will not be able to rely as much on airstrikes because of the risk of killing civilians.

Daesh is in the city center and we must be very careful as our forces advance, said Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

The special forces entered the Gogjali district, on the eastern edge of Mosul, on Tuesday, marking their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts.

Read more| Blood, dirt and bombs: Battle against IS in Mosul is a fierce urban war

IS fought back Saturday, pushing the special forces from the southern edge of the neighborhood. Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers dueled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two stories high.

Dozens of civilians emerged from their homes over the course of the day, some carrying white flags. Many civilians traveling with children and elderly relatives said they had to walk more than 6 miles (10 kilometers) to reach a camp for the displaced.

Just a few kilometers (miles) from the clashes, Iraqi officers coordinating airstrikes with the US-led coalition watched live drone footage showing a team of IS fighters regrouping near the front line.

Iraqi security forces are seen during a battle with Islamic State militants in Ali Rash, southeast of Mosul, Iraq on Saturday. (Reuters)

Theyre moving in front of the mosque, an Iraqi soldier said as he called in an airstrike, which moments later flattened a small building. Civilians moved into the area soon thereafter, and the soldiers said the militants appeared to have corralled them there to prevent further strikes.

Daesh have continued to hide behind civilians and facilitate harm to them, said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, which has been launching airstrikes to aid the Iraqi advance.

He said Iraqi forces and the coalition developed a plan that is intended to reduce the possibility of civilian casualties and collateral damage.

But Iraqi Cpt. Naqib Jaff, who was covered in dust after helping to hold positions east of Mosul overnight, said the air support hasnt been enough and that the coalition was only striking suicide car bombs.

He said that in previous operations against IS-held towns and cities, civilians would be moved away from the front lines, allowing forces to advance. But he said in Mosul, his men have been ordered to keep families inside their homes.

Weve never been in such a situation before. We would be fighting and there would be a family right next to us, he said.

The government has ordered residents to stay inside, fearing a mass exodus from the city, which is still home to more than 1 million people.

The advance of the Iraqi forces was also slowed by fortifications erected by the extremists in the more than two years since they captured the city. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighbourhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze.

Satellite images show rows of concrete barricades, earthen mounds and rubble blocking key routes into the city center. The images, taken Monday by Stratfor, a US-based private intelligence firm, showed that IS fighters have cleared terrain and leveled buildings around Mosul airport and a nearby former military base on the west bank of the Tigris.

Satellite image show that Islamic State militants in Mosul have set up rows of concrete barricades, earthen berms and rubble to bog down advancing forces. (AP Photo)

Mosul is the last major IS stronghold in Iraq, and driving the militants out would deal a major blow to their self-styled caliphate stretching into neighboring Syria.

Iraqi forces have made uneven progress since the operation to retake Mosul began on Oct. 17. The territory they have retaken inside Mosul is just a small fraction of the city, which measures more than 9 miles (15 kilometers) across.

On Saturday, Iraqi forces advanced toward the town of Hamam al-Alil, which lies along the Tigris River about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the southern edge of Mosul. Kurdish television channel Rudaw broadcast live footage of Iraqi troops and armored vehicles amassing outside the town as an attack helicopter fired rockets.

Up to 1,600 civilians may have been loaded onto trucks and forcibly relocated from Hamam al-Alil to the IS-held town of Tal Afar earlier this week, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday. It warned that the captive civilians might be taken as far as Syria to be used as human shields. Another 150 families from Hamam al-Alil were moved to Mosul itself, the U.N. said.

A soldier hands a baby to the mother, who had just fled the Samah district of eastern Mosul, on board a military truck at the Iraqi Special Forces checkpoint in Kokjali, east of Mosul, Iraq on Saturday. (Reuters)

Other civilians have embarked on their own harrowing journeys to escape the fighting.

Ghanim Abd fled his home in Gogjali when Iraqi forces entered on Tuesday and found shelter in an abandoned home deeper inside Mosul. The 56-year-old said he and his children and grandchildren made their way down alleys they feared were littered with roadside bombs after the family ran out of food.

On Saturday, after government forces pushed further into the city, they were able to return home, but he said there was no telling how long they would be able to stay.

The battle is so harsh, we dont know where to go next.
Islamic State fighters targeted Iraqi troops with car bombs and ambushes in Mosul, stalling an army advance in their north Iraq stronghold, but faced attack on a new front on Sunday when US-backed rebels launched a campaign for the Syrian city of Raqqa.

The jihadists have lost control of seven eastern districts of Mosul to Iraqi special forces who broke through their lines last Monday. Officials say the militants are now sheltering among civilians in those neighbourhoods and targeting soldiers in what one called the worlds toughest urban warfare.

Mosul, the largest Islamic State-controlled city in either Iraq or Syria, has been held by the jihadist fighters since they drove the army out of northern Iraq in June 2014.

The three-week Mosul campaign has brought together a force of around 100,000 soldiers, security forces, Shiite militias and Kurdish fighters, backed by a US-led coalition, to crush the Sunni jihadists.

Map of norhtern Syria showing possible routes by Kurdish and Turkish forces to attack the Islamic State bastion of Raqqa (AFP)

Across the border, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters announced on Sunday the start of their own campaign, called Euphrates Anger, to recapture Islamic States Syrian bastion of Raqqa.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab armed groups which has seized large swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border from Islamic State and pushed to within 30 km (20 miles) of Raqqa.

But the prominence within SDF ranks of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, has raised questions over its suitability as a force to capture the predominantly Arab city.

Turkey, which has battled Kurdish separatists for three decades, regards the YPG as anathema and Western officials have said the Raqqa operation should be fought mainly by Arab forces.

Washington says the battle for Raqqa will overlap with the assault on Mosul, in part because of concerns that any delay would allow Islamic State to use it as a base to launch attacks on targets abroad.

France also wants a coordinated campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Mosul-Raqqa cant be disassociated because Islamic State and the territories it occupies span that area, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

A convoy of the Iraqi army's 9th armoured division drives through an open field to approach the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul on November 6, 2016, during a military operation to retake the main hub city from the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. (AFP)

TWIN OFFENSIVES

Twin offensives on Raqqa and Mosul could bring to an end the self-styled caliphate declared by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014.

Baghdadi, however, has told his followers there can be no retreat in a total war with their enemies, and the militants in Mosul have been waging a fierce and brutal defence.

They have deployed waves of suicide car bombs, as well as mortar attacks, roadside bombs and sniper fire against the advancing troops, and officers say they have also left behind fighters among residents of districts taken over by the army.

Thats why we are carrying out the toughest urban warfare that any force in the world could undertake, said Sabah al-Numani, spokesman for Iraqs elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS).

A soldier takes a selfie as rocket lies on his thigh during fighting with Islamic States militants, in the Shahrazad disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq. (REUTERS)

Sometimes they climb to the rooftops of houses where civilians are still living and they hold them hostage and open fire on our forces, because they know we will not use air strikes against targets that have civilians.

Militants also targeted the troops with car bombs, sometimes waving white flags as they approached, he said.

Major General Maan al-Sadi, a CTS commander, told state television Islamic State fighters had launched more than 100 car bombs against his forces in the east, which is just one of several fronts in the Mosul offensive.

A top Kurdish security official said Islamic State had also deployed drones strapped with explosives, and long-range artillery shells filled with chlorine and mustard gas.

It could resort to even more devastating weapons including a network of booby traps that can blow up whole neighbourhoods, Masrour Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Governments Security Council, told Reuters.

A man injured in fighting between the Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants gets treatment at a field hospital in Gogjali, on the eastern edge of Mosul, Iraq. (AP)

FORCES SURROUNDED

Late on Friday, a CTS unit came under attack from the rear after advancing into east Mosul, said a colonel in the Ninth Armoured Division which is also taking part in operations there.

Islamic State militants emerged from houses behind them and isolated the convoy, preventing reinforcements from reaching them. Surrounded and low on ammunition, they had to shelter in houses before they finally got out on Saturday.

The Islamic State news agency Amaq released footage on Sunday of captured or destroyed military vehicles, including the burnt wreckage of a Humvee it said was taken in the eastern district of Aden. Fighters shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) and unloaded ammunition and communications equipment.

Amaq also said Islamic State was behind two bomb attacks on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra, cities to the south of Mosul, which killed 21 people. Officials said the attacks, carried out by suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives, targeted a checkpoint and a car park for Shiite pilgrims.

Map of Syria and Iraq showing Islamic State group zones of control and influence, with a chronology of the conflict around Raqqa. (AFP)

While the army and special forces have been pushing into Mosul from the east, Kurdish peshmerga fighters are holding territory to the northeast, and mainly Shiite militias have sought to seal off the desert routes to Syria to the west.

Security forces have also advanced from the south, entering the last town before Mosul on Saturday and reaching within 4 km (2.5 miles) of Mosul airport on the citys southwest edge, a senior commander said.

The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees from a city which is still home to up to 1.5 million people. So far 34,000 have been displaced, the International Organization for Migration said.

Many of those still in Mosul feel trapped, including those in districts which the army says it has entered.

We still cant go out of our houses.... mortars are falling continuously on the quarter, a resident of the Quds neighbourhood on the eastern edge of the city told Reuters by telephone.

Although there was no fighting in his own district, for the first time in five days, he said he could hear clashes in the two neighbourhoods immediately to the north and south.

People who are fleeing the fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi army are pictured through a car window as they walk in the desert near the front line in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq, November 6, 2016. (REUTERS)

In the northern Malayeen district a witness said Islamic State fighters had set fire to a collection of mobile homes, once used by Iraqi security forces, apparently to create a smokescreen against air strikes.

I can see flames rising up, near the main street, he said. Daesh (Islamic State) dont let the fire engines get to the fire to extinguish it.

Several witnesses, on both sides of the Tigris River which splits Mosuls eastern and western halves, said they heard bursts of celebratory gunfire after the militants claimed falsely they had made sweeping counter-attacks against the army.

We heard a voice from the mosque - outside prayer time - of a man shouting: Allahu Akbar...brave soldiers of the caliphate have regained control of Bartella and Qayyara, said one resident, referring to two forward bases used by Iraqi forces.

We know they are lying, he said. The truth is hidden from no one.
Google Home can be connected to more devices than Amazon Echo but Echo has more features and a cheaper version in Echo Dot. (Photo : YouTube/HyundaiUSA)

Google Home was released in the United States on November 4, Friday and is competing directly with Amazon Echo. Many shoppers are deciding which smart speaker they should set up in their home or give as gifts during the holiday season. Google's Assistant is connected to more devices and uses machine learning, but Amazon has many features and a cheaper version named Echo Dot.



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Echo was released in the U.S. in June 2015. It now has the ability to order from Amazon Prime, play Spotify songs, and order a Domino's pizza, and has hundreds of skills built by developers using the Alexa Skills Kit.



Design



Home's design is more compact and unique than Echo. This makes it easier to display and match with a home's decor, which includes the bottom speaker grill that can be swapped out with various colors.



The Echo, meanwhile, looks like a black or white cylinder. It has lights on top but its utilitarian design makes it look more useful than eye-catching.



Sound



Google Home's sound quality is a big problem. The device's hardware produces a high-pitched sound so Echo would be a better choice for people who want crisp music and base boosts.



While Echo has better sound it is not acutely good for either device. They can still be linked wirelessly to stereo systems including the $35 Chromecast Audio for Home and $50 Echo Dot for Echo.



The accuracy for both Internet of Things (IoT) devices is excellent. They both work while music is playing or the person is standing on the other side of the room, according to Business Insider



Intelligence



Both Google's and Amazon's smart speakers have a lot of intelligence. The difference is Google can access its search engine's data and stich Google services such as Gmail using its digital assistant. Google Assistant is already better than Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.



Third-Party Apps/Services



Home has few options besides Spotify and Uber. Echo has been around longer so it has hundreds of "skills" built by third-parties.



In related news, developer Brian Kane has hacked his Alexa so it speaks out of a singing fish known as Big Mouth Billy Bass, according to Mashable. This makes the fish turn its head and move its mouth when Alexa talks.



The Rhode Island teacher used the open-source platform Arduino to show how artists and designers can use AI.



Here's Alexa hacked into talking fish:







:


Japan protested to China on Sunday after Chinese coast guard ships sailed into territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Tokyo said.

Four Chinese vessels entered the waters surrounding the islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, around 10:00 am local time, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

They left the territorial waters within two hours, the coast guard said.

The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited, Tokyo-controlled islets.

Japan has routinely complained that China is escalating regional tensions by regularly sending ships to the island chain despite repeated protests from Tokyo.

On Sunday, Tokyo lodged a protest to Chinas foreign ministry through its embassy in Beijing saying the islands are an inherent territory of Japan, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abes office beefed up its team in charge of monitoring Chinese ships, a government official told AFP.

Tokyo has lodged at least 32 protests through diplomatic channels this year over what it says have been a total 31 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in the territorial waters.

China is also involved in maritime disputes in the South China Sea by claiming most of the area despite partial counter-claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

But a UN-backed tribunal in July ruled that Beijings claims were invalid.

Read | China lands aircraft on disputed islands, media calls US, Japan eunuchs
As Delhi struggles to breathe for the sixth day running, neighbouring China, too, is battling toxic air, with the capital Beijing and large parts of north experiencing the first burst of heavy winter smog.

Though Delhis off-the-charts pollution levels -- worst in almost 20 years -- are way ahead of Beijings, for the Chinese capital the worst is yet to come. In the coming weeks as severe winter sets in, northern China will switch on coal-fuelled central heating, releasing more pollutants in the air.

Almost 630,000 square kilometres of land in northeastern China and 380,000 square kilometres of land in northern China have been under the influence of the latest smog spell, state media quoted the ministry of environmental protection (MEP) as saying on Saturday.

Orange alert

Air quality in Beijing, where orange alert was sounded on Friday, deteriorated to dangerous levels and visibility reduced substantially, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

Seven provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Tianjin, saw their air pollution index hike, with air quality index (AQI) readings hitting 500 in 11 cities in northeastern China over the November 3-5 period, official news agency Xinhua said in a report.

Air quality in Delhi was reported as severe on Saturday, the worst for the season.

In a report released in September, the WHO said China, India and Russia were the three worst countries for pollution. More than one million people died from pollution in China in 2012, at least 600,000 in India and more than 140,000 in Russia, said WHO that has declared polluted air a carcinogen.

The national meteorological centre issued an orange smog alert on Friday morning, warning that pollution levels in Beijing, Tianjin and northern Hebei province would remain dangerously high till early weekend.

China has a four-tier colour-coded system for pollution, with red being the highest, followed by orange, yellow and blue. The meteorological authorities issue alerts when the AQI touches 200. Higher the AQI, greater the pollution.

Lessons for Delhi?

Beijing may have some solutions, as breathless Delhi looks for ways out of the thick grey shroud of toxic air.

Officials told local media that authorities in Beijing have launched a crackdown on heavy vehicles that failed to meet emission standards and that passed through the citys outer districts, including Daxing and Anqing. Some truck drivers have been fined up to 1,000 yuan ($148) for violations, a newspaper reported.

MEPs Liu Bingjiang claimed that reduction in coal consumption and a clampdown on substandard vehicles in recent years had improved air quality in China, and particularly in the north.

The concentration of PM 2.5 particulates found in the air in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei had dropped 14.5% in the first 10 months of this year from a year earlier, he said. Under similar weather conditions, these measures should help to lower levels of air pollution experienced in the past.

PM 2.5 are tiny dust particles that are result of combustion from vehicles, power plants and other industrial activities. These can lodge deep in lungs and blood tissues, triggering respiratory and cardiac problems.

Beijing plans to build .a web of ventilation corridors to facilitate air flow and blow away smog and pollutants. The five primary ventilation corridors are designed to be more than 500 metres in width. Some secondary corridors will be over 80 metres wide, officials told Xinhua earlier this year.

The corridors will be created by connecting the citys parks, rivers and lakes, highways with green belts and low building blocks that will allow the air to flow.

In addition to the planned primary and secondary ventilation corridors, other smaller corridors will also be added to the system. Construction in these zones will be strictly controlled, and obstacles along the way will be gradually removed, the report said. Cities such as Shanghai and Fuzhou, too, are building these wide passageways.

Frequent smog has made the Chinese increasingly sensitive to the health hazard. To address public concerns, the government plans to cut the density of inhalable particulate matter by at least 10% in major cities by 2017.
Nepal government has floated a set of proposals to amend the new constitution to address the demands of agitating Madesh-based parties and other excluded communities.

According to the draft proposal obtained by the Hindustan Times, any Nepali naturalised citizen who had been residing in Nepal for 10 years can hold all major constitutional positions such as those of president and prime minister.

The government said it was ready to amend the Article 289 (1) of the new constitution and include, A person who has obtained the citizenship of Nepal by descent, a person who has obtained the naturalised citizenship of Nepal and resided in the country for 10 years after receiving it or a person who has obtained the citizenship of Nepal by virtue of birth shall be qualified for the appointment in all constitutional bodies.

The move has resulted in a major uproar and Prime Ministers office on Sunday quickly denied making any such proposal.

Madeshi leaders said the proposed Constitutional amendment has given continuity to relevant provisions mentioned in the interim Constitution.

The new constitution in Nepal has a provision that all major position including should be held by citizens by descent. Madeshi parties had been opposing the constitution since its promulgation.

A top Madeshi leader told HT that the provision of citizenship in the new constitution was regressive than in the interim constitution.

Currently, the Article 289 (1) of new constitution bars naturalised citizens from holding nine key constitutional positions: president, vice president, prime minister, chief justice, parliament speaker, chief minister, chief of the army staff and heads of the other security agencies.

Main opposition CPN-UML has objected to the new draft proposal to change the article.  We had thought a lot while allowing nine key constitutional positions only for those with citizenship obtained by descent. If such proposal will be tabled in the Parliament, we will not accept it, said party secretary Pradip Gywali.

There was opposition to the draft proposal even from within the Maoist party. Party vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said amendment to the constitution to make naturalised citizens eligible for the head of the state and the government is next to impossible.

The government has also proposed a commission to settle frequent rows over demarcation of provinces and local administrative units. As per the previous agreements and understanding between various successive governments and Madesh based parties and reports submitted by state restructuring commission and report delivered by a parliamentary panel on federalism, the new commission will look into those reports and will come up with a new suggestion, said the draft proposal.

The draft includes proposals for formation of the Upper House whose representation would include one woman, one Dalit and one disabled or representation from backward community from each province. The remaining members will be elected based on population ratio: Higher the population of any province, larger the representation.

The government proposal states that as per the recommendation made by Language Commission, the list of languages spoken within Nepal will be added in Annex of the constitution.

As per the proposal, if any foreign woman marries a Nepali citizen, she can obtain Nepali citizenship after giving up her former citizenship.

The draft also states that communities that are backward due to social, economic and educational reasons would be given equal access in each and every entities of the state as per the principle of proportional inclusiveness.
An opinion piece in the usually hawkish state-run Global Times tabloid telling local companies to invest in China and not in India was widely picked up by the Indian media last month.

It branded more or less every Indian between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the labour class as corrupt, lazy and inefficient, and said India was merely barking about the trade deficit with China  the last bit being a jab at the jugular.

It was fodder for the Indian media, which helped itself liberally to the article and attributed its tone to the thinking within the Chinese government.

It was published in the Peoples Daily-affiliated Global Times, it was anti-India and it must be what Beijing thinks, sees and wants  that assumption was made automatically by the Indian media.

But the Indian media missed a point  the article was written by an Indian freelance writer based in China.

Did that furious article by an Indian in Global Times English, a newspaper possibly not even available outside Beijing, Shanghai and maybe three airports, really reflect the thoughts of the Communist Party of China (CPC)?

In fact, do state media opinion pieces  even by Chinese scholars and writers  uniformly reflect government thinking on foreign policy issues? Is Communist Chinas media, said to be strictly controlled by the party, entirely single tone? Maybe not.

Though published by the Peoples Daily, the Global Times should not be understood as a simple reflection of policies or attitudes at the top of the leadership, said David Bandurski, China Media Project editor at the University of Hong Kong.

Read | India can only bark about trade deficit: Chinese media

So, maybe not. But the problem is this: Chinese politicians are inaccessible, diplomats wont talk and bureaucrats are faceless. For foreign correspondents, it basically adds up to zero perspectives and insights on policies and what the government is thinking on bilateral issues.

The statements trotted out by foreign ministry spokespersons  the friendly Hua Chunying, the strict Lu Kang and the earnest Geng Shuang  are usually just repeats of past statements on the same issue.

For a parched foreign media, in Beijing and abroad, that makes the state media look like a mirage in an information desert.

Hence, the dependence on state media editorials for insights into the workings of China, the worlds second largest economy and a country that is very vast and very complex.

But assumption is the mother of, well, many misinterpretations.

Sometimes Chinese government uses state run media to express its opinion but those opinions are not always its official foreign policy. Global Times often serves a role of being more aggressive and nationalistic, but the Peoples Daly maybe more an official mouthpiece, said Xiao Qiang, from UC Berkeley and founder of China Digital Times.

Im not surprised that the Global Times has been called out by name! It has repeatedly taken other powers  especially Japan and the US  to task. Its a highly polarising paper as I personally see it  oftentimes even the official Peoples Daily doesnt show this much in the way of bare teeth editorials, David Feng, media academic at Beijings Communication University of China, said.

Read | Boycotting our goods will damage ties, Chinas state media warns India

Feng added: Id probably not be all too sensitised by the loud shout outs by Global Times. Rather than sticking strictly to one paper, Id go for an assortment of different papers to gauge general consensus on issues regarding, for example, India.

Bandurski said it wasnt an easy task to read intention in Chinese state media because of its relation to the CPC.

Reading intention into commentaries appearing in Chinas state media is a difficult business. In a general sense, all of the language appearing in party media, such as the Peoples Daily, reflects what Chinese leaders call the mainstream, meaning dominant official news and discourse, he said.

In a Chinese context, mainstream media actually refers not to dominant commercial media institutions, but rather to the party-state media. But in fact this current of mainstream party coverage and commentary can sometimes show a lot of contradictions and contrasts.

The experts HT spoke to were broadly uniform  if its Peoples Daily (Chinese) or Xinhua (the national news agency) writing on foreign policy, it could be a window of insight to opaque CPC policies.

I would say Xinhua takes precedence in most cases, with local papers at times required to redistribute the official Xinhua line. At about this same level youd find the Peoples Daily, as well as other political or official publications, including Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth) theory magazine, Feng said.

One thing, however, is sure: coverage of India in China and vice versa has increased.

The English version of Global Times published more than 80 opinion pieces on India this year.

As the two countries become increasingly interdependent, there is more coverage of India in Chinese media than before, and we have noticed the same on Indian media, said Li Hongwei, Global Times managing editor.

The coverage  a combination of news reports and opinions  will not be evenly positive or negative; it will be a mix.

The Global Times also brushed aside any bias against India.

Read | India will deploy Rafale jets carrying nukes against China, Pak: Chinese media

The Global Times published many commentaries in support of closer cooperation between China and India, as in the case of the Goa (BRICS) Summit. What you perceive to be anti-India is perhaps, sometimes, simply a reaction to anti-China mobilisations, said Li.

For example, the recent boycott against Chinese products. Its also unfair to conclude that any critical commentary is anti-India.
President Barack Obama struck back at Republican US Senator Pat Toomey on Saturday for using footage of the Democrat praising Toomeys courage in a TV campaign ad in his life-or-death re-election bid in Pennsylvania.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Obama said Toomey needed to do more to show courage than taking one right vote on legislation to expand background checks on all firearms purchases online and at gun shows.

Courage is telling Pennsylvania voters where you stand on the tough issues, not just the easy ones like background checks, Obama said in the statement. Pat Toomey wont tell Pennsylvania voters where he stands on Donald Trump, trying instead to have it both ways by telling different people what he thinks they want to hear. Thats not courage. Voting to shut down the government and against bills to close the terrorist gun loophole isnt courage. And playing politics with the Supreme Court isnt courage.

Obama has endorsed Toomeys opponent, Democrat Katie McGinty, who served in Bill Clintons White House and was recruited by national Democrats to run against Toomey.

Toomey, who compiled one of Congress most conservative voting records, is among the Senates most vulnerable incumbents in a state where Democrats have a 4 to 3 registration advantage over Republicans. The race could help tip control of the Senate to Democrats.

Toomey has been a tough critic of Obama, and opposed practically all of Obamas major policy initiatives, from health care to immigration. He routinely delivers a stump speech that labels Obamas economic and foreign policies as complete failures.

At a campaign event on Saturday, he lambasted the handling of economic policy in Washington, without naming Obama. Toomey told reporters after the event in West Chester, 25 miles west of Philadelphia, that he was not worried that his use of Obama in a TV ad would hurt him with Pennsylvanias Republican voters.

President Obama stood up publicly and praised my work of reaching across the aisle and trying to get something done on an important issue, which is background checks, Toomey said. And of course the other side has tried to discredit and deny the work that I did. I think President Obama said it well, so we used his clip, its his quote, him, its what he said, in context.

In the 30-second ad, Obama is speaking outside the White House in 2013 and thanks Toomey for his courage, despite the bills failure.

That was not easy, Obama said of the work by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

It is the latest, and perhaps the most eye-opening, way in which Toomey is working to appeal to moderate voters whose support he will need to beat McGinty. The ad is running on cable in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.

The vote on the background checks bill cost Toomey endorsements from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, even though Toomey voted more often than not with the NRA. But that vote by Toomey also helped him pick up the endorsements of two prominent gun-control activists, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
More than 2,200 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean on Saturday as they tried to reach Europe and 10 bodies were recovered, Italys coast guard said in a statement.

The migrants were picked up from 13 rubber dinghies, two small boats and one large vessel in 16 separate rescue operations.

The International Organization for Migration said this week that 4,220 migrants had died in the Mediterranean so far this year, compared with 3,777 in the whole of 2015.

As of November 2, 159,496 people had reached Italy by sea this year, the IOM said.
Parliament must accept that Britains vote to leave the European Union was legitimate and let the government get on with delivering Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday.

May has said she is confident of overturning a British court ruling that the government needs parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the EU.

The government, which has given little away about its plans for Britains future relationship with the EU, has said that having to set out a detailed negotiating strategy to parliament would put it at a disadvantage in talks with the bloc.

While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people, May said in a statement ahead of her first trade trip to India on Sunday.

It was MPs (members of parliament) who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

May will use her first bilateral trade trip since taking office to try to boost ties with India before Britain leaves the EU and to pave the way for a free trade deal as soon as possible once Brexit is completed.

Parliament could in theory block Brexit as most members supported staying in the EU in Junes referendum, although it is unlikely to do so. The ruling could allow lawmakers to temper the governments approach, however, making a hard Brexit - where tight controls on immigration are prioritised over remaining in the European single market - less likely.

A government appeal against the High Court ruling is expected to be considered by Britains Supreme Court early next month. May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March.

We need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country, she said.

That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it wont help us get the best deal for Britain.
South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides on Sunday in a snowballing influence-peddling scandal which has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign.

Parks approval ratings have hit a historic low of 5% -- a record for a sitting president -- over the scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-Sil.

Choi has been arrested for fraud and also stands accused of meddling in state affairs -- including government appointments and policy decisions -- despite holding no official position.

Ahn Jong-beom, a former senior advisor to Park, was formally arrested early on Sunday on charges of abuse of power and attempted coercion, the Yonhap news agency reported.

He is suspected of helping Choi collect millions of dollars in donations from conglomerates like Samsung to two dubious non-profit foundations which Choi set up and allegedly used for personal gain.

Ahn, who has been in custody since Wednesday after stepping down late last month said he would take responsibility for failing to properly advise the president, Yonhap reported.

Prosecutors also arrested Jeong Ho-Seong, another former presidential aide, over allegations that he leaked classified information.

The 47-year-old Jeong, who was known as Parks right hand man and has assisted her since 1998, is suspected of passing presidential speeches and official documents to Choi.

Park has been scrambling to restore trust in her administration amid the deepening crisis, reshuffling ministers and senior advisers to bring in figures from outside her ruling conservative Saenuri Party.

But the reshuffle has done little to assuage public anger, with tens of thousands of protesters rallying to demand her resignation in a candlelight demonstration on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of South Korean people march during a rally calling on embattled President Park Geun-hye to resign over a growing influence-peddling scandal in central Seoul on Saturday. (REUTERS)

Police said around 50,000 people had turned out for the rally -- more than double the size of a similar anti-Park protest the week before. Organisers said the number was closer to 200,000.

Han Gwang-Ok, Parks new chief of staff who was appointed last week, said Saturdays protest reflected the gravity of the current situation.

All senior secretaries must fully cooperate in uncovering the truth beyond any doubt, Han said during a meeting with the presidential secretaries today.

In a televised address Friday, Park agreed to be questioned by prosecutors, and sought to portray herself as an over-trusting friend who had let her guard down at a moment of weakness.

Her voice choking with emotion, Park said she had been living a lonely life as president and had turned to Choi for company and help.

The South Korean media has portrayed Choi, whose late father was a shadowy religious leader and an important mentor to Park, as a Rasputin-like figure who wielded an unhealthy influence over the president.
An Istanbul court on Saturday remanded in custody nine staff from the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, in an intensifying crackdown a day after the leaders of the countrys main pro-Kurdish party were also jailed.

The arrests added to growing international alarm over the use of a state of emergency implemented in the wake of the failed July 15 coup against critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Cumhuriyet executives and writers, including prominent names in Turkish journalism, will now be held in custody ahead of a trial, the date for which has not been set.

Nine MPs from the opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), including its co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, were also detained pending a trial on terror charges expected to begin Friday.

Istanbul police used tear gas, water cannon and plastic bullets to break up a protest by hundreds of people against the arrest of the deputies, AFP correspondents said.

There were also protests outside Turkey, with large pro-Kurd rallies in France and Germany on Saturday.

A total of 13 staff from the Cumhuriyet (Republic) newspaper were detained in raids on Monday in a swoop that amplified concerns about press freedoms in Turkey.

Among the nine to be held ahead of trial were Cumhuriyets editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, celebrated cartoonist Musa Kart and influential anti-Erdogan columnist Kadri Gursel.

However, columnists Hikmet Cetinkaya and Aydin Engin were released on bail on health grounds and because of their age. Two other suspects from the newspapers accounting department were released without charge.

The suspects are charged with links to the Kurdish militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the movement of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed for the failed coup bid. Gulen denies the accusations.

Read more| Turkey blocks Twitter, WhatsApp after detaining 11 pro-Kurdish leaders
British police said they arrested 47 people on Saturday at an anti-capitalism demonstration in central London organised by the Anonymous hacking group.

Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, took part in the protest which began in Trafalgar Square and moved to parliament.

Demonstrators chanted Whose streets? Our streets and One solution, revolution as they marched accompanied by police.

In a breakdown of an earlier tally of the arrests, when 33 people had been detained, police said 14 people were arrested for drugs offences and 11 for obstruction. One person was arrested for criminal damage.

Similar marches linked to Anonymous were due to take place in other cities around the world on Saturday.
Winner (Photo : Clinton campaign)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton just received a nod of approval from John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg.



While speaking with The Washington Post, the 23-year-old graduate from Yale University shared his thoughts on the upcoming election.



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"Voters in 1960 elected the first Catholic president. In 2012, I voted to reelect the first African American president. Each was a vote for a man of principle and character, for a man who had proved himself capable and courageous and who would lead our country with a combination of dignity, compassion and toughness along a path of progress," he said.



Schlossberg continued his op-ed speech by speaking highly of Clinton and by encouraging Americans to vote for the would-be first female president of the United States.



"This year, it will be with hope and pride that I cast my vote for a woman who fits that description. Every young person, in age or at heart, should realize that Hillary Clinton is our candidate and that we have a responsibility to each other to turn out and vote. Too much is wrong with our country, our world and our planet for any of us to stay at home," he continued.



Meanwhile, Clinton recently rallied for support among the residents of Florida and Pennsylvania. Despite the heavy rains, the presidential candidate still managed to give an inspiring speech, according to the Wall Street Journal.



"Here's what I want you to remember: I want to be the president for everybody. Let's vote for the future! Let's vote for what we want for our country... You are a hardy bunch, standing out in the rain..." she said.



Election day will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.


French Montanas MC4 was delayed shortly before its original release date in August, though it had leaked online right before that. Last month, French seemingly cancelled the album altogether, but earlier today, French Montana announced the return of MC4 in mixtape form. And he dropped the tape  which seems to share the exact same makeup of the original album  earlier tonight, after rolling out two MC4 videos (Have Mercy and Xplicit) hours ahead of the release. French had shared many of MC4s biggest tracks before the release of the album, which had been delayed many times before the latest setback; it was first announced in late 2013. The one big collab French hadnt yet dropped as a single is Everytime, featuring Jeezy.

Everytime also didnt receive its due exposure when MC4 first leaked. The track, produced by Earl and E (also behind Said N Done) is the second recent club-ready anthem from French and Jeezy, along with the Trap or Die 3 standout Going Crazy.

Download MC4 here.
Earlier this afternoon, French Montana released the video to Have Mercy, a track featuring Jadakiss, Beanie Sigel, and Styles P that surfaced in August and was originally slated for MC4, the album that French had scrapped last month after its release was delayed due to sample clearance issues. With the Have Mercy video, however, French has revived MC4 and announced that it will be released tonight at 10PM.

French revealed on Twitter that MC4 will be released on iTunes, Spotify, and DatPiff, which suggests that MC4 will qualify as a mixtape and not an album. Its unclear if the original sample clearance issues have been addressed or if they are still relevant. Though MC4 might be dubbed a mixtape, it still stands as a commercial project due to its release on iTunes and Spotify.

As evidenced by a new Instagram clip, it also looks like French will accompany the release of MC4 with some type of short film in tribute of the late Coke Boy Chinx. In the same post, French indicated that Max B might be coming home soon, which is certainly welcome news. Check out the original MC4 tracklist  which French shared shortly after setting a release date of August 19  below.

Ready/Intro Play Yaself No Shopping feat. Drake 2 Times Every Time feat. Jeezy Said N Done feat. A$AP Rocky Im Heated Lockjaw feat. Kodak Black Check Come Brick Road Xplicit feat. Miguel Figure It Out feat. Kanye West & Nas Have Mercy feat. Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss & Styles P Chinx & Max/Paid For feat. Max B & Chinx

French Montana
MC4, which was supposed to have been French Montanas official sophomore album, had seemed to be a disappointing endeavor. Soon before its intended release date (Aug. 19), the album was delayed due to sample clearance issues, and to make matters worse, it leaked online right before that. Earlier today, however, French revealed that MC4 is alive, and he announced his plans to release the project as a mixtape later tonight. He has indeed made good on that promise, as MC4 is now available for download.

The makeup of the mixtape is the same as when French had shared MC4s tracklist in early August. The project features the previously released singles Figure It Out (featuring Kanye West and Nas), Lockjaw (featuring Kodak Black), and No Shopping (featuring Drake). Additional features come from Jeezy, Miguel, A$AP Rocky, Jadakiss, the late Chinx, and the incarcerated Max B.
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Dana Swearengin had to wait two weeks for parts to repair her 2006 Honda Civic after it was placed in a nationwide recall. In the interim, she made her sister sit in the back seat whenever they carpooled for fear the front passenger-side air bag might explode.

Jennifer Reitmeyer read news reports about the expanding recall and saw the horrifying injuries long before she received any official notice that her 2010 Honda Pilot needed the repair. Then she fought to get a loaner vehicle during the two months she waited to have her defective inflator replaced.

Serena Martinez never got word and is now suing Honda and air bag manufacturer Takata after being severely injured by a flying piece of red-hot shrapnel in an accident last Sept. 11.

"Air bags are supposed to protect and save lives," Martinez said last week.

At least 11 deaths and more than 150 injuries have been linked - so far - to the recalled air bags with ammonium nitrate, and Houston is emerging as an area of special concern. The air bags tend to degrade more rapidly in hot, humid climates, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the city has one of the lowest repair rates in such environments.

Honda has been aggressively trying to get the word out and says it has worked to solve a supply problem and is now able to fix cars much more expediently. Yet an estimated 300,000 of its most at-risk models - certain 2001 to 2003 Hondas and Acuras with a 50 percent rupture rate in very humid areas and the cars with the highest fatality rate - still need to be replaced.

The unease is spreading as co-workers swap stories about recall letters, waiting lists and the warning many of them received to not let passengers ride up front.

Wes Ball, a Houston lawyer who has handled injury cases related to the air bags, said automakers haven't done enough to prevent injuries. Instead, he said, they seem more inclined to pay off lawsuits.

"It's corporate greed at its finest."

---

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about 70 million inflators ultimately will need to be replaced in the U.S. by the end of 2019, making this the largest recall in the industry's history. The repairs are made at no charge to the consumer, but the price tag for Takata is huge. The company has been fined $70 million in civil penalties, and replacing the faulty inflators can cost up to $1,000 apiece.

Richard Dasher, director of Stanford University's U.S.-Asia Technology Management Center, said that even if car manufacturers don't want to rely on Takata for replacement inflators, the company controls 20 percent of the world market. That is putting a strain on others to produce replacements in a timely manner, Dasher said.

The scope of the recall and the challenge of alerting so many consumers, including those who own used cars, has put much of the responsibility on vehicle owners. They are urged to run vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, through websites such as safercar.gov to see if their cars are affected. Laws allow used cars to be sold even if they are under recall.

Heeding instructions from the federal highway safety agency, Reitmeyer took her Pilot to Sterling McCall Honda in July. Attendants there said they wouldn't have the necessary replacement parts ready until late summer or early fall, she said. With relatives coming to visit, she asked for a rental car and was told she hadn't proved a need to use all the seats in the car.

"Can you believe that?" she said. "Why would I buy a car without a front passenger seat?"

While some dealerships have offered rental cars to consumers waiting for a repair, there is no legal requirement to do so. And where there's a passenger air bag problem, dealerships are allowed, by law, to tell owners of certain models that it is OK to continue driving the vehicle.

At Sterling McCall Honda, service director Daryl Tucker said he couldn't address Reitmeyer's case, but he said the dealership was directed by Honda's corporate office to provide a contact number to customers waiting on passenger-side air bag parts who wanted a rental vehicle.

Tucker also said the supply problem at the dealership largely has been resolved in recent weeks and that customers now can get an air bag replaced within 24 hours.

Other vehicle owners say they are still waiting. Greg Hill of Sugar Land, for instance, said he has been waiting since March for the replacement parts for the driver-side air bag in his 2014 Acura TL. He said he's "playing the bet" that his car will be fine in the meantime.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin said by email that the company has been proactive on all recall and repair issues. He urged vehicle owners to consult online recall sites or their local dealerships.

In a news release earlier this year, Takata chairman and CEO Shigehisa Takada said his company is cooperating fully with the U.S. recalls.

"We will continue to dedicate significant resources to maximize recall completion rates, including through our 'Get the word out' campaign and by working closely with NHTSA and our automaker customers on new and innovative solutions to reach consumers," he said.

Earlier this year, Takada told investors he would resign.

---

Bryan Thomas, a spokesman for the NHTSA, said older vehicles in the recall are of greatest concern because those inflators are more likely to trigger a hazard when they deploy. The inflators in question have propellants with ammonium nitrate, which can become unstable with exposure to moisture.

Water can enter, heat up and cool down repeatedly to the point that pressure builds in the airbag, and it deploys with more force than needed, thus turning the metal around the bag into shrapnel, he said.

Martinez, 42, was driving a 2002 Honda Accord to work, not far from her home in Cinco Ranch, when it was struck on the front passenger side. Her $1 million lawsuit, filed last week, alleges shrapnel from the air bag lacerated her chest and arm, requiring sutures and eventually will mean plastic surgery. Had the shrapnel struck 3 inches in a different direction, it could have severed an artery.

Her attorney, Mo Aziz, called the national recall "ineffective," citing the backlog of replacement parts. Even if the family had taken the car in for repairs, the necessary parts may not have been available to fix it before the crash, he said during a news conference to announce the lawsuit.

Earlier this year, Aziz represented the family of a Fort Bend County teenager who died after an accident in which her air bag sent shrapnel into her neck. The March 31 fender-bender involved a 2002 Honda Civic. The family's lawsuit against Honda and Takata was resolved, but Aziz declined to elaborate.

Thomas, of the NHTSA, said Houston is now a focal point for an on-the-ground awareness campaign. He said most notices so far have been offered only in English and on occasion in Spanish, but the new effort will include multiple languages.

The recall will last until Dec. 31, 2019, and includes both driver- and passenger-side air bag inflators, as well as inflators used for temporary fixes. In some cases, due to a supply shortage, dealerships have been installing "like for like" inflators. These interim inflators are also at risk of rupture, but since they have not yet degraded, they are plausibly safer.

Due to the supply constraints, the recall will be rolled out in phases up to 2019, with priority given to states categorized at higher risk due to higher humidity and to older models within these states. Texas falls into the first phase.

Thomas also noted that some 2016 models from some manufacturers have ammonium nitrate inflators and will have to be recalled in two to three years. Dealerships are not currently required to inform consumers about it.

Martin said no 2016 or later Honda or Acura vehicles will be subject to future Takata air bag recalls.

---

Dasher, of Stanford, said Takata acquired a large share of the market by manufacturing air bags with ammonium nitrate at a tenth of the cost of the compound it previously used. Several automakers relied on the company for air bags for about 15 years, even after the first reports of fatalities, he said.

In a September news release, Takata acknowledged lapses in testing and reporting of the original ammonium nitrate inflators but said those lapses did not correlate with the ruptures that led to the recalls.

By the time the federal government started formally investigating in 2014, Honda had already come under fire for not issuing a recall sooner. Honda became aware of a Takata airbag rupture in 2004.

Martin said Takata classified that incident as an anomaly and that Honda acted appropriately with subsequent rupture cases and ordered a series of recalls for air bags starting in 2008. At the time, he said, it was considered a limited manufacturing issue, not a design flaw.

Jim Perdue Jr., a Houston lawyer, has seen a steady number of cases over the Takata air bags in recent years.

And the pace is likely to continue, he said, given the long wait for repairs.
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Some voters approached the polls apprehensively, unsure of the presidential candidates before them.

Others deliberated for only a moment before casting their ballots, confident in their choices in a high-stakes election.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 captured an early lead Saturday in a tight race at the Children's Museum of Houston, but a bespectacled Cat in the Hat ultimately trumped them with promises of better education, cleaner oceans and kindness for all.

"A person is a person, no matter how small," he said.

The lighthearted election centered on the story line of "One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote," a picture book meant to introduce children to the political process. In it, the Cat in the Hat explains the evolution of voters' rights, political parties and presidential campaigns.

"We're bringing it to life," said Ke'ara Hunt, the museum's educational events coordinator. "This is going to include the kids so they can get an early start in the democratic process."

The election offered a reprieve from the vitriol of the campaign cycle's final days. After coloring an "I Voted" badge, Kaissa Hecham, 7, admitted the real presidential race made her sad.

"Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not being nice to each other," she said.

Jaysen Smith, recalling some of Trump's comments about Mexicans and African-Americans, said he didn't want to talk about the Republican nominee. Trump's behavior, he said, reminded him not to be rude to his mother.

"Now I know how she feels," the 9-year-old said.

Before votes were counted, a confident cat donned his red-striped hat and took questions from two young voters hoping he would build more playgrounds and push for more school field trips.

Trayvon Williams, 6, liked what he heard. He and his friend Jamarion Jordan, also 6, both cast their ballots for Cat in the Hat, whose real identity is museum discovery guide Nick Cuellar.

"He's going to make the world better," Williams said.

Leah Golden, the boys' chaperone, trekked from Conroe just so they could participate in the event. She hoped it would inform their approach to politics when they come of age to vote.

"I'm in the process of teaching them why you should vote for someone," she said. "What are they going to do for you?"

Thing 1 and Thing 2 ran on a platform similar to the Cat in the Hat's. They promised to expand education, protect the environment and fight against hunger.

That was enough for Kaissa, who reasoned that one would be president and the other vice president.

"They could build more schools, so that lots of kids could have an education," she said.

The duo had Jaysen's vote well before the event got underway. He expressed confidence in their ability to pass good laws and veto bad ones.

"I have been watching them ever since I was little," Jaysen said.

When the polls closed in the early afternoon Saturday, the Cat in the Hat took the podium to remind the young voters that elections make their voices heard. He reveled in his victory amid a shower of confetti and a parade of percussion.
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Diwali was celebrated on Oct. 30, so why is the Houston Maharashtra Mandal holding a party in honor of this Indian holiday on Saturday?

It's simple, really.

Many people who celebrate the Hindu holiday of lights do not leave their homes during the festivities. Hence the later date.

"People tend to not leave their homes during the evening because that's when they welcome good energy into their homes," said Ravi Ozarker, who serves as web administrator for the organization. "They say if you leave your home in the dark, it's not good."

Helping people with ties to India feel more at home in Houston is what Houston Maharashtra Mandal has been doing for decades.

When HMM was started 40 years ago, it was just a small group of families with ties to India who wanted a way to connect in their new city.

Today the nonprofit organization hosts many cultural events for people who have resided in the State of Maharashtra in India and other places but now live in Houston. Its annual event celebrating Diwali also has grown larger, taking months to prepare and attracting hundreds.

"People look at us as a support system," Ozarker said. "They'll call us, where can I live here? Where can I find a good apartment complex?"

More Information 2016 Diwali Dhamaka When: 3 p.m. Saturday Where: James E Williams Elementary School, 3900 S. Peek Road, Katy Info: hmmhouston.org 2016 Diwali Dhamaka When: 3 p.m. Saturday Where: James E Williams Elementary School, 3900 S. Peek, Katy Info: hmmhouston.org See More Collapse

Or, how can they celebrate Diwali, a holiday commemorating when Lord Ramachandra, along with his wife and brother, returned back to their kingdom after a 14-year exile.

"When he returned, people were happy and they said we are going to light lamps," Ozarker said. "What that symbolizes is the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair."

When the HMM hosts its Diwali event at James E. Williams Elementary School in Katy Saturday, about 50 performers are expected to participate in the main stage show, which will include Bollywood dances and a magic show.

Attendees also can expect traditional Indian food and a display of traditional Indian dresses. The event will also commemorate the organization's 40th anniversary.

The excitement builds before the official Diwali celebration begins, Ozarker explained. People clean their homes and decorate them with lights. Women also begin cooking traditional Indian sweets such as karanji, a sweet made up of crushed coconut and sugar. Women will draw colorful drawings using dry sand called "rangoli."

The holiday is broken up into five days, with each day devoted to an aspect of celebration. With the cow and a calf as its official symbol, the first day honors motherhood. On the second day, people are asked to focus on good triumphing over evil. The third day focuses on wealth and prosperity.

The fourth day marks the start of the New Year and, on the final day, the Diwali celebration focuses on sibling relationships. Ozarker said often a sibling will visit their other sisters and brothers to mark the holiday.

As the organization has grown and changed over the years, Ozarker said there's more demand for activities and events.

"People expect more," Ozarker said. "People want to participate and a lot of people are saying, 'why not do some social services?' We want to help with a blood donation. We want to do a bone marrow drive."

It's a mindset that underscores that goal of building a community for people who have moved here from far away.

"When they come to Houston, they want to feel at home," Ozarker said. "When they call us, we say you can attend our next event on this day. They attend the event and all of a sudden they find some common roots."
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GALVESTON - The Rev. Benjamin Eaton was a lucky guy. He was gored by a deer, fell under a train and attacked by knife-wielding assailants, but escaped death until, on Palm Sunday 1871, he collapsed on his pulpit while sermonizing on life's horrific end.

Eaton's Trinity Episcopal congregants named a chapel after him. But that building - designed by famed Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton - led a rugged life as well. Mildewed on the outside, termite-chewed and rafter-rotted, it slowly sagged and cracked until - four years ago - its ornate Gothic second-floor sanctuary was vacated.

Now, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from Galveston's Moody Foundation, the 134-year-old Eaton Chapel adjacent to Trinity Episcopal's main Ball Street church, may prove as lucky as its namesake.

Under the direction of Houston architect Graham Luhn, workers are cleaning and stabilizing the building in preparation for full restoration to be completed by Palm Sunday 2017.

For 60 years, the building's second-floor sanctuary was used as a Trinity Episcopal School gymnasium. Its ground floor, restored after Hurricane Ike's 2008 flooding, consists of an architecturally bland commercial kitchen and parish hall.

More Information Online: Watch a video of the Eaton Chapel's transformation at HoustonChronicle.com See More Collapse

When restoration is finished, windows will feature their original monochrome stained finish; wainscoting and stenciled ceiling arches will reclaim pristine brightness; compromised structural elements will be repaired or replaced; and the upper story, for the first time, will be air conditioned and accessible to the handicapped.

Exterior work will include replacing rotten wood and repairing the plaster sheathing on brick walls. Finally, artisans will replicate the intricate painted tracings that made the chapel's plaster walls appear to be made of stone.

"In many ways," said Trinity rector, the Rev. Susan Kennard, "Trinity Episcopal is the center of life in Galveston. Physicially, it's how you oriented yourself to where you are in the city."

The Ireland-born Eaton arrived in Galveston, by way of Wisconsin, in 1841 - and quickly found the Republic of Texas city was, indeed, a place only for the rugged.

"I know little about this town, but I already have seen and heard enough of the Republic to cool my Texas fever," he wrote his bishop. Eaton expressed regret for trading Wisconsin for a locale "where I shall experience almost any privation a civilized man can endure."

Locals returned the sentiment, with one observing that the church's founding rector was so "cold and churchy that he made you feel as if religion was on ice from January to December and frozen stiff in eternity."

Eaton's life-threatening mishaps at times shade into the apocryphal. But in 1842, reports historian David McComb, Eaton fled his church as it was battered by a hurricane. Later, according to church lore, the minister was gored in the leg by a deer, the antler barely missing his femoral artery. On other occasions, he reportedly fell - or was thrown - under a train and attacked by men armed with knives.

In 1857, Eaton oversaw opening of Trinity Episcopal's current church, designed by island builder-architect John DeYoung. Eaton also expressed a desire that his congregation erect a chapel building, but his wish went unfulfilled until 1882, a full decade after his death.

Clayton, celebrated for designing some of the state's signature late-19th century buildings, including Galveston's Bishop's Palace and the University of Texas Medical Branch's "Old Red," arrived on the island in 1872 to oversee construction of a Presbyterian Church.

"By far, he was the pre-eminent architect in Galveston in the late-19th and early 20th centuries," said Drexel Turner, a visiting University of Houston architecture professor and co-author of the 2000 "Clayton's Galveston." "More than anyone else, he shaped the city."

Clayton worked in variety of architectural styles, he noted, with the Eaton Chapel reflecting Norman Gothic influences.

"What's so beautiful about Clayton's work," said Dwayne Jones, executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation, "is that he had a sense of restraint that some other architects of the period didn't have. He had a superb mastery of materials; his buildings were well-finished. They are inspirational types of places."

Luhn, the architect whose previous restoration projects have included Houston's downtown Cotton Exchange Building and Galveston's U.S. Customs House, said Eaton Chapel "pretty much represents the best of Clayton's work."

"The biggest challenge has been the extent of the damage done by storms, primarily, and, secondly, the termites," he said. "That was not visible until we got into the building. The ground floor was restored after Ike, but the second floor was used and abused by the school as a gymnasium. Balls of all kinds were thrown around."

Kennard said the construction of a new gymnasium for the church school "kicked the whole restoration project into motion." "The entire upstairs stood empty, begging us to envision what we could and should use the space for," she said.

When restoration is completed, Kennard said, the chapel, equipped with a stage, will be used for a variety of church functions. It also will be available for wedding receptions and other public events.

From the start, Kennard said, community contributions have made the Eaton Chapel possible. Church women's groups, aided by 19th-century Galveston philanthropist Henry Rosenberg, raised $18,000 needed to erect the building.

Kennard said her congregation, with an average Sunday attendance of 185 people, has launched a campaign to raise $600,000 to augment the Moody Foundation grant.

"Here's the reality of the restoration: What got the ball rolling was this fabulous grant. Our congregation couldn't have done that whole $2.1 million," Kennard said. "There's nothing like philanthropists."
Tuesday night, I attended a big gala for Houston Baptist University, where I teach English. I was looking forward to hearing Peggy Noonan, the keynote speaker. During this stressful, unpredictable presidential campaign, Noonan's writings, primarily through the Wall Street Journal, have fascinated me.

It is unusual for a former presidential speechwriter for Republicans so publicly not to support the current Republican nominee. Noonan was one of the first mainstream Republicans to dismiss Donald Trump as unfit for the presidency, and has argued that Trump is not psychologically sound. In one recent piece, she asked the reader to consider what the election would be like if Trump were "sane." She speculated that if he were, that he would win "in a landslide."

I couldn't wait to hear what she might say about our political season, the election, how things might go.

She knows a lot about presidential politics, having written nine books on American politics and culture. But I was also interested in her as a writer, and made a note after she was introduced to get a copy of her 2015 book, The Time of Our Lives, which recounts her career in journalism, including her time in the Reagan White House. Witty and perceptive, Noonan is unafraid to criticize certain elements of American culture without losing a fundamental patriotism  a combination that feels too rare these days.

Only days before the election, it still felt like summer, as if fall was dragging its feet, unready for the next big change. The warm Texas weather seemed to mock our election conflicts, never letting us simmer down, cool off. Some days, it feels like things are falling apart, and that the center, if it even exists anymore, certainly cannot hold.

But then Noonan comes to the stage in a plain pantsuit. She is unruffled, confident, cool as they come. She tells us stories about working with Ronald Reagan, the subject of her book What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era. She also worked as a chief speechwriter for the first President Bush, but as she spoke I realized that she knew an enormous amount of information about all the presidencies, and I admired her sense of history.

Her topic was unique: what she thought each president did and did not learn from his predecessor. Her analysis made me realize how much personality and character truly do count with whoever ends up in the Oval Office.

Noonan addressed what we all have been thinking about, whether we wanted to or not: "what leadership looks like" and "how leaders reveal themselves to us." She invoked the notion of "the presidential personality," and it hit me that the optimism quotient of a president could have a powerful influence over the mood of a nation.

She was interested in how each President could have learned from his predecessor. With Ronald Reagan, Noonan observed that he really could have taught all of his successors a lot about "showing real thought and real feeling" in a way that invited Americans to "think along with him"  even those who did not agree with him. She noted that he had "a real engagement" in his political life, even if he had "a certain emotional reserve" in his personal life. He had a few key issues  communism and taxation among them  and he stuck to them, not doing too many things at once.

In contrast to Reagan, Noonan said that the senior President Bush had a harder time connecting with the public, yet "his personal relationships were everything to him," and that he "was a master of intimacy," even though he could come across as rather "abstract" and "more tentative" in the realm of politics. He could have a tin ear for what the American people needed and wanted to hear, often at the mercy of his own sensitivity, as when the Soviet Union fell, and journalist Lesley Stahl pressed him as to why he wasn't saying more about this momentous historical moment. His answer? "Because I don't want to rub it in."

She spoke about how Reagan handled criticism the most deftly of all of the presidents she has known, masterfully making critiques into something comic and self-deprecating. George Bush the senior, Noonan argued, could have learned something from Reagan about "not being so earnest" and thanking people who has helped usher in the defeat of communism, but that "at times his imagination failed him." (I had a lot of empathy for Bush, as who knows what to say when something unprecedented happens? That is the challenge of dealing with swiftly moving history.)

About former President Bill Clinton, Noonan said that he made "a very physical impression" on all who met him, that he loved pointing at people in the audience in a personal way whenever he spoke, and that he left "a greater visual impression rather than a verbal one." His presence, rather than his words, are what people remembered. Part of his power was in "being cheerful," and significantly, he "didn't seem to personally dislike the political opposition." That stance, it struck me, seems perfectly antiquated in this contentious election cycle, and I wondered how anyone plans to get along with the opposition no matter who claims victory on November 8. It is a sad thought to consider.

Bill Clinton's "essential problem," according to Noonan? That he was "a little too clever by half"something that was especially obvious when dealing with scandals like the Monica Lewinski crisis. On the other hand, Clinton could be "laughing and radiant" and would encourage others  an object lesson to his predecessors. She felt that Clinton could have learned from the elder George Bush "the old integrity of the American leadership class" and that "rectitude isn't a bad thing."

As for the senior Bush, Noonan said that he was a respectful person, and in the great tradition of moderate, rather than more radical, Republicanism. Noonan said that we were losing the respect that came with that political view, and that not only are "we losing it, but that we are losing it at our peril." She wasn't saying this as in "We Republicans," but rather as "we Americans." It gave me pause.

As for George W. Bush, "Clinton's opposite in some ways," Noonan said that he was striking in that in his "public persona, he was often at a loss for words"  something that he has been relentlessly satirized for  but was "more certain at his desk" in the thick of actual decision-making. Clinton, on the other hand, was not as comfortable in "making the big decisions."

As for President Obama, Noonan speculated it will take awhile before he really thinks that he could have learned from previous presidents from both parties. He "has not always shown a particular affection for those who don't see the world the way he does," she says. Noonan admires how the Obamas were able to show America "what a functioning family looks like," and that they should be commended for "personal comportment." But although the Obama administration has not had personal scandal, "there are plenty of scandals within his government."

Noonan's epiphany in seeing the sweep of history over so many administrations? That "historical reputations fluctuate, and sometimes wildly." And this: Presidents shouldn't do too many thingsmaybe two or three important thingsotherwise, there is not world enough and time to do anything really well. With such a short time remaining until the election, I remember leaving this event grateful that I could hear Noonan's unique insider/outsider political perspective, but also thinking that the two people who needed to listen to her analysis, Clinton and Trump, would probably be the two people on this earth most resistant to hearing it.

Noonan ended reminding us about the election, saying that "as a nation politically we have entered new territory." She speculated that the FBI investigation into Clinton's emails might give tentative Republicans "an excuse to vote for Trump," and that the recent rate hikes for Obamacare (which she calls "a disaster and a catastrophically dumb program") can't help Clinton right now. On the other hand, she said that it is impossible to ignore that Trump is having a terrible time courting the votes of women; that he has "an air of instability"; and that it is harder to factor all of these things in in a quantitative way.

She closed with a phrase that she said she never used to say at the end of her speeches: "Pray for our country."

Doni M. Wilson is an English professor and writer in Houston and has a high schooler named Christopher. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.



Bookmark Gray Matters. It's a master of intimacy.
Chengdu J-20 in flight. (Photo : PLAAF)

The less than one minute flyby of two of China's Chengdu J-20 "stealth" long-range fighters at the Zhuhai Air Show on Nov. 1 led to confirmations this low observable jet will mostly be used to attack U.S. warships and unarmed U.S. military aircraft such as aerial refueling tankers.



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The J-20 probably won't be used against the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or the Northrop Grumman F-22 Raptor, which were both designed as stealth air superiority fighters whose job is to clear the sky of any enemy aircraft they face while remaining almost "invisible" from detection.



Two days after the flyby, a website of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), China Military, ran a story entitled, "Attacking ships is the 5th-generation stealth fighter jets' capability" that confirms the role of the J-20 as a maritime strike aircraft and not as a dogfighter against U.S. jets.



This admission also verifies claims the J-20 isn't a true stealth aircraft but is only a "low observable" (LO) jet with some stealth-like qualities. The J-20's LO qualities are only effective if it approaches a target from head on, where its radar cross section is at its smallest.



Oddly, a Chinese newspaper described the J-20 as a "fourth generation" aircraft because it met the requirements for a 4th gen fighter: stealth technology, supersonic cruising speed, highly integrated avionics and electronic fire-control systems.



China earlier announced the J-20 had gone into low rate initial production and that only four of these jets have so far been produced this year. There are rumors production of the fighter has fallen behind schedule because of the unavailability of the fighter's new engines.



Apparently aware of these rumors, General Ma Xiaotian, Commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), announced China will hasten production of the J-20



"It's a very good thing that our J-20 made an appearance here (at Zhuhai). We're speeding up development," said Gen. Ma.



Gen. Ma also revealed the J-20 won't be exported, a sign China is concerned about revealing the jet's secrets and that the jet might not be all China advertises it to be.



"We are not considering putting (the J-20) on the global market," said Gen. Ma.



It remains to be seen if Gen. Ma's soothing comments will be enough to change the disappointing impression left by the flyby of two J-20s at Zhuhai.



Military analysts from the west noted the Chinese put both J-20s through relatively safe maneuvers that lasted for less than one minute. After a very loud low level pass, both jets executed a series of gentle turns before flying away.



Nothing revealed by the J-20s at Zhuhai dispelled the notion this jet isn't quite the equal of the F-35.


The line already stretched into the parking lot of the Harris County Elections Technology Center - a warehouse in northwest Houston - when workers for the county clerk's office opened the doors Saturday.

Sylvia Pitri was the first of the hundreds of election judges who came to pick up voting equipment and supplies for Tuesday.

County clerk's office staff talked Pitri through the contents of the boxes - each marked with an American flag, a Texas flag and a serial number - and watched as she sealed them with a green zip tie that will remain untouched until Pitri cuts it in the presence of witnesses Tuesday at Mitchell Elementary in northwest Houston. The measure is meant to prevent tampering.

Pitri, who has worked as an election judge for 18 years, knows this year will be different as a record 1.5 million people are expected to cast ballots, shattering the county's previous record of 1.2 million. Nearly a million people in Harris County voted early, outpacing 2012's 767,000. Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart said election judges received an additional box of supplies that included provisional ballots and "I voted" stickers to meet demand.

About 9,000 voting machines and 6,000 poll workers will be dispatched to 764 polling sites in Harris County.

"A lot of logistics go into running an election," Stanart said. "It takes a huge army of people."

The warehouse buzzed with activity as election judges - a group diverse in age and race - waited to gather the materials. Joe Pelati, a Republican precinct chairman, accompanied his wife, Leslie May, an election judge in Memorial, to load supplies.

Pelati first became involved in judging elections about six years ago, inspired by the Tea Party movement. He has since stopped serving as a judge, but May continues to do so.

"I do it to make sure (voting) is done properly, according to the law," said May, who is bracing for a busier-than-usual Election Day.

"We're expecting a madhouse with record turnout," Pelati said.

Sam Herrera of Pasadena began serving as an election judge eight years ago after he heard that many locations were understaffed.

"I saw the need," Herrera said. "It's important to do more to protect the vote."
Tell me if this isn't the definition of motherhood: two foster parents so dedicated to giving two troubled little boys a chance that they're paying for intensive psychological therapy on their own dime and delving into a retirement account to fund a court battle against a state agency trying to take the boys away.

Tell me if this isn't the definition of abuse: a supervisor at that agency, created to protect children, forcing the 4- and 5-year-old boys to visit relatives they're afraid of, ordering them to attend an adoption fair, and, in the latest senseless blow, severing the foster mothers' right to consent to the boys' medical treatment.

How that last part could even be carried out is unclear. If one of the boys were critically injured, would Carol Jeffery and Angela Sugarek have to wait around in the ER for Child Protective Services to consent to emergency treatment? It doesn't help that the foster family lives in Houston, and the CPS staff overseeing the boys are an hour and a half away in Wharton County.

And does this mean these boys, with a history of abuse and neglect, will have to stop seeing the therapist at UT Physicians they've grown to trust over the past year?

No question. This is abuse. At the hands of the state.

The complex, multibillion-dollar solutions to Texas' overarching foster care crisis could be a decade in coming, but saving these two souls is simple.

Just let the foster parents they call Mama and Mommy love them, adopt them, and give them a stable, safe home.

Sugarek and Jeffery, both educators in the Heights, have been praised widely as exemplary caregivers who have made great progress with the two traumatized children. I began writing about them earlier this year when CPS removed the boys after the foster mothers repeatedly reported suspected abuse by a teenage half-sibling the brothers were required to visit.

CPS eventually returned the boys, but maintained the teen had not abused them. CPS Supervisor Ramiro Hernandez has refused to consent to the adoption, and still wants to find a family willing to take all three brothers. CPS policy requires it to prioritize keeping siblings together, but in this case, that doesn't appear to be in the younger boys' best interest.

'Purely vindictive'

State Rep. Gene Wu, who informed me about the latest developments when I called about another topic, described CPS' decision on medical consent as "quite literally insane."

"This type of behavior by CPS is the very reason why people don't want to be foster parents," said Wu, a former prosecutor who now handles CPS cases in private practice. "So the only people you have left in the system are people who are doing it for the money, they know when to keep their mouth shut, and they'll never question CPS on anything they do. It's frankly outrageous."

A gag order in the case kept me from attending a court hearing last week and kept Sugarek and Jeffery from commenting for this column.

But Wu, and state Rep. Jessica Farrar, who have been communicating with the foster mothers, said they were told that the judge at the hearing in Wharton County asked CPS staff if they had ever contacted the boys' therapist about outcries of abuse.

CPS staff admitted they had not, the lawmakers said. A CPS spokesman in Austin declined comment.

The therapist, Vanessa Guidry, had previously told me the boys have been harmed by CPS' handling of the case. She was present for the hearing and was finally able to share her findings with the court.

Abruptly after the hearing, the lawmakers said, CPS pulled the foster mothers' medical consent. It defies explanation, but Wu has a theory.

"The way that I see it, it's purely vindictive," he said.

Hopeful development

Guidry said in an email response to my questions that she was unclear whether she'd still be allowed to treat the children. She'd said Friday afternoon she'd asked CPS but had not gotten a response. Sugarek and Jeffery initiated this therapy themselves and stayed with Guidry even after realizing that she doesn't accept Medicaid.

It's also unknown if the boys will continue seeing their nurse practitioner at UT Physicians, Gloria Nwuga, who has also criticized CPS. She told me last week that CPS forced the boys to visit the teen sibling - on Halloween, no less - and days after, when she tried to administer a flu shot to one, he was "back to square one," in terms of behavior.

"It took us 45 minutes to give it to him, because he was so out of control," Nwuga said.

Farrar, too, was incredulous about why CPS may be trying to deprive the boys of a therapist who has been "their lifeline."

She shared with me one other development, a hopeful one. She said she'd been in contact with Hank Whitman, the former Texas Ranger who was appointed as commissioner to overhaul the broken Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

"The commissioner is trying to do everything possible to stabilize the lives of these children," Farrar said.

I hope he succeeds. But he's a busy man with a broken agency in charge of protecting thousands of Texas children.

Farrar said it's hard to criticize an agency that's been ignored and underfunded for so long, but the problem here, and in similar cases where CPS appeared to retaliate against conscientious foster parents, doesn't seem to be lack of money.

"What's so disturbing is they spend so many resources battling good foster parents that could be spent getting kids in good homes or making sure they're not abused in foster care situations," the veteran lawmaker said.

As I've said before, these little boys hit the jackpot with these moms. But the system is so broken, foster parents like these have become rare.

"How many other couples are there who really went to bat for some kids and just gave up, because they don't have the know-how and the financial resources to hire an attorney and learn the process?" Farrar said. "Anybody else would have walked away."

Sugarek and Jeffery refuse to walk away. But they shouldn't have to stand alone. Somebody, anybody with power in this state, fight for these kids, for these moms. Stop the abuse. We can't save them all. But these two, we can.
Katrina Bookman thought her life had been changed forever after a slot machine at the Resorts World Casino in New York City said she'd won just under $43 million, but her joy was lost almost as quickly as it came.

According to an article on the Chicago Tribune, when Bookman tried to collect her prize, she was told the machine had malfunctioned and only received $2.25.
As America endured the drab years of the Great Depression, Amelia Earhart's exploits were a bright spot.

She broke gender barriers by completing solo flights most male pilots hadn't accomplished and traveled the country speaking of women's empowerment and the glorious promise of air travel.

Then, she vanished.

Her mysterious disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 has vexed historians and fueled conspiracy theories for decades. Earhart was declared dead after the U.S. government concluded that she crashed.

But an alternate theory of what became of Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, has recently resurfaced in the news.

Ric Gillespie, the director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, thinks Earhart spent her last days as a castaway on a desolate Pacific island.

Gillespie's group says Earhart's bones may have been discovered on Gardner Island in 1940, three years after he suspects she crash-landed there.

'Virtually identical'

British officials discovered a partial human skeleton in 1940 and wondered whether it might belong to the famed aviator. So officials shipped the 13 bones to a medical school in Fiji, where they were examined by Dr. D.W. Hoodless.

Hoodless took measurements and concluded that the bones were likely those of a short, stocky European man - not Earhart's.

The bones were then discarded.

But TIGHAR investigators think Hoodless was wrong.

In 1998, the group took the measurements from Hoodless and ran them through a more robust anthropological database. The bones, they determined, could have belonged to a taller-than average woman of European descent. Earhart was 5-foot-7, or, by some accounts, 5-foot-8 - several inches taller than average.

Curious to know whether the bones could have been Earhart's, TIGHAR recently asked Jeff Glickman, a forensic examiner, to determine if the measurements matched the missing aviator's.

Glickman located a photo of Earhart from the Lockheed Aircraft Corp. that has her arms mostly exposed. After rotating the photo and removing distortions, Glickman made educated guesses about Earhart's upper arm bone - then concluded that the corresponding bone found on Gardner Island could have been Earhart's.

"Jeff found that Earhart's humerus to radius ratio was 0.76 - virtually identical to the castaway's," according to a TIGHAR statement.

'The oldest theory'

The new research provides a counterargument to the widely held belief that Earhart crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

TIGHAR believes Earhart was stranded after crash-landing on Gardner Island and used the radio from her damaged plane to call for help for nearly a week before the tide pulled the craft into the sea.

Gillespie, a pilot and accident investigator, has made 11 expeditions to Gardner Island, in the Western Pacific. He's trying to raise money for a 12th to support this theory - and maybe find Earhart's plane.

He posted a video presentation about the Gardner Island theory on YouTube in August and recently touted "New Research, New Evidence, New Understanding."

But, he said: "We've been testing this hypothesis for 28 years. ... This supposed new theory is actually the oldest theory."

"We found a tremendous amount of support for it," Gillespie added.

Some of that support comes from Earhart's radio signals seeking help, which investigators say most likely emanated from an area near Gardner Island, Gillespie said.

And a 1937 British expedition exploring the island for settlement snapped a photo of what Gillespie said shows part of the landing gear from Earhart's plane sticking out of a reef.

"On an uninhabited island, there shouldn't be anything sticking up out of the water," Gillespie said.

Adding to the body of evidence, Gillespie said, the radio in Earhart's plane could not work if it had been in the water as suspected; yet she sent out radio signals for nearly a week after apparently crashing.

In 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. Nine years later, she sought to fly around the world. But she encountered trouble over the Pacific.

They were looking to refuel at Howland Island, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, but strong winds had thrown them off course, and nighttime navigation was impeded by an overcast sky, Gillespie said.

Gillespie said he thinks that as the plane's fuel tanks emptied, Earhart and Noonan spied a landing spot on Gardner Island, now called Nikumaroro, about 400 miles south of Howland. The coral atoll has a wide reef that is dry at low tide - a serviceable landing strip.

'True believers'

Gillespie's Gardner Island theory has its critics, though.

Elgen Long, a Navy combat veteran and an expert on Earhart's disappearance, wrote a book saying her plane crashed into the Pacific and sank.

The metal piece was from a different kind of plane, he told National Geographic.

Long criticized Gillespie in 2014, telling The Post: "You'll never convince true believers that they aren't right. You're just confusing them with facts."
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - Nigerian troops rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram extremists more than two years ago in a pre-dawn raid Saturday on a forest hideout. She had a 10-month-old baby boy born to a Boko Haram fighter, said a statement from army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman.

It was the first army rescue of a Chibok girl.
WASHINGTON - In July, the Islamic State carried out one of the deadliest car bombings in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003, killing more than 300 people in Baghdad.

The Pentagon responded by rushing a three-star general to the capital to offer the Iraqi authorities new technology, tactics and advisers to help thwart additional attacks.

And in the weeks before the current Iraqi push to reclaim Mosul, the U.S.-led air campaign against the militant group redoubled its strikes on car bombs and car-bomb factories.

So far, the strategy has worked.

The threat by the Islamic State to retaliate for the Mosul assault with crippling car bombings in Baghdad has been largely neutralized.

Lt. Gen. Michael H. Shields, the head of the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Threat-Defeat Organization, brought to Baghdad several military bomb squad experts and other technical advisers to train Iraqis to harden the capital's defenses against huge bombs carried by cars and trucks.

Shields also studied new ways to combat ISIS' growing fleet of exploding drones.

Since then, Americans and Iraqis have worked closely to set up new checkpoints, using X-rays in the inspections.

The Iraqi authorities are honing their skills in finding, defusing and destroying explosive devices.

Intelligence networks were bolstered, as was aerial surveillance, using drones and manned aircraft.

In and around Mosul, U.S. and allied warplanes have destroyed nearly three dozen car bombs since the offensive began.

They have also wiped out about a dozen car-bomb factories around Mosul and other northern Iraqi towns.
Indonesian Navy blows up foreign fishing boats caught illegally fishing in its waters in 2016. (Photo : Getty Images)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo reacted angrily to China's renewed claims that Indonesia's Natuna Islands Archipelago are traditional Chinese fishing grounds by warning China his country won't compromise its territorial sovereignty.



"There is no compromise on sovereignty," said Jokowi. He reminded China the Natunas are "our territory."



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Widodo said "... we have the Natuna regency there and there are 169,000 people out there and we want to build our fishery industry there."



Like South Korea, Indonesia is dealing with increasingly brazen incursions by Chinese fishing boats and the China Coast Guard whose ships protect these boats that fish illegally in another country's territorial waters.



Jokowi said he wants to transform Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, into a maritime power. He also wants to further strengthen its maritime defenses against China and develop its fishing industry.



Widodo said the waters off the Natunas form part of Indonesia's exclusive economic zone. After clashes with Chinese vessels last June, Indonesia's Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti warned China that "stealing fish is a crime."



In early October, Indonesia announced the Indonesian Air Force will launch its largest aerial exercise to pound into China's head the message it exclusively owns the Natunas, and that China's allegation it has overlapping claims to this region because of its illegal nine-dash line belongs to the trash heap of history.



Last August, Indonesia burned Chinese fishing vessels and vessels from other countries caught illegally fishing in the waters of its Natuna Islands. In 2016, it blew-up a number of fishing boats caught illegally fishing in its waters.



"We want to show our existence in the area. We have a good enough air force to act as a deterrent," said Jemi Trisonjaya, IAF spokesman.



Indonesia has always strongly objected to claiming the waters around the Natunas are within its nine-dash line outlawed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration last July 12.



Indonesia sank 60 foreign fishing boats during its Independence Day on Aug. 17 in a dramatic message to China and neighboring countries to stop illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.



Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia's Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said the ships were sunk near eight islands to create artificial reefs. In contrast, Indonesia blew-up captured ships in 2014 and 2015 to send a chilling message to their countries of origin. Malaysia also turns sunken foreign fishing vessels into artificial reefs.



The mass sinkings across Indonesia reinforced Widodo's vow to get tough on foreign boats fishing unlawfully in waters within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Indonesia also sank several Chinese boats captured off the Natuna Islands archipelago and elsewhere.


WASHINGTON - Your parents were right: Math really does matter.

After all of the tumult and tedium of a long, ugly presidential campaign, Election Day is all about which candidate can win enough states to get to 270 electoral votes.

The timeline

The first burst of results will emerge when polls close at 6 p.m. in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Look for more big blasts of numbers just after 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., when polls close in a combined 30 states and the District of Columbia.

Second screen

Keep a second screen handy to get the full election night picture. Four years ago, President Barack Obama went to Twitter with his first reaction once the votes clearly pointed toward his re-election. Trump's tweetstorms are legendary. On election night in 2012, he tweeted that the election was a "total sham and a travesty" and encouraged "a revolution in this country." He deleted some of the tweets after NBC's Brian Williams said Trump had "driven well past the last exit to relevance." Then Trump started tweeting rants aimed at Williams.

Making history

If Clinton emerges the victor, it will be a historic moment for women. A victory speech would be one for the ages.

The big question

Will Trump accept the results of the presidential election if he loses? "I'll keep you in suspense," he said at the last debate. The world is waiting for his answer.
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Katy stadium cost

Regarding "Arena cost tops $70M" (Page A1, Oct. 31), where is the outrage? In 2013, voters rejected a bond proposal that included $69 million for a new stadium.

Then in 2014, voters approved a bond package that included a reduced amount of $58 million for that stadium. Now we learn the Katy ISD trustees have approved an additional $12.3 million in stadium related-costs, bringing the total to over $70 million. It's just one more example of the arrogance of all levels of government.

Perhaps, we should take legal action to remove said trustees and void all contracts relating to the additional costs.

Ron Harwood, Katy

'Post-born' kids

Regarding "Planned Parenthood: Legacy of life or death? (Page A37, Sunday), in reading Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Ted Cruz's essay, my first thought was, if only they cared as much for the "post-born child" as they do for the "unborn child" (their terminology). If only they put all that passion and concern toward ensuring that all the post-born children of Texas have equal access to good health care and an exceptional public school education regardless of who their parents are or where they live.

If only they cared enough to provide adequate school funding so the special needs post-born children of Texas can receive the services they need without budget cap limits being placed on school districts.

If only they cared as much for the post-born children of Texas caught up in the daily dysfunction of CPS which needs system reform, adequate funding and effective leadership. hese issues take passion, concern, time and a lot of hard work to resolve!

As a fourth-generation Texan, I don't have any confidence that either of these two men nor any other Texas politician has the grit or passion it takes to really work on fixing these very immediate issues. It is much easier to write essays about their concern for the "unborn child" because ultimately, they don't really have to do anything!

Brenda Williams, Magnolia

Consequences to come

Regarding "Miller: Vulgar tweet ' mistake" (Page A3, Wednesday), Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's reprehensible comments bring to mind the 1990 Texas governor's race between Clayton Williams and Ann Richards.

Who can forget Williams' "joke" comparing rape to bad weather and the picture of his refusal to shake his opponent's outstretched hand? The voters quickly dispensed with "Claytie" and thankfully elected Ann Richards.

Unfortunately Miller is not on the ballot this cycle, but if his name shows up in 2018, I hope the voters show him the door in the same way I hope we show the door to the presidential candidate who sees nothing wrong with sexually assaulting women.

We are better than this.

Denise Marks, Houston
A black man was elected president and white people lost their minds.

Not all of them, no. Not even most of them. But not a piddling few, either.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of America's hateful and obstructionist politics over the last eight years - and of the nasty, arduous excuse for a presidential campaign that finally ends on Tuesday. Granted, many pundits have chosen to explain those things in terms of "economic anxiety," the fiscal insecurity of the undereducated white working class. But here on election eve can we, for once, be honest with ourselves about ourselves?

Not to say that sluggish economic growth isn't a valid concern. But that world where men like Archie Bunker could, with a high school education or less, find factory work that would allow them to buy a house and raise a family, did not suddenly disappear when the black guy took over at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It's been gone for quite a while.

And the white guy who preceded the black guy spent a $128 billion surplus into an over $400 billion deficit and presided over a cratering stock market and anemic job creation, yet for all the grief he was given, nobody ever called him a "subhuman mongrel." Lawmakers from the other party did not declare their refusal to work with him on even the most routine matters of governance. People did not take to showing up at his events carrying rifles. Nobody shouted, "I want my country back!"

So as much as or more than it is a referendum on the economy - or foreign policy, or terrorism - this election is a referendum on demographic change. A nation that elected a black guy president and enshrined the right of same-sex marriage into law, a nation where Muslims, transgender people and Spanish speakers are more visible and rising higher than ever before, will now tell us how it feels about all that, whether it is ready to plunge ahead into the unknowable future or whether it will seek refuge in a sepia-toned past that never was.

The Republican Party's preference is no mystery. To succeed the first black president, it put forth a racist enthusiastically supported by the Ku Klux Klan. To oppose the first woman to be a major party candidate, it offered a misogynist trailing accusations of sexual assault. "Make America great again," indeed.

Every four years, pundits solemnly intone the same cliche: "This is an important election." Fact is, they're all important elections. Choosing a leader for the economic and military giant of the planet is by definition consequential.

That said, this country finds itself facing an electoral decision starker and more portentous than any in modern memory. We don't just choose new policies on Tuesday, nor even a new vision. No, we choose identity. We decide who and what we are.

Are we a backward-looking nation defined by those who lost their minds because a black guy was elected president? Or are we a forward-facing people, challenged by change but never shying from it, never so terrified by it as to betray our fundamental selves?

The thing is, change doesn't care what we decide. It comes regardless and you can no more question it than you can gravity. The toothpaste won't go back into the tube, the gay people back into the closet, the women back into the kitchen nor the African Americans back into the rear of the bus.

The past will not be restored. So the only question here is how we will respond to the future. With fear or faith? With cowardice or courage? It's time for us all to take a deep breath.

And decide.

Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may write to him via email at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Sacrifice works only when we serve without guarantee of personal reward. It requires broad participation, across races, classes and regions. It demands some basic faith in our imperfect system of governance and our always-flawed leaders. Sacrifice is about devoting oneself to a higher public cause, as have the men and women who have served in our armed forces and whose calls to service we honor this week on Veterans Day. Their sacrifices over the years, during times of war but also during times of peace, have ensured our security and promoted our prosperity. Their sacrifices have supported the growth of our democracy.

Less than three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt in a "Fireside Chat" advocated national sacrifice as a foundation for hope, and a necessary response to fear:

"This generation of Americans has come to realize, with a present and personal realization, that there is something larger and more important than the life of any individual or of any individual group - something for which a man will sacrifice, and gladly sacrifice, not only his pleasures, not only his goods, not only his associations with those he loves, but his life itself. In time of crisis when the future is in the balance, we come to understand, with full recognition and devotion, what this Nation is, and what we owe to it."

In our current turbulent times amid a stormy presidential election, our society would benefit from less hate and recrimination, and more attention to the virtues of sacrifice.

We need not agree on the solutions to our problems if we can agree to commit ourselves to work together in selfless ways. We need not always like one another if we can find shared identity in common struggle. The challenges demanding collective sacrifice are evident today, and a prior generation offers a useful model of citizenship.

At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the American economy was still in the midst of the worst recession in the nation's history. As President Roosevelt contended with economic disaster, he had to resist the global trends toward fascist hatred, and prepare to fight the strongest militaries in the world on two distant continents. The president knew that meeting these monumental challenges required the full commitment of the American people. Roosevelt spoke directly and honestly, using his radio "Fireside Chats" to describe the threats, without exaggeration, and call upon Americans for help in collective efforts to produce, prepare, arm and fight.

Roosevelt demanded widespread sacrifices because he had no choice, but also because he understood that collective sacrifice created reservoirs of strength and unity in a country desperately in need of both after a decade of depression. Turning the war against fascism into a war of the people, by the people and for people improved the citizen body. As Lincoln predicted at Gettysburg, an active and committed population made our nation great, not the reverse.

It worked. More than 6 million men and women voluntarily joined the U.S. armed forces between 1941 and 1945. Americans also stepped forward to contribute to the cost of the war. Eighty-five million people, half the population of the United States, bought war bonds. Private citizens purchased $185.7 billion of those bonds, covering roughly 60 percent of the cost of the war.

Those numbers are staggering, but they do not fully measure the sacrifices of Americans. Parents and children cut back in their homes to "save waste fats for explosives," reduced meat consumption, and lived by the slogan of "grow your own, can your own." Commuters were told: "When you ride alone you ride with Hitler, join a car sharing club today!" And they did in large numbers.

Farmers donated scrap material in order to "sink a sub from your farm." Women joined the work force in record numbers to replace men who were deployed abroad. And Americans learned that spies could be lurking anywhere so "loose lips might sink ships."

The effort to win the war and build a better world involved nearly every citizen. Under President Roosevelt's leadership, Americans curtailed their personal desires, risked their lives and invested directly in the war effort. Americans stepped forward to sacrifice.

We face many of the same challenges today, including gathering threats abroad and a loss of faith in our democracy at home. We cannot renew our national strength without a return to public sacrifice by all citizens - including those with the highest incomes and the best connections.

Instead of arguing over personalities and wedge issues, we need leaders who will motivate citizens for sacrifice toward common goals. We will only come together again when we sacrifice together again. That is the fundamental lesson our veterans have taught us. It is a lesson a new generation will embrace, if the bickering politicians will finally step aside, and let a new set of citizen-soldiers take the field.

Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Eaker is a graduate student in history at UT-Austin
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Norman Reedus attends AMC presents 'Talking Dead Live' for the premiere of 'The Walking Dead' at Hollywood Forever on October 23, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo : Getty Images/John Sciulli)

The next episode of "The Walking Dead" will be 85 minutes long compared to the usual 60 minutes. Season 7, episode 4's promo video explores what is in store in "Service."



Warning: This article contains spoilers from the new episode. Read to know more.



"The Walking Dead" Season 7, episode 4 promo video



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Note: The promo will be uploaded as soon as it is made available by the network, stay tuned.



"The Walking Dead" Season 7, episode 4 spoilers



The core members of the group are trying to stick together in Alexandria and later they receive a "sobering visit." Who will visit them and how will it impact Episode 5? It is speculated that "The Walking Dead" Season 7, episode 5 might be heavy in terms of deaths.



"The remaining members of the core group hold together in Alexandria. Then, they receive a sobering visit," reads the synopsis.



Earlier, Greg Nicotero talked to Yahoo TV and shared that how it was meeting the fans at Walker Stalker Con.



"It's always great to be able to celebrate, because the fans keep the show alive. I had nothing but people saying how much they hated me and loved me at the same moment for what I did. But the truth of the matter is that it's so hard to comprehend what this show is. People say, "Oh yeah, it's the No. 1 show on television. Biggest show in the world." I'm like, "I can't comprehend that." I'm still sort of humbled by all of it. And I'm still just happy to be here. To me, being able to go to work and work with Andy and Norman [Reedus] and Melissa and Lennie and everybody... I consider this the greatest gift in the world," Nicotero said.



Stay tuned for more "The Walking Dead" Season 7 spoilers, news and updates.


Days after a Montreal, Que. restaurant tried to stop a trans woman from using the washroom, staff says that trans customers are welcome. But there's a catch.

#newsystembbq#sthenri #1ham A photo posted by Jay-S Robert (@jays514) on Dec 30, 2012 at 11:27am PST

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It all started when Estelle Davis went to New System Bar-B-Q on Nov. 1, a chicken and pizza Greek restaurant in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood.

While trying to use the women's washroom, staff told her she was making the wrong choice. Davis tells CBC that staff said she was a man, and that men weren't allowed in there.

"I looked back at her [the staff member] and said, 'That's perfect cause I'm a woman, so I'm going to go use the washroom,'" said Davis.

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Davis called it a "complete denial of my person," and is asking for an apology.

Following the confrontation, protests formed outside of New System Bar-B-Q.

Transgender woman says Montreal restaurant tried to bar her from using women's washroom https://t.co/H4VCrfaaOjpic.twitter.com/YqQ2qguHwQ  CBC Montreal (@CBCMontreal) November 5, 2016

In an interview today with The Huffington Post Canada, manager Diane Brunette says that it was not the staff's intention to do wrong and states that the staff member in question has written an apology.

However, the restaurant will not be making one.

Sorry if that frustrate him, Brunette says, misgendering Davis. "Nothing was marked on her that she was a woman. Were a restaurant, you have to understand if she [the staff member] saw a man dressed as a lady ... anyone can go inside, women will scream."

When asked if transgender people would be allowed to be customers or use the restaurant's washrooms, Brunette says yes, but only if trans customers warn them about using the facilities beforehand.

Yes, theyre [transgender customers are] allowed to go. She [Davis] got served like everybody before, Brunette says. Its just the way she looks. Nobody tells us. Theyre allowed to come here, for the bathroom, if they let us know, well warn the ladies ... say 'There's a person there [in the washroom] that dont look how she's supposed to be looking."

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However, what Brunette is suggesting is problematic. For many trans people, being forced to disclose their identity can be distressing. And since gender identity and gender expression aren't the same, deciding who is transgender can't be determined on appearance alone. As the Charter For Human Rights And Freedoms of Quebec states, people can't be harassed or discriminated against on the grounds of their sex, including trans people.

New System Bar-B-Q's bathroom policies don't match what the majority of Canadians believe.

An Angus-Reid poll from September reported that 60 per cent of Canadians think trans people can use whichever washroom they feel comfortable with.

Across the country, some trans people have been banned from choosing the bathrooms they prefer.

Photo courtesy of Lexus Herman.

Lexus Herman, a 26-year-old trans woman, was asked to leave the women's washroom in a Saskatchewan casino twice. The first ban happened four years ago, and the second one occurred in September. During the latest incident, she told CBC that a casino employee had tried to peep on her.

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"I could see her eyes through the peek of the stall and she [the staff member] was staring, like, trying to look at me  how I was peeing," Herman says.

A bar in Calgary banned 21-year-old trans woman named River Rising from using their women's washroom in early July. Management then posted a sign that demanded patrons use the washrooms appropriate to their birth gender, which they later removed. The bar owner explained in a Facebook post that the sign was initially put up to ward off drunk cisgender men from bothering female customers in the women's washroom. In response to backlash, the owner stated a gender-neutral washroom would be opened in the tavern.

An eight-year-old girl in Manitoba wasn't allowed to use the girls' washrooms in her school in 2014. After an angry parent complained, Isabella Burgoswho had been using both girls' and a gender-neutral washroom without issues was forced to use only the gender-neutral facilities. CTV News reports the angry parent began to harass Burgos after she made the switch to gender-neutral facilities, according to Burgos' parents.

There have been no reports of transgender people assaulting or harassing people in bathrooms. Conversely, Slate reports a survey of sexual assaults in bathrooms showed that all perpetrators were cisgender men.

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Brae Carnes, a trans woman from Victoria, B.C. posed in men's washrooms to protest amendments to Bill C-279 last year.

The proposed bill would have banned trans people from using gender-specific public restrooms. Bill C-16, which includes gender identity and expression as prohibited grounds for discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act , does not include those provisions.

Also on HuffPost
The prime minister won't be giving Canada a 14th province or territory anytime soon, but it wasn't for lack of trying by Ryan Reynolds.

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Ryan Reynolds appears on "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien." (Photo: Youtube/Team Coco)

In a recent interview on "Conan," the Canadian actor revealed that he was lucky enough to talk to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House state dinner in March. (While there, he definitely gave Sasha Obama a serious case of starstruck.)

"He's like our rock-star prime minister, amazing guy," Reynolds told O'Brien.

Realizing he had the opportunity of a lifetime, the Vancouver native decided to pitch something to the prime minister.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a state dinner at the White House March 10, 2016. (Photo by Getty Images)

"I swapped a quick idea on how we can take Alaska and he didn't like it," Reynolds said.

Interestingly, in an informal survey, almost 19 per cent of Canadians on Reddit would like to annex Alaska. A follow-up poll showed that 80 per cent of Alaskans on Reddit agreed.

Host Conan O'Brian assured Reynolds that his plan was mostly fool-proof.

"It's [Alaska] right there, it would take us forever to respond," he said.

At any rate, one has to wonder what Alaskan-related hijinks Reynolds is planning. "The Proposal" sequel, anyone?

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The vast majority of Canadians are worried Republican candidate Donald Trump will win the U.S. election on Tuesday, believing his presidency would be bad news for Canada.

Eighty percent of Canadians said Trump would be "bad" for their country  the highest number since Insights West began polling on Trump in August 2015, the market research company said.

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Even more  81 per cent  said they were very or moderately worried about a Trump victory.

There's been an "extraordinary" number of Canadians engaged with this American election, said Mario Canseco, vice president of public affairs at Insights West. Very few Canadians hold no opinion on either candidate, he said.

One third of respondents said the federal government should seriously consider severing diplomatic ties with the U.S. should Trump win. That hasn't happened since 2012, when then-foreign affairs minister John Baird said Iran was inciting genocide.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a campaign rally on Sunday in Minneapolis. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Women, NDP voters, British Columbians, and Canadians over 55 were most likely to hold negative views of Trump.

While the numbers were much more in favour of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a significant number of Canadians still don't think she's a great choice.

About half said theyre worried about a Clinton presidency, with 34 per cent saying shed be bad for Canada.

However, three-quarters said it would be a historic milestone for women around the world if she won. Another 61 per cent said they want current First Lady Michelle Obama to run for the Oval Office.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama are seen during a presidential campaign event in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Oct. 27, 2016. (Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The study polled a representative sample of 1,005 Canadian adults over the course of two days in October 2016. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Support for Trump has proven rare in Canada, with less than 20 per cent saying theyd vote for the Republican nominee if they could.

Thats way lower than the 42.5 per cent support hes currently sitting at down south.

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It should have been a fresh start.

After years of hauling water from a basic standpipe to their homes, and years of campaigning for better services, Island Lake finally got running water in 2014.

The federal government paid to outfit about 800 homes in the Manitoba region with indoor plumbing. Before that, the vast majority had no plumbing systems at all.

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Just two years later, researchers have found alarmingly high levels of fecal bacteria and E. coli in one area of the regions water. The quality is far below the standard what would be expected of a developed country like Canada, even for small communities, according to the University of Manitoba study published last month.

Island Lake is a community of four Manitoba First Nations. (Photo: Wasagamack First Nation)

I would be concerned if my family drank that water, one of the reports authors, Annemieke Farenhorst, told The Huffington Post Canada in an interview. The Canadian guidelines say there shouldnt be any E. coli in the water at all. It should be zero.

Home to more than 4,000 people, Island Lake is a fly-in community made up of four First Nations. People have been concerned about the drinking water for years, Farenhorst said, and many dont trust that its safe.

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You can hardly blame them. Drinking water on some reservations is notoriously inadequate  the United Nations has chastised Canada for failing to provide such a basic necessity.

Last week, interview requests to the federal government were re-directed from Aboriginal Affairs to Health Canada. Despite assurances, a senior media relations advisor has still not replied to queries for comment.

UPDATE - Nov. 6, 2016: HuffPost's interview request was re-re-directed from Health Canada back to Aboriginal Affairs, which sent a statement.

"Working with First Nations and other partners to support their efforts to ensure clean drinking water and end all long-term DWAs (drinking water advisories) affecting public systems on reserves in five years is a key priority of the Government of Canada," it said, pointing out that the 2016 budget allocates $1.8 billion over five years to First Nation communities to "improve on-reserve water and wastewater infrastructure, ensure proper facility operation and maintenance, and strengthen capacity by enhancing the training of water system operators."

The statement did not directly address queries about communities with unsafe water, yet no DWAs.

I would be concerned if my family drank that water.

Currently, 132 boil water advisories are in effect for First Nations across the country. But it can be a misleading statistic. None of the nations of Island Lake are on that list  even though the water is questionable, and boiling would make it safer, Farenhorst said.

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Many other reserves are in that situation.

Problem is in the delivery

In the community that was studied, water is actually clean when it leaves the treatment plant  but only 300 homes have pipes that are directly connected to the plant. The rest of the community relies on underground cisterns  which Farenhorst described as very, very old and prone to cracking.

Others still have no plumbing at all, so people are still filling buckets at a standpipe or lake and carrying water home.

When you go camping... you do that for two weeks, Farenhorst said. But people there do that every day for their whole lives.

University of Manitoba researcher Annemieke Farenhorst (right) found 'alarming' contamination in the drinking water of Island Lake, a First Nation in Manitoba. (Photo: NSERC)

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The situation in Island Lake is not uncommon. Only 51 per cent of homes on First Nations in Manitoba have piped water, Farenhorst said. Another 31 per cent rely on cisterns, while the rest use wells or have no running water at all.

The nation that Farenhorst studied relies on a single truck to deliver water from the treatment plant to homes and holding tanks. The truck is rarely cleaned because its constantly in use, she said.

"It has taken way too long in Canada.

A solution could be as simple as an extra delivery trucks or replacing underground cisterns with above ground tanks, which are less prone to decay, Farenhorst explained.

It has taken way too long in Canada, she said.

You read in the newspaper that some countries want to put people on Mars Well, if we think thats possible, why is it not possible to provide people in Canada with clean drinking water?

CORRECTION - Oct. 30, 2016: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that all four nations of Island Lake rely on a single water truck.

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For a time, I truly thought we were on the cusp of real change.

When the historic Hillsborough verdict came, I felt certain it would have major reverberations in Whitehall and lead to changes in the law. It would also lead, surely, to the opening up of the most symbolically divisive event in recent British social history: Orgreave.

Those feelings only grew stronger with Theresa May's visit to the Police Federation Conference in late May. The reckoning with our country's troubled past would have to continue, she said. "We must never under-estimate how the poison of decades-old misdeeds seeps down through the years and is just as toxic today as it was then. That's why difficult truths, however unpalatable they may be, must be confronted head on."

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Less than two months later, Theresa May was walking into Downing Street pledging to fight "burning injustice". From my knowledge of working with her, I thought we were about to see a Prime Minister who would do more than any other to shake up the Establishment.

How wrong I was.

Far from being held to account, an unruffled Establishment is now comfortably closing ranks. And the Prime Minister whose willingness to challenge injustice did so much to propel her towards No10 is now firmly placing the lid on the past and closing the door on the campaigners she once courted.

Since the Hillsborough verdict, there have been a string of negative developments that provide clear evidence of the Government's determination to keep it as the exception to the norm rather than a powerful engine for social change.

It began with the rejection of the idea of equal funding for bereaved families at inquests - the so-called Hillsborough Law. Then came the denial of funding to the families of those who lost loved-ones in the Birmingham pub bombings. But the surest signs came last week: the flat rejection of an inquiry into Orgreave and, the next day, a heavy hint that the second stage of the Leveson Inquiry - into the police-press relationship - would not be proceeding.

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So the big question is - what changed in Theresa's May mind between her speech to the Police Federation and the dropping of these bombshells?

It is clear to me is that there has been a big change in the person I shadowed as Home Secretary and the one I now observe as Prime Minister. The person who right up to the point of entering No10 was making powerful speeches about healing divides in society, and holding elites to account, has done the exact opposite once inside.

The only plausible explanation I can find for the startling turn-around in Theresa May is in the promises she must have made to win power. As she entered the final stage of the leadership contest against Andrea Leadsom, she would have been desperate for the support of prominent Brexit-backing Tory MPs. To get that, she promised to lead a 'Hard Brexit' Government. So deals were done - and at that moment Theresa May made herself the prisoner of the Tory Right.

Alongside Brexit, an inquiry into Orgreave is of course a lower order issue. But I always believed that Theresa May's handling of it would be very revealing of her political direction as Prime Minister. It would determine whether she would return to her style as Home Secretary or whether she was indeed in the grip of the Tory Right who would not like the idea of any inquiry into the Thatcher era.

We got our answer in the House last week. The Hard Right of the Tory Party turned out in force to brand the miners "thugs" and to defend the threadbare and flawed case advanced by the Home Secretary.

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If Amber Rudd's "nobody died" justification had been applied before, there would have been no Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking. It sets an alarmingly high bar for the future and potentially allows for all manner of abuses in public bodies.

But Rudd hadn't finished with her sweeping and unfounded assertions. "There were no miscarriages of justice," she claimed. True, there were no wrongful convictions. But we are all in trouble if our new Home Secretary considers spending months in prison on remand on the back of fabricated police evidence not to be a miscarriage of justice.

Almost as pathetic as the Home Secretary's argument was the extent to which the right-wing commentariat attempted to lend it a veneer of credibility. Simon Jenkins was the worst culprit, with a stunningly glib and ignorant column in the Guardian.

"We know what happened at Orgreave", he pronounced. Not we don't. The operational order for the day has never surfaced and, until it does, we will not have clarity about police tactics.

Inquiries should be restricted to "political scandal", Jenkins opined, clearly implying that he thought Orgreave was no such thing. I can only assume that he is unaware of the secret Cabinet paper published in 2014 under the 30-year rule which record then Home Secretary Leon Brittan piling pressure on the police to "expedite trials" of miners.

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Perhaps his most offensively inaccurate point was that I and others had "equated" it with Hillsborough. I have never said any such thing. The point I have consistently made is that the two are inextricably linked. Until we have the full truth about Orgreave, we won't have the full truth about Hillsborough. That's because the tactics the South Yorkshire Police used against the miners, most notably the interference in police statements, would later be used to much more devastating effect against the Liverpool supporters. If SYP had been properly held to account in 1985 for the collapsed Orgreave trial, then I am absolutely certain that the course of Hillsborough would have been very different. Indeed, the cover-up may never have happened.

These issues are of massive significance to many millions of people in the North of England. But, as of yet, we only have half the story. If things stay like this, the sense of injustice over Orgreave will only grow.

Simons Jenkins was right, though, on one thing: Select Committee inquiries can often be effective in unlocking the truth but can do so more quickly and cheaply than other inquiries. I agree with that.

I have never insisted that a judge-led inquiry is the only acceptable way to establish the truth about Orgreave. I would have preferred a Hillsborough-style disclosure panel but I do not rule out the potential of a Select Committee inquiry to help take things forward.

The one glimmer of light in an otherwise grim exchange in the Commons on Monday was Sir Edward Leigh's suggestion of a select committee inquiry on Orgreave and Amber Rudd's reply that it was an "interesting" idea.

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I have now written a cross-Party letter to the Home Secretary urging her to cooperate fully with this proposal if a Select Committee of the House decides to take it forward. It seems to me that this is now the best compromise around which all parties can now unite.

What is clear to me is that something has to give. Things cannot be left like this. If they are, we will never have the full truth about Hillsborough, former miners will die without any sense of resolution and the poison of decades-old misdeeds will carry on dripping down the years.
They are not merely the standard bearers of an appeal to divisiveness, hate, but both Trump and before Milosevic have been enablers of extremist nationalists, fascists. Most Bosnian-Americans and their children born in the U.S. would not be now Americans except for the genocidal war sparked 25 years earlier by then-Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and executed by his supporters, many of them previously only perceived as fringe groups. We understand the damage inflicted upon society when tolerance became a target in what was a country that had previously largely benefited from diversity, much like America. The United States ultimately allied itself in subduing these extremists in the former Yugoslavia and first in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fascism though has not been sent back under the rock, where it had lived since the defeat of Nazism in WW II. It again has been enabled and taken hold from ISIS to Putin-backed assaults upon Ukraine, but it has also spread to what we knew as the stalwarts of democracy in Western Europe and more notably the U.S. What a Trump Presidency puts at risk now is what most Americans value as our democratic, diverse and free society. Further it would reverse the welcome that then Bosnian refugees received. Immigrants, and not just those labelled unfavorably as Muslims, would be viewed as cultural invaders, abusive free loaders or criminal/political threats. The contributions made by Bosnian-Americans would be trivialized or ignored, from serving with distinction in the U.S. military and law enforcement, to arts and culture to creating jobs as entrepreneurs to doing the hard jobs with quality and pride. When I came to the U.S. as a very young boy in 1967, when very few even knew of a Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), I embraced my American identity one nourishing bite at a time. Now Bosnian-Americans are an integral, integrated and vibrant part of the American mosaic, energizing and adding to our society as a whole as citizens, as voters and as patriots. (Read: "From Bosnia to U.S., from Refugees to Great Americans")

"Dog Whistles" that go Beyond what is Audible but Empower Calls to Violence, Ethnic Cleansing:

During the bleak years of the wars in the former Yugoslavia I had numerous encounters with Slobodan Milosevic. Compared to Radovan Karadzic or General Ratko Mladic, at least when he spoke off-stage and beyond his election appeals to Serbians, he was viewed by European and US mediators as more reasonable. They heard Milosevic's words in English as genuine to reject the extremists who would commit ethnic cleansing. They, however, could not hear the "dog whistle" spoken in Serbian that enabled the most intolerant and brutal within his core constituency.

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Donald Trump, with whom I have had less direct contact when I worked as investment banker in New York, seeks to be as clever in providing one audible message to the broader public but also a "dog whistle" which arouses and enables his most divisive, hateful supporters. As a businessman, Trump is at best embellished as a promoter and at worst someone who built his wealth by cheating others. Some correctly question whether the Trump brand is as false as the VW emission standards. Contradictions are part of our human existence. America's Founding Fathers recognized the dangers of such in the carefully crafted U.S. Constitution that is intended to balance powers between institutions and also dampen personal egos, particularly when contradictions take the turn to hypocrisy.

Blinded by Narcissism and the New Inquisition:

What is most dangerous about Trump though is his ever more exercised narcissism. He has no commitment or belief in studying the issues or even accepting the advice of those knowledgeable. Ideology is only useful when it appears to agree with his instincts of the moment. Trump has come to believe that he is the smartest man in the room, on every issue, and because his reliance upon intimidate, brutalize or simply lie are superior tactics over any longer-term vision of US strategic priorities. Pope Francis also sees the threat of modern-day "false prophets" who see theology as not humanizing but targeting of those who are different. Trump, feeding of a base that seeks the messiah to revert to an America that favored those citizens of certain race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and/or lineage, acts as if he can walk on water, arouse the believers to violence and spark a modern crusade or at least inquisition.

Milosevic was more self-aware or perhaps clever. Rather than naked narcissism he employed charisma and what I wrote about as "Seduction Diplomacy." Many, perhaps even most within Serbia and Montenegro were not supportive of Milosevic, but they were marginalized or maybe overwhelmed by a core base that was not fooled by Milosevic's appeal but drawn to it feeling that it was OK to voice, vote and act-out bigotry and hate.

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What many in the U.S. media have done inadvertently is provide an excuse to be a Trump supporter by speaking of struggle or anger created by loss of jobs, income and opportunity. However polls as Gallup, have evidenced that while some truly feel their economic well being shrinking, the core of Trump supporters is economically well-off and tends to live in communities that in-effect are segregated from people who are not like them in skin color or religion... in other words, limited or no diversity. Trump proudly speaks of the support of his "poorly educated supporters." This though is only partly about education and also much about core Trump supporters not being exposed to the diversity of perspectives and peoples present in a more cosmopolitan environment or university campus. It is the mentality of a homogeneous village that finds fault even with the new traffic light installed on its main street to deal with the increasing number and diversity of vehicles driving through and by them.

How Many Trump Supporters want an Authoritarian America?

Pope Francis has implicitly defined the Milosevic and Trump phenomena:

"No tyranny finds support without tapping into our fears," Francis said. "This is key. Hence, all tyranny is terrorist. And when this terror -- which was sown in the peripheries, with the massacres, looting, oppression and injustice -- explodes in centers with different forms of violence, even hateful and cowardly attacks, citizens who still retain some rights are tempted to the false security of physical or social walls."

While many of Trump's voters may not be the "deplorables" as labelled by Hillary Clinton, I fear how many of his supporters are driven to march behind him not despite but because of his intolerant even hateful message on ethnicity, race, religion and/or women.

When speaking of Trump it is difficult to view it as either Republican or Democratic. In Trump's narcissistic mind it is only about Trump. Bosnia and most importantly Bosnian Americans have had proven friends among Republicans including Senator Bob Dole, Senator John McCain and Congressman Chris Smith. Similarly, Democrats have been strategic allies and/or friends. Hillary Clinton will carry with her to some degree the good and part of the legacy of the Bill Clinton Administration. The Dayton Agreement ended war, and we felt that we had only a choice then of "good war or bad peace." America now recognizes that concessions made at the expense of BiH over the last two decades plus, the appeasement of an ever more nationalistic Kremlin, or rationalizing war and peace in terms ethnic/religious divisions, have come back as a resurgent cancer, whether Putin, Ukraine, ISIS or notion of disenfranchised populations in Europe. (See: "Construction According to Putin's Model, from Bosnia to Europe?")

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Trump's America would Lose Respect, Strength and thus be more Likely to be Exploited by Adversary and Seen as Lesser Leader by Allies:

US Election 2016 though is much more about the future of the United States. We owe it to vote first with American priorities in mind. Hillary Clinton would be a good, perhaps she can even rise to be a great as well as first woman US President. Hillary is thoughtful, strategic and aware of the mistakes made. Trump cannot admit a mistake. He sees no distinction between any "Muslim" label imposed. Refugees/immigrants are risks and not new assets for America. He promotes fellowship with Putin as well as his version of fascist nationalism, and thus also lowers the unique and inclusive American patriotism.

Our Bosnian-American experience has made us an electoral, democratic force including in such "battleground states" as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We recognize that our bonds with BiH strengthen America economically and politically. BiH can be an ever more critical ally to the US in a world destabilized by a Putin or ISIS or the appeal of fascism. Hillary Clinton has been hounded by various accusations, some more legitimate but most again seeded in bigotry. The Clinton Foundation has worked more admirably alongside partners/donors (including Bill/Melinda Gates, Muhammed Yunus, and governments as United Kingdom, Norway and Qatar) all who have made education, disease eradication and international dialogue as core goals. Most Bosnian-Americans will be focused, as their neighbors, on better jobs, education, health care and a safer America from threats outside or within, bigots of any color to the weapons of word or deed.

Trump is more dangerous, even if not as clever. Most around the world see Trump as a uniquely American clown who makes a joke of the principles this great country stands for -- they would laugh if not being so frightened by the prospect of this man with his trigger-finger on the nuclear weapons arsenal of the most powerful country in the world. They rightfully ask is this "Really" what America is!" More sadly though, many see our potential demise as a self-inflicted wound with potentially fatal consequences. The U.S. has set the standard technologically, in media and what defines an inclusive, free and democratic society. No other free society is obliged to copy U.S. democratic institutions. However, many from western Europe to Asia already see Trump as cover for unleashing intolerant and hateful forces within their own countries, sometimes under the guise of democracy, from Germany and the Netherlands to India and Pakistan, and this overwhelmingly undermines America's interests.

Trump speaks of strength. However, respect is nurtured and not earned by fear of you as a clown or worse, psychologically unbalanced. Narcissism does not equate to confidence. Respect and strength is developed from thoughtfully evaluated and diligently implemented policy. Trump makes America weaker, more likely to be tested by adversaries, more divided within and less capable of projecting itself from assault at its borders, interests or model as a positive factor globally and for the interests of its own citizens.

@MuhamedSacirbey
To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry.

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Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.
Image: Flag of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic

Three weeks ago a Russian who had led a motley group of Ukrainian separatists and their Russian sympathizers was blown to bits in the elevator of his apartment in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

Speculation immediately began about who had killed Motorola, a 33-year-old who had bragged about committing the war crime of executing captured Ukrainian army prisoners.

Speculation centered on three categories of suspects: Ukraine's intelligence service, Russia's intelligence service, and separatist rivals of Motorola, whose real name was Arsen Pavlov.

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My guess is that it was the Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, the successor to the KGB.

I arrived at that conclusion by the process of elimination.

Motorola's assassination was too sophisticated for rival separatists to have pulled off.

It involved a bomb being placed in the elevator at a location the victims were unable to see, and set off by remote control.

Motorola and his bodyguard were wearing full body armor, but the blast was so powerful that all that was left of them was pieces of meat.

The sophistication of the operation indicated that it was done by professional assassins -- either Ukrainian or Russian intelligence.

Although I'm sure Ukrainian intelligence would love to get close enough to the most notorious separatist commanders to wipe them out, those commanders have taken special precautions for a long time to make sure they don't fall prey to Kiev-dispatched assassins.

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That makes it unlikely that Ukrainian intelligence operatives have been able to get close enough to key separatist commanders to assassinate them.

The story is different with Russian intelligence.

It would be no problem for FSB agents, disguised as Russian troops or mercenaries, or Russian government functionaries helping the separatists, to learn separatist leaders' routines so they could snuff them.

The assassinations of five high-profile separatist military and political leaders besides Motorola and a dozen lesser ones suggest there is a concerted campaign to purge the current leadership.

Why such a campaign?

One explanation is that the Kremlin wants separatist leaders it can control rather than the current crop, some of whom may be construed as too independent.

Moscow's support of the Donetsk and Luhansk Province separatists has come at considerable cost.

It has poured tons of materiel into the east and sent in mercenaries and regular Russian troops, many of whom have returned to Russia in body bags.

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Sanctions that the West slapped on Russia for seizing Crimea and aiding the separatists have taken a toll on the economy of Russia, where people are starting to grumble -- albeit quietly, because loud complaints can lead to all kinds of unpleasant retribution.

Those who think Russia is behind the assassinations say the reason for the campaign is that Moscow wants to get out of a situation that is draining it financially and making it an international pariah.

The best extrication tactic would be achieving a peace deal that involves separatist territories remaining in Ukraine but becoming autonomous.

Many believe that a prerequisite for such a deal, however, would be "making the breakaway republics seem respectable to local and international audiences -- and that requires eliminating any would-be allies who have trouble following orders," according to Foreign Policy magazine.

If you think it's cold-blooded to assassinate those who have helped you achieve various political aims so you can get to your next set of goals, well, you're absolutely right.

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It's also very Russian.

The Soviet era generated thousands of examples of leaders using others to do their dirty work, then getting rid of them.

I've read that a number of Ukrainian separatist leaders are saying privately -- they wouldn't dare say it publicly, of course! -- that they believe the Russians are behind the assassinations.

This, of course, makes for uneasy sleep for these leaders, as they wonder if they will be next.

It should also make the leaders of countries that are Russian puppets -- like Armenia -- worry about their tenure as well. I'm not suggesting that they need to worry about being killed. There are other ways to oust those who have fallen out of Moscow's favor.

The Russians showed long before their assassination of Josef Stalin's rival Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940 that they are ruthless about eliminating those they see as getting in the way of their political goals.

It matters not that many victims once were loyal soldiers, doing the leaders' bidding.

The Ukrainian-separatist leaders who are worrying about how much longer they have to live probably should have read more Russian history before taking up arms against their own government.

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I never thought that the fight for women priests in the Catholic Church was my fight. I never wanted to become a priest, so it seemed a bit remote to me.

But in writing my book, Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope, I met women who did feel a calling, and who mourned their inability to follow it. I began to understand why the ban on the ordination of women to the priesthood represented a personal loss for many women.

Of course, I should have realized far sooner how refusing to ordain women priests is a terrible and undeserved blow to gender equality. There is no reason women should not serve as priests. By any objective measure, we are the equal to men in our ability to preach, to teach, and to preside at Mass.

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All women should be insulted by Pope Francis's recent cavalier dismissal of the possibility of the church ever changing its position on women's ordination. The question came up after the Pope celebrated the Protestant Reformation in Sweden with the country's Lutheran prelates, including the woman who is primate of the Church of Sweden.

If you're going to make excuses for refusing to allow ordination of women you might want to invent something more plausible, with a little more intellectual heft, than the old saw about Christ choosing only men to be His apostles. It was, as Maureen Fiedler bluntly put it, and has always been, "a dumb argument."

The fact that the apostles were male isn't surprising, given the Jewish culture and the role of women in that era. As a Catholic feminist wryly asked, "All the apostles were Jews. Should all priests be Jews?"

A number of the apostles were married. And yet the church has had no problem enforcing a celibacy rule on priests. So the argument isn't even consistent.

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There's also a history of women playing active leadership roles in the early church. But really, even if that were not the case, society evolves, and the role of women has greatly expanded over the centuries. If the rest of society clung to the same position as the Catholic Church, women could never become surgeons, teachers, astronauts, physicians, or architects, or even earn the right to vote or own property.

The Pope also relies on the fact that he can't change policy because Pope John Paul II closed the door on women priests. Funny, that didn't prevent Pope John XXIII from reversing course on the church's relationship with other Christian religions.



Not so long ago, indeed, within my lifetime, the children of mixed marriages, generally one spouse Catholic and the other Protestant, were told that the non-Catholic parent would go to hell without conversion.That message was sent to my own cousins. Catholics were not allowed to worship with others of different faiths, or even attend non-Catholic weddings. Vatican II changed all that, urging tolerance, respect, and collaboration among Christians of various denominations.

The church does change its mind, thank goodness. I highly recommend Fiedler's book, Rome Has Spoken, documenting those changes over the centuries. And it certainly could change its position on women's ordination.

The other, more subtle, argument one hears about Pope Francis's reluctance to admit women to the priesthood goes something like this. Pope Francis is concerned about rampant "clericalism" in the church, with priests elevating themselves above people and its highest-ranking prelates prone to "spiritual Alzheimer's" indifference to human suffering, joylessness, and hypocrisy, among other things.

So the inference is that since power corrupts, the Pope wants to inoculate women from corruption. As he said to an interviewer in 2013 responding to rumors of a laywoman being named as a cardinal, "Woman should be valued, not 'clericalized.'" We delicate flowers of the church should not be exposed to the seamy underbelly of real power.



I don't believe that any Catholic reformer believes that the ordination of women to the priesthood would radically change the top-down nature of the church, something that must change.

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People want to and deserve to be treated with civility: basic respect, basic kindness, and basic courtesy. For women specifically, the retort "nasty woman" conjures up the opposite of civility and respect. The combination of the words "nasty" and "woman" are words that should never, ever be used together. That phrase is the lowest form of insult anyone, especially a male, could possibly hurl toward a woman. Generally, "nasty" refers to: "an unpleasant or harmful person or thing." https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nasty. When used in the more general sense, "nasty" means "very bad or unpleasant, unpleasantly cold or wet, repugnant to the mind, behaving in an unpleasant or spiteful way, annoying or unwelcome, damaging or harmful."

In most contexts, "nasty" is NOT a compliment. "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness [nasty] in his bones." Proverbs 12:4. Whether a woman is married, single, or otherwise - she neither desires nor wants to be insulted. Unwritten norms, i.e., "Unspoken rules are behavioral constraints imposed in organizations or societies that are not voiced or written down. They usually exist in unspoken and unwritten format because they form a part of the logical argument or course of action implied by tacit assumptions." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unspoken_rule. Therefore, general civility is a mandate in all parts of the world, recognized by the global citizenry.

We can agree without being disagreeable or ugly, i.e., without the intent to inflict pain and harm on another. Unfortunately, when a woman decides to stand up, especially in an arena that has been exclusively and historically dominated by men, that woman instinctively knows she is threading in dangerous, shark filled waters; the sharks may be males or females, but they are present. Participants with traditional as well as nontraditional or modern views readily weigh in to discuss whether a woman should or should not engage in the once precluded activity, currently a bid for the presidency of the U.S. Nevertheless, decisions to embark on breaking down the last vestiges of certain areas must be made by strong and capable women, with support from a panoply of participants who realize change has to come; participants who also believe equality of opportunity is important; participants who are ultimately willing to support equality nationally and globally.

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Encroachment on a woman's dignity by persons who are obviously operating in inexplicable places in the universe is an issue that touches and concerns all humankind. A woman's right not to be publicly insulted should be a right that is universally recognized and universally protected; a right that is deeply rooted in the global citizenry's quest to elevate women. This quest, must be supported by all who will take a stand and commit to equality for women, at every level.

A Spiritual Connection exists between women from different parts of the world, especially surrounding the quest for unfettered equality, unfettered dignity, and unfettered opportunity. This Spiritual Connection is mysteriously and intuitively channeled to send positive support to such Champions. For example, several years ago, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf sent a powerful message to Hillary Clinton, "Don't stop with parliament [Congress]. Join me. I'm lonely." Swanee Hunt, Let Women Rule, at 118, 86 For. Aff. May/June2007. Therefore, the collective suffers when a "high profile champion of change" is attacked with the "Nasty Woman" phrase.

We, as citizens of the world, are 'Encouragers'; we encourage others who may not be in our town, state, or country to take up the cause - act outside the ordinary to improve the situation for the whole. Therefore, all 'Encouragers' are summoned to join the fight and demand respect for all of mankind, which includes women; we must demand that the traditional players, generally men, comport themselves properly, according to global norms of decency. Insults are never necessary, and they are rarely accepted as an appropriate response amongst intelligent opponents. Insults fall within the same classification of bullying - action intended to intimidate and harass; and, therefore must be addressed because they, inevitable, encroach on the receiver's erga omnes rights.



Diplomacy, unlike insults/bullying, not only allows one to maintain personal dignity but also allows one to avoid infringing on another's dignity. In short, all women, even a "Nasty Woman" deserves basic, common civility and basic, common respect, which must be afforded to all humans. Respect is due to all global citizens, whether a "Nasty Woman," a "Bad Hombre," a Clean Women, or a Good Hombre!

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On a positive note, insults often inspire 'Encouragers' to move to the next level in whatever endeavor we are engaged in. Currently, American 'Encouragers' are in the throes of an important national election. Therefore, in this 'Encourager's' humble opinion, all American women should STAND UP and do what our forerunners, the Suffragettes, would expect us to do. We MUST respond to the "Nasty Woman" insult on behalf of a Spiritual Sister. We are capable of far more than we have been, historically, given an opportunity to achieve in America; we are in a position to broaden opportunities to the entire American populace.

Let's support a "real," "intelligent," and "capable" American Champion/Encourager, which will put the "Nasty Woman" insult to rest. Let's send a signal to our Spiritual Sisters around the globe that hard work and endurance pays off, and that when it is most crucial - we, American women, will stand in Solidarity and recall 1920, which ended the long fought voting rights struggle for women in America. We MUST answer in a profound way by exercising our right to vote as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution's 19th Amendment.
The recently published Arab News/YouGov US Election MENA poll reveals interesting findings regarding the hearts and minds of Arabs living in the Middle East and North Africa with regards to the ongoing race to the White House

First, it tells us that -- like most people around the world -- the media plays a vital role in shaping our opinions. As such, with all the negative press the Republican candidate Donald Trump has been getting worldwide, it wasn't really a surprise that he scored so poorly when it comes to popularity, with only 9 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if they had the opportunity. (Of course, Mr. Trump can only blame his controversial positions and/or actions for the bad press and negative image.)

Now, while Hillary Clinton proved clearly more popular (with 44 percent of respondents opting for her), the real catch in this poll was that an astonishing 47 percent of Arabs said that they wouldn't bother voting for either candidate -- if they had the chance to -- despite an overwhelming majority of them admitting that the outcome of the U.S. election will have a big impact on our region.

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It was also interesting to see that while most respondents didn't favor Trump, many of the same respondents agreed with a number of his policies when asked about them separately. I note here that nearly 89 percent of Arabs were closer to him when it came to topics like prohibiting abortion; more interestingly, 90 percent of respondents said that they didn't mind extra border restrictions or measures if they felt their own country's security was under threat from a certain nationality of group. What happens next? With less than a week until election night, one can't but notice the Arab pessimism that persists toward an event which -- as noted earlier -- will without any doubt have a big effect on us regardless of who ends up winning. Of course, the current mood in the region is the absolute opposite of the overall sentiment back in 2008 when President Barack Obama got elected; and following all the promises and sweet-talk that came during the famous "Cairo Speech."

Now while Obama tried to press hard on difficult issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he also took steps which had undoubtedly left the region worse off; namely, failing to act on his own red-line in Syria and the controversial Iran nuclear deal which has left Tehran (which he himself calls a state-sponsor of terror) able to cause more regional upheaval.

In other words, and as veteran Arab-US affairs analyst Hisham Melhem told this newspaper a few days ago -- President Obama "inherited a dysfunctional Middle East from George W. Bush and left a burning Middle East for his successor."

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The lesson learnt? Well, I hope that we -- as Arabs -- have learned that actions will always speak louder than words. Yes, Mr. Trump may have said controversial things during his campaign (which contrary to all expectations, won him his party's nomination), but what really matters is what he does if he does make it to the White House.

Similarly, as popular as Clinton is today (although she is definitely not as popular as Obama was in the Arab world back in 2008), what will really count at the end of the day is how will she handle the pressing issues of our region if and when she gets to the Oval Office.

More importantly, I think what we -- as Arabs -- should remember as soon as the election result is out is that we shouldn't ask what the next US president will do for us, but what we will do for the next US president.
When Donald Trump was one of 17 candidates vying for the Republican nomination, he was asked about autism at a debate in September 2015.



Trump put the blame squarely on vaccines: "You take this little beautiful baby, and you pump -- I mean, it looks just like it's meant for a horse, not for a child, and we've had so many instances, people that work for me, just the other day ... a beautiful child went to have the vaccine, and came back, and a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic."



While he said his children were vaccinated, he insisted that too many vaccines were given at once, a theory that sounds sensible but for which there is no medical evidence.

In the past, on several occasions, he tweeted about this, apparently influenced by the anti-vax movement popularized by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the British doctor who published an article in the journal The Lancet in 1998 that said that vaccines caused autism.



That article, as virtually everyone but the Republican nominee for president seems to know by now, turned out to be have been based on falsified research. The Lancet editors "discovered that Wakefield had been funded by attorneys for parents who were pursuing lawsuits against vaccine companies and that a number of elements of the paper were misreported," as The Washington Post wrote. The Lancet retracted the article in 2010 and Wakefield lost his license.



I dredge up this history now because in the fall of 2015, it didn't seem to matter much that Trump was clinging to a discredited theory of autism. There was much about Trump that didn't seem to matter then: His pledge to build a wall to keep out the marauding Mexicans (and why would they even want to sneak into the U.S. in droves, if America were really the economic disaster zone that Trump said it was ... but that's another article), his warm embrace of journalist-killing, Crimea-annexing Russia; and so many other aspects of Trump that seemed bizarre and ridiculous but are now scary on so many levels.



It's pretty frightening to think that if Trump is elected, he will be able to appoint the head of the National Institutes of Health. And the Surgeon General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

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Who knows to whom President Trump would hand those jobs? Who can imagine the billions of dollars in research grants that would go to beating the dead horse of the vaccine-autism connection (about as plausible as saying that atheism causes cancer) rather than significant research, research that could potentially bring real change to the lives of people with autism?

I can't help thinking back to when Trump mocked Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who happens to have a physical disability, at a rally last November. It was appalling then, but not worrisome -- no one thought then that Trump would get the nomination. It didn't really surprise me that Trump would act like a lowlife bully and it wasn't keeping me up at night.

It is now.

I have a 20-year-old son with autism, and the fact that we may be days away from electing a president who thinks vaccines cause the condition and that disabled people are losers to be laughed at is terrifying.

It didn't help that Trump supporters I know told me in no uncertain terms that my concerns were frivolous. I should be looking to make America great again, not worrying about getting much-needed help for my son, and the millions of others out there with autism. And if Trump tried to get a laugh by making fun a disabled person, that was just Trump being Trump. If it bothered me that Trump was acting like the kind of thug I've had to protect my son from his whole life, that just made me into some kind of humorless, politically correct idiot.

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Well, Trump supporters, in a democracy, we are allowed to choose whatever issues we want to make our decision about which candidate we choose to vote for.

Latinos, African Americans, women, war heroes and their families, and so many others all have very good reasons not to vote for Trump. And so do we, the parents of children with autism.

Hillary Clinton is the one candidate to come out with a comprehensive proposal for autism treatment and research. She even has a plan for helping people with autism find employment and live more safely. She got input from scientists, doctors and high-functioning people with autism when she made the plan. The details are on her website. She has also said, very clearly, that she does not think vaccines have anything to do with autism.


PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRENCH MANOR INN & SPA

Nestled in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, rests the beautiful French Manor Inn and Spa. The Inn is run by the sister-duo of Genevieve Reese and Bridget Weber. The two have established the French Manor Inn as one of the premier vacation destinations in the northeastern United States.

Built between 1935 and 1937 by German and Italian craftsmen, the French Manor was not only built using the resources of the area, but with imported items from around the world.

The original owner, Joseph Hirshhorn, filled the French Manor Inn with his vast art collection. However, he later sold the Inn, and it passed through the hands of several people until 1990 when Ron and Mary Kay Logan bought the French Manor Inn.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRENCH MANOR INN & SPA

Today, their two daughters have turned the French Manor Inn and Spa into a must-visit destination in the Pocono Mountains. The sisters have a long history of working in the hospitality trade working with various hotels in the U.S. and England.



PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRENCH MANOR INN & SPA

The French Manor's delicious dining is overseen by executive chef Adam LaFave. The hotel's chef grew up working at the French Manor working in a variety of restaurant position before attending culinary school and establishing himself as a top-class chef.

LaFave's kitchen produces tantalizing classical and nouvelle French cuisine. However, it isn't just fantastic French dining that is on offer at the French Manor. Guests can also enjoy the inn's cafe which offers a less formal setting.

While both restaurants have an amazing selection of French fare, they also give guests some of the best mountain views anywhere in the Poconos. In addition to the great lunch and dinner menus available, the French Manor also provides gourmet breakfasts for guests.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRENCH MANOR INN & SPA

The French Manor has a refreshing spa package that is perfect for helping guests relax while on vacation. The hotel has a variety of great massage packages, including individual and couple massages. The elegant fireside massage is a romantic experience for those visiting the French Manor Inn & Spa during a wedding anniversary.

The spa's specialists provide fantastic facials that revive the skin. The hotel's six-step signature facial is a 60 minute experience that brings the guest's face back to life. However, the hotel has multiple facials to choose from at the spa.

The French Manor Inn's spa has great manicure and pedicure packages that re-energize the hands and feet. These vitamin and antioxidant treatments will give guests the relaxing experience they need. Afterwards guests will have elegant hands, feet and nails that will make them feel like they have been treated like royalty during their stay.

With such great amenities provided by the French Manor Inn & Spa, the hotel's staff is ready to pamper guests at every corner. The Inn's staff always have a smile on their face and make sure every guest's need is taken care of.

The fall colors of eastern Pennsylvania are in abundance this time of year. The contrasting yellows, browns and orange colors are awash in the Pocono Mountains. Guests to the French Manor will experience a time of year that is very special in the area as winter approaches the northeastern U.S.

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Guests to the French Manor Inn and Spa will have an experience like no other. From the great French food to the spa treatments to the fall foliage, the French Manor Inn and Spa offers guests the best in service and experience in the Pocono Mountains.
In 2012, President Obama won Illinois' 20 electoral votes and 57.6% (3 million of 5.2 million voters) of the Illinois popular vote. Mitt Romney won only 40.7% of the popular vote. President Obama won the popular vote with a whopping 16.9% margin.

Densely populated Cook County, which includes Chicago, turned out 2 million voters, and Obama won 74% of those popular votes. Cook County is solidly navy blue, but even so, there is a rich history of Democrats' putting a thumb on the scale, which is a nice Midwestern way of saying we've been known to cheat.

This year looks very different. It's almost certain that Hillary Clinton will win Illinois' 20 electoral votes, but it is likely her margin of the popular vote will be much narrower than Obama's in 2012.

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Many college educated women in Illinois are voting for Trump. In past elections, I've been a left leaning independent. This year, for the first time, I registered as a Republican. I voted early for Donald Trump.

Among my college educated circle of women friends, 80% of (46) white women and 55% of (18) non-white women are for Trump. Yes, it is a small unscientific sample; I have more white than non-white women friends, and I ran out of time to ask more people. But the sentiment is wildly different than in 2012 when most voted Democrat.

It doesn't help Democrats that Illinois Obamacare premiums for 2017 soared 44-55% depending on the plan, but that isn't the key issue for voters with whom I spoke. We like Trump's plan for the economy, job growth, trade policy, position on illegal immigration and plan for background checks for new legal immigrants.



Sky High Unemployment and Soaring Crime

The chiefly black South Side of Chicago is in a Depression. The problems have persisted for years and have grown worse. ("Third World America 2012: A Country at War with Itself") In January 2016, the Chicago Tribune reported that "nearly half of young black men in Chicago are neither in school nor working."

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Many want change. In September, attorney Brunell Donald-Kyei made a passionate case on WGN to explain why after twenty years of voting Democrat, she switched parties and became Vice-Chair Of Diversity Outreach for the National Diversity Coalition for Donald Trump. (I do not know Ms. Donald-Kyei, and she was not part of my women's voter sample mentioned above):



"I voted for Barack Obama when he said when he was gonna bring hope and change and yes we can and no we didn't. The jobs didn't come, the better schools didn't come, the investment in our communities did not come..national security ....our borders are open. We're not safe... We're Americans, we're Americans first. America first."

She added that Trump's message resonates: "Democrats care about the inner city when it's election time. After election time, what do you get? Zero."

The number one cause of death of young black men in Chicago is lead poisoning. According to Second City Cop, overall October statistics are grim and climbing:

October 2014: 39 dead, 215 wounded

October 2015: 31 dead, 203 wounded

October 2016: 79 killed 348 wounded

Chicago had an October surprise, and it is deeply unpleasant. What is not a surprise is that many of us are voting for Donald Trump and we're highly motivated.

Motivated to Vote for Trump
I have to admit that I became horribly sick at my stomach last week when I heard Republican consultants react to a tracking poll which briefly showed Trump leading Hillary Clinton. The consultants issued the obligatory disclaimer about feeling depressed about the 2016 election, but how would they be able to look in the mirror on November 9th if the modern-day Mussolini they reluctantly support was elected?

Then, on a beautiful pre-election Sunday morning, NPR's TED Talk by Jonathan Tepperman reinforced the more "optimistic view: democracy is remarkably pliant -- and resilient." Tepperman cited "the politics of Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, and many other countries" as reminders that when the future of democracy looks the dimmest, opportunities are created for a renewal of government of, by, and for the people.

I wouldn't be surprised if Oklahoma - of all places - provides another hopeful example. Now, 80% of the state's voters are white but half of Oklahomans younger than 25 are nonwhite. As political scientist Keith Gaddie explains, the next census will shift power to urban areas where diversity is growing, meaning that Oklahoma could become a swing state. And when the history of that transition is written, I predict, it will be educators and school patrons who will credited with spearheading that victory.

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Although Trump will triumph in our Red state, four educators, and two other dynamic progressives could be elected to the state legislature in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, and two educators could flip Republican legislative districts in the Tulsa metropolitan area. And, SQ 779, a grassroots effort to raise the sales tax by a penny to fund a $5,000 raise for teachers is favored to win. (Sadly, SQ 790, which is a stalking horse for displaying the Ten Commandments at the Capitol, will likely win despite the efforts of an ecumenical coalition supporting the First Amendment.)

After a two decade campaign to shrink government to a size where it can be strangled in the bathtub, voters are fighting back. Former state Speaker of the House Steve Lewis writes, "For a state with a well-deserved reputation for loathing government, we Oklahomans sure spend a lot of time, energy and money governing ourselves." Not long ago, it looked like Oklahoma was bound to follow North Dakota with an overwhelming victory for the so-called "Right to Farm" amendment, but now it looks like the corporate agriculture's SQ 777 will be defeated. Oklahoma's incarceration rate is #2 in the nation and we are #1 in the world in imprisoning women. But, SQ 780 and SQ 781 make simple possession of drugs a misdemeanor, and allocate the savings from reducing prison sentences to local communities for mental health and drug treatment.

I plea guilty to being biased in favor of optimism, I understand why some liberal friends are less sanguine about SQ 779. Ordinarily, I might not support a regressive tax to fund teachers' salaries, but the combination of drastic cuts in per student education funding, and the over-supply of charters threaten the survival of urban schools that serve the poorest children of color.

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A misguided but understandable fear of a pro-charter organization which supports SQ 779, has tempted some liberal educators to oppose it. But the pro-charter Daily Oklahoman editorializes against SQ 779, and it also published a charter school superintendent's explanation of why his organization is neutral on the questio. Regardless, our 779 vote should be based on what's best for students, not the positions of our adult opponents in terms of other issues.

Worse, some voters might believe anti-SQ 779 commercials that are worthy of Trump and falsely claim that the majority of the money will not go to teachers.

Some have doubts about the portion of the money that would go to higher education, questioning the motive of President David Boren who leads the SQ 779 campaign. Boren, admittedly, is guilty of turning the University of Oklahoma into a world-class institution of higher learning.

Suspicion has also been raised about the eight percent that would go to the State Education Department. But, that's the best part of the state question! That money goes to the SDE to fund early education!

So, even as diverse, grassroots coalitions are challenging the Rightwing's dominance of state government, some of the tensions which have characterized the presidential campaign have come into play. The decision to support SQ 779 is in some ways comparable to the dilemma faced by some Bernie supporters, but the choice is clear. And, admittedly, if Trump were to triumph Tuesday, our good work might just become footnotes about lost causes that were forgotten in the wake of the national tragedy.

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But, once Hillary is elected and victories are won with these state questions, Oklahoma is likely to be changed from a classic example of the sad story Thomas Frank tells in What's the Matter with Kansas? We could become a case study of Frank's wisdom that is expressed in Listen Liberal!
Authors:

Jose Ramos-Horta

Former President, Timor-Leste

1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Oscar Arias Sanchez

Former President, Costa Rica

1987 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

John Hume

Architect of the Northern Ireland Peace Process

1998 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

It is unusual for us to comment on an American election, even more so in the eleventh hour. But what is at stake at the moment in the U.S. election affects us all.

The Presidential election in the world's most powerful democracy has descended into name calling, disinformation and hatred at a level the world has not witnessed before from the U.S. With notable exceptions, many of the American media outlets have reduced the election to waves of scandal, real and imagined. They in turn have been played and fed stories intended solely to arouse suspicion and fear, even bandying about criminal charges that have no proven foundation in fact.

Yet there are issues at stake in this election -- most notably the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the honoring of key international treaties, and our shared responsibility to care for the planet itself -- that will shape the world, not only for those of us alive today, but for the coming generations.

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More than four decades ago, The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- the NPT -- effectively stopped the spread of nuclear weapons at a time when the world was being threatened with extinction by atomic weapons. Under the NPT, more than 180 non-nuclear states pledged not to develop nuclear weapons. Since that time, the three nations that did not sign the NPT --India, Pakistan and Israel -- developed nuclear weapons. With the exception of North Korea, all of the non-nuclear weapons states that signed the treaty have kept their pledge.

Without the constraining elements of this treaty we would certainly have dozens of new states armed with nuclear devices today. The chances of nuclear warfare on Earth would have increased exponentially.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan, who understood that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," worked tirelessly with Mikhail Gorbachev to reduce the threat of nuclear conflict. In 1987 in Reykjavik, he and Gorbachev committed to substantial progress to reduce nuclear weapons. Since that date, the world has gone from more than 60,000 nuclear weapons to less than 16,000.



Presidential candidate Donald Trump has proposed steps, if elected, that would unravel the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and encourage states in potential conflict zones who are signatories to the treaty, including South Korea and Japan, to develop nuclear weapons. He has asked, if we have nuclear weapons, why we would not use them, either ignoring or ignorant of the very serious threat to mankind's existence that stimulating a new global nuclear-arms race, much less use of nuclear weapons by the U.S., would bring.

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In July of this year, Donald Trump stunned the U.S.'s allies by announcing that he would make the U.S. defense of its NATO allies against attack conditional on money, again threatening to unravel a primary stabilizing force on the European continent.



In August of this year, he announced on his platform that, if elected President, he would "cancel the Paris Accord" on climate change and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global-warming programs. Three hundred seventy-five members of the National Academy of Sciences, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, responded, saying in an open letter that such an action would have severe and long lasting consequences, not only on the climate of this planet we share, but on the credibility of the United States in honoring its word.



History has given us numerous examples of entire populations being swayed toward extremism by disinformation campaigns and fear mongering. In this case, the ramifications of the disinformation go well beyond a country or region, and threaten to put someone in office who would unravel some of the very forces that have created stability in our already fragile shared world.



Conversely, Hillary Clinton has served her country as First Lady to the country's democratically elected President. She was subsequently elected a U.S. Senator, and served faithfully as Secretary of State for four years. We have known her in action, where she has been a strong advocate for the rights of women and children and a bright and tireless believer in freedom and democracy building. While she will be the first to say she is not flawless, for 14 years she served her country well during some of its most difficult times and under extreme international challenges. She will further the United States' role as a global leader, politically, economically, and morally.

We urge Americans to make their election choices with care, based not on today or yesterday's scandal or the fear and anger engendered by the latest headlines, but on honest inspection of the candidates' impact on our planet's precarious future.
I know we are better than electing Trump, America. I know we are better than putting a man who is a sexual predator and bigot, a man who has caused serial bankruptcies, a man who can be baited to send unhinged Tweets at 3am, a man who is a bully and not a leader into the Oval Office. I'm ignoring the fluctuating polls. I have faith.

I have faith that everyone who can vote, will find a way to vote.

I have faith that people will remind their friends, family, and neighbors that ballots need to be in by close of business this Tuesday, November 8th. Not everyone is paying attention to the election details. My own twenty-year-old son asked me the other day if the deadline for him to vote had passed. It hadn't. He was incredibly relieved when I told him he still had time to vote. So think of reminding people about November 8th as a community service. Share election information on your social media outlets, including this article. Studies show that sharing on Facebook has a big impact on encouraging people to vote. People want to know this type of information and will thank you for it.

I have faith that people will spread the word on when, where, and how people can vote. Here's some information to share: People can get their voting location texted directly to their cell phones by texting the message "Vote" to the number 747464, which spells RISING. Or, just go to Google, which has set up a special system, and type in "How do I vote in INSERT YOUR STATE NAME HERE."

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I have faith that people will make a plan to vote on Tuesday, November 8th. Bring kids to vote. Make it a party. You can even peek at your ballot in advance and get information that will help you figure out and plan how you want to fill out your ballot. Just plug in your address to this website www.ballotpedia.org and tons of information about the candidates, tailored to your ballot so you can plan how to vote, will be at your fingertips.

People across the country have your back. If you have problems voting or see something that looks like voter suppression or voter intimidation, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with an Election Protection expert for free. And the number for Spanish speakers is: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA. It's against the law for people to stop other people from voting in any way. Legal experts are available to you at no cost to protect your rights.

In our country, voting is our most important right and responsibility. No one can take that away from you.

Vote. Vote for Hillary. There's no perfect candidate. And there never will be. But you can't get much better than Hillary Clinton, a woman who has spent decades effectively fighting for children, families, and our nation; won healthcare advancements like the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), equal pay protections like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and advanced affordable childcare, paid family/medical leave, and more for all of us; a woman who is focused on bringing our country together instead of pitting us against each other. Hillary Clinton is more than qualified to be President and has proven herself over and over again in the face of years of intense, highly funded smear campaigns against her.

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To be clear though, this election isn't about measuring against perfect. Donald Trump is the other nominee--and Hillary Clinton, the first woman to be nominated by a major party, is unfairly being held to different standard of perfection than Donald Trump. The fact that a large percentage of this election has centered around the sexist treatment of women by men, including by Donald Trump, and that we have the first woman running in this position is not a coincidence.

Don't get pulled into that vortex of sexist false equivalencies. Want an example of this? Unbelievably, some people have been equating the recent emails found on Hillary's staffer's soon-to-be ex-husband's computer (emails which news reports say weren't even to or from Hillary and the FBI announced had no bearing on Sunday) with Trump's repetitive unhinged racist, sexist, bigoted and xenophobic behavior that makes the front page so often it's become a blur.

Some reference points in the blur of Trump's unhinged behavior include: Trump's attacks on the Khans, the Gold Star Muslim family whose son gave his life defending our country; Trump saying he won't necessarily accept election results, which is about the most un-American thing a Presidential candidate can say; Trump stating you should just "grab them by the p--sy"; Trump's ongoing hounding of the Central Park 5, the five teenagers of color who were exonerated on DNA evidence and a confession by the real perpetrator; and Trump's pronouncement that the judge presiding in the racketeering lawsuit against Trump University could not be impartial because his parents are Mexican -- all of this has become numbing background static to our political discourse.

It can't be overlooked that Trump is also under investigation for fraud with Trump University, appears to be supported by foreign governments meddling in our election, has pushed his companies into multiple bankruptcies, won't release his tax returns as every other candidate has done who has ever run for this office, and regularly incites violence against our own nation and has said he'd jail his opponent if he wins.

That's bullying behavior by Trump, not leadership. These are not actions or words we'd ever want our children to hear or mimic, no matter who said them. Donald Trump is quite simply unfit for the Presidency.

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The high committee of Egypts Constitution Party failed to reach a quorum for a meeting last Friday after several failed attempts over the past year to set a date for the partys presidential elections.

As the committee prepared for Friday's meeting, it faced pressure from young members who have been holding a sit-in since 23 September to demand a serious move towards elections.

The participants in the sit-in have demanded that a committee member propose a move to hold online voting among members of the committee, otherwise the strikers will apply for it themselves.

The party has faced many resignations, including that of co-founder and former party president Hala Shukrallah, who was celebrated as the first elected Coptic woman to head a political party in Egypt.



Shukrallah resigned in June 2015, followed by acting president Tamer Gomaa's resignation in July this year, which left the post vacant.

The elections were supposed to be conducted after the resignation of Shukrallah, Haitham Khaled, a party member and a participant in the sit-in, told Ahram Online.

For more than 600 days the organisational hierarchy of the party has been paralysed. This was one of the reasons the party did not participate in the last parliamentary elections, and the party is losing as a result, added Khaled.

The party was founded in May 2012 by Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace prize laureate and former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

ElBaradei returned to Egypt prior to the 2011 revolution to form the National Front for Change in opposition to then-president Hosni Mubarak, and played a prominent role in the revolution itself.

Assuming Egypt's vice presidency under interim president Adly Mansour in July 2013, ElBaradei resigned hours after the forced dispersal of the anti-Morsi sit-ins in August that year, and has been living abroad ever since.



Internal conflicts

Khaled, like many other young members who joined the party in 2012, had high expectations about its role in the turbulent political scene of the time.

Those expectations have been frustrated, however, by ongoing internal conflicts since the resignation of the partys founder in 2013. Big issues like who to support in the 2014 presidential elections and whether to participate or boycott the 2015 parliamentary elections have left members divided.

According to Khaled, three electoral committees have been formed and disbanded during the past two years due to administrative and procedural obstacles, while a fourth collapsed a few days ago.

One of the reasons behind the years-long delay, according to Khaled, is the firing of a number of members by then acting president Gomaa, which Khaled believes was done in order to give Gomaa an electoral advantage.

Khaled accuses the high committee and the board of trustees of being responsible for the delay through practices that favour their own electoral interests.

We drafted a set of decrees that were voted on and accepted by the high committee, and the high committee should form a new electoral committee to start elections this month, Khaled said, adding that we will continue our sit-in until the day of voting.

One of the names often floated for the position of president is that of politician Gameela Ismail on the list called Together We Can.

However, the only name declared as the head of that list  in May 2015  has been Mohamed Elgamal.

Moataz Mohamed Ali, a member of the high committee and the Together We Can campaign, says we cannot declare any names on the Together We Can list until we update the final database of party members and voters and set a date for the elections.

Ismails nomination would be an honour for us and for the party, but she has not been nominated so far.



Adminstrative obstacles

Ali says that although he respects the sit-in, he believes the delays in the holding of elections are entirely due to administrative reasons, pointing to other political parties that have seen similar delays.

Ali also said that the party has preserved its role in political life, continuing to issue statements and taking action in the case of the Tiran and Sanafir islands. He added that the party not participating in the last parliamentary elections was not due to internal problems, but was rather a principled boycott of those elections.

Ali said he expects that the delay will end in two weeks, adding that he believes the Together We Can campaign is an example of a good internal political party election process, as it has candidates for all major governorate positions and has sound visions for improving the party and addressing political and economic issues.

However, former party spokesman Khaled Dawoud does not expect elections to take place soon.

There are many reasons for such [internal] conflicts, which have become common among Egyptian political parties identified with 25 January Revolution, Dawoud explains.

Emerging political life has been getting suppressed since August 2013, and the division between supporters and opponents of [President Abdel-Fattah] El-Sisi within political parties is one reason behind these conflicts.

Dawoud says that the Constitution Partys troubles are in part due to external reasons such as the states one voice policy, which he believes represses opposition voices by accusing them of serving foreign interests and subjecting them to arrest, thereby pushing people away from the political scene.

When we first established the party we had 30,000 members, but last year only 1,600 members paid the party fees, Dawoud says.

The political situation in 2013 also affected financial support for civil parties, as businessmen who had been supporting the opposition during the political flourishing that accompanied the revolution withdrew their support in favour of pro-regime parties and coalitions, said Dawoud.

Dawoud also believes that the party saw problems caused by the circumstances surrounding its founding, as it was centred around the personality of ElBaradei, who Dawoud says would mediate between the various opposing viewpoints within the party.

According to Dawoud, these internal divisions came to a head with the departure of ElBaradei, and the controversy surrounding his resignation as Egypt's vice president also negatively affected the party.

"Personal conflicts and ambitions, competition for prestige, as well as corruption, also played a role in steering the party to its current situation," Dawoud added.

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If you don't plan to vote because you think your vote doesn't count, please consider this: The world needs you to be their proxy.

Polls show that most of the world passionately hopes that Hillary Clinton becomes president. Non-Americans can't vote for her, but you can, on their behalf.

C'mon third-party-protest Millennials, party-over-country Repubs, and holdouts who are on the fence. If you live in a swing state, vote to help make sure that HRC wins. And if you live in a state that's solid red or blue, please vote to make sure the world sees that the popular vote numbers are as big as possible.

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I'm not a political expert, but in the year and a half since Trump glided down the escalator to make his presidential announcement, I've visited more than a dozen countries, going about my business. And wherever I go I've been asked over and over (and over): "What's happening to America? He can't win, right? How can a demagogue become your president?"

Here, a few election-related anecdotes of the hundreds I've observed traveling this past year; small examples of great, global concern, and the reason we need a big win to assure the world it will be okay:

On a four-hour ride in December to see a Monarch butterfly sanctuary near San Miguel de Allende, our driver/guide talked with typical dark humor: "Somebody made lots of money on Trump pinatas," he said. "And Mexicans can't wait to beat them up." And, "If Trump builds that damn wall we'll paint our side with our great history, and then charge Americans to come over and admire it."

In South Korea in February, when the North Koreans were testing their first nuclear missiles, our guide told us that South Koreans appreciated Hillary Clinton's visits there as Secretary of State, and were especially frightened about Trump's confused comments about nuclear weaponry. They were watching CNN and knew the names of all the primary candidates.

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In Tanzania, where the Clinton Foundation has helped eradicate HIV/AIDS, Masai warriors who greeted our group of Americans jumped up and spontaneously chanted "O-ba-ma, Hill-a-ry" as we walked toward them. And when they chanted as we left, most of us joined in.

In Vancouver this summer, Canadians nervously kidded about the election, with lots of talk about renting rooms to make money off the hoards of Americans who would be coming if Trump won.

In Paris, last month the mood was darker. People realized that Trump had a chance of winning. Parisians wanted reassurance. "It couldn't happen in America, could it?" "It won't happen, right."

The world will be watching this Tuesday night just about as closely and as anxiously as Americans will be. Climate change, international financial meltdowns, and the possibilities of nuclear war are only a few of the worries. There is general angst.

I've realized, in this bittersweet way, that America is still considered the beacon of democracy, and we've sustained this precious position for 240 years. So please vote, and bring like-minded friends. Represent those who can't cast a ballot. Don't let the world down.
This election is personal.

Like everyone else, I'm concerned about the economy, climate change, ISIS and national security. But what keeps me up nights most is family security. Specifically, the security of my autistic young adult son.

My son's future is nothing to joke about.

It's clear who will advocate for him. Hillary Clinton's concern for the rights of the disabled has bracketed her entire career. Her first job out of law school was to go door to door for the Children's Defense Fund to find out why so many children were missing school. She discovered that schools weren't accommodating kids with disabilities. The documentation she compiled was pivotal in pushing forward the special education law that eventually became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.), the most important piece of civil rights legislation for children with disabilities ever passed in this country.

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The special needs community desperately needs a champion. Services for disabled adults are abysmal. Children like mine exit the school system into a woefully ill-prepared, bureaucratized and difficult-to-navigate adult social service system charged with meeting their needs. My son graduated three years ago. He now attends a Medicaid-funded day program. He is not employed. I'm terrified for his future. I.D.E.A. guaranteed him an education, but after the age of 21, all the mandated educational supports and services vanish. Once that little yellow school bus stops coming to the front door, it's like falling off a cliff. The system spent 16 years educating him, only to let him languish the next 60 years stuck at home in front of the TV.

He's not alone. More than 3.5 million Americans are now believed to have an autism spectrum disorder; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's estimates ASD affects one in 68 American children. The disability community isn't a special interest group. A recent Rutgers study found that one sixth of the electorate is disabled, and the U.S. Census estimates that nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability. Americans with disabilities continue to be left out of the workforce. For those who are employed, too many are in under-stimulating jobs that don't fully allow them to use their talents.

Clinton has framed this issue not just as one of health care benefits or social services, but as an economic one as well, focusing on full inclusion of disabled people in the economy. She has not only acknowledged the needs of people with disabilities and mental health concerns. She has specific, comprehensive plans and policies to address them. She is committed to fulfilling the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Her Plan to Support Children, Youth, and Adults Living with Autism and their Families highlights the need for increased research funding, universal screening, diagnosis, treatment services, bullying prevention, improved housing and employment opportunities, and safety and legal protections across the lifespan. Her initiatives seek to integrate people with disabilities into the nation's economy. This issue, she says, "really goes to the heart of who we are as Americans."

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Her plan includes provisions to provide tax relief to assist families caring for aging relatives, as well as members with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Disability advocates and scientists hail her comprehensive initiative as the most detailed policy document on autism in U.S. presidential election history.

Disability issues were front and center throughout the Democratic National Convention, which -- symbolically -- took place the same week we commemorated the 26th year anniversary of the passage of the I.D.E.A. Disability rights advocate Anastasia Samoza offered a ringing endorsement of Clinton: "In a country where 56 million Americans with disabilities so often feel invisible, Hillary Clinton sees me."

I know she sees my son too. She has pledged to fully support "a group of Americans who are, too often, invisible, overlooked and undervalued, who have so much to offer but are given too few chances to prove it."

Clinton is pragmatic. She has a record of reaching across the aisle and getting things done. Her plan fully takes into account the needs of our disabled adult population. It has the potential to be as far reaching and life-altering as I.D.E.A. My son deserves that most basic of human rights: a life without fear of abuse, one filled with meaning and purpose.

Liane Kupferberg Carter is the author of Ketchup Is My Favorite Vegetable: A Family Grows Up With Autism.
It has been one year now since the Mormon policy of exclusion, as it has come to be called, or POX. On November 5, 2015, a new policy leaked directing local leaders that same-sex married couples be considered apostates and excommunicated from the Mormon church, and that their children be denied saving ordinances like baptism until they are eighteen and disavow their parents' marriage. There have been other articles written about this anniversary, but this is a chance for me to write personally about the effect I've felt after writing an essay about protesting that went viral enough that I started introducing myself through the title of that article to those in the Mormon blogosphere and they knew me instantly from that.

I've spent a year wearing black to church as I suggested in that article (I admit, I allowed myself gray and some white, as well). I haven't bought any new clothes yet, so it has made my choices for church clothing a lot simpler on Sunday mornings. That black skirt or this one, that black dress or the one with the gray. Do I think anyone has noticed the change? Other than my husband, who is a conservative Mormon, probably not. I've never had someone ask me about the black clothing, though I continue to feel that I am in mourning for a church that I love for many reasons, but feel has made an enormous error here.

I've also worn a rainbow ribbon every Sunday to church since that day (and helped organize the Rainbow Mormon Initiative on Facebook to encourage other Mormons to wear ribbons, as well). The result? I've had a total of two Mormons talk to me about the rainbow ribbon, both a generation younger than me. Not a single older Mormon has asked me about the ribbon. I assume they all know what it means, support of LGBT issues. I've had much more success knitting hats for homeless Mormon LGBT+ youth who have been kicked out of their homes in the wake of the various Mormon attitudes about homosexuality. But the conversation has never gone beyond one simple question and answer. I admit, this has been disheartening to me.

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A recent study shows that despite the negative publicity and resignation events, most rank and file Mormons are not bothered by the policy change. Like my father-in-law, they seem to think that it is "nothing new" and therefore they seem confused by any Mormons who disagree with it. When I've brought up the issue with those I consider close friends in Mormonism, I have less a sense of disgust about LGBT Mormons and more of a sense of shrugging the shoulders and wanting to "sustain the brethren." These devout Mormons tend to say that it is not up to us, the members, to direct the Lord's church. We have to trust the leadership above us to know what God wants, and once God tells us what is right, we simply follow in line. If it is coming from God, there can be no questioning the policies or doctrines of the church.

In the last year, I've found "defending traditional marriage" a topic of Sunday School classes, lessons and Sacrament Meeting talks. For someone who thinks the policy is wrong, I sometimes feel obliged to simply leave the room. I don't feel that I have the right to tell others to go against the policy of the leadership of the church. Sometimes I try to raise my hand and remind people of the message of love and inclusion that some of the Quorum of the Twelve have offered.

In November 2015, I knew that one year wasn't going to make a big difference. I still expect any change to be on a generational scale (twenty years or more). I might wish it were different, but revelation from God within the Mormon church seems to come slowly, and when we as a whole are "ready" to receive it.

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But I admit, I am more tired of fighting this fight than I knew I could be. I am tired of seeing old friends turn on me. I am tired of people feeling they have to choose between showing love to a group of people who are often treated badly and "the Lord's word." I am tired of hearing about LGBT Mormon teen suicides, or of LGBT teens being kicked out of homes or forced out onto the street because of the abusive atmosphere of their homes. I am tired of waiting for what I believe will come, and tired of wondering what justifications will be used once we get there. I am tired of looking for the good all the time in people who say hateful things about those I love and care for. I am tired of defending Mormonism as a religion to my friends outside the church who can't understand why I would stay part of an organization that seems to them to be the very definition of hatred and prejudice.

Most of all, I am tired of trying to explain to Mormons why it is that saying you love LGBT Mormons isn't enough. It's not enough to treat people politely, as Mormons are well-known for doing. It isn't enough to teach your children not to use slurs, not to bully, or not to ostracize friends who have come out. It isn't enough for there to be SGAs at local schools when teens are afraid to join them because of the stigma. It isn't enough to say that God loves everyone, no matter what their "sins" are. It isn't enough to say that we all have to change in order to get to heaven when we are telling LGBT people that their identity will be erased there.

And for those Mormons who tell me that if God asked them to be celibate, they would do so, let me say that telling LGBT Mormons to be celibate isn't the same as asking cis-gender, heterosexual Mormons to be celibate. LGBT Mormons are told that they can never date, never hold hands, never fall innocently in love when they are teens--even if they are as chaste as their heterosexual friends. And worse than that, they can never marry someone they are naturally attracted to. They can never expect to raise a family with their beloved and be sealed in the temple as a sign of their culture approving of their choices. They are being forced to choose between the religion they love and have spent much of their lives devoting time and money to and a future happiness they are told is incompatible with God's commandments.
As we Americans head to the polls on Tuesday to choose our next President we shouldn't forget we are also choosing the next 'Leader of the free world'. The world is watching with bated breath. Americans may be faced with the starkest choice we have ever had. Our Democracy is on the line.

Donald Trump exhorts us to move away from our immigrant heritage and celebration of our diversity. He wants to build a wall to keep Mexicans out and ban Muslims and other immigrants from entering the country. He doesn't understand immigration has grown our economy and we all benefit. He is dividing the nation; playing to the far-right with their goal of moving the country backwards. Back to a time when women were in the kitchen with no power, African American's didn't have equal rights, and the LGBT community was in the closet. This is the world Trump wants to recreate in America.

He calls climate change a hoax and promises to reopen coal mines. Will cancel foreign trade agreements not understanding many American companies count on foreign buyers for their goods. He says he will rebuild manufacturing while he manufactures all his brands in foreign countries and buys foreign steel to build his hotels.

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President Obama in Florida rightly asks "Why would a man who spent seventy years caring about no one but himself suddenly care about you?" Trump grew up wealthy. Was given fourteen million from his father to start a business and went on to cheat every small business person who dealt with him. Trump is crude and crass having no compunction about using words in public that if our children used we would wash out their mouths with soap. He attacks and bullies women, the disabled, even denigrates a gold-star family whose son gave his life for our country. He is supported by the Klu Klux Klan and his alt-right supporters attack Jews and Muslims. Is that the role-model you want for your children? Hard to imagine any parent would want such a person as their President.

Then there is Hillary. Many have said they don't like or trust Hillary. If you are one of them I ask you to think about why you feel this. As to liking her Oprah Winfrey recently said "you don't have to like her to vote for her she isn't coming to your house for coffee". As to trust, think about what you don't trust about her. Is it her private email server? Fact is, that private server will have zero impact on you, your family, your future, or the future of the nation. It has not been shown by anyone Hillary's emails have hurt any person or in any way or harmed the country. Is it Benghazi? Eight Congressional committees, nearly all led by Republicans, have investigated and told you it was not Hillary's fault these men died. The family of Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in Benghazi, has said this was not Hillary's fault. Every other investigation into Hillary over twenty-five years has always ended showing she has done nothing wrong.

Simple research can show you Hillary grew up in a middle class home and her father had a small business. She spent her lifetime working for children and families beginning at the Children's Defense Fund. She understands the Constitution and how government works. Yes today she is wealthy. But her money came later in life from her books and her speaking fees not like Trump's money which came from his father and cheating others. She has fought for women and girls to have the same opportunities as men and boys and equal pay for equal work. Any woman and any parent should want that for themselves and their children. One would think their reaction would be "It's about time".

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Then there is Hillary and the rest of the world. She has real relationships with leaders of the 112 countries she visited as Secretary of State. Many of those were first formed during her time as First Lady and deepened during her eight years in the U.S. Senate. Our allies trust her to keep our commitments to them whether supporting treaties such as NATO on mutual defense or on Climate Control to save our environment. The world's nations rely on the stability of the United States and its leadership to maintain the world's balance of power, economic security, their currencies, and keeping the peace.

For the first time we have a presidential candidate, Donald Trump, willing to threaten all of that and withdraw the United States from its position of strength in the world. A candidate who touts the effectiveness of despots like Putin as examples of how he would govern. He wants a more isolationist America. He is saying to the rest of the world 'you be damned'.

Charles Krauthammer, a rock-rib Conservative Republican columnist, wrote "Trump's liabilities, especially on foreign policy, outweigh hers." He went on to say "At a time of such tectonic instability, even the most experienced head of state requires wisdom and delicacy to maintain equilibrium. Trump has neither. His joining of supreme ignorance to supreme arrogance, combined with a pathological sensitivity to any perceived slight, is a standing invitation to calamitous miscalculation."

When you vote on Tuesday please stop to think about all these things. If you have to, remember what Oprah said, "You don't have to like Hillary to vote for her". You simply have to look at the alternative, remember what he has said, to know he is unacceptable to us, our children and grandchildren, and is frightening to the rest of the world.

You don't want to wake up on Wednesday morning and realize you were in any way responsible for foisting Trump on the world. We just may not survive it.
There's a couple I know who celebrated their wedding anniversary last month and she posted on Facebook about their crazy life together. That was a curious adjective to describe married life, I thought to myself. Crazy? There are, of course, several different meanings of the word "crazy." There's crazy as in senseless, irrational, foolish. Then there's crazy as in being fond of something or someone. And finally, there is crazy as in wild or extreme or fanatical.

So this woman was talking about their crazy life together, and I wondered what kind of crazy she meant, and thought about their lives, which were utterly chaotic and concluded that the only fitting definition was crazy as senseless, irrational, and foolish, with maybe a dash of crazy as wild, extreme, and fanatical. They are the kind of people who love drama, who thrive on tragedy. Every event, no matter how small a matter it was to begin with, gets escalated into this volcanic, boiling cauldron of emotion, which eventually spills over ensnaring, trapping, engulfing others.

Whenever my wife and I talk about them, which is often because they fascinate us, in the same way we're riveted by every car wreck we come upon. When we discuss them, my wife will often say, "Those people need to get over themselves."

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I think countries get like this too, sometimes. Sometimes entire nations get caught up in an issue, emotions escalate, and reason, judgement, and perspective go out the window. We act without thinking and are inclined to believe anything we hear or read, too inclined to accept ungrounded opinion as established fact. In those moments, we become especially vulnerable to those people who whisper in our ears that the economy is nearing collapse, that our leaders are corrupt, our children are failing, our morals worsening, our prospects diminishing.

These same doomsayers often point to a subgroup in our society and say, "And they are the reason for our decline. Those people right there."

During World War I, socialists were the enemy, so that kind-hearted and eloquent Hoosier, Eugene Debs, a champion of working men and women everywhere, was charged with violating the Sedition Act and sent to prison.

In the 1920 and 30's, anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism spread like a pox.

During World War II, 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestrymen, women, little boys and little girlswere forced from their jobs and homes, and placed in prison camps.

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In the 1950's, Senator Joseph McCarthy, with the eager encouragement of millions of Americans, wrongly accused thousands of people of being communists and ruined their lives and livelihoods.



Today, others point to Hispanics and Muslims and blame them for our ills.



During these times, and still today, women and people of color have been kicked to the curb.

At the center of these political insanities were a handful of leaders whose lust for personal power and acclaim was so keen they forsook America's deepest values and urged us to do the same.

We are in the midst of a presidential campaign in which these destructive prejudices have not only been revived, but fueled, because we have permitted ourselves to become energized and engulfed by the irrational passions of some among us, who have lost their sense of balance and perspective, escalating very real but manageable concerns into looming crises, consuming our nation with an overwrought fear of our future. They have gone from whispering to shouting. "America's best days are at an end. The sky is falling. The nation will be ruined if we're not elected..." And on and on. To them I say, "Get over yourselves." We are not actors in a dystopian fantasy. Americans will not be wandering the world homeless and afraid. We need to get a grip and get over ourselves.

Because this drama has happened in the course of a political campaign, many have assumed these are political matters and therefore have no place in the life and conversation of the church. They are mistaken. The well-being of others, especially the well-being of the outcast and marginalized, is the core value of the church. Of course, the church should involve itself in such matters. Of course, the church should express the ideals of the gospel.

"Whatsoever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me," said Jesus of Nazareth. What is that but a cry for social justice? Long before these issues became talking points in a political agenda, they were spiritual concerns, measures of our commitment to the way and life of Jesus.

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This mean we will live with charity, courage, and clear-headedness. We will conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the high calling of Christ. We will not hate, we will not fear, we will not diminish others to elevate ourselves. And we will keep a proper perspective about our situation.

This past week, several of us went to the airport to welcome a Syrian family to America. Our Quaker meeting, Fairfield Friends, is their sponsor and partner as they begin new lives. A father, and mother, and their three little daughters, who fled their home in Aleppo, Syria three years ago, have made their way to America. Their sky did fall. To act as if America is in similar straits is the height of craziness. We need to get over ourselves.

Friends, sometimes in a democracy, the crazy people get the microphone. We need to remember they don't speak for everyone, not even for most.

Sometimes in a democracy, people so magnify their anxieties they lose all sense of perspective. We need to affirm the basic values of wisdom, human decency, and loving kindness.
Warren Beatty, Hollywood legend and famed boulevardier, starred in or directed and wrote the movies Splendor in the Grass, Bonnie and Clyde, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Shampoo, Bulworth, and Reds, to name a few, so now that he has his first film in many years, the long awaited Rules Rules Don't Apply, it is fitting that the Museum of the Moving Image Image honor him. From this great night of speeches and clips this week, an observation beyond Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" was evident: eccentric, beyond the pale, this man is much beloved.

Guests included Elaine May, Jeanne Berlin, Barry Diller, Mandy Patinkin, Lee Grant, Robert Benton, Barry Levinson, James Toback, Oliver Platt, and Michael Barker, some legendary figures themselves; many provided a piece of movie history in their accolades. Matthew Broderick with Sarah Jessica Parker, and Haley Bennett attended too. Paul Sorvino said he makes actors feel free and beautifully guided. The Rules Don't Apply stars Alden Ehrenreich and Lily Collins brought the rapt crowd up to date with Beatty stories, such as how he auditions actors for his films -in long buddy fests of non-stop conversation, mostly his.

Robert Benton talked about how Bonnie and Clyde got made. (Beatty thought Bob Dylan would make a great Clyde Barrow.) Mandy Patinkin talked about Beatty's yearning for family; he and his wife Kathryn Grody met him when his girlfriend was Diane Keaton, and stayed friends when he married Annette Bening. Clips of the iconic films show Beatty, dreamy in his long shag, as George the hairdresser in Shampoo, a philanderer with no apologies, and Beatty is hilariously prescient running up to our election as his Bulworth character, a senator, acts out in full boorish tantrum. Annette Bening, who starred with him in Bugsy, told everyone how she fell in love with him. "I like it," he said of the praise, by the time he took to the stage. Yes, his ego is legendary too, but he's a man who knows he's got "IT."

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It is not hard to see why he's always had the ladies man reputation. Warren Beatty's old school charm is striking in a world that lacks politesse. As a small group gathered to cross Park Avenue heading for The Regency's lobby bar to watch the World Series' exciting end, Beatty stopped short to help a reporter on with her jacket, and then, looking deep into her eyes, fluffed her hair just so, framing her mane over the collar. Yes, at 79, he still has "IT."
In this week's episode of "Scheer Intelligence," Robert Scheer speaks with lawyer and immigrant rights activist Lizbeth Mateo, who self-deported in order to illuminate the plight of immigrants like herself.

Mateo came to the United States with her family at age 14 and attended college and law school. She returned to Mexico for several days in 2013 and was subsequently denied DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), calling into question her ability to live and work in the United States.

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In their conversation, Mateo tells Scheer why she decided to become an activist and self-deport, knowing it was a risky move. She explains why activists call President Obama the "Deporter-in-Chief," and affirms that whatever happens in the presidential election, immigrants will not forget the politicians who remained silent while Donald Trump insulted them.

Adapted from Truthdig.com

Read the interview below:

Robert Scheer: Hi. This is Robert Scheer. Welcome to another edition of Scheer Intelligence where the intelligence comes from my guests and in this case it is LIzbeth Mateo, an immigrant activist, who has had a rich history ever since she came into this country, dealing with immigration laws. She came in at the age of fourteen from Oaxaca, she went to local schools, graduated from Venice High School and actually, spent two years at Santa Monica College, where we are broadcasting from. Very proud alumni. Went on, then to Cal State, Northridge and another great local institution and then went up to Santa Clara College, a Jesuit institution in Silicon Valley and graduated from law school.

All of which would now put her in position for a great career except there is a question about her documentation, which is actually the subject of this podcast. Everybody is now talking about immigration reform or getting rid of immigrants or what have you and there is a lot of hypocrisy around this issue but one of the bright spots, although maybe Lizbeth will disagree with me, is that at least here in the State of California, which has been ahead of the country, I think, on immigration reform as far as licenses. In one bill, Jerry Brown, our Governor, signed, you can actually get credentialed as a lawyer and function.

Why don't we begin with that? On the one hand, you represent the great achievement of the American melting pot. A person who did everything right and yet you could have been eligible for the Dream Act that Obama has proclaimed or seems to support. There is a bit of a mixed record there from Obama on this, which you can discuss, but you have a problem in your record in that you were an activist and one of your activist actions was to self-deport, so why don't we talk about that.

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Lizbeth Mateo: Yes, first of all, thank you so much for inviting me, for having me here. I am essentially what a lot of people call a dreamer. I came to the US at a very young age. I went to high school, college in the area, I graduated from law school and yes, California has been, I think, at the forefront of immigrant rights issues for a long time. We are able to get in-state tuition, pay like everyone else who is a citizen. Also get certain financial aid and more recently, at least for me, the most crucial thing in my career is that I can actually get a license. I can take the Bar, get a license, and practice law.

The issue is, now, I can't work legally in the US. I don't have a work permit because I do qualify, in my opinion, for deferred action for childhood arrivals or DACA, as most people know it, which is a program that President Obama created in 2012.

However, as part of my activism, I left the country in 2013, briefly, with two other young people and we joined a campaign called the Bring Them Home Campaign. We essentially met with other young people in Mexico who had been deported, who had left for family reasons, for other emergencies, who wanted to come home. We came back , the nine of us, we were named the Dream Nine and we presented ourselves at the border and asked the government to allow us to come home, which they did after seventeen days in detention and so, I went on to law school, thinking I am going to remain in this country, I have been allowed to come home and I am going to apply for DACA eventually, which I did, only to receive not one but two notices of intent to deny from the government citing that exit. That is what I am dealing with right now and that is what I am fighting for.

Scheer: So this is a situation that a lot of people fall into. That something has gone array in their papers either because they were really great citizens, like you, activists to try to make the country better or they had some technical difficulty.

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Speaking as a lawyer, what can be done now, not just in your case, where do we stand on the immigration issue? I know the Democrats are saying they are great on it and they are getting a lot of votes based on that. They weren't always great, and the Republicans are being led by a [unintelligible] neo-fascist, Donald Trump, who wants to just blame, when he is not blaming Muslims, he wants to blame immigrants, undocumented immigrants, for all of our problems. Of course, they have nothing to do with it. We are in a weird place where the good people haven't always been so good.

Mateo: Yes, and that is a problem. Especially during this election that has been very negative, where immigrants have been described with some of the most horrible words but I think, at least for me, not so much from the stand point of a law graduate or a future lawyer, but more from the stand point of an immigrant and an organizer, I think that we need to be ready regardless of who becomes President. Even if it is Hilary Clinton. She is saying some great things about immigrants now but she hasn't always been on our side. She was the first one to call for the deportation of minors, refugee children from Central America. She has agreed with the policies of President Obama to deport almost three million people at this point, 2.5 million people, including many of those refugee children, many of who are still in jails across the country at this point.

To me, that is just unacceptable that in this country we put kids in jails, in prisons. I think whoever becomes President, we have to be ready to keep organizing like we have so far and that is part of the reason why I am speaking out on my case and why the government wants to deny me a benefit that, one, I qualify for and two, that I think I have worked very hard for and have, in many ways, earned through my activism, through my work in my personal life and that is the kind of message that I am trying to send to the community at this point.

Scheer: You know, living here in Los Angeles and running into a lot of people, students of my own at USC and elsewhere who have questionable status, they are a little angry with Obama and some of them, my students, have called him the Deporter in Chief.

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Mateo: He is the president who has deported more undocumented immigrants in the history of this country and that is ...

Scheer: More than any other president.

Mateo: Yes, more than any other President. That is in great contrast with what he campaigned around in 2008. A lot of young people, a lot of dreamers, went out and supported his campaign, knocked on doors, encouraged people to vote for him so we felt, in many ways, betrayed by the promises that he was making and felt like DACA, while it was great, it wasn't enough because we were still seeing our parents, our neighbors, our friends getting deported. That is the reason we did this campaign, the Bring Them Home Campaign, to try to reunite some of these young people who had been deported and also work with families to come back home because it was very frustrating to hear people who were in Mexico or other countries saying, "I want to come home. I have kids in the US, my parents are in the US, I am a dreamer, I grew up there since I was two and I hardly speak Spanish and I don't know what I am doing here. I was deported. I want to come home", and that is the reason we did it. We wanted to show the Obama Administration that they can do more. That DACA was great but it is not enough. There is more that we can do and that was the main reason.



Scheer: You knew at the time that you were risking your status or?

Mateo: Yes, I had been in the country, living in the US, for about fifteen years at that point, so I knew that it was going to be risky. I knew that there was a chance that I wasn't going to be able to come back but I was also very inspired and hopeful that my community was going to rally around their cause and what we were trying to do and basically, organize to get us back home. At that point, we had been able to stop a lot of deportations with the help of the community by organizing and we were inspired by that and we wanted to take that to a different level and show our community, more than anything, that when they organize, that when they work together, they can do lots of things that they didn't think they could.

Scheer: I must say, this is a big part of the California story and that has not been recognized nationally enough. The reason California, and one of the consequences that has changed, is that it is a deep blue state and Republicans now are in danger of being a third-party, with undecided about to be a larger group than Republicans. What happened is the Republicans backed proposition 187, which was a Draconian proposition, it wasn't the first one but it was the nastiest one, and it passed and then it was thrown out by the courts but it gave the Democrats an opportunity to show a different way and they did.



The Democratic Party in California broke, was actually the National Democratic Party, broke with this tradition because Democrats, because of narrow-minded labor movement of old, including the farm workers at one point, thought that immigration was threatening, immigrants were threatening to their effort. That changed and in California, as you mentioned the rights that undocumented people have in California, the Democratic Party decided very clearly, to establish a commitment to the human rights of undocumented people.

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I remember looking out of my window, I lived downtown, in Los Angeles and you reminded me, oh it was '06. I looked out of my window, I had no advance notice, I don't know, I read the papers, I follow the news and I suddenly saw the largest demonstration I have ever seen in Los Angeles going right under my window and I go, "What is this thing about?", and they were all streaming towards City Hall, down 1st Street and everything, so I went running out to find out what it was about and it was a demonstration for saner immigration rights but what it represented was a unification of not only the immigrant community, Latino community, but also an ending of this, "Oh, I'm a citizen, I don't care about you" or "I have this status". It ended a certain kind of individualism and development of a sense of community that I think was quite startling. Was that the pivotal moment?



Mateo: I think that it was one of the pivotal moments. I think that 2006 demonstrated to the community that it is possible to work together. That it is possible to unify and to work towards what we want which is to be treated with dignity and respect but I think that after that point, there were several others and I think in 2010, there were some major demonstrations, not at the level with hundreds of thousands of people but 2010 was a year that I think, at least undocumented youth calling 'undocumented aren't afraid', to mean, 'we are not going to be afraid to say we are undocumented, we are not going to be ashamed to say we are undocumented.'

We are going to take pride in that and we are going to push our stories and the stories of our parents to the mainstream so that they know we exist, so they know, and by they I mean the country knows, that we exist, that we are part of this country, that we contribute and that we deserve to be treated as human beings, that we deserve to have some kind of legal protection, that our families deserve to stay together. After 2010, there has been several other demonstrations by undocumented youth, by our parents, in the South also, not just California but in Alabama, for example, parents voluntarily getting arrested to fight against some of the most hateful legislation Alabama. That, to me, has been one of the most inspiring moments of my life so I think there has been several for sure.

Scheer: This is Robert Scheer. I am talking to Lizbeth Mateo, an immigrant activist, a graduate of law school now, and someone who is bucking the system. This is a show on American Originals. Why out of the crazy quilt of our immigrant background and everything else, do we get unique individuals who stand up and stand for something, not just their own personal ambition and in your case, I would consider you an Original American because after all, you are Zapoteca from Oaxaca. I gather indigenous?

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Mateo: Yes.

Scheer: Yes and you even now a pre-Spanish language which is something of a revival among younger people trying to learn indigenous languages, that in some cases were disappearing. You are one of the original Americans and this is just an accident of border that you are not considered or entitled to have a casino or something, if we take that kind of advance as an advance.

Let me ask you about your story. Weren't you in part tempted to do something, that I think we teach too often in our schools, that careerism should trump anything else? That you had a good career before you. Why didn't you sell out? I guess is the answer. Why did you take this additional burden because otherwise, you are on your way to being a very successful lawyer, why did you endanger that?

Mateo: I think I have been able to get as far as I have been able to get because there has been a lot of people who have supported me. Who have helped me, who have believed in me. I whole-heartedly believe in returning that favor and paying it forward. I know that I didn't get where I am, I didn't go to law school just out of my own effort. I had to work really hard. I had to work harder than most of my peers but there were a lot of people who believed in me and those are the people that lifted me, who have put me in the places I wanted to go.

I, honestly, feel like I am part of something bigger than myself and my parents have always been very kind people, very generous and they have taught me to care about other people as well, to care about my community, to care about my environment and not just impressions that I make in people but what I can do to better that environment.

I think that is why I didn't want to just continue my education on my own without being able to, not necessarily inspire, but help other individuals get the same rights that I do enjoy. I think that we are stronger as a community and I will be able to get farther in life if I am not seen as an exception, if I am not seen as ... Because I was told many, many times, "those immigrants, we don't support them, we don't believe they are good for the country but you are different." Growing up in Venice, in the Venice area, Culver City, I had a lot of friends who will say things like that about my parents. People like my parents. "Well, we don't agree with immigrants, I think they should be deported but you are different", and so I think that is also what inspired me to show my community, the rest of the community, the rest of the country, there is no such thing as good or bad immigrants, we all have something to contribute and there is plenty of people in our communities that are doing amazing, amazing work and I wanted to showcase and highlight those stories as well.

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Scheer: This is Scheer Intelligence. My guest is Lizbeth Mateo. We will be right back.

Scheer: We are back with another edition of Scheer Intelligence and my guest is Lizbeth Mateo. Let me ask you, what is the impact of Trump's attack? I mean, it is so vicious, so low level, so evil. I use neo-fascism because after all what was fascism? It was blaming the other Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, blaming the other for the economic problems, the social disarray of your society and suddenly, Trump was doing it. "Wow, we need this wall. These people are rapists, we have to get rid of them", and this is permanent. Is it?

Mateo: I would think so. I think that it is. People won't forget easily. People will not forget. Trump may disappear. Who knows if he is going to win but let's say that he doesn't win. He is going to go back to do whatever he wants to do, he is going to disappear but the Republican Party is going to continue having that image of those who just stood there while allowing Trump to say all kinds of awful things about immigrants, about women, so I think that it is permanent. Our communities will remember.

There is obviously some fear and that is unfortunate. Some people are fearing that Trump is actually going to build a wall or that he is going to actually deport people but I think one thing that we are forgetting is that that is actually happening. There is more militarization at the border, there is less and less people coming from Mexico. There is more people that are leaving the country actually. Leaving the US and going back to Mexico. There has been almost three million deportations under the Democrat, President Obama, so that is happening.

What I think is going to last is that we are not going to forget what Trump said; we are not going to forget what the Republican Party said; and we are not going to forget what the Democrats did or said in response to that. I think that, my hope is that that fear and that anger that we feel right now, being called rapists and criminals and all kinds of awful things, that they will translate into empowerment. They will translate into actually organizing to say, "Okay, Trump said all these things but if Hilary wins, what is she actually going to do? Not even what is she going to say but what is she going to do for us?", because there is a lot of people who cannot vote but who are campaigning for Hilary, who are encouraging their friends and their neighbors in their community to vote for Hilary Clinton. I think that whoever becomes President, especially if Hilary Clinton becomes President, she needs to take the community seriously and she needs to do something to pay back what we have done for her. What our community has done for her.

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Scheer: Even the traditional trade union movement in this country was not welcoming to immigrants from anywhere, whether they were from Ireland or they were from China, because they thought if you increase the pool of workers, they will be exploited more readily and that argument came to be dropped to a large degree. Still, unfortunately, applied and I am wondering if there aren't things that can be done in that respect in terms of, say, okay, let's increase the minimum wage and let's enforce it. To my mind, that is like a no-brainer. Let's have something that approximates a living wage. That means people earning that will not become dependent.

Mateo: No, I agree, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Unfortunately, I think that sometimes employees are the ones that get punished instead of employers who violate the laws. I agree, those laws need to be enforced, there is a need to have a higher wage. California is a very expensive place, LA is a very expensive place to live and the minimum wage that we have is not quite enough for a family, for parents who have children, so I do agree that those laws need to be enforced and I think that when we think of low wage workers, we need to think of them as part of our community because I think that sometimes there is that divide of, "Well, they don't have documents, so they can't really demand higher wages, they can't really demand to be treated, to be protected by the laws that we have", but I think, at least in State of California, it has been made very clear that the laws, especially labor laws, apply to all workers, apply to all people who are part of our working force.

I do agree that those need to be enforced and there needs to be a recognition that immigrants contribute a lot, whether they are working at a restaurant, in a factory, at a school, whatever it is that they are working or even in underground economy, they still contribute, we still pay taxes. We are not able to get a lot of services, a lot of benefits like going to hospitals for example but we can, in this country, the irony is that we can get an ITIN number which is kind of like a social security number and pay taxes. A lot of people that I know, a lot of immigrant families have done that and the reason they have done that is because they have the hope that someday they are going to be able to legalize their status and the way they are going to prove what they have contributed, how long they have been in this country and they have been good citizens is by showing the government all these tax forms, all the taxes they have paid.

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Scheer: The question is, what will be the pressure on the people who, both Republican and Democrats who are running this country after, and clearly for the Democrats and I know you will remind them, Hilary Clinton wouldn't have one those primaries without a big Brown as well as a Black support base, expecting some progressive legislation.

Mateo: I think that the community will certainly remind Hilary Clinton that they have been there for her and she needs to be there for us now. I think that is the reason why I am speaking out on my own case even though it is my application for deferred action that is being tentatively denied by the government, which is very ironic, because not just my work but the work of a lot of people like myself, helped create that program, right? I feel like I am being punished for wanting to create more protections for immigrant families and trying to reunite some of these families that the administration has deported but I think we are going to remind Hilary Clinton that we are not going to allow anyone, just like we have done with Trump, I mean there has been a lot of demonstrations against him, there will be demonstrations and work done to make sure that Democrats don't get to just pay lip service to us, that they actually do something. The things that they promised us. Not just with immigrant community but for workers, women, for the LGBT community because we are all a part of those communities and we care about those issues as well.

Scheer: Let's conclude by giving people a very clear idea of your case. Not because one human being is more important than others, Lizbeth, but sometimes there is a case that galvanizes public attention. It is a way of defining issues and you are a person who has done all the right things that we expect from a contributing citizen or person in our society, right? You are the model so why don't we go through this. What is it precisely, because I think we didn't get it as clearly as we need to, but I just want to be clear on this because I think your case is compelling, that is why I wanted to interview you. Just take us through the ABC's of what happened to you and what your facing now and how people can support you.

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Mateo: People can go to pangealegal.org, that is the website of the non-profit that's representing me with my deferred action application. In 2015, I applied for deferred action for childhood arrival or DACA, which will give me protection from deportation for two years and it will give me a work permit allowing me to use my legal degree, my law school degree. In May, I received the first letter of intent to deny citing my exit and my activism as the reason why the government is intending to deny me this benefit. We replied because they asked us to respond to that letter. We replied with ninety pages of letters to support.

Scheer: Summarize the reply.

Mateo: We replied citing that the reason I left was as part of a campaign, as part of ...

Scheer: You self-deported.

Mateo: I self-deported in 2013. I was absent for thirteen days which is a very brief period of time, I wasn't gone forever. Then when I came back, I came back as part of a campaign to reunite families and that is what we were able to do, and I say we, because it wasn't just me, there were other people who were also involved.

Then, I got another letter of intent to deny in September, citing the same reason for the possible denial. At that point, we decided to respond but also launch a campaign so that is where people can go to pangea.org and find out more about it. We have a petition. We have been able to gather almost three thousand signatures from the community. Over four organizations across the country have signed on to a letter asking the government, the administration, to grant me DACA. Over 250 law professors, many immigration experts and attorneys have signed a letter asking the Obama administration to grant me deferred action so we are launching this campaign, not just to win something for myself, not just to get me a work permit or get me protection under DACA, but to also tell the immigrant community, especially young people that they should not be afraid to continue to organize.

Scheer: Well, and clearly, you are someone with the skill set now that we need. You are a lawyer who graduated from a very prestigious law school, you are bilingual, you know history of your own people back in Mexico and Oaxaca, you can communicate with this very large community that we need to communicate, that needs legal representation, that has dealings with the courts, that needs people, lawyers, who can understand their case and explain it so clearly, you are the model citizen that we should be attracting from all over the world.

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I would recommend that people take your case as a test case, not just because you are a delightful, intelligent person, I agree with you, it can't be just about one person but if this administration, Democrats, which will be continued, presumably, in the White House by another Democrat which has turned down your request so they have campaigned on the idea that they made progress, significant progress, with these executive orders and so forth, from President Obama. If it is Hilary Clinton that comes in, presumably there will be people in the lower levels of the ticket that will also get an edge, maybe they will increase their representation in the House and Senate and if they can't provide justice to someone like yourself, right?

I would remind people, what you did is you self-deported, something the Republicans have actually called for, Donald Trump even mentioned, you did that to help other people not to help yourself. Not because you suddenly wanted a Mexican vacation or even that you had to visit a sick relative, you did this as an act of altruism to help people unite their families. To call attention to their situation. You risked your status going across the border for thirteen days to help others get back in. There should be a statue to you someday. No, really, that is an exemplary behavior, right? It will be a real test, I would suggest people who listen to this should follow it, see what happens here. Whether the new administration, whichever if it is Republican, but particularly if it is Democrat because they have said they have a much better position on this whole issue, deliver.

You will be a very good case. There will be others to see whether they deliver because we can't go on saying, "Oh, we respect immigrant rights", but then well I can be the deported in chief because I am better than the other one. I am the lesser evil. That is not enough. If the lesser evil deports two, three million people, that is a substantial amount of evil in terms of what harm it brings to people so I hope people keep in mind the fate of Lizbeth Mateo. Her case, not just because she is so exemplary but because it will tell you whether any administration that comes into power is really serious about dealing with what is of this country, it's fundamental, most pressing human rights issue, in my view. Thank you for being here.



Mateo: Thank you.

Scheer: This is another edition of "Scheer Intelligence." Our producers are Joshua Scheer and Rebecca Mooney. The engineers at KCRW are Kat Yore and Mario Diaz. See you next week.
Photo Credit: Richard Bluecloud Casteneda | Greenpeace USA

Cross-Posted from DeSmogBlog

One of the few helicopters authorized to fly within the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) zone over Dakota Access pipeline protesters in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, has been identified as belonging to ABC Helicopters. According to its website, this company maintained as a customer the company Enbridge, a Dakota Access, LLC minority equity owner.

That portion of its website was removed after DeSmog contacted ABC Helicopters, which appears to fit under the umbrella of a Minnesota and Wisconsin-based company named Brainerd Helicopters. The TFR, initially set for October 26 through November 5, recently ended early after coming under public criticism.*

The temporary no-fly zone was put into place in response to the alleged use of drones around and arrows attempting to shoot down a law enforcement helicopter operating above the Standing Rock encampments, which are protesting the proposed Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.

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Image Credit: Brainerd Helicopters

Days after the no-fly zone's termination, a videographer published footage taken by drone showing the Dakota Access pipeline being constructed within the area in which the Obama administration had requested a temporary construction halt.

DeSmog obtained the photograph of the ABC Helicoptersowned chopper from photographer Richard Bluecloud Casteneda, who was shooting photos on the ground at Standing Rock on behalf of Greenpeace USA. That helicopter has an identifying number listed as N283BH, which according to the FAA is owned by ABC Helicopters.

The use of TFRs is authorized under FAA Code 91.137, which has a clause allowing for the use of a TFR to "protect persons and property on the surface or in the air from a hazard associated with an incident on the surface."

But was the "hazard" in this case unwanted airborne media scrutiny? And why was a private company allowed into this airspace when no one else was? What is the background on this company?

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We dug for answers to these questions and here's what we found.

Brainerd Helicopters

The registered owner's address for ABC Helicopters matches the home address of Michelle McDermott, who is also the president of Brainerd Helicopters. Until May 20, 2016, the chopper N283BH was registered to Brainerd, according to the website FlightAware.com.

In addition, the plane color for ABC's N283BH matches that of the helicopters advertised on Brainerd's website.

Image Credit: Brainerd Helicopters

On a 2013 version of its website tracked down using internet archives, Brainerd lists "powerline and pipeline patrols" as among the services it provides. The now-removed "customer" section of Brainerd's website also shows a photo taken with employees of the Alliance Pipeline, which carries natural gas obtained via hydraulic fracturing ("fracking").

Brainerd company vice president Jeff McDermott denied comment for this story. Michelle McDermott did not respond to a request for comment on why Brainerd took down the "customer" portion of its website, but did respond to a question about the link between ABC and Brainerd.

"[N283BH] is not operated by ABC Helicopters, LLC and is not currently being operated by Brainerd Helicopter Services, Inc," McDermott told DeSmog. "Any relationship between ABC Helicopters and Brainerd Helicopters Services not otherwise disclosed in the public record is a private business matter between the parties."

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Enbridge, for its part, denied that N283BH was operating on its behalf within the designated FAA TFR zone.

"Enbridge is not yet an owner in the Bakken Pipeline System, which consists of the Dakota Access LLC (DAPL) and Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company LLC (ETCO)," Michael Barnes, Senior Manager for U.S. Corporate Communications & Business Communications for Enbridge, told DeSmog.

"Our planned investment for a minority equity ownership does not include construction or management of the project  that is the responsibility of Energy Transfer. We are working through closing conditions on our investment and monitoring the situation in North Dakota."

Donnell Preskey Hushka, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Association of Counties, said that the Morton County Sheriff's Department served as the law enforcement agency which managed the TFR with assistance from North Dakota Highway Patrol. She also said that every helicopter owned by a private company had a law enforcement official aboard.

"Only aircraft flown for law enforcement use are allowed in the TFR and private companies are being utilized and have a law enforcement officer aboard," said Hushka.

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DeSmog previously reported that an aviation adviser for ExxonMobil served as the point of contact for an FAA temporary no-fly zone put in place during a tar sands pipeline spill which took place in Mayflower, Arkansas, in 2013.

Double M

Double M Helicopters is another company which operated a helicopter within the TFR, according a photo given to DeSmog by John Wathen. Wathen works for Friends of Hurricane Creek, which is part of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and he visited and shot photos at Standing Rock.

That helicopter, N38HH, appears to have someone in it taking photographs of protestors.

Photo Credit: John L. Wathen

Owner Monte Myers describes himself on the Double M website as a "30 Year veteran of the US Army with overseas deployments to Central America and Afghanistan."

Lee Rowland, a Senior Staff Attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, expressed concerns over the implications of this helicopter-based surveillance.

"There's no question that, in addition to the chilling of speech that excessive force and the shutdown of media causes, the persistent surveillance of protestors is of deep concern and improper use of the government's search authority, as well," she said.

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Ferguson Redux?

The FAA also issued a 12-day TFR in 2014 as protests simmered in Ferguson, Missouri, in the aftermath of the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, with those protests serving as the de facto launch of what is now known as the Movement for Black Lives.

The Associated Press (AP) obtained a recording via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of a meeting in which the TFR was decided upon in Ferguson. That recording revealed that the FAA shut down the airspace in Ferguson to avoid media scrutiny of law enforcement's conduct.

In that recording, one FAA official stated that the agency "did not care if you ran commercial traffic through this TFR (temporary flight restriction) all day long. They didn't want media in there."

The circumstances which spawned FAA no-fly zones in Ferguson and Standing Rock show stark parallels.

"Police said at the time, and again as recently as late Friday to the AP, that they requested the flight restriction in response to shots fired at a police helicopter," wrote AP of Ferguson.

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"But police officials confirmed there was no damage to their helicopter and were unable to provide an incident report on the shooting. On the tapes, an FAA manager described the helicopter shooting as unconfirmed 'rumors.'"

Hushka, also the public information officer for the TFR, did not respond to a request for comment on whether an incident report had been generated for the incident spawning the TFR above the Standing Rock camps.

The ACLU's Rowland said she saw parallels between the TFR in the airspace above Ferguson and above Standing Rock.

"What we saw in Ferguson was unfortunately part of a pattern of suppression of speech and excessive force and unfortunately I think there's a lot of evidence that there's a similar pattern at work at the pipeline protests," she said.

"And because the FAA now has a history of being caught on tape implementing a no-fly zone for the specific purpose of censoring media flights, I'm not sure they're entitled to an assumption of good faith that this no-fly zone had been put in place for valid reasons."

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Cross-Posted from DeSmogBlog

Robert Crear, one of the lobbyists working for Dakota Access pipeline co-owners Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics, formerly served as a chief of staff and commanding general for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Army Corps and other federal agencies are currently reviewing the permit granted for the controversial pipeline's construction near the Missouri River and Lake Oahe in North Dakota, and the Army Corps has reserved final authorization to complete construction on Corps land until after formal government-to-government consultations with the tribes are completed later this month.

Before he became a lobbyist, Crear headed up the Army Corps project, "Task Force: Restore Iraqi Oil" during the early years of the U.S. occupation of Iraq under the George W. Bush administration. This finding by DeSmog comes as the law enforcement presence has become increasingly militarized and additional forces pour into North Dakota from states nationwide under the auspices of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

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Thousands of people, including a number of Native American tribes, are protesting this pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's encampments in North Dakota.

This week, President Barack Obama stated that his administration is considering rerouting the current Dakota Access pipeline path permitted by the Army Corps.

Greenpeace USA, though, has called for Obama to revoke the Army Corps permit granted for the pipeline in July.

"The administration seems to be buying time to maintain the status quo and profits for fossil fuel investors," Greenpeace USA spokeswoman Lilian Molina said in a statement. "There is only one option that is truly attentive to the Native lives and lands at stake: respect the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous communities by revoking the permits immediately."

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According to 2016 third quarter lobbying disclosure forms, Crear lobbied his former employer  the Army Corps  on behalf of both Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco on compliance and permitting issues.

Restore Iraqi Oil Program

The Army Corps' Restore Iraqi Oil (RIO) program, spearheaded under Crear's leadership, got off the ground shortly after the initial "Shock and Awe" bombardment of Iraq by the U.S. military and was a key part of what military planners called the reconstruction phase of the U.S. occupation of the country. As its namesake implies, RIO existed to help reinvigorate Iraq's oil market and boost production.

In the book Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, then-Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen wrote about what became known as RIO.

"Avoiding the perception that the U.S. would annex Iraqs oil wealth for its own purposes was a crucial goal," Bowen wrote of RIO. "Decisions about Iraqs oil wealth were not to be seen as made by the U.S. alone."

Perception was one thing; reality, another.

Then-Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) ended up as a major beneficiary of RIO, landing a lucrative contract worth $2.5 billion to rebuild Iraq's oil infrastructure from the Army Corps on March 8, 2003, 12 days before the official invasion of Iraq by the U.S. military. Just a few years prior, then-Vice President Dick Cheney had left his perch as CEO of Halliburton to work in the executive branch, which critics noticed and called out with fury.

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"[T]he no-bid nature of the contract became such a contentious issue with Congress that it catapulted KBR into the critical limelight and began the process of exposing the company's rampant fraud, abuse and corruption," wrote the watchdog website Halliburton Watch. "Congress asserted the RIO contract was awarded without competition because Dick Cheney is the former CEO of KBR's parent, Halliburton."

Time Magazine reported in May 2004 that it had obtained an email from a senior Army Corps official dated March 5, 2003, three days before KBR landed the Army Corps contract, which stated that "'action' on the [KBR] contract was 'coordinated' with Cheney's office."

The collusion between KBR, the Army Corps, and the White House for RIO inspired Bunny Greenhouse, then-Chief Procurement Officer for the Army Corps, to become a whistleblower, and she was demoted for doing so. Greenhouse, in stark terms, made known her take on this state of affairs.

"I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career," said Greenhouse as she testified before Congress in 2005.

Uncertain Future

Lydia Lafleur, a business professor at Louisiana State University and the corporate registered agent for AUX Initiatives, did not respond to a request for comment on whether Crear's lobbying of the Army Corps was done specifically on behalf of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Crear also did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

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To date, the progressive cell phone company Credo Mobile has gathered over 373,000 signatures for a petition calling on the Obama administration to reject Dakota Access.
Voting doesn't mean much in Kazakhstan. Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Republican Party nominee Donald Trump has consistently claimed the U.S. election will be rigged. Trump has said he will accept the outcome of the vote on Nov. 8 if he wins. But he has not confirmed whether he will accept a Hillary Clinton victory as valid.

Experts agree that it is almost impossible to rig a U.S. election due to the complex, distributed electoral system and the sheer number of people involved in overseeing it.

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But that's not the case everywhere. In many parts of the world, ballot boxes are routinely stuffed, opposition parties silenced and voters intimidated.

The Conversation asked scholars from countries where electoral fraud has happened, from Kazakhstan to Mexico, to explain what a rigged election really looks like.

The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a long way from the center of the global politics. It is largely known for British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakhstani alter ego, Borat as well as the vast amounts of oil it produces, or perhaps its nuclear weapons withdrawal in the 1990s.

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But there is a connection between the Republican nominee and the Central Asian oil state: the Financial Times has published an investigation into links between ex-officials of Kazakhstan and the building of Trump Tower.

Kazakhstan does hold elections: to local authorities, to the lower chamber, to the parliament and to the presidency. In theory, we are not an absolute kingdom or khanate. At least not yet.

Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

But the elections that take place are often rigged. Elections are held not to provide the people with representatives but to create a facade of democracy for the West. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe regularly observes elections in Kazakhstan, and its reports are damning. In their assessment of the 2015 presidential election, observers stated:

Serious procedural deficiencies and irregularities were observed throughout the voting, counting and tabulation processes, including indications of ballot box stuffing.

As a result, the ruling party, Nur Otan, won 81 percent of the parliamentary vote in 2016, and President Nursultan Nazarbayev won with 97.7 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential election.

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The current president doesn't participate in TV debates. The constitution, meanwhile, conveniently states that presidents can only serve two terms -- except the first president. Nazarbayev has been in power since 1989, and was elected the country's first president following Kazakh independence in 1991.

In addition to fraud on election day, parliaments are often dissolved or declare voluntary dissolution.

There is no doubt that the people of Kazakhstan have lost trust in the electoral system. But still we have hopes for honest elections in the future.

Gabon

A self-fulfilling prophecy, Gabon's presidential election on 27 August 2016 resulted in chaos. After the proclamation of the victory of incumbent president Ali Bongo with 49.8 percent of the vote, over his rival, Jean Ping, who had 48.2 percent, the country descended into serious riots.

The National Assembly was partially burned, shops were looted, barricades were set up. Throughout the country, 1,000 people were arrested; the headquarters of Jean Ping were attacked by security forces and three people were killed in the capital, Libreville.

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Reuters

This violence was a reaction to the insurmountable paradox of the Gabonese state. It showed how fed up Gabonese people had become, having been confronted yet again by routine systemic fraud, which is understood locally as "electoral adjustment." This is at its worst in the region of Haut-Ogouue, Bongo's family's stronghold, where turn-out was a suspicious 99.9 percent.

The riots have highlighted the lack of transparency in the electoral process and the widespread hatred for Bongo.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, general elections have been rigged since the 1970s, through gerrymandering and malapportionment, to keep the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), in power. This is mainly done by the Electoral Commission, the body established to conduct the elections. The BN has not lost an election since independence.

In the most recent general election, in 2013, the opposition won the popular vote with 52 percent vs. the BN's 47 percent. But under the first-past-the-post system, this mean the opposition only held 40 percent of the seats in the Malaysian parliament and the BN was returned to power.

Several academic studies confirmed what is widely known: without the gerrymandering, the opposition would have won government with a clear parliamentary, as well as popular, majority.

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After the result, the opposition organised mass rallies around the country, hoping to build a "people power" movement to push out the government. In the first few weeks, thousands turned out for the rallies. But after three months, people were no longer interested in the rallies when it was clear the BN was unwilling to give up power.

Another significant factor was a lack of support from rural people. Most of the demonstrators were from the young, urban population. The biggest factor in voter apathy towards the rigged results was, simply, apathy and indifference. The BN's long history, more than half of century, of rigging elections was now considered commonplace. In other words, the governing party's cheating was considered "normal."

Samsul Said/Reuters

Looking ahead, it will take a new generation of Malaysians to demand a fairer electoral system. Whether this will happen remains uncertain given the political culture. The rise of political Islam has added a complication -- many Muslims who are disheartened by the present system are willing to consider an Islamic system to replace the current system.

Mexico

Electoral fraud has not been a problem in Mexico for many years. But that was not always the case.

Mexico's 1988 presidential election is widely seen as fraudulent -- both in terms of how the then-hegemonic party, the Party of the Institutional Revolution (PRI) outspent its two main competitors and in how the votes were counted and the results reported.

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Politicians from the PRI had won every senate, gubernatorial, and of course, presidential race since its founding in 1929, many of these with huge margins. But due to a severe economic crisis and painful economic restructuring in the decade of the 1980s, Mexican voters were angry at what they deemed a corrupt and inefficient system.

On the night of the 1988 elections, the district results began to flow in from district counting centres to the Federal Electoral Commission, then a non-autonomous federal agency whose head was the Minister of Governance, a position appointed by the president.

These first set of results did not favour the PRI's presidential candidate, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, so the Secretary of Governance apparently made a decision to halt the reception of the results and reported that the FEC's computer had gone down ("se cayo el sistema"), rendering it impossible to continue giving preliminary vote counts.

When the computer came back online several hours later, the PRI's candidate was declared the victor with a majority of votes (50.36 percent versus 31.12 percent for the candidate of the left coalition and 17.07 percent for the center-right opponent).

Reuters

Under Mexican electoral law at that time, the newly elected legislature had the right to determine whether the presidential elections were binding, and since the PRI won the majority in the House, Salinas was declared the victor. When opposition deputies claimed fraud and demanded that the presidential votes be recounted, the PRI majority (with many members of the center-right opposition party acceding) ordered the ballots to be burned, so it impossible to know who won the presidential election of 1988.

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The 25-30 bloc is also attempting to rally other MPs to support its call for the sacking of the cabinet

The 25-30 bloc, a small left-leaning coalition in Egypt's parliament, have called for a meeting with other MPs on Sunday to demand the rescinding of what it described as "disastrous" economic measures taken by the government on Thursday as well as the sacking of the cabinet.

Last week, Egypt floated its pound in a bid to stabilize an economy weakened by a dollar shortage, and later announced cuts in oil subsidies, increasing fuel prices by 30-47 percent.

The 25-30 bloc, which is named after the two revolutions of 25 January 2011 and 30 June 2013, called for an emergency session of the legislature to be held on Monday to discuss the 3 November decisions and hold the cabinet accountable to the people's representatives.

On Friday, The bloc said the recent measures "lacked vision and sufficient study" and would further burden the Egyptian people.

It said the Monday session should take a series of steps to address current economic conditions and allow MPs to draw "alternative economic policies."

Meanwhile, the Egyptian parliament's majority bloc Support Egypt announced on Saturday that it fully supports the government's new International Monetary Fund (IMF)-inspired economic reforms.

Egypt has struggled to draw dollars and revive the economy since the 2011 uprising, which was followed by a drop in tourism and foreign investors, two major sources of foreign currency.

The recent measures, welcomed by Washington and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), could lead to steep price hikes on many goods and services.

Egypt is awaiting a final approval on a $12 loan package from the IMF. The government has repeatedly said the recent reforms were not pushed by the IMF in return for the loan.

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Notes from Indian Country

By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji - Stands Up For Them)

Al Jazeera, an Arabic news network, is based in Doha, Qatar in the Middle East.

It began with the good intentions of providing a news and television network to cover issues often disregarded by the American national media. It's Al Jazeera America network recently closed its doors because we suppose that most Americans were not interested in the news it was providing. But more than likely it closed because it failed to provide its prospective viewers with sites that were easily accessible.

The network did make an effort to cover Native American news, but soon discovered something Native Americans have known for a hundred or more years: Most Americans just are not interested in news about Native Americans. I found that out when I started writing for the Huffingtonpost.

Al Jazeera's most recent sojourn into covering Indian country was at best pathetic. I am reminded of the white reporters who come out to the Pine Ridge Reservation with an eye on writing the epic Indian story and in the end resort to covering ground that has been plowed a hundred times over. They are the typical reporters who come to Pine Ridge wearing blinders with the intent of only seeing and hearing horrific stories and they are able to find sources that are more than willing to show them only the dark side of things thus complying with the very reason they came out here in the first place.

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Whiteclay, Nebraska, the town where the liquor stores sell a billion cans of beer every year to the poor Indians of Pine Ridge is always a prominent part of any outsider news story. One Pine Ridge alcoholism counselor said, "No one put a gun to the heads of those people heading for Whiteclay said 'go buy some beer or I'll shoot you.'" He said they went there of their own free will.

And that is a point my newspapers have been driving for more than 30 years. The problems with alcohol begin on our side of the border, not in Whiteclay. We have written over and over that the Pine Ridge Reservation needs a first class drug and alcohol treatment center. When I was in school at the Holy Rosary Indian Mission (now Red Cloud Indian School) way back when, one month we had an art contest to come up with a drawing to go with the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And that is what it will take to even begin to solve the horrendous problems of alcohol and drug abuse on the Pine Ridge Reservation. With the right leadership they are preventable and curable.

We need the federal government to take some of the billions of dollars it spends on foreign-aid and bring some of the money back home to help its own indigenous people. Eighty percent of the problems of abuse of all kinds began with the badly planned experiments practiced and carried out upon the innocent Indian children in the name of assimilation and acculturation.

While Al Jazeera was interviewing people about how bad their lives are they also could have found many more who thought their lives were pretty good. Why didn't they visit Oglala Lakota College and the campuses it provides in all nine districts of the reservation? Why didn't they interview people like the college president Tom Shortbull? Would it have taken away from their intent on doom and gloom?

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The author, Patrick Strickland, said that President John Yellowbird Steele did not respond when he tried to reach him. Well guess what Mr. Strickland, Steele has seen a hundred reporters just like you come and go over the six terms he has served as President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and he knows full well the methods of your reporting and the negative turn your story will take after it is published. A good example of very, very bad reporting was that done by Sam Vargo of the Daily Kos. He violated every decent rule of acceptable journalism in an article he wrote about me. He did the entire bundle of tripe without ever speaking to me and by taking the perverted words of a chronic liar named James Swan. This was a classic example of reporting at its worst.

Kevin Wooster, one of South Dakota's most respected journalists, came into my newspaper office many years ago at Pine Ridge and began his conversation with, "Pardon my ignorance but . . . . . . . . . " My response was, "No, I will not pardon your ignorance. If want to come here and do stories on the people of Pine Ridge, you'd better damned well do your research beforehand." Wooster learned a valuable lesson that day and when he lectures a journalism class even to this day, he points out this lesson he learned when he was just a cub reporter.

And this is the same advice I would have given Mr. Strickland if he had come to me. Any good reporter can travel to any city be it Philadelphia, New Orleans or Los Angeles and find the depth of depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse and the poverty that seems to be systemic in many portions of this country. But in every one of those communities there are also good people doing good things to advance their people and to bring about positive change. They can be found in the elementary and high schools and in the community colleges, and yes, even in the tribal government. One just has to do a little research.

Nick Tilsen is trying to build a model community near Porcupine and has some pretty great ideas about what he would like to see in the future for Pine Ridge. Why were his and the efforts of so many other good people not a part of the horrific story on Pine Ridge?

As a child I lived at Kyle and I lived at Wounded Knee and those were some of the happiest years of my life. When Strickland writes about the lawn of one of the people he interviews , to him it is not just a lawn, it is a "desolate lawn." If that is how one sees the Pine Ridge Reservation that is how one will write about it.

There is an old story about a man traveling to a town where he might want to build a home. He asks a man he meets at the edge of the town, "What kind of town is this?" The man responds, "What kind of town do you come from?" The traveler says, "The town I come from is terrible; it is dirty and filled with drunks and crime." The man responds, "Well, you will find that this is the same kind of town."

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It boils down to what it is you want to find in a story you are about to write and when you come to do a story on Pine Ridge with pre-conceived ideas, that is the way you will write the story. The next time you come, also look for the good.
Local officials discussed, rejected law enforcement consolidation in past

Voters are being asked to consider a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot that would enshrine the election of sheriffs into constitution .
Egypt's Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi El-Agati said on Sunday that it is quite impossible for the government to backtrack on the controversial economic decisions announced last week, which include liberalising the exchange rate and lifting fuel subsidies.

El-Agati also said in his statement before parliament's energy and environment committee that new measures will be taken in the coming few days to minimise the negative effects of the reforms on the poor.

These decisions are final, and no one should think that prices would go down if the government chooses to backtrack on them, said El-Agati.

Egypt reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in mid-August on a $12 billion fund facility over three years, which is currently awaiting approval by the fund's executive board.

The IMF has endorsed Egypt's fiscal reform programme, which the government embarked on in 2014 in an attempt to curb the growing state budget deficit, estimated at 11.5 percent of GDP in 2015/16.

The programme has included cutting subsidies and the introduction of new taxes, such as the newly ratified value-added tax.

On Thursday, the IMF welcomed Egypt's central bank decision to float the country's pound, saying that it would boost competitiveness and attract foreign investment.

El-Agati did, however, apologise that the new IMF-inspired economic measures came as a surprise to parliament.

We did not inform parliament in advance of these measures  especially cutting down fuel subsidies  in order to safeguard citizens against any monopolistic practices on the market, said El-Agati.

All I can say is that the government and provincial governors are currently coordinating to help citizens absorb the shock of new economic measures, said El-Agati.

El-Agati urged MPs to support the government in its new economic policy aimed at fighting monopolies and cutting down subsidies.

The current government decided to bear the responsibility of issuing difficult economic decisions, and you should help it because we are all in one boat, said El-Agati, adding, does anyone imagine that Egypt can live without reforms?

We could be a nice government that will issue decisions that every citizen will like, but this will only lead us in a dangerous direction, and this is why the current government chose to go the way of painful reforms, El-Agati said.

He also stressed that up to 70 million Egyptians hold ration cards.

I think no government in the world can afford the costs of these cards, especially since many use them to get access to subsidies that they do not deserve. The government insists that the subsidy system should be completely revised so that those who only deserve subsidies get them," he stated.

Responding to questions by MPs, El-Agati said the policy statement delivered by the prime minister before parliament last March showed in detail the governments intention to cut down fuel, electricity and water subsidies.

This statement gained the approval of the majority of MPs, so I insist that the new economic decisions were not a surprise, said El-Agati. We just refrained from informing you of when they would be implemented, said El-Agati.

MPs insisted, however, that they were both surprised and shocked by last weeks "harsh economic decisions."

These decisions left us a prey to insults from our constituents on Facebook, said MP Abdel-Sallam El-Khadrawi, adding that citizens have said that it is a big shame that MPs were the last to know about these decisions.

MPs also said that since the government insists that it will go a long way in implementing the IMF-inspired measures, it should inform them as soon as possible of its policies aimed at protecting the poor.

You should consult with us rather than export problems and crises to us, said MP Sayed Hegazi.

Leftist MP Diaaeddin Dawoud accused the government of doing everything possible to satisfy the IMF and anger MPs.

We want to help you, but you do not want to help us by informing us of your decisions in advance, said Dawoud.

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The e-Governance Academy of Estonia and the presidency of Cyprus have signed a cooperation agreement to develop an electronic identity concept and implement a digital signature solution in Cyprus.

Experts from the e-Governance Academy will advise the Cypriot government about the electronic identity and describe the technical solution.

We have a full scope of experience to support Cyprus in enabling secured electronic identification based on the public key infrastructure and finding the suitable partners. Its all about the perspective of the EU digital single market, Sandra Roosna, a project manager at the academy, said.

Roosna added that Cyprus wanted to implement the digital signature, which has helped Estonian citizens and businesses save a lot of time and money since the implementation.

The fresh cooperation is based on the memorandum of understanding, signed in January 2016 between the governments of Estonia and Cyprus.

The Estonian e-Governance Academy is an independent, non-governmental think tank and consultancy organisation, founded for the creation and transfer of knowledge and best practice concerning e-governance, e-democracy, national cyber security and the development of open information societies.

The organisation has so far trained over 3,000 officials from more than 50 countries and led or participated in more than 60 international information technology projects on the national, local and organisational levels.

Source: http://estonianworld.com/technology/cyprus-implement-estonian-model-electronic-identity/
The municipality of Zapopan, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, will be venue to the International Forum for the Governance of Internet, on December 6 thru 9, announced its organizers.

In the event, representatives of several countries will dialogue on issues referring to public policies of Internet worldwide.



Mexico will participate in this forum, summoned in 2005 by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization (UNO) and whose objective is to be a space where actors of the global community of Internet debate on the issue.



Delegates will exchange annual information and bedst practices on the worldwide web to manage the risks and challenges it implies, expressed organizers of the IGF (acronym in English) 2016.



The IGF informs and inspires those with power to boost policies, both in the public as in the private sector, clarified organizers of the international event according to local media.



Renewed the mandate of the IGF by the UN General Assembly in December, 2015, the forum consolidates as a platform to group persons of several discussion groups on policies relating to Internet.



The participation of all interested parties, both of developed and developing countries, it is necessary for the future advances of Internet, they highlighted.



This forum will take place in the Palace of Culture and Communication of Zapopan.

Source: http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=5377&SEO=mexico-will-host-internet-governance-forum
Georgian and international experts are working together to develop an e-Georgia Development Strategy and turn Georgia into an IT-based governance state.

We are actively working on the e-Georgia Development Strategy. This document is a guideline based on international and local experiences and best standards in practice, said chairman of Georgias Data Exchange Agency (DEA) Irakli Gvenetadze.

The Strategy unites all state institutions and identifies the necessary activities, the implementation of which can turn Georgia into a sustainable e-Governance model state, he added.

The new e-Georgia would improve access to e-services for businesses and citizens, strengthen transparent and open governance, and define the role of information technologies in administration reform.

For this purpose the European Union (EU)-funded 'Twinning workshop' was held this week in capital Tbilisi, where EU experts and representatives from the Georgian Government discussed the countrys e-Government Development Strategy for the next two years.

The event was part of the Support to Strengthening of e-Governance in Georgia II project.

International experts from Great Britain, Austria, Estonia and Denmark presented their recommendations for the document.

The final version of this document is to be approved by the Government of Georgia.

The EU Twinning project Support to Strengthening of e-Governance in Georgia II is a two year project aimed at assisting implementation of Georgia's E-Government Strategy with a total budget of 1.3 million.

Electronic governance or e-governance is the application of information and communication technology for delivering government services as well as back office processes and interactions within the entire government framework. Through e-governance, government services will be made available to citizens in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner.

Source: http://agenda.ge/news/69400/eng
The Fall Breakfast featured a discussion about the school's program by two faculty members and moderated by two students. BArT students Tessa Langsdale, left, and Shanique Maloney, both of Pittsfield, emcee Friday's breakfast. BArT faculty members Karin Stack, left, and J.P. Henkel talk at Friday's breakfast BArT Executive Director Julia Bowen speaks at Friday's event. PreviousNext

BArT Blows Its Own Horn at Breakfast

ADAMS, Mass.  Four days before Massachusetts voters decide whether to raise the commonwealth's cap on charter schools, the director of Berkshire County's lone charter school Friday made the case for continued support of the junior-senior high school.

Julia Bowen told a crowd at the school's annual Fall Breakfast that the politicking around Question 2 on Tuesday's ballot has included repetition of misconceptions about charter schools that do not apply to the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School.

One thing that particularly stuck in her craw: the charge from Question 2 opponents that charter schools, unlike traditional public schools, enjoy the luxury of being able to pick and choose their students.

"One of the concerns that has been raised about charter schools is that we're selective in our population or that we 'kick students out,' " Bowen said. "I wanted to point out that we're actually doing the absolute opposite of that.

"We have an enrollment policy that is open to anybody. And we also provide services to allow every student to succeed."

Bowen backed up her claim with a slides that used data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to show that BArT's student population is as diverse or more diverse than its "sending" districts -- primarily North County school districts and Pittsfield.

BArT has a higher percentage of its student population in the "high needs" category as defined by DESE than do the North County public school districts. And, at just more than 50 percent of the BArT student population, the high needs cohort is comparable to the percentage in the the Pittsfield Public Schools district.

Meanwhile, BArT continues its practice of not graduating any senior who has not been accepted to at least one college.

To foster an interest in colleges, BArT has a practice of taking its sophomore class to New York City, where it visits campuses like Columbia and Bard College and its junior class to Boston to get an understanding of different types of colleges or universities they may want to consider.

"Importantly, we do this for all of our students," Bowen said. "It's not just for a select few who think they might want to go to college."

Another measure of BArT's success: its performance on standardized tests. Bowen told attendees at the breakfast that on the 2016 10th-grade MCAS tests, BArT scored higher than all but one county school on English and it scored higher than every other district in math and science.

"We feel especially proud that we have this incredibly diverse student body that is on par with our sending districts, which are more diverse than all the other districts in Berkshire County, and our students are outperforming them," Bowen said. "I feel like we're in good company. There's some really good work going on at schools across Berkshire County. And I would say  local districts don't need saving' from charter schools. They are doing great work with students as well."

The Fall Breakfast featured a discussion about the school's program by two faculty members and moderated by two students.

The quartet talked about the interrelationship of arts and technology and how BArT is developing a "STEAM"-driven curriculum that incorporates the arts as the "A" in the better known science, technology, engineering and math framework.

"Educators and neurobiologists know that adolescence is the time of life  that is the last chance to develop a really powerful brain," BArT technology director J.P. Henkel said. "So what we try to do for our students is allow them to explore the development of that brain in as many different ways as possible because you never know when you're going to need that art portion of your brain or the music portion. Ideally, students will learn to merge together science and technology and engineering and art and math and music and drama.

"All of these things work together to make a successful adult."

Student Shanique Maloney of Pittsfield, who said she wants to go back to her native Grenada to study at the medical school, told the audience that BArT's drama program played a key role in helping prepare her for adulthood.

"When I started to get into theater, when I came to this country at 9, I was a very introverted person," Maloney said. "I didn't really like to talk to people. I still don't like to talk to people.  I'll talk to you.

"Then I started getting into drama, and when I came to BArT, the theater program helped me go into more depth with character development and accents and all this great stuff that theater is great for. And it's helped me to become a more confident person and allowed me to be up here talking with you right now."

Bowen, who announced last month that she will be stepping down as the only executive director in BArT's history, said that the school's success is testimony to, among other things, the support of local officials like North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and Adams Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco, who both attended Friday's event.

She also had a request for all of the attendees.

"We can only achieve everything that I've just described if we have the support of local leaders like all of you -- and the time, advice and financial support of so many of you," she said. "My first ask' is that you please make sure you spread the right facts about charter schools or send people to us to learn.

"While I personally hope the ballot question will pass on Tuesday, my bigger hope is that on Wednesday, we have strong relationships with our local schools and our local community and we are still well understood as a school. There has been a lot of misinformation and confusion. My hope is that some of you are now more educated to talk in the community about who and what we are."




iciHaiti - Social : Pascale Theard recipient of Trophy Women 3000





Friday, in the halls of the Senate in the Luxembourg Palace (Paris), the Haitian designer Pascale Theard, in the presence of French parliamentarians and many personalities, has been awarded of the Trophy Women 3000, which recognize the exemplary women personalities of the Francophone world in order to enhance their visibility in public, economic and social life.



The Embassy of France in Haiti address its warm congratulations to this brilliant promoter of creativity and expertise of artists and Haitian artisans.



All about Pascale Theard : https://www.pascaletheardcreations.com/biography.html?lang=en



IH/ iciHaiti


















Turkey's pro-Kurdish party announced Sunday that it will halt its legislative activities in Parliament following the arrests of nine of its lawmakers, a move the prime minister called a mistake.

Peoples' Democratic Party spokesman Ayhan Bilgen said at a news conference in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir that the party will stop participating in parliamentary commissions and the parliamentary assembly.

Bilgen later told The Associated Press that the party does not plan to withdraw from Parliament. Pulling out of Parliament is a decision that only can "be made in consultation with the people," he said.

The party, known as the HDP, therefore plans to gauge public opinion following "the most extensive and darkest attack in our democratic political history," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on the HDP in a televised speech from the northeastern city of Bayburt to "return from this mistake before it's too late."

HDP lawmakers would be disrespecting the voters who elected them if they do not represent them in Parliament, Yildirim said.

"Come to the Parliament and say whatever you want, but no politician can be a shield to terror by abusing their position," the prime minister said.

HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were arrested Friday on terrorism-related charges, along with seven other lawmakers. The HDP entered Parliament last year as the nation's third-largest party with 59 lawmakers.

Turkey's government accuses the HDP of being the political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, which has waged a three-decades-long insurgency against the state. The party rejects the accusation.

In May, Turkey's Parliament voted to strip lawmakers of legal immunity, paving the way for last week's arrests. Hundreds of charges were filed against HDP lawmakers following the new measure and the party decided not to voluntarily appear in court to testify.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at European countries that have condemned the arrests as undermining democracy. He blamed Europe for supporting and arming the PKK.

Erdogan said security forces have captured thousands of weapons from the PKK with Western origins, among them heavy weapons.

"They say they gave the weapons to Iraqi coalition forces and that they (PKK) must have gotten them from there," Erdogan said without specifying the countries to which he was referring. "Who are you kidding? You are giving these directly to them."

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The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks that killed at least 20 north of Baghdad.

The spokesman for Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamdani, says the deadliest was in Samarra where a suicide bomber blew himself up among Shia pilgrims after detonating a parked car bomb, killing 11 and wounding up to 100.

Iranian pilgrims were among the casualties.

The city, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, is home to a revered Shia shrine.

Al-Hamdani added that another suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a check point outside the Salahuddin provincial capital, Tikrit, killing at least nine people and wounding 25.

The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the IS claim, but it was posted on a militant website commonly used by the extremists.

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Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), Hondas automobile business unit in the Philippines, recently concluded the Honda SUV Test Drive in Tagaytay with its entire lineup of high-performance SUVsthe HR-V, the CR-V, the Pilot, and, finally, the All-New BR-V.

Amid the breathtaking view of Tagaytay Highlands, HCPI put its four SUVs to the test by allowing media participants to drive the vehicles through on-road, off-road, and customized tracks that simulate various road conditions. All four SUVs were driven on uphill and downhill runs through straight and winding roads to test their power, handling, and safety features.

Every part of the road course truly allowed the participants to experience every vehicles dynamic driving performance, powerful engine, and effortless handling. The uphill and downhill drives demonstrated the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Hill Start Assist (HSA) capabilities of all four SUVs that prevented the vehicles from skidding sideways during cornering, and rolling back on inclines.

The HR-V 1.8 EL CVT proved its drivability and handling at every turn, conquering every curve and slope of Tagaytay Highlands, while providing comfort and space for its occupants. Its 1.8-liter powertrain portrayed powerful driving performance, producing a maximum power output of 141 ps at 6500 rpm and 172 NM of torque at 4300 rpm. This engine is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) developed under Hondas Earth Dreams Technology for optimal fuel efficiency.

Meanwhile, Hondas All-Wheel Drive (AWD) SUVs, the CR-V and the Pilot, were driven over rough roads with varying steepness levels to assess their performance and safety features. Hondas SUV line-up provided utmost driver and passenger comfort in different road conditions as the participants traversed steep light mud trails and dirt hills with ease.

The CR-V 2.4 SX AWD proved capable of delivering maximum power output of 185 ps at 7,000 rpm. The CR-V allowed the media participants to experience comfort and safety in different driving conditions, which were further demonstrated through its Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), VSA, and HSA.

The All-New Pilot 3.5 EX-L AWD showcased confident driving performance with its 3.5-liter Direct Injection i-VTEC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) and 6-speed Automatic Transmission that delivers maximum power output of 284 ps. The All-New Pilot also features a new Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4), an All Wheel Drive system with torque-vectoring function that provides torque across the rear axle to aid cornering. This helps deliver more dynamic handling that provides effortless, efficient, and dynamic all-weather performance. This function is paired with the New Intelligent Traction Management system that offers four different All Wheel Drive modes (normal, snow, mud, and sand).

The highlight of the test drive was the recently launched All-New BR-V, Hondas newest and the first-of-its kind 7-seater SUV in the country. The participants drove the All-New BR-V 1.5 V Navi CVT on extensive laps across Tagaytay Highlands. In terms of looks, the All-New BR-V 1.5 V Navi CVT held its own beside the rest of the Honda SUV lineup with its solid frame and masculine body. In terms of performance, the All-New BR-V equally impressed with its 1.5-liter engine mated with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). It powerfully drove steep uphill climbs carrying a full load,and effectively engaged the twists and turns of Tagaytay Highlands. The All-New BR-V proves to be a capable 7-seater SUV designed for long-distance adventures and cargo-hauling trips with the family.

HCPI is now accepting reservations for the All-New BR-V in all thirty-four (34) Honda dealerships nationwide. Customer delivery will begin this December 2016.

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Kaspersky Lab has announced a new partnership with TUV Rheinland to enhance the cyber resilience of the transportation industry, particularly in the field of railway cybersecurity. Under the framework cooperation agreement, Kaspersky Lab will contribute security assessment, intelligence reporting and penetration testing services to the wide range of services and solutions offered by the worlds leading Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) and certification body.

TUV Rheinland has specialized in the safety assessment and certification of railway control, command and signaling systems since the 1960s. Under the new terms of cooperation, Kaspersky Lab and TUV Rheinland intend to join forces in providing railway customers in Greater China and Asia Pacific with a full range of security and safety services, including penetration testing, cyber security assessments, railway independent safety assessments, etc.

Kaspersky Lab has years of experience protecting industrial infrastructure in various forms. In 2016 it launched its Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity software solution and extended its range of Security Intelligence Services to operators of industrial infrastructure. One of Kaspersky Labs main areas of expertise is railway security.

This cooperation between two renowned leaders in their respective industries will enhance the safety of modern industrial systems, such as computer and communication train control (CBTC), automatic train control (ATC) and automatic train supervision (ATS). The vast experience of Kaspersky Labs experts brings new possibilities for TUV Rheinland customers in increasing the safety and resilience of railway transportation.

Railways are the perfect example of modern industrial infrastructure: diverse, geographically distributed and complex. Traffic safety for high speed trains and modern rapid transit systems require close attention to IT security in its traditional form, as well as ensuring the safety of operations involving complex hardware and software infrastructure. Our researchers have been paying close attention to railway cybersecurity, and we are happy to announce this new partnership that will help deliver intelligence and security services to a broad range of customers, commented Sergey Gordeychik, Kaspersky Labs deputy CTO and Head of Security Services.

TUV Rheinland is a world-renowned technical service provider for third-party safety assessment and certification. We are very glad to cooperate with TUV Rheinland to promote and apply our Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity solutions and intelligence service. We have made several contacts and communications with each other about the partnership. Now, we have started to cooperate in the real project. I believe that our partnership with TUV Rheinland will be a win-win situation, to offer a whole new level of information security protection services for all customers," said Alvin Cheng, Managing Director of Greater China Region, Kaspersky Lab.

Cybersecurity is a topic of increasing importance for railway stakeholders. When applied to specific industrial applications such as railway systems, cybersecurity requires the deep knowledge of a broader threat landscape, together with applied intelligence on very specialized infrastructure. Kaspersky Labs experts have a proven track record in both types of security expertise. Thus, we expect the combination of Kaspersky Lab and TUV Rheinlands expertize to really help our customers become more resilient to current and future security and safety issues, added Vincent Tan, Vice President of TUV Rheinland Rail Division, Greater China and Asia Pacific.

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Closing Summit for the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

Washington, DC - U.S. government, private sector and civil society leaders will meet with 250 Latin American and Caribbean young business and social entrepreneurs from November 9-11 at the Closing Summit of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program.

President Obama launched the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative in April 2015 to expand opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and innovative civil society activists in Latin America and the Caribbean. YLAI is one of the four Young Leaders Initiatives that aim to empower young people around the world and ensure they have the tools, skills, and networks to tackle our shared global challenges.

The Summit, held in Washington, D.C., will feature a dialogue with Sir Richard Branson and a pitch competition with judges representing business, government, venture capitalists and other organizations engaged in the Western Hemisphere. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Tom Shannon, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan, IIP Coordinator Macon Phillips, Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte, and Sir Richard Branson will also meet with the participants.

The young Latin American and Caribbean leaders are convening in Washington after spending five weeks in individualized fellowships developing their business or social venture plans at start-ups, small businesses, and various organizations in cities throughout the United States and in partnership with community groups and U.S. universities. The YLAI Fellows Program is the flagship program of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. Alumni of the Program will join other young entrepreneurs and change makers from Latin America and the Caribbean in the YLAI Network.
FTC Charges Purported Insulated House Wrap Marketer with Making False Claims

Washington, DC - The Federal Trade Commission has charged a Pittsburgh-based manufacturer, Innovative Designs, Inc., with making false and unsubstantiated claims that its Insultex House Wrap would save consumers money by providing significant insulation without using much space.

According to the FTC, Innovative Designs claims its thinner, less-expensive, house wrap has an insulation value of R-3 and its thicker, more expensive product has an R-6 value, and that its advertised R-values are based on valid scientific testing. In fact, the FTCs complaint alleges that the R-value of both products is substantially less than one, and the test results and a certificate touted by the company are flawed and invalid.

R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow  higher overall R-value provides greater insulating power and can reduce heating and cooling costs. Building codes throughout the country require that certain areas within new homes contain enough insulation to meet or exceed specified R-values.

Like all house wrap, Insultex House Wrap is designed to keep rain outside exterior walls but allow water vapor from inside the house to escape. Innovative Designs, however, distinguishes itself from its competitors with its R-value claims. It calls its product THE ONLY HOUSE WRAP WITH AN R-VALUE and claims that it saves people money on their home energy and building costs when compared with other house wraps. The FTC charges Innovative Designs with failing to substantiate its claims that the purported insulation value of Insultex House Wrap saves consumers money.

The FTC also alleges that Innovative Designs provides brochures and other promotional materials to builders, dealers, installers, and building supply stores, with the same deceptive claim, which they pass on to consumers. The companys products cost from $0.45 to $0.56 per square foot at retail. Other widely available house wraps that do not claim an R-value cost from $0.06 to $0.24 per square foot.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 3-0. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Iraqi forces battled militants inside Mosul for the third day running Sunday while civilians risked their lives dodging bombs and snipers to slip out of the city.

The Islamic State group put up fierce resistance to defend the city it seized more than two years ago and also claimed responsibility for deadly suicide attacks further south.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service has been spearheading the attack on the eastern front of the three-week-old offensive on Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years.

"Our forces are continuing to clear neighbourhoods including Al-Samah, Karkukli, Al-Malayeen and Shaqaq al-Khadra," CTS Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi told AFP.

The militants have given up some of its bastions in Iraq and Syria with barely a fight in recent months but its men began the defence of their last Iraqi hub with anger.

"Resistance is very heavy and they have suffered major losses," Assadi said of IS group.

Soldiers from the army's 9th armoured division also battled militants in the southeastern neighbourhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported, as forces attempted to increase their footprint in eastern Mosul.

They first entered the streets of Mosul on Friday and were met with what one officer described as stiffer than expected resistance from IS militants.

The assault allowed some civilians to flee the city, most of whose million-plus residents remained trapped inside, sheltering both from their jihadist rulers and incoming fire from government forces and US-led coalition aircraft.

Some of the first civilians to manage to escape the city proper arrived at a camp near Khazir in Kurdish-controlled territory on Saturday.

Abu Sara dodged gunfire, bombs, mortar rounds and coalition strikes to flee his neighbourhood of Al-Samah, such was his desperation to leave what many civilians who escaped IS rule describe as an open-air prison.

"We walked several miles, taking with us only the clothes we were wearing and white flags we waved the entire way," said the 34-year-old, wearing a brown fake leather jacket.

While the corridors called for by aid groups to allow the safe passage of civilians have yet to materialise, arrivals in the displacement camps dotting the area have increased markedly.

The government said it had taken in 9,000 displaced people in the past two days.

The International Organization for Migration said a total of about 34,000 people had been displaced since the start of rhe offensive on October 17.

Relief organisations were fighting the clock to build up their shelter capacity ahead of the feared mass exodus from Mosul.

Despite IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving his fighters a pep talk on Thursday, urging them not to retreat from Mosul in a rare audio message, the outcome of the battle was in little doubt.



The jihadists, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 fighters in Mosul, could hold out for weeks and inflict heavy casualties on government forces but they are outnumbered about 10 to one.

The group's ability to hit back with ground offensives elsewhere appears to be gone and IS has responded with a string of diversionary attacks, including spectacular operations in Kirkuk and Rutba.

On Sunday, it claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks in Tikrit and Samarra, the two main cities in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials spoke of only two bombers, one who detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, and another who blew up an ambulance in Samarra.

Jassem al-Jbara, the head of Salaheddin province's security committee, said that the Tikrit attack killed 12 people and wounded 20, while six died and 12 more were injured in Samarra.

IS identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has visited the Mosul front lines several times since the offensive started, has vowed to rid the country of IS by the end of the year.

Retaking Mosul could effectively end the IS group's days as a land-holding force in Iraq and deal a death blow to the "caliphate" Baghdadi proclaimed in the city in June 2014.

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Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Sarah Fox Travels to Geneva, Switzerland for the ILO Governing Body and UN Business and Human Rights Forum

Washington, DC - Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Sarah Fox will represent the State Department in the 328th session of the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization, in Geneva Switzerland, from November 7th-10th. Special Representative Fox will join other Administration officials as well as representatives from labor organizations to discuss workforce-related issues worldwide.

The following week, she will lead the United States delegation to the United Nations Business and Human Rights Forum, where the U.S. is co-hosting panels on ethical recruitment and mega-sporting events and human rights.
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Scores of women whose lives were allegedly ruined by botched cosmetic surgery believe they will be left unable to claim a penny in compensation, it has been claimed, as it emerged that the UK trading companies behind Europes biggest hospital for such procedures have gone into administration.

The Independent has been told that subsidiary trading companies of The Hospital Group, whose Dolan Park facility near Birmingham is Europes largest purpose built cosmetic surgery hospital, were put into administration on 6 October, and seven more companies are expected top go into liquidation.

Despite concerns, a source connected to the group has told The Independent it is business as usual: the hospital has not shut down and is still accepting patients for plastic surgery and weight loss operations.

The Hospital Group has been acquired by a German private equity firm, which has created its own holding company. This, it is claimed, will leave women who allege they have suffered the results of bungled operations unable to claim a penny from companies that were part of a UK group said to have generated 36m in revenue last year.

Meanwhile, MPs have been told that before they left the business, the former owners of the old Hospital Group companies were able to pay themselves dividends of 7.5m.

I am absolutely appalled, said Dawn Knight, who says she has been left in constant discomfort after a 2012 eyelift operation. Dozens and dozens of lawsuits will now be derailed. These are women who have had their lives decimated, and they are not going to see a penny.

In her opinion, she added: The Hospital Group [companies] have said they have no assets, no money, theres nothing there and thats it.

Dawn Knight

The affair has already been discussed in Parliament and prompted the Labour MP Kevan Jones to introduce a private members bill for better regulation of the 3.5bn-a-year cosmetic surgery industry.

He told MPs that, as it stands, the law allows any qualified doctor  they need not even be a surgeon  to perform cosmetic surgery without undertaking additional training or qualifications.

Some of the [marketing] techniques that are used would be more appropriate for selling double glazing than cosmetic surgery. The whole thrust is to sell such procedures without any counselling or advice on whether it is appropriate.

Recommended Read more The ugly history of cosmetic surgery

We have here a classic example of the market not only failing but being used to exploit people.

Mr Jones told MPs: In 2012-13, the groups turnover was 44m and dividends of some 7.5m were paid to its directors.

Referring to the company liquidations, he told the Commons: Some 80 per cent of creditors on the liquidators list are solicitors representing former clients. One suspects that that structure was put in place to avoid any potential for former clients to sue the company for negligence.

He added: Despite the fact that a large number of women now have no recourse to law, the Hospital Group continues to operate and sell its products.

Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure Show all 8 1 /8 Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery1-rt.jpg Reuters Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery4-gt.jpg Getty Images Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery2-gt.jpg Getty Images Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery5-gt.jpg Getty Images Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery6-gt.jpg Getty Images Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery7-gt.jpg Getty Images Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery8-ap.jpg AP Popular? You nose it: Duchess of Cambridges nose is the most requested plastic surgery procedure surgery3-gt.jpg Getty Images

Describing the experiences of his constituent Ms Knight, who paid 3,500 for an operation in 2012, Mr Jones told MPs: The surgery was sold to her with a lifetime aftercare package to take care of any complications.

Following the surgery, Dawn was unable to close her eyes, and still, to this day, has to apply artificial tears to her eyes every two hours to stop them drying out. Dawn saw the surgeon, Arnaldo Paganelli, [an Italian surgeon then affiliated to the Hospital Group], who refused to admit there was a problem. When she contacted Hospital Medical Group about the aftercare package, it simply pointed out a clause in her contract that said that treatments could be undertaken only if the surgeon agreed to it. No further help was offered, making a complete sham of the aftercare plan.

Mr Jones added: Although Hospital Medical Group promotes itself as a cosmetic surgery company, it is nothing of the sort. It is a facilities management company, simply providing the facilities where surgery takes place and marketing the procedures. When Dawn complained, she found out that her contract was not with Hospital Medical Group but with the surgeon who performed the procedure.

In Dawns case, her surgeon was a bankrupt, under-insured individual who was based in Italy and flew into the UK to work for Hospital Medical Group.

Ms Knights case, he told MPs, was not an isolated one, and the NHS was now having to pick up the bill for her and others.

Ms Knight, 48, of Stanley, County Durham, told The Independent she was in contact with dozens and dozens of women who had operations on every area of the body performed by surgeons working with Hospital Group companies.

The list just goes on and on, she said. Three of them are registered disabled as a direct result  usually down to scar tissue causing restricted movement, depression, anxiety.

I have counselling every fortnight because of the anxiety. All the people you thought would catch you when you fall. You find that actually there is no more lonely place to be. It is a horrific experience.

The Hospital Group of companies was acquired by the German investment group Aurelius in July. At the time, Aurelius declined to reveal the financial terms of the transaction, but said its new acquisition had approximately 300 employees and generated revenues of almost 40m (36m) in 2015.

Aurelius also said the Hospital Group deal meant it had reached a leading position in the British market because it already owned the Transform cosmetic surgery chain, which has 27 UK clinics.

The Hospital Group will continue to trade under the same name while being owned by the new holding company.

A spokesman for The Hospital Group declined to answer questions on how the business was structured. He said: The Hospital Group is compliant with the strict rules set out by both Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority.

The ongoing care and wellbeing of our patients and customers is of paramount importance to The Hospital Group. We take our obligations to patients with the utmost seriousness and do our very best to ensure patients are cared for both during and after any medical procedure by maintaining the highest standards of care. In the latest patient satisfaction audit conducted at our Dolan Park facility, 93 per cent of respondents rated our service as excellent to good.

He added: We would like to reassure our patients and customers that all arrangements they have in place with The Hospital Group remain the same. All planned operations or procedures will go ahead as normal. The terms of our existing patients aftercare packages are still valid.

Referring to Ms Knights case, the spokesman said: We have evidence that directly contradicts the claims made by Ms Knight. We have not however been given permission to disclose this information.

Aurelius declined to comment.
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The dad bod, it seems, is in vogue. And now a new book claims that gaining weight after fatherhood makes men healthier, more attractive and more likely to live longer than their skinny counterparts.

The author, Richard Bribiescas, professor of anthropology and deputy provost at Yale University, claims that this is likely due in part to the decreasing testosterone levels seen in older men. He writes:

[One] effect of lower testosterone levels is loss of muscle mass and increases in fat mass. This change in body composition not only causes men to shop for more comfortable trousers but also facilitates increased survivorship and, hypothetically, a hormonal milieu that would more effectively promote and support paternal investment.

But is there actually any solid science behind the idea that lower levels of testosterone  and a bit of a tummy  can make men healthier?

There exists a complex relationship between our body composition, the relative amounts of fat and muscle that we have, and how we age. While accurately measuring biological ageing is actually quite difficult, studies have nevertheless shown that having too much body fat can prematurely age us and that maintaining our levels of muscle mass could have the opposite effect. It is certainly true that frailty, a syndrome in which older adults carry an increased risk of poor health outcomes is increased in people who carry too much body fat.

Testosterone and ageing

But what about testosterone? Testosterone is a steroid hormone that in men is produced by the testes. Alongside governing male sexual characteristics, it also controls body composition, with lower levels  which naturally occur as we age being associated with less muscle and more fat. It is this very change in body composition that these new claims of vitality are based upon.

Beyond this, there is actually some evidence that testosterone is involved in the ageing process. The most profound evidence that testosterone can affect how we age comes from studies of people who have none: eunuchs or castrati. These men, who have had their testicles removed, outlive their non-castrated counterparts by as much as 20 years, suggesting that the levels of this hormone may have a profound effect on the ageing process.

The precise reasons for this impressive effect are not very clear, but suggested mechanisms have included an increased ability to fight off infection and a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer, although the latter is a controversial link. It is unlikely the effect is related to cardiovascular health as low testosterone levels are also associated with cardiovascular risk factors and testosterone replacement therapy (TrT) has been shown to improve angina pectoris

How low can you go?

While having low testosterone levels might aid eunuchs in living longer, in the rest of the male population low testosterone is associated with a range of symptoms including poor cognitive function, decreased mobility, reduced sexual function, and lower energy levels, not a list of qualities that many potential partners would find attractive.

But can replacing testosterone levels that have diminished with age improve these issues? Certainly, TrT has been shown to have beneficial effects on bone health, body composition and memory and testosterone has even been called the best anti-ageing drug. Taken collectively, this evidence suggests that although an absence of testosterone over the lifespan may be beneficial, the reduced levels seen in middle-aged and older men might not be such a great thing.

Body mass index (BMI) and longevity

One area of interest that this new book has highlighted is the observation that being overweight might be good for you, at least in terms of how long you live. Traditional opinion is that those of us who are overweight  that is, have a BMI of 25 - 29.9  are unhealthy. But recent evidence suggests that people in this category might actually live longer than people who have a healthy, underweight or obese BMI, although conflicting evidence does exist.

This controversial finding suggests that there may be a benefit in being slightly overweight. So while this might not support the books claim that middle-aged men with dad bods are more attractive, it is possible that pudgy dads might live a little bit longer than their more slender counterparts. Just dont give up on that healthy lifestyle.

James Brown, Lecturer in Biology and Biomedical Science, Aston University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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In 1996, Botswana erected an 83-mile fence along its border with Namibia. The goal was to protect domestic cattle from the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. Within a year, though, the barrier had snared five giraffes, one elephant, several antelopes and numerous other wild animals.

In the 20 years since, border barriers have proliferated to unprecedented levels - and become one of presidential candidate Donald J. Trump's favorite talking points. But while attention has focused on the human consequences of a more bordered world, the impact on wildlife is also dramatic.

Trump has proposed sealing off the U.S.-Mexico frontier with a great expansion of the current wall, which spans roughly 650 miles of America's 2,000-mile southern front and is already harming animals. Bison along that border have been spotted climbing over barbed-wire fencing to get to food and water. And according to a 2011 study, 16 species in California have had as much as 75 percent of their range blocked.

Completing a barrier that's impregnable for animals would be a really major problem, said Jesse Lasky, a biologist at Pennsylvania State University and author of that study. The move could affect more than 111 endangered species and 108 migratory birds, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife provisional report. The Trump campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the proposed wall's potential impact on wildlife.

(Reuters (Reuters)

Two recent studies have shed light on the often-overlooked effect walls have on wildlife. The fences can curtail animals' mobility, fragment populations and cause direct mortality, according to an article published last month in Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law. Authors of another study, released earlier this year in the journal PLoS Biology, write that barriers represent a major threat to wildlife.

The latter study focused on Slovenia, which has for about a year been fencing its border with Croatia in an attempt to block an influx of refugees that the government fears could morph into an outright  humanitarian catastrophe. So far, 111 miles of barbed- and razor-wire fencing have been erected along about one-third of the frontier. A slew of mangled animal carcasses - especially deer - have been found in, on or around the so-called temporary technical obstacles.

These events are horrid, said co-author Aleksandra Majic, a biologist at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. But, she added, what is worrying in the long-term is the fragmentation that such fences cause.

Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Show all 15 1 /15 Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees flee tear gas fire by the Macedonian police, after trying to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to break a Greek police cordon in order to approach the border fence at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Macedonian riot police officers stand next to part of the border fence brought down by protesting stranded refugees and migrants during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees try to bring down part of the border fence during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees break an iron fence and throw stones from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian policemen push them back, near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A girl cries as she flees clashes during a protest at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the Greek village of Idomeni Reuters Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees try to broke an iron fence from the Greek side of the border as Macedonian police stand guard, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Stranded refugees and migrants in the northern Greek village of Idomeni approach the Greek-Macedonian border as they try to enter Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman carries a child on the Greek side of the border as they run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of refugees who tried to push their way into Macedonia AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February Refugees run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas AP Refugees break through Macedonia border fence in February A woman falls as refugees with their children run away after Macedonian police Getty Images

Slaven Reljic, another co-author, tracks brown bears along the Slovenia-Croatia border and has found that of 33 radio collared animals, 16 cross between the two countries. Majic said she has observed similar movements among wolves.

Conservation success for large carnivore populations here is largely depending on this trans-boundary connectivity, she said, adding that lynx along the border are most at risk. The population hovers at around a mere 20 animals and is in danger of local extinction within the next decade, said Majic, adding that habitat fragmentation would speed up this process.

Barbed wire fences set by Slovenian soldiers on the Slovenian-Croatian border near Rakovec. Slovenia (Getty)

- - -

Barriers are hardly new, of course. Construction on the Great Wall of China began in the 3rd century B.C.E, and it still splits habitats today. The Berlin Wall divided East and West Germany throughout the Cold War. When that fell in 1989, triggering the figurative collapse of the Iron Curtain, people began moving and trading en masse across increasingly porous European borders. Wildlife, biologists documented, also reaped rewards.

Not only could they move freely, but countries began working together, said John Linnell, an ecologist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and the lead author of the Slovenia study. That meant improved conservation legislation, practices, and coordination.

Although the postwar chaos occasionally proved detrimental to wildlife - economic hardship, for instance, led to a rise in unregulated poaching that contributed to a collapse in the saiga antelope population in parts of the former Soviet Union - the end result was very encouraging, Linnell said. He pointed to successes such as the reintroduction of wolves into Germany and the creation of a European Green Belt , among others. It felt, he said, like a world where borders of all types were softening and disappearing.

That quickly ended.

Today, the number of barriers around the world is at an all-time high, said Elisabeth Vallet, author of Borders, Fences and Walls: State of Insecurity? Although the flood of displaced people into Europe and illegal immigration to the United States have contributed to that surge, Vallet points to the late 1990s, when rapid globalization helped revive nationalist sentiment, as the beginning of the proliferation. The 9/11 terrorist attacks drastically accelerated the trend and, by 2010, her research found, 45 new walls had gone up, from Morocco to India, totaling 18,000 miles in length.

We've been sleeping, pursuing dreams of a borderless world, said Linnell, while the borders have been closing all around us. Now, however, conservationists seem to be paying attention.

Even fences aimed at improving conservation, the RECIEL study noted, have had unintended consequences, like when poachers fashion the fencing material itself into snares. But the study's authors also highlighted a few ways walls intended to keep people out have inadvertently aided animals, such as Israeli-constructed barriers that have helped shield the endangered Israeli gazelle from Palestinian hunters in the West Bank. Overall, however, lead author Arie Trouwborst of Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands said that in the great majority of instances, the impact is negative.

In an email, the Slovenian government characterized its efforts as an urgent and temporary measure, which is necessary for the protection of the state. The ultimate scope of the project, officials say, depends on migrant flows into Europe. In case the obstacles do become permanent, they insist they are working to find ways of ensuring uninterrupted animal migration and conforming to the European Habitat Directive , a legal cornerstone of the continent's conservation efforts.

Linnell's study, on the other hand, argues that a permanent wall in Slovenia would undo decades of conservation and international collaboration efforts. At the very least, he would like to see more consideration given to wildlife - for example, by designing small openings for animals.

But all migrants, both human and nonhuman, tend to gravitate toward the same spaces along borders. That makes stopping one group but the not the other an extremely difficult task.

I think there is a fundamental conflict, said Lasky. Animals like to disperse under cover of vegetation and darkness. But so do people.

 Washington Post
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Dozens of people were arrested after thousands of protesters descended on central London for the Million Masked March.

Wearing characteristic Guy Fawkes masks, supporters of the mysterious hacking collective Anonymous crowded into Trafalgar Square with scores of police on hand to keep order.

The group's agenda is broadly anti-capitalist and pro-civil liberty. It is one of many similar marches held worldwide on 5 November.

A masked protester holds up a flare on Whitehall (Getty Images ) (Getty)

A masked protester waves an 'Anarchy' flag in front of a line of police (Getty Images ) (Getty Images)

The march began peacefully, with several demonstrators climbing the base of Nelson's column and chanting "one solution, revolution".

A small number of fireworks were reportedly set off in the crowd and some demonstrators marched off the pre-organised route.

The Metropolitan Police said "the majority of those taking part were peaceful" but there were "pockets" of disorder and multiple fireworks thrown, though they did not inflict injury.

By its conclusion, police had made 53 arrests, the majority for drug offences and obstruction of officers.

Ugly scenes marred last year's march, which saw four officers injured after missiles and fireworks were thrown at them.

Scotland Yard imposed restrictions on this year's event amid concerns over any repeat of the disorder, limiting the march to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Nearly 20,000 people had indicated they would attend on the event's Facebook page, which warned "the police are not your friends".

A firework is fired at a line of police by protesters during the Million Mask March (Getty Images ) (Getty Images)

Masked protesters hold placards and wave flags as they stand on and around Nelson's Column (Getty Images ) (Getty Images)

Metropolitan Police issued a warning before the event that masked criminals seeking to run amok will be arrested if the protest turns violent after last years march saw ugly scenes with missiles and fireworks thrown at police.

Protester Angela Windsor, 40, who travelled from Wales to the march said: "Nobody is protecting people - nobody cares. I think everyone here cares enough about people to make the effort to come down and try and do something, because the officials aren't doing it."

She said anyone who tried to repeat last year's violent displays would be off the mark: "Nobody wants a fight, we just want change."

Another protester, a London-based mental health worker who gave his name as Jay and was dressed as Father Christmas, said he had chosen the costume to show "not all of us are down here for violence".

There were chaotic scenes shortly before 9pm, with riot police moving in to make arrests.

A group of protesters surrounded and charged at the officers, shouting "f*** the police" and "police brutality". Several glass bottles were thrown as police escorted another protester away.

Police have imposed conditions on this year's march, limiting it to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Police said last year protesters abandoned an agreed route and timetable for the demonstration and thousands of riot police and mounted officers were deployed to contain crowds after the largely peaceful protest at Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square dispersed across the centre of the capital.

Four officers and six police horses were injured and some protesters attempted to set a police car on fire.

More than 1,000 people are believed to have attended the march in 2015 and there were more than 50 arrests.

Million Mask march in London 2015 Show all 10 1 /10 Million Mask march in London 2015 Million Mask march in London 2015 Protesters demonstrate near the Houses of Parliament in London PA Million Mask march in London 2015 Protesters clash with police during the 'Million Mask' demonstration in Central London EPA Million Mask march in London 2015 Marchers wear the Guy Fawkes masks during anti-government and anti-establishment protest in London Rex Million Mask march in London 2015 A police car is attacked and set on fire near Scotland Yard during the annual Million Mask March bonfire night protest started in Trafalgar Square and headed to Westminster where it splintered Rex Million Mask march in London 2015 A man puts on a pig mask during the Million Mask March, London Rex Million Mask march in London 2015 A man is detained by police in Trafalgar Square, London during the Million Mask March bonfire night protest organised by activist group Anonymous PA Million Mask march in London 2015 Police arrest a protester at the 'Million Mask' demonstration in central London EPA Million Mask march in London 2015 A protester comes out with a bloodied head as crowds surge forward on Great George Street in central London, during the Million Mask March bonfire night protest organised by activist group Anonymous PA Million Mask march in London 2015 Protesters take part in the 'Million Mask' demonstration in Trafalgar Square EPA Million Mask march in London 2015 Protesters hold an anti-capitalist banner during the protest in Westminster Rex

Any static protest must only take place in Trafalgar Square, Richmond Terrace and Parliament Square, and the Met has warned that anyone breaching the conditions could be arrested for public order offences.

Nearly 20,000 people had indicated they would attend on the event's Facebook page, which defended the action saying "the police are not your friends".

Additional reporting by Press Association
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Scotland is likely to join a legal challenge against the Governments plan to exit the EU without consulting Parliament, according to one of the cases lead claimants.

Philanthropist and investment manager Gina Miller has led the case arguing that Theresa May cannot take away the rights of UK citizens as members of the EU without an Act of Parliament to change the law.

On Thursday, three High Court judges found in favour of the claimants, ruling that the Prime Minister cannot use executive powers to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning the two-year Brexit process.

The Government has said it will appeal the ruling, and the Supreme Court is set to consider the case between 5-8 December.

Asked if Scotlands devolved government would be joining the claimants in fighting the case, Ms Miller told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show she believed it would.

We are expecting a number of governments to join us, she said. But their case will be different to ours. They will be talking about their own particular interests.

At First Ministers Questions at Holyrood on Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon said ministers would actively consider whether or not to become involved in the case.

She said the judges decision that MPs must be involved in the decision to trigger Article 50 was hugely significant.

Ms Sturgeon said: The judgment this morning I dont think is a huge surprise for anyone that followed the case, but it is hugely significant and it underlines the total chaos and confusion at the heart of the UK Government.

We should remember that their refusal to allow a vote in the House of Commons is not some matter of high constitutional principle  its because they dont have a coherent position and they know that if they take their case to the House of Commons that will be exposed.

The High Court judges ruled agains the Government strictly based on the fundamental constitutional principles of the sovereignty of Parliament, expressly stating that they were not concerned with the political issue of whether or not Britain should leave the EU.

 Gina Miller criticises Daily Mail's 'shameful' coverage

In practice, the judgement is almost certainly not going to stop Brexit. But it could delay the triggering of Article 50, as Ms May would have to present Parliament with the Governments plans for how leaving the bloc will actually work  and either the Lords or Commons could reject her terms.

Matters are confused further by a ruling at the High Court in Belfast less than a week earlier.

Judges there found that neither the devolved assembly of Northern Ireland nor Westminster needed to be involved in triggering Article 50.

It preferred to interpret Article 50s triggering as simply a procedural step, stating the Parliament need only be involved when the law actually does change, upon leaving the bloc, two years down the line.

The High Court decided differently because it reasoned that, once the process of leaving has begun, the removal of EU rights is inevitable  in other words, that there is no going back on Article 50.

The Supreme Court will have to decide which interpretation of the Lisbon Treaty it prefers  and like Scotland, Northern Ireland may also hope to have a second bite at the cherry.
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Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union is certainly generating its fair share of headaches. The latest has been brought on by a ruling by the High Court of Justice in England that says the British government cannot invoke the article, triggering Brexit negotiations, until it has held a parliamentary vote. Article 50 opens with:

Any member state may decide to withdraw from the European Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.

But, crucially, the UK does not have a written constitution in the way many countries do. It is uncodified and quietly evolving. So its constitutional requirements are open to interpretation.

Can the government make the decision to withdraw from the EU by itself, using a set of historic  and narrowing  powers it exercises on behalf of the Crown  the so-called royal prerogative? Or must the sovereign parliament be involved in that decision?

Does the royal prerogative power cover the decision to withdraw from the EU? The argument for that is that the conduct of international relations  and the making of treaties  has traditionally been seen to fall within the prerogative. But has that power been limited, or even extinguished altogether, to be replaced by powers wielded by parliament?

 Landmark Brexit Ruling: What happened and what happens next?

Then comes the question of the devolved nations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The evolving nature of British constitutional order means it is far from clear as to whether the devolved parliaments can be excluded from having a say in the triggering of the process which is set out in the rest of Article 50.

The judgment from the high court in London ruled that the governments royal prerogative powers cannot be used to launch the Article 50 withdrawal process. Thats because doing so would lead to the removal of rights currently available to people in UK law.

These rights derive from EU law, but are made available to UK citizens because of, and through a UK statute  the European Communities Act 1972. Only parliament has the power to remove the rights that it itself has granted.

A twist in the tale

However, the London decision is not the only judgment to be made on the triggering of Article 50. Shortly beforehand, the Belfast high court ruled in essentially the opposite direction. It said neither the Westminster parliament, nor the Northern Ireland assembly, had to be asked for their consent before the British government triggers Article 50.

The Belfast court was looking at a slightly narrower set of issues, but crucially, it approached the question of how the process of notification of the decision to leave under Article 50 works in a different way from the high court in London.

The high court has worked on the basis that once the Article 50 withdrawal process is triggered by notification by the UK, it cant be stopped. Under this view, the decision to trigger Article 50 will necessarily and directly lead to the UK leaving the EU and to people having their legal rights removed. So parliament needs to be involved in the decision to trigger Article 50, because that decision has the sort of legal consequences that only the parliament can be responsible for.

In Belfast, however, a different view was taken. The Belfast court agreed that changes in the law and to peoples rights needs to be enacted by parliament, but it said that the decision to notify the EU of the intention to leave under Article 50 does not itself generate these legal effects. Instead, the decision to trigger Article 50 is just a first procedural step which can be made by the government.

While the negotiations that will follow the Article 50 being launched will lead to changes down the line  depending on the agreement reached between the UK and the EU  nothing in law changes until then. And, when those changes do come, the process must be controlled by parliament.

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

The fact that the two courts took different positions on Article 50 presents the UKs supreme court with something of a dilemma when it comes to decide on an appeal on the high court decision in December. The supreme court will have to choose which interpretation of Article 50 it prefers  one that sees it as unstoppable, or one where the bullet can be put back in the gun. Is London or Belfast right?

But this is at least in part a matter of EU, rather than UK, law. And if there is any doubt over what an element of EU law means, the UK court must seek an authoritative ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.

Delaying Brexit?

For the British government, the most immediate problem with all of this is that these decisions will eat into the short time remaining before the prime ministers self-imposed March 2017 deadline for notification. Whatever the outcome of a supreme court appeal, parliamentary involvement will be necessary at some point in the withdrawal process, whether sooner or later. Another loss for the government will make that sooner.

But if the Westminster parliament needs to be involved, perhaps through a full act of parliament, where does that leave the other parliaments and assemblies of the UK? Under the normal run of things, there is a constitutional convention  a political understanding  that Westminster will not normally legislate on devolved matters without the express consent of the devolved parliaments.

The reason the Belfast court ruled against the need for devolved parliamentary involvement was because the conduct of international relations isnt devolved. But you could also argue the European Union membership is not simply a matter of international relations, since so much of what it means to be a member affects domestic  and indeed devolved  issues. The Belfast court even acknowledged that a court in Scotland might take a different view on this matter.

In recent weeks, the complexity of the task ahead has began to become apparent, as the UK gears up to leave the EU. It just got a lot more complicated.

A version of this article has also been published by The UK in a Changing Europe

Joanne Hunt, Reader in Law, Cardiff University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
An appeals court in Bahrain on Sunday began a retrial of Shia opposition chief Sheikh Ali Salman, jailed for nine years for inciting hatred and calling for forceful regime change.

The head of the Al-Wefaq group attended the hearing in Manama but refused to answer the judge's questions, a judicial source said.

His lawyers spoke in his defence, insisting that Salman was innocent, the source added.

A verdict would be announced on December 4, advocate general Haroun al-Zayani said in a statement carried by the official BNA news agency.

Salman, behind bars since December 2014, was sentenced in July last year to four years in prison after being convicted of inciting hatred in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.

But in May the appeals court more than doubled his jail term to nine years after reversing an earlier acquittal on charges of calling for regime change by force.

However, on October 17, Bahrain's cassation court overturned the nine-year jail sentence and ordered a retrial.

The same court rejected a request to release the cleric.

In July, a court ordered Al-Wefaq's dissolution for "harbouring terrorism", inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations which threatened to spark sectarian strife.

The decision drew strong criticism from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Bahrain's allies in Washington and London, and Shia-dominated Iran.

Al-Wefaq had the largest bloc in parliament before lawmakers walked out in February 2011 in protest over a deadly crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests.

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Labour will block the UKs exit from the European Union if the Government is unable to guarantee access to the single market, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The opposition will join forces with Tory Remain supporters and other parties to prevent Article 50 from being triggered if this trade access is not assured, the Labour leader told the Sunday Mirror.

Mr Corbyn suggested Prime Minister Theresa May, who has a slim Commons majority, would be forced into an early general election if she fails to meet Labours Brexit bottom line.

Recommended Theresa May vows to continue Brexit plans following High Court defeat

The Government is appealing a High court ruling ordering that Ms May must seek MPs approval to trigger Article 50.

A coalition of anti-Brexit campaigners took the case against the Government. Their lawyers told the court, that constitutional law establishes that only parliament can take away rights of British citizens, and some rights would be lost upon losing EU citizenship.

Mr Corbyn said: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted.

"We accept the result of the referendum. We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

He added that in the event of a snap general election, the Labour party would be ready for it.

"If the Government calls an election, we're ready for it," he said. "We have the members, the organisation and the enthusiasm. We welcome the challenge.

"It would give us the chance to put before the British people an alternative economic strategy for this country."

Mr Corbyns comments come after Ms May was urged to take action to calm the backlash sparked by the controversial High Court ruling on the process for leaving the EU.

A number of politicians have said the Prime Minister must make clear that the independence of the judiciary was fundamental to democracy, describing the media tirade against the court decision as chilling and outrageous and "inciting hatred.

Three High Court Justices were subjected to what one MP described as a number of hysterical [newspaper] headlines on Friday after the ruling.

The Justice Secretary Liz Truss has also come under fire for failing to defend the integrity of the judiciary after judges were branded enemies of the people by Brexiteers.

Ms Truss spoke out after being put under pressure from barristers, but only went as far as saying independence from the judiciary is the foundations upon which our rule of law is built.

Richard Burgon, Labours shadow justice minister, said it was Ms Trusss job to defend the integrity of the judiciary. Respecting the EU Referendum result is the right and democratic thing to do. Strong views were expressed by both sides, he said.

 Brexit: Tory MP Stephen Phillips resigns citing 'irreconcilable differences'

Judges in the High Court are there to interpret the law regardless of their personal views and that it what they have done.

The Bar Council said: "The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and our judiciary is rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality.

"In relation to the case heard in the High Court, the Government has made it clear it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal process must be followed."

Since the backlash after the court ruling a Conservative MP and supporter of the Leave campaign has resigned with immediate effect, citing irreconcilable policy differences with the Prime Minister.

Ms May has vowed to continue Brexit plans, insisting the Government must get on with the job of withdrawing the UK from the European Union.

Additional reporting by Press Association
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Jeremy Corbyn has accused an ITV News reporter of harassment after she attempted to ask him if he supported calls for an early general election.

Libby Wiener, a political correspondent at ITV, tried to speak to the Labour leader after his speech at a conference organised by the thinktank Class. She asked: Would you be happy if Theresa May called a general election?

It comes after the High Court ruled MPs must be consulted on Brexit, leading to suggestions the Prime Minister may have to call a general election in order to secure Parliaments support for her Brexit plans.

Asked about the prospect on Saturday, Mr Corbyn responded by saying to his staff: Can we go outside? Were being harassed here.

An aide to Mr Corbyn attempts to block the camera, saying: Would you stop? Hes not doing interviews. Hes not doing interviews.

Before they leave the building, the adviser tells Ms Wiener: You are so rude. I thought you were a professional. Look at you.

The reporter replies: I am a professional and the country wants to know what the leader of the opposition thinks about the possibility of a general election.

The Labour leader watches from behind a glass window before he and his team hurry from the building.

The incident prompted a mixed reaction on social media, with some accusing the Leader of the Opposition of running away from legitimate questions while others felt the reporter has been overly aggressive.

Some who claimed to witness the incident said the reporter had interrupted a conversation Mr Corbyn was having with two children.

Mr Corbyn used his speech at the event to demand Theresa May explain her Brexit negotiating plan to Parliament "without delay".

He said: Thursdays High Court decision underlines the necessity that the Prime Minister brings the Governments negotiating terms for Brexit to Parliament without delay."

Labour accepts and respects the decision of the British people to leave the European Union. But there must be transparency and accountability to Parliament about the Governments plans."

I suspect the Government opposes democratic scrutiny of its plans because - frankly - there arent any plans, beyond the hollow rhetoric of Brexit means Brexit.

The Leader of the Opposition also told the Sunday Mirror that Labour could attempt to block Article 50  the process by which Britain must begin its withdrawal from the EU  if the Prime Minister does not guarantee she will be pushing for the UK to remain in the single market.

He said: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted."

"We accept the result of the referendum. We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."
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Britain should be "very alarmed" at the way newspapers reacted to the High Court decision Parliament must vote on triggering Article 50, a senior Church of England bishop has said.

The Daily Mail was accused of an "attack on the rule of law" after its front page story carried the headline "Enemies of the people" alongside images of the three judges, while the Daily Telegraph said "The judges versus the people".

Discussing the papers' response to the ruling, Nick Baines told BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme: "The press don't just reflect the public discourse, they also shape it.

"The last time we saw things like the photographs of judges on the front page of a newspaper described as enemies of the people is in places like Nazi Germany, in Zimbabwe and places like that."

 Farage tells Brexiters to 'get even'

He added: "But in a parliamentary democracy, with Parliament sovereign  which is apparently what Brexit was about  then surely the rule of law is very important to that constitution. To undermine the law in that way... it's a very dangerous thing."

However, the Daily Mail's Stephen Glover disagreed, saying: "I'm not going to get bogged down in defending the headline but I am going to stand for the principle that such a momentous ruling by these three judges is a legitimate object of examination and criticism by the press.

"To compare it with Nazi Germany or Zimbabwe, which I happen to know very well, is outrageous. We have free press in this country and they should be allowed to criticise judges when they make really what is an extraordinary intervention."

Mr Baines replied: "Why is it an extraordinary intervention when they're doing their job? If the vote had gone the other way, Nigel Farage had said before the referendum, if it was within one per cent we would probably go to law.

"Now Theresa May has been given the right to appeal to the Supreme Court. Criticise the decision on legal grounds, but you cannot do this ad hominem attack on particular people, especially on grounds of them being gay."

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

Mr Glover said: "Look, it's one headline and it has to be read in the context of all the coverage of what the judges did. Nobody is saying the judges didn't have a right to make this decision, nobody is questioning the independence of the judiciary."

Theresa May has vowed to continue her plans to withdraw Britain from the EU following the ruling.

In a column for The Sunday Telegraph, she wrote: Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the Government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full.
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Theresa May has made clear she is not ready to back down on new immigration controls in any parliamentary Brexit battle.

Speaking as she arrived in India on a three-day trade visit, the Prime Minister insisted the Government has a strong case to persuade Supreme Court judges to overturn last week's High Court decision that MPs and peers should vote on the launch of EU withdrawal talks.

And she gave short shrift to suggestions that Parliament might tie her hands by requiring her to make continued single market membership her priority during withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the European treaties.

 Farage tells Brexiters to 'get even'

Recommended Theresa May responds to media coverage of High Court Brexit ruling

MPs and peers considering amendments to this effect should remember that the people spoke on June 23 and it is the Government's job to deliver on their wishes she said.

Mrs May brushed aside speculation that she might seek an early election in the hope of securing a Commons majority which would allow her to negotiate on her own terms.

She told reporters: I've consistently said that I believe the general election should be in 2020.

EU leaders including Germany's Angela Merkel have repeatedly said that the single market - which MPs including former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg see as vital to minimise the damage of Brexit to the UK economy - will be dependent on freedom of movement for EU nationals.

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

But Mrs May said that MPs and peers should recognise that voters gave a very clear message in the EU referendum on June 23 that they wanted tighter controls on immigration.

I think the people spoke on June 23, I think an important aspect that underpinned people's approach to that vote was a concern that they had about control of movement of people from the EU into the UK, said the Prime Minister.

I think it's important for the UK Government to deliver on that and I think that MPs and peers should recognise the fact that it was a parliamentary decision to give the choice as to whether or not we stayed in the EU to the people through a referendum vote and we saw the result of that.

It's now our job to get on and deliver it.

Mrs May took a bullish stance on the prospects of overturning the High Court ruling when the Government's appeal comes to the Supreme Court in early December.

In terms of the legal situation, we've had two court cases in the UK, she said.

They've come out with different decisions - the Northern Irish court found in favour of the Government, the High Court found against Government.

We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court.

Press Association
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Theresa May has defended the freedom of the press after a High Court ruling ordering the Government to seek MPs approval to trigger Article 50 was attacked by the media.

The Government is appealing the ruling after lawyers representing a coalition of anti-Brexit campaigners said constitutional law establishes that only Parliament can take away the rights of British citizens, and some rights would be lost upon losing EU citizenship.

The judges were attacked by some newspapers, including the Daily Mail, which branded the judges enemies of the people. UKIP's Nigel Farage warned of street protests if the referendum result was ignored.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday while on a plane to New Delhi, Ms May said: I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary. I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important.

Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court.

A number of politicians urged the Prime Minister to make clear that the independence of the judiciary was fundamental to democracy, describing the media tirade against the court decision as chilling and outrageous and inciting hatred.

Three High Court Justices were subjected to what one MP described as a number of hysterical [newspaper] headlines on Friday after the ruling.

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

The Daily Mail was particularly critical of the judges, splashing pictures of the Lord Chief Justice, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Sir Terence Etherton and Lord Justice Sales, across its front page.

On Sunday, Mr Farage told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the reach of the European Union into the upper echelons of this country makes it quite difficult for us to trust the judgement.

He warned: If people of this country think that they're going to be cheated, they're going to be betrayed, then we will see political anger, the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed.

Ms May vowed to continue Brexit plans, following Thursdays ruling. She issued a plea in a column for The Sunday Telegraph, writing: Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the Government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full.

She added: MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

Conservative MP Stephen Phillips announced he is standing down over how he feels Ms May has handled the issue, saying he has irreconcilable differences with the Prime Minister.

The Government has stated it will appeal the decision. It is expected the Supreme Court will hear the case on 7 and 8 December.
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Theresa May has been told that her tough stance on immigraiton could harm any chances of a post-Brexit trade deal with India.

A delegation of 40 business leaders will accompany the Prime Minister on a two-day visit to India today in which the Prime Minister hopes to set in motion the possibility of a free trade deal that can be signed as quickly as possible once the UK leaves the EU.

But the Prime Minister will face difficult questions about changes in UK visa arrangements for Indian workers and students, as the Home Office seeks to drive down non-EU migration figures, which already account for more than half of all migration to the UK.

And her visit has been overshadowed by comments from Dinesh Patnaik, India's High Commissioner in London, who said:

"Students, tourists and short-term visitors are not migrants under any definition.

"Post-Brexit, you need Indians. Our tourists don't come to Britain due to difficult visa conditions."

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister said: When I took office, I said that the mission of this Government would be to forge a bold new positive role for the United Kingdom in the world and make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us. And thats exactly what I will be doing this week  leading my first trade mission to India, with small businesses from every corner of the country, as we seize the opportunities of leaving the European Union.

Because while others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people. It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table  that is not in our national interest and it wont help us get the best deal for Britain.

It also means expanding our horizons and forging stronger partnerships with countries around the world. The UK and India are natural partners  the worlds oldest democracy and the worlds largest democracy  and together I believe we can achieve great things  delivering jobs and skills, developing new technologies and improving our cities, tackling terrorism and climate change. This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain.

But Indian tech body Nasscom has called for a high-skilled worker mobility agreement with Britain, warning: "A system that restricts the UK's ability to access talent is also likely to restrict the growth and productivity of the UK economy."

Meanwhile, the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), A Didar Singh, warned that UK-Indian trade faces a "double hit".

"Exports from the UK to India have been declining," Mr Singh told The Guardian.

"Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you've lost 18% of your pound's value. So if I'm sending something to the UK and getting a lower return on it, I'm going to have a think about that. It's a double hit."

Among deals expected to be confirmed during the visit are:

A 1.2 million joint venture between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India to set up a manufacturing plant for rail projects;

A 15 million imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai by Lyca Health UK; and

A 350 million investment from British start-up Kloudpad in high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

A number of commercial deals will be signed during the visit, including a 350m investment from British start up, Kloudpad, into electronics manufacturing in Kochi, in southern India.

Detailing the aims of the visit, a spokesperson said: On trade, we really want to unlock the potential of the relationship on both sides. That means looking at how we can lay the groundwork before we leave the EU for breaking down existing barriers to trade that there are.

We are also going to be looking at how we progress towards having a more ambitious trading relationship once we are outside the EU.

We want to establish more of a dialogue to explore what that relationship would look like so that once we have left the EU we will be ready to move as quickly as possible to develop that free trade relationship.

On Friday, the Home Office announced changes in visa rules that introduce minimum salaries for high skilled workers, which could affect the numbers of Indian workers allowed to work in Britain, particularly in its burgeoning IT sector. Indian tech body Nasscom has called for a high-skilled worker mobility agreement with Britain, warning: A system that restricts the UK's ability to access talent is also likely to restrict the growth and productivity of the UK economy.

Ms May will address a business conference in New Delhi on Monday, before holding face-to-face talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She will also pay her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatma Gandhi during her stay in the Indian capital.

On the second day of her two-day visit, she will travel to Bangalore, the fast-growing tech and business hub in the south of the country.

She will also be accompanied by International Trade Minister Liam Fox.
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Donald Trump has branded President Barack Obama's response to a protester a "disgrace," accusing him of "screaming" at him.

"You have to go back and look and study and see what happened," Mr Trump told his supporters at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Friday.

"There was a protester, and a protester who like us. [Mr Obama] was talking to the protester, screaming at him, really screaming at him.

"If I spoke the way Obama spoke to that protester, they would say: 'He became unhinged!' And he spends so much time screaming at this protester, and frankly, it was a disgrace."

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

However, Mr Trump's version of events appears to differ significantly from reality.

While Mr Obama was speaking in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Friday, a protester in a military uniform and a beret stood up with a Trump sign.

As the pro-Hillary crowd booed the protester, Mr Obama told them: "Hold up! Hold up!"

He said: "You've got an older gentleman who is supporting his candidate. He's not doing nothing. You don't have to worry about him."

"We live in a country that respects free speech. Second of all, it looks like he might have served in our military and we got to respect that. Third of all, he was elderly, and we got to respect our elders.

"And fourth of all," he added. "Don't boo! Vote!"

Mr Trump repeated his claim at a rally in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday. He said Mr Obama was "screaming and screaming and screaming, just like the way he runs the country, no one listens to him".
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We know a lot about where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would try to take America as president. We dont know everything. After a campaign that feels like it started in the middle of the Bush administration  the first Bush  questions remain, large and small, that the candidates have left scattered across their domestic policy agendas.

Those questions are revealing. The details of campaign plans dont always become law, but theyre often the starting point for negotiations.

When candidates leave details unspecified, theyre being vague on purpose, either to put off tough legislative choices, tough political choices or both. Theyre also suggesting what parts of their plans they might radically change, or discard altogether, if they reach the White House.

As the race draws to a close, here are the five biggest questions left unanswered by Trump, the Republican nominee, on domestic policy.

1. What would he replace Obamacare with?

Theres no way around this: The Republican nominees unanswered questions are often bigger  more fundamental  than his Democratic rivals. Health care is a prime example. Like most in his party, Trump wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He promises to replace it with something better for consumers.

The details hes released, though, dont add up to what could realistically be construed as a conservative version of Obamacare, one that emphasizes market forces but still seeks to keep millions of Americans from losing insurance coverage in the event of repeal. He would let insurers sell across state lines, rely more on tax-free savings accounts for health care and attempt to reduce prescription drug prices by allowing imports of cheaper drugs from overseas.

Those ideas leave huge problems unsolved in the repealing of Obamacare; a leading conservative health care wonk, Avik Roy, calls them empty rhetoric. There are several more detailed conservative Obamacare alternatives. By stopping well short of them, Trump is able to make lofty promises about maintaining insurance coverage and keeping costs low, but voters arent able to evaluate whether he could deliver.

2. How many immigrants who are in the country illegally would he deport?

Trump vowed for a year to deport 11 million immigrants who remain in the United States illegally, an aggressive stance that was a driving force in his rise to the GOP nomination. He has since softened the stance. Maybe.

In recent months Trump has focused on a pledge to deport violent criminals and immigrants who have overstayed their visas, which likely means closer to 5 million people than 11 million. He said in a debate last month that his priority was going after bad hombres. But as recently as September, he reiterated his desire to deport all immigrants here illegally, the full 11 million, in a speech in Arizona.

The difference in those stances is a lot of money spent on immigration enforcement and a lot of impact on the economy, particularly the labor market.

3. What tax rate would he make some businesses pay?

Here is the very short version of what tax reporters call the Passthrough Mystery. Trump has proposed reducing the tax rate for businesses to 15 percent. He says that means all businesses, but his plans, after many rounds of revision, say otherwise: that at least some businesses will pay a higher rate, because their profit will be taxed as personal income for their owners.

Its still unclear which businesses would have to do that.

At issue is a corporate structure known as a passthrough entity, which is popular among small business owners and also the companies in Trumps own business empire. Even some individuals use the structure to report freelance income; for example, Bill Clinton does, for the money he makes from speeches. The question is how many of those entities would pay Trumps 15 percent business rate.

Trumps advisers have set some guidelines  essentially, that income previously considered business income will continue to be considered business income  that tax experts say dont clear up the picture. The more businesses eligible for the lower rate, the more Trumps tax plan will cost, which is why the question matters so much. By some estimates, the answer could mean piling as much as $1 trillion more onto the national debt. over the next decade.

4. What specific government spending programs would he cut?

Trump has promised at least $1 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade as part of his efforts to ensure his tax cuts dont add to the budget deficit. He says he would not cut Social Security or Medicare, and he wants to increase defense spending. That leaves a relatively small corner of the budget as his only choice for cuts: non-defense discretionary spending. He has a method for applying those cuts, called the penny plan, but it doesnt specify which programs would be chopped, so voters have no idea if he would be taking more from education, scientific research or any other part of the budget.

5. How he would ensure that no family would see a tax increase under his plan?

Trumps tax proposal would, on the whole, cut taxes for Americans at every income level. But, because he gets rid of some deductions, including two that mean big money for large families, studies have suggested his plan could end up raising taxes on millions of families.

US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures President Barack Obama embraces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on stage at the party's convention in Philadelphia US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland that was later found to have been cribbed in part from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton talks to reporters aboard her new campaign plane on Labour Day, 5 September, her first 'press conference' since 2015 (Getty Images) US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City in August, hours before reiterating his harsh immigration plans at a campaign rally in Arizona Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying his progressive vision for a transformed America would be best served by the defeat of Donald Trump Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Khizr and Gazala Khan appeared at the DNC to slam Trump for his stance on Muslim immigration, citing the case of their son Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat while serving as a Captain in the US Army in Iraq US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is doing better in polls than any third party candidate since Ross Perot, 20 years ago Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Green Party candidate Jill Stein (centre) marches with supporters in Colorado AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine at a rally in Kaine's home state in July, days before Ms Clinton tapped him to be her running mate Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Trump on the campaign trail with his vice presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appears at a Trump rally in Mississippi in August, where he told the crowd that he 'wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me'.

Trumps advisers say theyll make sure thats not true  by simply instructing congressional committees writing tax law to ensure no one sees a tax increase under the plan. They havent said how the committees would do that, and its not clear how they could, short of allowing taxpayers to choose between a new system and the old one.

Washington Post
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Small but steady. Those might be the words that sum up the lead Hillary Clinton holds in the polls over Donald Trump as the battle for the White House goes down to the wire.

With two days until election day, a flurry of polls gave the Democrat a small but persistent lead over her Republican challenger, as the two candidates continued to hit the battleground states in a frantic hunt for votes.

According to the latest NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday, Ms Clinton is on 44 points, with Mr Trump on 40. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson was at six per cent and the Green Partys Jill Stein had two per cent of support.

Clinton speaking at a rally in Florida on Saturday (AP)

Those who carried out the poll, said Ms Clintons lead had fallen from an 11 point advantage she held over Mr Trump in the middle of October, before the FBI said it was reviewing new emails in its investigation of the former Secretary of State.

Meanwhile, after running even with Donald Trump early last week, Hillary Clinton now holds a five-point lead in the latest Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll, as well as clear advantages on several personal attributes.

As Mr Trump flew to five states on Sunday, among them Minnesota, a state that has ten electoral votes and where polls suggest he trails Ms Clinton by six points, a final nationwide poll published by news website Politico placed him three points behind his rival  scoring at 45-42. An average of all polls collated by Real Clear Politics gives Ms Clinton a narrower lead  just 1.8 per cent.

 Trump rushed off stage at rally

The nationwide polls do not tell the entire story of what is happening on the ground in key battleground states. A calculation that takes into account such trends and battles by the FiveThirtyEight statistical website, headed by pollster Nate Silver, gives Ms Clinton a 64.2 per cent chance of securing the White House.

As Mr Trump hit the campaign trail in five states on Sunday, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, Ms Clinton was limiting her appearances to just two  Ohio and New Hampshire.

In Ohio, she was due to appear alongside LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavalier star, beloved in the state. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, her campaign was set to be joined by Khizr Khan, the father of slain US army captain Humayun Khan, who died while serving in the 2004 Iraq War and whose clashes with Mr Trump erupted this summer.
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Donald Trump is all over the map. The Republican nominee for president spent Saturday on a cross-country campaign sprint that began early with rallies in Florida and North Carolina before heading west to Nevada and at last Colorado, where he took the stage at Denvers National Western Complex a little after 10pm. Trump Force Ones flight-path was set to zig-zag back east on Sunday and Monday, with scheduled stops in six more states.

Recommended Read more The Independent view on the US presidential election

Many of the bases hell hit during this eleventh-hour blitz offer Mr Trump only the slimmest chance of victory on election day. But with less than 100 hours left before the ballots are counted, and with his path to 270 electoral votes still a steep uphill climb, his campaign appears to have calculated that his best shot at winning the White House is to punch a hole somewhere  anywhere  in Hillary Clintons so-called firewall of Democrat-leaning swing states.

This is not easy, he said, noting halfway through his stump speech in Denver that he was still on New York time. This is now one oclock in the morning Americas clocks went back on Sunday morning, so at least he had an extra hour of sleep to look forward to afterwards.

 What do Trump voters think of Clinton voters in Colorado?

Earlier on Saturday night, in Reno, Nevada, the property developer was hustled from the stage by Secret Service agents, after one of his supporters yelled gun! as they kicked and punched a protester. The man  who was, in fact, unarmed  later told reporters he had been holding not a weapon, but a sign that said: Republicans Against Trump.

By then, however, the social media rumour mill was already turning. Mr Trump himself returned to the stage soon after the fracas and did not mention the incident at his next rally, but one of his introductory speakers characterised it as an attempted murder, while the candidates son Donald Jr and his social media manager Dan Scavino both retweeted a false claim that it had been an "assassination attempt".

((Twitter))

This was Mr Trumps third visit to Colorado in the past eight days, as he puts his shoulder to a state where the Clinton campaign is piling furniture against the door to prevent him barging in. The former Secretary of State once enjoyed a solid lead in the Centennial State, which President Obama twice won comfortably. Yet with the race reaching its climax this weekend, her average poll lead here was down to less than three points.

Registered Democrats had claimed the advantage in Colorados early voting numbers after the polls opened here on 24 October, only for Republicans to pull even on Friday, with each party accounting for approximately 35 per cent of the votes already cast by the end of the week. Colorado is one of several swing states that just weeks ago appeared to be clear blue but are now turning shades of purple.

Ms Clinton has been to Colorado just twice for campaign events since the Democratic National Convention in July, but her surrogates have swarmed the state in recent days. The candidates husband, former President Bill Clinton, held a rally in Denver in Friday, while her erstwhile primary rival Bernie Sanders campaigned on Ms Clintons behalf in historically conservative Colorado Springs on Saturday afternoon.

So confident was the Clinton campaign in the summer that it stopped running campaign commercials in Colorado altogether, only to begin a fresh barrage of ads last week. What once looked like confidence may turn out to have been complacency. It has gotten ridiculously close, the states Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, told the crowd at Mr Clintons Denver rally. It shouldnt be anywhere like this close.

This year, for the first time, Colorado voters received their ballots in the post, and can choose to send them in or vote in person. The new system is conspiracy fodder for Mr Trump, who said last week that he had real problems with postal voting, suggesting election officials might toss out ballots cast for candidates they opposed. If you havent mailed your ballot yet, dont do it, he urged the crowd in Denver. Go in person to your local polling centre and drop it in.

Ms Clinton remains the favourite here, despite the narrowing poll margins. Democrats point to her superior ground game  the Clinton campaign has 30 offices in the state, staffed by some 20,000 volunteers  and to Colorados substantial Latino population. Around 15 per cent of the states eligible voters are Hispanic, a group who appear to have turned out in record numbers in nearby Nevada, and who are expected to vote overwhelmingly against the Republican.

But Mr Trump appears unmoved by the traditional signifiers of electoral strength. Were getting great poll numbers with the Latinos, he insisted, contrary to all the evidence. They love what Im saying. Noting his improved poll numbers in Colorado, he put his success down to his supporters enthusiasm. Why would anybody be enthused [by Ms Clinton]? he asked. We have record-breaking enthusiasm enthusiasm like probably theyve never seen before.

With the polls so erratic and events so unpredictable in the closing days of this bitter and protracted campaign, it is hard to know whether Mr Trumps last-ditch assault on Ms Clintons swing state firewall represents the desperate flailing of a drowning campaign, or whether this staggeringly unorthodox candidate has intuited electoral weaknesses that his opponent failed to spot until it was too late. On Tuesday, he will have his answer.
The Islamic State group on Sunday claimed responsibility for the killing of a Tunisian soldier at his home in a central region that is a major hideout for militants groups.

"A Tunisian soldier was assassinated in his home yesterday at the hands of Islamic State fighters in Mount Mghilla," the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said.

Public television reported late Saturday that a soldier had been killed at his home by unidentified attackers.

Citing defence ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati, the channel said army and national guard units had launched a search for the attackers.

Contacted by AFP, the defence ministry declined to comment.

Since a revolution in 2011, Tunisian security forces have been battling a militants movement responsible for the deaths of dozens of soldiers and police officers as well as civilians.

A total of 59 tourists have also been killed.

The country has been under a state of emergency since a string of deadly attacks in 2015, claimed by groups affiliated with IS group and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

IS group carried out three major attacks on Tunisian soil in 2015, killing 72 people.

In March 2015, militant gunmen killed 21 tourists and a policeman at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis.

The following month, 30 Britons were among 38 foreign holidaymakers killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the Tunisian city of Sousse.

That November, a suicide bombing in the capital killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

Authorities responded by declaring a state of emergency and a curfew in Tunis.

The curfew was later lifted, but the state of emergency has remained in place.

In March, dozens of militants attacked security installations in the town of Ben Guerdane on the border with Libya, killing 13 members of the security forces.

Seven civilians and 55 militants were killed, according to an official toll.

Several thousand Tunisians have travelled abroad to join militant groups in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

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After running even with Donald Trump early last week, Hillary Clinton now holds a five-point lead in the latest Washington Post-ABC Tracking Poll overall, as well as clear advantages on several personal attributes.

Enthusiasm for Clinton and Trump now stands at rough parity, both significantly lower than it was among supporters of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney four years ago. But Clinton has a clear advantage in affirmative support, with 55 per cent of her backers saying the main reason they are voting for her is because they support her, compared with 43 per cent of Trump voters. More Trump voters say they are voting for him mainly because they oppose Clinton.

The Post-ABC poll finds Clinton with a 48 per cent to 43 per cent lead in overall vote preferences, just on the edge of statistical significance but continuing a clear trend of improvement since the race was locked at 46 per cent at the beginning of last week. Clinton has benefited from more united support from non-white voters as well as with pure political independents who do not lean toward either party.

Clintons advantage in the tracking poll is slightly larger than her standing in other national surveys released in the past week. Clinton was up three points in a CBS News/New York Times poll, two points in a Fox News poll, one point in a McClatchy-Marist poll and tied in the IBD/TIPP daily poll released on Saturday  results that lean in her favor, but not by a significant margin.

The new Post-ABC poll asked voters which candidate they favored across five personal attributes debated during the campaign, including honesty, empathy, qualifications, moral character and temperament.

Clinton holds clear advantages on four of the five qualities, some by very large margins. By 58 per cent to 32 per cent, more voters prefer Clintons personality and temperament, and by 55 per cent to 36 per cent, more say she has better qualifications for the job than Trump does. The Democratic nominee also holds an eight-point advantage on the question of which candidate has a better understanding of the problems of people like you, and a seven-point lead when voters are asked which candidate has stronger moral character.

But Trump maintains a 44 per cent to 40 per cent edge over Clinton on which candidate is more honest and trustworthy, though that result is down from an eight-point edge earlier this week after the FBI announced the discovery of additional emails that might be relevant to from their investigation of her use of a private server while secretary of state.

While voter preference on candidate qualities seemed clear, they were more closely split on who they trust to deal with major policy issues. A previous wave of the Post-ABC Tracking Poll released this week found neither candidate held a double-digit advantage on trust to handle the economy, terrorism, immigration, health care or corruption in government.

There are sizable minorities of Trump and Clinton supporters who do not vouch for some of their personal qualities. About 82 per cent of Clinton supporters say she is more honest and trustworthy than Trump, while 18 per cent do not, saying neither is better than the other or that they have no opinion. Defections from Trump are sharpest on the issue of personality and temperament, with 27 per cent of his backers saying he does not have a better personality and temperament than Clinton; 17 per cent say he is not more qualified. Fewer than 2 in 10 of these voters say their vote for Trump is mainly because they support him, while more than two-thirds say they are mainly voting against Clinton.

Voters opinions on the personal traits of Clinton and Trump are closely tied to which candidate they support. But the poll finds the connection is closer on the question of which candidate better understand the problems of people like you. Fully 84 per cent of likely voters say they support the candidate who is more empathetic, while only 1 per cent choose the opposite. The connection is weakest for temperament, with 77 per cent supporting the candidate they prefer on this question while 6 per cent choose the opposite (nearly all of them Trump supporters).

The contrast between the candidates results on personal characteristics helps explain Trumps historically weak standing among white women with college degrees. In the 2012 election, Republican Mitt Romney won that group by six points. Today, the Post-ABC poll finds Clinton leads that group by 16 points, 54 per cent to 38 per cent.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

On all five attributes measured, white college-educated women prefer Clinton to Trump, and are more likely to say so than voters overall. White women college graduates are 12 points more likely than voters overall to say Clinton has better temperament than voters overall, 10 points more likely on moral character, nine points more likely on empathy, eight points on honesty and seven points on overall qualifications.

In contrast to Trumps struggles on personal traits among college-educated white women, he fared well compared to Clinton when it comes to being trusted to handle some top issues in a previous wave of the Post-ABC Tracking poll this week (where Trump fared slightly better in overall voting). Trump topped Clinton by six points on this group in trust to handle terrorism and national security, five points on handling corruption and four points on the economy, while trailing by seven on immigration and health care alike.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted on cellular and landline phones between 1-4 November, among a random national sample of 1,685 likely voters, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York.

Copyright: Washington Post
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Two days after a judge passed down an order designed to stop Donald Trumps supporters from seeking to intimidate minority voters, a higher court made up of Republican jurists lifted the restriction.

On Friday, a federal judge in Ohio issued a temporary restraining order Friday against the Donald Trump campaign, his former adviser Roger Stone and Mr Stone's political action committee from conspiring to intimidate, threaten, harass, or coerce voters on Election Day.

According to the order issued by US District Judge James Gwin, anyone who engaged in intimidation or harassment inside or near Ohio polling places, regardless of political alliance, would face contempt of court charges.

US media said the order stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Democratic Party, which claimed the Ohio Republican Party, the Trump campaign and Mr Stones Stop the Seal group were violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 by conspiring to keep minority voters from the polls.

USA Today said that as evidence, the Ohio Democrats pointed to comments from the Republican nominee, such as those he made in Pennsylvania at the beginning of October encouraging his supporters to watch the polls in certain areas.

You've got to go out, and you've got to get your friends, and youve got to get everybody you know, and you gotta watch the polling booths, Mr Trump said.

I hear too many bad stories, and we can't lose an election because of you know what I'm talking about.

Politico said that on Sunday, a three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief order halting the effect of the injunction.

 Trump rushed off stage at rally

We conclude that the Plaintiff did not demonstrate before the district court a likelihood of success on the merits, and that all of the requisite factors weigh in favor of granting the stay, the 6th Circuit panel wrote.
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Donald Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents at a Nevada rally after a man close to the podium shouted: "Gun!"

The politician was addressing a rally in Reno, Nevada when armed security officials took to the stage and quickly escorted him off.

There were signs of a struggle in the crowd, close to the podium where Mr Trump was standing.

The Republican nominee returned to the stage several minutes later to loud cheers from supporters. He told the crowd: "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped- never ever be stopped.

"I want to thank the Secret Service. They don't get enough credit. They're amazing people."

Recommended Read more The Independent view on the US presidential election

Mr Trump then continued his speech. He returned to the topic of Obamacare as well as military personnel and veterans. Referring to the incident, he told the crowd: "You see those medal of honour recipients? When they saw that scene over there, they would have brushed off the Secret Service and they would have jumped in there." He then gesticulated a fist fight.

A CNN journalist said a law enforcement source relayed they had received a report that a gun was in the crowd and a suspect is now in custody.

Eye witnesses reported seeing an individual escorted out of the venue by agents.

Armed police in military attire flooded the venue soon after.

A video posted to social media show police among members who the crowd, who appear shocked.

In a statement issued by Mr Trump's campaign team, he said: "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response."

Mr Trump's son and a top campaign aide later helped the spread of a rumour that the incident was an "assassination attempt".

Don Trump and Dan Scavino, who runs Donald Trump's social media operation, re-tweeted a message that read: "Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt."

And at Mr Trump's next rally in Denver, Colorado, a pastor introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, also falsely called the Reno incident "an attempt of murder against Mr Trump".

Mr Mahanna blamed the incident on the media for inciting hate against the Republican nominee.

In a statement, the Secret Service said a person in front of the stage had shouted "Gun!" but no weapon was found after a search. The person was apprehended and an investigation was taking place, it added.
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Cuban Americans in South Florida are at war with one another over the critical part their community will play in deciding who will win Florida on Tuesday, some convinced it will give Hillary Clinton the crucial extra votes to put her over the top, others adamant the opposite will happen.

This is the first time we are going to have a Cuban majority voting for the left of centre, Patrick Hidalgo, a former Deputy Director of Public Engagement in the Obama White House, declared from the small stage at The Ball and Chain, a restaurant and bar in Little Havana, Miami, where an energised group of Cuban-Americans for Clinton gathered on Friday night.

Recommended Read more I feel sick to my stomach when I contemplate the US election

Among those at the get-put-the-vote event was Manny Diaz, Mayor of Miami from 2001 to 2009 and a Cuban American, who told The Independent that it is Mr Trumps near-approximation to Latin dictators like Hugo Chavez and including Fidel Castro that is convincing even older members of the community to vote Democrat, many of them for the first time in their lives.

Yet, elsewhere others deeply involved in the communitys political activism firmly disagree, believing that while its votes in 2012 were evenly split between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012, ending five decades of sure-fire support by Cuban Americans for Republican candidates, this year the trend will be reversed with a majority once more going for Mr Trump.

Who is right could have profound consequences. Polls suggest that Florida is again on a knife-edge and any swing one way or another by Cuban Americans, who number 1.2 million in the state, could prove decisive. And by most accounts, should Ms Clinton repeat Mr Obamas record of winning the state twice, if by tiny margins, she will have extinguished Mr Trumps White House bid.

The former mayor says even his own 85-year-old mother, part of the generation of Cuban Americans who have supported Republicans ever since President John F Kennedy failed to give military support to the Bay of Pigs invasion of Castros Cuba in 1961, will vote Clinton.

They see Trump and it reminds them too much of a Castro or a Chavez because of that sort of caudillo dictator type of person. You know, elections are rigged, weve got to get rid of elections. What does that mean are we going to have a revolution? As soon as I get elected I am going to throw my opponent in jail? I mean thats the kind of thing you see in Third World countries, right? he said. I think thats having a very bad impact on Trump.

Carmen Pelaez, a film-maker who is first-generation Cuban-American, sees much the same thing. If you look at Trumps pattern, it is identical to the patterns of Fidel Castro, to Chavez, to any dictator that has taken over and destroyed any country in Latin America, she offered. They try to censor the press, they make excuses for their failures, they demonise their enemies, they are misogynistic and racist, they always try to scape-goat.

I would disagree, Carlos Diaz, a professor of government studies at Harvard University, said in response to the former mayors prediction. (They are old friends.) He is probably saying that as a Democrat first. I think we can see that Latin Americans can tend to like strong leadership and there is a fine line between strong leaders and autocratic leadership. If you like strong leadership and you think the country is going in the wrong direction, you want a strong leader.

Mr Trumps record on the Cuba issue is mixed. Recent reporting by Newsweek magazine revealed that his casino companies paid for consultants, in a deliberately roundabout way, to visit the communist nation in the 1990s to scout possibilities for a Trump development there. Though nothing came of that trip, it was in of itself a violation of the US embargo on Cuba, experts told the magazine. Mr Trump has yet to explain the nature of the foray. Meanwhile, asked last year by The Daily Caller, a conservative publication, what he thought of President Obamas rapprochement with Cuba, he replied: I think its fine, I think its fine, but we should have made a better deal. The concept of opening with Cuba  50 years is enough  the concept of opening with Cuba is fine. I think we should have made a stronger deal.

Recently he has tied himself to old-guard Cuban-American thinking that the embargo that Mr Obama wants lifted should stay. During a recent visit to Miami, he met with the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association and accused Mr Obama and Ms Clinton of helping the Cuban regime.

Professor Diaz believes Ms Clintons chances with the community were damaged by two recent acts by President Obama: the decision for the first time in decades to abstain in a UN Security Council vote condemning the US embargo and a new executive measure allowing US visitors to return from the island with unlimited amounts of rum and cigars. That was a big blow to the older generation in Miami, and they are the ones who vote, he said of the UN abstention.

Among younger Cuban Americans who have largely abandoned the pro-embargo fixations of their parents, Jesus Suarez, 32, stands out. When not at the Miami law firm where he works, he takes the time to appear in local media whenever possible to advocate for Mr Trump. He is infuriated by the notion he is a man who might flout the law in the manner of an autocrat, arguing that it is Ms Clinton who has shown herself unwilling to respect the laws of the land.

Hillary Clinton has a very shaky relationship with the rule of law. She, if she is elected, will be the first president-elect who will come into office under federal investigation, he argued this weekend. The way that Secretary Clinton served as Secretary of State on the one hand while her husband was running around the world collecting money from foreign governments was not only corrupt but it jeopardised national security. They think they are above the law and that puts them square in the same camp as Castro, Maduro and Chavez.

One who believes he has his finger on the pulse of the community is Juan Cuba  actually a Peruvian American  the head of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. He, perhaps unsurprisingly, sides with those who think Mr Trump is turning off more Cuban Americans in part because of his early insults directed at rapist and criminal Mexican immigrants.

The majority of Cuban Americans understand the Cuban embargo has not worked. They agree with the lifting of travel restriction so that Cuban Americans can visit their families back on the island. They agree with easing diplomat relations because that will help the people on the island. Those are things that Donald Trump wants to reverse on day one.
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There are so many campaign signs hammered into the roadside or plastered onto fences in the valley that follows the Levisa Fork River, that it is pointless to try and count them all. Yet the only ones that mention Hillary Clinton, are those suggesting she should be sent to jail.

There are a lot of places where Donald Trumps quick-fix political message - about bringing back jobs from overseas, against immigrants and about defending traditional industries - have resounded powerfully with voters.

But there was nowhere that topped Virginias Buchanan County when it came to voting for the New York tycoon in this years primaries. This Appalachian community, tucked away in the mountains near the borders with Kentucky and West Virginia and coloured by the reds and rust of autumn leaves, is officially the "Trumpiest" place in the country.

Nancy Looney and Jeanette Matney said there were only a few well paid jobs still in Grundy (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

I will vote for Trump, said Jeanette Matney, 46, whose husband until last year had a job in a coal mine she said paid $10,000 a month. After being unemployed for a year, he how works as a correctional officer at the Keen Mountain Correctional Centre she said now earns $1,700.

The mining used to be booming. The place where my husband was a miner probably now has no more than 100 people, she said.

When you lose that sort of money, you live on a budget, you send things back. You go to the grocery store and only get the things you need.

Buchanan County, which has an estimated population of 22,776 and of which Grundy is the county seat, came to the attention to political pundits earlier this year when it gave Mr Trump his biggest margin of victory during the Republican primaries. The 70-years-old may not have come within three hours of the county, but on March 1 people delivered him 69.7 per cent of the vote.

Of the 2,278 votes cast for Republicans, 1,588 went to Mr Trump, 313 for Marco Rubio and 266 for Ted Cruz. Ms Clinton won 523 of the 744 votes cast for Democrats.

Miners in Grundy can earn more than $90,000 a year (AP)

It is not hard to see why this small rural community, with a population that is 95 per cent cent white, rallied around Mr Trump with such intensity. It is one of many across the country that have seen the good times go, to be replaced by hardship, unemployment and depopulation.

At the heart of the community was the mining industry. It was hard, unhealthy and dangerous work; employees frequently suffered broken limbs, wore out their joints or else fell ill to black lung, or coal workers' pneumoconiosis.

One former miner, Paul Yates, who worked in the industry for 22 years and who was eating breakfast in a diner, demonstrated how he used to eat his sandwiches while lying horizontally.

But people said that workers took those risks after calculating they would be able to provide for their families with the healty salaries they provided.

There used to be no problem getting a job in the mines in the Seventies and Eighties, said Tim Ellswick, who was sitting next to a statue of a miner that stands outside the Buchanan County courthouse.

Virginia has seen mining jobs fall by almost 40 per cent in the last few years (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

The 54-year-old said he was not planning to vote on Tuesday; he said he had ever voted in a presidential election. But one of his friends, Lonnie Looney, said he would be casting his ballot for Mr Trump.

He did not think greatly of either of the candidates, but he believed Mr Trump was the best chance people here had to see the mines restored, and well-paid manufacturing jobs returned to America.

During the Seventies and Eighties, this place was booming, he said. You could not walk down this street thered be so many people on it, and shops and stores.

He said he thought Ms Clinton was guilty of having lied to the FBI. If Ive done something wrong, I have to pay for the consequences. I dont think she is any better than us, he said. In five years, in this community, everybody will leave. If you have money, you can stay. But if you need to work, you will have to leave.

The decline of the mining industry is not something unique to Buchanan County. As it is, the mountains here are a rich source of metallurigucal coal used in steel making. But reports have pointed out that Australia and Russia are also major providers of this type of coal, the price of which has tumbled by up to 75 per cent since 2011.

The Roanoke Times-Dispatch said that between 2011 and 2015, the number of coal mining jobs in Virginia fell from 4,867 to 3,033 - a loss of around 38 per cent. Earlier this year, one of the largest employers in the county, CONSOL Energy, sold its mine and assets in a $420m deal with Coronado IV.

Local people said that nothing had arrived to take the well-paying jobs provided that the mines provided. The only options for work were now in places such as Wal-Mart, or fast-food restaurants which pay minimum wages and and are rarely full time.

Unemployment in Buchanan County officially stands at more than 12 per cent, while a remarkable 20 per cent of residents under the age of 65 are on disability payments. Around 23 per cent of people live below the poverty line Obesity and diabetes are rife. The Atlantic magazine last year described Grundy as the sickest town in America.

People here feel Ms Clinton will do nothing to help. Indeed, they seize on a comment she made in a town hall meeting in March in which she said she was the only person with a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country.

There were only signs for Republican candidates in Grundy (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

Because were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business, right, she had said. And were going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people. Those people laboured in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories.

The people of Buchanan County did not appreciate the comment, which Ms Clinton said was spun out of context. In May, she was confronted by an unemployed miner, Bo Copely, who asked: How you could say you are going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs, and then come in here and tell us how youre going to be our friend?

Dirk Hall said listeners to his radio station were mainly supporters of Mr Trump (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

By contrast, Mr Trump has sought to portray himself as a friend of the mining industry and promised to cut back on regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Were going to bring the coal industry back 100 per cent, he said in a speech before the Virginia primary. If I win, were going to get clean coal and that technology is working. I hear it works.

A powerful insight into the views of the residents of Grundy was provided courtesy of the local radio station, WMJD, which plays a lively mix of classic country. One recent morning, the stations owner, Dirk Hall, invited The Independent to sit in and take calls from listeners.

One after another talked of the need to restore the mining industry, if the community was to have any chance of surviving. And they believed Mr Trump, and not Ms Clinton, was their best shot.

One woman caller said: Good morningWelcome to the United States of America, of which we are still very proud. But if Hillary gets in, it is going to be a different story.
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A young doctor who was stabbed numerous times by her Tinder stalker was extremely calm as she talked neighbours through giving her first aid.

Angela Jay, 28, was followed and attacked by a former boyfriend, Paul Lambert, 36, after ending her relationship with him, but he continued to bombard her with calls and messages.

Lambert was later shot dead after allegedly lunging at police with a knife following a 90 mile chase.

Recommended Read more Australian man found not guilty of Tinder date murder

The banker travelled from his home in Sydney to Port Macquarie and apparently stalked Dr Jay for several days, according to police sources cited by the Sydney Morning Herald.

He lay in wait in her house before ambushing her after she returned from work, pouring petrol on her and stabbing her multiple times.

Dr Jay managed to escape to a neighbours house to seek help.

She was extremely calm the whole time - we all kept each other calm, one of the neighbours told the Mail Online.

When she started dozing off I just kept her talking. Asking her mundane questions.

The neighbour followed first aid instructions in a bid to help stem the bleeding.

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It is unclear whether the doctors life was saved by her neighbours, but she survived the attack and has reportedly been released from hospital.

Lambert's vehicle was stopped in the town of Bonville after its tires were punctured by police officers.

He reportedly attacked officers with a knife and was shot after a Taser failed to work.

"These are some of the jobs that we dread," Northern Region Command Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy said.

"The police officers come to work each day to actually help the public and save people. However, it's a sad fact that we've got a very dangerous and difficult and challenging job at times, and that is why we train our police in self-defence tactics and the deployment of weapons so that they can keep safe and keep the community safe."
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Mariatu is only 16 but she looks older, she has two playful younger brothers aged 12 and nine. The boys are trying to eat the cassava leaf that is waiting in a pot on the floor in the kitchen for dinner. Mariatu scolds them teasingly and they all giggle. Her tiny house is in the backstreets of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. It is cluttered and dirty. Last year, at the age of 15, Mariatu became the head of the household. She had no choice: she lost both her parents to the deadly Ebola crisis that ended almost exactly one year ago.

Tomorrow at 11am, Sierra Leone will stand still for three minutes to remember the 4,000 people who lost their lives to the Ebola virus. Flags will be lowered to half mast and traffic will stop. The radio will fall silent. Mariatu is one of over 12,000 Ebola orphans that Street Child, a British NGO, estimates were orphaned when Ebola swept Sierra Leone in 2014-15. She is one of many child-headed households who are still desperately struggling to get by. In one year, her life has been turned upside down. She says: My mother attended a funeral service of a neighbour who died [of Ebola], when she came back she said that she felt feverish. My father accompanied her to the hospital. She died and my father came back to the house. A week later he started to vomit.

He advised us not to go near him and he stayed in my mothers room, we went to stay with a friend of theirs. My brother passed by the window of my fathers room and saw him dead inside. A burial team came to take him away. Until this day we dont know where he and my mother are buried. As she says these last words, Mariatu starts to cry. After my father died we were driven from the house as the owner was afraid of us and didnt want us to pass on the disease. Now we are back at my fathers house where we all live. I do petty trading to try and support both my brothers through school but it is very hard to raise the money for fees, books and uniforms. I also do all the cooking in the house. We receive support from no one, not even the community. We have aunts and uncles but they dont care and they dont help us.

I want to be somebody, I want to finish school and become a soldier. I also really want my brothers to finish education and get well paid jobs. I get on very well with both my brothers, we look after each other. After being noticed by a social worker from Street Child, Mariatu and her brothers will now receive support, but their plight is characteristic of the problems faced by the most vulnerable groups of Ebola-hit children, and there are many more like them for whom life has got worse since Ebola. Street Child CEO Tom Dannatt says: We have met with many teenage orphans like Mariatu who have taken on the burden of looking after their young siblings and are struggling to cope. Several have dropped out of school, sacrificing their own futures to try and make sure that their brothers and sisters can stay in education. Sadly, running a business and a household is proving too tough for many of them.

Posters remind people not to reject orphans of Ebola in Sierra Leone (Olivia Acland/Street Child) (Olivia Acland for Street Child)

Driving through Freetown today, peeling billboards stating do not reject the Ebola orphan and dog-eared posters telling you how to avoid Ebola are a visual reminder of the deadly epidemic that swept the land. On 7 November 2015 the small West African country of Sierra Leone celebrated an emotional liberation from the Ebola virus that had ravaged communities and decimated families. The President announced that the country was officially Ebola free and the world joined the jubilation, sharing the bye bye Ebola dance video as the crisis was declared over.

Today, the overcrowded Ebola treatment centres that filled our news channels with scenes of tragedy and horror at the height of the epidemic are eerily silent ghost towns. The checkpoints manned by armed guards who took your temperature and asked you to wash your hands are no more. Tomorrows anniversary will be a day of mixed emotions. It will be a celebration that the feared re-emergence of the disease has not happened. It will also recognise that there is barely a person in the country who didnt lose someone during the crisis and that many are still feeling the emotional, physical and economic impact today.

Whilst there has been some welcome recovery for many Ebola impacted families and thousands of orphans have been helped  Street Child has supported 8,000 Ebola impacted families with business grants in the last 18 months  some of the most at-risk orphans are still in acute conditions. The United Nations Popular Fund states that 18,119 teenage girls became pregnant during Ebola. Many of these girls were orphans like Kadiatu who exchanged sex for food to feed themselves and their younger siblings after losing their parents.

A new generation of babies born to teenage mums during Ebola now have a bleak future ahead of them if no one steps in to help. Street Child has identified 1,400 seriously at-risk orphans like Kadiatu and Mariatu who need substantial support. Many are in child or grandparent headed households, or are teenage mums. The charity wants to help them but urgently needs more resource to do so. For these children, the crisis is far from over. In fact in many ways it is at its most dangerous  international support and interest has largely moved on, and the economy has crashed.

The double kick of Ebola combined with a drop in the countrys main commodity, iron ore, has caused a devastating economic crisis that is making life even harder for those desperately trying to get back on track. In the last few months, food prices have rocketed and wages have stagnated. A bag of rice, the staple food stuff, has more than doubled in price since 2014. Last week UN food agencies and the Sierra Leone government published a report stating that half of the population now face food shortages. Recently, the government has been forced to implement formal austerity measures  a grim thought in one of the worlds very poorest countries. For many Sierra Leoneans, the hard times are about to get harder.

Kadiatu (left) exchanged sex for food in order to feed her family (Olivia Acland/Street Child) (Olivia Acland for Street Child)

A few hours drive south of Freetown, in Kenema, 24-year-old Douda stands in his late fathers medical clinic testing blood samples for diseases like Malaria. He is dressed in full medical protection clothing, complete with two sets of gloves and a splash guard for his face. He has taken on the same job as his father. The job that two years ago led his father to contract the Ebola virus that killed him and most of the family. It is no wonder that today Douda is extremely cautious to observe strict hygiene practices in his clinic. Thinking back to the time of Ebola, he says: I had been looking after my father before he was admitted to the treatment centre, then I started to feel ill and I knew what it was. I walked the mile and half to the centre to get tested. It was the British nurse, Will Pooley, who told me: Douda  you are positive for Ebola. I tried to help when I was being treated in the centre, to make jokes, keep peoples spirits up but it was tough  you would be talking to someone and the next minute they had gone crazy with the disease and passed.

Douda runs a clinic that used to be run by his father who died of Ebola (Olivia Acland/Street Child) (Olivia Acland for Street Child)

Only Douda and his little brother Richard made it out of the treatment centre alive. He says: I was happy to survive but it was also very hard. We had lost our family: my father, stepmother, grandmother, brother and sister. People did not want to speak to us, to help us. The only people who helped us were Street Child, they gave us psycho-social support, they consoled my heart and they stopped us from losing our house.

There is an extraordinary resilience in Douda, who is running his fathers business in spite of the daily reminder of what happened, and in spite of the stigma that he is still subjected to as a survivor of the disease. It is a resilience that is mirrored across Sierra Leone. Yet this resilience can only do so much. He says that his business is suffering because people are scared of the clinic: Life is hard because people are fearful of the laboratory since Ebola, the stigma here still exists. We need to overcome that, then business will get better.

Six months ago, Doudas main challenge was the stigma of Ebola, now, Sierra Leones economic collapse means that people simply cannot afford to use his services. Almost miraculously, Douda is still managing to make his business work but he is not turning a large enough profit to provide properly for his little brother Richard, so he has had to send the only remaining member of his family to live with a relative in another district. One year on from the end of Ebola, Sierra Leone is facing a new crisis. Street Child social worker George Quaker sums this up well, saying: Life, light and hope has returned to many communities one year after Ebola, largely due to the help of the international community and NGOs, but the economic downturn has given us a kick in the stomach. The nation is groaning in economic pain. This is the new crisis we face and it is worst for children and families hit hardest by Ebola.

To learn more about, or support, Street Childs work with children and families still devastated by the impact of Ebola, visit street-child.co.uk. Molly Hodson is Global Communications Director for Street Child
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A Syrian Kurdish and Arab force backed by US air strikes has launched an offensive against the Islamic States de facto Syrian capital at Raqqa aimed at maximising pressure on Isis when it is already under attack in Mosul in Iraq. Anti-Isis forces advanced six miles in the first four hours of the attack, capturing many villages and farms.

The move against Raqqa, a city of 320,000 people on the Euphrates River, is by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which numbers about 30,000 fighters, of whom 20,000 are seasoned Kurdish fighters and 10,000 are drawn from the Sunni Arab population of northern Syria. The US is keen not to provoke Turkey which has denounced the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) as terrorists.

US officers say that one reason for seeking to isolate and capture Raqqa now is that it is at the centre of planning and execution of Isis terrorist operations against Europe, the US and the wider world and they fear such an operation is about to be launched. General Stephen Townsend, the US commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, which is aimed at eliminating Isis, said last week that we know they're up to something. And its an external plot; we don't know exactly where; we don't know exactly when. He added that this uncertainty was creating a sense of urgency.

It would be keeping with Isis actions in the past that it seeks to counter-balance setbacks on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria by staging spectacular terrorist atrocities abroad that show that it is still to be feared and can strike when and where it wants. It carried out two suicide bombings in Iraq on Sunday killing 25 people and wounding 50 in the cities of Tikrit and Samarra.

The US-led war against the Caliphate declared after Isis captured Mosul in June 2014 has now reached a critical stage with Isiss many enemies closing in on all sides. Iraqi troops, whose offensive against Mosul started on 17 October, are meeting strong resistance in the east of the city with one unit surrounded and cut off for a time when Isis fighters appeared behind it.

The assault on Isis in both Syria and Iraq is very much orchestrated by the US and dependent on US-led airstrikes to destroy Isis positions. This may be more difficult to do as Iraqi army units move into Mosul which may have as many as 1.5 million people still in it. Some are seeking refuge behind the advancing government troops, but the numbers on the main road east of Mosul did not seem very large on Sunday, possibly because it is too dangerous for people to leave their houses and the Iraqi Army has told them to stay there.

The opening of the Raqqa offensive brings with its political complications that may exceed the military difficulties because Turkey does not want Raqqa to fall to a force dominated by the YPG, which is the Syrian arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting a guerrilla war against the Turkey Army since 1984. The US has been trying to avoid an armed confrontation between the YPG and Turkey or Turkish backed forces, a possibility that has grown since Turkey had its local allies seize Jarabulus and a strip of territory along the Syrian-Turkish border in August.

Recommended Raqqa citizens tell of Isis indoctrinating teenagers to fight and die

The mainly Kurdish SDF will be moving into a fertile area north of Raqqa where the population is Sunni Arab. There are doubts among the Syrian Kurds about suffering casualties trying to take an Arab city, which they cannot keep, when they would prefer to move west and link up their present swathe of territory with the Kurdish enclave at Afrin further west, but this is being resisted by Turkey. The Syrian Kurds are doing what the US wants because their future is very dependent on US military and political support. The SDF said it had received weapons from the US, including anti-tank missiles, and some 50 US advisers are reported to be accompanying the advance to call in airstrikes.

The SDF spokesman Talal Sillo was quoted as saying that we want to liberate the surrounding countryside, then encircle the city, then we will assault and liberate it, he said. Asked about the possibility of intervention by Turkey or its local allies, he replied: Of course, to begin the operation, we have made sure there will be no other forces but the SDF in the operation.

Underlining the complexity of the present situation, an SDF official, Rezan Hiddo, said Turkey has been an obstacle to the Raqqa campaign all along. He said that if Turkey moves against Kurdish areas in northern Syria then the Kurds would stop their campaign directed at Raqqa, adding: we cannot extinguish the fire in our neighbours house if our home is burning.

Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Policemen outside Rouen's cathedral during the funeral of Jacques Hamel, the priest who was killed in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy on 26 July during a hostage-taking claimed by Islamic State group Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two jihadists, both 19, slit Hamel's throat while he was celebrating mass in an attack that shocked France as well as the Catholic Church Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Muslims place flowers and hold a minute of silence in front of the church if Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, western France, where French priest Jacques Hamel was killed on 26 July Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Two people hold each other by the new makeshift memorial in Nice, in tribute to the victims of the deadly Bastille Day attack at the Promenade des Anglais Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice on France's national holiday. Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne truck into a packed crowd of people in the Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police work at a site where a Syrian migrant set off an explosive device in Ansbach, southern Germany, on 25 July, killing himself and wounding a dozen others Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis A Syrian migrant set off an explosion at a bar in southern Germany that killed himself and wounded a dozen others in the third attack to hit Bavaria in a week. The 27-year-old, who had spent a stint in a psychiatric facility, had intended to target a music festival in the city of Ansbach but was turned away because he did not have a ticket Friebe/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis Police officers walk along train tracks in Wuerzburg southern Germany on 19 July, a day after a man attacked train passengers with an axe. German authorities said they had found a hand-painted IS flag among the belongings of the man, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who seriously injured four members of a family of tourists from Hong Kong in his rampage Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images Terrorism in 2016: Terror attacks in Europe claimed by Isis German police killed a teenage assailant after he attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg, southerg Germany with an axe and a knife on 18 July, seriously wounding three people Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/AFP/Getty Images

Isis is using its traditional mixture of suicide car bombs, snipers, booby traps and Improvised Explosive Devices, but these no longer create the terror they once did. Counter-measures are more effective. Major General Maan al-Sadi told Iraqi state television that Isis fighters had launched more than 100 car bombs against his forces in east Mosul, which is only one of the fronts in the fighting. A Counter Terrorism unit came under attack from the rear after advancing into east Mosul, when Isis fighters emerged from houses behind them and isolated the convoy, preventing reinforcements from getting through. Surrounded and low on ammunition, they had to shelter in houses before they finally got out on Saturday. He Isis news agency Amaq released footage on Sunday of captured or destroyed military vehicles, including the burnt wreckage of a Humvee it said was taken in the eastern district of Mosul. Fighters shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) and unloaded ammunition and communications equipment.
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British special forces in Iraq have reportedly been handed a list of 200 British jihadis to kill before they attempt to return to Britain.

SAS soldiers have been told to use whatever means possible to kill or capture the militants, according to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper quoted a senior defence source as saying: A kill list has been drawn up containing the names of hundreds of very bad people. A lot of them are from the UK. The hunt is now on for British Islamists who have effectively gone off-grid."

This is a multinational special forces operation. The SAS have their own part of the plan and they will be going after British nationals. This is a kill or capture mission and it has already begun."

We do not have exact numbers of UK nationals in Iraq. The figures which have been in the press are just estimates. We know there are British people in Iraq, but we have no idea of their identities."

Thats the challenge we face. There is a lot of international co-operation because its regarded as a global problem.

 Rebel fighters launch offensive against Isis

Estimates suggest there could be up to 700 British jihadis still fighting for Isis in Iraq and Syria. The SAS hit list focuses on the 200 most senior members that pose a direct threat to the UK. Reported to be included are at least 12 bomb-makers who studied electronics at British universities before fleeing to the Middle East to join Isis and other terrorist groups.

The list of British men and women has been compiled from intelligence supplied by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and is said to include Sally Jones, a mother-of-two from Kent who is now in Syria working as a recruiter for Isis.

Any jihadis captured are likely to be handed over to Iraqi authorities to be tried. They could face execution if found guilty.

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

Sources said SAS soldiers have been told the mission to kill or capture the Isis operatives could be the most important in the regiments 75-year history.

The teams of specialist soldiers are based at the headquarters of US Joint Special Operations Command near Baghdad. They are also tasked with providing advice and support to Iraqi forces as the attempt to retake the city of Mosul from Isis.

Up to 100 members of Britains special forces are believed to be operating in Iraq and Syria to combat the threat from homegrown jihadis working with Isis.

The possibility of Isis being defeated in Iraq has raised the prospect that British people currently fighting for the organisation in the Middle East will return home and plan attacks on UK soil.

The Ministry of Defence would not comment on the existence of an SAS hit list. A spokesperson said: We cannot comment on issues of special forces involvement.

Previous strikes by the British military on UK citizens fighting for terrorist groups led to accusations the government was carrying out illegal assassinations.

In 2011, then Prime Minister David Cameron faced questions after ordering a lethal drone strike against two British citizens fighting for Isis in Syria. It was the first time British drones had targeted British citizens, although the United States has being targetting US jihadis abroad for some time.

The apparent change in military policy was condemned by Amnesty International, which called the move extremely alarming and accused the UK of conducting summary executions from the air.

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and peer Baroness Jones sought permission for a judicial review of the policy.
Turkey's president says allied Syrian opposition fighters are fast approaching the Syrian town of al-Bab, a stronghold of the Islamic State group.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech Sunday that "our aim is to go to al-Bab and expel them toward the south," adding that the opposition fighters were up to 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the town.

He did not comment on an announcement by Syrian Kurdish-led forces that they had launched an offensive to recapture the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the extremist group's self-styled caliphate.

Both groups of Syrian fighters have been battling IS in recent months, but they have also turned their guns on each other. Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish forces as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency in its southeast.

The Turkey-backed forces have vowed to drive both IS and the Syrian Kurdish forces from the border.

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At least six children have been killed in Syrian government shelling on a nursery in a rebel-held suburb in the capital of Damascus, a monitoring group has said.

The activist-run Unified Medical Bureau of Eastern Ghouta reported the death toll and said medical facilities in the suburb of Harasta received tens of wounded children and adults following the attack.

The locally run Education Directorate blamed government forces for the shelling, which happened around 10am local time, during the first recess of the day.

It said more than 25 children were wounded in addition to the six killed.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also blamed the Syrian regime for the attack. An AFP photographer said they saw the body of one a girl lying on a bed at a makeshift hospital, her face bloodied and her clothes torn.

At the nursery, smears of blood were left on the tiled floor, underneath a small red slide propped against a wall painted with children's drawings.

In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Syrian citizens check a damaged house that targeted by the coalition airstrikes, in the village of Kfar Derian, a base for the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a rival of the Isis group, between the northern province of Aleppo and Idlib In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A Syrian boy (L) looking at a destroyed car that activists say was targeted by the coalition airstrikes, in the village of Kfar Derian, a base for the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a rival of the Islamic State group, between the northern province of Aleppo and Idlib In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Parts of a missile that activists say was fired by coalition airstrikes, in the village of Kfar Derian, a base for the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a rival of the Isis group, between the northern province of Aleppo and Idlib In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Tthe guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) launching Tomahawk cruise missiles against Isis targets In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria The USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) launches a Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Red Sea, to conduct strike missions against Isis group targets in Syria In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) launching a Tomahawk cruise missile against Isis targets in Syria, as seen from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Arabian Gulf In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria US navy sailors standing watch on the bridge while Tomahawk cruise missiles are launched against Isis targets in Syria, aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), in the Arabian Gulf In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria An F/A-18C Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Arabian Gulf, to conduct strike missions against Isis group targets AFP/Robert Burck In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria The US-led airstrikes in Syria against Isis targets in and around the city of Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A fighter from the Isis group holds a piece of what the IS is saying is a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in the Syrian city of Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Fighters from the Isis organisation pray at the spot where the jihadist group said a US drone crashed into a communications tower in the Syrian city of Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Fighters from the Isis group load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in the Syrian city of Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Fighters from the Isis group load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Fighters from the Isis group gesture as they load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in Raqqa. A US-led coalition on carried out its first air strikes and missile attacks against jihadist positions in Syria, with Damascus saying it had been informed by Washington before the operation began In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A Syrian man rides his bike past a communications tower that was destroyed after a US drone crashed into it, according to fighters with the Isis group, in the Syrian city of Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria People inspect a shop damaged after what Isis militants say was a U.S. drone crashed into a communication station nearby in Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A man holds the remains of what Isis militants say was a U.S. drone which crashed in Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria Resident gather in the back of a van the remains of what Isis militants say was a drone which crashed in Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A man inspects the remains of what Isismilitants say was a U.S. drone which crashed into a communication tower in Raqqa In pictures: Syria air strikes (2014) Syria A man inspects the remains of what Isis militants say was a U.S. drone which crashed in Raqqa

Harasta is in the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus. The region is regularly targeted by government air strikes and shelling.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

 UK Ambassador gives damning speech to UN after Russia's security council veto over Syria

Earlier, US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced the start of a campaign to retake Raqqa, the de facto capital of Isis in Syria.

The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces comes more than two weeks after US-backed Iraqi forces began a campaign to clear Isis militants from their stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.

Additional reporting by agencies
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It's about 11.30am Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu time (which is an hour ahead of the mainland Maldivian capital Male; the private island having taken the brilliantly hedonistic decision to literally alter time to allow for more sunset cocktails) and I'm sat cross-legged on a cream chaise longue in robe under a thatched hut roof surrounded by old books and sipping green tea.

I've been barefoot for four days now, and in that time I think I've seen every colour of blue on the spectrum, including, yes, that otherworldly cerulean of the sea that it turns out doesn't only exist in brochures (on day one, I spent a solid 15 minutes splashing it with my hands like a toddler just to check it's real).

I couldn't tell you what day of the week it is and frankly I don't care.

Nearly 99% of the Maldives is water, and flying over it via seaplane to the resort, having been on the infinitely more prosaic method of transport that is the London Underground a few hours before, it looks like a completely different planet. Ringed atolls pucker the ocean's surface like diagrams of eyes, and you're immediately aware of just how incredibly remote each island is.

(Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

The Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is isolated then, but not isolating. It offers all the modern conveniences we require these days, but crucially not to the point where you lose that 'desert island' feeling. The Wi-Fim for instance, is understandably patchy in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but after an initial millennial crisis I actually warmed to this as I recalibrated to island life and now my phone is mostly discarded.

Today, I have chosen to blissfully do nothing, but the island actually has plenty to keep you entertained, which came to the relief of someone who can stand approximately 2.5 minutes of sunbathing.

A typical day at the Coco Palm has unfolded like this:

- Wake up at sunrise in my villa (a beach one, but they also have those classic ones you think of on stilts in the water) and wander to one of the resort's restaurants (all floating lotus leaves and zen music) for some passionfruit plucked from vines grown on the island

A good haul from one of the resort's staff (Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

Goofing around at sunset among the palm trees (Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

- Head out on snorkeling trip to hang with some turtles and manta rays

- Return for lunch, then just sort of get repeatedly stroked against the white shore by the sea out the back of my villa, surrounded by a staggering variety of luminous fish

- Maybe a little pool in the main reception. Maybe some badminton if time

- Shower/bathe for the evening (in an outdoor shower/bath no less) before sticking on a smart shirt and trousers (which is fun when you're still barefoot - making you look like a shipwreck victim)

(Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

Dolphins spotted not far from the island (Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

- Drinks at the beach bar, which was formally a lagoon bar but the tides change from year-to-year, and watch the sun set slowly and then all of a sudden

- Dinner, which on some days involves barbecued fresh fish and lobster on the beach, and then cocktails at the Conch Bar

- General nighttime beach wandering, being unable to hear anything except the lapping of waves

I could rave for ages about the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, but this is best typified by one Ananth, a waiter who noticed I was enjoying my first taste of Maldivian dish mas huni (a mix of tuna, coconut, chilli and lime) and ordered some to arrive for me for dinner at the resort restaurant while we were still on a different island.

A turtle nest fenced off with bamboo to ensure its safey (Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

The turtle rescue centre under construction (Photo: Alan Schaller/The Independent)

All this luxury and pampering is why people head out to the Maldives, but the resort is doing a lot to assuage concerns about its effects on the environment. The Coco Palm has an on-site marine biologist, actively fights the use of ghost nets, bottles its own water (in glass bottles), makes a staggering amount of its supplies there on the island, and is currently building the Olive Ridley Project Turtle Rescue Centre (above), which will help nurture the many sea turtles that walk up onto the island to lay eggs.

Hanging up my robe and putting my shoes back on, which now feel like medieval instruments of torture, I decide I could definitely have beared to stay a few days/weeks longer.

Rates for an Ocean Front Villa start from US$418 (approx. 340) on a b&b basis, based on two people sharing.

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Airbnb is in the middle of a legal battle with the state of New York to combat a new law against short-term rentals. It follows a bill, recently signed by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, that will fine tenants or landlords for renting out their apartments for less than 30 days. The aim is to prevent people from converting their apartments into hotels without paying tax.

In its defence, the platform for short-term rentals has provided evidence that the vast majority of its NYC hosts list their apartments at most once per month and not every month. It is fighting the ruling with a lawsuit.

Despite the high-profile nature of this case, legal action is not the companys normal recourse for success worldwide. In fact, aside from the infamous cases of New York, Barcelona and Berlin, Airbnb has been welcomed around the world due to its collaborative approach.

When Airbnb enters new markets, it is quick to communicate with the local authorities and community there. It is known to approach city officials as soon as it enters a new city to start working together for its success. The comparison has even been made with ride-sharing platform Uber, which prefers to let its service grow independently.

In its work with city officials, providing useful information is also an integral part of Airbnbs strategy. In London, for instance, Airbnb provides the mayors office information about the growth of tourism in the outer boroughs of the city to help it spread the economic benefits across the city, rather than keeping it centralised. In other cities such as Paris or Amsterdam, the partnership with local authorities has become much more formal with Airbnb starting to collect tourist tax from its users on behalf of the local authorities.

Airbnb is also known to give back to the communities that it enters. As part of its aim to have a win-win relationship with the local community, for example, Airbnb organises regular events for hosts. This is to provide them with information and help with a variety of issues  from fire safety or taxation, to how to provide a better service to guests. These meet-ups are usually hosted at local museums or other cultural institutions, which helps hosts familiarise themselves with attractions in their neighbourhood and pass on their first-hand experience to guests.

A complementary service

Airbnbs main argument in defending its position as complementary rather than in opposition to hotels is that its average host provides this service in the home they live in, and only when they are away. In London, for example, Airbnb has described its average host as someone who opens up their home for about 50 nights and earns 3,500 per year by doing so. In addition, almost three quarters of the listings are outside the main tourist areas and in places where there arent enough hotels.

In a recent survey, which we developed jointly between Warwick University and Imperial College in the UK, Mark Kennedy, Antoine Vernet and I looked at individuals attitudes towards the sharing economy, using a large sample that is representative of the British population. Our results confirm that the majority of sharing economy users and providers in the UK have an average income below 40,000 and use or offer these services once every few months.

Thus, these individuals are not multiple homeowners trying to evade taxes. A local law change in 2015 means that Londoners do not have to file taxes for renting their rooms or homes for up to 90 days, earning up to 7,500 annually.

On the other hand, when we asked people who had heard of but not yet used sharing websites such as Airbnb, the one thing they said they needed to start sharing was training. With this as the primary reason for not sharing, Airbnbs complementary approach in local communities has helped the company do well in many cities, making the controversies in New York, Barcelona and Berlin rare events.

Airbnbs experience in New York also highlights that the degree of friction it faces also depends on the extent to which hotels launch an offensive against these new services. In New York, for instance, the Hotel Association of New York City announced in 2015 that Airbnb caused a US$2 billion loss to their business, urging its members to engage in collective action against the company. This has resulted in tremendous pressure on city officials to ban the service.

As we show in another research project on how start-ups can enter highly regulated markets, Airbnbs collaborative approach to city officials and local communities is the only sensible route for a company that is dependent on local regulation. But it will always be weighed against the voice and collective power of the incumbents whose revenues they threaten  as is the case in New York.

Pinar Ozcan, Professor of Strategy, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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As long-time readers will know, The Independent has no affiliation to a political party or other partisan standpoint. We have taken stances on a great many issues, of course, based on the available evidence and in light of its analysis by our editorial staff: when new evidence emerges or situations change, we reconsider our positions as appropriate. When political elections have come around  particularly in the UK  we have urged readers to consider the key issues for themselves and to exercise their right to vote. We have sometimes, but not always, given an indication of which party we believe offers the most compelling manifesto for government.

After 30 years, The Independent has reached the point in its existence when as many readers are in the United States as the United Kingdom, thanks to the expansion of our online readership. Moreover, the election on Tuesday is arguably the most important in Americas history, with the choice on offer to the US electorate staggeringly stark. Its outcome will also have ramifications for the rest of the world. For that reason alone, and because our readers have asked us, it seems only right that we should address the question of next weeks presidential election in America, just as we would a general election in Britain.

We accept that for many it is hard to be enthusiastic about either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. It is a sign of the dysfunction of Americas political system that a process which has dragged on for 18 months has thrown up the two least trusted and unpopular candidates in the countrys recent history. Were they running against almost any other opponent from the other party, both would be near-certain losers.

 What to expect from the US election

But that does not imply the two are similar. The Trump and Clinton visions of America and its role in the world are radically different. For Americans, Britons and everyone else on the planet, the outcome will be momentous, with consequences for the very fabric of the international order.

What has unfolded in the US since Mr Trump declared his candidacy in June 2015 has much in common with the wave of populism sweeping the rest of the West, fuelled by fear and resentment of immigration, globalisation and supranational institutions in general, and stoked by anger at apparently out-of-touch and self-perpetuating domestic elites who failed to prevent the financial and economic crash of 2008, the aftershocks of which still reverberate. These forces contributed heavily to the Brexit vote. They are driving nationalist parties in France and other European countries. In America, the beneficiary is Mr Trump.

He has, it must be said, rendered two signal services with his campaign. He has exposed the hypocrisy that runs through much of todays Republican party, and he has brought to national attention the fact that millions of his countrymen have lost faith in the system. Trump voters certainly include an unpleasant and ultra-nationalist alt-right. Far more of them however are ordinary middle- and working-class people, mostly white, who have seen their jobs and prospects vanish, and feel ignored and betrayed by their natural champion  a Democratic party that can give the appearance of being more concerned with minority rights and political correctness than in reviving Rust Belt America.

But Mr Trumps virtues end there. He is a man of breathtaking ignorance, vanity and shallowness. He exhibits alarming racist and xenophobic beliefs. He has mocked and threatened Mexicans and Muslims. He has a staggering disregard for the truth. His contempt for women is a disgrace. He has dragged political discourse down to levels until now unimaginable in an American presidential election, to the point of urging his opponent be sent to jail.

Breaking earlier assurances, he refuses to release his tax returns, unlike every White House candidate since Richard Nixon. His admiration for autocrats and tyrants is sinister, to put it mildly. His casualness about nuclear weapons is frightening. His concept of foreign policy, insofar as he has one, is purely transactional: whats in it for the US? If that means the end of the Nato alliance, too bad. Such attitudes set the worst possible example to a world that still looks to America for leadership. Mr Trump, in short, is utterly unfit for the most powerful office on earth.

US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures President Barack Obama embraces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on stage at the party's convention in Philadelphia US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump's wife Melania delivered a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland that was later found to have been cribbed in part from Michelle Obama's 2008 convention address AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton talks to reporters aboard her new campaign plane on Labour Day, 5 September, her first 'press conference' since 2015 (Getty Images) US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City in August, hours before reiterating his harsh immigration plans at a campaign rally in Arizona Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton, saying his progressive vision for a transformed America would be best served by the defeat of Donald Trump Reuters US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Khizr and Gazala Khan appeared at the DNC to slam Trump for his stance on Muslim immigration, citing the case of their son Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat while serving as a Captain in the US Army in Iraq US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is doing better in polls than any third party candidate since Ross Perot, 20 years ago Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Green Party candidate Jill Stein (centre) marches with supporters in Colorado AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Hillary Clinton and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine at a rally in Kaine's home state in July, days before Ms Clinton tapped him to be her running mate Getty US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Trump on the campaign trail with his vice presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence AP US election 2016: the race for the White House in pictures Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appears at a Trump rally in Mississippi in August, where he told the crowd that he 'wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me'.

Hillary Clinton is anything but perfect. A fixture in national politics for a quarter of a century, she is the embodiment of an insider elite  so much so that the truly historic fact that she would be the first woman to occupy the Oval Office is often taken for granted, if not completely overlooked.

She sits atop the most powerful machine in Democratic politics, probably in all US politics. But she is secretive to a fault, sealed away behind a praetorian guard of longtime advisers, and inclined  as Clintons are  to assume there is one rule for them and another for everyone else. Such a mindset helps explain the fiasco of the private email server she used while Secretary of State. One may criticise the FBI for reopening the matter days before the election, but her problem is entirely self-inflicted. Nor is she an inspiring campaigner: opportunistic, sometimes paralysed by caution and lacking any compelling vision.

Campaigning, however, is not governing. If her record as Senator and Secretary of State is any indicator, she has the makings of an extremely competent president. It is hard to imagine a better-qualified candidate for the job (a job, admittedly, for which there is ultimately no adequate preparation).

As her debate performances showed, she is a master of the issues. In foreign policy she might be more assertive than Barack Obama, especially towards Russia and China  no bad thing, many would argue. But she is an internationalist who would maintain and foster the Wests key alliances, and work constructively on the great questions of the day, from the Middle East to human rights and global warming.

At home, she is well aware of the countrys needs, alive to the left-wing populism that made Bernie Sanders so dogged a primary opponent. Her instincts might make her defer to Wall Street, but her political nous will tell her otherwise. In a Clinton administration, Obamacare, the most significant healthcare advance since Medicare/Medicaid in the 1960s, would be preserved and improved. Mr Trump, by contrast, has vowed to rip Obamacare apart.

Most important, as she proved in the US Senate, Ms Clinton is a pragmatist who is able to work across the aisle. Nowhere are such qualities needed as in polarised and hyper-partisan Washington. It would be a tragedy if Americans failed to make her the 45th President, even if only as the perceived lesser of two evils.
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A woman who wins a case in the High Court is bombarded with rape and death threats. Judges ruling on a point of law are paraded as enemies of the people. A Cabinet minister describes those same judges, whose independence is part of this countrys centuries-old constitution, as trying to thwart democracy. Has British politics ever felt this toxic?

Whichever way you voted on 23 June, the referendum seemed to be a healthy day for democracy. More than 30 million people voted, including many of those who normally feel disenfranchised in elections. For a moment, the referendum had restored public trust in politics that had collapsed in the wake of the expenses scandal. It was a straightforward ballot, and the result was clear.

But now, nearly six months on, that trust is on the verge of collapse once again. The failure of Theresa May to make clear what Brexit really means, and her determination to trigger Article 50 to withdraw from the EU without spelling it out, is partly to blame. Her evasiveness has created a vacuum in which no one knows what is going on: ignorance reigns.

Vacuums in politics are dangerous, and allow extreme and authoritarian rhetoric to take hold.

 Landmark Brexit Ruling: What happened and what happens next?

Yet May is not the only Prime Minister responsible for the current mess. Under David Camerons lead, the Remain side failed to make a plan for Brexit because they refused to believe it would happen. The Leave campaign were divided on what Brexit would really involve and gave a misleading account of its attractions in order to seduce voters. As a result, no one was clear about whether Brexit would be soft or hard, leaving the UK with access to the single market or without.

While everyone should respect the result of the referendum, the challenge now is for politicians, from the Prime Minister down, to start being honest and clear  or risk squandering any public trust that remains.

For a start, May should recognise that the High Court ruling on allowing Parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit is the right decision under our law. She should then stop trying to balance the competing desires of left and right in her own party and set out, for the good of all voters, what Brexit will mean: soft or hard. Then she should seek a mandate for this by calling a snap General Election.

The resignation of the Tory MP Stephen Phillips who, despite being a Leave supporter, wanted Parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit, was a harbinger of the discontent across politics with the current confusion. It makes an early election more likely, because Ukip could win his Lincolnshire seat and cut deeper into Mays tiny majority. The Prime Minister should want her own mandate and must be tempted by the prospect of a comfortable Commons majority to implement her own agenda. But a snap election would also be the best thing for the health of British politics.

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

While referendums, which by nature pose a black or white choice, inevitably end up dividing a nation and leave a large proportion of voters feeling robbed, general elections have a more cleansing, settling effect. There are some who oppose our first past the post system, but its the one we have and not many can describe our election results as unfair. The EU referendum campaign was short on facts and high on hysteria, on both sides. An election campaign would force all parties to draw up manifestos, and make pledges on which the winner will be held to account.

There would be a proper debate on Brexit, because we would know what it really means. The debate would be elevated out of the toxic swamp where it currently resides into the clean, fresh air. Amid all the talk about the sovereignty of the British people, the Prime Minister should let them have their say  but this time with full knowledge of all the facts.
Gardai were at the scene

A man has been stabbed to death in Dublin's south inner city, gardai say.

The victim, aged in his 60s, was discovered at Robinson's Court, off Cork Street, at around 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon.

He was taken by ambulance to St James Hospital but was pronounced dead there a short time later.

Gardai at Kevin Street are investigating the incident.

The scene has been sealed off for a technical examination and the State pathologist has been asked to attend.

Forensic experts from the Garda Technical Bureau are also expected to carry out an examination of the scene.

A Garda spokesman said: "Investigations are continuing."

Detectives have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Hundreds of secondary schools across the country are to remain shut indefinitely after crunch talks over a pay row collapsed without a deal.

Education Minister Richard Bruton said he is very disappointed last gasp negotiations with the Association of Secondary School Teachers' of Ireland (Asti) over the weekend failed.

"This will cause huge disruption for 200,000 students, and their parents, with particular stress caused for those in exam years," he said.

"Asti have effectively decided to close hundreds of schools indefinitely, as a result of a dispute which essentially relates to one hour a week of additional duties.

"Monday's withdrawal from supervision and substitution duties, and consequent closure by Asti of hundreds of schools, is explicitly not about new entrants pay, but about the Croke Park Hours - one extra hour each week for the 33 weeks of the school year."

Asti has said its 17,500 members will refuse to carry out supervision and substitution duties as part of the industrial action over pay for supervision as well as equal wages for recently qualified teachers.

More than half of the country's 735 schools face closure as a result.

In a statement, the union said it is "regrettable" that the planned withdrawal from supervision and substitution will go ahead, citing "no progress" on key issues.

"Teachers who are members of the Asti will turn up for work as normal tomorrow but will not engage in supervision and substitution duties," the statement said.

The union said it will continue contacts with the Department of Education and Skills in the coming days.

Mr Bruton insisted a "good deal" is already on the table.

"I would again urge Asti to consider it seriously, so that we can end this dispute and limit the disruption to parents and students," he added.

"I am also disappointed that the Asti refused to cooperate with any contingency plans, both not allowing their principals to co-operate, and by not giving schools enough time to advertise, recruit and have external supervisors Garda vetted.

"As a result, hundreds of schools will be forced to close tomorrow to protect the health and safety of students and staff".
The find was made in a planned gardai operation

Two sub-machine guns are among a stash of weapons seized in a planned operation in north Dublin, detectives have revealed.

Three handguns, two silencers and ammunition were also among the find during the search of an unoccupied car in Cabra on Saturday night.

Gardai said there were no arrests made at the scene.

The planned operation was carried out by the Garda drugs and organised crime bureau and the Garda special crime task force.

A Garda spokesman said an investigation surrounding the recovery is ongoing.
Theresa May has vowed she will not allow her hands to be tied in negotiating a post-Brexit future for Britain, as she travelled to India on a mission to lay the groundwork for an "ambitious" trade deal.

In an indication that she will not allow the UK's preparations to be held back by EU rules blocking members from striking bilateral deals, Mrs May intends to use the three-day trip to seek official-level talks to pave the way for a post-Brexit free trade agreement, as well as moves to break down existing barriers to commerce and investment.

On her first trade mission as PM, Mrs May was joined by representatives of 33 companies from around the UK in an effort to "reboot an age-old relationship (with India) in this age of opportunity".

Officials said the trip would see commercial deals sealed to create 1,370 jobs in the UK, as well as the establishment of a new UK-India "smart cities" urban partnership with the potential to unlock opportunities worth 2bn.

Following the setback of last week's High Court ruling that she must seek Parliament's approval to trigger talks to withdraw from the EU, Mrs May issued a warning to Remain-backing MPs and peers that they must "accept what the people decided" rather than try to block Brexit.

And she indicated she remains determined to resist demands from Labour and other parties to spell out her negotiating strategy for withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the EU treaties, insisting that "putting all our cards on the table" was "not in our national interest".

The trip comes as the Government prepares to appeal against the judges' decision in the Supreme Court in a bid to preserve Mrs May's chances of hitting her target of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.

The PM will hold more than two hours of talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, as well as meeting business leaders in the capital New Delhi and southern commercial hub Bangalore.

Speaking ahead of her departure, Mrs May said: "While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

"It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

"And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

Britain and India were "natural partners" with shared interests in delivering jobs, developing new technologies and tackling terrorism and climate change, said Mrs May.

"This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity," she said.

"It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain."

Mrs May is likely to face pressure from her hosts about the availability of UK visas for Indian workers and students, amid unease over higher salary thresholds for skilled workers announced by the Home Office just days before her arrival as part of ongoing efforts to reduce non-EU migration.

Indian tech body Nasscom has called for a high-skilled worker mobility agreement with Britain, warning: "A system that restricts the UK's ability to access talent is also likely to restrict the growth and productivity of the UK economy."

Meanwhile, the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), A Didar Singh, warned that UK-Indian trade faces a "double hit".

"Exports from the UK to India have been declining," Mr Singh told The Guardian.

"Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you've lost 18% of your pound's value. So if I'm sending something to the UK and getting a lower return on it, I'm going to have a think about that. It's a double hit."

Among deals expected to be confirmed during the visit are:

:: A 1.2 million joint venture between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India to set up a manufacturing plant for rail projects;

:: A 15 million imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai by Lyca Health UK; and

:: A 350 million investment from British start-up Kloudpad in high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

Both governments are also due to sign an intellectual property co-operation agreement, while the UK will commit to extending assistance to help India improve its business environment, which has seen it languish in 130th place in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index.

Joining Mrs May on her visit were International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, trade minister Greg Hands, as well as business figures including Standard Life chairman Sir Gerry Grimstone, Standard Chartered chairman Sir John Peace, Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes and Aviva CEO David McMillan, as well as a number of small businesses.

Mrs May is also due to pay her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatma Gandhi during her stay in New Delhi.

Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup confirmed Mrs May would face questions over visas, telling The Observer: "In the last five years or so, the number of Indian students enrolling in UK universities has gone down by almost 50% - from around 40,000 to about 20,000 now. This has happened because of restrictions on post-study stay in the UK.

"We will continue to raise our concerns regarding mobility with the UK. Mobility of people is closely linked to free flow of finance, goods and services."

Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable said his efforts to forge a UK-India trade deal during the coalition were "screwed up" in part by Mrs May's decision as home secretary to scrap the post-study work visa, which had allowed Indian students to pursue jobs for two years after graduation.

"May in particular was very obstructive of any attempt to make a genuine generous concession, and that was one of the things that screwed up the negotiation," Sir Vince told The Observer.

India's high commissioner in London Dinesh Patnaik told the Mail on Sunday: "Students, tourists and short-term visitors are not migrants under any definition.

"Post-Brexit, you need Indians. Our tourists ... don't come to Britain due to difficult visa conditions."

Downing Street said the UK had "a strong story to tell" about making visas available to attract the "brightest and best from India to the UK.

Meanwhile, the Community union has urged Mrs May to press the New Delhi authorities to use their influence on Indian firm Tata to act as a "responsible employer" towards its steel workers in Britain.

The Sunday Telegraph obtained a letter from the union's general secretary Roy Rickhuss, telling the PM her trip "could be pivotal in securing the future of this vital industry of strategic importance".

Speaking at Heathrow before heading off to India, Mrs May sad: "I'm very pleased that this is my first bilateral visit outside of Europe and it's to India.

"India is a key strategic partner with the UK and I'm pleased also that I'm taking a number of businesses with me - not just large businesses but small and medium-sized businesses as well, because there are huge opportunities for British business in trading with India, and we know that we have significant investment here in the UK from India.

"So this is a really important partnership and I'm going to be building on that in the discussions I'm having in India."

Asked if she was ready to compromise on the terms of Brexit following the High court setback, Mrs May said: " I think what we all have to remember - and MPs and peers have to remember - is we had a vote on June 23, a majority of the British people voted to leave the EU. The Government is now getting on with that.

"I want to ensure that we get the bet possible deal for the UK as we leave the EU. That's the best possible deal for trading with and operating in the single European market.

"But alongside that the UK will be a confident outward-looking nation taking its place on the world stage, looking to build relationships around the globe.

"That's exactly what trips like this to India are about - building those relationships for future opportunities for the UK."
M11 Business Campus offices can be let for 17.50 per sq ft

Lisney are offering businesses the opportunity to rent modern office accommodation in the first of three newly-constructed 35,000 sq ft units just off the M11 at the newly-developed M11 Business Campus in Gorey, Co Wexford.

Located within a 30-minute drive of Dublin's M50, and 70 minutes south of Dublin Airport and Dublin Port, the M11 Business Campus is according to the agents "an ideal base and investment for domestic and global companies".

Connected via integrated efibre and NGN capabilities the first unit which is now available for letting comprises four storeys of detached modern facilities extending to approximately 3,000 sq m with a main ground floor reception area and lifts serving all floors.

The space can be divided into offerings of between 500 sq m and 2,000 sq m subject to occupiers' requirements.

The building's main tenant currently is Wexford County Council.

They intend to provide a modern, micro-business environment on the premises through the development of the 'Hatch Lab'. It will offer business supports and services within a 5,000 sq ft open plan co-working space, similar to that already found in existing tech hubs in Dublin and elsewhere around Ireland.

The Lab's clients are set to include start-ups and micro-enterprises.

With a strong commuting pattern into Dublin from the wider Gorey region, particularly in the ICT and professional services sectors, the agents believe the M11 Business Campus represents "an excellent opportunity" to reverse commute or locate staff in the Wexford and Wicklow areas where they might avail of lower house prices or lower rental accommodation costs.

Requirements for additional office space at the campus can be accommodated on a pre-let or pre-sale design-and-build basis for similar three/four storey office buildings adjacent to the existing premises.

Agents Lisney are offering space with an asking rent in the order of 188 per sq m (17.50 per sq ft) providing a competitive alternative for tenants looking to locate in the south or west suburban districts of Dublin.

Occupiers of the new M11 Business Campus will also benefit from a loyalty card for the adjoining Amber Springs Hotel and Health Spa.
Sources report that the initiative of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed on a peace deal for Yemen may come to fruition, spurred by a last ditch visit to the region of John Kerry

A Yemeni source has told Ahram Online that continuous visits of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed to Sanaa and Riyadh have encouraged rapprochement among warring parties in Yemen.

The source  who attended one of the meetings that Ahmed took part in earlier this week  stated that the situation will "positively impact" the process of finalising a peace deal, ahead of an expected visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East

Before the start of the US presidential race on 8 November, Kerry is expected to make a final push for a peace deal in Yemen during a visit to Abu Dhabi and Muscat.

Among other demands, the Saudi delegation that met Ahmed recently in Sanaa  according to the same source  called for halting military confrontations on the Saudi-Yemeni borders.

Another Saudi-based Yemeni source told Ahram Online that Saudi Arabia wants Houthi militants and troops of Ali Abdullah Saleh to be redeployed inside Yemeni territories in a manner that keeps them 40 kilometres away from the Saudi borders.

The source did not specify whether or not the Houthi-Saleh alliance made a similar demand. But talks will most likely include implementing similar arrangements on the Saudi side, even if the element of distance remains unspecified.

For the Houthi-Saleh bloc, the Sanaa-based source revealed that Saleh demanded transferring the powers of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to a vice president to be decided by the parties involved in the conflict.

The source refused to discuss what political figures may be nominated for the vice presidential post. Meanwhile, Saleh demanded that the vice president be authorised to take decisions without waiting for Hadi's approval.

The source pointed out that Saudi Arabia does not accept this demand.

Responding to a question on whether Saudi Arabia is seeking to produce a deal that is close to the Gulf-sponsored agreement  which allowed Hadi to become president in 2012  the source confirmed the interest of Riyadh to reach such an outcome.

He stated that Saudi Arabia is seeking "personal immunity" for Hadi himself and for his decisions, even if he stays in Saudi Arabia.

On a military level, the source said that the Houthis will withdraw from Sanaa, Al-Hadida and Taez one month after the finalisation of the deal  in case such a stage is reached  in return for Houthi representation in the next government.

Regarding the issue of disarming the Houthis, specific talks will be held on this issue, as it has not been included in talks so far.

The source said the first stage in implementing the potential peace agreement will involve the economy. With economic deterioration clearly witnessed in the country  especially Sanaa  the Shia Houthi militants and their ally Saleh are willing to solve the problem of delayed salaries, even if through the central bank in Aden.

It is not clear yet who will pay the money.

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Proposed new tax breaks in the Finance Bill will fuel an existing commercial property bubble in Dublin.

They'll do this by making commercial property investment, mainly by large foreign landlords, entirely tax free. This will drive up commercial rents, suppress residential development, put Irish banks at risk, and deprive the State of much-needed funds.

As far as I can tell, no other European country offers a tax-free environment on commercial property.

And in light of our recent property bubble, fuelled by foreign capital, it's difficult to understand why it's being proposed.

Particularly because we already have a bubble in commercial property in Dublin. Surveys by CBRE and Knight Frank show Dublin to be the second most expensive city in the Eurozone to buy high-quality office property.

This isn't due to build costs - international surveyors provide comparative data showing Dublin build costs in line with other Eurozone countries.

It isn't due to demographic or geographic pressures - Dublin's population density is low, and the city is surrounded by suitable development land.

And yet, grade-A commercial property currently sells for 6.4 times more than it costs to build.

In Europe, only Paris and London have higher multiples. And that, in anyone's book, is a bubble. Well, almost anyone's.

Large real estate agents who sell commercial property are paid as a percentage of sales price.

So high volumes of sales, at high prices, make them a lot of money. Some will insist there's no bubble, that it makes perfect sense for this small city on the edge of Europe to have some of the highest prices on Earth.

They'll point to yields from commercial property as being very reasonable. Exactly the arguments we've heard before, from about 2004 to 2008.

This bubble damages the economy. Commercial rents have been spiralling in the capital, nearly doubling in the past two years. That's bad for business, and bad for consumers.

Residential development is being suppressed. Right now, decent commercial property in Dublin is selling for more than 1,200 a sq ft, while residential property sells for about 500 a sq ft.

So naturally, developers and owners of zoned land are highly incentivised to build offices, rather than homes.

The bubble also puts the Irish banks at risk. There are numerous new safety valves in place since the Crash, but the last thing anyone wants is for our domestic banks to be lending into another property bubble.

Part of what's driving this bubble is a raft of recent tax breaks.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were introduced in the 2013 Finance Act.

As one international fund puts it on their website, Irish REITS, "unlike other property companies, distribute their income in a highly tax-efficient manner".

Irish Collective Asset-Management Vehicles, ICAVs, were introduced in 2015.

They are described as follows by a leading law firm: "The ICAV is treated, for Irish tax purposes, as a corporate vehicle which is fully exempt from Irish tax on its income and profits."

Qualified Investment Funds (QIF) are another legal vehicle used by property investors to ensure tax efficiency, allowing profits be rolled up for several years.

And Section 110 status is used by many so-called vulture funds to lawfully pay minimal or no taxes in Ireland.

What the lawyers and accountants have figured out is that if you combine various tax-efficient mechanisms (let's say a QIF with a Section 110, or an ICAV with non-domiciled status), then property investors can move from being tax efficient to completely tax-free.

The Finance Bill should be targeting this behaviour to ensure taxes are paid, rather than avoided. Up to now, commercial property in Ireland hasn't generally been marketed to foreign landlords as tax free.

Many people in the sector believe that, while tax-free status might be possible, it's not what was intended.

But that's all about to change.

The Finance Bill creates a new legal classification known as an Irish Real Estate Fund, IREF.

Once investors hold property for five years, they'll be exempt from all capital gains taxes. It goes on to state that IREFs will, however, pay 20pc dividend withholding tax, DWT.

However, it then exempts from this almost every domestic and foreign landlord who buys Irish commercial property.

The era of the so-called vulture funds is coming to an end, as the ECB's negative yields policy has made most EU real estate too expensive for them.

According to CBRE, more than 80pc of all future Irish commercial property investment will come from foreign pension funds, life assurance funds and other Collective Investment Undertakings (CIUs) which includes REITs.

All of these will be exempt from DWT.

Irish pension funds are already exempt from taxes in Ireland.

However, notwithstanding some exceptions, they don't get exemptions from taxes when they invest in other countries. Generally, countries don't give tax breaks to each other's pension funds, and DWT cannot be reclaimed.

It's unclear then, why Ireland would now choose to give such tax breaks to foreign pension funds investing here.

Similarly, Irish life assurance companies were never exempt from Irish taxes. They do make use of tax deferral mechanisms such as QIFs, but pay their taxes at exit from those schemes.

But not for long. The Finance Bill makes genuine efforts to stop tax avoidance by the so-called vulture funds.

This could bring in 10 to 20bn in new taxes to the State in the coming decade. Industry sources working with the vulture funds are confident they can still bypass these new measures, but some additional changes can make this much more difficult.

However, it would be a great tragedy to win the battle and lose the war.

As it stands, the Finance Bill will effectively take commercial property, one of our biggest asset classes (possibly our biggest), outside the tax net.

There's no obvious reason for doing this. Other countries don't. We're already experiencing a bubble. It's making things worse for the business community and for people looking to buy homes.

It would cost the State billions in coming years in foregone taxes.

And for what?
An American Mink is about the size of a small cat but has a long body, a small head, very short legs and a long bushy tail.

Wild mink are not a protected species and they can be controlled by farmers, landowners, game shooting clubs and others, according to Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys.

The Minister was asked this week about her views on the control measures on the feral mink population in the Munster area in particular and the success rates of same.
The bitter debate over changes to the laws governing hedgecutting in Ireland comes to a head in the Seanad this week.

The proposed changes to Section 40 of the Wildlife Act are contained in the Heritage Bill 2016 which is set to be debated by senators this Wednesday.

The current law prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from March 1 to August 31, during the nesting and breeding season for birds and wildlife.

The proposed changes, being introduced by Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, provide for a two-year pilot law that would allow hedgecutting in August and burning in March and therefore give farmers and landowners an additional month to complete each of these activities.

Farmers are in favour of the Bill, so much so, that the Irish Farmers Association recently completed a round of lobbing of Senators to ensure that the Bill is progressed through the Oireachtas.

According to Thomas Cooney of the IFA, the proposed measures to extend hedge cutting and gorse burning on a pilot basis, must be immediately introduced.

They are balanced and will facilitate better land management and road safety, he says.

He also welcomes a new research programme which will investigate whether the changes have any impact on wildlife during the pilot phase, saying this will facilitate a fact-based approach to future decisions in this area.

The measures in the Bill provide for a pragmatic approach to addressing issues such as overgrown hedges impacting on roads and vegetation management, while ensuring the protection of biodiversity. I would be hopeful of a positive response to the Bill in the Seanad this week.

Opposition

The Irish Wildlife Trust, Birdwatch Ireland, An Taisce, and the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland are all opposed to the provisions in bill which they describe as unjustified and damaging to natural heritage.

The groups are asking citizens to write or email a Senator to highlight their concerns about this Bills impact on the environment.

According to the opposed groups, during these months, birds are trying to lay eggs and raise chicks and other wildlife, such as bees and hedgehogs, are still dependent on these ecosystems.

Strong data already exists showing that birds are nesting during August and March, however there is a severe lack of scientific data to suggest that these changes to the Wildlife Act would not have a disastrous effect on wildlife, including wild bees and threatened birds such as yellowhammer and curlew.

Significant research over at least 3 years would be needed before the proposed changes can be safely made introduced, they say.

In addition, the groups highlight that a reason this Bill has been proposed is to allow for cutting of hedgerows in August for road safety reason but there already exists legal exemptions to the Wildlife Act to allow cutting where there are road safety issues.
His passion for writing about rural life was ignited when Tommy Marren was just a school boy in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.

Born and raised on a family farm, the Midwest Radio presenter recalls how every evening he'd land home from school, get out of his uniform and jump straight into his wellies and overalls.

"My childhood was all about farming, going to the bog, saving the hay and oats, the whole lot. I'd be out farming before I'd sit down to do homework," he said.

Elderly farmers, wise pensioners, and colourful characters in his local community also supplied endless creative fodder that has had a lasting impact.

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"I always had a great fascination with the language used by old bachelors living in Tubbercurry because they had nobody to help them, they were great characters and I'd write down the old sayings they'd come out with, I was surrounded by material," he said.

Although his interest in writing emerged when he was a teenager, Tommy only began writing seriously in 2007.

"I've written five major plays and they've all been about rural Ireland. I was born in 1962, so I grew up post having to walk to school in your bare feet and having two meals a day. We had shoes, telephones, electricity and running water. But I was always interested in listening to older people telling stories of the era I had just missed," he said.

"They had no mod cons at their disposal, yet they were able to eke out a way of life and a great ability to converse with one another and help one another in a way that we weren't used to ourselves growing up," he said.

In 1985 Tommy starred and co-wrote comedy sketch 'Heaven Help Us', which won an All-Ireland Senior Scor title. In the early 1990s he penned a comedy entitled 'Band of Gold', however, 'The Banshee of Crokey Hill' was his first major success followed by 'It's the Real McCoy', which he describes as his most popular play.

Tommy, whose latest production 'Nobody is Talking To Me', set in the 1960s, will hit the stage next year, says there is still a huge appetite for rural stories.

"When we started doing rural play it was predominantly for the blue wrist brigade, the older generations, retirement groups, ICA groups were coming to see them but as word spread, younger people are loving it," he said.

After 27 years at Midwest Radio, in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, Tommy says sharing rural stories is more important than ever,

"In Dublin they laugh at our announcements of a missing cow or stray cat, but that's what local radio is, it's community. We give people what they want, not what we think they want," he said.
Mobile first has become a common call to arms for anyone involved in any online enterprise. It's supposed to be a reminder that audiences now use smartphones first and browse on desktop later. But there's a problem with this yawn-inducing adage: as mobile continues to become the primary method of interacting with the web, it's becoming totally meaningless.

We're emotionally connected to our mobile devices like nothing before. According to YouGov, 82pc of smartphone owners check their phone within an hour of waking up, while 86pc of 18-34 year olds do so within half an hour. The smartphone is now the primary source of news for 30pc of owners, rising to 42pc among 25 to 34 year olds.

Desktop, by contrast, is becoming a work terminal. A recent ComScore report referred to it as a "secondary touch point", which now only accounts for a third of all digital time spent. The same report found that 65pc of digital media time was now mobile. By almost every measure mobile is now the main man. Last week media agency Zenith produced its Mobile Advertising Forecasts, which examines 60 key markets. Zenith found that mobile accounted for 40pc of internet use in 2012, but will grow to account for 75pc of global internet use by 2017, rising to 79pc in 2018.

And where the users go, the ad dollars follow. Zenith expects global ad spending to hit $539bn this year, for example. And mobile will become an ever-increasing part of the advertising equation.

Zenith predicts mobile will spike 48pc this year, reaching $81.3bn, which is slightly higher than its previous forecast. Zenith has also boosted its 2017 forecast for mobile advertising growth to 33pc, up from its June prediction of 29pc.

Mobile's ascendency is borne out across all markets. According to the IAB in the UK, mobile has now overtaken desktop. UK advertisers spent 802m (905m) on mobile display ads in the first half of 2016, compared to 762m (860m) on PC and tablet display advertising. That's an increase 56pc on the same time last year. While, recent figures from the IAB in the US were even more staggering. The 2016 Half-Year Report stated that mobile revenue climbed to $15.5bn(13.9bn), up 89pc from $8.2bn (7.3bn) for the same period in 2015. It now represents 47pc of total internet advertising revenue.

On this side of the pond, the IAB has just released its Mobile Audit Report, which audited the top media spending in retail and finance across seven European markets. It turns out that over 80pc of retail and finance brands in Europe have sites optimised for mobile; over half of retail brands and three quarters of finance brands have a dedicated mobile app; and two thirds of all retail brands have a functioning ecommerce mobile site.

According to ad tech firm Criteo, we've reached a tipping point in terms of mobile transactions. Its recent report on the state of mobile commerce analysed over 3,300 online retail businesses and 1.7 billion transactions across desktop, mobile sites and apps. It found that the leading mobile retailers are now seeing 50pc of their sales generated from mobile, apps are twice as powerful as the mobile web for generating sales, and that verticals like fashion and luxury, mass merchants, sporting goods and home have all enjoyed double digit growth year on year.

But the most telling indicator of the growth of mobile didn't come from any report or study - It came from Google's decision to split its web indexing in two, making the mobile index more prominent than the desktop version. This idea isn't new. It was first mooted by Google at last year's SXSW festival, with the latest announcement coming at Pubcon in Las Vegas last month.

Currently, Google has a single index of documents for searching the web. However, the search giant recently announced that it is soon to create a separate mobile index which will become the primary index that the search engine uses.

A separate, secondary desktop index will be set up and maintained, but it won't be updated as regularly as the mobile index. It'll be a second-class citizen of search.

Once desktop is relegated by Google, it may well join Betamax, the Apple Newton and laserdiscs on the scrapheap of technology curios.
Dearbhail McDonald Group Business Editor at Independent, who won the Media category award at the annual Irish Tatler Women of the Year Awards 2016. Credit: Fergal Phillips

INM journalist Dearbhail McDonald was honoured at the Irish Tatler Women of the Year Awards last night.

Dearbhail was awarded the Media Woman of the Year accolade at a ceremony at the InterContinental Hotel in Dublin.

The judges' citation said: "Dearbhail is known for her integrity and drive.

In her new role as group business editor at Independent News & Media, she is not one to shy away from digging deep into the heart of what matters to the Irish people."

The overall Woman of the Year Award went to Olympic medallist Annalise Murphy.
'He's been telling it for years, at every birthday party, every chance he gets, the same ridiculous story, till you can't stand it anymore. It's the story of a boy who bought himself a goldfish. It's so lame. You probably heard it. No?' Photo: Depositphotos

You should meet my dad, seriously. The lamest guy I know. Like, I love him and everything. It isn't that.

It's more, you give him a chance to do something right and he'll always do it wrong. He's like the Government. You need him, but he's useless.

This one day we're in town, my dad and my brother Max and me. It wasn't long after my mum went away. It was close to Christmas time and all. Tinsel. Fake One Direction posters. We'd gone to look at the lights and walk up and down Grafton Street, which my dad loves doing, though I've never known why.

I was upset about my mum leaving, and so was Max. And my dad was, too. But I don't want to go there. Anyway, we're done, and we're about to head home, when he stops right there in the middle of the street and stares at me.

He's like, 'Where's the car?'

And I'm like, 'Dunno.'

'I can't remember where I left it.'

'Huh?'

'Was it Wicklow Street or Drury Street?'

'Dad, I'm nine! I don't know!'

This policeman comes down the street. On a horse.

And my dad's like, 'Sorry there, guard, I wonder if you could help me. I'm after losing my car.'

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'You're what?'

'Not losing it, exactly. I'm after forgetting where I parked it.'

'Where did you leave it?'

And my dad's like, 'I haven't a bogging breeze.'

'You're after losing your car?'

'I know. It's ridiculous. Can you help me to find it?'

'But where did you last see it?'

'Well If I knew where I last saw it it wouldn't be lost.'

And the horse makes a snort. Like it's laughing.

And dad's looking at me weird like. Dumb klutz.

Another annoying thing about my dad, he fancies himself as a storyteller. If my friends come around for a play date or something, he won't leave us alone to do something educational like play Xbox or Minecraft, he always has to tell us a story. And it's always the same one.

He's been telling it for years, at every birthday party, every chance he gets, the same ridiculous story, till you can't stand it anymore. It's the story of a boy who bought himself a goldfish. It's so lame. You probably heard it. No?

This kid buys a goldfish. You sure you never heard this? Obviously, you never met my dad, in that case. Well, one day the kid puts his hand into the bowl and takes the goldfish out for a second or two before putting it back in the water. And it doesn't die.

The next day, he takes it out for five seconds. And it doesn't die. Then six seconds, then seven, every day another second. And still the fish doesn't die. And over time, he trains that goldfish to stay out of the water for 60 seconds, then five minutes, then nearly half an hour. And it doesn't die.

Then one morning, he's taking the fish in its bowl into school because he wants to show the teacher this remarkable thing: a goldfish that can stay out of the water for three full hours. But as he's walking along by the canal, he trips, and drops the bowl, and the goldfish falls into the water. 'Where it drowns.'

And my dad falls around laughing. And all the kids look at him. Lame.

It's just one of the 50 million dumb things he does: tell the same story over and over and swear that it's true.

And I've been putting them all in a book. Called Dumb Things My Dad Did.

The first one was marry my mum.

This story appears in Looking At The Stars - a limited edition anthology of Irish writing edited by Kerrie O'Brien and Alice Kinsella to raise money for the Dublin Simon Community. Several contributors will be giving a public reading from the book at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin next Saturday, November 12. lookingatthestars.ie
ASTI talks with Government ended without resolution tonight, meaning that approximately 200,000 students wont be able to attend school tomorrow.

The action is going ahead after talks between senior Department of Education officials and ASTI leaders ended tonight, with no progress reported.

Education Minister Richard Bruton accused ASTI of closing  hundreds of schools indefinitely, as a result of a dispute , which essentially relates to one hour a week of additional duties.

Members of the 17,500-strong Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) , are withdrawing from supervision and substitution duties from today, forcing about 400 schools to close on health and safety grounds.

Parents and students have no idea when they will re-open.

The confusion will be compounded tomorrow when even more second-level schools about 500  will be shut by a separate one-day strike by the ASTI. Tomorrows stoppage - the second in a series of seven threatened before Christmas  is linked to a demand for pay equality for new entrant teachers.

The withdrawal from supervision and substitution arises from the unions rejection of the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA) and its consequent decision to stop working the 33 Croke Park hours. Because of this, ASTI members are not receiving the benefits of the LRA, including 796 a year for supervision and substitution, which triggered the unions move to withdraw from these duties from tomorrow.

Speaking this evening following the breakdown in negotiations between the Department of Education and Skills and the ASTI, the General Secretary of the Joint Managerial Body Mr John Curtis said the following:

We very much regret that talks between the Department of Education and Skills and the ASTI have concluded without agreement and that so many of our schools are not in a position to re-open tomorrow.

Schools cannot open because of the Health and Safety implications of the withdrawal of ASTI members from Supervision and Substitution duties in our schools. This is unfair to thousands of students and their families who will be affected. We urge both sides to continue talking and to come to a resolution for the sake of all involved."
No arrests were made in connection with the seizure (Stock picture)

A drugs haul worth around 320,000 was taken from a home in west Dublin as part of an intelligence led operation.

Gardai seized cocaine and cannabis herb from a home in Ballyfermot following a planned search yesterday.

The operation was carried out by Gardai attached to the Special Crime Task Force and to the Ballyfermot District Drugs Unit.

During the course of the search, 2.5k of cocaine and approximately 7k of cannabis herb was recovered.

No arrests were made in connection with the seizure.

Investigations are ongoing.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."

"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.

"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the group.

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A new Swiss chocolate bar has been developed to "ease period pains".

Most of us turn to chocolate (and pizza and wine) when the first stab of period pain kicks in but we do it to combat our sugar cravings more than anything else.

However, a chocolatier from the central Swiss town of Lucerne, has claimed his chocolate can soothe period pain.

Frauenmond (translated as 'women's moon') is made by Lucerne firm Chocolate with Love, headed by Marc Widmer, a pastry chef who has worked for some of Switzerland's top hotels, including Arosa-Kulm and the Palace Lucerne.

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It contains 60 percent cocoa solids and 17 Swiss mountain herbs and Widmer claims the combination of ingredients can alleviate womens menstrual pains by creating a soothing effect on the body.

Speaking to local newspaper 20 Minuten, Widmer said he had the idea for the chocolate three years ago, after meeting a family who produced a herbal tea of the same name.

Billed as the first healthy chocolate for women, its supposed health benefits come from the interaction between the herbs and the molecules in the chocolate (including the bodys natural mood-lifter serotonin), which produces a calming effect on the body, said the paper.

But it's important to remember that the handmade chocolate is not a medicine and if you do suffer from bad period cramps, it's best to speak to your doctor.

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Widmer emphasised that the chocolate can also be enjoyed by men.

The cramp-combating chocolate is currently in the crowdfunding stages, so if you fancy trying some you'll need to donate through Funders.
A British father is attempting to raise 1m for charity by becoming the first person in history to swim the Atlantic Ocean.

Ben Hoopers daring 1,883-mile challenge kicked off this morning at 10.30am when he set off from Senegal, west coast of Africa, en route to Natal in Brazil.

During his swim the 38-year-old will be supported by a support boat and crew, including a medic, body therapist and an official observer from the Guinness World Records.

The former policeman from Gloucestershire previously served in the Army, and will swim for up to 12 hours a day for four months, braving the threat from 20ft waves, storms, and underwater predators.

Ever since childhood I have dreamed of swimming across the giant Atlantic monster we call an Ocean, he said

Her depths, mystery and sheer power are all consuming of not only my vivid imagination but our weather, our lives and the lives of those who live in and sail upon her.

As a child I have played, dreamed, watched her horses race up to our shores and when angry, punish the United Kingdom coastline. I have witnessed and heard stories of sharks, jelly fish, and waves as tall as a cruise ship, mysterious lights and fish that leap out of the sea to greet you.

As an adult I have dived beneath her watery body and recreationally swum among her beautiful crests, the most dangerous of territories that is both unpredictable and awesome in appearance. The dream of swimming with her, free and so insignificant in the aquatic hands of Poseidon, conquering the unknown, is frightening, inspiring, exciting and now.

On his Gofundme page, Ben said hes been a fighter since birth, dying three times in ICU at birth and nearly drowning at the age of five in a swimming pool in Belgium.

Ben has turned his life around for himself and his daughter and has been training 6-days per week in the pool, sea and gym to achieve the impossible.
The altercation was filmed and uploaded to YouTube

A violent punch-up on board a Ryanair flight resulted in the arrests of four passengers and the plane being diverted.

The incident, which was captured on video, occurred on the flight from Brussels to Malta on Thursday night.

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Passengers were said to have helped cabin staff restrain the brawlers and an air stewardess was slapped in the face.

A spokesperson from Ryanair told Independent.ie: This flight from Brussels to Malta (3 Nov) diverted to Pisa after a number of passengers became disruptive inflight.

The aircraft landed normally and four passengers were removed and detained by police upon arrival, before the aircraft continued to Malta.

We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.

The spokesperson added that it is important to note there was no emergency landing, as has been misreported elsewhere.
The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, has recalled the moment he narrowly escaped an IRA bomb in London.

He had been living as a student in London at that time.

He recalled walking to Piccadilly when a dustbin suddenly exploded.

"I remember it very well because we were shocked," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday.

Mr Santos visited Belfast last week.

He said the peace process in Northern Ireland inspired him in working towards reconciliation with Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels in Colombia.

The Columbian president met with First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness during a visit to Northern Ireland on Thursday.

It formed part of a three-day state visit by Mr Santos to the UK.

"I was in Belfast seeing how people are still trying to reconcile and it has been a great inspiration for me and for the peace process in Columbia," he said.

"Many of the elements of the Northern Ireland peace process, I applied in the Columbian peace process."
IS has claimed Raqqa as its de factor capital

A rocket or mortar barrage has struck a pre-school in an opposition-controlled suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least six children.

The activist-run Unified Medical Bureau of Eastern Ghouta reported the death toll and said medical facilities in the suburb of Harista received tens of wounded children and adults following Sunday's shelling.

The locally-run Education Directorate said government forces struck the school during the first recess of the day. It said more than 25 children were wounded in addition to the six killed.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of local activists, also blamed government forces for the strike.

Earlier US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian forces announced the start of a campaign to retake Islamic State's de facto capital of Raqqa.

The announcement by the Syria Democratic Forces at a press conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, comes more than two weeks after US-backed Iraqi forces began a campaign to clear IS militants from their stronghold in Mosul, Iraq.

The SDF is dominated by the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG.

The United States considers the Syrian Kurdish fighters as the most effective force against the IS, but Turkey views them as a terror organisation and has said it will not accept a role for the Kurds in the liberation of Raqqa.
A suicide car bomb attack against a security checkpoint north of Baghdad has killed at least nine people.

Ali al-Hamdani, a spokesman for Salahuddin province, said the suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car during rush hour on Sunday into the main checkpoint at the southern entrance of the provincial capital, Tikrit.

Five female students, a woman and three policemen were killed. He added that 25 other people were wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic State militants have claimed multiple similar attacks.

At least 11 people were killed in a separate suicide attack against Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad.

The spokesman for Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamdani, says Sunday's attack took place in the city of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, where a revered Shiite shrine is located.

He said the bomber parked his explosives-laden ambulance in a car park and walked up to the pilgrims who had just left their buses and were heading to the shrine about 500 yards away. He first detonated the car and then blew up himself.

Up to 100 others were wounded, he said.
France's defense minister says it will provide airstrikes to aid an offensive against the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa in northern Syria.

Jean-Yves Le Drian told French radio Europe 1 on Sunday that "local territorial forces" should retake Raqqa, with air support from French, American and other coalition forces but no foreign ground troops.

The Syria Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group that includes Arab fighters and is backed by U.S. air power, announced the offensive earlier on Sunday. Raqqa is the de facto capital of the extremist group's self-styled Islamic caliphate.

France has long suspected that IS planned last year's Paris attacks in Raqqa.

Le Drian linked the battle for Raqqa with the Iraqi offensive against the IS-held city of Mosul. The two cities are the largest urban areas still under IS control.

France began striking IS targets in Iraq in 2014 and in Syria the following year, including in Raqqa.

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A baby born four months early weighing less than a pound has finally gone home after almost a year in hospital.

Nathan Ray Teply, from Nebraska, was born at just 24 weeks, with his parents, Eric and Mary, admitting there has been many ups and downs along the way.

He spent the first 300 days of his life in hospital, surviving a bout of pneumonia, and now weighs 15lbs 12oz, Inside Edition reports.

On December 18, 2015, our son Nathan Ray came four months early due to pregnancy complications. He weighed in at only 15 ounces and was 10.43 inches long, his parents explained.

He has gone through many health issues since he has been born including pneumonia, lung collapse, stomach issues, kidney issues and brain bleed. He has overcome almost all those complications; the brain bleed is our biggest worry.

They have now set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his medical expenses.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone will let users order food or perform other tasks without going through a third-party application (AP)

Samsung is to offer artificial intelligence assistant service in its upcoming flagship smartphone.

The South Korean tech giant said the Galaxy S8 would let users order food or perform other tasks by simply asking the phone's virtual assistant, without going through a third-party application.

Samsung joined the race to create the digital assistant service when it acquired in October Viv Labs, a Silicon Valley start-up launched by the same entrepreneurs who sold Siri to Apple.

The Galaxy S8 is expected to make its debut in the spring.

Sales of the S8 will be crucial for the recovery of Samsung's mobile business, which saw its profit nearly wiped out by two global recalls of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

AP

The artificial intelligence service will also be made available in Samsung's other consumer electronics products, such as fridges.

The company would not say what specific tasks the S8 phone would perform through its artificial intelligence feature.

Samsung estimates it has lost at least 4.3 billion as it discontinued the Note 7 model, which overheated and caught fire. The company said last month that it had not determined what went wrong with the phones.

Past and current Samsung phones offer a voice assistant service called "S Voice" developed internally, but the feature did not gain much traction.

Samsung's acquisition of Viv Labs was seen as its taking another step to seek independence from Google, which offers its brand of virtual assistant service in Android-powered devices.

Executives at Samsung and Viv Labs said the biggest difference between the existing digital assistant and the one they were jointly developing was that the latter would be an "open AI platform", meaning that third-party developers will be able to offer their services through Samsung's AI platform.

"Our Galaxy smartphones don't provide services that enable consumers to order pizza or coffee, but does provide third party applications. But the new AI platform will enable consumers to do things that they would usually do through a separate third party application," a Samsung statement said.

AP
A U.S. official says the nearly three-week offensive against Islamic State extremists in Mosul is "ahead of schedule."

Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition, spoke Sunday to reporters in Jordan.

The push to drive IS out of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, slowed in recent days. Iraqi forces have entered more densely populated areas, where they cannot rely as much on airstrikes and shelling because of the risk posed to civilians.

McGurk says the campaign to degrade the group and break up its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq was expected to take about three years. The envoy says two years into the campaign, "in many ways we are ahead of where we thought we would be."

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Indiatimes

When it comes to giving it back to the society, no one does it better than Akshay Kumar. Be it slashing his endorsement fee for helping a brand cope up with losses due to drought, or offering monetary help to families of martyred soldiers, Akshay is an actor who works for the cause rather than applause.

Akshay Kumar, according to PTI, is now keen on adopting a village in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra.

Twitter

The report states that the district collector, Sachindra Pratap Singh, yesterday signed the proposal made by the Chetana Abhiyan Project director and Resident District Collector (RDC) Rajesh Khawle in response to the instruction received from the Maharashtra government.

According to Singh, Akshay met state finance minister, Sudhir Mungantiwar, in Mumbai and during the interaction, the minister explained Akshay about the woes of farmers in Vidarbha, particularly in Yavatmal.

And after hearing and carefully analysing everything, Akshay volunteered to adopt one of the villages hit hard by the farmers suicides, he said.

Indiatimes

After Akshay expressed his desire to adopt the village, government asked the district administration to suggest a village that has been worse hit by the farmer suicides and has recorded the maximum number of suicides.

The RDC proposed the name of village Pimpri Butti and the collector has now cleared the concerned file, which would soon be submitted to the state government for further action.
One soldier was killed on Sunday after Pakistani troops again resorted to unprovoked shelling at Indian positions along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati(KG) sector of Poonch district, PTI reported.

BCCL

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing which has been started by Pakistan army to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said here.

"Indian army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on," he said.

Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

ALSO READ: BSF's Women Soldiers Are Giving Pakistan A Befitting Reply

BCCL

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Possibly inspired by Chinese tycoons who took their entire staffs on all expenses-paid holidays, a Gujarati diamond merchant has taken his 300 strong team, and their families to a 10-day trip to Uttarakhand.

Billionaire Chinese Businessman Treats Employees To An All Expenses Paid Trip To Spain

ManoramaOnline

The trip, budgeted at Rs 90 lakh, cost Savji Dholakia 15 days of work across two Shree Ramkrishna Exports offices in Surat and Mumbai.

An unnamed employee told the Times of India that this was their "yearly outing"

"Our employer treats us like his own family members and travels with us."



Santosh Kumar flickr

Along with sightseeing, the group undertook social service during their time off, cleaning a 500 metre stretch at Rishikesh's Swargashram area. Recently Dholakia gifted his 'best performing' employees this year cars and flats as Diwali bonus this year.

He has been giving away cars and flats on Diwali since 2012. Last year, he gave away 491 cars and 200 flats.
A good education and job could be the key to a good life but it won't easily unlock a house for you in Gurugram if you are a single man or woman looking to rent a place.

Mohit Agarwal, an MNC executive living in a flat at the swish Palm Grove Heights, was the latest victim of the harassment bachelors face at the hands of moral police, in the garb of housing society RWAs, nosy neighbours or house owners keen only on having 'family men'.

BCCL/Representational image

Agarwal took to Facebook to voice his anger after a Spanish woman friend visiting him was stopped from entering the society in October. The post went viral as it struck a chord with many who had the same stories of harassment or ostracisation.

"There was no basis (for) stopping her to enter my house, except that these guys took it upon themselves to morally police us," Agarwal wrote in a post that has gone viral." And it was super humiliating. With all the shameful insinuations flying around."

The unnamed Spanish woman, who arrived in India last month to work as an intern for a human rights group, had been intending to stay with Agarwal at Palm Grove Heights, which is at Ardee City in Sector 52. The complex is run by the US-based Colliers International real estate management which said the "exclusion" rules were framed by the residents of the society . "We have no role in forming the rules. The residents had previously faced some issue leading to the introduction of this rule," estate manager Sanjay Chaudhary told news agency AFP.

Delhi live/Representational Image

Manas Ranjan Nayak, who also lives in Palm Grove Heights, told about a similar experience. "My friends and I had come to my place to celebrate a friend's birthday and the guard stopped us because there was a girl in the group. Despite repeated requests and a long discussion, they did not let her in," Nayak said.

On another occasion, one of his friends was stopped at the gate because he was sharing a cab with a female passenger.

When Nayak asked for the number of the society's RWA president, the guards told Nayak the man was a senior retired officer and his number would not be circulated.

Neha Jain, who lives in Royal Court Society, has been at the receiving end of similar harassment for a year. "Let alone boys, even our girlfriends are not allowed. When our parents visit, we have to inform the society management in advance and submit their ID proofs," she said.

"I pay Rs 45,000 a month for this flat and am treated like a second-class citizen. A year of living here has been a harrowing experience," she said.

magicbrick/Representational Image

Most societies differentiate when it comes to single tenants. In many cases, they are not allowed to use common facilities in a society. The only option the tenants have is to approach the police, but that's a path few are willing to walk down.

Agarwal said it was the time something was done to address this problem."My idea was not to propagate a personal agenda but raise the larger issue that troubles people like me. My idea was to start a conversation on the issue," he said.

Amrik Singh Nimran, president of the Palm Grove Heights Flat Owners Association, said he had nothing to do with Agarwal's friend being denied entry .
Across time zones, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is available to respond to queries from Indian nationals anywhere in the world who are in need of our government's support.

Yesterday, Swaraj responded to an Indian man who sought a visa for his Pakistani wife and children to visit India for their son's medical treatment. The child suffers from autism.

The woman's husband, Yasin, had requested Swaraj for her intervention,asking her on Twitter: "I am struggling to get medical attention visa for my wife who is Pakistani, to get treatment for my child in Mumbai."

Where have you applied for Indian visa for your Pakistani wife ? Also pl give details of your child's treatment in Mumbai ? https://t.co/K3NBni6zAB  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 4, 2016

The same day, she had raised the issue of man being held against his will in Kuwait since 2008, after a court order banned him from leaving.

I am asking Indian Ambassador in Kuwait to take this up at the highest level with the Government of Kuwait. @indembkwt https://t.co/P8mrmbOTzm  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 6, 2016

Hours later, she had also taken action on violence faced by Hindus in Bangladesh on Diwali.

I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about /1 @templetree1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 6, 2016

Earlier, she also assured help when a man named Namuduri Venkata Rao requested her to help him get a visa to visit Ukraine to attend to his son who is admitted in a hospital in that country.

@SushmaSwaraj My son suffering pneumonia coma from 10days,pls help me provide visa urgently to visit my son in zaprozhye hospital,ukraine. pic.twitter.com/2VbxdUA6tC  Namuduri Venkata Rao (@nvrao61) November 4, 2016

Here's all the fame she's got in recent weeks

US Daily Calls Sushma Swaraj The 'Supermom' Of India, Praises Her Pro-Activeness On Social Media

With One Tweet, Sushma Swaraj Did The Impossible - Ended A Indian Saas-Russian Bahu Fight!

5-Month-Old Baby Says 'Thank You' To Sushma Swaraj For Helping Him With His Passport

Someone Asks Sushma Swaraj 'Are You Real?' 7 Minutes Later, Her Response Wins The Day
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant from Kashmir surrendered in Sopore on Friday after his father was brought to the site to persuade him to lay down his arms.

Umar Khalid Mir had been holed up in a house cordoned off by Army, CRPF and police personnel at Tujarsharief, Sopore, since Thursday evening, a police spokesperson said.

wikimedia/Representational Image

According to DIG (north Kashmir) Uttam Chand, Umar had joined LeT on May 16 this year and crossed over to POK for training. He infiltrated into India recently, along with a group of foreign militants.

The DIG said that security personnel, acting on a tip-off about the presence of LeT militants, had launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area on Thursday evening. After it was established that the militant hiding in one of the houses was a local, he was asked to surrender.

Umar asked for his father to be brought to the site. After his father, along with a few locals, went to the house, Umar emerged unarmed and was apprehended, the DIG said. An AK-47 rifle, a GPS set, and two grenades were later recovered from the house.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has beaten leading Bollywood stars to become the next mascot of the 'Incredible India' campaign. The tourism ministry found him to be the best suited to represent the country even more than mega star Amitabh Bachchan. We wonder if this has anything to do with his extensive travelling...he has, after all, visited 42 countries since he took office.

Reuters

The campaign will use video footage of the PM in their new ad aimed at attracting foreign travellers, a senior ministry official said.

ALSO READ: Modi Took Photo Of A Tiger And Twitter Went Crazy

Tourism Minister, Mahesh Sharma, endorsed Modi's persona for the role, saying he is the "best face" to promote the 'Incredible India' campaign. The minister added that since Mr Modi became PM, there has been an increase in the number of tourists from countries he has visited in the past two and half years.

Reuters

A senior ministry official said tourists from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Australia, the UK, Canada and Myanmar, among others, are travelling to India more than before.

"The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister," Sharma said.

Reuters

In the league for Incredible Indias best face were Amitabh Bachchan and actress Priyanka Chopra after actor Aamir Khan's ouster as the campaign's brand ambassador.

ALSO READ: The Internet Is Going Nuts About This Image Of PM Modi Sitting Across Former PM Manmohan Singh
A 40-year-old woman was allegedly set on fire as she was unable to bear a child, in Bharu village under the limits of Bidhnoo police station of the district on Tuesday.

The incident came to light on Wednesday after the woman's family lodged a FIR against her in-laws including her husband.

India Roundup/Representational Image

Sunita, daughter of Hakim Singh of village Nasda in the district was married to Ram Pratap of Bharu in Bidhnoo area of the district.

Ram Balak Singh Tomar, Sunita's brother lodged a complaint at Bidhnoo police station stating that soon after the marriage, her husband Ram Pratap and mother-in-law along with other family members started misbehaving with her as she was not able to conceive.

"They used to torture her mentally and also hit her," he stated in his complaint.

On Tuesday, Ram Balak received a call from some local of Bharu informing about his sister's death, the police said.

Ram Balak along with other family members rushed to Sunita's house where they found her body with serious burns abandoned. Her husband and in-laws had fled the scene. The police were informed after which an SI rank official along with police personnel reached the spot and after conducting preliminary investigations sent the body for postmortem.

SHO Bidhnoo said that raids have been undergoing at the possible hideouts of the accused named in the FIR.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has shrugged off an adverse court ruling on the government's plans to leave the European Union and maintains that Brexit will be carried out in full.

She used a Sunday Telegraph column to say her government will "get on with the job" despite a High Court ruling requiring her to seek parliamentary approval before triggering the exit process.

May says the government hopes to win a reversal of that decision before the Supreme Court because an important principle is at stake.

She says Parliament voted to put the decision on EU membership "in the hands of the people" in the June 23 referendum.

May says the vote was decisive in favor of leaving the 28-nation bloc and that choice must be respected.

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PETAs new ad, which compares artificial insemination of animals to rape, has stirred a lot of controversy online.

The American animal rights organisations black-and-white ad begins with a woman who says, One man held me down and in the next shot, another woman says, While another touched me. The next woman says, I was so scared and another says, I didnt know what I had done wrong.

PETA

PETA

PETA

These phrases are commonly associated with victims of rape. And until the end of the video when one of the women holds up a picture of a cow, and says, I am you, but different, were pretty sure this is a video about rape. But no, its in fact about artificially inseminating animals.

PETA

This has seriously outraged people online and rightly so because, for starters, animals do not know what rape is.

And secondly, artificial insemination and rape are two very different issues .

In clubbing the two together, PETA has dehumanised rape victims and subdued the issue. Lets make it clear, according to National Crime Records Bureau, in India alone, 93 women are raped every single day. The UN did a multi-country study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific in 2013 and the results stated that one in four men surveyed admitted raping at least one woman.

This is how serious rape is PETA and it cannot be compared to artificial insemination. That is not rape.

everything @peta posts is extra but the rape victim ad crossed the line  lil random (@domturtonmusic) November 4, 2016

I am vegan. I am an animal activist. I am a rape survivor. This ad is atrocious. PETA needs to be put to an end.  Brittney Bosher (@hellobrittneyb) November 3, 2016

Apparently Peta's new ad campaign is "If we trigger rape&sexual assault victims, maybe they'll become vegans!"  Commander Kodi (@PlanetaryKnight) November 3, 2016

Okay. That new PETA 'animal rape' ad pretty much wins the price for most disgusting thing of the week, hands down. Holy shit.  Moustachioed Unicorn (@FluffyMonoceros) November 3, 2016

Did peta really make an ad comparing rape to the way animals are treated.  blacklivesmatter (@KittyMelanin) November 3, 2016

i'm one of the biggest animal activists you'll meet, but that PETA ad is distasteful. don't use rape culture for animal liberation.  brooke (@bubblegumtrap) November 3, 2016

PETA, however, doesn't seem to think their ad is wrong and offensive because in a statement to The Huffington Post, Ingrid Newkirk, PETA president, wrote, "It is rape when someone sticks their hand into a vagina or rectum without permission. Every decent person abhors and denounces sexual abuse of women but we cannot blithely accept the sexual abuse of other females who happen not to be human but have the same vulnerability to pain."
Peace is ever-so evasive in Syria, which has been wrapped in the war for five years now. Since the civil war began in 2011, thousands of families and children have been killed and thousands of others displaced. Residents of Damascus, one of the most affected cities, have succumbed to living in tunnels to escape bombs and shelling.

newstockusa

ALSO READ: 22 Children Were Bombed To Death Inside A School Complex As Massive Air Strikes Continue In Syria

Tunnels have been dug side by side, where mostly children and women live. All daily activities take place underground in Douma now from children playing to husbands and wives shopping. Douma, about 17kms from Damascus, has around 100 residents.

Reuters/representational image

ALSO READ: 21 Pictures Of Damascus In The 60s That Show Why War Is Never The Solution

Russia on Wednesday announced a cease-fire so that humanitarian convoys could deliver supplies but everyone knows that this stillness isn't here for too long. What Syrians have learnt in the past five years is to run for safety at the first sound of an explosion. And that's how these tunnels came up.

Meanwhile, here's our exclusive ground report from the city Of Allepo in Northern Syria
With Brexit and weekly terror attacks, the year has been a rough one for the European Union.

Finally, some good news. A 'Cafe Fellatio, plans for which were announced in June offering customers more than just a good hard cup of morning coffee is now going high-tech.

Prostitution is completely legal in Switzerland as long as the workers have valid sex permits to avoid human trafficking, which plagued the country in the past. Cafe owner Bradley Charvet will charge men 60 Swiss francs ($62) for a drink, during which visitors can request a sex act from a woman selected from an iPad.

A spokeswoman for Geneva's department of security and economy told Swiss French-language daily newspaper Le Matin: "Paid-for sexual services are banned in public establishments under the law on catering and the sale of drinks."

Charvet told CNBC that he'll be sourcing "lifelike robot-women" from a U.S. sex robot manufacturing company to buy several machines, budgeted between $1,800-$3,000. Modelled on similar cafes in Thailand, men would walk in and order a coffee. While waiting for their order to arrive, they will be given an iPad to choose a prostitute of their liking who can perform oral sex on them.
Donald Trump is definitely trying hard to woo all Indian-American voters.

United States goes to vote on Tuesday, November 8 and so close to the elections, Trumps son Eric on Saturday took part in an Indian aarti. Was it to pray for his fathers victory?

indiatv

Last month, Trump addressed the Indian-American community in an advertisement where he wished everyone happy diwali and said, Abki Baar Trump Sarkar.

Trying too hard, dont you think?

He had also said, The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. We love the Hindus, we love India.

Does he know that not all Indians are Hindus and the fact that Indians will be affected by his proposed tightening of immigration laws.

ALSO READ: In A Bid To Woo Indian-American Voters, Trump Pulls Off A Modi, Says 'Abki Baar Trump Sarkar'!

Also in October, his daughter, Lara Trump visited a Hindu Temple in Virginia and Trump also attended a charity event last month hosted by members of the Hindu community in Edison, where he praised India for helping to combat terrorism.

Reuters

In another statement, he also praised the Hindu communitys fantastic contributions to world civilisation and American culture.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will be in New Delhi from November 6 to 8 on her first bilateral visit outside the European Union (EU). The visit is seen as an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, finance, entrepreneurship, innovation, design, IPRs, higher education, and defence and security. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit.

AFP

May is expected to use the trip to deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit by introducing new and emerging enterprises, as well as more established players, to the key Indian market. While announcing the visit, she had said, "We have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK -- to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world." The visit is expected to unveil Britain's post-Brexit "new global role" and where India figures in that.

Among issues likely to be at the forefront of bilateral discussion is a potential India-UK Free Trade Agreement. On trade, May has declared that the UK will become the "most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade", and during the current visit she will be focusing on small- and medium-sized businesses and her delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.

BCCL

During the visit, she, along with Modi, will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi, jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Department of Science and Technology. The summit will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders and policymakers from both sides for a three-day exchange to focus on matters such as technology, education, design, advanced manufacturing and robotics, among others which are seen as critical to India's developing economy.

However, her trip to India comes on the back of two developments back home: the High Court ruling on Brexit and the announcement of the new visa rules for non-EU nationals. The former has led to a piquant situation where the May government has been shorn off the sovereign right to set into motion the process to withdraw from the EU (by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty) prior to securing a parliamentary approval. The Conservative government has a small majority in the House of Commons. The government is set to appeal to the Supreme Court. May had earlier declared her intention to initiate Brexit by March 2017 and complete the process in two years.

Even prior to the High Court's ruling, some critics were claiming that May's visit is less about India and more about the need to reassure voters back home on her government's ability to manage post-Brexit concerns, particularly those regarding the economy. Britain cannot legally make any trade deals with India until it is officially out of the EU, which is by 2019 at the earliest; the High Court's ruling may see the deadline slip even further. Though May has assured that there will be no change in the 2019 deadline, there are already talks about the possibility of a mid-term election on the issue.

AFP

The UK government has also announced changes to its visa policy for non-EU nationals, which will affect a large number of Indians, especially IT professionals. Under the new visa rules announced this week by the UK Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds.

The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companies in the UK and the country's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) had found earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted for nearly 90 percent of visas issued under this route. The motivation for the same appears to be the MAC's belief that the current immigration policy is not incentivising employers to train and skill the UK workforce and that there are no reciprocal arrangements that provide the UK staff with the opportunity to gain skills, training and experience from working in India.

The tightening of rules on post-study stay in the UK discourages students from working in Britain after completing their studies there; consequently, the number of those enrolled in British universities has halved from 40,000 to about 20,000 in the past five years. Nationals outside the EU, including Indians, will also be affected by new English language requirements when applying for settlement as a family member after two-and-a-half years in the UK on a five-year route to residency settlement in the UK.

Critics ask why it is being made harder by Indian companies in the UK to bring in skilled workers from outside the country when India is the third-largest investor in Britain and Indian companies are its largest manufacturing employer. India is UK's second-largest international job creator -- last year, India created 7,105 new jobs in Britain through 140 projects. India is likely to take up the visa issue with May during the visit.

AFP

Comparisons are also being made with visa rules for the Chinese, which are reportedly being granted more liberally and for longer durations. Since 2010, when May became Home Secretary, the number of Indian students studying at UK universities has declined while the number of Chinese students has risen from about 55,000 to 90,000.
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) calculates a benefit of 414 million euros for the Greek economy on an annual basis if no less than 356 rules and regulations are eliminated from the wholesale , construction, light industry, mass media , e-commerce and pharmaceuticals sectors, among others.
101-year-old African-American, Mrs. Thelma Feastra, said she would pack her bags and leave the U.S. should Republican nominee Donald Trump be elected president on Tuesday.

I want to get the best people out there to take care of the citizens; so I voted Hillary. I am hoping the election will be alright.

However, if Trump wins, I guess I will just pack my bags and leave the U.S., the centenarian told a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria at the Hampton Voter Registrar, the State of Virginia, after casting her vote.

Feastra, a curbside voter, said she was motivated to vote so as to be a part of those who decided who becomes the president of the U.S.

A curbside voter is any qualified voter who is able to travel to the voting place, but because of age, or physical disability is unable to enter the voting place in person without physical assistance.

A curbside voter may vote either in the vehicle or in the immediate proximity of the voting place.

According to her, not being involved could have a consequence on who emerges the president.

If you dont vote, you just cant complain, you just take what you get, the physically-challenged Clinton supporter, Feastra said.

Also speaking, Feasters daughter, Cassandra Williams, who drove her mother to the voting centre, said she had heard complaints about both presidential candidates.

She, however, said that the grievances should not keep people from voting.

Theres no good choice between Clinton and Trump but theres a worse choice. This year, you just have bad candidates but one of them will still become the president even if you dont vote.

Still, you have a responsibility to come out and vote and get someone who will make our country greater because the country is already great.

Williams said she was motivated to vote because she marched for the right to vote in the 1960s adding, she was arrested but did not regret the experience.

It was just something I had to do, she said.

Source: Punch
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has dismissed as frivolous and mischievous, the call by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi and his Science and Technology counterpart, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

Two justices of the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta and Justice John Inyang Okoro, following their arrest and subsequent release by the Department of State Services, DSS, alleged that the two ministers had at different times attempted to offer them bribe to obtain judgments in favour of APC candidates, who had election matters pending before the apex court.

The justices further claimed that their investigation and arrest by the DSS, which they described as an act of persecution, was because they refused to do the biddings of Messrs. Amaechi and Onu.

The affected ministers denied the claims by the justices, questioning the timing of their allegations.

Following the decision of the National Judicial Council to suspend the two Supreme Court justices and other judges under investigation by the DSS, the spokesperson of the PDP caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, issued a press statement, calling on President Buhari to emulate the NJC by sacking Amaechi and Onu to allow for proper investigations.

In its reaction, APC said: The call by the PDP flies in the face of reason, fairness, common sense and cause of justice. It is a known fact that embattled Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court only resorted to the cheap, convenient, everyday reaction of people caught red-handed committing crimes in order to divert attention away from the grave reality confronting them especially when faced with sufficient evidence.

Indeed, it is even more disconcerting that PDP in the said call, refused to recognise the naked fact that by accusing the Ministers of attempting to induce them to pervert the course of justice, the accused Hon. Justices introduced unrelated allegations against innocent persons unconnected with the matter for which they are being investigated.

We urge Mr. President and Nigerians to completely disregard PDPs call for the sacking of Amaechi and Onu. Why should they be sacked? What crime did they commit for PDP to call for their sack? These fine gentlemen did nothing wrong.

Mr. President should not and cannot act based on mere accusations from the Supreme Court Justices without any iota of proof or evidence to back their claims. And we should not forget that these Justices only started making these false accusations against Amaechi and Onu, after they were arrested by the DSS, the Rivers APC said in a statement by its Chairman, Davies Ikanya.
Uzak (Distant) screened on Saturday 5 November as part of the Carte Blanche section of the 9th Panorama of the European Film

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's 2002 film Uzak (Distant) was screened at art-house cinema Zawya on Saturday 5 November as part of the 9th Panorama of the European Film.

The film was selected by Egyptian director Mohammed Hammad to take part in the Carte Blanche section of the festival.

Born in 1959 in Istanbul, Ceylan is a Turkish film director, photographer, screenwriter and actor.

Ceylan made his feature debut in 1998 with his film Kasaba (Small Town), which scooped the International Federation of Film Critics award.

He also received the Best Director Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, and his 2014 production Kis Uykusu (Winter Sleep) won the Palme d'Or.

Uzak tells the story of Yusuf (Mehmet Emin Toprak), a young factory worker who travels to Istanbul to stay with his relative Mahmut (Muzaffer Ozdemir) after he loses his job.

Mahmut is a relatively wealthy and intellectual photographer living with a great existential conflict, whereas Yusuf is much less sophisticated, but of a much simpler and kinder nature.

Yusuf goes on an unfruitful search for work as a sailor, while Mahmut deals with his dull, unsatisfactory job, and the fact that his ex-wife moved to Canada with her new husband.

Through the two men's mundane struggles, differences and occasional quarrels, the film deals with much deeper themes such as the estrangement of the individual, and, in the midst of such monotony, the quest for purpose and meaning.

After the screening, a Q&A session was held with Egyptian director Mohammed Hammad, who spoke of the various reasons behind his choice to a lively and engaging audience.

Hammad, born in Cairo in 1980, holds a degree in communication from Helwan University.

Between 2006 and 2012, he wrote and directed a number of short films including El-Geneh El-Khames (The Fifth Pound, 2006), Central (2008) and Ahmar Bahet (Pale Red, 2010), which received the Best Short Film Award at the Alexandria Film Festival and the Kazan Film Festival in Russia.

His feature debut, Akhdar Yabes (Withered Green, 2016), was screened at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur in Belgium, as well as the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

Hammad highlighted the great effort that Ceylan puts into his films, all of which he financed independently and worked on as a screenwriter, director, producer and sound engineer.

He also praised the Turkish director's slow and steady journey to success: from his humble beginnings taking passport-style photos, to his somewhat late entry into the world of cinema at age 35, and his refusal to work with well-known actors even after receiving numerous awards.

He also noted that Uzak's director poured much of himself and his personal experience into his artistic creation.

Actor Emin Toprak, who plays Mahmut's cousin Yusuf, is actually Ceylan's cousin. The actor was involved in a car accident and passed away shortly after filming was completed.

The apartment where most of the action takes place is Ceylan's own flat, where the actors lived for the entirety of the shooting. He could thus relate to the main character's feeling of personal invasion, and of having his own living habits turned upside down by outsiders.

Furthermore, Mahmut shares many traits with his creator, from his love of photography to his existential angst, loneliness and vague despair, which Hammad believes to be that of the director, manifesting through his character.

Another point emphasised throughout the discussion was the importance of symbolism in this minimal production. Ceylan's work is proof that from limited resources and a restricted budget, a moving, thought-provoking artwork can still emerge. With little action, basic decor and scarce dialogue, the film's key scenes and messages lay in seemingly trivial details.

In one scene, the pair wakes up to find that a bothersome mouse, a running gag throughout the film, was finally caught in the mousetrap. Yusuf takes pity on the suffering creature, and kills it to end its pain rather than leave it to the cats. The scene reveals all about the young man's character and about both his and his cousin's conflicting natures, which are central to the film's plot.

Uzak invites the viewer to see more than what is actually shown on the screen. As one audience member suggested, through Mahmut's ex-wife's definite departure and Yusuf's silent retreat from his cousin's life, the film raises an essential, universal question: can one make it through life alone?

The influence of such symbolism is evident in some of Hammad's own work.

In his 2010 film Ahmar Bahet (Pale Red), the young female protagonist washes her bright red underwear in chlorine, trying to wash out the provocative color.

Following her grandmother's orders, she does so to avoid bringing shame upon herself when she hangs it out to dry in front of all her neighbours. This key scene represents the countless attempts one takes to hide their private life in an intrusive society.

As Hammad said in one interview, she [the female protagonist] struggles to hide what is already hidden.

Moreover, in his 2008 short film Central, Hammad adopts a very minimalist approach. The plot revolves around a woman who works at a call center and eavesdrops on all her clients' conversations. This renders her the keeper of everyone's dirty secrets. The unspeakable acts committed by the characters are never shown on screen. Instead, everything is told through the phone conversations, as heard by the young worker.

The two films thus reveal much more than what is actually shown on the screen, as is the case in Ceylan's work, which, as the Egyptian director stated himself, had a great impact on him.

Uzak will be screened again on Monday 7 November at 10.30am, Cinema Karim, Cairo.

Check the complete programme of Panorama for Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Port Said here

Ahram Online is the media sponsor of The Panorama of the European Film and of Zawya

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Africas top tomato paste maker, Chief Eric Umeofia, has set machinery in motion to set up manufacturing concerns in four additional African countriesKenya, Cameroon, Cote dIvoire and Ethiopia.

The venture into four other African countries is a fallout from Umeofias decision to close shop in Nigeria.ADVERTISING

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Umeofia, who confirmed the development to correspondents in Lagos on Sunday, said that his goal was also to have dominant tomato paste manufacturing presence in at least 20 African countries in the near future.

He said that ease of doing business was his attraction in opening shops in the African countries, following his plans to move out of Nigeria because of the harsh realities of doing business in the country.

Umeofia had recently announced that he was relocating his key manufacturing plant to China, following what he described as policy inconsistencies now crippling his Nigeria operations.

He said undue favouritism to Lebanese, Indian and Chinese businessmen in the allocation of foreign exchange to import tomato pastes and other items, including frozen fish, has dealt serious blow to his company, Erisco Foods Ltd. and also to other Nigerian companies involved in manufacturing.

Erisco Foods, which has had dominant presence in Liberia and Angola over the years, is listed as Africas top tomato paste manufacturer, and the company is the fourth largest of its type in the world, according to records.

But policy inconsistencies and alleged connivance of officials of some key government agencies to deny foreign exchange allocation to indigenous companies in preference for foreigners have left many Nigerian companies struggling or closing shops in recent times.

On October 5, Umeofia announced plans to shut down operations and sack some 1,500 workers at his expansive factory in Oregun, an industrial area of Lagos.

The industrialist said that he decided to relocate to China to produce at cheaper cost and then, sell the goods in Nigeria and other African markets, stressing that he would even make more profit doing so.

He said, This appears to be the only reasonable thing for me to do since my cries appear to have no meaning for those stifling our operations.

Umeofia said that he brought his manufacturing concerns worth about $150m in Dubai and Angola to Nigeria in 2009 in what he described as his patriotic zeal to contribute to the growth of Nigeria.

He said, But dumping of sub-standard tomato pastes from mainly Asian nations has resulted to Erisco Foods losing up to N3.5bn in recent years.

More so, our products worth about N6bn remain unsold, due to the flooding of our markets with sub-standard tomato pastes from foreign countries.

If we dont leave Nigeria now well go bankrupt and I believe that my leaving will open up the environment for government to understand the dilemma facing Nigerian manufacturers like me.

The Anambra State born industrialist restated that Erisco Foods would also no longer go ahead with its plan to set up a plant to manufacture tractors and other agricultural accessories in northern Nigeria, due to foreign exchange challenges to purchase machinery.

He said, We had to return the certificate of occupancy for some 2,400 hectares of land, graciously given to us by the Katsina State Government for our tractor manufacturing factory because were not able to source Forex to push the venture.

Umeofia pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to use his good offices to look into the activities of top officials of some government agencies conniving with foreigners to short-change Nigeria.

He said, Some government agencies are impeding and frustrating us in our bid to create jobs for Nigerians. The agencies prefer to favour dubious Chinese, Indian and Lebanese businessmen, making them to create jobs in their countries and depleting Nigeria of jobs.

Favouring foreigners doing business in Nigeria is counter-productive because no foreigner can love Nigeria better than Nigerians.

Erisco Foods has a plant capable of producing 450,000 metric tonnes of tomato paste and ketchup annually but the company is producing at below 20 per cent of its installed capacity, due to sundry challenges.

Source: Punch
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmos, on Friday offered a defence for two policemen accused of pushing an unidentified old man into a gutter at Airport bus stop around Ikeja Along, Lagos State.

One of the policemen was captured in a viral video shot on Wednesday October 26, as a crowd forced him to retrieve the body of the victim.

The policeman was said to have been rescued from the crowd by another team of policemen later.

When our correspondent contacted Badmos on what was happening on the case since the command had promised an investigation into the incident by identifying the policemen who allegedly pushed the man, she said, Who pushed him inside the gutter? The allegation is false.

Asked if the command had even identified the policemen involved, the police public relations officer said yes. But did not reveal who they are.

Investigation is still ongoing on the case, she said.

Eyewitnesses said the two policemen chased a commercial bus driver to the area on October 26. It was learnt that the old man, who seemed to be in his late 60s, was waiting at the bus stop to board a bus en route to Iyana Ipaja when the cops pushed him into the gutter in an attempt to apprehend the driver.

One of the policemen was said to have fled the scene immediately he sighted blood gushing out from the victims head. But his colleague was caught by an angry mob, who beat him up.

The Lagos State Police Command had said at the time that efforts were ongoing to identify the two policemen and the formation to which they belonged.

An eyewitness told The PUNCH that the police team that rescued the cop also took the corpse away.

It was learnt that the victims body was deposited at the mortuary of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

As of Thursday, there were indications that nobody had claimed the body of the old man at the mortuary.

Our correspondent visited the mortuary to find out if the man had been identified but an official told our correspondent that the man still remained an unidentified body.

Asked if he could provide information on what the policemen who brought it told officials at the mortuary the day the body was brought there, he said he was not on duty.

It was when I saw the video online that a colleague told me the body was brought here. I was not on duty at the time. I dont even know if anybody has come here to identify the body but I am sure someone would come sooner or later, the mortuary worker, who pleaded anonimity said.

Source: Punch
CEO of Urbandealsng and co-founder of LinkUp Ng, Jane Iloanya, talks about her career, life and other related matters

What is your educational qualification?

I have a bachelors degree in International Relations. I graduated from the University of Northern Cyprus.

What is your work history?

Briefly, I was a freelance Information Technology consultant. I worked for basically anyone who contacted me. Later, I worked with Scratch Investment as a business manager. I have also worked with Sunkings Oil and Gas as international relations personnel. After sometime, I left to work with UAC Foods as a promotion manager.

What is the focus of Urbandealsng Limited?

Urbandealsng Limited is a N5, 000 or less shop. We import everything that we sell apart from the Nigerian-made clothes from Nigerian designers who sell their clothes for N5000 or less. The idea is to provide quality clothes at an affordable price to people. We sell the kind of quality clothes you find in malls or anywhere you find them very expensive. So you can actually look fabulous without spending your entire savings on clothes.

How have you remained in business despite the unfavourable exchange rate?

The current economy has affected nearly every business that doesnt source only locally made products. We still sell below N5, 000 and we have some items whose prices have been upped a bit. For now, we dont sell above N8, 000. Most times, we purchase quality clothing items during sales, so we import them at a cheaper rate which we feel it is fair enough to maintain our promise.

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I felt that I had worked in different places and I have garnered different experiences. So I felt I could put these experiences together and start up my own business. I have worked with different people and I saw how they handled their businesses. I watched my previous employers make mistakes and I also watched them grow. All of these inspired me to become my own boss.

Did you encounter any challenges when you started out?

I encountered a lot of challenges. I had to source for investors and it was not easy for me to convince them to invest in the business. Many investors are sceptical about investing in a business they are not going to profit from. You will find this aspect more challenging especially if you do not have enough capital to start up a business. Also, it wasnt easy reaching out to customers. It took us couple of months to create awareness for the business.

How did you overcome the challenges?

I had to convince my investors. I gave them reasons to invest in my business. As long as you know what youre venturing into, I dont think you will have any problem trying to convince people to work with you. I did a lot of research about the business and my co-founder, researched about the business before we ventured into it. So, we came up with a beautiful business plan and nearly everyone we pitched the business idea to, were willing to work with us.

What are your responsibilities as the CEO?

Im responsible for maintaining the same quality we used to give customers before the increase in exchange rate. As the CEO, I make sure we do not go back on our promises.

What other things are you involved in aside from Urbandealsng?

Im also the co-founder of LinkUp Ng. LinkUp Ng, is a social and dating app. It is more of a social app where you meet your lost friends. It is also a dating app where you can meet with new people. So if you search for some people on the app, you can easily trace where they are and link up with them. Also, the app provides you with up and coming events that you can attend be it a social event or a conference.

Have you launched the app?

Not yet. We are still building the app. The way we are designing it will wow a lot of people because you will be able to link up with friends that you have lost contact with. We will launch the app in less than a month.

How do you run both businesses successfully?

Theres not so much work to be done on our online clothing store. Basically, all we do is shop online and have our clothes imported to us. Then, we upload the clothes on the website for people to buy and we have it delivered to them. We rely a lot on feedback and then manage the business. For LinkUp Ng, we are working with the best for the app. My husband, who is a co-founder of both businesses, helps to come up with strategies that work best for the success of the business.

How do you feel working with your husband?

I believe my husband and I are a great team. We dont mix business with family issues. This works for us because we both have the same vision. So we merged resources and came up with the businesses. We are running both businesses on a 50/50 partnership because we both contribute to the business mentally and physically.

How profitable is the business?

As long as we are making sales, it is profitable.

What do you do outside of work?

Im very passionate about writing and I have written several articles.

What are those things that prevent youths from becoming successful?

A lot of youths are into businesses that they are not passionate about. If you search within you, there is something that you like doing. Look for a way to monetise that thing that youre passionate about. Be precise about the kind of business you want to get into. Then the next thing to do is research about the business. Take note of mistakes that others have made in the business, correct those mistakes and take your job very seriously. Also, get feedback from your clients and improve on it.

What is your advice to youths who aspire to venture into your line of business?

If you want to be successful in this line of business, you need to ensure your customers details are secure on your website.Lastly, be focused and follow your dreams.

Source: Punch
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has expressed dismay over the court judgment that discharged the five suspects arraigned for the killing of Mrs. Bridget Agbahime in Kano State for alleged blasphemy.

Mrs. Agbahime, 74, an Imo State indigene, was murdered on June 2, 2016 in Kofar Wambai Market area of Kano State by Islamic fundamentalists, who falsely accused her of blasphemy against Islam.

The suspects in the trial  Zubairu Abubakar, Musa Abdullahi, Dauda Ahmed, Abdullahi Abubakar and Abdulmumeen Mustafa  were on Thursday discharged by a magistrate court in Kano on the legal advice of the state Attorney General through the Principal State Counsel, Mr. Rabiu Yusuf, who said that there was no case to answer as the suspects were all innocent.

SEE ALSO: IPOB Faults Release Of Suspects In Kano Blasphemy Killings

In its reaction, MASSOB condemned the decision of the court and accused the Kano State Government of bias in the whole affair.

MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, described the judgment as further proof that Ndigbo would never get justice in Nigeria and especially in the Islamic North where Ndigbo have become targets of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists who have never been prosecuted.

Madu said that MASSOB was not surprised that nobody was found guilty as the directive had come from the government.

His words: We are not surprised about the insensitive judgment of the Kano State Magistrate Court which has discharged and acquitted the Islamic fundamentalists who attacked and murdered Madam Agbahime of any crime, because the directives must have come from the Kano State government. The gruesome murder of Madam Agbahime is among the uncountable religious and political killings of Ndigbo in the Islamic north, which had gone unpunished by the authorities because Ndigbo and other Christians are considered as infidels whose death mean nothing.

This is a clear case that Ndigbo are not wanted in Nigeria and especially in the north as they cannot get justice.

The MASSOB leader further described the judgment as a slap on Ndigbo and challenged the political, religious and traditional leaders and especially the Imo State Government, to rise to the defense of the family of the bereaved.
A militant group, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) has threatened more devastating attacks on some upland major oil installations in the region.

The militant group made the threat against the backdrop of last weeks meeting between the Federal Government and the Pan Niger Delta Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum in Abuja.

The forum during the meeting, presented a 16-point demand to the Federal Government, which President Muhammadu Buhari promised would be looked into.

While the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday described the demands put forward by the forum as a step in the right direction towards a sustainable peace across the region, the NDGJM said it was a slap on the face of the Niger Delta people.

The NDGJM in a statement by its spokesman, Gen. Aldo Agbalaja, threatened more devastating attacks on oil installations based on its distrust in the caliber of people that represented the region at the peace talk, even as it noted that it was not unaware of the Federal Governments intention to declare a full scale war in the region in the eventual failure of the parley.

The statement reads in part: The humiliation that came with the meeting of the PANDEF with the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of most of those he led to the meeting.

The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.

We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions; we heard loud and clear his hostile message. We understand his message even beyond his uttered words and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for his worst.

The militant group added: We know he has severally threatened war on our people, which threats we had been calm enough not to respond to. But at this point we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him that enough is enough. If it is war, bring it on; we are no cowards. Just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished Biafran uprising. Niger Deltans are nobodys slave; we shall fight until theres nothing left to defend.
Media entrepreneur and former Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mrs. Omotayo Omotosho, talks about her life, career and current projects

How fulfilled are you as a broadcaster?

I feel fulfilled because I knew what I wanted from the scratch. From the age of seven, a lot of my friends told me, Omotayo, if I were you, I would not study difficult courses like Medicine, Engineering or Law. Do something that is relevant to your creative talent because there is something about your voice when you talk. I never took my friends serious until when I got to secondary school, Christ School, Ado-Ekiti. First, I had a stint at Queens School, Ibadan. I realised that when the literary and debating society was being established, my teacher impressed it upon me to become a member. I would be the lead of the team for debate with other schools and we always won. My friends said they hoped that I would study Mass Communication or English at the university. That helped me to know my area of creativity and talent.

Didnt your parents object to your plans?

They didnt because my father was an educationist and also worked with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture as a public servant, so he was learned enough to encourage whatever talent a child had. He taught me phonetics and would often ask me to read, Hercules father said to Harry, Harry where is your hat? It is hanging on the hanger in the hall. I didnt realise that he wanted to test the h word because when some people talk, they put an h where there is none or make it disappear in words. My parents actually encouraged me. I must say the greatest thing that can happen to any individual is for you to know what God has destined you to do from the scratch and run with it. By the time I got admitted to study Psychology at the university, I wanted to study human behaviour. I didnt find Mass Communication and English as curious as Psychology, which I studied at the University of Lagos.

Thereafter, the National Youth Service Corps programme came and I was posted to the Nigerian Television Authority, Ibadan. It was as if destiny and providence were unfolding. A few months down the line at NTA, some of us got to know that the Oyo State Government had started paying youth corps members higher; the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State had just been commissioned, so we moved there. I was retained after NYSC and that was where I cut my tooth in broadcasting. I said to myself that I didnt want to stay too long working for a state or national broadcasting corporation, I wanted to be self-employed.

What made you feel that way?

I felt that since I was passionate enough about the job, I could start my own television production company and that was how Pacesetters Communications was birthed. I felt with that I could be so creative and divert all my attention to what was mine in the field of healthcare, social amenities, infrastructure, et al and people would sponsor these programmes. Thats what I did and by Gods grace, it has been awesome. I dont just present programmes, I produce as well. I am also into public speaking and act as compere at policy-based ceremonies often organised by government. I would be marking 30 years of my TV broadcast career in 2017, having started out in 1987.

Have there been challenges?

There have been a lot of challenges. Over the years, I have realised that Nigerians measure success by your level of publicity and how much noise you can make, to the extent that we have lost substance and we are looking at the facade. I dont really go to parties and I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I shuttle between Abuja and Lagos, because my television production firm is in Abuja. It is not easy. I realised that Nigerians have put a lot of priority on wanting to look good and wearing designer outfits. I want to be an advocate for reawakening. In a nation where 80 per cent are under the poverty line, where our children are on the streets begging for alms to feed, unemployment is everywhere and if you are one of the privileged few making money, why should such monies be for yourself alone? It is not by your proficiency or your intellectual sagacity. The point I am making is that gold or diamonds dont make you a total woman or individual.

How do you juggle being a wife, mother and career-oriented woman?

Combining the three is not an easy task. Any woman that says it is easy may not be that sincere but it could be made easy if as a young mother you set your priorities right. I had always been tutored by a mother who set hers right, so when I got married, I knew what was important to me. I knew that keeping friends, moving from one friend to the other and partying were wrong moves. I knew that my time should be apportioned between my husband, children, career and the society. Most people that I have touched through my Towards a Greater Nigeria foundation, which was established last year, to take care of less-fortunate ones, call me mummy for real which is a coinage from my MFR national honour. I have also realised that the institution of marriage is very important and every mother should be committed to her family. When I was the chairperson of the Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation 23years ago, under the government of Brigadier- General Buba Marwa(retd.), my mother advised me that since my marriage was young, the toga of my office stops within the broadcast corporation and by the time I return home, I am back to being the wife of Pastor Olusegun Omotosho. By Gods grace, the children are all grown and my career is still on. The understanding and cooperation that should exist between man and woman is still on because he is a man that loves God and from him, I have learnt a lot of things. My children jokingly tell me, Mummy, we dont know how you juggle everything, and I tell them that its just through the grace of God that I do these things effortlessly.

You have three daughters and a son who came much later

I had my son when I was almost 50 years old and I must say that I wasnt surprised that the baby came because I never gave up. By the time we had the three girls, my husband told me that he was done but I knew I wanted a baby boy. Ten years after, my mother told me that if I wanted my prayers to be answered, I must pray in agreement with my husband. My boy came six years after my husband and I prayed about it.

How did you manage a pregnancy at that age?

God decided to do it at his own time. For the first five months, many people didnt know I was pregnant because of the way I dressed. I always used my aso oke as a shawl to cover my stomach. I was about six months gone when I travelled abroad because I needed to rest. I had to cut off from my career and I was away for about four months up until when I was delivered of a baby boy.

What informs your dress sense?

I had always tied my headgear and worn a shawl since I was a youth corps member and that was over 30years ago. I realised that there is a lot of uniqueness in our local traditional fabrics. I love aso oke, especially the original ones that are not heavy because they are done like lace. It is easy and convenient. I love tradition because my grandfather was a traditional ruler and my father always told me that I am a princess. With all that, I had always fallen in love with adire, batik, ankara and aso oke and they dont cost much. When you know what you love and you have a designer that cuts your outfit the way that fits you and makes you look very graceful, that is what youd stick to. It is good for a woman to stick to what suits her. I know what fits me so I like my kaftan-cut outfits because they are easy to wear in our tropical weather.

How do you unwind when you are not working?

I write plays and I have published a handful. I love singing and the song goes, Praise God, its another day, because we take a lot of things for granted. I jog round my house. I also enjoy swimming but I dont do that often because the children swim better than I do. I deliver speeches on women empowerment and tourism promotion and development, gender issues, youth development and sometimes, on spiritual well-being and wholesome wealth. I have always lived in a family where my parents were together in holy matrimony for over 61 years, one man, one wife and thats why I watched the way my mother conducted herself in the home while I was growing up. Another thing that I do is take care of my mother who is almost 85. My profession is also a form of leisure for me because I love broadcasting. I have my television license and pretty soon, we would establish our own television station. It would be a good avenue to generate jobs for a lot of our children.

Source: Punch
Flood victims in over 25 communities, mainly rice farmlands, in Ketso local government area of Niger state, that were ravaged with flood, have pleaded for an urgent government intervention.

They also appealed to international organizations to urgently come to their aid in order to curb the impact of the annual flood that has destroyed several farmlands and other valuables.

Ketso the home town of Niger state Deputy Governor, Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, is situated at the bank of River Niger, and has witnessed annual flooding.

Several houses, public buildings and farm produce were said to have been destroyed in the area, leaving residents in abject poverty.

The District Head of the village, Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi, speaking to Channels Television, disclosed that they were ready for resettlement but are seeking the governments support in the resettlement process.

He explained that Ketso has 25 other villages under it that were persistently ravaged by flood annually, which had been more devastating due to their location.

However, the village head stated that the first thing to do was to acquire a Certificate Of Occupancy (C of O) of the land allocated to them from Mokwa.

Mr Abdullahi decried that since the construction of Kanji and Jebba Dams, the community had continued to experience more devastating flood incidents, adding that the people upstream were compensated while the downstream of the dam communities, were left on their own to suffer the hardship it had created.

An indigene of the village, Hassan Umar Sonfada also revealed that the people of the area now live in poverty due to the devastating effect of the continues flood on the people, a situation that calls for concern by all.

Sonfada said that the people are ready to relocate to the land allocated to them at Gbedoti in Mokwa local government but handicapped as a result of lack of C of O, which would authenticate their settlement, avoiding future land tussle from the original owners.

He lamented that although the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), had brought relief items such as rice, maize and mosquito nets, they were however insufficient.

Furthermore, he added that they were vulnerable to all kinds of water borne diseases and infections, due to lack of good drinking water and toilet facilities.

The Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency(NSEMA), Ahmed Ibrahim Inga, on the other hand, said that huge sums of money had been spent on providing succor for the victims.

According to him, there had been procurement of drugs, food stuffs, building materials, clothing materials, bed covers, blankets, mattresses, as well as outright cash gifts and provision of temporary camps for the victims of the flood disasters in parts of the state.

Source: Channels
Lt Col Muhammad Abu Ali was killed on Friday during an ambush by Boko Haram militants.

He died during a confrontation with the insurgents who attacked the 119 Battalion, Nigerian Army location at Mallam Fatori in a failed attempt to capture the town in Borno state.

The late lieutenant colonel became famous for his bravery when he led one of the fiercest battles ever with Boko Haram, in February 2015, leading to the recapture of Baga town in Borno State.

As a result of his exceptional bravery and gallantry, he was given an accelerated promotion from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel and was decorated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai at Gamboru Ngala on 9th September 2015 during an operational visit.

Nigerians have been paying tributes to the man who sacrificed his life while defending the country.

Here are some of them:

https://twitter.com/APCNigeria/status/795170681885429760

Legendary T72 Tank commander,

Lt Colonel Abu Ali K*I*A. Rest in Perfect Peace Patriot (RIJF).

Thank you for your sacrifice pic.twitter.com/0Mm5KkpJn9  Murtala (@Murtalaibin) November 5, 2016

Very very sad! Thank you Lt Col. Muhammad Abu Ali. Please take a moment to pray for him and his beautiful family. Allah ya jikansa. pic.twitter.com/2agKunBg1R  Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) November 5, 2016

May Allah grant "Abu Ali" jannatu firdaus, forgive him his misdeed and He grant his family the strength to be steadfastAmin!  Reform The World (@el_turawa) November 6, 2016

RIP warrior Lt col Abu-ali  Engr. INtelli~GentlemaN (@mujiiks) November 6, 2016

Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu Ali died at the battle field, so that we could live a peaceful life. Rest in peace, Dear Soldier.  Arc Sayuti (@sayutee1) November 6, 2016

You guys don't need to wonder why Lt Col M. Abu Ali was much loved. He led from the front and that is what inspires men. Lesson for leaders.  Eze (@bolikes) November 6, 2016
The Police Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) says it has fatally injured a notorious bandit and left others with degrees of injures in an exchange of fire power in Nsukka axis of Enugu State.

The commands spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Saturday that SARS engaged the bandits at about 7:15 p.m. on Friday.

Mr. Amarizu said the fatally injured hoodlum was later taken to the hospital, where a doctor certified him dead adding that an automatic single barrel gun was recovered from the bandit.

He said the group had been a torn in the flesh on members of the public, especially within Odenigwe Road axis of Nsukka and its environs.

It was gathered that SARS operatives in Nsukka zone had encountered the suspected hoodlums at about 7:15 p.m. in the night during their routine patrol.

On sighting the hoodlums, exchange of fire ensued between SARS operatives and the hoodlums which left one of the suspected armed robbers fatally injured, he said.

Mr. Amaraizu said a manhunt had been intensified toward getting the fleeing members of the gang.

The state command is appealing to hospital owners in the state and its environs to watch out for those who may approach them with suspected bullet wound for treatment and report promptly to any nearby police station.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Okpongkpong Imaikop, has lauded the effort of SARS operatives and the timely information of the members of the public.

While maintaining that the command will stop at nothing toward ensuring that there is functional security in the state, he said.

According to him, the deputy commissioner also advised would-be hoodlums and mischief makers to have a change of mind.

He quoted the DCP as saying that the command was working in partnership with sister security agencies and will not rest on it oars until the entire area is secured.
The Governor of Rivers State, Barr, Nyesom Wike, has urged christian leaders in the state to be disciplined and considerate when carrying out church activities.

The Governor stated this when he received in attendance church leaders from the Niger Delta region in Port-Harcourt as he enjoined them not to allow their programmes impede the day to day activities of the people.

According to him, the church is the example of discipline, therefore, it should be seen in that light.

He said the idea of holding programmes that spill over to block government roads without approval should be discouraged.

He proposed the inclusion of traffic department in churches and asked the clerics to consent the government before holding a programme to ensure prompt awareness of the public.

God didnt say that if we have a church we should not organise ourselves, we must (and) part of it is to obey rules.

It is good that government should let you know that we are willing to partner with you but we should also obey simple rules, he said.
Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) is screened within the Documentary Rendez Vous section of the 9th Panorama of the European Film, which runs between 2 and 13 November

In the opening lines of Fire at Sea, a film that puts us face-to-face with the harrowing human crisis of migrants in our time, a Nigerian migrant raps about the journey from Africa to Europe.

This is my testimony.

We could no longer stay in Nigeria.

Many were dying, most were bombed.

We were bombed,

and we flee from Nigeria,

we ran to the desert,

we went to the Sahara Desert and many died.

In the Sahara Desert many were dying.

Raping and killing many people

and we could not stay.

We flee to Libya.

And Libya was a city of ISIS

and Libya was a place not to stay.

We cried on our knees,

"What shall we do?"

The mountains could not hide us,

the people could not hide us

and we ran to the sea.

But neither could they hide nor could they stay at sea. So the sea took them to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

Situated 113 kilometres from the Libyan Mediterranean coast and 193 km from Sicily, Lampedusa has been the first port of call for migrants journeying from the shores of North Africa to Europe.

Due to its close proximity to North Africa, around 400,000 migrants and counting  have survived the wrath of the Mediterranean and made it miraculously to the Italian island over the past 20 years.15,000 souls have also perished on the journey.



Only 20 km long, Lampedusa is just large enough to provide a temporary harbor for migrants arriving on a nearly daily basis from Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Syria, in addition to housing a humble native population of 6,300.



It is large enough that the migrants rarely interact with the island's inhabitants, whose lives continue largely unaffected, at least in the film.



Although there is little contact between the two, the people of Lampedusa are well aware of the crisis at hand, reminded of it through day-to-day radio broadcasts that leave them in a near constant state of remorse.



This emotional response is best reflected in the conversations between Dr Pietro Bartolo, the islands physician, and the camera.

Dr. Pietro, who perceives aiding migrants as the duty of all human beings  if they are human! is virtually the sole narrator in Fire at Sea. He explains and conveys how migrants  mostly women and children  are triaged and treated accordingly by him when they first arrive.

Pietro also reflects on the crisis and how he simply cannot get accustomed to the scenes he confronts: I have to witness awful things: dead bodies, children  I am forced to do the thing I hate most  examining cadavers  How can you get used to seeing dead children, pregnant women, women who've given birth on sinking boats, umbilical cords still attached?

Such bleakness contrasts with the mundane and comfortable lives of the islands locals: a radio DJ, a fisherman, a housewife and a 12-year-old, Samuele Puccilo, among others.

Samuele  the films main delight  spends his days struggling with his studies at school, playing with his slingshot, exploring the wilderness at night, and visiting doctors. Early in the film, he visits an ophthalmologist who diagnoses him with amblyopia (lazy eye) and prescribes a patch to cover his good eye, forcing his lazy eye to work. This constitutes a near crisis to Samuele, who depends on his good eye to shoot with his slingshot.



Samueles character provides further contrast to the life-or-death struggles faced by the migrants, as he tries his luck with his ancestors fishing trade. Coming of age in his own small world, he gets dizzy and seasick, is unable to navigate or even row.

At times difficult to grasp, the film nevertheless succeeds in weaving the narratives of the island's inhabitants and those of the migrants together, thanks to the sublime editing of Jacopo Quadri. It concludes with uncertainty for the migrants, despair for Lampedusas coast guard, and the continuation of mundane life for the locals, including Samuele.



Fire at Sea is a fine example of show, dont tell," leaving the audience to contemplate the issues raised.

Instead of launching a direct call for action, the internationally acclaimed Gianfranco Rosi, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2013 for Sacro GRA, and the Golden Bear at this years Berlinale for Fire at Sea, leaves it to the audience to decide for themselves how to perceive the migrant crisis and how to respond to it.





Fire at Sea will be screened Sunday, 6 November, at 9.30pm, Cinema Karim, Cairo

Check the complete programme of Panorama for Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Port Said here

Ahram Online is the media sponsor of The Panorama of the European Film and of Zawya

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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For some time, communities in Ibeshe in Ikorodu area of Lagos State have not known peace. Residents sleep with their eyes open.

The fear of a group, Badoo, notorious for raping women and inflicting injuries on their victims, is making them have sleepless nights.

The palpable panic heightened on Thursday when a member of the infamous gang struck again.

This time, a 62-year-old widow identified only as Mrs. Ogunleye, and her two children, Seun and Funlola, were the targets.

The victims, currently in critical condition at the Ikorodu General Hospital, lived in Ibefun in the Owode-Ibeshe area.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the rapist gained access to the familys apartment and hacked his victims with a cutlass, leaving the family in a pool of blood.

Kazeem

Kazeem

A resident, who identified himself only as Seye, said the attack had ritual undertone, adding that the victims could only shout for help after their assailant had fled.

He said The womans husband died long time ago and she has been taking care of their two children alone. The boy that attacked them is a student.

It was around 7am that the woman and her children cried for help. People rushed into their residence and took them to the hospital. Their faces were covered in blood.

The PUNCH had reported series of terror unleashed by the gang on communities within Ibeshe.

It will be recalled that one of the groups members on Friday, October 21, attacked two couples in two separate houses at Oluwoye community, killing a pregnant woman and injuring others, including two kids  Rodiat, 6, and five-year-old Opeyemi.

The attacker, it was learnt, gained access to one of the couples apartment around 2am that day through the window and killed the 30-year-old pregnant woman, Afusat Yusuf, after a failed attempt to rape her. The deceaseds husband, Kazeem, was also hacked by the assailant when he tried to engage him in a fight.

The attacked sexagenarian

The attacked sexagenarian

Not satisfied with his dastardly acts, the assailant went to a neighbouring building and unleashed terror on another couple, 52-year-old Sunday Robert and his wife, before he fled the area.

On June 5, Badoo struck at Oke Ota community, also in Ibeshe, raped and killed a 27-year-old Ghanaian, identified as Obinna. Her nine-month-old baby was rescued by residents in a pool of blood.

About a month after, on July 9, the gang attacked one 60-year-old Francisca and blinded her 10-year-old daughter, Marvellous.

On Saturday, July 23, one of the assailants sneaked into a Celestial Church of Christ in Itesiwaju community  a suburb of Ibese  while a vigil was ongoing and abducted an eight-year-old girl. He raped the girl to a coma but was caught later that day and set ablaze by a mob.

The police had arrested a suspected member of the gang sometime in June. In the wake of Thursdays occurrence, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that residents went out en masse to protest against the incessant attacks.

It was some community leaders who prevailed on us to stop the protest. We are tired of these attacks. We have cried out to the Lagos State Government but no help is forthcoming. Our lives are seriously in danger.

We have vigilantes in the community, but this menace is beyond what they alone can tackle. They were on duty when the incident happened. We really need government to help us tackle members of the gang and their sponsors, one of the protesters said.

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the most recent case was reported at the Ipakodo Police Division, adding that the Divisional Police Officer visited the hospital where the victims were admitted.

A resident, who identified himself simply as Adisa, lamented the spate of attacks on residents of Ibeshe community and its environs, saying the government had not made significant moves to address the attacks.

Residents are moving out of the community because there is no solution in sight to these attacks. Those of us who do not have anywhere to run to are living in fear. The government has not come to our aid despite our outcry, he lamented.

Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being hunted by the gang, said the community had petitioned the Lagos State Government without getting meaningful results.

He said, We have gone to the governors office to make complaints but there is no response yet. We also met with the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Community Affairs.

Commenting on the recent attack in the Ibeshe area by the notorious group, the police spokesperson in Lagos, SP Dolapo Badmos, said there was a directive to the new Divisional Police Officer in the area to arrest those behind the attacks.

Badmos said, We received the report; good enough there is no death recorded. The Commissioner of Police has directed the new DPO there to fish out the culprit and apply the concept of community policing to end the criminality.

Source: Punch
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump was rushed off stage by secret service agents while addressing a crowd of supporters on Saturday at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, USA.

However the 70-year-old reappeared several minutes after the incident to cheers from his supporters saying, Nobody said it was going to be easy for us.
A non-governmental organization, Centre for Development and Democracy (CDD), said it has trained a total of 80 clerics in Borno on de-radicalization and counter-violence.

Mr Ikponmwosa Omaigiade, Programme Officer of CDD in an interview with reporters in Maiduguri on Sunday, said, the training was to equip the clerics with the knowledge they could use to curtail violent extremism in the country.

Today we have successfully trained 80 clerics in Borno state as part of the larger programme that aims at training 200 clerics on de-radicalisation and counter insurgency.

Borno has been one of the states that is seriously affected by Boko Haram insurgency, so the CDD is helping the people of the North East curtail what is happening in their communities.

We identified those that we need to speak to, who will in turn speak to the larger community; we think religious leaders are important stakeholders in the communities.

So we trained them in line with the manual that was produced by the CCD and the key issues discussed include Takfir (excommunication) and Jihad (Holy war), peaceful co-existence with non-Muslims, women status in Islam and the acceptance of non-Islamic political authorities.

Speaking on the success of the programme, Malam Abdullahi Muhammad, a cleric in polo area of Maiduguri, said the workshop was commendable as its promoted peaceful co-existence among Muslims and Christians.

Muhammad lamented that illiteracy, lack of education and ignorance in understanding the religion of Islam, were the main reasons why Boko Haram was able to drag some people into its radical movement.
Clash is Egypt's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards 2017.

The Egyptian film Clash (Eshtebak) by filmmaker Mohamed Diab won four awards at the 27th edition of the Carthage Film Festival, which ran this year between 28 October and 5 November in Tunisia.

The film garnered the second highest prize in the festival's feature film competition, the Best Photography Award and the Best Editing Award, in addition to the African University Award for Cinematic Criticism for Best Feature Film (The Nagiba El-Hamrony Award).

The Gold Tanit Award went to the Tunisian film Zaineb Hates the Snow by filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania.

Palestinian film 3,000 Nights by director Mai Masri received the third top prize.

A total of 18 films, among them the Egyptian film Sins of the Flesh by director Khaled El-Haggar, competed in this years feature film competition, which was headed by Mauritanian filmmaker and producer Abderrahmane Sissako.

Also competing in this years edition were the award-winning Egyptian films Dry Hot Summers by director Sherif El-Bendary (short film competition), and We Have Never Been Kids by director Mahmoud Soliman (first feature film category).

Last week, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) announced that it will present Clash to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for Golden Globe Awards consideration.

The second film that will see the DIFF's support is Halal Love (Bil Halal), directed by Lebanese filmmaker and television director Assad Fouladkar.

The recommendation came within DIFF's newly launched annual initiative to present two exceptional Arab films to the HFPA for the Golden Globe Awards. The initiative aims at promoting and supporting Arab cinema at an international level and building innovative and strategic partnerships with relevant partners all over the world.

Produced in 2016 and co-written by Khaled Diab and director Mohamed Diab, Clash is a co-production between France, Egypt, Germany and the UAE.

Clash explores the confrontations between pro and anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators that emerged following the removal of president Mohamed Morsi from power on 3 July 2013.

The film premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter named Clash one of the 10 best films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Clash also competed in the 60th BFI London Film Festival.

Most recently, Clash won three awards  Best New Director, Best Director of Photography, and the Sociograph Award, which is voted for by the audience  at the 61st Valladolid Film Festival (Seminci, Spain), which was held between 22 and 29 October.

The film is also set to screen in the 28th round of the Cairo International Film Festival (15 - 24 November) as part of a special section dedicated to showcasing the best Egyptian productions of 2015-2016, subtitled in English, to acquaint foreign guests with high quality Egyptian cinema.

Clash is Egypt's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards 2017.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Un ottobre da sogno per Antonio Conte: lex ct della Nazionale italiana, attualmente alla guida del Chelsea, nelle ultime quattro gare di Premier League ha collezionato solo successi, conditi da 11 reti segnate e addirittura nessuna incassata. Numeri da record che non sono certo passati inosservati alla Federazione inglese, la quale ha conferito al tecnico leccese lambito premio di Manager del mese.

Unavventura oltremanica iniziata in sordina, quella di Conte, pur a fronte di tre vittorie nelle prime tre gare di campionato. A far vacillare, anche se solo per un momento, le certezze del patron del club londinese, Roman Abramovich, i risultati conseguiti tra la 4a e la 6a giornata, coincisi con un pareggio sul campo dello Swansea City e, soprattutto, con le due pesanti sconfitte subite dal Liverpool, sul terreno casalingo di Stamford Bridge, e dallArsenal. In particolare, la debacle interna coi Reds, aveva irritato non poco il numero uno russo, poiche occorsa proprio nel giorno della sua 250esima partita da presidente della societa.

Come detto, solo un momento. Dopo lincontro dellEmirates, il tecnico salentino cambia modulo, adottando un piu equilibrato 3-4-3 e inserendo elementi di corsa come lo spagnolo Pedro. Una svolta totale perche, di li in poi, il Chelsea inanellera solo e soltanto vittorie: 2 gol allHull City e al Southampton in trasferta, 3 ai campioni dInghilterra del Leicester e 4 allo United in casa, con un meraviglioso numero zero nella casella delle reti subite. Un fantastico poker, ottenuto tra l1 e il 29 ottobre. Un cambio di marcia sbalorditivo, confermato dal 5 a 0 rifilato ai toffees dellEverton nel primo match di novembre, e una scalata che, man mano, ha portato i blues al secondo posto in classifica, a soli 2 punti dal Liverpool capolista.

E allora, non poteva mancare il riconoscimento di migliore allenatore del mese, ottenuto surclassando tecnici del calibro di Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) e Mark Hughes (Southampton). Tanta, ovviamente, la soddisfazione: E un grande onore e voglio condividerlo con i giocatori e con la societa  ha dichiarato Conte sul sito ufficiale della Premier League -. E la prima volta che lavoro in un altro Paese, con una cultura diversa, e portare la propria filosofia non e facile, ma ora sono contento di questa scelta.

A completare la festa, la premiazione del fantasista belga, Eden Hazard, come miglior giocatore di ottobre. Due risultati importanti per il club, ottimo incentivo per la rincorsa al trono dei campioni, occupato dal Leicester di Ranieri. Il prossimo appuntamento per l11 di Conte sara al Riverside Stadium, tana del Middlesborough neopromosso. Il tempo di festeggiare e gia finito.
Theresa May has vowed she will not allow her hands to be tied in negotiating a post-Brexit future for Britain, as she travelled to India on a mission to lay the groundwork for an "ambitious" trade deal.

In an indication that she will not allow the UK's preparations to be held back by EU rules blocking members from striking bilateral deals, Mrs May intends to use the three-day trip to seek official-level talks to pave the way for a post-Brexit free trade agreement, as well as moves to break down existing barriers to commerce and investment.

On her first trade mission as PM, Mrs May was joined by representatives of 33 companies from around the UK in an effort to "reboot an age-old relationship (with India) in this age of opportunity".

Officials said the trip would see commercial deals sealed to create 1,370 jobs in the UK, as well as the establishment of a new UK-India "smart cities" urban partnership with the potential to unlock opportunities worth 2 billion.

Following the setback of last week's High Court ruling that she must seek Parliament's approval to trigger talks to withdraw from the EU, Mrs May issued a warning to Remain-backing MPs and peers that they must "accept what the people decided" rather than try to block Brexit.

And she indicated she remains determined to resist demands from Labour and other parties to spell out her negotiating strategy for withdrawal talks under Article 50 of the EU treaties, insisting that "putting all our cards on the table" was "not in our national interest".

The trip comes as the Government prepares to appeal against the judges' decision in the Supreme Court in a bid to preserve Mrs May's chances of hitting her target of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.

The PM will hold more than two hours of talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, as well as meeting business leaders in the capital New Delhi and southern commercial hub Bangalore.

Speaking ahead of her departure, Mrs May said: "While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

"It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.

"And now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

Britain and India were "natural partners" with shared interests in delivering jobs, developing new technologies and tackling terrorism and climate change, said Mrs May.

"This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity," she said.

"It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain."

Mrs May is likely to face pressure from her hosts about the availability of UK visas for Indian workers and students, amid unease over higher salary thresholds for skilled workers announced by the Home Office just days before her arrival as part of ongoing efforts to reduce non-EU migration.

Indian tech body Nasscom has called for a high-skilled worker mobility agreement with Britain, warning: "A system that restricts the UK's ability to access talent is also likely to restrict the growth and productivity of the UK economy."

Meanwhile, the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), A Didar Singh, warned that UK-Indian trade faces a "double hit".

"Exports from the UK to India have been declining," Mr Singh told The Guardian.

"Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you've lost 18% of your pound's value. So if I'm sending something to the UK and getting a lower return on it, I'm going to have a think about that. It's a double hit."

Among deals expected to be confirmed during the visit are:

A 1.2 million joint venture between the Pandrol Group UK and Rahee Group in India to set up a manufacturing plant for rail projects;

A 15 million imaging and diagnostic centre in Chennai by Lyca Health UK; and

A 350 million investment from British start-up Kloudpad in high-tech electronics manufacturing in Kochi.

Both governments are also due to sign an intellectual property co-operation agreement, while the UK will commit to extending assistance to help India improve its business environment, which has seen it languish in 130th place in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index.

Joining Mrs May on her visit were International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, trade minister Greg Hands, as well as business figures including Standard Life chairman Sir Gerry Grimstone, Standard Chartered chairman Sir John Peace, Diageo chief executive Ivan Menezes and Aviva CEO David McMillan, as well as a number of small businesses.

Mrs May is also due to pay her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to Mahatma Gandhi during her stay in New Delhi.

Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup confirmed Mrs May would face questions over visas, telling The Observer: "In the last five years or so, the number of Indian students enrolling in UK universities has gone down by almost 50% - from around 40,000 to about 20,000 now. This has happened because of restrictions on post-study stay in the UK.

"We will continue to raise our concerns regarding mobility with the UK. Mobility of people is closely linked to free flow of finance, goods and services."

Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable said his efforts to forge a UK-India trade deal during the coalition were "screwed up" in part by Mrs May's decision as home secretary to scrap the post-study work visa, which had allowed Indian students to pursue jobs for two years after graduation.

"May in particular was very obstructive of any attempt to make a genuine generous concession, and that was one of the things that screwed up the negotiation," Sir Vince told The Observer.

India's high commissioner in London Dinesh Patnaik told the Mail on Sunday: "Students, tourists and short-term visitors are not migrants under any definition.

"Post-Brexit, you need Indians. Our tourists ... don't come to Britain due to difficult visa conditions."

Downing Street said the UK had "a strong story to tell" about making visas available to attract the "brightest and best from India to the UK.

Meanwhile, the Community union has urged Mrs May to press the New Delhi authorities to use their influence on Indian firm Tata to act as a "responsible employer" towards its steel workers in Britain.

The Sunday Telegraph obtained a letter from the union's general secretary Roy Rickhuss, telling the PM her trip "could be pivotal in securing the future of this vital industry of strategic importance".

Speaking at Heathrow before heading off to India, Mrs May sad: "I'm very pleased that this is my first bilateral visit outside of Europe and it's to India.

"India is a key strategic partner with the UK and I'm pleased also that I'm taking a number of businesses with me - not just large businesses but small and medium-sized businesses as well, because there are huge opportunities for British business in trading with India, and we know that we have significant investment here in the UK from India.

"So this is a really important partnership and I'm going to be building on that in the discussions I'm having in India."

Asked if she was ready to compromise on the terms of Brexit following the High court setback, Mrs May said: " I think what we all have to remember - and MPs and peers have to remember - is we had a vote on June 23, a majority of the British people voted to leave the EU. The Government is now getting on with that.

"I want to ensure that we get the bet possible deal for the UK as we leave the EU. That's the best possible deal for trading with and operating in the single European market.

"But alongside that the UK will be a confident outward-looking nation taking its place on the world stage, looking to build relationships around the globe.

"That's exactly what trips like this to India are about - building those relationships for future opportunities for the UK."
The Pope has denounced the "scandalous" amounts of money which governments and world institutions have found to save ailing banks, but not suffering people, including migrants who are dying as they try to cross the Mediterranean.

Francis branded these policies a "bankruptcy of humanity".

The Pope spoke during a meeting at the Vatican with an international group which included environmentalists, union activists and indigenous rights activists.

In the audience was the former president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, a defender of the poor.

Francis said: "What happens in the world of today is that when a bank is bankrupt, scandalous sums immediately appear to save it."

He said that while this goes on, much smaller amounts of money cannot be found "to save the brothers that suffer so much".
Patrick McCarthy, aged 7, suffered severe head injuries after the animal he was riding on in Spring Lane, just outside his home at the Traveller halting site near Blackpool on Saturday afternoon, was startled by dogs and threw him off.

He was rushed in a critical condition by his parents Helen and Patrick to the Mercy University Hospital where, despite the best efforts of doctors, he died around 1.30pm.

An autopsy was due to be carried out at MUH yesterday to establish the exact cause of death.

Gardai will then prepare a file for the coroners court.

Patrick, a pupil at St Olivers National School in Ballyvolane, was due to make his Communion next year.

His granduncle, Kieran McCarthy, who was in the area at the time of the accident, said it happened in a split second.

Patrick just loved that pony. It was a freak thing because the terriers bit the back of the horse. It was split second, he said.

He was a little angel. He just loved being out with the animals and playing. He had a great smile. We cant believe he has been taken from us. It is all so sudden.

Patricks grandaunt, Brigid McCarthy, said his death was a terrible cross to bear for his loved ones.

His mother and father are sweet, kind, gentle people, she said.

We will miss seeing Patrick being brought up and down to school. The horses are a big part of the childrens lives. Patrick adored his horse. I saw him five minutes before the accident and he was asking to get up on it. He lived for being up on it.

Another member of the family, who did not want to be named, said the entire halting-site community, made up of members of the extended Delaney and McCarthy families, was devastated.

People are just in shock. We are all devastated, she said. Patrick was a very quiet lad, never a bother. He came from a very, very close family. Theyll never be the same again.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Catherine Clancy, expressed her condolences to the extended McCarthy family last night.

Patricks grandparents have lived in the area for a long time, she said.

The children are well established in the community, attending local schools.

Patricks tragic death is obviously a tremendous loss for the family but it is a loss which will be felt in the wider community too.

As lord mayor and a mother, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his parents and his large extended family.

Patrick is survived by his parents, his older sister, Helena, and his younger siblings, Teresa and Martin. Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised.

Parents were with their 7 year old son when he died in #CUH after being thrown from a horse in Spring Lane #Cork today. #Gardai #Tv3news  Paul Byrne (@PaulByrne_1) August 17, 2013

The living conditions at the city council-managed Spring Lane halting site have been at the centre of controversy for several years.

Traveller families have complained about overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and the lack of space for recreational facilities.

Several families united earlier this year to serve injunctive proceedings on the local authority but progress on improving conditions has stalled since councillors voted against rezoning extra land in Dec 2011.
Ahram Online peeks into a programme that helps students find their way around the fascinating world of jewellery making, or more properly find a relation to beauty

On Wednesday afternoon, Dina Soliman and Sarah Zaki  two students-teachers at the Design Studio by Azza Fahmy (DSAF)  were seated in the Sharajah Arts Gallery of the American University in Cairo with a group of students from the graphic design programme, to help them find their way around the fascinating world of jewellery making.

Having joined the school of the leading name of atypical jewllery-making in Egypt some three years ago, Soliman and Zaki were eager to be introduced to the students and their work displayed as part of an exhibit dedicated to Fahmy by the AUC Arts Centre.

The Ripple Effect  Azza Fahmy, Design Retrospective, was closing Wednesday (26 October) after close to two weeks since its inauguration.

It allowed its visitors, from university students to the wider public, a thorough look at the evolution of the work of Fahmy who set a revolutionary trend for jewelery making in Egypt in the late 1970s when she created her first designs. Atypical, Fahmy is now widely celebrated for her jewelery designed along the lines of Nubian architecture and Arabic calligraphy.

Visitors to the gallery would not only see the works of Fahmy from consecutive collections  starting with the famous peasant, a little under a decade ago, to the 2016 African collection. They also had a chance to see how the work was conceptualized before it was created with the evolution of hand-drawn designs on pieces of drawing paper and in the pages of endless notebooks displayed in the exhibition.

This was precisely the way we thought of this exhibition; we wanted to demonstrate the making of beautiful things and not just to display the jewellery, because in a sense, the showing of the evolution of the precious items we are displaying is as inspiring, said Nagla Samir, director of the Arts Gallery and professor in the graphic design programme established in 2013.

From 2013 onwards, Samir said, the programme has acted to document Arabic cultural figures and Arabic designers.

So far prominent poet Ahmed Fouad Negm and film director Youssef Chahine have been the two documented Arab cultural figures.

The documentation of Arab designers started with painter and designer Helmy El-Touny and continued with Azza Fahmy.

The closure of the exhibit was a chance for Fahmys students to pass on the know-how they have been acquiring to yet a younger generation.

I think it is important to tell those students that there is room today for modern and contemporary designing  it could be strict jewellery designing and it could be about learning how to design accessories to go with clothes for example, said Zeinab Gaafar from DSAF.

According to Gaafar, for the last three years DSAF has been helping keen men and women who did not have a chance to study and get apprenticeship, because this is part of what Azza Fahmy had always wanted to do since she started her path back in the 1970s: not just to create space for beautiful jewellery that is well made and that is inspired by a multi-layered heritage, but also to create a milieu for the survival of the trend she set.

This is why, Gaafar explained, DSAF is offering three types of courses for interested and potential designers, and even working people who wish to develop a talent or indulge in a hobby.

It is all about beauty really; it is not just about the beauty of a ring or a pair of earrings, but also about the beauty of the material we work with and about the beauty we feel when we create our designs, said Soliman.

It was the beauty of the jewelery coming almost literally from the four corners of the earth to Dubai where she was based as a flight attendant for Emirates airlines that brought Soliman face to face with a long postponed dream of being a jeweler.

And it was the beauty of the precious stones and pearls that Zaki found unattended for long in her mothers closet, and the beauty of having them assembled with the silver units she hand-picked, that prompted her to turn her back on an established legal-business career and pursue a design course that would feed her passion.

I think this is what this whole issue of graphic design is all about: experimenting with beauty and coming closer to it, Samir said.

This, she added, was precisely the reason why the exhibits she works on are open to the public.

We really believe we have to reach out with our message to as many people as possible and to contribute to the work done by others to promote beauty at a very challenging moment of pertaining ugliness, she argued.

Samir is convinced that the call of beauty has been for long abandoned. You look around and you see things that are luxurious and big but that are not necessarily beautiful as well. The resumption of the pursuit of beauty is really a mandate to help dispel all this negative energy that we are faced with in our hectic lives, she argued.

In an ongoing pursuit, Samir is encouraging her students to have a look through the many elements of the beauty of 20th century legendary belly-dancer Tahiya Karioka.

I dont at all just mean the actual beauty of Tahiya, or just her belly-dancing costumes and jewelery, but the beauty of her films and her performance and her inner beauty as a true humanitarian and a real patriotic woman, Samir said.

Looking more deeply, she added, should help students if tasked to redesign some of the posters of her prominent movies, or maybe rework her pictures artistically.

This requires an appreciation for the choreography of Tahiyya Kariokka that would be no less than the appreciation of the calligraphy designs of Azza Fahmy. It also means an appreciation for the contribution that each presented to the wider call of beauty.

It requires liberation from the disturbing preconceived images that society might have now about a belly-dancer or that society had about a woman apprentice at a workshop in the goldsmith market back in the 1970. Liberation from inhibitions and willingness to open up to see through is the essential requirement for the triumph of beauty over ugliness, Samir concluded.

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The Paris agreement, which aims to significantly reduce the risks of climate change, may be compromised if Donald Trump wins the US Presidency.

The Obama administration is one of the champions of the treaty and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton vowed to keep fighting global warming a priority, but Republican nominee Donald Trump has never been a fan. "We're going to cancel the Paris climate agreement ... and stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN global warming program," Trump said.

Louise van Schaik from the Netherlands, an expert in multilateral negotiations at the Clingendael Institute said, "I see the real danger of Trump being elected as jeopardizing the enormous change in the psychology on climate change. If the U.S. were to pull out, it would be a foreign policy problem."

In September of 2014, an agreement between China and the US - two of the world's largest carbon emitters - was ratified. This deal paved the way to craft the Paris Agreement. The U.S. vowed to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, while China agreed to cap its emissions by 2030. In November, the pact was signed, and the rest of world followed suit.

The United States also signed multiple deals with Canada to cut emissions, including the exchange of hydro power to help U.S. states get off coal, and they also targeted to methane emissions and plan to reach a goal of 50 per cent clean power by 2025. However, if Trump wins, this could mean Canada would be left 'high and dry'.

In a rare moment, China made a commentary about the possibility of the US abandoning the treaty. "If they resist this trend, I don't think they'll win the support of their people, and their country's economic and social progress will also be affected. I believe a wise political leader should take policy stances that conform with global trends," said China's top climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua.

Environment advocates are very alarmed over a Trump presidency. "Trump's energy policies would accelerate climate change, protect corporate polluters who profit from poisoning our air and water, and block the transition to clean energy that is necessary to strengthen our economy and protect our climate and health," said Tom Steyer, an environmental advocate.
Experts have recently found out that being anxious about your health may actually lead to a more adverse condition of developing heart disease. A study of 7,000 people over 12 years showed that those who worry about their health are around 70 percent more likely to develop heart disease as compared to those without that state of mind.

According to The Guardian, although anxiety has been a well-known risk factor when it comes to heart diseases, the Norwegian authors of the paper allegedly believes that this will be the first of its kind to particularly look at health anxiety. Experts claim that the said condition is primarily characterized by recurring episodes of preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness and seeking medical help, despite the absence of any physical disease.

Furthermore, the Norwegian study has also revealed that those fit and healthy people having the highest levels of health anxiety were the most prone to suffering from a fatal heart attack. Additionally, the study has emphasized that the stress levels and exaggerated attention that a hypochondriac puts on his body is really not healthy especially in the long terms.

On the other hand, as per Science World Report, experts have initially hypothesized that for people with this kind of anxiety are found to have a reduced risk of acquiring an illness because they are considered to take better care of themselves. However, the findings show that it would be advisable for these people to seek help and proper diagnosis for their anxiety disorder. It has reportedly been advised by heart experts that for anyone who feels they might have health anxiety, it is just but right for them to consult a doctor.

Emily Reeve, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation claimed that feeling worried about being unwell is a normal situation for a person. However, Reeve notes that too much anxiety and stress can only trigger unhealthy habits, such as smoking or eating badly, which puts a person at greater risk of heart disease.
Just last Friday, Polish lawmakers approved a plan to pay a specific amount to families whose child is born disabled. This is a policy aimed at curbing the number of abortions.

The anti-abortion goal plan, which is expected to take effect as early as next year, gives a one-time payment of 4,000 zlotys, equivalent to $1,000, upon the birth of a disabled child or one with a life-threatening disease.

The government official Elzbieta Witek said the money is intended as the "first step" of Poland's government to support for families with disabled children members. Such families have long been demanding higher aid, which currently stands at 1,300 zlotys, equivalent to $325, a month for a parent taking care of the child full-time.

According to News Max, the conservative Law and Justice government, backed by the Catholic church, is seeking to ban abortions of deformed or sick fetuses, or even those with no chance of survival, to make possible their baptism and burial.

Polish law now bans abortions except in cases when the woman's life or health is threatened, when the pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the fetus is irreparably damaged. But amid the threat of prison terms, doctors often refuse to perform even admissible abortions.

Government figures say that the official record is that there were 1,040 abortions performed in Poland last year, while experts say some 150,000 abortions a year are done illegally and secretly. The government says most of the legal abortions are performed on fetuses with genetic defects like Down syndrome and wants that stopped.

The Central European nation has one of the most restrictive legislations on abortion-related matters. This is producing many of their potential mothers to travel abroad and perform their abortion in a country where is perfectly legal and safe.

They often go to Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic or the Netherlands, to escape from all the regulations that came from a conservative Poland government. If not, the polish women import banned abortion pills from the outside or execute the abortion with non-medical people that want to earn some extra cash according to Pulse Headlines.

While several protests continue in the streets of Poland, it is expected that Andrzej Duda, President aligned with this law proposal, signs into the new legislation in the following days. If this will be finally approved, families with disabled newborns should expect a certain amount from the Poland government.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Miss Universe 2016 official country host has been officially set.

In a press conference on Thursday, Philippine's Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo confirmed that the Philippines would host Miss Universe 2016. The final coronation will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 30, 5 a.m.

Reigning Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo-Wurtzbach, was the Philippines representative in the last Miss Universe 2015 competition, where Wurtzbach had an unforgettable winning moment.

The confirmation was announced breaking rumors that the proposed hosting of the Philippines has been canceled and that the petition of hosting it in the Philippines has been reconsidered.

"After all that's been said and done, I happily welcome on behalf of the DOT the latest announcement of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) through Pia Wurtzbach that finally, the Philippines will indeed play host to the much awaited 2016 Miss Universe pageant," Teo said.

"The Miss Universe 2016 in Manila is brought to you by the DOT, MUO, LCS Group of Companies ...in partnership with Okada Manila, SM Group of Companies, Solar Ent Corp, our broadcast partner."

"This is one proud moment for all of us Filipinos to be a witness to the reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach of Cagayan De Oro as she takes her final walk and passes her crown in her home country, the Philippines."

"We are counting on you, our media partners, event partners, sponsors, to join us as we welcome the Miss Universe candidates, their followers, and their supporters from all over the world. Together, let us show them the soul of the Philippines, and our warm Filipino hospitality," Teo said.

Last July, Teo first announced that the Philippines might be the next to host Miss Universe 2016. The Philippines last hosted MU in 1974 and 1994.

Pia Wurtzbach is the first Filipina to win the Miss Universe title in over four decades after Margie Moran in 1973 and Gloria Diaz as the first Filipina to won Miss Universe in 1969.
Its been, what, seven weeks since Deputy John Isenhour of the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office was struck by a 92-year-old motorist. Its been a little more than a month since he slipped away after being removed from life support.

And yet to his wife, it seems like yesterday.

Spurred in part by recent developments  Jessie Bennett Cook, the driver who hit Deputy Isenhour Sept. 18, was only recently charged in connection with the crash  Nanette Isenhour, suddenly a widow at age 46, felt the need to say thank you to all those whove supported the family. She wants people to know that her husband was a good man and that shes coping as best she can.

Im doing OK, she said. Tell people that, that Im OK.  The children are having a hard time, especially our 5-year-old daughter. Its a very hard thing to explain to a child.

Its the hardest thing I ever had to do except for taking my husband off life support.

Helping her kids

Deputy Isenhour slipped out of the house early that Sunday morning. The duty should have been light; he was assigned to help direct traffic during the Tour to Tanglewood, an annual bike ride for charity that puts hundreds of cyclists on local roads.

He was doing just that on Clemmons Road a little after 10 a.m. when Cook hit him while driving an estimated 35 mph.

She told investigators with the N.C. Highway Patrol that she didnt realize shed hit anyone. She was restricted from driving faster than 45 mph, not allowed on interstates and only allowed to drive within 15 miles of her home in Advance.

One disclosure made by troopers, that Deputy Isenhour wasnt wearing a reflective vest, is a source of annoyance. Hed taken it off so that he could relieve himself and was going back to his cruiser to retrieve it when he was hit. Not offering an explanation makes it seem as if the crash was somehow his fault.

Nobody ever said why he didnt have it on, Nanette Isenhour said.

Before he left for work, Isenhour kissed his wife and told her that he loved her. Nanette Isenhour will always remember that. But she also cant forget that their last communication, via text message, was about the dog having an accident in the house.

The last message I got was I guess she couldnt hold it,  she said. The next thing I know, there were seven police officers at my door.

Given that, and a little time to reflect, she has a word of advice for anyone willing to listen.

The thing of it is, and I dont know how to word it exactly, but be mindful of how you are with other people, the people you love, she said. You just never know.

Isenhour, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center 10 days after he was hit.

Since then, Nanette Isenhour has spent nearly all of her time helping the youngest of their children cope.

Logen, the 8-year-old, has been angry at times. Willow, the 5-year-old, has asked to stay home from school a few times. Shed say thats Daddys thing,  Nanette Isenhour said, referring to getting dropped off in the morning.

Time to reflect

Nanette Isenhour returned to work just last week. Tragedy doesnt stop bills from arriving.

I run my own (home) cleaning business, she said. Im my own LLC, licensed and bonded.

The time thats passed since her husband was buried in Salisbury has allowed her room to reflect upon the outpouring of love and support shown to her family.

In particular, shes grateful to the men and women in her husbands platoon and to Sheriff Bill Schatzman.

For the whole 10 days, they were there every day in the hospital, she said. The sheriff, too. And when he wasnt, he was calling. I cant say enough good things about the sheriff. Hes a good man.

One of the most difficult things for Nanette Isenhour to wrap her head around was the manner in which her husband was injured. When he was in the service, danger was expected.

And she knew working in law enforcement in patrol carries its own risks. One needs look no further than ambush killings of officers in Dallas this summer and Iowa last week to understand that.

But getting run over by a motorist?

I never imagined that, she said. Thats the last thing I would have thought.

As for the charges filed against Cook, misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed, Nanette Isenhour thinks a felony charge would be more appropriate. With all those flashing blue lights, who couldnt see that? she said.

What she wants people to know about her husband is the kind of man he was.

When she talked about him, she used the present tense  an indication that the pain is still fresh and her emotions still a bit raw.

He loves to joke around, she said.

Hes a good dad. Hes a smart (aleck). He can be a little arrogant, but I think thats just the military in him. Hes a leader, not a follower.

Theres just so much about him  he cares. A lot. And not just about his family.
Medicare enrollment workshop Friday

The Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem will have workshops Fridays during the Medicare Open/Annual Enrollment period to help beneficiaries choose the correct drug plan, Medicare Advantage plans and make changes.

Trained counselors from the Seniors Health Insurance Information Program will be available to assist with sign-ups.

Workshops will be held Nov. 18 and Dec. 2. One-hour appointments are available between 1 and 5 p.m. on those days. The workshops will be held at the Shepherds Center, 1700 Ebert St. Call the center at (336) 748-0217 to make an appointment.

Open enrollment ends Dec. 7.

Assistance program needs volunteers

The Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem will train volunteers interested in taking part in its Faith in Action program. The program helps provide social support and assistance to older adults.

The training will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Shepherds Center, 1700 Ebert St.

For more information, call Drea Parker at (336) 748-0217 or email dparker@shepherdscenter.org.

Affordable Care Act workshops to be held

Two workshops on the Affordable Care Act will be held at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Blue Moon Benefits Group in the Broyhill Office Suites, 3540 Clemmons Road, Clemmons. Information on changes in the ACA and what to expect for 2017 will be provided. Registration is required and can be made by calling (336) 793-8041 or visit ACARenew.com.

Meals-on-Wheels looking for volunteers

Senior Services Inc. has openings on Wednesdays on its University North route of its Meals-on-Wheels program. The route serves meals to homebound seniors in the Rural Hall area.

The meal pickup site is the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive.

Delivery times average 60 to 90 minutes.

The typical commitment is once a month, but volunteers can deliver meals as often as is convenient for them.

To learn more or to volunteer, call Heather Livengood at (336) 721-6910. Online sign-ups are available at www.bit.ly/1RoZZRg.

Lunch & Learn for Caregivers scheduled

A free Lunch & Learn for Caregivers will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 17 at Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Drive. The speakers will be representatives from Senior Services, Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem, and the Forsyth County Department of Social Services. They will provide information about community resources that are available to older residents.

Registration is required and may be made by calling (336) 721-6918.

The lunch is sponsored by Senior Services, Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Department of Social Services, Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, and Piedmont Triad Regional Council Area Agency on Aging.

Senior Services, others plan phone survey

Senior Services, Forsyth Futures and other local organizations will be conducting a telephone survey to learn more about quality of life perspectives in Forsyth County. The responses from the survey will help plan programs to make Forsyth County more aging-friendly.

Forsyth County residents aged 60 and older may receive a phone call from a national research company. It will be identified as Forsyth Aging Survey on caller ID. The interviewers will ask a series of questions to get thoughts and views about how the community could improve services for older residents. Responses will remain confidential, and the survey will take roughly 30 minutes to complete. If needed, the survey can be paused and resumed at later times.

For more information regarding the survey, contact Kristen Perry with Senior Services Inc. at (336) 721-6959 or Theresa Hoffman-Makar with Forsyth Futures at (336) 701-1700, Ext.103.

CareNet opens satellite office

CareNet Counseling has opened a satellite office at Salemtowne, the Moravian Retirement Community. CareNet is an affiliate of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Cathy Wilson, a licensed clinical social worker, will help Salemtowne residents cope with such issues as grief, transition, medical diagnoses and stress.

Dementia caregivers

can get support

Senior Services Inc. offers support groups for families and caregivers of people suffering from Alzheimers disease or other memory impairment.

The free meetings are held at various times at the Williams Adult Day Center, 231 Melrose St., in Winston-Salem.

For more information, call (336) 724-2155.

Compiled by Melissa Hall
The Veterans Administration and IFB Solutions Inc. are asking a federal judge to dismiss a complaint filed in a legal fight over which nonprofit group should have priority in providing eyeglasses to veterans.

The optical lab at IFB, formerly known as Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind Inc., is at the center of the fight with 52 jobs at stake  45 filled by employees who are blind, including 43 locally, and seven filled by veterans, including three locally.

The lab at 7730 North Point Blvd. makes eyeglasses for 34 VA facilities in five states as well as selling eyeglasses to the public.

IFBs optical labs have served the VA since 2000.

It was expanded in October 2015 at a $1.1 million cost to better handle a new five-year supplier contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs valued at $1.7 million annually.

On Aug. 25, a bid protest was filed by PDS Consultants Inc. against the federal government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

PDS, based in Sparta, N.J., says it is a small business owned by a disabled service veteran. It said in the complaint it has provided visual products to the VA since 1998.

Also listed as a defendant is the independent federal agency known as the U.S. Committee for the Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, also known as AbilityOne. That agency oversees the awarding of federal contracts with nonprofit agencies that train and employ people with disabilities.

PDS wants the opportunity to have priority status on AbilityOnes three optical network contracts with the VA. It wants a permanent injunction placed on the VA to halt the awarding of future VA optical contracts until the dispute is settled.

IFB said an injunction would essentially shut down the optical lab operations.

IFB was approved Aug. 31 as an intervenor on the side of the federal government. An intervenor can provide counsel advice to a defendant addressing its interest in the legal case, as well as provide protected records.

In separate responses filed Thursday, attorneys for the federal government and for IFB said that PDS has not demonstrated that the actions of either the VA or the commission were unreasonable or improper exercises of discretion.

At its essence, the legal case is about PDS motion to require the federal government to enforce PDS interpretation of the federal Veterans Benefits Act of 2006.

The federal government claims PDS is wrong in its assessment that Congress intended to prioritize awards to veteran-owned businesses over any other statutory mandate for VA procurements.

The act is considered one of the ways Congress recognizes and repays disabled veterans for their military service.

PDS officials claim the act gives it priority in filling VA eyeglasses orders through the federal Veterans First contracting program. Currently, AbilityOne is considered as a priority source for the VA.

The Veterans First program included a requirement, known as rule of two, in which orders for visual-related products and services can be filled first by at least two small businesses owned by disabled veterans.

Such a business must meet production and distribution bidding requirements at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States.

PDS cites a June 16 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that reinforced  in a legal case known as Kingdomware  the rule of two requirement as mandatory, not discretionary.

However, a policy memorandum issued by the VA in July does not direct VA contracting officers to give priority to veteran-owned businesses over AbilityOne products and services.

Where IFB comes in is that PDS wants the federal government to review its continued ordering from AbilityOne for three Veterans Integrated Services networks.

The committee said in an Aug. 5 final rule that a fourth network would be required to use a National Industries for the Blind source as of Sept. 4.

PDS said ordering from AbilityOne violates the rule of two requirement. PDS argues it would have a substantial chance to have received earlier network contracts had it been allowed to bid.

Danny Kelly, IFBs chief operating officer, said he believes there is enough business with the VA for everyone, veteran-owned businesses, as well as AbilityOne agencies like IFB, to be successful.

Kelly said he believes IFBs VA contracts are not covered by the rule of two requirement because they were added to a procurement list by the AbilityOne commission under the federal Javits-Wagner-ODay Act of 1938.

Kelly said that means its VA contracts are considered other than competitive.

PDS argues that the Veterans Benefits Act of 2006 should hold priority over mandatory purchasing requirements in the Javits-Wagner-ODay act.

The federal government argues that there is nothing in the Veterans Benefits Act to indicate that Congress sought to subordinate every statutory mandate to the VBA.

Instead, the act is silent, and the court should defer to the VAs reasonable construction of the act.
GriefShare helps deal with the holidays

GriefShare will hold seminars on Surviving the Holidays.

There will be a seminar Nov. 11 at the Kernersville Senior Center in the basement of the Paddison Library building, 130 E. Mountain St., Kernersville. Sign-in is at 9 a.m., and the seminar will be from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. The registration deadline is Monday.

The last seminar is Dec. 3 at Oaklawn Baptist Church, 3500 Kernersville Road. Sign-in is at 1 p.m., and the seminar is from 1:30 to 3:45 p.m. The registration deadline is Nov. 28. The cost is $5, and each participant will receive a DVD, Survival Guide and other handouts.

Discussions will explore creative and helpful ideas to make the holiday season less painful.

The GriefShare seminars are sponsored by Shady Grove Wesleyan Church, Glenn View Baptist Church, Oaklawn Baptist Church and the Senior Center of Kernersville.

For more information or to register for any of the seminars, call (336) 788-2569 or go to www.griefshare.org/holidays.

Military officers club to meet Tuesday

The Military Officers Association of America will meet Tuesday at the Piedmont Club in the BB&T Building, 200 W. Second St. A social time with a cash bar will begin at 6:15 p.m. The cost is $20 and includes dinner. For reservations, call Warren Boyer at (336) 407-2374.

The speaker will be state Rep. Donny Lambeth, the Republican nominee for the N.C. House of Representatives, District 75.

All active-duty military officers, former officers, officers of the Reserve and National Guard and retired officers, as well as guests, are invited.

Sons of the American Revolution to meet

The Bethabara Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the South Fork Community Center, 4403 Country Club Road. The meeting will include the election of officers, planning for the December Christmas gathering and the Wreaths across America program. All members, spouses and people interested in joining are invited to attend. For more information, contact Fred Learned at fdlearned@gmail.com or call (239) 849-0814.

Riding center needs volunteers

Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center needs volunteers to assist children and adults with special needs and lead horses during riding lessons Monday through Friday in the mornings and afternoons.

Volunteers must be at least 14 years old and able to commit to a one-hour class once a week for at least eight weeks. An orientation will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the farm, 6825 Rolling View Drive, Tobaccoville.

For more information or to sign up, call (336) 922-6426 or visit rtrc@windstream.net.

Knights to have flag retirement ceremony

The Pope John Paul II Assembly of Knights of Columbus will have a Flag Retirement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 616 S. Cherry St., Kernersville. Worn and faded flags will be retired and burned. The ceremony lasts 60 to 90 minutes and refreshments will be served afterward.

Community band

to perform

The Winston-Salem Community Band will have a free concert at 3 p.m. Nov. 13 at Ardmore Baptist Church, 501 Miller St. The program will include American Salute by Morton Gould, Hoagy Carmichael-An American Classic arranged by James Kessler and Waltz # 2 by Dmentri Shastokovich.

Hospice offers tips to cope with holidays

The Grief Counseling Services of Hospice & Palliative CareCenter will offer two Coping with the Holidays programs in November for people dealing with the death of loved ones. The programs are free, but registration is requested.

The programs will be held at the Williams Education and Counseling Center, 101 Hospice Lane. The first will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 and is open to children 6 and older, teens and adults. The second is at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and is open to adults.

For more information or to register, call (366) 331-1600.

Group to provide Thanksgiving meals

Middle of the Root, a local non-profit organization, is selling turkeys to provide Thanksgiving meals for 25 low-income families. Every third turkey sold will provide a family a meal. The organization is working with several local agencies to select the families.

The deadline for ordering a turkey is Nov. 16. For more information about Middle of the Root or to order a turkey, visit middleoftheroot.org.

Friends of Library

to hold book sale

The Friends of Central Library will hold its Annual Fall Book Sale from Nov. 18-20 at the former Forsyth County Environmental Affairs building at Sixth and Marshall streets. from noon-7 p.m. Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 19 and noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 20. Shelves are restocked each day. Enter off Marshall Street.

On Nov. 20 items will be half price or $5 per bag, some exclusions apply.

The sale will include books, DVDs, CDs and other media in good condition.

There are books that are autographed by well-known authors or celebrities.

For more information, call (336) 761-0736 or email FriendsofCentralLibrary@gmail.com.

ReStores collecting food donations

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County ReStores are accepting food donations for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina through Nov. 30. Customers who bring three non-perishable food items will receive a 10 percent discount off their entire purchase; customers who donate six non-perishable food items will get a 20 percent discount.
The threat of major gas shortages in North Carolina has ended after a major pipeline returned to service, according to an announcement from the N.C. governors office.

Gov. Pat McCrory announced Sunday morning that the Colonial pipeline is back in service and he was rescinding an order suspending non-essential travel by state employees.

This means that North Carolina, as well as our neighboring states, have averted a serious situation regarding our gas supply, McCrory said.

The Colonial pipeline is a major source of fuel for the state and damage to the pipeline could have caused shortages at gas pumps. The pipeline transports gasoline from the Gulf Coast to New York City, according to Colonial Pipeline Co.

The pipeline was damaged in an explosion and fire last Monday in Shelby, Ala., suspending gasoline distribution to several southeastern states. The explosion happened during maintenance on the line, killing one worker and injuring four others. Gas prices rose slightly during the week in several states because of the risk of shortages.
Its disturbing to hear that the number of homicides in Winston-Salem has gone up this year. Its also unacceptable.

The increase can be attributed to human behavior, Police Chief Barry Rountree told the Journal. Homicides are crimes of passion. Normally, there is a dispute between two parties. And one party chooses to use a weapon to settle that dispute.

Homicides are as old as Cain and Abel. But we must never stop trying to curb them.

We can start by teaching our youth, from the time theyre toddlers, that violence is never a solution. We also need to keep hammering away at the plague of domestic violence, searching for more recruits and new programs. And while poverty is never an excuse for murder, it definitely plays a role, the best evidence of that being that most of our homicides occur in poor areas.

But we all own the problem.

There have been 21 homicides so far this year in Winston-Salem, the Journals John Hinton and Jordan Howse reported last week. Last year, total, there were only 17. Thats an increase of 23 percent, and the years not over yet. Five of the 21 homicides are, so far, unsolved.

The rate is similar in North Carolina cities of comparable size, Assistant Police Chief Catrina Thompson told the Journal. Through Oct. 1, there were 28 homicides in Fayetteville, which is a significant increase from the previous year, 26 in Greensboro, which is roughly the same as last year, and 30 in Durham, which is a significant drop.

With the exception of a few, theres been a relationship between the victim and the suspect, Police Lt. Steven Tollie, who supervises the detectives in the Winston-Salem Police Department, told the Journal. People get angry and theyre killing family, killing friends. It takes them to a dark place and causes them to react in a violent manner. People dont know how to resolve a conflict.

Homicide and similar violent crimes are committed by people who suffered bad events in their lives, such as unemployment, depression and anger, Kimya Dennis, a sociologist and criminologist at Salem College, told the Journal. People sometimes deal with circumstances with anger, aggression and self-harm or harming other people, she said.

If we equip people with the emotional resources and support to resist these negative emotions, its likely we can curtail their expression. And we should keep fighting poverty, and standing up for better housing and education.

Other suggestions include providing more job opportunities for young men and former convicts, creating free or inexpensive programs for children and teens, and involving ministers and pastors in efforts to reach others.

Winston-Salem City Council member James Taylor is working with other community leaders to find and fund solutions to crime in the city. More programs and efforts like these are needed.

I think one homicide is one homicide too many, Taylor told the Journal.

We agree.
The joy that police detective Patrik Hedstrom and his wife, Erica, a true-crime writer, feel over the recent birth of their twin sons is balanced by a recent horrific car accident in which their infant nephew was killed. In addition, Patrik ended up in the hospital at the same time Erica was giving birth.

Back on the job after sick leave, Patrik and his fellow detectives investigate the murder of Mats Sverin, Fjallbackas finance officer who was instrumental in restoring a dilapidated hotel into a ritzy spa that surely will attract high-end tourists to the town. Mats was well-liked by his colleagues and the towns residents, and doted on by his loving parents. His life recently had become complicated with the reappearance of his high school girlfriend, Nathalie Wester, and her 5-year-old son, Sam. Nathalie had fled to the area in the middle of the night, returning to the nearby remote island Graskar where she grew up. Located just outside Fjallbacka, the island was nicknamed Ghost Isle because of the legend that those who die on the island remain there in spirit. Nathalie believes in those ghosts  she talked with them when she was a child  and, now, she again finds comfort in them.
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By Aimee Shalan | al-Shabakah | (Maan News Agency) |  

Current British Complicity

It is not only corporate entities such as G4S in the case of Dareen Tatour that are infringing on free speech on Israels behalf. At a time when international pressure on Israel is increasing, the UK government and a number of British institutions are moving in the opposite direction, deepening their support for a Zionist ideology bent on repressing Palestinian culture and history.

Efforts to freeze the funding of arts groups and productions deemed pro-Palestinian by Israels Culture Minister Miri Regev follow on the heels of 2011s Nakba law, which enables the withholding of funds to public institutions deemed to be involved in challenging the founding of Israel or any activity denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. This draconian law appears to have provided a template for the UK government to start censoring cultural voices in Britain that critique the state of Israel.

This development came to light in August 2014, when Londons Tricycle Theater refused to host the UK Jewish Film Festival (UKJFF) while it was partially funded by the Israeli embassy  a response to the loss of life resulting from Israels bombardment of Gaza. Although the Tricycle offered to provide alternative funding to cover the cost of the contribution from the Israeli embassy, the UKJFF was unwilling to decline embassy sponsorship and withdrew its festival from the theater.

The Tricycle came under sustained attack and was soon subject to an intervention from the then-secretary of state for culture, Sajid Javid. Together with the minister for culture and the digital economy, Ed Vaizey, Javid worked closely with the Israeli ambassador at the time, Daniel Taub, to pressure the Tricycle to withdraw its objections to Israeli embassy funds. Unable to stand fast against threats to its own funding, the small venue withdrew its objection and invited the UKJFF back on the same terms as the previous year.

While attending an event organized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 2015, Javid noted that his intervention the year before was also intended to deter other organizations from exercising their right to boycott. I have made it absolutely clear what might happen to [the theaters] funding if they try, or if anyone tries, that kind of thing again, he said.

Javids message rang loud and clear: Any boycott of Israel by British cultural institutions is out of bounds if they wish to receive funding. Israels policies and practices are no longer simply being ignored by UK ministers; now they are being adopted.

The Tricycles stance, while short-lived, nevertheless marked the beginning of a public debate about threats from pro-Israel government advocates to the independence of cultural institutions in the UK. In October 2014, a public discussion entitled After the Tricycle: Can Arts Organizations Say No to Embassy Funding? was held at Amnesty International Action Center. During the discussion the need for effective strategies to contest political pressure on the arts became more apparent as other instances of institutional censorship and manipulation were reported.

One example cited was the April 2014 decision by the Donmar Warehouse, a theater located in Londons West End, to censor a podcast that was part of a discussion series that accompanied Peter Gills production of Versailles. Entitled Impossible Conversations, the series featured leading political and cultural commentators exploring the legacy of World War I. Twenty-four hours prior to one of the discussions  Mr. Balfours Letter to Lord Rothschild: How the Great War Remapped the World  the Donmar Warehouse received a complaint from a funder claiming that the event was an attack on the state of Israel, an anti-Israel rally, and anti-Semitic. Threats to withdraw funding accompanied the complaint, as well as a pledge to raise grievances with publicly funded cultural institutions at which the events programmer worked or served as a trustee. Although the Donmar Warehouse held the discussion, it chose not to post the podcast online along with the other discussions that took place.

Institutional and government censorship in support of Israel has also entered the academic sphere. In 2015, Eric Pickles, then secretary of state for communities and local government, ensured the cancellation of an academic conference on the legal status of the state of Israel at the University of Southampton. The conference included both an Israeli law professor and a Palestinian human rights activist, but Pickles claimed that the event would give voice to the far-lefts bashing of Israel, which often descends into anti-Semitism, rather than offer a platform to all sides of the debate. Michael Gove, then chief whip, joined the fray, declaring that [i]t was not a conference, it was an anti-Israel hate-fest.

In response to the governments intervention, the university withdrew permission for the conference to be held on its property on health and safety grounds. The university claimed that the event could give rise to protests and that it did not have the resources to mitigate this risk, despite a statement from the police confirming they could ensure the security of the event. In April 2016, the conference was blocked for a second year when organizers were not able to pay the 24,000 ($29,000) the university required of them to cover the cost of hiring private security and erecting fencing.

Britains increasing involvement in the cultural repression of Palestinians is also occurring through the denial of UK visas. Arts, culture, and education help create spaces in which difficult problems can be addressed creatively  especially when people from different backgrounds and contexts are brought together in them. This is why cultural and educational exchanges between Palestinian and international artists and academics have been blocked by Israels occupation regime for decades. Most recently, Israel banned UK academic Dr. Adam Hanieh from entering Israel or Palestine for 10 years after he attempted to travel to Birzeit University to deliver a series of lectures. Israel also refused entry to the UK-based Palestinian writer Ahmed Masoud to participate in the Palestinian Festival of Literature in the West Bank earlier this year.

Lately, an increasing number of reports have also emerged regarding the denial of visas by UK authorities to Palestinian artists and academics seeking to come to Britain to participate in exhibitions, theater productions, speaking tours, and conferences. Hamde Abu Rahma, a Palestinian photojournalist, was twice denied a UK visa despite financial backing and support from a number of British MPs before he was finally granted permission to come to Scotland for this years Edinburgh Festival. Other Palestinian artists whose denied visas have been made public in recent years include Ali Abukhattab and Samah al-Sheikh, writers who were due to appear at the Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of the Shubbak festival, and Nabil al-Raee, artistic director of the Jenin Freedom Theater who was supposed to speak at a number of UK events.

The UK visa system is also becoming more of an obstacle to developing academic partnerships with Palestinian universities. Because it is extremely difficult to obtain clear information about the visa process, institutions ability to work collaboratively is hindered. Palestinian academics and students alike are being denied entry. According to the British Council, this year for the first time five out of ten of their sponsored Palestinian students were refused visas.

Arts and education organizations have largely been dealing with such access issues individually, in the hope of reaching a solution by working quietly with the UK authorities on a case-by-case basis. Israeli artists and academics, however, are not subject to the same restrictions, even if they come from illegal settlements in the West Bank. While an Israeli settler can simply obtain a visa on arrival in the UK, a Palestinian living down the road must go through an expensive and complicated application process before they travel, with dwindling hopes of success.

It is essential that British institutions are not discouraged from inviting Palestinians to participate in their activities, especially while the UK government cracks down on the cultural boycott and stifles academic debate under the guise of ensuring a platform for all sides.

Promoting Palestinian Cultural Production

Changing attitudes and practices in the UK toward Palestinian culture and identity, which have been relegated to an inferior role ever since the days of Balfour, is no easy task. There is, however, much that Palestinian civil society and solidarity groups are doing, and can do more of, in the run-up to the centenary of the Balfour Declaration to create conditions to put an end to British complicity in the censorship of Palestinians and to the UK governments prejudicial policies in support of Israel.

Organized public pressure is a key element in creating such conditions. The Palestinian poet Dareen Tatours imprisonment has received increasing international attention and the support of over 250 renowned writers, poets, translators, editors, artists, public intellectuals, and cultural workers. Tatour believes this international response could influence the final outcome of her case. Public pressure, she says, may force the Israeli authorities to reconsider the persecution of Palestinian artists, writers, and young activists just because they express their rejection of oppression. As such, Palestinian civil society and solidarity groups can work jointly to increase international pressure for the release of Tatour and work to intensify the Stop G4S campaign in solidarity with all Palestinian political prisoners.

More generally, these groups can also:

 Use the media, public forums, and other outreach to increase understanding of the Balfour Declarations devastating impact on the Palestinian people through its negation of Palestinian culture and identity and keep calling on the UK government to issue an official apology;

 Coordinate a creative public communications campaign focusing on Israels attacks on Palestinian culture and history and on the legitimacy of Palestinian civil societys call for the cultural and academic boycott of Israel until it complies with international law;

 Provide legal and other support to artists, academics, and cultural programmers facing political pressure from pro-Israel advocates and coordinate activities to stop UK ministers from threatening the independence of British cultural and academic institutions;

 Create a comprehensive database documenting cases of denied British visas for Palestinians over the past five years to put pressure on the British authorities to treat Palestinians no differently from Israelis when they apply to come to the UK.

Nearly 100 years after Balfour, one thing is certain: It is time for Britain to adopt a new approach. The centenary presents an opportunity for the UK not only to cease aiding Israel in its bid to silence Palestinians and stonewall cultural exchange, but to actively promote Palestinian cultural production and ensure that Palestinian stories are being told.

An extremely well-coordinated campaign is required, however, to ensure that sufficient public pressure is put on the UK government to finally acknowledge the devastating impact of its historic intervention and begin to make reparations for its past and present complicity in the cultural repression and ongoing dispossession of Palestinians.

Originally published in full on Al-Shabakas website on October 26, 2016.

The views expressed in this article are the authors and do not necessarily reflect Maan News Agencys and Informed Comments editorial policy.

Al-Shabaka is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and foster public debate on Palestinian human rights and self-determination within the framework of international law.

In this Al-Shabaka policy brief, Aimee Shalan analyzes the legacy of the Balfour Declaration on Palestinian-British relations in the occupied Palestinian territory and the United Kingdom, particularly regarding the repressing of Palestinian cultural voices. The first part of this brief was published on Friday.
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By Jon Queally, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org ) |  

Injunction will help make sure not a single voters voice is unlawfully taken away, says Rev. William Barber II of the NC NAACP.

Granting hopeful reprieve to thousands of potentially disenfranchised voters ahead of Tuesdays election, a federal judge late Friday issued an emergency injunction and ordered county elections boards in North Carolina to immediately restore registrations wrongfully purged from voter rolls.

The NAACP is defending rights of all North Carolinians to participate in this election and we will not back down and allow this suppression to continue

Rev. William Barber II, NC NAACP

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs followed from a lawsuit filed by the North Carolina NAACP which charged that officials in three countiesBeaufort, Moore and Cumberlandhad cancelled registrations of thousands of voters solely on the basis of a challenge process triggered by individuals (like this guy) who produced single mailings returned as undeliverable, purporting to show a change in residence. The lawsuit challenged the procedure, arguing the removals were done without written confirmation from the affected voters and in violation of federal voter registration laws, including the National Voter Registration Act (NRVA).



The Court finds that a narrowly tailored injunction is warranted to ensure that eligible voters are not deprived of their right to participate in the upcoming election due to a flawed process engaged in by the State and County Boards, which this Court has determined likely violates the NVRA, Biggs said in her decision.

During the hearing of lawsuit on Wednesday, Biggs indicated her sympathy with the plaintiffs challenge when she called the process by which officials were removing registered voters as insane. Such voter disenfranchisement, Biggs said in her Friday ruling, cannot be sacrificed when citizens through no fault of their own have been removed from the voter rolls.

Rev. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP, welcomed Fridays ruling.

This emergency injunction will help make sure not a single voters voice is unlawfully taken away, Barber said in a statement. The NAACP is defending rights of all North Carolinians to participate in this election and we will not back down and allow this suppression to continue. This is our Selma.

The NAACP and other voting rights advocates charge that the process was an intentional effortan example of a troubling national trendby Republican lawmakers and county officials to suppress voter participation in minority communities and among vulnerable voters such as the poor and elderly.

The voter purges have a long history of being racially-motivated and terribly inaccurate, said Penda Hair, an attorney for the NAACP. Its a timeworn GOP strategy to suppress the black vote that is being recycled in the run-up to Election Day.

For example, noted the NAACP, the en masse voter challenges in Beaufort County have disproportionately targeted African American voters, who comprise only 25.9 percent of the Beaufort County population, but accounted for more than 65 percent (91 of 138) of the challenges.

Among those was Grace Bell Hardison, a 100-year-old African American woman from Beaufort County who has voted regularly for 24 straight years. Ms. Hardison, whose registration was upheld following outcry when her story was publicized and supported by the NC NAACP, was among the plaintiffs in the suit.

Nov. 8 election, but found out the Beaufort County Board of Elections, on or after Oct. 24, 2016, purged him from the rolls following a third-party challenge based solely on an undeliverable mass mailing. I did not receive notice from the State or Beaufort County that my voter registration had been challenged, or that a hearing had been set to determine whether I would remain on the States list of eligible voters, Arthur said. If I knew my right to vote was in jeopardy, I would do whatever I could to protect it. I want and plan to vote in the upcoming election, but I am concerned that since my registration has been canceled I will not be able to cast a ballot or it will not be counted. Also a plaintiff in the suit after his registration was challenged by officials, James Edward Arthur Sr., an African American and lifelong resident of Beaufort County, has voted in at least 14 elections since 2011. He was also planning to vote in the upcomingelection, but found out the Beaufort County Board of Elections, on or after Oct. 24, 2016, purged him from the rolls following a third-party challenge based solely on an undeliverable mass mailing.
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By Mehmet Ugur | ( OpenDemocracy.net) |  

Let us stop pretending otherwise: Turkey is now under a dictatorial regime established step by step under the gaze of, and with tacit support from western governments and institutions. Kurdish and democratic forces within the country are paying a heavy price, not only because of the brutality of the AKP ruling elite informed by a mix of neoliberal economic policies and political Islam, but also the failure of western governments and institutions to read the script correctly and develop a principled response. The wests failure today is similar to the appeasement of Hitler in the 1930s.

At the time of writing, at least 11 MPs from the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), including co-leaders Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, have been arrested and the partys headquarters have been raided. These atrocities followed long interruptions of the internet in the Kurdish region. This is a large-scale collective punishment with the aim of spreading fear among the population at large. One can only wonder how a NATO member and EU candidate can disrupt communications, business transactions and public services, including health provisions without any challenge from western governments.

Tracking the cumulative authoritarianism of AKP rule

The Turkish multi-party system had been a veneer for an essentially state-centric and authoritarian regime since 1947. The regime has always oscillated between parliamentary elections and military coups. The electoral victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2002 was presented as a breakthrough. Yet, the AKP had soon become an architect of cumulative authoritarianism and has recently acted as a midwife for a botched coup. This trajectory has been underpinned by an Islamo-Calvinist belief in the market economy that resonates with neoliberal economic dogmas. It requires adherence to an Islamic political order in which elections are devices to confirm those in power rather than means of holding them to account and ensuring minority rights.

11 MPs from the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), including co-leaders Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, have been arrested and the partys headquarters have been raided.Indeed, the transition to the current dictatorial regime started in 2005, soon after the AKP elite felt confident enough that there was sufficient support for Recep Tayyip Erdogans conception of democracy as a train, which you disembark once you reach the right station. In March 2005, less than six months after a local election victory, Erdogan branded demonstrators protesting police brutality against women in Istanbul as Euro-informers  i.e., traitors whose loyalties are to foreign powers rather than to the Turkish state. This statement set in motion a 10-year process of authoritarian consolidation, during which all political dissent was equated with treason and conspiracy.

The first casualty of this consolidation process has been the institutions of good governance. Between 2005 and 2015, Turkey remained in the bottom 50% on the World Bank Governance Indicators. Governance quality fell from the bottom 48% to the bottom 35% with respect to voice and accountability; and from the bottom 28% to 10% with respect to political stability. Its ranking when it comes to rule of law stagnated around 57% and eventually fell to around 50% by 2016. Large-scale corruption scandals involving government officials and their political backers have been covered up and those who exposed them silenced.

After the botched coup of July 2016, tens of thousands of academics and educationalists have been fired.

Press freedom was curtailed year after year. According to Freedom House data, Turkey was partly free with respect to press freedom in 2005. In 2015, it became not free. In 2016, the legal and political environment of press freedom in Turkey was among the worst 10-15% in the world.

Turkey has never been known for academic freedom. State tutelage over the higher education system has been enshrined both in the Constitution and under the Higher Education Law. Academics have always been forced to toe the governments line under successive AKP governments; and those who signed a letter calling for peace and for international monitoring of state violence in Kurdish towns and cities have been persecuted since late 2015.

After the botched coup of July 2016, tens of thousands of academics and educationalists have been fired, and the president has been given the power to hand pick all public university vice-chancellors, leading to an unprecedented atmosphere of fear in the system. According to Scholars at Risks 2016 report, the Turkish governments actions have harmed the reputation of Turkeys higher education sector as a reliable partner for research projects, teaching and study exchanges, and international conferences and meetings.

Despite political pressure from within, and recommendations by international human rights lawyers since 2005, successive AKP governments avoided meaningful peace negotiations with the Kurds. Eventually they pulled out of a half-baked peace process just after the elections in June 2015. Indeed, between June and the second round of elections in November 2015, the AKP government used state-orchestrated violence to silence the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). After the elections in November, the AKP unleashed an unprecedented military attack on the Kurds, destroying towns and cities, killing innocent civilians, and causing a massive wave of internal displacement. The unlawful and disproportionate use of state violence has been documented in a Human Rights Watch report and acknowledged by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

More recently, the AKP government has arrested and detained the co-mayors of Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish city, on the grounds that they are members of a terrorist organisation. The evidence against them consists of speeches they made in favour of democratic local autonomy and the provision of municipality services for the burial of PKK fighters killed in armed clashes with the security forces. This is despite the fact that burial services are among the duties and responsibilities of the municipalities across Turkey. The co-mayors have been detained and sent to jail in Kandira F-Type prison in Izmit province  more than 800 miles away from Diyarbakir!

In addition to scores of media outlets being shut down over the last two weeks of October 2016, the AKP government has ordered the raid of the main opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet and the houses of its journalists, editors and trustees. Currently, 15 journalists and top managers of the paper are under police custody with no access to lawyers .

The sweeping crackdown after the botched coup is implemented through decrees under the state of emergency. Although Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) provides for derogations from the Convention in states of emergency, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) remains the ultimate authority to determine whether measures taken during the state of emergency are in conformity with the Convention. The latter clearly provides that derogations are strictly required and proportionate. Even at the outset of the state of emergency, the Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the first decree raised very serious questions of compatibility with the ECHR and rule of law principles, even after taking into account the derogation in place.

Since then, the scope, modality and arbitrariness of both government actions and state of emergency decrees have worsened beyond anything past Turkish governments have done.

The current regime in Turkey bears the hallmarks of a dictatorial regime.

This state terror cannot be justified by invoking derogations from ECHR under the state of emergency. In France, a state of emergency has been introduced, but necessary checks and balances have been put in place by the judiciary, the French Parliament, the National Human Rights Institution, and the Ombudsman. Furthermore, the measures taken by the French government have been far more limited in scope compared to those in Turkey. In the latter, the Parliament is totally dysfunctional, the judiciary under total control of the government, who had already introduced legislation that ensures the immunity of security forces for their actions in the crackdown against the Kurds.

Overall, the current regime in Turkey bears the hallmarks of a dictatorial regime. Erdogan and the AKP elite, together with the military, are building defences that will make the regime totally unaccountable and perhaps irreversible. One such defence is the instalment of a civilian mob culture in the media, mosques, neighbourhoods, universities, etc. This mob culture consists of: (i) demonising and criminalising all political opponents; (ii) state-centred encouragement of political lynching through various means, including arrests, business raids, cyber and media hostility campaigns, ethnic and religious hatred against the Kurds, Alevis and other minorities including the LGBTQ community; (iii) demands for re-introduction of the death penalty, for which Erdogan has declared support several times after the botched coup; and (iv) conspiracy theories that present the west as the enemy of Turkey.

The other level of defence is the transition to a unitary presidential system in which the president would appoint the judiciary, the university rectors, and be in control of the security apparatus. This is highly likely to be adopted soon, with the support of the MPs of AKP and the Nationalist Action Party (MHP).

The implosion of the unipolar world system as an explanatory factor

Given that the evidence above has been common knowledge, it is safe to assume that western governments and institutions have also been aware of the dictatorial drift in Turkey. This begs two questions: (i) why has their response been muted; and (ii) have they been in a position to respond differently?

The answer to both questions lies in the crisis of the unipolar world system that the United States, with Europe in tow, has been trying to establish since the collapse of the Soviet Union. With the exception of the transition decade in the 1990s, the US has been totally unsuccessful in establishing itself as a monopoly power. On the other hand, European politicians have had to toe the line without any discernible benefits, with the exception of the false sense of power in the UK that has eventually led to Brexit. This dismal result has been associated with human cost and economic ruin in Iraq, Libya and Syria; and with continuing perceptions of insecurity despite the eastern expansion of NATO.

The failure has been due to three factors: (i) the rise of China and Russia as serious contenders for the status of world power; (ii) the high price that regional powers such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, etc. have demanded for their role as sub-contractors in the project; and (iii) the rise of transnational Islamic terrorist groups from the ashes of the destruction caused by western interventions aimed at regime change. The combination of these factors have led to two outcomes. First, the unipolar world system project has proved to be the shortest-lived experiment in world politics. Secondly, current uncertainties about how to move to a multi-polar system have been associated with costs, which can be expected to be even higher unless the electorates challenge the prevailing political dogmas in the west.

Looked at from this perspective, the wests silence against cumulative authoritarianism in Turkey cannot be explained by fear of Syrian refugees or as a price for securing Turkeys fight against ISIS. These are just manifestations of a deeper malaise  i.e., the obsession with the idea of a unipolar system  that has been based on two fallacies: (i) belief in the supremacy of the western economic and security systems; and (ii) belief in the latters ability to pick and choose its allies from a pool of secondary-actors such as Turkey, to achieve regional objectives.

Today both beliefs have proven unfounded: the western economic system has delivered high levels of within-country income and wealth inequalities, and increased fragility; the security system on the other hand has benefited only the arms industry catering for an increased appetite for military spending without reducing the perceived security risks. All in all, the investment in the unipolar world system project has been truly disastrous for the western public, who financed the project either through low wages for the majority or by increased tax burdens on middle-income earners.

The wests silence against cumulative authoritarianism in Turkey cannot be explained by fear from Syrian refugees.

The incapacity of western governments to react effectively to cumulative authoritarianism in Turkey can and should be read from this underlying anomaly. The US and Europe did not have leverage on Turkey because the latter (like other emerging regional powers) was willing to support the ambitions for a unipolar system only in return for increasing its influence in the Middle East. The US and Europe have agreed to this deal, cooked up clandestinely together with embedded experts from academia and beyond.

Part of the deal has been to present Turkey as a role model for the Middle East despite mounting evidence of authoritarianism and institutional degradation. When the role model argument lost its credibility after the botched coup, the west began to measure Turkeys value with a new currency: regime stability. That is why both the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjrn Jagland, and a retired NATO supreme allied commander, James Stavridis, called for stronger western support for the Turkish government  with little or no attention to the risk of human rights violations under the state of emergency. This was a nauseating indicator of the extent to which macht has overtaken recht in the formation of foreign policy in the west.

Aware of this set up, the Turkish government has: (i) ratcheted up its sectarian and interventionist foreign policy towards Syria and Iraq; (ii) worked with and supplied arms to terrorist organisations such as Al-Nusra, while turning a blind eye to ISIS activities within and outside its borders; (iii) adopted a hostile approach to the Kurdish political movement in Turkey and Syria; and (iv) suppressed all potential sources of domestic dissent.

In doing this, the AKP elite enjoyed a mixture of tacit and explicit support from western governments and institutions, who have muttered muted criticism followed by solid confirmation of Turkeys strategic importance as an ally.

Appeasement politics, however, has backfired. Turkey is now a liability rather than an asset for western security. Its actions in Iraq and Syria have gone beyond support for or complicity with terrorist groups and begun to signal irredentist ambitions that complicate the wests objectives in the region. Turkey is also playing the Russian card to push US and European policy makers to support its ambition of destroying the emerging Kurdish reality in Turkey and beyond. The next stage may well be a situation in which Turkey is upgraded from liability to threat to European security  mainly due to higher levels of political instability under a dictatorial regime.

Turkey is now a liability rather than an asset for western security.

It is high time that western governments and institutions confess to their public and admit that the policy of appeasing Turkey in return for its support to the unipolar system idea has imploded. It is also high time to admit that the west has lost the moral argument against Russia. One does not have to subscribe to a benign conception of the Russian regime to see that it is Russia that argues for adherence to international law in combatting terrorism. Also, it is Russia that argues against unilateral interventions aimed at regime change, the consequences of which have been: (i) the mushrooming of transnational terrorist networks; (ii) loss of life and economic ruin in affected countries; and (iii) imposition of war bills on the western public whose perceived insecurities have only increased.

Hence, it is both necessary and rational for the western electorate to stop legitimising and financing the fallacies about a unipolar world system, which have only led to higher levels of economic and existential insecurity. Instead, we should force our governments and institutions to engage in a genuine debate, domestically and internationally, on how to move to a multi-polar world system in which the people  not foreign states with their own interests and agendas  are empowered to counteract authoritarian tendencies and practices within their own countries.

The new regime requires stricter rules against unilateral interventions, a stronger mandate for the UN, and a more effective human rights regime that is not hollowed out by regional/cultural exceptionalism. In a nutshell, we need a transformation similar in scale to the post-war experience of international institution building. We must push for this reckoning not only to show solidarity with fighters against the dictatorial regime in Turkey, but also to increase the chance of a democratic, secular, gender-equal and fair system in Turkey and elsewhere.

Mehmet Ugur is Professor of Economics and Institutions and member of Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre (GPERC) at the Department of International Business and Economics, University of Greenwich

Via OpenDemocracy.net

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

CCTV: Turkey arrests of opposition politicians increases tension
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Colorado [official website] on Friday blocked [order, PDF] Colorado officials from enforcing laws that prosecute or cite voters who take selfies at the ballots. Colorado Rev. Stat.  1-13-712(1) [text] prohibits a voter from show[ing] his ballot after it is prepared for voting to any person in such a way as to reveal its contents. Under   1-13-712(4) and 1-13-111 of the same statute, any violation of this provision is classified as a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment for not more than one year. Some of the plaintiffs involved were unaware of the above statutes at the time the selfies were taken while others wanted to ensure through the injunction that they will not be prosecuted or cited for taking selfies. Both groups of plaintiffs shared a common fear of prosecution despite assurances from state officials they will not be enforcing the laws. The defendants cited several prior cases, and a recent media release wherein state officials assured voters that they will not enforce the law, to support their contention that the plaintiffs fear was baseless. Judge Christine Arguello rejected these contentions stating that the assurances in the prior cases were bolstered by a Supreme Court opinion which is absent in the present case and concluded that plaintiffs fear here is not unreasonable. In support of this ruling, the court made particular note of the fact that one of the plaintiffs received a warning from the Colorado attorney generals office that she violated the law. The court also agreed with the plaintiffs that they suffered an irreparable harm because their free speech rights were chilled and that granting of the injunction is in the public interest at this point in the election cycle.

The above ruling stands in contrast to the rulings of other jurisdictions which have upheld the ban on ballot selfies. On Thursday a federal court in New York denied [JURIST report] a similar motion for preliminary injunction challenging a similar New York law that makes it a misdemeanor crime for voters to post pictures of ballots on social media. Likewise on Wednesday a federal judge in California rejected [JURIST report] a legal challenge to the states ban on ballot selfies. Last month the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit [official website] granted a stay [JURIST report] on the preliminary injunction that had halted Michigans ban on ballot selfies, effectively reinstating the ban. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit [official website] in September ruled [JURIST report] against a New Hampshire law banning electronic devices in the ballot booth, making way for individuals to take selfies when voting.
The Ivory Coast Constitutional Council on Friday affirmed the results of a referendum backing a new constitution, rejecting requests from several political parties, including that of former president Laurent Gbagbo [BBC profile], who boycotted the vote that the referendum be annulled. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara [BBC profile] stated that the new constitution will help the country put behind a decade of political turmoil and move forward toward progress. The newly adopted constitution received a record 93 percent of the vote [JURIST report], although the voter turnout was only about 42 percent. The older constitution, drafted under military rule after a 1999 coup, contained a controversial clause [Reuters report] that required both parents of the presidential candidates to be native-born Ivorians. This was meant to preclude northern Ivorians like Ouattara who have family ties that straddle the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, from running for the presidency. Under the new constitution [CNBC report], a presidential candidate only needs one parent who was Ivorian instead of two. The referendum also creates a position for a vice president and the senate.

The Ivory Coast has faced turmoil [JURIST archive] since November 2010 when Gbagbo ran for reelection against Ouattara who was previously a prime minister. The EU recognized that Ouattara defeated Gbagbo, but Gbagbo refused to concede victory [JURIST report]. Gbagbo has been accused [JURIST report] of starting a civil war after losing the presidency, which resulted in 3,000 deaths and the displacement of one million people. In May 2015, a panel of appeals judges for the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] affirmed [JURIST report] a ruling against former first lady Simone Gbagbo that allows the case to go forward to trial. However, the Ivory Coast government refused to turn Simone over [JURIST report] to the ICC, instead insisting that their own courts can effectively dispense justice. Laurent Gbagbo is currently facing trial before the ICC on four charges of crimes against humanity for murder, attempted murder, rape and persecution during a wave of post-election violence between December 2010 and April 2011.
[JURIST] Kansas district court judge Larry Hendricks [official website] on Friday ordered [opinion, PDF] a stop to Kansas voting registration system that would have prevented more than 18,000 people from voting in federal elections for failing to follow particular registration rules. Hendricks ruled that the states justification of avoiding voter fraud was far outweighed by the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters, preventing Secretary of State Kris Kobach [official website] from formalizing the system into an administrative rule. ACLU staff attorney Sophia Lakin, part of the team to challenge the Kansas law, stated, [t]his ruling is a victory for Kansas voters and a stinging rebuke of Secretary Kobachs repeated efforts to improperly use his authority to obstruct their access to the ballot. This decision recognizes that Kansans right to vote in state and local elections should be honored, no matter what registration form they used. Kobach vowed to appeal the ruling, stating I regard the decision as wrong  and this decision stands in the way of protecting our elections.

Voting rights continue to be a contentious topic in anticipation of the coming presidential election. Earlier this month, a judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a motion for preliminary injunction [complaint, PDF] challenging the New York law [text] that makes it a misdemeanor crime for voters to post pictures of their ballots on social media. The plaintiffs had challenged [JURIST report] the law last week, claiming that banning ballot selfies violates citizens freedom of speech and expression and hinders the cultural movement that promotes taking pride in ones vote. In the past month similar laws banning the ballot selfie have been rejected in Michigan and New Hampshire [JURIST reports]. And earlier in October, a federal court denied an emergency motion [JURIST report] from North Carolina counties to extend the hours of early voting.
[JURIST] The Turkish Government on Friday arrested [WP report] eight pro-Kurdish political party members, including the partys two leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, then arrested [Reuters report] an additional nine party members Saturday. All arrestees are members of the Peoples Democratic Party [party website], accused of terror-related acts and were members of the nations largest opposition political party. These arrests are part of a broad crackdown perpetrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan [BBC profile], which have drawn international criticism, including from the White House [official website], which stated [press release], [t]he United States is deeply concerned by the Turkish governments detentions of opposition members of parliament, including the co-chairs of the HDP, the Peoples Democratic Party. This comes on the heels of what appears to be an increase in official pressure on opposition media outlets in Turkey.

The aftermath of the failed coup attempt continues as Erdogan vowed [JURIST report] that those involved in the coup would pay a heavy price. In September Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that approximately 32,000 people have been arrested [JURIST report] in relation to the recent coup attempt, and 70,000 have been questioned. In late October Turkeys government dismissed 10,000 additional civil servants and closed 15 more media outlets for their supposed connection with US-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey has accused of orchestrating the attempted coup in July. Then earlier this week, officials in Turkey detained [JURIST report] and searched the homes of 13 reporters alleging that, during the failed coup attempt in Turkey, they published stories seeking to legitimize those participating in the coup.
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FILE - This is a Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 file photo of Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a press statement with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos at 10 Downing Street in London. British Prime Minister Theresa May has shrugged off an adverse court ruling on the government's plans to leave the European Union and maintains that Brexit will be carried out in full. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool, File)
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I am currently a fourth-year medical student, and I will not accept mediocrity in my life any longer (and neither should you).

When you were growing up did you ever wish for happiness? Did you ask for a good life? Did you want to feel fulfilled and self-actualized? Yeah me too. We are meant to reach for the stars, we are meant to go for our dreams, and we are meant to climb mountains. What happened?

When I decided I wanted to be a doctor, I had this ideal image of how things should be run. I wrote a personal statement that provided my explanation as to why I wanted to dedicate my life to help people. I wanted to be able to hear any problem and work with my patients the best that I could. I wanted to be able to connect on a deep level and overcome any fears that my patients possessed. I wanted to develop trust with time.

However, I am sad to see that my future as a physician looks mediocre at best. My current role models do not have the time. Every physician I have worked with is well-intentioned, extremely intelligent, and fully capable of developing strong healing relationships with their patients, but the current medical model doesnt support this behavior. The business and legal aspects of medicine have gotten in the way of the health in the word health care.

Physicians do not spend time with their patients. Physicians spend time doing paperwork, dealing with insurance and staring at lab numbers (this is not true of every specialty or situation, but this is the growing norm). Even worse, being a physician is increasingly becoming a risk factor for psychiatric issues and suicide. And why is that? I believe that money and fear-based legal thinking has become more important than actually healing the patient. I believe that the quantity of medicine has trumped the quality of medicine. I believe that we have forgotten about the most important unit of medicine, the health of our medical provider.

Have you truly seen a happy modern-day physician? Do you know what that even would look like? What would that entail? My dream practice would be one with controlled hours. I dream of having high-quality patient interactions, that are not rushed. I want to love all my patients and show them that I care. I want to practice what I preach. I dream of a model where as a physician I can make my meals, have time for exercise, meditation, and even spend time with my own future family and children.

Is this possible? If I were to subscribe myself to the current medical model, I am sad to say I dont know if it is. Why must I give up on being happy? Why must I subject myself to a potentially sub-par, mediocre, or even worse, sad life? I am done accepting that being a physician is at best mediocre. I want to make active changes so we can build happy doctors. I want to be the change, so every physician can see it is possible!

Why is this topic of paramount importance? Because our patients are depending on us! Patients deserve happy doctors who as a byproduct will provide quality care. If we do not choose to find and actively seek options to improve our own lives, and yet expect patients to actively improve their health, we are being hypocrites. We must actively make changes to improve the care we provide, and if necessary, create the practice that envelopes all of our ideals. We cannot expect our happiness to be handed to us, it is in our hands to grab our happiness. No one can believe in our dreams more than us, they are our dreams. So please, please, please, I beg of you, get in touch with your inner child; the one who asked for happiness, the one who believed in healing people, and the one who believed in a dream.

I call upon you physician, resident, medical student, or pre-medical student, to not accept mediocrity in your life. Remember you deserve to be happy. Remember you are the commodity of the health care system. Remember that you can achieve change! But, it starts with you believing it is possible. It starts with you transforming your thoughts into action. It starts with you opening your mouth and discussing the issues. It starts with you implementing change in your own life and shifting your fear-based thinking, into action-oriented, goal-driven, dream achieving thinking. It is time for you to actually take care of you. Your patients lives are counting on it.

Taylor Brana is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The following article is reprinted from our Kiplinger Alerts premium service. Try it free for 30 days (opens in new tab).

You dont have to be in the oil and gas business to know that the last two years have been brutal. The sell-off in oil markets that began in 2014 saw the price of crude fall from about $100 per barrel to a low of $26 last winter, before a modest rebound to $44 now. At the same time, natural gas prices fell to their lowest level since 1999 during the unusually warm winter of 2015-2016. As a result, dozens of companies have filed for bankruptcy, tens of thousands of workers have lost energy-related jobs, and manufacturers that make drilling equipment and related gear have seen their sales slump.

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But there are finally signs of better days ahead. No, the energy industry isnt going to suddenly return to the boom times it enjoyed up until 2014. But the worst appears to be over.

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Prices: Bottoming Out

Barring a global economic recession that crimps energy consumption, crude oil and natural gas prices have probably hit their lows already. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude has clawed its way back to $44 per barrel, and we expect WTI to keep grinding higher through next year, averaging $50 to $55 per barrel. Thats still low relative to a few years ago, but beleaguered oil producers wont knock it.

Meanwhile, natural gas futures prices have risen from less than $2 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last winter to about $3 now. If expectations for colder weather this winter pan out, strong heating demand should push gas prices closer to $3.50 per MMBtu early in 2017. Again, that wont spell a bonanza for producers. But it helps.

Still, even as energy prices trend higher, expect plenty of short-term volatility and some sharp price pullbacks along the way. Crude oil prices fell from $50 to $44 this week on signs that OPEC is struggling to hammer out a deal to curb its members oil output, which we warned about recently. Natural gas saw a similar dip because of unseasonably warm autumn weather in the East. No doubt such price turbulence will continue.

Green Shoots in the Oil Patch

Drilling activity is already perking up because of the modest recovery in energy prices. After hitting bottom in May, oil field services company Baker Hughes weekly tally of active rigs has increased by almost 40%. Granted, the number of rigs drilling new wells is still well below its level of a year ago, but the past few months have shown a palpable upturn. We look for the rig count to keep climbing in coming months, though it will probably do so in fits and starts, rather than increasing at a steady rate.

One Houston-based energy consultant who sometimes chats with us off the record says he is seeing early signs of investment capital returning to oil and gas after fleeing in recent years. Theres a lot of dry powder out there, he says. Psychologically, there has been a shift. Banks are starting to lend again and contractors are cautiously hiring as drilling starts to rebound. The industry even saw its first successful IPO in two years: Denver-based Extraction Oil and Gas (XOG (opens in new tab)), which went public last month. Surveying the state of the industry in general, our man in Houston says: Were not dancing yet, but were walking.

Indeed, that optimism is borne out in the Department of Energys latest reports on U.S. oil production. Crude output peaked (opens in new tab) in April 2015 at 9.6 million barrels per day and then slipped to 8.5 million barrels per day now. But that slide seems to have leveled off. Whereas DOEs weekly production reports had been showing a steady downward trend for many months, the latest figures indicate that output has stabilized. With more rigs drilling new wells, and more oil coming from those new wells than from predecessors drilled earlier (thanks to improved drilling techniques), nationwide output could soon start creeping higher again.

However, production wont come back everywhere. Only the fields with the best resources and the most favorable production costs will lure investment capital.

The hottest play right now: The Permian Basin in West Texas, which has seen a big increase in drilling since oil prices started to recover. Its a sprawling oil-producing region with huge reserves to tap. But just as importantly, the Permian is home to ample pipeline capacity and other infrastructure that allows operators to get newfound oil to market. Boasting some of the lowest production costs of any shale oil field in the United States, the Permian figures to hold up when oil prices are down and to positively thrive when prices are rising.

Another region to watch: Colorados Wattenberg Field. Our Houston energy consultant (who prefers to remain anonymous) calls it the biggest oil field youve never heard of. Colorado is a drilling-friendly state, and the Wattenberg is a promising play that is getting a lot of energy firms attention. Extraction Oil and Gas is a major player there.

Conversely, some prominent oil and gas fields will continue to struggle. North Dakotas massive Bakken Shale, for instance, lacks adequate pipeline capacity and is forced to rely on pricier freight rail to bring some of its barrels to refineries. Lynn Helms, the director of the North Dakota Industrial Commissions Department of Mineral Resources, notes that operators in the Bakken dont plan to significantly ramp up drilling (opens in new tab) until WTI rises to $60 per barrel, a price we dont expect to see for a while yet. The gas-rich Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania faces similar headwinds. Gas prices probably need to rise 20% to 30% more before drilling there becomes economically attractive again.

Cutting Costs

The companies that survive this downturn in energy prices will be the ones that found ways to slash their costs while pumping more oil or gas from each well. Plunging prices made such efficiency essential. That has meant operating rigs with fewer crew members, moving them to new well sites faster to minimize downtime, and renegotiating prices with suppliers and contractors. Its been a painful learning process, but the good news is that many energy firms are far leaner now. And even as oil and gas prices gradually trend higher, those operators wont discard the methods theyve discovered for doing more with less.

The hunt for efficiency extends across the entire industry. Take sand, a crucial ingredient in hydraulic fracturing. Sand holds open the tiny fractures created when water is injected into wells at high pressure, allowing oil and gas to flow to the surface. The best sand for fracking comes from mines in Wisconsin and other Midwestern states that are far from the oil fields of Colorado or West Texas, making shipping expensive. Thats why oil field services giant Halliburton recently worked with sand miner U.S. Silica to ship a record-breaking 19,000 tons of frack sand from Illinois to a storage site in Texas by a dedicated freight train. Its really about efficiency, says Tim Wesbey, Halliburton supply chain director for the Western Hemisphere. Moving larger volumes of sand at one time lowers the per-ton cost, which ultimately makes it a bit cheaper to get oil out of the ground.

Working smarter also means adopting new technologies and equipment. Some operators, for instance, are looking to reduce the impact of drilling on local communities, which often resent the noise, truck traffic and pollution that fracking can bring. Some are turning to electric drilling rigs in places where they can connect to high-voltage power lines. Electric rigs are quieter than those running on diesel and dont emit diesel fumes: Attractive qualities when working near suburban communities in places like the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Liberty Oilfield Services of Colorado is touting its new, quieter fracking equipment, which it claims is three times quieter than conventional machinery.

Exports: Going Strong

The slump in energy prices has focused a lot of attention on the drilling industrys woes. But quietly, the U.S. has continued its ascent as a major energy supplier to the world. Exports of U.S.-refined fuels have surged in recent years because refiners can produce more than domestic consumption requires.

Exports of U.S.-made diesel fuel have thrived (opens in new tab), thanks to strong demand and refining problems in certain Latin American markets. And companies such as Enterprise Products Partners, Phillips 66 and Sunoco have invested heavily in new export terminals to ship out some of Americas glut of propane, says Andrew Reed, principal at energy research firm ESAI Energy LLC. He expects propane exports to keep growing, albeit at a more modest pace in coming years because of strong competition from Middle Eastern propane producers. His research (opens in new tab) indicates that the era of easy growth for U.S. propane exports is ending.

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But he also expects to see sales of U.S. ethane to foreign buyers ramp up in the next few years because of new export terminals built by Sunoco and Enterprise. Ethane is an important feedstock for the chemical industry, and as with propane, the U.S. has ample supplies available to export.
MILAN, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni does not rule out a listing of its chemicals unit Versalis, Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi said in an interview with the newspaper La Repubblica.

* Earlier this year, Eni called off talks to sell a majority stake in Versalis to U.S. investment firm SK Capital because it had been impossible to resolve issues such as governance .

* Eni has spent time and money turning around Versalis by refocusing the business on speciality and green products and promoting its international development.

* "I want to continue the revamp of our chemicals unit, for which we don't rule out a listing," the manager told the newspaper according to an excerpt of the interview, which will be published in La Repubblica's Affari & Finanza insert on Monday.

* One analyst had said the unit could be worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.67 billion).

* Descalzi's comments come just days after the group said when reporting quarterly results that it was committed to selling 5 billion euros of assets in the next two years, including stakes in its fields in Mozambique and Egypt .

($1 = 0.8973 euros)

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Larry King)
DUBAI, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Egypt's blue chip equities index may extend some gains on Sunday following the float of its currency at the end of last week, but Gulf markets are likely to pull back after crude oil suffered its biggest weekly percentage decline since January.

After floating the Egyptian pound, initially devaluing it by about a third from the peg of 8.8 to the U.S dollar, the central bank let it drift down to around 15.35-15.75 on Thursday.

Many Egyptians expect the pound to fall further on Sunday when banks begin trading it freely.

On Thursday the Egypt's blue chip index jumped 3.4 percent after the central bank floated the currency, though it finished well off its intra-day high, as some traders cashed out, wasiting to see how the pound performs this week.

And gains in the stock market on Sunday may be limited as investors will most likely remain wary of aggressively allocating funds until the pound stabilises.

Also, global investors are risk averse ahead of Tuesday's U.S. election, keeping many foreign funds on the sidelines.

In the Gulf, oil-sensitive shares are likely to be hit after Brent futures fell to $45.58 a barrel, their lowest levels since Aug. 11 as signs of tensions resurfaced between Saudi Arabia and Iran that could scupper a key supply cut pact. (Reporting by Celine Aswad; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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By Mary Earl

Yes, it's true, all Zinfandel grapes have red skins. A white Zinfandel grape does not exist  yet.

Zinfandel has been a part of California's history for around 150 years. It was rumored to have been brought into California in 1862 by Agoston Haraszthy, then owner of Buena Vista Winery. He was a member of the state commission on viticulture who brought back thousands of vine cuttings from a trip to Europe. His account of this trip and his work in the early California wine industry can be read in his book "Grape Culture, Wines and Winemaking," published in 1862.

However, Zinfandel was never mentioned in Haraszthy's literature of the time. Instead, there is mention of "Zenfendel" in 1829, by a Mr. George Gibbs of Long Island. Zenfendel resurfaced in Boston a few years later where it was known as "Zinfindal" and grown in greenhouses as a table grape.

After the California Gold Rush, many a forty-niner decided to forsake the gold pan for a plow, sending for plants from the east coast. It's likely that Zinfindel was included in a shipment around 1852, and by 1859 it was documented to be grown in both Napa and Sonoma. In 1862, the same year that Haraszthy's book was published, the Sonoma Horticultural Society gave a bottle of Zinfindel to a French winemaker at a California winery who proclaimed it "a good French claret."

Still, Zinfandel was used to make jug wines in the early years and favored by the California winemakers of Italian decent. It reminded them of the wines from Sardinia, Sicily or Puglia. With good reason.

In the early 1990s, the mysterious Zinfandel was finally DNA fingerprinted. It was found to be the Primitivo grape of southern Italy. But even that was disputed when an ancient Croatian variety, Crljenak Kastelanski, was confirmed to be  through DNA fingerprinting  genetically identical to Zinfandel.

It turns out that Crljenak Kastelanski and Primitivo are related, sort of like twins. Triplets if you count Zinfandel. But differences in vine vigor and cluster size separate Zinfandel from its genetic twins. Other differences such as soil, rainfall and winemaking combine to give Zinfandel its own truly American style.

U.S. regulations stipulate that on wine labels, Zinfandel and Primitivo be identified separately. Thankfully, there is no danger of having to learn how to pronounce Crljenak Kastelanski on an American wine label.

Today, Zinfandel is California's third most widely planted grape in 45 of the 58 counties. In 2014, total acreage planted to Zinfandel was 47,827 with San Joaquin topping the charts at 18,718. Sonoma had 5,260 acres. Amador brought up third place with 2,055; Mendocino had 1,930; and Napa, a mere 1,497 acres. Over 100 years later, California Zinfandel has more than 4,800 labels. A majority of the grapes, though, are used to make White Zinfandel. White Zinfandel at 35 million cases continues to outsell red Zinfandel.

Zinfandel, whether white or red, is a great party wine. Perfect for backyard picnics and family get-togethers. It pairs well, depending on the style, with smoked meats, BBQ, Mexican cuisine and grilled veggies. Over the past 30 years, it has developed into one of California's best reds. There are so many different styles  from big, rich, ripe, high-alcohol, spicy, smoky, concentrated, and intensely flavored to a light, fruity rose.

The best Zinfandels, for my palate, are not the pink ones. Once, a very long time ago, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with no other wine on the boat, I drank a bottle.

But I've had many more bottles of the big, full-bodied, robust, rich, intensely flavored Zins that have stained my teeth to look like a geisha's.

Some of my favorites that come to mind are Cline in southern Sonoma. They have acres of vineyards that are very old, may be even old, Old Vines. And Dry Creek also in Sonoma has acres of old vine Zinfandel that they make in a very delicious claret style.

Martinelli Winery has been farming the valley since 1880. They specialize in small single lots of great wine. The wines are fermented with naturally occurring yeasts and kept in barrel for 10 months. They are unfiltered and unfined, and only racked before bottling. This is an intense Zin.

I've followed the footsteps of Ridge, which bottles vineyard-designated Zinfandels. Ridge began in 1886 with 180 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains. That was done in by prohibition but they reappeared with new ownership and wine in 1962. Winemaker Paul Draper has an unbroken record of hits with his Zinfandels. Look for Geyserville, Lytton Springs, Dusi Ranch, Pagani and Three Valleys. The wine labels are an oenological education for sommelier wannabes.

Rafanelli holds a special place in my heart. While visiting Sonoma, we popped in on Rafanelli because it was so hard to get in Washington state. It was midafternoon and the tasting room was not open yet. We went out front and took pictures of the head-pruned vines. They had to have been at least 100 years old.

Meanwhile, a school bus stopped in front of the winery and out stepped Shelly Rafanelli. She opened the tasting room door, dropped her books on the table and the tasting commenced. We were treated to some sublime wines.

Other Zin makers to seek out are Ravenswood, which has a stable full of intense, rich red zinfandels. Ravenswood is celebrating 40 years of winemaking under the leadership of Joel Petersen, who works with over 100 growers.

And another really longtime Sonoma County family is Seghesio Family Vineyards. In 1895, Italian immigrant and winemaker Edoardo Seghesio planted his first Zinfandel vineyard and became a key supplier of grapes and bulk wine to California wineries. Around 1983, they began selling Zin and Italian varietals under the Seghesio label.

Enjoy these Zins with barbecued meats with sweet barbecue sauces; stewed or roasted beef; strong, rich cheeses like blue or Stilton; duck; hamburgers especially with cheese; lamb; pizza; pork chops; sausage; and it's also the perfect match with that Thanksgiving Turkey.
Cars exiting the ferry head for the tunnel in Bremerton on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

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By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun

Proponents of the Bremerton tunnel said it would help make Washington Avenue and surrounding downtown Bremerton streets more pedestrian friendly.

$54 million

Cost of the tunnel

1.6 million

Estimated number of vehicles that have driven through it

$50,000

Average cost per year to operate the tunnel

70

Years of useful tunnel life left

7,819

Average daily number of cars that drove north on Washington Avenue in 2000

5,200

Average daily number of cars that drove north on Washington Avenue in 2013

BREMERTON ? Other than the film of dirt that coats the tree shapes lining its concrete walls, it's hard to tell five years has passed since the Bremerton tunnel opened to motorists offloading the ferry from Seattle.

In contrast to the debate that once raged over the $54 million structure, there's now a quiet solace inside the 959-foot tunnel, which has been traversed by an estimated 1.6 million vehicles since it opened on July 6, 2009.

But the leaders who pushed for it were more concerned with what the tunnel would do to downtown Bremerton above ground, rather than below it. It started with a conversation on Pacific Avenue between former congressman Norm Dicks, a Bremerton native, and then-Mayor Cary Bozeman, who shared a desire to make the downtown core more pedestrian by getting the pulsation of ferry-delivered cars out of it.

"This was a good idea," Dicks says today. "It worked, and it has proven itself. I'm glad we did it."

Dicks recalls the detractors. One Seattle publication referenced it as the "Norm Dicks expressway to Gorst."

No project in downtown Bremerton's redevelopment was bigger financially. Dicks, a senior member on the House of Representatives' appropriations committee, seized the opportunity at getting a sizable earmark ? what some might call a big chunk of pork barrel spending.

"I said at the time, ?This is the one time in the history of Bremerton we can get this done," Dicks recalled, "Because you've got Norm Dicks on the appropriations committee."

Tunnel projects don't always go well, as Seattle, with its stalled Highway 99 tunnel project, can attest to. But in two years time ? July 6 is also the seventh anniversary of the tunnel's groundbreaking ? it was built and delivered by Tri-State Construction of Bellevue.

It is to last at least 75 years.

SMOOTH RUN

The city of Bremerton is responsible for maintenance of the tunnel. The staff of the public works department performs weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual and annual maintenance.

"It's very seldom something isn't working," said Shaun Bedrosian, one of Bremerton's electronics technicians who maintains the tunnel. "And if it isn't, it doesn't cost much to fix."

The tunnel's had a smooth run since it opened, save for a few hiccups. The gates that cover the entrance and exit of the tunnel kept closing on one occasion, Bedrosian recalled. Staff found that hard rain had seeped water into the area where it triggered a circuit that kept closing it. They manually shut off the breaker, which kept the gates up.

Water leaks aren't uncommon but not likely problematic, Bedrosian said. Some streaks of minerals leave behind some scars where water has permeated. Bedrosian wonders if some water is leaking in from fountains the city operates above it.

Inheriting the $54 million piece of infrastructure was a daunting and foreign experience, said Tom Baker, a city electronics technician.

"When we took the tunnel over, we didn't have anything to go on," he said.

It has become like clockwork.

It costs $50,000 or so a year to operate. The city is reimbursed about $45,000 a year.

DRIVING AWAY BUSINESS?

If the goal was indeed to take traffic off Washington Avenue, it has done that. The road averaged more than 7,800 vehicles a day in 2000, a number that dropped to about 5,200 in 2013.

But did the tunnel project drive too many people out of downtown?

Chal Martin, Bremerton's public works director, has said in recent weeks he'd like to return the option of Washington Avenue to offloading ferry traffic.

At the June 11 City Council meeting, he told council members that those traversing the tunnel are expedited away from a core the city is trying to grow.

"We get sucked into that tunnel, that's how we treat our newcomers," he said.

Some residents agree.

"Instead of making Bremerton a gateway to the peninsula the tunnel shoots people out of town and toward all points elsewhere," said Robert Knight, of Bremerton.

But Mayor Patty Lent is against the idea.

"It eliminates what we are trying to achieve," Lent said. "We can't cast (the tunnel) aside. We can never dilute its purpose."

Lent said she wasn't a "real advocate" for the tunnel before she became mayor. She now regards it as an indispensable community asset.

Having Washington Avenue as an option for drivers was discussed previously, Dicks recalled. The idea was defeated because it "undermined the whole purpose of the tunnel."

Angelina Offield, a regular ferry commuter, doesn't agree the tunnel has diverted all traffic away from downtown. While it might've gotten offloading traffic out of the way, there are still plenty of cars on Washington Avenue picking up ferry passengers.

"I still feel like I resemble a speed bump to motorists crossing Washington in front of that Starbucks," she said.

Drew Pennington, a Bremerton resident who worked downtown before and after the tunnel was constructed, said the tunnel's mark was palpable.

"Once it opened, it was like night and day," he said. "The downtown just became really pedestrian-friendly."

Noah Reddell, another Bremerton resident, thinks the tunnel has improved the potential for the downtown economy.

"Walking off the ferry or around downtown whenever the vehicles offloaded used to be complete mayhem before the tunnel," he said. "Downtown development would be forever stunted by the hourly frenzy. The tunnel has dramatically improved the atmosphere downtown."

REALIZING ITS POTENTIAL

The amount of space needed to construct the tunnel had the side effect of giving the city new land, which now houses the Park Avenue plaza, home to the SEEFilm movie theater, Jimmy Johns sandwich shop, a city parking garage, and soon, a 71-unit apartment complex.

Lent believes that with three new apartment complexes ? and perhaps more ? in the coming years, the tunnel will become more critical in diverting cars from streets that are filled with pedestrians.

"We haven't realized its potential," she said. "But we're getting there."
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By Andrew Binion of the Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON  A Bremerton-based Washington State Patrol detective found to have sexually harassed another detective was never taken off duty or demoted, but instead received a small pay increase in June when he was transferred to Pierce County.

The detective, Joi Haner, 46, recently retired. His last day with the State Patrol was Nov. 1, according to the agreement he signed, obtained by the Kitsap Sun through the state's Public Records Act. As part of the agreement he was docked a week's pay. He had been employed by the State Patrol for about 25 years and indicated that he may have been considering retirement anyway.

When the complaints were reported in May to a supervisor, instead of being taken off duty, Haner was transferred to a Tacoma State Patrol location in an "administrative reassignment." The reassignment came with a 3 percent cost-of-living raise.

In the retirement agreement signed by Haner, he agreed to never seek employment with the State Patrol again. The agreement was also signed by Criminal Investigation Division Capt. Jay Cabezuela. It stated the allegations of unacceptable conduct, discrimination and harassment were "proven."

The detective who made the allegations said Haner grabbed her, threw objects at her face and repeatedly made insulting and vulgar sexual comments about her and a family member. The detective was joined in the complaint against Haner by another trooper, Detective Rod Green, who had heard one of the comments.

The detectives who made the complaint and State Patrol Lt. Bruce Lantz, who received it, declined to comment to the Kitsap Sun. Cabezuela was unavailable for comment.

Haner told the Kitsap Sun he made some comments that were inappropriate, but nothing he considered out of the ordinary for the office. He also said he meant no malice. He also said the internal affairs investigation only sought out one side of the story.

"I'm sorry that I offended my co-workers, and I never had any intention of doing so," Haner said.

The two detectives told investigators they were unwilling to continue working with Haner. One said the stress associated with Haner's behavior caused her health problems and problems at home.

Sexual harassment within another Kitsap County police agency has cost taxpayers. The city of Bremerton settled a claim in December for $175,000 after a supervisor in the city's police department made demeaning sexual comments toward another detective. Sgt. Kevin Crane kept his job with the department and supervisory status.

"The remarks made by Trooper Haner were reprehensible and unacceptable," State Patrol spokesman Kyle Moore said in a statement. "Our employees deserve a safe work environment free from any form of harassment."

Moore wrote that the pay bump Haner received when he was reassigned following the allegations was required as part of the trooper's labor contract, called "geographical pay." By transferring Haner, the agency intended to keep the accuser safe and to "get work from an employee," he said.

"Whether or not Haner was placed on paid administrative leave, Haner would receive a paycheck and the WSP strives to be good stewards of the taxpayer's money," Moore wrote.

When Haner was interviewed by the State Patrol, he said he could not remember saying the vulgar and insulting comments he was accused of making, but he could remember details of statements the other detective made to him.

"There was stuff directed at me but, you know what? I just kinda blew it off," Haner said.

The interviewer, Detective Sgt. Bruce Maier, commented on Haner's memory: "It's convenient not to remember, I get that."

During another part of the interview Haner was asked if he was denying an allegation of throwing objects at the detective's face at a scene and making a vulgar comment.

"I'm not denying it," Haner said. "I don't remember it."

Haner's former supervisor, retired Sgt. John Huntington, told the State Patrol investigator that Haner was a great employee and detective with excellent skills, but he noted that he could be "brash and arrogant." Haner took on a supervisory role  trooper in charge  following Huntington's retirement at the beginning of the year, which is when Green and the other detective said Haner's conduct started to escalate.

According to the investigator's notes, Huntington went on to say he would believe information and allegations from Green and the other detective as the "complete truth."

Both detectives said they would refuse to work with Haner again. The woman said she would find another job if Haner remained in law enforcement in Kitsap County.

"I will go somewhere else before that happens," she said. She told investigators she was reluctant to come forward with the allegations because she did not want to be seen as unduly sensitive.

"You know as well as I do that there's a line," she said, according to transcripts. "(There are) jokes that are OK, and then (there are) ones that cross the line."
John Ford (left) and Steve Kagi, of Bremerton check out a 1926 Ford Model T Coupe for sale at the Olympic Vintage Auto Club annual swap meet held this weekend at the Kitsap Sun Pavilion. The meet, which has been going on yearly since 1969, continues Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (STEVE ZUGSCHWERDT / KITSAP SUN)

SHARE Attendees peruse the many booths at the Bremerton Auto Swap Meet on Saturday. There was also a "car corral" outside with vehicles for sale. (STEVE ZUGSCHWERDT / KITSAP SUN)

By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

CENTRAL KITSAP  Clark Milius never knows what his hot selling item will be when he sets up his booth each year at the Bremerton Auto Swap Meet.

Some years it's license plates or car racing trophies that customers scoop up. Other years they want classic bicycles, like the gleaming 1960s Rollfast bike Milius had on display Saturday. Not long ago shoppers flocked to his booth to buy vintage toy cars and trucks.

"Certain things come and go," the Erlands Point resident said. "Five years ago I had people fighting over toys. Not anymore."

One thing Milius knows for sure after 40 years attending the Bremerton swap meet: The classic car world is shifting gears.

"Things are changing," he said, "because this is a hobby for the Baby Boom generation."

The Millennial generation doesn't share the same nostalgia for steel and chrome, he observed.

"I wish I knew what Millennials wanted  I'd be selling it," Milius joked.

If a generational shift is underway, it's done little to diminish the popularity of the Bremerton swap meet, hosted since 1969 by the Olympic Vintage Auto Club. Several hundred vendors and thousands of attendees were expected at this year's meet, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Visitors streamed among booths spread through three pavilions Saturday morning and peered under hoods of vehicles up for sale in the "car corral" outside.

The swap meet is a fundraiser and outreach event for Olympic Vintage Auto Club, a group of car enthusiasts spread from Shelton to Port Angeles, who enjoy restoring classic cars to their original condition. The club organizes regular gatherings and family outings and contributes to charities. Its membership is 111 households strong, though swap meet coordinator Jim Barnes acknowledged the group could use some younger blood.

"We're losing some of the old-timers and we're not signing up as many young people as we'd like," Barnes said. "We just need to let people know there's a club here."

Despite generational changes and the rise of online resale outlets, Barnes said the hands-on swap meet remains a draw. At the meet, shoppers can poke and prod the merchandise and chat with sellers before making a purchase. They can mosey the maze of booths and stumble upon a hood ornament or fishing creel they didn't know they needed.

"It's like a three-dimensional eBay," Barnes said.

Another allure of the swap meet has nothing to do with buying and selling. Attendees use it as an opportunity to reunite with old acquaintances. The event has a friendly, communal atmosphere, and draws visitors from as far as Wisconsin.

"Part of the swap meet is a big social event," Barnes said.

Attendees on Saturday seemed to fall into two general categories. There were those who arrived on a mission to find a specific part or collectible, and those there to wander and reminisce. Jerry Barnes of Poulsbo (no relation to Jim) was among the casual browsers. "I just enjoy the nostalgia," he said, moseying between booths.

At Milius' display, shopper Fred Herricht had a more specific agenda. The Silverdale resident carried a sack stuffed with license plates he's picked up for his collection. In the past five years he's tracked down plates from every state and nearly every Canadian province (the polar bear-shaped license plate of the Northwest Territories has eluded him). On Saturday Herricht scored an Oklahoma tractor plate to tack up at home.

"It beats putting wallpaper on the wall of my garage," he said.

Most vendors at the meet are also dedicated collectors. Wincel Johnson of Silverdale has been stashing auto parts since his brother sold him his first car  a '36 Chevy. Johnson now has a stable of about 20 cars  and a swap meet booth loaded with horns, bumpers, hubcaps and shop manuals he's accumulated along the way.

He doesn't believe interest in classic cars will disappear, as long as there are still old vehicles around to tinker with.

"I don't think it will ever fade away," Johnson said.

The Bremerton Auto Swap Meet continues from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Go to www.ovac.us for information.
Hayden Werdal, 15, was paralyzed two years ago after coming down with an upper respiratory infection. Doctors determined he had contracted acute flaccid myelitis, a condition in the news now because of eight people who have been infected in Washington state. The virus and its cause are a mystery to the medical community. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN)

SHARE Hayden Werdal's mom, Heather, said since her son's diagnosis of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), she has reached out to others with the disease to try to find a common thread. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN) Hayden Werdal is determined to get control of his breathing and upper torso back through extensive physical therapy. He wants to go to college and become an architect. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN) Related Coverage Washington state polio-like cases linked to rare syndrome

By Christian Vosler, christian.vosler@kitsapsun.com

SILVERDALE  In October 2014, 13-year-old Hayden Werdal came home from school complaining of neck pain. His mother, Heather Werdal, worried about meningitis.

A few days earlier, Hayden had come down with a particularly nasty respiratory infection. But doctors assured her that Hayden was suffering from a simple sinus infection and pulled muscles from coughing, and they sent him home with directions to come back if he didn't improve.

Two days later, Hayden woke up to find his neck would no longer support his head.

He was quickly taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, where his condition worsened. The paralysis slowly crawled down his body, and within 10 days he was immobile from the neck down. Nothing doctors tried worked. Finally, they tried plasmapheresis  a process in which Hayden's blood was cycled out of his body and his plasma replaced with some from a neutral donor  and his condition stabilized.

Hayden was eventually diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a polio-like neurological condition that affects the spinal cord and causes varying degrees of paralysis.

"It was terrifying. It was so overwhelming," Heather Werdal said. "At first you're thinking, 'OK, this is what's happening, so go ahead and fix him.' And then they're telling you, 'There's no cure for this.' "

AFM is a rare and relatively unknown condition. Symptoms include sudden weakness in the arms or legs, facial drooping, difficulty moving the eyes and slurred speech. In more extreme cases, muscles controlling the lungs fail, causing difficulty breathing.

A disease unheard of to the Werdals two years ago is getting a surge of publicity, with the announcement that the Washington State Department of Health has confirmed eight cases of AFM in the state past six weeks.

In 2014, when Hayden was diagnosed, an outbreak in Colorado hospitalized nine children. From August to December of that year, there were 120 confirmed cases of AFM across 34 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between January and September of this year, 89 cases have been reported across 33 states. During a press conference Friday, the Washington State Department of Health confirmed the cluster of eight cases of AFM. A child that died at Seattle Children's Hospital, one of nine under investigation for AFM, was confirmed not to have the disease.

The cause of the condition has puzzled health officials. Several viruses have been shown to cause AFM, according to the CDC: enteroviruses (the family of viruses that can cause polio and the common cold), West Nile virus and adenovirus (which causes respiratory illnesses). However, the condition is not tied to a single infection. The struggle for health organizations is finding a common thread.

"None of these kids that we're looking at have any common underlying conditions, no common exposures, there's been no isolation of any organism that could tie all these together," Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, said.

For Hayden, the repercussions of AFM have been severe. He can no longer walk and moves around in a motorized wheelchair operated by his mostly-functional right hand. He requires a harness to keep him upright and uses a ventilator to breathe. His family has had to hire three part-time nurses to help take care of him. Heather converted the dining room of their two-story house into a bedroom for her son, who used to sleep upstairs.

"We've all had to make adjustments," Heather said.

Following the diagnosis, Heather found a group of parents on Facebook whose children suffered from AFM. None in the community could find a single underlying factor common in all their children.

"What we want is research into exactly what this virus is, why our kids react the way they do and a vaccine," she said.

The CDC is investigating the cases across the nation, Lindquist said, taking samples from patients and questioning family members to find commonalities. He emphasized that AFM is an extremely rare condition.

"It could very well be in the end that none of these cases are related to each other," he said.

Lindquist emphasized that AFM is not contagious. But preventive measures like frequent hand-washing are important.

AFM affects each patient differently, but most patients like Hayden go through extensive physical therapy after they're discharged from the hospital. In the two years since his diagnosis, he's regained enough movement to be able to resume playing video games and attending school. He's even spent an afternoon at the mall with friends.

His three goals for recovery are to be able to use his left hand (his dominant hand), hold himself upright and breathe on his own.

"I'm not going to be destroyed if I can't walk again, but if I get my upper torso back, that would be enough for me," he said.

Ultimately, the family has tried to push through the setbacks caused by the condition. Heather believes her son can go to college and live a normal life. Hayden loves to create things and said he would like to be an architect someday.

"What we're trying to do is give him as normal an experience as possible and not just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves because life is different than we planned," she said.

"You just got to roll with it, you can't get inside your own head," Hayden said. "You just have to move on, basically."
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Larry Brixius, Poulsbo

The moral part of progress

Too many undiscerning Christians and other believers do not distinguish between "legal" and "moral." They are not the same. Something can be legal but not moral, and vice versa. For example, under the Roman emperors Nero and Diocletian, the law said to execute Christians. Under American law in the 1800s, slave owners could legally beat or rape their slaves because they were their property. In Nazi Germany the law was to kill Jews. Legal, but not moral.

Today businesses in the United States and legally avoid paying employees under certain conditions. Drugmaker Mylan, under CEO Heather Bresch, raised the price on EpiPen, a lifesaving product, almost 500 percent since 2009 even though it can cause death for the poor. Profit seems more important than life. Christian are morally called to be "good Samaritans," but you can be put in jail if your efforts fail. Legal and moral are not the same. Something can be legally smart in business, but immoral toward people.

Another area for discernment is between "progress" and "change." One cannot have progress without change, but not all change is progress. The raids of Attila the Hun made changes but it wasn't progress. Is Iraq better by throwing out Saddam Hussein? A coup d'etat by the military often makes the conditions for the people worse than before. Not all educational reforms help students to learn better. Change for the sake of change is not necessarily good.

To be a better people and nation, we need critical thinking to make wise, moral choices.
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The parallels are striking. In the last decades of the 19th century  the so-called "Gilded Age"  America experienced inequality on a scale it had never before seen, combining wild opulence and searing poverty.

American industry consolidated into a few giant monopolies, or trusts, headed by "robber barons" who wielded enough power to drive out competitors. A few Wall Street titans such as J.P. Morgan controlled the nation's finances.

These men used their huge wealth to rig the system. Their lackeys literally deposited stacks of money on the desks of pliant legislators, prompting the great jurist Louis Brandeis to tell America it a choice: "We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both."

We face a similar choice today.

Then, America chose democracy. President Theodore Roosevelt, railing against the "malefactors of great wealth," broke up the trusts. And he pushed Congress to end the most blatant forms of corruption.

His fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, went further  enacting social insurance for the elderly, the unemployed, and the disabled; a minimum wage and 40-hour workweek; the right to unionize; compensation for workers injured on the job; and strict limits on Wall Street.

In other words, between 1870 and 1900, American capitalism got off track. Between 1901 and 1937 (the effective end of the New Deal), America put capitalism back on track.

We're now in the Second Gilded Age, and American capitalism is again off track. It takes about three generations for Americans to forget how our system, unattended, goes wrong. And then to right it.

Inequality is now nearly at the same level it was in the late 19th century. Half of all families are poorer today than they were a decade and a half ago. The pay of CEOs and Wall Street bankers is in the stratosphere. Child poverty is on the rise.

Meanwhile, American industry is once again consolidating  this time, into oligopolies dominated by three or four major players. You can see it in pharmaceuticals, high-tech, airlines, food, Internet service, communications, health insurance and finance.

The biggest Wall Street banks, having brought the nation to the brink of destruction a few years ago, are once again exercising vast economic power. And big money has taken over American politics.

Will we put capitalism back on track, as we did before?

The vile election of 2016 doesn't seem to offer much hope. But future historians looking back on the tumult might see the start of another era of fundamental reform.

Today's uprising against the established order echoes the outrage average Americans felt in the late 19th century when they pushed Congress to enact the Sherman Antitrust Act, and when Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan fulminated against big business and finance.

Some 120 years later, Bernie Sanders  the unlikeliest of presidential candidates  won 22 states and 46 percent of the pledged delegates in the Democratic primaries, and pushed Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party to adopt many of his proposals.

At the same time, Donald Trump, a faux populist, has laid bare the deep discontents of America's white working class, which both parties have long neglected. Not incidentally, Trump has also jeopardized the social fabric of America and nearly destroyed the Republican Party.

Hopefully some of America's current elite will conclude, as elites did at the turn of the last century, that they'd do better with a smaller share of a growing economy fueled by a flourishing middle class, in a society whose members feel the system is basically fair, than in one rived by social and political strife.

History has proved the early generation of reformers correct. While other nations opted for communism or fascism, Americans chose to make capitalism work for the many rather than the few.

If Donald Trump is elected next week, all bets are off.

But if Hillary Clinton assumes the presidency, could she become another Teddy or Franklin D. Roosevelt?

You may think her too much of an establishment figure, too close to the moneyed interests, too cautious. But no one expected dramatic reform when each of the Roosevelts took the reins. They were wealthy patricians, in many respects establishment figures. Yet each rose to the occasion.

Perhaps she will, too. The timing is right, and the need is surely as great as it was over a century ago.

As Mark Twain is reputed to have quipped, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

Robert Reich, a former U.S. Secretary of Labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and author.
USA Today report:

A jury in Charlottesville, Va., found Friday that Rolling Stone magazine and its reporter defamed a school administrator over a now-debunked article about a purported gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity.

After some 20 hours of deliberation, the 10-person jury found reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely responsible for defamation with malice on six claims by Nicole Eramo, and Rolling Stone magazine and Wenner Media responsible for defaming her on three claims.
By Park Jae-hyukConflict over the originality of botulinum toxin (BTX) strain among three major pharmaceuticals  Medytox, Hugel Pharma and Daewoong Pharmaceutical  will likely result in legal action, as none of them budge.CEO Jung Hyun-ho of Korea's top anti-wrinkle product manufacturer Medytox said Friday any lawsuits to be filed by the second and the third-tiers Hugel and Daewoong were "always welcome.""Arguing over right and wrong at the court means a public debate that we have demanded from the two firms so far," Jung said at a press conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in downtown Seoul."We want to reveal the truth in an open space along with many experts."Medytox has cast doubts about the sources of Hugel and Daewoong's BTX products over the past two years, saying the companies might have stolen the toxin strain from Medytox.Hugel and Daewoong said the doubt is a malicious rumor and they will sue Medytox for defamation and spreading false information.To support its argument, Medytox disclosed the full gene sequences of its own strain at the press conference.Jung said his company checked the sequences of Daewoong's BTX strain registered to Genbank  a U.S.-based nucleotide sequence and protein translation database  and revealed all 12,912 sequences were 99.99 percent identical.He demanded Hugel and Daewoong also unveil the full gene sequences of their strains.The two companies denied Medytox's argument, saying that strains having identical genetic traits can always be discovered, even though they are extracted from different areas.Daewoong said its BTX was commercialized after being extracted from soil it owned in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in 2006.Hugel said it discovered its BTX from rotten canned foods, pickled fish and honey products in 2002.Some industry officials see the recent controversy as a result of the pharmaceuticals' competition for market share in the U.S.Although Medytox entered the U.S. market in 2013, signing an export contract with the world's leading BTX maker Allergan, it is yet to initiate its Phase 3 clinical trials due to belated factory construction.Daewoong, on the other hand, is waiting for approval of its products by the Food and Drug Administration, as it already ended its Phase 3 clinical trials. Hugel is in its Phase 3 clinical trials.
The HEMU-430X is a Korea's next-generation high-speed train developed jointly by the Korea Railroad Research Institute and Hyundai Rotem. The train has a maximum speed of 430km per hour.

/ Courtesy of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport



Country willing to transferring key technologies, knowhow



By Kim Jae-kyoung

SINGAPORE -- South Korea is beefing up its team for the multibillion dollar Malaysia-Singapore high-speed railway project in a bid to win the lead role in an international tender to be held next year.

For successful bidding, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently reorganized a public-private joint consortium to strengthen technology features and sharpen its competitive edge against Japan and China.

Under the realignment, two state-run organizations -- the Korea Rail Network Authority (KRNA) and Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) -- are joining hands with large Korean companies, such as Hyundai Rotem for locomotives, and KT for telecommunication for network construction.

For the hardware, Hyundai Engineering & Construction is forming alliances with other major Korean builders to build networks with local firms in Malaysia and Singapore.

The move comes after the two Southeast Asian nations signed a memorandum of understanding in July to develop a 350km rail link. They are expected to sign a formal contract on technology and other key issues at the end of the year.

The international bidding for the construction project scheduled to be completed by 2026 is expected to take place in the latter half of 2017.

"We are speeding up our efforts to win the mega-size railway project by creating a more competitive financing model in cooperation with the Korea Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea," said Choi Jeong-ho, vice minister for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

"Also, we will pitch the superiority of our high-speed trains and railway system through close cooperation with the governments of Singapore and Malaysia," he added.

To that end, the ministry plans to invite high-ranking officials from the two governments to demonstrate Korea's railway services and key railroad development sites.

In November, the South Korean Embassy to Malaysia plans to hold a ceremony to celebrate two years of the opening of the Korean railway information center in Malaysia.

Although Japan and China are jostling for the $15 billion project, Korea remains confident that it can bag the construction deal between the city state and Kuala Lumpur that is expected to cut travel time to 90 minutes.

The ministry stressed that despite its short history, Korea's high-speed railway system has a lot of strengths over its rivals. It explained that China has yet to catch up with Korea in safety and efficiency, while Japan has a limitation in technology transfer because they are private companies.

First, unlike other countries, Korea is able to transfer most of its key technologies and knowhow in the fields of trains and signals more easily because the public sector has secured them through a state-led R&D project.

According to the ministry, Korea acquired the first-class high-speed rail rolling stock technology through dedicated R&D activities since the adoption of French technology for its first high-speed trains.

Excellence in operation

With the opening of its own high-speed rail service in 2004, Korea became the fifth country in the world to have successfully developed and commercialized the technology.

Currently, six high-speed rail lines running 996km in total are in operation. A total of 303 services are offered on a daily basis and daily passengers reach around 170,000.

Second, Korea's model can be a choice most beneficial to the people of Malaysia and Singapore because it can provide the best services not only in construction but also in maintenance.

In the high-speed railway project, maintenance is more important than construction because expenses are bigger than construction cost. Korea has more than 10 year experience in maintenance.

"Since the first opening in 2004, the Korean high-speed rail service is known for world-class punctuality and safety with no record of fatal accidents for 12 consecutive years," the ministry said.

The ministry said that in 2014, Korean ranked first in the International Union of Railway's performance assessment in both railway safety with an accident rate of just 10 instances per million kilometers and an on-time performance rate of 99.88 percent.

Third, Korea has successfully developed a cutting-edge wireless train control system called the Korean Radio-based Train Control System.

The ministry said that by tapping into fourth generation wireless communications technology using "long-term evolution-R (LTE-R)," the system will make communications more stable and reliable.

The innovative LTE-R (4G) system allows the transfer of a large volume data, intelligent rail control and real-time diagnosis, improving efficiency of communication and reducing costs significantly.

"The competition to win the high-speed rail project is getting fiercer but we believe we will win the lead role if we effectively highlight the strengths and benefits we can offer," a ministry official said.




Singaporean travel agents, event organizers and corporate clients enjoy the opening event of the Korea MICE and Culture Night at Park Royal on Beach Road in Singapore, Friday. / Courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization



KTO hosts MICE and Culture Festival' in Singapore



By Kim Jae-kyoung

SINGAPORE -- South Korea is stepping up efforts to transform itself into a business event hub by attracting more quality visitors, such as business travelers and event delegates, from the ASEAN region.

The move is part of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)'s campaign to secure "quality tourism growth" by solidifying its position as a destination for MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travels, Conventions and Exhibitions) in Asia.

On Friday, the state-run organization hosted the Korea MICE and Culture Festival in Singapore to bring in large numbers of high-yield "quality visitors" from ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations), one of the fastest growing markets.

It invited over 200 travel agents, event organizers and corporate clients, and had a business-to-business (B2B) consultation session to provide information on benefits of business events in Korea.

During the event, it focused on promoting Korea as a MICE destination by highlighting Korea's high-quality business features and culture, including Korean music, drama and food.

"Korea is an attractive country where visitors can experience unique trends, such as hallyu or the Korean Wave," Yoon Seung-hwan, director of KTO Singapore Office, said.

"Not only Seoul but also other cities are well-equipped with state-of-the art facilities for MICE events along with their unique culture, food and charm."

According to the Union of International Association, Korea hosted 891 international events in 2015, the second largest number in the world, just behind the U.S.

"Korea is already a popular destination for MICE," said Alan Lim, vice president of Singapore Airlines who joined the Friday event. "What is attractive about Korea as a MICE destination is its variety. You have culture, shopping and food."

In 2015, the Singapore office hosted the MICE festival in cooperation with five other KTO offices in Southeast Asian nations.

Thanks to such efforts, the country has sealed a growing number of deals with large multinational corporations to hold their business events, such as incentive tours, in Korea.

Most recently, Extra Excellence, a global nutrition firm, agreed with the Singapore office to host an incentive tour event in Korea from Feb. 14-18 in 2017 by inviting over 1,000 employees from five Asian nations.

In mid 2016, the office secured hosting duty for an incentive tour from Herbalife International. The multinational firm hosted Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza 2016 in Ilsan KINTEX and Goyang OneMount in Gyeonggi Province from June 16-19. The event attracted around 7,000 Herballife members from 10 countries.

According to the KTO, its Singapore office attracted a total of 10,603 MICE travelers for the first nine months of this year, well above last year's 3,401.

During the same period, the KTO's Hanoi and Bangkok offices attracted 25,878 and 23,269 MICE tourists, respectively, from the previous year's 14,379 and 22,971

Korea, which has enjoyed substantial growth in terms of the number of inbound tourists, is now trying to focus on more high-yielding customer segments, such as MICE travelers.

MICE travelers spend twice as much as general tourists, meaning that MICE events will not only offer quality, satisfied tours for foreigners but also bring better returns in terms of economic contribution.




By Nam Hyun-woo



The government's policies to pump up the domestic economy are failing to help the lower or middle class, ending up fattening financial and real estate industries only, data showed Sunday.



According to Statistics Korea, the growth of service production indexes in sectors wherein the proportion of lower or middle class is high has been slowing in the second half of this year.



The food sector posted 9.5 percent growth year-on-year in June, but contracted by 1.8 percent in September. The transport sector's growth also has been slowing from 7.8 percent year-on-year growth in June to 0.9 percent contraction in September.

Wholesale and retail sector growth also slowed from 6.1 percent to 0.4 percent.



This led the overall service production indexes to contract. Compared to the last year, the index in June grew 5.4 percent but slowed to 2.8 percent in September.

However in the same period, the production indexes in financial, insurance, real estate and house rental sectors have enjoyed strong growth.



The financial and insurance sectors grew 4.8 percent year-on-year in June and posted 7.9 percent growth in September. Banks' loan businesses climbed 11.8 percent in September.



In recent months, domestic banks have been posting record highs in earnings due to expansions in their loan businesses. Five major banks here posted 927 trillion won ($810 billion) in their won-based loan balances in June, up 127 trillion won from September last year.



Their combined net interest margin in the first three quarters of this year was 17.15 trillion won, 15.9 percent year-on-year.



The real estate and house rental sectors also grew 5.7 percent year-on-year in September, faster than 0.3 percent in June.



The data showed that the government's economic policies have adversely led to more bank loans to finance real estate.



The nation's household debt is hovering around 1,300 trillion won amid the low policy rate. Leading the way was the increase in "collective loans" for new apartments.



The share of collective borrowing for mortgages increased to 48.7 percent at the end of June this year from 12.4 percent at the end of last year.



To cope with the soaring debt and speculative real estate investments, the government last week announced a real estate policy package aimed at restricting home transactions.



The government has virtually banned home purchasing rights in four overheated districts in Seoul  Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa and Gangdong  as well as Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province.




By Park Jin-hai

Nearly 200,000 angry citizens turned up for the anti-President rally Saturday, calling for the resignation of President Park Geun-hye to take responsibility for her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil's influence-peddling scandal.

Among the protests are artists involved in cultural associations and groups.

Some 100 artists from cultural circles held a press conference in Seoul a day earlier to issue a joint statement signed by 288 cultural organizations to put pressure on the President.

This is largest collective action by artists against the government in South Korea's 71 years of modern history.












About 200,000 protesters gathered at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday to demonstrate against President Park Geun-hye, echoing her resignation. / Yonhap



200,000 protestors call for Park's resignation



By Choi Ha-young

President Park Geun-hye is facing mounting public calls to resign as more and more people vent their outrage and frustration over the sprawling influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her confidant.



Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to participate in a mass anti-government rally in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Saturday, holding banners and shouting slogans such as "Park Out" and "The Park regime should step down."



The rally came a day after Park made her second televised apology for the scandal in which her longtime fried Choi Soon-sil allegedly meddled in state affairs and profited from her ties with the President. It was second of its kind after the previous demonstration a week ago.



Rally organizers estimated the number of protesters at around 200,000, the largest turnout in more than a year, although police put the number at about 50,000.

A group of middle and high school students march through Gwanghamun Plaza on Saturday, chanting "Resign Park Geun-hye." / Yonhap

The demonstrators urged the President to take all the responsibility for the scandal and step down, believing her apology wasn't enough.



They denounced the President for allegedly allowing Choi to interfere in government policy and use her shadowy connections with the head of state to coerce conglomerates into donating 80 billion won ($70 million) to Mir and K-Sports foundations Choi controlled.



The number of protesters soared as the rally was merged with the funeral for late farmer activist Baek Nam-ki earlier in the day, who died September after ten months of coma after being knocked down by water from a police water cannon during a mass rally in Seoul last November.

More than 200,000 protesters gathered at Gwanghwamun Sqaure for a candlelight vigil. / Yonhap



People from all walks of life including middle and high school students, many with families and friends, came to the rally.



The number of protesters didn't decrease until 9 p.m. when the organizer declared the end of the peaceful rally. Citizens, however, kept arriving, some staying until after 11 p.m. In the area between Gwanghwamun and City Hall, thousands shared speeches.



While there were minor clashes between conservative group members and rally participants, no violence occurred between participants and the police.



"I didn't come last week, but watching the news, I decided to come here to demonstrate our firm will against Park," said office worker Im Yong-ki, 39, who came with his wife and baby in a stroller.




Emergency crews attend to passengers of a tour bus that crashed guardrail on Gyeongbu Expressway and was overturned on Sunday morning. / Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

Four people were killed and more than 20 were injured in a tour bus crash on an expressway on Sunday morning.

Eight passengers were seriously injured, while 14 suffered minor injuries.

The bus, carrying 45 passengers, left Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and was heading south on Gyeongbu Expressway to Mount Daedun in North Jeolla Province.

Near Hoedeok Junction, the bus zigzagged, hit a guardrail and overturned on its right side at about 9:32 a.m., according to witnesses and police.

Some passengers fell beneath broken seats, while others dangled in the air from seatbelts. Some passengers broke windows to get out.

The passengers, from a mountain climbing club, were planning to view autumn scenery on the mountain.

They told police that the bus did not seem to be speeding.

Police believe the bus lost control trying to avoid a vehicle which suddenly switched lanes in front of the bus.


Bronze statues of King Sejong (left) and Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan





A copper statue of the late Park Chung-hee erected by the city of Gumi in North Chungcheong Province

A conservative group's attempt to erect a statue of President Park Geun-hye's late father at Seoul's symbolic civic gathering spot has been dismissed.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government dismissed the request to have a copper statue of former President Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) at Gwanghwamun Square in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The late Park served five terms as a Korean president from 1963 until 1979 when he was assassinated by Kim Jae-gyu, head of the then Korean Central Intelligence Agency.

The SMG's sustainable city department said, according to JoongAng Ilbo, that erecting the late Park's statue at the square would violate a regulation that passers-by should not be obstructed by too many objects.

There are already bronze statues of King Sejong (1397-1450) and Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) at the square.





Participants in an inauguration event for a committee celebrating the 100th year of late former Korean president Park Chung-hee pass by life-size banners of Park and his late wife Yuk Young-soo at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. / Yonhap



The SMG said it also was taking into account whether people might agree or not.

A statue also would require the approval by a civic committee administrating the square.

Most people are against seeing the late Park's statue at the square because of the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park and her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil.

Park has the lowest approval rating (5 percent) among Korean presidents in modern history, according to a Gallup Korea survey released Friday.

In 2015, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs tried to hoist a large-size Korean flag at the square, but the civic committee vetoed the idea.
A small group of Koreans from the Harvard College Korean International Students' Association read a statement in front of the Widener Library on the campus Friday morning, holding national flags. / Screen capture from YouTube



By Hong Dam-young

Korean students at Harvard University in Boston held a protest rally to denounce President Park Geun-hye for not taking responsibility of the political scandal with her confidant Choi Soon-sil.

A small group of Koreans from the Harvard College Korean International Students' Association read a statement in front of the Widener Library on the campus Friday morning, holding national flags.

The statement they read in Korean and English said: "At home or abroad, the Republic of Korea has always been, and always will be our country.

"Choi Soon-sil gate has left us unable to hold our heads high. Finding ourselves having to explain the situation to our incredulous peers, we came to the realization that we must step up to our obligation as adherers of the democratic ideal."





The group said President Park posed a major threat to Korea's democracy, and the incident was by no means isolated.

"She befooled the public, disregarding the popular will," the statement said. "Even during her public apology, she refused to take any questions and attempted to play down the accusations.

"Hence, we condemn President Park for her failed leadership."

The protesters said they hoped their rally would bring other Korean students in the U.S. together in protest.

The Korean community at Stanford University is planning to protest early next week, a group of Korean students from the University of California, Berkeley  who staged the first protest in the U.S. on Tuesday  told The Korea Times.

Other universities including New York University and the University of California, Davis, were preparing rallies as well, as were Koreans from the University of Toronto in Canada.
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea hold a news conference near Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday, calling on President Park Geun-hye to take a backseat in running state affairs amid an ongoing political scandal involving her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye

Cheong Wa Dae's lax attitude in dealing with a sprawling political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil is not helping resolve the problems engulfing the administration, analysts said Sunday.

The ongoing influence-peddling scandal centers on allegations that Choi, Park's unofficial adviser, interfered in state affairs and accumulated tens of billions of won using her relationship with the President.

After the scandal broke out, Park's approval rating plummeted to 5 percent in the latest Gallup Korea poll, Friday  lowest for any Korean president since such tracking began in 1988.

More people nationwide are calling on the President to resign or be impeached, while the ruling Saenuri Party faces a crisis of being divided between Park loyalists and rival factions.

However, Han Gwang-ok, Park's new chief of staff, does not seem to grasp fully the gravity of the situation.

Han disregarded Park's 5 percent approval rating as "just part of statistics" during a session of the National Assembly's Steering Committee, Friday, when asked about the government's measures to cope with the President's plunging popularity.

"It is not right to set up policies or countermeasures based on just part of statistics," he said. "It is rational to manage state affairs through comprehensive review of various public opinions."

Rep. Ki Dong-min from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized Han's apparent ignorance of the survey results.












Woo Byung-woo



By Kim Rahn

President Park Geun-hye's former senior secretary for civil affairs, Woo Byung-woo, has been questioned over his alleged corruption including abuse of authority and embezzlement.

The investigation into Woo is not currently related to the influence-peddling scandal of Park's confidant Choi Soon-sil. But it may expand to include the scandal as Woo's duties included monitoring corruption in ranking public officials and presidential aides and he is highly likely to have known about Choi's alleged meddling in state affairs.

Appearing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Sunday, Woo told reporters, "I'll faithfully respond to prosecutors' questions."

The prosecution has been reluctant to question the former prosecutor. The summons comes two months after the prosecution started investigating the allegations, and a week after Woo stepped down from the presidential secretary post as part of Park's personnel reshuffle aimed at relieving public anger over the snowballing Choi scandal.

Woo faces allegation that he and his family embezzled tens of millions of won from a family-run company, Jeonggang, in paying off the lease on a luxury car and personal telecommunications fees from 2014 to 2015.












By Jun Ji-hye

High-level defense talks between South Korea and China have been suspended following Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S. anti-missile system here, according to sources, Sunday.

Sources said that the defense minister's envisioned visit to China and vice defense ministers' talks between the two sides are not likely to take place due to Beijing's lukewarm attitude toward the events.

In July, South Korea agreed to station the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, by the end of next year to better cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

However, China has stringently opposed THAAD, claiming it undermines its national interests and destabilizes the balance of power in Northeast Asia.

Han was planning to repay the visit to China after his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan visited Seoul in February last year.

Despite Chang's invitation, the Chinese side has so far made no mention of it.

"We are reviewing the situation to decide on whether to push for Minister Han's visit and ministerial talks," a military source said.

The THAAD decision is also expected to derail the vice ministerial-level military policy talks.

The meeting has been held annually since 2011, allowing the two neighbors to discuss topics like personnel exchanges, communications through military hotlines in case of unforeseen crises and deliberations about air defense identification zones that both countries maintain.

South Korea has suggested holding this year's conference in Seoul, but China has yet to reply to the offer, sources said, adding that its lukewarm attitude toward the talks would have resulted from the THAAD deployment.

Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong said the THAAD issue would damage bilateral relations between South Korea and China, and it will be difficult to recover quickly.

Some military experts said that weakening of military ties could adversely affect Seoul's ability to deal with future North Korean missile and nuclear provocations.
Protesters pack Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul, during a candlelit rally demanding President Park Geun-hye's resignation over the influence-peddling scandal involving her close confidant Choi Soon-sil, Saturday.

/ Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon



By Kim Hyo-jin



Embattled President Park Geun-hye is considering follow-up measures to salvage her presidency amid a deepening leadership crisis caused by the influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her confidant, according to presidential sources Sunday.

Despite the partial presidential office and Cabinet reshuffle, plus her second apology over the scandal surrounding her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, public sentiment is worsening.

Hundreds of thousands of people  200,000 according to organizers  assembled for a candlelit rally in central Seoul, Saturday, calling for the President's resignation. Another mass rally is scheduled for this Saturday.

The opposition bloc raised an offensive against Park, urging her to withdraw her unilateral nomination of Kim Byong-joon as prime minister. It is also pushing for an independent counsel for a thorough investigation of the scandal and step down from managing state affairs.

Choo Mi-ae, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has refused to hold a meeting with Park unless those requirements are met first.

However, chances are slim that Park will withdraw the nomination of the prime minister.

Cheong Wa Dae officials said a motion to appoint Kim as prime minister will be sent to the National Assembly this week. Chung Jin-suk, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, said he plans to demand opposition parties approve it during negotiations with rival parties.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Kim stressed Saturday that he has no intention to reject the nomination voluntarily.

Park is more likely to clarify her position on the transfer of powers to the prime minister, presidential officials said.

"Park acknowledges the importance of a follow-up action to be made this week," an official said. "She is mulling over all possible measures including delegation of power to the prime minister to a larger extent."












President Park's approval rating hit a record low of 1 percent among citizens in their 20s and 30s. / The Korea Times File



By Lee Han-soo

President Park Geun-hye's approval rating is at a record low of 5 percent, according to a Gallup Korea survey on Friday. But her approval rating among those in their 20s and 30s is even lower  1 percent.

Experts said it was hard to consider if such a low statistic was actually a rating.

The negative rating against Park was highest among those in their 20s, with 95 percent followed by those in their 30s with 93 percent.

Park's approval rating has never been high among the younger generation. But it has never been so low.

Although most Koreans are angry about Park's influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil, the young generation is also angry about Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra.

Chung, a dressage competitor, is being investigated for special favors in admissions and grading at Ewha Womans University.

Young generations, who mostly spent their youth competing and studying to go to a prestigious university and still suffer from high unemployment, were upset about the scandal.

"I spent the better years of my teenage life studying to get into a high-ranked university for my future," a university student, 26, told The Korea Times.

"I'm graduating this year, but my future is unclear with unemployment this high.

"When I heard about Chung allegedly receiving special favors, I was outraged and disgusted but most of all I felt hopeless."

Another student said he still had a hard time getting his head around allegations that the university changed its policy to admit Chung.

"To change the university policy to admit one student is beyond my understanding," said the student, 25.

"Students are supposed to learn and respect fair competition. But Chung allegedly fabricating her grades brings great disappointment in the system."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest / Yonhap



By Hong Dam-young

The White House has expressed the strong U.S. commitment to the alliance with Korea despite the roiling political scandal around President Park Geun-hye.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Saturday that the White House was well aware of Park's dire situation, but said the U.S.-Korea alliance would not be affected by Korea's domestic and political situation, according to the White House homepage.

His remarks about Park came from a press interview on Saturday aboard Air Force One heading to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where President Barak Obama was to support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign for the U.S. presidency.

"Obviously, she's facing a difficult domestic political situation, and that's something that I won't weigh in on," Earnest said when asked if Obama, despite his close relationship with Park's administration in the past, was now trying to keep his distance from Park.

"I'm not aware that the President has weighed in on it, either in public or in private," Earnest said.

Earnest did not go into detail about the White House's stance on the scandal.

But he accentuated that one of the hallmarks of a strong alliance was that it remained "durable."

He said Obama had an effective working relationship with not only Park during her years in the office, but also with her predecessors in terms of strengthening their alliance.

Even if Korea had to be led by a different president as an aftermath of the scandal, the alliance between countries would stay intact, Earnest said.

He added that Obama had not spoken to Park since he returned from his visit to Asian countries for the G20 Summit in September.

"But all of the other elements of our alliance remain in place," Earnest said.

"And the U.S. commitment to that alliance is as strong as ever."

The scandal follows revelations that Park has been allowing longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil to meddle in state affairs.

Choi also has been benefitting from her ties with Park by gaining money from Korea's major conglomerates.
United States Army will withdraw its light Kiowa Warrior choppers from the Korean Peninsula and replace them with heavy-hitting Apaches, official sources said Sunday.



South Korean military and United States Forces Korea (USFK) sources said the OH-53D armed reconnaissance helicopters will be pulled out gradually. The 30 choppers of an aviation squadron were deployed in the country in 2013 as part of a rotational force.



The single-engine, single-rotor Kiowa is based on the Bell Model 206 copter and can be armed with 70 mm rockets, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and Hellfire and Stinger missiles. They usually operate with the USFK and South Korean Army attack helicopters like the AH-1S Cobras and have been an integral part on local exercises like the Ulchi Freedom Guardian.



"The AH-64s, considered as the best attack helicopters in the world, will take the place of the Kiowa Warriors that will greatly enhance the fighting capability of the allies against North Korean forces," an insider who declined to be identified said. He said some 20 AH-64Ds or the more potent AH-64Es are expected to arrive in the country.



Others said that the deployment of the Apaches will send a clear message of resolve that the allies stand united in countering any provocations by Pyongyang.



At present, the U.S. Army in South Korea has one battalion of 24 Apaches. If the additional choppers are deployed, the strength will be almost double.



Seoul, meanwhile, has ordered 36 AH-64Es for 1.84 trillion won (US1.6 billion) with the first four arriving in the country in May. The remaining 32 will reach the country by early 2017. The South Korean Army said its machines will be used to not only deal with North Korean armor but also its hovercraft forces.



The Apaches are heavily armored and armed being able to carry 16 Hellfire missiles that can devastate tank formations. They can be armed with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and take on 76 70 mm rockets and fly at 269 kilometers per hour.



The attack helicopters have a 30 mm chain gun with 1,200 rounds and are highly effective in providing suppressive fire for ground troops as well as destroying enemy armor. (Yonhap)




North Korea's state radio station resumed broadcasting mysterious numbers Sunday after an eight-day break that could be some kind of coded message to its agents operating in South Korea.

Radio Pyongyang, started broadcasting messages shortly after midnight (Seoul time), calling out a series of pages and numbers.

The radio announcer "gave review work in metal engineering to No. 21 expedition agents." The content was different from those transmitted in the early hours of Oct. 28.

Since June 24, North Korea has sent out a total of 12 encrypted numbers broadcasts, with three being broadcast in October.

Broadcasts of mysterious numbers are considered a kind of book cipher that was often used by North Korea to give missions to spies operating in South Korea during the Cold War era. Spies could decode numbers to get orders by using a reference book, although many intelligence officials believe this form of sending orders to be totally outdated.

Many have said the broadcast may be some sort of psychological strategy aimed at sparking internal confusion within South Korea.

Pyongyang had initially suspended such broadcasts in 2000, when the two Koreas held their first historic summit.

Tensions are already running high on the divided peninsula after North Korea carried out its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and the unsuccessful launching of two Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile last month with some observers forecasting another kind of missile provocation in the coming days. (Yonhap)
Choi Soon-sil



By Oh Young-jin





If Choi Soon-sil is a shaman as indicated by some media outlets, she is one who is different from what we know as "mudang," a Korean exorcist.

When she slinked her way into Incheon International Airport, the 60-year-old confidant of President Park Geun-hye was captured on a security camera carrying a Tods handbag, the same brand sported by Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, although Tods denied Choi's bag was its merchandise.

Choi also wore what appeared to be a Moncler padding coat.

In a melee of journalists and NGO representatives at the prosecutors' office, one of Choi's Prada shoes slipped off in a Cinderella moment. Not a prince but a security guard picked it up and returned it to her. So far, she could be as much a devil as Ms. Priestly in "The Devil wears Prada."

Conventional wisdom is that mudang usually wear traditional Korean white attire  that is also often associated with garb worn by a widow whose husband has just died  and change to colorful costumes when performing a "gut" act of exorcism.

She also "rides" barefoot on a big pair of blades when she is entranced as her act enters the final stage. Choi has not shown any sign of being a traditional shamanistic woman so far. Of course, looks are often deceiving.

According to reports, shaman blood runs in her family. Her father was known to have five names, his last being Choi Tae-min. The elder Choi was said to have started as a shaman with a reputation for having many times more spiritual power than a "normal" mudang. He moved to become a Christian minister who was said to have approached a young President Park when she served as first lady after her mother was assassinated by a Korean-Japanese hired by North Korea. Wikileaks shows the U.S. Embassy here sent home an assessment about Park being under the spell of Choi, described as a Korean Rasputin, after the black magic healer who was said to have sickened the mind of Nicholas II, the last czar of the Russian Empire.

Maybe some of her late father's magic rubbed off on the daughter, who has used it, as her father did, to take control of Park in mind and body.

But Choi's actions are more indicative of her being a con artist, irrespective of whether she is a shaman or not, with her mystic power being one of manipulation. After all, one can be a shaman and crook at the same time.

Choi has known Park for 40 years and stayed with her through good times and bad. For example, Choi put Park under care at her elder sister's big, posh residence after she was slashed in the face during a 2006 campaign as the chairwoman of the then Grand National Party (GNP), the predecessor of the Saenuri Party.

The 40-year con began as Choi, then a 20-year-old college student, supported President Park's "New Mind" movement, the political counterpart of MRA or moral rearmament drive.

When Park became president, the chance for a big caper presented itself. In return for her support, Park wanted to give her blood sister whatever she wanted. In Cheong Wa Dae, Park picked up where her father left off but a different sort of dictatorship transpired by which she indulged Choi to the complete exclusion of others.

Choi used those presidential powers as if hers  influencing ministers' appointments through her proxies, stealing from state budgets and collecting corporate "donations." Choi must have felt exhilarated as if she were President with Park as her avatar, being secure in the knowledge that nobody knew. Lincolnian wisdom overtook her  you can fool everybody some of the time; you can fool some of the people all the time but you can't fool everybody all the time. Her underlings "ratted" on her.

There may be more to the two women's relationship than what meets the eye. Denizens of Cheong Wa Dae are highly trained to know how the wind of power changes its direction but many top aides have denied knowing Choi. Does this mean any of the following three: Park has completely shut her aides off, Choi indeed has black magic power or she is a scapegoat for something else?

If Choi is a shaman, she has applied her power to her hustle with a degree of mastery.

Although it requires more investigation, Choi set up several front firms in Europe and allegedly used them to siphon funds off from two foundations where 77 billion won in corporate donations were deposited through the intervention of senior presidential secretaries. Also Samsung Group has sent billions of won to Choi's German company for, more than anything else, the purchase of a 1 billion won horse for Choi's daughter, a dressage competitor. Industry watchers say Samsung pays only when it is worth it  meaning that Samsung knew Choi was the woman behind the curtain. Samsung has been at a critical juncture as it has moved on a management transition.

Now, the internet is filled with rumors and speculation  linking anything, everything with Choi the black magic woman. One claims that Choi, now in custody, is an imposter, while another argues that the Sewol ferry sinking was Choi's ploy to pay homage to her late father with a human sacrifice.

There are conflicting accounts about her being a shaman or a shrewd, manipulative woman that had the most powerful woman in the nation under her control.

But one thing that is certain is that irrespective of whether she is a mudang or not, not just President Park but also the entire nation appear "bewitched" with nobody in sight to end her spell.

Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact him at foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.
By Trudy Rubin



Living in Philadelphia, only blocks from Independence Hall, reminds me of Americans' astonishing good luck in our founding fathers, and in the institutions they devised. My awareness is magnified by travel to countries where people struggle for a fraction of the rights we take for granted.



So is it really possible that we're en route to squandering this unique heritage? Could a majority of voters possibly choose a man who demeans our constitutional system in language that sounds as if it came from the Kremlin?



Can a man who encourages racism, sexism, and religious intolerance (including anti-Semitism) become the president of the world's foremost democracy?



I still believe that our institutions are stronger than they seem at the moment - and that Donald Trump will be defeated. Hillary Clinton's email problems are small beer compared with the risk Trump presents to our republic and to our security. (And FBI Director James Comey's latest cryptic statement about newly discovered emails, coming only days before the election, smells of partisan politics.)



But Americans will have to reckon with the damage Trump has done no matter who wins.



The threat to our system is more obvious if Trump is victorious.



His version of democracy - his threats to pursue judges and media he dislikes and to jail Clinton if he wins - is more in tune with Vladimir Putin than Thomas Jefferson. Trump constantly praises the Kremlin czar as a "strong leader."



Envying Putin's power to act without limits, the Donald says he sees no need to consult anyone but himself on foreign policy, because he knows best about everything - including nukes.



What is the Putinesque style of leadership that Trump so admires? The Russian leader runs a system described as "managed democracy." This means the president ignores a tamed parliament, strong-arms the judiciary, jails opponents, and silences any critical press. Trump has taken note.



Example: You sense the Donald's instincts toward critical media when he urges fans to attack them, or proposes unconstitutional libel laws to bankrupt them. Or when his social-media adviser threatens Fox News' Megyn Kelly for her slapdown of Newt Gingrich's disgusting sexist remarks to her on air.



Mercifully, the Donald would not have the full powers of a Putin. True, he has pledged to bring lawsuits against judges and newspapers, but the courts would no doubt dismiss them as unconstitutional.



That is, until the Donald manages to pack the Supreme Court.



Moreover, Trump's vindictiveness toward opponents will further damage a political system already corroded by ugly partisanship.



No student of history, Trump seems unaware of the tough political compromises that our founding founders had to make to reach consensus on the Constitution. He says he's not a reader, so he's probably never perused Catherine Drinker Bowen's Miracle at Philadelphia (or similar academic studies), which describes this so well.



Those grand bargains in Philly foretold the kind of political deals still needed to make our government function. But the kind of compromises that produced our founding document would be anathema to Trump's GOP.



When the Donald was asked by biographer Michael D'Antonio whether he examined history to better understand the present, his lack of interest was evident. "I don't like talking about the past," he said. "It's all about the present and the future." With apologies to George Santayana, those who ignore the past will doom our nation to disaster.



A Clinton win would, at least, check the direct Trump threat to democracy. But it won't halt the political maelstrom his campaign has already unleashed.



Clinton understands the miracle in Philadelphia. She wants to reach out to supporters of Trump who are legitimately upset by the economic changes wreaked by technology and the globalization of trade.



She has also pledged to consult GOP legislators to try to end the gridlock that has paralyzed the government. Given her reputation in the Senate, she is likely to be much better at such bipartisan efforts than was President Obama.



Yet Trump (echoed by Tea Party Republicans) has vehemently rejected bipartisan outreach.



Contrary to any candidate in memory, the Donald attacks the credibility of our election system, insisting, without evidence, that it is rigged against him. If he loses, he will no doubt urge his followers to reject the results.



A possible Trump TV network, alongside alt-right pro-Trump social media, will whip up protests against a Clinton presidency and call for her impeachment.



And Trump's hint to Second Amendment fanatics to take out Clinton invites an assassination attempt.



Equally shameful, GOP stalwarts are already pledging to continue paralyzing Congress if Clinton is elected. Sen. John McCain, whom Trump viciously insulted, has vowed that Republicans will block any Supreme Court nomination made by a President Clinton.



That would mean four more years of an eight-justice court, effectively destroying our constitutional system of checks and balances. A frozen system will spark more discontent, which Trump followers will blame on Clinton and their ethnic enemies.



If Trump loses, the entire Congress should be required to take a field trip to Independence Hall to remind it of the compromises on which our country was based, with a special mandatory session for Tea Party diehards. I know I'm dreaming. Yet, unless the Trumpsters learn to respect America's history and its founders, they will take our democracy down.



Trudy Rubin is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Readers may email her at trubin@phillynews.com. This was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.








Americans will choose their new president soon in what is described as the "worst election ever" pitting Hillary Clinton the liar against Donald Trump the vulgar.



The Nov. 8 election is an internal U.S. affair so, only with the goodwill of a fellow citizen of the world, Americans are asked to imagine their future under a President Trump (this editorial is not a Clinton endorsement).



Simply, there is fear that the U.S. could resemble a Rome under Caligula as reportedly portrayed in the 1979 Tinto Brass movie rendition of the third Roman emperor  an X-rated country where political rivals are killed at the chief executive's decision, rape is state-sponsored and the national system is rigged in favor of one person  him.



Remember Trump's remark about the "Second Amendment" people that triggered concerns of encouraging the assassination of Hillary Clinton, a supporter of gun control. Comparable is the scene from the Brass film where Caligula induces Macro to kill Tiberius, his grand-uncle, so he could become emperor.



In the 1979 movie, in an act of revenge against the Senate, Caligula orders senators' wives to work as prostitutes in the service of the state. Trump boasted of groping women because he could, assaulted women because they were ugly and judged women on a scale of 10 on his perverted sense of beauty.



Trump claims the system is rigged against him and says he will fix this once he is elected. In the film, the emperor goes beyond the pale in self-indulgence and a tragic fate befalls him.



Throw into the mix more of his escapades: erecting a wall to keep Mexican rapists out of the U.S. at the expense of Mexican taxpayers, insulting the Muslim parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan who was killed in action, a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., seeking revenge on Clinton if he wins and negating the election outcome if he loses.



These are characteristics Trump has shown so far, which even Brass, obnoxious genius extraordinaire, could not stomach in his salacious films.



Now Americans should think seriously not just about who their next president will be but what characteristics he or she should have. If their discontent is too much to cast a ballot for Clinton, then think about their children  do they really want to hand down the X-rated Tinto Brass world to them?



Depending on how Americans vote, that movie could turn into a nightmarish reality.




Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared war on kidnapping on Friday. / Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared war on kidnapping, according to the Philippine Star.

"We are at a low supply of drugs now, but those fools have shifted to kidnapping," said Duterte addressing a regional convention in Manila on Friday.

He said six cases of kidnapping had been reported in Manila's Chinatownin the past three weeks.

He warned kidnappers and drug dealers to turn themselves in or face the consequences.

"Don't go out because God's subalterns are outside, and you might suffer a misfortune," he warned would-be criminals.

The warning came after the U.S. embassy issued a travel warning about kidnapping by terrorist groups in areas around Dalaguete and Santander on Cebu Island and Sumilon Island.

Sunni extremist Abu Sayyaf and other rebels operate in the southern Philippines.

The groups are notorious for kidnapping foreigners for ransom and assassination.
As part of their "Gorgeous" "Uprising" they released individual photos (three each).

Below are the photos:

 - TAEHO

 - LEESANG

 - JIAN

 - UNGJAE

 - JEUP

Look forward to their new album on November 11 at 00:00KST!

What do you think of their individual photos? Are you excited for their comeback? Let us know in the comments below!
Part two of the interview with Congressional Candidate Ken Buck picks off with a conversation about the Affordable Care Act.

Buck faces Democratic Challenger Bob Seay in the upcoming election.

There is a plan we have put out and it is called a better way, he said.

It dealt with six different subjects, he said, including taking people out of poverty and national defense.

There is a very specific how Republican plan on what to do with health care in this country, he said.

The party wants it to resemble the auto insurance industry.

You get to choose what your deductible is and you get to buy across state lines, he said. We try to reduce the influence of trial lawyers on the system with tort reform.

Buck believes that going to a single payer system will bankrupt the country.

A lot more quickly than we are being bankrupted right now by our spending habits, he said.

National Defense

Buck said national defense is a federal function.

When I look at education, the federal government should be doing it a lot less and the state should be doing it more efficiently, he said.

He believes the military should spend more.

We should be staying ahead of the Russians and the Chinese technologically and we should not be putting our people at risk when other countries have a much greater interest, but we do have to recognize that we are dependent on Middle Eastern oil to a certain extent. Weve ratcheted that down, which is a good thing.

He said when Donald Trump talks about alliances, they are important.

Theyre probably more important, but the bottom line is we benefit greatly from having other countries that make sure that Russia doesnt invade to the west, he said. We want to make sure that China doesnt expand and interfere with our trade with Japan, South Korea and other countries.

He believes the military investment is wise for the future.

Work at home

Buck stays steadfast in his support of southeast Colorado.

We were just at a business, Pelsue, and they have moved some of their functions from Englewood, in the Denver area, to Lamar, he said. I have visited with other businesses in La Junta and other parts of southeast Colorado and I am trying figure out how do we deal with unemployment and how do we deal with issues in Southeastern Colorado.

He said the problem in Denver is they are growing so fast they need wider roads, schools and infrastructure.

The problem with southeastern and northeastern Colorado is there isnt growth, he said. How do we take some of that growth, particularly in manufacturing, and move it to places like Lamar, which has great roads. Were trying to find those programs and match it to this area.

He visited with lots of businesses to accomplish that.

Its not a matter of saying I care about it, he said. I care about it, Ive been here and will continue to be here and work with the Federal government in doing that, he said.

Buck said they recently got the water act out of the ways and means committee.

It should be on the house floor in November and Im hoping it will be law by the end of this year, he said.

He introduced the bill that will allow ditch companies to have revenue from non-members be more than 15 percent without paying tax.

Now, anything over that they now use for infrastructure and repair they still dont need to pay tax on, he said. This will allow the companies to pay for repairing the pipes that are 80 years old. That guarantees municipal water and it reduces the cost to ranchers and farmers for that water.

Buck said that it will have a minimal impact on the deficit.

We found a way of really rebuilding our water infrastructure, he said.

Drug war

He said there is a need to create a revenue base for counties so they can fund prevention programs and law enforcement task programs to deal with the areas drug issues.

Its one thing for Congress to say heres $50,000 this year, it is another thing to build enough jobs in an area, he said. If people are working hard they are less likely to pursue that path. If they are working they are not receiving unemployment and they are not receiving welfare and they are paying taxes.

He believes the economic shift is an effective way to deal with heroin.

Ive heard it, Ive visited with the sheriffs and the district attorneys and I understand that it is a problem and how do we approach that problem, he said.

Gun control

After spending 25 years in law enforcement, Buck said there are a number of lessons hes learned about gun control.

One of them is the more burdens you put on people buying firearms, the harder it is for law abiding citizens to get firearms, he said.

He feels that it does not affect people who are going to commit crimes with firearms.

Those folks get firearms, he said. They get them from the streets because somebody steals a firearm and there is a black market for firearms.

He said the idea of having less guns would mean less gun violence is crazy.

Gun violence has been going down for the last 25 years because we have been putting violent criminals behind bars, not because there are less guns available or there are greater restrictions, he said.

He said when the assault weapon ban expired gun violence kept going down.

Those things are really good for people who live in the city to tell each other, he said. If you look at a city like Chicago and you have tremendous gun violence and there is no relationship between those gun control laws and reducing violence.

He likes Bob Seay

He is a gentleman, he said. My last opponent was difficult to deal with.

Buck called Seay a really good person.

That was a pleasant surprise to have somebody we disagree about issues, he said.

After the election

He said the amount that people are scared about where the Federal government will go next is interesting.

Weve had eight years of liberal policies and they havent worked and people are really concerned about the next four years, he said. They understand why Trump isnt attractive to people, but philosophically they are real concerned about the other side.

Moving forward, he said there needs to be some bridge building between the government and the people.

I think there is a possibility that Hillary Clinton will govern more like Bill Clinton than Barack Obama, he said. Thats a hope I think a lot of people have because with bill Clinton we passed welfare reform and did a number of things that moved the country in the right direction.

He said Barack Obama made a series of executive orders that created mistrust and hard feelings.

For more information, visit buckforcolorado.com.

Chris Frost: 719-336-2266, cfrost@lamarledger.com
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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President Obama has participated in plenty of unconventional interviews during his time in office: He sat in podcaster Marc Marons garage, spoke to YouTuber GloZell Green and went on Zach Galifianakis Between Two Ferns.

And yet Bill Maher, who has hosted his long-running political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO since 2003, never got the chance to go one-on-one with the president. That changed Friday, when Maher finally scored 40 minutes with Obama to chat about topics including marijuana reform, religion, Fox News and Donald Trump.

The interview, which was pre-taped and aired during Mahers hour-long program, came after over 300,000 of the hosts fans signed a petition urging Obama to sit with Maher.

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Days away from the conclusion of his eight-year term in the White House, Obama reflected on his presidency, calling it a great run.

It is time, he said. Im not going to pretend that there havent been moments of great frustration, but it is a singular privilege. I think Im as good a president now as Ive ever been. Because you learn stuff over eight years.

He did note, however, that he now sees the wisdom of the founders, and that hes ready to let go of the title for democracy to work.

You have to have the humility to recognize that youre a citizen, and you go back to being a citizen after this office is over, Obama said.

Moving forward, he said, one of his biggest concerns is the balkanization of the media, noting that the proliferation of news outlets has made it difficult for consumers to find reliable information.

If you dont have some common baseline of facts  we can have a disagreement about how to deal with climate change, but if we have a big chunk of the country that just discounts what 99% of scientists say completely, its very hard to figure out how we move the democracy forward, he said.

He revisited the subject of media later in the interview discussing the problematic filters that block potential conversations, Look if I watched Fox News, I wouldnt vote for me either, Obama said. Youve got this screen, this fun-house mirror through which people are receiving information. How to break through that is a big challenge.

The interview was also peppered with a few lighter moments  especially when Maher pressed Obama on whether he has really quit smoking.

Ex-[smoker], he replied with a wink. Im chewing the heck out of Nicorette.

amy.kaufman@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA

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When Fred Pickel sat down to write the citys official argument in favor of a ballot measure to grant more autonomy to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, he promised voters it would make the municipally owned utility more accountable, transparent and responsive.

Pickel, who is the executive director of the citys Office of Public Accountability, which serves as a watchdog over the DWP, did not include that Measure RRR would allow him to be reappointed to a second five-year term in his $276,000-a-year job and double the minimum budget of his small department.

That information is also omitted from the one-paragraph summary of the measure voters will see next to the spot where they will check yes or no on their ballots, but it is mentioned, briefly, in the thick pamphlet mailed to them at home.

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Backers say its important to boost Pickels budget to ensure his independence and insulate him from political meddling.

Asked why he didnt include what he has to gain if the measure passes, Pickel said the official argument had to be so short that, no matter what you did, you couldnt fit some stuff in.

The proposed changes to the office are relatively minor compared with the broader reforms included in the measure: adding people with industry expertise to the DWP board, giving it the ability to hire employees without going through the citys cumbersome civil service process, and allowing it to sign contracts without approval from the city council.

The measure is backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, the City Council and DWP management, who hope it will streamline operations at the roughly $4-billion-per-year department that keeps the lights on and faucets flowing for millions of customers.

Opponents agree that the DWP, which has been plagued by controversy in recent years, needs reform. But they argue the ballot measure would be a step backward, allowing elected officials to avoid responsibility for missteps by the department and DWP managers to spend billions of ratepayer dollars without sufficient oversight.

And they question whether Pickel, in the five years since his appointment, has become too close to the bureaucracy hes supposed to be watching. Burying the benefits to his office in the fine print of the ballot measure, they say, was the opposite of transparency.

What kind of ratepayer advocate builds a five-year contract extension into a supposed reform initiative and doesnt even disclose it in his summary of the initiative? asked Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which opposes the measure.

The Office of Public Accountability was born of a 2011 ballot measure by a City Council looking for a way to convince skeptical Angelenos that future rate increases were needed to buy water and produce electricity, not just to cover utility employees famously generous salaries and benefits.

After nearly a year of delays, the search committee chose Pickel, who holds a doctorate in engineering and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had spent decades working in the power industry, including, at one point, consulting for Enron.

In 2015, Pickel was paid $276,000, city records show. Thats $39,000 more than the mayor.

Reviews of Pickels performance and the efficacy of his fledgling department have been mixed.

A consultants report commissioned by City Controller Ron Galperin last year determined that the Office of Public Accountability is stuck in a no mans land as it is neither a regulator nor a truly independent advisor and is still searching for relevancy. The consultants did not criticize Pickel personally but said his office faced continuous political pressure from elected officials and DWP managers. They recommended strengthening his political independence.

The Times editorial board, which has endorsed the ballot measure, praised Pickel last year for his technical understanding of the problems facing the DWP  including the power of its entrenched employees union and micromanaging by City Hall  but said Pickel had not been vocal enough in his critiques or public enough in his consumer protection role.

Last year, Court, of the Santa Monica advocacy group, demanded Pickels ouster, saying he didnt fight hard enough for thousands of DWP customers who had been overcharged after the rollout of a disastrous new billing system in 2013.

Many people who come to Courts office after the DWP threatens to shut off their lights and water because they havent paid their bills  often erroneously inflated by the flawed system  dont even know the DWP has a ratepayer advocate, Court said.

Hes getting paid a healthy salary to fight for ratepayers, and hes not doing it, Court said.

But Jack Humphreville, a member of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council and frequent DWP critic, counters that Pickel has been very accessible, and he praised his willingness to say unpopular things.

When irate customers were routinely left waiting on hold for 45 minutes or longer during the billing fiasco, Humphreville said, Pickel was the one who publicly blamed the citys bureaucratic civil service process for preventing the emergency hiring of customer representatives.

I think Fred Pickel is doing an excellent job, Humphreville said. I wish he would be more aggressive, but if he did that the DWP and City Hall would cut him off; theyd never give him any information.

The longer, fuller explanation of the ballot measure in the voter pamphlet explains the proposed changes to Pickels office in a single paragraph.

It says the OPAs Executive Director may be reappointed to a second five-year term and doubles the minimum budget of his office from 0.025% of DWP revenue to 0.05%.

It does not mention Pickel by name, but he is the first executive director and the only one eligible for reappointment.

Pickel, whose first term expires in February, noted that the change wouldnt guarantee his reappointment; it would just make the process easier if the mayor and the City Council want him back.

It would allow them to give Pickel another five years  and $1.4 million in salary  without convening a large search committee and going through a long selection process.

A similarly streamlined process is in place to reappoint the citys police chief.

Pickel, 64, said hes interested in only one more term.

His current office budget, just over $3 million, is already more than the ballot measure would guarantee, Pickel said. The City Council has routinely instructed the DWP to provide him with more than the minimum funding, he said.

But he wants to raise the guaranteed amount because he ticks people off in the course of his work and doesnt want to be handcuffed by the fear that his budget could get slashed if he upsets the wrong person, he said.

When it came time to write the citys official argument in favor of the charter amendment, Pickel said he had a lot to contend with, including additions and revisions proposed by DWP officials and neighborhood and environmental groups.

In the end, he decided, the increases he requested were small change and sufficiently explained elsewhere in the pamphlet.

So the final version, which bears Pickels name as the lead signatory, is silent on the benefits to his office.

Pickel confided he had reservations about asking for a boost in his budget and extending his tenure in the measure, but the city attorneys office said it was the only way to get to accomplish those goals.

I didnt want the issue of my reappointment process to become a distraction and interfere with these reforms, Pickel said. I was afraid it would look like self-dealing.

jack.dolan@latimes.com

@JackdolanLAT

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With three days to go until this execrable election bites the dust, I decided to meet up Saturday with activists at the ground level, people idealistic enough about the democratic process to spend time knocking on doors or making phone calls for the causes they support.

In Long Beach, I walked around a low-income neighborhood with community organizers pushing various propositions. In South Los Angeles, I popped into a phone bank, where young Latinos reached out to their peers, asking them to support my favorite proposition, No. 64, which will legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

Younger Latinos, polls show, are wildly enthusiastic about this measure.

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Their parents? Not so much. Their grandparents? Hardly at all.

Which is why veteran Latino activists decided to focus on catalyzing the millennial vote, rather than motivating older Latinos, who helped sink legalization the last time it was on the ballot, in 2010.

The trick to selling the measure this time is to convince voters that people of color have paid a far higher price for breaking marijuana laws than whites. They are arrested and incarcerated at a much higher rate than whites for marijuana crimes, despite the fact that usage rates are the same across the board.

Focusing on the criminal justice aspect is the easiest way to approach this conversation, said Armando Gudino, of the Drug Policy Alliance, a drug law reform group that is a major Prop. 64 backer.

If it passes, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act will erase most marijuana crimes from the books, and allow people who have been convicted of those crimes to have their records expunged. It also provides that minors caught with marijuana will no longer be charged with a crime or infraction. They will be required to undergo drug education and perform community service.

The message that works is telling people that this law gives our youth a second chance, said Janet Martinez, of the Latino Voters Initiative, who organized the pro-64 phone bank in a house south of Exposition Park that is normally the headquarters of a civil rights group that works on behalf of indigenous Mexicans. Instead of making them go into the criminal justice system, give a kid a chance!

At a table in the living room, Kim Zamor, 26, sat with three other phone bankers. She had a phone to her ear, and systematically went down a list of Latino voters, none older than 26.

May I speak to Christopher? she asked. May we count on your support to tax and legalize marijuana? OK. Is there anyone else in your household who supports it? Your grandma? Great.

Sitting across from her, 19-year-old Alfredo Campos looked up. Half the time I dont even finish my sentence and its all, Hell, yeah. Were supporting it. Were all pot heads. 

In South L.A., using phones provided by the Latino Voters League, Alfredo Campos, 19, and Kim Zamor, 26, ask Latino millenials to support Prop. 64, which legalizes and taxes marijuana for adult use. Campos said he hasnt used a phone like that since 7th grade. (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times )

::

Twenty miles south, in Long Beach, Amber-Rose Howard, 30, went door-to-door handing out leaflets for Prop. 64.

A community organizer with A New Way of Life and All of Us or None, two advocacy groups that help people who have been incarcerated, Howard has been promoting Proposition 64 for months. She has spent a lot of time talking up the measure in black churches in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, where she lives.

Just like older Latinos, she said, older African-Americans also resist legalization.

Churches are turned off by it, she said. I try to help them understand that it will protect our youth. You know, the war on drugs did a good job of turning people against our youth.

Saturday, she joined forces with organizers Marlene Montanez, 27, and Wendell Sherman, 22, from a voter engagement group called Long Beach Rising. Montanez and Sherman were pushing Propositions 55, 56 and 57 (which will retain a higher tax rate for the rich; increase the cigarette tax; and let judges, rather than prosecutors, decide whether to try juveniles as adults).

In this part of Long Beach, south of Long Beach Polytechnic High, its hard to tell sometimes when people answer a knock. The screen doors are heavy and made of metal mesh. Someone opening the door can see you, but you cant see them.

Another problem: the occasional excited dog, who rushes onto the porch to see whos visiting.

I do not like dogs, said Howard.

On Olive Street just south of Anaheim Boulevard, Howard and Sherman knocked on a door looking for a voter named Keith Russell. Hes not home, said a middle-aged man, stepping onto the porch.

Do you mind if I leave you some information about Prop. 64? asks Howard, handing the man a flier. Are you registered to vote?

I did time, the man replied. They arent interested in me.

You can vote if you did time in prison, said Howard. I served time for a felony, and Im registered to vote.

The man shrugged and went back inside.

This was a bit frustrating for Howard.

Last month, Howard and All of Us or None sued Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan in L.A County Superior Court, accusing them of failing to allow eligible county jail inmates to register to vote and request ballots in a timely manner.

As it happens, inmates who are awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor sentences are not just eligible to vote, but according to the registrars website, are encouraged to vote. (Currently, inmates who are serving time in county jails for felony convictions may not vote, though they will be eligible in January under a new state law.)

The case was settled less than 10 days after it was filed. So far, All of Us or None has registered 804 county jail inmates.

I could be wrong, but I bet thats another 800 or so votes for Proposition 64.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

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As a young artist in Romania, Mihai Nicodim had to get approval from a Communist Party commission to show his work.

Smiling portraits of workers and peasants would easily score a place in an art show. Abstract paintings stood less of a chance.

For a chance at freedom, Nicodim swam across the Danube River in 1983, risking capture by Romanian soldiers. A friend met him on the other side and drove him to Italy.

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In the United States, he was homeless, then slept on a friends couch. He and his wife, Ono, saved money for years before achieving their version of the American dream: an art gallery.

The Nicodim gallery operated in Chinatown and then Culver City before moving to Boyle Heights in early 2015.

But to anti-gentrification activists, the Nicodims are the face of unwanted change. Last month, someone scrawled an obscene reference to white art on the gallerys metal screen door.

On Saturday morning, members of the Boyle Heights Alliance Against Artwashing and Displacement held a news conference on the steps of the Nicodim gallery. They are incensed by the Los Angeles Police Departments decision to investigate the graffiti as a hate crime.

 Mihai Nicodim, owner of the Nicodim gallery in Boyle Heights, responds to activists concerns about gentrification in the community. The activists on Saturday held a news conference to protest the perceived gentrification.

Its another way for the LAPD to criminalize youth and create racial divisions in this community, to allege an anti-white hate crime when theyre out there shooting our youth  people of color, said Elizabeth Blaney, a Boyle Heights resident and co-director of the community organizing group Union de Vecinos.

Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, said that detectives initiated the hate crimes investigation based on the available evidence. Parallels drawn by the activists between the investigation and the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Jesse Romero by an LAPD officer are unfounded, Rubenstein added.

According to an LAPD account, Romero, 14, had been tagging gang-type graffiti when he ran from officers, then pointed a gun at them.

The Nicodim gallery and several other art galleries targeted by the activists are located in an industrial area between the Los Angeles River and the 101 Freeway. The activists want to see laundromats, supermarkets and child care centers in the properties, which had previously housed businesses such as warehouses, print shops and fish packers.

Amid concerns about rising rents, the activists see the galleries as a harbinger of change, which they fear will end with the working-class, mostly Latino neighborhood becoming a second Arts District.

You are not the cutting edge of culture, Walt Senterfitt, a tenants rights activist, said of the galleries. You are the leading edge of gentrification, colonialism and destruction.

 Boyle Heights activists hold a news conference to protest the perceived gentrification of their community, which has recently seen art galleries targeted by vandals.

During the protest, LAPD Sgt. James Baker arrived with a message. A captain from Hollenbeck Station wanted to arrange a meeting with them.

Later, the Nicodims arrived, as some protesters lingered outside the gallery.

Inside, Nicodim pointed to the white walls of the soaring space, where paintings by the German artist Philipp Kremer, with price tags in the $10,000 range, were on display.

Nicodim said he and his wife painted the walls themselves. They rent the space from a man named Mr. Chang, who had kept it empty while using the other half of the building as a warehouse for knickknacks.

Nicodim, 60, who lives in Echo Park, said many of the artists he shows are not white. Oscar Murillo, who was represented by Nicodim at the beginning of his career, is a black artist from Colombia. When the graffiti incident occurred, the gallery was showing Why Dont You Eat Stinky Tofu?  work by the Chinese artist Tong Kunniao.

Would Oscar agree with that? Its just sad, Nicodim said of the graffiti.

Nicodim said he is determined to stay. He risked his life to come to this country so he could live wherever he wants and open a business wherever he wants.

America is a great country, Nicodim said. They have the right to demonstrate. I have the right to be here.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

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Thousands of Angelenos braved long lines and, in some cases, waited up to four hours to take advantage of early voting this weekend at half a dozen polling stations set up around Los Angeles County ahead of Tuesdays general election.

Were seeing good turnout at several of the countys polling stations, said Brenda Duran, a spokeswoman for the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerks office in Norwalk. People are very enthusiastic about the election. They are being very patient.

A total of 7,756 ballots were cast last weekend at early voting stations, Duran said. But that number could double this weekend.

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On Saturday alone, more than 8,000 Angelenos cast ballots, Duran said. So far, more than 25,000 people have voted early in L.A. County, she said.

Early voting stations across the county are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Voters can cast their ballots at the following stations:

Thousands of Angelenos lined up at the North Hollywood polling station Sunday to cast their ballots ahead of Tuesdays general election. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times )

Norwalk: Registrar-Recorder/County Clerks Administrative Office,12400 E. Imperial Highway

West Covina: West Covina City Hall, 1444 W. Garvey Ave. South

Culver City: West Los Angeles College, 9000 Overland Ave.

North Hollywood: North Hollywood Regional Library, 5211 Tujunga Ave.

Torrance: El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd.

Lancaster: Antelope Valley College, 3041 W. Ave K

Duran said that Torrance, Culver City, West Covina and North Hollywood were seeing some of the largest crowds. Some voters said that stations were so crowded on Saturday that they left and returned on Sunday.

Jason Wesley, 37, said he arrived at the North Hollywood station about 6:45 a.m. Sunday to make sure he was one of the first to vote. The Navy and Marine Corps veteran said hes going to be out of town on election day and wanted to ensure his voice was heard.

By 9:45 a.m., Wesley had turned in his form to vote, but he had yet to be called up to actually cast his ballot.

Its not the experience for me, he said of the early voting line. He plans to change his strategy in the future.

Im gonna vote by mail every time, he said.
Thousands of Angelenos braved long lines and, in some cases, waited up to four hours to take advantage of early voting this weekend at half a dozen polling stations set up around Los Angeles County.

From West Covina to Culver City, voters woke up before sunrise for a chance to be the first in line to cast their ballots and beat the inevitable crowds ahead of Tuesdays general election.

At the polling station in North Hollywood, the line began in front of the public library, where voters stood with beach chairs slung across their backs, headphones plugged in or with cups of coffee in tow. The trail snaked behind the building, around the park and down the sidewalk.

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Jason Wesley drove by the hordes of voters on Saturday and decided he would wait until Sunday to cast his ballot. He arrived about 6:45 a.m. Sunday to try and avoid the line.

I thought if I came an hour early, Id be OK, said Wesley, 37, who voted early because he will be out of town on Tuesday.

By 9:45 a.m., he was still waiting to vote.

Theres a lot of planning that has to happen to vote early, he said. I still have 200 people in front of me.

A record 19.4 million Californians are registered to vote in advance of the general election, according to the secretary of states office.

More than 78% of eligible state residents are registered, the highest percentage in two decades, and 1.2 million additional voters are registered for this presidential election compared with 2012, the office said.

 Thousands turn out for early voting in Los Angeles County this weekend. (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

In Los Angeles, officials said they were seeing good turnout at several of the countys polling stations.

People are very enthusiastic about the election, said Brenda Duran, a spokeswoman for the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerks Office. They are being very patient.

A total of 7,756 ballots were cast last weekend at early voting stations, Duran said. Sunday afternoon, voters broke that record.

More than 8,000 Angelenos voted on Saturday alone, Duran said, most of them in North Hollywood and Torrance. More than 25,000 people have voted early in L.A. County so far, she said.

Early voting stations across the county opened from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the weekend. The Norwalk office will also be open for early voting on Monday.

Sandy Santacreu, who lives four blocks away from the North Hollywood Regional Library, said she wanted to cast her vote early because she wanted to avoid traffic  and worrying about work  on election day. She took her place in line about 7 a.m., she said.

The atmosphere was peaceful rather than stressful, Santacreu said, and voters were helpful when others needed to briefly step away for coffee or food.

A couple feet away, voters sat under a large white tent and waited for their numbers to come up. As poll workers read from a list, a man in a striped shirt jumped up from his seat and yelled, Yahtzee! to a roar of cheers.

Those still waiting clapped each time workers called a number. Parents walking with strollers stopped by the tent to watch.

4205? one voter said after the number was announced. Thats how many hours weve been standing here, right?

Along the surrounding streets, drivers slowed their cars to a crawl to snap photos of the line and honked their horns in support.

Like many others, David Harvey arrived at the North Hollywood polling station just after dawn to find 100 people already waiting in line.

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All in all, its fairly well-organized, Harvey, 57, said. I have never seen such long lines. Its an important election.

The New York native said he was pleased to see the election, no matter how divisive, was turning people out and not turning people off.

Zoe Bergeron walked out of the library and up to her mother, Jane, with a grin. It was her first time voting, and after taking a government class the 18-year-old found the experience invigorating.

I was nervous. ... I thought it was going to be more complicated, she said, adding that voting was well worth the wait. Seeing the line around the block, that was awesome.

If anything, the large crowd created a sense of camaraderie, Jane Bergeron said.

Im thrilled to see a long line. The only time I had to wait in line was voting for Obama in 2008, she said. You had that sense that voting mattered. I get that same sense now. Its an important election, and you feel that.

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini

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2:15 p.m.: This story has been updated with new information from voters and the county registrars office.
A passionate advocate for making Puerto Rico the 51st U.S. state appears poised to become the next governor of the territory, giving a boost to a movement that has been gaining momentum amid the islands economic woes.

Ricardo Rossello, a scientist and the son of a former governor of the island, is expected to win Tuesday largely due to widespread public anger over the decade-long recession and a corruption scandal that has left the party of his main opponent in disarray.

But Rossello intends to make joining the union the central focus of his administration if he takes office. Were going to fight for statehood, he said.

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The 37-year-old candidate, who has spent more than a quarter of his life on the U.S. mainland and flies an American flag outside his home near San Juan, sees statehood as the key to reviving an island that is such an economic basket case that Congress imposed a fiscal oversight board this year in exchange for helping the territorys government dig out from $70 billion in public debt.

Puerto Ricans remain divided over whether to try to change their relationship to the U.S., and Congress appears lukewarm to the idea of adding two new senators and a handful of representatives from the island of 3.5 million people.

But Rossello is ready to fight for it. We feel statehood or the lack thereof is one of the critical root problems in Puerto Rico, he said.

He told the Associated Press that as governor he would draft a state constitution, hold elections to choose two senators and five representatives to Congress and send them to Washington to demand statehood, a strategy used by Tennessee to join the union in the 18th century.

We reserve the right to use all means necessary so we can finally finish the 500-year debacle that has been colonialism, he said.

Rossello seems likely to get the chance. An October poll by El Nuevo Dia, the largest newspaper on the island, said he led the six-candidate field with support from 40% of voters. David Bernier, who previously served as the equivalent of lieutenant governor for current Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla, trailed at No. 2 with 28%.

Garcia, who served a single term, is not running for re-election. He presided over a series of debt defaults that began in August 2015 and culminated with the deeply unpopular fiscal oversight board.

His chosen successor, Bernier, has been hampered by a scandal that has engulfed their Popular Democratic Party. Testifying in a federal corruption case, a former fundraiser for the party detailed extensive kickbacks on government contracts. That forced the speaker of the legislature, also a member of the party, to resign.

Puerto Ricos fiercely competitive political scene revolves around the question of the islands relationship to the U.S., referred to here as the status issue.

The New Progressive Party of Rossello supports statehood. The Popular Democratic Party opposes it, arguing that the islands current status as a semi-autonomous territory allows Puerto Ricans the benefits of U.S. citizenship without having to give up Spanish as the dominant language or a larger sense of their cultural identity. A small minority favors independence.

Statehood is a distant reality for an island that is broke.  Annie Marrero, a school superintendent

Rossello, who graduated from MIT and has a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan, says statehood would ensure badly needed economic stability, attract investment and send property values soaring. The fact that we dont participate equally democratically or otherwise limits our capacity to progress, he said.

In a 2012 two-part referendum, 54% of Puerto Rico voters said they wanted a change in status. In the second question, 61% said they favored statehood. But so many people left the second part blank that critics said the results werent reliable.

Annie Marrero, a 52-year-old school superintendent who plans to vote for Bernier, said she doesnt reject statehood but doesnt believe its an option.

Its more out of reach now than ever, she said. Statehood is a distant reality for an island that is broke.

But Puerto Ricos economic struggles, which have driven more than 200,000 people to the mainland in recent years, are encouraging a growing sense among some that closer ties to the mainland could only help.

Puerto Rico has reached that point of meltdown for this to happen, said Jose Gomez, a 19-year-old university student who plans to vote for Rossello.

Coto writes for Associated Press.

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Days after Rolling Stone magazine published a shocking 9,000-word story about a brutal gang rape at the University of Virginia in November 2014, the magazines editors received an email just before 2 a.m. with Our worst nightmare in the subject line. They needed to run a retraction, the reporter said.

Instead, Rolling Stone kept the article on its website for four months before finally pulling it down that April and officially retracting the story.

That decision was enough to convince a federal jury in Charlottesville on Friday that the magazine defamed a university administrator, who claimed she was cast as the chief villain in the now-discredited story A Rape on Campus.

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The 10-person jury found also found that journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely and the magazines publisher were responsible for libel, with actual malice.

Nicole Eramo claimed the article falsely said she discouraged the woman identified only as Jackie from reporting the incident to police. A police investigation found no evidence to back up Jackies claims about being raped.

Eramo was seeking $7.5 million from her lawsuit. Jurors are expected to return to court next week to decide how much to award her.

The decision comes at a time when the publics distrust of the press runs deep and is the latest in a year that brought large judgments against other media outlets.

In March, former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan won a $140-million invasion-of-privacy verdict against Gawker for posting a sex tape of him. Gawker settled with Hogan for $31 million this month.

Last month, the News & Observer of Raleigh was ordered to pay about $6 million in a State Bureau of Investigation agents libel lawsuit.

Samantha Barbas, a law professor at the University of Buffalo, said it appears that media outlets are being threatened with and hit with more lawsuits than ever, and juries seem more willing to side with people who claim theyve been injured by the press.

The climate seems to be one where people, especially public figures, dont fear taking on the press as they might have in the past, said Barbas, who studies the intersection of the 1st Amendment, culture, media and privacy.

The magazine also faces a $25-million defamation lawsuit from the University of Virginias Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, where Jackie claimed her sexual assault took place.

Because the judge determined that Eramo was a public figure, she had to prove Rolling Stone made statements with actual malice, meaning it knew that what it was writing about her was false or entertained serious doubts about whether it might be true.

Jurors found that the magazine and its publisher, Wenner Media, acted with actual malice because they republished the article on Dec. 5 after they knew about the problems with Jackies story. The magazine put an editors note on top of the story that day acknowledging its reporting mistakes, but did not use the word retraction and kept the story online.

Rolling Stones attorneys argued that the editors note was effectively a retraction, but jurors rejected that idea. The magazine did not say it was officially retracting the article until the following April.

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Trump stokes terrorism fears, citing refugee disaster in Minnesota

Eleven months after Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, he is warning of terrorism anew with divisive rhetoric similar to what he championed after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks.

At an airport rally Sunday in Minneapolis, Trump said Minnesota had suffered a disaster as tens of thousands of Somali immigrants, some of them war refugees, had settled in the state over the last few decades.

To be a rich nation, we must also be a safe nation, and you know whats going on there, he told the crowd. Oh, Minnesota. Oh, Minnesota. You know whats going on. You know what Im talking about. Do you know what Im talking about? Oh, be politically correct. Just nod. Quietly nod. The whole world knows whats happening in Minnesota.

Trump then criticized Hillary Clinton for supporting the admission of Syrian refugees to the United States, drawing a roar of boos for his Democratic rival.

She wants virtually unlimited immigration and refugee admissions from the most dangerous regions of the world to come into our country, and to come into Minnesota, and you know better than anybody, he said.

Her plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and throughout your communities. You already have it. When Im elected president, we will suspend the Syrian refugee program and we will keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.

It was one of Trumps biggest applause lines in the final weekend of his campaign at rallies in North Carolina, Michigan and other states, and it drew thunderous chants of USA, USA.

Trump said Minnesota had seen first-hand the problems caused by faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state without your knowledge, without your support or approval.

Syrian refugees are subjected to more intense vetting than other immigrants, with multiple federal agencies investigating their background before they are admitted to the U.S. Church groups have helped many of them integrate into American society.

Offering no evidence, Trump said some Somali refugees in Minnesota had joined the Islamic State terrorist group and spread their extremist views all over our country and all over the world.

Honestly, its hard to believe, he said. Everybodys reading about the disaster taking place in Minnesota.... You dont even have the right to talk about it. You dont even know whos coming in. You have no idea. Youll find out.

Trump mentioned the September stabbing of 10 people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minn., by a suspect who is the son of Somali refugees. He said his administration would not allow refugees to settle anywhere without the communitys approval.

Trump has never renounced his proposed Muslim ban, which is still posted on his website, but has modified his language in discussing it. At a rally Sunday night outside Detroit, he said he would pause admissions from terror-prone regions of the world until protections against terrorism are tightened.
Donald Trump is rushed off the stage in a chaotic moment at a Nevada rally but later returns

Trump is rushed off stage by security at event in Reno. pic.twitter.com/BJZm5Z8DfN  Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 6, 2016

Donald Trump was rushed off stage during a rally in Reno on Saturday night by Secret Service agents, but he returned to finish his speech, the brief episode injecting a moment of uncertainty late into a long day of campaigning.

Someone in the crowd shouted gun, the Secret Service said, prompting a flurry of commotion. No weapon was found but a man was taken into custody, the agency said. He was released and told reporters he had been holding a sign that said Republicans against Trump.

We will never be stopped, never ever be stopped, said Trump when he arrived back on stage at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. I want to thank the Secret Service; these guys are fantastic.

Trumps rally was his third stop  and state  of the day, and his rhetoric in Reno risked further inflaming Latinos and Asian Americans who plan to vote in Nevada on election day. He told graphic stories of murders committed by immigrants in the country illegally.

A Trump administration will end this nightmare of violence, he told the crowd.

Moments later, Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and rushed him off the stage. Chaos erupted in the crowd just in front of him. Heavily armed police and what appeared to be men wearing helmets leaped over barricades into the crowd.

Reporters traveling with Trump were not close enough to see exactly what was happening in the commotion, which went on for about six or seven minutes before the campaign ordered the journalists to leave the convention hall.

Uniformed officers wearing helmets and carrying what appeared to be machine guns were next to the press.

Major disruption in crowd after Trump rushed off stage. Unclearl pic.twitter.com/YWLb8gdUNX  Michael Finnegan (@finneganLAT) November 6, 2016

After several more minutes, reporters were ushered back into the hall and Trump resumed speaking. Trump thanked the Secret Service in a statement later Saturday.

With early signs of a surge in early voting by Latinos in Nevada, Trump alleged earlier in the rally, without evidence, that election officials in Las Vegas had left polls open beyond closing time so that Democrats could be bused in to vote against him.

Folks, its a rigged system, the Republican presidential nominee told a few thousand cheering supporters. Its a rigged system, and were going to beat it.

Trumps allegation came as he was devoting crucial hours of the campaigns final weekend traveling to Nevada and Colorado, battlegrounds where Latino voters pose a serious challenge for a candidate whose signature proposal is a wall to keep Mexicans out of the U.S.

From the beginning of his campaign, Trumps rallies have been boisterous affairs, but many have been peppered with dark moments as Trump drew protests for his divisive rhetoric and harsh stances on Latinos, Muslims and others.

Perhaps most notably, a campaign stop in Chicago in March was canceled after dissolving into chaos and some violence, with punches being thrown and a handful of people bloodied.

The next day in Ohio, Secret Service agents surrounded a startled Trump when a man hurdled a barrier and tried to come on stage. He was quickly detained.

And in July, a 19-year-old British man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas after he tried to take a police officers gun inside a theater where Trump was to speak. The man, Michael Sanford, said he drove to the rally from California intending to kill Trump. He later pleaded guilty to related federal charges.

8 p.m.: This story was updated with a statement from the Secret Service.

7:20 p.m.: This story was updated with background on episodes at earlier Trump rallies.

6:50 p.m.: This story was updated with details from the rally.

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Is Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the infamously cruel Islamic State leader, an unusually smart terrorist?

Terrorism pundits seem to think the answer is yes  precisely because hes turned cruelty into a sort of brand. He gained notoriety in the West for indiscriminately killing civilians and then directing his followers to brag about wanton bloodshed in Jihadi John beheading videos. Many would argue that, by leaving a photographic trail of bloodshed in his wake, Baghdadi has surpassed Osama bin Laden, the former Al Qaeda leader. In a Politico article from last year, for example, a prominent Brookings analyst exclaimed that Baghdadi out-terrorized bin Laden, who never fully grasped how well violence and gore work.

I see things differently. I think the Islamic State CEO is an unusually stupid terrorist  precisely because hes turned cruelty into a sort of brand.

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For a decade, political scientists have known that terrorist groups suffer when they exercise too little restraint by attacking civilians. Civilian attacks carry substantial downside risks by strengthening the resolve of target countries, eroding their confidence in negotiations, lowering the odds of government concessions, reducing popular support for the group and, all in all, expediting its demise.

Islamic States radical branding has ... encouraged target countries to attack them, spurred desertions from their ranks and eaten away at local support.

Of course theres no denying that a tiny slice of the worlds population is lured to Islamic State because of its barbarism. For those itching to decapitate foreigners or cage Kurdish children or rape Yazidi girls, the groups marketing approach is awfully enticing. Simultaneously, however, Islamic States radical branding has led to attrition; it has encouraged target countries to attack them, spurred desertions from their ranks and eaten away at local support.

It therefore doesnt surprise me at all that Islamic State is losing battles, territory, revenue and the cash to pay its dwindling fighters in its strongholds of Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, competing Islamist groups, such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al Nusra, are trading on their more moderate branding strategies to expand their territorial control, membership rosters and material support, especially from Sunni Gulf countries and Turkey.

Other terrorist leaders generally have a better appreciation than does Baghdadi about the costs of extremism; they therefore present themselves as somewhat restrained. When Al Nusra fighters slaughtered 20 Druze villagers last year in northwestern Syria, for example, the leadership publicly announced these wayward killers would stand trial before an Islamic court. When Ahrar al-Sham was accused of mistreating Syrian minorities, its leadership penned an op-ed in the Washington Post, insisting that the group is actually fighting for justice for the Syrian people.

Indeed, the historical record abounds with militant leaders warning their foot soldiers to refrain from attacking civilians because of the political fallout. Mao Tse-tung repeatedly impressed on his fighters the importance of cultivating what he called a unity of spirit that should exist between troops and local inhabitants. In the 1980s, Sinn Fein assailed operatives in the Provisional Irish Republican Army for harming civilians because of the political backlash. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades chief, Marwan Barghouti, has advocated Palestinian attacks against the Israel Defense Forces, while opposing attacks against Israeli civilians within the pre-1967 borders or so-called Green Line. According to Barghouti, Israeli civilians should be off-limits because historically such indiscriminate violence has been detrimental to us.

The FARC leadership in Colombia has likewise repudiated and condemned its fighters for their lack of foresight in attacking civilians. Even the Al Qaeda leadership has reprimanded its foot soldiers for attacking civilians in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. In fact, Al Qaeda leaders are increasingly issuing public apologies when operatives defy their orders by harming civilians, especially Muslim ones. Such apologies are found across militant groups from Colombias National Liberation Army to Lebanons Abdullah Azzam Brigades to Nepals Communist Party.

Research substantiates the anecdotal evidence that smart terrorists recognize the strategic importance of restraint.

In a recent paper, Phil Potter and I show statistically in a sample of hundreds of terrorist groups that they have tended to attack civilians only when the leaders were too weak to impose their tactical preferences on lower-level members. For this reason, terrorist groups are significantly more likely to attack civilians after the leaders have been killed in drone strikes or when their fighters gain some autonomy by traveling farther away from them to mount operations.

In a forthcoming paper in Security Studies, Justin Conrad and I find additional evidence that terrorist leaders generally understand the political risks of attacking civilians and therefore try to brand their group as more moderate. Specifically, we reveal that over the past four decades, the hundreds of terrorist groups around the world have claimed credit for only about 1 out of 7 of their attacks. And when their operatives have struck civilian targets, the likelihood of their leaders taking organizational credit drops by an additional 29%.

Conversely, Northeastern University colleagues and I show in a forthcoming paper in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism that terrorist propaganda videos usually avoid showcasing attacks against civilians, especially when the leaders exercise greater control over the content.

Islamic State operates differently. Rather than trying to curtail attacks against civilians, the leadership encourages them. Baghdadi is an outlier not only because he gives the green light for operatives to strike almost any target in the world, but also because he claims credit for the unpopular attacks and even brags about them on social media.

Those who believe that Baghdadi is a mastermind have been appealing to companies like Twitter and Facebook to remove his violent online content. They think we have to blunt the impact of his media-savvy groups cruelty-mongering if were going to stand a chance against him. But Baghdadi is no mastermind; and Twitter and Facebook shouldnt be condemned for helping Islamic State. These companies instead should be commended for exposing the groups heinous behavior, and thereby turning the world against it.

Max Abrahms is a professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
In the closing days of the presidential campaign, Donald Trump and other Republicans have warned that if Hillary Clinton wins, well face a constitutional crisis  an immediate drive in Congress to impeach her. But if Trump wins, we could face a constitutional crisis, too  only one in which democratic norms would have fewer defenders.

So voters who consider themselves conservatives or libertarians should take one more chance to think their choice through; Trump is neither their friend nor their champion.

Over the course of the campaign, Trump has shown that he neither knows nor cares much about the Constitution. He has never spoken in any serious way about the virtues of limited government, the bedrock of conservative political thought. Instead, he has spoken about the virtues of strong government and listed a half-dozen ways he would be tempted to abuse the power of the White House.

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Trump would use the presidency and federal agencies to pursue personal vendettas.

Heres an easy one: executive orders. Many conservatives have condemned President Obama for exceeding his constitutional writ with sweeping orders on immigration and the environment. Not Trump. Hes praised Obama on that score.

Hes led the way, to be honest with you, the GOP nominee said. But Im going to use them much better.

Even more worrisome, Trump would use the presidency and federal agencies to pursue personal vendettas. Thats not my fevered imagination talking; he has said so himself.

When the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, opposed him in the Republican primaries, Trump issued a gangland-style threat: They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!

When the Washington Post published articles Trump didnt like, he threatened to retaliate against the papers owner, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos.

Believe me, if I become president, oh, do they have problems, he said, mentioning tax enforcement and antitrust regulation as potential cudgels.

When a federal judge ruled against him in a civil suit, Trump said the jurist ought to be investigated. They ought to look into what Judge Curiel is doing, because what Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace, he fumed.

When critics warned it would be illegal to order U.S. forces to kill the families of suspected terrorists, Trump scoffed. Theyre not going to refuse me, he said. If I say do it, theyre going to do it.

And when it comes to Clinton, Trump not only pledged to name a special prosecutor, he promised that if hes elected, shell be in jail  apparently skipping the inconveniences of investigation and trial.

Trump apologists sometimes claim this is merely campaign rhetoric, and that we shouldnt take the Republican Party nominee literally. But Trumps autocratic outbursts are in keeping with his long-held concept of power and how to use it. This is who he really is.

Take Trumps admiration for foreign leaders such as Russias Vladimir Putin.

I always felt fine about Putin, Trump said. I think that hes a strong leader.

When MSNBCs Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, objected that Putins regime has murdered journalists, Trumps instinct, bizarrely, was to defend the Russians.

Our country does plenty of killing, too, he said.

Although Trump later insisted that he wasnt endorsing Putins repression, he was still revealing something about his value system: Strength is always better than weakness. Opponents are there to be crushed. And restraint is not a virtue.

For such a man to control the FBI, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service is simply frightening. Thats why serious conservatives such as Mitt Romney and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) have said they could never support him.

Much like President Obama, he displays essentially no understanding of the fact that, in the American system, we have a constitutional system of checks and balances, Sasse wrote in a letter to constituents.

Hes not  the kind of stable, thoughtful person we need as a leader, Romney said earlier this year. This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss.

Some Trump supporters claim hell change once hes in office, or that wise advisors will smooth his rough edges. But they made that claim during the campaign, too  and Trumps promised pivot never happened.

Others pray that Congress will rein him in  that Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell will provide the checks and balances the Constitution designed.But if a Trump victory produces a GOP majority in the Senate, grass-roots Republicans will want Congress to fall in line behind their new president, not block his path.

If Clinton wins, by contrast, shell almost certainly face a hostile GOP majority in the House. That wont only be a check to any legislation she proposes; it virtually guarantees an early debate over possible impeachment proceedings.

A President Trump would face no such countervailing power. A Trump victory would mean one-party government under a party remade in its leaders image: a GOP House, a GOP Senate and, within a year, a conservative-majority Supreme Court.

Trump would be able to abuse his power with impunity  and, based on his own statements and his track record, he would feel little restraint in doing so.

Thats why conservatives shouldnt trust him with their votes  or the Constitution.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @doylemcmanus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
In 1911, the people of California amended the state Constitution to provide for the initiative, the referendum and the recall. These reforms were part of a citizen rebellion against a legislative system that had been controlled and corrupted by corporate interests. The reformers goal was to give citizens the power to go over the Legislatures head when it failed to reflect the will of the people. It enabled voters to initiate legislation and constitutional amendments, repeal laws or remove from office individuals who had lost their confidence.

This Tuesdays lengthy ballot has caused some pundits to ask whether the initiative system has run amok. Preparing for the election has become akin to studying for a final exam, with a voter guide that could be mistaken for a phone book. The propositions are varied and complex, and there is an inclination on the part of the political class to doubt that California citizens can wisely render decisions on the issues placed before them.

But I tend to think that Californians are more sophisticated than elites may realize, and that the initiative system, over time, has resulted in mostly good outcomes.

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Voters may be surprised to learn that Tuesdays ballot, with its 17 statewide measures, is not the longest ever; not even close.

A good deal of grumbling about the process, besides, is either misinformed or misdirected  starting with the length of the ballots. The initiatives are not the culprit. While there have been more than 1,200 ballot measures decided by California voters in the last century, two-thirds of them have been placed on the ballot by the Legislature. Thats because voter approval is required whenever the legislature seeks to amend the Constitution, raise taxes, incur debt or amend laws previously approved by voters.

And voters may be surprised to learn that Tuesdays ballot, with its 17 statewide measures, is not the longest ever; not even close. In fact, 30 times in the last century there have been 17 or more state propositions on a single ballot, the record being 48.

There are distinct similarities in the types of issues that voters have been asked to decide, which reflect Californians social mores over the last century. Measures to prohibit, allow, tax or regulate such vices as alcohol, cigarettes, narcotics and even gambling appear repeatedly. Changing attitudes towards crime and punishment are revealed through measures that have sought to impose stiffer or more lenient prison sentences, offer treatment instead of jail time for drug crimes, and repeal the death penalty.

While the preponderance of ballot issues have been authored by the Legislature, it is the citizens initiatives that Californians tend to remember. For example, a citizens initiative led to Proposition 20 in 1972, which created the Coastal Zone Conservation Act, aimed at protecting Californias coastline from massive development and environmental degradation. Likewise Proposition 9, the Political Reform Act of 1974, created the Fair Political Practices Commission, which regulates campaign finance, lobbying activity and conflicts of interest among the states public officials.

Neither Prop. 20 nor Prop. 9 received political support in Sacramento, and these landmark reforms would not have seen the light of day but for the initiative process.

Citizens have also sought to amend the state Constitution in ways that the Legislature refused to entertain. The most noteworthy may have been Proposition 13 in 1978, which limited property taxes and restricted governments ability to otherwise tax its citizens. Prop. 13 might never have been proposed had the Legislature, then sitting on a $7-billion surplus, used its powers and the surplus to mitigate the huge property tax increases that were hitting homeowners up and down the state.

The initiative process is not perfect and at times has led to unconstitutional results that were ultimately struck down by the courts. Proposition 14 in 1964 repealed the Rumford Fair Housing Act that had prohibited racial discrimination in housing. It passed overwhelmingly, but the state Supreme Court overturned it in 1966 and the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that decision two years later. Proposition 8 in 2008 sought to ban same-sex marriage. It narrowly passed, but the courts overturned that measure as well.

Its also true that, in the last few decades, for-profit and not-for-profit groups have learned to use the initiative process to promote their interests and are willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to get their way. But this hasnt dulled the instincts of California voters.

In 2010, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. placed an initiative on the ballot to guard its profits by squelching the formation of new municipal or community-based utilities. PG&E spent nearly $50 million to pass this measure, outspending its opponents by 500 to 1. Voters rejected it. On the worthy side, a coalition of childrens hospitals has twice in the last 12 years placed bond issues on the ballot to raise nearly $2 billion for their capital needs, spending roughly $13 million to communicate their message to the public. Voters approved those measures. Indeed, citizens have more often than not been able to discern right from wrong and the prudent from the imprudent.

While the 1911 reformers might be shocked to read some of the measures on Tuesdays ballot  such as legalizing marijuana and requiring porn actors to use condoms  they would probably be delighted to see that voters are still trusted to weigh in on taxes, constitutional amendments, proposed new statutes and cutting-edge social issues.

Part of citizenship in this state means boning up on ballot measures every two years. On balance, this experiment in civic participation and responsibility has worked, and Californians are better off with it than without it.

Zev Yaroslavsky is Director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Department of History. He is a former member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump distilled the styles theyve showcased for more than a year into a final blitz of intense campaigning as they wrapped up their pitches for the White House.

Clinton, true to type, chose a tightly disciplined path, holding rallies and events in Florida and Pennsylvania on Saturday in hopes of building a traditional electoral firewall by appealing to women, minorities and millennials. But to stem any last-minute defections, she also added a stop in Michigan on Monday, a sign that the race may be tightening in some unexpected places.

Trump, who made it this far largely on improvisation, zigzagged across the country, part of his campaigns plan to reshape the political map with a come-from-behind victory.

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Were going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds, Trump said in Tampa, Fla., beginning a day that also took him to North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado.

Trumps rally in Reno briefly erupted in commotion when Trump was rushed from the stage by Secret Service agents, adding to a sense of unease that has built throughout the hard-fought campaign. Secret Service agents reacted to someone in the crowd who shouted gun, but no weapon was found. A protester was questioned and released, and Trump returned to the stage minutes later.

Earlier in the day, Trump vowed he would also go to Minnesota, a state he added to a frenetic Sunday schedule that already includes stops in Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Polls show him trailing by about five percentage points in Minnesota, a state that has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1972, a longer streak than any other state. But Trump, whose path to victory is more narrow than Clintons, has shown a willingness to upend conventional thinking throughout the campaign  to the frustration of mainstream Republican strategists and the delight of his enthusiastic supporters.

His communications director, Jason Miller, told reporters in a conference call Saturday that internal polls show many states, including Michigan, Minnesota and New Mexico, are closer than public polls suggest, thanks to a late surge of excitement combined with tough headlines for Clinton related to the ongoing FBI email investigation.

Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook, insisted that scheduled visits from Clinton and President Obama to Michigan in the campaigns final days are not a sign of concern that Democrats are losing ground in the traditionally blue state. Instead, he told reporters, its a matter of ending in states where voters cast more of their ballots on election day, rather than early voting.

Trump is basically going everywhere, Mook told reporters. As far as Im concerned, the more time he spends in Minnesota and Nevada the better. We have tried to calibrate our schedule to be in states at the peak time for voting.

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Clinton, hoarse yet energetic, rallied supporters Saturday in Pembroke Pines, Fla., one of the most important Democratic strongholds in the country, as a downpour cut short her first big speech of the day. She stopped at Miamis Haitian and Cuban American neighborhoods, hoping to boost crucial minority turnout, and she publicized a phone call with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, trying to close the sale with liberal and millennial holdouts.

Lets make it happen, she told supporters at a field office in Miamis Little Haiti.

She continued to rely on the large stable of celebrities on her side, including a concert with pop star Katy Perry in Philadelphia on Saturday night, the day after appearing in Cleveland with Beyonce and Jay Z. Wins in Florida and Pennsylvania, where Clinton holds narrow leads in polls, would make a Trump victory nearly impossible.

Unlike Florida, where nearly 6 million voters had already cast ballots by Saturday morning, Pennsylvania does not have early voting, so Clinton is focusing more attention there in the closing days of the campaign. Democrats, who trailed Republicans in mail-in balloting in Florida, made up ground with in-person early voting, holding an overall lead among early voters of about 7,000 by early Saturday. That was less than their lead of more than 100,000 votes at the same point in 2012, indicating the state remains up for grabs.

Veteran Nevada journalist Jon Ralston reported Saturday that a surge of early voting by Democrats in Clark County has all but killed Trumps chances in the state. But Bill Dunn, director of early and absentee voting for the Republican National Committee, said Trump can make up ground in rural counties and with strong turnout from Republicans on election day.

As polls have tightened, Trump has tried to minimize the risk of any last-minute mistakes by sticking to scripted remarks on blocking Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and other staples of his campaign, including scathing rhetorical assaults on Clintons integrity.

If she ever got into the Oval Office, Hillary and her special interests would rob this country blind, he said in North Carolina.

But he veered off script a bit more at his Tampa rally, where he could not resist cracking a lewd joke as he reveled in the FBIs search of a treasure trove of new emails for links to Clintons private server, messages that were found on the computer of disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner.

Anthony Weiner has probably every classified email ever sent, Trump told a few thousand supporters in Tampa. And knowing this guy, he probably studied every single one, in between using his machine for other purposes.

Trump also took a shot at profanity used by Jay Z at the Clinton concert.

I actually like Jay Z, but you know the language last night  oooooohhhh. Oooooohhhhh, said Trump, whose own foul language is featured in Clintons advertising. Can you imagine if I said that? He used every word in the book.

Clinton has had the luxury of a much larger cast of high-powered campaign surrogates on her side, including her husband Bill, who spoke in Florida on Saturday; Sanders, who was in Iowa and Colorado, and Vice President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jill. Obama spoke in North Carolina on Friday.

Trump has tried to counter with his family. Melania Trump made another rare appearance on the trail Saturday, standing beside her husband in North Carolina, two days after she gave her first solo speech of the general election in Pennsylvania.

The appearance came a day after the Associated Press, citing newly obtained documents, reported that Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia, earned $20,056 for 10 U.S. modeling jobs before she obtained a work visa.

Melania Trump moved to New York in 1996, obtaining a work visa about seven weeks after her arrival according to the AP, and became a citizen in 2006.

Trump would not allow it to interfere with his immigration message. When the the crowd chanted, Build that wall! Trump goaded them on.

You know what? The harder they fight us, the higher it goes, he responded.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

chris.megerian@latimes.com

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Bierman reported from Washington, D.C., Megerian from Pembroke Pines, Fla.; and Finnegan from Tampa.

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UPDATES:

8:05 p.m.: This article was updated with more detail about the Trump rally in Reno.

7:35 p.m.: This article was updated after the Trump rally commotion in Reno.

This article was originally published at 4:30 p.m.
Donald Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents during a rally in Reno on Saturday after someone in the crowd shouted, Gun!

But no weapon was found, and Trump returned minutes later to finish his speech.

A man who was apparently protesting Trumps speech was detained, questioned and released.

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Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found, the Secret Service said in a statement.

We will never be stopped, never, ever be stopped, said Trump when he arrived back onstage at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. I want to thank the Secret Service; these guys are fantastic.

Trumps Nevada rally was his third stop  and state  of the day. He repeated his signature proposal to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border  rhetoric that risked further inflaming Latino and Asian Americans voters. He told graphic stories of murders committed by immigrants in the country illegally.

A Trump administration will end this nightmare of violence, he told the crowd.

Moments after he made those remarks, Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and rushed him off the stage. Chaos erupted in the crowd just in front of him. Heavily armed police and what appeared to be men wearing helmets leaped over barricades into the crowd.

Reporters traveling with Trump were not close enough to see exactly what was happening in the commotion, which went on for about six or seven minutes before the campaign ordered the journalists to leave the convention hall.

After several more minutes, reporters were ushered back into the hall and Trump resumed speaking.

From the beginning of his campaign, Trumps rallies have been boisterous affairs, but many have been marked by dark moments as Trump drew protests for his divisive rhetoric and harsh stances on Latinos, Muslims and others.

Perhaps most notably, a campaign stop in Chicago in March was canceled after dissolving into chaos and some violence, with punches being thrown and several people bloodied.

The next day in Ohio, Secret Service agents surrounded a startled Trump after a man jumped a barrier and tried to come on stage. He was quickly detained.

And in July, a 19-year-old British man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas after he tried to take a police officers gun inside a theater where Trump was to speak. The man, Michael Sanford, said he drove to the rally from California intending to kill Trump. He later pleaded guilty to related federal charges.

Finnegan reported from Reno and Lee from Los Angeles.

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Months after a fractious primary season, California Democratic and independent voters have come home to Hillary Clinton, sharply boosting her popularity and giving her a commanding lead in the nations most populous state, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

In late May, just before the states primary, half of California voters had an unfavorable impression of Clinton, while 47% viewed her favorably. Today, thanks to consolidation of support among Democrats  and substantially improved standing with independents  Clinton is viewed favorably by 56% of California voters, while 42% hold an unfavorable view.



For the record: An earlier version of this story said the share of Latino likely voters with an unfavorable view of Donald Trump was 86% and the share saying they plan to vote for him 10%. Those numbers are 81% and 16%, respectively.

Clintons improved popularity is particularly notable among groups that heavily supported Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the primary  young voters and those who are not registered as party members.

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In May, voters registered without a party preference were evenly split in their view of Clinton, 49% viewing her favorably and 49% holding unfavorable views. Now, 60% of unaffiliated likely voters hold favorable views of Clinton, while 38% say they see her unfavorably.

Among voters younger than 30, two-thirds now have a favorable view of Clinton, up from just four in 10 on the eve of the primary.

Theres a big improvement since May, said Anna Greenberg, of the Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, which conducted the survey for The Times and USC along with the Republican firm American Viewpoint.

The unified Democratic support and improved popularity among independent voters have positioned Clinton for a strong showing on Nov. 8. She is supported by 54% of likely voters, the poll found, compared with 30% backing Donald Trump.

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian party nominee, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are backed by 4% and 3% of likely voters, respectively.

Asked who they would support if they had to choose between the two major-party nominees, 58% of likely voters said Clinton and 32% said Trump. The figures among all registered voters were almost identical to the likely voters.

The numbers indicate Clinton is on track to roughly match the level of support President Obama received in the state in his reelection four years ago, when he took just over 60% of the vote.

Trump, by contrast, may fall below the level achieved by Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee in 2012, who took 37% of the states vote. The poll found notable weaknesses for Trump among some groups that typically vote Republican, especially married women.

The survey of 1,500 registered voters, including 1,365 considered likely to vote, was conducted by telephone, including landlines and cellphones, in English and Spanish from Oct. 22-30. The results for the likely voter sample have a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points in either direction.

Clinton has always been the prohibitive favorite in reliably blue California, but the grinding Democratic primary battle against Sanders had damaged her standing in the spring.

Ivan Pineda, a 19 year-old student from Santa Ana, was among those who said they had warmed to Clinton since then.

In the spring, Pineda preferred Sanders and his campaign pledge for free tuition at public colleges and universities. Once Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination, however, Pineda had no doubt how hed cast his vote.

Ive always been on board with the Democratic party, Pineda said.

Heather Lewis, a 32 year-old from Alameda County, said she had briefly considered voting for a third-party candidate after the defeat of Sanders, her choice in the primary.

But, she concluded, if I were to vote for a third party candidate in this election, I would be voting for Trump, basically. That wasnt really an option for me.

In addition to her own higher popularity, Clinton was also buoyed by Californians high regard for President Obama, who notched a 64% approval rating among likely voters, the highest level that the poll has recorded since it started in 2010.

Clinton has positioned herself as an extension of Obamas presidency, and Obama on the campaign trail has portrayed his former rival as crucial to upholding his legacy.

The improved popularity has not wiped away all doubts about Clinton, of course. Asked to pick two items that were concerns about her, one in three voters in the state said they were worried she wasnt honest and trustworthy. About three in 10 said they were concerned she had been involved in scandals, and about one in four worried that she was too close to Wall Street.

Predictably, a partisan split colored those views. Republicans were most likely to say that they were concerned about honesty and scandals related to Clinton. Democrats were more likely to cite Wall Street ties.

Asked what concerned them about Trump, about three in 10 voters cited his temperament, another three in 10 cited his lack of experience, one quarter mentioned his style of demeaning people and just under one quarter picked his comments about women and allegations that he had committed sexual assaults.

Clinton leads Trump among most demographic groups in the state, including among white men, a group he dominates in most other parts of the country. In California, white male likely voters sided with Clinton over Trump 48% to 35%, the poll found.

The only major group among whom Trump led was white Californians without a college degree, 44% of whom backed the GOP nominee compared with 39% for Clinton.

Trump remains broadly unpopular with key slices of the electorate, notably Latinos. Among Latino likely voters, 81% viewed him unfavorably, and only 16% said they planned to vote for him.

Among married women, just over half were backing Clinton, and only about one-third planned to vote for Trump.

The ballot box guide to Californias propositions 

Mike Madrid, a GOP strategist who was a consultant on the poll, said national Republicans should heed the warnings of Californias gender and racial divisions.

California is a more pronounced example of whats happening demographically in the country, Madrid said.

Republicans are trapping themselves in a demographic death spiral by alienating such large swaths of the electorate and relying solely on a shrinking number of white voters, he said.

Greenberg, however, said it remains unclear if the Republican disadvantage among married women was specific to Trump or indicative of a larger, longer-lasting political shift.

Its Trumps views and behavior that women voters have reacted to, she said. I dont know if that extends beyond this election cycle.

The poll also found ominous cracks within the GOP, particularly between those who align with Trump and those who side with party leaders such as House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Among those voters with a favorable opinion of Trump, only 46% viewed Ryan favorably, while 38% had an unfavorable view of him, the poll found.

Of those who viewed Ryan favorably, only 47% planned to vote for Trump.

This splintering of the Republican party isnt doing either side any good, said Randall Gutermuth of American Viewpoint.

Colleen Fitzpatrick, a registered Republican from Sacramento, predicted difficult times ahead for her party, regardless of the election outcome.

The party is going to get split, theres a big divide, she said. I dont think the party is going to come back together. They may be coming back together to vote him in...but I think well end up with a third party.

Fitzpatrick, a 62 year-old retired police officer, was leaning toward voting for Trump, but she still had doubts about his ability to work with Congress.

I dont think he realizes hes not going to be able to run this country like a business, she said. He cant go in and say youre fired.

Barbara Manos, 65, a cosmetics saleswoman and ballet teacher from Contra Costa county, also predicted a GOP split. She said she aligns more with Trump than with the traditional party establishment.

Possibly if Trump were more politically involved, he might have been able to pull the party together...[but] there are too many career politicians still in there that are going to be contentious, she said.

For all the operatic turns in this presidential race, most Californians developed opinions on the candidates long ago. Among the likely voters who oppose Trump, 77% said they had been against him from the beginning. An even higher share of voters opposed to Clinton, 86%, said they felt that way from the start.

Times staff writer David Lauter in Washington contributed to this report.

melanie.mason@latimes.com

Follow @melmason for the latest on national politics.

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The race between Compton state Sen. Isadore Hall and former Hermosa Beach Councilwoman Nanette Barragan to replace Rep. Janice Hahn has taken a sharper, racial edge as election day approaches and the intraparty contest tightens.

Not previously well known in political circles, Barragan has mounted a serious challenge against Hall, a 15-year veteran of Los Angeles politics. Running as a progressive outsider, she has relentlessly blasted Halls ties to special interests in the alcohol and tobacco industries and hit him for campaign contributions he has received from petroleum interests.

In a recent interview, Barragan, who is Latina, kept the attacks going, calling the African American lawmaker slimy. But she did not stop there, giving a statement that some say injected race into the campaign.

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I dont think we should send a man to Congress who could have a black taint on the party with the number of ethical issues surrounding my opponent, Barragan told the Daily Breeze newspaper. This is the pattern of somebody who thinks theyre above the law. This is the worst type of politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth.

Hall, the chairman of Californias Legislative Black Caucus, and his allies have seized on the black taint comment, calling it a racial slur.

The statement comes after a dust-up from the primary, when Halls campaign and the Los Angeles Sentinel, which covers the African American community in the city, slammed a mailer sent out by Barragans campaign as disgraceful and lewd for using a black-and-white photo of Hall they said artificially darkens the senators skin tone.

Alice Huffman, the longtime president of the California branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement she was shocked and appalled at what she called the racially charged language and tactics employed by Barragans campaign.

When I saw her quote in the [Daily Breeze] referring to Hall as a black taint, I was, in a word, speechless. Then I saw how she artificially darkened his image in her campaign mailers, and I knew this was no mistake. This is a pattern, Huffman said in the statement. As such, she has proven herself to be totally unfit to serve in the U.S. Congress. Weve come too far and fought too hard to let politicians like Barragan and Donald Trump debase our public discourse in this manner.

Halls campaign has sent out mailers that highlight Huffmans statement on one side and feature large bold words on the other reading: I sincerely hope Ms. Barragan pays dearly for her disgusting words and actions on Election Day.

Updates on California politics 

Barragan apologized in a statement sent by her campaign Saturday.

I want to be clear that my comments in a recent Daily Breeze article were about the need to keep more corruption out of Washington and were never intended to be taken in a racial context, she said in the statement. I certainly meant no offense and I sincerely apologize for my poor choice of words.

The kerfuffle comes as the race has been tightening, with outside groups coming in to influence the race to the tune of nearly $1 million.

Barragan, who has been endorsed by several Latino members of Congress as well as the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, has benefited recently from a surge of independent expenditures paid for by Women Vote!, a super PAC tied to Emilys List, the national group that backs Democratic female candidates.

The group has spent $678,000 to support Barragan and oppose Hall. Californias congressional delegation is losing three women between Hahn stepping down to run for Los Angeles County supervisor, Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) retiring, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) running for the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, Hall has benefited from support from many of the industries that helped him in his races for state Assembly and state Senate: three Native American tribes that operate casinos in the state, the California Independent Petroleum Assn. and a pair of billboard companies.

Hall has the backing of the state Democratic Party as well as Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Gov. Jerry Brown. The governor cut a radio ad for Hall in October.

Barragans campaign has attempted to turn Halls deep roots in the party into a weakness. Her attacks on Halls ties to special interests have helped her win a number of endorsements from progressive and environmental groups including Our Revolution, a political 501(c)(4) nonprofit supporting down-ballot candidates that sprang up after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders failed presidential bid.

After that endorsement, she posted a large haul from small donors  people who contributed less than the $250 reporting threshold for federal elections. Barragan now has $242,000  twice as much as Hall  left in the bank, according to the latest federal records.

The campaign has been marked by bitter attacks since the primary.

Barragans campaign has tried a wide variety of attacks against Hall, including setting up a website filled with opposition research against him. Her campaign also posts updates on the website about a civil dispute between a Compton housing development and a group of tenants who claim they have been harassed by the owners. Hall, who supported the development as a councilman and lives in the complex, has been called as witness.

They have accused Hall of committing fraud when one of his mailers claimed the endorsement of the Progressive Democrats of America, a group that has endorsed Barragan. Halls campaign said it was a typo  clarifying that a local group called the Progressive Democratic Club has endorsed Hall.

One Barragan staffer filed a complaint against Hall with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department  Hall is a reserve deputy  because he appeared in a uniform in campaign materials. California elections code prohibits using government seals in campaign literature. Halls camp responded by saying the uniform was a rented costume and by blurring over the badge in a YouTube ad online.

Meanwhile, Halls campaign has attacked Barragan for working as a litigation attorney for banks including J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America.

One wild card in the race will be if minority voters show up in a district where it is estimated that 48% of voters are Latino and 25% are black, according to the firm Political Data Inc.

There is a school of thought that Latinos voters are angry and scared and will turn out in massive numbers, said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. That may be the story of the presidential race.

But he warned, Just because a voter is Latino does not mean that the voter is automatically going to vote for the Latina in the race.

Both sides are gunning for that vote. Barragan added the middle name Diaz just before filing to run in the race, according to court records. In an interview she said it was one of her fathers names and she had been intending to add it to her legal name for a long time.

She spent part of Saturday in South Gate campaigning with Sanchez, who along with former Nevada Atty. Gen. Catherine Cortez Masto could be the first Latinas in the U.S. Senate.

Hall campaigned Saturday with former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Denise Lopez Diaz, who is running for South Gate City Council.

The race will be closely watched by political insiders curious how the top-two primary is playing out in California.

You couldnt get a much more stark contrast in terms of who the candidates are and how they are perceived, Sragow said. It is a classic face-off.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Twitter: jpanzar

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This article was originally published at 3:25 p.m.
Few arcane topics have broken through the public consciousness in recent years as well as redistricting, the once-a-decade process of redrawing political maps based on changes in population, race and ethnicity.

In dozens of states, voters are starting to understand that it matters where the lines are drawn. And in the vast majority, its the state legislators who quietly carve up communities to maximize the political power of whichever party is dominant.

Which is why Tuesdays election here in California offers a glimpse into an alternate universe, what happens when the maps are drawn in public and guided by a bipartisan panel of citizens. And that panel, selected in 2010 and 2011, made one thing very clear: Data on the impact to Democrats and Republicans wouldnt be included.

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We didnt even broach the topic, said Jodie Filkins Webber, a Riverside County Republican who was one of 14 women and men chosen for the redistricting commission created by voters through ballot measures in 2008 and 2010. Because we were the first commission, we wanted to make a statement.

That statement, an officially blind eye to how the new maps would impact political parties, was not required. The voter-approved rules governing map-drawing for the Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and the state Board of Equalization said the districts shall not be drawn to favor a political party. But the rules do allow the commission to see how many Republicans or Democrats are being lumped together or split apart.

Future commissions may be more lenient on that point; the first panel was unanimous in saying no.

Political Road Map: The radioactive Republican brand in Califiornia 

We were all in agreement, said Connie Malloy, one of the citizen panel members who was unaffiliated with any registered party.

Even so, interest groups representing business, labor and minority communities examined each and every potential squiggle on the maps for the net effect on GOP or Democratic political strength. On Aug. 15, 2011, the citizens panel gave final approval to 177 new political districts, letting the partisan chips fall where they may in the 2012 elections and beyond.

This year marks the third of five elections under those districts. Since then, Republicans have lost five of their congressional seats and experienced a shifting but net loss of seats in the Legislature. The party, struggling with a political brand thats unpopular even among its own ranks, faces tough races in several parts of California this week. But unlike other states, its not political gerrymandering thats being blamed for election results.

Malloy, one of the unaffiliated independent commissioners who focuses on voter and civic engagement issues for the nonprofit James Irvine Foundation, believes too many people have seen political parity as a proxy for fair representation.

Looking at party data is a short cut, and a faulty one, for trying to decide who voters are, and what they care about, she said.

Californias independent redistricting commission will get new members by the end of the decade, commissioners who will use Census data collected in 2020 to redraw the boundaries. To serve, commissioners must apply through a lengthy and non-partisan process. Thousands of people submitted applications in 2011.

In all, seven states use redistricting commissions rather than legislators to draw political maps. But none are as independent as the California panel, where commissioners said the greatest success may be the end of closed-door deal-making that left citizens with no clue as to what happened, or why.

What has really come about, said Filkins Webber, is greater transparency.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

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The last time a Democrat represented north Los Angeles Countys Antelope Valley in Congress it was 1964, the year Rep. Everett G. Burkhalter decided to give up his seat and retire.

That November, Republican newcomer Edwin Reinecke was able to hold back the massive Democratic wave behind President Lyndon B. Johnson and scratch out a surprise victory for the open seat representing the Antelope Valley at the western edge of the Mojave Desert.

Republicans have had a tight grip on the area ever since, as cities such as Palmdale and Lancaster blossomed with the regions aerospace boom.

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But now, thanks to the rise of Democrats and Latino voters in the high desert district, there is a chance that Republican winning streak could come to an end on Tuesday.

Steve Knight, a former LAPD officer, state legislator and Palmdale city councilman, is in danger of losing the 25th Congressional District seat he won two years ago. The risk is serious enough that House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and President Obama have both weighed in on Knights match-up with Democratic lawyer Bryan Caforio. Ryan visited the district to raise money for Knight last month. Obama cut a television ad endorsing Caforio in October and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris rallied with Caforio last weekend.

Democrats now have a slim advantage among registered voters in the once-safely red but increasingly diverse district, which includes the Antelope Valley and suburban cities to the west such as Santa Clarita and Simi Valley.

About a quarter of registered voters are Latino, according to statistics compiled by the firm Political Data Inc. This has led to Knight being labeled Californias most vulnerable incumbent by the nonpartisan handicappers at the Cook Political Report. Both parties are spending big to win the seat, which could help determine which party controls the House.

Updates on California politics 

If I were a Republican candidate in the Antelope Valley Id be giving it everything that I have, because this may turn out to be a wave election, said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who now practices law and lectures at USC. California could emerge from the 2016 election more Democratic than ever.

Between the candidates committees and outside groups, about $7.5 million has been spent in the race, making it the fifth-most expensive House race in the state, according to the California Target Book, a nonpartisan compendium of election information.

Democrats are banking on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps unpopularity with Democrats and minority voters to drive turnout at the polls. Caforio and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have been trying their best to tie down-ballot Republicans like Knight to Trump every chance they get, though Knight said he would not support Trump shortly after audio leaked last month featuring Trump bragging about forcibly kissing women and sexually assaulting them.

Caforio has also run ads attacking Knight for his staunch opposition to abortion and comments Knight made in a May debate calling Social Security a bad idea.

Republicans are counting on Knights deep ties to the district to save him. He was born at Edwards Air Force Base north of Lancaster and is the son of William J. Pete Knight, the former Air Force test pilot who later represented the Antelope Valley in Sacramento as an assemblyman and state senator.

The elder Knight was the face of the successful statewide initiative in 2000 banning same-sex marriage. He is depicted in a mural in downtown Lancaster.

Caforio, meanwhile, is brand new to the area. He moved into the district with his wife shortly before announcing his candidacy last December. That upset some in the district including Lou Vince, a Democrat Caforio defeated in the primary who says he is voting for Knight, not Caforio.

He is an empty suit with no roots here, said Drew Mercy, chair of the Republican Party in the Antelope Valley. His only hope and prayer is that the election is nationalized and there is a giant wave against Republicans.

The choice between Caforio and Knight could be a litmus test for the area. The district could remain Republican like the Central Valley districts to the north, or flip blue and join the grouping of Democratic seats closer to the urban core of Los Angeles to the south, said Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc.

Places like the fast-growing suburb of Santa Clarita along Interstate 5 are increasingly home to commuters with liberal leanings who left the Los Angeles Basin looking for more affordable housing.

The district has feet in both geographies, Mitchell said.

Republicans had a four-percentage point lead among registered voters in the area ahead of the 2012 presidential race. With the election looming, the California secretary of state now pegs the Democratic voter registration advantage at more than two points.

We know there are a lot more Democrats here than ever before, Caforio said. Democrats are more comfortable coming out, and we are out in force.

The downside to that sudden growth is that there hasnt been extensive groundwork for recruiting and electing Democrats, Mitchell said, unlike places such as Orange County or the Sacramento suburbs where Democrats have been fighting to make gains for years.

The Antelope Valley hasnt been that way, there isnt 20 years worth of organizing efforts to try to elect Democrats there, he said.

The most recent Democrat to have success in the Antelope Valley was Steve Fox, a former Republican who eked out a victory in a state Assembly race in 2012 when his opponent ran what political observers called a lackluster campaign. Fox lost his seat in 2014 to current Assemblyman Tom Lackey and has gotten no party support in his bid this year.

Although Democrats think they have a shot in the district, a lot would have to break right for Democrats plans in the Antelope Valley to come to fruition, said Republican strategist Mike Madrid.

For starters, Democrats need enthusiasm among their core to rise. Then there is the question of whether Republicans fed up with Trump will sit this one out.

[Democrats] have so much money in a presidential year, you might as well go for it. I mean, why not? Madrid said of the efforts to turn the Antelope Valley blue. In this year, I think anything can happen.

California billionaire and political donor Tom Steyer agrees: Through his super PAC he gave Democratic state Senate candidate Johnathon Ervin an unexpected $433,000 for his race against Assemblyman Scott Wilk in an overlapping district in the Antelope Valley.

A lot has changed since Ed Reinecke claimed the area for the GOP in 1964. He went on to become lieutenant governor under Ronald Reagan only to resign the post after being caught up in the Watergate scandal.

Informed that the GOP streak Reinecke started could end this election, his son Thomas was surprised at how the playing field had shifted for Republicans in recent years. The younger Reinecke ran for an Orange County state Assembly seat in 1994 but lost in a crowded Republican primary. Now his fathers old district and his own home turf in Orange County could both turn blue.

But Reinecke, an injury attorney, doesnt think the time is right for the Antelope Valley to go to the Democrats. He thinks Trump could bring out voters in the districts industrial areas, thanks to the candidates protectionist trade policies.

Still, he said, It is so crazy how the demographics have changed in California since then.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Follow @jpanzar on Twitter

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Comic actress and best-selling author Mindy Kaling spoke to a sold-out crowd last weekend at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, the latest large-scale book event hosted there by Live Talks Los Angeles. It was the fastest-selling event ever in the series, said producer Ted Habte-Gabr.

It was one of 25 planned Live Talks book events across the Los Angeles area this fall, including an Oct. 19 appearance at the Alex by movie director and Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam. What can I say, I love what I do, Habte-Gabr said afterwards, and nothing is more pleasing than a sold-out show, working at a great venue, and a surprise or two.

Last Sundays Kaling appearance was timed to her second book, Why Not Me?, currently at the top of the New York Times nonfiction best-sellers list. Kaling was interviewed onstage by Matt Warburton, a writer and executive producer on her TV comedy, The Mindy Project, now available on Hulu.

Fans arrived early, and according to Habte-Gabr, some traveled from across the U.S. and as far as India. The show began when a drone flew above the stage to take a group portrait of the audience excitedly holding up their books.

The actress, who was first discovered by fans during her years on The Office, published her first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), in 2011. How did you know it was time to write another book? asked Warburton.

So much had happened in my public life and my personal life that there are so many stories that I left out of this book, and since then Ive been interviewed hundreds of times, and the same questions kept coming up over and over again ... she started, but paused as a high-pitched sound could be heard rising in theater.

Thats a cool sound. You like that, right, she said. Is that me?

While she did talk some about her time on The Office, most of her thoughts revolved around her current show, which she also writes and produces. People think that Im a lot like my character. There are certain superficial similarities, she said of the anxious character at its center. As I discovered in writing the show, each character on the show represents a different part of my personality.

While her new book often touches on personal events in her life, she said she hoped people didnt worry that she was only mining them for material, suggesting her writing on The Mindy Project wasnt the same as the music of Taylor Swift, where you have a conversation with her and shell turn it into a song or something? she said to laughs. In four years on the show, weve never based any guy on any one guy I dated. We thought it was more fun to create things out of thin air.

The evening was a balance of personal anecdotes and silliness, as when Warburton asked her: Hottest president of all time. And you cant pick JFK or Obama.

Um ... Ulysses S. Grant, she said. He likes to party.

Already successful in television and as an author, Kaling said she hoped to spend more time with friends and her father, and mentioned the dream of having her own fashion line. In her personal life, she has made no plans for a large wedding.

Marriage is a beautiful thing. My parents had an incredible marriage, she said. I really respect that institution and Im kind of in awe of it. Weddings are less interesting to me. I think for the average woman who gets married, the wedding is one of the handful of times in your life when you get to have someone do your hair and makeup ... and a beautiful gown. And I think I get to do that a lot.

Tomorrow Im going to work at 6 a.m. and for two adults there, their entire job is to make me palatable.

For more information on the Live Talks author series at the Alex and elsewhere, see livetalksla.org.
If you dont want to carry a heavy journal on your next trip, check out this app for documenting your vacation.

Name: Journi app

What it does: Builds a story (or mobile blog entries) using the photos in your smartphone. Add text and click on the map icon to see highlights from your travels. If youre an armchair traveler, it allows you to view trips from the either the app or the website.

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Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. In Google Play, requires Android; varies with device.

Cost: Free

Whats hot: A quick and easy alternative to setting up a website for a single trip. Allows your friends and family to follow your adventures in real time using the Web, app and email. My favorite feature: I can build my story while offline. It also marks the time and place the photo was taken. Group journaling is another option, a great tool for multi-generational trips or reunions. Your Journi can be made public or private. To see examples and follow other travelers go to journiapp.com, where I found fun travels from Italy, Thailand and Germany.

Whats not: I wanted to switch the order of my diary entries (called Moments), but I wasnt able to do that because the app uploads chronologically. The makers say manual adjusting is coming soon.
Still groggy, the schoolgirl brushed her hair, struggled to pull on her socks and snuggled into her school uniform: a green gown and a white head scarf.

By the time she gathered up her books and strapped on her backpack she was smiling and enthusiastic, her nervousness eclipsed by anticipation of the first day of class.

Like children across the world, 10-year-old Nujood Ali went back to school this month after a lengthy break. But Nujood hadnt been lazing about or playing hide-and-seek with her friends during the summer.

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Instead, after she was pulled out of the second grade by her father earlier this year, she was married off to a man three times her age, who beat her and sexually abused her.

For many girls in this traditional society, where tribal custom and conservative interpretations of Islam dominate, that would have been the end of the story. But Nujood was outraged. She gathered up her courage and on the advice of an aunt went to court in April. She got the help of a lawyer and filed for divorce.

A judge quickly granted it.

And on Tuesday morning, the divorcee, possibly the worlds youngest, once again became a schoolgirl.

Im very happy to be going back to school, she said, waiting in her ramshackle home for her younger sister Haifa to get ready. Im going to study Arabic, the Koran, mathematics and drawing. I will do that with my classmates and I will definitely make friends there.

Nujoods unusual story of rebellion made her an international celebrity. Since The Times wrote of her in June, CNN, Elle magazine and other international media have come to this mountaintop capital to chronicle her tale.

Hordes of nonprofit organizations offered to help her get back to school, some even willing to foot the bill to send her abroad or to a fancy private academy, though they ignored Haifa, Nujoods little sister and best friend.

In the end, Nujood opted for a small, government-run public school relatively close to her home. She would begin where she left off, starting the second grade again.

Even then, it wasnt easy. One teacher said she worried that Nujood might disturb other students by talking about her sexual experiences.

The night before she went to school, Nujood said she dreamed of notebooks, drawings and new friends.

When I left school, I learned how to count from one to 100, she said. Now, I am going to learn how to count until a million.

Nujood said she wanted to study hard, to be able to attend university and become a lawyer like Shada Nasser, the well-known Yemeni human rights advocate who helped her get her divorce.

The girls experience, and her ambition, have even served as an inspiration to her parents, uneducated rural people who moved to the capitals outskirts a few years ago and say they married her off to protect her from the dangers of the city.

We were never asked if we wanted to go to school when we were children, said her father, Ali Mohammed Ahdal, who has two wives and 16 children.

If we had a choice, we would have loved to study like Nujood.

On Tuesday morning, Nujood and Haifa climbed into a yellow taxi paid for by an Italian aid group and drove through the capitals smog-choked streets, passing vendors of the mildly narcotic khat leaves and the occasional shepherd.

Outside the schoolhouse, Nasser stood waiting, eager to share a day she had anticipated. I cant believe we finally made it, said the attorney, who agreed to drop the rest of her caseload to take up Nujoods cause after the girl showed up alone in a Sana courthouse in April.

Nujood and Nasser were welcomed by Njala Matri, the principal of the school in Rawdha, a lower-middle-class neighborhood along the road to the citys international airport.

You are welcome here. You can feel at home, she said, smiling at Nujood.

Only about half of Yemeni girls attend primary school. Last year, one of the schools 1,200 girls, a 13-year-old, dropped out to marry, though the legal age of consent is 15. Now, shes a mother, Matri said in dismay.

Womens rights activists say child marriage is part of a vicious circle. Girls drop out of school and bear too many children, contributing to Yemens high female illiteracy and exploding birth rate.

But on Tuesday, Nujood stepped through the schools gates into a vast courtyard, disappearing into a swarm of noisy classmates. Some paid her no mind, while others approached the girl who had become a local and international media star.

I am so excited, she said, playing nervously with her hands.

A bell sounded and the students quieted down, forming lines for roll call before shuffling into classrooms of about 50 students each.

Nujood took a seat in the third row, neither at the front nor the back of the classroom.

The teacher, dressed in an all-covering black abaya, hushed the students and began the days lesson by asking them to recite the national anthem as well as passages from the Koran.

Small hands shot into the air.

Who can recite the Surat al-Hamd? the teacher asked, referring to the first chapter of the Koran.

She saw Nujoods hand, and called her name.

Nujood? she said.

Nujood stood up and began, ending with: Show us the straight path. The path of those whom You have favored. Not the path of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.

May God bless you, said the teacher.

Lets give her a round of applause.

The others clapped as Nujood sat down, a little girl once again.

daragahi@latimes.com

Special correspondent Minoui reported from Sana and staff writer Daragahi from Beirut.
Nicaraguans go to the polls Sunday in controversial national balloting that is expected to result in the reelection of President Daniel Ortega, the ex-guerrilla commander who critics say has evolved into an autocrat.

Running alongside Ortega as his vice presidential candidate is his flamboyant wife, First Lady Rosario Murillo, a charismatic if divisive figure widely viewed even before the vote as Nicaraguas de facto co-ruler.

Surveys indicate that voters will give a third consecutive five-year term to Ortega, whose preelection maneuvers in conjunction with an allied judiciary have largely sidelined a divided opposition. Detractors have denounced the balloting as a farce and many opponents have called for a boycott. High abstention rates are expected, polls show.

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The elections are controlled by a single party, complained university student Julio Salazar, who, like many others, says he plans not to cast a ballot. We are left with no options.

Ortega, standard-bearer for the ruling Sandinistas, has labeled international election observers shameless and kept them out of the country.

The U.S. State Department has said it is gravely concerned about Nicaraguan government efforts to limit democratic space in the run-up to the balloting.

But Ortega has many loyal supporters, including multitudes of low-income Nicaraguans who have benefited from the governments social largesse.

I am living under a roof thanks to God and the government that gave me this opportunity, said Ana Maria Siles, 63, whose family is among the beneficiaries of a signature Sandinista program that provides free metal roofing to needy Nicaraguans.

Even many critics acknowledge that Ortega could win without what they view as vote rigging and politically motivated judicial actions that have marginalized the opposition.

There is little sign here of the kind of intense political contests that are now the norm in Latin America and that have unfolded previously in Nicaragua. The end of the Cold War and the demise of U.S.-backed military dictatorships have contributed to a more competitive political environment in much of Latin America.

Theres absolutely no electoral campaign here, by any party, noted Ernesto Mendoza, a perplexed office worker waiting for a taxi on a main drag in Managua, the capital. Its a lot different from past elections.

Under Ortegas rule, the country has maintained moderate economic growth, and though Nicaragua remains one of the poorest nations in the Americas, government-backed programs have helped reduce poverty. Nicaragua also is notably less violent than Honduras and El Salvador, which have among the worlds highest homicide rates.

Ortega was a guerrilla commander in the Sandinista uprising that ousted the U.S.-backed government of Anastasio Somoza in 1979. He had spent seven years in Somozas prisons. Ortega was first elected president in 1985, lost a reelection bid in 1990 amid a national economic meltdown but successfully regained office in 2006.

Despite Ortegas Marxist roots and his frequent anti-imperialist rhetoric, his government has cooperated with the United States on drug trafficking and other concerns.

I am living under a roof thanks to God and the government that gave me this opportunity.  Ana Maria Siles, 63, beneficiary of a Sandinista program

Murillo, a 65-year-old longtime Sandinista activist known as Companera Rosario, serves as chief government spokeswoman. The European-educated Murillo, a poet, regularly appears on television, cheering the Sandinista leadership, reciting poetry and doling out New Age-style counsel and dabs of her personal social philosophy. By contrast, her husband rarely gives interviews and seldom appears in public.

Murillo, who favors colorful garb and accessories reminiscent of the hippy era, also championed the installation of giant metal tree sculptures in Managua, adding a striking if somewhat kitschy feel to the generally drab capital.

The presence of the eccentric Murillo on the ticket has generated criticism that Ortega  who turns 71 this month  is aiming to create a new family dynasty, a left-wing incarnation of the right-wing Somoza family dictatorship that ruled from the 1930s to 1979. Even some Sandinista insiders were unhappy with the choice of Murillo, the press here has reported.

Ortega and Murillo have seven children together. Various Ortega family members control businesses and media outlets.

Many former Sandinistas have broken with Ortega, calling him a would-be caudillo, or strongman, and disparaging his movement as a personality cult  Orteguismo or Danielismo.

Among those publicly expressing fears about another family dynasty emerging in Nicaragua is Dora Maria Tellez, an ex-Sandinista leader. She has announced her intention not to vote.

The first circle of loyalty of the dictators is the family, Tellez said.

Murillos dedication to her husband is unquestioned. She stood by Ortega when her daughter from a previous marriage, Zoilamerica Narvaez, publicly accused Ortega in 1998 of having sexually abused her since age 11. Murillo called on her daughter to withdraw the charges. A Nicaraguan judge dismissed the case and Ortega survived the scandal.

Ortega picked Murillo for many reasons, said Oscar Rene Vargas, a political analyst here. She is the most loyal. She ensures the family succession. [And] she can preserve the political and economic activities of the family.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Special correspondent Miranda reported from Managua and Times staff writer McDonnell from Mexico City. Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau and staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

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Smiling children, open graves: Scenes from the battle for Mosul
Families made their way east Saturday, past sniper fire, mortar rounds and the bodies of neighbors, to a new camp set up for those displaced by the battle to drive Islamic State out of Mosul.

They arrived in dump trucks and on foot, carrying their belongings in large bags, wrapped in bedding and tarps.

Relatives were waiting outside the camps chain-link fence.

Waeed Ahmed Hussein had not seen his parents and four brothers in almost three years, since the extremists seized the Iraqi city and their nearby village of Gogjali, and he fled.

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When Hussein, 32, spotted his father in the camps screening area, he rushed over to kiss the elderly mans hands through the fence.

Uncle, uncle! cried his 6-year-old nephew, Idris, sprinting out of the gate to hug him.

Guards ushered the boy back behind the fence, as Hussein wiped away tears.

 Families reunite in refugee camp after escaping fighting in Mosul. Video by Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times

The Hassan Sham camp, about 20 miles east Mosul, opened Friday to help handle the exodus of civilians after government troops battled their way into the city this week.

More than 8,000 people had fled by Saturday, bringing the total number displaced since the offensive began to about 30,000, according to United Nations estimates.

Humanitarian groups had warned before the offensive began nearly three weeks ago that as many as a million people could be displaced, and that camps were unprepared because of lack of funding.

In addition to Hassan Sham, the U.N. refugee agency is building 10 more camps, but only half are ready to receive people.

Hassan Sham now houses about 4,000 people and can accommodate 7,000 more. But with the volume of families streaming in, officials expect they will soon have to build another camp nearby.

More than 200 families arrived Saturday and more than 600 on Friday, said Sadiq Mohammed, deputy camp manager. The Khazir camp up the road was already full of those displaced from eastern villages.

The influx is massive and ongoing, said Frederic Cussigh, a senior field coordinator for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Iraqi special forces are locked in a bitter battle for eastern neighborhoods of Mosul, commanders said.

The [counter-terrorism forces] are fighting inside houses, room by room, said Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, who visited the eastern front Saturday.

Federal police on Saturday defeated Islamic State militants south of Mosul, raising the Iraqi flag in Hamam Ali, but they had yet to fully secure the town, Ibrahim said.

At least 20,000 people had been living there when Islamic State took control, and residents said the militants forced more in from surrounding communities after the offensive started.

We need to clear the car bombs outside and take care of the people, Ibrahim said.

For civilians caught in the fighting, the route to safety is a perilous one.

Husseins older brother, Saad Ahmed Hussein, said that when the family fled their village east of Mosul on Saturday morning, they were targeted by Islamic State snipers and mortar fire.

Iraqi forces had freed the village, but militants sneaked back in using tunnels near the graveyard, he said.

1 / 59 Menar Hassan, age 8, cries as doctors try to doctor her wounds after a suicide truck bombing. Her father died at the scene and had to be left in the rubble. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 59 Capt. Osama Fuad Rauf, 33, center, and Maj. Mohammed Hassan Abdullah, left, 35, treat a soldier who was wounded in the fight against Islamic State near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 59 Wounded soldiers and civilians are carried into a field hospital. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 59 Capt. Osama Fuad Rauf works on a patient as others hold a cellphone for additional light at the Iraqi armys 9th Armored Division medical clinic. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 59 Wafa Abdel Raza, 39, holds her son Mahmoud Setar, 4, as the doctors give him oxygen and and fluids. The boys head was badly injured when a truck bomb exploded near their home. We were sleeping in the house," said Raza. The army was close to us and we made food for them. They were waiting behind the house and a suicide car came. Her son recovered as the night progressed. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 59 Maj. Gen. Raad Mohssan Dakhel stitches up a soldiers face after he was injured by a suicide bomb explosion. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 59 Murtada Abdul Amir, right, was struck in the shoulder by the same bullet that hit his friend Muaz Hameed Hussein, left. Capt. Osama Fuad Rauf checks Husseins status. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 59 Civilians are taken to Irbil hospital. The man at right was taken into custody on suspicion of being an Islamic State fighter. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 59 SWAT team member Hussein Ali, 21, sits beside his comrade Bassem Bilal, who was badly injured in a suicide car bombing. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 59 Maj. Gen. Raad Mohssan Dakhel treats a soldier hit by shrapnel from a car bomb. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 59 At the Iraqi Armys 9th Armored Division medical clinic, set up in a private home, doctors including Capt. Osama Fuad Rauf, center, gather around the body of a deceased soldier before he is taken to Irbil and on to Baghdad. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 59 A woman looks out of a dump truck as it arrives at a U.N. campcarrying more than 50 other women and children fleeing the fightingin Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 59 Waheed Ahmed Hussein hugs his mother Sada Muslat, 71, on the day he was was reunited with his parents after a two-year separationwhile they lived in an Islamic State-held area. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 59 A truckload of people fleeing fighting in the Mosul area arrives at a United Nations camp. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 59 People fleeing violence in Mosul and the surrounding areaarrive at the U.N.'s Camp Hassansham. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 59 Waheed Ahmed Hussein, right, greets his relative Adris Mohammed through a fense at Camp Hassansham. They hadnt seen each other in two years sinceIslamic State took control of Mosul and the surrounding area. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 59 In the town of Salhiya, members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police detain and question men who were coming from the direction of Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 59 Members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police detain suspects in the village of Salhiya, Iraq, who were coming from the direction of Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 59 Members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police patrol the village of Salhiya. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 59 A man flying a white flag with his rear window shattered, is stopped on the road from Salhiya to Qayarrah. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 59 On the outskirts of the village of Al Hud, members of the Iraqi Army visit an area where locals say ISIS executed four or five Peshmerga in recent months. Soldiers said another grave site containing more bodies was in the area but was too dangerous to access due to mines. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 59 Some of the several hundred civilians who made their way through and out of Gogjali, Iraq, after the Iraqi army retook control of the district in Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 59 Iraqi troops patrol Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 59 Iraqi special forces Lt. Col Ali Hussein Fadil and his men continue to clear the Gogjali district. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 59 Iraqi forces patrol the Gogjali district of Mosul a day after it was liberated from Islamic State. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 59 Iraqi special forces continue to clear homes in Gogjali on Nov. 2, 2016, after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 59 A girl waves a white flag as she and her family leave Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 59 Families flee Gogjali after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 59 With no place to sleep, a family rests inside an empty store in Mosuls Gogjali district, where Iraqi forces defeated Islamic State the previous day. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 59 Islamic State posters that were hung in a mosque in the Gogjali district of Mosul, Iraq, are burned the day after the area was liberated from Islamic State control. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 59 Popular mobilization units are helping to clear villages southwest of Mosul, Iraq. On Sunday, they launched mortar rounds a little more than a mile from Islamic State fighters who continued to resist their advance on the city. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 59 TAL AL-ZAQAA, IRAQ--OCT. 31, 2016--Shiite militia chant before going into battle as they fight alongside Iraq Army forces as they fight ISIS. They launch mortars less than two kilometers from ISIS fighters who continue to resist their advance. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 59 Militias known as popular mobilization units fighting near Mosul are made up mostly of Shiite Muslims. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 59 Militiamennear the village ofZarqastand by as mortars are launched at Islamic State fighters near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 59 An Iraqi special forces soldier rides in a Humvee with a Shiite religious banner flying behind while moving through recently captured territory on the eastern front inthe fight for Mosul on Oct. 28, 2016. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 59 An Iraqi government Humvee window cracked by Islamic State fire on the eastern front in fight for Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 59 Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil, center,commands an Iraqi special forces unit in the fight to retake the city of Mosul, including 28-year-old Waleed Abdel Nabi, left. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 59 Waleed Abdel Nabi, afather of four, moves through the town of Bartella by Humvee. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 59 Waleed Abdel Nabi, right, and a fellow Iraqi special force fighter in the town of Bartella. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 59 Waleed Abdel Nabi, 28, clears what appear to be abandoned homes in the advance toward Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 59 An Islamic State tunnel entrance found in Bartella by Iraqi special forces. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 59 Iraqi forces patrol in a Humvee east of Mosul as they wait for the next phase of the battle to retakethe city from Islamic State. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 59 The remains of a burned car. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 59 Sienna Moqtar and her daughter decorate her brothers grave with rocks. He died last week in the final days of Islamic State in Qayyarah. The bodies of two infant nephews are buried at right. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 59 Ibrahim Atea Ahmed, left, and Daham Ahmed survived the Islamic State attack, but their town was left in bad shape. Oil fires continue to burn, set by militants as cover from air attacks. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 59 Iraqi soldiers head for the front line. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 59 In the village of Faziliya, recently liberated from Islamic State control, Abdul Gafur, 38, embraces his brother Mohammad Abdul Gafur, 40, after not seeing him for more than two years. Peshmerga forces recaptured the village and escorted Abdul to visit his brother. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 59 A woman rummages through garbage under smoke-filled skies in the town of Qayyarah. The residents of Qayyarah were liberated from Islamic State forces, but left with destruction and contamination from burning oil wells. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 59 Residents of Qayyarah wait for food and water to be handed out, but very little was distributed. The water in town is not fit to drink. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 59 Iraqi soldiers now control the town of Qayyarah, where bombing destroyed many shops. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 59 An Iraqi special forces member notes the entrance to a tunnel dug by Islamic State forces in the town of Bartella. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 59 Bisha Khalil, 60, left, welcomes home her son Zihad Farhan, not shown, to the village of Hurriya, where fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces caused many to flee about three months ago. The homecoming was dampened by the kidnapping of Khalils 18-year-old son, Ibrahim Farhan, by Islamic State militants a week earlier. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 59 Iraqis line up as they return to homesin the villages near Qayyarrah. Many fled their homes three months earlier when government forces battled Islamic State fighters. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 59 Children play in a wrecked car in the village of Hurriya, where fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces caused many families to leave. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 59 As many Iraqis return home, others are fleeing the fighting in villages surrounding Mosul. At a camp for the displaced, about 3,000 people arrived in a week, but many more are expected as the fight for Mosul continues. New arrivals line up for food supplies, provide by the World Food Program. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 59 An Iraqi boy, newly arrived at a camp for the displaced, carries food provided by the World Food Program. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 59 Soldiers drive through the town of Qayyarah, heavily damaged in the fighting in August and again this month as Islamic State was driven out of town. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 59 Batul Khalil, 60, is having breathing problems with all of the smoke and chemicals in the air in her town of Qayyarah. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 59 A man leads his cow to find feed in the village of Hurriya, where fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces over the last months has left many animals malnourished or dead. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Saad Ahmed Hussein, 34, said he saw a neighbor and his two young children killed in a mortar strike. He also found the bodies of three women killed by mortar rounds. He buried them.

Islamic State fighters use civilians as human shields. In some cases, Islamic State fighters will go on a roof of a house, and the Iraqi army will avoid targeting them because of the civilians inside, he said.

He tried to persuade his eldest brother to leave with the rest of the family, but he has several small children, including a toddler. He said, I prefer to die here, Saad Ahmed Hussein said.

Now he is receiving phone calls from friends in Mosuls eastern Intisar neighborhood saying they too plan to flee, even if they have to live in small tents.

Yunus Qasim, 21, said he managed to escape the west of Mosul with his family this week by pretending to visit an uncle on the east side of the city. But he then found himself dodging bullets that shattered the windows of his uncles house Saturday.

They fired at us, Qasim said of the militants as he stood outside his new tent at Hassan Sham. There were mines and suicide car bombs. We saw jets bombing Islamic State positions. We were safe, but other people got injured.

Qasim said he never received the leaflets that Iraqi forces dropped from aircraft before the offensive urging Mosul residents to hunker down in their homes. Instead, he received Islamic State leaflets warning of the Iraqi armys impending arrival and saying, If you stay in your houses, you will die.

Um Yasir, 36, fled Mosul with her two sons, ages 20 and 17. She said she had been afraid to send them to school or to the mosques for the last two years, in case they were brainwashed by Islamic State.

Now, she worried, Whats their future going to be?

She asked to be identified by a traditional nickname, to protect relatives still in Mosul.

As families poured into Hassan Sham on Saturday, Kurdish troops directed them to the fenced-off screening area where they were searched. Then they were assigned numbered tents and departed to find them, clutching slips of paper with their new addresses written in Arabic.

Mohammed Ahmed Hussein, 36, one of the four Hussein brothers at the camp, said he was forced to turn over a precious videotape, which he signed for.

It was a video of his wedding six years ago. I hope it will be returned to me, because it was a good memory, he said, smoking his first Gauloise cigarette in years.

After the search was over, his father, Ahmed Hussein, rushed into the camp and down the main gravel road, holding the slip of paper listing the three tents assigned to the family.

Im so tired and thirsty. I just want to reach my place, the 75-year-old said.

Rounding a corner, he found their place at the camps edge.

His wife sank onto a tarp outside the tents, despondent about not getting to see her son who had escaped earlier to Irbil.

Suddenly he reappeared and sat down beside her. Camp security had allowed him in. She hugged him close, repeating: I didnt think I would see you before I died.

New arrivals at the camp complained about a lack of food, water, bedding and latrines. They worried about tents filling up, and where their children would go to school.

But many of the children seemed oblivious to their parents struggles, exploring the tents, playing ball with stones and hide-and-seek in the latrines.

All the horrors their parents described, they had also endured. It made the stark camp seem more bearable.

As little Idris said, Its better than dying.

1 / 62 A firefighter works to extinguish an oil well set ablaze by fleeing Islamic State fighters in Qayyarah, Iraq, on Nov. 9. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) 2 / 62 A peshmerga fighter peers through curtains as he and other Kurdish soldiers move into a new house in Bashiqa, Iraq, on Nov. 9. (Odd Andersen / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 62 A peshmerga fighter looks for militants as he and his team move between buildings in Bashiqa. (Odd Andersen / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 62 Iraqi forces react as they watch Donald Trump give a speech after winning the U.S. presidential election. They were taking a rest in the village of Arbid on the southern outskirts of Mosul on Nov. 9 during the operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 5 / 62 Iraqi police try to pull a body from a mass grave they discovered in the Hamam Alil area on Nov. 7 after they recaptured the area from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 6 / 62 Kurdish peshmerga soldiers fire artillery at Islamic State positions in Bashiqa, Iraq, on Nov. 7. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 7 / 62 Iraqi forces patrol the Gogjali district of Mosul a day after it was liberated from Islamic State. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 62 Families flee Gogjali after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 62 A girl waves a white flag as she and her family leave Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 62 Iraqi special forces continue to clear homes in Gogjali on Nov. 2, 2016, after the area was liberated. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 62 Iraqi special forces Lt. Col Ali Hussein Fadil and his men continue to clear the Gogjali district. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 62 Iraqi troops patrol Gogjali. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 62 Iraqi army soldiers warm themselves near the Qayyarah air base, south of Mosul, on Tuesday. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 14 / 62 Displaced people who fled from Islamic State-held territory sit outside a mosque guarded by Iraqi soldiers in Shuwayrah, south of Mosul, on Tuesday. (Felipe Dana / Associated Press) 15 / 62 An Iraqi Counter Terrorism Section member drives a vehicles with a broken windscreen as they advance early in the morning near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, on Monday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 16 / 62 Members of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service drive near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, tightening the noose as the offensive to retake the Islamic State group stronghold entered its third week on Sunday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 17 / 62 Members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service take shelter after a mortar shell hit nearby near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, as they advance towards Iraqs last remaining Islamic State stronghold on Monday. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 18 / 62 A member of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Section grimaces in pain as he receives medical treatment after clashes on Monday with Islamic State militants near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edge of Mosul. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 19 / 62 Iraqi counterterrorism members carry an injured comrade during clashes with the Islamic State near Bazwaya on Monday. Iraqi forces took control of the village near Mosul. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 62 Children playfully pose for a photo as smoke rises from burning oil fields in Qayara, some 50 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. (Felipe Dana / AP) 21 / 62 A militia fighter prepares to go into battle with his phone and bullets. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 62 Popular mobilization units are helping to clear villages southwest of Mosul, Iraq. On Sunday, they launched mortar rounds a little more than a mile from Islamic State fighters who continued to resist their advance on the city. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 62 Militiamen chant before going into battle alongside Iraqi army forces as they fight against Islamic State near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 62 Militiamen near the village of Zarqa stand by as mortars are launched at Islamic State fighters near Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 62 The popular mobilization units received the Iraqi governments blessing to join the battle that could break Islamic States grip in the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 62 Militias known as popular mobilization units fighting near Mosul are made up mostly of Shiite Muslims. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 62 In the village of Faziliya, recently liberated from Islamic State, Abdul Gafur, 38, embraces his brother Mohammad Abdul Gafur, 40. The two had not seen each other since Islamic State forces took control of the village more than two years ealier. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 62 Business is brisk at the barbershops in Faziliya after Kurdish forces retook control from Islamic State militants. A bodyguard stands by. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 62 Peshmerga, or Kurdish fighters, rest after a recent battle. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 62 The remains of a bomb factory can be seen in the village of Faziliya, recently liberated from Islamic State control. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 62 A member of the Iraqi armed forces kisses a local boy after Iraqi forces entered the town of Shura, 30 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq. Iraqi troops approaching Mosul from the south advanced into Shura on Saturday after a wave of U.S.-led airstrikes and artillery shelling against Islamic State positions inside the town. (Marko Drobnjakovic / AP) 32 / 62 Iraqi families, who already had been displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group, flee Mosul. Iraqi paramilitary forces launched an operation to cut the Islamic State groups supply lines between its Mosul bastion and neighboring Syria. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) 33 / 62 Walid Abdel Nabih, 28, from Nasiriya and a father of four, moves through passageways created by Islamic State to prevent detection by drones. On the eastern front in the fight for Mosul, an Iraqi special forces unit waits for next phase of the fight to clear Islamic State operatives from Mosul. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 62 An Iraqi special forces member rides in the turret of a humvee with a Shiite religious banner flying behind him as he patrols Bartella, Iraq. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 62 As many Iraqis are returning home, others are fleeing the fighting in villages surrounding Mosul. At Camp JJadh, 3,000 people arrived in the past week, but many more are expected as the battle for Mosul continues. New arrivals line up for food, provide by the World Food Program. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 62 Children play in a dismantled car in the village of Hurriya, where fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces has caused many families to leave over the past months. The risk of unexploded weapons is still a concern for many in the area. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 62 Soldiers drive through the town of Qayyarah, heavily damaged in the fighting in August and again this past week as Islamic State was driven out of town. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 62 Sienna Moqtar and her daughter decorate her brothers grave with rocks. He died last week in the final days of Islamic State in Qayyarah. The bodies of two infant nephews are buried at the right. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 62 Ibrahim Atea Ahmed, left and Daham Ahmed survived the Islamic State attack, but their town was left in bad shape. Oil fires continue to burn, set by militants as a cover from air attacks. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 62 Residents wait for food and water to be handed out, but very little was distributed. The water is not fit to drink in the town. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 62 Iraqi soldiers head for the front line. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 62 An Iraqi fighter takes a position on top of a vehicle as smoke rises on the outskirts of the Qayyarah area, 35 miles south of Mosul, during an operation against Islamic State. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images) 43 / 62 Smoke billows from an area near the Iraqi town of Nawaran, northeast of Mosul, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters march down a dirt road during the ongoing operation to retake the city from Islamic State. (SAFIN HAMED / AFP/Getty Images) 44 / 62 Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 45 / 62 Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces raise an Iraqi flag after retaking Bartella, outside Mosul, Iraq. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 46 / 62 The commander of Iraq Special Forces Lt. Gen Abdul Ghani al-Asadi during an interview on the Bartila front line, after the city was liberated from Islamic State militants. (AHMED JALIL / EPA) 47 / 62 Iraqi Special Forces take up position in Bartila front line, after the city was liberated from Islamic State militants. (AHMED JALIL / EPA) 48 / 62 Iraqi soldiers ride in a truck advancing through the desert on the banks of the Tigris River toward the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 49 / 62 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire rockets from a mobile launcher near the town of Bashiqa, about 25 kilometers northeast of Mosul, on Oct. 20, 2016. (Safid Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 50 / 62 A member of Iraqs elite counterterrorism forces advances with his unit toward the city of Mosul, on Oct. 20, 2016. (Khalid Mohammed / Associated Press) 51 / 62 A villager walks on a bare street as smoke from oil fires nearby turn the sky black in the Qayyarah area, about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 19, 2016. (Yasin Akgul / AFP/Getty Images) 52 / 62 Iraqi soldiers look on as smoke rises from the Qayyarah area south of Mosul on Oct. 19, 2016, as Iraqi forces take part in an operation against Islamic State to retake Mosul. (YASIN AKGUL / AFP/Getty Images) 53 / 62 A man takes a selfie in front of a fire from oil that has been set ablaze in the Qayyarah area south of Mosul on Oct. 19, 2016, during an operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State to retake Mosul. (YASIN AKGUL / AFP/Getty Images) 54 / 62 An Iraqi sniper wearing his camouflage in the village of Bajwaniyah village, about 30 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 18, 2016. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 55 / 62 Smoke rises from an explosion as Iraqi forces retake the village of Bajwaniyah from Islamic State on their way to Mosul. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 56 / 62 Iraqi soldiers inspect a tunnel in a building in the recaptured village of Shaquoli, about 35 kilometers east of Mosul, on Oct. 18, 2016. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 57 / 62 An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter stands amid the rubble of a destroyed building on Oct. 18, 2016, in the village of Shaqouli, east of Mosul, after it was recaptured from the Islamic State group. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images) 58 / 62 A man carries a baby at a refugee camp in Syrias Hasakeh province for Iraqi families who fled fighting in the Mosul area on Oct. 17, 2016. (Delil Souleiman / AFP/Getty Images) 59 / 62 Lt. Col. Ali Hussein, right, addresses Iraqi security forces leading a government offensive that began Monday to oust Islamic State from the city of Mosul, the extremist groups last major stronghold in Iraq. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 62 An Iraqi police officer inspects his weapon at the Qayyarah military base, about 60 kilometers south of Mosul, on Oct. 16, 2016, amid preparations for the offensive to retake the city from Islamic State. (Ahmad Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 61 / 62 Iraqi forces head north toward Mosul on Monday, part of the operation to retake the city from Islamic State. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) 62 / 62 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire a mortar shell from Mount Zardak. (Safin Hamed / AFP/Getty Images)

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf
In 2014, when Islamic State routed its onetime rebel allies from Raqqa, the eastern Syrian city that would become its de facto capital, it was the first stage of a blitz that would bust through the border to Iraq and seize the city of Mosul.

The two cities became the nuclei of what the jihadists declared as a caliphate.

But on Sunday, as Iraqi forces continued to advance through Mosuls neighborhoods, U.S.-backed militias announced an operation to oust Islamic State from Raqqa.

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The Syrian Democratic Forces, a loose alliance dominated by Syrian Kurdish militiamen working alongside Arab and Turkmen factions, launched a large military campaign to liberate Raqqa and its countryside from the claws of  Daesh, said spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmad, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

At a news conference in the town of Ein Issa, about 30 miles north of Raqqa, she also called upon civilians in Raqqa and its surroundings to stay away from the gatherings of the enemy, which would be targets for the liberating forces.

Ahmad said the offensive included 30,000 militiamen and would be done in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter listens as U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, speaks during a news conference in Irbil, Iraq, on Oct. 23, 2016. (U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley/DoD via AP )

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday that he welcomed the announcement that the operation to free Raqqa from ISILs barbaric grip has begun. ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State.

The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves, he said.

The U.S. has been the main driving force behind the formation of the Syrian Democratic Forces and has poured weapons and given vital air and logistical support to its main component, the Kurdish militia known as the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG.

U.S. special forces units have also embedded with the Kurdish troops, U.S. officials have said.

Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said last week that U.S. intelligence has detected signs that Islamic State is plotting attacks against the West from Raqqa, adding urgency to the plans to take the city.

Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, told a local news outlet in Ein Issa that the coalition had delivered what he described as high-quality weapons promised to the alliance.

The offensive is sure to irk Turkey, a fickle ally of the U.S. that views the Kurdish-majority militiamen as terrorists. It has offered to work with the U.S. to take Raqqa  but only if the Syrian Democratic Forces are out of the picture.

In August, Ankara launched Euphrates Shield, an operation in which its forces fought alongside Syrian rebels to attack Islamic State positions. Yet it also used those forces to target the city of Manbij, which the Syrian Democratic Forces had captured from Islamic State in August.

U.S. officials last week acknowledged the looming conflict between its two main allies.

The facts are these. The only force that is capable on any  near-term timeline is ... the Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the YPG are a significant portion, Townsend, commander of U.S.-led operations against Islamic State, said in a Pentagon news briefing in October.

So were negotiating, were planning, were having talks with Turkey and were going to take this in steps.

Yet it is unclear how committed the Kurds would be to taking Raqqa. Their ultimate goal is an independent Kurdish state over portions of what are now northern Syria and Iraq. But Raqqa, with a mostly Arab population, was never envisioned as part of that.

Kurdish community members, meanwhile, have expressed their unwillingness to participate in a potentially difficult campaign and spill Kurdish blood without receiving assurances from Washington that their independence will be recognized.

Even if the horse-trading to cobble together a Kurdish-majority force could be achieved, such a scenario would probably spur a reaction from Damascus. In April, Syria launched its own campaign to take Raqqa, though it failed to reach the city and soon retreated in the face of reinforcements by the jihadists.

In a meeting with journalists last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem was unequivocal in his rejection of Turkish troops fighting on Syrian soil.

They are an occupying power. They are not invited to be there, Moallem said.

He was equally dismissive of any move toward any secessionist designs by the Kurds.

If they want to separate, we will fight them, he said.

MORE WORLD NEWS

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UPDATES:

1:30 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff reporting, Ash Carter statement.

This article was originally posted at 7:40 a.m.
The Canadian military has carried out an investigation into the source of a mysterious noise coming from the sea floor in the remote Arctic. People from the community have also reported that there was less marine wildlife than usual.

The sound is a mysterious pinging sound coming from the sea floor in the Arctic and its unknown cause is baffling the Canadian military and hunters who blame it for driving their away their prey.

Paul Quassa, an assembly in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, blames the noise for driving away the animals in the Fury and Hecla Strait.

That's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's a polynya. And this became a suspicious thing, Quassa told to CBC.

The sounds, described as "pings", "hums "and "beeps ", was heard in Fury and Hecla Strait roughly 120 kilometers northwest of the hamlet of Igloolik throughout the summer.

The Canadian Department of National Defence told CBC that it has been made aware of the strange noise and A CP-140 Aurora aircraft was sent to investigate the strange noise.

According to Guardian, the aircrew performed various multi-sensor searches in the area but failed to detect any acoustic anomalies", noted by CDND in a statement.

According to the Government of Canada, Aurora was sent under the mandate of operation Limpid and described it is a routine domestic surveillance of Canadian air, land, space and cyber domains.

Paul Quassa, a member of Igloolik of the legislative assembly has belief in mind that the military department will keep investigating on this and also keep in touch with the hunters about their new findings.

He reported that the noise is apparently stopped after the Canadian military investigation. Nothing has been proven yet. So we'll be watching this story until some new information exists.
Allentown police are seeking guests of a party at the Rittersville Fire Co. social club that might have seen Saturday morning's nearby fatal shooting.

Ibrahim Bah, 24, of Philadelphia, was found wounded in the 2000 block of East Clair Street by officers responding to a report of gunfire at 12:42 a.m. a block away on Hanover Avenue, about a quarter-mile from Allentown's border with Bethlehem, according to city police.

Bah was hospitalized and died two hours later, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office reported later Saturday. The death was ruled a homicide.

East Clair Street is located in back of the fire station, where a party was held at the social club at the same time. Police Capt. Bill Lake said party-goers were dispersing by the time investigators arrived and only a fraction of the original crowd remained.

"We're seeking witnesses that might have seen something," Lake said. "They might think it's insignificant, but it could end up being something of value."

Police do not know if Bah was affiliated at all with the party or had attended, Lake said.

Bah was a student at Northampton Community College, where a spokeswoman had said students are reeling over the tragedy. Bah was a a general studies student.

"The NCC campus community is shocked and saddened by this news," college President Mark Erickson said in an email to the school. "Our immediate thoughts and prayers go out to the family as we all mourn this senseless loss and look for ways to support one another in the midst of tragedy."

Allentown police continue to investigate and it's unclear if police are looking for a single or multiple suspects in the crime.

Anyone with information is urged to call Allentown police at 610-437-7721 or email members of the Criminal Investigations Unit here. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Chick-fil-A in Pohatcong Township

The Chick-fil-A in Pohatcong Township, seen here during its 2013 opening, is offering free sandwiches to educators, health care workers, emergency responders and members of the armed forces on various days through November.

(Matt Smith | lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Educators, emergency responders, health care workers and members of the armed forces will all be thanked this month at a local Chick-fil-A.

Each public service will get a Tuesday in November to pick up a free sandwich at the fast-food restaurant on Route 22 in Pohatcong Township.

Hope to see you then! Only at Chick-fil-A Phillipsburg. Limited to one Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich per guest per day. Posted by Chick-fil-A Phillipsburg on Saturday, November 5, 2016

"During this month we set aside to show our thanks we have tried to include the largest groups that impact our community," owner-operator Joshua Baals said in a news release. "Day in and day out they teach our children, and many put their lives on the line for our safety and our freedom."

The day for emergency workers is Nov. 8; health care on Nov. 15; educators on Nov. 22 and armed forces on Nov. 29. The promotion is good from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. those days.

To get the deal, patrons should wear their uniform, show a name tag, ID card or their pay stub, the restaurant said.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
IFA Deputy President, Richard Kennedy, has acknowledged that progress by the Department of Agriculture on payments this year is helping to address the severe income crisis and cashflow difficulties on many farms. However he said that outstanding payments must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

116,000 farmers have so far received 764m under the Basic Payment Scheme and 84,200 farmers have received 82m in ANC payments.

"This is ahead of payment rates this time last year in terms of the number of farmers who have been paid and it is important that this level of progress continues ahead of the final 30% BPS pay-out on December 1st," noted Mr Kennedy.

The Young Farmer Top-up to around 8,000 farmers is also fully due on December 1st, he pointed out, urging that all payments should be made on time.

Referring to ANCs, Mr Kennedy noted that the minimum stocking level is being achieved by more farmers and the numbers paid will progressively increase towards the end of the year as the criteria is met.

"Outstanding files held up over digitisation, over-claims or under-claims must be sorted out so that payments can be made to those farmers who are held up," he insisted.
The rise and rise of Ireland West Airport Knock will be explored in a new six-part UTV Ireland documentary series, beginning on Monday, November 7 at 8pm.

Nestled just inland off the Wild Atlantic Way, and with the shadow of Croagh Patrick looming in the background, the legacy of Monsignor James Horan is celebrating 30 years in business this year. For the first time, we see inside the unlikely success story of an airport which was initially a strip of tarmacadam atop a peaty mountain, in The Airport Up in Knock.

With exclusive access to every part of the airport itself, The Airport Up in Knock is a unique documentary following the daily lives of the customers and staff of Knock Airport, and demonstrates how tightly woven the airport is into the modern DNA of Mayo and the West of Ireland. From customer services to airport operations, right up to the kitchen where the infamous Knock Special is prepared, we take a trip with the passengers, staff and community of this vital lifeline for the west.

Across the series we follow Jim Corry, the airports head of technical operations since it opened in 1986, as he makes sure that all of the airports navigational equipment is running smoothly for a vital inspection from the aviation authority. If the equipment isnt up to scratch then the whole airport could be shut down - will everything go according to plan?

Head of operations John McCarthy is busy overseeing the preparations for a celebration of 30 years in the business, with dignitaries arriving into the airport for a gala dinner from around the world.

Downstairs, Anne Hardman and the rest of the customer services department are busy helping passengers from all walks of life get to where they need to go, in a speedy fashion. Their friendliness and camaraderie is the life blood of Knock Airport, and they play a vital role in getting nearly a quarter of a million people through the airport every year.

Elsewhere, Donal Healy and Audrey Elliot from the marketing department are devising ways to highlight the new route to Edinburgh from the airport, while also planning ahead to welcome the airports 10 millionth passenger, who is unwittingly about to arrive into the airport - what surprise is in store for this lucky traveller? Also on the agenda is organising a 5K runway run to celebrate Knock Airports 30th anniversary and to raise money for local charities.

The airports chief of security Pearse Concannon is working with members of the Gardai and Defence Forces to get ready for the arrival of their biggest VIP yet  the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden. Aside from that, hes busy running a tight ship, ensuring that the security at Knock Airport is up to the highest international standards.

Perched high above the rest of the airport in the control tower, Mike Connolly and his team of air-traffic controllers have a birds eye of all arrivals and departures. The flights are in good hands, but with the airport set on a foggy, boggy hill, weather can play havoc with planes landing in the west. The only transatlantic flight is set to land from Boston, but with the airport at near zero-visibility, touch down is looking unlikely. Will the flight be diverted to another airport or can Mike and his team safely guide it in?

We also meet two commuters who travel through Knock Airport each week to work in the UK.

Over the last three decades, the airport has seen its yearly passenger numbers increase from just over 9,000 in its first year, to a forecasted 725,000 passengers in its 30th. Knock Airport boasts an average of 150 flights per week, to 23 destinations across the UK, Europe and the United States.

More than 300,000 visitors from overseas visit the region annually through the airport, contributing to an annual tourism spend of 133m, which supports close to one million bed nights and over 900 jobs in the wider region.

Aside from providing a vital lifeline to the tourism trade and businesses in the West of Ireland, the airport also provides local employment, with 100 full time employees - rising to 150 (including part-time) during the busy summer season.

Speaking about the brand new series, The Airport up in Knock, executive producer Jamie DAlton of Motive Television said, This series was inspired by the tireless work of those who make Knock Airport an important gateway to the west of Ireland. We wanted to highlight the vast visitor numbers that the airport generates in the wider region, as well as the important role it plays in the daily lives of many local people through employment. Business is booming, and as the airport celebrates its 30th birthday this year, its showing no signs of slowing down!

The Airport Up in Knock airs at 8pm on Monday, November 7 on UTV Ireland. The series has been part-funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Sound and Vision Fund.
It is more in sorrow than anger that I review the events of the last few days.

And if you want sorrow rather than anger done beautifully, then watch this wonderful piece of James OBriens LBC show. He patiently asks why the caller asked for British law administered in Britain by British judges but is now angry about British law administered in Britain by British judges.

Its a fair point.

Meanwhile, Gina Miller, who led the Article 50 legal bid to the High Court, has received rape and death threats.

The Daily Mail has led anger about the decision.

There is still a good chance that the Supreme Court may overturn the High Court ruling. So I hope the small number of people who are angry calm down a bit. Otherwise, the country could be on a path to self-destruction.

The whole referendum leave campaign was about taking back control. Well, now we have control. We have judges defending the age-old British principle that Parliament alone can make and repeal the laws of this country.

Its not exactly a revolutionary notion.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
A VITAL mental health project for young people in Limerick city may be at risk, as it is unable to recruit a lead role that is needed for the running of the service.

The Jigsaw project, which aims to provide free one-to-one mental health support for people aged 12 to 25, is under pressure to recruit a key clinical role, ahead of its planned December launch.

A spokesperson for the organisation said that the role is essential for the safe running of this very important mental health service for the young people of Limerick. He added that, without the role, the project cannot go ahead.

In January 2016, the former Minister for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch announced 700,000 capital investment for the project, to help recruit a number of people across a range of disciplines.

Jigsaw has secured a temporary premises at Arthurs Quay, and is working with Limerick City and County Council on securing a permanent home for the service.

Deputy metropolitan mayor, Cllr Daniel Butler said that he is deeply concerned to see that the project has been unable to secure the role.

This places the whole project at risk as it is the key role that the project hinges on, as they provide the lead in all mental health interventions to ensure a professional and safe intervention for all young people.

Cllr Butler acted as project coordinator, and facilitated the design of the local service, before it was announced this year.

This could possibly mean that we will not secure a project that has the potential to revolutionise the mental wellbeing of our young people now and into adulthood.

We often ask what is the way forward concerning the suicide epidemic within our city and Jigsaw Limerick is a key element in addressing that promoting positive mental well being, he told the Leader.

The clinical coordinator, who must have five years experience, is responsible for governance and acts as the clinical lead for the transdisciplinary Jigsaw team.

The spokesperson said that a massive amount of work has gone into project so far.

Jigsaw regional manager for Cork and Limerick, Alex OKeefe said: The last number of months has seen a massive amount of collaboration across key agencies working in genuine partnership across Limerick and to be so close is a real achievement. But we cannot stop now. We need to fill the key position of clinical coordinator before we can open our doors.

This is a wonderful opportunity for an experienced professional to lead the local clinical team and join a nationwide organisation at the forefront of changing the future of youth mental in Ireland. Limerick deserves a Jigsaw. Every community in Ireland deserves a Jigsaw. And here at Jigsaw we need to fill this important post to support this ambition.

The spokesperson said that it seeks to strengthen the communitys ability to support young people. It engages young people themselves in designing and planning a service that is youth friendly and accessible.

According to Jigsaw, 75% of mental health difficulties emerge before the age of 24, and 16,400 young people have been helped by the service, nationally, across 11 regional sites.

Cllr Butler said that he is appealing to any mental health workers, social workers, occupational therapists, clinical psychologist with five years experience, to consider applying for the role.

I along with a number of other local professionals have put a lot into this and it would be a travesty if it were to fall at this final hurdle, he added.

Jigsaw has had a recruitment campaign and they have successfully recruited a number of people across a range of disciplines.
A BENCH warrant was issued this week for the father of a 13-year-old Rathkeale boy who has only attended school on two days this year.

The man has already been convicted on similar charges on two previous occasions, Newcastle West court was told.

He now faces a possible penalty of a month in prison or a 1,000 fine or both, solicitor Derry ODonovan said this Tuesday when he prosecuted the man under the Education and Welfare Act on behalf of TUSLA, the child and family agency.

The boy, Judge Mary Larkin was told, had also missed every day of school during the previous school year when he was in sixth class.

In addition, the court heard, the boys older sister, who is 15 and in third year, had not attended school on a single day this school year and had missed 99 days out of 162 the previous year.

The father had two previous convictions for not ensuring his children attend school, the court heard.

However, he was not in court this Tuesday to answer the charges. He had a difficulty in coming to court, the mans solicitor Michael ODonnell said. He lives in Rathkeale but the whole set-up is somewhat dysfunctional, he added.

Liam Rodgers, an education and welfare officer explained that the mans son had not attended his new secondary school between August 31 and October 13. He had also missed all 183 days of school in his sixth class year.

There had been 13 home visits in the last two years, he said and he himself had called at the family home in Rathkeale in June and again in August but got no response. The family had not contacted or attempted to contact the agency, he explained.

The case had come before the court in September and again in October and a warrant had issued, the court was told. The boy had turned up at the school for an assessment on October 17 and turned up for school on October 20 and 21 but not since, the court heard. He had to be re-registered.

However, according to the familys solicitor Michael ODonnell, the boy was sent home because he didnt have an uniform.

However, Mr Rodgers insisted that it was made clear to the boy after the assessment he was to start on a Thursday once arrangements were in place for him. Instead, he arrived in on the Wednesday, without a uniform and was distracting other pupils. The boy verbally abused a teacher in front of her pupils, Mr Rodgers said, and was asked to leave. Later the same day, the boys father turned up at the school and also verbally abused the teacher, he said.

Pleading for his client, solicitor Mr ODonnell :There are serious concerns about what is going on, here, about the education and lack of it. His client had personal difficulties which havent been addressed, he said.

When you dont turn up in court, it is deliberate, Judge Larkin said.

It is blatant and flagrant failure to put his children to school so they can avail of the benefits of education that everybody needs, the judge stated.

She issued a bench warrant for the man to be brought to court or face the not inconsiderable consequence of going to jail, being unable to care for his children and possibly have them taken into care, the judge warned.
A MAN who threatened to shoot the family of a well-known retailer during a confrontation at a shop he owns, has been jailed for 18 months.

Gerard Hogan had admitted at an earlier court sitting of making the threats to Shane Gleeson at Gleesons Spar, Catherine Street on October 15, 2013.

Limerick Circuit Court was the told the 33-year-old, who has an address at Raheen Square, Ballinacurra Weston, had been barred from the premises sometime previously following a separate incident.

Garda Sheila Clavin said when asked to leave the shop at around 2.50pm, he replied: F*** off, I will go where I please.

A verbal exchange then followed during which Hogan said he would shoot Mr Gleeson, his wife and his children as he made a gun gesture with his hand.

I know where you live, I will get you at your house, I will shoot you in the middle of the night, he threatened, before throwing a sandwich board at Mr Gleeson and walking away.

Garda Clavin said when gardai arrived a short time later, Mr Gleeson was visibly upset.

She agreed with John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, who said the businessman feels tormented as he absolutely believes he (Hogan) is capable of carrying out the threats.

While the defendant admitted to gardai he was at the shop around the time of the incident, he denied making the threats, when first questioned.

Andrew Sexton SC said his client, who had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol had not intended to make the threats when he entered the store.

It was a combustive reaction, he said adding: He got angry, he did not plan it, it was not an intentional plan to threaten him.

Mr Sexton said his client has not approached Mr Gleeson or the store since and that he didnt kill anyone.

It was an incident which escalated when he had drink taken, he said.

Judge Tom ODonnell said retailers such as Mr Gleeson are entitled to run their business without having to deal with such incidents.

He said such threats are more of a nuisance usually but said the gun gesture and the personal contents of the comments made by Hogan were an aggravating factor. He imposed an 18 month prison sentence which was back-dated to June 1, last.
A COMMUNITY project which has re-established routes along some of the most scenic parts of West Limerick has been selected as the Limerick Leaders entry in the national Get Involved contest.

The Broadford/Ashford walking trails group was founded in 2014 and has upgraded six nationally recognised trails within the Mullaghareirk mountain range around the village.

The routes vary in distance between 6km and 20km, and have been carefully selected to provide spectacular views over Co Limerick, with all routes fully waymarked, with illustrated storyboards.

Since a voluntary committee was set up to develop and promote the routes, visitors have increased to the village, which one member Julie OSullivan said is overlooked.

Broadford and Newcastle West are not that far apart. But people touring Newcastle West might not realise Broadford is there, but there is such a fantastic amenity here. It is unfortunate it is off the radar a bit, Julie says.

We want to bring more people back to the Broadford/Ashford area. Broadford has always been associated with community work anyway, and community projects. We have the backing of the local community and public in general. We are bringing more people into the village which helps local accommodation providers and shops, she added.

In order to entice tourists, fellow committee member Sean Neenan says they need to provide a comprehensive offering.

You cannot just expect people to go walking unless you give them the proper product. There is variety in the trails. They can be quite challenging. But in addition, we have the storyboards which show young people all the wildlife they can watch out for, as well as the historical aspect, he explained.

Get Involved is an initiative developed by Local Ireland, formerly the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland.

Designed to promote voluntary and sustainable projects, it is sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

The winning project  drawn from counties across Ireland  will be awarded a bursary of 5,000, while two further bursaries of 1,000 each will be presented to the two runners-up.

Two years in development, the routes include the Gleann Beag Loop, the Broadford to Ashford way, the Gortnaclohy Loop, and the Ashford to Lough Ghe way, with the routes backed by the National Trails Authority.

There are fantastic views on these trails of West Limerick back towards the Shannon. If you take one of our Ashford walks, there is one particular area where you can  on a clear day  see out to Loop Head, Julie said.

Support from the local community has been key, Sean adds, with local farmers allowing right of way through their lands.
WHEN it comes to one hurling-mad parish in County Limerick it isnt a case of a gift horse - but a herd of cash cows to raise money for their GAA club.

Thirty generous farmers in Dromin-Athlacca, and surrounding areas, are each rearing a calf to help fund new dressing rooms and develop the club grounds.

The sale of the bullocks and heifers will help Dromin-Athlacca GAA club get mooving.

Local farmer and member of the GAA development committee, Ian Kelleher said the novel idea is a great way of raising much-needed funds.

Were hoping to make between 15,000 and 16,000. The farmers donate the calves and rear them. Then as they are sold they give us the value.

In other cases, some farmers donated the calves and other farmers reared them then. We started it last year and weve had a brilliant response from the farmers in the area.

There is about 30 involved. Its been a fantastic boost to help build the ball wall in the field, which is already completed, and raising funds to help upgrade the dressing rooms.

The farmers are all huge GAA supporters. A lot would have played for the club and have supported it all down through the years. My own calf was born last February, weve been raising him and hell be sold in the next few months, said Ian.

A prize red Angus calf which is being reared by farmers Edward and Aoife ORegan has been dubbed Nickie Quaid thanks to his red colours, which make him stand out from the herd. Chairman of Dromin-Athlacca GAA, Colum Breen said he has been thrilled with the generosity of all involved.

Were delighted with the fundraising efforts of all the local farmers. Its very generous and has given us a great kick-start in helping to build a ball wall in the field and for plans to develop the clubhouse.

The older generation in the village helped raise the funds for the GAA pitch back in the late 80s by going all the way to Boston and now the younger generation are taking up the reins to help redevelop the club.

We're hosting a race night on December 10 at Limerick Greyhound Stadium. A lot of the farmers will be there that night along with the local community.

"At the end of the day, the GAA is a great organisation and benefits everyone in the community from the youngest kids right up to the older generations; from helping to keep the ground to the supporters, who go to all the matches. Overhauling the grounds and the club benefits everybody in the area, said Mr Breen.
WEST Limerick man Jonathan Dunne is a writer in a hurry. His first novel, Balloon Animals was launched just four years ago in 2012 but since then he has released four other novels, the most recent one, Hearts Anonymous in March this year.

Now, from his home in the historic city of Toledo in Spain, Jonathan says his latest novel, Lighthouse Jive, is now ready to be read.

And he has high hopes that this book will win over more Irish readers.

All my books are based in a fictional town 'Old Castle' in Limerick, explains the man who grew up in rural Ballyine a few miles from Newcastle West.

Lighthouse Jive, he goes on, was inspired by a family holiday earlier this year when he, his wife Ruth and daughters Chloe and Maia stayed in Killaloe, where they had a view out over Lough Derg. Every morning a mist would come down the hill behind the lake and I found the misty atmosphere inspired the atmosphere of the fictitious island where this fictitious lighthouse is. I began writing this novel, Lighthouse Jive, there at that house, says Jonathan.

Every morning I would get up early before the rest of the gang and write . I also visited the coast of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher. My fictitious island is really the Blasket Islands and vice versa. I stayed on the Blasket with my brother and father when I was young, we went camping and stayed on the island overnight. And I will never forget the adventure. I will never forget the magic of the island.

What made it extra special was that there were no ferries going across to the island and back to the mainland after 4 p.m. in the afternoon so in actual fact we were castaways and we had no way off the island and that made the adventure even more intense, he continues.

 I always thought that an island lighthouse would be a perfect place to stage a novel, whether it be a black comedy or a thriller.

Lighthouse Jive is centred around the character of Theodore Lambert who is disillusioned with the world while his wife, Amber, is convinced that the end of the world is coming in the form of a giant asteroid heading towards the USA.

Needing a serious detox holiday, Theodore and his family find themselves living in a mystical island lighthouse on the wild Atlantic coast of Ireland, far away from the lunacy of modern-day living.

But of course, things start happening then.

As with his previous novels, Jonathan has embraced the concept of e-books and self-publishing and his books are available online or through Amazon. I'm an indie writer and proud to be one, he says.

I'm excited and a little nervous to be launching my sixth novel, he admits. So far, those who have read pre-publication proof-copies are very enthusiastic. I find that once a reader likes my work, then they become loyal to my books because they know what to expect The trick is to find those readers, so launching a book is the easy part. Anybody can launch a book, but not everybody can make sales.

But, says Jonathan who is also a teacher of English, sales are improving each year.

The more titles I have the better as they feed off each other. I write fiction which is anchored in humour, many times of a blackish nature. It is more difficult to find readers for this genre, rather than thrillers, for example, which are two-a-penny.

His readers are scattered through the US, Canada, the UK, Finland and Denmark. But he is very happy that Irish libraries, including Limerick, are beginning to order his books.

 All going well, I'll write myself into my grave, he says.

Any of Jonathans books can be bought in paperback from Amazon or the ebooks are available from Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, Barnes & Noble and other platforms. Go to jonathanwdunne.wordpress.com for his blog
Apr 28, 2021, 10 AM

Explorer Sven Hedin mailed many covers franked with the Northwest Scientific Expedition stamps to his sister, Alma Hedin, in Stockholm. The covers were then marketed to collectors.

The design on the four stamps is from a painting titled Nomads in the Desert. This card may have been prepared by Canadian dealer K. Bileski, who marketed the stamps for many years.

Four stamps of different denominations but the same design were issued by China in 1932 to support Sven Hedins Northwest Scientific Expedition. The set was sold at face value of 20 in post offices but for $5 (in Chinese dollars, or yuan) by Hedin.

Sven Hedin signed some of the covers that he mailed to his sister in Stockholm; his autograph is on the back of the cover shown in the previous illustration.

One of the stamps in a 1973 set of Swedish stamps honors Sven Hedin, portrayed in a suitable Central Asia desert setting.

By Christer Brunstrom

At a local charity shop run by Amnesty International, I recently picked up a book by Sven Hedin.

Titled Along the Silk Road, the book tells about Hedins 1933-35 expedition to Sinkiang (today spelled Xinjiang) in the northwestern part of China.

The purpose of the expedition was to explore the possibilities of building car roads through the Gobi Desert, where camel caravans were still very common in the 1930s.

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Hedins expedition was financed by the Chinese government, which at the time was based in Nanking. This was a most difficult time in Chinas modern history. The Japanese had turned Manchuria into a puppet state in 1932 and also were trying to expand their influence in other parts of China. Civil war was going on in different parts of the Middle Kingdom, with Chiang Kai-sheks nationalist forces on one side and the Communist revolutionaries on the other.

In distant Sinkiang, civil war was raging, with the Soviet Union playing an important part. Even in normal times it was a highly unsecure area, with groups of robbers attacking caravans and other travelers in the province.

At the same time, many evangelical churches in Sweden had established mission stations in numerous isolated parts of China, including Inner Mongolia and Sinkiang. The missionaries frequently were running hospitals and schools serving the local populations.

Sven Anders Hedin (1865-1952) was born in Stockholm and became not only a geographer but a topographer, explorer, travel writer, and photographer. He first came to Central Asia in the 1890s, after having obtained a doctorate in geography at the University of Halle in Germany. He traveled in areas that until then had been white spots on our maps.

In 1896, he discovered not only Lop Nor, a salt lake that changed its course around the turn of that century and became known as the Wandering Lake, but also ancient cities that had been important along the trade routes between China and the rest of the world.

Back home in Sweden, Hedin wrote numerous books about his travels and went on tours to speak about his experiences. In 1902, he was raised to the untitled nobility by King Oskar II, becoming the last Swede to receive a charter of nobility.

Hedin was an excellent organizer, and in 1927 the German airline, Lufthansa, employed him to explore the possibilities of establishing air communications between Europe and the Far East.

The explorer was then involved in the Northwest Scientific Expedition, which lasted from 1927 until 1933. It included some 50 Swedish, German, and Chinese scientists and researchers. They made numerous important scientific discoveries in Inner Mongolia and Sinkiang. The expedition was financed not only by Sweden but also from international sources.

In 1932, China released a set of four rather exceptional stamps (Scott 307-310). The quartet, of four different denominations (1, 4, 5 and 10), was printed in a quantity of just 25,000 sets, which is tiny for a Chinese stamp issue.

The design features a painting called Nomads in the Desert, which (at least at the time) was part of the collections of the Palace Museum in Peking (now Beijing).

The stamps were issued in support of the Northwest Scientific Expedition, and the arrangement was rather peculiar to say the least: 4,500 sets were sold at some post offices in China, and the remaining 20,500 sets were handed over to Hedin to be sold to help finance his expedition to Sinkiang.

The set of four denominations had a total face value of just 20 and was sold at face value at the post offices, but was sold for $5 (Chinese dollars, or yuan) by Hedin.

At the time, lots of collectors purchased the stamps, and some wealthier persons acquired larger quantities.

Col. Hans Lagerloef, a Swedish-American philatelist of substantial means, apparently bought a large quantity of the issue. I believe Lagerlofs holding was later acquired by Canadian dealer Kasimir Bileski, who marketed them for many years until sold out.

Illustrated with this column is a card with a set of the four stamps lightly hinged to it. The text on the card reads: China:  The Northwest Scientific Expedition Set, 1932. The above set was presented by the famous explorer Sven Hedin to his good friend Colonel Hans Lagerloef.

The cards text is not totally correct, though the men probably were acquainted with one another. The colonel actually was supporting Hedin by buying a large quantity of the stamps.

In all probability, this card was prepared by Bileski, who in many ways was a marketing genius.

Today, the stocks that once existed have been dispersed, and the set is valued highly in catalogs ($116 mint or used in the 2017 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1940-1940). It has proved to be a pretty good investment for collectors who bought the sets for less than $20 many years ago.

Sven Hedin was very busy mailing covers franked with the stamps to his sister, Alma Hedin, in Stockholm. The covers were then marketed to collectors. Some covers, including the one illustrated here, were signed by Hedin on the back, making them even more desirable.

At the time, finances were short for the Chinese government, and this rather unorthodox stamp issue was seen as a way of contributing to the success of the expedition.

During his travels, Hedin was continuously writing diaries that could then be transformed easily into book form. His descriptions of his travels are rather detailed, including frequent mentions of meeting fellow Swedes in the most unexpected places.

For several months in 1934, Hedin was held prisoner in Urumchi, Sinkiangs capital. He had absolutely nothing good to say about this city or the people living there. He very much preferred the free life and even the hardships out in the deserts.

His dream was always to visit the holy city of Lhasa in Tibet, and on his third Central Asian expedition, in 1905-09, he came very close, reaching Shigatse in Western Tibet before being forced by local authorities to leave the country.

Before and during World War II, Hedin was a strong supporter of Hitlers regime in Germany. He even met the German leader on one occasion. Hedin believed that Germany was the only country that could oppose Russian expansion in Asia and Europe.

Hedins support for Nazi Germany made him an outcast, and he had been stripped of some of his academic honors by the time he passed away in 1952.

In 1973, Hedin was included in a set of five Swedish stamps remembering important explorers. The 1-krona stamp (Scott 1009) depicts Sven Hedin and, appropriately, camel drivers in a desert somewhere in Central Asia.
Local News, Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: November 06 2016

Slain New York Police Department Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, of Huntington, a 19-year police veteran, leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Nassau County, NY - November 4, 2016 - Slain New York Police Department Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, of Huntington, a 19-year police veteran, leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Nassau County Police PBA President James Carver: ''Our hearts go out to the family of slain New York Police Department Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, a 19-year police veteran, who left a wife and two young children. His death on Friday and the wounding of a second NYPD sergeant, Emmanuel Kwo, 30, saddens their brother and sister police officers in Nassau County and throughout the nation.

This incident again illustrates for the public the dangerous duty undertaken by police officers every day. When most citizens learn that a man with a gun is threatening others they prudently stay out of the way. Police officers such as sergeants Tuozzolo and Kwo stepped forward professionally and confronted the armed man who was in possession of multiple firearms. The sacrifice of the officers was made to protect the public from this violent individual. The death of the gunman in the shootout with the two sergeants ended his rampage in the Bronx without additional civilian casualties. The deceased gunman has been identified as Manuel S. Rosales, 35, of Brentwood. Rosales who is reported to have had 17 prior arrests in Suffolk County.

The latest reports are that Sgt. Kwo was hit in the leg and is hospitalized in stable condition. Sgt. Tuozzolo is a resident of Huntington so he was a neighbor as well as a law enforcement brother. The Nassau County PBA and its members can be counted on to do whatever they can to support the families of the two officers and the brother officers of the NYPD and especially the 43rd Precinct where Sgt. Tuozzolo was assigned for the last 10-years. It is a sad day for law enforcement.''

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the New York Police Department officer that was murdered today in the line of duty and with the officer who was shot and is hospitalized. Our police officers put their lives on the line each day to protect our life and property. God bless them for their heroic service and grant their families strength and faith at this tragic time."
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
BILLERICA  A Billerica man wanted for allegedly striking and dragging an officer with a minivan turned himself in to police without further incident on Saturday afternoon.

And police say another man who was wanted for questioning in connection with the incident has also been identified, though police are not releasing his name because he has not been charged.

Officer Cory Bandouveres was treated for minor injuries Friday night and released from the hospital, said Deputy Chief Roy Frost.

The officer is doing well. I think hes going to be OK, Frost said. He sustained some bumps, bruises and cuts  no serious injuries were aware of right now.

Bandouveres has been with the department less than a year, Frost said.

Eric Oblenis, 28, of Billerica, faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), and operating to endanger.

Oblenis served a jail term following an incident outside a downtown Ayer bar in 2009. Oblenis became involved in a brawl during which he broke a beer bottle over a patrons head, then drove his car into the crowd, striking several people. Judge Maureen Hogan sentenced Oblenis to 4 1/2 years at the House of Correction in Billerica followed by probation, during which he was to seek drug/alcohol evaluation and counseling and stay away from the victims.

Oblenis spoke with a Sun editor earlier last week. He said he was starting a painting business and was concerned potential customers would shy away if they learned about his record from stories appearing online.

In Friday nights incident, Bandouveres and another officer were investigating suspicious activity in the parking lot of Rite Aid at 467 Boston Road about 7:41 p.m.

Police said officers observed a man exit the Rite Aid and enter the passenger side of a parked green Dodge Caravan.

Police said Bandouveres approached the Caravan and observed the driver injecting a substance into his arm. The driver, believed to be Oblenis, allegedly threw the needle on the floor and accelerated in reverse, striking the officer, police said.

Bandouveres was dragged by the arm for about 15 feet, then fell. The Caravan, Rhode Island registration IY888, headed south on Boston Road.

Frost said Oblenis turned himself in Saturday about 3:30 p.m. He said the other man has also been identified, but that his identity is not being released since he has not been charged. Frost said the investigation remains ongoing.
LOWELL  The month of November is when the leaves fall, it becomes dark and bleak early, and you just want to sit by the fire with your PJs on when you get home from a long, hard day. But the bright light that shines throughout the Merrimack Valley comes with the great opportunity to attend or volunteer at so many worthwhile events. On Thursday, Nov. 3, The Center for Hope and Healing celebrated its 40th anniversary  four decades of service to the Greater Lowell Community  at University Crossing at UMass Lowell. The Center for Hope and Healing, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end sexual violence in Lowell and the Greater Merrimack Valley communities.

The evening was full of unique and tasty ethnic foods from Vietnam, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cambodia and India. The Genki Spark  a multi-generational pan-Asian womens arts and advocacy organization that uses Japanese taiko drumming, personal stories, and creativity to build community, develop leadership and advocate respect for all  drummed through out the event.

The evening included honoring organizations with four awards: the Organizing Award, Justice Award, Inclusion Award and Future Award. LGBTQ+Lowell received the Organizing Award. In the aftermath of the Orlando Massacre last summer, the LGBTQ+Lowell group mobilized the community and organized the Lowell to Orlando vigil. Rep. Niki Tsongas received the Justice Award for her tireless advocacy of sexual assault in the military. The Engaging Men and Boys in Sexual Violence Prevention (EMBASVP) Advisory Board received the Inclusion Award. EMBASVP serves as a catalyst for men in our community to be a part of the solution in ending sexual violence. And the Future Award was received by Raliance Initiative, ending sexual violence in one generation. Congratulations to them all for their determination.

This event raised $25,000. For more information, visit www.chhinc.org.

Email comments to daceyzlist@gmail.com.

Dacey Zouzas is TV host and producer of Daceys Divas. Check out the highlight reel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds-KeCEaycM. Follow her on Twitter @daceyzouzas, tout@daceyzouzas and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dzouzas. Also, check out divas.us and www.MassachusettsWomen.org and follow @Mass_Women on Twitter.
Thanks to a grant from the U.S. State Departments Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, Cambodian economist/educator Reth Soeng is the Scholar in Residence at Middlesex Community College for the 2016-17 academic year.

In Cambodia, Soeng is an adjunct professor of Economics at the American University of Phnom Penh, and a visiting professor of Economics in the English-based master program at Royal University of Law & Economics/Ecole nationale dadministration. Since 2009, he has also been a research fellow at the Centre for ASEAN Studies at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. His academic area of interest includes foreign-direct investment in Cambodia.

We are so pleased that Dr. Soeng, an accomplished educator and economist, will be MCCs Scholar in Residence this year, said Dona Cady, Dean of Global Education. Through his teaching and researching, he serves as a strong role model of the possibilities available through education. His work at Middlesex strengthens not only the globalization of our curriculum, but also our global footprint in the Cambodian community of Lowell.

In addition to teaching courses in Economics, Soeng will deliver curricular and co-curricular guest lectures, keynote an upcoming Global Education speaker series/symposia, sit on MCC faculty committees, and participate in community outreach.
By Colin A. Young

State House News Service

BOSTON  Exactly 24 hours after a group of medical professionals stood on the Statehouse steps to warn of the dangers of legalizing marijuana, a group of doctors on Friday stood in the same spot to explain why they support making marijuana legal for adults to use.

The dueling press conferences come as both sides of Question 4  which would make it legal for adults at least 21 years old to buy, possess and use marijuana while establishing a regulatory and tax structure for the new industry  make their closing arguments to voters ahead of Tuesdays election.

A telephone survey of 417 likely voters conducted by the Western New England University Polling Institute between Oct. 23 and Nov. 4 found that 61 percent of respondents are in favor of legalizing and regulating marijuana, while 34 percent oppose it, the institute reported Friday. Support for legalization has climbed by 9 points over the last month, the institute said, while opposition has dropped by 8 points.

The prohibition on marijuana has created a negative stigma around its use, and makes patients and their doctors feel like it is something they are not safe discussing, Dr. Susan Lucas said.

The current system isnt working, theyre getting it from the street. It could be filled with pesticides, it could be laced with fentanyl. They should be able to get it in a safe place  not from the street, Lucas, an internist, said. We can open up a forum with them to discuss the recreational use. Are they using it in a safe way? Are they getting it in a safe place?

Lucas said that if voters on Tuesday pass Question 4 it will enable open and honest discussions about recreational marijuana use, just as cigarette and alcohol use is openly discussed with patients at almost every visit.

Alcohol and tobacco, Dr. J. Wesley Boyd said, are by far much more harmful than marijuana. Whether marijuana is safe to use, Boyd said, entirely depends on the person. He said he is well-aware of potential dangers of marijuana, especially on developing brains and said it is not safe to use marijuana before driving or in other situations.

"If someone is using marijuana a little bit in the evenings after work is done, when the responsibilities are over, in those situations I think marijuana is probably potentially completely safe  if their brain is finished developing, Boyd, an associate professor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a staff psychiatrist at Cambridge Health Alliance, said. In my estimation it is safer than alcohol.

On Thursday, Attorney General Maura Healey and representatives for hospitals, physicians and a professional nursing association held a press conference outside the Statehouse to urge voters to vote against the ballot question, claiming it would increase emergency room visits for ingesting marijuana and would increase the number of impaired drivers on Massachusetts roads.

The Massachusetts health-care community continues to stand firmly and unanimously against Question 4 and the legalization of commercial marijuana, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association said in a statement. There is nothing healthy or safe about allowing the promotion and sale of highly potent edible gummies,candies, and sodas, particularly to our children and vulnerable youth. And there is nothing healthy about increasing the number of drugged driving crashes and fatalities on our roads  all of which have happened in other states with commercial marijuana sales.

Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard Medical School-trained emergency physician who now specializes in what he called cannabis therapeutics, said the worry that legalizing marijuana will lead to a rise in medical costs and ER visits is a legitimate concern, but is being overblown by opponents.

As somebody who works in an emergency room, I see huge devastation by alcohol and other drugs and yet never, ever have seen anybody sick from cannabis. Never, he said. This enormous influx that were worrying about is not likely to happen.

For Dr. Michael Olstein, who retired last year after a 50-year career, legalizing marijuana is important because it would allow for more research of the medical benefits of cannabis, which he said include the possibility of anti-cancer activity.

Prohibition restricts our ability to find significant uses for this naturally-occurring plant  not a chemical but something that nature provides  and we know that this has significant positive effects, Olstein said. We know that there are children who have epilepsy who are helped by this, we know that this is something that stimulates appetite, that reduces stress. There is a potential for a great deal of good that research in marijuana can provide.

If Question 4 passes, the Cannabis Control Commission that would be established to regulate the industry could issue licenses for research purposes, according to Yes on 4 campaign manager Will Luzier.

Public opinion polls have shown the electorate is inclined to support Question 4, despite the staunch opposition of high-ranking elected officials in the state, including Healey, Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

Marijuana advocates have had success taking marijuana reform efforts directly to the voters. Possession of less than an ounce of pot was decriminalized by voters in 2008 and four years later voters handily approved the medical use of marijuana.
By Michael P. Norton

State House News Service

BOSTON  With federal funds at risk of expiring under an agreement forged by the former Patrick administration, the Obama administration has approved a five-year, $52.5 billion Medicaid waiver deal for Massachusetts.

The waiver deal was announced Friday afternoon by Gov. Charlie Bakers administration, which said the arrangement would facilitate a $1.8 billion effort to transition toward accountable care organization (ACO) models of care and investments in behavioral health and long-term care services. An ACO pilot program could launch in December.

The administration signaled that the waiver, which is effective on July 1, 2017, would spare the state from losing $1 billion a year in federal funds. The deal also sustains $6 billion of safety net care payments over five years to hospitals that serve the uninsured and for subsidies to assist those enrolled in Health Connector plans. The number of hospitals eligible for reimbursements for uncompensated care expands to 15 from seven, under the deal.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved the waiver. Many states have Medicaid waivers with the federal government, which sanction state efforts to stray from the basic parameters of the state-federal partnership governing the massive health insurance programs. The MassHealth program serves 1.9 million residents.

In statements, Baker said the waiver represented a major step toward creating a sustainable MassHealth system for the people of the commonwealth, and federal Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell said the waiver was another step forward in the American health systems shift toward value.

In addition to providing essential coverage for low-income, elderly and disabled individuals, the MassHealth program over the years has been the major cost center in the state budget, often crowding out funds for other programs.

Tom Barker, a former general counsel at the federal human services office, said he believes its the first waiver to sanction such an aggressive shift toward a new payment model that rewards providers based on care quality and outcomes for patients.

I dont think any state has gone this far, said Barker, who worked on Massachusetts waivers negotiated between former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Gov. Patrick and former HHS chief Mike Leavitt.

From the federal governments perspective, the most important aspect in any waiver talks with states is budget neutrality, according to Barker, or ensuring that medical expenses do not exceed what they would have been in the absence of a waiver.

Massachusetts has the highest rate of insured residents in the United States, according to the Baker administration. Despite a 2006 law mandating insurance coverage, more than 2 percent of residents remain uninsured. According to the administration, a goal of the waiver is to maintain near-universal health care insurance coverage.
The destruction of our health-care system thanks to Obamacare. Insurance companies pulling out of various states because they are losing money. People losing their healthcare plans or having their plans downgraded while the costs continue to rise.

Law enforcement in our cities under attack by anarchist thugs all the while our inept president looks the other way and continues to fan the flames of racial division and class warfare. Our rights of free speech, religion and the right to bear arms under attack at every turn.

The selling out of our country to our enemies such as Iran, a rogue nation that bankrolls the proliferation of terrorism worldwide while thumbing their noses at us by the continuation of their nuclear program. They continue to fire upon and shadow our military vessels at sea.

At home, our borders remain largely open to an invasion of illegal aliens, many who refuse to obey our laws and have become and enormous drain on our nation and our people. Then there is the infiltration of drugs, weapons and possible terrorists.

Finally, we have corruption running rampant at all levels of our government, from the Executive Office to the Justice Departmment headed by a corrupt Loretta Lynch and the FBI headed by another corrupt kleptocrat, James Comey, who has continued to sweep the criminal activity of the Clinton crime syndicate under the rug..

Like him or not, Trump is right. This corrupt administration and its major players have committed criminal and treasonous acts against the American people at a level unseen in modern times. We need to elect someone that will go to Washington and drain the swamp. The election of Hillary Clinton by a misguided and dumbed down electorate that votes for a candidate only because of their gender instead of their character will doom us all. With a morally and ethically bankrupt Clinton. its all about the power and a continuation of business as usual, not about getting the nation back on track. That would be the least of her concerns if elected. While the propaganda machine of the left and the Dems, the mainstream media, continues to attack anyone that dares battle the corrupt establishment, I think that this is what makes many believe that Trump genuinely cares for America.and that he would be the more likely of the two candidates that would restore law and order (as well as sanity).

Four years of a Clinton administration would be a continuation of the failed Obama, Kerry and Clinton policies that have reduced the Middle East to rubble and have brought our great nation to its knees. Remember, the choice we make will truly decide the outlook for the future of America, whether we continue to shine as a beacon of strength, power and hope in the world or one of our continued descent into the dark abyss, one from which we may never recover. Wake up America! Hillary for Prison 2016 !

BOB LAJOIE

Lowell
US Election Uncertainty Now Influencing Gold & Silver Prices

Most of us consider this years presidential election as the wildest and most unpredictable weve ever seen, but you wouldnt know it by looking at the markets. Gold and silver spent most of the past three weeks going nowhere fast. Between Oct. 6th and Oct. 27th silver traded within ten cents of $17.60/oz.  an extraordinarily tight range. Precious metals generally thrive on uncertainty, but the markets have been unfazed and instead have appeared to be paralyzed.

It seems Wall Street may not have shared the trepidation many Americans at large have been feeling. That may be about to change.

On Friday, FBI director James Comey, of all people, broke metals prices out of the exceptionally tight cage confining them  although it was still a rather modest move. He announced his agency is re-opening its investigation into Hillary Clinton and her emails. Silver and gold both jumped on the news.

Financial commentator and author James Rickards thinks the markets have been pricing in a victory for Wall Street favorite Hillary Clinton. In an interview taped just before Comeys announcement, Rickards said he expects Trump will probably win. If that happens he anticipates the stock market will drop 10% overnight and gold will probably go up $100/oz.

Based on the negative stock market reaction to Fridays the FBIs bombshell announcement, Rickards may be on to something.

Prior to Fridays news, Hillary was favored to win, in more ways than one. She was leading in most projections of electoral votes (yes, we know there is good reason to question much of the polling). The mainstream press fervently supports her. And she has been Wall Streets darling when it comes to campaign contributions. Goldman Sachs went so far as to issue a company directive forbidding employees from contributing to Trumps campaign.

Wall Street insiders are used to getting what they want. However, like the British establishment prior to Brexit, they might get surprised.

Big money interests have priced in a Hillary victory. Any revelations which force that crowd to reconsider could have profound implications for investors. Any evidence which might support Trump (or his case for contesting the election results if he loses) could rattle markets.

It is too early to tell if the FBI decision to reopen the investigation will be a game changer in the election. It must be said that Hillarys campaign  with its unseemly ties to names like Soros, Podesta, and Weiner  looks creepier than Count Dracula. However, the renewed criminal investigation is by no means sure to put a stake through its heart.

Hillarys supporters have, so far, shrugged off plenty of other damning news stories, including round one of the criminal email abuse investigation. Whether there are enough undecided voters who can be persuaded to change horses at the last minute and deliver battleground states to Trump remains to be seen.

There is also no telling what scandals, if any, will hit Donald Trump between now and Election Day. The only certainty with these candidates seems to be no matter how ugly and embarrassing the details are now, they can still get worse.

The reaction in markets over the coming days may be the best way to gauge how much election uncertainty there really is.

By Clint Siegner

MoneyMetals.com

Clint Siegner is a Director at Money Metals Exchange, perhaps the nation's fastest-growing dealer of low-premium precious metals coins, rounds, and bars. Siegner, a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon, puts his experience in business management along with his passion for personal liberty, limited government, and honest money into the development of Money Metals' brand and reach. This includes writing extensively on the bullion markets and their intersection with policy and world affairs.

 2016 Clint Siegner - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




MARTINSVILLE  Twenty-seven years after graduating from George Washington Carver High School, Lt. Col. Donald Ferguson returned to the same building  now GW Caver Elementary  to talk to third, fourth and fifth grade students about the importance of voting.

Following Principal Marcie Seays introduction, Ferguson took the auditorium stage and asked students to yell as loud as they could. The room roared with noise, then quieted down and awaited further instructions.

Next, Ferguson asked only third graders, then just fourth graders and finally singled out fifth graders to scream as individual classes.

After the experiment, Ferguson asked, Do you sound louder alone or as a collective group?

Collective group, the elementary school students answered.

Thats how it works with voting, too, Ferguson said.

The lieutenant colonel continued his example by inviting one student on the stage. He asked the child to scream at the top of his lungs. While the boy yelled loudly, his single holler was no match for the whole auditoriums scream, which Ferguson directed soon after.

One voice is okay, Ferguson said. But 200 or 300 voices are much stronger.

On Friday, students at the elementary school voted in a mock presidential election. Before they submitted their iPad ballot, the lieutenant colonel presented one more lesson.

He invited another student to the front of the auditorium and whispered in her ear to stay silent. In front of the childs classmates, he asked her to scream. Following his secret directions, she didnt make a sound.

What happens if you dont vote? Ferguson asked the crowd.

Nothing, the room answered.

Nothing, Ferguson repeated. Thats why we vote.

The army officer encouraged students to remind their parents to vote in Tuesdays election.

Casting the first mock election vote at GW Carver, Ferguson said, I have a voice. Now you guys do, too.

Following his speech, the lieutenant colonel toured the elementary school. While he has visited since his high school graduation, Friday marked the first time hed walked the halls since the renovations.

One of the first things Ferguson noted were kindergarten classrooms where he remembered locker rooms in the 80s.

As he walked upstairs, he saw many new amenities coupled with old wooden doors.

We agreed to refurbish the doors so we could leave part of the old school here, HCPS School Board Vice Chairman Curtis Millner, who taught Ferguson in high school and also attended the lecture and tour, said.

Following his tour of the elementary school, Ferguson went to Bassett High School. There, he spoke with JROTC cadets in Lieutenant Colonel David Hunns class.

The army officer shared his background with the students.

When I was in JROTC, I knew thats what I wanted to do. I never turned back, Ferguson said.

Up until that point, Ferguson admitted he did not have a direction for his life.

I didnt know what I wanted to do until I got in JROTC, Ferguson said. Mr. Millner set me on my way.

Striving to be for other students what Millner was for him, Ferguson spoke to the class about the importance of setting goals to accomplish major feats.

If you dont get anything else out of today, leave here with this: follow your passion. Whatever your passion is, follow it, Ferguson said.

The officer revealed that it took him 13 years to attain his bachelors degree after high school. Then, he earned a masters degree.

I was 17 years old when I went into the army. It finally clicked that the people who were getting promoted had degrees, Ferguson said. If I would have gone to college earlier, I would have been a bird colonel, maybe a one-star general, by now.

The lieutenant colonel spoke to students about their resources. Out of approximately 30 pupils in the room, only one filled out a FAFSA prior to the discussion. Furthermore, while students  some seniors  spoke about where they would like to go to college, they knew little about financial aid and acceptance requirements.

How serious are you going to be about it? Ferguson asked. Or is it just nice to say?

The army officer also spoke about joining the military directly after high school like he did. However, students did not demonstrate a wide array of knowledge about military requirements.

It didnt happen overnight, Ferguson said of his own experience. You have to have a plan Nobodys going to lay out your future better than you. If you want it, youve got to go get it.

Furthermore, attending college or joining the military are not the only two options, Ferguson said. Entering the workforce is also a viable option.

Follow what you want to do. You dont have to follow everyone else. Youre an individual, Ferguson said. Figure out how to be the best in your field.

Our objective is to get you ready for college or a job, Millner said.

When he taught in the area in the 80s, the school board vice chairman had a goal.

I helped start Junior ROTC in Henry County, Millner said.

Three decades later, HCPS students still experience Millners impact.

Where were standing today, you could be here in 20, 30 years, Ferguson told the cadets.

Following the discussion at Bassett, Ferguson travelled to Magna Vista High School where he also spoke with cadets.

Amie Knowles reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at amie.pickeral@martinsvillebulletin.com
MARTINSVILLE-If the Henricopolis School of Medicine wins an appeal hearing in January, then the group will get more time to move forward. If not, they will have to pay $800,000 back to the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission later next year. Its one of several problems currently facing the operation.

The medical school received the grant, given from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund, in Jan. 2015. In the application, the school and its president, Dr. Noel Boaz, promised to hire 111 employees and invest $1 million in the area. The commission set a date of Sept. 2017 for that to happen. Now Boaz is asking for more time, stating the school cant open until 2018. As a result, hell go before the commission in two months to present the case.

The College has requested an extension on meeting the required performance measures, said Jordan Butler, the commissions public relations coordinator. The Commission expects to review the matter at their next meeting in January.

That meeting will be Jan. 10, 2017. Boaz pointed to the fact the grant was given out to both the medical school and its partner nonprofit, the Integrative Centers for Science and Medicine. He argued the 20 people hired by ICSM since the grant had been given out should show that the group made progress. However eight of those were let go in April, as ICSM went through a restructuring.

In the schools own presentation to its board of directors this fall, only 45 basic science faculty and 19 clinical faculty are allotted for, with a note stating not all of these positions need to be filled at start-up. In order to fulfill the commissions requirement of 111 new jobs, assuming that all 64 of those faculty positions are filled, that leaves 47 open. If you assume the eight laid off positions at ICSM will be refilled and give credit then for the other 12 still operating, that leaves 27 additional jobs needed in order to meet the total.

Some stricter standards have been put in place for the commission since the grant was handed out. Later in 2015, the General Assembly signed SB 1440 into law, establishing guidelines for commission projects and how the group operated. That includes providing written reports on the financial viability and feasibility of any grants or funding projects. The commission has to show both a projects viability and feasibility, with an accountability matrix. That means the commission has to see a list of expected outcomes and show how the project would help employment levels in the area.

Boaz said his group just needs more time to put their project together.

We want a years more time, Boaz said, adding that he planned to meet with some potential investors this month. When this investment comes in, well have the 111 jobs [to show].

He pointed to the fact that King College in Abingdon was given five years to work on a project, with $25 million invested. That project folded and in 2014, the commission required $24 million to be returned. The additional $1 million was written off for administrative expenses. However, that was before the new guidelines were established.

Certification issues

Part of the problem as to why the school isnt open yet deals with certification on the state level and national accreditation. In order to open a medical school in Virginia, there are several steps.

First, you have to apply for certification with the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia.

To do that, a school has to attend a New School Orientation session, which costs $150, then submit a certification application package, which includes the schools plan and another $100 fee.

At that point, if SCHEV signs off, the school gets a preliminary certification. On May 20, 2014, state records show Henricopolis was awarded preliminary certification, with four requirements needed. First, they had to get national accreditation. Second, the school officials had to submit all their facultys credentials to SCHEV for a final review. Third, they had to go through a site visit by SCHEV staff and fourth, they had to demonstrate financial surety, guaranteeing they could refund students for tuition if the school happened to close.

But as of one year later, in May 2015, Henricopolis hadnt completed the requirements ordered by the state and so, on June 1, 2015, SCHEV sent a letter, announcing the certification had expired. As of Oct. 24 of this year, SCHEV officials said no one from the school had been in touch since the letter was sent.

According to our files, neither Dr. Boaz nor the school responded, said Greg Weatherford, communications associate for SCHEV.

Boaz acknowledged that the state certification had lapsed.

Yeah, it expired, Boaz said. We just have to reapply. The basic requirements have been met. Theyve already approved everything once. All well do is update it and resubmit it. Were not gonna do it however until we get the [national accreditation]. And we cant get the [accreditation] until we get the funding.

Thats the second step to opening a medical school in Virginia. You have to apply for acceptance from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the group charged with authorizing programs that offer M.D. degrees in the United States. As of Nov. 1, there were 134 actively accredited U.S. medical schools monitored by LCME, which include four in Puerto Rico. A total of 17 are also accredited in Canada through a partnership.

To get accreditation from LCME, a school has to send in a $25,000 fee, along with documents proving its operating in either the United States or Canada. The school also has to prove that all its classes required for graduation will be in either one of the two countries. Once that happens, the school is listed as an applicant. Thats how Henricopolis is currently classified.

As of Nov. 4, it was one of seven schools being considered as applicants by LCME, along with two in California, one in Illinois, one in Nevada, one in New Jersey and one in Texas. To move past this stage and be considered a candidate, a school has to submit their operation plan, receive a favorable review by LCME and have a survey visit scheduled. Henricopolis has submitted their data four times since 2012. The proposal has been rejected each time.

Weve done it four times, Boaz said. Each time its been deemed a credible approach, credible enough so they didnt kick us out. Were still in the first round.

LCME provides pointers each time to the failed groups. There are 13 problems the group found with the submissions from Henricopolis. One involved overall planning, with the group questioning what it saw as incomplete or inadequate planning for the number of faculty currently in place and plans for faculty to be hired. The titles and functions of planned and current administrative positions are not clear.

The lack of a ready, operational medical facility was pointed out, along with questions about the teaching sites for some classes in the curriculum. As with the states notes, funding was also an issue.

Only a small percentage of necessary funding has been secured, the document from LCME states.

The exact amount needed to move forward is not included in the document. Its not listed on the LCME website or in any of the documentation for prospective schools. LCME Communications Manager Brooke Bergen recommended talking to the applicant school, as the LCME does not comment on matters relating to a schools accreditation.

We went in and said here are our numbers and heres how were gonna do it, Boaz said. They said well were sorry, but we dont believe you.

Boaz said he and Scott Obenshain, the prospective medical schools dean, met with different officials and were told they needed between $25 to $35 million, in order to operate.

In previous interviews, Boaz had said state officials were open to a one-time $10 million contribution, but theres no record of that being discussed during the General Assemblys budget work sessions. Also, with a looming $1.5 billion budget shortfall, which has already caused universities and colleges to trim 7.5 percent of their expected state funding, there doesnt appear to be any money available.

Moving forward, school officials plan to fund the operation mainly through tuition. Student tuition is estimated to be $40,000, with two semesters of 160 students each year.

As for the other issues, Boaz said that he, Obenshain and the rest of the staff feel like most of them have been addressed. The curriculum, for example, has been completely written, with 13 volumes set to publish. The plan is still to use the 25,000-square-foot former grocery store building at 62-66 Fayette Street as the main campus. While theres been interior demolition done, it would not be ready for some time, as no new construction has taken place. Boaz said he hoped construction would start sometime this coming spring, but couldnt give a specific date.

Competing for students?

Another issue raised is how the medical school would recruit students, with others so close. The Wake Forest School of Medicine is less than an hours drive south, with Virginia Tech announcing this year that it plans to launch a medical program. Also, Patrick Henry Community College already has an associates program set up, to serve as a pre-med introduction, with Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth University both recognizing the operation.

Boaz said that with the number of students who apply to medical school each year, he didnt think there would be a problem recruiting applicants. In the fall presentation to the Henricopolis board, it states an accredited M.D. medical school in the U.S. is sustainable by drawing on the approximately 100,000 premedical college graduates applying to medical school nationally each year. That number, however, is incorrect, when looking at just American students.

According to data released Nov. 1 by the Association of American Medical Colleges, a total of 53,042 people applied to medical school this year in the United States. Out of those, 38,782 were first-time applicants. From that overall number, a total of 21,030 were accepted.

The number of pre-medical students who want to get into medical school is like a vast sea compared to those that get in, Boaz said. We have a real lack of medical schools to train the students that we need. If we get a nationally accredited medical school here, we dont have to have anybody who would possibly be applying to Virginia Tech, because we dont need anybody from this area, I hate to say that, but thats the reality of it. If we have a nationally accredited school, we could fill up with Californians.

Scott Obenshain also said the school would go after international students, both those from other countries and Americans who currently attend medical school overseas.

We could fill up with Saudis, Obenshain said. I mean actually thats a great deal. They not only pay their tuition, they pay their support and pay the institution for taking them.

Obenshain and Boaz both spent time in the past teaching medicine in Saudi Arabia. Obenshain was for a period on staff at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in the Middle Eastern country. Starting in the 1970s, he also served for more than a decade as the associate dean for undergraduate medical education at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Theres a guy weve got an eye on who I worked with and for in Saudi Arabia, who has that experience of recruiting these [students], Obenshain said. Hes got a green card. Hed love to come. I think his daughter is doing her postgraduate work in the States as we speak.

In addition to Saudi Arabians, Obenshain pointed to overseas operations like Ross University School of Medicine for places to recruit students. The operation, which is run out of Portsmouth in the Caribbean nation of Dominica, attracts a number of American medical students each year. One of those includes Dr. Boazs son. Americans go to these schools because they can get in for the next semester, rather than waiting one or two years for a seat, Obenshain said. The problem is that once a doctor graduates from an international school and then tries to get a job in America, not only does he have to pass his medical boards, but also the exam from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Those students could go live in Martinsville, which is much cheaper than flying to Dominica, Obenshain said. And they would be living in the U.S., as opposed to a third world country.

Medical network

The medical school is actually the second phase of the operation. Before that, Boaz and Obenshain want to launch a pre-med academy. They want to recruit students coming out of Patrick Henry Community Colleges medical program and get them to spend nine months in Henricopolis before transferring to ODU or VCU.

Our pre-med academy would give them additional information and help in getting through the medial college admission test, so they would be ready for medical school in three years, rather than the usual four, Obenshain said.

This program would be eligible to start as soon as the spring of 2017. SCHEV has granted approval for the medical school to run this academy, as its not a course for credit. Basically, its a tutorial, designed to help students prepare to take the MCAT or Medical College Admission Test. As for who would teach these classes? Thats unclear. All the documentation states is that it would involve 10 faculty drawn from a national pool. Its also unclear where the classes would be taught. Boaz said he hoped to use rooms at the New College Institute, however no formal agreement is in place for that to happen. When asked, Boaz said there have been informal talks about the idea.

Brian Carlton is the editor of the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at brian.carlton@martinsvillebulletin.com
SPRINGFIELD -- Baystate Health broke ground and the region got some good economic news from a Farmington Bank economist, UMass and the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

Those are just a few of the business stories from the past week that you might have missed.

1) Baystate Medical Center begins work on $27M power plant in Springfield's North End

Baystate Medical Center hosted a groundbreaking Wednesday for its new $27 million combined heat and power plant, which is expected to be completed by December 2017.

Funded in part with emergency preparedness and disaster recovery funds from the federal government, the plant will allow the health care giant to operate for 30 days off the electrical grid. The current setup, which dates back to the 1930s, can only operate off the grid for four days.

"We need to keep the lights on 24/7, and this plant is going to do that," Baystate CEO Dr. Mark Keroack said.
Dear Hart.jpg

Jeannie and Mark Gionfriddo, authors of " Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night."

A Holyoke mother and son have teamed up to write a book involving the notorious Charles Ponzi whose "Ponzi Scheme" robbed many people of their life savings.

The book focuses on a woman who once lived in the apartment in their house, Hart Lester Allen, widow of Massachusetts Bank Commissioner Joseph C. Allen who investigated and brought Ponzi to justice.

When Jeannie Gionfriddo and her late husband, Roy, bought their house in Holyoke in 1964, Hart Lester Allen was a tenant in the adjoining apartment, and there was one seller's condition: Hart had to have the right to live there as long as she wanted.

As the Gionfriddos got to know her, she shared her personal history.

"Hart was kind, caring and generous. She had a great intellect and was sharp right up until her death," Jeannie recalled. "She loved crossword puzzles. She enjoyed sharing details about her amazing experiences. In general, though, she was a private person."

Hart was like an unofficial grandmother to Gionfriddo's son, Mark, a member of the music faculty at Mount Holyoke College and creator of The Big Broadcast, a recreation of a 1940's radio show with the Jazz Ensembles there; he credits Hart with is love for classical music.

When he was seven, she used to invite him to listen to her collection of 78 rpm records; she left her collection to him after she died in 1982 at the age of 92. And every Sunday they played Monopoly, and she let him be the banker.

He and his mother, a former columnist for the Holyoke Sun, have co-authored a book, "Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night," about Hart and her relationship to Ponzi.

Jeannie Gionfriddo and Mark Gionfriddo still live in the Holyoke house where "Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night" takes place -- she in the main house, and he in the apartment where Allen once lived.

Jeannie interviewed Hart on a cassette tape recorder, preserving detailed descriptions of the events that she experienced. The interviews took about two months to capture, and Hart spoke freely. "She was extremely excited about the entire venture, and we had her blessing to publish her account," Jeannie said.

"Like my mom, I found the story to be fascinating and extremely timely," Mark said.

When the project began in 1978, Jeannie was in her thirties and Mark was in prep school. He began college in 1980 and did research for her at the Boston and Springfield public libraries. "By that time my mom had part of the book written, and encouraged me to contribute, so I workshopped some chapters in my writing seminar at Skidmore [College in Saratoga Springs, New York]. We each had different angles that we were working on, and our writing 'voice' is quite similar so it was easy to incorporate our material."

This is his first literary venture; Jeannie wrote and published a cookbook entitled "Sharing My Best."

Writing is a completely different type of pursuit for him, which makes it interesting and a pleasant diversion. "But it is a very creative diversion and one that I enjoy," he added.

Mark offered this description of their 182-page book about Hart: "The year is 1920, and Bostonians from all walks of life- rich and poor, young and old, blue collar and white collar- are being enticed to invest their life savings with a friendly, charismatic Italian-American by the name of Charles Ponzi. Some are well meaning, while others are simply greedy. Little do they know that he is neither a financial wizard nor a boldly innovative thinker, but a grandiose fraudster and clever con artist who has kept under wraps a Canadian prison record for bank fraud -- and who now seeks to make his obsessive dream of amassing great wealth come true at the huge expense of thousands of innocent people.

"Ponzi's incredible persuasive power to dupe foolish investors quickly extends beyond the city borders, and the overall fiscal health of the entire Commonwealth is soon under close scrutiny by Governor Calvin Coolidge, who entrusts Massachusetts Bank Commissioner Joseph C. Allen to investigate. When Allen seizes five banks and prevents Ponzi from accessing his stolen millions, the swindler's fate hangs in the balance. However, the full brunt of public wrath comes to bear on Allen and his wife, Hart-Lester Harris Allen -- and even worse, their happy future together becomes highly questionable when a mob contract is put out on his life."

As told through the eyes of Hart, "Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night" opens with her idealistic, romantic adventures as a wealthy young college graduate, her marriage to Allen and their early trials and tribulations, and how Hart and Joe's paths unfortunately cross with the cunning Ponzi, whose own rise to power and rapid descent unfolds in alternating chapters.

"It offers a fascinating look at a bygone era as well as an examination of Ponzi, the smooth talking criminal and inventor of the first 'get-rich-quick' scheme that to this day continues to be reinvented (Bernard Madoff in 2009)," Mark explained.

The book was mostly finished when Madoff became a news item. "It reminded me that we had this great story that I felt we needed to release," Jeannie said.

The first third of the historical non-fiction book takes place in and around Holyoke and Springfield.

When Jeannie was going through Hart's belongings after her death, she found an old Bible. When she opened the cover, a small newspaper clipping fell out onto the floor. She picked it up and found it had on it a paraphrase of the last four lines of a poetic eulogy that is usually attributed to Mark Twain (it appears on his daughter Susy's gravestone). Twain actually was quoting the work of Robert Richardson, a lengthy poem entitled "Annette." Mark thought that "Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night" would be a great title for the book.

"Good Night, Dear Hart, Good Night" will be released on the Epigraph imprint at a reading and book signing at The Odyssey Book Shop, 9 College St., South Hadley, on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

For details on the book, go to goodnightdearhart.com.
Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon broke from their popular Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton roles on "Saturday Night Live" to encourage the public to vote on Tuesday.

"I'm sorry Kate, I just hate yelling all this stuff at you like this," Baldwin said, breaking character.

"Yeah, I know, right?" McKinnon replied. "This whole election has been so mean."

Baldwin loosened his tie and left the NBC studio with McKinnon to walk Times Square, where two handed out balloons and mingled with the public.

"None of this will have mattered if you don't vote," Baldwin said after returning to the stage.

NBC will air a hour-long primetime campaign special on Monday at 10 p.m., the night before Americans cast their ballots for president.

"SNL" is enjoying its most-watched season in eight years with much of the credit given to sketches mocking the current presidential race.
bob cahillane hamp.jpg

This file photograph from 2003 shows Robert P. Cahillane, of Northampton, at the time of his retirement as veterans services director for the city. He's pictured with the Northampton Remembers monument. Now 80, Cahillane recently resigned from volunteer service as a Blue and Gold Officer for the U.S. Naval Academy.

(THE REPUBLICAN / FILE PHOTO)

There's the kid from Berkshire County who badgered Robert P. Cahillane for months on end.

"He would tell me, 'I'm going to the Naval Academy. What do I need to do,'" Cahillane remembers the young man telling him over and over and over again. The teenager-turned midshipman clearly paid attention to the guidance he received.

There's the Westfield High School grad who had to, as they say in the Navy, "stand by to stand by," heading to boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Station after being passed over for an academy appointment and winding up at Annapolis a year later. Today, he's studying to be a naval aviator.

There's the young man from Longmeadow who wound up attending the U.S. Military Academy but still wanted Cahillane to stick with him as he made his way through West Point.

Bob Cahillane remembers each of them.

Each young person, he says, represents his reward for the volunteer work he's done over the past decade as a Blue and Gold Officer, interviewing prospective nominees to the nation's military academies and their families and guiding them through the selection process.

"In 10 years, I've reviewed probably 30 or more, maybe 50 (candidates). We've been very fortunate. We've got six out and four in the academy now," Cahillane shared this week. "That's my reward, getting them in and getting them out. There's a lot of nice young men and women who want to serve our country. You don't hear about them. They're not the kids getting in trouble. They're the kids who work their butts off to get where they want to go."

Cahillane knows more than a little about working hard in life. At last count, the man who turned 80 this fall has been working some seven decades since he was a young boy helping out at his family's garage on King Street in downtown Northampton.

Cahillane's devotion on behalf of veterans is legion all across Western Massachusetts. Atop Mount Tom, there is a memorial - Cahillane's "labor of love" - to 25 servicemen who died when a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crashed on its slopes in 1946 as they were being ferried home from duty in the aftermath of World War II.

On the day this week that Cahillane shared some of his perspective as another Veterans Day approaches, he was just back from Boston where he had been honored with a veterans' service appreciation award for which he'd been nominated by state Sen. Stanley P. Rosenberg.

Cahillane did his own stint in the Navy six decades ago, deciding to enlist when, as he puts it, he "got a little too big for my breeches" and had a run-in with his dad after his car squealed around a corner a little too fast on Northampton's Main Street, only to be witnessed by a cop on the beat. "The old man was mayor at the time. By the time I reached the house on South Street he was loaded for bear."

It was just after Korea and just before Vietnam was "cranking up," Cahillane remembers. A 1956 graduate of St. Michael's High School, he was working part-time at the old Northampton State Hospital and decided to take the plunge into the military.

He knows well he was among the fortunate ones who served during the Vietnam era. His Navy career took him to a base in Hawaii where he served as assistant to the provost marshal, to time aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington and, finally, to bases in California where he worked on projects involving guided missile defense and evaluating new aircraft for Vietnam.

Back home, Cahillane went to work selling cars for the family dealership on the street where he grew up. It's there that he picked up the people skills and political savvy which have served him well over the years. It was after 30 years in the car business that he entered a new chapter in his work life, spending 13 years as veterans agent for his hometown.

This photo from 2013 shows Robert and Michaela Cahillane on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Cahillane was the go-to guy for veterans and their families whenever they needed help, whether it was securing benefits, getting the health care they needed or just providing a shoulder to cry on. He helped several generations of combat veterans as they confronted the effects that war had taken on their lives. He was also the man behind Memorial Day observances, Veterans Days ceremonies and so much more to ensure the service of Northampton men and women to their nation was never overlooked.

His retirement from that job came at the age of 67. He was ready, telling a writer back in 2003 that he felt a little "burned out" and wanted to move into a little quieter phase of life.

Then, as he remembers it, Cahillane got bored one winter's day in the middle of a snowstorm and decided to apply to become a Blue and Gold Officer. He sent in his application and completed training, only to be told, he recalled, that he was "too old."

Spend just a little time with Cahillane at age 80 or take a gander at his Facebook page, and you'll understand that even a decade later, he's not "too old" to take on anything.

"We jokingly say it's only a number," Cahillane said, adding swiftly, " I feel great." After so many years of helping others, though, there's only one person who will be his focus now. That's his wife of more than 50 years, Michaela, who's in a nursing home.

"I'm trying to slow down a bit," he said. Together, the Cahillanes put five children through college, and his work life tended to keep him away a little too much, he acknowledges. "I still want to be here as long as the good lord lets me, but now my wife needs me. I owe it to her."

He's lined up others to pick up where he's leaving off on some of the tasks important to him. A friend in Holyoke, Cahillane hopes, will guide the future commemorations of the B-17 memorial, for instance.

One thing that won't change for Cahillane, who was just 5 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 75 years ago this December, is his commitment to ensure the service of veterans is not forgotten among younger generations of Americans.



He's made it his practice over the years to contribute to Northampton Dollars for Scholars, an organization that annually awards scholarships to city residents looking to continue their education after high school.

Over the course of any given year, Cahillane makes hundreds of dollars in contributions to Dollars for Scholars, some of it to help sustain scholarships he's helped establish, including one on behalf of the city's World War II Club and another in honor of Jesse Workman, a young man who worked as an intern with him in the veterans services office before a brain tumor took his life in 2003 at far too young an age.

"I think flowers are for the living," he explains. The impetus for his giving to Dollars of Scholars came when his father, James F. Cahillane, died and his family worked to establish an Irish-American scholarship fund. "I didn't want to see $1,000 worth of flowers on his grave," Cahillane said.

As you might expect from his family's history, Cahillane spent years as a devoted Democrat. For him, the name Kennedy still conjures all that's good about politics and connecting with people. No matter who he's voting for on Tuesday, though, the more important issue for Cahillane is what every candidate for public office is going to do to benefit veterans. The needs are broad and expansive, changing with each new group of Americans who go to war, he says.

"There's just so much that needs to be done," he says. "Some people need more help than others. It's so hard to define."

Cynthia G. Simison is managing editor of The Republican; she may be reached by email to csimison@repub.com.
cesar martinez.jpg

Cesar Martinez

(Tyler Weerden (Connecticut State Police))

BRIDGEPORT - Connecticut State Police are searching for a man accused of manslaughter after he failed to show up for the first day of his trial.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Cesar David Martinez, 31, who is also known as Cesar D. Martinez-Nolasko. He is described as being about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. He has a vertical scar from the left side of his scalp to his jaw. His last known address was 117 Shelton St., Bridgeport, Connecticut State Police said.

Martinez was released on $750,000 bond after being charged with first degree manslaughter and unlawful restraint. He is accused of accidentally strangling his girlfriend, Brenda Hernandez, 23, of Bridgeport, while the two were arguing in a car in April 2013. She allegedly attempted to jump out of the vehicle and was strangled, police said.

Martinez was supposed to appear in Fairfield County Judicial District Court on Tuesday but never appeared. Officers have been searching for him ever since, police said.

The Connecticut State Police said the arrest warrant has unlimited extradition.

People with any information about Martinez are asked to contact Connecticut State Police Troop G at 203-696-2568 or anonymously text "TIP711 and the information to 274637. Martinez is considered dangerous and people are warned not to try to confront or attempt to detain him.
BOSTON -- A former New England La Cosa Nostra mobster pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to making false statements to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the murder of a Boston nightclub owner in the 1990s.

Robert P. DeLuca, 70, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements in U.S. District Court. A judge scheduled sentencing for Feb. 1, 2017.

DeLuca was questioned in the 1993 disappearance of Steven DiSarro, the man who ran The Channel, a South Boston nightclub. DiSarro's remains were found behind a mill in Providence in March 2016.

"According to court documents, DiSarro disappeared in May 1993 after then LCN boss Frank Salemme and Frank Salemme, Jr.'s involvement with The Channel became the focus of a federal grand jury investigation," according to a news release.

DeLuca also pleaded guilty to lying about his knowledge of other organized crime murders.



"He made false statements in connection with his cooperation deal with federal authorities in Rhode Island after his 2011 racketeering arrest and indictment," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Despite a cooperation agreement with federal authorities, DeLuca lied about his knowledge of DiSarro's disappearance and other LCN-perpetrated murders."

Authorities said DeLuca has agreed to plead guilty a in Rhode Island court to conspiracy to commit the 1992 murder of Kevin Hanrahan.
SPRINGFIELD  A fire was intentionally set in a women's bathroom in the Baystate Medical Center's Daley building, according to Dennis Leger, spokesman for the Springfield Fire Department.

Springfield firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday to find the fire already largely extinguished.

Leger said that the city's Arson Squad subsequently investigated and had determined that the fire appears to have been set on purpose.

No injuries occurred as a result of the fire, but it caused approximately $10,000 in damage to the building, Leger said.

The Springfield Police Department has asked that anyone with any information regarding the incident get in touch with the city Arson Squad at 413-788-6370.
Three terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba were also arrested during the operation.
by Beth Donnelly Egan , Op-Ed Contributor, November 4, 2016

In this election year weve had our fair share of debates. They have been entertaining but rarely informative. What has gotten lost in this Im right, youre wrong debate style is that in a true debate, two sides present their version of the facts and the judges, whoever they may be, determine which side has presented the most persuasive argument.

One of the hottest debates in media today is centered on native advertising. As an advertising professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, I sit in the middle of that debate. With advertising and public relations professors on one side and journalists on the other, its clear that everyone has their version of the facts.

In an effort to rise above the American political discourse, Ill put forth the top five reasons why native advertising is the best thing to happen to the media industry now and for the future. Feel free to disagree with the conclusions drawn from the facts, but these are the reasons why native advertising is great.

advertisement advertisement

Consumers prefer it: Research has proven that consumers are more likely to look at native content vs. traditional banner ads. Research from IPG and Sharethrough in 2013 showed that people actually looked at native content 52% more frequently than banner ads. In fact, native content was looked at slightly more than the same content presented as editorial. Native content is seeing click-through rates that are at least double those of traditional banner ads.

Consumers find it beneficial: A 2016 IPG/Forbes/Newhouse study (that I co-authored) found that 22% of people perceive native advertising as intended to educate, versus only 4% seeing banner ads as teachable moments. Consumers are also less likely to classify native content as an ad and are equally as likely to find it appealing.

They trust it: When native content is clearly labeled and seen as quality content, consumers report higher trust in the brand. This is according to a study conducted by Contently last year. Interestingly, consumers report less trust of branded content overall, with a loss in credibility for the source  but when presented with quality branded content, the impact is more positive.

They remember it: The IPG/Forbes/Newhouse study found even higher rates of recall for branded content than in IPGs original study with Sharethrough in 2013. Unaided recall went up 76%: from 26% in 2013 ,to 46% in 2016. Aided recall was 66% in the later study, compared to only 49% in 2013.

They respond positively to it: One of the biggest arguments against branded content is that it diminishes the trust between the consumer and the brand and/or the publisher. Research just hasnt been able to demonstrate consistent proof of that. Netflix has been one of the most prolific branded content marketers to date, and it just announced forecast-busting subscriber additions for Q3. In fact, in the 2016, IPG study, purchase intent doubled among people exposed to branded content -- and almost tripled when that content was presented in conjunction with banner ads.

I believe in journalistic integrity; I believe in a free press. In order for the press to be free to inform the public, it must have a sustainable business model. The traditional ad model is proving unsustainable.

People bemoaned television advertising in the beginning. The 30-second ad was going to corrupt people with misinformation -- and God help us when the 15-second ad arrived.

We, as a society, have survived advertising since the beginning of time. I dont believe we will survive without a business model to sustain journalism. If branded content can sell product and contribute to the revenues of publishers, whats wrong with that?

You tell me.
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Private weather forecaster, Skymet Director, Mahesh Palawat said that entire Delhi-NCR was engulfed in a thick layer of smog due to calm winds which stopped the pollutants for dispersing.He said that the passing of 'Western Disturbances' over Himalayas made the conditions worst in north India including Delhi."Whenever western disturbance passes over Himalayas, it increases the level of humidity which enhances the capacity of air to bear the pollutants for a long time. This results in thick layer of smog over the cities," Palawat told IANS."The situation is expected to remain same tomorrow (Sunday, November 6, 2016) and the day after. The smog will start dispersing after November 7, 2016, as dry north-westerly winds with speed 10-15 km/hr are expected to sweep through the region," he said.Palawat also held the burning of paddy stubble in Punjab and Haryana responsible for sad state of affair in Delhi.People living in Delhi-NCR complained about respiratory problems and itching in the eyes due to smog all over the region."It was difficult for me to breath properly and my eyes were itching because of high level of air pollution today (Saturday). I did not go for morning walk due to smog. Due to smog the gaze was also turning hazy," Devi Das, a resident of R.K. Puram area, told IANS.Similarly Kartik Kumar, who works with a marketing firm, said that his eyes were itching and were turning watery because of high level of air pollution."This is the worst level of pollution I have ever seen in Delhi. Entire city is engulfed in smog. The authorities have to take some very serious steps to deal with the situation," he said.Vivek Chatopadhyay, a senior researcher with NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said that burning of crop residue in Punjab and Haryana was not the only source of the smog in Delhi but pollutants emitted from diesel cars and truck were also major contributors."Such situation is usually witnessed a day after Diwali but now this is happening on a normal day. This indicates that the condition has become very very serious. Now the air quality in Delhi is constantly under highest alarming level," Chatopadhyay told IANS.He said that the present level of smog has proved that the current system of air pollution is a complete failure."There is a need to curtail down the pollutants and the government will have to take some very serious measures to deal with the crisis," he added.Source: IANS
The anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran occurred this year on November 3. As it does every year, the Iranian regime marked the occasion by organizing mass demonstrations across the country. Photos from these demonstrations show participants burning the flags of the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia and carrying images and effigies depicting the leaders of these countries as devils, pigs, Pinocchio, etc. Below is a sampling of photos.

For video of the demonstrations, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 5740 and MEMRI TV Clip No. 5741.

Photos From Demonstrations In Tehran Released By Iranian News Agency ISNA[1]



Demonstrators use poles to tear down structures representing Saudi Arabia, Britain, Israel, U.S.

Photos From Demonstrations In Tehran Posted On Iranian Entekhab Website[2]



On sign: "Death to America"



On the girls' hands: "Death to America"

Photos From Demonstrations Across Iran Released By Iranian News Agency ISNA[3]



Photo from city of Urmia: "Obituary" in which Israel, Britain, France and the Aal Sa'ud family (royal family of Saudi Arabia) announce the departure of Obama, depicted as Pinocchio, and of U.S. presidential candidates Clinton and Trump, described as "bloodthirsty criminals" who died an untimely death thanks to Iran's revolutionary youth.



Demonstration in Urmia: Uncle Sam as a devil, above the caption "death to America."



Demonstration in Karaj: signs say "death to Aal Sa'ud", "death to Israel."



Demonstration in Rashd: burning images of Saudi, U.S. leaders



Demonstration in Rashd: sign says "death to America"

Endnotes:
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.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford on Sunday met in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart on the planned Raqqa offensive to be led by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds considered terrorists by Turkey.

In a statement, the Turkish armed forces said that Gen. Hulusi Akar, chief of the General Staff, met with Dunford in Ankara but gave no details on their talks that came after the Syrian Democratic Forces announced with fanfare Sunday the opening stage of a planned Raqqa offensive. Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper reported that the Dunford-Akar meeting was at the request of the U.S.

The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish Popular Protection Units, or YPG, widely considered the most effective rebel fighting force in northeastern Syria, form the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Turkey has repeatedly attacked the YPG and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month warned President Barack Obama against including them in a Raqqa offensive.

However, Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said in a briefing to the Pentagon last month that the YPG was expected to be an integral part of the "isolation phase" for an assault on Raqqa that would be carried out simultaneously with the ongoing offensive to retake Mosul in northwestern Iraq.

Turkey is also at odds with the U.S. and the Baghdad government over Ankara's demand for a role in the effort to oust the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, from Mosul.

The Turkish government has demanded that its fighter aircraft play a part in coalition air support over Mosul and has also lobbied for a role for tribal fighters trained by a Turkish military contingent on the outskirts of the town of Bashiqa north of Mosul.

In a statement Sunday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said he welcomed the announcement by the SDF that the offensive "to free Raqqa from ISIL's barbaric grip has begun. The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," using another term for ISIS.

Carter stressed that taking back Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS, "will not be easy" but "it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners." Late last month, Carter told NBC News the Raqqa offensive would begin "within weeks."

Carter's statement echoed Townsend's' previous warnings about the terror threat. In his earlier Pentagon briefing, Townsend said the need to attack Raqqa was increasingly urgent to disrupt plots reported by U.S. intelligence against the U.S. and Europe.

Dunford has worked hard to maintain good military-to-military relations with NATO ally Turkey despite the political fallout from the failed coup in July, when Turkey blamed the bloody uprising on Muslim cleric and former Erdogan backer, Fethullah Gulen, who now lives in exile in Pennsylvania. Turkey has been pressing for Gulen's extradition

Following the coup attempt, Dunford was the first major U.S.official, military or civilian, to visit Turkey and met with Akar to assure him of U.S. support and also to maintain U.S. access to the major airbase at Incirlik in Turkey.

Earlier Sunday, SDF commanders announced that they had assembled about 30,000 Syrian Kurd, Arab and Christian fighters for an offensive on Raqqa dubbed "Operation Euphrates Rage." Noting the fierce opposition from Turkey, an unidentified SDF official said, "Our hope is that the Turkish state will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria. Raqqa will be freed by its own sons."

To support the planned Raqqa offensive, U.S. and coalition bombers, fighters, attack aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft carried out 15 airstrikes in Syria on Saturday, including one on oil equipment near Raqqa, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement.

In an e-mail, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for CJTF-OIR, told the New York Times that U.S. and coalition warplanes were attacking the "leadership, command and control and resources" of ISIS in support of the SDF.

The SDF has "announced they were proceeding with their march toward Raqqa," he said, "and have done so."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The U.S. Defense Department has identified the three Army special forces soldiers killed on Friday in Jordan.

The Green Berets were Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas, according to a press release Sunday from the Pentagon.

They were assigned 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, the release states.

The soldiers were killed Nov. 4 in Jafr, Jordan, when the convoy they were riding in came under fire while entering a military base.

The incident remains under investigation.

The Agence France-Presse News agency quoted a U.S. defense official as saying it was a "green on blue" incident, meaning friendly forces attacked U.S. personnel, according to the BBC.

The BBC also reported that the U.S. personnel failed to stop when approaching the gate at Al-Jafr Air Base and were fired upon by security forces.

Jordan is a key U.S. ally and member of a U.S.-led military coalition fighting militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Lewellen, an eight-year veteran of the Army, was serving his third tour of duty overseas, according to a separate release from the service.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon (numeral 2), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and NATO Medal, the release states.

McEnroe was also an eight-year veteran of the service and serving his third overseas deployment, the release states.

His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon (numeral 2), and Army Service Ribbon, it states.

Moriarty, who served five years in the Army, was on his second overseas tour, the release states. His awards include the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon (numeral 2), and Army Service Ribbon, it states.

-- Matthew Cox contributed to this report.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
Fejeran

This file photo shows Frank Fejeran as he prepares a barbecue rice bowl dinner for friends and family in his home kitchen in Ypsilanti. Alex McDougall | The Ann Arbor News

ANN ARBOR, MI - Chef Frank Fejeran is building off the success of his two food truck businesses and making a move to Ypsilanti to open his latest venture, Ma Lou's Chicken Shoppe.

He recently leased the space that once housed the Chinese restaurant Hidden Dragon, a bright yellow building at 15 W. Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti. Construction and renovations are starting, and Fejeran said he anticipates opening in early January 2017.

"I think everyone's pretty excited," Fejeran said. "It will be good, quality, consistent food."

He knows about the food scene in Ann Arbor, establishing pop-up Dirty Bird Fried Chicken and food truck Ricewood BBQ that keep drawing fans. The success of Dirty Bird gave him the idea to try something different and open a restaurant that doesn't move on wheels.

It also meant traveling to Nashville to hone in on the best fried chicken recipe.

"I've been working on it for two or three years; good chicken, Nashville hot style," Fejeran said, while chopping up cucumbers to prepare for another lunch rush at Ricewood.

That style entails a wet spice rub, but Ma Lou's will also have regular fried chicken for customers who can't take the heat. The restaurant's name was partly inspired by his grandmother, Louise, who loved fried chicken.

Chicken won't be the only thing on the menu. Fejeran plans to create homemade sides like real baked beans, potato salad and a dessert that he calls a "biscuit doughnut."

The difference between Ma Lou's Chicken Shoppe and fried chicken from anywhere else?

"Better ingredients, and more homemade," Fejeran said. "A little more love for the sides."

Fejeran sees Ma Lou's Chicken Shoppe as another effort to revitalize Ypsilanti, but doesn't plan on changing up his business style anytime soon. He is already working on several collaborative efforts with other businesses in Ypsilanti.

"I want to start building the community," he said. "We just do our thing, we don't look at other people."

Even with a brick-and-mortar location, Ferjeran said the restaurant won't be anything fancy and should be just as inviting and laid-back as picking up lunch or dinner from his two food truck ventures. Customers can take their food home or sit at picnic tables and booths inside to enjoy their meal.

"I want people to walk in and know it's Ricewood, even if it is chicken," Fejeran said. "I just want a cool little shop."

While he thinks fans will follow him to try Ma Lou's Chicken Shoppe and he plans to offer delivery to Ann Arbor, he also expects to get a new following based off the location of the restaurant.

"As long as they like fried chicken," Fejeran joked. "There's a lot of trust in us. People want to see what we do with it."

For those who prefer barbecue, Ricewood offers barbecue bowls with a spicy twist and a side of marinated cucumbers and onions. That cuisine is inspired by Fejeran's father, who was born in Guam.

"That's how I ate growing up," Fejeran said.

He is preparing for Ricewood's Thanksgiving special, where customers can pick up a 14-hour brisket and save themselves from baby-sitting a turkey all day, and working on a gluten-free fried chicken recipe for Ma Lou's Chicken Shoppe.

So does he think Grandma Louise would approve of the fried chicken?

"I think she'd like it," Fejeran said with a smile.
AAATA_061516_RJS_02.jpg

Riders board a bus at the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor.

(File photo | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Voters in southeast Michigan will decide the fate of a $4.6 billion regional transit plan on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

For some, the amount of money being asked of taxpayers is too much. For others, better regional transit can't come soon enough.

Duo Security CEO Dug Song.

Dug Song, CEO of Ann Arbor-based tech firm Duo Security, is one of the leading proponents of the 1.2-mill tax proposal, which, if approved, would fund an array of new public transit services linking the metro Detroit region, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

For Song, whose company is in what he calls hyper-growth mode and approaching 400 employees (about half of those in Ann Arbor), it's partly about being able to attract talented employees from across the region and providing a reliable way for them to get to work.

"There are 5 million people in metro Detroit. If you consider that half the state basically is centered around Detroit, that is a tremendous talent pool for us to be able to tap into, except that there's a weird invisible forcefield at 275," he said.

"We have folks who live in four counties who have a very difficult time coming here because of traffic -- or they move," he said, adding his company has hired people from Oakland County who have to pick up and move to Ann Arbor because commuting is too difficult and transit services are lacking.

The Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority is asking voters to approve a 20-year tax to implement new transit services in phases, with commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit to launch in 2022 and bus rapid transit along the Washtenaw Avenue corridor between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti in 2026.

The commuter rail line between Ann Arbor and Detroit would have a handful of stops, including in Ypsilanti's Depot Town.

The RTA plan includes a host of other regional bus services, including bus rapid transit along the Woodward, Gratiot and Michigan Avenue corridors, and several cross-county connector buses, express buses and local buses, as well as paratransit services for the elderly and disabled.

The tax would cost the owner of a home with a $200,000 market value and a $100,000 taxable value about $120 per year. It's estimated it would generate more than $160 million in revenue for the RTA in the first year.

A group called NoMassiveTransitTax.org is opposed to the tax, while a group called Citizens for Connecting our Communities is supporting it. The RTA has detailed information about its plan at www.rtamichigan.org.

Opponents launched a final push on Friday, Nov. 4, announcing they have "unleashed a flurry of radio ads, social media ads and phone banking to inform voters of the high cost, added traffic delays from the proposal's 'bus only lanes,' and other severe flaws of the transit proposal."

"Despite special interests pumping millions into campaigning for this tax hike, our research shows voters will vote 'no' once they are made aware of the size of this tax hike and the fact that the proposal closes lanes on main roads to cars --snarling traffic," said Simon Haddad, the opposition's spokesman.

The group's news release included statements from Shelby Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis, Novi Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Staudt and Macomb Township Trustee Nancy Nevers, voicing opposition to the tax.

"The tax increase is far too high and the proposal does far too little for Macomb County," Stathakis said.

"This is not a vote on regional transit. It is a vote to impose regional taxation with little return on investment for Novi and Oakland County taxpayers," Staudt said. "I urge all Oakland County taxpayers to vote 'no' on this attempted money grab."

Citizens for Connecting Our Communities has a long list on its website of the businesses, labor groups, elected officials and others supporting the proposal.

Alexis Blizman, policy director for the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, is a coordinator for the pro-millage campaign, which has been canvassing, making phone calls and putting out yard signs in support of the regional transit tax.

She cites a Crain's Detroit survey of more than 400 metro Detroit millennials last year in which 73 percent listed better regional transit as their top wish.

"There are all sorts of statistics out there about how millennials now are choosing places to live before they get their jobs," she said. "They're deciding where they want to live before they decide what they want to do. So, in order to actually attract millennials and retain talent here, transit is their top issue."

Blizman lives in Farmington Hills and drives to work in Ann Arbor. She said she lives where she does to be close to her aging parents, but that makes getting to work in Ann Arbor difficult.

"With 275 closed, I was spending an hour and 45 minutes each way in my car," she said. "That's time that I take away from my family."

She said transit isn't a feasible option right now. But if the RTA plan is funded, she could hop on a new express bus service from Livonia to Ann Arbor.

"It would still be a 45-minute commute, but that's 45 minutes sitting on a beautiful bus," she said. "And these are going to be very upgraded buses with Wi-Fi available and I can sit there with my coffee and get work done."

Duo Security, which opened a second office in downtown Ann Arbor this year, is a global company with other offices in Austin, Texas; San Mateo, California; and London. Song said he intends to keep it a Michigan company.

"My wife and I, we're dedicated to living here. We think Michigan is the best place in America to raise a family," he said, adding there are many other growing high-tech companies in Ann Arbor, but a major challenge they face is how they accommodate that growth, and regional transit is needed.

"I look at the future of what our companies and our families will be here, and we don't get there without a strong Detroit, so we have to see all this actually come together," he said. "Ann Arbor is part of metro Detroit."

For the last three years, Song said, his Ann Arbor-based company has doubled its team and tripled revenue every year

"When we think about where to set up offices and everything else, it's really in light of where the talent is or wants to be," he said. "And increasingly with what Detroit represents, a lot more of our kind of people are there."

Song, who thinks it will be good for the region's economy to be better connected, notes the distance between Ann Arbor and Detroit is less than the distance between San Jose and San Francisco.

He said what was transformative for Silicon Valley many years ago was the introduction of public transit services such as Caltrain.

"We have some real problems culturally here in Michigan when it comes to some of the lack of thinking around regionalism," he said.

"We need more regional thinking, and the way we do this ... is to make the free flow of people, capital, jobs and opportunity available via transit."

Song also thinks just the added services for people commuting from Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor alone will be beneficial.

"We've got a bunch of people in Ypsilanti and they live there because it's more affordable," he said. "But it's a pain for them to get here. It's sort of surprising to learn how long it takes for them to sometimes get to work."

Kelly Rossman-McKinney, a spokeswoman for the pro-millage campaign, said about 92 percent of the jobs in the region are more than an hour away via public transit, and many people who use the bus to commute across metro Detroit actually have to take two or three different buses to get to work.

"It's not unusual to hear a story of someone's commute being well over an hour because of the way the buses work and how long they have to wait between buses," she said. "There are an awful lot of folks -- not just going to work, but going to school -- who every day get up way before any of us would think of getting up to get to a bus to get to another bus."

Rossman-McKinney said she's confident the tax will be approved on Tuesday, but if it fails, the RTA will have to wait until November 2018 to ask voters again. In a way, she said, this is really one big shot.

"In all of our research, we've seen strong support for public transit, even when you push back with negative messaging," she said. "Only about 12 percent of people currently use the transit system, but even those who don't use the transit system know someone who does and they recognize that it is a critical need."

She notes more than 50 communities have opted out of SMART, an existing public transit provider serving suburban metro Detroit.

"So they get no bus service whatsoever," she said. "Those communities, the buses drive right through and will not stop. There's no bus stop."

Under the RTA plan -- if it's approved by a majority of voters across the four counties -- communities cannot opt out of the system.

"Now not every community gets a bus route," Rossman-McKinney said. "For example, there are areas in northern Oakland and Macomb (that are) sparsely populated. It's not financially feasible to put a line all the way up there."

But there will be at least a 33 percent increase in door-to-door paratransit services for seniors and people with disabilities, she said.

"And there will be a single dispatch for paratransit so that you don't have to do that patchwork kind of stuff that a lot of seniors have to do," she said.

The pro-millage campaign is counting on the Ann Arbor area to deliver a strong yes vote to make up for areas where there might not be as much support for the tax, such as in northern Oakland and Macomb counties.

NoMassiveTransitTax.org is urging undecided voters to use a calculator on its website to find out how much the tax will cost them over 20 years.

"Voters should know what this tax really costs them," Haddad said. "And they need to know that their daily commute will get worse if this proposal passes and 'bus only lanes' block cars on main roads."
DETROIT -- When Regina Gilbert's car breaks down, she spends an hour a day getting to and from work by bus, and up until recently, the commute was a hellacious ordeal.

But she's seen Detroit's bus system significantly improve with new investment since the city's bankruptcy, and she wants to see more.

That's a possibility, with a major regional transit plan going before voters Tuesday, but it would cost the average homeowner about $95 a year in new taxes.

"The buses weren't running good then, but now they're a lot better," said Gilbert while waiting at Detroit's Rosa Parks Transit Center for a bus to her west-side neighborhood.

"I'm sure it'll work out and be fine."

Not everyone agrees.

Simon Haddad, spokesman for NoMassiveTransitTax.org and vice chairman of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, said the transit plan on the Nov. 8 ballot won't deliver the benefits it promises.

"They're spending $140 million on M-1 Rail in downtown, which doesn't service well to 95 percent of Detroit residents," Haddad said, referring to the 3.3-mile QLine streetcar project underway along Woodward Avenue.

"Every time, they promise better bus service, and a couple years later they want more money with alleged promises of better bus services."

The $4.7-billion proposal before voters from the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan includes the creation of a bus rapid transit system with dedicated lanes along three major regional corridors, Woodward, Michigan and Gratiot avenues, and a regional commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

It would create a property tax of 1.2 mills over 20 years for Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. That's $1.20 in taxes for every $1,000 of taxable value in a property.

The new tax would cost the owner of a $150,000 home $90 per year for 20 years starting in 2017.

Click map to enlarge:

An outline of transit lines proposed in a Nov. 8 millage request from the Regional Transit Authority of Southeastern Michigan.

The bus rapid transit system would create a synchronized traffic light system for a "streamlined move, not just for the BRT bus itself, but all of the traffic traveling along the BRT," said RTA spokesperson Kelly Rossman-McKinney.

She said the new system would shorten commutes across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

But Haddad argues the dedicated bus lanes would limit space for cars and create traffic problems.

"They have priority signal control," he said. "When one of the BRT buses approaches the intersection, it'll override traffic lights and impact the traffic on every road that intersects Gratiot."

Supporters argue that improved public transportation impacts not only those who ride the buses, but area businesses.

About 92 percent of jobs in Southeast Michigan are not reachable within 60 minutes via public transit, according to Citizens Connecting our Communities, a group supporting the millage.

"Not every commute will change dramatically, although many will change at least incrementally," McKinney said. "The RTA will continue to work with SEMCOG to analyze how the RTA Master Plan improves accessibility to jobs throughout the region.

SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, tracks population and economic changes across the region.

"RTA will work with our partners on the land use side ... to encourage them to respond to transit investments at this scale with planning and zoning changes that induce transit-oriented development to further reduce the tremendous jobs-housing imbalance in southeast Michigan," McKinney said.

The average bus schedule would expand between 18 and 20 hours a day, she said.

The plan includes the following:

Bus rapid transit routes on Woodward Avenue from Downtown Detroit to Pontiac, on Gratiot Avenue between Detroit and M-59, and on Michigan Avenue and Merriman Road between Detroit and Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

A bus rapid transit route on Washtenaw Avenue between downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Ypsilanti.

Regional commuter rail between downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit.

"Cross-county" connector and commuter bus routes that would "provide seamless service across municipal and county lines."

Express service to Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Ann Arbor, Downtown Detroit and Macomb and Oakland Counties.

Improvements to paratransit service, initiated by request for seniors and the disabled.

The addition of a universal fare card that works on all transit systems in the region.

The RTA millage proposal is written as follows:

A Proposal Authorizing the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) to Levy an Assessment The proposal would authorize the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) to levy within Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties a property tax assessment:

* at a rate of 1.2 mills ($1.20 per $1,000 of taxable value);

* for 20 years beginning in 2016 and ending in 2035;

* that may not be increased, renewed, or used for other purposes without direct voter approval; and

* to be used upon the affirmative vote of an RTA board member from each RTA member jurisdiction for the purpose of construction and operation of a public transportation system connecting Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, including rapid transit bus routes across county lines, specialized service for senior citizens and people with disabilities, commuter rail, airport express service, and other public transportation purposes permitted by law, consistent with RTA bylaws and subject to the limitations of the Regional Transit Authority Act.

If this new additional assessment is approved and levied, revenue will be disbursed to the RTA. It is estimated that $160,907,285 will be collected in the first year.

Should this assessment be approved?
A $4.7 billion proposal to boost public transit in Southeast Michigan includes $266 million to fund new paratransit services to accommodate seniors.

The fate of the plan will be decided in Tuesday's election.

Paratransit services involve picking people up at the curb -- or at the door, for those unable to make it to the end of the driveway, said Tina Marzolf, CEO of the region's Area Agency on Aging.

"Seniors associate their independence with their ability to drive and be mobile," Marzolf said. "Aging threatens independence."

Tood Smith, 61, a retired Chrysler employee who often travels from the Grandmont-Rosedale neighborhood to Downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor, feels the region's current transit system is in desperate need of improvement.

"The other night, I got here around say 10:30 p.m.," he said while awaiting a bus at Detroit's Rosa Parks Transit Center, and they told me the buses stopped running at 6:45 p.m. so I thought that was a real bummer. I got home about 4 in the morning."

The proposal to raise property taxes and boost regional transit would invest $10 million in paratransit and mobility services in 2017, according to the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan.

The ballot measure before voters in the Nov. 8 election from the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan includes the creation of a bus rapid transit system with dedicated lanes along three major regional corridors, Woodward, Michigan and Gratiot avenues, and a regional commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

It would create a property tax of 1.2 mills over 20 years for Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. That's $1.20 in taxes for every $1,000 of taxable value in a property.

It would cost the average homeowner about $95 a year in new taxes.

Senior-focused services in the proposal include:

ADA Paratransit Service operated by DDOT in Detroit.

Flexible Transit Services operated by NOTA, WAVE, and People's Express.

Innovative Mobility Solutions operated by the RTA

"It's a good thing, especially for seniors," said Kelvin Brown, 62, who faces commutes lasting an hour or more from his Detroit home to Wayne County Community College.

He called some commutes "nightmares," due to buses not arriving on time and other problems with the current system.

"They really need their help picking them up at the door, they really need that," said Brown about services targeting seniors.

But Leon Drolet, chairman of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, argues the proposal focuses only a small fraction of the $4.6 billion on seniors.

"If the priority is the seniors and disabled, then they should prioritize resources there," Drolet said. "Transit vans are much less expensive than dinosaur buses and more able to service seniors than mainline buses."

Drolet suggests prioritizing senior services through partnerships with private organizations to save money.

"They need to lose their obsession with the biggest buses you can possibly buy," Drolet said. "They add expense but don't add a lot of value. They need to invest resources in transit vans and more flexible transit options that offer door-to-door services."

The overall plan includes the following:

Bus rapid transit routes on Woodward Avenue from Downtown Detroit to Pontiac, on Gratiot Avenue between Detroit and M-59, and on Michigan Avenue and Merriman Road between Detroit and Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

A bus rapid transit route on Washtenaw Avenue between downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Ypsilanti.

Regional commuter rail between downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Detroit.

"Cross-county" connector and commuter bus routes that would "provide seamless service across municipal and county lines."

Express service to Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Ann Arbor, Downtown Detroit and Macomb and Oakland Counties.

Improvements to paratransit service, initiated by request for seniors and the disabled.

The addition of a universal fare card that works on all transit systems in the region.

The RTA millage proposal is written as follows:

A Proposal Authorizing the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) to Levy an Assessment The proposal would authorize the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) to levy within Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties a property tax assessment:

* at a rate of 1.2 mills ($1.20 per $1,000 of taxable value);

* for 20 years beginning in 2016 and ending in 2035;

* that may not be increased, renewed, or used for other purposes without direct voter approval; and

* to be used upon the affirmative vote of an RTA board member from each RTA member jurisdiction for the purpose of construction and operation of a public transportation system connecting Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, including rapid transit bus routes across county lines, specialized service for senior citizens and people with disabilities, commuter rail, airport express service, and other public transportation purposes permitted by law, consistent with RTA bylaws and subject to the limitations of the Regional Transit Authority Act.

If this new additional assessment is approved and levied, revenue will be disbursed to the RTA. It is estimated that $160,907,285 will be collected in the first year.

Should this assessment be approved?
IMG_0540.JPG

Former President Bill Clinton visits Flint's Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016.

(Tegan Johnston | MLive.com)

FLINT, MI - Former President Bill Clinton made an unannounced stop Sunday in Flint to visit the congregation of Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Clinton continued his campaigning Sunday, Nov. 6, in support of his wife, Hillary Clinton, in advance of the Nov. 8 general election.

The former president last visited Flint in early October, when he told a crowd of nearly 500 that his wife would be the presidential candidate who would do the most for the beleaguered city.

Clinton's stop comes as a continued parade of surrogates have visited the city recently in support of Hillary Clinton.

Actress Anne-Marie Johnson was in Flint Saturday, Nov. 5, to rally support for Clinton. Other supporters have included the candidate's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and celebrities Cher, Erika Alexander, Uzo Aduba and Bellamy Young.

Campaigning for the nation's top office is expected to continue in the state as Tuesday's election approaches.

Bill Clinton is scheduled to head to Lansing after his stop in Flint for a rally at the UAW 652 hall, 426 Clare St., while Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama will be in Michigan on Monday in separate get-out-the-vote rallies.

Donald Trump is also returning to Michigan for the second time in a week with a rally planned for 6 p.m. Sunday in Sterling Heights. His daughter Ivanka will be featured at a Hudsonville event on Monday.

Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence and Sarah Palin are also scheduled to make Northern Michgian stops in support of Trump.

Check back with Mlive.com for more on the former president's Flint stop and all of the upcoming campaign activities.
FLINT, MI -- Former president Bill Clinton made two unannounced stops in the Flint-area to speak at local churches about the upcoming election.

The city's water crisis, which made Flint a focal point in this year's presidential campaign, was central to comments Clinton made during the Sunday, Nov. 6, stops.

Clinton is campaigning in support of his wife, Hillary Clinton, in advance of the Nov. 8 general election. The Flint-area stops came before a scheduled event Sunday in Lansing.

Clinton first stopped at the Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint and then at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Mt. Morris Township where he spoke to packed churches about the importance of getting out and voting. He also took a moment to thank Flint residents for continuing to fight to have clean water in the city.

"On behalf of my candidate, my wife, and hopefully our next president I want to thank the mayor and the people of Flint for what you did in refusing to accept the unacceptable, and refusing to pretend that this was some sort of accident, and refusing to believe it could not be better. I thank you for that," Clinton said. "We now know, thanks to you, that the children of Flint are not the only children in America with elevated lead levels in their blood because they have been drinking too much water out of rusted pipes."

Clinton went on to say Hillary has focused on Flint during her campaign to help the community as it struggles with the water crisis.

"When Flint was in trouble, she came and she stayed after others had gone," Clinton said.

Clinton's comments about the water crisis were met with cheers and standing ovations at both churches as he talked about the work that still needs to be done.

"We now know that every candidate should have made a major issue in this campaign, that only one candidate has made, which is we need to put America back to work," Clinton said. "We need to lift incomes and one good way to do it would be to replace every rusty pipe across America. That would lift us all up together just as we should be. We're stronger together."

The former president finished his speeches by saying there is a big choice to be made Tuesday, and for him it comes down to unity and accountability.

"We have a big decision to make Tuesday. We will decide if we really are stronger together or it's better to spend time tearing each other down and blaming somebody else instead of accepting our shared responsibility. Looking for our share of the little pie instead of trying to give everybody a share of the big pie," Clinton said. "Maybe you have to be a person of a certain age, and it helps that I grew up in the south, I know what 'Make America Great Again' really means. What I'd like to see is a 21st Century version of American greatness."

Bill Clinton is scheduled to head to Lansing after his stop in Flint for a rally at the UAW 652 hall, 426 Clare St., while Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama will be in Michigan on Monday in separate get-out-the-vote rallies.

Donald Trump is also returning to Michigan for the second time in a week with a rally planned for 6 p.m. Sunday in Sterling Heights. His daughter Ivanka will be featured at a Hudsonville event on Monday.

Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence and Sarah Palin are also scheduled to make Northern Michgian stops in support of Trump.
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ALLENDALE, MI -- Details of Hillary's Clinton's latest visit to Michigan were released Sunday.

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Democratic presidential nominee will hold a "get out the vote" rally at the Grand Valley State University Fieldhouse in Allendale. Clinton is scheduled to take the stage at 4 p.m., but doors open at 2 p.m.

The public can RSVP online to attend the free event. Clinton's visit will mark her fourth time in Michigan since securing the nomination.

Clinton and her opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, are gearing up their campaigns to make a final push in Michigan before polls open on Tuesday.

Trump himself is returning to Michigan for the second time in a week, with a rally planned for 6 p.m. Sunday at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights.

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in the state Sunday, with an appearance from President Barack Obama scheduled for Monday.

Current polling in Michigan shows Clinton in the lead, with Real Clear Politics showing Clinton ahead by an average of 4 points in recent statewide polls. But many state Republican leaders and Trump supporters feel the state is anyone's to take.
HUDSONVILLE, MI -- Ivanka Trump is returning to Michigan to do her part in a final effort to rally the state around her father, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Trump's eldest daughter will attend a closed-door Michigan Women in Business Roundtable at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 7. After, she will answer questions from the public in a community forum scheduled for 11 a.m.

The events will occur at the Pinnacle Center on 3330 Highland Dr. in Hudson.

Both campaigns are logging miles in Michigan this week as polls open on Tuesday.

Trump himself is returning to Michigan for the second time in a week, with a rally planned for 6 p.m. Sunday at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights.

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in the state Sunday, with appearances from Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama scheduled for Monday.

Current polling in Michigan shows Clinton in the lead, with Real Clear Politics showing Clinton ahead by an average of 4 points in recent statewide polls. But many state Republican leaders and Trump supporters feel the state is within Trump's reach, especially as polls tighten.

Ivanka previously made a stop in Troy last week.
Voting booths

(MLive.com file photo)

Millions of Michigan residents will be heading to the polls in Tuesday's presidential election.

Here are 10 things that voters should know.

1. It's a long ballot, with federal, state, county and local races.

Every ballot will contain candidates for president, U.S. Congress, the state House, Michigan Supreme Courts, and the boards for University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

Also on the ballot: Candidates for countywide offices such as sheriff, prosecutor and clerk; county commissioners; township offices; school and library boards, and judicial seats.

There are no state proposals on the ballots, but there are counties and other entities with ballot proposals.

2. Michigan Secretary of State website lets you see your ballot in advance and allows you to double-check your polling place.

Go to www.michigan.gov/vote to see a copy of the ballot at your precinct.

And since polling places can change, make sure you know where you're going on Tuesday.

3. MLive Voter Guide offers more information on candidates and ballot proposals.

Click here for our online voters' guide. The guide allows you to type your address in the search form, and make side-by-side comparisons of candidates on your ballot. You mark up a mock ballot and add your notes and comments. When finished, you can print out your mock ballot or email it to others.

4. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. If you can't make it, there's still time to vote by absentee ballot.

It's too late to request an absentee ballot by mail, but you can go to your city or township clerk's office by 4 p.m. Monday and get an absentee ballot. You'll need to fill it in on the spot and hand it back in.

To obtain an absentee ballot, you must be at least 60 years old or older or sign a statement that you will be out of town on Election Day.

On Tuesday, the best way to avoid long lines is to voting during the workday. Still, people standing in line at 8 p.m. Tuesday will be allowed to vote.

5. Bring a photo identification to your polling place.

You don't need your voter's registration card, but you should bring a photo ID.

Acceptable IDs include driver's license; state-issued ID card; ID issued by another state; federal or state-issued photo ID; U.S. passport; military ID; student ID or tribal ID card with photo.

Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can vote. They simply sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID. Their ballots are included with all others and counted on Election Day.

6. You can vote straight-ticket this election -- and there's a way to make exceptions while voting straight ticket.

In 2012, about half of Michigan voters filled out the bubble that allowed them to choose all the Democrats or Republicans on the ballot without having to fill in the bubble for each candidate.

If you want to vote mainly for candidates of one party, but still want to make some exceptions, that's allowed. Simply fill in the straight-party option, and then mark your ballot for candidates outside that party. The optical-scanning machines will record those exceptions.

However, don't forget the ballot also has non-partisan candidates for judicial seats and school and library boards.

7. Especially if you're voting absentee, make sure to fill out the ballot properly.

If you don't fill in the ovals or draw the line correctly, you risk have a spoiled ballot -- especially if you're voting absentee.

People who vote in person Tuesday can fill out another ballot if the optical scanner can't read their first ballot. But those who vote absentee won't have that opportunity. With that in mind, make sure to read the directions so you mark the ballot properly.

8. No selfies are allowed in the voting booth.

After a flurry of court rulings, the bottom line for this election is that Michigan's law banning photographs of voter ballots remains in place. The penalty for taking a ballot selfie is your vote is not counted.

Incidentally, the ban extends to use of video cameras, still cameras and other recording devices in polling places when they are open for voting. This includes still cameras and other recording features built into many cell phones. The ban applies to all voters, challengers, poll watchers and election workers. Exceptions are made for credentialed members of the news media, though certain restrictions remain.

9. Leave your candidate T-shirts or buttons at home.

Michigan bans election-related materials at polling places. This includes clothing and buttons as well as materials such as pamphlets, fliers and stickers. You cannot display such items in the polling place or within 100 feet of an entrance to a polling place. If you go to the polls with a shirt or button bearing election-related images or slogans, you will be asked to cover or remove it.

10. What to do if you experience or see problems.

Voting is a public process and anybody is allowed to observe. However, poll watchers cannot interact with voters. Anybody who sees a problem at a polling place on Tuesday should alert the poll workers. If that doesn't work, call the city or township clerk.

Citizens seeking to report voter fraud can contact their county clerk, the Michigan Secretary of State office at 517-373-2540 or local law enforcement.
Bill Clinton in Lansing

Former president Bill Clinton speaks to supporters at a rally in Lansing Nov. 6, 2016.

(Lauren Gibbons | MLive)

Bill Clinton speaks to supporters at a rally in Lansing Nov. 6, 2016.

Two days before the presidential election, former President Bill Clinton told Michigan voters that Democrat Hillary Clinton would be a change agent for the U.S. instead of taking the country backwards.

In a get out the vote speech directed to roughly 600 supporters and an overflow crowd outside the UAW 652 building in Lansing, Bill Clinton focused heavily on the economy and touched on many of his wife's other top policy priorities, including healthcare, infrastructure improvements and college affordability.

Had the details of those policies gotten more attention this election cycle, Bill Clinton told the audience, Hillary Clinton would win Michigan and the rest of the country in a landslide.

"In a normal election, it wouldn't be close," Bill Clinton said, acknowledging recent polls that have shown Republican Donald Trump trailing Hillary Clinton by only a few points in Michigan and other states.

Touting his own economic record while president as well as sitting President Barack Obama's, Bill Clinton said electing Hillary Clinton would mean a president who would solve problems without making them worse, while a Trump presidency would mire the country in economic struggle.

"'Make America great again' sounds great until you think about it," he said. "I think we are just this close to being able to rise again together if we do the right thing."

It's easy to laugh at Trump, but "it isn't funny," Bill Clinton said, describing meeting a boy with autism on the campaign trail who said he hoped Hillary Clinton would be president because he knew she wouldn't make fun of him.

"We don't need to go back and reconfigure the social totem pole the way it was 50 years ago," he said. "That didn't work for a lot of people."

Bill Clinton said as president, his wife would continue her track record of crafting policies designed to help as many people as possible in one of the most diverse countries in the world.

"I have been knowing this woman a long time - she has never touched anything she did not make better," he said.

Prior to the Lansing stop, Bill Clinton was in Flint visiting the congregation of Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who attended Sunday's Lansing event, said state Democrats are thrilled to have so many key surrogates here in the final hours before Election Day, noting Michigan is one of several states seeing considerable attention from Hillary Clinton and high-profile surrogates.

"I'm confident she's going to win Michigan, but I think that all over the country, there's so many late deciders and independent voters - it's good they're here," Stabenow said.

"It's not just Michigan - they're basically looking at states where they have strong support, and they want to keep it that way," she later added.

In response to Bill Clinton's visit, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, said the fact that he's spending the last days of the campaign in Michigan is a sign of Trump's growing momentum.

"Donald Trump will make America great again by growing our economy and ending the corruption that has followed the Clintons throughout their career as Washington insiders," Walberg said. "On Nov. 8, Michigan will send a clear message that we are ready for change by delivering Donald Trump to the White House."

Both campaigns have pulled out all the stops as the election cycle draws to a close, with Hillary Clinton, Trump and other high-profile national surrogates flooding Michigan with public and private appearances.

Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama are scheduled to speak at rallies in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, respectively, on Monday. Chelsea Clinton is expected to introduce Obama before he makes his comments.

Trump is headlining a rally 6 p.m. Sunday in Sterling Heights, and will return for a late-night rally in Grand Rapids Monday evening. Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are set to campaign in Michigan Monday as well.
STERLING HEIGHTS, MI - Supporters of Republican nominee Donald Trump gathered at a Sterling Heights rally Sunday evening were confident of their candidate's chances going into the Nov. 8 election.

"I think it will be a landslide," said Bill Karpovich, 24, of Brighton.

He's a millennial, he said, and most of his friends support Trump. The ones that didn't supported Democrat Bernie Sanders ahead of nominee Hillary Clinton, he said. But he came to Trump's Sterling Heights rally because he knows this election matters.

"This is pretty much the most important thing in our lifetime, flat out. We need change," Karovich said.

He was one of a number of Trump supporters who were confident in the candidate's chances, even though he's down in the polls.

A Real Clear Politics polling average puts Clinton up by 4.7 points in a four-way race with Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. And a forecast by analytics website FiveThiryEight.com puts Clinton's chance of winning at 77.1 percent.

But Trump supporters in Sterling Heights Sunday doubted polling numbers.

"I think the polls are wrong, 100 percent," said Judy Bernard of Macomb.

She is supporting Trump because he is honest, pro-life, supports veterans and aligns with her on the issues, Bernard said.

Elise Gray, 61, of Macomb, said she attended the rally because she's tired of corruption and wants to see things change. As far as polls go, "It depends on which channel you listen to. Every has different numbers," she said.

She thinks Trump will win nationally on Tuesday.

"I think if the polls are straight and not cooked he will win," Gray said, echoing concerns the candidate has voiced about the potential for voter fraud.

And Tim Baggs, 55, of Brownstown spoke of a silent majority that isn't being reached by the polls.

"I believe he is," said Baggs when asked if Trump were going to win. "The silent vote has not been counted."

Michigan has emerged as a battleground in the days leading up to the campaign.

Trump will close his campaigning in Michigan at an 11 p.m. rally the night before the election. Clinton, meanwhile, will campaign in Michigan Monday and send her most powerful surrogate, current President Barack Obama, to do the same.
Donald Trump is expected to end his Michigan campaign Monday with a late-night rally in Grand Rapids.

The time and place have yet to be determined. Trump is expected to arrive in Grand Rapids after an 8 p.m. rally in New Hampshire.

It will be Trump's second visit in two days: He's holding a 6 p.m. rally Sunday in Sterling Heights.

And his daughter Ivanka will be featured at a Hudsonville event on Monday.

Sunday's rally will be at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater, according to Trump's campaign website.

Tickets are available by clicking here.

Sunday's visit to Michigan is Trump's seventh time in the state since he accepted the Republican nomination for president as his campaign continues to target Michigan voters.

On Monday, Ivanka Trump will attend at Michigan Women in Business Roundtable event at 10:30 a.m. in the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville. The Monday event is closed to the public.

Current polling in Michigan shows Hillary Clinton in the lead, with Real Clear Politics showing Clinton ahead by an average of 5 points in recent statewide polls. But many state Republican leaders and Trump supporters still feel the state is within striking distance.

Trump was in the Grand Rapids suburb of Walker last Monday, and his running mate Mike Pence was campaigning in Michigan on Friday and today. Sarah Palin is holding a campaign rally for Trump in northern Michigan on Sunday.
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Veterans Day is Friday, but activities honoring those who served their country are already underway in Mooresville.

On Saturday, Lowes YMCA hosted an Honoring Our Heroes Boot Camp Challenge in which participants tested their endurance, strength, and speed, while navigating a 5K obstacle course.

From Monday through Wednesday, the popular veteran benefit action center at the Charles Mack Citizen Center will serve veterans from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Veterans can sign up for or get assistance with their benefits. Last year, veterans received approximately $697,650 in retroactive benefits as a result of the action center.

This year, were calling it the Veteran Experience Action Center, and veterans can file claims and check on appeals, said Genevieve Miller, paralegal with the Town of Mooresville. There will be Veterans Service Officers, along with employees from Veterans Affairs, on hand to ask questions.

Youll be able to get one-on-one face time with people who can either help you, or direct you to someone who can.

Added Mooresville Public Information Officer Kim Sellers, It can be a struggle to know where to go, or what the next step is to take when it comes to benefits or claims, and this will be a one-stop shop.

Veterans will have designated days to line up according to the last two numbers of their Social Security card, with numbers 0-33 assisted on Monday, 34-66 on Tuesday, and 67-99 on Wednesday.

Also Monday through Wednesday, veterans can visit the Mitchell Community College Mooresville campus Skills Assessment Workshop from 9 a.m. to noon to polish their resume and interview skills in advance of a Career Fair on Nov. 9 (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at the Citizen Center.

More than 30 companies from around the county who are looking for skilled employees will be on hand, said Miller. Iredell Health System will also be there to do wellness checks and there will be a mobile van with advice on where to go for things like mental health and counseling services.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, local Rotary clubs will host an invitation-only veterans breakfast. On Friday -- Veterans Day -- the public will be able to join in on several additional activities -- including the annual parade on Main Street.

A traditional Glenwood Cemetery ceremony, held at 11 a.m. and presented by American Legion Post 66, will memorialize those who lost their lives serving this country, and will be followed at noon by the downtown parade, marching up Main Street from Wilson Avenue to Town Hall. Korean War veterans will be the grand marshals for the parade, which is expected to be preceded by a military flyover.

The parade will end at Town Hall with a ceremony at the flag pole and lunch offered to veterans on the lawn. Attendees will also be treated to a concert (about 2 p.m.) by Poor Boy Revival, a Credence Clearwater Revival tribute band.

The last event of the week, the first Home for our Heroes 5K Run/Walk, will take place on Nov. 12, and will benefit the Iredell County Veterans Transitional Home in Statesville. The home is dedicated to feeding, housing and retraining homeless veterans to help them regain control of their lives, according to the information provided on the races website, https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Mooresville/HomeforOurHeros5K.

The race, which begins at St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church on Talbert Pointe Drive, starts at 9 a.m., and will be followed by an award ceremony at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, a "Veterans Scholarship Pageant" originally scheduled for today at Mooresville High School has been rescheduled for Dec. 11, when children and teens will complete for titles. Entry fees ($5) go to the Welcome Home Veterans Living Military Museum. For more information, contact Amy Welch (amyowelch@gmail.com) or Jerri Owens (gowensmcgeen@gmail.com).

For an up-to-the-minute schedule on the events happening the week of Veterans Day (as they may change), visit http://www.townofmooresvillenc.com/veterans or go to the official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Mooresville-Veterans-Celebration-331987330306095.

In Statesville, Mitchell Community College will also salute veterans with a ceremony on Friday at 11 a.m. on the Circle of the main campus.

The guest speaker will be Wohali Revels, an MCC employee and a member of the North Carolina Army National Guard. The public is invited and light refreshments will be served.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in Shearer Hall on campus.
Its nearly all over but the crying.

Tuesday is the big day, when the world will find out who will be the next president of the United States.

Early voting ended at 1 p.m. Saturday and the turnout was, to coin a phrase, huge.

At the end of early voting, 26,026 people have cast a ballot during early voting. Of that total, 10,153 were Republican, 8,929 were Democrat, 6,862 were unaffiliated and 82 were Libertarian, according to information from the Burke County Board of Elections. A total of 1,890 cast ballots on Saturday.

Election Day is Tuesday. Precincts throughout the county will open on Election Day at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Voters should go to their assigned precinct on Tuesday. A registered voter who wants to check his or her assigned precinct location, visit http://bit.ly/1PyoGXG.

Voters are not required to show identification to cast a ballot.

Local offices and candidates on the ballot are:

 Burke County Board of Commissioners, three seats  Republicans Johnnie Carswell (incumbent), Scott Mulwee and Jeff Brittain (incumbent); Democrats Jeff Morse, Emily Church and David Rust.

 Burke County Register of Deeds, one seat  Democrat Laura Anderson and Republican Stephanie Norman.

 46th District seat of the N.C. Senate, one seat  Republican Warren Daniel (incumbent) and Democrat Anne Fischer.

 86th District seat of the N.C. House of Representatives, one seat  Democrat Tim Barnsback and Republican Hugh Blackwell (incumbent).

Sample ballots can be found on the Burke County Board of Elections website at http://bit.ly/2cH8Ors. Call the elections office at 828-764-9010 or email burke.boe@ncsbe.gov with election questions.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Flexibility and a heaping helping of luck have helped EagleClaw Midstream become the largest privately owned midstream company operating in the Delaware Basin.

Since 2012 when it was incorporated, the Midland-based company has grown both its employee base and processing capacity by more than 10 times.

I think weve probably exceeded expectations, said Bob Milam, EagleClaws president and chief executive officer.

He said that when the company started adding assets two years ago, it had five employees; today it has 54. EagleClaw has gone from 15 million cubic feet of processing capacity to 150 Mmcf today, and that figure will rise to 320 Mmcf by the end of the year.

And weve bought another 200 Mmcf that we will begin construction on by early 2017, so at the end of 2017 we'll have 520 Mmcf of capacity.

Milam said the company initially had expected to grow  and, indeed had  primarily through greenfield expansion projects.

Id said we couldnt grow through acquisitions; we had to grow through greenfield expansion. But because of the downturn, we had some acquisitions come our way, he said.

The first came in December 2014, when EagleClaw acquired natural gas gathering and process assets in Reeves County that included more than 50 miles of gas-gathering pipeline, a refrigerated Joule-Thomson plant with 15 Mmcfd of processing capacity, a 60 Mmcf cryogenic processing plant and seven 1,700 horsepower compressors. This formed the companys East Toyah Natural Gas Gathering and Processing System, which complements its Northwest Toyah Natural Gas Gathering and Processing System. The system included acreage donations from Silverback Exploration and Elevation Resources Holdings.

Then in August, EagleClaw agreed to acquire PennTex Permian, a wholly owned subsidiary of PennTex Midstream Partners LLC. These assets, also primarily in Reeves County, include a cryogenic processing plant with the capacity to process 60 Mmcfd, approximately 90 miles of gathering pipeline and approximately 35 miles of condensate pipeline. PennTex Permians assets are supported by long-term dedications of more than 75,000 acres and is connected to the East Toyah System.

The Delaware has been good to us, Milam said. Even in the downturn, producers are still drilling.

He said the producer base has been more vast than he expected, listing Concho Resources, Silverback, Cimarex, Anadarko and Endurance Resources as among the companys customers.

Milam added that the performance of the wells around EagleClaws assets has been significantly better than expected.

The success of Permian Basin operators in opening the Delaware, and around EagleClaws assets, was part of that heaping helping of luck.

The Delaware gamble worked, Milam said. Science didnt tell us initially reserves were there. But wed done a lot of science on that rock before we started and we believed in the rock. Each month, well performance improves as producers come up with better recipes.

The flexibility came when Milam and EagleClaws management team was open to acquisition opportunities rather than sticking to their original plan, combined with capital capability provided by EnCap Flatrock, which has increased its equity commitment from an initial $100 million to $300 million currently. That comprises the companys ability to react to current conditions and perform faster, better and cheaper, Milam said.

In addition to flexibility, EagleClaws success is our outstanding personnel, our operations people, he said.

He sees continued growth for the company, especially as private equity-backed companies sell and are replaced by companies that will drill harder in the Delaware.
Since beginning his oil field career in 1954, Sam Gibbs has literally written the book on rod pumping. He is the author of the textbook Rod Pumping: Modern Methods of Design, Diagnosis and Surveillance.

His patent on downhole card control of pumping wells was used to create the SAM Well Manager, still the worlds best-selling control device for rod-pumped wells.

For his work, Gibbs has received numerous awards, from being named to the Permian Basin Section, Society of Petroleum Engineers Hall of Fame in 2001 to being inducted into the Petroleum Museum Hall of Fame in 2011 and receiving the Permian Basin Petroleum Pioneers Pioneering Technology Award in 2013. In 2014 he was one of 13 selected by the SPE to participate in its Oral History of Petroleum Engineering in the 20th Century.

This year he adds the Hearst Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement to his list of accolades.

A native of Lufkin, Gibbs earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M in 1954 and was hired by Shell. He soon was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Alaska.

I found myself ignorant in mathematics, he said.

As he set out to measure Alaskas sunrise and sunset cycles, he developed an interest in celestial mechanics.

After leaving the military, he rejoined Shell and was sent to Midland as unit engineer and worked in the Wilco Building.

I didnt like the job, he said. It was too generalistic, and I wanted scientific.

Using the GI Bill, he returned to Texas A&M and earned his masters in mathematics. Shell Development hired him as a production engineering researcher in Houston. There he read about analysis to interpret electrocardiograms.

It struck me that EKGs measure the current that allows the heart to beat, and so the analogy to oil wells and the downhole pump is the heart sending signals up the rod string; that could be measured with dynamometers, he said.

Just as EKGs can measure the currents sent through tissue noninvasively to diagnose health conditions, dynamometers at the surface could tell whats happening below ground without having to pull the rods, he said.

Gibbs developed wave equation diagnostic and design methods for rod-pumped wells that are now used worldwide.

After earning his doctorate from Rice University in 1968, Gibbs briefly served as head of drilling research and was named division engineer in New Orleans. But in 1969 he left Shell and returned to Midland, where he was self-employed.

He and business partner, Ken Nolen, founded Nabla to begin providing well- site diagnostic analyses using truck-borne mini-computers under license from Shell. The product line grew to include design and diagnosis of hydraulic and submersible pump systems and technical training. It also built digital dynamometers, pump off controls and fluid level instruments before being sold to Lufkin Industries in 1997. Lufkin used Gibbs patent on downhole card control of pumping wells to create the SAM Well Manager.

Gibbs may claim to be retired but he continues to be active in helping to develop new technology. He and Nolen have teamed up to develop a device called GreenShot which shoots green fluid levels automatically using the well's own energy. It also infers casing gas production without measuring it with an orifice meter. It works with the SAM Well Manager to perform Inferred Production testing. The testing is continuous. Malfunctions are found and corrected sooner. Production is increased.

I hope someday, after Im gone, oil companies will test wells with inference devices like GreenShot and SAM Well Manager. Inferred Production testing will change the look of the oil field. There will be no production test equipment at the tank battery. Each well will have a short flowline to a collection point in its area of the field. A single large flowline will take combined production to the tank battery. Land owners and ecologists will like this arrangement. Money will be saved building tank batteries and laying flowlines.
Already a successful engineer running an engineering company with his wife, Ryan Sitton still felt compelled to enter the public sector. In November 2014, he was elected to the Railroad Commission.

In business, you can do spectacular things, have that entrepreneurial experience, he said. In government service you can affect a big group and help shape policies future generations can benefit from. Thats very rewarding.

As the first engineer elected to the commission in more than five decades, Sitton often brings his experience to his work.

Ive been in engineering 20 years. When cases come up, rule changes come up, I speak the language. I can address the issues in a way I think provides a strong direction, he said.

Sitton recounted having a staff member tell him that The hearing examiner said, when you start asking questions, they start writing, he said, laughing. That technical geekiness comes into play.

He doesnt see a balance between working with the industry and protecting the public's health and safety.

There is no balance. If you do a good job, theres no difference between industry and communities. If theres a juxtaposition, youre getting into politics, he said.

An example is recent regulations on methane emissions issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, he said. Those rules may cost the industry significant money while not protecting the public or environment.

Regulations are expensive. When a regulation is imposed and its political and not good science, it costs a lot but doesnt protect. Our local energy producers will be at a disadvantage. Our rules should always drive good practices and follow sound science, he said.

Any penalties should be in line with good operators, while forcing other operators to up their game, he said.

The rapidly changing technology used in the states oil fields is challenging the agency to keep up and adapt.

The Railroad Commission has the opportunity, like everyone else, to improve and to leverage technology, Sitton said.. He pointed to technological advances in areas such as drilling and completions and sealing surface casing.

All these areas in technological advancement are where we stay engaged with companies and have associations to move advances forward, he said.

Sitton hopes to incorporate technical advances such as mobile applications into the agencys toolbox, and he expects the agency to work aggressively with its information technology staff to keep up with those developments and apply them to the needs of the public and the industry.

Its almost like a software company, he said.

With the next session of the Texas Legislature just weeks away and the agency facing its third Sunset Review, Sitton said he and his fellow commissioners Christi Craddick and David Porter are very engaged in the process.

The Sunset process allows voters and the Legislature to feel comfortable with what were doing, he said. Were working with the Sunset Commission staff and commissioners to be transparent about what we do, how we do it and how we measure results. I feel well have a very productive outcome.
A quartet of environmental groups last month wrote the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in an attempt to sway the agency to dismiss Waste Control Specialists pursuit of temporarily storing high-level nuclear waste in Andrews County, where it currently has a facility to permanently store low-level nuclear waste, according to a recent Houston Chronicle report.

The request came on the heels of the NRCs decision to move forward with an environmental impact study for the proposed site despite not having fully reviewed WCS license application. These are years-long processes that company publicist Chuck McDonald said are not unheard of to be conducted simultaneously.

Its going to take years for the license application to work its way through the system, and its going to take multiple years for the EIS process to play out. Both give the public many opportunities to participate, he said. The sooner we start the public participation, the better.

He said it also makes sense for the NRC to allow an environmental impact study during the application review because the commission wont grant licensure unless an environmental impact study is passed; thus, the application itself requires the study.

Environmental groups, such as Public Citizen and Sierra Club, say Congress never approved of a private company storing high-level nuclear waste despite Energy Secretary Ernest Monizs testimony before Congress in September that the Department of Energy believes it can do so without congressional action.

The DOE in October issued a request for information from interested private entities. WCS and its competitor, Holtec, which is pursuing high-level nuclear waste storage in New Mexico across the state line from WCS facility, are expected to respond to the DOEs request.

McDonald said the funding source might require Congress approval and cited two ways the DOE could pay for interim storage while the government finds a place for permanent geologic storage, which could take up to 40 years. One source comes from electric bill surcharges collected for waste disposal. This fund is at $40 billion, but there could be a catch.

Congress originally stipulated that that fund could only be used for disposal, not interim storage, McDonald said.

The second source is through the $500 million taxpayers pay per year to utility companies after the utilities sued the DOE for failing to take high-level nuclear waste, which the agency is required by law to do.

The DOE is saying it makes more sense to use that settlement money for funding storage because its coming from taxpayers pockets, McDonald said.

He said WCS is optimistic that its Andrews facility will ultimately be granted a contract for interim high-level nuclear waste storage despite federal projects like this moving at glacial speed.

We have two things going for us that no one else in the country can say, he said. First, we have an operating low-level radioactive waste disposal facility with experienced employees that do this every day. The process for interim high-level nuclear waste storage is very similar.

Second, we have a community that is very supportive of this and understands it after 20 years and has passed a resolution of support because they know this material can be handled safely and in an environmentally appropriate fashion, and it can be a source of revenue for the county. Theyre willing to entertain other radioactive waste storage options. Not many places in the U.S. can bring that to the table for the federal government, and Andrews County is unique in that aspect.

McDonald said in a Reporter-Telegram report this summer that WCS is pursing interim storage of high-level nuclear waste because there is a growing need to store the waste safely in one place while the federal government decides where to store it permanently. The DOE is required by law to take waste from utilities, but it has failed to do so. The waste from fully decommissioned nuclear power plants is scattered across the nation, and the stockpiles are growing as more nuclear plants reach the end of their useful lives, about 40 years.

Last month, the Fort Calhoun plant in Kansas shut down. Seven more are expected to cease operations through 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration. In the next 25 years, McDonald said between 50 and 60 plants would come offline  all of them without a place to permanently store waste after the Obama administration ended pursuit of Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the wastes home.

They say if they restarted Yucca Mountain tomorrow, it would be about 25 years before they were ready to do permanent disposal there, McDonald said, adding that its best to move waste to a centralized location for safety and to give the space formerly occupied by nuclear plants back to communities.

Finding a home for nuclear waste nationally is the same process Texas had to go through, McDonald said.

The state had an obligation to take waste from low-level radioactive waste generators. The state was unable to site a facility, so it passed legislation to contract with a private entity to meet its obligation. Thats the genesis for everything thats WCS.

As for the environmental groups that want NRC to end WCS application process, theres a little bit of irony in the noise from those groups because theyre the ones who demand an opportunity to participate, but they are protesting the fact that this participation process has now begun, he said.

Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
Those who opposed the date of last months tax ratification election worried that an October election date would stymie turnout and be a tough electoral obstacle to overcome.

Specifically, they worried that Midland ISD, the largest employer in the county, would benefit because its 2,900-plus full-time employees would provide the foundation needed to pass the tax rate increase.

The opposition couldnt have been more wrong.

A review of the Midlanders who voted and those who work for the school district show that no more than 15 percent of MISDs full-time employees voted in the election. The Reporter-Telegram matched the names of those on a list of those who voted with those on a list of MISD full-time employees.

The 428 employees whose names matched those on the list of those who voted -- provided by the Midland County Elections Office -- make up less than 7 percent of the 6,660 people who voted in the election.

If less than 15 percent employees voted, I am disappointed in the turnout, said Rick Davis, board president and one of the chairmen of the Better Begins Now organization that led the effort to gain support for the TRE. This was never intended to be a matter that we were looking to MISD employees to carry the day. Many people accused (us) of that, but we were looking for a majority of the community (to support it).

None of the board members the Reporter-Telegram spoke with had any explanation for why so few MISD employees voted. Post-election social media chatter involving some MISD employees was critical of Midlanders not supporting Midland ISD teachers, the districts students and the communitys school district.

It appears, though, that employees didnt support the ballot measure that would have benefited them and students. The TRE measure would have increased the tax rate, bringing in more money to help the district deal with school finance recapture payments that MISD is required to send to Austin. The payment this fiscal year topped $50 million. A budget forecast shows Midland ISD -- as a chapter 41, or property rich district -- will have to send more than $223.5 million to Austin over the next four years, including more than $68 million in 2020-2021.

District officials cite the recapture payment and lower mineral valuations as reasons salaries were frozen this year and why the district was forced to make around $12 million in cuts. MISD had increased the starting salary of beginning teachers around 20 percent over the previous six years. A teacher with an average of 20 years experience saw an increase in pay from $52,850 in 2011-2012 to $61,050 currently, according to MISD Chief Finance Office David Garcia.

The tax rate increase, which this year would have meant an extra $6 million for district operations, would have helped increase the baseline for where the budget started in future years. So next year, even if the district benefits from higher mineral valuations as expected, the lack of revenue based on a failed TRE means the board could have to choose between bringing back positions that were cut and salary increases.

Theres not much information available to gauge whether this level of participation is consistent with other bond-type elections. It is also not a given that all MISD employees who participated in the election voted for passage of the higher tax rate.

What is frustrating for those who supported the measure, including those involved in the campaign, was that a low turnout also likely meant MISD employees werent active in recruiting family members, friends and neighbors to vote for the tax rate increase. The 6,660 total votes was woefully short of totals reached by hospital and junior college ballot items in the last 15 years.

Laura Roman, another campaign chairman and a board member for Educate Midland, declined to respond to repeated requests for comment on the MISD employee turnout.

Interim Superintendent Rod Schroder didnt reflect much on the election, saying, The community has spoken and we will move forward.
Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

Will there be many people left to vote on Election Day? Early voting turnout was record-setting, and there is a possibility that 50,000 voters inside Midland County will vote in a single election. How many people will vote on Election Day? The historical trend indicates that number will be less than 30 percent of the total votes cast.

The following is Election Day turnout since 1992:
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Central Florida residents took advantage Saturday as SunRail launched its first Saturday service.

Saturday service will be tested for four months

Riders used service to get to and from events at Lake Eola, Amway Arena

For more information on Saturday service, visit http://www.sunrail.com/



Up until this point, SunRail has only been for Monday through Friday commuters. Saturday service will be tested for a period of four months.



Doug Tate used SunRail Saturday to get to the annual Fall Fiesta at Lake Eola.



"They have a bunch of things going on over there and I was down there," said Tate. "I rode my bike to the Lake Mary station, then I get off here and rode over to Lake Eola," said Tate.



The train helped riders get to and from several events Saturday being held at locations such as Camping World Stadium, Amway Arena and Lake Eola. City officials said there is hope to make the Saturday service permanent.



Area residents enjoying the ride on Saturday expressed similar hopes.



"I missed out on a lot of job opportunities, side work and even one job I have now because before it wasnt running on Saturday," said resident Sebastian Smith. "Thats when most of them were, so Im pretty happy that I actually get to work now."
President Barack Obama campaigned for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats in Florida election races in Kissimmee Sunday, encouraging voters to "choose hope" and saying the choice for president in this election "could not be simpler or clearer."



Stevie Wonder, Patrick Murphy also on stage at rally



Obama talked election fatigue, took shots at Trump



RELATED: Tim Kaine, Bon Jovi campaign for Clinton in St. Petersburg

As with other Hillary Clinton surrogates criss-crossing the state this weekend, Obama had some celebrity star power on stage to warm up the crowd before he spoke. Music legend Stevie Wonder performed for the audience at the Osceola County Stadium prior to the president's remarks.

When Obama took the stage, he thanked Wonder and joked that he almost came up on stage to sing with him.

"I was going to come up and sing with Stevie," said Obama. "But Stevie explained that this was designed to get votes, so that was a bad idea."

All kidding aside, the president once again made his case for the importance of getting out to vote, couching it as a choice to defend progress made since 2008.

"I need your help to help finish what we started eight years ago," said Obama. "No wonder I've got grey hair -- we've been working hard."

He also made clear his thoughts on what was at stake come Election Day, and just how important a role Florida will play when the votes are counted.

"All the progress we've made goes out the window if we don't win this election," said Obama. "And we win this election if we win Florida."

Obama described the choice between the contenders for the Oval Office as a choice that "could not be simpler or clearer."

"On the one hand, you have somebody who may be the most qualified person ever to run for the presidency," said Obama. "On the other, you have 'The Donald."

As has been his practice at appearances on the campaign trail, when the crowd booed at the mention of Donald Trump or Republicans, Obama corrected them, saying don't boo -- vote.

"[Trump] can't hear your boos," said Obama, "but he can hear your vote."

In talking up Clinton to the crowd, Obama pointed to her intelligence and her steadiness. He also highlighted her work ethic and temperament as a contrast to her opponent.

"When things don't go her way, she doesn't whine," said Obama. "She doesn't complain, she doesn't talk things being rigged. She just works harder."



This is the president's second visit to Central Florida in just a little more than a week.

On Oct. 28, he visited the University of Central Florida where thousands of people showed up to hear him speak. During his speech, the president encouraged people to vote for Clintontelling voters they have the chance to "shape history."

Most recently, the president was in North Carolina where he spoke at a Hillary Clinton rally. He talked about Donald Trump and what he said is violent rhetoric coming from his supporters.



"They've become so accustomed to saying these things in their rallies and their town halls and on the Internet, it becomes an applause line. And it's become normalized. The idea of making a joke about violence against somebody who's running for president, or is president. There's a reason why we've got Secret Service. There's nothing normal about that," said Obama.
FAIRFIELD  Republican incumbent Laura Devlin hopes to first focus on the states budget, jobs and transportation if re-elected this November, issues in line with those her opponent, Democrat Fred Garrity, hopes to tackle in office.

Devlin is running for a second term in the 134th state house district, representing Fairfield and part of Trumbull. Devlin won the vacant seat in 2014 when Republican state Sen. Tony Hwang ran for state senator.

The bottom line is I dont feel like my work is done, Devlin said. I feel like if I didnt run for

re-election I would be quitting midstream.

The state representative said she would advocate for the district by having good relationships and integrity and voting the way she believes she should vote to represent Fairfield and Trumbull.

Whats different now, people are angry. Theyve truly had enough. And I see my job as a representative as really being that voice and fighting for the people of the 134th in Hartford, she said. Im an independent voice that is really working for the future of our state. Im truly deeply concerned about where were headed.

Devlin is running for the same reasons she first decided to run for office in 2014.

I was watching our state and becoming more and more discouraged with the direction in which it was headed and wanted to get involved to try to make a difference, she said. I think both in terms of the minority party getting bigger so were claiming more seats, and also having more of a voice. We are starting to be able to make a difference, but there is much more to do.

If re-elected, Devlin said she would focus on jobs and the Connecticut economy, taxes and the affordability of the state and transportation. While she said she has seen successful bipartisan work on many issues as part of the Legislature, when it comes to the budget, it all falls apart, resulting in a budget that is crushing our state.

To me, it all comes back to the money because our state is in such a fiscal wreck were not able to do the good things that government is supposed to do, Devlin said. The core things that were supposed to do we cant do unless we get the finances in order.

She also called for more business-friendly policies, especially after General Electric moved its headquarters out of Fairfield to another state earlier this year. Devlin called hospitals under attack, highlighting her work to stop a bill in the state house that she said would have retroactively taxed hospitals.

Devlin said creating a more business-friendly environment in the state that encourages companies to stay would require balanced and consistent policies because, she said, changing economic decisions often means businesses cannot plan.

The state representative said she would focus on transportation, advocating for a lockbox for funds, emphasizing one thats really a lockbox. The state should get serious about its transportation investments and prioritizing the busy transportation roads and public transportation lines in Fairfield County, the economic engine of our state.

I think this is a critical turning point for our state in this election and that, collectively, we need to take a different approach in Hartford, Devlin said. I will continue to work very hard to try to create a place where you can live, you can raise a family, you can have a good paying job, you can choose to retire if you would like to retire here. I have built very strong relationships on the other side of the aisle and would certainly continue to do that and work in a bipartisan way.

Devlin, originally from Chicago, has lived in Fairfield for two decades. She and her husband raised two children in town, a son, now 24, and a daughter, now 22. After a corporate career, Devlin has owned a small business for about 10 years.

Devlin said when she stopped commuting to work in New York City and focused more locally, she realized she wanted to get involved in politics to address high taxes and affect change. She began with a role on Fairfields Board of Assessment Appeals and was then elected to the towns Representative Town Meeting. As an RTM member, Devlin said she worked collectively to slow the rate of tax increases.

Whats been happening with our state and, I would say, devastating effects that one-party rule is having in the state of Connecticut, Im not one to sit by and complain, but more action-oriented to get involved and try to make change, she said.

Devlin said she does not know how she will be voting in the presidential election but her entire focus during her campaign is on the state, calling a change in the Legislatures majority necessary for the state to recover from the path that its on.

Were better than this, she said. We can turn the state around.

Connecticuts Independent Party has endorsed Devlin.

Lweiss@hearstmediact.com; @LauraEWeiss16
SNYDER -- Scurry Countys feral hogs are too smart for simple traps.

Jason Bond had to get more creative.

Bond operates a feral hog station west of Snyder -- an area not immune to the growing statewide and regional problem of wild hogs roaming the countryside, costing Texas agriculture an estimated $52 million a year in crop damage, according to Texas A&M AgriLife.

He sells pigs to a processing plant after purchasing them from landowners or trapping them himself.

The simple box traps he started with worked at first. Then, free pigs saw their trapped cousins and realized how they became that way.

People dont give credit to the hogs -- theyre pretty smart, and they catch onto things fast, he said.

Now, Bond uses a high-tech system that traps hogs more secretively.

His trap looks more like a big pen, 30 feet in diameter with a 10-foot gate. Because theres no framework for them to step over, hogs dont realize where they are.

More for you Mmm...bacon: Meat production helps offset wild pig problem

The system contains a camera that sends photos from the scene to his smartphone. Using that same remote technology, he shuts the gate when all pigs are inside and none are lingering outside.

Youre not educating any other hogs because theyre not seeing em trapped in there, he said.

Hunting is another popular control method, but Billy Higginbotham still prefers trapping.

I think trapping is the No. 1 method available to most landowners as the most efficient way they can address the problem themselves, he said.

Higginbotham, an East Texas-based wildlife specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, listed a few other methods.

-- Shooting

Hunters can shoot pigs from ground or air. Rules tend to be more relaxed than for wildlife species such as deer; you can kill feral hogs year-round with no bag limits. Essentially, all you need is a basic hunting license and landowner permission.

-- Snares

Snares are small, noose-shaped traps that capture one pig at a time. Higginbotham recommends carefully placing them to avoid catching the wrong species.

The snares are cheap (and) you can set a lot of them, he said.

The researcher is enthusiastic about another method that is not yet on the market. The federal government is studying sodium nitrite as a poison for the hogs. The compound is already legal for that purpose in Australia; in the U.S. its used as a bacon preservative.

He likes sodium nitrite because it metabolizes too quickly to hurt any scavenging wildlife that encounter the carcasses, and because its death is fairly painless.

The pigs simply lay down and go to sleep and dont wake up, he said.

But like trapping and hunting, its no magic solution.

Higginbotham: Will it mean the demise of wild pigs in the state of Texas? Absolutely not.
Thousands of Catholic clergy, lay leaders and parishioners gathered at St. Marys University Saturday for the Archdiocese of San Antonios 2016 Assembly, featuring keynote speeches by two major television and movie actors Eduardo Verasteguiand Karyme Lozano. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller celebrated Mass Saturday morning and was to have closed out the conference with evening prayers.
San Antonio police are searching for a suspect in a shooting stemming from a fight between two men over a woman at a West Side residence that sent one man to the hospital.

The shooting occurred in the 900 block of Cecelia Street about 2 a.m., Sunday, when police say the ex-boyfriend of a woman showed up to a residence and began fighting with the woman's new boyfriend.
According to San Antonio police one man was sent to the hospital Sunday morning after being stabbed during an argument with his girlfriend.

The incident occurred in the 4200 block of Monterrey Street about 12:45 a.m., Sunday, when a couple began fighting in their home.
GOLDEN, Colo. -- Donald Trump has whipped up a political movement like none other in modern politics, but theres a surprising ambivalence from his army of supporters -- and even the candidate himself -- over what to do next.

Beyond the bombast of picking up arms to storm the White House should Hillary Clinton become president, ardent Trump voters are beginning to think seriously about their post-election role in American politics.

Will they organize as a new political force, spark a revolution inside the GOP or, as some supporters at Trump rallies recently hinted, retreat into the background after an exhausting and divisive campaign?

Kathy Smith and her neighbor were waiting eagerly last month for Trump to speak at a rally in Golden, Colo., wearing matching Deplorable American T-shirts.

But Smith acknowledged that political fatigue has set in -- along with the frustration of polls showing Trump was unlikely to win her state.

I want my life to be back, the hairstylist said. Smith has been active locally in politics, but said she is ready to hunker down if Trump loses to take care of my birds, my dogs, my family. I figure, I give him my best shot.

On the other hand, Eddie Creech, a tobacco, corn and bean farmer who lives near Kinston, N.C., said hes ready leave his little slice of heaven at a moments notice and go protest in Washington, D.C., if Clinton is elected and Trumps supporters call for help. We will kick her out, he said.

Win or lose, Trump is in a prime position to either lead a remaking of the party he has upended or launch a new one.

But if Trump does not win the White House, its not clear whether the Republican nominee will stay as actively engaged in politics as he has been in the many months of the campaign.

He has offered mixed messages as he jets across the country making closing arguments before Election Day.

I will never let you be the forgotten people again, he told a packed crowd at the St. Augustine amphitheater in battleground Florida. I will never let you down. I promise.

But at the same rally, Trumps comments raised questions about his long-term commitment, saying if his supporters dont get to the polls to elect him, we will have wasted a hell of a lot of time, energy and -- in my case -- a lot of money.

What happens next to Trumps movement is one of the big unanswered questions of the 2016 election and one that will shape the GOPs future.

Will the party of Abraham Lincoln morph into the party of Trump, or will the movement that catapulted the celebrity businessman to the top of the ticket fade as quickly as it rose?

Its unlikely the election will sweep away the anger and frustration felt by the mostly white, working-class Americans who now proudly call themselves deplorables -- embracing Clintons derisive label. Trump built his unlikely ascent by reviving many of their long-simmering fears and resentments over race, class and the Washington elite.

But it remains to be seen whether those passions will be sustained without the pageantry of campaign season as Trump supporters return to jobs and families without the luxury of post-election navel-gazing.

Justin Smith, 31, a hog farmer who attended a Trump rally in Kinston, N.C., with his daughter, Ella Lynn, predicted that the businessmans followers will keep alive the ideas and philosophy that drove the campaign, but likely will take a less active role in politics.

Its going to be a movement, he said, but were going to give up on the government.

Other disruptive political forces, including the tea party, sputtered partly because they lacked a central leader, despite their robust presence online and ability to organize nationally through social media.

While Trump can inspire voters like few others, transforming rally-goers into a formidable political force takes a kind of nuts-and-bolts savvy that has been missing from Trumps insular campaign operation.

Trumps ability to amass a mammoth-sized list of backers -- and the credit card numbers of small-dollar donors -- will be the envy of any traditional campaign apparatus in laying the groundwork for future organizing.

But Trump has said little in public about his next moves. One recent report mentioned his desire for some much-needed time off.

Also, Trumps team may prefer to monetize the movement as a new business venture rather than a purely political one.

The Trump TV enterprise that once seemed a logical next step after he brought in Foxs Roger Ailes and Breitbarts Stephen Bannon has failed to impress with its initial launch of a nightly Facebook news show, an unpolished program that has struck some as a political version of Waynes World.

For a man who has a tendency to flit from one trending topic to the next, politics may not provide a lasting relationship. He may choose to move on to other opportunities.

Many of Trumps supporters -- some inspired to get involved in politics for the first time -- say they imagine Trump will simply return to the life of a wealthy New York businessman because, as he often reminds them on the campaign trail, he didnt have to do this.

Were praying for him every day, said Kim Carney, with her husband, Dave, and their granddaughter at a Trump event in Charlotte.

I think hell find another (way) to make things better -- whether its a behind-the-scenes effort or on the front lines, her husband said.

Others predict the movement will go on, with or without Trump.

I dont think its going to go away, said Shauna Godwin, wrapped in an American flag-styled sweater as Trump alighted from his plane in Kinston, N.C. Theres too many people.

Some refused to even entertain such questions because they fully expect that Trump will beat Clinton and become president.

I just cant believe hes as far behind as they say because of things like this, said Stephanie Moore, a retired government budget officer, looking over the thousands of people filling a livestock arena for Trump in Springfield, Ohio. Im a little scared as to what might happen. People are so hyped up about it, and I dont want to see any rebellion.

In the closing days of the campaign, Trump has done little to lower expectations, boasting of his movements shock to the system.

Alongside Lock her up! and Drain the swamp! supporters have added a new regular chant at rallies.

Trump starts a sentence, If we win ... 

When! the crowd dutifully shouts back.

When we win, he said, your voice will boom through the halls of Washington and will be heard across the world.

---

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A funny thing happened in recent days: Even as Donald Trump appears to have some momentum in the presidential race, the GOPs odds of holding the Senate appeared to diminish - at least somewhat.

The GOPs effort to hold the Senate has always been a tough slog, even if it remained competitive at the top of the ballot. And sure enough, despite Trump not appearing to have dragged down his fellow Republicans too much (if at all), the GOP finds itself with what seems to be an increasingly uphill battle to retain the Senate, with five days left.

Thursday were making no major adjustments to our Senate race ratings, but some of our toss-up races seem to be getting a little friendlier for Democrats.

Starting with Nevada. Were not quite moving this to lean Democratic, but we were tempted. Public polling there remains very competitive; Republican Rep. Joe Heck even led in one poll - from CNN - this week, and he was up by seven points in an NBC-Wall Street Journal-Marist poll last week.

But Republicans, Democrats and those watching the race closely feel as if this one nominally favors Democrats and former Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto right now. Its a state where Trump appears to be losing ground, and Democrats have done very well in all-important early voting - about on par with how they did in 2012, when President Barack Obama won the state by six points.

Of course, it bears noting that in that same 2012 election that Obama carried the state, appointed GOP Sen. Dean Heller also won, by one point. So its clear Heck still has a shot. But the numbers certainly dont help him.

Were Cortez Masto to win the seat, which retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D, is vacating, it would prevent Democrats from losing any seats in the 2016 election and make their path to a majority in the chamber significantly easier. From there, they would have to win only two of the five other seats we currently rate as toss-ups, or only one of the five if they can pull an upset and defeat Sen. Marco Rubio, R, in Florida, which we currently rate as lean Republican but is close.

The second seat that is looking tough for the GOP is Pennsylvania. Democrat Katie McGinty has led in the past nine polls here - including by three to six points in a trio of good polls released this week.

Its a little more difficult to push this into the light-blue column, though, for a couple of reasons: 1) Sen. Pat Toomey, R, has the advantages of incumbency, and 2) the presidential race here is tightening. And sure enough, a poll out Thursday from Quinnipiac University has him within one point - his closest result in 10 polls.

The third toss-up seat that is giving Republicans heartburn right now is that of Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. It has steadily climbed our list of the 10 Senate races most likely to change parties, and since we put it at No. 6 last week, two new high-quality, nonpartisan polls show Blunt leading Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander by just one point. One of those polls even had Trump carrying the state by 14 points, and were Blunt to lose a state that Trump carried, it would be a particularly hard pill for the GOP to swallow.

Its entirely possible that Republicans could still hold the Senate come Tuesday. But the races that are going to decide that just arent moving in the right direction for them right now.
Teenagers cant focus for 90 minutes. Teachers will drone on for 90 minutes and bore the kids to tears. The new block schedule in the high schools will be a flop.

Well, it seems teenagers can, teachers dont, and the schedule is popular. Its pretty unbelievable, said Brien McMahon Principal Suzanne Koroshetz. People are asking, Why did we wait so long to do this?

Class periods are now 90 minutes long. Students enroll in eight periods: four classes meet one day and the other four classes meet the next day. This is a major shift, and it seems the schedule change has propelled instructional change.

Research shows that longer classes give students more opportunities to engage in learning, allowing more time for discussion and group activities. Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon HS junior Francesca Yalong said her World Literature class is discussion-based. When you talk about things that you feel passionately about, she said, time flies. Junior Kendra Velazquez agreed, It feels like we have a lot of time to discuss ideas.

Research says the longer periods offer more time for teachers to help students gain deeper understanding of the material. During a class I visited, students struggled to understand an activity on diction that CGS teacher Elise Dardani assigned. Even after discussion of the task, they were confused. She said, Lets do one together, and she modeled the analysis. Then she asked them to complete a few more. By the end of the period, they clearly understood what to do.

Kendra appreciates this approach. It feels like theres more time for questions, and it helps me understand my classes better.

In language classes, the longer periods encourage more student activity and deeper understanding. Chinese teacher Whitney Lok-Defino said the longer periods give enough time for students to complete the activities she assigns. By the end of the period, every group has a chance to perform so the kids are more focused, and I get a better assessment of whether they got the concept or not.

But, experts say, theres another big benefit. Because teachers see fewer students each day, they can spend more time with each individual. If I take the time to personalize learning for each student, Dardani said, then I am using time appropriately. This allows for real differentiation.

During the class I observed, Dardani held two 15-minute writing conferences while the rest of the class was engaged in other tasks. In the past, she wrote extensive comments on student papers, which were often ignored. Now, she confers with each student to review his work.

During one conference, a boy read his paper aloud while Dardani read along on her computer. She probed, Can you show me a specific example of that idea? Why did you choose this transition here? For the revision, where you think its too vague, go back and clarify. Bring in the draft.

For the second student, she asked different questions: What was your goal in crafting the first paragraph? Tell me about the tone of the piece. Why did you use that rhetorical device? She summed up, saying, You are an exceptionally gifted writer. Well need to work on some individual projects to push you even further.

Dardani explained, Giving kids enough background, freedom, and guidance is where I spend my time.

Principal Koroshetz said that the instructional changes reflect the changes that teachers have been implementing for the past few years: making learning more student-centered, giving students more choice, and increasing student engagement.

Its a work in progress, she said. Well get better as teachers learn more strategies and share what works.

And although there are growing pains, although some teachers like it more than others, although some students like it more than others, the change has had made the school feel different.

It feels less frenetic, said Principal Koroshetz.

Its a lot less hectic than it used to be, said junior Robert Kovach.

The day goes by faster, said junior Nick Marsan.

Junior Fatima Karim summed it up this way: The best teachers make the class go by fast, show lots of personality, and get the class engaged with each other.

Roz McCarthy is a former Norwalk school board member and public schools employee. Look for her Chalk Talk column the first Sunday of every month. Email her at rozmcc2@gmail.com
The Alamo Colleges is looking for strategies that will increase student degree achievement. The board approved a new tuition policy Oct. 18 that takes a new approach to tuition.

The policy is intended not just as a new source of revenue but to keep students in college and help them complete sooner. The policy will have a positive impact on student success by increasing momentum, a factor often missing for part-time students.

Research shows that students who generally take six hours a semester, the majority at Alamo Colleges and community colleges across our nation, require a minimum of five years to achieve the required 60 hours for an associate degree. The same students usually dont take summer courses, causing summer melt  meaning they often dont return in the fall. By stretching out the time it takes to achieve a degree, students too often drop out.

We have come to understand that for-profit colleges are popular, despite their high cost, because their students are encouraged to take a full-time load, 12 to 15 hours each semester. This accelerated program enables for-profit college students to enter employment more rapidly than community college students.

For a part-time student, time and momentum become the biggest stumbling blocks to success. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has reported that for every year beyond two years, it costs a community college student $15,000 in direct costs and lost wages. Thus, the student who takes five years to complete a degree has lost $45,000.

Taxpayers lose because they have subsidized whatever credits the student has earned. Without the student completing the degree, the return on that investment, usually in greater taxes paid through better employment, is lost.

To increase student momentum, the Alamo Colleges board approved the following strategy, effective spring 2017. Students will be encouraged to increase the number of hours they take, with additional academic and social support to ensure they are successfully completed.

A student who earns a total of 24 credit hours in fall 2016 and spring 2017 will receive up to six free credit hours in the subsequent summer, allowing them to earn the 60 hours needed for their degree in just two years. A student who earns a total of 18 credit hours in the fall and spring will receive three free credit hours in the subsequent summer, allowing them to complete in three years. The first student saves $141 annually, the second saves $186 annually. The free summer courses keep students attending college, maintaining their momentum.

Our new model assigns an adviser to every student to support that student while at the Alamo Colleges and help the student transition to university or into employment. The adviser, along with faculty mentors, will guide students into academic support programs to ensure they dont get stuck.

Finally, we are working with the United Way of San Antonio to develop a social support network of community agencies to provide life support during difficult life events that often force students to drop out.

Effective fall 2017, the board also reduced tuition for students who live outside Bexar County. Although we serve eight counties by legislative mandate, only Bexar County taxpayers contribute to the Alamo Colleges budget. We charge students who live in the other seven counties 2.71 times the in-district tuition rate, which will be reduced to 2.35. Out-of-state students will continue to pay 5.27 times in-district tuition. We anticipate that our service-area students, by paying less tuition, will have an incentive to attend the Alamo Colleges, thus increasing the number who graduate, increasing the pool of talent available to our employers and ultimately improving our economy.

This new tuition strategy is but one of multiple initiatives encouraged by the Alamo Colleges board to reduce costs and increase efficiencies in the wake of the decline in state aid.

Bruce Leslie is chancellor of Alamo Colleges.
In launching the Decade of Downtown six years ago, San Antonio leaders recognized the single most important deterrent to the redevelopment and invigoration of downtown was the lack of available housing, including affordable housing.

The resulting $75 million commitment from the city to downtown led to the development of some 6,500 units of housing.

While this effort was important, the city fell woefully short in providing affordable housing units. With new leadership and a reinvigorated Housing Commission, recommendations are moving forward to deal with the citywide crisis in affordable housing. The Alamo Community Group, San Antonios nonprofit affordable housing leader, is calling for the expansion of housing units to meet the long-term needs not only of downtown but the entire city.

Affordable housing is housing that is affordable to individuals whose income is below a communitys median household income. It is often incorrectly used to describe only subsidized or government-assisted housing. Affordable housing is both rental and owner-occupied housing that is affordable no matter the individuals income. It is rent restricted, meaning the monthly rental amount is restricted based on a percentage of the areas average income.

Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing face difficult choices on basic necessities. In Bexar County, an estimated 25.1 percent of children live in poverty and 1 in 3 live with a single parent. The Center for Public Policy 2016 research concluded San Antonio persists as a metro area with a wide degree of wealth segregation. More than 1 in 4 renter families in San Antonio have little money for food, medicine and other basic necessities. The need for affordable housing continues to be an even greater community imperative.

Community leaders are now pivoting in consideration of a larger and more encompassing community housing development plan  and the development of the critical 2017 bond. Equally important, the Housing Commission is recommending a charter amendment to allow for a much-needed housing bond. The Alamo Community Group supports these initiatives. Affordable housing funding must be factored into the 2017 bond; city officials must move forward with a charter amendment to allow for a comprehensive housing bond.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in 2014, a national shortage of 4.6 million affordable housing units existed. For the very poorest households, a shortage of 1.8 million rental units exits. Because of this shortage, households are exceeding what they can afford, with household burdens in excess of 30 percent of their income.

San Antonio leaders are finally recognizing the need for a greater investment and policy that assures individuals with the lowest incomes have access to affordable, safe and decent homes. Community leaders must define what constitutes an affordable housing provider versus a for-profit affordable housing provider.

The city and the county should provide 80 percent of available incentives to nonprofit affordable housing providers, with a preference for those that are locally based. The for-profit providers should not be making a profit off city incentives, lessening the communitys overall ability to provide for real affordable housing. Community leaders should also have a specific goal of affordable housing units. The 2017 bond initiative should enable a pathway to extend the investment to the 2022 bond to establish affordable housing as a permanent community priority.

While the Decade of Downtown was a first effort toward providing for housing units in downtown, a comprehensive long-term plan is needed. Ensuring access to housing will provide for the continuation of a strong local economy, while protecting our most vulnerable children and taxpayers.

Andrea Soules is board president of the Alamo Community Group.
From Day One of early voting, the states local election officials should have gotten the changes in the voter ID law conveyed to voters correctly.

There are indications they did not. For instance, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund last week filed a lawsuit against Bexar County for outdated voter ID information, including posters, website materials and a recorded message.

To its credit, the county agreed to a temporary restraining order banning literature that states a photo ID is required for this election.

Aside from outdated materials, other incidents reported elsewhere, according to voting rights groups, include eligible voters turned away from the polls; some vigilante-style poll-watching; and voters who lacked a photo ID not properly informed that they still have the option of voting if they sign a specific form.

That form is a reasonable impediment declaration. It, along with alternative forms of identification, such as a utility bill or bank statement, should be enough for voting officials.

If a poll official balks, know your rights  ask to speak to the election judge at the polling place.

These rules come after two federal courts found the states voter ID to be discriminatory. The courts ordered changes, and the state was tasked with educating voters and election officials throughout Texas.

If the voting rights groups are correct, this did not fully take.

It must be impressed upon election officials and voters that officials and poll workers may not question the reasonableness of any claimed impediment or the truth of the declaration. And the rules say poll workers must then allow the voter to cast a regular ballot.

Voting is the duty of all U.S. citizens. There is, however, a corresponding duty for election officials to ensure that everyone who is eligible be allowed to exercise that right, free of misinformation  intentional or not  or intimidation.

If after the election, there are signs that these problems persisted and were pervasive, the state must undertake an examination so that future elections and future voters are protected. And if the state ignores such signs, the courts that ordered the voter ID changes should be ready to hold officials accountable.
You hold the power

Who are the people who cannot decide who will be their next president? The two candidates have been seen and heard in every media source for over 12 months. They have stated where they stand on all the issues involving the race and our country. What are these citizens waiting for?

Its your right! Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. The power and responsibility of governing lies with every citizen. Your vote is your power. Dont complain if you do not vote.

Adolfo S. Gomez

Inspiring tale

Re: NASA recruit has rocketed away from troubled high school days, Front Page, Oct. 20:

With all the nasty rhetoric spewing from the presidential campaign, I was so happy to read the story about the rough and tumble kid, Paul Hamilton, who rose to his own excellent potential through diligence and determination.

Stories like this are worth printing; they remind us that our future leaders can be honest and deserving of the positions they strive for.

Carol Willborn

Choice is clear

Some conservative Republicans may not want to support Donald Trump, but they should remember there are three branches in our government.

If Congress is to advance the Republican platform, it must have a Republican presidency; and if the Supreme Court is to make decisions supporting conservative constitutionalism, its members must be chosen by a Republican president and Senate.

Electing a Democrat would undermine conservative legislation. The choice, therefore, is between the Democratic platform and the Republican platform. For a conservative Republican, that choice is clear, and its implications for the presidential election are obvious.

Charles Malesky

Passing it on

I would like to express my appreciation to the election officials and the people in line at Brookhollow Library and its polling site.

We found a handicap parking spot in front of the library. After chemotherapy and radiation, I use a walker. I went through the library to the voting area, and my wife went to the end of the not-too-long line. I wanted to ask about voting in the car, which we had heard mentioned on television. When I got into the voting area, people in line immediately started motioning for me to get in front of them!

An election official wanted to take me to vote immediately. I asked about voting in the car, and he asked if my wife was in the car, and I said she was in line. He went to get her, brought her inside, and we voted immediately. This was about 4:15 p.m. one day. I hope some of those in line and the election officials read this and know how much they were appreciated. I hope I can pass it on to others.

Rodney Williams
Mary Gassen has worked in San Franciscos food industry for 21 years. But the process of opening a bakery is overwhelming, even for her.

The baking is the easy part. The hard part is making sure she has filled out the mass of paperwork, obtained the right permits and brought the building up to code. And even then, its easy to overlook something.

If you make a mistake, and there is some kind of ADA law  requiring restaurants to be accessible to disabled people  you didnt adhere to and didnt know about, it could cost you $50,000, said Gassen, who owns Noe Valley Bakery on 24th Street and plans to open another bakery in West Portal.

City officials want to make the process easier. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development last week announced a pilot program in which people can connect with one city official who will help them through the process from start to finish. That official will even help people find a place to open a restaurant and help them secure long-term leases. Its called the Small Business Acceleration Program.

And the department has added a feature to its business portal that allows people opening restaurants to establish an account and apply for permits online. The program is designed to help sole proprietors or people opening a restaurant for the first time, but there are no hard-and-fast rules on who may seek assistance.

We want to help small-business owners get through the process faster, but also feel better about how the process went, said Todd Rufo, director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. It also helps city departments by ensuring applicants are better prepared when they start the process.

The permit process alone is arduous. To open a restaurant in a location where there wasnt one before, for example, requires navigating at least six agencies and often more. One has to register with the treasurer and the assessor, and get approval from the Department of Building Inspection, the Planning Department, the Department of Public Health, Public Works, and the Police Department, if alcohol will be served.

A 2015 analysis by the city controller detailed further challenges.

Prospective permit applicants must work across many city departments, often in the process of getting a single permit, the report says. Difficulties for many first-time applicants include receiving inconsistent information from different permitting departments, repeatedly being asked for the same information on different permit forms, a lack of clear direction about which permits to obtain first, and traveling to different permitting offices that are geographically dispersed.

And for restaurateurs, getting the necessary permits quickly is critical, said Gwyneth Borden, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.

The hard part is that so many people in city government have never worked in a business and to them time isnt money, but to anyone who has a business, time is money, Borden said. Every day that youre not open is a day that youre throwing money away.

For now, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development has hired one person, Katie Skjerping, to help people through the process, and may hire more in the future.

Gassen was among the first to seek Skjerpings help and she has nothing but praise.

She holds your hand, Gassen said. She gave me this huge checklist. And she arranged for the Health Department to come in before I signed a lease to tell me what I would need to do to pass the health inspection.

Gassen added: I know how to bake a loaf of bread or bake a birthday cake, but I dont know how to navigate the Planning Department process.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen

Sign up

To become part of the Small Business Acceleration Program, email open@sfgov.org.
Government will soon unveil higher denominations of money to bring convenience to the transacting public but has to do so with caution to avoid inflationary pressures, Secretary for Finance and Economic Development, Mr George Guvamatanga has said.

He said some coins and bond notes will gradually be withdrawn from circulation when Government ultimately introduce higher denominations.

Mr Guvamatanga said this today while responding to questions from journalists during a media briefing in Harare that was organised by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube.

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By John Light, a reporter and digital producer for the Moyers team. His work has appeared at The Atlantic, Grist, Mother Jones, Salon, Slate, Vox and Al Jazeera, and has been broadcast on Public Radio International. Follow him on Twitter at @LightTweeting. Originally published at Moyers & Company

The Colorado oil and gas industry is poised to strike a devastating blow against anti-fracking activists Tuesday. Enactment of Amendment 71, a statewide ballot initiative campaign thats backed by the industry, will make it, in the words of the Denver Posts editorial board, nearly impossible for Colorado voters to amend their state constitution to allow for local fracking bans  or, for that matter, anything else.

Its a story worth telling in some detail, because it vividly illustrates the many obstacles well-connected and well-funded special interests can put in the way of citizens trying to oppose them. The latest battle in a multi-year campaign by a network of pro-fossil fuel groups to defend the fracking industry against local opponents, Amendment 71 would require 2 percent of registered voters in each of Colorados 35 state Senate districts to sign petitions for any future initiative before it could be put on the ballot. Right now, anyone who wishes to amend the state constitution must collect signatures from 5 percent of the number of voters who voted for secretary of state in the last election.

That threshold is still not always easy for grass-roots groups to meet: Two green priorities  an amendment allowing for local bans on fracking and an amendment requiring fracking operations to be at least a half mile from homes or schools  failed to make the cut for this years ballot, according to the secretary of state. Disappointed environmentalists attribute that to a lack of time and resources, but also to a very well-financed campaign by the oil and gas industry. A report released by the watchdog group Public Citizen estimated that fossil fuel interests outspent anti-fracking activists by a factor of 24-to-1.

Nonetheless, greens feel ballot measures are among the best options in their political toolbox in a state where well-heeled oil and gas interests have managed to convince both Democratic and Republican politicians that whats good for their industry is good for the states economy.

The political system in Colorado is really aligned with the oil and gas industry, said Suzanne Spiegel, an organizer with Frack Free Colorado. She described the states Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, as incredibly supportive of fossil fuel interests. A former oil and gas geologist, Hickenlooper touts the industry as crucial to the state economy. He once claimed to have joined Halliburton executives in drinking one of the companys fracking fluids to demonstrate its safety. The governors office did not respond to a request for comment on this article.

For groups like Spiegels, ballot initiatives provide an alternative to a political system they see as in the pocket of the fracking industry. One of the great things about Colorado is that we currently have access to this channel of direct democracy, Spiegel said. But, she added, a victory for Amendment 71 would all but eliminate it.

Both liberal and conservative groups that rely on grass-roots organizing have united to oppose the measure. Oil and gas interests, meanwhile, have thrown in millions of dollars from their sophisticated political operations to make sure the amendment passes on Tuesday.

Fossil Fuels Grip on Colorado

The origins of the current political fight date back 2012, when the top two Colorado oil and gas companies, Anadarko and Noble Energy, geared up to challenge local opposition to fracking. Four Colorado towns were moving to ban fracking or place a moratorium on it. Longmont, Colorado had already succeeded in becoming the first town to do so earlier that year.

The fracking boom had hit the state several years before, and some Coloradans were alarmed by the speed at which wells seemed to be multiplying. According to the federal Energy Information Administration, natural gas production doubled in the state between 2001 and 2015, and oil production doubled between 2012 and 2014. With that came a flood of political donations from the oil and gas industry to state and local officials.

By 2014, when environmentalists began collecting signatures for two anti-fracking amendments (neither of which ultimately made it onto the ballot), the industry was fully mobilized. In addition to offering two pro-fracking ballot measures of their own, oil and gas interests set up a series of benignly named advocacy groups. Among these were Protecting Colorados Environment, Economy, and Energy Independence  often referred to as simply Protect Colorado  and Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED).

According to IRS filings (posted online here and here by Greenpeace), these two spent $27 million to promote the industry that year. A political strategist working with the groups, Mark Truax, attended a September 2015 meeting of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), where industry executives, lobbyists and regulators from around the US gather to discuss strategy. Truax outlined the political groups efforts on behalf of the pro-fracking measures, including a sophisticated voter outreach organization, according to a transcript of the meeting published in Boulder Weekly and made from a recording obtained by Greenpeace researcher Jesse Coleman.

On the recording, Truax touted the way the pro-oil and gas groups had targeted 3.9 million voters by demographic to win their sympathy toward fracking. He explained how the groups had built coalitions among businesses in the state and how the industry focused on electing pro-oil and gas city council members.

Industry representatives also worked closely with the state regulator, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The groups director, Matt Lepore, was present at the IOGCC meeting where Truax discussed strategy, and emails obtained by Greenpeaces Coleman through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Lepore and other regulatory officials met with CRED as the group was developing one of its outreach campaigns.

As a public agency, we make ourselves available to any interested party that wants to learn more  or ask about specific issues  related to the COGCCs work, said Todd Hartman, a spokesperson for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, in a statement to BillMoyers.com. As you might expect, wed push back very hard on the idea that the agency coordinates on communications efforts with the industry, he said, adding that COGCC meets monthly with a coalition of environmental groups.

Academic Dispute

To succeed, the oil and gas industry had to maintain the status quo. And in 2014, they did: No new towns passed fracking bans, and, as part of a compromise with Hickenlooper, environmentalists agreed to end their campaign to put anti-fracking ballot measures on the statewide ballot. As part of the compromise, however, Hickenlooper convened a task force to study ways in which Coloradans could have more input on fracking in their communities. Initially, fracking opponents were hopeful. The governors announcement of the Oil and Gas Task Force is the first step forward in solving the problem of fracking occurring anywhere and everywhere, said Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat whose congressional district includes Boulder.

But oil and gas interests already had been at work, commissioning researchers at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder to work on a series of studies that supported industry talking points. One study, underwritten by an industry-funded group called the Common Sense Policy Roundtable, along with two other groups not affiliated with the industry, declared that a moratorium on fracking would hurt the states economy. Another, commissioned and funded by the American Petroleum Institute, demonstrated that fracking had a positive economic impact on Colorado communities.

The reports got coverage in The Denver Post and The Colorado Springs Gazette, neither of which disclosed that the Common Sense Policy Roundtable was an industry group. When the relationship between the Leeds School researchers and the industry groups came to light, Bronson Hilliard, a spokesperson for the school at the time, told High Country Newsthat the researchers didnt know about the groups funding. CU-Boulder policy researchers are under no obligation to understand industry organizations financial ties or to report them, he wrote in a statement.

But emails between researchers and industry employees, obtained by Greenpeace and Boulder Weekly, appear to show that the industry weighed in as the study was being written, requesting revisions. I hope this new version is in line with what you envisioned We look forward to further feedback and comments, one CU-Boulder researcher said in an email sharing his findings with an API adviser. The emails also suggest a hope that the research would play a role in influencing the governors task force. The task forces legislative recommendations ultimately did little for activists who were seeking greater control of fracking in their own communities.

The End of Local Control

Though the ballot measures that anti-fracking activists championed in 2014 and the governors subsequent task force ultimately failed, towns were having some success banning fracking. By 2015, five Colorado communities as well as Boulder County had voted to implement local bans or moratoria on drilling. These sorts of bans represent a rare area of agreement between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton: Both have spoken in favor of local control  the idea that communities should be able to decide whether or not to approve fracking.

Im in favor of fracking, but I think that voters should have a big say in it, Trump told Denver television station KUSA. I mean, theres some areas, maybe, they dont want to have fracking. And I think if the voters are voting for it, thats up to them. Clinton has made similar statements, and that panicked oil and gas lobbyists, because the idea of local control has been so potent. In addition to the Colorado communities, New York and Maryland have both banned fracking, as have five counties in California.

But the Colorado communities bans were overturned this May when the states Supreme Court ruled that Colorado law does not allow for local control.

So this year, anti-fracking activists wanted to put a new cause on the ballot: A local control amendment to the state constitution that would allow towns to ban fracking. National groups such as 350.org, Food and Water Watch and Greenpeace lined up behind local groups efforts to put the measure on the ballot, along with one that would have required fracking operations to be roughly half a mile from homes.

Ultimately, however, Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, ruled that activists did not gather enough signatures to put these measures on the ballot. Activists handed in about 107,000 signatures  more than the 98,492 required. But Williams did not believe there were enough legitimate signatures to clear the bar. Advocates for the amendments decided they didnt have the resources to challenge that decision.

The industry had prepared for a long and hard fight, but by September, it was all over. So Noble Energy and Anadarko decided instead to pour their money into another initiative  one that would likely make it so they wouldnt be fighting new activist ballot initiatives every year going forward.

Raise the Bar

Amendment 71 first surfaced as a campaign by business leaders and politicians called Raise the Bar. But the idea had its genesis at least a year ago. Greenpeaces tapes of the September 2015 IOGCC meeting reveal a discussion about an initiative to change the actual ballot process itself. Mark Truax, the political strategist working with the oil- and gas-backed industry groups CRED and Protect Colorado, told the meeting participants, We are in the process of evaluating that right now.

Coloradans have long complained their ballot is cluttered with proposed amendments and referenda that the average citizen cannot be expected to know anything about. The number of measures on the Colorado ballot is often quite large, creating a genuine frustration among voters.

This is too much, Seth Masket, a University of Denver political science professor and commentator, wrote in Pacific Standardlast month, describing his four-page ballot that included 15 state and local initiatives. There are some legitimately interesting ones, including an increase in the minimum wage, the creation of a new public health care system, and switching from a closed caucus to an open primary in presidential nominations. But is the ballot really the right place to hammer these things out? Do I and other Colorado voters have the necessary expertise to decide whether a substantial restructure of our public-health system will be in the states best interests?

To bolster its argument for Amendment 71, Protect Colorado, one of the industry groups, has noted that most signatures on the recent anti-fracking ballot initiatives did not come from the regions where fracking is most intense, and argued that more communities should be involved in deciding what goes on the ballot.

But the big money behind the initiative is raising alarms beyond the environmental community. The Denver Post editorial board  a body that often writes in support of the oil and gas industry  recently published an editorial opposing Amendment 71 for that very reason. The campaign and the cause are the antithesis of grass roots, The Post wrote. The real muscle behind Raise the Bar is coming from the oil and gas industry.

They have a really good shot of winning this thing, honestly, said Frack Free Colorados Spiegel. Their marketing is great around it. Dont make it so easy to change the constitution  people will get behind that if they dont know where its coming from or why.

Activists are already planning to run another ballot measure campaign to try and legalize fracking bans in 2018. But if 71 gets adopted, said Spiegel, our job is going to be really hard.
Yves here. Wolf addresses a pet peeve, and even better, in long form.

By Wolf Richter, a San Francisco based executive, entrepreneur, start up specialist, and author, with extensive international work experience. Originally published at Wolf Street

Some falsehoods simply refuse to die. No matter how many times they get stabbed in the heart, and no matter who stabs them, they rise again in their full glory.

The falsehood that a vast amount of US corporate cash, including much of Apples $250 billion, is locked away overseas is one of them. Weve known since May 2013 from the Senate subcommittee investigation and hearings into Apples tax-dodge practices that a big part of corporate overseas cash is actually invested in the US.

Now Moodys Investor Services repeats the same falsehood and explicitly lobbies Congress to give our poor, multinational Corporate Titans with their hardscrabble businesses another tax break.

The biggest US non-financial companies that pay Moodys to rate their credit worthiness will increase their cash holdings to $1.77 trillion by the end of the year, from $1.68 trillion at the end of 2015, Moodys writes. And it goes on:

Most of the cash that companies have is generated and being held overseas. Moodys estimates that the amount of overseas cash will reach about $1.3 trillion, or 74% of total cash, in 2016. Thats up from an estimated $1.2 trillion, or 72% of total cash a year earlier.

For US tax purposes, these funds are classified as permanently invested overseas and thus are exempt from federal corporate income tax until theyre returned to the US. These overseas cash holdings have more than double in the last ten years, Moodys reports.

By contrast, US individuals have to pay federal income taxes on all their income, even income they earn from overseas sources while living overseas. The US is one of only a few countries that mistreats its citizens that way. But the largest corporations are coddled and get very special treatment.

On the forefront are our Tech Titans, which have on their books almost half of all cash held by US non-financial companies. These are the top five cash holders:

Apple

Microsoft

Google parent Alphabet

Cisco

Oracle

And this is what Moodys has to say about Apples wondrous cash hoard, much of it overseas:

Based on Apples reported results for its fiscal year that ended in September, Moodys projects the companys cash will exceed $250 billion by the end of calendar 2016, representing over 14% of total non-financial corporate cash.

And then it dives straight into tax lobbying, in behalf of its clients, directed straight at Congress:

Without tax reform that reduces the negative financial consequences of repatriating money to the US, we expect offshore cash levels to continue increasing, said Richard Lane, a Senior Vice President at Moodys.

The financial media jumped on the bandwagon and quoted this falsehood for mass consumption in order to pressure Congress to give our multinational corporate heroes another opportunity to dodge taxes, on top of the countless opportunities already written into the tax code for them that small businesses dont have access to.

But heres the thing. In May 2013, Apple got into a pickle because it had decided to fund its stock-buy-back and dividend program by taking on a record $17 billion in debt rather than repatriating part of its offshore cash and paying income taxes on it.

The Senate subcommittee investigation and hearings, chaired by Senator John McCain, showed that Apple had sheltered at least $74 billion from US income taxes between 2009 and 2012 by using a complex web of offshore mailbox companies. The investigation found untaxed offshore profits of $102 billion held by Irish subsidiaries  which Apple refused to repatriate in order to keep that income from being taxed in the US.

But according to the Senate report, Apple doesnt have to repatriate that moolah because its already in the US. The Irish mailbox subsidiaries, on whose books this money is for tax purposes, transferred it to Apples bank accounts in New York. The money is managed by an Apple subsidiary in Reno, Nevada, and is invested in all kinds of assets in the US. Apples accountants in Austin, Texas, keep the books,

Money doesnt stop at borders. Tax accounting does.

These revelations explained another corporate mystery that had long baffled economists. In 2004, after heavy lobbying by our Corporate Titans, Congress declared a repatriation holiday to encourage the return of $300 billion in overseas cash to be invested in the US. This would cause a burst of investment and hiring in the US, it was said. This was similar to what Moodys is now clamoring for on behalf of its clients, except this time, they want permanent tax reform rather than a one-time repatriation holiday.

So in 2004, our heroes made some adjustments on their books to repatriate these profits that were then taxed at the special and minuscule rate of 5.25%, less than the payroll taxes withheld from their US working stiffs.

And then nothing happened. There were no investments and no hiring and no benefits for the economy because the money had already been deployed in the US, as we now know. In May 2013, as a result of the Senate hearings, the New York Times summarized the 2004 phenomenon this way:

On the contrary, some of the companies that brought back the most money laid off thousands of workers, and a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research later concluded that 92 cents on every dollar was used for dividends, stock buybacks or executive bonuses.

This sort of repatriation holiday or tax reform would simply be a handout benefitting our Corporate Titans, but not the millions of smaller companies that dont have the resources to lobby Congress, make special deals with foreign governments, and create that complex web of offshore mailbox companies. Theyre too busy struggling on a daily basis in their dog-eat-dog world.

Subcommittee Chairman John McCain thundered in his opening statement of the hearings that it was unacceptable that corporations like Apple are able to exploit tax loopholes to avoid paying billions in taxes. Since then, nothing happened in Congress. The loophole wasnt closed. And the falsehoods that had been stabbed many times during the hearings have once again risen to shine in even greater glory, with Moodys adding some additional sparkle.

Hot air keeps hissing out of IPOs. Read What the Hecks Wrong with This Market? Biggest IPO of the Year Sags to New Low
NASCAR championship contenders have plenty of ARCA Menards Series experience The Championship 4 have been set for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the contenders in each series all have plenty of experience  and in most cases success  within the ARCA Menards Series platform.
To avoid GMOs, go organic

GMO tracking: What a concept!

(NaturalNews) The Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that the country's new tracking codes have allowed it to determine for the first time that 97 percent of soybeans imported into Taiwan come from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).In July, the Taiwanese FDA implemented new commodity codes to differentiate GMO from non-GMO soybeans. Analysis of the data collected since then revealed that nearly all imported soybeans were GMO, and that most of them were used to make cooking oil.The new codes were in part a response to repeated requests by consumer organizations and legislators that the FDA implement better controls for tracking the importation, distribution and use of GMO foods The Taiwanese numbers are not particularly surprising, as the world's top soybean-exporting countries have been avid adopters of GMO soy. They are also fairly similar to the numbers from the United States, where more than 90 percent of all soybeans and more than 85 percent of all corn grown have been genetically modified.Soybeans tend to be genetically modified for herbicide resistance, while corn tends to be modified for herbicide resistance, to produce thepesticide in its tissues, or both. Herbicide-resistant crops are grown using such high quantities of these toxic chemicals that elevated herbicide residues end up in human food.Because soy and corn are then sold to large distributors who mix together the products of different harvests for processing or resale, essentially all non-organic soy and corn products in the United States contain GMOs. The Grocery Manufacturers of America estimates that 80 percent of all processed food sold in the United States contains at least one GMO ingredient.Taiwan's FDA announced that it has added new codes to differentiate GMO from non-GMO corn, sweet corn, beets and canola, and now requires all of these products (including soy) to undergo mandatory inspection before being used in food The agency uses a total of 2,485 commodity codes to track ingredients through the food stream, allowing it to ensure that products are used only for approved uses, and allowing easy recalls if problems are discovered.This high-regulation approach to GMOs is reminiscent of the one used in the European Union (EU), where the population is highly skeptical of frankenfoods . EU law also requires tracking of all GMO products through every stage of the supply chain. This is the basis of its mandatory food labeling laws, which requires all GMO ingredients to be clearly identified on ingredient labels as "genetically modified" or "produced from genetically modified [name of the organism]." Non-packaged products such as fresh produce must also be clearly identified as GMO , such as by a label on the supermarket shelf.The EU's skeptical approach also extends to its process for approving new GMOs. While stopping short of an outright ban, the EU forces every new GMO to be treated as a novel food that must prove its safety (as opposed to the United States, where a food automatically receives approval unless proven unsafe, and many GMOs are now exempted from testing). Unsurprisingly, far fewer GMOs have been approved in Europe.The EU also allows member states to ban GMOs. A total of 19 European countries have banned GMO cultivation within all or part of their borders.Both approaches stand in stark contrast to the United States, where President Obama recently signed a law known by critics as the Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act. The DARK Act bans all local GMO-labeling initiatives, such as the measure passed by the state of Vermont. Instead, it directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a completely voluntary labeling initiative sometime in the next three years.This "labeling" measure will require consumers to use smartphones to scan QR codes on every single product they are looking at. It also exempts 95 percent of GMO ingredients from being labeled, including all Bt and "Roundup Ready" GMOs.Ninety percent of the U.S. population supports mandatory GMO labeling.
A crack in Earth's magnetic shield has been spotted by researchers at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The researchers were able to identify the crack analyzing the data gathered by India's GRAPES-3 muon telescope.

The news has caused panic among people, thinking that the protective layer of our earth is slowly vanishing. But how true is this?

According to Wired, the fissure which was first discovered in 2015, has let galactic cosmic rays leak into the Earth's atmosphere and caused huge geomagnetic storms in the northern hemisphere. The increased amount of cosmic rays penetrating our atmosphere has led to disrupted communication signals and knocked out radio signals.

The event, according to Science Alert is one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms in recent history.

In fact, results of the researchers' numerous simulations show that the cosmic bombardment, with speed of about 2.5 million kilometers per hour, was so unyielding, it caused a severe compression of the magnetosphere, forcing it to shrink from 11 to 4 times the radius of Earth.

"Earth's magnetic field deflects most cosmic rays, protecting living things from harmful radiation. But large geomagnetic storms can reconfigure this protective shield, opening up weak spots that let radiation and cosmic rays slip through. This vulnerability can occur when magnetized plasma from the Sun deforms Earth's magnetic field, stretching its shape at the poles and diminishing its ability to deflect charged particles," Katherine Wright explains on the American Physical Society website.



Science Explorer said that solar storms can cause major disruption to human civilization because it will interrupt technology and damage infrastructure. While, it is dangerous for the astronauts who are in space, there is no direct threat for the people on earth, unless the radiation bombardment ensues in the long run which may result to changing climate and drive up rates of cancer.



The researchers said there is nothing much we can do to repair the crack but we can study the crack to make us more ready in case more of it will occur in the future.

The research has been published in Physical Review Letters.
Is this real life or a plot for a new adventure movie? The 75-year-old Mount Rushmore is easily recognizable throughout the world, but until recently, few people knew about the massive room hidden deep inside the iconic stone image of the four famous American presidents.

The secret chamber in the hills of South Dakota was included in the original plans of Mount Rushmore, according to a report from the Huffington Post. It's actually meant to be a "Hall of Records", a museum behind the images that was abandoned and now sits as an empty cavern.

The Hall of Records was envisioned by Danish-American designer Gutzon Borglum to extend 80 by 100 feet with a grand 800-foot staircase leading to it.

The room was meant to house important, historically significant documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, a report from History revealed. Instead, anyone who stumbles upon this remarkable secret would face an empty room. All that remains are leftovers from its construction: holes for dynamite blasting and red numbers painted by the designer as instructions.

Borglum wanted the chamber-slash-museum to be able to explain the meaning of Mount Rushmore - for future generations, civilizations, and maybe even interplanetary visitors.

"You might as well drop a letter into the world's postal service without an address or signature, as to send that carved mountain into history without identification," he explained in writing. Although the mountains in South Dakota ended up one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States, 75 years ago Borglum thought it was possible people might forget its significance. "Each succeeding civilization forgets its predecessor. Civilizations are ghouls."

He added, "Into this room the records of what our people aspired to and what they accomplished should be collected, and on the walls of this room should be cut the literal record of conception of our republic; its successful creation; the record of its westward movement to the Pacific; its presidents; how the Memorial was built, and frankly, why."

Sadly, Borglum never saw the completion of the Hall of Records, or even Mount Rushmore, which was finished by his son Lincoln seven months after the designer's death. Instead, four generations of his family gathered in 1998 to compile 16 porcelain enamel panels with the words of the Declaration of Independence, biographies and histories of the memorial and the country. These were placed inside a teakwood box and titanium vault, buried, and covered with a black granite capstone engraved with a quote by Borglum.

Not many people can see this particular national treasure; tourists are not allowed because of safety and security concerns.
Malcolm Robinson, the founder of Strange Phenomena Investigations which carries out UFO & Paranormal research has recently revealed that government is not telling everything they know about aliens.

According to Daily Star, a source within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed to Robinson that the government is not even telling half of the truth.

"The governments of this world - including Britain - know far more than they are letting on, that's for sure," Robinson told Daily Star.

As reported by Mail, the MoD has operated a UFO desk for 30 years, but in 2009, they stopped operating because the MoD is allegedly not producing helpful output to the country's defence and is only taking resources and staff away from more valuable activities. The findings collected in the last two years of its operation are publicly available on the National Archives website, including UFO sightings in 1970 and 1971. There are 25 files containing 4,400 pages.

The National Archives holds other UFO files that have already been released by the MoD.

One page in the collected file includes a letter written by two young boys in Staffordshire.

"We want you, come with us," were the terrifying words coming out of the lemon-shaped head," the letter read.

There are also some sketches of UFO from a recorded sighting. Some of the sketches include descriptions about the color of the lights emitted by the mysterious aircraft and its height.

As a paranormal investigator who has been seeking the truth about aliens for decades, Robinsons called for government to launch an inquiry into clusters of sightings, including cold case police files from Bonnybridge, Scotland which revealed at least 300 sightings.

"The Ministry of Defence have slowly released governmental files about sightings in the UK," he said.

"Declassified docs in the US have also been released which clearly show that the NSA were in cahoots with other nation's governments - and knew exactly what was going on."
Officials say a Sacramento police officer was arrested at a hotel on suspicion of having illegal drugs while armed.

The Sacramento Police Department announced Saturday colleagues arrested 45-year-old Isaac Richard Knutila Friday night at a Sacramento hotel.

The department says it received information October 13 that Knutila was possibly involved in "prostitution-related activity."

Detectives issued a search warrant of Knutila and his property and at the time of his arrest found he was in possession of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and over an ounce of marijuana as well as his police-issued gun.

The 16-year veteran faces a felony count for having illegal drugs with his loaded gun off-duty, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's Department records. Knutila also faces four drug-related misdemeanor charges.

Knutila was booked in the Sacramento County main jail Saturday morning and his bail was set at $10,000.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Shovels in hand, local leaders, volunteers and the family of a slain San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officer gathered in Southcrest Saturday to plant trees  trees that will grow to protect the community that he so dearly loved to serve.

These trees will help to act as his living legacy, said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer at the event dedicated to SDPD Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman. They are our lasting tribute to his service and to his sacrifice for our great city.

Raw video of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer talking about a series of trees being planted at Southcrest Community Park in honor of fallen SDPD Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman.

De Guzmans widow and his two children, as well as SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman, helped plant the first Torrey Pine honoring De Guzman in Southcrest Community Park at 3999 Z St.  one of 17 new drought-tolerant trees that will fill an area that will come to be known as the Jonathan JD De Guzman Grove.

When this tree grows  and it will continue to grow for decades upon decades  its going to be robust, and its going to be tall, and its going to help protect the families that come here from the elements, from the hot sun, the rain, Zimmerman told NBC 7.

Its going to provide protection, and thats exactly what Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman did  he went out and protected and served every single day. And he paid the ultimate sacrifice, the chief of police added.

NBC 7 San Diego

Zimmerman said the location of the trees  right in the heart of Southcrest  is near the scene of where De Guzman was gunned down while on duty on the night of July 28, 2016. That spot was chosen because he loved serving the community of Southcrest.

Parks inspire a sense of community  a sense of family. So when families come here, theyre going to be able to have their hopes and dreams here for a better future. And Officer Jonathan JD De Guzman gave his life to protect our community, Zimmerman said.

JD was a true hero, Faulconer added before planting the trees. He made the choice every single day to put the well-being of others before himself.

The deadly shooting of De Guzman this past summer shook San Diego to its core. The city has rallied time and time again to support the fallen officer's family.

De Guzman and his partner, SDPD Officer Wade Irwin, were gunned down on the job while on Acacia Grove Way. Irwin stopped suspect Jesse Michael Gomez, 52, and asked if he lived in the area.

[G] San Diego Mourns Slain SDPD Officer Jonathan De Guzman

Gomez opened fire at point-blank range at both officers, shooting Irwin in the throat and hitting De Guzman with multiple bullets. The attack happened so quickly, prosecutors said De Guzman never even had a chance to draw his service weapon.

De Guzman was a 16-year veteran of the SDPD, beloved by his colleagues and family. In 2003, the officer survived a stabbing while on duty, and was awarded a Purple Heart by the department for his valor. Zimmerman said that even after that incident, De Guzman eagerly returned to the force and his passion to protect the public never wavered.

Saturdays tree planting ceremony for the officer was hosted by Tree San Diego, One San Diego and Urban Corps. Faulconer said the new trees in Southcrest are part of the citys plan to build greener neighborhoods across San Diego, and part of a commitment to plant 1,800 new trees across the city this year alone.
Kirk Ryan Kimberly, an 18-year-old found dead in a shallow grave near Sonoma State University Wednesday night, suffered multiple stab wounds, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives, who continue to piece together evidence around the clock, said on Saturday that they do not believe that Sonoma State students had anything to do with the attack on the Cotati resident. Police added that the violent act was not random and was an "isolated incident."

Further specifics regarding the attack were not made available by authorities.

Kimberly had been missing since Oct. 17, when he was last seen leaving Cotati on his white bicycle to meet a friend in Rohnert Park, according to the Cotati Police Department.

He graduated from Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park last year and had been working at a local pizza shop ever since.

Kimberly's friend Gema Ramirez described the teen as having "a really humble smile and bright eyes."

For the last three days, Ramirez said she kept hoping it wasn't her friend who had died.

But her worst fears were confirmed Thursday night.

"I hope that he wasn't in pain," Ramirez said.

Who would have killed Kimberly and why has not been revealed. However, the preliminary cause of death "is at the hands of another," the sheriff's office said, and investigators are treating it as a homicide.

"I think he was having some issues, some personal issues," said Sgt. Spencer Crum.

Anyone who has information about Kimberlys disappearance or has knowledge of the incident is asked to call Detective Horsman of the Sheriffs Violent Crimes Unit at 707-565-2185.
San Francisco police have arrested a University of San Francisco nursing student for possessing more than 600 child pornography videos and photos, some of which included toddlers who were not yet 3 years old.

The suspect, Sam Kerfoot, 20, was taken into custody on Nov. 3 on the university campus, with assistance from USFs Department of Public Safety. Police also executed a search warrant on Kerfoots dorm room and seized evidence.

Kerfoot was booked into the San Francisco County Jail and faces a slew of felony charges, including possession, distribution, and production of child pornography, and sending harmful matter to seduce a minor, police said.

Police said they were tipped off to Kerfoots activities in September when they learned of someone uploading and storing child pornography.

An investigation is ongoing and people with information are asked to call the police departments anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
A 10-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after being shot in Hartford Sunday afternoon.

Hartford police Lt. Paul Cicero said that officers responded to a report of shots fired at 247 Branford Street around 3:45 p.m. and found the girls father loading her into a car. She was taken to Saint Francis Hospital then transported to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center where she is listed in guarded but stable condition. She has not been identified.

No one else was struck by the gunfire and the victims family is cooperating with police.

A witness reported that the shots came from a black vehicle that fled east on Branford Street. Police are looking for a dark colored Honda that may have been involved in the shooting. Police do not have any suspects at this time.

Saint Francis Hospital was locked down when the patient arrived. Hospital spokeswoman Fiona Phelan said it is standard protocol to lockdown the hospital when a patient shows up with a gunshot wound. The lockdown was lifted at 5 p.m. after the child was taken to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center.

Hartford police Major Crimes detectives are investigating. Anyone with information should contact police at 860-757-4179.
A southwest Florida man has been indicted on charges related to the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl and her mother's roommate 26 years ago.

The News Press reports that a grand jury formally charged 54-year-old Joseph Zieler on Thursday with two counts of first-degree murder. He also faces sexual battery and burglary charges.

Authorities say the bodies of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and 32-year-old Lisa Story were found in a Cape Coral apartment in May 1990. Robin's mother had been out for the night and discovered the suffocated bodies when she returned the next morning. Investigators haven't reported any prior connection between Zieler and the victims.

Zieler was being held in the Lee County jail on an unrelated assault charge in September when authorities say his DNA matched the old murders.

A telephone message left with the public defender's office wasn't immediately returned.
Donald Trump was rushed off stage at a rally in Reno, Nevada, Saturday night while in the middle of a speech after someone shouted "gun," Secret Service officials said.

No weapon was subsequently found, the agency said in a statement released roughly 90 minutes after the incident. A man was escorted from the rally in handcuffs by police.

The man who was removed, who identified himself as Austyn Crites, later told reporters that he is a lifelong Republican and only tried to hold up a sign that said "Republicans Against Trump."

The Secret Service said the 9:05 p.m. ET incident came amid a commotion in the crowd. The Republican presidential nominee was quickly hustled off the stage.

He returned to the stage roughly five minutes later, appearing unharmed.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped," Trump said upon returning, thanking the Secret Service agents and continuing with his speech where he left off.

[NATL] Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail

About half an hour after the incident, Trump's campaign released a statement from the candidate:

"I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response. I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us - we will make America great again!"

After the Reno event, Trump made another campaign stop in Denver, Colorado. He did not mention the Reno incident at the Colorado rally, which was his fourth stop on Saturday. He said Clinton's many campaign stops indicates she is worried about losing support.

"She's going all over the place. She was supposed to be home sleeping," he said. Trump also praised the FBI for announcing it would be looking into more of Clinton's emails, criticized the language used by Jay Z at a Clinton rally Friday and urged the crowd to get their votes in by deadline.

"Otherwise they'll say, Gee whiz, it got there 14 minutes late,' and they won't count it," he said.
Most Americans will cast their votes without any problems on Election Day, but some may be challenged on their voting eligibility, experience or witness voter intimidation, or have trouble finding the right polling place.

There have been reports of several voting issues across the U.S. during early voting: A Texas judge ordered local election officials in San Antonio to stop incorrectly telling voters that photo ID is required to cast a ballot; an Iowa woman was charged with voter fraud after she allegedly voted for Donald Trump a second time; and civil rights advocates in North Carolina said voters were illegally dropped from registration lists after their eligibility was challenged.

The nations largest nonpartisan coalition of more than 100 organizations, led by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, has been fielding voters complaints from across the country since the primaries. The coalition will ramp up its efforts on Election Day, bringing 4,500 legal volunteers and 2,500 grassroots volunteers to help answer questions from voters calling into their Election Protection hotline.

[NATL] Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail

They can be reached at 866-OUR-VOTE (English only), 888-VE-Y-VOTA (English/Spanish) and 888-API-VOTE (English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog).

Were bracing for a higher volume of calls on Elections Day and remain vigilant, said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director at the Lawyers Committee. We want to ensure that voters are able to cast their ballot free from discrimination and harassment.

Heres what you should know before heading to the polls:

Am I ready to vote?:

Among the most frequently asked questions from people calling the Election Protection hotline over the years are: Am I registered? Where do I vote? What do I need to bring with me?

Voting laws vary from state to state and before casting a ballot voters should verify that they are registered to vote at their current address, find out where their polling place is and ensure they have the proper form of identification required by state law  if ID is even required. People who moved recently and did not change their address for voting purposes may face additional obstacles in getting to the right voting place or will have to cast a provisional ballot, instead. Contact your local board of elections to ensure youre registered to vote and check out this vote prep plan. Google has also made it easy to find out where your polling place is.

Still confused? Call the hotline.

Were on the phones, but were also sitting in front of the computer and we can help people in real time by finding their voter information, said Adam Laughton, an associate at Seyfarth Shaw law firm who will serve as a call center captain in Houston, Texas.

He added that local election board websites often get overwhelmed on Election Day, so calling the hotline can be the quickest way to access voter registration information. Election Protection volunteers can also be found at many polling places and there are lawn signs in front of polling sites advertising the hotline.

Voter ID Laws:

Voter ID laws vary from state to state and a recent national survey found that Americans are confused about voter ID laws. According to the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, some voters live in states that do not require identification to vote but think it is needed. Others live in states that require IDs but mistakenly believe they do not need one to vote, the survey found.

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Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have no identification requirement, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Twenty-two states request identification but provide conditions that permit voters without it to cast a ballot without requirements to confirm identity. That means voters can cast a provisional ballot or sign an affidavit of identity in order to vote. Ten remaining states have strict identification requirements. Check your state's requirements before heading to the polls as there have been changes to some states voter ID laws.

In the summer of 2013 the Supreme Court eliminated a vital provision of the Voting Rights Act, triggering more than a dozen state legislatures to pass restrictive voter ID laws. Federal courts across the U.S. have overturned, challenged or blocked some of those laws.

With millions of votes already cast in the U.S. presidential election pointing to an advantage for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in critical battleground states, as well as signs of strength in traditionally Republican territory, both candidates were pushing get-out-the-vote efforts Thursday in the key swing states of Ohio and North Carolina.

One such example is the Texas voter identification law. A federal appeals court loosened ID rules in July, allowing voters to present alternative documentation such as a voter registration certificate or a utility bill and sign a document affirming a reasonable difficulty in obtaining a photo ID. Despite the ruling, voting rights groups say not all polling locations are relaying that message.

Laughton said incorrect printed instructions about the voter ID law were posted in polling places in San Antonio and the hotline has been fielding calls from confused voters and poll workers across the state.

"Poll workers just dont have the grasp on the final points of the law and how its changed or the workaround the court put in place," he said.

Voters Being Challenged:

A voters eligibility can be questioned before they complete and cast a ballot by voter challengers at polling sites, according to the Lawyers Committee. The voting challengers might be appointed by political parties or other organizations, depending on state law. These voter challenges are often fraught with discriminatory practices and can intimidate qualified voters from voting, the Lawyers Committee said.

As Hillary Clinton traverses battleground states across the country in the final stretch of the presidential election, Donald Trump took a detour from the campaign trail for the ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday of his Washington, D.C. hotel  but his remarks made clear the race to the White House was not far from mind. Trump claims the hotel is a...

Generally speaking, your identity your citizenship, whether youve already voted, those are all reasons someone can properly challenge a voter, said Adam Humann, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis law firm in New York which is running one of the Election Protection call centers. Things like race, ethnicity, gender  those are not proper basis to challenge a voter.

Each state has a different procedure for how to overcome a challenge. The Lawyers Committee recommends that if someone is challenged at a polling site they should contact the hotline so an attorney could walk them through the process.

The first thing is to remain calm and recognize that in every state theres a legitimate basis for people to challenge voters and thats done to protect the integrity of the system, Humann said. There should be election officials on site who can assist if there are voter challenge issues and heres a lot of resources if youre worried that people are making improper challenges or acting improperly.

Voter Intimidation:

Theres a history of voter intimidation in past U.S. elections and this year may not be any different. According to Clarke, voters have been calling the Election Protection hotline with complaints that they felt intimidated when showing up to vote early. In Texas, Laughton said, there have been instances of unofficial poll workers and campaign volunteers telling voters at a polling places to go to a non-existent polling site.

Footage shows towering flames in San Francisco as crews battle a fire caused by a gas explosion.

We encourage people to call our hotline even if it doesnt personally affect them but they see something wrong at the polling place, if its intimidating signs, presence, or poll workers acting inappropriately, Laughton said. He added that volunteers can contact a county attorneys office which may direct deputies to go to a polling place if theres a disruptive situation.

The Lawyers Committee suggests the following steps when met with voter intimidation: First, do not engage. Second, continue inside and make sure you vote. Then notify a poll worker or official. Third, call the Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). From there, concerned voters can pass along info and local polling officials will be notified and take the proper next steps.

In addition to answering the hotlines, the coalition has representatives on the ground at polling places in 28 states. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which supports state and county election officials, will be monitoring for voter fraud and disruptive election behavior.

Provisional Ballots:

If a voter is not able to cast a regular ballot because their name is not appearing on the registration list at the polling place, the voter does not have a required form of voter identification, or an election official challenges the voters eligibility, they should cast a provisional ballot.

After a voter has cast a provisional ballot, election officials determine whether or not to count the provisional ballot by verifying the voters eligibility. Depending on the state, a voter might have to take additional steps to verify eligibility in order for the provisional ballot to count.

According to the Lawyers Committee, many poll workers are improperly trained to handle provisional ballots, and may fail to inform voters of their right to it. They can also mistakenly misinform an eligible voter entitled to cast a regular ballot that the voter must instead cast provisional ballot.

A provisional ballot is the last resort, said Laughton. They will be counted several days after the election.

There are no clear and uniform standards for counting provisional ballots, according to the Lawyers Committee and many states do not count provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, while others do. Provisional ballots can also be rejected if the voter is not registered to vote, the voter did not complete or sign the provisional ballot or the voter did not provide sufficient identification.

Problems With Voting Machines:

There are various types of new and old voting machines being used across the U.S. and if you see a machines malfunctioning, alert a poll worker or call the Election Protection hotline.

Anyone using an electronic voting machine, kind of like an ATM, make sure it has registered your vote for the candidate you intended to vote for before you press that last button to submit your vote, said Marjorie Lindblom, a retired partner at Kirkland & Ellis and the former national co-chair of the Lawyers' Committee. Just always check to make sure your vote is going to count correctly.

When Kevin Leighty went to get the paper Friday morning, he noticed something was off with the Donald Trump sign he and his wife had put in the front yard of their Platteville, Wisconsin, home. The frame holding it was there, but there was no sign. They reviewed surveillance video from cameras they have on their house, and found a...

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raised suspicions in late October about the voting machines in Texas despite producing no evidence of an actual problem.

"A lot of call-ins about vote flipping at the voting booths in Texas. People are not happy. BIG lines. What is going on?" Trump said in a tweet.

But Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos, a Republican, said that there was no evidence of vote-flipping, a term that's used to describe a correctable technical glitch on older electronic voting machines.

Loughton said if a voter notices a lot of machines down, the line getting long, and poll workers not acting to resolve it, report the problem to the Election Protection hotline. Long lines can mean theres a high turnout or that a county has done a poor job planning and didnt get enough machines and poll workers, he said.

Another issue that's come up in early voting this year are voter selfies. Nineteen states prohibit posting photos of ballots and voting laws for ballot selfies are unclear in a dozen states, according to reports.

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In its final episode of the 2016 presidential election campaign cycle, Saturday Night Lives Kate McKinnon and special guest Alec Baldwin came together for one last cold-open face-off as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

There was no debate or real-life joint appearance for the show to riff off this week, so it had the candidates take each other on via a cable news talking heads show hosted by Cecily Strong.

The candidates played off of the latest campaign talking points, most notably on the recent attention drawn to Clintons emails and on Trump's possibly-cozy relationships with the FBI, Vladimir Putin and white nationalists. But about halfway through the opening sketch Baldwin broke character, and joined with Mckinnon to satirize the cynicism that has gripped the country during the election.

"I'm sorry Kate, I just hate yelling all this stuff at you like this," Baldwin said.

"I know, right? This whole election has just been so mean," McKinnon responded.

The two then join hands and parade out of NBC studios into Times Square where they hug strangers. They make it back onto the SNL stage at the end of the skit, and urge Americans to vote on Tuesday.

Host Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange) sang his opening monologue, a take off a James Bond-style theme song. He was cast in a variety of sketches throughout the episode, taking on roles like sexually open American stage magician and Benedict Cumberbatch on a game show.

The show's Weekend Update segment, much like the real news, was centered around the impending U.S. election this week.

Anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che welcomed a surprise special guest commentator to weigh in on which candidate is really the lesser of two evils.

And to lighten the mood even more, three of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs made guest appearances, singing in a barber shop quartet with a famous Cubs fan/SNL alum as their fourth.

The Cubs had already made their surprise appearance earlier in the episode, along with Cumberbatch, in a sketch that had them all grinding on an unconscious grandma.

Musical guest Solange performed two songs from her latest album A Seat at the Table: Cranes in the Sky and Dont Touch My Hair.

Next weeks SNL will be hosted by Dave Chappelle with musical guest A Tribe Called Quest.
Surveillance video was released Monday showing an explosion at a Miami gas station caused by a collision.

Miami Police and Fire Rescue responded to the deadly incident overnight Sunday. A white BMW struck a gas pump causing the vehicle to burst into flames.

At around 4 a.m., Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Miami Police responded to fatal crash located at Northwest 27 Avenue and Northwest 17 Street.

A witness described the terrifying moments after impact, "It was total chaos. People were just panicking. The car was on fire, blazing, " said Joel Michel.

A Miami police officer was able to remove two occupants of the car that was on fire before Fire Rescue arrived, authorities say. Investigators say Felix Ramos, 22, was in the driver seat and transported to Ryder Trauma Center. His passenger was identified as 22-year-old Xavier Fabian. He was also taken to the hospital. Both men remain in critical, but stable condition.

"Witnesses say good samaritans, including Miami police, pulled two 22-year-old men from the car just in time," said Miami Fire Captain Ignatius Carroll.

Fire Rescue crews extinguished the fire and disconnected all power to the gas pumps.

Officials say an SUV was also involved in the crash. The SUV was found about a block away from the incident with two people inside. Police say the driver, 38-year-old Eric Barahona, and his passenger, 40-year-old Howard Lara were both killed in the crash.

Police believe speed and wet roads were a factor. Both vehicles were traveling in opposite directions.

Two other vehicles were involved in the accident to avoid the debis, but the occupants were not transported.
A 23-year-old woman was found stabbed inside a bathroom in Brooklyn Bridge Park Friday evening after an argument with an ex-boyfriend turned violent.

The argument started near Water and Washington Streets before eventually migrating to the park between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9:50 p.m., authorities said. When the victim tried to call the police, he snatched her cellphone.

"If you don't take me back, no one will have you," police say the suspect allegedly told the 23-year-old.

The suspect then stabbed the victim multiple times, including once in her left forearm and the right side of her lower back. Authorities say he also punched and strangled her during the nearly three-hour altercation.

The victim then persuaded her assailant to walk with her to the park bathroom, where two good samaritans allegedly spotted her and called for help, police said.

Police arrested Fernando Perez on Saturday in connection with the stabbing. The 26-year-old was charged with felony assault, felony strangulation, grand larceny, criminal possession of a weapon and stolen property.

The victim was taken to Methodist Hospital and is expected to survive the attack, NYC Park Advocates reports.
Two men participating in the Million Mask March in Washington, D.C., have been arrested for vandalizing federal property and the Trump International Hotel, police say.

D.C. police officers found several buildings and sidewalks in the area had been vandalized with spray paint, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, and the Trump hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, about 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Two people have been arrested for vandalizing the new Trump hotel and the FBI building in the District. News4s Darcy Spencer reports the men arrested were part of the Million Mask March.

A neon green "X" covered the FBI emblem, and the word "corrupt" and images of masks were spray-painted on sidewalks and a column at the FBI building. At the hotel, someone spray-painted the steps and the message, "We Suck," near the entrance. The front doors of the hotel also have scratch marks, according to the police.

DC police say FBI building vandalized during #millionmaskmarch today. Live report ahead at 6. pic.twitter.com/d5TQRtpXfH  Darcy Spencer (@darcyspencer) November 5, 2016

A Metropolitan Police Department cruiser was also damaged by demonstrators, police said.

Eric Roberts, 27, of Florida, was arrested and charged with defacing government property and resisting arrest. Police said they confiscated several cans of spray paint and stencils from Roberts.

Police also arrested Danny Hamilton, 35, of Louisiana, and charged him with destruction of D.C. government property and resisting arrest.

It wasn't immediately clear if they had attorneys to represent them.

Thousands were protesting capitalism in the Million Mask March in cities throughout the world, according to activist network Anonymous. Marchers are wearing maskes "to protest corruption, censorship, inequality and war," Anonymous said on Twitter.

Video from one demonstrator shows D.C. police and protesters clashing:
Iraqi special forces cleared buildings on Saturday in neighborhoods they entered in eastern Mosul a day earlier, losing some ground in counterattacks after pushing out Islamic State militants in their drive to take back the city.

Here is a look at the main developments on the 19th day of the Mosul Offensive:

COUNTERATTACK

Islamic State group fighters launched counterattacks in the thin strip of territory Iraqi special forces have recaptured, emerging from populated areas deeper in the city to target the troops with mortars and suicide car bombs.

The extremists also attacked farther into territory Iraqi forces claim to control, pushing back some gains along the southern edge of the Gogjali district that Iraqi forces declared "liberated" on Wednesday.

Fighting continued in the morning, with both sides firing mortars and automatic weapons on each other's positions, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Clashes were most intense in the al-Bakr neighborhood. Sniper duels played out from rooftops in the mostly residential areas, where the majority of buildings are two stories high.

SOUTHERN APPROACHES FORTIFIED

More evidence of the daunting fortifications emerged on Saturday, with satellite images showing that IS has set up defenses to bog down advancing forces, including rows of concrete barricades, earth berms and rubble blocking key routes leading to the center of the city.

The images taken Monday and made public by Stratfor, a private intelligence firm based in Austin, Texas, also showed that IS fighters have cleared terrain and leveled buildings around Mosul airport and a nearby former military base on the west bank of the Tigris. The defenses "will pose a substantial tactical challenge" to advancing Iraqi troops as they make their way toward central Mosul, the firm said.

NORTHWARD SLOG

Advances toward Mosul have been slower from the south, with government troops still some 20 miles (35 kilometers) away, yet some advances are being made. Iraqi forces assaulted IS positions in the town of Hamam al-Alil on Saturday, which lies along the Tigris river about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the southernmost parts of Mosul.

Kurdish television channel Rudaw broadcast live footage of Iraqi troops and armored vehicles amassing outside the city as an attack helicopter fired rockets into the city.

Truckloads full of as many as 1,600 civilians may have been forcibly moved from Hamam al-Alil to Tal Afar earlier this week and may be transferred onward into Syria for possible use as human shields, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights warned Friday. Another 150 families from the town were moved to Mosul itself, the U.N. said.
UPDATE: Sources told NBC10 early Monday morning that SEPTA and the union reached a deal. DETAILS HERE.

The city of Philadelphia filed a motion in state court Sunday seeking an injunction to temporarily halt the SEPTA strike for Election Day.

"On November 8, 2016, hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians will cast ballots for President, Senator, and other important offices. The City has a legal responsibility to ensure that Philadelphians can exercise their constitutional right to vote," said City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante.

City officials say they are requesting an injunction for Election Day only and are not requesting a permanent injunction.

"Though there are extensive efforts to minimize the effect of any transit strike on Election Day, unquestionably, such an Election-Day strike will make it practically impossible for many Philadelphians to participate in this election," Tulante said. "While there is still time for SEPTA and TWU to resolve the strike before Election Day, the Law Department must act now to ensure that as many Philadelphia residents as possible can vote without disruption. As a result, we are asking the Court for temporary relief."

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced he intends to file a brief in support of an injunction to end the strike completely.

"Due to the inability of SEPTA and TWU to reach a compromise, I will file an amicus brief in support of the immediate injunction pending before the court to ensure that the system is fully operational and able to serve the individuals who rely solely on SEPTA for their transportation needs," Wolf said in a released statement Sunday. "This strike has been devastating for so many individuals and their families and has created extreme hardships for the city and for businesses. The time for it to end is now.

SEPTA late Friday filed a request for a court injunction, saying the strike is threatening public safety and will interfere with Election Day voting. A judge delayed a ruling and will take additional testimony on Monday.

The union's 4,700 workers walked off the job after midnight Oct. 31, shutting down transit service that provides about 900,000 rides a day. In his statement Sunday, Wolf described the impact the strike was having on Philadelphia.

Over the last several weeks, I have had multiple conversations with both SEPTA and TWU and urged them to come together and reach a fair agreement," he wrote. "Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents rely on SEPTA to travel each day to and from work and school, and to the grocery store and medical appointments among other needs."

"It is clear that both sides have failed to reach an agreement and the work stoppage has crippled the City of Philadelphias transportation system. It has become not only an issue that is impacting the ability of the elderly and individuals with disabilities to access care, and students to receive an education, but it is also one that has grave economic consequences for both the city and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The strike is also unfair to the workers who want to return to do the job they were trained to do and to serve the people of Pennsylvania."

On Saturday Transport Workers Union local president Willie Brown accused SEPTA of relying on the courts to end the strike, which began Tuesday, instead of bargaining on pensions and other issues.

We cant get anywhere at the bargaining table because SEPTA has pinned their hopes on getting an injunction to end the strike, Brown wrote in a released statement. SEPTA Board Chairman Pat Deons plan all along has been to rely on the courts rather than negotiations. He is the one using the election as leverage. This is not the way to end a strike or get an agreement. Its foolhardy to launch a legal Hail Mary pass designed to make SEPTAs high-priced lawyers richer and circumvent the collective bargaining process.

Brown called on management to stop stalling.

We need to finish bargaining on the pension fund in particular, Brown wrote. We have nearly 5,000 workers in our union, SEPTA employs roughly 1,700 managers, yet they put more money into the management plan than frontline workers get. On top of that last year SEPTA secretly gave each management retiree a $6,000 annual increase in their pension checks. Managers have both a defined benefit pension and a generous match to a 401k plan.

SEPTA spokeswoman Carla Showell Lee responded to Browns statement.

SEPTA has been at the table willing to negotiate with the TWU all day, she said. TWU was due to present a proposal at 1 p.m. Saturday. It was not presented to SEPTA until 5 p.m.

Lee also claimed what the TWU is asking for in their latest proposal is "not affordable.

SEPTA is committed in remaining at the table and getting a contract signed well in advance of the election, she said.

SEPTA on Strike

SEPTA SERVICES THAT ARE STILL RUNNING DURING STRIKE

Regional Rail

Norristown High Speed Line

Suburban Bus, Trolley Routes 101 & 102

LUCY (Loop through University City), Route 310 (Horsham Breeze), Routes 204, 205 and Cornwells Heights Parking Shuttle

CCT Connect: Regular Service will operate for registered ADA and Shared Ride customers. There may be some delays due to increased demand and local street traffic.

SEPTA SERVICES THAT ARE NOT RUNNING DURING STRIKE

City Bus Routes (Including Route 78, Cornwells Heights to Center City Express)

Market Frankford Line

Broad Street & Broad Ridge Spur Lines

Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34, and 36

CLICK HERE to read SEPTA's complete survival guide

NON-SEPTA SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AND VISITORS

Temple University student Victor Lourng created a map of bus routes that will run and provide services for students, hotel guests and some workers during the strike.

Here's my updated map of all the special student & visitor bus routes operating during the #SEPTAstrike: https://t.co/yOzXh8vGiY pic.twitter.com/QLbZAa0Obz  melody!  (@pixelyunicorn) November 7, 2016

UPENN'S SEPTA STRIKE CONTINGENCY PLAN

The University of Pennsylvania partnered with Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to provide complimentary transit services to all employees of these institutions and organizations at Penn. CLICK HERE for more information.

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S SEPTA STRIKE CONTINGENCY PLAN

Temple University released contingency plans to help members of the university community during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

UBER EXPANDS UBERPOOL COVERAGE

Uber announced they would expand its uberPOOL coverage throughout the greater Philadelphia area during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

LYFT SERVICES



Lyft announced prices will remain low for passengers during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

ZIPCAR DISCOUNTS

Zipcar announced they would discount its cars in Philadelphia with $5 hourly reservations available on more than 100 zipcars near SEPTA stops for those who are without transportation. CLICK HERE to learn more.

PPA DISCOUNTS, RELAXED ENFORCEMENT

The Philadelphia Parking Authority discounted parking prices at some garages and relaxed residential and meter parking rules to deal with more drivers in Philadelphia. CLICK HERE to learn more.
In the place where America's democracy took root, with tens of thousands shivering in the cold, Barack and Michelle Obama passed the torch Monday to Hillary Clinton at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in an emotional but anxious plea to elect her as president. The thousands who showed up also got to hear performances by Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.

Though the book won't close on his presidency until Inauguration Day, Obama's frenzied, last-minute push for Clinton was a farewell tour of the nation. As he crisscrossed Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, he waxed nostalgic, told old stories and teared up as he thanked the nation for betting, improbably, on "a skinny guy with a funny name."

He said he'd been asked recently whether the hope that defined his campaign had somehow survived eight trying years.

"The answer's yes," Obama said outside Independence Mall, not far from the Liberty Bell. He said he was still a believer, "and that's because of you."

"In the letters you've written me, in the tears you've shed for a lost loved one, I've seen again and again your goodness and your strength and your heart," Obama said.

Then the Obamas and the Clintons embraced onstage: The last Democratic president and the current one; the first black president and the woman who, on Tuesday, may break yet another historic barrier.

It was left to Michelle Obama, whose visceral speeches this campaign hit a nerve with many Americans, to cast both families as part of a singular American story: One of inclusive opportunity that she hoped would contrast powerfully with the vision of Republican Donald Trump.

She said she marveled at a country where "a girl like me from the South Side of Chicago, whose great-great-grandfather was a slave, can go to some of the finest universities on earth. Where the biracial son of a single mother from Hawaii and the son of a single mother from Hope, Arkansas, can both make it to the White House."

"Thank you for welcoming us into your communities, for giving us a chance whether you agreed with our politics or not," Mrs. Obama said, in her own send-off to the nation. She said ensuring Clinton wins the election was "perhaps the last and most important thing that I can do for my country as first lady."

It wasn't always this way. In 2008, when Obama defeated Clinton in a grinding primary, there was naked bitterness between the two Democrats that only began to soften when Obama named her secretary of state.

Nearly a decade later, the Obamas need Clinton as much as she needs them, to prevent their legacy from being eviscerated by a victorious Trump. After all, the president told supporters earlier in Ann Arbor, Michigan, all his accomplishments "go out the window if we don't win tomorrow."

Clinton, too, was meditative about the bruising battles that have led her to this moment.

"I regret deeply how angry the tone of the campaign became," Clinton said. In a less-than-subtle display of political symbolism, she spoke from behind the presidential seal affixed to the podium from which Obama introduced her.

The Obamas are keenly aware that whether or not Clinton wins Tuesday, their era is coming to an end, a reality punctuated by both Obamas' insistence that neither will ever run for office again.

So in a parting gift to Clinton, Obama offered her his campaign mantra  "Fired up, ready to go"  and told rally-goers in New Hampshire how it had been coined by a supporter he'd never met who showed up at an obscure event eight years ago in South Carolina.

"It just goes to show you how one voice can change a room," Obama said  and then a city, a state and a nation. "And if it can change a nation, it can change the world."
Pennsylvania's too-close-to-call U.S. Senate race came down to the candidates' closing pitches to voters Saturday in Philadelphia's critical suburbs, with Democrat Katie McGinty piggybacking on events with her party's presidential headliners and Republican incumbent Pat Toomey tailoring different messages to undecided voters and the GOP faithful.

Toomey sprinted across the region, making his pitch at Republican gatherings and tying McGinty to the "absolutely devastating" economic policies of President Barack Obama and his would-be Democratic successor, Hillary Clinton, as well as Clinton's controversial use of a private email system while secretary of state.

"Folks, kind of a lot at stake," Toomey told a crowd of about 80 party faithful at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in West Chester, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. "The entire elected government of our country, the Supreme Court, whether we're going to have the kind of security that we all deserve, the economic growth that we're capable of, or whether we're going to continue with this tawdry corruption that we've seen too much in Washington. All of this is on the ballot, it's all at stake."

The race could help determine control of the Senate as the GOP struggles to hold its 54-46 majority, prompting Toomey's warning that a McGinty victory would lift Democrats into the Senate majority, where they would allow Clinton to "rule by executive fiat."

Later, McGinty warmed up a crowd of hundreds waiting to see Vice President Joe Biden in a Bristol school gymnasium in 15 miles north of Philadelphia. Better schools, preventing "Wall Street" Toomey from handing Social Security to investment banks and getting illegal guns off the street also will be on the ballot, McGinty said.

"But there's something bigger on the ballot, too," McGinty said, turning her criticism to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "The soul and spirit of this country is on the ballot Nov. 8. ... Human decency is on the ballot Nov. 8."

She went on to attack Toomey's middle-of-the-road stance on Trump, a point she has tried to make a high-profile campaign issue. Toomey has criticized Trump as "badly flawed" and refused to endorse, campaign with or say whether he will vote for Trump, but Toomey has not disavowed Trump, as have some Republican senators.

"In the midst of all of this, where's our man Pat Toomey? Anybody see him?" McGinty said. "He says he has some differences with the Donald. Differences? My, isn't that dainty and delicate. Here's what we know. In politics, the test of leadership and courage and character is doing the right thing, even if it costs you a few votes. Pat Toomey has failed the test."

McGinty, who served in Bill Clinton's White House and was recruited to run by national Democrats, has endorsed Clinton and campaigned with her across Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania while staying silent on Clinton's controversies.

Toomey's 10-minute speech on economic and security policy in West Chester was starkly different than the message he is broadcasting on TV in the Philadelphia area, where he is playing up bipartisan credentials. In an illustration of the tightrope Toomey is walking, he is even turning to Obama for help, featuring the president in an ad praising Toomey in 2013 for working with Democrats on legislation to expand background checks on firearms purchases.

Toomey did not mention gun control in his speech. He also did not mention Trump. Asked afterward about his closing strategy to persuade undecided voters, Toomey called McGinty a "rubber stamp" for Clinton.

"I think Pennsylvanians want an independent voice who's going to stand up to bad ideas from either president from any party," Toomey said. "And I think I've demonstrated a track record of working across the aisle and getting things done for Pennsylvania."

Toomey, who compiled among Congress' most conservative voting records, is one of the Senate's most endangered incumbents, and bolstering his moderate credentials could be crucial to winning the swing voters from whom he'll likely need strong support to beat McGinty.

McGinty entered the race little-known among voters and has relied heavily on rallies headlined by high-profile Democrats swarming to the presidential battleground state. Also critical for McGinty's fortunes will be a heavy turnout in Pennsylvania's largest city, the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia.

Polls show Clinton ahead of Trump by a narrowing, single-digit percentage-point lead in a state that has not backed a Republican for president since 1988.
SEPTA released a Survival Guide for customers during the strike. CLICK HERE to read it.

Philadelphia's striking transit union says it can't get anywhere during negotiations because management is pinning its hopes on getting a court injunction to end the strike.

Transport Workers Union local president Willie Brown Saturday night accused SEPTA of relying on the courts to end the strike, which began Tuesday, instead of bargaining on pensions and other issues.

We cant get anywhere at the bargaining table because SEPTA has pinned their hopes on getting an injunction to end the strike, Brown wrote in a released statement. SEPTA Board Chairman Pat Deons plan all along has been to rely on the courts rather than negotiations. He is the one using the election as leverage. This is not the way to end a strike or get an agreement. Its foolhardy to launch a legal Hail Mary pass designed to make SEPTAs high-priced lawyers richer and circumvent the collective bargaining process.

Brown called on management to stop stalling.

We need to finish bargaining on the pension fund in particular, Brown wrote. We have nearly 5,000 workers in our union, SEPTA employs roughly 1,700 managers, yet they put more money into the management plan than frontline workers get. On top of that last year SEPTA secretly gave each management retiree a $6,000 annual increase in their pension checks. Managers have both a defined benefit pension and a generous match to a 401k plan.

SEPTA spokeswoman Carla Showell Lee responded to Browns statement.

SEPTA has been at the table willing to negotiate with the TWU all day, she said. TWU was due to present a proposal at 1 p.m. Saturday. It was not presented to SEPTA until 5 p.m.

Lee also claimed what the TWU is asking for in their latest proposal is not affordable.

SEPTA is committed in remaining at the table and getting a contract signed well in advance of the election, she said.

SEPTA late Friday filed a request for a court injunction, saying the strike is threatening public safety and will interfere with Election Day voting. A judge delayed a ruling and will take additional testimony on Monday.

The union's 4,700 workers walked off the job after midnight Monday, shutting down transit service that provides about 900,000 rides a day.

SEPTA on Strike

SEPTA SERVICES THAT ARE STILL RUNNING DURING STRIKE

Regional Rail

Norristown High Speed Line

Suburban Bus, Trolley Routes 101 & 102

LUCY (Loop through University City), Route 310 (Horsham Breeze), Routes 204, 205 and Cornwells Heights Parking Shuttle

CCT Connect: Regular Service will operate for registered ADA and Shared Ride customers. There may be some delays due to increased demand and local street traffic.

SEPTA SERVICES THAT ARE NOT RUNNING DURING STRIKE

City Bus Routes (Including Route 78, Cornwells Heights to Center City Express)

Market Frankford Line

Broad Street & Broad Ridge Spur Lines

Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 15, 34, and 36

CLICK HERE to read SEPTA's complete survival guide

NON-SEPTA SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AND VISITORS

Temple University student Victor Lourng created a map of bus routes that will run and provide services for students, hotel guests and some workers during the strike.

Here's my updated map of all the special student & visitor bus routes operating during the #SEPTAstrike: https://t.co/yOzXh8vGiY pic.twitter.com/QLbZAa0Obz  glitch witch  @ { libertyjs   la  } (@pixelyunicorn) November 7, 2016

UPENN'S SEPTA STRIKE CONTINGENCY PLAN

The University of Pennsylvania partnered with Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to provide complimentary transit services to all employees of these institutions and organizations at Penn. CLICK HERE for more information.

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S SEPTA STRIKE CONTINGENCY PLAN

Temple University released contingency plans to help members of the university community during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

UBER EXPANDS UBERPOOL COVERAGE

Uber announced they would expand its uberPOOL coverage throughout the greater Philadelphia area during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

LYFT SERVICES



Lyft announced prices will remain low for passengers during the strike. CLICK HERE to learn more.

ZIPCAR DISCOUNTS

Zipcar announced they would discount its cars in Philadelphia with $5 hourly reservations available on more than 100 zipcars near SEPTA stops for those who are without transportation. CLICK HERE to learn more.

PPA DISCOUNTS, RELAXED ENFORCEMENT

The Philadelphia Parking Authority discounted parking prices at some garages and relaxed residential and meter parking rules to deal with more drivers in Philadelphia. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Three people were fatally injured and another three were hospitalized after a mass stabbing inside a house in Newark, the Essex County prosecutor said.

Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, and Syasia McBorroughs, 23, died as a result of their injuries. The two children were pronounced dead at University Hospital at 4:40 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

The three survivors, a 29-year-old woman and two 13-year-olds, a boy and a girl, remain in critical, but stable condition at a local hospital. The mother of the child victims is being treated for her injuries at a local hospital.

Although the relationship between the victims wasn't immediately clear, many of the victims are believed to be family members.

Officers swarmed the scene as detectives searched the area near the 100 block of Hedden Terrace for evidence. Dozens of vehicles  black detective cars, police SUVs and ambulances  were parked on the street as EMTs rolled stretchers out of an ambulance. Part of Hedden Terrace was blocked off by yellow police tape.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called the incident "horrific".

"It makes my stomach churn to think about what happened," he said during a Saturday evening press conference. "The incident this evening was a horrific and horrible kind of scene."

Baraka appealed to the public to turn the suspect in, or call the Crime Stoppers hotline with any relevant information.

"We cannot hide this individual, we have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," he said. As long as he's in the streets, nobody is safe."

Police were dispatched to 137 Hedden Terrace at around 3:55 p.m, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. Upon arrival, officers discovered four female and two male victims on the second floor of the house, one of whom was found dead at the scene.

Jeremy Arrington is considered to be a person of interest in the investigation. The 26-year-old is wanted for questioning and has a warrant for sexual assault and aggravated assault in an unrelated Oct. 9 incident. He is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Authorities believe someone who had a connection to the victims is responsible for the stabbing, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said. However, the perpetrator is not believed to be a resident of the home. The motives for the incident are unknown.

The Newark Police Department is asking for tips regarding the investifation. A reward of up to $20,000 will be given to anyone with information leading to the arrest or conviction of the suspect.
San Diego law enforcement officials are trying to keep up with a record amount of homicides in City and County limits.

San Diego County Sheriff's Officials (SDSO) says the number of homicides in 2016 is the highest rate they have seen in a decade. Friday's homicide in unincorporated El Cajon marked the 28th homicide in 2016 for the Sheriffs Department.

San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officials say numbers are up for them as well. Within the City of San Diego, they have already surpassed the 37 homicides they saw in all of 2015, according to the department.

SDSO Sheriff William Gore addressed the high number of homicides and explained the big picture.

"It's been a tough, tough time for us but when you look around comparatively, crime is about at a 40-year low, so law enforcement is doing a lot of things right and the community working with law enforcement is what's making us really successful," explained Sheriff Gore.

SDPD Chief Shelly Zimmerman said while they are seeing record numbers, it's important to put the numbers in perspective.

"We do already have more homicides this year as we did last year so that is a concern. But the city of San Diego had the lowest homicide rate per capita the last two years of any major city," Zimmerman said.

Both Chief Zimmerman and Sheriff Gore credit people from the community with helping put criminals in jail. They did so at a fundraising event to raise money for Crimestoppers rewards on Saturday.

Sheriff Gore added, "it's critical. We're so much better when we work with the community. We can't do it alone."
Several days after a bulletin was inserted into an Old Town Catholic churchs newsletter implying that Hillary Clinton was satanic and warned that voting for Democrats would result in parishioners 'descending into Hell,' the entrance to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church became a stage for protesters.

Voting Catholic,' the title of an article in the weekly bulletin at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, suggested the devil is working through Hillary Clinton. The article comes just two weeks after another handout inside the bulletin told people it's a mortal sin to vote for a Democrat.

This is a violation of the great principle of separation of church and state. A pillar upon which our democracy is built and this is an egregious, egregious violation of that principle, Father Dermot Rodgers, a pastor at St. Peter of Rome, a church not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, tells NBC 7.

Rodgers held up a sign that said separation of church and state Saturday afternoon in protest of the article.

People should vote their conscience. People should weigh in what is for their own good and the common good but not be influenced by religious organizations or by churches, he says.

Protester Lindsey Krosby, who held up a sign that read: Im a nasty woman and I vote, tells NBC 7 I dont think any leader should be telling anyone how to vote. It really comes down to the individual and their conscience how they want to vote.

I'm calling on the bishop of Roman Catholic diocese of SD to, at the very least, censure the pastor for his misdeeds and possibly remove him, Rodgers says.

Pastor Richard Perozich of The Immaculate Conception tells NBC 7 in an email he will continue to lead this parish, which he says is pleased with the article he wrote. Perozich says, "The fact that people from other Catholic parishes, other faith communities, or other non-religious wish to comment would be an exercise of their free speech, the very exercise they are trying to deny me because it does not fit their agenda. I will continue to guide my flock to live out their faith in Jesus."

As for the other article that called voting for a Democrat a mortal sin, Perozich says a group called Ecclesia Militans San Diego wrote the flier and inserted it into his bulletin.

Perozich told NBC 7 on Thursday he stands by his comments made in this week's bulletin, but he says he does not agree with the outside group's insert that called a voting for a Democrat a mortal sin.

In an online statement Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego says the Immaculate Conception parish violated its duty saying it's contrary to Catholic teaching to say voting Democrat or Republican automatically condemns the voter to hell.

Bishop McElroy is urging all Catholics to consult their teachings and pray about who they're going to vote for.
Police arrested a man accused of stealing three computers from an SUV that may have contained information about Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in Philadelphia.

A search warrant was executed Saturday at a home on the 500 block of Diamond Street where police found three computers as well as a 27-year-old man. The man, who investigators say has a lengthy criminal history, was taken into custody. Police say charges against him are pending.

The investigation began Friday when four men who work for the Hillary Clinton campaign reported a theft. The men told police they parked their 2016 Buick Enclave on Brown Street in the Northern Liberties section of the city around 8 p.m. and went to a nearby restaurant. When the men returned, they discovered that someone had smashed the window of their vehicle and stolen three backpacks containing MacBook Pros as well as other items.

Clinton Pennsylvania press secretary Stephanie Formas said the items stolen were personal belongings of three advance staffers. Police say the computers may have contained scheduling information surrounding Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

The Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security were notified and worked with Philadelphia Police during the investigation. Officials say the theft was random however and the man accused of stealing the computers had no indication that the four victims were affiliated with any campaign work.
A 3-year-old Massachusetts boy was injured Saturday after fragments from a stray bullet grazed his leg inside his grandparent's home in Brockton.

Police said gunfire erupted on Bartlett Street at about 1 p.m. One of the bullets went inside the boy's home, grazing him.

Family members told necn that the boy is already back at his own home recovering. Both family and neighbors said they are frustrated with the violence in the area.

"I walk this street everyday to get to the park and I'm going to have to take a different route if this continues," said neighbor Jeff Pratt. It's Saturday in the middle of the day and you have to have a lot of courage to do that in the daytime."

Police said another stray bullet struck a nearby mail truck parked on the street. The mail carrier was not hurt.

So far, police have not made any arrests.
An 18-year-old Stamford High School student who was struck by a van while crossing the street in front of the high school has died.

Police said the teen was crossing Strawberry Hill Avenue in front of Stamford High School around 7:29 a.m. when she was hit by a 2000 Chevrolet Express van. She was transported to Stamford Hospital with severe injuries and later died, according to police.

The victim has been identified as Karina Tinajero-Arreguin.

Stamford Public Schools released the following statement:

"On behalf of the entire Stamford Public Schools community we are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic loss of life. Our hearts and prayers go out to our student's family and friends. The district has notified Stamford High School families that we will be providing support to students and staff at Stamford High School tomorrow between 12-2. And extra support staff will be available as needed during the week."

The 37-year-old driver of the van did stop and is cooperating with the investigation, police said. The driver has not been identified.

Police said Tinajero-Arreguin was not in a crosswalk at the time of the accident.

No charges have been filed and the Stamford Police CARS unit is investigating.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police at 203-977-4712.
Police are searching for a man wanted in connection with Saturday's unarmed robbery of a bank in Reading, Massachusetts.

Authorities said the robber entered the TD Bank at 470 Main St. at 1:48 p.m. and demanded money from the teller.

The man then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The man is described as being approximately 6 feet tall with a slender build. He was wearing a gray zip-up hooded Champion sweatshirt and jeans at the time of the robbery.

Anyone with information on the man's identity is asked to contact Reading Police at 781-944-1212.
One man, believed to be in his 20s, was fatally shot in Bostons Roxbury neighborhood Saturday morning, police say.

Police responded to the area of 36 Nazing St. at about 10 a.m. and found the man suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The Boston Police Department is investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (617) 343-4470. Police say members wishing to assist anonymously can do so by calling the Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
A Providence nightclub has been temporarily shut down by the city after a fight outside the establishment left three people with stab wounds.

The Providence Board of License closed the Fete Music Hall after an emergency hearing on Saturday.

Police say asked they asked the board for the hearing after they found several men fighting early Saturday morning at car wash near the nightclub.

Police say the fight apparently started in the bar and then moved outside.

They say one man was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening stab wounds. Two other victims showed up later.

No arrests have been made.

The board plans another hearing Monday to determine if the club should be allowed to reopen this week.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Indian startups might be hung-ho about technology and big data, but according to e-commerce giant Alibabas director of Big Data and Technology, Li Danfeng, no Indian start up has been able to leverage big data to actually boost retail sales.

Li Danfeng, Alibaba



Speaking at the ninth edition of The Indus Entrepreneurs Conference 2016, held in Chennai, he spoke about how imperative data mining was for understanding the taste and preference of the consumer. Our boss Jack Ma is very prolific when it comes to understanding the requirements of data science for big data is the next big thing, he said.



Li said that Indian extrepreneurs need to explore the usefulness of data mining and collection for delivering quality services to customers and staying ahead in the race. The maximum amount of time it has taken for us in China to gather all that data is 13 years. For us to collaborate with any Indian start-up they need to collate their own data here after which we can think about it, he said.

He also pointed out that a massive amount of consumer data is required to make Alibaba a global retail behemoth that it is today. Our data base is Chinese which we cannot share. Amazon also doesnt do that well in China, he said.



Li spoke extensively about how big data is being used in China to access a persons location through his GPS and wi-fi, a customers individual tastes and preferences can be arrived at from Alibabas own properties and how they are trying to use data science to understand a consumers offline behaviour. This includes the length of time a person stays inside a store, the sections he visits and even for how long he stays outside the store.

CHENNAI: Indian startups might be hung-ho about technology and big data, but according to e-commerce giant Alibabas director of Big Data and Technology, Li Danfeng, no Indian start up has been able to leverage big data to actually boost retail sales. Li Danfeng, Alibaba Speaking at the ninth edition of The Indus Entrepreneurs Conference 2016, held in Chennai, he spoke about how imperative data mining was for understanding the taste and preference of the consumer. Our boss Jack Ma is very prolific when it comes to understanding the requirements of data science for big data is the next big thing, he said. Li said that Indian extrepreneurs need to explore the usefulness of data mining and collection for delivering quality services to customers and staying ahead in the race. The maximum amount of time it has taken for us in China to gather all that data is 13 years. For us to collaborate with any Indian start-up they need to collate their own data here after which we can think about it, he said. He also pointed out that a massive amount of consumer data is required to make Alibaba a global retail behemoth that it is today. Our data base is Chinese which we cannot share. Amazon also doesnt do that well in China, he said. Li spoke extensively about how big data is being used in China to access a persons location through his GPS and wi-fi, a customers individual tastes and preferences can be arrived at from Alibabas own properties and how they are trying to use data science to understand a consumers offline behaviour. This includes the length of time a person stays inside a store, the sections he visits and even for how long he stays outside the store.
By IANS

GUWAHATI: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved is going to set up one of its biggest production units in Assam, which is expected to give direct employment to over 5,000 youth of the state.



Ramdev announced the decision on Saturday while addressing a press conference in Guwahati and added that the proposed production unit at Balipara in northern Assam's Sonitpur district will have the capacity to roll out 1 million products every year.



Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is expected to lay the foundation stone of the industrial unit at Balipara on Sunday.



"The industrial unit will directly give employment opportunity to over 5,000 youth. Besides, over 50,000 farmers of the area will be benefited due to the project and it would also help thousands of other people of Assam through indirect engagement in series of activities related to the proposed industrial unit in form of supply of raw materials, retailing etc." Ramdev said.



He said that the unit will be completed by January next year and it is expected to start production by March next year. "Our efforts will be to start the production by January itself. However, our deadline is March 2017, by when the production will surely start," he added.



He said that Patanjali had already deposited Rs. 13.82 crore as fixed by the government of Assam as the land lease value for the 120 acres of land taken by Patanjali for the project.



The Yoga guru, who is in Assam on a two day visit, added that the apparel brand to be launched by Patanjali would promote Assam's Eri, Muga and Pat silk.



"We (Patanjali) are going to make it big in apparel sector soon. We are going to promote the Pat, Muga and Eri silk of Assam under our apparel brand. Initially, we are going to help the artisans involved with these three silks and help them market their products in international markets," he added.



He expressed concern over the fact that India's apparel and textiles market was largely dominated by foreign brands at present.



"Our plan is to capture at least Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore of the apparel market under our Swadeshi apparel brand," he said.



GUWAHATI: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved is going to set up one of its biggest production units in Assam, which is expected to give direct employment to over 5,000 youth of the state. Ramdev announced the decision on Saturday while addressing a press conference in Guwahati and added that the proposed production unit at Balipara in northern Assam's Sonitpur district will have the capacity to roll out 1 million products every year. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is expected to lay the foundation stone of the industrial unit at Balipara on Sunday. "The industrial unit will directly give employment opportunity to over 5,000 youth. Besides, over 50,000 farmers of the area will be benefited due to the project and it would also help thousands of other people of Assam through indirect engagement in series of activities related to the proposed industrial unit in form of supply of raw materials, retailing etc." Ramdev said. He said that the unit will be completed by January next year and it is expected to start production by March next year. "Our efforts will be to start the production by January itself. However, our deadline is March 2017, by when the production will surely start," he added. He said that Patanjali had already deposited Rs. 13.82 crore as fixed by the government of Assam as the land lease value for the 120 acres of land taken by Patanjali for the project. The Yoga guru, who is in Assam on a two day visit, added that the apparel brand to be launched by Patanjali would promote Assam's Eri, Muga and Pat silk. "We (Patanjali) are going to make it big in apparel sector soon. We are going to promote the Pat, Muga and Eri silk of Assam under our apparel brand. Initially, we are going to help the artisans involved with these three silks and help them market their products in international markets," he added. He expressed concern over the fact that India's apparel and textiles market was largely dominated by foreign brands at present. "Our plan is to capture at least Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore of the apparel market under our Swadeshi apparel brand," he said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A 25-year-old woman who claimed to be a Supreme Court lawyer and cheated an advocate of `2 lakh was arrested on Saturday.

Investigations by Pulakeshinagar police revealed that she had cheated about 200 people posing as either a celebrity, an advocate or an IAS or IPS officer.

The accused is Kushbu Om Prakash Sharma, a native of Jaipur. She was living in a PG accommodation in

Kushbu Sharma

Indiranagar. She is also physically challenged and has been living in the city since April.

A police source said, Kushbu recently came in contact with the advocate (Sanket Yenagi) on Facebook and asked him to take her on as his junior at work. Claiming to be the daughter of a retired IAS officer, she said that she has a commercial space in UB Towers which she was ready to give to him on rent.

On October 28, Yenagi and Kushbu went in his car to complete the formalities. Yenagi, however, had to meet somebody. So he asked Kushbu to wait in the car. This is when Kushbu made away with the `2 lakh cash Yenagi had carried with him. Yenagi came back home and searched about Kushbu online and was shocked to see that there are some 150 cheating cases against her across the country. He then filed a complaint with Pulakeshinagar police, the source said.

According to police sources, she is a Class 8 dropout. However, she carries a graduation certificate which seems to be forged, police said. She was recently arrested by the Mumbai police for stealing a car from a man.

BENGALURU: A 25-year-old woman who claimed to be a Supreme Court lawyer and cheated an advocate of `2 lakh was arrested on Saturday. Investigations by Pulakeshinagar police revealed that she had cheated about 200 people posing as either a celebrity, an advocate or an IAS or IPS officer. The accused is Kushbu Om Prakash Sharma, a native of Jaipur. She was living in a PG accommodation in Kushbu SharmaIndiranagar. She is also physically challenged and has been living in the city since April. A police source said, Kushbu recently came in contact with the advocate (Sanket Yenagi) on Facebook and asked him to take her on as his junior at work. Claiming to be the daughter of a retired IAS officer, she said that she has a commercial space in UB Towers which she was ready to give to him on rent. On October 28, Yenagi and Kushbu went in his car to complete the formalities. Yenagi, however, had to meet somebody. So he asked Kushbu to wait in the car. This is when Kushbu made away with the `2 lakh cash Yenagi had carried with him. Yenagi came back home and searched about Kushbu online and was shocked to see that there are some 150 cheating cases against her across the country. He then filed a complaint with Pulakeshinagar police, the source said. According to police sources, she is a Class 8 dropout. However, she carries a graduation certificate which seems to be forged, police said. She was recently arrested by the Mumbai police for stealing a car from a man.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As the state administration is unable to resolve the issue of smog which is affecting common people in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the Centre on Sunday to look into a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding.

The CM convened an emergency cabinet meeting and announced some tough measures. Meanwhile, thousands of people, including children, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, demanding the government to take effective initiatives to curb the rising air pollution.

The protest, organised by various citizens group of Delhi, was also joined by celebrities such as Nafisa Ali, among others. To curb the pollution, Delhi Governments odd-even initiative was a huge success. If possible, it should be implemented once again, actress Nafisa Ali said.

Kejriwal announced that all the schools will remain closed till Wednesday. He also announced other emergency steps like a five-day ban on construction and demolition activities and temporary closure of a power plant, besides exploring possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city and bringing back the odd-even scheme.

Kejriwal also appealed to the people to stay indoors and, if possible, work from home considering the alarming levels of pollution.

Listing short-term steps to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said use of all diesel gen-sets has been prohibited for the next five days beginning on Monday, except for emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers.

Schools will be closed for the next three days. The health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow (Monday). We also appeal to the people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even (car rationing scheme). We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be, Kejriwal said.

The Delhi government also decided to shut down the coal-based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution, for next 10 days from Monday.

The plant generates around 300MW of power. It was also decided to go for water sprinkling on roads of 100-foot width from Monday. It will be done by the PWD department on all such roads at least once a week.

The government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted, so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation, the CM said.

NEW DELHI: As the state administration is unable to resolve the issue of smog which is affecting common people in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked the Centre on Sunday to look into a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding. The CM convened an emergency cabinet meeting and announced some tough measures. Meanwhile, thousands of people, including children, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, demanding the government to take effective initiatives to curb the rising air pollution. The protest, organised by various citizens group of Delhi, was also joined by celebrities such as Nafisa Ali, among others. To curb the pollution, Delhi Governments odd-even initiative was a huge success. If possible, it should be implemented once again, actress Nafisa Ali said. Kejriwal announced that all the schools will remain closed till Wednesday. He also announced other emergency steps like a five-day ban on construction and demolition activities and temporary closure of a power plant, besides exploring possibility of engineering artificial rain over the city and bringing back the odd-even scheme. Kejriwal also appealed to the people to stay indoors and, if possible, work from home considering the alarming levels of pollution. Listing short-term steps to deal with the situation, the Chief Minister said use of all diesel gen-sets has been prohibited for the next five days beginning on Monday, except for emergency services like hospitals and mobile towers. Schools will be closed for the next three days. The health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow (Monday). We also appeal to the people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even (car rationing scheme). We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be, Kejriwal said. The Delhi government also decided to shut down the coal-based Badarpur power plant, considered one of the key sources of pollution, for next 10 days from Monday. The plant generates around 300MW of power. It was also decided to go for water sprinkling on roads of 100-foot width from Monday. It will be done by the PWD department on all such roads at least once a week. The government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted, so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation, the CM said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A woman and her male friend were allegedly shot at by a man, who was allegedly stalking the woman, near Siri Fort in south Delhi.



After injuring the woman and her friend, the accused also shot himself, police said.



The incident took place around 9.45 PM and all the three were rushed to AIIMS, they said.



Kajal and Jatin Sarkar, who work together at a call centre in Noida, were talking outside a park when the accused walked up to them and allegedly got into an argument with them and

later fired at them, police said.



The accused is the son of a CISF constable and had used his father's licensed pistol to shoot the two.



Police said that Jatin had gone to meet the woman along with his friend Alok who managed to escape and informed police.



A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.



Jatin and Kajal have sustained bullet injuries on their abdomen and chest respectively, while the accused fired at his forehead.



The accused had been stalking the woman for some time now and suspected her of being in a relationship with Jatin.

NEW DELHI: A woman and her male friend were allegedly shot at by a man, who was allegedly stalking the woman, near Siri Fort in south Delhi. After injuring the woman and her friend, the accused also shot himself, police said. The incident took place around 9.45 PM and all the three were rushed to AIIMS, they said. Kajal and Jatin Sarkar, who work together at a call centre in Noida, were talking outside a park when the accused walked up to them and allegedly got into an argument with them and later fired at them, police said. The accused is the son of a CISF constable and had used his father's licensed pistol to shoot the two. Police said that Jatin had gone to meet the woman along with his friend Alok who managed to escape and informed police. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway. Jatin and Kajal have sustained bullet injuries on their abdomen and chest respectively, while the accused fired at his forehead. The accused had been stalking the woman for some time now and suspected her of being in a relationship with Jatin.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: There is a severe dearth of nurses at Osmania General Hospital even as the nursing colleges continue to produce thousands of nurses each year. The OGH has a deficit of over 700 nurses. The situation continues to remain grim as hospital struggle with a serious staff crunch.

One staff nurse has to attend anywhere between 40 to 70 patients and some times more. Lets say there are 70 patients and it takes at least three minutes to check the temperature of a patient. For 70 patients, it takes more than three-and-a-half-hours just to just check temperatures.

A senior staff nurse said apart from attending to patients they have to file indents on number of medicines, blankets, and other resources required. They said that at times three to four wards are allotted to one nurse. The nurses complained that stress and strain in the job is taking a toll on their health.

With the ideal nurse-patient ratio being 1:6, patient care is bound to get affected due to this skewed ratio.

Narrating an incident at the hospital, the nurses said at one point, one nurse has to attend patients in three male medical wards.

She was administering injection to a patient in Male Medical (MM) Ward-II and an attender rushed to her urging that another patient needs immediate help. She was in middle of treatment and could not leave. The attender rushed to her again to inform that the patient had collapsed. The nurse had to leave the treatment mid-way, take the patient to Intensive Medical Care (IMC). If there were enough nurses, the patient would not have collapsed,  said a staff nurse on condition of anonymity.

When Express visited Male Medical Wards in the hospital on Saturday afternoon, there were complaints galore by the patients.

Attenders of patients said that though the nurses attend the patients, they are not available when there is an emergency or a medical help is required.

HYDERABAD: There is a severe dearth of nurses at Osmania General Hospital even as the nursing colleges continue to produce thousands of nurses each year. The OGH has a deficit of over 700 nurses. The situation continues to remain grim as hospital struggle with a serious staff crunch. One staff nurse has to attend anywhere between 40 to 70 patients and some times more. Lets say there are 70 patients and it takes at least three minutes to check the temperature of a patient. For 70 patients, it takes more than three-and-a-half-hours just to just check temperatures. A senior staff nurse said apart from attending to patients they have to file indents on number of medicines, blankets, and other resources required. They said that at times three to four wards are allotted to one nurse. The nurses complained that stress and strain in the job is taking a toll on their health. With the ideal nurse-patient ratio being 1:6, patient care is bound to get affected due to this skewed ratio. Narrating an incident at the hospital, the nurses said at one point, one nurse has to attend patients in three male medical wards. She was administering injection to a patient in Male Medical (MM) Ward-II and an attender rushed to her urging that another patient needs immediate help. She was in middle of treatment and could not leave. The attender rushed to her again to inform that the patient had collapsed. The nurse had to leave the treatment mid-way, take the patient to Intensive Medical Care (IMC). If there were enough nurses, the patient would not have collapsed,  said a staff nurse on condition of anonymity. When Express visited Male Medical Wards in the hospital on Saturday afternoon, there were complaints galore by the patients. Attenders of patients said that though the nurses attend the patients, they are not available when there is an emergency or a medical help is required.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Saturday issued a stern warning to those who resort to the act of spraying and writing graffiti on the walls of government offices and other public properties such as flyovers in the city. He asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to take stringent action against those indulge in wall writing.

While expressing severe displeasure at the wall writings that appear thoroughfares across the city, KTR asked denizens of to cooperate with the governments efforts to keep the city a beautiful one. While taking part in the inauguration of Telangana Kala Mela at peoples plaza here, KTR said that the government would encourage various art forms that reflect Telangana culture and tradition.



HYDERABAD: IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Saturday issued a stern warning to those who resort to the act of spraying and writing graffiti on the walls of government offices and other public properties such as flyovers in the city. He asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to take stringent action against those indulge in wall writing. While expressing severe displeasure at the wall writings that appear thoroughfares across the city, KTR asked denizens of to cooperate with the governments efforts to keep the city a beautiful one. While taking part in the inauguration of Telangana Kala Mela at peoples plaza here, KTR said that the government would encourage various art forms that reflect Telangana culture and tradition.
By ANI

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi on Saturday was convicted in the 2005 assault case to one-year imprisonment and was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 20,000 by an Andheri Metropolitan Court.

However, the sentence is not to be executed till one month and Pancholi also received a months time to appeal in higher court.

The actor had allegedly assaulted and threatened his neighbour three years ago during a heated argument over parking space.

According to reports, Pancholi's lawyers have termed the sentence very harsh and will appeal for bail.

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi on Saturday was convicted in the 2005 assault case to one-year imprisonment and was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 20,000 by an Andheri Metropolitan Court. However, the sentence is not to be executed till one month and Pancholi also received a months time to appeal in higher court. The actor had allegedly assaulted and threatened his neighbour three years ago during a heated argument over parking space. According to reports, Pancholi's lawyers have termed the sentence very harsh and will appeal for bail.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: No sum of reparations by the British, who reduced India to one of the poorest countries in the world, can compensate for the "horrendous" crimes the Raj committed against the Indian people, writer and politician Shashi Tharoor has said.

Tharoor, who makes a convincing case against the imperial Empire in his new book "An era of Darkness: The British empire in India", said the European country became prosperous primarily by impoverishing India. "The rise of Britain for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India. And certainly, we were a principle cash cow for Britain throughout the nineteenth century. We paid for our own oppression," Tharoor said at the launch of his book at Taj Mahal hotel here, last week.

"There is and has been a sort of deliberate historical amnesia in Britain about the Raj and about the iniquities of the colonial era. There has been no attempt whatsoever to teach British school children the realities of colonialism. After all, the beauties of London were built by resources extracted from the colonies," he said.

The 333-page book published by Aleph Book company is an outcome of the politician's speech at Oxford last year, in which he demanded reparation for Britain's colonial crimes. The book critically examines the 200-year long British legacy in India and provides clinching evidence and incisive arguments against its supposed boons.

Tharoor demolishes the myth of "enlightened despotism" and debunks the "preposterous" vindications given by "Raj apologists" and Anglophiles in favour of the alleged benefits of the rule in India, a country, he writes, was "no primitive or barren land but a glittering jewel of the Medieval world".

"At the beginning of the 18th century, India's share of the world economy was 23 per cent, as large as all of Europe put together. By the time the British departed India, it had dropped to just 3 per cent. The reason was simple: India was governed for the benefit of Britain. Britain's rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India," he writes.

The 60-year-old author asserts that India was "deliberately" deindustrialised and drained of its resources, and left with landlessness and poverty. "While comparisons of human deaths are always invidious, the 35 million who died of famine and epidemics during the Raj does remind one of 25 million who died in Stalin's collectivisation drive and political purges, the 45 million who died during Mao's cultural revolution, and the 55 million who died during World War II," he states.

He emphasises that Britain's Industrial Revolution flourished at the expense of crumbling Indian manufacturing industries, "abetted by tariffs and regulatory measures that stacked the decks in favour of the British".

"It is preposterous to suggest that India's inability to industralise while the Western world did so was an Indian failure...If India's GDP went down because it 'missed the bus' of industralisation, it was because the British threw Indians under the wheels," he writes. Mounting a scathing attack on "benefits" like railways, the English language and the rule of law, Tharoor argues that they were never actually introduced for the benefit of the Indians but to serve Britain's colonial interests.

He said that it was getting late for Britain to atone for its crimes, and asserted that the UK Prime Minister emulates the example of his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau who apologised on behalf of his country for denying permission for the Indian immigrants on the Komagata Maru to land in Vancouver. "I, for one, dearly hope that a British prime minister will find the heart, and the spirit, to get on his or her knees at Jallianwala Bagh in 2019 and beg forgiveness from Indians in the name of his or her people for the unforgivable massacre that was perpetrated at that site a century earlier," he remarks. Tharoor also demands the return of some of the treasure troves looted from India in the course of colonialism.

"The money exacted in taxes and exploitation has already been spent, and cannot realistically be reclaimed. But individual pieces of statuary sitting in British museums could be, if for nothing else than their symbolic value.

"After all if looted Nazi-era art can be (and now is being) returned for their rightful owners in various Western countries, why is the principle any different for looted colonial treasures?" he asks. Written in a perspicacious style, "An era of Darkness" is an eye-opening volume that goes a long way in correcting many misconceptions about the British Empire in India.

NEW DELHI: No sum of reparations by the British, who reduced India to one of the poorest countries in the world, can compensate for the "horrendous" crimes the Raj committed against the Indian people, writer and politician Shashi Tharoor has said. Tharoor, who makes a convincing case against the imperial Empire in his new book "An era of Darkness: The British empire in India", said the European country became prosperous primarily by impoverishing India. "The rise of Britain for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India. And certainly, we were a principle cash cow for Britain throughout the nineteenth century. We paid for our own oppression," Tharoor said at the launch of his book at Taj Mahal hotel here, last week. "There is and has been a sort of deliberate historical amnesia in Britain about the Raj and about the iniquities of the colonial era. There has been no attempt whatsoever to teach British school children the realities of colonialism. After all, the beauties of London were built by resources extracted from the colonies," he said. The 333-page book published by Aleph Book company is an outcome of the politician's speech at Oxford last year, in which he demanded reparation for Britain's colonial crimes. The book critically examines the 200-year long British legacy in India and provides clinching evidence and incisive arguments against its supposed boons. Tharoor demolishes the myth of "enlightened despotism" and debunks the "preposterous" vindications given by "Raj apologists" and Anglophiles in favour of the alleged benefits of the rule in India, a country, he writes, was "no primitive or barren land but a glittering jewel of the Medieval world". "At the beginning of the 18th century, India's share of the world economy was 23 per cent, as large as all of Europe put together. By the time the British departed India, it had dropped to just 3 per cent. The reason was simple: India was governed for the benefit of Britain. Britain's rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India," he writes. The 60-year-old author asserts that India was "deliberately" deindustrialised and drained of its resources, and left with landlessness and poverty. "While comparisons of human deaths are always invidious, the 35 million who died of famine and epidemics during the Raj does remind one of 25 million who died in Stalin's collectivisation drive and political purges, the 45 million who died during Mao's cultural revolution, and the 55 million who died during World War II," he states. He emphasises that Britain's Industrial Revolution flourished at the expense of crumbling Indian manufacturing industries, "abetted by tariffs and regulatory measures that stacked the decks in favour of the British". "It is preposterous to suggest that India's inability to industralise while the Western world did so was an Indian failure...If India's GDP went down because it 'missed the bus' of industralisation, it was because the British threw Indians under the wheels," he writes. Mounting a scathing attack on "benefits" like railways, the English language and the rule of law, Tharoor argues that they were never actually introduced for the benefit of the Indians but to serve Britain's colonial interests. He said that it was getting late for Britain to atone for its crimes, and asserted that the UK Prime Minister emulates the example of his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau who apologised on behalf of his country for denying permission for the Indian immigrants on the Komagata Maru to land in Vancouver. "I, for one, dearly hope that a British prime minister will find the heart, and the spirit, to get on his or her knees at Jallianwala Bagh in 2019 and beg forgiveness from Indians in the name of his or her people for the unforgivable massacre that was perpetrated at that site a century earlier," he remarks. Tharoor also demands the return of some of the treasure troves looted from India in the course of colonialism. "The money exacted in taxes and exploitation has already been spent, and cannot realistically be reclaimed. But individual pieces of statuary sitting in British museums could be, if for nothing else than their symbolic value. "After all if looted Nazi-era art can be (and now is being) returned for their rightful owners in various Western countries, why is the principle any different for looted colonial treasures?" he asks. Written in a perspicacious style, "An era of Darkness" is an eye-opening volume that goes a long way in correcting many misconceptions about the British Empire in India.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted today.

In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.

NEW DELHI: In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country. "I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted today. In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago. Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country. Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30. Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities. Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.
Sumit Kumar Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University protested against the police over missing student Najeeb Ahmad near India Gate in the national capital Delhi along with Ahmads family members on Sunday forcing Delhi police to lose all the roads leading to the India Gate.

The Delhi Police had imposed CrPC Section 144 (prohibitory orders against unlawful assembly) in the area following which all the students and even the mother of the missing student were detained.

Ahmad, a first-year MSc student at the School of Biotechnology in JNU, went missing on October 15 after alleged scuffle few ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections.

The Delhi police detained JNU students who were protesting the lack of action taken by the authorities. Ahmads mother Fatima Nafees was also detained. Seeing this, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went to Mayapuri police station where Fatima Nafees was detained. Even before Kejriwal, reached the police station, Fatima Nafees was escorted to her relative house at Jamia Nagar in a police van.

The JNUSU had been protesting for the last 20 days. Student leaders have also accused the ABVP of being involved in the incident but the Delhi police have refuted such accusations and claimed they are trying to trace Najeeb. The police have also announced a Rs 2 lakh award for anyone with credible.

Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was adopting dictatorship policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures. He also stated that met President Pranab Mukherjee and gave the two-page letter to him urging to intensify the search operation.

Kejriwal said that President has assured that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on the missing student.

The Chief Minister called on the President. He said he apprised Mukherjee of the matter. He also alleged that the Delhi Police did not take any action in the matter due to "political pressure".

People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police yesterday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality. We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from the Delhi Police and JNU in this regard, Kejriwal said.

On November 3, while speaking at a solidarity meeting on the JNU campus, Kejriwal had accused Delhi Police of not probing the matter properly.

Kejriwal, who has had frequent run-ins with the Delhi Police, had said it will not dare to pursue any investigation in this regard as RSS' students' wing ABVP was involved in the brawl.

The Delhi Police has formed around 50 teams to locate Ahmad. The police teams have been knocking the doors of Madrasas across the national capital, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and police have also been deployed in Jamia, Delhi and Aligarh Muslim Universities.

In the meantime, BJP accused the AAP and Congress of "orchestrating" the protest by JNU students at India Gate, saying they cannot digest the "good work" done by the Narendra Modi government.

BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said the party prays that JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing since October 14, is found safe, adding that it was "tragic" that he could not be traced yet.

"The police permission was taken for Jantar Mantar but they have intentionally gone to India Gate where Section 144 of CrPC is imposed. Arvind Kejriwal had gone to (JNU) campus a few days back and influenced the students to take this step," Sharma alleged.

NEW DELHI: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University protested against the police over missing student Najeeb Ahmad near India Gate in the national capital Delhi along with Ahmads family members on Sunday forcing Delhi police to lose all the roads leading to the India Gate. The Delhi Police had imposed CrPC Section 144 (prohibitory orders against unlawful assembly) in the area following which all the students and even the mother of the missing student were detained. Ahmad, a first-year MSc student at the School of Biotechnology in JNU, went missing on October 15 after alleged scuffle few ABVP members, who had gone campaigning to his room for hostel elections. The Delhi police detained JNU students who were protesting the lack of action taken by the authorities. Ahmads mother Fatima Nafees was also detained. Seeing this, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went to Mayapuri police station where Fatima Nafees was detained. Even before Kejriwal, reached the police station, Fatima Nafees was escorted to her relative house at Jamia Nagar in a police van. The JNUSU had been protesting for the last 20 days. Student leaders have also accused the ABVP of being involved in the incident but the Delhi police have refuted such accusations and claimed they are trying to trace Najeeb. The police have also announced a Rs 2 lakh award for anyone with credible. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was adopting dictatorship policy and violating the constitutional right of an individual by adopting such measures. He also stated that met President Pranab Mukherjee and gave the two-page letter to him urging to intensify the search operation. Kejriwal said that President has assured that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on the missing student. The Chief Minister called on the President. He said he apprised Mukherjee of the matter. He also alleged that the Delhi Police did not take any action in the matter due to "political pressure". People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police yesterday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality. We have apprised the President of the matter. He has assured us that he will seek a report from the Delhi Police and JNU in this regard, Kejriwal said. On November 3, while speaking at a solidarity meeting on the JNU campus, Kejriwal had accused Delhi Police of not probing the matter properly. Kejriwal, who has had frequent run-ins with the Delhi Police, had said it will not dare to pursue any investigation in this regard as RSS' students' wing ABVP was involved in the brawl. The Delhi Police has formed around 50 teams to locate Ahmad. The police teams have been knocking the doors of Madrasas across the national capital, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and police have also been deployed in Jamia, Delhi and Aligarh Muslim Universities. In the meantime, BJP accused the AAP and Congress of "orchestrating" the protest by JNU students at India Gate, saying they cannot digest the "good work" done by the Narendra Modi government. BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said the party prays that JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing since October 14, is found safe, adding that it was "tragic" that he could not be traced yet. "The police permission was taken for Jantar Mantar but they have intentionally gone to India Gate where Section 144 of CrPC is imposed. Arvind Kejriwal had gone to (JNU) campus a few days back and influenced the students to take this step," Sharma alleged.
By PTI

RAIPUR: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said a neighbouring country is trying to destabilise India by encouraging "cowardly" act of terrorism but our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone.



"A neighbouring country of our again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India. Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards," Singh said at the concluding ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav - the 16th foundation day celebrations at Naya Raipur.



Further referring to surgical strike by Army after the Uri attack, he said, "You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job. I want to assure that this government will never let India to bow its head before anyone".



Singh also said unable to stomach India's rapid growth, some countries are trying to destabilise the nation.



"Today, India is progressing rapidly. It is the country which has highest economic growth rate in the world presently. Some countries (anti-India) are jealous of us and trying to destabilise (the country). They are trying to weaken India. But I assure you that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi no power could weaken India," he said.



Singh further re-affirmed his commitment to extend every possible support to Chhattisgarh in its fight against Naxalism.



"Development is taking place rapidly in Chhattisgarh but the Maoist activities has been a matter of concern for all of us.



"The ruling BJP government in the state has accepted the challenge and it will definitely achieve success (in combat against Naxalism). Centre will provide all kind of support to the state in tackling the menace," he said.



Maoists never wanted roads to be built in the remote villages, good education for children, better communication system, good jobs for youth, the Minister said.



"I have already said to Maoist to stop their activities for some time and then government will show them what is development and how it takes place."

"China was a huge supporter of Maoism but now there is no place for it (Maoism) in its their future. But here (in India) there are attempts going on to encourage Maoism," Singh said while warning Naxals, "You must leave it (Maoism) or you will have to".



The Minister said India is poised to emerge as a global economic power and the efforts initiated by the Narendra Modi government will start bearing positive results in the days to come.



He, however said Centre not only wanted to make India a global economic power but also a 'Vishaw Guru' (world-teacher).



Singh praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for carrying out development oriented works in the state.



Meanwhile, 18 people and two organisations were also felicitated with state awards on the occasion for their contribution in different fields.



Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the concluding ceremony.

RAIPUR: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said a neighbouring country is trying to destabilise India by encouraging "cowardly" act of terrorism but our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone. "A neighbouring country of our again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India. Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards," Singh said at the concluding ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav - the 16th foundation day celebrations at Naya Raipur. Further referring to surgical strike by Army after the Uri attack, he said, "You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job. I want to assure that this government will never let India to bow its head before anyone". Singh also said unable to stomach India's rapid growth, some countries are trying to destabilise the nation. "Today, India is progressing rapidly. It is the country which has highest economic growth rate in the world presently. Some countries (anti-India) are jealous of us and trying to destabilise (the country). They are trying to weaken India. But I assure you that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi no power could weaken India," he said. Singh further re-affirmed his commitment to extend every possible support to Chhattisgarh in its fight against Naxalism. "Development is taking place rapidly in Chhattisgarh but the Maoist activities has been a matter of concern for all of us. "The ruling BJP government in the state has accepted the challenge and it will definitely achieve success (in combat against Naxalism). Centre will provide all kind of support to the state in tackling the menace," he said. Maoists never wanted roads to be built in the remote villages, good education for children, better communication system, good jobs for youth, the Minister said. "I have already said to Maoist to stop their activities for some time and then government will show them what is development and how it takes place." "China was a huge supporter of Maoism but now there is no place for it (Maoism) in its their future. But here (in India) there are attempts going on to encourage Maoism," Singh said while warning Naxals, "You must leave it (Maoism) or you will have to". The Minister said India is poised to emerge as a global economic power and the efforts initiated by the Narendra Modi government will start bearing positive results in the days to come. He, however said Centre not only wanted to make India a global economic power but also a 'Vishaw Guru' (world-teacher). Singh praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for carrying out development oriented works in the state. Meanwhile, 18 people and two organisations were also felicitated with state awards on the occasion for their contribution in different fields. Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the concluding ceremony.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India and Sri Lanka took steps towards permanent resolution of the long pending fishermen issues on Saturday as they agreed on setting up Joint Working Group on Fisheries and to establish a hotline between the Coast Guards of the countries.



The decisions were taken during the Ministerial-level bilateral talks, attended by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh. From the Sri Lankan side, Minister for Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera attended the meet. Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and Sri Lankan Member of Parliament MA Sumanthiran were also part of the two delegations.



The proposed Joint Working Group (JWG) will meet every three months and the ministers for fisheries will sit together every six months. The first meeting would be held on January 2, in Colombo.

Terms of reference included expediting the transition towards ending bottom trawling, working out a Standard Operating Procedure for handing over of apprehended fishermen, and looking at the possibilities for cooperation on patrolling, a MEA statement said. The JWG will also discuss the issue of detained fishing vessels.



Both Governments agreed on setting up a hot-line between the two Coast Guards. The Ministers noted that the process is underway for the release of fishermen presently in custody on either side.

NEW DELHI: India and Sri Lanka took steps towards permanent resolution of the long pending fishermen issues on Saturday as they agreed on setting up Joint Working Group on Fisheries and to establish a hotline between the Coast Guards of the countries. The decisions were taken during the Ministerial-level bilateral talks, attended by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh. From the Sri Lankan side, Minister for Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera attended the meet. Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and Sri Lankan Member of Parliament MA Sumanthiran were also part of the two delegations. The proposed Joint Working Group (JWG) will meet every three months and the ministers for fisheries will sit together every six months. The first meeting would be held on January 2, in Colombo. Terms of reference included expediting the transition towards ending bottom trawling, working out a Standard Operating Procedure for handing over of apprehended fishermen, and looking at the possibilities for cooperation on patrolling, a MEA statement said. The JWG will also discuss the issue of detained fishing vessels. Both Governments agreed on setting up a hot-line between the two Coast Guards. The Ministers noted that the process is underway for the release of fishermen presently in custody on either side.
By PTI

LUCKNOW: BSP chief Mayawati today ridiculed attempt by Samajwadi Party to form a grand alliance in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and virtually ruled out any alliance with Mulayam Singh's party, days after JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar made such a suggestion.

Hours after Samajwadi Party brought members of the erstwhile Janata Parivar on one platform as part of attempt to form a 'mahagathbandhan', Mayawati addressed a press conference, warned that any alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh will directly benefit BJP.

"There is not a single concrete reason for any secular party to align with Samajwadi Party, specially after the bad experience of (SP) breaking the 'mahagathbandhan' in Bihar because of its understanding with BJP," she said.

"SP is today standing alone because of its understanding with BJP. So, any move to align with SP means directly helping BJP...other parties should remain alert on this count as it would be good for them," the former Chief Minister said.

Mayawati, while attacking the ruling party, said, "All know that because of its selfish motives, Samajwadi Party today stands divided. (In these circumstances) supporting SP clearly means strengthening BJP and forming an anti-Dalit, anti-backward and anti-Muslim BJP government in the state."

Her comments against any alliance with SP came days after Kumar, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister, said, "Any grand alliance in UP will only take shape when the SP and the BSP are together."

Mayawati said, "SP is trying to form an alliance with mostly those parties who have a very limited influence in UP. Moreover, this effort to form a grand alliance only proved that the ruling Samajwadi Party has accepted its defeat, even before the Assembly elections."

Contending that "There is no concrete example on which SP can seek votes and come back to power in the state", she said, "At all levels, casteism, communalims, corruption and jungleraj has prevailed...should other secular parties support the sinking SP ship because various incidents like Muzaffarnagar, Dadri among others took place in the state because of their understanding with BJP."

LUCKNOW: BSP chief Mayawati today ridiculed attempt by Samajwadi Party to form a grand alliance in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and virtually ruled out any alliance with Mulayam Singh's party, days after JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar made such a suggestion. Hours after Samajwadi Party brought members of the erstwhile Janata Parivar on one platform as part of attempt to form a 'mahagathbandhan', Mayawati addressed a press conference, warned that any alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh will directly benefit BJP. "There is not a single concrete reason for any secular party to align with Samajwadi Party, specially after the bad experience of (SP) breaking the 'mahagathbandhan' in Bihar because of its understanding with BJP," she said. "SP is today standing alone because of its understanding with BJP. So, any move to align with SP means directly helping BJP...other parties should remain alert on this count as it would be good for them," the former Chief Minister said. Mayawati, while attacking the ruling party, said, "All know that because of its selfish motives, Samajwadi Party today stands divided. (In these circumstances) supporting SP clearly means strengthening BJP and forming an anti-Dalit, anti-backward and anti-Muslim BJP government in the state." Her comments against any alliance with SP came days after Kumar, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister, said, "Any grand alliance in UP will only take shape when the SP and the BSP are together." Mayawati said, "SP is trying to form an alliance with mostly those parties who have a very limited influence in UP. Moreover, this effort to form a grand alliance only proved that the ruling Samajwadi Party has accepted its defeat, even before the Assembly elections." Contending that "There is no concrete example on which SP can seek votes and come back to power in the state", she said, "At all levels, casteism, communalims, corruption and jungleraj has prevailed...should other secular parties support the sinking SP ship because various incidents like Muzaffarnagar, Dadri among others took place in the state because of their understanding with BJP."
Manish Anand By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With the Paris agreement on climate change coming into effect on Friday, NITI Aayog has begun laying the road-map to cap the carbon emission commitment without compromising its high growth objectives.

The 15-year vision document is being prepared by a panel of think tanks under the close watch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will substantially address Indias commitments on climate change as well as the United Nations sustainable development goal on clean energy.

NITI Aayog is in the midst of drafting the National Energy Policy 2040, which will also include the roadmap for achieving the commitments to the Paris agreement to be fulfilled by 2030. India without compromising the high economic growth objectives will be on course to meet the climate change targets and may even surpass the goals said top sources in NITI Aayog.

India has committed to cap its electricity generation from fossils (carbon sources) to 60 per cent by 2030, while the remaining 40 per cent of power has to be generated from the non-fossil (renewable) sources of energy.

India had a 193 Giga watt power capacity as on 2012, which included 100600 MW from coal and 24,000 MW from gas. Thus the fossil as primary energy sources accounted for 67 per cent of the total electricity generation. With technological intervention and even while factoring in the expansion of the power capacity to address the demands of the economy, India will be on course to deliver on international commitments, sources said.

Incidentally, NITI Aayog has mapped the average plant efficiency of electricity generation at 33 per cent, which is much below the international benchmark.

India is also a signatory to the UNs sustainable development goal on clean energy (Goal number 6).

The cost of solar power is already down to Rs 6 a unit and going forward it will further come down significantly with cheaper batteries made available. India will mostly be building the small hydro power plants, which come under the renewable category, said sources.

NEW DELHI: With the Paris agreement on climate change coming into effect on Friday, NITI Aayog has begun laying the road-map to cap the carbon emission commitment without compromising its high growth objectives. The 15-year vision document is being prepared by a panel of think tanks under the close watch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will substantially address Indias commitments on climate change as well as the United Nations sustainable development goal on clean energy. NITI Aayog is in the midst of drafting the National Energy Policy 2040, which will also include the roadmap for achieving the commitments to the Paris agreement to be fulfilled by 2030. India without compromising the high economic growth objectives will be on course to meet the climate change targets and may even surpass the goals said top sources in NITI Aayog. India has committed to cap its electricity generation from fossils (carbon sources) to 60 per cent by 2030, while the remaining 40 per cent of power has to be generated from the non-fossil (renewable) sources of energy. India had a 193 Giga watt power capacity as on 2012, which included 100600 MW from coal and 24,000 MW from gas. Thus the fossil as primary energy sources accounted for 67 per cent of the total electricity generation. With technological intervention and even while factoring in the expansion of the power capacity to address the demands of the economy, India will be on course to deliver on international commitments, sources said. Incidentally, NITI Aayog has mapped the average plant efficiency of electricity generation at 33 per cent, which is much below the international benchmark. India is also a signatory to the UNs sustainable development goal on clean energy (Goal number 6). The cost of solar power is already down to Rs 6 a unit and going forward it will further come down significantly with cheaper batteries made available. India will mostly be building the small hydro power plants, which come under the renewable category, said sources.
Manish Anand By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With Uttar Pradesh heading to Assembly elections in another three months, the BJP has drawn in its poll management veterans from all quarters to swing the voters in its favour. While BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have already taken positions in various parts, party chief Amit Shahs hand-picked team from Gujarat will soon take up their roles in the poll-bound state. Former Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda has been tasked to take care of Sonabhadra district. Leaders from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been assigned the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 70 of the 403 seats.

Akhilesh Yadav seeks blessings of Shivpal Yadav as Lalu Prasad and Ajit Singh look on



Election is a festival for the democracy and the party workers. All those who can contribute to the success in the elections will take part in the campaign, said BJP general secretary Anil Jain. BJP workers from the neighbouring states have been camping at the village and block levels. We have been camping in Saharanpur. Our job is to create a robust campaign model to swing votes in BJPs favour in rural and semi-urban areas, said a BJP state youth wing chief.



Bihar unit workers will soon take similar positions in 11 districts. Senior leaders and party workers will join the campaign in all Bihar bordering districts, said Mangal Pandey, the Bihar BJP chief. Chhattisgarh BJP chief Dharmlal Kaushik and his MP counterpart Laxman Gilawa are reportedly coordinating their respective teams in Uttar Pradesh. They have been tasked to highlight the contrast in the implementation of the `7,600 crore special package for the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The official reports have shown that the package had been successfully implemented in MP, while Uttar Pradesh could not even spend the funds.

The Bundelkhand region is spread over the two states with contrasting scale of developments. While drinking water needed to be reached through trains in the Uttar Pradesh parts, the MP government has shown the success of the development, said a senior BJP functionary. Kaushik, on the other hand, has been tasked to bring in people from Chhattisgarh who had migrated from Uttar Pradesh to share the good governance and development model of the BJP government.



The BJP, however, appears to have taken a lesson from the poll debacle in the Bihar elections, which had turned into a contest between outsiders and locals. The Bihar model will not be replicated. Local party workers will remain in charge of the polling booths in every Assembly seat, said Rameshwar Chourasia, state BJP co-incharge.

NEW DELHI: With Uttar Pradesh heading to Assembly elections in another three months, the BJP has drawn in its poll management veterans from all quarters to swing the voters in its favour. While BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have already taken positions in various parts, party chief Amit Shahs hand-picked team from Gujarat will soon take up their roles in the poll-bound state. Former Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda has been tasked to take care of Sonabhadra district. Leaders from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been assigned the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 70 of the 403 seats. Akhilesh Yadav seeks blessings of Shivpal Yadav as Lalu Prasad and Ajit Singh look on Election is a festival for the democracy and the party workers. All those who can contribute to the success in the elections will take part in the campaign, said BJP general secretary Anil Jain. BJP workers from the neighbouring states have been camping at the village and block levels. We have been camping in Saharanpur. Our job is to create a robust campaign model to swing votes in BJPs favour in rural and semi-urban areas, said a BJP state youth wing chief. Bihar unit workers will soon take similar positions in 11 districts. Senior leaders and party workers will join the campaign in all Bihar bordering districts, said Mangal Pandey, the Bihar BJP chief. Chhattisgarh BJP chief Dharmlal Kaushik and his MP counterpart Laxman Gilawa are reportedly coordinating their respective teams in Uttar Pradesh. They have been tasked to highlight the contrast in the implementation of the `7,600 crore special package for the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The official reports have shown that the package had been successfully implemented in MP, while Uttar Pradesh could not even spend the funds. The Bundelkhand region is spread over the two states with contrasting scale of developments. While drinking water needed to be reached through trains in the Uttar Pradesh parts, the MP government has shown the success of the development, said a senior BJP functionary. Kaushik, on the other hand, has been tasked to bring in people from Chhattisgarh who had migrated from Uttar Pradesh to share the good governance and development model of the BJP government. The BJP, however, appears to have taken a lesson from the poll debacle in the Bihar elections, which had turned into a contest between outsiders and locals. The Bihar model will not be replicated. Local party workers will remain in charge of the polling booths in every Assembly seat, said Rameshwar Chourasia, state BJP co-incharge.
Sam Paul A By

Express News Service

DHAB (JHARKHAND) : Sarju stands on a makeshift platform drawing a sand-filled bucket up an 80 ft mine shaft on the edge of a forest near Koderma. The shaft plunges to an underground landing area where 10 other miners are hacking at a vein of silica in the mine face and others are bailing out water and sand. In a clearing a little deeper in the forest, women and children squat on the earth, sifting the red soil and dropping the pickings into stainless steel bowls beside them.

They are looking for dhibra, the local name for mica, and these are the thousands of villagers who work in the illegal mines of Jharkhand. Banned by law but operated by mining syndicates to cater to the abiding global demand for quality mica at cheap prices, these mines are the mainstay of a local economy steeped in the direst poverty. Villagers like Sarju and his children work at great risk in these mines but to the administration, they dont exist at all.

Women collecting scrap mica from an open mine at Dhab

in Koderma district.

Mica is a crystalline silicate that neatly cleaves into sheets and lends itself to shine. In the days before synthetic substitutes were invented, it used to be a valued ingredient for insulation in the electric and electronic industries. The automobile industry loved the sparkle it gave to paint, and cosmetics companies used it to give gloss to their products. In the heyday of mica, during the British Raj and into the first three decades of independent India, towns in the Chotanagpur plateau glowed in the lustre of mica. Each of them fancied themselves as Abarakh Nagari: Koderma, Jhumri Talaiya (the town famous for sending bunches of song requests to Vividh Bharati), and Giridih (the killing field of Anurag Kashyaps film Gangs of Wasseypur).

A child climbs out of an open mica

mine at Dhab | Sam Paul A/Express

In the 1980s, the government shut down most of the mica mines because they lay in the forests and couldnt pass muster under the countrys new environmental laws. However, the demand for mica has not dwindled and this has kept illegal mines alive.

The mines are risky. Some are no bigger than foxholes into which only children can squeeze in. The better quality ore, called ruby mica, is found deeper underground. Older miners like Sarju risk their lives descending without any harness down rickety ladders into pits 100 ft deep to find ruby mica. Women and children seek lower-quality scrap mica flakes in the open cast mines.

Kalvadevi, who became partially

paralysed after a mining accident, is

bedridden at her home for the past

five months.

In Koderma, the mineral is easily accessible, of a high quality and in demand from all corners of the globe. Before the ban, there used to be around 150 mines in Dhab alone, employing at least 10,000 people. Russians and Europeans used to come here. Dhab was called Chota Calcutta then, says Mudrika Prasad Singh, a septuagenarian whose son runs a tea stall now. But those days are memories now.

The foreigners may not be flocking to Dhab, but the mica mined illegally from the region is finding a market overseas through a clandestine supply chain involving local people, politicians, businessmen, authorities and multinational companies.

The government banned mica mining long back. At present, there are no legal or illegal mines operating in the district, says Sanjiv Kumar Besra, the district collector. Yet, the website of Koderma describes the town as the mica capital of India.



Nothing nails the denial of the administration better than the governments own figures for mica production and export. The Indian Bureau of Mines lists only 21 underground mica mines, and just 244 leases, and mica production officially is a mere 19,000 tonnes. Yet exports are recorded as 1,40,310 tonnes in 2014-15, earning `341.60 crore as revenue. The vast difference between production and exports indicates the scale of the ghost mines in Jharkhand.

While the Koderma district collector may live in denial, heads have but to bow to the reality of illegal mining. Unable to control the mafia, the State government is now planning to legalise it, calling it regulation.

DHAB (JHARKHAND) : Sarju stands on a makeshift platform drawing a sand-filled bucket up an 80 ft mine shaft on the edge of a forest near Koderma. The shaft plunges to an underground landing area where 10 other miners are hacking at a vein of silica in the mine face and others are bailing out water and sand. In a clearing a little deeper in the forest, women and children squat on the earth, sifting the red soil and dropping the pickings into stainless steel bowls beside them. They are looking for dhibra, the local name for mica, and these are the thousands of villagers who work in the illegal mines of Jharkhand. Banned by law but operated by mining syndicates to cater to the abiding global demand for quality mica at cheap prices, these mines are the mainstay of a local economy steeped in the direst poverty. Villagers like Sarju and his children work at great risk in these mines but to the administration, they dont exist at all. Women collecting scrap mica from an open mine at Dhab in Koderma district. Mica is a crystalline silicate that neatly cleaves into sheets and lends itself to shine. In the days before synthetic substitutes were invented, it used to be a valued ingredient for insulation in the electric and electronic industries. The automobile industry loved the sparkle it gave to paint, and cosmetics companies used it to give gloss to their products. In the heyday of mica, during the British Raj and into the first three decades of independent India, towns in the Chotanagpur plateau glowed in the lustre of mica. Each of them fancied themselves as Abarakh Nagari: Koderma, Jhumri Talaiya (the town famous for sending bunches of song requests to Vividh Bharati), and Giridih (the killing field of Anurag Kashyaps film Gangs of Wasseypur). A child climbs out of an open mica mine at Dhab | Sam Paul A/Express In the 1980s, the government shut down most of the mica mines because they lay in the forests and couldnt pass muster under the countrys new environmental laws. However, the demand for mica has not dwindled and this has kept illegal mines alive. The mines are risky. Some are no bigger than foxholes into which only children can squeeze in. The better quality ore, called ruby mica, is found deeper underground. Older miners like Sarju risk their lives descending without any harness down rickety ladders into pits 100 ft deep to find ruby mica. Women and children seek lower-quality scrap mica flakes in the open cast mines. Kalvadevi, who became partially paralysed after a mining accident, is bedridden at her home for the past five months. In Koderma, the mineral is easily accessible, of a high quality and in demand from all corners of the globe. Before the ban, there used to be around 150 mines in Dhab alone, employing at least 10,000 people. Russians and Europeans used to come here. Dhab was called Chota Calcutta then, says Mudrika Prasad Singh, a septuagenarian whose son runs a tea stall now. But those days are memories now. The foreigners may not be flocking to Dhab, but the mica mined illegally from the region is finding a market overseas through a clandestine supply chain involving local people, politicians, businessmen, authorities and multinational companies. The government banned mica mining long back. At present, there are no legal or illegal mines operating in the district, says Sanjiv Kumar Besra, the district collector. Yet, the website of Koderma describes the town as the mica capital of India. Nothing nails the denial of the administration better than the governments own figures for mica production and export. The Indian Bureau of Mines lists only 21 underground mica mines, and just 244 leases, and mica production officially is a mere 19,000 tonnes. Yet exports are recorded as 1,40,310 tonnes in 2014-15, earning `341.60 crore as revenue. The vast difference between production and exports indicates the scale of the ghost mines in Jharkhand. While the Koderma district collector may live in denial, heads have but to bow to the reality of illegal mining. Unable to control the mafia, the State government is now planning to legalise it, calling it regulation.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University along with family members of the missing student, Najeeb Ahmad, protested seeking action in the national capital on Sunday, forcing Delhi police to block all the roads leading to India Gate. The Delhi Police had imposed CrPC Section 144 (prohibitory orders against unlawful assembly) in the area following which all the protesting students and the mother of the missing student, Fatima Nafees, were detained.

Ahmad, a first-year MSc student at the School of Biotechnology in JNU and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 after alleged scuffle with a few ABVP members, who had gone to his room for campaigning for hostel elections.

After the police action, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went to Mayapuri police station where Fatima Nafees was detained. Even before Kejriwal reached the police station, Fatima was escorted to her relatives house at Jamia Nagar in a police van.

The JNU students union has been protesting for the last 20 days over the issue. Student leaders have also accused the ABVP of being involved in the incident but the Delhi police have refuted such accusations and claimed they are trying to trace Najeeb. The police have also announced a `2 lakh reward for anyone who give credible information on Najeeb.

Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was adopting dictatorship policy and violating the constitutional right to protest. He also met President Pranab Mukherjee and gave a two-page letter to him urging him to intensify the search operation. Kejriwal said that President has assured him that he will seek reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on the missing student.

He also alleged that the Delhi Police did not take any action in the matter due to political pressure. People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police on Friday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality, Kejriwal said.

In the meantime, the BJP accused the AAP and Congress of orchestrating the protest by JNU students, saying they cannot digest the good work done by the Modi government.

Meanwhile, police officials denied that agitating students or Najeebs family were manhandled.

NEW DELHI: The students of Jawaharlal Nehru University along with family members of the missing student, Najeeb Ahmad, protested seeking action in the national capital on Sunday, forcing Delhi police to block all the roads leading to India Gate. The Delhi Police had imposed CrPC Section 144 (prohibitory orders against unlawful assembly) in the area following which all the protesting students and the mother of the missing student, Fatima Nafees, were detained. Ahmad, a first-year MSc student at the School of Biotechnology in JNU and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 after alleged scuffle with a few ABVP members, who had gone to his room for campaigning for hostel elections. After the police action, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal went to Mayapuri police station where Fatima Nafees was detained. Even before Kejriwal reached the police station, Fatima was escorted to her relatives house at Jamia Nagar in a police van. The JNU students union has been protesting for the last 20 days over the issue. Student leaders have also accused the ABVP of being involved in the incident but the Delhi police have refuted such accusations and claimed they are trying to trace Najeeb. The police have also announced a `2 lakh reward for anyone who give credible information on Najeeb. Kejriwal alleged that the Centre was adopting dictatorship policy and violating the constitutional right to protest. He also met President Pranab Mukherjee and gave a two-page letter to him urging him to intensify the search operation. Kejriwal said that President has assured him that he will seek reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on the missing student. He also alleged that the Delhi Police did not take any action in the matter due to political pressure. People who were involved in the brawl with Najeeb were questioned by the police on Friday, 22 days after he went missing. That was also a formality, Kejriwal said. In the meantime, the BJP accused the AAP and Congress of orchestrating the protest by JNU students, saying they cannot digest the good work done by the Modi government. Meanwhile, police officials denied that agitating students or Najeebs family were manhandled.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: The separatists in Kashmir today called for a joint meeting of all stakeholders on Tuesday to chalk out the "future course of action" with regard to the ongoing unrest in the Valley, while rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that development was the key to a solution.



"There is an urge to take all the stakeholders into confidence for taking the ongoing movement forward. All the forums among whom traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organisations, bar association and people from other walks of life have been called on Tuesday, November 8 ... to jointly deliberate and discuss future course of action," the separatists said in a joint statement.



The decision to invite the stakeholders for consultations came after a meeting of the chairmen of both Hurriyat factions  Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq  and JKLF chief Yasin Malik at Geelani's residence at Hyderpora here.



The statement said the separatist leaders "unanimously rejected" the statement of the Prime Minister "wherein he has said that development is the cornerstone of Kashmir solution."



"It was asserted that the struggle ... is not meant for any economic gains or packages but for the determination of future of millions of humans living in Jammu Kashmir," it said, adding "such manoeuvring has failed" earlier and would fail now as well.



The separatists also condemned the burning of educational institutions in the Valley, saying "this phenomenon is very grave" and alleged that these were intended "to defame the ongoing struggle."



Condemning the recent relaxation of the syllabus by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the separatists termed it as "ridiculous" and said the move "will tell upon the educational standards and individual potential of the students."

SRINAGAR: The separatists in Kashmir today called for a joint meeting of all stakeholders on Tuesday to chalk out the "future course of action" with regard to the ongoing unrest in the Valley, while rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that development was the key to a solution. "There is an urge to take all the stakeholders into confidence for taking the ongoing movement forward. All the forums among whom traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organisations, bar association and people from other walks of life have been called on Tuesday, November 8 ... to jointly deliberate and discuss future course of action," the separatists said in a joint statement. The decision to invite the stakeholders for consultations came after a meeting of the chairmen of both Hurriyat factions  Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq  and JKLF chief Yasin Malik at Geelani's residence at Hyderpora here. The statement said the separatist leaders "unanimously rejected" the statement of the Prime Minister "wherein he has said that development is the cornerstone of Kashmir solution." "It was asserted that the struggle ... is not meant for any economic gains or packages but for the determination of future of millions of humans living in Jammu Kashmir," it said, adding "such manoeuvring has failed" earlier and would fail now as well. The separatists also condemned the burning of educational institutions in the Valley, saying "this phenomenon is very grave" and alleged that these were intended "to defame the ongoing struggle." Condemning the recent relaxation of the syllabus by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the separatists termed it as "ridiculous" and said the move "will tell upon the educational standards and individual potential of the students."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today rushed to Mayapuri police station, where mother of the missing JNU student was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release.



Kejriwal also met the students of the university who were detained. Earlier, he also met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed concern over the tense situation in JNU.



The Chief Minister tweeted that he was going to Mayapuri Police station as soon as news spread that Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees was detained there.



"Reached Mayapuri police stn. Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home.



"Najeeb's mother reached home. Spoke to her on phone. She is fine. Am leaving the police stn now. Urge police to quickly find Najeeb," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets.



He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today rushed to Mayapuri police station, where mother of the missing JNU student was taken, and camped there till she reached the university after release. Kejriwal also met the students of the university who were detained. Earlier, he also met President Pranab Mukherjee and expressed concern over the tense situation in JNU. The Chief Minister tweeted that he was going to Mayapuri Police station as soon as news spread that Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees was detained there. "Reached Mayapuri police stn. Police saying she has been sent home in a police van. Will wait here till she reaches home. "Najeeb's mother reached home. Spoke to her on phone. She is fine. Am leaving the police stn now. Urge police to quickly find Najeeb," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets. He also vented his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "It is obvious police doesn't act it own, it follows its bosses. Earlier Congress tortured people taking shelter behind police now Modi is doing the same. Hay lagegi apko (you will be cursed)".
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress today accused the Modi government of trampling the three pillars of democracy - executive, judiciary and media, and said there was no place for dissent in it as it dubs as "anti-nationals" all those showing it the mirror of truth.



Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the attitude of the Modi government does not match with India's pluralist character and the freedom of expression of an individual and that is why it was imposing ban on the media.



The Congress also stood out in support of NDTV, on which a day-long ban has been imposed over coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, and said the entire country was now strongly opposing this "death-knell" imposed on the channel.



"The Modi government is trampling upon the three pillars of democracy - the executive, the judiciary and the media. Criticism or dissent is not acceptable to this Modi government which is gripped with the disease of self-praise and wants media to toe its line.



"Whenever someone shows it the mirror of truth, this government wears the mask of nationalism and dubs those showing it the mirror as anti-nationals. The attitude of Modi government does not match with the pluralist thought and freedom of expression of an individual," he said.



In a statement, Surjewala said the entire intellectual class and journalists were now standing out against this ban which was a bid to throttle the independent voice and anyone who raised their voice against the Modi government.



The Congress leader said that doubts were now being raised over the patriotism of those who had questioned the Modi government for allowing Pakistan's ISI to enter the Pathankot air base in the name of investigations into the terror attack.



"We have to awaken the Modi government which is in deep slumber due to the intoxication of power," he said.



NEW DELHI: Congress today accused the Modi government of trampling the three pillars of democracy - executive, judiciary and media, and said there was no place for dissent in it as it dubs as "anti-nationals" all those showing it the mirror of truth. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the attitude of the Modi government does not match with India's pluralist character and the freedom of expression of an individual and that is why it was imposing ban on the media. The Congress also stood out in support of NDTV, on which a day-long ban has been imposed over coverage of the Pathankot terror attack, and said the entire country was now strongly opposing this "death-knell" imposed on the channel. "The Modi government is trampling upon the three pillars of democracy - the executive, the judiciary and the media. Criticism or dissent is not acceptable to this Modi government which is gripped with the disease of self-praise and wants media to toe its line. "Whenever someone shows it the mirror of truth, this government wears the mask of nationalism and dubs those showing it the mirror as anti-nationals. The attitude of Modi government does not match with the pluralist thought and freedom of expression of an individual," he said. In a statement, Surjewala said the entire intellectual class and journalists were now standing out against this ban which was a bid to throttle the independent voice and anyone who raised their voice against the Modi government. The Congress leader said that doubts were now being raised over the patriotism of those who had questioned the Modi government for allowing Pakistan's ISI to enter the Pathankot air base in the name of investigations into the terror attack. "We have to awaken the Modi government which is in deep slumber due to the intoxication of power," he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: There was a need to take states into confidence on banning cow slaughter, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today, maintaining that cow was protected even during Mughal rule.



"Cow slaughter and beef were banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the 'Babarnama' that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter," he said at a function here in memory of those killed during a demonstration on the issue here 50 years ago.



The Home Minister said there was a need to take the states into confidence on the matter, though many states have already banned cow slaughter after increased awareness over the issue.



"As far as the cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from the economic, historical and scientific perspective," he said.



Singh said the NDA government was working towards enforcing a complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only "partial success" keeping in view the long borders.



"I want to tell you on behalf of our government that we want that cow should be protected. We have tried to stop the smuggling of cows to Bangladesh from across the borders. But the borders are very vast and we have achieved only partial success.



"We have taken a number of measures and will try to put a complete ban on smuggling of cows, but I feel this will take some time," Singh said, adding Article 48 of the Constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter.



"We should understand that India is a federal country and there is a need to take the states into confidence. Many states have already banned cow slaughter and recently Jharkhand has done so," he said.





Paying tributes to those who died on November 7, 1966, while raising the issue of cow slaughter in Delhi, the Home Minister said "I believe they gave their supreme sacrifice for a big goal. I pay my tributes to them. I also laud you for remembering them even after 50 years."



His remarks come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed some people protecting cows as "criminals" masquerading as cow vigilantes and sought action against them.



RSS general secretary Bhayyaji Joshi said cow protection movement has come a long way as "there is a government now in place whose Home Minister is sitting among cow protectors and paying homage" to those killed 50 years ago for seeking efforts in this direction.

Citing a US Department of Agriculture meet convened to define genetic sequence of cows where 300 scientists were invited from 25 countries, Singh said it had concluded that 80 per cent of the genes found in the cow and a human were the same.



In his speech, Joshi said 50 years ago, 'gau rakshaks' came to present their point of view before Parliament and the Home Minister of that time "meted out such treatment to them which was inhuman."



"Today, we have a gathering of 'gau rakshaks' who have come together to pay homage to those killed 50 years ago and this government's Home Minister is sitting with us on the stage in joining us pay homage. In that society, there was a conspiracy being hatched from behind and today our Home Minister is saying 'gau mata ki jai'," the RSS leader said.



A large number of religious leaders and VHP and RSS leaders were present during the meet where tributes were paid to those killed in the agitation.

In his speech, Rajnath Singh also said that cow needed to be viewed through various other facets and not merely mythological, scientific or economic.



"I feel that the prevailing polluted atmosphere, the angle of climate change should also be examined. Because scientists have said to produce one pound of beef, 1,800 gallons of water is used while for producing other meats 500 to 1,200 gallons of water is used. You can yourself conclude that we have to stop the fast changing climate changes that are taking place.



"We understand the importance of cow and as more and more awareness is created, the state governments are banning cow slaughter," he said.



Singh said that due to the curbs on the border, a Bangladesh minister told him a few months ago that beef prices in Bangladesh had risen by 40 per cent after the ban on cattle smuggling.



Joshi asked the attendees at the meeting to take over the task of cow protection and change the mindset to stop the smuggling of cows should come to an end.



"Smuggling of cows was on the increase in last few years due to the perverted mindset and some people were making financial gains out of the practice due to the corrupt administration.



"We have now started working in the right direction and we hope that all problems in this regard would be removed," he said.



Among those present at the meeting were BJP general secretary Ram Lal, RSS joint general secretary Krishan Gopal, VHP general secretary Champat Rai and joint general secretary Surendra Jain, besides Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi.

NEW DELHI: There was a need to take states into confidence on banning cow slaughter, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today, maintaining that cow was protected even during Mughal rule. "Cow slaughter and beef were banned since the vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the 'Babarnama' that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter," he said at a function here in memory of those killed during a demonstration on the issue here 50 years ago. The Home Minister said there was a need to take the states into confidence on the matter, though many states have already banned cow slaughter after increased awareness over the issue. "As far as the cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from the economic, historical and scientific perspective," he said. Singh said the NDA government was working towards enforcing a complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only "partial success" keeping in view the long borders. "I want to tell you on behalf of our government that we want that cow should be protected. We have tried to stop the smuggling of cows to Bangladesh from across the borders. But the borders are very vast and we have achieved only partial success. "We have taken a number of measures and will try to put a complete ban on smuggling of cows, but I feel this will take some time," Singh said, adding Article 48 of the Constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter. "We should understand that India is a federal country and there is a need to take the states into confidence. Many states have already banned cow slaughter and recently Jharkhand has done so," he said. Paying tributes to those who died on November 7, 1966, while raising the issue of cow slaughter in Delhi, the Home Minister said "I believe they gave their supreme sacrifice for a big goal. I pay my tributes to them. I also laud you for remembering them even after 50 years." His remarks come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed some people protecting cows as "criminals" masquerading as cow vigilantes and sought action against them. RSS general secretary Bhayyaji Joshi said cow protection movement has come a long way as "there is a government now in place whose Home Minister is sitting among cow protectors and paying homage" to those killed 50 years ago for seeking efforts in this direction. Citing a US Department of Agriculture meet convened to define genetic sequence of cows where 300 scientists were invited from 25 countries, Singh said it had concluded that 80 per cent of the genes found in the cow and a human were the same. In his speech, Joshi said 50 years ago, 'gau rakshaks' came to present their point of view before Parliament and the Home Minister of that time "meted out such treatment to them which was inhuman." "Today, we have a gathering of 'gau rakshaks' who have come together to pay homage to those killed 50 years ago and this government's Home Minister is sitting with us on the stage in joining us pay homage. In that society, there was a conspiracy being hatched from behind and today our Home Minister is saying 'gau mata ki jai'," the RSS leader said. A large number of religious leaders and VHP and RSS leaders were present during the meet where tributes were paid to those killed in the agitation. In his speech, Rajnath Singh also said that cow needed to be viewed through various other facets and not merely mythological, scientific or economic. "I feel that the prevailing polluted atmosphere, the angle of climate change should also be examined. Because scientists have said to produce one pound of beef, 1,800 gallons of water is used while for producing other meats 500 to 1,200 gallons of water is used. You can yourself conclude that we have to stop the fast changing climate changes that are taking place. "We understand the importance of cow and as more and more awareness is created, the state governments are banning cow slaughter," he said. Singh said that due to the curbs on the border, a Bangladesh minister told him a few months ago that beef prices in Bangladesh had risen by 40 per cent after the ban on cattle smuggling. Joshi asked the attendees at the meeting to take over the task of cow protection and change the mindset to stop the smuggling of cows should come to an end. "Smuggling of cows was on the increase in last few years due to the perverted mindset and some people were making financial gains out of the practice due to the corrupt administration. "We have now started working in the right direction and we hope that all problems in this regard would be removed," he said. Among those present at the meeting were BJP general secretary Ram Lal, RSS joint general secretary Krishan Gopal, VHP general secretary Champat Rai and joint general secretary Surendra Jain, besides Delhi BJP unit chief Satish Upadhyay and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi.
Ravi Shankar By

The most powerful weapon radical Islam has wielded in its spindrift of conquest through history is ignorance. By demolishing secular education, denying the miracles of the mind and reversing the transforming power of learning, it has tried to snuff out literacy and flung entire populations into the darkness of narrow theology. In India, a War on Knowledge has erupted in the bigoted battleground of Kashmir, where lessons written in blood and inscribed on the gravestones of its young fade in the treachery of its political memory. By burning schools, lumpen incendiaries are trying to impose Taliban law in the Valley. Arsonists have burned down 26 schools across the state in the last two months. Fourteen stone throwers have been arrested so far.

In AD 642, the fire of fanaticism consumed Alexandria, after its capture by Caliph Omar. He ordered its library burned saying, If those books are in agreement with the Quran, we have no need of them; and if these are opposed to the Quran, destroy them. Though the Quran declares the primary obligation of Muslims is to acquire knowledge, irrespective of gender, the obliteration of education is a hallmark of terror. In parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, modern education is considered sacrilegious. The most horrifying event in the annals of the War of Knowledge happened on December 16, 2014, when the Taliban attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar, and massacred 132 schoolchildren. Earlier this year, seven students were killed in Kabul University. Terrorists attacked over 300 schoolgirls with poisonous fumes in Afghanistan. Music, culture and mathematics are banned in schools in Taliban areas. The worst affected are girls. Nigerian terror organisation Boko Haramliterally Western education is forbiddenhas kidnapped, murdered, raped or sold to slavery hundreds of schoolgirls. Islamists use the sharia and the repressive seventh-century Arabic mores to keep women in a state of social and intellectual slavery.

The militant attack on education is driven by male religious insecurity. Todays terrorist and before him the hordes of holy warriors who swept down from the steppes and the sands to lay waste to ancient civilisations and enforce harsh tribal laws were illiterate soldiers and peasants. They were led by charismatic leaders who used divine sanction as the means to acquire riches and power. Ironically, todays generals of terror depend on highly educated, skilled technological experts to unleash evil on knowledge with sophisticated methods of online indoctrination.

Islamists and hardline religious leaders are threatened by the power of education. The energy of enlightenment inspires the mind to learn, and seek truths that lie beyond apparent reality. Knowledge is an eternally evolving quest. Its pursuit will shake medieval control of society and upturn established notions of history. The fanatic establishment of Pakistan and Arab Wahabbi zealots, who fund terrorism worldwide, have used infiltration, propaganda and genocide to bring darkness to what was once called the paradise on earth. The assault on education in the Valley is their latest ruse. Separatists, stone throwers and murderers accuse India of destroying Kashmir. Little do they realise that it is Kashmir which is destroying Kashmir.

Ravi Shankar

ravi@newindianexpress.com

The most powerful weapon radical Islam has wielded in its spindrift of conquest through history is ignorance. By demolishing secular education, denying the miracles of the mind and reversing the transforming power of learning, it has tried to snuff out literacy and flung entire populations into the darkness of narrow theology. In India, a War on Knowledge has erupted in the bigoted battleground of Kashmir, where lessons written in blood and inscribed on the gravestones of its young fade in the treachery of its political memory. By burning schools, lumpen incendiaries are trying to impose Taliban law in the Valley. Arsonists have burned down 26 schools across the state in the last two months. Fourteen stone throwers have been arrested so far. In AD 642, the fire of fanaticism consumed Alexandria, after its capture by Caliph Omar. He ordered its library burned saying, If those books are in agreement with the Quran, we have no need of them; and if these are opposed to the Quran, destroy them. Though the Quran declares the primary obligation of Muslims is to acquire knowledge, irrespective of gender, the obliteration of education is a hallmark of terror. In parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, modern education is considered sacrilegious. The most horrifying event in the annals of the War of Knowledge happened on December 16, 2014, when the Taliban attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar, and massacred 132 schoolchildren. Earlier this year, seven students were killed in Kabul University. Terrorists attacked over 300 schoolgirls with poisonous fumes in Afghanistan. Music, culture and mathematics are banned in schools in Taliban areas. The worst affected are girls. Nigerian terror organisation Boko Haramliterally Western education is forbiddenhas kidnapped, murdered, raped or sold to slavery hundreds of schoolgirls. Islamists use the sharia and the repressive seventh-century Arabic mores to keep women in a state of social and intellectual slavery. The militant attack on education is driven by male religious insecurity. Todays terrorist and before him the hordes of holy warriors who swept down from the steppes and the sands to lay waste to ancient civilisations and enforce harsh tribal laws were illiterate soldiers and peasants. They were led by charismatic leaders who used divine sanction as the means to acquire riches and power. Ironically, todays generals of terror depend on highly educated, skilled technological experts to unleash evil on knowledge with sophisticated methods of online indoctrination. Islamists and hardline religious leaders are threatened by the power of education. The energy of enlightenment inspires the mind to learn, and seek truths that lie beyond apparent reality. Knowledge is an eternally evolving quest. Its pursuit will shake medieval control of society and upturn established notions of history. The fanatic establishment of Pakistan and Arab Wahabbi zealots, who fund terrorism worldwide, have used infiltration, propaganda and genocide to bring darkness to what was once called the paradise on earth. The assault on education in the Valley is their latest ruse. Separatists, stone throwers and murderers accuse India of destroying Kashmir. Little do they realise that it is Kashmir which is destroying Kashmir. Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com
T J S George By

The world will go through a gear-shift this week. America is not just another country. As the worlds

biggest economy and military power, it cannot catch a cold without making others sneeze. Besides, it follows a presidential system that concentrates colossal power in one individual, power that is not always used wisely. A perverse war started by a lying President in 2003 unleashed murderous forces such as the ISIS that threaten the whole world today. Any US presidential election is therefore a matter of concern to all humanity.

More so this time. The election campaign this time has been the foulest, the dirtiest and the most hate-driven in living memory. The damage done is such that the choice before the electorate is not really a choice. It is like selecting between a bull in a chinashop and a freeloader in a supermarket. When a country is forced to decide between two evils, the country loses. When the country is America, the world loses.

Ominous things have already happened, casting shadows across America. The most significant of these is the polarisation of people into those who tolerate others and those who dont (a polarisation the ramifications of which are already visible to us in India). The tolerant want what they consider American values to continue undisturbed. The intolerant see in Trump a change maker who will bring America back to what it was, and what it ought to bethe homeland of White Protestants.

The intensity of anti-Trump passions was clear in the words of veteran thespian Robert De Niro. He appeared on TV, facial muscles taut, described Trump as a national disaster, called him a punk, dog, pig and mutt and said, I am so angry that this fool has got to this point. The anger had little effect. Last-minute opinion polls showed Trump having an edge over his opponent.

If the opponent had been less controversial, perhaps the situation might have been less scary. What a seachange for the Democrats from 10 years ago when Barack Obama electrified the scene with his inspirational aura. The Democratic Party did not cover itself with glory by picking a flag-bearer whose capabilities are as disputed as her integrity. A great many people are likely to vote for Trump just to show their dislike of Hillary. The number may not be less than those who vote for Hillary just to record their contempt for Trump.

One of the frustrations of this election is that whoever wins, there will be trouble. Half the divided population will not mentally accept the authority of the winner. It could be worse if Trump were to be the loser. Remember that he was blunt when asked whether he would accept a verdict against him. What did he mean when he said he would decide that after the results were known? That position bristled with both defiance of the American Constitution and a threat of action outside the scope of law.

If Trump were to be the winner, a whole range of other problems could descend upon America and the world. He could turn Americas alliances with other countries upside down, launch protectionist policies, promote racism and be unabashedly autocratic. Power understands power and he may build friendships with Russia and China, but beyond that he could be dangerous.

That may precisely be what a large chunk of Americans are looking for. The yearning for a change from status-quoism where the wrong types get privileges has seen rightwing forces rising in many societies. In America, too, ultra-nationalism has become a dominant sentiment. Resenting the incessant flow of immigrants, the White Protestant masses would like to erase the inscription on the Statue of Liberty which says, Give me your tired, your poor, the huddled masses, the wretched refuse... send these, the homeless, to me. Not when Donald Trump is holding the lamp. That is why there is so much mass support for Trump. There should be no surprise if, God forbid, he wins.

The comic relief in this otherwise grim drama was provided by a band of trumpeteers who called themselves the Republican Hindu Coalition in the US. Traditionally most Indians in the US support the Democrats. The Hindu Coalition marked a departure with a boisterous reception for Trump. Their hero rose to the occasion and declared: I am a big fan of Hindu, immortal words that went viral. We can now rest assured that a Trump White House, whatever havoc it causes elsewhere, will be good for Hindu.

The world will go through a gear-shift this week. America is not just another country. As the worlds biggest economy and military power, it cannot catch a cold without making others sneeze. Besides, it follows a presidential system that concentrates colossal power in one individual, power that is not always used wisely. A perverse war started by a lying President in 2003 unleashed murderous forces such as the ISIS that threaten the whole world today. Any US presidential election is therefore a matter of concern to all humanity. More so this time. The election campaign this time has been the foulest, the dirtiest and the most hate-driven in living memory. The damage done is such that the choice before the electorate is not really a choice. It is like selecting between a bull in a chinashop and a freeloader in a supermarket. When a country is forced to decide between two evils, the country loses. When the country is America, the world loses. Ominous things have already happened, casting shadows across America. The most significant of these is the polarisation of people into those who tolerate others and those who dont (a polarisation the ramifications of which are already visible to us in India). The tolerant want what they consider American values to continue undisturbed. The intolerant see in Trump a change maker who will bring America back to what it was, and what it ought to bethe homeland of White Protestants. The intensity of anti-Trump passions was clear in the words of veteran thespian Robert De Niro. He appeared on TV, facial muscles taut, described Trump as a national disaster, called him a punk, dog, pig and mutt and said, I am so angry that this fool has got to this point. The anger had little effect. Last-minute opinion polls showed Trump having an edge over his opponent. If the opponent had been less controversial, perhaps the situation might have been less scary. What a seachange for the Democrats from 10 years ago when Barack Obama electrified the scene with his inspirational aura. The Democratic Party did not cover itself with glory by picking a flag-bearer whose capabilities are as disputed as her integrity. A great many people are likely to vote for Trump just to show their dislike of Hillary. The number may not be less than those who vote for Hillary just to record their contempt for Trump. One of the frustrations of this election is that whoever wins, there will be trouble. Half the divided population will not mentally accept the authority of the winner. It could be worse if Trump were to be the loser. Remember that he was blunt when asked whether he would accept a verdict against him. What did he mean when he said he would decide that after the results were known? That position bristled with both defiance of the American Constitution and a threat of action outside the scope of law. If Trump were to be the winner, a whole range of other problems could descend upon America and the world. He could turn Americas alliances with other countries upside down, launch protectionist policies, promote racism and be unabashedly autocratic. Power understands power and he may build friendships with Russia and China, but beyond that he could be dangerous. That may precisely be what a large chunk of Americans are looking for. The yearning for a change from status-quoism where the wrong types get privileges has seen rightwing forces rising in many societies. In America, too, ultra-nationalism has become a dominant sentiment. Resenting the incessant flow of immigrants, the White Protestant masses would like to erase the inscription on the Statue of Liberty which says, Give me your tired, your poor, the huddled masses, the wretched refuse... send these, the homeless, to me. Not when Donald Trump is holding the lamp. That is why there is so much mass support for Trump. There should be no surprise if, God forbid, he wins. The comic relief in this otherwise grim drama was provided by a band of trumpeteers who called themselves the Republican Hindu Coalition in the US. Traditionally most Indians in the US support the Democrats. The Hindu Coalition marked a departure with a boisterous reception for Trump. Their hero rose to the occasion and declared: I am a big fan of Hindu, immortal words that went viral. We can now rest assured that a Trump White House, whatever havoc it causes elsewhere, will be good for Hindu.
Prabhu Chawla By

America, the Land of the Free, has become the Land of the Free for All. Coming week, the new Leader of the Free World will be chosen by the deeply divided populace after an excoriating electoral battle to decide the best of two worst choices. The 2016 contest for the White House has been the most invective-infested poll campaign in decadesbetween rotten Hillary and bully Trump. Together, the opposing candidates for the 45th President of the United States represent a new low in American politics. Donald Trump, a shady tycoon with just a year in politics, has become a global phenomenon on the basis of his notorious past and polarising present. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton reached the pinnacle of American political hierarchy primarily thanks to her status as Flotus, being married to Bill Clinton. The selection of the two ballot boxers reveals the bankruptcy of talent in both the Democratic and the Republican ranks. Badges and sexist tweets by Trumpists referred to the Monica Lewinsky affair. An app by Hillary supporters labelled Trump followers on Facebook sweaty fat pigs. A leading American news channel commented, Theres been a lot of mudslinging this election season, what with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, creating a new moniker for Hillary ClintonCrooked Hillaryand virtually everybody else calling Trump everything, from a carnival barker to drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler. But now both Hillary and Trump can add a new name to their lists: disliked. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, this has been an election of two hated people, by two hated people, for two hated people.

For the past few months, the electoral discourse in the US has hardly revolved around governance and international relations. There is no greater insult for the feisty democracy than choosing a lawbreaker as its top lawmaker and commander-in-chief. Both Trump and Hillary are accused of violating the law; the former for dubious business deals and contacts in a hostile country and the latter for illegally raising millions for her private foundation. Never before in the US history has elections thrown up contestants with deeply tarred reputations. Its not unusual for presidential candidates to engage in vulgar verbal vitriol, but their personal images have been cleaner than the ones in the race now. Trump was caught on tape bragging about barging in on women backstage at beauty pageants to inspect them.

Politico magazine aptly summed up the Trump-Hillary war saying, To judge by the daily parade of headlines and sound bites, the 2016 presidential election has boiled down to one steaming mass of invective, calumny, character assassination and contempt: the madman versus the prevaricator, the bully versus the biddy, the devil you know vs the devil you dont. Indian elections, famous for verbal vandalism by leaders using phrases like khoon ki dalali and maut ka saudagar pale into insignificance when compared with the populist poison spewed forth by Hillary and Trump.

Against this mud-splattered background, the hypocrisy of Indian secularists stands out in stark contrast with their avowed objectivity. Indian politics stands accused of using vote bank to divide society. The liberal class, many of them educated in the US and funded by US think tanks, takes Indian political leaders to the cleaners for choosing divisive agendas. They selectively pounce upon leaders who even indirectly use religion to garner votes. But in America, both Hillary and Trump are openly seeking a mandate for their personal persuasions. Each is using the social media to not only launch personal attacks but also to polarise their electoral constituencies. Trump is ahead of his rival with 13 million Twitter followers as against Hillarys ten million-plus. While over 10 million like Trumps Facebook page, only eight million approve of Hillary. A sample of his tweets:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Oct 22, Pennsylvania

Crooked Hillary Clinton Tops Middle East Forums Islamist Money List

@realDonaldTrump Oct 28, Ohio, USA

Crooked Hillary launched her political career by letting terrorists off the hook. #DrainTheSwamp

@realDonaldTrump Oct 30

Wow, Twitter, Google and Facebook are burying the FBI criminal investigation of Clinton. Very dishonest media!

@realDonaldTrump Nov 1

Look at the way Crooked Hillary is handling the e-mail case and the total mess she is in. She is unfit to be president. Bad

judgement!

But Hillary has been equally ferocious. Her tweets:

@HillaryClinton Nov 2

On average, Latinas make only $0.54 for each $1 white men earn. Time to close that gap. #LatinaEqualPay

@HillaryClinton Nov 1

Its time for Trump to answer serious questions about his ties to Russia. http://slate.me/2dWggCd

@HillaryClinton Oct 27

Would my son have a place in your America? Khizr Khan, father of a fallen American hero,

to Donald Trump



In between the continuous exchange of invectives, however, some serious issues have cropped up as a matter of convenience and not conviction. These mirror the similarities in both democracies. While the Congress retains its visible commitment to the idea of an inclusive India, Hillary is promising an America for all shades of people, including immigrants from Islamic nations. Trump has chosen Narendra Modis nationalist model by pandering to the sentiments of whites against extreme Islamist immigrants. To dismayed American voters neither of their potential Presidents is talking about We, the Americans. Instead, they are pontificating about the America of their Dreams. For the first time in its history, maximum America is about to elect a minimum leader.

Prabhu Chawla

prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com

Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla

America, the Land of the Free, has become the Land of the Free for All. Coming week, the new Leader of the Free World will be chosen by the deeply divided populace after an excoriating electoral battle to decide the best of two worst choices. The 2016 contest for the White House has been the most invective-infested poll campaign in decadesbetween rotten Hillary and bully Trump. Together, the opposing candidates for the 45th President of the United States represent a new low in American politics. Donald Trump, a shady tycoon with just a year in politics, has become a global phenomenon on the basis of his notorious past and polarising present. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton reached the pinnacle of American political hierarchy primarily thanks to her status as Flotus, being married to Bill Clinton. The selection of the two ballot boxers reveals the bankruptcy of talent in both the Democratic and the Republican ranks. Badges and sexist tweets by Trumpists referred to the Monica Lewinsky affair. An app by Hillary supporters labelled Trump followers on Facebook sweaty fat pigs. A leading American news channel commented, Theres been a lot of mudslinging this election season, what with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, creating a new moniker for Hillary ClintonCrooked Hillaryand virtually everybody else calling Trump everything, from a carnival barker to drawing comparisons to Adolf Hitler. But now both Hillary and Trump can add a new name to their lists: disliked. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, this has been an election of two hated people, by two hated people, for two hated people. For the past few months, the electoral discourse in the US has hardly revolved around governance and international relations. There is no greater insult for the feisty democracy than choosing a lawbreaker as its top lawmaker and commander-in-chief. Both Trump and Hillary are accused of violating the law; the former for dubious business deals and contacts in a hostile country and the latter for illegally raising millions for her private foundation. Never before in the US history has elections thrown up contestants with deeply tarred reputations. Its not unusual for presidential candidates to engage in vulgar verbal vitriol, but their personal images have been cleaner than the ones in the race now. Trump was caught on tape bragging about barging in on women backstage at beauty pageants to inspect them. Politico magazine aptly summed up the Trump-Hillary war saying, To judge by the daily parade of headlines and sound bites, the 2016 presidential election has boiled down to one steaming mass of invective, calumny, character assassination and contempt: the madman versus the prevaricator, the bully versus the biddy, the devil you know vs the devil you dont. Indian elections, famous for verbal vandalism by leaders using phrases like khoon ki dalali and maut ka saudagar pale into insignificance when compared with the populist poison spewed forth by Hillary and Trump. Against this mud-splattered background, the hypocrisy of Indian secularists stands out in stark contrast with their avowed objectivity. Indian politics stands accused of using vote bank to divide society. The liberal class, many of them educated in the US and funded by US think tanks, takes Indian political leaders to the cleaners for choosing divisive agendas. They selectively pounce upon leaders who even indirectly use religion to garner votes. But in America, both Hillary and Trump are openly seeking a mandate for their personal persuasions. Each is using the social media to not only launch personal attacks but also to polarise their electoral constituencies. Trump is ahead of his rival with 13 million Twitter followers as against Hillarys ten million-plus. While over 10 million like Trumps Facebook page, only eight million approve of Hillary. A sample of his tweets: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Oct 22, Pennsylvania Crooked Hillary Clinton Tops Middle East Forums Islamist Money List @realDonaldTrump Oct 28, Ohio, USA Crooked Hillary launched her political career by letting terrorists off the hook. #DrainTheSwamp @realDonaldTrump Oct 30 Wow, Twitter, Google and Facebook are burying the FBI criminal investigation of Clinton. Very dishonest media! @realDonaldTrump Nov 1 Look at the way Crooked Hillary is handling the e-mail case and the total mess she is in. She is unfit to be president. Bad judgement! But Hillary has been equally ferocious. Her tweets: @HillaryClinton Nov 2 On average, Latinas make only $0.54 for each $1 white men earn. Time to close that gap. #LatinaEqualPay @HillaryClinton Nov 1 Its time for Trump to answer serious questions about his ties to Russia. http://slate.me/2dWggCd @HillaryClinton Oct 27 Would my son have a place in your America? Khizr Khan, father of a fallen American hero, to Donald Trump In between the continuous exchange of invectives, however, some serious issues have cropped up as a matter of convenience and not conviction. These mirror the similarities in both democracies. While the Congress retains its visible commitment to the idea of an inclusive India, Hillary is promising an America for all shades of people, including immigrants from Islamic nations. Trump has chosen Narendra Modis nationalist model by pandering to the sentiments of whites against extreme Islamist immigrants. To dismayed American voters neither of their potential Presidents is talking about We, the Americans. Instead, they are pontificating about the America of their Dreams. For the first time in its history, maximum America is about to elect a minimum leader. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
Kalyan Chakravarthy By

These are fun times in Andhra Pradesh. In sharp contrast to the deep anxiety that had set in following the bifurcation of the State in 2014, its now in pursuit of happiness. The tech-savvy Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with the spring back in his step, is leading the way with Vision-2029  by when he wants AP to top the Happiness Index  and his success mantra for the same seems to be to combine business with pleasure.

The business part of it got a fillip last week with the State coming first in the Ease of Doing Business Rankings along with its sibling Telangana, which leaped to the top from a lowly 13th place last year. Naturally, the Chief Minister, who holds the industries portfolio himself, was more than happy.

In the last two-and-a-half years, MoUs have been inked with various companies which proposed about 375 projects with an estimated investment of `3,31,650 crore, the government claimed. Its true that proposals are pouring in, but a cursory glance at the data available with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion shows wide variance between entrepreneurial intention and implementation. Expectedly so, given the lack of infrastructure in the residuary State. And, it is reflected in direct employment created by MSMEs and Large and Mega Industries. If around 43,000 jobs have been generated in these two categories this fiscal so far, the figure is a little over one lakh in 2015-16. But then, in economy as in politics, perceptions matter and on this score, the great expectations of Navyaandhra, the government hopes, will keep the people happy. The euphoria over the business ranking, though, evaporated in no time. Cupids arrow, wielded perhaps by an overenthusiastic babu, misfired. All hell broke loose amid reports that the government had given the go ahead to an International Beach Love Festival, complete with pop star Shakiras jig, in Vizag.

The spicy details of arrangements for a private beach for about 9,000-10,000 couples from abroad to celebrate love coinciding with the Valentines Day, triggered a wave of protests from the ruling TDPs ally, the BJP and its Sangh affiliates to the main Opposition YSR Congress and even the progressive Leftists at what was seen as an assault on Telugu culture. What followed was a comedy of errors with one official claiming the festival, proposed by a Mumbai-based event management company, was on and another asserting otherwise. The toxic cultural invasion, the latter assured, wasnt given the green signal.

After tying itself up in knots, the government finally formed a panel to examine the proposal, billed as one more step to put Vizag on the global map, and trim it appropriately.

The gem of an idea that is, perhaps, had its genesis in the governments penchant for conducting festivals. Packed as the Telugu calendar is with traditional festivals, the Chandrababu Naidu dispensation is packing in more. Having turned all major festivals into official celebrations  recall the Godavari Pushkarams, Krishna Pushkarams, Dasara, Christmas, Ramzan et al  with gift hampers to the poor, the government has not been giving a breather to the aam aadmi! So, we had the youth festivals, the Amaravati shopping festival, the Rottela Panduga (traditional but transformed), the Happy Sunday and now, the proposed International Kuchipudi and Music Festival (scheduled next month) and last but not the least, cooking competitions and food festivals. The regional cooking competition is to be held in Vizag on Nov 8 followed by a State level food festival and next, a national level food festival! All ostensibly to promote Brand Amaravati. To give it a spiritual touch and obviously get over the eminently forgettable Love festival fiasco, the Chief Minister has expressed his desire to invite the Dalai Lama to conduct the Buddhist Kalachakra ceremony at Amaravati. One fails to understand the logic of the festival spree. For instance, the Amaravati shopping festival was, by any stretch of imagination, a big let down. Spare a thought for the wallet of the middle class!

Incidentally, Singapore too hosts one festival too many. This month, it is hosting about six  including an arts festival, river festival and, a writers festival. But, Andhra is no Singapore, not yet. The government could use its resources for better things. Alongside the Ease of Business Doing Rankings, the NITI Aayogs report on farmer-friendly policies has put the State in the seventh place. Similarly, a report by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies showed that 93 per cent of farmers in the State are slipping into debt trap, clearly proving that agriculture is no longer profitable. The government can ignore this reality only at its peril  the impending civic elections could well be a litmus test, a referendum of sorts on the administration. The YSRC is already gearing up, with its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, making the special category status an issue, blowing the war bugle from, where else, but Vizag! And, actor Pawan Kalyan too waiting to jump in.

Kalyan Chakravarthy

Deputy Resident Editor, Andhra Pradesh

Email: chakravarthy@newindianexpress.com

These are fun times in Andhra Pradesh. In sharp contrast to the deep anxiety that had set in following the bifurcation of the State in 2014, its now in pursuit of happiness. The tech-savvy Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, with the spring back in his step, is leading the way with Vision-2029  by when he wants AP to top the Happiness Index  and his success mantra for the same seems to be to combine business with pleasure. The business part of it got a fillip last week with the State coming first in the Ease of Doing Business Rankings along with its sibling Telangana, which leaped to the top from a lowly 13th place last year. Naturally, the Chief Minister, who holds the industries portfolio himself, was more than happy. In the last two-and-a-half years, MoUs have been inked with various companies which proposed about 375 projects with an estimated investment of `3,31,650 crore, the government claimed. Its true that proposals are pouring in, but a cursory glance at the data available with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion shows wide variance between entrepreneurial intention and implementation. Expectedly so, given the lack of infrastructure in the residuary State. And, it is reflected in direct employment created by MSMEs and Large and Mega Industries. If around 43,000 jobs have been generated in these two categories this fiscal so far, the figure is a little over one lakh in 2015-16. But then, in economy as in politics, perceptions matter and on this score, the great expectations of Navyaandhra, the government hopes, will keep the people happy. The euphoria over the business ranking, though, evaporated in no time. Cupids arrow, wielded perhaps by an overenthusiastic babu, misfired. All hell broke loose amid reports that the government had given the go ahead to an International Beach Love Festival, complete with pop star Shakiras jig, in Vizag. The spicy details of arrangements for a private beach for about 9,000-10,000 couples from abroad to celebrate love coinciding with the Valentines Day, triggered a wave of protests from the ruling TDPs ally, the BJP and its Sangh affiliates to the main Opposition YSR Congress and even the progressive Leftists at what was seen as an assault on Telugu culture. What followed was a comedy of errors with one official claiming the festival, proposed by a Mumbai-based event management company, was on and another asserting otherwise. The toxic cultural invasion, the latter assured, wasnt given the green signal. After tying itself up in knots, the government finally formed a panel to examine the proposal, billed as one more step to put Vizag on the global map, and trim it appropriately. The gem of an idea that is, perhaps, had its genesis in the governments penchant for conducting festivals. Packed as the Telugu calendar is with traditional festivals, the Chandrababu Naidu dispensation is packing in more. Having turned all major festivals into official celebrations  recall the Godavari Pushkarams, Krishna Pushkarams, Dasara, Christmas, Ramzan et al  with gift hampers to the poor, the government has not been giving a breather to the aam aadmi! So, we had the youth festivals, the Amaravati shopping festival, the Rottela Panduga (traditional but transformed), the Happy Sunday and now, the proposed International Kuchipudi and Music Festival (scheduled next month) and last but not the least, cooking competitions and food festivals. The regional cooking competition is to be held in Vizag on Nov 8 followed by a State level food festival and next, a national level food festival! All ostensibly to promote Brand Amaravati. To give it a spiritual touch and obviously get over the eminently forgettable Love festival fiasco, the Chief Minister has expressed his desire to invite the Dalai Lama to conduct the Buddhist Kalachakra ceremony at Amaravati. One fails to understand the logic of the festival spree. For instance, the Amaravati shopping festival was, by any stretch of imagination, a big let down. Spare a thought for the wallet of the middle class! Incidentally, Singapore too hosts one festival too many. This month, it is hosting about six  including an arts festival, river festival and, a writers festival. But, Andhra is no Singapore, not yet. The government could use its resources for better things. Alongside the Ease of Business Doing Rankings, the NITI Aayogs report on farmer-friendly policies has put the State in the seventh place. Similarly, a report by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies showed that 93 per cent of farmers in the State are slipping into debt trap, clearly proving that agriculture is no longer profitable. The government can ignore this reality only at its peril  the impending civic elections could well be a litmus test, a referendum of sorts on the administration. The YSRC is already gearing up, with its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, making the special category status an issue, blowing the war bugle from, where else, but Vizag! And, actor Pawan Kalyan too waiting to jump in. Kalyan Chakravarthy Deputy Resident Editor, Andhra Pradesh Email: chakravarthy@newindianexpress.com
By Express News Service

MYSURU: AN RSS worker was found dead under mysterious circumstances near Magali village in Periyapatna, Mysuru district, late on Friday. While police, who discovered the body of 24-year-old Ravi, said that he died in an accident, family members and RSS-BJP workers have disputed it and termed it murder.

The incident comes almost 20 days after the killing of an RSS worker, R Rudresh, in Bengaluru and in the run-up to the government-sponsored Tipu Jayanthi celebrations, scheduled on November 10.

Incidentally, Ravi was returning home on his bike after a meeting with other RSS activists over the Tipu event. After the body was discovered, police conducted a post mortem following which the family was informed. Ravi's family members and party activists have questioned the haste in which police conducted the post mortem and concluded the cause of death.

As news of Ravi's death spread, RSS-BJP workers gathered in his village. Sensing trouble, police officers shifted Ravi's body to KR Hospital mortuary. The last rites were conducted later in the evening.

There was verbal altercation between police and activists over not taking consent of the family for conducting post mortem. Family members, including Ravi's parents and brother, first refused to take the body. It was only after BJP MP Pratap Simha and others spoke to police officials that the body was taken to Magali.

Apart from Simha, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa too alleged that Ravi had been murdered and that police were projecting it as an accident. Simha said there was a political conspiracy as Ravi's bike showed no signs of damage for an accident. Seeking a high-level probe, he threatened to call for a bandh in the region if assailants were not arrested by Sunday evening.

Local police, who refused to give a nod to take out a funeral procession , have deployed additional police personnel, fearing communal tension ahead of Tipu Jayanthi. In March this year, another RSS worker Raju was hacked to death in Mysuru.

MYSURU: AN RSS worker was found dead under mysterious circumstances near Magali village in Periyapatna, Mysuru district, late on Friday. While police, who discovered the body of 24-year-old Ravi, said that he died in an accident, family members and RSS-BJP workers have disputed it and termed it murder. The incident comes almost 20 days after the killing of an RSS worker, R Rudresh, in Bengaluru and in the run-up to the government-sponsored Tipu Jayanthi celebrations, scheduled on November 10. Incidentally, Ravi was returning home on his bike after a meeting with other RSS activists over the Tipu event. After the body was discovered, police conducted a post mortem following which the family was informed. Ravi's family members and party activists have questioned the haste in which police conducted the post mortem and concluded the cause of death. As news of Ravi's death spread, RSS-BJP workers gathered in his village. Sensing trouble, police officers shifted Ravi's body to KR Hospital mortuary. The last rites were conducted later in the evening. There was verbal altercation between police and activists over not taking consent of the family for conducting post mortem. Family members, including Ravi's parents and brother, first refused to take the body. It was only after BJP MP Pratap Simha and others spoke to police officials that the body was taken to Magali. Apart from Simha, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa too alleged that Ravi had been murdered and that police were projecting it as an accident. Simha said there was a political conspiracy as Ravi's bike showed no signs of damage for an accident. Seeking a high-level probe, he threatened to call for a bandh in the region if assailants were not arrested by Sunday evening. Local police, who refused to give a nod to take out a funeral procession , have deployed additional police personnel, fearing communal tension ahead of Tipu Jayanthi. In March this year, another RSS worker Raju was hacked to death in Mysuru.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Kerala CBSE School Managements Association has recommended the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development to remove the option of school-level examination for Class-X students, in an effort to augment the standard.

We are awaiting the decision of the HRD Ministry. If the authorities take a decision in our favour, there would not be school-level examination from March 2017 onwards, said Association president T P M Ibrahim Khan.

Students of the 1,300-odd CBSE schools in the State who write the school-level examination have been facing a step-motherly treatment while pursuing higher education, especially Plus-II course in government schools.

Currently, only those students who appear for the Board examination are eligible to apply for Plus-II course in government schools.

Though the examination is conducted at the school level, the question papers are prepared by the CBSE. However, it is a fact that students who pass in the CBSE examination face difficulties because the certificate lacks credibility. If the Board exam is made mandatory, it would bring credibility and standard to the procedure, he said.

Meanwhile, there are reports that due to the liberal evaluation of the Class-X examination, many CBSE students fail in the Plus-II examination, which is comparatively tougher.

KOCHI: The Kerala CBSE School Managements Association has recommended the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development to remove the option of school-level examination for Class-X students, in an effort to augment the standard. We are awaiting the decision of the HRD Ministry. If the authorities take a decision in our favour, there would not be school-level examination from March 2017 onwards, said Association president T P M Ibrahim Khan. Students of the 1,300-odd CBSE schools in the State who write the school-level examination have been facing a step-motherly treatment while pursuing higher education, especially Plus-II course in government schools. Currently, only those students who appear for the Board examination are eligible to apply for Plus-II course in government schools. Though the examination is conducted at the school level, the question papers are prepared by the CBSE. However, it is a fact that students who pass in the CBSE examination face difficulties because the certificate lacks credibility. If the Board exam is made mandatory, it would bring credibility and standard to the procedure, he said. Meanwhile, there are reports that due to the liberal evaluation of the Class-X examination, many CBSE students fail in the Plus-II examination, which is comparatively tougher.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigating activities of the South Indian module of the Islamic State (IS) has found out that the terror group had been receiving funds directly from IS-held territories in Syria.

Details of the transfer of funds were revealed during examination of the money deposited in the accounts of the IS operatives arrested in Kerala recently. According to NIA officials, the terror group had been engaged in fund raising, and had received money from Syria on a few occasions.

The money was sent through a money exchange agency to the account of Venganallur-native Swalih Mohammad T, which shows that the group was having direct links with the IS leadership based in Raqqa, Syria. We suspect that the money was sent for recruiting new members and purchasing explosives. The fund was channeled through the Gulf countries, said an NIA official.

Meanwhile, a request by the accused to release the seized debit cards and money to their family members was declined by the NIA, claiming that the source of the funds in the bank accounts was under investigation.

The NIA had arrested five IS operatives on October 2 during a raid conducted at Kanakamala in Kannur. Later, two more persons were arrested. It was found that the group was planning to target judges and politicians in Kerala.

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigating activities of the South Indian module of the Islamic State (IS) has found out that the terror group had been receiving funds directly from IS-held territories in Syria. Details of the transfer of funds were revealed during examination of the money deposited in the accounts of the IS operatives arrested in Kerala recently. According to NIA officials, the terror group had been engaged in fund raising, and had received money from Syria on a few occasions. The money was sent through a money exchange agency to the account of Venganallur-native Swalih Mohammad T, which shows that the group was having direct links with the IS leadership based in Raqqa, Syria. We suspect that the money was sent for recruiting new members and purchasing explosives. The fund was channeled through the Gulf countries, said an NIA official. Meanwhile, a request by the accused to release the seized debit cards and money to their family members was declined by the NIA, claiming that the source of the funds in the bank accounts was under investigation. The NIA had arrested five IS operatives on October 2 during a raid conducted at Kanakamala in Kannur. Later, two more persons were arrested. It was found that the group was planning to target judges and politicians in Kerala.
By Express News Service

KORAPUT/MALKANGIRI: The toll in Japanese Encephalitis has shot up to 11 in the last three months in the district with the death of a three-year-old girl, Gayatri Dalai of Kauriaguda village under Boipariguda block. She was undergoing treatment in the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) where she died on Friday morning.

The number of children suspected to be suffering from the disease has also been on the rise with four more admitted to the DHH on Saturday. Of them, a 12-year-child Tufaan Charka of Ramgiri village under Boipariguda block was re-admitted. Tufaan was earlier admitted on October 28 with fever and discharged from DHH on November 1. The three others are Ajaya Pujari (4) and Bijaya Pujari (4) of Chotaguda village and Buduli Pangi (5) of Matikhalguda village under Boipariguda block.

At least 12 more children are undergoing treatment in the DHH for the last two weeks. As many as 65 children are in the DHH since September and of them, 50 are suffering from JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Meanwhile, a team of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) visited Malkangri on Saturday. The team led by MM Pradhan of Joint-Director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) interacted with villagers and family members, who lost their children to JE and AES in Palkonda and Daniguda villages .

The team members also took stock of the awareness programmes being undertaken and interacted with aganwadi workers and Asha karmis.The administration is taking all possible preventive measures to curb the JE menace and the experts team is here to find out the reasons behind spread of the disease and to suggest the administration what more can be done to check the JE menace, Pradhan said. We are taking feedbacks from various functionaries over the situation in the affected villages, he added.

The team will also find out the reasons responsible for AES and suggest measures to curb it, Pradhan said. The experts will visit more affected villages, Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres in the district.

The 12-member team comprises Dr AS Kerketa (Scientist), Dr Debadutta Bhattacharya (Scientist), Dr DK Sen Additional Director (BDCT), Dr Arun Kumar (Microbiologist) from Sikkim Manipal University, Dr JK Gourav (Scientist) from Pune and Koraput-based Vector Control Research Centre Scientist Dr Santosh Kumar Sahoo.

KORAPUT/MALKANGIRI: The toll in Japanese Encephalitis has shot up to 11 in the last three months in the district with the death of a three-year-old girl, Gayatri Dalai of Kauriaguda village under Boipariguda block. She was undergoing treatment in the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) where she died on Friday morning. The number of children suspected to be suffering from the disease has also been on the rise with four more admitted to the DHH on Saturday. Of them, a 12-year-child Tufaan Charka of Ramgiri village under Boipariguda block was re-admitted. Tufaan was earlier admitted on October 28 with fever and discharged from DHH on November 1. The three others are Ajaya Pujari (4) and Bijaya Pujari (4) of Chotaguda village and Buduli Pangi (5) of Matikhalguda village under Boipariguda block. At least 12 more children are undergoing treatment in the DHH for the last two weeks. As many as 65 children are in the DHH since September and of them, 50 are suffering from JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). Meanwhile, a team of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) visited Malkangri on Saturday. The team led by MM Pradhan of Joint-Director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) interacted with villagers and family members, who lost their children to JE and AES in Palkonda and Daniguda villages . The team members also took stock of the awareness programmes being undertaken and interacted with aganwadi workers and Asha karmis.The administration is taking all possible preventive measures to curb the JE menace and the experts team is here to find out the reasons behind spread of the disease and to suggest the administration what more can be done to check the JE menace, Pradhan said. We are taking feedbacks from various functionaries over the situation in the affected villages, he added. The team will also find out the reasons responsible for AES and suggest measures to curb it, Pradhan said. The experts will visit more affected villages, Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres in the district. The 12-member team comprises Dr AS Kerketa (Scientist), Dr Debadutta Bhattacharya (Scientist), Dr DK Sen Additional Director (BDCT), Dr Arun Kumar (Microbiologist) from Sikkim Manipal University, Dr JK Gourav (Scientist) from Pune and Koraput-based Vector Control Research Centre Scientist Dr Santosh Kumar Sahoo.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The BJP government's 24-hour-ban on NDTV's Hindi news channel has evoked strong reactions from two of Tamil Nadu's opposition leaders who compared the ban to the emergency period. In a statement here, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi said the action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on NDTV India was an assault on freedom of expression.

He stated that the present action of the BJP government reminded him of the Emergency times when his articles were banned for publication in DMK mouthpiece 'Murasoli'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should intervene in this issue and guarantee that hereafter no action which would curtail the freedom of expression would be taken, he added.

Otherwise, the charge being leveled that BJP government is functioning in an autocratic manner in the garb of democracy would become true, he said Echoing similar sentiments, Vaiko said the Centre should immediately withdraw the ban. If the Centre fails to do this, it would only prove that the BJP-led government at the Centre is moving on an undemocratic path, he added.

CHENNAI: The BJP government's 24-hour-ban on NDTV's Hindi news channel has evoked strong reactions from two of Tamil Nadu's opposition leaders who compared the ban to the emergency period. In a statement here, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi said the action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on NDTV India was an assault on freedom of expression. He stated that the present action of the BJP government reminded him of the Emergency times when his articles were banned for publication in DMK mouthpiece 'Murasoli'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should intervene in this issue and guarantee that hereafter no action which would curtail the freedom of expression would be taken, he added. Otherwise, the charge being leveled that BJP government is functioning in an autocratic manner in the garb of democracy would become true, he said Echoing similar sentiments, Vaiko said the Centre should immediately withdraw the ban. If the Centre fails to do this, it would only prove that the BJP-led government at the Centre is moving on an undemocratic path, he added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently caught eight persons for smuggling 5.9 kg of gold  worth Rs 1.8 crore  from Singapore and Dubai. The accused used cutting pliers to hide the gold strips while transporting them.

They used air passengers to transport the gold from abroad and would send pictures of the passengers to a group in Chennai, which would identify them as they emerged from the airport terminal and take them to a car where the gold would be exchanged for Rs 2,000-3,000, said an official. The gang was nabbed after two people driving from Tiruchy to Chennai with hidden gold were intercepted by a DRI team.

When a team of revenue intelligence sleuths on trail of an international gold smuggling racket forced halt a Maruthi Swift car near Chengalpattu on Friday, all they could initially find was a set of four ordinary cutting pliers that has no better use than tightening a bolt.

But just beneath the plastic grips of the cutting pliers were craftily designed gold rods made into the handles of the cutting pliers.

Soon, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) alerted their counterparts across the state leading to arrest of one more passengers who arrived at Madurai airport with a similar golden handled cutting pliers.

What the interrogations of the two occupants of the car unravelled was an international smuggling racket that had been exploiting unsuspecting air passengers to smuggle gold into the city from places like Dubai and Singapore. In the next two days, following the leads given by the two men in the car, the DRI officials have seized a whopping 5.9 kg of smuggled gold in the form of bars and jewellery into the state.

All the gold that was seized was of both 999 and 916 purity, totally weighing 5.9 kg and valued at Rs 1.80 crore, read a statement from the agency on Sunday.

A portion of the seized gold,

which was hidden in cutting pliers | Express

An official said the gang had been storing the smuggled gold in a house at Choolaimedu in the heart of the city. The DRI officials found that the smuggling gang  eight members of which have been arrested so far  had been exploiting unsuspecting passengers under the guise of seeking help.

They would approach the passengers headed here from Dubai and Singapore and seek help in handing over the gold jewels to some of their relatives back home. The gang would communicate the details of such passengers through WhatsApp to their men here. They would collect the gold jewellery from people here, said a senior official privy to the case.

By this means, the gang had been smuggling small quantities of gold through various unsuspecting passengers, the official said.

Interestingly, the DRI said the gang had mostly targeted the passengers who were headed to Madurai or Trichy airports.

It was when two of the gang members were transporting to Chennai the gold they had collected from the passengers who arrived in Tiruchy airport on Thursday and Friday, that they fell in the DRIs net.

CHENNAI: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently caught eight persons for smuggling 5.9 kg of gold  worth Rs 1.8 crore  from Singapore and Dubai. The accused used cutting pliers to hide the gold strips while transporting them. They used air passengers to transport the gold from abroad and would send pictures of the passengers to a group in Chennai, which would identify them as they emerged from the airport terminal and take them to a car where the gold would be exchanged for Rs 2,000-3,000, said an official. The gang was nabbed after two people driving from Tiruchy to Chennai with hidden gold were intercepted by a DRI team. When a team of revenue intelligence sleuths on trail of an international gold smuggling racket forced halt a Maruthi Swift car near Chengalpattu on Friday, all they could initially find was a set of four ordinary cutting pliers that has no better use than tightening a bolt. But just beneath the plastic grips of the cutting pliers were craftily designed gold rods made into the handles of the cutting pliers. Soon, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) alerted their counterparts across the state leading to arrest of one more passengers who arrived at Madurai airport with a similar golden handled cutting pliers. What the interrogations of the two occupants of the car unravelled was an international smuggling racket that had been exploiting unsuspecting air passengers to smuggle gold into the city from places like Dubai and Singapore. In the next two days, following the leads given by the two men in the car, the DRI officials have seized a whopping 5.9 kg of smuggled gold in the form of bars and jewellery into the state. All the gold that was seized was of both 999 and 916 purity, totally weighing 5.9 kg and valued at Rs 1.80 crore, read a statement from the agency on Sunday. A portion of the seized gold, which was hidden in cutting pliers | ExpressAn official said the gang had been storing the smuggled gold in a house at Choolaimedu in the heart of the city. The DRI officials found that the smuggling gang  eight members of which have been arrested so far  had been exploiting unsuspecting passengers under the guise of seeking help. They would approach the passengers headed here from Dubai and Singapore and seek help in handing over the gold jewels to some of their relatives back home. The gang would communicate the details of such passengers through WhatsApp to their men here. They would collect the gold jewellery from people here, said a senior official privy to the case. By this means, the gang had been smuggling small quantities of gold through various unsuspecting passengers, the official said. Interestingly, the DRI said the gang had mostly targeted the passengers who were headed to Madurai or Trichy airports. It was when two of the gang members were transporting to Chennai the gold they had collected from the passengers who arrived in Tiruchy airport on Thursday and Friday, that they fell in the DRIs net.
Kanu Sarda By

NEW DELHI: As the Centre and the judiciary engage in confrontations over judicial appointments, the Ministry of Law and Justice is mulling establishing a pan-India Judicial Performance Evaluation System for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. The ministry is studying an interim report submitted last month by Vidhi, Centre for Legal Policy. It recommends evaluation of judges by an independent entity, whose composition is yet to be decided. Peer reviews whereby judges can evaluate and provide feedback on colleagues, reactions from court staff, responses from practicing lawyers who have appeared before particular judges and self-assessments are part of the suggested process.

The report was prepared in pursuance of a project on the Development and Enforcement of Performance Standards on how to enhance accountability of the higher judiciary, for which India lacks a performance rating system. Retired Delhi High Court Justice S N Dhingra told The Sunday Standard, Bringing in the new evaluation system is a welcome step and necessary at a time when the judiciary is reeling under the tremendous pressure of pending cases. It will also fix accountability of judges who often hear complete cases, but are either transferred or promoted before they can deliver verdicts, thereby leaving litigants in a limbo. The report suggests that need for training programmes for judges, decisions on transfers and promotions, assessment of work load to be allocated and the continuance of the tenure of a judge should be determined by the recommended evaluation system. The move comes in the wake of an eight-month showdown between the Centres plan to bring the present Collegium system to an end. Backroom parleys are on between the government and the collegium on a new memorandum of procedure for appointing judges to higher courts.

In August, Chief Justice TS Thakur accused the government of stalling appointments of high court judges. In September, sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice J Chelameswar declined to participate in collegium meetings. This week, National Lawyers Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms, an advocates organisation, will move the apex court seeking recusal of Justice Thakur from hearing petitions over speedily filling the 40 per cent plus vacancies in high courts.

As the face off between the higher judiciary and the government continues on judicial appointments, the law ministry is studying a report recommending a new evaluation method for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. The report is meant to make the system more transparent and accountable to the public and will help judges understand means to improve judicial performance. It will also enable the court system to decide on transfers, promotions and other human resource issues.

However, a section of the legal fraternity is opposed to such a procedure. Senior Supreme Court Advocate Aryama Sundaram said, Evaluating judges is a terrible step for the future of the judiciary. It will curtail the independence of the justice delivery system. The working of trial court judges is completely different from the judges of High Court and Supreme Court. Higher judicial posts are constitutional posts and under such circumstances, putting them under scrutiny will be a disaster. The parameters of evaluation will include the number of judgments overturned or gone for appeal in a higher court, punctuality, areas where a judge has worked on and passed judgments, perspective of litigants, state of preparation, attentiveness and administrative abilities to name a few.

The criteria will also include how many times the judges decisions are used as precedent in other cases, number of adjournments granted by the judge, disposal rate of the judge, cases clearance rates and productivity will also be included, the report states.

For the lower judiciary, Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) are used to evaluate judges performance.

NEW DELHI: As the Centre and the judiciary engage in confrontations over judicial appointments, the Ministry of Law and Justice is mulling establishing a pan-India Judicial Performance Evaluation System for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. The ministry is studying an interim report submitted last month by Vidhi, Centre for Legal Policy. It recommends evaluation of judges by an independent entity, whose composition is yet to be decided. Peer reviews whereby judges can evaluate and provide feedback on colleagues, reactions from court staff, responses from practicing lawyers who have appeared before particular judges and self-assessments are part of the suggested process. The report was prepared in pursuance of a project on the Development and Enforcement of Performance Standards on how to enhance accountability of the higher judiciary, for which India lacks a performance rating system. Retired Delhi High Court Justice S N Dhingra told The Sunday Standard, Bringing in the new evaluation system is a welcome step and necessary at a time when the judiciary is reeling under the tremendous pressure of pending cases. It will also fix accountability of judges who often hear complete cases, but are either transferred or promoted before they can deliver verdicts, thereby leaving litigants in a limbo. The report suggests that need for training programmes for judges, decisions on transfers and promotions, assessment of work load to be allocated and the continuance of the tenure of a judge should be determined by the recommended evaluation system. The move comes in the wake of an eight-month showdown between the Centres plan to bring the present Collegium system to an end. Backroom parleys are on between the government and the collegium on a new memorandum of procedure for appointing judges to higher courts. In August, Chief Justice TS Thakur accused the government of stalling appointments of high court judges. In September, sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice J Chelameswar declined to participate in collegium meetings. This week, National Lawyers Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms, an advocates organisation, will move the apex court seeking recusal of Justice Thakur from hearing petitions over speedily filling the 40 per cent plus vacancies in high courts. As the face off between the higher judiciary and the government continues on judicial appointments, the law ministry is studying a report recommending a new evaluation method for judges of the Supreme Court and high courts. The report is meant to make the system more transparent and accountable to the public and will help judges understand means to improve judicial performance. It will also enable the court system to decide on transfers, promotions and other human resource issues. However, a section of the legal fraternity is opposed to such a procedure. Senior Supreme Court Advocate Aryama Sundaram said, Evaluating judges is a terrible step for the future of the judiciary. It will curtail the independence of the justice delivery system. The working of trial court judges is completely different from the judges of High Court and Supreme Court. Higher judicial posts are constitutional posts and under such circumstances, putting them under scrutiny will be a disaster. The parameters of evaluation will include the number of judgments overturned or gone for appeal in a higher court, punctuality, areas where a judge has worked on and passed judgments, perspective of litigants, state of preparation, attentiveness and administrative abilities to name a few. The criteria will also include how many times the judges decisions are used as precedent in other cases, number of adjournments granted by the judge, disposal rate of the judge, cases clearance rates and productivity will also be included, the report states. For the lower judiciary, Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) are used to evaluate judges performance.
By Pradip R Sagar And Sanjay Singh By

NEW DELHI: Do passengers taking a flight to Mumbai have reasons to worry? The senior officer heading aviation safety in the Aviation Authority of India (AAI) has declared Indias second busiest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and its adjoining Juhu airport unsafe for operations.

The report by S Mangala, DGM (Aviation Safety) of Western Region, AAI, titled Report on Aviation Safety dated October 18, states, As the designated safety manager, I hereby recommend the temporary closure of at least runway 9/27 of CSIA, Mumbai. There is a complete breakdown in safety standards at CSIA and Juhu airports and it has rendered operations at both these airports to unsafe levels.

The Mumbai international airport is operated by a private developer, GVK-run Mumbai International Airports Private Limited.

The AAI report points out: The encroachment of airspace by the buildings around the airports is cancer spreading across Indian airports, but it has brought aviation safety to critical limits in Mumbai.

Mangalas observations come ahead of a visit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)  the international body that governs civil aviation norms worldwide  to India in March next year to assess concerns over the countrys poor air-safety record.

Citing safety oversights, the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Indias civil aviation sector in 2014. A year earlier, the ICAO audited Indias civil aviation sector and discovered severe safety lapses. Of the 196 countries in the world, 177  including India  are members of the body. The report also alleges that collusion by senior bureaucrats and aviation officials has endangered air safety.

There is involvement of top officials of MIAPL, AAI, DGCA (civil aviation regulator) and MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in compromising aviation safety and therefore I recommend that the mitigation measures recommended in this report be undertaken under the supervision of ICAO, the report said. It further added, ... the decision of keeping my office in the dark on safety issues has been taken at the highest levels. The functioning of aviation safety office of the western region has been disabled in violation of national and international regulations.

The real condition of aviation safety could be far worse than what I have reported. India witnessed over 25 near-miss incidents between April 2015 and March 2016 involving commercial aircraft, according to DGCA.

A DGCA official said the high rate of air incidents was reported from eight airports, which include Mumbai and Chennai, and some incidents may have gone unreported.

The report further added, The unwillingness of the authorities to act in accordance with air regulations could be catastrophic in case of any eventuality because the number of ground casualties could be far more than that of

passengers and crew put together.

CSIA, Indias second busiest airport, has one main runway and three other secondary runways. Slums occupy around one-third of the airport land.

Protected by powerful political interests, encroachers refuse to move out.

Chennai-based aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (2010-13) constituted by the MoCA highlighted 112 encroachments on Runway 27 of CSIA. The Mumbai High Court ordered their demolition, but it has not been carried out yet.

NEW DELHI: Do passengers taking a flight to Mumbai have reasons to worry? The senior officer heading aviation safety in the Aviation Authority of India (AAI) has declared Indias second busiest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and its adjoining Juhu airport unsafe for operations. The report by S Mangala, DGM (Aviation Safety) of Western Region, AAI, titled Report on Aviation Safety dated October 18, states, As the designated safety manager, I hereby recommend the temporary closure of at least runway 9/27 of CSIA, Mumbai. There is a complete breakdown in safety standards at CSIA and Juhu airports and it has rendered operations at both these airports to unsafe levels. The Mumbai international airport is operated by a private developer, GVK-run Mumbai International Airports Private Limited. The AAI report points out: The encroachment of airspace by the buildings around the airports is cancer spreading across Indian airports, but it has brought aviation safety to critical limits in Mumbai. Mangalas observations come ahead of a visit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)  the international body that governs civil aviation norms worldwide  to India in March next year to assess concerns over the countrys poor air-safety record. Citing safety oversights, the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Indias civil aviation sector in 2014. A year earlier, the ICAO audited Indias civil aviation sector and discovered severe safety lapses. Of the 196 countries in the world, 177  including India  are members of the body. The report also alleges that collusion by senior bureaucrats and aviation officials has endangered air safety. There is involvement of top officials of MIAPL, AAI, DGCA (civil aviation regulator) and MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in compromising aviation safety and therefore I recommend that the mitigation measures recommended in this report be undertaken under the supervision of ICAO, the report said. It further added, ... the decision of keeping my office in the dark on safety issues has been taken at the highest levels. The functioning of aviation safety office of the western region has been disabled in violation of national and international regulations. The real condition of aviation safety could be far worse than what I have reported. India witnessed over 25 near-miss incidents between April 2015 and March 2016 involving commercial aircraft, according to DGCA. A DGCA official said the high rate of air incidents was reported from eight airports, which include Mumbai and Chennai, and some incidents may have gone unreported. The report further added, The unwillingness of the authorities to act in accordance with air regulations could be catastrophic in case of any eventuality because the number of ground casualties could be far more than that of passengers and crew put together. CSIA, Indias second busiest airport, has one main runway and three other secondary runways. Slums occupy around one-third of the airport land. Protected by powerful political interests, encroachers refuse to move out. Chennai-based aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (2010-13) constituted by the MoCA highlighted 112 encroachments on Runway 27 of CSIA. The Mumbai High Court ordered their demolition, but it has not been carried out yet.
Rakesh K Singh By

NEW DELHI: A new spectre haunts Kashmir. In a new low after the surgical strikes, a vengeful ISI and the Pakistan terror establishment plan to push convicted criminals into Jammu and Kashmir to carry out suicide attacks, says Indian intelligence. While 60-70 per cent of infiltrators belong to radical outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayba and Hizbul Mujahideen, 30 per cent comprise mostly convicts sentenced to death or life for various heinous crimes. Pak Army trainers on community service brainwash them into believing that the Indian Army is perpetrating savage atrocities against Muslims in the Valley.

They are told jihadis who sacrifice their lives for the Kashmiri cause will reach jannat (paradise), said an official of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) in Srinagar. MAC is the intelligence sharing nodal centre formed after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. He said some of the convicts are even forced to have sex with HIV-infected women to rob them of all incentive to return. Before infiltration, jihadis are asked to shave their armpits and cut their nails since they should be clean upon arrival in heaven. Pak security forces threaten to kill anyone who tries to retreat. A maulana is present at launch pads to offer prayers for their journey to paradise.

The jihadis have been ordered to become martyrs within the first 48 hours of infiltration so that they do not get time to assimilate with locals. The mentors of the fidayeen apparently do not want them to see the reality on the ground in Kashmir, the official said. All major terrorist attacks on the armed forces this year including in Pathankot in January and Uri in September were carried out within 48 hours of infiltration.

According to MACs latest estimates, 300 fidayeen are waiting across the LoC and the border to cross over. Security forces in the Valley have accordingly changed tactics. While the Army and the BSF have been directed to repulse all infiltration bids along the LoC and the border without mercy, forces engaged in the counter-insurgency grid of the Valley will eliminate an estimated 250 jehadis suspected to be hiding in the valley.

NEW DELHI: A new spectre haunts Kashmir. In a new low after the surgical strikes, a vengeful ISI and the Pakistan terror establishment plan to push convicted criminals into Jammu and Kashmir to carry out suicide attacks, says Indian intelligence. While 60-70 per cent of infiltrators belong to radical outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayba and Hizbul Mujahideen, 30 per cent comprise mostly convicts sentenced to death or life for various heinous crimes. Pak Army trainers on community service brainwash them into believing that the Indian Army is perpetrating savage atrocities against Muslims in the Valley. They are told jihadis who sacrifice their lives for the Kashmiri cause will reach jannat (paradise), said an official of the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) in Srinagar. MAC is the intelligence sharing nodal centre formed after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. He said some of the convicts are even forced to have sex with HIV-infected women to rob them of all incentive to return. Before infiltration, jihadis are asked to shave their armpits and cut their nails since they should be clean upon arrival in heaven. Pak security forces threaten to kill anyone who tries to retreat. A maulana is present at launch pads to offer prayers for their journey to paradise. The jihadis have been ordered to become martyrs within the first 48 hours of infiltration so that they do not get time to assimilate with locals. The mentors of the fidayeen apparently do not want them to see the reality on the ground in Kashmir, the official said. All major terrorist attacks on the armed forces this year including in Pathankot in January and Uri in September were carried out within 48 hours of infiltration. According to MACs latest estimates, 300 fidayeen are waiting across the LoC and the border to cross over. Security forces in the Valley have accordingly changed tactics. While the Army and the BSF have been directed to repulse all infiltration bids along the LoC and the border without mercy, forces engaged in the counter-insurgency grid of the Valley will eliminate an estimated 250 jehadis suspected to be hiding in the valley.
Ritu Sharma By

NEW DELHI: After isolating Pakistan in various global forums, India is now trying to expose its hostile neighbour further. As Pakistan continues to drag its feet on granting overland transit to the 1.7 lakh tonnes of wheat that India wants to send to Afghanistan facing food shortage, India has moved the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the blockade.

Apart from food supplies, considered humanitarian aid under international norms, India is keen to send medicines to the country that has faced decades of conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials, however, admitted to The Sunday Standard: Status quo prevails. A country cannot be compelled to transit a consignment.

Kabul and New Delhi have been exploring alternate route via Iran, but things are stuck owing to the custom duty in the country, officials said. India is hoping that Chabahar port, on its completion, will help India and Afghanistan to bypass Pakistan. The two countries had reached an agreement for establishment of an air corridor, to transport Afghan goods to Indian markets.

The result of Pakistans unyielding attitude has been that war-ravaged Afghanistan is staring at a food crisis. Malnutrition has reached dangerously high levels, with the UNICEF estimating more than 50 per cent of children suffering from long-term or acute malnutrition. Nearly one-third of Afghanistans people are food-insecure.

Frustrated at Pakistans attitude, President Ashraf Ghani had threatened to stop giving access to Pakistans shipments to the Central Asia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to supply 1.7 lakh tonnes of wheat to Kabul during his visit to the country in December 2015. Since then the Nawaz Sharif Government has refused Indian consignment to ply via its territory, which, Indian government officials indicate, flies in the face of WTO norms. Islamabad has been wary of the good relations between New Delhi and Kabul, and feels its sphere of influence in the country shrinking.

India and Afghanistan had discussed the issue with the US during trilateral talks in September, but no headway has been made. The Pakistan media has cited the resistance from its flour millers, who supply flour to Afghanistan. The Afghan government has been complaining about the high prices and low quality of the wheat supplied by Pakistan.

NEW DELHI: After isolating Pakistan in various global forums, India is now trying to expose its hostile neighbour further. As Pakistan continues to drag its feet on granting overland transit to the 1.7 lakh tonnes of wheat that India wants to send to Afghanistan facing food shortage, India has moved the World Trade Organization (WTO) about the blockade. Apart from food supplies, considered humanitarian aid under international norms, India is keen to send medicines to the country that has faced decades of conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials, however, admitted to The Sunday Standard: Status quo prevails. A country cannot be compelled to transit a consignment. Kabul and New Delhi have been exploring alternate route via Iran, but things are stuck owing to the custom duty in the country, officials said. India is hoping that Chabahar port, on its completion, will help India and Afghanistan to bypass Pakistan. The two countries had reached an agreement for establishment of an air corridor, to transport Afghan goods to Indian markets. The result of Pakistans unyielding attitude has been that war-ravaged Afghanistan is staring at a food crisis. Malnutrition has reached dangerously high levels, with the UNICEF estimating more than 50 per cent of children suffering from long-term or acute malnutrition. Nearly one-third of Afghanistans people are food-insecure. Frustrated at Pakistans attitude, President Ashraf Ghani had threatened to stop giving access to Pakistans shipments to the Central Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to supply 1.7 lakh tonnes of wheat to Kabul during his visit to the country in December 2015. Since then the Nawaz Sharif Government has refused Indian consignment to ply via its territory, which, Indian government officials indicate, flies in the face of WTO norms. Islamabad has been wary of the good relations between New Delhi and Kabul, and feels its sphere of influence in the country shrinking. India and Afghanistan had discussed the issue with the US during trilateral talks in September, but no headway has been made. The Pakistan media has cited the resistance from its flour millers, who supply flour to Afghanistan. The Afghan government has been complaining about the high prices and low quality of the wheat supplied by Pakistan.
Pradip R Sagar By

NEW DELHI: Subedar Ram Kishan Grewals suicide mission for OROP became a cause celebre for political leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi. But 35-year-old Banita Singh, wife of Indian Navy sailor Ranvir Singh, is not so fortunate.

Banita Singh

He died in mysterious circumstances on board the Indian warship, INS Teg, in Mauritian waters. A year later, she is still in the dark about how and why he died. The Navy has not instituted the mandatory Board of Inquiry over a sailors death on duty.

Her fervent appeals to the top brass, including the Navy chief and defence minister, are unheeded. She told The Sunday Standard, If the government continues to keep doors closed to me and my children, taking my life will be my only option left. Kejriwal just forwarded Banitas appeal to the MoD for action. The Congress scion did not even bother to respond.

Ranbir Singh was on board INS Teg for two months in south Indian Ocean when he died. The warship was on surveillance duty in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius. According Navy rules, only personnel who are hundred per cent fit are allowed to board a warship on an active mission.

On July 29, Navy officials asked Banita to rush to Mauritius without being given a reason, When I reached, I was handed over my husbands body. Doctors at the Apollo Bramwell Hospital in Moka said he died of severe chest pain. No Navy official was present and INS Teg had left for India, said Banita, who lives.

Ranvir Singh

She suspects foul play in Ranbirs death. The authorities did not even allow a postmortem to conducted. She claims that she was not allowed to meet the Commanding Officer of the ship later. She has received no response to multiple representations to the office of the Navy Chief and Defence ministry.

I was made to sit for a full day outside the offices of the Navy Chief and the Defence Minister. I was told by officials to come accompanied by an influential person if I wanted by case to be heard, Banita said.

by Pradip R Sagar

NEW DELHI: Subedar Ram Kishan Grewals suicide mission for OROP became a cause celebre for political leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi. But 35-year-old Banita Singh, wife of Indian Navy sailor Ranvir Singh, is not so fortunate. Banita SinghHe died in mysterious circumstances on board the Indian warship, INS Teg, in Mauritian waters. A year later, she is still in the dark about how and why he died. The Navy has not instituted the mandatory Board of Inquiry over a sailors death on duty. Her fervent appeals to the top brass, including the Navy chief and defence minister, are unheeded. She told The Sunday Standard, If the government continues to keep doors closed to me and my children, taking my life will be my only option left. Kejriwal just forwarded Banitas appeal to the MoD for action. The Congress scion did not even bother to respond. Ranbir Singh was on board INS Teg for two months in south Indian Ocean when he died. The warship was on surveillance duty in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius. According Navy rules, only personnel who are hundred per cent fit are allowed to board a warship on an active mission. On July 29, Navy officials asked Banita to rush to Mauritius without being given a reason, When I reached, I was handed over my husbands body. Doctors at the Apollo Bramwell Hospital in Moka said he died of severe chest pain. No Navy official was present and INS Teg had left for India, said Banita, who lives. Ranvir SinghShe suspects foul play in Ranbirs death. The authorities did not even allow a postmortem to conducted. She claims that she was not allowed to meet the Commanding Officer of the ship later. She has received no response to multiple representations to the office of the Navy Chief and Defence ministry. I was made to sit for a full day outside the offices of the Navy Chief and the Defence Minister. I was told by officials to come accompanied by an influential person if I wanted by case to be heard, Banita said. by Pradip R Sagar
Express News Service By

BENGALURU: In order to douse sparks of dissidence and prepare the party for the poll battles ahead, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convinced the Congress high command in appointing disgruntled legislators as heads of boards and corporations. The posts have been doled out to 21 legislators.



Sources said AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi was particular that all the posts should go for the party workers. It was part of the partys plan to reward those who have worked hard to build the party and spur them to work more vigorously to ensure victory for the Congress in 2018 Assembly polls. The CM, however, was of the view that along with the party workers some MLAs who are sulking after being denied ministerial berths too need to be accommodated.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi



The process was delayed due to Rahuls stand. However, Siddaramaiah succeeded in convincing Rahul on the need to dole out the posts to MLAs.



Last week, Siddaramaiah, KPCC President G Parameshwara and KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao held discussions with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. During the meeting, leaders from Karnataka convinced Rahul, sources said.



Soon after the CM returned from the national capital, the list was prepared and the CM issued the orders for appointment of heads for 91 Boards and Corporations of which 21 are offered to MLAs and

70 for the Congress party workers.

BENGALURU: In order to douse sparks of dissidence and prepare the party for the poll battles ahead, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convinced the Congress high command in appointing disgruntled legislators as heads of boards and corporations. The posts have been doled out to 21 legislators. Sources said AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi was particular that all the posts should go for the party workers. It was part of the partys plan to reward those who have worked hard to build the party and spur them to work more vigorously to ensure victory for the Congress in 2018 Assembly polls. The CM, however, was of the view that along with the party workers some MLAs who are sulking after being denied ministerial berths too need to be accommodated. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi The process was delayed due to Rahuls stand. However, Siddaramaiah succeeded in convincing Rahul on the need to dole out the posts to MLAs. Last week, Siddaramaiah, KPCC President G Parameshwara and KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao held discussions with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. During the meeting, leaders from Karnataka convinced Rahul, sources said. Soon after the CM returned from the national capital, the list was prepared and the CM issued the orders for appointment of heads for 91 Boards and Corporations of which 21 are offered to MLAs and 70 for the Congress party workers.
Ayesha Singh By

His dying did what his staying alive didnt. As news of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewals suicide spread, the sleepy streets of protest capital, Jantar Mantar, woke up to a fresh rebellion. Awakening to a new purpose after the demise of Grewal, it once again filled itself with loud sloganeering, government lamenting and furious name calling on November 2. As news wires made the departed soul their headlines, the neglected street of Jantar Mantar got a new life; at least for the next few days till the One Rank One Pension (OROP) commotion doesnt settle down.

MICROPHONE MAN: Saurabh Kumar Singh is protesting against the owner

of a factory where he worked for confiscating his money and school certificates

After which, this hotbed of revolts will once again don a silent demeanour. Once a street ruled by rebels, it has now submitted itself to muffled voices and vulnerable emotions. But in this sea of lost hopes, a new entrant has come with fresh energy. His ways of getting heard are largely imprudent, but he still makes a great effort. Saurabh Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh dons a dysfunctional white speaker, torn white trousers and shirt, and a voice loud enough to reach the heavens. He runs from around venting his frustration.

He is protesting against the ownerArvind Maurya of Mirzapur, UPof the factory where he used to work, for forcefully taking his money and school certificates. He doesnt want to waste time sleeping, eating or playing chess, he told us, looking condescendingly towards the people in the shelter next to him. People here told me to find a spot and relax till I see somebody who is from a news channel or a newspaper, he said, adding, But I am here to get justice. Even the President will have to hear me out, but

I hope he does that before I too join the list of those who didnt make it alive from here. A wave of scepticism has seeped through the protesters. Hopelessness has sucked the justice-seeking spirit out of its impermanent residents. Days are just numbers. Time doesnt pass. Nothing changes. Humans seem to be withering away. Every corner you turn, you see tired eyes and exhausted expressions. Even the cow brought by the cow vigilantes in 2014, seems to be on a protest. She doesnt eat nowadays, said Jaipal Singh, who has been campaigning against cow slaughter.

A sweeper from the area tells us it has become a place for people to live off government fund. Who wants to work if youre getting a stipend covering your cost of living? he said. People come and go, and nobodys ever gained anything by being here.

He points towards 35-year-old Santosh Murat Singh, one of the oldest protesters at Jantar Mantar. Singh, a Rajput, was ostracised by his community for marrying a Dalit girl. In his absence, his relatives declared him dead and performed his last rites. He has been fighting to get back his 12.5-acre land seized by his relatives 12 years ago. Disappointment has become the order of the day here as the mystery regarding the future of its residents is becoming murkier. Its beginning to make many wonder if the purpose of the street is fast becoming obsolete?

After taking a bath in the morning, we sit in our place to start a new game. At least were winning or losing in something, says Altaf, who has been protesting against the termination of 3,000 sacked Hero Honda workers because they agitated against the exploitative working conditions in their factory in Tapukara, Rajasthan. On the sly, a parking attendant tells us the group has nothing better to do in life. Working in a factory is far tougher than lazing around at Jantar Mantar.

His dying did what his staying alive didnt. As news of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewals suicide spread, the sleepy streets of protest capital, Jantar Mantar, woke up to a fresh rebellion. Awakening to a new purpose after the demise of Grewal, it once again filled itself with loud sloganeering, government lamenting and furious name calling on November 2. As news wires made the departed soul their headlines, the neglected street of Jantar Mantar got a new life; at least for the next few days till the One Rank One Pension (OROP) commotion doesnt settle down. MICROPHONE MAN: Saurabh Kumar Singh is protesting against the owner of a factory where he worked for confiscating his money and school certificatesAfter which, this hotbed of revolts will once again don a silent demeanour. Once a street ruled by rebels, it has now submitted itself to muffled voices and vulnerable emotions. But in this sea of lost hopes, a new entrant has come with fresh energy. His ways of getting heard are largely imprudent, but he still makes a great effort. Saurabh Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh dons a dysfunctional white speaker, torn white trousers and shirt, and a voice loud enough to reach the heavens. He runs from around venting his frustration. He is protesting against the ownerArvind Maurya of Mirzapur, UPof the factory where he used to work, for forcefully taking his money and school certificates. He doesnt want to waste time sleeping, eating or playing chess, he told us, looking condescendingly towards the people in the shelter next to him. People here told me to find a spot and relax till I see somebody who is from a news channel or a newspaper, he said, adding, But I am here to get justice. Even the President will have to hear me out, but I hope he does that before I too join the list of those who didnt make it alive from here. A wave of scepticism has seeped through the protesters. Hopelessness has sucked the justice-seeking spirit out of its impermanent residents. Days are just numbers. Time doesnt pass. Nothing changes. Humans seem to be withering away. Every corner you turn, you see tired eyes and exhausted expressions. Even the cow brought by the cow vigilantes in 2014, seems to be on a protest. She doesnt eat nowadays, said Jaipal Singh, who has been campaigning against cow slaughter. A sweeper from the area tells us it has become a place for people to live off government fund. Who wants to work if youre getting a stipend covering your cost of living? he said. People come and go, and nobodys ever gained anything by being here. He points towards 35-year-old Santosh Murat Singh, one of the oldest protesters at Jantar Mantar. Singh, a Rajput, was ostracised by his community for marrying a Dalit girl. In his absence, his relatives declared him dead and performed his last rites. He has been fighting to get back his 12.5-acre land seized by his relatives 12 years ago. Disappointment has become the order of the day here as the mystery regarding the future of its residents is becoming murkier. Its beginning to make many wonder if the purpose of the street is fast becoming obsolete? After taking a bath in the morning, we sit in our place to start a new game. At least were winning or losing in something, says Altaf, who has been protesting against the termination of 3,000 sacked Hero Honda workers because they agitated against the exploitative working conditions in their factory in Tapukara, Rajasthan. On the sly, a parking attendant tells us the group has nothing better to do in life. Working in a factory is far tougher than lazing around at Jantar Mantar.
Richa Sharma By

NEW DELHI: In spite of the government snubbing MPs demanding special privileges at airports, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is in a red carpet mood. The Ministry of Railways has ordered 16 zonal railways to identify important stations frequented by MPs and appoint nodal officers in each to coordinate VIP travel. Their duties will include managing reservations, class confirmation and upgrade of personal staff of parliamentarians if alerted in advance. The largesse comes after Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale complained to his Maharashtra colleague Prabhu of being allotted a 2nd AC seat against the 1st AC class he is eligible for. The minister was travelling from Mumbai to Sangli in September.

The Railway minister has issued directions to each zonal railway to identify stations in their jurisdiction, which MPs frequent. A station manager or state station superintendent will be nominated as the nodal officer to co-ordinate travel matters. In the absence of such an officer being available, the Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM) of the Division will coordinate. Parliamentarians who are frequent travellers to particular stations will also be pampered.

Nominated officers will keep with them the list of MPs booked from that location, who have got confirmed accommodation automatically or provided accommodation in different trains in same or alternatively class out of emergency or any other quota on that particular day, the directions said.

The phone numbers of the officers will be forwarded to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariat. They will keep details, including landline numbers and cell phone numbers of the MPs .

Whenever any Member of Parliament or his staff contacts such nominated officer for his/her self travel, MP or his staff shall be apprised of the reservation provided including details of alternate accommodation provided in cases where accommodation in the booked class is not available, it further said.

In case an MP is not contactable, it will be mentioned on record. The ACM, who is in charge of the passenger reservation system, will be the ex-officio nodal officer to attend all rail journey related issues of MPs.

NEW DELHI: In spite of the government snubbing MPs demanding special privileges at airports, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu is in a red carpet mood. The Ministry of Railways has ordered 16 zonal railways to identify important stations frequented by MPs and appoint nodal officers in each to coordinate VIP travel. Their duties will include managing reservations, class confirmation and upgrade of personal staff of parliamentarians if alerted in advance. The largesse comes after Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale complained to his Maharashtra colleague Prabhu of being allotted a 2nd AC seat against the 1st AC class he is eligible for. The minister was travelling from Mumbai to Sangli in September. The Railway minister has issued directions to each zonal railway to identify stations in their jurisdiction, which MPs frequent. A station manager or state station superintendent will be nominated as the nodal officer to co-ordinate travel matters. In the absence of such an officer being available, the Assistant Commercial Manager (ACM) of the Division will coordinate. Parliamentarians who are frequent travellers to particular stations will also be pampered. Nominated officers will keep with them the list of MPs booked from that location, who have got confirmed accommodation automatically or provided accommodation in different trains in same or alternatively class out of emergency or any other quota on that particular day, the directions said. The phone numbers of the officers will be forwarded to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariat. They will keep details, including landline numbers and cell phone numbers of the MPs . Whenever any Member of Parliament or his staff contacts such nominated officer for his/her self travel, MP or his staff shall be apprised of the reservation provided including details of alternate accommodation provided in cases where accommodation in the booked class is not available, it further said. In case an MP is not contactable, it will be mentioned on record. The ACM, who is in charge of the passenger reservation system, will be the ex-officio nodal officer to attend all rail journey related issues of MPs.
Sumit Kumar Singh By

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has formed around 50 teams to locate Najeeb Ahmad, 27, a student of biotechnology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The police teams have been knocking the doors of Madrasas across the national capital, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and police have also been deployed in Jamia, Delhi and Aligarh Muslim Universities.

Ahmad, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP on October 15.

A senior police officer said that Ahmad was taking anti-depressants and he was the eldest son in the family and his younger brother is a civil services aspirant.

He had graduated from Aligarh Muslim University and thereafter went to Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined JNU against the wishes of his mother and shifted to the hostel only few days before he went missing, the officer said.

He added that Ahmad was very attached to his mother and had called his mother after the incident. His mother immediately left for Delhi, but before she could reach, Najeeb had already gone missing. Our priority is to trace him and we believe that he may have taken shelter in Madrasa or Dargahs, he said. Police added that they have checked with his relatives staying in Jamia Nagar, where he was staying before he shifted to JNU, but he has not made any contacts yet.

Police added that they have crosschecked with over 300 autorickshaws in the area but could not trace the auto which he took after coming out of the campus.

Meanwhile, commissioner of police Alok Kumar Verma has asked Crime Branch and Special Cell to look for the missing student. The Special Investigating Team formed on direction of Verma is headed by former top anti-terror officer Manishi Chandra, who has cracked several top cases, including Indian Premier League spot fixing case and nabbing most of the members of banned terror group Indian Mujahideen.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has formed around 50 teams to locate Najeeb Ahmad, 27, a student of biotechnology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. The police teams have been knocking the doors of Madrasas across the national capital, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and police have also been deployed in Jamia, Delhi and Aligarh Muslim Universities. Ahmad, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP on October 15. A senior police officer said that Ahmad was taking anti-depressants and he was the eldest son in the family and his younger brother is a civil services aspirant. He had graduated from Aligarh Muslim University and thereafter went to Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined JNU against the wishes of his mother and shifted to the hostel only few days before he went missing, the officer said. He added that Ahmad was very attached to his mother and had called his mother after the incident. His mother immediately left for Delhi, but before she could reach, Najeeb had already gone missing. Our priority is to trace him and we believe that he may have taken shelter in Madrasa or Dargahs, he said. Police added that they have checked with his relatives staying in Jamia Nagar, where he was staying before he shifted to JNU, but he has not made any contacts yet. Police added that they have crosschecked with over 300 autorickshaws in the area but could not trace the auto which he took after coming out of the campus. Meanwhile, commissioner of police Alok Kumar Verma has asked Crime Branch and Special Cell to look for the missing student. The Special Investigating Team formed on direction of Verma is headed by former top anti-terror officer Manishi Chandra, who has cracked several top cases, including Indian Premier League spot fixing case and nabbing most of the members of banned terror group Indian Mujahideen.
Pradip R Sagar And Sanjay Singh By

The Mangala report that declared Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and its adjoining Juhu airport unsafe alleges that collusion by senior bureaucrats and aviations officials has endangered air safety. There is involvement of top officials of MIAPL, AAI, DGCA (civil aviation regulator) and MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in compromising aviation safety and therefore I recommend that the mitigation measures recommended in this report be undertaken under the supervision of ICAO, the report said. Mangala further states, ... the decision of keeping my office in the dark on safety issues has been taken at the highest levels. The functioning of aviation safety office of the western region has been disabled in violation of national and international regulations. The real condition of aviation safety could be far worse than what I have reported.

India witnessed over 25 near-miss incidents between April 2015 and March 2016 involving commercial aircraft, according to DGCA. A DGCA official said the high rate of air incidents was reported from eight Indian airports, which include Mumbai and Chennai, and that some of the incidents may have gone unreported.

The report further adds, The unwillingness of the authorities to act in accordance with air regulations could be catastrophic in case of any eventuality because the number of ground casualties could be far more than that of passengers and crew put together.

CSIA, Indias second busiest airport, has one main runway and three other secondary runways. Slums occupy around one-third of the airport land. Protected by powerful political interests, encroachers refuse to move out. Chennai-based aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (2010-13) constituted by the MoCA noted 112 encroachments on Runway 27 of CSIA. The Mumbai High Court ordered their demolition, which has not been carried out yet.

The Mangala report that declared Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and its adjoining Juhu airport unsafe alleges that collusion by senior bureaucrats and aviations officials has endangered air safety. There is involvement of top officials of MIAPL, AAI, DGCA (civil aviation regulator) and MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in compromising aviation safety and therefore I recommend that the mitigation measures recommended in this report be undertaken under the supervision of ICAO, the report said. Mangala further states, ... the decision of keeping my office in the dark on safety issues has been taken at the highest levels. The functioning of aviation safety office of the western region has been disabled in violation of national and international regulations. The real condition of aviation safety could be far worse than what I have reported. India witnessed over 25 near-miss incidents between April 2015 and March 2016 involving commercial aircraft, according to DGCA. A DGCA official said the high rate of air incidents was reported from eight Indian airports, which include Mumbai and Chennai, and that some of the incidents may have gone unreported. The report further adds, The unwillingness of the authorities to act in accordance with air regulations could be catastrophic in case of any eventuality because the number of ground casualties could be far more than that of passengers and crew put together. CSIA, Indias second busiest airport, has one main runway and three other secondary runways. Slums occupy around one-third of the airport land. Protected by powerful political interests, encroachers refuse to move out. Chennai-based aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (2010-13) constituted by the MoCA noted 112 encroachments on Runway 27 of CSIA. The Mumbai High Court ordered their demolition, which has not been carried out yet.
Arunkumar Huralimath By

KARWAR: After decommissioning INS Viraat, the worlds oldest aircraft carrier, the Indian Navy has decided to hand it over to the Andhra Pradesh government. However, Karnataka had earlier shown keen interest on getting INS Viraat to the coast in Karwar or Mangaluru for promotion of tourism.

It was planned that INS Viraat would be brought to either Karwar or Mangaluru. Karwar already houses a naval base and it is close to Goa and Maharashtra.

If not Karwar, Mangaluru was said to be the ideal place as the city has an international airport. The Navy had asked the coastal states, including Karnataka about giving a berth to Viraat. Many states had sent proposals to the Ministry of Defence. After receiving several proposals, the Navy decided to give the ship to AP.

Recently after agreeing to hand over the ship to AP, the Navy said the ship will be decommissioned and she is likely to be brought to Vizag by the middle of 2017. It is said Union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from AP, played a vital role to bring her to Vizag. Nivedith Alva, the former chairman of Karavali Abhivruddi Pradhikara, said, It is a great loss to state tourism. We had written letters to the CM saying that we will provide land and the required infrastructure.

The Grand Old Lady

INS Viraat is the oldest aircraft carrier in the world. It was built in 1959 and served in Royal Navy (British Navy) for many years.

It was commissioned by Indian Navy in 1987. She can carry 16 jet fighters and 10 big copters.

It is said it will take six months to take out weapons and equipment out of the ship.

KARWAR: After decommissioning INS Viraat, the worlds oldest aircraft carrier, the Indian Navy has decided to hand it over to the Andhra Pradesh government. However, Karnataka had earlier shown keen interest on getting INS Viraat to the coast in Karwar or Mangaluru for promotion of tourism. It was planned that INS Viraat would be brought to either Karwar or Mangaluru. Karwar already houses a naval base and it is close to Goa and Maharashtra. If not Karwar, Mangaluru was said to be the ideal place as the city has an international airport. The Navy had asked the coastal states, including Karnataka about giving a berth to Viraat. Many states had sent proposals to the Ministry of Defence. After receiving several proposals, the Navy decided to give the ship to AP. Recently after agreeing to hand over the ship to AP, the Navy said the ship will be decommissioned and she is likely to be brought to Vizag by the middle of 2017. It is said Union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from AP, played a vital role to bring her to Vizag. Nivedith Alva, the former chairman of Karavali Abhivruddi Pradhikara, said, It is a great loss to state tourism. We had written letters to the CM saying that we will provide land and the required infrastructure. The Grand Old Lady INS Viraat is the oldest aircraft carrier in the world. It was built in 1959 and served in Royal Navy (British Navy) for many years. It was commissioned by Indian Navy in 1987. She can carry 16 jet fighters and 10 big copters. It is said it will take six months to take out weapons and equipment out of the ship.
By AFP

PARIS: Diplomats gather next week for a fresh round of UN climate talks in Morocco, but all eyes will be on the US where presidential elections may determine the planet's future.

Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has described global warming as a "hoax," said in May he would "cancel" the climate-rescue Paris Agreement if elected leader of the free world.

The pact, concluded in the French capital last December after years of haggling, came into force on Friday -- its goal to stave off worst-case-scenario global warming.

Climate scientists and NGOs have long warned of dire consequences if Trump is elected.

On Friday, President Barack Obama warned in an interview with US talk show host Bill Maher that: "All the progress we've made on climate change", among other crux issues, "is going to be on the ballot" next Tuesday.

Can Trump withdraw the US?

Obama ratified the agreement, giving it a major boost towards the threshold of endorsements required for entry into force.

The cutoff was ratification by 55 of the 197 parties to the UN's climate convention (UNFCCC), representing 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

That having been achieved, it would be cumbersome, but far from impossible, for a country to withdraw from the international treaty.

Trump would have three options.

1) He could withdraw the United States from the 1992 climate convention, the framework within which the deal was negotiated.

According to the terms of the convention, withdrawal would take effect one year after notification, and any departing state "shall be considered as also having withdrawn from any protocol", such as the Paris Agreement.

2) The agreement itself makes provision for parties to withdraw, but notice can only be given three years after Friday's entry into force. The actual withdrawal would take effect a year later.

Because an executive decision, rather than a vote in the Senate, led to US accession, "a Trump administration could simply withdraw", said international relations associate professor Robert Falkner of the London School of Economics.

3) Trump could abandon or ignore the US' national emissions reduction targets, which contribute to the overall international effort. Analysts say this is his most likely course of action.

The real estate mogul has already said he would expand offshore drilling, increase natural gas production and scrap the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.

Can the agreement survive without the US?

America is the world's second-largest greenhouse gas polluter, representing nearly 13 percent of emissions.

Trump's threats, if carried out, would recast the United States in the role of climate villain.

The Obama administration has been an ardent champion of the Paris Agreement, a role Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has vowed to continue.

Washington and Beijing played a key role in helping break the deadlock between negotiating parties in the tense lead-up to last year's make-or-break Paris conference.

Obama then beat the drum for the deal's rapid, pre-election, ratification.

By Saturday, it had been ratified by 97 parties representing 67.5 percent of emissions, meaning that without the US, it would fall just short of the 55 percent emissions threshold.

At the rate by which countries are signing up, however, it is likely to pass that critical point before year-end, observers say.

The agreement is mum on the legal ramifications of countries withdrawing. Legal experts told AFP this means there are none, and that the binding pact remains in force no matter what happens.

Symbolic blow

A US withdrawal from the hard-won agreement will likely be more of a moral and diplomatic blow than a legal one.

"Not everyone is on board yet, things are still delicate, busy settling into place... there hasn't been enough time for it to become irreversible" said Teresa Ribera, director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris.

A US departure would be the perfect excuse for other doubters to back off.

"I see the real danger of Trump being elected as jeopardising the enormous change in the psychology on climate change," said Louise van Schaik, an expert in multilateral negotiations at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands.

Nearly 400 scientists, including a Nobel laureate, slammed the Republican in an open letter in September for promising a "Parexit" they said would have severe and long-lasting consequences.

Climate negotiations expert Jennifer Morgan of Greenpeace International warned the US risked becoming a diplomatic pariah.

"If the US were to pull out, it would be a foreign policy problem," she told AFP.

PARIS: Diplomats gather next week for a fresh round of UN climate talks in Morocco, but all eyes will be on the US where presidential elections may determine the planet's future. Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has described global warming as a "hoax," said in May he would "cancel" the climate-rescue Paris Agreement if elected leader of the free world. The pact, concluded in the French capital last December after years of haggling, came into force on Friday -- its goal to stave off worst-case-scenario global warming. Climate scientists and NGOs have long warned of dire consequences if Trump is elected. On Friday, President Barack Obama warned in an interview with US talk show host Bill Maher that: "All the progress we've made on climate change", among other crux issues, "is going to be on the ballot" next Tuesday. Can Trump withdraw the US? Obama ratified the agreement, giving it a major boost towards the threshold of endorsements required for entry into force. The cutoff was ratification by 55 of the 197 parties to the UN's climate convention (UNFCCC), representing 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. That having been achieved, it would be cumbersome, but far from impossible, for a country to withdraw from the international treaty. Trump would have three options. 1) He could withdraw the United States from the 1992 climate convention, the framework within which the deal was negotiated. According to the terms of the convention, withdrawal would take effect one year after notification, and any departing state "shall be considered as also having withdrawn from any protocol", such as the Paris Agreement. 2) The agreement itself makes provision for parties to withdraw, but notice can only be given three years after Friday's entry into force. The actual withdrawal would take effect a year later. Because an executive decision, rather than a vote in the Senate, led to US accession, "a Trump administration could simply withdraw", said international relations associate professor Robert Falkner of the London School of Economics. 3) Trump could abandon or ignore the US' national emissions reduction targets, which contribute to the overall international effort. Analysts say this is his most likely course of action. The real estate mogul has already said he would expand offshore drilling, increase natural gas production and scrap the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan. Can the agreement survive without the US? America is the world's second-largest greenhouse gas polluter, representing nearly 13 percent of emissions. Trump's threats, if carried out, would recast the United States in the role of climate villain. The Obama administration has been an ardent champion of the Paris Agreement, a role Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has vowed to continue. Washington and Beijing played a key role in helping break the deadlock between negotiating parties in the tense lead-up to last year's make-or-break Paris conference. Obama then beat the drum for the deal's rapid, pre-election, ratification. By Saturday, it had been ratified by 97 parties representing 67.5 percent of emissions, meaning that without the US, it would fall just short of the 55 percent emissions threshold. At the rate by which countries are signing up, however, it is likely to pass that critical point before year-end, observers say. The agreement is mum on the legal ramifications of countries withdrawing. Legal experts told AFP this means there are none, and that the binding pact remains in force no matter what happens. Symbolic blow A US withdrawal from the hard-won agreement will likely be more of a moral and diplomatic blow than a legal one. "Not everyone is on board yet, things are still delicate, busy settling into place... there hasn't been enough time for it to become irreversible" said Teresa Ribera, director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris. A US departure would be the perfect excuse for other doubters to back off. "I see the real danger of Trump being elected as jeopardising the enormous change in the psychology on climate change," said Louise van Schaik, an expert in multilateral negotiations at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands. Nearly 400 scientists, including a Nobel laureate, slammed the Republican in an open letter in September for promising a "Parexit" they said would have severe and long-lasting consequences. Climate negotiations expert Jennifer Morgan of Greenpeace International warned the US risked becoming a diplomatic pariah. "If the US were to pull out, it would be a foreign policy problem," she told AFP.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."

"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.

"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.

"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defense chief added.

Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.

The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.

The two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014.

The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began late Saturday.

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy." "The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement. "As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group. "The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defense chief added. Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul. The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance. The two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year. The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014. The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began late Saturday.
By AFP

DHAKA: A man stabbed a security guard to death Sunday in Bangladesh's main airport after police and paramilitary officers stopped him from going through to departures, officers said.

The attacker went on a stabbing spree after officials asked him to show his travel documents at the entry of the departure lounge of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, police and local media said.

"One Ansar (paramilitary security guard) was killed in the knife attack," Nazrul Islam, a police sub-inspector, told AFP.

Up to three others including another security guard were also injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, additional deputy commissioner of police Rafiul Alam said.

He added that the attacker, who said he was a cleaner, was arrested. It is not known whether the man has ties to any Islamist extremist groups.

Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities, among others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government blames local militant groups for the attacks, rejecting claims by the IS that it was behind the carnage.

DHAKA: A man stabbed a security guard to death Sunday in Bangladesh's main airport after police and paramilitary officers stopped him from going through to departures, officers said. The attacker went on a stabbing spree after officials asked him to show his travel documents at the entry of the departure lounge of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, police and local media said. "One Ansar (paramilitary security guard) was killed in the knife attack," Nazrul Islam, a police sub-inspector, told AFP. Up to three others including another security guard were also injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, additional deputy commissioner of police Rafiul Alam said. He added that the attacker, who said he was a cleaner, was arrested. It is not known whether the man has ties to any Islamist extremist groups. Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of attacks on foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities, among others. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular government blames local militant groups for the attacks, rejecting claims by the IS that it was behind the carnage.
By Associated Press

MOSUL: Iraq's special forces worked Sunday to fully clear neighborhoods on Mosul's eastern edge of Islamic State militants as suspected IS bombings killed at least 20 people elsewhere around the country.

The current phase and slower pace highlight the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more populated areas deeper inside Mosul  where the civilian presence means they won't be able to rely as much on airstrikes.

"There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them," said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. "This is one of the hardest battles that we've faced till now."

Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requests for U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Iraq's special forces are some of the country's best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.

Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have only advanced just over a kilometer (mile) into the city. On the city's southern front Iraqi forces are still some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city center.

The extremists captured the city in 2014, and have had plenty of time to erect fortifications. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighborhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze, and concrete blast walls have blocked off access to other areas.

"Daesh dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs," said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

IS fought back Saturday, pushing the special forces from the southern edge of the Gogjali neighborhood, where the troops had made their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts.

Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers dueled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two stories high.

Meanwhile suspected IS militants struck far from the front lines with a pair of bombings that killed at least 20 people. One suicide attack against Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad killed at least 11 people.

The spokesman for Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamdani, said the deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, where a revered Shiite shrine is located.

Al-Hamdani said the bomber parked his explosives-laden ambulance in a parking lot and walked up to the pilgrims who had just left their busses and were heading to the shrine about 500 meters away. He first detonated the car and then blew up himself.

He added that at least four Iranians were among the dead. Up to 100 others were wounded, he said.

Another suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car during rush hour Sunday morning into a checkpoint outside the Salahuddin provincial capital, Tikrit, killing at least nine people. Al-Hamdani said five female students, a woman and three policemen were killed in the attack, while 25 others were wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of IS, which has conducted and claimed dozens of similar bombings.

In April 2015, Iraqi security forces drove out IS militants from Tikrit, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

MOSUL: Iraq's special forces worked Sunday to fully clear neighborhoods on Mosul's eastern edge of Islamic State militants as suspected IS bombings killed at least 20 people elsewhere around the country. The current phase and slower pace highlight the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more populated areas deeper inside Mosul  where the civilian presence means they won't be able to rely as much on airstrikes. "There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them," said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. "This is one of the hardest battles that we've faced till now." Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requests for U.S.-led coalition air strikes. Iraq's special forces are some of the country's best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain. Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have only advanced just over a kilometer (mile) into the city. On the city's southern front Iraqi forces are still some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city center. The extremists captured the city in 2014, and have had plenty of time to erect fortifications. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighborhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze, and concrete blast walls have blocked off access to other areas. "Daesh dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs," said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group. IS fought back Saturday, pushing the special forces from the southern edge of the Gogjali neighborhood, where the troops had made their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts. Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers dueled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two stories high. Meanwhile suspected IS militants struck far from the front lines with a pair of bombings that killed at least 20 people. One suicide attack against Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad killed at least 11 people. The spokesman for Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamdani, said the deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, where a revered Shiite shrine is located. Al-Hamdani said the bomber parked his explosives-laden ambulance in a parking lot and walked up to the pilgrims who had just left their busses and were heading to the shrine about 500 meters away. He first detonated the car and then blew up himself. He added that at least four Iranians were among the dead. Up to 100 others were wounded, he said. Another suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car during rush hour Sunday morning into a checkpoint outside the Salahuddin provincial capital, Tikrit, killing at least nine people. Al-Hamdani said five female students, a woman and three policemen were killed in the attack, while 25 others were wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of IS, which has conducted and claimed dozens of similar bombings. In April 2015, Iraqi security forces drove out IS militants from Tikrit, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
By AFP

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Sunday described next month's constitutional referendum as a battle between "nostalgia and the future".

"The leaders of the No campaign only want to protect their privileges and they know that December 4 is the last chance to get back on track," Renzi said at a gathering in Florence of supporters of the revisions.

The proposed reforms -- deemed the most important in Italy since World War II and already approved by parliament -- are aimed at increasing political stability in a country which has had 63 governments since 1945.

They would streamline parliament and the electoral system by bringing an end to the existing system whereby each law must be adopted by both chambers in the same terms -- a process that can take years.

The "No" camp draws support from across Italy's broad political spectrum and currently enjoys a slight edge in opinion polls.

On Saturday, several dozen "No" supporters clashed with police outside the disused train station in Florence where "Yes" supporters were gathering.

Renzi described the referendum as a "contest between nostalgia and the future, between those who want to change nothing and those who are looking ahead".

The centre-left prime minister has backtracked on an earlier pledge to resign if voters rejected the proposed constitutional changes.

Still, a defeat would weaken his position significantly, even within his own Democratic Party, where he faces stiff opposition from a leftist minority.

His party foes include former prime minister and "No" champion Massimo D'Alema.

"D'Alema says he could do better (reforms). So why didn't he during his years in power?" Renzi asked to the cheers of his audience.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Sunday described next month's constitutional referendum as a battle between "nostalgia and the future". "The leaders of the No campaign only want to protect their privileges and they know that December 4 is the last chance to get back on track," Renzi said at a gathering in Florence of supporters of the revisions. The proposed reforms -- deemed the most important in Italy since World War II and already approved by parliament -- are aimed at increasing political stability in a country which has had 63 governments since 1945. They would streamline parliament and the electoral system by bringing an end to the existing system whereby each law must be adopted by both chambers in the same terms -- a process that can take years. The "No" camp draws support from across Italy's broad political spectrum and currently enjoys a slight edge in opinion polls. On Saturday, several dozen "No" supporters clashed with police outside the disused train station in Florence where "Yes" supporters were gathering. Renzi described the referendum as a "contest between nostalgia and the future, between those who want to change nothing and those who are looking ahead". The centre-left prime minister has backtracked on an earlier pledge to resign if voters rejected the proposed constitutional changes. Still, a defeat would weaken his position significantly, even within his own Democratic Party, where he faces stiff opposition from a leftist minority. His party foes include former prime minister and "No" champion Massimo D'Alema. "D'Alema says he could do better (reforms). So why didn't he during his years in power?" Renzi asked to the cheers of his audience.
By AFP

JOAL: Pelicans, flamingos, monkeys and even hyenas are under threat in Senegal along with the livelihoods of the local people as thick clusters of mangroves are disappearing.

And it seems that not even an ancestral spirit can save them.

The protected marine area (AMP) of Joal in western Senegal, just to the north of the Gambia, is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity.

The hardy mangrove shrubs thrive in salty water, thick mud and hot, humid conditions that would kill most other plants.

Part of Senegal's peaceful Petite Cote, Joal's mangroves are being eroded by a combination of factors, including global warming, deforestation, public works, oyster and clam fishing, salination of the fresh water river and drought.

All along the riverbed, great swathes of sandy dunes have appeared in place of the once suffocating canopy of mangroves.

"The empty spaces are areas where the mangrove has disappeared," said Abdoulaye Sagna, a manager at the Joal AMP.

Mangroves are not just tough survivors. Scientists now believe the swamps are hugely important to the well-being of the planet as a whole.

Senegal's mangrove system supports a vast range of species and organisms.

Baobab trees and acacia shrubs grow in between the tangled roots, which are a habitat for molluscs, crabs and insects.

Animals such as monkeys and hyenas also live in the mangroves, and flamingos, pelicans, terns, herons and other types of birds nest in the trees.

"All these species are victims of the disappearance of the mangrove," added Sagna.

The protected area may be vast but outside of the AMP, the mangrove is receding, according to Abdou Karim Sall, a member of the Joal AMP's organising committee.

- 'Degraded' mangroves -

But he insists that the establishment of the 174-square-kilometre (67-square-mile) protected area has had a positive effect on safeguarding the local environment.

"There was nothing here, no mangroves, but from 2009 we started reforesting," said Sall.

"In villages not covered by the AMP, the mangrove is more degraded. We fear it will disappear in certain areas where entire hectares have been cut down."

Despite the reforestation policy, Senegal is losing much of its mangroves, not least to those looking for firewood and construction materials.

"Senegal has lost 40 percent of its mangroves since the 1970s," said ecologist Haidar El Ali, a former minister of the environment.

As the mangroves recede, it is becoming harder to find oysters and clams, which are among the mainstays of the local economy.

"Before, all you needed to do was go 10 metres (32 feet) into the river to find oysters and clams. But now, you have to go much further," complained Marie-Madeleine Diouf, head of a group of seafood traders in Joal.

"We can't find the quantity we want and demand is increasing."

Other than the abundant mollusc fishing, Joal -- famous for being the birthplace of Senegal's first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor -- is also known for tourism and local handicrafts, based on clam shells and sea snails found at the island of Fadiouth, which is linked to Joal by a bridge.

Ancestral spirit -

But that has attracted many unscrupulous outsiders, and not even a local spirit in the deeply superstitious society can keep them from exploiting the mangroves.

"Joal's ancestral spirit, Mama Ngueth, the town's protector, banned the cutting down of mangroves," said Sall.

"Everyone respected that ban and belief in that spirit was a factor in the conservation of the mangrove.

"But now there are a lot of migrants in Joal who couldn't care less about this spirit, or the conservation of the mangrove."

One solution has been to build an oyster farm in Joal to boost production.

Yet another is to try to protect young molluscs.

Oyster farmer Leopold Ndong wields a knife to cut oysters from the intertwined mangrove roots to "plant" them in mud.

"These are spat, baby oysters... After a year they will be mature," he said.

According to Diouf, the fight to preserve the mangroves is not a forlorn one and is worth the effort.

"We have to replant every day because people keep cutting (down mangroves)," she said.

"People will keep cutting, and we'll keep replanting."

JOAL: Pelicans, flamingos, monkeys and even hyenas are under threat in Senegal along with the livelihoods of the local people as thick clusters of mangroves are disappearing. And it seems that not even an ancestral spirit can save them. The protected marine area (AMP) of Joal in western Senegal, just to the north of the Gambia, is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity. The hardy mangrove shrubs thrive in salty water, thick mud and hot, humid conditions that would kill most other plants. Part of Senegal's peaceful Petite Cote, Joal's mangroves are being eroded by a combination of factors, including global warming, deforestation, public works, oyster and clam fishing, salination of the fresh water river and drought. All along the riverbed, great swathes of sandy dunes have appeared in place of the once suffocating canopy of mangroves. "The empty spaces are areas where the mangrove has disappeared," said Abdoulaye Sagna, a manager at the Joal AMP. Mangroves are not just tough survivors. Scientists now believe the swamps are hugely important to the well-being of the planet as a whole. Senegal's mangrove system supports a vast range of species and organisms. Baobab trees and acacia shrubs grow in between the tangled roots, which are a habitat for molluscs, crabs and insects. Animals such as monkeys and hyenas also live in the mangroves, and flamingos, pelicans, terns, herons and other types of birds nest in the trees. "All these species are victims of the disappearance of the mangrove," added Sagna. The protected area may be vast but outside of the AMP, the mangrove is receding, according to Abdou Karim Sall, a member of the Joal AMP's organising committee. - 'Degraded' mangroves - But he insists that the establishment of the 174-square-kilometre (67-square-mile) protected area has had a positive effect on safeguarding the local environment. "There was nothing here, no mangroves, but from 2009 we started reforesting," said Sall. "In villages not covered by the AMP, the mangrove is more degraded. We fear it will disappear in certain areas where entire hectares have been cut down." Despite the reforestation policy, Senegal is losing much of its mangroves, not least to those looking for firewood and construction materials. "Senegal has lost 40 percent of its mangroves since the 1970s," said ecologist Haidar El Ali, a former minister of the environment. As the mangroves recede, it is becoming harder to find oysters and clams, which are among the mainstays of the local economy. "Before, all you needed to do was go 10 metres (32 feet) into the river to find oysters and clams. But now, you have to go much further," complained Marie-Madeleine Diouf, head of a group of seafood traders in Joal. "We can't find the quantity we want and demand is increasing." Other than the abundant mollusc fishing, Joal -- famous for being the birthplace of Senegal's first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor -- is also known for tourism and local handicrafts, based on clam shells and sea snails found at the island of Fadiouth, which is linked to Joal by a bridge. Ancestral spirit - But that has attracted many unscrupulous outsiders, and not even a local spirit in the deeply superstitious society can keep them from exploiting the mangroves. "Joal's ancestral spirit, Mama Ngueth, the town's protector, banned the cutting down of mangroves," said Sall. "Everyone respected that ban and belief in that spirit was a factor in the conservation of the mangrove. "But now there are a lot of migrants in Joal who couldn't care less about this spirit, or the conservation of the mangrove." One solution has been to build an oyster farm in Joal to boost production. Yet another is to try to protect young molluscs. Oyster farmer Leopold Ndong wields a knife to cut oysters from the intertwined mangrove roots to "plant" them in mud. "These are spat, baby oysters... After a year they will be mature," he said. According to Diouf, the fight to preserve the mangroves is not a forlorn one and is worth the effort. "We have to replant every day because people keep cutting (down mangroves)," she said. "People will keep cutting, and we'll keep replanting."
By IANS

ISLAMABAD: Nat Geo's famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula will not be deported from Pakistan, a Pakistani government official Shaukat Yousafzai has said, it was reported on Sunday.



The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card. A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner distanced itself from her, claiming that she was not a registered refugee, Dawn reported.



On Friday a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula after she serves a 15-day jail sentence and pays a fine of Pakistani Rs 110,000.



The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's home department, following the decision, has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her to Afghanistan.



The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.



The portrait of Sharbat Gula, whose piercing, sea-green eyes, made her an international symbol of refugees, first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Photographer Steve McCurry photographed her as a young girl living in the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, where almost three million Afghans sought shelter in the wake of the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. In 2002, McCurry tracked Sharbat Gula down and photographed her again.



That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.



National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".

ISLAMABAD: Nat Geo's famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula will not be deported from Pakistan, a Pakistani government official Shaukat Yousafzai has said, it was reported on Sunday. The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card. A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner distanced itself from her, claiming that she was not a registered refugee, Dawn reported. On Friday a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula after she serves a 15-day jail sentence and pays a fine of Pakistani Rs 110,000. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's home department, following the decision, has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her to Afghanistan. The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan. The portrait of Sharbat Gula, whose piercing, sea-green eyes, made her an international symbol of refugees, first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Photographer Steve McCurry photographed her as a young girl living in the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, where almost three million Afghans sought shelter in the wake of the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. In 2002, McCurry tracked Sharbat Gula down and photographed her again. That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".
COLOMBO: To address the ethnic question, Sri Lankas draft constitution is likely to suggest the implementation of the existing 13th Constitutional Amendment (13A) with an additional provision for a Second Chamber in parliament but without a merger of the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern province, said Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-Existence and Official Languages.

The Muslims and the Sinhalese are highly unlikely to accept a merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces out of the fear that they will become permanent minorities in a Tamil-dominated merged province. Additionally, as per 13A, the issue of the merger has to be decided by a referendum in the multi-ethnic Eastern Province where Muslims and Sinhalese form two-thirds of the population.

Given this reality, the Constitutional Assembly (CA) is unlikely to suggest a merger of the North and the East to form a single Tamil-speaking province as proposed by 13A.

To compensate for this, the CA might suggest the setting up of a Second Chamber in parliament to give representation to Tamils and other minorities, who complain there is no equitable sharing of power at the national level, Ganesan said.

Ganesan, who leads the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) that represents Indian-origin Tamils, suggested that all Tamils should accept what emerges from the deliberations in the CA and continue to struggle for more in a democratic way.

Missed Opportunities, Broken Promises

Ganesan said that Tamils should not miss the opportunity provided by the new constitution as they had done earlier.

The political history of modern Sri Lanka is one of missed opportunities by the Tamils and broken promise by the Sinhalese, he told Express on Saturday.

Recounting the events, Ganesan said Tamils rejected 13A based on the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) went to war with India. After talks with Presidents Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunga broke down, war again ensued. Undaunted, Kumaratunga proposed a liberal constitution by which Sri Lanka was to be a Union of Regions, virtually federal. But this was also rejected. Then came the Oslo Declaration of 2002, in which the Sri Lankan government and the LTTEs negotiator Anton Balasingham pledged to work for a federal constitution. But Prabhakaran, the LTTE chief, rejected it.

Current Efforts

After the defeat of the LTTE in 2009 and the replacement of the hawkish President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regime embarked on drafting a new constitution to address the issues of democracy, ethnic harmony and devolution of power.

The various sub-committees of the Constitutional Assembly have submitted their reports, based on wide public consultations, to the Steering Committee comprising leaders of all parties in parliament. The Steering Committee, of which Ganesan is a member, will submit its recommendations to the CA, which Ganesan said is likely to debate and vote for a new constitution by the Tamil and Sinhalese New Year in April 2017.

Importance of Language Issue

While accepting that the devolution of power to the Tamil province is a key issue for both the Tamils and Sinhalese, Ganesan believes that ethnic reconciliation is linked to several other issues, principally the language policy. The dominance enjoyed by the Sinhalese language is preventing the Tamil-speaking communities, which make 25 percent of the country's population, from communicating with the government and vice-versa.

Ganesan said that as Minister of Official Languages, he has given several suggestions to make government institutions bi-lingual, but these have been put in cold storage.

One of them is to appoint professional translators in every state unit so that documents, forms and communications are available in Tamil too. The other is to recognize 72 of the 320 administrative sub-divisions in the country as bi-lingual and appoint officers and staff who are bi-lingual.

Ganesan believes that the present policy of making everybody learn Tamil, or making the bi-lingual ability compulsory after recruitment, has failed.

It is better to appoint professional translators and insist on bi-lingual ability in select sub-divisions rather than expect everybody to acquire a working knowledge of Tamil, he said.

Stressing the importance of a sound language policy for ethnic reconciliation, Ganesan said, I have told the president that if the language issue is solved, 51 percent of the ethnic issue will have been solved.

COLOMBO: To address the ethnic question, Sri Lankas draft constitution is likely to suggest the implementation of the existing 13th Constitutional Amendment (13A) with an additional provision for a Second Chamber in parliament but without a merger of the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern province, said Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-Existence and Official Languages. The Muslims and the Sinhalese are highly unlikely to accept a merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces out of the fear that they will become permanent minorities in a Tamil-dominated merged province. Additionally, as per 13A, the issue of the merger has to be decided by a referendum in the multi-ethnic Eastern Province where Muslims and Sinhalese form two-thirds of the population. Given this reality, the Constitutional Assembly (CA) is unlikely to suggest a merger of the North and the East to form a single Tamil-speaking province as proposed by 13A. To compensate for this, the CA might suggest the setting up of a Second Chamber in parliament to give representation to Tamils and other minorities, who complain there is no equitable sharing of power at the national level, Ganesan said. Ganesan, who leads the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) that represents Indian-origin Tamils, suggested that all Tamils should accept what emerges from the deliberations in the CA and continue to struggle for more in a democratic way. Missed Opportunities, Broken Promises Ganesan said that Tamils should not miss the opportunity provided by the new constitution as they had done earlier. The political history of modern Sri Lanka is one of missed opportunities by the Tamils and broken promise by the Sinhalese, he told Express on Saturday. Recounting the events, Ganesan said Tamils rejected 13A based on the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) went to war with India. After talks with Presidents Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunga broke down, war again ensued. Undaunted, Kumaratunga proposed a liberal constitution by which Sri Lanka was to be a Union of Regions, virtually federal. But this was also rejected. Then came the Oslo Declaration of 2002, in which the Sri Lankan government and the LTTEs negotiator Anton Balasingham pledged to work for a federal constitution. But Prabhakaran, the LTTE chief, rejected it. Current Efforts After the defeat of the LTTE in 2009 and the replacement of the hawkish President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regime embarked on drafting a new constitution to address the issues of democracy, ethnic harmony and devolution of power. The various sub-committees of the Constitutional Assembly have submitted their reports, based on wide public consultations, to the Steering Committee comprising leaders of all parties in parliament. The Steering Committee, of which Ganesan is a member, will submit its recommendations to the CA, which Ganesan said is likely to debate and vote for a new constitution by the Tamil and Sinhalese New Year in April 2017. Importance of Language Issue While accepting that the devolution of power to the Tamil province is a key issue for both the Tamils and Sinhalese, Ganesan believes that ethnic reconciliation is linked to several other issues, principally the language policy. The dominance enjoyed by the Sinhalese language is preventing the Tamil-speaking communities, which make 25 percent of the country's population, from communicating with the government and vice-versa. Ganesan said that as Minister of Official Languages, he has given several suggestions to make government institutions bi-lingual, but these have been put in cold storage. One of them is to appoint professional translators in every state unit so that documents, forms and communications are available in Tamil too. The other is to recognize 72 of the 320 administrative sub-divisions in the country as bi-lingual and appoint officers and staff who are bi-lingual. Ganesan believes that the present policy of making everybody learn Tamil, or making the bi-lingual ability compulsory after recruitment, has failed. It is better to appoint professional translators and insist on bi-lingual ability in select sub-divisions rather than expect everybody to acquire a working knowledge of Tamil, he said. Stressing the importance of a sound language policy for ethnic reconciliation, Ganesan said, I have told the president that if the language issue is solved, 51 percent of the ethnic issue will have been solved.
By AFP

ARIHA: With the deftness of decades of experience, Abu Mohammad wove thick green thread with a wooden loom in northwest Syria, creating a vibrant geometric pattern renowned among Arabic textiles.

It was the last day before the weaver in his 50s would be forced to close the workshop, leaving the last five remaining looms in his hometown of Ariha in Idlib province to gather dust.

"This trade is dead now... Today is our last day of work on the loom, as we don't have any more thread," the balding man told AFP.

Weaving has been devastated by Syria's five-year civil war, with thread becoming too difficult to procure from Aleppo -- once the country's artisanal hub but now ravaged by fighting and bombardment.

The battered city, 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of Ariha, was the main provider of the rough thread needed to weave Arabic textiles, versatile fabrics turned into rugs, furniture covers, and other household items.

But now Aleppo's rebel-held eastern districts are besieged by government forces, making it impossible to obtain thread from there, and materials from the regime-controlled west are too expensive, Abu Mohammad said.

On his last day, he worked as enthusiastically as he had since his teenage years, pulling down wooden levers to lay down colourful acrylic fibre across a white base.

The sound of the panels smacking against each other was interrupted only by Abu Mohammad's nasal singing, or a brief tea break with fellow weavers reclining on a shabby couch.

- 'All we have left' -

"Ariha, in Idlib province, is the most well-known in making this product," said Abu Mohammad, gesturing to the green-and-red blankets and pillow cases hanging on the wall behind him.

"We make all household items, from rugs for bedrooms to covers for the Quran. We would furnish entire houses."

"Before the war, there were more than 100 looms in Ariha, but the only ones left are the ones in this shop," he said.

As the siege on Aleppo's east tightened and access to thread became more difficult, only three looms in the Ariha workshop remained active.

"Before the war, our trade was booming. We could buy thread for pennies from Aleppo," Abu Mohammad said.

He pulled out a small box containing dozens of spools of colourful thread: "This is all we have left."

Today, a kilogramme (around two pounds) of the blend of cotton and polyester used for the textiles costs 3,500 Syrian pounds ($7), up from 175 pounds before the war.

Abu Mohammad points to a rug hanging on the wall: "Before, I could make this whole rug with just 200 Syrian pounds."

Another lifelong weaver, 40-year-old Abu Mostafa, said he began working a loom when he was about 12.

He tried to find stable work in a different field but never felt comfortable doing anything except weaving, he said, as he pumped the wooden panels below his loom.

"I went to Lebanon and worked in construction and then to Turkey for a few months, but I couldn't hold any job that kept me away from a loom for too long."

- 'It's a shame' -

Abu Mostafa beamed with pride as he reminisced about the robes and pillow covers he would produce.

"No one else could make the pieces we made. They looked as if they were printed," he said.

"I challenge any computer to make something like this!"

The products from rebel-held Ariha were once sold across Syria.

Even as the war raged on, they were exported to areas controlled by regime forces like Damascus and Hama, as well as regional markets like Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

But today transporting the woven goods -- whether in or outside Syria -- takes between two and three months and is exorbitantly expensive.

"We used to send our products to Damascus at 10:00 am and they would get there by 2:00 pm," Abu Mohammad said.

Despite the pressures, Arabic textile production will resume eventually, the veteran weaver insisted.

If there was enough thread, "we could work 100 looms at once. The looms are all ready, we just need the thread."

"It's a shame it's going to end like this."

ARIHA: With the deftness of decades of experience, Abu Mohammad wove thick green thread with a wooden loom in northwest Syria, creating a vibrant geometric pattern renowned among Arabic textiles. It was the last day before the weaver in his 50s would be forced to close the workshop, leaving the last five remaining looms in his hometown of Ariha in Idlib province to gather dust. "This trade is dead now... Today is our last day of work on the loom, as we don't have any more thread," the balding man told AFP. Weaving has been devastated by Syria's five-year civil war, with thread becoming too difficult to procure from Aleppo -- once the country's artisanal hub but now ravaged by fighting and bombardment. The battered city, 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of Ariha, was the main provider of the rough thread needed to weave Arabic textiles, versatile fabrics turned into rugs, furniture covers, and other household items. But now Aleppo's rebel-held eastern districts are besieged by government forces, making it impossible to obtain thread from there, and materials from the regime-controlled west are too expensive, Abu Mohammad said. On his last day, he worked as enthusiastically as he had since his teenage years, pulling down wooden levers to lay down colourful acrylic fibre across a white base. The sound of the panels smacking against each other was interrupted only by Abu Mohammad's nasal singing, or a brief tea break with fellow weavers reclining on a shabby couch. - 'All we have left' - "Ariha, in Idlib province, is the most well-known in making this product," said Abu Mohammad, gesturing to the green-and-red blankets and pillow cases hanging on the wall behind him. "We make all household items, from rugs for bedrooms to covers for the Quran. We would furnish entire houses." "Before the war, there were more than 100 looms in Ariha, but the only ones left are the ones in this shop," he said. As the siege on Aleppo's east tightened and access to thread became more difficult, only three looms in the Ariha workshop remained active. "Before the war, our trade was booming. We could buy thread for pennies from Aleppo," Abu Mohammad said. He pulled out a small box containing dozens of spools of colourful thread: "This is all we have left." Today, a kilogramme (around two pounds) of the blend of cotton and polyester used for the textiles costs 3,500 Syrian pounds ($7), up from 175 pounds before the war. Abu Mohammad points to a rug hanging on the wall: "Before, I could make this whole rug with just 200 Syrian pounds." Another lifelong weaver, 40-year-old Abu Mostafa, said he began working a loom when he was about 12. He tried to find stable work in a different field but never felt comfortable doing anything except weaving, he said, as he pumped the wooden panels below his loom. "I went to Lebanon and worked in construction and then to Turkey for a few months, but I couldn't hold any job that kept me away from a loom for too long." - 'It's a shame' - Abu Mostafa beamed with pride as he reminisced about the robes and pillow covers he would produce. "No one else could make the pieces we made. They looked as if they were printed," he said. "I challenge any computer to make something like this!" The products from rebel-held Ariha were once sold across Syria. Even as the war raged on, they were exported to areas controlled by regime forces like Damascus and Hama, as well as regional markets like Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. But today transporting the woven goods -- whether in or outside Syria -- takes between two and three months and is exorbitantly expensive. "We used to send our products to Damascus at 10:00 am and they would get there by 2:00 pm," Abu Mohammad said. Despite the pressures, Arabic textile production will resume eventually, the veteran weaver insisted. If there was enough thread, "we could work 100 looms at once. The looms are all ready, we just need the thread." "It's a shame it's going to end like this."
By IANS

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Prime Minister has warned the Islamic State militants fighting in the besieged Mosul city to lay down their weapons if they want to live, state media reported on Sunday.



Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said government-led forces "will not retreat and will not be broken," BBC qouted him as saying.



He said his message to the people of Mosul was "we will liberate you soon."



The city has been under the IS control for more than two years.



"My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the Prime Minister told media.



Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said.



Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town, but did not say whether the IS militants had been pushed out completely.



The operation to take back control of Mosul continued as government forces tried to clear the eastern districts, including al-Zahra, which they entered on Friday.



Satellite images of Mosul reveal how IS fighters constructed multiple barricades across key routes into the northern Iraqi city.



Concrete barricades and rubble can be seen blocking key streets, while buildings near de-facto capital airport were levelled for line-of-sight reasons.



Mosul fell to the jihadis in June 2014 and their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a "caliphate".



Before the offensive began on 17 October, there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul, along with up to 1.5 million civilians.

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Prime Minister has warned the Islamic State militants fighting in the besieged Mosul city to lay down their weapons if they want to live, state media reported on Sunday. Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said government-led forces "will not retreat and will not be broken," BBC qouted him as saying. He said his message to the people of Mosul was "we will liberate you soon." The city has been under the IS control for more than two years. "My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the Prime Minister told media. Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said. Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town, but did not say whether the IS militants had been pushed out completely. The operation to take back control of Mosul continued as government forces tried to clear the eastern districts, including al-Zahra, which they entered on Friday. Satellite images of Mosul reveal how IS fighters constructed multiple barricades across key routes into the northern Iraqi city. Concrete barricades and rubble can be seen blocking key streets, while buildings near de-facto capital airport were levelled for line-of-sight reasons. Mosul fell to the jihadis in June 2014 and their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a "caliphate". Before the offensive began on 17 October, there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul, along with up to 1.5 million civilians.
By ANI

FLORIDA: United States presidential nominee Donald Trump's son Eric on Saturday took part in a traditional Indian 'aarti' ahead of the crucial Election Day on November 8th to pray for his fathers victory.



This is not the first that the Trump campaign has tried to woo the Hindu and the Indian-American community as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump had visited a Hindu temple last month in Virginia.

Taking the campaign further, the Republican nominee even appeared speaking Hindi for a presidential campaign ad ahead of Diwali.



Trump was seen uttering Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar (This time Trump government)  adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his.



The video opened with the message Happy Diwali and borrowed footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations.

The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. We love the Hindus, we love India, he says in the ad.

Last month Trump also attended a charity event last month hosted by members of the Hindu community in Edison, where he praised India for helping to combat terrorism.

In another statement, he also praised the Hindu communitys fantastic contributions to world civilisation and American culture.

His efforts to woo Hindus have not proved futile as Hindu Sena, a right-wing organisation in India held a havan (a sacred ritual) for the victory of the presumptive Republican nominee and even celebrated his birthday with a cake, balloons and posters.

FLORIDA: United States presidential nominee Donald Trump's son Eric on Saturday took part in a traditional Indian 'aarti' ahead of the crucial Election Day on November 8th to pray for his fathers victory. This is not the first that the Trump campaign has tried to woo the Hindu and the Indian-American community as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump had visited a Hindu temple last month in Virginia. Taking the campaign further, the Republican nominee even appeared speaking Hindi for a presidential campaign ad ahead of Diwali. Trump was seen uttering Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar (This time Trump government)  adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his. The video opened with the message Happy Diwali and borrowed footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations. The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. We love the Hindus, we love India, he says in the ad. Last month Trump also attended a charity event last month hosted by members of the Hindu community in Edison, where he praised India for helping to combat terrorism. In another statement, he also praised the Hindu communitys fantastic contributions to world civilisation and American culture. His efforts to woo Hindus have not proved futile as Hindu Sena, a right-wing organisation in India held a havan (a sacred ritual) for the victory of the presumptive Republican nominee and even celebrated his birthday with a cake, balloons and posters.
Portsmouth boy bullied for long hair has plan to donate it

It makes me feel so proud of him, his generous spirit. He cares about others more than he cares about himself sometimes."
Jammu: Two army jawans were killed and five others - two soldiers, two civilian women and a BSF officer - were injured as Pakistani army opened unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district on Sunday, violating the ceasefire.



In Krishna Ghati, Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids, killing one soldier, an army officer said, adding that the attempts to push in infiltrators have been foiled.



In Poonch sector, at least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani army, targeting civil and defence facilities and civilian areas.



An army jawan was killed and five others were injured in the Pakistani firing in Poonch sector which continued till last reports came in, the officer said.



The Indian army said that while the infiltration bids were foiled, it has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector.



"One soldier was killed in Krishna Ghati sector earlier in the day while foiling infiltration bids, another soldier was killed and five others were injured in cross-border firing in the Poonch sector of Poonch district," the officer said.



The soldier killed in the Krishna Ghati sector has been identified as Sepoy Gursewak Singh (23) of 22 Sikh Regiment.



Singh is a resident of Taran Taran area of Punjab.







The injured women have been identified Saleema Akhtar and Zareefa Begum, both residents of Poonch. Zareefa Begum works as a special police officer. They have been admitted to a hospital in Poonch where their condition was stated to be stable, a police officer said.



"The identities of the soldiers killed and injured in Poonch sector will be shared later after their families are informed," the army officer said.



A sub-inspector of BSF, identified as Nitin Kumar, also sustained splinter injuries and he was evacuated to the Army hospital where his condition is stated to be stable, a BSF officer said.



Meanwhile, the army said that unprovoked ceasefire violation in Poonch sector continued.



"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons," an army spokesman said, adding that "our troops are responding befittingly, there has been heavy damage to Pakistan army posts."



"The army foiled two infiltration bids on the intervening night of November 5, 6 along Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati Sector," he said.



"The infiltrators opened fire while trying to sneak back towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir side of the Line of Control (LoC). In the ensuing firefight with infiltrators, Sepoy Gursewak Singh suffered gunshot wound and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated," he said.
New Delhi: The elevation of Rahul Gandhi is likely to be delayed as the Congress top brass is expected to further defer the process of organisational polls, which had been postponed earlier by a year till this December-end.



A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top decision-making body of the party, on Monday is unlikely to take a decision on the elevation of Rahul Gandhi, with a section within the party feeling that this should be done after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.



Party sources say the organisational elections are to be deferred by more than a year as there is very little time to hold the polls and the party has to focus on the upcoming assembly elections due early next year.



Many in the party are, however, divided on the timing of Rahuls elevation and want it to be deferred till the upcoming assembly polls. Some party leaders, however, also feel that in view of the current situation Sonia Gandhi should continue to steer the party and not take a back seat.



The current political situation is expected to be discussed at the CWC, including the one-day ban on NDTV which has created uproar in the opposition as also in the media.



The meeting is significant as the Winter Session of Parliament is starting from November 16 and the Congress will finalise its strategy for the session at this meeting.



The Congress is seeking to corner the government on several issues including on the issue of freedom of speech and expression in the wake of the NDTV day-long ban.



The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by December 31. The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules.



Besides the organisational polls and the strategy to be adopted for Parliament session, the meeting would also take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections to some states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab due next year, party sources said.



Among several political issues that the government seeks to raise during the Session in order to corner the BJP include making political gains out of the surgical strikes, killing of eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in an "encounter" in Madhya Pradesh and contentious issues like the triple talaq and uniform civil code being raked up.



The CWC meeting comes at a time when many feel Congress President Sonia Gandhi should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on August 2 when she was hospitalised.
New Delhi: Alarmed over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, hundreds of people, including children, gathered at Jantar Mantar and staged protests on Sunday against the government and local administration's lackadaisical attitude to handle the crisis.



The protestors from various citizen's group of Delhi demanded that government should take effective measures to curb the rising air pollution immediately, otherwise they will be forced to hold protest at Jantar Mantar every Sunday.



On the other hand, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Sunday visited the Bhalswa landfill - which is believed to be the prime source of pollution in Delhi - and assured that the AAP government will put an end to the pollution menace.



Terming the menace as "critical situation", Jain urged people to have patience as the government's effort will bear fruit after 1-2 years of intensive work.



He said, crop-burning in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab actually worsens Delhi's pollution woes.







However, Dr GS Butar of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) differed on the issue. He said crop burning can't alone be blamed for the ongoing crisis.



Speaking on the issue Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said his government has asked farmers not to burn crops.



Speaking on the environmental crisis, Mahesh Palawat, Chief Meteorologist, Skymet Weather, said only rains and heavy winds can bring some respite.
I am not in a position to say anything... These people instead of looking for my brother are putting us in jail. I am in the Mandir Marg Police Station right now. The way the policemen were talking to me was uncivilized. Is that how you talk to a woman? They dragged and put me on the bus, Najeebs sister told CNN-News18.



Delhi: JNU students protest against govt over missing JNU student #NajeebAhmed at Mandir Marg pic.twitter.com/eyYQwBXOsm  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

Heavy traffic jam in central Delhi following the protest by JNU students over missing student #NajeebAhmed pic.twitter.com/Jf3MtKtAK8  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

: The national capital that has been witnessing a series of agitations in the past few days was scene to another round of protests and detention on Sunday as cops forcibly dispersed a march by students of JNU against the disappearance of their colleague Najeeb Ahmed.Delhi Police detained around 200 JNU students besides the mother and sister of the missing student and the plot thickened with state chief minister Arvind Kejriwal following the cops to the Mayapuri police station where the mother was being kept.Earlier in the day, CM Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee to raise the issue of disappearance of Najeeb who has been missing for the past 21 days. The President promised to seek a report from home ministry.I want to ask Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi -- why is he so scared of students, Kejriwal told reporters. He said that if even half of the policemen deployed on Sunday were used to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.If you stop the youths, they will get more agitated. I have told you many times, Modi-ji, don't mess with students, he later said in a tweet.In his letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, Kejriwal said, The fact that Delhi police have not been able to trace the whereabouts of Najeeb raises serious concerns about the law and order situation in the national capital adding since ABVP students are involved there is a general perception that the Delhi police are not acting effectively.The chief minister also wrote to the President about the 'problematic' role played by the Vice Chancellor of JNU, He has acted in a completely partisan manner by not acting against the ABVP activists who are behind the attack on Najeeb before his subsequent disappearance.Incidentally, just a few days ago, it was Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who while addressing a solidarity meeting for the missing student Najeeb Ahmed, had asked students to move their protest outside of the JNU campus to India Gate, the heart of Lutyens' DelhiAnticipating trouble, the Delhi Police had cordoned off all roads leading to the arterial India Gate hexagon causing traffic jams throughout the city.Delhi Police later issued a statement saying they had requested JNU students union in writing not to assemble near India Gate as prohibitory orders u/s 144 CRPC was in force. NSUI, CYSS and others also joined the call. They were advised to assemble at Jantar Mantar. But in various groups they started assembling around India Gate despite the advisory. Delhi Police at various locations stopped the protesters, dissuaded them to move towards India Gate and were taken to police stations, the statement said.Najeeb's sister Sadaf, mother Fatima and all other detainees were released late in the evening.No one has been manhandled. A group of JNU students, along with Najeebs mother, started assembling near ASI. They were persuaded not to move towards India Gate. They didnt agree and were adamant to move ahead, said the statement issued by Delhi police.Mrs Fatima Nafees was duly attended to by lady police officers and she is now being dropped to her place, it added.AAP spokesperson Ashutosh criticised the treatment meted out to sister and mother of Najeeb. This is really shameful if a mother is being beaten up and dragged. Instead of searching for her kid, police are torturing the mother, Ashutosh said.Delhi police have reportedly put up close to 20,000 posters in and outside Delhi and more than 150 police personnel are said to be deployed to trace the whereabouts of Najeeb who disappeared after a scuffle with ABVP activists inside the JNU campus.JNU Students Union General Secretary Satarupa Chakraborty, meanwhile, said they were protesting as no effective action had been taken to find the student who has been missing since October 15.The students who beat up Najeeb were called for interrogation only on Saturday. This is too little, too late, Chakraborty said.(With inputs from IANS)
Goa: RSS leader Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale sought to define whats national consensus in his keynote speech at the India Foundation Conclave.



What is national consensus? Consensus about nation, justice, reservation, dharma... Even after 70 years we have not arrived at national consensus," Hosabole said arguing that the essence of democracy is dialogue.



This land has seen dialogue in the land of Kurukshetra with Krishna Samvad but over the period of time dialogue has been suppressed and is becoming heated argument. The essence of democracy is consensus," he said.



Dissent is being viewed selectively, Hosabale said, adding, "You have a right to dissent but if I disagree with your dissent then I am intolerant!"



I recently met some Muslim intellectuals in New Delhi and told them you are a Muslim because you were born in a Muslim family and I am a Hindu because I am born in a Hindu family. But we come from one nation, he said. Hosabole felt that the media and academia has not enough in cementing instead it has created divisions.



He called for a revamp in this state of affairs. "We need restructuring. What should India contribute to humanity or to the world? It can show that people belonging to different backgrounds can live harmoniously. It will be wonderful... an ancient nation with variety can live harmoniously."



The annual India Foundation Conclave at Goa witnessed an eclectic mix of speakers dwelling on the core theme India at 70: Democracy, Development and Dissent.


Sally Jones, who calls herself Sakinah Hussain is one of those on the list

The order was issued after intelligence suggested hundreds of British terrorists are attempting to return to the UK on instructions to attack

Special forces given list of British jihadis to kill or capture to save the UK





Troops have been warned that this operation could be seen as the most important in the regiment's 75-year history and that their success is vital to keep people in the UK safe.





Any British jihadis from the black list who are captured alive will be handed over to the Iraqi authorities, tried and possibly executed if found guilty of terror offences.





The order was issued after intelligence suggested hundreds of British terrorists are attempting to return to the UK.





One senior source warned: 'Foreign fighters serving with IS have been told to return home and carry out attacks.





The list has been produced following intelligence British jihadis have been told to return to the UK and carry out attacks



' We know there are hundreds of Brits who went to fight in Iraq and Syria, a lot have been killed but there could be up to 700 still alive.





'The race is now on to kill or capture those who are left.'





The Daily Star Sunday claims that Sally Jones, who calls herself Sakinah Hussain and is married to British jihadist fighter in Syria Junaid Hussain, is one of those on the list.





She vowed to behead Christians with a knife and is known to be active in Islamic State's recruiting team.





The list has been drawn up from intelligence provided by MI6 and CIA agents operating inside towns controlled by IS.
New Delhi: The national capital that has been witnessing a series of agitations in the past few days was scene to another round of protests and detention on Sunday as cops forcibly dispersed a march by students of JNU against the disappearance of their colleague Najeeb Ahmed.



Delhi Police detained around 200 JNU students besides the mother and sister of the missing student and the plot thickened with state chief minister Arvind Kejriwal following the cops to the Mayapuri police station where the mother was being kept.



HERE'S A TIMELINE:



OCT 14: Three students, Vikrant Kumar, Ankit Kumar and Sunil Pratap allegedly got involved in a brawl with Najeeb Ahmed when they were campaigning at 11.30pm.



The altercation is said to have taken place in room number 106 of Mahi-Mandvi Hostel where Najeeb had moved in, only 20 days before the incident.



OCT 15: Najeeb Ahmed goes missing. He leaves behind all his belongings, including, mobile phone, wallet, clothes and keys.



The only information the police has is of someone informing them that he was seen leaving the campus in an auto-rickshaw.



OCT 16: Police announce a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information regarding Najeeb's disappearance.



OCT 17: JNUSU held a protest and demanded that the police and JNU administration take steps to find him.



OCT 18: Nearly 700 students took out a protest marched from JNU to the Vasant Kunj police station demanding a faster investigation. They also registered an fir against the students who had allegedly thrashed Najeeb.



OCT 18: JNU vice-chancellor and top brass meet Najeebs family and assure them he will be traced.



OCT 19: JNU teachers' association staged a protest, and accused the administration of failing to 'safeguard the interests of the university, its students and members. The association also demanded Najeeb's safe return.



OCT 19: The vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials were confined on the premises by a section of students. Students had not allowed the VC and about 12 other officials to come out of the building since the afternoon of October 18.



OCT 28: Najeebs mother Fatima at a media briefing said, we have lost all faith in the university administration.



OCT 31: The mother of missing Najeeb Ahmed meets Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who assured that his government will use all its resources to trace her son.



NOV 3: Across party lines, political leaders  Arvind Kejriwal, Prakash Karat, Shashi Tharoor, Digvijaya Singh, and others, visit the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to extend their support to the students and the family of najeeb ahmed.



NOV 6: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met President Pranab Mukherjee on November 6. President Pranab has promised to seek report from MHA on missing JNU student.
The court went a step further in the case of Subhash Kumar vs. State of Bihar, where the right to wholesome environment was recognized as a basic right and the apex court held that the right to life includes the right to enjoy unpolluted air and water.

So, now that Delhiites are tired of screaming their lungs out complaining about the toxic air they breathe in, is it time to sue the governments of the day for denying a basic right?Environmental crusader MC Mehta says it is well within the rights of a citizen to take the governments to court. As Delhis toxic air continues to oscillate between severe and hazardous, the time has come for citizens to exercise their constitutionally mandated guarantee of the Right to Life and take legal steps to clean it up, he told News18.Patients in Delhi hospitals suffering from various environment-related ailments should come out and file a petition in the Supreme Court claiming inhaling such polluted air violates their fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution, said Mehta, a legal-activist who has been moving the courts for decades on environmental issues.And there are enough legal precedents to back up what Mehta says. In the 1985 judgment Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra vs. State of Uttar Pradesh, the court held that air and water are the most indispensable gifts of nature for preservation of life.Mehta squarely blamed the governments of the day for Delhis pollution crisis. The State and the Central governments are busy fanning their own petty interests and it is time that pollution financiers be held accountable, he said.Going by the polluter pays principle, agencies providing loans for vehicles or governments which have no regard for the road-carrying capacity of Delhi must be fined by the courts. He cited Singapore as a model to emulate.Delhis air has gone from bad to worse and beyond in the week after Diwali as a variety of factors  crop burning, Diwali crackers, construction dust and vehicular emissions  are blamed for raising the level of particulate matter to many times the WHOs safe limit.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has rapped the Delhi government for failing to take steps to prevent the air quality from deteriorating even as citizens continue to give vent to their fury about the deleterious effects on health.Mehta, founder of MC Mehta Environmental Foundation, also felt the question was no longer about the forum that one seeks to address such grievances, but the implantation of laws which are already in place.The SC has given guidelines and has several cases, the case I had filed in 1985 is still pending with the court, although CNG and other measures were a result of that case. But it took 32 years for these directives, he said.
A day after the Akhilesh Yadav stripped his uncle Shivpal of key ministerial portfolios, an aide of his drew an interesting analogy with Indira Gandhi trying to break free of the powerful Congress Syndicate in late sixties.



The turning point in this episode many believe was the October 24th meeting at SP headquarters where Akhilesh confronted his detractors in full public glare. Had he not done that, it probably would have been a different story today.



The meeting was called by uncle Shivpal as a precursor to the preparations for the silver jublee conclave. In a pre-emptive strike Akhilesh summoned legislatures a day ahead of the preparatory meeting. Having secured their support he sacked Chacha Shivpal and three of his close aides.



The battle lines were drawn for the big showdown. Shivpal expanded the invite list for the next days function at party headquarters to fill in the venue with his supporters.



Sources tell CNN News18, that it was also discreetly communicated to the CM aides that his presence at the meeting could lead to trouble due to the bitterness which has ensued out of the internecine war. Media speculated whether CM would attend the meeting in such a surcharged atmosphere.



It was then that Akhilesh and his aides decided to bite the bullet and take things head on. CM's absence it was felt would send a wrong signal and gives an unhindered path to his detractors to turn the political discourse in their favour.



So the Akhilesh camp re-strategised, and at 6am on the D-day, his supporters entered the party office and occupied the front rows well in advance. The Chief Minister defying all speculations drove in at the venue well in advance. He spoke, and he confronted his adversaries within.



And when Shivpal spoke, he was heckled. For someone who held a vice like grip over the organisation, it was an open challenge.



Interesting all this while and quite unlike the media which confined itself to the reportage of optics rather than the politics of the event, the leaders on the stage got a sniff of which way the wind was blowing. And most importantly they got the first sign of where Netaji stood in this whole wrangling.



Shivpal Yadav, when his turn came made two import points in his speech. The first was a direct allegation against his nephew: swearing by Gangajal and his son he said CM was planning to split the party. And then he earnestly pleaded with his brother to give him a free hand to discipline the earring lot.



MSY soaked in everything very quietly. When the leader spoke, he sang peans to the sacrifice made by his brother. He praised Amar Singh. He spoke about Lohia and socialism. He chided Akhilesh.



But, MSY did not utter a word on Shivpal's allegations of nephew attempting to float a new outfit. Nor did he give his brother a free hand in disciplining the errant lot.



Media may have not got the message. Grey haired politicians on the dias did.



Once again on Saturday at that grand Janata conclave in Lucknow, Shivpal reminded Netaji of the sacrifices he has made all these years. He stomped repeatedly on whatever ambitions he had of becoming the CM of UP. He pledged his blood to the party.



Once again a calm and composed Netaji listened in to his brother's plea. Once again he reminded his followers of the work done by Lohia. Once again he patted Shivpal for the hard work he's put in all these years.



And then he moved on to the purpose to having organised this gala conclave: consolidation after implosion.



His son Akhilesh however indicated that the scabbard handed over to him at the function is a sword yet to be sheathed.
Islamabad: Mysterious banners have appeared in Pakistan urging the country's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif, who is set to retire this month, to contest elections, a media report has said.



The banners put up on electricity poles in Rawalpindi urged 60-year-old Sharif to contest election in 2018.



Since government officials cannot enter politics for at least two years after leaving service, the banners urged that the mandatory period should be reduced in case of Sharif.



They claimed that election of Sharif will end tension between military and government.



It is not for the time the banners have appeared in favour of the army chief. Previously also banners addressing him had urged him to "stay on" and asked the government to extend his tenure.



In July, posters were seen in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and several other major cities, urging the general to impose martial laws instead of retiring.



The army has so far not commented on the banners.



Sharif in January announced that he would retire this year, laying to rest speculation about seeking extension in service. PTI SH


Washington: In a last-minute campaign boost for Donald Trump, US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan is back on board with the Republican presidential candidate in his bid for the White House.



Ryan, a top Republican, had said in early October he would no longer campaign or defend the controversial 70-year-old real estate billionaire's comments following the leak of a 2005 video showing Trump making lewd comments about women.



But on Saturday, Ryan, 46, made a final case for the Republican presidential candidate.



Ryan and Trump have had a turbulent relationship throughout the course of the election, but Ryan has maintained his endorsement and announced he voted for the party's nominee in Tuesday's election.



Criticising Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, Ryan says she has offered no new ideas to address America's biggest challenges, and that is no accident.



"For her, the driving force is the government -- not the individual -- and the bureaucracy is filled with unelected insiders who decide what is best for us on their whim, not our consent.



It is as arrogant, condescending and paternalistic as it gets," he wrote on CNN.com.



"Take a look at what a unified Republican government can get you. And then vote Republican -- Donald Trump, our Senate candidates, and our House candidates -- so we can start turning things around," Ryan says.



"Over the last five weeks, I have traveled to nearly 25 states and more than 50 cities. I know we are ready to revitalise the American Idea, so that the condition of your birth does not determine the outcome of your life. We have a historic chance to save our country from decline and put it back on the right track. Now we have to act on it," he says.



"So go to better.gop and take a look at what a unified Republican government can get you. And then vote Republican -- Donald Trump, our Senate candidates and our House candidates -- so we can start turning things around.



"If Republicans do not turn out -- if we sit this one out -- we will open the door not just to Hillary Clinton but also a Democratic Congress eager to give her a blank cheque," he says.



That's what we get if we don't win: more scandal, and more of the same. Choose a better way. Vote Republican," Ryan adds.



Ryan is criss-crossing his home state of Wisconsin after having campaigned for Republicans in states across the nation to save the party's majority in Congress.
The first time veteran Harlow Reynolds heard of Desmond T. Doss, he was sitting with a group of friends at the Stadium Inn on Fort Avenue in 2005, discussing famous people from Lynchburg.

Reynolds joked he was the most famous Lynchburger from Easley Avenue, a street off Campbell Avenue in the Fairview Heights neighborhood, said his friend Paul Manly.

Another friend piped in to tell Reynolds that he, in fact, was not. That honor went to the late Desmond Doss.

Harlow said, Well who is Desmond Doss? Manly recalled.

Born in Lynchburg, Cpl. Desmond T. Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Battle of Okinawa, which many consider the bloodiest battle in the Pacific.

His story now is reaching millions of Americans in the new Mel Gibson film, Hacksaw Ridge, which opened in theaters nationwide Friday.

It's an opportunity for other people to know that Lynchburg had a hero, said Manly, a former veteran himself. The entire story as I know it, it's a movie plot right from the start.

***

The son of William and Bertha Doss  a carpenter and a factory worker at Craddock-Terry Shoe Corporations West End plant, respectively  Doss grew up in Fairview Heights, a then-rural area just outside Lynchburg.

The Dosses and their three children, of which Desmond was the middle child, attended the Park Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church, now located on George Street as Lynchburg Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Doss never went to public school, instead attending the churchs small school through eighth grade, after which he got his first job at the Lynchburg Lumber Company, according to his memoir, which was written by his second wife, Frances.

A year later, he started work for the city, she wrote, and eventually took a job as a joiner at the Newport News Naval shipyard.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Doss voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Armythough his job at the shipyard could have secured him a deferment, a decision that left him to reconcile his desire to serve his country with his religious beliefs.

Doss, who believed strongly in the Gospel and especially the Sixth Commandment, refused to carry, or even touch, a weapon and was therefore labeled a conscientious objector, a title with which he strenuously disagreed.

Unlike most conscientious objectors, who refused to wear the uniform or salute the flag, Doss simply would not hold a weapon and would not work on the Sabbath.

I felt like it was an honor to serve God and country. We were fighting for our religious liberty and freedom, Doss said in The Conscientious Objector, the award-winning 2004 documentary chronicling his heroism. I tried to explain I was not that type of conscientious objector. I tried to explain I was a conscientious cooperator.

His superiors originally placed Doss in a rifle company for the purpose of breaking him, according to the documentary. There, he faced numerous hardships and abuse from both his commanders and fellow recruits.

Through verbal and physical attacks, the worst personnel assignments, threats of court marshal and attempts to have him removed from the Army under Section 8  mental instability  Doss refused to yield on his commitment to not touch a weapon and was eventually made a medic for the 77th Infantry and deployed to Guam, Leyte and eventually Okinawa.

I knew if I ever once compromised, I was going to be in trouble, Doss said in the documentary. Because if you can compromise once, you can compromise again.

Once in Okinawa, Doss and the 77th faced their greatest challenge yet: capturing Hacksaw Ridge, the highest point of the Maeda Escarpment, a 400-foot fortified slope topped by a 40-foot cliff, which ran along the southern part of the island.

This ridge served as a strategic military position for the Japanese with multiple defensive and attack points against the American troops. Overtaking it would change the tide of the war.

Thousands lost their lives taking the ridge, including many men in Dosss unit. It would have been more save for Dosss efforts.

During a particularly brutal assault on the escarpment, the medic singlehandedly saved 75 of the wounded soldiers by lowering them down the cliff to safety with a rope he tied to a tree stump and a knot he had mistakenly created during basic training  the double bowline. His version of the military-taught bowline knot doubled over the rope, which created two loops instead of one.

As little kids, we thought [the story] was the coolest thing ever, said Iraq veteran Joshua Wright, who met Doss during his time as a student at Lynchburgs Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy.

Mr. Doss was really small and even as a small kid  I remember how small he was, the veteran said. Purely from his human form and size, it would have been impossible without God to do what he did. He was frail. I probably could have wrapped my fingers around his bicep and touched my fingers together as an adult.

For hours on that day in May of 1945, Doss dragged men to the edge  many of the same men who tormented him in basic  and lowered them down to safety all while facing a barrage of enemy fire.

It amazed me that he was never shot [that day] because he was out there by himself, recalled Wright. I asked him one time, I said, How did you get so lucky? And I will never forget his response. He said, true to who Mr. Doss was, It wasnt luck. It was God who took care of me.

About two weeks after his most famous act, Doss was injured while aiding soldiers during a night mission when he tried to kick a live grenade away from him and three other men. The blast left numerous pieces of shrapnel imbedded in his legs. While being carried away from the battlefield, Doss saw a man with worse injuries than his own, so he rolled off the litter and told the medics to take the other soldier instead.

While waiting for their return, Doss was shot by a Japanese sniper. The bullet entered his arm in two places, leaving broken bones and severe nerve damage, and Doss used a broken rifle barrel as a makeshift splint. This was the only time he ever touched a gun during the entire war.

On Oct. 12, 1945, President Harry Truman presented Doss, along with 14 other soldiers, the Medal of Honor at a ceremony on the White House lawn.

He whispered to me, You really deserve this, Doss said in the documentary of when Truman placed presented him with the honor, and said, I consider this a greater honor than being the President of the United States.

Doss also received the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts with Oak Leaf clusters, though not at the same ceremony.

Thirteen days after the Medal of Honor ceremony, he and his first wife, Dorothy, returned to Lynchburg and were greeted by a welcoming party that included the mayor and the E.C. Glass High School marching band. The following afternoon, locals lined the streets downtown for a parade in Dosss honor, which was followed by a dinner at the Lynchburg Armory.

As the parade moved down Main Street back to the Armory, the crowds along the length of the thoroughfare cheered as Cpl. Doss passed by, an article in The News described. Torn paper and confetti rained down from the upper floors of office buildings and stores along the street.

In interviews at the time, the ever-modest Doss referred to this moment as the most embarrassing of his life.

Because of the damage to his arm, Doss was unable to return to his career in carpentry. He had plans to learn a new profession, but those dreams were put on hold when he developed tuberculosis from his time on the battlefield and spent more than five years in VA hospitals.

The infection led to the loss of a lung and five ribs. While treating his tuberculosis, doctors accidently gave him an overdose of antibiotics that left him mostly deaf, according to the documentary,though cochlear implants aided his hearing for a time.

After returning home, he found himself on permanent disability. Soon after, his wife suffered a nervous breakdown from the stress of his illness, wrote Frances Doss in the memoir, which led Doss to move the family, which now included his son Desmond Jr., to Georgia, closer to her relatives. She eventually died in a car crash on her way to chemotherapy in 1991. He met and married Frances, his second wife, two years later.

Despite the tribulations, Doss remained faithful to his belief in the Gospel for the rest of his days.

Books have been published about Dosss deeds; highways in Georgia and Alabama, where he spent his adult life, have been named after him. The Seventh-day Adventists named a now-defunct Army-sponsored medic training camp in Michigan for him, and the Walter Reed Medical Army Center renamed a guesthouse after him in 2008.

But, aside from the parade, the city of Lynchburg had not memorialized its greatest hero until 2007.

When I was just a kid, I remember people talking about him when this actually came about, said the 77-year-old Manly. I couldn't have been over 7, 8 years old. Back in those days, people talked about it for several years, but nobody had ever actually done something. In fact, some time passed before the school ended up being named after him.

***

One warm morning on the last full week in October, Reynolds, retired U.S. Marine and veteran activist Steve Bozeman and former Lynchburg City Council member Joe Seiffert stood on the side of the Lynchburg Expressway bypass that runs from Old Forest Road to Boonsboro Road.

Looking at the dense pile of overgrown leaves and brush, they dug into the soil through the plastic matting and into soft soil.

Well have to get the lawn mower, Reynolds said.

They did not.

Tossing brush aside, they cleared a section of dirt into which they planted mums in varying shades of purple, doused them with water and finally placed a Star Spangled wreath next to the green highway marker that reads Pfc. Desmond T. Doss Memorial Expressway.

This strip of road became the first way the city of Lynchburg honored its hero since the parade in 45, an effort brought about by the trio along with longtime News & Advance columnist Darrell Laurant.

We have named several things, like Jerry Falwell Parkway. Theres highway markers for Douglas Southall Freeman, where he was raised right there in front of the Texas Inn on Main Street, said Seiffert. You have that in mind and then you find out Desmond was raised here, what he did.  We only have one Medal of Honor recipient and it's a big deal. Every time people go by that, they see that name. For Desmond to do what he did, its incredible. It's the least I could do to get him recognized.

Though only 3.1 miles, this distance in many ways holds extra significance as it harkens to a moment of selflessness in Dosss childhood, a trait that followed him into adulthood and onto the battlefield.

It was announced on the radio there was an accident on Route 29 and they needed some blood right away to save this womans life, Dosss sister Audrey Millner said in the documentary. He walked three miles to that hospital and walked three more miles back home after he gave blood. Two days later, the call came back over the radio they needed more blood, there he goes again. He walks his three miles then walks his three miles back.

After hearing of Doss from the conversation in the Stadium Inn, Reynolds spent months learning everything he could about the Medal of Honor recipient who grew up on his street. He pored over newspaper articles in the library, bought biographies on his life and, eventually, reached out to Dosss second wife, with whom he started a correspondence.

By this time, Doss could barely speak or hear, but his wife took Reynolds interest to heart, sending him some of Dosss belongings, including framed photos, ties and military name tags, and sharing stories from her husbands life.

I was talking to her one day after the road was named in his honor and I asked her, I said, Do you reckon that Desmond knows were [getting] the road named for him? Reynolds said. And she said that she whispered in his ear and told him all about it and said he flinched. She said knowing how close he was to God, she said you can take it from there. And a chill went over me.

Doss died March 23, 2006, in Alabama at the age of 87, 10 months before the dedication. But a group of locals still gathered on that bitterly cold day in January the following year to honor him. Among them were students from the Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy.

Originally called the Lynchburg Seventh-day Adventist School, the Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy, which changed its name in 1983, saw Doss visit several times before his death.

During those visits, the soft-spoken elderly man would tell students about his time in Okinawa, demonstrating for them the knot he created and even showing where bullets entered his body, while also sharing his faith. When the school built its church in 1996, the Medal of Honor recipient came by and helped nail some of the walls, recalled principal Stephen Doss (who is not related to Desmond Doss).

These visits touched the lives of many students who attended the Seventh-day Adventist school, among them Joshua Wright, who now serves as a commander for an infantry company in the Texas Army National Guard.

I don't know if [joining the military] was directly related [to Doss], but it may have seeded something in my brain where I thought that was a very honorable profession, Wright said during a phone call from where he is stationed in Austin. I definitely remember some of the older students, who were teenagers at the school; they were very influenced by it.  I dont know if I can pinpoint a place at that young age I said, Yeah, I want to follow in Dosss footsteps, but it definitely was a kind of unconscious influence.

***

Ten years after his death, Dosss story has finally joined the likes of others in the lexicon of movies surrounding World War II, something many have felt it always deserved.

Both the Conscientious Objector and the 1967 book The Unlikeliest Hero, The Story of Desmond T. Doss will be rereleased in the coming months, the latter with a new title and more photos and the documentary in high definition.

Though Lynchburg has honored him with an expressway marker, Bozeman, Reynolds and Seiffert feel more should be done to ensure this local hero is never forgotten.

Bozeman has started working on plans to have a plaque honoring Doss added to the World War II section of Monument Terrace. He would also like to see the addition of a historical marker downtown by the Lynchburg Armory where Doss enlisted.

I think we ought to do it any way we can, Reynolds said. Desmond Doss [did] so much for the country and he didn't ask [anything] in return. He was just an exceptional man and he needs for everyone in Lynchburg to know who he was.
Race relations and the Black Lives Matter movement were in the spotlight at the fourth-annual Race, Poverty & Social Justice Conference held Saturday at Lynchburg College.

Keynote speaker Kim Forde-Mazrui, a law professor at the University of Virginia, discussed how Constitutional law interprets racial equality and the role of individuals in promoting racial progress.

Forde-Mazuri also is the director for the UVA Center for the Study of Race and Law.

The title of his presentation was Black Lives are All Our Lives: Reframing our Constitutions Commitment to Racial Equality Based in Justice and Empathy.

In his keynote address, Forde-Mazuri posited that America remains separate and unequal.

Forde-Mazuri began his presentation by pointing out challenges faced by black Americans, such as higher rates of poverty, incarceration, and likelihood of being a victim of a violent crime.

Suffering is something that should concern us all, Forde-Mazuri said.

A Constitutional scholar, Forde-Mazuri shared how the Constitution has historically addressed racial inequality, ranging from the legal protection of slavery, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments that addressed the demise of slavery at the end of the Civil War and the reconstruction era, the Jim Crow era of separate but equal, to the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which integrated schools.

After walking the audience through how the Constitution historically addressed racial inequality, Forde-Mazuri presented his own suggestions on how individuals can advance racial progress.

He offered two solutions  the first was to see race, rather than to be colorblind to it.

Just like we cant heal our wounds without seeing them, we cant fix our biases and avoid acting upon them unless we pay attention to them, Forde-Mazuri said.

He added that the U.S. boasts a bounty of ethnic pluralism, and encouraged the audience to see it and embrace it rather than denying it by being colorblind to the upbringing and experience of others.

Secondly, Forde-Mazuri proposed that we define us and we to include all of us, regardless of racial or other factors, and to identify others as all part of the same human family.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement, as panelists took questions from a moderator, the audience, and shared their own personal experiences.

Black Lives Matter began as a hash tag and emerged as a social movement in response to the fatal shootings of black citizens at the hands of police departments across the country. Supporters and activists involved with Black Lives Matter decried those shootings as racially motivated.

The movement began following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in 2013, who shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin as Martin walked through a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Black Lives Matter gained further momentum following the deaths of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City. Both deaths were at the hands of police departments in those cities.

Panel questions ranged from goals of the movement to system injustice and community policing.

The primary concern is addressed in the name of the movement that black lives do matter. It does not mean that black lives matter only, all lives matter  we all know that  [but] you cant say all if youre unwilling to include black lives as well, said panelist John Foster of Lynchburg.

Jerica Simmons, a junior at Lynchburg College and President of the LC Black Student Association, said at a young age she learned to use her white voice when dealing with the police, and expressed concern over family members losing their lives at the hands of racial profiling.

Panelist Derek Polley, a Lynchburg City School Board member, shared his experience as a black man being stopped by police on several occasions because he matched the description of a suspect.

As a black male, I would love if they would get a little more specific with these descriptions, Polley said.

The panel also tackled media depictions of police shootings of black citizens with panelists stating the various issues they had with the broadcast of violent images emerging from police confrontations.

I do not think it is healthy, for us as a people, to see that, Polley said.

I think there is a danger of it normalizing  oppression, added panelist Paul Boothby, pastor of Lynchburgs First Unitarian Church.

Throughout the daylong, volunteer-led conference, a common theme, to improve the status of race relations was dialogue and education, as emphasizes in keynote speeches and various workshops.

The conference was organized by Many Voices, One Community, which emerged from the Community Dialogue on Race and Racism, established in Lynchburg in 2007 to advance racial equity.

According to MVOC Board Member Leslie King, 125 people attended the conference.
A ritual of American politics will unfold Tuesday night.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will hold victory parties but, before the night is over, one will concede defeat. If were lucky.

We can take nothing for granted. To the end, Trump remains a question mark. In his last debate with Clinton, he refused to say whether he would accept the results of the election.

I will keep you in suspense, he said. It was outrageous, provocative and pure Trump. He still appears likely to come up short in the Electoral College, although polls have tightened in the last week.

One thing is certain, though. The American people have suffered enough disappointment during this dispiriting campaign. Barring an election disaster, the loser needs to accept the will of the voters with grace and urge his or her followers to do the same. The winner also must move immediately to begin repairing the breach that has riven the country.

This presidential contest has always been more about the candidates deficiencies than their policies. When the votes are finally counted, its time for all of us to put the country first.

Our admirable American tradition holds that defeated presidential candidates rise to the occasion for the sake of the greater good. Its reassuring to see failed candidates muster grace  and even humor  at a time of personal misery.

In 1908, after his third failed White House campaign, Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan said: I am reminded of the drunk who, when he had been thrown down the stairs of the club for the third time, gathered himself up, and said, I am on to those people. They dont want me in there, William Safire wrote in Safires New Political Dictionary.

Going into the 1948 election, Thomas Dewey was confident hed beat Harry Truman  as were some newspaper editors. Weve all seen the screaming banner headline in the Chicago Daily Tribune, DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN.

All night the votes came in. When Dewey awoke the next morning to learn hed lost, he sent a gracious telegram to Truman.

My heartiest congratulations to you on your election and every good wish for a successful administration. I urge all Americans to unite behind you in support of every effort to keep our nation strong and free and establish peace in the world, he wrote.

Asked by reporters what had happened, Dewey replied, I was just as surprised as you are. ... It has been grand fun, boys and girls. I enjoyed it immensely.

Four years later, when he lost to Dwight Eisenhower, Democrat Adlai Stevenson said he was reminded of the story about Abraham Lincoln after an election defeat. Lincoln said he felt like the boy who stubbed his foot in the dark  too old to cry, but it hurt too much to laugh.

After the bitter 1960 presidential campaign, Richard Nixon offered a quasi-concession statement to John F. Kennedy.

If the present trend continues, Mister Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, will be the next president of the United States, Nixon told his supporters in California about midnight Pacific time. I want Senator Kennedy to know ... that certainly if this trend does continue, and he does become our next president, that he will have my wholehearted support and yours too, Nixon said.

Nixon was convinced voter fraud cost him the election but he did not demand a recount despite JFKs razor-thin margin of victory  just over 100,000 votes out of 68 million votes cast. Kennedy won 303 electoral votes and Nixon 219. Fifteen unpledged electors in Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma voted for segregationist Sen. Harry Byrd Sr. of Virginia.

To preserve his viability for future elections, Nixon would not look like a sore loser.

Nobody ever warms to defeat. Mitt Romney was so sure he was going to win four years ago that hed written only a victory speech. A few hours later, he called President Obama to congratulate him. Then he went to what was supposed to be his victory party.

After wishing the president and his family well, Romney told supporters, This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.

We can dream that whoever loses on Tuesday is as classy.

Mercer writes from Washington. Email her at marsha.mercer@yahoo.com. 2016 Marsha Mercer. All rights reserved.
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Ashby promoted to ISP sergeant November 5, 2016 Idaho State Police Corporal Allen Ashby, Coeur d'Alene, the son of Mike and Linda Ashby, Moyie Springs, and a Bonners Ferry High School graduate, has been promoted to patrol sergeant in District 1.



Ashby began his law enforcement career as a reserve deputy with the Boundary County Sheriffs Office. He graduated magna cum laude from Lewis-Clark State College with a Bachelors Degree in Justice Studies in 2001.



Ashby was hired in January 2002 as a Deputy Sheriff for the Boundary County Sheriff's Office. In October of 2002, he was hired by the Bonners Ferry Police Department.



Sergeant Ashby began his career with the Idaho State Police in January, 2006. He attended Advanced Training Class #33.



During his time at ISP, he has served as a mentor, recruiter, tactical officer, and field training officer. Sergeant Ashby is an accredited ISP Crash Reconstructionist, and has served on the Crash Reconstruction Unit in District 1 and, more recently, as a Regional Reconstructionist for Districts 1 and 6. He is also a crash instructor for the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy.



In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their two boys, Andrew, 7, and Eli, 5. Sergeant Ashby and his family are very excited for the challenges of this new position and he looks forward to serving as sergeant in District 1. The promotion is effective on November 20, 2016.



ISP Colonel Ralph Powell and the Headquarters Command Staff extend their congratulations. Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
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(Newser)  Inside the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research a few miles outside the city, in an unassuming building that smells like cleaning supplies, is the Frozen Zoo. It's an ark, really"an ark in a freezer!" as Zach Baron writes in a feature article for GQcomprising 10,000 samples that represent roughly 1,000 species and sub-species. It's something to hold onto as our planet loses everything from "vital little soldiers like bees" to the "big charismatic mega-fauna like elephants." And what a sweet irony, if a man-made creation like a freezer of vials turns out to restore some of the man-made catastrophes of modern time, from over-hunting to pollution to climate change.

Some of the animals in the Frozen Zoo still roam the Earth, while others, like the Hawaiian bird po'ouli, are already extinct, and still more are inching ever closer toward extinction. Baron reports that the "ark" is part museum, to catalog the diversity of life on our planet, and part resource for those who need samples for research. But a third reason quietly lives on, too: reanimation, or the possibility therein. The technology already exists, for example, to clone. Technological advances suggest that there is at least the possibility to someday renew lost ecosystems. Some notable scientists call it "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," as Paul Ehrlich told the Washington Post last year. Saving cells isn't, after all, saving species. Yet. (A quarter of all mammals are now at risk of extinction.)
(Newser)  An effort to reinvent Nigeria's overloaded transportation infrastructure is running into opposition from environmental groups, the Smithsonian reports. Conservation groups say a proposed 162-mile superhighway through Nigeria's southern Cross River State will have severe repercussions on more than half of the country's remaining rainforests, and the project will also dislocate populations of both people and animals, including around a million people and some communities of critically endangered lowland gorillas. Activists are calling out the superhighway project's developers because they're seeking a 12-mile right-of-way allowance on either side of the highway, Quartz reports; the usual right-of-way is only 50 meters. "This project will take a quarter of the land in the state," says one activist. "It is a pure land grab."

The superhighway project is part of the Nigerian government's efforts to address the shoddy state of the country's roads, which are poorly maintained and see some of the worst gridlock in the world. The highway was approved by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari more than a year ago, but it then emerged that an Environment Impact Assessment hadn't been done. Environmentalists managed to get construction halted while the EIA was performed. The final draft of the EIA was submitted on November 1, although activists say it's a sham. A spokesperson for the Cross River State government said: "Is it that we dont need infrastructure? The forest you are protecting, who owns the forest? The forest is ours." He added: "But we are not insensitive. For every tree destroyed, two more will be planted." (Read more Nigeria stories.)
(Newser)  The horror in South Carolina, where authorities last week rescued a woman chained to a storage container before finding the body of her boyfriend, is only deepening. Suspect Todd Kohlhepp has now admitted to killing at least seven people over the course of a decade, reports WLTX, including an unsolved shooting rampage at a motorcycle shop that killed four 13 years to the day ago on Sunday. "God answered our prayers. If it wasn't for Him answering our prayers and Todd talking to us, I don't know that we'd ever solve that case," said local sheriff Chuck Wright, via the AP. "He told us some stuff that nobody else ought to know."

Kohlhepp, a registered sex offender, was spotted on Saturday leading authorities around his rural 95-acre property near Woodruff; he apparently showed cops the locations of two bodies he'd buried there. Law enforcement is continuing to search the property, says Wright, who adds, "this is one of the biggest crime scenes I've been involved in." Says the widow of one of the victims of the motorcycle shop shooting: "It isn't closure, but it is an answer. And I am thankful for that." (Read more Todd Kohlhepp stories.)
(Newser)  The company that owns a gasoline pipeline that exploded in Alabama last week says the pipeline is back in service. Colonial Pipeline Co. says service was restarted at 5:45am Sunday, reports the AP. The pipeline transports gasoline from the Gulf Coast to New York City. It exploded Monday while a crew was making repairs related to a September gas spill. Government officials and Colonial Pipeline have said a piece of excavation equipment hit the pipeline, causing the explosion, but further details haven't been released. Shelby County Deputy Coroner Lina Evans said Anthony Lee Willingham, 48, of Heflin, Ala., died in the blast. Four other people were injured and remained hospitalized. Colonial said it began excavating Wednesday night at the site, about 25 miles southwest of Birmingham, Ala.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the pipeline rupture, conducting interviews, documenting the site and surrounding area and collecting physical evidence, the agency said in a news release. The investigators also plan to travel to Colonial's office in Alpharetta, Georgia, to speak to operations and engineering staff, review control room operations and collect data and documents. Since Monday's explosion, gas prices rose 7 cents in Georgia and 2 cents in Tennessee, Garrett Townsend with AAA in Georgia said in an emailed statement; restarting the line should help ease concerns about supply. (Read more gas pipelines stories.)
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

On and off snow showers this morning. Peeks of sunshine later. High 9F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 0F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
New Delhi:

United Kingdom Prime Minister will be arriving in New Delhi on Sunday on her maiden trade visit since she presumed the office.

Mays visit is first amongst her attempts to improve trade ties with Commonwealth nations in Post-Brexit England.

However, her trip to India is likely to be overshadowed by the Indian concerns for tight student visa norms applied last year during her term as Home Secretary.



According to British media, the number of Indian students halved in British universities in last year.



The Ministry of External Affairs has reportedly said that India will take up the issue of visa norms with May during her visit.



Earlier in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue during a bilateral talk with his counter-part in G20 summit. The new UK regulations could have negative impact on Indian working professionals wishing to visit UK for short term business visits," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swaroop quoted PM Modi.



However, British media suspects that May is likely to stay firm of her anti-immigration stand.



Trade ties:



A delegation of 40 business leaders will accompany Theresa May on a two-day visit to India on Sunday in which the Prime Minister May hopes to set in motion the possibility of a free trade deal that can be signed as quickly as possible once the UK leaves the EU in 2019.



Theresa May will be focusing her visit on improving the links between the UK and India for small and medium-sized businesses and particularly those in the technology sector, reports said. The British PM will address a technology summit in New Delhi on Monday morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



The two leaders are also likely to discuss defence, security and economic ties along with visa issues during their meeting. The matter of Vijay Mallaya scandal may also be raised during the meeting, reports said.

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New Delhi:

The Modi government may soon appoint an active politician as the member of the National Human Rights Commission. According to a media report, the BJP-led NDA government is the final stages of appointing a politician from its own ranks as a member of the commission.



Sources in the NHRC said this is the first time an active politician is being appointed to the post, which has remained vacant for over two years now, the Indian Express report said.



BJP vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna is likely to be appointed as NHRC member in the next few days, the report quoted sources in the commission.



Khanna, the party leader in charge of Jammu & Kashmir, was a member of the Rajya Sabha till April this year.



The chairperson and members of the NHRC are selected by a high-level committee headed by the Prime Minister, and comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Home Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.



The report added that the panel met last month to discuss names for the vacant post. Some other names were also discussed, but his (Khannas) name was cleared. There was no dissent, said a member of the panel.



Section 3 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which deals with the issue of Constitution of a National Human Rights Commission, says that only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed NHRC chairperson.



The four full-time members, as per the Act, should include a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights.

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New Delhi:

Delhi government and Centre continued to be engaged in blame-game even as North India reeled under thick blanket of smog on Day 6 on Sunday. The intensity of the smog which had settled on Monday morning can be gauged from the alarming visuals of iconic Taj Mahal, invisible behind smoke.

Whilst CM Kejriwal came up with a slew of solutions to fix the smog situation, h did not leave the oppourtunity to blame other states for burning crops and contributing to smog. At the same time, Union Minister Venkiah Naidu said that this situation does not reflect well on India's image at international level.

Also read | Ten directives CM Kejriwal gave to solve Delhi smog



National capital Delhi on Sunday continued to reel under the worst air pollution conditions in last 17 years. A thick shroud of menacing grey haze blanketed the NCR region as pollution level breached the safe limit by over 17 times at places.



As a result nearly 17,000 schools running under the three municipal corporations of Delhi have been closed, affecting the education of at least 10 lakh students.



The severe pollution situation in Delhi prompted Chief Minister Arvind Kerjriwal to describe Delhi as a gas chamber as he sought the Centres intervention.

Kejriwal appealed to people to minimise the use of private vehicles in view of the situation and switch to public transportation facilities.

Also read | Ten things to avoid choking in Delhis pollution



The extent of pollution surpassed even the post-Diwali levels, while smog brought down visibility to around 200 metres across the city. Monitoring agencies recorded severe quality air and advised people to avoid going outdoors.



Kejriwal told a press conference that the smog was mainly a product of raging farm fires in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana.



Also Read | Delhi chokes on worst air quality in 17 years: Rise in asthma, allergy, breathlessness cases



Pollution has increased to an extent that outdoors in Delhi are resembling a gas chamber. Prima facie the biggest reason seems to be burning of stubble in agricultural fields in Haryana and Punjab in huge quantity, Kejriwal told a press conference.



Kejriwal said vehicle restriction measures like odd-even scheme will not be able to bring down the smog as initial studies suggest that the large-scale influx of pollutant-laden smoke from Punjab and Haryana has aggravated the situation.



He said the Delhi government has very few methods at its disposal and the Centre needs to intervene. (With Input from Agencies)



Also Read | Air masks flying off shelves as Delhi chokes on air pollution

Here are the updates:

#Environment in Delhi is becoming hazardous day by day, we have to think of a long term plan to curb this, says Anupam Kher



#Will start vacuum cleaning after 10 days: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#Badarpur plant closed for 10 days: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#Electric Generators banned in Delhi for 10 days: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#We may soon implement Odd-Even, Delhi should prepare for it: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#All schools to remain closed for next 3 days in Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#Artificial rain discussed during meeting, exploring the possibility: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#We appeal people to stay indoors and work from home: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#Construction or demolition banned in Delhi for next five days: CM Arvind Kejriwal

#Emergency measures are need; Instead of politicising Delhi's pollution issue, we need to solve it together: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Rohtak (Haryana): 3 dead, 2 injured after low visibility due to smog causes multiple vehicle collision on Rohtak-Gohana highway. pic.twitter.com/hNNYzkKEH3  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

#Plan of action needs to be formed & implemented, this doesnt reflect well internationally as Delhi is the capital: Venkaiah Naidu

#What help do they need? Tell us. Have provided help time to time, implementation is State's responsibility: Environment Minister

#ISRO images tell us role of neighbouring states, their contribution is only 20%. Blaming them won't work: Environment Min

#States have a responsibility, advisories are issued and need to be implemented: Anil Madhav Dave

#Instead of blame game & politicising the issue it should be dealt with: Anil Madhav Dave (Union Environment Minister)



Delhi: Envt min Imran Hussain, AAP's Kapil Mishra & Dy CM Manish Sisodia reach CM Kejriwal's residence ahead of cabinet meet on pollution. pic.twitter.com/WzFeFTFqev  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

#We'll hold protest every Sunday.This is an emergency, a crisis; politicians need to listen to us: Protester at Jantar Mantar #RightToBreathe

#Pollution is affecting kids' health; until or unless something is done, future is in dark: Sanjiv Kumar, protester #RightToBreathe

#Never has it happened that schools were shut due to pollution, frankly we cant raise children like this: Protester at Jantar Mantar, Delhi

#RightToBreathe Children & citizens of Delhi hold protest at Jantar Mantar against ineffectiveness of admin in tackling pollution. pic.twitter.com/Q3xVFlGboQ  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

#RightToBreathe Protest held by children & citizens of Delhi against ineffectiveness of admin in tackling pollution, at Jantar Mantar. pic.twitter.com/9xGQXGqPHv  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

#9 AM - Air Quality Index (AQI) from Delhi - PM10 in RK Puram at 999, in IGI Airport at 436, n Punjabi Bagh at 999, Shanti Path area at 662

Have asked farmers not to burn crops; have provided them with machines, but still few commit the mistake: Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal pic.twitter.com/v7dn7lCKax  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

#Delhi CM calls for an emergency cabinet meeting at 12:30 PM on issue of air pollution in Delhi

Muktsar (Punjab): Crop-burning, a major contributor to New Delhi's winter air pollution. pic.twitter.com/ybDGLT7Wzw  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

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New Delhi:

With Delhi witnessing its worst spell of smog in 17 years, sale of air masks has seen an upsurge in the past week with stores across the national capital and neighbouring regions running out of stock.



While Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has termed Delhi as a gas chamber and sought Centres intervention in mitigating the alarming levels of smog, Delhiites are running to medical stores and hospitals looking for masks.



Some schools in Delhi-NCR have also issued advisories for parents to ensure that their children use masks.



Jai Dhar Gupta, owner of Nirvana Being that sells Vogmasks in India, says, The demand is so much that we finish our stocks by mid-day and have to replenish our stocks. We generally stock masks around Diwali every year but this season the demand has multiplied like 10 times.

Also read | Worst air quality in 17 years in Delhi: Children protest at Jantar Mantar; CM calls for emergency meeting

The masks that are available at prices ranging from Rs 90 to up to Rs 2200 are available in various designs and patterns.The starting range of masks includes the ones that are meant for one-time use while the high-priced ones are fitted with air filters and claim to be to stop over 99 per cent of the pollutants as well as bacteria and viruses from entering the users nostrils.



The masks also come in five sizes - from XS to XL - depending on the height and weight of the user.



Sudesh Mehta of Srishti Medicos in Gurgaon says, Various companies in the city have also been placing bulk orders for distribution of masks to their employees and hence the product has been running out of stock for individual buyers for over the counter sale.



Delhi-NCR residents are also trying to place online orders for the masks through e-commerce websites but the delivery time is too long.



Also read | Delhi chokes on worst air quality in 17 years: Rise in asthma, allergy, breathlessness cases



Since I could not procure a mask from a store I have placed an order online but the website says it will be delivered in a weeks time. May be it will not be worth getting it then as the air quality may improve by then, says Kaumudi Das, a software engineer staying in Rohini.

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New Delhi:

One Army jawan on Sunday was killed in the ceasefire violation by Pakistani forces in the KG sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to reports, the firing started at 2 am on Sunday morning and continued till the time this report was filed.

A civillian was also injured in the firing, he has been taken to hospital.

Further detailed are awaited.

Here are the updates:

#Pak troops firing mortar shells in Poonch sector

#Pak firing also heard in Mendar sector: Reports

#The injured civillian was a female from border village

#The slained jawan was from 22 Sikh regiment

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first International Agrobiodiversity Congress in the national capital where 900 delegates from 60 countries will discuss conservation of genetic resources.



The conference, held in New Delhi on November 6-9, is being organised by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources and Biodiversity International, a CGIAR Research Centre headquartered in Rome, Italy.



Biodiversity conservation has become important. The status in our country is not satisfactory. We will have to do much more, said M S Swaminathan, an eminent scientist.



It is the duty of every nation to conserve biodiversity, he told reporters.



Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Deputy Director General (crop sciences) J S Sandhu said the Congress will provide a platform for knowledge sharing as well as exchange of germplasm, a collective union of germ cells.



Here are the live excerpts from PM Modi's speech:

#Every country needs to learn from other countries in the World. Research needs to be done and best practices need to be noted & curated: PM

#This is the time we have to change the way of thinking, now is the time to preserve the agro-biodiversity and its inhabitants: PM Modi

#Nature was entwined with the society and its rituals by our ancestors. That way Nature sustained, survived: PM Modi

The conference will also deliberate on the issue of efficient management of gene banks at low cost with the use of new innovative technology, Sandhu added.



Agrobiodiversity is defined as the variety and variability of animals, plant and micro-organism that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture. It includes all species that are closely inter-woven in an agricultural ecosystem.



India is the perfect venue for the first-ever International Agrobiodiversity Congress as it is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It takes up only 2.4 per cent of the worlds land area and yet it harbours 7-8 per cent of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals, an ICAR release said.



The Congress will lead to discussion and knowledge sharing on issues for efficient management of gene banks, science-led innovations in genetic resources, crop diversification, issues relating to quarantine, biosafety and biosecurity and intellectual property rights.



In the Congress, a road map will be prepared to enhance food, nutrition and health security by optimal utilisation of agrobiodiversity while protecting agro-ecosystems.



The Congress is expected to adopt Delhi Declaration on Agrobiodiversity management and use. It seeks to develop a network of partnerships to strengthen biodiversity management system at national, regional and global levels.





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New Delhi:

Air pollution in national capital Delhi has flown off charts. According to official data, the amount of pollutants in the air is 17 times more than the permissible limit. Cases of breathlessness and allergy has spiked remarkably. Here is what who can do to avoid getting sick in this environment:



1. Avoid outdoors: Try to stay at home or within enclosed buildings like office and school as much as possible to avoid breathing in pollutants



2. Ditch morning walk: The pollution levels are higher when Sun is not out, so try to avoid going out for walk or exercise in the morning as pollutants in the air will be remarkably high.

3. Keep the car air conditioners on: While travelling, keep the Car AC on and windows rolled up, even if it is cool.



4. Use Air mask: Invest in good air mask for family before they fly off shelves, make sure children wear them to schools.



5. No air is fresh air at home: The temperature might have dropped but unfortunately it is not time to open windows and doors to let fresh air in. The air is not fresh so keep windows closed and switch on AC to breathe safely.



6. Invest in air purifiers: This might seem excessive, but air purifiers can be a boon for people with asthma and other allergies in this condition.



7. Wash all utensils and veggies just before use: Even if you cleaned it all, wash them again right before use, preferably with purified water. The pollutants in the air settle on everything, including kitchen items.



8. Personal hygiene: lay extra stress on washing hands and face right after coming indoors and right before eating anything to avoid ingesting pollutants.



9. Extra care: Try to do gargles with warm saline water before sleeping every night.



10. Drink liquids: The liquid content washes away any impurity we might inhale, so it is important to drink lots of fluids in this environment to avoid any pollutants to stay back in our body.



Hope the above tips will keep you safe till the smog lifts.

Also read | Delhi chokes on worst air quality in 17 years: Rise in asthma, allergy, breathlessness cases

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New Delhi:

Bharitya Janta Party President Amit Shah flags off A aParivartan Yatraa from Jhansi to Lucknow on Sunday with an eye on UP state assembly elections due to in 2017.A



BJP senior leaders and its face in Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh was also be present during the ceremony.A

Here are the live updates:A

#BJP introduces new schemes every 15 days, SP only fights, says Amit Shah

#Amit Shah takes the stage

#BJP will solve water problem in Bundelkhand within 5-10 years of the rule: Rajnath Singh

#Today even after two and a half years of incumbency there are no corruption charges on our government: Singh

#I want to ask why UP is amognst the most backward states: Rajnath Singh

#SP rule promotes Gundaraj: Mishra

#SP family is only focussed on fighting, hey are not worried about farmers of Bundelkhand: Kalraj Mishra

#Non cooperative state government impeading development projects in UP: Uma Bharti

Uttar Pradesh: HM Rajnath Singh, party president Amit Shah, Uma Bharti and other senior BJP leaders attend Parivartan rally in Jhansi. pic.twitter.com/cY6V20b0Mn a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 6, 2016

#Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah to reach Jhansi soon

On Saturday, Amit Shah kicked of UP polls campaign by taking a dig at infighting in the Mulayam Singh Yadav family and targeted ruling Samajwadi Party as well as BSP, saying neither party is bothered about development of the state.

Addressing aParivartan rallya (rally for change) in Saharanpur in western UP, he said the state has lagged behind in development because of SP and BSP rule and that only a BJP government with full majority can bring it back on track.



aWhile on one hand, it is the nephew (Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav) who is abusing the uncle (SP state unit president Shivpal Yadav), on the other Behenji (BSP supremo Mayawati) is abusing both of them...No one is concerned about the development of the state,a Shah said.



aThe state has lagged behind a lot...SP and BSP cannot improve the situation here and it will be only the BJP government with full majority which can bring the state back on tracks,a he said.

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Lucknow:

Amidst intensification of the debate over triple talaq, All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) slammed the signature campaign launched by AIMPLB on Sunday, terming it as a move to "mislead" women from the community.

"The campaign is not to empower Muslim women but to mislead them," AIMWPLB President Shaista Amber told PTI.

Also Read: Kolkata: AIMPLB to deliberate on line of action over triple talaq, UCC in its upcoming convention

Her comments came days after the All India Muslim Personal Law Board carried out a signature campaign against Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court against 'triple talaq' and the questionnaire prepared by the Law Commission regarding Uniform Civil Code.

She said it would have been better had the AIMPLB written in its documents that it wholeheartedly supported the provisions in the Holy Quran about 'triple talaq'.

Also Read: Indian Union Muslim League to lead campaign against Uniform Civil Code

AIMPLB could also punish those who utter 'talaq' thrice in one go, she suggested. Amber said the affidavit before the apex court smacked of votebank politics and efforts to disintegrate the society.

"On the pretext of the issue, the government was trying to push the agenda implementing Uniform Civil Code," she said. Implementation of a common code is part of the BJP's election manifesto.

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New Delhi:

In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Indias grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh, Swaraj tweeted on Sunday.

In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia districts Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladeshs National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well-orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.

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London:

Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday called on British MPs to accept peoples verdict favouring UKs exit from the EU and work on delivering Brexit, days after a high court ruled that a parliamentary approval is mandatory to trigger the proceedings.

In a statement issued before she left for her India visit, May said while others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided, she said.

Her comments came three days after the London High Court ruled that Prime Minister May did not have the right to use her executive power to trigger Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon treaty.

May, however, said she is confident of winning an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court ruling. The government appeal against the High Court verdict is expected to be considered by the Supreme Court early next month. May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March, 2017.

We need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country, she said. That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table ? that is not in our national interest and it wont help us get the best deal for Britain, she added.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not seek to reverse the referendum result.

But, he told the Sunday Mirror that he would vote against Article 50 unless May agreed to press for continued access to the European single market and guarantee EU workplace rights after Brexit.

We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. Were calling for market access for British industry to Europe, he said.

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New Delhi:

BJP Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna is well on his way to be appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). A high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared his name in this regard.

The 55-year-old former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and BJP in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir will perhaps be the first active politician to be appointed as a member of NHRC, which is headed by a former Chief Justice of India.

Khanna's name was cleared by the panel comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with the Prime Minister as its head last month, official sources said.

As per Section 3 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which deals with the issue of "constitution of a National Human Rights Commission", only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed as NHRC chairperson.

The four full-time members, as per the Act, should include a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others "from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights".

After his Lok Sabha constituency of Hoshiarpur became a reserved seat, Khanna did not contest the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Later, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government appointed him as a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission.

However, Khanna quit that post after about 13 months, when he was elected to Rajya Sabha.When BJP was in the opposition, the party had favoured appointing persons of impeccable credentials to such posts.

In 2013, the then Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, respectively, had opposed the move to appoint former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph as a member of NHRC claiming that there was an adverse intelligence report against him.

However, most of the other members, including the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the objection and cleared the appointment.

BJP had also opposed the then UPA government's move to appoint former chief of National Investigation Agency S C Sinha as member of NHRC as he had allegedly pursued the terror cases against right-wing outfits.

However, in case of Khanna, there was no dissent in the selection panel, the sources said.

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Bhopal:

Parvez Alam, a lawyer, who represented eight SIMI activists killed in an encounter on October 31, demanded a high court-monitored inquiry and termed as "mockery" the Madhya Pradesh government's order of judicial probe into the incident.

"It is baffling that the culprit of the encounter, which is the state government, has chosen its own investigator to probe its serious crime," said Parvez Alam, who represented the slain SIMI activists facing terror cases.

Also Read: Bhopal prison break: MP government mulls installation of electric fencing around jails

"This is a sheer mockery of democratic and judicial system. The state government, instead of requesting the MP High Court to order a judicial inquiry into the cold-blooded murder, has itself appointed an investigator, which is against the natural justice," Alam told PTI.

He said that the state government should have moved the MP High Court and waited for it to name a sitting or retired judge to investigate the fake encounter.

"We are going to petition the High Court for a judicial probe. We want the probe to be monitored by the High Court and it (probe panel) should have lawyers of both sidesthe government and the deceased," he added.

Also Read: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind raises questions over Bhopal encounter, demands action against officials

Meanwhile, when asked if he had received any written communication from the government asking him to start judicial inquiry, the retired MP High Court judge S K Pandey said, "I don't have any information (yet)."

The MP Government announced judicial probe by Justice Pandey three days ago after the alleged encounter came under severe criticism. Home Minister Bhupendra Singh had till then maintained that no judicial probe into the encounter was necessary.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced a NIA probe into the jail-break during which the fleeing SIMI activists allegedly murdered a head warden.

Also Read: Slain SIMI man's family seeks murder charge against MP home minister, DGP

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DANBURY  Hoping to land a small-business loan?

Have a solid, bulletproof business plan in hand when you approach a lender. Dont lie about or hide any financial issues. Be involved with your business. Beware of Internet lenders.

Those actions were among the recommendations of panelists at the Access to Capital for Small Business event held last week at White Hall on the campus of Western Connecticut State University. The event featured two discussions: one on traditional sources of capital, such as banks, and another on nontraditional sources, such as state or nonprofit agencies.

As the economy improves and loans become somewhat easier to obtain, demand continues to soar for small-business loans. In 2015, the Small Business Association announced its SBA 7(a) loan program had reached its yearly cap by July 23, granting more than 45,000 loans. That high demand is continuing this year.

Michael Sauvageau, who owns the startup business Noteworthy Chocolates in Bethel with his wife, Jennifer, received $28,000 in a kickstarter campaign to get the company off the ground. The problem is, the couple has spent $40,000 already. They are seeking a small-business loan for supplies, packaging and marketing.

Marketing is the way you get the name out there so we need some money for that, Sauvageau said after attending the event at Western. We spent last year incubating this and dipping into our savings. The idea is to get capital for a buffer, but lenders want you to have a history and were a startup. We understand banks dont want to take risks and startups are inherently risky. Its tough to get access to capital unless you have a rich uncle, which we dont.

Sauvageau said he spoke with a banker following the event and has a meeting set up to discuss a loan application. He remains optimistic about his prospects.

We have infinite faith, he said. It just takes time to get things going.

Its good to have faith, but it takes much more to get an idea off the ground and obtain the funding to help do so. For starters, it takes a solid business plan.

Get that business plan in working order, whether youre seeking traditional or nontraditional lending, JoAnn Cueva, director of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, said as she delivered the events closing remarks. Its a key component when seeking a loan.

The business plan is such a vital part of the loan application process that each of the six panelists at the event last week discussed the importance of having a good one.

Im a big fan of the business plan. Thats the map of where your business will go, Monica Guevara, director of underwriting at Valley Economic Development Center. Know who your customer is, put in your experience, and give projections and assumptions. But also tell us how you got to those numbers. Its not just putting numbers in there; substantiate them.

Valley Economic Development Center is an alternative lender for small businesses. The nonprofit organization is a place to turn when banks or government loans are not approved. Rates for loans from her organization are generally higher than traditional loans.

A good business plan is not necessarily a long one, however, said Sheila Hummel of the states Department of Economic and Community Development. The DECD offers a variety of financing options, including the Small Business Express Program designed to spur job creation in the state.

Be as concise as possible. You dont need a 40-page business plan, she said. For a startup business, its so important to have a solid business plan.

Hummel said her agency has funded 22 businesses in Danbury but shed like to see more.

For small-business owners struggling with their business plan, free help is available through the Connecticut Small Business Development Center. The SBDC offers advice to small-business owners on topics such as business evaluations and plans, financial projections, access to capital, state incentives, marketing and what it takes to start a business. The advice is free as a service of the Small Business Administration.

Nelson Merchan is the local SBDC business adviser and holds office hours, by appointment, at the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, Danbury Innovation Center, Newtown Library and Brookfield Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.GrowCT.com and register at request business advising to set up an appointment.

The business plan is key, but before you do a business plan, do a business evaluation. Its less time and money. If the evaluation shows good potential, then move on to the business plan, Merchan said. We can also work on financial projections. We want to see the numbers. Make sure you keep them reasonable.

Hummel, Guevara and the three banker panelists all stressed open communication and honesty when it comes to applying for a small-business loan.

Tell us everything, Darren Piper, vice president of commercial lending at Savings Bank of Danbury, said. The quickest way to have a deal turn sour is for the lender to discover something that wasnt disclosed by the borrower. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but be open, honest and up front. If its not on the tax return, it doesnt exist.

Vincent DiGilio, vice president at Union Savings Bank, added: Communication is important, but its on the banker to make sure there are no surprises.

While the bankers, including Anthony Giobbi of Newtown Savings Bank, said they like building relationships and giving loans to small businesses, they cant approve all the applications because of their fiduciary responsibility to customers.

Thats why the regulations are sometimes onerous, Giobbi said. At the end of the day, we want to make sure our depositors money is safe.

Robert Barghaus, an instructor of finance at Western, moderated the alternative sources of capital portion of the event. He said that 60 percent of small businesses two years or younger cant get funding because of the sometimes onerous regulations.

Small businesses are the future of the country so we need to figure out a way to get funding to these businesses, he said.

Cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
On Oct. 30, Hunter Jobbins tweeted a hilarious apology note left by someone who broke into his car just to steal his Kit Kat.

The initial tweet got retweeted over 180.000 time and has nearly half a million favorites along with thousands of replies, including one from the official Kit Kat Twitter promising a replacement for the tragic loss.
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DANBURY - If the city has learned anything from its running battle with overcrowding problems in residential neighborhoods, its that it cannot win the battle alone.

It needs the cooperation of Danbury landlords, leaders say.

To gain that cooperation, Danbury is proposing something that has never been done in Connecticut - a registry for landlords that would require them to obtain safety inspections and write anti-crime clauses into leases in order to win thes city stamp of approval.

There is nothing set in stone that we have to do it exactly this way, but this is the concept, said Laszlo Pinter, the citys deputy corporation counsel. This is just being developed, and there will be other ideas brought to the table, but we want to see where it goes.

The city also plans to charge landlords who flout the rules higher commercial tax rates and utility fees.

The idea is to get compliance from absentee landlords who evade the citys attempts to rectify property complaints, as well as to meet the growing demand for affordable housing and to keep neighborhoods safe.

All the houses that used to be one-family have turned into apartments, said Effie Ann Smith, 84, who has lived on Stone Street since 1964. There is no room for parking, there are drug arrests, and in the summer I have to call the police at 11 oclock because the noise is rocking my damn house.

The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, modeled on a program in Skokie, Ill., is the latest and perhaps most ambitious attempt by longtime Mayor Mark Boughton to address the conversion of residential streets into high-density housing blocks.

The city recently passed the first ordinance of its kind in Connecticut allowing officers to enforce noise rules without relying on sound detection equipment, despite some resistance, mainly from city youth. Also this year, the city passed an ordinance to regulate raucous parties and oversized sporting competitions on residential streets. Some Latino leaders criticized the initiative because it addressed neighborhood volleyball competitions popular in the Latino community.

But Boughtons proposal for a landlord registry, introduced Thursday and referred to a committee of city leaders for further discussion, has the potential to generate much more controversy.

There are people - and I have already heard from a couple of them - who are going to be very unhappy with what in their view is an overreach of government authority in the private marketplace, said Pinter. A registry sounds very draconian and very socialistic and all that, but the City Council is not going to go for a heavy-handed, top-down program. They will be much more receptive to a cooperative program.

Boughton agreed.

There are some communities across the nation that have adopted interesting ways of managing difficult neighborhood problems, and I think we can do that here, Boughton said. We have absentee landlords who quite frankly do not care what happens to their properties, so we are developing a program to help the city manage these multiple dwellings and these illegal apartments.

Danbury is the fastest-growing city in the state. It was also recently ranked as one of the nations most diverse cities, both in terms of ethnicity and income disparity. Those factors, combined with a state economy where cost-of-living expenses continue to outpace wages, make affordable housing here a premium.

One city business leader on Friday said he agrees that absentee landlords are a problem, but questioned whether more government oversight was the solution.

It seems as though the government is getting more into the landlord management business than we need it to, said Mark Nolan, a partner with Danbury-based Nolan Enterprises, who said that as a landlord who provides government-subsidized housing he already is obliged to provide a tremendous amount of management oversight. I have enough people regulating me already.

Encouraging cooperation

The idea for the landlord registry program came during a conference of municipal lawyers that Pinter attended.

He immediately thought of the issue in Danbury, where two or three families often live in a home built for one family, and where as many as a half dozen tenants rent rooms in a single family house.

Traditional enforcement measures to stop illegal overcrowding, or to fix problems of parking congestion and poorly-maintained property, are not as effective as newer methods that encourage cooperation between City Hall and landlords, Pinter said.

When you see these things happening in other parts of the country, and you follow the thinking process, you kind of see the future, he said. My recommendation to the City Council is that this should be a cooperative program, because you want to bring people into it.

Under the plan, which is still just a concept, landlords would be encouraged to register with the city for a nominal administrative fee, and agree to have their properties undergo health and safety inspections. Landlords would be encouraged to include crime-free clauses in their leases.

Tenants have to agree that if they sell drugs or engage in any kind of criminal activity, the landlord must evict them, Pinter said.

The city would then certify the property.

Those who participate in the program would have a competitive advantage by having certified apartments, Pinter said.

Those who are not certified as having good, clean housing stock ready for rent would be less competitive in the market, Pinter said.

The city, in turn, would have another tool to battle illegal overcrowding, the mayor said.

If homes have been broken up into two or three or four units (in zones) where they are not permitted to do that, we are going to move them to a commercial assessment and (the landlords) taxes are going to go up 30 percent, Boughton said. We will also move the water and sewer rates over to commercial rates.

The next step

The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative is unlike most quality-of-life legislation passed over the last two years.

Ninety percent of the time we will present a (draft) ordinance, because we know exactly what we have been requested to do, but this time the mayor wants to give the City Council a chance to consider what the concept is, Pinter said.

Smith, the longtime Stone Street homeowner, said the overcrowding situation has grown so acute in Danbury neighborhoods such as hers that she wonders whether the city is past the point of no return.

Danbury is nothing but two- and three-family homes now, she said. There is so much congestion that they park on the sidewalk, and children and women pushing strollers have to use the street.

State Rep. Bob Godfrey, who has lived in his home on Stillman Avenue since 1953, said his house is the only one left on the block that has not been converted into multi-family apartments.

But he said he needs to know more about the registry proposal to form an opinion.

I understand the problem this is trying to be the solution to, but I dont know that it is the only solution, or the best solution, he said.

The businessman Nolan agrees.

I support anything that helps us meet the need for decent, safe and affordable housing, and I would welcome the opportunity to work on a committee for this, he said. What I dont support is more municipal involvement in the management of our day-to-day responsibilities.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
Much of the attention on the upcoming election has focused on races for U.S. President, Senate, House of Representatives and the state legislature. But when voters head to the polls on Tuesday, many will also be asked to elect voter registrars.

In several Danbury-area towns, voters can cast ballots for either the Republican or Democrat candidates for registrar, both of whom are listed on every ballot, including in Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding and Sherman.

In Warren and Washington, only a Republican registrar candidate will be listed.

The elections are intended to give voters a say in who oversee and maintain their respective partys voter rolls. The position, which is usually part-time, also entails preparing for elections, assisting in recounts and certifying results.

But unlike the other races on the ballot, the candidate who finishes lower in the polls will not walk away a loser. Because each town must have both a Democrat and Republican registrar, both candidates will be elected  at least in the Danbury area, where none of the registrar races are contested.

Patrick Gallahue, a spokesman for Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, said it is possible that multiple candidates can run for the registrar position in a single party. He also said candidates in third parties can petition to be on the ballot along with Democrats and Republicans. But if the third-party candidate were to receive more votes than one or both of the major-party candidates, there would then be three registrars instead of two.

Though the position sounds clerical in nature, some registrars have come under fire in past elections. One example is in 2010 when there was a shortage of ballots in Bridgeport.

That issue was cited by Secretary of State Denise Merrill when she called for an end to the elected registrar system in 2015. At the time, Merrill said the state should replace elected registrars with trained civil servants to ensure that the elections were more smoothly run.

While that effort failed to garner enough support, the state now requires registrars to be trained and certified before the elections.

Last week, Merrill expressed confidence in the new system heading into Election Day.

"I think it's made us all have to be on the same page in a way we haven't had to worry about (before)," Merrill said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
OK, we did some of the heavy lifting for you. We interviewed candidates, did some truth-squadding on their claims and offered our opinions on which of them we believe are best prepared to serve in office.

We are not suggesting our preferences are the only good candidates out there. In some cases, there were narrow distinctions between the candidates we favored and their rivals. In other cases, its simply a matter of which principles and values you embrace.

Dont envy the work our local winners have in store for them. They will sacrifice family and career time to travel to Washington, D.C., or Hartford, and while constituent work can nourish the soul, the rewards are countered by the grind, political opposition and public criticism.

Heres a summary of our endorsements. Now its your turn to take a stand. Be sure to exercise your right and vote on Tuesday.

U.S. President: Electing our first woman president is a pivotal next step in Americas evolution as a country with ideals that have still not been fully realized after 240 years. President Hillary Clinton is the only outcome that furthers those principles this November. The grand experiment that is the United States of America once again needs its people to collectively push it forward.

U.S. Senate: Richard Blumenthal has kept his focus  and his not inconsiderable muscle  on the big issues, including, but not limited to, gun safety, rail safety and fighting for the middle class and consumers by continuing the work he began as attorney general in Connecticut.

U.S. House, 4th District: We endorse Jim Himes for another term and expect that he will work to make college more affordable, fix the Affordable Care Act, and reform immigration while helping the middle class and the economy with more skilled jobs in Connecticut.

U.S. House, 5th District: Elizabeth Esty stands up for what is right, works hard for the various needs and interests of the district, and is the candidate to carry on the quest for gun violence prevention.

State Senator, 24th District: Republican Michael McLachlan takes his office seriously, with a voting record of 99.9 percent and a penchant for digging into details. He is an advocate for transparency in government.

State Senator, 26th District: Republican Toni Boucher is a fierce fighter for education and for transportation needs, particularly with the Danbury Branch line of Metro-North.

State Senator, 30th District: Democrat David Lawson, a teacher and New Milford Board of Education chairman, understands the intracasies of education and will bring attention to the Northwest corner.

State Senator, 32nd District: Republican Rob Kane, a ranking member of the General Assemblys Appropriations Committee, has done a respectful job and this is not the time to overturn the district.

State Representative, 2nd District: Democrat Raghib Allie-Brennan would bring the energy, enthusiasm and fresh ideas of the Millennial generation to Hartford, while representing the interests of the four-town district.

State Representative, 67th District: Democrat Mary Jane Lundgren has the breadth of experience and the know-how to get things done; her fine sense of social justice which will serve the district well.

State Representative, 106th District: Democrat Eva Bermudez Zimmerman has the knowledge to talk about tax policy reform in detail and as a former Bernie Sanders supporter, the gumption to stand up to Gov. Dannel Malloy.

State Representative, 109th District: Democrat David Arconti Jr. has worked effectively in a bipartisan fashion for this Danbury district, helping to obtain more funding for education and for Candlewood Lake.

State Representative, 110th District: Democrat Bob Godfrey, as Deputy Speaker of the House, is in the best position to get Danbury what it requires; he also must consider the needs of the growing Latino population in the district and city.

State Representative, 111th District: Republican John Frey has been diligent in representing Ridgefield these past nine terms while also representing the broader interests of the entire state in a bipartisan spirit.

State Representative, 135th District: Republican Adam Dunsby, as first selectman of Easton, knows firsthand the effect decisions made at the Capitol can wreck on municipal budgets.

State Representative, 138th District: Republican Michael Ferguson is open to changing the states pension system even tough he would be affected personally as an adjunct professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College.

Running unopposed are state Rep. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, 107th District; state Rep. Richard Smith, R-New Fairfield, 108th District; state Rep. JP Sredzinski, R-Monroe and Newtown, 112th District; and state Rep. Arthur ONeil, R-Southbury, R-69th District.

For deeper coverage, including complete endorsements and videos of candidates making their elevator pitches, go to newstimes.com/elections/
There is the natural gas that heats your home. And there is the natural gas that lights up millions of homes.

Its necessary to keep that in mind in thinking about these things.

The 550-megawatt natural gas power plant that Texas-based Panda Powers Fund is proposing for the old Century Brass plant in New Milford is one of the latter.

The proposal comes as big natural gas power plants, and the pipelines that were supposed to carry gas to them, have come under increased scrutiny. People who used to be reluctantly in favor of them are increasingly skeptical about the whole enterprise.

They acknowledge natural gas burns cleaner than coal or oil. Its cheaper. But given companies mine that gas  the messy, methane-leaking process known as fracking  theyre deciding the pollution may not be worth the price.

I was a big fan of natural gas two or three years ago, said Connecticut-based energy consultant Joel Gordes. Not so much now.

Environmental groups  including the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and the Sierra Club  are doing a sort of watchful waiting on the New Milford project.

Right now, wed like a little more information about it, said Margaret Miner, executive director of the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut. But it does raise red flags. We are concerned.

The New Milford project comes at a time when grand plans to increase the amount of natural gas coming into New England have stalled.

Kinder Morgan, a Houston-based petroleum company, dropped its plans to build a new pipeline to the region in May.

And last month, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection dropped out of its participation in the Access Northeast project, which would have greatly expanded the capacity of the Algonquin pipeline in the region.

DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain said the DEEP stepped away from Access Northeast when a Massachusetts court said electric bill ratepayers in that state could not be forced to pay the cost of building the pipeline through higher bills.

Schain said that decision shifted too much of the cost of the project onto Connecticut ratepayers.

So were saying Lets back off that, Schain said.

However, the problem of how to provide enough energy for New England remains.

Because natural gas is cheap, clean-burning and plentiful, it now is the fuel source thats generating most of the power in the region. The older, more polluting oil or coal plants are going off-line.

Schain said the problem comes in the peak cold days of winter, when natural gas flows into homes to keep them warm. When that happens, theres not always enough natural gas to spin the generators at power plants.

Some of those plants can switch over and go back to burning oil, Schain said. ISO New England, which manages the power grid for the region, can also buy electricity from outside the region and use it here.

Which is why the New England states decided to work cooperatively to bring more natural gas to the region. Absent the new pipelines, its not clear where those collective plans are going.

Connecticut is bringing more energy into the state  though renewable energy. It recently announced it will join with Massachusetts and Rhode Island to buy energy from nine solar and wind projects that will collectively produce more than 400 megawatts of power.

Connecticut is a big purchaser of renewable energy and increasingly so, said Greg Cunningham, director of clean energy and climate change programs for the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston, which, like other environmental groups, is aware of the New Milford project.

Cunningham and Joel Gordes said the not-far-off game-changer will be when some company develops batteries to store energy produced by the sun and the wind, then feed that energy back into the grid. The arguments made against solar and wind energy  their inconstant nature  will go away.

Now, remember the homeowners who want natural gas? About 30 percent of homes in the state use natural gas, compared to about 50 percent in the rest of the Northeast.

Spectra Energy is now expanding sections of the existing Algonquin pipeline in the state, and building more powerful compressors along the line, in hopes of supplying them.

And Cunningham said the Conservation Law Foundation  which does not favor pipelines or big power plants  is OK with that.

Its smaller and more incremental, he said. The reasons make sense.

Contact Robert Miler at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Kurdish forces launch battle to liberate Syrian city

Syrian Arab Republic,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Damascus, Nov 6 (IANS) The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Sunday the beginning of a military campaign against the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) group.

"We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces are about to begin a major military campaign to liberate the city of al-Raqqa from the clutches of the forces of darkness represented by Daesh (IS)," Xinhua news agency cited an SDF statement.

The military campaign, dubbed "The Euphrates Rage", started on Saturday evening in cooperation and coordination with the US-led anti-terror coalition, the statement added.

The SDF also urged the regional and international powers that have been affected by the IS to take part in the "honour to eliminate the core of the international terrorism".

The SDF move toward al-Raqqa will surely raise the ire of Turkey, which has recently asked the US to put the offensive on al-Raqqa on hold till the battle against IS in Mosul, Iraq subsides.

Turkey, who wanted to lead the offensive on al-Raqqa is concerned about the growing Kurdish influence near its borders which was a main point of contention between Washington and Ankara.

--IANS

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Turn Paris Agreement into reality: Britain charity

Africa,Morocco,COP 22,Environment/Wildlife, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Marrakesh, Nov 6 (IANS) Ahead of the UN climate summit in Marrakesh in Morocco, Britain-based charity Christian Aid on Sunday called for this to be 'renewables COP' where concrete progress can be made on delivering the vision of the Paris Agreement.

'Never before has the world come together with such climate momentum as this summit in Marrakesh,' an official statement quoting Christian Aid's International Climate Lead Mohamed Adow said.

'In the year since the gavel came down on the Paris Agreement we've seen real progress, with nations ratifying the deal at record pace. Just last month we saw further progress with an international accord in Rwanda to phase down climate warming HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons),' he said.

'The Paris Agreement set out the vision and laid actions for after 2020 but now in Marrakesh we need to deal with the crucial period before that date,' he said.

He added: 'We now have a nearly global consensus of the direction that energy and climate policy will be going to create a safe and secure future for our planet. But what is still be to be decided is how quickly this transition will go -- currently it is still moving too slowly to protect the most vulnerable.'

'The Marrakesh summit, taking place on African soil where many of those vulnerable people live, is the perfect place to get that short term shove in the right direction.'

At the Marrakesh Climate Change Conference from November 7-18, nations of the world will continue their work on strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, with the central focus placed on enhancing ambition, promoting implementation and providing support.

With the historic Paris Agreement entering into force on November 4, the Marrakesh conference will host the first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), opened for signature in 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and later entered into force in 1994.

As of today there are 197 Parties to the Convention (196 states and the European Union), including Palestine which joined in March 2016.

--IANS

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Afghan, smuggling out heroin in body, held

Delhi,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) A 43-year-old Afghan national has been arrested here for trying to smuggle out a quantity of heroin, valued at Rs 2 crore in the international market, by concealing it in capsules he swallowed, police said on Sunday.

The drug trafficker, identified as Ghulam Rabani, had crossed all security checks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and was to leave in the Afghanistan-bound Kam Air flight on November 3 when he suddenly developed health problems.

He was offloaded from the flight and admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Police grew suspicious as Rabani had arrived in India on a medical visa in October but had not visited any hospital for treatment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia said that doctors at AIIMS were consulted and advised to examine and assess whether he had swallowed any contraband.

"During treatment it was established that Rabani had swallowed a large number of capsules.

He was operated by the doctors, and during surgery, 57 capsules made of polythene were take out from his stomach and rectum.

"The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin. The weight of the contraband was 525 grams. The total value of the contraband is estimated to be about Rs 2 crore in the international market," he said.

Rabani has been arrested and booked under sections of of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Bhatia said "efforts are being made to unearth the whole syndicate and track the other co-passenger who was to travel in the same flight with Rabani".

--IANS

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Leena Yadav to direct tragic gay love story set in Iran

United States,Cinema/Showbiz, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

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Los Angeles, Nov 6 (IANS) Indian filmmaker Leena Yadav, who helmed the acclaimed film "Parched", has signed on to direct "Secret Sky", the true and tragic love story between teenage boys in Iran, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by the death penalty.

Carol Polakoff's Viewfinder Pictures and Daniel Dreifuss's Anima Pictures are developing the human rights film based on a true story, reports the online Hollywood Reporter.

It follows the two teens as they are put in prison, go to trial and pay the price for their crimes. A female lawyer, inspired by a real person, attempts to fight for their freedom.

Micah Schraft and Abdi Nazemian are writing the film, which is planned as Yadav's English-language debut. Gersh represents Yadav and Viewfinder, and is presenting the film to foreign buyers this week at American Film Market & Conferences (AFM). It's slated to be shot in 2017.

"This story, though political in nature and about civil rights, must be delivered through the heart and Leena has shown that she can make a beautiful film... But also deliver a socially impactful punch," Polakoff said.

"She has uncommon courage and passion, and holds nothing back," she added.

Yadav's most recently "Parched", which followed the lives of four women in rural India who rebel against century-old cultural practices and patriarchal traditions, and break free to explore the true meaning of what it is like to be alive.

--IANS

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Marrakech meet to focus on ways to implement Paris climate accord

Malta,COP 22,Environment/Wildlife, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Rabat, Nov 6 (IANS) The world climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, scheduled to open next Monday, will focus on the ways to implement the Paris Agreement after it entered into force on November 4, said a media report on Sunday.

"The agreement is undoubtedly a turning point in the history of common human endeavour, capturing the combined political, economic and social will of governments, cities, regions, citizens, businesses and investors to overcome the existential threat of unchecked climate change," UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and President of COP22 Salaheddine Mezouar said in a joint statement on Friday.

"The foundations of the Paris Agreement are solid and other key features of humanity's new home are starting to rise," they said, Xinhua news agency reported.

They stressed that "we cannot and we must not rest until the roof is in place. This November in Marrakech we will make sure it will be in place, sooner rather than later".

While this unprecedented achievement shows a clear commitment from countries across the globe to tackle climate change, there is much more work to be done in Morocco to translate this commitment into action.

The main goals set by the Paris Agreement are very critical and pressing.

The ambitious goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less to avoid dangerous tipping points in the climate system means that global emissions must be driven down rapidly from the current near-peak.

Another key pledge in the agreement is that developed countries will continue to allocate $100 billion per year from 2020 to 2025 in support of climate action by developing ones.

According to UN estimates, sustainable development will require 5 to 7 trillion dollars annually to fund the global transition to a low-carbon resilient economy.

To this end, creative funding options must be encouraged in both public and private sectors.

In addition to national determined contributions, COP22 also aims to include non-state actors into the Global Climate Action Agenda.

"COP22 will be a COP of action with a special focus on the important contributions of civil society. The Moroccan Presidency will work together with civil society during the Marrakech climate change conference and chart a common agenda under the Presidency," said Mezouar at a Pre-COP22 ministerial meeting in Marrakech in October.

The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) and the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco, from November 7 to 18.

--IANS

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39 persons killed in three Iraqi attacks

Iraq,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Tikrit (Iraq), Nov 6 (IANS) A total of 39 persons were killed and some 40 wounded on Sunday in two bombings and gunfire attacks in Iraqi province of Salahudin, officials here said.

A barrel filled with explosives detonated near a bridge on early Sunday in provincial capital city of Tikrit in Shishin area, some 170 km from Baghdad, killing 13 persons and injuring 30 others, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

In another incident, an explosive-laden car went off at a parking lot in Iraq's Samarra city, 120 km from Baghdad, leaving 10 persons killed and 10 others injured, an official said.

The blast set fire to several nearby cars and caused damages to many others at the scene, the source added.

Early in the day, gunmen, believed to be affiliated to Islamic State (IS) militant group, broke into the house of a tribal leader in Tulul al-Baj area, some 50 km north of Tikrit, and opened fire in the house and killed 16 persons, the source said.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,792 Iraqis and injured 1,358 others in October across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.

--IANS

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Scores arrested for attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Bangladesh,Religion,Defence/Security,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 06 Nov 2016 IANS

Dhaka, Nov 6 (IANS) Bangladesh police have stepped up security and arrested scores of men days after a violent mob vandalised dozens of Hindu temples and homes over alleged blasphemy, a police official has said.

A police official, insisting on anonymity, told Xinhua news agency on Sunday that "53 persons have so far been arrested in connection with the attacks" and security has been beefed up in the violence-ridden areas of the Brahmanbaria district, 109 km northeast of Dhaka.

The situation now is completely under control, he said.

On October 30, an angry mob ransacked at least 15 temples and attacked more than a hundred properties of Hindus after a Facebook post appeared allegedly mocking one of Islam's holiest sites Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

A local Hindu, Rasraj Das, was said to have posted an edited photo on social media of a Hindu deity inside the black cube-shaped Kaaba.

The post allegedly showed a photo of Hindu God Shiva placed inside the Kaaba.

Das has been arrested over the incident.

Bangladesh police's counter-terrorism unit has begun probing the origin of the post that sparked the communal violence.

Three more separate investigations have also been launched by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.

A senior police official has been suspended for negligence of duty in handling the initial situation.

Additional security measures were put in place amid media reports that several Hindu houses and temples were also torched on early Friday, the police official said.

--IANS

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Africas top tomato paste maker, Chief Eric Umeofia, has set machinery in motion to set up manufacturing concerns in four additional Afric...

Africas top tomato paste maker, Chief Eric Umeofia, has set machinery in motion to set up manufacturing concerns in four additional African countriesKenya, Cameroon, Cote dIvoire and Ethiopia.The venture into four other African countries is a fallout from Umeofias decision to close shop in Nigeria.Umeofia, who confirmed the development to correspondents in Lagos on Sunday, said that his goal was also to have dominant tomato paste manufacturing presence in at least 20 African countries in the near future.He said that ease of doing business was his attraction in opening shops in the African countries, following his plans to move out of Nigeria because of the harsh realities of doing business in the country.Umeofia had recently announced that he was relocating his key manufacturing plant to China, following what he described as policy inconsistencies now crippling his Nigeria operations.He said undue favouritism to Lebanese, Indian and Chinese businessmen in the allocation of foreign exchange to import tomato pastes and other items, including frozen fish, has dealt serious blow to his company, Erisco Foods Ltd. and also to other Nigerian companies involved in manufacturing.Erisco Foods, which has had dominant presence in Liberia and Angola over the years, is listed as Africas top tomato paste manufacturer, and the company is the fourth largest of its type in the world, according to records.But policy inconsistencies and alleged connivance of officials of some key government agencies to deny foreign exchange allocation to indigenous companies in preference for foreigners have left many Nigerian companies struggling or closing shops in recent times.On October 5, Umeofia announced plans to shut down operations and sack some 1,500 workers at his expansive factory in Oregun, an industrial area of Lagos.The industrialist said that he decided to relocate to China to produce at cheaper cost and then, sell the goods in Nigeria and other African markets, stressing that he would even make more profit doing so.He said, This appears to be the only reasonable thing for me to do since my cries appear to have no meaning for those stifling our operations.Umeofia said that he brought his manufacturing concerns worth about $150m in Dubai and Angola to Nigeria in 2009 in what he described as his patriotic zeal to contribute to the growth of Nigeria.He said, But dumping of sub-standard tomato pastes from mainly Asian nations has resulted to Erisco Foods losing up to N3.5bn in recent years.More so, our products worth about N6bn remain unsold, due to the flooding of our markets with sub-standard tomato pastes from foreign countries.If we dont leave Nigeria now well go bankrupt and I believe that my leaving will open up the environment for government to understand the dilemma facing Nigerian manufacturers like me.The Anambra State born industrialist restated that Erisco Foods would also no longer go ahead with its plan to set up a plant to manufacture tractors and other agricultural accessories in northern Nigeria, due to foreign exchange challenges to purchase machinery.He said, We had to return the certificate of occupancy for some 2,400 hectares of land, graciously given to us by the Katsina State Government for our tractor manufacturing factory because were not able to source Forex to push the venture.Umeofia pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to use his good offices to look into the activities of top officials of some government agencies conniving with foreigners to short-change Nigeria.He said, Some government agencies are impeding and frustrating us in our bid to create jobs for Nigerians. The agencies prefer to favour dubious Chinese, Indian and Lebanese businessmen, making them to create jobs in their countries and depleting Nigeria of jobs.Favouring foreigners doing business in Nigeria is counter-productive because no foreigner can love Nigeria better than Nigerians.Erisco Foods has a plant capable of producing 450,000 metric tonnes of tomato paste and ketchup annually but the company is producing at below 20 per cent of its installed capacity, due to sundry challenges.
On March 19, 2014, the then opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, criticised the unemployment situation under then President Jonathan...

On March 19, 2014, the then opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, criticised the unemployment situation under then President Jonathan and accused him of not doing anything concrete to help Nigerian youths get employed.

The APC in a statement said the Jonathan administration has no social security or any form of safety net for the vulnerable army of the unemployed.





This was despite the fact that that administration had set up the Youth With Innovation in Nigeria (YouWIN) scheme to assist Nigerian youths who had good business ideas with training and funding so they could start a business instead of depending on either government or the private sector for a job.





Around Nigeria, approximately 4,000 Nigerian youths got business training from the Lagos Business School and received grants of between 2 million and 10 million Naira (at that time worth between $12,000 to $50,000) to start their own businesses.





This is aside the 41,000 graduates who benefited from the Graduate Internship Scheme of that administration which placed Nigerian graduates with employers who could not afford to pay them so the youths could get experience while the government paid them.





The Jonathan administration also set up two ICT Incubation Centers, one in Lagos and the other in Calabar to enhance and grow the ideas and innovations of Nigerian youths into viable globally recognized businesses.





It is worthy of note that when Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg visited Nigeria, the first place he chose to visit was the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) a brainchild of the Jonathan administration.





So, having criticized a government that did so much to spur youth innovation and employment, one would have thought that the APC would do better than the previous Peoples Democratic Party government of President Goodluck Jonathan.





So, you can then imagine my shock when it was revealed that the APC government planned to recruit Nigerian university graduates as bus conductors! Really? Bus conductors? And these are the people that tore the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to shreds with criticism? How sad! I have one question for the APC. If graduates are to be conductors, then who will drive the buses? PhD and Masters holders?





But it is really ridiculous!





President Goodluck Jonathan gave graduates between 2m to 12 million each to start businesses and the APC ridiculed him and called him clueless. Today, the clue-full APC is giving graduates 50k to be conductors. Jonathan saw youths as businessmen which is why he empowered them to start businesses, but today the APC see youths as conductors. All I can say is welcome to the new Nigeria!





But on second thoughts, it all makes perfect sense when you think about it.





I now understand why the APC is turning our graduates to conductors.





APC promised change and suddenly realized that it is conductors who collect change! So while the children of APC big wigs get plum jobs and juicy contracts, your children are blessed with the opportunity to collect change! As far as they are concerned, the APC has fulfilled their campaign promises!





Someone told me that the APC has not created jobs and has even lost the jobs created by the Jonathan government and cited the report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics which revealed that 4.58 million Nigerians have lost their jobs under President Buhari.





However, I disagreed with that person and said the APC has created jobs.





When the person asked me what jobs my response was as follows  Examples of jobs APC has created for graduates: (a) Bus Conductors (b) Masquerade Dressers (c) Speech Plagiarizers and (d) which is specially for women; It is called Special Assistant on Other Room and Kitchen Duties! It is so sad that in less than two years we have gone from Graduate Internship Scheme to Graduate Bus Conductor Scheme.




The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, pooh-poohed the alleged alliance between the Federal Government and the founder of Faceb...

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, pooh-poohed the alleged alliance between the Federal Government and the founder of Facebook, FB, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg aimed at blocking the Radio Biafra, London, RBL, from operations, saying that the clampdown must have been influenced by monetary inducement from the Nigerian government.IPOB said that it was unthinkable that Zuckerberg, an Israelite, would work with President Muhammadu Buhari who had never pretended about his hatred of his country to jeopardise the activities of Biafrans who had same history with his fellow countrymen and women.This was contained in a statement jointly signed by IPOBs Spokespersons, Emma Nmezu and Dr Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya yesterday. The statement read, On Friday, October 29, 2016, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, the 32-year old Jewish Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the social media platform Facebook, FB, pulled down the FB group page belonging to Radio Biafra London, RBL.It is common knowledge that RBL is the media arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.In essence, Mark Zuckerberg intentionally and indirectly stifled IPOB from using FB to educate, inform, and disseminate the gospel of the restoration of the nation of Biafra to both Biafrans and non-Biafrans alike.What is more worrisome is that this clampdown on RBL by Mr Zuckerberg came a few weeks after he visited  Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria.It is on record that on the same day Mark Zuckerberg held a secret meeting with Buhari in Abuja, his $95 million satellite exploded while on a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Brevard County in Florida. As a stop-gap measure to the taking down of RBL, FB page, the leadership of IPOB opened another group page for RBL and invited Biafrans and friends of Biafra to populate the page by adding their FB friends to the new group page.Surprisingly, the FB management started blocking those who attempted to add their friends to the group page. We posit that the blocking of people who were populating the FB group page did not happen without the knowledge and approval of Mr Zuckerberg.We at IPOB are still in shock as we wonder why Zuckerberg with a Jewish ancestry will work with an Anti-Semitic person like Muhammad Buhari to block RBL, which is the media arm of IPOB that belongs to Biafrans and these Biafrans have the same ancestry as Zuckerberg.Did money exchange hands from Buharis Government to Mark Zuckerberg? If so, does Mr Zuckerberg live with the philosophy that money is thicker than blood?Is Mr Zuckerberg aware that Buhari hates the Jews and Biafrans more than any other thing in his life and that Buhari has visited all the neighbours of the State of Israel but vowed never to step his feet in Israel?Does Mr Zuckerberg know that Buhari is the number one global campaigner for the division of Jerusalem, the Biblical and ancient capital of Israel?Is Zuckerberg aware that Buhari covertly blocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from conducting state visits in the West African region just as he did in the other regions of Africa?If there were any doubts before, the personal experience of Mark Zuckerberg in the past few days that he shut down RBL on Facebook has indicated to him the force behind the new Biafra movement led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; something Buhari is confronting every day but too proud to acknowledge publicly.Zuckerberg and his facebook felt the might and divinity of IPOB in the past days when they lost over five percent of the value of his Facebook company worth $3 billion, simply because he messed up over IPOB. Having been visited by this second divine retribution, he quickly backtracked and restored RBL FB group page on Friday, November 4, 2016.Contrast this conscientious and repentant attitude of Zuckerberg towards IPOB with that of Buhari who miscalculated and kidnapped the symbol and arrowhead of the new agitation for Biafra, the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.Despite the calamitous destruction of the Nigerian economy, disease, pestilence, restiveness, hunger and pain, Buhari like the Biblical Pharaoh has refused to restore the freedom of the IPOB leader quite unlike Mark Zuckerberg that saw the demise of his empire and quickly did the needful.It will be in the interest of Buhari to learn from Zuckerbergs experience since they are friends. He tampered with RBL Facebook group page and felt the wrath of God instantly. RBL on Facebook is the central new media platform for IPOB and all lovers of freedom including journalists, which makes it naturally the largest and most popular forum on Facebook.Considering the total mess Nigeria is in and the need to avert the complete collapse of the country into an unimaginable state of anarchy, it is our expectation that Justice Binta Nyako will be moved to salvage what is left of wreckage Nigeria has become.Failure by Nyako to dismiss outright the politically motivated and frivolous charges against the IPOB leader Mazi Kanu will invite more deadly calamity upon Nigeria.Moving forward, we warn Mr Zuckerberg to steer clear of Muhammadu Buhari and to avoid anything that will drag him into fighting against the restoration of Biafra. Anyone who fights against Biafra is directly fighting against the Almighty God, Chukwu Okike Abiama, hence repercussions must follow such a person or nation.On the other hand, we feel very sorry for Buhari because he has sunk billions of dollars into stopping Radio Biafra and the Biafran restoration process without any success.This is beside the thousands of Biafran lives he has killed in cold blood from August 30, 2015 till date. Buhari has blood-letting in his DNA because this was why he started his military career with the assassination plot of Major-General J. T. U. Aguiyi-Ironsi on July 29, 1966 as well as the massacre of over two million Biafrans at Owerri in 1968.The futility of Zuckerbergs clampdown on RBL FB page and the failure of Muhammadu Buhari in silencing IPOB is a big lesson to those who are opposed to the restoration of the nation of Biafra. The restoration of the nation of Biafra is a divine project whose time has come and the likes of Mark Elliot Zuckerberg and Muhammadu Buhari cannot alter the plans of the God of Biafrans because He is indeed El-Sali, El-Haggadol, and El-Gibbor.Biafras restoration is a mandate from Sovereign LORD of all Creation.
Niger Delta militants on Saturday threatened war while dissociating themselves from the meeting elders from the oil-rich region had with...

Niger Delta militants on Saturday threatened war while dissociating themselves from the meeting elders from the oil-rich region had with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, last Tuesday.Apart from distancing themselves from the meeting, they warned the Federal Government not to rejoice yet over the recent rise in oil production in the country, threatening that a series of attacks await oil facilities in the region in the days ahead.The militants also asked the Federal Government to drop the charges against Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, and other leaders from the region.The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, which is the only militant group that has refused to key into the ceasefire with the government, also claimed responsibility for Wednesdays bombing of the Trans-Forcados Crude Export pipelines near Batan community in the Warri South-West Council Area of Delta State.The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had on Tuesday said Nigerias oil production had recently risen to normal after a sharp drop earlier this year due to renewed militant attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region.In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Aldo Agbalaja, the militant group accused President Muhammadu Buharis government of plotting to wage war against the people of the Niger Delta region.As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigerias daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching tsunami.The multinational oil companies, we know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to let the world know that you dont contest the corners of a house with the owner of the house.The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the facility, but the daring companies wont listen. That shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know that we arent kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down, and its in your best interest.The militant group described last Tuesdays meeting between Buhari and stakeholders, including traditional rulers from the region as a humiliation of the people of the Niger Delta.The humiliation that came with the meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those he led to the meeting.The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him enough is enough.If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished Biafran Uprising. Niger Deltans are nobodys slaves; we shall fight until theres nothing left to defend.Similarly, leaders of the Niger Delta Peoples Democratic Front, Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, and other major players in the Niger Delta Avengers, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said they were not a party to the 16-point demand presented by their leaders to Buhari.The leader of the NDPDF, simply identified as General Playboy, faulted the stakeholders meeting with Buhari, describing it as a platform for them (leaders) to expose their selfish interests.He expressed surprise that the 16-point agenda submitted by the Niger Delta stakeholders to the Federal Government did not address the issues of Tompolo who was declared wanted by the FG.He said, The stakeholders are talking about negotiation. They are talking about $10bn for Niger Delta people; they (stakeholders) are thinking about oil blocs that will be released to Niger Delta people and how they will share it among themselves. That is the only thing they are thinking of.They have refused to talk about the fact that there is a matter against Tompolo that should be dropped. None of the stakeholders is thinking about others; they are only thinking of themselves. But it will not work as far as I am concerned except President Buhari comes down here to know the problem of the Niger Delta. That is when Nigeria will have peace. If not, there will be no peace. We are not interested in what the stakeholders went to do in Abuja.The militant leader stated that a situation where ex-agitators like Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, Boyloaf and Soboma Jackrich (Egberipapa) were not part of the stakeholders meeting, was an indication that government was not ready for peace.Any meeting geared towards peace without protecting Tompolos interest will fail. Tompolo himself cannot come out to negotiate his freedom. As far as we are concerned, Tompolos case needs a political resolution, just like that of Henry Okah and Charles Okah.These are forces in the region that should not be undermined. We want the Federal Government as part of the dialogue process to get a legal framework to free Okah and let Tompolo have peace otherwise peace will continue to elude the region, and oil pipelines will be blown off continuously to protest their persecution.Apart from persons from the region who were facing prosecution, he also demanded the release of the Indigenous People of Biafras leader, Namdi Kanu.Similarly, a member of the Niger Delta Avengers who spoke on condition of anonymity told newsmen that peace would continue to evade the oil-rich Niger Delta until the government stops the persecution of Tompolo and other leaders of the region.He said, All the politically motivated cases against Tompolo, Godsday Orubebe, Kingsley Kuku, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, and Mrs. Patience Jonathan, should be dropped by the Federal Government, otherwise, agitation continues.Also, the spokesperson for the Ultimate Warriors of Niger Delta, Sibiri Taiowoh, vowed that his group would open a new chapter to the struggle.He said, We will return to the drawing board. And we know the Federal Government will fail (to meet the demands) because they are not sincere. We have lost faith in Buhari, so whether he will grant all the requests or not is irrelevant to us.NDA warns Buhari against dealing with sycophantsThe Niger Delta Avengers, in a statement on Saturday, warned President Buhari against dealing with sycophants in his cabinet if he really wants to achieve peace in the region.The NDA Spokesperson, Brig.Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, in a statement made available to SUNDAY PUNCH, also challenged Buhari to visit the region instead of relying on information from his ministers and political friends from the region.The group said, You cannot treat the Niger Delta with disdain while you treat your brothers that are terrorists and kidnappers (Boko Haram) like kings and queens by committing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement from Geneva to witness your transactions with them, before they released their hostages to you.Let Muhammadu Buhari be advised to come down from his ethnic and religious fundamentalist iron horse to lead the Federal Government dialogue and negotiations team with neutral international observers and representatives of international oil companies.Meanwhile, the President of the Ijaw National Congress, Chief Boma Obuoforibo, has said Niger Delta stakeholders will not give the Federal Government an ultimatum or a timeframe to implement their demand for the development of the region.Obuoforibo, who spoke in a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday, said the stakeholders were optimistic that the President would not renege on his promise to alleviate the sufferings of Niger Delta people.He said, We are not going to be negative about the ability of the Federal Government to implement the demands because we have a positive mindset and we have never reached this length in the past. We are doing all this in good faith.Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the release of Tompolo was not part of the demands of the Niger Delta leaders.Shehu said, I was present when the Niger Delta Elders met the President. At no point did anyone mention this (Tompolo) or any other name by way of a demand for release. 
Popular United Kingdom-based Nigerian gay and LGBT rights activist, Bisi Alimi, has married his British lover, Anthony.

Popular United Kingdom-based Nigerian gay and LGBT rights activist, Bisi Alimi, has married his British lover, Anthony.The two lovers, who have been dating for some years, got married on Saturday in England.Alimi, who expressed his excitement on social media, said, In the presence of friends and family from around the world, Anthony and I will say I Do. But we remember places in the world where love is (a) crime.The rights activist posted the message on his Twitter handle on Saturday, displaying a picture of him and Anthony.Congratulations to @bisialimi, gay rights activist, public speaker, blog writer & HIV/LGBT advocate, on his marriage to Anthony! #LoveWins, one Kevin Maxwell wrote in reply to Alimis tweet.Prior to the wedding, Alimi had also shared pictures of his Bachelors party on social media.When your wife has arrived for your wedding, then you know the party is about to start. Bring it on, he wrote on his Facebook post on Friday.In Nigeria, a law against same-sex relationship/marriage stipulates a 14-year jail term for offenders.
Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, in Enugu State, Chukwuma Igbokwe, has accused governors of the Southeast region of being too la...

Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, in Enugu State, Chukwuma Igbokwe, has accused governors of the Southeast region of being too lazy and over dependent on federal allocation.He noted that this attitude had hindered development in the region.Igbokwe said the governors were not willing to harness natural resources in their states to generate additional revenue.The TUC chairman was speaking in an interview with The Punch in Enugu, where he noted that the impact of the decline of the countrys oil revenue would not have been severe on the South-East states if successive administrations since 1999 had not abandoned large scale agricultural enterprises established during the first and second republics.According to the labour leader, The problem with the South-East is over-reliance on federal allocation by the state governors.Since 1999, the governors have been lazy; no attempt was made to harness abundant and viable natural resources available for revenue generation and development.The palm oil and cashew plantations, rice farms, poultries and similar ventures that were established across the South-East at industrial scale during the first and second republics are wasting away. They have all been abandoned.They can still be revived but the governors are not thinking about that, they only think of the monthly federal allocation.He said the reports that Anambra State had been given a waiver to export scent leaves was a welcome development.He pointed out that this was a clear indication that there were numerous exportable resources in the states, if only the governors were willing to invest in agriculture.I dont see why the states cannot export palm oil and other agricultural products on a large scale, he noted.Igbokwe said claims in some quarters that the South-East was the worst hit by economic recession cannot be true because they share from the federal allocation.He said, I cant say that the South-East is the worst hit by the recession. Are South-East states not getting their allocations from the Federation Account?The only concern is that, in bad practice, the South-East has always taken the lead. By bad practice, I mean it is only in the South-East that you will see major contracts being awarded to people who will pocket the money and refuse to execute the projects.Our problem in the South-East is not using our natural resources and allocation to develop our people.
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed calls by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for President Muha...

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed calls by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend two of his ministers accused of corruption.The PDP had on Friday urged the president to emulate the National Judicial Councils decision to suspend seven judges recently arrested by the State Security Service for alleged corruption.The party said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, that two of the judges, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, had alleged that they were the targets of a witch-hunt because they refused bribes from two ministers.They named the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu.In order to allow for a fair and independent investigation, it is incumbent on President Muhammadu Buhari to ask these ministers to step aside pending the conclusion of investigation into the allegations, Mr. Adeyeye had said. The judiciary has set a very good example in its quest to fight corruption.But the APC said in a statement on Sunday that the call flies in the face of reason, fairness, common sense and cause of justice.The statement was signed by Davies Ikanya, APC chairman, Rivers State, and emailed to PREMIUM TIMES from Mr. Amaechis account.It is a known fact that embattled Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court who are currently under DSS investigation for serious corruption charges only resorted to the cheap, convenient, everyday reaction of people caught red-handed committing crimes in order to divert attention away from the grave reality confronting them especially when faced with sufficient evidence, the APC said.(PREMIUM TIMES)
Popular Nigerian lawyer, Festus Keyamo has shared his funny view on the recent visits to Femi Fani-Kayode, Bala Mohammed and others who ar...

Some of those paying 'solidarity' visits to EFCC detainees may just be there to spy how the cells look like to get ready for their turn.  Festus Keyamo (@fkeyamo) November 5, 2016

When u pay a 'solidarity' visit to a suspect accused of fraud, u may be there to pass a message: whatever happens, don't mention my name too  Festus Keyamo (@fkeyamo) November 5, 2016

Popular Nigerian lawyer, Festus Keyamo has shared his funny view on the recent visits to Femi Fani-Kayode, Bala Mohammed and others who are being held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.According to Keyamo, ''Some of those paying 'solidarity' visits to EFCC detainees may just be there to spy how the cells look like to get ready for their turn.''He also claimed that some of them went there to beg the detainees from indicting them.See twitter posts:
MAURICE RIVER TWP. -- A township man was shot and killed by a State Police trooper after fleeing an alleged burglary and fighting with troopers, according to authorities.

Testa was fleeing a burglary when he engaged in two separate physical fights with the troopers, while armed with a metal pipe, the attorney general's office said. He was treated on scene but died there, the statement said.

The troopers were treated for injuries at Inspira Medical Center in Elmer.

The two troopers responded at 12:20 a.m. to a 911 call from a Leesburg resident reporting a burglary at an unoccupied house at 147 High St.

The troopers caught Testa fleeing from the back of the house and struggled with him, according to the statement. He broke free and troopers chased him into a backyard across the street, where they again struggled with Testa, the statement said.

"A civilian witness described the struggle as extremely violent," the attorney general's office said. "The troopers wrestled with Testa and one trooper used pepper spray in an effort to subdue him, but it did not appear to have any effect."

One of the troopers shot him in the upper body, the office said.

"A steel pipe believed to have been used by Testa as a weapon was recovered where he was shot and taken into evidence," the statement said.

The attorney general's office did not name the trooper who fired the single shot and said no other details are being released because of the ongoing investigation.

The attorney general's Shooting Response Team investigates shootings by state troopers or officers who work for county prosecutors or county SWAT teams. It is made up of deputy attorneys general, detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice, and detectives of the State Police Major Crime Unit, the statement said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Calls for justice at vigil for 3 stabbing victims

NEWARK -- Authorities identified two children and a woman killed in a stabbing at a city home on Saturday.

Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, and Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, both of Newark, were pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark at 4:40 p.m., according to a statement from acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly confirmed the two Whitehurst children are related but could not comment further.

Syasia McBurroughs, 23, of Cedar Knolls, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. McBurroughs' relation to the children, if any, is unclear.

Three other victims -- a 29-year-old woman, 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl -- remain in the hospital in critical but stable condition as of Sunday morning, Fennelly said.

Police responded to a house on the 100 block of Hedden Terrace shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday to a report of a stabbing at the home. Authorities have not announced an arrest as of Sunday morning but said they are seeking Jeremy Arrington, 26, as an "individual of interest."

Jeremy Arrington, 26. (Newark Department of Public Safety)

Authorities said Arrington was wanted for shooting and sexually assaulting an acquaintance in the city's Clinton Hill section last month.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, speaking at a press conference Saturday night, urged anyone who has information on Arrington to contact police.

"We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else," Baraka said. "As long as he's on the street, nobody is safe.

"This is probably one of the most tragic and savage situations that I've seen in a very, very long time here," he continued. "The incident this evening was a horrific and horrible scene."

Authorities blocked the street immediately following the incident, and a heavy police presence filled the area.

On Sunday morning, yellow police tape remained at both ends of the block, but the number of officers in the area had dwindled. Police could be seen escorting residents in and out of the area.

Residents in the area described the neighborhood as one that is close-knit.

"The whole block just sticks together," one neighbor, who declined to give her name, said, adding that her grandchildren were recently at the home playing with the two Whitehurst children who were killed.

Ayonna McKnight said she knows the family from the house where the stabbings occurred.

"Family is very nice," she said. "All good people."

The scene of the crime has also become a gathering place for area residents and activists alike who are using the slaying as a rallying cry to stand up to violence against young people.

Three children under the age of 12 have been killed in Essex County since Thursday after a toddler was shot to death in Orange.

"All I know is there's babies involved. There's women involved. There's no words for this, just like the 2-year-old yesterday in Orange, there are no words when it comes to kids," Donna Jackson, a Newark community activist, said on Saturday.

She continued: "You are not going to shoot our children. You are not going to stab our kids. This is it. We have lost too many on these streets."

Jamila Jackson, a community activist and CEO of Elite Team of Motivational Speakers, said: "We're out here for most of these crimes. We need to show people that we can do this. We can make a difference."

Jackson urged anyone withholding information on Arrington to come forward.

"These are our children," she said.

NJ Advance Media reporter Marisa Iati and multi-media specialist Ed Murray contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Community members who gathered at Zion Hill Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon expressed searing anger and fervent hope, a day after three people were fatally stabbed in the city's South Ward.

Pastors and city leaders told about 80 people who filled the pews of the Hawthorne Street church that they refused to accept violence as Newark's status quo. In a prayer, Rev. Ralph Branch, of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, asked God to watch over all those who seek peace.

"We have not given up on this city that you have given us," he said.

On Sunday, authorities identified the three people killed as Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, and Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, both of Newark, and 23-year-old Syasia McBurroughs of Cedar Knolls.

Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly confirmed the two children are related but could not comment further. McBurroughs' relation to the children, if any, is still not known.

Three other victims -- a 29-year-old woman, a 13-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl -- remain in the hospital in critical but stable condition as of Sunday morning, Fennelly said. Authorities did not identify them.

Officials have not made any arrests as of Sunday afternoon but have identified 26-year-old Jeremy Arrington as an "individual of interest."

Mayor Ras Baraka assured the congregation at Zion Hill that Arrington would be found.

"Every man, woman and child in this city has their eye out," he said. "He cannot escape, because he has God and Newark on his back."

In addition to Zion Hill and Mount Calvary, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church also hosted the prayer vigil.

Police first responded to a house on the 100 block of Hedden Terrace shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday. Yellow police tape remained at opposite ends of the block on Sunday, as police escorted residents in and out of the area.

The home is located in a close-knit community where neighbors say "everyone sticks together."

But little has been said of the victims.

McBurroughs was a student at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, a university spokeswoman, Ellen Wayman-Gordon, said.

It's unclear, however, where the children attended school. A spokeswoman for the Newark public school system could not immediately be reached by phone.

Three children under the age of 12 have been killed in Essex County since Thursday. A 21-month-old boy in Orange was shot and killed Thursday afternoon while sitting with his uncle on a porch of a home on 200 block of Cleveland Street.

The recent slayings have prompted a vocal response from residents and activists, who called for an end to violence against young people.

"We're out here for most of these crimes. We need to show people that we can do this. We can make a difference," said Jamila Jackson, a community activist and CEO of Elite Team of Motivational Speakers. "These are our children."

NJ Advance Media reporters Alex Napoliello and Thomas Moriarty contributed to this report.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
DEPTFORD TWP. -- The Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) hosted the first ever Food Festival at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) and sold out with more than 300 tickets sold.

On Friday night, FCCLA students and advisors hosted 13 food truck teams from around Gloucester County at GCIT. Vendors included popular eateries such as Anthony's Fine Italian Cuisine, Filomena Lakeview, Carolina Blue Smokehouse and Taproom, Canada Dry and Momma's Homemade among others.

At the festival, 13 teams competed to be named the best with each team designing their own food truck display and themed menu. Students ran competitive events, including judging best food truck menu, cake decorating, a cupcake challenge and luncheon showcase.

Attendees had the chance to sample the vendors who were showcasing their favorite new menu items and topped off their fun at a Chinese Auction.

All proceeds from the festival will benefit the FCCLA student organization, a national Career and Technical Student Organization that provides personal growth, leadership development, and career preparation opportunities for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
ARCADIA, Calif. -- Champagne Room was sent postward at odds of 33 to 1 in the $2 million guaranteed, Grade 1, 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Stake, on Day 2 of the Breeders' Cup Santa Anita Park.

When she crossed the finish line first in the field of 12 2-year-old fillies, her backers collected $69.20 for each $2 bet.

Her owners -- and organization known as Ciaglia, Exline-Border, Gulliver Racing, R. Christensen, D. Legan and S. Alesia -- collected $1.1 million. But the filly's value as a broodmare cannot be measured in dollars until her progeny reach the sales ring.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Broken Vow from the Bernstein mare Lucky to Be Me came out of the Number 6 stall in the starting gate and settled behind the pace setting Noted and Quoted who would later fade to fifth.

Jockey Mario Gutierrez called on the Peter Eurton trainee for more passing the three eighths pole. They made the lead in the upper stretch and came three parts of a length ahead of Valadoma and Julian Leparoux.

The second lifetime win for Champagne Room was accomplished in 1:45.12 for the 1-1/16 miles on a fast main track.

After the race, Eurton looked ahead and said "I haven't spoken to the owners yet. But, I think they're going to want to go to the (Kentucky) Oaks."

Four fillies and mares based in Europe, one from Peru, one from Chile, one from Japan, one who last raced in Canada, one from Santa Anita and two who prepped at Belmont comprised the field for the $2 million, Grade 1 Filly and Mare Turf.

When the finish line photo was developed, it was Queen's Trust, a filly who broke her maiden at Kempton Park in England -- and hasn't won since -- the winner over Lady Eli, the winner of Belmont's Grade 1 Flower Bowl and Belmont Oaks Invitational.

With the globe-trotting Lanfranco (Frankie) Dettorri in the saddle for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Queen's Trust came from 11th place in a field of 13 to get into the homestretch in sixth place.

The battle for all the money started there with the 4-year-old Queens's Trust getting the nod over Lady Eli, the 8 to 5 favorite with Irad Ortiz in the saddle, by a nose. The locally based Avenge took third another length back.

Queen's Trust ran the 1-1/4 miles on firm turf footing in a very fast 1:57.75, just 0.59 seconds off the eight-year-old course record that was set before Santa Anita's new surface was installed this spring.

The eye-catching performance caused Cheveley Park Stud Racing Manager Chris Richardson to report, "She certainly will be staying in training next year."

The bettors who were willing to accept Queen's Trust's close finishes without a win in England, collected $18 for her Breeders' Cup efforts.

Drefong survived a sound bumping from Delta Bluesman at the start of the $1.5 million-guaranteed, Grade 1 Twin Spires Breeders' Cup Sprint.

After righting himself, the Baoma Corporation color bearer joined in a battle for the lead with the 8 to 5 favorite Masochistic and Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith. Martin Garcia put the pressure to Drefong, the winner of the Saratoga's Grade 1 King's Bishop, in the Santa Anita stretch.

They opened up some daylight a sixteenth out and came home the winners by 1-1/4 lengths.

Masochistic, making only his second start since a 14th place finish in the B.C. Sprint last year, was a nose to the good of Mind Your Biscuits, who was fifth behind Defrong in the King's Bishop.

Drefong, a son of Gio Ponti from the Ghostzapper mare Eltimaas ran the six furlongs in 1:08.79 to gain his fifth lifetime win from six starts. The win put the Bob Baffert trainee into the 'Racing Millionaire's Club' with $200,000 to spare.

The Sprint win was the fifth (of 13 Breeders' Cups overall) for the Hall of Famer Baffert, a converted Quarter Horse trainer.

Santa Anita's morning line maker, Jon White took notice of a bullet five-furlong work in 1:00.20 two weeks prior by the veteran campaigner Obviously and made him 6 to 1 going into the $1 million-guaranteed, Grade 1 Turf Sprint, a 6-1/2-furlong journey down the hill.

The betting public had more confidence in the Irish-bred gelding and bet him down to 7 to 2.

Racing for Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino, the eight-year-old turned his 29th lifetime start into his 13th win. With Flavien Prat aboard for trainer Phil D'Amato, Obviously took the lead shortly after the start and stayed on to win by a nose over Om and Hall ol Fame rider Gary Stevens.

His time of 1:11.33 was recorded on a firm downhill course that requires two changes of direction before it reaches bottom and the homestretch.

The win was the first Breeders' Cup for both D'Amato and Prat.

Looking for a 2017 Kentucky Derby future bet? The odds makers won't give you much on John Oxley's Classic Empire.

The son of Pioneerof the Nile from the Cat Thief mare Sambuca Classica, already boasts a win in Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes. He also has a win in Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Futurity.

And now he's a Breeders' Cup winner after beating 10 rivals in the $2 million-guaranteed, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at a mile and sixteenth.

Following a duel down the stretch with the 5 to 2 favorite Not This Time, the placing judges put up Classic Empire's number as the winner by a neck. Practical Joke, the winner of Saratoga's Hopeful and Belmont's Champagne, took third.

Julien Leparoux was aboard Classic Empire, a colt that his rider says has been easier to handle since the addition of blinkers for the Bashford Manor, for his fourth win from five starts. The Mark Casse trainee has now banked over $1.4 million for Oxley.

Those who wagered on Classic Empire collected $11 for $2. The Classic Empire-Not This Time exacta was worth $39.40 for $2.

Jockey Javier Castellano, the pilot of second place and favored Flintshire, said Jockey Seamus Heffernan "tried to steal the race -- and he stole it" when Highland Reel staged a front running win in the $4 million-guaranteed, Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf.

Heffernan sent the 4-year-old colt away from the starting gate and made every call a winning one in the 1-1/2-mile contest over Santa Anita's new turf course.

How good a thief is Heffernan? Highland Reel's time of 2:23 was just 0.28 off the old course record set by Bright Thought 44 years ago.

The winning margin was Highland Reel 1-3/4 lengths over Flintshire, the winner of Saratoga's Grade 1 Sword Dancer and Grade 2 Bowling Green. Found, the defending champion, took third 2-1/4 lengths back.

Irish trainer Aiden O'Brien trained both Highland Reel and Found for Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor.

That partnership has now collected seven Breeders' Cup trophies with three of them coming in the turf. They won with Found last year and St, Nicholas Abbey in 2011.

WinStar, Wachtel and Barber's Tourist, the winner of Saratoga's Grade 1 Four Star Dave, fought off a late charge from the favored Tepin to win the $2 million-guaranteed, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile in stake record time.

With Joel Rosario in the saddle, the 5-year-old son of Tiznow from the Unbridled Song mare Unbridled Melody, ran the mile in 1:31.71 to set a new record for the race. Wise Dan held the old mark set here in 2013.

Tourist came within .02 seconds of equaling the Santa Anita course record that was set by Vyjack a month ago.

At the wire, it was Tourist by a half-length over Tepin, who was six for seven this year going into the race. Midnight Storm, the winner of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile and Grade 2 Eddie Read, was third another 1-1/4 lengths back.

Rosario said, "I had to take a little hold turning for home to keep my position. After that, he got a clear run."

For more racing and steeplechasing news see http://connect.nj.com/user/aorrjr/posts.html
DashawnJordanPAPD.jpg

Dashawn Jordan, of Newark, was arrested with a loaded gun at the Journal Square PATH station, police said.

(Port Authority photo)

JERSEY CITY -- A 24-year-old Newark man carrying a loaded gun was arrested at the Journal Square PATH station on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Plain clothes police officers noticed two men jump the turnstiles at the station at about 4:15 p.m. One of the men stopped when police displayed their badges while the other ran off, Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo said.

Veteran Port Authority Police Officer Jamie Oliva followed the suspected fare jumper, later identified as Deshawn Jordan, towards a Newark bound train. Jordan was found hiding between two train cars on Track 4, Pentangelo said.

Police recovered a loaded RG23 .22 caliber revolver and hollow point bullets from Jordan's sweatshirt, the spokesman said.

He was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of prohibited devices, theft of services, and resisting arrest, Pentangelo said.

The second suspect, a 25-year-old East Orange man, was charged with theft of services and was arrested on an open warrant, police said.

NOTE: This story was updated at 6:15 p.m. to reflect updated information from the Port Authority.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
LAMBERTVILLE - Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire on North Main Street on Sunday.

The fire was reported at shortly after 11 a.m. Responding were fire departments from Hunterdon and Mercer counties, as well as from Pennsylvania. North Main Street and Route 29 were closed in both directions until shortly after 1:30 p.m.
Trenton police file

File photo

(Mancuso, Michael)

TRENTON -- A 32-year-old man was taken to the hospital after he was shot in the leg while walking home on the 800 block of Beatty Street Saturday, police said.

Trenton police say they located the victim after receiving an alert at 5:34 p.m. that a man had been shot.

The victim told police he was walking home when he heard several shots and felt a burning sensation in his left calf, police said.

Authorities said the man ran home afterward and alerted family members. He was then transported to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and then released.

He was then taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and then released.

There is no clear motive for the shooting, police said. The incident remains under investigation.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PHILADELPHIA -- Charges are pending against a city man police believe stole laptops belonging to Clinton campaign workers who were working in Philadelphia Friday.

FOX29 reports that police have the 27-year-old man in custody after executing a search warrant Saturday at his home in the 500 block of Diamond Street. Police told the news station that the theft was random and there's no evidence the man was politically motivated.

The campaign workers told police that the laptops contained scheduling information about Clinton's campaign events.

Police did not name the man but said he had a lengthy criminal record, according to FOX29.

The campaign workers reported around 9:15 p.m. Friday that someone had smashed a car window and stolen backpacks that contained the laptops while they were in a restaurant on Brown Street.

The U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security worked on the investigation with Philadelphia police, the station reported.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Christie Allies Guilty Of Plotting Bridge Jams To Punish Mayor

The trial may be finished, but attorney Michael Critchley, who represents Bridget Anne Kelly, promises that the matter is "far from over..." (Peter Foley | Bloomberg

NEWARK--The Bridgegate trial ended on Friday with guilty verdicts against two former Christie administration insiders. But the political scandal may be far from over.

New Jersey legislators are already looking to hold new hearings into Gov. Chris Christie's alleged involvement in the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. Defense attorneys are readying motions for an appeal. The governor has a court date in Bergen County.

And perhaps most significantly, federal regulators apparently have yet to drop their inquiry into the use of Port Authority funds for projects that were politically advantageous to Trenton -- an inquiry sparked by the criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

Former federal prosecutor Robert Mintz said the guilty verdicts against Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, who served as a deputy chief of staff to the governor, was a huge win for the U.S. Attorney's Office in what he called the most politically charged case federal prosecutors have brought in more than a decade.

"While this verdict presents a clear win for federal prosecutors, it leaves unanswered lingering questions about the full extent of the involvement of others and why prosecutors chose to limit the charges to only these two defendants," said Mintz, now a criminal defense attorney at McCarter & English. "One of the ironies of this case may be that while these convictions may resolve the charges brought against these defendants, in the end this case may be better remembered for those who were not charged than for those who were."

Even as jurors were leaving the federal courthouse in Newark, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) were looking to resurrect the special legislative committee that had initially investigated the Bridgegate scandal.

What Christie knew

"With two of the highest ranking members of the Christie administration found guilty of criminal conduct, it is time to find out what the governor knew, when he knew it, and what actions he took in relation to the shutdown of the lanes on the George Washington Bridge," Wisniewski said in a statement.

"During the trial, numerous witnesses offered testimony under oath that directly contradicts Governor Christie's public statements," he said.

The scandal involved the unauthorized shutdown of several local access lanes at the world's busiest bridge in September 2013, to deliberately cause major traffic gridlock in Fort Lee. David Wildstein, a GOP operative at the Port Authority and admitted architect of the scheme, said it was all aimed at punishing the mayor of Fort Lee for his refusal to endorse the governor for re-election.

Kelly in her testimony said she believed the lane closures were part of a traffic study, and claimed she repeatedly told Christie about it.

The governor has said he had no knowledge of the plan. In a statement Friday, he added that no believable evidence was presented during the trial to contradict that fact.

"I will set the record straight in the coming days regarding the lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom," he said.

Christie, meanwhile, has a court date in Bergen County later this month to respond to a complaint by a former Teaneck firefighter and citizen activist, alleging the governor committed official misconduct and was involved in the George Washington Bridge lane closures.

A spokesman for Christie on Saturday said there have been no new developments in the matter, which the governor's office has characterized as a "dishonorable complaint filed by a known serial complainant and political activist."

Defense attorneys for Baroni and Kelly vow to return to court.

"This is not over, I assure you," pledged Michael Critchley, who represents Kelly and maintains her innocence.

He promised an appeal as well as a request for a new trial, based in part on the judge's instructions to the jury telling them not to consider whether the lane closures were punitive in nature.

At the same time, while he called Kelly a scapegoat for the actions of others much higher in the administration, he would not comment on what role the governor may have played.

"I'm a trial lawyer, not a politician," Critchley said.

Attorney Michael Baldassare, who represents Baroni, also promised an appeal, calling the case "a disgrace."

The attorney pointed out that prosecutors built their arguments to the jury on the premise the closures were meant to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, but said they then fought for instructions to the jury not to consider motive. He also charged that prosecutors were not brave enough to charge government higher-ups.

"One of the things the U.S. Attorney's Office should be ashamed of is where it decided to draw the line on who to charge and who not to charge," Baldassare told reporters. "They should have had belief in their own case to charge powerful people, and they did not."

Financing questions

Apparently still unresolved is a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into the Port Authority's financing, which grew out of the Bridgegate investigation.

The SEC was looking into whether the agency improperly financed $1.8 billion in renovations to the Pulaski Skyway and other road projects at the behest of the Christie administration, according to subpoenas and bond filings.

A Port Authority spokesman on Saturday declined to comment on the matter, saying the only statements they have made on this issue have been in the agency's official bond statements issued prior to bond sales.

The most recent documents came in April of this year, ahead of a $475 million bond sale, which said "discussions have been initiated between the Port Authority and the staff of the SEC regarding a potential resolution of the investigation."

The Manhattan District Attorney had also been conducting a criminal investigation into the same financing issues.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Voter Registration Illinois

(Associated Press file photo)

The world has changed in many ways since 1981, but perhaps not as much as it has in the world of politics. Maybe, though, the world hasn't changed so much when it comes to polling places and casting ballots in New Jersey.

Some of us are old enough to remember 35 years ago, when Republican Tom Kean defeated Democrat Jim Florio by a mere 1,797 votes for governor. This November 1981 election came with a delay of almost a month while a recount was done to confirm Kean's razor-thin margin.

But here's the thing: The 1981 race also came fully equipped with the "National Ballot Security Task Force," an invention of the Republican National Committee. To staff the "task force," the RNC hired off-duty law enforcement personnel and other assorted characters, wearing official looking-armbands to patrol polling places in mostly minority communities.

Under the guise of ensuring the integrity of the vote, the real goal was to scare off voters in urban communities and keep the Democrats' vote totals down as a way to help Republican Kean. Given the thin margin that made Kean the governor, it's easy to argue that the tactic worked. What that stunt also did was result in a court order, now 30 years old, that restricts the GOP from targeting minorities with similar voter suppression antics.

So what does 1981 have to do with 2016? Well, with the Republican nominee for president running around yelling about "rigged elections," especially in minority cities and communities, and with his web site signing up "election observers," we're back to plowing the same ground that we did 35 years ago.

I had all but forgotten that mess from back in the 1981 until Democratic National Committee officials and reporters started connecting the dots between the 2016 rigged-election rhetoric and "observer" recruiting with the court order that has remained in place since that gubernatorial election. That's when I started paying attention.

So heated has the issue become, and so real is the possibility of intimidation at polling places, that the DNC filed a civil action on Oct. 26 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey to make sure there's not a replay of 1981.

The Democrats' filing asked the court to order the RNC to show why it should not be held in contempt of the consent decree. After arguments on Friday, a federal judge on Saturday declined to take any pre-election action against the RNC, but continued the case beyond Tuesday's voting. The DNC also wants the consent decree against vote suppression continued for another eight years.

The litigation spells out what brought us to this point, which is the talk by Trump about watching "certain areas." By "certain areas," Trump has referenced minority cities and communities with a wink and a nod, saying "You've got to get everybody to go out and watch ... and when [I] say 'watch,' you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Any effort to intimidate voters is one of the worst things a person can do in our system. Using fear to silence someone's voice isn't just about a specific election, it goes to health of our system. Regardless of what party we belong to, or what candidate we support, we all have a responsibility to ensure that no one is intimidated when going to vote.

Anyone claiming to be a poll watcher is not allowed to sit with the election district's hired poll workers, cannot touch election materials, cannot go to the voting machines during polling hours, and cannot challenge the status of would-be voters directly. Only the district workers can ask them questions.

Also, any electioneering has to be 100 feet or more from the outside entrance of the polling place. This means no campaign buttons, signs or campaign clothing within that distance, and no harassing or intimidating any voters, or causing any disturbance in the polling place.

In fact, it is a federal crime to conspire to deprive voters of a fair election. If anyone is harassing you or improperly interfering with your right to vote, you can ask an election board poll worker for assistance.

In Cumberland County, if you are experiencing any harassment at the polls, you can contact our county clerk's office at 856-453-4860, the county board of elections at 856-453-5801, or the national 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline to report the problem.

Tuesday is Election Day. Time to let your voice be heard.

Albert B. Kelly is mayor of Bridgeton.

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It was a little-noticed event, but one that is emblematic of why Donald Trump has done such a good job outsmarting Hillary Clinton.

In a campaign appearance at the University of Northern Colorado a week ago, Trump posed for a photo holding a rainbow flag emblazoned with the words "LBGTs for Trump" as he accepted the endorsement of the Colorado Log Cabin Republicans.

I challenge you to name one other Republican who could have pulled that off while also receiving the enthusiastic support of just about every redneck and cowboy within a hundred miles - which is a lot of rednecks and cowboys if my visits to Greeley are any indication.

Ted Cruz? Marco Rubio? John Kasich? Not a chance.

How about that Bush fellow? What was his name?

Oh yeah, Jeb.

When this race started early last year, the consensus among the experts was that we were headed for another Bush-Clinton election.

The Democrats kept their side of the bargain. As for the Republicans, they backed that guy whose supporters amounted to "something like 6 to 8 percent of the electorate overall, or about the same share of people who think the Apollo moon landing was faked."

That was how noted statistician Nate Silver of the 538.com website assessed the Donald's chances back in 2015.

Silver got everything right about the 2012 race when he was with the New York Times. So why did he get everything wrong about the Donald?

Maybe he didn't listen to the guy who said "The presidency of the United States is not some crown to be passed between two families."

That guy was not a Trump supporter. That was former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who made a brief run against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race before bowing out.

That left Bernie Sanders. Sanders wasn't even a Democrat and he almost beat her.

There was a message in that, but the Democrats may be learning it too late. They're stuck with their pretender to the throne while the Republicans are united behind a candidate who wants to end the monarchy.

The reason this race has surprised so many pols and pundits is obvious: Hillary Clinton does not share her husband's penchant for what the media praised as "triangulation" back when the first Clinton was beating the first Bush.

Here's how Clinton's svengali Dick Morris put it after that 1992 victory: "You take the best from each party and you bring it together in an amalgam of what the American people want. Triangulation was a method of moving the Democratic Party from here to here."

Bill Clinton pulled that off by stealing Republican ideas on hot issues like welfare reform. Trump is doing it by stealing what used to be Democratic ideas in areas like trade and foreign policy.

Jeb Bush: Donald Trump made short work of his claim that his brother "kept us safe" and that deposing Saddam Hussein was "a good deal."

The most brilliant moment in either campaign came when the Donald confronted the Jeb over what the House of Bush considered to be its sainted legacy, the idea that Bush 43 "kept us safe" after 9/11 and also deposed the evil dictator of Iraq.

The GOP hierarchy was shocked when Trump told Bush that 3,000 Americans had been killed by terrorists on his brother's watch - and that we'd have been better off leaving Saddam Hussein in charge of Iraq because at least he knew how to run the damn place.

Most of the pundits portrayed this as a gaffe. In fact it was as brilliant a piece of triangulation as anything Bill Clinton ever pulled off. So was Trump's adoption of populist rhetoric on trade.

Clinton didn't intend to run this race as the pro-intervention, pro-big business candidate. But that's the box into which Trump put her.

The most insightful liberal commentary on this came the other day from historian Thomas Frank in the pages of The Guardian, a socialist newspaper from London.

Frank is the author of a 2004 book about a state bordering Colorado, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" The matter was that Kansans voted Republican, he wrote, when their economic interests were better served by the Democrats.

But now that he's had a chance to look at those emails hacked from the account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, Frank gives us a most insightful look at what he terms "the upper reaches of the American status hierarchy in all its righteousness and majesty" who vacation in Martha's Vineyard every summer.

"Read these emails and you understand, with a start, that the people at the top tier of American life all know each other," he writes. "They are all engaged in promoting one another's careers, constantly."

Of course the same is true of the Republicans who frequent the Bush compound up the coast a bit in Maine. But their candidate is safely back in Florida where he belongs.

The Democrats' candidate is on the ballot - and this year that is a most precarious place to be.

PLUS- NO HANKY-PANKY AT THE POLLS? The democrats - and the media - insist there is very little vote fraud going on in America for this election because so few people have been charged with it.

That's like saying that almost no one drivers over the speed limit on the Parkway because just a few dozen tickets are given out each day.

The fact is that most elections are not monitored and there are all sorts of ways to get unfair advantages. Check this article about a State Police raid of a get-out-the-vote operation in Pennsylvania that allegedly used fraudulent registration forms.

You probably saw my prior post about "knock-and-drag" voter turnout operations in Philly. In it I mentioned how I was on a cruise with a bunch of left-wingers after the 2000 election when they all cheered a speaker who revealed an illegal "ground war" in Massachusetts that year.

There's a lot of this going on in the big cities, boys and girls. See video below:
To the Editor:

Pandas are undergoing a baby boom in China. Breitbart.com reports that polar bears are so numerous in some places that they have become pests. The bald eagle is common enough to have been removed from the U.S. endangered species list. Nevertheless, you can't watch a nature documentary without the obligatory final 10 minutes of hectoring about human activity driving the world to the brink.

Meanwhile, 21 percent of U.S. pregnancies in 2011 ended in elective abortions. About 7 percent of live births in the United States are to immigrants who are here illegally, roughly equal to the number of abortions obtained by black women. You can decide what to make of those statistics.

Immigrant-rights protesters on Oct. 26 blocked New York City-bound lanes of the George Washington Bridge for hours, some chaining themselves to the girders. The next day, police in riot gear were called in to remove anti-pipeline protesters from private land in North Dakota. Yet, who protests, or even speaks, for the approximately one million unborn aborted annually?

We hear feverish claims that if conservatives stopped government funding to Planned Parenthood -- which runs general women's health clinics besides its abortion mills -- it would mean the end of women's cancer screening. This is untrue, since private insurance, charities and Medicaid all subsidize screenings by various providers.

Hillary Clinton has said her campaign is "about the children." Apparently, that concern only begins once the child is delivered. The unborn, however, are not part of her constituency.

Gerald Keer

Turnersville

Beware of trade wars if U.S. hikes tariffs

To the Editor:

Both major candidates for president want to make more jobs for the citizens of this country. They suggest various strategies: more education; penalizing U.S. companies that manufacture goods abroad; raising barriers for importing products from other countries; financial incentives for companies that expand their U.S. operations.

All of these proposals have some merit, but they'd all cost someone something. We set trade barriers to some products coming into the United States, and those blocked countries impose barriers on imports of U.S. products. How does a high tariff on planes that Boeing wants to sell to China sound to you? How about if Japan were to forbid the importation of choice beef or expensive fruit produced in America. Don't you think that such retaliatory moves would cause losses for U.S. firms and producers?

Take something more specific. Suppose we put a new 20 percent tariff on imports of all goods from China? These goods would cost 20 percent more when they appear on American store shelves. With these price increases, some American firms will find that they can compete, and begin producing more goods in the good ol' U.S.A. Bingo! More jobs here.

But who pays for these U.S. jobs? The 20 percent tariffs will not be paid ultimately by the countries sending us imports. American buyers will pay the extra 20 percent. Whose family budgets, whose cost of living of living, will go up?

Don't get me wrong. I may be willing to pay more for the goods I buy if it means more U.S. jobs. But, remember, nothing is free. Someone pays.

Howard Leroy Davis

Pitman

'Yes' can ensure Westville has clean water

To the Editor:

Each year, Westville borough posts the state Department of Environmental Protection's Water Quality Report on our website. It shows the high quality of the water that runs out of your tap.

Water supply is a critical service the borough provides, but it comes with an increasing cost for upgrading the infrastructure and for maintenance. For this and other reasons, I support a "yes" vote in Tuesday's ballot referendum for approval to transfer ownership of the water utility to Aqua New Jersey, an investor-owned utility company.

This ballot question and sale recommendation was not a decision that borough council members took lightly. It came after years of research and an independent engineering study that evaluated existing water facilities and recommended a 20-year infrastructure improvement plan.

A sale might cause residents to have questions, but they should know this is not a unique idea. Privately-owned, regulated water systems produce 4.6 billion gallons of clean water daily to thousands of communities like ours.

The sale would also mean an $8.4 million revenue boost to our community, and we won't have to raise taxes to fund the necessary infrastructure improvements. We'll also receive $3.4 million worth of improvements to our water system in the first few years -- all without a rate increase during the first five years of Aqua ownership. Discounts that seniors and people with disabilities receive will continue.

Westville has been successfully running its water system since at least the early 1940s. But the new engineering report states that all 23 miles of our pipeline is nearing the end of its life cycle. It's more than 70 years old. Our community needs to implement these infrastructure changes.

This vote is about allowing the continuation of our high-quality water system and providing a financial boost that will greatly benefit Westville for years to come. This Election Day provides a great opportunity for the borough. My hope is that residents will vote "yes" on the referendum, so that we can work together to take advantage of this partnership with Aqua New Jersey.

Michael Ledrich

Council President

Borough of Westville

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com
newark-teacher-seniority.jpg

When teacher seniority rights trump merit, the biggest losers are kids. (Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media)

A group of Newark parents has just filed a lawsuit, arguing that a state statute forcing districts to fire teachers based on seniority, not talent, is unconstitutional.



At the very least, we should all agree this policy defies common sense. Schools are required to lay off teachers based on the date they started employment, not their actual job performance.



So they end up keeping ineffective teachers while losing some of their best ones. How is that good for kids?



The main victims are poor students, because many already start out behind. Teacher quality matters more for them. Yet when our state reformed its tenure laws in 2012, lawmakers didn't touch the process known as "last-in, first out," which prioritizes seniority in times of layoffs.

N.J. parents expected to file suit over state's teacher layoff rules



The teachers' union drew a red line there. So six Newark parents, backed by an education reform group, are now suing, saying this denies their kids a "thorough and efficient" education under our state constitution.



Their pro bono lawsuit is probably a long shot, since we haven't yet seen one succeed in other states. Win or lose, though, changing the policy itself is vital, especially as districts like Newark shrink their teaching staffs with declining enrollment. It is something our Legislature should have fixed long ago. Why should these parents have to go to court for it?



The clause they're suing under is the same one cited in the famous 1985 New Jersey Supreme Court case, Abbott v. Burke, which challenged the lack of equal funding for students in the poorest districts. But this time, it's not just about money. It's about the teacher in the classroom, too.



Students taught by an incompetent teacher lose months of learning in a single year, a Harvard study confirmed. And because many top teachers end up in the most desirable districts, some of the weakest ones are left in poor districts like Newark.



Even under the new tenure law, it can take years to get rid of them. Meanwhile, if district budgets force them to lay off tenured teachers, the youngest are the first to go - no matter how gifted or hardworking.



The teachers' union argues that without seniority, veteran teachers will be fired to save more money. But that's highly unlikely, given federal laws against age discrimination. And what about the rights of kids?

Research shows that most teachers peak after about five years in the classroom. On average, teachers with 20 years of experience are not much more effective than those with five years of experience.

To keep talented teachers during budget cuts, Newark had to do a costly workaround, putting weaker staff in an expensive pool when no school agreed to take them. This cost the district more than $22 million in 2013 to 2014 alone.



Think of what that could have been spent on; educational programs, or books. And ultimately, some bad teachers had to be put back in the classroom, out of financial necessity. How is that fair to kids?



New Jersey is one of only 10 states that still makes seniority the only factor in tenured teacher layoffs, and in one poll, 68 percent of residents said that needs to change. So whether it's ordered by a court or not, this much is clear: seniority has to go.



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Keeping prisoners locked in solitary confinement can do irreparable harm not only to the inmates themselves, but also to the community to which they return.

A growing body of evidence indicates that spending months, and sometimes even years, in isolation is likely to create severe psychological problems - even among people who never suffered from mental illness or instability before.

Paranoia, uncontrollable rage and fear, increased risk of suicide: Experts say these are among the undesirable consequences they have documented in recent years.

Now Gov. Chris Christie is considering a bill that would limit the use of solitary confinement in the state's prisons and jails, requiring administrators to use the practice only as a last resort, and restricting the confinement to 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a two-month period.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that 80,000 men, women and children across the United States were locked in isolation at last count.

In New Jersey's prison system, the Department of Corrections puts the number at more than 1,200 as of Oct. 18.

In the past few months, such prominent figures as President Obama, Pope Francis and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy have spoken out against the barbaric practice.

Opponents of solitary confinement point out that not only does long-term isolation inflict psychological damage, but it also has the potential to actually alter the chemistry and structure of the brain.

Senate Bill S-51 reflects the growing realization that punishing inmates this way undermines a fundamental goal of modern corrections facilities: Rather than rehabilitating them and helping to make them fit members of society, serving time in solitary does exactly the opposite.

The measure, which would bar the use of solitary confinement unless it is deemed necessary to prevent harm to an inmate, guard or others, also prohibits its use on vulnerable populations, such as inmates younger than 21 and over 55, and people with developmental problems or mental health problems, NJSpotlight reported recently.

There are serious humanitarian reasons for the governor to sign the bill.

Depriving individuals of any stimulation and human contact while locked away in a small, dark cell for 22 hours or more every day is a modern-day form of medieval torture.

A researcher at Harvard Medical School said former prisoners kept in that environment later suffered such symptoms as hallucinations, panic attacks and diminished impulse control.

Are we creating a population of ex-cons who go back to the streets lugging this emotional - and dangerous - baggage behind them?

Gov. Christie has the power to start making a small but vital change to our criminal justice system. We hope he does the right thing by signing the bill.

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PATERSON - Members of the city council and public were critical of using federal money and city workers on renovations at a privately-owned church so it could house a prison re-entry program long before the FBI raided city hall offices Thursday.

"It was an unconventional project for sure," Paterson Council President William McKoy said Saturday. "Some had argued it was not prudent to do work on a building that the city does not own. There was concern by members of the council and public as the project was moving forth."

FBI agents searched the city hall offices of the mayor and administrators, as well as the community development offices across the street, demanding documents related to the construction and renovation of property owned by Grace Gospel Church for use with the Paterson branch of the New Jersey Prison Re-entry Corp.

The construction was paid for with a $180,000 HUD Community Development Block Grant obtained by the city.

Yvoma Butler is pastor of Grace Gospel, the nondenominational church founded by her husband, Rev. William Butler, in 1982. He died in 2000.

Grace Gospel Church leases space to the William H. Butler Help Center, which subleases part of the building to the Re-Entry Corp., a non-profit organization designed to help people with prison records re-enter society and affiliated with former Gov. Jim McGreevey.

Reached by phone Saturday, Yvoma Butler, 76, declined to answer questions about her church or the FBI raid.

Grace Gospel Church, which owns the property that benefited from the construction, is also listed as the owner of a million dollar home on 2.5 acres in an area of Kinnelon near the Splitrock Reservoir. The church purchased the home in 2007 for $1.2 million, records show, and as a church pays $0 in taxes.

By comparison, an adjacent home on Felkay Court, also on 2.5 acres, paid $28,500 in taxes last year.

Lynette Butler, a police sergeant at William Paterson University, is listed in public documents as a principal member of the William H. Butler Help Center, which subleases the space to the prison program. It's not clear how the Butlers are related, but public records list her as sharing an address at the million dollar house in Kinnelon and her age as 53.

The William H. Butler Help Center, however, had its non-profit status revoked in 2008 after it failed to file federal tax paperwork for three consecutive years, according to Guidestar.

Lynette Butler, who also lists herself as a crisis intervention coordinator at the Passaic County Police Academy, could not be reached for comment. Her Facebook page says she lives in Paterson, not in Kinnelon.

Paterson Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres did not respond to requests for comment. McGreevey has said the re-entry program is merely leasing space on the property.

Torres directed the city's Department of Public Works employees to work on the project. Those employees earned both overtime and double-time, according to McKoy, the council president.

"You can't use city workers on a private project," Councilman Andre Sayegh said Saturday. "It raises a lot of red flags."

Councilman Ken Morris said the project troubled him as well.

"It didn't follow the normal course of things," Morris said. "I had questions from the beginning."

In an interview with NorthJersey.com, Torres said he used city workers along with independent contractors in an effort to get the job done on deadline.

"It was a push," the mayor said.

The decision to use city employees was the mayor's alone, McKoy said.

"The use of city employees would not have required a council vote," McKoy said.

McKoy said Torres used city employees because he wanted to stay within the amount of money available in the HUD grant.

"The bids came back higher than expected," McKoy said. "We were assured that everything was in order."

Torres is allegedly under investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office for reportedly using DPW workers to do odd jobs around his house, such as washing his car and moving a beer cooler.

Among the DPW workers who may have profited from the project is Public Works Supervisor Joe Mania, who was demoted and suspended last month for an obscene Facebook post that targeted some female employees.

According to NorthJersey.com, Mania received $8,200 in overtime on the Montgomery Street project. In a memo obtained by the news website, Mania detailed for Torres the cost for the work at 147 Montgomery St., which included $20,000 in overtime and double-time for public works employees, $18,000 for heat-ventilation, $10,500 for lumber and $7,500 for electrical.

Mania did not return calls seeking comment.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence said Sunday that Gov. Chris Christie would continue to oversee Donald Trump's presidential transition despite the conviction of two of his former aides in the Bridgegate scandal.

"There are no changes in personnel here in the waning days of the campaign," Pence, the Indiana governor, said on "Fox News Sunday."

"Chris Christie has continued to strongly state his position that he had no knowledge of those actions taken," Pence said. "We're grateful for Chris Christie's role in the campaign."

Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, John Podesta, have been among those calling for Christie to step down.

Christie quickly endorsed Trump after his own campaign for the Republican presidential nomination floundered, was a finalist for the GOP vice-presidential nomination that went to Pence, and was tapped to chair Trump's transition team.

He was scheduled to campaign for Trump over the weekend, but those plans were scrapped following the convictions of Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff to Christie, for their roles in the George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal. Another former Christie ally, ex-Port Authority executive David Wildstein, earlier pleaded guilty to his role in the affair.

During the trial, Kelly said Christie knew about the plans to close the bridge lanes in advance as part of a legitimate traffic study.

Christie said after the verdicts that he had "no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them," and "anything said to the contrary over the past six weeks in court is simply untrue.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called the convictions "a sad day for New Jersey" even as he said he would continue to work with Christie.

"That's what the voters expect of us," Booker said in an interview. "We have a lot of big things happening right now, tunnels under the Hudson, key challenges still existing from Sandy. I'm going to work closely with the governor. That's my job and that's my focus."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to sit down with Charlie Rose to discuss the Bridgegate trial verdict in the New Jersey governor's first interview since two of his former allies were convicted.

Parts of the interview -- to be filmed this weekend -- will run during "CBS This Morning," which airs 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern time on CBS.

The entire one-hour interview will be broadcast at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Rose's show on Bloomberg Television. It will also air on Rose's PBS program that night. Check local listings for times.

Bill Baroni, a former Port Authority executive, and Bridget Ann Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, were found guilty Friday on all federal charges against them for their role in the 2013 lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, allegedly hatched to punish Fort Lee's Democratic mayor for declining to endorse the Republican governor for re-election.

Christie was never charged in the case and has said in the three years since the story broke that he was not involved in the plot, nor did he know of the closings until well after they happened.

But another ex-Christie ally, David Wildstein -- a former Port Authority executive who was the alleged mastermind of the scheme and pled guilty -- testified that he told the governor of the lane closings while they were going on.

Christie maintained his position in a statement after the verdict Friday.

"I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them," the governor said. "No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact."

Christie also promised to "set the record straight in the coming days regarding the lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom."

Some experts say the issue has damaged Christie's reputation to the point where his political future is in doubt. National Democrats have called for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to remove the governor as the leader of his transition team.

But Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said Sunday that Christie will remain in that role.

Christie's interview Monday comes a day before Trump battles Democratic rival Hillary Clinton on Election Day.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- The annual report from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a by-the-numbers account of New Jersey's struggle to stem the flow of illegal guns from out of state.

Every year, the ATF slices up state data on "crime guns" -- firearms seized by police and traced to determine their origin -- providing a top 10 list for the cities with the most seized weapons.

Typically, New Jersey's list is topped by its cities, which grapple with violent crime and illegal guns, but 2015 saw a new entrant:

Ringwood, New Jersey. Population 12,228.

The wooded cluster of lake communities in the Ramapo Mountains in northeastern Passaic County came in at number six on the ATF's list of cities with the most recovered weapons. It landed just below Camden, edging out East Orange, Atlantic City and 557 other New Jersey municipalities in terms of the number of crime guns.

The borough had 93 firearms seized and traced in 2015, the data show, but state and federal authorities say Ringwood isn't an overnight hot spot of gun crime.

One man's gun collection shot the tiny town near the top of the list.

On July 17, borough police arrived at the Skyline Drive home of Mariusz Cebula to seize his firearms as part of a temporary restraining order. What they found was later described as a "bunker" containing a cache of new and antique weapons and more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition.

"It's safe to say that the overwhelming majority of guns seized were from that one incident," Ringwood Police Lt. Peter McGinty told NJ Advance Media. He said at least 80 firearms from the town's 2015 tally came from the man's home.

The cache included dozens of World War II-era machine guns, a Mk19 grenade launcher, high capacity magazines and other items prohibited in New Jersey.

"It's a hunting community, so people do have guns here," McGinty said of his town, adding that in the past, police have seized weapons from hunters and collectors in domestic violence investigations, where state law requires police take custody of a defendant's guns until the case is resolved.

But nothing like that bunker. Including the weapons, de-activated ordnance, a silencer and other devices, the lieutenant said they catalogued more than 300 items.

"It took us a while to go through it all," he said.

Cebula pleaded guilty last month to a single count of possession of a machine gun in U.S. district court in Newark. Through a plea deal with prosecutors, he forfeited 27 of the weapons to federal authorities, court records show.

His attorney, Miles Feinstein, said that while Cebula took responsibility for possessing illegal weapons, "he did not use these weapons for unlawful purposes" and "there was no indication they had anything to do with crime or terrorism."

"He was basically a collector," Feinstein said.

Spokesmen for the State Police and ATF said Ringwood's inclusion on the list was a one-time anomaly.

Walter Kudron, a public information officer with the ATF's Newark field office, said federal law prohibits the bureau from releasing town-level data beyond what it publishes in its annual report.

The ATF report is an imperfect account of the guns seized in New Jersey. State attorney general guidelines call for every gun involved in a criminal investigation to undergo tracing, but not every department may fully comply.

The report's authors write in a disclaimer that "not all firearms used in crime are traced and not all firearms traced are used in crime," and a New York Times analysis of the data last year noted that the numbers are considered a conservative estimate of the size and scope of gun trafficking in the U.S.

Still, the report offers the best available window into the hidden flow of firearms, which in New Jersey come primarily from other states.

New Jersey has the highest percentage of crime guns sourced from out of state, at 78 percent.

In 2015, investigators identified the source state in 2,281 cases involving guns recovered in New Jersey. Of those traces, 500 came from within the state, and 1,781 came from states known for their more lax gun laws, including Pennsylvania and Georgia.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PHILADELPHIA -- As this city goes, so may go the nation.

Seeking to close off any route for Donald Trump to get the 270 electoral votes he needs to be elected president, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker visited the city of Brotherly Love Saturday to ensure African-Americans went to the polls on Tuesday.

A strong black turnout in Pennsylvania's largest city could cancel Trump votes elsewhere and keep the Keystone State in the Democratic camp, improving Hillary Clinton's chances of becoming the first woman U.S. president.

"This state is going to determine which way our country goes," Booker said.

Booker (D-N.J.) was one of several surrogates of both parties who, like the candidates themselves, are fanning out to battleground states this weekend in advance of Election Day. Gov. Chris Christie originally was scheduled to visit Pennsylvania as well on Saturday, though his appearance was cancelled after two former aides were convicted in the Bridgegate trial.

He visited a black-owned barbershop, where pro-Clinton campaign signs such as "Love trumps hate" and "Stronger together" shared space with posters of the Negro League, Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston, and Obama. He spoke before a group of blacks who were organizing get-out-the-vote efforts. And he addressed dozens of Clinton supporters at a storefront headquarters.

"People like to know their officials care enough to come to their neighborhoods and speak up for their candidate," said Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell. "This will make a big difference in Philadelphia and this will help with turnout."

Booker delivered pep talks, posed for selfies, posted videos on Instagram, and asked those in attendance to give one hour, 48 minutes or even 32 minutes to make calls on Tuesday to ensure that Clinton backers go to the polls.

"This is one of those elections where it's forward or backward," he said at the barbershop. "We need to get our friends and our families out to vote."

Pennsylvania is one of several traditionally Democratic states -- it hasn't supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 -- that Trump is targeting. He needs to win several states that President Barack Obama won both four and eight years ago.

Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight gave Clinton a 75 percent chance of keeping Pennsylvania blue, but the Democrats' success depends in part on how many African-Americans actually vote. Network exit polls reported by CNN said blacks comprised 13 percent of the state's electorate four years ago and they gave 93 percent of their votes to Obama.

This time around, 90 percent of likely black voters are backing Clinton, according to a New York Times/Siena College survey released Oct. 27. That gave Clinton an overall 46 percent to 37 percent advantage in a four-way race.

Booker said all three branches of government were at stake in this election. Besides the White House, a strong turnout of black voters could elect Democrat Katie McGinty to the Senate, helping the party win a majority there; and the next president will nominate a Supreme Court justice to succeed the late Antonin Scalia.

That could provide a fifth vote to reverse the court's 2013 decision eliminating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, which Scalia called a "racial entitlement."

As the only black Democratic U.S. senator, Booker is in a unique position to talk to African Americans about voting, said Tim Simons, who organized a Black Men for Hillary event downtown.

"We want to make sure we get out into the community and really push black men and black women to get out to vote," Simons said. "We have way too much to lose this year."

Trump is fully aware of how important the black vote in Philadelphia is. He cited concern about turnout in the city as Exhibit A in his argument that the election would be rigged.

"I've heard some stories about certain parts of the state," he said at an August rally in Altoona, Pa., calling for supporters to volunteer as poll watchers.

At Philly Cuts, Booker sat in a chair as barber James Browne shaved his head. Behind them, a video of his Democratic National Convention speech from July played on a large-screen TV.

Just as in the 2012 movie starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, a barbershop serves as a community meeting place in many black neighborhoods.

"This is where the community shares information," Blackwell said. "The barbershop is one of the most important parts of a community. People can talk about what they feel and where they want to go."

The barbershop owner, Darryl Thomas, has made his business a center of community political activity. He brought in Sean Patrick Thomas, one of the actors from the movie. Local officials stop by. And now Booker.

"We're doing our part," Thomas said. "Hopefully, we serve as a model for others to follow. We know what we need to do. We know what's at stake here."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
TRENTON -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was rushed off stage by Secret Service agents during a rally Saturday night in Nevada after someone yelled that a man in the crowd had a gun, authorities said.

But the Secret Service said no weapon was found after a "thorough search."

The incident happened as Trump held a rally in Reno -- his third of four such events across four states Saturday in the waning days of the election. About a half-hour into Trump's speech, a commotion broke out in the audience not far from his podium.

Secret Service agents rush Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump off the stage at a rally in Reno, Nev., on Saturday/

Two agents then surrounded Trump and quickly took him off the stage.

Trump returned minutes later.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us," the celebrity businessman and former Atlantic City casino mogul told the crowd. "but we will never be stopped -- never, ever be stopped."

"I want to thank the Secret Service," Trump added. "These guys are fantastic."

The Secret Service said in a statement that "an unidentified individual" in front of the stage shouted "gun" and authorities "immediately apprehended the subject."

"Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the agency added.

The agency did not identify who the man was or if he was charged.

But Austyn Crites, 33, later identified himself as the man who sparked the incident, according to a report by the Guardian.

Crites told the newspaper it all started when he walked toward the front of the stage to silently to protest against Trump. He said he was carrying a sign that read "Republicans Against Trump."

According to the report, Crites said people started "to get violent," grabbing at his arm and "trying to rip the sign" out of his hand.

Crites added he was on the ground when he heard someone yell "something about a gun," even though he told people on top of him he was simply holding a sign, according to the report.

Crites was immediately detained, though no charges were filed against him, according to a report by CNN.

This isn't the first time Secret Service agents ran onstage to protect Trump. It happened in March when a man rushed the the stage at a rally in Ohio.

Despite the Secret Service's statement, the man who delivered the invocation at Trump's final rally of the day, in Denver, said: "Tonight I think the hate a lot of the media raised against him caused an attempt of murder against him in Nevada."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.






TRENTON -- Hillary Clinton held a narrow lead over Donald Trump in three head-to-head polls of likely voters as the 2016 presidential campaign neared an end.

Clinton, who has seen a once-strong lead erode, was ahead of Trump, 48 percent to 43 percent in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday. Two other polls showed virtual ties between the two nominees: a Fox News survey had her beating Trump, 46 percent to 45 percent, and a McClatchy/Marist College gave her a two-point advantage, 46 percent to 44 percent.

"We're seeing a dead heat," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "We're seeing that all over the country. There are a lot of surprises here in the end."

Despite the closeness of the race, Clinton had a smoother path than Trump to the 270 electoral votes needed to become president. Even if she lost Colorado, Florida, Iowa and Ohio, she would become the first woman U.S. chief executive if she held every other state that has gone Democratic in the last two national elections.

Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight gave Clinton a 64 percent chance of winning the presidency. The New York Times Upshot gave her an 84 percent chance. While the Real Clear Politics poll average gave Clinton a lead of just 1.8 percentage points, she has led in 16 of the last 20 national surveys.

"Although Clinton and Trump are separated by the slimmest of margins, the Electoral College can present a very different picture," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "Close popular votes can, but do not necessarily, translate into tight battles for 270 electoral votes."

To hold the line, Clinton is visiting Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania in the closing days of campaign. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, campaigned in his home state, and former Vice President Al Gore was visiting Colorado.

"Every state we make harder for Donald Trump to win makes his path narrower and narrower," Clinton chief strategist Joel Benenson said on "Fox News Sunday."

Clinton has built her lead on the support from minority voters. Trump has called for deporting all 11 million unauthorized immigrants, described Mexicans as "rapists," and pledged to nominate Supreme Court justices "in the mold" of the late Antonin Scalia, who called the Voting Rights Act a "racial entitlement."

She led Trump among blacks, 86 percent to 7 percent, and Hispanics, 65 percent to 20 percent, in the NBC/Journal poll. Trump led among white voters, 53 percent to 38 percent.

Her 53 percent-to-38 percent advantage among women more than offset Trump's lead among men, 47 percent to 42 percent.

The NBC/Journal poll of 1,282 likely voters was conducted Nov. 3-5 and had a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.The Fox News survey of 1,107 likely voters was conducted Nov. 1-3 and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The McClatchy/Marist poll of 940 likely voters also was conducted Nov. 1-3 and had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
WASHINGTON -- We interrupt this mud-slinging, name-calling, anger-provoking presidential campaign season to bring you a report about actual issues.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump disagree on almost everything from abortion to voting rights. Here's a sampling of where they stand.

Abortion

Clinton supports abortion rights and would nominate like-minded judges.

Trump pledged to nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark court decision that legalized abortion

Budget

Clinton proposes increases in both military and defense spending by eliminating the budget caps agreed to by congressional Republicans and the White House.

Trump wants to boost funds going to the Pentagon only, while proposing an annual across-the-board cut of 1 percent for domestic programs. Trump's plan would reduce spending for border security and veterans' benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington research group.

Campaign finance and ethics

Embracing the centerpiece of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' unsuccessful campaign for the presidential nomination, Clinton has called for overturning Citizens United, the Supreme Court case that overruled almost a century of precedent and legislation and relaxed limits on corporate and union spending.

Trump has promised to "drain the swamp in Washington," offering proposals to limit how long federal lawmakers can serve; banning executive branch officials, members of Congress and congressional staffs from lobbying the government for five years; and stopping registered foreign lobbyists from raising money in elections.

However, his proposals are silent on limiting the role of money in campaigns, even as he accused his opponents of being beholden to their donors. On the contrary, Trump hired David Bossie, the head of Citizens United, as his deputy campaign manager

Trump is the first presidential nominee in decades to refuse to release his income tax returns.

Deficit

Trump's tax-cut plan would increase the federal deficit by $7 trillion over 10 years, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington-based research group. Another research group, the Tax Foundation, which believes that tax cuts largely pay for themselves in economic growth, said Trump's plan still would boost the deficit by $3.9 trillion over a decade.

His call to repeal the Affordable Care Act would add another $137 billion to the deficit over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Clinton's tax plan would reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, according to the Tax Policy Center.

Gun rights

Trump is a strong supporter of an unfettered right to bear arms and has received millions of dollars in support from the National Rifle Association.

Clinton supports background checks for online purchases and those at gun shows, and for banning suspected terrorists from buying weapons.

Health Care

Clinton supports the Affordable Care Act, though has called for some changes such as allowing those over 55 join Medicare. She also proposes a government-run option to compete with private insurers.

Trump wants to repeal the law, though has yet to come up with a way to cover the 20 million Americans now receiving health care under the law. The Center for Health and the Economy, a research group, said that his proposals, which include allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, would take away health coverage from 18 million in the first year.

Immigration

The centerpiece of Trump's presidential campaign has been his call for a Mexico-financed wall along the southern U.S. border and the deportation of all 11 million unauthorized immigrants.

In recent months, Trump emphasized the immediate deportation of those convicted of crimes, but also derided any effort to allow those unauthorized immigrants to remain in the U.S. as "amnesty" and pledged to rescind President Barack Obama's executive orders allowing millions, primarily those brought to the U.S. as children, to remain without fear of deportation.

Clinton supports Obama's executive orders and backs a plan that would strengthen border security and offer a path to citizenship for the unauthorized immigrants now in the U.S. She voted for bipartisan immigration legislation in 2007 that failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate.

Taxes

Despite claims that Trump would cut taxes for the middle class, the Tax Policy Center said almost one-quarter of the benefits of his proposal would go to the top 0.1 percent of taxpayers, giving them an average tax break of $1.1 million in 2017. That's roughly same percentage that would go to the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers.

He also would eliminate the estate tax on multimillion-dollar estates paid only by 2 in 1,000 Americans.

Clinton would raise taxes only on the wealthiest Americans and use that money to rebuild U.S. public works and hold down college tuition.

Terrorism

Both candidates have called for stepping up efforts to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Clinton has said she would support allied ground troops, increase air strikes and work for a diplomatic solution in Syra.

Trump offered no specifics while criticizing Clinton for hers.

"She tells you how to fight ISIS on her website," he said during the first presidential debate. "You're telling the enemy everything you want to do.''

In his acceptance speech, Trump called the agreement with Iran to relax economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program as "as one of the worst deals ever negotiated." Clinton backed the deal.

Voting rights

A U.S. District Court judge is looking at whether Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee violated a consent decree preventing them from taking actions that could intimidate minority voters.

Trump warned that the election could be "rigged" and supported voter identification laws that federal courts have said prevent minorities going to the polls. He said he would pick Supreme Court justices "in the mold" of the late Antonin Scalia, who called the Voting Rights Act a "racial entitlement."

Clinton supports automatic voter registration and wants to restore the Justice Department's power under the Voting Rights Act to prevent states and localities with a history of discrimination from blocking minorities from voting.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook
* Chinese manufacturers seek trading base in Vietnam

* Vietnam's FTAs give Chinese firms new trade options

* TPP's political survival in question

By My Pham

HO CHI MINH CITY, Nov 7 (Reuters) - From textiles and shoes to paper and furniture, Chinese manufacturers are pouring investments into neighbouring Vietnam, hoping to ride on the coattails of the Southeast Asian country's pending trade blitz.

Vietnam's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union, signed last year, and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), if it clears significant political hurdles in the U.S., would collectively give the country access to markets worth $44 trillion in combined gross domestic product.

Even as doubts linger over the future of U.S. President Barack Obama's TPP once he leaves office, early moves by China Inc to leverage off Vietnam's lower factory wages - about a third that of China's - show a re-centering of the world's factory activity.

Importantly, a base in Vietnam gives Chinese manufacturers access to trade agreements of which China is not currently a part.

"So far this year, I've had more than 30 Chinese wood companies coming to me for consultation," said Nguyen Ton Quyen, who heads Vietnam's Timber and Forest Product Association.

"There's a considerable amount of Chinese wood furniture firms moving their investments to Vietnam, to enjoy tax incentives."

Chinese inflows into Vietnam in 2015 doubled from a year earlier to $744 million and 80 percent of that was in the second half of the year, just after Vietnam signed the EU FTA and the TPP.

In the first nine months of this year, investments from China quadrupled to $1 billion compared with the same period in 2015.

Vietnam has numerous other free trade agreements, including with top investor South Korea, supporting resident giants like Samsung and LG. As a part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, it also enjoys free trade with other members of the 10-nation zone, plus the various bilateral agreements the bloc has with other economies, like China.

Story continues

Nguyen Chien Thang runs a furniture factory and is also feeling the Chinese surge. He estimates a third of the approximately 500 foreign-owned wood processing firms in Vietnam are from China and Taiwan, adding to competition for his Scansia Pacific, a supplier for Swedish giant IKEA.

"Tax rates here are also much more favourable," said Thang. "Labour costs in their mainland are getting much higher."

MANUFACTURING MUSCLE

Much of the investment is going into Vietnam's textile industry, the second biggest garment exporter to the U.S. after China, supplying brands such as Nike, Adidas, Zara, Armani, and Lacoste.

The U.S. Department of Commerce projects U.S. imports of textile and apparel from Vietnam to jump 45 percent to $16.4 billion by 2025 from 2015 while such imports from China are expected to tumble 45 percent to $23.7 billion.

Vietnam's trade agreements with TPP and the EU require textile manufacturers source their own yarns, dyes and fabrics locally or from within the respective trade blocs.

For Chinese firms in Vietnam, this means securing access to local supply chains. To prepare for TPP, Chinese textile group Texhong Textile is building a $450 million industrial park in northern Quang Ninh province, with an additional $640 million for supporting industries.

To be sure, this year's U.S. presidential campaign has cast deep doubts over the TPP. Before last year, TPP approval on Capitol Hill looked highly likely, but now neither candidate is willing to support a deal that could have implications for U.S. jobs.

Donald Trump has called the TPP a "death blow" for U.S. manufacturing, while rival Hillary Clinton appears to have backtracked on her previous advocacy for the TPP while serving as Obama's Secretary of State.

While U.S. political noise has created anxiety for those invested in Vietnam, there are hopes Clinton might change her tune on TPP or seek an alternative version of it if she becomes president, in contrast to Trump's more stridently protectionist policies.

Amid the uncertainty, Vietnam's ruling party has taken the ratification of the TPP off its agenda this year.

"Vietnam so far hasn't shown a clear opinion on the two candidates ... but Vietnamese people have shown clearly that they want Hillary Clinton to win," said economist and former government advisor Le Dang Doanh.

SURPRISING CONSEQUENCES

Even with the TPP in doubt, Chinese firms are looking to leverage off Vietnam's clout as an emerging industrial and trade power.

Ironically, deals like TPP, Obama's signature trade policy intended to boost American influence in Asia and challenge that of China, have actually encouraged Chinese engagement.

Rising investment from China is also changing Vietnam in other ways.

Anti-China sentiment is entrenched in Vietnam, shaped by centuries of perceived Chinese bullying and sustained by recurring wrangles over sovereignty in the South China Sea.

But there are signs Vietnamese are putting nationalist ideals aside and are learning Chinese, in the hope of getting jobs offered by China Inc and swarms of Taiwanese investors.

In the sprawling industrialised province of Binh Duong, China and Taiwan are bringing huge job opportunities, with the two countries accounting for a third of over 100 new investment projects announced in the first five months of 2016.

"I don't like China, or Chinese, but their firms are coming here more and more," said Minh Anh, a university student who juggles Chinese classes at night with university lectures and a part-time job by day.

"Speaking Chinese may widen my job opportunities and help me earn a good job with good benefits."

(Additional reporting by Yawen Chen in BEIJING; Editing by Martin Petty and Sam Holmes)
What is a newspaper typically trying to say when it publishes an editorial, endorses a candidate for public office or recommends one answer over the other on a ballot issue?

It seems a good time to answer this question on behalf of The Telegraph, not only because the general election is close at hand but also because the American press, its mission and its motivations have been caught in the national political crossfire this year as perhaps never before.

Lets start with pieces such as this. Unsigned editorials in this space reflect the best advice of this newspapers leadership to our readers on how you might best answer the important questions that face us as a community, a region, a state or a nation.

Though they express an opinion, Telegraph editorials do not serve the same purpose as the other items on this page  namely, the signed letters to the editor and the opinion columns written by nationally syndicated columnists and occasional local or Nebraska residents.

Such writers speak for themselves alone. Their columns and letters are published in the hope of stimulating conversations and offering readers a broad range of perspectives on local, state or national issues. Ideally, readers will find a rough balance of perspectives over time.

Neither do The Telegraphs unsigned opinions serve the same purpose as its news stories. Its a fact, however, that most U.S. newspapers were openly aligned with one political party or another until about a hundred years ago. Their editors and publishers often squared off aggressively, mixing up news and editorial content and using language that still might make our readers blush.

But for many decades, under editors like Keith Blackledge, publishers like Jim Kirkman and owners like the Seacrest family and the Omaha World-Herald, The Telegraph has striven to meet a higher, more independent standard. We have never been directed to alter that standard, regardless of changes in ownership or the personal political leanings of our current owner.

Since the early 1900s, U.S. newspapers generally have sought to present news and information to their readers fairly, accurately and with as much balance between perspectives as possible. Their leaders have indeed continued to express strong opinions  but only on pages like this one. And pieces like the one youre reading present facts and reasoning offered in good faith, even if some of our readers reach different conclusions from ours.

Being human, we may fall short of this ideal from time to time. But we still believe this approach is the most constructive contribution we can make to those we serve.

Who and what does The Telegraph stand for?

We stand, first of all, for the people of North Platte and Lincoln County, as this newspaper has done since its first issue in 1881.

We stand for our neighbors in west central Nebraska. We stand for all Nebraska and its unique, typically nonpartisan way of governing itself, though we will stand up for our part of the state when push comes to shove.

And, of course, we stand for our nation. Please understand, however, that we list our nation last here only because we believe we best serve our country when we focus on the people we serve most directly in our community, region and state.

We seek to tell your stories  our stories  and preserve them for posterity. We seek to support and encourage anything that better enables us to fulfill our duties as citizens and to prosper and live together in harmony and peace.

That requires us, we believe, to analyze obstacles to those goals and suggest ways to overcome them, even when doing so risks discomfort and disagreement.

And when we use this space to suggest support for one candidate over another or one position on a ballot issue over another, we do so out of a belief that our recommendation best serves the goals and interests outlined here.

But this is your community, region, state and nation. We who put The Telegraph together are merely citizens like you. The American experiment cannot work if we do not seek the best information, engage each other, risk disagreement with each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt as often as possible.

We offer this newspaper to you in that spirit, in good times and bad, in the hope that future generations will enjoy the blessings of living in this community we call home.
Over the past half-century, western Nebraskans have generally chosen state senators who maximized their influence in an urban-tilted Legislature through the power of collaboration and goodwill.

Nebraskas population has been shifting eastward since Depression times. Only six of the Unicamerals 49 senators now live west of Kearney. A 1960s effort to weight legislative districts by geography was struck down under U.S. Supreme Court rulings that states voting districts must be equal in population  even in the other 49 states that still have two-house legislatures.

So how can our region best be heard in Lincoln? By a cooperative approach that senators remember when they elect their leaders. Since the early 1980s, Nebraskas western half has produced four speakers of the Legislature  the position that sets the daily lawmaking agenda  as well as several leaders of committees that filter the bills senators consider on the floor.

One doesnt gain such positions by being a chronic agitator (not that confrontation might not be necessary from time to time). And senators dont have time to lose in building trust with colleagues when term limits allow them no more than eight years in office at a time.

Its vital, we believe, that western Nebraska voters choose lawmakers with the gift for gaining friendly ears and the dogged determination to make steady progress on state and regional problems when epic solutions arent in the cards.

Lincoln County and southwest Nebraska wont be choosing state senators this year. But Sandhills residents have interesting choices to make in District 43, where incumbent Al Davis faces retired Col. Tom Brewer, and District 47, where Karl Elmshaeuser and Steve Erdman hope to succeed term-limited Sen. Ken Schilz.

All four showed competent levels of knowledge and an appreciation for gracious teamwork in pre-election interviews for The Telegraph. Were far more impressed by that than by extraneous issues like whether either or both District 43 candidates live enough of each year in the district. (Both candidates own homes in eastern Nebraska, and theyll need places to live during legislative sessions, after all.)

As the lone incumbent, Davis has gained a platform for western Nebraskas concerns as a member of the Revenue and Transportation committees. He also has cast votes that clash with historic Sandhills thinking, though some  not all  of those votes may have been misinterpreted. District 43 voters will have to decide whether hes enough out of step to risk starting over with Brewer, a highly capable man who would be a first-time officeholder.

In District 47, both candidates offer different but equally valuable sets of experiences with agriculture and local government. Elmshaeuser, an Ogallala city councilman, already has strong working relationships in Lincoln and this region as executive director of the West Central Nebraska Development District. Erdman, a Morrill County commissioner, counters with decades of local and statewide experience with counties, schools and farm and ranch groups.

Based on the considerations outlined above, we give slight edges to Sen. Al Davis in District 43 and to Karl Elmshaeuser in District 47. That said, western Nebraskans still would be well represented if either or both races go the other way. With so few seats to work with, thats a good position for our region to be in.
American Legion to host Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 12

The American Legion and the American Legion Riders will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 12. The dinner will be from noon to 2 p.m. at the American Legion Post, 2020 E. Fourth St.

All American Legion, Auxiliary, Son of the American Legion and American Legion Riders and their guests are invited to attend the annual Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy will be provided. A freewill donation is asked to help defray cost.

Garbage service to observe holiday hours on Friday

The City of North Platte employees will be observing Veterans Day on Friday. Extra crews will be working to complete all routes by end of the workday on Thursday. Residents are encouraged to have their carts in place for collection on Monday to avoid having it missed.

The transfer station will be closed on Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

NP chapter of PBL will host craft show, canned food drive

North Platte Phi Beta Lambda is hosting a craft show and canned food drive on Nov. 19.

Rec Center sets holiday hours

The North Platte Recreation Center will be open holiday hours from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

There will be no daytime/playtime, childcare, fitness classes or other rec programs that day. For more information, call the Rec Center at 308-535-6772.

Board of roads will not meet

The Nov. 18 meeting of the Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards has been canceled for want of a sufficient agenda. In the interest of costeffective stewardship of state funds, the meetings business will be combined with the next meeting agenda.

The next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 20, in the Nebraska Department of Roads Central Building Auditorium at 1500 Highway 2 in Lincoln. Any new business will be transacted at that time.

No bus service on Veterans Day

The North Platte Public Transit office will be closed Friday in observance of the Veterans Day holiday. There will be no bus service that day. For more information, call Marilee Hyde at 308-535-8560 or the dispatcher at 308-532-1370.

Veterans Day parade Nov. 11

The Downtown Association is sponsoring the annual Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11.

The parade will start at 4 p.m. Line-up begins at 3:30 p.m. at First and Bailey streets. The parade will begin at Second and Dewey, traveling north on Dewey to Sixth Street, Sixth to Bailey and then south on Bailey to Third Street.

To sign up, complete the entry form at Swans Furniture, or contact Don Lucas at 308-532-3550.
Americans weigh passionate split, search for healing

The idea had never occurred to the Rev. Adam Hamilton at the conclusion of past presidential campaigns. But this Election Day, the megachurch he leads in the Kansas City suburbs will invite congregants, and anyone else who chooses, to stop in and pray for the nation to heal itself.

Theres plenty of division in our country every year, but this years election is different, said Hamilton, founding pastor of the 20,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, where two of four campuses will serve as polling stations. Our families are divided. Were divided sometimes from our friends. Even when were in church here our politics are different. And I think we have to be reminded that theres a bigger picture here.

As Hamiltons congregants and millions of other Americans weather the final days of a campaign cycle filled with insults and anger, the nation indeed finds itself at a troubling crossroads.

Americans are split over immigration, the changes wrought by globalization, the treatment of minorities and the threat of terrorism. But partisanship, long rising, has veered beyond policy disagreement. Now, roughly half of Democrats and Republicans tell pollsters they fear those in the other party.

With people increasingly ensconced in media silos and social networks that surround them with like-minded views, many cannot even agree on what constitutes basic facts.

The economy, by almost any empirical measure, is healthy and gaining traction. Yet as Americans head to the polls, many talk about being left behind not just by the recovery, but the political system.

The unemployment rate right now, regardless of what the numbers say, is horrendous.... I can look here and nobodys working, said Alan Halsey, who has a sign for Republican nominee Donald Trump in the window of the general store he runs in Campton, Kentucky. If we continue on this road, this place is going to look like Iraq or Afghanistan. Theres going to be nothing here.

Halseys viewpoint contrasts with figures showing that unemployment nationwide is down to 4.9 percent. Median household income jumped last year to $56,500, the highest it has been since before the bottom fell out of the economy in 2008. The share of Americans living in poverty declined sharply last year to 13.5 percent. Home prices are rising again, and millions more people have health insurance.

But the rebound has been slow to reach some Americans, particularly in manufacturing and mining communities that have lost many jobs, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics.

We dug ourselves into such a deep hole early on in 2008, 2009 that weve spent the last eight years really digging out of it, Zandi said. But if youve been struggling for more than a couple or three years, you begin to expect that thats your world forever. Youre doomed and not only doomed, but your kids are doomed ... and a lot of people are still stuck in that negative psychology.

The divide was spotlighted in a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, asking voters to compare their lives with those of people like them 50 years ago. When Trump supporters were asked that question, 4 in 5 said life in the U.S. today is worse for people like them. A nearly equal number of voters backing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said life today is just as good or better.

This is one of the core questions that speak to the current political environment, said Jocelyn Kiley, associate director of research for Pew. Political divisions are about more than just political issues, but about perceptions of the state of the country.

Those disagreements dont always fit old political pigeonholes. But people on both sides share a similar estrangement from traditional parties and politics.

Take Jerome Nichols, 68, a semi-retired accountant from Webster Groves, Missouri, who voted early for Clinton.

I am a lifelong Republican, but I am sick to death of what has happened to my party, Nichols said. Theyre just a bunch of haters.

Meanwhile Terry Wright, 59, a disabled union painter in Louisville and a registered Democrat backing Trump, says he has given up on his old party. Democrats backed immigration policies that have filled limited jobs with foreigners, and pushed for welfare programs that have knocked the ambition out of younger workers, he said.

Clinton will be the damnation of America, he said.

With modern U.S. presidential campaigns now stretching over two years, its hardly surprising that Americans are tired of the candidates and their commercials.

Im ready for the election to be over because Im sick of hearing about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and all the rhetoric, said Natalie Blair Pounds, 52, an auto mechanic in Denver, whose state is a battleground. But just to be on the record, Im voting for Hillary because I dont like the things Donald has said. I dont like the things Donald has done.

Voters intense negative feelings about Trump and Clinton may say as much about the times as the candidates, said David Greenberg, a professor of history at Rutgers University and author of Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency.

Theres something about the polarized climate that were in that leads us to feel these things more strongly, to regard the opposition with such hostility, to talk in terms of threats to the Republic, to say Lock her up, in ways we wouldnt have 30 years ago.

Its a far cry from Ronald Reagans 1984 message that it was morning in America. Or Barack Obamas 2008 call for Change We Can Believe In. Still, many voters continue to express faith that their voices can make a difference.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Jaquelinne Murillo, a law student who entered the U.S. from Mexico with her mother when she was 10 and became a U.S. citizen in May, said she looked forward to rejecting Trumps very hurtful portrayal of fellow immigrants as rapists and drug dealers.

It really makes me really happy that this is going to be the first election that I can actually vote in. And Im going to vote. Theres no way I wont, she said.

Others, though, are decidedly conflicted.

This is really the only time that I can ever remember, in any voting that Ive ever done, where I was at a loss as to who I was going to vote for, said Diane Kekoolani Barrett, a self-declared Republican in Honolulu, Hawaii. As she exited the city hall last week after casting an early ballot, she couldnt bring herself to name her choice for president. I kept thinking about that and, well, I hate to say it, I went with the lesser of two evils.
tim cook google glass

Apple is the most valuable company in the world, and it makes a lot of profit, but its long-term future depends on it coming up with a new product, a new "one more thing."

The Apple Watch, which has been selling poorly for Apple, isn't going to do it.

Apple needs a new platform. And Apple CEO Tim Cook knows it. That's why he's been dropping hint after hint that Apple's next major technology initiative is augmented reality  basically, integrating software into the real world.

What is AR?

justin trudeau hololens

"It is a visual technology that interprets the world for you," Research Vice President at Gartner Brian Blau told Business Insider. "If you think about augmented reality in that sense, it could be the next big grand computing platform. That has been the long-term promise."

AR is a close cousin of virtual reality. For now, augmented reality means you can hold up your phone and, for example, identify landmarks, discover a hidden Pokemon, or magically translate signs using your device's camera.

The end game of augmented reality is a pair of computer glasses or perhaps a contact lens that can superimpose computer graphics into the real world seamlessly.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked about augmented reality essentially every time he's been called on to make public remarks recently.

"This is something you know it's coming," Piper Jaffray managing director Gene Munster told Business Insider. "The only other times they've talked like this is before the iPhone came out, they started to indicate they could do something in the phone market. Before the Apple Watch came out they talked about wearables and the wrist being a better option."

"It's pretty rare that Apple has been this clear that something is coming," Munster said.

If you parse Cook's most recent comments on AR, given at an event in Utah in October, he seems to lay out Apple's strategy for attacking this market, according to analysts and people in the AR industry.

Story continues

'Three meals a day'

Cook said about AR:

"It will be enabled in the operating systems first, because its a precursor for that to happen for there to be mass adoption of it. Id look for that to happen in the not-too-distant future. In terms of it becoming a mass adoption [phenomenon], so that, say, everyone in here would have an AR experience, the reality to do that, it has to be something that everyone in here views to be an 'acceptable thing.'

...

I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day, it will become that much a part of you, a lot of us live on our smartphones, the iPhone, I hope, is very important for everyone, so AR will become really big.

...

AR is going to take a while, because there are some really hard technology challenges there."

Here's what Cook is signaling:

Adding key AR building blocks, like the ability for a camera to identify objects, into iPhone software and Apple apps in the near future.

Adding AR-specific hardware to the iPhone, like a 3D sensor. This could come from Primesense, a company Apple bought in 2013, and would allow the device to understand its surroundings even better than a basic camera.

Opening up the platform to developers, so that programmers can make augmented reality apps without dealing with the complicated computer vision and physics algorithms currently being developed by people at Apple and other companies with Ph.Ds.

Releasing an AR-specific product, perhaps a pair of glasses, when the technology is ready. It will be able to take advantage of all the AR apps already developed for iPhone.

"AR is related to all Apples current businesses; the key is that AR is an innovative human-machine interface that could be used in various devices & applications," KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a note distributed to clients last week seen by Business Insider. "All of Apples past successes were related to human-machine interfaces."

'Enabled in operating system first'

"We believe Apple could embed early AR features in iOS 11," the version of iOS expected to be unveiled next June, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich wrote last week in a note distributed to clients.

There are already signs that Apple has experimented with integrating some headset-related features into its iOS operating system. In 2015, it purchased Metaio, a company that had developed a mobile AR browser as well as a whole suite of AR tools.

Last month, developer Steve Troughton-Smith uncovered some interesting features currently included in Apple's iOS.

Apple should ape HoloLens; app platforms are their thing  leave VR to others. This has been in SceneKit since iOS 9 pic.twitter.com/kArfYIIHDI  Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 15, 2016

These features seem to have been abandoned for the time being, Troughton-Smith told Business Insider.

"I think the kind of VR you build for something dumb and simplistic like Google Cardboard is very different from what real VR needs. I imagine they got to the point where they realized they were going down the wrong path if they want to do this seriously," Troughton-Smith said.

This isn't the first time that Apple has built an augmented reality application that has yet to see the light of day. 9to5Mac reported last year that the company had been experimenting with a feature in Apple Maps, based out of the Points of Interest system, that would show an augmented reality view for local listings.

"The augmented reality feature allows a user to hold up her iPhone in the Maps application, and point her camera toward a particular business or an area. Pointed towards a cafe, for example, the screen could show a virtual view of menu items or daily specials," 9to5Mac reported.

Apple is also reportedly working on a Snapchat-style messaging app that could use augmented reality technology to apply filters or manipulate faces in real-time.

"We expect Apple to generate preliminary results for AR in the next 1-2 years at the earliest and working with iPhone may be the first step," Kuo wrote.

'A lot of us live on our smartphones'

lenovo phab2 pro

"There are two phases to this: the phone is becoming a better AR device and that's probably what Apple's going to do over the next five years," Munster said. "They're going to start to make it more clear that the iPhone is an AR platform, then it's up to developers to create experiences."

"Our best guess is next year, AR is going to be one of the selling points," Munster said.

The next step would be to add depth-sensing capabilities to the iPhone. Depth-sensing is critical for AR  if the computer can tell how far away something is, it's much easier to manipulate on a screen.

Apple purchased PrimeSense, a 3D-sensing company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2013. Many of Apple's chip designing operations are based in Israel.

PrimeSense technology, specifically its 3D sensor, has yet to appear as part of an iPhone.

But Apple did hint at AR-specific hardware with the iPhone 7 Plus.

The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-lens camera. Basically, the two lenses can act like a pair of eyes, and with some math and triangulation, can give some rough distance estimations. But there are issues with the lenses currently on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Experts say that the lenses are too close to each other to do much useful depth sensing. Imagine if there was no distance between your eyes, for example.



Fast Company talked to a developer who thinks the max distance that it could accurately identify distance is perhaps 50 centimeters  or slightly farther than you typically hold your smartphone away from your face.

Developers are already eager to make AR apps for the iPhone  as soon as Apple releases an AR platform, say, ARKit, there will be a slew of new apps and experiments.

Lenovo launched a phone this week that includes a 3D sensor using Google's technology.

'T here are some really hard technology challenges there'

The next step would be to make a pair of glasses, but the timeline here is completely uncertain. "The future of AR is a wearable, but that's probably 5 years down the road," Munster said.

Some glasses are already on the market  Microsoft sells a version of its Hololens AR headset to developers already, and it will go on sale to consumers in the next two years. Magic Leap, a Google-backed startup with $1.39 billion in venture funding, is also gearing up to launch a product in the next year or two.

Apple has been designing headsets in its prototype labs, according to the Financial Times.

Apple is rarely an early adopter, though. And there are several issues with headsets as they currently exist:

They're significantly heavier than modern glasses.

It's difficult to integrate a battery into a pair of glasses without getting chunky. Magic Leap's prototype has a cord attached to a battery pack, for example.

Currently available AR optics have issues with resolution, color, and field of view.

Headsets are more difficult to store and less portable than something compact like a cell phone.

There's still the big question of whether society will accept head-worn devices.

But why?

A Microsoft employee demonstrates HoloLens during the Microsoft Build 2016 Developers Conference in San Francisco, California March 30, 2016. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach/File Photo

It's hard to see why Apple would want to bet the future of its company on a new kind of technology that might not ever catch on.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that AR could have 75% of a $90-$117 billion market by 2020, although that seems bullish.

It's easier to see what Apple's competitors see in the field. Microsoft launched a new computer last month, but instead of focusing on Windows, it spent a lot of time talking about 3D modeling and its Hololens product.

Microsoft missed the boat on mobile. Apple took over 100% of the profit in the smartphone sector this past quarter. So if it wants to become a major platform player again, it needs to find the next one. Smart people think it's going to be AR, even though the market is only nascent.

"Today, Microsoft is focusing on business applications with Hololens, and that is not what Apple focuses on," Blau said. "They really only ever focus on consumer technology for everyone."



"If Apple does anything, it is going to be an every-person's technology," Blau said.

What makes Apple a special company in Silicon Valley is it can design both the unique hardware and software for the project, and it remains one of the best companies at user interface and design. If it were to launch consumer AR based on that, it would be ahead of nearly every other major tech company in this space.

If Apple nails this transition, it could continue to be the world's most valuable company for years to come. If it doesn't, Apple becomes a less exciting company, Cook suddenly starts to look a lot like former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer  a caretaker who missed the boat on the next big computer platform.

Email the author at kleswing@businessinsider.com. Alex Heath contributed reporting.

NOW WATCH: The Apple of China just unveiled a phone thats more powerful and better looking than the iPhone





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In 1994, I presented the first of what has turned out to be 23 years of Holiday Readings at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster. Over the decades, I have read from Truman Capote, David Sedaris, Jean Shepherd, Augusten Burroughs and numerous others. This years reading is Why I Love Christmas by that master of the absurd, the creator of cult classics Pink Flamingos and Polyester, John Waters. Join me Tuesday, Nov. 15, with wine in the gallery at 11, lunch at noon featuring Hellmanns Parmesan Crusted Chicken (a John Waters favorite!) and the reading to follow. Please note: Reservations are required. 219/836-1839, ext. 103 or www.SouthShoreArtsOnline.org

Also celebrating 23 years . . .

Originally an annual sale of the Duneland Weavers Guild, the Interwoven Expressions exhibit has matured into an independent premier Midwest juried forum for creative fiber expression. Weavers from throughout Northwest Indiana are joined by fiber artists from Chicago, Wauconda, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Indianapolis and Lafayette. Come see the exquisite creations made by these talents who weave, dye, knit, felt, quilt, stitch and design contemporary and traditional fashions, home decor and holiday gifts. Saturday, Nov. 12 at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton. 219/762-7748 or www.interwovenexpressions.com

10th annual ARTability Show

Valparaiso University hosts client artists from Opportunity Enterprises at the ARTability Show and Sale from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 18, featuring nearly 400 pieces of framed artwork, ceramics, glassware and jewelry, all available for viewing and purchase. Last years show was seen by nearly 250 visitors. The exhibit includes adult artists with varying types of physical and developmental disabilities, ranging in age from 18 to 75. They come to the Opportunity Enterprises art enrichment program with a wide range of artistic experiences. 219/464-9621 or www.oppent.org/art2016.

Annie Warbucks

All the ingredients that made Annie such a success can be found again in its sequel, Annie Warbucks. The action picks up with Child Welfare Commissioner Harriet Doyle arriving on the scene to inform Daddy Warbucks that he must marry in 60 days so that the newly adopted Annie can have a proper mother. In the end, Daddy Warbucks whirlwind search for a fitting bride uncovers not only a plot by Doyle and her daughter to strip him of his fortune, but also his true feelings for Miss Grace Farrell, his faithful secretary who has loved Annie from the start. Nov. 17 through Dec. 18. 219/836-3255 or www.theatreatthecenter.com.

A Silent Film Classic

The Concert Association of Valparaiso presents the Forza String Quartet in a live musical accompaniment to a screening of The Black Pirate, a 1926 duotone swashbuckler starring Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp and Sam DeGrasse. The performance will be presented in the Ivy Tech auditorium, Valparaiso, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 219/462-5305 or www.valpoconcerts.com
Andrew Oltmanns is a taproom manager at New Oberpfalz Brewing in Griffith. But more than a year ago in January, he was knocking on the brewerys doors, trying to enter with friends. They had skipped class at then Purdue Calumet to explore the new business.

The problem though was this particular day was only a soft opening for family and friends. However, by the goodwill of the owner, Dan Lehnerer, they were let in.

Soon, the brewery posted an ad for help with bar backing and dishwashing. Otlmanns applied and earned the position. Even though he had his first craft beer at 19, the brewing process has always interested him.

Its something new and different than the regular stuff, Oltmanns said. The science behind it is cool. Its such a complex drink, more than anything else. Its like being in a band and being backstage. Except youre back in the brewery.

The complexity drew him to 3 Floyds Brewpub on his 21st birthday where he only drank a little, but left with a lot more.

I probably spent $200 on beer to go, Oltmanns said.

That complexity also results in a fuller and more complex beer taste, which has seen a trending increase in consumption over the past few years. Craft beer production volume increased by 13 percent last year, according to the Brewers Association. About 25 million barrels of craft beer were produced, accounting for more than $22 billion in sales and more than 20 percent the overall beer market.

Its not only an interest in beer variety, but also a product increasingly consumed by younger drinkers and millennials. Northwest Indianas plethora of craft breweries serve and contribute to this trend.

Joey Potts, creative director at 18th Street Brewery in Gary, agrees that hes seen not only an interest in and mixed-age clientele coming to his taprooms but also many young beer drinkers coming in.

Any brewery thats a small business that makes good beer and has a taproom to go to is going to draw younger crowds for sure, Potts said.

The breweries and taprooms fit into another trend of younger shoppers: awareness of where products are coming from and a variety and authenticity that comes with the consumed product. The craft breweries are gaining an edge on big beer corporations such as MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch.

Every 21-year-old has a smart phone and can find the company that owns what youre drinking, eating, where its produced, how its produced, their ethics and in general what kind of corporate citizen they are, said Lehnerer, of New Oberpfalz. Theres an honesty that people are seeking in everything they consume.

Big beer has felt the pressure with declining sales. Some corporations have sought to buy out craft brands, such as Anheuser-Busch In Bev acquiring Chicagos Goose Island Brewery in 2011.

If you look at who theyre acquiring and why theyre acquiring, their goose is cooked, Lehnerer said.

What stands out to young drinkers as well is the experience of traveling to and drinking in the breweries taprooms, according to Potts.

Youre not just going and sitting at a normal bar with 75 TVs and top 40 radio playing, Potts said. Youre going for a personal feel of a place and an experience to go along with the beer.

The breweries provide a variety of choices in beer styles, according to Lehnerer. Although he and others may introduce new flavors or special limited time releases, the young drinkers are, as he and other brewers joke, promiscuous, and like to travel to the various breweries to try the plentiful options.

However, any business competition that may exist, if any, is complemented with a goodwill toward seeing each others success, Oltmanns said.

If only one place thrives, none survive, he said. Everyone else is going to bring something else to the table.
DISNEY WORLD  Fun is fun, but when my 7-year-old granddaughter asked to go on the Three Caballeros boat ride at Epcots Mexican Pavilion for a THIRD time, I had to put my foot down and say no.

Now if she had asked to go back to the Frozen Ever After Ride in the Norwegian Pavilion next door, with her, Id wait in the standby line for another chance to see Olaf, the Troll King, Anna, Kristoff and Elsa and Marshmallow the snow monster and the whooshing and the splashing.

I recently returned from Orlando, Florida, with my princess collection: my 7-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle, my daughter, Marissa, and my wife, Mary Sue. We spent four days at Disney World.

Getting there was a journey.

When I was a kid, my family didnt go on regular vacations and nobody took me to Disneyland after it opened in 1955, but when it was featured on the Walt Disneys television show, I imagined myself riding on the Tea Cups.

When I was old enough to go on my own vacations, I embraced nature. Nothing pleased me more than to hike a wooded trail with my wife and my children and avoid tourist traps and their thundering herds.

Sometime in the mid-1990s I became aware that my kids were tired of all the mountain hiking, so I revisited my inner child and headed for Disneyland and Disney World, where I learned my kids liked the Space Mountain roller coaster much more than their parents.

My daughter, then 11 years old, wistfully remarked it would have been better for her if we had gone when she was younger and the perfect age to believe the Disney magic.

To me, it works on all ages because I saw more adults than children in the park on my latest visit.

My daughter, who has gone back several times with her husband and my granddaughter, extended an invitation to accompany them to Mickeys Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom.

We flew into Orlando the third week in October and enjoyed picture book weather during our stay.

Unlike her cheapskate father who picked an economy hotel in Kissimmee, Florida, when we traveled here two decades ago, my daughter booked us into the Disneys Caribbean Beach Resort, where we could ride Disney buses free to attractions or enjoy the resorts many pools to cool off after a long hot day.

I vaguely remember doing a little research 20 years ago on how to navigate Disneys long lines, which boiled down to getting to the park as early as possible.

But my daughter spent hours mapping out our every move with Fastpass, a ride reservation system that cuts the wait time on popular rides. She also used the My Disney Experience app to check up wait times for other rides.

That feature came into play at the Magic Kingdom. We had just finished the Enchanted Tales with Belle show, where my granddaughter played Mrs. Potts, the tea pot character in short, live re-enactment the 1991 movie Beauty and the Beast.

As we emerged back into the light of day when my daughter checked her smartphone and said, Theres only a 15-minute wait to the Haunted Mansion! Go. Go!

I was afraid my granddaughter would think the Haunted Mansion was too scary. But she not only braved that ride, she was even a bigger trouper at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which knotted my stomach while I stood in line before the towers elevators thinking about the gravity-defying drops and lifts ahead.

Halloween Party wristbands permitted us to stay late in the park for a parade, a stage show at Sleeping Beautys Castle featuring witches and various Disney villains, a Halloween-themed parade and amped up trick-or-treating, where Disney workers throw fistfuls of candy into kids bags at various locations in the park.

The biggest surprise for us was when we ran into my granddaughters classmate and neighbor who were at the Magic Kingdom at the same time with her family. Its more fun with friends on the Its a Small World and Splash Mountain rides.

Im no autograph seeker and didnt bother with character events during my earlier visits with the kids, but my granddaughter collected a multitude of them at character meet-and-greet events armed with big sharpie pens and autograph boards my daughter thoughtfully brought with us.

We saw sharks, real kind and a life-size model of Bruce, the Great White character from Disneys Nemo films. We saw a bestiary of beasts on an Animal Kingdom safari, a Lion King show and dodged a Yeti on the Expedition Everest roller coaster.

We forgot to wear our rain ponchos on the Kali River Rapids, but avoided getting wet there and we didnt even get close to the Casey Jr. Splash N Soak Station.

We ate well on the Disney Dining Plan, particularly at Epcot, which was in the midst of a food and wine festival. It continues until Nov. 14. It offers international food at 30 kiosks in addition to the permanent restaurants at the 11 national pavilions.

A couple we met at the Brazil Pavilion were from the immediate Orlando area. They came for the food and so did a huge weekend crowd including several wedding parties, including one group that wore Bridal Tribe T-shirts and another wearing tutu skirts.

Dire warnings about the Zika virus didnt appear to scare anyone off, although Disney provided a can of repellent in our room.

We saw fireworks every night themed to Star Wars at Hollywood Studies, Halloween at the Magic Kingdom and the international community at Epcot.

And I got to ride the tea cups, but we didnt spin as fast as my granddaughter would have liked.
This Tuesday, if you havent already, you have the opportunity to make your vote count for the next leaders of our county, state and country. Please go out and vote.

So many years ago, there was a point in World War I that a temporary cease-fire was called at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month between Germany and our allies. Some time after the end of that war, President Woodrow Wilson declared this day as Armistice Day.

In the late 1950s, President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name of this day to Veterans Day, a day to honor all veterans whether they be of foreign wars or right here on our own soil. We need to remember that we have to continue to work together until world peace predominates.

I truly love to see all the veterans come out to see off those who have volunteered to serve and protect our great land. The pictures tell it all. When they arrive, it is even grander and happier with all the smiles and tears in our veterans' eyes.

This Friday, of all days, make sure you thank a veteran for their priceless service to the United States of America.

As we enter the holiday season, I remember the holidays were always about the kids. Hopefully, by the time you read this we will have two granddaughters to spoil this Christmas.

The most important child was born on Christmas, and Christians celebrate this birth all over the world.

Another child was born a few years back with severe brain damage caused by a possible prenatal stroke. Hannah Martinez faced many challenges as she came into this world. She was very developmentally delayed, but her family and friends were inspired by her sweet smile, bright blue eyes and incredible strength. With that, Hannahs Hope was born.

Hannahs Hopes mission is to help and support community organizations that help children with special needs in the Northwest Indiana area.

Sadly, Hannah died July 30, 2012. Hannah inspired a community of friends, family and even strangers to help other kids in ways that we could have never dreamed. Hannahs Hope continues on her legacy and lives on forever through others with her memory in their hearts.

Hannahs Hope is hosting its seventh annual Craft and Vendor Show this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Portage High School Field House, Door D, 6450 U.S.6 in Portage. There will be door prizes, bake sale, resale shop and lunch items available as well.

There are also two new activities this year. Let your little Picasso show off their skills with an afternoon of painting fun with Kids and Canvas. There will also be a Cookie Crawl for all those with a holiday sweet tooth. You will need to pre-register for both the Cookie Crawl and the Kids and Canvas, so go to www.hannahshope.org or check out Hannahs Hope on Facebook. Come out and shop til you drop for all those unique Christmas gifts and more.
VALPARAISO  Thorp shivered in fear for a month after Becky Monroe brought him home.

The AKC-registered Chinese Crested Powder Puff had lived the first four years of his life in a puppy mill.

A puppy mill, as defined by the Humane Society of the United States on its website, is an inhumane, commercial dog-breeding facility in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.

While little to no funds are spent on the animals care, dogs are often sold for thousands of dollars at auction, Monroe said.

Amish and Mennonite puppy mill breeders brought Thorp, along with hundreds of other dogs packed in tiny wire crates, to an auction in Thorp, Wisconsin, where Monroe, a reporter, was covering a story about people who were protesting the auction.

It was unbelievably cruel and inhumane, said Thorp, of the auction. The dogs were covered in feces and their fur was matted. None of them were wagging their tails. They wouldnt look at the people because they had had no human interaction all of their lives.

Disgusted by what she saw, Monroe, for $60, bought the dog who was in the worst shape and brought him to her Woodstock, Illinois home she shares with her husband, Bill.

She was a mess when she came home, said Bill Monroe, of his wifes emotional state.

Thorp, as the Monroes named the dog, was a mess too. His fur was so matted, Monroe said it came off in one piece at the pet grooming salon. The dog was freaked out by stairs, dog toys, a leash, and even other rooms in their home. For the first month, Thorp huddled on a small rug in their laundry room, shivering in fear.

So Monroe did what she does best. She put pen to ink -- about her journey into the world of puppy mills and efforts to outlaw them. The result is her 2015 self-published book, "Bark Until Heard."

Monroe signed copies of the book at Fluid Coffee Bar Saturday afternoon, with Thorp and her husband by her side.

I was so overwhelmed by it all, because no one knows about this, said Monroe, about why she wrote the book. I didnt think people understood the gravity of this situation.

From her research, Monroe concluded that Amish- and Mennonite-run puppy mills, most in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and South Dakota, are the worst. Monroe also discovered that even some veterinarians who provide vaccinations to puppy mill dogs often turn a blind eye to conditions.

Thorp had been examined by a veterinarian just two days before he turned up at the auction, Monroe said. She called the veterinarian and questioned how he could overlook such abuse, and the man said he probably vaccinated the dog in the dark because many Amish do not use electric lights.

All he had to do was feel his fur to see how matted he was, said Monroe. I couldnt believe this existed in the United States, and sadly, still does.

Many pet stores that sell dogs obtain their animals from puppy mills, but purchasing these dogs only perpetuates the industry, said Monroe. The most effective way to stop puppy mills are local ordinances, such as those put in place in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois, that instead force pet stores to obtain their dogs from reputable dog rescues, Monroe said.

Monroe said after years of acclimation and training, Thorp now lives life as a normal dog, and serves as a therapy dog, certified by Therapy Dog International. He enjoys visiting with emotionally and behaviorally challenged children at Clay Academy, in Woodstock.

They love him, said Monroe. He sleeps while they pet him.

Monroe always donates a portion of her book signing proceeds to local animal shelters and rescues, including Valparaiso-based Open Arms Rescue, who brought her to Valparaiso.

The Monroes are also foster volunteers for NorthStar, a Shih Tzu rescue based in Tonka Bay, Minnesota. Besides Thorp, they have three other dogs and three cats, all rescues.

For more information and to read Monroes blog, log onto her website at www. beckymonroe.com.
INDIANAPOLIS  On Tuesday night, when nearly all Americans will be tuned in to learn the results of the presidential election, two Northwest Indiana residents will be paying extra close attention.

Democrat Vera Mileusnic, of Munster, and Republican Chuck Williams, of Valparaiso, have been selected by their political parties to cast one of Indianas 11 electoral votes  depending on whether more Hoosiers mark their ballots for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

Despite obsessive national polling leading up to Election Day, its worth remembering that the presidential contest actually is 50 separate state elections, plus Washington, D.C., with the winner of each state receiving electoral votes equal to its representation in Congress.

So the candidate who wins California, the most populous state, receives 55 electoral votes. Texas awards 38, New York and Florida 29 each, and the Illinois winner gets 20.

Every state is worth at least 3 electoral votes, since the minimum congressional delegation is one representative and two senators.

The first candidate to pile up 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 available, is the next president.

While the winner likely will be known Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, the actual awarding of each states electoral votes wont take place until Dec. 19.

On that day, electors for the candidate with the most votes in each state will convene in their states capital city and affirm the popular result.

A joint session of Congress counts those state electoral votes on Jan. 6. Vice President Joe Biden, in his role as presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, then officially declares which presidential and vice presidential candidates will take office on Jan. 20.

Mileusnic, who is secretary of the Indiana Democratic Party, said shes keeping her fingers crossed that Hoosiers will vote for Clinton on Tuesday, and the first-time elector will get to gather with 10 other Democrats at the Statehouse and award the former secretary of state Indianas electoral votes.

Indiana is historically a red state and it doesnt look like, according to the polls right now, that she would be able to take it, but I do know one thing about general elections is that you just never know until somebody goes into that polling booth what theyre going to decide to do, Mileusnic said.

Williams, the 1st Congressional District Republican chairman, is in his third stint as an elector. He didnt get to go to Indianapolis in 2008 when Democrat Barack Obama won the state, but happily cast one of Indianas electoral votes for Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.

He said afterward that even though his candidate lost the election, it still was an honor to be one of the 538 Americans officially selecting the president.

Politicians talk from time-to-time about replacing the complex electoral vote system with a national popular vote.

Those voices grew quite loud in 2000 when Democrat Al Gore got more total votes for president than Republican George W. Bush, but Bush became president because he won a majority of the electoral vote.

Mileusnic and Williams both believe the electoral college should be maintained.

In part, Williams has said, because it requires candidates to try to appeal to voters in areas of the country they might otherwise ignore, such as Obama campaigning in Indiana in 2008.

Mileusnic agreed: Its an institution thats worked well for us all these years.

This is the 50th presidential election since Indiana became a state in 1816. Hoosier electors have voted for the winner 37 times.
Republicans expect it. Some Democrats dismiss it and some in both parties are still trying to puzzle out what it is  the Trump effect.

The contest between the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket versus Hillary Clinton-Tim Kaine has so fired up the Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties electorate that more than 12 percent of the Regions registered voters had already cast early ballots by Thursday, election officials said.

Pat Gabrione, the ranking Republican of the Lake elections staff, said hundreds more were in line early Friday.

He said two-thirds of the 37,666 in-person votes were cast at suburban polling sites in Crown Point, Lowell, Munster, St. John, Schererville and Winfield where the Republican voting is often the heaviest.

Traffic has been slower in the more heavily Democratic communities like East Chicago, Gary and Hammond.

A WTHR/Howey Politics Poll declared strong leads for Trump and Todd Young, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and the race between Democrat John Gregg and Republican Eric Holcomb for governor in a dead heat.

You definitely sense something different has been going on with the long lines and heavy early voting, said Porter County Councilman Jim Biggs, a Republican. The public that you meet all say theyre doing it because they are so sick of what is going on at the national level.

Jeff Chidester, Porter County Democratic chairman, said, Two weeks ago, it seemed the people who were leaning (Republicans) were demoralized over Trumps women issues. But I saw the same people recently with smiles on their faces and thumbs up. The controversy over (Clintons) e-mails has energized them.

Is split vote in the works?

Will Trumps call for change in Washington spread down ballot to the county and municipal races to help the local GOP?

Trump is bringing out voters, not just to vote for him, but to vote against him, too, said Barbara A. Dean, LaPorte County recorder. I trust the voters. I dont think they are mad at me.

We see a lot of support for the Republican ticket starting at the top with Donald Trump, said Mike Simpson, Porter County Republican Party chairman. We are also seeing that translate down the ballot.

Chidester, a Democratic candidate for Porter County commissioner, said, I went to a house with a Proud Union Home sign, and they tell you they are voting for Trump, but for the Democrats on the rest of the down ballot. Its all over the board.

Biggs, his Republican opponent for commissioner, said, There are a lot of people coming out for this election who do not traditionally vote. They may or may not be familiar with you or like you.

Lake County Republican Chairman Dan Dernulc said Trump is drawing new voters to the polls in his county. I think there will be a lot of pulling the lever for one party and help for down ballot races, like our commissioner candidate Jerry Tippy, who is running in a predominantly Republican district.

Tippy, a Schererville town councilman who hopes to become the first Republican Lake County commissioner in 20 years, said no one has the kind of polling to gauge the impact of the presidential race on local tickets.

Possible wake-up call for Lake County

Lake Commissioner Gerry Scheub, who is being challenged by Tippy in what is considered the most closely contested race in the county, said he also is in the dark.

Do they come in and vote for Trump and straight Republican or do they split? That is a concern of ours. From what Ive heard people are spending quite a bit of time voting so Im sure there is a lot of splitting in my district. I think if that is the case, then we will be fine. If they vote party line, we could be in trouble.

I sense Trumps popularity in Indiana is high, said Roy Dominguez, a former Lake County sheriff and a Democrat. If Republicans come out in bigger numbers for him in south Lake County, that has a negative impact on Gerry Scheub as well as the legislative races in those swing districts.

Lake County Commissioner Mike Repay, who is running for re-election in what is normally a safe Democratic district, said, I dont expect it to trickle down. My experience is that people driven by presidential traffic are one issue or one race folks. I dont expect that to make much of a difference in my race.

However, Mark Leyva, Repays underdog opponent, warned, Trump will make a huge difference you will see all the way down the line. I think its going to be a wake up call for not only Lake County, but the state of Indiana. I think the county is going to go for Trump. There will be a reality check after Nov. 8.

Gerald Swets, a Republican running for Lake County recorder, said, I think the Trump effect will mean crossover votes down the ticket, but it seems to be pushing others to vote independent or not vote for president at all. Trump is going to help me. I dont know if that is going to be enough to win.

Lake County can give a 50,000-vote spread for a countywide Democrat, said Lake Recorder Mike Brown, Swets Democratic opponent. Could Hillary lose most of those votes for the locals? I dont think so. I remain very confident.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP  Two people were in serious condition Saturday night after a vehicle struck a motorcycle head-on along U.S. 6 in rural Jackson Township, according to a news release from the Porter County Sheriff's Department.

The names of the motorcyclist and his passenger are being withheld pending notification of family due to the serious nature of the injuries, Sgt. Jamie Erow said in an email.

According to witness statements and a preliminary investigation, a 2005 blue Chevy Cobalt, driven by Rachel Dover, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was traveling south on County Road 500 East near U.S. 6. at about 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

Dover allegedly pulled out in front of a motorcycle, which was going west on U.S. 6, as she attempted to turn east.

The motorcyclist, a 68-year-old man from Chesterton, was transported to Porter Regional Hospital with serious head and foot injuries, according to police. His passenger, a 55-year-old woman from Michigan City, was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, with serious head and leg injuries.

Neither were wearing helmets, according to police. Toxicology results are pending, though police say they believe alcohol is a factor for both drivers.

The Porter County Accident Reconstruction team was called to the scene to investigate.
ST. JOHN  Its unofficially official: any elementary school-age children who will live in The Preserves subdivision will attend Bibich Elementary School.

Superintendent Lawrence Veracco announced the decision at a special meeting of the Lake Central School Corp. board recently, saying it was a main objective of the school administration to minimize moving youngsters from school to school to make the best use of available classroom space and avoid having to build more classrooms.

Veracco said Lake Central previously has had to redraw elementary school district boundaries as often as every two years because of the rapid growth of the Tri-Town area. A lull in development has enabled the schools to avoid that in recent years, but, with several new subdivisions approved or planned, the administration is going to have to make decisions on which schools the newest wave of students will attend as each subdivision is constructed.

St. John recently approved Schilling Developments plans for the first phase of The Preserves, which ultimately will have about 435 homes in the area of 93rd and White Oak avenues. The first phase calls constructing 57 homes, and it is expected to take 10 to 15 years to complete the entire subdivision.

Veracco said the closest elementary to The Preserves is Kolling, but it is full while Bibich, which is a mile farther from the subdivision, has several classrooms available for use. Middle school students are expected to attend Kahler Middle School. Veracco said the curriculum and standards at all Lake Centrals school are comparable, and the quality of the students education is the same no matter which school they attend.

It doesnt mean we wont redistrict, Veracco said. As long as we have space and we are not busting out at the seams, our objective is not to redistrict.

The school district had the subdivision analyzed by a demographer, who estimated with the $400,000 and up price of the homes, only about half would have school-age children, and only half of those are likely to be elementary students.

The time to make this decision is before the kids start going to school, Veracco told the board.

There are a lot of things we have to look at, said Al Gandolfi, assistant superintendent for personnel. We made significant changes at Kolling to give ourselves more space to start the school year. We know where we have space at each building. We will take it one subdivision at a time.

Gandolfi said the entire subdivision is definitely within Lake Centrals jurisdiction and none laps over into the Hanover Central School District. He said the district has met with real estate agents through the years to help them understand the boundaries of the two districts because some people who bought homes in Hanover Central were told they were in Lake Central.

Another bit of confusion occurs with a duplex that straddles the state line, but, because it has an Indiana address, the children attend Lake Central.

Before districting for The Preserves can be made official, Veracco said the administration will have to draw a new map of all the elementary school boundaries and publish it on the Lake Central website. He expects that to be done around the beginning of 2017.

The meeting was a special one called to approve the budget. Business Services Director Rob James said he made an error when filing the budget with the states Gateway system. As required by law, he entered all the information into the Gateway system, which makes the data available to the public, but apparently forgot to hit the send button. As a result, the first public hearing was deemed improper and had to be done over at the Oct. 17 meeting. Tuesday was the deadline for the board to approve it.

The board approved a total budget of almost $97.4 million, including $59 million for the general fund, $8 million in capital projects budget for improvements to several buildings and $1 million to replace seven buses.
MICHIGAN CITY  With a couple of masked robbers still on loose, Michigan City Police are advising residents to remain on higher alert.

There were two robberies and three robbery attempts Tuesday night, all within a half hour or less of each other.

We do believe they are all linked together, Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek said.

According to police, two 16-year-old boys were robbed first of their car keys and cellphone at gunpoint in the area of 6th and Franklin streets in the Uptown Arts District.

The suspects tried stealing their car but were not able to drive a stick shift, police said.

A robbery attempt followed at Rallys on Franklin Street about a mile to the south, then an undisclosed amount of money was taken during a hold up with a gun at J&Js Pizza Shack in the 1600 block of Michigan Boulevard.

Robberies were then attempted at Steak and Shake on Franklin Street near Interstate 94 and at Pita Shack in the 400 block of W. U.S. 20.

It appears the robbers failed most of the time from being scared by the presence of customers and employees in the establishments, Swistek said.

I think they kind of panicked and left, he said.

The suspects were both males, but there wasnt a full description and nobody was hurt in any of the crimes.

Swistek did not reveal what leads police to believe theres a connection due to the ongoing investigation.

I dont want to go into great detail because were hoping to catch these guys. Theyre really scaring a lot of people right now, Swistek said.

Swistek advised people to play closer attention to their surroundings; have a cellphone readily available and call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
Tinder CEO Sean Rad. Credit: Flickr/TechCrunch

During this particularly heated election, hundreds of US companies are going out of their way to encourage employees to vote. One of those companies is Tinder, whose CEO, Sean Rad, says employers have a critical role in supporting voter participation among their employees.

Tinder is allowing employees to take as much (paid) time as they need to vote on Election Day  whether its 30 minutes, 2 hours, or the whole day, says Sean Rad, CEO of Tinder, which is owned by Match Group (MTCH).

A recent movement, Take Off Election Day, has enlisted hundreds of companies, including many tech companies, to give employees the day  or a few hours  off to vote this Tuesday.

Voter turnout in the United States was just 53.6% in the last presidential election, the Pew Research Center notes. This turnout is one of the lowest among highly developed countries. More than 300 companies, including Patagonia and Autodesk, have signed on to Take Off Election Day to encourage participation and emphasize the importance of voting.

The dating app Tinder and DoorDash  an on-demand restaurant delivery service  are two companies allowing employees to take off as much time as they require to go vote.

We believe that everyone should be able to exercise their right to vote, and employers play a vital role in this process, Rad stated.

DoorDash has a similar stance. We want to give our employees as much flexibility as they need so they can share their voice, Eitan Bencuya, DoorDashs head of communications, told Yahoo Finance.

Bencuya points out that this Tuesday is not just limited to the presidential election, but voters should also be aware of down-ticket issues that can affect voters on a day-to-day basis. Many of these issues are decided by federal, state, and local officials.

Tony Xu, CEO and Co-founder of DoorDash. Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid

Both companies are not only encouraging their employees to vote, but they have also partnered up with Rock the Vote to inform their users, largely millennials, on the importance of voting.

Story continues

This election marks the first time that the majority of millennials will be able to vote and many Tinder users will be voting for the first time in this election, Rad said. It was vitally important to us that we do our part to encourage our members to understand the issues and the candidates and, most importantly, to vote on November 8th.

Tinder has been focusing on educating and mobilizing users with our recent Swipe the Vote campaign, Rad explains. Swipe the Vote allows users to decide on some of the most important issues facing this election such as immigration and climate change.

Swipe the Vote has been implemented in more than 15 countries because Tinder wants to encourage a global conversation on the presidential election.

The whole world is watching this election and will be affected by its results, Rad says. Tinder has a massive international user base and we feel its important for our users to learn more about the issues, see which candidates share their views and voice their opinions.

DoorDash implemented Dash the Vote because 6 million young people didnt vote in the 2008 election because they didnt know how to go to vote, Bencuya explained. Dash the Vote delivers voter registration packets on demand to five cities that have been identified with high populations of millennials  Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Denver, and Chicago.

Taking off Election Day is hardly an unprecedented idea. Both President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders have stated they would like to see Election Day as a federal holiday. But now the idea is catching on with many companies.

Of course, companies should be careful to avoid telling their employees how they should vote on Election Day.

We certainly encourage participation and voting, says Clay Helm, public relations director at AutoDesk. In regards to social issues, we leave voting decisions to our very well-informed and capable employees, and dont try to influence their decisions.

Please visit this page for more on the 2016 presidential election.
PORTER  Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Paul Labovitz held open a book called Americas National Parks.

There are 59 parks across the country featured. Labovitz is hoping the next edition will feature 60 and include the Dunes.

There would be no functional change to the park. It would be the way the place is perceived, nationally and globally. There are 413 National Park Service properties, and only 59 are called national parks, he said.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., introduced legislation in September to change the name of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Indiana Dunes National Park. The measure has been introduced with the support of the entire Indiana House delegation as original co-sponsors, and it is pending consideration in the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Changing the name of the national lakeshore would be one of several moves local conservationists, park supporters and others feel need to be done in the next 50 years to make the park sustainable in a changing time.

Lynn McClure, regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said her group, along with the Field Museum of Natural History and Indiana University, took a long-term look at the future of the IDNL just a few years ago.

Unless we are able to revitalize the passion for the park, it will not be sustainable, McClure said. We need to ignite the passion again and take the love of the park and turn it into respect.

Passion for the park

Instilling a passion for the park might begin with the youth.

Weve got these new generations coming up that are so involved in technology. It is more challenging today to get kids outdoors, said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism.

Innovation is critical. How do we engage these other generations to think about preservation? said Weimer. The key is going to be the key to keep the park relevant to up and coming generations.

Weimer pointed to her groups 3 Dune Challenge. The Dunes have always been there, she said, but they worked to engage people by creating a challenge and giving people a reason to explore.

Herb Read, who, along with his wife Charlotte, were among some of the first advocates for preserving the dunes, also believes younger people must be better educated about the dunes.

The land conservation ethic must be carried on by the younger people, he said. We have to teach the kids the history of conservation.

McClure said while there is an undeniable love for the Dunes, there is a lack of respect for some of the elements. That, too, is a matter of educating people about the valuable asset the park is to the Region and make it the responsibility of everyone to protect it.

Read also believes people must champion the park to their legislators.

The parks have been starved for money for years, said Read. We have to elect people to Congress that will appropriate funds to take care of the parks.

It may take a village

In the documentary she produced, longtime environmental advocate Lee Botts emphasized that all segments of society must work together to sustain the IDNL and Indiana Dunes in general.

In Shifting Sands: On the Path to Sustainability, the documentary talked about how once ferocious rivals, preservationists and industrialists, are beginning to work together.

Whether a residential developer, business person or conservationist, the Dunes are a benefit.

While developers tout being along Lake Michigans shore and having a national park in the Regions background for quality of life reasons, they are beginning to realize they must work to sustain the Dunes in an effort to sustain their own business. And conservationists are realizing they must work with developers to allow growth that will benefit the Region.

With this goal of sustainability, we are encouraging new kinds of preservation and restoration partnerships, working with industry and residents, said Botts.

Labovitz said growth of the Region is one of the prime concerns. In particular, they are watching the proposed double tracking project by the South Shore Railroad.

Every private property within 15 minutes of a train stop will be developed. It will cause the roads to be more congested, he said, adding that now is the time to discuss doing it right to have the development but not adversely affect the park.

Read is concerned it could go one step further.

There is a growing number of people who will put pressure on all parks to sell off portions of parks. I hope, certainly, that the open space will be here, he said, adding as the area grows in population, there will be additional pressure on the parks.

Other challenges

Moving people may be the biggest challenge for IDNL over the next 50 years, said Labovitz.

The challenge is to move people to the beach and other places without a car. We have plenty of beach here, but you cant find a parking space. We dont want more parking lots either, he said.

This is a crazy park. Once youre here, you cant spend money. We are going to work collaboratively to provide goods and services to visitors and residents. We want to be able to work with the private sector. We just have to navigate the personal use rules, said Labovitz.

He sees, in the not too distant future, people bringing their bikes on the South Shore or being able to rent bikes at the visitor center and cruise trails in and out of the park, ultimately going from the Michigan state line to the Illinois state line.

This will not be just a beach park, it will be a regional stop on a bike trail, said Labovitz. We are trying to make this place resilient. It should be more than a beach destination. It should be a year-round destination.
Parents hope their children will inherit their values. When it comes to politics, that seems to be happening. At least, that's what I saw at Valparaiso's Thomas Jefferson Middle School during last week's mock election.

Michael Nowarita voted for Donald Trump.

"I've watched a lot of debates and stuff, and that's who I felt most comfortable voting for," Nowarita said. "I like what he wants to do for the country and what he stands for."

Nowarita's family has talked a lot about the election, which shouldn't come as a surprise.

"We talk about it a lot with my grandma," he said.

Micah Nathan voted for, in effect, none of the above.

"I voted for one of the independent people. I don't know who it was," he said. Nathan couldn't remember the name until I tossed out first Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, and then Gary Johnson, the Libertarian.

"Neither Trump nor Hillary Clinton are the best choice at all," he said.

Nathan didn't know anything about Johnson, he said. "I just assume he's better than the other one."

"Donald Trump calls names and is really rude to people," and the Clinton email scandal concerns him.

Paiton Iliff voted for Donald Trump. "Coming from home, like, my parents always say that Hillary Clinton is a liar and a hypocrite," Iliff said. "Just being at home, and my Dad being yeah, whatever, I just don't agree with what Hillary has said and what she has hid and not told us about things that have happened."

As for Trump, "I know he has said some things, you know, and all, but I don't even know who the other two were," Iliff said.

Joseph Ferrandino said his parents didn't influence his vote. He said he thinks for himself.

Ferrandino chose Clinton because of her government experience. "One selling point was that she actually knew what she was talking about," Ferrandino said, while Trump made statements that weren't factual.

John Young voted for Donald Trump and put his "I voted" sticker on his cheek. "I just had a feeling because he kept just talking truth, and I had a feeling inside," he said.

Meg Calumpang chose Donald Trump because of his opinions. "The way he explains them are not really the best, but yeah, I agree with him."

Bekah Meyer said her parents tends to side with Republicans, "so if I didn't know really anybody on the ballot, and I didn't recognize any names, I went more with the Republican Party because that's who I identify with."

That parental influence and discussion of political values is what eighth-grade social studies teacher Molly Joll wants to happen.

"Especially at the middle school and elementary school age, those kinds of views should be started at home. We'll look at the issues. I'll show you how to look at them, how to discern for yourself, but for me to tell you who I'm voting for, that's an undue influence," Joll said.

Joll said her lessons include looking at the debates and the issues involved.

"We told them to be aware of bias," she said.

She's careful not to reveal her own beliefs, telling her students that when they're seniors in high school, and have voted, they can come back and ask her how she voted. A few have taken her up on that offer. She has taught for 30 years.

The students used a Vote Smart tool to see which candidate most reflected their views on the issues, and the students often matched up with the independents  Stein or Johnson.

"But when you look at the results, when they voted, they didn't vote for that third-party candidate. They stuck with the traditional Republicans and Democrats for the most part," Joll said.

The students talk about the candidates, issues and outcome of the mock election in class, but they aren't obligated to say how they voted. Joll and her fellow teachers at the middle school made sure the students' votes were anonymous and couldn't be traced back to individuals.

"That is part of our democracy, that your vote is your vote," Joll said.

On Tuesday night, barring any unforeseen difficulties, we'll find out who wins the popular vote and who will win the Electoral College vote.

Here are the results of the mock election at Thomas Jefferson Middle School:

A total of 581 votes were cast. Some of the students aren't U.S. citizens and wouldn't be able to vote as adults, but they voted in the mock election as a learning experience.

Clinton won with 277 votes; Trump, 220; Johnson, 48; Stein, 36.

We have a couple more days to see whether the national results mirror the ones at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
Congratulations, Northwest Indiana. You've shown what can happen when enough individuals voice public concern, even regarding a private-sector issue.

The outpouring of support by fans of Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre have saved the iconic Region landmark from the wrecking ball.

Kudos to the White family and their company, White Lodging, which owns the 3,400-seat theater, for taking those concerns to heart.

White Lodging announced earlier this year it would be demolishing the Radisson hotel and connected theater to make way for a smaller hotel, with meeting space, in the near future.

That decision came after a revised business model was created.

Fans of the theater  flush with nostalgia for the many shows, school graduations and other events they've attended there over the years  began to speak out en masse.

The Times even printed an entire page of letters in which readers recounted their special memories of the building.

Star Plaza Theatre President, CEO and talent buyer Charlie Blum said those voices were heard, loud and clear.

"The outpouring from the community was beyond what we expected," Blum said. "We were so close to it because we've operated the theater for years. But what we heard from the community, the comments we heard about it being a major economic driver for the area, made us take another look."

Now the company intends to build its new hotel in symbiosis with the theater. Some 200 jobs at the theater are safe.

And shows will play on  perennial favorites including holiday shows from big-name acts and comedy productions.

Now it's time for all parties to consider how the Star Plaza plays into our future and remains a relevant part of our landscape.

Region residents who spoke out can be proud they were part of the voice that spared an icon.
Current Indiana state law does not require the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission to make prompt or timely decisions of the complaints against unethical judges that it receives from parties to civil and criminal litigation in Indiana Courts. Likewise, that same defective law does not require any transparency:

 You must state in writing a concise but detailed explanation of the judge's specific conduct you allege to have been unethical. Provide dates, names and contact information for any witnesses, and copies of pertinent documents. You need not research or identify what precise rule the judge is alleged to have violated. The judge will receive a copy of your complaint  The Commission meets only every other month, and we cannot predict how long your complaint may be pending  the Commission is required to maintain the confidentiality of all complaints and investigations, and its meetings are not open to the public. Supreme Court rules prohibit the Commission in most instances from informing anyone, including the complainant, of the nature of any Commission deliberations
VALPARAISO  Kyle Ayling, at age 25, is not that much older than the youngsters who came to hear him speak.

Ayling, a Dyer entrepreneur who three years ago started his own company inspired by his love of skateboarding, sat on the floor and spoke casually with his skateboard set in front of him.

The event, called Meet the Makers, was held at Barnes & Noble on Saturday as part of the stores second annual two day Mini Maker Faire.

Michele Gustin, the stores community business development manager, said she invited Ayling to speak because she thought he would be relatable to young and old alike.

He (Ayling) is a local star. Its all about using your brains and coming up with things, Gustin said.

Those in the audience included Robotics students from Chesterton Middle School, as well as students from Kouts and Valparaiso Community Schools.

You have a wealth of information at your fingertips ... technology is evolving quickly and youre the future, Ayling told students.

Ayling, who developed a cloud shaped griptape for skateboards sold under his company Cloud 9, said he had gotten in trouble in school so his parents asked him what they could do to get him focused.

The answer, which Ayling agrees isnt that logical, was to buy him a $160 skateboard.

Ive been skateboarding all my life, Ayling said.

Ayling, who studied photography in college, was driving to work at Starbucks at around 4 a.m. and heard Katy Perrys Wide Awake on the radio.

A lyric about falling from cloud nine got him thinking that he need to define happiness for himself and pursue his dream.

Skateboarding is my cloud nine, Ayling said.

Once Ayling had the idea and had made his brand of griptape  the sticky adhesive tape skaters put on their boards to maintain their footing  the next hurdle was to figure out how to sell it.

Initially, Ayling said he relied on social media.

We turned to social media and gave it away to let people test it. It evolved, Ayling said.

The Cloud 9 products now sell on line and in some 52 stores including Zumiez in the Chicago area and northern Indiana.

Were the No. 2 griptape sold, Ayling said.

Chesterton Middle School teacher Carla Sissell said she brought seventh and eighth grade students from the Robotics team to Barnes & Noble in part to meet Ayles.

I hope it inspires them, Sissell said.

Ayling said one of his goals is to inspire young people.

The message is to do something that makes your happy. Skateboarding is my happiness, Ayling said.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will investigate the police Tasing death of a man in the Bronx.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell NY1 that Ariel Galarza was unarmed when he was Tased. They say he was carrying an unbroken bottle of hot sauce and was not close to the officers.

The incident happened Wednesday night at Galarza's apartment on Mayflower Avenue in Pelham Bay.

Police said he was emotionally disturbed, threatened them with the bottle and resisted arrest.

Officers shocked him twice.

He suffered cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.

This is the third case Schneiderman is investigating since being appointed special prosecutor by Governor Cuomo.
Alexandra Haley Citrin and Christopher Jonathan Safadi were married Nov. 5. Rabbi Jerome K. Davidson officiated at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan.

Mrs. Citrin-Safadi, 29, is a visiting professor of illustration at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and is a freelance editorial illustrator. She graduated from Skidmore College and received a masters degree in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art.

She is the daughter of Rona Hollander Citrin and Jeffrey B. Citrin of Greenwich, Conn. The brides father is a managing principal at Square Mile Capital, a real estate private investment firm in Manhattan. Her mother is a trustee of the Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts in Snowmass Village, Colo., and is a director of Creative Time, an organization in Manhattan that commissions and presents public art projects.

Mr. Safadi, 32, works in Manhattan as a certified public accountant and the financial controller of the Momofuku Group in Manhattan, which operates restaurants under the Momofuku name and others in New York City, Toronto, Washington and Sydney, Australia. He graduated magna cum laude with bachelors degrees in accounting and economics from North Carolina State University, from which he also received a masters in accounting. He has a diploma in classic culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute.
Ellen Eunmyung Kim and Richard Lawrence Miller are to be married Nov. 6 in front of the Small Business Administration headquarters in Washington, the agency where they met in 2011, when they worked there. They will use a provision of the marriage law in Washington that allows couples to self-unite.

On Nov. 5, the couple had another ceremony at the Lacuna Artist Loft Studios in Chicago that was led by Hamon H. Kim, a cousin of the bride and a nondenominational minister ordained by the International Ministerial Fellowship..

Ms. Kim, 35, is keeping her name. She is a vice president on the restaurant and food-service team, in Washington, of AlixPartners, a management-consulting firm. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received an M.B.A. from Stanford.

She is a daughter of Anne I. Kim and Steve K. Kim of Evanston, Ill. The brides father retired as an executive vice president for cellular-phone development at Hyundai Electronics in Seoul. Her mother retired as the manager of the protection-technology department at the headquarters of Allstate Insurance in Northbrook, Ill.
Jennifer Freya Helgeson and Lt. Stewart Paul Latwin are to be married Nov. 6 by Rabbi Philip H. Weintraub, a college friend of the bride, in the rotunda of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington.

The bride, 32, who is keeping her name, is an environmental economist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., where she leads research efforts on the economics of community-resilience planning in the wake of natural or man-made disasters. From 2005 to 2006, she was a Fulbright fellow at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in As, Norway, focusing on the natural-resource economics of reindeer herding. She graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis and received a masters in environmental change and management from Oxford, as well as a Ph.D. in environmental and developmental economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She is the daughter of Rita Feinstein Helgeson and Richard S. Helgeson of Silver Spring, Md. The brides father, a certified public accountant, works as a cost analyst in Annapolis Junction, Md., for the Defense Department. Her parents founded the R. Andrew Helgeson Memorial Foundation in Silver Spring, in memory of their son, to promote awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in youth.

The groom, 30, a naval aviator for the United States Navy, is based at the Washington Navy Yard. He was deployed twice to the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean  first in 2011 on the Arctic and then in 2012 on the Iwo Jima. In June, he appeared on Jeopardy! and was a two-time champion. He graduated with merit from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Kali Nicole Wasenko, a daughter of Barbara M. Wasenko and Kip Wasenko, both of Detroit, was married Nov. 5 to G. Nagesh Rao, the son of Sarada Rao and Dr. Gattu N. Rao of Menands, N.Y. Harish Baipadithaya, a Hindu priest, officiated at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington.

Until last month, the bride, 31, was a director of a program at Individual Advocacy Group, a nonprofit organization in Silver Spring, Md., that provides residential support for people with developmental disabilities. She is on the board of Best Buddies Capitol Region, a nonprofit organization that provides friendship, jobs and leadership opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. She graduated from the University of Michigan and received a masters in social work from Barry University in Miami.

Her father retired as the director of design for the performance division of General Motors in Detroit, where he is best known for his work revitalizing the Cadillac image. Her mother is an executive assistant at the Environmental Protection Administration office in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is also the founder of the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan, based in Southfield.

The groom, 35, is the chief technologist and entrepreneur in residence in the Office of Investment and Innovation of the Small Business Administration in Washington. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a law degree from Albany Law School. He also received an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland-College Park.
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Osman Orsal ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities ordered on Saturday that the editor and senior staff of a leading opposition newspaper be arrested pending trial, as more pro-Kurdish officials were detained sparking protests against the widening state crackdown. Police fired tear gas and water cannon on a crowd of around 1,000 protesters in central Istanbul who were trying to get to the offices of the secularist Cumhuriyet newspaper. Nine of its journalists and executives were detained on Monday Prosecutors said staff at the paper, one of the few still critical of President Tayyip Erdogan, were suspected of crimes committed on behalf of Kurdish militants and U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of instigating a coup attempt. Since the failed coup in July, more than 110,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants have been detained or suspended in a crackdown that Erdogan's critics say is quashing legitimate opposition. "The international community is outraged. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to create a Turkey where everyone is in jail?" the head of the main opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said. "What has the Cumhuriyet newspaper done? Have they planted bombs somewhere?" On Saturday, authorities appointed a new mayor to Sirnak municipality, part of a campaign over recent weeks of replacing pro-Kurdish officials in the mostly Kurdish southeast. A bomb in Sirnak province on Saturday killed two children and wounded four, an attack that the local governor's office blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A second bomb later exploded at the municipal office before the new mayor's arrival, wounding one security force member, the governor's office said. A total of 17 PKK militants have been killed since Friday in Sirnak, it said. On Friday, the co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were jailed pending trial and several others were arrested. Erdogan has accused Turkey's third-largest party of links to the PKK which has carried out an insurgency for three decades. "SHEEP AT A BUTCHER'S" The HDP denies that and says it is working for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. It says it is being targeted by Erdogan in a drive to help the ruling AKP push through a constitutional change that would give him the executive presidential powers he has long sought. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said the HDP lawmakers were detained after refusing to give testimony in a probe linked to "terrorist propaganda". One HDP member of parliament detained on Friday and then released said the party had no intention of cooperating. "You will have to keep waiting if you expect us to show our necks like sheep at a butcher's," Sirri Sureyya Onder was quoted as saying by the Dogan news agency. "We will not be instruments in your false legal actions." The scope of the crackdown has rattled the West. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said Turkey's treatment of the media was "completely unacceptable", telling the Donaukurier newspaper that Ankara was violating the core values of the European Union which Turkey hopes to join. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was "extremely worried" by the arrests, and raised her concerns in a telephone call with Turkey's foreign and EU affairs ministers late on Friday. The United States expressed "deep concern", while the lira currency fell to a record low. Hours after Friday's detentions, a car bomb killed 11 people and wounded more than 100 near a police station in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir where some HDP lawmakers were being held. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the jihadists' Amaq news agency said. But the Diyarbakir governor's office said the bomb was the work of the PKK, citing intercepted communications between Kurdish militants. Some 170 newspapers, magazines, TV stations and news agencies have been closed in the crackdown, leaving 2,500 journalists unemployed, Turkey's journalists' association said. Cumhuriyet's previous editor, Can Dundar, was jailed last year for publishing state secrets involving Turkey's support for Syrian rebels. He was later released and is now overseas to avoid arrest. (Additional reporting by Gulsen Solaker and Umit Bektas in Ankara; Ebru Tuncay in Istanbul; Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan and Stephen Powell)
Shari Heather Silver and Evan Michael Derrow were married Nov. 5 in Baltimore. Rabbi Mindy A. Portnoy officiated at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor.

Mrs. Derrow, 28, is a staff lawyer in the office of the Federal Public Defender in Baltimore. She graduated cum laude from Vassar and received her law degree summa cum laude from the University of Maryland.

She is the daughter of Penny A. Silver and Jeffrey D. Silver of West Palm Beach, Fla. Her father retired as an owner of Stans Auto Parts in Plainfield, N.J. Her mother retired as a special -education teacher at Campbell Elementary School in Metuchen, N.J.

Mr. Derrow, 27, is a mechanical engineer at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md., working on satellite communications systems for the Army. He graduated from Northwestern University and received a masters degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He is the regional governor for operations of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity with headquarters in Indianapolis.
The office of the New York attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, has opened an investigation into the death of Ariel Galarza, a 49-year-old Bronx man who died on Wednesday after a police sergeant used an electric stun gun on him.

The investigation into Mr. Galarzas death was taken under the states executive order that grants the attorney general the power to prosecute the cases of unarmed civilians who die during confrontations with the police, a spokeswoman for Mr. Schneiderman said on Saturday.

Mr. Galarza was shocked twice on Wednesday by the sergeant, who used a Taser after the police said Mr. Galarza had threatened him with an intact glass bottle. The sergeant, whose name the police have not made public, was responding with three other officers to a 911 report that Mr. Galarza had been armed with a knife.

Image Mr. Galarza

The move by the attorney general indicates that Mr. Schneidermans office has reason to doubt that Mr. Galarza was armed and dangerous at the time of his death. The terms of the executive order allow the attorney general to review such cases.
METROPOLITAN

An article last Sunday about a woman in Brooklyn who owns many rabbits and is facing animal-cruelty charges described incorrectly the status of a civil lawsuit she filed. The suit was stayed, pending the outcome of her criminal trial, against at least six of the 12 defendants; it was not dismissed against most of the defendants.

EDUCATION LIFE

An article on Page 21 this weekend about obtaining a bachelors degree abroad misidentifies the alma mater of James Joyce. It is the University College Dublin, not Trinity College Dublin. The article also misidentifies the country that is home to the University of Liege. It is Belgium, not France. And the article misidentifies a university that ranks alongside Ivies. It is the University of Edinburgh, not Edinburgh College.

SPECIAL SECTION: FINE ARTS & EXHIBITS

Because of an editing error, a caption last Sunday with an article about institutions that are using social media to reach younger and global audiences carried an erroneous credit for a picture of The Bedroom by Vincent Van Gogh and for a picture of a recreation of it. Both were from The Art Institute of Chicago  not the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

WEDDINGS

The Vows column last Sunday, about the wedding of Genevieve DeBose and Tosin Akinnagbe, misstated the given name of the brides father. He is Dr. Herman DeBose, not Herbert.
It would not affect 96 percent of the states school districts, yet strategists say voters in those districts  largely in suburbs with good public schools  could determine the outcome Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the charter proposal appeared to be nonpartisan and headed for passage. But in recent weeks, as the ad war has heated up, the campaign has taken on a partisan edge, with Republicans generally favoring charter expansion and Democrats generally opposing it, with the no side gaining steam.

Polls show that support for the measure has slipped. The most recent, from Western New England University and conducted through Wednesday, showed that 39 percent of likely and registered voters supported lifting the cap on charters, while 52 percent opposed it.

The money raised so far  more than $34 million  exceeds the amount raised for any other ballot question in state history, and makes the campaign one of the most expensive in the country this year. The yes side has raised almost $22 million, much of it from out-of-state groups that do not have to identify their individual donors; the no side has raised more than $12 million, most of it from teachers unions.

What has really inflamed the argument is the question of equality, which has persisted since the inception of charter schools here 20 years ago: Do they exacerbate inequality? Or do they ease it?

Voters can be forgiven for being at sea in this debate as the spin machines on both sides have gone into overdrive and prominent political leaders have diverged.

This is an issue about social justice, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican leader of the yes side, said recently as he campaigned for the measure in Dorchester, a heavily minority section of Boston. This is an opportunity to give every kid in Massachusetts the same opportunity my kids have.
RENO, Nev.  In a startling scene, Donald J. Trump was rushed offstage by members of his Secret Service detail during a rally on Saturday night in Reno, Nev., after a person in the crowd shouted that someone had a gun.

A man thought to have the gun was apprehended, but no weapon was found, the Secret Service said, and the man was released. Reporters from The Guardian and KRNV, a Reno television station, who interviewed the man reported on Twitter that he had been holding a Republicans Against Trump sign.

It was Mr. Trumps next to last rally in a long day that began in Tampa, Fla., as he makes his final arguments to voters before Tuesdays election. More than a half-hour into his speech, he noticed a disturbance in the crowd in front of him. We have one of those guys from the Hillary Clinton campaign, he told the crowd. How much are you being paid, fifteen hundred?
In the final sprint of her campaign, troubled by an F.B.I. inquiry and narrowing polls, Hillary Clinton has held tightly to a handful of advisers who have spent their careers protecting her interests, defending her reputation, and at times sullying it  and their own.

And if she wins on Tuesday, the most telling test of Mrs. Clintons transition back to power will arrive quickly: After a campaign season often defined by voters weariness with and distrust of her, which old hands will  or should  follow her into the Oval Office?

Almost no top adviser has been left untouched by the two central firestorms of Mrs. Clintons candidacy: the inquiry into her use of a private email server as secretary of state and the WikiLeaks hack of the email account of John D. Podesta, her campaign chairman.

The unvarnished view of infighting in the stolen documents is unlikely to bother Mrs. Clinton much, friends say. The political wisdom of importing excess baggage to the executive branch is another matter.
On the one hand, hes one of the most brilliant marketers Ive ever seen, Mr. Gingrich said. And on the other hand, for a while there, he was undercutting himself.

He added: I suspect if he had not done that, hed be ahead by 10 or 15 points right now.

Talk of rigging the vote rises again.

The chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, Michael McDonald, complained on Saturday night that some polls were being kept open longer than they should have been in Clark County so that a certain group could vote.

On Sunday morning, Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trumps campaign manager, echoed that concern in an interview with CNN in which she suggested that special favors were being done for Democratic voters.

Its concerning when you hear reports about special favors and perhaps special rules for Democratic voters, Ms. Conway said, offering no evidence of a different set of rules. We already know that their presidential nominee has special rules for her.

Mr. Trump has for months complained of a rigged system and has said that if he loses the election and there are reports of problems at the polls he might challenge the result.
A South Carolina man charged in the kidnapping of a woman found alive in a storage container confessed on Saturday to the unsolved killings of four people in 2003, and may be linked to a total of seven deaths, the authorities said.

Late on Saturday, the Spartanburg County sheriff, Chuck Wright, said that a body found in a shallow grave the day before was that of Charles D. Carver, 32, the boyfriend of the rescued woman, The Associated Press reported. He died of gunshot wounds, Sheriff Wright said.

Todd C. Kohlhepp, 45, the owner of the property and a registered sex offender, has been charged with kidnapping the woman, Kala V. Brown, who disappeared along with Mr. Carver in late August.

Investigators had been sweeping the 100-acre woods and fields with cadaver dogs after finding Ms. Brown inside a storage container on the property, about 20 miles east of Greenville, S.C. The sheriff said there were indications that two other bodies might be buried on the property.
MEXICO CITY  The young Mexican couple packed their possessions in boxes and garbage bags 20 years ago, locked them in a room of their half-built house in Mexico City and then migrated illegally to the United States with their 3-year-old daughter in search of work, taking only what they could carry.

The plan was to return a couple of years later, but instead they remained, undocumented, in New York City. The boxes and bags stayed where they had left them, their contents mostly forgotten: a familys beacon of hope.

One recent morning, the daughter, Guadalupe Ambrosio, now 23, stood in front of the locked door of that room, the key in her hand. It was her first visit to Mexico since she had left when she was 3. She was about to open those boxes and bags for the first time since they had been stored, reconnecting with her interrupted childhood and closing a yawning circle for her family.

Ms. Ambrosio, an undergraduate at Borough of Manhattan Community College, was never sure she would have this chance. She, too, is undocumented. For most of her life, had she tried to visit Mexico, she would have been barred from re-entering the United States.
Hed written that these conductors conducted this part in two, these conductors conducted it in four, Mr. Rattle recalled, referring to conducting patterns. And then he had Richard Strauss in 5? Presumably he didnt think much of what Strauss was doing.

It was a momentous autumn to be a European conductor in New York: There was the ugliness of the presidential election, which Mr. Rattle watched unfold with alarm, and repeated tremors in the American music world as orchestras in Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia all went on strike. While the Philadelphia Orchestra settled in time for him to conduct it  I really didnt want a holiday, he said, with evident relief  the others remain silent.

This is not an easy time for classical music here, Mr. Rattle said. I do only get asked this on this side of the pond. In Europe, with all the troubles, its alive and well and kicking. Orchestras are doing amazing things here as well, but its more of a struggle. One of the reasons orchestras in Europe went so gangbusters in education was that they saw that there wasnt much music education here, and they said, Were frightened what will happen along the road when people havent grown up with this.

There are challenges back home as well. The surprise vote in Britain to leave the European Union promises to complicate life in classical music, one of the most international of art forms. (Mr. Rattle said that members of the London Symphony were in tears the morning after the vote.) The underlying tensions that the vote exposed have dealt serious setbacks to his dream of building a new concert hall in London.

Speaking several weeks before the British government announced that it would stop funding the concert hall, Mr. Rattle made it clear that he understood it was a difficult time to ask the central government to support a big London project. This is quite a bitter and hard time for the country, and this is the last time to be this kind of fluffy-tailed naive idealist, he said. But there is absolutely no doubt that London would need and deserve a great hall with wonderful acoustics and proper facilities.

Mr. Rattle, who did not immediately respond to a message seeking his reaction to the latest setback, said at the time that he took some solace from the fact that the British are very good at making things on not-sensational amounts of financial support, and from an old rivalry.
The new taxes could add up to millions of dollars for states, making up for some of the revenue lost as cigarette sales have fallen. Last year, for example, California collected about $750 million from cigarette taxes, down from more than $1 billion in 2005, according to a report from the consulting firm Orzechowski and Walker.

But taxes will not affect just big tobacco companies. A number of small vape shops have closed since Pennsylvanias new 40 percent tax on the wholesale price of e-cigarettes, also called vape pens, went into effect on Oct. 1.

At Vegas Vapes in Bryn Mawr, outside Philadelphia, a sign that says Zero Vape Shops = Zero Tax Collected hangs in the window. The owner, Raffi Farraj, said he had to pass on some of that cost to customers, but not so much that it drives business away.

If I ate all 40 percent, Id be closed by the end of the year, Mr. Farraj said. If I charged 40 percent, Id be closed by the end of the year.

At the center of the public debate is the question of whether e-cigarettes should be treated like cigarettes, given that a growing body of evidence suggests e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes. Still, American regulators have stepped up their oversight. The Food and Drug Administration completed a rule in May that would give it authority over e-cigarettes.

So far, though, any potential new restrictions appear to be years away. Under the new rule, e-cigarette companies have two years to submit scientific information to the F.D.A. for approval.

And the industry is trying to use that timing to its advantage. Until the agency knows more, manufacturers say, it is unfair to tax e-cigarettes the same way as cigarettes.
An advisor to the president of South Korea was arrested and charged with using her influence to extort large sums from Korean companies.
Hope, said the philosopher Francis Bacon, is a good breakfast, but an ill supper. Only a quarter-century ago, hope was an active force in world politics. The Cold War ended peacefully, and functioning constitutional democracies took root in Eastern Europe. The European Union was formally established, and membership was steadily extended eastward. The Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians were signed, and Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa after spending three decades in prison.

Do we even remember what hope looked like? Today, politics worldwide is being driven instead by anger, despair and resentment. And above all, nostalgia. Make X Great Again is the demagogic slogan of our time, and not just with the presidential candidacy of Donald J. Trump in the United States. What is political Islamism but the violent translation of a fantasy of return, in this case to an imagined era of religious purity and military might? Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India made his career by propagating Hindutva, a fanciful Hindu nationalism that extols Indian civilization before the arrival of Muslims. Far-right parties across Europe traffic in similar imagined pasts.

We live in a reactionary age. Revolutionaries traffic in hope. They believe, and wish others to believe, that a radical break with the past is possible and that it will inaugurate a new era of human experience. Reactionaries believe that such a break has already occurred and has been disastrous. While to the untrained eye the river of time seems to flow as it always has, the reactionary sees the debris of paradise drifting past his eyes. The revolutionary sees the radiant future, and it electrifies him. The reactionary thinks of the past in all its splendor, and he, too, is electrified. He is, he thinks, the guardian of what actually happened, not the prophet of what might be. This explains the strangely exhilarating despair that courses through reactionary literature and political rhetoric, the palpable sense of mission. As the editors of the right-leaning magazine National Review put it in its very first issue, the mission is to stand athwart history, yelling Stop.

Reactionaries are not conservatives. This is the first thing to be understood about them. Conservatives have always seen society as a kind of inheritance we receive and are responsible for. The healthiest way to bring about change, the conservative believes, is through consultation and slow transformations in custom and tradition, not by announcing bold reform programs or inventing supposedly inalienable individual rights. But the conservative is also reconciled to the fact that history never stands still and that we are only passing through. Conservatism seeks to instill the humble thought that history moves us forward, not the other way around. And that radical attempts to master it through sheer will bring disaster.
In just a few weeks, Burundi, South Africa and Gambia have announced that they would withdraw from the International Criminal Court, a permanent tribunal investigating war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Since its creation in 1998, the I.C.C. has been hobbled by the refusal of major countries like the United States, China and Russia to subject themselves to its jurisdiction. But the recent defections by member states, on grounds that the court is biased and undermines peace, seem like an unprecedented blow to its legitimacy.

Yet even before the withdrawals were announced, the court itself was already trying to find a way out of African cases, and away from the types of wartime atrocities that have been its mainstay. It had begun to look into other forms of widespread violence, including in countries at peace, apparently in the hope that broadening its reach would quiet claims that it is prejudiced and widen its appeal.

The current crisis had been brewing for years. Of the I.C.C.s 124 members, 34 are African states. The Office of the Prosecutor has sought to bring charges against 31 individuals since the I.C.C. began operating in 2002  all of them African.

For their part, major powers like the United States, Russia and China are shielded from prosecution because they reject the courts jurisdiction over them and can veto any referral to the I.C.C. by the United Nations Security Council. (Consent and referral are the two main methods by which an I.C.C. case can be opened; the prosecutors office may also initiate a case itself, but only in a member state.) Yet nonparties to the court have sometimes encouraged it to intervene in countries that also refuse to recognize its jurisdiction.
LONDON  Being weak, seem so: That injunction, delivered by the vengeful daughter Regan toward her increasingly frail and erratic father midway through King Lear, is currently being memorably  even mightily  ignored by Glenda Jackson on the London stage.

At the age of 80, the two-time Oscar-winning Ms. Jackson has returned home to the theater after several decades to play no less a personage than that fellow octogenarian, Lear himself. Deborah Warners modern-dress production of this Shakespeare tragedy opened on Friday at the Old Vic here (through Dec. 3) and manages in an instant to render issues of gender and ones advancing years utterly irrelevant.

Ms. Jackson more than delivers in a role for which she is in some ways a not altogether unexpected fit. Beyond matching the character in age, the actress has rejoined her profession after 23 years as a Labour member of Parliament, that peppery voice still singularly capable of slicing the air. And when she strides onstage in an opening scene that will famously reduce Lears family to tatters, Ms. Jackson at once communicates a power and an authority that you mess with at your peril.

Stylish in a black pantsuit and loose-flowing red jacket, hair androgynously short, Ms. Jacksons Lear at first laughs at the inability of Cordelia (Morfydd Clark, whose vigor suggests a chip off the parental block) to express her love, as if the youngest daughters silence were some sort of joke.
In this most contentious of elections, you wouldnt think that a soda tax would be the issue to attract the big bucks. But measures in just two California cities have drawn more money than that states Senate race and statewide referendums on marijuana legalization and gun control  combined.

Soda taxes are on the ballots in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., and spending to persuade citizens to vote for or against them has topped $50 million  enough to buy every person in those two cities about 100 cans of Coke, at least if you bought them in bulk.

On the pro-tax side are big donations from billionaires: Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, and Laura and John Arnold. And opposing them are the companies in the deep-pocketed beverage industry, which is outspending them by a ratio of about 3 to 2.

The battle is the biggest so far by health advocates in their efforts to reduce the consumption of sugary carbonated soft drinks that they say leads to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
WASHINGTON  A Marine veteran detained in Yemen for more than a year was released Sunday after diplomatic negotiations, the State Department announced.

The detainee, Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman, 37, was abducted in April 2015 as he tried to leave the country after having taught English there for two years. He was then held in secret by the Houthis, a Shiite rebel group.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who was involved in the negotiations to free Mr. Luqman and was in touch with his family, announced the news of his release in a statement.

Mr. Kerry also thanked the government of Oman for its assistance and said, We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis.
In a sign of how seriously it views the situation with the lawmakers, China is taking the extraordinary step of interpreting a clause in the Basic Law in such a way that is expected to make it impossible for Ms. Yau and Mr. Leung to retake their oaths and formally assume office.

A decision may come on Monday. It would be only the second time since 1997 that the National Peoples Congress had intervened in Hong Kong without being asked by the territorys government or its highest court.

Such an intervention into a sophisticated legal system inherited from the British and based on hundred of years of legal precedents has alarmed many people in Hong Kong.

China has the right to issue interpretations of the Basic Law, but the Hong Kong Bar Association said on Wednesday that a decision by Beijing would deal a severe blow to the judicial independence of Hong Kongs courts, which are adjudicating Ms. Yau and Mr. Leungs case.

Many fear that the move will further undermine the principle of one country, two systems, which has given the city considerable autonomy.

Beijings impending move has galvanized the large coalition of protesters who captured the worlds attention during their 79-day occupation of major thoroughfares in Hong Kong in late 2014. They fear that the Communist Party will not only invalidate the elections of Ms. Yau and Mr. Leung, but also move against other major figures of the protests who were voted into office in September.

When Hong Kongs Basic Law can be changed at the Communist Partys will, what does that say about Hong Kongs future? said Joshua Wong, 20, the most prominent leader of the 2014 protests.
LONDON  Against a backdrop of rising political acrimony, Theresa May, the British prime minister, warned critics on Sunday not to thwart her timetable for withdrawal from the European Union, as she prepared for a standoff with lawmakers that could prompt calls for an early general election here.

Mrs. May, who wants to start the formal process of leaving the bloc by the end of March, now has a serious fight on her hands, after several months of facing relatively little challenge over her plans for British withdrawal, known as Brexit.

Judges on Britains High Court ruled last week that she could not start exit negotiations by invoking Article 50 of the European Unions treaty without first consulting Parliament, where the governments majority is slim.

The government is appealing the case to the Supreme Court, but if it loses, and then finds itself constrained by lawmakers, the temptation to seek an early general election may become overwhelming for Mrs. May.
A joint Kurdish-Arab militia has begun a new phase in the operation to dislodge the Islamic State from its stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, moving to encircle the city and largely cut off the resupply of arms, supplies and fighters, American military officials confirmed on Sunday.

Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Sunday that he welcomed the start of the militias operation. The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan, Mr. Carter said in a statement.

American warplanes are flying bombing missions against the Islamic States leadership, command and control, and resources in Raqqa and outside the city in support of the militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said Col. John Dorrian, a military spokesman in Baghdad.

Colonel Dorrian said in an email that it might be some time before the 30,000- to 40,000-member force reached Raqqa, and that the American-led coalition would continue to train and recruit more forces  especially Arab troops  for an eventual attack on the city.
There is growing insistence among hardline conservatives that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, the Republican blockade against Democratically-appointed Supreme Court justices must be continued indefinitely. But as ardently as its supporters call for such a total war approach, theres every reason to believe the gambit would fail.

The strategy, which has been percolating on the right for some time, came into public view last month when Arizona Sen. John McCain suggested that the Senate, which has refused to allow President Obama to fill the seat left empty by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, ought to continue blocking nominees throughout a Clinton administration.

Related: Another Sign This Election Is Driving People Crazy

McCain had an aide walk back his claim. But it was quickly adopted by others, like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who led the move to block consideration of President Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, was noncommittal on the issue before leaving Washington for the election recess.

Other influential voices have now joined the chorus. A scholar at the Cato Institute last week insisted that the senate would be within its rights to let the Supreme Court die out, literally.

The influential lobbying group Heritage Action for America has called for a total blockade on nominees from a Democratic president for at least the next four years if Clinton takes the White House. Youve seen John McCain and others talk about the need to not confirm any liberal nominated to the Supreme Court, the groups vice president for communications and government relations, Dean Holler, said in a briefing Thursday. Thats exactly the right position to have.

The issue is particularly important to conservatives like Holler because the death of Scalia deprived the court of what was effectively a moderately conservative majority. The appointment of even a single judge who isnt a strong conservative would decisively shift the balance of the court decisively to the left.

Story continues

Related: What Happens If Trump v. Clinton Ends in an Electoral College Tie?

Holler added, Its perfectly within the realm of Republican senators rights and prerogatives and within the Constitution and what they campaigned on to say this person will not uphold the Constitution and therefore they dont deserve to be appointed to the bench.

The thing is, the Democrats appear poised to take control of the Senate, and if they do, Holler and the senators hell be trying to persuade all know what will happen if the new majority is met with obstruction of a President Clintons Supreme Court picks. Two years ago, when Democrats grew frustrated with perpetual opposition to Obamas judicial picks, they voted to change the chambers rules to bar the filibuster of presidential nominees.

The ban didnt extend to the Supreme Court, but there is little doubt that in a new Democratically-controlled Congress, leaders would reinstate the ban and extend it to the high court. Basically, whether Republicans like it or not, a new Democratic president with a newly Democratic Senate is going to get the justice she wants.

Its possible, of course, that the conservatives calling for the blockade are playing a longer game. It could be that they understand the futility of opposition if the Senate flips, and want to force the Democrats to ram a nominee through the confirmation process with a rule change in order to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the newly liberal courts decisions.

Related: Whether Its Clinton or Trump, the Next President Will Face This Financial Trap

However, theres a real likelihood that it wont come to that in the end, because an indefinite halt to all Supreme Court nominees may be a bridge too far for many Republicans in the Senate. If the Democrats take the majority, it likely wont be a large one, but they still wouldnt need too many Republicans -- perhaps six or eight -- to create a veto-proof majority in favor of ending debate on a nomination and calling a vote.

There are already several GOP senators on the record saying that they arent interested in perpetuating their stance on Garland through four more years.

You just cant do that, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona told The New York Times. You shouldnt and you cant. People expect to have a full court. Others, including Maines Susan Collins, South Carolinas Lindsey Graham, and even Iowas Chuck Grassley, the Senate Judiciary Committee chair who has stood firm in the face of opposition to his refusal to give Garland a hearing, have expressed similar opinions.

And even if conservatives did force the Democrats to change the Senate rules again, its not clear that there would be any serious question about the courts legitimacy in the aftermath, except perhaps for a small faction within the party,.

Related: Trump Tries to Poke Holes in a Solid Jobs Report

Conservative Ilya Somin, a professor of law at George Mason University, said in an interview that while a rule change would anger Republicans, theres nothing illegal or unconstitutional about it.

No one doubts the senate has the ability to abolish the filibuster, he said. Additionally, he added, nobody questions the legitimacy of the judges who were approved after the Democrats changed the rules the first time.

For that reason, he said, he isnt expecting a serious Republican effort to block Supreme Court nominees if the Democrats control both the White House and the Senate. Im not sure theres value to adopting a strategy that, with a Democratic senate, would fail, he said.

By far the more interesting scenario is if the Republicans have control of the senate, he mused.

If they were united, he said, they could easily block Clinton nominees for years at a time. Theres nothing unconstitutional about that.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
The Placitas Holiday Sale is celebrating 35 years as one of the most popular arts & crafts fairs in New Mexico. Some of the finest Artists and Artisans are juried into The Placitas Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale, held every year the weekend before Thanksgiving in the Village of Placitas, New Mexico.

The Placitas Holiday Sale is at 3 locations in the Village of Placitas:



Site 1 - Anasazi Fields Winery

Site 2 - The Big Tent east of Presbyterian Church

Site 3 - Placitas Elementary School
ARCADIA  In retrospect, the longest Breeders Cup race was over at the start when Highland Reel and jockey Seamus Heffernan seized a lead they would only widen on the way to giving Irish trainer Aiden OBrien his sixth victory in the $4 million Breeders Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park on Saturday.

Highlight Reels big-money theft saw the 4-year-old son of Galileo stretch his lead to seven lengths with a quarter of a mile to go before keeping favored Flintshire at bay by a comfortable 1 3/4 lengths at the finish of the 1 1/2-mile race.

Highlight Reel, the 7-2 third choice of bettors, came close to the course record by covering the partly downhill distance in 2:23.00 after setting a steady pace.

Defending Turf champion Found, a stablemate of Highland Reel, finished third. Found and Highland Reel finished 1-2 in the Arc de Triomphe in France in October.

OBrien has won four of the past six runnings of the Turf, which is the Breeders Cups biggest grass-course race and one of the classiest grass races in the world.
It was a geeky meeting, even for a room full of sommeliers and wine journalists.

Scientists used PowerPoint to talk about the arcane world of phenolic analysis. WineXRay, a company that provides quick and accurate readings of dissolved compounds in red wine, was on hand to explain its wares. And the wine being debated, obsessed over and ultimately tasted that day was the king of American viticulture, our answer to Frances highfalutin Bordeaux: cabernet sauvignon.

Youre probably thinking this meeting of serious fans, wine professionals, winemakers and winery owners took place somewhere in Napa  at tony Meadowood, say, or deep inside the caves of Opus One.

Nope. I was in downtown Paso Robles attending last years CABs of Distinction event. Its an annual conference held by the PRCC, short for Paso Robles CAB (Cabernet and Bordeaux) Collective, a group founded in 2012 to promote the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area as a place for respectable and age-worthy cabernet and other red Bordeaux varieties.

For Napa cab fans who havent been paying attention, the area around Paso Robles has been producing cabernet sauvignon and other red Bordeaux grapes for quite a while. Believe it or not, more vineyards in Paso are planted with Bordeaux than Rhone grapes or zinfandel, which have been the regions biggest claim to fame in the wine world. According to the PRCC, cabernet sauvignon alone makes up almost half of all grapes grown across the 614,000-acre Paso Robles AVA. It was the Bordeaux blends at Justin Vineyards & Winery, in the northwest corner of the AVA, that first put Paso on the map as a quality wine-producing nearly 20 years ago, long before the Rhone Rangers rode into town and zinfandel had visitors merrily quaffing the cowboy way.

The CAB Collective toots its own horn, but its not just puffery. In 2007, Robert Parker, the most respected wine critic in America, declared that the area around Paso had greater potential than Napa. After tasting a cabernet from Stephan Asseos LAventure Winery just west of town, he declared it a remarkable cabernet sauvignon that seems to have more in common with a great vintage of Mouton Rothschild from Pauillac than any other cabernet I have tasted from California.  Competes with the best Napa Valley cabernets.

Heres a wine tour that will lead you to some of the best producers of cabernet sauvignon and Bordeaux blends all across the region, which has recently been divided into 11 sub-AVAs stretching from the arid flatlands in the east to the green foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains in the west.

One of the charms of the area is that its not Napa, at least not yet: While some tasting rooms look like French palaces, others are simply two barrels and a board plunked down in the bowels of a modest winery. And there are plenty of picturesque, rolling hills between stops in this vast and rugged region about four hours north of Orange County. Its convertible country.

CHATEAU MARGENE

Though theyre attractive, the hills that surround Creston arent the most picturesque part of the Central Coast, and the area doesnt share the cachet among oenophiles that other places around Paso Robles enjoy. But thats where winemaker Doug Mooney decided to realize his dream of making world-class Bordeaux.

For me, the goal has always been to make good cabernet, good Bordeaux, Mooney said during a barrel tasting in the winery behind his tasting room. Thats always been the greatest potential of this area. Mooney produces only cabernet sauvignons, cabernet francs and a Meritage. Together with his second label, Mooney Family Wines, his output is between 2,600 and 3,200 cases per year.

Michael and his wife, Margene, took up residence on a hilly piece of property in the summer of 1998 and planted the 5.5-acre estate vineyard that fall. Chateau Margenes first wine was a 1997 cabernet sauvignon, with grapes from a vineyard in the Templeton Gap area and another vineyard off Airport Road just east of Paso Robles. Within a few years, Chateau Margene had found a solid following  about 70 percent of Mooneys output is sold directly to his wine club members  and it began earning scores in the mid-90s from Wine Enthusiast.

DAOU VINEYARDS & WINERY

When famous oenologist Andre Tchelistcheff visited a certain spot high in the hills west of Paso Robles, he declared it a jewel of ecological elements and predicted Bordeaux grapes would do extremely well there. Following his suggestion, Dr. Stanley Hoffman, a Beverly Hills cardiologist, purchased a 1,200-acre ranch in the area in the early 1960s and planted his first vines with Tchelistcheffs help. Hoffman Mountain Ranch Winery was the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles, and Hoffmans cabernet sauvignon garnered him international respect.

In 2012, brothers Georges and Daniel Daou purchased part of the original Hoffman Mountain Ranch property, restored the redwood winery and concentrated on making Bordeaux. They now have almost 100 acres of vineyards in one of the most scenically spectacular places on the Central Coast. You can see for miles from the lawn outside the tasting room, which looks like a grand French chateau.

HALTER RANCH VINEYARD

Owner Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire who purchased 900 acres of the old Smith ranch, renovated the propertys historic farmhouse and began enlarging the vineyard in this undulating, picturesque corner of the Adelaida District. He now owns over 2,000 acres, but only 240 are currently in vine  Wyss is a good steward of the land and wants to leave most of his property as he found it.

Winemaker Kevin Sass spent 11 years at Justin, many of them as its principal winemaker. He decided to move on after a change of ownership. Halter Ranch was a logical fit. It used to be the largest supplier of fruit to Justin, and its not far away. I remember sitting at the top of the hill at Halter when I was 22 or so and thinking to myself, Gosh, I would love to work here one day. The 100 percent estate-grown Bordeaux and Rhone grapes are sustainably farmed in limestone soils.

J. LOHR VINEYARDS & WINES

In 1986, winery owner Jerry Lohr committed to Paso Robles. He began planting cabernet sauvignon, merlot and other red varieties on what are now 2,000 acres of vineyards, and he established his winery a few miles east of town, north of the 46.

Lohr says it was never part of his plan to create one of Californias largest wineries. I didnt necessarily want to be in the big leagues. It was just kind of by default that weve gotten as big as we are. I made a plan for 125,000 cases (per year). When I got there I said, We can double that easily. When we were 250,000 (cases) I laid out a plan for 500,000. About every eight years we double.

Lohr predicts he may hit 2 million cases per year soon. Though his wine runs the gamut from bargain to pricey, its immaculately made and smartly styled to pair with food, thanks largely to his experienced red-wine maker, Steve Peck.

JUSTIN VINEYARDS & WINERY

This is the winery that put Paso Robles on the map with superlative red Bordeaux blends. During a recent tour, head winemaker Scott Shirley smiled and gestured around at the sun-drenched vineyards behind the winerys handsomely appointed tasting room. One of the reasons I moved here is because of the climate. Its perfect for ripening cabernet sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties  in my opinion, better than Napa.

Those are fighting words that belie Shirleys placid, low-key persona. But he backs up his assertion calmly and thoroughly. Theres plenty of sun and warmth, and then youve got that huge diurnal shift of temperatures. You can leave the grapes on the vines as long as you want because theyre able to recover overnight from the previous days heat, which allows them to retain their acidity.

VINA ROBLES VINEYARDS & WINERY

The founder of this impressive winery and outdoor concert venue, Swiss entrepreneur Hans Nef, strives to bridge New and Old World characteristics with his award-winning Bordeaux blends. The reason Hans is here, and the reason Im here, is that Paso is one of the most promising wine regions in the world, principal winemaker Kevin Willenborg said. Every harvest I feel Im closer to understanding how to reach that potential. Ive been fortunate enough to work with the best people in the business over the last three decades.

Willenborgs resume is equal to the task: He has worked with Louis P. Martini, Michael Martini, Tchelistcheff and Stephane Derenoncourt. He thinks the breadth of his experience, and his French training in particular, have been crucial to his success at Vina Robles.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com
EL CAJON  A federal judge has denied a request by protesters and the NAACP to ban law enforcement from arresting people who continue to gather at the spot in a San Diego suburb where a man was fatally shot by police.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said in her ruling Friday that there was not a legal basis to grant an injunction against law enforcement in this case. But she said she recognizes that the circumstances underlying the protesters request have provoked genuine concern on behalf of all those involved.

The Sept. 27 shooting of Alfred Olango sparked protests in the city of El Cajon. Demonstrators contend law enforcement violated their civil rights by breaking up gatherings and making arrests.
There are many words that can be used to accurately describe Americas 2016 presidential election but the word unprecedented certainly comes to mind. The candidates. The antics. The drama. The coverage by media outlets. The negativity. The lack of substance. The vitriol. The scandals. The FBI leaks. The hateful rhetoric.

American presidential elections arent Little League games, but 2016 has certainly highlighted the worst of our politics.

Its no wonder that a recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of voters are frustrated by the presidential election, and 55 percent said they were disgusted. More telling, however, is that only 11 percent of all voters said they would be excited if Donald Trump were to win, and only 12 percent would be excited if Hillary Clinton were to emerge victorious.

In other words, nearly 90 percent of Americans  either way  will be unenthusiastic about our next president.

In recent days, weeks and months, various newspapers have offered their endorsements in the presidential contest. And some readers have asked if our paper will endorse in the presidential election. The answer is no.

With media constantly focused on the presidential election and an oversaturation of information available to voters, newspaper editorial endorsements for presidential candidates are not likely to sway many, if any, voters.

In local races and state races where we thoroughly interview and vet candidates, endorsements have real value. But in the presidential race that same value is not apparent.

Even still, much like the frustration and division of the country as a whole, our Editorial Board could reach no consensus over who it would like to endorse for the presidency. Even after numerous discussions and debates, we were still an Editorial Board very much divided on the presidential candidates, including Libertarian Party nominee and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.

And its no wonder: Clinton is under investigation by the FBI; she conspired with the Democratic National Committee to suppress her chief rival in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders; her campaign chairman, John Podesta, attempted to get California to move its primary date to help clinch the Democratic nomination for her; foreign governments donated millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation, while at the same time garnering access to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; and a Department of Justice official tipped off the Clinton campaign about a DOJ investigation about her.

As for Trump, he has illustrated a track record for making horrendous comments about women  not to mention Mexican immigrants, Muslims and pretty much everybody else  and faces a plethora of sexual assault allegations; he lashes out at reporters and illustrates a disdain for the free press; his companies have filed for bankruptcy at least six times, according to Politifact, and he faces a long list of complaints against his business practices; he consistently engages in derogatory language and name-calling; he engages in childish feuds with celebrities on Twitter; and he has an overall temperament and demeanor that are unbecoming of any head of state.

Its no surprise that many voters would believe that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump are worthy of the Oval Office. Indeed, some members of the Editorial Board made the case for Libertarian Party nominee and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, and still others argued for a none of the above approach.

Ultimately, either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be elected president. But neither they, or their third-party challengers, inspire enough confidence for our Editorial Board to offer an endorsement.
SANTA ANA  Gianna Dragotto sits in her wheelchair at the 420 Central marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana, slowly chewing spoonfuls of her low-carb dinner, which is topped with cannabis oil.

Displayed throughout the dispensary are signs and pamphlets with the words Vote Yes on Measure X, a Costa Mesa-sponsored ballot measure that would allow her oils, called Myriams Hope, to be made in a designated part of the city.

Gianna, 12, of Costa Mesa, takes the oils with her food four times daily to cope with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy, and congenital disorders of glycosylation, an inherited metabolic disorder that impairs the production of proteins and can result in mental and physical disabilities.

The 12- to 15-second drop seizures, which occur when abnormal brain activity results in the loss of muscle tone, began when she was three months old and increased to 200 per hour by the time she was 10, said Giannas mother, Natalie Dragotto.

Doctors said she wouldnt live past her fifth birthday.

The doctor told me You need to focus on having more children and not focus so much on making Gianna better, Natalie Dragotto recalled.

After exhausting all the traditional pharmaceuticals, Giannas parents began giving her cannabis oils with her food in 2014. The seizures slowly decreased to around 20 per hour and she is now able to say small words like mermaid and mama, they said.

We pretty much went from A to Z in all the seizure medications, said Giannas father, David Dragotto.

On Tuesday, voters in Costa Mesa will see nine measures on the ballot. Measure X, one of three marijuana-related initiatives, would allow the processing, research, distribution, development and testing of medical marijuana-related products in a designated industrial zone in the northern part of the city, but no dispensaries.

Producing the oils, which requires extraction, is illegal and therefore not regulated, making it impossible to tell if the products are safe, said Robert Taft, owner of 420 Central and the proponent behind Measure V who now favors the citys initiative over his own.

I dont know how its made and I own the store, he said. These products are made by people in the business that have a great reputation and following, but can I tell you what their lab looks like or how clean or secure it is? No. Measure X solves all that.

In addition, a 6 percent tax would be levied on the businesses.

The other two measures, V and W, would allow up to eight and four dispensaries, respectively.

Whichever measure gets the most votes above 50 percent wins.

Natalie and David Dragotto have advocated for Measure X by walking door-to-door, talking with residents and handing out literature, arguing that the initiative will allow medical marijuana businesses to develop their products in a safe and clean environment.

Ive gotten weird looks from people when Im with Gianna, Natalie Dragotto said. Its about educating them.

The Dragottos get the cannabis oils at 420 Central where Taft sponsors the $1,200 monthly cost.

Before supplying the oils at his store, Taft had to travel outside the county to purchase the products, usually to Rancho Cucamonga or Northern California. Only a handful of Orange County dispensaries sell them now, he said.

City leaders drafted the measure to exclude dispensaries until the state has a legal framework to control how the shops are operated.

Councilman Jim Righeimer has said the initiative would deliver tested wholesale products to retail stores outside the city.

We want to make sure that people like Gianna can get the medicine they need without going to full-blown dispensaries, Righeimer said.

There are also concerns about what happens to patients like Gianna when cannabis oil production facilities are targeted by authorities.

In June, Sonoma County law enforcement officials raided five properties associated with Care By Design and Absolute Xtracts, two popular cannabis product brands.

In January, San Diego police arrested two employees at a hash oil lab operated by Med-West Distribution.

What if the place that makes Giannas oils get raided? Natalie Dragotto said. Well be in a tailspin. Thats why were fighting so hard for this.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com
SIMI VALLEY  Prominent Republicans and former White House aides were among those who celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California.

Among those gathered for a ceremony Friday at the library in Simi Valley were former Attorney General Edwin Meese, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and former Secretary of State George Shultz.

The Daily News reports the sprawling center is the most visited presidential library in the nation. It has drawn an estimated 7.5?million visitors to features such as its Air?Force One Pavilion, which holds the jet that carried seven presidents.

The library has amassed 63 million gubernatorial, presidential and personal papers and more than 60,000 presidential gifts and artifacts.

Its hilltop grounds are the final resting place for Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
This election season, Republicans have a freedom problem. But Hillary Clintons is worse. A close look at why ought to help the GOP in its quest to reconnect with voters on what used to be one of their signature issues.

Start with Clinton. Although in more than a few ways, she is more than a few clicks to the right of Barack Obama, her record on issues of political liberty is painful to behold. Doubtless, Clinton has shown herself to be far more comfortable than Obama with relatively risky democracy-promotion strategies abroad, and with freedom of movement for Wall Street. But Clintons Libya misadventure, and her big paydays delivering pleasant speeches to powerful banks, should not raise anyones hopes around greater liberty for everyday American citizens.

True, the Clinton campaign has done everything possible to soften her unfavorable numbers in polls by presenting her as Americas greatest champion and living symbol of women who seek and achieve greater freedom in their personal lives. But, again, no matter how much the personal is political, as proponents of revolutionary identity politics are apt to put it, todays libertarians can powerfully attest that liberty can wither even as increased personal freedom is hardwired into the law.

That brings us to the Republicans freedom problem. To be blunt, millions of Americans today dont really care about freedom as Republicans  especially conservative ones  understand it. These beleaguered, often angry voters make up a growing constituency that has become inured to the traditional GOP liberty pitch. To the right and the left of center, they tend to look on political freedom as an abstract concept that might be ideal in some fantasy land but shows up nowhere concrete in their lives.

Although many in the unfree constituency are near the bottom end of the socioeconomic spectrum, or have wound up downwardly mobile against their will, thats not always the case. People scattered across all class levels depend on federal largesse and want the tax code to be used to encourage or force changes in the cultural and moral behavior of others. Increasingly, the view that politics is all about securing health, safety and pleasure doesnt depend on whether youre working class, middle class or upper class.

Worst of all for traditional Republicans, however, the machinations of the established elite have gone the extra mile in giving freedom a bad name, in both political and personal life. While most of us are thrown into an ever-widening global pool of competition for marginal gains, only a very few are able to escape from that sucking pool of time and energy, thanks to outsized ambition, talent and luck. Thats annoying enough as it is for many Americans. But what really pushes them away from the rhetoric of a freedom agenda is the elite culture fueled by connections, access and patronage  where big government and big business are used to carve out back channels for routing around the competitive morass that always threatens to pull people and their friends and family back in.

Under such circumstances, who has time to participate in self-government? Who is willing to bet that self-government can protect ones basic interests better than the rigged system overlaying all? And who, outside that system, has the luxury of indulging freely in personal pleasures without falling further and further behind? Republicans have not yet figured out how to respond effectively to these often inchoate but tremendously pressing questions.

The Clinton wing of the Democrats, however, mainly refuses to acknowledge that they exist. Instead, Clinton Democrats tend to nervously concede that inequality has gone up under President Obamas administration, then insist that only Clinton is the person capable of ameliorating Americans frustrations in a competent and equitable way. But instead of pinning blame on the fruits of the Obama agenda, or on the high-powered elite of which Clinton has long been a part, establishment Democrats chalk up Americas massive discontent to the influence of greed and bigotry on Republican policymaking. Politics is a contact sport, of course, and this kind of rhetoric is to be expected even in a normal election cycle. But this season, it is not just a stretch  it is a cruel obfuscation of the truth that will leave people even more sour on their own unprotected independence.

Sure enough, for this reason, Democrats generally want to respond to that ill feeling by reducing peoples unprotected independence still further, extending ever-greater regulations around the protection and enforcement of health, safety and pleasure. Republicans are left straining all the harder to win votes by appealing to the innate sense of freedom and liberty that continues, unfortunately, to dim.

Regardless of who wins this presidential election, the challenge for Republicans is to unpack this harsh reality in a way that everyday Americans understand as a fact, not as a piece of rhetoric or a just-so story. That, in turn, involves shifting the political conversation toward the stark limits of Clintons view of the future of freedom. In tough and uncertain times, people prefer promises of security  theres nothing inherently wrong with that. But many Americans are not prepared or willing to surrender ever more liberty forever.

Even if the security imperative moves many to seek stability from government at a cost, the purpose of that stability, in the eyes of many, is still mostly to ensure we have the ability to pursue happiness freely and join in the work of governing ourselves. Hillary Clinton is at her weakest when it comes to that central American promise. Republicans looking to grow stronger would be wise not to forget it.

James Poulos is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.
MANILA, Philippines  The torture was more than 40 years ago, but Loretta Rosales remembers it vividly.

Twice during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos she was arrested by his henchmen for leading street protests. During her detention, she said, she was sexually molested, choked with a belt, given electric shocks and subjected to Russian roulette.

So the news that President Rodrigo Duterte wants to transfer Marcos remains to a heroes cemetery in Manila hit her in the gut.

Now they want to make him a hero, Rosales, a leftist politician who is now 77, said in a recent interview. Doing so would betray Marcos victims, she said, and whitewash the past.

We have a right to the truth, she said, and so, too, do the generations after us.

The debate over the reburial of Marcos, 30 years after he was ousted in the People Power uprising, has forced a national reckoning over a wrenching period of Philippine history.

Protesters on both sides have taken to the streets, and several groups opposed to the reburial have petitioned the Supreme Court to block it. The court is expected to rule on the petition Tuesday.

Marcos, whose two-decade rule was notorious for its brutality and extravagance, fled the country in 1986 and died in the United States three years later. His government is believed to have killed more than 3,000 political opponents, tortured tens of thousands more and plundered up to $10 billion in government funds.

But his reputation has softened over time, and his burial in the Cemetery of Heroes would mark the latest step in a posthumous political rehabilitation.

His widow, Imelda, best known for the more than 1,000 pairs of shoes she left behind at the presidential palace in 1986, is now a member of Congress. His daughter Imee is the governor of Ilocos Norte province, and his son, Ferdinand Jr., is a senator who came within a hair of winning the vice presidency in elections in May. Supporters portray the Marcos era as a time of economic growth and low crime, despite increasing poverty.

The family has found a staunch ally in Duterte, who has expressed admiration for Ferdinand Marcos and first promised to allow his reburial in May, before Duterte even took office. I will allow the burial of Marcos in the Heroes Cemetery, not because he was a hero but because he was a Filipino soldier, he said then.

In a trip to the familys stronghold of Ilocos Norte last month, Duterte again argued that Ferdinand Marcos military service made him eligible.

That is the law, he said. It is very clear to me that my decision is right.

The governments lawyer in the case, Solicitor General Jose Calida, said the reburial would provide the country much-needed closure.

As the father of this nation, President Duterte desires to begin the long overdue healing of our nation and to exorcise the ghost of enmity and bitterness that prevent us from moving forward, Calida told the Supreme Court.

Since his family was allowed to repatriate Ferdinand Marcos remains in 1993, they have been kept on public view in a glass coffin in a refrigerated crypt at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center in his hometown, Batac, in Ilocos Norte. Fidel Ramos, the president at the time, denied Imelda Marcos request for a heros burial, and all presidents until now sought to avoid touching a highly charged issue.

But Duterte has close ties with the Marcos family, possibly including financial dealings, that have raised questions of motives beyond national healing.

Duterte has acknowledged receiving a campaign contribution from Imee Marcos. He has not said how much the contribution was, nor reported it publicly. She has denied giving him money, saying Duterte likes to make jokes.

Another murky transaction has also raised eyebrows. In August, Duterte attacked a billionaire casino magnate, Roberto Ongpin, as an oligarch and publicly promised to destroy him. Ongpin quietly resigned from his own company and ended up selling his shares to Gregorio Araneta III, the husband of another Marcos daughter, Irene.

Ongpin has not publicly commented on the sale, but critics see the deal as a favor by Duterte to the Marcos family.

The Coalition Against the Marcos Burial at the Cemetery of Heroes, one of seven groups that sought to block the burial, said the former dictators family had bought and paid for the privilege of his transfer to the Philippine equivalent of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Its all about a private transaction. Its all about the money, said Hilda Narciso, 70, a coalition member. Heroism is not bought. It is earned.

Narciso, then an unemployed teacher, was arrested in 1983 and was raped and tortured for six months inside a military camp in Davao City. She was kept in a small, dark room, she said, and fed a soup of worms and rotten fish. The person who did this to her is no hero, she said.

We will not allow this travesty to pass unchallenged, she said.

Duterte has not further explained the campaign contribution. And the Marcos family and the government have not spoken publicly about the sale of the casino business.

There is potentially far greater money at stake, however. Of the estimated $10 billion the government says the Marcos family stole, the presidential commission charged with recovering it has recouped only $650 million.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has filed a protest at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal contesting his narrow loss, alleging vote-rigging. If he succeeds and becomes vice president, he could work to eliminate the commission, potentially leaving his family with more than $9 billion in ill-gotten gains.

Duterte has backed Marcos election appeal.

In a state visit to China last month, Imee Marcos and her brother were part of Dutertes entourage, and the president introduced Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as his potential vice president.

At a pro-Marcos demonstration in October outside the Supreme Court, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he expected a favorable ruling, even though the familys patience was wearing thin.

We have been patient for 23 years, he said. We can be patient for a few days more.
COSTA MESA  If two trains leave the station at the same time, one heading west and the other heading east

The age-old algebra problem came to life Saturday.

Only instead of imaginary trains, clear robotic balls raced toward each other on side-by-side tracks. And rather than work out rates of speed on paper, kids tested their estimates for where those robotic balls would meet by placing a laser-controlled device above the tracks that would pop a balloon if they got it right.

The exhibit was one of dozens at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa as part of the third annual Math Fair, put on by the Irvine-based MIND Research Institute.

Some 7,000 people were registered to attend the free fair, which launched in Irvine in 2014 and was held in Chicago last year.

MIND Research Institute CEO Matthew Peterson said theyre always looking for new ways to make math exciting and real for kids, with math camps, family math nights and game-a-thons held throughout the year. Those activities outside the classroom build on the companys ST Math software program, which teaches math skills to roughly 1 million students in 43 states through games and the ever-popular penguin mascot JiJi.

That was the main thing on the mind of 8-year-old William Oats, who attended Saturdays fair with his younger brother, Ethan.

I wanna see JiJi, William said as he turned away from a math-themed video game.

The Oats grandmother, Carolyn Lewis, heard about the event during a meeting at their school, Howard Wood Elementary in Torrance. She knew how much her grandsons love the penguin character, so she drove them down to get a picture with JiJi, do some activities and hopefully learn something along the way.

Five buses full of students piled into the fair from Anaheim City School District, thanks to a sponsorship from Disneyland Resorts.

El Sol Science & Arts Academy in Santa Ana bused their students in thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, with many educators praising how the MIND Research Institute programs draw kids in.

Its been a cultural game-changer for our school, said Kalim Rayburn, principal of Rea Elementary School in Costa Mesa.

She secured a grant so she could offer the JiJi software in her school. Rayburn said its been such a big success that she dressed as JiJi for Halloween, handing out fliers for the Math Fair to encourage students to come.

Rayburn ran into two of her students at Locked Up, a western-themed exhibit where kids had to team up and problem solve to escape from cleverly tangled ropes.

Parents and kids sat on floor pillows in South of the Sahara, where they learned about the history of math by playing an ancient version of chess and looking at designs of early African dwellings.

Visitors could also study angles by measuring how wide the jaw of a saber-toothed cat skull could open. They could build structures with giant foam blocks. And they could learn how math factors into the culinary world from mathematician and author Eugenia Cheng, who demonstrated the role fractions play in recipes and portions.

This is really innovative, said Kathleen Wong, 25, of Tustin as she watched the cooking show.

Wong studied math in college and tutored younger students for a decade, but said shed never seen anything like Saturdays fair.

Peterson likes to think of it as a pop-up math museum of sorts. Except at this museum, visitors get to interact with the hundreds of experts who volunteered to help pull it off.

We have scientists and engineers and mathematicians and chefs here, he said. How cool is that?

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.comTwitter: @JournoBrooke
The most encouraging sign for Orange County real estate is that were paying our bills.

Look inside my Big Orange Index, a collection of three-dozen-plus yardsticks of the overall local economy, that sits at a record high. One slice of the benchmark is the Banker Index that tracks bill-collection patterns in and around Orange County, a subindex heavy with real estate metrics.

I view it as one of my early warning signals. Orange Countians have a bad habit of spending too much in good times, then failing to pay bills  especially property-related ones  when the economy turns lean.

My Big Os Banker Index gives me no reason for concern. It scored 98.11 percent in the third quarter  theoretically, the share of bills being paid locally. Thats up from a 91.5 percent low set midrecession in 2009 and a new high topping the 2005 pinnacle.

Howd we get here, according to stats from CoreLogic, Experian, county and bankruptcy court records that comprise the Banker Index?

 Mortgage defaults in Orange County, the first sign of house-payment woes, are down 22 percent from a year ago and 90 percent below the peak.

 Foreclosures in Orange County are down 16 percent from a year ago and 91 percent off their old high.

 Orange Countys property tax collection rate is at a record high.

 Bankruptcies in Southern California are down 16 percent in a year and 72 percent below their peak.

 Los Angeles-area bill-payment rates are at their highest since at least 2004.

 Orange Countys unemployment rate has been sliced by a tenth in a year and runs at less than its midrecession peak.

So we can choose to pat ourselves on the wallet for the accomplishment.

Or we can recall the last time we paid bills like this: 2005.

That was during the last throes of the great surge of the real estate bubble. Now before you gulp too hard  fearing history may repeat itself with another bubble bursting  remember the key financial stimulant in the last cycle: Wacky risk-taking by mortgage makers is nowhere to be found today.

For starters, todays lending pace is roughly half as brisk as it was a decade ago. Though that may be annoying to wannabe borrowers, slower lending is in itself a reassuring trend.

In addition, lenders are actually making borrowing as it was designed to be: difficult. Perhaps not nearly impossible, as it was just after the bubble burst. But most banking experts agree that lenders are still being cautious  even overly cautious  in underwriting loan qualifications.

In fact, stingy lenders may be one reason the local real estate market seems a tad wobbly, as my Big Orange Indexs property owner subindex suggests local real estate is moving ahead sluggishly.

For the third quarter, the Big O Property Owner Index sits 1 percent below year-ago levels even after enjoying its biggest quarterly gain since 2015s second quarter. A key reason: Mortgage making rose slightly in the quarter but was down 19 percent from a year earlier.

Now stats from CoreLogic, Real Answers, S&P/Case-Shiller, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Chapman University arent all depressed:

 Real estate jobs are hot. Positions in real estate and finance rose 1.1 percent vs. the previous three months and are up 6.3 percent vs. a year earlier.

 Almost as hot are rents, with renters learning its a landlords market. Large-complex apartment rents were effectively up 1.7 percent in the quarter and 6.2 percent in the year.

 Homebuying is comparably stable. Sales are up 2.6 percent from a year earlier as local home values rose 6 percent in a year.

 And builders are slowly giving house hunters options. Residential building permitting rose 1.5 percent in the quarter but fell 5.4 percent vs. a year earlier.

A dash of comparative calm isnt so bad for the local property game. And as long as Orange Countians pay their bills, the real estate market  as well as the broader economy  should be in good shape.

Contact the writer: jlansner@scng.com
KABUL, Afghanistan  American military officials here acknowledged Saturday that U.S. airstrikes in embattled Kunduz Province on Thursday had likely resulted in civilian casualties when Afghan and U.S. forces, searching for a reported meeting of Taliban leaders in a village, faced significant enemy fire and called for air support.

The American officials did not provide numbers or details of the casualties, but Afghan officials and witnesses have said that 30 civilians, including numerous women and children, were killed and about 25 others wounded when their homes in Bozi Kandahari village were bombed as the families slept. Two U.S. service members and three Afghan Special Operations forces were also killed in fighting there.

The civilian deaths have drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and some Afghan leaders, including former president Hamid Karzai, who has long complained that Western bombings and raids cause needless deaths and undermine the war against Taliban insurgents.

Thursdays incident came just over a year after an errant U.S. airstrike in Kunduz City killed 42 people in an emergency hospital amid heavy fighting. Taliban fighters, who seized the strategic northern city for more than one week last October, attacked it again two months ago and have remained active in the surrounding area ever since, taking cover in residential areas to avoid capture.

Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, issued a statement saying, I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives, regardless of the circumstances. The loss of innocent life is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the families. He said U.S. military officials will work with Afghan authorities to investigate the incident and provide assistance to the villagers.

American and Afghan military officials spoke at a joint news conference here Saturday, although their accounts of the events Thursday differed slightly. The U.S. officials said Afghan forces, with assistance from American advisers, raided the village in search of Taliban leaders who were planning additional attacks in Kunduz City.

Coming under heavy fire from multiple locations, they said, the forces defended themselves with ground fire and U.S. air-to-ground engagements. The Americans said several Taliban leaders and members were apparently killed in the clashes, but that the insurgents continue to pose a threat to Kunduz.

Afghan military officials gave a more detailed description, saying the raid had been prompted by intelligence reports that a senior Taliban leader in the area, Maulvi Mutaqi, was holding a meeting in a certain house in Bozi Kandahari. Late Wednesday, they said, Special Forces were lowered into the village from helicopters.

After our commandos descended, they came under fire from four directions. Thats when we asked for air support, Gen. Mohammed Radmanash, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said in an interview. He said both U.S. and Afghan attack helicopters responded, and that Mutaqi and more than 20 other Taliban were killed.

The cause of the civilian casualties are the Taliban, because they use peoples homes to shelter and hide, Radmanash added. The senior defense spokesman, Gen. Dawlat Waziri, said some of the civilians killed in the airstrikes were family members of two local Taliban leaders.

But a senior leader of Bozi Kandahari, in a lengthy telephone interview Saturday, denied there were any Taliban members in the village and said government forces had been harassing the residents because they were originally from Kandahar, the birthplace of the ethnic Pashtun Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Most Kunduz natives are of Tajik or Uzbek ethnic origin.

The leader, a livestock trader who gave his name as Jamaluddin, said everyone in the village was asleep late Wednesday when armed troops appeared, putting up ladders to rooftops and breaking through doors.

There were Afghans and foreigners. They were screaming at everyone not to move, he said. He said some villagers began defending themselves with stones and other objects. Then the bombing started and continued for five hours, he said.

My cousin Noor Ali and 18 of his family members were killed. Their house was destroyed and parts of it are still burning, Jamaluddin said. We buried the dead yesterday, but neighbors are still going through the rubble, looking for anyone who is alive or for bodies to bury.

He said four houses were bombed, killing 35 people including 18 children and 8 women.

You need to ask the authorities why they did this. There were no Taliban here, but we as Muslims have to defend our honor and privacy, he said. If there were Taliban here, the government forces wouldnt have dared to come.

Jamaluddin said both government and Afghan fighters enter the village often. We are hospitable to both sides. But the government considers us all Taliban, just because we come from Kandahar, he said. If they keep behaving this way, everyone in Kunduz will rise up and become a Taliban themselves.

President Ashraf Ghani expressed sadness over the casualties and sent a delegation to the village to investigate the bombings. Karzai was far more critical, saying his concern over civilian casualties made him refuse to sign a security agreement with Washington, which Ghani signed as soon as he took office. Today, about 10,000 American forces remain in Afghanistan, along with combat aircraft which they are allowed to use to assist Afghan ground forces in trouble.

Just show me one example of a bombing that has taken us one step closer to peace, Karzai said Friday, adding that he had called families in Boz Kandahari to express his concern. Fifteen years after U.S. and NATO forces began fighting in Afghanistan, he asked, do we have more Taliban or less, more radicalization or less, more terror or less? Is this really a war on terror, or is it something else in which the lives of Afghans dont matter?
FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven: In this horror thriller from Bockoven, who lives in Grand Island, Nebraska, a Florida amusement park is ravaged by a hurricane, isolating the park patrons. Five weeks later, authorities arrive at the park to find a scene of horror. Lord of the Flies at an amusement park.

Paper Trail by Bill Zahren: A man in Council Bluffs tries to get to the bottom of a murder mystery in a fictional tech corporation in Omaha. Zahren is from Lake Park, Iowa, and now lives in Des Moines.

Cold Case Club by Jon R. Minks: Minks, an Omaha native, wrote this murder mystery about an Omaha Police detective who solves a case with the help of a Boston newspaper reporter.

Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future: The Potential of Digital Archaeology co-written by Creighton University professor Erin Averett: Along with professors at the Wentworth Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Averett has brought together 17 papers on technology and archaeological field practice. A free full digital version of the book is available from the publisher, the Digital Press at the University of North Dakota.

On the calendar

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Writers group: Genealogy Writers Group, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today, Meeting Room 1, Main Library, 215 S. 15th St. No registration required.

Book group: Alternative Book Club, 2 p.m. today, Panera Bread, 17730 West Center Road.

Author appearance: Michael Ward will sign The Sea Is Quiet Tonight, 6 p.m. Monday, The Bookworm, 90th Street and West Center Road.

Book group: The Lit Wits group will discuss Death Comes to the Archbishop by Willa Cather, 6:30 p.m. Monday, The Bookworm.

Workshop: Legend Writers Group, 9 a.m. Wednesday, Legend Comics & Coffee, 5207 Leavenworth St.

Author appearance: Kate Klise will sign Loch Ness Punster, 6 p.m. Wednesday, The Bookworm.

Book group: The Wednesday Bookworms will discuss Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, The Bookworm.

Book sale: Friends of the Omaha Public Library, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Swanson Library, 90th Street and West Dodge Road.

Book group: Amiable Adult Readers Discussing Books Almost Always Read by Kids (Aardbaark) will discuss Greenglass House by Kate Milford, 6 p.m. Thursday, The Bookworm.

Writers group: Nebraska Novelists critique group, 7 p.m. Friday, Do Space.

Reading series: The Clean Part Reading Series will host Omaha poet Natasha Kessler, and Lincoln poets Robert Fernandez and Mary Hickman, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Petshop Gallery, 2727 N. 62nd St.

Book group: The Omaha Sherlockian Society will discuss The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 10 a.m. Saturday, Swanson Library.

Author appearance: Candice Millard will sign Hero of the Empire, 1 p.m. Saturday, The Bookworm.

Information for this column and other book page items should be sent to micah.mertes@owh.com.
A woman on probation for an unprovoked attack in a girls bathroom at a Lincoln high school in 2013 has been arrested on suspicion of setting a fire in a Metro Community College restroom.

Sarah J. Piccolo, 19, was booked into the Douglas County Jail at 9:15 p.m. Saturday on a charge of first-degree arson. She is in the midst of five years of probation for attacking a fellow student with a hammer and knife in a girls bathroom at Lincoln Pius X on Oct. 7, 2013.

Firefighters were called to the Elkhorn campus of Metro about 7 a.m. Saturday, according to an Omaha Police Department report. Investigators determined that the fire in the bathroom had been intentionally set.

Piccolo was identified as a suspect by school personnel with the help of video surveillance, the report said. Piccolo will need to appear before a judge before a bail amount is set.

She had received behavioral and mental health treatment under the supervision of the juvenile court following her ambush of Ellen Kopetzky at Lincolns only Catholic high school. Piccolo was hiding in a restroom, waiting to attack the first person who walked in, prosecutors said.

The assault prompted a two-hour school lockdown. Piccolo, then 16, fled in a vehicle, but turned herself in to Kansas authorities the following day. She told investigators her motive was to kill as many people as she could and then kill herself. Piccolos lawyer characterized the act as a huge cry for help.

Piccolo lived and received treatment at the Uta Halee Academy in Omaha under a separate juvenile court case. She was released April 10 from the facility upon turning 19.

Under the probation terms, Piccolo was ordered to live with an aunt and uncle in the Omaha area.
Jamie Halds voice broke Saturday as he recalled his son, an 18-year-old Northwest High School senior, who died in the collision of a car and pickup truck the night before.

He was not just some kid, the father said. He was a great man. Really, really great. He stayed out of trouble, was a good son.

Jason Hald turned 18 last month and was to graduate in May. He wanted to study computer science, maybe video games, his father said.

An 18-year-old woman driving a Chevrolet Cavalier was drunk and had run a red light, authorities said, when she slammed into a pickup Friday night just beyond Omahas north city limits. The crash killed Hald, a passenger in the back of the Cavalier.

A man in the front passenger seat was taken in grave condition in a helicopter to Creighton University Medical Center, said Lt. Rob Jones of the Douglas County Sheriffs Office.

The Cavaliers driver was taken in serious condition in an ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center, Jones said.

The Sheriffs Office did not release the names or ages of the vehicles occupants Saturday, and it did not offer an update on the conditions of the two injured.

Neither the driver of the pickup, a Ford F-250, nor a 12-year-old boy in a passenger seat was injured, Jones said.

The collision occurred about 8:30 p.m. at Sorensen Parkway and Wenninghoff Road, a few blocks north of Northwest High School. The driver of the Cavalier, traveling on Wenninghoff Road, ran the traffic light at Sorensen Parkway and hit the F-250, Jones said.

Danielle Batiste, 18, a friend of Jason Hald and of the Cavaliers driver, said shed spent time with them Friday evening and planned to meet up with them later. When they stopped answering her text messages and calls, she grew worried.

I just had a sinking feeling, she said.

Jason was bubbly and was never down about anything. He was laid-back, always up for an adventure and loved making people laugh, Batiste said. He was just a really good guy.

On Saturday morning, Northwest Principal Tom Lee sent out a note to its staff, informing them of Halds death. He wrote that Halds sister attends Northwest and that she and other relatives will need support. Grief counseling will be available Monday to students and staff.

Sometimes you just dont have the words for all of this, and so we just keep the family in our prayers, Lee wrote.
DAVID CITY, Neb.  Corn is cool, and Lincoln artist Margaret Berry has a hard time figuring out why more of her Cornhusker State brethren dont quite get that.

As a subject of art, corn has beautiful color, shape and texture, said Berry, who was surrounded by cornfields as she grew up on a farm outside of Wahoo, Nebraska.

Her corn credentials run as long as a row of field corn.

Her late father, Louie Luxie Noha, was a seed corn salesman.

Her email handle is Corn Goddess.

She wears a corn fed necklace.

Her 50th birthday, a few years back, was corn themed, with guests bringing corn dishes and gifts, and dining on a birthday cake that featured 50 ears of corn (instead of candles).

She once developed a business plan for a shop called Corn Mad, and one time conducted an Indian corn growing contest with her neighbors in Lincoln.

And, of course, bushels and bushels of her art have corn as a subject, including an abstract, beeswax-encased photo transfer of her father posing next to a Funks seed corn company sign.

From an artists standpoint, corn has a very interesting form, Berry said. Ive always thought it was cool.

Right now, the Lincoln-based artist is collaborating with a Chicago ceramic artist, Cathi Schwalbe, on an exhibit titled Corn at the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City.

Its a unique subject for an exhibit, using a plant that is all around us in Nebraska and Iowa.

Iowa is the nations top corn producer and, if my maths correct, about one-third of the state is covered in cornfields (13 million acres is about 19,500 square miles, which is about a third of Iowas 56,272 square miles).

Nebraska ranks No. 3 as the corniest state, but its crop, according to the corn experts at the Nebraska Corn Board, is big enough to fill Memorial Stadium 150 times.

Berry said some Plains people dont cuddle corn as much as she does.

She is serving a one-year stint as the artist in residence, appropriately enough, at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Berry has a small studio/gift shop just outside the hotels convention halls, which helps her interact with guests  the point of the artist-in-residence program.

Berry said that shes had a woman from London walk in and rave about her corn-themed works, but got nary a look when a group of seed-corn reps held a convention there.

They werent coming in, so I made a trail of corn on the floor, she said. They still didnt come in. How could that be?

Amanda Mobley Guenther, the curator of the Bone Creek museum, said the corn theme catches some people by surprise because it is so common in the local landscape.

Its a new way to think of corn, she said. Its a very playful and I think unexpected display of art.

Schwalbe, who grew up in Wisconsins corn country, created several ceramic works for the show utilizing corn.

Why not corn? Schwalbe asked. Its everywhere. Its in us.

About 50 of her ceramic cobs were hidden around David City, a community about an hours drive west of Omaha, as a treasure hunt-type incentive to promote a raffle drawing at the nine-year-old museum.

Ive heard a lot of people say nice things about the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art, which is located in a handsomely renovated plumbing shop just east of the town square. This year it won a Rising Star Award from the Nebraskaland Foundation as one of the states best new tourist attractions. In 2014, AAA Living magazine listed it among the four top art museums in Nebraska.

The museum was launched as a way to feature the works of the late Dale Nichols, a David City native whose paintings of barns and farmsteads were part of the Regionalist movement of the mid-20th century that included Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood.

But Bone Creek, billed as the only museum in the country devoted to farm and rural art, has expanded to include artists from all over the country and Canada.

Pleasantly surprised is how most people react to the new corn exhibit, which runs through the end of the year, said Gabrielle Comte, the museums collection manager.

It also spawns a common response, she said: Whats next? Soybeans?

***

Berry works in a unique medium, using a mixture of hot beeswax, tree sap ink and photographs in a process called encaustic art.

While susceptible to high heat, such works, she said, are more durable than normal paints, which crack with age.

Budding artists seeking to learn how to produce their own encaustic works can attend a workshop with Berry on Saturday at the Bone Creek Museum. Check the museums website, bonecreek.org, for more information.

***

You know youre in Nebraska when: you have to cancel a meeting because its deer season and too many board members are out hunting.

Thats the case in November for the Niobrara Council, a Valentine-based group that oversees management of the popular canoeing waters of the scenic river in north-central Nebraska. No meeting until December.

***

Another from the you know youre in Nebraska file: A bull has been inducted into a Hall of Fame.

It is a cattle-related hall, the Nebraska Hereford Hall of Fame.

The hall is new. Hereford enthusiasts recently held a second Hall of Fame event at Newberrys Common Ground coffee shop in Alliance.

Its a fundraiser with a goal of establishing a museum in honor of the beautiful rusty-red-colored cattle with the white faces. You can start a fight over which cattle breed is the best. Black Angus and other black-hided bovines are definitely the most common now. Herefords, some people say, are harder to raise.

Last year two early Hereford breeders, Charlie Warner of Waverly and Samuel McKelvie of Valentine, were inducted into the hall. Warner was the brother of the late Jerome Warner, one of Nebraskas most esteemed state senators. And McKelvie is a former Nebraska governor. The national forest near Valentine was named after him.

This year two other breeders from days past, John Cooksley of Broken Bow and Wilbur Drybread, who lived along Hereford Alley (Highway 83 between Valentine and Thedford), were honored.

And so was Golden Real 72, the hefty founding sire of the Nebraska Hereford breed. He was born and raised by the Hardy Brothers north of Thedford, in the heart of the Sand Hills, and eventually sold to the Upstream Ranch, siring several champion critters.

Its no bull  Golden Real 72 deserved to be honored.

We cannot have a Hall of Fame without some of the noted animals that made the Herefords king,  said Gerri Monahan of Lincoln, a member of the Hereford Crossroads committee.
Gisela Montes is disgusted with this election and is desperate for it to end. But the Omaha woman is also worried about what the end will entail.

Will the anger that has gripped the nations airwaves and has filtered down to Montes neighbors and friends dissipate? Will supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton accept the results?

The ugliest, nastiest presidential election in recent memory will end Tuesday, but many Nebraskans worry that the nations anger and anxiety levels will remain high no matter who wins the presidency.

I feel like us out here  the voters  are at each others throats. Its all negative, said Montes, 41. And I think things could get out of control (after the election) and it could be bad.

Many voters share either Montes disgust with the election or her fears for the future.

A recent poll commissioned by the New York Times found that four out of 10 of Trumps supporters were prepared not to accept the results if their candidate lost. And in an interview last week, one Trump supporter from Nebraska said he was prepared for AR Two  shorthand for American Revolution II, in case you didnt know.

Last weeks poll also found that eight out of 10 voters in America were repulsed by this election, with a majority of voters saying they believed Clinton was dishonest and that Trump was temperamentally unsuited for the job.

If nothing else, this election has underscored this nations political divide and its growing partisan animosity. A sizable number of Americans on both sides of the political aisle now say they fear members of the opposing party  a seismic jump from 1994, according to the Pew Research Center.

The one bright spot in all of this is that this nation has been divided before and has kept moving forward, several political scientists said.

For starters, there was the Civil War.

I think its bad, but I think weve had this kind of thing before, even as recently as 1968. It was brutal that year, with Vietnam War protests and infighting within the Democratic Party, said John Hibbing, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You had this same kind of sense of battle between stability and disorder.

However, neither the Civil War nor the 1968 election had Trump.

The pugilistic candidate has done something no other major presidential candidate in the history of this country has done before: refuse to say in advance whether he will accept the election results. Instead, Trump has argued repeatedly  without a shred of proof  that this election is rigged.

It would be a first for the nation if Trump refused to accept a Clinton victory, said Hibbing and others.

Trumps comments do alarm me, but I do think people will accept the results of the election. (But) maybe Im naive, Hibbing said.

Tim Hill, a political scientist at Doane College, said the most recent election where a presidential candidate publicly questioned the final results was in 1824, when Andrew Jackson lost to John Quincy Adams. It was the only time in history a presidential election was decided in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hill said, and Jackson spent the better part of the next four years grumbling about the political backroom deals that gave Adams the White House.

In 2000 Al Gore contested the results in Florida but quickly conceded the election to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision.

If Donald Trump comes out and says this election is rigged and it is illegitimate, there is no telling where that will take us. And that frightens me, to be honest, Hill said.

The idea of voters  or a presidential candidate  lacking confidence in the nations electoral system comes as more and more people also express dismay about those in the opposite party.

Political scientists call the growing political animosity in America negative partisanship. Over the past 20 years, Democrats and Republicans in this nation have begun to view each other with growing fear and concern.

Years ago, Democrats and Republicans held their own parties in high esteem, of course, but they also tended to express respect for those in the opposing party, Hill said. Thats no longer true, according to the Pew Research Center.

There is also a growing sense of fear. In 1994 about 16 percent of both Republicans and Democrats said they believed their political counterparts posed a threat to this nations future. But by 2014, 27 percent of Democrats said they feared Republicans and 36 percent of Republicans feared that Democrats posed a risk to the nation.

Its been a long time since weve had this level of anger and vitriol, Hill said.

It isnt hard to find voters in Omaha who are either worried or disgusted with this election.

It also isnt hard to find a Trump supporter who says he or she will not accept the election results if Trump loses.

Marty Brown, 72, of Omaha was the first volunteer at Trumps headquarters in Omaha last week to come out and inquire about a reporters presence in the lobby.

Brown, who described himself as a retired self-employed businessman, asked that the reporter step outside to talk. (No reporters are allowed in the office.) He also made it clear that he was not speaking on behalf of the Trump campaign.

Brown said he believes the election is rigged, and that if Trump loses he will not accept Clinton as president. Im ready for AR Two: American Revolution II, Brown said.

What does that mean? What does he plan to do?

We have our ways, we have our people. Youll find out, said Brown, who appeared to revel in the mystery.

Other Trump supporters, however, said they would be disappointed with a Clinton victory but would have no choice but to accept the results.

Aidan OBoyle, 20, a college student in Omaha, said he preferred Trump over Clinton, although neither of the two presidential candidates was his first choice.

I hope she doesnt win, but if she wins, I accept it, OBoyle said.

It also isnt hard to find people who are disgusted with this election  on both sides of the political aisle.

Montes, who works for a housekeeping company and is a Democrat, said she will vote for Clinton. But she says this election has left her embarrassed for her country.

Montes said she tried to listen to the debates but turned them off because of the yelling and the name-calling. She waited for the skits on Saturday Night Live  the comedy show  to hear what happened.

I think its bad Im doing that, but this is just a mockery. This whole thing is crazy, Montes said.

Several voters said they simply plan to ride out this election, voting for neither Trump nor Clinton.

In four years, hopefully, both parties will put up better candidates, said Montes and others.

One middle-aged man who spoke outside Best Buy in west Omaha said one hopeful fact is that whoever gets in office will not have total control over the government. This nation was built on a system of checks and balances, and Congress and the Supreme Court each has a role to play.

He or she wont have total control. Thats the only bright spot, said the man, who declined to give his name because of his business connections.
The author is a Nebraska state senator from Omaha.

Traditionally on the first day of a legislative session, all new members are sworn in, temporary rules are adopted and leadership is elected. The latter is accomplished using individual ballots, much the same as all citizens vote in private during all public elections. These votes will decide who the speaker and committee chairs will be.

This has been the case for decades. Sounds reasonable, doesnt it?

But not so fast. Enter the critics of this process, who say these votes are secret, and therefore, to achieve transparency, they should be public votes. Ask yourself, what are the critics motivations, and to what end?

With total disclosure, I once submitted a motion to the Rules Committee to change this process. However, I have had eight years, two special sessions and seven regular sessions to consider this process.

Each time the subject comes up, there are admittedly some new points of view, but predominantly there are basically two diametrically opposed views: nonpartisanship versus transparency.

Unlike most other state legislatures, in Nebraska we select our leaders on the floor. Other states select them within their partisan caucuses.

Those caucus votes are taken behind closed doors, by individual political parties, and in many instances, they are secret ballots. It is true they then go through the formality of party nominations for leaders with an open ballot while in session, but the deal has already been done in caucus.

In many states, as well as Congress, the party leadership can remove members from choice committees, or any committee, for not following the company/party line. Translation for me: party control.

Our Legislature is a nonpartisan, unicameral, single-house Legislature as enshrined in our constitution. Most of the people calling for open ballots are partisan ideologues who want whats best for their party and its control of membership and do not necessarily want to take into consideration who the better candidate might be.

Doing as they suggest could  or, in my opinion, would  also enable individuals outside the Legislature to influence those decisions. Without mentioning specifics, it is worth noting a separation of powers argument here, based on undue influence through financial backing or the lack thereof.

George Norris, in leading the unicameral, nonpartisan initiative in 1934, constructed the Nebraska model to be different from Congress. His specific intent as the architect of the unicameral Legislature was to address the partisan problems he had observed during his many years in Congress.

In the matter of transparency, every substantive vote taken in our unicameral Legislature on any statute or public policy decision that was introduced as a bill or amendment is publicly recorded.

Any member of the public can access those votes in a variety of ways, including our website, legislative journal or a call to our office to get a copy.

I would add, our record- keeping is much more extensive than many other state legislatures in the fact that there are verbatim transcripts. This certainly does reflect the voting record of the representative and does establish a record that can be measured, weighed and judged by his or her constituents.

In my personal experience, these votes are frequently and vigorously criticized for not following the party line. So, to suggest that changing leadership votes to open and publicly recorded votes would not lead to this established track record is, at best, dismissive of political reality.

One final note: This transparency argument has been made popular in the last few years by groups such as Americans for Prosperity.

I opine that sometimes each of us must take the time to examine who the primary benefactors are of these organizations and ponder the underlying intentions. Said simply, follow the money.

I know we will hear the motion to change the leadership election process in the Legislature this year. I look forward to the opportunity to once again hear how a future unicameral Legislature might elect leadership.

Why address the issue again? There will be at least 12 new senators who need the debate experience.
Rule of thumb for a presidential campaign where the two candidates have the highest unfavorable ratings in the history of polling: If youre the center of attention, youre losing.

As Election Day approaches, Hillary Clinton cannot shake the spotlight. She is still ahead in the polls, but you know shes slipping when she shows up at a Florida event with a week to go accompanied by former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.

The setback and momentum shift came courtesy of FBI Director James Comey. Clintons greatest hurdle had always been the Comey primary, which the Democrats thought she had won in July when he declined to recommend prosecuting her over classified emails. This engendered an outpouring of Democratic encomiums about Comeys unimpeachable integrity and Solomonic wisdom.

When it was revealed last month that there had been a Comey recount and Clinton lost, Solomon turned into Torquemada.

But, of course, Comey had no choice. How could he have sat on a trove of 650,000 newly discovered emails and kept that knowledge suppressed until after the election?

Comeys announcement brought flooding back  to memory and to the front pages  every unsavory element of the Clinton character: shiftiness, paranoia, cynicism and disdain for playing by the rules.

At the same time, Clinton was absorbing a daily dose of WikiLeaks, offering an extremely unappealing tableau of mendacity, deception and the intermingling of public service with private self-enrichment. It was the worst week of her campaign, at the worst time.

And it raises two troubling questions:

 Regarding the FBI, do we really want to elect a president who might come into office under criminal investigation by law enforcement? Congressional hearings will be immediate and endless.

 And regarding WikiLeaks, how do we know it will have released the most damning material by Election Day? A hardened KGB operative like Vladimir Putin might well prefer to hold back whatever is most incriminating until a Clinton presidency.

There seems to be a consensus that Putins hacking gambit is intended only to disrupt the election rather than to deny Clinton the White House. Why? Putin harbors a deep animus toward Clinton, whom he blames personally for the anti-Putin demonstrations that followed Russias rigged 2011 parliamentary elections.

Moreover, Putin would surely prefer to deal with Donald Trump, a man who has adopted the softest line on the Kremlin of any modern U.S. leader.

As final evidence of how bad are our choices in 2016, Trumps liabilities, especially on foreign policy, outweigh hers.

We are entering a period of unprecedented threat to the international order that has prevailed under American leadership since 1945. After eight years of President Barack Obamas retreat, the three major revisionist powers  Russia, China and Iran  see their chance to achieve regional dominance and diminish, if not expel, American influence.

At a time of such tectonic instability, even the most experienced head of state requires wisdom and delicacy to maintain equilibrium. Trump has neither.

His joining of supreme ignorance to supreme arrogance, combined with a pathological sensitivity to any perceived slight, is a standing invitation to calamitous miscalculation.

Two generations of Americans have grown up feeling that international stability is as natural as the air we breathe. Its not. It depends on continual, calibrated tending. It depends on the delicate balancing of alliances and the careful signaling of enemies. It depends on avoiding self-inflicted trade wars and on recognizing the value of allies like Germany, Japan and South Korea as cornerstones of our own security rather than satrapies who are here to dispatch tribute to their imperial master in Washington.

It took seven decades to build this open, free international order. It could be brought down in a single presidential term. That would be a high price to pay for the catharsis of kicking over a table.
AAP MLA arrested on assault charges

News

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, Nov 5: The Delhi Police has arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Rituraj Govind on charges of assault on Sunday. ANI reported that Govind, the MLA from west Delhi's Kirari, was accused of assault during the ongoing Chhath Puja celebrations, agencies added, a day after the legislator was embroiled in reported scuffles over trying to build a ghat in the area.

At least 12 other party MLAs have been arrested and 15 booked by Delhi Police on various charges. The stream of legal action has triggered allegations - especially from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal - that the Centre was trying to impede the city government's work by arresting legislators. Delhi Police reports to the Union home ministry.

His arrest came a day after he was picked up by police while trying to build a ghat on a heritage site along the Yamuna bank for Chhath Puja, where devotees offer prayers to the Sun and take dips in river or pond water.

Reports said there was stone pelting in the area and villagers objected to the ghat building. Police told PTI that prohibitory orders had been imposed in the area, which the MLA had allegedly violated.

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Story first published: Sunday, November 6, 2016, 13:21 [IST]
Himachal was valued less on strength, more on Parliament seats before: PM Modi

Cong shedding crocodile tears on the OROP issue: Dhumal

India

oi-PTI

Shimla, Nov 5 Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today alleged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his party leaders were shedding "crocodile tears" on the OROP issue.

"The Congress party did not do anything in its 40-year rule to resolve the issue and was now trying to mislead people. It is politicising the sensitive issue to get political mileage," he alleged in a statement.

Dhumal claimed the OROP issue was first raised by him in the Lok Sabha in 1990. "Congress leaders misled ex-servicemen on this issue by making false promises. But when the demand started gaining momentum in 2013, the then UPA government made a provision of only Rs 500 crore and played with the sentiments of ex-soldiers," he alleged.

"It was Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi who called the shots and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to do anything for ex-servicemen during UPA's 10-year rule," Dhumal said.

He asked ex-servicemen to remain "vigilant against the sinister designs of the Congress". "Ex-servicemen should not forget that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had already released Rs 5,500 crore for implementing OROP and more funds would be released to ensure that every ex-soldier benefits," he said.

PTI

DIP
How the flame of Azadi was kept ablaze by the tribal community: PM Modi explains

HPCC criticises PM for one-day ban on NDTV India

India

oi-PTI

Shimla, Nov 5 Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the one-day ban on news channel NDTV India, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee said it was "undemocratic, unconstitutional and seemed dictatorial."

The Congress party would stage one-hour protests (from 11.30 AM to 12.30 PM) across the state on November 7 against the government's decision, a party release said.

Party leaders and workers will tie black bands on their mouths.

The protest in Shimla will be led by HPCC chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, it said. The protests at the district headquarters would be led by senior party leaders and MLAs, the release said.

"The Modi government's order to impose a one-day ban on Hindi news channel NDTV India showed that an Emergency-like environment prevailed in the country," Sukhu alleged.

He termed the action as "a blow to the fourth pillar of democracy" and demanded the ban be withdrawn immediately.

"The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is in direct violation of the freedom of media, the citizens of India and amounts to censorship imposed by the government, a reminiscent of the Emergency," he said.

"Was detaining Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi the 'achhe din' (good days) Modi had promised?" he asked.

"Rahul Gandhi had gone to meet family members of a 70-year-old ex-serviceman who allegedly committed suicide over the OROP issue. His detention seems to bear the imprint of a gag order and it also suggests Modi is implementing a Gujarat Model in the country," he alleged.

PTI
Telangana plans to use services of prisoners with good conduct

India

oi-PTI

Hyderabad, Nov 6 In a novel way to tap the human resource potential of prisoners, the Telangana Prisons department has sent a proposal to the state government to use the services of those having good conduct for constructive work like maintenance of hospitals and schools.

Director General of Prisons V K Singh told PTI that he has sent the proposal to the Home department. The views of education and health departments have been sought on the proposal, he said.

The idea is to use the services of prisoners who committed offences over issues like family disputes and property disputes and not those convicted in serious and grave offences, he said. "The services of prisoners can be used at government hospitals or schools and the exercise would be within the ambit of law," he said.

Observing that many of the prisoners, who are not habitual offenders, do not run away at an available opportunity, Singh said prisoners also need to be kept engaged with some constructive work.

The energy of such prisoners can be used for the good of the society, he said. The official said that he would take up the proposal with the Home department towards taking an early decision on it.

PTI
Ready, get set, go: Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo speeds up in Telangana

Telangana seeks help of British MP for economic development

India

oi-PTI

Hyderabad, Nov 5 Telangana government advisor on culture KV Ramanachary today urged British MP Veerendra Sharma to help in economic development of the state by strengthening relations between UK and Telangana.

Noting that Telangana recently topped in 'Ease of Doing Business' rankings among all states, Ramanachary urged Sharma to help in improving economic and cultural relations between the two sides, a state government release said. Sharma met Ramanachary today.

The release quoted Sharma as saying that they have special interest towards India, particularly Telangana, and that he would work for strengthening the relations.

He is also expected to meet the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and other leaders during his visit, the release added.

PTI
Austrian priest who was accused of trying to kiss nun cleared by Vatican court

Failure in Venezuela talks could lead to 'bloodshed': Vatican envoy

International

oi-PTI

Buenos Aires, Nov 5 If upcoming Vatican-backed talks between Venezuela's bitterly antagonistic government and opposition fail, the result could well be "bloodshed," a papal envoy warned today.

"If one delegation or the other ends the dialogue, it's not the pope but the Venezuelan people who will lose, because the path then could truly be one of blood," Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli told the Argentine daily La Nacion in Rome, after visiting Caracas.

Both sides are due to start talks next Friday aimed at finding some way to resolve Venezuela's deepening political and economic crisis.

The stakes are high for their oil-dependent nation, which is suffering a scarcity of food and basic goods, and which its unpopular President Nicolas Maduro has increasingly put under the control of his loyal military.

The agreement to hold talks, jointly brokered by the Vatican and the Union of South American Nations, and backed by the United States, ushered in a short-lived truce between the government and the opposition.

The government released a few opposition members from prison. And the opposition called off a symbolic "trial" in congress against Maduro and a street protest.

But the prospects look less than promising, with the opposition demanding the release of more "political prisoners" that the talks will lead to early elections, and Maduro shooting back: "There can be no ultimatums." There are fears a breakdown in the talks could see a return of street confrontations between anti-Maduro protesters and security forces, and possibly an escalation into outright violence.

"There are people who aren't afraid to see bloodshed. This is what worries me," Celli told the newspaper. He said Pope Francis was playing a "strong role" in the talks. "We are running a risk," he admitted.

"We will see. May God help us." Celli, who represented the Vatican in bringing about the talks, said he told the opposition he was afraid "there might be deaths" in a Caracas demonstration they had planned for last Thursday.

"And if there are deaths, what sort of dialogue could there be?" he asked them. The opposition eventually called off the protest.

Celli said that when he met Maduro, the leader said he would make good on a promise made to the pope to hold talks.

AFP
Pak off the FATF grey list doesn't mean it's not under scrutiny anymore: MEA secretary

Imran Khan again targets Pakistan's establishment on Day 2 of protest march; govt rules out talks over snap polls

Amid turmoil at home, Pakistan PM Sharif to visit China to felicitate Xi for his record win

Shehbaz Sharif arrives in China on maiden visit to felicitate President Xi Jinping on his record win

Send fact-finding mission to Kashmir, Pakistan urges UN again

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New York, Nov 6 Pakistans Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the "grave atrocities" being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the High Commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the High Commissioner for sending fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on the ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the High Commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.

IANS
Majority of Americans are alarmed by climate change, unlike their president, Trump, says poll

Trump asks Latinos, African Americans to give him needed win in Florida

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Miami, Nov 6 US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump asked on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, for the Hispanic and African American electorate's vote in this vital state, where polls show him in a technical tie with rival Hillary Clinton.

"What the hell do you have to lose?" Trump asked Latino and African American voters, and at his first rally of the final sprint to next Tuesday's elections he promised to fix what is wrong with the country.

Before the elections he will visit eight states, including another visit to Florida next Monday, EFE news reported.

Trump said that African Americans and Latinos are suffering in Florida's cities and all over the country from high crime rates, the worst education and no jobs, problems that he vowed to remedy if he wins the November 8 election.

He also said that Democrats always forget about these minority voters once the elections are over.

These segments of the electorate, which polls indicate massively support ex-Secretary of State Clinton, could be vital for determining who will win Florida's 29 electoral votes - which Trump needs to obtain the total of 270 that will give him the key to the White House.

Latinos represent 16 per cent of Florida's registered voters, while African Americans make up 13 per cent, and their vote is crucial in these Florida elections, where surveys point to the Democrat having a minimal lead, EFE news added.

In Florida, 4 per cent more Latinos have come out for early voting or have voted by mail than in 2012, while African American participation has dropped 7 per cent compared to the last presidential election when the candidate was President Barack Obama, who finally won the state.

Trump said he felt good about the voting results up to now, which on Saturday showed a difference of less than 7,300 between the registered Democrats and Republicans who have already voted, out of a total of 5.7 million registered voters in Florida.

The real-estate magnate said the final vote of African Americans and Hispanics will be very different from what people think.

He said Clinton is the candidate of the past, while his is the movement of the future, and it's time for change, for new leadership.

According to a poll taken by the website Real Clear Politics, Clinton leads Trump by less than 2 per cent nationwide.

--IANS

lok/
Delhi demands its #RightToBreath

New Delhi

oi-Anusha

Accusing the administration of being incompetent in controlling pollution in the national capital, People of Delhi took to protest on Sunday. Citizens of Delhi, children, senior citizens alike took to the streets in masks protesting against pollution levels as well as government's inaction to curb it in the capital.

[Also Read: Centre, Delhi govt shifting blame on air pollution issue: NGT]

Anger spilt on to the streets with people including children taking a protest march to Delhi's Jantar Mantar with slogans demanding their right to clean air. Hashtags of #RightToBreath, #DelhiChokes, #SmogCapital are ruling the roost on social media encouraging more citizens to join in the protests. Protests are centered around lack of initiatives by authorities in controlling pollution causing the capital to choke.

Protesters appealed to the state and central governments to take immediate measures to save Delhi's air. This even as the center has described Delhi's smog as 'alarming' and an 'emergency'. Speaking to the media one of the protesters said, "We will hold protest every Sunday. This is an emergency, a crisis and politicians need to listen to us".

[Also read: Air pollution: 1,700 Delhi schools to remain shut on Saturday]

Over 1700 schools were shut as a result of smog on Saturday in Delhi. The air quality was alarming with average level of particulate matter 2.5 being above 400 micrograms per cubic meter, still in the 'severe' category.

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Story first published: Sunday, November 6, 2016, 11:17 [IST]
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by  Graham Pierrepoint



Its hard to believe, but by Wednesday November 9th, we will know for certain who will be taking up the mantle of US President from Barack Obama in 2017  and whether it will be Donald Trump for the Republicans, or Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. Its an election campaign that has been both dramatic and tense, and has provided more shock headlines for mass media that perhaps any other in recent history. Both Trump and Clinton have battled against personal controversies during the past few months that have threatened to engulf their chances of getting to the White House  the former still set to face claims of sexual assault and the latter having been thrown a late curveball by the FBI with regards to the manner in which her private email server was used while acting as Secretary of State.

This election, according to polls, is set to be extremely close. At the time of writing, Clinton is holding a meager lead over Trump, however the real estate mogul turned politician has experienced surges in the polls over the past few months  it seems, at least, that headlines seem to be dictating how the candidates are perceived in this election. Thats perfectly understandable, however, this particular vote will seem to have been fought more on personalities and scandals than on the issues at stake. It seems in the last few weeks that both Trump and Clinton camps have returned to focusing on the issues that they will have to govern upon should either of them be elected  but not after a series of fiery TV debates and media-based mudslinging from various campaigns and supporters on either side. Its been an extremely dirty battle to some extent!

And thus, we approach the final few hours of the 2016 US Presidential election. Its building up to a nail-biting climax, and neither side is conceding on whether or not they have any hope of leading the nation. One thing is for sure, however  whoever gets elected will not mean the end of media discourse on the vote  as both candidates have proven to be divisive right across the US. As the vote will likely come down to the wire in key states such as Florida and Ohio, the nation  and indeed the world  will be holding its breath on Tuesday night as they wait to see who will be leading America into the next decade. Will it be Clinton? Will it be Trump? If youre a US citizen, and registered to vote, its all down to you.
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Locals have been supportive of the closure as the hill has become a party spot
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Russia said it had taken full control of the Eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk on Sunday after capturing the final Ukrainian..
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Public Enemy Number One: America's Corpocracy

(Image by riccardodivirgilio) Details DMCA



Prelude

A few weeks ago I granted a request for an interview by Moshen Abdelmoumen to answer his 12 questions. He is an Algerian independent journalist based in Belgium who publishes in English and in French in several newspapers online. Among his interviewees have been Dr. Edward S. Herman, Dr. Noam Chomsky, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, Marjorie Cohn, Dr. Henry Giroux, Dr. Andrew Bacevich and Bruce Riedel. Mr. Riedel was a senior official at the CIA for 30 years and has been a senior advisor on South Asia and the Middle East to the last four US presidents (including President Obama) on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House. Need I say more about Mr. Riedel?

What follows now are my answers to the 12 questions.

1. How do you explain the long history of US interventionism? What is your analysis?

"Interventionism" is a very appropriate term. It covers a lot of territory, and that is exactly what America has been doing even before she became a nation 240 years ago. The US is a habitual interventionist. Domestically it is in the form of fascism, or a police state, that treads on human rights. Internationally, it is in the form of militaristic imperialism. In either form the intervention is always exploitative of the weak and powerless, often violent, destructive, and deadly (countless millions of people in many lands have been killed directly and indirectly by US overt and covert wars).

The roots of US interventionism can be traced to the American Revolution and its antecedents (e.g., importing slaves from Africa). The plutocrats who were soon to be enthroned as our "founding fathers" wanted to replace the rule by King George and his own corpocracy (e.g., his East Indies Corporation) with their own home-grown version of American corpocracy, which I refer to as the Devil's marriage between powerful corporations and government that quickly became corrupted by, indebted to and thus controlled by corporate America.

Those "founding fathers" by the way, rather than being idolized should be condemned instead. An objective review of history reveals them to be "greedy, hypocritical elites who---set out to put in place a government that would 'weaken the many and empower the few'" (quote is from a New Yorker review of the book, American Revolution by Alan Taylor). Precisely! That government started out and has always been for corporate America, not for the people. Moreover, America's corpocracy should be regarded as "public enemy number one," enemy of the American people and of the world (world opinion sees the US as the greatest threat to world peace).

There undoubtedly would never be any US interventionism, at least the unfriendly, violent kind, therefore, without the corpocracy and its five elements; the power elite, the courtiers and ideologues, the functionaries, and active accomplices. Inactive accomplices are another element, but outside the corpocracy.

The population of the power elite is infinitesimally small compared to the total US population. The power elite comprises leaders of most industries (especially defense/war and related industries) and their major trade associations, major financial institutions (behind every war is a bankster); leaders of mainstream media corporations; the US President and chairs of war related Congressional committees); military leaders, and key members of the shadow government (e.g. the CIA); and the US Supreme Court---yes, even the latter is a pawn of corporate America.

The courtiers and ideologues are influential advisors and zealous boosters such as The Defense Policy Board, the Brookings Institute, and the National Endowment for Democracy that recently called for the US to oust Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

The functionaries are the millions of people in government and industry who carry out the everyday dirty business of interventionism, including continuous overt and covert war activities.

Active accomplices are individuals, organizations or groups that give assistance to war-related activities. They give intentional (rarely acknowledge) assistance in some form or another. They include investors in corporate America; most nongovernmental organizations that feed off of government and corporate funding; the "behavior shapers" (e.g., hawkish think tanks; hawkish religious leaders; educators; PR firms; journalists); certain professions, especially the legal profession; and many physical and social sciences (e.g., the recent active support by the leadership of the American Psychological Association in the torturing of Guantanamo prisoners).

Inactive accomplices are the "innocent" or silent bystanders" of America who never in any meaningful way speak out against or actively protest the corpocracy, especially its war making. During my career, I am ashamed to say, I was basically part of this element, keeping my protests mostly muted.

My answer so far does not really explain the behavior of the people inside the corpocracy. Why, for instance, do real people of the power elite do what they do? Long ago I developed a nonmathematical equation to explain human behavior. Filling in both sides of the equation explains the corpocracy's members' behavior very well. I will illustrate its use in answering the third question.

2. Are the United States a State or is it a war machine controlled by the military-industrial complex?

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On November 4th, in an bizarre effort to placate legitimate public concerns about the security of voting machines, FBI Director James Comey said that it would be difficult to rig U.S. elections because our voting system is so "clunky".

"The beauty of the American voting system is that it is dispersed among the 50 states, and it is clunky as heck,'' said Mr.Comey. "A lot of people have found that challenging over the years, but the beauty of that is it's not exactly a swift part of the internet of things, and so it is hard for an actor to reach our voting process." http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hackers-ready-hit-back-if-russia-disrupts-election-n677936

It's not so much clunky as funky. From its inception, our electronic elections have been completely susceptible to rigging from the inside, and hacking from the outside. From the beginning, all electronic voting machines - ballots scanners and touchscreens - have had open back doors and communication capabilities, making vote fraud easy. And from the beginning, federal authorities were well aware of this criminal state of affairs.

Christopher Bollyn reported in Nov. 13, 2000, "Whether it was the Precinct Ballot Counter 2100 (PBC), the Optech Eagle III, the Model 100 Optic Mark Reader (OMR), or the Votronic touch-screen system that counted your vote, these machines have something in common: they are all designed and operated by Elections Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S). Each contains a two-way modem, allowing them to communicate -- and be communicated with -- while they are in operation. What is particularly troubling about these machines is the fact that they contain an internal modem, which enables anyone with a modem-equipped computer, from hackers and vendors to telephone company personnel and politicians, to access and alter the computer's tally of the votes." http://www.libertylobby.org/articles/2000/200011.html

Not connecting to the Internet will not protect most voting machines from rigging or hacking, as claimed by some security experts. The wireless components of voting machines and ballot scanners make our elections much too tempting targets.

The Department of Justice, DOG's, Craig C. Donsanto said, "If you did it right, no one would ever know," in a July 4,1989 Los Angeles Times article about electronic voting machines and vote fraud. Donsanto is the former head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Election Crimes Branch, Public Integrity Section (from 1970-2010). So, why didn't Donsanto sound the alarm and inform Congress of this threat? The problem was Donsanto. He is known as a gatekeeper. Donsanto was featured in the Colliers' book, VoteScam, the Stealing of America, for his unwillingness to investigate evidence they collected over the years of rampant vote fraud involving voting machine companies, the news networks' exit polls, and election officials in Florida and other states. In fact, some researchers believe that Donsanto was involved in protecting the Democrats during the Watergate scandal. President Nixon's suspicions that elections were being rigged by the Democrats, together with the corporate news media, is sighted as the real reason for the burglary at the Watergate. http://medialogarchives.blogspot.com/2005/06/notes-on-deep-throat.asp

Even more incredibly, Donsanto made it official department policy that no federal investigator should enter a polling precinct on election day, nor should they begin any serious investigation of the voting process until after the election results are certified. It is this policy that gives those who commit vote fraud ample opportunity to destroy evidence and cover their tracks. http://www.thelandesreport.com/Donsanto.htm. The role of the Federal Observer (to protect voters' rights) has been completely compromised, not only through the use of unobservable voting technology, but also due to early and absentee voting. http://www.thelandesreport.com/FederalObservers.htm. The fact that neither voting rights groups nor the news media has made this an issue, is equally inexplicable.

There is a history of actual FBI involvement in vote rigging. The following are excerpts from the Cincinnati Post of October 30th, 1987: "Cincinnati Bell security supervisors ordered wire-taps installed on county computers before elections in the late 1970s and early 1980s that could have allowed vote totals to be altered, a former Bell employee says in a sworn court document. Leonard Gates, a 23-year Cincinnati Bell employee until he was fired in 1986, claims in a deposition filed Thursday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to have installed the wire-taps. Cincinnati Bell officials denied Gates' allegations that are part of a six-year-old civil suit that contends the elections computer is subject to manipulation and fraud. Gates claims a security supervisor for the telephone company told him in 1979 that the firm had obtained a computer program through the FBI that gave it access to the county computer used to count votes."

And that is why we have no reason to trust The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), either. "Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told a Senate hearing Tuesday that 18 states have taken up his agency's offer to help improve cyber security for their election systems, in the wake of suspected breaches blamed on Russian hackers." http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/cybersecurity-rigged-election-homeland-security/ Who is to prevent DHS employees from tipping the scales to one or the other of the candidates (i.e., rigging the election)?

Today, voting technology is more vulnerable than ever before, thanks to NSA-required "backdoors", advanced wireless capabilities, and more than 80% of votes counted by ES&S, who also sells voter registration systems. http://www.essvote.com And it's being promoted as a good thing.

"For the 2012 elections, ES&S added wireless modem technology so officials could make secure reports via cell phones. This upgrade was designed to improve the transparency and accuracy of Oakland County's (CA) election night reporting. The wireless technology used by Oakland County was tested by a federally accredited Voting System Test Laboratory and subsequently tested and approved by the State of Michigan for pilot usage in the November 2012 presidential election." http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-pennsylvania-voting-paperless-20161020-snap-story.html

In Rhode Island, "The new (ES&S) machines that will read the paper ballots will now have digital screens displaying directions, and the machines will use wireless technology to transmit results -- rather than the dial-up modem technology that had been in place for years." http://www.heraldnews.com/news/20160722/come-september-rhode-islanders-will-cast-ballots-on-new-voting-machines

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Hillary Clinton tells us that all seventeen intelligence agencies agree that the Wikileaks hack comes from the Kremlin. Those agencies proclaim this with a rock-solid conviction that I have not heard since Vice President DIck Cheney told us all that "there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." Add to that, the rock-solid evidence of Saddam's treachery that Colin Powell presented to the UN Security Council. The mainstream corporate media bought it whole.

However, as all know today, these were lies. Saddam had no WMDs, and there were no Iraqi chemical weapons "Winebagos of Death" vividly described by Colin Powell.

Now we are told, "with high confidence," that Vladimir Putin's Kremlin has launched a cyber attack to disrupt our presidential election. Never mind that, as MIT expert Theodore Postol has written that there is, "no technical way that the US intelligence community could know who did the hacking if it was done by sophisticated nation-state actors."

The lies that launched the disastrous Iraq war have had lasting consequences to the credibility of the United States Government. The last time that government cried "wolf," there was no wolf. Why should we believe it now?

So no, I am not convinced. There is good reason not to believe the "Kremlin hack" story.

A crucial distinction is in order: First, there is the actual content of the hacked emails. Second, there are the consequences of the general media assumption and public belief that the emails were a Kremlin plot to disrupt the presidential election.

As for the content, it was trivial and still worse, not credible. There is nothing remarkable in the disclosed content of the hacked emails. They might, if believed, cause John Podesta some embarrassment. In addition, they might reveal that the Democratic National Committee is controlled by a political elite. But we already know that.

But why should we believe any of that content? If, as claimed, the leaks came from the Kremlin, there is not, and cannot be, any authentication of the hacked emails unless the original sources (e.g, John Podesta) produce the originals. And why would they? Accordingly, the leakers (whoever they might be) are free to concoct forgeries at will. And of course, it follows that we, the intended audience, are advised to ignore all of them.

Furthermore, , why would Putin want to use these emails to "rig" our election? To tilt the election toward Trump? If that is his motive, it has backfired spectacularly. That alleged "disclosure" of the hacking has benefited Clinton far more than Trump. It is one of her favorite talking points, as we discovered in the final debate.

So we are left with two alternate conclusions: The Russian government likely had no part in the leaking. Or if they did, the leaks will have little or no effect on the election, except to provide Hillary Clinton with a talking point and to embarrass John Podesta.

In short, the Wikileaks hacks, whatever the source, appear to be a just a prank: A trifle, blown hugely out of proportion by a scandal-hungry media.

However, even though the content of the hacked emails may be trivial and not credible, the consequences of the accusation of Kremlin connivance could be catastrophic.

First of all, as we are finding out, the neo-cons and the media are using the hacks to intensify the demonization of Putin and to heat up the renewed Cold War.

Still worse, as Joe Biden stated recently on Meet the Press, the accusation that Putin is behind the hacks and their release might provoke a cyber retaliation from the United States.


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Fareed Zakaria did not hold back on his Fareed's take segment. You can watch and read the transcript here. He started out as follows.

Over the course of this campaign, I have heard from many people who have cheered my opposition to Donald Trump. But there are others who have objected, arguing that I was being biased, that Hillary Clinton had many flaws as well. So let me try to explain, one last time, why Donald Trump is worth special attention. I am not a highly partisan person. I have views that are left of center, but others that are conservative. I came to this country when Ronald Reagan was president and admired him. I think well of many Republican politicians, including the last two GOP presidential nominees, John McCain and Mitt Romney, both of whom are honorable men who would have been good presidents.

Zakaria then continued to give all the reason why Donald Trump is not only a poor candidate but a dangerous candidate.

Donald Trump is different -- not just because he is obnoxious, tacky and vulgar, or that his business dealings show him to be a scam artist. He is different because of what he believes.

He then itemizes those beliefs and actions that make him anathema to the presidency of the United States of America.

He called him out for his racism: Central Park Five, sued by the Justice Department, boasts of his own bloodline and compares it to breeding racehorses, stance on Japanese internment, Muslims, and more.

He called him out for his anti-law stance: waterboarding, jailing his opponents, threat to investigate Republicans who opposed him. He called him out on his misogyny and objectivation of women.

Zakaria's closing said it all.

These, then, are the core views of Donald Trump, expressed over decades, and confirmed by many of his actions: racism, sexism, protectionism, xenophobia and authoritarianism. His views on taxes and regulations are irrelevant. Your view of Hillary Clinton is irrelevant. Donald Trump is not a normal candidate. He is a cancer on American democracy. And that is why I will vote against him next Tuesday.

I do not believe it could be said any better. I know the prose was about reasons why one must not vote for Trump. However, I think he should have included the very valid reasons to vote for Hillary Clinton as well.
On August 31, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio, speaking at The American Legion's national convention, Hillary Clinton said she'd meet China and especially Russia with "serious political, economic and military responses" if they do a cyberattack against the United States. Recently, Russia has been blamed for numerous cyberattacks targeting multiple American political institutions, though no real evidence has come to light concerning whether they were involved and Putin and the Kremlin have denied involvement.

However, if there is another cyberattack which Russia is blamed for, this likely could open the door for "military responses" against Russia in a Hillary Clinton administration, given the current trend in her rhetoric. An interpretation of this rhetoric which does not give the benefit of the doubt, using evidence that comes from her past support of wars, suggests that "military responses" may mean war. The United States, Russia, and China all have nuclear weapons. Another leak to Wikileaks of documents from the Democratic Party establishment likely constitutes the definition of a cyberattack in Hillary Clinton's eyes, as Wikileaks brought up on Twitter on September 3, 2016.

click here
Imagine, on the eve of a contested election, a top law enforcement official accuses a candidate of potentially serious misconduct. But instead of putting the charges before a judge or jury, the top official levels them in the court of pubic opinion, just as voters head to the polls.

Sound familiar?

Hillary Clinton isn't the first to face this. It happened just two years ago.

The office at stake wasn't 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but 1350 -- the D.C. mayor's office.

And the response of the media wasn't widespread condemnation as it is today.

In 2014, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray was leading his primary challenger, Muriel Bowser. Then U.S. Attorney Ron Machen stepped in.

Just a week before early voting began, Machen accused the mayor of knowing about a shadow campaign that aided Gray's upset win four years earlier.

Despite Machen's years-long investigation, he never turned his accusations against Gray into charges; nor did his successor, who quietly brought the investigation to a close five years after it began.

Machen's actions had an impact: Gray was defeated, his reputation badly tarnished.

"My reelection was sabotaged, and District voters were duped," Gray wrote in a recent op-ed entitled "I know what it's like when law enforcement intervenes in an election. It happened to me."

Eric Holder, the former attorney general and Machen's boss at the time, defended Machen's election-eve accusations.

But now Holder is "deeply concerned" with this practice -- at least when it comes to Clinton, who he's supporting.

Last week, FBI Director James Comey sent a vague, unsolicited letter to Congress (and thereby the public) saying the FBI was revisiting its previously closed investigation into Clinton's use of a private server for emails.

President Obama weighed in, criticizing Comey without naming him. "We don't operate on incomplete information," Obama said.

Holder also rebuked the FBI director. By discussing his "personal opinions" on the eve of the election, Comey committed "a stunning breach of protocol" which "may set a dangerous precedent," Holder wrote in an op-ed.

Holder's hypocrisy is outdone by the media, led by the Washington Post.

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From WSWS

A New York Times/CBS poll published Thursday documents the disgust of the American people with the 2016 election campaign and their alienation from the two major corporate-controlled parties. By a margin of 82 percent to 13 percent, better than six to one, those polled said the campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have filled them with revulsion.

According to the Times account, "With more than eight in ten voters saying the campaign has left them repulsed rather than excited, the rising toxicity threatens the ultimate victor. Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic candidate, and Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, are seen as dishonest and viewed unfavorably by a majority of voters."

Both campaigns insult the intelligence of the American people. Trump appeals to raw anger, denouncing his opponent as a criminal who should be put in jail. Clinton and the Democrats alternate between portraying Trump as a sexual predator and smearing him as a tool of Moscow. Neither offers any serious program for improving the living standards and social conditions of the working class, the vast majority of the American people.

The election campaign is one more sign of the profound dysfunction of the US political system, in which two corporate-controlled parties, each defending the interests of the super-rich, enjoy a political monopoly. The Times/CBS poll is a statistical verification of what the Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site have long argued: the two-party system leaves working people disenfranchised.

The recourse of both campaigns to personal smears and scandal-mongering is a means of evading any discussion of the urgent issues that confront the electorate -- above all, the worsening social crisis and the mounting danger of a third world war.

To cite two examples of developments ignored by both campaigns:

Friday's newspapers reported that suicide has overtaken automobile accidents as a cause of death of children aged 10 to 14. One could hardly imagine a more devastating commentary on the dismal prospects that America in 2016 offers the new generation.

Another report, published in the British Guardian, noted that life expectancy in McDowell County, West Virginia, once the heart of US coal mining, has declined to that of Ethiopia. In 2008, the nearly all-white county voted for Barack Obama. In 2016, 91.5 percent of Republican primary voters cast ballots for Trump -- a vote of indignation and despair.

Each of the candidates, in different ways, seeks to direct social tensions within the United States along reactionary lines.

Clinton is the candidate of the status quo, representing the alliance of Wall Street, the military-intelligence apparatus and the complacent and self-satisfied upper middle class, where identity politics holds sway. Her program, were she to state it honestly, is to outwardly direct the social crisis in the form of intensified US military violence, first in the Middle East, but ultimately against Russia and China, both of which possess nuclear arsenals.

Trump represents an attempt to direct social tensions along extreme nationalist lines, appealing to racist and fascistic forces. While he claims, falsely, to have opposed US military interventions in the Middle East, he glorifies the US military and promises to unleash unlimited violence on any country that resists US demands. In the end, his pledge to "Make America Great Again" is little more than the English translation of Hitler's slogan, "Deutschland Uber Alles."

That these are the alternatives presented to voters on November 8 is a product of the protracted decay of the US political system. It is more than four decades since the sharp shift to the right began in both parties, in the aftermath of the mass social protests of the 1960s and early 1970s against the Vietnam War and for the extension of civil rights.

The Democratic Party abandoned its former commitment to economic improvements for working people and began to restructure itself as the party of Wall Street and identity politics, appealing to newly privileged layers of blacks, women, gays, etc. The Democratic Leadership Council, under its chairman, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, became the vehicle of this transformation. In Hillary Clinton, this rightward movement has reached its culmination. The Democratic candidate has become the consensus choice of the political establishments in both parties.

The Republican Party incorporated the former defenders of Jim Crow segregation and became the dominant party in the South, while maintaining its traditional ties to big business and the military. Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 presidential campaign with a rally in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers had been murdered 16 years before, and gave a ringing defense of the Jim Crow South's slogan of "states' rights." Trump's embrace by the KKK and the white nationalist "alt-right" is not an aberration, but the logical conclusion of a process that has paved the way for the emergence of an outright fascist party in America.

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A recent oped by columnist Diane Dimond -- syndicated to small newspapers in New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and other states as well as to many news blogs -- chastises Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg for expressing her opinion; that attack is censorship. While such comments are rare from federal judges, Ginsberg is in full compliance with her First Amendment right to free speech.

The editorial policy of these news outlets will, of course, continue to absolve the fascist members of the U.S. Supreme Court from their many impeachable offenses. The secret Powell Memorandum of August 1971 spelled out how to take control of the federal government and that plan is just about fulfilled -- except for the pesky matter of citizens still being able to vote. (The millions of dollars spent by the Republican Party on voter suppression is an effort to solve that problem.)

Counting the recently-deceased Justice Scalia, the Fascist Five on the Supreme Court are/were all members of the Federalist Society and all are/were signatories to P.N.A.C. (the Project for the New American Century) -- each of which alliance is a violation of their oath of office. (It also happens that all five are/were Catholic, but that is not a crime.)

In addition, Justice Thomas worked for Monsanto Chemical for four years, and yet will not recuse himself, saying nothing in court and always voting for Monsanto. He is married to conservative lobbyist Virginia Lamp Thomas, and misses every opportunity to recuse himself whenever issues that she is working on come before the court. Justice Thomas also appears at Republican political fundraiser events.

Justice Scalia served on the Supreme Court for almost 30 years, doing all sorts of damage to civil rights issues. His son Eugene Scalia is a Washington, DC lawyer who has argued before the court; Scalia did not recuse himself on those occasions. Scalia has messed up the court's decision-making even in death, since the Republican Party violates their oath of office by refusing to hold hearings to replace Scalia.

Justice Roberts committed perjury at his confirmation hearings, over the issue of stare decicis. More importantly, his execrable decision in Citizens United v. F.E.C. declared the United States to be a fascist country. Aside from the wrongness of that decision, he was able to support the decision only with ludicrous legal citations. Any law student knows that citing a dissent in a homework assignment can get you a failed grade; Roberts cited 25 such dissents in Citizens United v. F.E.C., which makes the decision worthless.

But then, here we are. The implementation of the Powell Memo plan has delivered a fascist Supreme Court and Congress, and there is nowhere to seek redress of grievances. The Republican-controlled Senate will not take even the first step toward impeachment of anyone on the Supreme Court (nor of folks like Mitch McConnell within Congress), so the only avenue left to the American citizen (short of violence) is to vote and vote and vote, until Citizens United is reversed.

The national election for President looks like a big win for Hillary Clinton, but congressional and state contests are less certain. Equally important is for every eligible voter to show up for every local election, from city council to school board to dogcatcher.

Your vote matters. If it did not, the Republican Party and its dark money PACs would not be spending millions of dollars to take it away from you.

If the Republican Party had anything of value to offer the American voter they would not have to lie and cheat and steal to win elections.

Copyright 2016 by G.E. Nordell, all rights reserved
The hybrid poplar trees at the Boardman Tree Farm in eastern Oregon are in peak form for viewing.

The remaining two-thirds of the 25,000 acre farm was sold earlier this year to an agricultural business, so the trees, which are something of a silent symphony along a small stretch of Interstate 84 in Boardman, will eventually disappear.

Scroll the gallery for a glimpse at what stands of this singular Oregon attraction.

-- Beth Nakamura 503-221-8218

Twitter: @bethnakamura

Instagram: @bethnakamura
By Ruth Marcus

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton's top priority, if she is elected president, shouldn't be enacting an infrastructure plan or pushing immigration reform. It should be -- must be, if she is to succeed on any substantive front -- to combat her own worst instincts.

To be clear, I desperately want to see Clinton elected, not only because the alternative is Donald Trump and not only because it is time for a woman in the White House. Clinton has the experience, intelligence, skill and discipline to be an excellent president.

But she has also repeatedly displayed tendencies, overlapping and toxically reinforcing, that could undermine all those positive attributes:

To believe -- correctly, in my view -- that she is the victim of an implacable political opposition, and to respond by hunkering down and lashing out.

To believe -- again, correctly -- that she is being held to different, higher standards than others, and, rather than accepting this unpleasant reality and adjusting her behavior accordingly, to rail against it on the theory that nothing she does will ever satisfy the critics.

To believe that her own good works are so extensive, and her goodwill so evident, that questions about her behavior can stem only from the malicious intent of political enemies, or the ravenous appetites of a hostile media.

To respond to demands for information by elevating lawyerly caution over political judgment. To apologize if and only if circumstances require -- and then not until the passage of time and the imperative of contrition have drained the moment of any sincerity. To bet that any potential problem will blow over, not fester, even if unhappy experience dictates the exact opposite.

Finally, to surround herself with a closed circle of advisers inclined more to enable than to prevent, and to reinforce Clinton's us-against-the-world mentality rather than to challenge it.

These instincts were on display from the moment of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign through the Clintons' two terms in the White House. They reappeared during Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and again -- with a vengeance -- this time around.

If there is an episode that encapsulates most if not all of these instincts, it is, of course, her handling of those damn emails.

These self-destructive instincts were on display at the outset of the email mess. Clinton wanted to keep emails on one device; her staff complied and accommodated when it should have pushed back -- hard.

Burned by the serial scandals and non-scandals of her husband's administration, Clinton prioritized maintaining what she once mournfully described as a "zone of privacy" over ordinary rules regarding doing government business on government devices. Once again, that instinct for self-protection backfired. "I don't want any risk of the personal being accessible," she told aide Huma Abedin in one email.

These self-destructive instincts continued when the email issue first arose. Thinking like a lawyer advised by other lawyers, Clinton chose to delete emails that she deemed personal. She had the legal right to do so, and it wouldn't have been a big deal, before she left office, to expunge personal emails written from a government account.

But the mass deletion of emails that Clinton's team alone deemed personal, conducted after the State Department asked for its official archives back, was guaranteed to create a firestorm when that became public. As anyone who has spent as much time in Washington, under as much of a microscope as Clinton had, should have known it inevitably would.

"Why didn't they get this stuff out like 18 months ago? So crazy," exasperated former Clinton adviser Neera Tanden asked in an email when Clinton's private server and mass deletion became public. "I guess I know the answer. They wanted to get away with it."

After the email story broke, Clinton had to be pressured to choke out an apology. Tanden, again, nailed it: "Apologies are like her Achilles' heel." Once more, the details dribbled out, grudgingly and, as a result, inflicting even more damage.

Even before the unfortunate letter from FBI Director James Comey fanned the email flames, a President Clinton was certain to face incessant, multiple investigations from congressional Republicans seizing on what Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah described as a "target rich environment."

All of this is unfortunate, outrageous -- and unavoidable. If Clinton continues to be her own worst enemy, if she were to behave in office as she has too often before, she will make it all that much worse. She needs to guard against this by learning, finally, from the mistakes of the past.

Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcuswashpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
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Students in a Tech Geometry class at Benson Polytechnic High School work on building a housing structure to be given to Dignity Village. If Portland School Board members want to put a bond on the May ballot that will help rebuild Benson, they need to get over their differences and work together.

(Beth Nakamura/Staff)

Readers may have been momentarily confused reading The Oregonian/OregonLive's Bethany Barnes report about the Portland School Board's retreat last week. Surely, the people depicted in the account, who were trading barbs, expressing irritation and refusing to participate in the discussion, couldn't be the elected leaders of Oregon's largest school district?

Unfortunately, there's no mistake. That dysfunctional group of seven was no fledgling student council trying to learn the ropes of compromise and cooperation. That was the governing body that oversees a district serving 49,000 students, a general-fund budget of nearly $600 million and whose decisions affect the future and fortunes of the city.

Folks, it's time to grow up.

Dysfunction is nothing new to Portland Public Schools, unfortunately. In fact, some of the tension on the current board stems from efforts to rectify the failures of previous board members to demand accountability from former Superintendent Carole Smith. Her laissez-faire management and sprawling organization chart duplicated some functions and neglected needs. Community frustration helped elect new board members who vowed greater accountability.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

But even that board did not condone the deep disrespect that's been routine this year. Perhaps the lowest point for board behavior came at a May meeting. Ellis "Ray" Leary, the executive director of a nonprofit organization that received a no-bid contract from PPS came to deliver a 15-minute long personal attack on board member Mike Rosen. Leary, who is African American, accused Rosen of racist intentions, compared him to a slave-owner and excoriated him for scrutinizing the contract. Never mind that Leary's agreement was one of several Rosen examined that revealed the district's sloppy contracting practices, including authorizing work months before the board was asked for approval, contrary to state law.

But chairman Tom Koehler, vice-chairwoman Amy Kohnstamm and members Pam Knowles and Julie Esparza Brown heartily applauded Leary and gave him a standing ovation. That's the kind of collegiality Portland School Board members show one another for trying to clean up messes that festered under Smith.

It's time to do things differently. It's not only an embarrassment, but also a serious threat to the district's ability to confront urgent needs. It's not just that the board must find and hire a permanent superintendent. It's not just that the district must address school buildings with lead in their water and a mountain of work to put a construction bond measure for voters in May. And it's not just that administrators may be facing a severe budget shortfall in the coming year.

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are Laura Gunderson, John Maher, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and Len Reed.

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It's that 49,000 students who have a limited window in which to gain the skills and education they need for college, career and life are losing time and opportunities thanks to pettiness among seven adults who can't figure out the basics of cooperation. While each board member doubtlessly cares about helping students reach their potential, their bickering gets in the way.

Board members should evaluate their own behavior for ways in which it contributes to the dysfunction. They should also consider replacing Koehler and Kohnstamm as chair and vice-chair. Leadership of this board demands setting a respectful tone and involving all members in critical decisions. Both have fallen short, from allowing and applauding Leary's extended diatribe against Rosen, to the eleventh-hour decision to delay a bond measure from November to May which took other members by surprise.

Board members also need to refrain from tackling day-to-day operations of the district and trust Interim Superintendent Bob McKean -- until and unless circumstances show he can't do the job. While Smith's lax management may have merited direct involvement in the past, the board voted to hire McKean and should give him a chance to succeed. To that end, the retreat provided some progress as board members discussed honing priorities.

But McKean and the district also need to do their part. The district should replace its ineffective complaint process with one that helps resolve problems, rather than stonewall complainants. McKean also must immediately make clear to this community that the district will not retaliate against critics, such as the threatening letter its former general counsel sent to parent Kim Sordyl.

Put simply, students need better. The board and district need to show they can deliver.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
By George Will

WASHINGTON -- Tuesday evening, after Election Day's tranquility, new clamors will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith some developments to watch.

-- In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate won fewer than 100. In the seven elections after 1984, no Democrat has received fewer than 111 (Michael Dukakis in 1988) and no Republican fewer than 159 (Bob Dole in 1996). Measure Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accordingly.

-- Republican nominees' popular-vote totals this century are: 2000 (Bush) 50,455,156; 2004 (Bush) 62,040,610; 2008 (McCain) 59,934,814; 2012 (Romney) 60,932,152. Measure Trump's total accordingly, bearing in mind that there are 10 million more eligible voters in 2016 than in 2012 and nearly 20 million more than in 2008.

-- In 2012, Romney's totals in 10 swing states were: Texas 4,569,843 (57 percent); Florida 4,163,447 (49 percent); Pennsylvania 2,680,434 (47 percent); Ohio 2,661,407 (48 percent); Michigan 2,115,256 (45 percent); Virginia 1,822,522 (47 percent); Arizona 1,233,654 (54 percent); Colorado 1,185,243 (46 percent); Nevada 463,567 (46 percent); New Hampshire 329,918 (47 percent). Use these numbers to measure Trump's success at enlarging the Republican electorate.

-- In 1976, when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less; in 2012, just four were. In 1976, Ford won California and Illinois with 49.3 percent and 50.1 percent, respectively. Carter won Texas with 51.1 percent. Tuesday will show how much has changed in four decades.

-- In nine consecutive elections (1980-2012), Florida has been more Republican than the nation. Is it still?

-- In 1976, a majority of House seats were won by 10 points or less. In 2012, most were won by at least 20 points. Watch Tuesday night for further evidence of the extent to which representatives now pick their voters rather than voters picking representatives. And for how many incumbents are defeated by an electorate supposedly seething against "insiders."

-- The "blue wall" consists of 18 states and the District of Columbia (totaling 242 electoral votes) that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. Will Trump, who vowed to expand the battlefield, carry any of these?

-- The Republican's "red wall" (in at least six consecutive elections) consists of 13 states with 102 electoral votes: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming. Will Clinton come close to carrying Texas? Will she lose any age cohort there other than voters over 65?

-- Will Trump's louche lifestyle cost him culturally conservative Utah, which last voted Democratic in 1964, and which since then has voted Republican by an average of 36.1 points?

-- The only Democrat to carry Arizona since 1948 was Bill Clinton in 1996. If his wife duplicates that feat, will this be because the state's Mormon community recoiled from Trump?

-- In 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried 49 states, under-30 voters were the most Republican age group. This year, will it be, for the fourth consecutive election, the most Democratic?

-- A large and growing portion of voters acknowledge no religious tradition. They were 12 percent of the 2012 turnout and Democrats carried this secular cohort by 44 points. How much support did such voters give Trump, who has vowed to "spiritize" America?

-- In 1928, a Brooklyn Democratic boss explained why he was funneling political funds to the candidate for New York's governor, Franklin Roosevelt, rather than to down-ballot candidates: As the Staten Island ferry enters its slip, he said, it drags in "all the crap in the harbor behind it," adding, "FDR is our Staten Island ferry." Trump might be the opposite. Watch whether his undertow drowns Reps. Barbara Comstock and Mike Coffman, Republicans with chilly relations with Trump, both representing similar districts -- Northern Virginia and suburban Denver, respectively.

-- Will Trump become the first Republican in 60 years to lose whites with college educations?

-- Will Trump achieve even Mitt Romney's 17 percent of the nonwhite vote?

-- Will Trump hold Clinton in Georgia below the 46 percent that Barack Obama won in 2012?

-- Finally, Winston Churchill enjoyed the story of the man who, upon receiving a telegram reporting his mother-in-law's death and asking for instructions, replied: "Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances." What instructions will Tuesday evening's returns give to Republicans about what to do with Trump's approach to the electorate?

George Will's email address is georgewillwashpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
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The Hood River County Sheriff's Office says phone outages Sunday have taken out the administrative and 911 lines at the Hood River County 911 center. There is no estimate for when countywide 911 service will return.

(The Oregonian/File)

Updated

Hood River County emergency phone lines are now being rerouted because of 911 service outages Sunday, according to the Hood County Sheriff's Office.



As of 1:10 p.m., the Hood River County 911 center's non-emergency line is working sporadically, said Sgt. Pete Hughes, a county sheriff's spokesman. The sheriff's office announced just after 5:45 a.m. that the 911 center's administrative and emergency lines were down.



"The 911 system is working at this point, just not at full capacity," Hughes said in an email. "The problem exists with CenturyLink."



A spokeswoman with CenturyLink has not immediately responded to a request for comment.



Anyone with an emergency and having trouble reaching emergency dispatchers is asked to contract their local fire station directly for help. The Hood River city police non-emergency line can also be called at 541-386-2121.



There is no estimate for when full 911 service will be restored.



The 911 center dispatches to agencies including the Hood River County Sheriff's Office, the Hood River, Wyeast, West Side, Parkdale and Cascade Locks fire departments and acts as a backup dispatcher for the Oregon State Police Department, Oregon Department of Forestry, Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement and United States Forest Service law enforcement.



More than 22,600 people live in Hood River County.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Bz.wind.3256.SN.10/24/05

The Department of energy issued nearly $1 billion worth of tax credits between 2006 and 2014, including several mega-credits to the Klondike wind farm near Wasco. An investigative audit says nearly a third of those tax credits may be questionable.

(The Oregonian/OregonLive)

A legislative oversight committee charged with restructuring the scandalized Oregon Department of Energy met Friday to discuss possible recommendations to lawmakers and got bogged down almost immediately in a lengthy, partisan debate over the agency's future mission.

The Democratic co-chairs of the committee, Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, and Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, had floated a draft of recommended fixes for the agency this week.

They said their findings -- which included keeping the agency alive while getting rid of some of its controversial programs and tweaking others -- were drawn from members' comments and testimony during nine committee meetings since January.

But Republican members said they didn't receive copies until Thursday, and said the committee had yet to scratch the surface of the agency's many problems.

In particular, they said the committee hadn't delved into lessons learned from the controversial Business Energy Tax Credit program, including those from an investigative audit that found more than a third of the $1 billion in tax credits were potentially questionable.

"These recommendations are a work in progress," Holvey said. "It's not something we're trying to shove down your throats; it's something we want your help in completing."

The Republicans nonetheless suggested that many of the recommendations are too weak or off base. They said the agency failed to provide performance measures or outcomes to evaluate its programs, and they argued that Democrats are trying to expand the agency's mission to forward the state's climate-change agenda.

"I don't think we've dug deep enough," said Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby. "We just peeled off the top layer of the orange.... Our mandate was to conduct a thorough review.... But I will add for the record that I don't think we did."

One thing was clear from Friday's meeting: The notion that the Department of Energy might be dissolved, with its work distributed to other agencies, is off the table. The first finding in the co-chair's report was that there was a continuing need for the agency but that it should be overseen by a new independent Energy and Climate Board.

And that's where the discussion went sideways.

"I certainly didn't know anything about a climate board," said Sen. Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls. "Unless I was sleeping, it was never addressed."

Democrats on the eight-person committee say monitoring carbon emissions is inextricably linked with the agency's core mission of ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply.

They contend the agency ought to provide impartial policy and technical advice to the Legislature and the governor on climate issues and coordinate that work with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Transportation.

"I don't know how (the energy agency) can fulfill its statutory duties without considering greenhouse gases," Holvey said.

Republicans questioned whether the agency has that policy expertise today, and said it had proved singularly ineffective at tracking energy savings and greenhouse emission reductions from past programs.

They didn't object to the agency considering climate issues, but said elevating them alongside energy in a new mission and governing board would duplicate work at other agencies and risk turning the department into a politicized advocacy organization.

Among the other problems and recommendations discussed Friday:

Tax credits: The agency's mismanagement of tax credit programs has been the subject of controversy for nearly a decade. The chairs recommended allowing its Energy Incentive Program and Biomass tax credit to sunset in 2018, as currently scheduled.

They suggested continuing the residential energy tax credit for two more years while the agency studies replacements more likely to promote efficiency and reliability. The agency would have to track and report the amount of energy produced or conserved, along with the costs and greenhouse gas reductions for all incentives provided.

Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, said the committee was formed because of problems stemming from the Business Energy Tax Credit Program. That experience, he said, should be reflected high in the committee's report, particularly as the state pursues ambitious and financially complicated measures like its low carbon fuel standard and a carbon cap-and-trade program.

"What did the BETC actually buy for the state of Oregon?" Bentz asked. "There was so much free ridership. What did we pay as a state for the CO2 reduction? It would sure would be interesting to see what we got."

He also said it's crucial that "our Department of Justice follows up" on any illegal activity or questionable credits.

The committee agreed to beef up the report with lessons learned from the tax credit debacle, recommend clawing back incentive money when possible, and urge the Justice Department to aggressively investigate possible fraud identified in the investigative audit.

Small Energy Loan Program: Because of a string of bad loans, this long-running program faces a cash flow problem, with further lending suspended.

Incoming payments from borrowers are insufficient to cover the repayment of bonds issued to fund the loans past 2019 or 2020. At that point, taxpayers will have to bail out the program by supporting those debt payments. The deficit is projected at $16 million, but could grow if more loans go bad.

The co-chairs recommended returning the loan program to its original mission and capping loan sizes. They suggested transferring it to the Oregon Business Development Department, which may have more expertise in loan underwriting.

The chairs also said the Legislature should plug the program's shortfall by repealing another unused agency loan program and transferring its $3 million in remaining funds to the small energy loan program.

Whitsett said Friday the committee needed more answers before going that direction. He wants to consider selling the remaining loan portfolio to an outside lender, using the proceeds to help pay off the outstanding bonds.

A sale of the loan portfolio could come at a significant discount to its current balance, however, increasing the shortfall taxpayers would have to cover. Whitsett said those costs need to be set against the program's administrative costs and the risk of more loan defaults

"What is the lowest-cost exit strategy for the taxpayers of Oregon?" he asked.

Beyer said the committee might need to reach out to the Oregon Treasury or the Business Development Department to study options.

Energy Facility Siting Council: This seven-member board is appointed by the governor, is staffed by the Department of Energy, and makes permitting decisions for new power plants, wind farms and other energy generation facilities.

The council has been criticized for heavy-handedly rejecting public input, repeated conflicts of interest and bias in favor of energy companies. Critics say agency staffers write, apply and interpret the rules, control the hearings process, and end up shutting citizens out of siting decisions that directly affect them.

The chairs want the agency to convene a workgroup on the siting council, particularly aimed at improving public participation and the process for contesting cases.

Energy Supplier Assessment: This assessment is imposed on the gross receipts of energy suppliers of all stripes, from utilities to petroleum companies, and funds about a third of the energy department's operating budget.

Utilities say they get little to nothing in return, calling the assessment a highly variable and illegal tax that exempts some renewable energy providers.

The chairs are recommending, again, that the agency convene a work group to address issues with the assessment and recommend changes.

- Ted Sickinger

tsickinger@oregonian.com

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger
Oct. 25, 2013

A few weeks ago I was pulled over by portland police and was asked if they could search my vehicle, I said yes. they did an extensive search even inside the hood of the car. A few days later I was pulled over again by the same officer and again they asked to search the car and again I gave them permission. As the search was going on the officer asked me a question he asked if I had ever been part of a gang. I was honest with him, and told him that when I was younger I would hang out with some friends that were part of a local gang. I was told that the reason for the search was recent gang activity in portland. A week or so later I got in the mail a form to fill out saying that I would be registered as a gang affiliate. That is where my problem is, I realize that I did not make a smart decision when I was younger, but I am a different person I was never a gang member, I do not have a criminal background, and when I was asked I was just being 100% honest. I respect authority and have never had a issue with it. I know that I have rights and when I was asked for permission to search my car I did not have a problem with that because I had nothing to hide. I do not want to be on the record as a gang affiliate because I do not know how this can affect my future. I hope that this letter I have provided more information about me, and make a better picture of the person that I am and not just a name on a record that identifies me as a gang affiliate. I can also provide proof of everything that I have written in this letter.

[A gang supervisor interviewed the man at his house, met his wife and saw his kids and agreed to drop the gang designation. Read the full text.]

Life on the list

Twenty years after a federal lawsuit forced Portland to alter the way it tracks gang members, some Portland defense attorneys still worry the gang list erodes constitutional rights.

The list can spur more frequent stops and searches, attorney Lisa Ludwig said.

Letters from the list

The Oregonian/OregonLive explores what it's like to be on the list of people Portland police have labeled gang members -- and what it's like to try to get off it.

Read the full series.

"If somebody appears on the gang list, that is one of the things that a police officer can take into account in determining whether he has reasonable suspicion or probable cause," said Ludwig, who helped a client get his designation voided.

Krantz, the former gang team supervisor, said that's not how the bureau teaches officers to use information about gang members.

"They are not instructed to take it into account at all," he said.

The list does not lower the legal requirements for police to find probable cause before conducting a search, Krantz said.

But the bureau's own analysis found in 2014 that gang officers, even more than other Portland police, disproportionately pulled over African American drivers and asked to search their cars.

African Americans make up 64 percent of the gang list, which the police bureau provided The Oregonian/OregonLive through a records request.

The bureau decided in 2016 to rely less on traffic stops for gang enforcement and instead focus on investigations of identified suspects.

Traffic stops

Some former gang members describe police pulling them over with extraordinary frequency and asking to search their vehicle nearly every time. They believe it's because they were on the list.

Herman Lee is one example.

Lee, now 46, said one time in the 1990s Portland police pulled him over seven days in a row, resulting in 21 tickets.

A vehicle search was a regular part of the stops. If he didn't agree to it, Lee said, officers would threaten to call his probation officer. If he didn't want to talk, officers would threaten to speak with his boss.

"Once they put you on that gang list, it's like you don't have rights anymore," Lee said. "They see you, they pull you over."

Lee said he left Portland and his gang ties behind two decades ago, but that police continued to pull him over when he came back to visit.

In one memorable stop, Lee said, the officer insisted he knew him, which Lee refuted, saying he lived in North Carolina.

The officer ran Lee's name through the computer and walked back to the car. Then he called Lee by his nickname. "I knew I knew you," the officer told him, Lee said.

Lee said he then agreed to a partial search of his vehicle, which turned up nothing. Turning to leave, the officer told Lee he hoped to get a chance to arrest him before he returned to North Carolina.

"I guess they expect you to be the same way your whole life," Lee said.

In all the years since he moved away, Lee has received just five traffic tickets, he said.

Heavy consequences

In court, evidence of gang ties can lead to stricter terms of probation, police and prosecutors say. A judge can order you not to see other gang members, for example, which sometimes mean avoiding members of your own family.

Being on the list can have other repercussions, as well.

When Ernesto Ysasaga brought his pivotal challenge to Portland's gang list in 1993, he said police got him fired by telling his employer he was a gang member, even though he wasn't.

In 2015, Portland police were trying to put someone else on the gang list, saying he had admitted gang membership to police. But the man claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and that he was at work, not with police, when the supposed conversation took place.

A gang sergeant let the man off after verifying his alibi -- by contacting the man's employer and requesting a copy of his work schedule.

Up next: The police perspective

-- Carli Brosseau

cbrosseau@oregonian.com

503-294-5121; @carlibrosseau

Save
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Portland police said a protest blocked parts of Interstate 5 on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Oregonian/OregonLive)

(The Oregonian/File)

Updated at 9:20 p.m. to clarify location of protest and the names of those arrested

Six protesters were arrested after a group blocked traffic near the Morrison Bridge in Southeast Portland on Saturday night, Portland police said.

The protest, which was part of an anti-capitalist demonstration called the Million Mask March, began at Southwest 3rd Avenue between Madison and Main Streets, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said. Protesters, wearing Guy Fawkes masks, marched through the streets into Southeast Portland.

Protesters blocked Interstate 5 northbound near the Morrison Bridge at about 7 p.m., causing long delays, Simpson said.

After protesters left the freeway and continued to march downtown, officers arrested six people on various charges, including disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and interfering with a peace officer, police said.

Police identified those arrested as Robert West, 51, Kristopher Moore, 26, James Krane, 30, Paul Schmitke, 25, David Kif Davis, 46 and Linda Senn, 42.

A delay on TriMet MAX lines was not related to the protest, a TriMet spokeswoman said. The MAX delay was caused by an camper that was stopped on the Steel Bridge, she said.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
Fifty-one years ago, Norma O. Walker helped shatter the municipal glass ceiling by becoming one of the first women elected mayor of an American city with a population of more than 60,000.

On Tuesday, she's hoping that final glass ceiling will give.

Walker now lives in the Beaverton area with her daughter, Allison Payne. But in 1965, she was 37 and living in Aurora, Colorado.

"It was a fluke that I won," Walker said modestly.

Days before the election, then Aurora Mayor Robert Fennig withdrew from the three-way race because of health issues. The incumbent threw his support behind Walker, who went on to beat Councilman J. Tracy Whitaker for the mayoral seat with a vote of 2,886 to 2,398.

Fennig had good reason to back Walker. She was president of the local League of Women Voters and chairwoman of the Aurora Board of Adjustment and Appeals, where she had served for nearly four years.

She was also - news reports never failed to mention - an attractive housewife.

"Even if she is the new mayor of Aurora, like other housewives, the dishes will wait for Mrs. Norma Walker," proclaimed the front page story of her election in the Rocky Mountain News.

Another article from the same paper described the newly elected mayor as "an attractive blue-eyed blond with a persuasive smile and shapely figure."

Mayor Walker was so novel, she received a telegram the week of her election inviting her to New York for an episode of the popular TV game show, "What's My Line?" In it, a celebrity panel would attempt to guess the contestant's line of work through several rounds of questioning.

Walker stumped them all through 10 rounds and won $50.

After Walker's "line" was revealed, actress Kitty Carlisle remarked, "Mrs. Walker is so pretty, I'm sure everybody voted for her."

Walker smiled and replied, "Not quite."

"Oh, I wanted to hit her," said Walker, now 88. "Gee whiz, I found that to be insulting."

Walker never appreciated the attention on her looks - "I was kind of a stick in the mud about that," she said. She was always civic-minded and got her interest in politics from her father, who was chairman of the Bent County, Colorado Republican Party and often took his young daughter to political rallies.

Sadly for him, she grew up to be a Democrat.

Walker graduated from high school in 1946 and studied education at Colorado Woman's College. She taught first grade for three years before leaving the workforce when she had the first of her three children. Her husband, Thomas, now deceased, was an attorney and supportive of her civic involvement.

When Walker announced her candidacy for mayor, she expected skepticism, but was unprepared for the backlash.

"I had calls from a lot of women who felt I was overstepping the bounds of housewifery," Walker said. "I had calls from people who did not like my earrings or the length of my skirt."

It continued after the election.

"I had a lot of people who would come to council meetings who would just berate me for doing one thing or another," Walker said. "I would just smile and say 'thank you so much for your input.'

'You really should be staying at home.'

'Thank you very much for your comment.'"

She looks back and says, "I was naive."

Her home was burglarized several times. Someone threw a large rock through the front window that lodged in the dining room wall. She received phone threats that either she or her children would be kidnapped.

"My brother beat up a kid on the High Line Canal," Payne recalled. "We walked home from school and this kid followed or came along with us and was making remarks about her being mayor. My brother had to pummel him."

This was news to Walker: "Now, I'm hearing about it. Well!"

As mayor, Walker instituted a pay cut for city council members and a pay raise for police and firefighters. She oversaw a $60 million reservoir project that secured Aurora's own water supply, and in 1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee.

But each accomplishment was met with challenges. Though officially nonpartisan, the Aurora council was at the time split with five Republicans and four Democrats.

"I don't know if it was because I was a woman or because I was a Democrat," she said of the dismissive attitude she faced. "Being a woman and a Democrat really did not serve me well."

After two years, Walker ran for re-election but lost. It was a bit of a relief, she said.

"Partially, it was the aggravation of being a liberal Democrat in a hotbed of Republicans, all of whom were very nice people, actually," she pointed out. They just disagreed on how to manage the city.

"It was because I was a woman that I ran again," she added. "I did not want women to think that I had been chased off."

Since her single-term, Aurora has had multiple councilwomen - at the moment there are six women and four men - but Walker has remained the city's lone female mayor.

In today's presidential race, Walker sees hints of what she faced a half-century ago: Talk about Hillary Clinton not having "stamina" or a "presidential look." The idea that a female moderator who was tough on Donald Trump was on her period. Judgements on women's looks and clothes.

Sometimes, Walker said, it feels like too little has changed.

"It's 51 years later from when I was ridiculed for earrings or dress length or blah, blah, blah, and it's still going on," she said. "What must we do to change that? I don't know. Fifty-one years later... geez."

Walker is doing one thing to change it. She knows whom she'll be voting for Nov. 8.

-- Samantha Swindler

@editorswindler / 503-294-4031

sswindler@oregonian.com
vose mural.jpeg

Artists Steve Platt and Rachel Lucas-Bertsch with the Oregon-themed mural they created.

A chalk mural from the Beaverton Arts Mix! show and sale has found a home at the temporary Vose Elementary.

Pat O'Connor, the coordinator for Vose's SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) program was visiting the art show, where artists outside the Beaverton Library creating chalk-art murals.

Mural installer and Vose SMART volunteer John A. Miller in front of the mural at Vose Elementary.

"My husband and I watched as Rachel Lucas-Bertsch and Steve Platt composed a stunning mural with Oregon themes on a 8-foot by 12-foot cardboard canvas,'" O'Connor said. "I heard Rachel ask Steve 'What are we going to do with this when we are done? It is too big to take home.'"

O'Connor had been recently charged with decorating the SMART alcove at the new (and temporary) home of Vose at 650 NW 118th Ave. The mural would be a perfect fit. She spoke with the artists and the city of Beaverton event coordinator, who said she could pick up the mural the following day. John Miller, a SMART volunteer, installed the mural in the classroom.

"A big can of 'fixative' hairspray later, we have a beautiful work of art decorating the SMART space," O'Connor said. "It has been a huge success with staff, students and SMART volunteers."
The DTE Energy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy, is providing a $250,000 grant to the American Red Cross of Michigan for ongoing support of its life-saving, Home Fire Campaign. The campaign will help make communities safer by providing essential equipment and education to thousands of families statewide, including in Midland County.

DTE Energy employee volunteers, in partnership with the Red Cross, will make in-home visits to install smoke alarms and provide fire escape planning education to thousands of families throughout Michigan, as part of the Red Cross nationwide initiative.

The DTE Energy Foundation is proud to partner with the American Red Cross in support of its Home Fire Campaign, which allows us to reach some of Michigans most vulnerable residents to help save lives, reduce injuries and educate families on what to do if there is a fire, said Faye Nelson, DTE Energy vice president, and DTE Energy Foundation board chair and president.

Safety is a key priority at DTE Energy. The well-being and safety of our employees, our customers and our neighborhoods are essential to vitality of our state.

Recently, the Home Fire Campaign saved the lives of a Detroit-area grandmother and her teenage grandson when they escaped a devastating home fire. Volunteers from DTE Energy, in coordination with the Red Cross, installed smoke alarms and provided fire escape planning at the familys home last September. These are the two most recent saves credited to the campaign, which is responsible for saving at least 111 lives nationally thus far. In 2015, the DTE Energy Foundation invested $100,000 in the campaign, which provided more than 6,000 smoke detectors that were installed in more than 1,000 homes in Detroit and Monroe.

The five-year campaign kicked off across the country in October 2014, with a goal of reducing the number of home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent. Working with local fire departments and community groups across the United States, the Red Cross is installing smoke alarms in homes in neighborhoods with the highest risk for home fires. As of Aug. 31, the Red Cross and 3,600 partners have reached more than 591,000 people through home visits in 7,300 cities and towns all across the country. The Red Cross also has reached more than 581,000 youth through fire safety and preparedness programs.

Michigan Region Home Fire Campaign highlights include:

 Installing more than 10,000 smoke alarms

 Conducting more than 3,800 in-home visits

 Creating more than 2,800 evacuation plans

 Positively impacting nearly 10,000 residents in communities across Michigan.

For more information visit http://rdcrss.org/2feJt9e or call and leave a smoke alarm installation request at (313) 494-2727.
The Daily News will run a weekly Political Round-up, highlighting the campaigns of candidates for both the 98th House and 99th House races. All four candidates have been contacted and asked to submit items for the round-up.

In the 98th House District, Republican Gary Glenn, R-Midland, will be facing Democratic challenger Geoff Malicoat in the Nov. 8 general election. The 99th House race will have Democrat Bryan Mielke squaring off against Republican Roger Hauck. John Moolenaar is running for reelection to represent the 4th Congressional District as a Republican. His Democratic challenger will be Debra Wirth.

BRYAN MIELKE

As a member of this community, Ive had the pleasure not only of starting and developing my own small business; Ive had the opportunity to give back to our district in the form of public service. During my time as a Union Township trustee, I was proud of a number of projects I worked on, but none were as important as the fight to bring more transparency to our local government. I helped uncover, investigate and bring to justice the corruption that was plaguing our township, and I am ready to do the same in our Capitol.

Im going to fight every day to make sure Michigans government is open and accountable to the people it is meant to represent. This means ensuring that every government office and official, including the governors office and the legislature, are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. It means that I will not merely vote against, but vocally oppose, misspending taxpayer dollars, especially when theyre used to fund lavish pet projects, like the $134 million dollar plush new offices the Michigan Senate is getting at the expense of our states hardworking men and women. It means I will fight to close the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbying firms, so we can ensure that elected officials dont suddenly find themselves owing a favor to special interest groups now employing former colleagues. It means that if Im elected, Ill work to restore cut funding to our schools and to repeal the retirement tax  both of which happened so Republicans could hand out $2 billion in tax breaks to their corporate donors. Most of all, I will pull back the curtain on this kind of corruption, when and wherever it is happening. I will fight it with your support and on your behalf.

Elected officials tend to forget the second word in the title public servant, but it is my promise to you that if I am elected to serve as your next state representative, I will continue my tradition of service to the public. The residents of Isabella and Midland Counties deserve better, and I am ready to bring that accountability to Lansing.

For more information about Mielke: bryanmielke.com

ROGER HAUCK

With just over a couple of days to go until election day, my team is not slowing down. I continue to knock on hundreds of doors throughout the 99th dist rict. Ive been extremely grateful to have such a wide range of volunteers helping with my campaign, including friends, family, local residents and Central Michigan University students. This week I was fortunate enough to have Congressman John Moolenaar join me in knocking on doors.

Recently, I was joined by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette to meet with residents, business owners, and farmers in the City of Coleman. I was grateful for the opportunity to hear from many residents in one place, and we had a great conversation.

I hear the same thing from residents over and over: They want a representative who will work for them. They want more and better-paying jobs, better funding for our local classrooms, and government that runs more efficiently and effectively. My commitment to residents is always the same: I will work hard for the issues that are important to my district, and my number one priority will always be my constituents  not politicians or special interests.

Im proud to be running to represent our community. It is my hope that you will support me on Nov. 8, so that I can go to Lansing to serve the people I love so much  the residents of the 99th district.

For more information about Hauck: rogerhauck.com

GEOFF MALICOAT

As we enter the final week of this campaign season, my team and I are truly grateful to the thousands of residents of the 98th district who have kindly opened their doors to us even though we were holding campaign literature and clip boards during this wild political year. This community is truly remarkable and if we work together and focus on all the issues that we agree on and compromise on others we will make our community and our great state prosper and grow.

For more information about Malicoat: malicoatforhouse.com

GARY GLENN

 Glenn, who served eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves and Army National Guard, including with the 1460th Transportation Company headquartered in Midland, said if reelected he will ask to remain a member of the House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on which he has served the last two years.

Glenn, a member of Midlands American Legion Post 165, pointed to legislation he introduced, now law, to remove bureaucratic barriers that hindered Korean War veterans ability to receive benefits theyd earned by their service.

 Glenn was interviewed last week by WCMU-TV public television at Central Michigan University for the stations election year Meet the Candidates series. Glenns 15-minute interview will be broadcast today (Sunday) between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. on Charter Cable channel 14.

 Americas Future, a non-profit organization founded in 1946 to uphold and protect the U.S. Constitution and promote the free enterprise system and a strong national defense, has elected Glenn to its board of directors.

For more information: GaryGlenn.US

JOHN MOOLENAAR

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, received the following endorsements:

 National Rifle Association

 Michigan Agribusiness; Michigan Milk Producers; and Michigan Corn Growers

 Michigan Chamber of Commerce; Michigan Credit Union League; and National Federation of Independent Business

 Michigan Association of Police Organizations

KEITH BUTKOVICH ANNOUNCES

CANDIDACY

Keith Butkovich announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress in Michigans 4th District. He will run under the Natural Law Party.

I feel that our country is still going in the wrong direction, and this is clearly affecting the residents of the 4th District. Butkovich stated.

His top issues include fixing a broken economy, legalizing marijuana, and ending involvement in foreign nations.
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On a fall afternoon, at the end of Kilt Court where Margaret Boyes has lived since 1963, life takes on a familiar tempo. Rain sprinkles and a wind gains. Hang gliders of crispy golden leaves careen across the lawn.

At a dining room table, Boyes, 95, is emptying the pockets that nearly a century of life can hold. Shes piecing her story together at the request of family, and with the help of Betsy Loose, 55, a neighbor for the past 14 years. Her sight and hearing have waned but gears in her mind turn, still lubricated.

Fortunately so, because to the rest of us outside her generation, and for Boyes herself, the nine and a half decades of life isnt forgettable: her unwitting role in the Manhattan Project, a secret effort to build the atom bomb during the Second World War. Photos she took on a tiny south Pacific island of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Plane plotting near the Capitol. Her time in the American Red Cross. Nearly 65 years of marriage. The present and her future, and all the idiosyncrasies in between.

Boyes grew up in Lyons, Colorado, northwest of Denver, and 12 miles west of Longmont. It was 1921. The town had about 500 people, she said (it now has over 2,000). She jokes she graduated in the upper fifth percentile  there were only five students in her graduating class.

They were laying the cornerstone of the new city and county building in Longmont, the day I was born June 21, and my name was put in the cornerstone, the opening line of her life story reads.

Her first real job was delivering newspapers. She later took work as a waitress at the Stanley Hotel, about 20 miles away in Estes Park. Author Stephen King and his wife spent a night there, and the hotel was where he drew inspiration for his 1977 book The Shining. The hotel has been featured as one of Americas most haunted, and with the numerous stories from visitors and staff, The Stanley Hotel continues to shine today, as it did in 1909 when first opened, its website states.

Employed decades before Kings stay, even years before he was born, Boyes doesnt recall any ghastly elements or creepy feels.

It was a beautiful hotel  of historical prominence she said. Its fun to know I spent time there.

Feeling an itch to cross state lines and see more of the world, Boyes applied at Barnes Business College in Denver about three months later. After interviewing with the colleges president, she was allowed a student loan for tuition with my signature only. She decided to take the U.S. Civil Service Exam. She was offered a typist job in Washington, D.C., that paid $1,060 a year in August 1941.

Soon after, her life turned toward secrecy.

Boyes worked as a secretary to the director of the Office of Emergency Management, and as an administrative assistant in the former federal Office of Scientific Research and Development, where the Allies conducted military research during the Second World War. Nearly $2 billion was spent on research and development of the atom bomb as part of the then-classified Manhattan Project.

Boyes remembers needing a Q security clearance to work in the building. She remembers dictating a letter to FDR from James Byrnes, the presidents chief executive assistant, a former Supreme Court justice, secretary of state, senator and governor.

Albert Einstein had an office nearby, she said.

I dont remember ever seeing him move, she said.

She joked he was developing a new theory of relativity.

In 1939, Einstein sent a letter to FDR warning that the Nazis were working on the atom bomb. Years later, Vannevar Bush asked Einstein to serve as a consultant to the Office of Scientific Research and Development, according to Fred Jeromes The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoovers Secret War Against the Worlds Most Famous Scientist (2003).

Initially, Einstein was denied security clearance needed to work on the Manhattan Project, according to the American Museum of Natural History.

The Manhattan Project employed some 120,000 Americans. Boyes was one of them, something she didnt realize until being released after the war.

Everything we did for them had to be secret, she said. I got to be a pretty good liar.

Boyes recalled always doing something for the Manhattan Project, but I didnt have the foggiest idea what it was.

She retains an original letter addressed to Miss Margaret Campbell, dated Aug. 23, 1944, from V. Bush with the subject FIFTH WAR LOAN DRIVE. The letter notes the office made a distinguished record in helping to put over a war loan drive.

I should like you to know that this effort does not go unnoticed and that I share with you the satisfaction of having successfully completed another of our important war-time duties, the letter states. The office was disbanded in 1947.

Boyes has two daughters, a son, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a sister and a brother. She married George Jr. on Aug. 27, 1949, when she was working at the U.S. Geological Survey. They were introduced, became engaged the week of of their first date and married the next weekend, she said.

He was tall enough for me, joked the 5-foot-9-inch Boyes.

George was a chemist. They moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1957. Boyes said he worked in the same labs where the atom bomb had been produced. He later took a job with Dow Corning and the two moved to Midland. He died on Aug. 15, 2014, 12 days short of the couples 65th anniversary.

I was always very proud of him and his accomplishments, Boyes said. No man was ever more proud of his children. His family was first, always.

Boyes continued to thumb through the pulp of her life, pasted in leather-bound albums. Loose opened the back door to let in Loki, a hefty lab and Akita mix with a cream coat of short fur. He gulps water, scarfs food, and makes his way to Boyes feet, staying silently for hours. Letters, post cards, news articles and informational booklets about the war, pages worn rough like construction paper, released a breath of attic air.

She comes to a photo she took of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the Little Boy atom bomb on Hiroshima. At the time she was stationed on Tinian Island. The plane sat at the ready on the islands North Field air base. She paused, shrugging when asked her reaction to the bombing. She was mostly indifferent.

I didnt think much of it, Boyes said. I was on Guam when the first one was dropped, but it didnt make a difference to us. It was part of the war and that was it, I guess.

During a recent interview by phone, she told of things people think about when lying awake in bed at night. In her mind was the memory of a prisoner of war on Tinian, a kamikaze pilot captured after a failed mission. He was put in a ground silo, which must have had an 8-inch solid concrete lid on it.

I went around to one side ... the window was probably 8-by-15. The prisoner was looking out through that little window, she said. His demeanor was anything but friendly. He looked really mean.

Of course, she said, had they met face-to-face today, feelings toward each other would be different.

Boyes, like her late husband, is modest. She doesnt like the pronoun I  she says its egocentric. It may seem fitting, then, that she doesnt remember phone calls that came in before a published book mentioned her name.

Donald Cotner authored the 2011 title 1001 B-29s Avenge Pearl Harbor: Memoirs of a Flight Engineer. The stories tell of an airmans life on Tinian, where the B-29 Flying Fortress was unleashed against the empire of Japan. Cotner, in the books acknowledgements, writes The following listings are my endeavor to credit each person who has helped me get my stories onto these pages. An entry for Margaret Campbell Boyes reads consultant, Army Air Corps Veterans, American Red Cross Headquarters, 58th Wing, Tinian, 1945.

In 1942, the American Red Cross lowered the minimum age to join to 21. Boyes, 21 at the time, remembers being eager to sign on before she came of age.

No. 1, I just thought it would be, I dont know. It was just something I wanted to do, she said. I saw it as being effective to the needs at the time.

So she joined. Shed leave with American Theater, Asiatic-Pacific Theater and European-African-Middle Eastern Theater award ribbons for serving the armed forces outside the country.

Twenty years later, she moved to Midland with George. Its where she met Dave Camp, at H.H. Dow High School, when the library was being built. (Camp, a former Congressman, left office at the end of 2014 after 12 terms. Hes currently a policy advisor at Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC).)

Before reaching the height of a long-spanning political career, Camp, as a Dow High student, remembers Boyes as a librarian.

We were the first class in there so you really did get to know the faculty and staff and librarians, Camp said. Eight years after graduating, I was her neighbor.

Their backyards were separated by a drain, Camp on the Leeway Drive side and Boyes at Kilt Court. Camp lived there from 1979 to 1994. His first run for public office came in 1988, when he sought and won a state representative seat. Hed run for Congress two years later. Camp said he got to know Boyes, a great friend, better during the 15 years on Leeway Drive.

Ive known her for quite a long time, he said. Shes smart, has a great sense of humor and is highly intelligent. Those qualities are obvious in the first five minutes of talking to her  within the first five minutes of meeting her, its obvious.

Camp said he wasnt aware of Boyes time in the Office of Scientific Research and Development, because she didnt talk much about it.

I guess I just think of her as always  having an easy smile. Shes one of those people you enjoy knowing.

Letters from the late 90s sent from Camps office cling to pages in Boyes album. He was a gentleman and a scholar, she said.

JoAnn Winchester, 77, and Boyes have lunch together regularly. Winchester lives nearby and said she has known Boyes for 50 years. Boyes two daughters would babysit her children, she said.

Catching up during one lunch, Boyes mentioned the photo she took of the Enola Gay.

I said it would just be so good to share this with the community, Winchester said.

She remembers Boyes downplaying her life events and being hesitant to make her story public. Family and neighbors for years have urged her to at least document her life privately.

Shes just a delight to be around, Winchester said. Her memory is amazing, her intellect, her interest in things. Shes such a smart cookie.

Boyes life, aside from the low-profile gigs and secretive governmental work, is threaded with quirky coincidences, its-a-small-world run-ins and the little things we hang on to. Like when a neighbor invited her to Sydney, Nebraska.

While there we visited the one room of a home that was the first Cabelas Sporting Goods store, her story reads.

I was a ham radio operator, she said. That was a fun one.

More than once in her life, she seemed to escape disaster. She worked at both the Stanley Hotel and the nearby Lewiston Hotel while in Colorado. The Lewiston burned down Sept. 4, 1941, a year after she left.

And there are the mementos: a parachute she was given during the war (I cut a nightgown out of it.) The vivid memory of a green and white polka dot two-piece dress (she wore it while living in Washington, D.C., during visits to the White House and Constitution Hall for violinist and vocalist concerts.) Playing cards. Dancing. Laughing. And, sewing: Boyes said shes made turbans for cancer patients and pillows for those with breast cancer  shes known as the turban lady among church groups and patients.

I love to sew, she said. When a woman loses her hair, you take away a lot of her vanity, a lot of it.

Winchester remembers Boyes making life-size Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Nowadays, even with withering vision, she knits ski hats for homeless people, Winchester said.

Bouncing from times in elementary school to working as a clerk in high school, to war time years later and her husbands death, two years ago, Boyes can talk for hours. Shes aware its an election year, and knows the candidates. In her days, she said, the platforms didnt involving calling each other liars.

Their promises were kept, Boyes said.

Shes aware of racism and ideological differences, particularly in politics, that fuel division across the country. Asked what she thought of the current state of affairs, she said her vocabulary isnt that large.

Its pretty sad, I think. I think were event intolerant to some degree of the Amish religion, she said by phone.

Talking politics: I feel statesmen have gotten to the point where theyre not statesmen anymore. Theyre not in it for the good of common man.

She fell quiet. The minute hand lapped the clock.

She hasnt maintained contact with former coworkers in the war research office, the military men and women she had met or friends made in the Red Cross. What would she say to them now?

I cannot believe it happened 70 years ago. It seems impossible, Boyes said, calling time spent in the office as her fondest memory. If I met one of them, I think I would just sit down and have a talk about those times.

Recently, Boyes rode along to see family in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In Cleveland, relatives attended a World Series game.

The colors were fabulous, Ive never seen anything like it, she said of the drive between states. It was awesome.

She still has lunch with Winchester, a longtime friend. Loose, her neighbor, still comes over. (During one interview, Loose offered a glass of water. Boyes, humor still in check and probably only half-jokingly, suggested a beer.) Loki still lies at her feet.

She still shuffles the memories, wades through thought and sometimes pauses for a laugh, following with a one-liner as if she knows more than whats said. She heads into her 96th winter warmer not only to finally have her story penned, but shared.

If you like life, you can get a lot of fun out of it, she said.
A nationwide recall has been issued for frozen strawberries imported from Egypt to the U.S. since Jan. 1 in response to a hepatitis A outbreak investigation.

On Friday, counties in Michigan were informed of the potential for exposure to this product through a distributor that serves many types of commercial retailers, health care facilities, schools, and other institutions. Local health departments have contacted affected facilities on the list to determine if the contaminated strawberries were used. A complete list of affected facilities (by county) has been posted on the MDARD website at http://www.michigan.gov/mdard/
The Michigan Legislature has only a limited number of days to finish up this years lawmaking. Time is at a premium since this is an election year for the Michigan House, meaning there will be a lame-duck session after Nov. 8. Legislators are working on several complicated issues that have lots of moving parts, such as energy and auto insurance.

Michigans energy laws were rewritten in 2008 when the state rolled back electricity choice and mandated that 90 percent of the market be given over to two companies. It also required that 10 percent of energy come from inefficient green sources (effectively windmills). This combination of government-imposed monopolies and renewable energy mandates contributes to electricity prices rising much faster in Michigan than in other Midwestern states. Current bills in the Legislature would restrict energy competition further and legislators should not go along with them.

The state also suffers from high automobile insurance rates. Michigan has the highest rates in the nation at $2,738 annually  more than twice the U.S. average. The main reason is threefold: State law requires drivers to buy unlimited person injury protection; we are one of 13 states with no-fault insurance; and insurance companies are prevented from negotiating with medical providers over the cost of care for injured motorists. These three requirements drive up costs for consumers, so fewer people get insurance. Legislators need to fix this system.

Perhaps the largest driver in the state budget and many local budgets is unfunded pension liabilities. Based on the evidence, it is clear that politicians cannot be trusted to properly fund the retirement of government employees. Its time to put pensions back in the hands of the workers.

This was done for state employees in 1997, when new workers were offered a defined contribution, 4D1(k)-type plan. These plans require governments to set aside money for an employees retirement fund in the year it was earned, ensuring that it cannot become underfunded later. Michigan should follow suit with school and local government employees; shifting new employees to defined contribution accounts will protect both workers and retirees. Not long after Senate Majority Leader Meekhof and House Speaker Cotter took up their legislative posts, they said that pension reform was a top priority. Now is the time to act.

For several years now, the Legislature has been considering what to do about ridesharing. Companies like Uber and Lyft are operating in the state, but their legal status is constantly in dispute. Several local governments are cracking down on them, preventing some people from gainful employment and stopping the rest of us from saving money with the freedom to ride. The House has passed a package of bills (4637-4641) that would create statewide regulations and prevent local governments from overriding these rules. The Senate has passed two bills out of committee that would establish more-burdensome regulations and allow the locals to restrict competition for taxis. Michigan should instead allow ridesharing competition and prevent municipalities from blocking new services.

Two bills dealing with labor policy have been passed by the Senate and are sitting in the House. Senate Bill 280 would prevent school districts from paying for union release time, whereby employees work for a union while being paid by taxpayers. Senate Bill 279 would prohibit school districts from entering into arrangements through which the employee works full time for a union while technically remaining a school employee in order to spike a government pension.

Workers Choice, the subject of another bill, is a concept that frees unions from representing workers who arent paying them and gives workers the ability to represent themselves. A bill introduced by Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, would put this into law. While legislators are at it, they should consider a few other bills that would be good for union workers. In Michigan, very few workers have ever voted to certify their union. In other states, unions must be certified regularly. We should allow a recertification vote for unions every other year  the same time frame in which people vote for their legislators. Another concept that should be adopted is union transparency. Private sector unions, which are regulated by the federal government, must publish a variety of financial information through LM-2 forms they file with the U.S. Department of Labor. But public sector unions have no such requirement.

Time is running out for the Legislature to pass good policy reform before it starts over again in 2017. But theres plenty of good work that still could be accomplished.

Jarrett Skorup is a policy analyst and digital engagement manager at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
MONDAY

 Jobless rates were reported to have fallen in Midland, Saginaw and Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in September.

 A Palestinian student who is visiting Midland talked at schools and Creative 360 about her experiences in her home country.

TUESDAY

 A 15 year-old boy was sent to Midland County Juvenile Care Center after leading police on a short and fast pursuit in a stolen vehicle on Sunday.

 Midland city officials are seeking input from citizens for the future of transportation in the area.

WEDNESDAY

 The Pickering family, who own Pickering Automotive Services, announced that they will rebuild the auto shop that caught fire Oct. 17.

 The family of hit and run victim Ryan Tsatos doubled the Crime Stoppers cash reward for information leading to the arrest in the case.

THURSDAY

 Midland Police are on the lookout for traffic intersection violations as part of the departments monthly traffic safety campaign.

 A Jerome Township man went door-to-door trick-or-treating in a Scream mask on Tuesday morning.

FRIDAY

 Firefighters from Midland, Bay, Gladwin and Saginaw counties as well as Dow Corning and Ontario participated in trench rescue training this week.

 Edenville Township Supervisor Craig Gosen proposed reverting the trustees pay method back to per diem, rather than salary.
EDITORS NOTE  OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state.

Alma

Kerri Nicole Arellano, 36, marijuana possession and DWLS on May 7, 15 days in jail with credit for three days, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Bay City

Brent Donald Canon, 36, attempted second-offense DWLS on Oct. 4, 60 days in jail with credit for one day (MC).

Beaverton

James Paul Fassett, 31, domestic violence on April 2, 93 days in jail with credit for two days, $325 fines and costs, jail time may be served at an inpatient facility (MC).

Joshua James Mercer, 26, allowing DWLS on July 18, one day in jail with credit for time served, $600 fines and costs (MC).

Clare

Nicole Lea Havier, 23, second-offense retail fraud on April 2, second-offense second-degree retail fraud on April 2, 60 days in jail with credit for 21 days, $113 restitution (MC).

Coleman

Joel Robert Pomranky, 62, second-offense domestic violence on Aug. 4, one year in jail with all but 30 days held in abeyance and credit for two days, two years probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, no contact with the victim, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Todd Murry Schweim, 32, third-degree retail fraud on Sept. 21, 93 days in jail with all but 14 days held in abeyance and credit for three days, $400 fines and costs, $65 restitution, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Cody Allen Wood, 20, expired plate on Sept. 29, $100 fine (L).

Farwell

Melinda Jo Ellis, 30, no insurance on Aug. 18, $200 fine (MC).

Gladwin

Amanda Jane Hitchcock, 40, no proof of insurance on Sept. 24, $210 fine (L).

Midland

James Douglas Filson, 39, Woodview Pass, impaired driving on Dec. 31, $775 fines and costs, $550 restitution (MC).

Heidi Marie Garrett, 39, Dublin Avenue, OWI and no license on person on Aug. 30, 93 days in jail for the first count and 90 days in jail for the second count with credit for three days each, $1,000 fines and costs, community service may be completed in lieu of fines and costs (MC).

Rose Lee Letts, 62, East Nicki Drive, no proof of insurance on Aug. 23, $210 fine (MC).

Jessica Elizabeth Lincoln, 28, Fournie Street, use of a controlled substance on April 2, one year in jail held in abeyance with credit for three days, $400 fines and costs, one year probation, driver license suspended for six months, 60 hours community service, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Austin Douglas MacDonald, 20, East Bold Street, fail to report traffic accident on Sept. 5, $100 fine (MC).

Michael Anthony McElwain, 27, Columbine Street, marijuana use on June 22, seven days in jail with all but two weekends held in abeyance and credit for two days, $500 fines and costs, six months probation (MC).

Marvine Jerroy McCray, 25, North Merritt Drive, domestic violence on July 20, 45 days in jail with credit for 11 days, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Nathan Gage Melder, 22, Bay City Road, marijuana use and DWLS on June 13, 45 days in jail with credit for one day, driver license suspended for one year (MC).

Stephanie Lynn Parks, 31, Dublin Avenue, fail to stop and identify at the scene of a traffic crash on Aug. 15, $100 fine, $535 restitution (MC).

Nathaniel Vondel Ramsey, 28, Victoria Court, malicious destruction of personal property on Aug. 3, 93 days in jail with credit for 47 days (MC).

Stephan Allen Sinclair, 37, North Five Mile Road, allowing DWLS on Sept. 9, $700 fines and costs (MC).

Jerry Bernard Taylor, 21, East Hines Street, impaired driving on Sept. 14, 93 days in jail with all but three days held in abeyance and credit for one day, $600 fines and costs, nine months probation, attend Impact Weekend, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Cheryl Lynn Thompson, 44, Victoria Court, no proof of insurance on Oct. 8, $200 fine (L).

Sean Alexander Walker, 28, West Union Street, DWLS on Sept. 11, $250 fines and costs (MC).

Rhodes

Terry Young Shipp, 46, allowing DWLS on Oct. 6, $300 fines and costs (L).

Saginaw

Nicole Marie Madlin, 31, illegal plate and no proof of insurance on June 22, $200 fines and costs (MC).

August Joseph Voisine, 29, OWI on July 9, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $875 fines and costs, nine months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Billie Jo Way, 36, no proof of insurance on July 13, $210 fine (MC).

Sanford

Durrell Lamar Jackson, 30, OWI on Aug. 13, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, one year probation, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for six months, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Daniel Christopher Koning, 22, expired plate on Sept. 27, $100 fines and costs (L).

Jeffrey Lee LaLonde, 28, impaired driving on Aug. 29, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for 23 days, $600 fines and costs, one year probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, attend budget seminar and provide proof (MC).

Virgil Elroy Lavier III, 31, illegal plate and no proof of insurance on Aug. 15, $100 fine (MC).

Jenna Maria Savage, 24, second-offense second-degree retail fraud on Aug. 11, one year in jail with all but two weekends held in abeyance and credit for two days, $550 fines and costs, $121.62 restitution, one year probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, Meijer or Target, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Elsewhere

Allison Marie Gollach, 22, Lansing, no proof of insurance on Sept. 30, $210 fine (L).

Melissa Lynn Grevenstuk, 32, Indiana, operating with a high blood alcohol content on Aug. 19, seven days in jail with credit for one day, $400 fines and costs (MC).

Alan Wayne Hulse, 32, Waterford Township, marijuana possession, illegal plate and DWLS on Sept. 5, 30 days in jail with credit for two days, $1,050 fines and costs, driver license suspended (MC).
To the editor:

This is in reference to Mary Laforets letter, Putting America First.

How can she not understand what a despicable person Donnie Trump is (reference to Ric Shahins recent editorial)? She talks about Norbert Bufka making outrageous claims, while she says that Trump should not be judged on his past business career, but instead on the role he could play as a public servant. Public servant? Trump has declared bankruptcy six times, refused to pay contractors and employees, has been sued by thousands of people and businesses, let business partners take losses because of his bankruptcies, gamed the tax system by claiming a business loss of almost a billion dollars in one year, and claimed other peoples losses on his own taxes. He is a business predator and a deadbeat. He thinks he is above the law.

But that is only a start of the indictment of his character. He has mocked a disabled reporter. He has demeaned women in his words and his actions. His racist rants against Mexicans who he calls rapists and drug dealers, and Muslim refugees that he calls terrorists are complete lies. His desire to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S. and deport 11 million immigrants is as stupid as it is cruel. He is also an adulterer with no remorse.

His disrespect of our military veterans like John McCain who have suffered in POW camps, or veterans who have suffered post- traumatic stress after service in Iraq or Afghanistan, or the mocking of the Muslim family whose son died in the service of our country is disgusting. Trump disrespected the capabilities of our military services which are the best is the world. Trump avoided the draft and never served our countrys military in any capacity. What a hypocrite. On top of that he thinks Putin is a great leader. Putin is nothing more than an autocratic, repressive dictator who invaded Crimea and Ukraine and stifles any objection to his rule. Putin also thinks he is above the law.

And yet Mary Laforet trusts Donald Trump? Trump has never held a government office, never been elected to any position in government. He has no understanding of how government works. He has no concept or knowledge of foreign policy, education, infrastructure, research, tax policy, economics, the Constitution, the military, healthcare, the judicial system, how to deal with gun violence, etc. In other words he is ignorant of all the issues a president has to deal with foreign and domestic.

To support Trump you have to ignore everything he has said throughout this whole campaign. He does not hide his hateful ideas. You have turn a blind eye to all his ignorance, racism and disgusting belittling of good people. Or you have to be a Trump apologist.

I guess that is what John Moolenaar and Bill Schuette are  Trump apologists, also still endorsing Trump in spite of everything he has said throughout this campaign and in spite of the recent disgusting video.

Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate in government experience of any recent candidates for president, having served in the Senate, the State Department, having been a very active first lady while her husband was president and governor of Arkansas. She has advocated for and served in positions to help the less fortunate. She cares about all people. Donald Trump cares only about himself. Hillary has been found to have done nothing against the law in Benghazi or with her emails. These charges have all been invented by Republicans and spread by Fox not news, wasting millions of dollars of public money on witch hunt congressional committees.

Donald Trump is not fit to be president, in knowledge, character or temperament.

Trump is what he is. But the obligation the rest of us have is to keep such an unqualified person as Trump from being in a position where he would act as an irresponsible, unaccountable and dangerous dictator rather than a president.

RON PARMELE

Midland
NORMAL  Through swishing red skirts, stomping of feet and traditional Mexican dancing, Areli Lucero-Conde, 9, honored her ancestors on Saturday.

A dancer with the Ballet Folklorico de Central Illinois, she performed for onlookers at the Day of the Dead celebration at the Childrens Discovery Museum in Normal.

The Day of the Dead is a way to honor family who died, said Areli. Its a very special day for people in Mexico. We get to have fun and throw parties, but you feel like those family members are by your side.

The museum partnered with Conexiones Latinas de McLean County to host an event for the Twin City Latino community and anyone interested in Hispanic culture.

The whole point of the event is to keep traditions for this celebration, just like you might do the same thing every year for Christmas, said Angie Gulley, public program educator for the museum. Any time we can offer a different cultural opportunity, we do. Were always hoping to include more cultures and our goal is always to educate the community.

Students from Illinois State University's National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Soceity, Sigma Delta Pi, volunteered to welcome, educate and and assist visitors at craft stations.

Attendees decorated traditional sugar skulls, assembled paper marigolds and banners, listened to Mexican folklore and watched the group of young dancers.

Javier Centeno, chair of Conexiones, said the event, in its fourth year, has been a great outreach opportunity. The organization funded nearly 200 tickets to distribute to members of the Latino community.

Its a great way for us to connect with Latinos and other cultures in the community. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration primarily in Mexico. Its a tribute for people who have passed away and its a specific time we remember then, said Centeno.

Centeno said the goal of Conexiones is to bring the community together to learn from different cultures.

While the dancing was going on, I saw everyone  no matter their ethnicity  smiling, dancing and singing. Our organization welcomes everyone, he said.

Bloomington friends Ada Mirna Beltran and Rocio Perez received free tickets and brought their families to celebrate.

Im really happy that Conexiones thought about us, Beltran said through Centeno, who translated. The main reason we celebrate is so our kids can remember family members who have passed on and get more involved in their traditions and heritage. Its also an opportunity for us to offer something to our ancestors.

Stephani Beltran, 11, decorated a paper box called a caja de sombra, used as an altar for ancestors. She said she appreciates celebrating the holiday with her family because her aunt helps her remember and honor her deceased brother.

Its nice to leave an offering at his altar to remember him, said Stephani, through Centeno.

David Perdomo, 13, and his family received tickets through Cedar Ridge Elementary School. David said he enjoyed everything about the day, especially decorating sugar skulls.

To celebrate Dia de los Muertos at home, we put candles around a table with the food our ancestors liked, said David. God lets those people come back to earth like ghosts and they take the candles to guide their way.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are reportedly on the brink of filing a divorce after being together for many years and being the parents of many children. A new report claims that the heads of the Duggar family are divorcing due to problems with Josh Duggar and his wife, Anna. Is he returning to "Jill & Jessa: Counting On?"

This article contains spoilers. Read on if you want to learn more about the details of this story.

The Duggar family may soon find themselves without their married parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. A new report from In Touch magazine claims that the marriage issues between Josh Duggar and his wife, Anna, are already starting to weigh in on Jim Bob and Michelle, reports Perez Hilton.

"The stress that Jim Bob and Michelle will be under as a result of this could break them," the insider said.

According to the publication, Anna is already contemplating on divorcing Josh because she was allegedly being forced to talk about Josh for "Jill and Jessa: Counting On." Anna has been reportedly told countless times by her friends that she is only being used to instill a good image of Josh to the public following his numerous scandals.

The reason behind this? Josh Duggar is allegedly thinking of making his public comeback through an upcoming episode of "Jill and Jessa: Counting On," reports The Hollywood Gossip.

Rumors about Josh's return on TV began after the Duggar family posted something about their controversial son on their Facebook page. This was the family's first post about Josh after the scandal broke out and he went out of rehab.

However, news of Josh's return through "Counting On" is already being met with criticisms. The publication notes that advertisers are already pulling their ads from the TLC reality series because of the Duggar family's negative image.


"Chicago Med" season 2 episode 7 was about the struggles of Sharon Goodwin, played by S. Epatha Merkerson to become objective. The doctor's objectivity was tested as her friend arrived in ED.

The episode also looks at the difficulty that of Dr. Sarah Reese, played by Rachel DiPillo, as she treats Danny, reported by TV Line. Along with this "Chicago Med's" seventh episode also tackles Dr. Connor Rhodes, played by Colin Donnell and his possible love interest, as recapped by NBC.

Now, on with the latest episode of "Chicago Med," "Free Will," which is said to be much more emotional and the fans love it.

I love how #ChicagoMed always presents complicated medical and personal issues in a blunt, real-world way.Thats the kind of drama I prefer.  Natalie Ramirez (@Lina_J_1984) November 4, 2016

First, from "Chicago Med's" latest title, the episode focuses on free will and ethical dilemmas the doctors must face. Dr. Natalie Manning, played by Torrey DeVitton, and Dr. Will Halstead, played by Nick Gehlfuss, faces an ethical dilemma with their patient.

A patient in "Chicago Med" with his brother. The other brother desperately needs a kidney, and his brother is a match. The dilemma now comes in; the other brother is HIV positive and his brother doesn't knows this.

The doctors are now torn on whether or not they'll give the patient HIV and let him live or should the doctors consider the safer route?

The latest promo of "Chicago Med" also shows another aspect of free will. Here, Dr. Connor Rhodes, played by Colin Donnell, and Dr. Latham, played by Ato Assandoh faces a dilemma with their 16-year-old patient.

The patient, under age, needs to undergo a surgery because of she has a genetic heart condition. The "Chicago Med" doctors are torn because her parents won't consent the surgery. Their overprotectiveness could lead their daughter's life in danger.

The midseason finale of "Chicago Med" is surely full of ethical dilemmas that offer a whole new perspective in the practice.

Will the "Chicago Med's" season 2 episode 6, "Free Will," is what you've been waiting for? We want to know your thoughts, comment below.
With 3 movies lined up on the big screen within the next two weeks, Nicolas Cage just might win the busiest and most diligent man in Hollywood. The Daily Beast counts a total of 14, heard that right, 14 movie appearances, all lead roles, in the past 3 years. He's surely one very busy man.

Yahoo reports on Nicolas Cage's latest interview on his upcoming movies. The very busy actor describes his films as entirely divergent, distinct from each other. He adds that each piece is differentiated from the other, equally unique, equally astonishing in absolutely varying ways.

First in line is "Army of One", a comic piece led by Gary Faulkner played by Cage. Gary is a construction worker in America who is set to pursue a mission which he claims to be God's command. Gary leaves for Pakistan to terminate Osama bin Laden. The film is directed by Larry Charles (Borat).

The next entry is another collaboration between Cage and Paul Schrader, the revolutionary director whose masterpiece's include the Taxi Driver and the American Gigolo screenplays. The film entitled "Dog Eat Dog" tells the story of former jail-convicts endangering jail time once more as they kidnap the kid of the rival hoodlum of a Mafioso in Cleveland.

Finally, Cage treats us to his third film for the month, "USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage". The World War II offering is the adaptation of the last moments of the fallen ships of war that delivered various pieces of the atomic bomb to US forces camps in the Pacific region. Cage is Captain Charles McVay III is the mighty captain that sunk with his ship after Japan's powerful submarines wrecked his ship. Overcoming hungry sharks who devoured his entire crew, Captain Cage survives five days in the depth of the sea.

Nicolas Cage once again proves his versatility and wide range as an actor as he played all three roles the different films. Can you spot a theme that unifies Cages' upcoming films?
Chief Executive Elon Musk of SpaceX revealed on Friday during the conference that his space launch company is ready to return its rockets for flight in December. Despite the Falcon 9 rocket burst last Sept. 1, SpaceX CEO Musk is confident that same mistake won't happen again.

Reuters reported that the Falcon 9 accident has ruined more than $200 million communications satellite of Israeli company and grounded the flight project fleet of the Falcon 9 for the second time in the last 14 months.

The cause of the accident was speculated to be the issues on fueling system that inadvertently produced solid oxygen inside the rocket's upper stage tank. The oxygen would then react with a carbon composite bottle containing liquid helium that sits inside the oxygen tank. This would have triggered the explosion, leading to millions of damage.

SpaceX CEO Musk said that the company has reached the bottom of the problem. SpaceX CEO Musk also added that the problem had never been encountered in any rocketry history.

According to One America News Network, SpaceX CEO Musk did not specify what mission they would launch next month. Musk also didn't not confirm that Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be the new launch pad SpaceX or from its West Coast site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

However, south of Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is the SpaceX's primary launch pad, which was damaged during the Sept. 1 Falcon 9 accident. SpaceX has declined to release any details on the extent of the accident damage.

Last Friday, NASA and Orbital ATK said that the Orbital's next flight in the International Space Station would use the heavier-lift Atlas 5 rocket that was made by United Launch Alliance, rather than Orbital's Antares booster. This switch will allow NASA to fly an extra 330 kg or 660 pounds of cargo to the station.

The company has already built up more than 70 missions that worth more than $10 billion in the last few years.
By using a method that will catch the children's field of interests, assistant professor of special education in the University of California, Riverside Michael Solis created a reading program that will help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The said program aimed to enhance their understanding of what they are reading.

The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences gave Solis $1.5 million grant to support his work on this program to address the needs of children with autism, which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affects 1 in 68 children. According to The Press Enterprise, Solis said it is a huge honor to be given ample resources even at his current level.

Solis stated that they will hook and increase the children's engagement by providing reading materials in line with their areas of interest. As they capture the attention and interests of children, they will teach them skills that will help them understand the reading materials.

The 46-year-old freshman instructor at UCR used his experience as a former public elementary and middle school teacher in designing a reading intervention program to provide reading comprehension skills to children with autism. Solis told UCR Today that he strongly believes students with ASD will perform excellently not only in academics but also in other behavioral and learning issues with improved skills in reading comprehension.

Solis then added that these issues they are facing might not become a major issue later on. Solis gained the idea of creating this program while he was conducting an intensive reading intervention program in Arizona, when kids are able to read excellently but when they are asked what the story is about, they have no idea.

Due to that circumstance, it motivated Solis to proceed to graduate school and learn more about vocabulary development and reading comprehension. Moreover, Solis said that one of the reasons he wants to work with children with autism is that his nephew was also diagnosed with it.

Educator and board member for the Autism Society Inland Empire Theresa McFarland, on the other hand, said that any program with a track record that is proven that can be imitated will be a big help to the program, which, Solis said, is the goal even though the program is still at its early stages of development. McFarland said she is eager to learn about the program.

McFarland said that this program gives off a separate but equal vibe to some education focused with addressing autistic needs. She also added that the awareness is focused on autism and the importance of using evidence-based practices and with this, an evidence-based intervention is what an educator should have.

According to an article published in UCR Today, Solis stated that there might be a number of programs for language and behavioral interventions for students with autism but there is no program that is specifically designed to enhance reading comprehension. He said that the inadequacy of educational programs might be from the lack of research regarding the topic.

Solis hopes that the new study will be able to spell out how a student with ASD gains knowledge with unique processes and methods. Meanwhile, tests for the program will commence in spring in Riverside County and Texas school districts.

Solis and his collaborators from the University of Texas at Austin's Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risks, Sharon Vaughn and Colleen Reutebuch will develop the program. They will also test it by working with elementary and middle school teachers in a span of three years.

The Press Enterprise also mentioned that Solis was a graduate student when he started working on the program. His proposal was submitted three times before it was officially accepted. The program has the potential to be expanded to children having difficulties in reading comprehension, not limited to children with autism, if it is successful.
Online scams are a headache, and social media has become more and more saturated over time. With the proliferation of its content, the power of social media has been tapped by many industries: advertising, marketing, and even the academe. With new web applications being built everyday, it's no wonder that criminal and legal work has come up with applications of their own.

Used to deepend and filter through social media results, Social Detection is a robust search engine that can crawl and churn results from various social media websites such as Facebook, Craigslist, and more. These results are used as variables in case analyses for private investigation and information security, tracking data leaks, and aggregating online evidence for use in court. Invented by Michael Petrie and Scott Catron, who both work as professional private investigators, the web-based application replaces the often arduous process of stakeouts with a more technical approach.

Today, our digital footprint creates a trail of hard evidence for investigators. The increase in our public visibility means that our lives' personal details become shared relentlessly. Securing one's online accounts is a step towards making the web a safer place to share, as there are many scams and malvertising schemes that litter online. According to a report by CNET, Social Detection offers a comprehensive analysis of results over time, all of which can be filtered through with specific categories.

In a report by Chicago Tribune, Michael Petrie said that "If there is fraud, it will be found, provided there's a web presence," such that this presence will reflect as a kind of online credibility. "It's not a reputation anymore. It's a webutation," the private investigator adds. The current limitation with Social Detection's web service, however, forbids individuals from making use of its interface. Professional licenses and legal papers through insurance companies are required for an account to be created, hence also securing other individual's privacy.

Future applications of the service remain unknown, but Petrie has stated that "we know it belongs in almost every category of business where people need to make critical decisions about people," maintaining that the service will most likely evolve into a database search for the public. This can help reconnect people who've lost contact with family and friends, as well as create connections for professional use. Check out this lecture video and learn more.
"Hawaii Five-0" nabbed the highest rating last Nov. 4, as it aired its 150th episode. The episode, which is "Ka makuahine a me ke keikikane."

Reports by Deadline showed that "Hawaii Five-0" gathered almost 1.2 in the ranking among adult viewers, ages 19-49. The rating was higher than +0.2 compared to the previous episode of "Hawaii Five-0."

So, what did the "Hawaii Five-0" episode do to draw such attention to this episode?

Reports cite that the fans were drawn from at the "Hawaii Five-0" season 7 episode 7 because of the relationship between Doris McGarrett, played by Christine Lahit, and Steve McGarrett played by Alex O'Loughlin.

Specifically, Catherine Rollins, played by Michelle Borth and Lynn Downey, portrayed by Sarah Carter, had a casual conversation after Catherine Rollins declared that Doris McGarrett was captured in Morocco by the CIA. Lynn, Sarah Carter's character, said that Steve was supposed to propose to Catherine.

A subtle confrontation between Catherine Rollins and Alex O'Loughlin's character Steve, seemed to make things clearer or more complicated between the two?

Here, Catherine, played by Michelle Borth, said that she would have said yes if Steve (Alex O'Loughlin's) really did ask the question

But it's evident that Alex O'Loughlin's character, Steve, knew it wasn't her answer that he needed. He knew that he only wanted an admission that it was Catherine's fault that's why she left, and not him, Alex O'Loughlin stated in an interview with TVLine.

Will the fans experience the same atmosphere in the next episode of "Hawaii Five-0?" Here's a glimpse.

Season 7, episode 8 is "Hana Komo Poe" which will start on a normal day, and will definitely not end in a good way. Consistent with other episodes of "Hawaii Five-0," the synopsis of the new episode consists of hostage-taking and kidnapping.

Are you excited for the next episode, or are you still wondering whether the "Hawaii Five-0" Steve and Catherine will eventually tie the knot? We want to know your thoughts, post a comment below.

While you're at it, relieve the moments of Steve and Catherine here:
Kaiden Reynolds, a nine-year old student of Indiana was struggling to learn to read. His mother, Lynna Reynolds tried to aid the shortcomings of her son by keeping him out of the classroom that pressures him to perform at the same level with the other kids so Kaiden spent his kindergarten through homeschooling which he felt like he doesn't even have dyslexia.

"If I had them in public school or private school, I don't know that they would have been identified, at least not as early as they have been identified." Mrs. Reynolds said, as cited in the article on The Star Press.

According to a report on INDY Star, Reynolds stated that dyslexia is not recognized in Indiana's educational system that downgrading the student who has one. Third graders are required to take the statewide standardized reading test to proceed to the fourth grade. If students with dyslexia will not be identified early, they will likely fail to advance to the next grade.

Experts estimated that dyslexia impacts 1 in 5 people nationwide. It was reported to be one of the most common learning disorder affecting brain processes causing the recognition of words difficult.

In Indiana, dyslexia is not qualified for the category of special education. Instead, it is widely accepted as specific learning disability thus special services were not given.

Recently, the law presented by the movement was passed in Missouri that requires screening to every public school students for dyslexia starting in the year 2018-2019. With that, the Indiana's branch of Decoding Dyslexia led by Mary Binnion and Nancy Perry, a local parent who also have two dyslexic sons in Muncie demand the Indiana's legislators for adoption of legal definition of dyslexia in 2015.

Perry cited that not everyone with dyslexia would be considered severe enough to need special education. Also Rosie Hickle, executive director for the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana said that many kids with dyslexia are bright and engaging, so teachers don't always notice when they start to fall behind.

Mrs. Reynolds' oldest son is also dyslexic,so she took both of them for an outside teaching, which led her to Binnion's tutoring services. There, they were taught with structured literacy, a learning method that focuses on using all the senses. Eventually, Binnion, Kaiden and his brother learn more about the English Language.

Ruth Jefferson, assistant special education professor at Ball State University uttered that elementary education students are encouraged to also earn a special education certificate but not required. She also said that this is to make sure that students are provided with what they need.

"I believe we would be remiss to identify one specific program to address the needs of one category of student," Janet McShurley, director of education for the Delaware-Blackford County special education cooperative said. She also added that she doesn't necessarily think it would be helpful to require a certain structured literacy program as part of a teacher license.

Advocates like Perry refused to accept the statement. She expressed her stand on the issue that since dyslexia is so common, implementing the method would not affect the approach in the general classroom instead of just use it for the students who have been identified with special needs.
An autism school in America, particularly Newton Learning Center, has been given permanent residences for kids with autism to reside in an old daycare in Village Green Parkway according to Reno Gazette- Journal. Rebecca Larrieu, one of the staff who helped open the school, said that autism numbers are increasing. The West Reno Daycare has been renovated on Village Green Parkway.

An article written by Claire Bickers in Perthnow Sunday Times, said that in just seven years, the number of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in state schools had soared 182 percent to 4512 students this year. The newly renovated area has a space of 8,000 square feet which includes the classrooms, a lunch room, and a playground area.

The school is part of Second Start which started as an after-school program for children with learning disabilities. Larrieu said that the goal of the school is to help families transition back and help students who are behind, being bullied, or no longer attending public school and are looking for options. She said that the school helps students transition back.

Also, she stated that this is the school for students who are not doing well in public schools. Children who were told they would not graduate have succeeded at Newton and finished high school with a diploma.

"But we hear the stories of so many children not doing well," said Larrieu. She is inspired to help children with disabilities because of the experience her parents had in educating her brother.

According to Tara Bevington, the executive director of Second Start, the parent support in Reno is overwhelming. She said that they had donated a countless number of hours to turn the day care space into a traditional school building.

Bevington also said that all of Nevada's families pay privately, unlike the program in San Jose. During Saturdays, from noon to 9 p.m., the school holds an open house.

In October, the program was blocked by the Nevada Supreme Court because it was funded in an account for public schools. The problem could be fixed by lawmakers by setting aside money for the program during the next session.


A number of popular shows gracing the small screens for years are rumored to be canceled. "NCIS" Season 14 is now on the list of shows, which future is bleak. According to reports, "NCIS" Season 14 and "Criminal Minds" Season 12 might be on their final run.

"NCIS" and "Criminal Minds" both follow the adventures of special agents with different areas of concentration. "NCIS" follows the fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that investigates crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

On the other hand, "Criminal Minds" is a procedural drama that focuses on profiling the criminals dubbed as unsub or "unknown subject" rather the criminals itself. Just like the "NCIS," "Criminal Minds" are packed with actions, thrill and surprises.

"Criminal Minds" and "NCIS" have been gracing the small screens for over a decade. "NCIS" premiered on Sept. 23, 2003. Meanwhile, "Criminal Minds" premiered on Sept. 22, 2005.

It looks like the shows are heading the same fate. "Criminal Minds" Season 12 and "NCIS" Season 14 are rumored to be canceled. These series might be on their final run and yes, due to similar reasons.

"Criminal Minds" Season 12 turned their fans off when the production fired Thomas Gibson who played agent Aaron Hotchner in the series. Hotch is a key character in "Criminal Minds" that fans boycotted the show when they learned about Thomas Gibson's departure.

Yes, "Criminal Minds" Season 12's rating continues to drop as fans turn their back due to Hotch's absence. Reports have it that the production will bring back Thomas Gibson's Hotch and give him a proper departure in "Criminal Minds."

Meanwhile, "NCIS" lose Michael Weatherly who played Tony Dinozzo last season. Since then "NCIS" Season 14's rate continues to drop, suggesting that the show might be canceled.

"NCIS" Season 14 spoilers suggest that they might invite Michael Weatherly in the show. "NCIS" Season 14 Episode 7 titled "Home of the Brave" might feature Tony Dinozzo.

#NCIS Big surprise to see Tony! I didn't know it was a repeat, was busy cooking. Looked up and..Tony! Miss him! ;( pic.twitter.com/qLsXF2Z5Pv  Malmaison (@rose_malmaison) November 2, 2016

"Criminal Minds" also lost Shemar Moore's Derek Morgan last season after the actor opted for a career leap. "Criminal Mind" and "NCIS" brought some old faces to lure fans to keep on watching the show. "Criminal Minds" Season 12 featured Paget Brewster's Emily Prentiss. Meanwhile, "NCIS" Season 14 featured Wilmer Valderrama. Unfortunately, it seems that the trick didn't work.

However, "NCIS" has more chances to survive. Per Inquisitr, "NCIS" Season 15 is already confirmed. Unfortunately, "Criminal Minds" Season 13 depends on the viewers' support, which seems to be so poor at the time.

Do you agree that "NCIS" Season 14 and "Criminal Minds" Season 12 are taking the same challenges? Will "Criminal Minds" and "NCIS" survive? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Last month we reported that the Foxconn Technology Group was about 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. Foxconn signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shenzhen government to work together on semiconductor technology and startup incubators. Today Foxconn Chairman told the Nikkei about areas of interest they have in semiconductors initially.

One reason that Foxconn acquired Sharp was to use their display technology experience and push into Apple's OLED supply chain. The other reason wasn't made public until today. Foxconn want to expand Sharp's expertise in semiconductors.

Gou told the Nikkei Asian Review that he initially wants to build chips for televisions that can connect to the Internet, a major Sharp product, but he hinted at bigger aspirations, saying that emerging technologies such as cloud computing also will require the use of chips. In our report regarding ARM that we noted above, we noted that Foxconn may also be aiming to win orders for future iPhone sensors as well.

In addition to expanding into the chip sector with the hope of generating new streams of income, Foxconn also hopes to improve its profitability by cutting labor costs in China with automation. Gou stated that "Right now we use some 60,000 robots on our production lines. We plan to increase that number by 20% to 30% every year."

Last week Patently Apple posted a report titled "Foxconn Gets the Green Light from Apple to Test Wireless Charging Module for their Top 2017 iPhone Models." This could be good business for Foxconn and a great feature for the 2017 iPhone if they could pull this off in time.



Samsung introduced wireless charging with their smartphones back in 2015 and Huawei who is pushing into the U.S. market in 2017 offers SuperCharge  a way to charge a phablet in 20 minutes. So we're cheering Foxconn on to get this feature out on time and in volume.



About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
Customers and employees were evacuated from a popular Mexican eatery in Wildomar Sunday morning, Nov. 6, because of a fire.

The blaze at El Comal Restaurant in the 32400 block of Mission Trail was reported at 7:36 a.m., according to a news release on the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department website.

At that time, the restaurant would have been open for breakfast. Arriving firefighters saw flames through the roof of the building and downed power lines, but customers and employees were safely evacuated, the release states.

El Comal serves Mexican and Salvadoran food such as pupusas and was voted a favorite dining spot in 2012 by Patch readers, according to an article on the Lake Elsinore Patch website.

Cal Fire officials said the fire was quickly put out, but it was unclear whether the restaurant remained closed. A phone number for El Comal was not working late Sunday morning.

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Mr Francois Pujolas, the French Ambassador says the political and socio economic stability in Ghana has made it a haven for investors the world over.



He said business organisations in France were highly interested in the Ghanaian market adding we in France have great confidence in the Ghanaian market, and this is buttressed by the political stability that pertains in the country.



Mr Pujolas said this in Accra at a programme to announce Air Frances commencement of weekly flights to Accra from Paris - Charles de Gaulle and back.



He said Ghana has a great deal to offer in the area of tourism saying, we can see a growing will in Ghana to develop its tourism potential and added that there were high indications that more French tourists would be visiting Ghana".



Mr Pujolas said Ghana and France had been improving upon their ties of friendship and mutual cooperation, adding that there was a 20 percent increase from last year in the number of Ghanaian students studying in France.



The French Ambassador said the new flights were thus not only a symbol, but reflected the reality of a standing situation and that the future held a great promise for mutually gainful co - operation between the two countries.



Starting February 28, 2017, Air France would offer three weekly flights to Accra from Paris.



A statement from the airline said the flights would be operated by Airbus A330 with a capacity of 208 seats until March 27, 2017, to be replaced by a Boeing 777-200 with 312 seats and equipped with the latest new Air France travel cabins for the entire summer season.



It said the flights would strengthen Air Frances presence in Africa, as well as the Air France-KLM Groups presence, as KLM already flew daily from Amsterdam to Accra.



It said with the new service, we would provide Air France customers with even more connecting opportunities at Paris Charles de Gaulle, both to and from Europe and North America.

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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A former chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Afari Gyan, has been honoured for emerging as the Best District Fish Farmer.



Dr Gyan beat his compatriots to the award at the 32nd National Farmers' Day celebration under the theme: 'Agriculture: A Business Response to Economic Growth.'



Dr Gyan had always expressed his love for farming, which he has been involved in for more than 20 years as a hobby.



While in office he had revealed on countless occasions his desire to go into full time fish farming during his retirement.



Robert Crentsil, 42, from Ajumako Enyan Essiam in the Central Region, was adjudged the 2016 National Best Farmer.



He has several plantations comprising cocoa (12 acres), rubber (80 acres), plantain (60 acres), cowpea (60 acres), cassava (30 acres), oil palm (7 acres), coconut (6 acres), citrus (15 acres).



The husband and father-of-three will be given a fully-furnished three-bedroom house to be built in a place of his preference among others.



Addressing farmers at the event held at Kintampo, President John Mahama refuted claims by the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that agriculture had been declining under his administration.



The impression created in the media is false. Let me state for a fact that the agricultural sector is not in decline. A sector that is growing at 2.5 per cent cannot be said to be in decline. The statistics can be crosschecked at the [Ghana] Statistical Service. The fact that agrics contribution to the GDP is not what it used to be in the past, does not mean that it is declining; it simply means that other sectors of the economy are also doing well, which is good for the economy and normal for every developing and developed country, he stressed.



He made these comments in his address at the 32nd Farmers Day celebration in the Brong Ahafo Region.



This years celebration, which is being held under the theme: Agriculture: A Business Response to Economic Growth was scheduled for Friday, 4 November, due to electioneering activities as the country prepares for polls on December 7.



Mr Mahamas comments come just a day after Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minority spokesperson on agriculture, had said there was a sharp decline in agricultural growth from 7.4 per cent in 2008 and 7.2 per cent in 2009 to 5.3 per cent in 2010 and 0.8 per cent in 2011.



Addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, 3 November, the Kwadaso legislator said the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) shared in the difficulty which farmers and fishermen in Ghana had to contend with under the Mahama administration.



Reviewing the performance of the agriculture sector, Dr Afriyie Akoto said: By the measure of annual growth performance, Ghanas agriculture has been sluggish from 7.4 per cent in the year 2008 and 7.2 per cent in 2009. Agricultural growth slowed to 5.3 per cent in 2010 hitting 0.8 per cent in 2011. It then stayed down at 2.2 per cent in 2012 recovering somewhat to 5.7 per cent in 2013 and then 4.6 per cent in 2014.



According to him, The growth registered in the two years of 2013 and 2014 was in large part on account of unprecedented growth in forestry and logging activities. If logging activities are dramatically increasing without commensurate growth in reforestation, the obvious implication is that we are further degrading our forest cover and opening the country up for the invasion of savannah and Saharan conditions.



The crop sector which engages most of the 4.5 million farmers in this country, recorded growth of only 3.6 per cent in 2014. The 2015 budget statement expected a 5.8 per cent growth. In the event, the recorded growth was not even half of it, it was only 2.4 per cent in 2015.  Over the last six years, since 2010, we have an average growth of 3.5 per cent per year. It is not even half of the Malleable Declaration of minimum target of 6 per cent per annum for all African countries. This declaration, Ghana is a major signatory to. And it is saying that the target for agricultural growth must be a minimum of 6 per cent and Ghana as Ive demonstrated to you has done only 3.5 per cent.



With a population growth rate of 2.7 per cent per annum, Ghanaian agriculture is growing at a net rate of only 0.8 per cent per annum. It accounts for the rapid urbanisation typified by the Kayayei phenomenon so you see that the sector is not performing at all.

Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Japan will continue to reinforce its support for the power sector to facilitate the provision of stable and reliable supply for Ghana's socioeconomic development.



Mr Koji Makino, the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Country Representative for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said the Agency would continue to support the building of electricity facilities such as substations, transmission and distribution lines to enable a stable and reliable power supply which contributed to industrial development.



He said electricity transmission and distribution were equally important as its generation hence the need to invest massively in those sectors.



He said the Agency, in collaboration with the Ghana Government under the Project for Improvement of Power Distribution System, had funded the construction of two primary substations for the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) in Tamale and Sunyani.



Mr Makino, who made this known in Tamale during a three-day tour of JICA funded projects in the Northern Region, said the two projects cost 1.686 billion Japanese Yen or $16.4 million.



The Tamale Project would beef power supply to approximately 5,084 existing households customers at the University for Development, Nyankpala Campus, Sheshegu and Tolon and about 3,916 new households customers would also benefit.



For the Sunyani substation 4,577 existing household customers would directly benefit while 4,380 new household customers would be connected to the national grid including the Sunyani Hospital, Chira and New Dormaa.



Mr Makino said currently JICA, in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, is implementing co-operation in six sectors namely health, infrastructure, agriculture, education, governance and private sector development.



The Country Representative said the project areas were selected through a dialogue with the Government of Ghana based on Ghana's development strategy and Japan's co-operation strategy outlined in the Tokyo International Conference for African Development.



Mr Makino said JICA would continue to provide support for capacity development, policy and institutional capacity improvement as well as social and economic infrastructure, thereby stimulating sustained poverty reduction through equitable growth and human empowerment.



Mr Moses Tawiah, the NECO Engineering Director, described the project as one of the best to be implemented in the country.



He said power played a key role in the socioeconomic development of every nation and expressed his gratitude to the Japanese Government for the project.

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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Minister of Communications, Edward Omane Boamah has backed comments made by President John Mahama concerning flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo that because of the divisive nature of the latter, he could destool chiefs who criticize him.



President Mahama, the NPP flag bearer may cause the destoolment of chiefs who will speak against his government if he wins power in the December 7 election.



The president, who was speaking at a rally at Suhum in the Eastern Region said Ghanaians will do themselves a great deal of disservice if they vote for such an intolerant leader who is not ready to accept any contrary views to his position on issues.



Nananom, if he (Akufo-Addo) becomes President and you criticize him, he will destool you," he said.



His comments have been hugely criticised as some political pundits think it is impossible and will be against the law for a President to destool a chief.



Even though the NPP flagbearer has denounced those statements by the President accusing him (President Mahama) of having no campaign message, and resorting to the politics of scaremongering and untruths in his bid for re-election, Dr Omane Boamah insists he will do it.



Contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Golds Alhaji and Alhaji, the Communications Minister said if Nana Addo has superintended over the suspension of kingpins in the NPP and ensured the reign of a culture of silence in the party, what shows he cannot do it when he becomes President?



He will do itIf he has done it as a flagbearer what shows he cannot do it when he becomes president he opined.



Omane Boamah has therefore asked Ghanaians to choose President Mahama who has proven to be humble and peace-loving.



Its a choice between peace and humility and violence and arrogance and everybody knows Nana Addo is nowhere near humility and peace he added.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah has appealed to Ghanaians to give the presidential candidate of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo another chance to restore the dignity of Ghana.



Comparing Kufours administration and Mahama-led administration, he said before the former left office, Ghanas debt was GH9.5 billion.



However, due to the reckless administration of President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana is now indebted to the tune of GH150 billion, a situation he described as worse governance since independent.



Addressing thousands of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters and sympathizers at a rally at Odumase in the Sunyani metropolis recently, the second deputy Minority Whip noted that this years election is about improving the livelihood of Ghanaians. Your voting pattern must reflect on the quantity of money you have in your pocket, he noted.



He therefore charged the kingmakers to vote massively for him as MP for Sunyani East and Nana Akufo-Addo as President of Ghana.



The MP for Assin North, Hon. Ken Adjapong speaking at the rally also explained why the youth should get involved in this years election.



According to him, the Ghanaian youth are the most vulnerable people in the whole world because of the non existence of job opportunities after completion of their education.



The situation, he added, has become additional burden on parents.



He alleged that sympathizers of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were victims of the KDM ponzy scheme have been fully paid while the rest were paid a paltry amount by the government.



Is the NDC a party you should vote for? he quizzed.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Chief of Staff Mr Julius Debrah has ended his five day intensive campaign tour of the Volta Region with immense gratitude to the people for the overwhelming support they give to President John Dramani Mahama.



He campaigned in several communities addressing mini durbar a and rallies during which he also helped placate minor rifts, strengthened the local campaign teams and revived the support base leaving behind a more formidable regional party, better focused on delivering the Volta Regional NDC's gap one million agenda in this year's polls.



Regional Minister Hon Helen Ntoso, the Regional party executives and key national executives were upbeat as they criss-crossed the northern belt of the region.



From Peki, through Vakpo, Sovie Nkwanta to Dodo, women sang 'arise, arise for Ghana' as their men chanted in anticipation of a great electoral victory for President Mahama. From Hohoe, Have through Ho the people gathered and stood along the streets to hail John Mahama.



The Zongos, like never before, reaffirmed their unrepentant love for the NDC and its leader. The men charged their communities as the women danced along with Cadres chants.



The Traditional authorities were bolder than ever in re-affirming their support as they made clarion calls to the people of the region to rally around President Mahama and the NDC.



Two other major engagements also took the Chief of Staff's attention during the campaign.



They were the massively attended 'encounter with Professionals' and the 'Jobs Summit', both of which copiously laid out the development and job creation agenda of President Mahama to the middle class and the youth respectively.



As he traversed the region, the Chief of Staff Mr Julius Debrah was ably anchored in his campaign by seasoned party seniors and officials, namely, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, Madam Faustina Nelson, Mr Kofi Totobi Quakye, Deputy General Secretary Korku Anyidoho, Deputy Communications Minister Hon Ato Sarpong, National Communications Officer Solomon Nkansah and his Deputies, the NDC's Regional Chairman Mr Gyapong Cudjoe and many others who deployed their talents and experiences in admirable fashion in support of the campaign.



At every stage and every engagement the Chief of Staff was unable to end his speeches without observing the level of cooperation and love shown by the people of the Volta Region. The embrace was palpable as the libations were instructive.



He departed the region humbled by the sheer support shown to President Mahama, having no doubt in his mind that come December 7th, the people of the Volta Region will produce a victory which has never been seen before, for President John Dramani Mahama.

Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Madam Helen Ntoso, Volta Regional Minister has said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had "done more than enough" in the Region and urged the electorate to vote massively to retain the Party in government.



She said, "Since 1957, this is the time Volta Region can boast of development projects."



Madam Ntoso was addressing a rally at Peki as part of Mr Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff's campaign tour of the Region.



The Regional Minister enumerated infrastructural projects in the Region and said no political party could throw dust in the eyes of the people because they had seen what government had done and continue to do in the area.



Mr Elvis Afriyie, a Minister at the Presidency, said a tour of the Region indicated that government has done a lot and laid solid foundation for major development in the Region.



He described President John Dramani Mahama as a "World class" Leader and asked the electorate to vote massively for him and Mr Rockson-Nelson Defeamekpor, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the area.



Togbe Ayim Mordey VI, Acting President, Peki Traditional area commended government for infrastructural development irrespective of the economic and energy challenges.



He expressed concern about the quality and slow pace of work on the Eastern Corridor road and appealed to government to fix roads in the Traditional area.



Togbe Ayim also asked government to upgrade the Peki Government Hospital, create a market and a craft village to enhance economic activities in the area.



Mr Debrah assured the chiefs and people of Peki of government's commitment to address their concerns.



He said, "there are better days ahead", and appealed to the people not to abandon their "baby"- NDC, at the polls.

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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Nana Akomea, National Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party, has stated that the current economic hardship Ghana is experiencing is as a result of the poor, corrupt and incompetent leadership experienced under the NDC government.



He was delivering the keynote speech at a special lecture organised by the Young Executive Forum (YEF) of NPP UK on the theme; 'The Countdown to Victory 2016 & The State of the Campaign'.



He bemoaned the lack of employment opportunities for the youth and the level of corruption and waste in government. He urged members of the YEF to adopt and support polling stations across the country to facilitate a smooth operation on Election Day.



He assured members the party is going to be very vigilant at polling stations and ensure results are separately collated by the party to check against the results declared by the Electoral Commission.



Speaking at the function, Mr. Michael Ansah, Chairman of the NPP UK praised the contribution of the YEF towards meeting the branch's financial target of raising more than 100,000 towards elections 2016.



He noted the NPP UK has met and exceeded its target and is continuing to raise more funds towards election day activities. He acknowledged the contribution of the 10 Chapters across the UK in raising funds and mobilising resources towards election 2016.



Mr Ansah told the forum, the NPP UK is supporting 10 marginal constituencies, 11 candidates from the UK, the presidential campaign and other special initiatives in connection with the election.



Mr. Gabby Okyere Darko urged members of the party to keep pushing until all the votes are counted and declared. He observed that it is important the NPP wins the majority in parliament.



Launching the 'adopt a polling station initiative', the Chairman of the YEF, Mr. Alex Dadey, expressed appreciation to all donors and supporters and encouraged them to keep giving until Nana Addo, the Presidential Candidate, is declared President of the Republic of Ghana.



The National Vice Chairman of YEF, Nana Otuo Acheampong, conveyed the gratitude of the National Executives of the YEF to the UK branch for all their contribution towards the growth and development of the group and urged them to continue the good work. He encouraged members to adopt polling stations and support them on Election Day.



The lecture was attended by a cross-section of senior members and executives of the UK Branch including, Mr. Kofi Oppong Boadu, member of the Council of Elders, Mr. Richard Dombo, 1st Vice Chairman, Mr. David Owusu-Yianoma, 2nd Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Mr. Kofi Debrah, Financial Secretary, Mr. Ray Ankrah and Deputy Organiser, Mr. Kweku Nkansah.

Source: NPP UK Branch









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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An intruder breaking into your home while youre asleep is a major fear for loads of us. But what would we do if it actually happened? Hope to all hell you didnt decide to sleep in the nuddy that night, probably.

But in terms of defending your castle and your honour, you could:

a) Pretend youre still asleep and hope they just leave and dont hurt you. b) Lock yourself in a bathroom and weep silently. c) Find anything heavy that you own (like that enormous soup pot your mum gave you but you never use, because cbf Menulog is easier), and throw it at them. d) Pull out your prized compound bow and arrow, and shoot that motherfucker like you are the goddamn Rambo of 2k16.

Intriguingly, a resident in Sydneys south-west has chosen option ~numero quattro~ overnight. Oh yah, really.

The 86-year-old man and his wife were in their Wattle Grove home at 5:20pm yesterday, when a man broke into their home and started taking cash and property from their bedroom, as well as picking up the keys to their Nissan X-Trail.

He then allegedly went to the garage to start the 4WD and began to reverse it out the driveway, but the 86-year-old stopped and confronted him.

The intruder then clearly panicked and got out the car, then jumped a fence in an attempt to bail.

But, this was not before our octogenarian hero got up on the fence, and shot the fleeing intruder with a compound bow and arrow.

But thats not even the clincher: he managed to hit the thief square in the buttocks. Yep, thats a big ol arrow in the booty.

Somehow, despite having a big fuck-off arrow stuck in his ass, the robber managed to run into a Mazda Tribute parked nearby, and get away.

Police havent found him so far, and hospitals in the area havent reported anyone with injuries consistent with being shot in the butt with a compound bow and arrow.

This has been your local pop culture news site PEDESTRIAN.TV, bringing you News that doesnt sound real but actually is!.

Source: The Age.

Photo: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security during a speech in Reno, Nevada, after an apparent threat to the Republican US Presidential nominee was identified in the crowd.

Video of the incident shows Trump pausing his speech and peering into the crowd, before two security officers hurry him away from the podium.

JUST NOW: Donald Trump was just rushed off stage during his Nevada campaign rally: https://t.co/7fTJ3N3MQN pic.twitter.com/Hm7CRdFDTU  CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2016

Secret Service members and other security officials were seen jumping a barricade between the stage and the crowd to detain the man deemed a threat.

WATCH: Donald Trump rushed off stage by Secret Service agents during event in Reno, Nevada. https://t.co/PXCTYaDaeJ pic.twitter.com/Zf8ORObAQt  ABC News (@ABC) November 6, 2016

It was initially thought the incident was prompted by a crowd member shouting gun. CNN reports a law enforcement source dismissed earlier claims a firearm had been spotted in the crowd, and the Secret Service confirmed no weapon was found.

However, the man removed from the rally has been identified, and claims he did nothing but hold a sign bearing the phrase Republicans Against Trump.

This is the man who was ejected from the rally, sparking panic. He was holding a sign: Republicans Against Trump pic.twitter.com/bZ2JAZ2w88  Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) November 6, 2016

He says hes a Republican. He said he was terrified by how the crowd responded: I was in survival mode. I knew I could die at that moment.  Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) November 6, 2016

Trump returned several minutes after the incident to continue his speech. He also issued a statement shortly afterwards, thanking security and reminding would-be voters to MAGA.

The incident comes only three days before Americans (finally) head to the polls to decide the 45th President of the United States of America.

Source: The Washington Post / The Los Angeles Times.

Photo: ABC News / Facebook.
Hillary Clinton supporters who couldn't fit inside the main auditorium of the Lincoln Administration Building got a surprise visit from the vice president.

Before his scheduled speech in Harrisburg Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden visited the crowd in an overflow area far behind the stage.

He was joined by Katie McGinty, a Senate candidate who has become one of his "favorites."

Joe Biden campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Harrisburg, Pa. , with Katie McGinty. @PennLive pic.twitter.com/VKfJR7IwTZ  Dan Gleiter (@DanGleiter) November 6, 2016

Biden talked about how her race against incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is the most expensive in history.

Even though McGinty has outraised Toomey, Biden told the crowd to ask themselves why the Koch brothers are spending so much against McGinty.

He also asked them to make that "one last call" on Election Day to make sure all of their friends and neighbors get a chance to vote Tuesday.

"Everyone has underestimated Trump," Biden said. "We can't do it again on Tuesday."

Appealing to the Harrisburg crowd, Biden said Pennsylvania is where his heart is.

Before he took the main stage, he said that heart was about to sin, telling a reverend in the audience, "Bless me for I'm about to sin and go in there and say a lot of mean things about Trump.
clock.jpg

Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. Did you turn your clocks back by one hour?

(AP FIle)

If you haven't already set your clocks back by one hour, now would be the time to do it.

Today marks the end of Daylight Savings Time_ the 100th anniversary, in fact, of the first such policy to preserve more time in the sunlight.

Most states in the country participate in the program, which involves Americans collectively setting our clocks "forward" one hour in the spring and "back" one hour in the fall.

The change is supposed to happen overnight, at 2 a.m., to minimize disruptions. But if you're like me, you forgot last night and woke up an hour early today wondering why your cellphone displayed a time that didn't match the clocks in the house.

The policy was originally the brainchild of a British man who lamented the waste of sunlight while people slumbered, according to Time magazine. Although William Willet published his case for a Daylight Savings-type program in 1907, according to Time, it was the Germans who first started fiddling with their clocks in 1916 to save energy during World War I.

The United States first implemented the policy in 1918 for similar energy-savings reasons. While the business community supported the policy, because it provided more daylight for shopping, farmers hated it, because it cut into the time they had to get milk and produce to the markets.

The policy was eventually dropped. But New York City continued to honor the program, leading some other cities to follow suit-- while most rural areas did not-- leading to widespread confusion about the proper time.

The confusion prompted the Uniform Time Act, signed in 1966, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, according to Time magazine. The policy initially lasted for six months but was gradually extended to now cover eight months. The latest extension was approved in 2005, after retailers lobbied Congress, according to livescience.com.

Although the program was launched initially, to save energy, it's unclear whether any energy is being saved, according to livescience.com, which reports that study results are decidedly mixed.
HARRISBURG -- Sometimes free speech can be pretty ugly.

In exercise of the First Amendment, KKK and Confederate flags -- along with no shortage of Nazi symbols -- were unfurled on the Pennsylvania Capitol steps. This, as about 30 members of the National Socialist Movement, one of the country's largest neo-Nazi groups, staged a rally there Saturday afternoon.

In the name of countering that group's hate, about 200 counter-protestors gathered behind police barricades on State Street to chant slogans, bang drums, shout profanities and waive their middle fingers any time the Neo-Nazis raised their right arms in 'Heil Hitler' salute to shout, "white power."

It all made for some tense moments in Harrisburg Saturday afternoon.

MORE COVERAGE: Overheard at Neo-Nazi rally in Harrisburg

Mostly, it was two hours of noisy, barely controlled chaos as several Neo Nazi speakers droned on, shouting into a microphone and over a small amplifier from the Capitol, as the counter-protestors shouted them down.

Watch as the counter protest reaches a fever pitch:

In between the two groups were scores of Pennsylvania State Police and Capitol Police, many outfitted in riot gear and more than a dozen on horseback. At various times during the two-hour Neo-Nazi rally, some counter-protesters threatened to breach the wooden police barricades. This prompted the riot-gear-clad officers to move in. In unison, officers moved right up to the barricades and shouted for the protestors to move back.

The counter-protestors hurled several waves of small firecrackers and bottle rockets at police, some exploding over the heads of the mounted police officers and at least one popping at the feet of a skittish police horse. Eggs, tomatoes and other edible objects also were thrown by counter-protestors at police.

At one point, mounted police and other officers stormed past the barricades to chase at least one protestor, who was pepper-sprayed, cuffed and taken into custody.

In the crowd, a man clad in a T-shirt with the slogan "Proud Infidel," along with a profanity against Muslims, was struck by a counter-protestor wielding a flag stick. The counter protestor swung and broke the flag stick over the man's back as it was turned.

Several counter-protestors then followed the man wearing the "Proud Infidel" shirt as he snaked his way away from the heart of the crowd. Later, the same man was seen with his offending shirt in tatters in downtown Harrisburg, with police protecting him as protestors surrounded and shouted at him.

The Neo-Nazi rally, which received a permit and full police protection, ended at the prescribed time of 4 p.m. But many counter-protestors, most wearing masks or bandannas to cover their faces, remained.

As the main protest broke up, a group fanned out into downtown Harrisburg, with police in pursuit. A heavy police and protester presence remained in Harrisburg's restaurant and bar district along Second Street into the early evening.

While the counter-protestors where mostly there to channel their anger at the Neo-Nazi demonstrators, some their ire was clearly directed at police officers, especially those clad in riot gear.

Chants included, "Why are you in riot gear? I don't see no riot here." And as dozens more officers moved in, some in the crowd shouted, "Here come the Gestapo."

There were tense moments as lines of police moved in and out as counter-protestors pressed passed barricades and waved flags ever close to the noses of the police horses, which formed the next line of defense.

Some of the horses appeared nervous as firecrackers popped, eggs and tomatoes splattered, and protestors moved ever closer with their flags. But while tensions were high at times, there were no major altercations during the main protest, outside of the one man taken into custody.

In the end, the exercise in free speech resulted in little in the way of actual communication, however.

The Neo-Nazis had their say, but little of it was audible among the ranks of the counter-protestors. One Neo-Nazi demonstrator unfurled a Donald Trump sign, bearing the slogan, "Build the Wall." And the message of some of the Neo Nazi speakers dwelled on what they saw as the dwindling economic and social advantages of Caucasian Americans.

On the counter-protest side, the messages were much more diverse -- some preaching love, while others preferred to fight fire with fire.

Signs include an image of Hitler blowing his brains out, and the words, "Follow Your Leader." Another urged, "Say No to Nazi Scum Worldwide." While the softer side included slogans like, "Bigger than Bigotry" and simply, "Love One Another."

In an afternoon filled with surreal moments, perhaps the most bizarre was the sight of the 30 or so Neo Nazi demonstrators lining up three-rows deep, flags in hand, for a group photo in front of the Pennsylvania Capitol. Like all visitors to the gorgeous seat of Pennsylvania government, they wanted their iconic snapshot, too.

As for making a statement? On a day when profanity, banging drums, and taunts and hand gestures passed as discourse between the Neo-Nazis and counter-protestors - all of it communicated across heavily fortified police lines -- perhaps the most profound message was the mounds of horse poop that littered the streets afterward.

Caught between these two angry groups, the police horses had their own silent say on what they thought of it all.
In the name of countering a Neo-Nazi group's hate, about 200 counter-protestors gathered behind police barricades on State Street in Harrisburg to chant slogans, bang drums, shout profanities and waive their middle fingers any time the Neo-Nazis raised their right arms in 'Heil Hitler' salute to shout out, "white power."

This, as about 30 members of the National Socialist Movement, one of the country's largest neo-Nazi groups, staged a rally on the Pennsylvania Capitol steps Saturday afternoon, unfurling KKK and Confederate flags -- along with no shortage of Nazi symbols - in front of the seat of Pennsylvania government.

MORE COVERAGE: Overheard at Neo-Nazi rally in Harrisburg

In between the two groups were scores of Pennsylvania State Police and Capitol Police, many outfitted in riot gear and more than a dozen on horseback. At various times during the two-hour Neo-Nazi rally, some counter-protesters threatened to breach the wooden police barricades. This prompted the riot-gear-clad officers to move in. In unison, officers moved right up to the barricades and shouted for the protestors to move back.

In the video above, the counter protest builds toward a fever pitch.
Hillary Clinton at the Zembo Shrine in Harrisburg

Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at the Pennsylvania Democrats Voter Registration event at the Zembo Shrine in Harrisburg . October 04, 2016 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

(SEAN SIMMERS)

By John Fea

What would it take for the majority of white evangelical Christians to vote for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday or, should she win, support her as President of the United States.

John Fea (Messiah College photo)

A lot.

But a Clinton detente with evangelicals is not out of the realm possibility.

Some evangelicals will never vote for Hillary Clinton. She is connected to Barack Obama. She supports a women's right to choose.

She promises to appoint Supreme Court justices that will undermine religious liberty. She is married to Bill Clinton, a man who cheated on her in the White House and was impeached.

She lied about the e-mail server.

In any other election, most evangelicals, when faced with a Hillary Clinton candidacy, would vote for the GOP candidate. But this election, if you have not figured it out by now, is different.

In this election a significant portion of evangelicals believe that the GOP candidate is not qualified to be president.

We don't really know the size of the Never-Trump evangelical coalition. A very recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 69 percent of white evangelicals are voting for Trump and only 15 percent back Clinton.

That leaves about 15% of white evangelicals who have either not yet made up their mind, will vote for a third-party candidate, or will not vote in the presidential election.

Can anti-Trump evangelical conservatives be convinced to vote for Clinton?

If Clinton were to make an appeal to this demographic she would need to address two main issues: abortion and religious liberty.

On abortion, President Hillary Clinton will not work to overturn Roe v. Wade. Nor will she appoint Supreme Court justices who will do so. But what if she would propose, policy wonk that she is, a systematic plan to limit the number of abortions in the United States?

I am not just suggesting a return to the old pro-choice Democratic Party mantra of "safe, legal, and rare." Evangelicals will need more than a catchphrase.

They will need to hear Clinton connect her public policy pronouncements with a specific a plan to reduce the number of abortions.

We know, for example, that Clinton has worked hard in her career to reduce teenage pregnancies.

She might get more evangelical votes from the Never-Trump crowd if she would connect this work more directly to the moral problem of abortion. Such a move might also bring her closer to the pro-life position of her own denomination, the United Methodist Church.

Where is the Hillary Clinton who, back in 2015, described the remarks of a Planned Parenthood representatives on video talking about the sale of fetal tissue from aborted babies "disturbing."

Clinton has said very little about abortion on the trail, perhaps because she is beholden to the secular progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

When asked about it at the third debate she defended a traditional pro-choice position and dodged Fox News anchor Chris Wallace's question about her support for late-term abortions.

Many evangelicals--of both the progressive and conservative variety-- were turned off by this.

Clinton has also been very quiet on matters of religious liberty. Yes, she pays lip service to religious liberty when Trump makes comments about barring Muslims from coming into the country, but she has not addressed some of the religious issues facing many evangelicals.

This is especially the case with marriage.

Granted, evangelicals should not expect Clinton to defend traditional marriage or set out to overturn Obergfell v. Hodges. (I might add here that evangelicals should not expect this from Trump either).

But is she willing to support some form of principled or "confident" pluralism? Some evangelicals of the never-Trump variety would be very happy to live in a society in which those who believe marriage is only between a man and a woman, and those who do not believe this, can co-exist despite their differences.

The recent attempt in California to cut financial aid for students at faith-based colleges that uphold traditional views of marriage is one example of a threat to religious liberty that has many evangelicals concerned.

Perhaps none of this matters as we anticipate election day. Why would Hillary Clinton address these issues when she probably doesn't need the votes of the anti-Trump evangelicals to win the election?

But how she approaches abortion and religious liberty does matter for a Clinton presidency and her relationship with the evangelicals who voted for Trump and the ones who did not.

Let's see if she is going to stay true to her pledge to be the president of all Americans and be more conciliatory on theses matters.

John Fea teaches American history at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He blogs daily at www.thewayofimprovement.com. Follow him @johnfea1
trump sign 6.jpg

By Marc A. Scaringi

Donald Trump will win this election decisively. Trump will win because, like any good business owner, he assessed the real problems confronting our country and proposed real solutions.

Marc Scaringi

Illegal aliens sneaking into our country and taking jobs away from or committing crimes against Americans? Build a wall, close the border and deport them.

Unfair trade treaties sucking American jobs and factories to Mexico or China? Renegotiate them and use our tariff system to suck those jobs and factories back to America.

Radical Islamist terrorists coming into America to kill Americans in the name of Allah?

Stop immigration from Muslim nations that are hotbeds for Jihad.

Health insurance premiums skyrocketing and people losing their plans and unable to choose their own doctor? Repeal Obamacare and give people their freedom to choose.

Common sense solutions to real problems. But it takes a non-politician like Trump to fix what's broken.

Unlike most career lawmakers focused on pleasing big donors, Trump doesn't care about hurting the feelings of lobbyists, special interest groups -- or the political establishment. He's shocked the ruling class by speaking the truth about how they have failed America.

To the chagrin of the liberal media, his bluntness and plain-spoken language rings of truth and appeals to the majority of Americans tired of listening to the same pablum dished out by career politicians.

America is in real trouble. Our country has billion dollar annual trade and budget deficits on top of a $20 trillion national debt and $130 trillion unfunded Social Security and Medicare liabilities.

Tens of millions are on food stamps and one-third of our country isn't working. Every day we wake to new stories about how Obamacare is collapsing, illegals are pouring across our border, terrorist attacks by radical Islamists and ISIS rampaging through areas of the Middle East that over 4,000 American soldiers gave their lives trying to secure.

Yes, Trump has used coarse language and is accused of making awkward or unwanted advances. But Hillary is accused of repeatedly lying to the FBI, to Congress, and the American people to hide the conduct she used to transform herself from being "dead broke" when she left the White House to being worth hundreds of millions of dollars - all while holding government office.

Trump's brashness and rawness put into sharp relief the vapidity and vanity of Hillary's campaign.

While Trump's campaign has been all about his ideas about how to fix real problems that confront America, Hillary's has been all about Hillary - "I'm with Her'' - and, incredibly, how to assuage the injured pride of a former Miss Universe.

For Hillary, the chickens have come home to roost. After a lifetime of using her political power to enrich herself, she now faces two possible federal criminal indictments.

One for the massive corruption of the Clinton Foundation in which Hillary sold her office to foreign oligarchs and the other for violating our national security laws by using a personal server to conduct the "unofficial" business of selling her government office.

In the next few days, the remaining Republican holdouts, our "Never Trumper" friends, will come home to the Republican nominee to secure the U.S. Supreme Court.

Blue collar Democrats in the Rust Belt, sold out by Hillary's embrace of the globalism of her foreign benefactors, will switch to Trump.

Independents, who despise Hillary's lifetime of corruption, will do the right thing and vote for Trump.

Then Donald Trump will get to work making America great again.

Marc A. Scaringi, a Harrisburg attorney and talk radio host, was a Trump delegate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.
Pat Toomey

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., campaigns in Villanova, Pa., in October. Sen. Toomey is turning to the target of some of his toughest criticism to help him in his life-or-death re-election bid in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania: President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

(Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- President Barack Obama struck back at Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Saturday for using footage of the Democrat praising Toomey's courage in a TV campaign ad in his life-or-death re-election bid in Pennsylvania.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Obama said Toomey needed to do more to show courage than taking one right vote on legislation to expand background checks on all firearms purchases online and at gun shows.

"Courage is telling Pennsylvania voters where you stand on the tough issues, not just the easy ones like background checks," Obama said in the statement. "Pat Toomey won't tell Pennsylvania voters where he stands on Donald Trump, trying instead to have it both ways by telling different people what he thinks they want to hear. That's not courage. Voting to shut down the government and against bills to close the terrorist gun loophole isn't courage. And playing politics with the Supreme Court isn't courage."

Obama has endorsed Toomey's opponent, Democrat Katie McGinty, who served in Bill Clinton's White House and was recruited by national Democrats to run against Toomey.

Toomey, who compiled one of Congress' most conservative voting records, is among the Senate's most vulnerable incumbents in a state where Democrats have a 4 to 3 registration advantage over Republicans. The race could help tip control of the Senate to Democrats.

Toomey has been a tough critic of Obama, and opposed practically all of Obama's major policy initiatives, from health care to immigration. He routinely delivers a stump speech that labels Obama's economic and foreign policies as complete failures.

At a campaign event on Saturday, he lambasted the handling of economic policy in Washington, without naming Obama. Toomey told reporters after the event in West Chester, 25 miles west of Philadelphia, that he was not worried that his use of Obama in a TV ad would hurt him with Pennsylvania's Republican voters.

"President Obama stood up publicly and praised my work of reaching across the aisle and trying to get something done on an important issue, which is background checks," Toomey said. "And of course the other side has tried to discredit and deny the work that I did. I think President Obama said it well, so we used his clip, it's his quote, him, it's what he said, in context."

In the 30-second ad, Obama is speaking outside the White House in 2013 and thanks Toomey for his courage, despite the bill's failure.

"That was not easy," Obama said of the work by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

It is the latest, and perhaps the most eye-opening, way in which Toomey is working to appeal to moderate voters whose support he will need to beat McGinty. The ad is running on cable in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.

The vote on the background checks bill cost Toomey endorsements from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, even though Toomey voted more often than not with the NRA. But that vote by Toomey also helped him pick up the endorsements of two prominent gun-control activists, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
CwmsPvmVEAE9Vai.jpg

Ivanka Trump arrives at a women business owners' roundtable, the first of two events she's scheduled to attend in New Cumberland Sunday afternoon. JAN MURPHY, PennLive

(Jan Murphy)

Ivanka Trump has arrived in New Cumberland for two campaign appearances: a women business owners' roundtable and an event billed as "Coffee with Ivanka."

The latter is one of three such "coffees" she is participating in as she makes her way across Pennsylvania to campaign for her father, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, two days before Election Day.

She was scheduled to start with such an event in Philadelphia, before heading to the Clarion Hotel in New Cumberland. The women business owners' roundtable was scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. at the hotel, followed by the coffee at 3:15 p.m., but started about 45 minutes late.

About 300 people were expected to take part in the coffee, organizers said.

Ivanka Trump is then scheduled to head to the Lehigh Valley for a similar coffee at 4:45 p.m. A coffee that was scheduled to take place in Lancaster was cancelled Sunday morning and replaced on her schedule with the roundtable.

Watch Twitter and PennLive for reporter Jan Murphy's coverage of the visit.

Ivanka Trump is drawing a line of folks waiting to get into the events to promote her dad here in New Cumberland pic.twitter.com/cFqbNdeZ7y  Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) November 6, 2016

The line of folks waiting to get in to the coffee event with Ivanka pic.twitter.com/dSnHGKK6am  Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) November 6, 2016

The round table crowd awaits Ivanka's arrival pic.twitter.com/uNvVqjQckK  Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) November 6, 2016
Rob Calabrese, of the Giant 101.9 radio station and creator of the website (cbiftrumpwins.com) responds to questions from CNN reporter Paula Newton during an election piece for her news organization in Sydney, N.S., in a March 1, 2016, file photo. At first, the story of the cheeky Canadian website that encouraged Americans to move to Cape Breton to avoid the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency seemed like a typical viral sensation that would quickly flame out and fade away. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Vaughan Merchant
Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. McGurk said the U.S. will provide air support for an offensive to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State extremist group. Brett McGurk spoke to reporters in Jordan after the offensive was announced Sunday by the Syria Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group with Arab fighters. The envoy says the U.S. is also in Auclose, close contactAu with its ally Turkey. (Karin Laub/AP Photo)
Lagniappe

Christopher Sabatini and Mercedes Hoffay: Nicaraguan

voters are getting ready to follow Daniel Ortega's script



Yet this development is meeting with resounding silence from the United States, a country that long had an almost obsessive interest in the fate of Nicaraguan democracy.



People in the United States are understandably preoccupied with certain domestic matters at the moment. It's a pity, though, that they aren't paying attention to another election that's taking place not too far away. This Sunday, Nov. 6, Nicaraguans will be going to the polls to vote for their own president. In contrast to the U.S., however, the outcome there is virtually foreordained. Incumbent President Daniel Ortega, 71, has amended the constitution to allow himself to run as many times as he'd like, tilting the playing field in his favor. With no real opponent, Ortega is sure to extend his presidency to a third consecutive term. His running mate is his 65-year-old wife, Rosario Murillo, who will likely extend the Ortega dynasty well beyond the nine years he's already been in office. This means that Nicaragua, one of Central America's poorest countries, is now facing the extinction of its last remaining vestiges of democracy, probably condemning it to a prolonged period of personalism and corruption. Yet this development is meeting with resounding silence from the United States, a country that long had an almost obsessive interest in the fate of Nicaraguan democracy. Throughout the run-up to this election, even when the pro-government electoral council disqualified the leading opposition candidate, Washington has remained virtually silent, raising only timid public expressions of concern. Washington has remained virtually silent, raising only timid public expressions of concern. Meanwhile, U.S. media attention on the region has focused on catastrophic political meltdown in Venezuela. Members of Congress have tried to fill the policy vacuum by proposing an impractical and unhelpful solution: banning international financial assistance to Nicaragua until the country essentially becomes democratic. This would be profoundly counterproductive, cutting off a potential point of leverage and hurting the country's business class more than the intended target: Ortega and his corrupt circle of allies. Luckily, there is another set of policy options that can nudge Nicaragua back on to a path of democratic opening while avoiding the current extremes of inaction and overreaction. But first, a bit of background is in order. Ortega has dominated Nicaraguan politics ever since the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, which established a radical left regime a few hundred miles south of the United States just as anti-communist crusading Ronald Reagan was about to enter office. Throughout the 1980s, Washington committed considerable resources to dislodging Ortega and his party, a policy that seemed to bear fruit when the Sandinistas were forced to relinquish power after an electoral loss in 1990. Yet just nine years later the wily Ortega was back. Facing an explosive sexual molestation charge from his own stepdaughter, the Sandinista leader negotiated a deal with then-President Arnoldo Aleman, who was himself mired in corruption charges. The two of them agreed on a power-sharing deal, essentially dividing up key institutions among their own parties (and allowing them to evade their legal problems in the process). In a stroke, Ortega metamorphosed from a Marxist revolutionary to a pragmatic deal-maker, catapulting himself into a role as a national power broker that ultimately enabled him to retake the presidency in 2006. He hasn't relinquished the office since, assisted by a series of cynical maneuvers that have systematically hollowed out the country's electoral and judicial systems while preserving a democratic facade. Surprisingly, all of this occurred when the United States was actively attempting to bring Nicaragua into the fold of liberal regional institutions. The centerpiece of this strategy was a 2005 trade arrangement between Nicaragua and the United States that was part of Washington's broader free trade agenda for Central America. At the same time, the U.S. initially included Nicaragua in the Millennium Challenge Account, the George W. Bush administration's development assistance program, which tied U.S. development assistance to progress on accountability and transparency. The assumption was that liberal trade and economic policies, along with assistance linked to pro-democratic reforms, would create more politically and economically liberal U.S. allies. It was a policy that completely overlooked what was actually happening in Nicaragua. Soon after his election, Ortega brought Nicaragua into the regional leftist alliance created by the then-president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez  an alliance dedicated (ironically) to thwarting U.S. influence in the region and its free trade plans. Venezuela's oil was a boon to Ortega and his government. At one point, it was estimated that the energy-strapped Central American country was receiving 27 thousand barrels of oil per day . At the height of the oil boom between 2004 and 2012, when Venezuela was flush with cash, it also showered its Central American ally with gifts, including $728 million in bilateral cooperation in 2012 alone, 76 percent of which was channeled through the oil collaboration agreement between the two countries. The cash provided by Venezuelan oil allowed Ortega and his government to establish universal free health care, eliminate school fees for the poor, develop a national micro-finance program, and establish a housing give-away program  all dependent on Venezuelan patronage, which has dropped off with the collapse of global oil prices. More than their sustainability, however, the problem with these entitlements is that they were shamelessly branded as Sandinista/Ortega giveaways, a form of institutionalized patronage explicitly linked to the political fortunes of the man in power. This is a strategy strikingly reminiscent of the working of Somoza dynasty that the Sandinistas overthrew in the 1970s, which maintained its power through similar dispensation of favors. It is this continuity, as well as Ortega's effort to perpetuate himself in power, that has led many to compare the Sandinista leader to his right-wing predecessor. The comparison goes beyond Ortega's consolidation of power over the legislative, electoral and judicial branches, the nepotistic control over the economy, and the government's dominance of the media . Ortega's decision to make his wife his running mate is clear evidence of his aspiration to establish a dynasty. Ortega's decision to make his wife his running mate is clear evidence of his aspiration to establish a dynasty. Few doubt that Murillo, who enjoys considerable popularity as first lady and has shown herself to be a powerful force in presidential palace decision-making, is being positioned to eventually run for president, extending the rule of the Ortega clan. Meanwhile, Washington has essentially stood by  a remarkable abdication of leadership in regard to a country that has long stood at the forefront of U.S. policy in the region, and which is a member of a U.S.-led trade bloc. Someone is beginning to pay attention  thought not necessarily to the most positive effect. In September this year, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Representative Albio Sires of New Jersey in the House and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas sponsored the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA-Act). The bill directs the Administration to oppose loans for Nicaragua from international financial institutions until the Secretary of State certifies the Government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free and fair elections, promote democracy, strengthen the rule of law, and respect the right to freedom of association and expression. A large part of the problem is that Nicaragua is still caught in the bipolar debates left over from the Cold War, which are reflected in the Cuban-embargo language of the NICA-Act. Democrats want to avoid the shadow of the gringo heavy hand in Central America. Cold War Republicans still see in Nicaragua  and Ortega in particular  a sinister challenge to U.S. interests and values. Trapped between these ideological extremes are those who hope that spreading economic liberalism and development below the Rio Grande will inexorably bring governments in line with U.S. values and interests. Thanks to the economic and developmental links that have emerged since 1990, the U.S. does have a series of carrots and sticks at its disposal. Here are a few that it can use: First, there's nothing that says that CAFTA-DR can't be tweaked to support the values it was intended to bolster. So why not identify the economic sectors that have been infected by the Ortega family's nepotism and reduce their level of tariff-free access to the United States? Crony capitalists don't deserve access to a free market, especially when they are violating free markets themselves. In short, block notoriously corrupt, Ortega-controlled economic sectors from U.S. market access. Second, U.S. development assistance to Nicaragua is not important enough to make a difference to threaten a cut-off. But collectively cutting aid from the European Union and other countries (including the U.S.) might have an impact. The U.S. must work with its allies who have professed a commitment to democracy to condition their assistance to Nicaragua on democratic reforms. Sure, Ortega will win Sunday's election, but pressure should be applied so that the next round of elections is open and democratic. Third, the hemisphere has a set of norms and policies to defend democracy. The Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) empowers member countries to denounce violations of representative democracy and voluntarily impose sanctions in the cases of democratic erosion. It's high time that the OAS convened to discuss the situation in Nicaragua. It's high time that the OAS convened to discuss the situation in Nicaragua. That will require initiative by member states. Thanks to recent political changes in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru , there is a growing pool of courageous, pro-democratic governments in the region. The U.S. needs to work with them to trigger this discussion. Finally, there's the tool of individualized sanctions, which Washington has already used to prevent Venezuelan officials from traveling to the United States and engaging in financial transactions on U.S. soil. The same should be applied to corrupt officials in Nicaragua  in particular the members of the Ortega family that have extended their control over the Nicaraguan economy in areas such as the media, construction, and gasoline stations. Other governments in the region should be persuaded to follow suit. Though Venezuela's crisis has absorbed most of the international community's attention to the region of late, it's not the only place south of the border where democracy is under threat. But while U.S. leverage in Venezuela is limited, Washington has plenty of policy carrots and sticks it can apply to the erosion of democracy in Nicaragua. The trick is using them correctly.



Christopher Sabatini is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), editor of the policy analysis website www.LatinAmericaGoesGlobal.org and executive director of the Brooklyn-based research institute Global Americans. Mercedes Hoffay is Program Manager for Social Inclusion at Global Americans and editor at www.LatinAmericaGoesGlobal.org . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Foreign Policy on Nov. 05, 2016. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of this website. All comments are posted and published without liability to Petroleumworld. Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.



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OPEC is finding very difficult to make the cuts



OPEC needs friends and a miracle . If this is what an OPEC agreement looks like, it's no wonder investors are losing faith.

LONDON

Petroleumworld.com 11 02 2016

The oil producer group's job of engineering a short-term balance of supply and demand is getting harder and harder. Its own members and the non-OPEC "friends" it's counting on to achieve production cuts are not doing the group any favors as its make-or-break Vienna meeting draws near. Without a credible deal on Nov. 30, market sentiment will turn even more bearish.

As I noted shortly before OPEC unexpectedly agreed in September to cut output, achieving that goal was never going to be straightforward. The group's big-4 Gulf Arab producers were all producing near record levels, as was key non-OPEC participant, Russia.

Since then, things have got even worse. At this point, it's going to take a minor miracle for the group to achieve the promise of a deal that's barely a month old.

OPEC's Vanishing Goal

The cuts OPEC needs to make to reach its output target are just getting bigger and bigger

Base on Oct. plus return of Angola - 1.3 mbpd / - 0.5 mbpd

Source: Bloomberg

When OPEC reached its accord in Algiers, it needed to cut between 850,000 and 1.35 million barrels a day to get output down to its target range of 32.5 million to 33 million, based on Bloomberg supply estimates for September.

With October output estimates now in, the required cut has increased by another 150,000 barrels. That may not seem a lot, but Angola's output was down 230,000 barrels due to maintenance and should come back this month. So, by the time OPEC meets it will probably need to cut an additional 400,000 barrels a day.

And that's without any further growth in production from Libya or Nigeria, which isn't looking likely -- Nigeria exceeded 2 million barrels by the end of last month, while Libya added 180,000 barrels to its daily production and is aiming for more as it works to repair its main export terminal.

It's not only an internal problem, as some key non-OPEC producers are nowhere near restricting supply.

Russian output hit another post-Soviet record of 11.2 million barrels a day last month. With new fields ramping up production and more due to start producing before year-end, that should climb further. Kazakhstan is seeing its first oil from the much-delayed Kashagan field, which could add as much as 370,000 barrels a day by the end of next year, or even sooner, according to field partner ENI SpA.

Brazil's Pre-Salt

Surge Rising production from big offshore fields boosts output to new heights

Source: ANP, Bloomberg

Brazil's output is soaring. Official data show it reached 2.61 million barrels a day in August, on gains from huge deposits lying beneath the sea and thick layers of salt. That's up by 260,000 barrels since January, and more is on the way.

All three countries, along with Azerbaijan, Mexico and Oman, met OPEC in Vienna at the end of October, but no firm pledges were forthcoming. Russia has said it may cut output, but prefers to freeze it, and in any event will only consider its position once OPEC has reached an internal agreement. Without its participation, success is unlikely, as Gadfly has noted. Azerbaijan is ready to pledge it won't raise output, an easy call to make as it continues to battle against falling production.

Even the high-cost North Sea is poised to ship the most crude in more than four years in December. Neither the U.K. nor Norway, the two main North Sea producers, attended the Vienna meeting.

The euphoria that followed the gathering in Algiers is evaporating. Oil prices are almost back where they were before that meeting, with Brent briefly dipping below $46 a barrel on Friday.

Aug 8, $44.3 /Barrel, Opec announced Algeria meeting, Sep 28, Algeria output out agree. $48.7/ Barrel, Nov. $ $46.2/Barrel. Source: Bloomberg

OPEC warned in its latest monthly bulletin that industry observers "should not be too quick to judge or criticize the Organization or its Member Countries. Over the years, we have seen how wildly inaccurate their predictions have been."

It's almost inconceivable that OPEC will fail to reach some form of agreement this month. Whether it will be enough to convince the market that it will make a difference is another matter entirely. Without an agreement to make real, substantial cuts, OPEC's credibility will be in tatters and oil bears will run riot.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.








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Officer Cody Brotherson (Photo: Twitter)

A Utah police officer was hit by a vehicle and killed early Sunday morning while trying to apprehend three people suspected of stealing a car, police said.

The three suspects are in custody, according to police in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City, reports CNN.

The slain officer has been identified as 25-year-old Cody Brotherson, Police Chief Lee Russo said in a statement.

Brotherson was outside of his vehicle attempting to deploy tire spikes when he was hit by the suspects in the vehicle fleeing police, the statement said. He leaves behind a fiancee, two brothers, and his parents.
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Donald Trump talks tough, but the Republican nominee was rushed off stage by the Secret Service during his rally in Reno, Nevada after he and the audience mistook a sign for a gun.

Video:

Trump was doing his usual shtick about paid Clinton supporters protesting his rallies when the Secret Service ran up on stage removed the Republican nominee.

The panic began when someone in Trump pro-Second Amendment crowd freaked out and shouted gun at the rally. The Secret Service jumped into action, as they should, but the problem is that there was no gun.

ABC News reported:

The Secret Service released a statement saying that the commotion started when someone in the rally shouted Gun, but said that no gun was found.

Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted gun. Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found, the statement said.

Panicky and paranoid Trump supporters who love to talk tough about guns preventing gun violence became a terrified mob when they thought that they might be in the middle of a live shooting situation. Donald Trump and supporters disproved the NRAs bogus argument that more guns will prevent gun violence with their behavior in Reno. So much for the whole, a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun NRA nonsense.

The same Donald Trump who had demanded that Hillary Clintons Secret Service detail be disarmed ran like his orange hair was on fire when he thought there might be someone in the building with a gun. There is no more fitting end than for Donald Trump to reveal that the man behind a presidential campaign based on fear is nothing more than a coward.
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In news that is sure to stir Donald Trumps ire, President Obama will appear in Michigan on behalf of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at a public Get Out The Vote event in Ann Arbor.

Hillary for America reports that President Obama will lay out his support for Clinton and her vision of an America that is stronger together, with an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

Ann Arbor Michigan Democratic Party Get Out the Vote Rally with President Barack Obama

Doors Open: 9:00 AM

When: 11:00 AM

Where: Ray L. Fisher Stadium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Public RSVP Here

President Obama has campaigned tirelessly for Clinton, and his support is invaluable given his own rising popularity in the closing days of his second term. Clinton is leading Trump in Michigan, two polls showing her up by +4 and +5 according to Real Clear Politics.

In a poll between Trump vs. Clinton vs. Johnson vs. Stein, Detroit Free Press shows Clinton 42, Trump 38, Johnson 5, Stein 2, putting Clinton at +4.

In another poll between Trump vs. Clinton vs. Johnson vs. Stein, Public Policy Polling puts Clinton at 46, Trump 41, Johnson 6, Stein 2, putting Clinton at +5.

PPP reports that Clintons amassing a large lead in early voting in each of these states. Among those who have already cast their ballots shes up57-36 in Michigan. In part, this is due to Obamas own popularity in Michigan, where voters favor him over Trump 52/40.
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On Saturday morning, the Supreme Court reversed the Ninth Circuits ruling involving an Arizona law, H.B. 2023, that bans ballot harvesting by making it a felony for anyone other than election officials, mail carriers, family members, or caregivers to collect early voting ballots.

In that order, the Ninth Circuit would have allowed ballot harvesting until there was a final disposition the question.

ORDER IN PENDING CASE 16A460 AZ SEC. OF STATES OFFICE, ET AL. V. FELDMAN, LESLIE, ET AL. The application for stay presented to Justice Kennedy and by him referred to the Court is granted. The injunction issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on November 4, 2016, in case No. 16-16698, is stayed pending final disposition of the appeal by that court.

The lower court ruling favored challenges to the law because as challengers argued, it violates the Voting Rights Act.

In their brief to the Supreme Court, challengers cited Arizonas long history of racial discrimination and that ballot harvesting has been one of the most popular and effective methods of minority voting in Arizona. Furthermore, the law imposes its burdens disproportionately on minority voters who face obstacles to either voting in person or delivering their early voting ballots themselves. As an example, challengers pointed to an Indian community, the Tohono Oodham Nation. The community occupies roughly the same land size as Connecticut but has only one post office and no home mail delivery.

In response to supporters claims that the law is an anti-fraud measure, voting rights activists pointed to a recurring fact in these cases: the laws supporters could not point to a single incident of ballot-collection fraud.

Justice Kennedy is responsible for the region and could have issued a response by himself. However, he opted to refer the matter to the full court, which issued a 2 sentence order, declining to state reasons for its decision. There is no way of knowing which, if any, justices dissented from the order.

Previously, the Supreme Court has ruled against last minute changes to election laws to avoid confusion at the polls. So this order isnt an indicator of how the Court would rule on the question of ballot harvesting. However, for the purposes of this election, Arizonas ban on ballot harvesting will be in effect.
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Both the NBC/WSJ and Politico/Morning Consult final national polls show Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by at least 3 points. The worse news for Trump is that undecided voters are not breaking his direction.

In the NBC/WSJ final poll Hillary Clinton leads Trump 44%-40% in a four-way contest:

NBC News reported:

Looking inside the numbers of the two-way horserace, Clinton is ahead of Trump among women (53 percent to 38 percent), African Americans (86 percent to 7 percent), Latinos (65 percent to 20 percent) and those ages 18-34 (55 percent to 32 percent).

.

Clinton leads among those who are early voters, 53 percent to 39 percent, while Trump is up among those who will wait to vote on Election Day, 48 percent to 41 percent.

The interesting point about the NBC/WSJ numbers is that Trump is not winning nationally by a big enough margin to overcome Clintons early voting lead. The poll also gives a hint as to where Clintons victory margin could fall. She could end up winning by 4 points in an election that might look a great deal like 2012, or she could win by as much as seven points, which would place her firmly with President Obamas margin of victory in 2008.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll also showed Clinton leading Trump by 3 points nationally (45%-42%). The poll forced undecided voters to pick a candidate, and their choices did not swing the election to Donald Trump, It turns out that pushing those who still say they dont know to pick a candidate doesnt have a major impact. Clinton is still up, by the same margin, at 42 percent to Trumps 39 percent. Johnson got 6 percent, and Stein got 3 percent when dont know was still available.

When forced to pick, undecided voters dont choose Trump.

Republicans are pulling out the excuse that losing candidates have used for decades that the polls are wrong, but a picture is being painted of an election where Hillary Clinton has the better early voting operation, ground operation, and get out the vote effort. Clinton is doing a better job than Trump of turning out her base, which means that polling might be underestimating her potential margin of victory.

As for Trump, he is trailing, and undecideds are signaling that they arent going his way. Without a miracle, it looks Donald Trumps odds of victory are decreasing as election day approaches.
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Even Republican pollsters are projecting that Hillary Clinton will win well above the needed 270 electoral college votes to win the White House.

John Harwood of CNBC tweeted:

3 GOP pollsters I asked this am  #1: HRC w/304 EVs (losing OH/NC/NH); #2: 322 EVs (winning NC/NH, losing ME-2); #3: 323 EVs (winning ME-2)  John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) November 6, 2016

The Republican pollsters all seem to think that Hillary Clinton is going to win Florida. Only one of the three pollsters Harwood spoke to believed that she would lose NC. My own Politicus Presidential projection map aligns more with the latter two Republican pollsters. I think Clinton is going to finish with either 322 or 323 electoral college votes as the most likely outcome.

Harwood also tweeted that Clinton may be in the process of tipping Ohio:

if Clinton manages to tip OH  which today's Columbus Dispatch poll suggests is possible  she could exceed Obama's 2012 total of 332 EVs  John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) November 6, 2016

If Hillary Clinton wins Ohio, the rout is on.

The fact that Republican pollsters arent disputing the likely outcome of the presidential election speaks volumes about the presidential race. The Clinton campaign has done an amazing job with early voting and may have locked down victories in Nevada, Florida, and North Carolina before election day.

Hillary Clinton is almost to the finish line. It is up to Democratic voters to come out on Tuesday to help her win the race.
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As the presidential campaign closes, Donald Trump is in full Richard Nixon mode and plotting to use the presidency to get revenge against his enemies.

The New York Times reported, Aides to Mr. Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colorfully  and often counterproductively  savage his rivals. But offline, Mr. Trump still privately muses about all of the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a super PAC with vengeance as its core mission.

Trump is using his time to design plans to help the country. For Donald Trump, the presidency is a personal tool that he plans to use to make his enemies pay.

The thoughts that dominate the mind of Trump are not those who can be trusted to handle the power of the presidency responsibly. Trump is telling voters exactly what he intends to do if he wins the White House, and his plan involves abusing executive power in a way that hasnt been witnessed in more than four decades.

Trump is telling America exactly what kind of president he would be. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for executive power abuse and illegal activity.

Donald Trump isnt interested in being a president of the people. For Donald Trump, the White House will be a weapon to use against his enemies.
Watchdog and Public Service reporter

Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576.
In a state still reeling from the Flint crisis the Swiss company would get nearly free access to pump 210m gallons a year for its bottled water business.Michigan regulators were deluged with angry comments this week, after reports that the state had drafted a permit approval for Nestle to nearly double the amount of groundwater it pumps from a plant in Evart, Michigan to 210m gallons a year.The pumping increase is only expected to cost the Swiss food giant $200 a year , and possibly the price of a permit fee , because its bottling plant in Evart is considered a private well under state law, regulators said.In a statement, Nestle touted the move as a boon to the state because it is created  some 20 new jobs . The company is valued at $219bn Some local residents were not so enthusiastic.Why on earth would the state of Michigan, given our lack of money to address water matters of our own, like Flint, even consider giving MORE water for little or no cost to a foreign corporation with annual profits in the billions? a man from Ada, Michigan wrote to regulators, who provided the message and others to the Guardian.Please do not attempt to justify giving away our resources for the benefit of Nestle adding 20 more jobs.The companys proposal to increase pumping from 150 gallons a minute to 400 gallons a minute from an aquifer underneath the plant is part of a planned $36m expansion of bottled water operations in Stanwood, Michigan. The company has already increased pumping to 250 gallons per minute, an increase for which no permit was required.A spokesperson for Nestle Water North America, Christopher Rieck, said: We appreciate that some people may have concerns  sustainability and water quality are top priorities for us as well.We are deepening our investment in Michigan to meet growing consumer demand. As we do so, we are committed to an open, transparent process that allows the public to share their views and learn more about our operations.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham's testimony in a Georgia investigation of possible illegal interference in the 2020 election by then-President Donald Trump and his allies in the state. Read moreSupreme Court clears way for Sen. Graham testimony in Georgia
A handful of countries, most notably Australia, impose mandatory voting, with citizens facing fines and punishments if they dont appear at the polls. And every few years, somebody proposes bringing this practice to the United States as a good-government reform that would allegedly improve t Read moreCommentary: Mandatory voting is a bad, unconstitutional idea
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
I wrote here about the possibility that the presidential race in Minnesota may be closer than anyone expected, based in part on the fact that both candidates had started running television ads here. Still, I expressed skepticism that Trump could actually win. But it looks like Trump wasnt kidding: in the campaigns last days, he is coming to Minnesota:

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has said in recent days that Minnesota is his to win, will make his first public visit to the state Sunday afternoon. Were going up to Minnesota which, traditionally has not been Republican at all, Trump said at a rally in Florida. And were doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll.

Trump might just be trolling the Clinton campaign, but I doubt it. My guess is that his campaigns polling does show Minnesota as competitive. Otherwise, it would be silly to waste time during the critical finale of a close race. Not only that, Mike Pence is coming to Minnesota too:

Vice-presidential nominee Gov. Mike Pence will have a rally at the Duluth airport at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Minnesota is, in general, trending Republican. There is a good possibility that the GOP may capture the state Senate next week, to go along with its control of the House. On the presidential level, there is a stark contrast: Trump dominates outstate Minnesota, not just northern Minnesota, as has been widely reported, but just about all rural areas of the state. Clinton, on the other hand, will win big in the Twin Cities, including some suburbs that have generally been tossups or leaned Republican.

Nowadays, the metropolitan area is where most votes are to be had, which is why I havent taken Trumps chances very seriously. But who knows? Trump is putting his moneyand more important, his timewhere his mouth is.

Maybe his pollsters really are seeing a significant shift. We will find out soon.
It is widely understood that the Left wants to impose censorship on the rest of us, and where it can, it will. The experience of conservative speakers on university campuses is the most obvious proof. But the truth, I think, is worse: it isnt just censorship. The Left wants to bully disagreement out of existence.

Hence the astonishingly long list of acts of political violence and low-level terrorism that have been carried out by members of the Democratic Party against Donald Trump supporters and Republicans in the current election cycle.

In Europe, the Lefts eliminationist impulse is most often vented against those who disagree with the policy of mass immigration from non-European countries. A striking example has just occurred in Sweden, where the Sweden Democrats hosted, on Friday, an event at which they awarded a prizethe European Freedom Awardto former Czech President Vaclav Klaus. The event took place at Stockholms renowned Grand Hotel. It prompted a chorus of outrage against the far right.

Stockholms Grand Hotel has issued an unprecedented public apology for hosting an awards ceremony for European right-wing politicians, following a storm of angry protest. The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party hired the upmarket hotel, which boasts views over the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan, for its European Freedom Awards on Friday evening. As soon as the news became public, the hotel faced a storm of angry protests on Twitter, with thousands protesting by giving it one-star reviews on its Facebook page. Meanwhile, hotel staff gave anonymous interviews criticising the event, and several customers cancelled event contracts.

So who are the outrageous far right figures that brought about this storm of protest?

On Friday, the hotel was still defending its decision to host the awards, which included speeches by Nigel Farage, the unofficial leader of the campaign to bring Britain out of the European Union

Brexit won. If Brexit is the knock on Farage, it is a majority view, not a far right fringe position.

and Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the Sweden Democrats.

In the 2014 election, the Sweden Democrats won 49 of the 349 seats in the Swedish Riksdag. As of June, the Democrats polled as the most popular party in Sweden.

The award, styled as an alternative Nobel, was won by the Czech politician Vaclav Klaus.

Klaus, an economist, is by far the most popular Czech politician since that country became independent. He served as President of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013, having been Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Klauss supposed sins include skepticism toward catastrophic anthropogenic global warming (he is right about that, based on the science) and toward the European Uniona view that he shares with a large and growing number of Europeans.

Nevertheless, the Lefts bullying tactics were too much for the Grand Hotel:

In the press release, the hotels chief executive Pia Djupmark claimed that managers had tried to wriggle out of hosting the event as far back as seven weeks ago, but had been unable to do so due to the contract they had signed. One of the most difficult things about all of this is that so many people thought that we didnt understand, that we had no moral compass whatsoever, she said. Breaking a contract is a big step, and we decided to stick with our tradition of fair-dealing, that a contract should not be broken. In this case, we should have broken it. The hotel claimed that this was the first time in its near 150-year history that it had made a public comment on any of its guests. We have always wanted to be a neutral meeting place that does not judge our guests or their opinions and use that to decide whether they are welcome or not, it said. At the same time, there is a limit.

Heh. The limit is reached, apparently, when you disagree with Europes left-wing elites, regardless of how widely your views may be shared by the population at large.

Here in the U.S., we are witnessing a populist revolt against bullying liberalism, but what we are seeing here is mild, I suspect, compared with what is in store in Europe. And, of course, when all dissent on what millions see as the most vital issues of the day is barred as far right, it is inevitable that unsavory elements will be part of the populist uprising. Having sown the wind, Europes Left will, in all likelihood, reap the whirlwind. If the consequences are not to its liking, it has no one to blame but itself.
Now heres some news you can use depending on where you live: Ive got three public events over the next two weeks that Id be delighted to see local Power Line readers attend if you have the time and inclination.

 First, for Bay Area residents, on Monday afternoon Ill be part of an Election Eve panel discussion from 4 to 5 pm on campus at Berkeley, sponsored by my home base at UC Berkeley, the Institute of Governmental Studies. Fellow panelists include Thomas Mann of Brookings, Mark DiCamillo of the California Field Poll, and IGS director Jack Citrin. Here are the complete details; you should RSVP by the EventBrite link if you think you can come. Moses Hall, where the event will take place, is right smack in the middle of campus, very near the campanile, which I can gaze at out my office window these days (see nearby photo). Ill have my own concluding thoughts on the election some time Monday, but I can tell you that if you come youre likely to see me and Tom Mann tangle (nicely of course). We had a dry run Friday at a private lunch in downtown San Francisco. I pointed out that he breaks out in hives when hes around Republicans.

 Second, for my old Colorado Front Range friends, Im making a return visit to Boulder the day after the election. I wont be turning up in Boulder until the evening of Nov. 9 (assuming the airlines work properly), but plan on holding court for an informal and casual meetup in the back room of the Bohemian Biergarten on 13th Street, starting around 8:30 pm. They have great beer at the Biergarten, and we can either toast to the restoration of full Nixonian paranoia in the White House, or our retort to Italys Berlusconi and Frances Sarkozy. (Memo to France and Italy: You think you can elect flamboyant, out of the box chief executives? Watch this!) In any case, what would a gathering of conservatives be like if it isnt held in the back of a darkened, middle European beer hall?

 Then on Thursday, Nov. 10, Ill be speaking at noon for the Federalist Society at the University of Colorado Law School (housed in the appropriately-named Wolf Hall) about the election. The title we picked for the talk when I booked is Between a Crock and an Orange Place: An Analysis of the 2016 Presidential Elections. That title should probably be changed to Between a Crook and an Orange Place. . . There will likely be a faculty member added to the program to provide a contrast/rebuttal to whatever I say.

I dont know what room it will be held in just yetit will depend in part on how many RSVPs there arebut Wolf Hall is fairly compact and the Federalist Society usually has good signage with directions near the various entrances. Bonus: Federalist Society lunch events always provide free lunch to all attendees! If you do want to come, please RSVP to Blake Herron, the Federalist Society coordinator, at: [email protected]

 Finally, for Washington DC area readers, on the morning of Tuesday, November 15, Ive been working with the Hoover Institution to put together a small program on the idea of conservative environmentalism, based on my view that the environment is too important to leave to environmentalists, because they just make a mess of the whole thing. It will feature Sir Roger Scruton, who is over from the UK for a few days, giving a keynote lecture, followed by a roundtable discussion that I shall moderate with a distinguished panel that were still adding people to. Heres the Hoover announcement and details. Please RSVP through their site if you can come.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday saluted the efforts of the Nigerian Army in rescuing another abducted Chibok schoolgirl.

On his Twitter handle, President Buhari commended the troops for their gallant efforts to secure the people and territory of Nigeria, describing them as the nations heroes.

I have received the heart-warming news of the rescue of another of our Chibok girls by the Nigerian Army.

I commend our troops, who continue to work gallantly to secure the people and territory of Nigeria. You are our heroes.

No man, woman, or child will be left at the mercy of Boko Haram. This has always been our promise and we fully intend to keep it, he said.

The Army on Saturday handed over Maryam Ali Maiyanga, the Chibok girl, with her 10-month-old son, to the Borno Government after they were rescued in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area.

Lucky Irabor, Maj-Gen. and Commander of 7 Div. of Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, announced the development in Maiduguri.

Mr. Irabor said, At about 6 a.m., while screening some escapees from Boko Haram terrorists hideout in Sambisa Forest, we discovered one of the abducted Government Secondary School Chibok girls, named Maryam Ali Maiyanga, among them.

She was discovered to be carrying a 10-month-old son, named Ali.

She revealed to us that her husband, who is the father of her child, was killed by Boko Haram insurgents during one of the military operations in Sambisa Forest.

The Nigerian Army felt very elated because the desire of any army officer in operation Lafiya Dole is to make sure that every person that is held hostage by the Boko Haram insurgents is rescued.

We are hopeful that all the other captives would be released. This has come and it has strengthened our hope that the rest would be rescued, he said.

Maryam was among 219 girls who were kidnapped in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014.

The government recently negotiated the release of 21 others, while another escaped from captivity with her baby earlier. (NAN)
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed calls by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend two of his ministers accused of corruption.

The PDP had on Friday urged the president to emulate the National Judicial Councils decision to suspend seven judges recently arrested by the State Security Service for alleged corruption.

The party said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, that two of the judges, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, had alleged that they were the targets of a witch-hunt because they refused bribes from two ministers.

They named the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu.

In order to allow for a fair and independent investigation, it is incumbent on President Muhammadu Buhari to ask these ministers to step aside pending the conclusion of investigation into the allegations, Mr. Adeyeye had said. The judiciary has set a very good example in its quest to fight corruption.

But the APC said in a statement on Sunday that the call flies in the face of reason, fairness, common sense and cause of justice.

The statement was signed by Davies Ikanya, APC chairman, Rivers State, and emailed to PREMIUM TIMES from Mr. Amaechis account.

It is a known fact that embattled Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court who are currently under DSS investigation for serious corruption charges only resorted to the cheap, convenient, everyday reaction of people caught red-handed committing crimes in order to divert attention away from the grave reality confronting them especially when faced with sufficient evidence, the APC said.

The APC asked whether the huge sums of money reportedly found at the residences of the judges were given to them by the accused ministers.

Are Justices of the Supreme Court unaware that relevant laws of the land imposes on them the strict duty to properly and formally report inducement of any kind in a timely manner or risk prison term of not less than 2 years?

We urge Mr. President and Nigerians to completely disregard PDP call for the sacking of Amaechi and Onu. Why should they be sacked? What crime did they commit for PDP to call for their sack? These fine gentlemen did nothing wrong. Mr. President should not and cannot act based on mere accusations from the Supreme Court Justices without any iota of proof or evidence to back their claims, the party said.

The APC said the opposition PDP should rather be calling for the expulsion and sack of their governors from the south-south region and the senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, who has been involved in the pervasion of justice in governorship electoral matters by financially inducing the Supreme Court Justices under investigation.

Again, we stand by our earlier statement on the ignominious roles of the governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta States, and the Senate Minority leader in the pervasion of the course of justice at the apex court and the subsequent failed attempt to pin the Justices travails on Amaechi.

In the days ahead, more details will continue to come out. For instance, it is already in the open that Governor Nyesom Wike held a secret meeting in a hotel in Owerri, Imo State with one of the Supreme Court Justices that was arrested by the Directorate of State Services (DSS). The agenda of that meeting was for the apex court Justice to assist Wike to get a favourable judgement and pervert the course of justice in the Rivers State governorship election matter that was then about going to the apex court, the party said.
President Muhammadu Buharis Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has offered reasons why leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and those in the presidents cabinet are not being prosecuted for corruption.

The presidential spokesman, who made this known while featuring as a guest on a radio programme, Sweet F.Ms Podium in Abeokuta, also argued that the federal governments anti-corruption fight was not selective.

According to him, APC chieftains and appointees are not being prosecuted because no evidence had been put forward indicting them of being involved in corrupt practices.

The onus lies on he who alledges to also prove, he said. The fact that any PDP member crosses to APC does not provide automatic shield. Whoever is indicted will be prosecuted.

On the arrest of judges, Mr. Adesina said the raid on judges was only a raid on corruption and not the judiciary.

Mr. President has said it all. No one is out to intimidate the judiciary. DSS raid was a raid on corruption not Judiciary, he said.

On the importation of rice, Mr. Adesina clarified that the Federal Government did not ban the importation of rice, but only took steps to curtail the activities of smugglers at the nations land borders.

Mr.Adesina lamented the widespread misinformation that the government had banned the importation of rice.

Importation of rice via our sea borders remain legal, Mr. Adesina said.

He said the Buhari-led Federal government was committed to the diversification of the economy.

We have gotten to the point in which we have to diversify or die, he said.

The Federal government has disbursed money so as to heavily invest in Agriculture and Mining.

Dr. Fayemi has told us that the results of the ongoing investment may not be clearly seen in less than 30 years. However, we will lay the foundation.

Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Adesina said he, perhaps, would have done all he could to stop his appointment as the Presidents media aide if he had a hint about the possibility of his appointment.

I was not expecting it. Maybe if I knew, I would have done all in my powers to make sure it did not happen, he said.

I have known him since he started contesting and wrote good things about him but I did not know he will appoint me as his adviser.
Leaders of Nigerias foremost anti-corruption groups have called on the leadership of the Senate to expedite the confirmation of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as substantive head of the agency.

The activists said they were making the call based on their believe that clearing Mr. Magu for the post would give the ongoing anti-corruption fight the impetus it desperately needs and help sustain the Buhari administration in curtailing impunity in governance.

The latest call on the Senate reiterated an earlier one by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), which, in August 2016, lamented the delay in the confirmation of the acting EFCC boss.

The groups in a communique issued on Sunday in Abuja at the end of the just-concluded National Conference on the Role of the Legislature in the Fight Against Corruption, organised by the National Assembly and the Presidency, noted that the National Assembly went on recess shortly after the presidency sent Mr. Magus name to it.

Interestingly, the Senate has since reconvened, screened and confirmed justices of Supreme Court and Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) forwarded to it long after the submission of Mr. Magus name for confirmation as EFCCs chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari, the activists said.

Section 2 of the EFCC Act says there shall be a chairman who shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the commission, and who shall not be below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner of police. He is to be saddled with the responsibility of running the anti-crime commission.

The groups rated Mr. Magu, a deputy commissioner of police, as meeting and exceeding this requirement.

Therefore his confirmation as EFCC Chairman without further delay will give the anti-corruption fight the boost it needs to end the culture of impunity and systemic corruption in Nigeria, they said in the communique.

Those who signed the communique are Debo Adeniran of Coalition Againts Corrupt Leaders(CACOL); Lanre Suraju Civil Society Network Against Corruption(CSNAC); Adetokunbo Mumuni  Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); David Ugolor  Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ); Okey Nwanguma  Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN); Faith Nwadishi  Publish What You Pay Nigeria (PWYP); and Oluajo Babatunde  Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA).

They contended that the security of tenure for the leadership of anti-corruption agencies saddled with tackling corruption was a globally recognized principle for guaranteeing the independence of anti-corruption agencies.

They added, Fighting corruption without the basic guarantee of security of tenure for the head of anti-corruption agencies as has become the trend in the recent past in Nigeria is one of the major limitations of the fight against the scourge of corruption in Nigeria and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a duty to reverse this trend.

The guarantee of security of tenure of anti-corruption agencies officials is at the root of the independence, effective functioning and freedom from undue influence of anti-corruption agencies as prescribed by article 6(2) of the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) of which Nigeria is a signatory.

Anything short of such a guarantee renders the fight against corruption ineffectual, susceptible to political manipulation and compromises the independence of the anti-corruption agencies.

While the EFCC has of late stepped up the fight against acts of corruption and abuse of public trust as exemplified in the tracking of those remotely and directly connected with the misapplication of monies meant to fight Boko Haram insurgency, confiscation of the properties suspected to have been acquired from proceeds of crime linked to politically exposed persons as well as the investigation and prosecution of alleged owners, the lack of a substantive head with a secured tenure has been a major set back in all these efforts.

This delay by the Senate sends a wrong signal of deliberate attempt by the Senate to frustrate the anti-corruption fight or at best, exert political pressure on the EFCC and force it into some compromise with the Senate.

Having reconvened from recess almost two months ago, the group therefore called on the Senate to treat Mr. Magus confirmation as substantive executive chairman of the EFCC as a matter of top priority and of urgent national interest.

We also call on President Buhari to use the ongoing second review mechanism of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which Nigeria is undergoing to send a strong message to the international community that Nigeria is genuinely committed to the fight against corruption.
The police command in Oyo State on Saturday rescued a 10-year-old girl who was allegedly imprisoned by her father, the spokesman for the police, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said.

Mr. Ajisebutu told journalists that the victim was allegedly locked up in a room for three days without food by her father, who is currently at large.

He said the girl was rescued by policemen from the Challenge Police Station.

The police had acted on a tip-off from neighbours. The police responded swiftly and visited the house at Ajeigbe area, Ring Road, Ibadan.

On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that three padlocks were used to lock the room. The locks had to be broken by the police before the little girl could be rescued, Mr. Ajisebutu said.

He said the victim had been properly fed and taken to the police clinic for medical attention.

Mr. Ajisebutu said that the case was under investigation and that efforts had been intensified to apprehend the suspect, who was at large. (NAN)
Authorities of Adavi Local Government Area in Kogi have banned the sale and consumption of cassava flour brought into the area from neighbouring communities and states between October 26 and November 1.

The Information Officer of the local government, Shaibu Obeito, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday that the move was to forestall more deaths associated with the consumption of the flour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that eight person, two women and six children died on October 26 in Ogaminana community in the local government are after a meal of the flour.

Mr. Obeito said the council had started buying back all cassava flour brought into the council within the period from sellers and those possessed by residents.

According to him, the aim is to retrieve the poisonous cassava flour and destroy it before it got to the public.

He, however, stated that more deaths had not been reported in the area in connection with the consumption of the flour. (NAN)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajos former law firm, SimmonsCooper Partners, on Saturday organised its annual Simmons Cooper Advocacy Development in Lagos.

Known as SCAD, the initiative, a brainchild of Mr. Osinbajo when he was a Senior Partner at the firm, is designed principally for law school students and undergraduates seeking to initiate, nurture and develop their advocacy skills.

Successful students are entitled to a range of long-lasting benefits that include professional development, tuition support, exposure, and mentorship.

The whole idea behind SCAD is about mentoring,grooming young law graduates and Law students who are expected to be better lawyers of class in the society, said Babatunde Irukera, a partner at the law firm, adding that ten finalists emerged for the SCAD 2016 top honours from a pool of 120 students in universities across the country.

Adaeze Anyanegbu of Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Emeka Ezekwesiri of University of Ibadan; Felix Emmanuel of University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Elizabeth Whesu of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; and Daniel Jayeoba of University of Lagos all made oral presentations before a panel of senior lawyers.

The other finalists include Similola Ayoola and Tobi Babalola of Lagos State Universit; Joseph Omeh of University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Ayodele Jesufemi of Obafemi Awolowo, Ile Ife; and Jonathan Ezeumeh of University of Lagos also made their presentations.

Mr. Omeh said he was pleased to have made the final shortlist, adding that he sees a bright future after his stint at SCAD.

All I have learnt from SCAD is quite huge and it will make me a better lawyer in future, Mr. Omeh told PREMIUM TIMES.

Ms. Whesu said her participation would spur her to greater heights in her career.

Being a part of SCAD 2016 has been tough and interesting for me, said Ms. Whesu, a 500 level Law student.

I have learnt new things concerning the law profession that would guide me to a better lawyering career with my passion for advocacy being used to better society I live in.

Dapo Akinosun,a Senior Partner at SimmonsCooper & Partners, described the gathering of the young lawyers as a reflection of years of painstaking research developed to ensure that the future of the legal profession is placed on the right path with the mentoring of such young people.

It is our belief that we can train lawyers at such an early stage so that they can make a great difference in the profession and give back to the society through advocacy, he said.

Mr. Akinosun said at the end of the advocacy and mentoring program, the winner of the programme would go home with a cash prize and a job with SimmonsCooper & Partners.
Suspended lawmaker, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has won an anti-corruption award for exposing budget fraud in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Jibrin was honoured on Saturday by the London-based African Voice newspaper, his office said in a statement Sunday.

The paper bestowed the honour on Mr. Jibrin at its 20th Leadership and Legislative Awards investiture held in London.

Your effort in helping to eradicate corruption is commendable, Mr. Jibrin quoted the newspaper as saying in a notification letter to him.

After receiving the award, Mr. Jibrin, accompanied by his wife, thanked the organisers and said the accolade will further encourage him in his quest to defeat pervasive fraud in Nigerias legislature.

The award is a huge morale booster because it is coming at a very difficult and challenging period.

Its a period I had to leave my post as Appropriation chairman of the House of Representatives, suspended through subterranean means by Speaker Yakubu Dogara and received several threats to my life by the highly placed public officials I accused of corruption, Mr. Jibrin said.

Mr. Jibrin sparked controversy in July when he accused the leadership of the House of budget padding.

He made the allegations a day after he was removed as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation.

On September 28, barely a week after the House returned from a two-month recess, Mr. Jibrin was suspended.

The suspension, which would last for a year, is without salaries or allowances. He will also not be able to step his foot into the National Assembly complex.

Yet, the embattled lawmaker said he is unfazed.

Despite the difficulties I am going through, I will never be cowed to silence. I asure you I will never retreat from this worthy line of action, he said in his statement Sunday. I shall remain committed to the fight against corruption in the House of Representatives and Nigeria as a whole.
The deputy national publicity secretary of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, an ambassador.

Mr. Frank said such appointment would stop the chairman from destroying the party.

The APC chieftain also said the APC will simply die if Mr. Buhari continues to remain silent over the crisis rocking the party.

He urged the president not to overlook the recent call by a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, that Mr. Odigie-Oyegun should resign from office.

Mr. Frank stated this at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja.

And if the President wants to appreciate the support of Oyegun, the president has so many ways to compensate him. I will appeal to the President if it is possible, to appoint Oyegun as an ambassador, as a former career civil servant, he will do better as an ambassador not as national chairman.

This is a personal appeal from me to you Mr. President. It is time for you to intervene in the crisis rocking this party, he said.

Mr. Frank also described his recent suspension by the South South zone of the party as a joke.

It is not possible to suspend me because the zonal level lacks the mandate, he said.

Mr. Frank said as a national official, only the National executive Committee, NEC, can suspend him from the party.

I also want to make it very clear to you that I still remain in charge as the acting publicity secretary of the APC, he said.

Mr. Frank also said any attack on him by the leadership of the APC is an attack on all Nigerian youth. He said the APC stands to risk a lot if it goes ahead with its threat to suspend or expel him from its fold.

APC should learn from the ANC of South Africa on its action on Julius Malema. The party has not remain the same since he was suspended, he said.

Mr. Frank said he is not just fighting for himself but all the young persons in Nigeria.
News reports that Chidinma Okeke, the former Miss Anambra whose lewd videos recently went viral on the internet, had been declared missing by her family, are very far from the truth, her father has said.

Jerry Okeke, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES by phone Saturday evening, said his daughter was fine.

My daughter is not missing and at no time did I declare her missing, Mr. Okeke told this newspaper.

Mr. Okeke said after the scandal sent shockwaves across the country, the family immediately moved to save Miss Okeke, 20, from committing suicide.

Mr. Okeke said he handed over his little girl to another family member because he had to travel to the familys ancestral home for another engagement.

He denied news report quoting him as declaring his daughter missing in the aftermath of the racy video.

I have been trying to make contact with one of The Sun newspapers that published the story because they want to sell (market) and I will give them a seven-day notice to correct it, Mr. Okeke said.

The Sun says it stands by its story.

Bruce Malogo, the editor of Saturday Sun which published the story, told PREMIUM TIMES the headline was appropriate for the direct quotes from Mr. Okeke, which he said were on the record.

As it stands now, my daughter is still a small girl. I dont know whether she is still alive or dead. But all I know is that God will prove Himself worthy to fight His childrens battle. I dont have much to say for now, the paper quoted Mr. Okeke as saying.

The quotes were published under the headline: Aftermath of sex video scandal: Family declares Beauty queen missing.

In interpretative journalism, were not wrong with our headline, Mr. Malogo said. If he told us that he couldnt find his daughter and we say he declared her missing, were not wrong.

Mr. Okeke, however, maintained his ground.

I did not tell press man that called me from The Sun that my daughter is missing or that I couldnt find her, Mr. Okeke reaffirmed to PREMIUM TIMES.

Specifically, Mr. Okeke said he told The Sun reporter that the family was holding on to God for a breakthrough in the wake of the scandal.

Chidinma Okekes video circulated across the Nigerian blogosphere nearly a month ago, and the controversy boiled over when the organisers of the beauty pageant stripped her of her crown.

The amateur footage appears to show Miss Okeke engaging in a sexual act with another woman.

Mr. Okeke expressed confidence in the ability of the police to do a thorough job in unraveling the scandal, even though he said he suspected foul play  including the possibility of her daughter being drugged prior to the act.

I will allow them (police) to do that (their job), but I know my daughter was drugged by some people who took advantage of her as a young woman.

The Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula, recently denied knowledge of the case.

In the middle of it all, some individuals saw a bright spot for Miss Okeke.

The organisers of Miss Diva Awards said they had a unique reason for honouring the embattled ex-beauty queen this year.

Chidinma didnt have to meet any criteria to receive this award. It was solely the decision of the brand to honour her, Chijioke Awugosi, project coordinator, said.

We are aware of the controversy that will come with it. But we hope that in due time, every well-meaning and reasonable individual will see the reasons behind the award.
Tributes are pouring in for the Nigerian Army commander who lost his life in a Boko Haram attack on Friday.

Muhammed Abu-Ali, a lieutenant colonel, was killed in a sundown ambush by Boko Haram as he was coordinating a reinforcement to repel an ongoing gunbattle in Mallam Fatori  an insurgent stronghold on the northernmost tip of Borno State.

The Army announced his passing, and that of four other soldiers, in a statement around noon on Saturday.

By Saturday evening, a photo emerged of saluting and pensive-looking soldiers who lined the runway as the body of the fallen officer was unloaded from a Super Puma helicopter onto a stretcher.

The tragedy came barely a year after Mr. Abu-Ali was specially promoted from a major to a lieutenant colonel by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, for the uncommon gallantry he brought to the battlefield.

For several months preceding the recognition, Mr. Abu-Ali had been involved in audacious operations that ended in the liberation of several Northeast settlements previously held by Boko Haram.

The operations that ended in the recapture of Baga and Gamboru-Ngala by the Nigerian soldiers marked a significant watershed in the war against Boko Haram.

The story of his death and valour has gripped the country, with many on social media directing their thoughts and prayers to his family.

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State where Mr. Abu-Ali is of a royal family was perhaps the first political figure to express his condolences.

The deceased was a gallant officer who served the nation with his all and paid the supreme price by laying down his life for the peace of the country, Mr. Bello said in a statement Sunday. May Almighty Allah grant late Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu Aljannah Firdaus. Ameen.

Similar messages dominated Nigerians activities on Twitter for the past 24 hours.

 I just want to commiserate with the family of Lt. Col. Abu-Ali our beloved and gallant soldier that has fallen in the battle against Boko Haram, said Okoro Chigozie.

Others hailed his heroism.

Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu-Ali started the race as a hero and ended it as one, woman who identifies herself simply as Rabiya tweeted. May Allah have mercy on his soul and expose the bad seeds. Amin!

How do you explain to Abu-Alis little kids that their father was a hero? How do you explain to them what their father did for this country? Another user, Ari Gold, tweeted.

But, in the middle of the eulogies, security analysts expressed concerns about the vacuum Mr. Abu-Alis death would create in the war against Boko Haram.

The military maintained that combat operations are gradually coming to an end and troops are only clearing the sects remnants across the beleaguered region.

But with high-profile attacks such as the displacement of 83 combatants a fortnight ago and the latest that just claimed its bravest commander occurring at frequent intervals in recent weeks, some analysts are sounding a note of skepticism.

Max Gbanite, a security analyst, said the death of Mr. Abu-Ali indicates that more works still need to be done before Nigeria could proclaim a victory over against Boko Haram.

The recent attacks should convince the military leaders that the Boko Haram still remains a potent force, Mr. Gbanite told PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon. The country has lost a fine soldier and the impact of his death will be felt on the battlefield.

Mr. Gbanite acknowledged the Chief of Army Staffs efforts in the improved security in the Northeast, but said the military needs more equipment and skills to significantly contain the extremism.

While I commend the effort of the current Chief of Army Staff, we also must point out the obvious fact.

The military has succeeded in degrading the capacity of the terrorists to hold major towns and also blocked their supply routes by about 80 per cent, but we still terrorists in the country and their even more desperate and dangerous, Mr. Gbanite said. 

Mr. Gbanite said President Buhari should tone down his rhetoric and give appropriate supports for the war efforts.

The president is saying Boko Haram is a thing of the past. Well, we all could see that that is not true, Mr. Gbanite said. I implore him to give our troops support to be able to combat the ongoing asymmetrical warfare by Boko Haram.

After the physical assaults, well get to the psychological stage to hinder Boko Harams ability to launch new recruitment exercise.

An intelligence analyst, Cheta Nwanze, also saw the prevailing situation through a similar perspective.

The army has done very well in the last one year, Mr. Nwanze said. However, it appears that the military leadership has not taken into account the shifting nature of the terrorists tactics, and adjusted accordingly.

This oversight may have given the terrorists a chance to observe, restrategise and regroup. It is also important to note that our neighbours have not fully played their part in denying the terrorists space to manoeuvre, Mr. Nwanze said.
The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Muiz Banire, has denied media reports claiming he had been quizzed by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for transferring N500,000 into a judges bank account.

In a statement he issued on Sunday, Mr. Banire said he was neither arrested nor invited by the EFCC. He said he voluntarily visited the Commission to assist in their investigation of the matter.

I did not give any bribe of the sum of N500,000 or any amount to any judge at any time whatsoever, said Mr. Banire, a former commissioner in Lagos State.

The person to whom I gave a gift of N500,000 in 2013 was a former colleague in the academia, a fellow lawyer whom I now understand to be a judge with whom I had lost physical contact for more than 17 years until probably three years ago when he solicited for my financial assistance towards his mothers burial.

Media reports over the past few days had placed Mr. Banire, a former lecturer at the University of Lagos, among those involved in bribing of judges.

Following the arrest of some judges last month by operatives of the State Security Service, the EFCC had launched a massive investigation into allegations of bribery of judges by some senior lawyers.

Mr. Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allegedly transferred N500, 000 into the bank account of James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge at the National Industrial Court.

Mr. Agbadu-Fishim was among the judges who reported to the Lagos office of the EFCC on October 19 to write statements on the findings.

Reports said Mr. Banire was questioned for over six hours and his international passport seized by the anti-graft agency.

On Sunday, the senior lawyer said he had never appeared before Mr. Agbadu-Fishim either as a lawyer or a litigant, adding that he only ran into him on November 3 at the EFCC premises.

He was, however, silent on whether his travel documents were actually seized by the Commission.

I have never taken any benefit from the said recipient of my generosity and have never expected any in return, Mr. Banire said.

The occasion of the gift was purely customary for the purpose of assisting in the burial of his deceased mother.

I must say this kind of assistance is not peculiar to this old colleague but that which is the nature of my usual disposition to all, colleagues, associations, students, clubs, religious bodies and humanity in general.

I am a strong advocate of anti-corruption campaign and will never descend into the insanity of offering bribe to pervert the course of justice.
The founder of The Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Temitope Joshua, has predicted a narrow victory for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, ahead of the November 8 election.

Mr. Joshua (popularly known as TB Joshua) spoke during his church sermon on Sunday, his first appearance at the church over the past several weeks.

Ten days ago, I saw the new President of America with a narrow win, he said in his prophecy which was later posted on the churchs official Facebook account.

The new President will be facing several challenges over many issues, including: passing bills, attempts to possibly pass a vote of no confidence on the new President. The boat of the new President will be rocked.

By the way, in order not to keep you in suspense, what I frankly saw is a woman.

Mrs. Clinton, a former First Lady and U.S. Secretary of State, is locked in a fierce battle with the Republican Party frontrunner, Donald Trump, for the White House.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal national poll published on Sunday put Mrs. Clinton narrowly ahead of Mr. Trump with 44 percent to the Republican candidates 40 percent.

According to the New York Times, Mrs. Clinton leads with wide margins among women and minority voters while Mr. Trump has the support of men, white voters and senior citizens.

At the beginning of the year, T.B. Joshua released a list of bleak predictions for the continent in 2016 including a large scale scarcity, shortage of food.
Troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army, Operation Lafiya Dole have rescued 85 people, comprising mostly women and children held hostage by insurgents in Borno north, bordering southern fringes of the Lake Chad.

A statement by the army spokesman, Sani Usman, on Sunday, said the hostages were rescued when the troops conducted a clearance operation at the strategic town of Chukungudu.

Mr. Usman said the operation was led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 7 Division, Victor Ezugwu, between Friday and Saturday.

The maneuvering Brigade led by 3 Battalion of 22 Brigade, successfully cleared Geram, Bulankassa and Chukungudu believed to be the Boko Haram terrorists strongholds in that area, Mr. Usman said.

He said the troops killed five terrorists in a fierce encounter that made several of them run into the Lake Chad.

The troops recovered four rounds of Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) bombs, one Double Barrel Gun, 349 packets containing various rounds of ammunitions, three magazines, a link belt of machine gun ammunition and one AK-47 rifle magazine, he said.

According to Mr. Usman, during operations, the troops discovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Geram.

In the factory, they found several already primed suicide bombers vests.

They also discovered a well equipped motor vehicles and motorcycles workshop and spare parts wharehouse at Chukungudu village.

The troops recovered three vehicles and several newly acquired motorcycles.

He said that in line with rules of engagement, the IEDs factory, vehicles and motorcycles had been destroyed.

Unfortunately, a soldier died during the encounter, he said. (NAN)
The Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Ebonyi State chapter, has lauded Governor Dave Umahi for ordering the immediate release of a woman accused of stealing N400 worth of cocoyam.

The woman and her children had been in Abakaliki prisons for an unclear duration, following her inability to fulfill stringent bail conditions for her freedom.

But during the visit of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the state, Governor Umahi was briefed on conditions of the woman and he immediately gave order for her release.

Reacting to Mr. Umahis action, Emeka Anosike, chairman of CDHR said the governors action portrayed him as a lover of human rights.

The Governor has shown that he is a human right activist and we wish to commend him for his benevolence in directing the release of the indigent woman. There are many similar cases of this nature in the prisons today. We are appealing to his Excellency to also look into their plights, he said.

We also appeal to his Excellency to further direct the committee for prerogative of mercy in the state to look at the cases of prison inmates who are mentally deranged and lunatics, the release submitted.
Atlantic County artists will be featured in a new exhibit at Atlantic Cape Community College that celebrates the Pinelands.

The New Jersey Pineland Art Exhibit runs through Nov. 23 in the Atlantic Cape Community Colleges Art Gallery in the student library on campus.

Seven artists are featured in the show, with pieces ranging from oil paintings to watercolors, to clay models and photography.

Six of the seven artists are from Atlantic County. The seventh artist, Albert Horner, of Medford, will hold a lecture on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. to discuss his 11 years of photographing the Pinelands. He'll even throw in a few factoids about the area.

Joyce Hagen, coordinator for Atlantic Cape Art Gallery, said it was the time of the year to show off the Pinelands.

Its so beautiful in the fall and we wanted to call attention to it here at the gallery, she said.

Hagen said some works in the exhibit replicate the Pineland foliage and environment.

The point, Hagen said, was to capture the atmosphere of Pineland. Some work includes grape leaves, some clay models have replicated tree bark and others will include props like bottles of wine and reading books. One painting shows a group of children playing in the Pinelands.

Albert Horner got up every morning to take pictures of the Pinelands mist.

The variety of artists and technique are no coincidence for the exhibit.

I always try to get artists with different viewpoints. It makes you want to celebrate whats in the Pinelands, Hagen said.

In terms of education, the exhibit can lend itself to certain courses at the college.

Hagen said one humanities course will have students write a paper on their interpretations of an individual artists work.

We count on professors to think creatively but we can provide the resource. There is a lot of biology involved in the Pinelands with vegetation and wildlife. There are many ways to approach this for assignments for the students, Hagen said.
On a recent chilly October night, a crowd gathered in yellow-backed chairs in the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City.

Before the South Jersey Poets Collective World Above Free Poetry Night began, close to 30 budding and well-seasoned poets mingled together, greeted newcomers and hugged old friends.

For Jeanne Sutton, of Tuckerton, coming here once a month means getting on a bus at 5:15 p.m. and arriving in Atlantic City a bit before 7 p.m. She then walks to Dante Hall, which usually houses the poetry night.

Near her home, she said, there are no open mic poetry nights.

What makes this special is the caliber of the work that is shared, she said. The seriousness with which everyone takes what theyre doing and what the other person is doing  it feeds me, it really does, enough to get on a bus.

The poetry series is built on evenings such as this, an open forum where people from different backgrounds can express themselves through writing. Often, it draws regulars and newcomers alike.

Erin Moore, 21, of Ventnor, stepped up to the mic at World Above for the first time that night. At the end of her two minutes, she was met with applause.

My friends go to Stockton. They told me about it. We come out here a lot to write and participate and things like that, she said. Theres a huge artistic community around here, (but) its not really open to everybody, so I try to bring more people out here every time we come out, and its nice to see things outside of my artistic community, because I play a lot of music, I do a lot of art. But poetry is something I just started participating in more often.

Seeing poets be so open about their emotions is refreshing, she said. The support from the other writers is great, too, she noted.

Moore said Ventnor Coffee in Ventnor also has a great open mic night, but what sets this one apart is its diversity.

There are a lot of different races and creeds and ages, all in here, she said. This is really great, actually, and everyone has a different story.

Stockton University professor Emari DiGiorgio, who runs the series, also loves the fact the series draws together different people.

I think thats the real power of poetry. I think thats why poetry is so essential and needful, because it transcends all of those boundaries, she said. For two hours in that room, regardless of background, upbringing and current experience, everyone is in that room and celebrating each others work.

Having this community space wasnt always a reality. Several years ago, when DiGiorgio graduated from New York University and returned to South Jersey, she felt a void. The only events like open mics were run through Stockton, she said.

Though they were wonderful, she said, there wasnt much outreach to the community outside of academia.

We have everything down here, but its just on a smaller scale. It felt like it could happen if someone was willing to do the organizing, she said.

What started out as a small collective of poets in 2012 at a library and, at other times, reading their poetry on a playground, eventually blossomed into a monthly series with a featured guest poet each night.

Peter Murphy, who read at the recent open mic and is the founder of Murphy Writing at Stockton University, which offers workshops and getaways for writers, was one of the original participants. According to DiGiorgio, Murphys participation was not only important to the foundation of the series but to the communitys poetry scene as well.

The way Murphy tells it, his venture was an accident.

Teaching at Atlantic City High School, the poet had little time to write. In 1990, he decided to take a weekend trip to a hotel to do some work.

As Murphy began to go away more frequently, others expressed a similar desire, and he rented out a block of hotel rooms in Cape May for 20 fellow writers. In 1994, he founded the Winter Poetry and Prose Getaway.

Then it grew to over 200 people over the years. Now were in our 24th year, he said. About six years ago, we decided to move from Cape May to the Stockton Seaview Hotel.

In 2014, Murphy said, Stockton was so impressed, they asked Murphy Writing to become a part of the university.

It was not only fulfilling for me but also helped to serve the community, he said.

As one of the first featured poets invited to the World Above poetry night, he likes the sense of community the series creates, too.

Its a rare thing when people from the community and academy get together on an equal basis and share their writing, he said. Its a wonderful spirit and an ego-free zone (where poets can) feel comfortable.

Artist and poet Belinda Manning, of Pleasantville, has been participating at World Above for four years. With a younger generation stepping up to the mic, Manning said, everything has come full circle for her.

It is like a cycle for me. Its not nostalgic, because its bigger than nostalgia for me today. Being in this space, which is like a coffeehouse, is like those times we used to gather in coffee houses on Atlantic Avenue in the 60s, she said. So its seeing my youth return but seeing it return with young people re-creating that space. Thats whats happening here.

Manning said the juxtaposition of young and old people, as well as the camaraderie theyve built, is a strength of the series.

Youth are re-creating what brought richness to the city, art to the city. A sense of joy and community, she said. Its important to have a strong writing community but a creative community, a community that continues to create whether its visual art, written word or spoken word, because its what gives us life  it connects us.

Murphy also didnt downplay the importance of the arts in the community.

Arts in general, and poetry in particular, its a way of personal growth and also a way of advancing civilization, community development, Murphy said. If more people read poetry, maybe we would have fewer wars, less political disagreements.

In spite of Atlantic Citys challenges DiGiorgio said the arts are alive and well.

The arts are not dead here, she said. As much as Atlantic City is experiencing financial and other types of turmoil.

Murphy said as Stockton completes its building in Atlantic City, he sees an opportunity to have structured programs, particularly for youth. He said Murphy Writing also hopes to do more workshops which will generate people coming to Atlantic City, a place he loves.

Its quirky and got a personality, its got a history  a great history and its a place where people are proud to be (from) there, Murphy said. When the casinos first came it called itself the Little Apple.

He laughed.

Thats chutzpah, its got attitude.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Crowds at the first Hope for Atlantic City Music and Arts Festival enjoyed a little music and a lot of good will Sunday, raising awareness of the nonprofit organization.

Our organization does Christian community development, said member David Cohen. Every year, we try to think of new ways to fundraise and get the word out about what were doing.

Cohen said the group, which was started in 2011 by the New City Fellowship of Atlantic City, works with impoverished communities in Atlantic City. It offers youth mentoring, home repairs, economic development and employment assistance.

Cohen said the festival was the brainchild of Aaron Palermo, who is president of the groups board of directors. Palermos band played in the amphitheater as the sun began to sink behind the trees Sunday afternoon at Tony Canale Park.

Joanne Westcott, of Galloway Township, had heard about the festival through the Aaron Palermo bands Facebook page. She said it was good to support an organization that does good for the local community.

As a Christian, thats what were supposed to do, Westcott said.

Lisa Volek, of Brick Township, comes to Atlantic City every summer to participate in New City Fellowship.

I love what theyre doing. I think we should all contribute to make positive change, Volek said as she listened to the band with her friends, Margaret Cintron of Staten Island, New York and Liz Caponigro of Tega Cay, South Carolina.

Both Cintron and Caponigro used to be locals, they said, and decided to attend the festival while they were in town.

I think its a great cause, Caponigro said.

In addition to music, there were crafters, face painting and food.

I hope we can do it every year, said Julia Beckner, of Egg Harbor Township.

Beckner is a member of New City Fellowship.

Its important to raise awareness and raise money for the city, she said. Our youth are our future.
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GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  A 59-year-old man died when he was struck by a bus Saturday night as he crossed the White Horse Pike near Jimmie Leeds Road.

Police said they will not release the identity of the victim until his family is notified.

The accident occurred at 10:50 p.m., police said.

A NJ Transit bus driven by Adalber Fabian was heading east on Route 30 when it hit the man as he crossed the highway. Police said the conditions were clear at the time.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The driver and passengers on the bus were not injured. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police closed the eastbound lane for two hours to investigate. Assisting were members of the Galloway Township Ambulance Squad, AtlantiCare medics, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office, NJ Transit personnel and the state Medical Examiners Office.

Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Steve Garrison at 609-652-3705.
ATLANTIC CITY  The Atlantic City Tattoo Expo has grown every year since its inception in 2001, giving attendees the chance to see the work of big-name tattoo artists and get tattoos themselves.

But sometimes the draw is for the locals, who come out to see their favorite hometown artists and get a new piece.

John Mason, 30, of Northfield, got his first tattoo when he was 18. The Egg Harbor Township High School history teacher had never been to the Tattoo Expo until this year, when he heard Greg DiGiancinto, of Mr. Blue Sky Tattoo in Egg Harbor Township, would be there.

I met him in Mays Landing about five years ago, Mason said Sunday, the third day of the expo.

He said he enjoys DiGiancintos tattoo style, which he described as colorful, classic and American traditional in the best way possible.

As Mason waited patiently for his turn to get tattooed, he took in the bustling atmosphere inside the Ballys Event Center.

I think its kind of awesome, he said.

The expo included more than artists. Vendors were selling everything from tattoo machines, clothing and rum to smoking products, barbering and beard styling products.

The event is hosted by Goodtime Tricycle Productions, which puts on myriad local events, including the A.C. Beer and Music Festival and the Atlantic City Seafood Festival.

Bryan Peraino, 41, of Toms River, was getting a tattoo of a samurai face from his former apprentice, Jordan Ocello, 29, of White Lotus Tattoos in Toms River.

Peraino said he enjoyed coming to the Tattoo Expo to meet up with old friends.

Were all from different shops, so its a good chance for us to work together when we usually cant, Peraino said.

Gina Zegarelli, 29, of Yorktown, New York, came specifically to get tattooed by former Ink Master contestant Duffy Fortner. Fortner, 30, works in a family-owned shop in Calvert County, Maryland. Her husband made appoints with Fortner for his wife, and with James Vaughn, another Ink Master contestant, for himself.

In fact, the tattoo expo hosted many former contestants from the popular Spike television show.

Zegarelli said the expo was a chance to get tattooed by someone well known who she might not otherwise have had the opportunity to work with.

Mariah Racer, 25, and her sister, Katiria Banasiak, 37, of Galloway Township, were getting elephant tattoos in memory of their mother, who died earlier this year.

The two came specifically to see Jamilyn Corpes, of The Inkuisition of Egg Harbor Township.

Im a local, so its a matter of networking and getting our name out there, said Corpes, of Somers Point.

DiGiacinto, 40, of Mays Landing, has been tattooing for 17 years and recently began making his own machines. He said he has been coming to the Expo since it started.

Everybody gets tattooed, he said. It used to be the other way around.

He said he attends several expos a year, but loves being home in Atlantic City.

I grew up here. I love this city, DiGiacinto said.
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.




MONTREAL, November 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Rock Chip Sample of 17.2 g/t Au (*) from New High Grade Gold Occurrence Identified 8 Kilometers North of Eleonore

ALGOLD RESOURCES LTD. (TSX.V: ALG - the "Corporation") today announced partial assay results from its Phase II - 10,000-meter drilling campaign carried out on the Tijirit property ("Tijirit") in Mauritania.

Highlights

These most recent results have extended the potential target to a 3.4-kilometer strike mineralized corridor within the Eleonore Zone, which is delineated by three high-grade areas: the north, central and south areas. The north area extends over 900 meters, and the central and south areas extend over 500 meters and over 800 meters, respectively. All areas appear open along strike and at depth. (Figure 1).

Hole T16RC099 (Eleonore north) - 4 meters @ 3.86 g/t Au extending the width of mineralized section west of T16RC024 (6 m @ 4.23 g/t Au - ref. Algold's press release dated August 16, 2016 )

) Hole T16RC092 (Eleonore north) - 3 meters @ 2.41 g/t Au extending the mineralization 300 meters northeast of the last drill intercept

Hole T16RC116 (Eleonore central) - 4 meters @ 1.33 g/t Au extending the mineralization 50 meters southwest of hole T16RC073

Hole T16RC107 (Eleonore south) - 3 meters @ 2.54 g/t Au (new vein), and 6 meters @ 1.68 g/t Au extending the mineralization below hole T16RC028 to 150 meters vertical (Figure 2)

"These recent results, validating the presence of numerous parallel quartz veins, substantially enlarge the width of the mineralized corridor," stated Francois Auclair, Algold's President and Chief Executive Officer, "Accordingly, we anticipate a considerable increase in the mineralised volume within the structural corridor, which should represent a significant contribution to the resources estimate which is schedule to be delivered in late Q4 2016 or early Q1 2017."

The gold mineralization at Eleonore is made up of a series of sheared quartz veins displaying variable gold grades, widths and strike orientations, forming a continuum over 3.4 kilometers of strike. The northern area displays the highest-grade gold mineralization (Figure 2), the central area (Figure 3) appears to be made up of one or two high-grade gold veins and the southern area seems to host a large array, or swarm, of quartz veins of all types (Figure 4). Gold grades appear possibly related with both the size of the vein and their sulphide mineralization content.

Algold also announced the discovery of a new high-grade gold occurrence, the Nour discovery, which is located eight kilometers along strike, north of the Eleonore Zone. Preliminary assay results from panel chip samples (* over an area of 2X1 metres) taken at the base of a series 2 metres pit are very promising with the highest-grade sample returning 17.2 g/t Au. Nour consists of a series of gold bearing vitreous quartz veins striking over 400 meters, open along strike, and up to several meters wide. The structure resembles the type of mineralization observed at Eleonore. (Figure 5)

The mineralization at Eleonore is indicative of high strain deformations with boudinage and pinch and swell along strike. Several diamond core holes will be drilled to help assess the structural pattern of this area and to assist with resource modelling and future drill hole placement.

Algold expects to complete the Phase II drilling program in December 2016. The results of the combined Phase I and Phase II drilling programs, as well as previous operators' results will serve as the basis for a resource estimate, which is scheduled to be completed in late 2016 or early 2017.

Detailed geological descriptions of all mineralized zones can be found on Algold's website (http://www.algold.com) and on SEDAR (http://www.sedar.com) in the report entitled "Algold 43-101 Technical Report: Tijirit Maiden Mineral Resources Estimates for the Tijirit Gold Project in Mauritania".

Table 1: Assay Result Highlights (Partial) - Phase II Reverse-Circulation Drilling Program

Hole ID Prospect East North From To Average Width** UTM UTM (m) (m) Grade* (g/t) (m) T16RC086 Eleonore 482286 2250652 72 74 1,94 2 T16RC088 Eleonore 482437 2250598 74 86 0,45 12 T16RC092 Eleonore 482788 2251071 28 31 2,41 3 T16RC099 Eleonore 482500 2250695 55 58 3,86 4 T16RC107 Eleonore 481772 2248652 79 82 2,54 3 186 192 1,68 6 T16RC116 Eleonore 482181 2249710 94 98 1,33 4 (table continued) Hole ID Prospect Comments T16RC086 Eleonore New vein identified NW of all previous intersections T16RC088 Eleonore Wide zone of quartz veining T16RC092 Eleonore New vein identified 370m NE of previous intercept T16RC099 Eleonore Including 2m @ 6.7 g/t Au T16RC107 Eleonore New vein identified Extends mineralisation 150m below surface T16RC116 Eleonore Extends mineralisation 100m SW * Weighted average grade, composited based on a minimum grade of 0.3 g/t Au with an internal dilution of 0.005 g/t over 2 m and edge grade of 0.25 g/t permitted. No capping of higher values has been applied. ** Down-hole length (believed to be close to true width) Note: Complete assay results will be posted to Algold's website (http://www.algold.com).

Table 2: Nour Vein Partial Rock Chip Assay Results

UTM UTM Au Sample ID East North (g/t) Description Strike Dip A08384 484275 2259186 0.19 Brownish smokey quartz vein 25 SV A08386 484291 2259220 0.28 IBID 25 SV A08387 484301 2259222 0.18 IBID 25 SV A08391 484318 2259273 4.37 IBID 25 SV A08392 484319 2259287 17.2 IBID 25 SV A08393 484307 2259293 Pending IBID 25 SV A08394 484317 2259306 Pending IBID 25 SV A08395 484320 2259320 3.21 IBID 25 SV A08396 484332 2259332 1.58 IBID 25 SV A08397 484331 2259337 3.25 IBID 25 SV A08400 484342 2259352 4.69 IBID 25 SV A11901 484325 2259366 0.21 IBID 25 SV *: Chips samples are made up of panel of 2X1 metres sampling of the vein Projection Datum: WGS84 28N

Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC)

Analytical work for drill core and chips, geochemical samples and rock chip samples is being carried out at the independent ALS Laboratories Ltd. in Loughrea, Co. Galway, Ireland, an ISO 17025 (2005) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Corporation's field camps and put into sealed bags until delivered by a geologist to the ALS preparation laboratory in Nouakchott, Mauritania, where samples are sieved and prepared for shipping. Until the end of 2015, samples were analysed at ALS facility in Bamako, Mali. Since early 2016, samples are analysed at the ALS in Ireland. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried and finely crushed to better than 70%, passing a 2 mm (Tyler 9 mesh, US Std. No.10) screen. A split of up to 1,000 g is taken and pulverized to better than 85%, passing a 75 micron (Tyler 200 mesh) screen, and a 50-gram split is analysed by fire assay with an AA finish. Blanks, duplicates and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis.

This press release has been reviewed for accuracy and compliance under National Instrument 43-101 by Andre Ciesielski, DSc., PGeo., Algold Resources Ltd Lead Consulting Geologist and Qualified Person, and Alastair Gallaugher, C.Geo. (Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society of London), BSc. Geology, Algold's Exploration Manager in Mauritania, Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Andre Ciesielski has further approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release.

ABOUT ALGOLD

Algold Resources Ltd is focused on the exploration and development of gold deposits in West Africa. The board of directors and management team are seasoned resource industry professionals with extensive experience in the exploration and development of world-class gold projects in Africa.

Algold is the operator of all of its exploration licenses in Mauritania. Algold owns 100% of Tijirit, which represents an area of more than 1,000 km[2], situated approximately 25 kilometers southeast of the Tasiast gold mine as well as the Akjout properties, which were acquired from Gryphon Minerals (Australia) through a transaction completed earlier in 2016. Exploration is being carried out on the Eleonore, Sophie I, Sophie II-III and Lily zones. The Kneivissat property is 90% owned by Algold and the Legouessi property is being managed through a 51% earn-in interest agreement with Caracal Gold LLC. Algold can earn up to a 90% interest in the Legouessi exploration permit (reference Algold's press release dated October 10, 2013 for more details), however, Caracal has the right to participate in the joint venture at either 51% or 75% by funding its share of expenditures.

CAUTIONARY LANGUAGE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains and refers to forward-looking information based on current expectations. All other statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements (or forward-looking information). The Corporation's plans involve various estimates and assumptions and its business is subject to various risks and uncertainties. For more details on these estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, see the Corporation's most recent Annual Information Form and most recent Management Discussion and Analysis on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and 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 that are included herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Algold Resources Ltd., 1320, boul. Graham, bureau 132, Mont-Royal, Quebec, H3P 3C8, http://www.algold.com; Francois Auclair M.Sc., PGeo, President & Chief Executive Officer, f.auclair@algold.com, +1(514)889-5089; Yves Grou, CPA CA, Executive Vice Chairman, y.grou@algold.com, +1(514)237-7757
NABLUS, Palestine, November 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) accepted the full membership application made by the Palestine Exchange (PEX) in 2015; the federation approval was given during the 56th annual general assembly held this year in Cartagena, Colombia between 2-4 Nov., 2016. Chairman of PEX, Dr. Farouq Zuaiter and CEO, Mr. Ahmad Aweidah attended the meetings.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161106/436540 )



Dr. Zuaiter thanked the WFE members and board of directors, in his acceptance speech, for their confidence in PEX saying that the upgrade to the full membership was a result of the long journey of developments and achievements witnessed by Palestine securities sector during the past few years in terms of the regulatory environment, market surveillance and PEX's commitment to the highest levels of transparency, disclosure and investor protection, in spite of Palestine geopolitical conditions, the surrounding regional environment and challenging economic conditions.

Mr. Aweidah pointed out that this is a new milestone for PEX and a step towards positioning Palestine on the global investment map. He added that membership within the WFE is an important indicator for many institutional investors and investment funds, reflecting compliance with international standards, in the same context he pointed out that joining the WFE is an international recognition that the PEX applies international trading standards in its operations.

The Palestine Exchange started in the WFE as correspondent member and was upgraded in 2011 to an affiliate member. In August 2015 PEX submitted its application for full membership, a WFE verification committee made an on-site inspection visit to PEX and other stakeholders of Palestine securities sector, and based on that the WFE board of directors recommended the ratification on the decision to the General assembly meeting held in Cartagena, Colombia making PEX the 65th member of the WFE.

The upgrade to the Frontier Market status within the FTSE indices

In another context, the FTSE Russell indices upgraded PEX to Frontier Market status during its annual review conducted by the Group in September with effect from the 21st of Sept., 2016.

Commenting on this, Mr. Aweidah pointed that the exchange operates within a solid regulatory environment, uses best of breed technology and complies with financial markets best practice. He expressed his confidence that the new status within FTSE indices will enhance PEX competitive position among regional markets, giving it greater momentum and a wider spread globally.

Media contact:

Mohammad Khraim

+970 9 2390999

Mohammad.khraim@pex.ps



http://www.pex.ps

SOURCE Palestine Exchange (PEX)
BARCELONA, November 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Founding Members Brocade, Cisco, Dell EMC, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Juniper, NetApp, SAP, SUSE and T-Systems join forces to develop a common framework aimed at improving quality and reliability.

A group of technology companies announced that they have joined together to establish a Zero Outage industry standard to safeguard quality and reliability of IT infrastructure. The common goal of the group is to maximize availability and customer satisfaction by improving stability and security by defining an industry best practice based on a Zero Outage framework.

The association's founding members are: Brocade, Cisco, Dell EMC, HDS, HPE, Juniper, NetApp, SAP,

SUSE and T-Systems.

The digital world is increasingly dependent on IT. A technical defect, human error or untrained process execution can be a threat to everyday operations. Therefore manufacturers and service companies are growing a sense of urgency for an uninterruptible supply of their services. With the Zero Outage Industry Standard Association, major tech-companies want to start an industry-wide discussion and work out a common understanding of quality.

In order to enable highly stable operations, companies need to be able to control the quality of platforms, people, processes and security throughout the whole supply chain. The Zero Outage Industry Standard association intends to specify consistent error response times, employee qualification levels and set security and platform requirements. This can help companies to minimize errors, increase availability, ensure security and operate cost-effectively.

The association members all come from different fields of the IT industry. The aim is to work together as partners and develop an industry wide known and respected "Best Practice" approach to ensure a stable and secure IT environment. The framework will be published on http://www.zero-outage.com/

Quotes:

Richard Nicolas, Chief Customer Office, Dell: "Dell focuses on delivering the best technology, service, end-to-end processes, and security to enable industries around the world to conduct business continuously with zero interruption. To achieve this, we are a member of the Zero Outage Association, where we focus on eliminating outages while navigating the digital shift, and resiliency in a world of heterogeneous ICT."

Bernd Leukert, Member of the Executive Board, SAP SE, Products & Innovation: "For more than four decades now, SAP customers are relying on high availability of mission critical systems for their core business processes. Today they expect a 7x24 service availability that includes the Internet of Things, real-time and mobile use cases. With the Zero Outage Industry Standard Association we want to improve overall IT capabilities with Zero Outage as our ultimate goal.

Reinhard Clemens, CEO T-Systems International GmbH: "Zero Outage started as a quality program at T-Systems and has now grown into an industry standard. Together with our partners, we provide top quality and increase customer satisfaction. The focus on Zero Outage is indispensable for our interconnected world and a mandatory thing for digitization."

Jim Tooley, VP Global Services & Support, Brocade: "As a founder member of the Zero outage standard, Brocade is excited to be at the start of what will be industry changing. Driving infrastructures that meet the zero outage standard will mean greater productivity as we move into the full digitization of data and help organisations to embrace digital transformation."

Michael Jores, SUSE Regional Director Central Europe: "Service uptime is key in today's Digital age. Expectations for reliable and round-the-clock access require companies to ensure availability through leading-edge business processes and mission-critical-enabled infrastructure. Together with partners, SUSE is committed to provide this reliable infrastructure Joining with Zero Outage will provide new insight and practices to enable today's companies to deliver secure, reliable services and solutions."

Alexander Wallner, NetApp Senior Vice President & General Manager EMEA: "Today's businesses run on digitized data. In this data-driven world, 24/7 systems availability and the ability to react in real-time are indispensable - any interruption to core business applications threatens a company's ability to execute, putting itself and customers at risk. We are proud to be a founding member of the Zero Outage Industry Standard initiative to improve the quality of IT infrastructure."

Daniel Dalle Carbonare, Vice President, EMEA Central Region & General Manager Germany, Hitachi Data Systems: "Hitachi Data Systems solutions and services help lay the foundation for successful digital transformation with a unified and strategic approach to a company's most valuable and strategic asset: Its data. For over 100 years, we have been known for highest service levels and data availability and know that availability is paramount in our era of maximum business continuity. We are honored and very pleased to be a founding member or the Zero Outage Consortium in order to shape strategies and requirements for the benefit of always-on businesses and societies."

Cedrik Neike, Senior Vice President, Global Services Provider, APJ & EMEAR, Cisco: "The aim of the Zero Outage Association addresses a critical challenge for our customers as they digitise their businesses. Cisco understands the interdependence of technology, processes, skilled workforces and partnerships towards achieving zero downtime. As a founding member, we can share our expertise to help this initiative achieve its goals for the greater benefit of our customers."

About Zero Outage Industry Standard:

Zero Outage Industry Standard is an association based in London, United Kingdom. Founding members include renowned companies within the IT-sector: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., EMC Corporation, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS), Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE), Juniper Networks, Inc., NetApp, Inc., SAP SE, SUSE PLC and T-Systems International GmbH. The Zero Outage industry standard association is providing a framework of best practices and standards to enable the delivery of secure, reliable and highly available end-to-end IT services and solutions. The goal is to develop a common standard for IT processes, platforms, people and security to safeguard quality and reliability at all levels.

Zero Outage Useful Contacts

Marketing & Communications

Email: info@zero-outage.com

Further information for media representatives: http://www.zero-outage.com/



Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zero_outage

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zero-outage-industry-standard

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vQhKN0fY2M



SOURCE T-Systems
BERWYN, Pa., Nov. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The NCHERM Group, LLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Henry, J.D. as a full-time Investigator within the NCHERM-i division of the firm, effective January 10th, 2017.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161103/436008LOGO

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NCHERM-i is the civil rights and discrimination investigation division of The NCHERM Group, LLC, a law firm exclusively serving the needs of higher education and K-12 school clients. Since 2000, The NCHERM Group has provided more than 1,000 campus sexual misconduct and related discrimination investigations, and now oversees 16 investigators within the NCHERM-i division. Henry will be one of three lead investigators working under the supervision of the four NCHERM Group Partners as this practice area expands rapidly for The NCHERM Group.

As colleges, universities, and schools more frequently recognize the need for external investigations, they seek the advantages of using independent investigators to achieve unbiased results that are free from conflicts-of-interest. The NCHERM-i division's investigators have been carefully selected from the top investigators in the field and have been trained by the foremost leaders of the field. Providing an average of six investigations a week, NCHERM-i investigators have deep and broad experience in all forms of discrimination allegations.

By design, all NCHERM-i investigators are former campus-based Title IX coordinators and investigators who are also attorneys. Their knowledge of campus culture, on-the-ground logistics, student interaction know-how, sensitivity to campus politics, working with minors, and understanding of the current legal climate is unparalleled.

These qualities position NCHERM Group investigators to deliver the best investigation possible to clients. Their interviews are thorough, their reports are comprehensive, their analysis is finely honed, and their work product is delivered promptly. NCHERM-i manages high-profile, scandalous, and complex allegations professionally and expertly. Your toughest case is something The NCHERM Group takes on every day.

The NCHERM Group President & CEO Brett Sokolow stated, "Michael Henry has served the firm ably as an Affiliated Consultant for the past year, but his expertise, experience, and the in-demand nature of his investigatory skills all pointed to the need to appoint him as a full-time, lead investigator. I am delighted to welcome Michael to the team, and look forward to the high-quality investigations he will provide to our clients."

Henry added, "I am excited to make the transition from Affiliated Consultant to Lead Investigator with The NCHERM Group early in 2017. This is a great opportunity for me to use my skills and experience to serve a broader range of both clients and students."

Until his employment with The NCHERM Group full-time, Michael has been the Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Lead Title IX Investigator, and Director of the Office for Student Rights & Resolution at Texas Tech University. There, he investigated and adjudicated cases of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and relationship violence, as well as incidents of hazing and other forms of organizational misconduct within the university's Greek community. He is a graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law and has experience in civil litigation, as well as having worked in the Appellate Division of the Lubbock District Attorney's Office. He has developed and implemented student-focused Title IX policies and procedures and provided education and prevention programming to faculty, staff, and students. Michael has served as a Faculty Fellow at the ASCA Gehring Academy and as faculty for various ATIXA certification trainings.

Henry has authored and revised extensive portions of the university's conduct policy and procedure, trained University Discipline Committees, and developed online content related to Title IX and sexual misconduct. He has also authored and revised institutional and system-wide operating policies related to discrimination, harassment, and Title IX. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Texas Tech University.

Media contact:

Michelle Issadore

[email protected]

610-993-0229

SOURCE The NCHERM Group
WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Third Quarter 2016 Highlights

Net Sales of $1.4 billion

Net Income of $204 million , or $1.11 per diluted share, including gain on asset sales of $169 million , impairment charges of $46 million , interest expense of $51 million and restructuring costs of $14 million

, or per diluted share, including gain on asset sales of , impairment charges of , interest expense of and restructuring costs of Adjusted EBITDA of $268 million

Adjusted Net Income of $112 million , or $0.61 per diluted share

Other Highlights

Continued progress on all transformation plan objectives, including cost reductions, growth initiatives and portfolio rationalization

Improved cash from operating activities by ~$440 million year-to-date

year-to-date Retired $315 million of long term debt through October 31, 2016

of long term debt through Generated ~$685 million in gross proceeds from Chemical Solutions divestitures

in gross proceeds from Chemical Solutions divestitures Increased full-year Adjusted EBITDA outlook to be between $740 and $775 million based on a net income range of approximately $265 to $290 million

The Chemours Company (Chemours) (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions, today announced financial results for the third quarter 2016.

Chemours President and CEO Mark Vergnano said, "We continue to make excellent progress on all aspects of our transformation plan, realizing an incremental $60 million of cost savings during the quarter. We are benefiting from the OpteonTM refrigerant ramp up and the expansion of our low-cost TiO 2 capacity at Altamira, while at the same time, delivering our planned cost reductions." He continued, "We successfully completed the Chemical Solutions portfolio review during the quarter, generating substantial proceeds. And, in the quarter, our Titanium Technologies business benefited from more favorable market conditions, while the fluoropolymers market remained challenged. Transformation initiatives are pervasive throughout the company and our results speak for themselves."

Third quarter net sales were $1.4 billion, a decrease of 6 percent from $1.5 billion in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to the impact of divestitures. Third quarter net income was $204 million, or $1.11 per diluted share, versus net loss of $29 million, or ($0.16) per diluted share in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter was $268 million versus $169 million in the prior-year quarter. Benefits from cost reductions, improved average prices in Titanium Technologies and improved profitability in Fluoroproducts was partially offset by the loss of Adjusted EBITDA from the asset sales within Chemical Solutions.

Sequentially, sales increased 1 percent to $1.4 billion in the third quarter. Third quarter net income was $222 million higher, or $1.21 per diluted share, versus the second quarter net loss of $18 million or ($0.10) per diluted share. The sales improvement was largely driven by higher seasonal volumes in Titanium Technologies and Fluoroproducts supplemented by higher TiO 2 pricing. Third quarter Adjusted EBITDA increased $81 million from $187 million in the second quarter of 2016. Improved pricing in Titanium Technologies and OpteonTM refrigerant growth in Fluoroproducts were the primary drivers of the improved sequential performance, which were partially offset by unfavorable Corporate and Other expenses.

Titanium Technologies

In the third quarter, Titanium Technologies segment sales were $625 million, a 1 percent increase versus the prior-year quarter. Improved year-over-year global average TiO 2 pricing increased sales 2 percent which was partially offset by minimal currency headwinds. Year-over-year, TiO 2 volume was higher in all regions outside of China. Segment Adjusted EBITDA was $144 million, an 80 percent increase over the prior-year quarter. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the benefits of price increases, transformation plan cost savings, and operational efficiencies.

Sequentially, versus the second quarter of 2016, sales increased 5 percent and Adjusted EBITDA increased $33 million, or 30 percent. The increase in sales was due to slightly stronger volumes and a higher global average price increase of approximately 3 percent. A volume increase of 2 percent was the result of stronger demand primarily in Asia and Latin America. Higher Adjusted EBITDA was driven by the benefits of global average price increases, stronger volumes and better utilization resulting in lower costs.

Fluoroproducts

Fluoroproducts segment sales in the third quarter were $591 million, an increase of 3 percent versus the prior-year quarter. A substantial increase in demand for Opteon refrigerants was mostly offset by government-imposed volume reductions of base refrigerants as well as competitive pricing pressure within fluoropolymers. Segment Adjusted EBITDA was $143 million, a 57 percent improvement versus the prior-year quarter. Increased contributions from Opteon refrigerants and transformation cost reductions were partially offset by unfavorable pricing and mix within our fluoropolymers product lines.

Sequentially, versus the second quarter of 2016, sales and Adjusted EBITDA increased 3 percent and 36 percent, respectively. The Opteon refrigerants ramp up and strong demand for certain fluoropolymers products more than offset regulatory-driven lower demand in base refrigerant sales. In addition to Opteon refrigerant growth, the increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily attributed to cost reductions.

Chemical Solutions

In the third quarter, Chemical Solutions segment sales were $182 million, a 38 percent decline versus the prior-year quarter. Lower sales were driven by the divestitures of the Clean and Disinfect business, Sulfur Products and Beaumont Aniline facility, as well as reduced average prices based on contractual pass-through terms. Segment Adjusted EBITDA was $9 million, $1 million above the prior-year quarter, reflecting lower operating costs partially offset by the impacts of the divestitures.

Sequentially, sales decreased 15 percent versus the second quarter of 2016, while Adjusted EBITDA was $2 million lower driven primarily by portfolio changes completed in the current quarter.

In the third quarter, we completed the sales of Sulfur Products and the Clean and Disinfect business to Veolia and LANXESS, respectively, for combined proceeds of approximately $544 million. Also, consistent with the company's plan to streamline the portfolio and deliver cost savings in 2017, the company ceased production at the Niagara Reactive Metals facility at the end of September.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other represented a negative $28 million of Adjusted EBITDA, an increase of $18 million versus the prior-year quarter. Higher expenses were primarily related to performance-related compensation adjustments and other miscellaneous expenses in the quarter. Versus the second quarter of 2016, Corporate and Other expenses declined $12 million largely due to timing of expenses.

The company realized a cash tax rate of approximately 16 percent in the quarter. For the full year 2016, the company expects its cash tax rate to be in the low-twenties on a percentage basis, taking into consideration the company's anticipated geographic mix of earnings and implications of all divestitures during the year.

Liquidity

As of September 30, 2016, gross consolidated debt was $3.8 billion. Debt, net of cash, was $2.8 billion. In the quarter, the company retired approximately $115 million of its bonds. Cash balances were $957 million at September 30, 2016. In October 2016, the company retired an additional $107 million of its bonds, resulting in over $315 million of total long term debt retired year-to-date. As a result, the company expects to save approximately $19 million annually from lower interest obligations.

Improved inventory management along with the start of seasonal working capital unwind drove strong progress in working capital results and led to free cash flow of $132 million, up $124 million versus the previous-year quarter. Year-to-date working capital1 performance and free cash flow improved by $448 million and $601 million, respectively, versus the prior-year.

Outlook

"We remain disciplined and focused on executing our Five-Point Transformation Plan," Vergnano commented. "We expect the transformation plan improvements, along with a stronger price environment for TiO 2 and increased OpteonTM refrigerants adoption to continue to enhance earnings, despite loss of earnings from divestitures, base refrigerant sales timing and unfavorable Fluoropolymers mix. We now expect full-year 2016 Adjusted EBITDA to be between $740 million and $775 million. We are pleased with the progress we have made year-to-date, and believe we are in a stronger position as we move forward."

Conference Call

As previously announced, Chemours will hold a conference call and webcast on Monday, November 7, 2016 at 8:30 AM EST. The webcast and additional presentation materials can be accessed by visiting the Events & Presentations page of Chemours' investor website, investors.chemours.com. A webcast replay of the conference call will be available on the Chemours' investor website.

About The Chemours Company

The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC) helps create a colorful, capable and cleaner world through the power of chemistry. Chemours is a global leader in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts and chemical solutions, providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. Chemours ingredients are found in plastics and coatings, refrigeration and air conditioning, mining and oil refining operations and general industrial manufacturing. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Teflon, Ti-Pure, Krytox, Viton, Opteon and Nafion. Chemours has approximately 8,000 employees across 25 manufacturing sites serving more than 5,000 customers in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC. For more information please visit chemours.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). Within this press release, we make reference to Adjusted Net Income (Loss), Adjusted Diluted Income (Loss) per share and Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, which are non-GAAP financial measures. Free Cash Flow is defined as Cash from Operations minus cash used for PP&E purchases. The company includes these non-GAAP financial measures because management believes they are useful to investors in that they provide for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making.

Management uses Adjusted Net Income (Loss), Adjusted Diluted Income (Loss) per share, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow to evaluate the company's performance excluding the impact of certain non-cash charges and other special items which we expect to be infrequent in occurrence in order to have comparable financial results to analyze changes in our underlying business from quarter to quarter.

Accordingly, the company believes the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures, when used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, is a useful financial analysis tool that can assist investors in assessing the company's operating performance and underlying prospects. This analysis should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. This analysis, as well as the other information in this press release, should be read in conjunction with the company's financial statements and footnotes contained in the documents that the company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The non-GAAP financial measures used by the company in this press release may be different from the methods used by other companies. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the attached schedules or the table, "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to GAAP Financial Measures" and materials posted to the website at investors.chemours.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which often may be identified by their use of words like "plans," "expects," "will," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "anticipates" or other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address, among other things, our anticipated future operating and financial performance, business plans and prospects, transformation plans, resolution of environmental liabilities, litigation and other contingencies, plans to increase profitability, our ability to pay or the amount of any dividend, and target leverage that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be realized. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements also are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements, as further described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Chemours undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT:

MEDIA:

Alvenia Scarborough

Director, Brand Marketing and Corporate Communications

+1.302.773.4507

[email protected]

INVESTORS:

Alisha Bellezza

Treasurer and Director of Investor Relations

+1.302.773.2263

[email protected]

The Chemours Company

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)



Three months ended

Nine months ended

September 30,

September 30,

2016

2015

2016

2015 Net sales $ 1,398



$ 1,486



$ 4,078



$ 4,357

Cost of goods sold 1,056



1,222



3,267



3,615

Gross profit 342



264



811



742

Selling, general and administrative expense 148



157



454



481

Research and development expense 19



18



60



68

Restructuring and asset related charges, net 60



184



145



245

Goodwill impairment 



25







25

Total expenses 227



384



659



819

Equity in earnings of affiliates 9



7



17



18

Interest expense, net (51)



(51)



(157)



(79)

Other income, net 161



57



250



71

Income (loss) before income taxes 234



(107)



262



(67)

Provision (benefit from) for income taxes 30



(78)



25



(63)

Net income (loss) 204



(29)



237



(4)

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 













Net income (loss) attributable to Chemours $ 204



$ (29)



$ 237



$ (4)

















Per share data













Basic earnings (loss) per share of common stock $ 1.12



$ (0.16)



$ 1.31



$ (0.02)

Diluted earnings per share of common stock $ 1.11



$ (0.16)



$ 1.30



$ (0.02)

Dividends per share of common stock $ 0.03



$ 0.03



$ 0.09



$ 0.58



The Chemours Company

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)



September 30,

2016

December 31,

2015

(Unaudited)



Assets





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 957



$ 366

Accounts and notes receivable - trade, net 881



859

Inventories 846



972

Prepaid expenses and other 73



104

Total current assets 2,757



2,301

Property, plant and equipment 8,218



9,015

Less: Accumulated depreciation (5,393)



(5,838)

Net property, plant and equipment 2,825



3,177

Goodwill 153



166

Other intangible assets, net 18



10

Investments in affiliates 169



136

Other assets 367



508

Total assets $ 6,289



$ 6,298

Liabilities and equity





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 835



$ 973

Short-term borrowings and current maturities of long-term debt 32



39

Other accrued liabilities 569



454

Total current liabilities 1,436



1,466

Long-term debt, net 3,713



3,915

Deferred income taxes 201



234

Other liabilities 558



553

Total liabilities 5,908



6,168

Commitments and contingent liabilities





Equity





Common stock (par value $0.01 per share; 810,000,000 shares authorized; 181,720,722 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2016) 2



2

Additional paid in capital 781



775

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) 117



(115)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (523)



(536)

Total Chemours stockholders' equity 377



126

Noncontrolling interests 4



4

Total equity 381



130

Total liabilities and equity $ 6,289



$ 6,298



The Chemours Company

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions)



Nine months ended

September 30,

2016

2015 Operating activities





Net income (loss) $ 237



$ (4)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to cash used for operating activities:





Depreciation and amortization 212



201

Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount 15



5

Gain on sale of assets and business (258)





Equity in earnings of affiliates (17)



(18)

Deferred tax benefits (29)



(86)

Asset related charges 109



191

Other operating charges and credits, net 33



17

(Increase) decrease in operating assets:





Accounts and notes receivable - trade, net (63)



(250)

Inventories and other operating assets 113



(29)

Decrease in operating liabilities:





Accounts payable and other operating liabilities (28)



(147)

Cash provided by (used for) operating activities 324



(120)

Investing activities





Purchases of property, plant and equipment (235)



(392)

Purchase of Intangible Assets 





Proceeds from sales of assets and business, net of cash transferred 707



8

Foreign exchange contract settlements (1)



61

Investment in affiliates (2)



(32)

Cash provided by (used for) investing activities 469



(355)

Financing activities





Proceeds from issuance of debt, net 



3,490

Debt repayments (212)



(6)

Deferred financing fees (2)



(79)

Dividends paid (16)



(100)

Cash provided at separation by DuPont 



247

Net transfers to DuPont 



(2,857)

Cash (used for) provided by financing activities (230)



695

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 28



(5)

Increase in cash and cash equivalents 591



215

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 366





Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 957



$ 215









Non-cash investing activities:





Change in property, plant and equipment included in accounts payable $ 9



$ (42)



The Chemours Company

Segment Financial and Operating Data (Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions)

Segment Net Sales Three months ended



Three months ended Sequential

September 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

June 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

2016 2015

2016 Titanium Technologies $ 625

$ 616

$ 9



$ 596

$ 29

Fluoroproducts 591

575

16



573

18

Chemical Solutions 182

295

(113)



214

(32)

Net sales $ 1,398

$ 1,486

$ (88)



$ 1,383

$ 15















Segment Adjusted EBITDA Three months ended



Three months ended Sequential

September 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

June 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

2016 2015

2016 Titanium Technologies $ 144

$ 80

$ 64



$ 111

$ 33

Fluoroproducts 143

91

52



105

38

Chemical Solutions 9

8

1



11

(2)

Corporate and Other (28)

(10)

(18)



(40)

12

Total Adjusted EBITDA $ 268

$ 169

$ 99



$ 187

$ 81















Adjusted EBITDA Margin 19 % 11 %



14 %



Quarterly Change in Net Sales from September 30, 2015





September 30,

2016 Net Sales Percentage

Change vs

2015 Percentage change due to:

Local Price Volume Currency

Effect Portfolio /

Other Total Company $ 1,398

(6)% (1)% % % (5)%













Titanium Technologies $ 625

1% 1% % % % Fluoroproducts $ 591

3% (2)% 5% % % Chemical Solutions $ 182

(38)% (7)% (5)% % (26)%





Quarterly Change in Net Sales from June 30, 2016





September 30,

2016 Net Sales Percentage

Change vs

June 30, 2016 Percentage change due to:

Local Price Volume Currency

Effect Portfolio /

Other Total Company $ 1,398

1% 1% 3% % (3)%













Titanium Technologies $ 625

5% 3% 2% % % Fluoroproducts $ 591

3% % 3% % % Chemical Solutions $ 182

(15)% (3)% 9% % (21)%

The Chemours Company

Segment Financial and Operating Data (Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions)

Segment Net Sales Nine months ended



September 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

2016 2015 Titanium Technologies $ 1,742

$ 1,803

$ (61)

Fluoroproducts 1,695

1,715

(20)

Chemical Solutions 641

839

(198)

Net sales $ 4,078

$ 4,357

$ (279)







Segment Adjusted EBITDA Nine months ended



September 30, Increase /

(Decrease)

2016 2015 Titanium Technologies $ 309

$ 264

$ 45

Fluoroproducts 333

220

113

Chemical Solutions 30

13

17

Corporate and Other (89)

(56)

(33)

Total Adjusted EBITDA $ 583

$ 441

$ 142









Adjusted EBITDA Margin 14 % 10 %



Year-to-date Change in Net Sales from September 30, 2015





2016 Net Sales Percentage

Change vs

2015 Percentage change due to:

Local Price Volume Currency

Effect Portfolio /

Other Total Company $ 4,078

(6)% (4)% 1% (1)% (2)%













Titanium Technologies $ 1,742

(3)% (6)% 3% % % Fluoroproducts $ 1,695

(1)% % 1% (2)% % Chemical Solutions $ 641

(24)% (8)% (4)% % (12)%

The Chemours Company

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Information (Unaudited)

GAAP Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA Tabular Reconciliations

(Dollars in millions)





Three months ended

Nine months ended



September 30,

June 30,

September 30,



2016

2015

2016

2016

2015 Net income (loss) attributable to Chemours

$ 204



$ (29)



$ (18)



$ 237



$ (4)

Non-operating pension and other postretirement employee benefit (income) costs

(5)



(10)



(7)



(19)



5

Exchange losses (gains)

17



(44)



14



37



(47)

Restructuring charges

14



139



9



41



200

Asset related charges1

46



70



63



109



70

(Gain) loss on sale of assets or business

(169)







1



(258)





Transaction costs2

2







12



18





Legal and other charges3

5







13



24





(Benefit from) provision for income taxes relating to reconciling items4

(2)



(53)



(38)



(16)



(82)

Adjusted Net Income

112



73



49



173



142

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests



















Interest expense, net

51



51



50



157



79

Depreciation and amortization

73



70



73



212



201

All remaining provision for (benefit from) income taxes4

32



(25)



15



41



19

Adjusted EBITDA

$ 268



$ 169



$ 187



$ 583



$ 441

































1 The three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 includes $46 million pre-tax asset impairment of our Pascagoula Aniline facility and other asset write-offs. The nine months ended September 30, 2016 also included $58 million pre-tax asset impairment in connection with the sale of the Sulfur business and other asset write-offs, which were recorded in the second quarter of 2016. The three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 includes $25 million of goodwill impairment and $45 asset impairment of the RMS facility. All of these charges are recorded in the Chemical Solutions segment. 2 Includes accounting, legal and bankers transaction fees incurred related to the Company's strategic initiatives, which includes pre-sale transaction costs incurred in connection with the sales of the C&D and Sulfur businesses. 3 Includes litigation settlements, water treatment accruals related to PFOA, and lease termination charges. 4 Total of provision for (benefit from) income taxes reconciles to the amount reported in the Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

Adjusted Net Income diluted earnings per share is calculated using Adjusted Net Income divided by diluted weighted-average shares of common shares outstanding during each period, which includes unvested restricted shares. The table below shows a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator for basic and diluted earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share calculations for the periods indicated:





Three months ended

Nine months ended



September 30,

June 30,

September 30,



2016

2015

2016

2016

2015 Numerator:



















Net income

$ 204



$ (29)



$ (18)



$ 237



$ (4)

Adjusted Net Income

$ 112



$ 73



$ 49



$ 173



$ 142

Denominator:



















Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - Basic

181,596,161



180,968,049



181,477,672



181,452,194



180,968,049

Dilutive effect of the company's employee compensation plans 5

1,932,395



918,680



1,114,845



1,089,738



918,680

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - Diluted

183,528,556



181,886,729



182,592,517



182,541,932



181,886,729























Earnings per share - basic

$ 1.12



$ (0.16)



$ (0.10)



$ 1.31



$ (0.02)

Earnings per share - diluted5

$ 1.11



$ (0.16)



$ (0.10)



$ 1.30



$ (0.02)

Adjusted earnings per share  basic

$ 0.62



$ 0.40



$ 0.27



$ 0.95



$ 0.78

Adjusted earnings per share - diluted5

$ 0.61



$ 0.40



$ 0.27



$ 0.95



$ 0.78











5 Diluted earnings (loss) per share is calculated using net income (loss) available to common shareholders divided by diluted weighted-average shares of common shares outstanding during each period, which includes unvested restricted shares. Diluted earnings per share considers the impact of potentially dilutive securities except in periods in which there is a loss because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have an antidilutive effect.

The Chemours Company

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Information (Unaudited)

Estimated Income Before Income Taxes and Estimated Adjusted EBITDA Tabular Reconciliations

(Dollars in millions)



2016 Full Year Estimate (Dollars in millions) Low

High Net income attributable to Chemours $ 265



$ 290

Non-operating pension and other postretirement employee benefit (income) costs (25)



(20)

Exchange losses1 37



37

Restructuring charges 50



45

Asset related charges2 109



109

Gain on sale of assets or business2 (258)



(258)

Transaction costs, legal and other charges2 42



42

Provision for income taxes relating to reconciling items3 (20)



(20)

Adjusted pre-tax income 200



225

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 





Interest expense, net 210



210

Depreciation and amortization 280



280

All remaining provision for income taxes3 50



60

Adjusted EBITDA $ 740



$ 775











1 The amount represents the year-to-date net exchange losses incurred in the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Full year actual results could differ from the current estimate. and therefore could also change our estimated income before income taxes. Forecasting the remeasurement impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuation is not practical without unreasonable effort. 2 At this time, we cannot estimate additional impairment, gain on sale, transaction costs and legal and other charges. Therefore, the amounts included are the same as the actual amounts reported in the nine months period ended September 30, 2016. 3 Provision for (benefit from) income taxes were estimated based upon current geographical mix of earnings. Actual provision for (benefit from) income tax could defer from current estimate.

GAAP Cash Flow to Free Cash Flow Tabular Reconciliations





Three months ended

Nine months ended



September 30,

June 30,

September 30,



2016

2015

2016

2016

2015 Cash flow provided by (used for) operating activities

$ 199



$ 113



$ 90



$ 324



$ (120)

Cash flow used for purchases of property, plant and

equipment

(67)



(105)



(79)



(235)



(392)

Free cash flows 4

$ 132



$ 8



$ 11



$ 89



$ (512)











4 Cash flows from operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 include the DuPont prepayments outstanding balance of approximately $93 million. Excluding the DuPont prepayment, free cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 would have been negative $4 million.

SOURCE The Chemours Company

Related Links

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Ottawa, Nov 1 : The Canadian government has announced that it will allow 300,000 immigrants into the country in 2017.

This is the same number as in 2016 even though an expert panel has recommended to raise immigration levels.

John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on Monday tabled the immigration proposal for 2017 in the parliament.

"The 2017 levels plan will put Canada in a strong position for the future and support our overall economic and social development as a country," McCallum said.

A government statement said the 2017 levels are "a thoughtful, responsible approach that takes into consideration Canada's need for more immigrants while balancing our fiscal responsibilities."

The announcement comes amid warnings from the Liberal Party's economic council of advisers that Canada needs to raise immigration levels by the tens of thousands in order to ensure better economic growth. The council recommended the government gradually increase immigration levels to 450,000 per year over the next five years, Xinhua news agency reported.

The target number of immigrants from 2011 to 2015 was 260,000, but swelled to 300,000 this year because of what McCallum called the "special circumstances" of the Syrian refugee crisis.

There has been much debate over the targeted immigration number at a time when Canada struggles with high unemployment.

The 2017 target boosts entries for those in the economic class -- skilled workers, business people and care-givers -- to 172,500 from 160,600.

In the family class, the number of sponsored spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparents will climb to 84,000 from 80,000.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh100@gmail.com)
Mumbai, Nov 1 : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat radio address dedicated this Diwali to soldiers defending the countrys borders against tremendous odds, a national organisation of communication professionals has launched a campaign for a War Memorial in Mumbai.

"The financial capital, which also houses the Western Naval Command, should have a permanent War Memorial. Several people from Maharashtra have also sacrificed and continue to do so for the nation," said B.N. Kumar, President of Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).

"This is part of our series of social communication endeavours and we are keen to communicate to all concerned to work on a War Memorial in Mumbai," said PRCI Chairman emeritus M.B. Jayaram.

"Recently, we have seen a war memorial in Dharamsala which is a huge tourist draw and serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by our soldiers. It was heartening to see many tourists saluting the soldiers and taking selfies and posting them on the social media," Kumar said.

PRCI said part of an abandoned mill's lands in Mumbai could be used for the War Memorial -- or between the state government and CIDCO, they could look for a suitable place in Navi Mumbai.

PRCI said it will tweet to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others concerned in this regard.

The War memorial can house war planes, battle tanks and artillery guns, apart from plaques highlighting the sacrifices and achievements of our brave soldiers.

This can also inspire the youth to join the armed forces which offer an adventurous life and are one of the largest employers with decent salaries and perks and even post-retirement benefits.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Bharatiya Janata Party's National Secretary Shrikant Sharma on Tuesday said that the government will speak to the Bangladesh government over reports of vadalisation of Hindu temples there.

"It is unfortunate. Hindus should not be targeted. Our government will speak to Bangladesh government," Sharma said.

At least 15 temples along with hundreds of Hindu community houses were vandalised and looted by an unruly mob in Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district on Sunday, in the aftermath of a social media post allegedly showing disrespect towards Islam.
Damascus, Nov 2 : The Islamic State (IS) militant group has retaken control of 17 areas in Syria's Aleppo province in a counter-attack against the Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey, authorities said on Wednesday.

According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the purpose of this IS attack launched on Tuesday was to fend off the Syrian armed groups operating within 'Operation Euphrates Shield' on al-Bab city, the main stronghold of IS militants in northeast of Aleppo, Efe news reported.

Since Tuesday, the IS has retaken towns, farms and hills, which were held by Syrian rebel groups, backed by Turkish aircraft and tanks.

Since last August 21, Syrian factions and Turkish forces have been fighting together under 'Operation Euphrates Shield' to liberate Aleppo from the IS and stop the advance of Kurdish militias.
Paris, Nov 3 : Stan Wawrinka was shown the door at the Paris Masters during his opening match as Novak Djokovic claimed an easy win and Andy Murray struggled through.

The third-ranked Swiss and US Open champion was knocked out by German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (1) on Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

Wawrinka started out strong, but ran out of gas after being forced into a second-set tiebreak.

Struff broke in the seventh game of the third set but Wawrinka broke back to send the match into a decisive tiebreak, which the German easily won.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, World No. 2 Murray struggled in his Paris Masters opener but managed to rally past Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5 to keep his No. 1 hopes alive.

The 29-year-old Briton needed two and a half hours to see off his opponent.

He faced two break points at 5-5 in the deciding set, and received a time violation warning from umpire Damien Dumusois as he composed himself, before breaking to love in the 12th game to win the match.

It was a 16th victory in a row for Murray, who is bidding for a fourth straight title after winning trophies in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna.

Murray will play 13th seeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the last 16 on Thursday. The pair have met twice in 2016 with Murray winning the clashes on clay at the Italian Open in Rome in May and on hard court at the Shanghai Masters in October.

"Lucas is one of the best of the young players coming through at the moment," said Murray. "He's just outside the top 10 but he'll be inside it very soon. I had to play well to beat him in Shanghai and my level will have to be good if I want to win."

The Scot needs to at least reach the final here to stand a chance of overhauling Novak Djokovic on Monday as the Serbian began his defending campaign with a stright sets defeat of Gilles Muller.

Top seed Djokovic, 29, claimed the encounter 6-3, 6-4 in 80 minutes to advance to the last 16 where he will play the 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

"I try to focus on playing match after match and putting quality and value into my game," he said. "And I know that if I do that, I can challenge anybody in the world on any surface and in any conditions. So I focus on my own quality and what I bring to the court."

Also on Wednesday, 5th seed Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-2, 7-5 to make through into the last 16, while Frenchman Gilles Simons and American John Isner upset seeded opponents to claim spots in the last 16 as well.
Islamabad, Nov 4 : Famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula is to be deported to Afghanistan after serving a 15-day imprisonment and paying a fine of Pakistani Rs 110,000, a special anti-corruption and immigration court ordered on Friday.

Gula, known as the "Mona Lisa" of Afghanistan, has already served 11 days in prison and will be freed on Monday, her lawyer told media. The 46-year-old was arrested last month for fraudulently acquiring a Pakistani ID card, an allegation she has strongly denied.

A special court ordered Sharbat Gula, who featured on NatGeo's famed green-eyed "Afghan Girl" cover, to leave Pakistan by Monday, November 7.

Following the court's verdict, Afghan ambassador Omar Zakhilwal said, "With utmost delight, I announce that Sharbat Gula is now free from the legal troubles she endured over the past couple of weeks. She soon will also be free from an uncertain life of a refugee as she will be on her way back to her own country... where she still is a beloved image and a national icon."

Sharbat Bibi became famously known as the "Afghan Girl" when National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry captured her photograph at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp situated on the edge of Peshawar in 1984 and identified her as Sharbat Gula.

She gained worldwide recognition when her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic magazine at a time when she was approximately 12 years old.

That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".

She remained anonymous for years after her first photo made her an icon around the world and until she was discovered by National Geographic in 2002.

After Sharbat's family granted her permission to meet with the man who photographed her 17 years ago, McCurry knew immediately, even after so many years, that he had found her again.

"Her eyes are as haunting now as they were then," he had said.
Thrissur (Kerala), Nov 4 : The CPI-M on Friday suspended P.N. Jayanthan, a party Municipal Councillor, and another party worker after a woman accused the two of raping her.

K. Radhakrishnan, a former assembly Speaker and presently the Thrissur district secretary of the CPI-M, made this announcement after a series of party meetings.

"Following a preliminary probe by the party, it has come to light that there was some financial dealings between Jayanthan and the lady and there has been no findings of any misbehaviour to the lady.

"Anyway, a detailed probe is already on by the police and the party also will further look into it," said Radhakrishnan.

The issue flared in the assembly on Friday when the Congress accused the Kerala government and the CPI-M of shielding Jayanthan and three others who raped the woman in Thrissur district two years ago.

The 2014 case became public on Thursday when the victim along with her husband and two women activists told her horrid experience to the media in the state capital.
Islamabad, Nov 6 : Nat Geo's famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula will not be deported from Pakistan, a Pakistani government official Shaukat Yousafzai has said, it was reported on Sunday.

The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card. A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner distanced itself from her, claiming that she was not a registered refugee, Dawn reported.

On Friday a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula after she serves a 15-day jail sentence and pays a fine of Pakistani Rs 110,000.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's home department, following the decision, has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her to Afghanistan.

The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

The portrait of Sharbat Gula, whose piercing, sea-green eyes, made her an international symbol of refugees, first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Photographer Steve McCurry photographed her as a young girl living in the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, where almost three million Afghans sought shelter in the wake of the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. In 2002, McCurry tracked Sharbat Gula down and photographed her again.

That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".
Toronto, Nov 6 : If you are dreaming of settling down in a foreign land, making it a reality has now become a little easier, thanks to a new digital platform that makes finding a legal expert of your choice just a mouse-click away.

A brain-child of Canadian entrepreneur Nofel Izz, MigrationBrokers.com hosts over 8,000 legal immigration experts from around the world, said a company statement.

"This enables applicants to choose who they wish to handle their file," it noted, adding that just within the first month of its launch, the site received as many as 6,000 daily members with with an average conversion of nine per cent.

"There are currently six million members and the website estimates a steady yearly increase," the statement added.

Applicants are rated using a points system to make it easier for legal experts to sort them. Users can also rate legal experts helping new applicants to find their own experts.

Free memberships are available for legal experts and employers, according to Izz.

"There is a high demand for immigrants in Canada which allows approximately 300,000 immigration applicants each year. On a global scale, this is just a fraction compared to the United Nation estimates of 224 million yearly worldwide immigrants who represent three per cent of the world population," Izz said.
New Delhi : British Prime Minister Theresa May will be in New Delhi from November 6 to 8 on her first bilateral visit outside the European Union (EU). The visit is seen as an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, finance, entrepreneurship, innovation, design, IPRs, higher education, and defence and security. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit.

May is expected to use the trip to deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit by introducing new and emerging enterprises, as well as more established players, to the key Indian market. While announcing the visit, she had said, "We have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK -- to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world." The visit is expected to unveil Britain's post-Brexit "new global role" and where India figures in that.

Among issues likely to be at the forefront of bilateral discussion is a potential India-UK Free Trade Agreement. On trade, May has declared that the UK will become the "most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade", and during the current visit she will be focusing on small- and medium-sized businesses and her delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.

During the visit she, along with Modi, will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi, jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Indutsry (CII) and the Department of Science and Technology. The summit will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders and policymakers from both sides for a three-day exchange to focus on matters such as technology, education, design, advanced manufacturing and robotics, among others which are seen as critical to India's developing economy.

However, her trip to India comes on the back of two developments back home: the High Court ruling on Brexit and the announcement of the new visa rules for non-EU nationals. The former has led to a piquant situation where the May government has been shorn off the sovereign right to set into motion the process to withdraw from the EU (by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty) prior to securing a parliamentary approval. The Conservative government has a small majority in the House of Commons. The government is set to appeal in the Supreme Court. May had earlier declared her intention to initiate Brexit by March 2017 and complete the process in two years.

Even prior to the High Court's ruling, some critics were claiming that May's visit is less about India and more about the need to reassure voters back home on her government's ability to manage post-Brexit concerns, particularly those regarding the economy. Britain cannot legally make any trade deals with India until it is officially out of the EU, which is by 2019 at the earliest; the High Court's ruling may see the deadline slip even further. Though May has assured that there will be no change in the 2019 deadline, there are already talks about the possibility of a mid-term election on the issue.

The UK government has also announced changes to its visa policy for non-EU nationals, which will affect a large number of Indians, especially IT professionals. Under the new visa rules announced this week by the UK Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds.

The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companies in UK and the country's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) had found earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted for nearly 90 per cent of visas issued under this route. The motivation for the same appears to be the MAC's belief that the current immigration policy is not incentivising employers to train and skill the UK workforce and that there are no reciprocal arrangements that provide the UK staff the opportunity to gain skills, training and experience from working in India.

The tightening of rules on post-study stay in the UK discourages students to work in Britain after completing their studies there; consequently, the number of those enrolled in British universities has halved from 40,000 to about 20,000 in the past five years. Nationals outside the EU, including Indians, will also be affected by new English language requirements when applying for settlement as a family member after two-and-a-half years in the UK on a five-year route to residency settlement in the UK.

Critics ask why it is being made harder for Indian companies in the UK to bring in skilled workers from outside the country when India is the third-largest investor in Britain and Indian companies are its largest manufacturing employer. India is UK's second-largest international job creator -- last year, India created 7,105 new jobs in Britain through 140 projects. India is likely to take up the visa issue with May during the visit.

Comparisons are also being made with visa rules for the Chinese, which are reportedly being granted more liberally and for longer durations. Since 2010, when May became Home Secretary, the number of Indian students studying at UK universities has declined while the number of Chinese students has risen from about 55,000 to 90,000.

May's India visit is being seen as the UK's first major test of its ability to carry through its policy objectives of building stronger partnerships with non-EU countries while at the same time introducing the tougher immigration regime that the government's electoral constituency has demanded through the Brexit referendum.

(Monish Gulati is Associate Director, Strategic Affairs, at the Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. The article is by special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org)
Islamabad, Nov 6 : Chartered accountant firm Ferguson & Co has stated that there were no discrepancies between the tax returns of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif. In its report, the audit firm said that the opposition's criticism in the plot purchase issue was baseless, media reported.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan report, the tax returns filed by Sharif and his daughter were in accordance with the law and had no discrepancies. It says that the plot bought in Maryam Nawaz's name in 2011 was registered in the correct column of the tax returns document.

It further said that Maryam Nawaz's name was not registered as a dependent person in the tax returns. It said that the name was written in column 12 because there was no separate column for independent children in the form at that time.

The tax returns form was changed in 2015 by Federal Board of Revenue and it added the column for "others" then.

The report said that Maryam Nawaz was herself a tax filer at the time of the purchase of plot. She got the plot registered in her name next year after paying the amount through bank and showed the plot under her name in 2012-13 tax returns.
The Australian government said it was trying to confirm reports that one of its nationals has been kidnapped in Afghanistan, the latest in a string of abductions of foreign aid workers.

"The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said in an emailed statement on November 6. "Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."

Afghan television station Tolo News reported on November 6 that the Australian woman was abducted at gunpoint in the Qala-I Fatullah area in the center of Kabul.

The woman is believed to have been working for a nongovernmental organization in Afghanistan.

There have been several kidnappings of foreign aid workers recently, including at least two Australians this year.

Kerry Jane Wilson, who was kidnapped from the office of a charity in the eastern city of Jalalabad in April, was freed in August.

Another Australian, working as a teacher at the American University in Kabul, was kidnapped in August.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Tolo News
New York, Nov 6 : Pakistans Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the "grave atrocities" being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the High Commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the High Commissioner for sending fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on the ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the High Commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 6 : The Kerala Union of Working Journalist (KUWJ) will observe November 9 as a protest day against the government orders to ban NDTV India channel for a day for "violating norms" in its coverage of the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Base in January.

The channel will go off air from November 8 midnight to November 9 midnight.

In a statement issued here on Sunday by KUWJ General Secretary C. Narayanan said: "This is a dangerous trend by the Centre that has asked the NDTV India channel to go off the air".

"This is against the principles of democracy and the freedom of press. To protest this on November 9th, there will be a state wide protest by the KUWJ and a letter will also be written to the Centre," said Narayanan.

Meanwhile, political parties including Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and several other national parties and leaders have strongly criticised the ban.
San Fransico, Nov 6 : A review of the way carbon offset credits have been used internationally to reduce carbon emissions suggests that the programme needs independent monitoring as it is now subject to inaccurate self-reporting.

The research, led by Amy Pickering, an engineering research associate at the Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment's Program on Water, Health and Development, examined a carbon offset programme involving distribution of water filters in Kenya and found inaccuracies in self-reported data, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our message to recommend independent monitoring of greenhouse gas emission projects is especially timely considering global ratification of the Paris Agreement has reached the threshold needed for the agreement to go into force," said Pickering.

Pickering co-authored the study submitted to Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed open access journal published by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The Paris Agreement, an international climate change accord that includes provisions relating to carbon markets, entered into effect on November 4.

As agreed to by delegates at international climate talks, implementers of carbon offset programmes are allowed to collect their own monitoring data to be used by certification organisations to determine how many carbon credits they should be awarded.

They can then sell their credits and profit from the programmes.

Curious whether organisations are estimating their offsets accurately, Pickering and her team analysed one such carbon offset effort in Kenya's Western Province, known as LifeStraw Carbon Credits, under which the Vestergaard Frandsen company distributed for free more than 800,000 carbon-based drinking water filters to rural households.

The idea behind the programme is that water filters help households avoid the need to burn fuel to boil and purify water, earning carbon offset credits for Vestergaard.

Under the rules of the voluntary carbon trading market, the company could use its own data to quantify the amount of carbon its programme offset and, therefore, the number of credits it had earned.

In generating baseline data, Vestergaard calculated the quantum of emissions theoretically released from households that would ordinarily boil drinking water if they had access to sufficient fuel and resources.

It earned Vestergaard nearly 4.5 million credits during a 32-month period ending in January 2014, which the company could sell in the market or on its website for $12.95 each.

Pickering's team found that only 19 per cent of households reported continued use of the free filters two to three years after receiving them -- four times fewer households than reported by Vestergaard's internal monitoring.

Of the households Pickering's team surveyed, half reported their filters were not working after 24 to 36 months.

When asked about issues preventing use of LifeStraw, 35 per cent of households that received a filter said it was too slow or took too much time, 17 per cent said it was blocked or not working, 8 per cent said it had a bad smell or taste and 7 per cent thought the filter was bad for their health.

Acknowledging that carbon financing could be a financially sustainable tool for scaling up water treatment and improving health in low-income settings, Pickering and her co-authors conclude that no one can know for sure without third-party monitoring.
Mumbai, Nov 6 : Veteran Indian actor Kabir Bedi is rooting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and says a woman president of the US would make a "historic landmark."

Kabir on Sunday took to Twitter where he wished Clinton success for the US elections, which would be taking place on Tuesday.

"Wishing Hillary Clinton all success in US Elections 2016! A woman President of US would be a truly historic landmark. I'm with her US Election," Kabir tweeted.

Bedi has been part of Bollywood for over four decades and has featured in films like "Khoon Bhari Maang" and "Talaash: The Hunt Begins...". His claim to fame in the foreign world was Italian TV series "Sandokan".

The 70-year-old actor has also contributed to international movies like "Octopussy".

On the work front, Kabir was last seen on screen in "Mohenjo Daro", starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde. The epic adventure-romance film was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.
Los Angeles, Nov 6 : Hollywood icon Robert De Niro refused to take a photograph with Arnold Schwarzenegger over election politics.

"If you're supporting (Donald) Trump, I want nothing to do with you," said De Niro, after refusing to pose for a photograph with Schwarzenegger.

The incident happened at the VIP cocktail reception for the annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Western Regional Gala on Thursday at the Beverly Hilton here, reports variety.com.

"Are you voting for Trump?" De Niro kept asking Schwarzenegger. Later, he rebuffed the former California governor's efforts to explain before backing off toward the other side of the room.

Schwarzenegger, a career Republican, publicly tweeted in October that he would not be voting for Trump, but he still hasn't made clear for whom he will be voting.

In the tweet, the actor-turned-politician wrote: "For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President."

"If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem," said De Niro.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : The Delhi government on Sunday said all schools will be shut for three days and no construction work will be allowed for 10 days in the national capital as part of steps to fight pollution.

Saying there should be no blame game over the environmental crisis that has gripped Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also announced a ban on the use of generator sets in the city.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Loyalty to the country does not necessarily mean loyalty to the government, says author Rana Ayyub, whose self-published book on the 2002 Gujarat riots has become a major hit and gone into its second edition.

"For me, nationalism is defending the idea of the country -- that includes everybody," Ayyub told IANS in an interview.

"For me loyalty to the country means loyalty to the government only when it deserves it... Patriotism for me is to speak against those in the government who support disturbing elements in the society," she added.

She was asked what nationalism and patriotism -- in the present scenario -- meant for her.

Posing as an American filmmaker of Indian origin, Ayyub secretly interviewed Gujarat's top bureaucrats and police officers, serving as well as retired -- interviews that suggest that the 2002 riots were orchestrated.

The author was asked for her thoughts on Pakistani artists being sent home from Bollywood after protests by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the wake of the terrorist attack on an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers.

"Patriotism seems to be in vogue today. Putting a badge on you may declare you more patriotic," she said.

"I wonder if Ajay Devgn would have said something similar if his film ('Shivaay') wouldn't have been coinciding with Karan Johar's ('Ae Dil Hai Mushkil') and did not have a business angle to it," she said, referring to Ajay Devgn's support for the ouster of Pakistani actors from Bollywood.

"Unfortunately, the saying that patriotism has become the last refuge of the scoundrels in the country is proving true every day. Each time one has to promote a movie or a brand, they use patriotism," she added.

Ayyub said it cannot be denied that Pakistan was India's neighbour.

"Whether we like it or not, Pakistanis are our neighbours, even though we may have many differences. But cultural ties should not be broken and should always exist.

"This intolerance towards our cultural ties baffles me," Ayyub said.

Ayyub went on: "I completely support the surgical strikes. As an Indian, I definitely will. But why do I have to say it, why do I have to wear my patriotism on my sleeve? Even if I do not say it, I am proud of it.

"However, if somebody is in disagreement or wants to see the evidence, there is nothing wrong in it as it is his/her fundamental right. Questioning the government's operations, especially the surgical strikes, does not make one anti-national," Ayyub added.

The writer is unhappy over the happenings in the Kashmir Valley, where life has been more or less paralysed for nearly four months following the killing of a militant commander.

"What is happening in Kashmir is extremely unfortunate. Kashmiris are struggling for human rights. Is supporting them against nationalism? Every time what I hear about Kashmir on prime time TV is: 'Kashmir hamara hai.' Yes, of course, but what about the people? Are they not ours?

"The country wants Kashmir but not Kashmiris. The country does not stand up for the rights of Kashmiris. If talking about their rights makes me anti-national, then I would rather be called one, but I do believe that we have been apathetic to what is happening there," Ayyub said.

Frequently branded anti-Modi, Ayyub didn't find any publisher for her book "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up" on the 2002 Gujarat riots and its aftermath. She self-published -- and it became an instant best-seller.

"It was a bestseller across all sections on Amazon in the first week. Till today it continues to be one. We sold 24,000 (English) copies till September and 5,000 e-publications, including Kindle.

"Right now, the figure, including the Tamil edition, is 40,000 copies. I am releasing the Urdu edition on Sunday at Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi," Ayyub said.

Asked whether the book largely sold in stores or online in India and abroad, she said: "Since we did not have a distributor I had to rely on Amazon and Flipkart sales. I personally went to bookshops and stocked copies. LeftWord and BahriSons (Delhi based publishers and distributors) boosted sales by selling it.

"I created a seller account on Amazon and managed to sell most copies there."

The book has sold a record number of copies abroad, a rare feat for an Indian political book which has seen terrible censorship in india.

The second edition was released a week ago and it has also been self published. It has notes by Naseeruddin Shah, Ramachandra Guha, Arundhati Roy and Hansal Mehta, among others.

Naseeruddin Shah says in his note: "If the reporting here is proven authentic, then it will be time for demanding answers to some hard questions."

"For me, patriotism is releasing my book which exposes the truth and in many ways goes against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and his party president (Amit Shah)."

(Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in)
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Parliament should ban the "heretical" triple talaq and those who resort to it should be jailed for three years, former Union minister Arif Mohammad Khan, a prominent liberal Muslim voice who has all along fought against Islamic fundamentalism, has said, even as he accused the government of not following the spirit of the constitution in its attempt to enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Khan, the author of "Text and Context -- Quran and Contemporary Challenges" and who broke ranks with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 over the government's capitulation to the Muslim clergy on implementation of the landmark Shah Bano alimony judgement by the Supreme Court, also termed the All India Muslim Law Board (AIMPLB) "at best" an "NGO" that could had not authority to speak for the entire community.

"There are more than five judicial verdicts that have practically banned triple talaq. Mere outlawing this undesirable practice is not going to help. Either Parliament should enact a law to make triple talaq a punishable offence or this practice should be viewed as violation of the judicial verdicts and treated as contempt of court," Khan told IANS in a wide-ranging interview.

"The Personal Law Board does not dispute the fact that the second Caliph, Hazrat Umar, who had allowed triple divorce, used to award 40 lashes to such persons. Today, lashing is not possible, so we can provide for three years' imprisonment for persons who resort to this heretical mode of divorce. Then, the choice would be either to wait for three months as the Quran prescribes or go to jail for three years. I feel confident that such a penal provision would effectively put an end to triple talaq," Khan maintained.

The AIMPLB, in its "Compendium of Islamic Law", considers triple talaq as 'bidat' (innovation), but it is vehemently supporting it.

On this contradiction, Khan noted that the Compendium, on page 72 section 13 says: "Talaq bidat is prohibited, but if a person pronounces such a talaq, it will be effective, while the man will be guilty of a severe sin."

The Board "likens triple talaq to murder and they say that killing is prohibited but if it happens then it happens", and punishment for killing in Islam is death, he added.

"On the other hand, the man who resorts to triple divorce often marries again while the divorced woman is still going through 'Iddat' period," Khan said.

He also noted that there is no consensus on triple talaq among different Muslim sects. "Different schools of (Islamic) jurisprudence radically differ from each other on various issues. On triple talaq there is no unanimity. The Ahle Hadith and Fiqh Jafria do not accept three pronouncements of talaq in one sitting and consider it as one pronouncement," he said.

On the UCC, Khan said there was a lack of serious political will to achieve it. It had become a political slogan "and we simply do not try to understand the spirit" of article 44 of the constitution.

"When the constitution says that the State shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code, it means creating an environment conducive to its enactment. It implies both an informed public opinion and a robust sense of security. And finally, widespread consultations are necessary to let people know that the objective of a UCC is to ensure gender justice and equality in marriage and not to interfere with any religious obligations or practices," Khan maintained.

As for the AIMPLB, he described it as "a body of clerics generally drawn from madrasas and at best it can be described as an NGO".

"Every law needs an enforcement agency and the AIMPLB views itself as that agency. It gives them a sense of power and domination over the lives of others which they exercise through the instrumentality of fatwas," he added.

The clerics as a class have always been obsessed with law. Instead of promoting Islamic values like God-consciousness (taqwa), compassion, charity and justice, they got together to protect the laws, he added.

The AIMPLB is dominated by Sunni Muslims with representatives from other sects as well. The majority of Indian Sunni Muslims follow 'Hanafi' jurisprudence and this reflects in its legal standing as well.

However, its "claim to be the sole representative of the community is not based on any election, but on its capability to manipulate the government to accept its interpretation of Muslim law as the only interpretation," Khan contended.

"They sustain themselves on the legitimacy conferred on them by the political establishment," he added.

(Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at rohit.s@ians.in)
Ew Delhi, Nov 6 : Citing the recent suicide of a former serviceman and rising farmer suicides, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues affecting the common people.

"Generations grew up listening to the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' but today what is the condition of jawans (soldiers) and kisans (farmers)? We have subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, committing suicide while in the last two years, farmer suicides have increased by an alarming 26 per cent," Yechury said in a video message on social networking sites.

"Our soldiers are not getting their due, farmers are not getting minimum support prices and getting debt ridden and eventually committing suicide. But our Prime Minister is silent," he said.

"Our prime minister likes to talk a lot but when it comes to issues which are affecting the common man, he is silent," said the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader.

"We and the country want to hear what the Prime Minister has to say on these issues, on rising prices, on agrarian distress, on unemployment," added Yechury.
Jammu, Nov 6 : Two Indian soldiers were killed in Pakistani shelling when the Army foiled two attempts by terrorists to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan, police said on Sunday.

Two other soldiers and a civilian were also wounded in the incident on the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district in Pakistani shelling as well as firing during the infiltration bid.

The military, however, reported the death of only one Indian soldier.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta had earlier told IANS that the Army prevented the infiltration bids on Saturday night.

"Alert and vigilant troops observed suspicious movement and challenged the infiltrators. The infiltrators opened fire while trying to go back to Pakistan," the spokesman said.

"In the ensuring firefight, Sepoy Gursewak Singh of 22 Sikh Regiment, aged 23, suffered gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated," the officer said.

"The martyr is survived by his father Balvinder Singh. He belongs to village Warana, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Punjab."

The Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in Krishna Ghati sector and Mendhar sub-sector of the LoC on Sunday, the spokesman said.

The LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing from the Pakistan Army which started at 8.40 a.m. Both civil and defence facilities were targeted, a police official said here.

"The Indian Army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons. Shelling and firing exchanges are still on," he said.

Sunday's violation on the border came after a lull of two days on the LoC and the International Border.

Violations of the 2003 ceasefire agreement by Pakistan have mounted since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the LoC in Pakistani territory in September.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked scientists to find solutions for hunger and malnutrition while conserving the bio-diversity.

"Today, millions of people are struggling with hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Science and technology has an important role in fighting these challenges," Modi said at the first International Agrobiodiversity Congress (IAC) here.

"We need to ensure that while finding solutions for these challenges, we don't ignore other aspects like sustainable development and conservation of bio-diversity," the Prime Minister said.

For conservation of bio-diversity, Modi asked the international, national and private organisations to form a pool of resources and technology to increase chances of success and also to make efforts to formulate a shared vision in this direction.

The Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR) and Bioversity International are organising the November 6-9 event in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Kochi, Nov 6 : A two-year-old rape case in Wadakancherry town of Kerala on Sunday got a new momentum after a police probe team took statement of the 34-year-old victim here.

The victim has by now publicly named, amongst others, two CPI-M leaders, including Municipal Councillor P.N. Jayanthan, who has denied of doing such a thing and has admitted that the two others had financial dealings.

The 2014 case became public on Thursday when the woman along with her husband and two women activists narrated the incident to the media in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Following this, the CPI-M state government of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was forced to order a fresh probe into the case as pressure mounted from the Congress party, the BHaratiya Janata Party and the media.

The Chief Minister is also in the dock as he was one of the first persons to be informed of the rape, when the victim in August this year wrote to him about the sexual attack on her.

On Sunday, Wadakancherry legislator Anil Akkara of the Congress told reporters that barring the two women police officersm all others in the probe team were known sympathisers of the CPI-M, and hence the case will not reach its logical conclusion.

"Barring the two women IPS officials, all the rest were cleared by the party officials in Thrissur, and hence if the DGP (Director General of Police) is serious in getting to the bottom of the truth in the case, such officials should be removed from the probe team," said Akkara.

The case has rocked the CPI-M in general and particularly the party unit in Thrissur.

On Sunday, the case was the centre of discussion at the party state secretariat meeting held here in the state capital.

Former assembly speaker and senior CPI-M leader K. Radhakrishnan, known for his pleasing manners and soft nature, took a beating for naming the victim in an interaction with the media last week.

When the media pointed out to him that it was wrong to name the victim, he shot back and said if Jayanthan can be named, then the details of the victim can also be revealed.

The National Commission for Women has served a show cause notice to the former speaker and the police have launched a preliminary probe into it following a few complaints.
Mumbai, Nov 6 : Actor Akshay Kumar, who is in Mathura for shooting for his upcoming film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" got the Bhagvad Gita as a gift from a passerby.

Akshay on Sunday took to Twitter to share a photograph of the book. The "Rustom" actor says he feels blessed.

"Couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. Landed in Mathura and got gifted this precious Bhagvad Gita on day one by a passerby! Blessed," he captioned the image.

According to rumours, the film is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The film will be a light-hearted comedy revolving around this campaign directed by Neeraj Pandey. It also features veteran actor Anupam Kher.

-*-What's Saqib's favourite Sunday memory?

Actor Saqib Saleem says his favourite Sunday memory has to do with paranthas!

The actor says he used to have a parantha eating competition with his cousins.

"All the cousins and me used to have a parantha eating competition... Mostly I won because I love aloo ke paranthe with some makhan (butter). Favourite Sunday memory," Saqib tweeted.

On the acting front, Saqib was last seen on screen in the John Abraham and Varun Dhawan starrer "Dishoom" and will soon be seen sharing screen space with his sister in "Dobaara", a Hindi remake of Hollywood film "Oculus".

-*-Arjun done with 'Kahaani 2' dubbing Actor Arjun Rampal, who will be sharing the screen with versatile actress Vidya Balan in "Kahaani 2", has finished dubbing for the film.

Arjun says he cannot wait to watch the film's final copy.

"Done with 'Kahaani 2' dub. So proud of my friend Sujoy Ghosh, super happy and proud of the film. Can't wait to watch the final copy," Arjun tweeted.

"Kahaani 2" is the second installment of the "Kahaani" franchise.
Kolkata, Nov 6 : Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has planned to engage a global consultant to prepare a disaster management plan for the development of National Waterways one (NW1) on the Ganga river under the Jal Marg Vikas project, a top official said on Sunday.

"Large number of vessels will move up and down on the Ganga river when the project gets ready. The authority has to take care of the risk associated with development of the waterways," the authority's Vice Chairman Pravir Pandey, who is also Project Director of Jal Marg Vikas, told IANS.

"We are going to engage a consultant agency through a worldwide procurement process. The agency will prepare the disaster management plan," Pandey said.

The idea is to gauge what could be the disaster that may occur in future and what would be the best response to tackle such problem, he said.

"The terms of reference are being prepared. The tender will be floated in two months time," Pandey said.

The government is developing National Waterway 1 (NW-1) under the Jal Marg Vikas Project, with assistance from the World Bank.

The estimated project cost has been revised upward to Rs 5,369 crore from the initial estimation of Rs 4,200 crore.

With its objective of providing safe, environment friendly and economical mode of transportation through NW-1, the authority signed a contract with Germany-based vessel design company -- DST, Germany, to design vessels, especially suited to navigate the 1,620 km stretch of NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly stretch).

He said along with the cargo vessels, there was a huge demand too for passenger transportation.

Based on the demand, the authority has analysed ferry services linking the cities on the bank of the river, he said.

"Ferry services will be introduced at Allahabad, Varanashi, Patna, Kolkata and Haldia. For that purpose, we will engage a joint venture between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Thompson Design Group for doing a study and prepare a detailed project report," he said.

"The joint venture is expected to be on board in December to start the study," Pandey said.

Regarding the cargo movement, he said automobile manufacturers could save up to Rs 5,000 per car on logistics cost if they use the river to transport vehicles.

"DST (the German firm) will be coming up with a design on shallow draft vessels that can carry up to 300 cars at one go. A road trailer can only carry six cars. So effectively, 50 trailers could be put off the road. This can result in an estimated savings of up to Rs 5,000 a car," he said.

Maruti Suzuki has successfully transported cars using waterways and companies such as Honda and Mahindra have expressed their interest, he added.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Rituraj Govind was arrested in apprehension of breach of peace in outer district here ahead of the Chhath Puja, the city police said on Sunday.

Rituraj was arrested on Saturday night after he violated orders prohibiting any gathering of four or more, imposed under Section-144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, at Nithari Talaab in Aman Vihar police station area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) M.N. Tiwari told IANS.

The legislator from Kirari was trying to build a ghat along a water body in the Kirari area in his constituency, the police said.

The ban on any assembly of four or more persons was imposed on Saturday morning in view of the Chhath Puja.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : British Prime Minister Theresa May's three-day visit to India can be an opportune time to forge new dimensions in bilateral relations and seek assurance from the top British leaders against any adverse impact of Brexit on bilateral trade, a top industry body said on Sunday, "Even as the global industry and trade stay somewhat anxious about the Brexit fall-out, we (India) get an opportunity to hear first hand from the British Prime Minister herself what the roadmap is for India and UK in terms of re-designing and re-aligning our trade and investment relationship post the exit of Britain from the European Union," Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) President Sunil Kanoria said in a statement here.

The latest ruling of the High Court in Britain making the parliamentary approval to Brexit mandatory has also added a new dimension to the entire issue and its wider ramifications for the global business, the chamber said.

Even as the process of Brexit in terms of legislative issues and negotiations with the European Union (EU) gets underway, both India and Britain with a bilateral economic engagement of both goods and services of over 18 billion pounds should begin working on the new paradigm, it added.

According to Assocham, on top of the agenda, should be negotiating and signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which should be a win-win for both the countries and be used as a very important trade tool to deal with the economic downturn.

"Let us get going and prove it to the world that it is an open trade and investment which can help the global growth and not by shutting the doors," the chamber said.

As services are an area of great strength to both India and Britain in areas like information technology and financial, insurance, the future trade deal must prominently include these as the core of the arrangement.

"With over 800 Indian companies having operations or trade with the UK, India has a large stake in the smooth transition of the British economy from a part of the European bloc entity to a standalone economy," Kanoria said, adding the issue of restrictions on movement of persons, an integral part of the services trade, is also of paramount importance to India.

"We should make the best out of the visit of the Britain Prime Minister Theresa and get all Brexit related concerns addressed. These concerns also relate to different sectors like steel, pharmaceuticals, and information technology," he added.
Kotgarh (Himachal Pradesh), Nov 6 : Apple growers in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday celebrated a hundred years of fruitful efforts of cultivating delicious and luscious varieties of the fruit in the state, while the state government did not mark the centenary.

The fruit's cultivation in Himachal Pradesh, with more than 90 per cent of the produce going to the domestic market, has brought prosperity to the cultivators over the past half century, say experts.

"The apple growers of Kotgarh and its nearby areas celebrated 100 successful years of apple cultivation at a function," cultivator and gram panchayat head Amar Singh Nalwa told IANS.

He said the first apple orchard in the state was planted in Kotgarh in Thanedar panchayat, some 85 km from Shimla, on this day in 1916 and that had helped Kotgarh to progress economically, socially and also marked its presence on the global map.

Nalwa, the brain behind the function, said it was organised at the initiative of the local growers and there was no celebration from the government.

State's apple boom is credited to Samuel Evans Stokes (later named Satyanand Stokes), an American missionary who first introduced the high-quality apples in the mid-altitude hills.

From a small orchard in Kotgarh, Stokes promoted the apple cultivation in other areas too, especially in upper Shimla that currently alone accounts for 80 per cent of state's total apple production.

Since then the hill state has been synonymous with apples that alone constitute 89 per cent of the state's fruit economy of Rs 3,500 crore ($520 million).

Stokes's daughter-in-law and Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes is now managing the family's orchard located here.

She attended the function, which also saw a photo exhibition on Satyanand Stokes' life as a local apple cultivator.

Apple grower Vinod Chauhan of Banot village in the Kotgarh area said Satyanand Stokes, who came to India as a missionary in 1905 during the Kangra earthquake, later decided to settle in Kotgarh.

He had purchased a huge chunk of land where he planted apple rootstocks brought from the US.

Before opting for apple cultivation, the locals were planting mainly wheat, maize and pulses.

"Initially the locals were doubtful about the success of apple cultivation in the area. Seeing the success in the orchard of Stokes, some of the locals opted its cultivation in the early 1930s," said Chauhan, whose fifth generation is also settled in Kotgarh.

By 1960s, he said, the entire region bloomed with apple cultivation and that mainly brought unprecedented prosperity.

Currently, the Kotgarh-Thanedar area is among those with the highest per capita income in Southeast Asia. The locals have diversified the apple crop by growing cherries, apricots, almonds and nectarines.

Besides Shimla, most of the apple cultivation is concentrated in the districts of Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba.

Surveys of the state horticulture department show the productivity of apple ranges from 6 to 11.5 tonnes per hectare in the state, in comparison to 35 to 40 tonnes per hectare in more advanced countries.

The area under apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh has increased from 3,025 hectares in 1960-61 to 109,553 hectares in 2014-15, which constitutes more than 49 per cent of the total area under fruit cultivation.
Karachi, Nov 6 : Every second woman in Pakistan suffers from some form of domestic violence, an expert said in remarks published on Sunday.

The violence has an extremely damaging effect on her physical and mental well-being, the Dawn newspaper quoted Tazeen Saeed Ali as telling an event at the Aga Khan University on Saturday.

According to Ali, the overall prevalence of domestic violence in Pakistan ranged from 21 to 50 per cent. Women suffered violence over conflicts with husbands and in-laws, at times over financial matters.

"Our study has shown that 97.7 per cent of health professionals suffered some form of domestic violence at some point of their married life whereas 72 per cent had to face sexual abuse at home," Ali said.

She said that women facing violence also developed reproductive health problems.

Infertility, she pointed out, was also found to be a major factor that provoked violence against women though violence had its roots in the submissive gender role the society assigned to women, the Dawn reported.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Around 200 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students as well as missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad's mother were detained here on Sunday while they were proceeding to stage a protest near India Gate against police inaction in the case.

One of the protestors, Shahid Raza, alleged that police manhandled Najeeb's mother Fatima. The detainees were later taken to Mandir Marg police station, police said.

"The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Najeeb's mother... in fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official," Raza told IANS.

"Najeeb's mother being dragged away by Delhi Police. In this country, a mother cannot publicly protest for her missing son," tweeted Pratik Sinha.

A police official told IANS that the protestors were detained since restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning assembly of four or more people at one place, are in force around India Gate.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who met the JNU students ahead of their protest, questioned why the Centre is "scared" of the students.

"I want to ask Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi -- why is he so scared of students," Kejriwal told reporters.

The Chief Minister said that if even half of the policemen deployed on Sunday were used to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.

"If you stop the youths, they will get more agitated. I have told you many times, Modi-ji, don't mess with students," he later said in a tweet.

JNU Students Union General Secretary Satarupa Chakraborty, meanwhile, said they were protesting as no effective action had been taken to find the student who has been missing since October 15.

"The students who beat up Najeeb were called for interrogation only on Saturday. This is too little, too late," Chakraborty said.
New Delhi, Nov 6 : A 43-year-old Afghan national has been arrested here for trying to smuggle out a quantity of heroin, valued at Rs 2 crore in the international market, by concealing it in capsules he swallowed, police said on Sunday.

The drug trafficker, identified as Ghulam Rabani, had crossed all security checks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and was to leave in the Afghanistan-bound Kam Air flight on November 3 when he suddenly developed health problems.

He was offloaded from the flight and admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Police grew suspicious as Rabani had arrived in India on a medical visa in October but had not visited any hospital for treatment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia said that doctors at AIIMS were consulted and advised to examine and assess whether he had swallowed any contraband.

"During treatment it was established that Rabani had swallowed a large number of capsules.

He was operated by the doctors, and during surgery, 57 capsules made of polythene were take out from his stomach and rectum.

"The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin. The weight of the contraband was 525 grams. The total value of the contraband is estimated to be about Rs 2 crore in the international market," he said.

Rabani has been arrested and booked under sections of of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Bhatia said "efforts are being made to unearth the whole syndicate and track the other co-passenger who was to travel in the same flight with Rabani".
New Delhi, Nov 6 : Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on Sunday said Indias nuclear programme has made rapid strides since Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed his government in May 2014.

"With direct and personal patronage from the Prime Minister, India is now among the frontline nations in its nuclear programme. In the years to come, nuclear energy will be a major source of power for India's growing needs," he said during a visit to the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' set up at Pragati Maidan here.

"The union government can clearly take the credit for bringing the nuclear programme to north India. It is during the last two years that a nuclear plant has been set up north of Delhi at Gorakhpur village, in (Fatehabad district of) Haryana," he said.

Similarly, he said, the government was considering setting up more nuclear installations in other northern states like Punjab and Uttarakhand.

He said India's claim to membership of NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) is increasingly being accepted by the world nations.

The concept of setting up the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' in Delhi, the Minister said, was inspired by the realisation that the Department of Atomic Energy did not have its headquarters here and most of its activities were confined to the western and southern parts of India.

As a result, the Minister said, not much was known about the department in this part of the country.

On the occasion, Singh directed the officers accompanying him to send circulars to educational institutions across the country to ensure that visits to the 'Hall of Nuclear Power' were made a mandatory component of their Delhi itinerary during educational and other tours.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 6 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said he has no interest in national politics and he is concentrating on the development of his state.

"My foremost concern is the state and that is what I am concentrating on. I don't want to move Delhi. I have been at Delhi as a central minister. I am very content to be here working for the people of Odisha," he said at a programme here, adding there is a "a great deal of unfinished work" here.

Patnaik also said that there is no need to groom any leader to succeed him in future.

"The people in Odisha will choose their own leader at the appropriate time," he said.

He also denied the possibility of any alliance with Congress in the state.

"There is no question of alliance with the Congress party. In fact, our policy is to remain equidistance from Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress," said Patnaik.

On the industry sector, he blamed the Central government for the Posco embargo.

"There have been several failures like Posco, which is the biggest FDI in the country. This happened because of the central government changed its policies of giving mines. Otherwise, several other projects have come up and they are doing well," said the Chief Minister.

Patnaik said his government may move court to on Mahanadi water sharing dispute as the projects being constructed by Chhattisgarh government would affect the water flowing to Hirakud reservoir.

Reiterating that his government has carried out various developmental works including women empowerment, he said: "The state's image has changed. Starvation is a story of the past."

He, however, maintained that proactive steps are being taken by the government regarding all round development of the state.
London, Nov 7 : British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she valued the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, after a High Court ruling ordering the government to seek parliament's approval to trigger Article 50 was attacked by the media.

"I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary, I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important," the Independent quoted May as saying to reporters on the plane to India for her first visit outside the EU after taking office this July.

"Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments. We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court," she added.

The High Court in London on Thursday ruled that parliament, and not May's government, should trigger the Article 50 mechanism to start the Brexit process, Xinhua news agency reported.

The decision by three of the leading judges in Britain sent shock waves through Westminster. Within an hour of the decision, the government confirmed it would appeal by taking the case to the highest court in England, the Supreme Court.

The decision and its response caused controversy after the judges were branded "enemies of the people" by Daily Mail and the cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the ruling flew in the face of democracy and was an unacceptable attempt to frustrate the will of the people.

From the moment she became the Prime Minister in July of this year, May's mantra became Brexit means Brexit and she would lead the people out of the EU. Political commentators are already speculating whether May will call an early general election to put her authority to the test.
Washington, Nov 7 : FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday the agency hasn't changed its opinion that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges over her use of personal e-mail server during her stay in the State Department, after a review of new e-mails.

Comey had dropped a bombshell 11 days from the November 8 election when he informed Congress that the FBI had discovered e-mails in its separate investigation of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, that could be connected to its investigation of whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using a private e-mail server, CNN reported.

"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," Comey said in a letter to top Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

Comey's letter was the culmination of a fast-paced review of the newly discovered e-mails, law enforcement sources said on Sunday.

"We went through this as fast as we could," a senior law enforcement official told CNN.

The e-mails, thousands found, were mostly duplicates of what had already been seen and personal e-mails, law enforcement officials said in explaining how the conclusion was reached so quickly. The laptop which was found was around a decade old, with lots of personal content on it not relevant to the investigation, according to one source.

In July, Comey said Clinton had been careless but not criminal in handling sensitive material on her private e-mail server as Secretary of State.

It's impossible to know before results are tallied what impact Comey's actions -- first raising a vaguely worded red flag 11 days out, and then lowering it two days from the election -- will have on the contest.

But the news could help Clinton put to rest a controversy that has dogged her in the 2016 race's closing days, helping her rival Donald Trump narrow a polling gap nationally and in key battleground states.
Mason & Morse Ranch Company booth at the NILE Hundreds of people took the time to stop by the Mason & Morse Ranch Company booth for a visit and many chose to enter the drawing.

Mason and Morse Ranch Company, http://www.ranchland.com, has announced that Billings, Montana residents Paul and Gerry Mottram won the drawing at the NILE for a weekend stay at McLeod Resort along the Boulder River south of Big Timber, Montana!

Last week Mason and Morse Ranch Company real estate Brokers enjoyed meeting visitors at the Northern International Livestock Exposition N.I.L.E. Stock Show and Rodeo where the real estate team staffed a trade show booth for the week. Those stopping at the trade show booth had the opportunity to register for a drawing and weekend stay at McLeod Resort south of Big Timber. According to Ranch Broker John Stratman, Hundreds of people took the time to stop by our booth for a visit and many chose to enter the drawing. We enjoyed conversations with folks involved in the agriculture industry from Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and other surrounding states while at the NILE.

The Mason and Morse Ranch Company real estate team wanted to add a little fun to the week by offering a drawing for visitors to their trade show booth. The winners of the drawing, Billings residents Paul and Gerry Mottram, are a deserving Montana couple who have just enjoyed their 65th anniversary! The couple was excited to receive the news that they had been selected to win the weekend getaway when Ranch Broker Kimberly Lowry called to offer congratulations. Lowry stated that Gerry said she was so excited to win the weekend at McLeod resort and also said that they dont usually win when they enter contests.

The Billings couple will enjoy a weekend stay at McLeod Resort, a resort owned and operated for over 40 years by family of Mason and Morse Ranch Company real estate Broker Kebi Smith. Smith was raised with her hands in the lodging industry assisting family members with the day to day operations and entertaining guests at the resort.

McLeod Resort is an intimate setting located along the banks of the West Boulder River south of Big Timber, Montana. Over the years, the resort has been a favorite for fishermen, hunters and recreational enthusiasts with many return guests. The beautiful setting has also been a favorite spot for weddings and family reunions. As winners of the Mason and Morse Ranch Company drawing held during the NILE, the Mottrams will enjoy a weekend getaway at this serene resort.

The NILE is an annual Stock Show and Rodeo in Billings, Montana each October. The over week long event features youth beef, sheep, goat and swine market and livestock shows, breed cattle shows, rodeos, a barrel race, trade show and more! Mason and Morse Ranch Company has been a presence at the NILE for the past few years and plans to attend the NILE again in 2017.

With roots dating back to 1961, Mason & Morse Ranch Company, http://www.ranchland.com was created in 1998 as a division of Mason & Morse Real Estate Inc. of Aspen, Colorado. In 2011 the "Ranch Company" was separated under new ownership and endeavored to stretch it's niche services coast to coast helping clients buy and sell farms, ranches and lifestyle properties across the U.S. Mason & Morse Ranch Company specializes in helping clients purchase or sell working ranches, pastureland, grassland, Lifestyle and luxury ranches, guest ranches, agricultural farmland, row crop, timberland, equestrian horse properties, hunting and recreational lands across the United States. Combined, Mason & Morse Ranch Company agents offer clients more than 133 years of experience representing buyers and sellers in farm, ranch and recreational land sales. Our love of the land, hands on experience working in the agricultural industry, focused marketing strategies and commitment to the client has developed Mason & Morse Ranch Company into one of Americas leading premier farm ranch land and luxury real estate brokerage firms in the country.
"The advent of synthetic cartilage offers surgeons a new option to treat patients dealing with the pain caused by degenerative arthritis of the big toe joint," said Dr. Clifford Jeng.

In October 2016, Mercy Medical Center became the first hospital in Maryland to utilize the new Cartiva Synthetic Cartilage Implant (SCI) in a surgical procedure, the first synthetic cartilage device approved by the FDA.

The Cartiva SCI was developed for the treatment of painful arthritis at the base of the big toe, the most common arthritic condition in the foot. The current standard of care involves fusing the bones in the arthritic joint with plates and screws. While fusion is an effective procedure for eliminating pain, it permanently prevents movement of the joint.

The advent of synthetic cartilage offers surgeons a new option to treat patients dealing with the pain caused by degenerative arthritis of the big toe joint. The implant replaces part of the damaged cartilage surface in the joint, provides improved mobility versus traditional fusion surgery, and patients can begin walking on the foot much sooner, said Dr. Clifford Jeng, Medical Director, The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy.

The Cartiva SCI is a molded, cylindrical device made of biocompatible, biomedical polymer designed to have physical properties similar to those of actual cartilage. Cartilage damaged by degenerative or post-traumatic arthritis is replaced with a small implant that provides a compressible, low-friction and durable bearing surface. The implant provides pain relief and improves both function and motion.

The Cartiva SCI is meant for use in patients with arthritis in the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint (e.g. loss of big toe joint motion due to arthritic conditions).

"SCI implantation is a minimally invasive treatment that takes about 40% less time than a traditional fusion surgery, so less time in the operating room for the patient. Patients have been found to return to their pre-operative activities much faster than with fusion. Theres no cast to wear and patients can begin bearing full weight almost immediately, Dr. Jeng said.

The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction is a division of The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital at Mercy Medical Center, named a Best National Hospital in Orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Clifford Jeng, renowned foot and ankle surgeon in Baltimore, leads a team of experts, including, Dr. John Campbell, Dr. Rebecca Cerrato and Dr. Gary Pichney.

Mercy Medical Center is a 142-year-old, university affiliated medical facility with a national reputation for womens health care. For more information, visit Mercy online at http://www.mdmercy.com; MDMercyMedia on Facebook and Twitter; or call 1-800-MD-MERCY.
In an unprecedented collaboration, 12 real estate firms and RGS Title are joining forces to provide essentials for those in need this holiday season throughout the Arlington community. The firms are working together as Arlington Realtors Care (ARC) to collect donated food and clothing items from the public. These items will then be delivered from their offices to The Arlington Food Assistance Center and A-Span. The food and clothing drive began November 1 and will continue through December 31. The goal of the ARC drive is to bring aid to those most in need.

For members of the public who are interested in donating, the main drop off point is RGS Title, located at 4600 Lee Highway, Suite 110, Arlington. They will also host two community wide drop off dates on November 19 and December 17. Items donated to the participating ARC partners will be delivered to the individual charitable organizations. Clothing items will be delivered to A-SPAN, an organization that strives to end homelessness in Arlington through housing and ongoing case management. Food donations will be delivered to The Arlington Food Assistance Center, a community based non-profit that provides supplemental groceries to Arlington residents.

Participating real estate firms are Advon Real Estate, Buck & Associates, Century 21 New Millennium, Century 21 Redwood Realty, Coldwell Banker, Compass, Keller Williams, Long and Foster, Realtors | Christies International Real Estate, McEnearney & Associates, TTR | Sothebys International Realty, Washington Fine Properies, LLC and Weichert, Realtors.

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Steve McLaughlin at State Capitol Im a lifelong Democrat, but this job is not about Democrats or Republicans, this job is about the natural resources of the state of Washington. John Turner

Local hero, police chief John Turner, adds his support for Steve McLaughlin for Commissioner of Public Lands: "Steve is a man of his word and can be trusted above reproach."

John Turner, a retired police chief has known Steve McLaughlin for about 13 years as he was the executive officer for Naval Station Everett. Steve McLaughlin is well-known throughout the state amongst every firefighter, police officer, dispatcher throughout the State of Washington for his training of the Incident Command System. The job of Commissioner of Public Lands is extremely important. Steve McLaughlin cares about both sides of the state. He cares about bringing people together to solve problems versus a Seattle litigator who enjoys suing cities and counties and others for not getting their way, that's what's at stake here. Im a lifelong Democrat, but this job is not about Democrats or Republicans, this job is about the natural resources of the state of Washington and whether or not we want to preserve them and get the most out of them for us and for our children, said John Turner.

John Turner received the Washington State Bar Association Local Hero Award in recognition of his career of service to the community as a law enforcement officer. Chief Turner served his community as a law enforcement officer for 40 years. He also served on a variety of boards and task forces, including the Governors Council on Substance Abuse, the Governors Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, the Snohomish County Youth Gang Task Force, and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Since 2004, he has served on Governor Gregoires Clemency and Pardons Board, most recently as its chair.

I have known and worked with Commander Steve McLaughlin for the last 13 years. He is conscientious and dedicated to make this a better state to live, work and play. He has a love of the outdoors that is equal to no other. He is a man of his word and can be trusted above reproach. He has a love for this country and has risked his life trying to protect it. I am proud to have worked with him, taught with him, served alongside of him in many ways, and Im most proud to call him my friend, said John Turner in his endorsement letter for Steve.

The 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.

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.
MASON CITY  Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin made his final case Sunday in Mason City for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Harkins visit was one of several stops as polls show Republican nominee Donald Trump with an edge in Iowa over Clinton leading into Tuesdays vote.

A Real Clear Politics poll averaging results from the Des Moines Register, Emerson and Loras polls show Trump holding a lead established in September over Clinton  44.3 percent to 41.3 percent. Iowa has six electoral votes.

Harkin addressed about three dozen people at the Democratic campaign office on North Federal Avenue.

In all my years in politics, I never thought I would ever live to see a candidate like Donald Trump, he said.

Iowans are reasonable, rational, common sense people. I just dont see how they can support Donald Trump, he said. To me, its mind-boggling.

Harkin retired from the Senate in 2015 after 30 years. He noted his successor  U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak  was the only female senator consistently supporting the Republican presidential candidate.

He made reference to Trumps controversial statements during the campaign on a proposal to build a Mexican border wall and banning Muslims from entering the United States.

I think the one thing that we should tell the world ... was the fact that we were a land of opportunity, he said.

Harkin spoke favorably of Clinton from their nearly quarter-century relationship when she was first lady, U.S. senator and later secretary of state.

He said he was baffled by Clintons own controversies, including using an unauthorized email server to conduct State Department business. Critics have charged her use of a private email server opened the potential to expose classified information.

How right-wing media have painted Hillary with this brush  liar, crooked, all that stuff. Its absolutely not true, Harkin said.

Ive been there 40 years, Harkin told the crowd. I can tell you that Hillary Clinton is one of the most honest, trustworthy, patriotic and competent and caring public servants I have ever worked with in my entire life.
The contest between incumbent Illinois State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, and Republican challenger Tony McCombie for the 71st Legislative District seat has turned into one of the most expensive in the state in a year of massive political spending.

Nearly $3 million is being spent in the district -- population about 108,000 -- in an election cycle often viewed as a series of partisan "proxy wars" between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and long-serving House Speaker Mike Madigan.

To date this year, the race has attracted more than $2.6 million in contributions to the candidates' fundraising committees. When Super PAC funds spent in support or opposition of both are included, the total is close to $3 million, according to figures from the state Board of Elections.Those figures are likely to grow by Election Day, Nov. 8.

Ms. McCombie has raised $1.714 million to date, with most of that coming from the House Republican Organization ($1.383 million) and the Illinois Republican Party ($202,347).

Mr. Smiddy has raised $927,313 to date in 2016, and the largest single donor is the Democratic Party of Illinois ($296,512) followed by the Illinois PAC for Education ($267,400), AFSCME Illinois Council No. 31 PAC ($194,820) and Democratic Majority (($168,750). In addition to the amount raised this year, Mr. Smiddy raised $453,940 in the last quarter of 2015, before Ms. McCombie had started raising money.

The election arrives after a two-year standoff between the governor and the legislature over budgeting and Mr. Rauner's Turn Around Agenda, which Democrats view as an assault on unions.

After going for a year without a budget, legislature and governor agreed on a stopgap measure that has kept schools and social services running, but they delayed a full-blown budget agreement until after the November election has a chance to reshuffle party numbers. The huge dollars being thrown into the election across the state reflect each party's desire to pump up its numbers before the negotiations resume.

'We're independent'

The money aside, both candidates expressed independence from party leaders in recent separate interviews with the editorial board of The Dispatch/The Rock Island Argus.

Ms. McCombie said she's been up front with the House Republican Organization. "I always make sure to say, 'Now, it doesn't mean I'm going to vote the way you want me to vote,'" Ms. McCombie said.

"Even when we did our commercial, one of my lines was, 'I will challenge both sides.' I said, 'You guys are OK with me saying that? And they're like, 'It's who you've told us you are, and we support that.' I always say, 'I'm going to do what's right for the district.'"

When she met Gov. Rauner and had a brief conversation, "he asked me what I thought of unions," she said. "And I said, 'you're not going to like it, but I'm not anti-union.' He just chuckled and he didn't comment on it."

For his part, Rep. Smiddy said a motivation in running for his first term in 2012 was a desire to be, "even though I'm a Democrat, an independent voice for the people in my district." During his service, he said, "I've gone against the speaker (Madigan) a lot," such as on pension-crisis relief measures, budget proposals and the need for a new redistricting method.

"Both leadership sides have an equal blame in my opinion on what's going on in Springfield," he said. "You've got two very strong-willed, strong-headed people that are used to getting their way, and that makes for large conflicts. And that I think is part of the biggest issue that we have."

Below are views from both candidates on various issues:

A tax increase

McCombie: "I wouldn't support one single (tax increase) right now. Not one. Until we can figure out where we're spending our money, absolutely not. I would not support a taxing bill. Why should we as taxpayers continue to have to pay for the bad mistakes, and why should we get involved with their gambling with our futures. We shouldn't be any part of that."

Making Illinois more "business friendly," would help with revenues, she said. "We need to make Illinois a growth state again. We need to have less restrictions on our businesses, the small businesses especially. ... If you really analyze common sense things, sit down with the Illinois Chamber, sit down with business leaders, and ask, what could we do to grow? And they'll be more than happy to give you answers, but the thing is, no one's listening.

"And another thing that's happening, there's this huge divide between union and nonunion in business, and that's got to stop too. At the (Rock Island) Arsenal, nonunion small businesses are feeding that union. We all want to be working. Whether you're union or nonunion, we're still the middle class."

Smiddy: "I don't think the people of Illinois will go for raising the (income) tax back up to 5 percent, and I won't go for that either. I think it's probably going to have to be a combination of things, of cuts and look at where we provide new revenues."

Among cost-savings Rep. Smiddy has proposed are a bill to have legislators forego mileage and per diem payments (as he said he does) and legislation to eliminate the state's Central Management Services, whose tasks he believes are largely redundant. Costs savings would be strong, he said, even after placing CMS employees in other agencies.

The best way to make Illinois more business-friendly in the short term is to have a budget in place and end the uncertainty, he said.

Prevailing wage

The governor's Turn Around Agenda calls for repealing the state's prevailing wage law, which provides that workers on public works projects are paid in accordance with the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics within a particular area.

Unlike some area municipal leaders, Ms. McCombie does not object to the prevailing wage law.

McCombie: "I believe that with the prevailing wage, we all deserve a fair wage for a fair day's work. It's absolutely the truth. As long as we don't get the Chicago prevailing wage rates here in our areas, then I'm not gong to fight it. They work together to come up with the rate so it is fair and affordable, and I think that's fair."

"I will say, I'll take it a step further. As a mayor, there are some small jobs that are hard for us to get done because we can't find local contractors who want to get involved with all the paper work with that. That's something I think they can visit."

Smiddy: "I support prevailing wage. I think the governor is dead wrong on that. People deserve to have a fair wage for a fair day's work."

Prevailing wage actually adds very little to project costs overall, he said -- about 1 percent. On the other hand, paying fair wages boosts the economy by giving workers more money to spend, keeps experienced workers on the job and helps keep workers from either taking extra jobs to make ends meet or having to accept public assistance as even many who have jobs have to do. Avoiding that further helps the state's finances, he said.

Worker's comp reform

Gov. Rauner believes high workers' compensation payouts for injuries is among the top cause for businesses leaving Illinois and among the state's biggest job-killers. The bar for "causation" in work-related injuries needs to be raised considerably, he says. Speaker Madigan has said that the governor is too intransigent in demanding such pro-business reforms as part of a budget deal. Finding a balance between protecting injured workers and the employers' bottom line has proved politically tricky.

Both candidates agree the system needs reform.

Smiddy: "That's something that we did support. We had some worker's comp legislation this past year that would bring causation into it, and I supported it. I would look at something like that and may be supportive depending on what the bill looks like and what other aspects are in there. ... I think there's room to move on some of these issues."

McCombie: "It seems that every side, both sides, all sides agree there needs to be some changes, and the changes that were made werent enough. So obviously yes on that."

Term limits

Smiddy: "I am opposed to term limits with voters, but I believe in term limits for the leadership roles down in Springfield. ... A lot of people have issues with the leadership in Springfield." That would mean the House speaker, the Senate president and minority leadership positions would be limited to two or three terms, though they could continue representing their districts as long as voters keep re-electing them.

Redistricting maps created by an independent commission would greatly help ease demands for term limits for legislators, because it would create more competitive districts, Rep. Smiddy said. He supports crafting an independent maps proposal that will pass constitutional muster.

McCombie: "Im a big supporter of term limits. They talk about the eight or 10 years (as a limit), and I think thats fair. Ill stand with whatever the law is for sure. I do believe that voting is a form of term limits, yes, but in Illinois I dont think thats enough. I think were too corrupt."

She believes an independent redistricting map would help. Another thing I think would help too which would never happen in Illinois is open primaries. Then nobodys going to know how to redistrict. Itll have to be independent."
DAVENPORT -- Julian Castro, U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary and former San Antonio mayor, once had been considered by Hillary Clinton as a possible vice president candidate. He and his identical twin brother, Joaquin Castro, a Texas congressman, visited Davenport Saturday to participate in a pair of Get out to Vote -- Vote Early events.

A group of about 40 people gathered at Davenport's LaFayette Park to listen to the Castros pitch the need to vote and to help friends, family and neighbors also cast ballots.

People also were guided across the street to the Scott County Administration Building, at 600 W. 6th St., and visit the auditor's office and vote .

Mary Morino, of Davenport, took them up on the offer.

"I was driving by and saw some signs, so I decided to stop," she said. "I decided if it was for Hillary. we were going to stay. If not, we were outta here."

Her 10-year-old granddaughter was with her, and is "all into Hillary, but isn't old enough to vote," Ms. Morino said. Accompanying her grandmother helped her see the process to prepare for when she is older, said Ms. Morino, who proudly showed her "I Voted" sticker she had just been given.

"I thought this was an excellent event," she said. "There were a lot of people here to support voting, and the more people we can get out to vote early will be a blessing."

"That's the bottom line," said Hola magazine publisher Tar Macias, an event volunteer. "Voting is important."

"We can't take anything for granted," Joaquin Castro said. "We need to make sure everyone gets out to vote."

"We have a candidate who wants to match everyone's hard work," Julian Castro said. "On the other hand, we have a candidate who has been so divisive."

"There's no turning back now," Joaquin Castro said. "There's only three days left, and we're into the final swing. We need to elect Hillary Clinton as our first female president and make sure Donald Trump doesn't get anywhere close to the oval office."

"All this racism, bias and prejudice is killing us," Mary E. Campos, co-chairwoman of the Brown and Black Presidential Forum, told the crowd. "We need to fight back by voting."

The Castro brothers later Saturday were scheduled to join U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, and Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin for a rally at the UFCW Hall in Davenport.
Steven Paul Burdick, 65, of San Clemente, Calif., formerly of Moline, passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 22, 2016.

Steve was born on April 8, 1951, in Moline, the son of Warren V. and Mary Boulos Burdick.

Steven graduated from Moline High School and Western Illinois University. He earned a degree in chemistry and worked as a chemical engineer for various companies in California. Steve learned to play the violin in elementary school and this became a lifelong passion. He later used his knowledge and love for the violin to become an entrepreneur in the field of violin brokerage. He owned and operated Sea Coast Violins and enjoyed traveling the world offering rare and exclusive stringed instruments. He loved living in California as he detested cold weather, but Steve cherished his visits back to Moline where he spent precious time with family and friends and enjoyed countless family dinners. As a young child, he traveled to Egypt, his mother's homeland. He learned to love hunting from his father, and this became a favorite pastime for him.

Steve is survived and greatly missed by his girlfriend, Mary Ann Yriarte and her mother Mary Louise Yriarte in San Clemente, and his Moline and Quad-Cities family, which includes sister, Susan (LaVerne) Knipe, sister, Margo (Tim) Miller; nieces and nephews, Laura Knipe, Rosemary (Josh) Roberts, Tim (Amber Cousins) Miller, Steven (Kimmi) Miller; great-nephew, Tyler Miller; great-nieces, Addison Miller, Ruth Roberts, Aria Miller; cousin, Darlene (Rick Sodeman) Bartell; best friend, David Pope; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins here and around the world. Steve was preceded in death by his parents.

Private family services will be conducted by Pastor Don Knowles. Memorials may be made to Calvary Lutheran Church, Moline, or instead  take the time to make that phone call to a family member or friend, pay it forward, or befriend someone in need. Life is way too short, and tomorrow is not promised. Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, is assisting the family with local arrangements.

Online memories may be shared at esterdahl.com
Donald Morris Bahr

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Donald Morris Bahr passed away at the age of 76 in Colorado Springs, Oct. 30, 2016, with his wife and son at the bedside.

He was born and raised in Sioux City and Mason City, Iowa. He graduated from Mason City High School in 1958. He was educated at Harvard University, where he met his wife, Dilli. They married and the summer after college set off for Arizona in a tiny black car.

Dons interest in indigenous cultures became a lifelong immersion into the Oodham, their language, their songs and stories, especially in the village of Santa Rosa where he and his family had many friends.

At the age of 27, he joined the faculty of the Anthropology Department at Arizona State University, and kept the same small, dusty and book-filled office until his retirement in 2006.

Don Bahr had a keen unconventional mind and a sharp tongue, tempered and softened by his kindness and constant sense of humor. Reading, sitting in a rocking chair, smoking his pipe, thinking and writing  thats what he liked the most, besides walking in the desert and singing Oodham songs.

The last decade of his life was difficult because a stroke took his ability to write. His wife Dilli kept him comfortable, engaged with the world around him, and read to him constantly. He had friends and family who provided distraction, and he was always surrounded by his books and art.

Don is pre-deceased by his parents, Herbert Morris Bahr and Maxine Baird Bahr.

He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Adelaide (Dilli); his son Paolo, with Shane, Sofia and Emma; his daughter Maria, with Billy and Teddy. He is also survived and remembered by his older brother, John, and Johns children and grandchildren.

He was enveloped by the close-knit family of Gustavo and Raquel Gutierrez, who pre-deceased him, and the extended family of the late Baptisto Lopez in Santa Rosa, Arizona.

Services will be held in Arizona at a later date.
Cable juggernaut Liberty Global has posted a net loss of $137 million for its European operations in the third quarter of 2016.

Its a disappointing result given that last year it recorded a net profit of $111 million in the same period last year. The news also comes despite strong growth in next-generation video subscriber numbers.The company added a healthy 278,000 next-gen video customers in Q3. Horizon TV, including Horizon-Lite, accounted for 155,000 of that total, half of which (79,000) were in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic also saw growth for Horizon-Lite, gaining 53,000 subscribers through 30 Sept.Virgin Media in the UK and Telenet in Belgium added 67,000 and 3,000 digital subs, respectively, in Q3. About 38% of Libertys base, about 7.4 million subscribers, upgraded in the period, up from 31% (6.2 million) in Q3 2015.In terms of RGUs, Liberty added 159,000 and 98,000 in Western and Central and Eastern Europe respectively in Q3. The 92,000 increase in the UK was the best in seven years, while in the Netherlands the 11,000 loss was the lowest in two years.Liberty Globals revenues for its European operations amounted to $4.3 billion, or 1% more than a year earlier. Its operating income was $764 million (+60% year-on-year).Year-to-date subscriber additions in Europe were up nearly 50%, while customer ARPU in Q3 increased 3% year-over-year. By the end of Q3, Liberty Global had built out service to nearly 850,000 new homes across Europe, and it is on pace to deliver over 1.3 million homes by year-end.The loss is due to investment in infrastructure and M&A activityboth factors that wont be subsiding any time soon.On the M&A front, we continue to expect that our joint venture with Vodafone in the Netherlands will close around the end of the year, said CEO Mike Fries on the earnings call. During the quarter, we took steps to recapitalise the combined entitys balance sheet and raised an additional $3.2 billion of debt, of which we expect to receive 50% of the proceeds at closing. We will also receive up to an additional 1 billion at closing, subject to adjustment, from Vodafone to equalise ownership in the JV. Also of note, we announced the proposed acquisition of the third largest cable operator in Poland, Multimedia Polska, in October. This will significantly expand the reach of our market-leading platform in that market, and will allow us to drive further efficiencies across our business.
In a few short days this election will be over and the task of governing will fall on the winning candidate and the reshuffled Congress.

At the top of the list of issues to address in the early months of 2017 should be reforming our broken tax code.

Why should tax reform take center stage among the many issues plaguing the country?

Because Americans desperately want to see rising inequality addressed. Concern over the issue drove the insurgent Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and is top among issues of importance to Democratic voters.

Lest one think Sanders primary loss gave the green light for inaction on inequality, note that the socialist senator from Vermont is currently the most popular politician in the country.

The growing divides between the rich and the rest of us rank consistently among the most pressing issues facing all voters, not just Bernie supporters.

In short, the publics appetite for action is high, and the next president as well as Congress would do well to listen to them.

There are a number of drivers of inequality, but none are so obvious and so fixable as the deeply unfair tax code.

A review of tax returns by The New York Times last year showed the top one thousandth of 1 percent  the richest of the rich  pay just 17.6 percent of their income in taxes.

For context, the top tax rate in the country, intended to tax these very people, is more than double that figure, at 39.6 percent.

Perhaps the most egregious poster child for the broken tax code is Donald J. Trump. The billionaire appears to pay zero federal income taxes.

In other words, the major party presidential candidate has contributed nothing to the development of our roads and bridges, our schools and public parks, or any of the other essential public services that taxpayers make possible.

But Trump is far from the only offender.

Wealthy households and their armies of lawyers and accountants are able to dodge paying their fair share through loopholes they helped put in place.

The same goes for the most profitable corporations, many of which have also dropped their federal income tax rate to zero. Plenty of these corporations are exploiting offshore tax shelters to avoid paying over $700 billion in taxes.

Its now commonplace for these elites to spend millions to save billions on tax reform. Meanwhile, working and middle class families, who dont have millions to spend on lobbyists or creative accountants, are left to fill the hole.

The solutions to fix the tax code and thus make a dent in reversing inequality are straightforward.

Close the expensive loopholes and offshore tax havens that only exist to encourage tax evasion. Update the tax code to ensure those who make their money via investments or inheritance pay taxes on their income the same way people who punch a time clock do.

Of course, the simplicity of a solution doesnt imply itll be easy.

Powerful forces aligned to create the unfair tax code we have now, and theyll go to great lengths defending it.

An equally powerful movement will be required to overcome this, on par with the social movements required for all the major steps forward our country has taken in its history.

The conservative anti-tax activist Grover Norquist famously said, You win the tax issue, you win all the issues. On this point, he was right.
We are a matter of hours away from finding out who will lead our country, our state and county government in the next few years.

Especially in the presidential campaign, its been a long, grueling, often ugly campaign with issues buried in mud tossed from all directions. Its the kind of thing that makes some people say they just arent going to vote, that the whole thing has been a big turnoff, that it doesnt matter anyway.

We think that would be a big mistake, because Election Day is one day when were in charge. In charge of picking the president for the next four years. In charge of filling legislative and local offices, where, frankly, much more often is done that will impact us directly than in Washington.

Of course, many Iowans have voted already, and in our state there are no take-backs. For the rest of us, Tuesday will be the day we head to the nooks and crannies in our communities that serve as polling places.

Then, we will watch as, sometime after the polls close at 9 p.m., results are announced. (Might we say here, thank you to those who will work the polls.)

This year, perhaps more than in the past, Iowa has been in the political spotlight since before the caucuses in February. Thats because Iowa was identified early on as a swing state, with every one of our six electoral votes deemed just as important as in other, much larger swing states such as Ohio with 18 or Florida with 29. Thats how close things are nationally, and it could make for a long night as we watch and wait.

And because of the perceived closeness of this race, it is important for people across all walks of life to vote.

Younger people, for example, should vote if theyre concerned about student debt. Farmers and business people should vote if theyre concerned about trade. We all should vote if were concerned about issues such as the Supreme Court, climate change, foreign affairs, health care and a litany of other issues that have been hallmarks of this campaign.

Statewide, issues such as school aid, Medicaid, mental health care and others have been identified as important to voters.

At the county level, economic development and keeping young Iowans home to work and be part of our communities fabric are key issues.

For all those reasons and more, its important to vote. Every race is important. We believe that strongly  a belief that fuels our considerable investment in reporting to publicize candidates viewpoints on issues they deem important. (We hope you dont vote solely based on TV commercials, which are almost uniformly misleading with opponents statements taken out of context or mischaracterizations that offer no real knowledge or value.)

So now, after the months-long process, it comes down to you spending 10 minutes in the voting booth. Voting is the easy part. Find your polling place  inside todays Globe Gazette or online Monday morning. Then sometime between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday, go vote. Help make history, not live with what someone else wants.

Vote for the leaders of our government  national, state and county. Its one of the most important and patriot things weve been entrusted with the power to do.
In the front of student section 109 at every home football game, there is a group of approximately 30 students who are painted head to toe in black paint and wearing spiked shoulder pads. Considering the pads, various props and head-turning facial paint, these students are hard to miss. They are one of UGAs most notorious student spirit organizations  they are the Spike Squad.
The Red & Black will be following the election results as they come out during the day and will be at polling locations around Athens for more coverage. Check back here for updates all day on Georgia and Athens news as well as presidential and other national news.
Applications that allow you to send texts, pictures and videos that self-destruct shortly after they're received can be a great tool for adults who want to ensure that questionable online behaviors don't follow them forever.

However, recent studies indicate that teenagers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors when using applications such as Snapchat and Kik Messenger. Here's what you need to know about these anonymous and temporary applications.

There are two distinct types of applications that can help hide your unmentionables on the Internet. What you want to say and to whom determines the app that best fits your needs.

"Temporary" applications allow you to send messages that disappear after a short duration once they're received, like SnapChat. This is the better option than standard text or email for sending something questionable or risque, as it's less likely to return to haunt you five years from now (not impossible  just less likely).

Sometimes you just want to vent about something without everyone knowing it was you who said it. "Anonymous" applications like Whisper or Yik Yak allow users to post thoughts, images and feelings without revealing their identity or location.

Teenagers often turn to these sorts of messaging applications to assert independence and escape from the social media frequented by their parents  I'm looking at you, Facebook. Yet this independence can lead to danger. Content doesn't always disappear as teens expect it will. In fact, 47 percent of Snapchat users take screenshots of other people's "temporary" content and save it to their phones. Screenshots of embarrassing or revealing content may be taken and shared for nefarious uses, including cyberbullying.

Sexting and talking to strangers are also more common for teens using these apps, opening the door for cyber predation. GPS locators within the applications allow sexual predators to find teens in their area and then lure your child into a trusting relationship to gain personal or revealing information.

Many parents aren't aware of these temporary and anonymous applications, despite the dangers associated with them. Statistics show that 70 percent of teenagers hide their online behavior from their parents, and 25 percent of teens say their parents know little to nothing about their online behavior.

Anonymous apps provide a false sense of security. They can encourage cruel behavior from teens resulting in bullying and victimization, despite the purported anonymity. Yik Yak, for example, is a geographically-based anonymous-chat application that lets users send texts and photos to people near their location.

This particular application has been banned in nearly 85 percent of U.S. high schools. Why? Because people have used it to make violent threats against other people or institutions. If a student makes a threat, the developers are required by law to expose the person, so kids can get in real trouble if they choose to vent an aggressively-phrased complaint about their school or a teacher.

Kik messenger and Omegle are favored apps of pedophiles. Users get paired up with strangers with no registration required. Omegle in particular is filled with people searching for sexual chat. Language is an issue too, because people are anonymous and are therefore much more explicit than they would be if they could be identified. With Kik, it's easy to lure minors into inappropriate situations because of the geolocation feature and automated bots are able to send explicit material to many users at the same time.

As a parent, it can be difficult to decipher the apps that are teen appropriate from those that are inherently dangerous. Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) can help you identify red flags by giving app descriptions, age recommendations and reviews from parents and kids. Educate yourself about which apps your child is using and block the dangerous ones from your child's device by setting up restrictions on their phone.

Keep in mind that 58 percent of teens say that parents have the biggest influence on their online behaviors, so talk with your kids early and often. Establish boundaries by reminding them not to communicate with strangers, reveal their personal information or share private stuff inappropriately. Demonstrate the real-world dangers of their risky online behaviors, whether it's an inappropriate message that could haunt them forever, or getting bullied or teased by other kids.

Now that we've got you convinced that these apps are the path to the dark side, you're probably wondering if they have any redeeming qualities. There can be!

Anonymous apps are a far better forum than your Facebook or Twitter feed to vent about your frustration with your boss or your annoyance with your landlord. Temporary apps are great for sending emotionally charged messages to a specific recipient. If you have to engage in a nasty text spat with your spouse, better that those messages don't linger on either of your devices.

Psychology researchers at Drexel University studied 870 individuals between the ages of 18 and 82, and discovered that about 88 percent of them reported having sexted within the past year. The study also found that higher levels of sexting were related to higher levels of satisfaction in the relationship when exchanged between enthusiastic adults.

The thing is, you definitely don't want to store compromising images on your phone. They'll end up in your iCloud or auto-backup, and next thing you know they'll be scrolling across your monitor's screen saver photo montage. Calamity! Temporary applications to the rescue.

Nerd Chick Adventures is written by Andrea Eldridge and Heather Neal from Nerds On Call, an onsite computer and laptop repair company in Redding. They can be reachedat nerdchick@callnerds.com.
SHARE Emmaline Fay Farnsworth Date of birth: Oct. 20, 1993 Vitals: 5 feet, 5 inches; 138 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Burglary Clint Edward Passmore Date of birth: Sept. 21, 1968 Vitals: 5 feet, 10 inches: 190 pounds; blond hair, hazel eyes Charge: Post-release community supervision revocation Terra Jeanne Grossen Date of birth: Nov. 26, 1976 Vitals: 5 feet 8 inches, 143 pounds; brown hair, green eyes Charge: Forgery Robert Vernon McRorie Date of birth: July 27, 1958 Vitals: 6 feet 2 inches, 200 pounds; brown hair, hazel eyes Charge: Grand theft

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday, a total of 720 arrests had been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have gone up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
SHARE

By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

Shasta College student Nathan Ancelet would have voted for Sen. Ted Cruz in the June primaries if he could. Ancelet was too young to vote then, but will turn 18 this Tuesday on Election Day.

He's one of 3.2 million first-time voters in California for Tuesday's election. He's also among the millennials that now outnumber both Generation X and baby boomers  according to statistics released Friday by the Secretary of State's office.

These young, first-time voters are cutting their teeth on what has turned out to be one of the more antagonistic races in decades. They, like many others, are not excited about their choices for president.

Much to Ancelet's dismay Cruz lost the Republican nomination. He is saddened by how the election is turning out between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

"I was very upset in June," Ancelet said. "Not in Ted Cruz or his campaign, but disappointed in the people of America. There are people asking why we have these candidates on the ballot. It's not like they hopped in there. People voted them in."

Ancelet will vote with the Republican Party.

"People ask me if I support Trump and that's not the case, but I just can't vote for Hillary Clinton," he said.

Jordan Weil, 18, from Cottonwood, is the opposite. He just can't vote for Trump, but he's not a supporter of either candidate.

"Neither of the candidates I would personally chose," Weil said. "I'm not in love with either one of them, but I believe Hillary is the lesser evil than Trump is."

Weil, who turned 18 in September, mailed in his ballot.

On Tuesday, voters in California will determine the future of recreational marijuana and Medi-Cal fees paid by hospitals. Voters will also decide whether ammunition sales will require background checks and to allow early parole for felons who participate in rehab programs.

"I'd like to keep up with politics in general, because you need to know what is going on in society or else one day you could wake up and it could not be working," Ancelet said.

Young voters showed up to the polls in record numbers in 2008, but that same demographic dipped in 2012, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Voter ages 18-29 were on an upward swing starting in the 2000 presidential election, but that slowed in 2012.

In Shasta County 84 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in 2008. In 2012 that dipped to just 77 percent. In the June primaries, 52 percent voted in Shasta County, according to the Shasta County Clerk.

Diana Dwyre, political science professor at Chico State University, said young voters in 2008 rode a positive wave to the polls as then-Sen. Barack Obama, the first black candidate, was on the ballot.

Race came to the forefront of the political landscape at that time, but Dwyre thinks eventually it will not play such an outsized role in how people pick their candidates.

"Think of all the attention John. F. Kennedy received because he was Catholic," she said. "In this year's primaries the fact (Bernie) Sanders is Jewish was not brought up as much and in 2012 conservative Christians lined up with Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon."
Amber Sandhu/Record Searchlight

Volunteers gather Saturday in front of Sundust Drive in Mountain Gate to help search for Sherri Papini, who went missing Wednesday.

SHARE Sherri Papini

By Amber Sandhu, Record Searchlight

Family members of a local missing woman have increased a reward amount to $50,000 for anyone who can provide information on her whereabouts.

Sherri Papini, 34, who was last seen jogging through her Mountain Gate neighborhood Wednesday, hasn't been heard from since.

Papini's sister, Sheila Koester, said Saturday that $40,000 has been added to a previous reward of $10,000 offered through Secret Witness of Shasta County. Money for the added reward was pledged through private donations.

Papini's sudden and unexplained disappearance has shocked the community and volunteers have been coming from different areas to help find her and spread the word.

On Friday, in an effort by Nor-Cal Alliance For The Missing, Shasta Support Service and Shasta County Guardian Angels, more than 100 people showed up to help in the search.

On Saturday morning about 50 people signed up to help search again, expanding the area they had previously searched north of Redding.

Michelle Ringler, 50, drove straight up from Sacramento when she found out about Papini's disappearance. She said she knows Papini's family, and wanted to take fliers to Sacramento and San Francisco to get the word out.

"I'm going to take it south, take the word further," she said holding back tears.

Local business owners stopped by with more signs and fliers, and some volunteers dropped off copies they made on their own.

Danica Watson of Bella Vista stopped by the staging area on Sundust Road and dropped off 200 copies of the fliers.

"I have a special place in my heart for this," she said.

About two years ago, Watson said her cousin went missing. And although she was found and came home safely, she remembers the emotions she and her family went through. It's what drove her to offer a hand in the search for Papini.

"I needed to come out and help," she said.

According to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, Papini's husband Keith had come home Wednesday, and discovered their two children hadn't been picked up from day care. After not hearing any news from his wife, he used the Find My iPhone app, and discovered her phone less than a mile away from their home. Their children were picked up and stayed with family members.

Deputies are following all sorts of leads, including contacting local registered sex offenders.

Papini is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, 100 pounds, and was last seen wearing a pink jogging top.

Anyone with information on Sherri Papini is asked to call the sheriff's office at 245-6540 or the Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit at 245-6135. Tips can also be submitted via email to mcu@co.shasta.ca.us.
SHARE Rob Rowen Ted Gaines

By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

It's an election race that hasn't exactly generated a lot of heat.

That's probably because state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado Hills, is a conservative in Conservative Country.

Gaines is seeking re-election Tuesday to represent the 1st Senate District, but Democrat Rob Rowen of Cottonwood is hoping for a big upset, even though he acknowledges that's a long shot, at best.

"It's a tough district," especially for a Democrat, he says.

The district, which takes in nine counties, and portions of two others, is certainly a huge one.

It encompasses Shasta, Siskiyou, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Nevada, El Dorado, Alpine and Sierra counties, as well as some of Sacramento and Placer counties.

The nearly 52-year-old Rowen, who grew up in Weaverville and attended Shasta College, knows too well the size of the district.

Rowen, chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Shasta County for two years, said he's put 30,000 miles on his wife's car since he began his campaign to try to unseat the 58-year-old incumbent Gaines, traveling to every county, and numerous communities, in the district.

"Some places I was invited, some I wasn't," he said.

But, he said, everyone he has spoken with during the campaign has been gracious.

"I have not been received negatively," he said.

Still, it's going to be a steep climb to defeat the Republican incumbent, who was elected in a special election in 2011 to the state Senate.

Prior to his election to the Senate, Gaines was a California state Assemblyman from 2006 to 2011, representing the 4th District.

Gaines, who was out campaigning Friday, could not be reached for comment.

An insurance business owner and fifth-generation Californian who is known as a conservative and small business advocate, Gaines rails against wasteful government spending, high taxes and strict environmental regulations he says stifle job creation and economic growth.

But, if re-elected to a four-year term, he's also contemplating a possible run for the state Board of Equalization in 2018.

And that annoys Rowen, who considers Gaines as a career politician.

Rowen, who was recovering earlier this week from a bout of strep throat, says he is better attuned to North State issues because he lives here.

"I understand rural issues," he said, adding he has a lot in common with the district's voters.

And, he says, he's not like many Democrats who view Republicans with disdain.

"I don't think Democrats are always right and Republicans are always wrong," he said. "Republicans have good ideas, too," he said, adding he believes he can work both sides of the aisle if elected.

"We need to find common ground for the right of the people," he said.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

With only days left in the election, it is looking like it will all come down to a handful of states to determine the race for the White House.

Locally, it's difficult to paint a picture of candidates' chances in City Council and supervisor races. The same can be said about the clarity of the local ballot measures.

That's because in contrast to the national election, there are no polls to offer hard-and-clear results of who's leading, who's vulnerable and what voter mood is.

For many voters and candidates in Shasta County, the absence of daily tracking is a welcome relief. Some say they prefer being able to vote or run a campaign without the pressure of knowing what their counterparts plan to do, while others say more information couldn't hurt.

Still, a few others the Record Searchlight talked with could think of nothing but the presidential election, with angst and frustration, and they viewed polls with distrust.

A few expressed concern the presidential "horse race" has sucked out all the oxygen from state and local races that ultimately will have consequences for voters and their pocketbooks.

David Edmondson, 80, moved to Redding two years ago from San Diego and said he is still fairly new understanding the local area's issues.

"I kind of feel hampered in making a decision correctly because of some of this," Edmondson said. "I'm more interested in what they are saying about the issues, where they stand on them, and I find it very difficult to find that."

None of the local candidates, except for Mary Rickert, conducted internal polls primarily because of their cost  and also because they said they did not need them.

"The poll that counts is on election night," said Councilman Gary Cadd, who seeks a second term on the Redding City Council. "It would be nice to have an inkling of an idea, but we don't. So we wait."

Adam McElvain, a Redding council candidate, said his campaign team considered paying to survey voters. Ultimately, they stuck to digital marketing to get out his message because that's where people are spending their time, in front of their devices' screen.

"We know (the polls) have somewhat of an influence," he said. "People want to vote for a winner. But it's hard to keep track of (the voter sample), and their opinions change day to day."

Lea Tate, also a Redding council candidate, said she made sure to have people on her team who were connected to as many sectors of the community as she could reach, such as business, education, former and emerging community leaders, labor, government and medical professionals.

But perhaps the most effective tool at her disposal were the precinct walks, where she and her volunteers had one-on-one conversations with likely voters.

"That (voter) is giving you the mood and level of awareness," she said.

The way to measure support for local candidates is by the number of yard signs and letters to the editor, particularly those in nonpartisan races where party identification cannot help guide the vote, said Stephanie Burkhalter, a political scientist at Humboldt State University.

"I urge Redding voters to do their homework on the many ballot measures they are being asked to vote on this year and consult their neighbors about whom to vote for in the local races," she said.

Gordon Phillips is a Redding resident who works in the technology sector.

He said he votes because he is a military veteran and feels it is his civic duty to do so. The reality though, he said, is that he's become disenfranchised and feels he has no power in the voting process.

On his mind was the presidential election. "Out of 400 million people, those two are the best?" he asked incredulously of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. "No."

Phillips, who did not attend the local candidate forums, said he relied on Facebook and his best guess to figure out his ballot and voted for only one candidate in the Redding City Council race.

Through Facebook, he was able to connect to one of the Redding council candidates' website.

"You could read what their ballot platform was," he said. That candidate got his vote. "The other ones didn't spell it out clearly."

He singled out one of the candidates for using "buzz words" only. "I read through the position statement and it didn't say anything. Well, OK, no, not you. So I voted for the other gal," Phillips said.

Gary Due lives in Redding and his mother, Robyn Taggart, lives in Cottonwood. Both were in agreement there shouldn't be any polling because the results can alter people's opinions.

"People should do the research and figure out who they are best in line with," Taggart said.

On Wednesday evening, the two set aside three hours to go over their election guide and mark their sample ballots. "We've been talking about the election for weeks and watching issues as they unfold," Due said.

He talked about observing at arm's length what people post about the election on social media, sites he does not trust.

"Everybody is voting based on what they hear on social media and TV. Those things are owned or can be owned by the very people who are running," he said.

The local races have been a refuge for Jeff Sutton, a Redding voter who gets discouraged by polls that are up one day, down the next.

"When you get down to local government, it's less likely to be biased and more open," he said. "It's when you get to a higher and higher level that a lot of things get distorted."

Candidates underscored the importance of being in touch with voters' issues. That's a brand of politics Adam Moore, a high school teacher who lives in Redding, would endorse.

"It's always refreshing when people are competing for your interests. Otherwise, we would have communism," he said.

For Rickert, who is in a competitive Shasta County supervisor race against incumbent Pam Giacomini, who represents District 3, the poll revealed the top issues were public safety and homelessness.

"Intuitively, I knew that, but I am a firm believer in getting out there on the ground," Rickert said. So, she has been knocking on door across the large district, which is about 100 miles from top to bottom. Just in the Enterprise area, which represents about 51 percent of the population, she and campaign volunteers have visited more than 2,500 households.

"The one thing I appreciate is the positive response I get from people when we talk," Rickert said.

Similarly, Giacomini talked about the way her campaign polls is by talking to people and asking about their concerns.

"My team is out there daily," she said of her core group of 20 to 25 volunteers. "You just have to be open, listen and then do the best with the information you get."

So as to not bog down or confuse voters, Redding council candidate Julie Winter crystallized her message in three key points, which she pushed on mailers, handouts, online, radio and television.

Perhaps in a sign of the times, Winter volunteered that her campaign chose not to advertise in the Record Searchlight thinking it would not be the best place to spend money. Rather, the team has been targeting voters on social media and online advertising through certain keywords that point to the Redding market

"If I were in a weaker position, I would have done the poll. But it feels like we are going to succeed. You need to stick with what wins," Winter said.

Even with his message about a modern economy and high-speed internet, McElvain is not discounting the feel of "getting something physically into voters' hands."

"Direct mail is still number one," he said. "Not everyone is online. Not everyone watches TV. Not everyone reads the newspaper. But everyone gets mail."
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John Letton, Douglas City

Proposition 64 would aggravate ongoing environmental disasters and criminality caused by the "Green Rush" in the Emerald Triangle.

The nation's enormous black market demand for Triangle cannabis and the lure of quick riches have attracted cartel minions and other ruthless profiteers who are raping the environment  illegally clear-cutting wilderness areas, polluting streams with rodent-icides and human waste  and literally murdering over proceeds of large-scale illegal cultivation.

Pot-related crime has skyrocketed and young "trimmigrants" from around the country frequently go missing  permanently. Local enforcement agencies do what they can but are underfunded and overwhelmed; neither the state nor feds help much.

Prop. 64 would provide no funds to local governments and would reduce criminal cultivation and black market sales from felonies to misdemeanors. That makes a cartel's environment-wrecking pot plantation virtually risk-free under California law. It's the same for selling a truckload of black market weed headed for Detroit: Misdemeanors! Prop. 64 would accelerate trashing of Trinity County, environmentally and socially. Please help us fight against the powerful criminal elements in the cannabis industry. I don't personally oppose medical/recreation use, but Prop. 64 would get it all wrong again.
Winning an election at any cost

After Donald Trump was beaten badly in three straight debates, Hillary Clinton took a big lead in the polls.

What could possibly stop this momentum? Mr. Comey. The Republicans were angry because he earlier had said there was not enough to prosecute Hillary. Is it possible that there was tremendous pressure on fellow Republican Comey to violate the Hatch Act and send an irresponsible letter to Congress?

The letter said they were investigating some new emails that may or may not involve Hillary. The e-mails were not even on her server. There was no evidence at this time of wrong-doing, but innuendo immediately took over and the polls shifted.

Hillarys server was not even used. Quote from Mopshell: During my 38 years with the federal government I was told, over and over again, that release of pre-decisional materials was not only frowned upon but would likely lead to serious personal consequences. One of George Ws aides has accused Comey of violating the Hatch Act.

The damage has been done and it may be questionable whether Hillary can recover. Our illustrious Sen. Grassley, who emphasizes his Iowa values, supports this violation. It is unethical and should not have been a factor in the election.

At one time I was a supporter of Grassley, but he changed to party first and laws and rules be hanged. (Just like his failure to hold hearings on a Supreme Court justice.)

If Hillary loses there will be many dancing in the streets, but the ones dancing the highest and laughing the most will be the Republican legislatures that used unethical and unlawful means to pull it off.

Ken Block

Northwood
Members of the Chicago Police Department work the scene where a man was fatally shot on the 5600 block of South Kolmar Avenue on Nov. 6, 2016. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Updated Nov. 7, 2016 3:09 p.m.  Three men were killed and at least 16 other people were wounded in Chicago shootings between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, police said.

The most recent fatal attack happened about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the West Elsdon neighborhood on the Southwest Side. A 36-year-old man was in the driver's seat of a parked car in the 5600 block of South Kolmar Avenue when a silver sedan pulled up alongside him. Someone inside the vehicle began shooting at him, hitting him in the side, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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He was identified as Luis Villa, of the same block where he was killed, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

A 22-year-old man was killed at 10 p.m. in the 1100 block of West 98th Street on the South Side, acording to police, who corrected the address of the shooting location on Monday.

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He was in a car when someone in another car pulled up alongside him and began shooting at him, police said. He was shot in the chest, and he was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center. He was later pronounced dead. No one was in custody.

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The man was identified as Adama Moye, of the 4900 block of South Dorchester Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Moye was pronounced dead at 10:41 p.m.

Earlier Saturday, 23-year-old Elijah Terry was shot to death about 3:40 p.m. in the 10100 block of South Halsted Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood, police said. He was shot in the face and pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Tannehill said. He had lived in the 1100 block of West 107th Place.

In the Bronzeville neighborhood at 11:45 p.m. Saturday, a 26-year-old man was shot in the 700 block of East 45th Street, said Officer Michelle Tannehill, a police spokeswoman, correcting information originally released by the department early Sunday. The man was shot in the right thigh and went to UIC Medical Center in good condition. The man was walking on the sidewalk when someone in a Ford Taurus drove by and fired shots, hitting him.

Police had earlier issued a shooting summary incorrectly saying the victim in the 11:45 p.m. shooting on 45th Street had died, mixing up that shooting with the earlier one on 98th Street.

In other shootings:

About 5 a.m. Sunday, two men were shot in the 3300 block of West 47th Street in the Brighton Park neighborhood, police said. The two men were arguing with a third man; it wasn't immediately known what they were fighting about, Officer Jose Estrada said. "Initial indications are it may have been gang-related," he said. A fourth man, who seemed to be an acquaintance of the third man, approached the group during the dispute. He then opened fire, striking the two men his friend was arguing with. Both men were seriously injured and taken to area hospitals for treatment. No one has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Area Central detectives are investigating.

In the West Elsdon neighborhood on the Southwest Side, a 36-year-old man was shot just before 2:45 a.m. He was standing in a parking lot in the 5400 block of South Pulaski Road when gunfire broke out, wounding him in the abdomen. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized.

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the right leg at 2:20 a.m. in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. He was standing in the 8500 block of South Carpenter Street when he heard gunshots and felt pain, police said. His condition was stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Just before 2 a.m., a 23-year-old man was shot in the left leg while he was standing in the 3100 block of South St. Louis Avenue in Little Village on the West Side, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

In the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, a 44-year-old man was shot in the back just before 9:25 p.m. Saturday in the first block of South Kilpatrick Avenue, police said. Officers found him after responding to the area for a call of a person shot. His condition was stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Just before 9:20 p.m., two people were wounded in a drive-by shooting in the 4800 block of West Washington Boulevard in the South Austin neighborhood, police said. A 23-year-old man was shot in the back, and he was in critical condition at Stroger Hospital. Another 23-year-old man was shot in the left calf. His condition was stabilized at West Suburban Medical Center.

At 9 p.m., a 55-year-old man was shot in both legs while he was on the sidewalk in the 8100 block of South Coles Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. His condition was stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

About 7:45 p.m. in the 5700 block of South Calumet Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood, a 37-year-old man was shot in the back and the leg, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, but information about his medical condition was not available.

In the West Woodlawn neighborhood, a 15-year-old boy was shot in the foot about 5:45 p.m. in the 6200 block of Eberhart Avenue, police said. An unknown male approached the teen and began shooting at him. The teen was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Two people were wounded about 4:20 p.m. in the 2000 block of South Paulina Street in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood, police said. The two men were outside when someone in a white vehicle opened fire. A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg, and a 23-year-old man was shot in the abdomen. The older man's condition was stabilized at the University of Chicago Medicine. The younger man was in serious condition at Stroger Hospital.

About 3:15 p.m., a person was shot in the 7000 block of South Artesian Avenue in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, police said. A 19-year-old man was walking north on Artesian when he heard shots and soon after felt pain. He was shot in the back and the left leg, and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a 27-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood on the North Side, police said. According to preliminary information, the victim was shot in the 5900 block of Sheridan Road, said Officer Kevin Quaid, a Chicago police spokesman. The victim was a passenger in a car that was stopped at a traffic light when a gunman approached on foot and shot several times, Quaid said. The victim was taken to Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was listed in good condition, Quaid said.

Check back for updates.

The number of people killed in shootings between the morning of Nov. 5 and early Nov. 6 has been updated in this story.
Huma Qureshi seems to be mixing business with pleasure.

The actress is shooting for a brand endorsement in the beautiful Old Town of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Incidentally, Game of Thrones and the new Star Wars movie was also filmed at this location.

The ad was shot by Vivek Daschaudhary.

A look at pictures from the shoot.
Talk of a blackout by other news channels in solidarity remained inconclusive because of the heavy news agenda on that day.

Arnab Dutta reports.

NDTV India, the news channel asked by the government to go off air for 24 hours for its coverage of a terrorist attack, is expected to move court over the temporary blackout.

The channel might file an affidavit on Monday, November 7, against the information and broadcasting ministry order of November 2 that accused it of divulging sensitive information during its news broadcast on January 4 of the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air force base and the counter-strike by security forces in which several insurgents were killed.

Citing a January 4 military press conference in Pathankot, editors across media houses said all the information the channel gave out was made public by government agencies.

At a press conference held jointly by the army, air force and National Security Guard officials on January 4, the media was briefed about the counter-insurgency operation, including the position of properties, senior officials present, number of soldiers deployed and the number of terrorists killed.

Sources said NDTV India would argue in court the information it aired was divulged at the press conference and that its coverage did not reveal any sensitive information.

NDTV India has been asked to go off the air from midnight of November 9, when the results of the US presidential election will be announced.

Talk of a blackout by other news channels in solidarity remained inconclusive because of the heavy news agenda on that day.

But the media has widely condemned the I&B ministry order. 'Gov should impose financial penalties but never take channel off air if laws are broken  against press freedom,' tweeted Vineet Jain, managing director, Bennett, Coleman & Co.

'Banning channels dangerous weapon in hands of government. Should respect well-established self-regulation,' Aroon Purie, editor-in-chief and chairman, India Today Group, tweeted.

Siddharth Varadarajan, founder editor, The Wire, Rahul Kanwal, managing editor, India Today and AajTak, and historian Ramachandra Guha also tweeted condemning the order.

"The News Broadcasting Standards Authority was created as a self-regulatory body for the industry. The government could have asked it to consider the matter if it thought that there was a violation by NDTV India," said Rajdeep Sardesai, consulting editor at India Today.

"Taking such an action months after a news broadcast indicates there is more to it than meets the eye. If the authorities felt that there was a violation by NDTV India then they could have asked the channel to remove the videos," said Bhupendra Chaubey, executive editor at CNN-IBN, Network 18.

Politicians also joined in condemning the order. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the government's order 'shocking.'

'This is an attack on democracy. (Our) country is heading towards dictatorship and emergency,' said Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.

IMAGE: The blank screen on NDTV India as prime time anchor Ravish Kumar delivered his opening riff on the state of news television journalism in India.
As pollution levels worsened in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said schools in the city will remain closed till Wednesday and announced a raft of "emergency" measures to deal with the situation including ban on construction and demolition activities for next five days and temporary closure of Badarpur Power Plant.

Photograph: sowmyarao/Twitter

Emerging from an emergency cabinet meet, Kejriwal said the government will discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain in the city that has turned into a "gas chamber" mainly due to large-scale crop burning in Haryana and Punjab.

The AAP government was also mulling the possibility of bringing back the odd-even scheme.

The chief minister also appealed to people to stay indoors and if possible work from home considering the situation.

Photograph: Haimanti Mukherjee/Twitter

He said all construction and demolition work in the city will banned for five days and water will be sprinkled on roads to deal with dust pollution, adding strict action will be taken against those found burning garbage.

"Schools will be closed for the next three days. Health department will issue the first pollution advisory on Monday. We also appeal to people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even. We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be," he told reporters at his residence.

Photograph: Athar Haque/Twitter

The chief minister said the Cabinet had received a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding. "We have asked the Chief Secretary and the Environment Secretary to work with the Centre and assess its possibility and effectiveness," he said.

on Saturday, Kejriwal had met Union Environment Minister Anil Dave and discussed series of measures to deal with the alarming air pollution.

Dave has called an emergency meeting of environment ministers of Delhi and neighbouring states tomorrowThe Badarpur Thermal Power Plant (coal-based), one of the major sources of pollution in the city as identified by an IIT Kanpur study, will be shut for the next ten days, the CM said.

The facility was completely shut last year as well but later made partially functional.

Photograph: Meera Sanyal/Twitter

The other measures announced by Kejriwal include sprinkling of water on roads on a large scale from Monday, strict enforcement of ban on burning of leaves (and waste) in the open and a promise to begin vacuum cleaning of roads from November 10.

"All DG sets, except those used in emergency services in hospitals and mobile towers, will not be allowed for the next ten days. All PWD roads, wider than 100 feet, will be vacuum cleaned at least once a week from November 10. And an app will be launched on burning of leaves tomorrow," Kejriwal said.

He said power connections will be provided even in unauthorised colonies to tackle the menace of DG sets. Power connection does not mean regularisation though, he said.

Photograph: Prayukth K V/Twitter

He said local sanitary inspectors will be taken to task if there are instances of waste burning in the open. The MCDs have been informed to take measures to douse fires in the landfill sites, he said.

Kejriwal stressed on the need to hammer out solutions together.

He also said that the extent of crop burning was way above than what was seen over the last few years.

"Government is not unprepared. No one thought crop burning will be of this scale and weather conditions are also inclement. Delhi was polluted from the beginning so the extra pollutants aggravated the situation," he said.
Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.

While Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead, hosting weekend pop concerts with Beyonce and Katy Perry, Trump has embarked on a cross-country blitz through Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

Clinton and Trump -- along with their surrogates -- crisscrossed battleground states in their final push to rally voters and announced additional stops till late Monday.

Clinton, 69, would deliver her final address at a mid-night rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Clinton will lay out her plans to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and her vision for an America that is stronger together," her campaign said.

However, a bigger rally has been reserved for earlier in the night when Clintons -- Hillary and Bill -- would be joined by the Barack and Michelle Obama in Philadelphia. They will also be joined at the event by Jon Bon Jovi, who will perform.

Clinton will urge Pennsylvanians to elect her president on Tuesday and continue pushing for the "American ideals of progress, inclusion, equality and strength," that were enshrined in the Constitution in 1787, it said in a statement.

"Along with President Obama, she will also lay out how the division and dangerous views espoused by Donald Trump in his campaign make him unqualified, unfit and unworthy to lead this great nation," it said.

Encouraged by the polling figures, Trump, 70, also announced several new stops, including the Democratic stronghold like Minnesota.

"We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we're now either tied or leading. We're going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all, and we're doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll. We're going to Colorado, where we're doing phenomenally well. We're doing well everywhere," Trump said.

In a security scare, Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

Clinton (44 per cent) and Trump (43 per cent) are in a fierce battle among likely voters nationally -- including those who are undecided yet leaning towards a candidate or who have already voted, McClatchy-Marist poll said.

In September, Clinton led Trump by six percentage points in the same poll.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has the support of six per cent, and Jill Stein of the Green Party garners two per cent. Three per cent support another candidate, and two per cent are undecided, it said.

As per RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all major polls, the Democrat leads the Republican by 1.7 percentage points.

After running even with Trump early last week, Clinton now holds a five-point lead in the latest Washington Post-ABC Tracking Poll overall.

Clinton leads 45 per cent to 43 per cent in a Fox News survey, within the poll's margin of error. Libertarian Gary Johnson earns 5 per cent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein takes 2 per cent.

Nearly 200 million eligible voters would elect their new president. More than 40 million electorates across 48 states have already cast ballots using the provision of early voting.

Trump's campaign schedule includes multiple stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. His vice presidential nominee will address rallies in Michigan, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Obama would continue with his election blitz by addressing rallies in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida.

Clinton's meetings are scheduled in Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Michigan, while her husband Bill, a former US president, would seek vote for her in Michigan.

Chelsea, Clinton's daughter, has as many as five meetings scheduled in Philadelphia, while the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has meetings scheduled in North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost to Clinton during the Democratic primaries, too has been campaigning extensively.

Over the next two days, he is scheduled to address meetings in Arizona and Nevada. Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania.

Trump may not have Clinton's celebrities, but he has relied on his family for public support at times. However, the electoral college might present a different picture, given the nature of presidential elections.

Lee M Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said: "Although Clinton and Trump are separated by the slimmest of margins, the Electoral College can present a very different picture. Close popular votes can, but do not necessarily, translate into tight battles for 270 electoral votes," he said.

Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters
Donald Trump's son Eric participated in a traditional 'aarti' at a Hindu temple in Florida to woo Indian-Americans as the Republican presidential nominee's family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his victory in the November 8 election.

Eric, 32, arrived at the temple in Orlando in a suit but changed his clothes and wore a cream-coloured Sherwani to attend the 'aarti'.

He took a tour of the temple where the priest explained him the significance of aarti and other rituals. He was also told the tales of God Rama and Krishna.

The priest presented him a saffron stole.

The crucial swing state of Florida has a wealthy and growing Hindu population which could play a significant role in the election.

Earlier Donald Trump, in his efforts to woo the Indian community, borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's winning slogan of the 2014 general elections and was seen in a TV ad saying "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar".

This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeting the Indian-American vote bank.

Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu temple in the key swing state of Virginia as part of the Republican presidential nominee's efforts to reach out to the Indian-American community.

Lara had said Donald Trump has great love and affection for India and its people.

As a mark of respect to the Indian culture, she removed her shoes before entering the Rajdhani temple in Virginia.

"I really like Hindu culture and I respect It," she had said.

Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was also scheduled to visit the temple but the Trump campaign asked her to go to a different place given the fast-changing dynamics of the polls.
In a security scare, Republican White House candidate Donald Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

The man, who later identified himself to reporters as Austyn Crites, was then immediately detained and led out by a throng of police officers, Secret Service agents and SWAT officers armed with assault rifles to a side room.

A law enforcement official later told CNN no charges were filed against Crites.

After he was released from custody, Crites told reporters that the incident started off when he raised a "Republicans Against Trump" sign.

Crites said he was then assaulted by a group of people around him before someone shouted anything about a gun.

"All of a sudden, because they couldn't grab the sign, or whatever happened, bam, I get tackled by all these people who were just, like, kicking me and grabbing me...and just, just beating me," Crites was quoted as saying by KTNV.

"And somebody yells something about a gun, and so that's when things really got out of hand," he said.

The alleged assault against Crites is just the latest such incident to occur at a Trump rally, where other protesters have previously been roughed up.

The Secret Service said no weapon was found. "Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," it said.

The 70-year-old business tycoon returned to the stage just minutes after the incident, saying, "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped."

"I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," Trump said before returning to his speech.

Trump later said, "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response."

"I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us -- we will make America great again!" Trump said.

An eyewitness was quoted as saying by NBC News, "I heard, 'He has a gun' and several of us went over to the side wall because we were frightened."

The eyewitness said she was impressed with Trump's composure in continuing the speech.

Secret Service agents rushed to shield Trump onstage in March after a man tried to rush the stage during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, but the Republican nominee was not escorted off stage.

And a man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas in June after he tried to grab a police officer's gun, which he said he planned to use to shoot Trump.

IMAGE: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump being taken away by Secret Service officers after a gun scare at his rally in Reno, Nevada on Sunday. Photograph: ANI
After NDTV India, the government has ordered that an Assam-based news channel be taken off air for a day for allegedly violating programming guidelines multiple times and another TV channel be taken off air for a week for alleged objectionable content.

An I&B ministry order dated November 2, has sought that the channel News Time Assam, be taken off air on November 9, for a day.

The ministry has also directed that another TV channel Care World TV channel be taken off air for seven days from November 9 for alleged objectionable content.

The allegations against News Time Assam is that the channel telecasted a programme which revealed the identity of a minor who had been brutally tortured while working as a domestic servant.

Observing that the visuals telecast by the channel appeared to compromise the privacy and dignity of the child while also exposing him to harm and stigma, a showcause notice was issued to the channel in October 2013.

Having listened to the channel's version, the Inter Ministerial Committee which looked into the matter felt that the channel may be taken off air for a day.

The order also lists two other cases of alleged violations by News Time Assam which were considered by the IMC. One of them related to telecast of gory visuals of dead bodies for which a recommendation was made to take off the channel for a day.

In

another case the channel telecast a programme which allegedly appeared to defamatory towards to women and in bad taste. The IMC had asked the channel to run an apology scroll but since it did not comply, in this regard, taking it off air for a day was recommended.

The I&B ministry order, dated November 2, mentions all the three cases and says that the IMC clarified that the TV channel can be allowed to carry out the three awards of one day off air concurrently.

Quoting rules under the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, the ministry order said that the government orders to prohibit the transmission or retransmission of News Time Assam TV channel for one day on any platform throughout India with effect from 00:01 hours on 9th November, 2016 till 00:01 hours on 10th November, 2016.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has also directed another TV channel Care World TV channel be taken off air for seven days for alleged objectionable content.

It was alleged that the channel had put out indecent content after which IMC looked into the matter.

Based on its recommendations the Ministry issued the order. The Ministry in its order said the channel Care World TV channel should be taken off air for a week from November 9.

NDTV India has also been ordered to be taken off air for a day on November 9 over its coverage of the Pathankot attack, which has resulted in a massive controversy.

Image for representation only.
DECATUR, Ill., Nov. 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caring for families in need during the holidays also involves caring for their pets. Many families who struggle to make ends meet may not have enough money to feed their pets at what can be a financially stressful time of year. To help families in need, Decatur's Fairview Hospital for Animals, 1090 West South Side Drive, is holding its fourth annual pet food drive from November 28 to December 16. The pet hospital gives all donations to local Catholic charities; their food pantries handle distribution.



Dr. Robert Groesch, who runs Fairview Hospital for Animals along with his wife, Dr. Shelly Stevens, notes that the Catholic charities help thousands of families each year. Dr. Groesch says that their clients are generous with donations. "Last year we collected over 1,000 pounds of canned and packaged goods. We accept all brands and types of cat and dog food, including treats."

In addition to contributions received from local residents and pet owners, Hill's Pet Nutrition is making a generous donation of 200lbs of pet food to partner with Fairview Hospital for Animals in this effort.

Sometimes clients offer monetary donations. "That's helpful, too," Dr. Groesch says. "We use the funds to purchase pet food to supplement product donations."

Dr. Stevens adds, "As veterinarians, we are aware of the difficult decisions struggling pet owners in our community face. Our hope is to help take the load off families in need and make it possible for them to keep their pets. Pets are important family members who do best in loving homes. We don't want them to end up in the local animal shelter for lack of food."

The New York Times last February noted that, nationwide, pet food banks are becoming part of the "lifeline for people living paycheck to paycheck, if they are employed at all."

Pet food pantry supporters cite research showing that pets "help lower stress and blood pressure, improve moods, and provide emotional comfort to their owners, as reported by the Times.

In addition to the pet food drive, Fairview Hospital for Animals reaches out to families in need by participating in the organization Pets for Patriots, which places adoptive pets with military families.

Along with Decatur, Fairview Hospital for Animals serves Macon, Forsyth, Blue Mound, Mount Zion and Boody. It is a comprehensive clinic, offering services such as dental care, dermatology, lab work, laser therapy, radiology, surgery, wellness checkups and vaccinations.

Fairview Hospital for Animals provides emergency vet care in addition to their expansive pet wellness, treatment and grooming services. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

For more information about their pet food drive, contact Fairview Hospital for Animals at (217) 428-7709. Appointments may be requested by contacting the pet hospital online at http://fairviewpetvet.com/.

Fairview Hospital for Animals, (217) 428-7709
KRG: Kurdish Forces Ejecting Arabs In Kirkuk

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 3 November 2016 Cite as Human Rights Watch, KRG: Kurdish Forces Ejecting Arabs In Kirkuk, 3 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/581c95834.html [accessed 1 November 2022] 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.

Kurdish authorities in Kirkuk, in their most recent round of displacements, have been ejecting Arab residents and Arab internally displaced people there since the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, attacked the city on October 21, 2016.

Human Rights Watch is not aware of any similar displacements affecting Kurdish residents of the city. Given that Arabs seem to be the sole victims of these demolitions and evictions, and no explanation has been given by the authorities as to why they are being so targeted, the KRG actions appear to be discriminatory.

"While KRG security forces are working to protect civilians from ISIS, they should ensure that their security measures don't endanger civilians or undermine their rights," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director. "Forcing families out of their homes and into the streets or to unsafe parts of the country is a serious violation of their rights and does nothing to strengthen Iraq's political cohesion."

On October 17, the Iraqi central government and KRG authorities, with the support of an international coalition, started military operations to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, which ISIS captured in June 2014. Anti-ISIS forces have also encircled the city of Hawija, 120 kilometers southeast of Mosul, which ISIS also captured in June 2014, and begun operations to retake the city. In response, ISIS fighters stormed police stations and buildings in Kirkuk, 150 kilometers southeast of Mosul, on October 21, killing about 100 security force members and civilians. It took roughly 24 hours for the Kurdish armed forces to subdue the ISIS attack.

On the morning of October 23, the Security Committee of Kirkuk Governorate issued an order to all internally displaced people living in Kirkuk who were not in camps to vacate their residences by 8 a.m. the following day. The order, which was posted online, specified that displaced people who wanted to remain in Kirkuk had to move into one of the camps for displaced people. It said that anyone who did not comply would be forced out, and their homes - mostly self-built brick structures - would be demolished. The statement was taken down within hours but the authorities seem to have carried out the order.

Human rights workers in Kirkuk told Human Rights Watch that on October 23, authorities forcibly displaced at least 250 families, and at least 75 on October 24, most from the June First neighborhood of southern Kirkuk. They destroyed at least 100 homes within the same period, the activists said. Two local people who witnessed the demolitions gave Human Rights Watch similar estimates.

On October 25, four Arab June First residents told Human Rights Watch by telephone that Kurdish Asayish and Peshmerga forces arrived in the neighborhood at 9 a.m. that morning with at least one bulldozer and three excavators and demolished their homes. One, aged 56, said he was born in Baghdad and has lived in Kirkuk for more than 40 years. Another, aged 53, is from Qarah Tappah, 14 kilometers west of Kirkuk, and has lived in Kirkuk for more than 20 years. Both said they had been expecting it after witnessing the demolitions of the previous two days, but had no official notification that they would have to leave.

Another longtime Arab resident of Kirkuk said that he heard security forces order displaced families from Hawija living in five homes to leave Kirkuk, but he did not know where they had gone once their houses were destroyed.

Human Rights Watch reviewed three videos that a neighborhood resident whose house was not destroyed filmed on October 25, showing what appeared to be dozens of houses reduced to rubble. Human Rights Watch is not aware of any injuries or deaths resulting from these demolitions.The neighborhood is more than 25 kilometers from the front line in the current operation to retake Mosul and Hawija. It was not affected by the ISIS attack in Kirkuk on October 21. There are no military structures in the area, which is mostly residential, said Kirkuk residents and Human Rights Watch researchers who visited the neighborhood earlier in 2016.

No KRG official has publicly claimed imperative military reasons as justification for displacing the June First residents or for demolishing homes there. While KRG officials have claimed that demolitions have been done to remove illegally constructed buildings, as far as Human Rights Watch has been able to determine, all those affected have been Arabs and there have been no similar demolitions in areas of Kirkuk where Kurds live, although many houses in those areas were also allegedly illegally built. A local sheikh in the neighborhood said that about a third of the homes in June First are illegally built.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on October 25 that it was "concerned by the severe measures the authorities in Kirkuk have been taking against internally displaced people living in the city."

Brigadier Sherzad Maraf, a member of the Security Committee of Kirkuk Governorate, denied that the forcible displacements are taking place, as did the governor of Kirkuk. However, Rakan Said al-Jubouri, the deputy governor, told Human Rights Watch that he visited the neighborhood and saw hundreds of homes destroyed by Peshmerga and Asayish forces.

KRG authorities should make a commitment to immediately end unlawful forced displacements and demolitions that violate international law, and to allow families to return where feasible and compensate and provide alternative housing to victims of unlawful forced evictions who cannot return home. This should include setting out a clear legal basis for destruction of homes, ensuring that such destruction only occurs for a legitimate reason, as a last resort when all other options are exhausted, does not negatively affect vulnerable people living in the homes, is not discriminatory in law or in practice, and gives those affected meaningful opportunity to challenge the decision before the evictions and demolitions are carried out.

"Evicting Arab families from their homes with only one day's notice and razing them to the ground is absolutely the wrong way to combat the security risk posed by ISIS," Fakih said.

The New Ejections in Kirkuk

The hundreds of families who lost their homes include Arabs displaced from other parts of Iraq by fighting against ISIS who had moved to Kirkuk, as well as longtime Arab residents of Kirkuk. The neighborhood has no Kurdish residents according to the residents from there who spoke to Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch is not aware of any similar demolition of homes of Kurds in Kirkuk following the ISIS attack.

Three Arab residents of Kirkuk told Human Rights Watch that on October 24, they heard at least one Asayish Toyota vehicle with speakers announcing that demolitions would be taking place the next day. "Samir" said that he had seen demolitions the day before:

I knew it would soon be my turn so we packed our things and put them outside our home. The next day they came to my house at 10 a.m., we were waiting outside as they came. Those who came had the KRG flag on each of their cars and on the bulldozer and excavators.

He said the security forces did not confiscate his identity card when they saw it read Kirkuk as his place of origin, but still told him he needed to leave, without giving a reason or telling him where to go. He is currently in Kirkuk, looking for a home in another neighborhood to rent.

Samir said that he spoke to members of 10 families who had been his neighbors after fleeing from Hawija when ISIS took control in 2014. Armed forces also demolished their new, self-built homes, and told them to go to a newly opened camp for internally displaced people in Daquq, 30 kilometers south of Kirkuk. The families told Samir by phone that they went to the camp and have stayed there.

Another longtime Arab resident of Kirkuk said that he heard security forces order families from Hawija living in five homes to leave Kirkuk, but he did not know where they had gone once their houses were destroyed. The security forces also ordered him and his family to leave and demolished his home.

The four men interviewed said that they received no alternative form of housing and no compensation. Three said they were looking for places to stay in Kirkuk. The fourth, who was sitting on the street when he spoke to Human Rights Watch, said he did not know where he would go.

Longterm Displacment of Arabs in Kirkuk

The pattern of forcible displacement in areas around Kirkuk controlled by KRG forces is not new, Human Rights Watch said. It has not documented any similar forcible displacement of the Kurdish population in the area.

Since 2015, Human Rights Watch has documented KRG forces' home demolitions and forcible displacement of local and displaced Arabs, including residents from villages neighboring Kirkuk, residents of Kirkuk, and displaced families living in Laylan camp, 25 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk. KRG authorities provided various reasons for the demolitions and displacements, including that the homes belonged to ISIS fighters, that the homes had bombs in them or were constructed without permits. In the case of the Laylan camp, the authorities said that displaced residents had to leave to make room for displaced people from other parts of the country.

However, the manner and circumstance of the displacements and demolitions indicate that they were not undertaken for the stated purposes but rather to unlawfully remove Arabs from disputed territory and, in some cases, to punish residents for actual or suspected ties to ISIS.

In most cases, residents told Human Rights Watch they did not receive advance warning and none received compensation. In many cases, residents were not offered alternative housing and some said they were forced to live in unsafe conditions.

According to aid workers, security forces expelled more than 12,000 internally displaced people from Kirkuk governorate in September 2016 alone.

According to an aid worker in Kirkuk, in 2005 the Kirkuk governor made an announcement stating that only residents of Kirkuk could own and build property and defined residents of Kirkuk as families registered during the 1957 census. The aid worker told Human Rights Watch that after this, he used it to justify demolition of Arab homes, saying these homes were unlawfully constructed by nonresidents.

International law on forcible displacement and demolition of homes

The laws of war prohibit the forcible displacement of civilians except for their own security or for imperative military reasons. A party to the conflict may order civilians to leave an area where civilians are in immediate danger or for imperative military reasons. As long as the immediate danger or imperative military reasons continue, a party to the conflict may prevent civilians from returning to their homes.

Human Rights Watch did not find imperative military reasons for displacing the population in the June First neighborhood. The authorities did not attempt to justify destruction of homes and displacement for reasons related to the conflict but only on the grounds of "illegal" construction in Kirkuk.

Further, while KRG officials have claimed that houses have been demolished to remove illegally constructed buildings, these demolitions have been announced and supervised by security forces. As far as Human Rights Watch has been able to determine, there have been no similar demolitions in areas where Kurdish Kirkuk residents live. Many houses in those areas were also allegedly illegally built, a Kirkuk resident who knows Kurdish residents who built their own homes illegally told Human Rights Watch.

Under the laws of war, the intentional or wanton destruction of civilian property is unlawful unless the property is being used for a military purpose, such as for the deployment of opposing forces. However, civilian property may be destroyed if future use by opposing forces, for example to stage an attack, is expected and imminent and only so long as the expected harm caused to civilians and civilian property is proportionate to the anticipated military advantage. Destroying property merely to punish the population is always prohibited.

In accordance with international human rights law, such demolitions would need to be carried out with adequate notice, consultation, and compensation to those affected.

Evictions must be justified in law, only be carried out for a legitimate reason, and be proportionate and non-discriminatory. Evictions should not adversetly affect vulnerable people and avoid leading to a violation of other rights, including the right to shelter.

Authorities should provide individuals with the possibility to challenge evictions before they take place, and ensure compensation to those affected if the evictions are wrongfully carried out, and for any property lost or damaged. Forced evictions and house demolitions as punitive measures are strictly prohibited under international law.

Prior Forced Ejections

June First Neighborhood, Kirkuk, September 22, 2016

On September 22, aid workers reported that Kirkuk authorities forcibly displaced 64 Arab families from the June First neighborhood, forcing them to return to their village, al-Bohanehen, in Diyala. Security forces told families the evictions and subsequent house demilitions were because the homes were built without permits. But three of the people expelled told Human Rights Watch they believed they were being deported as part of a campaign to remove Arabs from the area. They said these demolitions only affected Arabs and that they heard armed forces making derogatory comments as they carried out the demolitions.

They said that that they and the other families had moved to the June First neighborhood after fleeing ISIS in Diyala.

"Karim" said that when ISIS came to al-Bohanehen, his family headed to Kirkuk. They settled in the June First neighborhood and built a makeshift home on public land along with other displaced families from Diyala and Tikrit. Karim says that since they arrived and erected homes in the neighborhood, Asayish and Kirkuk police would regularly come to the area and demolish some houses with excavators. When he asked why the homes were being demolished, a police officer told him it was because the homes were built without permits. On September 22, at about 4 p.m., a larger number of Asayish forces arrived without warning and demanded that the residents hand over their identity cards and threatened to demolish the homes with them inside if they did not leave. They did not tell families where to go, only that they had to leave Kirkuk.

"Ahmed," also from the village of al-Bohanehen in Diyala, said that his family begged the Asayish for a few days to pack their belongings, but the Asayish refused. Ahmed said that as they left he saw security forces demolish at least 30 homes of families from al-Bohanehen. None of the families received compensation or alternative accommodations.

The three men from al-Bohanehen said they returned to their village because they had nowhere else to go, and because ISIS had been pushed out in November 2014. The three men said the families who returned to al-Bohanehen have no access to basic services including food, water, adequate shelter, medical care, and hygiene facilities. Aid workers who visited the village confirmed the conditions. Most of the families have settled in abandoned buildings and destroyed houses, as the majority of the village infrastructure and homes were damaged in fighting and their homes are not habitable, the aid workers said. Some families told the aid workers that they felt unsafe due to lack of adequate shelter and risks to their physical safety.

Laylan Camp, Kirkuk city, September 22, 2016

Aid workers said that on September 22, Asayish forces forcibly displaced 115 Arab families from the Laylan camp in Kirkuk without prior notification and without offering them safe alternative housing. The families came there between 2014 and 2016, after fleeing their homes in Baiji in Salah al-Din governorate when ISIS came to the area.

A local Arab sheikh said: "This decision came from Iraqi central government because their cities are liberated, and the government doesn't have adequate capacity to keep all these families, when many IDPs [internally displaced persons] will start coming soon from Hawija. The government is preparing these camps for IDPs from Hawija and Mosul."

"Muhammad" fled Baiji with his family in early 2015 because of heavy airstrikes on the area targeting ISIS. The family stayed with friends about 140 kilometers west of Kirkuk in al-Shirqat, which was also under ISIS control at the time. In June, he decided to escape with his 2-year-old daughter, 10-year-old son, and wife. All three of them died on the journey out but Muhammad made it to Laylan camp. On September 22 at 9:30 a.m., Asayish forces from the camp came to the tent he was sharing with his brother and told them to grab their possessions and leave. They did as they were told:

They kicked out many other families that day, I am not sure how many, but they loaded us into 10 buses. They didn't let three female neighbors of mine take time to wash their faces and pack. They brought us to Daquq checkpoint, and from there we needed to get our own taxis home.

Muhammed and his brother and brother's family went to Tikrit, the closest urban center to Baiji, most of which was destroyed in fighting against ISIS. Aid workers present during the forced displacement said that security forces had used physical violence against women, children, and men as they bused them out of Kirkuk Governorate. The families have settled in unfinished buildings and shops in the Qadisiyah neighbourhood of Tikrit and lack basic services, and some are still missing their identity cards, aid workers who have since visited the community said. Muhammad said:

At the camp we had help from different organizations. Now I am living in a half-built house with no windows or doors. I am not scared at the moment, but wherever you go in this country you don't really feel safe. How can I feel safe when I sleep in a house that does not have any doors or windows. Every night I expect something will happen to me.

Under the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the Iraqi authorities, including the KRG, have the primary duty and responsibility to establish conditions, as well as provide the means, which allow internally displaced persons to return voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, to their homes, or to resettle voluntarily in another part of the country. Such authorities shall endeavor to facilitate the reintegration of returned or resettled internally displaced persons They should make special efforts to ensure the full participation of internally displaced persons in the planning and management of their return or resettlement and reintegration.

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Morgan County Election Board reviews financial records

The Morgan County Election Board met Friday to review the campaign finance reports of local candidates running for office.
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Stand Beside Her and Guide Her

"From the small town Friday night lights, to the Broadway neon burning up bright, We're all the same and it's in our veins, A spirit that you can't keep down, A fire inside that'll never burn out if you are the owner of an American Heart" (Lyrics from American Heart by Faith Hill)





America The Good Representing a World of Good

When times get tough, play Faith Hill's song American Heart full blast:

Cause it beats like a drum down in New Orleans

Sings like a Motown Melody,

It dreams like California,

Bigger than a Texas sky,

it Bleeds,

it Scars,

it Shines when Times get Hard,

and you can't break an American Heart..

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. As an Amazon Associate I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.

The inspirational song by Faith Hill,, reminds us about not only the good in America, but also in people who proudly call themselves members of the free world.Free speech, compassion, human rights and the collective good remain a constant work in progress and as a Canadian, like my brother and sister Americans, I'm blessed to be a part of it.As people of earth, our diversity along with our sameness are the weights that create the balance. It's cliche, but it really is our differences that teach us and our common ground that unites us.As an example, even with a physical border between Canada and the USA, the earth doesn't shift when you place a foot on one side or the other: Stand on one side, or stand on the other, I'll venture a guess our aspirations are fundamentally the same; those being prosperity, peace and the pursuit of happiness.We all know Canadians and Americans share the longest peaceful border on planet earth. This speaks loudly about the people who inhabit both sides of this man-made invisible line.The most successful friends on the planet have earned a few bragging rights and the Oscar should go to the people of both countries, not our governments. For it's the people who set the pace in a free country; it's people who push governments one way or another, and in a free world governments reflect who we are.Belting out the lyrics of American Heart, Faith Hill sings these inspirational wordsThe song is speaking to the soul that makes up America. Today I'll push these worthy sentiments forward to encompass my own country, and even further out to wrap these words of hope around the planet.
Protesters march in Hong Kong against a planned interpretation of the city's mini-constitution by China's parliament using umbrellas to ward off pepper spray attacks, Nov. 6, 2016.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in protest against Beijing's intervention in a row over the swearing-in of two pro-independence lawmakers, with police firing pepper spray on demonstrators amid clashes later in the evening.

Huge crowds poured out in a mass march against a planned interpretation of the city's mini-constitution by China's parliament, later using umbrellas to ward off pepper spray attacks in clashes reminiscent of the 2014 pro-democracy movement.

The initial march rallied outside the Court of Final Appeal in the city, amid strong criticism that intervention by ruling Chinese Communist Party officials had damaged the independence of the city's courts.

Organizers said some 11,000 people, some of whom were chanting pro-independence slogans, turned out for the main demonstration, while police put the figure at 8,000.

Live footage of the protests streamed to the website of the Apple Daily newspaper showed rows of police in full riot gear lining the edge of a large crowd late on Sunday, while loudspeakers urged them to "leave immediately."

The standoff and clashes continued until the early hours of the morning in working-class Western District, where some of the crowd unidentified objects and wielded umbrellas to shield themselves against pepper spray.

Protesters faced off against police in at least two areas by the Western police station, local media reported.

China's rubber-stamp parliament has said it will discuss the status of newly elected pro-independence lawmakers Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching after they used their swearing-in ceremonies to protest Beijing's rule in the city.

The pair had their oaths rejected last month after they pledged allegiance to "the Hong Kong Nation" and not to China. They later attempted to re-take their oaths, but were prevented by a mass walkout by pro-Beijing LegCo members that rendered the meeting invalid.

"For them to issue an interpretation at this time would have a huge influence on the court's decision making," protest organizer Au Nok-hin told the rally earlier in the day.

"Why not trust Hong Kong's judicial system? Why do they have to trample it with a ruling from the National People's Congress (NPC)?" he said. "This should be resolved at the local level."

Undermining Hong Kong courts

Article 104 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, requires that holders of public office swear allegiance both to the Hong Kong government and to the People's Republic of China. Arguments were heard in a judicial review by the city's High Court on Thursday, but top lawyers warned that any pronouncement by Beijing would undermine the city's courts.

As the protests escalated on Sunday, former Occupy Central student leader Nathan Law, who was recently elected as a lawmaker, called on the crowd to leave after the rally.

"We are currently in unfavorable position, geographically. I suggest we leave now," he told the crowd.

But hundreds were still there at around 4 a.m. on Monday, local time, live video feeds showed.

Yau Wai-ching called on people to find their own methods to protest the intervention.

"I suggest we continue the rally but in the wild cat style. Everyone can do it his way," she said.

As public anger spilled onto Hong Kong's streets, China's state-controlled media stepped up support for direct intervention.

NPC delegates were quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying that Leung and Yau were a threat to China's "sovereignty and security."

"The central government cannot sit by indifferently," they were quoted as saying.

The broadcast said an interpretation was "very timely and extremely necessary," Reuters reported.

No tolerance for separatist ideas

Democratic Party founder member Martin Lee, who helped draft the Basic Law before the 1997 handover to Chinese rule, accused Chinese officials of interfering with the separation of powers in Hong Kong.

"Now, normally this is a matter for the court, but now they want to give it to the secretary-general of the Legislative Council, and he is a civil servant, who will then decide whether such a person is honest about his intentions," Lee told Hong Kong government broadcaster RTHK.

"If there is an interpretation, it will not be up to our judges to decide whether someone who has been elected as a Legislative Councillor and who has taken an oath in an unusual way, whether that will be interpreted as [their] having declined or neglected to give the oath," Lee said.

Both Yau and Leung are members of the pro-independence group Youngspiration. A recent opinion survey showed that almost 40 percent of young people in Hong Kong favor independence for the city in 2047, when existing arrangements with China expire.

But Beijing has repeatedly warned that "separatist" ideas won't be tolerated in the former British colony, and recent election candidates were forced to sign a declaration rejecting independence for the former British colony.

Maria Tam, who represents Hong Kong at the NPC, said Chinese officials "resolutely oppose" any words or deeds that "split the country."

"They believe that the oath should be a solemn thing, and that there are legitimate conditions to be observed," she said on Sunday.

Under the terms of the 1997 handover, Hong Kong was promised a "high degree of autonomy" and the continuation of its traditional freedoms for 50 years.

But journalists, lawyers and diplomats have said that Hong Kong's traditional freedoms of speech, publication and judicial independence are now being eroded, following the cross-border detentions of five booksellers and an attempt by city officials to influence sentences handed down to leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy protests by a local court.

Reported by Lee Lai and Dai Weisen for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
The mayor of Kyiv says electricity and water supplies have been restored after a day of Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, including hydroelectric power stations, that caused blackouts, mobile phone outages, and reductions in water supplies.

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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

"The water supply to the homes of Kyiv residents has been fully restored. Thank you to the experts of Kyivvodokanal and DTEK, who worked for almost a day to restore water and electricity [supplies] to the residents of the capital," Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram early on November 1.



Klitschko said that the electricity supply in the Ukrainian capital had also been restored but that blackouts are inevitable because of the extensive damage to the power system after the Russian attacks.

In Mykolayiv, regional military administration chief Vitaliy Kim said on November 1 that Russia fired four S-300 missiles overnight, demolishing half an apartment building in the city and killing one person.

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other civilian buildings with missile, drone, and artillery attacks for weeks amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops out of the northeast and pushed them back in the east and southeast.



In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine's air defenses did a good job shooting down most of the missiles, but that strengthening the country's air-defense capabilities remains a top priority.



"Our air force and everyone involved in protecting the sky did a very good job today," Zelenskiy said late on October 31. "Most of the objectives that the terrorists identified as targets were saved. This morning alone, terrorists used 55 cruise missiles for a massive attack. Forty-five of them were shot down. We will continue to strengthen our air defense."



Zelenskiy added that restoration work was still ongoing in regions targeted by Russian missiles.



Russia launched missiles into several Ukrainian cities on October 31, including the nations capital, Kyiv, as the Kremlin continues its relentless assault on critical Ukrainian infrastructure in the hopes of wearing down the populations will to resist.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko called on the Group of 20 major economies to expel Russia and rescind President Vladimir Putins invitation to a G20 summit in Bali next month.

Nikolenko said in a tweet on November 1 that Putin's public acknowledgement that he ordered missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure meant "his hands [are] stained in blood" and that "he must not be allowed to sit at the table with world leaders."

With its eight-month invasion failing and the prospects of a defeat rising, the Kremlin is seeking to terrorize and demoralize the Ukrainian population in an attempt to break it, Western and Ukrainian officials have said. Russia has destroyed more than 40 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure in a few weeks, causing electricity cuts in Kyiv and other places as winter approaches.



Separately, in eastern Ukraine, the military command said there were fierce battles near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region and that Ukrainian forces had held back Russian assaults on two other areas in the region, around Avdiyivka and Uhledar.



Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on November 1 that Russia struck more than 50 settlements in the Donetsk region.



Russia is also expanding the forced evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from occupied Kherson as its forces seek to hold the region.



Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed head of Kherson, announced on October 31 that citizens will be evacuated from another seven districts. Just three days earlier, the Russia-installed officials had announced that the evacuation process in the Kherson region had ended.



The Ukrainian military reported that Russian troops are mining evacuated residential areas in the Kakhovka settlement.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on November 1 that about 87,000 of 300,000 reservists who were mobilized since September have been deployed for combat in Ukraine.

About 3,000 military instructors with fighting experience in Ukraine are training them, said Shoigu, speaking on a conference call.

Some of the fresh troops have reportedly been sent to Kherson in southern Ukraine to help with the evacuation.



Russia also reinforced its fighting force with an annual fall draft of 120,000 men. Russian military officials have said conscripts to be called up over the next two months will not be sent to fight in Ukraine.

Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in a report on October 30 suggested conscripts for the autumn draft could be sent to war with Ukraine in the spring.

This year's fall draft was delayed because of the mobilization of 300,000 reservists that President Vladimir Putin ordered on September 21 to bolster his Ukraine invasion force.

While Russian officials have declared the mobilization complete, it be done with an official decree from Putin, and critics have warned it could resume after military enlistment offices are freed up from processing fall conscripts.

Shoigu admitted shortcomings were revealed in the work of military registration and enlistment offices at the beginning of the mobilization. They have now been eliminated, according to Shoigu.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled Russia since Putin declared the military mobilization.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Iraqi security forces converging on Mosul from the south have driven Islamic State (IS) fighters from the center of a town just several kilometers from the large northern city's airport.



Lieutenant-General Raid Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the center of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 kilometers south of Mosul.



He told Al-Hurra television that another Iraqi unit had advanced further up the western bank of the Tigris River and was just 4 kilometers from the airport.



Mosul, the last IS stronghold in Iraq, is being besieged by Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces seeking to recapture it as they continue to retake Iraqi territory from the Sunni extremists in the northern and western parts of the country.



Jawdat added that his forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars, which had targeted them as they advanced north.



"[The battle for Hamman al-Alil] is very important -- it's the last town for us before Mosul," Jawdat told reporters.



Iraqi helicopters were supporting the army, he said, backed also by jets from the U.S.-led air coalition.



The security forces' advance from the south comes days after Iraqi special forces punched their way into the eastern part of Mosul, with Peshmerga forces blocking the northern access to the city.



The Reuters news agency reported seeing smoke rising from Mosul's eastern districts as artillery, gunfire, and air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition could be heard on November 5.



The special forces have reportedly secured six neighborhoods in eastern Mosul and established a base of operations in the city.



But the advance of the Iraqi forces was slowed by IS-erected fortifications, which include trenches and berms that have turned the streets and alleys of some neighborhoods into hazardous mazes.



Snipers also fired from rooftops at each other and civilians emerged from the front lines waving white flags in a bid to receive safe passage.



There were indications other residents were being held by IS fighters in an effort to use them as human shields, the Associated Press reported.



Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on November 5 during a visit to the eastern front in Mosul that he had brought a message to Mosul residents "who are hostages in the hands of [Islamic State] -- we will liberate you soon."



Abadi said the progress to liberate Mosul has gone faster than previously expected.



"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken," he said. "Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will be some delay."



So far, the army controls only a small part of Mosul -- which was home to 2 million people before the IS fighters took control of it in 2014.



There are reported to be more than 1 million people still living in the city, though there has been a steady stream of people leaving it since the operation to retake Mosul began three and half weeks ago.



The UN is worried that hundreds of thousands of refugees may flee Mosul due to the fighting, though thus far the International Organization for Migration reports only 31,000 have left.



A man described as a senior IS figure, Ammar Salih Ahmad Abu Bakr, was reportedly killed by federal police in Hammam al-Alil as he tried to escape by car.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for several suicide bombings that have killed at least 21 people and wounded dozens in two cities in northern Iraq.

The deadly attacks came as Iraqi government forces battled Islamic State (IS) militants to retake the northern city of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

The attacks in the cities of Tikrit and Samarra on November 6 appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the extremist group.

IS issued a statement claiming the attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.

Iraqi officials spoke of only two bombers.

In Tikrit, officials said a bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance at the southern entrance to the city during the morning rush hour, killing 13 people.

Officials also said another attacker detonated a vehicle in a car park for pilgrims visiting a Shiite shrine in Samarra, killing at least eight people, including several Iranian pilgrims.

Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa


Authorities in Montenegro say an investigation shows that Russian nationalists were behind an alleged coup attempt that included a plot to assassinate the countrys pro-Western leader because of his plans to have the Balkan nation join NATO.

Chief Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic said on November 6 that investigators have concluded that "nationalists from Russia" organized a criminal group that planned to break into parliament and kill Montenegrin Prime Minster Milo Djukanovic on October 16 -- the day of the former Yugoslav republic's parliamentary elections.

Katnic said investigators had not discovered evidence of direct involvement by the Russian state in the planned coup and attempted assassination aimed at bringing a pro-Russian coalition into power.

Some 20 Serbian and Montenegrin citizens, including a former commander of Serbia's special police forces, were arrested in Montenegro during the October 16 elections and are accused of trying to stage the coup and kill the prime minister.

Authorities in Belgrade reportedly deported an unspecified number of Russian operatives who were monitoring Djukanovic's movements from within the territory of neighboring Serbia.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement.

NATO in December 2015 formally invited Montenegro to join the alliance.

Djukanovics government signed an accession protocol with NATO in May 2016.

Djukanovic announced on October 26 that he was resigning as prime minister, but his office said in a statement that his decision was "carefully planned" and had "nothing to do with the alleged coup."

That statement also accused Moscow of supporting parties opposed to Djukanovic's goal of bringing Montenegro into the European Union and NATO.

His decision to step down has been seen by many as part of a transition within Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists aimed at improving the country's changes of EU membership.

Djukanovic will remain in the post of chairman of his party.

Deputy Prime MInister Dusko Markovic has been nominated to replace Djukanovic. Markovic previously had been the chief of Montenegro's state security

The Democratic Party of Socialists came in first in the October 16 election but will need to form a coalition to stay in government.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP and TASS


The Caspian seabed contains some of the largest reserves of oil and natural gas in the world. And if one adds the hydrocarbon wealth present onshore in the Caspian littoral countries -- Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Russia -- the volumes are staggering.

However, to send energy resources from the Caspian Basin to world markets requires cooperation and with all five countries hoping to export their oil and gas it is not surprising that agreement is often difficult to reach. The politics of Caspian energy exports is complicated and there is a good deal of hypocrisy involved.

To examine the Caspian conundrum, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel, to discuss the politics of the region, who is exporting, who is not, and why this is so.

Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From Carlton University in Ottawa, Canada, energy expert Robert Cutler joined the discussion. From Britain, independent journalist, former deputy director of RFE/RLs Iranian service (Radio Farda) Hossein Aryan also took part. Participating from Washington was Luke Coffey, the director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. And I was in New York City from where I contributed a few comments of my own.

The Caspian littoral states working group held a session in Tehran on October 23-24. It was the 47th session of the working group over the course of some 20 years and, once again, delegates left the meeting with little to show, vowing to meet again soon.

Sea Or Lake?

The main sticking point remains the legal statues of the Caspian Sea. Is it a sea or a lake? It makes a big difference, particularly for Iran as Coffey explained.

Iran is dead set on the Caspian Sea [being declared] a lake because under the terms of the law of the Sea they would only get about 13 percent of the water whereas [if it were declared a lake] they want an equitable 20 percent, he said.

That is not just 20 percent of the water and seabed, it is a 20-percent share in the riches of the Caspian Sea.

Coffey added that the portion of the Caspian that is in Irans sector is the deepest, I think it holds almost two-thirds of the volume of the water in the Caspian, so in terms of extracting oil and gas resources its very difficult.

Technically none of the countries should be developing oil and gas fields until all five states agree on the legal status of the Caspian.

But, as Aryan pointed out, 68 or 70 percent of the Caspian has already been divided, between Russia, between Kazakhstan, between Azerbaijan, and also between Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, so it only leaves something like 30%, which is [in the area of] Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.

And there is a lot of extraction already taking place.Azerbaijans Shah Deniz 1 project has been supplying oil to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [BTC] pipeline, which has been carrying that oil to Turkeys Mediterranean coast for export for some 10 years now.

Joint Ventures

Other littoral countries have been developing their offshore sites also. And Cutler noted, As part of the Russian-Kazakh agreements for the division of their mutual boundaries the two countries have cooperated and continue to cooperate on a number of joint ventures to exploit deposits that are on, or near the boundary of that so-called modified median line in the Caspian offshore.

This sort of cooperation is apparently not possible for all the Caspian littoral countries.

Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have for around two decades been discussing the construction of an undersea pipeline to bring some 30 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas annually across the Caspian where it could be loaded into pipelines heading to Turkey and on to Europe. The Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP) is included as part of the European Unions Southern Corridor strategy to diversify its gas import markets in order to avoid becoming overly dependent on supplies of oil and gas from Russia.

Iran and Russia oppose this project, ostensibly because of environmental concerns.

Cutler pointed out, When Russia built the Blue Stream pipeline under the Black Sea to Turkey and when it talks about the Turkish Stream pipeline, nobody, and not Russia, really discusses the environmental and ecological issues which seem to come to the fore rhetorically when Caspian affairs are the subject of discussion.

And Cutler added, Theres so much more experience with constructing and managing these sorts of pipelines in the last 20 years that it really shouldnt be an issue and it is not a technical issue, it is a political issue.

Russias Interests

Coffey echoed that saying, Its in Russias interests that this matter [the legal status of the Caspian] remains unsettled. This makes it more difficult for the Trans-Caspian Pipeline to ever be realized and it means that theres one less alternative available to Europe that bypasses Russia.

Underscoring the point that it is only the TCP that raises objections, Cutler drew attention to an oil pipeline between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which theyve been discussing for 10 years and which they again recently, just last month signed yet another accord for the intention to build.

So far, none of the other Caspian states have raised any objections to that proposed pipeline, nor did any of them complain when Kazakhstans offshore Kashagan field started production in September 2013 only to be quickly shut down when the undersea pipes cracked and leaked into the Caspian Sea. After replacing those pipes, Kashagan just restarted production in October.

In the absence of any common agreement on the Caspians status there is really only one thing that counts, as Aryan, who served for some 18 years in Irans navy explained. Russia has the largest navy, nearly 150 vessels, most of the exercises and drills conducted by Russia in the Caspian Sea are far beyond the agreements reached between the states with regard to maintaining security, fighting smugglers, search and rescue.

That includes firing cruise missiles from Russian ships in the Caspian Sea at targets inside Syria earlier this year, a move that was not necessary from a military point of view, but one that sent a message to the other littoral states about who is ultimately in charge of the Caspian Sea.

This was an intense discussion that covered these topics in greater detail and addressed other issues on the complicated situation in the Caspian:

An audio recording of the Majlis can be heard here:

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to Majlis on iTunes.
U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish-Arab forces have announced the start of a campaign to retake the Islamic State (IS) militant group's de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a multi-ethnic opposition alliance led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), made the announcement in the Syrian town of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa.

"The general command of the Syria Democratic Forces announces the blessed start of its major military campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa," Jehan Sheikh Amad, an SDF spokeswoman, said on November 6.

The SDF called on Raqqa's civilians to avoid areas where IS militants are present and to go to "liberated territory."

There was no immediate reaction from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government about the SDF announcement.

The announcement comes as Iraqi government forces -- backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes, Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga, Sunni Arab tribal fighters, and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia -- battle to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from IS extremists.

The United States considers the YPG militias the most effective force against IS militants in Syria.

Unease In Ankara

But Turkey is dismayed at the prominent role played in the SDF by the Kurdish YPG militia. It also accuses those Syrian Kurdish fighters of having links with Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) -- which has been designated by both Washington and Ankara as a terrorist organization that has waged a three-decade insurgency within Turkey.

Turkey also has launched an offensive into northern Syria where Turkish forces have clashed with SDF fighters who have seized large swaths of territory from IS along the Syria-Turkey border.

Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy to the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting against the IS militants, said in Amman on November 6 that U.S. military officials are "in close contact" with Turkish military leaders about the operation.

He also said that the United States is providing close air support for the attack on Raqqa.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, meanwhile, said the Royal Air Force is providing aerial surveillance to help the offensive and "will support the Raqqa operation as it develops."

McGurk told reporters in the Jordanian capital that Washington wants the offensive against Raqqa "to be as coordinated as possible, recognizing that there will be a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces, of course, do not see eye-to-eye -- but they do share a very common and still very lethal enemy."

McGurk also announced that General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Ankara on November 6 for a previously unannounced visit that includes talks with his counterpart in Turkey's army, General Hulusi Akar.

Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have said that they will not accept a role for Syrian Kurds in the liberation of the city of Raqqa itself.

Turkey's defense minister last week suggested that instead of the Syrian Kurds, a Turkish-backed force could present an "alternative."

In a speech on November 6, Erdogan did not comment on the SDF announcement but said allied Syrian opposition fighters were fast approaching the Syrian town of Al-Bab, the last stronghold of the IS group in Aleppo Province.

Breaking Islamic State's 'Barbaric Grip'

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on November 6 welcomed the announcement on the SDF operation to liberate Raqqa from what he called the "barbaric grip" of the so-called Islamic State.

Carter said. "The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan. As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction" of an Islamic State caliphate and to "disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies, and our partners."

On November 2, Carter had said that YPG militia fighters would be part of the force charged with surrounding and isolating IS militants in Raqqa.

But U.S. officials say Arab forces in the SDF were expected to go into the city of Raqqa itself in order to avoid potential ethnic conflicts.

A similar strategy has been proposed in the operation to retake Mosul from IS militants to avoid igniting ethnic and sectarian conflicts.

Carter's November 2 comments suggested that Washington may try to involve Turkey in the final takeover of the city after Kurdish YPG forces have helped to surround and isolate it.

An attack on Raqqa has long been expected, with Carter saying on October 25 that the battle to retake it would "overlap" with the campaign in Mosul.

The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, said in October that the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS militants wanted to move urgently to isolate Raqqa because of concerns about the group using the city as a base to plan and launch attacks against targets abroad.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa




A public hearing to consider two requests from used car retailer/industry disrupter Carvana LLC is scheduled at Thursdays meeting of the Henrico County Planning Commission.

Carvana, based in Phoenix, wants to build a 75-foot-high vehicle vending machine on 1.4 acres on Tom Leonard Drive at West Broad Street in the Short Pump area of western Henrico.

According to the report prepared by the Planning Commission staff, Carvana is asking to amend proffers to allow automobile sales on the site.

In the other request, Carvana is requesting a provisional use permit to allow the proposed building to exceed the maximum height of 45 feet allowed in the M-1 district.

According to the staff report, the proposed building would be slightly taller than any building (either existing or planned) on the adjacent properties.

Carvana has built similar vehicle vending towers in Atlanta and Nashville, Tenn.

In markets with the auto vending towers, customers get a token that they take to the vending tower to retrieve their vehicles.

According to the planning staff report, adjacent property owners have concerns about lighting.

Staff recommendations on conditions to address those concerns including requiring that exterior lighting be mounted no higher than 20 feet and for interior lighting to be dimmed after 10 p.m.
When CapTech Ventures was founded in Richmond in 1997 as a two-man information technology consulting firm, many of the firms clients were just learning how to use the internet for business.

Back in 1997, it was hard to find people who really knew what the internet was, said Sandy Williamson, who co-founded the company with Slaughter Fitz-Hugh. It was hard to find trained internet architects.

The technology landscape has evolved and accelerated enormously since then, pushing businesses and government agencies to adapt to such changes as the rise of smartphones, mobile technology and cloud computing.

Ten years ago, clients were mostly interested in how technology could improve their internal processes and reduce costs, said Kevin McQueen, CapTechs CEO and an employee since 1998.

Now, the emphasis is much more on how technology can help organizations better serve their customers. Now, customers are king, McQueen said.

It is much more about helping clients innovate now, he said. Companies have to be a lot more nimble.

As a firm that helps organizations do that, CapTech has been growing consistently by riding the technology wave with our clients, said Williamson, the companys chairman.

CapTech has earned a spot on Inc. magazines annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing U.S. companies for 10 years, at times ranking as the fastest-growing company in Virginia. This year, it ranked No. 4,714, posting a three-year growth rate of 50 percent and $103.3 million in revenue.

The company employs hundreds of consultants who help its customers  many of them Fortune 500 companies or government agencies  keep up with the latest trends in technology. The consultants work with clients to help them better serve their customers through digital strategies, business process improvements and building and managing technology tools such as mobile applications.

CapTech also helps its clients collect, manage and analyze the enormous amount of data that is now available through technology. It also advises clients on the organizational changes needed to manage technology.

We are much more diversified than a typical company of our size, said Chief Technology Officer Vinnie Schoenfelder. We are working across many different industries. It provides some insulation from change in the marketplace.

Now approaching its 20th year in business, the company employs more than 600 people and has 11 offices in the U.S.; this year, CapTech added new offices in Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio.

In late 2015, Markel Ventures, an investment subsidiary of Henrico County-based specialty insurer Markel Corp., bought a majority ownership stake in CapTech. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it puts CapTech among a portfolio of 16 companies in which Markel has investment stakes, including such local firms as AMF Bakery Systems, Eagle Construction, PartnerMD and RetailData.

***

The companys consistent growth in part has been the result of having a base of operations in the Richmond area, CapTech executives said.

Richmond is a great market, McQueen said. You have state government, utilities, retailers and financial services. There is a wide array of different industries.

McQueen is part of a management team that includes Schoenfelder, Chief Operating Officer Steve Holdych and Chief Talent Officer Joanna Bergeron. Fitz-Hugh, the co-founder, is the chief financial officer and serves on the companys board along with Williamson.

CapTechs headquarters is a 30,000-square-foot office on Glen Forest Drive in Henrico, which serves as a home base for many of its consultants, although about 80 percent of the companys work is conducted on-site at its clients locations.

Most of the other work is done through what the company calls its delivery center  a corridor of secured offices on one of the upper floors of the Henrico office that function as shared workspaces, where team of consultants work to assist clients remotely.

The delivery center was opened to be able to continue to grow our presence here in Richmond but also to support our expansion outside of the Richmond market, Holdych said. We have around 320 consultants based here in Richmond. About two-thirds of those are supporting local clients, and about one-third are supporting clients outside the region.

CapTechs expansion into other markets such as Philadelphia, Charlotte, N.C., and Baltimore has been organic  not the result of targeting a specific geographic area, but branching out into markets where it has already developed relationships with a few clients who then recommend the company to others. Its client-first strategy focuses on building long-term relationships with customers and getting repeat business, rather than selling a single product or service to a mass market.

We dont do just one thing, Williamson said. We get to know the client. We hire good people.

In addition to experienced consultants, the company recruits recent college graduates. Every year, CapTech brings about 90 college students to Richmond for interviews, and it hires about 35 to 40.

CapTech said 88 percent of its college hires are still employed after three years, compared to the national average of 69 percent.

This whole thing is about talent management, Williamson said. It is about having the best people at the best place at the best time. We try to get people who are risk takers, who are dynamic, smart, flexible and who learn from their mistakes and go on to succeed.

New hires go through a three-week boot camp designed to help them acclimate to the consulting industry, build client engagement skills and technical skills, and provide exposure to new technology and immerse them in the CapTech culture.

In previous years, the boot camp involved guiding the new hires through the simulated life cycle of a typical client project, McQueen said.

But this year was the first time the boot camp involved handling a real-world project. CapTechs new hires conducted a project for RetailData, a Henrico-based company that offers market intelligence services to retailers and is owned by Markel Ventures.

A technology background is helpful, but Bergeron said the company looks most of all for core values in new hires.

We are looking for people who can be a trusted advisor to the client and who can be servant leaders, she said. Intellectual curiosity is important, she said. We want people that are not satisfied knowing what they know  they are striving for more information, she said.

We are not afraid to tailor to the millennials, she added. They want regular feedback. The biggest thing for them is knowing that they are building something that matters and has value in the world. If they dont have that, they are going to move on quickly.

Bergeron said the company has a lower employee turnover rate than typical for the industry, in part because CapTech emphasizes a work-life balance. This year, both Vault.com and Consulting Magazine named CapTech among the best consulting firms to work for. CapTech ranked No. 6 overall in Consulting Magazine and No. 2 for IT consulting firms.

Besides attracting and retaining good consultants, the company has succeeded because of its tight execution of projects and its deep understanding of clients, said Richard Coughlan, an associate professor of management at the University of Richmonds Robins School of Business, who researched CapTech and spoke with McQueen for one of the schools recent C-Suite conversations with business executives.

Collectively, they have an unusually strong set of listening skills, Coughlan said.

The recruiting and the focus on client relationships contribute to a third reason for success, he said: They have a keen ability to anticipate how consumer trends will impact the clients they serve.

***

To get some idea of the type of work that CapTech does, consider how things have changed in one of the industries it serves: the hospitality industry.

CapTech works for three of the 10 largest hotel chains in the world, McQueen said.

The technology and business solutions we are providing are helping them transform the way they do business on a global scale to compete in their changing competitive landscape and digital world, he said.

Hotel customers now expect not only to find and book a room either from a computer or smartphone, but check in to the hotel with their mobile device, McQueen said. Some hotels are even adopting technology enabling customers to open their room doors with their phones, and order room service or fresh towels.

Customer experience is the major driver of innovation. That means businesses cant just offer a smartphone app as a panacea, Schoenfelder said. They need to have services secured in the cloud that provide experiences across every device, he said.

CapTech also has customers in the banking industry. Those clients cant just offer services through smartphone apps anymore, Schoenfelder said. I need to be able to find an ATM and know how much money I have in my account using my cars Apple CarPlay. I need to be able to look at my watch and be reminded that I am missing a payment.

The company also works with one of the major national theme parks to improve its customer experiences. CapTech built an app that gives visitors to the park a street-view approach to guide them through the park. It also gives information on wait times for rides and offers promotions to patrons during their visit.

Technology is in a hyper-evolutionary growth mode now  a Darwinian-type competition where there are millions of ideas out there that are being developed in R&D, Holdych said.

Data analytics is becoming increasingly important, and companies need tools to wade through the massive amounts of data.

Ten years ago, we used to have to decide what we wanted to measure, and then six months later we would look at the results and come up with an opinion, Schoenfelder said. Now, every single thing is being measured all of the time.

We can ask questions whenever we want to, and change the questions we ask because we now have the computing power to store and analyze orders of magnitude more data.

To stay on top of the technology wave, CapTech has an internal research group including practice area leaders and account managers that meets regularly to assess the latest trends.

The company puts out a quarterly report on those trends for clients.

Based on this groups experiences with clients, we update the key technology trends we are monitoring, McQueen said. When we meet with prospects and clients, we share these insights and ask for their input as well.

Through this collaborative process, we are collecting real-time trends on the fast-changing technology industry. We use this research to determine what services to invest in.
If Virginia truly has lost its swing, the main drama on election night may be how close Donald Trump comes to upsetting Hillary Clinton in a state trending blue.

If its still the battleground Republicans want it to be, Virginia offers a chance for Trump to defy the polls and complicate Clintons national path to the presidency.

Most polls indicate Clinton will follow in the footsteps of President Barack Obama by putting Virginia in the Democratic column for the third straight presidential election.

But the race appears to be tightening in the campaigns final stage, giving Republicans hope for a more interesting night with Trump potentially in position to grab the states 13 electoral votes.

Recent Virginia polls showed Clinton with a 6- to 7-point lead. In 2012, Obama won the state over Republican Mitt Romney by roughly 4 points.

I cant see the bottom falling out of Clinton and Trump surging beyond her, said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. Structurally, Clinton still has the advantage because, even if polling is showing a tie, the Clinton ground operation, I think, is worth a point or two.

In a state-of-the-race memo released last week, Brian Zuzenak, the Clinton campaigns state director for Virginia, said Democrats have made gains mobilizing women, millennials and minority voters.

With so much at stake in this election, we know we cannot take anything for granted, Zuzenak said. We are proud of the organization we have built, and throughout this campaign, we have seen Hillarys message and vision resonate with voters across the commonwealth.

Though the states demographic shifts seem to favor Clinton, Trump backers say they have the energy.

The enthusiasm gap is so immense on our side, said John Fredericks, a conservative radio host and chairman of Trumps Virginia campaign. Our people are going to be knocking each other over to get to the polls. They have to drag theirs out.

Kidd cautioned that anything can happen, a maxim that rings true after Trumps improbable rise in the Republican primaries.

As election returns start to roll in, here are a few things to track:

Whats happening in the suburban bellwethers?

With growing, increasingly diverse populations, Loudoun and Henrico counties are perhaps the best barometers of Virginias political winds.

As microcosms of a purple state trending blue, both counties were once reliable GOP territory but went to Obama in 2008 and 2012. Four years ago, Obama won Henrico by nearly 12 points, and Loudoun by around 4.5 points.

Democrats will want those margins to grow, while Republicans will want to see them fall back into more competitive territory.

I think that essentially decides where Virginia goes, Kidd said.

Will Chesterfield County tell the tale for Trump?

The numbers coming out of Chesterfield County, a key GOP stronghold, will serve as an indicator of Republicans enthusiasm for their nominee.

A big Trump vote in Chesterfield, typically among the earliest to report results on election night, could signal strong Republican turnout and help offset Clintons gains in large Democratic localities. Weakness in Chesterfield would suggest Republicans are in for a disappointing night.

Tucker Martin, a Richmond-based Republican strategist who opposes Trump, said Chesterfield will usually tell the tale in Virginia very early.

So if you see Donald Trump only winning the county by, say, 8,000 votes, you can pretty safely predict a Democratic win, Martin said, If, on the other hand, Trump has a margin of 25,000, hes in business and Virginia is in play.

In 2012, Romney beat Obama in Chesterfield by 13,240 votes.

Who will win the battle of Hampton Roads?

Both campaigns have high stakes in the Hampton Roads region, with Trump trying to appeal to military personnel and Clinton needing the support of African-American voters in cities including Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth.

Virginia Beach, the largest locality in the Republican column in 2012, potentially could swing to the Democrats, but Republicans hope to carry the city and neighboring Chesapeake with healthy margins.

Turnout numbers in core cities, Kidd said, will serve as a gauge of African-American enthusiasm for Clinton.

If they look like 2012, then I think thats a good night for Clinton.

Will Northern Virginia lock it up for Clinton?

With the most votes to count, the big localities in Northern Virginia often are among the last to report results, but they can deliver the finishing blow for Democrats.

Democratic-leaning Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Arlington counties accounted for more than a quarter of the statewide vote in 2012. Absentee voting spiked in Northern Virginia this year, a good sign for a Clinton campaign hoping to run up huge margins inside the Beltway.

Clinton will win those areas big. The question is how big will the turnout be, said Mo Elleithee, a former Democratic strategist whos now executive director of the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.

The D.C. suburbs, home to legions of federal workers and contractors, also are not a natural fit for Trump, whose populist appeal is strongest among the white working class.

In the GOP presidential primary in March, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., beat Trump in the large Northern Virginia localities, even as Trump eked out a narrow win over Rubio statewide.

The Trump campaigns decision to send vice presidential nominee Mike Pence to Fairfax on Saturday night shows Republicans think theyve got a shot, Elleithee said. Trump campaigns tonight in Loudoun County.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the GOP vice presidential nominee, urged supporters in Fairfax County on Saturday night to tell fellow Virginia Republicans to come home to the GOP on Election Day.

Id like to speak specifically to my fellow Republicans right now, Pence said near the end of his 35-minute speech at George Mason University.

Say to our fellow Republicans across Virginia with one voice  its time to come home, he said.

Its time to come home and elect Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.

And its time to come home, my fellow Republicans, and make sure that Hillary Clinton is never elected president of the United States.

GOP nominee Donald Trumps support has rebounded a bit in Virginia as more Republicans have embraced the ticket, according to an Oct. 28 tracking poll by Christopher Newport University. Trump had the backing of 84 percent of Virginia Republicans in the poll, while Clinton had the backing of 87 percent of Democrats.

Pence and Trump  who campaigns tonight in Loudoun County  are trying to cut down on Clintons margins in Northern Virginia on Election Day.

President Barack Obama carried Fairfax County by 108,000 votes in 2012, en route to carrying Northern Virginia by more than 230,000 votes. Obama won statewide by fewer than 150,000.

Clintons running mate, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., will campaign at George Mason on Monday at 7:30 p.m., in an attempt to maintain big Democratic margins in Northern Virginia.

Bringing home disaffected Republicans is key to Trumps hopes to cut into the Democrats electoral cushion in Northern Virginia.

Trump won Virginias March 1 GOP presidential primary, but he lost all four of the big Northern Virginia counties  Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Arlington  to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

During his speech Saturday at GMU, Pence noted that the university recently renamed its law school for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

He said that as president Trump would nominate Supreme Court justices and other federal judges who will strictly construe the Constitution of the United States of America in a manner consistent with the late and great Justice Antonin Scalia.
Editors note: The RTDs 68th Public Square tackled one of the years most contentious topics: relations between police and the community. The 90-minute afternoon conversation was intense but civil. Very Richmond.

Held at the newspapers downtown office on Oct. 27, the Public Square began with a panel discussion featuring Times-Dispatch columnist Mark Holmberg; Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham; Osita Iroegbu, an activist and educator; and Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia. RTD Publisher Tom Silvestri was the moderator. As always, the audience added fresh insights to the discussion. We will publish the highlights of their remarks in next Sundays Commentary section. Today we present the top moments from the panel discussion that began the Public Square.To watch a video of the entire event, go to Richmond.com.

Tom Silvestri, Times-Dispatch publisher: ... Since 2005, we have hosted these civil civic conversations on issues of importance to our community. And quite frankly, some of them have been on very tough issues, where the passions have run really, really high. And they can be difficult conversations, but we feel its important to be a safe haven where folks can have those conversations in a big room like this, with us at The Richmond Times-Dispatch. But just know that at the Public Square, were adamant in fostering a civil discourse, where we talk and listen and hopefully come away with an understanding. This is not cable TV. (LAUGHTER) At the same time, we do have our columnists, who often are provocative. And thats because their work is meant to elicit a reaction. Now, its OK that some are in favor and some are not. And just remember, a commentary is an opinion. And I think everybody in this room has at least one. ...

So thats the background. Because recently, we read long-time columnist Mark Holmbergs piece on the idea of the Act Right movement. And we thought it was one way to bring back the topic of police in the community, which is a really important topic for our community, and for communities throughout the United States. Its an issue thats been repeatedly in news throughout the country. Fortunately, Richmond has not had some of those terrible tragedies. And thats the reason why we need to have the conversation going forward. By the way, this is not the first Public Square on the issue of policing. Last year, for instance, for the first time ever, the Public Square brought together the police chiefs from the four largest localities  hard to believe  who sat and talked right after Ferguson about the issues confronting police officers. We discussed the issues facing the communities as well.

So, going back to Marks column. We knew right off the bat that the Act Right movement was going to provoke a reaction. And we could say it was strong. So we invited Mark, who also is a journalist at CBS6, and an outstanding panel of community commentators, to explore the (issue). So well start with Mark to kick it off. So, Mark, what were you trying to get at in your column?

***

Mark Holmberg, RTD columnist: ... Act right. Act right, act right. Yeah, its kind of like, weird, that thats a kind of controversial phrase, isnt it? Golden Rule, Martin Luther King, content of your character. This is an important topic. ... How many fatal police shootings have we had here nationally? This year, so far? Nationally. Over 800. When was the last time we had one here, Chief?

Alfred Durham, Richmond police chief: Probably about early in the year, February.

Holmberg: (QUESTION TO THE AUDIENCE): What percentage of those shootings would you say the person who got killed was actively attacking a police officer or someone else with a weapon? Washington Post has done a great job cataloging every single one. The numbers this year: ... Seventy-five percent. This is The Washington Post, this is not some police union giving these numbers. How many would you say of those people have an active, ongoing mental problem? Diagnosed. We all have mental problems. Twenty-five to 30 percent. Their study shows about 5 percent of these shootings are the kind that have made the national news. Five percent. ...

The police chief, or the former police chiefs, will tell you: When they shoot somebody, I look and I look pretty hard. Theyre the first line of the judicial system. They have the ultimate power. They can take away our freedom. We have to watch them. We have to watch them carefully. Ive been a big advocate of that. Ive been a big advocate of police cams. Ive been a big advocate of having good numbers. Thats one part of the formula, the police acting right. But what about the people theyre arresting? Seventy-five percent of them clearly, clearly, arent acting right.

But this, all of this is just like  to me  its like a spark. Police shootings. Thats a spark we should look at. Its the one we should pay close attention to. But the spark is coming from a fire that we have not treated for generations: poverty. Almost all these shootings  not all  happen in cities that have the same problems that Richmond does. What are we doing about it?

Nows a great time to have this conversation. What are we doing about it? These people are coming from areas with concentrated poverty. How many times have I written about that? Tom?

Silvestri: A lot.

Holmberg: Too much. So, now is the time to talk about that. What are we going do about it? What are the symptoms? What are some of the symptoms of our concentrated poverty in Richmond? Anybody raise their hand?

Silvestri: If you need a microphone for anybody to speak -

Holmberg: I think we can probably hear em. Just be real quick. (ECHOING AUDIENCE): Lack of education. Jobs. Policy. The breakdown of the family. Substance abuse. Lack of treatment, amen. What else? Respect. Concentrated, thank you, Roy. Systemic white supremacy. You know, thats a good one. Thats a very interesting one. What else? Discrimination. What was the population of Richmond 100 years ago? Anybody know? Rough idea? Nope, good guess. Whats the population now? 205,000, (or) 210,000. Population 100 years ago was 170,000. So its pretty close. How many murders did we have 100 years ago, anybody have any idea? Three, six, ten, 11. Very few. What was the illegitimacy rate in Richmond? And these numbers are similar across the board in cities across the United States, including most of the cities where these (shootings) have happened. What was the illegitimacy rate? Twenty percent. Youre good guessing, though. Thank you so much. Twenty percent. Whats it today? Approaching 80 percent. Some might say its higher, depending on how you counted it.

So, something happened between 100 years ago and today. What happened? And this is the issue that Ive been talking about. Its in every one of the Act Right columns. ... I think a lot of people in the city know what its about. What happened? Red-lining happened, for sure. Racism happened. When did it happen? Thats when we started tearing down the so-called slums. And it was very paternalistic, but it was racist. We said, You guys arent taking good care of yourself. Youre not taking care of your neighborhoods. You know what were gonna do? Were gonna take your neighborhoods, and were gonna bulldoze them. We did it in Fulton, we did it in Jackson Ward. And we built the housing projects. We built the housing projects, we moved people out. Hillside Court, where (ADDRESSING FELLOW PANELIST OSITA IROEGBU) this young lady grew up, is in a commercial district. ... We built em on a landfill. And we said, This is where youre gonna live. And we concentrated em.

Thats happened in cities all across the country. Its one of the common denominators of a lot of these high-profile police shootings. And again, this is my view. These police shootings arent the problem. They are a problem. But theyre a symptom, that we havent dealt with for generations. When those housing projects were first built, the idea was, Theyre poor people. Were gonna give em a nice place to live, and theyll kind of grow out of it, and all that kind of thing. And thats the way it was when it started. I went back and looked at the Hill Directory for those communities. It was  the husband worked at the tobacco company, over at the wharf. The wife worked as a maid, or she worked in a factory herself. They both worked, and they were all couples. What percentage of the lease-holders in our Section 8 public housing properties, what percentage are single women with children? ... Eighty to 85 percent. Thats what it is. Those are the facts of the case. What percentage of children live in poverty today? The Times-Dispatchs Sarah Kleiner, whos  is she in this room somewhere? Probably. How many, Sarah Kleiner? Thirty-five to 40 percent. Thats unacceptable. That is unacceptable. How many murders so far this year? Fifty-two? Ill bet you none of you know any of their names. But you know the names of the guys that were shot in Ferguson, or Chicago and Baltimore, all those places. Why dont we know em? Weve got a problem here that we have to act right about.

Yes, we should act right when were confronted with police. Thats just common sense. I get pulled over by the police officer, the first thing that Im doing, besides my knees knocking, I got my hand on the dash. You know, I dont want to get shot. Thats just common sense. Act right. I cant believe that people are saying thats stupid, or not an answer, or racist somehow. Everybody can act right. Do more people get pulled over than others? Thats a question we need to look at. Thats a question we need to resolve. Its not the only question.

The big question is: What about this fire thats burning? What are we gonna do about it? There are answers: Deconcentrating poverty. Section 8 vouchers. Redeveloping the housing projects. Rethinking how we do this. Every city in the United States with a working dome light is doing this. Thats how well ultimately fix this problem. Thank you.

***

Silvestri: ... In Marks column, he has the following sentence in it: The Act Right movement is for every soul who cares and truly believes that we are all equal in our ability to act right. You heard his opening statement. You heard that line. Whats your reaction to his opinion?

Osita Iroegbu, activist and educator: ... Im a Richmonder. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Grew up, as Mark mentioned, in Hillside, wonderful Hillside neighborhood right in the southside of the city. Attended Richmond public schools. Went out for graduate school, came back, worked a bit, and am in a Ph.D. program at VCU. And I first want to engage the audience for a bit. ... If you have ever visited, or have lived in these places, please raise your left hand and keep it up. Im going to mention the states. So, Im gonna mention them. So, if youve ever lived in these places, the following places, please lift your left hand and keep it up: Ohio. Lived or visited. Ohio. New York. Maryland. Minnesota. Missouri. Florida. Virginia. Yeah. So, I should have everyone, right? All right. So, please leave your hands raised, your left hand.

If youve ever heard of these name, please raise your right hands and leave it up. John Crawford III. Freddie Gray. Eric Garner. Philando Castile. Terence Crutcher. ... These are the names of people who were black and unarmed, who were killed by police officers. Several of more than 100 black unarmed men who were shot and killed, or repeatedly Tasered by police officers within the U.S. And thats not to mention the black women, Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, and others, who were shot and killed by police officers, unarmed. (Or involved in) a police-related death. Were gonna say police-related death in Sandra Blands case.

So there are three major points that I want to mention, and to implore us to look further, look more deeply into. The first point is the fact that were operating from an ahistorical perspective. Mark mentioned that about 100 years ago, racism happened. I want to push back on that and say hundreds of years ago. Right?

Holmberg: Absolutely.

Iroegbu: Hundreds of years ago: the 1500s. So, my kings and queens and princes and princesses of ancestors in Africa were brutally and forcibly brought to this land. They were enslaved. They were imprisoned, they were slaughtered, they were abused, they were lynched. And then we have the 13th Amendment. I think someone mentioned that, right? That supposedly abolished slavery. Except for what? Except for the punishment of crime, right? And so now we think of mass incarceration. So, we think of mass incarceration, and the fact that blacks make up only 12 to 13 percent of the U.S. population, but make up about, what, 40 percent of those incarcerated within this country. Within this democracy.

So, we think of slavery, and we think of Jim Crow. We think of the black codes, which took place after slavery, and were enacted to ensure that blacks, for example, who were congregating without a white person present, were arrested. Black codes. So the smallest of infractions had black people sent to prison. This is after the 13th Amendment. Had black people sent to prison, where there is free labor, for example. And so most of our communities are continually being disrupted within the country.

So the first thing, again, was to have ... an ahistorical perspective. And to have history to influence and inform how we perceive the current state of this crisis, and how we perceive each other.

And the second point is to help to start to de-center ourselves, right? As the racially privileged people that exist within this country. To start to de-center ourselves, and to center the marginalized. The oppressed. So, what does that mean? To start to listen to peoples stories and narratives as knowledge. There are lots of police departments around the country who dont keep data, exactly. So, theres no way to constantly track information, to track stories. You know, to aggregate occurrences and injustices that occur. But what we can do is to make sure that peoples narratives, the narratives, the stories of the marginalized, of the oppressed, are seen as knowledge. As knowledge-producing data. And to work with that.

And so the third thing, I want to implore us to actually use love as a social justice methodology. And so what does that mean? Love is, yes, doing good. But love is also about ensuring justice. Love is also about ensuring that the oppressed are no longer oppressed. And so that means stepping out of our comfort zones of white privilege. Stepping out of our comfort zones of black privilege. Of wealth privilege. So, we have to understand that we exist, the majority of us exist, in places of comfort. In places of privilege. Where we start to see things in a very safe way. And we disregard or misinterpret the experiences that are had by those who are oppressed. By those who dont have the privilege and the comfort that we all have. That the majority of us have. Right?

So, I would implore us to do that. And I would implore us to do it not just with love, but with agape love, right? So, thats God-oriented, sacrificial love. That means taking a risk. Like, how can you, in your own personal life, take a risk to ensure that the oppressed are no longer under that state of oppression? What could you do within your job, your families, your communities, to ensure that that takes place? Because were not just talking about police issues here. Police issues are only a symptom of the larger problem of racism, of biases.

And so Im wearing this shirt. It actually has a lion on it. And and the lion is symbolic of, for the most part, we know its symbolic of strength, right? But the lion also, as a nocturnal creature, is also symbolic of authority and command over the subconscious. And what is implicit bias? Implicit bias is the subconscious racism, prejudice that we all have in some form or fashion  we all have it. So I challenge each of us, black, white, brown, whatever our background is, to try to engage in a level of introspection that would help us to understand our places and state of privilege. Whether thats race privilege, wealth privilege. And to be like a lion. To have command over your subconscious.

The Ferguson report, that was released as a result of the shooting of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, investigated the city of Ferguson, and also the police department. And it found that racial bias was rampant within Ferguson. And that Ferguson is an example of, for the most part, whats happening in the majority of our cities and police departments. And I dont want to just say police departments, because its the educational system, right? Its the housing policies, etc. But racial bias is rampant within these systems. So we have to understand that were dealing with structures and systems of racism, of biases. So its not just a personal introspection that needs to take place. But we also have to understand that we move from the personal introspection to that agape, God-oriented, sacrificial love, we move toward ensuring that the systems that are in place, that constantly imprison people of color, that constantly send pre-K students who are black and brown to suspension at higher rates than white kids for the same small infractions. Pre-K, right? The school-to-prison pipeline were talking about here. So, those things are part of systems that we have to learn to tackle and dismantle.

If we dont structure ourselves and our hearts and minds around being a lion, for the people who are oppressed, then were going to continue to see the same issues that continue to oppress the marginalized communities and create a system of divisiveness within our society. ...

Holmberg: I totally agree with her, just about everything she says. The one issue in terms of incarceration is, you look at the high incarceration rates and they are very alarming. And its something that we should act right and do something about. It starts with being frank about the facts. Unfortunately, blacks make up 13 percent of the population (and) over 50 percent of the violent crime in this nation, murder and robbery. And not just perpetrators. Victims. In the city so far, 52 murders so far this year. Forty-eight, I believe is the number, African-American. Of those arrested, of the 33 who were arrested, 31 African-American. Weve got a problem with crime. Im not saying blacks cause more crime. Im saying poverty causes crime. Anybody thats in that situation, southwest Virginia, whites, it doesnt matter what your color is  we have to address the root system.

Its disgusting that in our jails are, that number is like that. How do we stop it? How do we honestly address it and stop it? But I agree with, unfortunately, everything you say. Its absolutely right.

***

Silvestri: Let me bring in the chief of police for the city of Richmond. Chief? You might want to introduce yourself.

Alfred Durham: Good afternoon, everyone. I see a lot of good dialogue. First of all, thanks for hosting this meeting. I think its so important. And thanks for you all coming out from all over the metro region. Two things I want to start off first. Last February, James Comey, the director of the FBI, gave a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. And it was titled Hard Truths. And he told the story that law enforcement, we have to be true to ourselves and tell the community that weve done a bad job when it came to policing, especially persons of color, in this nation. And until we recognize that, were gonna continue to have the problems.

Just last Monday before last, at the International Associations of Chiefs of Police conference, the president of the IACP, Terrence Cunningham  hes a chief up in Wellesley, Mass. He made an announcement, a profiling announcement, where he apologized to the nation for the treatment of persons of color at the hands of law enforcement. Thats a big move. That takes courage. And there are a lot of people in law enforcement, especially in positions of authority, that we have to find courage. The lion that she was speaking about.

Now a little history, just like Mark gave. Nineteen-sixty-seven. Who was alive then? Most everybody in here. The riots, urban riots. Who remembers those? Doing a little research. In 1967, 159 riots in the United States. It started in April of 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio, another city she just named. But the worst of it came in mid-July, in Newark, New Jersey, and Detroit. In the city of Newark, New Jersey, there were a total of 20 deaths. Police, National Guardsmen, and those participating in the riots. Over 2,000 were injured. In Detroit, there were 40 deaths as the result of the riots, 1,500 injured.

President Lyndon Johnson put a commission together called the Kerner Commission, to find out what caused these riots. He wanted three things answered. What happened, why did it happen, and what are we gonna do about it? I was amazed to read the report where they used terms like ghettos and the word Negro, in 1967. But what the report finally stated in the findings, is that there are two separate societies in America in 1967. Black, white, separated and unequal.

Fast-forward 49 years later. Or then we go back 47 years later, because we talk about Ferguson. Right after Ferguson, President Obama put together a task force, 21st Century Policing. And he wanted the same answers. Whats causing this? What can we do better as a law-enforcement community? They published that report. He convened that committee in December. They published that report in May of 2015, last year. There are six pillars that came out of that. And for us in law enforcement, the majority of chiefs, we use that as the playbook and guidebook. Interestingly enough, for the city of Richmond, your police department was already doing five of them.

Those six pillars: Number one: building trust and legitimacy. Number two: police and oversight. Number three: social media and technology. Number four: crime reduction and community policing. Number five: education and training. And number six was officer wellness and safety. And thats the one where we werent doing a good job, looking out for the welfare of our men and women. But I say that to show how things go full circle. The same conversations and knowledge that they wanted back in 1967, we are here today having the same conversations.

Folks are always talking about, you know, that narrative about, whats going on all over the country. Dont take this the wrong way. While in my department, we keep our finger on the pulse of whats going on, Im concerned about what goes on in the city of Richmond. We have to get our house in order first, before we could talk about anything thats happening anywhere else. We build relationships in this city. We have trust. Does everybody trust us? Do we get things right? And going back to the narrative here. Act right? Thats not just for those folks who are protesting, those who feel oppressed. Thats for the officers in my department. Thats to hold me accountable. And thats to hold the community accountable. The educators accountable. The administrators. And the list goes on and on. The faith-based leaders in the community.

We all have a shared responsibility in safeguarding this city. You just cant put it on the police. These problems are larger than your police department. Theyre larger than your police department. The demands have grown. There has been a disinvestment in mental health, education, housing. But a majority of the time, that face of government is going to be your public safety folks. Twenty-four-seven, seven days a week, when you call 9-1-1, when you call that number, youre gonna get a response. And when we talk about the biases and the racism, when you call 9-1-1, when that officer gets that call, or the person calls, you dont know if its going to be a white officer, black officer, Hispanic officer, Asian officer, male, female. Were responding to that call for service. And sometimes we get there, there are situations that happens. Not that were going into a fight. But sometimes it ends up in a fight. And what people dont see, or people dont know, thats when theyre judging our department.

One thing that I am certain, and I feel confidence, is that we have an awesome relationship with our community. This is probably about the 150th meeting, not me in particular but my officers, my command staff. We go to panels, we go to forums, we have discussions. I have my community town hall meetings. Because we want to be engaged. We want to learn. And Im gonna tell yall a secret. They may be mad at me. But, we dont know everything. We dont. And thats why we come to listen, learn, and then we act. But most importantly, we have to act as one.

And you said something that I had told my command staff. Two weeks ago, I was up in Washington, D.C. In case you dont know, your police department, we get invited a lot of places to talk about what were doing in our city. I was up in Washington, the Department of Justice. They had a forum on the pillars. Theyre going all over the country and talking about the pillars in that report. And this one was Build a Relationship With Our Young People. This was college students at Howard University. And what happened was, there were African-American students all around that table. Undergraduates, grad students, and young folks working on their Ph.D.s. And there were chiefs. Myself from Richmond, Durham, N.C., Seattle, Washington, Arlington, Texas, Dallas, Montgomery County and Prince Georges County, Md.

And listening to a young lady from Philadelphia, she says, If I wasnt privileged, meaning that she had the luxury to go to college, that she would be a brick thrower. Expound on that. Because I would be out there with my brother, because what you dont know is, you havent walked in my shoes. It was the first time that the light bulb came on. She says, You havent walked in my shoes. When were sitting on our porch at home in Philadelphia, and the police just come out, jump out on you and pull you down, searching you, just walking and driving away.

Thats real. Those are their lifelong experiences. Ive never experienced that. As a person. But Ive done that. And thats why we do so much in training, the education of our officers. One thing thats certain, they will tell you, its all about accountability in our department. Because we dont want to be that story. And anybody who knows me, when I came in, everybodys talking about, I see you on TV. Im on TV because I want to tell our story. I dont need Toms folks to tell it, I dont need Mark to tell it. But I want to tell a story. Because sometimes that narrative, it gets lost. And its so important for us to share what were doing. And I believe in transparency. Because I dont want anybody else telling our story except me.

And one last thing. I will tell you when you know you have a good relationship with the community. Last August, we had a police-involved shooting. An individual had a firearm and shot my officer. They returned fire, to make a long story short. There was an uproar in the community. About 200 folks out there. Im engaging, because you cant run away from it. You have to address it right then and there. But while Im talking, the suspects Mom comes up and stands beside me. And she tells the crowd, Let the police do their job. Ive never experienced that in my life, where a mother has lost a son. And when were talking about empathy? In my interview  and I took a beating from my officers on this. I offered my condolences to that mother for the loss of her son. Love. Her son  she didnt shoot my police officer. Her son did. And then that relationship we have now, I can call her right now and shell come in here and say, You know what? My son did that, not the police.

We have to accept responsibilities for our actions. And I think thats the hardest thing that a lot of folks cant grasp. We all have free will. And we all have to accept responsibilities for our action. Thank you.

***

Silvestri: All right. Claire Gastanaga, I think youre in the clean-up position from the ACLU.

Claire Gastanaga, executive director, ACLU of Virginia: ... Let me say that I have complimented the chief on more than one occasion for his frankness and the way hes handled things. We had a police-involved shooting in my neighborhood, and two hours later he was standing up there saying who was involved, what happened, and telling the community as much as he possibly could about what went on. Contrast that with the chief in Roanoke, who refuses to this day to release the names of officers involved in a shooting, about which there continue to be serious concerns and reservations. So some of what Im gonna say about my general concerns about Marks thesis and policing and communities, are more generic to what I see across all of Virginia, and not necessarily specifically with respect to our chief and our department. But I think some of the things are applicable.

Lets start with, I see the whole Act Right thing as a reductio ad absurdum notion. You know, thats one of those things where you reduce something to something so simple that the denial makes it seem absurd. But the reality is, look, I have an autistic brother. Hes 58 years old. He gets on the train to come here from New Jersey. And I worry every minute until he gets here. Hes been living and working independently for more than 30 years. But I still worry every minute, because I worry that an officer might interact with him in a way that causes him to get upset. And hes six feet tall. And the next thing I know, he could be somewhere in jail. Why do I think thats not unrealistic of me to have that concern? I mean, A) he doesnt really know what, quote, acting right means, because social norms have to be taught over and over to him.

But, you know, we had a young man in Northern Virginia who was standing outside a library at 10 oclock, like he did every day. On that day, he happened to be dressed in a hoodie. And somebody called the police and said there was a suspicious person outside the library. He was a young, African-American autistic person. And when the police officer arrived, he didnt go in the library and say, Hey, do you know this guy? Which, they would have all said, Yeah, hes here every day. No big deal. He went up and kind of got in his face. And the kid tried to walk away. Well, you know, as citizens, we dont have to engage with police if were not doing anything wrong. He started to walk away, the police officer grabbed him. And the kid hit back, and the police officer fell against the newspaper stand. He ends up arrested for assault on an officer. And in a constellation of things that went forward, he ended up finally in Marion prison in solitary, because of different incidences that happened in the correction system that really came out of his disability. And ultimately, the governor pardoned him, and hes now back in a therapeutic setting, where he can regain some of the ability he had that he lost as a result of the interaction with the criminal justice system.

Now, he wasnt acting wrong. But he wasnt acting right, either. When the police officer stopped him and said, Whats your name? He goes, Ah  you know, and walks away. And that would be defined as not acting right. So one of the problems with this whole idea is this assumption that, A) everybody knows what acting right means, and that its the same for everybody. I mean, the other reality is that theres plenty of research that shows that the same behavior exhibited by an African-American boy, whether that African-American boy is 13 or 33, is perceived inherently as threatening, when the same behavior would not be perceived as threatening if it were done by a white person.

Its also true that black boys, particularly, are perceived as being older than they are. And so if theyre 12 or 13, theyre perceived as adults. And their acting right is judged from that perspective. I mean, all of us carry around what Osita referred to as implicit bias. I mean, theres this wonderful project where you can take these tests online. And I take them every three months, because I want to stay humble. Because I have this hubris sometimes about who I am and where I am, and the work I do. And I take these bias tests. And theyre just very simple tests, where you look at pictures and you click a key on the keyboard on a computer, and it measures your response time. And it measures your response time for simple things like, the association of a black face with the word good. Or the association of a white face with the word good. And you know what? I fail. I fail every time I take that. ... I do that test so I know that when Im out there in the world looking at things, I might not see it exactly the same way, depending on who Im interacting with. So, I mean, those are important things.

And to his credit, our chief is doing training on fair and impartial policing, and I think thats great. But my rule about acting right  and it doesnt matter whether were talking about the way students and teachers interact, or the way police and the community interact, or the way you and your employer interact. My rule for judging behavior generally is, I look to the grownup in the transaction  not to the person on the young side, or the down side, or the powerless side. And so I dont say to the teacher who says, Well, you know, I cant be accused of sexual harassment, because, you know, that person was dressed inappropriately, and she or he asked for it, I say, you know, Youre supposed to comport your behavior in a way that conforms with the right standard in that circumstance.

And I feel the same way about police. ... I want to know how it is that you want me to trust you, when police and prosecutors go to the United States Supreme Court to affirm that they have a right to lie to you in an interrogation in order to get you to confess. So then they turn around and say, Yeah, trust me, I always tell the truth. But Ive gone to the Supreme Court, you know, to say I should be able to lie. I want to know why I should trust you, when you go to the United States Supreme Court to establish that you should be able to put a GPS device on the back of my car, or search my cell phone, without a warrant. How do I then expect that youre gonna respect my Constitutional rights the next time?

We have a situation right now, politically, where people are talking about Blue Lives Matter. And, you know, listen. I totally respect the police. My Dad was in the military for 39 years. I totally respect what they do every day. I know that it can be dangerous. But heres what I also know. I also know that we have a law in Virginia that says if you kill a police officer who is in the line of duty, its automatic, you can be charged with a capital offense. Now, if I just shoot you right now, I cant be charged with a capital offense just for shooting you. There are no aggravated circumstances. But if you were a police officer or a public safety official in the line of duty, I would be subject to being charged with capital murder. That says to me, that a police officers life is valued more highly, perhaps, than others. ...

Heres where I think we have a community responsibility. And Ive said this several times before. We cannot expect professional policing if were not willing to pay for it. We cannot expect to have police departments that are responsive to the community if, as taxpayers, we say public safety is not a core obligation of government, as opposed to a fee-for-service operation. ...

We at the ACLU, were about rights. You get stopped by the police, if youre on the street, youre not driving, theres no law in Virginia that says you have to tell an officer your name. Theres no law in Virginia that says you have to say where you were going or where you were coming from, or answer any questions. Is it acting right to not speak? There are some who would say it isnt. And I would say thats wrong. When Im driving my car, Im obligated to give the officer my license and my registration. Im not obligated to answer the question, So, do you know why I stopped you? No. (LAUGHTER) Im not obligated to answer that question, or where I was coming from, or where I work, or anything else that Im asked. ...

Lets stop doing protectoral stops. Lets take the position (retired Police Chief) Tim Longo did in Charlottesville, that his officers arent allowed to ask for consent to search your vehicle, unless they have independent probable cause to do so. And then they can ask for your consent. Lets look at how were interacting with the public in a way that presupposes that theyre innocent, rather than guilty. And as the chief pointed out  I mean, we have communities where we send SWAT teams in to serve warrants, in circumstances. Or where we justify levels of surveillance that wouldnt be tolerated in the neighborhoods in the West End. You know, you look at Baltimore, and they had aerial surveillance over African-American communities.

Holmberg: I agree with a lot of what you say. The police chief and a lot of police departments put out documents and classes on how to interact with the police officers. The word should be, every interaction with a police officer, you should feel fear. It should be a risk. Its a risky situation. They dont know what theyre walking into. They dont know what youve done, they dont know whats just happened. They dont know. Everythings a question. So you need to  your little part of acting right is just, you know, you dont run. You dont fight with the police. You dont curse. You dont do this and that. Kind of simple stuff that your parents or your grandparents or your great-grandparents would tell you to do. You know, be courteous, be a decent person.

Ive said all along that we need to look at policing. I agree 100 percent with a lot of what you said, in terms of police overreach. Baltimore, for example, is just fumbling. Theyre among many cities that have seen an exponential increase in violent crime, going back to the levels of the 90s. ... Bottom line for me is, we can get the police to arrest perfectly. Theyre still arresting. Were still having this lopsided number of people in prisons. We still have all these murders, all these robberies. Were not talking about just a random stop for, you know, looking black with your hoodie on, or something like that. Were talking, when somebody has to be arrested for a murder. ...

Gastanaga: It starts systemically. Ninety-eight percent of African-American kids in special ed in Henrico have been on out-of-school suspension. That almost always leads to juvenile justice.

Holmberg: Theres no question.

Gatanaga: The first touch of juvenile justice is a freight train toward adult corrections. ...

Holmberg: Lets work on that. But lets talk. For crying out loud, lets talk about the bedrock issue, the fires that are burning in Ferguson, in Richmond, in Philadelphia, in Chicago, in all these places. We have a poverty problem. We have a poverty problem. All the rest of this stuff are bad schools, substance abuse, a lot of the mental health issues. Its just this array of things. We can start working on it. I dont like the idea of telling another generation of young kids that they dont have a chance. That the police are hunting them. And that youre a victim. ... These are symptoms. We need to work on them. But these are symptoms of a problem that weve had in this town, that we created. Racial redlining of our impoverished citizens. Its disgusting. You want to talk about racism, thats racism. We can do better. ...

Iroegbu: ... If we could kind of redirect our attention and our passion, that love that we could use as a social justice methodology, to actually pinpoint our direction and our focus and energy toward the systems. The structures, the policies, the practice, the cultures of school systems, of the police departments, of housing policies, of the health inequities that black people or black and brown people face when it comes to all aspects of health. Lets talk about Gilpin Court, for example. Twenty-year difference in lifespan between a person who grows up in Gilpin Court, and a person who grows up in the West End.

Holmberg: Amen.

Iroegbu: So, tell a child born into Gilpin that he or she may die 20 years earlier because he wasnt acting right. So, what did that child do to deserve my telling them, or you telling them, that hes gonna die quicker because he didnt act right?

Holmberg: Great point.

Iroegbu: So it has nothing to do with the individual in that case. It has more so to do with the poverty issues that you talked about. The housing issues that you talked about. Its a complex issue that we have to stop seeing as binary, as black and white, and as a more nuanced, complex situation. And we can only do that by, again, acknowledging  we cant address it if we dont acknowledge it. ...

Durham: ... Lets talk about Gilpin, lets talk about Mosby. This past month, we have been going back and forth. Three people murdered in Gilpin, and about six people shot between Gilpin and Mosby. When my officers respond, if they get a suspect, theyre going to jail. But then when you look at numbers, and you want the stats, all you see is a black man who was arrested. Thats the problem that we have. Its our job as law enforcement to enforce the law. We didnt write em, we didnt make em. ... Think about it. The same attitudes and fears that the black folks have in the community, so do my officers when they get that call. Its the same fear. You know why? We are people. As they say, the police are the public, the public are the police. We have the same fears. But our job is ten times harder, because we have a representative, we have structure. But for those individuals that are out there that were encountering, they dont have any  theyre the oppressed. ... So its tough. And thats why weve got to have conversations. But its more than conversations, ladies and gentlemen. We have to take action. The criminal justice system is broke. It is broke. How do we move forward? This past May, you had a panel up here with the sheriff, I was represented, and (Commonwealths Attorney) Mike Herring, talking about it, we know it. We are locking up people with mental-health issues, substance-abuse issues, sending them to jail, using the taxpayers dollars. And theyre not getting help. Putting them right back on the street, to go right back through the cycle again. And guess whos doing it? Your friendly neighborhood police officer.

Gastanaga: ... Jails have become our new institutions of treatment of choice. I mean, 40 percent of the people in jail have mental-health issues. Twenty-five, 30 percent of them are on psychotropic meds. This is not the right thing. And we shouldnt be talking about, how can we better empower police to intersect with those people? We should be talking about what different methodologies should we have? What different people should we have, who are responding when somebody is peeing in public because theyre homeless, and theyre on the street because of a substance-abuse problem and a mental-health problem. And right now, the only system we have to interact with them is the criminal justice system. ...
Two weeks ago we recommended Jack Berry as the best choice to succeed Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones. Time has only reinforced that judgment.

Everyone knows perfectly well what the city lacks and what it needs: sound management. Every candidate for Richmond office whom we spoke to stressed the importance of getting the basics right: safe neighborhoods, good schools, plowed streets, responsive employees, nimble agencies  and a finance system that doesnt look as if the books had been put through a Cuisinart.

Good relations with neighboring jurisdictions, sensible economic development policies and visionary leadership would be nice, too. But shoring up the citys foundations would suffice in the short term.

No other candidate has anything like the skill set needed to match the citys requirements. Berry has worked in Richmond as both a deputy city manager and budget director, which means he knows the city from both a big-picture and a nuts-and-bolts perspective. As the head of Venture Richmond, he has been a zealous advocate for the downtown areas revival. And as a county manager in Hanover for six years, he has shown that he can make top-level decisions and handle top-level responsibilities.

Other candidates do bring some assets to the table: Levar Stoney has an inspiring biography and an engaging personal presence, and he has worked in government under Gov. Terry McAuliffe. We think he would make an excellent candidate for the City Council  but he is too green to run an entire city. Michelle Mosby, also a four-year member of the City Council, is an entrepreneur with a record of working with others. And then there is Joe Morrissey, a skilled politician who has smothered his own potential under decades of personal and professional misconduct.

Jon Baliles, another city councilman, never showed his dedication to Richmonds best interests more than on Wednesday, when he withdrew from the mayoral race in a bid to help the anti-Morrissey vote coalesce.
Addressing the challenge of our budget deficit is the first issue that a Johnson-Weld administration will tackle in office. This issue  lowering taxes and lowering spending  is the forgotten issue of the 2016 race. Im running for president because America deserves better than the false choices being offered by the nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties.

In its initial endorsement of the Johnson-Weld ticket on September 4, this newspaper wrote: Johnsons clear and consistent support for limited government, free enterprise, social tolerance and individual freedom appeals to our own philosophical leanings. An examination of his policy positions revealed that they often match our longstanding editorial creed. He is a skilled and experienced leader, an able communicator, an intelligent man.

Tackling our budget crisis is something that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump would do.

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Clintons plan would increase spending by $1.65 trillion over a decade, mostly for college education, paid family leave, infrastructure and health-related expenditures. Her plan would raise the national debt by $200 billion.

And on the budget, Donald Trump is hardly any better. Both of these candidates are offering positions that are contradictory. It is mathematically impossible to balance the federal budget without reforming entitlement spending. Every elected Republican and every elected Democrat knows that, and none of them are willing to do anything about it. The result is an entirely preventable but also inevitable fiscal crisis that will likely be far larger and more painful than the nation experienced in 2008 when the housing bubble popped.

Lets look at the numbers. In budgeting, the federal government divides spending into two categories  mandatory spending and discretionary spending. Mandatory spending includes all the programs mentioned above: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare, as well as interest on the national debt.

This is essentially government spending on autopilot  the money is out the door without Congress casting a single vote. All other spending is discretionary spending, i.e., money that Washington can either spend or not spend. So when politicians start talking about cutting spending, theyre ignoring mandatory spending and only talking about discretionary spending, which represents an increasingly smaller piece of the budgetary pie.

How much smaller? Consider that in 2011, mandatory spending ate up 101 percent of all tax revenues collected by the United States government. That means that all other government functions that year  including the entirety of the military  were funded with borrowed money.

Thankfully, the economy has improved since then, and rising tax revenue meant that in 2015, mandatory spending only consumed about 71 percent of all the money the government collected. The math, however, is still daunting.

Last years discretionary spending outlays came to $1.1 trillion, and the budget deficit was $438 billion. To balance the budget without touching entitlements, Congress would have had to cut the rest of government by almost 40 percent, including things like highways and veterans benefits. Democrats pretend that solely cutting the defense budget will get our fiscal house in order, but the reality is that youd have to cut the military by 73 percent to do that. Its just not a realistic, pragmatic approach, especially when Washington cuts are all masked by a baseline budgeting process that pretends that smaller increases are the same thing as cuts.

The demographics are unsettling, too. Our country is aging, and the worker-to-retiree ratio means that there is simply no mathematical way America can keep all the entitlement spending promises it has made to future generations, no matter how much you cut spending or raise taxes.

Fortunately, small changes now can prevent a huge crisis later. Slowing the growth of these programs can make them mathematically sustainable, but the adjustments get harder every year that Republicans and Democrats kick the can down the road and then bury their heads in the sand.

Whats undeniable is that the crumbling two-party system has failed this country by ignoring reality. A Johnson-Weld administration would make entitlement reform a top priority in our first 100 days. The solutions arent particularly complicated; they simply require the political will to implement them. This is something that neither of the other two parties are addressing.

By shifting from baseline budgeting to zero-based budgeting, every federal agency would have to justify its budget from the ground up every fiscal year. Ineffective and wasteful programs wont just get smaller increases; theyll actually be cut. That hasnt happened for generations.

The budget can be balanced, and these problems are solvable. They just arent going to be solved by the two parties that got us into this mess.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said his personal work with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps campaign may be complete heading into the last few days before Election Day, when LU will not hold classes.

His voice, though, is transmitting on Christian radio stations in battleground states, including Virginia, urging evangelicals to support Trump because of his promise to nominate conservative Supreme Court justices. Falwell also published a lengthy Facebook post this week attacking Clinton in reference to his experience with the Arkansas law firm she worked for in 1989.

Falwell has no plans to campaign for Trump in the coming days before Election Day on Tuesday, he said Thursday in a phone interview.

Ive gotten media requests this week, but Ive turned them down. Im just too busy at Liberty, Falwell said. ... I might be able to do something this weekend if asked.

Classes at Liberty will not be held Election Day. The university has given students the afternoon off for prior elections but expects campus voter turnout to be so high as to merit the whole day off, Falwell said.

I think its the only way theyd be able to get through the precinct in a reasonable amount of time, Falwell said.

Libertys precinct, located at the Vines Center, has the highest number of registered voters in Lynchburg with 5,031 active registrations, 900 more than the next-closest city precinct.

Falwells public Trump support has included stump speeches in Iowa prior to caucuses leading off the GOP nomination contest, a robo-call before Virginias Super Tuesday primary and a speech vouching for the candidate at the Republican National Convention.

Falwell spoke with Trump, who called from Florida, for about 10 minutes Wednesday night, he said. The candidate is feeling upbeat and excited about his poll numbers moving in such a positive direction in Virginia.

Falwell believes Trump will win the presidency.
The break taken since August is long enough. It's time to come out of the block and start churning for the General Election. It is not for lack of mater...

4 days ago
The Consequences of a Trump Shock



WASHINGTON, DC  With the United States presidential election on November 8, and a series of elections and other political decisions fast approaching in Europe, now is a good time to ask whether the global economy is in good enough shape to withstand another major negative shock. The answer, unfortunately, is that growth and employment around the world look fragile. A big adverse surprise  like the election of Donald Trump in the US  would likely cause the stock market to crash and plunge the world into recession.

There is always a great deal of insight in the International Monetary Funds semi-annual economic outlook, which is based on detailed data from around the world. And, because the latest version was published in early October, it is particularly relevant. (I was previously the IMFs chief economist and oversaw the forecasting process, but I left that position in August 2008.)

Table 1.1 of the Funds World Economic Outlook covers the main points: a baseline forecast of 3.1% global GDP growth this year and 3.4% in 2017. This represented a nudge down from the projections in April, with signs of weakening perceived in the US, the eurozone, and of course the United Kingdom (grappling with the consequences of impending Brexit  the big and potentially traumatic step of leaving the European Union).

The most obvious dark cloud on the global horizon is Europe. The British issues are not helping, but the deeper issues continue to be related to the eurozone itself (Britain never adopted the euro). The headline growth number in Spain is somewhat encouraging, continuing to show some rebound. But the ongoing gloom about Italy  the third-largest eurozone economy, growing at less than 1% per year  is a serious matter.

Compounding these macroeconomic issues is the continuing pressure on eurozone banks. These banks have never fully recovered from earlier losses, and their equity capital levels remain low relative to international competitors (like the US) and to what investors regard as reasonable.

The bigger problem remains uncertainty about who is on the hook if a banks losses imply potential insolvency. These banks are clearly too big to fail  no European government in its right mind would allow a default on bank debt. But there is no agreement on how to share bank losses across countries.

Taken as a whole, the eurozone has enough fiscal capacity to stand behind its banks. But, unfortunately, doing so is still a country-by-country decision  the collective mechanisms for recapitalizing European banks remain partial and far too weak.

Compounding these difficulties, growth in middle-income emerging markets is not strong.

Slower growth in these countries is reflected in lower projected imports and lower expected commodity prices, which will negatively affect countries that export raw materials and energy resources. The Nigerian economy, just to take one example, is expected to contract by 1.7% this year.

Growth in the US, as reported by the IMF, was 2.6% in 2015, and is forecast to slip to 1.6% this year before rebounding slightly to 2.2% in 2017. There has been a long steady recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, but the effects of that collapse still linger.

Trump promises to boost US growth immediately to 4-5%, but this is pure fantasy. It is far more likely that his anti-trade policies would cause a sharp slowdown, much like the British are experiencing.

In fact, the impact of a Trump victory on the US could well be worse. Whereas British Prime Minister Theresa Mays government wants to close the UKs borders to immigrants from the EU, it does want trade with the world. Trump, on the other hand, is determined to curtail imports through a variety of policies, all of which are well within the power of a president. He would not need congressional approval to slam the brakes on the US economy.

Even in the best of times, US policymakers often do not think enough about the impact of their actions on the rest of the world. Trumps trade-led recession would tip Europe back into full-blown recession, which would likely precipitate a serious banking crisis. If this risk were not contained  and the probability of a European banking debacle is already disconcertingly high  there would be a further negative spiral. Either way, the effects on emerging markets and all lower-income countries would be dramatic.

Investors in the stock market currently regard a Trump presidency as a relatively low-probability development. But, while the precise consequences of bad policies are always hard to predict, if investors are wrong and Trump wins, we should expect a big markdown in expected future earnings for a wide range of stocks  and a likely crash in the broader market.
If caught, the five will be arrested just to be then executed immediately. The robbery in Mosul comes after Iraqi security forces stormed into the center of Hamam al-Alil on Saturday. This was a strategically important village south of Mosul and its capture was one of the reasons why senior terrorists who hold Arab and foreign nationalities decided to plot against ISIS. Iraqi government forces are in a continuous battle to push out the Islamic State from the city.

The battles continue to be tough. Pronged assaults usually also bring intense street battles and with suicide attackers, casualties are on both sides. On Friday, more than 3000 Iraqi troops participated in the assault with air support from the U.S. coalition. The pace of the fight has slowed since then. Especially since it moved to rural areas of Mosul, which present tight and narrow streets. Some Iraqi forces on the ground have even complained, saying that the number of air strikes has been insufficient. However, the US-led coalition explains that they are providing sustained and even more intense air support than ever before.
Oracle Corp (ORCL) announced Saturday that a majority of the unaffiliated shares of NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N) were validly tendered and the other conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied. The acquisition of NetSuite will be consummated by Oracle on Monday, November 7, 2016.

Oracle specified that approximately 21.78 million unaffiliated NetSuite Shares, or 53.21% Shares agreed to tender their shares by a Friday deadline.

The tendered shares do not include more than 1 million separate shares tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in the offer to purchase, the company said.

In July, Oracle agreed to acquire NetSuite in a deal valued at $109.00 per share in cash, or approximately $9.3 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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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.
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
Kansas AG candidates weigh in on plans for Uri price gouging investigation

Either Kris Kobach or Chris Mann will take over the Kansas attorney general natural gas price gouging investigation after the November 2022 election.
The driver who killed an East Village bodega worker in 2013 while drunk and high was sentenced by a judge yesterday to 20 years to life.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Melissa Jackson reportedly chastised the driver, 35-year-old Shaun Martin, for crying several times in court. "Those are choices you made, Mr. Martin, and there's no doubt they've come back to haunt you," she said.

In 2013, Martin crashed into the East Village Farm And Grocery bodega at East 4th Street and Second Avenue, killing 62-year-old Mohammad Akkas Ali and injuring two other workers.

Martin was drunk and high on meth and PCP at the time of the crash and was driving over 50 miles per hour when he cut across three lanes of traffic and drove onto a sidewalk. His vehicle smashed through a fire hydrant, a pay phone, a parking meter, a tree, and the flower stand outside the bodega.

After the crash, Martin was reportedly so high that he asked police officers, "Am I dead?" Cops found marijuana stashed in his sock after the collision, and EMT workers found a Ziploc bag of PCP there, too.

He also hit Ali, a florist from Bangladesh who worked the overnight shift at the bodega seven nights a week; his two coworkers; and debris from the crash struck a nearby cyclist. Ali died from his injuries six months later in a nursing homeMartin's attorney, Arthur Aidala, argued that he had died because his breathing tube was dislodged, not from injuries related to the collision.

During the trial, Ali's son Rukanul Islam told the judge that his father had been planning on retiring soon. "He worked all his life and just before the accident, he told me that he wouldn't be working anymore. He said he would be retiring in two months," Islam said.

According to the Post, Aidala asked the judge to impose the minimum sentence15 years to lifeciting Martin's alleged mental issues and debilitating drug addiction and now plans to appeal the sentence.
Tracey Anne Gordon. Never heard of the name, nor seen the kind of person she was, until that photo of her was published in the Samoa Observer, on 4 November 2016.

And there she was, a woman of substance with the face of an angel exuding warmth, kindness; a strong mouth that looked as if it was incapable of uttering a deceiving word, and yet it now appears that it was all a sham; what a terrible shame!

Still, what an amazing woman!

A number of hotels here have confirmed that Ms. Gordon had stayed in their premises, shed left without paying for her rent but then their owners would not comment, why?

Samoa is a small place, they say. Wed rather not.

And so instead, they have referred their grievances to their lawyers.

In New Zealand though, it appears that the media knows quite a bit about the woman named, Tracey Anne Gordon.

A news report published in the New Zealand Herald on 3 September 2016 said: An Auckland hotel is out of pocket after an apparently well-heeled, long-term guest left behind a debt of $18,000.

The guest was Tracey Anne Gordon who was sentenced to jail a decade ago for fraud and has a string of ill-fated ventures behind her, including one her own lawyer described in court as fairyland stuff.

The report went on to say: Gordon left The Surrey Hotel in February telling staff she was going to San Francisco on business.

She stayed on and off at the hotel in Grey Lynn for more than two years, and regularly paid her bills using her fathers credit card.

But her father, marine explorer Keith Gordon, told the hotel they should have asked him before the credit card was used the last time, and he cancelled the payment, hotel management said.

They also said Gordon had grand plans. She told staff she was trading in aviation fuel and she offered a staff member a job as her personal chef on a yacht she planned to buy.

She was going to buy an apartment at the Stamford [Hotel], another in Sydney. The apartments were worth millions and she would have the brochures to back her up.

Management said she never saw evidence of the purchases or big business deals being concluded.

As for Gordon, she was sentenced to jail a decade ago after admitting eight charges of fraud.

A Herald report about the case described her as petite, smartly-dressed, a forger and a thief with a penchant for Hilton hotels.

Management also said they wrongly assumed Gordons father would pay his daughters last bill because he always had previously.

This time though he said to management: You should have called me. Its almost like hed had enough of her.

But then the Police told management it was a civil matter.

Its a very bitter pill to try to have to swallow, they said. We feel we have been 100 per cent ripped off. Her father is not part of it in any way, but he could have warned us that he was no longer going to pay her bills.

In any case, it appears that Tracey Anne Gordons father, Keith Gordon, is a wealthy man.

According to the Herald, hes the author of Deep Water Gold, a book about the R.M.S. Niagara which was sunk carrying 590 gold bars near the Hen and Chicken Islands, north of Auckland, by German mines in 1940.

All but five were salvaged in 1941 and 1952.

Gordons company SeaRov Technologies owns deep dive vehicles. He reportedly holds salvage rights to the wreck but the UK Treasury owns the gold.

His daughter though, Tracey Anne Gordon, is something else.

In January 2006, she was convicted on eight charges of fraud, including using and altering documents and obtaining $128,000 by deception from 2001 to 2004, the Herald said.

An Auckland District Court official confirmed her sentence included a reparation order and jail.

Back in 2005, the Herald said her lawyer told the court that Gordon had difficult personal characteristics, she was gullible rather than devious, and her frauds were unsophisticated.

It also said that those left out of pocket back then painted her as a picture of a fabulist. One of them said: I dont think your average human being could think up the stories and the tales and make them sound as plausible as she does.

Indeed, her frauds stretched across three continents. Those stung included family, former friends and men she met in bars. She claimed to be an investment banker, to have an in on high-yield low-risk deals and she liked to stay at five star hotels at the expense of others.

Shed say she needed some cash to pay her hotel and that she was waiting for some funds to transfer, or her fathers credit card, or she couldnt get hold of her father, so I would give her some money, an American said at the time.

He claimed to have lost $117,000 but charges against her that involved him were dropped after Gordon revealed in court they had been in a relationship.

Ten years later, she had some interesting yarns to tell those who cared to listen at The Surrey Hotel.

And then Gordon was gone. And this time Dads credit card did not come to the party.

Here in Samoa though, Tracey Anne Gordon says she is disappointed with the accusations that had been made against her, so this time shes decided to talk.

I have been advised that its best to keep quiet and let people go on and on, she said. But Ive had enough.

And today she is ready to talk.

She says: I was in the hospital when the first story came out on Sunday.

So I was not aware of anything like emails, because I was under medical care of a medical team because I do have some health issues, and I am still recovering from it.

I had an email from my legal team in New Zealand, I have a medical issue and I had to ask my legal team to handle things for me.

But today she is out to set the record straight.

Read about it on the front page of todays Sunday Samoan.

In the meantime, have a peaceful Sunday Samoa and may the love of God, be with you always.
Fifteen Samoan internal auditors are currently studying at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, under the Australia Awards Fellowship programme.

Funded by the Australian Government, the Fellowship program will strengthen the auditors capacity to perform risk assessments for the Government of Samoa and to identify high risk areas for systems audits.

It will also helped them improve Governments internal control systems and compliance with legislation and best practice.

The auditors were selected from several government ministries and entities for their ability to promote change in Government.

Assistant C.E.O. of the Internal Audit and Investigation Division of the Ministry of Finance, Muliagatele Losalini Moli-Reupena said this Fellowship will add value to their work and build their capacity to perform internal audit work.

This programme will also strengthen our affiliations with the Australian Government and entities, in particular QUT, and especially the internal audit experts from the Institute of Internal Audit in Australia that we will be working closely with, she said.

The Fellowship will cover professional ethics, internal audit functions and governance.

Two health care professionals with the Samoa National Health Services (NHS) will also take part in a separate Australia Awards Fellowship programme this month at the University of Technology Sydney.

The Fellows are emerging nursing and midwifery leaders who are preparing themselves for senior leadership positions. The program will take up to a year to complete with an in-country mentor to monitor their progress.

Gillian Tafau, Manager Quality Assurance and Clinical Audit says the goal of the Fellowship is to improve the capacity of health workers to contribute to the governance of Pacific Islands health care systems. The Australia Awards Fellowships provide opportunities for Fellows from developing countries to undertake short term study and professional development in Australia.

The Awards are implemented in partnership with Australian organisations and aim to deepen and broaden their links with leaders in developing countries.
An email obtained by the Samoa Observer, revealed that yet another temporary alcohol ban threatened the tourism industry this month.

In the email, Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, Hobart Vaai said that after consultations with the Ministry of Revenue, an alcohol ban had been confirmed for the day of the census, Monday 7 November.

There was an immediate outcry from members of Chamber particularly those in the Tourism, Restaurant and Hospitality Sector because despite the fact that tourists are not subject to the census and hotel/restaurant owners are not subject to the census (in working hours), the ban was still set to withhold the sale of alcohol at tourist accommodations along with retail stores.

However prompt action by Chamber on behalf of their members saw a letter sent to the Secretary of the Liquor Board who immediately submitted their request to lift the ban on the tourism industry.

Mr. Vaai told the Samoa Observer that yesterday, that after further deliberations, the Liquor Control Board made a u-turn on their original decision and moved to limit the Census alcohol ban.

A new notice from the Liquor Board now notifies business owners that the ban will only apply to nightclubs and bars on Monday 7 November from 6.00am to Tuesday 8 November 5.00am.

A similar case which could have also impacted on the tourism industry happened earlier this year when a blanket ban was advertised for the period during the General Elections.

In an interview with the president of the Samoa Hotel Association (S.H.A.), Adele Kruse at the time, she told the Samoa Observer how much a ban like this would affect the tourism industry.

Its not really the locals we are concerned about, but our guests. It will be very hard for us to deny them this service."

From S.H.A.s point of view this is not good for our industry to ban the sale of alcohol to our visitors. These are tourists who have planned for many years to have a beautiful vacation in the Pacific and their hard-earned money has been used to make it possible."

When they come here they would like to enjoy the simple pleasures of life for example a glass of wine with their meals. People who have spent money to come to our beautiful shores who are then told they cannot have a glass of wine with a meal or even a glass of beer on a hot day would be surprised."

Trust me, this would not be received well by them.

Fortunately, the Liquor Board again saw the light and reversed the temporary ban so that it only applies to nightclubs and bars.
The motion was made in a petition signed by Senior Police officers holding the rank of commissioned officers.

A copy of the petition, dated 25 October 2016 written in Samoan, has been obtained by the Samoa Observer.

It does not have signatures.

However it details the officers concerns about how the Ministry of Police is being run, especially on issue about law and order in Samoa to which they believe are being influenced by American-styled policing.

Honourable Prime Minister and Cabinet, we are currently in a state of uncertainty and anxiety at the present time due to practices and changes being done within the Ministry, a translated version of the petition reads.

We are deeply saddened and grieved by the fact that we have worked and offered ourselves to do Police work for so long and one that we made a vow to God for, but there have been so many complaints and allegations now made against the Police, especially with all the problems that the Ministry is now embroiled in.

This is due to the fact that there is no connection between the laws of Samoa that Police men and Police women were trained in to do their work, and the laws of America (L.A.P.D.) that are now being used.

This goes against the Constitution of Samoa, like the use of guns every time the Police go out on a raid; now even being done when the Police respond to conflicts that arise in the country.

"The petition submitted through the Minister of Police, Sala Fata Pinati, raises a number of concerns about the performance of the suspended Commissioner.

Among them include:

 Concerns about the handling of several matters involving officers within the Ministry of Police by the Police Commissioner.

 His failure to ask for advice from members of the Management regarding serious matters that need to be discussed within the Management, but he makes his own decisions.

 He looks down on and he doesnt deem as important the senior Police officers and Executive members by what he says

 Creating division between staff members by what he says

 Rude and unacceptable behaviour and using the Prime Ministers name to justify his orders to threaten the staff to do what he wants.

 He ignores and doesnt respect the Ministers voice or a plea from the Minister in many matters where the Minister has advised to try and discuss and sort out in light of our customs and traditions, but he doesnt use these.

 Not even long into his term, a big negative impact has been observed regarding the Ministry in light of the many complaints and lawsuits brought against the ministry and it has brought shame and embarrassment to the ministry

We end our letter by saying: We are all Senior Management and we have all signed below to act as representatives of all the police men and women of the Ministry of Police, to say that we no longer have any confidence in having susuga Fuiavailili Egon Lincoln Keil as our Commissioner, the petition reads.

It is also our hope to stop or reduce the many lawsuits now levelled at the Ministry due to the decisions made by the Commissioner.

Honourable Prime Minister and honourable members of Cabinet, we submit this letter with humble hearts hoping that a special Commission of Inquiry will be carried out and we can provide living evidence to support our application as we have already laid out.

We hereby plead with you to consider this as we have suffered greatly and we are in need of respite from the bondages of suffering that we are currently in. We have high hopes that you will accept and consider with love and chiefly vision our plea and cry to choose justly and righteously a leader for this ministry.

We believe that there are people within the Ministry who have the vision and foresight to steer the helm of the Ministry for its benefit as we head towards the future especially for the safety of Samoa and its people.

The following is the translated version of the petition and the Samoan version can be found in Fofoga Samoa:

25 October 2016

Honourable Prime Minister and Cabinet

Independent State of Samoa

APIA

Subject: SERIOUS ISSUES AFFECTING THE POLICE COMMISSIONER AND THE MINISTRYS VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN HIM

Sir,

1. Traditional salutations. But we will now get straight to the point of this letter.

2. Honourable Prime Minister and Cabinet, we are currently in a state of uncertainty and anxiety at this present time due to practices and changes being done within the Ministry. Some of the pioneers and heroes of this Ministry have now passed away; they were the ones who were faced with the challenge of developing the Ministry to where it is now. There were no unnecessary issues that arose regarding our service to our beloved country, day and night. All our duties that were done in the cold of night and especially the heat of day and the struggles that we faced in the past, we never complained or murmured. Why? Because we were very careful and treasured the vows that we made and service no matter what, for the peace and security of the Independent State of Samoa and her people.

3.Honourable Prime Minister and honourable members of Cabinet, that is the same service that we are still continuing till now because of our desire to maintain the peace in this country. The Bible says, when you lead with an iron fist, people will suffer, but if you rule with love, people will rest peacefully.

4.The Polices weapon is his or her mouth to convey the law and its conditions, but not to use weapons and guns because our peaceful country is not used to this.

5.Honourable Prime Minister and honourable members of Cabinet, that is now the peoples perception of the Ministry and how it is carrying out its duties; that anytime they see the Police, they automatically think that the Police are armed with guns. It is that thought that can lead to some people attacking the Police, and that will change the peaceful setting that Samoa and its people currently enjoy, to a conflict-ridden and divided Samoa.

6.We are deeply saddened and grieved by the fact that we have worked and offered ourselves to do Police work for so long and one that we made a vow to God for, but there have been so many complaints and allegations now made against the Police, especially with all the problems that the Ministry is now embroiled in. This is due to the fact that there is no connection between the laws of Samoa that police men and police women were trained in to do their work, and the laws of America (LAPD) that are now being used. This goes against the constitution of Samoa, like the use of guns every time the Police go out on a raid; now even being done when the Police respond to conflicts that arise in the country.

7.This is the reason why there is now a conflict because of the difference in laws used in our work as per instructions from the Commissioner, and we feel deeply ashamed infront of the Management and the Ministry, and it seems that the perception from outside is that our Ministry is very stupid or weak. But your honour and members of Cabinet, we are well equipped and knowledgeable about the laws that the Ministry should operate under in response to any matter that arises.

8.Your honour and honourable members of the Cabinet are well aware of the many incidences where the honourable Minister of the Ministry has summoned and queried the Management about the many problems that members of the public have reported to the Minister, due to inappropriate decisions that have adversely affected members of the public, that were made by the Commissioner.

9. It is with the utmost respect and humility to you, honourable Prime Minister and honourable members of Cabinet, that as per what you always advice honourable Prime Minister, dont be afraid to advice the Minister on what you know will benefit the Ministry, but whatever decision is made, then thats it.... It is because of what you have said that has encouraged us as instruments of Government, for the wellbeing and peace of our country, to do this.

10. This letter serves as our prayer and plea with our utmost respect to you, honourable Prime Minister and Cabinet, due to the many problems and inappropriate situations that have arisen ever since this Commissioner was appointed.

11. It is with respect and honour that we approach your honour and honourable members of Cabinet to say that we are not against your decision to appoint this Commissioner, but we want to humbly say that these problems that have arisen, have questioned the appointment and the competencies of this Police Commissioner that the appointment was based on, if he actually met all the requirements including being a Commissioned Officer within a police service according to the selection criteria to make one eligible to be a Commissioner.

12. This plea stems from the many problems that have affected the Ministry and have divided the staff, and it has led to the poor execution of duties of the Ministry. The decisions and unacceptable behaviour by the Police Commissioner has caused so much uncertainty and insecurity within the Ministry about what is really right. Our interpretation of the law is different from the orders given, and it has led to situations where the execution of our duties has been questioned, whether they are right or wrong.

13. If only there was a Commission of Inquiry about the Report from the Office of the Ombudsman about the unlawful raid that was carried out by some police officers based on an instruction from the Commissioner. Maybe then the Cabinet will find out about the many problems within the Ministry, including;

a. Issuing unlawful orders Example: i. When he gives an order for police to possess or use guns for a raid but we know very well that is against the law. We also advise him, but he doesnt accept it.

ii Inappropriate changes he has made such as orders from the Government that he has rejected and changed according to his own authority such as the list given below; 1. Police salute given to relevant people. All police officers salute high ranking officials but the Commissioner doesnt. 2. His disrespect for the uniform that identifies his high ranking position of Commissioner for the Ministry of Police of Samoa.

3. Different sections all have different uniforms now, even the hats now being used are like picnic hats.

4. Respect/honour shown at funerals of police officers a. The Government ordered to continue covering coffins of any police officer who passes away with a Samoan flag and to conduct all other usual requirements

5. promotion within the Ministry

6. up till now, the order by the Government to do this promotion and to fill up the structure of the Ministry has not been done

7. salary increase. a. The FK which orders the review of salary increase for the Ministry has long been received, but up till now that still hasnt been done

b. The Commissioner really does not understand the law especially those pertaining to the Constitution Example: i. Using a gun without a warrant (Police Powers Act 2013, sec 13A) ii. Using a firearm for any special operation or raid to any place where marijuana is suspected to be at, even for operations that dont require it (low risk/no threat) iii. No warrant to use guns iv. Being armed with machine guns, which are not permitted under the law, during police special operations v. His use of unlawful weapons during police special operations vi. His registration of firearms that are not permitted under the law so that they can be brought into the Ministry during the Gun Amnesty 2015 vii. His registration of firearms without permission from the Minister c. Conduct within the office through language used. Demeaning remarks, and no respect shown towards other members of the Ministry, which has ruined the good reputation of the Ministry. Example: i. Language used in the office, especially during meetings where he swears and uses inappropriate language if you consider Samoan customs and traditions, as well as being threatening and rude infront of police superintendents, which has hurt feelings and has taken away the zeal to do the job properly.

d. Abuse of Power Example: i. Using his power as Commissioner to unlawfully arrest people which is the reason why there are now a lot of lawsuits filed against the Ministry ii. Issuing orders to charge everyone who is arrested, even for offences which does not have the legal power to detain anyone but just to summon.

e. Showing favouritism towards certain people or groups within the office including the TOS & PSU Divisions, these are the only Offices that the Commissioner visits at all times and hold meetings with them. These are also his advisors, but he doesnt ask his Executive members

f. Changing decisions from the Board regarding the promotion panel but he doesnt have any legal or procedural powers to do so, and choosing only Police officers he likes.

g. Trying to run the Ministry military-style or LAPD-style which we are not used to. Example i. Ordering the TOS Division to be armed with guns when they respond to situations that occur in public places ii. Using guns during times of conflict when police help is called upon, but it is not appropriate for Police to be armed h. Not complying with the Police Service Act 2009 and the Police Regulation 2010 but he tries and introduce laws from overseas such as the policy law for LAPD

i. Abuse of power & Corruption Example: i. Trying to conceal instances where police officers close to him have broken the law including his driver, Const Laauli Talataina. ii. Trying to reopen cases that the Police Tribunal has already decided on

iii. Hunting down and finding fault with staff he doesnt like and then using his power as Commissioner to make a decision to penalize them iv Using his power as Commissioner to prevent the arrest of his family members who break the law

j. His failure to ask for advice from members of the Management regarding serious matters that need to be discussed within the Management, but he makes his own decisions.

k. He looks down on and he doesnt deem as important the senior Police officers and Executive members by what he says

l. Creating division between staff members by what he says

m. Rude and unacceptable behaviour and using the Prime Ministers name to justify his orders to threaten the staff to do what he wants.

n. He ignores and doesnt respect the Ministers voice or a plea from the Minister in many matters where the Minister has advised to try and discuss and sort out in light of our customs and traditions, but he doesnt use these.

o. Not even long into his term, a big negative impact has been observed regarding the Ministry in light of the many complaints and lawsuits brought against the ministry and it has brought shame and embarrassment to the ministry.

p. Making derogatory remarks against the Government

q. He has made it a habit to look down upon the Honourable Minister and the Government, which is evident in what he says and he compares Samoa to America.

r. Vote of No Confidence i. We end our letter by saying: We are all Senior Management and we have all signed below to act as representatives of all the police men and women of the Ministry of Police, to say that we no longer have any confidence in having susuga Fuiavailili Egon Lincoln Keil as our Commissioner. ii. It is also our hope to stop or reduce the many lawsuits now levelled at the Ministry due to the decisions made by the Commissioner.

14. Honouorable Prime Minister and honourable members of Cabinet, we submit this letter with humble hearts hoping that a special Commission of Inquiry will be carried out and we can provide living evidence to support our application as we have already laid out.

15. We hereby plead with you to consider this as we have suffered greatly and we are in need of respite from the bondages of suffering that we are currently in. We have high hopes that you will accept and consider with love and chiefly vision our plea and cry to choose justly and righteously a leader for this ministry. We believe that there are people within the Ministry who have the vision and foresight to steer the helm of the Ministry for its benefit as we head towards the future especially for the safety of Samoa and its people.

16. May God bless your honour and the honourable members of Cabinet, and keep you in body, mind and especially in spirit according to Christ. May God also bless Samoa and its people as well as the Ministry of Police. Attachments: - Investigation into firearms collected during the Gun Amnesty 2015-2016 - Statement about his being armed with unlawful firearms - Statement of him registering unlawful firearms without any permission from the Minister of Police - Evidence of him issuing unlawful orders to kill someone - Copies of photos and statements from witnesses about some of the matters mentioned above.
Tracey Anne Gordon, the woman who is reported to have been jailed in New Zealand for fraud and was jailed there for eleven years as a result, last week made contact with the Sunday Samoan where she told her side of the story.

She said she wanted to tell her story after shed heard that a local business owner was planning to alert the local community about her alleged reputation, which was when she turned to the Sunday Samoan.

Ms Gordon, aged 42, said she was disappointed with the accusations that had been made against her, so that this time shes decided to talk.

She said: I have been advised that its best to keep quiet and let people go on and on. But Ive had enough."

I was in the hospital when the first story came out on Sunday. So I wasnt aware of anything like emails, because I was under medical care of a medical team because I do have some health issues and I am still recovering from it."

I had an email from my legal team in New Zealand, I have a medical issue and I had to ask my legal team to handle things for me.

On Sunday, a story was published in the Sunday Sunday where a local business woman warned the business community especially the tourism industry about Ms. Gordon.

The issue was raised by the media to the police during the weekly press conference on Thursday, and the spokesperson of the Ministry of Police, Sua Muliaga Tiumalu confirmed that there was no official complaint filed against Ms. Gordon.

And this had saddened Ms. Gordon.

To be honest, I dont know where the Samoa police come in. I question that."

I dont know why the reporter or people are going to the police. I am not wanted by the Police in New Zealand; its not a criminal matter so there is no investigation going on in New Zealand."

The only issue I have in NZ is to do with the Surrey Hotel, which is to do with an account that has been disputed. I never left the country without paying. Because if you think about it, no hotel or no business will let a bill go so high and let someone stay there and go up to $18,000 and not receive one dollar.

So you have to question that. I stayed there for five weeks, and they never charged the credit card once for five weeks. How can you let anyone stay at the hotel for five weeks and not pay one dollar?

This hotel is in dispute of the account and the NZ legal team was handling it, and theyve been handling it before the article came out in NZ.

Its been ongoing since May and April this year. And they want to negotiate now. Its a civil matter and a lot of what this woman said, I dont think she expected it to be in the paper. It was all too personal.

Moreover, when reports from the media surfaced in the beginning of the week warning the business community and people about Ms. Gordon, she was shocked and unhappy.

Therefore, she went to the Police station and asked them why she was wanted.

I had a text message from a friend to a friend; they contacted me because I just got out of the hospital. They told me that on the radio and on T.V. the police were looking for me in Samoa.

I went to the Police Station and they didnt know anything. So you might want to say that. So that was the only time I went to the Police. I went to ask what they wanted me for, but they dont know.

I didnt come to Samoa for business; I came to Samoa for personal reasons. I did not come here to do business.

Nevertheless, Ms. Gordon also dismissed the reports and comments made by the local business woman who spoke to the Samoa Observer.

You know how she said that shes not who she says she is, Ive worked in international business around the world, and the people that I work with know me. And I have been working with them for 17 years. So if I was this character, why would they still work with me?

And you know you can Google my name and the articles will come up. Ive been very upfront with the people I work with. Ive been advised by the lawyers that I dont need to bring up the past but I dont like to not inform them because its something that I would like to be upfront about.

How can I be not what people think, when I am doing an international business? It doesnt make any sense. Like I said, she can say what she wants, I cant change what people think, its something you cant do.

The local business woman also accused Ms. Gordon of passing her a forged cheque which she said the police are investigating.

I have never forged a document in my life, she said.

So where did I get the cheque from? But it is not my cheque and signature. That has been handled by the owner. Its them; it has nothing to do with me.

I dont know because I have been in the hospital. Because the police would be probably looking for me if I had forged a signature. I never signed and never took it.

She also rebuffs the claims that she stayed at Lynns Gateway at Motootua for two weeks.

I never stayed at Lynns Gateway for two weeks. I went there on a Wednesday and then I was under emergency care on Tuesday and I wasnt able to communicate with them until I got hold of a friend because I needed to make contact with somebody in case something happened.

So I was just on my own, going through some medical stuff, my friend came and told me, and made contact with Lynns Gateway and let them know where I was.

So I never stayed there for two weeks, it wasnt even a week. But they have been contacted twice. They were told that as soon as I come out of the hospital, we will make arrangements on what was owed at that time. And I will pay them. And that was the message and they responded to my friend. It was my friend that made contact with Lynn last week. Now I am okay, but I am not 100% okay.

She also confirmed her case with Sinalei Resort. However she did not want to comment as the matter has been referred to the lawyers.

Like I said, some of the accounts have been disputed and the amount reported owed has not been confirmed.

So what we are arguing about is that the amount that they have charged hasnt been itemized. Thats why the credit card company went back to the hotel and disputed it, they have already charged the credit card, like I said, you dont stay somewhere for five weeks and not pay a dollar.

Like when it gets to $4,000 or $2,000 dollars, they charge. The credit card is not the problem; the money is not a problem. Its the hotel not itemizing it. Because sometimes we get bills and I say I didnt eat that. Thats not my bill. So we left it in the hands of the credit card company. The credit card company is dealing with the hotel.

The Sinalei Resort, that has been an issue thats been handled by the lawyers. And that will be sorted and thats not a problem.

The businesswoman is telling you guys that everyones a victim. Can you verify the facts of what shes saying? What is she a victim of? What grounds do you have to prove what this woman is saying is true? What is she a victim of? Theyre not criminal matters.

Furthermore, Ms. Gordon dismissed the reports on her being convicted for being a fraudster in New Zealand.

According to the lawyers in N.Z., there have never been any charges against me for fraud.

According to the lawyers in N.Z., what grounds do you have and proof to say Im a fraudster? Also I have paid my dues in the past and there have never ever been any charges for fraud in NZ or anywhere.

She also went on to say that she never went to jail before.

And another thing also is I have never been to jail. Never. Ive never been to prison. I was going to leave it, but then I thought I would come out.

I have never been to prison. I have never had a fraud charge against me. The charges I pleaded guilty to were something to do with investment in business. I did not get proper legal advice. I trusted the wrong people and that was the only thing I was guilty of. My legal team will send someone here to work with the lawyers here in Samoa.

All of these reports are all distortions of the facts. And the other thing like I said to you, what these people are saying to you, and what proof do they have? I am not worried about the businesswoman here. I am talking about the past; I am talking about the article in New Zealand.

All these reports in New Zealand are all distortion of the facts, okay they never happened. What has been published in the NZ Herald its beaten of the Privacy Act, and thats why the legal team is involved.

But I never went to prison, and I never had any charges of fraud. I pleaded guilty because like I said, I was naive; I trusted the wrong people and I didnt get proper legal advice. So I got in trouble, but I have never ever been to prison.

And why did she wait this long to come out and tell her story?

I was too stressed at the time, and there were a lot of reports on the paper and my father said to me to leave it and come out later. The truth will come out one day.

At the time, it wasnt a very easy time, she said.

And my father always says that, you know you hear the news and you read the magazine every day but they are not all correct. But today, I want to come because I was concerned about some of the points especially about Lynn. They have been contacted. Because they knew where I was.

Because at that time, my private counselor in NZ said to me, get on with your life, be successful, your story will come out one day. And I always was going to do it through a book.

I was going to come out in a book and its still going to come out in a book. You know if I had anything to hide, I wouldnt be here.

Im not out here to get people; Ive been involved in international business. And I have never ever had any problem until eleven years ago. And theres a reason for it.

And I have been getting on with my life, and all the evidence and facts from when the entire problem started, I have all the things locked in a safe. And its all going to be in the book.

Because 11 years ago, people did not know what happened. People who know what really happened, are the lawyers, counselor and my father, its a very interesting story, especially because I am a very small person. And I became big for some reasons, but I am a nobody.

But at the end of next year, 2017, Ive got two international publicists who want the story of my life, from when I was born to where I am today. So at the end of next year, theres going to be a book. So I am going to make a decision by the end of the year about which one (publicist) I am going to use.

So thats why I didnt want to comment and I never wanted to comment 11 years ago because once you start talking, it just becomes bigger and bigger.

Finally, Ms. Gordon said the reports which came out on the NZ Herald in 2005 had really affected her life and especially her family.

I was more worried about my parents. And my sister. I mean I come from a good family here. So I just wanted peace, and my mother used to say to me, forget it, and just ignore it. Be strong. Get on with your life and do the right thing.

So she passed away. I have a really good family and so lucky to have my parents and their support here. But when I came this time, I mustve made somebody angry for them to say these things about me.

However, Ms. Gordon said she is not mad at anyone.

Can I say something about the report from 2005? It wasnt a N.Z. Herald reporter; it was a freelance writer. The NZ Herald did not come to court. It was a freelance writer who put the story in, she was paid. And thats why we didnt sue the N.Z. Herald.

I mean I am not angry at anybody, I mean its okay, even if they do these things. I mean people are humans. You know, everybody has got different personalities. I know about all these comments, and I have nothing against them. They have every right to say what they want to say.

But I just wanted to come out here to get some of the facts correct. Im not really into fighting and arguing.

My dad is my number one supporter, always has been and always will be. And my relationship with my father and my family is personal; it has nothing to do with these people.

I wasnt going to come out like this, but I am doing this for me and my family. Because its not fair for them to see this. And I have a lot of family here, and I come from a very large family here.

So what happened on Sunday, my friend bought me a newspaper at the hospital and saw the story and I said, okay let it go. But I said, well if theres going to be another one, I will come and talk.

So thats why I am here. I am not blaming anyone, but New Zealand has a lot to answer for. The original writer 11 years ago and what has been done recently.
Pearl Passi Sheck of Sofai Creation is overwhelmed with excitement after putting her fashion line out in an international arena.

She had just returned back to the country after participating in the Pacific Runway Fashion in Sydney Australia.

She wowed the audience and the judges of the first ever Samoa Fashion Week this year, and she has done it again after showcasing her work in an international fashion arena.

And today, she has every right to be grateful now that her fashion line is out there in the international market.

Mrs. Sheck won a spot to participate in the Pacific Runway Fashion after winning the Established Designer Category of the Samoa Fashion Week in September this year.

The 44-year-old mother of seven immediately credits God for her success.

I went to Australia to kill birds with one stone, she told the Sunday Samoan.

The two birds I wanted to kill were to represent Samoa and show everyone that there is great talent in Samoa in the fashion industry. Secondly I wanted to put my mothers name out there for people to see. She passed down this talent to me and she mothered me to be the person I am today and I wanted to honor her name and memories.

And the stone is God. He was my solid foundation and I went to Australia with nothing but His name and grace.

Mrs. Sheck said the whole experience was overwhelming for her. The excitement started as soon as we got on to the plane. And when we landed, it was overwhelming. Standing there next to the other 20 participants was just amazing. Although most of them had massive and great support from their governments and big companies in their countries, that didnt stop us from doing what we went there to do and that is to show people what Samoa can offer. 

Most of them came with the power of the government and wealth but as for us, we didnt have anything. We took God with us and He was at the forefront of our trip. That was all we had.

Even though we didnt have the same support from the government like the other countries, but we went there for a purpose and we achieved that. We went there to represent Samoa and our families.

Mrs. Sheck was accompanied by Cecilia Keil of Cecilia Fashion House and Dane Fabricius of D.M.F Fashion House.

And according to Mrs. Sheck, the Samoans rocked the pavilion and there was a lot of great feedback from the audience on the variety of their fashion lines.

God helped us through it. I know He was our main source of strength. We wanted to show that Samoans are very talented and we went on behalf of our people and our fashion industry.

We all have different signatures and different designs and patterns.

But we were all there for one purpose and that was to tell and show everyone that Samoa is rich in talent and fresh ideas.

We prayed before we went to Sydney. We didnt ask God for anything else other than to just give us a light. To shine his light on us so that through our work, people can sees that He made it happen for us.

She also wants to acknowledge the great help of Cecilia Keil throughout their whole trip.

I take my hat off to her, said Mrs. Sheck.

She has been like a mother figure since day one. She is an amazing person and with her help, we were able to fit in and had the job done. I want to thank her for taking care of us and for helping us the whole time we were there. She spent most of her time there worrying about me and Dane and made sure that we were okay.

There was warmth and we found comfort in each others company. A lot of Samoans there in Australia were so happy and proud of what we showed. And I am grateful for that.

It was my first time in the Pavilion and I tell you that I felt the excitement when it was Samoas turn. We rocked the Pavilion and we are just so very grateful to God for his talents.

We didnt think a lot of people would like our work, but the feeling was just amazing. We could feel the vibration of the house from all the screams from the people not only Samoans but also people from the other countries.

She smiled reflecting back to the night of show saying that that will be an experience she will always remember.

On the night of the show, everything was just so amazing, she said.

I was still at my corner looking at the other designers and other people with all their jewelry. It made me nervous, but then I said a little prayer to God to help me and give me to courage to face people and to do what I went there to do.

It was hard, it wasnt easy, but it was all worth it. It was an experience I will always look back to and smile. I never thought I would come this far, but Gods helped us through it all.

And if I have to stay back next year and give the opportunity to the other local designers to go, I would be honored. Because I want my other sisters here and brothers to have such an amazing show. I want them to experience what I experienced as well.

No words cannot express how grateful I am to have that opportunity to go out there and show my work internationally.

And now that it is all over, Mrs. Sheck is grateful that she was able to put her mothers name out there, internationally.

I had only one thing in mind. I only wanted to put my mothers name out there for people to know.

She passed on this talent to me, and I wanted to pay tribute to her memories and do justice for all the hard work she had done for me and my siblings. I didnt ask God for money, but instead I asked him to help me get my mums name out there. She was a silent worker and she was a hard working woman who did everything for the sake of her children and family.

And that was it. I just wanted to represent Samoa and my mother.

Finally, she wanted to thank everyone for their support.

She particularly wanted to acknowledge the Samoa Association of Manufacturers and Exporters (S.A.M.E) for their last minute help and stepping in to help them. They gave us $1,000 AUS for food and I want to thank them for that.
For three years in a row, the SVSG Sydney Dinner of Hope has been a huge success, bringing together the Samoan and the Australian supporting community at the Liverpool Catholic Club during a sold out event over the weekend.

The annual fundraiser is SVSG Sydneys contribution towards work for the children survivors of abuse who are cared for in shelter facilities at the Campus of Hope. It is the sub-groups annual donation to the work of SVSG in Samoa.

SVSG Sydney Director Mrs. Cecilia Theodor and Team, as well as the committed volunteers worked really hard to ensure that once again, they would host a family night to remember, and they did. There was food, drinks, dancing, laughter and fellowship and an auction activity towards the end of the night donated by SVSG Sydney supporters, including art from local artists Alan Lakisoe and Paul Suluape.

ST20,000 was raised at the Dinner of Hope and the cheque was presented to SVSG President Siliniu Lina Chang, who was in Sydney to receive this kind donation together with a Board Member Mulipola Anarosa Molioo.

In attendance also to support the event was the SVSG Queensland Director Mrs. Eseta Frost and the SVSG Melbourne Director Mr. Toilolo Talosaga Taulapapa, highlighting the SVSG Global Aiga uniting around the common cause; that is of standing against injustice.

The High Commissioner of Samoa to Australia, Her Excellency Hinauri Petana also attended in support of the cause, and gave the keynote address for the evening.

Thank you to the community in Sydney for continuing to support this annual fundraising event.
Tuesday, thats tomorrow, is the day the world will have been waiting anxiously for over the last several months.

Since that is the day the citizens of the United States of America, arguably the most influential country in the world today, are going to the polls, to elect their 45th President and their 48th Vice President.

The contestants for President are Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party, who is the former Secretary of State and a lawyer, and Donald Trump of the Republican Party, a businessman with the powerful urge to make a fool of himself in front of everyone.

It will be the 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election, and what an exciting exercise in mud-slugging political campaigning, this one has turned out to be!

For the last ten months during those campaign rallies not a day was dully spent; all those charming secrets that have been closeted tightly for years, have now been was pulled out in the open for all to see.

Even old Trumps penchant for being naughty with the girls from his beauty queen shows were laid out bare on the screen for the world to see, and as for Clintons infatuation with her now notorious emails, that too did not escape the reporters roving eyes.

In any case, as voting Americans everywhere are getting closer and closer to that fateful day, let them be reminded that their responsibility is to make sure that peace and freedom in this world we all call home, will remain and that it should never be taken forcefully away.

Let them also be reminded that their country is the fulcrum on which the free world is pivoting freely today, which follows that they should cast their votes wisely so this freedom and this peace, we are talking about here are never tampered with and instead, they are perennially maintained.

On the other hand, if as some have said there is no more honesty in American politics today is the truth, does that mean honesty isnAmerican politics is dead?

We dont know.

What we know is that if there is no more truth in American politics, then hope for all of us who are living in those vulnerable countries around the world, is also dead.

Still, it is while Im tossing these troubling thoughts in my mind that come across an article titled Why This Election Terries Me, written by Frank Bruni of the New York Times.

Published on the Times website on 5 November 2016, it talked about the upcoming elections and what he thought of it.

Bruni writes: Election Day will redeem and settle nothing, not this time around. No matter who declares victory, tens of millions of Americans will be convinced  truly convinced  that the outcome isnt legitimate because untoward forces intervened.

Whether balloons fall on Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, there will be bolder divisions in America than there were at the start of it all and even less faith in the countrys most important institutions.

The person taking office will do so not on a wave of hope but amid tides of disgust, against fierce currents of resistance. Tell me how she or he moves forward.

Tell me how America does.

I dont know how. And I dont think anyone who is living in Samoa today knows how.

And all of a sudden it strikes me that perhaps theres something dead wrong with their general elections out there in America.

Because I know that during our own general elections some six months ago, our politicians did not even campaign that hard, they just didnt.

Neither did they do anything outrageously obnoxious such as parading up before the TV as they were accusing each other, of all sorts of crimes we did not even think normal people were capable of committing anyway.

And then the idea that in America, the person taking office will do so not on a wave of hope but amid tides of disgust, against fierce currents of resistance, as Frank Bruni has pointed out, is just vulgar, short and simple!

Here in this country if you really want to know, such a practice is so obscene the Police will just come around, take that person away and throw him in jail, without any questions asked.

Now imagine if the person taking office in the American way, as Bruni is talking about, is our Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi; not only would the Police be at the scene of this terrible crime in a jiff, but so would the entire district of bare-chested men armed with clubs, who are now ready for war.

Perhaps old Frank Bruni should pay Samoa a visit sometime.

Now think about this little jewel.

Writes Bruni: How could it not? Consider what weve learned about the inner workings of the Democratic National Committee; about the ability of plutocrats like Trump to cheat the I.R.S.; about the fraudulence of his supposed philanthropy; about the disparity between Clintons private and public words; about the unprincipled avarice of her husbands post-presidential days; about the shady interactions between newsrooms and campaign offices? The America on display in this election isnt a fair or ethical place.

So here is the real America we hardly know about.

And tomorrow they are going to the polls to elect their new president who will be in charge of the country for the next four years. And according to Bruni, not all is well in the United States of America.

He writes: And it seethes with hate. Trump has certainly shown us that. His incendiary words and unconscionable silences gave a green light to bad actors who existed before him but were never so encouraged: the anti-Semites who harassed Jewish journalists on Twitter; the white nationalists who threatened to intimidate minorities at the polls; the misogynists who hurled unprintable slurs at Clinton.

And it goes on.

There is no end to the wonderful freedom that is crazy America. So let their general elections end peacefully tomorrow, having elected Hillary Clinton as the first lady President of the United States of America.
Dear Editor

Re: Samoa Posts service angers mother

Samoa Post wishes to respond to the above article in the Samoa Observer on Tuesday 1 November 2016. We agree with concerns raised by Mrs. Tavila in her letter, as all mail items sent, are expected to be delivered to the addressees as schedule. Her registered item did not arrive as expected, and we are obliged to provide clarification.

Mrs. Tavilas registered item sent to China on the 15 June 2016, was dispatched as transit mail to Australia Post on the same day. The said bag was scanned received by Australia Post on the 23 June 2016. The delay was due, to what was explained by Australia Post, as a 3 week strike action by Australian Customs, and priority was given to Parcels and Express Mail items.

Australia Post does not provide tracking for registered items, as they are not mandatory, according to international Postal Regulations. In this effect, there were no tracking events for this items onward transmission from Australia Post to China Post. Australia claimed the item was sent to China Post, without tracking and the said items where about at this point in time, is still unknown.

Since the addressee in China denies receipt of the item, and the item was not delivered as schedule, we assumed the item was lost in transit. Samoa Post is liable to reimburse the sender for the loss of her registered item under international Postal Regulations.

Samoa Post performed its obligations towards the customer, through sending her registered item to its destination on time, however the regrettable events, were beyond Samoa Posts jurisdiction. We apologize to Mrs. Tavila, on how her inquiry was handled by Samoa Post officials, and the delay in resolving her inquiry, but improvements were made to our Customer Services, moving forward.

But as we are approaching the Christmas period, we respectfully remind our valued customers that:

price of the service the customer selects, corresponds to specific features and compensation for that particular service;

end to end tracking for Registered Services are not mandatory, some countries provide tracking and some dont;

end to end tracking for Parcels and Express Mail Services, are mandatory and customers can track these items, anytime online through our website: www.samoapost.ws, or through the destination countrys website;

Samoa Post does not offer Insurance Services, and the perception that Samoa Post be liable for full indemnification of the value of the content of the mail item, or the customers consequential loss, is misleading and beyond Samoa Posts legal liabilities, under international Postal Regulations. Postage charged and paid by customers, covers freight and delivery costs, in destination countries.

Ma le faaaloalo lava,

Tupe Ualolo Nun Yan

Samoa Post
We all know life is not easy and it will become harder and harder if all we do is complain, says a 31-year-old mother of two from the village of Saleimoa, Faaiu Visesio.

The Village Voice approached Mrs. Visesio while she was on her way back to her family with wheelbarrow full of paw paws.

My husband didnt go to the plantation this morning because hes not feeling well and thats why Im all by myself today Mrs. Visesio told the Village Voice.

My family is very small; its just my husband, my two children and I.

No one is currently employed in my family but we can make so much money from the things we grow on the land and even though its hard work, its worth it.

I was employed at Yazaki Samoa back in the days until I decided to stay home to look after our two children so that my husband could have more time to work on our plantation.

When we first started, it was very tough, the motivation and planting the crops was very hard for me and my husband, but we keep on pressing forward.

I focus on growing these paw paws while my husband grows other crops.

From $10 that we normally receive from selling these paw paws during this time of the year, I think it will be much harder in the next ten to fifteen years.

Mrs. Visesio told Samoa Observer that there are challenges in life.

That didnt stop us from moving forward, but despite all the failures and problems in life especially the high cost of living that were now facing - God is still in control.

We work together many times and I believe this is the key to successful family.

Maybe were poor when people look at us but we have the courage to cope with life many times through prayers.

Setting good examples to our children of how to develop their family when they grow older is something that were looking at now to teach to our children.

She said that farming is a good business.

My husband and I are just grateful for the blessing of fertile land from the Lord.

For now, our family dont really have any plans this time in selling these crops and paw paws.

But I think our first priority is our childrens education before any other commitments.

Everything is very peaceful out here and thats why our village doesnt have many problems; even with the young people because we have orders to follow.
We make $30 a day but if not many people buy our vegetables, then it can drop below $10, said 47-year-old, Lini Wulf from Nuu Fou.

This market stall helps the family so much especially in times of need.

The vegetables and fruit we sell are what earn money to take care of everything.

We start off in selling paw paws, cabbages and tomatoes...and cabbages are the quickest source of income.

We have been doing this for many years now and its a very good way of making money, thats why we are still doing it today.

Were also serving coffee and popcorn.

Our family is doing very well with the money were making from this small market stall.

Lini says that hard work pays off.

To me, hard working labour workers are better than people who are employed and thats driven us to grow vegetables.

If you work the land well then you will have a source of food and a source of income.

If you work really hard then taking care of your family is easy because hard work is always the key to success.

She added that life now in Samoa is just way too costly.

The cost of living is not good at all; the cost of food and everything had gone up by ridiculous amounts.

Even with my son-in-law who is currently employed, he still doesnt have enough to counter the high cost of living.

To be honest, when my son-in-law gets his pay then it goes very fast with everything we have to do especially family faalavelave.

The truth is, the prices for goods have risen while many people still live on a minimum wage.

Theres no poverty in Samoa the Lord has blessed us our country in so many things, but is just the high cost of living that were facing now.

The government has made food items cost more and fees are so much while were still trying to make ends meet every day.

I think the problem here is the government. They should look into ways to make everything much easier for us.

With all the hardships, Lini still thanked God for His goodness and mercy.

To me, the only hope that we have now is the man above. We need to pray together for our country and our leaders.

Ask God to please help our leaders and show them the reality of life that many people are now living in these days.

And especially His mercy to keep us going even though times are tough every day of our lives.
They say hard works pays off and for sure thats how one of the recipients, Tomasi Peni felt when the organization he works for was recognised at the National Environment Week Award Ceremony on Friday night.

Mr. Peni of the International Labor Organization (ILO) was one of the nine individuals who received awards under the Individual Awards Category on the night.

He was recognized by the Ministry for his role and for the I.L.O. programmes in advocating Disaster and Climate Resilience.

This is from their on-going country programmes that demonstrate the highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity, civic, and social responsibility in conserving and promoting of environment.

Upon receiving the award Mr. Peni cheerfully said that he was grateful and humble to receive the award on behalf of the I.L.O. office in Apia, the Pacific Islands in Suva, and also the regional office in Bangkok and the I.L.O. headquarters in Geneva.

Its an honor for I.L.O. to receive such treatment from our partners; the Government, Employers and Employees, he said.

Our environmental and climate change sectorial works, come under Green Works for Green Jobs on Youth Employment Programme in Samoa.

This is training provided nationally and internationally for youth and partners in Samoa. Others include collective partnership with D.M.O. of M.N.R.E. and the Red Cross Society to support and collect positive results for improving green jobs.

Recently Samoa also assessed and develop a report on skills for green job competencies in agriculture in Samoa. There are many other activities that we offer under Samoa country programmes.

I am also grateful for the support from the Government and partners for all I.L.O. programmes in Samoa, he said.

I want to also dedicate this award to our hard working I.L.O. team in Suva and Bangkok and our office in the U.N. in Apia office, the working group of U.N. Y.E.P. team especially M.N.R.E. team and to the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry who nominated us for this award.

Faafetai tele lava.
Many may not feel our love until we really make an effort to put it into action.

And this is what took place on Saturday as the Matagaluega-o-le-Aiga-Paia of the Catholic Church at Taufusi, Saleufi and Togafuafua donated food and other goodies to the Samoa Victim Support Group.

This year, the Catholic Church is celebrating the amazing grace of our dear Lord and for today, the church is bringing that amazing love into action by donating all sorts of food and many gifts to the Samoa Victims Support Group, and other organisations, said Father, Losi Numia.

I think there are other Catholic churches that are also doing this, but for us here at the Matagaluega-o-le-Aiga-Paia, we believe that putting this love into action is something that we have agreed to be part with.

This also reminds us that love is not just a word to preach about, but we need to make it happen.

Father Losi Numia told the Samoa Observer that for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Members of our church contributed many of the goodies and gifts and it was they who made it all possible with the continuous prayers of deacons, fathers, church members and especially the Archbishop, Alapati Lui Mataeliga.

Glory be unto God for the love that He planted in everyones heart to help and support others at any time, and in any place.

For were designed to put love into action for we also believe that Gods love perfect example is by sending His only Son to die for us.

The Matagaluega-o-le-Aiga-Paia is looking forward to continue this in the near future.

They will be visiting Mapuifagalele and other places in the next few days.
Carlsbad police have joined the ranks of San Diego County agencies using body-worn cameras to document daily law enforcement activities.

Police say the new technology  which officers started using Monday  adds another dimension to evidence collection, improves interactions with residents, and has the potential to change the way officers do their jobs. People should expect almost any encounter with an officer to be recorded.

We are encouraging officers to get out in front of it, and tell people they are being recorded, said Carlsbad police Lt. Jason Jackowski.

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Police Department employees who will be using the cameras  everyone from non-sworn community service officers to the chief of police  underwent four days of four-hour training classes in late October, Jackowski said.

Other police agencies in the county already using body cameras include Sheriffs Department and the San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado and Escondido police departments.

No one in the Carlsbad department has objected to the cameras so far, Jackowski said. The handful of officers who used them during a two-month pilot program earlier this year all wanted to keep using the devices when the program concluded, he added.

Each camera also comes with a smart phone that allows officers to review the video while its still in the camera. When the officer finishes a shift, the camera is placed in a docking station to recharge and to download its video for long-term storage.

The citys 11-page policy for using the cameras states that employees should activate the device anytime they believe it would be appropriate or valuable to record an incident, including all anticipated enforcement actions and investigative contacts.

It also states that anyone being recorded should be told in advance, but employees are not required to advise the public of a recording when it would be contrary to the mission of the department.

Routine stops with no anticipated enforcement action do not need to be recorded. Also, the policy states that victims of sexual assault, child abuse, or who are partially clothed or nude should not be recorded.

Most officers wear the camera mounted on a magnetic plate attached to the front of their shirt. Motorcycle and K-9 officers have the option of using a different style camera that can be attached to a helmet or eyeglasses.

Cameras can be useful in many everyday situations, Jackowski said. A volunteer community service officer issuing a parking ticket, for example, may find the camera can be a valuable tool by showing a No Parking sign, painted lines on curbs, and the clear location of an illegally parked vehicle.

Body cameras are just part of the future, Police Chief Neil Gallucci said Tuesday. They are a phenomenal resource, really,

The cameras are a good example of how technology is changing police work, Gallucci said.

Drones are likely to be the next high-tech addition to police work, he said. The remotely controlled aircraft are a faster, cheaper and often safer way to do whats now handled by officers in helicopters.

You can search a wide area in a short amount of time with a drone, he said.

Voice recognition software is another technology helping to reduce some of the drudgery in police work.

Officers soon will be able to dictate their incident reports without manually writing them, Gallucci added, freeing them from one of their more tedious and time-consuming duties.

Robots are another often cited example of rapidly advancing technology. SWAT teams and bomb squads have been using robots for years in high-threat situations, and the devices are constantly improving.

Carlsbad officers are still learning all the ways they will use their new body-worn cameras.

Officials from law enforcement agencies across San Diego County agreed earlier this year on a shared policy to guide the public release of videos from officer-involved shootings.

The policy strikes a balance between the publics desire to know and the due process everyone is entitled to, San Diego County Assistant Sheriff Mike Barnett said, when the policy was announced in August.

Videos will not be released if criminal charges are filed in the case, the policy states.

Individual cities also have their own policies on the general use of police body cameras.

Carlsbads policy was developed based on the departments own pilot program and using regional and national examples. It became effective Aug. 1. It outlines how the cameras will be used, how long the video will be retained, who will have access to the recordings, when the use of cameras is prohibited, and more.

The City Council approved a contract June 7 to pay $156,409 annually for the Taser Axon Flex Camera system, along with training, maintenance and storage of the video data. The city also paid $19,503 to install the hardware and will continue to pay $14,873 annually for a separate internet connection to a secure, cloud based storage system.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
Happy San Diego Beer Week, everyone! Or as they like to say at White Labs Inc., Happy Thank God for Yeast Week, everyone! Youre welcome!

In its Miramar-area offices, the men and women of White Labs manufacture the yeast that help make the craft-beer world go around. Its customers include home-brewing enthusiasts and big-name breweries (Stone, Ballast Point) alike. Its grateful consumers and potential consumers include anyone who loves beer that tastes like, well, beer.

People talk about malt and grains and hops, and yeast often gets overshadowed, said Neva Parker, White Labs vice president of operations. Without yeast, basically what you have is bitter sugar water.

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Perhaps you are wondering why we are harshing your San Diego Beer Week buzz with talk of science. No worries, beer friends. In addition to being yeast producers, the people of White Labs are yeast educators. The lab offers free tours of its facilities Monday through Thursday at 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. You can continue your liquid lessons in the White Labs tasting room, which has up to 32 beers on tap and a tutorial in every glass.

In honor of San Diego Beer (and Yeast) Week, here is a taste of what youll learn when you belly up to the White Labs knowledge bar.

Yeast 101

Why should you care about yeast? Because when yeast is thrown in with water, grains and other ingredients, it eats the sugars produced by the grainy mash and belches out carbonation and  most importantly  alcohol. Without yeast, you do not have beer.

When Chris White founded White Labs in 1995, his inventory consisted of one yeast strain  the versatile WLP001, the California ale yeast that is still the companys biggest seller. The company now has 700 strains in its yeast bank, and it produces about 85 strains per week. There is ale yeast and there is lager yeast. Yeast for Belgian beers and funky sour beers. White Labs also produces yeast for wines and distilled spirits.

The tour meets in the White Labs tasting room, where you will have to ignore the siren call of the beer flights and follow your guide to the actual labs. The beers will still be on tap when you get back. And they will taste even better with a side of smarts.

Devin Tani fills HPLC Vials for sugar analysis at White Labs in Mira Mesa. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Ales and analytics

Tours generally start in the Analytical Lab, where young lab techs with backgrounds in chemistry, food science and biology analyze samples of beer, wine and other yeasty substances for customers wanting information on everything from sugar count and alcohol content to the sources of mysterious off-flavors.

There are laptops and a sterile hood and a bags of hops that smell like pot. Most importantly, the Analytical Lab has a window looking into the Yeast Lab. The Yeast Lab is where the yeast-growing process starts. And because this is a clean room requiring lab coats, hair nets, facial-hair nets (where applicable) and shoe covers, looking through the window is as close as most tours get.

Through the window, you can see studious people doing science-y looking things. You might also see big flasks filled with yeast and wort (the liquid extracted during the grain-mashing process) jouncing around on the automatic shaker. It is sort of the beer-geek equivalent of watching a bee pollinating a beautiful flower. Beer happening! Right there!

All of these riches end up in the White Labs yeast bank. After the California ale yeast, White Labs top sellers include the Hefeweizen ale, which has a lot of banana and clove notes; and the workhorse known as WLP830, a German lager yeast that puts the fest in many an Oktoberfest. Venture into the yeast fringes, and you get wild cards like WLP099, the super high gravity ale yeast that can ferment up to 25 percent alcohol.

What kind of beer do you get from a super high gravity ale yeast?

Crazy beer, Parker said, during an interview in the tasting room, where the walls are painted a hoppy green and light fixtures are made from lab flasks. People are willing to try anything when theyre making beer. They want to do crazy things, and were here to help with that.

Tyler Carter, left, cleans lines to fermenters as he talks with head brewer Joe Kurowski at White Labs in Mira Mesa. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Let there be beer

The next stop for the yeast is the Production Room, an off-limits place where yeast is propagated using a special patented process. Hence, the off-limits part. But the next stop for you is the Brew House, a busy place with giant conical fermenters, grain silos and trucks to haul away the spent grain, which becomes cattle feed.

This is also where White Labs makes what head brewer Joe Kurowski calls the nutrient-rich media to grow our yeast.

Ninety percent of the rich stuff that is brewed at White Labs is yeast food. Fortunately for us, 10 percent of it becomes beer. White Labs brews three flagship beers in-house, including the Tabberer IPA. There are also milk stouts, rye saisons, double IPAs and whatever else Kurowski and his team can dream up. Take a growler to go, because their beers are not sold in stores or bars.

Our tasting room is one delicious yeast experiment, Korowski said.

Its educational, too. Pony up for one of the tasting rooms beer flights (which start at $6), and you get samples of beers that are all exactly the same, except for the yeast. After hearing about how yeast makes the beer, it was time for a taste test.

First, I sampled the Tabberer IPAs made with the California and East Coast yeast. In the former, the hoppy flavors were sharp and clean. In the latter, the hops were richer and more lingering. The Hansen Hefeweizen flight included a cream yeast (taste self-explanatory), the traditional WLP300 (big banana and clove flavors) and the American Hefeweizen (lighter on the banana and clove).

Even for a beer amateur like myself, the differences were as plain as the foam on my face. Which is just the way White Labs likes it.

Thats the big reason we put a tasting room in here, Parker said. You can talk about the difference yeast makes, but people dont believe it until they taste it. And then we make believers out of them.

RELATED

 Science and Beer

Reporter Karla Peterson takes us inside White Labs Pure Yeast and Fermentation in Mira Mesa to learn more about the microscopic fungus that gives beer its unique taste.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
San Diegan Vincent OHara is the author or co-author of 11 books about military history. Most have been published by the Naval Institute Press, which named him its Author of the Year for 2016.

His most recent book is Torch, about a largely forgotten amphibious assault of French North Africa by American and British troops during World War II. Tuesday marks the 74th anniversary of the campaign, which was designed to help Russia by opening a new front against Germany. Historians still debate whether the assault shortened the war or prolonged it.

Q: Why is Operation Torch worth remembering?

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A: It was the very first major offensive taken by the Americans and British working as coalition partners. They had a lot in common, but they had never really had to function as a team before. The British felt like they were the senior partners. They had fought Germans. They knew what it was all about. The Americans thought the British were maybe a little tired and not as effective as they could be, or maybe even a little scared of the Germans.

One of the most important aspects of Torch was that it gave the two nations a way to practice coalition warfare in a setting where if they had been defeated they would not have lost the war. Coming ashore in France in 1942, if they had been repulsed by the Germans that would have been a very serious defeat. Coming ashore in Africa against the French, the stakes were a lot less.

Q: Thats one of the things I wanted to ask you  how the impact of what happened there affected the way the rest of the war unfolded.

A: I make a point in the book that the path to victory had to start on a beach. The Allies had to perfect the art of amphibious warfare, but the experience up to late 1942 had been mostly negative. Coming ashore as an army over a body of water is one of the most complicated military operations. Here in the United States in the 21st Century we have an idea that its no big deal. You put the Marines in their little boats and send them ashore and victory is assured. The reality is, the very first time the British tried to do this in Norway, trying to defeat the Germans there, they had unsuccessful experiences. They tried to attack the French in Dakar, Africa, in 1940 in September and they were completely defeated. They tried several smaller operations in the Mediterranean and the North Sea and they basically had a record of failure. And look at the Dieppe raid in August 1942 when they tried to land a brigade in France to capture a port. It was a debacle.

Q: Are there lessons that they learned and put into practice for the wars most famous amphibious landing, at Normandy on D-Day in June 1944?

A: First of all, they really learned the importance of training and preparation. You just cant stick soldiers in a boat and send them across. For example, you have to learn how to load the transports  that the thing you need first goes on top. One of my favorite stories is about an infantry colonel who is climbing down the net (during Torch) to get into the boat and thinking, God, I should have practiced this. Youre doing it on a boat that is rolling in the ocean, and youre loaded down with maybe 70 to 80 pounds of ammunition, weapons and your pack. Not an easy thing to do.

Q: Why do you think Torch isnt better known today?

A: I think the fact that we were acting as aggressors is something we dont really like to think about because it conflicts with our view of our actions in the war. Vichy France was actually a neutral country, and so we basically attacked a neutral country without any warning, just as the Germans attacked Poland or Norway. So thats a little embarrassing. It conflicts with our self-image.

But the biggest reason is because it was overshadowed. There was so much happening at such a rapid pace in the war after Torch that the fact we did things that were unprecedented and were really never repeated throughout the entire war got lost. The fact that we invaded Sicily less than eight months later, the fact that we invaded Normandy less than two years later made us forget Torch. And every subsequent landing had more at stake. If we had failed at Normandy, we would have had to drop an atomic bomb on Berlin probably to win the war.

Q: Why do you like to tell stories like this?

A: Im a native San Diegan. I grew up here in the 1950s and 1960s. I can remember the very heavy Navy presence in the town. I can remember the mothballed fleet, mile upon mile of old World War II ships anchored at where the 32nd Street naval station is right now. I grew up with my parents and their friends, who were basically participants in the war. It was kind of like a fact of life, and I was just really curious about it.

One of my favorite parts of the book was how in order to prepare for the invasion they had to come up with 60 tons of maps per landing site. So thats 300 tons of maps. I thought to myself, whats the process involved in doing that? Every mapmaker in Britain was taken over by the military to produce these maps. But they were told to take out the North arrows and change the orientation so that if anybody captures the maps, maybe they will be confused. I just think to myself, Wow.

And then, whats at stake? Young mens lives are at stake. Cultures are at stake. I always found it very compelling the actions that are taken when something is at stake. We live in a democratic society, and I think its important for people to understand what the military is, what it does. One of the worst things that can happen to us as a society is having the military exist in isolation as it does in a lot of Latin American countries, where you have coups and the military feels like it is separate and it has its own agenda. I think its really important for civilians to know about the military, to take an interest in the military, to let the military know that were interested, and to keep an eye on things.

Q: Were you ever in the Navy?

A: I never was. Ive given speeches in front of rooms full of admirals, full of people in uniforms. Im very upfront with them. Im not a veteran; Im a civilian. But Im proud of our country, Im proud of what our country does, and I think its important that the military listens to people like me. Were all in it together.

Torch: North Africa and the Allied Path to Victory, by Vincent P. OHara, Naval Institute Press, 384 pages.
Again and again the powerful sound of a conch shell reverberated from the brightly decorated concrete columns of Chicano Park Saturday as hundreds gathered to say goodbye to Ramon Chunky Sanchez.

As his coffin sat on the parks kiosko, the covered pavilion where he and so many others had performed, sage smoke drifted over a solemn drum beat met again and again by the chant Viva Chunky Sanchez, which always drew the response Viva from the crowd.

Ramon Chunky Sanchez (Eduardo Contreras/U-T )

It was clear then the spirit of the gentle performer and Chicano activist was present in this place as the indigenous ceremony continued, bringing tears to the eyes of many men and women who faced the reality that they will never get to see him play again in the space he helped create under the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

The ceremony was part of a weekend-long farewell to the local barrio icon, who passed away Oct. 28, two days shy of his 65th birthday. Sanchez gained fame as the frontman for Los Alacranes, or The Scorpions, the band he founded decades ago with his brother Ricardo. The music kept alive Mexican folk traditions and shared messages of hope and social justice.

A man blows a couch shell while riding in the procession for Ramon Chunky Sanchez after a funeral service for him at Chicano Park in San Diego on Saturday. (Hayne Palmour IV/U-T )

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Many knew Sanchez as more than just a talented musician. He presented in schools, organized community events, mentored troubled youth and fought for numerous social causes.

Larry Flores arrived early Saturday, watching from a distance. The South San Diego resident said Sanchez helped him form the San Diego Lowrider Council, a group of people who needed his soothing presence to get over their differences and come together. There was just something, Flores said, in the loving way that the musician spoke to people that calmed them and made them comfortable talking to each other.

When he spoke to you in a positive way you listened, and you learned something, Flores said.

Given his involvement with his communitys car culture, as well as its music, it was fitting that Sanchezs funeral procession Saturday featured a long line of lowriders bouncing on hydraulic shocks and Harley-Davidsons gunning their throttles in salute.

The hearse carrying Ramon Chunky Sanchez makes its way in a funeral procession Saturday. (Hayne Palmour IV/U-T )

The significance of the moment, and of this mans life, was not lost on anyone and especially not on Roberto Hernandez, a Chicano studies professor at San Diego State University, Sanchezs alma mater.

Hernandez noted that the government wanted to turn the space under the bridge into a California Highway Patrol office in 1970 when activists stood up and demanded a community park instead. As a musician, Hernandez said, Sanchez could bring the message and the movement to people in a way that speeches just couldnt.

Its danceable. You get lifted by it. But, at the same time, its sharing important messages, Hernandez said.

A private burial ceremony followed the public event. A celebration of Sanchezs life is scheduled for Chicano Park Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. with live performances by Danza Azteca and Ballet Folklorico.

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com
With winter on the way and many of its students identified as homeless, the San Ysidro School District is seeking donations of new blankets to deliver to needy children.

School officials want to collect enough blankets to give one to each of its 1,500 students who lack a permanent home.

During the winter it gets very cold, said Veronica Medina, the districts student and family services manager. We have a lot of families who share households, and siblings who sleep in the same bed. So to have their own blanket  something that they dont have to share  is very important to them.

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The K-8 school district serves about 4,900 students in one of the countys most impoverished areas.

About one-third of the districts students have been categorized as homeless, which is defined by the substandard conditions in which the families live.

Those living conditions range from what most people would think of as being homeless, such as living in a vehicle or shelter. Others live in deficient housing where a makeshift garage or overcrowded hotel room is what they call home.

This is the second year the district has organized its Project Dream blanket drive. Last year, school officials gave away more than 1,200 blankets that had been donated by individuals, church groups and service organizations.

Medina said donated blankets must be new and unused. The district has enough baby blankets already, but could use everything else  from toddler size to adult size.

We have some very tall eighth graders this year, Medina said.

Store-bought and handmade blankets are both welcome. Blankets must be free of choking hazards, however, so no buttons or other embellishments that could come off and pose a danger, Medina said.

Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the districts administrative offices, 4350 Otay Mesa Road.

The blanket drive runs through Dec. 15.

For more information, call Medina at (619) 428-4476, ext. 3083.

RELATED

SAN DIEGO HAS THE FIFTH LARGEST HOMELESS POPULATION AMONG U.S. CITIES, ACCORDING TO A RECENT FEDERAL SURVEY. LOCAL LEADERS HAVE ANNOUNCED AN AMBITIOUS $70 MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO STEP UP THE FIGHT AGAINST HOMELESSNESS.

Amanda Wandersee, 31, started selling drugs to earn a living. It landed her in prison, where she got hooked on education. She attended community college with a goal to work as a recovery counselor. But she relapsed in 2014. Now shes stuck.

Follow me @HuardSDUT
The road to victory winds through blocks of single-family homes and apartments, where volunteers from each political divide fanned out Saturday knocking on door after door and ratcheting up support wherever it could be found.

Expectations of triumph hung in the boiler rooms, where campaign signs and brochures were stacked by the thousands and Democratic and Republican party loyalists dialed call after call and sent one text message after another in an around-the-clock hunt for one more vote.

Im a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, said Jo Ann Cornelius, a retired bookkeeper from Clairemont who spent much of Saturday at the party headquarters in Rancho Bernardo sending texts to registered voters. I believe in the party and Im hoping we can get back into the White House and get this government fixed up again.

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Party officials from both sides of the political spectrum are spending the final days and hours of this historic election season shoring up their bases and working to stretch their advantage as far as they can.

Volunteers showed up by the hundreds to walk precincts and contact voters who, according to counts posted nightly by the county registrar, have yet to cast a ballot.

Judy Rosselli, of University City, a San Diego County Democratic Party volunteer, walks a polling precinct in the Morena area, talking to Democrats just three days before the November 8 election. (Howard Lipin/U-T )

We want to make sure we get a mandate for Hillary (Clinton) and other Democrats, said Judy Rosselli, a retired English teacher from University City who turned up to volunteer at the Democratic Party offices in Kearny Mesa. We care about where our country is and where it is going.

By now, candidates at every level of government have all stated their cases. This weekend, party leaders are focused on turning those political views into ballots before the polls close Tuesday night.

At this point the persuasion portion is over; its all about getting out the vote, said Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego, who was walking the streets of Scripps Ranch to speak with voters who had not yet mailed in their ballots.

This is blocking and tackling, he said. For all the new techniques that can be so impersonal, theres nothing like that volunteer standing at the door cutting through the clutter.

San Diego County Democratic Party Chairwoman Francine Busby exuded confidence with days to go.

She cited a surge in party registration she hopes will drive Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, from Congress and deliver Dave Roberts four more years on the county Board of Supervisors.

Busby said many of the 70,000 or so newly registered voters in San Diego County appeared to be motivated by the prospect of voting against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

They are probably registering because theyre very engaged in the presidential election, but the down-ballot races are very important, she said. These are new voters and they may need more information about how to vote and where to vote.

Even Krvaric acknowledged that Trump has become a lightning rod among Republican voters.

Theres no doubt the national Republican Party is not wind at our back, he said. The key for us is to run good local candidates who have cross appeal. Our job doesnt change. We crank the handles just the same. Weve just got to get our votes out.

Michele Romano, a retired designer from University Heights, was one of hundreds of Democratic Party volunteers to sign up to walk precincts Saturday.

When you believe in something, you have to work for it, she said. I believe in (Clinton) and I want to see her in the White House.

At the Republican Party headquarters, UC San Diego senior Kyu Lee was carting in boxes of food and drinks to serve the army of other volunteers.

Politics really opened up a new window, the international business major said. I never thought I could incorporate consulting with politics. Now I know otherwise and its super exciting.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com
It was a strange political turn when Rep. Darrell Issa in a campaign mailer thanked President Barack Obama for signing a bill he co-sponsored.

Stranger still was his recent ad in which women give quick testimonials, finishing each others sentences about why Issa should remain in Congress.

The presidential candidates have been so disappointing, says one.

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Hillary and Trump? says another, incredulously.

Whoever the voters choose, says one more.

We need a leader to hold them accountable, another concludes.

Thats Darrell Issa.

The Vista Republican, who has called the Republican nominee the obvious choice for president, is now being promoted as the one who would hold Donald Trumps feet to the fire.

Stranger even still was a recent slate mailer that has photos of Obama, Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez. Then theres a label The Team for Democratic Voters above a list of candidates. Among them is Darrell Issa for Congress.

His party affiliation is not on the mailer and while the piece is put out by the Democratic Voters Choice it really has nothing to do with the Democratic Party. Its one of countless slate mailers that are money-making enterprises for political consultants. People usually buy their way on, though its highly unlikely anybody paid to have non-candidate Obama on there. But his addition is appealing to Democrats.

We havent reached the caboose of the strange train yet. Issa told Politico that if Clinton had only asked, he would have advised her campaign:

I wouldve said the same thing if Hillary Clintons people had called me the same day. Why wouldnt you? Issa said in a recent interview... when asked about his decision to join Donald Trumps campaign as a national security adviser.

These may seem desperate measures, but such are the times for Issa. Hes in the campaign of his life against Doug Applegate, a little-known Democrat attempting to dislodge Issa from what was thought to be a safe 49th District covering northwest San Diego County and southern Orange County.

But when the retired Marine colonel ended up only about 5 percentage points behind Issa in the primary after being wildly outspent, the race suddenly became one of the most watched in the nation. Its far from the kind of walkover Issa was used to.

He hardly had to campaign before. Now hes taking high-profile bike rides in the district and having his picture taken in front of the Cardiff Kook statue. This is not the inside-the-beltway Darrell Issa weve known for eight terms.

The Democratic Party has weighed in with millions in advertising behind Applegate while tying Issa to Trump at every turn. Given the political backflips by Issa, all that is clearly having an effect. Think about it: Embracing Obama, advising Clinton. Thats the president he once hinted should be impeached and the former secretary of state he suggested engaged in criminal behavior for using her private email for government communications.

And Democrats just turned up the heat. First lady Michelle Obama recently cut a 30-second video urging San Diegans to vote for Democrats for Congress, but doesnt mention Applegate.

When the president came to San Diego last month for fundraisers, he ridiculed Issas attempt to morph his image from partisan warrior to bipartisan team player. Obama noted Issas effort to sidle up to him for political purposes and called it the definition of chutzpah.

Nevertheless, late this past week the Issa campaign was exuding confidence, circulating news stories suggesting Democrats dont really think they can knock him off. CBS still has the 49th as one of the nations eight House races to watch, though it says the district leans Republican. The Cook Political Report still has it as a toss up.

Regardless, Issa has co-opted the presidents widely quoted jab. Just the other day he launched the It Takes Chutzpah bus tour of the district.

I guess thats kind of a mock you, Obama.

The answer, my friend ...

Some polls had it too close to call. Many analysts agreed it would be a tight finish, while some even called it for the eventual loser.

But on the night before the 2012 presidential election Bob Dylan made a prediction  in the middle of performing Blowin in the Wind, no less.

He told a Madison, Wis., audience that Obama would win easily

Dont believe the media. I think its going to be a landslide, Dylan said.

An electoral-vote blowout it was: Obama, 332. Mitt Romney, 206.

Granted the popular vote was much closer, 51.1 percent to 47.2 percent.

This reminds us of two significant things:

One, nationwide polls are largely meaningless at this stage as a predictor of who will win, even if they turn out to be a fairly accurate reflection of the popular vote. Its all about the individual states.

The other: Dylan knows this land pretty well.

In case youre wondering, his last concert before this election is Sunday night in Charlotte, N.C.

Track: Fast. Weather: Clear.

It will be sunny and in the 70s for the stretch run through Election Day, according to weather forecasts. Good thing. Nothing could put a damper on voter turnout in San Diego County like bad weather.

Its not so much that wed skip going to the polls because were weather wimps. Wed be so distracted talking, tweeting and Snapchatting about the rain, we just might forget to vote.

Tweet of the Week

Goes to Jeremy Ogul (@jsogul), researcher/writer.

I cant even go on YouTube to look up a song without being hit with a political ad...

RELATED
A UC San Diego student was critically burned in an apartment fire investigators believe she intentionally set Sunday afternoon.

The small fire started about 1:25 p.m. on the ninth floor of an apartment building at The Village at Torrey Pines, a community for transfer students on the La Jolla campus.

When firefighters arrived, the fire was mostly out and the female student was critically injured. Crews put out what was left of the blaze and the student was rushed to the burn center at UC San Diego Health, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson.

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Fire officials said a flammable liquid was used as an accelerant to start the blaze.

The 13-floor building was briefly evacuated while fire crews worked. A student who lives there said he never saw or smelled smoke.

The fire caused about $1,000 in damage to the structure and $500 in damage to the rooms contents.

Breaking News

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
Reporters and editors will work long hours Tuesday for Election Day. Tom Mallory, the U-Ts online news editor, says he plans to stay in the newsroom until at least 1 a.m. Wednesday to guide the online report.

Given the time limitations of print, readers will find the most up-to-date local results on the U-Ts website, sandiegouniontribune.com.

On the homepage (the first page of the website), along with about a dozen of the top stories, we will have a big election map and two balance of power graphics for the House and Senate, and four charts showing the results of the votes on the stadium, the death penalty, recreational marijuana and the 49th Congressional District (Issa vs. Applegate), Mallory said. Inside we will have complete local election returns in chart form, as we have had in years past.

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The Secretary of State Office and the County Registrar of Voters will provide the numbers for state and local votes.

The print product will be given a deadline a half-hour later than normal, and editors will have an opportunity to update some pages before the press in Los Angeles starts.

Several pages will be added to the A section to accommodate the election stories and photos.

Wednesdays newspaper will not have an agate tally of results. A scoreboard will appear in Thursdays paper.

Political editor Michael Smolens will lead the effort on the larger local election stories, which will appear in print and online.

The Ideas & Opinion team will be busy for both tracks, as well. Its articles will appear in the A section to allow for a later deadline. Were planning for all contingencies  a Clinton win, a Trump win, a race thats too close to call, said Matthew T. Hall, the editorial and opinion director.

Hes setting up a page with an editorial, a Steve Breen cartoon, a syndicated column and letters to the editor.

For online, two of the teams opinion writers will visit precincts Tuesday afternoon to interview voters and take their photos to share on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. They will use that content for posts on the U-Ts website, and theyll write posts on the election results and trending topics on Election Night. Hall said theyll probably also visit Golden Hall to talk to folks about election results.

Revisiting front pages for the week

I took a call last week from a reader who made the common, but untrue, complaint that only bad news about Trump makes the paper, and news about Trump always is tucked inside. I responded that the day before  Oct. 25  a story headlined Trump blasts phony polls from media appeared prominently above the fold on the front page. The reader said the story, though, cast Trump as a whiner. I did not detect that in the Associated Press story.

In response to the complaint, I also looked back at front pages for a week starting with Friday, Oct. 28. That days A1 displayed two presidential election stories at the top of the page, each receiving identical play with identically sized mugs of the candidates: Trump denounces corrupt Clintons (Associated Press) and Michelle Obama, Clinton rally fans (New York Times).

Friday, Clintons email problems rose again. FBI reopens inquiry of Clintons emails (Washington Post) read a five-column wide, two-line deep headline at the top of A1 on Saturday, Oct. 29. Below the fold appeared a story with a five-column headline, Trump: Probe is bigger than Watergate<TH> (Times).

Last Sundays A1 presidential election story was a Times piece on FBI Director James Comeys release to Congress that new evidence had been found that might be related to the Clinton email investigation.

Monday across the top of the front page ran a Post story, FBI gets warrant to review emails.

Tuesday, a Times story was published at the upper right of A1, FBI begins review of Clinton advisers emails. Below that ran a story by the Times headlined Trump used dubious method to avoid taxes.

Wednesday, these two stories received exactly the same play, with identically sized headlines and photos: Clinton returns focus to Trumps character (Times) and Trump: Obamacare will destroy health care (Post).

Thursdays A1 also presented identically played stories at the top of the page: Clinton seeks to energize Democrats (AP) and Trump calls Clinton an unstable person (Post).

After reviewing the front pages, I failed to see bias in story presentation. In fact, I saw a clear effort to give stories on the candidates mirror play.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are statistically tied in both Florida and Ohio just two days before Election Day, according to a CBS News poll released on Sunday, November 6, 2016.





Trump slightly leads Clinton 46% to 45% among likely Ohio voters and both candidates are tied at 45% to 45% in Florida. Both poll results are within the margin of error at +/- 3.6 for Florida and +/- 4.1 for Ohio.









Trump's comeback in these critical swing states during the final days of the presidential election suggests that voters who had remained on the fence are now breaking for the Republican nominee, especially after the FBI announced that it was re-opening its investigation into Clinton.





Clinton's Email Scandal and Independent Voters





Ohio





85% of Republicans and 57% of Independents in Ohio described Clinton's email issue as "bad, and its worse than anything I dislike about Donald Trump" while only 5% of Democrats felt the same way. It's not surprising then, that Trump leads Clinton 51% to 32% among Ohio's Independent voters.





Florida





Like Ohio, 88% of Republicans and 56% of Independents in Florida described Clinton's email issue as "bad, and its worse than anything I dislike about Donald Trump" while only 8% of Democrats felt the same way. Trump also leads Clinton 47% to 34% among Florida's Independent voters.




An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the remains of a large Bronze Age settlement not far from the town of Dohuk in northern Iraq.

The settlement was established in about 3000 BC, and was able to flourish for more than 1,200 years, according to the team, led by Prof. Peter Pfalzner from the University of Tubingen and Dr. Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in Dohuk.

The site is now home to the small Kurdish village of Bassetki in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan.

Although the excavation site is only 28 miles (45 km) from territory controlled by the IS, it was possible to conduct the archaeological work without any disturbances, the archaeologists noted.

We lived in the city of Dohuk, which is only 37 miles (60 km) north of Mosul, during the excavation work.

The area around Bassetki is proving to be an unexpectedly rich cultural region, which was located at the crossroads of communication ways between the Mesopotamian, Syrian and Anatolian cultures during the Bronze Age, Prof. Pfalzner added.

Were therefore planning to establish a long-term archaeological research project in the region in conjunction with our Kurdish colleagues.

Prof. Pfalzner, Dr. Qasim and their colleagues also discovered layers dating from the Akkadian Empire period (2340-2200 BC), which is regarded as the first world empire in human history.

They suggest that the ancient city may have been an important Akkadian outpost.

The significance of the settlement can be seen from the finds discovered during the excavation work.

The settlement already had a wall running around the upper part of the town from about 2700 BC onwards in order to protect its residents from invaders. Large stone structures were erected there in about 1800 BC.

The archaeologists also found fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets dating from about 1300 BC, which suggested the existence of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian weather god Adad on this site.

There was a lower town about 3,300 feet (1 km) long outside the center of the settlement.

Using geomagnetic resistance measurements, the archaeologists discovered indications of an extensive road network, various residential districts, grand houses and a kind of palatial building dating from the Bronze Age.

The settlement was connected to the neighboring regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia via an overland roadway dating from about 1800 BC.
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.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Southerners are known for their distinctive accents. For students in 12 classes across Florence District One the accent they hear this year will be quite different, coming from an international teacher.

The teachers have come from Jamaica, Venezuela and the Philippines and are teaching at Delmae, Dewey Carter and North Vista elementary schools, Williams Middle School and Wilson and South Florence high schools.

On Wednesday afternoon the teachers gathered at the Florence One District Office for the first of several "Small Talks" designed for them to get to know one another.

This is trying to help them build support because they are in a new country, said Marlene Williams, recruitment director for District One. This isnt so much for instructional things. My purpose here was to look at survival-type things, maybe Florence in general, just meeting some basic needs.

Williams said this years unusually high number of international teachers was necessitated by the fact that there is such a need for teachers, across the state but also across the country.

South Carolina has a teacher shortage, Williams said. This is the first year weve ever had this large of a problem in elementary; it is a real shortage now if elementary teachers and early childhood teachers are hard to secure. I went to a personal conference in September and there were different concerns from different districts but all of them said that have never had that problem before.

Williams said that the teachers were hired through Educational Partners International LLC. The company works similarly to an exchange program for students, finding qualified teachers for classrooms in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina.

When I first started in this position 13 years ago, we had three international teachers and they were already established, they were already teaching by the time I got here, Williams said. This year we have 12, so that is a lot more. Working with EPI is something new for us.

During the talk, teachers heard from Matrell Sturkey , assistant superintendent of personnel services on the "10 Mistakes Employees Make." Because they come from countries with different cultures, Sturkey wanted to give the teachers some basic guidelines to follow during their time in Florence.

Whether or not you are from this country or from this area or region, there are a lot of rules and regulations to try and remember as a classroom teacher, Sturkey said. What is it that I can do, what are the things I should not do, how I make sure I dont make a mistake because I want to be gainfully employed?

Some of the 10 infractions include insubordination, failure to report an arrest and inappropriate contact with students.

After Sturkeys presentation, the teachers were asked what things they had questions about that the district administration might be able to help them with.

Some of the concerns or questions revolved around what is the best car or health insurance, renting an apartment and building credit.

In future meetings, the teachers will take a tour of Florence. Williams said the meetings will continue to be held as long as the teachers have a need for them.
... Since 1950 ...



1951 - July 13 -

FLOOD

In the early morning darkness, the

Kansas River over-tops the flood-walls in both Kansas Citys

May 20

TORNADO

Ruskin Heights is dissected by an F-5 tornado

.

The tornado formed southwest of Ottawa- near Williamsburg, Kansas around 6 pm and by 7:30 pm- the killer vortex had crossed the state line into Missouri.



Most of the unincorporated town of Martin City and nearly half of the homes in the fairly-new Ruskin Heights subdivision were either heavily damaged or destroyed.





Forty-four deaths are officially attributed to the entire tornado's 71-mile path- 39 of those dying in Missouri.





This is the deadliest tornado in Metro KC weather history.









September

FLOOD - FLASH FLOOD

April 12

TORNADO

July

FLASH FLOOD

April 19

TORNADO

May 15

TORNADO

1966

June 8

TORNADO

January 24

TORNADO

June 29

TORNADO

1973

January 3 & 4

ICE STORM

September

FLASH FLOOD













1977 - May 4 - TORNADO - A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.



There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.



There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..



More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.



It was







1977 - September 12 & 13 - FLASH FLOOD - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.



Twenty-five people died.



Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.



Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.



Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.



Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.



Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.



The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.







1980 - July-August - HEAT WAVE - Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far: A prolonged heat wave . Floodwater inundates a mobile home park in Northmoor mobile home park where emergency rescue of residents had to be conducted.- A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.It was the first time I got on the tail of a twister - following it into Pleasant Hill - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.- Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far:



More than 200 people are reported to have died from various heat-related causes from late June through August.



One July day was tinder-dry with Santa-Ana-like conditions.



Grass, brush and other fires citywide had the Fire Department down to a handful of companies in service when a grass fire spread to an apartment complex near 76th St. & Blue Ridge.



Four other fire departments - including Johnson County KS. - had to help what few KC-MO companies that made it there.



No one was injured - but several buildings were damaged.







1982 - August - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding strikes southern & southeastern KC-MO..



One fatality was reported.



The not-yet completed Longview Lake saved the Little Blue Valley from major flooding.







1984 - March - ICE STORM - A damaging ice storm affects a wide area of eastern Kansas and western Missouri - including the Kansas City Metro.







1984 - June 8 & 9 - FLASH FLOOD - Severe flash flooding affects Indian Creek from Olathe and Overland Park to it's mouth with the Blue River in KC-MO..



Hundreds of residents along Indian Creek from Olathe, Overland Park into KC, MO.. flee the record flood crests.



No one was reported hurt - but 2 young women were stranded on a traffic island by floodwaters at 103rd St. & Conser in OP-KS for more than 2 hours.



The author's 6-inch rain gauge in Olathe overflowed before it could be emptied and yet another 2.5 inches fell into it by 2 am on the 9th.



Based on this information plus flooding I was both witnessing and listening to in the Indian Creek headwaters and downstream, KCTV-CBS-5's meteorologist Mike Thompson was able to warn those downstream along Indian Creek of the danger via bulletins.







1986 - September - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding along Rock Creek in Mission, KS. & Brush Creek sends water again lapping at the curbs in the Plaza.



The Brush Creek flood control project - undertaken in the 1990's - has greatly reduced the flood threat for the Plaza.



However middle portions of the project not yet completed would have fatal effects on Brush Creek 12 years later.







1990 - May 15 - FLOOD - More than 8-inches of rain in 4 hours sends the Big Blue river into a massive flood and- at many points - flood crests exceeded records set during the 1961 flood.



By evening drive - there were only 2 routes open east or west across the Blue unless you lived south of Bannister Road: Independence Avenue ("Armco") viaduct and Interstate-70.



The Blue was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 1990's and greatly reduced flooding as would be illustrated 8 years later during the 1998 flash floods.







1993 - July 9 - FLASH FLOOD - After a slow-moving thunderstorm complex threatens Lawrence, KS with tornadoes then floods it - the complex moves into northern Johnson County KS..



Flash flooding is by far the worst on Turkey Creek - it's entire floodplain is inundated from Overland Park & Merriam into KC-KS then into Southwest Boulevard and the West Bottoms in KC-MO..



Dozens of residents have to be swiftly evacuated by police & fire departments on both sides of the state line. Several people have to be rescued from rooftops of flooded buildings along Southwest Blvd..



One man is later found dead.



Kemper Arena and the American Royal complex is also flooded and damage figures reach the tens of millions of dollars.



WDAF-NBC4's Mike Thompson stays on the air all night- relaying high water reports I was receiving by radio.



Later that day - the now-swollen Kansas River caused two boats to be torn from their moorings.



One - the sand dredge The General Mitchell - struck 4 bridges and was severely damaged before 2 tugboats could push the Mitchell onto the Missouri River levee east of the Paseo bridge.



Along with post-8 am flooding and the General Mitchell- the author also videotaped the Missouri rising in Parkville, a make-shift levee and a "conga-line" of people heaving sandbags onto an overtopping Line Creek levee in Riverside, MO..







1993 - July 26-27 - FLOOD - Record Missouri River flood crest at Kansas City.



Squeezed into a narrow channel by levees- the Missouri River reaches an all-time highest flood crest of 48.87-feet near Downtown (old Municipal) Airport.





That surpassed the previous record 48-foot crest estimated during the legendary 1844 flood.





Downtown Parkville and most of Riverside are under water.









The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

Sandbagging and the additional pumping power of nearly a half-dozen Fire department pumper companies save the city's water supply from contamination.



In KC-KS -residents of the Argentine, Armourdale and the Rosedale neighborhoods - nearly destroyed in the 1951 flood - are evacuated.

The higher levees built after the '51 flood hold.

The flood crest in that flood is now No. 3 at 46.20-feet.



Parts of the Turner area of KC-KS are not so lucky and are flooded.

A mobile home park for about 100 people off K-32 is inundated and eventually abandoned.



At least no one dies in this flood.



1996 - May 26 - TORNADO - Southern Lee's Summit-MO. - what the NWS ultimately determined to be a "micro-burst" struck the Raintree Lake subdivision just after sunset.



There was tornadic circulation in that "micro-burst" - with winds "officially estimated at around 125 m.p.h.."



I saw 2 x 6 lumber driven into the ground at the correct angle & position on the northern edge of the damage path 20 minutes after the strike.



Several people suffered minor injuries and nearly 4-dozen homes received damage varying from slight to major.



Damage was in the $10-million range.







1998 - October 4 & 5 - FLASH FLOOD - It's the deadliest flash-flooding event in the KC Metro since "The Plaza Flood" of 1977.



September 1998 had already been a wet month and the ground across the entire K.C. Metro was saturated.



On Sunday, October 4 - a morning of off and on heavy showers and thunderstorms produced up to 5-inches of rain and flash- flooding in southeastern & eastern parts of the Metro.

Damaging flooding occurred in parts of Lee's Summit and a youth was swept away and drowned in a rain-swollen creek by early afternoon.



By mid-afternoon- the area was under not only under a NWS-issued flash flood watch but also a tornado watch.



Just before sunset- a huge thunderstorm complex formed west of Lawrence, KS. and- after deluging them- the complex moves eastward across northern Johnson County KS. into western and central Jackson County MO..



Over mid-town KC-MO - the storm dropped rain rates of 5-inches per hour during the 7-o'clock hour.

A huge- sudden flood-wave on Brush Creek swept over the top of the old Prospect bridge - sweeping seven people in and on top of their cars downstream.



Despite rescue attempts by by-standers and- eventually- firefighters- all 7 people drown.



(Minutes before this happened- an audio tape has this author pleading with a local TV weatherman over the phone to emphasize the flash flooding- rather than the tornado threat that we also were under.)



There were two other fatalities during the evening deluge - one each in Overland Park at a storm-water culvert that flowed toward I-435 east of Quivira and in Lenexa, KS on Little Mill Creek.



For the first time since the highway was opened around 1970 - both eastbound AND westbound lanes of I-435 just east of Quivira in OP-KS are flooded.



One man is barely saved from his pickup truck when it was washed off the eastbound lanes into the creek the gorged underground culvert was feeding.



Severe flooding again occurs on Turkey Creek - especially in Merriam- a portion of I-35 is closed by flooding for a couple of hours.



Southwest Boulevard is again flooded but water levels are not as high as in 1993.



Millions across America had tuned into the Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL football game on TV and watched as Arrowhead Stadium's walkways turn into waterfalls.

The game was halted and nearly 75000 people were advised to seek cover for nearly an hour during the deluge.





2000 - May 11 - TORNADO - Surprise tornado north of The River.



"The threat of tornadoes in K.C. appears to be over."



That's what at least 2 TV "chief" weatherpersons say over the airwaves 15 to 30 minutes prior to a tornado touching down about 11:25 pm at 40th St. & North Oak in KC-MO..



The tornado destroys a car dealership- then rises to tree-top level for another several miles across heavily-populated KC-MO North towards the Worlds of Fun area.



Fortunately, there were no injuries.







2002 - January 27-30 - ICE STORM - MetroRegion-wide ice storm that persists over 3 days.



Damage to trees and the utility grids was tremendous - at one point more than a million people in the KC MetroRegion lost power.



There were at least 4 fatalities attributed to some aspect of this storm.







2003 - May 4 - TORNADO - First fatality tornado in Metro Kansas City since 1977 - and on the 26th anniversary of the '77 storm .



A tornado touches down in S.E. Leavenworth County about 4 pm in the afternoon and intensifies to F-4 as it moves across I-435 into western & northwestern KC-KS..



Both fatalities occurred in a heavily-devastated area around 91st St. & Leavenworth Road.



The tornado moved across the Missouri river into Riverside & Northmoor, MO.- producing varying degrees of damage.



The now-weakened circulation reorganized about a mile north - then moves from southwestern into eastern Gladstone- causing most of the heavy damage there.



The again F-4 tornado now roars into adjacent KC North subdivisions and on northeastward into Liberty- weakened- yet causing heavy damage on the town square and the nearby William Jewell College campus.



Two die with around a dozen people injured along the total path of the tornado. Damage was in the several tens of millions of dollars.



This outbreak began an almost week stretch of severe weather- culminating with a May 8th tornado in southwestern Lawrence-KS that damaged an apartment complex and nearby homes and caused several injuries..







2008 - May 1 - 2 - TORNADO - Another surprise tornado north of The River.



An intense- but compact storm system produces severe weather around Metro Kansas City starting the evening of May 1 (SEE CaptGSpaulding's video on YouTube).



Just after sunset on May 1- a tornado warning is issued by the NWS when a small tornado touches down in an open field southwest of Belton-MO.. A van-load of us were there to video that which we never actually saw.



Yet no tornado warning is in effect in the early-morning hours of May 2 when an F-4 tornado strikes Gladstone- then an F-3 twister strikes a subdivision in far northeast Kansas City-MO North.



Hurricane force winds also struck other areas- especially portions of Independence- Raytown and eastern KC-MO..



Less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries Metro-wide but daylight on the morning of May 2 reveal a man dead of what were reported as storm-related injuries near M-291 and Gudgell in Independence.



Damages Metro-wide were later estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.





Passage across the Missouri is not possible between Kansas City and St. Joseph.The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

-Flash flooding caused by a dying Gulf hurricane caused record floods on the Big and Little Blue rivers and their tributaries.The heavy damage done to one of General Motors' first Chevrolet assembly plant in the Leeds district of KC-MO. helps lead to the plant's closing by the mid 1970's.The flood brings about planning and in the 1980's construction of 2 new flood-control reservoirs - Lake Longview and Lake Blue Springs.This greatly reduces flooding on the Little Blue River - opening up the floodplain to development in southeastern Independence and northern Lee's Summit, MO..Yet land in neighboring Johnson County KS. is too expensive for flood-control projects for the Big Blue River - and continued flooding of the Blue Valley over then next 30 years would help lead to it's industrial-base demise.-It's the first tornado outbreak in the Kansas City MetroRegion for many years.Tornadoes cause damage southwest and west of Lawrence and in Leavenworth County and the city itself.Other supercells produced tornadoes in Cass County MO. and around Pleasant Hill where one fatality occurred.There were dozens of injuries all told in the affected areas with damage in the millions of dollars.- Smithville, MO. is ravaged by a flash flood on the Little Platte River.Tracy - on the Platte River a few miles downstream from the confluence of the Little Platte - also suffers major flooding as the Platte River reaches a record crest that stands early into the 21st Century.- A tornado forms over what was then farmland east of I-35 & 119th Street in Johnson County KS. and moves northeastward.Within 10 minutes - the F-3-rated tornado strikes a new housing subdivision and barely misses an elementary school at West 96th St. & Knox in Overland Park There are several minor injuries and the tornado-bearing storm moves over highly-populated areas of southern K.C. & Independence, MO..The official tornado warning wasn't issued by the National Weather Service or the local broadcast media until after the tornado had touched down - traveled it's roughly 4 to 5-mile-long path and lifted.- A weak "white" tornado touches down near 15th St. & Minnesota in KC-KS.It's only on the ground a few minutes but wreaks F-1 destruction to buildings & car dealerships along Minnesota.A few people suffered minor injuries.- A day of tornado-producing thunderstorm supercells across eastern and northeastern Kansas.One produced an F-3 tornado that struck Manhattan, KS. around 6 pm.Another cell spawns the first U.S. tornado to produce 100-million-dollars worth or more of damage - the devastating F-5 tornado that struck Topeka, KS ..The wedge-shaped, multi-vortex tornado roared over legendary Burnett's Mound just after 7 pm and diagonally sliced through the entire city.Sixteen people were killed and hundreds were injured that Wednesday evening.Around 8:30 pm- a tornado then moved across Leavenworth County and kills one in the tiny town of Jarbalo.- The Orrick, MO. tornado.A rare mid-winter thunderstorm formed on the Kansas side just after noon and became severe over southern KC-MO..Just after 1 pm- a tornado forms southwest of Buckner. MO. - gains F-3 strength after it crosses the Missouri River - and heads for the southwestern Ray County community of Orrick. It strikes the in-session high school on the western side of Orrick - where 2 are killed and more than a dozen are injured inside the shattered school building.- A tornado - rated as strong as F-3 - hits parts of southern Platte County and western Clay county MO..Damage is reported in Riverside and northwestern Gladstone with at least 6 persons injured along the tornado's path.- A massive ice & snowstorm -beginning around noon on the 3rd - hits Metro K.C..Nearly a foot of snow falls on the several inches of freezing rain and sleet.Tens of thousands of residents who lose power suffer sub-zero temperatures following the storm.The tree & power line damage I see far and away exceeds that witnessed in the 1984 and 2002 storms.- Failure of a private lake dam in the upper watershed of Line Creek in KC-MO leads to flash flooding downstream.
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In a worrying sign of the troubled times for the offshore sector, Ensco 141 has been warm stacked right next door to its sister-rig, Ensco 140, at Lamprells stacking facility in Hamriyah, Sharjah.



The contract for Ensco 141 was inked in April 2014 and this is the second of six LeTourneau Super 116E (Enhanced) Class design rigs which Lamprell has delivered to Ensco Intercontinental GmbH, a subsidiary of Ensco plc.



Lamprell says the four remaining jackups under construction at Hamriyah are progressing as planned and would be delivered over the next six months.



The on time delivery of Ensco 141 is a major relief for new Lamprell ceo Christopher McDonald after Ensco 140 was delayed due a faulty jackup mechanism from a third party supplier, costing the UAE company $35m.



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Lamprell sees planned Saudi yard jv as a 'game changer'



"I am pleased to be marking the completion and delivery of this rig to Ensco, one of our key clients, McDonald said.



Our combined project team has collaborated effectively and has performed well to deliver this project while at the same time maintaining an exceptional safety record. Lamprell has demonstrated its capability to fabricate high quality, complex products for use by leading operators in the global energy industry."





Copyright  2022. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.
Living amidst violence rapidly constricting hope for a safer, sustainable, more equitable, and happier community and nation, what is to be done?There's more to be done than I can envision or perhaps even imagine. People who suffer -- whether for being different, for trying to control their bodies, for randomly encountering some gun fetishist, from climate disruption, or simply for lacking cash -- need to be cared for. In some places and moments, some people have to raise a ruckus in the streets.But also, what experience with actual, existing U.S. political power has taught me: in the mid-term elections in the fall of 2022, there are some contests that are vital. Here is a useful list of articles to help you figure out which elections are most important.Or hit me up about volunteer and paid opportunities to join campaigns in Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania: jan.uhreno@gmail
In two days, voters will decide the next US president, but in elementary, middle and high school classrooms across the country, the votes have already been cast and counted. These mock elections give students a chance to have their say and teach a thing or two about political engagement.

So which presidential candidate is winning the student vote? That depends on who's holding the election. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton led among students in a number of mock elections held at the national level, though Republican candidate Donald Trump won a handful of mock elections held at the state or local level.

In this year's Scholastic Student Vote, which included 153,000 U.S. students in kindergarten through grade 12, Clinton won at least a plurality of students in 34 states, with 52 percent of the vote overall. Newsela's Students Vote 2016 also saw Clinton as the choice of 57 percent of the nearly 400,000 students from 16,000 schools nationwide. The University of Virginia's Youth Leadership Initiative mock election also went to Clinton, who won a 378 electoral votes based on the students' simulation.

RELATED: The Election Is Stressing People Out

In a mock election held across 155 schools in Maine, Trump won, the preferred candidate of 10,785 students in kindergarten through grade 12. Students in Tennessee also favored Trump, with 51 percent going his way in a mock election involving 90 of the state's 95 counties. Minnesota schools gave Trump a narrow 2 percentage point victory among 77,000 student voters.

Perhaps mirroring an increasingly complicated political landscape, one mock election proved too turbulent to see through to a final vote. WABC reports that a vote due to be held in Jericho Elementary School in Centereach, N.Y., was canceled after the students' rhetoric got a little too heated. During a discussion of minority groups, voting and the candidates, "there were some negative things said," principal Glen Rogers told WABC.

Although these simulations aren't necessarily representative of the political preferences of a generation of soon-to-be voters, the mock elections do provide students the opportunity to practice civic engagement. Take the example of Appleman Elementary in Benton, Pa., which chose Trump in their mock election. Students organized their own polling places, filled out voter registrations cards and even played the roles of election officials and of course the candidates themselves, WNEP reports.

RELATED: Even the Founding Fathers Worried About Democracy

Involvement in these sorts of student political activities can be a strong predictor of adult civic engagement, found a 2010 study published in the International Journal of Educational Research that analyzed survey data from the Youth Electoral Study in Australia. Based on their analysis, the authors conclude that school elections are a "cradle" of democracy.

"[S]tudents who do vote or run for office are also more prone to feel prepared to vote as adults, to actually intend to vote, to know more about politics, and to have already experienced some form of political activism, such as attending rallies or letter writing," the authors write.

Schools could play a key role in turning around what has in recent election been low registration and turnout among young, first-time voters. Among eligible voters ages 18-24, 58.5 percent are registered to vote. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), based at Tufts University, just 45 percent of voters ages 18-29 participated in the 2012 election, down from 51 percent in 2008. The last midterm elections had the lowest youth turnout ever recorded for a federal elections, with just 19.9 percent of voters ages 18-29 casting ballots.

WATCH VIDEO: Why Is Election Season So Long?
Press Release

November 5, 2016 GORDON ALARMED BY MAYOR ESPINOSA KILLING IN LEYTE JAIL Senator Richard "Dick" J. Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice, expressed alarm on the reported killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinos Sr. inside the Baybay City, Leyte sub-provincial jail where he was detained. Gordon is puzzled by the alleged circumstances surrounding the death of the late Mayor Espinosa detained in jail on drug charges. "This is a dagger in the heart of the criminal justice system as it appears that even those who are in the custody of the law are no longer safe," the senator said. "How can we encourage suspects to surrender under the law in this situation? It's a slap on the face of the rule of law and it signals a more desperate system - a 'take no prisoners' approach. This creates an atmosphere of intimidation and fear and puts everybody in danger," he added. Gordon thus urged the police to investigate this incident and prevent all killings, especially of those already arrested and detained, lest it be construed or misconstrued as part of the Duterte administration's all-out war against drugs. "It is in the public interest to dispel speculations as well as to allay fear among our people. The police must show that it is responsible and capable of protecting its citizens and delivering justice to them under the rule of law," he declared.
Press Release

November 5, 2016 On MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari's call for amnesty for the Abu Sayyaf Just by merely asking that the Abu Sayyaf be granted amnesty smacks of bad faith and scheming tactic on the part of Misuari. He is surely aware that we do not negotiate with terrorists. There is not even a shred of political ideology in every ASG member, only their insatiability for violence against helpless victims and of course, money. While the AFP is in a relentless pursuit of a nearly decimated band of terrorists, here comes Misuari having the audacity to suggest amnesty. To think of our soldiers as well as their kidnap victims being tortured, mutilated and beheaded would be enough to make even the most decent human being think of retribution and vengeance. The government should seriously consider asking the court that suspended Misuari's warrant of arrest to immediately reinstate the same and put him in jail.
Sen. Gatchalian to Students: Speak up for Free Higher Ed

Amid mounting opposition from powerful private school lobbyists, Senator Win Gatchalian is urging student groups to make their voices heard in the fight to institute a tuition-free policy in state universities and colleges (SUCs) through the passage of Senate Bill No. 198, the Free Higher Education Act (FHEA).

"I am calling on my friends and allies in the student movement to speak up in favor of the Free Higher Education Act. Strong grassroots support from student groups will be essential to the passage of this landmark legislation," said Gatchalian, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture.

Gatchalian expressed optimism that student groups would heed the call to action to rebut criticism voiced by representatives of private HEIs and other stakeholders during the first hearing on FHEA held by the Senate Education Committee on October 26.

To give students an opportunity to give their input on the bill, Gatchalian said he would ask the Senate Education Committee to invite student group representatives to participate as resources persons at the next FHEA hearing.

"Students are the most important stakeholders of the education sector. We need to make the discussion about the tuition-free policy more inclusive by giving students an opportunity to be heard," said Gatchalian.
FITCHBURG  Residents wont have to leave the Fitchburg State University campus to travel the world on Friday night.

United Neighbors of Fitchburg will host The Many Flavors of Fitchburg from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fitchburg State Universitys Falcon Hub, within the Hammond Campus Center.

Visitors will be able to sample food traditional to cultures on every continent, provided by more than 20 local restaurants and members of the community.

The main (goal) is to celebrate the cultures, eat some food and have a good time with family, friends and the community, United Neighbors of Fitchburg Executive Director Joana Dos Santos said.

Dos Santos said the event gives visitors a chance to not only sample food from countries such as Laos, Japan, Uruguay and Albania, but also try home cooked dishes that arent available in restaurants.

Since last years event, work done by the United Neighbors of Fitchburg has expanded, especially in immigration, resulting in more community members contributing food than any other year in the events four-year existence, according to Dos Santos.

Last year the event drew 150 people. This year Dos Santos said the organization is preparing for 200.

After multiple requests, the event includes a cash bar for the first time.

Were also having more desserts and that was, again, by popular demand, Dos Santos said.

People are usually really excited to share, she said.

Last year the event drew 150 people. This year Dos Santos said the organization is preparing for 200.

After multiple requests, the event includes a cash bar for the first time.

Were also having more desserts and that was, again, by popular demand, Dos Santos said.

Admission fee and raffle proceeds will go to the United Neighbors of Fitchburg to cover the cost of organizations initiatives to promote community involvement.

Tickets are $20 for adults, and $5 for FSU students and children ages 4-12. Those under age 4 are free.

Tickets are available at the door, over the phone at 978-855-2893 or online at goo.gl/mGIX4s.
WESTFORD  Election officials, from the states top one to town clerks across the region, admit they had no idea how many people would turn out for unprecedented early voting  which started Oct. 24.

After two weeks of the inaugural early-voting opportunity in Massachusetts presidential election history, officials are quite pleased with the results.

As of Thursday afternoon, about 800,000 residents had voted across the Bay State  more than 17 percent of the states 4.5 million eligible voters.

Some communities across North Central Massachusetts and Greater Lowell even exceeded this voting turnout in the two weeks before Election Day on Nov. 8.

In Leominster, about 15 percent of voters had turned out to the polls for early voting  more than 4,000 of 27,000 eligible voters.

The majority of early voters loved it, said City Clerk Lynn Bouchard.

We didnt think wed see this big of a turnout, she said. Residents thought it was very convenient. They didnt know if they could get here on Tuesday, so this was a great option for them.

In Westford, more than 23 percent of eligible voters had cast a ballot by Thursday.

Almost 4,000 of the close to 17,000 registered voters in town showed up.

We really didnt know what to anticipate, but I think these numbers are great, said Town Clerk Kaari Mai Tari. Its wonderful this is being offered.

In Dracut, more than 18 percent of eligible voters cast ballots by Thursday. More than 4,000 out 21,888 registered voters participated in early voting.

Its overwhelming, said Town Clerk Kathleen Graham. We never thought this many people would take part in it.

People are happy to come and vote early, and thats all that matters, she added.

Residents have been lining up at 8:30 a.m. to vote, Graham said.

Billerica resident Helen June Ekstrom wouldnt be able to physically stand in a line during Election Day, so she took advantage of early voting, using a machine in the Town Clerks Office on Thursday.

This is very convenient for me, said Ekstrom, who voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower in her first presidential election in the 1950s.

Im happy to be over with it (this election), she added. People are exhausted with it.

Billerica Town Clerk Shirley Schult said residents have been continuously streaming into Town Hall to vote. She anticipated that about 4,000 voters, of the 28,000 registered ones in town, would have cast a ballot by Friday.

I thought if we had 2,000 voters, that would have been a lot, Schult said. Weve also had a lot of absentees. It might make for smoother lines on Tuesday.

Election Day is Tuesday, and voters who did not participate in early voting will decide between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, and on four statewide ballot questions and legislative races.

Brian McNiff, spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin, said they had no expectations for early-voting turnout because its unprecedented.

Other states have experienced about 10 to 20 percent turnout during early voting, and Massachusetts will be at the high end of that.

We didnt know what to expect, but its been successful, McNiff said. A lot of people have taken part in it.

Grotons turnout was more than 22 percent as of Thursday; 1,864 voters of an eligible 8,387 had cast a ballot.

We had no idea what the numbers would be, but its proven to be popular, said Town Clerk Michael Bouchard.

Follow Rick Sobey on Twitter and Tout @rsobeyLSun.
Names and faces

Dr. Jason E. Smith has opened the Elkhorn Foot & Ankle Clinic and is seeing new patients. He was recently on staff at St. Peters Medical Group, after serving as chief resident in the Northern Colorado Medical Center residency program in Greeley, Colorado. He earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from Kent State University. Originally from Idaho, Smith earned his bachelors degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho. He specializes in all aspects of care, both medical and surgical, involving both the foot and ankle. His office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and is located in the South Hills Medical Center. Call 422-5905 for more information.

***

John Maslanik has opened a Helena-Butte Murphy Business office. Murphy Business & Financial Corporation LLC is a full-service business brokerage firm with more than 180 offices in the United States and Canada. The new office will support entrepreneurs with professional services to aid in the sale of their businesses, including valuations and assistance in finding financing for qualified buyers.

Maslanik began his business career while attending the University of Wyoming when he founded a plumbing wholesale company in Laramie. He grew the company from one location with one employee to four locations and 20 employees across two states before selling the business. To learn more, contact Maslanik at j.maslanik@murphybusiness.com or visit johnmaslanik-murphy.com.

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Kari Williams has joined the team at Flathead Travel Service as a travel consultant. Williams was born and raised in Montana and grew up in Townsend. She attended Montana State University where she received a degree in English. Kari has many years of experience providing customer service and building customer relations. Williams shares her passion for travel by helping others plan their trips. Contact Williams at kwilliams@flatheadtravel.com or by calling 406-441-4893.

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Dr. Lea McKinstry has joined the team at Natural Medicine Plus. McKinstry is a first-year medical resident and graduate of Bastyr University in Seattle. She holds a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr and specializes in women's health, endocrinology (including hormone imbalances, thyroid conditions, infertility and autoimmune disorders), digestive health and physical medicine.

***

Calli J. Michaels has joined Bloomquist Law Firm as an associate attorney. Michaels graduated from the University of Montana School of Law with high honors. While in law school, she was president of the Rural Advocacy League, executive editor of the Montana Law Review, and a recipient of the Margery Hunter Brown Law Assistantship. She worked as a summer intern for the Montana Department of Agriculture and clerked for the Honorable N. Randy Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after law school.

Michaels holds an undergraduate degree in Range Science. Prior to law school, she worked for sheep and cattle ranches, first as a ranch hand and later as a natural resource specialist for a private consulting company. Michaels will continue her focus on rangeland management, public land use, water law, and administrative law. She is a native of Melville and can be contacted in the firms Dillon office at 406-683-8795 or cmichaels@helenalaw.com.

***

Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred, but we can also use regular photos; we dont guarantee return of these).

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
DEVENS  For three days in autumn, a select group of hunters test their skills from dawn to dusk.

No matter the weather, they remain quiet and motionless, waiting for a deer to approach. Waiting for that one, perfect shot to take down a trophy.

Some hunt alone. At least one man, Mark DAntonio of Natick, brings his daughter to the hunt at the Devens Reserve Force Training Area.

The occasion is the White-tailed Deer Hunt for Paraplegic Hunters coordinated by MassWildlife, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

These few days I get to hunt with her, it makes my year, DAntonio said. His daughter Gillie, 20, is a nursing student at the University of Rhode Island.

The walls of their home are filled with father-daughter photos. The pair with her first deer, another picture with her first buck. An older photo shows Gillie as a child holding a very large fish.

In each photo, DAntonio is in a wheelchair. His daughter was 3 when he fell off a roof during a construction job and broke his back. Over the years, they traveled around the world, hunting and fishing.

Its not just about shooting deer, DAntonio said of the Devens hunt. Its how America should be, people helping people.

It is also about telling the tale.

Hunter Gary Dupuis of Ashburnham has bagged deer in the past. But on Friday, when a deer strolled past, he had just set down his gun. The opportunity was lost.

Another hunter spent time talking with volunteers at lunchtime. When he and DAntonio get together, they talk so much and so excitedly that it is amazing the deer return, volunteers joked.

The volunteers are just as enthusiastic as the hunters. Some have been involved since the hunt came to Devens in 2003. Tom Poole, who was a key player in arranging the initial hunts, has since retired from his position at Devens. He was there anyway, chipping in to make the hunt a success.

They have gotten to know the hunters and the area over the years. As hunters themselves, they know the excitement and the challenges of getting up before dark and spending the day outside, no matter what the weather.

The hunt

On the days of the hunt, there is no fooling around.

Theyre not late. They show up on time and ready to go, volunteer Dave Esielonis said.

DAntonio comes in long before first light, waving and talking, said another volunteer, Joe Barreiro. For the first two days of the 2016 hunt, everyone was there and ready to go at 6 a.m.

Most do not want or need much assistance. They will accept a little help getting equipment on and off their vehicles. The volunteers have learned to offer help only when it is wanted, Barreiro said  these are avid outdoorsmen who love to be in the woods.

These guys dont care (about the weather), Barreiro said. Theyre a hardy group of guys.

In the days before the hunt the volunteers, many members of the Shirley Rod and Gun Club, get the range ready for the hunters. They put down plywood so that wheelchairs dont get bogged down.

During the hunt, they are there to greet the hunters, helping them set up and get settled in their chosen spots. They may help the hunters move to a new spot during the day and then, when darkness falls, help break down.

They dont even want to come out of the woods at lunch, Barreiro said. This is their chance to be outdoors.

And that chance is valued.

Ive always loved being in the woods, DAntonio said.

When he resumed hunting and fishing after his injury, he soon discovered that he couldnt get to a lake shore to fish from his wheelchair. In fact, it was difficult to get downtown, visible from the end of his driveway.

A builder, DAntonio took matters into his own hands. With the help of his crew and suppliers, he built a handicap access at Naticks Dug Pond. He blacktopped the sidewalk in front of his property and made it passable.

But when it comes to hunting, opportunities are even more limited.

Theres no place for people in wheelchairs to hunt, DAntonio said.

Dupuis confirmed that. Devens is the only place he can hunt.

When a hunter bags a deer, the volunteers spring into action.

If we hear a shot, we know where it is, Esielonis said.

The volunteers will track and finish the deer if necessary, Barreiro said. It will be field-dressed and loaded onto the vehicle.

DAntonios last hunt

For DAntonio, the hunt this year is bittersweet. He made it to the first day, but did not return for the second.

The first 10 years in the chair were good, he said. He lives to fish, hunt and ride his motorcycle. He runs a successful construction business.

It is getting more difficult. He still runs his business from a computer underneath a coyote he had mounted, but he is failing physically.

This spring, as he was getting on his bright-red, sidecar-equipped Harley Davidson to leave for Laconia, he spiked a mad fever. He passed out and a four-month medical odyssey of hospitalization, operations and rehab began.

The years in the chair with rods in his back had taken a toll. DAntonio has a painful, incurable infection.

This is probably the last year to hunt with my daughter, he said. Its telling me Im dying. Its a suck-up, slow death.

Follow Anne OConnor on Twitter @a1oconnor.
Everybody knows that Donald Trump has a comb-overs chance in a windstorm of winning San Francisco on Tuesday, but a lot of the rest of the ballot is proving way too close to call.

Nobody, it seems, is feeling very confident here when it comes to election day. Not only has the nasty presidential race taken all the oxygen out of the room, but the incredibly long state and city ballots, totaling a whopping 42 measures in addition to candidate races, means peoples eyes may be crossed by the time they get very far down the list.

We know people are going to turn out to vote for president, but its an open question, with such a crowded ballot and so much noise, whether people will take the time to vote on the state and local measures, said Tony Winnicker, a senior adviser to Mayor Ed Lee who is on leave to work on campaigns to defeat four measures the mayor opposes. Thats every campaigns challenge right now.

The big-ticket city measure that appears most in jeopardy is Proposition K, which would raise the local sales tax by three-quarters of 1 percent to 9.25 percent. Proposition J, its companion measure, would tag the anticipated $150 million in annual sales tax proceeds for homeless and transit programs, and its ahead in the polls. But if Prop. K loses, Prop. J automatically dies along with it.

Three recent polls show Prop. K failing. One, by Baselice & Associates of Texas, shows 54 percent of respondents strongly oppose raising the sales tax.

Its dropped like a rock  its not even close, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who opposes the sales tax and voted against the citys $9.6 billion budget because it assumed passage of the tax long before voters had had their say. We have to live within our means, no different than somebody whos got a household checking account.

Gail Gilman, CEO of the nonprofit Community Housing Partnership and a spokeswoman for the Prop. K campaign, said she thinks the sales tax will pass, but it still needs a bit of a push.

A measure thats expected to pass is Proposition Q, which would require a permit to place a tent on a public sidewalk and allow the city to remove unauthorized tents as long as it offers 24-hour notice and shelter. Those on both sides of the measure say voters are so frustrated with homeless tent camps, theyll vote yes even though the city doesnt have enough shelter beds for all its tent dwellers.

Another closely watched ballot measure is Proposition V, to tax sodas and other sugary drinks. Larry Tramutola, a political consultant working to pass the taxes in San Francisco and Oakland, said campaigns for and against the measures are polling constantly.

Our polls indicate that we are ahead, he said. I wouldnt say comfortably ahead.

Tramutola said he expects about 55 percent of voters to back the taxes, which is the same level of approval the failed 2014 effort in San Francisco received. (It was structured differently from this one and needed two-thirds support to pass.)

Joe Arellano, spokesman for the campaigns to defeat the soda taxes, said Tramutolas poll numbers are about right, but that the gap has been tightening. We have a shot, and its really going to be a turnout game, he said.

When it comes to the major candidate races, political consultants crystal balls are very hazy.

Prognosticators of all political persuasions say Hillary Ronen has the edge in the District Nine race for supervisor. But the races in District One, between Marjan Philhour and Sandra Fewer, and District 11, between Ahsha Safai and Kimberly Alvarenga, are extremely tight.

In the state Senate race, Supervisor Jane Kim eked out a June primary win over Supervisor Scott Wiener. Political observers say its anybodys guess who will win their second and final bout.

Its going to be a close election, said Maggie Muir, a consultant on Wieners campaign. Theres a lot of voter fatigue.

Muir said its expected that turnout in the city will be so high, and the races so close, that campaigns arent counting on knowing the final results for days. (No! Isnt this overly long, overly contentious election ever going to end?)

Political observers predict a turnout of at least 80 percent of registered voters in San Francisco, considering the high-stakes presidential election.

The all-time record for voter turnout in the city was 86 percent in 1960, when John F. Kennedy beat Richard Nixon. Nobodys predicting that record will fall, but we might reach the 81.2 percent tally when Barack Obama won in 2008.

By the way, just how poorly do San Franciscans view Trump? Pretty darn poorly. RentHop, a website for apartment searches, crunched political donation data by ZIP code and found that 96 percent of San Franciscans who donated in the presidential race gave to Clinton, giving her a total of $10.8 million.

Trump raised just $154,208 from San Franciscans. Not even he could call that Yuuuge.

Heather Knight/San Francisco Chronicle

Jinxing it? Potrero Hill residents might think theyve time-traveled if they take a look at their local news rack. The November issue of the Potrero View, which came out last week, has a banner headline reading, Clinton Wins! and a picture of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine with a caption referring to them as the president and vice president.

Huh?

Publisher Steven Moss explained, We think thats the likely outcome  the very likely outcome  and the opposite outcome is unthinkable. So it seemed like the right way to go.

Remember that famous photo of President Harry Truman holding up the incorrect front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune that read, Dewey Defeats Truman?

Lets just say if the unthinkable outcome does happen, President Donald Trump just might want a copy of the Potrero View.

Chronicle staff writer

Emily Green contributed

to this report.

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer who covers City Hall politics. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
The cannabis cognoscenti are giddy about an apparent legislative blunder that could give pot users an extended tax holiday  while extracting millions from government coffers  if California voters approve a ballot measure legalizing recreational use of the drug.

The State Board of Equalization, the high court of tax policy, has ruled that Proposition 64 would immediately exempt medical marijuana buyers from paying the sales taxes theyve been coughing up for years. Ultimately, these folks would have to pay a 15 percent excise tax for cannabis products under Prop. 64  but that tax wouldnt kick in until Jan. 1, 2018.

The boards opinion, if it holds up, would be a bummer for the state, where cannabis proponents have been peddling legalization as a moneymaking proposition that would pay for marijuana research and regulation as well as programs to prevent drug abuse and protect the environment.

While Prop. 64 is still expected to raise billions in coming years  with recreational users on the hook for both excise and sales taxes if it passes  the first 14 months may generate a loss.

At issue is whether the complicated measure that runs 62 pages would eliminate existing sales taxes on medical marijuana right after the vote or in 2018, when the new regulatory structure goes into effect.

The State Board of Equalization wrote last month that the measure allows marijuana buyers with state-issued medical identification cards to avoid the sales taxes immediately. Backed by an informal analysis by the state legislative counsel, the board last week doubled down, sending thousands of letters to dispensary operators across the state advising them to stop collecting sales and use taxes effective Nov. 9 if the measure passes.

Medical dispensaries currently pay 7.5 percent in state-mandated sales tax on pot sales, plus local taxes that generally are between 1 and 2 percent, depending on the city or county.

The resulting revenue loss for 2017 is estimated to be as much as $49.5 million, said board member Jerome Horton, citing the total tax revenue collected from 1,632 dispensaries in 2014. Local cities who anticipate preserving their revenue from medical marijuana may get nothing since Proposition 64 provides for a complete exemption from medical marijuana.

The boards letter said patients who want to claim the exemption must provide a medical marijuana identification card  issued by the California Department of Public Health  at the time of purchase.

Richard Miadich, a Sacramento lawyer who wrote the ballot measure and serves as counsel for the Yes on Prop 64 campaign, disputed the boards interpretation, arguing that the clear intent of the measure, also known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, was to exempt medical marijuana from state sales taxes only after the 15 percent excise tax went into effect.

He said the measure was drafted in consultation with the State Board of Equalization.

It wouldnt make any sense right out of the gate to reduce revenue when the whole point of the tax structure is to fund programs, Miadich said. It is inconsistent with the statutory language and the statutory intent, which is to create new revenues for the state.

Nonetheless, ganja aficionados have begun rushing out to obtain state medical marijuana cards at the urging of dispensaries, including SPARC, the Green Cross and Magnolia Wellness Dispensary in San Francisco, and Harborside in Oakland.

Currently, only about 6,000 Californians have state ID cards, which cost $100 and require proof of a medical condition. The low number could blunt the impact of the ruling by the State Board of Equalization.

I purposely renewed my registration this month, said David Goldman, a medical marijuana patient and president of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club. If you spend more than $100 on cannabis in a month, you will probably do better if you get the state card.

Alex Zavell, a regulatory expert in the marijuana-focused law office of Robert Raich in Oakland, said the discount is likely to stand, and that the boards no-tax interpretation is probably correct given that the proposition is silent on the matter.

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.

The Adult Use of Marijuana Act says explicitly that excise taxes dont take effect until 2018, but the subsection for patient exemptions does not include any dates of reference, Zavell said. The subsection just says patients with state IDs are exempt from sales and use tax. It doesnt say, after X date.

Zavell said, however, that the estimate of a tax loss up to $49.5 million for 2017 was questionable given how few pot users have state-issued medical cards.

The ultimate cost of the tax holiday would depend on how many of the hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients who have doctors recommendations  traditionally all that is needed to purchase reefer in California  actually go through the hassle of getting a card, Zavell and other experts said.

What most people have right now are paper recommendations, which are extremely easy to get, said Venus Stromberg, a board spokeswoman. Its not nearly as easy or convenient to get a card from the Public Health Department.

Moreover, tax revenue is expected to rise in the future as the state tightens regulations for both medical and recreational pot. Fiona Ma, the chairwoman of the State Board of Equalization, said only about a third of medical dispensaries currently pay all of the sales taxes they owe. As a result, she said, the state collects just $40 million a year in marijuana sales taxes when it should be collecting about $100 million.

Its possible that state legislators will seek clarifying language to allow the collection of sales taxes until 2018. But if it were up to Goldman, medical cannabis users wouldnt pay any taxes at all on their analgesic herb.

We shouldnt have to pay sales tax on a medicine, especially low-income people, or if you are using it to get off or replace prescription drugs, he said. Were being taxed enough.

Peter Fimrite and David Downs are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com, ddowns@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite, @davidrdowns
With a 24-point lead in the final Field Poll, state Attorney General Kamala Harris has turned what was supposed to be a hotly contested race for U.S. Senate into a romp  with the only highlights being a string of bloopers by her opponent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

But truth be told, the contest was largely decided in a phone message to Harris just days after Sen. Barbara Boxer announced in January 2015 that she wouldnt see re-election this year.

That phone call was from Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, and his message was that he would be running for governor in 2018  not for the Senate in 2016.

Coincidentally, he, Harris and Boxer shared the same team of political consultants  Ace Smith, Sean Clegg and Dan Newman of San Franciscos SCN Strategies. But Newsom and Harris were hardly friends, and it had been anyones guess who was going to make the first move.

Once Newsom acted, Harris took all of two days to announce her Senate candidacy. Polls instantly showed her to be the front-runner, which in turn gave her a jump on fundraising.

Timing is everything in politics, and her timing worked, said Democratic pollster Paul Maslin.

Polls plus money soon equaled endorsements. Once you do that, it means that anybody else is fighting upstream, Maslin said.

Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle

Among those who backed off: billionaire hedge fund mogul and environmental activist Tom Steyer. Operating under the name Team Cincinnatus (after a Roman statesman generally portrayed as a model of civic virtue), Steyers consultants shopped around a poll showing a strong public appetite for the environmental message he pushed nationally in a $75 million campaign during the 2014 elections.

But after publicly acknowledging that Harris posed a serious challenge, Steyer opted to sit it out. Now hes looking very closely at a 2018 run for governor.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also flirted with a Senate run, but didnt like his chances of raising the big money he needed with both Harris and presidential contenders roaming the landscape. Now hes ramping up for a run at governor as well.

That left the Senate race to Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, who figured her relatively high-profile stint on the Armed Services Committee  coupled with her fundraising prowess and a Latino base  made it worth the risk of giving up her House seat.

But no sooner had Sanchez announced than she was caught on videotape using a Hollywood war cry to distinguish American Indians from East Indians. The woo-woo! went viral, setting the tone for a campaign full of unscripted and sometimes cringe-inducing moments.

Her chances of gaining momentum proved to be limited, with the Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump presidential slugfest dominating politics and a changing media landscape resulting in reduced news coverage of the Senate campaign.

The $5 million that Sanchez raised was a fraction of the $28 million Boxer spent six years ago in a re-election beat-down of Carly Fiorina. That meant the Orange County congresswoman was unable to attract statewide attention for a string of attacks on Harris, such as questions about her crime-fighting record and her role in the 2012 settlement with banks that caused the mortgage crisis.

By campaigns end, Sanchez was known mainly for imitating the Cam Newton dab at the end of the candidates little-watched TV debate.

Assuming Harris closes the deal Tuesday, the next question will be where her path will lead in Washington. Those in the know point to a run for the White House.

Ambition runs large in the Harris household. Harris sister Maya Harris is a former vice president of the Ford Foundation and is now one of Clintons top advisers. Kamalas brother-in-law Tony West was No. 3 in the Obama administrations Justice Department before leaving to become a top lawyer for PepsiCo Inc.

Put it all together, and you have the Economist magazine writing, Talk to thoughtful Democrats about the future and one name inspires more hope than most: Kamala Harris.

The rumor mill: The idea that San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee could find a home in a President Hillary Clinton Cabinet  a report floated last week by the Hill political website  is not far-fetched. Lee has been stumping hard for Clinton over the past several months, even serving as her surrogate in his home state of Washington.

You can bet he would get a warm send-off from San Francisco  especially from his Board of Supervisors critics salivating at the idea of not having to wait three years for Lee to be termed out.

But name-floating is a favorite political pastime. Its hard to say whether Lee would get serious consideration.

At this point its premature, said former Mayor Art Agnos, who headed the regional office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after he left office. Thats one of the agencies attached to Lees name in the rumor mill.

Frankly, I think it (the talk) originates more in San Francisco, where the mayor is faced with some very difficult issues on the ballot that reflect his low polling in the city, Agnos said. Friends and strategists are trying to pump him up.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
The 18-year-old discovered buried in a shallow grave at Sonoma State University earlier this week had been stabbed multiple times, investigators said Saturday.

Kirk Kimberly, a Cotati resident, had been missing since Oct. 17 before a landscaper discovered his body buried in a wooded section of campus near a parking lot Wednesday, said Sgt. Spencer Crum of the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office.

After excavating Kimberlys body Thursday afternoon, police said they were investigating the death as a homicide. The teenager received multiple stab wounds from an assailant, or assailants, Lt. Tim Duke of the sheriffs office said in a statement Saturday.

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Duke did not specify how many times the victim was stabbed or elaborate on the possible circumstances, citing the ongoing investigation.

The lieutenant preliminarily ruled out a connection to the school and referred to the suspected homicide as not a random act of violence but an isolated incident, potentially quelling the sense of unease that has pervaded the campus of more than 9,000 students.

Thus far, detectives have found no affiliation with the homicide and Sonoma State University or its students, other than where the body was found, Duke said.

Authorities said part of the mans head was found sticking out of the ground amid the rugged brush, police said.

More for you Body discovered at Sonoma State University IDd as Cotati teen

The body was found in dense vegetation just west of the Green Music Center, a popular concert venue at the university.

After its excavation Thursday, sheriffs Sgt. Spencer Crum said the body was so completely caked with mud and dirt that the coroner had to clean it off before any determination as to its identity could be determined.

Its a pretty small town. ... Everyones really shocked, said Sophia Maloney Norton, a 23-year-old first-year transfer student. Its definitely unnerving for people who do live on campus.

Anyone with information on the suspect homicide should contact the Sonoma County Sheriffs violent crimes unit at (707) 565-2185.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
The St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble was playing in Napa on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Harolyn Thompson reports that during intermission, concert promoter John Kongsgaard came out onstage and advised the audience that when the Cubs last won a World Series, Gustav Mahler was conducting the New York Philharmonic ... and that Game Seven of that series was tied in the ninth, too.

And Bob Ng, who chose to interpret the Cubs win as a good omen for Hillary Clinton, was taken with the Sporting Green headline day after the win. He asks: Is there a rule against using the same one  Hell freezes over  on the front page on Nov. 9, when the U.S. elects its first female president?

As a flash-mob voyeur, I turn to YouTube to watch them when Im feeling low. They never fail to delight me. In most, musicians emerge from a crowd one by one, joining the performance while onlookers gasp with surprise.

Thursdays flash mob across Polk Street from City Hall wasnt exactly that. It took place in front of a table bearing signs and political literature, and it began with cellists and a bassist dragging chairs into place. No question about what was up: a sidewalk pep rally for the passage of Proposition S.

The proposition seeks to re-establish a permanent connection between revenue from the citys hotel tax and cultural groups, especially Grants for the Arts; and also to allocate some of that hotel tax money for the ending of family homelessness. Its supported by just about every arts group in town. Among the 40 or so musicians and a dozen dancers who performed in the mob were representatives of the Opera orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, Smuin Ballet, Dance Brigades Dance Mission Theater, Robert Moses  Kin Dance Company and SFJazz, and violinist Assemblyman David Chiu. They played Ode to Joy from Beethovens Ninth Symphony, and after that, the dancers displayed their chops to the beat of a boom box.

Organizers had tipped off members of the press that this surprise was in store, so a line of photographers was there to snap away at the performance, which took place adjacent to a petanque or bocce game, across the street from bouquet-bearing brides emerging from City Hall. A modest-size crowd looked on.

Chiu spoke, and then San Francisco Ballet violist Patricia Heller, and then Martha Ryan of the Homeless Prenatal Program, who stressed that two-thirds of the vote is necessary to support the arts in San Francisco and to make it a humane place for families.

And The Chronicles Carl Nolte hopes that after the election, Big Pharma falls in love with Big Soda and they ride off into the sunset together.

Adda Dada sends word that at 4:34 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, in a campaign organized by the French feminist weekly Les Glorieuses, French women and those who support them are urged to leave work in order to make a point about salary gender inequality. After Nov. 7 at 4:34, until the end of the year, said the group, women will be working for free because of the 15.1 percent discrepancy in salaries.

In 10 days of performances of The Last Tiger in Haiti, which runs through Nov. 27 at Berkeley Rep, audiences have donated more than $27,000 to Hurricane Matthew relief.

After buying a new Apple laptop, Anita Bohn , who hadnt owned an Apple product in a while, found herself in phone conversation with a young man in tech support. How do I find my email? she asked. You see that row of icons on the bottom of the screen? he said. Thats your dock. Now you see that one toward the left, that looks like a sticker?

They all looked like stickers, she said. He explained further: Its like a sticker like you would get  say you went to the post office and you wanted to mail something, and they gave you a sticker? he said.

You mean a stamp? she asked. Thats it! he exclaimed. (See accompanying Eavesdropped remark, but note that does not imply that Bohn is a monster.)

P.S.: A UC San Diego study recently reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Facebook users live longer than those who dont use social media. Researcher William Hobbs said, Interacting online seems to be healthy when the online activity is moderate.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

We got my grandma an iPhone and she turned into a monster.

Man to man, overheard at the Verizon store in Corte Madera by Larry Nielsen
The United States had a new leader  well, almost.

The Chronicles front page from Nov. 6, 1968, covers Richard Nixons lead on the way to a presidential victory after a spirited campaign.

Nixon forged ahead in another hair-raising presidential election finish early today as he wrested California and New Jersey from Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the story read. He was also making a strong finish in Ohio. Thus it seemed increasingly likely that Nixon would be elected.

1968 had been a turbulent year, with the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy against a backdrop of war in Vietnam and racial violence at home. The sitting president, Lyndon B. Johnson, declined to seek another term, setting the stage for a Humphrey-Nixon matchup.

Pro-segregationist George Wallace entered the race as an independent, and ended up carrying five states in the South. This drew the contest even closer.

In a tight race reminiscent of the Nixon-Kennedy cliffhanger of 1960 and the Truman-Dewey thriller of 1946, Nixon and Humphrey seesawed in the popular vote, the story read.

As votes across the country were counted, Californias importance grew.

Nixon captured Californias crucial 40 electoral votes last night in a narrow victory that may prove the key to the White House, current Chronicle Science Editor David Perlman wrote 48 years ago.

The final electoral vote tally  Nixons 301 to Humphreys 191  wasnt as close as the race seemed that night. Nixons popular vote advantage, however, was razor thin: 31,783,783 to 31,271, 839.

Blame the machine: New errors arose last night to bedevil once again San Franciscos election counting process, a story near the bottom of the front page read. For the third consecutive election  and the second involving the citys expensive bank of computers  errors delayed results for hours. Of course, the early internet trolls were twice as angry because Twitter was down, too.

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

(Click to enlarge)




Farifield Police Department / /

Police in Fairfield arrested a 55-year-old man on Saturday night after he followed a woman home and lurked with a rusty machete, methamphetamine and a crank pipe in his car, officials said.

The woman, who was not named, noticed a man following her car around 8 p.m. as she drove to her house in the area of Del Prado Circle and Pennsylvania Avenue, police said.
Nina Meehan and Doyle Ott know the idea of theater for toddlers might sound counterintuitive.But when they talk about their Theatre for the Very Young program with parents of toddlers, the reaction, says Meehan, is more like, Where has this been?

Where its been, for decades, is in many other developed countries. Now Bay Area Childrens Theatre, in partnership with Oaklands Childrens Fairyland, is helping the Bay Area catch up.

Their Theatre for the Very Young program opened Splish Splash at Childrens Fairyland in September and will open The Wheels on the Bus at San Franciscos Creativity Theater on Friday, Nov. 11. Both shows, which Meehan and Ott developed, perform in repertory into April 2017, changing venues midway through their runs.

The target audience? Six-month-olds to 4-year-olds and their families.

If its hard to imagine that age group making it through more than a couple of minutes of theater, the first thing to know about Theatre for the Very Young is that its not theater in the traditional sense, as Ott and Meehan explained before a recent performance at the park.

Meehan, who is executive artistic director of Bay Area Childrens Theatre, describes the form as a cross between amazing 1970s devised experimental theater and a really well-done childrens music or play class. During the immersive show, which is centered on the water cycle, children clang pipes with mallets, describe the shapes of clouds and set rubber ducks afloat in water. Each part of the show has nuggets for different age groups: Six-month-olds might connect to an opportunity to explore object permanence, while 4-year-olds are absorbing the educational content about, say, evaporation.

The whole thing clocks in at well under an hour.

When theater people hear about it, Ott says, their response is, Oh, thats really ambitious, and that must be really hard. And my response is, Imagine having an audience that innately gets experimental theater.

If theater for toddlers is novel in the United States, it has a long history abroad. Assitej, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, dates back to 1965, whereas in the U.S., Meehan says, theater companies dedicated to older children started to spring up only in the past two or three decades. Ott first encountered theater for the very young at an Assitej festival about 15 years ago, when he was traveling to Norway as a graduate student in Arizona State Universitys Theatre for Youth doctorate program.

If you look at places where theater for the very young is popular, Ott says, such as Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Italy, it follows government funding for theater and the arts, and an openness to what children are ready for and need and deserve.

Meehan contrasts the U.S. with Britain, where she says it would be absurd to think that a child would grow up without theater. If youre a country thats always had shows for 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds, making that leap to realize that your 2-year-old actually needs an introduction to this, too, isnt that hard.

Splish Splash introduces toddlers to theater very much on their own terms: in a yurt that seats 40.

The needs of a space for Theatre for the Very Young are very unique, Meehan says. You need it to be intimate; you need it to be able to be flexible; you need it to be welcoming for a very small child; you need it to be safe for a very small child.

The yurt doesnt have any theatrical lighting  which would be too scary and jarring for a toddler, Meehan says  just natural light and some small twinkling lights. It has the soothing vibe of a massage room, if youre an adult, or a nap room, if youre the target audience.

A bench for adults lines half the yurts perimeter, but the bulk of the seating is just small cushions on the ground. Thats part of the effort to make the space welcoming for kids, Meehan says: They dont have to climb onto anything. They dont feel obligated to have an adult assist them to do anything. It is a space where a child is empowered to own their own experience.

The welcome begins before toddlers even enter the park. At the 10 a.m. performance on Oct. 7 (note the toddler-friendly start times), actor Kate Miller Brennan was camped outside the entrance in a Victorian bathing costume, carrying an umbrella, asking audiences about the weather. Then, singing a song along the way, she led everyone on a stroll to the yurt, where another actor, Jamella Cross, in matching attire, greeted audiences outside the door.

All these efforts give toddlers clues that theyre about to experience something unusual, Meehan says, helping them up a slow ramp into the full show. You dont have eight people charging out onstage singing a big opening number because, to be frank, our entire audience would leave.

Brennan, Cross and Andrew Mondello, the shows three actors, had all acted in previous Childrens Theatre shows for older children, but performing for toddlers, Meehan says, is a whole other universe. The performers training focused on eye contact, vocal tone and volume (Ott likes to refer to the Mr. Rogers voice) as well as the techniques of improv.

Improv is vital training for reasons that should be obvious, given the shows core audience. At the Oct. 7 performance, one child was up dancing with actors from the shows first moments. Another broke into a sprint at the line, Ready, set, go! A third was intent on using the tentacle of a giant plush octopus to repeatedly whack his own head.

After the show, Mondello said he doesnt think of the audiences interruptions as interruptions. I think the important thing is, once you enter this room, theres no wrongdoing. Its always, always support what theyre doing.

Or as Brennan put it, There is no wrong in the yurt.

Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak

Splish Splash: Through Nov. 20 at Childrens Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Feb. 3-Apr. 2 at Childrens Creativity Museum Theatre Annex, 221 Fourth St., S.F.

The Wheels on the Bus: Friday, Nov. 11-Dec. 18 at Childrens Creativity Museum Theatre Annex. Jan. 22-Apr. 9 at Childrens Fairyland. $15. (510) 296-4433. www.bactheatre.org

To see a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blBu_yBUjY
American politics wont get any sunnier after the polls close Tuesday, as the new president will face an even bigger challenge than getting elected  governing a polarized country and dealing with a gridlocked Congress.

Presidential historian Barbara Ann Perry compares the task facing either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump to the one Abraham Lincoln confronted in 1860 as the nation lurched toward civil war.

Thats the last time the country has experienced a time when it was ungovernable, said Perry, director of Presidential Studies and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia.

Ungovernable in that many Americans have lost faith in core aspects of our democracy, like the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. Only 48 percent of Donald Trumps supporters say it is very important that those who lose elections recognize the winners, according to a Pew Research survey last week. It found that 83 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters will back Tuesdays results.

Ungovernable in that top congressional Republicans are already planning to investigate Clintons tenure as secretary of state if she wins. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, is already talking about how he wants Clinton impeached  a week before election day.

Ungovernable in that Sen. Ted Cruz, who begrudgingly endorsed GOP primary rival Trump in September, is one of three Republican senators who say theyre not inclined to vote on any Supreme Court justice Clinton might nominate. That potentially leaves the court short one justice  and that number could grow  for another four years.

Ungovernable in that even if Democrats win an additional 15 to 20 House seats, those will probably be in swing districts or places President Obama won four years ago. That means the House GOP caucus will be pared down to its more conservative members, including about 40 Tea Party members who arent even sure if they want fellow Republican Paul Ryan to remain as speaker.

And either winner will have dubious citizens and public officials to contend with.

Trump would preside over an electorate where 64 percent of voters dont think he can bring the country together, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll from last week. The Pew study found that 56 percent of voters think Trump would be a terrible or bad president, 9 percent more than feel that way about Clinton.

Some of those doubters are the top Republicans in Congress Trump will need to pass his agenda  Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., considered Trump so radioactive they wouldnt appear with him on the campaign trail.

Clinton would face some wary Democrats. Her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., campaigned hard for her in the general election, but he and progressive Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are ready to pounce if the new president reneges on her promise to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. They also dont want Clinton do what Obama and former President Bill Clinton did  appoint Wall Street financiers as top economic advisers.

Someone is going to have to govern a country that is deeply divided, said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and one of the nations top pollsters. The danger is that we have a large segment of the population that doesnt accept the results of the election.

Justin Sullivan

Postelection life wasnt always this fractious. Traditionally, Americans shake hands metaphorically after a campaign ends and rally around the new president, at least at first. Postwar presidents have enjoyed the support of a strong majority of Americans  even Bill Clinton, who won with 43 percent of the popular vote in 1992s three-way contest, and George W. Bush, who lost the popular vote in 2000.

That sort of postelection, preinaugural optimism looks unlikely to materialize this year. Its going to be hard to take back all the invective spewed over the past 18 months, said Vanessa Tyson, a professor of political science at Scripps College in Claremont (Los Angeles County), because their roots run deep.

These feelings have been brewing for the past eight years in one form or another, said Tyson, author of Twists of Fate: Multiracial Coalitions and Minority Representation in the U.S. House. It is a very visceral form of resentment. Part of it is directed to the government itself. But part of it was a racial resentment directed at Obama, the nations first African American president.

Obama spent a lot of political capital extending olive branches to Republican minorities in his early days, Tyson said. They were rejected, Democrats lost their congressional majorities, and Obama spent much of his second term trying to go around Republicans.

Nothing tells me that the situation would be different for Hillary unless leaders from the Republican Party  people like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell  willfully defused this situation.

But Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, said Clinton would not be your regular president-elect. ... Because she knows what these guys are going to try to do to her, she will take every punch they have. And she will counter-punch, Becerra said.

But Americans are tired of all the punching and counterpunching in the Capitol. There are some things Clinton and Trump can do to move beyond the campaigns lingering resentments.

Find out why people are angry: Trump and Sanders, in particular, both spoke to a group of voters  many of them blue-collar workers with less education  frustrated and angry that the economic recovery hasnt helped them. The next president should spend some time listening to determine why those people feel government has failed them, said Guian McKee, a professor at the University of Virginias Miller Center of Public Affairs, which is producing a First Year 2017 series on what the new president should tackle.

Hillary needs to launch an outreach campaign almost immediately, reaching out to key Republicans both in Congress and among governors, McKee said. She might also travel to states she lost and go on a listening town hall tour.

Trump may actually face a greater challenge, in that he is not only deeply despised by more than half of the country  as is Hillary  but he is not even respected by those who will vote against him, McKee said. He has to adopt a different, far more conciliatory style  should he want to make the attempt.

First thing on the agenda  jobs, jobs, jobs: Legislation to fund rebuilding of the countrys crumbling roads, bridges and mass transit systems might have the best chance of bipartisan support in Congress.

As Becerra said, There is nothing that gets a partisan to smile like when he gets to cut the ribbon at a new metro stop or a new highway that came about because of what happened in Washington.

DAMON WINTER/NYT

Be like Al Gore: Tuesdays loser should look to former Vice President Al Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 but lost in the electoral college five weeks after election day when the Supreme Court halted a vote recount in Florida.

After Gore officially conceded the race, his supporters gathered at his residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., for what turned into his political wake. His spokesman, Chris Lehane  now a San Francisco Democratic strategist  asked Gore why he conceded.

The vice president, Gore told Lehane, sees the confidential daily briefing of the threats facing the country. Bush is going to be the next president, Gore said, and hes going to be faced with some challenges, a test of his leadership that will require the countrys support.

Bushs test came less than a year later, on 9/11.

I remember thinking then how important it was for people to have faith and trust in the legitimacy of the person who is commander in chief,  Lehane said. Ultimately, our democracy doesnt work unless people believe in it. We as a country are going to have to pick up the pieces after the election. And a lot of that is going to depend on how the candidates handle themselves on election night.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
A woman who died in a canoeing accident on the Russian River was a retired Berkeley High School teacher, officials said Saturday.

Heidi Boley, a 69-year-old Richmond resident, was the victim in Fridays incident, said Sgt. Spencer Crum a spokesman for the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office.

Boley, who started working for the school district in 1984, was a former math and science teacher at Berkeley High School, said Charles Burress, a spokesman for the Berkeley Unified School District.

Boley was currently working part-time for the district in the Berkeley Research, Evaluation & Assessment (BREA) department. District officials said Saturday they were deeply saddened at the loss of Boley, who had spent nearly half a century in the education field.

What the BREA team remembers most about Heidi is that she truly was a gentle soul and cared about everyone, Debbi DAngelo, the departments director, said in a statement. She was a champion for students and sought to ensure that all students could access the curriculum. She was a pioneer for the Common Core math standards and continually asked how can we ensure that our Berkeley students are able to better understand and love mathematics as much as she did.

She was also a very caring friend, always ensuring that we as a BREA team were taking good care of each other and ourselves, DAngelo added.

Paddling through wine country on the river near Healdsburg, Boley and two of her friends went into the water when their canoe flipped Friday, according to the sheriffs office.

Two of the women made it to shore, but they couldnt find Boley, officials said.

The pair found a vineyard worker, who called 911, leading the sheriffs department to call in a helicopter to search for Boley, who was wearing a life jacket.

After an hour hovering over the river, an observer in the helicopter spotted Boleys body floating near a bank under some tree limbs about 1:30 p.m.

Rescuers were able to airlift her to shore, where she was pronounced dead. Fire rescue crews from Healdsburg, Geyserville and Forestville also responded to the incident.

An autopsy has not yet been performed, so officials have not determined the cause of death, said Sonoma County Sheriffs Office Lt. John Molinari.

Were treating it as an accident. Thats what it truly is, Molinari said Saturday. It turned tragic. This is terrible.

Chronicle staff writer Michael Bodley contributed to this report.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
NorthWestern Energy (NWE) has proposed spending $1.3 billion to build 13 gas fired generators over the next decade instead of adding more wind farms and solar panels. They point out that wind and solar are intermittent and so may not meet peak demand. Natural gas produces 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal when burned, but even this plus the methane leaked from natural gas production and distribution will worsen global warming. NWEs plan is dangerous, expensive, and takes us in the wrong direction.

The solution to intermittent production, whether energy or food, is storage, as even squirrels know. For energy, pumped hydro storage is an already proven, simple and widely used way to store electricity. At Gordon Butte in central Montana there are plans well underway to build such a facility. When wind, water, or sun produce more electricity than needed, that extra electricity will be used to pump water uphill. When more electricity is needed, the water will be allowed to run downhill and turn a generator. Lets not let NWE bamboozle us into continuing to rely on fossil fuels. Instead, lets move towards the clean, renewable energy future our state needs.
Celebrities: They panic just like us.

Since even before the presidential primaries began, the specter of a Donald Trump presidency has compelled some jittery Americans, famous or otherwise, to threaten leaving the country if it happens. It's the kind of usually empty threat that has been directed at such previous candidates as George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and plenty others.

This year's certifiably insane and traumatic election has intensified such feelings, however, to the point where a DJ on one Canadian island even created a website welcoming disaffected anti-Trump American expats. And what do you know, it's arguably led to a threefold increase in traffic to Cape Breton's tourism site. (To be fair, some are considering bolting if Hillary Clinton wins.)

WOULD YOU DO IT?: This small Canadian town will give you a job and land if you move there

It could be that more people than usual are seriously thinking about finding another country if Trump becomes our 45th president. One poll in March showed a quarter of Americans would consider doing so. And celebrities who have the means to make that exodus happen have gone on record about it often, with Bryan Cranston doing so just last week.

Here's a list of 20 celebs who have said they will or might leave the U.S. if Trump wins, with the caveat that they may have been joking, venting, or simply bluffing when they said it. But if any of them really do leave, you'll know you can visit their Canadian or Spanish neighborhood bar and mourn together.
Two Bay Area candidates got a boost in the final push before Election Day, when President Obama endorsed them for office.

The president backed Peggy Moore in a cutthroat race for the Oakland City Council at-large seat and pushed for school board candidate Matt Haney in San Francisco. They are among a handful of down-ballot contenders to get the honor as Obama tries to cement his legacy in cities around the country.
Power not only corrupts he who wields the power but those who submit to it. Those who grovel at the feet of power, betray their fellows to hide themselves behind the cloak of submission. It is an evil thing.

We the people should not submit to corruption. It is up to us, the people to police our power-hungry, greedy authorities. That also means we must have regulations. We cannot let multinational corporations rule the roost, as we have now a government of the corporate, by the corporate and for the corporations. Most corporations are for-profit only. They have no feelings for the individual. They only look at the bottom line. Greed will cause any country to fail in the end. As the old saying goes, greed will be the ruination of the nation.

We must have the audacity of hope but we must also have the power of persuasion. We have given up our power of persuasion to the very rich, multinational corporations and the military-industrial complex.

Fundamentalists of any sort such as political, religious or environmental are destructive. A rigid ideology can never work. We must be able to negotiate our differences.

Somehow we must regain our power of persuasion. The only way for us to do that is for all individuals to be informed and stay involved in our government. The only way to change anything is to be a part of it. Vote.

Paul Bessler

Clancy
A pedestrian crossing Market Street in San Franciscos Duboce Triangle neighborhood was struck and killed by a vehicle Saturday evening, police said.

The pedestrian was hit while walking outside the designated crosswalk on the major thoroughfare at Dolores Street around 7:45 p.m., said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a San Francisco police spokeswoman.

Paramedics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene. The San Francisco Medical Examiner has not released the persons name.

Eastbound lanes of Market Street near Safeway and Whole Foods were shut down while investigators processed the scene. Police did not elaborate on the circumstances of the collision or say who may have been at fault.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
WASHINGTON - Two men were arrested Saturday in connection with spray painting at several buildings in downtown Washington including the Trump International Hotel and the FBI building, both on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Eric Roberts, 27, of Florida, was arrested and charged with defacing government property and resisting arrest. Danny Hamilton, 35, of Louisiana was charged with destruction of D.C. government property for damaging a police cruiser and with resisting arrest, according to the D.C. police.
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A 20-year-old UC Santa Cruz student who was critically injured after being struck by a hit-and-run driver over Halloween weekend died Saturday with her family by her side, officials said Sunday.

Police, meanwhile, continue to hunt for the driver of a silver Honda CRV who slammed into Alexandria Arceneaux just before 2 a.m. along Highway 1 on Oct. 30.
FAIRFIELD (BCN)

A Fairfield man was arrested Saturday night after a woman said he followed her home, police said.

At about 8:15 p.m., the woman called the police and said that a man had followed her to her driveway and watched her as she arrived home.

The man continued to follow her even when she drove away from her home, police said. The woman then went back home, ran inside and called 911.

Police responded to the home, at Del Prado Circle and Pennsylvania Avenue, and arrested 55-year-old Anthony Valencia after a brief struggle.

Valencia was found to be on probation out of Yolo County. Officers also found a concealed machete, suspected methamphetamine and a meth pipe, police said.

Valencia was booked into the county jail on suspicion of stalking, possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of a deadly weapon to commit an assault, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and violation of his probation, police said.

"This is a great example and reminder to our community to always be alert and aware of your surroundings," Fairfield police Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen said in a statement.

"This resident's awareness more than likely saved her from becoming a victim," Jacobsen said.
Lancet Study:

These findings firmly counter those of a Cochrane review of direct-acting antiviral treatment trials that could neither confirm nor reject if direct-acting antivirals had an effect on long-term HCV-related morbidity and mortality. They also provide the best evidence to date to support guidance documents that recommend direct-acting antiviral treatment for all patients with chronic HCV infection.





Latest Update Feb 12, 2019A systematic review published by the Cochrane Collaboration suggested achieving SVR (cure) for patients using hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) doesn't correlate with any long term benefits. View each rebuttal and all ongoing media coverage.
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Autumn is a glorious time to visit Anderson Marsh State Historic Park. Falls soft light mellows the grasslands, creating a palette of russet, light brown, and gold, with the last of summers wildflowers peeking through. Leaves rustle through magnificent stands of ancient oaks.

Clear Lake remains high, thanks to last winters rainfall; true to its name, at this time of year, the water is at its most clear. Cache Creek, the slow-moving waterway that passes through the parks tule marshes on its way to the lakes open water, is ideal for paddling.

Lace up your walking shoes. Five trails of varying length circle through untouched grasslands, with one path turning into a boardwalk leading deep into wetlands rich in wildlife. The longest is an 8-mile, in-and-out path to a secluded lake-side beach.

Bring your binoculars. Anderson Marsh is a bird-watchers paradise, with 156 species spotted. Right now, the fall migration is winging in. You may spot belted kingfishers looking for breakfast in the creek, acorn woodpeckers busily storing acorns in their granary trees, cedar waxwings feasting on berries and wild grapes. Red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks, and white-tailed kites are regularly seen. At the end of the boardwalk, egrets and great blue herons are frequently spotted.

On foot or paddling, you will be passing through a state park that is unique among the 280 in the system. Anderson Marsh is the only park California acquired to preserve and interpret American Indian heritage. Claimed within its 1,065 acres are 14,000 years of human history that includes a density of archaeological sites representing the Koi people, the first to colonize the area and whose descendants remain in Clear Lake Basin to this day.

Representing the less distant past, the Anderson familys intact ranch house and outbuildings bring to life the 19th century arrival of European settlers. Sarah and John Anderson, Scottish immigrants, acquired the land that now encompasses the present park in 1885, growing grains and operating a dairy, with their children shifting the lands focus to cattle ranching.

James Tensuan/Special To The Chronicle

Given its rich natural and human heritage, its a mystery why this chunk of significant land has had such a struggle to protect the abundance it holds.

The struggle began in the late 1970s with development planned for the acreage. Archaeological finds documenting 47 sites that included not only evidence of human habitation, but also a treasure-house of artifacts halted the project.

It was determined that the best way to protect the area was to place it under the California State Historic Park umbrella. In 1982, Anderson Marsh was so designated. As a historic park, it would remain purposefully undeveloped, left intact in its present state with 540 acres as a natural preserve.

By the mid-1980s, a Lake County volunteer organization, Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, was actively in place, raising funds to enhance the park experience with educational and interpretive programs along with such activities as habitat conservation and trail maintenance. As the years went by, AMIA took on more and more volunteer and money-raising responsibility in an effort to take up the slack in increasing cutbacks in state funding and staffing.

Peter DaSilva/Special to The Chronicle

Despite AMIAs efforts, in 2011, Anderson Marsh found itself alphabetically placed at the top of California State Parks list of those scheduled for closure.

Henry Bornstein and his wife, Gae Henry, had retired and moved to Lake County several years before, buying a house on Cache Creek and immediately falling in love with Anderson Marsh. As avid birders and kayakers, we knew wed landed in one of the most beautiful spots on earth, Bornstein recalled. Both became active AMIA volunteers and members of the organizations board of directors. In 2011, they were among those heading the fight to save the park and found themselves as its spokespersons.

We geared up fast, Bornstein said. AMIA and the Lake County community didnt want the park to close.

AMIA doubled its membership and was able to raise sufficient funds to finance a three-year partnership agreement with the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The local outpouring of generosity to keep the park open was absolutely amazing, Bornestein said. The agreement made AMIA eligible to receive funding under a matching program made available from the $10 million discovered in 2012 in unreported state park funds.

With the agreement up this year, AMIA is campaigning to convince the state Parks Department that the obligation it took on when the historic park was created requires the department to allocate enough money to at least fund minimal requirements to keep the park open.

Meanwhile, AMIAs fundraising efforts continue. Volunteers have taken over the opening and closing of the parks gates, upkeep of buildings and trails, and educational events  Hundreds of school kids come each year, Bornstein said. We pay for the buses to get them here. Docents guide nature walks, tour visitors through the ranch house and interpret archaeological finds. A Koi volunteer regularly patrols the acreage to ensure all is in order.

What Im most proud of, Bornstein said, is that not only did we keep the park open to the public, but thanks to the groundswell of community support, Anderson Marsh state park is thriving.

Yvonne Michie Horn is a freelance writer. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com

If you go

Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is off Highway 53 just past its junction with Highway 29 at Lower Lake. (707) 279-2267, www.andersonmarsh.org. Gates are open Saturday and Sunday, with a $4 fee for parking. The park itself is open daily, with visitors encouraged to park on the entrance road and walk in. Entrance is free, as are all activities.

The parks five, mostly flat trails begin at the ranch house complex and wind through various habitats. The Cache Creek Nature Trail features interpretive displays, along with a long boardwalk into the tule marshes.

Kayakers can paddle Cache Creek, with kayaks available for rent from Shady Acres Campground, adjacent to the park. (707) 994-2236.

With the exception of September, December and January when special events are held, guided nature walks occur on the second Saturday of each month; many include a tour of the ranch house.
Pumpkin Patch's receivers have taken the razor to the failed children's wear retailer's Australian stores with plans to close 27 stores nationwide, laying off up to 145 staff.

KordaMentha's Brendon Gibson and Neale Jackson outlined the Pumpkin Patch and Charlie & Me closures on the other side of the Tasman, which will see 52 staff redeployed to other sites, on top of the projected job losses. The cuts are deeper than what was signalled for New Zealand last month, with the job losses equating to almost 15 percent compared to less than 10 percent in NZ.

"We have already moved to close some stores in New Zealand. Having now had time to assess the financial viability of the Australian retail footprint, unfortunately it is necessary to also close some stores in an effort to stabilise the broader business," Gibson said in a statement. "Staff have been advised of their store closure and the receivers' intention to pay all entitlements."

Gibson has previously said Pumpkin Patch's existing plans to shut down some outlets would be accelerated "in an effort to improve saleability and viability" which would likely lead to job losses amongst the 600 New Zealand staff and 1,000 Australian employees.The receivers want to keep the retailer operating as they hunt for a buyer.

The Australian stores will close by Nov. 15, while the seven New Zealand stores are scheduled to be closed by Nov. 8.

In its full-year results published in September, Pumpkin Patch told investors its directors had given an undertaking to the bank that it would put forward proposals by Oct. 20, which was later pushed out to Oct. 31. The capital constraints were highlighted in the accounts as a "material risk" to the ongoing viability of the business. Pumpkin Patch's debt to ANZ Bank rose to $46 million from $39.1 million in the year to the end of July 2016. It posted a loss of $15.5 million in the same period.

Last year the retailer spurned a number of parties interested in buying the business, saying at the time that they offers weren't compelling enough for the board to consider seriously. Instead, it tried to lift its trading performance in a four-year turnaround programme, which it claimed was starting to show improvements.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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EFFINGHAM  Kaylee Jacob was 16 when a teenage friend messing around with a gun in the backseat of a car parked in Effingham accidentally shot her to death. Nearly a year later, the girl's mother said the pain still lingers  and she knows that it always will.

"Her death has forever changed my life and the lives of my other children," said Crystal Gonzalez. "We still talk about her constantly. There's not a second in the day that I don't think of her and wish she was here with us."

It's a story echoed across the state and nation. Forty-two times during a 2-year span, a child was killed or injured in an accidental shooting in Illinois. An analysis by the Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network of every accidental shooting death and injury involving children ages 17 and younger in the U.S. during that span found more than 1,000 incidents in all.

Kaylee Jacob's family, of course, will remember her as much more than a statistic in that study.

As the teen sat in the passenger seat of the car on Oct. 18, 2015, a 15-year-old boy took out a gun, removed the magazine, pointed it at her, and pulled the trigger  not knowing there was still a bullet in the chamber.

The Effingham Daily News has not named the boy because of his age. He pleaded guilty in juvenile court to involuntary manslaughter and possession of a stolen firearm. He had stolen the gun from a pickup truck in the Lake Sara area shortly before the fatal shooting, authorities said.

Gonzalez, who lives in Mattoon, said she still feels indescribable pain at the loss of the second-oldest of her five children.

"There's no way of explaining the hurt I feel in my heart for the loss of my oldest baby girl," she said. "I'm not sure I'll ever be the same and it hurts to know that feeling the way I do affects my other children.

"So, I try to be strong for them," she added. "I'm not sure how well I'm doing on that but I like to think I'm doing OK."

Kaylee's father, Steve Jacob, who lives in Effingham, declined to be interviewed for this story. Kaylee had been living with him at the time of her death.

"I never thought I would lose her so soon," Steve Jacob told a judge before the teen shooter's sentencing. "I lost a piece of my heart I can never get back. I will never be there to walk her down the aisle. I will never be there for her first child. She will never get to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, or a mother."

Effingham County Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Koester ruled that the teen, 16 by the time he was sentenced in April, would serve time in a juvenile detention center, but cannot be held past his 21st birthday.

Gonzalez said Kaylee's father and the girl's older brother all feel the sting of that senseless loss.

"We're trying to stay positive and know that she wouldn't want any of us to mourn for her for as long as we have  mainly myself, her older brother and her father," she said.

Kaylee's youngest sibling is just 4, too young to understand their loss but old enough to remember his big sister.

"I will always speak of her to her younger siblings and tell them what a wonderful sister she was to them," Gonzalez said. "Zachary is 4 now, my youngest, and they were really close. He still speaks of her and remembers her in ways that put a smile on my face. I hope he always remembers and I'll try to make sure he does."

Gonzalez said she finds solace in her other children.

"My kids are my life and if it wasn't for the ones I still have living, I'm not sure I could have gone on with life," she said. "I still feel like it was yesterday when I lost her and can't believe it's coming up on 1 year.

"The days go by so fast it's unbelievable, even more so now that she's gone," she added. "Kaylee was a great girl and she will always and forever be loved and remembered."

Gonzalez said the loss of her daughter has definitely been a test of her faith.

"I just wish I could understand and ask God, 'Why?'," she said. "I don't pray any more, as I used to every night."

She paused a moment, when asked about those nightly prayers.

"I would pray that God would keep my kids safe, watch over and protect them," she said. "I lost a lot of faith that I had, and I'm not sure if that will ever come back."
NORMAL  With businesses and government increasingly concerned with hackers and internet protection, Illinois State University is developing a new major: cybersecurity.

ISU already offers a concentrated sequence in information assurance and security within its bachelor's degree program in information systems.

Glen Sagers, associate professor of information technology, said the cybersecurity major would allow more depth and breadth in the courses. Instead of the three courses that are part of special sequence, the major would have five required courses dealing with cybersecurity and an elective in secure software development, said Sagers.

To the best of my knowledge, we're the first in Illinois to offer the cybersecurity major, he said.

Overall, the program would require 80 credit hours in the major including 56 credit hours in information technology.

The proposal was approved by the ISU board of trustees last week, but still needs approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

The program will prepare students to evaluate the security needs of computer and network systems and recommend safeguards, as well as implement and maintain security devices and systems, according to the proposal.

Information security has been growing rather quickly in the last five years, said Sagers. The new major is projected to have 125 students when fully implemented.

The demand for cybersecurity experts far exceeds the supply, he said. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for information security specials will grow 18 percent from 2014 to 2024.

The new major will allow ISU to produce better trained professionals to fill the gap the Bureau of Labor Statistics says there will be in cybersecurity, said Sagers.

The department is already fielding questions from potential students about the new major and Sagers said he is very excited to see it moving forward.

So are some current students in the information security sequence, even though they won't directly be able to take advantage of the new major.

That's the future, when you think about it, said senior Brenna Dahmm of Morton, who is looking for a job as an information security analyst after graduation.

Another senior, Ben Bradley of Woodstock, pointed to data breaches that seem to be in the news every day.

It's always going to be relevant as we grow in technology, said Bradley, who wants to work in vulnerability management and ethical hacking  pretending to be a bad guy to expose and correct weak spots in computer security.

In addition to course work, students get practice in cybersecurity-related topics through student organizations and events such as the Capture the Flag challenge that begins Friday.

During the challenge, teams of students are presented with a series of hacker challenges by ISU's School of Information Technology and staff from the State Farm Insurance Cos. Systems Department.

Bradley and senior Evan Rappe, of Macon, participated on a four-person team that finished fourth in last year's competition.

You had to learn something on they fly, said Bradley. It exposed you to real-world scenarios you don't come across in classes.

Added Rappe, It's getting inside their minds to get one step ahead of them (hackers) or at least try to be.
DECATUR  The battle for the office of circuit clerk is between incumbent Lois Durbin, who has served two terms since 2008, and Bryan Hott, son of former Circuit Clerk Kathy Hott and a former office employee.

The office, which provides services involving criminal, civil and traffic court cases, has 32 employees, with an annual operating budget of $1,460,000. The office collects about $1.3 million in fines and fees each year. Circuit clerk employees collect, store and update information on each case, manage juries, and store evidence.

Durbin, a graduate of St. Teresa High School and Richland Community College, began working in the circuit clerk's office in 1985. The following year she switched over to serve the Macon County courts, where she worked until her election as circuit clerk in 2008.

Hott, an Eisenhower High School graduate who attended Richland Community College and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, worked in the circuit clerk's office in the 1990s for almost six years.

Durbin said she wants to continue to serve the citizens of Macon County and the participants of the judicial system in a timely and cost-effective manner and with courtesy, efficiency and impartiality.

One of her main accomplishments was installing personal computers to replace the outdated terminal system.

It's made the processing of files and cases a lot easier and more accurate, Durbin said.

She said she is best qualified because she has learned to work well with other county offices such as states attorney, public defender and probation department.

I have also enjoyed working with all law enforcement agencies in Macon County, Durbin said. My office and the courts work closely together.

Durbin has been successful in improving the technology of the office, especially in response to mandates from the Illinois Supreme Court.

We have grown with technology, by implementing e-pleas/e-guilty, e-pay, e-citations and e-filing of civil cases, Durbin said.  My goal is to complete the e-business mandated by the Supreme Court and have the Macon County Courts become paperless.

Hott said he would like to win the office because the office has been close to his heart ever since his mom was first elected in 1992.

I enjoyed working there for nearly six years and received many compliments and letters for my customer service, Hott said. I feel there are many ways to improve the circuit clerk's office, and I would really enjoy serving the community again.

Hott said his experience with technology, including his work as a service technician at AT&T, will be helpful to him.

We are in a technology-driven world now, Hott said. We have to learn new technology and teach it to others constantly. Combine that with my experience in the circuit clerk's office, and I feel as if I would be a great asset to the future of that office.

Hott said he plans to make the office more convenient for those who work during the week. If elected, he plans to keep the office open Saturday mornings. That way, clients can avoid paying the convenience fees charged by paying on the internet.

Durbin said when the office used to be open on Saturdays, typically one or two people would come into the office each day.

It was wasting taxpayers' money because employees who came in to work Saturday mornings were rewarded with entire days off, according to the contract, Durbin said.

Durbin said that there is a way to pay fines and fees at any time, by dropping off payments in a drop box.

Hott said he plans to examine each case of child support to make certain there is no overcharging of maintenance fees.

If necessary, I will help the affected party resolve the issue, Hott said. Constituents are being charged many years on top of what they were ordered to pay of the child support maintenance fee. If they don't pay, they are turned over to a collection agency, which charges 30 percent.

Durbin said the child support/maintenance fee, $36 a year, is mandated by state statute. The chief judge of the sixth circuit ordered that fee levied in 1989. If a collection agency is involved because of nonpayment, the surcharge comes from that agency, not the circuit clerk's office.

The circuit clerk does not have the authority to waive those fees, Durbin said.

Durbin said that if elected, she will continue to serve the citizens of Macon County with the same commitment to excellence that my office has shown since becoming circuit clerk. It is my honor to serve as Macon County Circuit Clerk.

Hott said he would be proud to serve as circuit clerk.

My plan is to be involved in the community and not just the office, Hott said. I am technology minded, a quick learner, forward focused and eager to participate in making our community better.
DECATUR -- The Shilling Community Education Center at Richland Community College might as well have been a live taping of Chopped or one of the other popular shows of Food Network.

On one side of the stage stood Nick Cox, the defending back-to-back culinary champion. On the other side, one of the newest faces to the local culinary scene, Gary Prusa, hoped to make his mark.

The prize: bragging rights and a chance to claim the Kitchen Warrior title.

For the fifth straight year, Richland Community College and its Culinary Arts Institute welcomed chefs from across the area to serve their best work for more than 100 attendees as part of the Kitchen Warrior event Thursday night.

Chefs from the Beach House, Decatur Club, Country Club of Decatur, Millikin University and Richlands Bistro Five Thirty Seven each served a signature dish, with the top two vote-getters having a chance to face off in the main challenge.

Cox, executive chef of the Beach House, had the chance to compete in the final for the third straight year, this time facing off against chef Prusa from the Country Club of Decatur.

Once on stage, each chef had to create a 30-minute dishes from a mystery box of ingredients, including duck breast, house-cured bacon, cauliflower, green apple and orzo pasta.

With a running clock, the two chefs whipped up plates that won over the five judges.

But in the end, Prusa learned that when you come at the king, you best not miss, as Cox won the title for the third straight year.

In describing his win streak, Cox said it is just a matter of getting the techniques right and just having some fun.

We just like to play around with stuff. It's one of the few industries where you get to play sometimes and get paid, he said. We play with things until we find something we like.

While the final round of the cooking competition helped cap off a delightfully filling evening, attendees were also eager to sample dishes from all five chefs during the events first round.

The attendees had some tough decisions ahead of them, as they were served everything from fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, veal spiedini, braised short rib sliders, smoked beef briskets and shepherd's pie.

The top two were then chosen to compete in the final cook-off, and even after sampling all five servings, attendees had quite the challenge.

Everything was fantastic; its hard to say there were two that stood out among the rest, said Brian Stock, who eventually went with Prausas braised short rib slider as his favorite.

Each chef brought their own reasons for attending the event, whether it was to bring awareness to their restaurant or just to have fun.

For Hannah Cunningham, it was a chance to introduce herself and represent her "home turf" of Richland.

Along as serving as manager of the on-campus Bistro Five Thirty Seven, Cunningham graduated from Richlands Culinary Arts Institute last December.

Cooking since she was a child with her family, Cunningham said before the event that she was hopeful to learn from the other chefs in attendance.

Ive never really been in this kind of competition before, really looking forward to learning from the other chefs that have been here in years past, she said.

For those such as Mark Maroon, it was a chance to re-introduce a longtime business to the community.

Maroon, general manager and CEO of the Country Club of Decatur, talked about the management changes in recent months for the club, which also including bringing in Prusa to be their chef.

This event is a chance to show some of the special things were doing at the country club, Maroon said.

Chef Brian Tucker, director of Richland's Culinary Arts Institute, described Thursday night as the chance for local chefs to show off their culinary skills and to highlight the quality of the food scene in Decatur.

It really is for people to come out, try some good food and maybe try something from a restaurant they've never made it out to before, he said. It's a way to get people excited for the food scene in Decatur and the surrounding area.

As he helped to clean up after the competition, Prusa said he was proud of the dish he had provided to the judges and had hoped it was enough to win his inaugural appearance in the tournament.

But the second-place finisher was ready for a rematch.

Ill be here next year, and Ill be back for the crown, he said.
Page Content

The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB) reported on Friday that Jacinth Hunkins, a 15 year old student of the St. Maarten Academy School, placed first in the Senior Division of the Annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) essay contest.

This years essay competition theme was If you were a cruise passenger, what would you like to see and do in your destination.





As the winner in her age group, Jacinth was invited to accept her prize of a cash scholarship of US$ 3,000 and a plague from FCCA, at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico with all travel expenses paid.





The St. Maarten Academy School also received a monetary award of US$ 3,000 that was presented to the St. Maarten Academy principle, Talullah Baly  Vanterpool by the Honorable Minister Tourism & Economic Affairs Ingrid Arrindell.





STB would like to congratulate Jacinth and her teacher at the St. Maarten Academy School on this great accomplishment.





PHOTO CAPTION: L to R: Talullah Baly  Vanterpool, Principle of St. Maarten Academy School, Jacinth Hunkins essay winner, Honorable Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Ingrid Arrindell and St. Maarten Tourist Bureau representative Cherinah Franken.




Page Content

October 24 marked World Polio Day.





The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Sint Maarten Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, would like to commend Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle for organizing activities to create awareness about polio which shows that the global commitment to eliminate polio is also adhered to on Sint Maarten by the non-governmental organization community.





Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle joined other Rotary Clubs worldwide in observing the aforementioned day. A fundraiser was held which was very successful.





Rotary International has been working with international partners to eliminate polio, and has reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent worldwide since its first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotarians have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries.





Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis in a matter of hours. It especially affects children under age five. There is no cure, but it is preventable. When administered several times, the polio vaccine can provide lifetime protection. More than 15 million people around the world who are walking today would be paralyzed if not for vaccination.





The Region of the Americas is celebrating 25 years with no cases of wild poliovirus. The last case was detected on August 23, 1991, in Peru. The countries of the region, supported by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), were able to eliminate polio and maintain the Americas free of the disease by achieving high rates of vaccination coverage of children and through sustained epidemiological surveillance to ensure early detection of any outbreaks.





In 1975, nearly 6,000 cases of polio were reported in the Region, and in 1991 the last six cases were detected. Three years later, in 1994, the disease was formally declared eliminated from the region. Since then, no child has been paralyzed by polio in the Americas.





For more information, you can call CPS 542-2078 or 542-3003.




2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #45

Posted on 6 November 2016 by John Hartz

Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

Story of the Week...

Climate change will once again become the focus of global diplomacy next week, as countries gather in Marrakech for the UN climate bodys (UNFCCC) 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22).

In many ways, COP22 will be the nerdy friend to its glamorous Parisian predecessor. Last December, the worlds attention swivelled to France as rival nations finally cooperated to sign the first global climate deal.

The Paris Agreement set the overarching framework for dealing with climate change in the decades to come. But alone it will not solve the problem, and nations now have the task of fleshing out the details. The following issues are likely to prove key to this round of negotiations:

This means that Marrakech, while expected to provide little in the way of drama (US election results aside), will be an opportunity to engage with the nuts and bolts of the deal. Liz Gallagher, a climate policy expert at environmental think-tank E3G, says:

We will definitely see real decisions at COP22, as it is not a terribly high-stakes COP  which means that there arent any huge grand bargains that people are going to die in a ditch over, so we will certainly see decisionsIt is the quality and the detail that is at stake.

Preview: The UNs COP22 climate talks in Marrakech by Sophie Yeo, Carbon Brief, Nov 3, 2016

Toon of the Week...

Quote of the Week...

As for Trumps statement that climate change is a hoax, the director of Drake Universitys Environmental Science & Policy Program, David Courard-Hauri, says its time to put it to rest.

Theres not much to say about that. Its been debunked. The idea that it might be a hoax is ifficult to get ones head around anymore.

Climate Change on the Forefront of Many Voters' Minds; Not Receiving Much Attention from Candidates by Ben Kieffer, Emily Woodbury & Anna Williams, Iowa Public Radio, Nov 4, 2016

Graphic of the Week...

CAPTION: Average Arctic sea ice extent for the month of September between 1979 and 2016. Black line shows annual data, and blue line shows the long-term trend. Credit: NSIDC

Arctic summer sea ice to disappear with 2C warming, study says by Robert McSweeney, Carbon Brief, Nov 3, 2016

SkS in the News...

Dont make a choice that your children will regret, an open-letter to Americans posted on Real Climate includes the following statement:

In case you have any doubts about the science: in the scientific community there is a long-standing consensus that humans are causing dangerous global warming, reflected in the clear statements of many scientific academies and societies from around the world. None of the 195 governments that signed the Paris Agreement saw any reasons for doubting the underlying scientific facts; doubts about the science that you see in some media are largely manufactured by interest groups trying to fool you.

The first link embedded in the above is to:

The importance of assessing and communicating scientific consensus, Edward W Maibach and Sander L van der Linden, 2016 Environmental Research Letters Volume 11, Number 4

SkS Spotlights...

The American Security Project (ASP) is a nonpartisan organization created to educate the American public and the world about the changing nature of national security in the 21st Century.

The mission of the ASP is:

to communicate our vision for security in the 21st century by developing and sharing new ideas and critical analyses on the most important national security issues of our time;

to forge a bipartisan consensus on a new national security strategy that will restore Americas leadership and ensure our security;

to raise the American publics understanding of critical national security issues through direct engagement and dialogue.

Video of the Week...

Bernie Turns up Heat, Burns Trump on Warming by Peter Sinclair, Climate Denial Crock of the Week, Nov 4, 2016

Coming Soon on SkS...

President Trump would Make America Deplorable Again (Dana)

(Dana) So fracking reduces carbon emissions, right? (gws)

(gws) Global weirding Episode 4 (Katharine Hayhoe)

(Katharine Hayhoe) Guest Post (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) Paris climate agreement enters into force: international experts respond (Bill Hare, Harald Winkler, Julia Jones, Luke Kemp, Pep Canadell, Meraz Mostafa & Stefan Rahmstorf)

(Bill Hare, Harald Winkler, Julia Jones, Luke Kemp, Pep Canadell, Meraz Mostafa & Stefan Rahmstorf) 2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #46 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2016 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #46 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

Climate Feedback Reviews...

Climate Feedback asked its network of scientists to review The Phony War Against CO2 by Harrison Schmitt & Rodney Nichols (Wall Street Journal, Oct 31, 2016). Six scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be very low.

Click here to access the detailed review.

SkS Week in Review...

97 Hours of Consensus...

Kevin Trenberth's bio page

Quote provided via email
PONTIAC  Oscar Gorbet tries to make children stronger with a bucket and a smile.

With his white bucket in hand, Gorbet walks around the Fairbury American Legion Speedway every weekend that it's open during the spring and summer, the Livingston County Fair in July and around Pontiac throughout the year, collecting money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

"Everybody in the community knows Oscar Gorbet and knows what he does," said Dustin Smith, vice president and senior commercial and agricultural lender at First Financial Bank in Pontiac.

Those dollars and cents add up. On Thursday afternoon at the bank, Gorbet surrounded by family, friends and representatives of the bank and speedway  presented a check made out to MDA for $12,626.09, which is what he's collected in the past year.

Over the past five years, he's collected about $25,000 for MDA.

"Oscar is the highest individual fundraiser for our Central Illinois office," said Andie Savoree, MDA senior fundraising coordinator, after accepting the check.

What makes that more amazing is the old-school way in which Gorbet, 65, of Pontiac, raises the money.

"You don't see people fundraising that way anymore," Smith said.

"If it wasn't for the people of Livingston County, I wouldn't have this money," said Gorbet, wearing a green shirt and cap, each with "Oscar's Kids" on the front.

"He only wants to talk about how the community has helped him," Savoree said.

Gorbet began collecting money for MDA five years ago. He and his wife, Laura, have four adult children and six grandchildren.

"They're all healthy," said Gorbet, adding that he wanted to help families that weren't as fortunate.

"I could help my community," he said. Over the years, he has slowly raised more money. His fundraising time increased after he retired from his job with the City of Pontiac streets' department two years ago.

"At the Fairbury American Legion (Speedway), I walk up and down the bleachers with my bucket and people give me money and I walk in the pits and people give me money," Gorbet explained.

"He's very well known around here and he's taken a good liking to the race teams," said speedway race director Matt Curl. "He's well received by our fans, race teams and officials."

"It's probably the lowest pressure fundraising you could imagine," Curl said. "It's Oscar and his bucket. It's for a good cause, he's super nice and the race teams are very generous."

People also make donations into a special account that he opened at the bank, Smith said.

Once a year, Gorbet spends a day at the MDA Summer Camp at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center at Lake Bloomington and plays carnival games with the campers.

"I love it," he said.

After he presented the check to Savoree, she told him that  during next summer's camp  one of the cabins would be named in his honor.

"I like it," he said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Money that Gorbet raises for MDA stays in Livingston County to assist 22 families with clinics, wheelchair and equipment repair, flu shots, support groups and summer camp, Savoree said.

Throughout Central Illinois, MDA assists 1,100 families, including 39 in McLean County, she said.

"Oscar cares for these kids and he doesn't even know them," Savoree said. "He wants kids to live longer and grow stronger."

Added Smith, "Oscar has the biggest heart of anybody I know."

After the presentation, Gorbet, who also volunteers at OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac, went out to his truck to grab his bucket, eager to start fundraising for the next year.

"I have $1 so far," he said.
SPRINGFIELD  For many, the 2016 races for the Illinois General Assembly represent a series of battles in a proxy war between first-term Gov. Bruce Rauner and longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Rauner and his fellow Republicans have cast Tuesdays election as a choice between reform and the status quo created by the Democrats long dominance of state government. Theyve made Madigan public enemy No. 1 in a multimillion-dollar ad barrage linking every Democratic candidate to him.

If voters like the way things are going in the state of Illinois, if they like what the state legislature has done, they should vote for Democrats, they should vote for  Mike Madigans candidates, said Nick Klitzing, executive director of the state Republican Party. If they want a new direction, if they believe that reform is possible in Illinois, then they should give Republicans a shot.

Madigan and his fellow Democrats, meanwhile, argue that the election offers a chance to defend the middle class against the extremism of Rauner and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Democrats are focused on trying to put the state back on track, trying to work cooperatively, said Steve Brown, a spokesman for Madigan and the state Democratic Party. Thats what weve been trying to do for almost two years now, met at every different turn with an agenda that really wants to disadvantage middle-class families, put more money in the pockets of the 1-percenters.

Nearly halfway into Rauners term without a full state budget in place, others, including former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, view the balloting as a contest between the wealthy governors money, more than $32 million of which is bankrolling the GOPs campaign efforts, and his record.

However one views the elections, Tuesdays outcome will help chart the course Illinois takes to end its historic budget impasse and right its fiscal ship. Lawmakers and the governor put that fight on hold until after Election Day by passing a stopgap spending plan this summer that runs through Dec. 31.

The balance of power in the next General Assembly will come down to the results in a handful of high-profile, high-cost legislative races downstate and in the Chicago suburbs. Southern Illinois and the Quad-Cities area have become major battlegrounds, with Republicans taking aim at Democratic incumbents and both parties trying to flip seats long held by the other side.

All 118 House seats are on the ballot, though only 48 are contested. Republicans need to pick up just one seat to end the Democrats 71-member, veto-proof majority, which has existed on paper more than in practice. In the Senate, where 40 out of 59 seats are on the ballot, there are 13 contested races. Republicans would need to gain four seats to end the Democrats better-functioning 39-member supermajority.

Republicans would need even bigger gains to win control of either chamber, something almost no one believes will happen in a presidential election year, when Democrats typically get a boost from higher voter turnout.

Klitzing said that in a presidential year with a legislative map drawn to favor Democrats, picking up just one seat in either chamber would be historic.

The fact that were on offense and were positioned to even win one seat is a sign of just how entrenched Madigan is and how much voters want to throw out the current status quo, he said.

Given all that Republicans and outside groups supporting their candidates have spent, Brown said, Im not sure  how you call that a victory.

Despite the record-breaking sums being spent by both sides, David Yepsen, who retired Monday as director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said anyone whos expecting a major shift in the political landscape come Wednesday is likely to be disappointed.

Were going to wake up on the day after the election, and Bruce Rauner will still be governor, and the Democrats will still be in control of the legislature, Yepsen said. And what is going to change as a result of this? If anything, I think the partisanship will continue.

After a bruising campaign season that has featured months of relentless TV ads and mailers in some districts, the Democrats will come in angry, he said.

Now, the race for governor in 2018 will be on, Yepsen said. And so we move right from this campaign right into the partisanship of that campaign.

Even if Republicans do succeed in weakening the Democrats grasp on control of the General Assembly, the question of whether voters will benefit remains, said Kent Redfield, a campaign finance expert and emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

The GOPs main line of attack against Democratic candidates is that each one is a wholly owned subsidiary of the speaker, Redfield said.

All of the money on the Republican side is coming from the governor or the governors allies, he said. So Im not sure that replacing somebody who is or appears to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the speaker with somebody who is or appears to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the governor is really doing much for the democratic process.
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A motorcyclist has died in a single vehicle crash on Tidbinbilla Road, west of Canberra, on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services were alerted to the crash near Paddys River shortly before midday, however the man died at the scene.

A motorcyclist has died after a crash on Tidbinbilla Road, west of Canberra.

The road remained blocked off at 3.30pm from Point Hut Road to the Tidbinbilla Ring Road. Those heading towards Tidbinbilla Road from Corin Road could only turn left on Tidbinbilla Road and were forced to head into Canberra via Stromlo.

No other details are known about the man at this stage. His death brings the ACT's road toll to 10.
Here are the strategic and commercial prizes being fought over, and the policy issues raised in this high-stakes battle. Fight over fees Through Apple Pay, the tech giant takes a cut of the fees paid by credit card companies to banks, known as interchange fees. It's estimated the local banks collectively make $2 billion a year in revenue from interchange fees, which are about 0.5 per cent of a purchase on a Visa or Mastercard. Apple Pay would pinch some of this revenue from the banks, but it won't say how much. Banks say Apple typically takes 0.07 to 0.25 per cent of a transaction on Apple Pay overseas, but Apple's submission to the ACCC does not say if this is true.

The banks want to form a negotiating bloc to apply pressure to change Apple's tight contract conditions, even though it hasn't done so for much larger banks in other countries. Payments expert Lance Blockley, who is representing the banks, says under the current arrangements Apple insists on preventing banks from passing on or disclosing any of the costs of paying for Apple Pay to customers or other businesses. "They are not allowed to disclose how much they are paying Apple Pay, and they are no allowed to pass on any of that cost to any other participant in the payment chain," he says. He says this goes against the Reserve Bank's push to make the cost of payments more transparent, so that consumers have a "price signal" to use the cheapest form of payment. Then again, it would hardly be the first time in finance that an opaque payment was made from one party to another, that was of questionable value to the consumer.

Control is prized While interchange fees are part of the story, they account for a relatively small share of bank profits. The bigger strategic issue for the lenders  and Apple  is control of the iPhone as a wallet. Despite the hype, "digital wallets" have so far failed to take off. However, banks reckon this may soon change, thanks to a boom in a tap-and-go payments (Australians are the world's keenest users of contactless payments), and Google, Samsung and Apple all offering their digital wallets here. Early next year, Sydney's public transport system will also allow tap-and-go payments. London made this change three years ago and now 35,000 trips a day, or 3.5 per cent of contactless journeys, are paid for with a phone. If phones do eventually replace wallets and cards, banks want to make sure they keep their position in every consumers' pocket, because selling retail financial products is the high-margin part of banking that makes them such highly profitable companies.

Consumers can already make tap-and-go payments on the iPhone today, but they must either attach a bank-supplied sticker to their phone or sign up with ANZ. The key complaint of banks  and some other businesses that want to provide digital wallets, such as retailers  is they cannot provide their own app that uses Apple's contactless payment system, known as a near-field communication (NFC) hardware. Apple says its NFC hardware is locked for security reasons, and that is what it does everywhere in the world. In contrast, Samsung and Google allow third parties to access the NFC hardware. Banks need help? If the ACCC says yes to the banks, it would strengthen their hand in the talks with Apple because there would be an agreement for none of the banks to blink first in the face of commercial pressure to do so. The lenders, who control two-thirds of the credit card market, are trying to convince the regulator that this boycott of Apple Pay would be in the public interest. Academic economist Joshua Gans says it would be "blatantly anti-competitive," because one of the things that forces banks to provide technology people want (like Apple Pay) is pressure from rivals.

Gans says there is simply no way Apple will bend its international policies to give our banks special access to the iPhone's NFC hardware, so the banks' real objective of a collective boycott is to demand a better price. "Why Australian banks should be able to collectively withdraw is beyond me. If the banks were more competitive, this might be an issue because customers could switch to ANZ or Amex. But they aren't, so this is consumer harm," he says. "Put simply, what the banks are doing smells awful. I hope the ACCC can get to its source in its deliberations." Despite their huge domestic power, the banks maintain Apple has the stronger bargaining position in this fight, because the only way banks can access the iPhone is through Apple's platform, iOS. Yet Gans also points out that Apple is not the biggest smart phone maker (the banks reckon it has about 40 per cent of the local market) and Google has its own operating Android system that also supports digital wallets. Apple does not have enough market power to cause a lessening in competition, he says. Whoever wins, there are drawbacks for competition

The competition regulator must decide whether the clear competitive damage of letting the banks team up is outweighed by any public benefits. What might those benefits be? Blockley says if the banks had their way it would allow consumers to ultimately upload multiple digital wallets onto their iPhone. They may want a Coles Flybuys wallet to use for some purchases, for instance, and a bank-run wallet for others. "But today, an iPhone owner can only have one wallet on their phone, and that is Apple Pay," he says. "What the banks are trying to do is give the consumers choice." Yet Apple says in its submission the banks have resisted "serious negotiations" with it for the last two years, and insists it won't change its mind to satisfy the banks even if they are allowed to team up.
He is also an influential figure in the horseracing industry, acting as a conduit for prospective Chinese horse owners arriving at Australian thoroughbred auctions flush with cash. In 2013, Mr Tian paid $6 million for what is now the Nine Dragons Horse Club, run by his daughter Sisly. Located by Chelsea Beach, it boasts 120 stables, a 2200-metre grass racetrack and a lavish clubhouse overlooking a lake. Mr Tian and Nine Dragons retain close ties with highly acquisitive Chinese horse stable Yulong, owned by Zhang Yuesheng. Luring high-stakes gamblers Associates of Mr Tian began to notice a dramatic change in how he looked and dressed about two years ago. Almost overnight, he ditched his bookish business attire for designer T-shirts and shoes. He shaved his balding head clean, took to wearing sunglasses, and began rolling into Nine Dragons in different top-of-the-line cars, including Bentleys and a Mercedes-AMG.

"They were seriously expensive machines," one source said. While he is not a direct employee of Crown, industry sources familiar with Mr Tian have detailed his close connections to the casino's VIP operations. He is provided with a premium VIP suite to live in when entertaining his junket clients, and arranges for the casino's private helicopter to ferry clients to and from Nine Dragons. His often rambunctious clientele typify the high-stakes gamblers with money to burn, with one colourful Wuhan identity promptly losing $20 million in a session without batting an eyelid, before lifting his shirt up to show scars from what he said were gunshot wounds.

$1 million betting chips Mr Tian's daughter Sisly is usually seen by her father's side at Crown, helping him with anything that needs translation from English. One social media post shows her flaunting $1 million Crown betting chips in the casino's private salons. When reached by Fairfax Media via telephone, Ms Tian declined to comment before hanging up. Born in Wuhan, in central Hubei province, Mr Tian is one of several migrants from the same hometown who wield significant influence in gambling circles, including another major junket provider to Crown, who has at least two staff members in detention in mainland China. It is understood Mr Tian used to work with the major operator before striking it alone more recently. Both are also known to organise junkets with Sydney's The Star, though most of their business goes to Crown.

Powerful connections Together with other hometown investors, Mr Tian owns a share of the former Equity Chambers building on Melbourne's Bourke Street. Purchased for $15 million in 2013, the site is being redeveloped into residential apartments. It currently houses the Hubei Association of Melbourne and the Australian Hubei Chamber of Commerce, led by Mike Yang, a young and well-connected Labor Party operative who advises the Andrews government on multicultural affairs. Mr Yang, who was also born in Wuhan, is known to be close to Tian Di. He is also close to Senator Sam Dastyari, who was demoted from the opposition front bench after accepting payment for legal and travel costs from prominent Chinese political donors, before contradicting his party's stance on the South China Sea dispute in a press conference organised for local Chinese-language media by donor Huang Xiangmo. Both Mr Yang and Senator Dastyari attended the wedding of Mr Huang's daughter in January, along with former trade minister Andrew Robb, opposition leader Bill Shorten and other politicians including Chris Bowen and Ernest Wong. Mr Yang declined to comment.
By Marina Babayan

Wars have been taking place in the world throughout the centuries. Battle, deaths and loses are all familiar to most Armenians. Weve heard stories about our heroes who have sacrificed their lives to save the nation.

This image of bravery and patriotism combined with a strong sense of friendship and love could not have been portrayed better than in the recently released movie Kyank ou Kriv (The Line).

The film pictures life in Yerevan in the 1990s and the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is an emotional and breathtaking story that reflects the lives of so many Armenian soldiers and their beloved ones. It is impossible to watch the movie without smiling at the scenes of friendly gatherings, laughing at the small jokes of the main characters, or crying with every terrifying episode of the devastating war that was happening on the front lines.

Tigran, the main protagonist, appears as an ordinary Armenian guy who cannot find enough bravery to achieve his dreams. He remains uncertain in all his decisions: both the big ones - like moving away from Armenia, and the simple ones - like expressing his feelings to the girl he likes. However, he has a strong bond with his friends, who mean the world to him, and after a while he joins the solders and fights his fears by learning new things from his sad, but at the same time, exciting journey.

Despite the nerve-wrecking content, The Line also includes everyday life scenes, during which the viewer could calm down for a moment and just enjoy a small sight of joy. One of those nice and memorable scenes was when four friends were sitting on the rooftop somewhere in Yerevan and playing carts while the sister of one of the guys brought them sandwiches and joked around about their friendship. The scene was so simple and innocent, filmed around a great view of Mt. Ararat. It was a way of showing that you dont need much to be happy.

Unlike many modern Armenian films, The Line represents the history and the reality of the past at its best. It is evident that a lot of effort was put into the performance of the characters as well as the great quality of filmmaking.

I was astonished by the natural performance of the actors and how they made me feel as if it was happening to them. The actors were completely into their characters as they managed to represent all their feelings, mental state and worldview by their dialogues and acting techniques. They managed to show how calm and bonded the people of Nagorno-Karabakh were, even though there was war going on. The usage of language, the settings and the overall representation of the 1990s was done very professionally and credibly.

Another major applause for the new, amazing quality of filming. Every war scene was filmed from different angles, which made me feel as if I was there with them. Not only were the settings perfect, but also the special effects, such as bombings and shootings.

In a September 10 article in Bravo.am, Mher Mkrtchyan, the director of the movie, explains that the film is dedicated to the Four-Day War of April 2016 in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the article, he explains that it was important to include new actors into this production, which is what Mkrtchyan did. Those young, talented actors managed to show us characters so sincere and deep, brave and lost, happy and scared, as if the actors themselves had experienced those tragic moments.

This movie deserves an award. It is one of the most successful and honest Armenian films that was shot recently. I believe that with a strong desire to feature such important stories along with talented, new actors and professional crew, our films will continue carrying emotional and thought-provoking content which will make us laugh and cry and believe in love, friendship and peace.

The Line premiered in Yerevan on September 20 and will run until November 9.

(Marina Babayan is a third-year student at the American University of Armenia, majoring in English and Communications. Writing is her passion - creating feature stories, reporting news, or just jotting down everyday life events in journals is what inspires her to become a journalist in the future.)
Murray Goulburn may be forced to write off the full amount of the support package provided earlier in the year to its milk suppliers after the group acknowledged that the $183 million scheme was adding to the financial pressures on dairy farmers in Victoria.

In late October the group wrote off $31.8 million of the advance while deferring the completion of the repayment until 2022. That writeoff was due to farmers stopping supplying the dairy co-operative.

"Having written off the [milk supply support package] for farmers who have ceased to supply the co-operative , we see it as inevitable that [the package] will also be written off for remaining suppliers," Bell Potter analyst Jonathan Snape said. "It seems strange to us that suppliers are effectively penalised to remain."

A spokesman for the dairy processor confirmed there is no way of forcing farmers to repay the advance.
Woolworths shoppers are being slugged an extra 12 per cent, and Coles shoppers an extra 14 per cent for branded products such as Coke, Tim Tams and Weet-Bix compared with German discounter Aldi.

Aldi aims to be 20 to 25 per cent cheaper on a basket of groceries than Woolworths and Coles. It does so by selling almost only high-margin home-brand products and through greater labour productivity  not selling many products, and not having many staff.

But as Aldi expands in Australia, it is increasing its range of branded products, which lure in customers but deliver lower profits.

A Fairfax Media study of Aldi, Woolworths and Coles supermarkets in one suburb on Friday found that Aldi sold 125 branded products.
The Greens will be the first to say that we are disappointed about the lack of commitment that the Liberal and Labor parties have shown on real gambling reform. It is lamentable that right around the country, governments have failed to show the political courage to stand up to the gambling lobby and take real action to reduce gambling harm.

However, just as the public campaign about Big Tobacco made it politically impossible for governments to refuse to act, I am confident that we will win the public fight against dangerous poker machines.

The Greens are confident they'll will win the fight against poker machines.

But we can't do it alone.

Last weekend, the ACT Greens signed the Parliamentary Agreement with the Labor Party to form government. The Parliamentary Agreement is the starting point, not the end point, for what the ACT Greens will do during this term.
Moreover: "Immigrants have made Australia a much more interesting, dynamic and creative society than it was." Professor of econometrics at Monash, Lisa Cameron, says fears about migrants are overblown. "Many people who fear immigration do so on the basis that immigrants take jobs that would otherwise be available for Australians. However, most careful empirical studies of immigration find that the economic growth that accompanies immigration results in modest increases in employment opportunities for the rest of the population." Take your pick of messenger, but the bottom line is clear: the total benefits of Australia's migration intake to the economy exceed the costs. Of course, assumptions matter. To get these economic benefits, Australia must continue to run a program that targets young and skilled migrants. And these are averages we're talking about. It's true that recent migrants often compete for jobs against low-skilled Australians of longer duration.

But that's not an argument for halting migration  but for better targeting resources and training at these groups. And, of course, the economy isn't everything. Our ultimate goal should be to boost the wellbeing of citizens, not the value of their economic production. It matters if income gains are eroded by more time spent sitting in traffic, or having to pay more for a home, which clearly, they have been to some degree. Again, however, that's not an argument for halting migration, but for stepping up our efforts on urban planning and investment in critical infrastructure. We don't tell children to stop growing because they're busting out of their pants. We buy them new pants. Australians today live in one of the richest and most prosperous nations on earth, uniquely gifted with abundant natural resources and a huge land mass. But as we've grown richer, it seems we've only growth more protective of our wealth. In the end, policymakers and business groups won't get very far trying to convince Aussies to accept higher immigration to grow "the economy".

No one ever fought a war to grow the economy. We fight and we live for our ideals. And while economics is important when it comes to deciding the appropriate level of immigration, ideals are important too. So let me be clear: we should keep our borders open to as many souls as possible because it's the right thing to do. A core principle of economics is that people should live, as much as possible, unfettered by governments telling them what to do. This is a courtesy that should extend to all global citizens, not just Australians. If individuals decide they can best pursue their happiness by moving here and living in the most prosperous and peaceful nation on earth, who are we to deny them? Surely, they are right. Who are we, as a nation of recent migrants, to pull up the drawbridge and deny others the same opportunity we have been afforded?

Who are we to  instead of fixing the congestion problems we face  throw our hands up in the air and say "no more"? It is not the job of governments to impede the free flow of people. It is the job of government to invest in public assets that the free market wouldn't otherwise deliver to ease growth constraints and boost wellbeing. Some government control of annual migration is necessary helps to smooth large movements and ability to plan adequate infrastructure. But it's not the job of a politician in Canberra to decide how big Australia should be. To live in the most sparsely populated continent on earth and declare ourselves full is mean-spirited, defeatist behaviour of the highest order. If people want to come here, unless we have a good reason for stopping them, we shouldn't.

In reality, annual decisions about the size of the permanent migrant intake are as much about the size of the pool of people we reject as accept. It's time we asked not "why let them in", but "why shut them out"? Migrants do no overall damage to the economy, and, with proper planning, can add immeasurably to the diversity and vibrancy of our culture. Any challenges that arise through competition for low-skilled jobs and increased urban congestion pale in comparison to the danger of embracing an anti-immigration, inward-looking and fearful national culture. If you truly love Australia, keep our borders free.
If you think that Donald Trump is a bleep on the radar, a trending fascination that Americans have with celebrity, think again. The Donald is the first of many Trumps to come. Win or lose come November 8, Trump's quest for the White House will influence American politics for the next decade.

Perhaps (although far from certain) Trump's bombastic style of politics (Trumpism) will not gain sufficient traction on a national scale to claim the White House. But that does not mean Trumpism won't get significant footing inside the US Congress.

Donald Trump's quest for the White House will influence American politics for the next decade. Credit:Andrew Harrer

Changes in policy requires support in Congress if they are to become law. From tax code reform, to an optimal health care system; from building the Supreme Court, to building the economy  no progress can be made without walking through the doors of the US Congress in some measure.

Let's face it  the president of the United States may be the most powerful (wo)man in the world, but s/he is not the most powerful person in America, at least not when it comes to passing laws for change. The US House of Representatives has to check off on it as does the Senate. And there lies what will be The Donald's real legacy.
Divisions within the Baird government over its controversial native vegetation reforms are emerging, as Liberal MP Bruce Notley-Smith warned they could trigger "further irreversible land degradation".

In a letter to a constituent, Mr Notley-Smith, the member for Coogee, said he had told Premier Mike Baird and Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair of his "strong concerns".

"I am very concerned that these reforms could lead to further irreversible land degradation and endangerment of native wildlife habitat," the MP said in his letter.

The government is planning to repeal existing native vegetation and threatened species acts, replacing them with biodiversity conservation bills originally aimed at providing better environmental outcomes while giving farmers more freedom to clear land.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has given his strongest indication yet Labor will oppose a lifetime visa ban on former refugees and asylum seekers, describing the move as "ludicrous" and unfair.

A week after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said immigration detainees held on Manus Island and Nauru would be banned on entering Australia for life, Mr Shorten said Labor received the draft legislation on Friday.

Caucus will consider the plan as Parliament resumes this week but Mr Shorten said it was a bid by Mr Turnbull to placate right wing Coalition MPs and Senate crossbenchers.

"We certainly agree that people who come here by people smugglers shouldn't be allowed to settle here permanently but this latest proposal from Mr Turnbull is just ludicrous on face value," he told ABC TV's Insiders.
Australia is hailing the promise of streamlined management and accreditation of live cattle exports to Indonesia following trade talks in Sydney on Sunday, even as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade urges tourists travelling there to avoid big crowds and to exercise caution.

The official trade level talks, described as friendly and highly constructive, went ahead despite the last-minute withdrawal of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who was scheduled to make a state visit to Canberra this week for discussions with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his ministers.

The President, universally referred to in Indonesia as Jokowi, decided to stay home to respond to extraordinary unrest on the streets of Jakarta over the alleged offence caused to the Koran, by the city's Christian and ethnically Chinese governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama also known as Ahok.

Protesters clashed with police and burnt several vehicles over the weekend, bringing central Jakarta to a standstill with Muslim hardliners insisting the local politician be jailed for blasphemy without a trial.
The amount of agricultural land owned by Chinese interests has soared above 3 million hectares, more than double the 1.46 million declared by the Australian Taxation Office last month, according to a Fairfax Media analysis of reported land sales.

The bulk of the growth arises from a recent series of significant sales in Western Australia  purchases that were not covered by the ATO foreign ownership register, which only dealt with registrations up to June 30, 2016.

But a compilation of reported land sales, endorsed by agribusiness experts, suggests that even at that date Chinese investors held about 2 million hectares of farmland, calling into question the efficacy of the register.

The 1.46 million figure was almost eclipsed by just two of the largest properties: the 705,000-hectare Wollogorang and Wentworth station on the Queensland/Northern Territory border, and the 639,500-Balfour Downs and Wandanya station in Western Australia, both owned by Chinese ball bearing billionaire Xingfa Ma.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has attacked Insiders host Barrie Cassidy, challenging him over comments about Labor's record on treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

Days after Mr Rudd ripped into Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over the government's proposed lifetime ban on resettled asylum seekers entering Australia on business or tourist visas, the former Hawke government adviser and respected commentator accused Mr Rudd of hypocrisy, because Labor had reinstated harsh offshore processing in the lead up to the 2013 election.

Mr Rudd said he had been moved to make his first significant comments on domestic Australian politics in three years, using an opinion piece for Fairfax Media to argue Mr Turnbull was doing everything he could to appease the "mad right" of the Coalition party room and that his "latest legislative folly should be opposed".

In an angry tweet on Sunday, Mr Rudd labelled Mr Cassidy a "dedicated Shortista, Gillardista" and challenged him to point out any factual errors in the 1200 word opinion piece.
The first cohort to begin the Personalized Pathways program in their freshman year will graduate next spring.
Parliament could soon have a very unlikely newcomer from Pauline Hanson's One Nation party, with West Australian senator Rodney Culleton's brother-in-law set to replace him if referral to the High Court leads to his expulsion.

Perth-based electrical contractor Peter Georgiou ran below Senator Culleton on the ticket at the July 2 federal election  but early indications suggest he's likely to be something of an outlier in One Nation's party room.

The son of Greek migrants, he's relaxed about immigration, not fazed by Australia's Muslim community and names a former Labor prime minister as one of his political heroes.

"I was quite fond of Paul Keating in his heyday," Mr Georgiou told Fairfax Media.
A Medicare overhaul is set to introduce a tiered system for people with chronic diseases that would see the most unwell patients receive $1795 in GP visits to manage their condition.

But doctors who have championed the revolutionary model say the government appeared to be cost-cutting, and it could fail from a lack of funding, leaving patients worse off.

"It turns out older GPs are not retiring after all'': Dr Bastian Seidel, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The first detailed blueprint of the government's cornerstone Health Care Homes trial shows a monthly bundled payment will replace the individual fee-for-service Medicare payments that GPs can claim for each visit to manage patients with chronic and complex health conditions.

The sicker the patient, the bigger the bundle, with those deemed to have a high risk chronic condition and complex needs  estimated to be 1 per cent of the population  attracting an average payment of $1795 a year.
There were plenty of famous faces among the Bondi beachgoers on Sunday, but they weren't there for a dip - they were there to protest the redevelopment of the iconic Pavilion.

A free concert headlined by the Hoodoo Gurus was the latest effort by 'Save Bondi Pavilion' campaigners to raise awareness about Waverley Council's proposed redevelopment of the iconic 'dressing shed', known locally as 'The Pav'.

Actor Michael Caton (left) and Hoodoo Guru's lead singer Dave Faulkner are critics of the upgrade to the Bondi Pavilion. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Australian actor Michael Caton, who has been advocating on behalf of those opposing the $38 million upgrade, is confident in the "Savethepav" campaign.

"I think we are going to win," he said. "There is no other place in Bondi for the community to get together except here, it's like taking our town hall away. When people look into the deal they'll see it has nothing in it for us."
Warm and windy weather on Tuesday has the potential to flare several bushfires burning in NSW, with firefighters keeping a close eye on the state's north.

On Monday, fire crews managed to get the upper hand on large blazes burning in the Hunter and north coast regions, which had caused traffic on the Pacific Highway to be interrupted for a second day in a row.

The highway was briefly cut at Kundabung, near Kempsey, as crews battled a fire that burned near rural properties and caused large amounts of smoke.

Backburning helped crews get "on the front foot" with the blaze, which was downgraded to "Advice" level on Monday afternoon.
Police raided a Kings Cross strip club in the early hours of Sunday morning, arresting two men after reports of drug dealing, drug use and indecent conduct at the venue.

More than a dozen officers stormed Dollhouse Strip Club on Kellett Street in Potts Point at about 12.30am.

A tactical operations unit wearing vests, face masks and helmets streamed through the street entrance. Several more uniformed police officers and a sniffer dog waited outside.

Officers searched patrons and staff in the club and led several individuals on to the footpath where they stood with their hands pressed against the venue's front fence.
A horror eight-hour period on south-east Queensland roads on Saturday has left one dead and several others injured in separate incidents.

Police confirmed a fatality at Placid Hills near Toowoomba on Saturday afternoon, after a car hit two guardrails before rolling onto its side and hitting a tree just before 4pm.

A 23-year-old Gatton man died on Saturday afternoon after his vehicle rolled onto its side before hitting a tree at Placid Hills. Credit:7 News Toowoomba

The incident involved a vehicle travelling east on Old Toowoomba Road and the 23-year-old male driver from Gatton died at the scene.

Just 30 minutes earlier, a motorbike rider was travelling south on Gap Road at Cedar Pocket, near Gympie, when he left the road and hit a barbed wire fence.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones But words will never hurt me."

I remember jumping rope to this bravado ditty at school. Even then I'm sure the other kids and I knew it for the lie it was.

The power of kindness.

By that time we'd all been at the short end of many tongue lashings from our parents, teachers, siblings and classmates. And of course, we'd lobbed a fair few of our own nasty barbs at each other.

Luckily most of us were resilient as kids and have grown up to be resilient adults. But some of us are not so lucky.
A woman has been found dead in Melbourne's outer north, triggering a homicide investigation.

Police and paramedics were called to a single-storey brick home in Craigieburn just before 11am on Sunday.

The male officer has been stood aside. Credit:Rohan Thompson

The woman was found dead while a man, who lives at the Kernan Court property, was taken in for questioning, police said.

"The exact circumstances surrounding the death are yet to be established, however, it is being treated as suspicious at this stage," said Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty.
Istanbul: Turkish authorities briefly barred cars from entering and leaving Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport on Sunday after police fired shots when a motorcycle refused an order to stop, CNN Turk said.

One of two men aboard the motorcycle was wounded and detained and the second was apprehended by police after a pursuit, the private broadcaster reported. No police or civilians were reported hurt.

In June, suicide bombers suspected of belonging to Islamic State killed 41 people and wounded some 240 others with gunfire and explosives at the airport.

The latest incident did not affect flights at Ataturk, Europe's third-busiest airport, the channel reported.
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Washington: Donald Trump's lies are so overwhelming that reporters stir them as a child does peas on a plate  marvelling at the shape and colour, but for much of the time oblivious to a greater question of "why?"

Mainstream media fact-checkers swoop, to hold the more egregious falsehoods up to the light  and to call out Trump; and their editors are increasingly comfortable with calling each lie a "lie," instead of resorting to the bendy language of the past that effectively let a liar off the hook.

Washington-based Canadian correspondent Daniel Dale has made it his mission to count every Trump lie every day  by Day 33, in mid-October, he had reached incident 253 in what he describes as the GOP candidate's "avalanche of wrongness".

By Dale's reckoning, Trump's most truthful day included just four lies; at his worst there were 25  and that doesn't include the first two candidate's debates, in which Trump uttered 34 and 33 falsehoods of varying degrees in just 90 minutes.
That's all from our live blog for today - we'll be back with a new blog very shortly.

It's just after 7.20am in Pensacola, Florida, where Donald Trump will take to the stage in a few hours.

As the sun rises, Trump and Hillary Clinton are both preparing to criss-cross the country to sway any undecided voters and shore up support at rallies.

Join us from 5am AEST for all the latest election news.
Bangkok: Terrorist groups are planning kidnappings on central Philippines islands popular with Australian tourists, including parts of the business and tourism hub of Cebu, the United States has warned.

The warning - repeated by the Australia government on its smartraveller.gov.au website - comes only days after a report that South-east Asia is facing a growing risk of extremist violence, especially from the southern Philippines, where a handful of militant Islamist groups have sworn allegiance to Islamic State.

The US warned foreigners to avoid the southern regions of Cebu, one of the nation's most popular tourist sites because of its idyllic beaches, spectacular diving and whale watching.

"The US embassy alerts US citizens that terrorist groups are planning to conduct kidnappings in areas frequented by foreigners on the southern portion of Cebu island," the advisory said.
A guide to voter rights in Indiana. What you need to know before you cast a ballot

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WASHINGTON  SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said Nov. 4 he expects the Falcon 9 rocket to return to flight in the middle of December after overcoming a problem he claimed was unprecedented in the history of spaceflight.

Musk, briefly discussing the status of SpaceX during a half-hour interview on the cable news network CNBC Nov. 4, said that investigators had determined what caused the Sept. 1 pad explosion that destroyed a Falcon 9 and its satellite payload during fueling for a static-fire test.

"I think we've gotten to the bottom of the problem," he said. "It was a really surprising problem. It's never been encountered before in the history of rocketry." [Watch SpaceX's Amazing Falcon 9 Rocket Landings]

Musk, confirming earlier discussion about the investigation, said the failure involved liquid helium being loaded into bottles made of carbon composite materials within the liquid oxygen tank in the rocket's upper stage. This created solid oxygen, which Musk previously said could have ignited with the carbon composite materials. However, he did not go into that level of detail in his CNBC comments.

"It's never happened before in history, so that's why it took us a while to sort it out," Musk said, adding that SpaceX has been working with NASA, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and commercial customers on the accident investigation. "This was the toughest puzzle to solve that we've ever had to solve."

Musk, though, suggested that the puzzle is now solved and that launches can resume in December. "It looks like we're going to be back to launching around mid-December," he said. He did not disclose what payload would fly on that return-to-flight mission, or from where the launch would take place.

SpaceX's last public statement about the accident investigation, published on its web site Oct. 28, said that the company had narrowed its focus to one of three helium bottles inside the liquid oxygen tank that burst, noting it was able to replicate the tank failure with helium loading conditions. "The root cause of the breach has not yet been confirmed," the company said at the time.

Musk's statement echoes comments made Nov. 3 by Inmarsat Chief Executive Rupert Pearce, whose company has three satellites awaiting launches on SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles. "We believe they now have found a root cause that is fixable quite easily and quite quickly," he said in a conference call with investors. "So they should be able to return to flight in December."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Russ Feingold, a candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a Seniors Early Vote Event at Yawkey Park in Wausau, Oct. 11, 2016. PHOTO BY MICHELLE STOCKER
San Salvador, November 6, 2016 (SPS) New ambassador Sueliman Tayeb Ahmed Salem presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Hugo Martinez, a copy of his credentials in his capacity as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Saharawi Republic Democratic (SADR) to the Republic of El Salvador with residence in Nicaragua.

During the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of El Salvador, Hugo Martinez reiterated the willingness of his country to strengthen diplomatic relations with the SADR.

During his visit, the Saharawi Ambassador took part, at the Legislative Palace, in the ceremony of establishment of Saharawi-Salvadoran parliamentary friendship group composed of members representing different political parties. (SPS)

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STAMFORD  Military veterans mission changes when they move to the civilian workforce; but sometimes their strategy remains the same.

As they reflect on their service in the armed forces ahead of Veterans Day, many local veterans said the experience and skills that they gained as service members motivate and inform their assignments in the civilian workforce. And many public and nonprofit programs help veterans tap into their potential to advance their careers  a shared undertaking that is extensive, but not yet complete in its reach.

The notion of having to interact with a lot of different people, from a lot of different backgrounds, at a lot of different levels  from the lowest private to the highest general  thats similar to working here, said Dan Rodriguez, a senior risk manager at Point72 Asset Management, who rose to the rank of captain and served in the first Gulf War during an eight-year Army career. You have perspective.

From military to civilian life

Veterans describe their military service as a transformative experience. But returning to civilian life also represents a crucial time.

Stamford native Walter Palma, 28, deployed with the Army National Guard for a seven-month tour in southern Afghanistan in late 2006 and early 2007.

Immediately after returning from Afghanistan, Palma started working in property management. He now manages two downtown office buildings at 733 Summer St. and 777 Summer St. The former private first class said that he benefited from career counseling from the Veterans Administration.

I wasted no time, Palma said. I thought it was very important to reintegrate myself into society to get the ball rolling and to work and go to school.

Palma would pursue his higher education by attending Norwalk Community College and now the University of Connecticut in Stamford. The GI Bill paid for his tuition. He plans to expand his career into management of other properties such as condominiums.

Rodriguez, 51, is a United States Military Academy alumnus and former Army Ranger, who began his civilian career as a college professor. But he would eventually move on to Wall Street, where the presence of two former West Point professors would propel him to success at Morgan Stanley and later Credit Suisse.

I had two of my former West Point professors in that group at Morgan Stanley, Rodriguez said. You have that commonality of experience. You can talk to each other very openly and candidly. Its not personal. Its like Hey, you stink today. You can say that, and its not a big deal.

Point72, which manages the personal fortune of hedge fund billionaire Steven Cohen, employs a number of other veterans. Brody Howatt, 40, is a trader at the firm. A West Point graduate, his service as a field artillery captain included a 13-month tour in Iraq between 2003 and 2004, during which he led raids, patrols and logistical runs between the cities of Ad-Dawr and Tikrit.

On the buy side and hedge fund world, its very similar to being in a battalion, Howatt said. You have your battalion commander and then you have your planners and then you have a guy who executes it on the ground. Within the buy-side framework, especially here, your battalion commander is that portfolio manager, your planners are your analysts and then the guys who are executing on the ground are your traders.

A range of services

In 2015, veterans comprised some 10.8 million members of the nations workforce, representing about 7 percent of the total. Connecticuts working population included close to 100,000 veterans, about 5 percent of the overall contingent.

The national veteran unemployment rate totaled 4.6 percent in 2015, compared with an overall national average of 5.3 percent.

Connecticut recorded a 4.6 percent veteran unemployment rate last year, compared with a state average of 5.6 percent. Its veteran unemployment rate ranked 22nd-highest among the states.

I think Connecticut veterans are doing very well, said Terence Brennan, director of the state Department of Labors Office for Veterans Workforce Development. Veterans have benefits other people dont, especially the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who joined post-9/11 and got the post-9/11 GI bill, which is quite a bit of funding. That helps a great deal.

The Office for Veterans Workforce Development offers a range of support programs and training initiatives for veterans. It operates with an approximately $2 million allocation each year from the U.S. Department of Labor  an allotment that has held steady in recent years, according to Brennan.

Nonprofits also play a crucial role in supporting veterans. The Bridgeport-based The Workplace, which also has a Stamford office, runs programs covering workforce training, housing and other social services that reach several hundred veterans at a time in southwestern Connecticut.

More support

While government and nonprofit programs reach tens of thousands of veterans in the state, many former service members do not avail themselves of services. Some do not want to accept government assistance, while others are skeptical of the public sector and community agencies.

How we address those challenges is by not working in a silo and working with other nonprofits in the community and with government agencies, said Tom Long, The Workplaces vice president of marketing, communications and planning. The solution to supporting our veterans is not something we can do by ourselves or alone.

More communication with veterans could also encourage more of them to use services, Palma said.

In that sense, there could be improvements with maybe more community outreach to get veterans to meet with community leaders, take part in job training and get them to engage in community activities, Palma said. Its very important to motivate them to take part.

Veterans affairs comprises a major priority for the two major-party U.S. Senate candidates on the ballot this year in Connecticut: Democrat Richard Blumenthal and his challenger, state Rep. Dan Carter, R-2.

Last month, Blumenthal introduced the USERRA Improvement Act of 2016. The bill aims to expand protections for service members related to their return to civilian jobs.

Right now, someone who leaves for military service and then returns has to enforce his or her own rights, said Blumenthal, a member of the Senates Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees.  My measure would strengthen enforcement of those rights by empowering the Department of Justice to take legal action against employers who fail to give veterans their jobs back.

Messages left with Carters campaign and legislative office were not returned.

Point72s Howatt said that veterans represent one of the most promising and reliable groups for any prospective employers.

I just think a lot of companies need to take the shot on these guys, Howatt said. What veterans brings is you really need to have teamwork. When everyone gets on that page, you can ultimately reach that goal.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
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OK, we did some of the heavy lifting for you. We interviewed candidates, did some truth-squadding on their claims and offered our opinions on which of them we believe are best prepared to serve in office.

We are not suggesting our preferences are the only good candidates out there. In some cases, there were narrow distinctions between the candidates we favored and their rivals. In other cases, its simply a matter of which principles and values you embrace.

Dont envy the work our local winners have in store for them. They will sacrifice family and career time to travel to Washington, D.C., or Hartford, and while constituent work can nourish the soul, the rewards are countered by the grind, political opposition and public criticism.

Heres a summary of our endorsements. We have not cast choices in unopposed races, though we support the return of incumbent state Rep. William Tong in District 147. We are also disappointed that Stamford voters have been deprived of choices in this years Board of Education election. Now its your turn to take a stand.

U.S. President: Electing our first woman president is a pivotal next step in Americas evolution as a country with ideals that have still not been fully realized after 240 years. President Hillary Clinton is the only outcome that furthers those principles this November. The grand experiment that is the United States of America once again needs its people to collectively push it forward.

U.S. Senate: (Richard Blumenthal) has kept his focus  and his not inconsiderable muscle  on the big issues, including, but not limited to, gun safety, rail safety and fighting for the middle class and consumers by continuing the work he began as attorney general in Connecticut.

U.S. House: We endorse Jim Himes for another term and expect that he will work to make college more affordable, fix the Affordable Care Act, and reform immigration while helping the middle class and the economy with more skilled jobs in Connecticut.

State Senator, 36th District: As a member of the minority Republican Party, L. Scott Frantz has raised his voice to oppose weak bills and inappropriate taxes.

State Senator, 27th District: Gino Bottino, a doctor and Republican, offers a welcome new voice to a delegation that tilts heavily Democrat.

State Representative, District 144: Caroline Simmons has embraced a scope of causes atypical of a freshman lawmaker.

State Representative, District 145: Patricia Billie Millers literal miles covered routinely walking her district as well as her seasoning in office have given her a significant advantage in this race.

State Representative, District 146: Terry Adams was a pretty raw rookie lawmaker, but has benefited from his seasoning in Hartford and championed issues that matter to his district.

State Representative, District 148 : Dan Fox has emerged from major medical setbacks with a passion for his state duties and a determination to reform medical legislation.

For deeper coverage, including complete endorsements and videos of candidates making their elevator pitches, go to stamfordadvocate.com/elections/
Editors note: The State Journal asked Donald Trumps campaign for a column by Trump making his case for the presidency to Wisconsin voters. The campaign sent this column by Mike Pence, his running mate.

In the closing stages of this campaign, Donald Trump has presented a Contract With the American Voter that will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, secure our porous borders, repeal and replace Obamacare, and finally get our economy growing again.

As Hillary Clinton faces more questions about her integrity as a candidate, I couldnt be more proud to run with Donald Trump on the issues facing the American people. Our comprehensive plan of tax, trade, regulatory, energy and health care reforms is just the right medicine to restore American strength and prosperity.

Our opponents in this race want you to believe that our economy is as strong as it can be, that taxing businesses is the only way to build new infrastructure, that Hillary Clintons dream of an open border is shared by all of us, and that Obamacare is a work-in-progress rather than in total collapse. The people of American know different. Donald Trump and I know different.

To start, we are going to cut taxes for families and employers like I have as Indianas governor. Lower business taxes will incentivize our corporations to build their factories and products in states such as Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio rather than in China, Mexico and Vietnam. Lower personal income taxes will create more consumption, savings and investment and create more jobs and growth.

We are going to dramatically reduce Americas regulatory burden  an astonishing $2 trillion annual hidden tax of almost $15,000 on every American household. On day one, we will impose a regulation moratorium and order every government agency to eliminate wasteful regulations. This streamlining, in the tradition of Ronald Reagan, will make our businesses more competitive globally and deliver cheaper products to our door.

Donald Trump and I also will squarely address this nations severe infrastructure gap. Our American Infrastructure Act will transform Americas crumbling infrastructure into a golden opportunity for accelerated growth. This $1 trillion revenue-neutral plan will create thousands of jobs in construction, steel, manufacturing and other sectors to build the transportation, water, telecommunications and energy infrastructures we need to spur economic development.

We will lift restrictions on access to job-producing American energy reserves and allow vital energy infrastructure projects to move forward  invigorating job growth in energy-producing states from Colorado, the Dakotas, Iowa, Texas and Wyoming to Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Lower energy and electricity costs will make our companies more competitive and boost the purchasing power of Americas consumers  spurring yet more job and economic growth.

Even as Obamacare is imploding, insurance premiums are exploding  up by 116 percent in Arizona, 53 percent in Pennsylvania, and 40 percent in North Carolina alone. Over a million Americans in 33 states are going to lose their plans in 2017. While Hillary Clinton wants to double down on this disaster, we will replace it with a truly affordable system based on more competition and choice.

Finally, Donald Trump and I will usher in a new era in trade policy with our End the Offshoring Act. We will simultaneously crack down on the trade cheaters and renegotiate every bad trade deal Bill and Hillary Clinton have gotten us into  from 1993s NAFTA and Chinas 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization to the 2012 South Korea deal, which has devastated the U.S. auto industry.

The damage being done in communities across our nation is not because of trade itself but because of politicians in Washington, D.C. poorly negotiating trade deals.

Our Contract With the American Voter offers the American people a clear choice. To make America great again, our plan is to grow the nations economy and get government off the backs of hardworking Americans. Clintons plan is to grow government. We ask for your support on Nov. 8. We wont let you down.
A British teacher has been found dead in his friends apartment following a night of heavy drinking in Myanmar.

The body of the 47-year-old, who had suffered head and chest wounds, was found by his wife on Sunday.

Local police have launched a manhunt for his 25-year-old friend  who is also a British teacher at the same school.

According to the AFP news agency, the victims wife told officers he had been out drinking in Yangon and she had been unable to contact him.

She phoned police on Sunday after finding his body in the apartment.

A police officer said: The victim and defendant are school teachers from Horizon International School and they are friends.

He added that the man was still at large.
S cotland Yard is probing whether hackers are responsible for part of its website being brought down while thousands of masked activists descended on central London last night.

The Met confirmed the news section of its website was hit by technical difficulties during the Million Mask March demonstration, which is linked to hacktivist group Anonymous.

A total of 53 people were arrested as violence erupted during the protest by anti-capitalists wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Most of the arrests were for drug offences and obstruction of officers.

The Met said "the majority of those taking part were peaceful" but there were "pockets" of disorder and multiple fireworks thrown, though they did not inflict injury.

Police bottled at Million Mask March 2016

A major police presence was drafted in to patrol the protest, which focused mainly around Trafalgar Square.

A protester at last night's Million Mask March / PA

But as officers were dealing with the demonstration, Scotland Yards website crashed  with widespread claims on social media that Anonymous may be behind a cyber-attack designed to coincide with the Million Mask March.

Fireworks thrown at bus stop at Million Mask March

A Met Police spokesman told the Evening Standard that a section of the forces website used for media purposes was brought down and an investigation into the cause will be carried out.

Million Mask March London 2016 1 /20 Million Mask March London 2016 Getty Images Getty Images Protesters confront the police on The Strand, PA Protesters confront the police on The Strand PA Police arrest a protester clutching a mask in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Protesters don V for Vendetta-inspired Guy Fawkes masks EPA Protestors follow police down Whitehall, London PA There is an increased police presence for the march Joel Goodman/LNP Masked protesters hold banners and flares as they stand on Nelson's Column Getty Images The march was organised by the group Anonymous to protest austerity, government policy and what they consider corperate AFP/Getty Images Campaigners set off flares as they began the march to Downing Street Getty Images The group met at Trafalgar Square Getty Images A masked protester holds a sign which reads 'We Are Legion' in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Many are wearing the Guy Fawkes mask associated with the Anonymous hacking collective Getty Images A protester holds a sign reading 'England under new management' AFP/Getty Images

Last nights protest  which about 20,000 people had said they planned to attend - began peacefully, with several participants climbing the base of Nelson's column and chanting the slogan "one solution, revolution".

Ugly scenes marred last year's march, which saw four officers injured after missiles and fireworks were thrown at them.

A protester stops for a selfie in front of police at the march / Getty Images

Scotland Yard imposed restrictions on this year's event amid concerns over any repeat of the disorder, limiting the march to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.

Dozens of police vans head to Million Mask March

The procession began along Whitehall and there were angry scenes as police formed a ring of steel outside Parliament.

Masked march: Police arrest a protester by Buckingham Palace / Getty Images

Officers stood firm, telling the protesters to stay within the boundaries. Several supporters, masked and otherwise, argued they should be free to pass on public roads.

The crowds also ignited fireworks and flares in front of Westminster Abbey.

Among the protesters was Angela Windsor, an unemployed 40-year-old, who said she travelled from Wales to take part in the event.

She said: "Nobody is protecting people - nobody cares. I think everyone here cares enough about people to make the effort to come down and try and do something, because the officials aren't doing it."

She said anyone who tried to incite a repeat last year's violent displays would be missing the point, saying: "Nobody wants a fight, we just want change."

A masked protester holds up a flare on Whitehall / Getty Images

But she was forced to defend the wording of a sign she was brandishing - including the words "death to the monarchy" - when questioned about it by passers-by.

Another protester, a London-based mental health worker who gave his name as Jay, stood out from the crowd dressed as Santa and bearing a sign pledging "free hugs".

The 30-year-old said he chose to dress as Father Christmas to show "not all of us are down here for violence".

Police at the protest in central London / PA

He said: "I'm the only Santa who doesn't give out presents, because it is all capitalism. I give out free hugs, which I think is much better than a 300 present."

The protest in Parliament Square dwindled by several hundred people at around 7.30pm as one man was seen being led away by officers.

One man climbed atop the memorial to Field Marshal Haig and shouted "this is for all of us" to onlookers and passing motorists.

A man is pinned down police during clashes / REUTERS

Shortly before 9pm, as the end of the march approached, there were chaotic scenes are riot police moved in to make an arrest.

A group of protesters surrounded and charged the officers, with shouts of "f*** the police" and "police brutality".

Several bottles were thrown as police escorted another protester away as pockets of aggression flared sporadically throughout Trafalgar Square.

Commander BJ Harrington, of the Met's Public Order Command, said: "I would like to commend my officers policing this challenging event for their professionalism and faultless co-ordination.

"I would also like to thank those participants who conducted themselves in a peaceful manner as well as Londoners and those visiting our city for their patience and tolerance."

Responding to the problems with the Met's website, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Met News web address news.met.police.uk which is run on a separate platform to the normal Met police website is now working fine.

"During the time the Met News web address was not working - between the evening of Saturday, 5 November and the morning of Sunday, 6 November - an alternative Met News web address mynewsdesk.com/uk/metpoliceuk was used and worked with no issues.

"We have contacted our supplier regarding the temporary disruption to the usual Met News web address."
A selfish thief stole a Poppy Appeal collection box from a McDonalds restaurant in south London.

CCTV footage shows the man, wearing a brown flat cap, untie the chain on the box and then slip it up his beige coat before hurrying off.

Police have now released footage from the restaurant in Market Square, Bromley, in the hope it will help them track the thief down.

Officers were called to the McDonalds at 8am last Sunday after staff suspected the British Legion collection tin had been stolen.

Suspect: the man was wearing a brown cap / Met Police

Bromley Police Constable Vlad Balog said: "At a time when we wear a poppy and think of those who gave their lives for us and our country, it is appalling to see such a selfish act.

We are keen to identify the man in the CCTV footage so that we can speak to him about the incident. We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us."

The suspect is described as a white man of medium build, in his early 40s and wearing a brown cap, beige coat, black trousers and black shoes.

The Poppy Appeal is the British Legions biggest annual charity collection in the run-up to Remembrance Day on Sunday 13, raising funds for the armed forces community.
T errified passengers fled from an Overgound train in Hackney after a lit firework was thrown into a carriage full of families.

The firework was lobbed through the open doors as the train was stationary on a platform at Hackney Central station.

Passengers hastily ran from the explosive, with some thinking it was a bomb or gunshot.

One person wrote on Twitter that people were "running for their lives" in fear.

Analyst Ana Maria Bilciu was in the train carriage that the firework was thrown into and described the panic of those around her.

She said: It was an overall scary experience, especially for the people with young children  it landed right next to me.

I just heard a banging sound and everybody got scared and thought it was a gun shot or something.

It was literally a human stampede and people were shouting and screaming as they ran out of the train and onto the platform.

Kids were shouting for their mums and everyone was really panicked.

No one was believed to be injured in the incident, which took place on Sunday evening.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said: We were called to Hackney Central station around 6.40pm on Sunday 6 November following reports that a firework was thrown in a carriage.

Enquiries are underway to identify who is responsible and officers are appealing to any passengers who witnessed the incident to get in touch.

Anyone with information is asked to text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 quoting 360 of 6/11.
T his is the moment a pensioner in his car is surrounded by an angry mob of protesters who attack his vehicle as he cowers inside.

Furious crowds descended on the man's car and appeared to smash its window as he attempted to drive through the demonstration on Green Lanes in Haringey.

The driver is seen battling through the 'aggressive' crowd and, according to eyewitnesses, suffered injuries to his face before managing to escape in his vehicle.

The protest, which began at Manor House and progressed along Green Lanes, saw hundreds of campaigners march in solidarity with the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) following the arrest of Lawmakers in Turkey.

HR manager Julia Sandler, 32, caught the moment on camera and told the Standard: It started out peaceful.

Protest on Green Lanes against arrest of lawmakers in Turkey

As the protesters made their way down Green Lanes, some seemed to have some sort of altercation with a car driving by.

It turned aggressive quite quickly, smashing the cars window.

The group carried on further down Green Lanes  there were approximately 1000 protesters.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that officers are looking into allegations of assault in connection with the video.

No arrests have been made.
It wasnt long ago when a Wisconsin farmer stood a better chance of rolling a 300, or perfect, game in bowling than producing a corn crop with a yield of 300 bushels per acre.

The odds have changed in favor of the 300-bushel yield this year, thanks to a near-perfect growing season that has experts predicting record corn and soybean yields throughout much of the state, including Dane County.

I would imagine well get to 300 this year by somebody around here, and I think its that good that well get it. Thats the number farmers dream of, said Heidi Johnson, UW-Extensions Dane County agricultural agent.

The number has already been reached by Wisconsin farmers. The record for irrigated corn is 327 bushels an acre set by Jeff Laskowski, of Plover, in 2012, while the record for non-irrigated corn is 322.3 bushels an acre set by Betty Steiger, of Bloomington, in 2013, according to the National Corn Growers Association. A bushel weighs 56 pounds.

Record yields were predicted after Wisconsin led the country for the highest percentage of corn and soybeans in good or excellent condition for much of the growing season. A rainy spell in September created problems with the harvest in some parts of the state, but it didnt hamper the crops in south-central Wisconsin.

In my three decades doing this, this is the best growing season weve had. It might be another 30 years before we see a year like this again, said Mark Mayer, UW-Extensions ag agent for Green County.

The state is expected to produce 549 million bushels, or nearly 15.4 million tons, of corn for grain this year. That is nearly 7 percent higher than the state record 515 million bushels harvested in 2011 and up 57 million bushels, or 11.6 percent, higher than last years total, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

It also predicted that the average yield would reach 177 bushels per acre, which is 13 bushels higher than the record set last year.

Last year, the state ranked ninth in the country in corn for grain production, with a value of at $1.67 billion, NASS reports.

As the harvest nears completion, Green County is looking at a corn yield average nearing 200 bushels an acre, which would easily break the existing county record of 178 set in 2009, Mayer said.

The quality of the corn is at high levels, too, experts are saying. Quality is usually dictated by the type of growing season you have, said Tom Stehr, grain manager for VitaPlus, a Madison-based livestock feed company.

The soybean yield looks just as impressive, and the average yield should break records both in the Green County (56.5 bushels an acre set in 2011) and Wisconsin-wide (50.5 bushels set in 2010), Mayer said.

The average soybean yield for the state is expected to reach 52 bushels per acre for a total production of 101 million bushels (606 million pounds), which would break the record of 92.6 million bushels set last year, according to NASS.

Wisconsins soybean crop is the 14th largest in the U.S. and is worth about $786 million, NASS has reported.

Rock County has seen soybean yields above 100 bushels per acre in some places, and counties north of Dane County are seeing yields above 65 in sandy soil, or 20 bushels above average, Johnson said.

Ive had some crazy soybean numbers. The beans are off the charts, Johnson said.

One key downside: The harvest is being greeted by continued low prices. Corn futures for December delivery hovered around $3.50 a bushel, which most experts believe is below the break-even point for farmers to make money.

Many farmers who didnt sell their corn when December future prices were above $4 a bushel earlier this year are going to store this years corn harvest and sell it when prices rise again, according to Mayer.

Im not hearing or seeing anything piled yet, he said, meaning storage capacity is keeping up with the bumper crop. Thats a good thing as well.

Despite wetter conditions for this harvest compared with last year, most of the corn is drying naturally, and that reduces farmers drying expenses, according to VitaPluss Stehr.

Its a different story for soybeans. Were seeing more wet soybeans than I can remember. But its not extreme. Its not like some years with really wet corn where farmers get a big drying bill. Its on the lower end (for cost) this year, he said.
A motorcyclist died after crashing into the back of a car on a busy east London road.

Emergency services were called to the site of the collision on East India Dock Road in Poplar at around 2.15pm on Saturday.

The 29-year-old man was rushed to an east London hospital but died from his injuries just after 4pm.

The driver of the car stopped at the scene and there have been no arrests in connection with the incident.

Police are now appealing for witnesses who may have seen the collision or the events leading up to it.

A Met Police spokesman said: Officers were called at approximately 14:15hrs on Saturday, 5 November to reports of a motorcycle in collision with the rear of a car in East India Dock Road, at the junction with Poplar Bath Street, E14.

London Ambulance Service attended and the motorcyclist, a man aged 29, was taken to an east London hospital for treatment to his injuries. He died in hospital at 16:03hrs.

Anyone who was in the area and witnessed the collision, or the events leading up to the collision, is asked to contact police via 101.

Officers from the Mets Serious Collision Investigation Unit based at Chadwell Heath continue to investigate.
A seven-year-old Muslim boy was reported to police by his primary school after staff mistook a piece of brass for a bullet.

The boy was said to be very distressed and intimidated when two officers arrived at his home to interview him.

His mother, an academic at a West Midlands university, said it would not have happened if he were not a Muslim.

St Edwards Catholic primary school in Birmingham contacted police after the boy claimed a brass cylinder was actually a bullet for a rifle. He also said his teenage brother, who had been on an army cadets course, had held a weapon.

Bullet: the boy claimed a piece of brass was a real bullet / Shutterstock

His mother, who has not been named, refused to let the officers question her son and was furious the school had not contacted her.

She told the Sunday Times: I dont think the school would have escalated it if we were not Muslim. It was almost as though we needed to prove our innocence rather than they would need to prove that they had a reasonable basis for questioning us or proving our guilt.

I dont want to sue the police or the school but I do want my issue highlighted for them and other schools to know that they just cant do that. They cant deal with Muslim children in a different way from anybody else and they cant bypass the parents.

Speaking to Tell Mama, a charity that monitors Islamophobia, she added: It immediately became apparent that neither the school nor the police thought it was a real bullet, yet nobody thought to use some common sense. Instead it was unduly escalated and left my seven-year-old very distressed and intimidated that police officers were insisting to question him directly.

The schools headteacher, Joanne Kennet, was adamant the course of action would always be the same regardless of religion.

She told the Sunday Times: As a Catholic school, all our children are treated equally and we pride ourselves on the diversity of our pupil intake and community. There have been disclosures made of a similar nature from children who were not from Muslim families and the same course of action has been taken.

A West Midlands police spokesman said: The item was examined and found not to be a bullet and no further action was taken.
W alkers crisps and Birds Eye fish fingers could be the latest supermarket favourites set to increase in price following Brexit.

They have joined other household brands such as Typhoo and Marmite in the row over the dramatic decrease in the value of the pound.

The brands are asking for price rises of up to 12 per cent to counteract the drop in the value of the pound against the euro dollar since the UK voted to leave the European Union.

According to The Guardian Walkers wants to hike the price of a standard bag of crisps from 50p to 55p.

Marmitegate: Uniliever, owners of Marmite, were the first to request higher prices / Alastair Grant/AP

A spokesman from Walkers, PepsiCo, said: Whilst our potatoes are British, we import a number of different ingredients and materials to produce a finished packet of Walkers crisps such as seasonings, oil for frying and key raw materials used in our packaging film.

Fluctuating foreign exchange rates, supply pressure on key ingredients and the weakened value of the pound are impacting the import cost of some of our materials and affecting the price of material costs based on commodities that are traded in foreign currencies.

Birds Eye reportedly want to decrease package sizes and cut the number of fish fingers in each box.

Jeremy Hunt: Brexit will not lead to a general election

Birds Eye managing director, Wayne Hudson, told the paper: Increasing costs is not a decision we take lightly, and the last time it was necessary to raise costs was in 2012.

As such, we have been in open and collaborative conversations with the retailers for some time now and are working closely with them to minimise any impact on our customers.

Our first priority is always to the people who buy our brands and we are committed to ensuring they get the best quality products that provide value for money.

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Supermarket sources said both companies had kicked off talks shortly after Unilever began discussions with grocers.
A 36 ft effigy of Donald Trump was set ablaze in a small town in Kent to celebrate Bonfire Night.

The towering model of the Republican presidential candidate was stuffed with oil-soaked newspapers and torched by residents in Edenbridge.

Organisers of the event, which always picks out a celebrity to be its Guy Fawkes, said Mr Trump was the overwhelming favourite this year despite an unusually long list of candidates.

He was dressed smartly on his upper body with a tie depicting the US flag but wore nothing but Mexican-themed boxer shorts below the waist.

He also cradled the severed head of presidential rival Hillary Clinton in one arm, her hair immaculate but her face clearly in shock.

Edenbridge Bonfire Society spokesman Jeni Fox said beforehand: "We were spoilt for choice in terms of potential contenders with a shortlist of around 10 potential runners but the people's choice stole the vote.

Bonfire night: Donald Trump holds Hillary Clinton's head / EPA

"We are literally helping Trump to live out his own catchphrase 'burn it down' by exploding the 11metre effigy as the opening act for our fireworks display.

"It only seemed fair that Hillary Clinton took some of the limelight, and we are sure the presidential candidates will be pleased to see they are both featured.

Mr Trump beat disgraced former England manager Sam Allardyce and controversial X-Factor contestant Honey G to the honour.

There are just two days remaining before the US must decide between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
A Donald Trump rally descended into chaos last night as the Republican presidential candidate was bundled off stage by his security team.

With just two full days left before the US election, Mr Trump was delivering a speech at a packed rally in Reno in the swing-state of Nevada.

But a panic was sparked when someone near a man said to have been holding an anti-Trump placard claimed the protester had a gun.

It sparked panic in the crowd as several hundred people surged towards the back of the hall.

Panic: Secret Service agents rush Mr Trump off the stage / REUTERS

The protester, Austyn Crites, 33, was tackled to the ground and searched.

No weapon was found and it is believed a tightly folded poster under his arm may have been misidentified as a firearm.

As Mr Trump noticed the commotion, he stopped talking and shielded his eyes, before two agents grabbed him and marched him quickly off stage.

Several Trump supporters detained the alleged protestor by wrestling him to the ground and then lying on top of him.

Minutes later Mr Crites, who held a Republicans against Trump sign, was escorted out in handcuffs by police. He has since been released.

Confident: Donald Trump punches the air after returning to the stage / REUTERS

Mr Crites later confirmed that he was moving through the crowd but claimed he was merely walking forward in order to hold his sign up.

All of a sudden people next to me are starting to get violent; theyre grabbing at my arm, trying to rip the sign out of my hand, he told the Guardian.

As I was taken from the room, people are just looking at me like Im a demon."

US election: Trump and Clinton on attack in final week

Mr Crites said that he heard someone shout something about a gun and that he kept telling them he had just been holding a sign.

He added: "I've been supporting Republican candidates for quite some time - but I just don't support Donald Trump."

Mr Trump eventually returned to the stage and thanked the Secret Service agents, saying: Those guys are fantastic.

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Nobody said it was going to be easy but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped, he added.

A Secret Service spokesman said: Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted gun. Secret Service agents and Reno police officers immediately apprehended the subject.

Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found.

Just two days remain for Mr Trump and rival Hillary Clinton to campaign in the race to become the next president of the United States.
Brad Stevens is frustrated, closing his furniture store and unsure about the future.

He also stands to lose about $500,000 in sales.

Stevens knew more than two years ago that his high-end furniture store, Stevens Design, along Verona Road, would be a casualty in the multi-year road construction project that has clogged the Beltline, redesigned intersections and widened the roadway. The plans call for the construction of a bridge over Highway PD which would mean the southbound exit ramp for the intersection would be built in front his store and include a 24-foot-high wall. Stevens, who says more than 38 percent of his business is from drive-by traffic, knew his store couldnt co-exist with the new road design.

So in early September, Stevens inked a deal with a company that specializes in liquidation sales. The contract essentially sells the stores inventory to the liquidation company which then runs a going-out-of-business sale. Everything appeared to be on track, but then Gov. Scott Walker announced in mid September, that he wants to delay certain road construction projects in the 2017-19 transportation budget.

One of those Walker has proposed delaying is the Verona Road project by two years. State lawmakers will begin debating the budget early next year but Stevens said if it is delayed, he has no way of reopening his store. Had he not sold his inventory and started a going-out-ofbusiness sale, he could have remained open.

His 12,000-square-foot store sells $8,000 dining room sets, $10,000 grandfather clocks, $2,700 curios and other expensive furniture, and is one of the few dealers in the state that sells Stickley Furniture, a New York-based company founded in 1900.

I could have stayed open another two years, Stevens said. Thats a huge difference, but I was at a point of no return.

Stage 1 of the Beltline/Verona Road project cost $139 million, took three years to complete, has been focused on the Beltline, and Verona Road from the Beltline to Raymond Road and is scheduled to wrap up this month. The second stage between Raymond Road and just south of Highway PD could cost nearly $150 million. It includes construction of an underpass at Williamsburg Way and overpass at McKee Road and expanding Verona Road to six lanes from McKee Road to Raymond Road. The initial schedule called for those improvements to occur between 2017 and 2020, but Walkers proposal would push the work to between 2019 and 2022.

No one denies that this road construction project will significantly impact the businesses and commuters along Verona Road. Why is the current legislature not prioritizing healthy business development by reducing delays in construction that has already begun? the Verona Road Business Coalition wrote this fall in a letter to the governor. Businesses need more certainty in order to make rational business decisions. The uncertainty surrounding Verona Road Stage 2 construction question creates an unfriendly business environment for all concerned, locally and on a statewide basis.

Stevens founded his furniture store in 2005 shortly after his mother, Buffy McGilligan Stevens, closed McGilligans Interiors, located along Verona Road just north of where Stevens Design is located.

Stevens started his store in Middleton but doubled his space when he moved to 5356 King James Way in 2009. Customers enter from King James Way, but the store fronts Verona Road.

At its peak, he had 12 employees but had just four employees when he sold his inventory in September.

Stevens, 51, is also part owner of McGilligans Upholstery Shop, 2912 Syene Road, which was founded by his great grandfather in 1917. That business will continue, but Stevens has placed his Stevens Design building on the market for $899,999.

They said its still a perfectly fine building, which it is. Right now, best use is retail, based on the traffic, based on the prettiness of the interior and so on and so forth, Stevens said. After (road construction is completed), best use will be warehouse or light manufacturing.

Stevens, who started working in the family upholstery shop when he was in elementary school in the 1970s, said he plans to work as a consultant for other furniture stores but said its unlikely he will get back into retail if and when he opens another business. The area used to be home to other high-end furniture stores but few high-end shops remain.

Its so hard to compete with the dot com, even in furniture, Stevens said. Its been a good ride and the market shifts. I think theres still legs for the high end, especially because Madison is a very desirable city. My fear is that when we go out of business Madison will be uneducated in better (furniture) goods. There are probably five lines (in my store) that somebody could do well with but retail is much different than it used to be.

Dorn sport shop cuts hours

The Verona Road construction is also getting part of the blame for reducing the hours of one the citys most popular bait and tackle shops.

Tom Dorn, president of Dorn Hardware, said the companys Dorn Outdoor Pro Shop, located below the hardware store at Midvale Boulevard and the Beltline, is no longer open on Mondays. Customer traffic has been reduced on Mondays and Tuesdays and access into the parking lot has been limited during construction. The parking lot has also lost, on a permanent basis, an entrance an exit on the west side of the lot that allowed customers to come and go via the westbound on-ramp to the Beltline after the interchange was reconfigured.

In addition, an entrance on the north side of property forces customers to wind behind a closed restaurant building that could someday be home to a PDQ convenience store but for now serves an obstacle for customers, many of whom are pulling boats.

It doesnt work very well right now, Dorn said. You have to plan. It gets to be tricky how you navigate the whole site.

Dorn said he didnt consider reducing hours at the hardware store but said he chose to eliminate a day of business at the sporting goods store because he couldnt reduce the number of employees working at the store. It sells fishing gear, live bait and archery equipment. Ice fishing gear is being stocked and hes unsure if the shop will go back to seven days a week in the spring, arguably the shops busiest time of the year.

One guy cant run this, Dorn said. Is it long term? I dont know. Is it short term? I dont know. It really depends on how quickly the customer traffic comes back to this intersection and people find their way into the mall and shop the store.

Wollersheim promoting

future winemakers

Wollersheim Winery has donated $25,057 to the UW-Madison Fermentation Sciences program, money that represents the proceeds from the sale of Red Fusion wine.

The wine was produced through the Campus Craft Winery, a collaboration between the Fermentation Sciences Program and Wollersheim, which is located near Prairie du Sac. In the program, taught by Jim Steele, a food science professor, and Nick Smith, an enologist, students produced the wine, came up with the name and designed the label. This years effort resulted in 230 cases of wine but officials hope to produce over 1,000 cases in 2017.

Red Fusion uses grapes from Wisconsin and is similar to Cabernet. Marechal Foch grapes make up 43 percent of the product, along with Frontenac (29 percent), St. Croix (16 percent) and Marquette (12 percent). Grapes were donated from Wollersheim and Danzinger Vineyard of Alma and produced at Wollersheim.

The program is modeled after a similar program focused on beer developed by students in a small campus brewery with the winner commercially brewed at Wisconsin Brewing Co. in Verona. This years beer resulted in an ale called SWheat Caroline.
The latest round of investment in Midwestern BioAg Inc. caught many eyes simply because of its size: The 33-year-old company has raised $21.3 million to continue a $40 million recapitalization that began in 2014.

It also deserved notice because of a phrase used to describe the role of two of its latest financiers: Mission-related investments.

Along with four other investors, the Mc- Knight Foundation and the Franciscan Sisters of Mary also made mission-related investments in the company through Imprint Capital Advisors, a division of Goldman Sachs.

Mission investments are investments made by foundations and other mission-based organizations to further their philanthropic goals. Also known as impact investments, mission investments are intended to generate both a measurable social or environmental benefit as well as a financial return.

In short, theyre market-rate investments that are expected to make money while simultaneously doing good according to the investors larger goals.

Were seeking opportunities to align our investments more closely with the foundations mission. This presents opportunities for both financial and environmental returns, said Elizabeth McGeveran, director of impact investing at The McKnight Foundation.

The companys expertise in nutrient efficiency helps farmers increase yields and the nutritional content of food  that hits the financial goal. It also means fewer fertilizers escape into water supplies or the atmosphere  that hits the environmental goals of a cleaner Mississippi River and fewer greenhouse gases, she added.

The topic will take center stage during the annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, to be held Nov. 16-17 at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. A panel of national experts will open the second day of the conference with a discussion of investment trends that emerging companies should know  including mission investing.

Among the Nov. 17 panelists is Rick Moss, co-founder of Better Ventures, a venture capital firm in Oakland, California, that views mission-related investments are core to its business. Better Ventures has invested in Wisconsin through Golden Angels, a Milwaukee-based angel network that is one of the two largest angel networks in the state.

We back smart and scrappy teams of two or more co-founders building highly scalable and capital efficient technology companies that address big global challenges, Moss said.

Those include low-cost web and mobile technologies, platforms tied to preventative health and technologies that promote sustainability across the economy.

While its not mission investing in the social sense, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has supported its own mission over time by investing directly in startup companies created with UW-Madison technologies.

Long known for patenting and licensing inventions rooted in the Madison campus, WARF began investing in some of those companies more than 15 years ago and appears poised to consider doing more.

The new managing director of WARF, Erik Iverson, helped to create the internal venture capital fund at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation during his tenure there. The Gates Foundation uses the fund to build upon its grants and other program activities, especially in global health.

The unique corporate structure of BrightStar Wisconsin is another Wisconsin example. Led by entrepreneur Tom Shannon, it is a nonprofit, early stage fund that has invested in about three-dozen companies. Its stated mission is to serve as an efficient philanthropic conduit for keeping our best and brightest in Wisconsin by creating high-paying jobs that will help our state compete, prosper and thrive.

A deeper commitment to mission investing was among the recommendations in the Wisconsin Technology Councils May report on The Value of Higher Education to Wisconsins Economy. It called upon other institutions tied to higher education to band together and become a catalyst to help fill Wisconsins capital void.

Mission investing should become a part of Wisconsins strategy for spurring growth. If our own institutions dont demonstrate their confidence in our best and brightest entrepreneurs by being among the first to invest in them, why should anyone else?
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After becoming Folklore Villages executive director two summers ago, Terri Van Orman made a discovery at the site: Record albums.

Boxes of them. Stashed in a garage, buried in closets, set behind the furnace in the furnace room and left.

Though dusty, sometimes moldy, those boxes of records, Van Orman knew, were like treasure chests for the folk life center. Pressed into the vinyl recordings were generations of international folk songs and dance music  once collected, played and beloved by the late founder of Folklore Village, Jane Farwell.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Farwells birth. Known as one of the founders of the modern folk dance movement, Farwell established Americas first folk dance camps and training for recreation leaders in the mid-20th century. She founded Folklore Village, which offers year-round cultural and educational programming and a village of historic buildings near Dodgeville, in 1966.

Everywhere she went around the world, teaching folk dance or studying it, Farwell picked up records. 45s. 78s. And the more modern LPs, slipped into cardboard jackets covered with the fine print of liner notes.

Those records  2,968 in all  are now being cleaned and archived thanks to a $4,240 grant from the Grammy Foundation.

The foundation, whose mission is to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture, also awarded $5,102 to the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research at UW-Madison. The WCFTR used the funds to digitize and preserve rare recordings of music by the composer/lyricist Marc Blitzstein.

Stored in sturdy cardboard boxes designed to hold liquor bottles, the recordings at Folklore Village date back not only to the era of turntables and vinyl, but to a time in folk dance when recorded music was preferred to a live band.

The beauty of it for these dance instructors was  the rhythm is always the same, the length is always the same, so they can choreograph the way they want and know the music will be there to support it no matter what, Van Orman said.

Today, folk dancers are more accustomed to live music, the kind found at events like Folklore Villages regular hoe-down dances, its Swedish Music and Dance Weekend, or its annual Festival of Christmas and Midwinter Traditions, which runs Dec. 28 through Jan. 1. (Dance, along with music and food, also will be highlighted this Saturday when the Friends of Folklore Village close out their centennial celebration of Farwells birth with a family-friendly evening called ExtravaDANCEa.)

Using the Grammy Foundation money, Van Orman bought a record cleaning machine and hired Christopher Bishop and David Natvig to help archive Farwells collection. The two started with LPs, ranging from an Oktoberfest recording issued by the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce to Folk Songs and Dances of Iran.

Each vinyl record is washed with a solution of distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and a tiny drop of laundry detergent. The record sleeve is replaced with one made from acid-free archival paper. Information from the album jacket is entered into a database.

Sometimes theres a lot of information. Sometimes theres hardly any, said Natvig, who is working on his Ph.D. in Scandinavian studies at UW-Madison and spent last summer helping with the Folklore Village project.

He and Bishop, who has a Ph.D. specializing in folklore, learned through folklorist and recently retired UW-Madison professor Jim Leary that Folklore Village needed help.

Natvig and Bishop can read a broad range of Scandinavian and central European languages, which is helpful when cataloging many of the folk records.

But if you get into some Hungarian or Finnish, we just do the best we can, Natvig said.

Occasionally theyll put a record on the turntable, often to distinguish its language of origin.

Natvig pulls out an album that sparked his interest, titled Immigrants: The American Dream Told By the Men and Women Who Lived it.

How valuable would it be to hear these peoples stories. Just to know that its here  for someone doing research on immigration in the United States, he said.

The project is not to find records with great monetary value, but recordings with cultural value, Van Orman said.

This is a treasure trove (where) nobody even knew whether we had glass or rubies, she said. Nobody had any idea what was even in here.

Close to 700 LPs have been cataloged so far. Van Orman hopes to complete the archiving project by March, and will be putting the record collection databases online at folklorevillage.com in stages.

If any songs in the Folklore Village collection can already be found online, the database will link to those Internet sources.

Interest in international folk dancing has waxed and waned throughout the generations, but often has been linked to international understanding, Van Orman said. Along with Farwells record collection, Folklore Village owns hundreds of folk dance costumes and has even put some of Farwells well-worn dance shoes on display.

At one time, Folklore Village even had its own record label. A handful of recordings by the loosely organized Folklore Village Orchestra were produced from 1978 to 1985.

A lot of it had to do with world peace and the belief that if you can love another cultures music, if you can dance another cultures dance, if you can eat their food and wear their clothes, you can learn to love them, Van Orman said.

Folklore Village will house its vinyl collection in its downstairs library.

Scholars could come here to hear the newly cleaned records, she said. People who just grew up here and loved the music and came here dancing every weekend could come here. They could find those old favorite songs and hear them again.
When Whitney Gilbert and Shadese (DeeDee) Griffith began dating more than a year ago, neither could have expected that they and their family w
Bucharest general mayor Gabriela Firea discussed with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem counterparts Ron Huldai and Nir Barkat, respectively, a tentative partnership in health care and emergencies.

According to a Bucharest City Hall release, Gabriela Firea was on an official visit to Israel at the invitation of her two peer mayors.During the talks, the Bucharest mayor expressed the desire for the parties to cooperate in several areas such as health care, emergencies, tourism, social assistance for the elderly, the building of housing, start-ups, supporting Romanian and Israeli investors."We are highly interested in concluding a health care partnership. This partnership could involve taking over best practices, refresher stints for Romanian doctors, experience exchanges," said the mayor.Evoking the meetings she had with Israeli officials - the Minister of Health included - on the occasion of a trip to this country early this year, Firea said that right back then she had been taken with the ambition to make it possible for Bucharesters to have access to modern and efficient treatments just like the citizens of Israel.Firea said that the Bucharest City Hall has 19 hospitals under its authority. "At my proposal, the General Council approved in September the implementation of the most ambitious investment program ever carried out in the capital of Romania: over 30 million euro have been assign to the budget of the Hospitals Administration. This money is intended for the acquisition of performing equipment, to ensure top-notch treatments for Romanian patients,'' said the mayor.She also expressed interest in the parties joining efforts in pediatric care, mentioning that as she had learned during the election campaign for mayor of the situation of two very important Bucharest hospitals where construction or rehabilitation works had been dragging on for long, after taking office she "inquired weekly about the situation of the works, had multiple meetings with all the parties involved, contractors and consultants. Thanks to these efforts, works at the Gomoiu hospital will be completed at the end of the year, making it the largest and top modern children's hospital in Romania. I also hope that the Foisor Orthopaedic Hospital is completed in the shortest possible time," said Gabriela Firea, who also presented the project of the Regional Hospital.In his turn Ron Huldai told Firea that Tel Aviv is ready to share with the Bucharest administration information about the Israeli health system. "We know that Romanian doctors are extremely well trained and therefore the exchange of experience you suggest can only benefit both parties," he said.The two officials also discussed cooperation in the management of emergencies, with Firea presenting Ron Huldai data about the Bucharest City Hall Center for the Management of Emergencies. "The City Hall invested nearly 30 million euro to build and equip the center with IT and communications equipment," said Firea.She also reminded that the General Council of the Bucharest City Hall approved the establishment of 13 new fire stations, for better coverage of the city and for cutting intervention time.Speaking of quake-prone buildings, Firea mentioned the establishment of the Municipal Administration for the Reinforcement of Quake-prone Buildings. AGERPRES
Premier Dacian Ciolos, attending on Saturday the plenary sitting of the 16 + 1 Cooperation Summit in Riga, Latvia, announced the establishment of the Bucharest-based Centre for Dialogue and Cooperation on Energy Projects, informs a government release.

"I am pleased that the first point of my intervention today is the official announcement of the establishment in Bucharest of the Centre for Dialogue and Cooperation on Energy Projects. This is yet another proof of our substantial support and commitment towards cooperation in the 16 + 1 format. A major goal of the Center is to strengthen our cooperation format, and this will be achieved by expanding the existing acquis on trade and energy technologies to areas such as renewable energy, intelligent networks, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, and nuclear energy," Premier Ciolos said in his intervention.According to the Premier, the Center will play an important role in the exchange of knowledge and will promote a clearer picture of the opportunities the highly dynamic Chinese market holds for European companies."The representatives of governments and business communities in our countries will meet in a few weeks in Bucharest to work out the Centre's future calendar of activities. In addition, a fair and an energy exhibition in the 16 + 1 format are scheduled to take place in Bucharest in Q1 2017," Ciolos announced.In his intervention, the Romanian Prime Minister also referred to trade flows and inter-human contacts, which, according to him are "the factors that generate connectivity and development.""Ever intensifying commercial exchanges are an important driver for our economies. We count on the continued support of Chinese authorities to speed up approval procedures for access to the market. For instance, our agri-food exports to China carry a major potential to balance our trade deficits," said Ciolos.According to the Premier, inter-human contacts are an essential resource for expanding connectivity and innovation. "This year, we introduced Chinese language in our school curriculum. I would also like to emphasize the need for enhanced cooperation and exchanges in tourism. All these would substantially contribute to our social and economic development, but also to a better understanding between our cultures," Ciolos said.Premier Dacian Ciolos participated on Saturday in Riga in the 5th meeting of the China and CEE heads of government in the 16 + 1 format. AGERPRES
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It was a telling contrast of two stories in Fridays Wisconsin State Journal:

At the top of the page, the traffic deaths of four people Wednesday on Interstate 94 near Deerfield; police suspect alcohol was a factor in the crash. In the middle of the page, neighbors efforts to shut down a liquor store along the Beltline in Madison.

Given Wisconsins status as a heavy-drinking state with a surfeit of places to buy liquor and a well-documented problem with drunken driving, the neighbors just might be on to something.

They are, and they arent.

Manpreet and Gurpreet Ghuman, owners of Rockys Liquor on Milwaukee Street, are hoping to convert the longtime Zimmers Liquor at 4217 W. Beltline into a second Rockys location, with an opening date as soon as Nov. 18.

A group of neighbors, though, sees a chance to be rid of what it contends has been a magnet for litter, drug dealing and drunks, and hopes to convince city officials to deny the Ghumans a liquor license.

Thats probably easier said than done  and not just because Madisons City Council rarely misses a chance to help make an already wet city wetter. This is the same body that overturned mayoral vetoes to make sure a community center serving mostly the young, old and needy could also serve alcohol, and that people could drink at a restaurant  now closed  whose menu consisted mostly of french fries.

Theres little indication from police that Zimmers has been a hot spot for crime  at least not in the five years police Capt. Victor Wahl has worked the West District, which includes the site.

We have not had a significant number of police calls to Zimmers, he said. We have certainly had some issues in the immediate area, particularly with drug use in parking lots after business hours, though it is difficult to say whether Zimmers has an impact on that or not. In my time as the west district captain, I dont believe we have had any reason to consider any action towards Zimmers or their alcohol license.

Officially, police records indicate that as of Friday, there have been 18 calls for service this year at Zimmers or about one every 2 weeks.

Assistant city attorney Jennifer Zilavy said that several years ago, there had been a problem with Zimmers selling small bottles of taxes-your-state" href="http://taxfoundation.org/blog/how-high-are-beer-taxes-your-state" target="_blank">alcohol that people would drink on site and then discard, but the business worked with the city to resolve that.

If police dont ask for restrictions on or the revocation of a liquor license, neighbors to a liquor-selling business can contact their City Council members at the licenses annual renewal time to get a special hearing on the license.

It doesnt appear from the citys online database of records and meetings  which goes back to 2004  that anyone ever asked such attention be paid to Zimmers, though.

People have only complained in the neighborhood and havent gone to the authorities, said Mary Mullen, president of the association for the neighborhood that includes the store.

She said there have been empty liquor containers along the Beltline near the liquor store for years, and over the last couple of years, shes seen people taking their drinks down to Marlborough Park.

Manpreet Ghuman has said he plans to clean up the Zimmers property, install security cameras and take other steps to make sure the store isnt a pox on the neighborhood.

But however the Ghumans plan to handle their liquor, it probably wont make much of a difference in the way people in Madison and Wisconsin handle theirs.

Wisconsin is among the 16 states with the most binge drinking, according to September data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also has 12 of the 20 drunkest cities in the United States, including Madison, according to a May study that got a lot of attention in the media and was based on self-reported rates of drinking.

Wisconsin was fourth in a ranking of the states by CarInsuranceComparison.com of where youre most likely to encounter a drunken driver. For those who get caught, the state is the only one in the nation where a first offense remains a civil, instead of a criminal, violation.

All of this is arguably abetted by some of the lowest alcohol taxes in the country.

To use such embarrassing statistics as reason enough to reject a license for any particular aspiring liquor seller is, of course, unfair. Although there are probably loved ones of people killed by drunken drivers and people whose families have been torn about by alcoholism who feel different.

Whether the Ghumans should get a license depends on whether you think theres too much liquor in Madison and Wisconsin  or just too much liquor at 4217 W. Beltline.
ST. PETERS  A retired woman has a sense of independence thats common among older adults who are used to doing things their own way.

I dont intend to move, Jane Sparacio said from her home. They can take me out feet first. Thats what I told the kids.

She yearns to age in place, as the professionals call it, as long as possible to avoid the cost and mental weight of moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home.

She and millions like her need to overcome obstacles that become more stacked against them the older they get, anything from being able to clear a low-rise step to whipping out a frying pan.

That seems far off to Sparacio, who can easily get up from a chair. But she didnt want her age in print.

Aging is a state of mind, she said. I go, go, go constantly.

Multiple breast cancer surgeries have slowed her down over the past few years. And she couldnt deny that the nonprofit group Rebuilding Together St. Louis recently modified her home for a reason.

Volunteers did typical repairs. A new door here, siding there. They also built lower steps for the front and back doors, added a handrail or two and more lighting in the basement, where she likes to paint and make crafts.

We see homeowners that at one time could do many things themselves, said David Ervin, executive director of the group. As they get older, they cant do it.

Or shouldnt.

I can hear my son telling me, Do not get up on the ladder, Sparacio said about hanging new drapes the other day. Her grown children live out of state.

You know within yourself what you can and cant do, she said.

Figuring it out fast

Home modifications support aging in place, according to Susan Stark, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Washington University, and colleagues who prepared a research paper that will be published soon. Things like bathtub transfer benches, lower steps, grab bars, handrails, widened doorways, ramps and toilet risers help people stay safe and independent in their daily activities.

While many people would benefit from the upgrades, few actually have them. They arent covered as part of health care in the U.S.

Home modifications facilitate improved function, increased ability to provide care, and decreased falls for a broad range of impairments, according to the report, which says there are an estimated 9.4 million people living in the community who struggle to complete at least one activity of daily living.

Remaining engaged in activities is one factor. Fall risk is another. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri has the distinction of having the highest rate of fall injuries among older adults: 12.9 percent in 2014. Hawaii has the best rate: 7 percent.

The nonprofit group Oasis puts on a workshop called A Matter of Balance at various locations in the St. Louis area to help older adults learn about falls and live happier lives. One such class at the Village at Mackenzie Place, a senior apartment complex in the Affton area of south St. Louis County, offered a glimpse of the realities people face.

Nine out of the 10 students were women, including Norma Beezley, 75. The widow said she sold her home in Phoenix and recently moved to Missouri to be close to a son. Diabetes nips at her feet.

I have no balance, said Beezley. I have only half a foot, so I fall all the time. I hang onto my walker for dear life.

She knows her next station probably will be at an assisted living facility or nursing home. But she wanted to slow that train down as much as possible.

Blendina Sims, 64, sat next to Beezley. She still lives independently but has a host of health struggles. Vertigo. Neuropathy. Disabled hand. She said she fell in the bathtub a few months ago.

They want to put me away, she said. I want to be able to do what I want in my life. I dont want somebody taking my freedom away. Thats not living. I am going to have to figure it out fast.

Give me two steps

In St. Peters, Sparacio said she was aware of the typical sequence of events of aging. Before retirement, she was a surgical technician at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton. Over her career, she also dabbled in home health care, where she saw living rooms transformed into bedrooms as last-ditch efforts to remain independent.

Shes not there yet, but she had several modifications done to her home, courtesy of Rebuilding Together St. Louis and the Silver Moon Saloon on Harvester Square in St. Charles. Saloon owner Vicki Rolufs said they raised about $2,500 for the effort and several patrons with carpentry experience volunteered their talents.

One person cant give back like this, said Rolufs, 49, gripping a paint roller handle. A whole bar can give back like this.

On a typical day, she slings bottles of Busch beer for $2.50 a pop and all-day breakfast.

I hear it all the time  its tough getting old, she said. Nobody likes to admit they cant do something for themselves. I hear that a lot.

Mat Telkamp, a carpenter, was one of the helpers. He used a jackhammer to pulverize concrete steps that lead to Sparacios back door and then built new ones. Steps are usually 7 inches tall.

Shes having a hard time getting there, said Telkamp. At 4  inches, that should allow her to step out and down without falling.

Telkamp, 57, shrugged off questions about making similar modifications to his own home in St. Charles. He said his father is in his 80s and was recently able to cut down two large trees.

I am like my dad in that matter, he said of aging.

Its a state of mind and momentum.

Until its not.

Thats anybodys wish, Sparacio, often speaking over the roar of saws, said of staying home as long as she can. Do you really want to give your life to a caregiver? I dont.
Justice Clarence Thomas marked 25 years on the Supreme Court last month, and if he remains for another dozen or so, he could become the longest-serving member in the courts history.

But the unofficial title of the courts most polarizing justice seems his to keep regardless of tenure.

Dedicated supporters are determined that Thomas, 68, gets his due as one of the courts most productive, if unorthodox, thinkers, and they seized on the 25th anniversary to make their point.

They have created websites and a Twitter account to remind the world of his accomplishments, held a symposium on his jurisprudence and flooded op-ed pages to defend him. They are pressuring the new National Museum of African American History and Culture to revise its fleeting, and they say insulting, reference to him.

His detractors continue to characterize his mostly silent demeanor on the bench during oral arguments as lack of interest. In all his years on the court, he is still so much an outlier that his conservative colleagues do not rely on him to write the courts most important decisions, they say.

The subject himself tends to leave the debate to others.

I dont spend a lot of time looking back, he told an appreciative audience that gathered at the Heritage Foundation recently to congratulate him. His simple goal is to be a fair and consistent interpreter of the Constitution, he said.

Im not a navel-gazer, he added.

But controversy is never far away. Before the event, Thomas had been told that the National Law Journal was preparing a story on an Alaskan attorney who alleges he groped her 17 years ago at a dinner party she had helped organize as a recent college graduate.

Through a court spokeswoman, Thomas told the publication, This claim is preposterous and it never happened.

Like the allegations of verbal harassment from Anita Hill that nearly derailed Thomas nomination in 1991, the allegations from lawyer Moira Smith involve private moments impossible to verify or disprove.

Smith said she was moved to make her allegations public because of controversy involving Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. But Thomas supporters saw political motivation.

Mark Paoletta, a former assistant White House counsel who assisted in Thomas confirmation, said it was not a coincidence that the new charge came as he celebrates 25 years on the court, and in the heat of a presidential election.

Paoletta has helped publicize complaints about the new museum, where Thomas is mentioned only in the context of Hills allegations. In the museums narrative, Hills testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee prompted serious debates on sexual harassment, race loyalty and gender roles. It does not say that Thomas denied the charges or that he was confirmed to the court.

Smithsonian Institution spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said the museums exhibits will continue to evolve and change over time as we interpret the African-American experience. She said the exhibit that mentions Thomas is meant to focus on social, economic, political and cultural moments during the past four decades where issues of race dominated the national conversation and captivated the American public.

Thurgood Marshall is celebrated in the exhibit, but for his role as a lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education, not because he was the first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court. That achievement is not mentioned in the exhibit.

But the representation of Marshall is obviously more flattering than the one of Thomas, who replaced Marshall and became the courts second black justice on Oct. 23, 1991. I think it is a deliberate slight because of Thomas conservative views, Paoletta said in an interview. It is an attempt at disappearing him.

Likewise, supporters say, his achievements on the bench largely have gone unrecognized because of a public fascination with the fact he rarely asks questions during oral argument.

At the symposium sponsored by the Claremont Institute and the Federalist Society, his fans and former clerks said his views on administrative law and the First Amendment have moved the court.

Fittingly, one panel focused on The Lone Jurist. Last term, Thomas wrote 39 opinions, double the amount of the next-most-productive justices total output, and many of them were lone dissents.

Jeffrey Wall, a Washington lawyer who clerked for Thomas about a decade ago, said at the forum that Thomas influence on the court was almost criminally underestimated by the academy, bench and bar.

I think that has begun to change as people have taken deeper, richer and more nuanced looks at his jurisprudence, he said.

Thomas can at times be stubbornly contrarian. Last term, he was the lone justice to say he would defer to a lower court that did not find Georgia prosecutors had engaged in racial profiling to keep blacks off a death penalty jury. The explanations he found plausible, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, called nonsense.

Wall dismisses as pernicious and wrongheaded criticism that Thomas has not left a lasting legacy in influential majority opinions in his quarter-century on the court. You can dispute whether or not thats true, but I think what is missed is his value as an intellectual catalyst, Wall said.

Thomas, Wall said, is content to sow ideas that result later in changes in the law.

During his conversation with Heritages John Malcolm, Thomas acknowledged that often he is content with writing his own version of how he sees a case rather than trying to assemble a majority for a compromise outcome.

I really dont spend a lot of time on that, he said.

At the event, Thomas was funny and relaxed, more like the version of the person his friends and colleagues say they see behind the courts burgundy curtains.

He talked about growing up in the segregated South and living in poverty in the inner city; the joy he finds in traveling by RV to the small towns he did not feel welcome in as a child; his friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whose upbringing could not have been more different than his own.

Scalia could not understand why Thomas, raised in the South, did not want to go hunting with him. Thomas told him, No good comes from being in the woods.

More seriously, Thomas talked of Washington as a broken city, one whose institutions are failing. When asked whether citizens have lost confidence, he gave an answer that might appeal to both his supporters and detractors, who would apply it to him with different results.

I dont think people owe us, reflexively, confidence, Thomas said. I think its something we earn.
MUKWONAGO  House Speaker Paul Ryan and Donald Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, joined Saturday in a gesture of Republican unity at a rally in Wisconsins most conservative county, a month after Ryan said he would no longer defend or campaign with Trump.

Both Pence and Ryan, R-Janesville, said it was time for Republicans to come home and vote for Trump. Pence heaped praise on Ryan, calling him a friend and great conservative leader, just days after he declined to say whether Ryan should be re-elected speaker.

Both are possible White House hopefuls in the future. Another potential 2020 contender, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, also came to the rally. The governor warmed to the divisive nominee after dropping his own presidential campaign.

Pence and Ryan hugged before being joined by Walker and others.

Pence called Ryan a friend who as speaker would help Trump enact his agenda as president.

Paul Ryan is one of the great conservative leaders in America and Wisconsin should be proud, Pence said.

Ryans awkward relationship with Trump hit a low point a month ago when the speaker canceled Trumps appearance at what was to be a Republican unity rally in Wisconsin. That followed the disclosure of a 2005 video in which Trump made crude comments about imposing himself on women. Ryan, who was booed at that event, said then he would not defend or campaign with the nominee.

The only booing Saturday was directed at Hillary Clinton. Ryan told the crowd he voted early for Trump because it is time to come home and go out and vote. Ryan said free speech, gun rights and health care are at stake.

When Donald Trump says that he wants a special session to repeal and replace Obamacare, let me tell you as speaker of the House we are ready, we are willing and we have a plan to do that, Ryan said. But that only happens if we win this election.

Saturdays rally was in deeply Republican Waukesha County.

Trump on Saturday canceled a rally he had scheduled for Sunday in West Allis. It was slated to start half an hour before kickoff of the Green Bay Packers game.
Sixteen years ago I awaited the arrival of Election Day, anxious but hopeful. I was a part of a presidential campaign that had challenged the stereotype of Republicanism with a series of policy proposals on education, addiction treatment and other elements of social welfare. Suspend, for a moment, your views on the efficacy of No Child Left Behind and the faith-based initiative. Accept that we viewed the coming election  if we won  as the mandate for a certain model of governance.

I was deeply and personally invested in the outcome of the 2000 election. I believed that the reform of Republican ideology would serve the whole country, the common good. When I walked into the West Wing for the first time, and entered the Roosevelt Room just as the picture above the fireplace was being switched from Franklin to Teddy, I felt the continuity and burden of a noble experiment in self-government.

In his first inaugural address (a document I helped produce), President George W. Bush expressed the goal of his administration this way: Sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent but not a country. We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.

We were not, of course, unique in this idealism. This was the commitment of Barack Obamas administration when it entered the White House. And Bill Clintons administration. And nearly all that preceded them.

I own to being even more emotionally entangled in the result of the 2016 election  not because of any change in policy or ideology, but because of Donald Trumps proposed shift in the very purpose of the presidency. His political theory, such as it is, is us vs. them. The them may be Republican elites, or liberal elites, or migrants or Mexicans or Muslims. Trump would be elected on the promise of fighting, rounding up, jailing or humbling any number of personal and political opponents. Take away this appeal, and there is nothing left but grasping, pathetic vanity.

The undercurrents of economic anxiety and cultural disorientation that Trump exploits are real, deserving both attention and sympathy. But Trump has organized these resentments with an unprecedented message: America is weak and broken, a hell of crime, terrorism and expanding misery, beset from within and without, and now in need of a strong hand  his strong hand  to turn things around.

The single most frightening, anti-democratic phrase of modern presidential history came in Trumps convention speech: I alone can fix it. A Trump victory would be a mandate for an authoritarian politics. Trumps ambitions would be bounded by strong legislative and legal institutions and by his own risible ignorance of real leadership. But a Trump administration would be a concession to the idea that America needs a little more China, a little more Russia, a little more so let it be written, so let it be done, in its executive branch.

I never imagined that Republican leaders  many of whom I know and have respected  would fall in line with such dangerous delusions, on the theory that anything is better than Hillary Clinton. Most options are better than Clinton. But not all. And not this. The GOP has largely accommodated itself to a candidate with no respect for, or knowledge of, the constitutional order. Every constitutional conservative should be revolted. Those who are complicit have adopted a particularly dangerous form of power-loving hypocrisy.

But now, with polls tightening, it may not only be Republicans who abandon central tenets of their democratic faith. It is almost beyond belief that Americans should bless and normalize Trumps appeal. Normalize vindictiveness and prejudice. Normalize bragging about sexual assault and the objectification of women. Normalize conspiracy theories and the abandonment of reason. Normalize contempt for the vulnerable, including the disabled and refugees fleeing from oppression. Normalize a political tone that dehumanizes opponents and excuses violence. Normalize an appeal to white identity in a nation where racial discord and conflict are always close to the surface. Normalize every shouted epithet, every cruel ethnic and religious stereotype, every act of bullying in the cause of American greatness.

In the end, a Trump victory would normalize the belief that the structures of self-government are unequal to the crisis of our time. And this would not merely replace the presidential portrait above the fireplace. It would deface it.

Michael Gerson

copyright The Washington Post
Who and where  Stephanie Mertz (left) of St. Charles and her niece, Mary Kate OBrien, also of St. Charles, on a carriage tour of the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.

The trip  They spent 11 days in Ireland celebrating OBriens high school graduation. Their trip included a private escort to Limerick, Galway, Doolin and Bunratty.

Travel tip  As the Irish proudly say, When traveling to Ireland, plan to experience all four seasons in any given day. Buy a lightweight umbrella that fits in your purse or backpack.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen who was detained for more than a year and a half by the Houthi faction in Yemen has been released, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.

Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman was freed with assistance from Oman, Kerry said in a statement, adding that he and his aides had been focused on the case since Luqman was detained.

"We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis," Kerry said.

The Houthis, a Shiite Muslim group, and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting a civil war against ousted, but internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Luqman is the third American held by the Houthis to be released since mid-October. The government of Oman, a U.S. ally in the Gulf, mediated in each case.

News reports have described Luqman as a former U.S. Marine who was abducted in April 2015 while trying to leave Yemen, where he had been teaching English.

Following the release of two U.S. citizens from Yemen on Oct. 15, a woman who identified herself as Luqman's wife urged his release.

"While other Americans continue to be released, Wallead is left behind. Wallead has missed too much, his children need him in their life, he needs to come home now," she wrote on Facebook.

A senior State Department official said Kerry was personally involved in securing Luqman's release, working closely with Omani officials and meeting with Luqman's family a few weeks ago to update them on his efforts.

Kerry called the family today to make sure they knew he was getting released, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Oman's state news agency ONA reported earlier on Sunday that an American held in Yemen, whom it did not identify, was released in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa and flown to Oman aboard an Omani royal air force jet.

(Reporting by Warren Strobel; Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chris Reese)
By Fergus Jensen

JAKARTA (Reuters) - From rescue helicopters to air surveillance equipment, defense manufacturers jostled in Jakarta this week to claim one of the region's biggest prizes: a slice of Indonesia's shopping list as the country updates its aging air and sea security capability.

While it is not part of the dispute over claims in the South China Sea, Indonesia objects to China's claim to waters around the Natuna Islands and has been ramping up military exercises and patrols in the region.

At this year's annual defense gathering, just weeks after the largest Indonesian exercise to date off the Natuna archipelago, corridors were jammed and industry executives reported one of their busiest years at a time of high interest across the region after a lull of over five years.

Indonesia, which faced a U.S. arms embargo until just over a decade ago, has yet to nail down a winner for the highest profile item on its wish list - a squadron of jets to replace its aging Northrop F-5 fighters, as talks continue with Russia to buy Sukhoi Su-35 jets.

Rival contenders for the deal include the Saab Gripen combat jet, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin's F-16s, according to industry stakeholders. Most offers include the jets and industrial cooperation.

"The situation here is obviously concentrating people's minds," said Robert Hewson, spokesman for Saab.

"So we have found a lot of interest in people talking to us about our radar products, our airborne surveillance products, because they need to be able to extend their horizons."

Indonesian President Joko Widodo had promised to double the country's defense budget, clean up procurement and modernize its aging military equipment. Since he took office, the country's total defense spending has jumped around 26 percent - though next year should actually see a slight dip to 108 trillion rupiah ($8.3 billion).

Much of the effort, as with other countries in the region, includes a push to bring skills to Indonesia through joint ventures and partnerships, like a deal with South Korea which analysts initially said could cost up to $8 billion, to develop a mid-level fighter jet program.

Korea Aerospace Industries said this week it is working with Indonesia's state-owned aerospace company Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) on joint marketing efforts, as well as a drone development program for surveillance.

French defense firm Thales said it was getting interest in its air defense offerings, after selling to Malaysia last year, as other countries consider how to upgrade existing technology with lasers to improve accuracy.

Indonesia will also seek to upgrade its heavy-lift helicopters, and the annual show saw Boeing promoting additional Apache helicopters and its Chinook.

Indonesia has already ordered eight AH-64E Apache helicopters.

"Maritime surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities are moving to the forefront around the world and we certainly see that in Southeast Asia," a Boeing spokeswoman said.

(Reporting by Fergus Jensen in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Eveline Danubrata; Writing by Clara Ferreira Marques; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Donald Trump and some of his supporters arent happy with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, because Ryan hasnt fawned over the New York businessman and reality television stars dark and divisive bid for the presidency.

But we view Ryans distance from his partys White House nominee as a sign of integrity. The two men havent appeared together, with Ryan offering an obligatory yet tepid endorsement, hoping to hold the GOP together.

Ryan is everything Trump is not: serious, knowledgeable, unifying and experienced in public office, with a proven record of pushing conservative principles in creative ways. Ryan also has been willing to compromise to move the nation forward.

Ryan is the Republican Partys best communicator and thinker. Voters in southeastern Wisconsins 1st Congressional District (which includes Janesville, Kenosha and Racine) should support him Tuesday against Democrat Ryan Solen of Mount Pleasant.

In Wisconsins 2nd Congressional District (which includes Dane, Green, Iowa, Sauk, Lafayette and parts of Richland and Rock counties), U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, deserves re-election.

Pocan is one of the most liberal members of Congress, yet hes gone out of his way to befriend and try to find agreement with Republicans. His engaging personality and strong record of accomplishment when he served in the state Legislature make him the much better choice over perennial Republican challenger Peter Theron of Madison.
China's Premier Li Keqiang attends meeting of heads of government Central and Eastern European countries and China in Riga, Latvia, November 5, 2016. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has set up a 10 billion euro ($11.15 billion) investment fund to finance projects in Central and Eastern Europe, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China <601398.SS> <1398.HK> said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The China-Central Eastern Europe fund will be run by Sino-CEE Financial Holdings Ltd, a company established by the bank earlier this year.

The company was formally launched by Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Riga on Saturday.

The fund is aiming to raise 50 billion euros in project finance for sectors such as infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and consumer goods, the bank said.

While targetting Central and Eastern Europe, it could extend to the rest of Europe and other regions if relevant to China-Central and Eastern Europe co-operation, it said.

The fund will be government-backed but will operate under business principles and be guided by the market, it added.

Central and Eastern Europe are part of China's modern Silk Road where Beijing is hoping to carve out new export markets for its companies as the domestic economy slows.

China's Vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan said last year that Chinese companies have already invested more than $5 billion in CEE countries.

But China's push for more investment at the gateway to the European Union comes amid growing calls in top Eurozone economy Germany to restrict Chinese investment in some sectors.

Riga is hosting a summit of leaders from 16 central and eastern European countries and China, a group dubbed '16+1' by Beijing.

China Life Insurance and Fosun Group are also involved in managing the fund, added the statement.

(This story corrects to say that the company was announced by Premier Li on Saturday, not the fund)

(Reporting by Ma Rong and Dominique Patton; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
A female job seeker takes part in a job hunting counseling session with advisers during a job fair held for fresh graduates in Tokyo, Japan, March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Yuya Shino/File Photo

By Stanley White and Teppei Kasai

TOKYO (Reuters) - In April last year, Matsuri Takahashi, a promising graduate of Japan's top university, landed a job at Dentsu, one of the countrys most prestigious advertising agencies, renowned for its hard-driving work culture. Nine months later, she jumped to her death, leaving behind a trail of public grievances on social media about her relentless working hours and boss's verbal abuse.

Japan's labor ministry last month ruled the 24-year-old's death "karoshi", literally "death by overwork" and raided her employer, Dentsu Inc, to see if overwork abuses were pervasive in the company.

For many Japanese, Takahashi's death is the tragic consequence of Article 36 of Japan's labor code, which leaves overtime pay and limits to the discretion of employers and typically benign unions.

That loophole could be challenged as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe embarks on a wide-reaching campaign to reform Japan's employment laws, which could include stiffer overtime regulation for companies.

"The law does not prevent companies from working employees beyond reasonable limits," said Emiko Teranishi, head of the Families Dealing with Karoshi, a support group. "The unions are also responsible because they accept these conditions."

Such groups say companies often intimidate employees, especially new hires, into working excessive hours to prove their worth.

Japan's first white paper on karoshi released last month showed 22.7 percent of 1,743 companies surveyed had employees who in the past year worked more than 80 hours of overtime in a month, the government's threshold for karoshi.

Takahashi clocked 105 hours of overtime in October 2015 and fell into depression the following month, a summary provided by her family's lawyer citing the government report showed.

Japan officially recognizes two types of karoshi: death from cardiovascular illness linked to overwork, and suicide following work-related mental stress.

In the fiscal year ended March 2015, there were 93 suicides and attempted suicides from overwork, down from 99 the previous fiscal year. The number of deaths from cardiovascular illness linked to overwork fell to 96 from 121.

Labour Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki last week told reporters that he wants to strengthen monitoring of companies' overtime practices and that his ministry would decide a punishment for Dentsu based on the results of its investigation.

According to one person with knowledge of the agenda for Abe's panel, a new law placing legal limits on overtime hours could be considered.

This would mean revising Article 36 to cap overtime to anywhere from 45 to 80 hours a month, said the person, who declined to be named because the plans are not final.

Article 36 and other issues will be examined by Abe's panel on labor reform, which is expected to issue a plan next March.

A HARD SLOG

Labour groups and business lobby representatives involved in Abe's panel are likely to discuss whether the law will exempt certain industries from those limits.

In Japan's strongly pro-employer economy, changes to overtime regulation, if they come, are unlikely to sail through unchallenged.

Hard work and sacrifice have long been synonymous with Japan, one of Asia's earliest tiger economies, and strong social expectations make it difficult for employees and unions to aggressively push for reforms.

Workers often feel a debt of gratitude for being hired, and are reluctant to quit even if conditions are bad. Others feel they have to work longer hours than their colleagues to get promoted.

In recent years, the government has revised labor laws to encourage shorter working hours, but critics say these steps relied too much on self-regulation.

"Many companies expect young employees to work long hours to learn new skills," said Yasuko Oshima, a senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute who specializes in labor policy.

"Companies have been cutting labor costs since the 1990s, which increases each individual's work burden."

REASONS FOR LIVING

Takahashi's case is not the first time Dentsu has been called to account for its overtime practices.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the agency was responsible for the suicide of an employee in 1991 because excessive work hours pushed him into depression.

In an e-mail to employees on Oct. 17, Dentsu's CEO Tadashi Ishii said the company could face criminal prosecution as a result of Takahashi's death. He also said the company would lower monthly overtime limits to 65 hours from 70 hours a month, according to a copy of the email obtained by Reuters.

Dentsu told Reuters it is cooperating with authorities and declined to comment further.

The lawyer for Takahashi's family declined to comment on whether they will sue Dentsu. The family refused interview requests.

For now, Takahashi's death has pushed the thorny issues of karoshi and workplace harassment into the spotlight as policymakers look to address other challenges around labor.

Several months into her new job, Takahashi, a graduate of Tokyo University whose first name Matsuri means "festival", started complaining on Twitter about her male boss insulting her appearance, sleeping only two or three hours a day and regularly working weekends.

"When you spend 20 hours a day at the office you no longer understand what you're living for and can't help but laugh," she tweeted on Dec. 18.

On Christmas Day, she jumped off a company dormitory.

"My daughter is never coming back," Takahashi's mother said last month, domestic media reported. "No job is more important than your life. I strongly hope that karoshi doesn't happen again."

(Additional reporting by Izumi Nakagawa; Editing by Malcolm Foster and Sam Holmes)
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In the response to the governments proposed ban on re-homing dogs deemed "menacing", the SPCA has started a petition to oppose any such policies.

They believe by making it illegal for animal shelters to re-home dogs of certain breeds, the Government are effectively condemning them to die.

Acting SPCA New Zealand CEO Andrea Midgen believes breed-specific legislation does not work.

Evidence shows this legislation does not reduce dog attacks or make communities safer for people or animals, says Andrea.

Many countries who have breed specific legislation are repealing these laws  just a few weeks ago the state of Victoria in Australia repealed theirs.

According to Andrea, the SPCAs preferred approach is to judge dogs based on their behaviour, not their breed or visual appearance.

Our view based on the available, international scientific evidence, is that any dog may be dangerous and that dogs should not be declared dangerous or menacing on the basis of breed alone. Were not alone in this view.

The Veterinary Associations and SPCAs of New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Canada and America do not support breed-specific legislation due to being ineffective and not protecting the public from dog attacks.

She stresses there is no conclusive data on dog bites in relation to breed, although she agrees it is a sensitive issue in the community.

Its important to note the Government doesnt know the true extent of dog bites in New Zealand because there is no central repository of dog bite statistics.

Dog attacks are a major societal problem requiring a serious and effective long-term solution and our hearts go out to any family that is affected by this.

Tauranga City Council Animal Services Team Leader Brent Lincoln says pit bull-type dogs are disproportionately represented in dog attack prosecutions.

American pit bulls represent 1.2 per cent of the dog population in Tauranga, but form 40 per cent of the prosecutions for serious attacks, either against people or other domestic animals.

Brent says the governments proposal is not final yet, but would be part of the solution to reducing pit bull attacks.

Council has put up their own recommendations to the government, and were currently waiting for a response.

The SPCAs petition already has more than 50,000 signatures. Supporters can add theirs here. https://www.change.org/p/the-new-zealand-government-join-spca-s-fight-to-save-innocent-lives
In the October 7 edition of The Weekend Sun I noticed a large advertisement by a group that call themselves Hobsons Pledge, who seek to have NZ defined into one group of people.

These people are advertising for our society to remove the rights of Maori, with the ignorant assumption this group of people dont want, need or deserve these rights.

Im assuming the Hobsons Pledge supporters think Maori are in a priviledged position because of these rights despite the myriad of statistics proving otherwise.

Id like to ask - since when is it okay to place an ad in a community newspaper advertising such a thing? Since when, do we as a society, accept it is okay to campaign for the removal of rights for an entire race of people?

This ad blantantly asks for financial donations to help them spread their message  and lets be clear, when you are campaigning to remove the rights of a race of people, its hate speech.

This ad may have slipped through the cracks of the advertising standards under the guise of freedom of opinion but nonetheless, this sort of perspective is hate speech to its nasty, bitter core.

Consider for a moment another group advertising to remove the rights of another large group  for example, Muslims campaigning for the removal of the rights of Christians, women campaigning for the removal of rights of men, Maori campaigning for the removal of rights for Indians.

If you take the time to apply the concept to any other group its easily seen as not just racist or prejudice but idiotic and appalling. This country is not defined by one race, group, sex or culture. Its a melting pot of everything and it works and we are internationally known as a peaceful, safe country.

Indeed, I happen to know a man from Israel in business with a man from Iran. Have a guess how often that happens globally?

The Treaty of Waitangi wasnt created to irritate white people. It was created to protect and preserve a unique culture, a way of life and human rights and like all human endeavours it has had its flaws and failures but it is a work in progress.

Rights are something we all enjoy but it appears we are developing into a society that thinks its okay to not apply them equally to all - and Don Brash and his team of financially well-off, privileged, middle-aged, white people are the epitome of this horrible behaviour.

When we, as a society accept this sort of campaign, or accept other hate speech - such as anti-muslim rhetoric - we begin to go down a path, one we have been down before and one that ended in genocide. I, for one learnt from the mistakes of the past and you wont catch me waving the flag of ignorant hatred. You might however, find me demanding the privileged start paying their fair share of taxes though.

K Moselen, Tauranga City.
The Bay of Plenty division of The Parkinsonism Society of New Zealand is encouraging locals to join them for their events aimed to raise awareness of Parkinsons disease in the lives of more than 13,000 Kiwis.

Parkinsons Awareness Week will be marked in the Western Bay of Plenty with the BOP divisions regular monthly Red Tulip Support meeting at 1.30pm on November 8 at the Greerton Senior Citizens Hall.

Here, one of our members will be talking about his personal experiences in the Parkinsons walk and you are most welcome to come along and hear more about the disease, says Parkinsons BOP president Neil Griffith.

Parkinsons disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition caused by insufficient quantities of dopamine  a chemical in the brain.

A large number of people with Parkinsons are aged 65-plus however the average age of diagnosis is 59, and many Kiwis are diagnosed with early-onset Parkinsons in their thirties and forties.

The main motor symptoms of Parkinsons are tremor (shaking), tiffness and rigidity, slowness of movement, and other symptoms can include changes in mood and anxiety, poor balance and altered speech. Connecting people through our Parkinsons Community Educator Service is one of our core activities, says Neil.

Our educators connect people with Parkinsons, their families and carers with the best information and support. And our one-of-a-kind service ensures people with Parkinsons have the tools they need to manage their condition and maintain their independence.

With our help people can change their lives.

This year movie-goers will see how Parkinsons can be involved in the connection between peoples brains and bodies.

Val Morgan Cinemas is featuring an award-winning advert developed by FCB Advertising for Parkinsons NZ. The advert will air in 360 cinemas nationwide this Parkinsons Awareness Week from November 1-7.

And during this week there will be displays around the BOP at sites like Tauranga Hospital, Papamoa Plaza, Western Bay of Plenty District Council in Katikati and other places, says Neil.

The Red Tulip Support meeting is 1.30pm on November 8 at Greerton Senior Citizens Hall, Maitland St, Greerton. For more information, call 07 218 0620or see: parkinsons.org.nz
Becoming a grandmother to triplets just over two years ago has seen a big career change for granny nanny Gaye Bartlett.

It was a huge surprise for the whole family when daughter Nicole Bartlett fell pregnant with triplets.

Nicole says she was initially told at 12 weeks it was twins, before a third heartbeat was revealed.

My dad is a twin, so we knew multiple birth was a possibility but we never expected three, she says.

I didnt know how we would cope.

When triplets Hudson, Vincent and Lincoln arrived there were six months of various family members sleeping over to help with tricky night feeds, and four weeks of muddling through, until the family signed up with in-home childcare provider, PORSE.

Nicoles mother Gaye decided to leave her part-time job, becoming a PORSE Nanny helping her daughter take care of the triplets at home.

It was a positive change for me and works for everyone, she says.

I can be close to my grandchildren but also earn a living at the same time.

For Gaye it was an opportunity to witness important milestones in the lives of her grandsons, while also supporting her daughter.

I still earn an income, but this way I spend every day playing with my grandchildren. I couldnt think of anything better.

PORSE General Manager Kerry Henderson says Multiples Awareness Week, which runs from Sunday 6 to 12 November, was a great chance to celebrate the challenges and joys these families experience.

Parents of multiples need and appreciate the support they get from their families, friends, and organisations providing services to help them raise happy and healthy babies.

Inhome childcare is a popular choice for parents of multiples who want to keep their children in a home environment, with 104 families with multiples enrolled across the country.

Its a very secure feeling knowing the triplets are in good hands with my mother and they are learning and developing in a safe home environment, says Nicole.

PORSE has been a partner of Multiples NZ for four years, helping to match and support families with multiples with loving home educators or nannies under the PORSE Programme.

As a committee member of the Hawkes Bay Multiple Birth club branch, Nicole found it hugely beneficial to have backing from other parents facing the same challenges.

Its a scary time figuring everything out with twins, triplets or quads, but its good to know other people have been through it all too and can relate.

According to Statistics New Zealand, multiple births make up 1.3 to 2 per cent of all births in this country.

Last year there were 14 sets of triplets, up from 11 sets of triplets in 2014.
Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse driver who was estimated going faster than 80 mph down an Eastwood street got out and repeatedly stabbed his neighbor who threw a hammer in the road, according to police.

The incident ended when Sean Michel, 26, of 313 Marborough Road, was tackled by another onlooker who feared he would kill the victim, police said.

Michel was charged with felony assault and a misdemeanor weapons charge after police said he stabbed his 45-year old neighbor in the torso and arms with a metal ice pick.

The incident started around 5 p.m. Wednesday when witnesses said Michel repeatedly sped his vehicle in excess of 80 mph down Marborough Road so he could squeal his tires while braking.

The victim and other witnesses later told police they were concerned because there were numerous children in the area and Michel was recklessly driving to the point of no control, police Lt. Geno Turo said in a news release.

The victim, who was working on his house, threw a hammer in the roadway, police said. That apparently angered Michel.

The suspect then got out of his vehicle and began stabbing the victim, police said. The onlooker tackled Michel and others helped restrain him until police arrived.

When Officers Mitchell Hoey and James Cinque arrived, they found the restrained victim and the ice pick in the roadway nearby.

There were long tire marks in the roadway behind Michel's vehicle and the victim had several bloody spots on his clothing.

Michael was taken to the Onondaga County Justice Center jail, where he remains with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
Check out the photos from Syracuse's Girl world Expo that took place in the Horticulture Building at the New York State Fairgrounds. Girls World Expo is a national movement of one-day events for teenage girls. The organization says, "Each Expo is diversely designed to connect girls with their community, empowering them to discover their potential, find their best path to personal and professional success, meet new people, try new things and have fun!"
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Erin Williamson in "Tell Me On A Sunday," being staged at Rarely Done Productions in Syracuse.

(Photo courtesy of Rarely Done/CJ Young)

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Compared against Andrew Lloyd Webber's grandiose Broadway shows like Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera, it seems almost impossible to believe that the same man is responsible for this intimate, one-act look at the lengths one woman will go for love.

Tell Me on a Sunday stars Emma, played by Erin Williamson, an aspiring fashion designer from London who moves to New York City to follow her boyfriend, Chuck, a drummer from Queens.

But not long after she puts her suitcase down, Chuck heads out for a gig, leaving her home alone to answer several phone calls from his other love interests. Angry, she breaks off the relationship when he returns home around 3 a.m. ("Let Me Finish").

The audience first learns of Emma's next boyfriend, a wealthy film producer enamored with Emma's British accent ("English Girls") named Sheldon Bloom, in a letter home to her mother. Emma tells her mom that Sheldon is a "real together guy" and, still a touch gullible, tells her mom that they're moving to Los Angeles.

While Emma is initially fond of Sheldon's opulent home and high-class status, the gold veneer of LA begins to wear off as she satirizes Hollywood's superficial culture in "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad," the funniest tune of the night.

Back in New York after her relationship with Sheldon went south, Emma finds Joe, an "open, optimistic" software salesman from Nebraska who likes fried chicken and wears bright red cowboy boots, inside a Macy's department store.

In "Unexpected Song", Emma parades her love for Joe in a deeply visceral performance that for a moment, convinces the audience that the third time might be the charm.

Emma tells her mother in a letter that Joe travels extensively for work. But soon those routine week-long business trips ("Come Back with that Same Look in Your Eyes") turn to fabricated business trips in the neighborhoods around his Greenwich Village apartment in the dark of night ("Take That Look Off Your Face").

The end of her relationship with Joe, chronicled in the painfully raw title track, cut deeper than the others and marks the moment when Emma transforms from a wide-eyed tourist into a grizzled New Yorker straight out of Sex in the City, a transition Williamson conveyed beautifully.

Her last relationship is with Paul, an older, married man from Connecticut with four kids. At first, Emma seems content with the arrangementa few hours of company without the worry of heartbreak. With a new green card and her hat designing career in full swing, it seemed like Emma finally had what she set out to find.

But after Paul leaves his wife and tells Emma he wants to be with her, a proposition she rejects, she realizes that she had been using Paul the whole time, just like the three other men had done to her.

The play ends full circle with Emma realizing that she'd rather be the naive London girl fresh to New York and susceptible to heartache, than a jaded, jilted lover who can no longer believe in the innocence of love.

Rarely Done Productions' theater is smallonly four rows of seating overlooking a stage the size of a small living roombut a show like this would only work in a setting like this. With no other characters, there is nothing to obscure the biting emotion Williamson pours into each song from the audience seated only a few feet away.

Williamson, director Dan Tursi and musical director Abel Searor created a poignant performance in a venue that allows Emma to reach each audience member directly, who can only hope that she finds what she so desperately craves.

The Details

What: "Tell Me on a Sunday"

Where: Jazz Central, 441 E. Washington St., Syracuse.

Who: Rarely Done Productions.

When Seen: Nov. 5.

Attendance: About 25.

Length of Production: 1 hours, 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

Family Guide: Family friendly.

Runs Through: Nov. 19. Performances at 8 p.m.

Information and Tickets: Tickets are $20 and are available at the door, by phone at (315) 546-3224, or online at rarelydone.org.

CNY Theater Guide
This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

November 11th is Veterans Day: I joined the Navy because I wanted a college education. I believe people join the Armed Forces for different reasons, but my decision was vital to my success. I arrived at boot camp and was stunned by the screaming and yelling as we got off the bus in Great Lakes, Illinois. I'm not sure what I expected but it quickly sank in that I needed to follow directions and do so with a sense of urgency. I survived boot camp and went on to my first school in Pensacola, Florida. I trained for three months to become an Aviation Support Equipment Technician. I graduated and then transferred to my second school for a one month training, then on to my first duty station. I was stationed on an Aircraft Carrier which was deploying in a few months. I was nervous, overwhelmed and excited about the deployment. I was nervous about the unknown and overwhelmed by the long work days that were ahead of me. I wondered what it would be like to be stuck on a ship with the same people, in a confined space, for seven months. I was excited about the ports we were to visit.

Then, the time came for me to deploy to the Mediterranean. I had to plan all of my personal affairs including wills, insurances and household bills. I had to purchase personal hygiene items that would last for approximately seven months. The deployment was very successful because we were able to support the mission. However, we did lose a sailor while in port which was devastating. We visited three amazing ports in France, Italy and Greece. I know if I hadn't joined the military, I would never have visited such countries.

This anonymous author served seven years in the Navy, working on the Harry S. Truman CVN-75 and at Naval Station Oceana. She currently helps veterans transition to civilian life at Clear Path for Veterans.
2016-11-01-nst-chaseclarisecoleman1.jpg

Clarise Coleman sits with her son, Chase Coleman, 15, at their Syracuse home. Clarise Coleman took her complaint public after Rochester authorities failed to press charges against a man accused of attacking Chase during a run with his cross country team in Rochester.

(N. Scott Trimble)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - For more than two weeks, Rochester police did not get signed statements from witnesses who said they saw a middle-aged man attack Chase Coleman, a 15-year-old with autism, in a park.

Without signed statements from witnesses, there was no way to press charges against the man who admitted that he had shoved Coleman to the ground, legal experts say.

So a judge denied the arrest warrant.

The case appeared to be dead. Then Coleman's mother went public.

Seventeen days after the incident, following a weekend of news stories that attracted national attention, Rochester police sprang into action. In a single 24-hour period, the cops obtained three signed statements they needed to make an arrest. They drove 90 minutes each way to Syracuse to get a statement from Coleman's mother, Clarise.

Then an arrest warrant was approved by the same judge who had denied the previous application. Martin MacDonald, 57, of Pittsford, was arraigned Friday on a charge of second-degree harassment.

He is due back in court Nov. 9.

Rochester police declined a request Friday to talk about their handling of the case. But Susan Boyle, a Syracuse city councilor who intervened on behalf of the Coleman family, said police responded appropriately to the public outcry sparked by news reports.

"I think there were errors on the side of the police,'' Boyle said. "There were mistakes made. And I think immediately they tried to straighten it out. They snapped into action immediately.''

The initial warrant application that police sent to Rochester City Court Judge Caroline Morrison, without signed statements, left the judge little choice but to deny the warrant, legal experts say.

Morrison took heat for the decision. Comedian D.L. Hughley, for example, urged listeners on his radio show to call Morrison and complain. But the judge was following the law, according to Mark Moretti, president of the Monroe County Bar Association.

Absent signed statements from witnesses, the information submitted to the judge with the initial warrant application was mere "hearsay,'' he said.

"There are certain requirements the judge has to see before she can sign the warrant,'' Moretti said. "I thought it was very unfair that the judge's conduct was being criticized, really, for doing her job.''

Coleman received a notice in the mail from the Rochester court, dated Oct. 21, saying that the judge "denied your warrant application.'' The letter did not indicate that any effort would be made to pursue the case further.

"They weren't pursuing it,'' Boyle said.

But on Oct. 31, as the case drew national attention, police reached out to witnesses and revived the investigation. They took signed statements that day from Collin Thompson, a 31-year-old woman who saw the alleged attack; Bryan Shepard, a sheriff's deputy who interviewed MacDonald the day of the incident; and Clarise Coleman, Chase's mother.

Police also made phone contact that day with Kris Van Metter, a second witness to the event, who was in Washington, D.C., Van Metter said. Police told him it was not necessary to return to Rochester to sign a statement, Van Metter said.

The three statements obtained Oct. 31 were consistent with what each person told police Oct. 14, the day of the incident, according to the initial police report.

Thompson's written statement said she was walking in the park and noticed a lot of boys in team uniforms running a race. She came upon one of the boys, who was standing in a park road looking confused when a "larger white male'' pushed him down onto his back and yelled "get out of here.''

Shepard said he was dispatched to MacDonald's residence in Pittsford to interview him about the incident. MacDonald told the deputy that the boy appeared to be on drugs and kept repeating what MacDonald said, which MacDonald interpreted as mockery.

"MacDonald stated he yelled to the male to get out of here but the male still kept walking towards him,'' Shepard wrote. "MacDonald told me he thought the male was going to mug his wife and take her purse and that's why he pushed him.''

Clarise Coleman's statement indicated that her son has autism and minimal ability to communicate. "He also has echolalia which (means) that he will repeat back what has been said to him,'' she wrote.

The charge against MacDonald is a violation, not a crime, punishable by no more than 15 days in jail. It's unusual for such a minor case to attract such widespread attention.

But Boyle said it's important for the public to know that cases like this will not slip through the cracks without running their course in the justice system.

"This has to be sorted out,'' she said. "We need to know that we can still count on the justice system to do the right thing.''

Contact reporter Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023

Letter about Judge Morrison by Tim Knauss on Scribd
Nija Johnson

The teen suspect accused of killing two women at a Halloween party in the Hudson Valley has been caught and arrested out of state.

Nija Johnson, 17, was wanted for second-degree murder in a shooting at a party in Newburgh. Tabitha Cruz, 20, and Omani Free, 18, were were both killed early in the morning on October 30 when police say Johnson opened fire. Five other people were injured.

Police did not release many details of Johnson's arrest, but said he was captured around 3 p.m. on Friday, and is expected to be returned to Newburgh in a few days, the Times Herald-Record reported.

Police also arrested two other men in connection with the shooting last week. Rainier Hamilton, 21, and Tyson Oliveira, 20, were charged with evidence tampering and assisting the shooter.

Johnson had two other outstanding arrest warrants for felony weapon and drug charges, according to the Herald-Record.

"We couldn't get any better news," Ray Degraffenried, Cruz's stepfather, told the paper. "It brought a little bit of happiness along with the sadness."

Free's mother, Rhonda Valentine-Free, said she was happy the teen had been caught.

"Justice needs to be served," said Valentine-Free.

Cruz's funeral was on Saturday and Free's funeral is set for Monday.
ANDOVER, N.Y. -- An Upstate New York man was killed when his all-terrain vehicle landed upside-down as he was doing a stunt, State Police said Saturday.

Charles E. Reinhart, 64, of Livonia, in Livingston County was fatally injured about 4:30 p.m. Friday in Tall Pines ATV park on Jones Road in Andover. He jumped a 5-foot dirt ramp on his 2016 Kymco ATV and flew about 25 feet, landing on his head.

Reinhart was pronounced dead in Jones Memorial Hospital, Wellsville.

State Police said Reinhart was killed even though he was wearing a full facial helmet.
Writing and directing a full length play in Cambridge would seem to many an impossibly daunting task. I catch up with Jonny Shamir, who is on the brink of realising this feat for the second time, with his social media focused play, The Connection.

Ive been involved with Cambridge theatre, throughout my time here, says Jonny when I ask him about his motivations for writing, but I can tell you there is no greater satisfaction than seeing something that you created produced and performed on stage. Now in his final year at Cambridge, Jonny concedes that The Connection may be his last mark on the Cambridge theatre scene, and so it made sense, he says, to do something original.

The road to performance was not without its barriers. More than anything, writing a play is really hard and takes a really, really long time! Jonny tells me. This, in part, influenced his decision to pitch his show to a smaller theatrical society. I was able to go to them with what I had at the time, and promise redrafting and improvements. Thats just something places like the ADC wouldnt be interested in for obvious reasons  I dont blame them! Nonetheless, Jonny feels this opportunity to revise and hone his creative work has allowed the play to become even more exciting.

The Connection takes the performative aspects of social media and transposes them into the theatrical environment. Its something Ive had as an idea for a long time Jonny enthuses, I wanted to engage with this quite damaging projection of the perfect self we see on Facebook or Instagram for example, and to explore the way in which this effects our sense of reality. Jonny took much of his inspiration for the show from Erving Goffmans theory of the self as something performed. The play itself reflects on how social media allows these ideas to be exacerbated. The production is constructed in such a way that when characters disconnect from social media, this changes even the insights the audience have into them says Jonny.

The world of social media is something that has infiltrated other art mediums, but is difficult to adapt for the stage. Many modern TV dramas have text messages flash up on screen throughout the action, something which hasnt really been explored to the same extent in theatre as yet.

As well as the name of the play, The Connection is the social media platform Jonnys characters interact with. Weve got someone creating a webface for this fictitious form of Facebook, which will be projected during the performance and interwoven into the traditional theatrical techniques of the production Jonny explains. This is an ambitious project. The team are appealing for Facebook users to allow them to incorporate old social media statuses into the production to give it an authentic feel. Though this is something I will personally pass on for fear of a resurrection of 2009 odes to my favourite X-factor contestants, the appeal is a testament to the production teams commitment to creating a believable cyber world for their actors to inhabit.

Lighting will also be paramount in the production, Jonny tells me. We want to give the sense that as characters become more engaged in the computerised world, true reality becomes less accessible to them, so weve played around with lights to give a sense of gradually dissipating space. The small cast will also employ multi-role in an effort to destabilise a fixed idea of identity. In Western culture particularly we have this notion of being true to oneself. But were questioning whether identity is not something more fluid, particularly when the internet allows you to so obviously construct an outward persona."

Jonnys directorial decisions seem so rich and well-defined that I ask him whether writing and directing is a combination of roles which is a necessity to a production such as this. In many respects I am quite possessive over what Ive written, he laughs, but thats not to say it wouldnt be very exciting and healthy to see the direction someone else might take it in. In the end, however, Jonny decided that the performative themes of social media he wanted to discuss in the work were so closely intertwined with the way in which the play itself was performed that directing seemed like an obvious decision. Im not self-important enough to claim were doing something that changes the landscape of Cambridge theatre or anything, he jokes, its just that social media is something so prominent in everyones lives, its really interesting to put it onstage and ask some questions about how it actually affects us all.

The Connection plays at the Robinson College Auditorium Wednesday 9th  Friday 11th November at 7:30pm.
Tim Farron is one of those people who bounce when they enter a room. Its not just the fact he wears Doc Martens, its the fact that he seems constantly buoyed up by an immense sense of his own righteousness and optimism about the future of his party. Following the Brexit result and the Lib-Dems second place in Witney, Farron is on a mission. Hes angry, hes energised, and hes optimistic. Will those three things be enough to get the Lib-Dems into power? Probably not.

Talking in the Union Chamber, Farron is bullish about the current situation. He recognises the result of the Brexit referendum, and agrees that the Government should respect the wishes of the electorate to leave, but is opposed to those who support the idea of a hard Brexit. Instead, he supports a referendum on the terms of leaving, with the option to go back to the drawing board and get a new settlement if the electorate disagree with those terms.

In particular, he takes issue with the narrow, fact free nationalism, which he sees as having poisoned the debate since the referendum, arguing that the Lib-Dems should lead the charge to escape the narrative which is now being imposed upon us. He has little patience for Brexit voters themselves, describing them as being led by the English Nationalist wing of the Tory party, with the vote being either an anti-immigration statement, or an expression of discontent with the political system. His speech seems suffused with a sense of agitated bitterness, of anger at what he seems to see as the fundamental irrationality of Brexit.

In the Union Library afterwards, he is optimistic about the Lib-Dems chances going forward, having compared them to the SNP and Trudeaus Liberals in his main speech. When asked what his route into Government was, he argues that every election starts nil-all, with the implication that the Lib-Dems have the same chance of winning as any other party.

He hopes that the party will make gains in the South-West (where they held numerous seats before the 2015 election) and other former strongholds, before pushing into Tory and Labour heartlands to mount a serious bid for major party status. To get those heartland seats, he seems to be banking on a major crisis, arguing that there will be a moment of truth for the Government when petrol rises above 1.50. To support this, he cites the 2000 fuel protests, which caused the Tories to rise in the polls at Labours expense. In the absence of an effective Labour party, he sees the Lib-Dems as the beneficiaries of any such crisis, although he seems to have missed the fact that in spite of that bounce in the polls, Labour still won the election back in 2001.

Farron is an optimistic politician with a real sense of conviction  he is enthusiastic, pleasant to talk to, and articulate. However, it remains to be seen if this optimism about the Lib-Dems future is supported by reality. Like David Steele telling the 1981 Alliance conference to go back to your constituencies and prepare for government, Farrons talk of a Lib-Dem fightback may prove to be nothing but hope and faith. Whether voters will reward him with charity in the voting booth is another matter.
It's early November, and Samsung has just decided to release the October update for the Samsung Galaxy Note edge, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+. The update is designed to bring security improvements among other things to the line of Galaxy devices.

The firmware version is XXU3BPJ3 for the S6 Edge Plus, XXU4DPJH is for the Galaxy S6 Edge, while XXU4DPJD is for the T-Mobile version of the phone, according to the Inquisitor. The updates are currently being rolled out to unlocked smartphones in Europe and some parts of North America. Bear in mind that it might take some time before the update find its way to every device seeing as it is coming from over the air.

According to a report from GSM Arena, the size of the update is around 350 MB, which isn't too bad. We recommend downloading the October update over Wi-Fi for the sake of saving on data charges.

What Does The Updates Contain?

Not much to be honest. Security seems to be the main push here, but we're glad to see improvements to the battery life, improved performance due to efficient memory management and overall stability. We understand from the Dutch website, Galaxy Club, that the update also brings along some bug fixes and feature improvement.

The feature improvement aspect was not explained by the update's changelog. We view it as general features.

How To Get The Update

If the update is available, then a pop-up message should appear on your smartphone with instructions on how to grab the update. If not, travel to the Settings menu and then to Software Update and manually check for an update. The system will begin to make a search, and if there's one, it will pop-up and all you'd need to do, is accept.

That's quite easy, so no need to consider ripping your hair out. The update should make the phones a lot better, but not to mention, it should prepare these devices for Android 7.0 Nougat.

It's the next big Android release, and from what we have seen already, it's a blast to use. Version 7.1 even more so since it is the version found on the Google Pixel.

Keep in mind, despite the S6 models of the Galaxy line of devices are set to get the new Android update, the newer models are likely the main focus right now. This means, users may have to wait until 2017 to get Nougat on their smartphones.

Do you have an old Nexus 5 laying around? Yes? Guess what, with just a little bit of effort, you could get Android Nougat 7.1 installed on the handset. It's the version found in the Google Pixel smartphones, so that's good.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Things are not looking good for Samsung, as the company has been placed in a rather peculiar situation. First, its Galaxy Note 7 devices exploded and caught fire. Now it's having similar problems with washing machines. When will the embarrassment ever come to an end?

According to Samsung Electronics, the plan right now is to recall over 2.8 million washing machines from within the United States. Each washing machine poses a threat and could explode one way or the other. We understand the lid could explode, fly off and cause injury.

Information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission claims the Samsung washing machines were manufactured between March 2011 and November 2016. We understand that over the years, nine related injury reports were made to Samsung.

Injuries range from a broken jaw, injury to the shoulders and the general fall-related injuries. Now, while this defect has nothing to do with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, it will raise further concerns regarding the company's ability to release products with high quality control measures.

What Samsung Plans To Do?

The company is hoping to give consumers who have purchased the washing machines free in-house repairs and an extension in the warranty. Folks can even get a rebate that can be put toward purchasing a new Samsung washing machine or another from a different brand.

Now, for those who have purchased one of the affected machines in the past 30 days, they are eligible for a complete refund from the retailer it was purchased.

"Our priority is to reduce any safety risks in the home and to provide our customers with easy and simple choices in response to the recall," says John Herrington, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Home Appliances, Samsung Electronics America. "We are moving quickly and in partnership with the CPSC to ensure consumers know the options available to them and that any disruption in the home is minimized."

Don't Believe The Problem Is That Bad?

CNN Money has pictures of one of the affected washing machines. This one exploded, the lid flew up and damaged a section of the wall in the house. No wonder one of the victims suffered a broken jaw because the lid appears to have gone up with a strong force.

What we have here is a huge problem that Samsung needs to attend to. No one wants to buy products from a company that has track record of items blowing up and causing severe injuries. The most severe case is the man who suffered third-degree burns after his Galaxy Note 7 went up in flames inside his pants pocket.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
All the efforts and resources that Microsoft has poured to develop the Windows 10's Edge browser could all amount to nothing. This came after a report revealed how the new application, together with the Internet Explorer, has lost a staggering 331 million users this year.

In October alone, Microsoft browsers saw the flight of 40 million users based on the report of Net Applications, a data analytics vendor. For 2016, the figure could reach more than 331 million. What is particularly disturbing is the fact that the exodus follows a downward pattern throughout the year without any interruption whatsoever.

The first half of 2016 has been marked by an incremental decline, but beginning May, the rate started to plummet more dramatically. According to Computerworld, if the trend continues, Microsoft browsers could hold less than 20 percent of the market share by March next year.

Mozilla figures prominently in the Edge's gloomy narrative. Its Firefox browser seemed to have snagged the bulk of fleeing Edge users, driving the browser's impressive turnaround. Firefox has been steadily in decline for some time only to bounce back in the past two months. Internet Explorer is, of course, bound to fade since Microsoft has stopped supporting its older versions for good.

It is, however, helpful to remember that the Edge's dismal performance could be attributed to its limited availability. It is only available in Windows 10, which claims more than 22 percent of the PC OS market. As of October, users of Windows 7 still account for more than 48 percent of overall OS market. Windows 8 and Windows XP users claim 2.17 percent and 8.27 percent share, respectively.

In contrast, rival browser platforms such as Chrome and Firefox can be used on all Windows versions and even on MacOS. The news, therefore, that revealed how Microsoft is currently mulling universal Windows support is not surprising.

The drastic improvement of Firefox user base should also be, in a way, heartening for Microsoft as it highlights how trends could shift or get reversed in a matter of months.

At this point, Microsoft is aggressively promoting the Edge browser to Windows 10 users. Recent reports, for example, showed that the company has tapped the Notification feature of the operating system to push user adoption to the point of vilifying the Chrome browser, which is currently the dominant player in the market. This has been reinforced by a slew of recent Windows 10 updates.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's aggressive promotional approach seems to be turning off customers, giving them more reason to abandon Edge altogether. This must explain how it has been consistently losing users these past months despite its critically acclaimed features and notable performance advantages over those of its rivals.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Home is now officially hitting shelves here and there and is ready to ship out.

Previously, the Google Assistant-powered speaker was only available for preorder at the Google Store, but now, interested customers can go ahead and order one for immediate shipping or head on over to select retail stores in the United States.

Where To Buy Google Home?

Aside from purchasing the Google Home at the Google Store, anyone can help themselves to it at Best Buy, Target and Walmart for $129.

Interestingly enough, it's not available on Amazon, and it doesn't look like it will be up for grabs there anytime soon. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, though, as the retailer's Echo and Alexa rival Google Home and Assistant.

It's also worth mentioning that Google's virtual assistant could be considered more vibrant compared with the likes of Alexa and Siri, and that's because the Mountain View company hired the comedy writers of Pixar and The Onion to make it lively. That means users can expect a zinger or two from time to time or a joke now and then.

For a closer look, we have a comparison between Google Assistant and Siri.

What Else Is In Store? YouTube Red

To make the pot sweeter than it already is, Google is also throwing in a six-month subscription to YouTube Red free of charge.

never sounded so good. Get #YouTubeRed FREE for 6 months with your new #GoogleHome device. (Restrictions apply.) https://t.co/KkXWFXlc22 pic.twitter.com/ASh4PMNVtQ  Made by Google (@madebygoogle) November 4, 2016

For those who aren't that familiar with what the service brings to the table, we have a comparison that puts it against other competitors on the market, including Netflix and Hulu, to name a few.

The Bottom Line

To sum things up, Google Home is available via the Google Store, and it can be nabbed straight away or online at Best Buy, Target and Walmart for $129.

With all said and done, are you going to get yourself a Google Home? If so, feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Charlotte, a gigantic female spider in Australia, has taken the netizens by storm. This follows a resurgence of the Facebook post of the huge huntsman spider taken by the Australian rescue organization in Queensland's Brisbane Valley while releasing the monster spider to the farm in October.2015

The real issue is the huge size of the creepy-crawly creature that scared the online crowd. Mind that some spiders are very harmful to humans while some are not.

In the viral Facebook post, Charlotte looks unrealistically big and is seen hanging precariously from a broom.

Why The Facebook Post Went Viral?

The viral posting of the big spider happened on Thursday when 9 News Perth posted photos of Charlotte on its Facebook page. To the surprise of all, they were shared by more than 26,000 users in less than eight hours.

Barnyard Betty's sanctuary again reacted saying that "she is very real and very large and not Photoshopped."

"I'm not sure why now but she is going absolutely viral and become an internet sensation," the organization wondered.

Experts also said the unusual size was spooky given that an average huntsman spider has a body of only 0.7 inches with leg span reaching just 6 inches.

Australian Museum arachnologist Graham Milledge also said Charlotte is a bit extraordinary.

"The spider in the photo appears to be a Giant Green Huntsman Spider, Typostola barbata. This is one of the larger species of huntsman spider found in Australia, with a leg span of over 7.8 inches, and is mainly found in eastern Queensland," he added.

Typostola barbata is one of the larger species found in Australia, with a leg span more than 20 cm.

Milledge clarified that this cannot be the largest Huntsman spider, which is actually Heteropoda maxima having a leg span of 30cm and found mainly in Laos.

Mixed Online Feelings

As mentioned, the massive spider's pictures terrified internet users with many swearing that the largest Huntsman spider is here. A few praised the sanctuary for helping to remove the stigma around spiders as something repelling.

"All creatures deserve respect and kindness! So happy that Charlotte is able to live safely and peacefully at your sanctuary," wrote Facebook user Danielle Helfrick.

Many suspect that the size of the spider is a 'forced perspective'  a camera trick. One Facebook user Marissa Cutts said the size made her fearsome:

"I'm weeping this is so scary."

Though the photos were looking larger, generally the huntsman spiders with a leg span up to 12 inches are not dangerous to humans.

According to Robert Raven, Queensland Museum's principal curator, the tree, and the broom are making an unusual perspective. Raven said the spider was an adult and is unlikely to grow the leg span.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Today, Nov. 6, the United States will have another hour of sleep. The period of Daylight Saving Time ended at 2 a.m., when most smartphones will automatically turn themselves back one hour.

However, in the case of some alarm clocks that are still analog, they have to be turned back manually. It's advised to do this before going to bed, so that you will be displayed the correct hour in the morning. DST is also a time when most people change their batteries, check their alarms and the carbon monoxide detectors. Because the event of turning our clocks happens twice every year, it's always a good reminder of biannual things we have to take care of.

"Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. Turn and test is a reminder to set your clocks back and take a few minutes to push the test button to make sure all alarms are working," noted Neela Mukherjee Lockel, CEO of the American Red Cross on Long Island.

The bad news about this is that the sun will set an hour earlier, which will make it dark before dinner in Long Island. On Sunday, Nov. 6, the sun will set at 4:46 p.m., for instance.

Describing The Phenomenon

No less than 232 years back, Benjamin Franklin suggested that people should use church bells to wake up citizens when the sun rises and make the most of the daylight, as a means to be economical with the use of expensive candles. While he was joking, more than two centuries later, we still preserved this habit.

The areas in the United States not employing DST are Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As an exception to most of the U.S. states, Arizona hasn't used DST in more than 40 years.

There are other differences in how this habit is employed - or not used at all - all over the world. For instance, the European Union turns back its clocks every last Sunday of October, one week before the United States. China, India and Japan, very much like Arizona, don't use DST at all.

Economic Benefits Of DST

While the benefits of DST are various, economists have worked on a scientific paper dismissing the economic value of this measure. Comparing two identical cities at opposite ends of the same time zone, the one on the Eastern side, where the sun rises and sets one hour earlier, have a 1.5 percent increase in worker wages on the short run and 5 percent on the long run.

However, it is complicated to estimate the real economic benefits of this measure, as higher wages contribute to a higher cost of sleep, thus people will work more, which can be a key variable in the economy of this process.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Because of the change in the way of Nutella is consumed in the United States, Ferrero has recently pushed for the product to be reclassified from topping to dessert, which would put it in the same category as honey and jam.

The Food and Drug Administration is the institution responsible for carrying out the investigation of the product's reclassification conditions. If approved, the change would reduce the serving size of the spread product from two tablespoons in 2014 to one tablespoon, which would also cut in half the calories displayed on the product label.

The argument of the Ferrero management was that fewer calories would equal more sales.

"The current serving size is two tablespoons, or 37 grams, equaling 200 calories. Nutella maker Ferrero thinks a smaller serving size - with fewer calories - might make people more likely to grab a jar from supermarket shelves," explained the Ferrero petition.

The Facts Behind The Spread

The product tastes like a combination of hazelnuts and cocoa, being a creamy dessert with a very specific and recognizable taste and flavor. Currently, the product is classified to have 546 kilocalories per 100 grams, which translates to 81 kilocalories per a 15-gram portion.

The product ingredients are sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts (13 percent), low-fat cocoa (7.4 percent), skimmed milk powder (6.6 percent) and whey powder (milk). The emulsifiers Nutella uses are lecithin (soya) and vanillin.

While the amount of Nutella produced every year weighs the same as the Empire State Building according to its website, back in 1946 when the company was founded, the recipe hadn't attracted nearly as many customers as it does today.

It was in 1964 when the Nutella recipe as we know it today was created, after approximately two decades of trial and error recipes to find the most suitable combination of flavors for its public. One year later, the iconic jar was first used as packaging for the product, starting an era of great success for the Italian and international customers.

However poetic the branding story of this product is, its initial purpose was practical. The cream was invented as a solution to a huge problem Europe had after the end of World War Two - the cocoa shortage. But because of the success of the recipe, the product arrived in Australia in 1978 after having impressed the entire European continent.

Further proof of the product's success in both marketing and sales was the organic reach of 10 million Facebook likes just one year after the page was created. Today, the page has earned more than 31 million likes from chocolate enthusiasts.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This Andean country is "once again threatened by those who, unable to contribute to democracy, bet on confrontation and violence," he denounced. | Read More
Thailand is making preparations for Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to ascend the throne on Dec 1, two senior military sources with knowledge of the matter said.

News of the December timeframe follows the princes departure for Germany at the weekend where he had personal business to attend to, one senior military source told Reuters, adding that the prince would return in November.

We are making preparations. Everything is being prepared for Dec. 1, said another senior military source who declined to be identified. But this timeframe also depends on His Royal Highness.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha had said the princes formal ascension could be within seven to 15 days of the kings death, or later.

Speaking on behalf of the prince hours after King Bhumibols death, Prayuth said the prince wanted to grieve with the people and leave the formal succession until later, when parliament will invite him to ascend the throne.His formal coronation, however, cannot take place until after the kings cremation in a years time.

Source: Thailand making preparations for Dec 1 royal succession
As the nation prepares for a national election, overshadowing much else in the news, Louisianas long-term problem of an inefficient tax structure and tottering budget continues to remind us of just how much remains to be done in the state.

It was a year ago that the state turned a page by electing as governor John Bel Edwards, who as a legislator had been a strong critic of the budgetary policies of then-Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Now, even after a year of Edwards first term has elapsed, the Jindal years continue to provide challenges for the new governor and Legislature that took office in January.

The last fiscal year that began with Jindal in office ended this June 30, and it showed a deficit of $313 million. Over a period of years, Jindal balanced the state budget with one-time money from a variety of sources, including trust funds tapped for the general fund. It was a bad practice, and now its consequences continue to be felt: Agencies and colleges are being asked to prepare for budget cuts of up to 10 percent of their state financing to close the gap.

We advised the agencies that this is the number that we're going to have to deal with, said Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, the governor's chief budget adviser.

The Edwards administration hasn't yet decided in detail how to deal with the shortfall, which is driven in part by lagging business tax collections. Louisianas economy remains subject to the impact of falling oil prices because so many business activities are tied to oil and gas production.

The Edwards' administration and lawmakers are looking at possible use of Louisiana's "rainy day" fund to close some of the gap. But cuts still will be needed.

"There will probably be some component of the rainy day fund that can be tapped, but not nearly enough to cover the entire amount," Dardenne told The Associated Press. "That's the only source of revenue that's immediately identifiable. But otherwise, we're going to be looking at cuts."

A lag in business taxes is not purely a matter of energy-related activity. The state has also been counting on money raised in this years legislative session, where business exemptions were reduced as part of a budget rescue package. Those might not bring inasmuch as anticipated, and the state faces further costs from disastrous August flooding in the southern regions of the state.

Although these problems have not received as much attention in the past few weeks as national politics has, they are challenges that have not gone away.
Cats, turtles and dogs with uber cool names - photos of Canberrans and their pets are flooding in since we launched our Me and My Pet photo competition last Wednesday.

The entry above was sent in by Sancho Murphy and features Sancho's husband Chris with their mini male dachshund Professor Dudley Farnsworth (a long name for a long dog).

Chris Murphy and his mini dachshund are among our first photo competition entries. Credit:Sancho Murphy

Entitled "Cool Guy Zone - Keep Out", the photo was taken in the Murphy's kitchen in Farrer, with Chris modelling a hat from the couple's online store, Sancho's Dirty Laundry.

The Me and My Pet photo competition is running in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery's brand new exhibition, The Popular Pet Show.
Ten years ago I spent a lot of time driving from Taree to Grafton. Used to take three and a half hours. At the weekend, guess what, three hours 40 minutes. Millions spent and for what? So much driver frustration and unnecessary road works with speed limits. Graham Norris, no address.

On the story about a policeman answering a phone while riding a horse [C8], he had no choice, suggests John McGregor of Queanbeyan. "I have never seen a horse fitted with Bluetooth."

"In regards to self service checkouts [C8] the easiest way to avoid them is get your groceries delivered. Time it right and you don' t even need to talk to the delivery driver," Craig Lonard of Unanderra.

Also, from Maureen King of Lane Cove. "I refuse to use supermarket scanners. I believe they put people out of work. I remember the first supermarket in my neighbourhood in the 1950s where an extra human helped pack groceries. I wonder if employees were ever compensated for taking on banking tasks when credit cards became popular? A few of the reasons I despise supermarkets."

A 'bum-shot' [C8: forecasters] of Graham Creed? That would be a southerly change to look forward to. I believe he used to dress in casuals from the waist down (where cameras once feared to go) until directed to conform to full formal attire. I doubt a tight dress would find approval, no matter how elegant." Meri Will DY.
Who is the one woman on television who has epitomised what it means to be a deliciously selfish single woman? Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, or any of the women on Sex and City, might come to mind. But it's actually Julia Louis-Dreyfus whose characters have done the most to reframe what it means to be a single woman.

Unlike Murphy Brown and Sex and the City, shows that put their characters' single statuses front and centre, Louis-Dreyfus' characters just happen to be single.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus with the guys in Seinfeld.

Let's start with Elaine. At the time she was conceived as a character  in 1990, when NBC demanded that show creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld add a female character after an Elaine-free pilot episode  pop culture hadn't seen a female character like Elaine Benes. As the only major female character on the show that dominated the 1990s, she became the model for single womanhood for a generation and beyond, via reruns. From her, Gen X women learned to care as much about sponge-worthiness and cunnilingus as they did about romance and marriage.

Singlehood was built into Elaine's character, and her relationships tended toward either total weirdos  the Maestro, the guy obsessed with the song Desperado. Or hot guys who gave her great sex, but little else.
One of the striking elements of the US election is the unhinged furore surrounding Hillary Clinton. Recent polls show the majority of Americans believe the Democratic presidential candidate has done something "illegal", although they're not sure what.

Voters, pundits, angry crowds at Donald Trump's rallies feel emboldened to accuse Clinton of suppressing evidence, hiding a grave illness, of murder even. The confidence the accusers feel has a distinct strain of misogyny running through it.

The pettiness of attacks on Hillary Clinton is a reminder of the crisis of relevance for Republicans. Credit:AP

If the tone of the paranoid fantasy seems vaguely familiar, it should. It shares DNA with eight years of fantasy-tinged accusations levelled against US President Barack Obama.

But there are two elements that distinguish Clinton's case. One, the outsized suspicions about Clinton have been decades in the making. The other, and more insidious, is the seeming licence the public in the US, and abroad, feels to attack, belittle and demean a highly-qualified, experienced candidate.
Pressure from the Coalition party room could bring a major backdown in the long-running stand-off between the Coalition leadership and its MPs over section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

A decision to set up a Senate inquiry into the clause which makes it an offence to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or group" on the basis of race or ethnicity  subject to several exceptions outlined in 18D  would be the first nervous step towards watering it down.

It could come as early as Tuesday, and would likely cause fresh headaches for the government in multicultural Australia, with many ethnic groups critical of the campaign. Their support is vital to the Coalition's electoral survival.

Undeterred, MPs have been gathering the numbers and drumming up the collective will to force the reluctant hand of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Did you not get enough sleep last night? You may find yourself overeating today.

That's the conclusion investigators came to after reviewing data on 172 participants in 11 sleep studies. The study designs varied, but they all tested people after a night of restricted sleep, usually about four hours, and then after a night of normal rest.

Forget hours slept and sleep with your cycle? Uh, no. Credit:iStock

The next day, participants were offered a breakfast buffet or scheduled meals later in the day. The scientists recorded calorie intake and tracked energy expenditure with heart rate monitors and other electronic devices.

The analysis, in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that after a night of limited sleep, people consumed an average of 385 extra calories the next day, roughly the equivalent of a frosted cupcake or a serving of fries. They also consumed more fat and less protein.
Moments before crime figure Hamad Assaad was killed in a hail of bullets outside his Sydney home, he received a frantic call from his brother.

Tarek, who lived a few doors down on Sturt Avenue in Georges Hall, wanted his 29-year-old sibling to know there was a police car sitting outside his house.

In an air of arrogance that was synonymous with Mr Assaad, he took a peek outside the recently renovated home he shared with his mother but brushed it off.

Not long after, on the morning of October 25, the person in that same police car became a witness to Mr Assaad's brazen downfall.
A 22-storey tower looks set to dominate West End after Deputy Premier Jackie Trad's decision to allow a height increase at the controversial West Village development on the site of the old Absoe furniture factory.

It was a trade-off, Ms Trad said, that would allow for more public space and access at ground level.

Neighbours of the West Village development show their disapproval. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

The $800 million West Village project, which has been the subject of sustained community opposition since it was announced, was called in by Ms Trad in September.

Ms Trad was expected to formally hand down her decision later in the week.
Towering hay crops across Victoria are set to give welcome relief to dairy farmers struggling with low milk prices and big debts.

Hay crops that weren't badly damaged by a wet winter and a very wet start to spring are booming  and are set to provide a lucrative export industry.

Darryl Jensen, co-owner of Jenharwill Baling, says his hay crop has boomed. Credit:Simon Schluter

Crops are so dense in places that machinery can only crawl through some paddocks as hay is cut and left to cure for a few days.

But in pockets of Victoria and NSW hit by floods, hay crops were so damaged that some farmers have left their baling equipment in the shed.
Manila: A Philippines mayor who had been accused of drug trafficking by President Rodrigo Duterte was shot and killed by police officers in his jail cell on Saturday, the police said.

Mayor Rolando Espinosa snr of Albuera, a town in Leyte province in central Philippines, had been arrested in October, several weeks after Mr Duterte included him in a list of about 150 Philippines officials he said were involved in narcotics. Mr Espinosa, who had denied any wrongdoing, is the second politician on the list to have been killed by police officers in a little more than a week.

Filipino students display placards in protest of the killings being perpetrated in the unrelenting "War on Drugs" campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte. Credit:AP

The Leyte provincial police said Saturday that Mr Espinosa and his cellmate, identified as Raul Yap, had been killed in a "firefight" with police officers, who woke them at dawn while searching their cell. The provincial police chief, Juvy Espinido, told a Manila radio station that both men had "resisted" the police.

Later, the police said they had recovered two handguns from the jail cell. Bags containing what was believed to be methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were also found inside the cell, the police said.
In 2008, Barack Obama won 96 per cent of the black vote. Credit:AP "We do not see, often enough, the people who love Hillary Clinton," the feminist writer Chimamanda Adichie wrote in The Atlantic last week, in a piece boldly titled 'Why is Hillary Clinton so widely loved?'. "Yet millions of Americans, women and men, love her intelligence, her industriousness, her grit; they feel loyal to her, they will vote with enthusiasm for her." Hillary Clinton with supporters at a campaign rally. Credit:AP The overwhelmingly negative narrative around Clinton's candidacy was something that intrigued Rachel VanSickle-Ward, an associate professor of political studies at Pitzer College. After Clinton prevailed in the Democratic primaries against another popular insurgent who drew huge crowds at rallies, Bernie Sanders, VanSickle-Ward argued that the media was missing much of the enthusiasm for Clinton that carried her to victory.

"This idea that there was an enthusiasm gap or a lack of enthusiasm for Clinton, that's not borne out by the data," she told Fairfax Media. "The reason it's being presented as true is representative of some broader problems of how we talk about her main supporters, which are women and people of colour." Clinton's supporters may have been less visible or less likely to show up to a rowdy rally, she argued, or may have been deterred from voicing their support because of the very strident backlash they sometimes were faced with, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. This was something writer Michelle Goldberg outlined during the primaries too, after seeing far more vocal support for Sanders  his bumper stickers and T-shirts outnumbering those for Clinton "by what seemed like 20 to 1"  in her own New York neighbourhood. But on primaries day, Clinton won the area emphatically, with exit polls showing higher levels of support, particularly among women and minority voters. Reflecting on why she hadn't seen that support around her before the vote, Goldberg posited that perhaps she had deceived herself into thinking "that the candidate with the most white male support had the most support, period".

"I had let myself mistake the loudest people for The People," she said on Slate. Indeed, some of the most enthusiastic supporters for Clinton in this final stretch of the campaign are not necessarily at her rallies or on most journalists' social media platform of choice, Twitter. Julie Zebrak, a former government lawyer from Maryland and mother of two teenagers, quit her job in June so she could start her own Facebook-centred online campaign for Clinton. "I felt like it was now or never to stay home with my girls, and it was now or never to help elect the first woman president," she told Fairfax Media. Zebrak, 45, has long admired Clinton, for her work at the Children's Defence Fund, for her fight for children's health insurance and her advocacy for women's health and rights.

"There's only one person I trust, and there's only one woman I trust to do that, and that's Hillary," she says. "So it's not just about being the first woman president, it's about this woman being president." Frustrated that she felt all she was hearing about Clinton in the media was about "the damn emails and Benghazi", Zebrak started a Facebook group called "Moms4HRC" (Hillary Rodham Clinton) that shared posts about Clinton's record  particularly on issues relating to children and women  and encouraged other women to get involved, whether hosting small fundraisers to raise money, or spreading information to their friends. Today there are over 21,000 followers of her page, and they're also starting to share their feelings on voting early. "It is elation," says Zebrak. "Women saying: 'I had to check three times to make sure it was right, or I burst out crying, or I had tears in my eyes'. That's the kind of feedback." There are many groups like this, and even, according to Zebrak and several reports, secret Facebook groups for women who support Clinton but don't want to deal with the backlash from their Clinton-hating relatives or friends.

Creeping into some online spaces, too, is the particular excitement of women who were born in an era where having a female president was literally impossible. Sarah Benor, along with her mother and two friends, was inspired by her own grandmother to set up a website called 'I waited 96 years' to document the experience of women born before their right to vote was enshrined in the United States in 1920, who were excited to vote for Clinton this year. People have been sending in pictures and words from their mothers and grandmothers all over the country, like 103-year-old Velva Stone from California. "My mother was a suffragette," Stone says on the website. "She instilled in all of her daughters, particularly me, a love for democracy and a need to participate in society  to contribute. I have voted in every election since I became eligible and I am so proud to be able to vote for a woman for president!" Clinton herself has leaned into the historic nature of her candidacy and emphasised her gender in her campaign in a way she explicitly avoided during her unsuccessful 2008 primary run  from her slogans "I'm with her" to unsubtle shattering of a glass ceiling on screen at the Democratic convention in July.

She's touted some gendered roles she's held  being a mother and grandmother  as virtues, qualifications even, for leadership, and has put some issues particularly affecting women, such as reproductive rights and equal pay, at the fore of her campaign. "I've really kind of matured in my understanding of how symbolism can be efficacious, so I'm more embracing of that," Clinton herself said in an interview earlier this year. "But at the end of the day, being the first woman president can only take you so far. What have I done that can actually produce positive results in somebody's life? I'm still a results-oriented kind of person, because that's what I think matters to people." Her direct challenge of Trump's "scare rhetoric", as she put it, on the issue of late-term abortions during the final presidential debate last month was a defining moment of her candidacy for pro-choice women. "I'll confess I felt a small thrill," said New York Times writer Emily Bazelon. "She sounded like the first woman running for president, defending other women  our autonomy and our control of our own bodies."

Of course, though, this excitement does coexist with a significant amount of other very different feelings about her candidacy  from women, from her own supporters, from feminists. It's complicated, to say the least. She does not invoke the same levels of enthusiasm and passion even among Democrats as the last history-making candidate, Barack Obama. Enthusiasm for Clinton in late October  defined as people who said they were affirmatively voting for her as opposed to against the other candidate  was 56 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight. For Obama in 2008, it was a stratospheric 80 per cent. "But that's uncommon," the website observed. Clinton's level of affirmative support was about average for most presidents since 1980. There is a significantly lower level of support for Clinton, too, among women than there was for Obama among African-Americans  Obama won 96 per cent of the black vote, while Clinton has a 14-point lead with women in the latest Times poll. For some feminists on the left she is too conservative on economic reform, too hawkish and militaristic on foreign policy and too closely aligned with her husband's punitive welfare and criminal justice reforms of the 1990s to be embraced.

"There are certain things that I don't want to co-sign in the name of feminism that I think are militarist, imperialist, white supremacist, whether they are conducted by women or men," said the black feminist theorist bell hooks earlier this year, explaining why she couldn't support Clinton's candidacy. And while on the right there are many women who say they would like to see a woman president, they cannot embrace this woman. "I would love to see a woman president," a Trump voter named Tina told New York magazine this week. "Get Condoleezza Rice in there. I'm telling you what, if she ran, I would campaign for her. But Hillary and I don't share the same values." As election day approaches, many voters feel they are emotionally limping to the finish line, and the fact that this is the first American election where a woman has a real chance of becoming president may be far from the front of many women's minds. Loading
Though Hillary Clinton's fight to win the White House is far from won, the warning shots in what may be her next major political battle have already been fired.

"I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up," Republican senator John McCain pledged in early October. "I promise you."

Considering and confirming nominees for the highest court in the country is a key function of the United States Senate but it's one Republicans have steadfastly refused to carry out in the final year of Barack Obama's presidency.

Since the ultra-conservative justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly in February, his seat on the bench has sat empty, leaving an often deadlocked, even number of justices: four conservative Republican appointees, and four liberal Democratic ones.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 4, 2016 --

Five stars highest possible score in NHTSA's safety rating program

All-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan achieves highest possible rating  five stars  in each of three individual crash tests performed by NHTSA

High-strength steel, which also contributes to fuel-saving weight reduction, accounts for 72 percent of new Pacifica's body structure; 38 percent is Advanced High-strength Steel (AHSS)

2017 Chrysler Pacifica checks boxes on all of NHTSA's recommended advanced technologies  backup camera system, lane-departure warning and forward collision warning

Pacifica's Parkview rear backup camera, which is standard equipment, among more than 100 available safety and security features

Available Forward Collision Warning-Plus enabled by sensor-fusion technology

NHTSA five-star rating complements Top Safety Pick+ status

All-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan starts at $28,595 (excluding destination)

The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has earned a five-star overall safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Five stars is the highest possible safety rating given by NHTSA.

The Chrysler brand's all-new minivan also scored five stars  the highest possible rating  in each of the crash tests included in NHTSA's safety assessment program.

The tests simulate:

Frontal collision

Side-impact simulating a two-vehicle collision

Side-impact simulating a single-vehicle collision with a pole

These latest test results complement the Top Safety Pick+ rating previously given to the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).**

"These results are a clear indicator of our unwavering commitment to engineering excellence," says Mike Dahl, Head of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance, FCA  North America.

FCA US engineers conducted more than 8,500 simulated crashes and more than 80 full-vehicle impacts. These tests led to the development of a body structure that integrates 12 different steel grades.

High-strength steel accounts for 72 percent, of which 38 percent is Advanced High-strength Steel (AHSS).

And because these materials were used strategically, the new Pacifica's body structure is also 250 pounds lighter than that of the vehicle it replaced  an enhancement that contributes to the vehicle's class-leading 28 miles-per-gallon highway-cycle fuel-economy rating.

NHTSA's rating system acknowledges the availability of three "recommended" safety features: rear-view cameras, lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica checks the box for each category:

ParkView rear backup camera: Standard equipment, it provides a wide-angle view of the area immediately behind the vehicle, giving the driver greater peace of mind before reversing at low speeds; features dynamic grid lines to aid the driver when maneuvering into parking spaces or narrow areas; image is displayed on the navigation screen when the transmission is shifted into Reverse

Standard equipment, it provides a wide-angle view of the area immediately behind the vehicle, giving the driver greater peace of mind before reversing at low speeds; features dynamic grid lines to aid the driver when maneuvering into parking spaces or narrow areas; image is displayed on the navigation screen when the transmission is shifted into Reverse LaneSense Lane Departure Warning-Plus : Available as part of the Advanced Safety Tec Group, it leverages electronic power steering (EPS) to deliver a torque input to alert and assist the driver with corrective action

: Available as part of the Advanced Safety Tec Group, it leverages electronic power steering (EPS) to deliver a torque input to alert and assist the driver with corrective action Available Forward Collision Warning-Plus: Available as part of the Advanced Safety Tec Group, it utilizes radar sensors and cameras to detect whether the Pacifica is approaching another vehicle or large obstacle in its path too rapidly, and warns or may assist the driver in avoiding/mitigating the incident

The blending of radar sensors and cameras is known as sensor-fusion technology. Such redundancy affords greater object-detection precision. Similar systems on competitive vehicles feature one technology or the other.

Once reserved for luxury-segment vehicles, FCA US currently makes sensor-fusion technology available across six vehicle segments  from small SUV to minivan. It is the Company's technology of choice for driver assistance in crash mitigation.

Collision-warning systems are a prerequisite to earn Top Safety Pick+ status from the IIHS. Top Safety Pick+ status is contingent on the availability of such systems, provided they achieve ratings of "advanced" or "superior."

The Pacifica's system is rated "superior," and its performance in each of the following IIHS crash tests was classified as "good," the highest-possible rating. The tests simulate:

side impact with a large SUV or pickup truck

moderate-offset frontal impact

small-offset frontal impact

roof-deformation consistent with a rollover

rear collision capable of inducing whiplash

The all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica boasts more than 100 available safety and security features. It starts at $28,595, excluding destination charges.

** Designation applies to any 2017 Chrysler Pacifica produced after August 2016.

About Chrysler Brand

The Chrysler brand has delighted customers with distinctive designs, craftsmanship, intuitive innovation and technology all at an extraordinary value since the company was founded in 1925.

Whether it is the family-room-on-wheels functionality of the all-new Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the groundbreaking, bold design of the Chrysler 300, or the simple elegance and extraordinary driving experience of the Chrysler 200, Chrysler brand vehicles reward the passion, creativity and sense of accomplishment of its owners. Beyond just exceptionally designed vehicles, the Chrysler brand has incorporated thoughtful features into all of its products, such as the innovative center console with pass through storage and sliding cup holders in the Chrysler 200, the industry-exclusive Stow 'n Go seating and storage system on the Chrysler Pacifica and the fuel-saving Fuel Saver Technology in the Chrysler 300.

The Chrysler brand's succession of innovative product introductions continues to solidify the brand's standing as the leader in design, engineering and value. The premium for the Chrysler brand is in the product, not the price.
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
An occupational hazard of writing across the sharemarket is having to cover unfamiliar pockets of market activity. Like womens cosmetics and skincare products.

Clearly, its not my area of expertise (other than paying for these surprisingly expensive products from time to time). But rising demand for make-up and skincare is beautiful business for some ASX stocks.

Business forecaster IBISWorld estimates Australias cosmetics and toiletry retail industry will have sales of $3.9 billion in FY17. The industry grew modestly at 2.6 per cent annually over five years, thanks to stronger household spending on cosmetics.

IBISWorld predicts the industrys annual growth will slow to 1.5 per cent over FY17 to FY22 because of heightened competition from supermarkets, discount department stores and a growing number of pure-play online cosmetics retailers.

The sunscreen and other skincare product manufacturing sector in Australia has stronger prospects, argues IBISWorld. It estimates sector revenue of $290 million in FY17 and annual growth over five years of 6.7 per cent. Global players, such as LOreal, have traditionally dominated this market with skincare products, but local manufacturers are making headway.

These trends suggest the cosmetics and skincare industries have challenged outlooks as competition intensifies. But as so often happens, top-line forecasts, while useful, do not tell the full story for companies that are successfully attracting new markets.

Consider BWX, a developer, maker, distributor and marketer of branded skin and haircare products with an emphasis on the beauty and personal-care markets. Its key brands, owned or distributed, include Sukin, Derma, USpa, Edward Beale and Renew Skincare.

BWX shares soared after it raised $39 million in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on ASX in November 2015 at a $1.50 issue price. The shares spiked to $5.70 and now trade at $4.57, making BWX one of the best small-cap floats in years.

Chart 1: BWX Source: The Bull

At its Annual General Meeting in October, BWX said it had high confidence in its FY17 underlying earnings (EBITDA) guidance of $26.2 million, which would be 30 per cent up on the FY16 result. BWXs high growth rate has justified a rising valuation.

BWX impresses, but the recent drift in its share price suggests early enthusiasm is waning a little as the market digests a trailing Price Earnings (PE) multiple of almost 30 times (or 23 times on a forward basis using consensus forecasts). Thats demanding for a small cap with only a year of history as a listed company.

Two of six brokers that cover BWX have a buy recommendation, three have a hold and one has a sell. A median share-price target of $5.34 suggests BWX is undervalued, although care should always be taken using consensus based on a low number of forecasts.

Those forecasts look too aggressive and falls this week, albeit in a weakening market, suggest investors are reappraising BWXs price, and that better value will emerge in coming months. BWX is one for experienced investors to put on their watchlist in anticipation of better value.

McPhersons

Micro-cap retailer McPhersons looks more interesting on valuation grounds.

The company sells hair and beauty products that include the Manicare, Lady Jayne, Revitanail and the popular Dr LeWinns brands. It also sells household consumables and appliances.

The retailer has improving turnaround prospects. It rallied from a 64-cent low to $1.06, but remains well down on prices around $2.50 in mid-2013.

Chart 2: McPhersons Source: The Bull

McPhersons in August reported 12.3 per cent growth in after-tax net profit to $13.4 million for FY16. The health and beauty division delivered 47 per cent of revenue and the home-appliances division, under the Euromaid and Baumatic brands, delivered 24 per cent.

The health and beauty division, the key to McPhersons long-term prospects, continues to grow its share of overall revenue. The popular Dr LeWinns brand, which McPhersons is advertising heavily, has good growth prospects. If its turnaround succeeds, McPhersons could be a mini version of BWX  with a more attractive valuation. McPhersons trailing PE of 5.5 times compares with almost 30 for BWX.

Granted, its not a like-for-like comparison: BWX is a pure-play skincare company whereas health and beauty comprise just under half of McPhersons revenue. Also, BWX has had much stronger growth, has an expanding global footprint and warrants a sharply higher valuation multiple.

Also true is successful IPOs attracting plenty of market attention  and being bid too high  and low-profile microcaps with a history of patchy performance, such as McPhersons, being overlooked or ignored.

McPhersons has rationalised the business to three core segments, divested lower-margin businesses and is investing in its beauty brands. The strategy looks like the right makeover for McPhersons and its recent operational performance is healthier.

McPhersons suits experienced investors who understand the risks of investing in less liquid micro-cap stocks.

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Tony Featherstone is a former managing editor of BRW, Shares and Personal Investor magazines. The information in this article should not be considered personal advice. The article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or particular needs. Before acting on the information in this article you should consider the appropriateness and accuracy of the information, with regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Do further research of your own and/or seek personal financial advice from a licensed adviser before making any financial or investment decisions based on this article. All prices and analysis at November 3, 2016.
A little more than a decade ago a Tasmanian family started a company catering to the needs of babies, infants, and toddlers with organic infant formula and food products. The company, Bellamys Australia (BAL) went public on the ASX on 4 August of 2013 with an issue price of $1.00 per share. The stock opened and closed at $1.31 with an intraday high of $1.34. On 29 December of 2015 the stock price hit an all-time intraday high of $15.48 and now trades around $11.00, a roughly 700% increase since its first trading day.

New Zealand based a2 Milk Company (A2M) was born in 2000 as a result of a breakthrough discovery in the kinds of beta-casein proteins found in milk. While the A1 protein was a source of discomfort for some consumers, the A2 protein was not, and so the company went about searching for cows that produced only the A2 protein. In 2013 the company launched its a2 PLATINUM infant formula. A2M dual-listed on the ASX beginning on 31 March with a first day closing price of $0.56 after reaching an intraday high of $0.60. The stock price is now trading at $1.72 for a 210% increase. On 23 August of this year the stock price hit an all-time intraday high of $2.22. The following chart displays the stellar performance of these two high-flying growth stocks. Bellamys is in blue and [email protected] in green.



The driving factor for both companies was Chinese demand for safe and healthy infant formula. In late October of 2015 venerable Australian manufacturer of healthy foods and supplements of all kinds for both humans and animals, Blackmores Limited (BKL) announced a joint venture with Bega Cheese (BGA) to launch a line of infant formula products. The share price quickly leaped over $200 and reached an all-time intraday high of $220.90 on 5 January of this year.

As is the case with many high growth market darlings, all of these companies saw share prices plunge on uncertainties over the state of the market for infant formula in China. The carnage began earlier in the year but the last three months have been particularly brutal. Here is a three month chart for Blackmores.



And now we see the bleak performance for Bellamys, again in blue, and A2M in green.



Navigating the high growth seas sometimes requires nerves of steel and the ability to separate the wheat from the chaff in whatever financial events are driving down the stock price. On 24 August Blackmores released Full Year 2016 results that should have pleased investors. Revenues rose 52% and net profit after tax (NPAT) went up an impressive 110%. However, Blackmores warned that earnings for the first quarter (Q1) of 2017 would come in lower than earnings reported a year ago. Investors were definitely not impressed with that or with managements contention that sales would improve later in the year. When Q1 2017 results were announced on 27 October the stock price fell below $100 for the first time in a year. The story behind the numbers apparently overrode the pre-announcement to expect weaker results. The story is Blackmores entry into the infant formula market is not making the impact management had hoped for, describing sales as sluggish. Sluggish aptly describes the $9 million in infant formula revenue when compared to Full Year 2016 formula sales from Bellamys and a2 Milk Company, which generated a reported $500 million in revenue combined.

Add to that the statement of changes in buying patterns from Chinese exporters and the panic selling may be understandable. To some investors the surprise may not have been the drop but the quick recovery of the stock price in the days immediately following the announcement.

As you can see from the price movement charts, the share prices of both A2M and BAL fell dramatically in conjunction with the BKL announcement. The drop from a2 Milk Company came despite the companys own Full Year 2016 results announcement, which was outstanding. Revenue was up 127% and NPAT swung from a 2015 loss of $2 million to $30 million in the black. Apparently some weakness in milk sales overshadowed the fact infant formula accounted for more than half of revenues; management expects continued growth in its baby products; and improved results in the companys US market.

In yet another surprise Bellamys reported its Full Year 2016 financials a few days before the other two companies and they were solid, to say the least. Revenues of $244.6 million were up 95%, reaching a new record for the company. NPAT increased 320%  from $9.1 million to $38.3 million. The stock price rose but began to collapse on the Blackmores news.

Do investors have reason to be concerned that the high growth days for these companies are behind them? Based on earnings and dividend growth forecasts, it appears the analyst community doesnt think so. The following table includes the three principal players in the infant formula market along with Bega Cheese, the joint venture partner of Blackmores and a supplier of Bellamys.



Investors looking for growth at a reasonable price (GARP) should note that three of these companies have expected P/EGs over five years below 1.0, the benchmark that indicates the companys valuation  Price/Earnings Ratio  is justified by its anticipated earnings growth.

All of these companies have double digit two year growth forecasts for both earnings and three of the four for dividends. While Blackmores and Bega may be trailing in the infant formula market, their solid average annual rate of total shareholder return over five years suggests the additional revenue streams of both companies have performed well. For example, Blackmores is moving into the Indian market and its China division saw a 220% increase in revenues of the companys other products.

The dividend yields for BKL, A2M, and BAL may be relatively modest but all are fully franked and expected to increase substantially, with Bellamys dividend expected to more than double.What may be uppermost in the minds of nervous investors rings a familiar bell here in Australia  the situation in China. At the end of October an analyst at Citi downgraded both BAL and A2M to a SELL recommendation based on challenging conditions in China in FY 2017 for infant formula providers.

In 2008 Chinese consumers were shocked to learn some locally produced milk and infant formula was tainted with melamine. Thousands of babies were hospitalised and at least six died. Concerns over food safety spread, enriching the coffers of Australian companies known for providing safe and healthy food. Despite government efforts, the problem persists in the minds of Chinese consumers, 71% of whom still felt food safety was a big problem according to a 2015 survey from Pew Research Global Attitudes survey.

The new Chinese leadership has launched intensive anti-corruption efforts along with added good safety regulations which are impacting food product importers. New food safety regulations may pose new hurdles, but sound businesses have historically found ways to overcome obstacles place in their paths. The proposed regulations range from cracking down on online sales of imported products at inflated prices and a Fresh Product Registration required of all importers. Foreign importers have until the close of 2017 to comply.

While these new regulations may appear daunting, in the long term they may prove to be chaff blinding investors from the wheat in the fundamentals  demand. Returning to the Citi analysts SELL recommendations we find some existing inventory will not meet the new regulations, and the subsequent inventory clearing could hurt all three Australian producers of infant formula. However, the analyst sees these volatile conditions lasting until 2018, with Bellamys and a2 Milk Companys premium brands and established Chinese customers being well-positioned in the medium to long term.

From the onset of the 2008 scandals through 2015 imports of milk powder and baby formula increased by more than five times, according to officials in the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). On 29 October of 2015 the Chinese Government announced a two-child policy, allowing Chinese couples to have more than the previously allowed single child with the obvious potential of increasing demand for infant formula.

The Chinese government may be posing new regulatory hurdles, but the demand for infant formula in China is not slowing down. In 2016 the APEJ region (Asia Pacific Excluding Japan) is expected to account for 46% of global infant formula revenue, making it the largest single market. Within the APEJ China is expected to account for 90% of revenue.

The global infant formula market is forecasted to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAG R) of 10.1% between 2016 and 2026. Investors should take note of the relative size of the APEJ infant formula revenue, as shown in the following chart, keeping in mind the role China plays in the APEJ.



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The most terrifying film of the year isnt some J-horror mindfuck or Michael Moores stab at stand-up comedy, its Zero Daysa documentary about the state of cyberwarfare.

Acclaimed filmmaker Alex Gibneys latest chronicles the Stuxnet computer virus, a cyberweapon said to be created by the U.S. and Israel that targeted the Natanz nuclear enrichment lab in Iran, decommissioning approximately 1,000 centrifuges and slowing down the countrys nuclear program. Stuxnet was part of Operation Olympic Gamesa covert campaign waged by the two countries against Irans nuclear facilities that began under President George W. Bush in 2006, and continued under President Barack Obama. Olympic Games is probably the most significant covert manipulation of the electromagnetic spectrum since World War II, when cryptanalysts broke the Enigma cipher that allowed access to Nazi codes, wrote The Atlantic.

Zero Days interviews several CIA and NSA employees who claim that Olympic Games was part of a much larger Iranian cyber mission called Nitro Zeus. In the event that Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, the U.S. and Israel allegedly infiltrated Iranian command and control systems so they couldnt speak to each other in a fight; their IADs, or missile defense systems; power grids; transportation; and financial systems. We were inside waiting, watching, ready to disrupt, degrade, and destroy those systems with cyberattacks, the agents say in the film. We were everywhere inside Iran. Still are.

One of the computer experts who decoded and analyzed Stuxnet was Eric Chien, a cybersecurity specialist at Symantec whose job, he says, consists of anything from protected your 16-digit credit card number to protecting things like U.S. critical infrastructure. His job, more specifically, is to examine all the latest cyberattacks in order to understand how the attackers work, how their programs work, and how to build protections against them.

The Daily Beast spoke to Chien about state-sponsored cyberwarfare, the hacks on the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, and why we shouldnt be too worried about hacking on Election Day.

How do you determine attribution in a state-sponsored cyberattack? There seems to be some confusion over this in light of recent events.

Attribution isnt going to happen from looking at things like the binary code thats been created. You can get hints from that, but theres a real big issue with what people call false flags. Even if someone writes in their nickname, or a handle, or uses a language operating system, or puts in dates of their working hours, they could be working in the middle of the night to throw you off. From a binary perspective, looking at the samples and how the attacks are conducted, its very difficult. The way attribution has to happen is through old-school intelligence. You have spies working in different countries getting information and discovering that countries have conducted different types of activities. Youre not going to see it purely through cyber forensic analysis. The issue has come to the fore in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligencea combined 17 intelligence agenciesissued a statement saying Russia was behind the election hacking.

It is pretty clear judging by the indicators of compromise [IOCs]. The binaries that were used to hack the DNC as well as Podestas email as well as some other Democratic campaign folks, those IOCs match binaries and also infrastructure that was used in attacks that were previously recorded by others as having Russian origin. That much we can confirm. So if you believe other peoplesprimarily governmentsattribution that those previous attacks were Russian, then these attacks are definitely connected. Were talking about the same binaries, the same tools, the same infrastructure. I understand you and your firm have spent significant time analyzing the DNC and Podesta hacks. What groups are responsible, and how did you determine attribution? Weve analyzed the tools, the binaries, and the infrastructure that was used in the attack, and from that we can confirm that its connected to a group that has two names. One is Sofacy, or Cozy Bear, and The Dukes, which is also known as Fancy Bear. From the binary analysis point of view, I can tell you that the activities of these attackers have been during Russian working hours, either centered on UTC+3 or UTC+4; they dont work Russian holidays; they work Monday to Friday; there are language identifiers inside that are Russian; when you look at all the victim profiles they would be in interest to the Russian nation-state. So all of that stuff fits the profile. Now, could all those things be false flags? Sure. Other government entities obviously have come out and said it is the Russian state, and the binary forensics would definitely match that.

Can you point to any other attacks conducted by the same groupsSofacy and The Dukes? There was another attack that happened in the Ukraine. So in December, in the Ukraine, all the power went out to about 260,000 households, or customers. They basically infiltrated the power company, got access to the machines that controlled the power, they flipped the computer switches off and shut down the power, and then they began to wipe all the machines and devicesoverriding the hard drives and trashing the machines so that they couldnt be started up again, or so that the switches couldnt come on again. Ukrainians were able to get power back after six hours by switching to manual mode. They went off their computer monitor mode and physically flipped the switches to bring the power back up. Whats interesting about that case is the fact that they were more behind technologically actually helped them. Something very similar could easily happen in the U.S. and were much more beholden to computing infrastructure here, so our ability to switch to manual mode here would be much more difficult.

Is there linkage between the DNC and Podesta hacks and the 2014 State Department hacks that were also believed to be carried out by Russia?

Yeah, these are being conducted by the same groups. We know that from the IOCsby looking at the tools they use and the infrastructure they use.

The New York Times recently ran a story that concluded while all signs point to Russia in the DNC and Podesta hacks, the Russians only wished to cause chaos and disrupt the political process in America and not elect Trump. It seems like all the attacks are being carried out against the Democrats and Hillary Clinton, so then how can you reach the conclusion that the Russians arent trying to elect Trump?

Many of these attacks were happening prior to the nomination of Trump. Based on that theory, people believe that there was a general plan for disruption, and it may be the case now that the easiest and best way to do so is in the manner you speak, but these attacks did not just start happening post-Trumps nomination. So in that sense, there is a feeling that its not a very Trump-specific activity versus an election disruption activity. This is the easiest way for them to disrupt the election. But theyre trying to disrupt the election of Hillary Clinton, no? Are the Republicans also being targeted? Well, the Republicans arent being targeted in a public way where their emails are being leaked. We havent seen that yet. But to say that the Republican campaigners or people havent had their machines infiltrated or documents stolen or things like thatthat we dont know. But I think its pretty reasonable to imagine that attempts are being made for that to happen as well. This just might be the easiest wayor the strategyfor the people that want to disrupt the election to do so.

Should the American people be worried about voting machines being hacked on Election Day? If the race were literally a one vote difference, then the country would need to be worried. But the spread is large enough and spread amongst the country enough that it would require quite a conspiracy for it to be conducted. Can an election machine be hacked? Sure. But thats a very isolated view. You have to remember that, in many of these jurisdictions, they have policy procedures like bringing out the tapes, having two people review them, etc. Those checks and balances make it much more difficult to do. You see a lot of news that election machines can be hacked, and thats absolutely the case, but there are procedural checks and balances that make it very difficult from succeeding.

Lets talk about the Stuxnet wormthe U.S./Israeli cyberattack against the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Iran. How did you come across it?

Within the security industry we share telemetry and information about all the attacks that were seeing with each other. At any individual company we dont have full visibility over the entire world, but collectively we sort of do. What happened was there was a company in Belarus that found this on one of their customers machines. All they knew was it was causing weird reboots and it had some exploit inside of itsome piece of code that was allowing it to spread all by itself. That fact that it had an exploit inside of it already raised the alarms since the number of threats we have that use these kinds of exploits are few and far between. So he shared it out to the rest of the security industry because he didnt know what it was.

We began to look at it and whats interesting is, in general, your average threat we look at usually takes us about 20 minutes max to analyze, and then we ship out protection for it. So just to give you a sense of the difference that Stuxnet was, it took us three months-plus to understand all of its code, and it was 20 times the size of the average piece of code that we look at. Over those three months, we began to discover bits and pieces more and more until we got to the very end and realized this was attacking Irans nuclear enrichment program.

And Stuxnet had four zero-day switchesan extraordinarily large number for a worm. Can you discuss what a zero-day exploit is, and why its so dangerous?

In all of 2012, we had 12 Microsoft zero-days, and four of those 12 were all inside of Stuxnet. We get millions of these threats every single day, and the vast majority of these dont have any zero-days inside of them at alland Stuxnet had four. What a zero-day exploit does is it allows a threat to spread from one computer system to another without you doing anything. The computer just has to be on and operating. Most threats that you see out there, you have to do somethinggo to a webpage, download a file, open a file, open an email. It requires some action on your behalf. But when you have a zero-day exploit, theres some bug in some software in the computersome thing that isnt coded correctlyand the threat takes advantage of that to get on your computer and then jump to another computer without you having to do anything. The zero-day terminology means its unknown to anyone else. Theres no patch available for it and no way to protect yourself from it because the attackers have discovered it and are using it, but the vendors of the software dont know about it and cant patch that hole that allows it to operate.

And Zero Days puts forth that Stuxnet was allegedly part of a larger cyberattack plan code-named Nitro Zeus, wherein the U.S. infiltrated the entire Iranian infrastructure, from its missile defense systems to financial marketsor, as the NSA and CIA agents say in the film: a full-scale cyberwar with no attribution. It sounds terrifying.

Whats even more worrisome is that since the time the film was made, weve seen multiple campaigns from potentially multiple different state actors all doing very similar thingsbasically placing their implants, their malicious code, in key places in the infrastructure of different countries. Just waiting. So potentially some political event happens and then they can literally flip the switch, and through some cyberattack bring down critical infrastructure. So its not just reserved to something like Irans infrastructure being infected this way. We saw very similar things happening both in Western Europe and in the U.S. with potential state actors trying to infect critical infrastructure. This continues to go on, and since the time of Stuxnet weve seen a hundred different attack campaigns from all kinds of different potential state actors, both small and big. We are already in a state where the countries now know this is going on, look at it, and say, OK, we need to have our own offensive campaign. And the cost to do so is much, much lower than creating a nuclear bomb or other conventional types of warfare.
Roberta Garza felt a familiar tearing this week on reading an Associated Press report that her older brother, Father Luis Garza, 58, had been accused of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit filed in Waterbury, Conn.

The siblings have not spoken in several years. Roberta is a columnist for Milenio newspaper in Mexico City. Luis, for nearly two decades the second-ranking figure in Rome of the Legion of Christ, now seems to her an exiled figure, cast into an outback as the Philippines regional director of the Legionaries.

In the lawsuit, an adult identified as John Roe 1 alleges that Father Garza, and two other priests, including the late Marcial Maciel Degollado, the Legions charismatic founder, abused the plaintiff as a young adolescent at a center the order ran near Mexico City in the early 1990s.

Father Maciel launched the order in Mexico in 1941, established a campus in Rome in the 1950s, and later an American headquarters in Cheshire, Conn. Maciel, who died in 2008, was the greatest fundraiser of the modern church. He was celebrated by Pope John Paul II for inspiring young men like Garza to become priests, for Maciels record in launching prep schools, several universities and religious colleges in Latin America, North America and Europe.

Although it is a comparatively small order of 2,400 priests (the Jesuits have 11,900) the Wall Street Journal reported in 2004 that the Legion had a $650 million operating budget. The Legion website featured video and photographs of Maciel in the company of John Paul, who in 1994 called him an efficacious guide to youth.

That world changed in 2006 when Pope Benedict dismissed the 86-year old Maciel to a reserved life of prayer and penitence after a Vatican investigation into pedophilia accusations shadowing Maciel. John Allen of the independent weekly National Catholic Reporter quoted an unnamed Vatican official saying that Maciel had more than twenty but less than one hundred victims over many years.

Maciel was 70 in 1990, when the new lawsuit charges that he began abusing the alleged victim, who is now in his early forties.

I dont know whether the allegations against Luis in the lawsuit are true or not, Roberta Garza told The Daily Beast.

But I know that Luis lied to us, his family, for years after he knew the truth about Maciel.

Legion of Christ spokesman Jim Fair issued a statement, saying that Father Garza categorically denies his involvement in this or any other abuse and has said he will cooperate fully in any inquiry regarding this matter.

Attorney Michael Reck told The Daily Beast that Maciel, Garza and Father Jose Sabin sexually assaulted the plaintiff, a young American who had a period of study in a Legion school in Mexico, in 1990-91.

Reck said that the priests individually abused the boy in his early adolescence, on numerous occasions. The youth had relatives near Mexico City, who helped him return to his native California, ending his experience with the Legion schools.

According to Reck, the plaintiff took action after seeing Alex Gibneys recent HBO documentary on the clergy abuse crisis, Mea Maxima Culpa, which has a strand on Maciel. John Roe 1 reported the abuse to the Legion and sought legal representation from attorney Jeff Anderson, an interviewee in the film, according to Reck, a member of the law firm.

Father Garza was a key figure in the Legions strategy of defending Maciel from pedophilia accusations while he was alive; but he

has not been previously accused of sexual misconduct.

The third cleric, Jose Sabin, left the Legion and the priesthood in 2014, departing Mexico for his native Spain, according to blogs that track the scandal-tarnished religious order.

A Vatican investigation of the Legion after Maciels death led to a rewriting of their bylaws and an internal shake up. Pope Francis maintained Benedicts decision to reform the religious order despite the cult-like tactics Maciel instilled to secure lockstep loyalty to himself.

Garza was vicar-general in Rome, the second in command, from 1992 to 2011. After the Vatican intervention he left Rome in 2012 for Atlanta, as the orders North American director. He subsequently went to the Philippines, where he is today -- a big growth area for us with a lot of schools, Fair, the Legion spokesman told The Daily Beast.

Still, the Philippines is a far cry from his once-lofty post in Rome.

Roberta Garza Medina grew up in one of the wealthiest families in Latin America, the youngest sibling with four brothers and three sisters.

The Garzas roots are in Monterrey, Mexicos industrial capital. A grandfather founded Alfa, an agribusiness company that became a multinational which her eldest brother, Dionisio, ran as CEO for many years. A sister, Paulina, recently left Regnum Christi, the lay group associared with the Legion, which raises money and helps staff the orders schools. After many years in a Regnum Christi house for celibate, consecrated woman in Rome, she recently returned to Monterrey.

Roberta has long been estranged from Luis and rarely speaks with the older siblings who support the Legion and Regnum Christi. Maciel had the impact of a meat cleaver on the once close-knit family. As the years passed, the siblings grew factionalized. They socialize occasionally but Roberta and a brother hold strongly negative view of the Legion.

Known to his followers as Nuestro Padre (Our Father), Maciel courted the Garza parents as major donors in the 1970s, while building the education network, stressing the Legions mission to restore a fallen, post-Vatican II church to orthodoxy. Nevertheless, in Mexico they aquired a cycnical nickname  millionaires of Christ.

Other top supporters included Carlos Slim, the Mexico City telecommunications magnet who became a major New York Times stockholder, and the late William Casey, Ronald Reagans CIA director whose seven-figure donation funded the construction of a building at the Legions Cheshire, Connecticut campus, where a staff of 20 worked on fundraising in the growth years.

As a girl, Roberta cherished conversations in a family that rarely watched TV. We had an environment of open, candid discussions, she says. Her mother donated jewelry and money to the Legion. One of my aunts gave Maciel a house.

Roberta attended a boarding school in France and immersed herself in literature. Back in Monterrey for high school, she saw Maciel as cultivating her parents and older siblings for money-as-redemption.

Luis graduated from the Legion school in Monterrey and entered Stanford University, where he studied engineering and had a Regnum Christi roommate. After graduation in 1978, Garza joined the Legion and eight years later became a priest. He rose in the ranks, clearly in Maciels favor, and became a key figure in guiding Legion finances as its second in command.

Accusations of pedophilia and drug addiction by Maciel broke in a 1997 Hartford Courant investigation by this writer and Gerald Renner. Maciel denied the charges without giving an interview; the Vatican refused any comment.

Before the 1997 report, a Legion lawyer tried to pressure the Courant into dropping the story, claiming it would be libelous.

At the time, according to Christopher Kunze, an ex-priest now living in Wisconsin, Luis Garza traveled to the majority of Legionary houses of formation (in nearly 20 countries) obliging all members to observe absolute silence under pain of mortal sin regarding any information we might receive via personal meeting, phone conversation, postal service, or e-mail on false accusations against the Founder,  Kunze said in an email.

Garza had everyone sign a document that none of us would ever take legal action against the Legion of Christ. At the time, we did not know the subject matter of accusations against Fr. Maciel nor why we might be inclined to sue the Congregation [religious order.] All of our consumption of news material was highly censored. The Hartford Courant article was known likely to only a few members.

Kunze, Garza and all Legionaries had taken the private vows never to speak ill of Maciel or superiors, and to report any criticism of the founder to their superiors. Kunze and other ex-Legionaries have spoken or written about the psychological weight of the private vows that undergirded Maciels cult of personality. The Vatican abolished the private vows after Maciels death in an investigation that included rewriting the Legion bylaws that Maciel used to shield his sex life.

Kunze discovered the 1997 article many months later on the internet while working in a Vatican office, Congregation for the Clergy. He left the priesthood in 2000, returned to America, married and has children.

The Legion took no legal action against the Hartford Courant, though shortly after the report, the order mounted a website, LegionaryFacts.org, which attacked Maciels accusers and posted supportive statements of him and the order from George Wiegel, a biographer of John Paul and NBC Vatican affairs commentator; First Things editor Father Richard John Neuhaus; Catholic League president William Donohue; Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who became U.S. ambassador to the Vatican under President George W. Bush, and media commentator Bill Bennett, among others.

While it is unknown what Garza knew about Maciels victims, if anything at all, he played a leading role in the 1998 campaign to attack the accusers.

In 1998, eight of Maciels victimsa Spanish priest and seven middle-aged Mexicans who had given us on the record interviewsfiled a canon law case at the Vatican asking Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to excommunicate Maciel from the church.

Pope John Paul II never wavered from his view of Maciel as a revitalizing figure, drawing young men to an order promoting orthodoxy.

The pope is supreme arbiter of canon law. John Paul was passive on the abuse charges against Maciel, consistent with his failure to confront the larger clergy abuse crisis. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State was close to Maciel and received financial gifts from the Legion, as several priests told me for previous reporting. Sodano put pressure on Ratzinger to abort the case. But, in late 2004, when an ailing John Paul with five months to live, again celebrated Maciel at a Vatican ceremony, Ratzinger broke ranks and ordered an investigation, realizing that whomever the next pope might be, he shouldnt inherit a cover-up.

After Ratzinger became Benedict in 2005, the canon lawyer he delegated to investigate Maciel, Msgr. Charles Scicluna, gave the new pope a report that sealed Maciels fate  sort of.

Maciel was a con man, a pedophile and a drug abuser, Roberta tells The Daily Beast. Luis was part of the defense after the pope sent Maciel off in 2006. The Legion refused to acknowledge that it was for abusing seminarians.

Roberta Garza dates Luiss deception to 2006, when the Vatican order approved by Benedict effectively banished Maciel from Rome to a reserved life of prayer and penitence. Scicluna had taken testimony from several dozen ex-Legion seminarians in Europe, the U.S. and Mexico, men who gave graphic accounts of being sexually plundered by Maciel as boys in the 1950s and 60s, saying that he often injected himself with Dolantin, a form of morphine. But the Legion and Garza spun the banishment as a voluntary retirement by a lauded leader of Christs flock.

The 2006 expulsion order, typical of the understated language of Vatican documents, never specified what Maciel had done, and invited him to a penitential life. The Legion did spin control in Monterrey to make people believe it was a voluntary retirement, says Roberta Garza.

The Legion proclaimed its loyalty to the pope, and, in fathomless irony, compared Maciel to Christ for accepting his punishment with "tranquility of conscience." It was a tortured exercise in semantics all around: the Vatican sending Maciel into penitential life without sspecifying what he had done, and singling out the Legion and Regnum Christi for praise, despite their long cover-up, in an effort to keep priests and followers in the fold. The abuse survivors who testified to Scicluna, the Vatican investigator, were furious at not being publicly acknowledged. And the Legion, while pledging fidelity to Benedict, spread the word to supporters that Nuestro Padre, falsely accused like Jesus, would one day be a saint!

Maciel went first to his hometown, Cotija, Mexico, and as later reports confirmed, had a reunion with his former paramour, Norma Hilda Banos, and Normita, their daughter born in 1983, three years after the pair met in Acapulco.

By then, Maciel had long since moved Norma and Normita to Madrid, supporting them with Legion funds. That support is at issue in another lawsuit the Legion faces in Connecticut, brought by a second shadow family of Maciel, represented by the Anderson firm and attorney Joel Faxon.

In 2010, Jose Raul Rivas Gutierrez, now 33, gave a radio interview in Mexico City, identifying himself as Maciels biological son. He and his older brother, Omar, accuse Maciel of sexually abusing them as boys and teenagers. Their mother, Blanca Lara Gutierrez, has given interviews in Mexico attesting to her long relationship with Maciel, who gave them financial support as well.

Blanca gave birth to Raul just as Maciel was wooing Norma in Acapulco. Omar is Blancas son from a previous relationship. Maciel visited the family periodically for short visits, supporting them financially until about the year 2000, as Raul told me in a 2010 interview.

Maciel took Raul and his half-sister Normita, as children, to Rome and a Mass celebrated by John Paul. Raul was photographed with the pope. By putting his own children that close to John Paul, Maciel showed a cynical audacity, and confidence, layered in psychopathic narcissism.

Father Garza gave deposition testimony about Maciels daughter in 2012 for a lawsuit in Rhode Island brought by the niece of a deceased widow whose will gave the Legion $60 million. Mary Lou Dauray accused the Legion of using fraud to milk her late aunt, the widow Gabrielle Mee, of the estate.

In early 2008, Norma and Normita were at a Legion condo in a Jacksonville, Fla. gated community as Maciels health was slipping.

With no hint of irony, Garza testified that the Legion bought the condo for Maciel to have a place for his life of penance and absence from public ministry.

While he visited Maciel, testified Garza, he learned about the identity as of Maciels former lover and love-child.

Garza became suspicious of Norma and Normita, sitting poolside with Maciel in his penitential retreat. Mother and daughter were staying at the nearby Sawgrass Hotel. Several other priests, and Maciels brother, Javier, were staying at the condo and knew the women, stated Garza, inferring that he, Father Garza, did not know the women.

A dispassionate take of his testimony might conclude that Garza was trying to portray himself, as duped, cutting distance between himself and the galvanizing priest who had betrayed so many others; that he learned very late of Normitas existence. Garza might have been so denial-programmed after decades of revering Maciel, raising huge sums for the order through his web of family connections -- and even, reportedly, donating some $3 million of his own inheritance to the Legion -- that the socially rigid priest, staying in a less expensive hotel in Jacksonville was boggled at the sight of Normita, 23, who bore a clear resemblance to her father Maciel.

Garza told Daurays attorney, Bernard Jackvony, that he asked Norma point blank "if the girl  Normita  was the daughter of Father Maciel...She confirmed that."

Insisting that he had to be sure, Garza testified that he researched and found Normitas birth certificate; he also determined that she had studied at Northern Anahuac, a Legion university in Mexico.

But Garza still didnt tell the rank-and-file Legionaries who had followed Maciel or the general public.

In the deposition he cast himself as a loyalist betrayed.

Like all Legionaries, Luis Garza had taken the private vows never to speak ill of Maciel or superiors, never to seek higher office in the Legion, and to report any criticism of the founder to their superiors. Many ex-Legionaries have spoken and written about the psychological weight of the private vows, the most coercive form of secrecy in the order that revolved around a cult of personality in Maciel.

When he discovered Normita, Luis Garza, were he to follow the Legions iron law, still in effect at the time, had but one person in whom to confide: Maciels successor, the new director general, Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, from a prominent family in Mexico City and who, like Garza, adulated Maciel. According to his testimony, Garza only told Corcuera and two other priests.

The Vatican learned about Maciels daughter in late 2004 as Cardinal Franc Rode, who oversaw the congregation for religious orders, told me in a 2012 interview on a joint assignment for GlobalPost and National Catholic Reporter. A priest had shown him a video of Maciel and the young girl. Rode said he told the papal investigator, Msgr. Scicluna. Did Rode confront Maciel? No, the cardinal told me. Why? I was not his confessor.

Instead, he urged Maciel to step down as director-general. Maciel complied in 2004 and the Legionaries elected Alvaro Corcuera in his place.

In January of 2008, as Maciel lay dying in the Jacksonville condo, Norma, Normita, and several priests, including Garza and Corcuera gathered round him.

According to a report in Madrids El Mundo, Maciel recoiled when Corcuera tried to anoint him in the last rites of the church, barking I said no!

Maciel did not believe in Gods pardon, El Mundo reported, a view which his sordid biographical data might confirm, but an opinion just the same.

But his power reached beyond the grave. Having never acknowledged that Maciel abused anyone, the Legion had put its entire strategy into the paradoxical stance of supporting Pope Benedict while treating Maciel as a wrongly-accused saint. Now, there was a 23-year old daughter at the deathbed with Corcuera and Garza.

The Legion press release on Maciels death announced that he had gone to heaven  an opinion the opposite of El Mundos that he had no faith.

The pressure on Corcuera as Maciels successor must have been enormous. The Vatican had known about Maciels daughter, at least, since 2004, but high officials wanted the Legion, not a spokesman for Pope Benedict, to divulge the truth about Maciel.

A year after his death, in early 2009, Corcuera began visiting Legion houses, sharing the truth about the founders offspring. When that news broke in the New York Times, the Legion finally issued an apology to Maciels many seminary victims, a day late and many dollars short. Dozens of priests began leaving the order. The fundraising strategy built around Maciel tanked. And the Vatican announced it would investigate the Legion.

The task fell to Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, a Vatican canon lawyer, who oversaw a rewriting of the orders bylaws, getting rid of the private vow  but otherwise ignoring the corrosive psychodynamics of the order.

The image of the Vatican as a top-down controlling force of a church that is also the largest organization in the world is something of a myth. The Vatican does intervene in certain messy circumstances, yanking bishops when they get in trouble, while receiving rivers of documents from dioceses and religious orders the world over. Rome also has to approve the defrocking of pedophiles and other clerical criminals.

But the Legion under Maciel was a runaway train from the start. Maciel courted the wealthiest, most conservative Catholics, while keeping his sexual history with youths, so it seems, far from the money supply.

Maciels profligate spending to support his secret children, and conceal his life as a pedophile, has raised far-reaching questions. People have donated to the Legion of Christ as a religious charity.

Dauray, the niece of Mrs. Mee, lost her case against the Legion on a technicality; the court held that because she had pledged to give the wills proceeds to charities in keeping with her aunts wishes, she lacked a personal legal standing to sue.

Her attorney, Jackvony, a former Republican lieutenant governor of Rhode Island, told the Daily Beast: I asked the Rhode Island attorney general to investigate the Legion and become a party in the litigation for interfering with a charitable trust. He refused.

The Legion of Christ is building a luxury hotel at the Sea of Galilee, near an archeological site said to be the village of St. Mary Magdalene, according to the New York Times and other reports.

The construction began as the Legion closed or divested itself of ownership of several American prep schools, and sold off real estate in Rhode Island and Connecticut amid the tide of lawsuits with ongoing bills for legal defense.

Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans and other orders have campuses and capital drives for their endowments; religious orders have also paid heavily in cases of abusive priests. How many religious orders, which qualify as charities, build and operate five star hotels? Where did the Legion get the money for the big project in Israel?

On reading the lawsuit accusing her brother of sex abuse, Roberta Garza says that she had seen no previous signs to suggest such aberrant behavior by him. But, she was understandably troubled.

The Legion removed Luis from the U.S. and sent him to the Philippines in what seems like a form of punishment, she told The Daily Beast. I dont know whether I feel sorry for him. I feel really sorry for losing everything I imagined family should be. Thats gone, in no small part thanks to Maciel and the Legion. Luis was instrumental in guiding and covering up for them.

-----------------------

Jason Berry explored Maciels life in a 2008 documentary film, Vows of Silence, and in Render unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church (Crown) which won Investigative Reporters and Editors 2011 Best Book Award.
For months Donald Trump has been saying he wants a wall built by Hispanics, and on the last day of early voting in Nevada he certainly got one.

Thanks to an unprecedented Democratic Party push in the Latino community headed in part by fired-up Culinary Union Local 226, a line of last-minute early voters was so long that one polling place at a Cardenas Market had to be kept open until just after 10 p.m.three hours later than usual. Voters were packed tighter than the watermelons in the stores produce department.

Yvanna Cancela, political director of Local 226, excitedly tweeted, Looks like Trump got his wall after all. A wall of beautiful voters.

The time extension was legal, and the polling place was observed by officials from the Clark County Registrar of Voters office, but the last-night crush of humanity immediately raised a suspicion of favoritism or even fraud by the chairman of the Nevada Republican Party Michael McDonald, who seemed downright Trumpian at a Saturday rally in Reno.

Last night in Clark County, they kept a poll open til 10 oclock so that a certain group could vote, McDonald said.

Sound familiar? When youre losing, always remember to cry foul.

The polls are supposed to close at 7, McDonald continued, revealing his ignorance of the process. This was kept open until 10. Yeah, you feel free right now? You think this is a free and easy election? Thats why its important.

Not that Trump needed any encouragement to chatter about the system being rigged against him, but when he took the stage he chided, It's being reported that certain key Democratic polling locations in Clark County were kept open for hours and hours beyond closing time to bus and bring democratic voters in. Folks, it's a rigged system. It's a rigged system and we're going to beat it. We're going to beat it.

Clark Countys population is more than 30 percent Hispanic. More than 57,000 voters cast ballots on the final day in Clark County, surpassing the high turnout in 2012 and setting a record. Many voters waited in line for hours at the Hispanic supermarket on Bonanza Road near Lamb Boulevard in the predominately Latino section of the the Las Vegas valley. They were greeted at one point by a clearly energized Catherine Cortez Masto, the former state Attorney General challenging Republican Rep. Joe Heck to fill Harry Reids U.S. Senate seat.

But it wasnt the only early voting polling location to remain open while registered voters were in line to cast their ballots, Clark County spokesperson Dan Kulin said.

No one in line was turned away, and the final ballot was cast at 10:10 p.m. at Silverado Ranch several miles from the Mexican market that had become the focus of the state GOP chairmans fretting.

Given an opportunity to clarify the inaccurate speculation from the campaigns Nevada surrogate, Trump Kellyanne Conway doubled down in a Sunday State of the Union interview with CNNs Jake Tapper.

We just always want the laws followed and the rules followed, and I do predict that you're going to see really long linesserpentine-like lines of Tuesdayof folks there for Donald Trump on Tuesday," she said, adding that she believes Hillary Clintons campaign receives special favors and perhaps special rules.

Tapper reminded her that polls commonly are kept open so that those already in line can vote. Thats the way it was in Clark County.

In reality, we did not extend the closing time, Kulin said. We keep processing voters as long as theyre there.

Although the volume was higher than normal, the process remained the same.

Friday was a record-breaking single day of early voting turnout for us, the spokesman said. The last day of early voting is typically the busiest, and certainly we saw that again on Friday. ... Were there to help voters exercise their rights as citizens to vote. early voting helps make voting more convenient for the voters, and so when voters show up to vote early we will help them exercise their right.

But what about GOP concerns over voter fraud?

Were not aware of any significant concerns, Kulin said.

Labor organizer Cancela added, Veiled racism is still racism.

John L. Smith is a longtime Las Vegas journalist and author. Contact him at jlnevadasmith@gmail.com, or on Twitter @jlnevadasmith
The FBI just saidagainthat it wont be criminally charging Hillary Clinton for spilling secrets. But the probes into Clintons activities are far from over. And now, the Bureau and its leadership could be the ones coming under investigators scrutiny.

FBI Director James Comey pronounced on Sunday that investigators have found nothing in emails to and from Hillary Clinton recently recovered on Anthony Weiners laptop that alters the FBIs decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic nominee.

Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton, Comey wrote in a letter to the heads of four congressional committees. The FBI chief had previously said that while Clinton and her aides were extremely careless to use a private server for official business when she ran the State Department, no reasonable prosecutor would have pursued a criminal case against them for mishandling classified information.

Comeys announcement suggested that the FBI will not continue to pursue Clinton over her controversial email system, which came as welcome news to her campaign less than two days before Americans head to the polls. Comey had been under immense pressure to go through the emails and determine their relevance to the case, and he told lawmakers that agents had been working around the clock.

But Clintons email saga is unlikely to die when the next president is chosen on Tuesday. Its also unlikely that Comey will escape further examination and questions about his leadership; he drew withering criticism from Republicans and Democrats for revealing the existence of the emails in another letter earlier this month without elaborating on what they said or whether they were significant. Even the president, in an unusual move, publicly criticized the Bureaus handling of the episode.

Republican lawmakers continue to investigate whether Clinton committed perjury when she testified before Congress about her email system. And in a statement Sunday evening, the chairman of the Republican National Committee insisted that the FBI found evidence Clinton broke the law and said that the bureau continues to investigation the Clinton Foundation for corruption involving her tenure as Secretary of State.

The FBI did open a preliminary inquiry into the foundation, but it has essentially halted. Agents have reportedly been at odds with corruption prosecutors over whether theres sufficient evidence to pursue the case.

For their part, Democrats are ready to launch their own investigation of the FBI and why Comey decided to reveal the existence of the emails rather than avoid public comment on an investigation so close to an election, as Justice Department guidelines advise. Last week, two senior members of Congress called on the Justice Departments inspector general to investigate how former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, an adviser to Donald Trump, obtained information about Comeys earlier letter to Congress telling them of the new emails. Giuliani has since tried to backtrack his statements and said he wasnt in touch with active FBI agents on the matter.

Reps. Elijah Cummings and John Conyers asked the watchdog to investigate the source of leaks to Giuliani, saying it was absolutely unacceptable for the FBI to disclose information about a candidate so close to an election. Leaking this information to former FBI officials as a conduit to the Trump campaign is equally intolerable, they wrote.

In the days that come, we will have many questions about the FBI's handling of this investigation, Conyers said in a statement Sunday evening.

Members of Congress and their staff appeared taken by surprise with Comeys letter confirming that the Clinton matter was once again being put to rest. Republican and Democratic aides said theyd received no briefings yet from the FBI and that they only knew as much as Comey had told them.

His latest letter also left open the question of whether investigators had looked at emails sent among Clintons aides, and whether any of them might face further scrutiny. While Comey said that nothing had changed his conclusions, which were that neither Clinton nor her aides should face charges, his new letter only mentioned the review of the new emails with respect to Secretary Clinton. He didnt mention Huma Abedin, a close Clinton aide and Weiners estranged wife, with whom she reportedly shared the laptop that contained the emails in question.

Abedin swore under oath in a deposition that shed handed over all devices that she used to conduct State Department business when she worked for Clinton there.

Brian Fallon, Clintons campaign press secretary, responded to the FBIs announcement on Twitter: We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it.

Comeys announcement rallied Clintons Democratic supporters in Congress.

While the original letter should never have been sent so close to an election, the expeditious review of these emails should put to restonce and for allthe irresponsible speculation indulged in by the Trump campaign and others, Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

This should end the email saga once and for all, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. The October surprise that came only 11 days before Election Day has unfairly hurt the campaign of one candidate and changed the tenor of this election.

Appearing at a rally in Cleveland, her first event since the FBIs announcement, Clinton didnt mention Comeys letter. After an introduction by the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James, the Democratic nominee delivered a fairly standard stump speech and encouraged voters to get to the polls.

"We've arrived at a moment of reckoning in this election. Our core values as Americans are being tested, Clinton told a crowd at the Public Auditorium, before riffing on issues like the costs of childcare, clean energy jobs, paid family leave and making college tuition affordable.

But whatever damage the re-examination of her emails cost her may be irreparable. As of Saturday, some 40 million votes have already been cast in the presidential electionall of them without the knowledge that the FBI's inquiry has once again concluded without criminal charges. This includes more than 18 million votes cast in 12 battleground states.

Following Comeys initial letter to lawmakers, Trump rose in the polls and Clinton declined slightly, though she retook a modest lead by this weekend.

with additional reporting by Tim Mak
Everybodys kvetching at Hillary over her closing argument, because a) everybody kvetches at Hillary and b) everybody kvetches over closing arguments. They see five seconds of a clip on cable and frog-march their way to the most drastic conclusions. Its too negative! Its too positive! Not enough this! Too much that!

Oh, please. Give it a rest. She seems to know what shes doing. Shes been ahead virtually the entire race, and most indications are shes going to finish ahead and wake up Wednesday morning as the president-elect. If that happens, she will must have done something right.

Thats another thing that I find so trite and media herd-like. But shes a bad candidate! But she generates no enthusiasm! You seen any of these crowds lately? They look pretty enthusiastic to me. So do Trumps of course, but the last Washington Post poll found Clinton supporters to be more enthusiastic than Trumps. Her lead theres just a percentage point, 52-51, but her number has climbed several points in the past week, while Trumps had declined.

And those early voting linesone had to be kept open until 10 pm Friday night in a Latino neighborhood in Las Vegasmay be mostly about fear of Trump. But rest assured theyre with her, as they were back in February when Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in the Nevada caucus, dealing his campaign a devastating blow (youll recall that he hadnt even prepared a concession speech that evening).

Clintons closing argument, to the extent these things are relevant, seems fine to me. Theres some positive in there, about her economic plans and the middle class and about how she will protect America, and of course theres plenty of negative about Trump. Shes appeared with Alicia Machado, the ex-Miss Universe whom Clinton made famous in that first debate, and shes run ads attacking Trumps appalling treatment of women, and shes made fun of him too. I mean, really, Clinton said incredulously, can we just stop for a minute and reflect on the absurdity of Donald Trump finding fault with Miss Universe? (If Clinton weighed the female equivalent of what Trump weighs, with his admittedly well-hidden corpulence, there is no chance she could have been taken seriously by the arbiters of such things as a presidential candidate, but thats another column.)

Sure, Id like a more uplifting message. In an ideal world Id like her to talk about how shes going to unite the country. But shes not going to unite the country. We know that. Oh maybe, if she wins a second term in 2020 and Rush Limbaugh retires and Alex Jones loses the power of speech and the Republicans have taken a beating in even the by-elections and the GOP has finally split in two, shell be able to find some quasi-moderate Republicans to do a little business with her. But shes not uniting the country, certainly before 2018, when Republicans know theyre likely to make big gains in the House and Senate if they can just persuade their gullible marks that everything is Hillarys fault.

So it would be phony for her to say she will unite the country. The best she can do is galvanize her half of the country and get them ready for battle. And thats what shes doing. Because battle it will benot from Jan. 20, but from Nov. 9.

Heres another truth that is little discussed in the media, because I think most political journalists dont have much grasp of this reality. In these last days, message matters a lot less than mechanics. That is: When Clinton goes to a city to give a speech, Orlando or Charlotte or Detroit or Las Vegas or wherever, the content of the speech she gives is what the media focus on. But its hardly the most important thing that happens when she hits town.

What happens is that she sees people. She sees, yes, fundraisers, the local money bags. But she sees local party activists and local black preachers and United Federation of Teachers phone-bankers and who knows who else. They get invited to come backstage and meet her.

Also, local Democrats and union leaders and others organize caravans to the event, and in those caravans they sign people up to make calls or knock on doors. You may have seen situations in the past where a candidate, Democrat or Republican, showed up in a place and in the next poll gained two points in that place, and you may have wondered why; just because of a speech? But its not because of a speech. Its because the appearance of the candidate activated and engaged hundreds of people, who then reached out to thousands, who amounted to two points.

Is the same thing happening on the Trump side? This is the thing about this election. We dont know. He has no roots in any local GOP operation. Not even Manhattans! Some of them love him, sure. But some of them dont. And the rich Republicans around the country are very divided on Trump. Some wouldnt go to a Trump fundraiser if you held a gun to their head. So I would tend to doubt that a Trump appearance in Columbus has the same knock-on effect that a Clinton appearance there does.

Thats the real closing argument, folks. It happens behind closed doors, out of the view of people like me, though I do know enough about how this all works to know what I just told you.

Now, I should say that as I write theres a, what, 25 to 35 percent chance that Trump wins. Maybe people like me are underestimating the white working-class turnout, although here, too, we have numbers that tell us that theres little reason to think it will materialize (see David Wassermans work on this point.) But clearly, James Comey hurt Clinton, as intended, and he gave Trump a narrative to ride through Tuesday. Millions have been convinced that Clinton is damaged goods, and there is no doubt that its bad for her that the water-cooler chat of the campaigns final days is more focused on her flaws than his.

But again, this is the error the media so often make. Narrative and water-cooler chat probably arent as important as mechanicsidentifying potential voters and getting them to vote. Democracys about votes, not news cycles. Thank God.
Eric Greitens has a resume so pristine, a political consultant couldnt have dared to dream it up. Hes a navy SEAL, he worked in refugee camps, he published a coffee table book of photos of Third World kids, hes a New York Times bestselling author, and he started a charity for veterans.

Just one slight issue: Its 2016, and Greitens has the misfortune of running in the same party as a candidate who mocks veterans, demonizes refugees, shuns internationalism, and doesnt read books.

Greitens is the Missouri Republican gubernatorial nominee, and his raceagainst the states attorney general, Chris Kosteris neck-and-neck.

And since his bio seems like it was practically designed to read like an indictment of Trump, Greitens has spent much of his time on the campaign trail learning how to change conversation topics.

Its a campaign, by the way, thats as close as anywhereRealClearPolitics rates the race as a toss-up, and gives Greitens a teensy 0.5 percentage-point lead. His opponent led in all the public polls until the very end of October, and then Greitens nosed ahead. In a historically bizarre election, its anyones game.

And Greitens situation highlights an interesting conundrum for Republican contenders trying to campaign responsibly in the age of Trump. The moguls ascent has brought a new age of widespread credulousness regarding insane conspiracy theories, which means the town hall meetings that are a central feature of statewide races are constant peril.

As a candidate, do you shoot down conspiratorial questions and risk alienating the voters who ask them? Or do you cravenly entertain nonsense and hope for the best?

Thanks to lots of practice, Greitens has found a strategic way to navigate some of these queries. At a town hall campaign stop in Lebanon, Mo. on one bright October Saturday afternoon, the first question he was askedafter giving a stump speech about the importance of supporting our veterans and making government work betterwas about what he would do to keep the Show Me State from falling to Shariah law.

Greitens didnt flinch.

There will be no Shariah law in Missouri, he replied evenly. I promise you that.

An aide later explained that Greitens got a number of questions about Shariah law during the primary, but that they mostly petered off in the lead-up general.

I later asked Greitens if he feels a responsibility to debunk the conspiratorial concerns he hears. He replied that he saw an uptick in questions about those kind of issues after the shootings in Orlando and San Bernardino.

People are really concerned about the willingness and ability of their leaders to protect them, both overseas and also at home, he said.

And, he continued (after noting that hes worked with Bosnian and Rwandan refugees), he believes concerns about the presidents refugee resettlement program are warranted.

People are concerned rightly about Barack Obamas complete failure to put in an adequate screening system for the refugees that are coming into the United States, he said. His own FBI director has said that there is no mechanism for them to do background checks on the people theyre admitting.

Its an argument Republicans have been making on the campaign trail for this entire cycle. But most of those Republicans havent actually worked with refugees.

Most of those Republicans also havent been lauded by the likes of Max Cleland, Star Wars reboot director J. J. Abrams, Martha Raddatz, David Gergen, and Admiral Mike Mullenall of whom have blurbed his bestselling books. Abrams even called him one of the greatest Americans of our time.

That great American is now supporting Trump, though in a vaguely backhanded way. Discussing Trumps history of misogynist comments with reporters after a campaign stop in the Lake of the Ozarks, he managed to pivot to his opponent. The Trump audio unearthed by the Washington Post in early October was wrong and disgusting, Greitens said. But it wasnt enough to make him withdraw his support for the man.

My position on the national race is Im committed to defeating Hillary Clinton, he said. I dont think we can have more crooked career politicians like Hillary Clinton or like Chris Koster here in Missouri, and thats why Im going to do my part here in Missouri to defeat Chris Koster.

That doesnt to say Greitens is never frank. At the Lebanon stop, he got a question that would have made some politicians uncomfortable.

I joined the military when I was 17, back in 1971, and theres one thing I really need to know, the questioner said. Im a Christian, conservative, Republican. Are you?

You should know, sir, Im Jewish, Greitens replied. My faith is really important to me. And its part ofI believe we all have to serve a purpose thats higher than ourselves.

The man interrupted.

Well, when I say Christian, I mean do you believe in God.

Yes sir, I do, Greitens replied. Yes sir I do.

The religion part I dont really care about, he continued, But what is your feelings on Convention of the States?

And Greitens resumed his artful dodging.
Last week, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of an ancient papyrus, dating to the seventh century BCE, that prominently mentions the city of Jerusalem. The text is fragmentary, but a few words are clearly visible. The scholar who has been studying the papyrus, Shmuel Ahituv, translated it as follows: From the female servant of the king, from Nahrata, two wineskins to Jerusalem.

The content seems rather banalthis is not a biblical text, or some previously unknown ancient narrative. It is, rather, a shipping manifest, a plain old economic document, of a type known from plenty of other examples. Why the fuss, then?

What makes this papyrus exciting, in theory, is that it seemingly confirms the existence of Jerusalem as a royal capital in seventh-century Israel: It underscores the centrality of Jerusalem as the economic capital of the kingdom in the second half of the seventh century B.C., proclaimed one IAA official. Though most people familiar only with the Bible might take this for granted, the question of whether there was really a kingdom centered around Jerusalem at that point in history is a common one in scholarship. This papyrus would provide at least some evidence that the biblical storythe story that stands behind much of the nationalistic mythology of the modern state of Israelis grounded in historical reality.
You might think that Hillary Clinton has been running for president for, well, ever  but technically she began her campaign on April 12th last year, 18 months ago. Donald Trump launched his bid for the White House a more restrained 15 months ago. But if you want a real contrast, cross the Atlantic. I once ran elections in the UK, where the typical length of a campaign is not 18 or 15 months but four or five weeks.

Look, I get it about the constitution, free speech and all that. Believe me: As a recent(ish) immigrant, living in Silicon Valley, having taught at Stanford and started a business here, I have all the zeal of the convert. I truly think that America is the greatest nation on earth, and I feel profoundly lucky to be able to be part of it.

But can we just talk about the election process for a moment? Is there a single person in this country who feels better able to choose between Trump and Clinton today than a year ago? What have we learned about these candidates that we couldnt have discovered over the course of the nine weeks since Labor Day? Nine weeks is double the length of a general election campaign in the UK. Im not saying British democracy is perfect, not by a long way. But at least the flaws arent inflicted on the population on a continuous basis.

The most common thing I hear people saying about the election right now is Please let it be over! Of course, you could argue that the reason is not so much the length of the process but the uniquely polarizing nature of the major party nominees this time, and the fact that unusually, they were both well-known to the American people before they even entered the race. If two relatively obscure candidates had been nominated, perhaps the cries of pain from the public wouldnt be quite as anguished.

Theres more to this question, though, than familiarity with  or contempt for  any individual politician at any given time. The length of election campaigns in America causes real, structural problems throughout our democratic system, regardless of who the candidates are.

First, the relentless posturing involved in near-permanent campaigns contributes to the hyper-partisanship that makes reasonable debate on public policy issues increasingly difficult. An environment where any half-thoughtful comment can almost instantly find its way into an overnight online attack ad is one that incentivizes politicians to put messaging ahead of problem-solving, and thats not good.

For example, I agree with Hillary Clintons emphasis on the importance of early intervention and parenting support as one of the best ways to tackle poverty and inequality. But if elected, I expect her administration would approach this priority in a disastrously old-fashioned, top-down, bureaucratic way that would end in failure.

No candidate of either party could say that: its too nuanced a position. With most members of Congress literally starting their next election campaign the day after this one has ended, you wont see any of them move beyond yelling platitudes like nanny state or war on women.

But in the end, the biggest problem with long campaigns is perhaps the most obvious: the simple mathematical fact that longer campaigns cost more than shorter ones. What does that mean?

For a start, it means that its harder for people who are not wealthy to run for office. Who has the time and the resources to take two years off work to get elected? Rich people, thats who. Its no surprise that the proportion of millionaires in Congress is at an all-time high.

More than that, the cost of lengthy political campaigns is a direct factor in the systemic corruption that is such a notable feature of American democracy. In fact, if you look at what actually happens in Congress and in state legislatures, it is difficult to argue that America is in any meaningful sense of the word a democracy at all. It is a donocracy, where the funders of election campaigns literally buy the outcomes they want from the political system.

And lest anyone think the problem would be addressed by the lefts favorite mantra, overturning Citizens United, remember that the corruption comes not just from corporations, and not even just from political donations.

Look too at the role of organized labor, providing campaign infrastructure, volunteers, get out the vote operations. None of that would be touched by campaign finance reform. And then look what the unions get in return: in my home state of California, budgets that increase compensation for corrections officers while cutting spending on public schools and state universities. Way to go, progressives!

The truth is that even if Clinton wins, and by some miracle enacts some version of campaign finance reform, the assorted lobbyists, bloodsuckers, sleazebags and other hangers-on in Washington DC will breathe a huge sigh of relief because they know that for them, life in our nations capital will go on as corruptly as before.

No, if we really want to do something about the worst effects of our electoral process, lets start by simply having less of it. Think of it like pollution control: it doesnt make the problem go away, but it does make the world a bit less toxic. Radically shortening election campaigns is no more a silver bullet than changing the law on political donations. But it would make a big difference, and has the advantage of being easier to implement.

The two main parties could update their rules on when primaries and nominating conventions are held; even when candidates can officially announce. State legislatures have high degrees of autonomy over election administration and candidate fundraising, all within the constitution.

Theres no good reason that the 2018 congressional campaigns have to start on November 9th this year; or the 2020 presidential campaigns in 2018. Our elected and party leaders have the power to change this. For their own sake, let alone ours, lets hope they do.
A South Carolina man has confessed to four murders after a missing woman was found chained in a shipping container on his rural property. The womans boyfriend was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds nearby.

Police arrested Todd Kohlhepp on Thursday in the missing-persons case of Kala Brown, 30, and Charlie Carver, 32, who disappeared from their Anderson, South Carolina, apartment in August. On Thursday, investigators found Brown restrained in a metal container in Spartanburg, South Carolina, approximately an hour from her home. She told police she witnessed Kohlhepp shoot and kill Carver, and that up to four bodies might have been buried on the overgrown 100-acre lot. But Kohlhepp could be linked to as many as seven killings, authorities say.

Kohlhepp, 45, confessed to slaying seven people, including four in a 13-year-old South Carolina cold case, police said Saturday. The Superbike Killings, as the cold case became known, claimed the lives of four employees in a Spartanburg motorcycle shop. Two were shot and killed in broad daylight outside the shop. Another was shot in the back while apparently servicing a motorcycle, and a third appeared to have been ambushed as she left a bathroom. The whole incident took seven minutes or less, said a friend of the victims who discovered their bodies shortly after speaking on the phone with one of them.

The slayings appeared to lack both suspect and motive. A briefcase with money and a signed deposit slip were left untouched. Until this weekends discovery on Kohlhepps property, the shooting was the most gruesome scene Spartanburg authorities have ever experienced, a February 2016 cold-case report recalled.

Kohlhepp was never reported as being eyed in the killing. But he had a violent record, and was a registered sex offender, records show. He served 15 years in jail on kidnapping charges, after pleading guilty to the brutal rape of a 14-year-old neighbor when he was 15. Threatening her with his fathers gun, Kohlhepp ordered the girl into his house, where he tied her up and raped her, court records obtained by the GreenvilleOnline show.

Testimony from this 1986 case painted the adolescent Kohlhepp as a repeat offender with a lust for violence.

He promised to murder his mother in order to move in with his divorced father, prosecutors testified in the 1986 case. Upset that he received a goldfish instead of a gerbil, the young Kohlhepp allegedly poured bleach into his goldfishs bowl; he shot a dog with a BB gun; he smashed a newly remodeled bedroom with a hammer, and destroyed other peoples belongings on a regular basis. He allegedly locked a young boy in a dog crate, rolling the cage over and over until the child was crying and the young Kohlhepp was laughing.

He was kicked out of Boy Scouts for behavioral issues and struggled in school, eventually attending a mental-health clinic in 1980 at the age of 9 or 10. Progress reports from the clinic described Kohlhepp as antisocial, self-centered, and obsessed with sex, prosecutors testified.

Anger was the only emotion Kohlhepp was capable of showing, his father told a probation officer.

Authorities feared Kohlhepps behavior would only worsen after he completed 15 years in jail, a reduced sentence reached as a result of his plea bargain.

It would appear that his behavior has been progressively worsening and now, it has escalated to the point where he has sexually assaulted an innocent child, probation officer Kim Otto testified in a pre-sentencing report. One can only speculate as to where the defendants behavior will lead. It is this writers opinion that it is this type of individual, one with little or no conscience, who presents the greatest risk to the community.

The report was darkly prescient. Like Kohlhepps childhood victim, Kala Brown and Charlie Carver might also have been kidnapped at gunpoint. Brown sometimes worked cleaning properties for Kohlhepp, who ran a real-estate business. When Brown and Carver disappeared Aug. 31, they had driven to a rural lot Kohlhepp owned, under the assumption that they would help clean the property, one of Browns friends reported.

They were going to do some work, help cleaning up the property. And he pulled out a gun and took them hostage, Browns friend Daniel Herren told the Associated Press.

Herren said Kohlhepp fed Brown once a day, likely fast food. A vast stockpile of guns and ammunition were found on Kohlhepps property. Its unbelievable how much he had, prosecutor Barry Barnette testified Friday.

The investigation into Brown and Carvers disappearance spanned multiple jurisdictions, but did not appear to focus on Kohlhepp until recently.

Anderson Police Chief Jim Stewart, whose jurisdiction launched the investigation, told the Associated Press that authorities searched the rural property, because it was the last place a cellphone related to their search had pinged.

The whereabouts of the couples cellphones, particularly Carvers, have been central to the missing persons case. After the pair disappeared, Carvers Facebook account continued to post chilling updates, claiming he and Brown were married and expecting a baby, to the distress of friends and family who suspected an impostor.

Im just missing to everyone else, Carvers account told a friend in a series of September messages shared with The Daily Beast. We [are] both ok. there is only one person that knows where we are  the person that means the most to me and kala she know where we are and we are coming that way for ever.

The person declined the friends pleas to video chat.

Facebook can track a users location, provided they have their location settings turned on. If served with a subpoena or a search warrant, Facebook will share this information with law enforcement. But as of Oct. 12, over a month after the couples disappearance, Anderson police had not served Facebook with a warrant, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast in October.

To do anything like that, wed have to issue a search warrant to Facebook, Lt. David Creamer of the Anderson Police Department said. I dont know if weve done that but Im pretty sure we have not done that Youd have to serve [Facebook] with a search warrant to search their records for an IP.

Information on the investigation that led to Browns discovery on Kohlhepps property is still emerging.

Basically through our investigation, he became a person of interest, an Anderson Police spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Friday. They did research and found that he was a registered sex offender.

Kohlhepp was charged with kidnapping on Friday, and with four counts of murder on Sunday. He has not yet been charged with Carvers murder. The two other people he allegedly confessed to killing remain unnamed.
It was eight years ago this week, just three days before the 2008 election, that Tina Feys Sarah Palin went rogue during a Saturday Night Live sketch with the real John McCain and started hawking Palin 2012 T-shirts on QVC behind her running mates back. The joke  one that McCain was willing to gamely participate in  was that everyone knew by this point he was going to lose to Barack Obama.

The final Gallup daily tracking poll before Election Day 2008 had Obama up a whopping 13 points on McCain. Hillary Clinton has not been so lucky. So with the race tighter than ever, how did SNL seize the moment this time?

By giving viewers a truly triumphant ending to this brutal slog of a presidential election.

It began with an episode of CNNs Erin Burnett Out Front in which both candidates made their case to voters one last time. Alec Baldwins Trump was pleased that his supporters are still buying it and Kate McKinnons Clinton said her favorite part of this final week was when I lost that big huge lead I had.

Much to Clintons disappointment, all Cecily Strongs Erin Burnett wanted to talk about was the FBI's renewed focus on her private email server . Am I crazy, or does it kind of seem like the FBI is trying to get Donald Trump elected president? Clinton asked.

No, no. That is crazy, cuckoo. The FBI is not trying to help me, the FBI doesnt like me. I mean, what even is the FBI? Trump asked before kissing an FBI agent on the mouth. The pattern continued as Clinton accused Trump of being in cahoots with Vladimir Putin, an assertion he vehemently denied before giving a kiss to the shirtless Russian leader. And that was before he made out with a KKK member.

Then it was time for SNL to give Clinton her closing argument for the election. What is happening? Clinton asked. Is the whole world insane? Donald Trump has single-handedly ruined so much of what we Americans hold dear. Kindness, decency, Tic Tacs. Skittles. Taco bowls. Father-daughter dances. Bright red hats. The word great. The color orange. Men.

But look, if you want to elect him president on Tuesday, go ahead, she continued. But in four years, when Americans start to regret their choice and start begging her to run again, Clinton added, Guess what, idiots? Ill do it.

When Trump started to deliver his closing message about how corrupt Clinton is, Baldwin suddenly broke character. Im sorry, Kate, he told McKinnon. I just hate yelling all this stuff at you like this. He asked the audience, Dont you guys just feel gross all the time about this?

As the opening chords of Arcade Fires Wake Up began to play, the two actors decided to get out of the studio and onto the streets of New York. Hand-in-hand, they ran through Times Square. Trump hugged a black man, Clinton embraced a man in a Make America Great Again hat. They shared a soft pretzel and for once looked truly happy.

Back on home base in Studio 8H, Baldwin implored viewers, None of this will have mattered if you dont vote.

And we cant tell you who to vote for, McKinnon, a strong Clinton supporter added, her voice cracking with emotion, but on Tuesday, we all get a chance to choose what kind of country we want to live in.

Live from New York, its Saturday night has never sounded so cathartic.
On Sunday, Donald Trumps campaign manager Kellyanne Conway deflected when questioned over whether it was irresponsible for two top advisers to Donald Trump to suggest that an attempt was made to assassinate their candidate on Saturday night.

Almost immediately after a security scare at a Trump rally in Reno, Nevada, Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., and the campaigns social media director, Dan Scavino, retweeted a message on Twitter that described it as an assassination attempt against the Republican presidential nominee. However, there is no evidence that the incident was anything close to an attempt to kill or even harm Trump.

While speaking at the rally on Saturday, Trump was abruptly rushed off the stage by the Secret Service after a fight broke out in the crowd in front of him. When the scuffle began, someone in the audience yelled Gun!sparking a swift response from the agents and law enforcement at the scene. However, no gun was found, and a few minutes later, Trump safely returned to the stage to finish his speech.

As of Sunday morning, there is still no evidence that an assassination attempt on Trump took place in Reno this weekend. (In March, Trump falsely claimed that ISIS had attacked him while he was on-stage at a rally in Dayton, Ohio.) The man at the heart of the scuffle, who later identified himself to press as Austyn Crites, claimed that the incident occurred after he raised his Republicans Against Trump sign. Crites said he was quickly attacked by a group of Trump supporters before the word gun was shouted.

All of a sudden, because they couldn't grab the sign, or whatever happened, bam, I get tackled by all these people who were just, like, kicking me and grabbing me in the crotch and just, just beating the crap out of me, Crites said. And somebody yells something about a gun, and so that's when things really got out of hand.

Conway artfully dodged the question of whether it was responsible for Trump Jr. and Scavino to retweet a description of the incident as an attempt to murder Trump, and said CNN and other outlets should first retract their purported recent reporting that Clinton has the election in the bag.

Im glad nobody was hurt, but it does remind you that in these closing days, especially as the polls tighten, many of us are getting more death threats, getting more angry messages on social media and elsewhere, Conway said on CNNs State of the Union. Its a pretty fraught environment there. I think thats the real focus here.

Conway continued: If youre Don Jr. and youre on a live TV set while youre watching this unfold, its pretty rattling to think of what may have happened to your father, so Ill excuse him.

CNN host Jake Tapper pushed back, saying the individuala Republican who is voting for Hillary Clinton and has donated to her campaignwas not trying to assassinate Trump.

First of all, thats really remarkable, I have to say, that thats what the storyline is here, Conway responded. Is CNN going to retract all the storylines, all the headlines, all the breathless predictions of the last two weeks that have turned out not to be true? The race is over. The path is closed. Its going to be a blowout. You guys retract that and Ill give a call to Dan Scavino about the retweet.

Asked about the Nevada disturbance on a conference call with reporters on Sunday morning, the Trump campaign first demurred, then implied the man was a Democrat masquerading as a Republican.

We have very little data on it, very similar to whats been made public, we dont know a lot about [it]speaking a lot about it too early is a mistake so we are going to be learning as we go today, said Trump deputy campaign manager David Bossie.

We are told that he is a quote, Republican, who has canvassed for Hillary Clinton and donated money to her campaign, Conway said on the call.

Some of Trumps closest allies are more than happy to continue the assassination talkwith zero evidence from law enforcement officials, the Secret Service, or any reliable source that any such attempt was made on Saturday evening.

Ann Coulter, one of the most enthusiastic and hardest-working Trump boosters in conservative media, continued tweeting well into Sunday morning about those shes dubbed leftist assassins such as Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth.

Jackie Kucinich contributed reporting.
What is striking about On The Inside, a group art show of works by LGBTQ prisoners at the Abrons Arts Centre on New Yorks Lower East Side, is how tender, even romantic, the images are.

There are few images of incarceration or suffering, and instead many images of magical fairies, gender-blurring beauties, muscular bodies, love, sexiness, warriors, prayer, figures of faith, and iconic heroes. 4,000 images were submitted from LGBTQ prisoners all over the US, with 450 selected for the final show.

Around these images are printed the writings of the prisoners who created the art sent in letters alongside their works to exhibition curator Tatiana von Furstenberg (full disclosure: she is the daughter of Diane von Furstenberg, who is married to Barry Diller, chairman of IAC, which owns the Daily Beast). Von Furstenberg made a donation for each work of art to the participants; their first names or initials are attached to the works.

Some images are simple, others more elaborate and colorful. The images were created mostly on letter-sized paper, using dull pencils, and ball-point pen ink tubes (the hard shell is deemed too dangerous). One picture of a line-up of prisoners features a woman among the men; a sea of faces is broken by the presence of a nude body held aloft; a gorgeous, muscular body has a non-gender specific face; Bruce B.s The Wandering Mind features a woman in repose; James L.s features a spotlit owl.

As you linger over the images, the captions--which provide a moving snapshot of the added layer of harassment, prejudice, and discrimination LGBTQ inmates experience when incarcerated--prove piercing.

One of the male guards liked to sit four feet away and watch me shave my body and shower when he was on duty, writes Paula W. Hed ask me what I would do for him if I asked him for anything. Another guard that escorted me to the doctors office said, I bet you enjoyed that after my prostate exam.

I have been stripped of all my property, clothing, mat, and left to sleep on a steel bunk in 30-degree weather, writes Felicity. Ive been harassed time and time again for my identity, being a flamboyant fem gay. But still I stand, I wont bend and I wont break. I am proud of who I am, I carry myself with gay pride 24/7.

I just cant understand why our proud American culture is accepting of our inhumane, undignified prison system, writes Tony W. It is insane to treat people horribly for years, then return them to society. Ive become wise, yet pissed off.

Im a happy gay man, but have a lot of problems with other inmates so I lose myself in drawing, writes Ronnie S.

I have been locked up for the past 23 years, writes Jimmy W. I told my brothers and sisters that I was gay, and till this day I have yet to receive mail from them. But I feel great and love myself.

Not all is grim. I had several relationships in prison and had the best sex I can possibly imagine, writes Cheyenne. My favorite part of the day was lockdown. We would make out until the count, thats when the real fun started.

One image features a heavily muscled guy holding another slighter guy: Familiar acts are beautiful through love, its caption reads. A set of portraits include nudes, Nelson Mandela, a couple holding one another, fairies and humans with butterfly wings. There are hunks in leather and a self-explanatory picture entitled, Gay Pandas Fucking, and then a stunning portrait of a beautiful, bearded man.

Inside and outside prison walls, art has always been the freedom only a higher being can bring, writes Yenniel H. My mind, hands and pencil combine to express something greater than myself.

A religious section includes images of God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and a caption by Ziva: I used to think that prayer was sorta stupid, praying to someone you cant even see. But now after experiencing it I see why people get on their knees to do it.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Abraham Lincoln feature on a wall of heroes, alongside superheroes, and then in a central blocked-off area, the size of a solitary confinement room, even more explicit images of penises and vaginas.

Sitting inside this solitary confinement room, von Furstenberg reveals how she compiled the show over almost five years. She made contact with the prisoners through the LGBTQ prisoner support organization, Black and Pink, which she describes as like a family, a wonderful organization.

The results of a survey of LGBTQ prisoners experiences conducted by Black and Pinkaround issues including parole and gender and sexual identity--are printed on the walls of the solitary confinement room.

The 46-year-old Von Furstenberg said the idea for the show came as she was beginning a 30-day period, each day performing a pledge of love. Her idea, to have a prisoner pen-pal, became the seed of the exhibition when her online research led her to the Black and Pink website.

The long gestation of the show, she says, was ideal as she suffers from a debilitating muscle condition, Myotonia congenita, and has done since she was a young girl. The nature of thisvon Furstenberg has just suffered an excruciating flare-up, which led to her mother buying her a scooter so she could work on setting up the showmeans she must conserve her energy, and work at her own speed.

Its the inability to relax, she says of her experience of the condition. Its a decreased ability to relax out of contraction. If I sneeze I cant open my eyes. If I use my strength, my muscles jam and lock. My muscles are always damaged, and I have an inability to recover from damaged muscles. But my muscles are always getting damaged, so Im in a lot of pain. Everything hurts.

Von Furstenberg grew up in New York, the daughter of Diane and her first husband Prince Egon of Furstenberg, which makes her a princess-in-name. She is extremely down-to-earth, intensely thoughtful and committed to her work, and dressed in light, casual clothes deliberately chosen so as not to hang heavily on her body. She is close to her older brother Alexander (were connected, were both Aquarians), born the year before her.

Suffering from the muscle condition all her life has made von Furstenberg reflect on how biology informs ones identity. One reason I relate to this show is that I believe biology informs ones entire personality. I never played as a kid. I couldnt. I always had to be in a seated position observing, reflecting. I did really well at school. I got into Brown University at 16. I generated ideas, stories, because I never participated in any physical activity whatsoever.

I felt like an outsider. As a disabled woman, I feel marginalized. I don't have fear of mortality. When you live with chronic illness you imagine a release. I want to be alive, but I don't want to be in pain. The pain is really intense.

It must have been strange to grow up, feeling like that, in the whirl of fashion and the fashionable, I say.

It was really weird, von Furstenberg says. I cant actually wear the clothes, but more than that I cant relate to the aspirational-woman model. I have to emerge from within because my limitations make me. I cant decide to be something and chase that, because it doesnt work for me.

Her family has been supportive, she says.

My mom has learned a lot from me and I think I have been her teacher in a lot of ways. She really gets me, she can tap in to it. Were super-close and shes super-respectful of me. She can feel me. With the scooter, shes such a savior. Im usually bedridden for a few days when Im in crisis, which is very isolating. This will really help me. Next time Im in crisis, which happens quite frequently, Ill use it.

Von Furstenberg wasnt diagnosed with Myotonia congenita until she was 21. I overcompensated a lot as a kid. I really struggled to keep up. It was thought I was acting up, different, eccentric, my teachers thought I was rebellious. I really wasnt. I was late getting to class because of my condition.

My grandmother lived at home with us. She was a Holocaust survivor, and had osteoporosis resulting from malnutrition. She didnt know why I liked lying on her bed with her and talking, so I did have company. She was very bright and encouraged me in psychological, philosophical, and critical thinking.

The diagnosis wasnt just a relief, it meant she could teach myself not to teach myself to hurt myself to keep up with those who were able-bodied. I don't like to look in mirrors. My physical body holds me down. I kind of like to deny it. I connect to my heart and mind.

She didn't know going to beach could be fun until really recently because I used to go to hold everyones shoes and bags. Its really hard to grow up different.

However, she insists she is no "tragic figure." Her personal transformation, as von Furstenberg puts it, began six years ago when she began writing. Her parents were creative, and her 16-year-old daughter Antonia has applied to go to art school.

As a parent, suffering as she was and unable to do what most parents do with their children, von Furstenberg found honesty with Antonia was best. I had strict boundaries because of my limitations. As a result, Antonia is very compassionate and thoughtful, and independent.

Von Furstenberg describes her own sexuality as fluid. At the end of her college years she fell in love with film-maker Francesca Gregorini, who she later made the film Tanner Hall with. Von Furstenberg was with Antonias father, actor and writer Russell Steinberg, for eleven years.

She is single at the moment, and focused on her "wellness." Living in Los Feliz in Los Angeles, she is happy to be surrounded by loved ones and friends.

My dad was gay, she says. He had a lot of internalized homophobia early on, and had a really hard time coming out to me initially. He got better with it. Growing up in the fashion world meant I was basically raised by the LGBTQ community entirely. They were the only people I could really relate to.

She recalls being 8 and 9, during the dark days of the AIDS epidemic. I saw everybody getting sick and I was young. I lost a lot of friends. That completely traumatized me. People were whispering things behind my back, not telling me because I was a kid. I wanted to offer my love but I wasn't allowed to.

I saw so much shame. I saw so much hiding: the dyeing of hair, the wearing of suits, changing your look not to disclose your status, a facade--and to have that internalized shame of being ill and I think I internalized the shame of being ill too. She pauses. That was an epidemic, and there is also a hidden epidemic of LGBTQ prisoners.

The isolation von Furstenberg felt because of her illness means she identifies strongly with the experiences of the prisoners whose work she has curated.

She talks about the kid who hadnt come out to his family messing around with a guy in what turned out to be a stolen car. He was arrested, and called his mom, who he hasnt heard from since. Another trans woman has been for years, without even having a trial.

The misconception created by the media is to make everyone in jail seem really dangerous, when in fact the prison population would be massively reduced if they decriminalized sex work, or stopped arresting under-18s, or stopped jailing people for the technical violations of probation. A lot of crime is poverty-incited. Von Furstenberg decries those agencies and businesses who financially profit from incarceration.

The 4,000 works of art came in spurts over the last few years, von Furstenberg says. She was struck by the feeling of worthlessness expressed in the letters, being forgotten, not mattering. The other side is, through this show, being remembered. The exhibition, having their work shown, their work being wanted, restored their faith in humanity. I dont want people to think of this as outsider art though. These are artists who are currently incarcerated. Think of it otherwise and it becomes horribly exploitative.

After the show, von Furstenberg plans to continue working on her autobiographical graphic novel, My Summer, Unapologetic, set when she was a teenager wrestling with her disability, and on holiday with her dad and brother in the Mediterranean. Its a coming of age tale for all of us: my dad comes out in it, and my family breaks up and comes back together. (Her father died in 2004, aged 57, of complications arising from liver cirrhosis and Hepatitis C, she says; she does not know if he was HIV positive.)

Von Furstenberg and I finish our talk by surveying the pictures of celebrities prisoners have submitted. They include images of Marilyn Monroe (made ingeniously from Kool-Aid and an asthma inhaler), Michael Jackson, Robin Williams, and a set of particularly memorable images of Rihanna. (Hurrah, no Kardashians.) Theyre figures who have fought back, been persecuted, survived or endured demons, says von Furstenberg: They are vulnerable and assertive.

Michael Jackson was so misunderstood, so I drew him because I understood, writes Marvin D.

Surveying the art, von Furstenberg says exhibition visitors will be able to send text messages to the prisoners whose work is on show. What I hope is that people realize the enormous amount of talent, complexity, and culture of LGBTQ people within prison. You cant stereotype and forget them. I want people to be wowed by the quality of the work, and the voices of these people to be heard.

Before I leave, I read two more of the artists captions.

As a gay child I was accepted openly by my grandparents, writes Christopher R. Its a shame not everyone is accepted for who they are.

It shouldnt matter if society doesnt accept us, writes Joseph B. Who are they to judge and look down upon us? They are no better than usthe same God that put them here, put us here too. Now I am open about my sexuality, and I encourage you to do the same and experience true freedom. If no one told you that they love you, I am telling that I love you, OK?

On The Inside is on show at the Abrons Arts Centre, 466 Grand St, New York, NY 10002, until December 18.
ERBIL, IraqiThe U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces launched the Wrath of the Euphrates campaign on Saturday to isolate the so-called Islamic States Syrian capital, Raqqa.

The Turkish government, which had wanted to delay the Raqqa campaign until after the city of Mosul is taken in Iraq, which could be a matter of months. But the U.S.-led coalition did not want to lose the momentum.

The situation is complicated by the fact that many of the SDFs fighters are members of the Kurdish YPG or Peoples Protection Brigades, which the Turks consider an appendage of the PKK guerrillas they are fighting on their home turf.

But the fighters of the SDF/YPG have been some of the best and most reliable combatants working with the United States against ISIS. If they manage to take the initiative on the battlefield again, that will make it harder for the Turks to block them or the Americans to back away from them.

We call on our dear people of Raqqa to distance themselves from Daesh [ISIS] sites within Raqqa and to head towards areas that will be liberated, the SDF said in a statement on Sunday

The SDF announced its forces have attacked ISIS from two sides: from the general direction of Suluk, and from the town of Ayn Issa, both of them more then 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of Raqqa city.

The SDF said they have already advanced 10 kilometers in both fronts, and taken five villages since Saturday evening.

Local journalists embedded with SDF forces say the operation is probably going to take a lot of time and will focus on the countryside of Raqqa first. This offensive has been long anticipated.

Come, come, the operation for Raqqa will start, we are getting ready, a Kurdish fighter from Hasakah told The Daily Beast by WhatsApp on 25 October. On 3 November, he told me again the operation was about to start. Why you are not coming?

But as The Daily Beast reported last week there have been a number of stumbling blocks.

It is expected to take months before local forces actually enter the city, Sundays announcement marked the start of the initial phase of the war and the latest effort by Washington to shape the messaging of the war against ISIS.

A slew of headline-grabbing announcements in the last month suggesting ISISs imminent collapse definitely are not part of that messaging, defense officials insist. Rather, the SDF/YPG Kurdish forces in Syria and the Iraqi forces next door that are leading the ground attack on ISISs two biggest cities are setting the battle timelines on their own, according to these officials.

At the same time, the administration has said for months it was keen to see the move on Raqqa and Mosul take place simultaneously.

Waiting for Mosul to be finished was never the vision, one senior U.S. defense official explained Sunday.

Iraqi forces began moving toward Mosul last week, but those troops only entered the city last week, and there is every indication hat securing the entire metropolis of more than a million people will be a long, hard slog.

The fight for Raqqa is not nearly as far along. Sunday was the move toward the isolation phase of the battle for Raqqa, the defense official explained to The Daily Beast: local forces are to surround the city and cut off ISISs ability to get weapons, supplies, and reinforcements.

The isolation campaign for Mosul took eight months. Officials said that Raqqa wont be as long at that, but, still, will likely be a months-long effort. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S. effort, reportedly called Sundays announcement the start of an extended timeline.

From isolation, we can move to the assault phase, when forces enter the city, the as one defense official told the Daily Beast.

Defense officials have said roughly 6,000 Kurdish forces, from the SDF/YPG, will surround the city. In addition, the U.S.-led coalition plans to ramp up its airstrikes.

But even as the Kurdish forces announced the start of the isolation campaign, what forces will actually enter Raqqa when the time comes remains unclear. But Turkey, a U.S. NATO ally, has said it would not allow the YPG, which it considers a terrorist group, to take Raqqa.

The U.S. currently is negotiating with the Turks about the Raqqa operation but has yet to reach an agreement about the role of the Kurds, who hope their effort will lead the U.S. to recognize their autonomous region inside Syria.

Meanwhile, Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the U.S. effort in Iraq and Syria, said local Arab forces are still being recruited and trained for the eventual Raqqa campaign.

Its a complicated situation, not only militarily but politically, the defense official said.

And the Americans, Kurds, Arabs and Turks are not the only ones involved.

French officials are worried that ISIS will actually gain strength in Syria as ISIS fighters fleeing from Mosul fall back across the border. So the French have been pressuring the U.S. to do something in Raqqa, since all the attacks in France, including the one in Paris that killed over 130 in November last year, were planned from Syria. Coalition officials say most of the ISIS external operations in Europe are planned from Raqqa, and many French foreign fighters are based in Raqqa. The Raqqa operation would also counter Russian government media that spreading propaganda that there is a U.S. deal with ISIS allowing it to relocate to Syria by leaving a road open from Mosul to Syria. Nawaf Xelil, a former spokesperson of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the political arm of the YPG, who now leads a Kurdish research center in Europe told The Daily Beast, that 30,000 fighters are participating in the Raqqa operation. The Syrian Democratic Forces, YPJ, YPG, and forces from Raqqa, started an operation with the strategic goal [to take Raqqa]. This is important for Raqqa, Turkey, Kurds, and the future of Syria, he said.  [Raqqa] is symbolic, its the capital of ISIS, and Kurdish [Yezidi] women and mothers were sold there, it was a center of oppression.

The first step is to isolate the city. Then it [Raqqa city] will be freed by all the forces, and as you know there are many local groups fighting alongside the SDF, Xelil said.A U.S. official in the region told The Daily Beast that, yes, the first phase is to isolate, and then the second phase is to capture Raqqabut the official said it would all be in one operation like the capture of Manbij over the summer.The number of fighters participating in Raqqa is twice as big as the number of forces that took Manbij, but follows a similar model, in which the SDF said fighters who came from Manbij would be the main force retaking the city. The SDF says only the sons of the area from Raqqa will participate as part of the Wrath of Euphrates Operations Room. Murat Yesiltas, an expert at the pro-government think tank SETA in Turkey told The Daily Beast that the operation probably has not won Turkish backing at this point.

Off course not, he said, because Turkey knows very well that the SDF is an artificial project which means the real actor behind the SDF is PKK/YPG [Kurdistan Workers Party]. Therefore I don't think Turkey will support the operation. However, Ragp Soylu, the Washington-based correspondent for the Daily Sabah believes that Turkey could accept the operation. My understanding is Turkey won't make a big problem out of Raqqa operation unless they [the YPG] enter the city. The signals coming out of Turkish-American bilateral meetings show that Turkey is somewhat okay with the isolation of Raqqa. "We'll continue to talk with Turkey about its role in the eventual seizure of Raqqa, but we're proceeding now with the operation according to our plan," U.S. Defens Secretary Ash Carter said last week during a news conference. U.S. officials say Turkey was informed about the operation. Everything we do with the SDF is shared with the Turks beforehand, a coalition official said. We always seek to make our SDF operations palatable to them and explain why we are doing Operation X. The U.S. apparently had wanted to include Turkey in the Raqqa operation, but Kurdish officials, for their part, told the U.S. that the Kurdish-led SDF forces would not participate if there were Turkish involvement. The Turks have no desire to send their own forces deep into Syria to Raqqa, and given that they wont, the SDF is the only other option, and the Turks say they wont support a SDF operation, said a U.S. official.

So, its expected Turkish ground forces or Turkish-backed rebels will not be involved on the ground, but the U.S. will keep Turkey informed.

The Turks will have visibility over the operation alongside our people, he added.

Moreover, Turkish-backed rebels may not be capable of doing the Raqqa operation. They are still barely holding on what they have taken in the Euphrates Shield operation in Northern Aleppo, having lost several villages to ISIS-counter attacks.

Until now the Turkish-backed rebels there have not even yet captured the town of al Bab (despite claims to the contrary), which appears to be another reason Turkey wanted to delay the Raqqa operation. The Turkish-backed rebels are in the unenviable position of fighting ISIS, the Kurds, and Assad in Aleppo province at the same time. The main goal of the Turkish operation launched in was to prevent the Kurds from uniting their local administrations in Efrin and Kobani by capturing territory in Northern Aleppo and creating a Kurdish federal region on Turkeys borders. So, for all these reasons, The SDF[YPG] is the best indigenous partner of the U.S.-led coalition to proceed with these shaping operations toward Raqqa, says Nicholas Heras, a Washington-based Middle East researcher at the Center for a New American Security.

The U.S.-led Coalition wants to maximize the pressure on ISIS while the Mosul operation is progressing forward. This campaign on Raqqa is not meant to seize the city in one quick battle. The coalition wants to take as much territory around the city of Raqqa as possible as the Mosul operation proceeds, he added.

Just how long will this go on?

I don't expect immediate miracles, but this will be a slow containment operation followed by finally choking all the remaining logistical support routes, Michael Stephens, the head of the Royal United Services Institute Qatar, told the Daily Beast. Along the way, I dont think the SDF can take Raqqa without a significant amount of arming and a lot of air support, he said.

Less politics and intrigue within the anti-ISIS itself might be helpful as well.
1

Theresa May Reaffirms: Brexit Will Happen

SHOW WILL GO ON
Two of the most talked-about Texas books this fall are Paulette Jiles novel, News of the World, and the story of the popular couple on HGTV, Chip and Joanna Gaines from Waco. Both books were featured prominently in the October issue of Texas Monthly.

The Fixer Upper TV stars have written The Magnolia Story (Thomas Nelson, $26.99 hardcover) about how they met, their early years struggling to remodel and flip houses, their business successes and challenges, and of course their new life in the spotlight  all while trying to keep up with their four kids.

If youve seen Chip and Joanna on TV, they write pretty much like they talk (with the help of co-author Mark Dagostino).

The book is like sitting in on a long conversation with them. First, Joanna starts telling a story (in one font), and then Chip chips in his thoughts (in a different font), or vice versa, and so the story flows seamlessly back and forth throughout the 190 or so pages.

The Magnolia Story is a nice, easy, fun, insightful and inspiring read, and one that will no doubt be gift-wrapped under quite a few Christmas trees.

News of the World by Jiles of Utopia (William Morrow, $22.99 hardcover) has been named a finalist for the National Book Award.

The 200-page historical novel is set in Texas in 1870 and involves a 70-year-old veteran of two wars who makes his living traveling around the country and reading news accounts from various newspapers. Of course, the news isnt exactly new, but folks out west have a hunger to hear about whats going on in the world.

After a reading performance in Wichita Falls, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd is asked by Britt Johnson (a legendary frontier character featured in another of Jiles novels, The Color of Lightning, to take a 10-year-old girl, who was kidnapped by the Kiowa four years ago, back to her aunt and uncles home near San Antonio.

A big problem is the girl, having lived with the Kiowa for four years, has forgotten almost everything from her first six years, including the English language and what passes for civilized behavior in her new surroundings.

Kidd is reluctant but feels it is the right thing to do, so he and Joanna set off on the journey, quite against her will. Along the way, they forge a relationship as they confront life-and-death situations.

Glenn Dromgoole writes about Texas books and authors. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.
January 10, 1972 - October 13, 2016

Kylie Ann Prior-Overman, aged 44, went to heaven on Thursday 13 October 2016. After almost five years, she finally lost her courageous, hard fought, battle with cancer. During that time she coped with seemingly never-ending pain as the cancer spread. Cremation services are in the care of Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Centers.

Kylie was born on 10 January 1972 in Belfast, Northern Ireland and followed her parents to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where her father took a position at LSU. She attended Christian Life Academy there, before relocating again this time to Halifax Nova Scotia where she completed high school and attended Mount St Vincent's University and subsequently completed her nursing training.

In 1996 she moved again, this time to College Station where she was a medical supervisor at Westgate Biologicals.

After relatively short stays in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Austin, she began treatment for cancer at MD Anderson in 2012. She finally returned in 2014 to College Station with her son, Aedan, the apple of her eye, and her parents. In November 2015 MD Anderson warned that metastases meant that she might only live another six to twelve months. She almost made it to the maximum.

Kylie will be remembered by all who knew her as a quiet, kind, self-effacing person, devoted to her son, being amply rewarded by his energy, and his outgoing and affectionate nature.

Kylie is survived by her son Aedan Cameron Prior-Overman, father Dr. David B. Prior, her mother Anny McKeown Prior, and by her brother Jonathan Lamont Prior, sister-in-law Amanda, niece Bailee and nephew Blake, plus relatives in Ireland and Canada.

The family suggests that memorials be directed to Aggieland Cowboy Fellowship, 4119 Greens Prairie Road, College Station, Texas 77845, or Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 W. 26th Street, Bryan, Texas 77803.

Express condolences at CallawayJones.com
I support Hillary Clinton not only as the alternative to Donald Trump -- a candidate utterly lacking in the experience, the temperament, and the character to hold the most important office in the world -- but also for positive reasons both philosophical and personal.

I was reared by rock-ribbed Republicans on a small Missouri farm. At age 4 in the waning months of the Truman administration, my Grandpa taught me to say: "If we get rid of these Democrats, all this fighting is gonna stop." We did -- and it didn't.

Foreign policy never brings full satisfaction, not even the Allied victory in World War II. But Clinton brings a steady hand of experience with our allies, our rivals, and our foes, in contrast to Trump's bizarre mixture of isolationism and saber-rattling. I hear the mob shouting, "What about Benghazi?" If Ambassador Chris Stevens' family does not blame Clinton for his death, I would not be so arrogant as to contradict them.

I remember as a 6 year old an agitated discussion in my grandparents' kitchen about school integration. I'm proud to report that my grandpa as a school board member enacted the Supreme Court's Brown decision without delay. Since LBJ, the Democratic Party has become the party of Lincoln, my most admired president.

Hillary Clinton has built upon that tradition ever since her early work with the Children's Defense Fund. Like her, I believe we are stronger together. Whether Trump is a genuine racist or only plays one on reality TV is immaterial -- he has given aid and comfort to the genuine racists in our society, leaving them more emboldened than they have been since the 1960s.

Back in 1958, I crossed the Missouri River on the first stretch of Eisenhower's Interstate Highway system. Like me, those highways are getting old, so I support Clinton's plans for major infrastructure reinvestment that will stimulate our economy and help -- especially those blue collar workers desperate enough to consider voting for Trump.

I experienced socialized medicine already as a first-grader under President Dwight Eisenhower, when all the kids, even those of us from parochial schools, were loaded onto a bus and driven to the county courthouse for our first polio shots. This feared disease virtually was eliminated with my generation through a combination of public and private initiatives.

Later, living abroad, I experience socialized health care in Germany, and received as good or better care than at home through Texas A&M. Like Hillary, I believe that the Affordable Care Act needs to be preserved and improved, rather than abolished and replaced with something no more specific than "great." This I take personally: I have been living for decades with a serious pre-existing medical condition.

I remember my mom and my aunt talking about a co-worker at the TNT Plant during World War II, and Mom just casually remarked, "oh yeah, she got pregnant and had an abortion and died." I am old enough to recall when Planned Parenthood was promoting responsible birth control before abortion was even legal, when it took a Supreme Court decision to grant even married couples legal access to birth control information. I share the uneasiness of many readers with abortion. Like Hillary, however, I believe that choices of such a personal nature are no business of the government.

One summer of my graduate school was largely frittered away watching the Watergate Hearings on the TV above the bar at the Old Heidelberg in Columbia, Missouri. Many allegations that I had considered to be radical leftist paranoia turned out to be true. One of those convicted Republicans, John Dean, weighed in this week denouncing Trump's allegations that Hillary's email issues were "worse than Watergate." While Clinton does not quite meet the squeaky-clean ethical standards set by the Obamas, the Clintons actually released their tax returns, showing they paid taxes at double the rate of Mitt and Ann Romney, whereas Trump fails to meet even the dismal standard set by Richard Nixon.

As a first-generation college student (first-generation high school on my mom's side), I was a beneficiary of cheap public education at a land-grant university, so I want a president who is committed to affordable higher education and actually has spelled out a plan to achieve it. One reason I'm a Democrat is because I don't believe in "pulling up the ladder by which I rose" (as cartoonist Thomas Nast once put it, criticizing the anti-Chinese agitation of fellow immigrants).

Speaking of immigration, I know from both my research and my family history not to overly romanticize earlier generations of migrants. But they all came legally!

Indeed, unless you were Asian, it was virtually impossible to be an illegal immigrant before 1914 because we took all comers. So I stand with Hillary, and with Rick Perry: "If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart."

This university town has given me the opportunity to get to know personally several of our nationally prominent climatologists here at A&M, very down-to-earth people with no resemblance to the stereotypical mad scientist. I want a president who listens to scientists, and who will continue to work internationally to reduce carbon emissions. Combating climate change is like planting trees: the best time to do it is 30 years ago; the second best time is now.

Like Hillary, I was raised in a faith where concern for "the least of these" was a commandment of Christ. My Bible does not include "Two Corinthians," but it does include Matthew 25. I was raised an Eisenhower Republican and I don't believe I've changed that much since -- at least not nearly as much as the GOP. Please join other responsible adults in the Republican Party who not only refuse to vote for Trump, but will help make history by electing Hillary Clinton president.

 Walter D. Kamphoefner teaches U.S. history at Texas A&M, specializing in immigration, urbanization and the Civil War. The views expressed here are entirely his own.
Proposed strip center in Burlington hinges on TIF agreement

A Burlington developer has plans to build a strip mall to the east of the former Wal-Mart building, but says he'll need a TIF agreement to do it.
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Some call it a Bridgeport money grab.

Others, a not too-veiled effort by the state to make suburban districts chip in for the blistering cost of an urban education.

Regardless, a half-dozen school districts or more have banded together to fight a Bridgeport effort to charge tuition for suburban students who attend city-based magnet schools.

Its really wrong, James Feehan, chairman of the Stratford school board, said. Fundamentally wrong on many levels.

Based on 2015-16 enrollments, Bridgeport magnet school tuition would cost Stratford $576,000, Shelton $351,000 and Trumbull $288,000  among the highest tuition takes.

Feehan and others are seeking a meeting with Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzel. If that appeal fails, they will call on lawmakers to change the statute that made the billing possible.

Option three, said Feehan, may be to take the state to court.

In all, 18 school districts got letters this fall warning them Bridgeport will start charging $3,000 for each suburban student attending the three Fairchild Wheeler Magnet high schools and Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School in the 2017-18 school year.

Combined, it could add $1.8 million to the urban districts revenue stream.

These are funds that previously have not been included in their annual budget planning, Stratford Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said.

Shelton Superintendent of Schools Chris Clouet called it a disturbing transfer of funds from Shelton to Bridgeport.

I understand why Bridgeport may be looking for additional funds, but that is not the model that the state presented to us, Clouet said. There has been a change of the rules and it disadvantages our community.

Bridgeport was not aware that Public Act 16-139 gave them the right to bill other communities until last spring when Norwalk tried to start charging for students who attend the Center for Global Studies.

Norwalk, however, skipped over the part of the law requiring them to first seek permission from the commissioner. Norwalk made that request over the summer, as did Bridgeport.

Norwalks request was rejected. State officials say they consider the Center for Global Studies a part-time program. Participants take most of their classes at Brien McMahon High School.

Bridgeports request was approved. The state will allow Bridgeport to charge $3,000 per student above the $8,381,745 it already receives for some 597 suburban youngsters. That would bring its per pupil revenue for those students to $17,040.

Diversity

While the magnet model was designed to enable the host district to generate enough revenue from the state to cover out-of-district magnet students, the letter indicates that flat state funding and current financial constraints make the request reasonable.

It is not clear to me that increases from the magnets are meant to cover reasonable costs, Thomas McMorran, superintendent of the Easton, Redding and Region 9 School districts.

Easton is being asked for $18,000 and Region 9, $30,000. McMorran was among school officials who attended a meeting in late October, hosted by Stratford Superintendent Janet Robinson, to air their concerns and develop a strategy to combat the charge.

Feehan called the meeting well-attended. Robinson described the discussion as passionate.

Before, when (magnet schools were) properly subsidized, there wasnt a problem, Feehan said. We were basically helping Bridgeport out by allowing this. Now, if they want to change the rules, we need the right of refusal.

Magnet schools were developed to promote racial and ethnic diversity. As school choice laws are written, districts cant prevent parents from enrolling their children in them.

Feehan said Stratford now has a minority population that tops 50 percent, so it is diverse without Bridgeports help. If Bridgeport is allowed to charge, diverse communities should be allowed to opt out.

He said a court injunction to block the charge is being considered.

I hope we dont have to do that  but we are not going to take it lying down, Feehan said.

Other districts, such as Milford, are taking no chances. Milford School Superintendent Elizabeth Feser attended the Stratford meeting, but has penciled the added expense of $165,000 into its budget assumptions for 2017-18.

The Milford School board adopted the expense in October.

Tuition war

When Bridgeport first broached the idea of charging tuition for its magnet schools, former Schools Superintendent James Connelly, then serving as an interim superintendent in Stamford, predicted a tuition war between districts.

At the time, Bridgeport school board members, facing a $15 million budget gap, said they had no choice.

We have been accused of not taking advantage of all the opportunities that are available to us, said Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for the Bridgeport school system. As long as the state is passing legislation to allow this ... we have to provide Bridgeport with that flexibility.

Feehan and others, however, question if Bridgeport is truly telling the state what it costs to run its magnet schools.

Financial data Trumbull school officials obtained through a Freedom of Information request on behalf of the group found Bridgeport was able to operate the schools within its budget in 2015-16.

I dont know if there is a need for more money, but there very well could be, said Trumbull Schools Superintendent Gary Cialfi, who attended the meeting. The sentiment of everyone there was that Bridgeport needs support. No one wants to dismiss that, but we wanted to know what the budget constraints were.

Siegel said this week the district spends all it gets for Fairchild and Discover on those schools.

Sheltons Clouet, who attended the Stratford meeting along with his board chair and finance director, said his hope is that all the districts involved, along with the state, can take a deep breath and focus on the bigger picture: coming up with a clear plan to fund public education.

Even among magnet schools, there is a wide variety of funding sources. State-run magnets charge districts tuition. Magnets run by New Haven Public Schools do not.

There ought to be a standard that makes sense and that is fair, Clouet said. I dont think that is too much to ask.
Make A Wish Connecticut held its Celebrating Wishes Ball on November 5, 2016. The organization, which help make wishes come true for Connecticut children with life-threatening medical conditions, is celebrating 30 years in 2016. Guests enjoyed food, dancing and a silent auction. Were you SEEN?
AURORA  Brenda Klawonns spontaneous idea for her American history class turned into an experience to beam about.

Klawonn, a teacher at Aurora High School, takes students to Washington, D.C., with another teacher each year. This year, she wanted to merge a trip with an even more tangible learning experience. After attending a conference in D.C. this summer, she proposed the idea of doing an honor flight with her students and area veterans.

I took the idea to our principal, and right away he said, Yes, lets do it, Klawonn said.

She said she thought loosely about doing something like this project last year, but it didnt garner enough thought or time. But this year was different, and there was more preparation time, though everything went quickly.

It was kind of one of those, Ive got a crazy idea. Here it is. And they said yes.

She got the OK for the Heroes and Huskies Project after school started in August. She eventually got connected with a source who found the veterans who participated. From there, her 10 students were paired with veterans to learn from and do a project on.

Klawonns students ended up compiling a website, www.heroesandhuskies.weebly.com, with photos, video and short blog posts about the veterans and what the students learned from them.

Her students learned a lot from the project, but the initial news of doing the project was shocking.

We were all pretty shocked about it and very grateful for it, student Trent Wilson said.

The first day Klawonn told her students about the project, Neely Smith was absent. Wilson said Smith thought her peers were joking when they filled her in on the project and trip details.

I thought she was going to decorate the classroom like Washington, D.C., Smith said about her disbelief that the class would hold its own hero flight.

Klawonn said the students were a little timid about the project at first because it was completely new to them. At the first meeting with the veterans, she asked a few students to go to the office to guide the veterans to the classroom. She said the students were timid and nervous to do so.

The first meeting was to be a relaxing get-to-know-you conversation. Many students said they felt awkward at the first meeting.

Just talking to someone that much older than me and trying to connect with them, it was awkward, Alex Coreas said about the initial meeting with her veteran.

The oldest veteran was 84, and the youngest was about 30.

But, as time went on, the students said, a bond formed between them and the veterans. Klawonn said she could see it, too.

By the time we got to our third or fourth meeting and I walked in and said, Go get your veteran, they were running down the hall, so excited to go get them and bring them down to the classroom, Klawonn said.

She said the students went from being a little timid to being proud and excited to be able to speak with the veterans.

The trip and the project were funded through fundraisers the group hosted. Klawonn said the idea was not to have anyone pay out of pocket for the trip. Of the estimated $8,000 total cost, the group raised $5,000.

The community really helped out a lot, she said.

The group left for D.C. on Oct. 26 and returned Oct. 27, so the trip was quick, but memorable.

The students and veterans visited Arlington National Cemetery, went to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the war memorials, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Klawonn said the war memorials were special to visit because many of the veterans fought in those wars. Among the group were about six Vietnam War veterans.

Klawonn said that, while at the Vietnam wall, Neelys veteran, Alan Anderson, asked her to help him find the names of two of his friends.

Thats what this project was all about, she said about the moment.

The students said they not only created a website to be proud of, but they also learned from those who sacrificed so much for them.

Coreas said she often hears the results of a war, whether we won or lost.

But its so much deeper than that, she said. Meeting someone who fought and served the country, even if he didnt want to at the time, was inspiring.

She said her veteran, Dick Phillips, was drafted and didnt want to serve at first. By talking to him, she found out how much the military impacted his life and how he turned it into a positive thing for his life.

Wilson, who was paired with his grandpa, Ron Elge, said he learned so much from him.

I dont think people really know the extent of what actually happened, Wilson said about historical wars. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what happened, but I was clueless.
WASHINGTON  Rule of thumb for a presidential campaign where the two candidates have the highest unfavorable ratings in the history of polling: If youre the center of attention, youre losing.

As Election Day approaches, Hillary Clinton cannot shake the spotlight. She is still ahead in the polls, but you know shes slipping when she shows up at a Florida campaign event with a week to go accompanied by the former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado.

The original plan was for Clinton to pivot in the final week of the campaign from relentless criticism of Donald Trump to making a positive case for herself. Instead, she reached back for a six-week-old charge that played well when it first emerged back then but now feels stale and recycled.

The setback and momentum shift came courtesy of FBI Director James Comey. Clintons greatest hurdle had always been the Comey primary, which the Democrats thought shed won in July when he declined to recommend prosecuting her over classified emails. This engendered an outpouring of Democratic encomiums about Comeys unimpeachable integrity and Solomonic wisdom.

When it was revealed last Friday that there had been a Comey recount and Clinton lost, Solomon turned into Torquemada. But, of course, Comey had no choice. How could he have sat on a trove of 650,000 newly discovered emails and kept that knowledge suppressed until after the election?

Comeys announcement brought flooding back  to memory and to the front pages  every unsavory element of the Clinton character: shiftiness, paranoia, cynicism and disdain for playing by the rules. It got worse when FBI employees began leaking stories about possible political pressure from the Department of Justice and about parallel investigations into the Clinton Foundation.

At the same time, Clinton was absorbing a daily dose of WikiLeaks, offering an extremely unappealing tableau of mendacity, deception and the intermingling of public service with private self-enrichment. It was the worst week of her campaign, at the worst time.

And it raises two troubling questions:

 Regarding the FBI, do we really want to elect a president who will likely come into office under criminal investigation by law enforcement? Congressional hearings will be immediate and endless. A constitutional crisis at some point is not out of the question.

 And regarding WikiLeaks, how do we know it will have released the most damning material by Election Day? A hardened KGB operative like Vladimir Putin might well prefer to hold back whatever is most incriminating until a Clinton presidency. He is surely not above attempted blackmail at an opportune time.

There seems to be a consensus that Putins hacking gambit is intended only to disrupt the election rather than to deny Clinton the White House. Why? Putin harbors a deep animus toward Clinton, whom he blames personally for the anti-Putin demonstrations that followed Russias rigged 2011 parliamentary elections.

Moreover, Putin would surely prefer to deal with Trump, a man who has adopted the softest line on the Kremlin of any modern U.S. leader.

In a normal election, the FBI and WikiLeaks factors might be disqualifying for a presidential candidate. As final evidence of how bad are our choices in 2016, Trumps liabilities, especially on foreign policy, outweigh hers.

We are entering a period of unprecedented threat to the international order that has prevailed under American leadership since 1945. After eight years of President Obamas retreat, the three major revisionist powers  Russia, China and Iran  see their chance to achieve regional dominance and diminish, if not expel, American influence.

At a time of such tectonic instability, even the most experienced head of state requires wisdom and delicacy to maintain equilibrium. Trump has neither. His joining of supreme ignorance to supreme arrogance, combined with a pathological sensitivity to any perceived slight, is a standing invitation to calamitous miscalculation.

Two generations of Americans have grown up feeling that international stability is as natural as the air we breathe. Its not. It depends on continual, calibrated tending. It depends on the delicate balancing of alliances and the careful signaling of enemies. It depends on avoiding self-inflicted trade wars and on recognizing the value of allies like Germany, Japan and South Korea as cornerstones of our own security rather than satrapies who are here to dispatch tribute to their imperial master in Washington.

It took seven decades to build this open, free international order. It could be brought down in a single presidential term. That would be a high price to pay for the catharsis of kicking over a table.
FBI Director James Comey knew exactly what was going to happen.

He was already a controversial figure in the presidential campaign. His statement this summer, that Hillary Clinton had been extremely careless in handling her government email accounts, has been repeated endlessly in Donald Trump ads.

And now hes done it again. He wrote a letter to Congress, less than two weeks before the election, saying that a new trove of emails discovered on the computer of Anthony Weiner  the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin  may be relevant to the Clinton case, which had been suspended months ago.

There was no hint of wrongdoing on Clintons part. When Comey wrote his letter, neither he nor any of his investigators had evaluated the Weiner emails. And yet he had to know that his letter  no matter how carefully couched  would immediately be distorted and exaggerated by the Trump campaign.

And it was. The FBI director had provided yet more fodder for Trumps attacks. But this time, it was not Hillary Clinton who was extremely careless. It was Comey himself.

Comey cannot plead ignorance. He knew the rules. He knew that very clear Justice Department guidelines prohibit doing precisely what he did: injecting the countrys most powerful law enforcement agency into a political campaign.

As The Washington Post reported, in early October, Comey had specifically invoked those guidelines in declining to join a statement issued by the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security. The statement blamed Russia for cyber attacks aimed at influencing the American elections, but Comey thought it was too close to Election Day for him to get involved.

Even many Republicans have joined the chorus condemning Comeys misjudgment. George J. Terwilliger III, deputy attorney general under George Bush 41, told The New York Times: Theres a longstanding policy of not doing anything that could influence an election. Those guidelines exist for a reason. Sometimes that makes for hard decisions. But bypassing them has consequences.

Larry Thompson, deputy attorney general under Bush 43, co-authored an op-ed piece in the Post that asserted, It is antithetical to the interest of justice, putting a thumb on the scale of this election and damaging our democracy.

Joe Walsh, a former Congressman and fiercely conservative radio host, tweeted about Comey: What he just did 11 days b4 the election is wrong & unfair to Hillary.

Theres no evidence that Comey was deliberately trying to help Trump, and charges that he violated the Hatch Act  which bars political activity by federal employees  seem unfair. But Comey was guilty of a different sin: placing his own ego and his concern for his personal reputation ahead of his responsibility to the FBI or the democratic process.

As Matthew Miller, a Justice Department spokesman during Barack Obamas first term, wrote in the Post, This case in particular has exposed how Comeys self-regard can veer into self-righteousness. The FBI director seems to believe that the rules that apply to every other Justice Department employee are too quaint to restrict a man of his unquestionable ethics.

Comeys ill-advised letter would not be so damaging to Clinton if she had not, throughout her whole career, earned her reputation for cutting corners and bending rules. The trope that all her troubles are caused by a vast right-wing conspiracy and a media that unfairly exaggerates her flaws is simply not true.

The Clintons have always given their enemies plenty of ammunition: her misguided use of a private email server as secretary of state; the appearance of tawdry influence-peddling that clings to the Clinton Foundation; her greedy determination to rake in millions of dollars in paid speeches from institutions that were clearly currying favor with a possible future president.

Perhaps worst of all: Bill Clintons egregious decision to meet with Attorney General Loretta Lynch last June while the Justice Department was concluding its investigation of his wifes handling of classified emails. As a result of his stupidity, Lynch has little leverage over Comey.

We wont know until next week whether Comey has altered the course of the election. His letter will probably cause few voters to change sides, but recent polling indicates that some Democrats are discouraged, while Republicans are energized. And intensity and turnout matter in close races  for the Senate as well as the White House.

But we do know this: In trying to protect his personal reputation, and the reputation of his agency, James Comey has badly damaged both.
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Linkedin David Sharp (Associated Press) Portland, Maine - United States  Sun, November 6, 2016

There are vintage jeans. And then there are the 123-year-old jeans up for sale in Maine.

The bona fide Levi Strauss & Co. blue jeans from the American Old West are still awaiting a new owner after technical glitches prevented the denim pants from being auctioned Saturday in Maine.

Daniel Buck Auctions & Appraisals said the jeans are pristine because they were worn only a few times before the owner fell ill.

"They're brand-new Levis. They just happen to be 123 years old," said auctioneer Daniel Buck Soules, who worked for 11 year on public television's "Antiques Roadshow."

(Read also: Fashion Flair: The Style Makers)

The jeans were purchased in 1893 by a store keeper in the Arizona Territory.

Solomon Warner established one of the first stores selling American goods in Tucson, and he survived being shot in an ambush by Apache Indians in 1870.

He was a big fella.

The cotton jeans with button fly feature a size 44 waist and 36-inch inseam.

Unlike modern Levi's, the jeans in those days had only a single back pocket. There were no belt loops; folks back then used suspenders. The denim was produced at a mill in New Hampshire, and the jeans were produced by Levi's in San Francisco.

Warner's jeans, which were stored for decades in a trunk, will be sold in the near future, Soules said Saturday evening.

Such jeans are valuable. A pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s sold for $60,000 to a Japanese collector in 2005, Soules said, and another pair, from 1888, sold six months ago for six figures.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, November 5 2016

I once had a boss who said: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I told her that wearing a skirt and crucifying people was against my religion.

I soon moved on from that job, and indeed believed that my dream job did not exist  until recently, when a reader sent me a link to a report about a paid post of hermit being offered by the Swiss authorities.

Hermits live on mountains and think about the meaning of life. The downside is that they traditionally receive no pay and no company car. Yet this particular hermit was offered a salary, free housing and paid holidays. Later, I saw a picture of the man who got the job, and he was balding with a long white beard  this seems a crucial requirement for the job, but was not specified in the advertisement, probably to avoid accusations of sexism, this look being harder to for the fairer sex to achieve.

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Linkedin Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, November 5 2016

Amanda Hartanto and Rizky Triana, better known as Kiki, wish to bridge the gap between young people and batik. The latter is often identified with dark colors, and perceived as old-fashioned. They also want to clear up the confusion between handmade and printed batik, all of which are similar to their previous experience and misperceptions about the fabric.

As a textile design student of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Amanda was not interested in the subject of batik.

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Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, November 5 2016

Although Kuningan Timur subdistrict in South Jakarta has turned into a high-end business district, nothing has changed much in the daily routine of 67-year-old local resident Asmana.

While most residents were busy opening their food stalls, parking spaces and stores to accommodate employees of the commercial and office buildings, Asmana was busy taking care of her 11 cows on her 800 square meter property, jammed in among rented houses, a shopping mall and apartments.

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Linkedin Arif Suryobuwono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, November 5 2016

The dichotomy of the contemporary and the traditional marks Tealover Communitys latest tea potluck in town.

The contemporary  flavored and cold brewed teas billed as modern, bold teas like New World/fancy wines  is usually favored by urban, Western-minded drinkers while traditional teas, like Old World wines, are the choice of conservative drinkers.



Most participants at the recent Tealover Communitys potluck, hosted by state-owned agro-industry business group PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI), liked the first, unsurprisingly.



Who would resist sweet mango-flavored sencha green tea called Umami offered by representatives of its producer, Tea Et Al? Beer and spirits, too, have long been flavored to wow new and old drinkers alike though traditionalists may find such libations unrespectable.



Property dealer Teguh Kusuma Wijaya (who loves ready-to-drink, sweetened, flavored teas) and Yosdian Adi Pramono, the director of PT Mitra Kerinci, RNIs tea plantation company that produces Liki teas, were among Umami fans.



It has a unique taste, like gedong gincu [creole mango], Yosdian said. Its just okay, for its aromatic kicks, said another fan, tea blogger Indri Kristanti.



Personally, Umami is a less stunning facsimile of German Ronnefeldts famous blend of sencha, mango and citrus flavors named Morgentau (Morning Dew) that I first sipped in 2009 at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski.



A cleverly crafted potpourri of fruits, flowers, spices and perhaps artificial taste enhancers, their base leaves may be too generic to be sold on their own merits. High-end Chinese tea connoisseurs do not usually regard them.



One of the communitys moderators, Se Tjie, expressed concern over chemical flavorings. Their aromas are too strong, he said, preferring Chinese-style, traditionally made loose-leaf green tea from his hometown, Bangka, which is unique, he said, due to the combination of roasted and [savory] umami flavors.



Made of the leaves of Camellia sinensis var sinensis (the Chinese plant), the tea, presented by Indri, has a slightly burnt, nutty taste that distinctively characterizes it. This makes the green tea sinensis produced by the host from the same species pales in comparison. Probably incorrectly brewed, the latter was bitter, tannic and had no impressive character nor appeal despite the savory smell of its dry state and its corporate designation as specialty tea.

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Linkedin Arif Suryobuwono (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, November 5 2016

Although Japan learned tea making from China, Japan has successfully made internationally well-known teas that are distinctively Japanese. India, which got tea seedlings from China, is internationally famous for its unique muscatel-flavor Darjeeling teas crowned by the West as the champagne of teas. What about Indonesia?

Indonesiaa best teas (mostly black teas and to a lesser extent, green tea and white tea) are produced by state-owned tea plantation companies (PTPN) in Sumatra and Java. They are normally exported and used for blends in destination countries with a few of them sold as is, such as Sumatra Oolong Barisan offered by TeeGschwender of Germany and Java Malabar black tea offered by Simpson & Vail.

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Linkedin Ahmad Junaidi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

The team of Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama and deputy governor candidate Djarot Saiful Hidayat is set to change the venues for campaign events after some people apparently refused to host the events.

We will have a meeting this afternoon to discuss campaign spots, the teams spokesman, Bestari Barus, said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Bestari, a politician from the Nasdem party, said he was sure there would be no more refusals until the gubernatorial election, scheduled for February next year.

(Read also: Angry protesters ambush Ahok during campaign)

The campaign locations for the Ahok-Djarot pair have been registered with the Jakarta General Elections Commission. But in the past few days, certain people, reportedly from outside the planned locations, have expressed their rejection.

On Sunday, Djarot reportedly cancelled a visit to two locations in the Kebayoran Baru district of South Jakarta due to safety concerns. (jun)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

Buni Yani, the man who uploaded part of a speech Jakarta Governor Ahok Tjahaja Purnama made in which he mentions a verse from the Quran, could be named a suspect, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said on Saturday.

He said Buni had been accused of editing footage of Ahoks speech made during a visit to the Thousand Islands regency in late September.

[The footage] was uploaded onto his Facebook page, then it went viral and sparked public outrage, Boy said as reported by kompas.com.

Buni, however, denies the allegation, saying that he only deleted some of the footage before uploading it. However, he admits to making errors in transcribing the speech.

In his speech, Ahok said, In your inner hearts, Bapak/Ibu may not vote for me, because [you have been] lied to by [using] Surah al-Maidah, Verse 51, etc. [] So, if you cannot vote for me because you are afraid of being condemned to hell you do not need to feel uneasy as you are being fooled. It is alright.

Buni, who was reported to the police by supporters of Ahok, said he only failed to include the word using in the speech text.

Boy said the police would question Buni and other witnesses.

We only want to see if there is a criminal element in the case, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat cancelled all campaign appearances on Sunday owing to safety concerns.

Because the situation on the field is not conducive, all [campaign] appearances have been cancelled today, Djarots campaign team said in a text message, as reported by kompas.com on Sunday.

Djarot, who is seeking reelection with running mate Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, had been scheduled to make campaign stops in Kebayoran Baru district, South Jakarta.

Djarot reportedly also canceled an appearance at an event in the Cengkareng area, West Jakarta, on Saturday on account of objections from mass organizations.

On Friday, 100,000 people from various Islamic organizations staged a rally in front of the State Palace, demanding the immediate arrest of Ahok for alleged blasphemy.

Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, has apologized for his alleged blasphemous remarks, stressing that he had no intention of insulting Islam or the Quran.

The rally turned violent, with two police cars set on fire.

Without mentioning any names, President Joko Jokowi Widodo blamed political actors for the violence. (jun)
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Linkedin Jakarta (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

The Indonesian government has asked for Malaysias help in securing the release of two Indonesian ship captains who were abducted in Sabah waters in Malaysia on Saturday.

The two are Indonesians from Buton [in Southeast Sulawesi] who worked legally on Malaysian fishing ships, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in Bogor, West Java, on Sunday.

Retno she had contacted Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman to express her concerns and ask for help in the matter.

She said she had also discussed the abduction with a peace advisor to the Philippine president.

Several Indonesian sailors have been abducted by the southern Philippines-based militant group Abu Sayyaf this year. Some of them have been released.

(Read also: Four more Abu Sayyaf hostages in process of returning home: Wiranto)

Retno said the government had previously expressed its concerns to the Malaysian government regarding the security situation in its waters as around 6,000 Indonesians were working on Malaysian ships in the area.

The government also called on Indonesian ship crews to postpone all sailing until the security situation was safe. (jun)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Sun, November 6, 2016

The recent sinking of a ferry carrying undocumented Indonesian migrant workers and their families in Batam, Riau Islands, has shown how prevalent illegal labor dispatch practices are in the country.

Many Indonesian citizens, including those in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), are willing to use risky illegal routes to get a job in Malaysia because they are cheaper and have simpler and faster procedures.

Its a fact and the government must be sensitive to the matter. If not, we should not be surprised to see similar accidents continuing to happen in the future, chairman of the NTB office of the Indonesian Labor Supplying Companies Association (APJATI), Muhammaddun, said in a recent interview in Mataram.

He further said departure costs that must be covered by an Indonesian migrant worker who wanted to go to Malaysia legally had continued to increase significantly during the last three years following new policies applied in Malaysia.

The new regulations relate to visa arrangements, health examinations and immigration fingerprint screening for Indonesian migrant workers who want to work in Malaysia.

With the three new regulations, Muhammaddun said, each Indonesian migrant worker had to pay an additional 420 ringgit or around Rp 1.5 million (US$114.26). Visa fees have also increased to 220 ringgit from 15 ringgit.

It takes up to three months to process all of the documents. Thats why many people tend to use illegal routes, such as applying for tourist visas but later using them to work, said Muhammaddun. (ebf)

.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has said that his ministry will do its best to maintain interfaith harmony, following a rally that turned violent on Friday.

Lukman said on Sunday that his ministry would communicate with religious leaders to resolve the conflict after a protest by some 100,000 people against Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is accused of blasphemy.

Our nations motto is living in harmony despite the diversity of religious views. So, communication should not be difficult, he said at a ministry event on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Sunday.

The event, themed Long Walk for National Interfaith Harmony, is part of a campaign to promote peace in the aftermath of Fridays riots.

The event was also held to mark the 52nd anniversary of Nichiren Shoshu Indonesia (NSI), an organization made up of Nichiren Shoshu adherents.

Participants of the event included Islamic organization Nadhlatul Ulama, Indonesian Hindu Religious Councils (PHDI) and the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI).

NSI head Suhadi Sendjaja said the event was significant for promoting interfaith harmony.I hope this event brings the importance of interfaith harmony into the spotlight, he said. (adt/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

The Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency said more than 11,800 potted plants at three parks in the vicinity of the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta were damaged during Friday's rally.

Agency head Djafar Muchlisin said the parks were located between Istiqlal Mosque and the State Palace.

The parks that sustained the most damage are located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Djafar was quoted as saying by Warta Kota.

Djafar said the potted pants were damaged during the rally that turned chaotic following a clash between protesters and security forces on Friday evening.

"Those decorative plants have been growing for months to beautify the area. Unfortunately, all were destroyed in a day,"

Djafar said estimated losses from the damaged parks was Rp155 million (US$11,832). (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama says he has spoken with his family about the possibility of being imprisoned over blasphemy allegations and that his family understands the risks associated with his position.

I thank God that I have good family, said Ahok in Jakarta on Saturday as reported by tempo.co.

Ahok was reported by a number of Islamic organizations for a speech in which he mentioned Surah al-Maidah, Verse 51 of the Quran while visiting the Thousand Islands regency in late September.

In his speech, Ahok said, In your inner hearts, Bapak/Ibu may not vote for me, because [you have been] lied to by [using] Surah al-Maidah, Verse 51, etc. [] So, if you cannot vote for me because you are afraid of being condemned to hell you do not need to feel uneasy as you are being fooled. It is alright.

More than 100,000 people took part in a demonstration in Jakarta on Friday demanding that police immediately arrest Ahok on allegations of blasphemy. The police said they had questioned 22 witnesses in relation to the case and would question Ahok on Nov. 7.

Ahok has offered an apology, stressing that he did not intend to insult Islam or the Quran. (bbn)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Sun, November 6, 2016

A Navy Western Fleet Quick Response team arrested an Indonesian fishing boat for allegedly taking 10 Singaporeans to fish illegally in the waters of Bintan Island, Riau Islands province, on Friday.

The boat was seized because it was operating without a permit and manifest, Tanjungpinang Naval Base spokesman Maj. Josdy Damopoli told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Josdy said most of the Singaporeans did not have passports when they were arrested.

Because they do not have passports, they will be handed over to the immigration office, said Josdy, adding that this was the third time Singaporeans had been arrested on allegations of illegal fishing. The Navy has been cracking down on illegal fishing following an order from Western Fleet Rear Admiral Aan Kurnia.

This is part of efforts to combat illegal activity in Indonesian waters, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Riau immigration office head Engelbertus Rustarto said his office would investigate the 10 Singaporeans. They have not been handed over to us, but we will need to determine any crimes they may have committed, he said, adding that his office may decide to deport or prosecute them. (bbn)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Baybay, Thilippines  Sun, November 6, 2016

Philippine police killed a town mayor in his jail cell in a purported gunbattle, the second killing in a week of a politician linked to illegal drugs under President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal crackdown.

Rolando Espinosa Sr., the mayor of the town of Albuera in the central province of Leyte, and a fellow inmate were shot dead before dawn Saturday after they fired at officers who staged a raid in search of firearms and illegal drugs in the provincial jail in Leyte's Baybay city, police said.

Some officials and an anti-crime watchdog have called for an investigation of the circumstances of the killings, wondering how the mayor and the other inmate got hold of guns and what prompted them to clash with several policemen while in detention.

"Offhand, I can smell extrajudicial killing," said Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, adding that the suspicious deaths were the "biggest challenge" to the credibility of the national police force, which is undertaking the anti-drug crackdown.

Last week, police killed another town mayor, Samsudin Dimaukom, and nine of his men allegedly in a gunbattle in the southern Philippines.

Espinosa and Dimaukom were among more than 160 officials named publicly by Duterte in August as part of a shame campaign. Espinosa's son, an alleged drug lord, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates' capital city of Abu Dhabi last month.

After being linked by Duterte to illegal drugs, Espinosa surrendered to the national police chief in August in a nationally televised event. He was later released, but was arrested last month after being indicted on drug and illegal possession of firearm charges.

Police estimate that more than 3,600 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office on June 30. Many of those killed in the initial months of the crackdown were poor drug suspects, and police said "high-value targets," including mayors and drug lords, would be their next target in a new phase of the crackdown that was launched late last month.

The unprecedented crackdown and killings have helped ease crime, but the U.S. and other Western governments, along with human rights watchdogs, have been alarmed and called for an end to the killings. One human rights advocate has called the killings under Duterte a "human rights calamity."

Duterte has lashed out at President Barack Obama and other critics, saying he was dealing with a pandemic that has afflicted politics, corrupted even generals and threatened to turn the country into what he describes as a "narco state" similar to some Latin American countries.(bbn)
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Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

Police have named 13 suspects for their alleged involvement in a riot in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Friday evening.

Twelve people were initially declared suspects and then we named another one after further investigation, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono in a statement on Sunday, as reported by kompas.com.

Several minimarkets were looted and damaged in the riot. People also pelted stones at police officers.

(Read also: Looting causes massive losses in Penjaringan )

Besides naming 13 suspects, Awi said police had also listed 16 names on a wanted list for their alleged involvement in the riot. The riot occurred after thousands of people staged a demonstration on Friday in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta, demanding the government prosecute Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.

Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, has apologized for statements deemed to have insulted the Quran. The rally ended in violence, with two police cars set on fire.

Without naming any names, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has accused political actors for masterminding the rally that ended in chaos. (jun)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands  Sun, November 6, 2016

Following Wednesdays fatal boat accident, the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Abroad (BNP2TKI) has called on the National Police to crack down on Indonesian people smugglers.

BNP2TKI principal secretary Hermono said Indonesian migrant workers killed in the incident were victims of a human trafficking syndicate dispatching people to work abroad.

To investigate further the incident, he said, the agency had set up a team to monitor the handling of the victims. Enforcing the laws against human traffickers is very important to create a deterrent effect, Hermono told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

As reported earlier, a boat carrying 98 unregistered migrant workers and three crew members sank in waters near Tanjung Memban, Nongsa district, Batam, Riau Islands, on Wednesday. It departed from Selingi, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, to Batam and capsized after being hit by a large wave in Nongsa waters.

Hermono said 54 people had died in the incident, 12 of whom had been identified. The bodies of 11 victims had been returned to families across Indonesia.

BNPTKI will cover all costs to return both dead victims and survivors to their hometowns, he said.

Hermono could not provide details on compensation BNP2TKI would provide for the victims. I have to first check our available budget. In the meantime, our priority is to return them to their hometowns, said the former Indonesian deputy ambassador to Malaysia.

According to BNP2TKI data, there are 1.3 million undocumented Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia. (ebf)
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Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali  Sun, November 6, 2016

The National Police have deployed 3,800 personnel to secure the resort island of Bali ahead of the 85th Interpol General Assembly, attended by police chiefs and representatives from 167 countries, slated to kick off on Monday.

The four-day meeting is expected to spark controversy from hard-line groups, particularly with the expected arrival of a delegation from Israel in Bali on Sunday.

The National Police said they were aware of a number of threats and had prepared accordingly for the second-biggest event after the UN General Assembly, including from Islamic State (IS) related groups in Indonesia.

"The Bali Police have been instructed to anticipate terror threats from IS-related groups or followers of Santoso," said Bali Police operational division head Adj. Sr. Comr. Wayan Sri on Sunday in Bali, referring to an Indonesian terrorist who was shot dead in Palu, Central Sulawesi, in July.

Santosos followers are believed to be hiding in the jungles of Palu.

Interpol has 191 member countries, of which 167 have confirmed their attendance at the event. Some 1,200 members of delegations, including member countries' national police chiefs, are expected to attend the conference.

Topics to be discussed include assessing and tackling threats posed by returning foreign terrorist fighters. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, November 6, 2016

The recent fatal boat accident, which left 54 people dead, in Batam, Riau Islands, has highlighted the governments poor management of migrant workers, a researcher has said.

International migration expert from Gadjah Mada Universitys Population and Policy Study Center, Sukamdi, condemned the latest in a series of such incidents that had occurred in the past year. The tragedy clearly demonstrated the ineptitude of the governments migrant worker placement management.

Even though the government had imposed a moratorium, it had never been able to stop the flow of Indonesian workers seeking jobs abroad, said Sukamdi.

For me, its not a matter of legal or illegal. They [migrant workers] are also our citizens so the state should have been able to guarantee their safety and the fulfillment of their basic needs. They have migrated to meet their living needs. Could this country not facilitate them? he said recently.

He said the Batam sinking should be a wake-up call for the government to immediately improve the placement of Indonesian migrant workers.

The 2011-2015 Indonesian migrant worker-placement data released by the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Abroad (BNP2TKI) show more than 2 million Indonesian people worked abroad. The number is probably higher because many Indonesian migrant workers do not have official documents and go abroad via illegal routes.

The BNP2TKI data also show that remittances from Indonesian migrant workers amounted to Rp 119.7 trillion (US$8.65 billion) in 2015, making Indonesia the worlds fourth-highest remittance-receiving country. (ebf)
Hidden deep within Denmarks capital city there is an oasis of peace contrasting abruptly against the urban landscape which surrounds it. Its name is Freetown Christiania, and its most well known as the self-governing neighbourhood of Copenhagen where cannabis is sold freely. If you haven't read its brief history, check it out here.

The independent community has around 1,000 inhabitants, from every walk of life and all of whom are in the process of jointly purchasing the land from the Danish military, who have owned the land for hundreds of years.

Well worth a visit for anyone stopping off in Copenhagen, Christiania has more to offer than just the possibility to buy a joint. Made up in large part by woodland, the beautiful scenery means its hard to believe that you are still in the middle of one of Europe's largest cities.

Equally the artisan lifestyle led by so many of the residents means that the area is a thriving centre of culture. For instance it houses many Christianite-run stores selling unique clothing and craft items. Street art covers the walls of buildings, making it by far the most colourful of Copenhagen's districts.

For all of this, or even just to see the creativity with which the residents have constructed their homes with minimal space, exploring the depths of Christiania is a must. To get the most out of your trip, simply follow our advice.

FREETOWN CHRISTIANIA'S DOS AND DON'TS

DO...

Take a walk by the lake. Among the most beautiful sites in Christiania is the lake that the commune backs onto. Have a seat here and enjoy the view, interrupted only by the occasional passing horse trekking group.

Speak to the locals. The people are incredibly friendly, so have a chat with some if you can; they will be more than happy to share some of their culture with you.

Eat. The community plays host to some terrific restaurants, with a wide variety of options. This is a great opportunity to try authentic Danish food, often made with ingredients grown and sourced locally. There is also excellent vegetarian and vegan-friendly food to be found here.

DON'T...

Run. Running is prohibited here as its said to panic people, most likely because it is viewed as a sign of danger or riots.

Take photographs in the 'Green Light District'. A strict ban on photography has always existed on Pusher Street. Presumably intended to protect those partaking in the sale of cannabis, there is some uncertainty as to the extent of the prohibition  for instance would photography of nearby buildings be permitted? The recent dismantling of the street's stalls has led to a further lack of clarity regarding this rule, namely whether or not it still stands. This being said, one incident in recent years saw a tourist attacked for simply holding a camera, so caution should be advised.

Be put off by drugs. Although infamous as a stoner's paradise, the neighbourhood is not just for people looking for easy access to weed. An oasis in the middle of urban Copenhagen, the serenity is worth experiencing with or without a joint in hand.
Friendship cant move mountain for Norway and Finland

NORWAY: The Norwegian government has resisted public pressure to offer a mountain summit to neighbouring Finland as part of its independence centenary celebrations.

Sunday 6 November 2016, 10:00AM

Mount Halti seen from Enontekio, Finland. Photo: AFP

As a present to their Finnish neighbours, celebrating their independence since 1917, a group of Norwegians had proposed giving them the peak of the 1,361-metre high Mount Halti.

The gift would have been a neat way of correcting a geographical incongruity, as the Finnish border in the area is situated most of the way up the mountainside at an altitude of 1,324m.

A Facebook campaign to hand over the immovable present garnered 17,000 signatures.

But a legal roadbump brought the friendly scheme tumbling down, halting the Halti plan.

This creative proposal has received a very positive response from the public, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in a letter received by the major of Kafjord, in northern Norway, who was a protagonist in the mountainous gift.

I welcome this and I see a clear sign that Norway and Finland have a close relationship, Solberg continued, while adding that border adjustments between countries raises complex legal issues.

In this case the problems were insurmountable.

The lofty gift-giving idea ran up against Article 1 of the Norwegian constitution which stipulates that the kingdom of Norway is indivisible and inalienable.

We will think of another worthy gift to celebrate the occasion of Finland centenary, Solberg added.

Prior to its independence, the Grand Duchy of Finland was part of the Russian empire.
Masked heroes train police

MEXICO: Wearing colourful masks, two pro wrestlers show off their moves to a crowd, but this time its not in an arena: Theyre teaching Mexico City police officers how to subdue villains.

crimepolice

By AFP

Sunday 6 November 2016, 12:00PM

Mexican wrestler Polvora teaches local police in Iztapalapa on how to subdue suspects without using weapons. Photo: Pedro Pardo/AFP

How are you doing? Dragon Rojo Jr, wearing a red mask with yellow horns and a crest, shouts at the 190 men and women at the courtyard of a police station in Iztapalapa, a crime-plagued borough of the mega-capital.

Good! the officers reply in chorus before the ring gladiators lead them through a series of stretches, push-ups, squats and sit ups, making many sweat and pant heavily (while some take a break).

After warming up, Dragon Rojo (Red Dragon) and his fellow Lucha Libre star Polvora, whose ring name means Gunpowder in English, demonstrate one of their moves.

The burly Polvora lunges forward with a stabbing motion, but Red Dragon grabs his assailants arm, twists it, pins him down and places a knee on his chest to immobilise him.

The Lock 4 submission was among the clutches, holds and other moves that the pro wrestlers presented to the officers, who then practised the move against each other on the concrete.

But snatching suspects is not the only benefit to this intense training.

We are proud to change an image of the Mexican police that is not very good: Fat, short, unfit, said Polvora, who grew up in Iztapalapa.

We are trying to make a contribution to change this image, he said through a mask decorated with golden and red flames.

The wrestlers come twice a week to train the officers in the densely populated borough, where murders are up this year with 150 people killed so far.

You go into your patrol car and the truth is that you get rusty, said officer Joel Garcia, who admitted that a suspect got away from him once.

With this you get more active, you start running, feeling better, lighter and healthier, he said as he worked out following a 24-hour shift.

Garcia grew up admiring Lucha Libre legends such as El Santo, Blue Demon and El Matematico. Now he was trying to imitate his idols.

With the deliberate motion of a rookie wrestler, Garcia crossed his arms and raised them to block his smiling colleague from fake-stabbing him in the head.

Captain Alfredo Alvarez, a former marine, had the idea of bringing luchadores to train officers after he took over as the police stations coordinator three months ago and realised that his colleagues were somewhat sedentary.

The station commander, Israel Rodriguez, told him he knew Dragon Rojo Jr and Polvora because they were both from Iztapalapa.

All the special police forces in the world have their speciality: Russia has sambo, Brazil has capoeira, China has kung-fu, Japan has karate. In Mexico, our martial art is lucha, Alvarez said.

The wrestlers agreed to provide free lessons to some 380 officers every week out of friendship and commitment to their borough, Alvarez said.

The officers are learning how to subdue suspects without resorting to truncheons or pepper spray, which they do not carry.

We needed this type of training because we always get military-like training, marching, which doesnt work, said officer Alejandra Alvarez, 27, who has intervened in cases of domestic violence and drug addiction.

Dragon Rojo  who is a "rudo", or bad guy, in the wrestling circuit  said the agents are motivated because they see the luchador as a superhero and it brings out their inner child.

The wrestling moves are 100 per cent applicable in police work, said the middleweight champion of the CMLL pro wrestling circuit.

Were not teaching backbreakers or flying kicks. We are teaching techniques to control and physically subdue while being careful about the physical integrity of the officer and the suspect, he said.
RISKING LIFE AND LIMB: Senior sailors take on one of sailings most grueling races

The Vendee Globe solo round-the-world yacht race is not for the faint-hearted, but at 66 Rich Wilson is ready to risk injury, exhaustion and hurricane force winds a second time.



By AFP

Sunday 6 November 2016, 10:51AM

US skipper of monohull Great America III, Rich Wilson takes the start of the 6th edition of the gruelling round-the-world Vendee Globe yacht race. Photo: Thomas Bregardis/AFP

Wilson, one of four over-60s in the gruelling race that starts today (Nov 6) at Les Sables dOlonne, on France's west coast, endured broken ribs, crushed vertebrae and a deep cut in his face when he competed in 2009.

Masts that break in a gale and the constant threat of being swept overboard over-shadows all 29 entries in this edition of the race held every four years.

Wilson said he is very aware of the fate that befell top Chinese navigator Guo Chuan who went missing in the Pacific last week while attempting to get from San Francisco to Shanghai in less than 20 days.

If such things can happen to him one can envisage the same things happening to less accomplished navigators, the skipper of Great American IV said.

This time the Massachusetts Institute of Technology educated professor has vowed to tell every bump and scrape to an audience of hundreds of thousands of school children from Taiwan to Tennessee.

Definitely, he said when asked whether his on board adventure would get a full and frank airing on his sitesalive.com website which aims to use adventure to encourage children to learn. Thousands of schools have signed up to follow his program.

I am an asthma sufferer on top of all the other challenges in this, so I will tell it all.

Wilson will have to eat 5,000-6,000 calories a day, instead of the usual 2,000, to keep up with the energy-sapping schedule. Last time he lost weight despite the extra food and most competitors lose muscle bulk because of the limited space.

The sleep deprivation  four or five hours each day for about 100 days  is an additional trap awaiting competitors.

His blog and other educational work will take up two hours a day.

Last time, Wilsons auto-pilot broke down for the final month so he had to check the winds every 20 minutes to keep on course.

It is absolutely exhausting as well as stressful for many, he said.

As in 2009, Wilson will again be the oldest competitor, but not the only senior in the race. Enda OCoineen, 61, will be the first Irishman to take part in the race now in its eighth edition. OCoineen also runs an educational trust and is president of the International Federation of Irish Pubs.

At the press conference in Paris, I was asked was I concerned about the younger sailors in the race, so I said I thought theyd be okay, OCoineen told The Irish Times.

Dutch businessman Pieter Heerema, 65, will be one of nine rookies in the race.

Nandor Fa, 63 took part in the second Vendee Globe in 1992 and took fifth place. He also knows the risks, in 1996 he had to give up after a collision.

There are eight or nine skippers in with a chance of winning, for the rest of us the aim is to finish this personal adventure in the best conditions, said Wilson.

The others agreed.

I have a long way to go and Im no spring chicken, said Heerema. But he insisted the position does not matter.

My challenge is to complete the voyage. Make it all the way around the world alone.
The haunting tale of Mae Nak's ghost

The story of Mae Nak is well-known in Thailand, you might remember the latest film adaptation Phi Mak Phra Khanong (2013), which became the highest grossing Thai film of all time, earning over B1 billion worldwide.



By Sirinya Pakditawan

Sunday 6 November 2016, 10:00AM

The gothic tale of Mae Nak has been filmed several times over the past few decades and every movie was a box-office hit, cementing Mae Naks place in Thai popular culture. It is unknown whether Mae Nak really existed or if her story is purely myth, as there is no conclusive historical evidence of her existence.

There are several versions of her tale, but the main story line runs as follows:

Shortly after Nak marries her love Mak, he is conscripted for military service and forced to leave the pregnant Nak behind. Nak waits faithfully for her husbands return but dies during labour, along with her unborn child.

They are buried immediately, but Naks spirit refuses to let go of the earthly realm. When Mak returns home from war, Nak disguises herself and her son as humans, but he soon learns the truth and runs away in fear. Nevertheless, Naks ghost follows her husband and kills everyone who comes between them.

Fleeing her ghost, Mak finally finds harbour in the Mhabautr Temple and the venerated Somdej Phra Puttajan from Thonburi seizes Naks spirit and imprisons it in a ceramic pot, which he then

drops into the river.

As far as the fate of Mak is concerned, in some versions he becomes a monk whereas in others he starts a new family. In some stories, Mae Nak reappears as an enraged ghost.

Her burial place is fabled to be located where the Mae Nak shrine sits to this day, at the edge of Wat Mhabautr in Sukhumvit Soi 77 in Bangkok. Here, devotees pray to her statue, which faces a television that is kept on day and night. People bring her many offerings including colourful dresses, cosmetic products, sweets, flowers and toys for her child.

Devotees turn to her because she is said to be benevolent and able to give out winning lottery numbers. She is also very popular among young men taking part in the Thai militarys lottery-style conscription draft as Mae Nak is believed to detest the draft since her husband had to leave her to fight.

Pregnant women, however, are advised to stay away from the shrine because Mae Nak is not a blessing concerning pregnancy for obvious reasons. In addition, there are two old Ta-khian trees (which are often associated with female spirits called Nang Ta-khian) next to her shrine which are considered to be very powerful. Devotees scrub the trees believing that winning lottery numbers will be revealed by the spirit. Mae Nak is considered to have brought fortune to some people in the local community.

Most versions of this story do not have a happy ending, for example, in Nang Nak(1999), Mak finally becomes a monk to pray for the spirit of his dead wife which cannot let go of him. In contrast, blockbuster Phi Mak Phra Kanongbreaks with this convention with a happy ending where humans and ghosts live together.

I think the reason the cult of Mae Nak not only prevails, but grows stronger with each re-telling, is because her story deals with the universal theme of lovers torn apart by forces beyond their control. The fable of Mae Nak has a special place in Thai culture and tradition because the elements of lost love, vengeful ghosts, untimely death, and the capriciousness of fate, resonate so strongly in Thailands popular imagination.





Sirinya Pakditawan is a luk kreung, or half-Thai, born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. She enjoys writing about Thailand, with a focus on culture, art, history, tradition and on the people, as well as a mix of topics concerning Thai popular culture, travelogues and articles about Thai food.

Sirinyas aim is not only to entertain you but to provide you with information and facts about Thailand, its culture and history that may not be generally known, in particular to the Western world. She has a PhD in American Studies from the University of Hamburg.

To read the original story, and many more, be sure to check out Sirinyas blog: www.sirinyas thailand.de
South Dakotans in NFL Week 8: Don Gardner, Cade Johnson make NFL debuts

Former Jackrabbit teammates elevated from practice squad for first regular season action
By Keli Vitaioli

vitaioli@grinnell.edu

The Latinx American Heritage Month celebration at Grinnell culminates this Saturday Nov. 5 with the Latin American Festival from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Harris Center. The event is a celebration of all Latin American nations organized by Grinnells Student Organization of Latinx (SOL).

Featuring Salvadorian cuisine, Brazillian dancers and a host of students performing acts from across Latin America, the festival provides a broader scope of what being Latin American means to different cultures.

I think Grinnellians dont know Latin culture that much, said Karolina Marquez-Gil 17, co-leader of SOL. Some people believe its Mexico and thats it, but a lot of us are not Mexican. This event gives us a voice on campus to show what were about and what our culture is about.

SOL, through different committees all dedicated to the Festival, has been planning the event for more than a month. This was done alongside the planning of other events for Latinx American Heritage Month including karaoke and pub talks. In planning the Festival this year, SOL aimed to encourage a range of cultural expression that shows the variation across these cultures.

Some people have this perspective [Latin America] is homogenous and its not, said SOL secretary Desiree dos Santos da Mota 17.

The Brazillian dance group hailing from Chicago will be performing three types of dance, including the typical Brazillian Samba, but also the Capoeira and Maculele, both of which have origins in practices of slaves in Brazil  traitions Mota notes are not widely studied in history classes.

Capoeira is a Brazillian martial art, which is not aggressive at all. It is very interesting to understand and to learn maybe this heritage of slavery in Brazil and Latin America. We are trying to even show the minorities within Latin America, Mota said. Maculele is also from slaves. We are trying to show history sometimes is kind of similar with the US and you can see the history of racial conflict and slavery.

The event is free and open to the public, and Gil-Marquez sees it as a way to connect the City and the College.

Beyond giving Grinnellians a chance to learn about cultures that may be entirely new to them, it is also a showcase for the students themselves to have a taste of home from thousands of miles away.

Come out to support your fellow Grinnellians who are performing and want to show students something about their culture, wrote SOL cabinet member Yesenia Ayala 17 in an email to The S&B. I believe in order for us to experience the beauty of cultures in Grinnell, we must expose ourselves to them and engage with people from various backgrounds.

The Festival fits with Grinnells hope to place the College in a global perspective  a global Grinnell and a global community in general. While SOL may be a family as Mota describes it, they celebrate their different roots and experiences and hope students can use the event to step into a new cultural experience.

In an increasingly globalized world with constant human interactions, cultures can not be isolated. For many Latinx, especially those born and/or raised in the United States, the question of identities and cultures is not clear cut. Even for those who are from Latin America, there is so much regional and country specific variation in the things that constitute culture that no two experiences can be the same, wrote SOL co-leader Grisel Hernandez 17 in an email to The S&B.
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Was Tipu Sultan a bigot or a patriot? The question remains unanswered, even as the Karnataka government is gearing up to celebrate Tipu Jayanti for the second consecutive year on November 10.

Last Year, the state witnessed unprecedented violence in Kodagu, even as pro-Tipu and pro-Hindu groups clashed, resulting in two deaths. This year again, the state has decided to go ahead with the celebrations amid growing resistance to the official event. Intellectuals and academics stand divided over Tipus real identity.

This year, the anti-Tipu protests are not limited to Kodagu as coastal Karnataka and Chitradurga districts are opposing the government move to project Tipu as an icon.

Meanwhile, the writers and intellectuals stand divided over the issue. The RSS, VHP and BJP oppose glorification of Tipu as a patriot, alleging he was a bigot who persecuted Hindus and Christians.

The right-wing groups allege that Tipu Jayanti is part of minority appeasement of the Siddaramaiah government and have advised the Congress party to choose better role models like Abul Kalam or Saint Kabir.

Interestingly, the government has decided to hold the celebrations amid tight security. They banned processions, deployed police, installed CCTVs and chalked out plans to monitor homestays and visitors to Kodagu during the event. Amid criticism over appeasement, the government has shifted the responsibility of the event from the Directorate of minorities to the Kannada and Culture department, which in turn backfired.

The Kodavas contend that the government is mocking their sentiment by propping Tipu as a hero, though he has massacred thousands of Kodavas. While the subsequent governments have failed to honour the Kodava demand for celebrating their heroes - Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimaiah, the present government has imposed its decision to celebrate the 226th birth anniversary of a controversial ruler Tipu Sultan, and hailed him as a freedom fighter, rue Kodavas.

The Canara Catholics (Konkani) community alleged that Tipu carried out mass (forced) conversions and committed atrocities against their men, women and children suspecting that they supported the British. Meanwhile, women and Dalits groups in Chitradurga held a unique protest by flaunting Onake(pestle), to make a point that it was Haider Ali who killed the last tribal king of Chitradurga -- Madakari Nayaka and Onake Obavva, Dalit woman fighter in 1779. Obavva, the wife of a soldier, had killed Haider Alis soldiers with a pestle, when they sneaked into the Chitradurga Fort.

Even as the debate is heating up, the state stands more polarized than ever.

PITCHING THE DEBATE

Former Kodava Sahitya Akademi president and a theatre personality Addanda Cariappa (citing Pattole Palame- a book by N.C. Chengappa published in 1924) in his latest book Bachchitta Satya Bichchittaaga (When a hidden truth is revealed) says Tipu captured nearly 80,000 Kodava men, women and children and converted them to Islam and formed eight regiments called the Ahmaddiyas. He sent four groups of Muslims  Sheikh, Syed, Mughal and Pathan to settle down in Kodagu to spread Islam.

Tipu Sultan XRayed - an untold story of a puffed-up nawab, by I.M. Muthanna (1980), states -- Tipu is said to have captured 70,000 Christians and 100,000 Hindus from Malabar to convert them (by forcible circumcision and compelling them to eat beef). This effectively answered the purpose of Tipu, as the people, after losing their caste and to retain respectability adopted Islam and educated their children in Muhammeddan religion and eventually obtained promotions in Tipus Army.

Imperial Gazeteer of India  Mysore and Coorg , 1908 and Kodagina Itihasa by historian D.N. Krishnaiah substantiate the claims of atrocities by Tipu.

A book titled A study of Origin of Coorg by Lt Col K.C. Ponnappa states that, The total number of massacred Kodavas could be 15,000 during Hyder Ali and Tipus regime (1765 to 1799) and accounts of the herding of 70,000 to 1,10,000 Coorgs by chroniclers (Lewis Rice, Richter and N Chinnappa) must be seriously discounted as they were perhaps misled. The forced exodus and conversions on a largescale were an exaggeration by Tipu himself to instill fear.

Ponnappa writes : During the rule of Haleri kings (1590), the population of the Coorgs was 25,000 to 35,000. In 1870 census, it was 24,585 against total population of 1,12,952 (as Haleti kings too had killed Kodava men and abducted their women). The numbers increased as 1901 census puts it at 36,091 (20 % of Kodagu population), 1971  60,000 and census 1991 (Justice Chinnappa Reddy Commission report) shows 92,000. However, the book does not rule out the atrocities.

Kuvenda Hamsathulla, editor of Kittale Nadu and a member of Kodava Muslim Association, a Kodava Mapilla, argues his ancestors were not victims of forced conversions. There are great writers in favour of Tipu including secular Kodava writers  like Lt Col Ponnappa and Dr Durgaprasad. Every ruler committed unsavoury acts. The anti-Tipu writers cite state gazetteers written by the British, who were always opposed to Tipu. Now, many Hindus converted to Islam inspired by Sufi cult. Like wise, we believe Kodava Mapillais are perhaps those Kodavas who embraced Islam inspired by Tipu. The massacres at Devatti Parambh are baseless. The communal groups have fabricated stories about forced conversions and massacre by Tipu to polarise Kodagu.

Kannada writer Ko. Channabasappa, in his book, has sourced pictures of gold and silver articles donated to Sringeri Sharada temple, Sri Ranganatha Temple and Nanjangud temple by Tipu, to prove Tipus secular credentials.
A 24-year-old woman has approached the Lahore High Court seeking permission for sex change after doctors refused to perform surgery.

By Press Trust of India: A 24-year-old Pakistani woman has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking permission to undergo sex change after doctors in the conservative country refused to perform the surgery without court order.

The girl filed the petition through advocate Naseer Husain Sindhu in the LHC yesterday.

The petitioner, a resident of Kasur district, some 40 kms from here, said she had started feeling physical changes in her body when she was 14.

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She said she began consulting gynecologists at a private hospital here after feeling frequent pain and gender disorder.

"Doctors at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore have suggested me to immediately undergo surgery for a sex-change. However, the surgeons I approached refused to conduct the required surgical procedure apprehending possible legal action against them as they are not clear about what the law says in this regard.

DOCTORS RECOMMENDED SEEKING PERMISSION FROM COURT



"The doctors have advised me to first get permission for the surgery from a court of law," she said.

The procedure is not available at Fatima Memorial Hospital and the petitioner has requested the court to allow her to undergo a sex-change surgery in the light of her ultrasound scan report.

Advocate Sindhu said there has been no bar in the Pakistani law to undergo sex change surgery.

"But since some social stigma is attached to this kind of thing (sex change), surgeons are usually apprehensive and shy away from performing such procedures here," Sindhu said.

Also read: Nat Geo's 'Afghan Girl' Sharbat Gula not to be deported from Pakistan



--- ENDS ---
When during the regime of the President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan initiated the construction of Gwadar deep-seaport in Balochistan province in March 2002 with Chinese assistance, sirens went off in the capitals of some European countries, especially the US, India and Israel which took it as a threat to their global and regional plans.

Located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, Balochistans Gwadar seaport is close to the Strait of Hormuz from where more than 17 million barrels of oil passes every day. Its ideal location among South Asia, the oil-rich Middle East, and oil and gas-resourced Central Asia has further increased its strategic significance.

Besides, Balochistans abundant mineral resources irritate the eyes of the US, India and Israel which intend to destabilize Pakistan for their collective aims, as the latter is also the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.

In fact, based in Afghanistan, operatives of American CIA, Israeli Mossad and Indian RAW which are well-penetrated in the terrorist outfits like Islamic State group (Also known as Daesh, ISIS, ISIL), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their affiliated Taliban groups are using their terrorists to destabilize Tibetan regions of China, Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistans Balochistan by arranging the subversive activities. In this regard, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is their special target of these anti-Pakistan elements.

In this respect, ISIL claimed responsibility for a terror attack on the Police Training College in Quetta-the provincial capital of Pakistan which left at least 60 individuals dead on October 24, this year.

As regards the terror attack, IG FC Major General Sher Afgun informed the press that the attackers acted on directions from Afghanistan and the initial investigation suggests that the terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Almi militant group. He elaborated, We came to know from the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from Afghanistan.

Earlier, an affiliated faction of the ISIS and TTP, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTP-JA) took responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta, which killed at least 74 people on August 8, 2016 in an attack at the government-run Civil Hospital.

However, it is part of ploy that two terrorist groups accepted responsibility for the terror assaults in Quetta to divert the attention from the US-led India and Israel. Especially, Washington and New Delhi are playing double game with Pakistan to obtain the clandestine aims, particularly by trying to sabotage the CPEC.

As part of the dual strategy, CIA, RAW and Mossad are in connivance with the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and other terrorist groups. With latest capture of six NDS supported terrorists in Balochistan, the number of NDS backed terrorists arrested and killed by Pakistani Intelligence agencies has crossed over 126. These external secret agencies are particularly supporting the TTP which is hiding in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan.

Reportedly, Mullah Fazlullah led TTP is being prepared to carry out a fresh wave of terror activities inside Pakistan, as the latter has become center of the Great Game owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.

As regards Balochistan, every Pakistani knows that separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and their affiliated outfits, including Jundollah (Gods soldiers), Lashkar-i-Janghvi which have been creating unrest in the Balochistan get logistic support from RAW and Mossad with the tactical assistance of CIA.

In the recent years, these terrorist outfits massacred many persons through suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian violence. In the recent past, these externally-supported insurgent groups kidnapped and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan including Iranian diplomats. They have claimed responsibility for a number of terror assaults, including those on Shias in Balochsitan and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan.

It is of particular attention that arrest of the Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav in Balochistan has exposed Indian undeclared war against Pakistan. While addressing a joint press conference with Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheed, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016, Kulbushan Yadavs arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often.

He disclosed that Yadav was an active officer of the Indian Navy prior to his joining RAW. He also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in Chahbahar, Iran, after he joined RAW in 2013.

A video was also shown during the press conference in which Yadav confessed that he spied for India. Yadav admitted that he was assigned with the task to create unrest in Karachi and Balolchitan by stating, I supported the individuals who worked to destabilize PakistanI promoted the criminal mindset that was there in Balochistan. Another task assigned to him was to target the Gwadar Port. Yadav also confessedfunding Baloch separatists along with other terrorists. During investigation, RAW agent Yadav admitted that during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

It is also of particular attention that the armed forces of Pakistan have broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the successful military operation Zarb-e-Azb, which has also been extended to other parts of the country, including Balochistan. And Pakistans primary intelligence agency, ISI has broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while thwarting a number of terror attempts.

It is mentionable that since the government of the Balochistan province announced general pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of reconciliation process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered their arms and decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the province, peace has been restored in the Balochistan.

But recent terror assaults in Balochistan shows that the US-led India and Israel have again started acts of sabotage in the province. Besides backing subversive activities in the province, as part of the propaganda, foreign entities are also supporting other anti-Pakistan elements in Balochistan.

In this connection, Naila Qadri, President of the World Baloch Womens Forum during her visit to India in an interview stated that Balcoh activists want to form Azad Balochistan Government in Exile and they want India, Afghanistan and SAARC countries to support Balochistan Government in Exile. She also thanked Indian Prime Minister Narindera Modi, Minister of External Affairs Shusma Swaraj, Indian people and media for their support.

She also held a conference on October 29 for Baloch people for expressing solidarity with their brethren across the border, organized at All India Institute of Local Self Government Sthanjkraj Bhavan, C.D, Barfiwala Road, Juhu Gali, Coordinator Andheri (W), Mumbai, India. Shri Ramdas Athawale (Union Minister for Social Justice), Professor Naila Qadri and Mazdak Baloch (Son of Naila Qadri) participated in the conference.

Hamdan Baloch (Baloch Republican Student Organization) lashed out at Naila Qadri on issuing statement regarding formation of government in exile and stated that no single person can speak on behalf of Baloch people without any support from people of Balochistan. He added that Baloch Republican Army (BRP) condemns any such move to form such a government in exile and BRP will do nothing without taking government of India into confidence.

While this anti-Pakistan woman is not a Baloch and was rather a Mahajar from India, She married a person who was actually a Pashtun and lived in Balochistan. This is the only relationship of her to be called as Baloch. She is Naila Qadri daughter of Syed Ahmed Mohibullah Qadri who migrated from Hyderabad, India, but now she is showing herself as a Baloch.

Orya Maqbool Jan who know her history revealed in a TV programe that how this lady tries to hide her Mahajar accent and pose as a Baloch and she is working on Indias behalf (presumably on their payroll) posing herself as Baloch.

Taking cognizance of the anti-Pakistan elements in Balochistan, Pakistans Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif who visited the Civil Hospital and met with the victims of the deadly bombing of August 8, 2016 had said, Having been defeated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, terrorists shifting focus to Balochistanincident is an attempt to undermine improved peace in Balochistan, specially targeting CPEC.

Addressing a seminar titled Development of Balochistan and Economic Corridor in Gwadar, Gen. Raheel Sharif had stated on April 13, 2016, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is the grand manifestation of the deep-rooted ties between China and Pakistanindeed a corridor of peace and prosperity for the region and beyond, however Indian agency RAW is sabotaging the mega project.

During his earlier visit to Quetta, Gen. Raheel Sharif on April 15, 2015 warned foreign forces and spy agencies against destabilizing Pakistan by supporting insurgents in Balochistan. Gen. Raheel elaborated, Army will continue supporting the Balochistan government till terrorism is wiped outthose found involved in funding and facilitating terrorists will be dealt with iron hands.

Nevertheless, anti-Pakistan elements in Balochistan have reactivated themselves to misguide the loyalist Baloch against the federation. Now, these patriot people must castigate the conspiracy of these external entities, especially India, including other anti-Pakistan elements which want to create obstacles in the development of the province.
The Democratic Partys fault lines have been overshadowed by the near civil war within the GOP. But Democrats will face their own divisions after Election Day, and the battle over the partys heart, soul and future may well play out on the floor of the Senate, under direction of a new Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer.

Its a challenge the canny, 65-year-old New Yorker has been eyeing for years. When Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced his retirement, Schumer managed to leapfrog Reids No. 2, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and sew up the necessary support from fellow Democrats to claim the job.

Tuesdays election will determine whether Schumer leads a Democratic majority in the Senate, or a minority if Republicans manage to defend their 54-46 seat advantage. If the GOP does keep Senate control, it will be despite Schumers constant maneuvering and more than $8 million in campaign money he raised or donated to Democrats.

And whether its Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump who is elected president, Schumer will have a fellow New Yorker in the White House. With Clinton, they could resume the partnership they forged while serving together as senators.

Regardless of those outcomes it may be the dynamics within Schumers own Democratic caucus that occupy him the most.

The partys resurgent liberal wing, exemplified by Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, will be ready for a fight. But a group of Democratic senators representing red states, including Indiana, West Virginia, Montana and North Dakota, will be up for re-election in 2018, potentially exerting pressure from the opposite direction.

All that could leave Schumer in the position of key deal-maker in whats likely to be a new era of divided government in Washington.

I tell our caucus we need a strong progressive wing and we need a strong moderate wing to succeed, Schumer said in an interview.

We have a moral imperative to work together and get things done, he said. I have told my caucus I dont want to simply put bills on the floor that our side votes for and their side votes against, or their side votes for and our side votes against, and we accomplish nothing.

Such sentiments are likely to be welcomed by lawmakers in both parties frustrated with gridlock, which has been exacerbated by frosty relations between Reid and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

In their most recent legislative session, lawmakers spent weeks tied in knots over a straightforward spending bill to keep the lights on in government past Election Day. Thats nothing compared to what awaits next year, when the Senate will have to contend with monumental tasks including confirming a Supreme Court nominee and raising the governments borrowing limit.

Schumer can count supporters in both parties who say his practical tendencies will serve him well navigating those issues and working with McConnell.

Theyre both pragmatists. Theyre both partisan, but they respect the Senate as an institution, said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

Talkative and publicity-prone, forever working his flip phone, Schumer is almost as well-known for his ability to attract media attention as he is for his stewardship of home-state interests.

As head of a committee involved with inaugural planning, Schumer used a solo limo ride with President Barack Obama on his second inauguration to bend the presidents ear about projects that needed doing in New York State, according to someone who heard the anecdote. He is known for setting up his aides on dates and marriages, and singing the joys of parenthood.

Yet Schumer is also seen as overly self-serving at times, with some accusing him of putting his own political interests first. Theres been grousing from Democrats this year that Schumer spent millions on his own re-election campaign in New York, including to film an ad with a cow, even though he faces mostly token opposition and the money could have gone to support Senate Democratic candidate Rep. Patrick Murphy in Florida.

The lesson to politicians is if the Democratic Party tells you they got your back, they dont, said John Morgan, a Democratic donor in Florida who blames Schumer for Murphys likely loss to incumbent GOP Sen. Marco Rubio.

Democrats have defended their decision-making on Florida, pointing to the expense of running ads in the state compared to potential opportunities elsewhere.

Schumer was a lead player in negotiating the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate in 2013 but stalled in the House. During that process he talked occasionally to Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who was working behind the scenes on the issue.

The prospect of action on immigration is exceedingly unlikely if Republicans remain in control of the House. But Schumer struck an optimistic note about working with Ryan, now the House speaker. Hes far more conservative than I am, but he wants to get things done, as I do, Schumer said.

If Democrats take the Senate majority, Schumer may face an early test on the Supreme Court. He wont say if he favors unilateral action, pushed by liberals, to eliminate the ability of Republicans to use endless delaying tactics to block a nominee. Im not going to talk about that til after the election, Schumer said.

(AP)
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Donald Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, joined Saturday in a gesture of Republican unity at a rally in Wisconsins most conservative county, a month after Ryan said he would no longer defend or campaign with Trump.

Both Pence and Ryan said it was time for Republicans to come home and vote for Trump. Pence heaped praise on Ryan, calling him a friend and great conservative leader, just days after he declined to say whether Ryan should be re-elected speaker.

Both are possible White House hopefuls in the future. Another potential 2020 contender, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, also came to the rally. The governor warmed to the divisive nominee after dropping his own presidential campaign.

Pence and Ryan hugged before being joined by Walker and others.

Pence called Ryan a friend who as speaker would help Trump enact his agenda as president.

Paul Ryan is one of the great conservative leaders in America and Wisconsin should be proud, Pence said.

Ryans awkward relationship with Trump hit a low point a month ago when the speaker canceled Trumps appearance at what was to be a Republican unity rally in Wisconsin. That followed the disclosure of a 2005 video in which Trump made crude comments about imposing himself on women. Ryan, who was booed at that event, said then he would not defend or campaign with the nominee.

The only booing Saturday was directed at Hillary Clinton. Ryan told the crowd he voted early for Trump because it is time to come home and go out and vote. Ryan said free speech, gun rights and health care are at stake.

When Donald Trump says that he wants a special session to repeal and replace Obamacare, let me tell you as speaker of the House we are ready, we are willing and we have a plan to do that, Ryan said. But that only happens if we win this election.

Saturdays rally was in deeply Republican Waukesha County.

(AP)
At least four people were killed and 40 injured in multiple car pile-up accidents along an expressway in Shanghai due to smog

The air pollution levels have increased in several cities in China.(Photo for representation: Reuters)

By Press Trust of India: While India, particularly Delhi, is reeling under the effects of smog, it seems neighbour China is also not doing well in controlling air pollution.

At least four persons were killed and 40 others injured today in multiple pile-up accidents along an expressway in Shanghai as heavy smog engulfed several cities in China.

POOR VISIBILITY



Several road accidents were reported along the S32 expressway in Pudong New Area due to heavy fog reducing visibility.

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ALSO READ: Delhi smog: CM announces emergency measures, schools shut for 3 days, work from home advised

Hospitals in Pudong, Zhoupu and Shuguang cities received 44 people, Shanghai municipal health department said.

Four of them died despite medical efforts, and among the other 40, nine were seriously injured, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

ORANGE ALERT ISSUED

Shanghai weather station at 6 AM issued an orange alert on heavy fog, the second highest level in China's weather alert system, which means a fog with visibility of less than 200 meters in the following six hours.

ALSO READ: Delhi continues to reel under cloud of smog for 7th day, CM Kejriwal calls emergency cabinet meet

Meanwhile, heavy pollution continued to haunt China as a spell of heavy smog, which has enveloped northeastern and northern parts, has affected more than one tenth of the country's land territory.

Some 6.30 lakh square km of land in northeastern China and 3.80 lakh square km of land in northern China have been under the influence of the latest smog spell. Adverse meteorological conditions were to blame, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on Saturday.

ALSO READ: Delhi facing worst smog in 17 years: Green body

PROBLEM AREAS SAME AS DELHI's

Seven provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Tianjin, saw their air pollution index go up, with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings hitting 500 in 11 cities in northeastern China over the November 3-5 period.

In northern China, average density of PM2.5 - airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter - peaked in multiple cities on Friday, but air pollution ebbed on Saturday, the MEP said.

The ministry said it had already sent 12 inspection teams to the Tianjin municipality and the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong for emergency inspections.

Problems found by the inspections teams so far included weak emergency responses and inadequate countermeasures against heavy air pollution, suspected excessive discharge by 39 enterprises, and large-scale straw burning, the report said.

ALSO READ: India to outpace China in air pollution death rate: US research

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ALSO READ: Delhi could take a leaf out of Shanghai's book after Chinese city banned fireworks to curb pollution

ALSO WATCH



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A New York City police officer injured during a gunfight with a suspect has been released from the hospital.

Police say Sgt. Emmanuel Kwo, left the hospital Friday night after treatment for a leg wound.

His partner Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, was fatally shot in the head in the exchange of fire Friday with an armed man on a Bronx street. The encounter unfolded after the gunman, Manuel Rosales, had broken into this estranged wifes home.

Rosales, of Brentwood, Long Island, stayed for hours before fleeing. He also was killed in the gunfire.

Authorities say Rosales had a history of 17 arrests, some related to domestic disputes. He had served time in state prison for possession of stolen property.

Tuozzolo lived on Long Island with his wife and two young children.

(AP)
Donald Trump has moved into the lead over Hillary Clinton, 44% to 43% with two days left before Election Day, according to the latest IBD/TIPP presidential tracking poll. And the number of states in play is expanding.

The GOP and Democratic nominees had been tied for the prior four days. Libertarian Party pick Gary Johnson is at 5% while the Green Partys Jill Stein is at 2%.

The readings for all candidates are the same in the unrounded IBD/TIPP poll data. A day earlier, Clinton led by 0.5 point.

In a head-to-head matchup excluding third-party candidates, Clinton is ahead by 1.5 points, 45.3% to 43.8%, but thats down from 2.6 points a day earlier.

The poll of 903 likely voters from Nov. 2-5 reflects a weighted response of 309 Democrats, 289 Republicans and 247 independent and other voters. It has a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.

The Real Clear Politics average of nine recent national polls as of early Sunday morning has Clinton up by 2.1 points in a four-way race. But it was 7.1 points as recently as Oct. 17.

READ MORE: INVESTORS
Donald Trump is on track to double Gov. Mitt Romneys support among African-American voters, according to a series of state polls.

In 2012, African-Americans comprised a record 13 percent of all voters. President Barack Obama was reelected with 93 percent of the African-American vote, leaving Gov. Mitt Romney with only 6 percent of the African-American vote. Obama is now campaigning against Trump, and hoping to keep his share of the African-American vote below the 11 percent that George W. Bush won in 2004 during the housing bubble.

On Friday, a poll of 506 Pennsylvania voters by Harper Polling showed Trump has the support of 18.46 percent of African-Americans. Thats 12.5 points more than Romneys share of the national vote in 2012, and if it proves true during the ballot, that 18.46 percent African-American support translates into 2 point shift towards Trump. The poll also said another 4.6 percent were undecided.

In next-door Michigan, two nights of a tracking poll conducted for Fox 2 of 1,150 likely voters showed Trump with 14 percent support and 19 percent support, leaving Clinton with 83 percent and 79 percent support. Thats equivalent to a two-point shift from Clinton to Trump in the state.

Trump is gaining in Michigan partly because many African-American voters  especially younger voters who backed Sen. Bernie Saunders  distrust Clinton, said Wayne Bradley, state director of African-American engagement for the Michigan Republican Party.

READ MORE: BREITBART
New Yorks attorney general will investigate the death of an emotionally disturbed man who died after being subdued by a police officer with a stun gun.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Saturday that the office has opened an investigation into the death of Ariel Galarza in the Bronx on Wednesday.

Police said the 49-year-old Galarza threatened officers with a bottle before a sergeant discharged his stun gun twice. Galarza went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Schneidermans office has the power to investigate deaths of unarmed people at the hands of police.

Sanford Rubenstein, an attorney for Galarzas family, called Schneidermans decision to investigate the death a positive first step.

But Rubenstein said a grand jury should consider bringing criminal charges.

(AP)
Most people dont realize it, but the most pressing issue on the table is the Supreme Court. Look at the makeup of who is sitting on the court  they are all old  very old. It is highly likely that the next president will be appointing four  yes four Supreme Court justices.

This will affect the direction that the nation takes for the next three or four decades. Like it or not  the moral direction in which this nation is going is plummeting rapidly and the very freedoms of our religion which we value so dear are at stake.

Hillary Clinton will appoint the most liberal judges that she can. These judges will make decisions that will affect our Torah values and institutions. Our schools will eventually be forced to do things that are against our conscious. Our shuls, our bakeries, our businesses who we hire. Our very way of life I the United States will undergo drastic restructuring.

Another pressing issue is Yerushalayim. Of both candidates she will be the one who will be pressuring Israel most to make a deal with the Palestinians where East Jerusalem will be at its capital.

Jerusalem is ours and it is quite likely that the likes of Lapid will eventually displace Netanyahu. Imagine, Hillary has achieved a deal that eluded every previous American president, including her husband Bill. What a legacy  the first woman president achieved what no other president has achieved  peace in the middle-east. The problem is that it will be at the expense of Israel. We will lose Har HaBayis. We will lose half of Jerusalem. And we will lose our safety net where we will be unable to respond to a rocket attack from a neighboring Palestinian country just half of a kilometer from Israels population centers.

Let us also not forget that she receives advice from Sidney Blumenthal and his self-hating, anti-Semitic son. She has only shelved them for the time being to get the Jewish vote.

True, Donald Trump has had some serious moral failings. There are numerous accusations of impropriety made against him, and they are credible. However those against Bill Clinton are worse and Hillary has tried to destroy these victims.

Hillary Clinton cannot be trusted. This past week alone WikiLeaks revealed that her foundation has received a million dollar donation from Qatar  an ISIS supporting Arab state. Another revelation showed that she collected twenty million dollars for Haiti that has disappeared. She has a record of lying and looks out only for herself. Lets not forget that when Bill was first elected governor, her $1000 cattle futures investment magically turned to $100,000 I less than ten months. Even today she claims that it was her investment abilities that made this happen and she never admitted that it was bribe to keep her husband in the pocket of special interests. They are thieves  plain and simple.

It is clear that any self-respecting orthodox Jew must vote for Donald Trump this Tuesday. This is for reasons of the moral direction of the country, for Israels future, and for reasons of trust.

By Mutty Reichler  New York

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN

DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE POSTED ON YWN? SEND IT TO US FOR REVIEW

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A talmid of Yeshivas Kaminetz who went to a police station to file a complaint against someone was placed under arrest for failing to report to an IDF draft center. The bochur adheres to the instructions of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Auerbach Shlita who opposes reporting to a draft center event to simply give ones personal details.

The talmid was brought to IDF Prison 4 in Tzrifin on erev Shabbos after a military judge sentenced him to ten days imprisonment.

The young mans parents sent him to the police station to file a complaint against a man who has been bothering the family. When the young man was asked by police to show identification, the computer showed he is wanted for failing to report to a draft center and placed under arrest immediately.

Rav Auerbach spoke with the talmid before Shabbos after he was imprisoned to give him a chizuk and a bracha. The rav instructed him to remain steadfast in his beliefs and not permit this to chas vsholom weaken him in any way.

Rav Auerbach called for protests following the arrest. Protests are expected today, Sunday, 5 Cheshvan.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
At the end of the day, there really is only one choice for an Orthodox Jew to vote for, and that is Hillary Clinton. Here are the main reasons why.

Donald Trump will try to make America Great again. He promised that he will cut funding to NATO. He also hinted and alluded that he will cut Israels funding. Currently, Israel receives 3.1 billion dollars a year from the United States. This funding is extremely important to Israels security. In order to keep up with Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, ISIS and numerous other threats to Israel  this funding must remain in place.

Notwithstanding the fact that his daughter is a giores, Trump has had opportunities to repudiate associations with anti-Semitic supporters  and he hasnt. Indeed, his latest closing ad has four bad guys: Hillary Clinton, George Soros (Jewish financier), Janet Yellen (Jewish Federation Chairperson) and Lloyd Blankfein (the Jewish CEO of Goldman Sachs).

The narration in the ad is as follows: The establishment has trillions of dollars at stake in this election. For those who control the levers of power in Washington, and for the global special interests. They partner with these people (Hillary Clinton) who dont have your good in mind.

True, Soros is a leftist self-hating Jew. But the tone of the ad is frighteningly anti-Semitic.

Lets also remember that Donald Trumps campaign manager, Stephen Bannon, was branded an anti-Semite by his ex-wife long before he was Trumps manager.

Mary Louise Piccard stated in a 2007 court declaration that Bannon didnt want their twin daughters attending the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles because many Jewish students were enrolled at the elite institution.

He said that he doesnt like the way they raise their kids to be whiny brats and that he didnt want the girls going to school with Jews, Piccard wrote.

In his Twitter accounts, Trump has tweeted and retweeted pictures, thoughts, and ideas that he got from anti-Semitic sites, and has denied their anti-Semitism. What is he doing late at night visiting these anti-Semitic sites? And then he denies them?

The fact is that Donald Trump is irrational, unpredictable and quite volatile. The whole mind-boggling episode of Trump University  a ripoff from beginning to end, and then his attack on a judge that she could not judge fairly because of her Hispanic background is indicative of instability. Why wont he be attacking Jews in the same manner when he cuts funding to Israel?

Lets also not forget that when Bernie Sanders supporters were railing on Hillary Clinton regarding Palestinians, Hillary defended Israel. For those who watched and were listening, that was a very brave thing to do. The tone of the entire gathering was frighteningly anti-Israel.

The fact is that both the left-leaning side of the Democratic party has become intensely anti-Semitic and there is a growing right wing anti-Semitism as well. We have only to rely upon Hashem, but we must do our Hishtadlus as well. Netanyahu has a good relationship with Hillary Clinton and she has been very supportive of Israel.

Hillary certainly has some major imperfections. She has lied, profited illicitly, and numerous other infractions too. But in light of the alternative, she is the safest and best choice.

By Yehuda Rosenberg  Detroit

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN

DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE POSTED ON YWN? SEND IT TO US FOR REVIEW

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Israel Police officials have given approval for renovating the waiting/entry station to Har Habayis to provide a more comfortable experience for visitors, particularly in inclement weather.

There is one gate used and conditions at that gate are far less than a minimum acceptable level. At times, persons waiting to get into the holy site are compelled to wait in the hot sun or rain for prolonged periods of time.

As such, police are accepting recommendations to renovate the area by constructing a new building that can provide protection to visitors. However, Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz opposes the move, explaining there are no funds for such a project. This has Har Habayis activists upset.

Police have made efforts to improve conditions in the past but Har Habayis activists explain the results are limited at best and now, with police approval, it is time to renovate the area to create a fitting atmosphere to accommodate visitors.

Police explain the area is used to inspect visitors before entering Har Habayis and there is a need for improving conditions for visitors and police alike. The work done was part of an effort to improve the situation for all and expedite the process for all.

Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Mail Today: As opposed to the standard practice of having the film premiere a day before the official release, the evening show of the first day of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak doubled as the official premiere of the film. But it was a few hours before the premiere that Aamir Khan ended up watching the film 'first day first show' along with the audiences, and he got a sense of what was in store.

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Also read: Exhibition Alert! Have a look at life through the sci-fi lense



Aamir along with his wife, Reena, his younger siblings including Faisal and a few close friends, bought tickets for the twelve o'clock show at Bandra's Gaiety-Galaxy theatre and experienced, first-hand, the reactions of the audience. "I remember that people were taken aback by what they were seeing," says Aamir. It was an era of action-drama films, some of which bordered on the crude, and had forgettable music. Aamir remembers how it was an emotional experience for all of them as they watched the audiences react positively to things they hadn't expected. "We could hear audible gasps and, by the end, the whole theatre was crying," reminisces Aamir. The audience was perhaps reacting to the film's bold and unconventional approach to Hindi cinema's well established formula. Once the lights came on, an emotionally overwhelmed Aamir made his way out along with the others when people around started noticing him, and the unknown actor got his first dose of fame. 'We were trudging out and people recognised me, "Arre yaar yeh to abhi picture mein tha...". "Apna hero hai!",' says Aamir.

By the time the film officially premiered at Upsara, which was the film's main theatre, the crew had already got an idea of the audience's response and was more relaxed.

Nasir Husain (the film's writer/producer) had invited only a handful of people from within the industry and amongst those was Shammi Kapoor. While the response to the premiere show mirrored the sentiments at Gaiety-Galaxy, it was Shammi Kapoor who summed it all up for Husain. He told his friend that no one could stop the film or its music.



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Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. The company provides Alimta for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma; Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma, metastatic NSCLC, metastatic colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; Erbitux for colorectal cancers, and various head and neck cancers; Retevmo for metastatic NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and thyroid cancer; Tyvyt for relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymph and non-squamous NSCLC; and Verzenio for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer, node positive, and early breast cancer. It offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis; and Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis. The company offers Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache; and Zyprexa for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar maintenance. Its Bamlanivimab and etesevimab, and Bebtelovimab for COVID-19; Cialis for erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia; and Forteo for osteoporosis. The company has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; AbCellera Biologics Inc.; Junshi Biosciences; Regor Therapeutics Group; Lycia Therapeutics, Inc.; Kumquat Biosciences Inc.; Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells modular space and workforce accommodation solutions. It operates through two segments, Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. The Modular Space Solutions segment provides modular space rentals to customers in the construction, real estate development, education, manufacturing, health care, financial, government, and defense industries in North America. Its products include office units, lavatories, storage units, large multi-unit office complexes, classroom facilities, banking and health care facilities, custom manufactured modular facilities, and blast resistant structures. This segment also sells new and used space rentals units; and provides delivery, installation, project management, and ancillary products and services. The Workforce Solutions segment provides workforce housing solutions, including rental of accommodations and surface equipment, and provision of turnkey lodging and travel management logistics services in Canada, the United States, and Australia. This segment also provides associated services, such as installation, transportation, dismantlement, and sale of used fleet assets. This segment primarily serves the resource, infrastructure, construction, disaster recovery, and education sectors. company also provides specialized field rentals to oil and gas industries. Black Diamond Group Limited markets its rental assets, custom sales, and ancillary products and services through in-house sales personnel, its website, social media, web campaigns, and its digital marketplace. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sports shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Alstyle, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer pantyhose, tights, and leggings under the Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel brands. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brands; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, and embellishers, as well as to retailers and lifestyle brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Delhi BJP today alleged that AAP MLA Rituraj Govind, who has been arrested on charges of apprehension of breach of peace in Outer Delhis Kirari area before Chhath Pooja, was trying to illegally occupy the gram sabha land there.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay claimed that the MLA and AAP workers were "responsible for the dispute at Kirari as instead of setting up a temporary Puja Ghat they tried to illegally occupy the gram sabha land".

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"In the past too, Rituraj has been involved in controversies related to land mafia in the area," he said in a statement.

Demanding that Crime Branch of Delhi Police should look into the matter as a land grabbing case, he said there was a need for an additional temporary Chhath Puja Ghat in the area due to increasing population of people from Poorvanchal in Kirari constituency.

"With this in mind, at the initiative of former MLA Anil Jha the local people unanimously decided that a temporary Chhath Ghat be made at gram sabha land of Nithari Village but no political party or leader should be involved," he said.

"Around 4-5 days back, local Aam Aadmi Party workers led by MLA Rituraj created fencing of the land and put up welcome gates with the pictures of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. This angered the local population which resisted politicisation of the Chhath Ghat," the statement said.

Rituraj is the 15th legislator of the AAP who has been apprehended.

Rituraj had said yesterday that he was trying to build a ghat at Nithari Talaab near the expressway on the occasion of Chhath puja along the river bank in Kirari which is his constituency.

His move was objected to by the local villagers even as he said the construction of the ghat was funded by the Delhi government. PTI ABA IKA

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AbbVie Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the worldwide. The company offers HUMIRA, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behcet's diseases; SKYRIZI to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults; RINVOQ, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients; IMBRUVICA to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and VENCLEXTA, a BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat adults with CLL or SLL; and MAVYRET to treat patients with chronic HCV genotype 1-6 infection. It also provides CREON, a pancreatic enzyme therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; Synthroid used in the treatment of hypothyroidism; Linzess/Constella to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation; Lupron for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and patients with anemia caused by uterine fibroids; and Botox therapeutic. In addition, the company offers ORILISSA, a nonpeptide small molecule gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for women with moderate to severe endometriosis pain; Duopa and Duodopa, a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel to treat Parkinson's disease; Lumigan/Ganfort, a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension; Ubrelvy to treat migraine with or without aura in adults; Alphagan/ Combigan, an alpha-adrenergic receptor agonist for the reduction of IOP in patients with OAG; and Restasis, a calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant to increase tear production, as well as other eye care products. AbbVie Inc. has a research collaboration with Dragonfly Therapeutics, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois.
EnPro Industries, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and service of engineered industrial products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Sealing Technologies, Advanced Surface Technologies, and Engineered Materials. The Sealing Technologies segment offers single-use hygienic seals, tubing, components and assemblies; metallic, non-metallic, and composite material gaskets; compression packing products; hydraulic components; expansion joints; wall penetration products; and dynamic, flange, resilient metal, elastomeric, and custom-engineered mechanical seals for chemical and petrochemical processing, pulp and paper processing, power generation, food and pharmaceutical processing, primary metal manufacturing, mining, water and waste treatment, heavy-duty trucking, aerospace, medical, filtration, and semiconductor fabrication industries. This segment also provides aseptic fluid transfer products for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. The Advanced Surface Technologies segment offers cleaning, coating, testing, refurbishment, and verification services for critical components and assemblies used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as for critical applications in the space, aerospace, and defense markets; and specialized optical filters and thin-film coatings for various applications in the industrial technology, life sciences, and semiconductor markets. The Engineered Materials segment provides self-lubricating, non-rolling, metal polymer, engineered plastics, and fiber reinforced composite bearing products for various applications in the automotive, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, natural gas, health, power generation, machine tools, air treatment, refining, petrochemical, and general industrial markets. The company was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. designs, develops, markets, and distributes footwear for men, women, and children; and performance footwear for men and women worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Domestic Wholesale, International Wholesale, and Direct-to-Consumer. It offers casual, casual athletic, sport athletic, trail, sandals, boots, and retro fashion footwear for men and women under the Skechers USA, Skechers Sport, Skechers Active, Modern Comfort, Skechers Street, Mark Nason, and BOBS brands; sneakers, casuals, boots, and sandals for boys and girls under the Skechers Mega-Craft, S-Lights, SKECH-AIR, Foamies, Twinkle Toes, Z-Strap, Skechers Stretch Fit, and Skechers Street brands; and technical footwear under the Skechers GOrun, Skechers GOwalk, Skechers GOtrain, Skechers GOtrail, and Skechers GO Golf brands. The company also provides men's and women's slip-resistant and safety-toe casuals, boots, hikers, and athletic shoes; and lifestyle apparel for men, women, and kids. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 4,306 company and third party owned Skechers stores. The company sells its products through department and specialty stores, athletic and independent retailers, boutiques, and online retailers; and through its e-commerce sites, concept stores, and factory and warehouse outlet stores. It also licenses its Skechers brand. Skechers U.S.A., Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California.
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma has said he is getting into the cola and food business by bringing a Lithuanian brand to the country under the Make in India initiative, besides tapping into Bollywood by starting his own distribution network.

Out on bail after spending four years in jail as an undertrial in a total of eight cases registered against him and his Romanian-origin wife, Verma claims he has exited the defence sector completely having burnt his fingers.

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"We are entering the commodity as well as the food sector. We have taken a conscious decision that we will not like to do anything with the government, especially in the defence sector.

"We are bringing a cola brand in India, besides certain verticals of food products. We will have them manufactured in India as per Make in India scheme of the government," Verma said here.

The brand that he is bringing to India from Lithuania through a joint venture in Olialia.

He plans to launch three versions of Olialia Cola, including a spicy cardamom flavour, by summer of next year. Besides that, he is also planning to manufacture ready-to-eat food under the same brand name. He plans 32 varieties of vegetarian food and about 17-18 varieties of non-veg food.

When he was told that investigative agencies and others connected to the defence sector feels that he is diverting the money made in defence sector to his new ventures, Verma, as expected, claimed he had never made any money in the sector.

"With regards to defence sector, those are merely allegations. We bid for certain defence projects, we were unsuccessful and we came out. We exited the sector. We came out. We made our money in telecom. There is no harm in diversification," he said, adding that one should also remembers that he is not an upstart and was born into a "privileged family".

"We have money from our family. It is money from family, money from telecom and some equity from our joint venture partners," he said.

He rejected assertion that he is just lying low and will continue to work in the defence sector. However, he admitted that "friends" he has made over the years will continue to be friends.

"However, we will not be vying for any business in defence sector," he said.

Vermas run-ins with the law began way back in 1991 when the Enforcement Directorate booked him under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). He also became a CBI witness in a case against an ED officer.

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Verma was arrested in 2006 in the Navy War Room Leak case. His high-profile clients included a number of foreign companies including one which has been blacklisted by the previous UPA regime over corruption, that led to his arrest again in 2012. PTI SAP SMN

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The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card.

By Indo-Asian News Service: National Geographic's famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula will not be deported from Pakistan, a Pakistani government official Shaukat Yousafzai has said, it was reported on Sunday.

The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card. A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner distanced itself from her, claiming that she was not a registered refugee, Dawn reported.

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On Friday a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered the deportation of Sharbat Gula after she serves a 15-day jail sentence and pays a fine of Pakistani Rs 110,000.

Also read:

Pakistan to release National Geographic 'Afghan girl' on bail



The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's home department, following the decision, has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her to Afghanistan.

The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

The portrait of Sharbat Gula, whose piercing, sea-green eyes, made her an international symbol of refugees, first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Photographer Steve McCurry photographed her as a young girl living in the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, where almost three million Afghans sought shelter in the wake of the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. In 2002, McCurry tracked Sharbat Gula down and photographed her again.

Also read:'Afghan Girl' of National Geographic fame arrested in Peshawar for forgery

That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".

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Delhi Police today arrested an Afghan national for smuggling out heroin in his body. The police seized heroin worth Rs two crore from the accused.

By Tanseem Haider: A 43-year-old Afghan national has been arrested here for trying to smuggle out a quantity of heroin, valued at Rs two crore in the international market, by concealing it in capsules he swallowed, police said on Sunday.

The drug trafficker, identified as Ghulam Rabani, had crossed all security checks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and was to leave in the Afghanistan-bound Kam Air flight on November 3 when he suddenly developed health problems.

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He was offloaded from the flight and admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Police grew suspicious as Rabani had arrived in India on a medical visa in October but had not visited any hospital for treatment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia said that doctors at AIIMS were consulted and advised to examine and assess whether he had swallowed any contraband.

"During treatment it was established that Rabani had swallowed a large number of capsules.

57 CAPSULES TAKEN OUT OF STOMACH

He was operated by the doctors, and during surgery, 57 capsules made of polythene were take out from his stomach and rectum.

"The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin. The weight of the contraband was 525 grams. The total value of the contraband is estimated to be about Rs 2 crore in the international market," he said.

Also read: Interstate drug trafficking ring busted, heroin worth 1 crore recovered



Rabani has been arrested and booked under sections of of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Bhatia said "efforts are being made to unearth the whole syndicate and track the other co-passenger who was to travel in the same flight with Rabani".

With inputs from IANS



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By Gina Martinez

In the last four years Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) has sponsored multiple bills advocating for families and small businesses in her district. In her run for a third term she faces Republican Danniel Maio, a map maker.

In 2016 alone Meng has passed legislation into law that removes the term Oriental from federal law, legislation to protect public housing residents from living with insufficient heat, and legislation to assist veterans with several health care and disability-related benefits. Her district includes Forest Hills, Middle Village and Bayside.

Meng said she is not focusing too heavily on campaigning because she technically is always on the campaign trail.

Congress members are up for election every two years because its so close in timing so theres no start or end to campaigning, she said. Election year or not, we try the best to be accessible to constituents and hear their concerns and bring them to Washington.

Meng has said part of her success in Congress is her bipartisanship.

Im really proud of my bipartisan record, she said. I promised when I first ran to try my best to work in a bipartisan matter, to reach across the aisle. My constituents dont want me to just point fingers and place blame. I have been able to pass legislation because Ive been able to work with Republican and Democratic leadership.

Her competitor, Maio, studied politics at American University in Washington, D.C. and later started an identity maps company, where he has worked for the last 25 years.

I have to do things very comprehensively, he said. When you look at a map, whatever angle you look at it the information should be consistent, comprehensive, accurate and trustworthy. And thats basically what Im going to bring to the office.

Maio said his top priority is the development of an app that collects citizens reports and citations to establish community relations.

What I am proposing is very simple, he said. A phone app. All you have to do, whatever problem you have, instead of calling the police, take a picture of it, send any information and it will come straight to my office. I will work with the police department, I will work with the proper agencies. You can use it to report crimes anonymously so you dont have to be involved. The way the current system is eventually someone will come out and check, but when they check, they only check the documented problem. If its not on their work order, it wont be looked at. I will go out and have my people check other spots within that area and ask what else is wrong and then work with the city to have them help comprehensively.

Meng said she is the more qualified candidate because of her close ties to the community.

I applaud Danniel for running, she said. Its a democracy and everyone is entitled to run, but hes new to Queens. I believe he just moved to the Forest Hills area. I never met him before a forum two weeks ago. I have closer ties to our community and our community leaders. We have worked closely together to make Washington, D.C. more relevant to Queens, securing funding to make sure that my constituents lives are improved.
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By Gina Martinez

Republican Alan Zwirn is going up against Democrat Stacey Pheffer Amato for the Assembly seat in the 23rd District covering Ozone Park, Rockaway and Howard Beach. The seat went up for grabs after Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Beach) announced in June he was stepping away to focus on family and work as a lobbyist for Yeshiva University.

Zwirn has deep roots in Rockaway, having lived in the neighborhood for more than 25 years, with his two children. He is the president of the Rockaway Republican Club, on the board of directors at a local temple and was a music teacher in Brooklyn for 37 years before retiring.

From what I understand, its a close race, he said. I decided to run because I was asked to by people in my community. District leaders approached me because they thought I could do a good job in replacing Goldfeder.

He paused, My children are all grown up and my wife is still teaching, so I thought why not?

One huge issue in the Rockaways is transportation. Zwirn supports the plans to revive the Rockaway Beach rail, a line that was taken out of commission decades ago.

It would cut travel time to Midtown in Queens, he said. It would reinvigorate the economy, bring people to restaurants and stores because of the different stops in South Queens. It would also potentially relieve traffic on Woodhaven and Crossbay. If commuters are going to the Queens Midtown Tunnel, they could take the train.

The MTA is studying the possibility of reviving the line, but there is also a strong push by some residents in southern Queens to convert the abandoned track into a park similar to the High Line in Manhattan.

Zwirn said as assemblyman he plans to improve community and police relations.

The brave men and women of our nations police departments put their lives on the line everyday in order to protect and serve their communities, he said. I have become disgusted with career politicians turning their back on our hardworking men and women in blue. We need to bring peace and security back to our communities and we can only do that by standing behind our police  not degrading them. This can be done by implementing more beat policing efforts to establish a stronger rapport between the community and local law enforcement.

Zwirn is also firmly against the way Mayor Bill de Blasio has dealt with the homeless crisis in the city. The Department of Homeless Services has begun renting out rooms to the homeless at the Playland hotel in Rockaway Beach.

Playland should not be a shelter because it doesnt meet the qualifications, he said. There are no bathrooms, all communal, and the kids dont go to school. The system in place now enables families. The system is making it tougher. We need to put families in city housing with empty apartments. Those apartments are better suited to deal with families and meet the requirements, with beds and kitchens. The homeless are not the problem, the mayor is the problem.
By Alessio Stilo

(Recalibrate expectations and travel beyond Europe)

Multicultural approaches and policies vary widely all over the world, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group to which they belong. Two different strategies, as recently pointed out by Ms. Camilla Habsburg-Lothringen, have been developed through different government policies and strategies: The first, often labelled as interculturalism, focuses on interaction and communication between different cultures. The second one, cohabitative multi-culti does center itself on diversity and cultural uniqueness; it sees cultural isolation as a protection of uniqueness of the local culture of a nation or area and also a contribution to global cultural diversity.

A sort of third way between the two above-mentioned strategies has been traditioned and further enhanced by core Asian counties, e.g. Azerbaijan, where state policy has been accompanied, in a complementary way, to a certain activism of intermediate bodies (civil society, universities, think tanks).

Multiculturalism is a state policy of Azerbaijan and it has become a way of life of the republic ensuring mutual understanding and respect for all identities. The year 2016 has been declared the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan, as stated by President Ilham Aliyev on January 10. This decision was made taking into account the fact that Azerbaijan brings an important contribution to the traditions of tolerance and intercivilization dialogue.

Its peculiar location between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and its sociopolitical context  where people of various religions and ethnicities have lived together in mutual respect  have allowed Azerbaijan to adopt a multicultural-led agenda as a strategic tool of foreign policy.

Despite challenges due to the instability of the area and unresolved armed conflict with neighboring Armenia for the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku has made an effort to create and foster the necessary political and social conditions for developing and strengthening the countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

From a historical perspective, representatives of many ethnic and religious groups have lived together with Azerbaijanis since the era of the Safavids empire and during the XIX-XX centuries, including the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic incorporated into the Soviet Union.

Today Azerbaijan, a country which established the first secular democracy in the Muslim world in 1918 and offered women the right to vote in 1919, acts as a model for peaceful coexistence of members of different cultures.

It hosts one of the oldest mosques in the world, in the city of Shamakhi, dating from 743, and also one of the oldest Christian churches, an Armenian church from the 12-13 century. Not to mention one of the oldest churches in the Caucasus near the city of Sheki  the Church of Caucasian Albania, and a Zoroastrian temple, a temple of fire worshipers, not far from Baku. Azerbaijan has been inhabited by representatives of different religions and cultures throughout history, demonstrating a deep heritage of coexistence among different religions.

Indeed, currently there are more than 649 registered religious communities in the Republic of Azerbaijan, among which 37 are non-Islamic. It has 13 functioning churches. The building of the Jen Mironosets Church (built by Hadji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev in 1907) was granted to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991. Aleksi II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus\, who was on a visit in Azerbaijan in May 2001, granted the status of church to this temple. Currently there are three Russian Orthodox Churches in Baku, one in Gandja and one in Khachmaz. The Catholic community was registered in Azerbaijan in 1999. A special building for the conduction of religious ceremonies was purchased for the community and it became a church in 2000. According to the agreement between the Azerbaijani Government and Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church has been constructed in 2007 in Baku. It is more than 2500 years that the Jews have settled in Azerbaijan, never suffering religious intolerance or discrimination; currently six Jewish religious communities are registered and seven synagogues are functioning. Azerbaijan contributes also to the world heritage. Restoration of Roman catacombs, Strasbourg Cathedral Church, ancient masterpieces in Versailles (Paris), Capitolini Museum (Roma), Louvre Museum (Paris), Trapezitsa Museum (Bulgaria) etc. by Heydar Aliyev Foundation are typical example of these contribution.

Development of multiculturalism and tolerance at the level of State policy in Azerbaijan is based on ancient history of statehood of the country and on development of these traditions. Nowadays, thanks to efforts of the government, this political behavior has acquired a form of ideology of statehood and political practice (state policy), whereas the political bases of these concepts have found their reflection in relevant clauses of articles of the Constitution, legal acts, decrees and orders. Regarding one of the facets of this conception  religious freedom  it is also worth noting that article 48 of Azerbaijani Constitution ensures the liberty of worship, to choose any faith, or to not practice any religion, and to express one\s view on the religion. Moreover, the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1992) On freedom of faith ensures the right of any human being to determine and express his view on religion and to execute this right. According to paragraphs 1-3 of Article 18 of the Constitution the religion acts separately from the government, each religion is equal before the law and the propaganda of religions, abating human personality and contradicting to the principles of humanism is prohibited. The above-mentioned laws make Azerbaijan a modern de jure secular state, as well as de facto.

As a consequence of this public support, expressed through material and financial assistance from the budget of Country and Presidential foundation, there are dozens of national-cultural centers functioning at present. They include "Commonwealth" society, Russian community, Slavic cultural center, Azerbaijani-Israeli community, Ukrainian community, Kurdish cultural center "Ronai", Lezgin national center "Samur", Azerbaijani-Slavic culture center, Tat cultural center, Azerbaijani-Tatar community, Tatar culture society "Tugan-tel", Tatar cultural center "Yashlyg", Crimean Tatars society "Crimea", Georgian community, humanitarian society of Azerbaijani Georgians, Ingiloyan community, Chechen cultural center, "Vatan" society of Akhyska-Turks, "Sona" society of the women of Akhyska-Turks, Talysh cultural center, Avar society, mountain Jews community, European Jews (Ashkenazi) community, Georgian Jews community, Jewish women humanitarian association, German cultural society "Kapelhaus", Udin cultural center, Polish cultural center "Polonia", "Mada" International Talysh Association, "Avesta" Talysh Association, Udin "Orain" Cultural Center, "Budug" Cultural Center, Tsakhur Cultural Center. Not to mention the club-based amateur societies, national and state theatres, amateur associations and interest-focused clubs in areas with compact minority populations. The State also supports dozens of magazines, newspapers, radio and television programs which are expression of language minorities.

Declaration of the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan took place against the backdrop of religiously motivated ethnic conflicts in the Middle East. This kind of State-led multiculturalism, which could be considered as a form of soft power, is intended to be introduced as a model of multiculturalism elsewhere, especially to states and societies of the Middle East, where radicalism has spread rapidly over the last 20 years.

In recent years Baku has hosted numerous international events, starting from the Baku International Humanitarian Forum. The capital of Azerbaijan has hosted this Forum since 2011, which aims to build an authoritative international platform for world scientists and culture figures as well as acclaimed experts to discuss pressing global humanitarian challenges. The Baku International Humanitarian Forum is attended by well-known statesmen, public figures and prominent scientists, including 13 Nobel Prize winners, as well as journalists, representatives of non-governmental organizations and other distinguished guests.

Since 2011 Baku has hosted the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, in partnership with UNAOC, UNESCO, UN World Tourism Organization, Council of Europe and ISESCO. Through this initiative known as "Baku process\\, Azerbaijan acknowledges the power of intercultural dialogue and the possibility to create the conditions for positive intercultural and inclusive relations. At the same time, hosting the first ever European Games in 2015, Azerbaijan will conduct the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017.

This year Baku has hosted the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (April 25-27), which aims to reach a more peaceful and socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among people of different cultural and religious identities, and highlighting the will of the worlds majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity.

With the same purpose, in 2014 was established the Baku International Multiculturalism Center, aimed to preserve ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of the country. It has also been created to introduce Azerbaijan as a centre of multiculturalism to the world, and carried out research into and promoted existing multicultural models of the world. One of the mainstream projects of the Centre is promoting a special University course entitled Azerbaijani multiculturalism at local and foreign universities. The promoters already managed to incorporate this course into the teaching programs of some top ranked universities (Sapienza University in Rome, Charles University in Prague, Fribourg University in Switzerland) across Europe, as well as in Russia, Georgia and in Indonesia. The Center has also initiated the publication of a series of books under the title Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism.

Within the framework of the Year of Multiculturalism, Baku International Multiculturalism Centre launched the Summer School and Winter School programs every year for students and researches interested in enhancing and deepening their knowledge in this issue (theoretical and practical knowledge), and explore new topics regarding Azerbaijani multiculturalism.

In a recent visit to Baku (October 2016), Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan as a place of religious tolerance after meeting with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev and after a private meeting with Sheikh ul-Islam, the regions grand mufti, before the two men held an interreligious meeting at the countrys largest mosque with Orthodox Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

A significant activism of civil society in this issue is also demonstrated by many initiatives and projects created by Azerbaijani think tanks and academic groups. One of the most interesting and relevant is the International Multicultural Network (IMN) founded and headed by Dr. Khayala Mammadova, which is an online presence to connect researchers and practitioners with an interest in multiculturalism, aimed at promoting and disseminating research on the multifaceted multicultural agenda and for comprised of scholars, state and community actors specialising in the fields of multiculturalism, intercultural and interreligious relations across diverse disciplines and geographical regions.

It connects researchers from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Likewise, it appoints Country Representatives, and promotes publications (books, journal articles, research reports), discussions and events in order to advise, educate and inform on subjects related to multiculturalism and cultural diversity. We can mention, among the most significant international partners of the International Multicultural Network, The Prisma  The Multicultural Newspaper, a London-based newspaper which works for the elimination of racial and cultural prejudices, and is committed to social justice and equality of opportunity, and is aimed at promoting and defending these values of the multicultural society of the UK, especially in the case of Latin Americans.

Using its peculiar way to multiculturalism as a strategic tool of foreign policy and defending itself from religious and political extremism, Azerbaijan represents a countrys success story that could give Europe a contribution in its difficult approach to this issue.

Multiculturalism is a divisive subject of debate in almost all European nations that are associated with a single, national cultural ethos. As the latest datas confirm, European Union is facing unprecedented demographic changes (ageing population, low birth rates, changing family structures and migration) which are likely to change the internal structure of its member states over the next 50 years.

Despite Europe has always been a mixture of different cultures, unified by the super-position of Imperial Roman Christianity, the ideology of nationalism (XIX-XX century) transformed the way Europeans thought about theirselves and the state. The new nation-states sprang up on the principle that each nation is entitled to its own sovereignty and to engender, protect, and preserve its own unique culture and history. Social unity, according to this ideology, is seen as an essential feature of the nation, understood as unity of descent, unity of culture, unity of language, and often unity of religion. The European nation-state, at least until the mid-twentieth century, constitutes a culturally homogeneous society, although some national movements recognizes regional differences.

Bearing in mind this context, during the latest decades some of the European countries  especially France  have tried to culturally assimilate the regional minorities, or any other ethnic/linguistic/religious group different from the national majority, while ensuring them every individual and group right. Nevertheless, after the economic crisis of 2007-2008 and the increasing of migration resulting from riots and civil wars within the Arab-Islamic world, criticism of multiculturalism has become stronger and stronger in the Old Continent. This position questions the ideal of the maintenance of distinct ethnic cultures within a state and sometimes argues against cultural integration of different ethnic and cultural groups to the existing laws and values of the country. Alternatively critics may argue for assimilation of different ethnic and cultural groups to a single national identity.

Thirty years ago, many Europeans saw multiculturalism as an answer to Europes social problems. Today, according to multiculturalisms critics, it allowed excessive immigration without demanding enough integration, a mismatch that has eroded social cohesion, undermined national identities, and degraded public trust. However, as argued by Kenan Malik on Foreign Affairs, multiculturalism in Europe has become a proxy for other social and political issues: immigration, identity, political disenchantment, working-class decline. As a political tool, multiculturalism has functioned as not merely a response to diversity but also a means of constraining it, writes Malik. And that insight reveals a paradox. Multicultural policies accept as a given that societies are diverse, yet they implicitly assume that such diversity ends at the edges of minority communities.

In his luminary book Europe of Sarajevo 100 years later, prof. Anis Bajrektarevic diagnosed that multiculturalism in not dead but dread in Europe. There is a claim constantly circulating the EU: multiculturalism is dead in Europe. Dead or maybe d(r)ead? That much comes from a cluster of European nation-states that love to romanticize  in a grand metanarrative of dogmatic universalism  their appearance as of the coherent Union, as if they themselves lived a long, cordial and credible history of multiculturalism. Hence, this claim and its resonating debate is of course false. It is also cynical because it is purposely deceiving. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates  that of European anti-fascistic identity, or otherness  to the wing-parties. This was repeatedly followed by the selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions of the Union over the last two decades.  writes prof. Bajrektarevic on the most pressing issue of todays Europe.

Thus, as it seems to look for the multiculturalism one has to search beyond Europe.Starting from this theoretical point, the traditional and modern reinvigorated Azerbaijan experience about multiculturalism could teach Europe an important lesson: addressing issues and policies on multiculturalism requires an approach that combines state policies with resourcefulness of civil society and intermediate bodies. An approach which would avoid, on the one hand, the distortion of local peoples and migrants, and on the other hand would waste assimilationism. In other words, a new foedus (pact, alliance) which would preserve rights and culture of minorities, while ensuring the values of the majority of the population.

*Alessio Stilo, Research Associate at Institute of High Studies in Geopolitics and Auxiliary Sciences (IsAG), Rome, Italy, and Ph.D. researcher at University of Padova, is IMN Country Representative in Italy.

The views expressed in this article are the author\s own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Of Earth\s editorial policy.
Iraqi security forces drove Islamic State fighters from the center of a town just south of the militants\ main stronghold of Mosul on Saturday and reached within a few km (miles) of an airport on the edge of the city, a senior commander said.

Lieutenant-General Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the center of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km (10 miles) south of Mosul, although he did not say whether the militants had been pushed out completely.

The advance on the southern front comes days after Iraqi special forces fought their way into the eastern side of Mosul, taking control of six neighborhoods according to Iraqi officials and restoring a foothold in the city for the first time since the army retreated ignominiously two years ago.

Another unit advanced further north up the western bank of the Tigris river on Saturday, Jawdat added. "Our elite forces have reached an area just 4 km (2 1/2 miles) from Mosul airport," he told Al-Hurra television channel.

Recapturing Mosul would crush the Iraqi half of a caliphate declared by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014. His Islamist group also controls large parts of east Syria.

There were no reports of further gains in the east of the city on Saturday, and officers said the military was clearing areas it took in recent days.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking on a visit to the eastern front, said he brought "a message to the residents inside Mosul who are hostages in the hands of Daesh (Islamic State)  we will liberate you soon".

Abadi said progress in the nearly three-week-old campaign, and the advance into Mosul itself, had been faster than expected. But in the face of fierce resistance, which has included suicide car bombings, sniper fire and roadside bombs, he suggested that progress may be intermittent.

"Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken. Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will be some delay," he said.

General Jawdat said his forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars which had targeted them on their advance north.

So far the army controls only a small part of Mosul which was home to 2 million people before Islamic State took over in 2014. More than 1 million remain in the city  by far the largest under Islamic State control in either Iraq or Syria.

A Reuters correspondent in the village of Ali Rash, about 7 km (4 miles) southeast of the city, saw smoke rising from eastern districts on Saturday, while air strikes, artillery and gunfire could be heard.

The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees. So far only 31,000 have been displaced, of which more than 3,000 have already returned to their homes, said William Lacy Swing, head of the International Organization for Migration.

"The numbers are not as large so far as had been expected. We\d heard figures all the way up to 500,000 or 700,000," he told Reuters.

"We\re trying to prepare accordingly, but it\s very difficult to do contingency planning with any level of accuracy because we don\t know what theyre going to find when they get inside".

The assault on Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km (10 miles) south of Mosul, targeted a force of at least 70 Islamic State fighters there, commander of the Mosul operations Major-General Najm al-Jabouri said.

Jabouri said the assault began around 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) and some militants had tried to escape across the river, although others put up heavy resistance and the troops had thwarted three attempted suicide car bombings.

"(The battle) is very important  it\s the last town for us before Mosul," Jabouri told reporters. Iraqi helicopters were supporting the army, he said, backed also by jets from a U.S.-led air coalition.

He said the jihadists were using hundreds of people as human shields, although it was not clear how many civilians were left in the town. Before Islamic State swept in more than two years ago, Hammam al-Alil and outlying villages had a population of 65,000.

As well as forcing residents to stay as they came under attack in Hammam al-Alil, Islamic State fighters retreating north in the last two weeks have forced thousands to march with them as cover from air strikes, villagers have told Reuters.

The United Nations said the militants transported 1,600 abducted civilians from Hammam al-Alil to the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, on Tuesday and took another 150 families from the town to Mosul the next day.

They told residents to hand over children, especially boys aged over nine, in an apparent recruitment drive for child soldiers, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.

Jabouri said a man he described as a senior Islamic State figure, Ammar Salih Ahmed Abu Bakr, was killed by federal police  who are fighting with the army in Hammam al-Alil  as he tried to escape by car.

Many of the remaining militants were non-Iraqis, he said. "There are at least 70 Daesh fighters in the town. The majority are foreign fighters, so they don\t know where to go. They are just moving from place to place."

SOURCE: REUTERS
Looking for deals at annual Pittsburgh airport auction

More than 800 appeared and about 700 participated in annual event last month.
By PTI: with Hasina

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Indias grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted today.

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In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia districts Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladeshs National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community. PTI MPB SMN

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Albany

New York hasn't witnessed an Election Day like this since 1944.

That was the year President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former governor of New York, won what would turn out to be his final electoral victory, besting the then-current occupant of the Executive Mansion, Republican Gov. Tom Dewey.

This year, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are New York residents who will watch the returns from their respective Manhattan election night headquarters.

More Information VOTE All polling places statewide are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Contact information for local boards of election: Albany County 487-5060 Schenectady County 377-2469 Schoharie County 295-8388 Saratoga County 885-2249 Rensselaer County 270-2990 Greene County 719-3550 Warren County 761-6456 Washington County 746-2180 Follow For recent Times Union election coverage see http://www.timesunion.com/elections Visit timesunion.com and the Capitol Confidential blog for live updates as the returns roll in on Tuesday night. Follow us on Twitter via @TUCapCon, and visit the Times Union's Facebook page for live video throughout the evening. See More Collapse

But as the eyes of the nation and the world track those downstate galas, New Yorkers will be paying special attention to the bruising battles that will determine control of the closely divided state Senate, and an equally tight congressional race in a district that runs from the Lower Hudson Valley to the Capital Region.

With a handful of hours left in one of the most memorable and maddening election cycles in decades, here are five things to watch for after the polls close.

1. Turnout: Who shows up? While New York does not offer early voting, the states that do provide a window into what polling places might look like on Election Day in the Empire State.

In Florida, a state that may differ politically but is nearly identical in population to New York, some 3.7 million absentee and in-person early ballots had been cast as of the beginning of the week, according to Politico. That's roughly 30 percent of eligible voters who found the early motivation to show up at the polls.

While early voting certainly should not be used as the sole predictor of how the presidential election will play out nationally, it's safe to say that the interest in early voting bodes well for those who predict that turnout will be high in New York and elsewhere.

Drilling down, the numbers suggest there's value in assessing interest from voters in signing up to cast ballots when handicapping eventual turnout. While the ultra-high interest in the 2016 presidential election has been palpable for more than a year, New York added 747,685 voters to the rolls between April 1 and Nov. 1, the highest spike over the spring-to-fall period of the past three election cycles.

Aside from being good for democracy, high turnout will affect not only the presidential race (and in 2-to-1 Democratic New York, it's likely to positively affect Clinton's margin of victory) but down-ballot races as well. Especially in state Senate elections, Democrats are banking on the typically higher Democratic turnout in presidential years to drive them to victory. Which brings us to ...

2. The margin: Will the top of the ticket cast a shadow, or shine a beacon? Once again, how well Clinton and Trump do in various legislative districts likely affects how well down-ballot candidates perform. The more obscure the candidate is to the voter, perhaps the more likely that the voter casts a ballot based on party affiliation.

The political handicapper term "coattails" usually refers to positive effects for down-ballot candidates of the same party as the top of the ticket candidate who does better. But in a vitriolic election cycle, negative coattails are sure to be a factor. Not only might higher levels of support for Donald Trump in Erie County suburbs bode well for the Republican Senate candidate there, perhaps an anti-Clinton sentiment brings out Republicans who might not be thrilled with their candidate or even third-party voters who then decide to vote for a main-party candidate down-ballot.

But some congressional candidates, for example, have maintained that they believe voters are smart enough to make individual choices on each line of the ballot  a tactic employed to distance a candidate from the controversies enveloping the top of their party's ticket. There is evidence of that. In 2012, Republican Rep. Chris Gibson won re-election in the 19th Congressional District by a comfortable seven percentage points even as President Barack Obama carried the district by six points.

We'll get to this year's 19th District race in a minute, but it is certainly an example of a district where not only is the margin of victory in the presidential race telling for down-ballot, the congressional race carries such weight that a strong showing by one candidate on that line might be a serious positive for the next candidate of the same party on the next row.

3. The state Legislature: Who will rule the state Senate? Facing the aforementioned enrollment deficit, Republicans are fighting an existential battle to preserve control of the state Senate, either through a clear majority (doubtful) or by a resumption of the coalition it forged with the Independent Democratic Conference after Democrats won a narrow majority in the 2012 election that returned Obama to the White House.

A power shift in the Senate would bring both challenges and opportunities for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has deftly balanced the often competing interests of both parties in a divided Legislature. In recent weeks, Cuomo has actively backed several Senate Democrats and argued that progressive elements of his agenda  including the need for comprehensive ethics reform  has been blockaded by the Senate GOP.

The largest clusters of tight Senate races are on Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley, though it's possible a sleeper contest could emerge as a surprise upset. As a sign that the Senate GOP is leaving nothing in the proverbial locker room, its campaign operation has been pumping money into less-watched races: Rotterdam Republican Sen. George Amedore's effort to retain the 46th District seat received $335,000 in October to help stave off an low-funded challenge from progressive advocate and farmer Sara Niccoli.

4. Congress: Who takes the 19th Congressional District? It's one of the most-watched races in New York and has a national profile. The storylines are plentiful. Well-liked congressman (Gibson) decides to leave the House, possibly to run for governor but then decides to become a college professor. A well-respected former Republican assemblyman (John Faso) earns his endorsement and runs as a fiscally responsible moderate. A nationally recognized liberal Democrat (Zephyr Teachout) uses her already elevated platform from her run for governor two years ago to establish herself early as a Democrat who actually has a shot at winning a rural/urban mix upstate district.

Polling in this race has consistently been within the margin of error, and has fluctuated between a lead for Faso and a lead for Teachout depending on the week.

The 19th District runs south the southeastern reach of Dutchess County, west to a small slice of Broome County and north into Montgomery, Schohaire, Greene, Columbia and Rensselaer counties. That's a lot of political ground and a lot of regional political differences.

Watch how well Faso does in the Capital Region counties (his home base) and Teachout does in Ulster and Dutchess counties (her base)  and don't be surprised if percentages there effectively cancel each other out.

Worth noting but impossible to watch is how unaffiliated voters cast their ballots. The district essentially is split into thirds among Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliateds, and the latter group has been the difference maker in polling.

5. The U.S. Senate: Will Schumer ascend? As the returns come in Tuesday night, look for attention of New York's senior senator to be less focused on his own expected slam-dunk victory against his Republican opponent Wendy Long than on the national Senate electoral map.

A Democratic Senate victory puts Schumer in the driver's seat as majority leader, a long-cherished dream finally coming to fruition for the Brooklyn-born son of an exterminator.

To get there, Democrats need a swing of just four Senate seats  if Hillary Clinton becomes president, that is. A gain of five seats gives Democrats control of the Senate outright, no matter who takes the White House.

As majority leader, Schumer would replace retiring Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. A Democratic majority would give Schumer virtually complete control to set the Senate's agenda.

Schumer has said precious little about what his plans might be, but he'd clearly be tasked with striking a balance between unyielding recalcitrance to the Republican minority and compromise on deals that he hopes deliver more for Democrats than they take away.

Elected to the Senate in 1998 after six years in the House, Schumer knows how to take on various roles. If he becomes majority leader, will he be the strident liberal warrior and ideological champion? Or will it be Schumer the glad-hander looking for the sweet spot to move progressive policy goals forward, albeit slowly?

The Senate's party swing might clarify after closure of polls in the eastern time zone because of close races in four states: New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida. If not, it may come down to the close races in the Central time zone, including Illinois and Wisconsin.

Schumer hasn't announced where he'll be election night, but don't be surprised if he's by Clinton's side at her celebration party in the Javits Center on New York City's Far West Side. Of course, if Clinton loses and the Democrats don't take back the Senate, life goes back to status quo.
The Hindu community in the Brahmanbairs district in Bangladesh has been under attack after a youth allegedly shared a Facebook post that hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The police today arrested dozens in connection with the violence against the Hindus.

By Reuters: The police in Bangladesh arrested dozens of people following fresh violence against Hindus, the country's biggest minority community, a senior officer told reporters today.

The Hindu community in the Brahmanbairs district in Bangladesh has been under attack after a local youth allegedly shared a Facebook post that Islamic hardliners said denigrated the Masjid al-Haram - a holy site for Muslims.

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Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against the Hindu youth, who denies sharing the post. Police arrested the youth for hurting religious sentiments, but the arrest failed to defuse the tension.

ALSO READ | Bangladesh: Minority Hindus stage protest against sectarian violence

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimates more than one hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence broke out on October 30.

"The purpose of the attacks is to free this soil from minority community and also to occupy their properties and assets," Rana Dasgupta, a general secretary at the BHBCUC told Reuters.

ALSO READ:

Bangladesh will stand by India if attacked: Home minister Asaduzzaman KhanFresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh; houses torched



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The sun will probably rise on Nov. 9, regardless.

We've had nail-biter presidential elections before, and even put men in the White House who were unfit to serve.

So there's really nothing new under the sun about the dilemma that faces us days before the final accounting.

Although never before, in the entire history of the Republic, have we struggled as a voting nation with every minute detail, every turn of a lot of worms, over such an awfully long time to get to this point.

Day after day, just like the candidates.

It's been exhausting, and it's not over yet. And I'm not sure as a democracy we're the better for being such intimate witnesses to the sausage making, although I don't see a way around it in the age of real-time access to just about everything.

Between now and election night when the polls close, significant mischief that could determine the outcome is still possible when news gets out instantly, and voters can literally change their minds as they walk in the voting booth.

That's not likely, but it's possible.

A last-minute bombardment of Wikileaks with a blockbuster revelation, for example, on Monday when there's little time to sort it out.

Or hackers, as The New York Times points out, messing with various states' voter registration databases, or tinkering with voting machines, or cyberattacking the internet generally to throw the citizenry into confusion and suppress voting, or feeding phony election results to the media, which, while easily corrected later, would feed the cultivated paranoia over a rigged election.

Casting repeated doubt on the integrity of our election process has been the single most devastating assertion to come out of this election cycle, and that comes directly from Donald Trump.

All the more devastating for not being a credible assertion. He has given legitimacy to the general view among his less thoughtful supporters, in addition to the paranoid and the crackpot, that the only way he can lose this election is if it is stolen from him.

That in turn has led to dark though unspecific hints of not accepting the results if the winner isn't Trump, with whatever that might imply.

There's a violent tinge to it, which is more than disconcerting, and certainly not what we're used to with our elections.

A New York Times/CBS poll last week showed 42 percent of Trump supporters believe voter fraud in U.S. elections happens "a lot" (as opposed to 7 percent of Clinton supporters), and that 27 percent of Trump's people would probably not accept the results of the election if he loses (as opposed to 11 percent of Clinton supporters should Trump win).

So election night will be exciting.

Law enforcement will be on full alert, along with the FBI, Homeland Security, and all our cyber police.

What demons Trump has unleashed on our society with his demagoguery may not materialize right away, which will probably keep us on edge for some time. That's if he loses.

We can only hope that a national sanity prevails and he does lose.

Consistently, polls show that even after this overly long, eviscerating campaign, a varying majority of Americans, depending on the poll, see him as unfit to be president.

That covers a lot of ground and a lot of factors, but remains the most important question about a candidate for this singular office. Yet he only trails Hillary by a few points in most polls. That suggests there are Republicans ready to vote for Trump even though they feel he is unfit to be the commander in chief.

It's scary, and a measure of what faces Hillary in her first 100 days and beyond.

So many vile, hateful things have been said to and about her by Trump, it's hard to imagine a reconciliation between the party of Hillary supporters and the party of Hillary haters, but that's got to happen.

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This is not about Trump and never was. He just brought a deeply obnoxious style to the campaign and poked his followers in the eye over Hillary. He leaves no legacy, at least no positive one.

A wall between us and Mexico? Please.

As a practical matter, much depends on Democrats taking control of the U.S. Senate, which the odds favor at the moment, although gaining a supermajority to facilitate key confirmations seems unrealistic.

But Hillary must be able to operate from strength, or she will make no headway in a national reconciliation.

Reconciliation is job one for all of us. It won't be easy, and there will always be a tidy number who would rather hate, and there will be the usual opposition forces who want to continue and even expand Washington paralysis as leverage for the next election.

The people, not the pols, have to lead the way back to civility.

This election season has been an intimate and rather startling peek for Americans into our political process, and I am going to hazard a guess that after the exhaustion leaves us and the anxieties about payback from the Trumpets dissipate and we put away our partisan banners the public mood will be more inclined to old-fashioned consensus governing.

Republicans still have to sort themselves out and identify what and who they are. Bernie Sanders has been a wake-up call for Democrats, a positive force of change. This still has to happen. Trump has done exactly the opposite for Republicans, a pied piper who's led the Grand Old Party over a cliff.

In retrospect, to the chagrin of those falling over the cliff, any reasonable, middle-of-the-road Republican like Jeb Bush or Mitt Romney, even our own George Pataki, would be in a much better place than the Donald right now.

flebrun@timesunion.com  518-454-5453
Two candidates seeking NLCS Board District 2 seat

In this year's general election, two candidates are seeking election to the district two seat on the NLCS board: Adam Parsley and Michael Patton.
By PTI: Kolkata, Nov 6 (PTI) West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) may unveil renewable energy regulations in a fortnight, paving the way for households and housing complexes to install solar rooftop panels and connect them to the grid.

"We are trying to release the renewable energy regulations in the next 15 days after final consultation with the stakeholders," WBERC Chairman R N Sen told PTI.

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The regulation will help build an ecosystem for rooftop solar panels, he added.

Sen said they have moved away from the net-metering concept.

"Net-metering was not helping small power consumers and feed-in tariff makes rooftop solar projects more bankable," he said.

Feed-in tariff is the tariff for power injected into the grid and will be announced by WBERC every year for a 25-year life span.

Net-metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid.

It is expected that this policy will encourage rooftop solar power generation in a big way in the state.

There are companies that install solar panels without any capex to the household but levy a fixed power charge, which is lower than the tariff charged by the utility. PTI BSM SUS ABM

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Posing as a Supreme Court lawyer, an IAS officer, a film star or daughter of a politician, she would approach people and cheat them off lakhs of rupees.

By Rohini Swamy: A woman has been arrested for duping at least 150 people across the country, after she cheated a city-based lawyer.

Posing as a Supreme Court lawyer, an IAS officer, a film star or daughter of a politician, she would approach people and cheat them off lakhs of rupees.

She would promise them shares in her company, or devise a plan of investment for minimum of Rs 1 lakh.

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HOW SHE CAUGHT

A city-based lawyer Sanketh Yenagi came in contact with Khushboo, who introduced herself as a Supreme Court lawyer.

She expressed a desire to join his firm and when he said he was looking for an office space, she seized the opportunity and offered help.

Claiming that her father was a retired IAS officer and owned a place in UB City, she drew up an agreement and fixed the rent amount.

On October 28, Sanketh paid her Rs 1.35 lakh.

A few days later, when Sanketh went to meet an associate in court, Khushboo waited in car for him to finish his meeting. When he returned, he found his wallet containing Rs 25,000, iPhone and a suitcase full of documents missing.

Soon after he filed a case, the police set a trap to nab her.

She was called for a meeting in UB City on pretext of some monetary issues pertaining to the rented office space, from where she was arrested.

At first she did not budge but her cases registered in Mumbai and Jaipur revealed her identity.

The police have recovered Rs 1.3 lakh from her.



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today inspected Bhalswa landfill and said it was "one of the major contributor" of air pollution in the city due to frequent fires at the dumping site.

"This is a big cause of air pollution in Delhi as there are frequent cases of fire at several spots at the site. There is a need to address this problem," he told reporters.

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The minister said the Delhi government and civic bodies are working out a plan to dispose the excess garbage and douse flames.

"MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) has asked for 15 to 20 days to douse the fire," Jain said.

The government is also considering to use part of garbage for road construction and rest can be utilised in waste-to-energy plant, he said.

Pollution was a critical problem that needs to be immediately addressed.

Located in north-west Delhi, Bhalswa landfill site is spread over 21 acres and was commissioned in 1994. It receives about 2,700 tonnes of garbage per day.

Delhi Congress leaders had in June met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung regarding pollution caused by the landfill site and urged him for its closure.

"Smouldering Bhalswa land fill has not only made the air in the area toxic and highly polluted, but the underground water in the area has also been contaminated," they had said. PTI KND DIP

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KANSAS CITY GRASSROOTS ACTIVISTS LAUNCH AN EFFORT TO AUDIT THE WATER DEPARTMENT!!!

AuditKC is a grass roots effort aimed at correcting the mismanagement of Kansas Citys Water Services Department (KCWater). The Missouri State Auditor offered to audit KCWater in 2013 only to be rebuffed by Mayor Sly James and the City Council. However, the citizens of Kansas City have the power to call for such an audit by way of petitioning the State Auditor. For more details on how petition audits work in Missouri, click here.





Once enough signatures have been collected and submitted to the State Auditor, the Auditor will put out a press release announcing the audit and calling for public comment. At that time, Kansas City residents will have an opportunity to share their concerns with the State Auditor and, potentially, have their concerns investigated as part of the audit.

"I began my own quiet investigation six years ago when a friend in a position of inside knowledge stated matter-of-factly that routine maintenance of Water infrastructure had ceased roughly forty years prior. Not willing to believe my friend at face value even though he was in a position to know the absolute facts of the matter, I informally queried others at Water and amongst the engineering/consulting community that services the outside needs of the Department. Over time, my friends comment was corroborated.





"In 2013, State Auditor Tom Schweich offered the City of Kansas City an audit of the Water Department as his office had logged several complaints from ratepayers in Kansas City. Mayor Sly James and the City Council rejected the offer saying, at the time, that the Department was under new management and that a Chicago-based consulting firm had been retained to assist the Department in addressing ratepayers concerns. The Chicago-based consulting firm was granted a $12 million, no-bid contract.





"In the three years since the Auditors efforts to audit the Water Department were rebuffed, Kansas Citians have seen continued rate hikes along with the usual over-billings and poor service. Hardly a week goes by in which the water at my 107 year old Kansas City home doesnt slow to a trickle with the lines filling with air. Recently, efforts to put out a fire at a prominent Kansas City landmark were slowed by a lack of water pressure at the nearest hydrant. Parts of the city suffer from third-world conditions of their water infrastructure while ratepayers are billed at rates that are closer to those in the water-starved southwest than other cities located on the banks of the nations largest waterway."





"For those wishing to sign the petition, learn more about our efforts or volunteer to collect signatures, contact us at (816)343-8557, info@auditkc.org or http://auditkc.com

Right now our blog community featuresof a game changer for basic services in Kansas City.This one is a long time coming and statements today explain the need for this local effort to watchdog City Hall services currently under EPA mandate for at leastCheck more info now . .Here's their statement:Here's anbit of background and insight from organizers which include local Libertarian activist and. . .#########Developing . . .
US President Barack Obama is planning to deliver what American officials have described to Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini as a legacy speech when he visits Athens on November 15

US President Barack Obama is planning to deliver what American officials have described to Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini as a legacy speech when he visits Athens on November 15.

Although the details of the presidents trip have not been finalized, officials in Washington indicated that Obama intends to make a statement that resonates when he comes to Greece. One official likened it to the historic speech delivered by John F. Kennedy when he visited Berlin in 1962.

Obama is expected to make extensive references to democracy and how it has endured in Greece despite its recent problems. The US president is also due to highlight the need for Athens to receive debt relief and for the Greek government to persist with structural reforms. Obama is expected to tread carefully on the issue of debt so that his comments do not appear as an attack on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who he considers an important partner and who he will be visiting after his trip to Athens.

Sources said that the American presidents speech will also contain a message for Turkey.

Obama wants to draw attention to the refugee crisis during his visit to Greece but due to security concerns a visit to the island of Lesvos has been ruled out. There is, however, a possibility that he will visit a refugee camp in Attica.

It is not yet known who will accompany the American leader on his visit but the impression is that First Lady Michelle Obama will not accompany him on the trip. There has been no final decision on whether Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will also travel to Athens. It is considered likely that Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein will be part of the team that will fly to Greece from Washington.

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
Greek government will help the country exit from the crisis and set it on a path towards growth

Greek government will help the country exit from the crisis and set it on a path towards growth, the Digital Policy, Telecommunications and Media Minister Nikos Pappas said on Saturday outside the Presidential Mansion where hw was sworn-in at his new post.

Concerningt his new duties, Pappas said it is a demanding portfolio and one where Greece can play a leading role. "Greece has a very crucial geographical location; it could become a trade and transit hub, and to achieve this it must have reliable networks. We are ready to work hard.

Speaking earlier to ANA, he described the reshuffle as one of renewal, growth and reconstruction.

"It is a step for the country to continue to the next phase. The priorities and symbolisms are clear; there are many new faces entering the government. We get to work immediately, he added.

Olga Gerovasili, the new Administrative Reconstruction Minister, told ANA earlier that the new governments aim is to promote stable policies for economic growth, debt relief and social justice.

"From a different position, at a crucial time for the country, with all our strength to escape the deadlock, she said after her swearing-in.

Asked about his new position, State Minister Christoforos Vernardakis told ANA his first priority is to form a strong task force which will produce the governments policies.

"Firstly I need to be briefed and secondly we must make a very good team that will be able to carry out quickly all this work of strategic planning, coordination of government policies and highlighting new issues, he said. "The first thing as of Monday is to form a strong task force which will be the heart of the production of the governments policy.

On his side, State Minister Alekos Flambouraris told the news agency the government reshuffle has two elements: to complete the second program review quickly so that, if things go well, Greece can tap the markets next year.

The second element is that everyone realizes that the crucial issue is restarting the economy through productive reconstruction," adding that growth will come through investment programs so that state funds can collect revenues.

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 emigration of Greek doctors abroad continues for the sixth consecutive year, despite the fact that public hospitals show alarming shortages

The emigration of Greek doctors abroad continues for the sixth consecutive year, despite the fact that public hospitals show alarming shortages.

The majority of doctors who leave Greece for work prefer Europe. Most of them choose the United Kingdom, but this year the number of applications for the country has dropped significantly because of the Brexit.

From the beginning of the year until the last week of October, the Athens Medical Association (ISA) had issued 487 certificates to doctors who wanted to move to the UK, about 300 fewer than those issued for the same country in 2015.

Overall, from January 1, 2016 until October 24, ISA issued 1,018 licenses for doctors seeking work in another country. Throughout 2015, ISA issued 1,521 certificates for foreign countries. In 2014 there were 1,380 certificates and 1,488 in 2013. In 2012 the number of certificates was the highest ever for ISA, amounting to 1,808.

Since the onset of the economic crisis in 2010, the Athens Medical Association has issued a total of 9,330 certificates to doctors fleeing Greece. Since about half of the countrys doctors are members of ISA, it is estimated that about 18,000 doctors have left Greece since 2010, due to the crisis.

The majority of licenses to work abroad issued this year by ISA (719) were for doctors who had already received their specialty title in Greece but were unable to find work in the National Health System. The top countries in the preferences of physicians who requested certificates to work abroad in 2016 are the United Kingdom (487), Germany (102), Cyprus (77) and France (75), followed by Switzerland and Sweden (58 and 44 respectively).

In recent years, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have become destinations of choice for Greek doctors. From early 2016 until the end October, ISA has issued 44 certificates to members who want to work in these countries.

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
Greek Police announced that two criminal gangs have been busted, following a number of arrests. According to the official report and press conference, the two gangs appear to be responsible for about 2,000 break-ins across the country.

Over 1,000 police officers were involved in the major operation that was launched on Wednesday, which resulted in the arrest of 41 suspects, aged 19 to 66. Of the arrested suspects 38 are Greek nationals, 1 is Syrian, 1 Albanian and 1 is an expatriate from Kazakhstan. Each of the two gangs operated independently, however they were in touch so as to avoid any overlap in their operations. Each gang had its own hierarchy and associates, similar in structure to organized mafias.

The first gang was comprised of 4 subgroups, commanded by 4 leaders. These four leaders coordinated actions between the subgroups. Their primary targets were luxury homes for money, jewelry and other valuables. One of the subgroups exclusively broke into offices and factories. This gang operated in Attica, especially in the northeastern suburbs, as well as Thessaloniki and Katerini.

The second gang was commanded by one individual and used small cars to avoid attracting attention. This gang operated in Alexandroupoli, Ioannina, Thessaloniki and Orestiada among others. The leader would often travel to these cities to make preparations for break-ins.

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
Investcorp, a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, will host its 2016 Investors Conference in Abu Dhabi, UAE, this week.



The conference will be held on November 9 and 10 at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.



This will be the first time that Investcorp has held this annual conference outside of Bahrain, which reflects the importance of Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE to the firm. It also builds on the firms growing shareholder base in the emirate, which now includes Mubadala after it agreed to acquire a 20 per cent stake in Investcorp in July 2016, said the company.



We have been active in the UAE for a long time, which has seen us put down very deep roots here, so it was only natural for us to be holding this years conference in Abu Dhabi. We look forward to gathering more than 250 of our partners, shareholders and investors from the six Gulf countries for this exclusive conference, where we will discuss global investment and economic trends. Investcorps executive chairman Mohammed Al Ardhi said.



Al Ardhi will open the first day of the 2016 Investcorp Investors Conference, before introducing Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, as the keynote speaker. She will present the audience with her views on the UAEs Vision 2021 and the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai and the opportunities it brings to the wider region.



For over four years, Investcorps Annual Investors Conference has served as a forum for its investors, shareholders and partners to participate in open dialogue and discuss investment opportunities, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service
The Company for Cooperative Insurance (Tawuniya), a pioneering insurance company in Saudi Arabia, has renewed the medical insurance contract with Saudi Telecom Company (STC), which is considered to be one of the largest insurance deals across the kingdom.



By renewing this contract, Tawuniya will once again become the medical insurance provider for the telecom industry as Tawuniyas portfolio includes Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), STC, Mobily, Zain and Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication Company (GO).



The employees of these companies and their families will benefit from Tawuniyas health care services via the largest medical service network in Saudi Arabia that has more than 2,000 service provider, the company said.



Abdulaziz Al Boug, the SVP of sales in Tawuniya, stated: Tawuniya's success in acquiring the medical insurance service for telecoms in Saudi, reflects how this vital industry trusts Tawuniyas capabilities as the largest insurance company in Saudi Arabia. Based on the extensive experience of our 30 years portfolios, as well as our mission to provide many benefits and value added services for their employees and families.



Al Boug added: We are providing our services to a strategic partner. The ICT sector in Saudi Arabia is one of the key sectors that play an important role in the Saudi economy, in terms of its contribution to the GDP, and by their services to all segments of society as well as their contributions to direct employment.



According to Al Boug, Tawuniya considers these medical insurance contracts as a strategic part of the companys plan, to attract and acquire more contracts from different industries, which will boost Tawuniyas medical insurance portfolios. He added that Tawuniya has succeeded in increasing the number of medical insurance contracts with many companies and government bodies. - TradeArabia News Service
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) BJP Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna is all set to be appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with a high-level selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearing his name.

The 55-year-old former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and BJP in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir will perhaps be the first active politician to be appointed as a member of NHRC, which is headed by a former Chief Justice of India.

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Khannas name was cleared by the panel comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with the Prime Minister as its head last month, official sources said.

As per Section 3 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which deals with the issue of "constitution of a National Human Rights Commission", only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed as NHRC chairperson.

The four full-time members, as per the Act, should include a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others "from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights".

After his Lok Sabha constituency of Hoshiarpur became a reserved seat, Khanna did not contest the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Later, Punjabs Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government appointed him as a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission. However, Khanna quit that post after about 13 months, when he was elected to Rajya Sabha.

When BJP was in the opposition, the party had favoured appointing persons of impeccable credentials to such posts. In 2013, the then Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, respectively, had opposed the move to appoint former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph as a member of NHRC claiming that there was an adverse intelligence report against him.

However, most of the other members, including the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the objection and cleared the appointment.

BJP had also opposed the then UPA governments move to appoint former chief of National Investigation Agency S C Sinha as member of NHRC as he had allegedly pursued the terror cases against right-wing outfits.

However, in case of Khanna, there was no dissent in the selection panel, the sources said. PTI ACB SMN SC SMN

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Iran and the US have completed trade amounting to $177 million in the first nine months of 2016, according to US government data.



The US trade in goods with Iran during January-September 2016 decreased by five per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2015 when the figure was $185 million, according to the data released by the US Census Bureau, said an Iran Daily News report.



During the nine-month period, the value of US exports to Iran stood at $114.9 million while US imports of Iranian goods reached $62.1 million, it said.



The figures show a six-fold rise in the value of Iranian exports to the US during the nine-month period, while US exports to Iran decreased by more than 60 per cent in comparison the figures for the same period in 2015.
The Barakah One Company (Barakah One), a subsidiary of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), announced today the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Company (Adwec).



The PPA is for the purchase of electricity generated at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.



The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi by Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the board of Enec, on behalf of Barakah One Company and Abdullah Musleh Al Ahbabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) on behalf of Adwec.



The agreement establishes the contractual framework between the two entities for nuclear-generated safe, clean, efficient and reliable electricity produced at Barakah.



The electricity produced by the four Barakah Units plays a strategic role in powering the growth of the UAE, aligning the nation to the COP21 sustainability goals, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GhG) in the energy generation sector, said the statement.



Al Mubarak said: Since 2009 we focused on the safe delivery of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program, and today is another major step towards diversifying the UAEs energy mix and making the nation more energy secure and environmentally sustainable. The Barakah plant will soon provide the nation with the clean energy it needs to grow, through an established, robust and technologically advanced nuclear energy industry.



This is a pivotal agreement in the UAE energy sector, and the result of a close collaboration between Barakah One, Enec and Adwea. Strong stakeholder partnerships are integral to the successful delivery of safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy to power the UAE grid, added Al Mubarak.



Al Ahbabi said: The signing of this agreement shows the ongoing transformation of Abu Dhabis energy mix. We welcome the addition of safe and sustainable low-carbon nuclear energy to our increasingly diverse power grid. Securing energy from a variety of sources allows us to provide Abu Dhabi with the supply of power and water it needs to sustain its growing economy.



In October 2016, Enec and Kepco announced the establishment of Barakah One Private Joint Stock Company (Barakah One), an independent subsidiary owned by both companies, which is mandated to represent the commercial and financial interests of the Barakah project. Under the joint venture agreement signed by the two companies, Kepco owns an 18 percent stake in Barakah One, with Enec as the majority owner of the remaining 82 percent.



The four units of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant are scheduled for completion in 2020, with construction having started in 2012. With four reactors online, the facility will deliver up to a quarter of the UAEs electricity needs and save up to 12 million tons in carbon emissions every year.



The project at Barakah is progressing steadily. Overall, construction of Units 1 to 4 is now more than 72 percent complete. All four units will deliver safe, clean, reliable and efficient nuclear energy to the UAE grid, pending regulatory reviews and licensing, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service
The UAE capital is set to welcome thousands of oil and gas professionals, industry leaders, and decision makers as the worlds most influential oil and gas event, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), kicks off tomorrow.

Held under the theme Strategies for the New Energy Landscape, and spanning 130,000 gross square metres of floor space, including a dedicated quay-side exhibition area with live tours of offshore vessels, Adipec 2016 celebrates its 19th edition with the largest event to date.

It will bring together more than 2,000 exhibiting companies, 25 country pavilions, 700 speakers, 8,500 delegates, and 100,000 trade professionals from more than 125 countries.

Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, CEO of Al Yasat Petroleum Operations Company and Adipec 2016 chairman, said: Todays energy landscape is driving organisations across the petroleum industry to be proactive and deploy innovative solutions to address todays complex business challenges. Access to credible information and best practice across all industry verticals, from operations to people and talent, is central to this effort. As a premier knowledge-sharing platform for movers and shakers in energy, Adipec has, since its inception, established itself as a flagship event for the global oil and gas community.

Christopher Hudson, president  dmg events, Global Energy, said: This annual gathering of international industry stakeholders not only serves as a catalyst for shaping energy policy, but also as a powerhouse for generating business. More than half of Adipec attendees have sole or joint purchasing power, and exhibiting companies range from the worlds largest oil producers and service providers, to manufactures of state-of-the-art E&P equipment. By bringing thought leaders, innovators, and policy makers under one roof, Adipec acts as an enabler of industry excellence.

Hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and organised by dmg events, Adipec will commence tomorrow with the official opening ceremony, which includes keynote presentations by Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy; Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO; Mohammed Barkindo, Opec secretary general; and Rex W Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

The Adipec Conference Programme, the worlds largest and most influential speaking platform for the oil and gas industry, will invite government decision makers to the stage in the first of two Global Ministerial Dialogues, which will focus on driving sustainability and shaping future energy scenarios amid an evolving global supply mix.

Ministerial speakers on Day One include Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy; Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil for Bahrain; and Mohammed Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas for Oman.

Adipecs opening day will also feature one of three Global Business Leader sessions, offering a world outlook for the oil industry, and shedding light on what challenges and opportunities to expect in the short, medium, and long-term economic cycles.

Speakers in the first of the three sessions include Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total; Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP; Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, president and CEO, Qatar Petroleum; and Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni.

Three of eight panel sessions will also take place tomorrow, covering topics on the application of research and technology as a transitional strategy, nurturing and cultivating the next generation of energy leaders, and the resilience of the oil and gas industry in the future global outlook.

Closing the first day, the annual Adipec Awards will announce the 2016 winners of the prestigious accolades during a gala dinner at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi. The distinguished awards recognise individuals, companies, and projects that demonstrate excellence, best practice, and innovation in energy from around the globe.

The exclusive VIP Programme, dedicated to members of the prestigious Middle East Petroleum Club, will provide a fresh outlook to the business world, including global energy market insights from oil guru Dr Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit, on Adipecs opening day.

Meanwhile, the record-breaking Adipec 2016 Technical Conference, organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), will deliver nearly 700 technical presentations in nine discipline categories, organised across 106 technical sessions throughout the four-day landmark energy event.  TradeArabia News Service
Trimble Solutions, a global offshore construction technology company, will feature demonstrations of its latest building information modelling (BIM) solutions at the upcoming Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



Constructing complex oil and gas platforms and pipelines requires precision technology, from modelling to fabrication and erection. BIM is the biggest game-changer for constructing complex offshore projects on time and on budget, said Anwar Al Qwasmi, general manager for Saudi Arabia at Trimble.



The National Petroleum Construction Company, which recently was awarded four offshore contracts in the kingdom, has used Trimbles Tekla Structures BIM software to model offshore projects across four dimensions in an open file format. Offshore players can visualise designs in real-time to avoid clashes, and optimise steel production and maintenance.



Demonstrating BIMs value, the global BIM market is set to grow fourfold from $3 billion in 2014 to $12 billion by 2022, according to a recent report by Transparency Market Research.



The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia demonstrates technology best practices in oil and gas construction, helping to increase productivity, enhance collaboration, and eliminate waste. As a result, offshore construction is now safer, and more sustainable and profitable, added Al Qwasmi.



Adipec 2016 runs from November 7 to 10 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre.  TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker visited the Tuscan cities of Florence and Pisa this week in celebration of the airlines recent expansion in Italy.



During his visit, Al Baker met with representatives from the Italian media and hosted a VIP dinner in the Tuscan capital Florence, at the exclusive St. Regis Hotel.



Qatar Airways recently launched direct flights between Pisa and Dohas Hamad International Airport, complementing the airlines existing three destinations: Rome, Milan and Venice.



Al Baker said: Qatar Airways' growth in service to Italy represents the importance of the country in relation to our global route network, with business and leisure passengers alike requesting access to the popular destinations of Rome, Milan, Pisa and Venice.



I am delighted to have had the opportunity to meet local business and community leaders during my visit to Tuscany and experience first-hand the attraction and charm of this wonderful area.



Passenger demand for flights to and from Italy on Qatar Airways has increased greatly in the recent years. The addition of Pisa to Qatar Airways Italian network on August 2 comes less than 12 months after the airline significantly increased capacity from Rome, Milan and Venice. Rome and Milan both benefited from a 30 per cent increase in capacity in 2015 with the introduction of wide body aircraft on their double daily flights, and Venice increased its seat offering by 70 per cent with the introduction of an A330 aircraft the same year, replacing the A320 previously serving the daily route.



The award-winning airline is flying the Airbus A320 daily to Pisa, the airlines fourth Italian destination, and has been flying to Milan since 2002, Rome since 2003, and Venice since 2011.



The airline now offers six daily frequencies to Italy: two to Milan and Rome and one each to Venice and Pisa. The new daily flight to Pisa will increase the airlines weekly flights from Doha to Italy from 35 to 42.



The new gateway connects travellers from Tuscany to the Qatar Airways network, through its state-of-the-art hub in Doha, to more than 150 business and leisure destinations including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.



The A320 also provides businesses importing and exporting goods to and from Pisa with 11 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity per week. - TradeArabia News Service


Omran is hosting the 2016 International Show Caves Associations (ISCA) conference from November 6-12, with more than 40 international delegates welcomed to Omans renowned Al Hoota Cave attraction.



The conference itself will be held at three diverse locations in Muscat, Nizwa and Sur.



Al Hoota Cave is Omans most popular natural tourist destination and is estimated to be over two million years old and is an active member of the ISCA. Located at the foot of Jabal Shams, Omans epic mountain, the first show cave in the Arabian Peninsula is committed to promoting proper management to ensure conservation and preservation of the cave as well as for the safety of guests in the enjoyment of show caves  two of the ISCAs key aims.



Eng Khalid Mirza, director of Projects Development, Omran, said: The ISCA works to ensure show caves are sustainable and preserved for future generations while helping to deliver a safe, exciting experience for visitors today  this is something we fully believe in at Al Hoota Cave, so its a great honour that were welcoming ISCAs international delegates to the Arabian Peninsulas first show cave during this week.



Weve put together a comprehensive programme for the conference delegates and there will be a focus on the variety of caves and other geological wonders Oman has to offer. The conference agenda will feature a number of papers on topics relating to Oman as well as key international topics for show caves. This kind of discussion ensures Omran, as operators of some of the sultanates most important geological attractions, provide the best experience for visitors and develop sustainable conservation efforts, he added.



Brad Wuest, president of ISCA, said: Oman is a unique geological place, and its fantastic to be holding our conference here for the first time. The Al Hoota Cave is important as it was the first show cave to be opening in the Middle East, and its recent re-opening following Omrans work with the Oman Ministry of Tourism to create a sustainable cave experience supports the aims and objectives of ISCA. We look forward to an exciting, insightful conference while experiencing some of the best geological attractions Oman has to offer.



Through its commitment to respecting, preserving and safeguarding Omans natural resources and subterranean land, Omran organized the 2016 International Show Caves Association Conference, with the objective of giving ISCA global members the chance to educate and immerse themselves in Omans geopolitical landscape. The conference will welcome several high profile local and international speakers as well as cover a series of research and educational papers on topics around show caves.



In association with the Ministry of Tourism, Omran has worked extensively on refurbishing the recently relaunched Al Hoota Cave. Since its reopening, visitor numbers to Al Hoota has surpassed expectations, with tourists from the UAE and Saudi Arabia frequently visiting the site. In the next few months, the show cave attraction will incorporate additional recreational features for the public, including rock climbing, and a ropes course.



Omrans ongoing project success hinges on its core philosophy of sustainability, transparency and partnering with renowned regional and international investors.- TradeArabia News Service


Saving over 439 people at the Hongqiao International Airport last October 11, Captain He Chao of Eastern Airlines was named a hero and given a reward. Already known as an "advanced party member", an honor given to just a few pilots, the pilot brought even more honor to his job, and massive thanksgiving to the 26 crew and 413 passengers he has saved.

The incident itself was filmed and showed Captain Chao's quick-thinking and sharp reflexes in maneuvering the A320 Jet Airbus he was preparing for takeoff. According to the NZ Herald, Chao noticed an A330 Airbus on the runway blocking the path while gathering speed to takeoff. Knowing that he did not have enough time to avoid the collision, Chao accelerated to full speed in order to take off sooner, enabling his plane to miss the other by a distance of only 19 meters. More than an hour later, Chao safely landed his flight in Tianjin.

The South China Morning Post says that the near collision was caused by errors on the part of air traffic controllers, and failure to communicate on the part of the rogue A330 Airbus. Because of this, two air traffic controllers lost their licenses and 13 other staff were sanctioned for this mishap.

The incident was widely covered in China due to its similarity to a disaster at the Canary in Islands in 1977 when 583 people were killed due to the miscalculation and collision of two passenger jets on the runway. In recent weeks, another aircraft in China also faced a near disaster, having flown in the wrong direction after takeoff from Southwest China. The crisis was averted by air traffic controllers who directed the flight back on course.

For his bravery and expertise, Chao, nicknamed "Captain Mighty" and "Captain Decisively", was awarded $605,000 and his colleagues in the cabin received $113,000.

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"Another girl from the school has come forward with complaint of rape against the accused Ittusingh Pawar and we are registering the FIR," said Buldhana Superintendent of Police Sanjay Baviskar.

By Press Trust of India: After the alleged rape of a girl studying at Ashram (residential) school in Buldhana district of Maharashtra came to light two days ago, another girl from the school came forward to lodge a complaint of rape against the same accused.

"Another girl from the school has come forward with complaint of rape against the accused Ittusingh Pawar and we are registering the FIR," said Buldhana Superintendent of Police Sanjay Baviskar.

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11 PERSONS ARRESTED

Police arrested 11 persons including Pawar (23), who worked as a sweeper at the school and the headmaster, staff and members of the school management after the first case surfaced. They were remanded in police custody by a local court for a week.

While the case was registered against 13 persons, two are absconding. Staff members of the school were arrested for not reporting the incident to the police.

Ashram shalas are government-run or government-aided residential schools, mainly for tribal children.

Pawar has been charged under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code while others were booked under various other relevant sections.

The first case came to light after former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse was approached by the family of the victim who hails from his Assembly constituency Muktainagar.

According to police, the girl, a class IV student at Nanji Kokare Adivasi Ashramshala at Lokanda Pala in Khamgaon taluka of Buldhana district, told her parents about the rape when she went home for Diwali vacations. The second girl who came up with complaint today is from the same class IV.

SEARCH ON FOR HEADMASTER, CLERK



Police are looking for Bharat Vishwasrao Lahudkar, headmaster of primary section, and the clerk Vijay Kokare.

Those who were remanded in police custody include president of the institute which runs the school, Gajanan Kokare, secretary Sanjay Kokare, joint Secretary Purushottam Kokare and the main accused Pawar.



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Airlines canceled nearly 100,000 flights last year - nearly three percent, or one of every 35. Nearly 9,500 more were "diverted. Cancellations are routine, particularly during wintertime because of the uncontrollable weather.

Forbes.com says that one third of all delays and cancellations are caused by maintenance issues, two thirds by weather. Delays accumulate exponentially throughout the day. One may follow different tips such as flying in the morning to avoid such delays due to maintenance issues. Others may opt to follow tips such as avoiding regional jets flying out of hub airports. For hub airports are said to depriorize small regional planes because bumping them affects fewer passengers and costs airlines less money than rerouting an AirBus.

But if such tips won't cover much of one's travel dilemma, rejoice for Post Office is now offering flight delay assistance cover as part of its travel insurance. The service will be offered to customers who experience flight delays of two or more hours.

According to www.express.co.uk, those customers will have access to more than 650 lounges in over 300 airports, where they will be allowed to use the amenities and services while they wait for their flight. The free-lounge access will become available to passengers with Post Office travel insurance on the announcement of a minimum two-hour delay. This however will not include two consecutive 60 minute delays. Those passengers who experience delays and qualify for free long access will be sent an access code via text or email.

The service will be free to all customers who have purchased premier or premier plus cover. And to qualify, you will have register your flight details at least 24 hours before departure. The story comes after Express.co.uk revealed travellers would may more if airlines offered a more personalised service. With the start of such trend for travel insurances, other agencies are sure to follow.

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Iraq opened its very first museum in decades and has surprisingly attracted global attention. In fact, it's where the museum is located that makes it even more interesting. Iraq has transformed Saddam Hussein's faux-rococo palace in Basra into a museum, near the border in Kuwait. The Basra Museum is Saddam Hussain's former Lakeside Palace, which has been described as a mock-Rococo structure that is one of nearly 100 lavish residences the former ruler has built during his reign.

According to BBC, the museum is composed of ancient artifacts dated for more than 2,000 years. The artifacts from 400 B.C contains pottery and coins, including silver coins minted in Basra, pottery, coffins and tiles, which documented the history of the ancient civilization, as reported by Travel and Leisure.

The choice of the location was neither accidental nor a question of convenience as the President of the Basra Museum said. Museum president Qahtan al-Obaid said that he deliberately chose the location to "replace the themes of dictatorship and tyranny with civilization and humanity," he told the Associated Press.

"Iraq is historically significant for many reasons, but at the top of the list must be that it encompasses areas where some of the earliest civilizations emerged," said Seth Cantey, professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, told BBC.

Based on BBC reports, the museum is said to be the culmination of an eight-year project to convey the history of southern Iraq. It will also help revitalize cultural revival in Basra.

Guests may visit the Basra Museum's five galleries from 9am to 3pm. The museum's entrance fee is currently set at $1 (70p) for Iraqi citizens and $10 (7) for foreign visitors. Meanwhile, guests can also visit the palace grounds for $.85 (60p), while some of the villas near the palace were available for hotel rooms, based on earlier reports made by DailyMail.co.uk.

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The northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is famous for its food--unique and having complex flavors, dishes on this side of the country have is what makes visitors fall in love with the place.

Chiang Mai travelers who love to eat and cook are in for a treat: this place has a lot of cooking schools for travelers. If you want impress your friends with Thai cooking when you go back home, this is a definite must-do. All you need to do is look for a school or cooking course online, and you can easily make arrangements. They'll take care of everything for you, arranging things like hotel pick up and drop off, the ingredients, and market tours.

Here are five cooking schools in Chiang Mai where you could learn to cook.

Mama Noi Thai Cookery School

Aside from taking care of your transportation, this school will take you to a market and explain the ingredients you'll be cooking with. You can choose from the following: half day class in the morning, half day class in the evening, and a full-day course.

Visit Mama Noi's website

Sammy's Organic Thai Cooking School

This one will take you to an organic farm near Chiang Mai. If you want to cook in a beautiful Chiang Mai countryside, this one's for you. Check out one traveler's well-documented experience here.

Visit Sammy's Facebook page

Dot Cooking School

This is for those who want to have semi-private classes. Most cooking schools have 10-20 students (sometimes more), but Dot focuses in smaller groups. Here, you can get a private class, which is perfect for honeymooners; a day-course with four people maximum; or long stays (four to six days).

Visit Dot Cooking School's website

Thai Farm Cooking School

Nearly 2,000 people travelers have ranked this one 'Excellent' on TripAdvisor, so you know you'll be in good hands. This one's another school that provides a wonderful farm backdrop while you cook.

Visit Thai Farm's website

Baan Thai Cookery School

This school promises guests that they will learn "how to cook real Thai food in a traditional Thai setting." Baan Thai has morning and evening courses (9:40am to 4:00am; 4:30pm to 8:30pm), and has very competitive prices.

Visit Baan Thai's website

Pro tip: It's best that you come to these cooking schools hungry! Just have a light snack before you go, as you will consume every dish that you will be making.

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As every good organic gardener knows, healthy plants need healthy, living soils. In fact, one acre of soil can contain as much as 40 tons of lifeall working together to maintain what's known as a soil food web.

So how do you tell how healthy and happy your soil is? Well, you look at it.

In this short video from the always entertaining Growing Your Greens, John Kohler explains what to look for as you dig into your soil. From earth worms to fungi, there's plenty of visible animal and plant activity you can see that should serve as an indicator of a healthy, living soil. Besides the worms and the fungi, I might add that color and structure can tell you an awful lot.

The darker your soil, generally speaking, the more organic matter it is likely to contain. And if you pull up a plant, the roots are well-spread out, and the soil comes crumbling awaythen you are doing something right. If the soil comes up in hard clumps and/or the roots are stunted, you may have a problem. (You can also look for water gathering on the soil surface as a sign of compaction.)

Just pulled up some soil and it's not looking good? Never fear. From no-dig gardening to extensive composting, there are plenty of ways to bring soil back to life.

If they can green an arid, salty desert, then you can revive an abused or neglected backyard plot.
One civilian has also been injured in the ceasefire violation in KG Sector of Poonch.

By India Today Web Desk: An Army soldier was killed today in cross-border firing along the LoC.

One civilian has also been injured in the ceasefire violation in KG Sector of Poonch.



Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked shelling at Indian positions along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing which has been started by Pakistan army to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said.

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Also read:

India giving befitting reply to Pakistan after series of ceasefire violations: BSF IG

"Indian Army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on," he said.

Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

Also read:

Exclusive: How India hit back after Pakistan's multiple ceasefire violations along LoC

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.

Also read:

Pakistan violates ceasefire in RS Pura sector of Jammu, fires mortar shells





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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The Centre has declined to share details on appointment of RBI Governor Urjit Patel and other candidates shortlisted for the top post in the central bank saying these are "cabinet papers" and cannot be made public.

Replying to an RTI query, the Cabinet Secretariat denied to share copy of minutes of the meetings of the search committee for selecting the RBI Governor, details of the candidates considered by it and its recommendations. "Information sought is exempted from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (i) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act," the Cabinet Secretariat said in reply to the RTI application.

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The Section bars disclosure of Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers.

"Provided that the decisions of council of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over," the Section reads.

Patel was on August 20 named as RBIs governor to succeed Raghuram Rajan, who demitted office on September 4. The Cabinet Secretariat said a Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee (FSRASC) has been constituted with the approval of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for recommending the names for appointment of chairperson and members of financial sector regulatory bodies including those of Governor and Deputy Governor of RBI.

The committee, which is headed by Cabinet Secretary, has as members Additional Principal Secretary to the PM, Secretary Department of Economic Affairs or Secretary Department of Financial Services (depending on administrative role), chairperson of the concerned regulatory authority and three outside experts of repute. PTI AKV ZMN AMS

--- ENDS ---
Chandigarh, November 5

To mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) observed Vigilance Awareness Week from October 31 to November 5 on the theme, Public Participation in Promoting Integrity and Eradiating Corruption.

The week began with the administration of the pledge by the heads of department at various BBMB project stations as well as the head office in Chandigarh. During this week, various competitions such as essay-writing, quiz and debate were also organised for BBMB employees and cash prizes were given to the winning candidates.

As part of its public outreach, a paper-reading competition on the theme was also conducted at Government College, Sector 46, and Government Polytechnic for Woman, Sector 10, here. A large number of students took part in the event. Prizes of Rs 1,500, 1,000 and 500 were given to the top three winners.

The second edition of the handbook, Dos and Donts for Better Vigilance Compliance, was also released on the occasion.  TNS
M. K. Bhadrakumar

India has done the right thing by not voicing opinions about the reality show that has been the presidential election on November 8. But, curiously, the government will be called upon to anticipate the policies of the next American presidency within 48 hours of the result of the election being known, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits down with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo for the annual summit of the two countries on Friday.

Unlike Modi's five-day triumphant tour of Japan two years ago, this will be an overnight business trip. But then, the ground beneath the feet has changed almost unrecognisably. At its most obvious level, what finally emerges from the rambunctious, raucous election campaign in the US is that America and India practise democracy very differently. American democracy is no longer 'of the people, by the people, for the people', while we seem to be far from that point still. Indeed, it will be sophistry to frame the defining partnership between the two countries as riveted on shared values.

Yet, the Joint Strategic Vision statement on the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region between India and the US, issued during President Barack Obama's visit in January last year, grandiloquently begins, As the leaders of the world's two largest democracies that bridge the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region From a foreign-policy perspective, this becomes an embarrassing declaration today. In the Asian theatre, Indias natural habitat, we seem to stand akimbo - looking lost and forlorn.

From the Indian viewpoint, no leadership in our countrys independent history of seven decades ever signed up on a document, as Modi did 22 months ago, that looks so hopelessly dated. How did this happen? What is the guarantee that like the Bourbons, the Indian leadership may have learned nothing, as the great European statesman Talleyrand put it, and Indias Asia-Pacific policies would keep moving in a widening gyre as if sleepwalking?

How to explain the new fault line that has appeared in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean? At its most obvious level, the US rebalance strategy in Asia has floundered. At its core, events through recent months have shown up that Washington's hopes that the regional states will help it counterbalance Chinas influence have been dashed. An unpromising regional environment is appearing for the next US President.

The fact of the matter is that while America's political class got immersed in a brutal struggle over retaining power in their country in terms of established norms and practices, the strategic loyalties in Asia began showing some fundamental shifts. Obamas successor, whoever that be, is fated to deal with a vastly different Asian region.

Given an ambitious agenda of domestic policy initiatives that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton share, there is little likelihood of the next US President departing from the policies of 'hedged engagement' of China that had been pursued by eight previous administrations since Richard Nixon. The singular message out of the traumatic backdrop to the November election is that America's domestic problems have reached criticality. The US cannot afford to make an enemy out of China. The relationship is the most consequential one for US foreign policy and needs great attention but that will not entail radical shifts in policy. The stakes are too high (for both sides) to allow relations to become adversarial.

On the other hand, longstanding US relationships in the Asian region face risk of disintegration. Ironically, Southeast Asian international relations are increasingly motivated by imperatives that Modi used to espouse himself not too long ago  nationalism, independence and flexibility in foreign policy. The Philippine Foreign Minister, Prefecto Yasay, poignantly summed up the foreign-policy angst: The United States held on to invisible chains that reined us in towards dependence and submission as little brown brothers not capable of true independence and freedom.

But this is not to be confused with old-fashioned anti-Americanism. What drives the courageous leadership in a long-dependent country such as the Philippines is basically its acute realisation that the country's focus is on survival and economic development  not geopolitics.

Secondly, emanating from the above, the Philippines cannot but take a realistic perspective toward China. Three things must be noted here. One, the US cannot be expected to fight a war on behalf of the Philippines if ever a conflict erupts with China. So, it gains nothing when Washington peddles it around as a pathetic victim of China deserving sympathy, with a view to rallying other countries behind the rebalance strategy.

Two, the US itself never loses sight of constructively engaging China in its self-interest, calibrating the tensions from ever becoming confrontational and remaining flexible to switch to a conciliatory mode whenever occasions demanded. Thus, the Obama administration had no qualms about soliciting Chinese support on the Paris climate change accords, which of course matter to the US' core interests concerning profound issues of transfer of wealth and trade and investment that are extremely vital for sustaining American economic prosperity in the medium term.

Three, simply put, Chinas economic largesse is today holding far greater appeal than the US can compete in economic terms. Specifically, Asian countries find it pragmatic to dovetail their national development with Chinas One Belt One Road Initiative. (This is also what we witness in the case of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.)

How long can India continue with its contrarian mindset? When Chinese warships steamed into Vietnams Cam Ranh Bay Base two weeks ago, when Malaysia has just decided to buy littoral mission ships from China by spurning the US alternative offer, when the Philippines wishes to roll back its military alliance with the US, when Thailand expands its military ties with a billion-dollar purchase of Chinese submarines, it is apparent that the ripple effect is spreading rapidly. What we get here is a combined signal of the region pulling back from the US and outreach to China  not erratic behaviour by some maverick leaders, as Western media tend to caricature.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was regarded as pro-US, or his pro-West Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe, and indeed Bangladeshs India-friendly Sheikh Hasina  they all see Asias tryst with destiny in similar terms. Modi should have been one of them, too.

Clearly, the US' rebalance strategy in Asia is unravelling and it is virtually impossible for the next US President to roll back the tide. We should take note that no one talks any more about 'Indo-Pacific'. It is high time to realise that the Modi government's two-year-old 'Act East' was built on a house of sand.

The writer is a former ambassador.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 6

Heroin valued at Rs 2 crore in the international market has been recovered from an Afghan national who had swallowed 57 capsules containing the drugs here, police said today.

Two Afghan nationals were going to Afghanistan by Kam Air a day ago. One of them, namely Ghulam Rabani, 43, suddenly became unwell at the airport.

He was offloaded by the airlines and this came to the notice of the local police. Accordingly, senior policemen assessed the situation and circumstances. The condition of the passenger was such that it arose suspicion regarding reasons for his state of health.

He had arrived in India on medical visa in October, 2016 but had not visited any hospital for treatment. He was sent to AIIMS Hospital through CATs ambulance. The doctors were consulted and they were advised to examine whether the passenger had swallowed some contraband to escape the eyes of law.

The DCP Sanjay Bhatia, IGI, said, "The patient was admitted in the hospital. Police watch was constantly maintained upon him and the suspicion turned into reality when during treatment it was established that the passenger had swallowed a large number of capsules. He was operated upon by the doctors and during surgery the doctors took out from his stomach 57 capsules of very big size."

These capsules were made of polythene. The weight of contraband was 525 grams.

The capsules were opened and it was found containing heroin, the DCP said.
The National Green Tribunal has, once again, expressed outrage over the Central and Delhi governments inability to make a dent in the increasing air pollution that the inhabitants of the Capital city have to bear. In response, it has received promises and expressions of urgency. What is, however, more notable is the manner in which the governments concerned, including states in the wider NCR, have blamed one another. That is a sure giveaway that the governments are not sincere in moving with the vigour required to make a measurable difference. A complaint that people outside Delhi may justifiably make is that there seems to be a disproportionate noise regarding the Capital while the situation is only marginally better in the neighbouring Haryana. Farm fires in the state have made noon look like dusk during the past week.

The frustration of the NGT is understandable. The common man too feels helpless. Unfortunately, even as the common man suffers, he has stubbornly refused to see the direct relation between many of his actions and members of his family suffering from ill health. The abandon with which people celebrated Diwali with firecrackers, despite a sustained all-round campaign against the practice, is a proof. The damage farmers do to their own fields by burning crop residue is largely understood by them, but probably the real import has yet to sink in. Governments will continue to remain unable to take action in this matter, as it is bound to be unpopular. The need to create more awareness, thus, cannot be overemphasised.

A few specifics have been picked for immediate action by the NGT and the Centre, such as garbage burning and farm smoke. That still leaves the biggest scourge  motorcars  unaddressed. Transport in our cities packed with people is one of humanity's biggest challenges today. It is obvious building more flyovers and roads only prolongs the agony. The real solution lies only in public transport, in which incremental investment will no longer do; a drastic change of approach is required. Or lives will continue to disappear in thick air.
Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, November 5

It takes a visit to quaint village of Mohammad Ahir in Tawdu in Mewat district to blow apart claims of parties about their commitment towards martyred soldiers and their families.

In a modest home, lives Sushila Devi, widow Shaurya Chakra awardee Dev Kumar who had died serving in Afghanistan in suicide bombing in 2008.

For a few years, she lived with pride  the honour of being the widow of a soldier who died serving the country. But pride gave way to disillusionment; she has been struggling to get Shaurya Chakra pension.

My husband was in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and sent to Afghanistan in 2008. Before leaving, he had told me he may never return and asked me to be proud if he died, Sushila Devi says.

Kumar died in 2008 and was awarded Shaurya Chakra 2009. That was the proudest moment of my life, Devi says.

He was the sole bread earner. I got his pension, but that was not enough. I was then told about Shaurya Chakra pension given by the state. I applied for it and thus started my struggle, said Sushila.

She made regular trips to Chandigarh to check the progress of her application for pension. Initially, men from my family would do visit Chandigarh. Soon, they realised it was a futile task. So, I took it upon myself. I went to Chandigarh almost every week and, every time, officials ignored me. Somebody suggested I meet local leaders, but that was no help either, Devi says.

In December 2014 and July this year, Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh had written to officials on her behalf, but to avail.

He was kind enough to take up my case. But probably all that a soldier gets in this country is an award. Indifference and insult follows. I hope that the hue and cry over the OROP scheme may force leaders to spare a thought about me, Sushila adds.

Nuh MLA Zakir Hussain said, This is ironic. Both the Congress and the BJP have let many like her down. She is not asking for any help, but her right which her husband earned laying his life in the line of duty. The INLD will take her case with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 6

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the education sector had suffered the most during the ongoing turmoil and hoped that the prevailing situation would improve.

As Mahatma Gandhi saw a ray of hope in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, I also see a similar ray of hope that things will be back to normal soon, Mehbooba said. She said while the rich could manage the education of their children outside the state, the students from poor families had suffered a massive academic loss.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a function held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre here today while launching the Empowering the Girl Child scheme.

Mehbooba handed over keys of scooters to 300 girl students of Government Colleges for Women at MA Road and Nawakadal in Srinagar. She also handed over the keys to 150 students of Government Womens College, Baramulla, at a separate function held at the Dak Bungalow, Baramulla. Under the scheme, the government provides subsidy on scooters for meritorious girl students.

The Chief Minister also announced All-Terrain Mountain Bike scheme for meritorious boys of Class X belonging to lower economic background on the pattern of Scooty scheme for the girl students.

Listing women empowerment as one of her top agenda, the Chief Minister said women were important stakeholders in making Jammu and Kashmir a peaceful and progressive state.

Women have a huge stake in peace as they are the first casualty of any trauma or violence. Also, the brunt of the societal loss is rather borne more by the women than the men. In our world which is full of chaos, investment must be made to empower women. If you empower a girl or a woman, you are empowering the entire nation, she said.

Noting that women in society struggle throughout their life starting right from their birth and face various difficulties, she said this scheme was a part of an endeavour to empower the girl child and to facilitate her independent mobility.

She said under the scheme, the government would facilitate 50 per cent sponsorship of the cost of Scooty for college-going girls. Besides giving them mobility, these scooters would promote confidence in girls, she added.
The Amity University student, who committed suicide left a note for his parents saying they did enough for him.

By India Today Web Desk: The 21-year-old student of Amity University, who allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his hostel room in Noida on Saturday perhaps knew what he was about to do, was a devastating thing.

In his suicide note, addressing to his parents, G Sai Krishna wrote that ending one's life was 'not easy'.

Krishna was a native of Telangana. He was a first year student of post graduate diploma in facilities management. He had joined the course recently, the police said.

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READ: Over 100 Amity students protest, demand justice for Sushant Rohilla

FATHER HAD SCOLDED KRISHNA

Krishna's father is an advocate in Telangana. According to police, Krishna was scolded by his father a few days back over his studies. Krishna's father was reportedly also upset with him for borrowing money from someone as it had not been paid back.

Krishna allegedly hanged himself Saturday evening in his hostel room. Police investigation is on ascertain as to the flashpoint that prompted him to end his life.

The hostel was empty at that time as other students had gone for Diwali holidays, SHO of Sector 39 police station, Amarnath Yadav said. Krishna was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead, the SHO said.

THE SUICIDE NOTE

The Amity student left a note written in Telugu, addressed to his parents. In his note, Krishna wrote that committing suicide was not easy and told his parents that they have done a lot for him.

The body has been handed over to his family after post-mortem, police said.

Krishna's father G Deendayal Reddy claimed, "Krishna had never told us about any issue he faced which could lead him to suicide."

READ: Sushant Rohilla suicide case: Amity Law School faculty members resign

WHAT DID AMITY SAY

Amity University spokesperson Savita Mehta said, "We are cooperating with police in investigation. Also, we have set up a counselling centre for students who need help."

"Psychologist is also available to help the students to come out of depression," the spokesperson said.

ANOTHER SUICIDE

In August, Sushant Rohilla- a student of BA-LLB course in the university- had allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Delhi.

The deceased, who was the son of a joint secretary-level official in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, was debarred from appearing in the sixth semester exams in May due to "shortage of attendance".

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ:

We killed him. He used to mock us for our accent: Amity University student's killers





--- ENDS ---
Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 6

Exactly four months after Kashmir was locked down and normal life still remains disturbed, the Darbar offices will open in here tomorrow with an aim of giving a new lease of life to the government.

This will be an opportunity for the government to compensate for the losses suffered during the period of unrest in the Valley and reverse the governance deficit.

The darbar will open with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti taking the guard of honour at the civil secretariat here at 10 am tomorrow.

All eyes will be on her as to how she will use the opportunity to reunite her Council of Ministers and the administration and restart work in the civil secretariat as it will be for the first time since July 8 that all civil secretariat employees will attend the office without any fear.

This is surely going to be an opportunity to provide good governance and carry out the development works in all three regions. The situation in the Valley is improving and more things need to be done to further provide better governance, said Abdul Rehman Veeri, Public Works Minister.

The Darbar move is an biannual feature in which the civil secretariat stays for six months of winter (from November to April) in Jammu, the winter capital, and returns to the Valley for the summer months (May to October). The practice is on in the state since the time of Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh who first introduced it in 1872.

Once Darbar opens in Jammu, the state governments first priority will be to normalise the situation in Kashmir and reopen schools, besides start work on development projects which have suffered a setback.

The government will have the space and time to utilise all its resources and give the administration a new lease of life.

In the past two years, Jammu didnt reap the benefits of the Darbar in 2014-15 as the Assembly elections and government formation took the first four months and this year from January 7 to April 4, there was no government in place after the death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Now, this time, the people of Jammu are hopeful that good governance will be delivered to them.

Meanwhile, Jammu is geared up to welcome the move employees, their families, who are looking for a break from the ongoing unrest in Kashmir. All roads have been spruced and markets are ready to welcome potential customers, which will give a boost to the economy of Jammu.
Srinagar, November 6

Describing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as "extremely fragile", state DGP K Rajendra has said around 300 militants are active in the state and that continuing infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) is a cause of worry.

"The continuing infiltration along the border is a cause of worry, which can change the whole game," the Director General of Police (DGP) told a meeting of top civil and police officials of the state, chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, here on Saturday.

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Referring to the situation in Kashmir where the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July completed four months, Rajendra said even though the intensity and spread of the situation has come down, it continued to be "extremely fragile".

"While the intensity and spread of situation has come down, the situation is extremely fragile. At present, 250-300 militants are active. Given the present situation, we need to have a road map for next two-three months," he said.

The DGP said at least 70 buildings have been set ablaze by miscreants during the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

"53 of these 70 buildings have been damaged totally," the police chief said.

He said the restoration of normalcy will remain the top priority for the forces in coming days.

"While a semblance of normalcy has been restored, there is no scope for complacency. Police will continue its drive against miscreants," he said.

At the meeting, Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of Kashmir division made detailed presentations on the ongoing development works, some of which have been affected due to the situation.

They also provided figures on the number of cases filed over the last four months and the arrests made in those cases. PTI
Amir Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 6

Two Indian Army soldiers were killed and five others  two soldiers, two civilian women and a BSF officer  were injured on Sunday after the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked shelling at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing, which has been started by the Pakistan Army to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said here.

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"Gursevak Singh of 22 Sikh regiment and another soldier were martyred in Pakistan firing today (Sunday)," the official said, adding that the ceasefire violation also continues in Balnoi area of the district.

Singh hailed from Taran Taran in Punjab.

He said two jawans were also injured. "The Indian Army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on," he said.

The soldier killed Poonch sector has been identified as Naik Tukpare Rajendra Narayan of Maharashtra's Kolhapur district.

A BSF Sub-Inspector, Nitin Kumar, was also injured in the firing.

In Krishna Ghati, Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids, killing Sepoy Gursevak Singh, an army officer said, adding that the attempts to push in infiltrators have been foiled.

The injured women have been identified Saleema Akhtar and Zareefa Begum, both residents of Poonch.

Zareefa Begum works as a special police officer. They have been admitted to a hospital in Poonch where their conditions were stated to be stable, a police officer said.

Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons," an army spokesman said, adding that "our troops are responding befittingly, there has been heavy damage to Pakistan army posts."

"The army foiled two infiltration bids on the intervening night of November 5 and 6 along Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector," he said.

"The infiltrators opened fire while trying to sneak back towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir side of the Line of Control (LoC). In the ensuing firefight with infiltrators, Sepoy Gursevak Singh suffered gunshot wound and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated," he said.

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.  With inputs from Agencies
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 5

At least 30 persons were injured in clashes with police personnel following the death of a teenage boy late last night. Qaisar Hamid Sofi, 17, was admitted to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) on October 28. He was found unconscious a day after he had reportedly gone missing.

Mourners, carrying his body to the cemetery, raised slogans against the forces for having killed him. As the situation turned tense, the police lobbed teargas shells and fired into the air, resulting in injuries to 30 persons who were taken to the nearby SMHS Hospital.

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After Qaisar's burial, a mob gathered near the Safakadal mosque and threw stones at the police and security personnel deployed in the area. A few policemen were injured. Some civilians were injured too. The police claimed Qaisar was found near the city's CIE complex with froth oozing from his mouth and that doctors at SKIMS had said he had a history of GTCS (epilepsy).
New Delhi, November 6

Around 200 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students as well as missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmads mother were detained here on Sunday while they were proceeding to stage a protest near India Gate against police inaction in the case.

One of the protesters, Shahid Raza, alleged that police manhandled Najeeb's mother Fatima. The detainees were later taken to Mandir Marg police station, police said.

"The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Najeeb's mother... in fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official," Raza told IANS.

We only went there (at India Gate) to sit but police dragged us and manhandled us while removing us: #NajeebAhmed's mother pic.twitter.com/TwSOgNbWnV  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

"Najeeb's mother being dragged away by Delhi Police. In this country, a mother cannot publicly protest for her missing son," tweeted Pratik Sinha.

A police official told IANS that the protesters were detained since restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning assembly of four or more people at one place, are in force around India Gate.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who met the JNU students ahead of their protest, questioned why the Centre is "scared" of the students.

"I want to ask Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi -- why is he so scared of students," Kejriwal told reporters.

The Chief Minister said that if even half of the policemen deployed on Sunday were used to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.

"If you stop the youths, they will get more agitated. I have told you many times, Modi-ji, don't mess with students," he later said in a tweet.

JNU Students Union general secretary Satarupa Chakraborty, meanwhile, said they were protesting as no effective action had been taken to find the student who has been missing since October 15.

"The students who beat up Najeeb were called for interrogation only on Saturday. This is too little, too late," Chakraborty said.  IANS
New Delhi, November 6

The Delhi Government on Sunday ordered all constructions and demolitions in the city to be shut down for five days as it announced measures to combat the alarming rise in Delhis pollution levels.

Emerging from an emergency cabinet meet, Kejriwal said the government will discuss with the Centre the possibility of engineering artificial rain in the city that has turned into a "gas chamber" mainly due to large-scale crop burning in Haryana and Punjab.

The Aam Aadmi Party government was considering reintroducing its "odd-even" road restrictions.

He said all construction and demolition work in the city will banned for five days and water will be sprinkled on roads to deal with dust pollution, adding strict action will be taken against those found burning garbage.

"Schools will be closed for the next three days. Health department will issue the first pollution advisory tomorrow.

We also appeal to people to stay indoors and work from home, if possible. We are also starting the preparation for odd-even. We will make an assessment in the next few days and implement it, if need be," he told reporters at his residence.

The chief minister said the Cabinet had received a proposal to go for artificial rain through cloud seeding.

"We have asked the chief secretary and the environment secretary to work with the Centre and assess its possibility and effectiveness," he said, asking peoople to avoid going out if they could and work from home.

Instead of politicising Delhi's pollution issue, we need to solve it together, the chief minister said, as he blamed the pollution on crop burning in Punjab and Haryana, although he admitted that it was unlikely to be given up so soon.

The dangerous rise in pollution in the city has led to central government calling a meeting of environment ministers of neighbouring states on Monday.

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Already counted among the worlds most polluted cities, Delhis pollution has been fuelled by crop burning in neighbouring states such as Punjab and Haryana, experts say.

Kejriwal asked the central government to intervene on Saturday as residents complained of being unable to breathe.

"I saw smoke across Punjab, Haryana during my visits. We need Centre's help. We are hiring an agency in a week or two to study the sources of pollution in Delhi afresh. The Centre needs to intervene," he said.

Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung has also called a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss solutions to the escalating problem.

Meanwhile, latest Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city in the morning showed PM10 at 999 in RK Puram and Punjabi Bagh, 662 at Shanti Path and 436 at the IGI Airport.

(Also read: Smog leads to vehicle pile-ups on NH-1; two killed, several injured)

Hundreds of citizens held a protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar to call for government action. Two Ranji trphy matches have been called off due to the smog.

Asthama cases rise

Hospitals across the city reported a rise in cases of severe breathlessness, asthma and allergy over the past few days.

Doctors and experts say that besides spike in fresh cases, health complications have aggravated in people having a history of asthma, allergy or other related ailments.

"Earlier 15-20 per cent pollution-related ailment cases were reported at our hospital. But now these have gone up to 60 per cent. The most common problem is related to respiration. But this time we are seeing a rather large number of cases of severe breathlessness, coughing and sneezing and bronchiolitis due to the smog," says Dr SP Byotra, senior consultant and chairman of the department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs.

"Children and elderly are the most vulnerable to infections and allergies due to smog and pollution. So, they should take extra care, and try not to venture during early morning and at dusk when the toxic level is highest," Byotra says.

"We are seeing a rise of 60-70 per cent in ailment cases related to pollution. Breathlessness, asthma, eye and skin allergies case have jumped. We are getting patients as young as a two-month-old baby who had bronchiolitis. People who had a history of or are predisposed to such ailments, such cases have also risen. Children getting affected more, as their immunological state is low. Besides, the infections are taking longer time to subside," says Dr Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head, Pediatrics, at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj.

"Children should as far as possible avoid venturing out in the open early morning and late evening, and peak hours of the pollution. The number of cases have increased due to the smog in the last few days," Dr VK Paul, a pediatrician at AIIMS, says.

Cases of asthma and allergy have also doubled at Apollo Hospital in south Delhi, with doctors saying cases of coughing, sneezing, and eye and skin allergy on the rise in the wake of thick smog that has engulfed the city for past few days.

"The incidences have surely risen, and in many ailments it has doubled almost. Asthma, allergy and other ailments triggered by pollution have increased and it is the elderly, who are suffering the most," consultant (internal medicine) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Dr Suranjit Chatterjee says.

Nearly 17,000 schools under the three municipal corporations of Delhi were closed on Saturday because of the smog.

Air pollution is killing nearly eight lakh people annually in the South East Asian Region, with India alone accounting for over 75 per cent of the casualties caused by cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, according to WHO.

According to a recent WHO report, a few Indian cities, including Delhi, Patna and Gwalior, were identified as among the severely polluted cities in the world. Experts say global warming and pollution are among the major factors responsible for causing allergic ailments.

'No crop burning'

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal however brushed aside Kejriwals allegations that crop burning in the state fuelled Delhis pollution.

We have asked them several times not to burn the stubble. We have also given them machines, which can help in cutting of crops in a better way but they do some or the other mistake, Badal told the press.  Agencies
New Delhi, November 6

Despite international pressure, the Centre is likely to junk the Bill on inter-parental child abduction, which deals with child custody issues for NRI couples, and would have paved the way for India's accession to the Hague Convention.

The Law Commission, though, recently submitted its report to the Law Ministry sticking to its 2007 stand advising the government to accede to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspect of International Child Abduction (1980).

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"We are very clear that we are not signing the Hague Convention. This is a decision collectively arrived at by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)," said a senior WCD Ministry official.

On June 22, 2016, the WCD Ministry had uploaded on its website a proposal to enact a draft of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Bill, 2016. Subsequently, the draft Bill was placed on the website seeking comments.

The draft Bill was prepared following a reference made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Law Commission of India and the WCD Ministry to examine the issue and consider whether recommendations should be made to enact a suitable law and for signing the Hague Convention.

However, the Bill has since been removed from the Ministry website.

The draft envisaged "prompt return of children wrongfully removed or retained in a contracting state, and to ensure that rights of custody and of access under the law of one contracting state are respected in other contracting states."

It also proposed a central authority to discover the whereabouts of a child, to prevent further harm to any such child and to secure the voluntary return of the child to the signatory nation.

WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi has expressed apprehension over acceding to the Convention at several forums, primarily on two grounds -- that taking such a decision will not be in the interest of aggrieved women and because the government maintains that there are fewer instances of Indian children being abducted and taken abroad.

At an event last month she had said, "Personally, in the beginning, when I was new, I thought we should join the Convention because we get protection. But with time and after interacting with women who have been abandoned by their husbands abroad, had their passports snatched from them, been beaten up, and have somehow scraped the money and are in terrible fear, I wonder whether we should join or not."

The draft Bill also made it clear that a decision under the Hague Convention to return a child would not be final and courts will have the power to deny custody on certain grounds.

These grounds are two-fold -- firstly, if the person having the care of the child was not actually exercising the custody rights and secondly, if he/she put the child at a grave risk of physical/psychological harm.

The Law Commission report had an additional exception to Hague Convention: "The person who is allegedly involved in wrongful removal or retention, was fleeing from any incidence of domestic violence."

It also recommended a jail term of one year for any parent or family member found guilty of wrongfully retaining or removing a child from the custody of the other parent.

Legal experts say that while the Hague Convention does have safeguards for women, India can also have a domestic law with stronger protection and then accede to the Convention.

"The Convention is to protect the interest of children. It is not for protecting the interest of the women. However, Article 13 of the Hague Convention states circumstances under which the child can't be ordered to be returned. Additionally, according to the draft prepared by the WCD Ministry, the central authority can decide whether to accept or not an application demanding that a child be returned.

However, the draft bill also then specifies exceptions under which a child can't be returned. So, there is a three-tier protection available to women," according to Anil Malhotra, who was the amicus curiae when the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave its recommendations on the matter.

"Not signing the Convention is not a good idea. This is like going backwards. If you make safeguards, checks and balances, you should sign the Convention and become a part of a civilised order whereby free movement of children is allowed," Malhotra said.

There is immense international pressure on India, especially from the US and the UK, to accede to the Convention.

Susan S Jacobs, special adviser on children's issues, the US State Department, had met WCD Minister Gandhi on September 15. There are at least 80 cases where an Indian parent has removed the child from the US and brought them to India.

The Hague Convention, signed by 94 countries, provides for a mechanism to return a child internationally abducted by a parent from one member country to another. PTI
Tokyo, November 6

India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.

Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.

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India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.

The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.

During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported. Reuters
New Delhi, November 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be the mascot of Incredible India campaign with the Tourism Ministry finally deciding to do away with plans to rope in any Bollywood star, including Amitabh Bachchan, for the role which was lying vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year.

No Bollywood actor will be engaged for the campaign aimed at attracting foreign travellers and video footages of Modi during the last two-and-a-half years where he has talked about tourism in India and abroad, will be used for the campaign, a senior ministry official said.

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The ministry is planning to usefor video and audio releasetwo types of videos of different durations where Modi had talked about the uniqueness and diversity of the various places in the country, the official said.

At present, the ministry is working on selecting the footages, the official said, adding that the campaign would be released in the next 40-45 days as the Indian tourism season starts by November-end due to favourable weather as also the Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations.

The official said the process of selecting the agency, which will carry out the task of running the campaign, is also under the process.

Earlier, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had endorsed Modis persona for the role, saying he was the best face to promote Incredible India campaign. He had asserted that the country had witnessed a jump in the tourist inflow from the countries the Prime Minister had visited.

He had said that the ministry need not have any Bollywood face for the campaign to attract tourists from overseas.

The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister, Sharma had said.

Supporting Sharmas remarks, a senior ministry official said tourist inflow from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Australia, the UK, Canada and Myanmar, among others, has witnessed a significant jump after Modis visit to these nations.

Earlier names of megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Priyanka Chopra were doing rounds for the campaign aimed at promoting India as a favourite tourist destination abroad after actor Aamir Khans ouster as the campaigns brand ambassador.

Though it was believed that Khan was eased out of the campaign in January after being associated with it for several years for his remarks on perceived intolerance, the Tourism Ministry had maintained that he was not hired by the government and that the contract with the advertising agency which engaged him had expired.  PTI
The Union Environment Ministry will hold an emergency meet with Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana on Monday.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: Union Environment Ministry has called for a high level meeting with neighboring states to chart out further strategy to deal with 'severe' air quality in Delhi on Monday.

The meeting, which will take place in Parivavaran Bhawan, will be chaired by Union Environment Minister Anil Dave around noon. The State Environment Minister of Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana will be attending this meeting.

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"We are monitoring the situation closely. In the meeting with states ministers, will discuss what all immediate steps are requried to improve the situation in Delhi," said Dave.

Talking to India Today, Dave said the top most priority is to correct the 'air quality' situation in Delhi. He added that Central government will also consult experts in order to form laws in cases advisories and norms aren't followed to the hilt.

"Experts, scientists will be consulted and and we will take inputs from them that in case these steps are not implemented then what laws should be framed. What stringtent action is required. But first the priority is to correct the air quality situation," added the Environment Minister.



BLAME GAME OF STATES

Meanwhile, the political blame game broke out among Central government and Delhi government on Sunday after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal again blamed neighbouring states for national capital's air quality mess.

Congress too accused central government of not being able to get the laws implemented fully. Congress leader Ashwini Kumar, who is former Chairman, Parliament standing committee on Environment said that Central government has failed in getting the laws implemented by states because of which the air pollution situation wouldn't have been this severe.

Also read:

Delhi pollution: Smog blanket to continue for the next 3 days, says Met Dept

Delhi smog: Government announces emergency measures, schools shut for 3 days, work from home advised

--- ENDS ---
Legal Correspondent



New Delhi, November 6

The Delhi High Court has ruled that a wifes demand for morning tea on the bed and denial of physical intimacy during pregnancy would not amount to being cruel to her husband, justifying grant of divorce.

A Bench comprising Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Pratibha Rani held that the demand for tea to be served on bed would at best show that the woman was lazy and laziness is not cruelty.

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The Bench remarked that the woman would obviously be inconvenienced by sex while carrying the foetus in the womb and assuming she totally shunned sex with the petitioner as her pregnancy grew would not constitute cruelty.

The husband had approached the HC after the family court had rejected his plea for divorce. The family court had ruled that all his allegations, including her illicit relations and insults in the presence of his relatives, were vague and as such no case was made out to annul the marriage solemnised in February 2012.

Having re-appreciated the evidence, we reach the same conclusion as has been arrived at by the learning Judge, Family Court. The appeal is dismissed, the HC ruled.
New Delhi, November 6

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that President Pranab Mukherjee had promised to seek a report from the Home Ministry on a JNU student missing for over three weeks.

The President gave the assurance when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader called on him, Kejriwal said in a Tweet.

The Chief Minister said he sought the President's intervention regarding Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University on October 15 after a tiff with alleged members of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

"He (President) assured (me) of support and (said) he will seek (a) report from MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) and JNU," Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, JNU students protested against the government near India Gate IANS
New York, November 6

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the "grave atrocities" being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the High Commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

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Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the High Commissioner for sending fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on the ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the High Commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.  IANS
Orlando, November 6

Donald Trump's son Eric participated in a traditional 'aarti' at a Hindu temple in Florida to woo Indian-Americans as the Republican presidential nominee's family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his victory in the November 8 election.

Eric, 32, arrived at the temple in Orlando in a suit, but changed his clothes and wore a cream-coloured sherwani to attend the 'aarti'.

He took a tour of the temple where the priest explained him the significance of aarti and other rituals. He was also told the tales of God Rama and Krishna.

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The priest presented him a saffron stole.

The crucial swing state of Florida has a wealthy and growing Hindu population which could play a significant role in the election.

Earlier Donald Trump, in his efforts to woo the Indian community, borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's winning slogan of the 2014 general elections and was seen in a TV ad saying "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar".

This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeting the Indian-American vote bank.

Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu temple in the key swing state of Virginia as part of the Republican presidential nominee's efforts to reach out to the Indian-American community.

Lara had said Donald Trump has great love and affection for India and its people.

As a mark of respect to the Indian culture, she removed her shoes before entering the Rajdhani temple in Virginia.

"I really like Hindu culture and I respect It," she had said.

Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was also scheduled to visit the temple but the Trump campaign asked her to go to a different place given the fast-changing dynamics of the polls.

PTI
Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Kartarpur, November 6

The much-hyped opening of Jang-e-Azadi memorial by the SAD-BJP government at Kartarpur got marred owing to protests by families of freedom fighters at the venue here on Sunday.

Family members of nearly 400 freedom fighters, who were invited to the function, rued that they had been assured of fulfillment of their demands but no such announcement came from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

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As soon as the CMs speech got over and the function came to an end, the kin of freedom fighters stood up and lodged protest by raising anti-Badal slogans.

They said none of their demands, including starting of pension scheme for the wards of the freedom fighters in line with the neighbouring states, giving bus passes and waiving toll tax, had been fulfilled by the government despite repeated requests.

None of the SAD-BJP leaders came to pacify the protesters. Association of Freedom Fighters president Harinder Singh Khalsa said, There is no point in spending hundreds of crores of rupees on memorials in the name of freedom fighters while completely ignoring small demands of their families.

While separate enclosures were set up for the lunch of freedom fighters families, they refused to take food. Barricades were laid by the police to stop them from going out without lunch but they refused to budge and were finally allowed to leave.
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, November 6

The Supreme Court is set to give its opinion on the Presidential reference over the validity of the controversial Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, this week, ahead of the retirement of Justice Shiva Kirti Singh on November 12.

A five-member Constitution Bench headed by Justice Anil R Dave, who is also slated to retire on November 18, had concluded hearing arguments on the issue on May 12. The other members of the bench are Justices PC Ghose, AK Goel and Amitava Roy.

The case involves sharing of Ravi-Beas river waters primarily between Punjab and Haryana, besides Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh.

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On March 17, the bench had directed the Punjab government and the Centre to maintain status quo on the land acquired for the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, thus stalling the move to return it to the farmers.

The bench passed the order on Haryanas plea for appointing the Centre as the court receiver of the land to prevent Punjab from returning about 4,000 acres of land to the farmers under a law passed in the Assembly on March 14.

Haryana had filed an application against the move to return the land acquired for the SYL canal, pleading for its hearing along with the Presidential reference on the 2004 PTA Act under which Punjab unilaterally cancelled its inter-state river water sharing agreements.

Haryana pleaded that Punjab had enacted the 2004 Act to nullify the SC verdicts for the completion of the SYL canal and deny it its share of Ravi-Beas waters, while the 2016 Act was meant to render the Presidential reference irrelevant.

Punjab, however, pleaded that since the SC verdicts on SYL were no longer valid in view of the 2004 Act, the 2016 legislation for return of SYL land did not violate any SC order.

Punjab also contended that the SC opinion on the 2004 reference would not be binding on the parties. Making it binding would render the Punjabs plea for a fresh tribunal meaningless.

The tribunal was necessary to decide the eligibility and entitlement of each state to share the Ravi-Beas waters, going by the rights of riparian states and the reduced flow in these two rivers.

The Centre, however, pleaded Punjab could not defend its 2004 Act as well as seek a fresh tribunal. Declaring the Act valid would render meaningless the two SC judgements for completion of the SYL canal as well as Punjabs plea for a fresh tribunal.

If Punjab wanted to terminate its water sharing agreements, where was the need for a tribunal, the Centre said. It, however, clarified that it was taking a neutral stand on the dispute.

Rajasthan argued that Gaggar river that flowed through the state was part of the Indus basin and as such it should be treated as a basin state. Punjab, however, said this contention had already been rejected by the expert panel of Rama Prasad.

Punjab clarified that it was honouring and would continue to honour its commitments to upper riparian states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, besides Chandigarh.

Delhi maintained that it had nothing to do with the dispute and only wanted an assurance that the city would continue to get its share of river water.

Haryana has requested the bench to keep alive its status quo order on SYL land even after giving its opinion on the Presidential reference. The state has filed another application for this purpose with a plea that this should be taken up immediately after the reference was answered.

Punjab wants constitution of a fresh tribunal to ascertain the present flow of water and decide the entitlement of each state on the basis of the rights of riparian and non-riparian states under national and international laws.
Ashok Kaura

Tribune News Service

Phillaur, November 6

A native of Uttar Pradesh who was working as a domestic help at SAD leader Baldev Khairas home was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Khaira village here on Sunday.

Mohit Kumar (25) who belonged to Gonda in UP was found with a gunshot wound on his chest around 9.30 am at Khairas residence.

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He was rushed to a local hospital and then shifted to DMC Hospital, Ludhiana, where he was declared brought dead, Phillaur SHO Jarnail Singh said.

According to preliminary investigations, Kumar was checking a .38-bore service revolver of Khairas gunman Constable Vikram and it may have fired accidentally.

The police have registered a case under Section 304A of the IPC against the constable on charges of negligence.

Khaira was preparing to go to Kartarpur to attend a state-level function and could not say much about the incident.

It is learnt that the incident occurred in the room of gunman Vikram.

The SHO said the case was being investigated and no arrest has been made so far.
Shonali Prakash

Anoushka Shankar, a well-known sitar player and daughter of the late sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar, shocked the world in 2013 with a startling revelation. As a child, I suffered sexual and emotional abuse for several years at the hands of a man whom my parents trusted implicitly. Likewise, celebrities like Kalki Koechlin, Anurag Kashyap, Pamela Anderson, who were sexually abused as children, have spoken up about the trauma they faced as children.

In July 2011, a resident of a slum in New Delhi briefly left her six-month-old grand-daughter in the care of her neighbour, Sonu Lalman. When she returned after 15 minutes, the baby was crying and bleeding from her vagina. A doctor who had examined the childs wounds reported the case to the police. Lalman was arrested, and within seven months, had been tried, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

No holds barred

It is obvious from media reports that Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) has nothing to do with age, gender, religion or socio-economic strata. There are many postulations about why, when and how the abuser does what he or she does, observes Dr Nayreen Daruwalla, Director, Programme on Prevention of Violence against Women and Children, SNEHA.

A 23-year-old father of a 10-month-old baby would sexually exploit his 12-year-old sister. An NGO, Protsahan, got a case registered against him and put him behind bars. Shockingly, the mother of the molester bribed the police to get him released. Not only did the perpetrator return to the crime scene, the victim, his sister, who was studying at a government school, was expelled.

We live in a country where the word SEX is taboo. We dont talk about it as it is not considered a part of our culture, yet India has one of the highest rates of the CSA, says Sukhman Randhawa, psychologist with the Mind Research Foundation. We teach our children to be wary of only strangers. We should also educate them about any kind of unsafe touch whether by a stranger, relative, friend, sibling, or even a parent.

A survey on 12,447 children conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2007 found that 53.22 per cent reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Among them, 52.94 per cent were boys and 47.06 per cent girls.

Wake-up call

Looking at the statistics, how can one say that girls are more vulnerable? This is not gender-based but gender neutral. We have to save our children, not just girls. Everybody needs to understand the gravity of the problem, and somewhere the entire secrecy and silence needs to be broken because CSA thrives on silence, strongly feels Sonal Kapoor, founder and executive director, Protsahan India Foundation.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently launched a five-day campaign titled Jagruk Raho, Chuppi Todo (Stay alert, break the silence), in collaboration with the Delhi Government and Childline Foundation, to raise awareness on sexual abuse of children. The campaign was undertaken in the city around Diwali as it is during this time that children become susceptible to sexual abuse since parents leave them in the custody of others while taking part in festivities.

There is no doubt that people sit up and take notice when a celebrity speaks about his or her personal experiences.

In a profound example of Chuppi Todo (Break the silence), Olympic medallist and Rajya Sabha MP, boxer Mary Koms open letters to her sons (aged nine and three) made a deep impact on the public. Let me start by telling you that your mother was molested, first in Manipur and then again while she was out with her girlfriends in Delhi and Haryanas Hissar. I was only 17 years old then and am 33 now. I have brought great fame to my country and have been celebrated as a medalist but what I also want, is to be respected as a woman.

Speak up

Speak up if you dont like the way an adult or elder child is behaving with you is the message that needs to filter through all strata of society, including children.

Apart from the Childline 1098 service, the countrys first toll free tele-helpline for children in distress, children can directly report sexual abuse on www.ncpcr.gov.in by clicking on the POCSO E-BOX and selecting a picture that depicts the form of abuse. NCPCR also has a dedicated POCSO helpline number, 9868235077.

Children are born with an inherent ability to be able to distinguish the good from bad, says Lalita, who works with a child rights organisation. I started talking about the good and bad touch when my daughter (now 12) was about five. Her first reaction was... that person pulls my cheek and I dont like it. I taught her to learn to say a no to that too. We need to listen to our children and make sure they are not around people who make them uncomfortable, she adds.

Toll free helpline: 1098

POCSO helpline: 9868235077

Login: www.ncpcr.gov.in

Identifying the signs
For those who prefer kukkad, nothing can beat the tandoori murgh. Some in Old Delhi insist that the import from Punjab post-Partition is no match to chicken roast from Shehjehanabad that is finished on a charcoal grill and is not blighted either by red colour or chat like tandoori masala.

Then there are those who have got addicted to KFC and cant do without the bird skin and their food all coated with popcorn and battered. Well, for us, the discovery of this Goan recipe has come as a great relief. It allows you to enjoy the chicken sans distracting frills, bells and whistles.

We have always felt strongly about the Portuguese colonisation of India, but cant complain about the culinary legacy they have left behind after tasting this.

Ingredients

Chicken broiler 1kg

Salt 1tsp

Sour lime 1

Butter 100- 125gm

Finely ground ginger 2 piece

Dried Kashmiri red chillies 6

Peppercorns 6-8

Garlic 1 pod

Method

Remove innards of chicken, including liver and gizzard. Wash well, rub inside and outside with salt and lime juice. Rub ground spices into the chicken and marinate for one hour.

Apply a thin coat of butter to the chicken and roast over wood or charcoal fire, basting with a little butter in-between till the chicken is done.

Alternately, the chicken may be cut into pieces and cooked in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat. Little or no water should be added and just a bit of butter is enough.

Best without any chutney, sauce or sprinklers.
Vikramdeep Johal in Chandigarh

He's a historian with a difference. Rather than burying himself all day in weighty tomes and highbrow research papers, Rav Singh loves to share his vast knowledge with children and adults alike. Donning the mantle of a tour guide, he is conducting walks around London, familiarising motley groups with the richness of Anglo-Sikh history.

I presented a paper, Sikh History on the Streets of London, at the Sikh Studies Conference, Imperial College, London, in August 2014, says Rav. It was there that I met Sikh scholars Dr Kamalroop Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann. They provided support and encouragement to formalise my research into the Walking Tours. They also gave me the confidence to launch my website, A little history of the Sikhs.

Does his bunch of walkers include only Sikhs? I welcome anyone with an interest in Sikh and Anglo-Sikh history (from the 1820s to the present day). The groups have included Sikh and non-Sikh Londoners, other UK nationals, and recently, visitors from Canada, the US and India, he says.

Rav has developed a selection of tours around London, maintaining a database of over 100 locations. Following advertisements via Facebook and partner organisations, a WhatsApp group provides a series of instructions to confirm arrangements for the day. Each walk is designed to be about three hours long, with ample stops to listen to stories and view artefacts.

This year, he has focused on two tours: One, a walk through the London Borough of Kensington, starting at Sloane Square, visiting the Chillianwala Memorial at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, on to the Punjab Frontier Force Memorial Chapel at St Lukes Church and finishing at the Victoria and Albert Museum, with a viewing of the Multan throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh; and two, a trip through the streets of Westminster, starting at Hyde Park Corner at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates, narrating the stories of the Sikhs who were awarded the Victoria Cross, onto Buckingham Palace for hearing tales of the 1857 Mutiny, and ending at No. 1 Whitehall Place for a viewing of a painting of Duleep Singh at the National Liberal Club.

Other walks include the Duleep Singh Tour, In the footsteps of Udham Singh Tour and a Sikh Treasures Tour. The tour charges are 7 to 11 per adult (free for children). Donations on behalf of the walking group are then made to the places visited, and any surpluses are donated to a range of Sikh educational charities.

Earlier this year, Rav also conducted a group visit to Belgium and France to learn about the history of the Sikh regiments in World War I. From February to June 2017, there will be a series of tours on the Anglo-Sikh Wars, to be organised in conjunction with Gurinder Singh Manns Sikh Museum Initiative project on the epic battles fought in the 1840s.

The UK-born Rav has a strong connect with North India, a region he frequently visits. His father hails from Rurka Kalan village in Jalandhar district, while his mother is from Kullu (Himachal Pradesh). His parents arrived in Britain in the early 1970s. His wife, Avinash Kaur, is from Panchkula (Haryana).

A management consultant specialising in public sector regeneration initiatives, he established his own consultancy in 2013. He is currently executing the Civic Centre Project in Londons Whitechapel, which allows him the flexibility to devote time to his interest in history. With winter arriving, he will spend the next few months on research  before putting on his walking shoes again for more trips down the Anglo-Sikh lane.

London Monopoly Board

The Anglo-Sikh History Monopoly Board was conceptualised at a camp for Sikh children aged 7 to 17 at Karamsar Gurdwara, Ilford, in April 2011. While giving a PowerPoint presentation at the camp, Rav Singh engaged the children through locations in London they had heard of or visited  the Tower of London, Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square etc. It was then that he started a project to map the locations on the British Monopoly Board to aspects of Anglo-Sikh and Sikh history. He presented his creation to children during a Karamsar Gurdwara camp in April 2012, and later at the Connect2Sikhi winter camp at Barking Gurdwara in December 2012.
By PTI: Siliguri (WB), Nov 6 (PTI) In a major haul, 200 detonators and 230 cartridge shells were recovered and three persons arrested at Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri today.

The three were residents of Nepal and staying in Assam More area under Pradhannagar police station limits for last six months, Commissioner of Police, Siliguri, C S Lepcha said.

They were picked up following a tip-off and police were trying to ascertain why so many detonators were stockpiled at their rented accomodation.

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Police also seized several metres of wires from them.

The three earlier lived in neighbouring Assams Silchar and told the sleuths they had worked in a mine there (in Silchar).

They were identified as Krishnaprasad Adhikary (50) and a couple - Puja Limbu and Dawang Shering Bhutia (40). PTI COR SUS AMS

--- ENDS ---
Harvinder Khetal

The 2016 US presidential poll campaign has been a great leveller. The level of the election debates and the speeches by the two candidates bring them on the same plane as our Indian politicians. Any notion of the Americans being more refined or civilised than us poor Indians in the bid to woo the electorate has had to be defenestrated (thrown out of the window). A look at the words they used to run down one another makes one take a relook at the supposed suave superiority of the superpowers citizens. The gutter language makes one mutter in utter shock: Oh, No! The choice is between these two? They are their choicest candidates? Arent the Americans facing the same dilemma as we do? Just as we bemoan the quality of our nominees and aspiring leaders. And, have a semblance of sanity while having fun at their cost when they become fodder for humour, such as:

If the boat carrying Donald and Hillary sinks in the middle of the ocean, who survives? America!

Lets begin with Trump, the one more colourful in manners and mannerisms.

The most stark resonance was felt in his manner of appeal for votes from the Indian-American community as he literally resorted to our slogan: Ab ki baar, Trump ki sarkaar!

Or that demagoguery (an appeal to people that plays on their emotions and prejudices rather than on their rational side) which stands out in his very jingoistic catchphrase make America great again, a la our harking to the good old days and bringing back of achhe din.

Kejriwals cough and muffler was mirrored in Hillarys cough that Trump caught up. She doesnt have the stamina (to run the presidency), he declared, even as the respective spin doctors were sparked to show their stamina in trading charges over Trumps sniffle and Hillarys cough.

Interestingly, the echo of a jumla can be distinctly felt in the saga spanning since 2008 when Trump tried to trump up against Obama with respect to his place of birth. On the birther conspiracy having been debunked, Donald finally in 2016, dismissed it as him having done a good job to get Obama produce his birth certificate from Hawaii, USA. Remember how we were written off peremptorily the promised share of black money in our accounts?

While no dictionary has birther in its pages, the word got a berth widely, with even Clinton attacking Trump on the issue, calling it a racist birther lie.

But the dictionaries did register more than a thousand-fold spike in the look-up for some words (braggadocious, bigly, hombre, temperament, deplorable among many other) as the wannabe presidents stooped to low blows and hitting below the belt in order to attain a higher stand for themselves. The pummeling led to a wild swing in their projected fortunes, plummeting and mounting alternately. This dizzying projection last seemed to be titled in Trumps favour.

Trump, who says that he is not a braggadocious (boastful) guy, while doing just that  that is boast. Hit by Hillarys jab of not releasing his tax returns he used his rare word in this defence. The billionaire Trump said he did not mean to sound braggadocious when discussing his wealth and business dealings. Ugh! They are as braggadocious as our snooty fellows.

In this context, a joke is doing the rounds:

Why does Melania Trump not want Trump to be US President?

Because she will have to shift into the small White House!

Incidentally, on taxes Trump said that he planned to cut taxes bigly, and youre going to raise taxes bigly. And since taxes are a big poll issue, people rushed to google bigly. They found that it was an old form of the word big, meaning in a large way, even as it was clarified that he had said big league, not bigly.

But what had me rattled was the nasty woman quip. It rattles me equally bigly when our leaders use similar Indian terms to run down women candidates. Yes, the bad hombres phrase generalising the cross-border immigrants from Mexico too was racist and bad. But it had me smiling since I didnt have to rush to google the phrase. Hombre was one of the first words that I was taught in my Spanish course. And it stands for man. With h being silent, it sounds the same as ombre, which means a hair colour that is dark at the roots and light at the bottom.

Hillarys generalising of half of Trumps supporters as being a basket of deplorables" was also deplorable (deserving censure or contempt).

Well, well! As the Americans get ready to vote on Tuesday, I can empathise with them for the poor choice they have. May the best of the worse win.

hkhetal@gmail.com
Ajay Banerjee in New Delhi

Senior Army officers describe the present border situation as the most tense period since the 2003 ceasefire agreement. The ongoing firing by both sides along the 749-km Line of Control (LoC), and also the 198-km long International boundary (IB) in J&K, is the most intense.

Since September 29 surgical strikes on terror camps in POK, the sporadic, routine firing has given way to both sides using a variety of medium arms. These include mortars (both 81mm and 120mm), light & medium machine guns and sniper weapons such as Dragnov rifles. India has already announced that four Pakistani Army posts were destroyed on Oct 29, a day ahead of Diwali, in retaliation against the mutilation of a soldier by terrorists aided by the Pakistan Army.

The number of ceasefire violations is no more a benchmark for the seriousness of the situation. Even one bullet fired is a violation and a mortar that travels up to 10km is also counted the same. The intensity and intent matter. And its different this time, said a defence source.

Military-held posts of either country are bang on the LoC on both sides, at some places, less than 20 metres away, in the mountainous region. A forward post can typically have 10 soldiers, and if it comes under fire, the rest of the battalion can only direct fire at other posts of Pakistan, which increases the firing intensity. These are abnormal times, says a serving officer.

The increasing number of cross-LoC fire-assaults is being attributed to modern surveillance equipment such as night vision and thermal imagers that make reaching an enemy post physically impossible. That was not the case a decade ago. This makes coordinated firing as the most viable military response across the LoC or even the IB. The situation could call for further action if bigger artillery guns (155mm) are used, say defence sources.
Tribune News service

Dehradun, November 6

Prof BR Deepak, an expert of Chinese language and international affairs, has said India should learn a lesson from China in dealing with poverty. China has uplifted 700 million people out of poverty in the last thirty years. It has reaped the benefits of globalisation. If they can do it, we can also do, he said while delivering a lecture on a topic  Why globalisation drives in Asia and beyond need to be integrated  at Doon University here yesterday.

BR Deepak is a professor at the Centre of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is recipient of many fellowships and awards, including the prestigious Nehru and Asia Fellowship, and India-China Cultural Exchange fellowship for his doctoral and advanced studies in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University, Beijing, respectively.

He has written several books. He won China Special Book Award in 2011 for his book titled Chinese Poetry: From 11th Century BC to 14th Century AD. He has recently published his autobiography in Chinese language in China.

Prof Deepaks lecture mainly focused on Chinese road initiatives in Asia which has raised eyebrows in India and the west. He said, China is an emerging superpower. It wants to secure trade corridors with other parts of the world by investing heavily on building roads and railways. They are not against any nation. They represent Chinese desire to bring economic prosperity to the region and the peaceful development of Asia. He suggested that India should align its development strategies with China. China considers the USA and Japan as potential threat, but it still has deep trade relations with them.

Earlier, Doon University Vice-Chancellor Prof VK Jain introduced Prof Deepak to students.
Tribune News service

Dehradun, November 06

A war of words has started between the ruling Congress party and the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of declaration of Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state following the decision of the state government to hold two-day Assembly session at Gairsain in Chamoli district from November 17.

Although the Congress has already held two Assembly sessions at Gairsain, the proposed last session before the Assembly elections assumes significance.

While the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Harish Rawat has been trying to exploit the emotional issue of Gairsain as capital in the hills, it does not want to declare it as permanent capital fearing a backlash in the Terai regions. The BJP understands this and does not want to give any advantage to the Congress and Harish Rawat on the eve of crucial state elections.

There is a possibility that the BJP may boycott the two-day session. Uttarakhand BJP chief Ajay Bhatt said a decision about participating in the Assembly session at Gairsain would be taken soon. However, he criticised the Congress government and the Chief Minister for playing politics with the issue of Gairsain.

He asked whether the state Congress would announce Gairsain as permanent capital or a summer capital during the session. He further said the state Congress government for the past four years had held six sessions at Gairsain but failed to specify its exact status.

On the other hand, Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhaya has said the problem was created by the BJP which failed to declare Gairsain as the permanent capital at the time of formation of the state. He said he along with Harish Rawat had requested the state BJP chief to meet the Prime Minister in an all-party delegation to seek support for Gairsain as the permanent capital but the BJP had been doing politics all along.

He said if the Central Government was sincere, it should allocate Rs10,000 crore for the permanent capital at Gairsain. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the Congress government had been trying to befool people in the name of Gairsain, but people were aware of its game plan and will punish them in the Assembly elections.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 6

Victims of land fraud who got justice with the help of the Uttarakhand Polices special investigation team (SIT) have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Harish Rawat demanding investigation into personal property details of Lekhpals (revenue officials) and more teeth to the SIT.

It may be recalled that lekhpal Radheyshyam Painuly was booked for allegedly misusing his power in transfer of an ashram land on Rajpur Road.

The investigation revealed that an additional tehsildar had ordered the land transfer flouting norms in 2010. The land was transferred to Manga Singh without considering land registry papers in 2013. The investigation further found that instead of taking a departmental action against the lekhpal and additional tehsildar in question, the then tehsildar of Dehradun rectified the error on registry papers.

Sources confirmed that SIT officials have drafted a proposal to demand a CBI probe into the ashram land fraud case.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Lekhpal Association, whose one of the office bearers is Lekhpal, met Inspector General of Police (Garhwal) Sanjay Gunjyal demanding a probe into the matter and the latter assured it of an unbiased probe.

Later, victims who got their land bank and benefited with SIT under the aegis of Jan Kalyan Samiti also met Gunjyal demanding strict action against the accused lekhpal and corrupt revenue officials.

The SIT was formed in August 2014 to probe into land fraud cases in seven districts of the Garhwal division. Of nearly 1,600 cases, more than half have been successfully solved by the SIT so far.

Additionally, nearly 200 land-fraud cases were solved at the district police level, while the equal number of cases was mutually solved at the SIT and district level. Around 150 cases were found to be fabricated by complainants to take revenge from victims. Neearly 450 land fraudsters have landed in jail so far.
Washington, November 6

The Islamic State terror group has called for "slaughter" of American voters on Election Day and urged Muslims not to participate in the democratic process, according to a US-based terrorist monitoring group.

Ritz Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, said on Twitter that the threats appear in an essay carried by the Islamic State's Al Hayat media center that declares militants "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes".

The warning is carried in a seven-page manifesto, entitled 'The Murtadd Vote', The USA TODAY reported.

The essay, which uses lengthy religious arguments in an effort to justify such attacks, also declares there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties in their "policies against Islam and Muslims".

Katz posted excerpts of the essay on Twitter, saying the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, was inciting attacks on Election Day "in an attempt to disrupt the election process and gain media attention."

The full essay, in English, includes a photograph of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine, as well as a photo Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat, holding a copy of the US Constitution during his dramatic speech at the Democratic National Convention, the report said.

Regarding possible vote-related threats, federal authorities are reviewing information about al-Qaeda's potential interest in conducting attacks in the US on the eve of Tuesday's elections, several federal and state law enforcement officials had said on Friday.

The credibility of the threat, which identified New York, Virginia and Texas as locations, has not been established, one official told USA TODAY.

"The counter-terrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States," the FBI said in a statement.  PTI
Beijing, November 6

At least nine persons were killed and 43 others injured on Sunday in multiple pile-up accidents along an expressway in Shanghai as heavy smog engulfed several cities in China.

Several road accidents were reported along the S32 expressway in Pudong New Area due to foggy weather.

In one accident, two persons were killed when a tanker hit four persons who had got off a minibus.

Another accident occurred three kms away on the expressway when a van was hit by two heavy vehicles, killing five persons, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Two more accident victims died in a hospital.

So far 43 people have been admitted in hospitals in Pudong, Zhoupu and Shuguang cities.

Shanghai weather station at 6 am issued an orange alert on heavy fog, the second highest level in Chinas weather alert system, which means a fog with visibility of less than 200 meters in the following six hours.

Meanwhile, heavy pollution continued to haunt China as a spell of heavy smog, which has enveloped northeastern and northern parts, has affected more than one tenth of countrys land territory.

Some 6.30 lakh square kms of land in northeastern China and 3.80 lakh square kms of land in northern China have been under the influence of the latest smog spell. Adverse meteorological conditions were to blame, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said yesterday.

Seven provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Tianjin, saw their air pollution index hike, with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings hitting 500 in 11 cities in northeastern China over the November 3-5 period.

In northern China, average density of PM2.5 - airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter - peaked in multiple cities on Friday, but air pollution ebbed on yesterday, the MEP said.

The ministry said it had already sent 12 inspection teams to the Tianjin municipality and the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong for emergency inspections.

Problems found by the inspections teams so far included weak emergency responses and inadequate countermeasures against heavy air pollution, suspected excessive discharge by 39 enterprises, and large-scale straw burning, the report said.  PTI
Washington, November 6

Hillary Clinton has one of the strongest resumes of anyone ever to run for US President, with stints as First Lady, senator and secretary of state, but she is also a polarising figure and a Washington insider with decades of political baggage.

Should Democrat Clinton defeat Republican Donald Trump in Tuesdays election, she would become the first woman elected US President, having already been the only first lady to win elected office and the first woman nominated for president by a major US party.

Clinton fell short in her first presidential bid in 2008, losing her partys nomination to Barack Obama. Her time on the American political scene has come during an era of intense partisanship and gaping divisions in US society. Americans hold dramatically differing views of Clinton.

Clintons admirers consider her a tough, capable and sometimes inspirational leader who has endured unrelenting efforts by political enemies to chop her down. Her detractors consider her an unscrupulous and power-hungry opportunist.

Clinton entered the 2016 race as her partys odds-on favorite, but was an establishment figure, the ultimate insider with decades of political baggage, at a time when voters seemed enamored with outsiders. She staved off an unexpectedly stiff challenge from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, to claim the Democratic nomination in July.

For decades Clinton has battled conservatives and Republican adversaries and weathered controversies including her husband Bill Clintons infidelity, a failed Republican effort to remove him from office, investigations into past business dealings and her use of a private email server as secretary of state. She famously complained in 1998 during her husbands presidency about a vast right-wing conspiracy.

Many Democrats back her for championing womens rights at home and abroad, social justice and access to healthcare, but opinion polls show a majority of U.S. voters do not trust her. Against Trump, she portrayed her candidacy as a bulwark against a unique threat that she said the real estate developer posed to American democracy.

As President Obamas secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, she grappled with civil wars in Syria and Libya, Irans nuclear program, Chinas growing clout, Russian assertiveness, ending the Iraq war, winding down the Afghanistan war, and an unsuccessful bid to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Clinton was already running for president when, during a testy 11-hour congressional hearing in October 2015, she deflected Republican criticism of her handling of a 2012 attack by militants in Benghazi, Libya in which the US ambassador died.

That hearing and another in January 2013 while she was still secretary of state focused on allegations of State Department security lapses related to the attack.  Reuters
Peshawar, November 6

Pakistan will not deport Sharbat Gula, National Geographic's iconic green-eyed 'Afghan Girl', for using fake ID cards to stay in this city, a media report today quoted an official as saying.

Gula, who was immortalised after her haunting picture taken at a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1985 was carried by the magazine on its cover and became a symbol of her country's wars, was arrested on October 26 from her home here.

A special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered Gula's deportation to Afghanistan on Friday after serving a 15-day jail sentence besides slapping a fine of 1,10,000 rupees (US$ 1,100).

Gula will complete her sentence on Wednesday.

She will not be deported from Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government official Shaukat Yousafzai said.

The provincial home department has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan requested KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to not deport Sharbat Gula.

The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

Gula, who was dubbed as 'Mona Lisa of Afghan war', was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for alleged forgery of a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

She gained worldwide recognition when her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when she was approximately 12 years old.

According to interim charge sheet submitted on November 1, the prosecutor said that she accepted the main charge of faking her identity to get the CNIC.

Gula said that her late husband, Rehmat Gul, had earlier made a manual national identity card in 1988, which was used to get the CNIC with the help of an agent who was bribed.

The FIA also registered an FIR on October 20 against three former government employees for fraudulently issuing Pakistani CNICs to Afghan nationals, including Gula.

Pakistan has been tackling the Afghan refugee crisis for over three decades. It is estimated that some three million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan, half of whom are unregistered. PTI
Kirkuk, November 6

Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad on Sunday, officials said.

One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber.

The Tikrit attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10 died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra, security and medical officials said.

Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal sectarian violence.

IS issued a statement claiming todays attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.

A police lieutenant colonel also said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one in the city.

The IS statement identified two of the bombers as Al-Moslawia nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraqs second city.

Iraqi forces are fighting to retake Mosul, the jihadist groups last major urban stronghold in the country, in a massive operation that was launched on October 17.

IS has carried out a series of diversionary attacks since the start of the Mosul offensive in a bid to draw both attention and forces away from the battle.

But aside from the names of the two bombers, the IS statement made no reference to Mosul.

The Sunni extremist group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air support have since regained significant ground.  AFP
By Harish V Nair: The Allahabad high court's decision to stop the collection of toll at DND Flyway ten days ago may have cheered commuters at first, but there has been a flip side to it that not many would have predicted. With the Noida Toll Bridge Company not tasked with the maintenance and security of the 9.2km stretch any longer, the toll concessionaire has withdrawn all the staff and most of the guards here, leaving motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, vulnerable to robbery attempts.

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ROBBERY INCIDENTS

In the last one week alone, there have been at least three incidents in which miscreants tried to way lay and rob two wheeler riders at knifepoint. However, all these are eyewitness accounts as no police cases has been lodged yet. The latest robbery attempt was reported on Thursday night around 8pm near the starting point of Yamuna Bridge from the Ashram side. The modus operandi of the robbers has been the same in all three cases. On Thursday too, they placed plastic traffic cones in the middle of the road, forcing commuters to slow down. As one motorcycle rider slowed down, a miscreant waiting at the side of the road pounced on him and tried to loot him. However, the youth managed to snatch the knife from the miscreant, who was forced to run away as a crowd gathered at the scene on seeing the commotion. After the twowheeler rider managed to snatch the knife, the criminal escaped from the flyway through a narrow opening on its sides which open to the dry Yamuna river bed and ran away in the cover of darkness.

NO POLICE PATROL

The incidents came to light when a Supreme Court lawyer Biju Raman, an eyewitness to the attempted robbery posted it on his Facebook page within minutes. A daily user of the DND flyway, Raman wrote: "As feared, with lowered vigil on DND, today witnessed a daring attempt to rob a biker on knifepoint by some miscreants, who jumped to the safety of Yamuna bed in the darkness when challenged by motorists. (Their) modus operandi (is) to place plastic traffic cones to slow vehicles and pouncing on the hapless victims, looting (them) and running away into the Yamuna bed. Dear friends, please be careful while travelling as now there is no Police patrol on this route" -Facebook post of SC lawyer Biju Raman The present smog and fog which will soon set in is expected to make things worse.



ALSO READ:

Delhi Police solves two highway truck robberies: Same gang, same modus operandi

--- ENDS ---
ANKARA, November 6

Turkish police detained 15 suspects in an operation involving raids across the southeastern province of Adana targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the state-run Anadolu Agency said on Sunday.

The raids come as fighting between security forces and PKK militants in the largely Kurdish southeast has escalated to new heights since the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the militant group in July of last year.

On Friday, a car bomb in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir killed 11 people and wounded at least 100, hours after Turkish authorities detained the leaders and lawmaker of the main pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), whom the government accuses of links to the PKK.

Officials blamed the autonomy-seeking PKK, citing radio intercepts, although Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the group's Amaq news agency.

Kurdish militants, Islamic State radicals and far leftists have all staged attacks on civilians in Turkey in recent years.

Anadolu said the anti-terror police raids, backed by helicopter, were carried out simultaneously at various spots across the city.

In security operations over the past week, 28 PKK militants were "neutralised", the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.  Reuters
With the election date for the US presidential polls just two days away, Indian-American voters have emerged as crucial players, who can decide the fate Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Race for White House: Donald Trump of Republican Party and Hillary Clinton of Democratic Party are locked in a close electoral battle.

By Press Trust of India: Indian-American voters can turn the tide in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Colorado, and decide the fate of White House aspirants Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who are in a dead-heat in major polls just days ahead of the election, community leaders say.

Former chief of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and community leader Bhupi Patel asked the Indian-Americans to vote for Clinton especially in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, saying the vote of the community in the red states (Republican leaning) "is going to carry 30-40 per cent more weight".

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READ: Donald Trump hustled off stage by security at rally after protester shows up with gun

ADVANTAGE CLINTON?

Patel cited the famous 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush that had stretched into December after recounting in Florida with Bush ultimately winning by a margin of just 537 votes.

"The Indian-American vote has value. If you can lose an election by 400-500 votes, then in places like Florida, the 30-40 per cent weight of the Indian-American vote will be important and both Democrats and Republicans will notice our value," Patel said.

READ: Salman Khan tweets support for Hillary Clinton, hopes she will be US President

Noting that 70 per cent of Indian-Americans are Democrats, he asked the community in the red states to vote for Clinton, especially in Ohio, Florida, Colorado.

"Make sure you go and cast your vote, it is going to carry a lot of weight in these states," Patel said.

WATCH:

'MAKE VOTES COUNT'

Citing immigration, healthcare and education as issues of key importance to the Indian-American community, Patel said Clinton's agenda in these areas will benefit the community and urged them to vote for her.

Prominent hotelier and former commissioner in President Clinton's White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders Mike Patel, a Clinton supporter, said it took Al Gore only a few hundred votes to lose the elections in 2000 and "so the Indian-American cannot be complacent".

READ: New polls show tight Clinton-Trump presidential race

"The Indian-American voters in Ohio, Florida have to come out and vote because these are the states that are needed to win the election," Mike Patel said.

Bhupi Patel said the Indian-American community has to make its vote count since "it is very important for the community to be involved in the political process otherwise no one notices you. We are three million in number and are a very powerful community, contributing to the American fabric in a lot of ways. We must make our presence felt and we must exercise our voting rights".

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READ: US presidential elections: Betting market picks up on Clinton, Trump

TRUMP'S SON VISITS TEMPLE

Donald Trump's son Eric participated in a traditional 'aarti' at a Hindu temple in Florida to woo Indian-Americans as the Republican presidential nominee's family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his victory in the November 8 election.

Eric, 32, arrived at the temple in Orlando in a suit but changed his clothes and wore a cream-coloured Sherwani to attend the 'aarti'.

He took a tour of the temple where the priest explained him the significance of aarti and other rituals. He was also told the tales of God Rama and Krishna. The priest presented him a saffron stole.

WATCH:





READ: US living through greatest jobs theft of world: Trump

FLORIDA COULD BE CRUCIAL

The crucial swing state of Florida has a wealthy and growing Hindu population which could play a significant role in the election.

Earlier Donald Trump, in his efforts to woo the Indian community, borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's winning slogan of the 2014 general elections and was seen in a TV ad saying "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar".

This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeting the Indian-American vote bank.

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READ: Trump slams Jay Z for bad language at pro-Clinton concert

TRUMP'S FAMILY CELEBRATED DIWALI

Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu temple in the key swing state of Virginia as part of the Republican presidential nominee's efforts to reach out to the Indian-American community.

Lara had said Donald Trump has great love and affection for India and its people.

As a mark of respect to the Indian culture, she removed her shoes before entering the Rajdhani temple in Virginia. "I really like Hindu culture and I respect It," she had said.

Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was also scheduled to visit the temple but the Trump campaign asked her to go to a different place given the fast-changing dynamics of the polls.

ALSO READ:

Obama campaigning full-time for Clinton, says Trump

--- ENDS ---
A chill must have gone through Oklahoma political insiders on Thursday as news circulated about the charges filed against State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, well-known political strategist Fount Holland and three others.

This is true not just because Hofmeister is a popular public official with powerful enemies and Holland is an influential strategist who helped build Oklahomas Republican juggernaut. Taking them off the board would have a tremendous effect on Oklahoma politics and the direction of public education in the state.

But for some, Thursdays events must have struck even closer to home, for the practices described in court documents might not be all that rare, even if the specific charges are.

The case has potential implications not only for Hollands clients  including a substantial portion of the Republican legislative majority, 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin and Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett  but for all campaigns in the state.

Hofmeister, Holland, a political operative named Stephanie Milligan who now works for the Donald Trump campaign, and former officials with the Oklahoma Education Association and the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration are accused of conspiring to circumvent campaign contribution limits and other campaign laws through an organization set up to make what are called independent expenditures.

Independent expenditures, as the name suggests, are expenditures made independently of candidate campaigns, mostly notably but not exclusively for advertising.

By law, independent expenditure campaigns may not coordinate with candidate campaigns, because to do so essentially gives the candidate access to potentially unlimited dark money  money not subject to the usual campaign limits and not subject to donor-disclosure laws.

Few if any Oklahomans have ever been charged with coordinating dark money and candidate campaigns. But those familiar with campaign law and campaign practices, while reluctant to speak on the record, acknowledge that such coordination is, in fact, not uncommon in one form or another. Emails included in the Hofmeister case charging documents suggest as much, too.

But coordination is difficult to prove, especially with the meager resources generally accorded campaign finance enforcement.

Ashley Kemp, executive director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, said determining whether an ad or some other type of political communication has been coordinated requires gathering, reviewing, and analyzing information. That process can be time intensive with a single person and becomes exponentially more difficult as the number of entities involved increases.

The Hofmeister case is built largely on emails that fell into prosecutors laps when a computer belonging to political operative Chad Alexander, Milligans business partner and fiance, was seized during an unrelated arrest.

Determining whether a communication has been coordinated with a candidate or candidate committee would be more problematic than identifying whether a communication has taken place, Kemp said in an email. These types of communications are typically distributed by direct mail, broadcast through cable, satellite or radio, or appear in newspapers and are received by thousands of people.

Individually, circumventing contribution limits and independent expenditures is as old as politics, but the combination has become increasingly potent since the U.S. Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision and the discovery that certain nonprofit corporations can raise and spend as much as they want without disclosing donors or worrying much about legal repercussions.

More than $1 million in independent expenditures have been made in Oklahoma elections this year, including more than $425,000 in the past five weeks. Just about all of it is untraceable.

Millions more have been contributed anonymously to friends and foes of state questions.

Until 2010, individual contributions in federal and most state campaigns were limited, and corporate spending was banned altogether. The Citizens United decision lifted the restrictions on contributions to political action committees called Super PACs.

Super PACs, though, were still required to disclose their donors. Enterprising operatives soon discovered a way around that by creating 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) entities as pass-throughs for anonymous donors. The practice is technically illegal but continues unrestrained.
Two pro-PKK HDP lawmakers attended a protest in support of the PKK terror group in Belgium's capital Brussels despite having detention warrants issued in their names in Turkey over terror charges.

HDP's Srnak Deputy Faysal Saryldz and Van Deputy Tugba Hezer Ozturk are both accused of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" and "providing weapons and assistance to a terror group". The two were among the 12 HDP deputies, including the party's co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, who were warranted for failing to answer summons linked to a counter-terrorism investigation before public prosecutors.

"They can put all of us behind bars, we will not give up," Ozturk said in her speech in Brussels's Central Train Station.

Prosecutors are accusing Saryldz of giving information to terrorists in southeastern Cizre district to help them to escape from counter-terror operations in the area and pressuring Kurdish locals to become a member of the terrorist organization.

On January 27, 2015 a large number of grenades, radios, long-barreled weapons, guns and bullets were captured by the police in searches conducted in a house in Ceylanpnar. It was found out that Saryldz, had intended to send these weapons to PKK's Syrian wing the YPG/PYD and had driven to Ceylanpnar in a vehicle he bought off two suspects and then registered it in his name.

HDP politicians have long been accused of openly voicing their support for the PKK terror group as well as glorifying suicide bombers, inciting violence, hatred and providing assistance to terrorists.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year. Since then, PKK terrorist attacks martyred more than 700 security personnel and also claimed the lives of many civilians, including women and children, while nearly 8,000 PKK terrorists were killed in army operations.

Source: Daily Sabah
A group of suspected pro-PKK assailants attacked a building belonging to a Turkish man in Essen city located in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia by Molotov cocktails late Friday, reports said on Saturday.

The attack follows a number of developments which took place on Friday, including the detention of some pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputies, followed by a terrorist car-bomb attack in Turkey's Diyarbakr province, and statements by Turkish politicians condemning Germany and Europe for failing to condemn terrorist groups in Turkey.

According to reports, the group consisting of around 10 suspects targeted a cafe on the first floor of the building, which belongs to a Turkish man by the name of Cengiz Cura and threw Molotov cocktails.

The windows of the cafe were damaged in the attack, while a small fire reportedly took place.

Speaking to Dogan News Agency, Cengiz Cura said that the attack took place at around 9 p.m., when customers were still inside the cafe.

"I don't know who dares to carry out such an attack when there are people inside" Cura said and added that the building has been seriously damaged as a result of the attack.

The unidentified attackers, who reportedly covered their face with scarves used by PKK terrorists then shot iron balls at the windows on the second floor of the building, where a German family reportedly resides in.

Police reportedly launched an investigation to find the perpetrators.

Turks make up one of the largest Muslim-majority minorities in Germany with a population of at least three million according to unofficial figures. Although they have already suffered racist and at times deadly attacks in the past, a recent increase in the flow of migrants especially from the war-torn Middle Eastern country of Syria, gave rise to racist and Islamophobic attacks targeting both Turks and other minorities.

Nowadays, Germany faces criticism for its refusal to pursue the FETO members whose sympathizers freely operate in the country, operating schools and large companies despite several of the prominent Gulenist figures residing in Germany being wanted in Turkey. They are believed to be in hiding.

Since the PKK  also listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU  resumed its 30-year armed campaign last year in July, hundreds of members of the security forces and civilians have been killed.

Though the PKK is on the EU's official terrorist organization list, Turkey has complained of member states' indifference towards the terrorist group. Ankara argues that although EU leaders condemn PKK terror in rhetoric, the activities of the group in the EU countries contradict the EU authorities' stance.

Source: Daily Sabah
A Bangkok-based human rights group is calling on the Myanmar government to "immediately" intervene in a regional government's plan to arm non-Muslim civilians in a predominantly Muslim area of northern Rakhine State.

In a statement released Saturday, Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, called the move "highly inadvisable and dangerous".

If the government wants to improve security, it should take urgent action to protect members of all races and religions and immediately provide free and unfettered access to aid groups.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the Rakhine regional government told Anadolu Agency that police are planning to train non-Muslim civilians as regional police in Maungdaw Township near the Bangladesh border.

We have started recruiting regional police in the area, Min Aung said. After a four-month training period, they will serve."

The area has been under a military lockdown since an armed gang killed nine police officers and stole dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition in attacks on border police outposts on Oct. 9.

Min Aung said that around 100 men aged 18 to 30 years old had enrolled for the first batch of training in Rakhine capital Sittwe, and when trained they would be armed as are regular police, and would serve under the command of the Border Guard Police Forces.

Smith underlined Saturday that in 2013, then president Thein Sein had unilaterally disbanded NaSaKa -- a controversial security force in Rakhine that included police, military, customs, and immigration personnel.

It said that Thein Seins disbanding of NaSaKa demonstrated that the central government has the authority to intervene with respect to security forces in Rakhine.

"This should be instructive for the current civilian government at this critical time," Smith stated.

The state is home to around 1.2 million Rohingya, who have long been officially labeled as Bengali -- a term suggesting they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh -- and denied citizenship.

In 2012, violence between the local Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine -- one of the poorest regions in Myanmar -- left around 57 Muslims and 31 Buddhists dead, some 100,000 people displaced in camps and more than 2,500 houses burned -- most of which belonged to Rohingya.

Since the Oct. 9.attacks on border police stations, Fortify said it had received eyewitness reports of extrajudicial killings of unarmed Rohingya men in Maungdaw by the army.

"Numerous reports subsequently alleged that Myanmar Army soldiers and security forces raped women and girls, killed unarmed civilians, and carried out arbitrary arrests and detentions," it said, adding that several Rohingya villages were razed.

On Oct. 24, five United Nations Special Rapporteurs issued a joint statement urging the government to address the growing reports of human rights violations in northern Rakhine".

The president's office, however, repeatedly denied all allegations of abuses or wrongdoing, dismissing allegations as false propaganda.

Top diplomats and a UN official returning from Rakhine have since called for a credible probe into last month's fatal attacks, along with the allegations that soldiers killed and raped.

The UN Special Rapporteur has underlined that a major problem in ascertaining the true picture has been the lack of access for a proper assessment.

"The blanket security operations have restricted access for humanitarian actors with concerning consequences for communities ability to secure food and conduct livelihood activities.

In Saturday's statement, Smith called the arming of civilians on ethnic and religious identity in such a racially-charged context "profoundly irresponsible".

We fully expect the government to put a stop to this plan and to immediately provide aid groups with free and unfettered access to all in need. The best way to prevent violent extremism is to promote and protect human rights, not equip people to potentially commit abuses.

Anadolu Agency
A court in Belgium has ruled that the activities of the PKK terrorist organization cannot be classed as terrorism but fall under the definition of an armed campaign, a judicial source told local media Thursday.

According to the 7SUR7 news website, a Brussels court hearing the case against 36 alleged PKK members refused the prosecutors request to send the suspects to be tried by a higher criminal court because an armed campaign cannot be considered as terrorist acts.

The decision was made despite the group being listed as a terrorist organization by the EU, the U.S. and Turkey.

The suspects are accused of kidnapping children from their families in Belgium and other Western countries and sending them for training in Greece and Iraq, the website reported. They are also accused of forging documents and extorting businessmen.

The source, which was not identified, told the website the prosecutor could appeal the lower courts decision.

Among those standing trial are Remzi Kartal and Zubeyir Aydar, said senior members of the PKKs European organization. They were among PKK suspects arrested in March 2010 in raids on 18 addresses across Belgium.

The court case began in October 2015 following an investigation that began in 2006, according to 7SUR7.

Belgium has been criticized in the past for failing to act against the PKK. In August, supporters in Brussels were allowed to celebrate the anniversary of the terror groups first attack in 1984 and five months earlier followers had been allowed to set up tents outside EU buildings ahead of a Turkey-EU summit.

Apart from Belgium, the PKK is also active in EU countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Greece.

Anadolu Agency
Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the somewhat accidental discovery of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), a neo-Nazi gang accused of killing eight Turks and a Greek in xenophobic attacks. As the victims are remembered, the German government faces criticism for failure to shed light on the murders in time and reluctance on revealing state agencies' links to the neo-Nazi scene.

Speaking to the German media on Friday, Justice Minister Heiko Maas admitted "failure" for the part of the government and apologized to the families of the NSU victims for "mistakes" by security forces in the investigation and thwarting the string of racist crimes. He said "many mistakes were made" and expressed his regrets in the case. "It is a gross failure that the NSU committed crimes for years and we have not been able to stop them and protect our citizens," Maas was quoted saying, four years after Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged a full investigation into the NSU and its connections yet not "fulfilling her promise" according to critics of German authorities' handling of the case.

Germany apologetic but still far from uncovering neo-Nazi links

Beate Zschaepe, left, smiles as she sits in the dock during one of the hearings in the NSU trial in September.

The discovery of the NSU's crimes, from the murders of the eight Turks and the Greek to the bombing of a predominantly Turkish neighborhood and a string of robberies, shocked the German public who were led to believe by investigators and the media that the crimes were a result of gang disputes in the Turkish community for years. On November 4, 2011, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt, two members of the gang, were found dead in an apparent suicide in a torched trailer home in Germany's Eisenach and some three hours later, Beate Zschaepe, another gang member, fled after burning another house where she stayed with Boehnhardt and Mundlos in the town of Zwickau. She turned herself in to police four days later, revealing the presence of the gang. The discovery put an end to the theory of ethnic gang violence in the NSU's crimes which were notoriously dubbed as "doner killings" by the German media named after the popular Turkish food. Zschaepe still stands trial in a lawsuit against the gang expected to wrap up next year. The revelations caused a scandal in Germany for failure of authorities to detect the gang's crimes that took place between 2000 and 2007 and for findings indicating that NSU members had connections to informants on the payroll of German intelligence. The destruction of documents on the said informants following the discovery of the NSU further added to the controversy.

Aydan Ozoguz, the Integration Minister of German cabinet and a member of the Turkish community, said unanswered questions remain in the NSU case and "all relevant agencies" should check whether they succeeded in fulfilling Merkel's pledge to fully shed light on the case. In a written statement, Ozoguz said far-right danger in Germany should never be downplayed.

The focus on the NSU investigation still remains on the gang itself, raising complaints from the victims' families seeking a broader investigation into the involvement of the intelligence services. Seda Basay Yldz, a lawyer for Enver Simsek, a 38-year-old father of two who was gunned down in the van of his florist shop while praying on the morning of Sept. 8, 2000, decries authorities' unfulfilled pledges to shed light on the gang. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, the lawyer of Turkish origin said Simsek's family was disappointed on the process in the case. She said Zschaepe and four other suspects accused of aiding the gang were on trial at a Munich court that was "expected to conclude the case after the trial ends." "They will say the case is resolved and close it. Whereas, these murders cannot be the work of only three people. Their links to the state are still in the dark," she said. Yldz underlines that they still don't know how the gang picked its victims and how they planned the murders. "Lawyers believe these three suspects were in touch with neo-Nazis in the cities they committed the murders," she said. Yldz said it was not clear that the state's informants were in touch with Boehnhardt, Zschaepe and Mundlos but despite their repeated appeals, dossiers on those informants were not handed to lawyers. She criticized the prosecutors for denying lawyers access to key information in the case. "We don't want the government to intervene in a judicial process but the Justice Ministry can instruct prosecutors to share the information on the NSU with the lawyers," Yldz said. "If the state has nothing to hide, then why are they denying access to dossiers? I think the state made big mistakes and was negligent in this case. For instance, intelligence units did not convey what they knew about the case to law enforcement. A lawsuit can be filed for the state's negligence in the case but we need tangible evidence, which we are denied," Yldz added.

Doris Dierbach, the lawyer for the family of Halit Yozgat who ran an Internet cafe in Kassel when he was gunned down by the NSU at the age of 21 in 2006, said it was difficult to investigate the far-right groups due to their secretive nature. "Some work as informants and can manipulate authorities any way they can. But we still managed to learn that the NSU had support in the far-right scene and did not act alone in their crimes," she said. Dierbach says the discovery of the gang raised awareness to the far-right and racism in German society and showed that there was a need to fight against it.

On Friday, a group of activists laid a wreath at Neue Wache, a memorial in Berlin dedicated to the victims of war and dictatorship, in memory of the NSU victims. Kenan Kolat, a Turkish representative of a nongovernmental organization for multi-cultural living in Germany, said it has been five years since the discovery of the NSU but Germany "did not do anything for this black stain in its history." Kolat also pointed out mysterious deaths of several witnesses in the NSU case and the destruction of documents. "No lawsuits were filed for anyone other than NSU members and we don't have any inquiries about authorities' possible connections on the case," he said.

Turkey is also critical of Germany on the legal process regarding the NSU. Mustafa Yeneroglu, a lawmaker who heads the Human Rights Committee of the Turkish parliament, said in a written statement on Friday that Germany should do more in the investigation of the gang's crimes and a comprehensive approach was needed. "The lack of attention in the case led to a chain of alleged mistakes. We witnessed strange events, from suspicious deaths of witnesses to destruction of intelligence documents on far-right, to 'memory losses' of officials testifying to interrogators on the NSU," he said. Throughout the NSU trial, at least two witnesses were found dead under suspicious circumstances though authorities ruled out foul play. Melisa M., a woman linked to a neo-Nazi witness tied to the gang, was found dead last year in her home, and two years before, another witness died under mysterious circumstances. Thomas R., another witness who was reportedly an informant for German intelligence, died of previously undiagnosed diabetes in 2014.

Yeneroglu said law enforcement lagged behind investigative journalists in uncovering the NSU's crimes and judges and prosecutors exerted little effort to find those linked to the gang. "There are enough clues pointing that the NSU had more than three members and it is necessary to revise the trial process and investigate the dire mistakes during the handling of the case," he said. Yeneroglu said negligence for the part of German authorities paved the way for more Islamophobic and xenophobic attacks. "The result of a comprehensive investigation in this case will determine how Germany's image in handling such cases will be in the future, especially in the light of Germany's unrealistic warnings on alleged human rights violations in Turkey," Yeneroglu said.

Source: Daily Sabah
On Mondays Four Corners Scottish-born filmmaker Jamie Doran looks at Crossroads Afghanistan: A heart stopping journey through the Taliban badlands.

Numerous convoys have been attacked on this road and you can sense the tension building, even in our own driver, he says.

The highway to northern Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous roads in the world, cutting through territory controlled by the Taliban and Islamic State.

Its a risky place at the best of times, let alone if youre a western filmmaker travelling with a member of Afghanistans most famous political family.

The small narrow valley, these very tall mountains, its just a perfect place for guerrilla warfare. Insurgents can attack us at any pointtheyll be hiding in the villages, theyll be hiding in the mountains.  Zubair Massoud, Strategic Adviser

Zubair Massoud, advisor to the Afghan National Security Council, is increasingly spoken of as a future leader of Afghanistan. That makes him a high value Taliban target. Despite advice from his security team, he makes the perilous journey to Kunduz to see the deteriorating security situation for himself. He takes award-winning filmmaker Jamie Doran with him.

Snipers bullets are just whizzing over our heads at the moment and these guys are now trying to react to that.  Jamie Doran filmmaker

This often heart stopping film follows their journey as they travel deeper and deeper into enemy territory, their security detail fighting its way through ambushes and firefights.

They fired an RPG right in front of us, 10 metres from here!  Zubair Massoud

The dangers faced on this trip highlight the disintegrating situation in Afghanistan and Zubair Massoud warns that the country may be running out of time.

If we can bring security by the end of this year, I see a bright future in this country. But if not, if we cannot bring security by the end of this year, I see a very dark future.

Monday 7th November at 8.30pm on ABC.
Two security agents grabbed Trump by the shoulders and rushed him back stage. Trump returned to the stage a short while later to continue his rally speech.

By Reuters: Republican Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security agents at a rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night after a perceived security threat as he and Democrat Hillary Clinton swept across states that could prove decisive in Tuesday's presidential election.



WHAT HAPPENED



Two security agents seized Trump by the shoulders and hustled him backstage as police officers swarmed over a white male in the front of the crowd and held him face down on the ground while they searched him.

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Moments later, the man was escorted by police away with his hands behind his back. Trump, seemingly unruffled, returned to the stage and continued his campaign speech.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us," he said. "But we will never be stopped."

The Secret Service later said the incident erupted when an unidentified individual in front of the stage shouted "gun."

TRUMP THANKS SECURITY PERSONNEL



"Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the Secret Service said in a statement.

"A thorough investigation is ongoing at this time by the U.S. Secret Service and the Reno Police Department," it said.

The incident began when Trump noticed what he considered a heckler. A few seconds later people near the stage began pointing at someone in the crowd near the front.

Then agents took Trump away.

In a statement, Trump thanked the Secret Service, Reno and Nevada law enforcement for "their fast and professional response."

The incident occurred as Clinton and Trump make their closing arguments to American voters, criss crossing the United States in hopes of winning over last-minute undecided voters and rallying their bases to turn out enthusiastically on Election Day.



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| By Chris Zang

Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Those words of Harriet Tubman fittingly began the University of Maryland, Baltimores (UMB) 21st Founders Week Gala. The promise of youth pervaded the Baltimore Hilton on Nov. 5 as a crowd of 500-plus was treated to an inspiring evening. (Photo Gallery)

During its nearly 210-year history, UMB has built a global reputation for advancing health and driving scientific discovery. But much closer to home, in its West Baltimore neighborhood, UMB is equally committed to enriching young lives through outreach programs like Promise Heights and UMB CURE Scholars that urge children to fearlessly change the world. The kids of today can be UMBs stars of tomorrow.

To drive home the point, a video at the Gala showed five CURE scholars, middle school students whose excitement about possible careers in science is currently being molded by UMB mentors. However, in the video, filmed on the playground at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School, where some of them attend school, the scholars names are changed to those of UMBs four 2016 Founders Week Award winners and UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD.

Jay, you should be a doctor when you grow up, says Courtney Jacobs, portraying Entrepreneur of the Year William F. Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, executive director of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center. Thats what I want to do. And I want to open a center to cure cancer.

Zykera Jenkins, portraying Public Servant of the Year Bronwyn Mayden, MSW, executive director of Promise Heights, says, I want to help children like us when I grow up.

Louise Jenkins receives the Teacher of the Year award with Dr. Perman and School of Nursing Dean Jane Kirschling.

Markia Eubanks  playing Teacher of the Year Louise S. Jenkins, PhD, RN, FAHA, ANEF  says, I want to be a nurse and a teacher.

And Ayishat Yussef baffles the youngsters by saying I want to be a medical researcher and help shape state and federal policy surrounding prescription drug abuse, as Researcher of the Year Linda Simoni-Wastila, BSPharm, MSPH, PhD, has done.

The video closes with young Jay saying, Im going to the 2016 Founders Week Gala!

Then the real Jay Perman was joined onstage by the young man who portrayed him, Shakeer Franklin. I think Shakeer might be here to take my job," joked Perman, a pediatric gastroenterologist whose affection for children has only grown since becoming UMB president in 2010.

The video participants were among the special guests at the Gala from programs UMB has developed to strengthen families and neighborhoods in West Baltimore and boost student achievement.

The UMB CURE Scholars Program, for instance, begins preparing middle school students for rewarding jobs in health care. Already, the scholars say theyre more enthusiastic about school, more hopeful for the future. Now in its second year, the CURE program serves 65 city students and engages 170-plus mentors in the scholars academic and personal development.

Led by the School of Social Work at UMB, Promise Heights is another UMB outreach program at work in several neighborhood schools near the University. It is convening dozens of community partners to provide a comprehensive continuum of services  cradle to career  that enables families to thrive and students to succeed. Some friends from Promise Heights were on hand to salute Mayden, assistant dean at the School of Social Work, who grew up in the very Upton/Druid Heights neighborhood she is now working to strengthen.

The Community Engagement Center that UMB opened a year ago also has made a big impact, providing health screenings and wellness courses, advising neighbors on legal and financial matters, preparing residents for stable, good-paying jobs, and much more. Perman couldnt be prouder.

I can't emphasize enough that impact doesn't happen overnight. It is slow, challenging, sometimes agonizing work," Perman said. "But long before we have deep and reliable data on health indicators, or test scores, or jobs, or incomes, we have this: In less than a year, 1,700 neighbors have visited the Community Engagement Center. Another 500 faculty, staff, and students have served at the center. That means 2,200 people are reaching out to each other -- across everything that divides us. And that's a start.

In addition to Mayden, Entrepreneur of the Year Regine of the School of Medicine was saluted for his 10 years of effort that resulted in the opening of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, the first of its kind in the Baltimore-Washington region. Researcher of the Year Simoni-Wastila of the School of Pharmacy was praised for carving out a niche in the rapidly expanding area of health policy research, her work focusing on drug abuse and mental health in vulnerable populations. And Teacher of the Year Jenkins was lauded for 20 years of service at the School of Nursing, rising as a pioneer in the application of technology.

Ultimately, the black-tie Gala is about thanking generous donors and fostering future support. Thomas J. Sullivan, CFRE, MS, UMBs new chief development officer and vice president, was introduced. Meshelle, the Indie-Mom of Comedy, brought the CURE scholars onstage and urged the audience members to open their hearts and wallets to support them before closing the Gala program with her stand-up comedy act.

Perman was effusive in his praise of those at the Gala, pointing out that programs like CURE Scholars and Promise Heights, and UMBs Community Engagement Center, wouldnt exist without donations.

Words cant adequately express my thanks, he said.

For more information on UMBs Founders Week celebration, visit http://www.umaryland.edu/founders/.
Now, investigation has revealed that the person who shot at the woman was her fiance. The other person shot at was her ex-husband.

By Himanshu Mishra: In a sensational twist to the attack on a woman near Delhi's Siri Fort area on Saturday night, it has now been revealed that the person who shot at the woman was about to marry her.

Earlier reports had suggested that she and her male friend were shot at by a stalker.

MARRIAGE PLANS



According to sources, the woman got married to Rajendra three years ago. However, the two did not get along and filed for a divorce.

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Following the legal separation, the woman uploaded her photograph on a matrimonial website. Kajal Jatin Sarkar saw the profile and got in touch with the woman.

After some time, the two decided to get married. The woman had told Sarkar about her previous marriage with Rajendra.

HEATED ARGUMENT



Rajendra got to know about the woman's plan to marry again and reached the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) campus to meet her.

Sensing trouble, the woman immediately called her fiance Sarkar and asked him to reach the campus. Sarkar, son of a CISF constable, was carrying the licensed pistol of his father.

He and Rajendra got into a heated argument and Sarkar pulled out his gun and shot at him. Then, he opened fire at the woman and subsequently shot himself.

All the three were admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and their condition was said to be serious.

ALSO READ: Stalker shoots self after firing at woman, her friend near Delhi's Siri Fort, all 3 rushed to AIIMS

ALSO READ: Karnataka cop commits suicide with service revolver in Malur



ALSO READ: Man killed in shooting inside bus in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, motive unclear

ALSO WATCH



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To compete in export markets, it is not enough for developing countries to increase the volume and range of products they sell: they also have to compete in a global trading system where increasingly stringent requirements apply with regard to product quality, safety, health and environmental impacts. Exporters, moreover, need proof from internationally recognized institutions that their products conform to these requirements. The resulting improvements are not only reflected in export figures: higher standards can benefit the domestic labour force, consumer and environment as well. Achieving this requires a variety of support services. In small economies, establishing national capacities for all these purposes may not be cost effective. In that case, it makes sense for countries to create joint capacities.

The solution

UNIDO has developed a comprehensive programme to help developing countries and economies in transition to overcome the shortcomings of their standards and conformity infrastructure. The services offered for specific issues include:

Standards:

Establishment or strengthening of standardisation bodies;

Harmonization of standards at the national and regional level;

Assistance to participation in regional and international standards-setting activities;

Assistance in developing product conformity mark schemes.

Metrology:

Establishment or strengthening of laboratory capacities for legal and industrial metrology, in accordance with industrial and export requirements;

Assistance in laboratory networking and inter-laboratory comparisons;

Support to laboratory accreditation;

Product testing:

Establishment or strengthening of laboratory capacities, primarily for chemical and microbiological analysis, coupled with upgrading of specialist laboratories for industries with high export potential (such as food products);

Assistance in the harmonization of testing procedures, laboratory networking and inter-laboratory comparisons;

Support to laboratory accreditation.

Certification:

Developing national certification capability;

Pilot projects for capacity-building related to specific systems standards (ISO 9000, ISO 22000, ISO 14000 etc.).

Traceability:

Developing national capacity to comply with EU farm to fork traceability laws;

Undertaking pilot projects to promote compliance with traceability laws.

Accreditation:

Establishment or strengthening of accreditation bodies.

Helping national accreditation bodies to obtain international recognition from IAF and ILAC through peer evaluations.

Supporting tools

Together with the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO), UNIDO has created an Internet-based portal for laboratory development called LABNET. LABNET contains a guide for the accreditation process, technical requirements for laboratory development, references to relevant organizations and on-line documents, information about training programmes, job opportunities and a discussion forum.

Partners
A Twitter user thanked Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha on the social networking site for swapping seats with her and her ill mother during a flight.

By India Today Web Desk: In this digital age when ministers are just a tweet away, a young girl thanked Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha on Twitter for swapping seats with her and her ill mother during a flight.

Twitter user, Shreya Pradip, was travelling from Bengaluru to Ranchi on an Indigo flight with her mother. They were given the XL seats with more leg room because her mother could not walk but during a mid-flight halt in Kolkata the duo realised that those seats belonged to Jayant Sinha and his wife.

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Also read: Passenger tweets to ask Railway Ministry, Suresh Prabhu for a diaper, gets heat on Twitter



Instead of asking the mother-daughter duo to shift to their seats, the minister insisted that they remain seated and went to sit somewhere else with his wife.

Shreya later tweeted to thank him for the sweet gesture to which Sinha promptly replied.





Also read: Blame it on Friday: Sushma Swaraj tells how 'passports have bad habit of getting lost'

Social media users have often used the platform to thank the ministers for their prompt reply and help. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu have provided assistance to many netizens and have received appreciation for their work on social networking sites.

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If universities need to budget - how much more the students? Prominent schools like Harvard University is preparing for possible tough years ahead. They are making sure that the quality of education will not suffer despite the many external factors.

Thomas J. Hollister, vice president for finance, and another Harvard Corporate member, Paul J. Finnegan '75, a Harvard Corporation member as backed by the treasurer, issued a report on the finances of the university for 2016 fiscal year.

The data is based on the financial reports published on Harvard's website. The present year sees the shrinking of Harvard's $2 billion endowments. Such losses are something you cannot ignore especially if you are Drew G. Faust, Harvard University's president.

Returns on Harvard University's endowment may be limited further on. Relative to that, budgets for developments can also be constrained to balance the financial status of the university.

Naturally, if the decline in revenue rates is seen from 4-5% to 2-3% for the coming years, it is a correct move to also limit expenses by constraining budgets.

Harvard University is not the only one affected by the doubts on government funding and returns of endowments - but all educational establishments nationwide. They just saw the warnings early on, according to The Crimson.

To the contrary, Harvard still manages to decrease its debts from $5.5 billion to a $5.2 billion which is manageable during bad times. It has taken advantage of getting lower interests rates by refinancing about 2.5 billion worth of bonds.

Losses also are expected since they have spent more on improving employee salaries and benefits. $597 million also went to the allocation for construction projects, as seen in the financial reports through the Harvard University website.

The renovations of the Smith Campus Center and Winthrop House plus the initial pre-construction works for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences complex got a big chunk of the expenses.

The investment for the future aspect of the expenses is something that the new CEO of Harvard Management Company, NP will prioritize when he assumes office at the end of the year.
By PTI: Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) More and more people see the future as increasingly uncertain for themselves and their families compared with their parents generation and are under financial pressure, according to a HSBC report.

"Scientific and technological changes are improving our quality of life, but they are also contributing to an aging population and the feeling that employment and social provision like pensions are less secure than ever," HSBC Group Head of Wealth Management, Charlie Nunn said.

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Over 12,000 people were surveyed in 12 countries and territories, including Argentina, China, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.

The research was conducted by TNS in October and November 2015, online in 11 countries and face-to-face interviews in the UAE asking respondents to compare their lives to those of the previous generation and the next generation.

"Overall, we feel better off than the generation that went before and that we have greater choice and opportunities for fulfillment in our lives.

But we also feel less stable and less secure, and see these trends continuing for the next generation," Nunn added.

About 48 per cent respondents saw the future as increasingly uncertain for themselves and their families compared with their parents generation.

The report said that about 51 per cent feel they have to take more financial risks from the generation before, while 28 per cent respondents disagree with it.

About 49 per cent of the current generation feel they are under more financial pressure compared to 33 per cent, it said.

While 46 per cent said they are better off financially than their parents, 34 per cent thought they were not, the report found.

The report also found that 43 per cent believe they have a better quality of life than their parents while 38 per cent chose to disagree.

About 60 per cent of the respondents felt they have more choices in life compared to their parents while 27 per cent disagreed, the report said. PTI SM RSY JM ABM

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After graduating, aiming for a career with a six figure salary is often one of the things young professionals look for. Even those who are already tenured in their respective fields hope to earn more than they currently are.

Which is why LinkedIn is set to help professionals reach their full earning potential. The professional and social network is adding a new feature that will be useful in tracking salary levels in your field and comparing or stacking them against other people in your field.

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, LinkedIn launched the new Salary feature. The professional platform aims to make sure its 460 million members maximize their earning and career potential, cites CNet. The feature is available to LinkedIn members in the US, UK and Canada and is expected to roll out worldwide next year.

Before launching the feature, LinkedIn tested it to a select few. Ryan Sandler, the product manager of the feature, and his team, emailed certain members asking them to anonymously disclose their income. After the members did so, they were provided a sneak peek into what other people and peers in their fields are receiving in terms of salary.

Rather than asking your peers or managers directly how much they earn, this neat little salary feature is much more appropriate. The Salary feature lets you compare your salary with people in the same field, or those with similar jobs to that of your own. It also lets you find out if education level, location, experience, certifications and more may, or may not, play a role in your salary grade. For example, a software engineer with a Master's Degree may not earn more compared with someone without a Mater's Degree.

Sandler even uses registered nurses in Sacramento as an example. These nurses are paid an average of 50% more than registered nurses in New York City. According to Sandler, the cost of living is not the issue but more of a supply & demand scenario in Sacramento.

This neat little feature can help professionals gauge their career profile. It is most especially helpful when LinkedIn users are trying to find a new job, relocate to a different area, or are trying to learn new skills.

Get familiar with LinkedIn by checking the video below:
Who does not want to land one of the highest paying jobs in Google? Google is one of the highest paying companies in the U.S. according to Glassdoor, and you'd probably feel stoked if you get to have a chance to work at this company. If you think that you need to have a college degree and a high GPA to get a job here, then things aren't actually the same anymore. Despite Google's tedious and tough hiring process, you still have a chance to work for your dream company without even letting your GPA scores get in the way. Here's how.

You have to get a professional experience even if you do not have a degree. Although holding a university degree is a plus, having the right professional experience will work to your advantage.

If you are applying for an engineering job in Google, you must be well versed in coding and should know how to go about interpreting it, working with it and improving it.

Increase your chances of getting interviewed and hired by focusing on internship programs, recruitments, instead of applying through the company website.

Find a way to be able to reach out directly to a Google recruiter, probably by means of LinkedIn or directly contacting them through email.

Focus on an area you are very good at. It helps that you have other interests too but being really very good at something can make you go a long way.

If your GPA isn't something that can help you stand out over the others, it's better not to indicate it in your resume.

You may not be asked for your GPA when you apply in Google if you wait until 3 years after graduation.

Your GPA is not the only thing that the recruiters will be looking up. Make sure that your resume is rich with interesting list of other activities and skills that can make you stand out over a thousands of applicants.

Show that you have the attitude, the attitude that it takes to be an asset to the company - "At the end of the day, it comes down to this: Can you communicate how you can help the company? Passion, creativity, initiative, and a 'getting things done' attitude are all signals of that." - Gayle Laakmaan McDowell, Author of "The Google Resume: How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Any Top Tech Company."
Billionaire Sir James Dyson will be helping the launch of a new private university in the U.K. The Dyson Institute of Technology is expected to fill the growing skills gap in the engineering industry.

The Daily Mail reported that Dyson will be spending 15 million (about $18 million) for the launch of a new university. This will be the first new private college in the nation for more than 20 years.

The billionaire inventor hopes that the investment will increase the engineering workforce of his vacuum-cleaner firm to 6,000, four years from now. Those in the industry believe that the school will help boost the economy and stop the growing skills gap. It was noted that more engineers are needed in the U.K. as compared to 10 years ago.

What's interesting, though, is that students who get accepted on the course will not be required to pay fees. Instead, they will receive salary to work with Dyson's engineers.

"We are competing globally with Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore," Dyson said. "It's all the major technology nations and we have got to be better than them."

"[The shortage of engineers is] a problem in America and Europe and has started to become a problem in Japan. It seems that the fast-growing economies or emerging nations really recognise the value of engineering, but when you reach security there is less interest in what makes you successful."

The U.K . billionaire believes that countries in Asia are now out-performing Western nations in terms of the production of engineering graduates. The school will be accepting its first group of 25 students in September next year.

According to The Guardian, Dyson revealed that the idea for the university came after he had a visit to the government to "moan about the lack of engineers." He was told to "take matters into his own hands."

Initially, the degrees will be awarded by Warwick University. Dyson will be applying for powers from the Department of Education for the creation of a full-fledged university.
A recent study revealed that a happy school climate greatly affects how a child learns at school. In fact, it could be the missing link to bridging the achievement gap as it shows that even those who belong in low-income schools achieve more if the school climate is positive.

A happy school boosts a student's achievement, but what constitutes a happy school? It is a school with caring and supportive teachers, involved parents, connected students, and a safe learning environment. This were some of the findings of the research which spanned 15 years analyzing different schools around the world.

The biggest surprise the research found out is that no matter what the school's socioeconomic status is, the positive school environment offsets the negative effect of poverty leading students to achieve more. For example, some low-income schools in Rochester, New York have shown noteworthy student achievement because of a positive school environment.

In Children's School of Rochester, the whole school conducts morning assemblies where students are given the chance to celebrate their achievements by putting the limelight on them. School principal Jay Piper said that such assemblies bring a sense of community in the school and lessen the sense of anxiety and insecurity. With these negative factors out of the way, students become more receptive in learning.

Aside from these assemblies, the school also encourages parents to be consistently involved with their children's learning and maintains continuity in their teaching staff in order to nurture an established culture.

Ron Avi Astor, the co-author of the study and a professor at the University of California, said that the emotional and social connectedness students feel at school is a big factor in their academic improvement. With these in mind, Astor said that it gives education reformers 'more tools to think about.'

The findings show great hope for the future of public schools. However, it is also a fact that nurturing such positive environment can be a tall order. It can grow tedious and the progress slow. That is why it takes a lot of patience and vision to create such a climate of happiness at schools.

No one puts it much better than Pam Hogue, principal of Weiner Elementary School, who said that it is not just about teaching the kids skills but confidence as well, which give them a better chance to succeed in life.
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Nov 6 (PTI) Kamala Harris, Californias Attorney General who is on the cusp of becoming the first Indian-American Senator in the US Congress, may push for strong India-US ties as a protege of President Barack Obama.

Described by Obama as "fearless", 51-year-old Harris is headed for a "landslide win" in the US Senate elections from California.

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"It is going to be a landslide," M R Rangaswami, a Silicon Valley-based investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, said ahead of November 8 election described as a momentous occasion for the Indian-American community.

Considered to be protege of Obama, she is expected to be a fierce advocate of India US relationship.

"She would be a terrific person (for the community) to have in (Washington) DC," said Rangaswami.

Harris has already got the backing of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to be the states next Senator, brightening her chances to become the first from the community ever to be a member of the Upper House.

She heads into the US Senate election with a considerable lead over fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez, whose plan to coalesce Republicans and Latinos behind her has not materialised, according to a new poll.

"Kalama Harris knows, you got to be fearless against special interest," Obama said in a latest advertisement for Harris being run across California.

Harris who was born in Oakland, California, is the daughter of an Indian mother who emigrated from Chennai in 1960 and a Jamaican American father.

"The kind of support she has got in the nation including the President, I think, she would be very well received by the DC crowd. She has got that national stature," Rangaswami noted.

On India-US relationship, Harris came out with flying colours when she was grilled by a group of prominent Indian- Americans in the Silicon Valley some six months ago.

"We had a very constructive dialogue. I think, as a result of the meeting she is closer to the issues that impact Indian Americans and India," Rangaswami said.

"She sees India as a strategic partner (of the US). There is no doubt (about it). Coupled with the fact that President Obama has been putting such a close relationship with India, she is kind of a protege of the President, I think she will advocate for a very similar policy that he has been advocating with India," Rangaswami said.

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Rangaswami said she would be quite sensitive to the issues related to the community including immigration and India. PTI LKJ NSA

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La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway at Wynn Las Vegas will celebrate Thanksgiving with a bountiful feast prepared by Executive Chef Billy DeMarco on Thursday, Nov. 27 (Pictured: Butternut Squash Soup  Photo credit: Jim Decker).

Priced at $65 per person, the restaurant will offer a four-course dinner with optional wine pairings for an additional $35. The menu will begin with butternut squash soup made with spiced brandy zabaglione and toasted pumpkin seeds, paired with a Center of Effort, Chardonnay from Edna Valley, Calif.

The second course will include dried berry salad with candied walnuts, pomegranates, shaved goat cheese and topped with apple cider vinegar and will go well with the Bouchard, Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France.

The main course will feature a carved roasted turkey accompanied with dried fruit cornbread stuffing and sweet potato puree, paired with a Renacer, Punto Final, Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.

To conclude the meal, the restaurant will offer the traditional pumpkin pie complemented by the Chambers, Rosewood Vineyards, Muscat, Rutherglen from Victoria, Australia.


Located at Tivoli Village, Operation North Pole is an interactive holiday workshop. The first of its kind in Las Vegas, Operation North Pole will officially open November 25, 2016.

Many times and dates have already sold out, but there is still space available for general admission as well as private events.

Santa and his Elves have created Operation North Pole to feel as close to the real North Pole as possible. Elves arrive from all over the world to learn Santas holiday secrets and skills at Operation North Pole before joining their friends & families up North. This year Santa is inviting Las Vegas to share in the magic of this experience right along with the Elves themselves!

Guests arriving at Operation North Pole should allow 65 minutes to experience the workshop. This truly memorable experience will become a tradition allowing families to spend quality time together creating holiday memories.

A new operation requires Santa overseeing it daily as new Elves can get distracted from their learning quite easily. Doors to the experience open to the Candy Cottage where you are met with a bright burst of color and shimmering sweets. Nutcrackers guard the goodies as the Head Elf guides you through the candy making process.

Follow him into the workshop where a lively group of Elves are busy learning to make toys of all kinds, wrap presents perfectly, snuggle the newly stitched bears, and working on Santas sleigh. Down the hallway is Mrs. Claus kitchen where she bakes delicious cookies and perfects her cocoa recipe while watching over the reindeer stables.

The experience concludes with a private family visit to Santa Claus office where children receive one-on-one time with the big guy himself. A digital photo will be provided to capture the magical moment that will be treasured forever.

Operation North Pole has been created as a destination for all ages to learn about the true meaning of the holidays and bring the magic of the holidays to life. Operation North Pole is proud to donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit Marty Hennessys Inspiring Children Foundation.

As a Las Vegas native I am proud to finally have this passion project come to fruition providing a new family friendly experience for children. Thank you to the many generous local companies that have believed in our project allowing Operation North Pole to become a reality. says co-founder Nicole Tomlinson.
On May 30, surrounded by the beauty of The Pools at The Palazzo, Simon G. Jewelry and The Palazzo Las Vegas will present SPRING BLING a star-studded musical evening and fashion show benefitting the Lili Claire Foundation. Fashion designer David Alexander will style the event with a presentation of his summer collection followed by special performances by Grammy-nominated artists, Sara Bareilles and Colby ODonis. The invitation only event will welcome hosts Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian along with special guests Shari Belefonte, Vanessa Minnillo, DJ Chuck and American Idol alum, Chikezie and many more.

The Lili Claire Foundation has been operating their Las Vegas Family Resource Center in partnership with UNSOM for the past four years. The foundation created Nevadas first multi-team approach for Autism, as well as the first complex condition multi-disciplinary clinic. The foundation also hosts behavioral and Autism clinics, provides a training ground for pediatric residents, and a home for the Clark County School Districts genetics clinic. Additionally, the foundation provides monthly Fetal Alcohol Syndrome clinics and social services ranging from sibling workshops, parent support groups, advocacy in schools, and resource libraries. All of the Lili Claire Foundations programs and services in Nevada are provided free of charge to the community.

David Alexanders newest collection, The Furious Phantoms, is classic 1920s with a twist, and will incorporate Davids signature aesthetic of custom cut Swarovski crystal encrusted pieces. This collection, sponsored by Ka Wang Holdings and Domiziano Arcangeli, is inspired by the cohesion of structure and drape, together in one anthology collection and expressed through a theatrical storytelling of the ghosts of glamours past, reemerging for one last evening of spring fun. The ethereal partygoers dance and play furiously, until the structured Keeper of the Phantoms eventually captures them.

American Idol star, Chikezie, will honor the Lili Claire Foundation with a one-of-a-kind performance with a Lili Claire child. Grammy-nominated artist Colby ODonis will take the stage performing hit songs What You Got and Dont Turn Back. Sara Bareilles rounds out the musical evening with a special performance of hit songs Love Song and Bottle It Up.

Dos Caminos will serve delicious tastes of modern Mexican cuisine including Alaskan King Crab Sope, Ancho Seared Tuna Tostadita, Smoked Duck Tortas, Squash Blossom Relleno, Ceviche and Filet Mignon Alambre, along with the restaurants famed guacamole and a signature SPRING BLING margarita. Additionally, the official after-party hosted by Khloe Kardashian will be in the lounge at Dos Caminos at The Palazzo. The after-party will be open to the public with a nominal cover charge with all proceeds benefitting the Lili Claire Foundation.

A raffle will be held at the event for many one-of-a-kind items including several jewelry pieces designed exclusively for Simon G. by David Alexander, a Palazzo vacation including two nights in a luxury suite, dinner for two at Dos Caminos and two tickets to Jersey Boys, and an extraordinary week in Tahiti donated by Legends Resort and Air Tahiti Nui. All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Lili Claire Foundation. For more information about SPRING BLING and the Lili Claire Foundation, please visit www.simongjewelry.com and www.liliclairefoundation.org.
Orleans, located along the northern bend of the Loire River, at about 120 km of Paris, is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre-Val de Loire region. The origins of the city dates back to the Ancient Celts: then Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold of the Carnutes tribe and seat of the annual meeting of the Druids was conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC during the Gallic Campaign. The city was later rebuilt by Emperor Aurelian and renamed Aurelianum, or Aureliana Civitas ("city of Aurelian"), which later on evolved into Orleans.Orleans is deeply linked to the figure of the French historical heroine who intervened in the history of France and of Orleans, and whose name will forever be associated with the city: Joan dArc (1412-1431 AD). Joan was born to a humble and pious peasant family in a little village in France in 1412. At that time France was engaged in a long-lasting war with England and its ally Burgundy: the "Hundred Years War", which was lit by an inheritance dispute over the French throne. After the defeat at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415 AD, France was at its lowest point, being partly occupied by the English army and disputed by the Armagnac and Burgundian parties. Then there were even "three Frances": Normandy, Picardie, Ile de France and Aquitaine under the English domination; Burgundy, Champagne and Flanders under the domination of Burgundy and, finally, the Kingdom of Bourges belonging to Charles VII, the uncrowned King of France. After the death of Henri V Plantagenet, the Duke of Bedford, who married the sister of the Duke of Burgundy, became the kingdom's regent. He aimed to extend his territory and laid siege and occupied the towns of the Loire Valley.At age 13 Joan had visions of St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch telling her to help Charles VII to reconquer his kingdom. Joan managed to speak to Charles and at age 17 she was given a small army, which she led from one battle to another achieving success after success. In 1429 Orleans was besieged by the English forces. Although severely wounded, Joan led the French army to victory and freed the city, launching the Loire campaign which freed also Jargeau, Meung-sur-Loire and Beaugency from English rule. The city's inhabitants have continued to remain faithful and grateful to her to this day, calling her "la pucelle d'Orleans" (the maid of Orleans), offering her a middle-class house in the city, and contributing to her ransom when she was taken prisoner.Every year between Orleans fervently celebrates its beloved heroine through a week-long event, the Fetes Johanniques, that boasts a tradition stretching back over 500 years. At the crossroads of traditional civil, military and religious holidays the one of Joan of Arc is a unique event and contribute to the cultural influence of Orleans in France. Here, 501 years after her death, residents of Compiegne, the town Joan died to defend, honor their patron saint by dressing in period garb and celebrating her sacrifice.(Images by  Gervais Courtellemont/National Geographic Creative/Corbis, via Mashable/Retronaut
By PTI: Gangtok, Nov 6 (PTI) Sikkim is all set to host the 4th edition of INAS Nepali Film Awards 2016 from November 9.

Over 200 delegates from across 65 countries will be present at the event organised by the Sikkim chapter of International Nepalese Artists Society (INAS) in association with the state government.

The event will see over 200 Nepali film artists representing the Nepali Film Industry competing for the prestigious 16 categories while there will be delegates from 65 countries as participants.

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The Governor of Sikkim will be attending this event as the chief guest, while the Chief Minister will be the guest of honour.

The special guest at the function is Surendra Kumar Karki, Minister for Information and Public Relations, Government of Nepal.

Veteran Bollywood actor and son of the hills Danny Denzongpa will be conferred with the Life Time Achievement Award for his contribution to films in Indian Film Industry.

The CM Pawan Chamling will also be honoured with INAS Global Personality Award for his achievements in the field of Literature and Politics alongside

The objective behind hosting this event is to make the younger generation aware of the contributions being made by the artists if Sikkim and neighboring states in the Nepali film industry.

Promoting Sikkim as a new film shooting destination is also a major objective.

INAS was established in Copenhagen, Netherlands in the year 2012 to help, support, promote and encourage Nepali films and the artists in the international arena.

Since then, INAS has its presence and representatives having offices in 65 countries spread over Asia, America, Europe, Middle East and Africa. PTI CORR SUS SHD

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An American citizen being held in Yemen has been released and evacuated from the war-torn country to Oman.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the news of the release of Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman, recognizing it as a "positive gesture" by the Houthi rebels.



The Omani state news agency ONA said Luqman was flown to the sultanate aboard an Omani military aircraft, along with several Yemenis wounded in the war.

Luqman's wife said her husband had been in Yemen teaching English and was detained in April 2015 while trying to leave the country by bus.

Last month, Oman - a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council - helped free two other Americans held by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been in the midst of a civil war since September 2014 when the Houthis swept into the capital Sana'a and overthrew the government of President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi.

The United Nations estimates that more than 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition began military operations in Yemen in March last year, trying to restore Hadi to power.
A U.S. citizen who believes his computer was hacked by the Ethiopian government is appealing for the right to have his case against a foreign government heard in a higher U.S. court.

In 2014, a district court found that Kidane, a man living in Maryland who has worked with members of the Ethiopian diaspora and was critical of the government, could not sue Ethiopia for using software to monitor his activity. The 2014 decision determined that U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction because the alleged malware attack was initiated outside of U.S. borders. Kidane is using a pseudonym, his lawyers say, for his protection.

In an appeal filed last month in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Kidanes attorneys argued that the old standard is outdated in the age of digital surveillance. They believe this case could set a precedent for dissidents around the world who are being tracked or harassed electronically by foreign governments.

We think that the place where the software recorded his communications is on his own computer in Maryland and that means Ethiopia can be sued in the United States, said Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization that fights for civil rights in the digital sphere. EFF is representing Kidane in the case.

FinSpy malware



Kidane believes the Ethiopian government used a malware program called FinSpy to record his Skype calls, monitor his web searches and scan his email. EFF argues this is no different than traditional spying, but says it is time for the laws to catch up.

Everyone agrees that had Ethiopia sent an actual spy into Maryland and had that spy in Maryland listening into Mr. Kidanes conversations, that they could be held liable for that, Cohn said. And we dont think that the fact that they used a computer program to do the same thing should mean that they are free from the law.

In response to The Washington Post in 2014, an Ethiopian government official said that the government did not use and has no reason at all to use any spyware. However, according to leaked documents published by the magazine Wired, Ethiopia hired a Milan-based group called The Hacking Team for foreign surveillance work. The group issued Ethiopia an invoice for $1 million and had other government customers including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The group is also alleged to have done work for U.S. security agencies.

Difficult to detect



Tewodros Workneh, an assistant professor at Kent State Universitys School of Communication Studies, researches government surveillance. Workneh said that this type of surveillance can be very precisely targeted and is not easily noticeable aside from slowing down the victims computer.

What this particular malware does is create a dummy folder in your computer so that the daily communication that you have  every activity in that computer  is going to be stored in that folder, which means it is going to eat up a lot of memory, he said. So, its going to slow down significantly, and thats when he decided to  he took his computer to get looked at, and he was told that there was a surveillance [software] installed in his computer.

Workneh said those who are in fear of surveillance should be wary of unknown email attachments, regularly update their antivirus software and, if they are particularly fearful, visit a computer security professional every three months. It all comes down to our personal behavior, he said. We really cannot control what others are going to do, but we can control our own behavior.

In this civil case, Kidane is seeking compensation for damages as well as attorney fees, but Cohn said that is all secondary to setting a precedent. We [hope to] get a declaration from the U.S. courts that says wiretapping Americans in America violates U.S. laws, and foreign governments will be held accountable for illegal behavior just as private citizens would be held accountable for that behavior, said Cohn. That would be an important step not just for Ethiopia but for all of the countries in the world.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in India for her first bilateral engagement outside Europe since taking office in July.

Accompanied by a delegation of small and medium-size business leaders, May will meet her counterpart Narendra Modi and address industrialists at the start of a two-day visit to the world's fastest-growing major economy.

Although Britain cannot sign any bilateral trade deals until it has left the European Union -- most likely in 2019 -- May's visit is seen as a signal that Britain is already seeking new economic partners.

May is expected to face some tough demands while in New Delhi. India will want May to welcome more of its students and skilled workers, and that would require an unlikely U-turn from the tough line she has taken on immigration.

A number of commercial deals are due to be signed during the India visit, including in manufacturing and high-tech electronics manufacturing.

May will also travel to the Indian tech capital Bengaluru on Tuesday and visit manufacturing plants before flying back to London.
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in India Sunday on her first bilateral visit outside the European Union to lay the groundwork for stronger trade ties post Brexit with the worlds fastest-growing major economy.

But India will press the British leader on tighter visa rules that have diminished the number of Indian students going to British universities and that could impact Indian professionals in the country.

Ahead of the visit, the British leader said the trip was about expanding our horizons and forging stronger partnerships with countries around the world following Britains exit from the European Union.

In India, immigration concerns

In New Delhi, observers say the visit will test how stricter immigration policies will impact Britains efforts to build stronger business partnerships.

While India wants to expand trade ties with Britain, it also wants easier access for its students and skilled workers.

Ahead of the visit, India foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup underlined those concerns, saying, Indian students and people-to-people relations are important pillars of India-UK ties  we expect mobility issues to be raised during this visit.

He said restrictions have impacted Indian students staying in Britain after graduation.

In the last year or so, the number of Indian students enrolling in U.K. universities has gone down by almost 50 percent from around 40,000 to around 20,000 now, he said.

Those restrictions were introduced into legislation by May when she was interior minister. Changes to visa rules announced last week also will impact Indian professionals in Britain.

The impression Britain is giving to countries such as India is, we want your business but we dont want your people, said London-based political strategist Manoj Ladwa in the Hindu newspaper.

Both sides seek trade deals

However expanding trade ties with Britain is a priority for India, which is the third largest investor in Britain with about 800 Indian companies operating there. Britain is also a major investor in India.

There will be no trade deals on the table during the visit because Britain cannot formally negotiate these until it officially leaves the European Union, but the two countries will explore the possibility of a free trade deal post Brexit.

And while New Delhi has struggled to seal a free trade pact with the European Union for years, it might be easier to do it with Britain, which shares historical ties with India dating back to the colonial era.

This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship, May said in a statement ahead of the visit.

The British leader is scheduled to address a trade-focused technology seminar in New Delhi, meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and visit Indias IT hub of Bengaluru on Tuesday.

May is accompanied by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, Trade Minister Greg Hands, and business leaders from medium- and small-sized companies.
FBI Director James Comey has told Congress he has not changed a conclusion reached in July that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did nothing criminal in using a private server for emails when she was secretary of state.

Comey made the announcement in a letter Sunday after the bureau reviewed a new batch of emails discovered during a separate investigation involving former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of key Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

In his letter to Congress, Comey said investigators have been "working around the clock" processing and reviewing the emails written to and by Clinton when she was secretary of state. Based on their review, he said, "we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton."

Comey said in July that while Clinton may have been "extremely careless" in handling classified information, there was no criminal intent and that prosecutors would reach the same decision.

Markets surge

Global financial markets rose following the announcement. Dow Jones index futures surged by about 200 points ahead of Monday's opening, according to the Associated Press.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.6 percent, and Australia's S&P ASX/200 rose 1.3 percent. Other Asian markets saw gains 0.3 and 0.7 percent. However the Philippine benchmark index fell 0.7 percent.

Candidates react

Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters Sunday the campaign is "glad that this matter is resolved. We are glad to see that he (Comey) has found, as we were confident he would, that he's confirmed the conclusions that he reached in July."

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Clinton is protected by a "rigged system," telling a crowd of supporters in Michigan that it is impossible to review "650,000 new emails in just eight days."

Voter opinion polls have tightened since Comey announced two weeks ago that more Clinton emails were uncovered.

Trump saw it as a gift, telling voters that the rival he loves to call "Crooked Hillary" would be impeached and face criminal investigations if she were elected.

With less than two days before millions of U.S. voters cast their ballots, the Clinton camp likely will use the Sunday letter from Comey as its gift.

Trump and Clinton have just one more full day to convince undecided voters that he or she should take over for President Barack Obama in January.
With hours to go before Election Day in the United States, the campaigns of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are each expressing confidence and optimism about the outcome of the presidential race Tuesday. VOAs Michael Bowman reports, even though the latest polls show Clinton with a modest lead nationally, the contest is likely to be decided by turnout in about a dozen battleground states.
With two days left before polls open Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her Republican party rival Donald Trump make their closing arguments Sunday to persuade last-minute undecided voters and rally their bases to turn out on election day.

Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star Lebron James will campaign with Clinton Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, a must-win battleground state she would like to take from Trump, who leads the state in pre-election polling. The NBA superstar, who came out in support of Clinton last month, said he has cast his ballot.

I know who Im for, who Im endorsing and everyone has the right to do what they want to do, James said Saturday before playing against NBA rival the Philadelphia 76ers. He said he hopes everyone understands how important this election is.

Clinton will also visit New Hampshire Sunday.

Trump on 5-state swing

Trump has a busier schedule Sunday, visiting locations that have traditionally voted for Democrats. The Republican standard-bearer is making stops in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Trump has been painting a dark picture of what the country will look like with his opponent at the helm, while Clinton continues to tell voters they are stronger together.

If she were to win this election, Trump told a rally in Reno, Nevada, it would create an unprecedented constitutional crisis. In that situation, we could very well, have a sitting president under felony indictment and ultimately a criminal trial. It would grind government to a halt, of course, this is what we have right now under Obama.

Trump was referring to the email controversy that has dogged Clinton throughout her presidential run. The FBI recently announced the agency has discovered thousands of emails from Clintons time as secretary of state on the computer of Anthony Weiner, the husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abeddin.

Trump appeared in North Carolina, Florida, Colorado and Nevada Saturday.

In his rally in Reno, Trump was briefly rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents after an apparent gun scare. He had been speaking to supporters when a disturbance broke out in the crowd near the podium. A man was escorted out of the venue shortly afterward. Trump reappeared on stage minutes later to continue the rally.

The Secret Service later said in a statement that the incident began when someone shouted gun, but no weapon was found on the suspect they escorted away or in the surrounding area, according to Reuters.

In a statement, Trump thanked the Secret Service, Reno and Nevada law enforcement for their fast and professional response.

Clinton rallies Florida

Clinton spent time Saturday morning in Florida, which has traditionally been an important state in deciding the presidential election. In 2000, Floridas vote count was so close it was eventually decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which handed the victory to Republican George W. Bush over Democratic Vice President Al Gore.

Clinton appeared at a rally in Miami, where she was introduced by Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. Martin, a black teenager, was shot and killed in 2012 by a white neighbor who said he was acting in self-defense. The case has mobilized a growing faction of people calling for criminal justice reform.

I dont think I need to tell you all of the wrong things about Donald Trump, she said as rain poured down. But heres what I want you to remember: I want to be the president for everybody. Everybody who agrees with me, and people who dont agree with me. People who vote for me! People who dont vote for me!

Later in the day, at a Katy Perry concert Saturday in Philadelphia, Clinton noted that 37.5 million people have voted in the early polls.

I believe they are standing up for a hopeful, inclusive vision of America, Clinton said.

Race is tight

With just two days of campaigning left before most Americans cast their ballots, polls show a tightening race between Clinton and Trump. The RealClear Politics poll average shows Clinton slightly ahead with 46.6 percent of the vote, compared to 44.8 percent for Trump.

The latest Washington Post-ABC Tracking Poll released early Sunday shows Clinton holding a 5-percentage-point lead over Trump. In the Post-ABC poll released Friday, Clinton led Trump by 47 percent to 44 percent.

Her lead in several key battleground states has also narrowed, following a revelation a week ago that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into more emails as part of its probe into her handling of classified information while she served as secretary of state.
Ahead of her visit to India, British Prime Minister Theresa May has declared India as UK's most important and closest friend.

By Press Trust of India: Describing India as the UKs "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May today said her visit to India will reaffirm the importance of bilateral strategic partnership.

In an article published in the Sunday Telegraph as she left for India for her first bilateral visit outside the UK, she said plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

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She writes: "One of our most important and closest friends has to be India ? a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

"In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

MAY'S MAIDEN BILATERAL VISIT OUTSIDE EUROPE



"That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

"We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the world?s foremost champion of free trade."

Also read: UK PM Theresa May says FIFA ban on poppy armbands is "outrageous"



The British premier, who will hold her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow, said she will be seeking concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

SMART CITIES, MAKE IN INDIA



"Building 100 new Smart Cities, encouraging firms to Make in India, getting the country online with Digital India, delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance ? these form Prime Minister Modis vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries."

Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said that focussing on that is missing the point as while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.

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"There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU," she said.

Also read: Theresa May praises British-Indians in Diwali message



"That's why we are working with the Indians to strengthen intellectual property rights, enable the UK's world-leading services sector to work in the India market, and offer support to Prime Minister Modi's aim to make India an easier place to do business," she said.

FREE TRADE AGREEMENT



"It is why we are introducing new British businesses to the opportunities on offer. And alongside this, while we will maintain our support for an EU-India free trade agreement, we will continue our dialogue with India about a future bilateral trade arrangement between our two countries," she noted.

She said her visit to India is about "collaboration" and highlighting the opportunities for new ways in which we can collaborate in future.

"I want to encourage more Indian businesses to invest in Britain, I want to see more British firms doing business in India, and I want to work with Prime Minister Modi to deliver the ambitious visions we share for our countries. Free trade and increased cooperation will make us all more secure and more prosperous.Take advantage of the opportunities before us, and I truly believe that this can be the partnership of the century," she concluded.



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--- ENDS ---
When voters go to polling places across the United States on November 8 hundreds of international observers will be watching the election of a new president and members of Congress unfold.

The observers represent two major organizations that have a long history of this kind of work, but are more prominently known for doing it in other parts of the world and not the U.S.

Who are they?

The U.S. government asked the 35-member Organization of American States  with its headquarters a few blocks from the White House -- to monitor an election for the first time this year.

The United States Greatly values OAS important work promoting free and fair elections throughout the region, said U.S. OAS representative Kevin Sullivan. We welcome OAS observation as an opportunity to demonstrate the United States dedication and support for this important function of the institution.

Former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla is leading the effort involving 40 experts from 16 nations.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which observed the 2012 election and six others in the U.S., is returning for the 2016 vote.

The 57-member organization has a much larger team than OAS, with more than 600 observers in all. Most are focused on following the proceedings at polling places, while some are looking at the bigger picture of the electoral process at the state level.

What are they looking for?

The international teams will be working alongside poll watchers from political parties, a role that has gained prominence during the presidential campaign with Republican candidate Donald Trump raising concerns about vote fraud.

Numerous studies have found little evidence of fraudulent votes being cast in the United States. But the international observers are not looking for malfeasance, but rather looking on as more of a learning process for both other nations and to help the U.S. strengthen its own system.

That is a little different from elections in other countries where observers are often cited as either reporting a vote was free and fair or that there were some irregularities. A recent example is the August presidential election in Gabon, where European Union observers raised questions about the seemingly high turnout in the incumbent candidates home district.



The OAS said in the United States it will be looking at issues involving electoral organization, technology, campaign finance and political participation, and produce a report highlighting best practices and potential improvements.

The OSCE will also make recommendations in a report to the government and the public.

No electoral system or process is perfect, it said. Past elections have shown that there are areas where improvements can be made.

The organization has already issued a preliminary report of what observers have seen ahead of the vote.

It notes concerns about the reliability of new voting systems in some areas, lower voter registration rates among minorities, and the outsized influence that major political donors may have based on their role in financing campaigns.

The OSCE also said that while there has been extensive media coverage of the race between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, comparatively little coverage has been devoted to other issues and contests. Those include the races for the Senate and the House of Representatives, in which a combined 469 of the 535 total seats are up for election.

Where are they?

The OAS says its election day observers will be in Washington, D.C., as well as in 11 states: California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

Chinchilla has also met with election officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

The OSCE said its observation effort planned to cover two-thirds of the 50 U.S. states. A spokesman said the states where observers will not be deployed include Indiana, Delaware, Maine, Missouri and New Jersey.

U.S. elections are overseen by state and local authorities, meaning certain rules such as who is allowed to observe and under what conditions vary from place to place. A majority of states welcome international observers either explicitly under law or in practice.

Those that do not allow the observers, according to a list from the National Conference of State Legislatures, include the traditionally key battleground states of Florida and Ohio.

The National Association of Secretaries of State has encouraged state and local officials to welcome international observers, saying they have become an important part of the democracy-building process.

After the 2012 election, the OSCEs assessment cited broad public confidence in the vote, but identified some areas that persist in conversations about the U.S. electoral system.

Further steps should be taken to improve the electoral process, in areas such as voting rights, the accuracy of voter lists, campaign finance transparency, recount procedures, and access of international election observers,"the OSCE report said.
Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, and that is resulting in a surge in the Asian-American electorate. The impact of the Asian vote can be especially prominent in California, the state with the largest Asian-American population in the country.

In a recent report, the group Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles found that the state has seen an increased number of registered voters over a four-year period. There currently are 1.8 million Asian Americans registered to vote in California, an increase of 150,000 voters.

Dan Ichinose, director of the group's Demographic Research Project, said most of the growth happening in Asian-American communities is driven by immigration.

Immigration

"The levels of immigration from Asian countries now, of course, outpace the number of immigrants coming from Latin America," Schnur said. "The American political community hasn't quite figured that out yet, and so as a result, Asian American voters are not getting as much attention from either party as the increased number of immigrants coming from Pacific Rim countries would suggest."

In California, the large numbers of Asian voters translate to political power, Ichinose said, referring to the finding that in the last presidential election, Asian-Americans comprise 25 percent or more of the electorate in 25 legislative districts in California. There are 38 legislative districts statewide where Asian-American voter registration exceeded the margin of victory.

"Not only are Asian-Americans concentrated in these legislative districts, but they're concentrated in a way that means that they have real influence in the outcome of elections," Ichinose said.

Largely politically unaffiliated

Because people from Asia represent diverse cultures, languages and religious beliefs, Asian-Americans have not been as cohesive politically, Schnur said.

Watch: Houston Community Groups Boost Asian Voter Turnout

Although more Asian-Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans, many of them do not affiliate themselves with a political party, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

"We do tend to see that these [unaffiliated] voters tend to vote more for Democrats than Republicans, but it certainly means that party affiliation doesn't drive the Asian-American vote like it does in other communities," Ichinose said.

The top three Asian electorate groups are Chinese-Americans, Filipino-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans, and what shapes their political opinions often comes from their background.

Vietnamese-American vote

Vietnamese-Americans are one of the most politically engaged, and many of those who arrived in the U.S. as refugees have been strong supporters of the Republican Party.

"We used to see [the] Republican Party in the United States as the party that is very anti-communist because of the foreign policy," said Le Khac Ly, who was a colonel in the South Vietnamese armed forces.

Like most of the other Vietnamese refugees of his generation, Le has voted for Republicans in every election since he became a U.S. citizen.

In this year's election, Le and many Vietnamese-Americans of his generation had a difficult time deciding which candidate should get their vote for president.They said they will not be voting for the candidate they like the best, but rather for the candidate they dislike the least.

"Between the two devils, I choose the lesser one. That's Donald Trump," Le said. He explained, "He never thinks before speaking ... before speaking out what he's thinking, and he changed policies a lot. He plans to build a wall between United States and Mexico, and he forces the Mexican government to pay for it. It's not reality, so what he said is just his imagination."

Le said Democrat Hillary Clinton would be more dangerous than Trump if she becomes president.

"Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, she must [have been] able to tell what information is classified, related to national security, and which information is OK to transmit over private server email. If she's not capable to do that, she cannot be a president," Le said.

Hugh Tra is one of many younger Vietnamese-Americans whose views differ from the older generation. Tra has been politically active since high school. He says he was a Republican but now identifies as a Democrat.

"I care a lot about foreign affairs, about what the U.S. government decides to do. I really do want our government to look at the history and culture of another society before making decisions, taking military action," said Tra, who came to the United States with his parents when he was two years old.

Tra said his parents were refugees from the Vietnam War and that his father shared those experiences with him.

"The bedtime stories, they weren't like fairy tales or Disney stories. It was war and repercussions of war -- impact of war," Tra said.

Asian-American barriers

Although there are many politically conscious Asian Americans, Ichinose said there is a disproportionate number of Asian-Americans who are not citizens.

There also are disproportionate numbers who are not registered to vote because of barriers such as language, poverty, and lack of understanding in the election process.

Ichinose said once they register, Asian-Americans go to polls at slightly lower rates than other communities, and that's why get-out-the-vote efforts targeting the Asian community at the grassroots level is especially important.

He said politicians across the country also should pay attention to the Asian-American electorate and to what is happening in California.

"It [California] not only has the largest Asian-American population and the largest Asian-American electorate  disproportionate numbers who are running for political office. So certainly what happens in California tends to be a precursor for what happens in other parts of the country," Ichinose said.
Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton came agonizingly close to winning the Democratic presidential nomination, garnering 18 million votes before losing to freshman Senator Barack Obama.

At her concession speech, Clinton cited her lifelong struggle to overcome barriers to women: Although we werent able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, its got about 18 million cracks in it  and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.

This time, Clinton has secured the nomination and is hoping to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling and become president of the United States. But just days before the election, Clinton had failed to hold on to the respectable lead she once had in the polls.

National numbers released by ABC/Washington Post a week before the election put Clintons lead nationally at just 1 point -- down from a 12-point lead the previous week. Other polls also showed a similar loss of advantage, bringing into question whether she will be able to shatter the glass ceiling she has aimed at for so long.

If she wins in November, she will go from first lady to U.S. senator from New York, to U.S. secretary of state, to Madam President.

Opinion polls show Clinton is both beloved and despised. She is one of the most famous people in the world. Those who know her personally say she is warm and has a great sense of humor in private. Yet, she is guarded about revealing too much of her personality in public.

Some perceive Clinton as untrustworthy; she has been investigated numerous times, most recently for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state in the Obama administrations first term.

Cracks in the glass ceiling

Born in a middle-class Chicago suburb in 1947, Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote of a happy childhood in her 2003 autobiography. The daughter of a staunch Republican father, she says she got into politics because of her Democratic mother.

Her own mother, Dorothy Rodham, however, had a very different childhood.

As Clinton has recounted in campaign ads, She was abandoned by her parents at the age of 8, sent from Chicago to [Los Angeles] to live with grandparents who did not want her. But people showed her kindness, gave her a chance. Like the teacher who saw my mother had no money for food and started bringing her extra from home, whispering, You know, Dorothy, I just brought too much food today. 

As a teenager, Clinton became a young Republican. She attended Wellesley College and grew more active in politics, delivering the womens schools commencement speech in 1969.

She went on to Yale Law School, where she completed her transformation from Republican to a progressive Democrat, and met her future husband, Bill Clinton, in the library. She and Bill Clinton married in 1975, and she followed him back to his home state of Arkansas, where he was elected governor in 1978.

Smarter than Bill

The Clintons daughter, Chelsea, was born in Arkansas. And it was there that political journalist Ron Fournier first covered the Clintons. He had plenty of access to both of them in Little Rock and, later, at the White House.

Fournier said he thinks Hillary Clinton is even smarter and funnier than former President Bill Clinton. If he could pick one to have a drink with, it would be Hillary Clinton.

Bill Clinton's very good about relating a joke, telling a joke, but she's really good about being funny in the moment. Self-deprecating humor, that laugh that drives a lot of people crazy, I actually find personally very engaging because it is very authentic, earthy. It's very contagious in person," Fournier said.

Bob Weiner, former White House spokesman in the Clinton administration, told VOA that Hillary Clinton is smarter at understanding a problem and coming up with a solution than either her husband or President Barack Obama.

Weiner also said Clinton is aware she lacks something they both have: She knows that she doesn't have the charisma, and she does not have the charisma, but she's got the smarts and the governing power, which is enormous.

Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, joking that he offered two presidents for the price of one. Bucking traditional expectations, Hillary Clinton remained active politically as first lady, fighting hard but failing to push through universal health care coverage.

Sex scandals

In the White House, persistent stories of Bill Clintons infidelities caught up with him, and lying about the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal got him impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate.

The months after the scandal were a painful time, close Clinton associate Weiner told VOA, but the marriage survived. The couple try to deal with their marital failures privately, but theyve gotten through them, Weiner said. Thats  Ive been there, and I've seen them, and they love each other.

But the public humiliation took a toll on Hillary Clinton, according to Fournier: She's changed because a lot of the stuff that's come her way. She built up a lot of scar tissue because of the attacks that have come her way. Some of them are totally unfair.

Watch: Hillary Clinton Hopes to Make More History as Female President

Fighting back

Hillary Clinton fought her way back, forging her own separate political career. New Yorkers elected her to the U.S. Senate in 2000, and she was re-elected in 2006. In 2008, Obama chose her as secretary of state.

She subsequently visited 112 countries, highlighting womens rights and the power of diplomacy, dubbed soft power.

Both of the president and Michelle Obama are strong supporters of Hillary Clintons campaign. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention this past summer, first lady Michelle Obama praised Hillary Clintons record and character.

And look, there were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs," Michelle Obama said. "But heres the thing. What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.

Hillary Clinton may need that toughness, as she finds herself, along with her running mate Senator Tim Kaine, in the political fight of her life, running against celebrity businessman Donald Trump. Like Clinton, he is a world famous, but polarizing figure.

Polls show the two are locked in a tight race. Hillary Clintons life story suggests she will fight as hard as she can all the way to Election Day on November 8.

In Photos: Hillary Clinton through the years
Graffiti on a bullet-riddled building in this city reads Mosul will be free in Arabic as black smoke billows from the nearby oil fields set on fire by Islamic State militants.

As the frontlines of the battle against Islamic State move into Iraqs second largest city, the surrounding areas are in tatters. Locals say IS may be gone, but residents are still in danger from the smoke.



We are living in a fire, says Ali Ahmed, who house is between two oil fires, each only a few hundred meters away. There is no water, no food. Even our spit is dry and black.





IS militants had set oil fields in this city on fire before they were forced out of the area two months ago. After they left, soldiers say timed bombs remained and when the bombs went off, the fires were reignited.



Some people say the fires were meant to hide IS from airstrikes. Others say the group is just bent on destruction. All agree its a crisis that is not being addressed.





They destroyed this well of oil three months ago by bombs, says Mohammed, a Qayyarah resident as he stands on the rim of one of the fires. This is hurting us by the smoke. Its hurting out chests. Its making a lot of people sick because this oil is burning.



While this fire rages on freely, there is another burning oil well in view. Locals say it is technically being put out, but months have gone by with no change.





In the meantime, families near the fires live in homes encased in smoke, which blocks the sun over entire villages and towns.



The situation is very dangerous, explains Hassan Ahmed, a Lieutenant in the Iraqi Army. The children get up in the morning and their faces are soon black. Even the furniture is black.





Families say the defeat of Islamic State in their area was a great victory and a list of the names of those killed by the group hangs on a shop door in town.



But the devastation IS left behind has left many homes empty, and those remaining say they are barely surviving.



Many houses were destroyed with mortars and bombs, says Ahmed. Life is finished here.
Iraqi troops inside the embattled city of Mosul slowed their advance Sunday on the citys eastern front where Islamic State militants have taken over neighborhoods.

There are a lot of civilians, and we are trying to protect them, said Lieutenant Colonel Muhanad al-Timimi. This is one of the hardest battles that weve faced till now.

On Saturday, an Iraqi general said his forces trying to encircle the city had driven Islamic State extremists out of a key town on the citys southern front, and Kurdish forces confirmed that Iraqi flags are now flying from buildings there, near Mosuls airport.

Heavy fighting

The advance on Hamam al-Alil, 15 kilometers south of Mosuls center, followed an advance by Iraqi special forces against Mosuls eastern perimeter. The Iraqis have gained a foothold in the Gogjali district of Mosul, overcoming heavy fortifications by IS militants in control of the area for the past two years.

A reporter from The Associated Press near Gogjali reported heavy combat Saturday as Islamic State fighters tried to regain territory they lost to the Iraqis Tuesday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi recently visited his troops on Mosuls eastern front, carrying what he described as a message to civilians in Mosul who have been hostages in the hands of Daesh (the Islamic State group).

We will liberate you soon, Abadi vowed, but he said the push to retake all of Mosul could come in spurts, because Iraqi forces are facing stiff resistance from IS, including roadside bombs, sniper fire and suicide car bombings.

Our heroic forces will not retreat and will not be broken, Abadi said.

Kurdish news reports say Abadi later flew by helicopter to Irbil, the regional capital of Kurdish Iraq, where he conferred with Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and other top Kurdish officials.

In a televised statement from Irbil, Abadi said: Our forces [at Mosul] are advancing on all fronts and there is no retreat. There is no delay in military operations, which are going as planned.

Number of displaced

He also said the number of civilians who have been displaced from their homes in or near Mosul has been lower than anticipated, but he did not give precise estimates of how many Mosul residents have escaped from the area.

The United Nations has warned that the offensive could force hundreds of thousands people from the once vibrant city.

The long-awaited Mosul offensive was launched Tuesday, two weeks after a coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by Shiite militia, Sunni Arab tribesmen and U.S.-led airstrikes began the largest military operation in the country since 2003.
While there are no signs that the Islamic State groups forces are falling apart in northern Iraq under the pressure of the offensive on Mosul, the militants last major urban stronghold in Iraq, commanders of both Kurdish and Iraqi military units have told VOA they see cracks emerging in jihadist discipline, indicating the resolve of some militants is weakening.

The picture is not totally uniform, according to the commanders in charge of the Iraqi-Kurdish assault. Some extremists are withdrawing from the fight unilaterally, they say, not under orders from their superiors to do so. This contrasts with other jihadist withdrawals that are clearly tactical.

It often depends on the determination of the local IS emir, says Kurdish General Nuraddin Tatarkhan, who commands the seventh peshmerga division, which has encircled the town of Bashiqa, 24 kilometers from Mosul.

It really depends, also, on individual fighters, Tatarkhan said. There is no widespread panic among jihadists, he adds, but suggests their resistance will crumble in the face of the much larger forces ranged against them.

Militants staged withdrawals

Iraqi and Kurdish commanders have noticed a pattern developing across all fronts in northern Iraq: The first village on a front line is the hardest to recapture from the jihadists, with the second succumbing more easily.

That was seen last week in Mosul when IS resistance was fierce for four days in the eastern district of Gogjali, the first neighborhood inside the city limits overrun by soldiers from Iraqs elite Golden Division. Then Friday Iraqi soldiers forced their way into the adjacent district of Samaha much more quickly than they had expected, encountering lighter resistance than they had faced all week in Gogjali.

This pattern is being dictated by top IS commanders, the top ranks of the Iraqi and Kurdish forces believe. They add, though, that other Islamic State withdrawals appear to be the result of decisions taken by local emirs or, in some cases, by individual fighters from small units where discipline has collapsed. IS resolve seems to deteriorate more quickly when no foreign members of the terror group are present.

Fierce resistance from Chechens, Kazakhs

Resistance is much fiercer when there are Chechens, Kazakhs or Central Asians present among the fighters, Tatarkhan says.

Islamic States leader and self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, broke nearly a yearlong silence last week with a 31-minute audio recording urging his forces to remain firm in the face of the three-week-long offensive on Mosul, the city where he announced to the world that his caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq had been established.

Know that the value of staying on your land with honor is a thousand times better than the price of retreating with shame, Baghdadi said. This war is yours. Turn the dark night of the infidels into day, destroy their homes and make rivers of their blood.

The audio recording prompted some Western analysts to speculate that Baghdadi might be trying to stave off his forces collapse. U.S. officials say they see no evidence of panic among the jihadists, but the picture on the ground appears more mixed and confused.

Civilians tell of their escape

Displaced civilians have confirmed to VOA that not all IS fighters are standing their ground, or appear to be in a rush to embrace martyrdom on the battlefield.

Only two Daesh fighters remained in the village. They said to us, You can go, and everyone ran, 33-year-old Khaleel said.

Civilians in his village, Abu Jerbua, did not hesitate, Khaleel said. They seized the moment and dashed toward government lines as fast as they could.

In an interview later in the packed Khazir Refugee Camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he and his family have found refuge, Khaleel described conditions in his village just before he left: There were heavy airstrikes and a lot of militants were killed. Others just fled.

Most of the militants were Iraqis, with some Syrians, he said. The Iraqis were not from our area, they were strangers from Anbar [province], mainly.

Casualties from airstrikes

Abu Jerbua, just south of Bashiqa, had a population of about 500 people before fighting began, but there have been civilian casualties.

Two whole families died when their houses collapsed on them after being hit in the airstrikes, Khaleel said.

As for Mosul itself, there are a lot of foreign, non-Iraqi fighters there, he added, I have seen them with my own eyes.

His wife gave birth in a hospital in Mosul a few months ago, Khaleel said, and there was a foreign woman who he thinks was European in the neighboring bed, also giving birth.

In contrast to the flight by IS militants from Abu Jerbua, extremists in other villages appear to be much more disciplined and organized, rounding up men and boys and herding them to Mosul.

But in the village of Qaryat Bir Hallan, 20 kilometers east of Mosul, Sarheed, a villager, says he saw fear in the faces of Daesh fighters.

Militants panicked under fire

Sitting in a tent in the Khazir camp with his family as a sandstorm darkened the sky outside, the 42-year-old school janitor said he tried to keep his teenage sons in their home at all times during the past two years, out of fear that IS would try to recruit them as cubs of the caliphate.

When the offensive started, the militants in our village were afraid, Sarheed said. On the second day there was a lot of disorder and they seemed to be panicking, running all over the place.

As Sarheed described the chaos, his 61-year-old father, an Iraqi army combat veteran from the Iran-Iraq war who lost his leg in 2006, raised his hands to heaven.

Elsewhere on the front lines, Iraqi and peshmerga fighters say they are encountering total commitment from the IS militants.

We have not captured any Daesh fighters, said one peshmerga commander. How can you capture militants who want to die? Many of them have suicide vests on.

Even when a neighborhood or village is seized from IS, Iraqi and peshmerga forces are often surprised by militants infiltrating back in, especially at night, to launch hit-and-run attacks.

IS militants evaded government forces and sneaked back into Qayyarah to mount just such a raid; 13 of the extremists were killed, the Iraqis said.
There will be 154 measures on 35 state ballots on Tuesday, Election Day. California leads the list, with 17 measures on its ballot.

The most popular topic for ballot initiatives is marijuana. Nine states will be voting on some aspect of the drug's use.

Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada will be voting on proposals to legalize possession and recreational use of small quantities of marijuana by residents 21 or older. All marijuana sales would be taxed, producing income for the states.

Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota will be voting on proposals to legalize the use of marijuana as a medical treatment with a doctor's prescription.

Here's a look at other ballot issues:

Guns

Ownership requirements: Measures would require background checks before the sale or transfer of firearms.

On the ballot in: California, Maine and Nevada. Another California measure seeks to prevent people who have stolen guns in the past from possessing guns again.

Ammunition regulation: Another measure would require a background check to buy ammunition and also to ban large-capacity ammunition magazines.

On the ballot in: California.

Protection order: A measure would allow people to get a court order that would temporarily ban firearms sales to people who show signs of mental illness or violence or another behavior that might indicate that they could harm themselves or others.

On the ballot in: Washington state.

Minimum wage

Increase: Though their goals differ, four states are voting to increase the minimum wage a little at a time. Right now, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Three states would increase the wage to $12 an hour, while Washington state is proposing an increase to $13.50 an hour.

On the ballot in: Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington state.

Decrease: One state is trending in the opposite direction, voting to lower the minimum wage for workers under 18 from $8.50 to $7.50.

On the ballot in: South Dakota.

Death penalty

Repeal/Revise: One measure is seeking to get rid of the death penalty and replace it with life in prison. If approved, it would apply retroactively to prisoners already sentenced to death. A second measure would revise the death penalty rules, making changes designed to speed up the appeals and petitions processes.

On the ballot in: California.

Reinstate: A state where the death penalty was banned last year is seeking to reinstate the lethal punishment.

On the ballot in: Nebraska.

Method of execution: One measure would change language in a state's constitution so that if a court decides that the execution technique itself is "cruel or unusual punishment," the death sentence would stay in place and a new method of death would be found.

On the ballot in: Oklahoma.

Education

Bilingual education: A 1998 law in place bans school instruction in languages other than English. If a measure on the ballot this year is approved, the existing law would be repealed and open the way for bilingual education.

On the ballot in: California.

Failing schools: One measure would allow a state to take over failing schools.

On the ballot in: Georgia.

Other measures

Safe sex: California will vote on a measure that would require people in adult films to use condoms during sex scenes. It would also require film producers to pay for the sexually transmitted infection vaccines, testing and medical exams of the actors.

Doctor-assisted death: Colorado will vote on whether to allow adults diagnosed with terminal illnesses and facing imminent death to end their life with prescription medication. Three health professionals would be required to confirm the prognosis of death and also confirm that the patient is making a voluntary and informed decision.

Statehood: The District of Columbia will vote on whether to petition Congress to create a new state out of the nation's capital. It would split the district into a residential state with a small federal district in the middle of it for government buildings and monuments.
A fierce battle in the disputed town of Galkayo in central Somalia has killed at least 31 people, including a radio reporter hit by a stray bullet.

Fighting between Puntland and Galmudug state forces erupted Sunday, shattering a days-old cease-fire negotiated by the United Arab Emirates.

Both sides traded heavy gunfire and mortars in the west side of Galkayo before the fighting spread into the suburbs. At least 80 were wounded.

Six civilians are among the dead and also journalist Mahad Ali Mohammed. The Union of Somali Journalists say he was working for the Galmudug radio station and was cut down by a stray bullet.

The latest fighting came after Puntland and Galmudug presidents reached a cease-fire agreement in Abu Dhabi. They agreed to stop the fighting while continuing to hold talks toward a final peace deal.

Speaking to VOA Somali, Galkayo and Putland officials accused each other of starting the conflict.

Galkayo is the provincial capital of the divided Mudug region of Somalia. The northern part of the town is controlled by Puntland regional state, while the south is controlled by Galmudug regional state.

The United Nations and relief groups say about 80,000 people have already fled the town.

Abdulaziz Osman contributed to this report.
Nicaraguans are set to vote Sunday in a presidential election that polls indicate will most likely re-elect President Daniel Ortega.

M&R Consultants national poll cites 69.8 percent of those surveyed planned to vote for Ortega and his leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party, compared with 8.1 percent for right-wing opposition candidate Maximino Rodriguez.

Another 15.5 percent of those polled called themselves independents, or refused to answer the survey, M&R said.

According to reports, Ortega, a former guerilla soldier, will most likely receive more than 50 percent of the vote in an election that includes five other presidential candidates. Ortegas vice president is his wife Rosario Murillo.

His critics, however, say the president has manipulated Central Americas political system and accuse him of outlining a plan to create a political dynasty with Murillo.

A court decision allowed Ortega to run for re-election in 2011, even though the country has a one-term limit. Three years after that, the FSLN gained enough support in congress for a constitutional amendment to allow unlimited presidential terms.

I dont think its worth voting and wasting time, because its already fixed. Here they have taken away not our right to vote, but to choose. Ortega wants to die in power and leave his wife to take his place, Glenda Bendana, a sales executive at a local mall, told the Associated Press.

Some even said the other presidential candidates were placed on the ballot so that Ortegas candidacy could have real adversaries.

Rodriguez denies such allegation.

I only collaborate with the Nicaraguan people, the candidate said.

But surveys indicate the majority of Nicaraguans support the first couple in their bid for the highest political office in the country.

Ortega first ruled the Nicaragua in the 1980s and returned to power in 2007 after a fracture in the country's right-wing parties. Winning election on Sunday will give him a third consecutive term in power.

After almost 10 years as president, his popularity has remained high due to economic policies and social programs in place with the help of allies in Venezuela and Cuba.
When Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton picked Tim Kaine as her running mate, the Virginia senator was the first to admit that hes a relatively unknown name within the Democratic Party.

Unlike the two candidates running for president, Clinton and Donald Trump, who are both household names given to eliciting a strong, visceral response, Kaine is often referred to as the nice guy in politics.

Unlike Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, who has spent much of his time apologizing for or explaining Trumps positions, Kaine has tried to woo voters and attract positive attention for Clinton.

WATCH: Tim Kaine joins Clinton ticket

He has engaged with Hispanic voters after having spent time in Central America, reached out to Mormon voters in Utah over his past work as a missionary, and tried to appeal to Republicans as a moderate Democrat.

Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine was born on February 26, 1958, in St. Paul, Minnesota, but grew up in the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area. He is the eldest son of an ironworker and a home economics teacher.

Kaine attended an all-boys Jesuit high school, where he joined spring mission drives to fund Jesuit activities in Honduras. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Missouri before entering Harvard Law School.

Kaine took time off from his law studies to work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Honduras for nine months in 1980-81, helping Jesuit missionaries who ran a Catholic school in El Progreso.

His time there is said to have helped form his support for citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the United States -- a stance likely to attract Latino voters. He also learned to speak fluent Spanish, seen as a possible advantage with Hispanic voters.

Kaine met his wife, Anne Holton, at Harvard Law School. She is the daughter of former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton (1970-74), a Republican who desegregated the Commonwealth's public schools. She now serves as Virginia's secretary of education. They have three children, sons Nat and Woody and daughter Annella.

After law school, the Kaines settled in Richmond, Virginia, where he spent nearly two decades as an attorney focusing on civil rights and fair housing. He helped found the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness and was a board member of the Virginia chapter of Housing Opportunities Made Equal.

Kaine entered politics in 1994 when he was elected to the Richmond City Council, then became the city's mayor.

He was elected Virginia's lieutenant governor in 2001. In 2005, Kaine ran for governor of Virginia against Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore, a former state attorney general. Kaine was considered an underdog for most of the race, trailing in polls for most of the election, but winning in the end.

Kaine was governor from 2006 to 2010. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, after a stint as chair of the Democratic National Committee. In the Senate, Kaine has worked on the Armed Services, Budget, Foreign Relations and Aging committees.

According to The New York Times, Kaine "is widely described by people in his political orbit as a likable, if less than charismatic, figure ... guided by moral convictions that flow from his deep Christian faith."

In an interview with NBCs Meet the Press, he confessed to being boring.

After Clinton's announcement, Jeff Flake, a Republican senator from Arizona tweeted: Trying to count the ways I hate @timkaine. Drawing a blank. Congrats to a good man and a good friend."

In Photos: Tim Kaine through the years
Indian forces have given befitting reply to Pakistan inflicting heavy damage to several military posts after two soldiers were killed in unprovoked firing from the other side.

By Manjeet Negi: Indian forces inflicted serious damage to several Pakistani military posts on Sunday in response to unprovoked firing from the other side. The army said that two infiltration bids were foiled along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors of Poonch district.

Two army jawans were killed and three others -- two soldiers and a woman -- were injured as Pakistani army opened fire in a bid to facilitate the infiltration bids.

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The Indian army said that while the infiltration bids were foiled, it has also inflicted heavy damage to several Pakistani posts across the Line of Control in Poonch sector.



READ: India giving befitting reply to Pakistan after series of ceasefire violations: BSF IG

TWO SOLDIERS MARTYRED

"One soldier was killed in Krishna Ghati sector earlier in the day while foiling infiltration bids, another soldier was killed and two others were injured in cross-border firing in the Poonch sector of Poonch district," a senior army officer said.

The soldier killed in the Krishna Ghati sector has been identified as Sepoy Gursewak Singh (23) of 22 Sikh Regiment. Singh was a resident of Taran Taran area of Punjab.

"The identity of the second soldier killed in Poonch sector and those injured will be shared later after their families are informed," the officer said.

The injured woman has been identified Saleema Akhtar (28), a resident of Poonch. Akhtar has been admitted to the local hospital in Poonch where her condition is stated to be stable, a police officer said.

WATCH:

READ: Indian Army retaliates after civilian deaths: 2 Pakistani jawans killed, 14 posts damaged

FIRING CONTINUES

The army said that unprovoked ceasefire violation in Poonch sector continued. "Our troops are responding befittingly, there has been heavy damage to Pakistan army posts," defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani army targeting civil and defence facilities and civilian areas, the officer said.

"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons," the spokesman said.

He said the Indian army effectively and appropriately retaliated the fire using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchange was still on.

WATCH:



(With PTI inputs)



--- ENDS ---
Turkish police detained 15 suspects in an operation involving raids across the southeastern province of Adana targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the state-run Anadolu Agency said Sunday.

The raids come as fighting between security forces and PKK militants in the largely Kurdish southeast has escalated to new heights since the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the militant group in July of last year.

On Friday, a car bomb in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir killed 11 people and wounded at least 100, hours after Turkish authorities detained the leaders and a lawmaker of the main pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), whom the government accuses of links to the PKK.

Officials blamed the autonomy-seeking PKK, citing radio intercepts, although Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the groups Amaq news agency.

Kurdish militants, Islamic State radicals and far leftists have all staged attacks on civilians in Turkey in recent years.

Anadolu said the anti-terror police raids, backed by helicopter, were carried out simultaneously at various spots across the city. In security operations over the past week, 28 PKK militants were neutralized, the Interior Ministry said Monday.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party announced Sunday that it is withdrawing from parliament after the unprecedented arrests of nine of its lawmakers, including the party's two co-leaders.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on the HDP in a televised speech to return from this mistake before it's too late, adding that they may say whatever they want in parliament but no politician can be a shield to terror by abusing their position.

Turkey drew international condemnation Friday following the arrests of HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag on terrorism-related charges, along with seven other lawmakers.

The arrests also heightened concern among Western allies about the state of democracy in Turkey, a NATO member which aspires to join the European Union.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe Sunday of supporting and arming the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and said he did not care if it called him a dictator.



"They (Western critics) should not preoccupy themselves for nothing. We know well who they are," Erdogan said. "We studied their history well. We know it well. I got to know them very well during my 14-year-old tenure as a prime minister and a president. I can now read them like an open book. I don't care if they call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out of the other."

The PKK has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and along with its allied groups in Syria enjoy U.S. support in the fight against Islamic State.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, which entered Turkish parliament last year as the countrys third-largest party with 59 lawmakers, has denied being a front for the PKK.

The absence of its deputies could enable Erdogan to push through his vision of a presidential system which the HDP has always vehemently opposed.

Turkey has suspended more than 110,000 officials, from soldiers and judges to teachers and journalists, and has made some 35,000 arrests since a failed military coup in July, which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Erdogan's critics, however, have said it is a crackdown on all forms of dissent.




As Americans go to the polls in Tuesday's presidential election, those who want to know the winner really only need to pay attention to the results in about a dozen U.S. states.

They are the so-called swing states or battleground states, the ones where the outcome is at least somewhat in doubt and where candidates spend a much bigger portion of their time and campaign dollars.

The situation exists for a few reasons.

State-by-state contests

First, instead of a straight popular vote, the U.S. system relies on state-by-state contests with candidates trying to earn a majority of electoral votes. The more people who live in a state, the more electoral votes go to the victor.

Second, demographics and political leanings only change so much between elections. The U.S. votes for president every four years, and in between, the voter makeup in each state stays relatively the same, because only a certain number of people come of voting age, die or move in or out of the state.

The result is that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump did not have to bother campaigning much in places like New York, Hawaii, Wyoming or Alabama. The last time a Republican won those first two was in 1984, and the last Democratic wins in the others happened in 1964.

It makes those 12 states really the targets of this whole election discourse, George Mason University expert Jeremy Mayer told VOA. So both campaigns in a normal year would have massive ground operations, would have endless TV ads and would be phone calling and robot calling voters in those 12 states.

The states to watch in this years presidential race are spread across the country:

* Florida

* Ohio

* Colorado

* Pennsylvania

* Nevada

* Virginia

* Michigan

* North Carolina

* Iowa

* Arizona

* Wisconsin

* New Hampshire

* Georgia

Republican Mitt Romney won Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina in 2012. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, won the rest.

Florida and Ohio, with their large numbers of electoral votes, are the two swing states that seem to feature in every election. Going back to the 1976 vote, a Republican has won Florida six times and a Democrat four times. In Ohio, the split is even at five-to-five.

Colorado has gone to a Republican seven times during that span, but in a sign of shifting demographics, Obama won the state in both 2008 and 2012.

Obama broke an even longer streak to win twice in Virginia, which like many states, even the ones that are solidly Republican or Democrat, has distinct areas that tend to lean toward one party or the other.

In Virginia, the suburbs just outside Washington, D.C., and the areas around the state capital, Richmond, and the southeastern Newport News area went for Obama while many of the rural counties backed Romney in 2012. Florida had a similar breakdown with Obama winning around Miami, Tampa, Orlando and state capital, Tallahassee.

Divided states, late results

Just how divided the states are in this election will determine when media outlets are able to project either Trump or Clinton the winner.

In 2004, an extremely close race in Ohio left two networks calling the state for President George W. Bush just before 1 a.m. on the morning after Election Day and putting him just one electoral vote from clinching another term. Others waited until later in the day to be sure.

In 2000, it was Florida that held up Bushs first election to the presidency. His opponent, Democrat Al Gore, challenged the initial results, setting off a legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court decision more than a month after voters cast their ballots.
Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shiite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials said.

The twin attacks took place in Tikrit and Samarra. They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the hard-line Sunni Islamists, who have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign.

Islamic States Amaq news agency said the attacks were carried out by the militant group.

In Tikrit, a bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance at the southern entrance to the city during the morning rush hour, killing 13 people, police and hospital sources said.

Another attacker detonated a vehicle in a car park for pilgrims visiting one of Shiite Islams holiest shrines, al-Askari mosque in Samarra, south of Tikrit.

The bomb killed at least eight people, local officials said, including two Iranian pilgrims. The local operation command, a joint military and police unit, said the vehicle used in Samarra was also an ambulance.

Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks.

Amaq said two suicide bombers struck in Samarra, the first detonating a car bomb and the second activating an explosives vest among a group of people who survived the first blast. It said the Tikrit attack was carried out by a single car bomber.


In the waning days of his campaign to win the White House, Donald Trump has been warning his supporters that the presidential vote is being "rigged" against the Republicans and in favor of rival Hillary Clinton, a Democrat.

"The whole thing is one big fix!" an energetic Trump told a cheering crowd recently at a North Carolina campaign rally. "One big ugly lie; it's one big fix!"

Trump campaign officials have been quick to clarify that when Trump talks about "rigging," he's usually referring to what he sees as media bias against his candidacy. But all the talk of election irregularities has elevated concerns among some Americans about the security of their votes  and perhaps in one regard, with good reason.

For several months, cybersecurity analysts have been sounding alarm bells about the U.S. election system, calling it porous and "painfully vulnerable" to cyberattacks. Worse, just days before Tuesday's vote, some analysts warned that hackers of even moderate talent could possibly throw the results of the 2016 presidential election into chaos.

Security is expensive

Elections in the U.S. are run individually by the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Secretaries of state, both Republicans and Democrats, insist their systems are secure.

That message was recently echoed by Thomas Hicks, chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, who told members of the U.S. House of Representatives, "There's no national system that a hacker or a bad actor can infiltrate to affect the American elections as a whole."

Hicks' views are not shared among many cyber researchers.

"I'm pretty worried," said J. Alex Halderman, director of the Center for Computer Security and Society at the University of Michigan. "We're facing some pretty serious threats when it comes to security and elections. I'm quite worried that in an election soon we'll see real attacks that will either try to disrupt the election or possibly would try to change votes."

Halderman told VOA the rise of sophisticated nation-state actors over the past decade or so has outstripped the capabilities of many civil servants at the state and local level who are directly responsible for running elections.

"Elections aren't that sexy," Halderman said. "We don't like to fund tech for elections. It seems like a luxury to have new voting equipment. We need equipment that's secure, systems that can withstand attacks by other nations. [But] it won't come for free."

Halderman hopes all the attention on voting-system vulnerabilities will motivate state governments to invest in cybersecurity for the 2020 elections. But he said it's already too late to bolster security for this year's elections, and that could cause skepticism about the results.

"I just hope this election isn't close," he said.

Swinging elections 'a cakewalk'

The idea that state elections systems are vulnerable to hackers is not exactly news. Earlier this summer, the FBI began an investigation into breaches of elections systems in Illinois and Arizona, while an unnamed Department of Homeland Security official recently told Politico that hackers had "intensely probed" state elections systems in 20 states. Law enforcement officials have pointed the finger at Russian state-supported hackers for the attacks, a claim the Kremlin denies.

Election officials like Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman say their systems are secure because they're "air-gapped," or unconnected to the internet.

"We have full and complete confidence in the integrity of our system," Wyman told the Chinook Observer. "Every vote will be tabulated as the voter intended."

Yet James Scott is unpersuaded. "If these guys are saying, in their official capacity, that an air-gapped defense is sufficient, they're truly unqualified to have their jobs," Scott told VOA.

"Time and time again, we've seen that air-gapped systems don't work; they're not a defense anymore," he said. "Stuxnet, Uroburos, AirHopper, BitWhisper, ProjectSauron  these are all instances where hackers easily got past air-gapped protection."

Scott is a senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, or ICIT, which advises private and public organizations on infrastructure cybersecurity. He and an ICIT colleague recently published a report examining voting security titled "The Painfully Vulnerable Election System and Rampant Security Theater." He said the report's title says it all.

"We set out to demonstrate that the systems were indeed secure," Scott told VOA. "We thought there's no way these systems are that vulnerable. After a week, we were just blown away; swinging elections at the local level is a cakewalk."

Code-poisoning

The report details at least 20 different vulnerabilities that could provide hackers entry into state voting systems, with the authors noting that none of the threats they discuss could be considered new or novel to even amateur hackers.

Scott said sophisticated groups known as advanced persistent threats (APTs) should be expected to employ great stealth. "The Russian adversary is the most stealthy and sophisticated that we have," he said, adding that with the right techniques, hackers could even affect the presidential election.

One such tactic already employed in commercial attacks by Russian hackers is code-poisoning. Imagine, said Scott, hackers inject malware into a voting system manufacturer's code. Additionally, the malware is geotagged to only target certain voting systems in certain counties across the nation.

When the machines are updated, the malware silently passes to each electronic tabulator. The malware switches on when the machines are powered up on Election Day. It invisibly alters the votes and then automatically self-erases once tabulation is complete.

"People think you have to infect all the machines used across the country, which just isn't the case," said Scott. "You've got die-hard red and blue states, and then you have swing states. And within the swing states you have swing counties.

"Focus on those few swing regions, add to it the stealth and sophistication of a dedicated APT, and it becomes very possible to throw a national election. It's doable and realistic, and that's really too bad," he said.

VOA's Steve Baragona contributed to this report.
Kurdish-led Syrian forces, backed by U.S. air power and military advisers, launched an offensive Sunday to gain control of Raqqa, the northern Syrian city overrun by Islamic State extremists in 2014 and self-designated as the center of extremist rule.

A commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the start of the campaign Sunday.

The U.S. envoy in charge of anti-IS efforts confirmed the SDF, a Kurdish-led group that also includes Arab fighters, is receiving American air support in the operation.

"The Raqqa campaign will proceed in phases," Brett McGurk said from the U.S. embassy in Amman. "Theres an isolation phase, which began today, and there will be subsequent phases to make sure that we kick Daesh (IS) out of Raqqa," he added, using an alternate name for the armed extremist group.

McGurk also said the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, met in the Turkish capital Sunday with his Turkish counterparts, including Gen. Hulusi Akar, chief of the Turkish general staff, for talks on the new offensive.

WATCH: McGurk on Raqqa operation

Those talks appear aimed at easing Turkish concerns about the makeup and objectives of the SDF, which Washington considers the most potent anti-IS fighting coalition in territory near the Turkish border.

For its part, the Ankara government views the main SDF component -- the Syrian Kurdish fighting force known as the People's Protection Units -- as a terrorist organization with links to yet another Kurdish force fighting government forces in southeast Turkey for regional autonomy.

Turkish officials went so far last week as to suggest that Turkish-backed forces take the lead in the push to free Raqqa rather than the Kurdish-led SDF.

Watch video report from VOA's Zlatica Hoke:

A Pentagon statement late Sunday said the two generals agreed to "consult closely" on the coalition plan to seize and hold Raqqa, and to work collaboratively to disrupt IS operations in Syria and in Iraq.

The Raqqa offensive comes as a separate coalition of Iraqi-led forces some 450 kilometers to the east battles to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from IS control.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking Sunday, said the international coalition will continue to do what [it] can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver [Islamic State] the lasting defeat it deserves."
As U.S. political candidates make their final appeals, voters in 35 states will decide policy issues Tuesday that include legalizing recreational use of marijuana and restricting access to guns and ammunition, voting yes or no on nearly 160 state ballot initiatives.

California's Proposition 64, which is leading in the polls, could create a multibillion-dollar marijuana industry by legalizing the recreational use the drug for adults in the state. Similar measures are on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts.

Marijuana could be legalized for medical use in Florida and three other states. Medical marijuana is already permitted in half the 50 U.S. states, and recreational use is allowed in Alaska, Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and the District of Columbia.

Marijuana is banned under federal law, but U.S. officials have taken a hands-off approach on the issue.

Weapon measures

Voters in Maine and Nevada are considering measures that would expand background checks for gun purchases, which is already required for buying guns from dealers, by extending the provision to private sales.

Californians will consider measures requiring background checks for buyers of ammunition and banning high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Washington state has a measure that would allow the courts to bar the sale of guns to individuals deemed an extreme risk to themselves or others.

Californians are considering whether to eliminate the death penalty with Proposition 62, or to maintain capital punishment and make the process more efficient with Proposition 66, which supporters say makes it more fair to victims of violent crimes.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have abolished or overturned capital punishment on the grounds that it is unequally applied to minority populations and that innocent people are sometimes convicted.

South Dakotans will decide whether to make statewide offices nonpartisan and create a citizens commission to redraw voting districts after each 10-year national census, removing the task from legislators, said by critics to be self-interested.

The minimum wage could get a boost in South Dakota, Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington state. And voters in California will uphold or reject a state law that bans single-use plastic bags, which many consider an environmental hazard.

Health care

Health care measures are on the ballot in four states, including California, where voters could limit payments by state agencies to pharmaceutical companies, setting drug costs at the discounted prices enjoyed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Opponents include major pharmaceutical companies, which have spent more than $100 million to try to defeat the measure.

As voters in several states consider further loosening their restrictions on marijuana, a boost in tobacco taxes is on the ballot in California, Colorado, Montana and North Dakota.

About 70 measures on state ballots are citizen-sponsored initiatives, which are presented to the voters after their supporters have collected petition signatures, in a process that varies from state to state.

Other ballot measures are statutes or amendments to state constitutions that are proposed by legislators, or major spending questions for building schools or infrastructure that need voter approval as bond issues.
To spread its influence in India, ISIS is using the current political narratives of 'intolerance', beef ban and alleged attacks on Muslims by the right wing groups.

By Saurabh Vaktania, Mustafa Shaikh: The chargesheet filed by anti-terror agencies suggest that youths were brainwashed and radicalised using current political narrative of instances of alleged atrocities on minority in India.

Earlier, the radicalisation revolved around alleged attacks on Muslims in Gujarat and Kashmir, however, the new ISIS way to radicalised young Msulims was based on current happenings in India.

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Maharashtra ATS filed a 3000-page chargesheet on the Parbhani module of Islamic State in which beef ban in Maharashtra and murder of a techie in Pune allegedly by Hindu Rashtra Sena were used to radicalise four men.

The four youth arrested by the ATS extensively discussed about beef ban in Maharashtra.

BEEF BAN

A local, whose statement has been included in the chargesheet, attended meetings between Naserbin Yafai alias Chaus, Shahed Khan, Iqbal Ahmed and Raisuddin Siddique. He recalled that the group's discussion revolved around the alleged atrocities on Muslims.

"We used to meet after dinner and Rais sir used to tell us about lynching of a man in Dadri for storing beef and we used to discuss how we can make Muslims safe in India. There was a WhatsApp group on which these things were discussed," read the statement.

READ: Maharashtra ATS files chargesheet in Parbhani ISIS case

MEDIA PROPAGANDA

The documents also include social media posts of these accused wherein they are seen defending Islamic principles to the core and proving that these accused assumed that Indian media carried out propaganda to defame Islam.

Shahed Khan wrote to a newspaper management asking to them to stop the propaganda against Islam as the paper used pig's illustration to show ISIS funding.

In another incident a post referred to a very famous news anchor's propaganda to sideline their religion.

WATCH:





PUNE TECHIE MURDER

During the course of investigation, accused Chaus, who was at the centre for recruitment and planning for operations, said that the youths were told that Pune techie Mohsin Sadiq Shaikh was killed he was wearing a skull cap and had a beard.

He also said that Muslims were being cornered in the country with instances of beef ban and alleged attacks by the right wing activists, who were accused of killing Shaikh.

READ: ISIS calls for terror attacks in US on election day, asks Muslims to not vote

KASHMIR ON ISIS AGENDA

Arrest of Mohammed Sirajuiddin by ISIS last December revealed that he recruited youths citing alleged atrocities on Kashmiris. He also confessed that ISIS wanted its caliphate in Kashmir.

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According to chargesheet, accessed by India Today, revealed that in a conversation with one ISIS associate Iraq, Sirajuiddin said, "Kashmir is Kashmir IS (Islamic State). No one can take it, neither India nor Pakistan. Kashmir will be Islamic State Inshallah. No India, no Pakistan."

According to sources, the suspected ISIS operatives want Kashmir to be integral part of ISIS. They plan to turn it into third place of occupation after Syria and Afghanistan.

READ: Terror alert: US embassy warns Americans in India of possible ISIS attacks

THE FOUR ACCUSED

The four accused arrested by Maharashtra ATS from Parbhani and Hingoli between July and August are said to be very introvert persons. The statements recorded by the ATS, suggest that Chaus and other accused did not open up to many people. They kept their social lives to minimal and spent most of their time online.

First to be arrested was Naser BIn Yafai Chaus, 31 on July 14 for alleged links with a Syria-based ISIS handler identified as Farooque. Chaus had allegedly sent photographs of IED to Farooque.

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Maharashtra ATS, later, arrested three more people. The second of them was a salesman, who worked for a mobile service company. He was identified as Shaheed Khan.

WATCH:







The third accused was identified as Iqbal Ahmed. Talking to India Today, Iqbal's father, Kabir Ahmed said, "If Iqbal is a terrorist, I will hang him on the road and ask the police to shoot him, but if he is not he should be released because he is the sole person on whom the family depends."

Iqbal is father of a six month old child. He helped his father and younger brother in meeting treatment expenses of his sister, who is terminally ill.

Kabir Ahmed further said that before arresting Iqbal, ATS had called him twice. On the third occasion, Iqbal was arrested. ATS seized two papers from him, written in Urdu, Kabir said, adding, "One of the papers was a prayer (taweez) for his sister's recovery."

The fourth accused to be arrested was Raisuddin Siddique, 37. He was a teacher in Zilla Parishad school. He came from a family of teachers and doctors.

Raisuddin was a national level football player, who played for Western India Football Association.

WATCH:

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the inside game

What Obama Is Doing Behind the Scenes to Help Democrats Win

What Obama Is Doing Behind the Scenes to Help Democrats Win
ISIS demanded Muslims should not participate in the "rituals of democracy" because there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties as their policies are against Islam and Muslims.

By India Today Web Desk: After US intelligence inputs warned about a possible terror attack by al-Qaeda militants in New York, Texas and Virginia, terror group ISIS called for the "slaughter" of US voters on Election Day.

ISIS demanded that Muslims should not participate in the democratic process because "there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties" as their policies are against Islam and Muslims.Also read: FBI warns of terror attack in New York on eve of US Election Day



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The militant group also asked Muslims to not participate in "rituals of democracy" claiming both the US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are anti-Islam.

Rita Katz, director of terrorist monitoring group SITE Intelligence Group, tweeted that the threats appeared in an essay titled The Murtad Vote and was carried by the Islamic State's Al Hayat media center. It said that the militants "have come to slaughter you and smash your ballot boxes."



"May Allah make this year's U.S. presidential election a dreadful calamity like no other to have struck America throughout ts pathetic history," the seven-page manifesto, entitled "The Murtad Vote," read.

Also read: Donald Trump hustled off stage by security at rally after protester shows up with gun



Murtad means a person born to a Muslim parent who later rejects Islam or a person who converted to Islam and later rejects the religion.

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Waco Civic Theatre will have a Stars of the Silver Screen fundraiser Saturday at the theater, 1517 Lake Air Drive.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with performances to start at 8:30 p.m.

The event will include food by Bestyett Catering, an open bar and live performances of movie music.

A VIP party will precede the event at 6 p.m. at the home of Jessica and Zollie Steakley.

Tickets cost $100, and VIP premium seating for 10 people costs $1,200. Tickets to the pre-party cost an extra $50.

For tickets, visit wacocivictheatre.org or call 776-1591.

Free day at Mayborn Museum

Baylor Universitys Mayborn Museum Complex, 1300 S. University Parks Drive, will offer free admission from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Guests can take in the museums special exhibit, National Geographic Sacred Journeys.

For more information, call 710-1110 or visit www.baylor.edu/mayborn.

Democratic watch party

The McLennan County Democratic Party will have an election night watch party at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Poppa Rollos Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive.

Republican watch party

The McLennan County Republican Party will have an election night watch party at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Buzzard Billys, 100 Interstate 35 Frontage Road.

For more information, call Sarilee Ferguson at 717-0927.

BBQ and Biker Blow Out

The Turnersville Fire Department, 8113 Farm-to-Market Road 182 in Gatesville, will have its annual BBQ and Biker Blow Out on Sunday.

The event will include a bike show and bike games, vendors and bounce houses for children.

Barbecue plates will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meal cost is $10.

For more information, visit www.turnersvillefire.com.

Rotary Club lunch

The Rotary Club of Waco will meet at noon Monday at the Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St.

Economist Ray Perryman will provide an economic forecast.

Cost is $10 for a catered lunch from Georges Restaurant.

For more information, call 776-2115.

Zoo Stampede

The annual H-E-B Zoo Stampede will be Saturday at Cameron Park Zoo, 1701 N. Fourth St.

Race starts will be 8 a.m. for a 1K fun run and walk, 8:30 a.m. for a 10K and 8:45 a.m. for a 5K.

Race-day registration will be from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m.

To register online, visit www.cameronparkzoo.com.

For more information, call 750-8423.

Thanksgiving volunteers needed

Meals and Wheels, in conjunction with the Scottish Rite Masons at the Lee Lockwood Library, is seeking volunteers to deliver Thanksgiving Day meals to older adults.

To volunteer or for more information, call 752-0316 or email nettieb@mealsandwheelswaco.org.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
For those whose eternal rest was disturbed at First Street Cemetery, it has been a long road back to the ground.

The city and an advisory committee are looking to spring 2017 as the goal for reburying the remains of about 200 people that were excavated from unmarked graves during a construction project behind the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

That would mark almost exactly 10 years since the first bones were found, a discovery that spurred a massive archaeology project that has cost the city of Waco about $2 million.

The First Street Cemetery Memorial Advisory Committee is preparing at its Nov. 17 board meeting to finalize plans to bury the unidentified remains at Rosemound Cemetery. The boxes of remains would be buried in rows inside a low limestone enclosure.

They would be memorialized with metal historical markers both at First Street Cemetery and Rosemound Cemetery, telling the story of how the remains came to be neglected and rediscovered.

The cost of the reinterment project is expected to be about $35,000.

John Wilson, head of Baylor Universitys Texas Collection and chairman of the advisory board, said the project has taken longer than anyone imagined, but the public will be proud of the end result.

You cant hurry the process, Wilson said. You have to get buy-in.

Working with a group of citizens has been very rewarding, Wilson said. They want to do the right thing and be very respectful.

Some of the remains are in storage in city buildings, and others are in possession of the projects archaeologist, Nesta Anderson, who is based in Austin. Anderson is expected to complete a lengthy report next year on the remains, Assistant City Attorney Annette Jones said.

None of the remains have been positively identified, but an in-depth analysis ordered by the Texas Historical Commission has revealed some clues on the health, ethnicity, gender and burial practices of the people buried at First Street Cemetery.

First Street Cemetery, established in 1852, is Wacos oldest burying ground and contains Confederate soldiers, pioneer politicians, slaves, ministers and workers of Mexican and Chinese descent.

Its impossible to know how many were buried there before the last known burials in the 1960s, but an 1881 newspaper article bemoaned the neglect of a cemetery with 7,000 graves. No maps or records were kept, and bodies were buried on top of bodies.

The city won a court order to redevelop part of the overgrown cemetery in 1968 to make room for Fort Fisher Park, home of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. The city promised to relocate the graves to the southern side of the cemetery, but it appears little was moved but headstones.

In 2006, when the city was preparing to build an annex to the museum to serve as headquarters for Texas Rangers Company F, it hired an archaeologist to look for any evidence of bones in the buildings footprint.

None were found at that time, and work proceeded. But in spring 2007, crews digging a utility line trench discovered a skeleton, and the city was forced to halt the project and seek an agreement with the Texas Historical Commission to remove the rest of the bones in the way of the utility lines.

The new historic markers describe the discovery and removal of the bones as well as the older history of First Street Cemetery.

Mini-biographies

Brad Willis, a local historian, was involved in debates over the cemetery in 2008 and compiled mini- biographies of those buried at First Street Cemetery, now available online at firststreetcemetery.org.

Willis said he was gratified to see the city recognize and rededicate First Street Cemetery a few years ago with its original boundaries, ensuring no more development will happen there.

The reburial will close an unpleasant chapter in Wacos history, he said.

Im very pleased this whole process is coming to an end, to closure, Willis said. I think its important to recognize the historical significance of the entire cemetery, including the lower terrace where grave markers were removed. Its all part of this historic cemetery and its something Waco citizens should know about.

Wilson, the committee chairman, said the group is trying to make sure the dead get the dignity they deserve.

You can never really make amends, but you can try to do the right thing, he said. The other concern of the committee is that this cant happen again.
After a rejection from the Waco Independent School District, a Robinson family is asking Robinson ISD officials to keep alive their hope of having their children attend Robinson schools.

The family has a Robinson mailing address on the Waco ISD side of the line dividing the two districts and has three young children, one of whom already attends South Waco Elementary School. Cruz Rodriguez and Erika Rodriguez say their kids would have better opportunities in Robinson schools.

South Waco has a TEA met-standard rating, and the administration is confident that all measures for all students residing in the South Waco Elementary attendance zone have been met and will continue to be met, Waco ISD Superintendent Bonny Cain said during a public hearing on the issue Oct. 20 before the board rejected the request.

As for the social, economic and educational advantages of the property value changing, the administration believes if the proposed value change is made, it would ultimately be detrimental to WISD.

The family has one more chance at turning the rejection into approval if Robinson ISD trustees vote to accept the detachment during their Nov. 16 board meeting. With a no from Waco ISD and a yes from Robinson ISD, the family would be able to appeal the matter to the Texas Education Agency.

A rejection from Robinson ISD on top of Waco ISDs rejection would leave the request dead in the water and the couple scratching their heads for a solution, they said. The Rodriguezes said they hope sharing their story will inspire others to voice their frustration with a school district that has seven campuses on the states improvement-required list for academic accountability.

Our future

Our goal was their education. Thats what is always keeping us going, Erika Rodriguez said Thursday, two weeks after the Waco ISD hearing. I told him, If you have to do what you need to do to get to the next step, then go ahead, because they are our future and we want the best for them. 

By state law, a resident can ask to detach from one school district and be annexed into another if the residents property is on the boundary between two districts, Waco ISDs legal counsel, Pete Rusek, said during the Oct. 20 meeting.

The Rodriguez family met all the statutory requirements, and if the Waco ISD board had agreed to the detachment, the Robinson ISD board would still have had to make its own decision on the request, Rusek said.

The Rodriguezes property is on Newland Drive, which is the dividing line between the districts, Cruz Rodriguez said. They have lived there three years as homeowners and have been in the Waco area for almost 12 years, he said.

Waco ISD Trustee Cary DuPuy said he appreciates Cruz Rodriguezs persistence, but allowing this deannexation would open the door for more.

I have a genuine admiration for you, DuPuy said. Ive been watching you for several years now in your persistence and determination in this process. We struggled with this decision. . . . But I just dont think this is the way to go about finding an alternative situation for your children. Theres several ways to do this, and this would open a can of worms for us if we start this process. . . . But youve stood there year after year asking tough questions, and its not that easy, and youve always been very civil.

Cruz Rodriguez started the petition when his daughters current school, South Waco Elementary, was still on the states improvement-required list. He couldnt go before the board for a final hearing until Gabriella Rodriguez, 5, had completed her first year in the district as a requirement of the petition, he said.

South Waco Elementary finally left the improvement-required list this year, but thats not enough to put the familys fears of an unstable education aside, they said.

South Waco feeds into Cesar Chavez Middle School, which was on the improvement-required list in 2013 and 2014 and has met standard since, according to TEA records. Cesar Chavez Middle School feeds into University High School, which has met standard the past four years but is at the center of an investigation that recently found officials awarded improper credits for graduation.

Now you see this stuff going on about University. Its like, whats really going on? Its not fair for the community. Its not fair for the kids, Cruz Rodriguez said. Ive been thinking about how could it improve. I dont see any way to improve it or know the steps to do. Its hard to look at a positive outlook from here to middle school to high school. I just want to give them the best shot at the best education.

Thats been the most recent shake-up for the family, Cruz Rodriguez said Thursday evening. He grew up in Waco ISD schools and graduated from University High. The family also wants to switch to Robinson schools because of the expenses to commute to South Waco and the crime rate in the area, he said. Robinson ISD schools are smaller and closer to their home, and all of the districts campuses have met standard since 2013, when the STAAR accountability scores were implemented, according to TEA records.

Waco ISD trustees assured Cruz Rodriguez the future of South Waco schools would remain on an upswing and told him the district has an open enrollment policy for students in the district to transfer between campuses. One trustee even encouraged him to run for school board next May, and another said the Rodriguez family is exactly the kind of family Waco ISD needs.

Waco ISD overall has met the state accountability standards on a consistent basis, including with the most recent ratings released in August.

Complicated situation

Facing the possibility of criticism from other families who might say, If you dont like the district, just move, Cruz Rodriguez said the situation is more complicated.

That was on the table, but as I continued to read some of these laws and rules with the TEA, that provision to detach through annexation is for that. Its for the parent who isnt really satisfied with the school district to move, Cruz Rodriguez said.

We had some neighbors who moved because of that reason. They had a daughter in Robinson who was paying out-of-district fees, and their son was starting school. They were having to pay this additional fee on top of their taxes, and it was going to be quite a bit of an expense. This is probably the best option we have.

If Robinson ISD rejects the request as well, Cruz Rodriguez said he might take the suggestion to run for school board or might become more involved in activities like the transformation committees that exist to help turn Waco schools around.

Going to the school board meetings Ive been to, Ive rarely seen any parents raise concerns, so (its important to) just speak up on whats happening, he said. I would just get more involved, not just with the PTA, but to find out what kind of classes theyre doing, find out whats going on. Because the way I see it, the school systems have our kids for half the time theyre awake. Were the other half.
Class acts

The 2016 Baylor Roundup was named the best university yearbook in North America by the Associated Collegiate Press at its national conference in the nations capital, and all four Baylor student publications placed in the national top 10 Best of Show awards.

Baylor students took the national champions title for the second time in four years, having achieved the first national champion distinction for the 2013 yearbook. The 2014 Roundup was No. 2 in the nation and the 2015 Roundup was No. 4.

The 2015 Roundup also received Baylors first Pacemaker award at the same conference. The Roundup is produced by a staff of 10 Baylor students.

Also placing in the ACP national Top 10 were: BaylorLariat.com as the No. 2 college news website, the Baylor Lariat as the No. 4 daily newspaper, and Focus magazine as the No. 8 college news and feature magazine.

Four Baylor students won individual awards: Kate McGuire, second for magazine design; Stephanie Miles, third for yearbook design; Robby Hirst, eighth for multimedia slideshow; and Trey Honeycutt, 10th for feature news photo.

The Baylor staff won a fourth-place award for a multimedia package.

Eight Baylor students attended the conference along with 1,300 attendees from 226 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Send submissions to neighborplus@wacotrib.com.
San Antonio attorney Tom Clarke is concerned that James Rosas will become a lightning rod as the first Twin Peaks biker to stand trial, but Clarke said his client didnt do anything wrong and someone needs to draw a line in the sand.

Almost 18 months after the shootout between rival biker groups left nine dead and two dozen injured, Rosas has become the first of 154 bikers indicted in the May 17, 2015, incident to receive a trial date.

Judge Matt Johnson of Wacos 54th State District Court set Rosas trial on first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity charges to begin Jan. 23 after Clarke announced he was ready for trial and asked for a trial setting.

The request comes as the McLennan County District Attorneys Office continues to provide hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of pages of discovery materials to the bikers defense attorneys, including copies of police reports, hundreds of hours of audio and video recordings of the incident and subsequent interviews with bikers, 700,000 pages of cellphone records, tens of thousands of photographs and Facebook posts.

Rosas now is set for a pretrial docket appearance Jan. 6 and a status hearing Jan. 13. It is unclear if the DAs office will announce whether it will be ready to take Rosas case to trial on Jan. 23 or if it will seek a postponement.

The remainder of the indicted bikers cases remain on what are known as announcement dockets in 54th and 19th State District Court and have not been moved yet to the courts trial dockets.

District Attorney Abel Reyna and his first assistant, Michael Jarrett, did not return phone calls from the Tribune-Herald seeking comment on the biker cases.

Clarke said Rosas, 48, a welder, is a hardworking married man who lives in Selma and likes to ride motorcycles with his buddies on weekends. Clarke said the only thing Rosas did wrong that day was to wear a vest as a member of the Valerosos motorcycle group, a support club of the Bandidos.

Clarke has tried calling the McLennan County DAs office to ask what evidence it has against his client because he says he cant find any as he pores over the reams of discovery evidence. He said no one returned his phone calls.

Circling the wagons

I think they have gotten into a circle-the-wagons mentality over there in the DAs office because of all the civil lawsuits being filed and the attempt to disqualify the DA from handling the cases, Clarke said. But to me, this case is strange because I can kind of understand them arresting everyone, but by now, they should have sorted them all out and said, You can go. You didnt do anything. I dont see where that is justice here. If you have got something, show it to me.

The case against Rosas, like many others, should be dismissed, Clarke said.

There has been a lot of discovery released, and I slog through it and I dont see anything on my client at all, Clarke said. They took his vest. He answered their questions. He didnt have a gun. He didnt have brass knuckles. He was riding in an SUV. He went there to go to a meeting, but that doesnt make you guilty of organized crime.

Rosas and a couple of friends had just gotten to Twin Peaks and were getting out of their vehicle when a minor riot broke out between the Cossacks and Bandidos, Clarke said.

But my client had no foreknowledge of anything that was going on between those groups, and they didnt go up there to participate in any violent outbreak, Clarke said. Honestly, I believe probably 100 or more bikers are in the same posture. Some may have gone up there with bad intentions, but I dont think the majority did.

Corsicana attorney John Jackson, a solo practitioner hired to represent Ronald Atterbury, a Cossack from Gatesville, said he might have to hire someone to assist him in reviewing the discovery as it continues to come in waves.

I havent run across anything yet that applies to my client, Jackson said.

Jackson and Clarke said defense attorneys involved in the Twin Peaks cases have been given five rounds of discovery from the DAs office, which is required by statute to provide any and all evidence to the defense, regardless of whether the evidence points to guilt or innocence.

The DAs office recalled the sixth round of evidence last month after it was discovered some of the bikers cellphone images that were released contained child pornography.

As a former Navarro County district attorney and former state district judge, Jackson said he appreciates the task Reynas office is dealing with because of the massive amount of evidence collected during the chaotic event.

It would be completely debilitating, Jackson said. I dont understand how they can do it. It is a massive undertaking.

Jackson said other lawyers may be hesitant to push ahead to trial until they have had time to review all the evidence, including some that might tend to exonerate their clients.

Massive cost

In the meantime, county officials are contemplating how to fund the huge expense of prosecuting all the cases. McLennan County Auditor Stan Chambers said the county has paid $62,026 so far in court-appointed attorneys fees. That total will multiply dramatically as the cases drag on and as the 70 to 80 court-appointed attorneys continue to review the mountain of discovery at $75 an hour for out-of-court time and $80 an hour for in-court time.

As the first cases are tried in McLennan County, the potential remains for changes of venue for remaining defendants. Trying the cases away from Waco would double or triple the cost to the county, officials say.

As more bikers go to trial, their attorneys likely will feel the need to hire experts in a number of subjects, including ballistics, crime scene analysis, DNA and others, which also will increase the costs to the county.

And it has been suggested the DAs office could upgrade the charges against a few of the bikers to capital murder and seek the death penalty in those cases. Capital murder cases are extremely expensive and include year after year of appeals if there are convictions.

Even 18 months later, it is not possible to say how much the entire prosecution of the Twin Peaks cases will cost McLennan County, officials say.
Among tragic failures of the 2016 presidential campaign is the fact that, amidst talk lately of sabotaged emails, sex banter, Clinton Foundation conflicts of interest and empty Trump philanthropic gestures, serious discussion of foreign-policy issues facing the United States is trivialized if raised at all. No wonder. Too many voters see foreign affairs as a remote reality from their daily lives.

Sure, weve heard passing mention of some international issues  say, whether Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump means what he says (which his supporters say he always does) when he says that he might not rally the United States to help save an imperiled NATO ally if the latter isnt paid up on its defense commitments. And theres the issue of whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left four Americans to die in Benghazi, as her critics claim (though thus far no bipartisan report has confirmed this).

We Americans only become riveted on foreign policy when it blows up in our faces: the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, which ended the United States penchant for isolationism, even as the Battle of Britain raged while we looked the other way; the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which suddenly made us aware of the stupefying complexities of the Middle East; the barbaric ISIS atrocities, which arose when Americans and our leaders werent looking; and, more recently, Russias test-firing of three ballistic missiles in one day.

While the 2016 presidential election has proven more divisive than ever, foreign policy takes back seat in American voters minds. Its been noted, with some accuracy, that we seem to have more hatred toward fellow Americans of different political parties than we do our real enemies abroad. With the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, tensions in the South China Sea and Russias increasingly assertive policy in the Mideast, I wonder if voters grasp the steep challenges awaiting our next president.

Consider the latest tensions between Russia and the United States. These reflect outright danger. One presidential nominees fondness for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin only complicates these matters. On the heels of Russias abrupt abandonment of a nuclear-security pact with the United States, Putin has decided to move nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to the edge of NATO territory in Europe. Is this a matter of military tactics? Preparation for forthcoming military confrontation with the West?

While Russias movement of its sophisticated arsenal to Syria, including the advanced S400 missile system, raises serious questions, I also find alarming Putins desire to reopen Russias military installation in Cuba and Russian forces relocating to an arctic base near Finland. Also disturbing: ongoing talks with Egypt and Vietnam about reopening old Soviet military installations. Ironically, Vietnam seeks better relations with the United States as the shadow of China looms across the Pacific.

All this suggests that, despite its shattered economy, Russia is pressing ahead with its military strategy of not only challenging the United States but making it clear that it has a seat at the global-affairs table. No wonder Mikhail Gorbachev, last leader of the Soviet Union, argues: I think the world has reached a dangerous point.

Yet do we, as voters, have any grasp of whats in store for U.S. foreign policy? Are we voting for a candidate who possesses a systematic understanding of complicated international affairs? Or do we very mistakenly believe such matters are simply addressed through strong talk? One is understandably troubled by Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnsons failure to grasp the role of Aleppo and inability to cite even one world leader worthy of respect.

The global landscape has changed dramatically following the collapse of communism. A young dictator in Pyongyang, North Korea, could well launch the world into nuclear catastrophe. A barrage of terrorism attacks in Europe is breeding more radicalism, both homegrown and foreign-born. And such terrorism is awakening sleeper cells in the United States to follow suit.

Foreign policy is just as important an issue for the American home front as the domestic economy, education, health care, the tax code, VA benefits, entitlements, infrastructure and energy security. So when foreign policy debates are limited during the presidential election season, were left to wonder what will happen after one candidate prevails and some international crisis explodes. Events have a way of turning presidential candidates views upside-down.

Recall when George W. Bush ran for office in 2000 and argued vehemently against nation-building? All this changed in a flash once he made the decision to invade Iraq. Were still paying the price for that today. Similarly, recall President Obamas speech in Cairo in 2009 in which he argued for the need to redefine Americas relations with the Muslim world? Whoever advised him obviously failed miserably to consider the fragility of the Middle Easts political prism.

I dont mean to criticize past and current presidents but rather to emphasize the challenges presidents face when it comes to what they want to pursue versus what the political reality on the ground is. Lets hope our next president inaugurates the White House with meaningful considerations and effective strategies to save the day. We could all pay the consequences for failure.

David Oualaalou is a global affairs analyst, blogger, author and professor. A former international security analyst in Washington, D.C., he is a professor of political science at Texas A&M University  Commerce. He is author of More Than a Handshake: The Ambiguous Foreign Policy of the United States Toward the Muslim World. He lives in Hewitt.
Like many Americans, Im unhappy with the choice of candidates in the 2016 presidential campaign. How and why a strong, educated and powerful democracy came to this point in history will be debated for years. The reality of the situation is where I choose to concentrate on the eve of this long national struggle.

This presidential selection process has been of historical significance for many reasons. Lessons learned may point to better processes in the future. Party politics as usual may be a thing of the recent past  at least, if our political leaders truly have our best interests at heart. A new normal could bring things more in line with the majority of Americans sense of decency and civility. I pray so.

While there have been strong debates, even protests, over current candidates history and verbiage, as well as their supporters actions and misdeeds, whats most curious is the level of unbelievable misstatements, harsh rhetoric and personal attacks. Political hardball is not new in our history. But the level of discord and disdain by both major campaigns has set new watermarks, accented by social media.

Yet I take pride and confidence in what I see and hear amongst rank-and-file voters advocating both sides of the aisle. First, there is incredible grief and horror against dirty politics, tawdry campaigns, below-the-belt advertising and vicious word-slinging by both candidates. While the country is more divided than ever over a host of issues, most of us can hold a civil conversation about matters. If only some candidates could do the same.

Second, I dont know that I have ever witnessed such an incredible absence of yard signs and bumper stickers in a presidential election season. With all the interest this years campaign has generated, I find it odd we dont have more folks proudly proclaiming their support. Local party leaders assure the Trib that signs and bumper stickers absolutely flew off the table at party booths at the Heart O Texas Fair & Rodeo, yet most obviously didnt affix themselves to car and pickup truck bumpers or sprout in local lawns.

Some may say this absence is because one party didnt bother campaigning in our state because they knew they had Texas in their pocket. Some say the lack of political signs suggests the other party knew they had no chance in Texas and so they just didnt campaign heavily in our state.

My theory is different. I believe the lack of signs and bumper stickers is attributable to the fact honest, decent Americans are thoroughly embarrassed by both candidates, dearly wish they had viable alternatives and simply dont want to offend neighbors and friends or permanently scar themselves by advertising for whom they might be voting. After all, theres always a chance your neighbor may gauge you lots differently because of the candidate you touted around Halloween.

I also believe this rush to vote early  more than 55,000 of 136,036 voters in McLennan County  is an indication not only of voters wish to put this whole scandalous political nightmare behind them as soon as possible but to cleverly keep their vote anonymous and confidential. After all, its much easier to avoid political debate after one has voted than before. No amount of political persuasion can change a vote after it has been cast.

Americans, a hardy and courageous lot, have strong emotional feelings about issues, concerns and political perspectives. Thats healthy. In this election, however, they in many cases and perhaps most cases also had strongly negative feelings about both presidential nominees  perhaps more so than in any other election in memory. Those longings for alternative candidates or more official write-in options (13 of the latter are approved as write-ins in Texas) highlight just how many see our nation as voting for the lesser of two evils.

Whatever the election results, they are perhaps the best we can expect in a political year of boorishness, hostility and unrestrained nastiness at political rallies and on social media, much of it unacceptable for our children and grandchildren. But perhaps this will be the point of a new beginning about whom we accept into our leadership positions and how and why we support those in leadership positions. I hope so.

Surely, the seeds of a good and honorable democracy can still be planted in American soil. It is up to us to see that those seeds grow steadily, crowding out the weeds of something in our midst that lacks any semblance of statesmanship.

Longtime civic leader Harry Harelik is executive director of the McLennan Community College Foundation.
JNU students held a protest at Jantar Mantar against government over missing student Najeeb Ahmed. Several students too were detained by the police.

By India Today Web Desk: Several student bodies from JNU today held a protest at Jantar Mantar against government inaction in the JNU student missing case.

The student organisations have threatened to hold a massive sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar if Najeeb Ahmed (27), a resident of Badaun, is not traced in the next 72 hours.

The student organisations have also written to the President. Several social organisations in Badaun too has announced to hold massive protests if Ahmed was not found in the next 72 hours.

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Ahmed, a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus brawl allegedly with the members of ABVP, BJPs students wing, the night before.

Also read:

Delhi police to share with media details of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed

Delhi Police pulling out all stops in effort to locate missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed



JNU letters on missing student Najeeb Ahmed doing the rounds



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After Yale University economist Robert Shiller this week signed a letter supporting Hillary Clinton, he explained that he normally doesnt engage in politics, but that the destruction that Trumps campaign tactics have done to the institutions of this nation is a great moral issue.

Morality and politics are complicated, even for Nobel Prize winners from the Ivy League. By many credible accounts, Donald Trump is either an extremely immoral man or an utterly amoral one. He lies habitually. He cheats spouses, partners and contractors. He humiliates women and brags of groping them. He exempts himself from civic duties others follow, bragging about his success in avoiding taxes and reneging on promises made to charities. His sprawling hostilities extend far and wide.

Despite this, tens of millions of Trump supporters consider themselves not only patriotic Americans but moral human beings, and most of their neighbors and families would no doubt concur. Its a conundrum  good, decent people supporting a moral delinquent who subverts many of their most basic values. At the same time, many Trump supporters rage against a competent, unpopular, political operator whose most prominent flaws, including hiding her official e-mails, would not make a Trump top-10 list. They believe Hillary Clinton is an affront to their morality.

To sort through it, I returned to Jonathan Haidts powerful 2012 book, The Righteous Mind. Im not sure it helped me.

Haidt used the moral foundations theory to analyze the evolution of political communities and the differences between liberals and conservatives. The book is rich with evolutionary psychology, anthropology and other academic disciplines, and I apologize for simplifying it. But a key idea is that conservatives and liberals apply different moral frameworks to assess the world.

Specifically, liberals emphasize caring and fairness. Conservatives are committed to their own interpretations of those values while also placing great emphasis on authority, loyalty and sanctity, which liberals tend to discount.

When it comes to authority (the police know best), loyalty (tradition, family, community) and sanctity (traditional marriage), conservatives pretty much run the table, according to Haidt. (A sixth value, concerning liberty and oppression, has multiple liberal and conservative connotations.)

These moral matrices, as Haidt calls them, help us sort through political affinities. But theyre highly adaptable. Some people care deeply about helping Syrian refugees. Others care equally deeply about the fate of fetuses in the womb. These caring people usually dont have a political identity in common.

In Nazi Germany, it was fair to wreak vengeance on Jews because, in the Nazi imagination, they deserved it. The United States is not Germany circa 1938, and the Trump campaign is not a Nazi enterprise. But in 2016 America, the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis support Trump in part out of loyalty to their white tribe.

Morality is easily perverted. Thats why norms are so important. They help us distinguish between the loyalty of mobsters who commit murder together and the loyalty of parents who raise children together. Norms police behavior; they keep us coloring inside the lines. Once those lines are crossed, norms become more difficult to safeguard and maintain, and society risks losing important moral contours.

Trumps contempt for norms is not new, or exclusively political. He engaged in flagrantly unfair business practices, refusing to pay small contractors for their work because he was rich enough, and bully enough, to cheat them. For decades he trampled both liberal and conservative notions of sanctity. (Is there any corner of the culture war where its OK to call your daughter a piece?)

Trumps pitch is that he must break eggs  dispense with political correctness  to impose order on a political culture spinning out of control. Hell reassert traditional sexual and racial hierarchies while imposing a gruff authoritarian discipline on national politics and restoring the lost economy of the mid-20th century.

It requires a certain psychological and cultural disposition to find this fantasy appealing. Few Trump voters are latter-day brown shirts, spreading anti-Semitism or pummeling protesters. Most are simply engaged in a familiar bargain with themselves, in which they regulate their perceptions and recalibrate their values to meet larger needs.

Bernie Sanders supporters who once bitterly resented the insider political culture of Hillary Clinton but now support her are perhaps treading similar terrain. Many Sanders supporters are angry, like Trump supporters. They resent elites. They feel threatened by the global economic order. But they dont share the Trumpian fear of domestic cultural change. They are not reactionaries.

Once you see yourself as part of a group thats in some sense threatened, your moral compass adjusts accordingly, and things that seem abhorrent to people outside of your group can seem good and true to you, e-mailed Robert Wright, author of The Moral Animal and Nonzero, probing studies of evolutionary psychology and the development of human societies. Trump promises to vanquish the threat, so he seems good from within the group; hes judged leniently, while people seen as part of the threat are judged harshly. This is unfortunately how the mind works, and pretty much all of us have exemplified the problem at one point or another. That we dont realize weve exemplified it is just testament to how subtly and effectively the machinery works.

Again, thats true for liberals as much as conservatives. But its conservatives who feel most threatened these days, as demographic and cultural change tests their racial tolerance, traditional values and very concept of America. Its hardly a coincidence that a white male candidate steeped in racist and sexist language and conduct is running against the first female major-party nominee or following the first black president. Trump is the embodiment of reaction.

Under cultural threat, conservatives have been making stark departures from longstanding political norms  suppressing the votes of people who disagree with them, deliberately promoting government waste and dysfunction  that they might find abhorrent under less stressful circumstances.

Trump arguably represents the most egregious break from political norms yet. He is a wildly dangerous and unstable figure, which is why many fellow Republicans have declared him beyond the pale. For some, denouncing Trump was a political decision. For most, however, it appears to have been made on grounds of national security, morality or both, which required refuting an evolving, adaptive moral narrative spun by Trumps own conservative allies.

Win or lose, Trump will receive tens of millions of votes Tuesday. His tally will be analyzed for its political content. But it will also represent the latest push in moral relativism sweeping conservative America and, as Shiller perceived, threatening vital American institutions.

Once a system has become sufficiently elastic to accommodate, rationalize and even champion a Donald Trump, theres no telling where the boundaries move next.

Francis Wilkinson writes on politics and domestic policy for Bloomberg View.
Quite apart from the populist/nativist faction of the Republican Party, there is and will continue to be a standoff between reactionary hardliners and the rest of the party. Control of the party (if there is such a thing) will depend on each sides tactics and the leaders it deploys. We are already seeing Round One of that battle.

Heritage Action, infamous for backing the 2013 shutdown, keeps its little scorecard to give demerits to any Republican who deviates from its brand of Freedom Caucus politics. Inflexibility and extremism are cherished; compromise and problem-solving get a thumbs down. So sure enough:

In a Thursday morning briefing at the Heritage Foundations Washington headquarters on Capitol Hill, the group said Republicans should embrace the idea of leaving the Supreme Court without its ninth justice, perhaps for as long as five years.

Dan Holler, Heritage Actions vice president of communications and government relations, signaled that this years Republican blockade of President Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, is just the beginning of a fight that could last the entire first term of a Clinton presidency.

This is lunacy in a prom dress. We are at a loss to explain what the intellectual/constitutional basis for this might be or why Democrats would not do the exact same thing if roles were reversed. (Maybe Heritage Action not unreasonably figures that the GOP isnt going to win the White House for a good long time.) Do these people ever talk to anyone outside the right-wing bubble?

Well, not even the noted RINO (Republican in name only) freshman senator from Arkansas  whos actually a rock-ribbed conservative and immigration hawk supporting Donald Trump  thinks this is wise. This isnt Sen. John McCain or Sen. Susan Collins. Tom Cotton told Politico: Ill consider any nominee on his or her own merits. Hes not likely to vote in favor of a Clinton Supreme Court nominee, given that these nomination fights are now strictly partisan affairs. At least he knows enough to not proclaim a boycott of all presidential nominees. (If the GOP is in the minority, well see whether he will try filibustering, thereby risking a nuclear option  elimination of the filibuster for justices.)

So fine, vote no, but dont slap an Obstructionist sign on your forehead, right?

Alas, there is  thanks to Heritage Action, talk radio, Fox News and the rest of the right-wing echo chamber  a good deal of magical thinking going on. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., imagines, [Clinton] could always get to the point where . . . each nomination will come a little closer to us, I would anticipate. Until finally her choice would be: Are we going to maintain an eight-person court or would we have someone in there that we might be able to work with. He adds: If she came up with somebody really good, yeah, Id be for her.

The notion that Senate Republicans could get someone better than Merrick Garland if Clinton is elected and the Democrats take the Senate is daft. Even if Republicans keep the majority, Clinton is going to have the chance to send up picks who are younger and more liberal (including minorities who will make Republicans look doubly atrocious) if Garland is not confirmed. Good luck sustaining that position and keeping all members of the majority (supposing they have one) on board.

A few Republicans have suggested that the conference get back to planet Earth. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., says they should take up Garlands nomination in the lame duck.

The GOP will need to decide whether it wants to be entirely obstructionist, obstructionist but better behaved, or sane. Given the way the 2016 election has gone, you can bet that Republicans will choose the course that will make them look the most buffoonish  and then condemn Republicans who object.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
For all those voters out there confident in their decisions as they stroll into local polling places, we offer no further evidence of how mistaken many of these same voters have been in the past than Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Its easy for some Republicans to laugh him off as GOP comedy relief, but a lot of folks in the agricultural industry havent been laughing since GOP primary voters in 2014 bypassed two eminently qualified Republican candidates and instead chose this rodeo cowboy to oversee our states farming and ranching sectors.

Now a number of Republican women  at least those with any modicum of respect for their sex  have reason to doubt as well.

Miller, who proudly assumed the role of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps designated champion in Texas and lists himself a deplorable, labeled Trumps opponent, Hillary Clinton, with the sexually derogatory term c--t in a tweet Tuesday. When this provoked uproar, his staff claimed his Twitter account had been hacked, but that turned out to be a lie. Then Miller showed his colors: He blamed it all on a staff member. His office has also claimed the offensive tweet was merely a retweet by somebody else, but Miller or his office took the time to repackage the tweet under Millers own name and brand.

Even accepting that they did just retweet someone elses sexually derogatory comment, didnt anyone take the time to read the comment before sharing it?

By now we have learned to expect such shenanigans from this office. The diligent Houston Chronicle this year furnished evidence indicating Miller purchased flights to and from Mississippi with an agriculture department credit card so that he could compete in a rodeo. He explained that while he intended to vie in rodeo competition, he also sought to set up meetings with agricultural officials while there. The meetings never happened, but he reportedly won $880 roping calves.

Another investigation showed Miller charged taxpayers more than $1,120 to fly to Oklahoma and meet ag officials  except again no meeting occurred. Miller was there to receive a Jesus shot from a convicted felon for pain incurred by rodeo injuries. (Miller later pleaded confusion and paid the state back.) This is the same guy who after campaigning as a fiscal hawk in 2014 gave out $413,700 in bonuses to his staff in 2015. Ironically, he was handing out bonuses while trying to increase state fees for farmers.

No less than Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has correctly dismissed Ag Commissioner Millers sexually debasing language as reprehensible and added: No true Texas gentleman would ever talk this way. Yet, next time Miller shows up at some local event, we expect many will slavishly welcome him with adoring applause and even a standing ovation, in the process further demonstrating the corruption of our American values.
Starr footnote

I believe strongly in protecting client confidentiality. For that reason, I have neither publicly disclosed nor discussed the review of Ken Starrs performance as president of Baylor University, which I conducted at the request of the Baylor Board of Regents in the fall of 2013. After Ken Starrs comments in the Waco Tribune-Herald last weekend, however, I feel compelled to respond.

In his newspaper column, reportedly an excerpt from a forthcoming book, Judge Starr made a number of claims about our private conversations that are starkly at odds with both my recollections and the report I submitted to Judge Starr and the Baylor Board of Regents.

I intend this to be my only statement on this matter.

Susan Resneck Pierce, President, SRP Consulting, LLC

Of mens health

As anyone who can see or hear knows, October has been Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Im all for it. I thank God for those who promote research, prevention and treatment of breast cancer. And Im very glad to read Dr. Carl Chakmakjians guest column (Oct. 27) about breast cancer survivors.

However, how many people know September was Prostate Cancer Month? During that month I saw no public service announcements, no articles, received no fund-raising e-mails about that disease and would not have known about it had I not asked the American Cancer Society when that is.

For some years now November has been identified by at least one organization as Movember  a month for awareness of and fund-raising for mens health. The Movember Foundation invites people who care about mens health to raise money for research and make men (and women who love them) more aware of the deadly diseases that kill many men. Please visit that organizations web site and ask other health organizations to do more for mens health.

Roger Olson, Waco

In others shoes

Regarding William Smiths recent letter on clashing subsets: I respectfully disagree all people are represented equally by elected officials. No matter how well-intended or impartial elected officials may be, if they do not live in, interact with or walk in the shoes of said subsets, then the elected official may not or cannot really know how issues impact that community. And investigating those differences is not racist. Its how such investigations are used or presented that may be racist or prejudicial.

Thanks to the Trib for providing a space to have a respectful conversation.

Mark Barnett, Waco

Paging a doctor!

We once had a family practitioner in Robinson, but he retired so we no longer have anyone. We prefer that a Scott & White clinic move into our parts. Robinson is, after all, a good-sized community.

Gladys Schaefer, Robinson
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6(PTI) The establishment of the Indo-Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries is a "significant progress" towards finding a permanent solution to the emotive issue of fishermen, a senior Sri Lankan politician said today as he spoke out against "bottom trawling" and stressed the need for "sustainable fishing".

A day after the two countries decided to set up the Joint Working Group (JWG), Sri Lankan Member of Parliament M A Sumanthiran said the biggest issue was of "bottom trawling".

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"Ninety per cent of the issue is bottom trawling. Both sides have agreed that this is a problem and needs to be stopped. It destroys the seabed and drastically affects the marine life which will lead to no fish in the water," he told reporters at the Lankan High Commission here.

Sumanthiran said close to 1,000 such Indian trawlers operate in the Lankan waters which is against the concept of sustainable fishing.

He said that a bill banning bottom trawling will be passed in the Lankan Parliament early next year.

"If this issue is resolved, the rest of the matter can easily be worked out," he said.

The two sides agreed on setting up the JWG to meet every three months and a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months.

The delegations would include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of both countries. The 1st Ministerial Meeting would be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo.

Expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest, working out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen, and ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on patrolling are among the Terms of References for the JWG.

"We think this is a significant progress in finding a solution to the outstanding issue which is also an emotional one," the Lankan leader said.

Both governments agreed to the request by the fishermen associations that there should be no violence and no loss of life in the handling of fishermen by the Navies and Coast Guards of the two countries. PTI SAP SMN

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Tollywood diva Kajal Aggarwal went on record saying that she would leave everything in this world to act in Baahubali 3, if the film is ever made and offered to her by director SS Rajamouli.

By India Today Web Desk: Kajal Aggarwal, who is currently shooting for the Tollywood megastar Chiranjeevi's 150th film Khaidi No 150, said she would leave everything for Baahubali 3, if she is offered the role by SS Rajamouli.

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Speaking about Baahubali 3, the Magadheera actor said, "Absolutely, I will leave everything to act in Baahubali 3. That would be my first preference."



Kajal also said she did not regret having not acted in Baahubali, but was proud of the film which was on par with international standards.

"More than feeling left out, I had a sense of pride when I saw the film. It is amazing. It is on par with any international film," she said.

When asked about the experience working with Chiranjeevi and son Ram Charan, she said, "I mean I am an actor. I am supposed to do the job and whoever I am acting with I don't feel any differently because I am focusing on my own character, story and script."

Khaidi No 150, which is the Telugu remake of the Tamil blockbuster Kaththi, is directed by VV Vinayak and is slated to release worldwide on January 13, 2017.

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By PTI: Peshawar, Nov 5 (PTI) A local market in Pakistans militancy infected tribal region of South Waziristan has been dynamited by the authorities as a collective punishment to avenge the killing of an army officer, officials said.

Rustam Bazaar in South Waziristans headquarters Wana was demolished under local laws, political agent Zafarul Islam Khattak said.

The action was taken yesterday under the collective and territorial responsibility clauses of the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR), he said.

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The FCR was devised by the British colonists, building upon already existing local laws and traditions, as an instrument of subjugating and disciplining the local Pakhtoon population.

A senior military official Major Imran was killed and 10 others injured in an explosion in the market during a search operation on Tuesday.

Following the incident, the local authorities had imposed a curfew on the Wana Bazaar, forcing more than 6,000 shops to close down.

The market owner, Ali Wazir has condemned the demolition of the market, saying blasts occur everywhere in Pakistan but there community was specifically targeted using a law devised during the colonial times. PTI CORR SUA SUA

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Dani Mathers apologised months ago after provoking outrage by posting a photo on social media of a nude 70-year-old woman in the shower area of a Los Angeles fitness centre. The 2015 Playboy Playmate of the Year was also banned from LA Fitness gyms, suspended indefinitely from her gig on a popular Los Angeles radio station and excoriated online, forcing her to go into social media hibernation.

But the 29-year-old's punishment won't end there.

Dani Mathers is facing criminal charges. Credit:ET

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed criminal charges against Mathers on Friday. She faces a single misdemeanour count of invasion of privacy, Feuer said in a statement.

If convicted, Mathers faces up to six months in jail and a $US1000 fine. Her arraignment is scheduled for November 28 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The political map suggests Clinton can lose several key states. Credit:AP He predicted that he will win Florida and Pennsylvania - which both voted for Obama in the past two elections - and said that he is "doing phenomenally well in North Carolina," where both candidates have invested significant time and resources over the past few weeks. The race to the White House. Credit:Washington Post Clinton held a rally in south Florida that was cut short by rain. She was set to hold an event Saturday night in Philadelphia that would feature a performance by pop star Katy Perry, whose song "Roar" is featured in Clinton's closing ad running in 11 battleground states. Beyonce and Jay Z headlined a concert for Clinton on Friday night in Cleveland. The final stretch: Donald Trump on stage with six-month-old Catalina Larkin in Florida. Credit:AP

Also on the line Tuesday is control of the Senate, where Republicans are defending 24 seats, compared with 10 for the Democrats. Trump's performance at the top of the ticket could determine whether Democrats pick up the five seats they need to regain the majority - or four, if Clinton wins and her vice president, Tim Kaine, has a tie-breaking vote. "The tightening of the race in many of these battleground states is providing a little bit of lift to our Senate races, and in some of these cases, it is going to be decisive," said Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. Hillary Clinton gives two thumbs up as she takes the stage to speak at a rally in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Credit:AP "I think we're really on the razor's edge," Law said of his party's prospects of holding the Senate. "Trump's final position in all of this is uncertain. I don't think he's close enough to the pin yet to lift most of these races into the win column." On Thursday, the Cook Political Report predicted that Democrats will pick up four to six Senate seats, enough to gain control if Clinton is elected, but less than its earlier forecast of a five- to seven-seat gain.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. Credit:AP Republicans also are bracing to lose seats in the House, which would diminish the largest majority they have held there since 1928. Neither side, however, expects a wave large enough to restore control to Democrats, who lost it in the 2010 midterm elections. Clinton began the final weekend of campaigning with a narrow lead over Trump in the ongoing Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll. Through Thursday night, the rolling survey showed Clinton at 47 per cent and Trump at 43 per cent among likely voters. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson was at 4 per cent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein was at 2 per cent. That's the largest margin between the two major-party candidates this past week - and a sign that Clinton may be starting to recover from a fresh round of attention to her use of a private email account and server while she was secretary of state. Clinton's decision to ignore a directive that official business be conducted where possible on a government email account has dogged her since it became public last year. It reinforced the public's long-standing doubts about her honesty and judgment, and sparked an FBI investigation of whether national security might have been compromised.

A new chapter in that saga opened on Oct. 28, when FBI Director James Comey informed Congress that new emails, possibly pertaining to the investigation of Clinton's private account, had surfaced during a separate inquiry involving disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, D-New York, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Before that development, Clinton appeared in control of enough states to put her well over the 270 electoral-vote mark. The tightening of the polls since then has left enough states in doubt this weekend to force a modification of those earlier predictions. A quartet of battlegrounds have dominated the Clinton campaign's calculation throughout the fall campaign: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama won those four in 2008 and all of them but North Carolina in 2012. Until recently, it appeared that Trump needed to sweep all four to overcome Clinton's and the Democrats' electoral-map advantage. But as the race has tightened, Ohio seems to have moved into the Republican column, and other states outside those four have potentially come into play. The GOP nominee is looking to states including Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin to make up a potential deficit, should he not win Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

One force that is factoring into both sides' assessments is that more and more Americans are voting before Election Day, either by mail or in person. Upward of 37 million voters have already cast ballots. In key states such as Colorado, Florida, Nevada and North Carolina, it is likely that well over half the electorate will have done so before Tuesday. Although those votes have not yet been counted, strategists from both parties are poring over the data about who has voted and to get a preview of the contours of the 2016 electorate. The figures also give them a sense of possible trouble spots. In past years, more Democrats have participated in early voting, while Republicans have been more likely to wait until Election Day to vote. This year, however, it appears as though Republicans are closing the early-voting gap in many key states. But it is not clear whether this reflects greater enthusiasm and better organisation on their part, or just a shift in the behaviour of people who would have shown up anyway on Tuesday.

Polling and early-voting data suggest a number of electoral cross currents as the race heads into its final two days. Clinton has struggled to reassemble some version of the coalition that twice elected Obama, the combination of African Americans, Hispanics, single women and young voters. Hispanic turnout appears strong, based on early-voting data. That is a major reason Democrats think Nevada will be an easy win for Clinton, although the polls are close and Trump scheduled a stop there Saturday. Clinton also has a double-digit advantage among female voters, who in 2012 accounted for 53 per cent of the electorate. "If this is actually true, Trump's done," GOP pollster Christine Matthews said. "He's not going to be able to win men by a big enough margin to overcome a 15-point disadvantage with women."

But the Clinton campaign is worried about turnout among African Americans. The Democratic nominee and her top surrogates have made repeated visits to major cities in an effort to stoke enthusiasm among those voters, and she will end her campaign with a big rally in Philadelphia. "Based on early vote returns, we know that strong get-out-the-vote efforts in the African American communities in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida and North Carolina will be needed to win on Tuesday," AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer said. For Trump, one challenge is a socioeconomic split in the white vote. He has strong support among white voters without college degrees, but has seen an erosion in the traditional support for Republican nominees among white voters with college degrees. This has been a central dynamic of the campaign and Clinton campaign officials view it as a potentially decisive factor in an electoral map that has shifted since the last election. The split between college-educated and non-college-educated white voters has moved states such as Colorado and Virginia toward the Democrats, while giving Trump more hope of capturing industrial states in the Midwest such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, where there is a higher concentration of non-college-educated voters.
Her pictures from the vacation are making everyone super jealous.

By India Today Web Desk: Television's adorable couple, Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali, are having a gala time vacationing in Amsterdam.

And yes, we have photos to prove it, thanks to Mahhi Vij.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij

Well, the grey-eyed beauty is seen looking adorable as ever with her actor husband Jay Bhanushali, in the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.

Also read: Here's why Shweta Tiwari's adorable baby bump deserves its own account on social media



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Mahhi, who has been active on social media, has been posting pictures of the trip on her personal Instagram account and updating everyone on how much fun the couple is having.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij

She also posted a photo where she is sitting in a small cafe, and yes, looking like a million bucks while at it.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij

The aww-dorable couple has been setting relationship goals for all of us. Roaming around the city, the pretty actress is living her dream life.

Don't let the kid in u die #kidlife #amsterdamcity #amsterdamlife #jaymahhifans #dreamtour A video posted by Mahhi Vij (@mahhivij) on Nov 5, 2016 at 9:29am PDT

The couple will be heading to Paris after having a great time in Amsterdam.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/mahhivij





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The biggest item on agenda is expected to be the approval for the procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force as part of the government's effort to push Made in India equipment for the armed forces to reduce dependence on imports.

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Deals worth over `75,000 crore are expected to be on the agenda for defence minister Manohar Parrikar-led Defence Acquisition Council including fighter aircraft, combat helicopters and mini-drones for the Army.

ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

During the meeting, the minister, top military brass and senior bureaucrats are also likely to discuss the final version of the policy to decide on blacklisting of firms and individuals indulging in wrongdoings and corruption in defence deals. The biggest item on agenda is expected to be the approval for the procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force as part of the government's effort to push Made in India equipment for the armed forces to reduce dependence on imports.

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The 83 LCAs, expected to be cleared by the DAC, would be procured from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and would make for the Mark 1A version of the plane. The project cost is expected to be over `48,000 crore, senior defence ministry sources told Mail Today. The IAF has already placed orders for 20 LCA Mark 1 aircraft which would be more of technology demonstrators but the IAF was more interested in having the LCA Mark 2, which would be a more capable and upgraded version of the indigenous plane in the making for the last over two decades. The HAL would first deliver the Mark 1 aircraft to the IAF and then would produce the Mark 1A in the interim till the time it is ready with the Mark 2 version. The project would give a strong push to the indigenous fighter aircraft industry as this would be the first major bulk production order for the plane.

HELICOPTERS

Another major indigenous project likely to be discussed at the meeting is for the indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Helicopter by the HAL. "The Army is planning to place orders for 10 LCH choppers while the IAF would initially buy five of them," the sources said. The LCH is the first Indian attempt to develop a combat chopper for which we have so far relied only on the Russians and Americans. The Mi-25/35 are of the Russian make while the Apache choppers are being procured from America for the IAF. The meeting is also expected to discuss the project for buying 498 mini-drones for the Army which plans to use them for improving situational awareness of the troops while participating in anti-terrorist operations.

The mini-drones relay live pictures of an area to the troop commander and he can know the location of the hiding terrorists or can also see if militants are hiding at some place to ambush an Army platoon. The American forces used such drones extensively in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to detect and locate militants and avert attacks on its own troops. The Navy's proposal for procuring 12 US-2 amphibious aircraft from Japan is also expected to come up for discussion at the meeting.



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OROP: Only 5 per cent army veterans unhappy; those in politics creating trouble, says Parrikar

Manohar Parrikar scraps major rifles deal with Israeli firm over corruption tone





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Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electric utility, banking, and renewable/sustainable infrastructure investment businesses in the state of Hawaii. It operates in three segments: Electric Utility, Bank, and Other. The Electric Utility segment engages in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. Its renewable energy sources and potential sources include wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, municipal waste, and other biofuels. This segment serves suburban communities, resorts, the United States armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Bank segment operates a community bank that offers banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses, including savings and checking accounts; and loans comprising residential and commercial real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. This segment operates 42 branches, including 29 branches in Oahu, 6 branches in Maui, 4 branches in Hawaii, 2 branches in Kauai, and 1 branch in Molokai. The Other segment invests in non-regulated renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in the State of Hawaii. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
by John Hedden

Historically the Bahamas has never been able to establish a permanently viable commercial agricultural sector. This is first reflected in the failure of the plantation system in islands throughout the archipelago. Investment in both pineapple and citrus production was not successful in the long term even though the export market was exploited. Later, ventures into sugar cane growout and processing, the winter production of fruit and vegetables for foreign markets, as well as dairy and beef, and small ruminant growout for local consumption have also failed.

The only farming that has proven 'sustainable' are the slash and burn practiced by the Lucayans, and later subsistence farming throughout the islands. These methods were only viable for family and immediate settlement provision on a small scale. These were never 'commercial' ventures.

Investment in the commercial operations of the last century were mainly through foreign capital and technological provision with no direct involvement from the Bahamian government except for the provision of 'Crown land in Kind'. All ventures to date have collapsed for various reasons including the poor quality of our 'soils' expressed in sustainable yields, political mismanagement, foreign embargoes on Bahamian exports, competition from other regions, costs of production, and inability to adhere to foreign regulations.

However in today's search for sector development the Bahamian government is actively encouraging investment through foreign capital and technology. In this case it is the Chinese government through its quasi corporate/state controlled operations. It would seem there is no reference to Bahamian expertise except as 'fronts' for the Chinese enterprises. (We already have one such front operation on the old sugar mill area in the south of Abaco).

To me this appears to be yet another 'Easy way out' on our part, where no Planning for development, or concerns for the maintainance of our fragile natural resources are being taken into account. This again reflects on the abdication of responsibility of the Bahamian landlord (government) to protect our environment. Operators will be allowed to manage as they see fit, with no supervision from local authoritive institutions. Unfortunately the Chinese do not have a good track record for environmental protection in either their own country or in other countries where investments have been made. It is not that Chinese regulations are not in place, but corruption and bribery allow for no active oversight of in country operations. I see no reason for them to behave in a different manner here in our country, unless the Bahamas enacts and enforces laws and regulations specifically designed to protect our sensitive and non renewable resources. Along with this must come realistic monitoring and regulation of any agricultural, and marine activity in the country, including home based ventures from Bahamian entrepreneurs. As an aside I would include the sensitive fisheries industry and marine environment as a part of any laws and regulations.

It is now well recognised that agricultural and industrial activities can have a deleterious effect on local ecological systems, biodiversity, and the biological and health welfare of local natural and human populations. A prime example of this is the Syntex environmental and health impacts on local populations in Grand Bahama, where children in schools were seriously affected by life threatening pollutants and dangerous contaminants released into the air and waters around the plant. Eventually the schools were moved to 'safe' areas. However no monitoring and regulations were put in place to prevent further poisoning taking place.

To my mind it is essential that our law makers follow through with environmental and health regulations and monitoring systems to protect the population and the natural environment on which we live and feed, to survive in a healthy and protected atmosphere.

At the present time our casual and crony based approach to development only leads to a confused, disorderly, unhealthy and, poorly managed economy open to corruption, with no chance of a well structured and growth oriented programme, monitored and regulated in an efficient and controlled manner.

Abaco, Bahamas

November 6, 2016
By WestKyStar & Paducah City Staff Nov. 02, 2016 | 08:11 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Assistant Chief Gabe Reeves said, Its very exciting to host Firehouse Chili since the event gets bigger each year. Plus, its a chance for everyone to enjoy good cooking for a great cause.





This year, Firehouse Chili is scheduled on the same day as the Veterans Day Parade. City of Paducah Executive Assistant Claudia Meeks helps coordinate the lunch. Meeks said, We hope to capitalize on having a lot of people downtown for the parade. Honor our veterans by attending the parade and then be sure to have lunch at Station #1 to assist the United Way.



We look forward to helping the United Way since its a community organization that has several partner agencies including the Red Cross, Merryman House, and Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club.





The City directors are providing funds to purchase supplies while the three assistant fire chiefs for the Paducah Fire Department are furnishing the ingredients and cooking the chili with the assistance of all Fire Department members. Due to the employee donations for the food and supplies, 100 percent of the proceeds from the luncheon will go directly to the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County.





The 2015 Firehouse Chili event raised $740 for United Way. Last year, the City of Paducah employees raised a total of $10,021 through fundraising events such as Firehouse Chili and employee contributions out of paychecks.



Firehouse Chili Menu

Bowl of Chili $5

Chili Dog $4

Hot Dog $2

Beverage $1



The City of Paducah is holding its Firehouse Chili event on Friday, Nov. 11 to benefit the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County.Everyone is invited to stop by Fire Station #1 located at 301 Washington Street from 11 am until 1 pm to purchase chili, chili dogs, and hot dogs cooked by firefighters.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Nov. 05, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 05, 2016 | 03:19 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A Paducah man has been arrested following an investigation into a motorcycle that was reported stolen.



The McCracken County Sheriff's Department responded Friday to a home on Starr Lane, where the owners of a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle filed a complaint. They said they noticed earlier in the day that the bike was missing.



About 10 am Saturday, the owners called authorities because they reportedly saw a man riding the bike on Pecan Drive. Paducah Police responded, and spoke to the man, 31-year-old Harley Gilbert. Sheriff's Deputies also arrived, and say Gilbert told them he bought the motorcycle several days ago. Deputies said it appeared that the electrical system on the bike had been tampered with in order to start it without a key.



Gilbert was arrested for receiving stolen property under $10,000, which is a class D felony. He was taken to McCracken County Jail.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 05, 2016 | 09:48 PM | PADUCAH, KY

The District 3 State Representative's race in McCracken County features Republican Joni Hogancamp challenging incumbent Gerald Watkins, who has served in the office since 2013.The race has been mostly positive, until a political action committee called Kentucky Family Values started airing commercials against Hogancamp, characterizing her as another Republicans politician who would vote with the party, when she has never before run for office.This campaign brought out Kent Ostrander of the Family Foundation of Kentucky, who clarified that his public policy organization stands for traditional family values, and insinuated that the PAC has a name and logo intended to confuse voters as they run negative campaign ads. Both Ostrander and Hogancamp said Watkins is allowing Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo to control which bills get through committees and onto the House floor for votes.Hogancamp mentioned removal of the nuclear moratorium and incentives to bring in more local jobs as priorities, along with getting rid of the incumbent and House leadership.Rep. Watkins said he's forbidden to communicate with the PAC so he knew nothing about the ad, and has always run a positive campaign. As for Stumbo, Watkins said he has never been pressured to vote against his conscience, and has been encouraged by Stumbo to introduce any legislation he wants. Watkins also mentioned a campaign flyer he received that contained false information about him and Stumbo, saying that it came from Hogancamp's office. Watkins touted several bills he has introduced that were passed, including a pro-life bill and a religious freedom bill.Click the links below to hear interviews related to this race.

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By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Mega Maldives Airlines, which will start direct flights from the national capital to Male this month, is in discussions with some Indian carriers for possible partnership.

Seeing India as one of the largest growing markets, the private airline also has plans to ramp up its presence here with direct flights from Mumbai and services from the national capital to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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"There is more than one good candidate for us to partner with. We are going to look at that further in the coming months," Mega Maldives Airlines Founder and CEO George Weinmann told PTI.

Noting that it would be too early to divulge further details, he said various frameworks, including codeshare, would be looked at.

"It is little bit early to say what framework it will be. The easiest framework will be, what we call, SPA (Special Prorate Agreement). Basically, it means we agree to give a bundled price to other airlines. They will offer a fare and we will offer a fare so that the customer sees one price and we share the price between the two airline," he said. The airline would operate three direct flights every week from the national capital starting November 15.

According to Weinmann, the services from Mumbai to Male and from Delhi to Dhaka are expected to start next month.

Bullish on prospects in the Indian market, the airline would, in due course, look at building network connectivities from other countries coming through India to Maldives.

During January-August this year, there has been 21.4 per cent increase in Indian tourists to Maldives.

The carrier flies to China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

About the new civil aviation policy, Weinmann said the winds of change are here, which would inspire people to come up with new ideas and ways of serving the market.

"I think for an airline in the SAARC region, one of the big things that the policy allows us to go anywhere within SAARC. I think that is a big thing for us. We can connect passengers from other parts of the region through India to Maldives and thats good for India and for us," he added.

Under the policy, the government would enter into an open sky air service agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries as well as with nations with territory located entirely beyond a 5,000 kilometre radius from New Delhi. PTI RAM BAL ABM

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Nov. 05, 2016 | CALVERT CITY, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Nov. 05, 2016 | 09:11 PM | CALVERT CITY, KY

A local official says multiple agencies worked well together after a Calvert City train derailment earlier in the week, and reiterated that there was no danger to the community.



Marshall County Emergency Management Director Curtis Curtner said, "No spills or leaks were ever detected. Air and gauge monitoring near and on the rail cars was performed 24/7 until the scene was cleared."



He said weather conditions were constantly monitored in case a leak was detected, so residents could be notified for their safety, if necessary.



The derailment happened about 10 am Tuesday, and the final car was safely removed from the scene on Friday.



Four of the cars were known to be empty, and Curtner said two cars contained Glycol, one contained liquid Ethylene and another contained Hydrogen Flouride. P&L Railway declined to identify the contents of the cars, citing confidentiality with their customers.
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By Jim Waters

Nov. 06, 2016 | LEXINGTON, KY

By Jim Waters Nov. 06, 2016 | 12:48 PM | LEXINGTON, KY

My retired neighbor -- a registered Democrat who dons his own unique version of political agnosticism -- reminds me daily how eager he is for the current political warfare to cease.



He's an equal opportunity critic of both political parties who often shares his (unsolicited) conviction that the level of discontent within the current political environment is such that not even a campaign by "Jesus Christ himself" could satisfy most partisans.



"They would be trying to find some dirt even on him," he bemoans.



Still, this election season hasn't been entirely about dirt-digging, at least not here in Kentucky.



For instance, we've seen a display of solid bipartisan support for making government less secretive and more accessible to its citizens.



Amongst the partisan rancor associated with Kentucky Republicans wrestling to take control of the state House of Representatives for the first time since 1920 is increased bipartisan momentum for revealing the retirement benefits of all current and former lawmakers.



Both Democratic and Republican candidates in 10 House districts have signed the 67-word Bluegrass Institute Legislative Pension Transparency Pledge that champions shining the bright disinfecting light of transparency on benefits received by lawmakers resulting from both their part-time work in the General Assembly as well as appointments to gravy-train jobs in state government allowing them to pad their political pensions.



Incumbents and candidates who sign the pledge agree to be held accountable for their future statements, votes and commitments related to transparency during the remainder of their political careers.



Granted, some incumbents signed the pledge only after being confronted by challengers for their long-held seats.



"I proudly signed this pledge IMMEDIATELY - unlike my opponent who waited until just days before our debate to suddenly be 'for transparency,'" tweeted Bowling Green City Commissioner Melinda Hill, who's challenging Rep. Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, for his 20th District seat.



Still, the fact that Richards, who's held the seat since Jimmy Carter was president, ultimately signed the pledge and voted as a member of the House State Government Committee during this year's legislative session to make politicians' retirement information transparent shows he understands: it's a losing proposition to oppose making information about legislative pensions available to those who fund such perks.



Hopkinsville Democratic Rep. Jeff Taylor, who won a special election in western Kentucky's 8th District earlier this year, apparently feels the heat of voters' disapproval of secretive government, agreeing at a recent campaign forum to sign the pledge when confronted by Republican contender and signer Walker Thomas.



Taylor still hasn't submitted a signed pledge.



Yet considering he agreed to sign under pressure from a campaign opponent indicates he understands it's politically beneficial to oppose cryptic government.



The fact that pledge signers include at least one of the candidates in most House districts and in 19 of the 27 races identified as being among the most competitive by political strategist Les Fugate, executive vice president of RunSwitch Public Relations, further confirms: transparency is good politics as well as sound public policy.



House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who faces a challenge to his own 95th District seat in Floyd County from Prestonsburg attorney Larry Brown, a pledge signer, has so far refused to even allow House members the opportunity to vote on transparency bills approved by committees chaired and dominated by his own party.



Doesn't Stumbo know that the good-ol'-boys' approach of doubling down on defending the status quo of closed-door government is so yesterday as evidenced by the fact that 30 states -- including neighboring Missouri, Tennessee and Illinois -- now make information about retirees' benefits, including names of individual pensioners, transparent?



Doesn't he recognize that open government is always in vogue?



Jim Waters is president of the Bluegrass Institute; Kentucky's free-market think tank. Reach him at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com. Read previously published columns at www.bipps.org.
Jean Marc Tchazou left Cameroon in 2007. He said the government of his homeland was oppressive, and he knew that his only chance at success meant moving to the United States.

Now a senior airman in the Air Force Reserve, Tchazous journey to citizenship was highlighted in a 2013 Patriot Magazine article. He said by acquiring his U.S. citizenship, he left behind in Cameroon a system strafed by corruption.

Opportunity is the main reason I came to the United States, Tchazou said. In the U.S., if you work you will see the results of it.

Tchazou said he came to the U.S. ready to work hard at becoming an entrepreneur. But first he had to overcome the fact that he spoke no English. He learned the language through community college courses and language software programs, trading in his childhood dream of becoming a doctor, like his father, for new dreams: an advanced degree, U.S. citizenship, becoming an Airman, and finding his way as an entrepreneur.

After arriving in the U.S. with a bachelors degree in finance from Cameroons University of Douala, Tchazou completed his masters degree in accounting at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. Tchazou also frequently takes individual college courses to learn new skills, recently adding computer science and coding courses to his ever-increasing roster. It was during one of his computer courses that Tchazou got the idea for his latest endeavor: marrying technology with healthcare.

My goal is to bring healthcare to people through their phone. Tchazou had a military friend who was battling depression after multiple deployments but refused to seek treatment because of the stigma associated with a PTSD diagnosis. After many months, Tchazou was finally able to convince his friend to seek treatment. I am developing the app e911md with a medical clinic in Washington, D.C., to help people connect with a doctor, but remain anonymous.

Having enough doctors participate in the program will be key to its success. Tchazou is initiating a marketing campaign to attract additional healthcare professionals who will be available to app users. Another option to expand services is to license the app to individual clinics.

While the app can help any prospective patient, Tchazou said, Mental health and drug addiction is our main focus. The app is in beta testing now, but when it is fully functional Tchazou said it will connect patients with doctors for remote consultation, counseling, to receive medical records for review by medical staff, or to refer a patient to a local provider if necessary.

Tchazou said the inspiration for e911md came from a paternal source as well as a practical one.

My father used to travel in Africa and Asia practicing medicine, and one of the ways my father consulted with his patients was by telephone, said Tchazou, whose father was a generalist physician and died in 2014. I knew I wanted to do something that mixed medicine with technology, and after visiting the hospital with a sick friend and waiting for hours just to spend a few minutes with a doctor, the idea came to me.

Tchazou joined the Westover community over four years ago, and he said he has no plans of leaving anytime soon  even if his business takes off.

Westover is like family to me, he said. Id like to continue to grow here as an Airman, and as an entrepreneur.








Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
By PTI: official

Canacona (Goa), Nov 6 (PTI) Projects launched by the Narendra Modi government since 2014 have the potential to transform India into a different country and enhance its confidence and stature at the global stage, a senior Taiwanese official has said.

"In 2014, there were two developments that changed the impression about India. First, people elected an able leader (Modi) to lead this country and elevate it to another level," James Tien, Trade Representative of Taiwan in India, said.

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"Second, launching of projects like Make in India, Start up India and Smart Cities which would eventually transform India into a different country," he said.

He was speaking yesterday at the India Ideas Conclave 2016 currently underway in Goa.

"He (Modi) elevated the confidence level of India domestically and internationally," Tien said, addressing the plenary session of the event.

"Taiwan is not as lucky as other countries like India and US. It does not have natural resources. We have worked very hard to reach where we are now," he said.

"Im always impressed with the economic miracle in Taiwan. Miracle will not happen just like that. In the last six decades, we have worked hard," the official said.

"Over the past 20 years, we are doing a wonderful job between our countries (India and Taiwan). Our trade volume has increased 600 per cent.

"We have also established 11 training centres, language training centres in some of the prominent universities and institutes--IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, JNU, you name it," he said.

"We would also like to provide scholarships for talented young Indian students to study in Taiwan. At this moment, we have 1,443 Indian students in Taiwan, of which over 200 have received scholarships," Tien said. PTI RPS RSY AAR BAS

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Tollywood's happening couples, Naga Chaitanya, Samantha and Akhil Akkineni, Shriya Bhupal were snapped at a dinner-date last night.

By India Today Web Desk: Naga Chaitanya, who is basking in the success of his latest hit Premam, was clicked with his girlfriend Samantha, his brother Akhil Akkineni and his to-be sister-in-law Shriya Bhupal.



ALSO READ: Rajinikanth's Baasha to be re-released on his 66th birthday

ALSO READ: 25 Years of Gunaa- Why Kamal Haasan's classic didn't make the cut



ALSO READ: Billa to Moondru Mugam- Why remaking Rajinikanth's cult classic is a sin





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Actor Samantha took to Instagram and captioned it ''family'.

#family A photo posted by Samantha Ruth Prabhu (@samantharuthprabhuoffl) on Nov 5, 2016 at 9:37pm PDT

Naga Chaitanya recently admitted that he's in a relationship with Samantha and that the wedding date is yet to be finalised.

In a recent press interaction, Chaitanya went on record saying that he won't stop Samantha from acting after wedding. Chaitanya, who collaborated with Samantha in films like Ye Maaya Chesave and Manam, fell in love with the latter while working for the film Autonagar Surya, said reports.

Meanwhile, Akhil and Shriya have known each other for many years. The engagement is set to take place in December this year. Buzz has it that Akhil Akkineni might tie the knot with Shriya Bhupal in Italy in 2017.

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/11/2016 (2186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two men with violent, criminal pasts are cleaning up their lives, but they have been given very different tools to do so.

Winnipegs Scott Osesky and Norways Trond Henriksen dont know each other, but they share a common bond: theyve both served time in prison. Between them, theyve logged more than 40 years behind bars. But their experiences differ greatly because the two countries they hail from have very different philosophies on what incarceration is for.

The purposes of sentencing in Canada are to make the punishment equal to societys disgust for the crime, to deter people from committing crimes, to protect the public and to rehabilitate offenders, the Criminal Code states. Norways system focuses mainly on the latter  and the results are causing experts to take notice.

STEFANIE LASUIK PHOTO Scott Osesky (right) high-fives Sebastien Favel, 3, before heading out with fellow Bear Clan Patrol members. He served a long stretch at Stony Mountain Institution.

Criminologists around the world are studying Norways system because the country boasts a low recidivism rate: 20 per cent.

Manitobas reoffending rate was 66 per cent in 2015, a report by the John Howard Society and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives states.

Norways philosophy has created humane prisons that resemble college dorms rather than jail cells. The conditions in these prisons are helping criminologists understand the disparity in recidivism numbers.

If anyone was treated in that more humane kind of way, it would affect their behaviour after they were done their sentence and came out, said Russell Smandych, a professor of criminology at the University of Manitoba.

Few know this as well as a man Norwegian newspapers once labelled Norways most dangerous guy. Trond Henriksens past is riddled with criminal offences. He ended up in Halden Prison, often called the most humane jail in the world because of its comfort.

When Henriksen walked into the prison for the first time in 2010, he saw white walls and new furniture. The rooms are spacious, the hallways wide and the cells furnished with single beds, desks and shelving units.

Large glass windows let in natural light and give prisoners a view of nature. Common areas have couches, video games and dartboards. Inmates can cook in fully equipped kitchens.

When it is time for dinner, the prisoners sit down with the guards to eat together.

It was very nice. I liked that, Henriksen said.

The guards wished the prisoners well and wanted to help them, he explained.

They didnt seem to hold Henriksens criminal charges  a bank robbery, the kidnapping of a police officer and gang activity  against him.

Neither did the prisons governor, Are Hoidel. Hoidel helped Henriksen enrol in the prisons drug-rehabilitation program. Halden Prison uses Canadas national substance-abuse program. It consists of 89 group sessions and several individual meetings that are each two hours long.

Hoidel asked Henriksen to go on-air in the jails recording studio. Halden broadcasts its own station, Radio Inside. Its one of the prisons programs that teach inmates employable skills.

Prisoners can also learn to do woodworking, retail customer service and assemble products. They can go to school and borrow books from the prisons library.

After his release from Halden, Henriksen became a popular radio DJ, a community worker and a successful author.

I think if you give people trust, they will also give you trust back. Its very simple, but its like that. If you treat people like animals, they will be animals, Henriksen said.

If you treat peoplelike animals,they will be animals former Norwegian inmate Trond Henriksen

Scott Osesky said he felt like an animal in Canadian prisons.

The first time he walked into Stony Mountain Institution, he heard screaming. He smelled stale, dead air as he moved towards his cell, which had bars instead of the more modern sealed doors, Osesky said.

It was cold and grey, he said.

Osesky said he could spread his arms and touch both sides of his cell. He slept on a bed made for no one over 5-6, with a mattress that was roughly 3.8 centimetres thick on top of a steel frame, he said. In the minimum-security unit, Osesky had TV  and that was about it.

But theres only so much TV you can watch, he said.

The maximum-security prisons Osesky spent stints in didnt have that luxury.

Osesky became very familiar with his cell, spending most of his time there when he wasnt allowed to go to the gym or yard.

Inmates who worked could leave their cells for eight hours a day. The jobs available to Scott were clothes-making, metal-working or cleaning cells, he said.

After five years of refusing to work, he grabbed a seat in the metal shop just to get out of his cell.

Osesky welded prison tables and chairs. He made $52 every two weeks, he said.

Osesky said hes a former high-ranking Winnipeg gang member. He was arrested for his criminal activity in this role.

Alcoholics Anonymous and other drug-rehabilitation groups delivered their programs to the prison, but the workers couldnt come in during lockdown, which Osesky said, happened a lot. The longest lockdown Osesky endured was 49 days.

Thats rough on your head, he said, shaking his own.

Osesky said he just tried not to go crazy.

When dinnertime rolled around during lockdown, the guards sandwiched inmates food between two paper plates and slipped them between the bars. If the inmate wasnt there fast enough to catch it, the food would fall on the ground, said Osesky.

SUPPLIED After serving time in Norways Halden Prison, Trond Henriksen became a successful radio host and community worker.

Theyd just treat you like a number, said Osesky, pulling out his federal prison card.

924846C. Thats what you are. Thats what you are. Ive had this number since 1982. It follows me for the rest of my life.

Osesky left prison 18 months ago. With an $18 cheque to his name, he nearly went back to selling drugs. Instead, he joined the Bear Clan Patrol, a volunteer group that helps people on Winnipeg streets stay safe. But he struggles financially.

Its hard to get employment because Im not bondable, he said.

Osesky said he didnt get an education while in prison, where inmates interested in pursuing one must pay for it. He spent most of his biweekly $52 at the canteen to keep up his strength.

Smandych said its common sense that treating prisoners inhumanely makes them more likely to reoffend. It would be difficult for Canada to adopt a system similar to Norways, he said.

It would take a change in dominant Canadian thinking about how to treat prisoners, he said.

But Henriksen thinks the change is worth it for both criminals and society.

Who would you want as your neighbour  the guy who has been educated, treated well and rehabilitated or the guy who hasnt, he asked.

Stefanie Lasuik is a senior journalism student in the creative communications program at Red River College. This article was the product of a feature-writing assignment.

Twitter: @slasuik
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/11/2016 (2187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Saturday was anything but a regular day at the office for dozens of Manitoba dentists, hygienists, assistants and dental students.

As a blue balloon  made out of a disposable glove  bounced between cubicles at the University of Manitobas College of Dentistry, a dentist and two young girls chased after it. Around them, a maze of dental professionals examined, cleaned, filled and extracted teeth as part of Open Wide 2016, a one-day event to help refugees and other newcomers.

Their needs are great, and the benefits that are afforded to them by the government are limited, Dr. Carla Cohn, president of the Manitoba Dental Association, said. We felt if we could do our part to help out and give these people a bit of a better start, then we would do that for them.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Karina Gamboa (left) and Dr. Carla Cohn work on Mwashite Mbekalo of Tanzania at the University of Manitobas College of Dentistry. The Manitoba Dental Association and the University of Manitobas College of Dentistry hosted Open Wide, a day of free dental services for refugees.

The association and College of Dentistry holds an Open Wide clinic every few years to help people who otherwise couldnt afford or access dental care. This year, Cohn said, they hope to treat about 400 refugees.

Weve got some of the people that have been in camps for years, not receiving any dental care. Thats not high on the list of priorities when youre starving or trying to stay safe, so they come to us with a lot of unmet needs, she said above the constant buzz of dental tools. They can come to Canada and be taken care of, and this is our effort to help them with oral health.

Every dentist and assistant volunteered their time for the event, which started at 8 a.m. on whats usually their day off, and dental suppliers and manufacturers donated equipment and materials  including toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home  so the clinic was free to patients. Cohn said she hopes the treatment will help alleviate at least a few of the challenges these newcomers face.

What we hope to be able to help is if somebodys in pain, to get them out of pain, Cohn said. If theyve got a broken tooth, to fix that tooth. It might not seem like a huge issue, (but) when you have a toothache, then that takes all of your head space, and that discomfort affects everything. It affects what youre eating, how youre feeling, how youre thinking straight, so we want to be able to help people get out of pain and (give) emergency treatment.

Cohn said anyone with healthy teeth would receive a cleaning and advice on good oral hygiene, but she anticipated most patients, like Mwashite Mbekalo, who moved to Canada from Tanzania in April, would have minor issues.

As Dr. Karina Gamboa, a pediatric dentist, examined Mbekalo, Cohn noted the 19-year-old had small cavities around her mouth, but she mentioned she saw another girl whose teeth were in much worse shape.

For the whole family, it means a lot, said Marian Braun, one of about two dozen parishioners of the Meeting Place sponsoring Mbekalo and her family. Its been really fabulous to realize the resources that are available in Winnipeg for newcomers.

She said the family sometimes struggles with language barriers (the family of seven speaks Swahili, and the father and two oldest daughters also speak French), but Open Wide was prepared with volunteer interpreters and intake forms in different languages.

I think theyre feeling safe, Braun said, echoing one of Cohns hopes for the event.

A lot of these people they come from a lot of unrest, Cohn said. When you get a white coat in front of you, sometimes thats a little scary, so I think it takes a big effort to get people into the clinic.

Dr. Tom Colina, a dentist and one of Open Wides co-chairmen, agrees. While the clinic helps treat immediate dental issues, he hopes it also helps refugees feel at home in Canada.

Hopefully, were not just making their dental health, oral health better, but hopefully, were making them feel welcome in this new country.

danielle.doiron@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @dmdoiron
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/11/2016 (2187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON  The provinces Progressive Conservatives are pushing the Pallister government to boost tourism advertising to bring travellers from around the world to Manitoba.

A resolution passed at the Manitoba PC annual general meeting on Saturday calls for the government to participate vigorously and co-operatively with the tourism industry to provide a worldwide advertising and promotion program that fully showcases the provinces vast recreation activities.

It also urges government officials to ensure that provincial park facilities and programming meet the need of modern day tourism.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Premier Brian Pallister speaks during the second day of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative party's annual general meeting, Saturday afternoon at the Keystone Centre.

A backer of the motion from Lac du Bonnet constituency said Manitoba lags behind other provinces when it comes to offshore promotions. He said with returns on investment from tourism advertising ranging from $6 to $10 on every dollar spent, Manitoba cant afford not to do more.

Its a return that an investor cannot turn away from, he said. Lets invite everybody to Manitoba.

Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen, who is responsible for tourism, told the meeting he agreed Manitoba could do more to promote tourism. He said hes looking forward to continued discussions with the industry.

Cullen pointed out that the PC government is already investing a greater share of tourism revenues back into promotion.

This year, Travel Manitoba saw a $3.1 million boost, while regional tourism activities saw a boost of $300,000 in funding, he said.

The tourism industry generates $1.6 billion worth of economic activity annually in Manitoba, Cullen said. We think it could be $2 billion in the next four years, he added.

The motion on tourism was one of more than a dozen policy resolutions passed at the partys first annual general meeting since winning the April 19 general election. Nearly 400 party members registered for the two-day event, which ended late Saturday afternoon. A fundraising dinner on Friday night attracted a crowd of 450.

Premier Brian Pallister did not make a major speech at the two-day meeting. He spoke briefly at the banquet and participated in an informal session on Saturday in which a party communications staffer asked him questions as the two sat in easy chairs on stage.

Pallister hinted that Manitobas entry into the New West Partnership Trade Agreement with B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan was imminent, although he refused to provide any details afterwards. Manitobas participation in the trade group has long been a goal of the PC party.

Another resolution passed at the meeting urged the government to examine policies to increase the efficiency in which the courts handle child protection cases.

Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun Party members listen to Premier Brian Pallister during the second day of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative party's annual general meeting, Saturday afternoon at the Keystone Centre.

The meeting heard that court challenges by parents resisting child protection orders can drag on for more than a year, during which time children fail to receive the early intervention programming they urgently need.

Families Minister Scott Fielding spoke in favour of the resolution, which came from the rural southern Manitoba constituency of Midland.

He noted that the provinces court system is already clogged with cases and that money spent before a judge seeking protection orders would be better spent on programming.

Meanwhile, the provincial Tories also passed a resolution supporting the exploration of an interprovincial energy corridor for hydroelectric sales.

And they urged the government to examine alternatives to funding public education from property taxes.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 06/11/2016 (2186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A public tip on social media led the RCMP to arrest a suspect after a woman was reportedly kidnapped near Carberry early Saturday morning.

Criminal charges are pending against 28-year-old Travis Francis of Long Plain First Nation after police received a report that a 31-year-old woman had been assaulted and abducted from a cabin near Carberry around 3 a.m. Saturday. More than 24 hours later, RCMP sent out a tweet asking for the publics help locating a female victim and a suspect in what they described as a violent abduction. That tweet, which included a photo of the suspect and has since been deleted, led to a tip that prompted Franciss arrest.

The victim was found with minor injuries, an RCMP spokeswoman said in an email.

No other details have been released.
The Star Tribune Editorial on Oct. 11, titled, Be Wary of Candidate Promises to Freeze College Tuition, stated that the DFL-controlled 2013 Legislature vowed to reverse that trend when it added $230 million to higher education appropriations for the ensuing two years.

The editorial failed to mention the Legislature also ordered Minnesota State to freeze tuition (and asked the constitutionally autonomous Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota to do the same) and that it was paid for with new recurring funding to the base budget.

Now, a Minnesota State workgroup on long-term financial sustainability reports that the new state funds have mostly offset the lost tuition resulting from the tuition freeze and have not been a source of new operating revenue. The overall size of the funding pie has not increased; rather, the sizes of the tuition and appropriation slices have merely shifted.

To be clear, the 2013-14 tuition freeze was paid for with additional state funding for higher education and the new funds were adjusted to the higher education base funding into the future. The size of the funding pie was increased.

The 2013 Legislature provided the funding increase (as requested by the systems) so students would not bear the brunt with increased tuition. For Minnesotas higher education systems not to realize that increase, and worse complain that it was actually a cut in funding, reveals the incredible arrogance and isolation of these administratively driven systems from the reality of its basic purpose, which is to serve the public.

The other ignored facts were the record cuts to Minnesotas systems of higher education during the Great Recession and the systems responded by instituting record increases in tuition. Not once during the Legislatures historic cuts did the higher education systems state any concern that the record increases in tuition would cause any harm in the short-term or long-term.

The record debt that resulted from those tuition increases now ranks with the bank failures, Wall Street crash, real estate foreclosures and automotive industry failures for negatively impacting the economy of the United States and its full recovery from the Great Recession.

The highest-paid public employees in Minnesota are higher education Minnesota State administrators. Earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, these public employees were given bonuses in the tens of thousands of dollars while raising student tuition to pay for it. Incidentally, the 2013-14 DFL-controlled Legislature also passed into law a ban on future bonuses for the Minnesota State administrators.

The term tuition freeze as used by the Star Tribune is the Wisconsin version of freezing tuition, where Wisconsin froze tuition and invested nothing in its higher education systems. Wisconsin also stripped its higher education system of its reserves adding further harm. On the contrary, in 2013-14 Minnesota invested in its higher education systems to stop tuition increases.

What Minnesotans need to be wary of are its higher education system boards, the Minnesota State Trustees and the University of Minnesota Regents. They are blind to the issue of massive student debt and select administrators who are only loyal to the leadership that hired them and not the universities and colleges they are so handsomely paid to run.

Public service has not been an issue in this discussion unless you go back to the 2013 DFL-controlled legislature. The 14 hearings the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee held on the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State systems were the first in over a decade that thoroughly analyzed each system budget.

When the committee challenged administrators on their salary increases and bonuses at a time of record cuts, record tuition increases and record student debt, their only response was they had to be competitive in the marketplace of administrators.

Additionally, the Minnesota State Board of Trustees recently wasted $600,000 to re-brand the system name from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) to Minnesota State.

Minnesotans should always be wary of how the Legislature spends taxpayers dollars. The legislature must do its work and perform detailed examinations  account by account  of all budgets. Elected representatives of the people must be responsible for how state resources are invested and not politically appointed or motivated boards that now only do the bidding of the administrators they select to run Minnesotas colleges and universities.

The highest-paid public employees in Minnesota are higher education Minnesota State administrators.
After churning out some thumping background scores, music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja will release the theme music of the upcoming horror thriller Nenjam Marappathillai tomorrow (November 7).

By India Today Web Desk: After the Ilayaraja-era, AR Rahman is arguably the finest music composer of Indian cinema. However, when it comes to it delivering some pulsating background score, Yuvan Shankar Raja soars high.

While the horror thriller Nenjam Marappathillai is currently under post-production stage, the makers of the film have decided to release the theme music of the film tomorrow (November 7).



ALSO READ: Rajinikanth's Baasha to be re-released on his 66th birthday



ALSO READ: 25 Years of Gunaa- Why Kamal Haasan's classic didn't make the cut



ALSO READ: Billa to Moondru Mugam- Why remaking Rajinikanth's cult classic is a sin

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In a first of its kind attempt in Tamil filmdom, the theme music of a film 'Good, Bad and Ugly' is being released as single even before the audio release.

br>

After 7g this theme is my favourite. Bravo @thisisysr ! Extremely complex in its simplicity https://t.co/AXZkoGjntM selvaraghavan (@selvaraghavan) November 5, 2016

The trailer of Nenjam Marappathillai was recently released, which made quite a noise on social media.



Starring Iraivi star SJ Suryah in the lead, the film also stars Regina Cassandra and Nandita Swetha. Composer Yuvan Shankar Raja reunites with his Pudhupettai director after eight years.

Interestingly, the new Selvaraghavan film shares its title with a 1963 Tamil horror film of the same name. Starring Kalyan Kumar and Devika, the old film had a reincarnation angle and was inspired by newspaper articles.

Also, actor Dhanush has crooned a trippy number for the film.

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Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses. Its financial products and services include checking and savings accounts, and credit and debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business lending services. The Commercial Banking segment provides financial solutions to private, family owned, and certain public companies. Its products and services include banking and credit products across various industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management services. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment offers a suite of capital markets, banking, and financial products and services to corporate, commercial real estate, government, and institutional clients. Its products and services comprise corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, equity, and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities services. The Wealth and Investment Management segment provides personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, and trust and fiduciary products and services to affluent, high-net worth, and ultra-high-net worth clients. It also operates through financial advisors. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams. It also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it focuses on the central nervous system, pain, respiratory, and oncology areas. Its products in the central nervous system include Copaxone for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; AJOVY for the preventive treatment of migraine; and AUSTEDO for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington disease. The company's products in the respiratory market comprise ProAir, QVAR, ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler, and ArmonAir Digihaler, BRALTUS, CINQAIR/CINQAERO, DuoResp Spiromax, and AirDuo RespiClick/ArmonAir RespiClick for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its products in the oncology market include Bendeka, Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Lonquex, and Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a collaboration MedinCell for the development and commercialization of multiple long-acting injectable products, a risperidone suspension for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
With the government ready to send an active politician to the NHRC, apparently for the first time, the social media is abuzz with voices of opposition.

By India Today Web Desk: Social media is abuzz with voices of opposition against reports of first possible appointment of an active politician in the in the National Human Rights Commission.

According to Indian Express, BJP vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna is likely to be appointed as a member of the NHRC. The post has been vacant for past two years.

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Voicing his opposition to the decision of appointment, former Swaraj Abhiyan leader Prashant Bhushan said that the Modi government was attempting to diminish independent institutions.

Bhushan tweeted, "Modi government's alarming decimation of all Accountability Institutions continues with appointment of BJP's JK VP as member NHRC.



Modi govt's alarming decimation of all Accountability Institutions continues with Appt of BJP's JK VP as member NHRChttps://t.co/cybiCiPnK3 Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) November 6, 2016



Echoing the sentiment, BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria wrote on twitter, "BJP government is trying to change character of NHRC by appointing party nominee."



AAP leader Alka Lamba took to taunt while expressing her amusement over the decision to appoint Khanna in NHRC.

Lamba wrote, "Ab Hoga Purn Nayaay ... ??? (Now, we will see complete justice????). BJP Leader will be the 1st political Leader to become d member in NHRC."





Ab Hoga Purn Nayaay ... ???

BJP Leader will be the 1st political Leader to become d member in NHRC. https://t.co/CZNiFw81rb Alka Lamba (@LambaAlka) November 6, 2016

Noted historian Ramchandra Guha was also not convinced with the decision to appoint an active politician on the human rights panel.





Guha wrote, "The National Human Right Commission's standing is already low: this move will lower it further."



The National Human Right Commission's standing is already low: this move will lower it further:https://t.co/BTptRC1MUG Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) November 6, 2016

According to the Indian Express, the panel that selected Khanna as a member of NHRC held a meeting in October and cleared his name.

The paper quoted a source saying, "Some other names were also discussed, but his (Khanna's) name was cleared. There was no dissent."

WHAT DO THE RULES SAY?

As per the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 NHRC chairperson and its members are chosen by a high-level committee. Prime Minister heads this search committee, which also has the Lok Sabha Speaker, union home minister, leader of opposition in both the houses, and deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

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The NHRC chairperson can only be a retired chief justice of India. NHRC has four full-time members, who are selected by the panel.

One of the full-time members has to be a retired SC judge and another member should be a former chief justice of a high court. The two other members should have "knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights".

WHO IS AVINASH RAI KHANNA?

Khanna was a Rajya Sabha MP till April this year, when his tenure ended. Earlier, he contested Lok Sabha elections from Hoshiarpur constituency in Punjab.

In 2009, Hoshiarpur became a reserved seat and he had to leave the electoral battle. The Badal government appointed him as a member of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, which Khanna quit after 13 months, when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

He is currently the in-charge of Jammu and Kahsmir BJP.



BJP HAS CHANGED ITS STAND

Interestingly, the BJP seems to have changed its position on the appointment of a political person to the NHRC.

In 2013, the then leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitely had opposed appointment of retired SC judge Cyriac Joseph on the ground that he had political links.

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Jaitley had written a letter to the then PM Manmohan Singh, who, however, had rejected his objections to clear the appointment of Justice Cyriac Josesph in the NHRC.

ALSO READ:

SIMI encounter: NHRC issues notice to Madhya Pradesh govt, demands answer in 6 weeks



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LSB Industries, Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of chemical products. The company provides nitrogen-based fertilizers, such as ammonia, fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (HDAN), and urea ammonia nitrate for fertilizer and fertilizer blends for corn and other crops, and NPK fertilizer blends applications. It also offers high purity and commercial grade ammonia, high purity ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acids, mixed nitrating acids, carbon dioxide, and diesel exhaust fluids, as well as concentrated, and blended and regular nitric acids for various applications, including semi-conductor and polyurethane intermediates; pulp and paper, alum, water treatment, metals, and vanadium processing; power plant emissions abatement, water treatment, refrigerants, and metals processing; exhaust stream additive, and horticulture/greenhouse applications; and refrigeration. In addition, the company provides industrial grade ammonium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and HDAN solutions for ammonium nitrate fuel oil and specialty emulsions for mining, surface mining, quarries, and construction applications. It sells its products through distributors, as well as directly to end customers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company serves to the agricultural, industrial, and mining markets. LSB Industries, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The following companies are subsidiares of Cummins: Anvl, Apollo FC Holdings Ltd., Atlantis Acquisitionco Canada Corporation, Atlantis Holdco UK Limited, Brammo, CIFC Worldwide Partner C.V., CMI Africa Holdings BV, CMI CGT Holdings LLC, CMI Canada Financing Ltd., CMI Canada LP, CMI Foreign Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings C.V., CMI Global Holdings B.V., CMI Global Partner 2 C.V., CMI Global Partners B.V., CMI Group Holdings B.V., CMI Group Holdings Cooperatief U.A., CMI International Finance Partner 1 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 2 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 3 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 4 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 5 LLC, CMI Mexico LLC, CMI Netherlands Holdings B.V., CMI PGI Holdings LLC, CMI PGI International Holdings LLC, CMI Turkish Holdings B.V., CMI UK Finance LP, CMI UK Financing LP, Cherry Island Renewable Energy LLC, Consolidated Diesel Company, Consolidated Diesel Inc., Consolidated Diesel of North Carolina Inc., Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Cummins (Xiangyang) Machining Co. Ltd., Cummins Africa Middle East (Pty) Ltd., Cummins Afrique de l'Ouest, Cummins Americas Inc., Cummins Angola Lda., Cummins Argentina-Servicios Mineros S.A., Cummins Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Cummins Aust Technologies Pty. Ltd., Cummins BLR LLC, Cummins Battery Systems North America LLC, Cummins Belgium N.V., Cummins Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins Brasil Ltda., Cummins Burkina Faso SARL, Cummins CDC Holding Inc., Cummins CV Member LLC, Cummins Canada ULC, Cummins Caribbean LLC, Cummins Center of Excellence Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Centroamerica Holding S.de R.L., Cummins Child Development Center Inc., Cummins Colombia S.A.S., Cummins Comercializadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Corporation, Cummins Cote d'Ivoire SARL, Cummins Czech Republic s.r.o., Cummins Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Diesel International Ltd., Cummins Distribution Holdco Inc., Cummins EMEA Holdings Limited, Cummins East Asia Research & Development Co. Ltd., Cummins Eastern Marine Inc., Cummins Electrified Power Europe Ltd., Cummins Electrified Power NA Inc., Cummins Emission Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Emission Solutions Inc., Cummins Empresas Filantropicas, Cummins Energetica Ltda., Cummins Engine (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Trading & Services Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine Holding Company Inc., Cummins Engine IP Inc., Cummins Engine Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Engine Venture Corporation, Cummins Enterprise LLC, Cummins Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtration GmbH, Cummins Filtration IP Inc., Cummins Filtration Inc., Cummins Filtration International Corp., Cummins Filtration Ltd., Cummins Filtration SARL, Cummins Filtration Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtros Ltda., Cummins Franchise Holdco LLC, Cummins Fuel Systems (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Americas Inc., Cummins Generator Technologies Germany GmbH, Cummins Generator Technologies India Private Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Italy SRL, Cummins Generator Technologies Limited, Cummins Generator Technologies Romania S.A., Cummins Generator Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd., Cummins Ghana Limited, Cummins Ghana Mining Limited, Cummins Global Financing LP, Cummins Global Technologies LLP, Cummins Grupo Comercial Y. de Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Grupo Industrial S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Holland B.V., Cummins Hong Kong Ltd., Cummins India Ltd., Cummins Intellectual Property Inc., Cummins International Finance LLC, Cummins International Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Cummins International Holdings LLC, Cummins Italia S.P.A., Cummins Japan Ltd., Cummins Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins LLC Member Inc., Cummins Ltd., Cummins Maroc SARL, Cummins Middle East FZE, Cummins Mining Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Mobility Services Inc., Cummins Mongolia Investment LLC, Cummins Mozambique Ltda., Cummins NV, Cummins Namibia Engine Sales and Service PTY LTD, Cummins Natural Gas Engines Inc., Cummins New Zealand Limited, Cummins Nigeria Ltd., Cummins Norte de Colombia S.A.S., Cummins North Africa Regional Office SARL, Cummins Norway AS, Cummins PGI Holdings Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (S) Pte. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (U.K.) Limited, Cummins Power Generation Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Power Generation Inc., Cummins Power Generation Limited, Cummins PowerGen IP Inc., Cummins Research and Technology India Private Ltd., Cummins Romania Srl, Cummins S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Sales and Service Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc., Cummins Sales and Service Private Limited, Cummins Sales and Service Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Sales and Service Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Sinai ve Otomotiv Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cummins South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins South Pacific Pty. Limited, Cummins Southern Plains LLC, Cummins Spain S.L., Cummins Sweden AB, Cummins Technologies India, Cummins Trade Receivables LLC, Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited, Cummins Turkey Motor Guc Sistemleri Sats Servis Limited Sirketi, Cummins U.K. Holdings Ltd., Cummins U.K. Pension Plan Trustee Ltd., Cummins UK Global Holdings Ltd., Cummins UK Holdings LLC, Cummins Vendas e Servicos de Motores e Geradores Ltda., Cummins Venture Corporation, Cummins West Africa Limited, Cummins West Balkans d.o.o. Nova Pasova, Cummins XBorder Operations (Pty) Ltd, Cummins Zambia Ltd., Cummins Zimbabwe Pvt. Ltd., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Costa Rica S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica El Salvador S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Guatemala Ltda., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Honduras S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins S.A., Distribuidora Cummins Sucursal Paraguay SRL, Distribuidora Cummins de Panama S. de R.L., Dynamo Insurance Company Inc., Efficient Drivetrains, Efficient Drivetrains (Beijing) New Power Technology Co. Ltd., Efficient Drivetrains (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hilite International, Hydrogenics, Hydrogenics Corporation, Hydrogenics Europe N.V., Hydrogenics GmbH, Hydrogenics Holding GmbH, Hydrogenics USA Inc., Markon Engineering Company Ltd., Nelson Burgess Ltd., Nelson Industries, Newage Engineers GmbH, Newage Ltd. (U.K.), Newage Machine Tools Ltd., OOO Cummins, Petbow Limited, Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) B.V., Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) Ltd., Power Group International Ltd., Quickstart Energy Projects SpA, Shanghai Cummins Trade Co. Ltd., TOO Cummins, Taiwan Cummins Sales & Services Co. Ltd., Worldwide Partner CV Member LLC, Wuxi Cummins Turbo Technologies Co. Ltd., Wuxi New Energy Automotive Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZED Connect Inc..

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BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
Nitish was particularly disappointed with central team not visiting the state to assess the damage caused to the state despite assurance from Rajnath Singh in August when Nitish had met him and apprised him of the flood situation in the state.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has written a letter to Union Home Rajnath Singh expressing his angst over the delay from the Centre in granting flood relief assistance to the state. In the letter, Nitish has questioned the intent of the Central government in providing financial assistance to Bihar to deal with the huge losses the state has suffered due to recent floods that affected several districts.

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NITISH DISAPPOINTED

Nitish was particularly disappointed with central team not visiting the state to assess the damage caused to the state despite assurance from Rajnath Singh in August when Nitish had met him and apprised him of the flood situation in the state.

"I had met Prime Minister and Home Minister and briefed them about the flood situation in August. Despite assurance, central team has not come till now to assess flood damage. This raises doubt over the intention of the Centre whether they are serious in providing flood relief to the state or not. Despite assurance, central team not visiting state is correct", said Nitish Kumar in the letter.

CENTRAL TEAM TO VISIT BIHAR ON NOVEMBER 10-11



After two months delay, central team was finally scheduled to visit Bihar on November 10-11 to carry out survey of the losses due to flood but the visit has been re-scheduled to take place in November last which has angered the Bihar CM. The Centre has cited the beginning of the winter session of Parliament as reason for re-scheduling the visit.

"Assessment of the losses due to floods should take place within a stipulated time. The assessment should have taken place in September itself. Now that the team will come in November last, they will face serious and practical problems in carrying out a correct assessment", wrote Nitish Kumar.

Bihar government in its own report submitted to the Centre pertaining to losses caused due to flood has made an assessment that the damage caused to the state is in excess of Rs. 4000 crore rupees. Nitish has again requested Rajnath Singh to send the central team at the earliest so that the state get flood relief assistance soon.

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Ingredion Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells starches and sweeteners for various industries. It operates through four segments: North America; South America; Asia-Pacific; and Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company offers sweetener products comprising glucose syrups, high maltose syrups, high fructose corn syrups, caramel colors, dextrose, polyols, maltodextrins, and glucose syrup solids, as well as food-grade and industrial starches, biomaterials, and nutrition ingredients. It also provides edible corn oil; refined corn oil to packers of cooking oil and to producers of margarine, salad dressings, shortening, mayonnaise, and other foods; and corn gluten feed used as protein feed for chickens, pet food, and aquaculture, as well as fruit and vegetable products, such as concentrates, purees and essences, pulse proteins, and hydrocolloids systems and blends. The company's products are derived primarily from processing corn and other starch-based materials, such as tapioca, potato, and rice. It serves food, beverage, brewing, and animal nutrition industries. The company was formerly known as Corn Products International, Inc. and changed its name to Ingredion Incorporated in June 2012. Ingredion Incorporated was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.
Brookfield Asset Management is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It typically makes investments in sizeable, premier assets across geographies and asset classes. It invests both its own capital as well as capital from other investors. Within private equity and venture capital, it focuses on acquisition, early ventures, control buyouts and financially distressed, buyouts and corporate carve-outs, recapitalizations, convertible, senior and mezzanine financings, operational and capital structure restructuring, strategic re-direction, turnaround, and under-performing midmarket companies. It invests in both public debt and equity markets. It invests in private equity sectors with focus on Business Services include infrastructure, healthcare, road fuel distribution and marketing, construction and real estate; Industrials include manufacturers of automotive batteries, graphite electrodes, returnable plastic packaging, and sanitation management and development; and Residential/ infrastructure services. It targets companies which likely possess underlying real assets, primarily in sectors such as industrial products, building materials, metals, mining, homebuilding, oil and gas, paper and packaging, manufacturing and forest product sectors. It invests globally with focus on North America including Brazil, the United States, Canada; Europe; and Australia; and Asia-Pacific. The firm considers equity investments in the range of $2 million to $500 million. It has a four-year investment period and a 10-year term with two one-year extensions. The firm prefers to take minority stake and majority stake. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. was founded in 1997 and based in Toronto, Canada with additional offices across Northern America; South America; Europe; Middle East and Asia.
Parker-Hannifin Corporation manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The Diversified Industrial segment offers sealing, shielding, thermal products and systems, adhesives, coatings, and noise vibration and harshness solutions; filters, systems, and diagnostics solutions to monitor and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors, which control, transmit, and contain fluid; control solutions for extreme corrosion resistance, temperatures, pressures, and precise flow; and hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical components and systems for builders and users of mobile and industrial machinery and equipment. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors who serve the replacement markets in manufacturing, packaging, processing, transportation, construction, refrigeration and air conditioning, agricultural, and military machinery and equipment industries. The Aerospace Systems segment offers products for use in commercial and military airframe and engine programs, such as control actuation systems and components, engine build-up ducting, engine exhaust nozzles and assemblies, engine systems and components, fluid conveyance systems and components, fuel systems and components, fuel tank inerting systems, hydraulic systems and components, lubrication components, pilot controls, pneumatic control components, thermal management products, and wheels and brakes, as well as fluid metering, delivery, and atomization devices. This segment markets its products directly to OEMs and end users. The company markets its products through direct-sales employees, independent distributors, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
By PTI: London, Nov 6 (PTI) Older adolescents and adults can learn certain thinking skills including non-verbal reasoning more effectively than younger people, according to a new study which casts doubts on the saying you cant teach an old dog new tricks.

Researchers from University College London (ULC) in the UK, also highlights the fact that non-verbal reasoning skills can be readily trained and do not represent an innate, fixed ability.

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"Although adults and older adolescents benefited most from training in non-verbal reasoning, the average test score for adolescents aged 11-13 improved from 60 per cent to 70 per cent following three weeks of ten-minute online training sessions," said Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore from UCL.

"This calls into question the claim that entry tests for selective schools that include non-verbal reasoning assess the true potential of every child," said Blakemore.

The research involved 558 school pupils aged 11-18 and 105 adults, who were initially tested in various skills and then completed up to 20 days of online training in a particular skill before taking the tests again.

They were then tested six months later to see whether the effect of training lasted.

The non-verbal reasoning test involved looking at a 3x3 grid of shapes with the final square left blank.

Participants had to choose the correct shape to complete the pattern, and the shapes could vary by colour, size, shape and position.

In another test, numerosity discrimination, participants were shown two groups of different coloured dots in quick succession and had to judge which group had the most dots.

"We find that these cognitive skills, which are related to mathematics performance, show greater training effects in late adolescence than earlier in adolescence," said Lisa Knoll from UCL.

"These findings highlight the relevance of this late developmental stage for education and challenge the assumption that earlier is always better for learning," she said.

"We find that fundamental cognitive skills related to mathematics can be significantly trained in late adolescence," she said.

At the testing stages, volunteers were tested on various tasks, not just the ones they had trained in, to see if the training effects transferred to other skills.

No transfer effects were observed, suggesting that the effect of training was specific to each task.

"Some brain training apps claim to improve your IQ by getting you to practise a specific task such as the non-verbal reasoning task we used in our experiment," said Delia Fuhrmann from UCL.

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The study was published in the journal Psychological Science. PTI NKS SAR SAR

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Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.




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By PTI: Dubai, Nov 6 (PTI) Three Omani fishermen have hit the jackpot after scooping 80 kg of floating rare "whale vomit" expected to net them a mind-boggling USD 2.5 million.

Khalid Al Sinani, who is in his late 30s, found floating "whale vomit" on the shores of Qurayat province last week.

Whale vomit or Ambergris is a very costly wax that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale. It can be found floating in tropical seas and is used in manufacture of perfume.

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After 20 years of hand-to-mouth life as a fisherman, Khalids childhood dream of winning the sea lottery came true on the morning of October 30 when he, along with two of his friends, saw a mass of ambergris floating on the sea, releasing a nasty smell.

"We used a rope to collect it and carry it inside the boat," Khalid was quoted as saying by the Times of Oman.

"I was told earlier that ambergris has an icky smell, but after a couple of days it imparts a pleasant scent. We rushed back to the beach with joy and happiness," he said.

After keeping his valuable harvest in a box, he called some experts to identify the material.

"After we made sure it was ambergris, we started cutting it in order to dry and sell it later," Khalid said.

Khalid has collected about 80 kilogrammes of ambergris.

"Ill wait to see how this sale will go and later Ill think of changing my career and enter the real-estate sector to live a better life," he said.

The three sailors are expected to share more than Omani Rial 1 million (approximately USD 2,597,099), if he gets the best price, the report said.

Oman is famous for having ambergris wash up on its shores particularly in Sharqiyah, Wusta and Dhofar governorates.

Ambergris initially produces a faecal odour, but with time, its odour changes to sweet and earthy. PTI ASK AKJ ASK

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5 drowned cats

By: Feng Qian

Police launched an investigation after five drowned cats we found dumped behind a row of houses, according to police in the United Kingdom.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is appealing for information after the five dead kittens were found in a childas backpack dumped behind a row of houses in Nottingham.

The bodies of the black-and-white kittens, all thought to be around five weeks old, were found by a woman in Lodgewood Close, on Monday.

RSPCA inspector Kristy Ludlam, who is investigating the incident, said: aThis is a very sad incident, which will no doubt shock people who live in the area. The kittens were found just dumped behind a row of houses in a distinctive pink childrenas backpack, which had a turquoise zip.

aAll of the cats looked to be in a good body condition and had no obvious injury. However, they were soaking wet, which leads us to believe that they may have been drowned as the bag itself was not wet.

aIf this is the case, it is likely that these kittens suffered before they died. Drowning is a horrible way to die.

aThe River Leen is only a few hundred meters away, so if they were drowned then it is possible that the incident occurred there.a
Damian Bourke

By: Chan Yuan

A teacher was surprised to receive a Facebook message from a college student, asking for the pin code to his computer.

Damian Bourke of Tasmania, Australia, said that he was at a hotel in Gold Coast, when someone stole his $2,800 laptop.

The man filed a police report. Police noted that there was no forced entry into his hotel room and therefore, Bourke suspected that the cleaner took it, but he had no proof.

Bourke gave up on ever seeing his MacBook Pro again. However, seven months later, he was contacted by someone, saying that she was the new owner of his computer.

In the Facebook message, the person named Almira Cintura, claimed to be a college student from the Philippines. She wanted the owneras iCloud pin code to unlock it.

Cintura wrote: aWhats your 4 digit pincode, message me as soon as you read this, thank you.

aI really need your pincode in order to open the Macbook pro that I just bought online. When I found that it was not new, I tried to return it, but the seller did not respond. I saw your name on the screen.a

The woman claimed that she paid $945 for the Macbook.

When Bourke did not respond, the woman sent a few more message saying: aIs there any chance you will give me the pin codea and aIm a third year college student, I bought the Macbook for school, sorry for disturbing you, I badly need it.a

Bourke posted the exchange to social media, where friends warned him that this can be an elaborate scheme from the thief who may get to all his personal information once he has the pin code.
Tollywood powerstar Pawan Kalyan's upcoming project with director Trivikram went on floors yesterday (November 5). Interestingly, the film will have music by Anirudh Ravichander.

Pawan Kalyan's next with Trivikram to have music by Anirudh Ravichander

By India Today Web Desk: Of late, Pawan Kalyan is on a singing spree. While the Khushi actor is currently shooting for Katamarayudu, his project with director Trivikram has already gone on floors yesterday (November 5).

Interestingly, the project, which is tentatively titled Devude Digi Vachina, will have music by Anirudh Ravichander.

ALSO READ: 25 Years of Gunaa- Why Kamal Haasan's classic didn't make the cut



ALSO READ: Billa to Moondru Mugam- Why remaking Rajinikanth's cult classic is a sin

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An excited Anirudh took to Twitter and shared this news.



The wait is over ! Happy to announce my Telugu debut #PK25 @PawanKalyan directed by my favourite #Trivikram sir ????@HaarikaHassine pic.twitter.com/qJD518bZl2 Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) November 5, 2016

Notably, Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram have given some blockbuster hits like Attharintiki Daredi and Jalsa.

Meanwhile, the first look poster of Pawan Kalyan's Katamarayudu created quite a buzz among fans. In the film, Pawan will be seen as a Rayalaseema factionist.

Katamarayudu is the Telugu remake of the super hit Tamil film Veeram, which starred actor Ajith Kumar playing the lead.

Directed by Dolly, the project will feature Shruti Haasan as the leading lady. Produced by Sharrath Marar, the film has music by Devi Sri Prasad, who composed music for the Tamil version as well.

The grapevine is also that Pawan Kalyan is the frontrunner in remaking Ajith Kumar's blockbuster film Vedalam. The project will be helmed by RT Neason, who directed Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Jilla, and it will be produced by A M Rathnam.

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Bring Your Voice to Local Police: Open Meeting in Wrexham Tonight

This article is old - Published: Monday, Nov 14th, 2016

Residents across Wrexham are being encouraged to help shape the future of policing in North Wales.

Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones and Chief Constable Mark Polin are hosting a series of open meetings across the region to give residents, community groups, businesses and partners the opportunity to help shape and develop the next Police and Crime Plan for North Wales.

In Wrexham an open meeting will be held at Wrexham Glyndwr University this evening (Monday November 14) at 6:30pm.

Speaking about the meetings, PCC Jones said: Everyone who lives or works in North Wales will have a view on what should be a policing priority for their area. Listening to local people is one of the most important parts of my role and it is vital that people have a true voice in policing.

This is the police service for North Wales and it is only right and proper that everyone has a chance to have their say.

The Police and Crime Plan will set out the strategic priorities, aims and objectives for North Wales Police for the next four years.

Chief Constable Polin added: Everyone has a right to be safe and feel safe, However, the threats to safety are changing and people are now more likely to be subjected to crime committed online and the national rise in serious and potentially very harmful threats, such as from Child Sexual Exploitation, are emerging locally too.

I want communities to know that we care, to be sighted on the challenges we face in safeguarding them and to feel informed about how we are, and will continue, to respond to those challenges with their help. Providing good quality policing services remains at the centre of what we do, and we are placing significant priority on this as an organisation.

Hearing what our communities think about the service we deliver and the trust and confidence that they place in us is also incredibly important.
North Wales Duo Celebrate Career Landmark

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Nov 6th, 2016

Two north Wales managers are celebrating after each clocking up 40 years of working in the gas industry.

Wrexhams Peter Hughes and Steve Watts, from Llangollen, both work for gas emergency and pipeline service, Wales & West Utilities, and are celebrating the career milestone after starting work on the same day during 1976.

Both transferred to Wales & West Utilities when the company was formed in 2005 and have played pivotal roles in the companys operations in north Wales.

Peter, an Operational Manager covering Wrexham, and Steve, a Senior Operational Manager for North and Mid Wales, are part of the companies Build & Repair team that maintain existing gas equipment and lay new gas supply pipes to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.

Peter, originally from Johnstown and age 57, said: Im delighted to have reached such a milestone in my career. On a daily basis I work alongside my team to make sure that homes and businesses across Wrexham continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply  and that we deliver the outstanding levels of service our customers expect.

Forty years is a long career but I still enjoy it as much as I ever did  and Im not ready to give up just yet.

Steve said: It really doesnt seem like 40 years have passed since we started working  but on the other hand, the change in the industry has been dramatic, particularly with the equipment we use.

A gas engineer in 2016 is just as likely to use a smartphone as a shovel. But our priorities have always been the same  keeping the gas flowing, our customers and colleagues safe and make sure our costs and contribution to our customers bills is as low as possible.

Wales & West Utilities Area Engineering Manager for Wales Andrew Gwilym added: Steve and Peter are essential members of our team in north Wales. Were proud of the work they do to keep the communities we serve safe and warm  and were glad that theyll be with us for a little while yet, passing their experience on to our managers of the future.

Wed like to congratulate them on reaching a significant milestone and thank them for their continued hard work.

Wales & West Utilities has a team of more than 1000 trained and experienced engineers to help serve the 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales that rely on its gas emergency and pipeline services.

If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call Wales & West Utilities on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
High drama ensued after missing student Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima was allegedly manhandled by Delhi Police when she was protesting along with JNU students near India Gate.

By India Today Web Desk: About 200 students and mother of missing student Najeeb Ahmed were detained today by Delhi Police near India Gate. The students were detained while they were staging a protest against police inaction in the case.



The police allegedly manhandled Najeeb's mother Fatima, while the detainees were later taken to Mandi Marg police station. Najeeb's mother was later released by the police.

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"The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Najeeb's mother... in fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official," said Shahid Raza one of the protestors.

Police sources said that the protestors were detained since restrictions under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibited assembly of four or more people.

"What am I asking for? I only want my son back. If police can't do this please this case to CBI?" said Najeeb's mother after being released.



She added that they had gone to India Gate to sit but the police dragged them and manhandled them while removing them.



The police, however, refuted the allegations. "No one has been manhandled and No force has been used against anyone," said Deependra Pathak, Joint CP, South West Delhi.

Earlier President Pranab Mukherjee assured that he will seek a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs on the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.

The statement was made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after he met the President today. "He has assured of all support and that we will seek report from the MHA and JNU," the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.

MISSING SINCE OCTOBER 15

Najeeb Ahmed, a student of School of Biotechnology in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and a resident of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, has been missing since October 15.

The Delhi Chief Minister said he sought the President's intervention on Ahmed, who went missing following a fight with alleged members of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

ALSO READ: Delhi Police pulling out all stops in effort to locate missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed



NOT ALLOWED TO PROTEST

Meanwhile, JNU students were not allowed to protest at the India Gate memorial after the police blocked all the roads leading to it.

Kejriwal took to Twitter to protest against the police action.

Met Hon'ble Prez to seek his intervention on missing JNU student Najeeb. He assured of all support n that he will seek report from MHA n JNU Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 6, 2016

Students were 2 protest at India Gate 2day 4 Najeeb. Police blocked all roads 2 Ind Gate,huge inconvenience.Don't convert Del into pol state Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 6, 2016

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"Students were to protest at India Gate for Najeeb. Police blocked all roads to India Gate. Huge inconvenience. Don't convert Delhi into police state," he tweeted.

The Chief Minister added that if half the number of policemen deployed on Sunday had been utilised to trace Najeeb, he would have been found by now.

ALSO READ: Delhi police to share with media details of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed



STUDENTS THREATEN MASSIVE PROTEST



Later in the day, JNU students held a protest against the government for failing to find Ahmed.

The student organisations have threatened to hold a massive protest at Jantar Mantar if Ahmed is not traced in the next 72 hours.

They have also written to the President seeking his intervention in the case.

ALSO READ: 3 arrested for involvement in spate of burglaries at JNU Housing Complex

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ALSO WATCH



(with inputs from IANS)



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The actress is finally going to speak her mother tongue on the American show, and fans on social media are going crazy over it.

By India Today Web Desk: What with the success of Quantico, her Marathi movie Ventilator, and the anticipation of watching her on Baywatch, Priyanka Chopra is one of the most popular actresses in the world right now.

But if there's one complaint her Indian fans have had since she was cast as Alex Parrish on Quantico, it's the fact that she has developed a strange and unrelatable accent.

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The thought that this is is not the PeeCee we know plagues our minds every time we see her talk in that accent with everybody from Ellen DeGeneres to Jimmy Fallon!

Also read: 5 reasons you just cannot miss Quantico Season 2



But all that has now been appeased, well, a bit at least.

Priyanka posted this on her Twitter account. Picture courtesy: Twitter/priyankachopra

How? Priyanka shared a post on Twitter announcing that she loved 'speaking Hindi on Quantico', and Twitteratis went wild!

Her fans on Twitter reacted very positively to this bit of news. Picture courtesy: Twitter/priyankachopra Her fans on Twitter reacted very positively to this bit of news. Picture courtesy: Twitter/priyankachopra

Yes, she does speak Hindi in the clip. What's more, she speaks it better than the other character on screen at that time (who's this mysterious saviour, by the way?).

Of course she does, it's her mother tongue after all. No wonder people are going a little gaga over this video.

Take a look:





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Speculation is rife in Pakistan that army chief General Raheel Sharif may contest election after retiring later this month. He will be the first army chief since 1998 to doff his uniform after completing his term.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Mysterious banners in Pakistan with pictures of the army chief General Raheel Sharif are once again surfacing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

But this time the message urges the army general to "participate" in the next general election due in 2018.

The banners in bold English, urge the army chief - who is due to retire November 29 - to participate in the next general election in 2018.

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READ: India's new rules of engagement



The text of the posters urges Parliament to amend a law which bars army officials from taking part in political activities for at least two years after retirement, reports the Express News.

WATCH:





NOT THE FIRST TIME



This is not the first time banners relating to the popular Army Chief have cropped up in major cities in Pakistan. In July, banners with pictures of Gen. Sharif were on display in major cities across Pakistan, urging him to impose martial law and take control of the country.

Interestingly, the banners sprung up overnight on all major boulevards in the cities despite the presence of several security checkpoints and patrol.

The banners were put up in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, among others.

READ: Sharif vs Sharif in Pakistan over the next Army chief

In February, days after General Sharif announced he would step down, banners were put up on the streets of the capital urging him to extend his tenure.

However, unlike the most recent banner, the old banners were put out by an organisation named the "Move on Pakistan" party. The party - which has little grass-root support - has been registered with the ECP and a businessman from Faisalabad, Mohammad Kamran, is its chairman.

READ: Pakistan blocks India Today website after magazine cover on Raheel Sharif



FIRST CHIEF TO RETIRE SINCE 1988



On January 25, General Raheel Sharif laid to rest speculation that he would continue to serve as the military chief beyond November 2016 when he is due to retire, insisting he preferred to relinquish the job - unlike two of his predecessors.

By declaring his intentions well in advance, General Sharif has become the first army chief since 1998 to doff his military uniform after completing his three-year tenure. He was appointed as the country's 15th army chief on November 29, 2013.

WATCH:





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Friday morning, Estefan Sanchez hunkered down at a small encampment in an alley behind The Depot, where homeless services are offered.
The important, trailblazing composer Arnold Schoenberg returned to his Jewish roots in 1933. He was born a Jew and converted to Lutheranism for many years. He then went through a period of doubt and finally took a decisionthe rise to power of the Nazis in Germany assuredly aided him in this. At his return ceremony to Judaism, his witnesses were Dr. David Marianoff, the stepson-in-law of Albert Einstein, and the acclaimed painter Marc Chagall.

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Composer Gustav Mahler converted to Catholicism so that he could be the director of the Vienna Court Opera. He married a non-Jewish woman and was laid to rest by a Catholic priest. However, anti-Semites continue to claim that his music is "Jewish music," just like they said of Schoenberg's music, and just as they said of Einstein's physics.

The world has seen a large number of Jews succeed over the last 150 years, especially in proportion to the general population population. They have succeeded in art, in winning Nobel prizes, as musical composers, and as philosophers, amongst many other fields.

Jews in Rome (Photo: Reuters)

How many Jews have reached these apices of success in modern society? The answer is: Depends on who's counting.

Should one count those who weren't raised Jewish, such as Karl Marx? Should Marx not be counted, but Mahlera convert to Christianitybe considered a Jews? What about Schoenberg, who left the religion and then came back? Should only those who remained Jewish their entire lives be counted, such as Einstein and Chagall?

Why are there so many exceptional Jews?

This is a very petty question. However, behind it lies a much deeper, and perhaps more interesting question. Given the small number of Jews in the world, and the fact that they are overly represented when it comes to being at the top of their fields, the question must be asked not why, but what makes the Jews so exceptional?

If Einstein's physics was "Jewish" and Mahler's music was "Jewish," then it seems that one can come to a very interesting conclusion: One doesn't need to be an active Jew to have the "Jewish gift of excellence."

Marx grew up in a household completely disconnected from Judaism. Einstein came from a family which, while it identified as Jewish, didn't practice much. Maher converted and left Judaism, and Schoenberg didn't produce music any less extraordinary during his foray into Christianity.

Therefore, it's clear that living a Jewish lifestyle is not the catalyst for Jewish exceptionalism.

So what is it? Well, there are several hypotheses.

One of these hypotheses relates to the Jewish custom of being literate and the appreciation of studying for the pursuit of knowledge. There is also the fact that, due to the unique circumstances Jews have found themselves in while in the Diaspora, Jews simply had to work harder to succeed, as they were considered "foreigners" wherever they resided.

There is also the fact that there are Jewish genes, a result of Jews who kept their Judaism and refused to intermarry. This may have caused a genetic mutation which leads to a higher propensity for genius. Although this last theory may be a cause for anti-Semitism and racism, it is still a valid theory and must be discussed.

But still, no matter how one connects the characteristics and their probable causes, the results are the same: From the mid-19th century to today, Jews have shown to be exceptional, especially in proportion to their numbers. Jews have succeeded no matter if they grew up in a religious or completely assimilated household, and succeeded no matter if they themselves identified as Jews, or tried to completely shake off the label of "Jew."

Mendelssohn as a parable

While this sudden blossoming of Jews in the world of culture indeed seems like a trend, all of these examples should be looked at in the context of what was going on at that time; if they were living amongst non-Jews, if they were living during a time of political and civil unrest, and if they were living in a place where their creativity could flourish, amongst other factors.

But through it all, Jews were considered Jewish based on their heritage, and there was nothing they could do to change this.

Albert Einstein with first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion (Photo: AFP)

For instance, philosopher Moses Mendelssohn was Jewish, yet his grandson, composer Felix Mendelssohnwho converted and became a devout Christianwas always considered a Jew by his contemporaries, such as Richard Wagner.

Not much is left

Jews in Israel today don't live in a country where they are a minority, and have a completely different culture than 19th-century European or 20th-century American Jewry. In fact, their culture is much more similar to other nations with diasporas who recently gained statehood after many generations without.

And the Jews in the Diaspora themselves have changed: While they don't convert to get aheadthere's no reason to do so in this day and agetheir cultural distinctiveness is growing fainter. The same goes with biological continuity, which is rapidly being assaulted by intermarriage.

The disturbing conclusion

In other words: If the Jews need to be different to be smart, then they're already less different. If they need to marry Jews, then they're also doing that less.

Half of those living in Israel don't deal with the non-Jewish world. Half of those living in the Diaspora are not persecuted and discriminated against. This means that all of the explanations discussed until now may have been correct hypotheses in determining what made Jews so successful in the past, but they're not suitable now or for the future. They don't guarantee that Jewsif they once were smarterwill be also be smarter in the future.

This conclusion is disturbing for anyone who is counting on Jewish minds to create and invent, and anyone who is counting on the fact that Jews will be able to put themselves in a better position vis-a-vis other peoples and communities in the future. The Jews are a small nation, at times vulnerable. The few advantages that Jews have must be cultivated, not abandoned.

Therefore, guideposts for action must be drawn from that worrying conclusion: fostering excellence, insisting on literacy, a pinch of cultural elitism, keeping an open mind to the wider world without giving up familial tribalism. Provided that the Jewish state doesn't make the Jews less smart.
KABUL- An Australian working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Afghanistan was reported kidnapped in the capital Kabul on Saturday, officials said.

"The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."

Afghan television station Tolo News said on Sunday the Australian woman was abducted at gunpoint in the Qala-i-Fatullah area in the centre of the city.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) foiled a large and sophisticated terror attack against IDF forces in Hebron over the weekend. Palestinian security forces stopped the attack in its final planning phase, The attack was set to cause a large number of deaths and injuries.

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The target was to be the Hasam Shoter checkpoint, which separates the Palestinian and Israeli-controlled parts of Hebron. A Palestinian security official told Ynet that an explosive device connected to a 12 kilogram cooking gas container was planted on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint.

The Hasam Shoter checkpoint in Hebron. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

The official mentioned that the attacker intended to approach the checkpoint and throw a Molotov cocktail at the soldiers present, then run into the Palestinian side. He intended to then trigger the device via remote control once the soldiers were close to it.

IDF destroys massive Hebron IED

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Following the arrest, PA security forces passed the information along to Israeli forces, whose sappers performed a controlled demolition of the device. The demolition was documented by Palestinian civilians, and the scope of the explosion indicated a large-scale potential attack.
Reams have been written on l'affaire Tata. I cannot add much more of substance. And I certainly do not wish to add grist to the mill of speculators. The reason I agreed to write this article was because I thought my personal experience might contain grains of relevance for those in Tatas working to staunch the damage to employee morale and reputation.

Photo: mahindra.com/investors

Some years back, I was alarmed to read in the papers that the Royal Dutch Shell Group had been accused by the US stock exchange of exaggerating its oil and gas reserves. My alarm later turned to dismay, and then anger, when I learnt that the then chairman and group managing director responsible for oil and gas exploration and production had indeed fudged the disclosures. Both men were sacked by the board, but the company was raked over the coals by its shareholders, and had its reputation besmirched by the press. Amongst the first decisions taken by the new chairman was to call a meeting of the top 50 executives in the company. He wanted to discuss the contents of his speech to the 100,000 employees across the world. I was at this meeting. Initially the discussion focused on what had happened, why it had happened and the legal and financial ramifications. But then it moved on to the substance of his forthcoming speech. I was of the view that the chairman should start by offering an unqualified apology to the employees. I said that whilst the proximate reason for the crisis was the actions of two individuals, the underlying reason was the failure of the top leadership to discharge their responsibility to safeguard the group's fundamental principles. My larger point was that people joined Shell not simply for professional and monetary reasons but also because of compatibility between their personal ethics and those defining the company's code of conduct. They trusted the leadership to nurture and protect these values. By allowing a situation to develop that called into question these values, the committee of managing directors had let the employees down, and it was therefore important that the new chairman offer a public mea culpa on behalf of the committee, and especially since he himself had been a long-time member of this committee. The suggestion was neither rejected out of hand, nor did I lose my job.

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I am recollecting this case because whilst the two companies are very different, there is a commonality in their business principles. Neither company will support the proposition that there is a trade-off between profits and principles. Companies should make profits, for without it, they cannot afford principles, but those companies that do so by compromising principles do not deserve profits. I am also recollecting this case because as with Shell, Tata employees draw pride in the knowledge that their company is emblematic of good corporate governance. As such, just as I was dismayed and then angry at the shenanigans of Shell's top leadership, I suspect there are many employees of Tatas who are upset at what they read last week.

I am not suggesting that members of the board of Tata Sons fall on their swords. But I am wondering about the fallout beyond the financial and operational issues. And I ask how best might the Tata leadership contain the damage. Might it now be timely to contemplate a root-and-branch review of the nature of the structure of the Tata conglomerate? As is now abundantly clear, this structure is uniquely complex and somewhat opaque. The operations are handled by the executives of various listed companies who report to their boards. The predominant shareholder of these companies is Tata Sons, which in turn is owned by the Tata Trusts. The chairman of Tata Sons is designated executive chairman and is also chairman of the major Tata companies. This structure raises several questions. What, for instance, is the executive role of Tata Sons? Are they accountable for the performance of a conglomerate that comprises a number of listed companies with significant minority shareholding? What are the metrics by which the executive chairman of Tata Sons is evaluated? And who is responsible for this evaluation? What are the mechanics by which differences between the chairman of Tata Trusts and the chairman of Tata Sons get resolved, assuming the two posts are held by two different people? There are many other questions, but the larger point is that the time may have come for a broad-based introspective review. For if nothing else, l'affaire Tata reminds one of the forewarning that "reputation comes on foot but leaves in a Ferrari".

Vikram S. Mehta is chairman and senior fellow, Brookings India, and a former chairman of Shell India



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TIKRIT - Suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials said.

The twin attacks took place in Tikrit and Samarra, as Iraqi troops and security forces battled to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years.

They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists, who have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign.

In Tikrit, a bomber detonated his explosives-laden ambulance at the southern entrance to the city during the morning rush hour, killing 13 people, police and hospital sources said.
Last week was the 60th anniversary of the Kafr Qasim massacre . The anniversary was marked with a rally at the village and extensive articles in newspapers. But the writers of these articles rarely quoted from the verdict that found the murderers guilty. This is a verdict of the utmost importance, in which the lead judge, Benjamin Halevy, coined the phrase "blatantly illegal order," and explained how to determine whether blatant illegality "waves like a black flag over the given order."

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"It is not a formal illegality, obscure or partially obscure, not illegality that can be discerned only by legal scholars, that is important here," Halevy wrote, "but rather, the clear and obvious violation of law, illegality appearing on the face of the order itself, clear criminal nature appearing in the order itself or the acts being ordered. Illegality that pierces the eye and revolts the heart, if the eye is not blind and the heart is not impenetrable or corrupt."

It appears the judge had a difficulty in phrasing. He needed several consecutive sentences, with almost identical meaning, to convey his meaning, concluding with a poetic sentence to describe what a person with normative ethics would feel when ordered to carry out a terrible injustice.

The illegal outpost of Amona (Photo: Tomeriko)

Judge Halevy's definition led to the conviction of Shin Bet operative Ehud Yatom and his men, who smashed the skulls of the terrorists in the Bus 300 affair, and of a soldier who fired a rubber bullet at a bound and blindfolded Palestinian during rioting in Naalin. In both cases, the defendants were expected to refuse the ordersor insinuationsof their commanders.

The word "order" commonly refers to an instruction given in the military contextbut the Shin Bet's operatives are not soldiers. From this, we can conclude that a civilian working in a hierarchical organizationwhich is not a militarywill also face punishment if he doesn't notice the "black flag" waving over the order and if he doesn't disobey his superiors.

We can also conclude that a blatantly illegal order is not just one that results in the loss of lives, and that other orders that "pierce the eye and revolt the heart" can also fall under that definition. Meaning, any person under the authority of another can face punishment if he doesn't refuse a blatantly illegal order given to him.

But there's a big difference between a soldier and a civilian. It's hard to refuse an order by a commander in the military, especially in the midst of an operation that doesn't allow a lot of time for deliberations. The heat of battle, the fear of the commander, and the mood among the comrades in arms could dim the sense of morality. It's easier to disobey a superior in the context of civilian bureaucracy. That is why I believe white collar offenders who fail to notice the "black flag" should face harsher punishments than soldiers who fail to identify a blatantly illegal order.

I think about Sgt. Elor Azaria compared to the ministers and MKs who initiated the so-called "regulation bill," that would legalize Amona and other such outposts in the West Bank. The latter are immune from prosecution, their livelihood is guaranteed, and they are not expected to meet work quotas. The gravest danger they face is losing their spot in the next elections. Inside their air-conditioned offices, they have plenty of time to ponder moral decisions, and if they can't notice the "black flag," then their heart is impenetrable and corrupt.

And, indeed, they initiate an action that would result in the seizing of property of people who are under occupation and giving it to the citizens of the occupying nation in contradiction with the Law of Nations, our own Basic Laws, and the moral instincts of any normative individual.

The attorney general noticed this and warned the government that the High Court of Justice would reject the law due to the aforementioned reasons. The justice minister was quick to respond by saying the attorney general has no veto power, he's merely an advisor.

If his legal advice is ignored, and the law passes in one cunning way or another, every person whose work involves the implementation of this law must disobey the orders he receiveswhatever the cost the regime exacts of him. He would have to insist that he could not obey a blatantly illegal order.
PRISTINA- Kosovo's state prosecutor has said seven Islamic State suspects detained last week were planning attacks in the Balkans and were receiving instructions from militants in Syria.

Anti-terror police arrested seven men in three different towns on Friday and the group was subsequently jailed for 30 days pending further investigation by the court of first instance in Pristina.

The seven men had contacts in neighbouring countries such as Macedonia and Albania, and other suspects from the group still remain at large, a document from the state prosecutor seen by Reuters showed.

Kosovo has not seen any militant attacks on its home turf, but at least 200 people have been detained or investigated for alleged Islamic State-related offences. Around 300 Kosovars have gone to fight with the group in Syria and Iraq.
Hundreds of people on Sunday attended the funeral of Yael Ze'evi, wife of former MK and government minister Rehavam Ze'evi (also known by his nickname, Ghandi), who was assassinated in Jerusalem in 2001.

Mrs. Ze'evi passed away at age 88, and was buried in the kibbutz Degania Bet, where she was born and grew up.
ANKARA - The chief of general staff of the Turkish Armed Forces met with his U.S. counterpart in Ankara on Sunday on the request of the U.S. military, the Turkish armed forces said in a statement.

No details were given about the meeting between Hulusi Akar and Joseph Dunford, but it comes as U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) said they had launched an operation to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.
US Jewry only makes up two percent of the electorate, so even if the entire Jewish community comes as one to vote (which won't happen), it cannot in any way sway the outcome of the elections in favor of one nominee or another. And yet, "the Jewish vote" is a term that has been accompanying US election cycles over the years, and it appears there have never been so many efforts made to win the support of such a small community.

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The simplest answer to the question why do US presidential candidates try to woo the Jewish community is that: Jews is news. It's always interesting to know who the Jewish community supports, and what the overall mood within the community is.

But a closer, more in-depth examination reveals several more established reasons to the incessant courting of the Jews.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

A study conducted by Prof. Gil Troy as part of the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies at Haifa University raises several reasons that could provide an explanation for Trump and Clinton's pro-Israel speeches and statements.

"American Jews are relatively quite wealthy, they're large donors and very politically committed," said Troy, a US presidential historian and a history lecturer at McGill University in Montreal. "According to estimates, the Jewish contributions to the current presidential election constituted 50 percent of the sum total of donations to the Democratic Party and some 25 percent of the sum total of donations to the Republican Party."

Troy went on to note that in key swing-states, which help determine the outcome of the election, there is a high concentration of Jews, and they have a considerable influence relative to the community's size.

The fact the overall voter turnout in the US barely passes 50 percent, while the voter turnout in the Jewish community is 85 percent, also increases the importance of the Jewish vote.

Another reason is that much like in Hollywood, there are quite a few Jews in key positions across the US. Beyond the Jewish share in the presidential candidates' campaigns, there are also 10 Jewish senators, 19 Jewish Congressmen and three Jewish Supreme Court justices. It's hard to ignore such a significant presence of members of the Jewish community in senior positions, and this presence has a cumulative, significant effect.

However, Troy claims that on the practical levelrather than the political one or in consciousnessthe Jews only played a marginal role in most election outcomes. "Even with a high voter turnout and high concentrations of Jews in key states, there simply isn't enough American Jews to affect the US elections," he said.

Good news for Clinton

The Republican nominees can give warm speeches at AIPAC (the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington), embrace Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and make decisive statements against Iran and Israel's enemies, but on election day they will almost always be disappointed. Since the 1928 elections, most of the Jews have been liberals, with some 70 percent voting for the Democrats.

In his study, Troy determines that the classic explanation for Jews' support of the Democratic Party is the liberal nature of Judaism. Basic Jewish tenets like charity, justice and social justice find fertile ground in liberal ideology. In addition to that, many American Jews consider their liberalism part of their Jewish heritagelike an impressive immigration story, silver candlesticks, or grandma's Matzah ball soup recipe.

Historically, it was President Franklin D. Roosevelta great liberal iconwho became the object of admiration for US Jews and brought them to the Democratic Party. And even though the Republican Party is more pro-Israel than before, and is even perceived as more pro-Israel than the Democratic Party, American Jews continue voting for the left, which represents their mentality, ideology and cultural identity.

Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with Clinton (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO)

In this regard, Troy notes that Jews tend to vote for liberal values more than for pro-Israeli stances. This doesn't mean that American Jews aren't pro-Israeli. On the contrary, they perceive the Democratic Party as taking a strong pro-Israeli stance.

"Today more than ever, many American Jews are sticking to their liberalism," explains Troy. "They are united by their fear of the Evangelists, of the Donald Trumps and of the Tea Partiers. Their liberalism is defined by freedom and autonomy."

All this is excellent news for Hillary Clinton. Recent history teaches that over 70% of Jews voted for Obama for both of his presidential terms, despite his many points of friction with the Israeli government, largely because of his support for marriage equality, healthcare and other subjects on the liberal agenda.

A party of gentiles

During the Democratic primaries, Clinton competed against Bernie Sanders, the first Jew to win a presidential primary. Despite his Judaism, Sanders's views on Israel seemed closer to those of Obama. Sanders believed in Israel, but also said that we need to discuss "the needs of the Palestinian people."

In contrast, Clinton has always maintained the classic strong position of supporting Israelshe has condemned Hamas, terrorism and Sanders's ambivalence. During her time as a senator, she stood out as a dedicate supporter of the Jewish state. The bottom line is that, despite the historic title of "first Jew to"it turned out that Clinton won two thirds of the Jewish vote in the primaries.

Now Clinton is positioned before the continuing Republican tendency in which politicians compete against each other to show just who loves Israel more. Trump was even quoted as saying that he couldn't understand how his Jewish friends financially supported Obama when the president himself was so unfaithful to Israel.

Trump's question has a complicated answer that Israelis won't like hearing: Most Jews who vote don't put Israel at the top of their list of priorities, but rather to prefer to stick with liberal values, which are not met by the Republican Party.

In addition, the revolution that began during the Reagan administrationduring which time the complete identification with Evangelical Christians beganbranded the Republicans as a party of gentiles, and despite their support of Israel, this group has an internal agenda that is seen as contrary to the Jewish agenda.

Trump sent a note to the Western Wall.

More Orthodox, more Republicans

Trump himself doesn't attract the typical Jewish voter. According to Troy, the candidate's controversial pronouncements, combined with his personality and agenda on foreign and domestic matters, created cultural barriers and political disgust towards him within the liberal Jewish community.

Many American Jews see him as an existential threat and don't hesitate to compare him to Hitler. His candidacy has conjured racist and anti-Semitic ghosts. With all this commotion, Clinton enjoys a significant advantage with voting Jews, and the Jewish consensus loyal to Democrats remains in place.

It's difficult to fully segment the Jewish vote, as the sample size is relatively small. However, previous studies have shown that while the distribution of Jews is 70% voting Democrat and only 22% Republican, amongst Orthodox Jews the data are different. They are more included to vote Republican at 57% and only 36% Democrat. "We can say generally that the more the Jew is Orthodox, the more he tends to be Republican," summarized Troy.

Whom are we against?

If you ask Israelis what characterizes Judaism in their opinion, the answer would be conservatism. But in the USA, the answer is the opposite. Troy explains that this comes from deep differences between the communities. "The history of Israeli Jews is not similar to that in the US. While in Israel, tradition is something that is present in everyday life and the rabbinate and Orthodoxy have a role in how Judaism is perceived, in the US, Judaism is the right to be free and completely voluntarily realize signs of religion or tradition."

He continued, "Jews in the US are happy to be free. It's an ancient Jewish dream to be like everybody, citizens of the large world. It's not parallel to what we see in Israel or the challenges that stand before Jews in Israel. The liberal values and voting for Democrats reflects the mood of American Jewry."

Troy struggled to see a future in which Jews left the liberal camp en masse: "Since Reagan's victory in 1980, they've been saying that the time has come for Jews to cross over to the Republicans, but it hasn't happened. True, there's a Jewish vote in the right, but since 2000, we've actually seen the liberals increase. The prevailing view is that liberalism and Judaism are the same thing.

"We always think whom we're for, but sometimes the question is whom are we against. The Jews came to the US in the beginning of the last century, and since then they've been free, and they're afraid that the Christian right and their agenda will take America back to the 50s. More than half of the population see supreme value in the ability to be free in their lives, and this is threatened by the right."

A few hundred thousand Israelis also hold American citizenship. Asked if there was such a thing as an "Israeli vote" in the US elections, Troy answered, "I think that we're beginning to see that. We're trying to build an Israeli-American identity, when it's pretty clear that in this case, being pro-Israeli plays a central role, and it's an important value at election time. Some mix between conservatism and secularism speaks more to this community."

Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation that works to strengthen the ties between Israel and American Jewry, said, "While Israel is not the central issue for Jewish voters, it remains an important issue. Most Jewish voters want to elect a president who will support the Jewish state. Because the US is Israel's biggest ally, it's important for Israelis to follow and better understand American politics and its impact on them.
An Israeli start-up recently attracted $7 million of investment from the US and Asia in its latest round of fundraising, making it one of the most promising companies produced by the Israeli market.

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The company, Gauzy, has created technology using unique liquid crystal film which can be embedded into raw materialswith a current focus on glassto perform a vast array of functions including, inter alia, providing users the ability to control its levels of transparency and opacity.

The fresh financial injection is expected to facilitate the doubling of the companys workforce to reinforce its recently inaugurated offices in Los Angeles, Dallas and Stuttgart. Moreover, it will provide an additional boost to the expansion of its research and development and sales and marketing activities worldwide.

Gauzy

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Its most recent round of fundraising reflects the rapidly growing interest in the Israeli ingenuity from venture capital companies and private investors the world over, particularly given that in the preceding round it managed to accumulate a whopping $5 million from the UK investment fund Sollange Investments.

We are excited to announce this further round of investment in Gauzy. We would especially like to thank Lazarus, Waarde Capital and Olive tree for the vote of confidence. Together we will see Gauzy elevated to its promise, Gauzy co-founder Eyal Peso told Ynetnews.

The potential of the companys innovative technology, demonstrated by its impressive and consistent financial accruement, is now living up to the potential that was spotted even by the likes of the Israeli government in its embryonic stages.

Indeed, Avi Hasson, Chief Scientist, Director General of Innovation & Industrial R&D Administration from the Ministry of Economy acknowledged the governments early decision to throw its lot in with the company.

"The Israel Innovation Authority (formerly the Office of the Chief Scientist) has been funding and supporting Gauzy for several years, a company integrating hi-tech with traditional industry, local Israeli production and development and export, Hasson said.

Gauzy's CEO Eyal Peso

We identified their unique technology early on, which embodies enormous potential. We believe that a production-oriented industry is part of Israel's future growth engine and attach great importance to it. Were pleased and honored that a company which we identified at such an early stage is developing and raising investments."

And thats not all. In July Peso announced that the company had been working in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Cars Daimler AG for the past three years.

The surprise announcement came during a prestigious automotive high-tech competition held in Stuttgart, Germany, during which Gauzy was selected among the final ten in a competition which originally began with hundreds of international ambitious start-ups.

The event, Start-up Autobahn, is a global hardware and mobility innovation platform intended to connect top mobility start-ups with resources from corporations, investors, and universities. It was sponsored by Plug and Play tech center in Silicon Valley, Daimler and the University of Stuttgart.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked published on Sunday her list of 28 candidates for the Supreme Court, following an ongoing feud with Israeli Supreme Court President Miriam Naor over the selection process which has caused bitter enmity between the two.

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Four justices will be chosen to replace Naor, as well as justices Zvi Zilbertal, Salim Joubran and Elyakim Rubinstein, all of whom will retire over the next year.

Naor announced last Thursday that she would cease consultations with Shaked over the selection of judges, after the latter appeared to condone a law bill by MK Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu) altering the nomination process to the 15-member court.

ustice Minister Shaked and Chief Supreme Court Justice Naor (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Justices are chosen by a nine-person Judicial Selection Committee. Currently, nominees must win the support of seven of the nine voting members for election to the high court, meaning new justices must obtain the approval of current judges serving on the committee. Ilatovs proposal would reduce the election vote to a simple majority.

In response to Ilatovs proposal, Naor wrote a scathing letter in which she accused Shaked of trying to unfairly reshape the nomination process and of holding a gun to the Courts head. Shaked has been trying to push for candidates who share her ideology into what she regards as an overly-activist court.

During a meeting between the two which took place on Sunday, Shaked agreed to postpone the debate on Ilatovs contentious bill.

Most of the current nominees currently serve on lower courts, but the list also includes some university professors and one practicing attorney. Five are considered to be preferred by Minister Shaked, while nine others are the Israel Bar Associations candidates. Three are favorites of the current Supreme Court justices. Justice George Karra, one of the two Arab nominees on the list, famously sentenced former President Moshe Katsav to seven years in prison.
The State Attorneys Office requested on Sunday that discussions scheduled to be held over the early release of former President Moshe Katsav, who is currently serving a 7-year sentence for rape, be cancelled.

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According to the State Attorneys Office the opinion offered by the Israel Prison Service about the rehabilitation treatment that Katsav will undergo has not yet been submitted. The discussions about his release are expected to take place next month.

Moshe Katsav (Photo: Gadi Kabalo)

The request for cancelling the discussions notes that according to the recent decision already taken by the parole board, Katsav is only eligible to request another hearing on the matter after 6 monthsa time period which has not yet elapsed.

I can only express my great shock and sorrow in light of the claims by the prosecution, said Katsavs defense attorney Zion Amir.

The date of the hearing was decided upon in accordance with the decision by the parole board. Moreover, we have a lot to say and it will be said during the hearing that will take place on December 11. Hundreds of discussions like this, if not more, have taken place and I have never come across something so far-fetched as this. The time has come to put an end to the tragic and painful saga and to set him free after serving five years in prison.

Attorney Zion Amir (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Last August Israel Prison Service's parole board decided to reject Katsav's request for early release. It was the second time his appeal had been denied in the space of just four months, his previous request being submitted in April.

Katsav was sentenced to seven years in prison and two years of probation for rape, indecent acts, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice in March 2011, and he began serving in December of that year.
Dozens of haredi protesters staged a demonstration in Shabbat Square in Jerusalem Sunday night against the mandatory military enlistment of 18 year olds from their communities and the arrest of draft-dodgers.

Protesters also turned out in Beit Shemesh, blocking NeHar HaYarden Street.
By PTI: Mumbai, Nov 6 (PTI) Six Nobel laureates, including Indian-origin structural biologist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, have agreed to be part of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January next year.

American Nobel prize-winning scientist Harold E Varmus, American physical chemist and chemical physicist William Esco Moerner, American cell biologist Randy Wayne Schekman, Israeli crystallographer Ada E Yonath and American theoretical physicist David Jonathan Gross are the other Nobel-winning scientists who would be present at the biennial event.

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Ramakrishnan shared the Nobel in chemistry with Thomas A Steitz in 2009.

The laureates would be part of the Nobel Prize Series Exhibition and Nobel Laureate Symposium which are happening for the first time in India at Vibrant Gujarat summit, an official statement here said. The symposium is to be attended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10, 2017, at Gandhinagar. Under the programme, Nobel laureates will engage with students on new ideas in science and will hold conference, lectures and roundtables. Besides the conference and meeting events, Nobel prize series will feature a 5-week long exhibition at Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad. PTI SSM KRK BSA BAS

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Pierre Vimont, France's special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, said at a conference in Tel Aviv on Sunday that it was his government's intention to move forward on the French peace initiative by the end of this year.

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The conference was held by the Macro Center for Political Economics and the Institute for National Security Studies. Vimont said that the current status quo was distancing the two-state solution and necessitating intervention: "We want to revive the two-state solution in this window of opportunity and return it to the international agenda."

Pierre Vimont at the conference (Photo: Chen Galili)

The diplomat also said that promoting the initiative is a test of wills to see if the Israelis and Palestinians truly want to reach a solution. "The French initiative is not an attempt to get involved in Israeli policy, but an attempt to harness the goodwill of the international community for the sake of a solution," he explained. "The initiative prompted additional peace initiatives and partners who had never gotten involved in the subject asked how they could contribute and help promote the initiative. The initiative is intended, inter alia, to reexamine which of the parties is interested in proceeded and who isn't. If the Israeli government decides to attend, it will be a test of Israel's commitment to the issue."

Leader of the Opposition Isaac Herzog also participated at the event. Regarding the peace process, he said that he preferred direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority supported by Arab countries. "The Arab QuartetEgypt, Jordan, Saud Arabia and the UAEhas tried to lead such a process in recent months, and it was the basis of my talks with Netanyahu on unity," he said.

"Today, the regional opportunity is the important opportunity. I already said that I don't see how (Netanyahu) and (Abbas) can promote anything. International intervention can be dangerous and only increase the violence between the peoples."

Speakers at the conference, current and past politicians, warned against a reduction in European interest in the conflict. Former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema said, "The danger is from the reduction in European involvement in solving the conflict and not from over-involvement. Europeans today are against aid for soldiers on the Lebanese border, against aid for Israel, against financial aid for the Palestinians. The European public doesn't understand why they should invest there."
During Q3, the overall market share of foreign buyers in new and established property markets fell to their lowest levels since 2012, with foreign buyers less prominent in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, stated the report.

NAB indicates the decline is broad-based, and applies to houses and apartments, new and existing.

Foreign investors in the property sector accounted for just 10.2% and 6.4% of new and existing property purchases during the September quarter, continuing the slide first discerned in mid-2015.

NAB, citing feedback from survey respondents, said the influence of foreign buyers was waning due to the tighter lending conditions imposed by banks. Earlier this year, ANZ told mortgage brokers it would no longer accept mortgage applications in which 100% of the income being used to fund the applications was of foreign origin. Some state governments have also applied a surcharge on stamp duty for properties purchased by non-residents, which may have deterred investments.

The renewed strength of the Australian dollar, along with the continued rapid house price growth in Sydney and Melbourne, could also be contributing to the slowdown in foreign investment.

In terms of new property purchases, NAB said that foreign investors were less prominent in Australias biggest cities. In Victoria, their market share fell to 15% in Q3. This followed a sharp jump in foreign buying activity in Q2 to 21.7% of sales ahead of an increase in the stamp duty surcharge on foreign buyers of Victorian property, stated the report.

Foreign buyers were also less influential in New South Wales, where they accounted for just 8% of total demand  the lowest level since Q1 2012.

Related stories:

The Volume Of Chinese Investment In Australia Has Declined Year-On-Year

House Price Growth To Ease Over Next Three Years
By PTI: Guwahati, Nov 5 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today assuaged the concerns of indigenous minority communities in the state calling them sons of the soil.

Iteracting with the leadership of indigenous minority organizations of the state, the Chief Minister said that any discourse may take place in the political arena but the indigenous minority people being the sons of the soil should not be swayed away or be afraid of any such discussion.

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Instead he called upon them for devoting their energy for positive works and overall development of the state.

The Chief Minister further said that the government believes in inclusive development and is committed to ensure ?Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas?.

?Government is committed to develop Team Assam involving all communities living in the state and will safeguard the indigenous minority communities from all threats?, Sonowal asserted.

The Chief Minister asserted the government will work for ensuring equal opportunity and upholding fundamental rights and constitutional safeguard for them.

The interaction programme was attended by about 40 indigenous minority organizations of the state representing Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities. PTI ESB SUS SUS

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Harrisburg (US): President Barack Obama struck back at Republican US Senator Pat Toomey for using footage of the Democrat praising Toomey's courage in a TV campaign ad in his life-or-death re-election bid in Pennsylvania.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Obama yesterday said Toomey needed to do more to show courage than taking one right vote on legislation to expand background checks all firearms purchases online and at gun shows.

"Courage is telling Pennsylvania voters where you stand on the tough issues, not just the easy ones like background checks," Obama said in the statement.

"Pat Toomey won't tell Pennsylvania voters where he stands on Donald Trump, trying instead to have it both ways by telling different people what he thinks they want to hear. That's not courage. Voting to shut down the government and against bills to close the terrorist gun loophole isn't courage. And playing politics with the Supreme Court isn't courage," he said.

Obama has endorsed Toomey's opponent, Democrat Katie McGinty, who served in Bill Clinton's White House and was recruited by national Democrats to run against Toomey.

Toomey, who compiled one of Congress' most conservative voting records, is among the Senate's most vulnerable incumbents in a state where Democrats have a 4 to 3 registration advantage over Republicans. The race could help tip control of the Senate to Democrats.

Toomey has been a tough critic of Obama, and opposed practically all of Obama's major policy initiatives, from health care to immigration. He routinely delivers a stump speech that labels Obama's economic and foreign policies as complete failures.

At a campaign event yesterday, he lambasted the handling of economic policy in Washington, without naming Obama. Yesterday, Toomey told reporters after the event in West Chester, 25 miles west of Philadelphia, that he was not worried that his use of Obama in a TV ad would hurt him with Pennsylvania's Republican voters.

"President Obama stood up publicly and praised my work of reaching across the aisle and trying to get something done on an important issue, which is background checks," Toomey said.

"And of course the other side has tried to discredit and deny the work that I did. I think President Obama said it well, so we used his clip, it's his quote, him, it's what he said, in context."

In the 30-second ad, Obama is speaking outside the White House in 2013 and thanks Toomey for his courage, despite the bill's failure.

"That was not easy," Obama said of the work by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. It is the latest, and perhaps the most eye-opening, way in which Toomey is working to appeal to moderate voters whose support he will need to beat McGinty. The ad is running on cable in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.

The effort on the background checks bill cost Toomey endorsements from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association, even though Toomey voted more often than not with the NRA. But that vote by Toomey also helped him pick up the endorsements of two prominent gun-control activists, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Visakhapatnam: YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today sought people's support to launch an agitation for the 'special category status' for Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a public meeting at Indira Priyadarshni Municipal stadium here this evening, he said YSRCP will soon launch an agitation demanding special status for the state.

"I need your help and support. Please extend your cooperation to strengthen my hands to launch an agitation till we achieve special status for Andhra Pradesh which is in deep trouble after the bifurcation," he said.

Jaganmohan alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is "misleading" people by talking about special package offered by the Centre instead of pressing for special category status.

He also said the Centre is yet to announce Railway zone for Visakhapatnam, which is promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
By PTI: New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today promised help to a man who sought her intervention in ensuring the return of his father from Kuwait who, he said, has been barred from leaving that country for the last eight years due to a court order.

"I am asking Indian Ambassador in Kuwait to take this up at the highest level with the Government of Kuwait," Swaraj tweeted.

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Her response came after one Sharad Kohli tweeted that his father is being held against his wishes in Kuwait since May 2008, due to a court order barring him from leaving the country.

Swaraj is known for her prompt response in helping overseas Indians in distress. PTI MPB BSA

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Dhaka: Bangladesh Police on Sunday arrested nine more persons in connection with attacks on Hindu temples and members of the community in the Muslim-majority country, taking the total number of arrests to 53 so far.

The arrests were made when police carried out drives in different areas, Nasirnagar police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafar said.

Police said they have arrested nine more persons for their alleged involvement in the recent attacks on the Hindus living in Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila, taking the total number of people arrested so far to 53, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The arrested people would be produced before local court without remand plea, he said.

Authorities have suspended Nasirnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Chowdhury Moazzem Hossain.

Miscreants set on fire at least six houses of Hindus in a predawn attack on Friday in Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least fifteen temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Meanwhile, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Sayedul Haque today denied his alleged anti-Hindu stance, saying he would quit his position in the Cabinet if someone could prove the allegations.

He said the allegation are part of a plot to destroy his "decades of political career".

"During my political career in the past decades, I never had any problem with Hindu community... I will quit my ministerial position if anyone could prove what is being said against me," he told a press conference at his constituency at Nasirnagar sub-district of central Brahmanbaria.

Haque, who is in his 70s, attributed the allegations to internal political conflicts in Brahmanbaria, saying "the affected people could be endangered more, if we are involved in mudslinging instead of taking steps to protect our Hindu brothers and sisters".

His comments came as authorities earlier today ordered withdrawal of a sub-district chief for failure to take prompt actions against perpetrators who attacked Hindu temples and households in central Bangladesh.

"They (miscreants) fled the scene immediately after torching the houses and two small temples were also damaged," a police officer told PTI.

Many Hindu families have deserted their houses after the attacks on temples and have taken refuge in other areas.

Tensions have escalated in the neighbourhood after the fresh assault reported on Friday.

Police had detained a total of 44 people in connection with the attack till Saturday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have rallied in the capital demanding stern action against perpetrators of attacks on Hindus. Several hundred Hindu youths joined by Muslims staged a street protest at central Dhaka's Shahbagh Square.

Several political and rights groups also held another rally in front of the National Press Club demanding immediate and stern actions against the culprits.

The protesters at Shahbagh area enforced a blockade on the busy streets around the area for more than half an hour and forced ruling Awami League's joint general secretary Mahbul Alam Hanif to get out of his car, stuck in barricade, and express solidarity with them.

The protesters demanded resignation of a minister who had accused journalists of "exaggerating" the Nasirnagar attacks.

"(Livestock) Minister Sayedul Haque was in the area just few days after the (Sunday) attacks while a fresh attack took place after he visited the scene," the general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebrations Committee said.

"Stern punitive actions await the attackers as the Sheikh Hasina-led government has taken a tough position to this end," Awami League general secretary and Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said at a function here.

Yesterday, police recovered a stolen idol from a mosque in the area.
Dhaka: A security guard was killed and three others were injured in a stabbing attack on Sunday night at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

The deceased was identified as Md Sohagh Ali, 28, who is a member of Ansar, a lightly-armed volunteer paramilitary force for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh, Xinhua news agency reported.

A Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) official who preferred to be unnamed said a knife-wielding man attacked the security guard posted at the entrance to the departure lounge of the airport on Sunday night.

The Ansar member Ali, who sustained a deep stab on his chest, succumbed to his injuries later in a hospital, he said.

The attacker also injured three more security personnel in the stabbing attack, he added.

The DMP official said later law enforcers shot down the attacker and captured him alive.

The motivation behind the attack is unknown yet.

"So far we've come to know that Ali and other security personnel were attacked in altercation when they obstructed the attacker from entering the airport for failing to show proper documents."
Islamabad: A Pakistani provincial government may urge the federal government not to extradite NatGeo's famed "Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula, and instead award her the status of a refugee in the country, the media reported.

Official sources told Dawn that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government would soon approach the Interior Ministry to stop Gula's deportation to Afghanistan.

The Nat Geo's famed cover girl was sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment and fined Pakistani Rs 110,000 by a court in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's provincial capital city, for acquiring Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) through impersonation.

The case took a fresh turn on Saturday after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan urged Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak not to deport Sharbat Gula. The PTI is the ruling party in the province.

An official from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government said it would make a request to the federal government to let Gula stay in the country on humanitarian grounds as she is a widow supporting four children and suffering from Hepatitis C.

The Afghan woman known worldwide for her iconic portrait on the cover of National Geographic was arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on October 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for "forgery" of a Computerised National Identity Card.

A day after her arrest, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees distanced itself from her, claiming that she was not a registered refugee.

The portrait of Sharbat Gula, whose piercing, sea-green eyes, made her an international symbol of refugees, first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Photographer Steve McCurry photographed her as a young girl living in the largest refugee camp in Pakistan, where almost three million Afghans sought shelter in the wake of the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union. In 2002, McCurry tracked Sharbat Gula down and photographed her again.

That photo has been likened with Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

National Geographic also made a short documentary about her life and dubbed her the "Mona Lisa of Afghan war".


Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh): A police official was shot dead by suspected Naxals this evening in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-affected Rajnandgaon district, police said.

Assistant sub-inspector Narbad Boga (54) was killed around 6 PM near Chirchari village under Baghnadi police station limits on Raipur-Nagpur national highway, a senior police official said.

Boga and two other policemen had been sent there from Baghnadi after a report of road accident on the highway was received.

Two motorcycle-borne men fired on them and fled inside the forest. "While Boga sustained two bullet injuries in the incident, other two jawans escaped unhurt," the police officer said.

Security forces were rushed to the spot. Boga was taken to Rajnandgaon district headquarters where he succumbed during treatment.

"Prima facie it appears to be?the handiwork of?Maoists as the area borders on Maoist-affected region. However it would be too early to come to conclusion," the official said.

A combing operation was launched to nab the assailants, he added.
New Delhi: Adding to growing list of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmakers facing legal battles, the Delhi Police on Sunday arrested another party MLA Rituraj Govind on charges of assault during the Chhath Puja celebrations in the national capital.

A day earlier, Rituraj, an MLA from Kirari in northwest Delhi, was reportedly embroiled in a scuffle over trying to build a 'ghat' on the heritage site along the bank of Yamuna river for pooja celebrations.

The news of Rituraj being arrested comes three days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were detained by the city police when they had gone to meet the kin of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who had committed suicide over One Rank, One Pension (OROP) issue.

At least 13 AAP MLAs have been arrested while 15 others have been booked by the Delhi Police since the Arvind Kejriwal-led party came to power in Delhi in February 2015. Out of 13, nine are currently out on bail while rest are still behind the bars.


New Delhi: Terming the smog situation in Delhi an environmental emergency, the Swaraj India party on Sunday accused the Delhi and central governments of failing to tackle pollution.

"Be it the Municipal Corporations of Delhi, the Delhi government or the Centre, none of the authorities have done justice to the tasks assigned to them, which would have led to control over pollution," said Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav.

"As the toxic smog continues to loom over the national capital, Swaraj India expresses deep concern over the collective failure of the Delhi and central governments in making timely efforts to curb pollution. It brings the government's responsibility and accountability towards providing clean and healthy living conditions to its citizens into question," he said.

Yadav, however, welcomed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's appeal for collective efforts to counter the health menace.

"Although the positive intent shown by the Chief Minister is a delayed one, it is better to be late than never. We hope that the air quality concerns of Delhi's citizens get duly addressed," said Yadav.

The party suggested air quality management strategies, including avoidance of burning waste in the open, investing in providing alternatives for public transport to curb vehicular pollution and shutting down what it said was "ever polluting" Badarpur power plant.


Panaji: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will launch the 'youth manifesto' for Goa on November 12 in the run-up to the state Assembly elections due early next year, a party official said on Sunday.

"The manifesto is the result of various initiatives taken up by AAP. It will reflect aspirations of the youth which will come into reality when AAP is voted to power in the state," AAP Goa spokesman Rupesh Shinkre told PTI.

The Aam Aadmi Party during its election campaign had taken initiatives like 'Goa Dialogues', 'Youth Dialogues', WhatsApp and other social media campaigns, besides holding direct meetings with youths from various colleges, he said.

Kejriwal will be in Goa on November 12 and would unveil the manifesto at a function scheduled to be held at Porvorim near here, Shinkre said.

The manifesto has been labelled as "by the youth, for the youth", he added.

AAP has already announced 21 of its candidates for the state elections.

Besides, Shiv Sena has announced three candidates in different constituencies.

The other major parties have not announced their contenders so far.
New Delhi: In the wake of fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to convey to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina India's grave concern over safety and security of the community in that country.

"I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka to call on the Prime Minister and express our grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of the Hindus in Bangladesh," Swaraj tweeted today.

In fresh attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses of some of them and damaged two temples in central Brahmanbarhia district where several places of worship of the minority community were vandalised a few days ago.

Miscreants set fire at least six Hindu houses in a predawn attack yesterday in central Brahmanbarhia district's Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

Police in overnight drives detained 33 persons for their alleged involvement in the synchronised attacks on Hindus in Brahmanbaria on October 30.

Earlier also, India had taken up with Bangladesh the issue of safety and security of the minorities.

Bangladesh's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said the attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community.
Kolkata: Criticising Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for saying that 95 percent of ex-servicemen have already got the benefits of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, the Congress party on Sunday said he did not deserve to be in the union cabinet.

"How does he (Parrikar) explain that for more than 500 days, ex-servicemen are camping in Delhi and agitating against the non-implementation of one rank one pension? Manohar Parrikar does not deserve to be the defense minister," Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra told ANI.

He said, "He (Parrikar) does not know the difference between salary enhancement and the implementation of what is OROP that is a principal matter and that matter is yet unsettled and that is why we have seen the unfortunate death of Ram Kishan Grewal."

Parrikar claimed yesterday that only one lakh ex-servicemen (out of over 20 lakh) are not getting the pension as per OROP scheme due to some technical difficulty or documentation problems, which will be resolved another couple of months.
New Delhi: India, which has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), will become the first such nation, to ink a civil nuclear deal with Japan, a media report said on Sunday.

TOI reported that as part of the deal both sides would stop their civil nuclear cooperation if India conducts a nuclear test.

India is expected to sign the deal with Japan when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Tokyo for a three-day visit next week.

The agreement will allow Japan to export nuclear power plants to India.

Citing experts, the report said Japan changed its stand on nuclear cooperation in view of China's growing military presence in the region, particularly in the disputed South China Sea.

"...if one considers the matter carefully, it becomes clear that civil nuclear cooperation between Japan and India will have virtually no negative impact on the non-proliferation regime," the report quoted researcher Satoru Nagao of Tokyo Foundation as saying in an article.

"India has demonstrated a firm commitment to non-proliferation principle in practice. It clearly differs from countries like North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran, which have conducted shady dealings on the 'nuclear black market'.

If India continues to control its nuclear technology as carefully as it has for the past half-century, cooperation on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes should not undermine the NPT regime," Nagao wrote.

So far, 11 countries, including US, Russia, Britain, France, Australia, have signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with India.
British Prime Minister Theresa May today said that India and Pakistan should hold bilateral talks to resolve the Kashmir issue.

By Indo-Asian News Service: British Prime Minister Theresa May, who arrived here on Sunday night on her three-day visit to India, said India and Pakistan should hold bilateral talks to settle the issue of Kashmir.

"This is a matter for India and Pakistan to sort it out through dialogue," May told this correspondent on board the Royal Air Force Voyager, regarding Britain's stance on cross border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan in Kashmir.

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"This is not an issue for any other government to get involved." British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had recently sparked a controversy by issuing a statement mentioning India's northern state as Indian-administered Kashmir.

Also read: India is Britain's most important and closest friend, says Theresa May



May's three-day official visit is intended to promote Indo-British relations.

"The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life," May said. "In my talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security."

"The UK and India are natural partners - the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy - and together I believe we can achieve great things - delivering jobs and skills, developing new technologies and improving our cities, tackling terrorism and climate change.

SHARED SECURITY AND PROSPERITY



"This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship in this age of opportunity and with that helping to build a better Britain," she added.

Along with Modi, the British Prime Minister will inaugurate the first Indo-UK tech summit at Taj Palace Hotel here. The British delegation includes prominent British indian business personalities like Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek Group, Nik Kotecha, CEO of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

The business agenda includes the signing of a landmark agreement to improve the intellectual property landscape in India with a programme of co-operation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. This will support Indian efforts to protect and enforce intellectual property rights, thereby addressing one of the concerns for British businesses operating in India.

IMPROVE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT



Britain will also commit to extend assistance to India to improve the business environment, including by providing advice on reducing regulation, tax and public administration, standards and insolvency. No other country has such comprehensive co-operation with India in this area, which is intended to support Modi's efforts to push India up the world's Ease of Doing Business rankings from its current 130th spot and in turn make it easier for British business to trade and invest in India.

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Both Prime Ministers will also launch an India-UK Urban Partnership on smart cities and urban development which could be unlock new business worth up to 2 billion pounds to British business over the next five years.

The Indo-British collaboration is also expected to focus on the fast-growing and dynamic state of Madhya Pradesh besides the historic and holy city of Varanasi, Prime Minister Modi's constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Also read: With Brexit a certainty, PM Theresa May moves into 10 Downing Street



--- ENDS ---
Delhi: Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday protested against the government over missing JNU student during which the mother and sister of Najeeb Ahmed were detained when they, along with others, tried to take out a protest march to India Gate.

Fatima and her daughter Sadaf, were later released.

Tweeting about the protest Delhi Police said:

News Update:

Lady protesters taken to Police Stations have been offered drop back to JNU.  Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) November 6, 2016

However, sister of the missing student said, "We were standing there but Delhi police came and took us. Don't I have the right to ask where my brother is", as per ANI.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that President Pranab Mukherjee had promised to seek a report from the Union Home Ministry on the student missing for over three weeks.

The President gave the assurance when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader called on him, Kejriwal tweeted.

The CM said he sought the President's intervention regarding Ahmed, who went missing from the university on October 15 after a tiff with alleged members of the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

"He (President) assured of all support and (said) he will seek (a) report from MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) and JNU," Kejriwal said.

On November 04, Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma had doubled to Rs 2 lakh the award money for information about the JNU student.

"This order will come into force with immediate effect and shall remain good till the case is worked out or the missing person is traced," a Delhi Police statement had said.

The statement had also said that "all out efforts were made to trace the missing Ahmed."

Police teams have visited Ajmer, Kota, Rae Bareli, Roorkee, Faizabad, Azamgarh and Badaun in search of Ahmed, it had said earlier.

Ahmed, a 1st year MSc Biotechnology student, stayed in Mahi Hostel and hailed from Badayun in Uttar Pradesh.

(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: Retorting to the loss of lives of jawans amid relentless ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday said the provocative regression from the side of Islamabad shows that it has been taken over by its army.

Swamy said the relentless ceasefire violations indicate that a war is waiting for us around the corner and that we should be preparing ourselves for that.

"Pakistan has practically being overtaken by the army, it is only the matter of an announcement. And I think now we should prepare for a major military assault," said Swamy.

An Indian soldier has been killed and one civilian injured in the ceasefire violation initiated by the Pakistani Rangers in Jammu and Kashmir`s Poonch district this morning.

The injured civilian has been admitted to a nearby district hospital for immediate medical aid.

Today`s ceasefire violation takes place three days after two women were killed and a child was severely injured in Manjakote Sector of Rajouri district.

The Border Security Force (BSF) retaliated after the firing, which began at 2 a.m.

This is the 100th incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following India`s surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29.
Raipur: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said a neighbouring country is trying to destabilise India by encouraging "cowardly" act of terrorism.

"Our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone," Rajnath Singh added.

"A neighbouring country of our again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India. Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards," Singh added.

He was addressing the concluding ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav - the 16th foundation day celebrations at Naya Raipur.

Surgical strikes

Further referring to surgical strike by Army after the Uri attack, he said, "You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job. I want to assure that this government will never let India to bow its head before anyone".

'Under leadership of PM Modi, no power could weaken India'

Singh also said unable to stomach India's rapid growth, some countries are trying to destabilise the nation.

"Today, India is progressing rapidly. It is the country which has highest economic growth rate in the world presently. Some countries (anti-India) are jealous of us and trying to destabilise (the country). They are trying to weaken India. But I assure you that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi no power could weaken India," he said.

Singh further re-affirmed his commitment to extend every possible support to Chhattisgarh in its fight against Naxalism.

"Development is taking place rapidly in Chhattisgarh but the Maoist activities has been a matter of concern for all of us.

"The ruling BJP government in the state has accepted the challenge and it will definitely achieve success (in combat against Naxalism). Centre will provide all kind of support to the state in tackling the menace," he said.

Maoists never wanted roads to be built in the remote villages, good education for children, better communication system, good jobs for youth, the Minister said.

"I have already said to Maoist to stop their activities for some time and then government will show them what is development and how it takes place." (More)

'China was a huge supporter of Maoism'

"China was a huge supporter of Maoism but now there is no place for it (Maoism) in its their future. But here (in India) there are attempts going on to encourage Maoism," Singh said while warning Naxals, "You must leave it (Maoism) or you will have to".

The Minister said India is poised to emerge as a global economic power and the efforts initiated by the Narendra Modi government will start bearing positive results in the days to come.

He, however said Centre not only wanted to make India a global economic power but also a 'Vishwa Guru' (world-teacher).

Singh praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for carrying out development oriented works in the state.

Meanwhile, 18 people and two organisations were also felicitated with state awards on the occasion for their contribution in different fields.

Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the concluding ceremony.
New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will arrive in India today to take part in the global anti-tobacco conference being hosted in the national capital.

During his two-day visit, President Sirisena will take part in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which is being participated by 180 countries as well as regional economic integration organizations like the European Union.

The Sri Lankan President will address the convention as a special speaker on the inaugural day tomorrow.Sri Lankan President, who served as the Minister of Health during the previous government, is a strong advocate of tobacco control and successfully implemented laws to display pictorial warnings up to 80 percent on both sides of cigarette packets.

President Sirisena will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee and discuss bilateral relations between the two neighbours.Pranab Mukherjee and discuss bilateral relations between the two neighbours.

The Sri Lankan President had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of BRICS and BIMSTEC meeting in Goa last month.His visit comes a day after a high-level delegation led by foreign ministers of the two countries met in New Delhi to sort out the fishermen issue, where it was decided to set up a joint working group and hotline between the two coast guards to better deal with the issue.
Raipur: A tribal villager, who was at the forefront of a protest against Maoist activities in his village, was killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said on Sunday.

The victim, identified as Samnath Baghel (28), was brutally killed with sharp edged weapons on Friday night at his native Nama village, a senior police official said.

The village is located about 20 kms from Tongpal on National Highway-30, which connects Jagdalpur to Sukma, which is around 400 kms from here.

Youths from Nama and the neighbouring Kumakoleng village (both fall under Kumakoleng village panchayat) had been demonstrating against Naxal activities in their villages.

Armed with bow and arrows and other traditional weapons, the youths in the area can be seen patrolling the peripheral areas of their villages throughout the night to ban the entry of rebels.

Baghel and his friend Aayta had led the protest and they mostly stayed away from home during the night hours for patrolling.

"On Friday, Baghel was at home with his wife to take care of their newborn. Suddenly, a group of armed guerrillas stormed into his house and killed him in front of his family warning locals not to engage in anti-Naxal demonstrations," the official said.

After the incident came to light, senior police officials of Bastar, including?Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri,?reached the spot yesterday.

A case has been registered in this connection, he said adding that?assailants have been identified and a combing operation was launched to arrest them.
Srinagar: Describing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as 'extremely fragile', state DGP K Rajendra has said around 300 militants are active in the state and that continuing infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) is a cause of worry.

"The continuing infiltration along the border is a cause of worry which can change the whole game," the Director-General of Police (DGP) told a meeting of top civil and police officials of the state, chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, here yesterday.

Referring to the situation in Kashmir where the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July completed four months, Rajendra said even though the intensity and spread of the situation has come down, it continued to be "extremely fragile".

"While the intensity and spread of situation has come down, the situation is extremely fragile. At present, 250-300 militants are active. Given the present situation, we need to have a road map for next two-three months," he said.

The DGP said at least 70 buildings have been set ablaze by miscreants during the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

"53 of these 70 buildings have been damaged totally," the police chief said.

He said the restoration of normalcy will remain the top priority for the forces in coming days.

"While a semblance of normalcy has been restored, there is no scope for complacency. Police will continue its drive against miscreants," he said.

At the meeting, Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of Kashmir division made detailed presentations on the ongoing development works, some of which have been affected due to the situation.

They also provided figures on the number of cases filed over the last four months and the arrests made in those cases.
Jammu: Even as two jawans were killed as Pakistani Army opened unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors, violating the ceasefire, the Indian Army said on Sunday that heavy damage had been inflicted to Pak posts.

"Being strongly retaliated. Heavy damage to Pakistan posts," the Northern Command tweeted.

Two infilt bids assissted by Pak CFV , foiled in KG Sect. One soldier Martyred. @adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) November 6, 2016

Update CFV in Poonch Sector. Being strongly retaliated. Heavy damage to Pak posts. Own one soldier fatal, two injured.@adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) November 6, 2016

In Krishna Ghati, Pakistani Army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids. In Poonch sector, at least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistani army, targeting civil and defence facilities and civilian areas, an Army officer said.

Today's ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed along the LoC and the International Border (IB).

"The violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strike against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control," officials said, as per PTI.

There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.

"Pakistani troops have carried out over 100 ceasefire violations along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strike by the Indian army on terror launch pads in Pok," another Army officer said.

The officer said that there have been 84 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along LoC in Jammu region falling under 16 Corps area.

As many as 16 ceasefire violations have been recorded along LoC in Kashmir region falling under 15 Corps area, he said.

The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of J&K, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.

(With Agency inputs)
Srinagar: Security forces were on Sunday deployed in strength in parts of Srinagar in the wake of fresh violence following death of a teenager, even as normal life remained affected elsewhere in the Valley for the 121st consecutive day due to separatist?sponsored strike.

"Adequate deployment of security forces has been made in parts of Srinagar, but there is no curfew in the city (here) or anywhere in Kashmir," a police official said.

He said security forces have been deployed in strength in some areas of the city to maintain law and order in the wake of yesterday's violence following death of a 16-year-old boy Qaiser Sofi due to alleged poisoning.

Sofi was reported missing on October 25 and found in an unconscious state in Shalimar area of the city six days later and hospitalised.

However, local residents of the area alleged that the teen was force-fed some poisonous substance.

Police have said an investigation is underway into the case registered under section 309 Ranbir Penal Code (attempt to suicide) at Nishat Police Station.

Although there was very less movement of people and vehicular traffic in the areas in the old city, the civil lines areas of the summer capital, including the areas around the commercial hub of Lal Chowk, witnessed a fair amount of traffic as private cars and auto-rickshaws were seen plying, the official said.

He said some shops were open in these areas along with the areas in the outskirts of the city, while many vendors set-up their stalls in the weekly flea market in the TRC Chowk-Batamaloo axis passing through Lal Chowk.

However, most of the shops, fuel stations and other business establishments were shut elsewhere in the Valley but are expected to open in the evening as the separatists have announced a 15-hour relaxation in the strike from 4 PM onwards.

The ongoing unrest in Kashmir, triggered by killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir on July 8, has completed four months.

The separatists, who are spearheading the ongoing agitation in the Valley, have been issuing weekly protest programmes.

As many as 85 people, including two cops, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

Around 5000 security forces personnel have also been injured in the clashes.
Jammu: One Army jawan was martyred while a civilian was injured in fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistan as Indian Army foiled two infiltration bids along the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

"Two infiltration bids assisted by Pakistan ceasefire violation were foiled in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch", an Army officer said.

On Sunday morning, Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling at Indian positions along LoC in Krishna Ghati and Mendhar sectors of Poonch district.

"Gur Sevak Singh of 22 Sikh regiment was martyred in Pakistan firing today (Sunday)," defence sources told IANS here, adding that the ceasefire violation also continues in Balnoi area of the district.

The injured civilian was rushed to a nearby government hospital for immediate medical aid.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing which has been started by Pakistan army at 8:30 am to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said here.

"Indian army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on," he said.

Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Rajouri: Students of the Kashmir Valley have responded strongly to the orchestrated burning of schools.

"We want security arrangements to be increased in our schools as they are like mosques for us," a student said."The burning of schools must stop, as it is wrong. Schools are bigger than any temple or masjid because all hopes of students rest on his or her education and for a better future. We demand better security for our schools," said another.

"We have talented students who have cracked the IAS (civil service exams) and other exams. But by burning these schools, it would derail the scope for improvement in the valley. Just because of protests over the past three months, the whole education system is shut down. The new modus operandi used by miscreants to burn schools is very unfortunate and sends out a very wrong message. It also derails the future of the valley," a resident teacher said.

"Perpetrators are not just burning the schools, but also burning the future of our children. There are students who walk ten kilometers to attend school. We urge the government to act against these miscreants as they are murdering society," he added.

As many as 32 schools have been targeted by unknown persons since the unrest began in Kashmir on July 8 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court took suo moto cognisance of the incidents last week and directed the state government to ensure that all schools are protected.
By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Nov 6 (PTI) Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said that if elected, he would repeal the agreement made with Cuba by the outgoing US President Barack Obama and "will be making a much different deal than they made with Castro".

Trump was speaking at an election rally yesterday in Tampa Florida, a key battleground State that has a sizeable Cuban population.

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"You know, as you know, the Cubans just endorsed me. They gave me the Bay of Pigs Association Award," he said.

During the rally, Trump stopped his remarks to hold up a sign that read: "Cuban Women for Trump" and said, "I love these signs".

Trump also reached out to the Hispanics and African American communities.

"The Hispanic vote is turning out to be much different than people thought.

"But the African-American community, the Hispanic community, folks living in the inner cities, crime-ridden -- you cant walk to the store and buy a loaf of bread, you get shot. The education is the worst. And theres no job.

"Were going to fix the education, were going to bring back jobs, and were going to bring back safety," he said.

Alleging that Democrats have just been taking votes of Hispanic community members and have done nothing for them, he said, "And I say to the Hispanic community, living in the inner-city, to the African-American community, I say: What the hell do you have to lose? Im going to fix it. Im going to fix it. I am going to fix it."

He said the African-American community has been treated terribly.

"Thats why Im so honored to see those signs. And Im telling you, thats turning out to be the story of this election, the African-American vote," he said while referring to a sign from an African American in his support.

"Watch. You watch. Theyve been treated very unfairly. African- American and Hispanic people living in the inner cities", he said. PTI LKJ ARK

--- ENDS ---
Jammu: Another jawan was killed and two others suffered injuries as Pakistan Army resorted to an unprovoked shelling at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar sector of Poonch district on Sunday.

This came hours after an Indian soldier was killed and a civilian was injured at the RS Pura sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian forces have been aptly retaliating the heavy firing initiated by the Pakistani Rangers, that started at early hours today.

"CFV in Poonch Sector. Being strongly retaliated. Heavy damage to Pak posts. Own one soldier fatal, two injured," Indian Army's Northern Command took to its official Twitter handler to declare the incident.

Update CFV in Poonch Sector. Being strongly retaliated. Heavy damage to Pak posts. Own one soldier fatal, two injured.@adgpi  NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) November 6, 2016

Earlier today, one jawan was martyred and a civilian received injuries during the ceasefire violations in Poonch district.

"Gur Sevak Singh of 22 Sikh regiment was martyred in Pakistan firing today (Sunday)," defence sources told IANS here, adding that the ceasefire violation also continues in Balnoi area of the district.

"Indian army has effectively retaliated using same calibre weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on," he said.

Also Read - Ceasefire violation: Heavy damage done to Pakistan posts, says Indian Army

The injured civilian was rushed to a nearby government hospital for immediate medical aid.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing which has been started by Pakistan army at 8:30 am to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said here.

Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

This is the 100th incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on September 28 night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Chennai: Ruling AIADMK today said that its hospitalised General Secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was "well" even as BJP MP Tarun Vijay visited Apollo Hospitals, where the 68 year-old leader is admitted.

"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is well. God has given her good health and we are very happy," AIADMK spokesperson CR Saraswathy told reporters.

Meanwhile, Vijay said Jayalalithaa was "recovering fast" and would resume work soon.

"I have specially brought holy water of lake Manasarovar of Mount Kailash for the Chief Minister. Amma is recovering very fast. Very soon (she will be) out of hospital and start working," he said.

Vijay said that the "prayers of millions of people are working and she will be very well."

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22?after she complained of fever and dehydration.

Later, the hospital had said she was being treated for infection with respiratory support, among others.

Specialists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and from London, among others, have treated her during the period.

On Friday, the hospital Chairman Pratap C Reddy had said that the Chief Minister had completely recovered and that it was upto her to decide when to go home.
Tikrit: A total of 39 persons were killed and some 40 wounded on Sunday in two bombings and gunfire attacks in Iraqi province of Salahudin, officials here said.

A barrel filled with explosives detonated near a bridge on early Sunday in provincial capital city of Tikrit in Shishin area, some 170 km from Baghdad, killing 13 persons and injuring 30 others, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

In another incident, an explosive-laden car went off at a parking lot in Iraq`s Samarra city, 120 km from Baghdad, leaving 10 persons killed and 10 others injured, an official said.

The blast set fire to several nearby cars and caused damages to many others at the scene, the source added.

Early in the day, gunmen, believed to be affiliated to Islamic State (IS) militant group, broke into the house of a tribal leader in Tulul al-Baj area, some 50 km north of Tikrit, and opened fire in the house and killed 16 persons, the source said.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,792 Iraqis and injured 1,358 others in October across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
London: British Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers on Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled that she cannot start the process of leaving the European Union without parliament`s approval.

"MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," May said in her first comments since Thursday`s controversial judgment.

The Conservative government is appealing the court`s finding that parliament must agree to the triggering of Article 50 of the EU`s Lisbon Treaty, which begins formal negotiations on Britain leaving the bloc.

The ruling prompted outrage among Brexit supporters, amid speculation that pro-European lawmakers would seek to water down the break with the EU and derail May`s plans to begin formal exit talks by the end of March.

In a statement issued ahead of a trade mission to India, the prime minister said she was focused on getting the best outcome from Brexit following the June referendum vote.

"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table," she said.

The ruling sparked attacks on the judges involved, with one newspaper calling them "Enemies of the People", while one of the claimants in the case has received online rape and beheading threats.

UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage warned that the political temperature was "very, very high", and said there would be public outrage if parliament sought to undermine the Brexit vote.

"We will see political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed in this country," the leading Brexit campaigner told the BBC.Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party has 231 MPs in the 650-seat House of Commons, said this week that he will not seek to reverse the referendum result.

But the Sunday Mirror tabloid reported that he would vote against Article 50 unless May agreed to press for continued access to the European single market and guarantee EU workplace rights after Brexit.

"These must be the basis of the negotiations. And it doesn`t necessarily cause a delay," Corbyn told the paper.

The leftist leader later sought to clarify his position on Twitter, saying: "We won`t block Article 50 but will fight for a Brexit that works for Britain."

May has said one of her priorities will be cutting EU immigration, a goal that EU leaders have warned is incompatible with continued membership of the single market.The High Court decision has fuelled speculation that May might call a snap election to strengthen her support in the House of Commons before the vote on Article 50.

Corbyn said his party was preparing for the election to be brought forward from 2020, although Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt played down the idea.

"I think a general election is the last thing the government wants," the cabinet minister told the BBC.

"Theresa May wants to get on with the job and frankly it is the last thing the British people want, with all these very, very important national decisions.

"Because of that I think it is highly unlikely that parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50."

Justice Minister Liz Truss was forced this weekend to issue a statement defending the independence of the judiciary following the attacks on the High Court judges.

One of the claimants in the case, investment fund manager Gina Miller, revealed Sunday she has received online rape and beheading threats, and calls for her to be deported to Guyana, where she was born.

"I am really cross at the politicians and the media who are whipping this up because they are the ones inciting racism and violence and acrimony," she told the BBC.
Bratislava: China has cancelled a top-level bilateral meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the government in Bratislava said, in a move seen as a snub after the EU country's president met the Dalai Lama.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang met 16 counterparts from across central and eastern Europe in Lativa's capital Riga yesterday for talks focused mainly on developing trade.

The Chinese leader had been scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Fico yesterday, who is also steering Slovakia's six-month rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of December.

"The Chinese side cancelled the bilateral meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, scheduled ahead of today's summit," the Slovak government was quoted as saying by the local SITA newswire.

Leftist Fico moved quickly to mend fences with Beijing, telling reporters in Riga he had invited the Chinese Prime Minister to visit Slovakia.

"I regret that instead of adding energy to further projects with China, we must repair the damage that has been inflicted," said Fico, quoted by SITA.

He told reporters in October that President Andrej Kiska's move to meet the Dalai Lama had "clearly damaged Slovak-Chinese relations".

Kiska, a millionaire businessman and philanthropist turned liberal politician, met privately with the Tibetan spiritual leader on October 16 in Bratislava.

Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of supporting separatism and violence in Tibet, a region it has ruled since 1951.

The Dalai Lama fled to India after a failed uprising in 1959, but is still revered by many Tibetans in China and beyond.

The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry vowed that Beijing would react against Slovakia for the meeting, criticising Kiska for ignoring China's "strong opposition" to the move, which it insisted undermined Slovakia's promise to support the "one-China" policy.

Bilateral trade relations between eurozone member Slovakia and China tallied at more than six billion euros ($6.7 billion) in annual turnover last year, according to the Slovak Economy Ministry.
Reno: In a security scare, Republican White House candidate Donald Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

The man, who later identified himself to reporters as Austyn Crites, was then immediately detained and led out by a throng of police officers, Secret Service agents and SWAT officers armed with assault rifles to a side room.

A law enforcement official later told CNN no charges were filed against Crites.

After he was released from custody, Crites told reporters that the incident started off when he raised a "Republicans Against Trump" sign.

Crites said he was then assaulted by a group of people around him before someone shouted anything about a gun.

"All of a sudden, because they couldn't grab the sign, or whatever happened, bam, I get tackled by all these people who were just, like, kicking me and grabbing me...And just, just beating me," Crites was quoted as saying by KTNV.

"And somebody yells something about a gun, and so that's when things really got out of hand," he said.

The alleged assault against Crites is just the latest such incident to occur at a Trump rally, where other protesters have previously been roughed up.

The Secret Service said no weapon was found. "Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," it said.

The 70-year-old business tycoon returned to the stage just minutes after the incident, saying, "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped. We will never be stopped."

"I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic," Trump said before returning to his speech.

Trump later said, "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response."

"I also want to thank the many thousands of people present for their unwavering and unbelievable support. Nothing will stop us -- we will make America great again!" Trump said.

An eyewitness was quoted as saying by NBC News, "I heard, 'He has a gun' and several of us went over to the side wall because we were frightened."

The eyewitness said she was impressed with Trump's composure in continuing the speech.

Secret Service agents rushed to shield Trump onstage in March after a man tried to rush the stage during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, but the Republican nominee was not escorted off stage.

And a man was arrested at a rally in Las Vegas in June after he tried to grab a police officer's gun, which he said he planned to use to shoot Trump.
Kingston: Authorities say a gunman opened fire on four people playing dominos at a pub in Jamaica, killing three and leaving one seriously injured.

Police say two males and one female were mortally wounded in the Friday night shooting in St Catherine Parish, in southeast Jamaica. One male survived and yesterday remained hospitalised in serious but stable condition.

The victims' identities and ages have not been released. Officers did not provide a motive for the crime, which was under investigation.
New York: Indian-American voters can turn the tide in key battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Colorado, and decide the fate of White House aspirants Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who are in a dead-heat in major polls just days ahead of the election, community leaders say.

Former chief of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and community leader Bhupi Patel asked the Indian-Americans to vote for Clinton especially in Florida, Ohio, Colorado, saying the vote of the community in the red states (Republican leaning) "is going to carry 30-40 per cent more weight".

Patel cited the famous 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush that had stretched into December after recounting in Florida with Bush ultimately winning by a margin of just 537 votes.

"The Indian-American vote has value. If you can lose an election by 400-500 votes, then in places like Florida, the 30-40 per cent weight of the Indian-American vote will be important and both Democrats and Republicans will notice our value," Patel said during a press conference here this week.

Noting that 70 per cent of Indian-Americans are Democrats, he asked the community in the red states to vote for Clinton, especially in Ohio, Florida, Colorado.

"Make sure you go and cast your vote, it is going to carry a lot of weight in these states," Patel said.

Citing immigration, healthcare and education as issues of key importance to the Indian-American community, Patel said Clinton's agenda in these areas will benefit the community and urged them to vote for her.

Prominent hotelier and former commissioner in President Clinton's White House Initiative on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders Mike Patel, a Clinton supporter, said it took Al Gore only a few hundred votes to lose the elections in 2000 and "so the Indian-American cannot be complacent".

"The Indian-American voters in Ohio, Florida have to come out and vote because these are the states that are needed to win the election," Mike Patel said.

Bhupi Patel said the Indian-American community has to make its vote count since "it is very important for the community to be involved in the political process otherwise no one notices you. We are three million in number and are a very powerful community, contributing to the American fabric in a lot of ways. We must make our presence felt and we must exercise our voting rights".

Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, Chairman of the group 'Indian-Americans for Democrats and Friends of Hillary for President', also cited the presidential election of 2000 where Al Gore lost with a small margin, saying "the Indian-American votes means a lot".

In states where there is a very tight race each vote counts a lot, he said.

Urging the community to vote for Clinton, Chatwal said it should not think "we are a minority as your vote can make the next President of the US".

Eminent New York attorney Anand Ahuja, Vice President of political action committee 'Indian Americans For Trump 2016', however, offered a different view, saying it is very difficult to predict which side the India-Americans will go and to expect that they can in a way influence the results is like "living in a fantasy land".

While acknowledging that "each vote counts", Ahuja told PTI that "a lot of Indian-Americas are hard-core Democrats but they are also silent supporters of Trump and one of the reason for this is his pro-Hindu position".

He said most of the Indian-Americans he comes across like Trump's policies but not his temperament.

Ahuja said it is very difficult to predict which party will win the elections as the race has gotten very tight in the final lap.

He said Trump addressing the Republican Hindu Coalition rally in New Jersey "reflects that each and every vote counts and this time we do not know whether blue states (Democratic-leaning) may become red (Republican leaning)".

Given the problems Clinton created for herself, especially through the email controversy, "Trump was going to get the presidency on a platter but he thought if Clinton can create her own problems why should I stay behind".

"He should have started behaving like a presidential candidate right after the nomination. It would have been much easier for him to become President but for his loud mouth. Now the race is neck to neck," Ahuja added.
IstanbulP: Police at Turkey`s largest airport in Istanbul on Sunday fired warning shots at a motorbike that failed to stop at a security checkpoint, with the facility on high alert after the deadly June attack blamed on jihadists, local officials said.

Both the driver and the passenger of the motorcycle were later caught and detained after the incident at Ataturk International Airport but no explosives or weapons were found on them.

The incident resulted in the brief closure of entrances to the airport as a precaution but it carried on working normally.

"Tonight two people on a motorbike who failed to stop were detained after police opened fire," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin wrote on his Twitter account.

"No weapons or explosive materials were found on them. The airport is open to entrance and exit," he added.

According to the Anadolu agency, one of the suspects had a criminal record for theft and had been drinking.

After the shots were fired, they came off the bike and tried to run away but were caught by police.

A bag carried by one of the suspects was blown up in a controlled explosion by disposal experts but found to be empty, it added.

Security measures have been markedly stepped up at the airport following the June 28 triple suicide bombing and gun attacks blamed on Islamic State (IS) jihadists that left 47 people dead.

Every vehicle entering the airport complex is now checked by security forces and it appears the motorbike failed to stop at one of these controls.

Turkey has for the last year been rattled by a sequence of attacks blamed both on jihadists and Kurdish militants, as well as the failed July 15 coup.

In a separate security alert Sunday, the first bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul was shut to traffic when a man armed with a gun tried to commit suicide, the Hurriyet daily said. It has since reopened.
Tokyo: Japan protested to China on Sunday after Chinese coast guard ships sailed into territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Tokyo said.

Four Chinese vessels entered the waters surrounding the islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, around 10:00 am local time, according to Japan Coast Guard.

They left the territorial waters within two hours, the coast guard said.

The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited, Tokyo-controlled islets.

Japan has routinely complained that China is escalating regional tensions by regularly sending ships to the island chain despite repeated protests from Tokyo.

Today, Tokyo lodged a protest to China's foreign ministry through its embassy in Beijing saying the islands are "an inherent territory of Japan," while Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe's office beefed up its team in charge of monitoring Chinese ships, a government official told AFP.

Tokyo has lodged at least 32 protests through diplomatic channels this year over what it says have been a total 31 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in the territorial waters.

China is also involved in maritime disputes in the South China Sea by claiming most of the area despite partial counter-claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

But a UN-backed tribunal in July ruled that Beijing's claims were invalid.
It's the actor's first birthday after his marriage with Divyanka Tripathi, and the couple is celebrating it together.

By India Today Web Desk: Small screen's beloved couple, Vivek Dahiya and Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, or Divek, have been the talk of the town; and for all the right reasons.

The adorable couple has been showering love on each other through social media, and they seem to be really enjoying their marital bliss. Also, both of them know very well how to party.

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Also read: Divyanka Tripathi's message for her husband Vivek Dahiya will melt your heart



Yes, you heard it right.

Not only did the couple celebrate Diwali in full vigour with their close friends, they also had a time of their lives in Chandigarh while celebrating their first Diwali post-marriage with their family.

The next in line it seems, is Divyanka's handsome husband, Vivek Dahiya's birthday that falls on November 8.

Divyanka took to Instagram to post a photo where Vivek is seen cutting a cake, celebrating his #advancebirthday with his family and friends in Chandigarh.

Picture Courtesy: Instagram/divyankatripathidahiya

Recently, she also posted a photo on social media depicting her love for her husband and how much she misses him when he's not around.

With such a loving wife, we believe Vivek Dahiya has a lot of surprises coming his way on his birthday.

We wish loads of happiness for this beautiful couple.

--- ENDS ---
Peshawar: Pakistan will not deport Sharbat Gula, National Geographic's iconic green-eyed 'Afghan Girl', for using fake ID cards to stay in this city, a media report today quoted an official as saying.

Gula, who was immortalized after her haunting picture taken at a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1985 was carried by the magazine on its cover and became a symbol of her country's wars, was arrested on October 26 from her home here.

A special anti-corruption and immigration court in Peshawar ordered Gula's deportation to Afghanistan on Friday after serving a 15-day jail sentence besides slapping a fine of 1,10,000 rupees (USD 1,100).

Gula will complete her sentence on Wednesday.

She will not be deported from Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government official Shaukat Yousafzai said.

The provicncial home department has also stopped implementation of the decision to deport her.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan requested KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to not deport Sharbat Gula.

The decision was taken on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture towards Afghanistan.

Gula, who was dubbed as 'Mona Lisa of Afghan war', was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for alleged forgery of a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

She gained worldwide recognition when her image was featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic Magazine at a time when she was approximately 12 years old.

According to interim charge sheet submitted on November 1, the prosecutor said that she accepted the main charge of faking her identity to get the CNIC.

Gula said that her late husband, Rehmat Gul, had earlier made a manual national identity card in 1988, which was used to get the CNIC with the help of an agent who was bribed.

The FIA also registered an FIR on October 20 against three former government employees for fraudulently issuing Pakistani CNICs to Afghan nationals, including Gula.

Pakistan has been tackling the Afghan refugee crisis for over three decades. It is estimated that some three million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan, half of whom are unregistered.
New York: Pakistans Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has once again called on the UN to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that Indias rejection to allow one was in fact acknowledgment of the grave atrocities being committed by its forces.

Ambassador Lodhi made the call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, the Associated Press of Pakistan cited an official press release.

The Pakistani envoy commended the High Commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world.

Pakistan, she said, appreciated his repeated calls for grant of unconditional access for the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the High Commissioner for sending fact-finding mission to Jammu and Kashmir to independently assess the situation on the ground was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.

Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the High Commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis, she added.

The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations, she added.
Columbia: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton packed their schedules with last minute campaign events Sunday, two days out from an election that has gripped the world.

Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead, hosting back-to-back weekend pop concerts with Beyonce and Katy Perry and booking a date with President Barack Obama.

For his part Trump has embarked on a cross-country odyssey through Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

The latest major survey, an ABC/Washington Post tracker released early Sunday, gave Clinton a five percentage point 48-43 lead. Polling averages however are closer.

The final 48-hour programs of both campaigns suggest that the race is closer than either side admits.

In the latest sign of the mounting tension and ugly mood, Trump was briefly hustled off stage in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday in a false gun scare.

Trump was unruffled, although his son retweeted a message implying it was an "assassination attempt." The Secret Service said that agents found no weapon.

The unrest broke out when a protester trying to hold up a "Republicans against Trump" sign was wrestled to the ground and attacked by Trump supporters. The man, who said he was a Republican, was briefly detained then released.

Clinton`s camp mocked the 70-year-old tycoon`s scattershot approach to the electoral map as a sign of panic.

But the 69-year-old former secretary of state herself added an extra planned stopover in Michigan, a state that fellow Democrat Obama won easily in 2012.

At his campaign stops the billionaire Republican remained triumphalist.

"In three days we are going to win the great state of Colorado and we are going to win back the White House," Trump promised late Saturday in Denver, Colorado.

"You`re going to be so happy. We`re going to start winning again," he intoned, urging voters to cast ballots in person to avoid the risk of fraud in postal voting.

Trump hit his key themes: promises to tear up free trade agreements, expel undocumented migrants, rebuild an allegedly depleted US military and purge Washington of corruption.

And his fans roared back the same three-word chants: "Build the wall!" "Drain the swamp!" "Lock her up!"Clinton`s late decision to head to Michigan with Obama on Monday and to add a midnight rally in North Carolina as election day begins raised eyebrows.

Campaign manager Robby Mook dismissed suggestions that Clinton is trying to shore up her crumbling northern firewall.

"Donald Trump has to win all of these battleground races," he said. "If we win Pennsylvania and Florida, he just has no path."

Outside of the United States, Washington`s allies fear that a candidate who threatens to review US treaty alliances is within striking distance of the White House.

There was scorn in Britain, where Trump effigies were burned instead of local hate figures on the traditional November 5 Bonfire Night.

And in Germany, leading news weekly Der Spiegel on its front page depicted both candidates covered in the mud of a dirty campaign.

"When I look at Washington, I am worried," German President Joachim Gauck told the magazine, citing Trump`s "unpredictability."

US foes like Russia and Iran have not hidden their mirth at the turmoil rocking US democracy.

Global markets fear that a protectionist, inexperienced demagogue could plunge the United States or even the world economy back into recession.

The polls are unclear. Clinton still enjoys a narrow nationwide advantage, a 2.1 percentage point lead according to a poll average by tracker RealClearPolitics.

But the election will be won or lost in the US electoral college, and perhaps a dozen states are in play. Trump`s camp believes it can pick off enough of them on November 8.

His campaign has been torpedoed and holed but not yet sunk by allegations of sexual assault and the candidate`s own off-color outbursts.

Meanwhile, the long-running saga of Clinton`s inappropriate use of a private email server -- fed by announcements and leaks from FBI investigators -- continues to taint her pitch as the competent professional.

As the race nears the end, Clinton is trying to crack the pessimism with an upbeat message, bringing in heavyweight support from Obama and megastars like Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z."We are seeing tremendous momentum, large numbers of people turning out, breaking records in a lot of places," Clinton declared at a rained out rally in Florida, in reference to the early and mail voting permitted in several US states.

"Let`s vote for the future!" she added through the downpour, urging those who had already cast ballots to help get their friends to the polls.

Earlier, at a Miami event, her supporters launched into a three-word get out the vote chant of their own: "Knock on doors! Knock on doors!"

Polling and anecdotal evidence suggests that Clinton supporters, especially previously underrepresented Latino voters, have come out strongly in Nevada and Florida.

But Trump gets big and enthusiastic crowds at his rallies. "And you know what? I don`t need Beyonce and I don`t need Jay-Z," he boasts.
Ain Issa (Syria): US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State group`s de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.

The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.

The two cities are the last major urban centres under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014.

Lined up in crisp fatigues at an outdoor press conference, SDF commanders announced the start of the operation against Raqa in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city.

"The major battle to liberate Raqa and its surroundings has begun," SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.

The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP it would proceed in two phases, first seizing areas around Raqa and isolating the city, then taking control of the city itself.

SDF forces are advancing on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north of Raqa, and from the village of Makman to the east."The fight will not be easy, and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is finished in Syria," Sello said.

An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa saw dozens of SDF fighters heading on vehicles towards the front line.

Driving the jihadists from Mosul and Raqa has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against IS in the summer of 2014.

The coalition has also provided training and deployed hundreds of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including the SDF.

Sello said the alliance had received new weapons from the coalition for the Raqa battle, including anti-tank missiles.

Another SDF source said 50 US military advisers would be involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes.

After it was seized by IS, Raqa became the scene of some of the jihadists` worst atrocities, from stonings and beheadings to the trading of sex slaves.

Thousands of foreign fighters flocked there to join IS, and US officials have described it as the nerve centre for the group`s attacks abroad.

In Washington, a US official confirmed the start of the operation to capture the stronghold.

"We will first undertake an effort to isolate Raqa to set the stage for an eventual assault on the city itself to liberate it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Last month, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the idea of simultaneous operations against Mosul and Raqa "has been part of our planning for quite a while".

But the battle for Raqa is far more complicated.

After five years of civil war, Syria is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar al-Assad`s regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.

Dominated by the powerful Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG), the SDF has in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij in August.

Washington has promoted the SDF as a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkey`s fierce opposition to the YPG.

Ankara considers the militia a "terrorist" group, and in August began its own operation inside northern Syria, targeting both IS and the YPG.

Sello said on Sunday that the SDF had "agreed definitively" with the United States "that there will be no role for Turkey or the armed factions allied with it in the operation" to capture Raqa.

General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, on Sunday made a previously unannounced visit to Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, but no further details were immediately available.In Mosul, Iraqi forces were clearing eastern neighbourhoods of the city on Sunday, nearly three weeks into the offensive to retake the city.

"Resistance is very heavy and they (IS) have suffered major losses," Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP.

Soldiers from the army`s 9th Armoured Division also battled jihadists in a southeastern neighbourhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported.

IS has responded to the Mosul assault with a string of diversionary attacks elsewhere in Iraq, including spectacular operations in Kirkuk and Rutba.

It claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra, two cities north of Baghdad, that officials said killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50.

Aid groups have raised deep concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, with warnings the jihadists are likely to use them as human shields.

More than a million people are believed to be in the Iraqi city. Raqa had a population of some 240,000 before the start of Syria`s civil war and more than 80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of the country.
Florida: A man who was arrested in the US state of South Carolina for holding a woman hostage and "chained like a dog" has confessed to up to seven killings, a local sheriff said.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright told a press conference late Saturday that warrants were issued charging Todd Christopher Kohlhepp with a quadruple murder that baffled police and investigators for 13 years.

Wright said that the suspect had also shown authorities two gravesites on his vast property, in addition to one body dug up from a shallow grave on Friday.

"There`s no wondering anymore" about the November 2003 killings at the Superbike Motorsports in the nearby town of Chesnee, Wright told local media, including local ABC affiliate 13WLOS and The Greenville Times.

"He told us some stuff that nobody else ought to know," Wright told reporters.

Kohlhepp, 45, was arrested Thursday and charged with kidnapping after the woman that police said was "chained like a dog" inside a shipping container was rescued from his property.

Kala Brown, 30, was discovered with chains around her neck and ankles trapped inside the padlocked container. Police rescued her after hearing a banging sound when they arrived at Kohlhepp`s property with a search warrant.

Kohlhepp, who owns a 95-acre (38-hectare) tract of rural land in the town of Woodruff, northeast of the state capital Columbia, is a real-estate agent and registered sex offender.

Brown told officers she had been in the container for two months. She and her boyfriend, Charles Carver, 32, had been missing since August.

Brown told police that Kohlhepp shot her boyfriend multiple times in the chest in front of her.

Sheriff Wright said Saturday that authorities identified the body dug up the day before as that of Carver.

Kohlhepp has been registered as a sex offender in South Carolina for a 1987 conviction in Arizona for kidnapping, according to local WSPA News. He was 15 when he was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Washington: Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.

While Clinton is banking on star power to lock in her narrow poll lead, hosting weekend pop concerts with Beyonce and Katy Perry, Trump has embarked on a cross-country blitz through Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

Clinton and Trump -- along with their surrogates -- crisscrossed battleground states in their final push to rally voters and announced additional stops till late Monday.

Clinton, 69, would deliver her final address at a mid-night rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"Clinton will lay out her plans to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and her vision for an America that is stronger together," her campaign said.

However, a bigger rally has been reserved for earlier in the night when Clintons -- Hillary and Bill -- would be joined by the Barack and Michelle Obama in Philadelphia. They will also be joined at the event by Jon Bon Jovi, who will perform.

Clinton will urge Pennsylvanians to elect her president on Tuesday and continue pushing for the "American ideals of progress, inclusion, equality and strength," that were enshrined in the Constitution in 1787, it said in a statement.

"Along with President Obama, she will also lay out how the division and dangerous views espoused by Donald Trump in his campaign make him unqualified, unfit and unworthy to lead this great nation," it said.

Encouraged by the polling figures, Trump, 70, also announced several new stops, including the Democratic stronghold like Minnesota.

"We're going into what they used to call Democrat strongholds where we're now either tied or leading. We're going to Minnesota, which traditionally has not been Republican at all, and we're doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll. We're going to Colorado, where we're doing phenomenally well. We're doing well everywhere," Trump said.

In a security scare, Trump was bundled off stage by Secret Service agents at a rally in Nevada after someone in the crowd shouted "gun" which led to a commotion.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement that there was commotion in the crowd at the rally here when an "unidentified individual" shouted "gun," though no weapon was found after a "thorough search".

Clinton (44 per cent) and Trump (43 per cent) are in a fierce battle among likely voters nationally -- including those who are undecided yet leaning towards a candidate or who have already voted, McClatchy-Marist poll said.

In September, Clinton led Trump by six percentage points in the same poll.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has the support of six

per cent, and Jill Stein of the Green Party garners two per cent. Three per cent support another candidate, and two per cent are undecided, it said.

As per RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all major polls, the Democrat leads the Republican by 1.7 percentage points.

After running even with Trump early last week, Clinton now holds a five-point lead in the latest Post-ABC Tracking Poll overall.

Clinton leads 45 per cent to 43 per cent in a Fox News survey, within the poll's margin of error. Libertarian Gary Johnson earns 5 per cent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein takes 2 per cent.

Nearly 200 million eligible voters would elect their new president. More than 40 million electorates across 48 states have already cast ballots using the provision of early voting.

Trump's campaign schedule includes multiple stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. His vice presidential nominee will address rallies in Michigan, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Obama would continue with his election blitz by addressing rallies in New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida.

Clinton's meetings are scheduled in Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Michigan, while her husband Bill, a former US president, would seek vote for her in Michigan.

Chelsea, Clinton's daughter, has as many as five meetings scheduled in Philadelphia, while the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has meetings scheduled in North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost to Clinton during the Democratic primaries, too has been campaigning extensively.

Over the next two days, he is scheduled to address meetings in Arizona and Nevada. Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania.

Trump may not have Clinton's celebrities, but he has relied on his family for public support at times.

However, the electoral college might present a different picture, given the nature of presidential elections.

Lee M Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said: "Although Clinton and Trump are separated by the slimmest of margins, the Electoral College can present a very different picture. Close popular votes can, but do not necessarily, translate into tight battles for 270 electoral votes," he said.
Baghdad: The Iraqi Prime Minister has warned the Islamic State militants fighting in the besieged Mosul city to lay down their weapons if they want to live, state media reported on Sunday.

Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said government-led forces "will not retreat and will not be broken," BBC qouted him as saying.

He said his message to the people of Mosul was "we will liberate you soon".

The city has been under the IS control for more than two years.

"My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the Prime Minister told media.

Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said.

Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town, but did not say whether the IS militants had been pushed out completely.

The operation to take back control of Mosul continued as government forces tried to clear the eastern districts, including al-Zahra, which they entered on Friday.

Satellite images of Mosul reveal how IS fighters constructed multiple barricades across key routes into the northern Iraqi city.

Concrete barricades and rubble can be seen blocking key streets, while buildings near de-facto capital airport were levelled for line-of-sight reasons.

Mosul fell to the jihadis in June 2014 and their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a "caliphate".

Before the offensive began on 17 October, there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul, along with up to 1.5 million civilians.
























































































TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our livesIf we remember those times and placeswhere people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we dont have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.

--Howard Zinn



I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him.

--Martin Luther King Jr.

True religion consisted in an inward life, wherein the heart does love and reverence God the Creator, and learns to exercise true justice and goodness...I found no narrowness respecting sects and opinions, but believed that sincere, upright-hearted people, in every society, who truly love God, were accepted of him.

--John Woolman



Love each other as I have loved you.. I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.

--Jesus in John 15: 12-15



...Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.



You have answered right, said Jesus, do this and life is yours...



Who is my neighbor?



Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan [heretic, outsider, enemy].

--from Luke 10:27-37

Religion has been emphatically embodied, not in speculative theories, but in practical righteousness, in active virtues, in reverence to God, in benevolence to man- the latter being the only sure test of the former.

--Thomas M'Clintock



...It is safer to approach God through the Holy Spirit than through the door of theology. We can identify the Holy Spirit whenever it makes its presence felt. Whenever we see someone who is loving, compassionate, mindful, caring, and understanding, we know that the Holy Spirit is there.

--Thich Nhat Hanh


* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020.

* PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018.

* IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

* Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013.

* Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011.

2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100.

* Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010.

* Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010.

* Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010.

* Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll.

Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has been on a charm offensive to gain support for the U.K. ahead of formal Brexit negotiations next year. Having visited Western Europe, May is now turning her focus to emerging economies, with India as her first stop.

Accompanied by a business delegation from across the U.K., the 60-year-old arrived in New Delhi on Sunday in her first bilateral visit outside Europe as PM. As one of Asia's fastest-growing economies and a former U.K. colony, India is of paramount interest to a post-Brexit Britain.

"The prime minister will deliver on her ambitious vision for Britain after Brexit," a press release on the website of the prime minister's office stated Sunday. "A number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit, creating and securing jobs at home and demonstrating market confidence in the strength of the British economy."

India was the third-largest source of foreign direct investment into the U.K. last year, after the U.S. and France, and May will do all she can on her three-day trip to ensure this continues, said Narayan Iyer, India head at global law firm Linklaters.

"The British PM will want to show how the U.K. will capitalize on the economic and diplomatic opportunities outside of Europe. She will be keen to send a strong message that the U.K. remains an advocate for free trade and is open for business," he continued.

May's visit touches on a key argument of Brexit supporters. The "leave" campaign had long argued EU bureaucracy was hurting economic relations with emerging economies, and that the U.K. would be able to negotiate new trade deals on its own. Hopes for an India-E.U. free trade agreement (FTA)in the works for nearly a decadeare low so New Delhi would welcome a FTA with the U.K, Iyer noted.

Defense may be another key sector to watch. India, one of the world's biggest arms importers, mostly buys from the U.S. and Russia, so strategists widely anticipate May to push the case for U.K. weapons instead.

Story continues

However, no concrete deals will be inked on this visit as agreements can only be signed once the U.K. formally leaves the E.U., pointed out Dhruva Jaishankar, foreign policy fellow at Brookings India.

Trade and business aside, there may be geopolitical motives behind May's trip.



India is the only major non-European country willing and able to host her at this time, explained Kanti Bajpai, Wilmar professor in Asian studies at the National University of Singapore. Washington is caught up in a tumultuous presidential election and U.K.-China relations are presently rocky, so New Delhi was the best choice, he continued.

Chinese state media accused Britain of "China-phobia" in August after May's government delayed a deal involving mainland companies to build a $21.9 billion nuclear power plant in Somerset, amid national security concerns. The deal was finally signed in September.

Because the U.K. does not have any major quarrels with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration, an India trip is politically safe and gives her an opportunity to bolster her international reputation, said Bajpai.

However, it may not be easy for the U.K. to deepen bilateral ties because India has its own economic, political, and other domestic considerations, Nikita Sud, associate professor of development studies at the University of Oxford, wrote in a recent blogpost on the London School of Economics website.

The ease of obtaining visas is an especially big concern for the South Asian country. For years, India was Britain's largest immigrant groupa title it lost in August after statistics showed Poles took first place for the time. But given that anti-immigration sentiment played a key role in the Brexit vote, visa rules for foreign nationals may not improve.

In April, the U.K. said that non-EU workers looking to live in the U.K. for longer than six years would be required to earn at least 35,000 pounds ($43,600) a year up from 21,000 poundsbarring certain exceptions. And Modi has already warned that the new regulations could have a negative impact on Indians.

"This is a very tricky issue for May to navigate. Being seen as more accommodating of visas to Indians will invite criticism in the U.K. But being seen as intransigent on the matter will not go over well in India," stated Jaishankar.



Moreover, Indian corporates may not be as gung-ho on investing in Britain as they were in the past.

Britain, home to more than 800 major Indian-owned businesses that employ 110,000 people and have a combined turnover of 26 billion pounds ($31 billion), had been an attractive investment destination because it was a launchpad to other E.U. countries, Sud explained.

"Now that the entry point might be restricted, or even closed, Indian-owned companies in the UK will have to rethink their business models. Jaguar Land Rover, for example, has said that it will realign its thinking on U.K. investment, as has steel company Tata (National Stock Exchange of India: TATASTEEL-IN)."

On the flip-side, many strategists have noted that the falling pound down more than 15 percent against the greenback this yearcould make investments in Britain more appealing for foreign companies.

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Westpac's Aus$7.45 billion (US$5.72 billion) result in the year to September 30 rounded out annual reporting from three of the nation's big four lenders, with all battling regulatory changes and rising bad loans

Australian banking giant Westpac posted a seven percent slide in annual net profit Monday on the back of market headwinds and impairment charges but said it was well positioned with a strong balance sheet.

Westpac's Aus$7.45 billion (US$5.72 billion) result in the year to September 30 rounded out annual reporting from three of the nation's big four lenders, with all battling regulatory changes and rising bad loans.

Cash profit at the nation's second largest bank, the measure more closely watched by analysts which strips out volatile items, was flat at Aus$7.82 billion, in line with expectations.

Despite rising bank funding costs and tougher capital rules, it paid a dividend of 94 cents, in line with what shareholders received in the first half of the year.

But in an acknowledgement of current market conditions, chief executive Brian Hartzer said the bank would trim its return on equity target down from 15 percent to 13 or 14 percent in the medium term.

Hartzer called it "a solid result in a challenging environment".

"We are continuing to deliver our service-led strategy, increasing customer numbers, delivering world-leading digital services, and supporting more customer needs," he said.

"At the same time we have strengthened our balance sheet, carefully managed margins, and achieved Aus$263 million in productivity savings, while increasing our investment in digital and other service initiatives.

"The result demonstrates our consistent approach to managing our core franchise over many years, including the discipline we apply to balancing growth and returns."

The bank saw a Aus$371 million, 49 percent, rise in impairment expenses compared to the previous corresponding period, which hurt net profit.

But Hartzer said Westpac was well funded moving forward, having raised around Aus$3.5 billion through an entitlement offer during the year.

"Our healthy capital level positions the group well for any further regulatory changes, while ensuring we can continue to support both customers and economic growth in Australia," he said.

Story continues

Westpac was the last of the big banks to report in the current cycle.

ANZ last week posted a 24 percent drop in net profits to Aus$5.7 billion on the back of restructuring costs as it puts more emphasis on Australia and New Zealand and less on Asia.

The week before, National Australia Bank's net profit dropped 94.4 percent due to writedowns, including of British asset Clydesdale. But its cash profit rose 4.2 percent to a better-than-expected Aus$6.48 billion.

Australia's largest bank, the Commonwealth, operates on a different reporting schedule.


An imminently forthcoming version of Google's Chrome browser will flip the way that browsers convey information about privacy and security to users: instead of discreetly informing users that the HTTPS-enabled sites they're browsing are more secure, they'll flag any non-HTTPS site as insecure, with a series of escalating alerts that will end  at some unspecified date  by displaying an exclamation point inside red triangle and the letters HTTP next to the web addresses of non-HTTPS sites.

The red triangle/exclamation point icon was arrived at after the Chrome team commissioned research around the world to figure out which symbols alarmed users the most.

The increased interest in encrypting all web-sessions is part of a wider movement that includes two EFF-affiliated projects: HTTPS Everywhere (which turns on secure connections wherever possible) and Let's Encrypt (a certificate authority that gives free cryptographic certificates  necessary for secure web connections  to anyone who asks).

It's also related to Certificate Transparency, which catches certificate authorities who issue bogus cryptographic credentials, which allow cyber-arms dealers to create weapons to let governments spy on internet connections.

Last month, two Chinese certificate authorities were outed for issuing bogus certs, leading to browser vendors blacklisting all certs issued Wosign and Startcom in their browsers.

Since she started as a security engineer at Google nearly a decade ago, Tabriz has approached her job as a white-hat hacker with an understanding that security problems are not merely technical but human. After repeatedly finding and fixing the same bugs in the company's code, for instance, she says she became determined to instead fix Google's coders. So in 2010 she and a fellow Googler started Google's "Resident Hacker" program, a crash course in information security training for programmers so they could learn to find, exploit, and patch bugs in their own work. Tabriz's interest in HTTPS in particular was piqued in 2011, when her colleagues on the security team discovered that the certificate authority DigiNotarone of the companies tasked with handing out the certificates that authenticate the identity of an HTTPS websitehad been breached by hackers. The attackers then used their access to fake encrypted connections to Google sites like Gmail and eavesdropped on visitors. The attack appeared to be the work of the Iranian government, affecting more than 300,000 mostly Iranian victims. For Tabriz, whose father is an Iranian who periodically returns to his hometown of Tehran, the attack carried personal resonance. She remembers reading a comment from one Iranian on a blog post about the incident: "For you guys, a fake certificate means a stolen password or personal information," he wrote. "For me and thousands of other Iranians, it leads to jail, torture or even death sentence." So when Tabriz took over the Chrome security team in 2014, she put a new focus on not just locking down Chrome but the entire web that users see through it. Google has long fought to advance Chrome's security beyond that of other browsers. Chrome was the first popular browser to implement a rigorous "sandbox"a security measure that limits how deeply a malicious web page can reach into a user's computerto automatically install security updates, and to pay bounty rewards in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for information about the browser's security flaws. But Tabriz's HTTPS push meant looking beyond Chrome's own code and pulling up the rest of the web's security to meet its standards.

Google's Chrome Hackers Are About to Upend Your Idea of Web Security [Andy Greenberg/Wired]
The statute of John Harvard at Harvard University. Source: Harvard University/Wikimedia

By Morgan Housel, Yahoo Finance Contributor

One of the most persistent fallacies is the reflexive association of wealth with wisdom, investor Ed Borgato tweeted this week.

Another is the association between intelligence and good decisions.

Not only are they two separate things, but there are instances where high intelligence prevents people from making better decisions.

Here are two Ive seen.

1. Intelligence increases the ability to fool yourself with elaborate stories about why something happened.

Average people can often learn faster than the super-intelligent, because the super-intelligent try to cram the real world into the theories theyve been taught, while average folks are better at accepting the real world at face value.

Heres the thing: We judge others based solely on their actions, but when judging ourselves we have an internal dialogue that justifies our mistakes and bad decisions.

If youre a fund manager who earned terrible returns, I may be able to instantly point out what went wrong: Buying during a bubble, selling during a panic, not enough diversification, whatever.

But if Im a fund manager who earns terrible returns, I can tell myself a story justifying my decisions and explaining the outcome. The Fed distorted the economy I might say, or Look at my model. Its the market thats wrong!

Two things come from this.

One, we think of ourselves as less flawed than other people, because we rarely hear the internal justifications other people have for their mistakes, but were keenly aware of our own.

Two, the smarter and more creative we are, the more elaborate stories we can tell ourselves to justify our poor decisions.

A normal person could never predict 19 of the last two bear markets and still consider themselves a market oracle. You need an advanced degree and an Excel model with 100 tabs to justify that kind of mental gymnastics. A normal person isnt capable of leveraging their portfolio 100-to-1, losing everything when the market sneezes, and blaming it on a 25-sigma event. You need a PhD in physics to convince yourself of that.

Story continues

When youre blessed with intelligence youre also cursed with the ability to use it to concoct intricate  and often false  stories about why things happened. Especially stories justifying why you, Mr. Smartypants, made a mistake.

2. Intelligence pushes you toward the idea that complex problems require complex solutions.

Try spending a quarter million dollars on a PhD program and then devoting your career to telling people that you cant predict the economy, or that they should just buy index funds. It must be hard. You worked hard and spent a fortune learning something complex, and you want to use what you were taught.

But some of the most complex problems require the simplest solutions, since simple solutions are the ones that navigate around  rather than trying to steer through  parts of a problem that are fundamentally unknowable. The brilliance of a dollar cost averaging strategy is not that it knows what the market will do next. Its that it doesnt need to know for it to work.

Robert Weinberg, a brilliant MIT cancer researcher, once explained why people like himself arent interested in simple solutions, even when theyre effective:

Persuading somebody to quit smoking is a psychological exercise. It has nothing to do with molecules and genes and cells, and so people like me are essentially uninterested in it  in spite of the fact that stopping people from smoking will have vastly more effect on cancer mortality than anything I could hope to do in my own lifetime.

The irony of some of our biggest problems is that they have solutions too simple for the people working on them to find intellectually stimulating. The same is true for companies that can innovate like geniuses but consider brand, UX, and marketing too simpleminded to care about.

Even when a problem requires a complex solution, the ability to communicate it in simple terms is indispensable to getting people to take you seriously. Albert Einstein, Warren Buffett, and Steve Jobs are all brilliant, but a lot of people are brilliant. What made them famous is their ability to distill complexity into something elegant and simple enough for average people to understand, or even use.

Sometimes I wonder: How many academics have discovered something amazing, but written it in a paper thats so dense and complex that no one else can understand it?

A lot, I imagine.

Read more from Morgan Housel here.
esa director general jan woerner exomars schiaparelli lander crash oct 19 RTX2PJU6

When the European Space Agency (ESA) lost contact with half of its ambitious ExoMars 2016 mission  the Schiaparelli lander  on October 19, the probe was falling from the Martian sky like an incendiary bomb.

Previous photos showed the crash site in black-and-white, but new color photos paint an even clearer view of Schiaparelli's final moments.

The 8-foot-wide probe survived a harrowing atmospheric reentry and a jerky parachute deployment during its 6-minute descent.

However, an unknown computer glitch led to its doom. Schiaparelli was supposed to fire up its rocket engines for about 30 seconds, then gently plop onto the surface of Mars. They only fired for 3 seconds.

The result?

The probe hit the ground at more than 185 mph with a belly full of fuel, catastrophically exploded, and left a sooty crater:

schiaparelli mars lander crash site impact crater esa

The ESA is getting a better and better view of the crash site on Mars using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which keeps passing over and zooming in on the carnage.

Until now, those images have all been in black-and-white.

On November 1, however, MRO took a photo through three filters with its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, allowing image technicians on Earth to give the image red, blue, and green values  and bring the crash site into full focus and color.

In the new color image (below), you can make out details that were previously hidden in the low contrast of black-and-white images.

"For example, a number of the bright white spots around the dark region interpreted as the impact site are confirmed as real objects  they are not likely to be imaging 'noise'  and therefore are most likely fragments of Schiaparelli," the ESA said in a Nov. 3 press release.

Basically, the white spots  now visible in the color image  appear to be chunks of the blown-up probe:

schiaparelli europe mars lander crash site color nasa jpl esa labeled

Weiterlesen

To get a sense of scale, the main dark splotch spans about 80 feet  about the length of two city buses. The curved dark streak at the upper right of the image is between 110 and 120 feet long, which is more than twice as long as two semi trucks.

MRO has also taken enough high-resolution images to better resolve the lander's parachute and heatshield.

The HiRISE team animated a handful of images from October 25 through November 1, and they show the probe's parachute flapping in the wind, anchored in place by its heavy backshell. This human relic may billow and flutter in the light Martian breeze for centuries, unless of course a future Martian colonist comes to pick it up and put it into the Elon Musk Museum of Mars:

The ESA says it will be looking more closely at the heatshield's landing site, since that may offer some clues as to what went wrong and when.

It hasn't moved, so they hope to construct a stereo-3D image to check its orientation and other details:

schiaparelli europe mars lander crash site parachute backshell color nasa jpl esa labeled

"Further imaging is planned in about two weeks, and it will be interesting to see if any further changes are noticed," the ESA said.

The space agency has launched an investigation into the failed mission.

Dissecting a disaster

According to the last bits of data it beamed to Earth, the 8-foot-wide probe survived a harrowing atmospheric reentry at 13,000 mph, popped off its heat shield, and deployed a parachute.

But Paolo Ferri, the ESA's head of mission operations, said on October 19 that something "unexpected" occurred when Schiaparelli was supposed to fire up its thrusters and gently plop onto the surface of Mars.

Engineers have worked day in and day out since they lost contact with the probe to deduce what happened.

Their best guess so far? A computer glitch made the robot think it was close to the ground when it was actually a mile high.

schiaparelli mars lander crash timeline graphic RTX2PPZZ

MRO helped confirm this conclusion by taking a photo of Schiaparelli's suspected landing site a day after it was supposed to arrive:

schiaparelli mars lander explosion esa mro animated gif

The animation alternates between two views of the site: one photographed in May 2016, and the second on October 20.

The right pane is a zoomed-in view of the site. It clearly shows a dark spray of material that spans 130 feet, roughly a 13-story building on its side  a sooty black stain that used to be Schiaparelli.

An October 25 image from MRO more clearly shows the locations of the lander's crash site, heat shield, and parachute and backshell:

schiaparelli lander crash site mars parachute heat shield mro satellite space nasa

Mars is hard

Had Schiaparelli landed, it would have been the ESA's first spacecraft to safely reach the surface of the red planet.

Unfortunately, these images mean the probe has joined a growing graveyard of failed Martian spacecraft.

For Russia, which collaborated with the ESA on the mission, Schiaparelli is the nation's seventh failed Mars landing  though it put two satellites into Mars' orbit while it was still the Soviet Union.

Fortunately, Schiaparelli is just one-half of the ExoMars 2016 mission; the other half is Schiaparelli's mother ship, the Trace Gas Orbiter. The ESA said the orbiter safely entered into Mars orbit, which means its task of sniffing for methane on Mars  a potential sign of microbial life  can begin.

The lander's mission was designed as a precursor to a more ambitious rover mission planned for 2020, so it's more of an engineering proof-of-concept than a science mission. Still, the mission failed, and officials were quick to downplay the loss.

"We should remember this landing was a test," Ferri said on October 20. "And as part of the test, you want to learn what happened," no matter the outcome.

Before Schiaparelli, humanity tried 18 times to touch Mars with penetrators, landers, and wheeled rovers. Only eight missions have succeeded.

The last time the ESA tried to land a probe on Mars, in 2003, it failed. Its Beagle 2 lander successfully jettisoned from an orbiting spacecraft. Aside a final signal before its descent, however, the robot never contacted Earth again.

It wasn't until January 2015  more than a decade later  that NASA's MRO found and photographed the dead rover in a satellite image. A subsequent investigation found that its solar panels had failed to deploy, so it never mustered the energy to phone home.

Had the new Schiaparelli probe survived, it would have also taken pictures of its descent and attempted to measure Mars' electric field for the first time and make other limited scientific observations.

May it rest in pieces.

NOW WATCH: Our goal of finding life on Mars could be jeopardized if we send humans to its surface





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What's happening in Europe on Monday

MONT PELERIN, Switzerland: Rival Cypriot leaders meet for UN-backed talks focused on the divided island's territorial disputes, seen as a rare opportunity to make progress on one of the world's longest-running political crises. 0925 GMT. Picture, Video (CYPRUS POLITICS TALKS UN)

LONDON: The British government updates lawmakers on a landmark High Court ruling that ministers cannot begin the Brexit process without prior approval from parliament. 1530 GMT. Video (BRITAIN POLITICS EU )

- Other stories -

SAINT PETERSBURG: Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang holds talks with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev as the two countries look to boost closer trade and political ties. (RUSSIA CHINA POLITICS ECONOMY)

FRAUENKIRCHEN, Austria: Austria hosts a meeting of central European defence ministers to discuss cooperation in the migrant crisis. A second day of talks takes place in Sarajevo on Tuesday. (EUROPE AUSTRIA EU MIGRANTS)

MOSCOW: Russian servicemen hold annual reenactment of a famous WWII parade on Red Square, 75 years after the original show of defiance as Nazi troops closed in on Moscow. 0700 GMT (RUSSIA WWII PARADE HISTORY POLITICS)

BULGARIA: Official results from the first round Bulgaria's presidential election, ahead of a runoff vote on November 13. Picture, Video (BULGARIA-VOTE)

ANKARA: Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik meets EU ambassadors following strong criticism by the bloc of Turkey's arrests of pro-Kurdish MPs. 0700 GMT. (TURKEY EU POLITICS KURDS)

LISBON: Start of annual "Web Summit", bringing together investors, start-ups and giants of the tech sector as well as high-profile speakers. Picture, Video (PORTUGAL IT TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angel Merkel visits the Immigration Department's offices in Berlin. 1330 GMT. Picture (GERMANY POLITICS EU MIGRANTS)

BERLIN: German President Joachim Gauck receives former editor-in-chief of Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet Can Dundar at Bellevue. 1330 GMT. (GERMANY TURKEY MEDIA POLITICS DIPLOMACY MASS-MEDIA)
China on Sunday announced a 10 billion euro ($11 bln) investment fund aimed at drumming up business between the Asian giant and central and eastern Europe. The move came as Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang met 16 counterparts from across central and eastern Europe in Lativa's capital Riga at a weekend summit focused mainly on developing trade. China's Xinhua news agency reported Sunday that the new China-Central and East European fund will be run by the Sino-CEEF Holdings Ltd. The company formally launched on Saturday in Riga by the Chinese prime minister is owned by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest lender. Xinhua quoted Sino-CEEF Holding chief Jiang Jianqing as saying that the investment fund was expected to reach 10 billion euros. He added that it would focus on developing infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and mass consumption industries in the region, including EU and eurozone members. "China has signed MOUs (memorandum of understanding) with Poland and the Czech Republic on making financial contributions" to the fund, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told counterparts in Riga, but did not reveal any sums. Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said that his small eurozone country had also decided to participate in the fund, though no details of the size of contributions were given. The new fund is part of Beijing's much vaunted efforts of establishing land and sea links for European trade, known as the "Belt and Road" policy. Chinese activity in central and eastern Europe is rooted in the "16+1 Forum" for cooperation between 16 ex-communist eastern European states and China, launched in 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. At the time, Beijing vowed to commit a total of $10.5 billion in credit lines and funds to boost economic ties with the region, but analysts say the capital injections have been slow to materialise.
The bars on the banks of Lisbon's Tagus river are gearing up for a bonanza as tens of thousands of people descend on the city for Europe's largest tech event.

to Thursday with more than 53,000 people from 165 countries signed up to attend, is expected to deliver a shot in the arm for Portugal's ailing economy.

The summit's previous five editions were held in Dublin, where a tradition for partying into the night was firmly established.

The Portuguese government expects this sixth edition to inject 200 million euros ($220 million) into the economy, with a quarter of that going to the hotel industry and another 50 million euros to the conference's various suppliers.

The national carrier, TAP, has seen a 15 percent jump in sales of European flights.

"The indirect impact could be much bigger, because hundreds of major investors will be there," economy minister Manuel Caldeira Cabral told AFP.

He added that the summit would give Portuguese start-ups "international visibility that will allow them to expand more quickly."

The event's Irish co-founder Paddy Cosgrave said a lot would be happening after sunset.

"Late in the night, we will be on the streets of Lisbon... What I like is to see tens of thousands of business people, entrepreneurs or those who want to become entrepreneurs, and they are all just learning from each other and doing business, hopefully. That's exciting," he said.

- Uber's big break -

Nights on the town can sometimes serve as a springboard for start-ups. Uber was an unknown Californian company when it attended the 2011 Web Summit.

According to Cosgrave, during a Dublin pub crawl, the company's founder met two investors who put up 50 million euros two days later.

"There are many others, hundreds of other stories like that, when I hear them that is what drives me on," said Cosgrave.

Hotels near the summit's venues, usually half empty at this time of year, are booked solid.

Across the city, room prices have seen a 68 percent spike, according to Trivago, a price comparison website.

Story continues

Some 15,000 reservations have been made through Airbnb for the summit, for a total value of 2.8 million euros.

After being hit by a major economic crisis in 2011 that prompted tens of thousands of graduates to emigrate, Portugal emerged from recession in 2014, but its recovery has been slow.

The economy minister hopes the Web Summit will help "put the brakes on emigration and even encourage qualified young people to return from England, France and Germany."
There are few communication methods as widespread as email. More than 4 billion people around the globe use email, and that number continues to grow each year.

Its only natural that email is an effective marketing tool. Not only is it prevalent, but it allows the sender to deliver practically any content without speaking to the recipient. Therefore, even cold emailing continues to help brands reach their target audiences in 2022.

When it comes to cold emailing, however, not just any message will garner replies. Effective cold emails are short, they get to the point, and their messages are intriguing and powerful. For best results, every aspect of a cold email campaign must be carefully planned and executed.

What is Cold Email?

What is a cold email? Like cold calling, cold emailing involves sending an unsolicited email to a person with whom youve had no prior relationship. A cold call email is an effective way to start a business relationship for a variety of reasons.

Through a cold email, a sales rep starts an online conversation with a potential client who likely knows very little about the company. Therefore, the content is of the email must not only grab their attention and appeal to the recipients, but it must intrigue and inform them.

Benefits of Cold Emailing

There are good reasons why cold emailing remains such a popular email marketing strategy. When done right, its highly effective. Plus it costs practically nothing, giving any positive results a worthwhile return on investment. Cold emailing benefits sales and marketing professionals in the following ways:

Cold emails reach people  For many people, much of their time is spent online, checking their inboxes. Cold emails effectively reach the right person whenever happens to be the best time to read them.

 For many people, much of their time is spent online, checking their inboxes. Cold emails effectively reach the right person whenever happens to be the best time to read them. Email can be personalized  People respond to personalized sales strategies. Cold emails are simple to customize, adding the necessary personal touch with very little extra time and effort.

 People respond to personalized sales strategies. Cold emails are simple to customize, adding the necessary personal touch with very little extra time and effort. Emails are informative  Email can be made more informative than a phone call, and its a versatile format that can include images, video, presentations and other multimedia content that engages recipients.

 Email can be made more informative than a phone call, and its a versatile format that can include images, video, presentations and other multimedia content that engages recipients. Cold emails boost brand awareness  Even cold emails that dont result in direct sales are effective at increasing recipients awareness of a brand. That increased brand awareness takes sales reps one step closer to converting a new customer.

 Even cold emails that dont result in direct sales are effective at increasing recipients awareness of a brand. That increased brand awareness takes sales reps one step closer to converting a new customer. Email campaigns can be tracked and measured  By using cold email software, a sales team can track the success of their email campaigns, using the results to refine their cold emailing strategies.

12 Best Cold Email Tips

Hoping to launch a successful cold email campaign? Are you planning the first cold email campaign for your small business, or are you training your sales reps to master the art of cold emailing? The following 12 cold email tips will help you get positive results:

1. Compose an Engaging Subject line

A cold email subject line has been called the key that unlocks the door to your message. It can determine whether a potential customer opens the email and reads the content or sends it straight to the recycle bin.

A simple subject line is essential to an effective cold email campaign, but subject lines must also be intriguing and engaging enough to grab recipients attention and make them want to read more.

2. Reference a Cold Email Template

Theres nothing wrong with referencing a template for guidance when composing your first cold email. Cold email templates are available for a variety of purposes, including sales emails.

The templates will provide all the elements of a successful cold email, and they can be customized for any brand or market. Small business owners and marketing professionals can find a variety of cold email templates online, or they can rely on templates provided by their cold email software of choice.

3. Personalize the Details

Cold email campaigns cant be effective if an email recipient sends their messages straight to the spam folder. Even worse, the email could become the victim of recipients spam filters. Personalized cold email is key to the success of a campaign.

The email must appear as if it was composed specifically for the recipient. Save time with cold email software that will personalize the details for you based on each potential customers data.

4. Rely on Cold Email Software

Creating a cold email campaign from scratch might seem like a daunting task, but a sales manager or small business owner can save time and effort by relying on a variety of cold email software tools.

Software helps facilitate cold email outreach by providing templates, tracking results and automating much of the emailing process, including personalization and sending follow up emails.

5. Develop a Cold Email Strategy

A cold email strategy is necessary for a successful campaign. What do you hope to accomplish from your cold outreach email and how do you plan to achieve that result? Its not enough just to write cold emails, send them and hope for sales.

Every aspect of the email campaign  from the subject line to the follow-up schedule  should serve a purpose, and results need tracked so the strategy can be improved based on results.

Read More: cold email template

6. Remember to Follow Up

One email isnt always enough to convert a new customer. Every cold email campaign should include at least one follow-up email, although its often suggested to send two or three follow-ups for successful cold emails, helping to better inform potential customers and increase brand awareness.

Because sending cold emails can be a daunting and time-consuming task, its a good idea to rely on cold email software tools to automate this process.

See Also: 10 Ways You Can Enhance Your Email Marketing Efforts

7. Edit the From Details in Cold Call Emails

Email recipients pay attention to who is sending an email, especially spam-wary consumers. If the sender appears untrustworthy, the email is unlikely to be opened. The from line of of your email settings can be edited at any time, and you can identify yourself however you choose.

Just as you want to carefully choose your subject line, you also should carefully compose your sender details to match the tone of your cold email while inspiring trust and authority.

8. Add a Call to Action

Never assume that email recipients will know what action you wish them to take or that they naturally will reach your desired conclusion. Remember, your cold email campaign is a sales strategy, and like any other it must include an effective call-to-action.

Do you want email recipients to purchase a product? Do you want them to visit a website, or attend an event? Then make sure you ask for it! Many successful cold emails, in fact, include multiple calls to action for recipients to read as they scroll through the message.

9. Include Irresistible Lead Magnets

How do you get the email addresses to solicit with your cold email campaign? A variety of options are available, but one effective strategy is through irresistible lead magnets. Offer customers something they want or need in exchange for their email address.

For example, you might offer an informative e-book on your landing page, but only to people who provide their email account. Cold emails also can include their own lead genertion, for example, offering an irresistible item, a download or a discount for example, to recipients who sign up to receive the company newsletter.

10. Create a Clever Introduction

Once a recipient opens an email, they will decide within just a couple of seconds whether or not they will continue to read the message. The introduction must grab their attention and almost instantly engage them.

An effective cold email introduction should only be a couple of setentces, but those sentences are powerful. Find a way to intrigue recipients, making them want to read more, while keeping the message relevant to the overall subject.

11. Pitch Your Value

One way to compose terrible cold emails is by omitting your value proposition. Why should recipients be interested in your brand or products? Why should they care? What value can you offer them?

Remember, however, that heavy sales tactics could result in spam complaints, so subtly is key when pitching your value. Instead of boasting about product features, inform cold email recipients of benefits. What do they have to gain from your brand?

12. Perfect Your Email Signature

Dont ignore the email signure when creating a successful cold email. Your signature should not only tell recipients who you are, but in addition to a company name it should include details telling readers where they can learn more about the product, brand or company.

In fact, a strategic email signature can include information that might otherwise be in the email body, allowing for a shorter, more concise message. Like the subject line of a cold email, the email signature should be short, direct and trustworthy. It also should include contact information, such as a physical address, phone number and even a LinkedIn profile.

Read More: cold email software

What is the best time to send cold emails?

A variety of studies have found the day and time a cold email is sent can have a significant impact on the success of a cold email campaign. Its commonly believed that Mondays are the best day to send a cold email, and Fridays are the worst weekday to initiate a cold call email. A Yesware study found weekend emails are 10% more likely to be opened over weekday emails, probably because 80% fewer marketing emails are sent on weekends. The same study found the best time to send a cold email is either between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. or at about 8 p.m.

Are cold emails illegal?

Whether or not it is illegal to send cold emails depends largely on where you are doing business. While sending unsolicited emails is not legal in the United Kingdom, for example, cold emailing is legal in the United States. There are, however, restrictions and guidelines that must be followed, per 2003s CAN-SPAM Act, which sets rules for commercial email, including subject line, identification and opt-out requirements.
By Tsvetelia Tsolova and Angel Krasimirov SOFIA (Reuters) - Former air force commander Rumen Radev narrowly won the first round of presidential elections in Bulgaria on Sunday, exit polls showed, raising prospects of political instability in the small Black Sea state and a strategic shift towards Russia. Radev, a 53-year-old ally of the opposition Socialist party, has called for an end of European Union sanctions against Russia and has said EU member Bulgaria should hedge its bets when it comes to international alliances. Exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International showed Radev winning 24.8-26.7 percent of the vote in which 20 other candidates also competed. First partial results will be released early on Monday. A failure to secure an overall majority would mean Radev will face a runoff vote next Sunday against the runner-up, which exit polls showed as Tsetska Tsacheva, 58, the centre-right GERB ruling party candidate. Opinion polls conducted ahead of the election showed Radev was likely to lose the first round but win the runoff. Sunday's exit polls showed Tsacheva winning 22.5-23.5 percent of the vote. Speaking to reporters, GERB Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said he would resign if Tsacheva loses the expected runoff. Prior to the vote, he pledged to step down if his party's candidate lost the first round. "We will wait to see the final results. We are mobilising our forces for the second round and I think we have a chance to win it. If we lose the runoff, we are heading to early elections," Borisov said. Analysts said that a loss by Borisov's party in the first round would be a blow his minority government. "It is likely the GERB candidate will lose the runoff, too. That means a government reshuffle is on the horizon and we can expect an early election next year," said Kiril Avramov, a political analyst with New Bulgarian University. Government officials signalled any decisions would be taken in the coming days, after official results were in. But exit poll results underscored how GERB's popularity has been eroded by disappointment over the pace of reforms, particularly in health care and education, as well as anti-corruption efforts. In his campaign, Radev tapped into public anger with political elites and a fear of migrants, saying on Sunday that he would "not allow Bulgaria to become the migrant ghetto of Europe." "Bulgarians said 'no' today to apathy and voted for change," a jubilant Radev told a news conference. Under the constitution, the president's job is largely ceremonial, but he or she can influence public opinion, veto legislation and lobby for policies. NATO member Bulgaria has long been an anomaly in Europe because of its warm ties with Russia. But Radev's election could also add another voice within the EU against the resettlement of refugees from the Middle East. Relatively few migrants have crossed into the country of 7.2 million at the height of a crisis last year, choosing a shorter route through the Balkans towards western Europe instead. But Sofia is concerned about a possible new wave. It has said the number of people trying to cross the country's borders has been on the rise since June. Economically, signs of political instability could further deter investment from the EU's poorest country, which has suffered relatively more than other member state as a result the bloc's sanctions against Russia over its actions in Crimea. "This is a big loss for GERB," said Parvan Simeonov, a political analyst with Gallup International. "If Radev wins the runoff - something that is quite likely - we can expect that Bulgaria will enter a new political stage." (Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Alan Crosby)
RALEIGH, North Carolina  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 Carolinas 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 Trumps 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 Americas culture, economy and national security.

Asians emigrate

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 Americas 40 million-plus immigrants more and more reflect the extremes of Americas economic spectrum, from super-rich tech titans to poor agriculture workers.

Transformations

The changes flash into view on a visit to the political swing state of North Carolina. The proportion of immigrants in the states 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 Carolinas 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 dont really have to know anything else, said Pranan 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 Indias 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.

Shifting sentiments

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 nations 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 wasnt a bad word, she said. America had given me the opportunity to pursue my own life, Gopala said. On the day youre born in India, your life is written. But here, that is not true.

AP staff writers Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, N.C., and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.  I've always wanted to have a mini-reunion in Nashville with my college girlfriends.

I imagined hanging out at honky-tonk bars like the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, listening to country music and meandering along Music Row. Instead, I found myself in Tennessee's capital city with my 90-year-old mom and my sister.

Was it a drag? Far from it. The three nights we spent here turned out to be lots of fun as we experienced the different personalities of this Southern city, from its eclectic foodie culture to its rich history. My mom is very mobile and has the spunk of a 65-year-old. Still, I took plenty of precautions, did some pre-planning and focused on a few major sites. We needed to pace ourselves  and leave time for naps and coffee breaks.

We stayed at a hotel close to some key attractions but away from noisy downtown bars. And we tried to avoid noisy restaurants as my mom is hearing-impaired. We also found a friendly cabdriver who took us from place to place. Better to have my mom use her energy visiting tourist spots rather than tiring herself out getting around. We also chose fall for a visit rather than summer so we didn't have to deal with sweltering heat. And we went during the week, not a weekend, to avoid bachelorette parties  which have become a huge trend in Nashville  and other celebrations.

Here are some highlights:

LODGING -- I wanted to stay within walking distance to places like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the historic Ryman Auditorium. I also wanted a hotel with lots of amenities for my mom. So I booked a room at The Hermitage, a five-star, century-old hotel in downtown Nashville. Our September rate was a good one: two queen beds, $349, and we split it three ways. The Hermitage staff was extremely gracious, went out of their way to book dinner reservations and even got us great seats at the Grand Ole Opry.

FOOD -- I wanted us to try different types of restaurants. Our first meal in Nashville was lunch at Puckett's, a few blocks from our hotel. It had a quaint general-store feel and offered tasty traditional Southern food like pulled pork and macaroni and cheese  and it was cheap, $40 for the three of us. But the highlight of our culinary adventures was The Standard at The Smith House, a townhouse built in the 1840s. The restaurant serves more upscale Southern fare  I had blackened sea bass with mashed potatoes and caramelized corn. And we shared an order of grits.

MUSIC -- You can find music in Nashville anywhere, anytime. But I didn't want to tire out my mom. So we focused on getting tickets to an evening concert at the Grand Ole Opry, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. It was delightful, featuring a lineup of performers like Montgomery Gentry and Old Dominion. But make sure to arrange for a cab or a car service to pick you up after if you are not driving. The line for a cab is long. For the winter season beginning Nov. 1, Opry concerts are held at the Ryman Auditorium, which some fans think is an even better venue.

HISTORY -- From country music to the Civil War, Nashville has a lot of history. But we had to be selective. A must-see: the Country Music Hall of Fame, which features a vast collection of video clips, instruments and costumes from stars across the decades. From Roy Rogers, who started his career as an old-timey yodeling cowboy, to Taylor Swift, a Nashville darling before she became a pop megastar, the museum takes you from its folk roots to its contemporary glitz.

Another hot attraction: the backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium, nicknamed "the mother church of country music" because of its origins as a church and as home of the Grand Ole Opry show from 1943-1974. We visited dressing rooms dedicated to stars like Minnie Pearl and spent time in the wooden pews.

Then there's the Hermitage plantation, a 25-minute drive from downtown. President Andrew Jackson owned the property from 1804 until his death there in 1845. Carve out a half day as you'll need time to tour the stunning main house and walk the grounds. A horse-and-wagon ride allowed my mom to actually see all of the grounds without walking too far.

On our final day, we visited the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library, which features videos, photographs and various displays of highlights of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Of course, it would have been great to visit the historic Belle Meade plantation too, and honky-tonk bars like Tootsie's. But I'm saving that for another trip. I want to go with my girlfriends, but my mom wants to go back too.
WASHINGTON  While the world was watching Americas gay rights transformation, the Obama administration was pursuing a quieter mission to try to export the same freedoms overseas to places like sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and eastern Europe.

The U.S. has deployed its diplomats and spent tens of millions of dollars to try to block anti-gay laws, punish countries that enacted them, and tie financial assistance to respect for LGBT rights. It was a mission animated in part by former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons declaration that gay rights are human rights.

Yet the U.S. encountered occasional backlash, including from some rights groups that said public pressure by the West made things worse.

I walked into a very backward environment in 2009, said Susan Rice, President Barack Obamas national security adviser and former U.N. ambassador. In an Associated Press interview, Rice said both the U.N. and U.S. had avoided taking on the issue.

She argued that despite a cascade of pressing global crises, the White House had tried to deal with the urgent and deal with the important, and even if the important is, some might say, optional, its important.

In its latest push to use dollars as leverage, Rice announced in a speech on 0ct 26 that the U.S. is enacting a rule prohibiting U.S. Agency for International Development contracts from going to groups that discriminate in delivery of services. That means a clinic, food program or shelter cant refuse services to a gay or transgender person.

Yet even in countries where legal protections have improved, such as Brazil and Argentina, its difficult to draw a straight line between U.S. advocacy and progress, and in Latin America, those changes have been accompanied by increasing violence against LGBT people. In Uganda, a court eventually invalidated an anti-gay law the U.S. had emphatically opposed. But in Gambia, anti-gay rhetoric has escalated despite a U.S. decision to revoke the countrys preferential trade status following an LGBT crackdown.

The growing focus on gay rights in diplomacy mirrored the shift in attitudes in the U.S. toward LGBT people, illustrated by seismic changes like gay marriage and gays serving openly in the military. As with its domestic efforts, the Obama administration faced objections from social conservatives and some religious groups at home and abroad who called it an inappropriate use of government to infringe on others cultural beliefs.

A 2011 memorandum signed by Obama directed the government for the first time to use diplomacy and foreign aid to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons. U.S. embassies started taking part in pride celebrations, with outposts in socially liberal capitals like Tel Aviv and London raising rainbow flags.

A speech by Clinton to the U.N. in Geneva that year thrust the issue to the forefront, at least for a moment, when she said that gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights, in an echo of her famous 1995 speech in Beijing equating womens rights and human rights. Mira Patel, a former State Department adviser now volunteering on Clintons campaign, said she was surprised when the secretary first used the line publicly at a pride reception for U.S. diplomats.

I never expected these issues could be elevated so fast and at such a high level, Patel said.

The U.S. in 2010 started issuing passports to transgender people that reflected their current gender identity, and the White House started sending openly gay athletes as part of its delegation to Olympics ceremonies  including the 2014 Winter Games in Russia. At the United Nations, Rice and other diplomats secured language in several resolutions opposing discrimination or condemning extrajudicial killings of LGBT people.

For Obama, who only came around to fully embracing gay rights while in office, the campaign came to a head last year in Nairobi, Kenya. Warned in no uncertain terms ahead of his visits to keep quiet about gay rights, Obama called for equal legal treatment for gays while standing next to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who brushed it off and insisted it was not really an issue.

Bisi Alimi, a Nigerian gay rights activist, said that advocacy was critical to helping dissolve what for many Africans has been a persuasive argument against gay rights: that the U.S. and other rich nations are engaging in paternalism and cultural colonialism.

We should not forget that Obamas father is Kenyan, Alimi said by phone from London, where he fled after being physically attacked in Nigeria. There was no better place for him to say that than in a place where his nationality wouldnt be questioned, where he wouldnt be seen as a Westerner telling us how to live our lives.

Yet not infrequently, LGBT activists in other countries have urged the U.S. to pull back  or at least to stop making the case publicly.

In Uganda, the U.S. in 2014 cut off visas for senior Ugandan officials, canceled aid and nixed a joint military exercise to punish Uganda for legislation that became known as the Kill the Gays bill. But activists said heavy-handed U.S. advocacy had given gay rights opponents the evidence they needed to argue that a native rights movement was being orchestrated by Washington.

Two years earlier, stolen diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks showed Ugandan activists had insisted to U.S. diplomats that they preferred quiet diplomacy  not public statements.

What weve seen in the last eight years has been 99 percent great and 1 percent horrible backlash, said Jay Michaelson, an American author and LGBT activist whos written extensively on the subject.

Rice said the key was to tailor efforts to each countrys circumstances, limiting advocacy to behind-the-scenes meetings when a public push might cause more harm.

What we dont want to do to the extent we can avoid it is expose individuals who arent wanting to be exposed and to put individuals at risk, Rice said.
The names of Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer are synonymous with the Manhattan Project.

Groves was the U.S. Army general who oversaw Americas secret nuclear weapons project. Oppenheimer was the physicist who directed Los Alamos Laboratory, one of the projects three legs; he is often ominously called the father of the atom bomb.

A valuable new biography recognizes the lifelong contributions of a physicist who had roles in the work of all three legs of the project that developed the bomb  at Hanford, Wash., at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and at Los Alamos.

His name is Enrico Fermi.

The biography is The Pope of Physics  Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age by Gino Segre and Bettina Hoerlin.

The Oak Ridges nuclear reactor design resulted directly from Fermis successful (experimental chain-reaction) nuclear pile, according to the biography.

At Hanford, Fermi was key in figuring out that an adequate amount of plutonium could be produced to make a bomb, the book says.

At Los Alamos, it notes, Fermi was a valuable member of the team that fit all the pieces together. He was the person to consult about almost any physics question.

Fermi, a native of Italy, received the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics just before fleeing Fascist Italy to the United States with his family.

Fermis wife, Laura, was Jewish.

Fermis got his nickname the Pope of Physics early in his career. It was another way of saying he was a genius. At Los Alamos, he was one of a handful of genius-physicists, some of them Jews who had fled the Nazi threat.

Welcomed by the U.S., Fermi first taught at Columbia, moved to Chicago to work at the Argonne Laboratory and then to the closed community of Los Alamos, where his family occupied a three-bedroom apartment in a two-story, wooden building that housed four apartments.

The biography said the unattractive, hastily erected apartments and dormitories contrasted with the magnificent scenery. The outdoors and the work at the lab both appealed to Fermi.

Fermi, the biography says, zeroed in on pure physics, preferring others to deal with the political implications of nuclear research. But he was resolute in his belief that Mussolini and Hitler should be defeated.

Segre believes Fermi was probably the only person to reach the peak of his profession in both experimental and theoretical physics. Fermi died in 1954 at age 53.

(Segres uncle, Emilio Segre, was a student of Fermis in Italy and later a friend.)

Hoerlin, in a phone interview, said the legacy of the Manhattan Project remains with us as political and moral issues. It has shaped our lives, shaped the way nations interacted and the way people have raised questions to this day that we struggled with in terms of the threat of nuclear annihilation, she said.

She pointed to other legacies  the role of secrecy in scientific investigation and the role of immigrants; immigrant physicists patriotic to the U.S. were deeply involved in the Manhattan Project.

Hoerlin graduated from Los Alamos High School. Her father was a physicist who went to work at the lab in 1953.
The Bell Iroquois UH-1 Huey helicopter has been called the icon of the Vietnam war.

For veterans of the Southeast Asia conflict, the memories are still vivid. The hard driving rap-rap-rap of its rotors signalled the arrival of troops, supplies, gun support and medical help.

Since 1999, one of those Hueys, the Viking Surprise, has been a major feature at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire.

Ive seen men put their hand on the nose of that aircraft and be brought to tears. It brings back memories, said Richard Dick Dickerson, a Vietnam veteran and retired National Guardsman who serves on the board of the David Westphall Veterans Foundation.

The memorial was founded by Dr. Victor Westphall to honor his son, David Westphall, who was killed in Vietnam. It became a state park in 2005.

However, years of exposure to the harsh high-altitude sun, fierce winds and dramatic temperature changes of northern New Mexico have taken their toll on the helicopter.

An aircraft is meant to be flown and if its not flown regularly, you need to maintain it, said foundation board member Jack Swickard, who was a helicopter pilot with the 118th Army Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.

Thanks to collaborative efforts of the foundation, the State Park, New Mexico Transportation Department and several private sector companies, the Viking Surprise is about to get a facelift.

This is just a dream come true, said Rep. Bob Wooley, R-Roswell, also a veteran and foundation board member.

Roswell is home to several aviation-related companies at the former Walker Air Force Base, which closed in 1967. Wooleys contacts with aircraft maintenance specialists AerSale and Dean Baldwin Painting, which paints private, military and commercial aircraft, yielded commitments to refurbish the aircraft for free.

We are really excited to do this kind of project. As a company, we really stand behind our community, said Dean Baldwin General Manager David Mantay, a former U.S. Navy pilot.

A Taos company, MTM Crane Services, offered to lift the aircraft off the display stand onto the Transportation Department trailer and on Friday, Oct. 21, the Huey began its journey to Roswell.

Transporting the roughly 60-foot long aircraft over the hairpin turns of Palo Flechado Pass between Angel Fire and Taos was a challenge.

(We) enlisted one of our most talented drivers to navigate the road, said Transportation Department spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell.

State Police pitched in to provide an escort as the huge transport vehicle made its way to southeastern New Mexico, stopping for the weekend in Santa Fe.

It arrived with great fanfare on Monday, Oct. 24, escorted through Roswell by local motorcycle riders of the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization that honors veterans. Volunteers from Holloway Construction used a crane to unload it at the AerSale hangar.

Swickard, now 73, got to sit in the pilots seat and relive old memories. Based on the aircraft tail number, he realized that it was one of the helicopters he had flown in Vietnam when he was 22 years old.

Helicopters are more difficult to fly than fixed wing aircraft. Every control move affects all other controls in the cockpit, Swickard said.

Flying in Vietnam, he said, Your depth perception became extremely good. You could tell when you were two inches from an object with the rotor blade. You could lower the craft into a hole among tree with only inches clearance.

Dickerson and other foundation board members will meet with representatives from AerSale and Dean Baldwin in mid-November to discuss repairs they want.

Corrosion is the worst enemy of aircraft. Any corrosion on the metal they will fix, Dickerson said, I think that the consensus will be to take it back to the Vietnam era look. I think well pick a paint that will withstand the weather, that will give the longest life to the exterior.

Vietnam Memorial State Park Manager Kate German said the State Park doesnt want any specific unit artwork on the Huey.

It needs to speak to all veterans and therefore, we want to keep it plain, German said.

The Viking Surprise, built in 1964, saw service with the Armys 121st Assault Helicopter Company Soc Trang Tigers and Viking Gunship Platoon and later the 118th AHC Bandit and Thunderbird Platoon in Vietnam.

More recently, the helicopter was used by the New Mexico National Guard for general support, including search and rescue and for combat training.

It was used for all kinds of missions, said retired National Guardsmen Robert Barrow and Joe Repichowski, who worked with the Huey from about 1991 to 1999, when it went to Angel Fire.

Dickerson expects there will be a large celebration, likely in spring, when the refurbished Huey returns to Angel Fire.

Helicopter facts

More about the Viking Surprise and Huey helicopters:

 From 1965 to 1973, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter was the most common utility helicopter used in Vietnam. It was originally designated HU-1, hence the nickname Huey. The designation was later changed to UH-1, according to the Vietnam Helicopters Museum website vietnamhelicopters.org.

 Viking Surprise was fitted with experimental equipment in March 1967, enabling it to lay down a layer of smoke to provide cover for troops in landing zones.

 As a smokeship with the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, Viking Surprise, tail number 13670, played a vital role in a rescue operation on Easter Day, March 26, 1967. It had to be repaired and was then assigned to the 118th AHC, according to research by Kate German, manager of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park.

 The New Mexico National Guard received a number of UH-1 helicopters, which provided medevac and search and rescue support for the state, including transport of medical and food supplies to the Navajo Nation during the winters of 1982 to 1985, according to Joseph Vigil, a spokesman for the New Mexico National Guard.

 Retired National Guardsmen Robert Barrow and Joe Repichowski said the Viking Surprise was brought to New Mexico from Arizona around 1991 and was used for all types of missions for the next few years.

 In 1997, the UH-1 aircraft was retired and seven UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were brought to Santa Fe for the 717th Medical Company.

 The Viking Surprise was brought to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park by the New Mexico National Guard in May 1999.
L.A. fashion is coming to New Mexico to give the citys homeless a helping hand.

Its time for the 19th Annual The Pennies for The Homeless High Tea & Fashion Show Extravaganza and this years featured designer will be Lourdes Chavez from California. She specializes in high fashion/couture designs.

The show will be held Nov. 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. Party goers will have the opportunity to shop high-end local businesses before the fashion show.

This year organizers will also unveil a new award that will honor co-founder, the late District Court Judge Diane Dal Santo, who died in July 2015 from a heart-related illness. She and Joseph Saavedra started the nonprofit organization Pennies for the Homeless in 1993 and the annual fashion show a few years after that.

Saavedra said he was inspired by Albuquerque Public Schools children who were bringing in their pennies to help local homeless people. He said he asked Dal Santo, an advocate for women, children and the homeless, to help him turn the childrens effort into an official organization.

The annual fashion show is the groups major fundraising effort. Money raised by the show goes to nearly two dozen organizations in the surrounding area, including Joy Junction, Barrett House, Haven House, Healthcare for the Homeless, the Salvation Army and Roadrunner Food Bank. Saavedra said the 2015 event raised $75,000.

The draw for the event, Saavedra said, is the top designers he brings from out of state.

This years designer was born in Mexico and grew up with eight brothers. Lourdes Chavezs family moved to Los Angeles when she was 9. She showed interest in fashion from the age of 6, designing dresses for her paperdolls. She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Chavez started her own label in 1998 after years of studying abroad. She has built a multi-million-dollar company with her pieces selling in speciality and boutique stores across the country.

I love her line of clothes, Saavedra said. Its very wearable.

Her collections feature extravagant embellishments and bright, vibrant colors. Attendees will have the chance to custom order the designers fashions.

At the end of the show, you can be measured and have an outfit custom made for you, Saavedra said.

This year Saavedra said he wanted to honor the woman who helped him found the organization more than two decades ago, launching the Footprints in the Heart Award. The award recognizes people who help and give back to the community.

At her (Dal Santos) memorial, someone read the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that said Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart,' he said. I thought that was perfect and described Diane.

The award is a locket featuring footprints and two pennies. This years nominees are Patty Kehoe of Molina Healthcare; Jeremy Reynalds of Joy Junction; Pastor Dinah Baca of Restoration Ministries, who is deceased; and Helen Fox, founder of Albuquerques first Title I Program for homeless students.

Saavedra said after living in the Los Angeles area as a young adult and seeing the homeless population there and then returning to Albuquerque he was inspired to do something.

I came home and saw the reality of what was happening, he said. I knew I had to do something. My passion to help people keeps me going.

If you go

WHAT: Pennies for the Homeless High Tea & Fashion Show Extravaganza

WHY: To raise money for local homeless populations

WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13

WHERE: Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande NW

TICKETS: $65 for individual or $650 for a table of 10; penniesforthehomeless.org or call 244-1518
Prokofievs Violin Concerto No. 2 starts with a simple Russian folk melody before tearing into a taste of Spain.

Guest violinist Jennifer Frautschi will perform the piece with the New Mexico Philharmonic at Popejoy Hall on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Frautschi has made regular appearances in New Mexico via the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, as well as dates in both Taos and in Albuquerque with the old New Mexico Symphony.

Born in Pasadena, Calif., she has been playing the violin since the age of 3 and performing since her mid-teens. The Austin Chronicle dubbed her the Anna Karenina of the strings.

I characterize it as a broadly lyrical work, she said of the Prokofiev concerto. Its modern, and there are a lot of spikily different and angular rhythms.

The composer wrote the piece about the same time as his more familiar Romeo and Juliet, she added.

It features a lot of soaring themes in the first and second movements, she said. There are some very beautiful, lush melodies, but theres some darkness on the somber and sparse side.

The clack of castanets embellishes the third movement. Prokofiev premiered the concerto in Madrid in 1935. The Spanish liked the music so much they sent a delegation to thank the composer.

Its a really exciting piece with a lot of color and different moods, Frautschi said. Theres some very intricate and tricky writing for the violin. Its almost like a puzzle. You have to be very nimble.

Frautschi began playing the violin to imitate her older sister and realized she loved performing. She treasures the joy of getting to stand on stage and communicate with an audience.

After the concerto, the orchestra will play Tchaikovskys Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op. 64.

Frautschi plays a 1722 Antonio Stradivarius violin known as the ex-Cadiz, which is on loan.
The Eddy County Sheriffs Office has made a second arrest in connection with an October killing near a Pecos River fishing spot.

Phillip Garcia, 23, of Carlsbad, was arrested Friday and charged with conspiracy, tampering with evidence and distribution of controlled or counterfeit substances for his involvement in the death of 44-year-old Fred Harris of Carlsbad, according to a sheriffs office news release issued Saturday. Garcia was booked into the Eddy County jail.

On Oct. 30, deputies were dispatched to the area of Capitan Reef Road near the river after a vehicle was reported on fire. At the scene, deputies found a man  later identified as Harris  dead near the river.

After a day-long investigation, Austin Madrid, 22, of Carlsbad, was arrested and charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence in the case, the sheriffs office said. Hes also jailed in Eddy County.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus on Thursday reported that Madrid gave investigators two versions of events that led to the death of Harris.

According to the criminal complaint, as reported by the newspaper, Madrid initially said he stumbled upon Harriss body on Capitan Reef Road. However, in later interviews, he allegedly redacted his story and said a second man was responsible for the death. A witness told investigators Madrid might have been intoxicated while committing the crime, the newspaper reported.

The criminal complaint states investigators found a pellet rifle and a machete at the scene. An autopsy is pending, but investigators indicated in their report that Harris had suffered trauma to his head, the Current-Argus reported.

Harris was in the area fishing at the time of his death, detectives told the newspaper. Investigators believe Harriss car was set on fire to hide evidence, the newspaper said.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

CHAPARRAL  Fainot Pierre is a 30-year-old Haitian-American veteran of the U.S. Army and a biology student, but he says now the first thing he tells people is, Im an activist.

A small but impassioned group of Haitian-Americans from Albuquerque to El Paso are decrying the detention of more than 2,700 Haitians who crossed through Mexico at the California border, many of them seeking asylum. Of those, more than 130 Haitian men are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Otero County.

Citing intelligence from countries along the migration route, ICE Director Sarah Saldana told a congressional committee in September that as many as 40,000 more Haitians could be on their way to the U.S.-Mexican border  an emergency situation, she said.

Pierre, who attends the University of Texas at El Paso, says he has visited the Otero County detention center four times in the past month to provide counseling and lend an ear to his compatriots, who did not realize when they reached the U.S. after crossing overland through South and Central America and Mexico that they would be jailed.

Among the thousands of people from Central America  and increasingly Asia and Africa  who have been arriving at the Southwestern border asking for asylum, the Haitians find themselves in an especially difficult situation.

The Department of Homeland Security said in September that it would restart deportations of unauthorized Haitian immigrants, which it had stopped after a devastating earthquake struck in 2010. Days after that decision, Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, killing more than 1,000 people and plunging the country  still struggling to recover from the earthquake and reeling from political turmoil  into further chaos. DHS again suspended deportations but indicated flights would resume as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Haitian government had been accepting only a limited number of its citizens, 50 per month, with frequent denials, making it impossible for the U.S. to deport them in large numbers, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

All they can think of is back to Haiti, their families, their wives, Pierre said. Since they got to San Diego, some of them had a wife and kids with them and they have been separated since. I understand they broke immigration law, but they havent talked to a judge.

ICE may hold immigrants in detention awaiting deportation up to 180 days. Should they claim credible fear of returning to their country and wish to seek asylum, and a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer affirms their claim, they have a right to a hearing in immigration court  but ICE can still hold them while they wait.

The detention facilities in Otero County include an ICE detention center and a federal prison. It is unusual for detained immigrants not facing criminal charges to be held in the prison, but Anna Hey, an attorney with Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico, confirmed that a potential client she visited and the other Haitian immigrants are being housed in the prison.

They are being treated like they are criminals, she said. They should be in civil detention.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many of the Haitians arriving at the Southwestern border fled first to Brazil and other South American countries after the earthquake. An economic downturn and political instability in Brazil, along with hopes of winning asylum or other legal status in the U.S., has stirred the exodus of thousands headed for the U.S., according to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for tougher immigration enforcement.

Every country has responsibility not to return people who have credible fear, she said. But they should stay in the first safe country they come to. Why are we encouraging this smuggling and run on the border, especially when we know most of these people arent going to succeed in getting asylum?

Nearly all of the Haitian migrants have been smuggled to Tijuana and are presenting at Californias San Ysidro port of entry. Whether they claim asylum or not, those men who lack visas and are unauthorized are turned over to ICE custody and detained; advocates say some of the women and children are being temporarily released to relatives.

Albuquerque residents Louis Saint Lot and his son, Talal, were planning to visit Otero this weekend, alongside a Haitian-American pastor in El Paso who has been organizing visits on religious grounds.

We figured we could help, Talal Saint Lot said. We just want to let them know that there is a community outside supporting them.

Pierre said many of the men detained at Otero sold everything  their land, their house  to pay for the journey to the U.S., and inside the detention center they are losing hope.

They still dont know if they are going to be sent back, but they have nothing left in Haiti, he said. We can only describe this as a dire situation. They tell me  there is no hope.
Antonio Davon Brown was 29 years old, a captain in the Army reserves, a Florida A&M graduate and a human resources manager with the Lowes home improvement chain. He was murdered in Orlando this year for no other reason than he was in a gay nightclub the night a gay-hater showed up with firearms.

Jose Chavez was 33 years old and a police officer in Hatch when he was gunned down for no reason other than he wore a police officer uniform and he was doing his job. He was a naturalized citizen who wanted to be a cop so badly that he studied for his GED at night after working all day in an animal shelter.

Photographs of these young men, both of whom are in uniform, are mounted opposite each other at a new exhibit called Remembering the Valiant and Innocent in the U.S. 2016, opening at 2 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico on Central Avenue near Seventh Street Downtown.

The exhibit includes photos and biographies of all 49 people killed at Orlandos Pulse nightclub and of the police officers killed in Alamogordo, Hatch, Baton Rouge and Dallas.

The point is simple. Hatred may be directed at a uniform, a sexual orientation, a religion, an ethnic group, a nationality or any number of other abstractions, but the dead are human beings with human stories.

Miranda Jacobson, a museum docent and volunteer, spent more than 350 hours compiling the stories of each victim, using newspaper clippings, information from the Officer Down Memorial Page, and web searches. Visitors can read the stories in a large binder on a table in the exhibit, and they can record their thoughts and impressions in another binder.

Jerry Small, a museum volunteer, came up with the idea for the exhibit. The museum has somber and troubling exhibits dedicated to the Holocaust of the 1940s and genocides in Rwanda, the Balkans, Turkey and other places. But hate and intolerance are not historical artifacts. They are something people live with every day.

The day the Pulse shootings happened, I said we have to do an exhibit, Small said. Most of what we (exhibit) doesnt touch people here. Its in Syria. Its in Rwanda. Lets let people see what is happening right now, particularly in New Mexico, where officers were shot down just because they were wearing a uniform.

People were targeted at Pulse because their murderer hated gay people, but many of the victims werent gay, Jacobson discovered. It was Latin dance night at Pulse, a night that attracted a large and diverse crowd who shared a love of dancing more than a sexual identity. Bouncers were killed. Family members who went to Pulse with a gay relative were killed.

The stories just rip your heart out. I had to take a break from the biographies, Jacobson said. Its pretty heavy stuff.

Montrell Jackson of the Baton Rouge Police Department, 32 years old, was a new father. He was African-American. Nine days before he was shot to death, he wrote on his Facebook page, Please dont let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better.

Amanda Alvear, 25, planned to be a nurse. She spent the day before she was killed at Pulse buying clothes with her 12- and 8-year-old nieces.

Akyra Murray, 18, had just graduated third in her high school class in Philadelphia. She was in Orlando to celebrate her graduation with two friends. She went to Pulse because a website she visited said it was the best nightclub in Orlando.

Dallas police officer Brent Thompson had been married two weeks when he was murdered in an ambush, along with four other officers.

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool was, at 49, the oldest Pulse victim. She had survived two bouts with cancer and had raised 11 foster children. She was dancing at Pulse with one of them. Her foster son survived.

It is hard to imagine that human beings could murder dancers at a gay nightclub, Jews in Germany or police officers in New Mexico if they could appreciate the humanity of their victims. The Holocaust & Intolerance Museum has humanized those victims. It is too late for them, but proclaiming our shared humanity is essential if the horrors of 2016 are not to be repeated.

UpFront is a news and opinion column. Comment directly to Winthrop Quigley at 823-3896 or wquigley@abqjournal.com. Go to abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
WASHINGTON  Tuesday evening, after Election Days tranquility, new clamors will erupt as analysts with agendas tickle portents and lessons from the torrent of election returns. Herewith, some developments to watch.

 In the 17 elections since World War II, the winner has averaged 385.4 electoral votes, the loser 145.1. In six elections (1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984), a major-party candidate won fewer than 100. In the seven elections after 1984, no Democrat has received fewer than 111 (Michael Dukakis in 1988) and no Republican fewer than 159 (Bob Dole in 1996). Measure Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accordingly.

 Republican nominees popular-vote totals this century are: 2000 (Bush) 50,455,156; 2004 (Bush) 62,040,610; 2008 (McCain) 59,934,814; 2012 (Romney) 60,932,152. Measure Trumps total accordingly, bearing in mind that there are 10 million more eligible voters in 2016 than in 2012 and nearly 20 million more than in 2008.

 In 2012, Romneys totals in 10 swing states were: Texas 4,569,843 (57 percent); Florida 4,163,447 (49 percent); Pennsylvania 2,680,434 (47 percent); Ohio 2,661,407 (48 percent); Michigan 2,115,256 (45 percent); Virginia 1,822,522 (47 percent); Arizona 1,233,654 (54 percent); Colorado 1,185,243 (46 percent); Nevada 463,567 (46 percent); New Hampshire 329,918 (47 percent). Use these numbers to measure Trumps success at enlarging the Republican electorate.

 In 1976, when Jimmy Carter narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, 20 states were won by five points or less; in 2012, just four were. In 1976, Ford won California and Illinois with 49.3 percent and 50.1 percent, respectively. Carter won Texas with 51.1 percent. Tuesday will show how much has changed in four decades.

 In nine consecutive elections (1980-2012), Florida has been more Republican than the nation. Is it still?

 In 1976, a majority of House seats were won by 10 points or less. In 2012, most were won by at least 20 points. Watch Tuesday night for further evidence of the extent to which representatives now pick their voters rather than voters picking representatives. And for how many incumbents are defeated by an electorate supposedly seething against insiders.

 The blue wall consists of 18 states and the District of Columbia (totaling 242 electoral votes) that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. Will Trump, who vowed to expand the battlefield, carry any of these?

 The Republicans red wall (in at least six consecutive elections) consists of 13 states with 102 electoral votes: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming. Will Clinton come close to carrying Texas? Will she lose any age cohort there other than voters over 65?

 Will Trumps louche lifestyle cost him culturally conservative Utah, which last voted Democratic in 1964, and which since then has voted Republican by an average of 36.1 points?

 The only Democrat to carry Arizona since 1948 was Bill Clinton in 1996. If his wife duplicates that feat, will this be because the states Mormon community recoiled from Trump?

 In 1984, when Ronald Reagan carried 49 states, under-30 voters were the most Republican age group. This year, will it be, for the fourth consecutive election, the most Democratic?

 A large and growing portion of voters acknowledge no religious tradition. They were 12 percent of the 2012 turnout and Democrats carried this secular cohort by 44 points. How much support did such voters give Trump, who has vowed to spiritize America?

 Will Trump become the first Republican in 60 years to lose whites with college educations?

 Will Trump achieve even Mitt Romneys 17 percent of the nonwhite vote?

 Will Trump hold Clinton in Georgia below the 46 percent that Barack Obama won in 2012?

 Finally, Winston Churchill enjoyed the story of the man who, upon receiving a telegram reporting his mother-in-laws death and asking for instructions, replied: Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances. What instructions will Tuesday evenings returns give to Republicans about what to do with Trumps approach to the electorate?
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Bolstered by strong support among female voters and voters in the Albuquerque area, Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver has a comfortable lead over Republican rival Nora Espinoza in the race to become New Mexicos next secretary of state, a new Journal Poll found.

The two are vying for the states third-highest office in the only non-judicial statewide race on this years ballot. The big-spending race  the candidates had combined to spend nearly $1 million as of the start of this month  is happening only because the states former secretary of state, Dianna Duran, resigned from office last year and pleaded guilty to misusing thousands of dollars in campaign funds to cover gambling debts.

Toulouse Oliver, the Bernalillo County clerk, had the support of 53 percent of likely voters surveyed in the poll, compared with 40 percent for Espinoza, a Roswell legislator. The remaining voters polled were either undecided about who they would vote for in the Nov. 8 election or would not say.

A Journal Poll conducted in late September had a similar margin  Toulouse Oliver led Espinoza 45 percent to 31 percent in that poll  but featured a larger percentage of undecided voters.

Journal Pollster Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., said the fact Toulouse Oliver had surpassed 50 percent voter support in the most recent poll is significant.

When you reach the 50 percent threshold, a candidate can breathe a little easier, Sanderoff said. At this point, Espinoza would have to win over not only all the undecided voters, but also change the minds of at least some Toulouse Oliver supporters.

The candidates are vying to fill the remaining two years of Durans term. Current Secretary of State Brad Winter, who was appointed to the position by Gov. Susana Martinez, is not seeking election.

Toulouse Oliver, who also ran for secretary of state in 2014 but was defeated that year by Duran, has a big edge over Espinoza in the Albuquerque area  61 percent to 34 percent  and a hefty lead among female voters. Male voters were more narrowly split between the two candidates.

While both candidates have launched TV ads in the race and spent large sums of money  Toulouse Oliver has spent more than $661,000, compared with roughly $328,000 for Espinoza  Toulouse Oliver has benefited from the advantage of being the county clerk in the states most populous county, Sanderoff said.

I dont think the Dianna Duran controversy is holding Nora Espinoza back  I think its more her lack of name recognition, Sanderoff said. Its an uphill battle for Espinoza, given the wide margins Toulouse Oliver enjoys in this race.

The Journal Poll asked voters whom they would vote for in the secretary of states race or, if they said they had already cast a ballot via early or absentee voting, for whom they voted.

Among those who had already voted, which made up slightly more than half of those surveyed, Toulouse Oliver held a 58-39 lead over Espinoza. The margin was closer between the two candidates among voters who had not yet voted but said they were very likely to do so.

Meanwhile, Republican voters were slightly more likely to cross party lines and vote for Toulouse Oliver than Democratic voters were to back Espinonza, a trend that could be due to support for Toulouse Oliver from some Albuquerque-area Republicans, Sanderoff said.

Espinoza did have a big edge among voters in New Mexicos northwestern region and east side  both traditional GOP strongholds  but that was not enough to offset Toulouse Olivers lead in other parts of the state, specifically the Albuquerque area and the states Democratic-friendly north-central area.

The secretary of state is New Mexicos chief elections officer, overseeing statewide elections run by county clerks and regulating both state ethics and campaign finance laws.

The two candidates in this years race have exchanged insults and clashed on many issues, with Espinoza voicing concerns about possible voter fraud and pushing for a requirement for photo voter identification. Toulouse Oliver opposes photo voter ID and says voting should be made easier and more accessible, in part by allowing voters to register the same day they vote, a proposal Espinoza opposes.

The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 504 voters who said they had already voted this year or planned to vote. Most voters surveyed cast ballots in either the 2012 or 2014 general elections; a small portion of newly registered voters were also included in the sample.

The poll was conducted Nov. 1 through Nov. 3. The full voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples.

All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone.

Both cellphone numbers (50 percent) and landlines (50 percent) of proven general election voters were used.
NEW YORK  The opening of the Clara Francis Gallery this summer in a renovated Harlem storefront was an exciting moment for Haile King Rubie. It was the first solo show for the 26-year-old painter, whose expressive works are all the more remarkable because he was born with Down syndrome.

It also was another small step in the development of Harlem as an art gallery district.

The neighborhood is still a long way from replacing Chelsea or Brooklyn as the epicenter of the city's art scene, but Harlem is now home to about a dozen galleries and in the fall, two more big-name galleries are slated to open.

The Elizabeth Dee Gallery will occupy a two-story building that is next door to the National Black Theatre and two blocks east of the Studio Museum. After many years downtown, Gavin Brown's Enterprise is moving into three floors of exhibition space at a former brewery on West 127th Street.

Those newcomers join longer-term residents like the Essie Green Galleries, renowned for such African-American masters as Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.

"We have an ever-changing gallery landscape in Harlem. I've seen a number of galleries come and go, succeed and fail over the years," said Omo Misha, a Harlem-based curator. "We're seeing another shift now that will be a positive one for the community and the artist community overall. We're seeing an influx of new galleries opening and the new ones and those already here will be a destination for art."

The newest addition, the Clara Francis Gallery, came about after area artists, curators and the community urged Rubie's father, Bernardo, to mount a solo exhibition of his son's works.

The elder Rubie conceived it as a pop-up exhibition space where artists who might not otherwise have a place could show their art.

He renovated an unused storefront adjacent to his Latin soul food restaurant on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, where he has long featured works by local artists, including some Harlem Globetrotters players.

Future exhibitions will feature the photography of Kwame Braithwaite including his extraordinary images of Muhammad Ali; artists from Cuba; and the history of the African American Day Parade.

Bernardo Rubie called Harlem "a very vibrant and fertile environment" for art.

There are already two other galleries on the block.

"I think people have always thought of Harlem as a hot bed of performance and nightlife, and I think visual arts or a gallery presence is an extension of that although it isn't what people commonly associate with this area," said Lewis Long, owner of the Long Gallery across the street, which opened in 2011.

More than 200 people from all over the city attended the opening of each of his last two shows, he said.

The growth of the gallery scene is just one of a number of changes that have come to Harlem in recent years, including an influx of fancier restaurants, costlier apartments, and wealthier residents.

Some of those changes have unnerved long-time residents of Harlem, who worry that the wave of gentrification will make the neighborhood unaffordable and ultimately erode its historic place as a center of black culture.

Misha said it was clear that the gentrification would continue but said "the art community on the whole is optimistic about the new galleries coming."

"Attention on the arts, the fact that there's a broadening art environment is exciting for everybody," she said.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

The race for a seat on the New Mexico Supreme Court is setting up to be an Election Night nail-biter, a new Journal Poll found.

Republican Judith Nakamura and Democrat Michael Vigil each got 45 percent of support from likely state voters in the poll, which was conducted last week. They were also deadlocked in a previous Journal Poll conducted in late September, though there were far more undecided voters at that time.

Nakamura, who was appointed to the states highest court by Gov. Susana Martinez in November 2015, is trying to become the first Republican elected to the Supreme Court in New Mexico since 1980.

Her background as both a longtime Metro Court judge and a District Court judge in Albuquerque has given Nakamura inroads in and around Bernalillo County, which generally favors Democratic candidates, said Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff, the president of Research & Polling, Inc.

But Vigil, a Santa Fe native who is the chief judge on the state Court of Appeals, is also getting strong support from Albuquerque area voters. In addition, he holds an edge in the Las Cruces area and a strong lead in northern New Mexico.

The poll found Nakamura with a sizable advantage in both northwestern New Mexico and the states eastern region.

This is an exciting race, Sanderoff said. It is very rare for a Republican to win election to the Supreme Court in New Mexico.

Although support for the two candidates was evenly split overall, Nakamura held a narrow lead among voters who said they had already voted, the Journal Poll found. Fifty percent of those who had already voted said they had cast their ballots for Nakamura, compared with 45 percent for Vigil.

However, Vigil had a narrow edge among voters who had not yet voted but said they were very likely to do so. Forty-five percent of such voters said they would vote for Vigil, while 41 percent said they would back Nakamura.

Overall, roughly 10 percent of voters surveyed in the recent poll said they were still undecided or would not say which candidate they planned to support.

In a twist, male voters surveyed were more likely to support Nakamura  50 percent to 39 percent  while female voters were more likely to back Vigil  51 percent to 40 percent.

Theres a gender gap, but in the opposite direction one might expect, given the candidates genders, Sanderoff said.

Public funding

Both Vigil and Nakamura received public funding for their campaigns, under a system that allocates funding for judicial candidates based on the voter registration figures in each major political party. And both candidates have used some of that money to launch TV ads.

However, the two have also lamented that judicial races in the state are run as partisan elections. Under the states current system, which was approved by voters in 1988, judges appointed by governors have to run in a partisan election in the next general election after their appointment and, then, if successful, later run periodically in nonpartisan retention elections.

Nakamura, who crafted a reputation of being tough on crime and DWI cases during her tenure at Metro Court, recently said she wants voters to know she is already on the Supreme Court and they have someone doing the job, doing a good job.

Vigil, who spent much of his career as a private practice attorney with a focus on personal injury and medical malpractice issues, has said his past experiences give him a different perspective from Nakamuras.

Justice isnt only about laws; its about lives, he said in a recent interview.

The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 504 voters who said they had already voted this year or planned to vote. Most voters surveyed cast ballots in either the 2012 or 2014 general elections; a small portion of newly registered voters were also included in the sample.

The poll was conducted Nov. 1 through Nov. 3. The full voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples.

All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone.

Both cellphone numbers (50 percent) and landlines (50 percent) of proven general election voters were used.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Republican Donald Trump vowed victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton at a raucous rally in Albuquerque just a week ago, but a new Journal Poll shows Clinton still holds a five-point lead in the final days of the campaign.

Meanwhile, support for New Mexicos Gary Johnson has faded significantly.

National polls show Clinton with a slim lead over Trump after the FBIs announcements of additional inquiries into Clinton emails. But her lead is bigger in New Mexico.

The Journal Poll of likely New Mexico voters, conducted Nov. 1-3, showed Clinton leading Trump 45 percent to 40 percent.

Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate and former two-term New Mexico governor, pulled 11 percent support in the new Journal Poll, compared with 24 percent of New Mexicans who supported him in the newspapers late September poll.

Green Party candidate Jill Stein polled at 3 percent among likely New Mexico voters in the new poll. Only 2 percent of New Mexico voters were undecided or unsure for whom they would vote.

As we approach Election Day, Hillary Clinton is leading in New Mexico and it seems that nearly everyone has made up their minds, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the survey. New Mexico has been solidly blue in the past two elections, and it appears Clinton is maintaining her lead here this election cycle, unlike in some battleground states, such as Ohio or Nevada, where she is either trailing or in a dead heat.

The Journal Poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, was conducted after FBI Director James Comey rocked the presidential race by announcing the additional inquiries into Clintons email protocol when she was secretary of state.

The survey also came after major health insurance providers last month announced premium increases averaging 25 percent under the Affordable Care Act. Clinton has pledged to uphold the health care law if elected, and Trump has vowed to support efforts to repeal it.

In the September Journal Poll, Clinton led Trump 35 percent to 31 percent.

Clintons support peaked in national polls in mid-October with an average 8-point lead after a leaked Access Hollywood tape showed Trump bragging about kissing and groping women without their consent. But Clintons numbers have since plummeted.

Sanderoff said the Journal Poll reflects the preferences of those who have voted early, as well as those who plan to cast their ballots Tuesday. Fifty percent of poll respondents were reached on their cellphones. The pollster also said the survey revealed deep demographic divisions on the presidential candidates in New Mexico.

We see strong polarization among many groups, whether its gender, ethnicity, geography or education levels, Sanderoff said.

Clinton performed particularly well in the Journal Poll among female voters, Hispanics and those with the highest education levels. Some of Trumps strongest support came from men, Anglos and those with a high school diploma or less education.

Fifty-four percent of New Mexico Hispanics polled said they would vote for Clinton, while 27 percent said they favored Trump. Fourteen percent of Hispanics in the state voiced support for Johnson, and 1 percent backed Stein.

Four years ago, President Barack Obama had 68 percent support among Hispanics in the final Journal Poll, compared with Clintons 54 percent in the current poll, Sanderoff said. This drop-off is partially attributable to Gary Johnson garnering 14 percent support among Hispanics in this poll.

Gender politics have been a significant factor in this years presidential race, and that is also the case in New Mexico, according to the poll. Clinton is the first female major party presidential nominee in U.S. history.

Among New Mexico women who are likely to vote, 50 percent said they would support Clinton and 36 percent said they preferred Trump. Johnson and Stein had 7 percent and 3 percent support among women, respectively.

However, Trump outperformed Clinton among men. Forty-four percent of New Mexico men polled said they support the Republican nominee, compared with 39 percent of men who said they will vote for Clinton.

Education level is also a factor in voter preference in New Mexico, according to the poll. As education levels increased, support for Clinton grew. Among those with graduate degrees, Clinton has a 27-point lead over Trump. But among those with a high school diploma or less, Trump held a seven-point lead among likely New Mexico voters.

Gender and education level are playing a bigger role in determining candidate preference compared with the 2012 presidential election in New Mexico, Sanderoff said. For example, Clinton has a 24-percentage point lead among women with college degrees, while Trump is ahead by 17 percentage points among men without a college degree.

New Mexico voters under 65 were more likely to support Clinton, but she was nearly even with Trump among seniors.

Not surprisingly, the Journal Poll showed that Trumps geographic stronghold in New Mexico is on the conservative eastern side of the state, home to many oil workers and ranchers, and other rural residents.

Trump had 69 percent support among eastern New Mexico voters, compared with 8 percent of voters in that area who said they would vote for Clinton. Johnson, who governed New Mexico as a Republican from 1995 until 2003, held 18 percent support from the east side of the state in the Journal Poll.

On the east side, some people are settling on Johnson as an alternative to Clinton, Sanderoff said.

From a geographic standpoint, Clinton polled best in heavily Democratic and Hispanic north-central New Mexico, where 65 percent of voters said they would vote for her, compared with 14 percent for Trump. Clinton also had a solid lead among Albuquerque-area voters, with 54 percent of poll respondents supporting her, compared with 32 percent who voiced a preference for Trump.

The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 504 voters who said they had already voted this year or planned to vote. Most voters surveyed cast ballots in either the 2012 or 2014 general elections; a small portion of newly registered voters were also included in the sample.

The poll was conducted Nov. 1 through Nov. 3. The full voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples.

All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone.

Both cellphone numbers (50 percent) and landlines (50 percent) of proven general election voters were used.
A game of beer pong at a home near the University of New Mexico turned violent shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, leading to the shooting death of 22-year-old Angel Santana Martinez, according to police.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Simon Drobik said in a news release that a fight broke out at a party in the backyard of a home on Girard just north of Central at 3:20 a.m., then moved to the front of a neighbors property. Multiple shots were fired during the fight, Drobik said, and most of the witnesses fled the area before police arrived.

Martinez was transported to nearby University of New Mexico Hospital, where he died, Drobik said.

A neighbor said he heard a number of gunshots about 3:20 a.m., and when he looked outside he saw people running away from the house, then heard more gunshots, though he wasnt certain how many shots were fired.

Prior to Sundays shooting, he said, there had been no violence in the area since he moved there a little more than a year ago. The shooting occurred just east of UNMs main campus.

Homicide detectives are actively investigating this and would like anyone with information about this incident to contact 242-COPS or Crime Stoppers, Drobik said in the news release.

Late last year, an Albuquerque teenager, Arturo Villa, 18, was shot and killed at a party on 98th and Tower SW at which beer pong  a drinking game in which participants attempt to bounce a ping-pong ball into a cup  was being played. Two other young men were shot and injured at that Dec. 26 party.
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Canacona : Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah today said India should snap all ties with Pakistan, and claimed that no artistes from the neighbouring country come here without clearance from ISI.

India has no business to have any relations with the country (Pakistan) that has chopped off its limbs, the 66-year-old writer told the gathering during ongoing India Ideas Conclave 2016 here.

The day you develop dignity to say we dont want to talk to you, we dont want trade with you, we dont want cement and we dont want to have aman ki asha, thats the day they will learn a lesson, he said.

No relation means no Indus water to you. Let them go to international court and India should say we are at the war with a criminal, he said.

Amid demands by various political outfits in India to ban Pakistani artistes, Fatah said nobody comes here (from Pakistan) without the ISI clearance.

Nobody comes here without ISI clearance. Where are the people defending the artistes? Whom are they fooling?

He also criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who has upped his ante against the Narendra Modi government over the One Rank One Pension issue, saying he should first go to the war-front and then talk.

Let him go and fight the war before giving any speech, Fatah said.

Source : TOI
Highlife musician, Okyeame Kwame, says he split separated from fellow musician; Okyeame Quophi, because he was broke after their return from the United States.

According to him, the situation upon their return from the United States in an attempt to seek greener pastures, left him with no choice than to venture into music again after taking a break.

This he said, didn't go down with his music partner, Okyeame Quophi, who wanted them to build their talent gradually before returning to music.

Okyeame Kwame made this known in an interview on Beta Malt On the Go (taxi edition), when he was asked by a fan the reason for the split.

I was broke. We started music in 97; Kofi and I. We did music for a while and went to live in AmericaWhen we came back in 2003, we were broke. Whenever I told kofi, let's go for a performance, Kofi said no, people will take us cheaply, let's wait to build our artistry

Okyeame Kwame together with Okyeame Quophi formed the music group Akyeame  which took hiplife music by storm when they collaborated in the 90's with some hit tracks until the duo decided to go their separate ways.

There have been a lot of rumors surrounding their split, but Okyeame Kwame opened up on the reason on this week's episode of Beta Malt OTG with Jessica Opare Saforo.

On the Go with Beta Malt, is a 15 minute fun- packed, fascinating and inspirational TV program which is purely interactive and presents the opportunity for people to share the story of their hustle in the most fun-loving way, with the reward of nourishment to keep the zeal.

The show airs on Saturdays at 9am on TV3, 4syte TV and 8:30pm on GH1 TV and on VIASAT 1 TV on Mondays at 9:00am.

To watch past episodes in full visit www.facebook.com/BetaMaltGh

Beta Malt is a product of Accra Brewery Limited.

Watch below one of Akyeames track; Ma sana ba



By: citifmonline/Ghana
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Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali. By Daniel Leal-Olivas (AFP/File)

06.11.2016 LISTEN

Bamako (AFP) - A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed Sunday in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said.

More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.

Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.

After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.

The attack came the day after a soldier serving with France's "Barkhane" counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.

He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.

A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians following the convoy.

Also on Sunday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the restive north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.

The claim of responsibility was issued by Mauritanian news agency al-Akhbar, which regularly carries statements from jihadist groups operating in the Sahel.

The jihadists said they had killed "several" Malian soldiers but this was denied by independent sources and military officials contacted by AFP.

Deadliest mission

More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.

It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.

The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.

Sajjan said Canada wanted to "take our time" before deciding which nation to support, but added Canada was "not adverse to risk".

Northern Mali has fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos

The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.

MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, following a French counter-terrorism force that landed in January to drive jihadists from key northern cities they had overrun.

Northern Mali had fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos.

Although the jihadists were routed, large swathes of Mali remain outside the control of domestic and foreign troops.
Tunis (AFP) - A Tunisian soldier has been killed in his home near central Mount Mghilla, an area where jihadist fighters operate, public television reported late Saturday.

Citing defence ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati, the television channel said that army and national guard units had launched a search for the unknown attackers.

Tunisian authorities gave no comment when asked for further details by AFP.

Tunisian forces have, since 2012, been trying to flush out groups of extremists holed up in the country's mountainous regions, notably Mghilla and Chaambi, in the central Kasserine region.

Since a revolution in 2011, Tunisia has seen the rise of a jihadist movement responsible for the deaths of dozens of soldiers and police officers as well as civilians.

A total of 59 tourists have also been killed.

The country has been under a state of emergency since a string of deadly attacks in 2015.
Rome (AFP) - Ten bodies were recovered on Saturday from a rubber dinghy off the Libyan coast, the Italian coastguard said, adding that 2,200 other migrants were rescued during the day.

Sixteen rescue operations were conducted Saturday -- almost twice as many as on Friday when 1,200 people were rescued.

An AFP correspondent aboard the Topaz Responder, a search and rescue ship chartered by Maltese NGO MOAS and the Italian Red Cross, saw several hundred people, including children, being rescued on Friday and Saturday.

Migrants shrouded in foil survival blankets crowded onto the deck of the vessel following the rescue efforts in which at least one baby was saved during the early hours of Saturday.

The Red Cross tweeted that 707 people were on board the vessel on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Red Crescent said it recovered the bodies of another six migrants on a beach west of Tripoli on Saturday, taking to 40 the number of drowned migrants found along the North African country's coast since Sunday.

People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

As many as 4,220 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year, a higher number than the full-year totals for 2014, 2015 or any other year on record, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Pope Francis on Saturday called the situation of migrants "shameful" and "a bankrupcy of humanity".

"The Mediterranean has become a graveyard, and not just the Mediterranean," he said, adding that there were also "many graveyards near walls, walls stained with the blood of innocents".
Bob Evnen seems to criticize my opposition to the death penalty by pointing out I sentenced John Joubert to death (Local View, LJS, Nov. 2). In doing so, I simply followed my oath to apply existing law. But a life sentence would have served the same purpose- and there would have been substantially less taxpayer dollars spent on court proceedings in both state and federal courts.

Before the Unicameral Legislature would consider eliminating the death penalty, they made a thorough inquiry into Nebraskas life imprisonment laws to ensure we have a way to keep the worst offenders away from society forever.

To get clarity on this key issue, the Unicameral asked the Attorney General if there was any way for someone sentenced to life imprisonment to ever be paroled. The answer from Nebraskas current Attorney General was clear Under current Nebraska law, a sentence of life imprisonment is effectively life imprisonment without parole.

The Unicameral also asked me for my professional opinion; I served over 30 years as a Nebraska Judge. I was equally clear: when someone in Nebraska is under a sentence of life imprisonment, they cant be paroled. Period. They die in prison.

The other people who die in prison in Nebraska are death row inmates. In the last thirty years we have executed 3 people, twice as many have died on death row of natural causes. And in the past 19 years weve had no executions. This is not for want of trying  in the last two decades there have been pro-death penalty Governors, Attorneys General, and majorities in the Unicameral, but despite repeated attempts they have been unable to get the death penalty up and running.

There has been a financial cost to keeping our death penalty on the books all these years. Even though were not able to execute anyone, weve been paying for death penalty cases which are long and expensive. Capital cases require that we seat a special death qualified jury who go through two trials instead of one, then a third panel of Judges must affirm their findings.

Even though weve not executed anyone in nearly 20 years, we have borne the expense of appeals as the men on death row snake their way through the Constitutionally required state and federal appeals. There are more than 40 appeals that death row inmates can file, that cant be filed by those serving life sentences.

There was certainly a cost to the Beatrice 6 by having the death penalty on the books. Several of the Beatrice 6 confessed to murder after they were threatened with the death penalty. These individuals lost over 75 years of their lives in prison before DNA proved their innocence. And now there is the cost to the Gauge County taxpayers who are on the hook to pay the $28 million wrongful conviction settlement.

The other human cost to the death penalty is to the victims families of those men sitting on death row. The death penalty fails to deliver on its promise of an execution. As long as we have the death penalty, but cant carry it out we are torturing victims. Even if we were to resume executions, we would still be sentencing victims families to decades of required appeals.

Carey Dean Moore has been sitting on Nebraskas death row for 36 years. For 36 long years his victims families have waited and waited for an execution to happen. Had he been sentenced to life in prison, those families could have put this behind them and gone on with their lives knowing he would be out of the headlines and behind bars forever.

It is not unreasonable to desire the death penalty for the worst of the worst offenders. Many thoughtful and good people hold this position. But this desire comes with a mighty high price tag to many, many Nebraskans. We have life imprisonment; it is a harsh punishment that keeps us safe at a fraction of the cost. I believe life imprisonment is better for Nebraska, so I will vote to "retain" the legislatures action that replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment.
06.11.2016 LISTEN

Would you mind answering this simple question for me, oh my dear fellow Ghanaian voter? Which of the following two persons would you vote for as your future President to lead you now that you are about to be offered that powerful one in a four-year time life-changing opportunity?

The first person is a young handsome man. From all observable and established facts, he is corrupt, enriching himself at the expense of the citizenry. He is infatuated with the practice of selective justice, nepotism, cronyism and watches like a hungry dog sitting behind a bar of soap while his appointed young Government Ministers embezzle State funds with insatiable quest.

He goes on to be clueless, behaving same as a square peg wobbling in a round hole. He is not dedicated to full service to his nation and people but comes across as someone seeking his parochial selfish interest. He loves being a father for his party but not the nation when he is elected the President, however, the money and properties he is to manage belong to the entire people of the nation.

He is not dynamic. He loves encouraging lawlessness either subtly or directly and will be the friends of babies with sharp teeth who will insult his opponents, lying about them to not only tarnish their reputation in the eyes of the public but also, to frighten them off to make himself alone the all powerful one (twonpeata) in the country.

When his friends breach the laws of the country, he will find a way to set them free from the grips of the law by discriminately exercising his constitutional right of prerogative of mercy to remit their sentences or grant them pardon from imprisonment.

He does not sleep on post yet he watches with his mouth shut, his buttocks glued to his chair with his arms folded around the chest when his appointees scramble for illegal wealth, emptying the coffers of the nation.

The second person however is a presumed old man who is not as handsome as the young man. He is very experienced in politics, an asset gained because of his old age and the many years spent in politics.

His old age makes him not interested in amassing personal wealth but rather interested in acquiring good name by being at the absolute service of his people and nation.

He has publicly declared to the whole nation that he is not corrupt and for several years since that bold declaration, nobody, I repeat, nobody, has come out to challenge his public assertion of being incorruptible.

He is a father for all and does not differentiate between who is a member of his party and who is not. When it comes to differentiation between people based on an intention to practice favouritism, play one against the other, sorry, he is colour and race blind. He treats every Ghanaian equal and gives every Ghanaian equal opportunity.

At his old age, he is dynamic and even if he were to once sleep on duty as President Buhari of Nigeria is being teased by one Koku Anyidoho to have done because of his old age; his mind is always alert to detect any wrongdoing on the part of his appointees to whip them into line of political correctness.

He will put the nations money and resources to uses and services that will be of collective benefits to the citizens but not to share them among his cronies as the first young person does.

In a nutshell, the old persons behaviours and intentions are the very opposite of the young persons.

Which of the two persons discussed above, when elected as President, do you hope or stand the chance to prosper under their regime? Is it the first one (young person) or the second one (old person)?

The first one represents Mr John Dramani Mahama, the current President of Ghana from the NDC while the second one represents Nana Akufo Addo of NPP, the incoming President.

The choice is yours. The answer is yours to choose. I can only help you by making the facts available to you but the final decision rests with you and in your bosom.

If I were asked, I would go for the second person, the old man I mean, based on their individual characters as hereby told.

Do not allow beauty, height, ugliness, age etc. to be used to deceive you but count on honesty, dedication to duty, selflessness, incorruptibility, intelligence and knowing ones job with distinction as pointers to guide you when deciding who to vote for.

I trust you, the Ghanaian voter, to take a responsible decision to vote for the person who has the best interests of Ghana and the people therein at heart.

Rockson Adofo
A court in Kano state in Northern Nigeria has acquitted five persons who were arrested in connection with the killing of a Christian female trader, Bridget Agbahime, from Southern Nigeria. She was murdered on June 2 at Kofai Wambai market after some exchanges with some Muslims. Her killers attacked her with dangerous weapons and slit her throat. Some segments of the Muslim population in Kano welcomed the killing of the woman, while others condemned it. Some of us thought that by prosecuting the killers, the womans family would get some justice. However, the suspects who were charged to court have now been discharged

It seems that what many had feared might have eventually happened. The Nigerian blasphemy killers may never be brought to justice! Those who perpetrated that atrocity may never answer for their crime, unless pressure is brought to bear on the Buhari led government, and its state counterpart, to fulfill their responsibility to the citizens.

Yes, to some observers of the twisted sense of justice in Islamic Northern Nigeria, the outcome of this process did not come as a surprise. Throughout the process, many have speculated that nothing would come out of the court process and that the suspects would be freed. So, the court ruling is as expected in line with the tradition of impunity that has prevailed in Muslim majority states, at least when it comes to cases of blasphemy.

Kano and other Muslim majority states are ruled by Sharia law and have somewhat of a history of bloody religious riots and killings. Under Sharia, blasphemy - against prophet Muhammad not other prophets - is a crime punishable by death.

This undefined law has been used by Islamic theocrats to silence their opponents and to legitimise Islamic fundamentalism, and to oppress religious Muslim and non-Muslim minorities. In January, a Sharia court in Kano sentenced a Muslim cleric, Abdulazeez Dauda, to death for blasphemy after a secret trial. The cleric reportedly said that the leader of their sect, Sheikh Ibrahim Nasse, was bigger than prophet Muhammad!.

Daudas case is interesting because after he allegedly made this statement, there were violent protests in the city of Kano. Dauda fled to Abuja. Some of his followers were arrested and charged to court. On the day they were to be tried, there were clashes at the court premises and some Muslim youths set the court on fire. At the end of the day, Dauda and his followers were sentenced to death and nothing happened to those who perpetrated violence and arson.

In fact, following the sentencing of the followers of Dauda, the governor of Kano state welcomed the ruling as a triumph of the rule of law. And, indeed, you can hardly argue with him. The rule of Sharia law had prevailed. The followers of a cleric who allegedly blasphemed against Muhammad were sentenced to death and those who perpetrated violence, and arson, were off scot-free.

So why should anyone expect justice for blasphemy killers under such a regime? Why should anybody think that such a government could actually say the murderers have a case to answer?

By the way, this twisted sense of justice in matters related to blasphemy is not just a political issue, it is also a religious issue. Blaspheming against the prophet Muhammad is widely believed by Muslims to be a serious offence and for some, killing blasphemers is a religious duty which could earn them a place in paradise.

So, executing a blasphemer is both a state, and religious, duty and suspected cases of blasphemy hardly get to the court, especially when there is a chance that the alleged blasphemers could escape punishment.

So, Muslim enthusiasts seize opportunities of any real or imagined blasphemies to curry Allahs favour, earn a place in paradise, or, at least, achieve some honourary mention among some segments of the Ummah.

So, under Sharia law, those who really have cases to answer are blasphemers, not those who kill others for blasphemy or for desecrating the Quran. Those who are tried and punished are persons that are accused of insulting Islam or the prophet Muhammad, not killers of those who engage in such innocuous acts as killing a fellow human being. This is what the court in Kano has just confirmed and upheld in this latest decision. This is the rule of law that has eventually triumphed in this Sharia state.

However, we must reject it. We must oppose it. We must protest this travesty of justice.

All people of conscience, including those who identify as moderate and progressive Muslims, should condemn the handling of the case and demand justice for victims of blasphemy killings.

It is outrageous the government, whose responsibility it is to protect its citizens, argued for the dismissal of the case. This is the same government that got followers of a cleric who made a statement regarding the prophet Muhammad to be sentenced to death. Going by this court decision, the Muslims who hacked a person to death in a market would never be made to answer for their crimes, as long as that person could be said to have spoken out against Islam.

It is difficult to comprehend that killers of Bridget Agbahime will never be prosecuted and her family will never get justice. Of course, this is not an isolated incident. There have been similar cases of impunity and denial of justice in cases related to blasphemy killings across the region. It is very likely the other case of murder over blasphemy allegations in Niger state would go the same way. It must be recalled that those who murdered the Igbo trader, Gideon Akaluka, in the 90s were never tried or brought to justice.

The killers of the Christian female teacher in Gombe in 2007 were never prosecuted or made to answer for their crime. In fact, there has not been any case where a blasphemy killer was brought to justice in the region.

With cases like these, it is difficult for some Muslims to continue to maintain that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Such miscarriages of justice and judicial charades entrench Islam-based fear, intolerance, and extremism. Justice is a prerequisite for peace. So ,all those who are aware of these injustices and inequities in the Sharia law system must not give up.

Let us continue to work and campaign for the abolition of blasphemy law. Nigerian blasphemy killers - in Kano and Niger - must be brought to justice!
Nana Akuffo Addo some few days spoke about the November surprise in Ghana politics. In the US, we have the October surprise in every election year. This "surprise" happens strange revelations come which eventually turn the tables. It always come one month to elections and very difficult for the candidate against whom the allegations are made to control or change the damage. The FBI exposure of Hillary Clinton is doing some wonders for Donald Trump with barely two days to the polls. Had it not been the FBI exposure, Donald Trump was trailing in almost all opinion polls.

In Ghana, the NDC have mastered the act of bringing out the "November surprises". In the 2008 elections, it was Kofi wayo campaigning from radio station to radio station about Nana Addo being in drugs. This lying "surprise" did work well for the NDC especially in the rural areas. It helped the Mills led NDC to win the elections.

In this 2016 elections, the NDC couldn't get any surprise and from all indications are likely not to get one, though the month is still very young. They have therefore decided to resort to one of their old and usual lies, NANA ADDO IS ARROGANT. They have started using it and I guess it will fail big time.

Omane Boamah said on Radio Gold's, "Alhaji and Alhaji" on Saturday the 5th of November, 2016, that Nana Addo is arrogant and therefore not a good material for the presidency. This is not the first time the NDC spread this weird lie. And I know this wouldn't be the last. This is because the NDC is using Adolf Hitler's tactics. Adolf Hitler once said, " If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed." So the NDC have told a big lie that Nana Addo is arrogant, the NDC are repeating frequently and consistent and the NDC have succeeded in making almost all their gullible members believe it. But does facts support this crude allegation against Nana Addo? Is president Mahama that Omane Boamah marketing a humble person? Some few examples will answer both questions.

Thanks to Hassan Ayarigah of the APC, we got knowledge that Nana Addo at his age still sleeps in his father's house. Now let's make some small assessment. This is Nana Addo whose father was a former president. He has been a lawyer for over 30years. He was a cabinet minister for 7 years. He was MP for 12 years and he has his own law chamber. He has the money to build and stay in any mansion of his choice but he ignored all and he is still staying in his father's house. If this is not a very good and classic example of humility, how would we describe it?

Besides, with all his money and fame, he still has the humility to buy and drink the popular "pure water". He didn't see himself bigger than that. Surprisingly, those who claim he is arrogant rather ridiculed him for behaving like a poor fellow. They again tried to ridicule him when he humbly took kalyppo. This time, it backfired and they ended up with humiliation.

Nana Addo has also been in parliament and the public limelight for over 10 years. No one be it in parliament or out of it have ever pointed a statement or speech he makes that shows his arrogance. His only crime is that he speaks with confidence and patriotism.

Now let's look at the one Omane Boamah and the NDC are marketing.

This is president John Mahama. A man who told Ghanaians they have short memories and as such irrespective of what he does to them, they will forget it when he gives them some small coins and freebies when elections are due. If this is not insulting and arrogance what will it be? We can't also forget he telling us that Ghanaians are ungrateful people who refused to thank him for ending dumsor. The arrogance of president Mahama is so high that he thinks he can say anything at anytime to Ghanaians and still go free. Afterall, aren't there propagandists to beautify what he says?

This is equally president Mahama who danced to Daddy Lumba's yentie obiara when Ghanaians complained of unprecedented sufferings and hardships. He dancing to that song and indicating to Ghanaians he wouldn't listen to anyone or anything is one of the worse and arrogant insults on the Ghanaian since independence. We can't easily forget of him telling public sector workers that he is a dead goat and as such doesn't care a bit about their demands for better pay. If this is not insulting and arrogance, what is it? What about president Mahama telling teacher trainees he won't pay their allowances and doesn't care if they vote for him? Isn't this arrogance and disregard to the teacher trainees?

The NDC has experts in telling lies and distortions. They have specially trained spin doctors. They can lie and make an innocent and good person look very bad and they can make a good person look evil. They have succeeded in spewing all manner of falsehoods on Nana Addo and they are not yet tired. They are going to come with more dangerous lies especially now that they have realised they have no realistic chance of pushing the 2016 elections into the second round to even think of winning it, In sha Allah. They have lost it and their desperation is getting worse. Ghanaians just need to ignore them and be steadfast in voting out their very incompetent, indecisive, clueless, uncaring and failing NDC government.

I shall, In sha Allah, be back...

Fuseini Abdul-Fatawu
Two days after GBC Sunrise FMs Morning Show host, Mohammed Zunurene, drew the attention of President John Dramani Mahama to the strike by Nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital in an interview, government through the Ministry of Health has given Ghc300,000 and, drugs and consumables worth Ghc 120,000 to the hospital to ease their plight in the meantime.

Nurses at the facility started an indefinite strike on Tuesday in protest of what they described as indecent working conditions due to governments failure to provide them with supplies, resulting in an order by the Mental Health Authority for the discharge of more than 300 mental health patients.

The president, who answered in the negative when asked whether the strike has come to his attention promised to address the issue immediately.

We would take immediate steps to address the issue at the Accra Psychiatrist Hospital and I am going to call the minister of health to see what the issues are and see how we can resolve them. He said.

Although the Minister of Health, Mr. Alex Segbefia, has promised more supplies for the facility by the end of the week, the nurses have refused to go back to work until the required logistics were provided.

The National Labour Commission has since ordered the nurses to return to work while asking government to provide the needed logistics and funds.

President Mahama revealed plans by government to restructure the countrys three specialised Mental Health institutions in addition to building two new ones in the middle and northern belts of the country.

By: Mohammed Zunurene, GBC.
06.11.2016 LISTEN

Following up my past postings on Business Strategy, I have received numerous inquires about whether there are Business Strategy tools & frameworks out there, and what are they. Like all professional disciplines, there are indeed tools also for Business Strategy/ Analysis; I will try to briefly mention a few here (thus not an exhaustive list, so at least some awareness would be created.

Keep in mind that having the right and the best tools at your disposal, is just a start. You know that the right tools don't make for a great carpenter. Just as having the right tools won't necessarily make you a good mechanic, having the right strategy analysis tools won't necessarily make you a good strategist - but they will help a good strategist get the job done more effectively.

(Before you) choose a tool

There are a number of important considerations to be aware of when choosing and using.such tools:

1. Avoid tools that create stationary maps and graphs (especially 2-dimensional ones), unless your organization operates in a static or well-defined environment / industry. 2. Make sure that the tool under consideration can properly answer and address the questions that concern your organization. 3. Your strategy tools should allow and obviously benefit from input by your people and their collaboration with other colleagues and functions within your organization. 4. Any proper full use of analytical tools is time consuming. It is important to gain commitment from all key stakeholders, Board of Directors, senior management, etc, so this does not turn into a 1-man's intellectual exercise. 5. Please consider how does a(ny) given tool sharpens the focus of your strategic analysis and how does it ensure a methodical, balanced approach. Obviously it would have to rely on historical data (if you have them) in order to extrapolate any future assumptions.

Partial Brief List of just 10 'Tools'

This is just a brief partial list aimed to create awareness and not to teach you everything about each tool (that could be a separate posting for every single tool)

1. SWOT

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats is the most basic form of any strategic analysis and you can google unlimited amount of SWOT information, if you are not already familiar with it.

Beware: The SWOT Analysis was never 'designed' as a stand-alone tool. It must be used in combination with other tools!

FYI: There is a variation of the SWOT: TOWS (The capital letter-initials stand for the same words)

2. SOAR

Very similar to the SWOT- it looks at Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) combining data about an organization's current position with your future Aspirations and the measurable Results you want to achieve.

Beware: SOAR is biased towards what you can or want to do rather than exploring what areas they should avoid or what opportunities could be created.

3. Porter's Value Chain

In Porter's Value Chains, "Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing and Sales, and Service are categorized as primary activities. Secondary activities include Procurement, Human Resource Management, Technological Development and Infrastructure" (Porter 1985)

It is simply a graphical tool for identifying/ describing an organization's main functions and understanding how they contribute to the creation of value (-chains).

4. Porter's 5- Forces

Porter's 5- Forces was created by Porter in 1979 in order to understand how these 5 key competitive forces are affecting an industry. The 5 forces identified are bargaining position of suppliers and customers (here you should also include your distributors), the threat of new entrants and substitutes, as well as industry rivalry.

According to Porter, these forces determine an industry structure and the level of competition in that industry.

5. McKinsey's 7S

The McKinsey 7S is a useful too for considering all aspects of an(y) organization when identifying its strengths and weaknesses. The 7 'S' stand for:

1. Structure,

2. Systems,

3. Style,

4. Staff,

5. Skills,

6. Strategy and

7. Shared Values.

You probably are familiar with various versions of the Pareto Analysis. It is based on the simple principle that 20 % of your products, services, customers or distribution-networks deliver 80% of the profits. A variation of that is that 20% of your customers are responsible for 80% of your revenue stream. A Pareto chart is basically a useful visualisation to show this.

7. BCG Matrix (BCG=Boston Consulting Group)

The idea behind it, is that "to be successful, a company should have a portfolio of products with different growth rates and different market shares. The portfolio composition is a function of the balance between cash flows. High growth products require cash inputs to grow. Low growth products should generate excess cash. Both kinds are needed simultaneously."(Bruce Henderson- creator of the BCG Matrix in 1970)

The BCG Matrix is applied to any organization with more than one product or service offerings, or with multiple customer/ market segments. It basically is a graph of the market share against the market growth rate of each product/ service/ customer segment and it used to 'infer' strategic decisions on their relative position on the graph/ chart.

8. Benchmarking

It is a tool used to compare the performance of business processes/ products/ services/ 'whatever' with the best performances of other organizations ideally inside your industry.

Benchmarking= the search for industry Best Practices that lead to superior performance!

Example- uses of Benchmarking:

-to find out which business processes are lean/ optimal/ best performing. -to allow and facilitate knowledge sharing acquired about other businesses that could hopefully be easily transferred to your organization. -as a result of the above, benchmarking can help you gain competitive advantage, if you apply the best practices from other industries to your very own industry.

9. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

Developed in the early 1990s by Robert Kaplan from the Harvard Business School and David Norton, the founder of probably the most prestigious IT consulting firm, this tool is based on the single premise that "What you measure is what you get".

Objectives are high-level organizational goals. The typical BSC has 10-15 strategic objectives. Measurements help you understand whether youre accomplishing your objectives strategically or not. Initiatives / projects/ actions/activities are key action programs developed to achieve your objectives.

All these will create action items/ action points to assist you in achieving your key initiatives /objectives in a timely and organized fashion.

According to the Gartner Group, over 50% of large US firms have adopted the BSC.And more than half of major organizations in Europe, Asia and Africa are using balanced scorecard approaches.

The critical elements that define a balanced scorecard are:

its focus on the strategic agenda of the organization the selection of a small number of data items to monitor a mix of financial and non-financial data items

So, the characteristics and power of a BSC are the presentation of a mixture of financial and non-financial measures each compared to a 'target' value within a single concise report / point- of- reference. It is NOT meant to replace any traditional financial or operational reports but it is meant more like a high- impact summary that captures the information most relevant to those reading it. So you can have different BSCs covering the same topics for different management or stakeholder groups within the same organization.

There are too many books written about BSCs- obviously this is not a topic to easily summarize, explain and present in a few lines. Google it, please

Beware: There are BSC software solutions and unfortunately, many people use them believing that implementing a software solution actually amounts to implementing a balanced scorecard! Sure, when a BSC is properly developed and implemented, performance management software solutions can be used to get -in a timely manner- the right performance information to the right people.

10. Mintzberg's 5Ps (1970)

I am afraid, as a human being, I do have preferences ..and I love this one. I have also enjoyed Mintzberg's books and teachings.

Actually each of these 5Ps is a different approach to strategy:

1. Plan.

2. Ploy.

3. Pattern.

4. Position.

5. Perspective.

I assume than thening element is clear - Planning is an important element in Strategy formulation as I wrote in a previous article. But planning, is that it's not enough on its own and that's actually where the other 4Ps come into place.

Ploying can be and is used as a strategy element when conspiring/ plotting to disrupt, discourage, or influence in any way the activities and operations of your competitors. Simple example? If you are a PC manufacturer, buy let's say all available hard-d rives so your competitors do not have hard-d rives to build and sell their own PC- products (ok a bit extreme but it does make the point clear). OK- let me say it in a different way: it's all about outsmarting your competitors.

Remember that the word Strategy is a derivative from the Greek word  (= a military general), a composite of the Ancient Greek words  (=army) +  (=to lead); i.e. the Leader of the Army. So, Ploying is a valid strategy, coming for the idea of War Games as a Strategic Tool.

The Patterning is just about 'seeing' your organization's patterns (in people, processes, etc) and whether these are or have impact in your strategic planning. So, you 'look' at what you 'have at hand'/ what was successful in the past and you try to figure out if and how/ under what conditions this could lead to future commercial success.

The 4th P is about how you Position your organization in the marketplace and how to develop a sustainable competitive advantage by making your products or services unique in the marketplace. OK- let me say it in a different way: it's about your USP Strategy (Unique Selling Points).

As an Entity, every organization makes choices relying heavily on its corporate culture. Saying it in a different way: the Thinking Patterns of an organization will shape its Perspective on the things that it is able to do well. It's about the impact that organizational culture and collective thinking can and do have on Business Strategy.

In Conclusion

This is a simple brief posting, more like a taste on Business Strategy tools. There are a lot more many that what it could be addressed here in a short form. I am sure you might have heard of the Strategy Canvas too, which became popular in the book "Blue Ocean Strategy" (it is used to understand how a firm differentiates itself from its competitors)

But there are tools for almost every aspect of your Business Strategy. For example, for:

Organization Design: EPRG, Greiner's Curve, OD Pyramid, Mintzberg's Organizational Configurations, etc. Strategic Prioritization: Mullin's 7 Domains, CAGE Framework, Value Chain Analysis, etc. Strategic Options: Bowman's, Porter's, Mintzberg's 5R, Blue Ocean, Scenario Analysis, etc Strategy Execution: OGSM, VMOST, Governance models, Hoshin Planning, etc. Competitive Advantage: Porter's 4Corners, ADL Matrix, VRIO, Kotler's 5 Product Levels, Kotler's Pricing, etc Marketing Strategy: 4S Web marketing, RFM Segmenting, CEM, Keller's Brand Equity, etc. Manufacturing and Operations Kaizen, Lean, JIT, TOC, RATER, Kanban, 5S, etc. Quality Strategy: 0-Defects, TQM, Deming's, 6-Sigma, CTQ, Crosby's 16-Steps, etc .....

Remember that not all tools are useful in all circumstances and that not all analysis yields results. Choose carefully which tools to use for your organization's maturity and needs at a given point in time, please.

Thank you and Good Luck,

Spiros

Related previous posts:

About the Author: Spiros Tsaltas, a Top-Tier Management Consultant and a former University Professor (RSM MBA, CUNY, etc), is a seasoned Technology & Operations Executive. Spiros has hands-on experience on setting up all sorts of Startups both in the US and in Europe. He is an active transformational leader and strategist with extensive experience on Boards of Advisors & Boards of Directors. He is currently assisting a couple of Ghanaian and other West African StartUps and SMEs with the setup of their Boards and Strategy items.

Spiros welcomes any feedback/ comments/ remarks/ suggestions via your email message to [email protected]

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 2016 Spiros Tsaltas.
06.11.2016 LISTEN

Some Nigerias analysts see Muhammadu Buharis emergence as the accepted saintly tough-guy Nigerian corruption killer in a different light from the general make-believe one. These analysts attribute Buharis final success after many failed attempts to become Nigerias democratically-elected president to some external influences. They claim that some powerful international figures have often meddled in Nigerias internal affairs to affect the outcome of events in the country. And Buharis recent victory at the polls was not an exception.

One remarkable example that these critics cite is the especially patronizing speech by the American President Barack Obama just before the 2015 Nigerian presidential election which brought Buhari to power. In his speech Obama urged Nigerians to maintain a united country no matter the outcome of the election. Many saw the speech in which the president used an old Biafran-Nigerian wartime genocidal slogan: To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done as an outward expression of clandestine political machinations which in the end installed a preferred candidate in Nigerias supreme leadership saddle.

In the opinion of many observers, Buhari is an Islamic extremist who believes that he; "will continue to show openly and inside me [him] the total commitment to the sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria," and "God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the sharia in the country." Those are Buharis own words. For having the foisted posture of the saintly tough-ruler as well as an Islamic fundamentalist, Buhari fitted well the ideal consensus candidate of Nigerias Islamic north. He was chosen because he was believed to be a capable and willing candidate who would boldly implement the so-called norths long term ambitious Islamic agenda for Nigeria  extending the global Islamic caliphate project to cover the entire country, including Christians and other religions areas. Nigeria for many reasons has long been considered important in this local and global Islamic caliphate agenda. It is said that the ultimate goal of this agenda for countries in Africas south of the Sahara is to eventually overrun and conquer them for Islam like those in the northern half of the continent. The advocates and financial sponsors of this agenda see the conquer and subjugation of the entire Nigerian geography as being strategic because by virtue of its position and clout the country will serve as a launch pad whose reaches cover the entire target-region.

The Nigerian jihad as part of the greater global Islamic agenda

In Nigeria today there are two manifest champions of this global caliphate agenda. They are members of the deadly Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram who have very strong connections with the most powerful people in Nigerian political, military and business establishments. The second group is also an equally well-connected Islamic terrorist group modeled after the fearsome Sudanese Janjaweed. Its members are mostly Fulani, members of the ethnic group (the group sometimes referred to as Nigerias born-to-rule over others) from which the current Nigerian president comes. They are generally known as the Fulani Cattle Herders (FCH.) Like Boko Haram, Fulani Cattle Herders are also generously financed by the northern elite and ruling oligarch class.

In the last few decades Saudi Arabia and some other Islamic countries like Iran, Turkey and Nigeria have dreamed of and fanatically pursued the archaic fantasy of an eventual Islam-subjugated world. These countries have expended in the process, a chunk of their petrodollar and other national incomes in pursuing the agenda. Some observers think that they have been successful in more ways than most people will care to admit. It is believed that among other achievements, that perhaps their greatest is being able to successfully infiltrate the Western news media establishment. Through this subversive penetration of the mainstream news and information dissemination process of Western societies, the jihadists have over the years, exerted pervasive subtle but unmistakable influence on the editorial opinions of media outlets in the West. Some analysts think that the prevalent editorial stance of most mainstream Western media where each tries to outdo the other on who would best be described as the most politically correct, tolerant and civilized liberal, can hardly be explained otherwise.

The infiltration seems to be so thorough and complete that today no matter how realistic and objective a critic is, there will always be a way to accuse him or her of being politically incorrect, suffering from islamophobia and expressing a dangerous far right extremist views. Today anyone can easily bet their most valued possessions to predict that the editorial opinions of Western media will always sing in unison the well-rehearsed chorus that not all Muslims are terrorists therefore the critic who deviates from the accepted liberal and fear-induced civilized tolerance is condemned and labeled; unsophisticated, bigoted, crude and uninformed racist. The new Western standard is simple; even after the attacker had called the authorities on the phone to announce their reason for the attack, Western authorities in the name of not being at war with Islam, should spend an endless period of time investigating to ascertain the motive behind the attack.

The ultimate goals of all terroristic or Islamic jihad campaigns are to receive attention, elicit fear and intimidate or cow the target-victims (the infidels.) Those goals have substantially been achieved in many places around the world, Nigeria inclusive. The ongoing global jihad has not only successfully used fear and intimidation to cow much of the international community, it has also compelled everybody to tolerate and endure happily the prevailing globe-wide displays of barbaric Islamic violent extremism. So, the fear campaigns have successfully cleared the way for the emergence into powerful offices, such extremist bigots like Buhari in dysfunctional societies like the Nigerian country. As a result, people in the mold of Nigerias present leader, rather than being censored are patronized by such world leaders like United Nations Ban Ki-moon with such unrealistic words like: You are highly respected by world leaders, including myself. Your persona has given your country a positive image. Yet the so-called Nigerias positive image is nothing more than the continued descent to the lowest levels of religious intolerance and flagrant abuses of the human rights of peaceful citizens. The brutal killings of hundreds of non-violent Biafran separatist protesters by government security forces are too recent to be swept under the carpet by the patrons of these extremist elements.

While campaigning for and on assumption of office, Buhari did not need to present any complex political agenda. Having proved himself as an Islamic fundamentalist, he could cash in on the well-established global jihads political capital of the global caliphate. Nevertheless, Buhari who became the posterchild of Nigerias saint-and-tough-guy messiah, winning became a do-or-die obsession. At 70 plus years, he became desperate as he felt that time was running out on him. In his own words; baboons and dogs would be soaked in blood should he fail again to win the election to become Nigerias next president in 2015.

Buhari and his handlers managed to convince the uninformed public that he was the poor candidate who never stole money since his more than forty years in public office (but there are abundant public records to the contrary) who is suited to kill the monster of Nigerian corruption. Yet this wretched candidate was able to easily afford the $10 million consultancy fee of the American political strategist David Axelrod of the Obama phenomenon. So, an indigent Buhari who would kill the Nigerian corruption saw nothing wrong in paying a modest $10 million to a foreign political consulting firm for a local election in a country where the people live on less than $2 a day.
Dr. Abbas Adam, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tamale Teaching Hospital, has revealed that the hospital recorded over 1,500 neonatal births in 2015.

This makes it the highest record of neonatal births in hospitals across the country.

Dr. Adam made the disclosure in Tamale, when Koji Makino, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Country Representative to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, paid a courtesy call on him during a three-day tour of JICA -funded projects in the Northern Region.

He explained that, neonatal medical care were provided by Teaching Hospitals to premature babies and those born with certain infections and defects.

He said the large catchment area of the TTH, which covers the Brong-Ahafo, the northern part of the Volta, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, Southern Burkina Faso and Northern Togo, had accounted for the large numbers of neonatal care admissions at the hospital.

Dr. Adam lauded Japan for the technical support it had provided for the training of staff of the NICU of the hospital.

He said the staff trained by Japan, especially Dr. Mumuni Alhassan, the Head of the NICU, after his training programme, returned home to transform the NICU into a centre of excellence.

JICA always sets the pace for others to follow, Dr Adam, also a beneficiary of the JICA training programme stated.

He also appealed to JICA to extend the collaboration with the NICU to other units of the hospital, such as the Emergency and Accident Unit and the Intensive Care Unit.

He said the Ghana government was putting up a new facility for the NICU, which when completed by 2018, would accommodate 80 neonatal cases.

He said the current NICU facility, which accommodates 40 cases, was being over -stretched.

Dr. Alhassan said the culture of discipline and punctuality inculcated in him during his six weeks study visit in Japan, had empowered him to transform the NICU.

He said due to the high level of commitment, discipline and punctuality among staff of the Unit, neonatal mortality had been reduced drastically.


The Paramount Chief of Challa Traditional Area in the Nkwanta District of the Volta Region, Nana Addo Kanewu, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to ignore his detractors and continue with his good works ahead of the December 7 polls.

I ask you to forgive those who insult and attack you for they do not know what they are doing, Chief Kanewu said.

According to him, under the leadership of President Mahama, Ghana is revered and viewed as an icon of true democracy and oasis of peace in the African continent.

Addressing the Chief of Staff, Mr. Julius Debrah and his entourage at Brewaniase in the Nkwanta South District, Nana Addo Kanewu said if some chief on his own volition or accord has said that he supports another presidential candidate, thats his own business; it is not the decision of the paramountcy and chiefs of Nkwanta South District.

Mr. Julius Debrah is in the Volta region as a follow up to an earlier visit by President Mahama to whip up enthusiasm among NDC faithful towards ahead of the December 7 polls.

He is also calling on the Chiefs and people of the region to vote massively for President Mahama.

Paying glowing tribute to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its achievements under the leadership of President Mahama, the chief said enough has been done by the government thatar deserves commendation.

While recounting the developmental projects in his area, the revered paramount chief said every community in his area has been connected to the national grid.

According to him, schools and libraries have been provided, road from Nkwanta to Dambai is under construction with more projects yet to commence under the governing NDC.

They said chiefs should not dabble in politics, but nothing stops us from speaking of the good things we are seeing in our communities, Chief Kanewu stated.

He indicated that Ghana is doing better under the leadership of the amiable, affable, accessible and God fearing President, Nothing stops us from saying, 'JM yidzi!.'

The Chief urged government to ensure that the peace and cohesion Ghana is currently enjoying are jealously protected before, during and after the 2016 elections.

By: Richard Mensah/ghelections.com/Ghana
A-52-year old man has been assaulted by members of a National Democratic Congress vigilante group at Fumso for making gestures suggesting change at the convoy of President Mahama.

Nana Akwasi Gyamerah, a native of Kuntenase in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti region was attending a cousins funeral when four stoutly built members of the security taskforce assaulted him publicly.

They accused him of suggesting President Mahamas government should not be maintained but rather be changed.

President Mahamas campaign team was returning from Apagya in the Adansi South District at the beginning of a 4-day campaign tour of the Ashanti region.

The men in green NDC T-shirt onboard an American Ford vehicle with registration GW 9607-14 suddenly stopped and pounced on Nana Gyamera in the middle of the Kumasi-Cape Coast road.

It took the intervention of a lotto seller and a military officer to prevent the men from further attacking the middle aged-man as he fell onto the ground with his funeral cloth.

Nana Gyamera tells Nhyira FM he has been in pains after being hit in the chest and cheek several times with bruises on the feet.

The family is angry at the humiliation meted out to their relative. They have promised to pursue the matter.

His nephew, Asiedu Kofi Abraham says he was assaulted by the machomen in his bid to rescue his uncle.

According to him, the family will pursue the case to its logical conclusion.

This matter will not end here. Even if we have to go to court, we will go. If we should go to Otumfuo [Asantehene], we will go. My uncle is in pains, he insisted

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional NDC campaign team is not surprised at the conduct of Nana Gyamerah and several others who did same.

Spokesperson, Samed Akalilu says the party will investigate the assault case once it comes to its attention.

That has not come to my attention so it would be difficult for me to pass a verdict or comment.

According to him, President John Dramani Mahama runs one of the most decent campaigns ahead of 2016 elections.

"We run one of the most disciplined and most decent campaigns in recent time. John Mahama represents peace.He has always said this that hes not divisive, hes not diabolic ; he loves his people and he has united Ghana and everybody who follows John Dramani Mahama tries to emulates his behavior, he explained

Meanwhile, the Fumso police have launched investigations after it issued Nana Gyamerah with a medical form.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential Candidate for the 2016 elections, President John Mahama, has said the December 7 election is a foregone conclusion for his party.

He likened his expected victory to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolts exceptional track and field exploits, on the first day of his Ashanti Regional Campaign tour.

Addressing the Chiefs and party faithful during a durbar at Adansi Apagya in the New Edubiase Constituency, he said all his contenders were lagging behind him in the presidential race.

Theres an athlete called Usain Bolt. He is the fastest runner alive. Whenever he takes the lead in a 100 meter race, he turns to look at those lagging behind him and whisltes. That is to tell the NPP that the race has already been won. We are already in the lead so it is too late from them to catch up, President Mahama said.

Dompoase chief urges Mahama to accept outcome

President Mahamas optimism notwithstanding, the Chief of Dompoase, Okofo Sobin Kai II, urged him to accept the outcome of the 2016 elections in the event that it did not go his way.

The Chief impressed upon the NDC Flagbearer that, all we need is peace; the kind of peace that will bring us all back here after the elections.

We are sure God has already chosen a leader after the elections; so we are pleading with President Mahama to accept the results after December 7 no matter the outcome, as has been done in previous elections.

So I am saying whoever loses this year; should accept the results in order not to disrupt the peace we enjoy in this country, Okofo Sobin Kai II concluded.



By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana
I am one of the many people who gathered at our capitol on May 18 to hear Franklin Graham speak. Franklin is the son of the famous evangelist, Bill Graham. Lincoln was one of the stops that Mr. Graham was making as he gathered at all 50 state capitols prior to the election. Franklin stressed three important things that he encouraged all Americans to do, namely pray, vote and run for office He stressed how important it is for Christians to run for office at the local or state level if they have the ability to do so.

This really made an impact on me. As I pondered this, I came up with an idea of something I could do. I know of a candidate running for the office of Lancaster County Commissioner that I endorse and I decided that I could write in and encourage my fellow voters to vote for Jim Ballard. I have never written a letter to the editor but I want to tell you why I thoroughly endorse this candidate.

I have known Jim and his family for many years. Jim is a member of my church and has served on the school board for our church school. I know him to be a very upstanding, morally-sound person and a proven successful business man as the owner of James Arthur Vineyards and the Form Nebraska Gift Shop in the Haymarket. I know that Jim will listen to concerns and will be a great representative for county government. Please join me in voting for Jim Ballard on Nov. 8

Marilynn Andreasen, Lincoln
The Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has justified the decision of the Commission to appeal the judgment of an Accra High Court, quashing its disqualification of the Progressive Peoples' Party (PPP) Flagbearer, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom from the December 7 presidential race.

She believes a judgment from the Supreme Court would resolve the five other lawsuits it is saddled with, following its disqualification of 11 other presidential aspirants.

Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Osei noted that, the only point of contention in the disqualification issue, revolved around how you define the nomination period.

The decision was taken by the Commission not to accept the 13 nomination forms that were presented by the other candidates. The court has not said that those failings were not there. The dispute has been as to what is the nomination period.

Thus she said, we have felt that because we have five candidates challenging; it is better for us to go and challenge this at the Supreme Court so that there is one definitive ruling that covers everyone.

The Supreme Court has heard both sides. It is going to give a ruling on Monday. When the ruling is given, we would respect it, Mrs. Osei said, adding that, even when it has been very difficult for us, we have made sure that we were following the law very strictly.

Successful appeal may not reflect on other lawsuits

Meanwhile a private legal practitioner, Akoto Ampaw, has already warned that, it would be wrong for the Commission to assume that a successful appeal at the Supreme Court, would resolve the other lawsuits it is saddled with.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, Mr. Ampaw said it would be erroneous for the EC to assume that, by sending Nduom's application to the Supreme Court, the determination would resolve the other pending applications.

The EC recently decided to head to the Supreme Court to overturn a High Court judgment quashing the disqualification of Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom.

It is also fighting lawsuits from the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Independent People's Party (IPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC).

The parties want the court to compell the EC to allow them to correct the mistakes on their presidential nomination forms and the PPP and the All Peoples Congress (APC) have been succesfull in that regard.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Financial analyst, Sydney Casely-Hayford, has said that the recent outcomes of the lawsuits challenging the Electoral Commissions (EC) disqulification of presidential aspirants, indicate that the EC doesnt seem to understand its own rules and regulations on elections.

The EC is currently fighting lawsuits from the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Independent People's Party (IPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC), who are contesting its decision to disqualify their presidential aspirants for having errors on their nomination forms.

The parties are praying the court to compel the EC to allow them to correct the mistakes on their forms. So far, the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the All Peoples Congress (APC), have secured High Couert rulings to that effect.

Sydney Casely-Hayford.

Speaking on The Big Issue, Mr. Casely-Hayford's said, the ECs failings stem from the fact it hastily put together the Constitutional Instrument (CI), overseeing the elections, and are now struggling to interpret it.

In his view, the Electoral Commission, who actually crafted the Constitutional Instrument, CI 94 don't even understand what they wrote and how they were going to be able to use itvto be able to streamline and bring some sanity into the presidential nominations and the parliamentary nominations.

They didn't understand it because they are losing cases based on their own law which they drafted they crafted a law that they themselves cannot defend in court because they have totally misunderstood what they were trying to achieve, Mr. Casely-Hayford added.

Supreme Court appeal will provide definitive judgement

The EC recently decided to head to the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court judgment quashing the disqualification of the PPPs Flagbearer, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom.

The EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has justified this decision saying a judgment from the Supreme Court would resolve the other lawsuits it is saddled with, following its disqualification of 12 presidential aspirants.

Mrs. Osei believes that the only point of contention in the disqualifications revolve around the definition of the nomination period.

Thus she said, we have felt that because we have five candidates challenging it is better for us to go and challenge this at the Supreme Court so that there is one definitive ruling that covers everyone.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
President Mahama and his Attorney General are colluding with the NDC party to not compel Alfred Agbesi Woyome to refund the money he so fraudulently obtained from the Ghana government. The money he duped Ghana out of was indeed the taxpayers but not any personal money from President Mahama, former President Atta Mills or the NDC.

I have always expressed my disgust at Alfred Agbesi Woyome criminally fronting for NDC to cheat Ghana out of such a huge sum of money to finance the NDC party. He self-styled himself as the major financier of the NDC party; using the States money he had obtained dubiously. Yes, he is of course, a major thief of the 21st Century Ghana.

As I once wrote and which publication landed me in a court suit, I shall say it again today that Alfred Agbesi Woyome defrauded Ghana of the money to benefit certain individuals within NDC and the party itself. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the then Attorney General who acting in complicity did facilitate the payment of that gargantuan money to Alfred Woyome by piling pressure on then Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Dr Kwabena Duffour, did benefit from the fraud to the tune of about GHC5 million. Can she deny this accusation?

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Woyome-Sues-5-NPP-Officials-media-managers-232734

There are other highly-placed people within both the NDC government and party who might have had handsome handshakes from Woyome on his acquisition of the money hence the obvious difficulty we face in retrieving the money from him despite the Supreme Courts order to him to pay back the money to the State. They fear being named by Woyome if they dare force him to pay back the money because they will not only be named, shamed and face prosecution but also, they will have to refund whatever share of the money that went to them.

This is why the present and former NDC government Attorney Generals, except former Attorney General Martin Amidu, have shown no firm interest in collecting the money but rather playing tactics that will finally culminate in Woyome keeping the money for good.

Subsequently, I support Brother Martin Amidus current filing for leave at the Supreme Court to be allowed to examine Alfred Agbesi Woyome personally. This act by him is to thwart the deliberate attempts by the NDC government to cunningly let off Woyome in peace to continue to enjoy the GHC51.2 Million he has swindled the State of.

Check the underlying web link.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Martin-Amidu-files-for-Supreme-Court-permit-to-examine-Woyome-personally-483952

Woyome can run but he cannot hide. The NDC can try to shield him from paying back the money but they will fail.

Ghanaians, let us all please rally behind Brother Amidu in his efforts to oblige Woyome to cough out the money. Woyome is not a rich man but a pure thief!

Rockson Adofo
Today, Sunday 6 November 2016, I, Rockson Adofo, from Kumawu/Asiampa, do solemnly call on all believers in God to rally in support behind Nana Akufo Addo and NPP to win the upcoming 7 December 2016 election. I believe in the power of prayers and supplications to God to avert difficult circumstances or to facilitate situations for easy accessibility.

Prayers made by believers in God through our Lord Jesus Christ work wonders. Similarly, Muslims can make theirs through Prophet Mohammed and people of other faiths through whomever and whatever they believe in to God.

I shall request of all those who are able, to set aside certain days of their choosing to FAST in carrying across their supplications to God to grant Nana Akufo Addo the chance to become the President of Ghana to liberate the nation and the people from the socio-economic hardships that President Mahama and his NDC government have brought to bear upon Ghanaians through their shameless institutional corruption, cronyism, nepotism and acts of lawlessness.

There is power in group prayers and the prayers of good people, thus, the faithful, do find favour in the eyes of God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything therein. This is confirmed in Acts of the Apostles chapter 2  1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Again from Acts 12, it can be confirmed in summation as thus, {4} Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

(4) The prayers of the godly overturn the counsel of tyrants, obtain angels from God, break the prison, unloose the chains, put Satan to flight, and preserve the Church.

In this request for prayers to God to grant His son or servant Nana Akufo Addo the grace to serve Ghana and Ghanaians with honesty, please do ask God questions similarly as done by Prophet Habakkuk e.g.

Habakkuks Complaint

1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

2

How long, Lord, must I call for help,

but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, Violence!

but you do not save?

3

Why do you make me look at injustice?

Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

Destruction and violence are before me;

there is strife, and conflict abounds.

4

Therefore the law is paralyzed,

and justice never prevails.

The wicked hem in the righteous,

so that justice is perverted. Etc.

This is the last and final attempt by Nana Akufo Addo to seek the mandate of the good people of Ghana to come to serve us but not to lord himself over us. Please, entreat God in your solemn supplications to grant Nana Akufo Addo favour in his eyes to become the President of Ghana to save Ghanaians from the needlessly painful economic hardships the people are going through.

These few days preceding Election 2016 are not for feasting but must be devoted to fasting and praying in case God would grant Nana Akufo Addo and the suffering Ghanaian masses favour in his eyes.

If we should make earnest prayers to God, surely, He will manifest his love for Ghana and the people of Ghana through the election of Nana Akufo Addo as the President of Ghana.

We cannot, and we should not, let this third time lucky chance pass Nana Akufo Addo hence the need to make honest prayers to God from today until and after the upcoming election.

All the Scripture Union members throughout Ghana, faithful pastors, prophets, evangelists, prophetesses, and everybody who cares for the betterment of Ghana and her citizens are to join in this request for prayers for Nana Akufo Addo and Dr Bawumia of the NPP fraternity.

Shall God bless us all and listen to our prayers, grant us our heart desire of seeing Nana Akufo Addo elected the President of Ghana on 7 December 2016 or any other date that the election to make changes in government from President Mahama and NDC to Nana Akufo Addo and NPP will be held. Amen.

Rockson Adofo
A-Plus goes made at the Attorney General for declaring her disinterest in continuing with her court case of retrieving the GHC51.2 million that Alfred Agbesi Woyome defrauded Ghana of.

A-Plus has subsequently expressed his frustrations and anger with a message to former President Rawlings to do whatever it takes to rein in the greedy bastards and babies with sharp teeth that the political party (NDC) he single-handedly created has given birth to, to come to torment Ghanaians through their fondness for corruption and lawlessness.

Watch the video on A-Plus venting his anger at the deplorable attitudes by the NDC and his call on former President Rawlings to act now to set Ghanaians free from the devils he himself has indirectly helped to create!

Ghanaians and the whole world may be very much aware of the order issued by the Ghana Supreme Court to Woyome to pay back the GHC51.2 million he collected from the government because he did not qualify for the money. To the understanding of the court, he obtained the money fraudulently.

Two or more years after the Supreme Courts order, Woyome has not refunded even a pesewa to Ghana and he has no intention to pay the money back.

The Attorney General has decided not to continue with any charges intended for forcing Woyome to pay back the money. Her decision to discontinue with the case arise from the fact that Woyome has alleged he collected the money for NDC so should he be pressured to refund the money, he would name every NDC member to whom he shared the money.

The NDC fearing the titanic commotion to ensue with the possible public anger to vote massively against them, President Mahama has ordered the Attorney General not to pursue the case any further but to abandon it for Woyome to keep silent about any intents he may have to blow the lid off the identities of the partakers of his swindling criminality.

I know for a fact that Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu had a chunk of the create, loot and share judgment debt payment of the GHC51.2 million to Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the 5-Star decorated Ghanaian swindler of the Century.

I join A-Plus to call on Ghanaians to vote massively against President Mahama and the NDC. They are all a big bunch of thieves who do not mean well for the majority of Ghanaians.

Abandon President Mahama and NDC in droves; the only way to compel Woyome and other such criminals to cough out the money they have so dubiously stolen from us.

A-Plus is again right to say Abn B Bom. I stand shoulder to shoulder with him to asking for the restitution of the money to the State by Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the Ghanaian No. 1 conman of the century.

Rockson Adofo
Multicultural approaches and policies vary widely all over the world, ranging from the advocacy of equal respect to the various cultures in a society, to a policy of promoting the maintenance of cultural diversity, to policies in which people of various ethnic and religious groups are addressed by the authorities as defined by the group to which they belong. Two different strategies, as recently pointed out by Ms. Camilla Habsburg-Lothringen, have been developed through different government policies and strategies: The first, often labelled as interculturalism, focuses on interaction and communication between different cultures. The second one, cohabitative multi-culti does center itself on diversity and cultural uniqueness; it sees cultural isolation as a protection of uniqueness of the local culture of a nation or area and also a contribution to global cultural diversity.

A sort of third way between the two above-mentioned strategies has been traditioned and further enhanced by core Asian counties, e.g. Azerbaijan, where state policy has been accompanied, in a complementary way, to a certain activism of intermediate bodies (civil society, universities, think tanks).

Multiculturalism is a state policy of Azerbaijan and it has become a way of life of the republic ensuring mutual understanding and respect for all identities. The year 2016 has been declared the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan, as stated by President Ilham Aliyev on January 10. This decision was made taking into account the fact that Azerbaijan brings an important contribution to the traditions of tolerance and intercivilization dialogue.

Its peculiar location between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and its sociopolitical context  where people of various religions and ethnicities have lived together in mutual respect  have allowed Azerbaijan to adopt a multicultural-led agenda as a strategic tool of foreign policy.

Despite challenges due to the instability of the area and unresolved armed conflict with neighboring Armenia for the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku has made an effort to create and foster the necessary political and social conditions for developing and strengthening the countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

From a historical perspective, representatives of many ethnic and religious groups have lived together with Azerbaijanis since the era of the Safavids empire and during the XIX-XX centuries, including the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic incorporated into the Soviet Union.

Today Azerbaijan, a country which established the first secular democracy in the Muslim world in 1918 and offered women the right to vote in 1919, acts as a model for peaceful coexistence of members of different cultures.

It hosts one of the oldest mosques in the world, in the city of Shamakhi, dating from 743, and also one of the oldest Christian churches, an Armenian church from the 12-13 century. Not to mention one of the oldest churches in the Caucasus near the city of Sheki  the Church of Caucasian Albania, and a Zoroastrian temple, a temple of fire worshipers, not far from Baku. Azerbaijan has been inhabited by representatives of different religions and cultures throughout history, demonstrating a deep heritage of coexistence among different religions.

Indeed, currently there are more than 649 registered religious communities in the Republic of Azerbaijan, among which 37 are non-Islamic. It has 13 functioning churches. The building of the Jen Mironosets Church (built by Hadji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev in 1907) was granted to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991. Aleksi II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', who was on a visit in Azerbaijan in May 2001, granted the status of church to this temple. Currently there are three Russian Orthodox Churches in Baku, one in Gandja and one in Khachmaz. The Catholic community was registered in Azerbaijan in 1999. A special building for the conduction of religious ceremonies was purchased for the community and it became a church in 2000. According to the agreement between the Azerbaijani Government and Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church has been constructed in 2007 in Baku. It is more than 2500 years that the Jews have settled in Azerbaijan, never suffering religious intolerance or discrimination; currently six Jewish religious communities are registered and seven synagogues are functioning. Azerbaijan contributes also to the world heritage. Restoration of Roman catacombs, Strasbourg Cathedral Church, ancient masterpieces in Versailles (Paris), Capitolini Museum (Roma), Louvre Museum (Paris), Trapezitsa Museum (Bulgaria) etc. by Heydar Aliyev Foundation are typical example of these contribution.

Development of multiculturalism and tolerance at the level of State policy in Azerbaijan is based on ancient history of statehood of the country and on development of these traditions. Nowadays, thanks to efforts of the government, this political behavior has acquired a form of ideology of statehood and political practice (state policy), whereas the political bases of these concepts have found their reflection in relevant clauses of articles of the Constitution, legal acts, decrees and orders. Regarding one of the facets of this conception  religious freedom  it is also worth noting that article 48 of Azerbaijani Constitution ensures the liberty of worship, to choose any faith, or to not practice any religion, and to express one's view on the religion. Moreover, the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1992) On freedom of faith ensures the right of any human being to determine and express his view on religion and to execute this right. According to paragraphs 1-3 of Article 18 of the Constitution the religion acts separately from the government, each religion is equal before the law and the propaganda of religions, abating human personality and contradicting to the principles of humanism is prohibited. The above-mentioned laws make Azerbaijan a modern de jure secular state, as well as de facto.

As a consequence of this public support, expressed through material and financial assistance from the budget of Country and Presidential foundation, there are dozens of national-cultural centers functioning at present. They include "Commonwealth" society, Russian community, Slavic cultural center, Azerbaijani-Israeli community, Ukrainian community, Kurdish cultural center "Ronai", Lezgin national center "Samur", Azerbaijani-Slavic culture center, Tat cultural center, Azerbaijani-Tatar community, Tatar culture society "Tugan-tel", Tatar cultural center "Yashlyg", Crimean Tatars society "Crimea", Georgian community, humanitarian society of Azerbaijani Georgians, Ingiloyan community, Chechen cultural center, "Vatan" society of Akhyska-Turks, "Sona" society of the women of Akhyska-Turks, Talysh cultural center, Avar society, mountain Jews community, European Jews (Ashkenazi) community, Georgian Jews community, Jewish women humanitarian association, German cultural society "Kapelhaus", Udin cultural center, Polish cultural center "Polonia", "Mada" International Talysh Association, "Avesta" Talysh Association, Udin "Orain" Cultural Center, "Budug" Cultural Center, Tsakhur Cultural Center. Not to mention the club-based amateur societies, national and state theatres, amateur associations and interest-focused clubs in areas with compact minority populations. The State also supports dozens of magazines, newspapers, radio and television programs which are expression of language minorities.

Declaration of the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan took place against the backdrop of religiously motivated ethnic conflicts in the Middle East. This kind of State-led multiculturalism, which could be considered as a form of soft power, is intended to be introduced as a model of multiculturalism elsewhere, especially to states and societies of the Middle East, where radicalism has spread rapidly over the last 20 years.

In recent years Baku has hosted numerous international events, starting from the Baku International Humanitarian Forum. The capital of Azerbaijan has hosted this Forum since 2011, which aims to build an authoritative international platform for world scientists and culture figures as well as acclaimed experts to discuss pressing global humanitarian challenges. The Baku International Humanitarian Forum is attended by well-known statesmen, public figures and prominent scientists, including 13 Nobel Prize winners, as well as journalists, representatives of non-governmental organizations and other distinguished guests.

Since 2011 Baku has hosted the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, in partnership with UNAOC, UNESCO, UN World Tourism Organization, Council of Europe and ISESCO. Through this initiative known as "Baku process'', Azerbaijan acknowledges the power of intercultural dialogue and the possibility to create the conditions for positive intercultural and inclusive relations. At the same time, hosting the first ever European Games in 2015, Azerbaijan will conduct the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017.

This year Baku has hosted the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (April 25-27), which aims to reach a more peaceful and socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among people of different cultural and religious identities, and highlighting the will of the worlds majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity.

With the same purpose, in 2014 was established the Baku International Multiculturalism Center, aimed to preserve ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of the country. It has also been created to introduce Azerbaijan as a centre of multiculturalism to the world, and carried out research into and promoted existing multicultural models of the world. One of the mainstream projects of the Centre is promoting a special University course entitled Azerbaijani multiculturalism at local and foreign universities. The promoters already managed to incorporate this course into the teaching programs of some top ranked universities (Sapienza University in Rome, Charles University in Prague, Fribourg University in Switzerland) across Europe, as well as in Russia, Georgia and in Indonesia. The Center has also initiated the publication of a series of books under the title Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism.

Within the framework of the Year of Multiculturalism, Baku International Multiculturalism Centre launched the Summer School and Winter School programs every year for students and researches interested in enhancing and deepening their knowledge in this issue (theoretical and practical knowledge), and explore new topics regarding Azerbaijani multiculturalism.

In a recent visit to Baku (October 2016), Pope Francis praised Azerbaijan as a place of religious tolerance after meeting with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev and after a private meeting with Sheikh ul-Islam, the regions grand mufti, before the two men held an interreligious meeting at the countrys largest mosque with Orthodox Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

A significant activism of civil society in this issue is also demonstrated by many initiatives and projects created by Azerbaijani think tanks and academic groups. One of the most interesting and relevant is the International Multicultural Network (IMN) founded and headed by Dr. Khayala Mammadova, which is an online presence to connect researchers and practitioners with an interest in multiculturalism, aimed at promoting and disseminating research on the multifaceted multicultural agenda and for comprised of scholars, state and community actors specialising in the fields of multiculturalism, intercultural and interreligious relations across diverse disciplines and geographical regions.

It connects researchers from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Likewise, it appoints Country Representatives, and promotes publications (books, journal articles, research reports), discussions and events in order to advise, educate and inform on subjects related to multiculturalism and cultural diversity. We can mention, among the most significant international partners of the International Multicultural Network, The Prisma  The Multicultural Newspaper, a London-based newspaper which works for the elimination of racial and cultural prejudices, and is committed to social justice and equality of opportunity, and is aimed at promoting and defending these values of the multicultural society of the UK, especially in the case of Latin Americans.

Using its peculiar way to multiculturalism as a strategic tool of foreign policy and defending itself from religious and political extremism, Azerbaijan represents a countrys success story that could give Europe a contribution in its difficult approach to this issue.

Multiculturalism is a divisive subject of debate in almost all European nations that are associated with a single, national cultural ethos. As the latest datas confirm, European Union is facing unprecedented demographic changes (ageing population, low birth rates, changing family structures and migration) which are likely to change the internal structure of its member states over the next 50 years.

Despite Europe has always been a mixture of different cultures, unified by the super-position of Imperial Roman Christianity, the ideology of nationalism (XIX-XX century) transformed the way Europeans thought about theirselves and the state. The new nation-states sprang up on the principle that each nation is entitled to its own sovereignty and to engender, protect, and preserve its own unique culture and history. Social unity, according to this ideology, is seen as an essential feature of the nation, understood as unity of descent, unity of culture, unity of language, and often unity of religion. The European nation-state, at least until the mid-twentieth century, constitutes a culturally homogeneous society, although some national movements recognizes regional differences.

Bearing in mind this context, during the latest decades some of the European countries  especially France  have tried to culturally assimilate the regional minorities, or any other ethnic/linguistic/religious group different from the national majority, while ensuring them every individual and group right. Nevertheless, after the economic crisis of 2007-2008 and the increasing of migration resulting from riots and civil wars within the Arab-Islamic world, criticism of multiculturalism has become stronger and stronger in the Old Continent. This position questions the ideal of the maintenance of distinct ethnic cultures within a state and sometimes argues against cultural integration of different ethnic and cultural groups to the existing laws and values of the country. Alternatively critics may argue for assimilation of different ethnic and cultural groups to a single national identity.

Thirty years ago, many Europeans saw multiculturalism as an answer to Europes social problems. Today, according to multiculturalisms critics, it allowed excessive immigration without demanding enough integration, a mismatch that has eroded social cohesion, undermined national identities, and degraded public trust. However, as argued by Kenan Malik on Foreign Affairs, multiculturalism in Europe has become a proxy for other social and political issues: immigration, identity, political disenchantment, working-class decline. As a political tool, multiculturalism has functioned as not merely a response to diversity but also a means of constraining it, writes Malik. And that insight reveals a paradox. Multicultural policies accept as a given that societies are diverse, yet they implicitly assume that such diversity ends at the edges of minority communities.

In his luminary book Europe of Sarajevo 100 years later, prof. Anis Bajrektarevic diagnosed that multiculturalism in not dead but dread in Europe. There is a claim constantly circulating the EU: multiculturalism is dead in Europe. Dead or maybe d(r)ead?... That much comes from a cluster of European nation-states that love to romanticize  in a grand metanarrative of dogmatic universalism  their appearance as of the coherent Union, as if they themselves lived a long, cordial and credible history of multiculturalism. Hence, this claim and its resonating debate is of course false. It is also cynical because it is purposely deceiving. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates  that of European anti-fascistic identity, or otherness  to the wing-parties. This was repeatedly followed by the selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions of the Union over the last two decades.  writes prof. Bajrektarevic on the most pressing issue of todays Europe.

Thus, as it seems to look for the multiculturalism one has to search beyond Europe.Starting from this theoretical point, the traditional and modern reinvigorated Azerbaijan experience about multiculturalism could teach Europe an important lesson: addressing issues and policies on multiculturalism requires an approach that combines state policies with resourcefulness of civil society and intermediate bodies. An approach which would avoid, on the one hand, the distortion of local peoples and migrants, and on the other hand would waste assimilationism. In other words, a new foedus (pact, alliance) which would preserve rights and culture of minorities, while ensuring the values of the majority of the population.

*Alessio Stilo, Research Associate at Institute of High Studies in Geopolitics and Auxiliary Sciences (IsAG), Rome, Italy, and Ph.D. researcher at University of Padova, is IMN Country Representative in Italy.
Robert N. A. Kpakpo

06.11.2016 LISTEN

Tetteh Quarshie Memorial hospital is a district hospital located in the Akuapem North district of the Eastern Region

It is quite unfortunate that, the security and safety of the staff of the hospital is in a state far beyond deplorable. Over the years, a ritual which seems to be an annual robbery is virtually becoming a convention. Due to this, some members of staff have refused to accept accommodation from the hospital and prefer to commute from their various places of residence to work. What is the hospital administration doing about it?

The roads leading to staff bungalows are in such a deplorable state that, vehicles that ply these roads will practically require a maintenance culture on monthly or perhaps weekly basis. That aside, the roads are so narrow that, no two vehicles can move side by side. Again, the entire premises is so bushy that you may be tempted to believe it's a jungle. The staff are battling with wild and dangerous animals like scorpions and snakes.

To boot, apart from three street lights found in front of the pediatric unit, there are no street lights or any other form of lightning whatsoever on all stretches leading to and fro staff bungalows.

The hospital has a few security personnel found at the exit of the facility. Their job has basically been to direct cars and pedestrians. The situation is even more pathetic at night. While medical personnel are saving lives in the facility, the security personnel are fast asleep but can we put the entire blame on them? These personnel have no equipment, logistics or tools whatsoever to aid them in combating crime. We certainly cannot expect more from them.

It is very disheartening that the lives of health care professionals who are saving lives be put in jeopardy. About a year ago, someone's car was snatched right in front of the hospital gate. At about the same time, a pharmacist and some doctors were robbed in their bungalows. After reporting to the mampong police, they promised to get back to them and it's been a year already. The robbery menace is on the ascendancy

On the dawn of November 5,2016 doctors in their bungalows at Tutu were robbed together with some nurses and physician assistants in their residence in the premises of the hospital. I'm completely at sea. Are there police personnel in mampong?

I want to crave the indulgence of all relevant stakeholders including the administration of Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, the Ghana Police Service and the Regional Security Coordinating Council to join forces in finding a lasting solution to this pressing issue.

It is my hope that the staff of the hospital will regain some significant level of confidence in the security in and around the hospital through a prompt response to their plight so as to afford them a sound mind for quality health care delivery
A United Nations high level Meeting on people with albinism in Africa which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa on 8 November is a crucial opportunity to end discrimination and violence against people with albinism across the continent, Amnesty International said today.

African leaders and communities must come together and confront the root causes of the ongoing discrimination and horrific violence faced by people with albinism, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for Southern Africa, who will attend the meeting.

No one should be discriminated against because of their appearance. This is a chance to turn the tide for people with albinism, and delegates must take concrete steps and come up with measures to promote effective and full enjoyment of the human rights of people with albinism.

The meeting is convened by the UNs first Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero.

It will bring together civil society organizations representing people with albinism from different parts of the continent who will share their experiences.

Background

An Amnesty International report released in June 2016 exposed a wave of violent attacks against people with albinism in Malawi. Attacks have increased sharply over the last two years with four people, including ababy, murdered in April 2016 alone. Eighteen people were killed between November 2014 and June 2016. At least five others had been abducted and remained missing during the same period.

Killings of people with albinism are fueled by a belief that their bones bring wealth and good luck, and body parts are believed to be sold to practitioners of traditional medicine in Malawi and Mozambique for use in charms and potions.
The Chief of Dompoase, Okofo Sobin Kai II, has urged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, President John Mahama, to accept the outcome of the 2016 elections in the event that it does not go his way.

During a durbar at Adansi Apagya in the New Edubiase Constituency, the Chief impressed upon the NDC Flagbearer that, all we need is peace; the kind of peace that will bring us all back here after the elections.

Okofo Sobin Kai II said, we are sure God has already chosen a leader after the elections; so we are pleading with President Mahama to accept the results after December 7 no matter the outcome, as has been done in previous elections.

So I am saying whoever loses this year; should accept the results in order not to disrupt the peace we enjoy in this country.

Im like Usain Bolt  Mahama

President Mahama, who was speaking at that same durbar, remained confident of his prospects in the polls , as he has likened his expected victory to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolts exceptional track and field exploits, on the first day of his Ashanti Regional Campaign tour.

Addressing the Chiefs during the durbar at Adansi Apagya in the New Edubiase Constituency, he said all his contenders were lagging behind him in the presidential race.

Theres an athlete called Usain Bolt. He is the fastest runner alive. Whenever he takes the lead in a 100 meter race, he turns to look at those lagging behind him and whisltes. That is to tell the NPP that the race has already been won. We are already in the lead so it is too late from them to catch up.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has urged the international community to be hopeful in the ECs track record in the conduct of credible elections, ahead of the 2016 polls this December.

She assured that, the Commission has resolved to do everything in its capacity, to to deliver a credible, transparent and inclusive polls on December 7.

This is inspite of the current multiple lawsuits against the Commission for disqualifying some 12 presidential aspirants due to errors on their nomination forms. There have been fears the suits could affect the Commissions timetable.

Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Osei said, I am confident we will succeed. We have history with us; we have a reputation for delivery in Africa.

She also expressed confidence in the ECs recent re-branding and adoption of reforms saying, I am convinced that our recent innovation and reforms have strengthened us, and have modernized us as an institution.

Mrs. Osei expressed the hope that the reforms the Commission had embarked upon would empower it to deliver another credible election, that would help Ghana further consolidate its 24 years of democratic and electoral success.

Mrs. Osei recounted that, Ghana returned to a constitutional government and multiparty politics in 1992, and has since had six successful closely contested elections, that defied previous national trends and trends in the sub-region.

So not only has Ghana managed to strengthen its own national trend since 1992, it has also defied the trends of regional politics. In the same period of time that we have held our six elections and consolidated our democracy in Ghana, our neighbours in ECOWAS, have suffered 14 coups, three civil wars, a dozen regional insurgencies and countless foreign interventions.

Hold African politicians to higher standards

Speaking on the theme: Ghana's 2016 elections: processes and priorities of the Electoral Commission, Mrs. Osei further urged international stakeholders to begin to scrutinize African politicians for higher standards during elections, as this would help promote free and fair polls on the continent.

We are in the 21st century. It is time for you as international stakeholders to begin to hold African politicians to a higher level of scrutiny discourse, she charged.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
I am writing to those who fear so-called rigged elections following voting irregularities reported in the states of Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. I volunteered to become a local poll worker, to know for myself exactly how our elections in Lincoln and Lancaster County were handled. Since 2005, I have never been disappointed by anything I have seen.

I write to assure those who are worried by talk of rigged elections at the polls just how baseless, implausible, and foolish such claims are. I have now supervised volunteers at the same precinct for the past 11 years. I recognize many of our more than 900 voters by face and name. Never once have I witnessed any attempt at voter fraud, no voter trying to vote more than once, impersonate another voter or any other irregularity one might imagine. Never once have I had any member of our team ignore the comprehensive training and practices that govern every step of the voting process, insuring bi-partisan balance on teams and oversight of every action throughout the day from early morning setup, to delivering the ballots at the end of the night.
The Central Regional Secretariat of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), has in a strongly worded statement condemned what it calls the retrogressive and primitive attack on the incumbent Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya West constituency, Hanna Tetteh.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency, George Andah, recently launched a personal attack on Hanna Tetteh, challenging her to introduce her husband to the constituents.

He threw the challenge at a mini rally held in Bawjiase in the Central Region. Many have described his action as chauvinist , and an insult to unmarried women seeking political office.

I came here with my wife, and children. Please tell Hanna to also come and show us her husband, he said.

The NDC Secretariat in a statement condemned the incident , saying the NDC will never condone any irresponsible comment against single mothers, unmarried women or career women who are in politics to advance the cause of women and children.

This carefully planned unfortunate attack on single mothers by NPPs George Andah is an indication that the so-called clout surrounding him is nothing good to write home about, and shows clearly that he is being controlled by Nima flagstaff house just to attack Hon. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh and not to win the Awutu/Senya West seat for the NPP because Akuffo Addo knows Hanna Tetteh has performed far better than he did as Foreign Affairs Minister of this Country, it added

Below is the statement from the NDC Secretariat

CENTRAL REGION NDC CONDEMNS GEORGE ANDAH

Our attention has been drawn to a retrogressive and primitive attack on the person of Hon Hanna Tetteh and by extension, all single mothers in the Region and we write to condemn it without mincing words. This carefully planned unfortunate attack on single mothers by NPPs George Andah is an indication that the so-called clout surrounding him is nothing good to write home about and shows clearly that he is being controlled by Nima flagstaff house just to attack Hon Hanna Serwaa Tetteh and not to win the Awutu/Senya West seat for the NPP because Akuffo Addo knows Hanna Tetteh has performed far better than he did as Foreign Affairs Minister of this Country.

For us in the NDC, we respect the Women of this Country and also tolerate our political opponents but will never condone any irresponsible comment against single mothers, unmarried women or career women who are in politics to advance the cause of women and children so we are calling on all progressive citizens and gender activists to rise up and ensure that chauvinistic and misogynistic folks like NPPs George Andah and NPPs Kofi Okyere Agyakum of Awutu/Senya West and Fanteakwa South respectively, are prevented from becoming parliamentarians to enact laws for women. What laws do you think a parliamentary candidate who hates single mothers will champion for women should he win to become an MP?

Again, we believe strongly that all these unguarded attacks against women has the tacit support of their partys flagbearer-Akuffo Addo who is noted for his disrespect for the dignity of women since his loud silence over these bizarre, unprovoked and flaking attacks on women by his partys parliamentary candidates such as Ken Ohene Agyapong of Assin Central, Kofi Okyere Agyakum of Fanteakwa South and George Andah of Awutu/Senya West are concerned.

A baseless attack on the person of Hon Hanna Serwaa Tetteh is an admission of defeat by George Andah in the impending parliamentary elections and the electorates in Awutu/Senya West have taken note. This is a woman of substance who has not turned our Country into a Cocaine coast as a Foreign Affairs Minister; an accomplished woman who has accounted for every diplomatic passport issued and not George Andahs flagbearer-Akuffo Addo of the missing 44 diplomatic passports fame when he was a Foreign Affairs Minister.

We in Central Region NDC states unequivocally that citizens and electorates of this Region are poised to campaign vigorously and vote massively for President John Dramani Mahama and all NDC Parliamentary Candidates to continue to champion the cause of women because of the respect for women; the consolidation, expansion and implementation of more interventions for women and social protection programs for the citizenry.

Signed

Mr Kwesi Dawood

Regional Communication Officer & Spokesperson for the Regional Campaign Team



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Wife of running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samira Bawumia, has said the party will do all it can to ensure that the election in December is not rigged to favour the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Addressing NPP supporters at Awutu Bontrase in the Central Region during a mini rally of the partys parliamentary candidate for the Awutu Senya constituency [George Andah], Mrs. Bawumia said the party has been guided by developments that took place during the 2012 elections, and has made a resolution to be more vigilant during this year [2016] polls.

In 2012, we all saw what happened on the television. In some constituencies the results were inflated. When it was 27; then they will add zero and say 270. If we had been more vigilant, they would not have gotten the opportunity to rig the elections. But this election, we will be more vigilant.We will not allow them to rig the election.

Vote NDC out of power

She also charged residents in the area to vote against the NDC government in the upcoming elections.

According to her, the NDC government does not deserve another term since it has failed to provide basic amenities including water and electricity to residents in the constituency.

I just want to ask you a few questions. Are you able to pay your light bills? Are you able to pay your water bills? Are you able to pay your children's fees. Are you comfortable?Are there jobs for the you? We are really suffering she stated.

If we have given the NDC eight years to govern the country and work hard to help the country, and the eight years is up and we are still suffering and they ask us to let them continue governing us, should we allow them? Will we give them an opportunity to continue putting us through this hardship and suffering?We are very tired and this election is our future. I know all of you have gathered here and are willing to vote for Nana Addo and George Andah to go to Parliament to bring development to this constituency.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Building materials distributor, Antis Limited has donated food items to the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital.

The donation forms part of the companys contribution towards the development of communities it operates in.

The decision to support Pantang Psychiatric Hospital as part of our CSR is to contribute our quota to tackling the problems that plague the mental health sector. This represents an extension of one of our core values of community and environmental friendliness, CEO of Antis Limited, Patrick Adjepong Anti noted.

It is estimated that 2.7 million Ghanaians representing 10 percent of the population are suffering from mentally related illnesses. The sector has been reeling from the effects of neglect due to inadequate support for mental health facilities in the country, a situation that is disturbing.

The Director of the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital, Frank Baning who was appreciative of the gesture decried the state of mental health facilities in the country and called on government to review its policies towards the sector.

He also called on other institutions and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital which is struggling to stay afloat amid stalled government plans.

CEO of Antis Ltd, Patrick Adjepong Anti promised his outfit would be back again to the hospital to give it a facelift.

Antis Limited was established in 1997, Antis Limited. It is a leading supplier of building construction materials in Ghana.

In 2009, Antis Limited established another company called PS Investment Limited to specialize in the manufacturing of solid quarry dust blocks.

This is in line with the vision of making Antis Ltd, a group of companies.
Evidently, just because you have a child does not automatically mean you are at liberty to name him/her whatever you want.

Over the years, courts have had to ban parents from giving their children ridiculous names.

Here are 10 funny examples.

Cyanide

A woman was recently told by the court that naming her child 'Cyanide' would only hurt him in future.

Chow Tow

The Malaysian government has banned parents from naming their child "Chow Tow," the translation for which is roughly "smelly head".

READ ALSO: Dad stops his daughters wedding so her stepdad could walk down the aisle with them

Anus

One set of parents had to appeal to the Denmark government to grant them permission to name their kid Anus. A request which was denied.

@

In China, the baby's parent was banned from using this name which is pronounced ai-ta over there.

Facebook

A state in Mexico banned a few names because they "lacked in meaning." Facebook was on that list. Other names that made the list were Burger King, Hitler and Robocop.

Lucifer

Lucifer was on a list of 77 banned names in New Zealand.

Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii

A girl had to go to court to change her name which she hated. Her parents named her Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. A judge granted her request.

READ ALSO: Yoruba vs Calabar, which has the most beautiful women?

III

Pronounced 'Three,' this name was banned in California in 1984 on the grounds that it is a symbol and symbols can't be names.

Venerdi

Judges prevented a couple from naming their child Venerdi, which means Friday. They say the name would expose the boy to mockery.

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Interestingly, the Sweden couple who gave their child this name said it was pronounced "Albin." The court made them pay a fine and banned the name.

Which of these names can you give your child?

Source: Legit.ng
- Niger Delta militants rejected the outcome of President Buhari's meeting with leaders from the region

- They declared war and vow to reduce the country's oil production

- The militants described the outcome of the meeting as humiliating

President Muhammadu Buharis meeting with Niger Delta leaders was expected to put an end to militancy in the region this seems to be just not the case.

The Punch reports that the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) that has been terrorising the region released a statement on Saturday, November 5 threatening total war against the federal government and rejecting the outcome of the presidents meeting with the Niger ZDelta leaders led by Chief Edwin Clark.

As a matter of fact, what the Avengers did to the oil industry will be nothing compared to the grand plan already set by our central command. We shall bring Nigerias daily output quota to below 500,000 barrels. Just be ready for the approaching tsunami.

READ ALSO: Buhari meets with Niger Delta leaders again

The multinational oil companies, we know you are recalcitrant and will always come to test wills, we hope you will continue in this tradition so there will always be reason to let the world know that you dont contest the corners of a house with the owner of the house.

The destruction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline is just a warning. We warned against the restarting of the facility, but the daring companies wont listen. That shadow operation that brought the TFP down was only meant to let these companies know that we arent kidding with them; when we say stay down, you stay down, and its in your best interest.

The militant group described the presidents meeting with the elders from the region as a humiliation.

The humiliation that came with the meeting of the elders with President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to the NDGJM as a surprise. We expected it because we know even the government knows the character and intent of the man and most of those he led to the meeting.

The only painful part is the fact that the humiliation is stamped on the collective image of our people. However, we want to dare President Buhari and his administration to attempt or fully carry out his military action against our people and see the response that will follow.

READ ALSO: Do not dare the military! Group warns militants

We want to say here, without mincing words, that we are aware of his intentions. We heard loud and clear his hostile message, we understand his message and the NDGJM is saying we are ready for him. We know he has reportedly threatened war on our people; we had been calm enough not to respond to the threats, but at this point, we believe it is time for us to come out to say to him enough is enough.

If it is war, bring it on, we are no cowards, just be sure you can sustain the consequences because this is not going to be another vanquished Biafran Uprising. Niger Deltans are nobodys slaves; we shall fight until theres nothing left to defend.

Source: Legit.ng
- The army conducted a raid on Boko Haram hideouts forcing them to flee with gun shot wounds

- 85 people mostly women and children were rescued

- The vehicles of the terrorists were destroyed

The Nigerian army has continued its onslaught against Boko Haram with its latest raid focusing on the strong-hold of the terrorists.

In a statement by Colonel Kukasheka Usman, He said Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu conducted the clearance operation which also led to the rescue of 85 people.

Read the statement below:

Troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, led by the General Officer Commanding of the Division, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, conducted a decisive clearance operation into the remnants of Boko Haram strategic hub town of Chukungudu on the southern fringes of the Lake Chad Region, northern parts of Borno State between Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November 2016. The maneuvering Brigade led by 3 Battalion of 22 Brigade, successfully cleared Geram, Bulankassa and Chukungudu believed to be the Boko Haram terrorists stronghold in that area. The gallant troops rescued 85 people, comprising of mostly women and children held hostage by insurgents.

READ ALSO: Lt. Col Mohammed Abu Ali receives final rites

Similarly, they neutralized 5 Boko Haram terrorists fighters in a fierce encounter that made several of the terrorists running into the Lake Chad waters.

The troops recovered 4 rounds of Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) bombs, 1 Double Barrel Gun, 349 packets containing various rounds of ammunitions, 3 Magazines, a link belt of machine gun ammunition and 1 AK-47 rifle magazine.

During the clearance operations, the troops made spectacular discovery of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making factory at Geram. In the factory, they found several already primed suicide bombers vests. They also discovered a well-equipped motor vehicles and motorcycles workshop and spare parts where house at Chukungudu village.

READ ALSO: 5 terrorists, 1 soldier dead in another failed suicide attack (photos)

The troops recovered 3 vehicles and several newly acquired motorcycles.

Unfortunately, a soldier died during the encounter.

In line with Rules of Engagement, IED factory, vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed.

Source: Legit.ng
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have accused Forbes' African wealthiest woman of transferring N500 million to Nigeria's former first lady

- The commission said Bola Shagaya has been under investigation for six months now

- The EFCC has also frozen a unity bank account belonging to Shagaya with N500 million balance

Africa's wealthiest woman Bola Shagaya

Details have emerged how Forbes wealthiest African woman Bola Shagaya made suspicious bank transaction to accounts belonging to former Nigerias first lady Patience Jonathan.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Shagaya, a Nigerian business woman has been under the commissions investigation for about six month.

The commission has also frozen one of Shagayas bank account.

READ ALSO: Corruption: EFCC, ICPC investigates 25 Jonathans ex-ministers, aides (SEE LIST)

Punch reports that the commission began investigating the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bolmus Group International  a diversified Nigerian conglomerate with interests in oil, real estate, banking, communications and photography - due to her links with Patience.

Shagayas account with unity bank which had a balance of N500 million was frozen by the commission.

A source within the commission said: When we were investigating Patience and looking into her accounts, we discovered that Bola Shagaya had been making huge and regular payments into her (Patiences) bank account.

We then discovered that the monies were kickbacks. The Ministry of Trade and Investment gave suspicious commission to Shagayas company on every crude oil sent abroad. The commission was put in an account for Bola Shagaya. The money will then go to Patiences account. So we started investigating her.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Patience Jonathan guilty as court gives verdict on her 4 companies

We were able to trace the N500m to her account at Unity Bank. So, we placed a No Debit Order on the account," the source said.

The source also said when Shagaya realized that her account had been frozen, she rushed down to the bank and tried to use her position as a board member of the bank to lift the restriction.

READ ALSO: EXPOSED! The many SINS of Goodluck Jonathan  Analyst

When she heard about the restriction, she ran down to the bank to stop the order from being carried out. We then called the bank to let them know that doing such would amount to a criminal conspiracy. At that point, she had no choice, the source said.

However, reacting the reports, the business woman said she cared less about such reports.

She said: Please, dont call this number. I am sleeping. Write anything you want to write.

Meanwhile, the EFCC had earlier frozen all accounts belonging to the former first lady.

READ ALSO: Trouble looms for Patience Jonathan as EFCC moves to confiscate property

However, Patience had also claimed that part of the funds confiscated by the commission belonged to her late mother.

She has also accused the commissions operatives of being thieves and lying against her.

Source: Legit.ng
Bob Evnens recent piece was misguided in its attacks on the ACLU and rife with scare tactics about the death penalty measure before Nebraska voters ("Life doesnt mean life," Nov. 2). Mr. Evnen is absolutely entitled to his own opinions but he is not entitled to his own facts. I write to set the record straight.

Fact: The ACLU of Nebraska enjoys broad support and has stood the test of time. We have over 10,000 Nebraska supporters all across this great state whose beliefs span the political spectrum. The ACLU of Nebraska is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2016. We are a principled, nonpartisan organization that works frequently with Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians to defend the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all Nebraskans.

Fact: In Nebraska, life means life. When Nebraskans are presented with the clear choice of replacing the death penalty with life in prison, a majority of Nebraskans support that option. That is a key factor in the ballot question before voters. Attorney General Doug Peterson filed an opinion with the Legislature that said, in Nebraska, life means life, period. When the conservative-led Nebraska legislature repealed the death penalty, it replaced it with life in prison.

We encourage Nebraskans to get the facts. Vote to retain LB 268 which replaced our broken death penalty system with life in prison.

Danielle Conrad J.D., Executive Director, ACLU of Nebraska, Lincoln
READ: Rolling Stone Tells the Tony Carleo Bellagio Bandit Story

November 05, 2016 Katie Callahan

Tony Carleo, known as the Bellagio Bandit, robbed the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 2010 for $1 million in chips and then returned to cash in.

The story plays out in Rolling Stone, where reporter Keith Romer is listed as a friend of the now-inmate at Nevadas Lovelock Correctional Center.

In the aftermath of a series of bad decisions, which include the Suncoast casino robbery, OxyContin, cocaine, a gun robbery at the Bellagio and returning to live the high-roller lifestyle, Carleo retells the story of his eventual capture. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

He vividly details to Rolling Stone the minutes before an undercover cop turned on him. His father was voted off the bench a week after his sentence and letting his family down is the one thing that brings him to tears.

Still, while Carleo knows he shouldnt have tried to cash the cranberry $25,000 chips, he couldnt bring himself to do it.

Look, I know I should have thrown those $25,000 chips away, he told Rolling Stone. But who can throw away a million dollars?

His final request to the reporter shows how he longed for a get-rich-quick scheme, originally wanting to be a doctor, but instead becoming a gambler.

When you get to the Bellagio," he said to Rolling Stone, "put $10 down on hard eight for me. And let it ride.

Read the full story on Rolling Stones website here.
For the sake of argument, lets imagine we have a female candidate running for President of the United States who exhibits and indeed glowingly proclaims some of the following qualifications for the most powerful office in the world.

She is a star in a popular reality TV series, building wealth on inheritance and by shorting or refusing to pay the contractors and general labor of her oft-failed but through creative fiscal manipulation, lucrative enterprises. She creates popular fashion lines and has all items produced in other countries.

She will, by her own admission, at the first opportunity and in a friendly, playful manner, rush up and passionately kiss or inappropriately fondle any male she encounters who she might declare a veritable stud muffin and make sexist and derogatory comments about other males in her disfavor. She mocks, with adolescent theatrics, those she encounters struggling with disabilities.

She promises, if elected, to eliminate the minimum wage, block all refugees of a certain religion, deport millions of immigrant families who have lived, worked and paid taxes in this country for years and would push to remove millions from the health insurance roles. She, in no uncertain terms, belittles the United States, our elected President, our military, their leaders and selected veterans while profusely praising the leaders of several foreign adversaries.

When asked, she pouts and refuses to declare support for her opponent if she should lose the election. She hints of violence if she loses and would jail her opponent if she wins. She will not release her tax returns.

Would you vote for her? I dont think so.

Of course, this description does not fit our current female candidate. It does resemble the resume of the male candidate asking for your vote. Many will give it to him. Really? Will you?

Rae Welch, Lincoln
The Clinton Foundation has admitted that it accepted a $1 million gift from Qatar while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state without informing the State Department. Clinton had promised to let the Department review new or materially increased support from foreign governments.

The Clinton Foundation claims that this did not violate Hillarys promise because the $1 million gift did not materially increase Qatars support for the operation. Apparently, it considered $1 million just a drop in the bucket.

It was more than that. Reuters reports that, according to the Foundations website, Qatars government has directly given a total of between $1 million and $5 million over the years. Unless the Foundation is hiding something, the $1 million gift materially increased Qatars support.

The Clinton Foundation isnt the only beneficiary of Qatars largesse. It also finances Hamas and extremist groups operating in Syria. And it has been negligent at best when it comes to cracking down on Qataris who provide funds for ISIS and like-minded jihadists.

Naturally, such a country like that, because it also looks to the U.S. as its main guarantor of security, wanted to line the pockets of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Naturally, the Clintons wanted to hide the fact that it agreed to have their pockets lined.

Qatar isnt the only instance in which the Clintons violated Hillarys promise. According to Reuters, at least eight other countries gave new or increased funding to the Foundation without the State Department being informed. They include Algeria, which gave for the first time in 2010. The Foundation admits, as it must, that some of these donations should have been reported.

This story is just one illustration of Clintons legendary disregard of the rules. Its a telling illustration because the rule in question goes to the integrity of American foreign policy  a matter as to which Bill and Hillary Clinton are indifferent.
Conducting business in a filthy environment isn't a pleasurable experience. After all, who wants to be in an environment that threatens their health?

By: Allen Maintenance Inc.

wiping2

Media Contact

Construction EMarketing

Brad Fowler, C.P.M.A.

bradfowler@constructionemarketing.biz

313.383.4640 Construction EMarketingBrad Fowler, C.P.M.A.313.383.4640

End

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https://www.prlog.org/ 12599553/1 Steven Zhang End -- Panasonic PLC For The Best ExperiencePanasonic has been a leading name in the world of electronics. Whether it is a television or it is an air-conditioner, the company has it all. Not just that, the company also has a large number of devices including the servo motors and the PLCs for connecting different electrical equipment. If you are looking for programmable controllers and want something that can help you in achieving a hassle free performance, you can consider Panasonic PLC . This has been in demand for a considerable period of time and you can rely on them at ease. Like all other electrical devices manufactured by the company, Panasonic PLC also speaks about their high performance and precision. The company has received ISO 9001 certification for their high-end PLC and you can check a few of them.Panel Mounting PLC - PLC FP-e2 x RS232C or 1x RS232 + 1x RS485 interfaces6 inputs or 6 outputs / 2 thermocouple or analog inputs + 6 outputs/ 8 inputsProgram memory: 2700 stepsData memory: 1660 wordsEntry level, multi-functional, compact PLC - PLC FP-X0Transistor outputs and relay outputs (NPN) includedMax. 216 I/OsCalendar/ clock function, 2 nos. of analog inputsProgram capacity - 2500 - 8000 steps2 nos. of serial ports: 1 x RS485, 1 x RS232CData registers: From 2550 words to 8192 wordsFP-Sigma - Powerful compact PLCData memory: 32k to 1056k wordsMax. 40 analog inputs / 28 analog outputsMax. 192 inputs / 192 outputs transistor or 56 outputs relayProgram memory: 32000 stepsPanasonic PLC is available in different stores and you can order them as per your requirements. You can find them online in different stores selling Panasonic products. However, make sure to verify the authenticity of the Panasonic PLC that you purchase and avoid scams just for saving some money.we also sell temperature Controller OMRON E5CN , MITSUBISHI SERVOPanasonic PLC Email : ***@panasonicservomotor.com Posted By : ***@panasonicservomotor.com Tags : Panasonic PLC , Plc Programming , PLC controller Industry : Industrial Location : Alaknanda - Delhi - India Subject : Products Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse Account Email AddressAccount Phone Number Page Updated Last on: Oct 01, 2017 Panasonic Servo Motor Distributor News Mitsubishi Servo AMPLIFIER MR-J2S-40A Panasonic Servo Motor wholesale


For the first time in Jordan FLO Stores For Shoes Opens Its First Store At Galleria Mall

By: TRACCS jordan

Flo Store at Galleria Mall

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-- FLO, the Turkish shoes brand opened its first store at Galleria Mall, the biggest shoes store in Jordan with competitive prices for all.This new and first store in Jordan, Joins FLO's stores branches in Turkey and Europe to offer the customers; women, men and kids, a big variety of modern footwear from prestigious brands such as Lumberjack, Dockers, Polaris, Butigo and Kinetix, ranging from comfortable, sports, formal shoes, in addition to medical shoes for foot care.Commenting on the opening, Mr. Salim Andraws, FLO's brand manager said: "We are thrilled to open the first Flo store in Jordan here at Galleria Mall, to offer Jordanian customers a wide variety of modern choices with the best competitive prices, where they will find at Flo everything that suits their needs and taste for the whole family".Commenting on the opening, Mr. Salim Andraws, FLO's brand manager said: "We are thrilled to open the first Flo store in Jordan here at Galleria Mall, to offer Jordanian customers a wide variety of modern choices with the best competitive prices, where they will find at Flo everything that suits their needs and taste for the whole family".
Courts in Rhode Island rarely require abusers to turn in their firearms, even when orders prohibit them from possessing firearms under federal law and there is evidence they pose a lethal risk to victims, according to research presented today at the American Public Health Association's 2016 Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver.

Researchers from Everytown for Gun Safety examined 1,609 case files of protective orders filed in Rhode Island Family and District courts from 2012-2014. Files were reviewed to determine whether there were indications that a gun was present; whether there were aspects of the abuse, such as a history of strangulation, that are linked to a higher risk of homicide; whether the order prohibited the abuser from buying or possessing firearms under federal law; and whether the court ordered the abuser to turn in their firearms.

Results showed that 23 percent of cases where protective orders were filed indicated a risk of firearm use, and in 39 percent of cases, victims reported at least one factor linked to a higher risk of homicide. In 72 percent of cases, the abuser was prohibited from possessing a firearm by federal law. However, Rhode Island courts only required abusers to turn in their guns in 5 percent of cases.

"In Rhode Island, domestic abusers are rarely required to turn in their firearms -- even when they are federally prohibited from possessing them," said researcher Sarah Tofte. "Addressing this gap in the state's law could help prevent risk of gun violence to potential abuse victims."
The Akko Tower Wreck has been playing tricks with researchers for over 50 years. The shipwreck was discovered during the first maritime archeological survey conducted in Israel using remote sensing technology, in 1966, and bears the distinction of being the first shipwreck identified off the coast of Israel. But the shipwreck is also unique in another respect: to date, researchers have been unable to agree on its identity, and as time passed the mystery only seemed to become more opaque.

The shipwreck was discovered in 1966 by the late Dr. Elisha Linder, the pioneer of maritime archeology in Israel and the founder of the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, working together with a British team. The researchers hypothesized that the ship was sunk at the entrance to the port of Akko by the British during their attempt to prevent entry by the navy of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. A map found in a British archive that allegedly belonged to one of the British soldiers who participated in the battle, indicated that the British had indeed sunk a ship at the appropriate location and convinced the researchers that their hypothesis was correct. As the years passed, however, new details emerged. For example -- Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Akko via land and there would have been no need to sink the ship. Moreover, further exploration of the shipwreck revealed that the vessel was smaller than had originally been believed -- 25 meters rather than 45 -- and was in all probability a merchant ship.

However, throughout this period the researchers had no firm scientific evidence supporting any particular hypothesis. This situation has now changed following a new study undertaken by the research student Maayan Cohen, under the supervision of Dr. Deborah Cvikel of the Department of Maritime Civilizations and the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, together with Prof. Yaacov Kahanov of the Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa, Dr. Dana Ashkenazi of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Adin Stern of Ben Gurion University, and Dr. Sabina Klein of Frankfurt University. The study uncovered the first scientific evidence from the shipwreck.

More than a hundred brass nails were found in the ship, most of them still embedded in the wooden hull components, while others were scattered inside the vessel. Two different types of nails were found, with lengths of approximately 10 centimeters and 6.5 centimeters, respectively. Both types of nails underwent a series of tests that would not have been out of place in a forensic criminal investigation: Measurement of the density of the brass; fluorescent spectroscopic examinations using x-rays (XRF) examining their chemical composition; optical inspection using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope to determine the quality of the metal casting and the microstructure and structure of various parts of the nails; examination of the rigidity of the material; lead isotope analysis, and so forth. In the final test, the researchers took two brass nails from the ship and two modern steel nails and hammered them in order to examine who each nail penetrated different pieces of wood.

The long series of studies revealed numerous details. The microstructure of the nails and the presence of silicon revealed that they had been manufactured using the sand casting method. The researchers found a high proportion of zinc and other substances in the alloy. The composition and rigidity of the nails illuminated the manufacturing process, while the isotope analysis identified the most probable location in which they were made. Drawing together all their findings, the researchers formed the following conclusion: The nails were manufactured in the first half of the nineteenth century, probably at a European foundry using raw materials from Britain. "In light of the research findings, we now believe that this is a European merchant vessel that sunk off the coasts of Akko at some time during the first half of the nineteenth century," the researchers concluded.

The research findings were published in the journal Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis. The International Metallurgical Society awarded the authors its prestigious Buehler Prize for the best metallurgical study published in 2015.
Recent surveys for hippos in Virunga National Park -- the oldest protected area in Africa -- have found that the beleaguered behemoths are finally recovering from decades of poaching and habitat loss in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to researchers from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) who conducted the research.

The published research titled "Conservation of the common hippopotamus in Virunga National Park, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo" appears in the most recent addition of Suiform Soundings, a newsletter published by the IUCN's Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos Specialist Group. The authors of the study are: Deo Kujirakwinja, P. Shamavu, Andrew Plumptre, and E. Muhindo of WCS; and J.D. Wathaut and E. de Merode of the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature).

"The hippo is one of Africa's iconic species, one that is becoming increasingly threatened by hunting and other factors," said WCS Scientist Deo Kujirakwinja, the lead author of the paper. "Our findings that hippos are on the increase is encouraging and evidence that efforts to protect hippos and other species are working. "

The researchers estimate that the current population of hippos in the park represents only 11 percent of the original population and only 8.2 percent of the peak population estimate of about 30,000 individuals made in the 1970s.

The increase in hippos is likely the result of increased enforcement in Virunga National Park's portion of Lake Edward and nearby river systems and collaboration between fishermen and park authorities in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

Virunga National Park used to contain Africa's largest known hippo population in the 1970s, with especially large groups found in both the Rwindi and Rutshuru rivers. Later surveys revealed a steep decrease in hippo numbers as a result of hunting, human development and agriculture, as is the case with declines in other large mammals in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. "This recent surveys have shown that the Ishasha River on the border with Uganda is now very important for their conservation and shows that transboundary conservation efforts are succeeding there," stated Andrew Plumptre, WCS senior scientist and co-author of the report.

Scientists noted that, while past surveys have relied partly on aerial surveys, more recent efforts entailed more ground surveys than before (plane-based counts were avoided in many areas due to the presence of militias in many survey areas). The ground counts resulted in more hippos being recorded and improved population estimates, in part because aerial surveys often miss submerged animals in lakes and rivers.

Growing up to 13 feet in length and weighing up to 4,400 pounds, the common hippo is one of the largest mammals in Africa. It often congregates in pools, rivers, and lakes and can stay submerged for up to six minutes. They are herbivorous animals and feed almost exclusively at night. The common hippo is listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List.
Alexandra Protopopova has performed extensive research trying to increase the adoption rates and decrease euthanasia rates for animal shelters throughout the country.

Walking down the long rows of pens at any animal shelter reveals a veritable smorgasbord of canine variety.

Big dogs. Little dogs. Outgoing dogs. Shy dogs. Hyper dogs. Calm dogs. Happy dogs. Sad dogs.

But finding which one is right for a potential adopter is a big challenge for animal shelters throughout the country. The way to find that right fit between adopter and adoptee has almost always been about matching personalities and has never really had much scientific theory behind it.

Until now.

Alexandra Protopopova, a behavioral analyst and assistant professor in companion animal science in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences at Texas Tech University, has turned what started as her doctoral dissertation into a major research focus. She is attempting to determine what behavioral traits in dogs are most attractive to potential adopters and then working with shelters to train dogs to exhibit those traits when an adopter shows interest.

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"Currently there are numerous pets living in animal shelters, not only in Texas but in the U.S. and around the world," Protopopova said. "The problem is that a lot of these animals are living for quite some time at these shelters, even if the shelters are well-funded. Because of space restrictions, the animals are typically socially deprived, they are housed in single or very small groups without a lot of human interaction, and the euthanasia rates are still very high across the country.

"Can we figure out a way to train dogs in the shelter so that when people come in and see the trained dogs, it will improve their adoption rate and decreases euthanasia rates?"

The answer, through her research, appears to be a likely, yes.

But finding that answer not only meant discovering and displaying the most attractive traits in a dog, but also breaking down some of the myths that have, over time, seemed to determine the most attractive qualities in a canine companion.

Breaking assumptions Determining what traits in dogs are most attractive to potential adopters involved not only observing canine behavior but also breaking away from some of the traditionally held assumptions from the past.

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These are traits that Protopopova said she has been investigating since her time as a graduate student. Many shelters have training programs that are based on these assumptions, and it took going back to the basics and avoiding the widely held assumptions to determine what true traits in dogs were most and least attractive to potential adopters.

"A typical assumption was that training dogs to sit and not jump or bark would result in higher adoption rates, since that is what we had assumed adopters wanted in their dogs," Protopopova said. "I also had my own assumption that people really like a dog that would gaze lovingly into their eyes, when in fact we saw no evidence of that in our research. So why don't we take a step back and systematically figure out what it is people want to see in a dog? We approached it from a marketing perspective, and from there we could see, after knowing what behaviors are favorable to people, what programs we needed to work on to improve behavior and ultimately increase adoption rates."

An extensive examination of canine behavior in kennels was then undertaken to determine which behaviors were the most and least favorable for potential adopters. Protopopova observed in-kennel behavior and examined everything the dogs did as people walked by.

Behaviors such as barking, sitting and jumping had no effect whatsoever on attracting potential adopters, but a dog that would pace in the kennel, turn their face away from those walking by or lean sadly to one side of the kennel would deter adopters and lengthen the dog's stay in the shelter.

But the most telling behavior came when there was actual interaction between the dog and potential adopters outside the kennel. It is standard practice at shelters to allow potential adopters to select one or two dogs they might be interested in and allow them to interact in an outdoor area to see if they are compatible.

Two behaviors stood out among all others as the strongest determinants toward whether or not the dog was adopted. If the dog laid down in proximity to the adopter, that increased the likelihood of adoption. Conversely, if the dog ignored the initiation of the potential adopter to play, that decreased quite severely the likelihood of adoption.

Knowing those two key traits in dogs, Protopopova and her fellow researchers were able to develop a structured training program where the shelter volunteer or staff member could go with the potential adopter and guide the dog's behavior based on its toy preference, knowing the dog would not ignore the toys it likes, or eliminate toys altogether if it was determined the dog did not like playing with toys.

Shelter volunteers and staff also would encourage the dog to lie down next to a potential adopter using treats. All these efforts, Protopopova said, resulted in a discernable increase in adoption rates.

"We also asked people why they chose the dog they adopted and why they did not choose the dog they didn't adopt after those interactions in the experimental setting," Protopopova said. "It's fun to take those words the adopters use, those constructs and figure out what they mean. If an adopter told us they adopted the dogs because it was 'social and liked me,' they could simply mean 'the dog lay down next to me.'"

This training program also is cost-efficient, knowing shelters do not have the resources to afford a professional training staff, which is why Protopopova considers it more behavior management than actual training.

But is it actual training? Or could this be considered more of a way of tricking the dog into behaving a certain way to increase its adoptability? That was certainly something Protopopova considered, though adopters indicated afterward the method was no more intrusive than the control group where the dog was allowed to do whatever it wanted.

"The interactions between adopters and dogs are only eight minutes long because that is how long previous research has shown it takes adopters to decide," Protopopova said. "The dogs have only eight minutes to show their best side, so if we can do anything to show them off in the best light possible, that is a good thing for the adopter and the dog."

The next step has been partnering with Maddie's Fund foundation, which offers grants to shelters that works with community veterinarians, rescue groups and animal control agencies. Through Maddie's Fund's help, Protopopova is taking her research to a national scale, trying the same techniques at different types of shelters across the country.

"Will it work in smaller, rural community shelters? Will it work in the big city environment?" Protopopova asked. "Furthermore, will it work in different parts of the country? Our assessment was in Florida, but will it work in Texas, in Boston, in San Francisco? We will take it to six shelters nationally and try it out there."

Other factors besides behavior Obviously, factors beyond behavior go into why potential adopters choose the dogs they choose. Adopters can be looking for a certain breed or a certain size of a dog.

Certain breeds such as long-haired dogs, shepherd breeds and collie breeds tend to have high adoption rates, as do toy breeds such as Pomeranians or Chihuahuas. But a second question begged to be asked after the initial research by Protopopova -- are some breeds more or less susceptible or accepting of behavioral training?

One problem with answering that question is the majority of dogs in a shelter are not purebreeds, but rather a mix of many breeds or dogs that have never had a purebred ancestor. So determining their trainability based on breed would be difficult.

Age also is an important factor in whether the dog's behavior can be modified to make it more adoptable. Typically, puppies are more likely to be adopted because of their age and the fact adopters want to find a dog that can be with them for a long time. So training of puppies in an animal shelter setting might not be the best use of limited resources.

Conversely, older dogs that are well into their adulthood tend to stay in the shelter longer because adopters don't seek them. So the ideal group for this experiment was dogs in their adolescence or just into adulthood. The good news is that, contrary to the old saying, old dogs can be taught new tricks.

"It just makes more sense if you're a shelter volunteer to put your resources in training adolescent dogs," Protopopova said. "But how does age affect training in general? It doesn't affect it a whole lot. But, of course, socialization is very important for puppies. If you haven't socialized your puppy to different people, different sounds, different environments and other dogs, you will have a much harder time young adult dog is much easier on families. Puppies engage in much worse behavior."

Protopopova said in some cases it's also difficult to determine how the dog was treated before arriving at the shelter. Dogs in shelters fall into one of three categories -- owner-surrender, stray or confiscated due to abuse or cruelty.

The difficulty comes in owners who surrender dogs to a shelter. Shelters charge a fee to owners who give up their dogs, so in many cases, owners tell the shelter the dog was picked up as a stray to avoid paying that fee, or because they are wracked with guilt for giving up their beloved pet.

Those labels not only make a difference to potential adopters, but an owner-surrender dog, somewhat surprisingly, is more likely on a national scale to be euthanized than a stray, Protopopova said.

While the first study involved roughly 250 dogs, the bigger national study will involve many, many more and will involve dogs from a variety of shelter types, from municipal shelters to limited-admission shelters -- a term Protopopova prefers over no-kill shelters. Protopopova is anxious to see how the study works on that national scale and how many adoptions encouraged by a dog's modified behavior result in some dogs being returned.

Given what has been discovered so far, though, Protopopova is encouraged her efforts and those of her fellow researchers have forged a path to increasing adoptions across the board.

"We are very excited about this procedure because this is really the first time we have experimentally and systematically demonstrated an increase in adoption rates through behavioral training," Protopopova said.
Archeologists from the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IANES) at the University of Tubingen have uncovered a large Bronze Age city not far from the town of Dohuk in northern Iraq. The excavation work has demonstrated that the settlement, which is now home to the small Kurdish village of Bassetki in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, was established in about 3000 BC and was able to flourish for more than 1200 years. The archeologists also discovered settlement layers dating from the Akkadian Empire period (2340-2200 BC), which is regarded as the first world empire in human history.

Scientists headed by Professor Peter Pfalzner from the University of Tubingen and Dr. Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in Dohuk conducted the excavation work in Bassetki between August and October 2016. As a result, they were able to preempt the construction work on a highway on this land. The former significance of the settlement can be seen from the finds discovered during the excavation work. The city already had a wall running around the upper part of the town from approx. 2700 BC onwards in order to protect its residents from invaders. Large stone structures were erected there in about 1800 BC. The researchers also found fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets dating from about 1300 BC, which suggested the existence of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian weather god Adad on this site. There was a lower town about one kilometer long outside the city center. Using geomagnetic resistance measurements, the archeologists discovered indications of an extensive road network, various residential districts, grand houses and a kind of palatial building dating from the Bronze Age. The residents buried their dead at a cemetery outside the city. The settlement was connected to the neighboring regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia via an overland roadway dating from about 1800 BC.

Bassetki was only known to the general public in the past because of the "Bassetki statue," which was discovered there by chance in 1975. This is a fragment of a bronze figure of the Akkadian god-king Naram-Sin (about 2250 BC). The discovery was stolen from the National Museum in Baghdad during the Iraq War in 2003, but was later rediscovered by US soldiers. Up until now, researchers were unable to explain the location of the find. The archeologists have now been able to substantiate their assumption that an important outpost of Akkadian culture may have been located there.

Although the excavation site is only 45 kilometers from territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS), it was possible to conduct the archeological work without any disturbances. "The protection of our employees is always our top priority. Despite the geographical proximity to IS, there's a great deal of security and stability in the Kurdish autonomous areas in Iraq," said Professor Peter Pfalzner, Director of the Department of Near Eastern Archaeology at the IANES of the University of Tubingen. The research team consisting of 30 people lived in the city of Dohuk, which is only 60 kilometers north of Mosul, during the excavation work.

In another project being handled by the "ResourceCultures" collaborative research center (SFB 1070), Pfalzner's team has been completing an archeological inspection of territory in the complete area surrounding Bassetki as far as the Turkish and Syrian borders since 2013 -- and 300 previously unknown sites have been discovered. The excavations and the research work in the region are due to be continued during the summer of 2017. "The area around Bassetki is proving to be an unexpectedly rich cultural region, which was located at the crossroads of communication ways between the Mesopotamian, Syrian and Anatolian cultures during the Bronze Age. We're therefore planning to establish a long-term archeological research project in the region in conjunction with our Kurdish colleagues," says Pfalzner. The excavation work is being funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.
Exercise protects fat tissue from changes in inflammation levels and fat metabolism caused by a week of overeating, a new study finds. University of Michigan researchers will present the results of their study today at the Integrative Biology of Exercise 7 meeting in Phoenix.

Previous studies indicate that as little as one week of overeating can impair glycemic control and insulin sensitivity. But while exercise has been shown to have a protective effect against metabolic impairments caused by eating too much, the specifics of how exercise affects the structure and function of fat tissue are not well understood.

In this pilot study, the researchers studied four lean and active adults who consumed 30 percent more calories than normal for one week. During the experiment, the subjects continued their regular exercise habits (at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and at least six days of exercise in the week). The research team measured glucose tolerance and abdominal fat samples before and after the week of overeating.

"Our preliminary findings suggest trends for increases in markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, pJNK/JNK) after one week of overeating in people who do not exercise," said Alison C. Ludzki, first author on the study. However, the team found that among the exercising subjects in this study, "overeating did not increase the protein content of markers of adipose tissue inflammation (i.e., pJNK/JNK, pERK/ERK) or circulating C-reactive protein." The subjects also experienced no change in glucose tolerance or lipolysis (chemical breakdown of fat).

"Our preliminary findings expand on existing work to support a protective role of exercise in the metabolic response of adipose tissue to brief periods of overeating," the researchers concluded.
Our farm has been in the family for nearly 80 years, from horses to computers to GPS. A farming operation cant be run the same way it was in the 1970s but that is exactly what weve asked Southeast Community College to do. We are Farm Bureau members and support the Southeast Community College bond.

The need to modernize the SCC facilities on the Beatrice campus includes a new Ag center to reflect an agricultural industry of today and tomorrow. Currently, 40-year-old facilities are used for farming, livestock handling and management.

SCC continues to partner with public and private businesses and industry, the same ones who are begging for a skilled work force, namely he kind of individuals rural Nebraska needs to keep our small towns alive and growing such as mechanics and welders, nurses and Ag students. A yes vote will insure SCCs ability to train these individuals.

Agriculture has an opportunity to leave a legacy to insure our young people will return to our communities with the skills and education needed to succeed and raise their families. The issues have been studied for 18 months. The plan is in place. Now is the time. We support the bond and urge you to vote yes on Nov. 8.

Mark and Kathy Boellstorff, Johnson
Genes, specifically those that modulate dopamine in the brain, may play a role in a person's propensity to embrace or avoid exercise. Rodney Dishman of the University of Georgia will present findings from studies in rats and humans in his talk "Genetics of Exercise Avoidance" at the Integrative Biology of Exercise 7 meeting in Phoenix.

"Family and twin studies indicate that 20 to 60 percent of the variation in human physical activity can be inherited, but the genetic sources of voluntary physical activity are poorly understood," Dishman said. Cumulative evidence suggests that the drive and reward centers and the motor system in the brain interact to cause people and animals to voluntarily engage in, or purposely avoid, exercise, he said. The activity of neurons in the brain that regulate dopamine, in particular, seem to play a role in providing the motivation to exercise. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's drive, pleasure and reward centers.

Dishman's research has also considered the way that personality and behavioral traits, such as goal-setting, self-regulation, fitness and skill levels; social influences; access to fitness activities; and other factors weigh on an individual's propensity toward voluntary exercise. "Our current field trial with humans suggests that variations in genes that encode for dopamine and other neurotransmitters linked with physical activity account for low or high physical activity directly," Dishman said. "These genes also act indirectly, by their associations with people's acquired motivation to be active and also with select personality traits."
Two proven technologies have been combined to create a promising new technology that could meet future navigational challenges in deep space. It also may help demonstrate -- for the first time -- X-ray communications in space, a capability that would allow the transmission of gigabits per second throughout the solar system.

The new technology, called NavCube, combines NASA's SpaceCube, a reconfigurable and fast flight computing platform, with the Navigator Global Positioning System (GPS) flight receiver. Navigator GPS uses the GPS signal to enable on-board autonomous positioning, navigation, and timing even in weak-signal areas. Considered one of the enabling technologies on the agency's flagship Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) mission, Navigator GPS recently was included in the Guiness World Records for the highest-altitude GPS fix.

"NavCube is more flexible than previous Navigators because of its ample computational resources. Also, because we added the ability to process modernized GPS signals, NavCube has the potential to significantly enhance performance at low, and especially, high altitudes, potentially even to the area of space near the moon and lunar orbits," said Luke Winternitz, Navigator's chief architect.

"This new product is a poster child for our research and development efforts," added Peter Hughes, the chief technology officer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, whose organization funded the development of all three technologies and named the NavCube team as this year's winner of his organization's "Innovators of the Year" award. "Both SpaceCube and Navigator already proved their value to NASA. Now the combination of the two gives NASA another tool. Also, the possibility that it might help demonstrate X-ray communications in space -- a technology in which we also have interest -- is particularly exciting."

This promising technology is slated to fly as one of several experiments on an external pallet to be deployed on the International Space Station in 2018. One NavCube unit will demonstrate its navigation and processing capabilities afforded by the merger of its technological parents, while the other could potentially provide precise timing data for an experiment demonstrating X-ray communications, or XCOM.

"A Match Made in Heaven"

As part of the potential XCOM demonstration, NavCube will drive the electronics for a device called the Modulated X-ray Source, or MXS, which generates rapid-fire X-ray pulses, turning on and off many times per second. These rapid-fire pulsations can be used to encode digital bits for transmitting data. It was developed as a testbed to validate NASA's Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, which primarily will study neutron stars and their rapidly spinning next-of-kin, pulsars, when it launches as an attached space station payload in 2017.

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XCOM is one of two technology demonstrations that NICER Principal Investigators Keith Gendreau and Zaven Arzoumanian want to demonstrate with NICER. To demonstrate one-way XCOM, the team will install MXS on the experiment pallet where it will transmit data via X-rays to NICER's receivers positioned 166 feet away on the opposite side of the space station truss.

NavCube's job is to run MXS's on-and-off switch, said Jason Mitchell, an engineer at Goddard who helped advance the MXS. Because NavCube combines SpaceCube's high-speed computing with Navigator's ability to track GPS signals, the team also wants to experiment with X-ray ranging, a technique for measuring distances between two objects.

"NavCube provided the best solution for running this experiment," Mitchell said. "The combination of these powerful technologies was a marriage made in heaven."

Although most of the technology is ready, the team still is seeking additional funding to complete a space-ready MXS, including its housing and high-voltage power supply. "We have most of the hardware, but need a little more support to complete the XCOM package," said Jenny Donaldson, who is leading the development of the NavCube payload. "This is a great opportunity to demonstrate NavCube and, if all things go as planned, X-ray communications," she said.

Rich Heritage

NavCube traces its lineage to two already proven technologies: SpaceCube 2.0 and Navigator GPS. SpaceCube 2.0, one in a family of onboard processors, is 10 to 100 times faster than more traditional flight processors. Having flown many times before, including on previous experiment pallets, SpaceCube now enjoys a growing list of customers, including future high-profile robotic-servicing missions.

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The Navigator GPS Flight receiver was purposely designed to detect, acquire, and track faint GPS signals for NASA's MMS mission. Navigator now is providing positioning information to the four spacecraft that must fly in a particular, high-earth flight formation to gather scientific data. Since MMS's launch, Navigator has set records -- an achievement recently acknowledged by the Guinness World Records for providing the highest-altitude GPS fix. At the highest point of the MMS orbit, Navigator has tracked as many as 12 GPS satellites. The team originally expected to detect no more than two or three GPS satellites.

Barry Geldzahler, chief scientist and chief technologist for NASA's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program, who also provided additional funding for this project, saw the benefits this technology could bring to NASA early on.

"We knew that processing speed from SpaceCube and the tracking capability of Navigator could be a powerful combination," said Geldzahler. "The next task was to figure out how to make it smaller and increase the sensitivity for more flexible mission applications."

"At the time, we needed a more robust, re-programmable and extensible processing platform," added Monther Hasouneh, NavCube's hardware lead. "SpaceCube was already there. Furthermore, we figured that missions using SpaceCube 2.0 as a science data processor also could benefit from having a GPS receiver as a low-cost add-on," he added.

Hasouneh and his team ported the Navigator software and firmware into the SpaceCube reprogrammable platform and developed a compatible GPS radio-frequency card -- and in doing so, reduced Navigator's size. The team also added new GPS signal capabilities and enhanced Navigator's sensitivity to make it appropriate for a broader range of applications.
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder for which, despite years of research, there are no effective treatments or cures.

However, recent breakthroughs in molecular genetics have shown that the disease may spread, like an infection, across closely connected areas of the brain. These findings underscore the need for research aimed at tracking its spread to the earliest points of origin in the brain, so therapies that target those areas can be developed.

An international collaboration between Nathan Spreng, Cornell assistant professor of human development and the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in the College of Human Ecology, and Taylor Schmitz of the University of Cambridge's Cognitive Brain Sciences Unit, sheds light on the basal forebrain region, where the degeneration of neural tissue caused by Alzheimer's disease appears even before cognitive and behavioral symptoms of the disease emerge.

Their paper, "Basal forebrain degeneration precedes and predicts the cortical spread of Alzheimer's pathology," is published Nov. 4 in Nature Communications. Data used for their work were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database.

The basal forebrain contains very large and densely connected neurons that are particularly vulnerable to the disease. Schmitz and Spreng show that, as Alzheimer's progresses, degeneration of the basal forebrain predicts subsequent degeneration in temporal lobe areas of the brain involved in memory. This pattern is consistent with other research showing that Alzheimer's indeed spreads across brain regions over time, but the study challenges a widely held belief that the disease originates in the temporal lobe.

"We're hoping that this work pushes a bit of a reorganization of the field itself, to reappraise where the disease originates," Spreng said. "That could open up new avenues for intervention; certainly it would for detection."

Their report is the product of a two-year study of a large sample of age-matched older adults. Within this sample, one group was cognitively normal, according to standard tests, while others were characterized by different levels of cognitive impairment:

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who did not progress to Alzheimer's disease;

MCI individuals who progressed to Alzheimer's after one year; and

Individuals classified as having Alzheimer's throughout the duration of the study.

Through analysis of high-resolution anatomical magnetic resonance imaging of brain volumes, taken three times over the two-year study period, the researchers were able to determine that individuals with MCI or Alzheimer's showed greater losses in gray matter volume in both the basal forebrain and temporal lobe, compared with cognitively normal controls. Intriguingly, they showed that over the two-year period, degeneration of neural tissue in the basal forebrain predicted subsequent tissue degeneration in the temporal lobe, but not the other way around.

A sampling of spinal fluid from healthy adults can detect an abnormal level of beta amyloid, indicative of Alzheimer's, Spreng said. Test results showed that temporal lobes looked the same regardless of amyloid level, but the basal forebrain showed notable degeneration among those seemingly healthy adults with abnormal amyloid levels.

Spreng admits that being able to predict who will get the disease doesn't mean a lot without a protocol to treat and, ultimately, cure the disease. "And it might induce more anxiety," he said. But the more knowledge that can be gained now, he said, the better.

"Future molecular genetics work holds strong promise for developing therapeutic strategies to prevent the spread of pathology at stages of Alzheimer's preceding cognitive decline," Schmitz said. "Our clarification of an earlier point of Alzheimer's propagation is therefore of utmost importance for guiding endeavors to combat this devastating disease."
Philosophers have long struggled to define human consciousness. Now, a team of researchers led by neurologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has pinpointed the regions of the brain that may play a role maintaining it. Their finding were published today in journal Neurology.

"For the first time, we have found a connection between the brainstem region involved in arousal and regions involved in awareness, two prerequisites for consciousness," said Michael D. Fox, MD, PhD, Director of the Laboratory for Brain Network Imaging and Modulation and the Associate Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at BIDMC. "A lot of pieces of evidence all came together to point to this network playing a role in human consciousness."

Classical neurology holds that arousal and awareness are two critical components of consciousness. Arousal is likely regulated by the brainstem -- the portion of the brain, contiguous with the spinal cord, that is responsible for the sleep/wake cycle and cardiac and respiratory rates. Awareness, another critical component of consciousness, has long been thought to reside somewhere in the cortex, the outer layer of the brain responsible for many of its higher functions.

The researchers analyzed 36 patients with brainstem lesions, of which 12 led to coma and 24 did not. Mapping the injuries revealed that a small "coma-specific" area of the brainstem -- the rostral dorsolateral pontine tegmentum -- was significantly associated with coma. Ten out of the 12 coma-inducing brainstem lesions involved this area, while just one of the 24 control lesions did.

Armed with that information, Fox and colleagues, including lead author David Fischer, MD, then a medical student at Harvard Medical School, used a wiring diagram of the healthy human brain -- based on a large, shared data set called the Human Connectome -- to identify which other parts of the brain were connected to these coma-causing lesions. Their analysis revealed two areas in the cortex of the brain that were significantly connected to the coma-specific region of the brainstem. One sat in the left, ventral, anterior insula (AI), the other in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC). Both regions have been implicated previously in arousal and awareness.

"We now have a great map of how the brain is wired up in the Human Connectome," said Fox, who is also an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. "We can look at not just the location of lesions, but also their connectivity. Over the past year, researchers in my lab have used this approach to understand visual and auditory hallucinations, impaired speech, and movement disorders. A collaborative team of neuroscientists and physicians had the insight and unique expertise needed to apply this approach to consciousness."

The team included co-lead author, Aaron Boes, MD, PhD, and co-senior author, Joel Geerling, MD, PhD, both formerly of BIDMC and now of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Finally, the team investigated whether this brainstem-cortex network was functioning in another subset of patients with disorders of consciousness, including coma. Using a special type of MRI scan, the scientists found that their newly identified "consciousness network" was disrupted in patients with impaired consciousness. The findings -- bolstered by data from rodent studies -- suggest the network between the brainstem and these two cortical regions plays a role maintaining human consciousness.

"The added value of thinking about coma as a network disorder is it presents possible targets for therapy, such as using brain stimulation to augment recovery," Boes said. A next step, Fox notes, may be to investigate other data sets in which patients lost consciousness to find out if the same, different or overlapping neural networks are involved.

"This is most relevant if we can use these networks as a target for brain stimulation for people with disorders of consciousness," said Fox. "If we zero in on the regions and network involved, can we someday wake someone up who is in a persistent vegetative state? That's the ultimate question."

Study coauthors include David B. Fischer, MD, Aaron D. Boes, MD, PhD, Joel C. Geerling, MD, PhD, Clifford B. Saper, MD, PhD, and Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, of BIDMC; Athena Demertzi, PhD, of the Brain and Spine Institute (Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle epiniere-ICM), Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, France and the Coma Science Group, GIGA-Research & Cyclotron Research Centre, University and University Hospital of Liege, Belgium; Steven Laureys, PhD, also of the Coma Science Group; Henry C. Evrard, PhD, of the Functional and Comparative Neuroanatomy Lab and the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tubingen and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tubingen, Germany; Brian L. Edlow, MD, and Hesheng Liu, PhD. of the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA.

This work was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, the NIH (Shared Instrument Grant S10RR023043, K23NS083741, R01HD069776, R01NS073601, R01NS085477, R21MH099196, R21NS082870, R21NS085491, R21HD07616, R25NS065743, R25NS070682, T32 HL007901, P01HL095491), American Academy of Neurology/American Brain Foundation, Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, Harvard Catalyst, the Belgian National Funds for Scientific Research, the European Commission, the James McDonnell Foundation, the European Space Agency, Mind Science Foundation, the French Speaking Community Concerted Research Action (ARC-06/11-340), the Public Utility Foundation "Universite Europeenne du Travail," "Fondazione Europea di Ricerca Biomedica," the University and University Hospital of Liege, the Center for Integrative Neuroscience, and the Max Planck Society.
A new imaging technique developed by scientists at MIT, Harvard University, and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) aims to illuminate cellular structures in deep tissue and other dense and opaque materials. Their method uses tiny particles embedded in the material, that give off laser light.

The team synthesized these "laser particles" in the shape of tiny chopsticks, each measuring a small fraction of a human hair's width. The particles are made from lead iodide perovskite -- a material that is also used in solar panels, and that efficiently absorbs and traps light. When the researchers shine a laser beam at the particles, the particles light up, giving off normal, diffuse fluorescent light. But if they tune the incoming laser's power to a certain "lasing threshold," the particles will instantly generate laser light.

The researchers, led by MIT graduate student Sangyeon Cho, demonstrated they were able to stimulate the particles to emit laser light, creating images at a resolution six times higher than that of current fluorescence-based microscopes.

"That means that if a fluorescence microscope's resolution is set at 2 micrometers, our technique can have 300-nanometer resolution -- about a sixfold improvement over regular microscopes," Cho says. "The idea is very simple but very powerful and can be useful in many different imaging applications."

Cho and his colleagues have published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters. His co-authors include Seok Hyun Yun, a professor at Harvard; Nicola Martino, a research fellow at Harvard and MGH's Wellman Center for Photomedicine; and Matjaz Humar, a researcher at the Jozef Stefan Institute. The research was done as part of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

A light in the dark

When you shine a flashlight in a darkened room, that light appears as a relatively diffuse, hazy beam of white light, representing a jumble of different wavelengths and colors. In stark contrast, laser light is a pointedly focused, monochromatic beam of light, of a specific frequency and color.

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In conventional fluorescence microscopy, scientists may inject a sample of biological tissue with particles filled with fluorescent dyes. They then point a laser beam through a lens that directs the beam through the tissue, causing any fluorescent particles in its path to light up.

But these particles, like microscopic flashlights, produce a relatively indistinct, fuzzy glow. If such particles were to emit more focused, laser-like light, they might produce sharper images of deep tissues and cells. In recent years, researchers have developed laser-light-emitting particles, but Cho's work is the first to apply these unique particles to imaging applications.

Chopstick lasers

The team first synthesized tiny, 6-micron-long nanowires from lead iodide perovskite, a material that does a good job of trapping and concentrating fluorescent light. The particles' rod-shaped geometry -- which Cho describes as "chopstick-like" -- can allow a specific wavelength of light to bounce back and forth along the particles' length, generating a standing wave, or very regular, concentrated pattern of light, similar to a laser.

The researchers then built a simple optical setup, similar to conventional fluorescence microscopes, in which a laser beam is pumped from a light source, through a lens, and onto a sample platform containing the laser particles.

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For the most part, the researchers found that the particles emitted diffuse fluorescent light in response to the laser stimulation, similar to conventional fluorescent dyes, at low pump power. However, when they tuned the laser's power to a certain threshold, the particles lit up considerably, emitting much more laser light.

Cho says that the new optical technique, which they have named LAser particle Stimulated Emission (LASE) microscopy, could be used to image a specific focal plane, or a particular layer of biological tissue. Theoretically, he says, scientists can shine a laser beam into a three-dimensional sample of tissue embedded throughout with laser particles, and use a lens to focus the beam at a specific depth. Only those particles in the beam's focus will absorb enough light or energy to turn on as lasers themselves. All other particles upstream of the path's beam should absorb less energy and only emit fluorescent light.

"We can collect all this stimulated emission and can distinguish laser from fluorescent light very easily using spectrometers," Cho says. "We expect this will be very powerful when applied to biological tissue, where light normally scatters all around, and resolution is devastated. But if we use laser particles, they will be the narrow points that will emit laser light. So we can distinguish from the background and can achieve good resolution."

Giuliano Scarcelli, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, says the technique's success will hinge on successfully implementing it on a standard fluorescence microscope. Once that is achieved, laser imaging's applications, he says, are promising.

"The fact that you have a laser versus fluorescence probably means you can measure deeper into tissue because you have a higher signal-to-noise ratio," says Scarcelli, who was not involved in the work. "We'll need to see in practice, but on the other hand, with optics, we have no good way of imaging deep tissue. So any research on this topic is a welcome addition."

To implement this technique in living tissue, Cho says laser particles would have to be biocompatible, which lead iodide perovskite materials are not. However, the team is currently investigating ways to manipulate cells themselves to glow like lasers.

"Our idea is, why not use the cell as an internal light source?" Cho says. "We're starting to think about that problem."
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As a Nebraskan who cares about a strong education system, Larry Scherer has my support for Legislature. His work at the Nebraska State Education Association has shown his passion to provide a better quality of life that starts with education in our public schools.

By supporting Larry, we support the expansion of educational opportunities for all Nebraskan families, regardless of socioeconomic status. Larry Scherer will fight poverty by making early childhood education programs more accessible to students who are considered at-risk. By implementing these programs, this enhances our students readiness going into public schools, decreasing a childs risk of falling behind.

Larrys understanding of the Nebraska schools means he is also knowledgeable in working to reduce property taxes while retaining a strong public school system. In a year with a budget shortfall, its important we elect someone who knows how to lower our tax burden while not compromising our schools.

Next year, I want to be represented by a legislator who cares about kids and has the plan to ensure their strong futures. Larrys strong focus on education shows his ability to lead the legislature to a solution on our property taxes and education issues.

Jeanette Fangmeyer, Lincoln
Newell Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes consumer and commercial products worldwide. It operates in five segments: Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances, Home Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; and home and security, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms products under the BRK, First Alert, Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and Spontex brands. The Home Appliances segment offers kitchen appliances under the Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, and Sunbeam brands. The Home Solutions segment provides food and home storage; fresh preserving; vacuum sealing; and gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, and home fragrance products under the Ball, Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick, and Yankee Candle brands. The Learning and Development segment offers writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens, and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products; labeling solutions; and baby gear and infant care products under the Aprica, Baby Jogger, Graco, NUK, Tigex, Dymo, Elmer's, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Waterman, and X-Acto brands. The Outdoor and Recreation segment provides outdoor and outdoor-related products under the Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio, and Marmot brands. It serves warehouse clubs, department and drug/grocery stores, mass merchants, home centers, office superstores and supply stores, contract stationers, and distributors, e-commerce, sporting goods, specialty, and travel retailers. The company was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and changed its name to Newell Brands Inc. in April 2016. Newell Brands Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could be in the sights of investors who lost money on units in Torontos glitzy Trump hotel and condo project, even though the property is a Trump development in name only.

Mitchell Wine, a lawyer representing plaintiffs who bought Trump hotel suites with the hopes of renting them out for profit, said if a receiver sells the complex as expected for less than the amount of the defaulted mortgage  and if funds cannot be recovered from the developers  damages could be sought from individuals connected to the project.

Wed have to take really hard look at everyone else, Wine said Friday, after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice earlier in the week approved the appointment of a receiver to oversee the sale of the Trump International Hotel and Tower and Trump Residences.

The receiver said it is prepared to submit an offer if no other party steps up with a bid greater than the $301-million senior indebtedness.

The hotel portion of the project is managed by the Trump Organization, which has licensed its brand but has no equity interest in the property, according to a lawyer for Talon International, the Ontario investment group that developed the project.

The hotel-condo hybrid on Bay St. was plagued by delays and cost overruns until it finally opened in 2012 amid a glut of new five-star hotels in the city. Occupancy was below projections and room rates were slashed.

In a lawsuit filed against principals that include Trump as well as Talon and other corporations, Wine alleges his clients were victims of an investment scheme and conspiracy.

The lawsuit, which sought to cancel the deals and recover losses, claims that Talon sales agents presented misleading marketing materials and led them to believe they were buying a piece of real estate directly from Donald Trump. The suit says Trump was obligated to ensure Talon had the experience and integrity to develop the Trump Hotel properly.

Retiree Herbert Crockett, who put a large down payment on a $1.2-million unit, said he felt cheated.

He owned hotels everywhere, Crockett said in an earlier interview with the Star. The Trump name was all over the marketing materials. That was a big factor in the investment. I felt deceived.

Talon and its executives have denied the allegations, arguing that all investments are risky and the purchasers were experiencing an extreme case of buyers remorse. They have filed counterclaims seeking the balance of payment.

Trumps lawyer said he had nothing to do with the sales process, but added the lawsuit appeared to be a desperate, last-ditch attempt by a small group of buyers to get out of what were clear and unequivocal purchase contracts.

Wine, however, said deep-pocketed individuals could be targeted for losses, like Talon chair Alex Shnaider and Trump, who, he said, likes to brag on TV that he has a lot of money.

The Ontario Appeals Court in October reversed a lower-court decision and said Trump could face claims.

But Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization, said the self-proclaimed billionaire has no liability because he did not enter into a contract with any of the buyers, did not sell anything to any of the buyers and did not receive any money from any of the buyers.

Symon Zucker, a lawyer representing Markham-based Talon, said the company is co-operating with the restructuring and the appointment of the receiver is a positive step.

Lesley Duckworth, a spokesperson for Trump Hotels, said the company has a long-term agreement to manage the property, no matter who owns it after the receivership process.

Regardless of any capital partner or ownership changes that may take place, we will continue to operate the property under our luxury hotel brand flag, Duckworth said in an email. This has been a record year for the hotel and we look forward to its continued success.

Hamilton-based developer Harry Stinson, whose proposed Sapphire Tower was seen as a potential rival to the Trump development, said the hotel portion of the Trump project has been well managed and occupancy rates today are very high.

He said investors in the pricey condo units were blinded by the glamour, calling it inevitable that people will point at Trump if investments go sour.

Stinson said Trumps mistake may have been to lend his name to a project led by inexperienced developers, suggesting that the Trump Organization is rethinking its approach to licensing deals following its Toronto experience.

With files from Alicja Siekierska

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Youve never met anyone like Ari Appleton. Feisty, bright young heroines forced to deal with devastating family circumstances have long made for memorable characters in Canadian fiction, from Anne Shirley of Green Gables fame to Yolanda in Miriam Toews All My Puny Sorrows.

But Ari Appleton will take your breath away.

In Heather Tuckers astonishingly exquisite debut novel, The Clay Girl, we meet Ari in the 1960s as a quirky eight-year-old, the youngest of six sisters who are being split up and farmed out to relatives around eastern Canada. The girls are escaping horrific dysfunction: their abusive father has blown his head off, and their skanky, addicted mother cant look after herself, let alone six kids. (Did I mention this is not a childrens book?)

At first, Ari lucks out. Shes sent to loving aunts in Cape Breton who tell her shes not dirt, as shes always been told, but clay, which is malleable and full of possibilities. Clay soaks up water, they tell her, just as bright little Ari soaks up everything in her path. And with a little added grit, but not too much, the clay becomes stronger.

But the grit piles up when Aris mother, now living in Toronto, regains custody. Over the next eight years Ari deals with an increasingly chaotic and violent home life while forging outside relationships with teachers and others who recognize her astounding creativity and burning intelligence. To counter loss after loss, she keeps close an imaginary sea-horse totem named Jasper, a refuge of stillness and balance in her life where none exists. Heading toward her 16th birthday, Ari realizes that escaping her hellish home life is more fraught than she thought.

The Clay Girl leads us into very dark places, but Ari keeps herself  and us  from despair by being funny without being naive, edgy without being cynical. Author Tuckers prose is as lyrical and powerful as the ocean, Aris voice as sure and strong as a rudder through wild seas.

Tucker, of Ajax, has clearly drawn on her experiences as a psychiatric nurse and bereavement counsellor who has worked in Africa, South America and Northern Ontario. Her rare gift of showing us beauty, hope and humour amid profound trauma make The Clay Girl an extraordinary debut novel.

Marcia Kaye is a frequent contributor to the Stars book pages.

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1943: Operation Husky: In honour of Remembrance Day, this original Canadian documentary, subtitled The Canadian Landing in Sicily, commemorates the successful battle by 25,000 members of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division in July 1943 to knock down German defences in Sicily, described as the first independent role in the Second World War for Canadian soldiers. Some 562 men were lost. In the doc, which includes firsthand accounts from villagers and veterans, a group of Canadians retraces the steps of the soldiers in Italy. (TLN at 4 p.m.)

Frontier: The Game of Thrones comparisons are understandable in this historic drama commissioned by Discovery Canada given that we see the fur trader character of marquee star Jason Momoa (who also had a short but memorable role in GoT) committing an act of violence in the very first scene. Instead of an Iron Throne, the combatants are fighting for furs and the wealth and power they bring in Canada in the 1700s. Momoas bloodthirsty Declan Harp is pitted against equally savage Hudsons Bay Company bigwig Lord Benton (Alun Armstrong) with secondary characters including an Irish stowaway who gets stuck between the two (Landon Liboiron), a nasty British captain (Evan Jonigkeit), a pragmatic Scottish tavern keeper (Zoe Boyle) and a drunkard priest (Christian McKay). The world they inhabit is a brutish one. (Discovery at 9)

Full Circle: Miami: With just two days to go until the U.S. election, this series promises a look into the dark underbelly of American politics. Dougray Scott (Desperate Housewives) plays a senator running for U.S. president whose campaign is engulfed by a sex scandal that may have been engineered by someone within his own camp. The cast includes Kim Raver (24) as his wife and Harold Perrineau (Lost) as his campaign manager. (Super Channel at 9:30)

Please note: The dates and times here are based on information provided in advance by the TV networks and checked against online schedules, but listings are subject to change.

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Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Toronto on Saturday to protest the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota, a resource project that has galvanized opposition from indigenous communities and environmentalists across the continent.

The demonstration began with a series of speeches at Queens Park, included a march down University Ave., and finished as the sun went down in a cacophony of drumming and singing outside City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square.

Amy Desjarlais, a 39-year-old demonstrator from Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound, said the goal was to express solidarity with protesters in the U.S. who are trying to block the construction of a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline that is slated to cross the Missouri River.

We want to show them that were thinking about them, Desjarlais said, streaks of sky blue paint flashing out from around her eyes. Thats what were doing when were singing. Were praying for the people down there.

There were hundreds of arrests and accusations of excessive force last weekend when police raided the protest camp on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

The $3.7-billion (U.S.) pipeline project is meant to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day from North Dakota to Patoka, Ill., according to Energy Transfers, the company behind the project. Proponents claim there will be millions of dollars in economic benefits, including the creation of up to 12,000 jobs during pipeline construction.

Protesters in Toronto on Saturday, however, denounced the pipeline as environmentally irresponsible. Many fear a pipeline rupture could spill oil into the Missouri River, which connects downstream to the Mississippi and provides drinking water for millions of Americans.

Patti Pettigrew said the protesters in North Dakota are fighting for the same rights as indigenous Canadians. She pointed out that many First Nations communities in Canada have been under boil-water advisories for years, and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to honour his 2015 election commitment to end those advisories.

Keep your damn word, she shouted to the cheers of those gathered at Queens Park Saturday.

Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation also spoke at the rally, criticizing the police crackdown on protesters in North Dakota. He said the groups on either side of the front line in Standing Rock fought shoulder-to-shoulder in both world wars. The North Dakota water protectors, as they call themselves, are standing up for the same rights now as then, he said.

If you cant say that about yourself, youre on the wrong side, he said.

Later, at Nathan Philips Square, 24-year-old Krysta Barilko stood in the purple robes that she said are the traditional regalia of her Akwesasne Mohawk community in Quebec.

Im very proud of my people and everybody for showing their support, she said, gesturing across the chanting crowd as drummers kept beat and several people weaved through the crowd burning sage and sweetgrass.

Carrie Lester, 56, said the demonstration in Toronto also reflects anger over resource projects such as Enbridges Line 9, which carries crude oil from Sarnia to Montreal, as well as the legacy of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows, an Ojibwa community in northern Ontario.

Its outrageous that these things are continuing to take place, she said. Everywhere is Standing Rock.

Dakota Access Pipeline protest

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MISHKEEGOGAMANG FIRST NATIONCharnelle Masakeyashs bones were found lying on top of a smooth section of Canadian Shield rock that juts out of the forest floor.

Her ribs were found in a small, nearly circular clearing of trees, just off a well-used path that leads from one part of the reserve to the other.

Her shoes were in the circle, neatly sitting side by side. Two of her sweaters were hanging on tree branches. Charnelles skull was located just outside the circle, sitting on the damp earth, underneath the trees. Mishkeegogamang elders noticed an absence of blood or animal tracks where her bones lay, finally discovered this past June, after the last of the winter snow melted. Her two sweaters were not ripped or shredded.

The well-travelled forest pathway lies close to the homes of the Masakeyash family. For six months, Mishkeegogamang members organized massive searches for Charnelle. Her family says they last saw her in October. But there is a report, which the family questions, that the 26-year-old was last seen walking on Hwy. 599, just south of Pickle Lake, on Nov. 6, 2015.

The searchers fanned out by the dozens, painstakingly sifting through brush and snow and climbing through the forest, looking for Charnelle. They went out daily, on weekends and whenever the weather permitted.

The Ontario Provincial Police searched the area by helicopter. They used divers and tracking dogs. The 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group and staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources joined the search parties.

Every day they came up empty.

Then, in June, a jawbone was discovered inside a doghouse, near one of the Masakeyash family homes. The police have not determined that Charnelle was murdered. The condition of her bones is making it difficult to determine cause of death and the Ontario coroners office is investigating. Wild animals may have killed Charnelle, the family has been told. OPP Sgt. Shelley Garr would not comment on the investigation, other than to say it is active and ongoing.

Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray-McKay and Charnelles aunt, Adrianne Masakeyash, dont believe for a second that the young mother was savagely killed by animals.

No, an animal didnt do this, Gray-McKay says, sighing.

Somebody knows something, she says. Everything happens fast when there is violence or anger. Anything can happen.

Gray-McKay knows more than 100 people have been interviewed by the police, but she fears no one wanted to speak out because of historical issues of mistrust. There is a reluctance to get involved. They dont want to be in trouble. They dont want to cause any problems. That is the sad part of this entire tragedy.

Mishkeegogamang is an Ojibway community near the end of Hwy. 599, an old logging and mining road that has been described as one of the loneliest highways in Ontario. The drive is a solid three hours north of Ignace, which is nearly three hours northwest of Thunder Bay. Mish is one of the few far north Ontario reserves that are accessible all year thanks to the highway, which is more of a double-lane road. It has no shoulders, cell service or gas stations, but you can spot the occasional bald eagle.

The Albany River begins here at Lake St. Joseph. It winds its way northeast, past Marten Falls First Nation and the resource-rich area known as the Ring of Fire, until it finds James Bay.

It is not easy living in Mishkeegogamang. The federal Ministry of Indigenous Affairs says the cost of living on the reserve is about 60 per cent higher than in the south. Fresh food is hard to come by, especially in the winter. Most of those living here are unemployed and dont have access to clean water.

The community has often made news down south for its devastating house fires. A volunteer fire service staffs the reserve. There is a fire truck but the garage isnt heated, so if any water is left in the truck, it can freeze. That was the case on Feb. 13, 2014, when firefighters tried to use water to douse a house fire. Firefighters watched helplessly as Joyce Wassaykeesic, 30, her daughters Serenity, 6, and Kira-Lyn, 3, and her nephew Nathan Wassaykeesic, 21, all burned to death.

Chronic overcrowding in houses with makeshift heating systems is partly to blame for the fires. But Gray-McKay says they are working hard to bring proper housing to Mish. Recently, 10 new prefabricated homes were trucked into the reserve and another 10 have been approved by Indigenous Affairs, she says.

The intergenerational trauma of residential schools  150,000 indigenous children were taken away from their families and sent to 140 federally funded, church-run schools across Canada for nearly 130 years  looms large in Mish. Many here are either residential school survivors or the children of survivors.

Cramped living conditions, grief, joblessness and poverty all combine to create a cycle of addictions and violence. After the February fire, the community was devastated and in the following months 60 airlifts out of Mish were scheduled for people in need of substance and addiction treatment.

Mishkeegogamanghas experienced a staggering amount of pain. In the past several decades, nine women from the community have been added to Canadas list of at least 1,181 murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. Gone are Sarah Skunk, Viola Panacheese, Rena Fox, Lena Lawson, Evelyn and Sophie Wassaykeesic, Jemima Mulholland, Mariah Wesley and Charnelle.

Adrianne Masakeyash, 41, has always been the motherly type.

At the age of 12, she found herself taking care of her younger siblings because her parents were often passed out drunk on the couch.

When her sister Sylvia died of liver failure after a lifetime of alcohol abuse, Adrianne, a mother of five and a grandmother, took in her sisters children and has embraced them as her own. Charnelle was Sylvias daughter. She came with three of her kids to live with Masakeyash. Charnelles fourth child, her youngest, was taken into provincial care because of high special needs. The father of Charnelles kids, James Junior Fox, burned to death in one of the house fires that swept the reserve in 2014.

Masakeyash is lucky to have one of the new prefabricated homes, but the furnace doesnt work properly  it blows in cold air once the furnace stops running. She says the house is buckling because it wasnt placed on proper footings.

Thirteen of her children and extended family live with her. I dont know how well survive the winter, she says. We have one family living in each room.

Masakeyash believes Charnelle went missing long before she was apparently spotted on Nov. 6, 2015, walking down the road. She believes that sighting was a mistake. When Charnelle was in Pickle Lake last fall and her children were at home in Mish, she would call about four times a week. Suddenly in October, the phone calls stopped.

By Halloween we hadnt seen her, Masakeyash says.

Charnelle was private and mostly kept her thoughts to herself, Masakeyash recalls. But she liked to go out and spend time with people her own age. And, like her mother, she liked to drink.

Since Charnelles disappearance last fall, there have been rumours about what happened to her. One is that she was seen drinking with friends near the Masakeyash houses and that she was left to her own devices, struggling and alone. Those friends have never come forward.

Masakeyash does not believe someone on the reserve knew what happened to Charnelle. If I know my family or the other natives as well as I think I do, they would have broken right down by now and they would have told someone. If it was an accident, they couldnt have kept it secret, she says.

A psychic told Masakeyash that Charnelle was killed off the reserve and her body was brought to Mish. This rings truer to Masakeyash.

And a medicine man told the family that she was off the reserve and near one of the five mines surrounding Mish. This theory moved Masakeyashs sister so much that in the winter, she would snowshoe out to the mine, build a fire, sit and wait for Charnelle to appear.

Yet another theory gnaws at Masakeyash.

Charnelle was sexually assaulted in Pickle Lake three years ago. She had been out with a girlfriend and they were offered all-terrain vehicle rides through the forest. Her friend went and came back without incident, says Masakeyash. Then it was Charnelles turn. As soon as she came back from the ride, she went straight to the health centre and got a rape kit, Masakeyash says.

After the assault, Charnelle was afraid, Masakeyash says. She was always looking out the window, fearful. She pressed charges and the case went to trial in Kenora, but the man was let go. She said she had to get away from this guy. I tried to keep her at home here but she never wanted to settle down. She wanted to be out with people her own age, says her aunt.

Masakeyash says she cannot recall being questioned by the police. The police would only come out and tell us what they were doing (with the search). They never questioned me as to what had happened. But most of the time I couldnt talk when they were here. I was very emotional, she says.

Now, since the discovery of Charnelles remains in June, Masakeyash wants some answers as to what has happened with the investigation.

Wild animals did not do this, she says. Whoever did needs to be brought to justice.

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This is harvest time in Nebraska, so a chisel plow would look out of place behind a Massey Ferguson.

But a witness noticed it on a tractor at a neighbors last month near Herman, about 35 miles north of Omaha. And in the darkness later that Sunday night, the witness saw a tractor pulling something through a nearby field, although it wasn't clear who was driving or what was happening.

It became clear in the daylight: The tractor had been tearing up more than 100 acres of mature soybeans, valued at roughly $57,000.

It was 11:30 at night, Washington County Sheriffs Sgt. Brian Beckman said last week. So nobody realized what had happened until the next day.

That was Oct. 9. The investigation is ongoing, Beckman said, with no arrests and no charges yet. But he laid out some of his case in an affidavit for a search warrant Oct. 25.

The ownership of the farm field has been deeply disputed and heavily litigated for years, reaching the state Supreme Court. And two men who claim ownership have even posted their own No Trespassing signs, Beckman wrote.

But the courts have ruled the men dont have any right to the land, he wrote. Its owned by an estate and rented to a farmer.

So Beckman sought the warrant to search one of the men's tractors and plows for any plant, soil or foreign material as transfer evidence that could connect them to the crop damage.

He told a judge a witness saw the plow attached to a tractor on property owned by one of the men on Oct. 9, during the average peak of the state's soybean harvest.

This is not the time of year that a chisel plow or similar farming implement would be typically used, Beckman wrote.

Later that night, the witness saw a tractor in the field, and the shape and size of its silhouette matched the one he saw at his neighbor's that day.

The judge granted the warrant, although Beckman's search revealed no evidence, he said.

Not all of the beans went to waste. The farmer who rents the torn-up tract was able to salvage and harvest about 3,400 bushels.

Still, they lost over half of their field.
I always pay attention when I hear from Greg Lyle, a former pollster for Kim Campbell and Mike Harris whose Innovative Research Group does thoughtful research into the motivation behind political choices.

When Justin Trudeaus Liberals started to pull out of the rough three-way tie that characterized the middle stretch of the 2015 election, Lyle spotted the trend and calculated its amplitude earlier than most of his competitors.

But Lyle is less interested in predicting horse-race outcomes than in understanding why voters behave as they do. His latest study asks 1,016 online respondents in the United States about attitudes that may drive support for Donald Trumps presidential candidacy.

At the same time, he questioned 2,574 respondents in Canada to measure how much welcome there is here for views that resembles those of Trump supporters.

Many of Lyles findings comfort the notion that the rise of a Trump-like figure couldnt happen here. Asked whether they agree with the simple proposition, Donald Trump scares me, 72 per cent of Canadian respondents agreed strongly or somewhat, compared to only 52 per cent of U.S. respondents. On a test of limited or conditional support for Trump  He may not always express himself in the best way, but I generally agree with most of what Donald Trump says  only 20 per cent of Canadians agreed, against 44 per cent of Americans.

Take Trumps name out of it, however, and responses were often closer. Forty-two per cent of Canadians, and 49 per cent of Americans, agreed with a statement expressing suspicion about immigrants: The growing number of newcomers from other countries threaten traditional (Canadian or American) customs and values. In contrast, Canadians were likelier than Americans to agree that the growing number of newcomers from other countries strengthens their society, by 46 per cent to 35 per cent, but the contrast was hardly night and day.

Comparing Canadian and American attitudes, however, is secondary to Lyles main goal, which is to understand why those Americans who vote for Trump on Tuesday will do so. He polled on a range of opinions, from approval of Barack Obamas White House record to views on the economy, law and order, same-sex marriage, and racial minorities. He found that only a fraction of U.S. respondents have very unfavourable attitudes toward Muslims and recent immigrants, but that within that small group, 61 per cent plan to vote for Trump, compared to 18 per cent for Clinton.

But for all that, Lyle is less sure that these dark undercurrents of opinion are driving most of the Trump vote. He ran a series of regression analyses on his results, to a standard statistical technique to see which correlations are most likely to drive votes. What he found is that the greatest driver of Trumps support is the simple fact that hes the Republican in a race where not everyone is going to vote for the Democrat.

For all the talk of building a wall, banning Muslims and nasty women, we can explain most of Trumps support with the standard underlying drivers that matter in any election, Lyle said. So 43 per cent of Trumps support comes from party identification: Republican voters are highly likely to be planning to vote for Trump. Another 28 per cent of his support is driven by reactions to Obamas record: If you think Obama is an ineffectual or disastrous president, youre quite likely to support Trump.

Most of Trumps support can be explained by the same fundamental forces that drove Mitt Romneys support or John McCains support, Lyle said, referring to the last two GOP nominees.

Lyle found that another 11 per cent of Trumps support comes from what he calls populism and alienation, which pops up in answers to questions about whether politics is too complicated, everything is changing too fast, the good old ways are gone and the bad new ways will be worse.

Finally, we come to the values evoked by comments such as the ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and the wall with Mexico, Lyle said. He asked questions about several different ethnic minority groups; only attitudes towards Muslims emerge as a key driver of the vote in this election, and that only explains 5 per cent of the Trump vote.

Thats 5 per cent more than Id like to have driving anyones vote for president. And I have a hunch Ill be hearing from a lot of readers who dont buy Lyles analysis. But here again, the U.S. attitude finds echoes in Canada: Canadians are twice as negative towards Muslims as they are to any other minority. In this one element we may see echoes of the Trump campaign in Canada, Lyle said.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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MONTREALA Canadian man suspected of having joined the Islamic terror group Daesh claimed to have financial and logistical backers in his quest to flee Canada, according to messages obtained by the Toronto Star.

In an exchange of Facebook messages beginning in May 2014 and ending July 14, 2014, Quebecer Samir Halilovic bids farewell to a friend whose own attempts to meet him in Turkey  a popular crossing point for aspiring jihadists headed to Syria  appear to have been dashed.

The parting message from Halilovic is among the last that he would have sent before he disappeared, along with fellow Canadians Zakria Habibi and Youssef Sakhir.

Its a question of hours/days now, God willing. Hopefully Allah will make it easy for us and for you.

The Star could not independently verify the authenticity of the messages. The messages were provided by a source on condition that they would not be identified.

The Facebook messages provide a rare look into the planning and stealth of those Canadians who may be trying to join overseas jihadist groups. They appear to show two young men trying to book flights and travel visas, arrange payment for the trips, and meet up with individuals who will help them reach their destinations.

They are being remarkably careful, said Amarnath Amarasingam, a terrorism researcher at the University of Waterloo, who led a major Canadian study tracking individuals who have gone abroad to join jihadist groups.

They are using code words, like not being able to be in contact during their period of internship, which clearly means training. They are also using pay-as-you-go credit cards to increase the potential for anonymity.

Halilovics interlocutor is Assane Kamara, a Senegalese national and former student at Universite de Sherbrooke. Senegalese police arrested Kamara and filed terrorism charges alleging he took a flight from Dakar to Tunisia in January 2016 with the intention of joining a jihadist group.

Kamara came to Sherbrooke in the fall of 2010 and moved to Edmonton for several months in 2014 before being brought back home to Dakar by his mother, who worried he had adopted a more strident interpretation of Islam, according to Senegalese police, who cited a denunciation made to them by Kamaras mother.

Friends and classmates said Kamara was active within the Muslim Students Association at the university but insisted that he was extremely polite, kind and intelligent. Another friend said he became more devout while in Canada, but showed no outward signs of extremism.

A female friend of Halilovic, who didnt want to be identified, described him as the class clown when the two attended school together as young teenagers in Sherbrooke.

The last contact she had with Halilovic was through social media about one month before his disappearance in July 2014. There was no indication that he had changed or that he was planning to leave the country.

I was bowled over. I couldnt understand what could have happened in his life for that to happen. He was really a good person, she told the Star.

Halilovic also maintained a Twitter account under a pseudonym and for the two years before his departure wrote about the necessity of establishing an Islamic caliphate. In April 2012, he wrote that he had been labelled an extremist by his father.

Previously, two sources told the Star that Halilovic married after arriving in Syria. He is also believed to have died there  a fact that could not be independently verified.

In the Facebook messages from 2014, it appears that Kamara was trying to arrange last-minute travel from Dakar to Istanbul to meet Halilovic and at least one other person.

The messages refer to other names: Zikos, Zartan, and Yakky. It was not possible to determine who they referred to, but it appears that Zikos and Zartan are used interchangeably.

On July 11, 2014, Halilovic wrote that he was in Paris. Kamara was in Dakar and wrote that he was under orders from his parents not to communicate with his Canadian friend.

According to the messages, the timing was tight as the two attempted to harmonize their travel plans.

Halilovic wrote that one friend  Yakky  had been with him but was out of contact. Yakky was also part of the group that would be completing the internship, Halilovic said.

Habibi, their other Canadian friend, was scheduled to take a flight to Turkey on July 13, 2014. He wrote in the messages that a meeting was planned for the following day, July 14, in Istanbul.

On the 15th we have to be at the destination, Halilovic wrote, adding that a contact awaited them.

In the messages, Kamara wrote that he was having difficulty getting the money together to book a flight, arranging a visa to travel to Turkey and avoiding the suspicions of his concerned family.

You have a $600 flight from Dakar on the 13th. What is your situation? Halilovic asked Kamara.

Kamara responded: Yep, but I wanted to know if I have to take a return flight or one-way.

One way, Halilovic advised.

Im going to have to do a prison break, Kamara wrote.

Halilovic offered to pay for Kamaras travel with a pre-paid credit card. He claimed to have done the same thing for Habibis airplane ticket.

The Star has previously reported that Halilovic obtained a $725 loan on June 4, 2014 and that he posted an advertisement on Facebook to sell a blue, size 8 designer ball gown for $300 on May 17, 2014.

Both Halilovic and Kamara claim in the messages that they had financial backers  individuals willing to fund their plans.

Halilovic wrote this on July 12, 2014 after Kamara asked for $20 to obtain a Turkish visa so he could enter the country.

Heres how it works: You have to confirm for me that you will definitely be able to take the plane on a given date. Someone will transfer the money in my bank account by Interac transfer and after I have to put it on my prepaid visa (sic) card, Halilovic wrote.

Kamara said that he had his own source of funding to purchase a plane ticket.

Okay, God willing, wrote Halilovic. You will receive the money from someone in Dakar?

No, from Canada, God willing, Kamara replied.

Hicham Tiflati, a Montreal-based researcher who worked on a major study of Canadians who had joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, also analyzed the messages for the Star. He said it is not probable based on his experience interviewing radicalized youth that someone was bankrolling their quest to join Daesh.

Weve had cases years before in Bosnia or with Al Qaeda where you had funders from the Middle East, he said. The recruitment process from the examples that weve had before with hundreds of foreign fighters not just in Canada is that usually ISIS recruiters dont provide cash. They show you how to get cash and credit cards.

As the exchange of Facebook messages continued, it became clear to Halilovic and Kamara that their attempt to meet in Istanbul was unlikely to succeed.

On July 12, 2014, Kamara explained: My financial source said that he will make progressive transfers in such a way that I have the full amount for the end of the month, God willing. So unless I find something else before that Im grounded.

Halilovic suggested a backup plan. If things didnt work out, he told Kamara to search through his Facebook contacts and contact an individual, whom the Star is not naming because the persons identity or involvement could not be independently verified.

You can see him in my friends. Tell me if you see who Im talking about, Halilovic wrote.

Ive got him. But I dont know him, Kamara replied.

If ever there is anything, you contact him  but not as long as you are in contact with me. He will help you, God willing, Halilovic instructed.

In the messages, Kamara wrote that he would confirm to Halilovic if he would be able to reach Istanbul before the meeting time on July 15, 2014

If I cant . . . just go ahead (without me), Kamara wrote.

If not you talk to (the contact). You tell him that you are a brother of Samir and that you are looking for a place to eat Greek, Halilovic wrote, in what appears to be coded language.

Hahahaha, thats good, Kamara responded.

On July 13, 2014, Halilovic wrote to Kamara that he had missed his flight but was now scheduled on another that would get him there a little later than Zikos.

Once in Turkey they were headed to an unnamed hotel where, Halilovic wrote, he had been told on a previous visit to the country that he could have a suite with a Jacuzzi if he paid for the room in cash instead of credit card.

The thing is that its me who knows the hotel and how to get there, Halilovic wrote.

About 24 hours later, he wrote again that he was with Zartan and in contact with our friend.

Kamaras response is joyous: God is great!!!! God willing, I hope that we will see each other at the internship.

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Training her eyes on the Syrian artifacts on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Ghazel Alkak couldnt help thinking of her now-ruined home near Aleppo.

However, the 24-year-old law graduate is grateful and proud to see her culture and heritage preserved at the museums Middle East Gallery in Toronto, her new home.

Given what we all suffered, our museums destroyed and artifacts stolen, it is great to see Syrian history represented at the museum in Canada, said Alkak, as she and her peers toured the ROM with volunteers from a University of Toronto support program for newly arrived Syrian youth.

We came from a beautiful country with a rich history. We are very proud of it.

Only three weeks after her arrival via Turkey under Canadas Syrian refugee resettlement program, Alkak is already making new friends through the Cultural Exchange and Support Initiative of the U of T Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations department.

Since the projects inception in the spring, Syrian youth eager to learn English have joined U of T student volunteers keen on brushing up their Arabic every Saturday, over a traditional Syrian lunch prepared by a group of newcomer Syrian women paid to make the food.

The sponsored tour by the ROM on this Saturday was one of many field trips and activities made possible by the many U of T volunteers and support from the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations department and the Deans Office at the Faculty of Arts & Sciences.

We do not want these youth to feel isolated, lonely, sad, excluded and neglected, said Rasha Elendari, one of the programs founders, herself a PhD visa student from Syria.

We know our students here want to help support the Syrians and be their friends, and learn about their culture. This is a great opportunity for a cultural exchange.

During the weekly language workshops, participants are provided a theme and a list of vocabulary for their conversational exchange, followed by a writing exercise in which theyre required to read a sentence and write a short paragraph on the selected topic.

On this sunny and balmy November Saturday, participants were given a list of words about archeology and the question of why it is important to study the past and human history.

Firas Baroody, 19, arrived in Canada with his family via Jordan in February and has been part of the group since May. Hes now in Grade 12.

We can practise English here and they can learn Arabic from us. We talk about how to learn a new language and we use cue cards, said Baroody, who commuted for 90 minutes from his home in Burlington. Here we make Canadian friends and Syrian friends.

Rob Martin, another co-founder of the initiative, said the program has a roster of 150 volunteers from all academic disciplines and the workshops have been well attended.

We hope this can be a stepping stone for the Syrian newcomers in Canada where they feel they are a part of something, said Martin, a PhD student in archeology.

They have been through so much and endured traumas. Its great to see them come out of their shells, make new friends and be happy.

Karam Jamalo, who reached Canada by himself in April from Lebanon, said the U of T workshops are the highlight for him each week and he was thrilled to visit the museum to reminisce about his home country.

I love the Syrian lunch. It reminds me of home. This is an amazing program for young people like me, said Karam, 24, who dropped out of his business administration studies due to the conflicts in Syria and is now studying at George Brown to finish his high school equivalency.

Robert Mason, an archeologist with the ROM and a guide for the tour, said he hoped the visit would give the newcomers a sense of empowerment.

We want to create a link between these artifacts and their descendants, said Mason. We want them to know that Syria isnt just a bombed-out shell. Their country has made a lot of contributions to the world, to our civilization.

Alkak and her family will move from a refugee shelter near the U of T campus to an apartment in Scarborough within days, and she said she cant wait to move on and go back to school.

I will come to the workshop even after I move away. Im so happy here, she said. During the war, it was difficult to trust people and communicate. Being here, I feel relaxed and learn you can trust people again and make friends.

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Watching the election will never be the same.

While many will still tune into CNN or other cable networks to follow the U.S. presidential results after voting ends, new technology and a breach of an unwritten rule in American media mean that some people will already have a good idea of the winner.

Real-time voting results, using methods that mimic internal campaign projections, will be publicly available for the first time Tuesday, allowing electors to see how their peers are voting even before they cast their own ballot.

At the same time, two projects with competing visions of election rigging have announced their intention to use web platforms to report voting irregularities as they happen. One side is deploying volunteers expecting to find cases of voters prevented from voting, while the other anticipates that ineligible people will be permitted to vote.

Taken together, these initiatives will combine to take presidential elections from the era of live TV to the age of real-time web reporting.

Vote tallies on the fly

For decades, by convention, American television networks have refused to report exit poll data before voting closed in a particular state, under the belief that it might influence electors. This year, Slate.com is breaking that taboo, but theyre taking it a notch further.

Instead of using exit polls, which have proven to be notoriously inaccurate, Slate is teaming up with pollsters and digital strategists recruited from both parties to publish election results while the polls are still open.

The project, called Votecastr, conducts extensive polling before the election, producing a detailed picture of likely outcomes in selected districts and even individual voting stations. Then thousands of workers are deployed to polling stations around the country to report voter turnout over the course of the day.

By combining live voter turnout with the earlier polling, Votecastr can gauge if Hillary Clinton supporters are coming out in strong numbers and if Donald Trump voters have decided to stay home. This method, employed by presidential campaigns for decades, has proven to be a remarkably accurate predictor of actual results.

Our goal is not to beat the networks and wire services to declaring winners and losers  election night will still belong to their analysts and their magic walls  but to guarantee that citizens who have been entrusted with a vote also have access to as much information as possible about how their fellow citizens are voting, wrote Sasha Issenberg, the editorial director at Votecastr, in an essay on Slate.

Why shouldnt voters have access to the same information used to profile and sort them, information that can help make sense of the way that candidates market to them through the elections final hours?

In Canada, reporting East Coast results before polls were closed on the West Coast used to be banned by law. Last year, Elections Canada dropped the ban, but also decided to mitigate the potential for early results to impact later voters by staggering the opening hours for polling stations across the country.

Issenberg argues theres no data to support the idea that knowledge of how others are voting discourages people from voting and believes these efforts to curb information will ultimately be futile.

Vote suppression

Prompted by policies that have made it harder to vote, Electionland, an online vote-suppression reporting project, is stitching together a network of computer programmers, observers and reporters across the U.S. to monitor voting conditions and flag problems.

The initiative, sponsored by the non-profit journalism project ProPublica and other organizations, including USA Today, Univision and Google News Lab, will gather leads on voting problems  gleaned from Internet searches, social media posts and volunteers on the ground  and pass them to local reporters tasked with investigating access to the polls.

By tweeting out the stories produced, the project hopes to document long lines, machine breakdowns, ballot confusion, fraudulent voting and intimidation.

I dont want to overhype the potential for this because, for the most part, elections are really well run in the United States and many places dont see these types of issues, said Derek Willis, a reporter/developer on the project. But there is a combination of factors were seeing this year that  is a very different thing than weve seen in the past.

The project was conceived after a wave of Republican-sponsored legislation that critics contend makes it harder for visible minorities and the poor to vote.

Seventeen states have enacted stricter voter ID laws. Voting stations in black areas in Florida have been closed or moved and advanced polls have been shortened in Ohio.

Alabama shuttered 31 drivers licence offices, almost all of them in African-American communities, making it harder for people to obtain ID needed to vote.

Georgia proactively purged 372,000 voters from the rolls, reportedly sending court summons to black voters demanding they appear before a judge and prove they maintain a valid address.

But Democrats have been challenging these changes in court and have succeeded in rolling many of them back.

North Carolinas stricter voter ID laws that were in place for the primaries have been struck down by the Supreme Court. Now, election volunteers are being trained on the new rules and signs stating No photo ID needed to vote are supposed to be displayed at voting stations.

This will be the first election in many years in which large portions of the Voting Rights Act arent applicable in places where they used to be, Willis said. There is a responsibility on our part  to protect the rights of citizens to vote.

Voter fraud

On the other side of the aisle is a project premised on Trumps contention the election is rigged and individual voter fraud  a phenomenon that is statistically insignificant  could affect its outcome. A group calling itself the Vote Protectors will deploy volunteers on election day to conduct exit polls in an effort to defeat the ever-growing corruption within our election process.

Vote Protectors didnt return a request for comment, but its website, StopTheSteal.com, explains the project is based on a uniformed exit poll that Vote Protectors will conduct at every polling place in America, to ensure continuous integrity throughout the democratic process.

The tactic hearkens back to a 1981 election in New Jersey, where the Republican National Committee recruited a National Ballot Security Task Force of volunteers wearing arm bands  and sometimes holstered firearms  to monitor the vote. The Democratic National Committee sued the next year and won a court order prohibiting this kind of voter intimidation that remains on the books today.

But Trumps campaign isnt bound by that order (though the DNC is suing the RNC saying its illegally helping Trump) and Roger Stone, who was involved in the New Jersey election 35 years ago, is openly organizing the Vote Protectors.

The project has already registered more than 2,500 exit pollers, whose results will be compiled in an online results map. Its a familiar touch that closely resembles the red and blue maps people are used to seeing on TV, only this one is titled popular vote (citizen exit polls).

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WASHINGTONDonald Trump had a whirlwind Saturday, Nov. 5, with four rallies  in Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado. He set a new record for false claims: 40, not including ones he repeated, breaking his previous record of 37. The list:

Tampa, Florida

1. Falsely said, In Hershey Pennsylvania last night, we had an arena, we had 27,000 people show up. (The arena has a capacity of 10,500. Some people were turned away, but not nearly 16,500.)

2. Falsely said, Hillary said I did not like Donald Trumps lewd language Ive never said what he said in my life. (Clinton did not call Trumps comments about women and sexual assault lewd. She has called them horrific, demeaning and degrading.)

3. Falsely said, of the Florida primary, Remember and most of you were there we won 66 out of 67 counties but we won 66 out of 67 counties. Thats never happened before. (Trump was not the first to win 66 of 67 counties. Bob Dole did in 1996 and George W. Bush did in 2000, Politifact noted.)

4. Falsely said, of the 67th Florida county, We almost, we almost, won that last one too. (Trump lost Miami-Dade County 63 per cent to 23 per cent.)

5. Falsely said, They dont ever show my crowds. This was repeated at his third and fourth rally of the day. (Various media outlets show Trumps crowds. One pool camera stays fixed on him at all times.)

6. Falsely said, Last night Obama had a protester and they wouldnt turn the camera to the protester. Its the first time Ive ever seen that. This was repeated at his second rally of the day. (Various cameras showed the protester; as always, the pool camera remained fixed on Obama.)

7. Falsely said of Bill Clintons airport meeting with Loretta Lynch, I thought it was 39 minutes; turned out to be 45 minutes they had a meeting for 45 minutes. (It was not.)

8. Falsely said, Were the highest-taxed nation in the world. (The U.S. is not even highest-taxed in corporate taxes; it is close. When all taxes are considered, it is below-average for major countries.)

9. Falsely said, The Cubans just endorsed me. They gave me the Bay of Pigs Association Award. (Trump was not endorsed by the Cubans, or even a broad organization Cuban-Americans. He was endorsed by Miamis Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. He did not receive an award.)

10. Falsely said, Its just been reported that as a result of our open borders, violent cartels have spread into all 50 states. (There is no apparent source for this. A government report in 2015, not recently, alleges a cartel presence in most states, but not all.)

11. Falsely said, More than 90 per cent of those arrested are here illegally 90 per cent, think of that, 90 per cent are here illegally. This was repeated at his second rally of the day. (It is not precisely clear what Trump was talking about, but illegal immigrants represent well under 10 per cent of arrests.)

12. Falsely said, As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton allowed thousands of the most dangerous and violent criminals to come into the country, go free, and wouldnt send them back to their home countries and we would never force them in. This was repeated all three other rallies rally of the day. (It was not Clintons decision to release undeportable illegal immigrants. The Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that they could not be held indefinitely.)

13. Falsely said, of Clintons crowds, The only way she gets them to show up is when she has a star come. Thats the only way. Otherwise she gets 500 people, 400 people. (Clinton regularly draws thousands of people.)

14. Falsely said, Shes going to raise your taxes. This was repeated at his second and fourth rally of the day, adding: Shes also raising your taxes very substantially folks. Big, big tax increase. (This would only be true if he was speaking to an audience of rich people. Clinton is only raising taxes on the highest earners. The Tax Policy Center says most residents below the top 1 per cent will receive minor tax cuts under her plan, and even most of the highest earners will not see a doubling.)

Wilmington, North Carolina

15. Falsely said, of the illegal immigrant drunk driver who killed Leanna Newman, in 2007, People that knew him begged to have him incarcerated or deported. But they wouldnt do it. (There is no evidence anyone close to him asked for his deportation or incarceration.)

16. Falsely said, of his crowd in Selma, North Carolina, We had 23,000 people. (The crowd was smaller than 20,000 people. Wrote the Washington Posts Jenna Johnson: Trump said at least 15,000 were at his rally in Selma, NC. In NH this morning, he upped it to 20,000. Just now in Ohio: 21,000.)

17. Falsely said, of Obama, Wherever I go, I see him screaming at people that are protesters. (Obama has not screamed at protesters during the campaign. Trump was falsely describing Obamas reaction to a protester this week in North Carolina, for whom Obama urged respect and calm.)

18. Falsely said, There was no ISIS when she was secretary of state, at the beginning. (Clinton became secretary of state in 2009. ISIS was already using the name Islamic State of Iraq in 2006.)

19. Falsely said, Every single online poll said I won the debates. (This is only true for unscientific online polls anyone could click. Trump lost the scientific online polls conducted with representative samples.)

20. Falsely said, Worldwide, we have almost an $800 billion trade deficit. (The U.S. trade deficit was $746 billion last year only when services trade is excluded; overall, it was $532 billion. And it may be lower this year. It fell 10 per cent in September, to the lowest level in 19 months.)

Reno, Nevada

21. Falsely said, Its been reported that certain key Democratic polling locations in Clark County were kept open for hours and hours beyond closing time to bus and bring Democratic voters in. Folks, its a rigged system. (There was nothing rigged or partisan about this system. Democratic voters were not arriving late by bus. Polling stations must be kept open for people who are in line by the closing time.)

22. Falsely said, You look at the Iran deal, $150 billion. He repeated this at his next rally: I watch these politicians give $150 billion back to Iran. (The nuclear deal with Iran did not involve a $150 billion payment; rather, a smaller amount of Iranian assets were unfrozen. The Treasury Department told Congress in 2015 that total Iranian assets were estimated at $100 billion to $125 billion; it put the usable liquid assets at around $50 billion. Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran would get about $55 billion.)

23. Whats going on with Obamacare is  never had a chance to work. And I said it before they even submitted it for a vote. (Trump did not warn about Obamacare. In fact, on the very day it was passed, he did a TV interview in which he offered some praise of it and pronounced himself really torn.)

24. Falsely said of Obamacare, I always use your state as the example for the premiums going up. You know why? We think you have the highest in the country. I dont want to tell you you have the highest. (Nevadas 2017 increase is below average, about 12 per cent.)

25. Falsely said of Clinton, She created ISIS, really. Came out of the vacuum. (ISIS has roots dating back to 1999. It was Islamic State of Iraq by 2006, before Clinton was secretary of state.)

26. Falsely said of inner cities, The education is practically nonexistentthere are no jobs. (This is a gross exaggeration even for the poor black communities to which he seemed to be trying to refer. And many urban cores are thriving.)

27. Falsely said of the illegal immigrant who killed teenager Rene Angulo in 2009, Everybody who knew this gang member said please, get him out of the country. Please put him in prison. He must be incarcerated. (There is no evidence this happened.)

Denver, Colorado

28. Falsely said, Michigan was never really in play for a Republican, but you know what, its in play for us, because all of their cars are being made now in Mexico. The cars are being made in Mexico. (Politifact reported: U.S. vehicle production in 2015 was the eighth-largest in history, at 11.9 million.)

29. Falsely said, Were treating illegal immigrants far better, in many cases, than we treat our veterans. (Every news outlet that has examined this claim has deemed it completely wrong.)

30. Falsely said, We are doing well with the African-American community and we are doing very well with the Hispanic community  everyones saying whats going on? (Trumps standing with both African-Americans and Hispanics is poor. He is doing worse than Hispanics, polls and early voting suggest, than previous Republican nominees. No prominent analyst is wondering what is going on?)

31. Falsely said, We have record-breaking enthusiasm according to the polls. Record-breaking. (Polls suggest he doesnt even have more enthusiasm than Mitt Romney did in 2012. Trumps voting base has regularly been less enthusiastic about him than Mitt Romneys was four years ago, a Washington Post analyst wrote in mid-October.)

32. Falsely said, Theres no enthusiasm for Hillary. (Polls suggest there is about as much enthusiasm for Clinton as there is for Trump. An ABC/Washington Post tracking poll this week showed strong enthusiasm among 52 per cent of Trump supporters and 51 per cent of Clinton supporters.)

33. Falsely said, of trade deals, Its got to be a two-way street. Right now its just  everything goes to other countries. We get nothing. Any time  take a look at Japan. Japan sends us cars by the hundreds of thousands. We send them practically nothing. We call that trade imbalance we send them wheat. Wheat. (The U.S. exports far more than wheat to Japan. According to the U.S. government, in 2013, the top export categories were: Optic and Medical Instruments ($8.0 billion), Aircraft ($7.1 billion), Machinery ($5.8 billion), Electrical Machinery ($4.9 billion), and Meat (pork and beef) ($3.3 billion).)

34. Falsely said, We lose almost $500 billion a year with China. (Leaving aside the characterization of a trade deficit as losing, the U.S. trade deficit with China was $367 billion last year in goods alone. It is lower when services are excluded. It may be lower this year.)

35. Falsely said, of the U.S. debt with China, They take our money. They take our jobs. And we owe them $1.6 trillion. (It is now about $1.1 trillion. The biggest foreign holder of U.S. government debt had $1.19 trillion in bonds, notes and bills in August, down $33.7 billion from the prior month, the biggest drop since 2013, Bloomberg reported in October.)

36. Falsely said, of the Clinton speech, When they were finished, everybody left. And she stood up and talked and there was nobody there, practically. (While many people did leave, many stayed.)

37. Falsely said, of a story about a shooting perpetrated by an illegal immigrant, By the way there are hundreds of thousands of these stories. (There have not been hundreds of thousands of shootings by illegal immigrants.)

38. Falsely said of the illegal immigrant who killed an off-duty Colorado police officer in 2005, The people who knew him begged for his incarceration. (Not true. The man had only traffic tickets on his record.)

39. Falsely said of the illegal immigrant who perpetrated a 2008 crash that killed three, People that knew him also said, Please please, hes dangerous, please incarcerate him. But our State Department and the people involved didnt want to get involved in that. So people lie dead. (The man was not reported to federal authorities. It would not be States responsibility to deal with him even if he had been.)

40. Falsely said, The Cuban-Americans, they just gave me the big award, the Bay of Pig (sic) Award. And it was a big thing in Miami two days ago, from the Cuban-Americans because of what Ive done. (This happened three weeks ago. It was an endorsement, not an award.)

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There is no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian. What could be more absurd than the concept of an all Canadian boy or girl? A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate.

That was Pierre Trudeau in 1971 defending his determination to increase both the scale and the diversity of immigration to Canada. He made the declaration to the Ukranian Canadian National Congress. It was no doubt a compelling message for a Canadian community whose parents had often suffered sneers as Russian peasants who dont share Canadian values.

There was a clear line connecting his governments legacy of immigration success and the sight at Pearson Airport last Christmas. In the first iconic visual of this government, his son, our new prime minister, gently eased astonished refugee children into their new Canadian winter parkas on arrival in Toronto.

He powerfully underlined the Canadian consensus about an open and tolerant Canada, and it echoed around the world. Last weeks immigration freeze announcement is a disappointing step back from that vision.

It is a curious aspect of human anxieties that most immigrant nations are somewhat ambivalent about immigration. Recent arrivals understand the importance of openness, the second generation sometimes succumbs to the siren appeal of politicians and pundits urging them kick out the ladder.

About 50 years ago most Canadians shook off their doubts and became the strongest backers of the most ambitious immigration policy in the developed world. Today we are the world leader in attracting the best and the brightest.

Sadly, some journalists and politicians, today continue to use careful euphemism of values to oppose immigration. Meanwhile employers, refugee support groups, and even the governments own strategic policy adviser, Dominic Barton, all call for ambitious growth targets.

It was under Laurier, with the genius of his Canada salesman, Clifford Sifton, that we took the first big jump. Facing considerable political resistance  hostility at being flooded with Russian peasants  Laurier and Sifton opened the West to British, East European and Scandinavian farm immigrants.

We welcomed more than three million immigrants in less than a generation, more than 400,000 in 1913 alone! The scale of that achievement is  in a very Canadian fashion  not well celebrated.

Media fascination with cab drivers with doctorates, notwithstanding, no country has had more success at ensuring its newest citizens dont get stranded in the immigrant ghettoes that ring Paris. Yes, it is harder for a Syrian or a Somalian immigrant to climb the socio-economic ladder today than it was for Sicilians earlier.

But our successful integration of literally millions of new immigrants from more than 100 nations in just two generations is unparalleled in human history. Why should we not be more ambitious? Its not as if we have too many people, or too little land, or an overflow of skilled workers .

Baby-boomers are beginning to die off in accelerating numbers, and Canadian families are getting smaller. The same dystopian critics say that higher targets cannot reverse the population decline.

But immigration is not merely about the numbers. It is a key economic policy driver because newcomers arrive with ambition, creativity, and a hunger to succeed, that far outstrips most of the rest of us. Try this test: how many big breakthrough successes in business and academe were launched by recent immigrants? How many by Stephen Harpers old stock Canadians?

Immigrants launch new businesses, often have large families, and are early homebuyers stimulating new communities. Their children climb the ladder of academic achievement with relentless determination. They strengthen our networks of global engagement.

As Canada is globally famous for our ability to help newcomers build new lives, we get to choose the next generation of immigrants from the smartest, most skilled and qualified applicants on the planet. The tech community is pleading for easier access to that talent. Why would we hesitate?

Scale does matter. A generation from now an economy driven by 75 million Canadians would offer greater opportunities for all our citizens. As an international headhunter, I was saddened to meet the hundreds of Canadians, senior executives with American and European companies, who left because they hit a career ceiling here. Neither they nor their children are coming home.

All it would take to deliver those bigger Canada opportunities to our children is to revive the vision of Sifton, Laurier, and Pierre Trudeau. No one disputes the benefits for all Canadians of our creation of the most successful immigrant nation in the world.

Why would we blink now?

Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe and a Broadbent Institute leadership fellow, was an NDP strategist for 20 years.

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The House of Commons unanimous support of a New Democrat motion aimed at addressing the crisis of on-reserve child welfare services is a development both welcome and strange.

Welcome because the need is clear and urgent, and the governments slow response a persistent source of shame. And strange because, in supporting the motion last week, the Liberal government essentially  and rightly  agreed that it has failed to meet its moral and legal obligations to First Nations communities. If it agrees, why let it come to this?

The issue came to light in January when, after a years-long inquiry, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Ottawa discriminates against indigenous children living on reserves. Communities most in need of mental health counselling and substance abuse treatment, early childhood education and other services, were provided the least, the tribunal found. At the time, the Trudeau government welcomed the decision and vowed to take action. In its first budget, it earmarked $635 million to address the problem.

But the investment was not quite as advertised. Despite the urgency of the crisis and the tribunals legally binding order to address it, the money is to be doled out over five years, with the largest amount coming after the next election in 2019. The $71 million provided in immediate relief was nowhere near enough to cover the shortfall and so, in April, the human rights tribunal issued a second compliance order. In October, it determined that Ottawa still had not done what was required and issued a third.

The newly approved motion was tabled by New Democrat MP Charlie Angus, whose riding encompasses the Attawapiskat First Nation, where an epidemic of youth suicide attempts has spurred the poverty-stricken community to declare a state of emergency. Angus called on the government to invest $155 million immediately and to start applying Jordans Principle, which says no child on reserve should be denied services due to jurisdictional disputes, as happens all too often today.

In October, the Liberals seemed to oppose the motion. The governments newly appointed special representative on child welfare, Cynthia-Wesley Esquimax, said the $155-million sum was arbitrary and the government would not take money and throw it up in the air like confetti and hope it lands where it needs. She proposed instead a process of consultation with the provinces.

Theres nothing wrong with a government taking time and consulting its partners to ensure it gets the most out of its investment. But as the Human Rights Tribunal has repeatedly reminded the Trudeau government, there is an urgent child-welfare crisis happening right now on reserves; indigenous children have already waited too long. It has been a year since the Liberals took office, and 10 months since the tribunal issued its order, yet almost nothing has been done. Last year the department of Indigenous Affairs spent $900 million less than was allocated to it.

The motion didnt call on the government to throw money like confetti, but simply to fulfill its minimal obligation under the law. As for the proposed investment? It was based on the governments own estimates of the pressing need. Predictably, the confetti metaphor didnt play well and, on Monday, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett tweeted that her party would support the motion.

Its good the Liberals came on board, but we shouldnt congratulate them too vigorously. Of course the Trudeau government was right to support the motion. Just as it was right to promise a new, more respectful relationship with indigenous peoples and to endorse the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But if Trudeau means the things he says, why did it take an opposition motion to force his hand?

If the government is going to make good on its historic commitment to reconciliation, it will not be enough simply to rely on its current recipe: promise respect, provide hope, turn the page, repeat. In the absence of action, symbols soon sour and, as weve seen in Attawapiskat, hope starts to fade.

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Re: Mayor calls for firings in wake of scathing medication fraud report, Oct. 27

Mayor calls for firings in wake of scathing medication fraud report, Oct. 27

One cannot but be impressed with Mayor John Tory as he wages his battle on behalf of taxpayers and calls for the firing of city workers who billed their medical plan for drugs like Viagra.

As the mayor put it so well when he said that this cannot be permitted as were trustees of the publics money.

Indeed and should not this attitude prevail when it is not a million dollars but over a billion dollars of the taxpayers hard earned money that is being squandered? The deceit that has gone on  as revealed once again by solid investigative reporting by this newspaper  in regards to the Scarborough subway city council vote is practically criminal when it comes to abuse of the taxpayer.

Sadly the list of those responsible features this very same mayor. Maybe Mayor Tory will head a committee on behalf of taxpayers to fire himself. In the meantime our wonderful library system in once again being threatened by cutbacks  on behalf of the taxpayers to be sure.

Simon Rosenblum, Toronto

Midway through the article about city workers submitting questionable or fraudulent drug claims, Anne-Julie Gratton, of Manulife, spelled the out the problem quite clearly. She explained that drug plan parameters are set by employers and that Manulifes role is to administer those plans.

In a nutshell, when the city bought its drug plan from its insurance carrier, they bought one of the high-end anything goes, free-for-all plans.

Heres an example of how a responsible deal might work. Once a reasonable drug plan has been signed and hands have been shaken the employee/client is provided with an identification card and personal ID number. If, at some point, a written prescription is presented to a pharmacy prior to renewal date then the prescription would be denied and the doctor who wrote it would be notified (drug insurers do keep these kinds of records.)

Another example, I take once-a-day, non-addictive, thyroid medication and cant get a refill until the old one is near finished.

It is wrong for city workers to be taking advantage of this poorly conceived opiates for all and everyone should be having far more sex drug plan. But its far more wrong of those who bought this drug plan.

As for Mayor Tory, his bluster and bravado about firing city workers is silly; his one-stop Scarborough subway affair has him waist deep in political quicksand. The drugs are just his way of deflecting.

Therell be no firings; no employer would ever allow itself to become soiled by the potential back-spray that could come from all this.

Jack Drury, Toronto

The very real possibility has been raised that City of Toronto staff have been making multiple narcotics purchases on the same day from prescriptions from multiple physicians. This problem of double doctoring for narcotic prescriptions was supposed to have been dealt with by the Ontario government since it launched its Narcotic Monitoring System in April 2012.

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care website states: Beginning April 16, 2012, pharmacies will begin to submit dispensing information about all monitored drugs to the NMS. All pharmacies are required to begin submitting this information no later than May 14, 2012.

Pharmacies input their dispensing information for narcotics into the system and have access to the system to see if prescriptions for the same drug have already been issued for a patient. Clearly some pharmacists are not checking to ensure that a narcotic prescription was issued by double doctoring and the case can be made that it is not in their financial interest to do so.

Physicians have been denied access to the Narcotic Monitoring System and cannot even have access to prescriptions entered into the system as issued in their own name. In the case of fraudulent prescriptions issued in the name Dr. Alain Sacksen in 2014, he stated I called the Ontario Narcotic Monitoring System and, as a physician, I was told I needed a warrant to see what I had allegedly prescribed,

The problem of double doctoring has not been solved with the Narcotic Monitoring System because physicians are denied access to it. Given access they could ensure that prescriptions were not issued elsewhere before they issue another one.

Pharmacists have been left as the monitors of narcotics double doctoring and clearly there are some who have not done their jobs to prevent this abuse. When will the Wynne government give doctors access and stop the abuse of narcotics? Otherwise just legalize narcotics and let the addicts do what they want.

Larry Bukta, North York

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Iran is planning to purchases 114 aircraft from Airbus the plane maker based in Europe by as soon as this March. Iran is also looking for other aircraft deals, said two senior officials from the government on Sunday, as the country is finally emerging from international isolation and sanctions.

The Islamic Republic might need up to 500 new aircraft over the upcoming three years, said one lawmaker at the first major Tehran post sanctions gathering of businessmen from around the world.

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The Republics Transport minister told journalists that Tehran would talk in more detail next week with Airbus and was interested in negotiating with Boeing the plane maker in the U.S. about aircraft.

The Iranian government had said for quite some time it would have to revamp its aging fleet that was hit by shortages of parts due to bans in trading imposed by Western powers including the U.S. and the European Union.

Its fleet of aircraft suffered many fatal crashes over recent years said officials and the country could place at least one order over the next couple of months confirming the plans that were announced earlier in January ahead of the deal to lift the sanctions.

Iranian officials urged investors from around the world and airlines to move quickly into the country after the sanctions were lifted.

They said bring proposals. We would love to have many new contract with serve them as soon as possible to make up for losses suffered over the past.

Iran has just emerged from many years of strict economic isolation when last week leaders of the world lifted their crippling sanctions imposed against the republic in exchange for Tehran complying in curbing its controversial nuclear ambitions.

The new deal also has released frozen assets of Iran worth billions of dollars while opening the door for international companies that were previously barred from doing any business to return or to enter Iran for the first time.
Southwest Airlines appears to have won access to the capacity controlled Long Beach Airport, located just outside of Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, the carrier announced both an interest and its application to add service from Long Beach, which would give the airline a fifth airport in the greater Los Angeles area and No. 10 in California.

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The development has come as reports from local media say city officials in Long Beach are expanding the access for commercial passenger aircraft at the airport, opening up 9 new slots pairs to airlines interested.

A slot pair allows the carrier to add a single round-trip flight departing the airport.

A local daily in Long Beach reported that Southwest received four out of the nine that were available with JetBlue getting three and two going to Delta.

JetBlue and Southwest each applied for the complete 9 pairs, while Delta had only requested two from the start, said officials.

The news was confirmed as well from another local newspaper saying it had obtained a city memo from Long Beach that detailed the slotting process.

Long Beach will now notify the airlines which will need to accept or to decline the slots that were awarded them.

City Manager of Long Beach Patrick West said the city was in the process of drafting its letter for allocation award to each of three airlines and anticipates they will be distributed soon.

Southwest was the first airline that issued a statement to the public about the slots in Long Beach, indicating the carrier would need to exercise as much acquired rights to take off from the airport.

Gary Kelly the CEO at Southwest said in a prepared statement that Long Beach would be giving the airline another service point to help us fulfill the promise to connect customers in California not only to what is important but to where is important for planning vacation, business or personal travel.

The airline did not announce to where it might fly from Long Beach, which is 25 miles to the southeast of Los Angeles International Airport or LAX.
ELMWOOD -- Things are moving in Elmwood.

Crews are at work, moving dirt in preparation for a new housing development on the southwest edge of town.

Dubbed Trail Ridge due to its proximity to the MoPac Trail, the development will include 12 homes on lots ranging in size from one-third of an acre to one-half of an acre in its first phase. In the second phase, another seven homes will be added. Houses in the development will be in the $250,000 and higher price range.

Already, four people have expressed interest in purchasing homes, said Ryan Anderson of Rutalkin Construction, who is developing the project with Lou Allgayer.

B.J. Burrows of Nebraska Realty is handling the sale of the properties.

The school system has been a big draw to the community and the location of Elmwood is great between the two biggest cities in Nebraska," Burrows said, noting it's 20 miles to Lincoln and 20 miles to Gretna and the edge of the Omaha metro area.

Anderson said he hopes to finish paving the roads for the development in the spring. We can start on water and sewer lines during the winter, he said.

Trail Ridge is just one of several projects in Elmwood, according to Village Board Trustee Mike Krass. One focus is cleaning up Main Street.

Krass said he hopes the housing development will encourage people to move to Elmwood and to start new businesses.

We dont have a grocery store and we dont have many businesses, Krass said.

Still, Elmwood is growing.

A new restaurant, Quonset Bar and Grill, opened recently, and the Museum of Shadows opened on Main Street in October.

There are no homes for sale right now in Elmwood," Burrows said. "That speaks volumes."

Added Kress: Weve had people moving to other nearby towns because there arent any homes to buy here. Other towns had lots available and we lost them.

Officials said the development could add $5 million of valuation, which should help the tax burden.

Krass said the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District is helping with drainage issues facing the town. Krass also recognized all the village board members for supporting the housing project.

Tax increment financing is part of the housing project.
Duke Energys Renewables business produces renewable energy for sale primarily to other utilities and commercial customers. The business began as a start-up in 2009 and has grown into one of the countrys biggest players in renewable energy. Duke Energy controls wind turbines and solar panels from coast to coast.

Duke Energy is currently the largest power company in the United States, supplying electricity to more than 7 million customers across the Southeast and Midwest. The entire company currently books more than $25 billion in overall annual revenues.

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Duke Energy Renewables has now grown to 350 employees and has invested roughly $4 billion in solar and wind facilities. According to Greg Wolf, president of Duke Energy Renewables, investments in both wind and solar will continue. The company currently has four major solar projects underway and several more in the planning stages.

Dukes renewable energy business is growing about 20 percent annually. Its nearly 50 renewable energy sites now generate about 2 gigawatts of electricity annually. The renewable energy business is expected to contribute more than $100 million to Dukes overall profits next year.

North Carolina is fourth in the nation in solar power and Duke Energy is a big part of the reason why. According to North Carolina state law, Duke Energy must produce at least 12.5 percent of its energy through renewable sources by 2021. Duke Energy is building more solar capacity in the Carolinas to power local homes and businesses

Critics say Duke is making a minimal investment in renewable energy. The company is still facing criticism that it remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Regulators have forced utilities to provide a mix of alternative energy, including wind and solar, in response to environmental concerns. Reports from Duke show that solar makes up about 2 percent of the energy it currently produces in North Carolina.
BP has ordered more than 230 staff to leave the Valhall field in Norwegian waters and has shut down production in the area as a precaution. At the nearby Ekofisk field, ConocoPhillips halted output and evacuated workers by helicopter. During a severe storm, a huge barge broke its moorings and threatened to crash into the platforms in the area.

The decision to halt output from the fields reduced the likelihood of any explosion or spill if the barge hit any of the platforms. The barge that broke free is owned by Norways Eide Marine. Later in the day, it was reported that the barge had safely drifted past Valhall. The vessel missed the BP platform by two kilometers. according to a spokeswoman for the Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway. There are reportedly no other installations between the barge and the coast of Norway.

The company said that some of the workers were taken to nearby platforms so that they can get production back up quickly when the situation improves. It is expected to take around 24 hours to get oil production back up and running. The North Sea drilling platforms produce around 50,000 barrels of oil a day. It is too early to say whether the halted output from Valhall and Ekofisk would have an impact on oil prices.

The storm also caused one death and multiple injuries on the Troll field off the coast of Norway, which is managed by Statoil. The man died after a 60ft wave hit the accommodation block on a platform in the Troll field. Three people were airlifted ashore by Norwegian rescuers, but one, said to be a Norwegian man in his fifties, died from his injuries.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin recently approved a tax break bill on February 29.

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On Monday, the Democratic governor signed the bill that drops 56 cents/ton of severance surtaxes for coal and 4.7 cents/thousand cubic feet of natural gas.

The Republican-led legislature of West Virginia passed said bill.

Tomblin initially proposed that the bill be applied by July 1 or earlier at his discretion. The money is said to help cover the states budget gap of $384 million for this year. In 2015, they were able to generate $64 million to help pay off the workers compensation debt.

In January, chief executive of one of US largest coal producers Robert Murray raised concerns about catching the attention of politicians regarding their platitudes and lip service. He requests state leaders to drop the severance tax on coal from 5% to 2%, as the industry has shed thousands of jobs recently while many producers have gone bankrupt.

These government officials can no longer say that they support coal people in this state, said Murray at the West Virginia Coal Mining Symposium earlier this year.

The chief executive suggests raising taxes on tobacco, alcohol and even natural gas production to make up for the tax break on coal. Murray added, Natural gas is replacing coal generation. Should not their tax rate be examined?

Despite the unstable price of oil and gas worldwide, extraction of natural gas continues to happen, especially in the Middle East.

In fact, different organizations and companies have teamed up to expand their oil and gas solutions in Iraq, which includes workforce aid. Some companies are able to actively engage more than 1,100 people at their extraction sites, where 75% of their workers are locals.

Their continued engineering and construction projects are a sign that the extraction of natural gas shows no signs of slowing down, despite news that there is an oversupply of oil and gas worldwide.

It has been reported that since February 12, the stockpiles of natural gas are already above the five-year average (26%) for the year 2016. The demand is also projected to slip further by spring, as temperatures continue to turn much colder, lowering the demand for oil and gas.

The demand landscape is troubling, said Aaron Calder, analyst at energy-advisory firm Gelber & Associates, noted.

The average price of crude has dropped by 5% in the United States over the past two weeks, down to $1.77/gallon. The price is 56 cents/gallon cheaper than last year, according to Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg. Currently, the average gasoline price is at $2.07/gallon.

Tomblins bill is expected to lower coal revenue by $51.5 million, and $58.1 million revenue for natural gas set for 2017s budget.

During the day the bill was approved, a Senate panel already gave their approval to drop the severance tax on coal from 5% to 4% by July 2018, and 3% by July 2019.
DONG Energy shares jumped by up to 10% Thursday after the utility and wind farm developer based in Denmark scored the largest initial public offering thus far in 2016.

The company has built over 25% of the offshore wind farms in the world. It sold shares for 235 Danish crowns each, which was the top half price of between 200 and 235 crowns guidance and the valuing of its business at over 98 billion crowns equal to $15 billion.

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In early trading on Thursday, the stock was up to as high as 258.7 crowns and had touched at one time as much as 260 crowns.

The IPO raised 17 million crowns for the government of Denmark and a consortium of different investors in which Goldman Sachs is the lead.

The valuation means that Goldman Sachs has doubled its original investment of 8 billion crowns made only two and a half years ago, which fuelled criticism across Denmark that the prior government sold a stake of 18% to Goldmans consortium at a very cheap price.

The listing by DONG gives investors an opportunity to buy into its rapidly growing wind sector located offshore. The company has huge projects in German and Britain, including the 1.2 gigawatt plant Hornsea 1 that will become the largest wind farm offshore in the world and it just recently opened new offices in Taiwan and the United States.

However, wind power offshore is one of the industrys most expensive renewable energy sources and some industry analysts are worried about the reliance of the sector on subsidies from governments.

DONG in 2015 generated 62% of its revenue from offshore operating wind farms from subsidies and other support such as Green Certificate from Britain.

A price of approximately 260 crowns is what one analyst said was a fair value for a share of the stock for DONG.

No new shares were issued by DONG, while the Goldman consortium and the government sold together approximately a 17.5% stake in the business.

The Danish government will keep more than 50% of the company, while the consortium led by Goldmans will have a 13.4% staked following this flotation.

Gross proceeds could increase to over 19.7 billion crowns if those selling, exercise an overallotment option to further offload stock.

DONG has posed net losses in each of the past four years, due mainly to impairment charges on its business in the oil industry.
Royal Dutch Shell has posted a disappointing quarterly drop in profit of more than 72%, which it blamed on costs that were related to its BG Group takeover for $54 billion and weak prices of oil.

Shell missed estimates of analysts for the current cost for the second quarter of supplies, its own definition for net income, by over $1.1 billion due mainly because they expected better performance from their upstream division, which posted a loss of $1.3 billion in comparison to a loss one year ago of $469 million.

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CEO Ben van Beurden said that lower prices of oil continue to create significant challenge to the business, particularly in its upstream sector.

Shell spent more than it expected on its corporate expenses with over $150 million for restructuring and termination charges following the deal for BG.

The oil giant is in the process of laying off over 12,500 workers that began last year and is running through this year.

Shares of Shell experienced their worst trading day in the past two months and by 10:00 were already down 2.7%.

Rivals of Shell such as Statoil also posted results for the second quarter that were worse than had been expected earlier this week due to expectations of analysts on cost reductions being too optimistic.

Despite a poor performance, Shell left is targets for disposal and capital investment the same as it did with its dividend.

Cash flow from its operating activities for the 2016 second quarter ended at $2.3 billion in comparison to $6.1 billion for the same three-month period in 2015. That means it was not sufficient enough to cover the dividend for the quarter of $3.7 billion.

The oil behemoths ratio of debt to equity rose to over 28.1% versus a rate of 12.7% for the same period one year ago, meaning its debt pile was growing rapidly.

CFO Simon Henry announced that at the current prices of oil of between $43 and $43.50 per barrel, the company could not make sufficient money unless it was able to raise cash from the disposal of assets.

Shell is amidst a program of asset divestment worth $30 billion and is expecting to sell in 2015 between $6 and $8 billion. It completed or is close to completing $3 billion already and is having discussions to sell 17 additional assets at the current time.

The company said it was on track to reach its reduced capital investment program for the year of more than $29 billion.
1876: A survivor of an Indian attack in the Black Hills arrived in Lincoln to report four of his companions had been killed.

Tallying election results was difficult. The "back counties" were slow reporting.

1886: The Lincoln electric light company wanted to place arc lights on the streets at the rate of $10 a month per light.

A mass meeting was held in the opera house to organize a Young Woman's Association in Lincoln. Subscriptions totaled $1,125.

1896: Mining tycoon Charles D. Lane was said to be furnishing some of the funds to keep William Jennings Bryan's presidential campaign going. Bryan was a free silver coinage advocate.

1906: Junior and senior male University of Nebraska students protested a new administration ruling requiring all university housing to segregate the sexes.

Governor-elect George L. Sheldon received a tumultuous welcome in his home town of Nehawka after his political victory.

1916: Prohibition was passed by Nebraska voters by a 50,000-vote margin.

Silas Barton, Fifth District congressional candidate, died while making an election day speech.

1926: The Capitol Commission decided to allow the Legislature to convene in temporary quarters in the unfinished Capitol.

Queen Marie of Romania stopped in Lincoln for a few hours during an American tour.

1936: Nebraska joined all the states but Maine and Vermont in giving Democrat Franklin Roosevelt a plurality as he was re-elected president. Kansas Gov. Alf Landon was the Republican candidate.

1946: Nebraska voters approved a so-called right-to-work law. Lincoln voters defeated liquor-by-the-drink by a 2-to-1 margin.

A surprise snowstorm hit western and northern Nebraska. Wayne had 15 inches.

1956: The University of Nebraska requested a budget of $23 million, an increase of $5.5 million over the previous biennium.

Pilots of a Navy balloon that had ascended to 70,000 feet rode the craft to an emergency landing in Cherry County. The balloon had gone out of control.

1966: Republicans swept major offices in Nebraska, re-electing U.S. Sen. Carl Curtis, making Wausa banker Norbert Tiemann governor-elect and replacing the only Democratic congressman, Clair Callan of Odell, with Robert Denny, then of Fairbury.

In referendums, voters put the state out of the property tax field and knocked out an income tax law passed by the 1965 Legislature.

Lincoln citizens voted for liquor-by-the-drink.

1976: The Lincoln Journal was awarded the Associated Press Managing Editors Association's 1976 Freedom of Information Award. Sharing the award with the Journal was the Omaha World-Herald. The papers received the recognition for their fight of a gag order imposed by a district judge in the Erwin Charles Simants mass murder case.

1986: Kay Orr emerged victorious in the governor's race, defeating opponent Helen Boosalis.

Bryan Memorial Hospital began using its new rooftop heliport, meaning that all three Lincoln hospitals have such landing pads.

AAA Cornhusker Motor Club reported that gasoline prices fell to a five-year low in the state, with Lincoln prices averaging 80.8 cents for unleaded and 77.3 cents for gasohol.

1996: Bishop's Buffet closed its doors after 40 years of business in Lincoln. The restaurant opened at 1325 P St. in 1956 and moved to the west end of Gateway Mall in 1972.

2006: Cabelas new store in La Vista opened to the first of 100,000 people expected during the weekend opening. It is the 45th anniversary of Cabelas, which began and is still headquartered in Sidney. It expects 1.5 million people to visit the La Vista store annually. Cabela's credit card operation, World's Foremost Bank, is in Lincoln.
On Friday, Exxon Mobil Corp issued a warning that it could be forced to end close to 20% of its future gas and oil prospects as it yields to the steep decline in energy prices around the world.

Under an investigation by New York state and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission over accounting practices as well as the impact of future regulations for climate change on its business, Exxon disclosed that close to 4.6 billion barrels of crude in its own reserves, for the most part in Canada, might be too expensive to drill.

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Exxon faces both near- and long-terms issues as it looks to exploit the complete value of its vast gas and oil portfolio that runs from Texas into the Caspian Seas, along with delivering the high dividends that shareholders have become accustomed to since it was Standard Oil.

Today the business suffers amidst a plunge of two-years in the prices of oil with a barrel currently trading at $50. CEO Rex Tillerson said he believes the $50 rate for a barrel of crude could linger due to shale producers in the U.S. ramping up production as soon as the price makes a move upward, prolonging the current crude glut and putting a strong ceiling on any upswing in price.

Earlier in 2016, Exxon lost the rating of triple-A bond that it held from S&Ps Rating Services for 86 yards, a creditworthiness standing that was shared by only two other companies Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft Corp. In 2015, Exxon did not find sufficient new gas and oil to replace the amount it produced for only the first time in 17 years.

Exxon is by itself amongst major oil businesses in that it has not written down its future wells value as prices dropped. It announced that it follows practices that are conservative when booking reserves.

It is now planning to examine assets to test, under rules that follow accounting standards, whether they are worth any less than what it is carrying them for on the books.

Exxon said the reserves reductions of 20%, which are separately governed by rules in the SEC, might be necessary due to the average price in 2016 by the end of this year, though higher November as well as December prices could mitigate the amount of that decline.

On Friday, during an investor call, Exxon would not discuss any potential write off in reserves or write downs in accounting in detail expect of the statement released.
Coca-Cola Co. on Monday announced that it would be exercising a clause of change of control, which gives it the right to acquire the former interest of SABMiller in Coca-Colas largest bottling company in Africa.

This move takes place after Anheuser-Busch InBev on Monday closed on its SABMiller acquisition creating a behemoth in the beer industry with a huge footprint in Africa.

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As of the latter part of August, SABMiller held a stake of 54% in the bottling company Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, which handles 40% of the distribution of Coke volumes across the continent.

Coke, based in Atlanta, wants AB InBev at an arms length amidst speculation the beer giant based in Belgium will eventually try to take control of Coke. AB InBev is also a major bottler of drinks that are nonalcoholic in Latin America for Coke rival PepsiCo.

Coke also announced that it was negotiating with possible buyer who might acquire some or the entire amount of the former SABMiller stake in the bottling business in Africa.

Coca-Cola and Gutsche Family Investments based in South Africa, another longtime partner in bottling with Coca-Cola, owned minority interests in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.

Coke has been going through the divesting of assets worldwide in distribution and manufacturing part of its strategy of asset light that focuses on the concentrate business that is more profitable during a period when the consumption of soda is slowing down.

Analysts in the industry have said that possible partners with Coca Cola in Africa could be Coca-Cola European Partners, Coco-Cola Hellenic Bottling or Coca Cola Femsa in Mexico.

Around the globe, Coca-Cola has hundreds of different partnerships with bottlers.

Despite the decision by Coke to exercise its clause of change of control, for the bottling business in Africa, AB InBev will maintain some interest in the bottling operations of Coke.

The brewers deal to take control of SABMiller includes a 20% interest in Castel Group based in France, which bottles Coke products in over a dozen countries in Africa, including Tunisia and Algeria.

The company retains as well the soft drink bottling business of SABMiller with Coca-Cola in both Honduras and El Salvador, which represent less than 1% of the volume of Coke.

Coke usually insists on the change of control clause with bottling partners that gives Coke an option to buy out the share of a partner if that partner becomes acquired by another party.
For a number of decades, Cuban cigars have been renowned for their intense flavor and difficulty in being obtained.

The decades long embargo by the U.S. against Cuba has prevented Americans from returning with Cuban cigars, even if purchased while in other countries.

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Two years ago, limits were eased, but those returning could only bring back $100 worth of cigars.

After the embargo became law in 1962, agents with U.S. customs began seizing cigars they were able to find in bags of travelers, calling it contraband. Some agents went as far as tearing the cigars apart while the cigar owners stood by watching.

However, Cuban cigars are not a forbidden luxury any longer, as the White House issues a new directive on Friday that allows Americans to enter into more commerce with the Caribbean island nation that has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro took control in the late 1950s.

The directive includes the potential sales of inexpensive, innovative medications by Cuban pharmaceutical companies that are state operated, in the U.S.

However, it was news that Americans returning back to the states could bring an unlimited amount of tobacco and alcohol from Cuba, including the world famous cigars that captured the interest of most.

While talking about the changes on Friday, during a speech, Susan Rice a National Security Adviser, said that Americans can now celebrate with tobacco and rum from Cuba.

The imported alcohol and tobacco must return in a travelers carry-on baggage and be for only personal use. U.S. law still prohibits the sale of any Cuban cigars in the country.

Aficionados of cigars said the new directive from the White House would have a huge impact. One cigar aficionado said it allows travelers who love the cigars to travel anywhere in the world and bring Cuban cigars back to enjoy.

Already, due to the tourism boom in Cuba, some brands that are the most sought after have started to disappear from shelves of stores. Some cigar aficionados worry that the Cuban government will produce an inferior product through cutting corners trying to save money.

Others are not too concerned. May cigar lovers know how well the cigars are made and the passion that cigar makers have in their products. They do not worry the quality of the product will be lowered due to the demand that should start to skyrocket.
The recent appointment by GlaxoSmithKline of Emma Walmsley as CEO put her on a short list to become the highest profile female in corporate Britain.

Walmsley, who is 47, will take the post of CEO in 2017 when Andrew Witty the current CEO will step down March 31. With her move up the corporate ladder the FTSE 100, which is a list of the biggest blue chip companies in Britain by market capitalization, will have seven female CEOs.

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The current female CEOs run EasyJet, Imperial Brands, Whitbread, Royal Mail, Kingfisher and Severn Trent.

However, GSK is far bigger than all of the other six, with a 80.2 billion or $104.6 billion market capitalization. That is in comparison with Imperial Brands market cap of 38 billion, which is second largest on the list.

In the United States, the Standard & Poors 100 index has 9 CEOs who are female at corporations that include General Motors, Lockheed Martin and Oracle, according to data taken from online nonprofit Catalyst.

Upper echelons of the big companies in Britain have become more diverse of late with many women sitting on boards of the 350 largest British publicly traded companies.

That number has more than double the past five years and in the FTSE 100 there no longer are any boards that are all male.

Philip Hampton, the Glaxo chairman along with Helen Alexander the UBM chair, earlier in 2016 was appointed by the government of the UK to chair a review on the amount of senior executives who are women at companies in the FTSE 350.

Despite this, the number of executive directors who are females at companies in the FTSE 100 remains at only 10%, while with Walmsleys appointment the number of CEOs who are female on the same index has increased by only two over the past six years.

According to data online from CBI from the start of 2016 there are just 9 more executive directors who are female on the FTSE 350 boards than there were back in 2010.

While the chief executives who are female has remained flat, data from another research firm last year showed that if men and women were to participate equally in todays workforce, the gross domestic product could increase $12 trillion equal to 11% before 2025.
The experimental drug from Johnson & Johnson for psoriasis met its major goals as well as beat a rival in a final stage study related to psoriasis. That has positioned J&J to grow its line-up of immune-disease medications.

The drug, known as guselkumab, was able to clear or almost clear skin of just over 81% of the patients treated after a period of 48 weeks, said the company on Saturday during its research findings summary.

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That was in comparison to a rate of 55% amongst those who used Humira, from AbbVie, said officials from J&J.

Stelara, J&Js medication that was its second best seller in 2015, is approved already to use on psoriasis, which produces itchy and scaly skin.

Remicade, its best selling therapy competes directly with Humira for treating more than one condition that includes psoriasis. As less expensive versions of Remicade known as biosimilars become closer to entering the industry, J&J is searching for new medications to treat the different immune disorders.

Remicade and Humira function by reducing the activity of tumor necrosis factor, a protein that pushes inflammation, which is an immune process in psoriasis as well as other diseases that overreacts.

Both of the drugs treat a number of autoimmune disorders that include but are not limited to Crohns disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

J&Js Guselkumab targets interleukin-23 protein, which is involved more specifically with the immune responses of the skin.

In the just ended study, which involved 837 patients, over 4.9% of those that used guselkumab had serious side effects, while only 4.5% of them using Humira suffered the same after treatment for 48 weeks.

The mail goals of the study were met, as 85% of those patients receiving guselkumab cleared or nearly cleared their skin after just 16 weeks, in comparison to only 6.9% of those taking a placebo and 74% had all their skin nearly cleared in comparison to just 2.9% receiving a placebo.

A single patient from each of the groups had a heart attack, while two patients using guselkumab had developed cancer, with one contracting breast cancer while the other prostate cancer.

Those figures were in comparison to 9 patients who took Humira. However, one researcher said that cancers can be common and did not think they had been drug related.

On Saturday, the data was presented at a healthcare congress being held in Vienna.
South Korea based Samsung Electronics has seen a revival in its mobile sector of late, but all of that was thrown into great doubt as the tech titan stopped all shipments in South Korea of its new smartphone the Galaxy Note 7.

Investors dragged down the market capitalization of the company by $4 billion on Thursday after the company confirmed late on Wednesday the delay in shipping of its waterproof, larger-screen Galaxy Note 7, which was not been in the market for even two weeks.

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A spokesperson for Samsung said he could not say if the delay also applied to outside South Korea. He would not elaborate why the smartphone was delayed other than saying they were doing additional testing.

Yonhap the national news agency earlier reported about five claims worldwide of the new smartphone Galaxy Note 7 catching fire or exploding while it was charging.

Certain social media sites showed videos and photos of the scorched smartphones, although none were verified. No comment was made by Samsung about those videos or photos.

Carriers in South Korea including SK Telecom and KT Corp confirmed that shipments they were expecting were delayed.

On Thursday, a government watchdog for consumer safety in Korean requested additional information from the electronics giants on the incidents. An official from the agency said that Samsung had not yet responded to their request.

The biggest maker of smartphones in the world by number of shipments has relied on its line of new Galaxy products to driver its recovery in its mobile handset business, which had been struggling for over two years amidst stronger competition from its biggest rival Apple and a number of rivals in China.

The Galaxy Note 7 with a large screen, which has received numerous positive reviews appeared on sale for the first time on August 19 in South Korea, prior to the planned unveiling in early September of the next-generation iPhone from Apple.

The smaller Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone has had strong sales that helped make its June ending quarter the most profitable at Samsung in close to two years.

The profit margin of 16% in the mobile business was its highest in two years as well.

On Thursday, shares of Samsung ended down 2% for the full day and were off 3.2% from last months record high.

Other shares of the Samsung Group also were down. Samsung SDI, a supplier of batteries for smartphones made by Samsung, was down over 6%. The company announced it was investigating the reported incidents with Samsung Electronics.
People online across Asia could be enjoying faster access to some services on Internet starting today as news was released that Google switched on its latest high-speed undersea cable, bringing faster connectivity to its services within the region.

In 2014, a consortium of six companies that included Google, China Telecom Global, China Mobile International, KDDI, Singtel and Global Transit unveiled their plans to create an undersea, transpacific cable system 9,000 kms in length.

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The cable spans from the U.S. state of Oregon on the west coast to Japan. A few months ago the cable, which was designed to allow speeds of 60 terabits a second or Tbps of bandwidth, was opened after nearly two years of set up.

Now, the faster system has extended from Japan into Taiwan, which is home to the largest data center for Google in Asia.

With more of the population, accessing the Internet each day across Asia, hard work was put into developing an infrastructure that was needed to make online access equal for all who live within the region, said a spokesperson for Google.

The good thing about this for Google users is its services such as YouTube and Gmail should work faster in theory, for millions of people on the continent.

The cable is not as quick as one that extends from the U.S. over to Japan, as the new extension has only promised speeds of as much as 26 Tbps.

However, within a region that is prone to tsunamis and earthquakes, Google said it took precautionary measures through laying the cable outside such zones in order to lower the chances of downtime in the network during any natural disasters.

Technology companies relying on customers being connected are getting involved more and more in setting up infrastructure that enables important regions to be connected.

Earlier in 2016, Telefonica, Microsoft and Facebook announced plans for a submarine cable that will cross the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, Facebook is investing its own satellite technology that will beam access to Internet to large areas of Africa.

Google has become active on the same front as well, as it supported the transpacific system known as Unity, that became connected in 2010 and the pan-Asia SJC cable system that became live during 2013.

At home, Google is working on a superfast broadband Fiber service it has rolled out on a gradual basis in the U.S.
Europe has started a new battle in its fight against big tech from the U.S., as it announced draft rules that could make YouTube as well as others pay more to the worlds music industry.

European Union law is administrated by the European Commission, which has proposed new copyright laws for all of Europe saying it wanted to strengthen the rights of the different artists and to make sure they were compensated fairly with profits made from their work.

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If these new rules are approved, they will force the different music streaming services like Dailymotion and YouTube to increase their measures for copyright protection through filtering out content that is copyrighted or pay for using it.

That is a big step up from current measures that just require the services to act upon being notified about infringement of a copyright.

The EC said it wanted to address concerns that artists have, who see the value of what they do plummet once it appears free online.

The overall music industry is in full agreement with the EC. It has lobbied Brussels to increase its pressure on online video and music providers.

IFPI is an international group that represents more than 1,300 record companies. Its CEO Frances Moore said the EC proposal confirms that uploaded content services like YouTube, which are the biggest source of music on demand, should not have the right to operate outside normal rules for licensing.

However, critics say this proposal would hurt the freedom of the Internet across Europe. As association that lobbies for freedoms online, European Digital Rights said the reform proposed panders to a lobbying interest that is small in number.

The group added that the rules would mean the filtering of all uploads in Europe to the Internet.

Google, which is the owner of YouTube, said the new proposal was worrying.

A vice president at Google, Caroline Atkinson wrote online that the proposal suggested that works that included video, text, images as well as more must first be filtered by services online.

That, she said would effectively turn Internet into a place that has everything uploaded must first be given clearance by lawyers prior to it finding an audience.

The EC wants to also give news groups the right to ask for payments from search engines and aggregators who use parts of their articles as well as other content.
Reed Larson was the former president of the National Right to Work Committee and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. (Courtesy of National Right To Work Foundation)

Reed Larson, the chief of a lobbying organization to outlaw compulsory union membership and mandatory payment of union dues in labor contracts, died Sept. 17 at his home in Seattle. He was 93.

The cause was a pulmonary embolism, said a daughter, Patricia Sween.

Mr. Larson, a leading voice in a broad-based campaign to limit the power of labor union leaders, was a former president of the National Right to Work Committee and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.

A former engineer in Wichita, he came to Washington in 1959 as the newly appointed leader of the National Right to Work Committee, a four-year-old organization with 20,000 members. When he stepped down as president in 2003, it had 2.2 million members and has since risen to 2.8 million.

Over the years, the Larson-led Right to Work Committee helped block union-backed efforts to repeal right-to-work laws in several states and assisted in the enactment of right-to-work laws in four states. The right to work term was coined by a Dallas journalist in 1941 to describe what its supporters believe to be an employees right to hold a job without being compelled to join a union or pay union dues or a dues equivalent. There are currently right to work laws in 26 states.

Once described by the London Daily Telegraph as the man that American trade union bosses most love to hate, Reed Eugene Larson was born in Smith County, Kan., on Sept. 27, 1922. His father was a farmer and his mother a former school teacher. In 1947 he graduated from Kansas State University.

He took a temporary leave from his engineering job in Wichita in 1954 to work for the passage of a right-to-work law in Kansas. After an initial veto by the governor, the measure was enacted in 1958, and the following year Mr. Larson came to Washington.

In 1965 and 1966, he helped defeat a campaign on Capitol Hill led by organized labor to repeal a section of the Taft-

Hartley Law that allowed states to enact right-to-work laws. Thirty years later his committee helped defeat legislation forbidding employers from offering permanent jobs to workers hired during strikes.

In 1970 Mr. Larsons committee was successful in eliminating from postal reform pay raise legislation a measure that would have required union membership or dues payments from many rank-and-file postal workers.

He organized a massive letter-writing campaign in 1976 that led to a veto by President Gerald Ford of a common sites picketing bill that would have allowed construction unions to picket an entire building site  potentially impeding or stopping work  when they had a dispute with just one of the subcontractors working there.

The campaign produced more than 700,000 cards and letters to the White House. Not since the war in Vietnam had an issue drawn such a volume of mail, The Washington Post reported at the time.

On the judicial front, the Defense Foundation, which Mr. Larson began in 1968, helped win a 1988 U.S. Supreme Court decision that barred unions from spending mandatory fees they had collected from non-union members on political campaigns or causes. Such money could be spent only on collective bargaining, the court said.

Mr. Larson retired in 2003 but continued in retirement to participate in right-to-work lobbying. A former resident of Falls Church, Va., he spent his retirement years in Williamsburg, Va., before moving to Seattle three years ago.

His wife, Marjorie Jeanne Hess Larson, whom he married in 1947, died in 2010. Survivors include three daughters, Patricia Sween of Edmonds, Wash., Barbara Finnegan of Broadway, Va., and Marcia Craig of Atlanta; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
COLUMBUS  Donna Winig jokes that she could write a book about her experiences in Columbus.

Shes chased a wild turkey, captured a sheep on the run from the sale barn, tracked down a rogue goat and wrangled cattle over the years.

And those encounters dont even top the list when the citys lead animal control officer is asked to share some crazy stories.

That honor belongs to the alligator she confiscated from a young boy who purchased the reptile from Florida using his mothers credit card.

Weve had our share of snakes and lizards, Winig added while discussing the quirkiness of her job.

There are two things Winig has learned since starting as a Columbus animal control officer in August 1999  every day is unpredictable and animals are pretty darn elusive.

Winig took the city job after moving to Columbus with her husband Paul, an Air Force veteran who worked for Minnesota Corn Processors (now Archer Daniels Midland) after retiring from the military. She wanted to be a prosecutor when she was younger and had an attraction to careers in the law enforcement field.

And I love animals, she said.

The job was a new adventure for Winig, who worked under Jeannie Warnke for years before taking over as lead animal control officer shortly after Warnke resigned in late 2009.

Just like other jobs, Winig said the position came with both good and bad days.

Shes been bitten by cats and dogs  mostly cats  and threatened by angry pet owners wielding a log chain, hedge clippers and other items. Her East Coast upbringing helped her deal with the people and the love of animals got her through the rest.

Shes dealt with mountains of paperwork and permits, and worked hard to change animal controls image in the community. They arent the bad guys with oversize nets looking to scoop up everyones beloved pooch, she said.

Winig said her goal is to educate community members about city ordinances and proper pet care, not to take away their animals. People have learned to respect that.

Shes done a good job for us, Columbus Police Chief William Gumm said. Shes done everything weve asked her to do.

Winig, who turns 55 on Tuesday, is stepping down from her position Wednesday. Later this month shell move to Florida with her husband and 16-year-old son to be closer to her parents.

Shell work security at Walt Disney World, ensuring Goofy stays on his best behavior.
After 10 minutes of guessing among ambiguous voice-mail menu choices, a caller is connected with someone who cannot solve his problem  and who insists on putting him back into voice mail. Neither of them knows that the computer is systematically (and unfeelingly) routing people with billing questions to Childrens Clothing.

A customer who gets to the front of the checkout line and finds the clerk on the phone is angry that he is not being served. She is unaware that the clerk is required to do double duty answering the company telephone.

An airline passenger who asks a question of the person behind the desk at the gate is annoyed to be told that he will have to wait for a different employee who might know the answer. He has not realized that the person at the computer is a pilot, not a gate agent.

The employees are just as frustrated as the customers:

If this guy wanted a giraffe onesie for his daughter, I could help him. But why is he yelling at me about a billing problem?

Im wearing a company headset and answered the phone by saying, Enormous Corporate Chain, how may I help you? Isnt it obvious that I am waiting on another customer, not chatting with my boyfriend?

Im a pilot with 20 years of experience, and Im wearing my hat. Im using this computer to get a flight plan so I can fly this passenger quickly and safely to his next destination. Why does he expect me to know how many points he needs to qualify for Agate Geode Status?

Who was at fault? Everyone.

Someone not present at the eventual blowup has created a situation in which misunderstanding is certain to occur. The checkout person, the sales clerk and the pilot have been made to look rude by a badly programmed voice-mail system, an unfortunate assignment of duties and the placement of a computer.

So the customer has taken offense and turned aggressive. And the employee has responded in kind.

They have Miss Manners sympathy, if not her approbation. But as everyone has misbehaved, everyone can help Miss Manners clean up the mess.

Corporate America  and any consultants paid to think for it  needs to finish what it starts. After what feels like a lifetime on computer support, Miss Manners understands what happens when a technician fixes a computer problem, but fails to verify the result. People designing airports, programming voice-mail systems and making duty assignments need to think through how these will be used.

The same is true of everyone else involved in decisions that will affect what we now call the customer experience.

The employee needs to remember that he or she represents the company, for good or ill. It is necessary to be prepared for the possibility that the customer has had reason to be frustrated and to be able to defuse the situation with an apology and a solution.

My apologies, you were routed to the wrong department, but I can get you to the correct one. And let me give you the direct extension for that department in case voice mail fails again.

Forgive me, I have a telephone customer, but you are next.

Im sorry, but Im the pilot and am not trained in gate operations. This station will open 30 minutes before your flight, when someone will be able to help you.

The customer must accept the apology gracefully, if not, perhaps, gratefully, and employee and customer should both consider contacting corporate headquarters to give them a chance to correct the original mistake.

Meanwhile, Miss Manners will attempt to decipher the corporate website, which is forcing her to choose among Plan My Visit, Enhance My Experience, Whats Happening, Information and Help. She doubts that any choice will live up to its title.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.
With the nation seething with uncertainty about the outcome of Tuesdays election, a simple chain-link fence gleaming in the sunshine outside the White House could be seen Saturday as a symbol of faith in the durability of national tradition.

The fence, erected last week, was one of the first signs that construction was beginning on the reviewing stand for a ritual that goes back to Americas earliest days: the inaugural parade.

In the brilliant autumn light, much outside the White House and in the square across the street seemed to be as before. At least two protests drew about two or three dozen participants each.

Tourists stared at the Executive Mansion, assessing perhaps its curb appeal and inferring why two people seemed so bent on living there starting Jan. 20.

But the fence showed that as much as things remained the same, times were also changing.

Inside the fenced perimeter, which included parts of Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square, it was clear that work was underway on the quadrennial construction project that provided a kind of wood-and-concrete symbol of the transfer of power.

Work has been going on even longer at the Capitol to construct the platform on which the new president will be sworn in.

But in Lafayette Square in particular, the bright day and the signs of construction, seemed to declare that amid turbulence there is still time to honor the way things have always been done.

Doesnt look like much, someone connected with the work said on Twitter, but were making good progress.
Joshua Lopez poses in front of 'My Culture, Mi Gente' mural by Joel Bergner at Irving and 15th streets in Northwest Washington. Lopez ran and lost for Ward 4 council seat in 2011. Highlands Cafe is a prominent Latino-owned restaurant in Ward 4. D.C.'s significant Latino population has yet to find its political voice. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

Latino voters are making themselves heard in city halls and statehouses from Idaho to Florida, reshaping the nations political landscape and delivering a surge of support for Hillary Clinton in the homestretch of the presidential campaign.

In the nations capital, by contrast, their voice is barely audible.

As residents head to the polls this week, they will once again be electing a D.C. Council without a single Latino representative  despite a growing Hispanic population that now stands at about 10 percent.

The city has elected a handful of Latino advisory neighborhood commissioners and school board members, as well as Franklin Garcia, who serves as the Districts unofficial shadow representative in Congress. But a Latino mayor or council member has never held office.

Were still powerless in terms of political representation, said Pedro Aviles, a longtime political activist and founding member of the Latino Civil Rights Task Force, which was formed after the 1991 riots in the citys heavily Hispanic Mount Pleasant neighborhood.

Weve had deputy mayors, and weve had appointments to powerful positions in the District of Columbia. But weve never gotten anyone elected, Aviles said. There is participation at the political level, but its not enough.

The reasons for that absence are rooted both in demographic realities that have hampered Latinos influence at the ballot box throughout the country and in the idiosyncrasies of D.C. politics.

Mirroring a national trend for a minority group substantially made up of recent immigrants, fewer Latinos are eligible to vote in the District than in the citys population as a whole. Less than half of District Latinos are eligible to cast a ballot, compared with 76 percent of blacks and 85 percent of whites, according to the Pew Research Center.

Rapid development and rising rents have dispersed the Districts Hispanic population from its historic concentration in Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan, leaving Latinos without a political power base in a single council ward.

The Districts small number of elected offices and insular political culture have also made it tougher for Latino politicians to ascend here than in neighboring Virginia or Maryland, said Joshua Lopez, a 32-year-old Petworth resident who ran and lost in 2011 for an at-large council seat.

The winner in that race was veteran District politician Vincent B. Orange, who lost his primary race in June and then resigned under pressure from the council in August because of his effort to take on a dual role as head of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce.

Theres only so many seats you can go for because were not a state, Lopez said.

Given the citys limited and diffuse Latino population, he added, identity politics alone isnt a sufficient foundation for a successful campaign. Whether in a ward or citywide, Lopez said, a Latino candidate would have to build an electoral coalition that includes other ethnic and interest groups.

If youre going to go at it as a Latino only, it would be very, very difficult to win on that platform, he said.

Angela Franco, president of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the problem of Hispanic political representation in the District was a two-way street. She said a talented candidate was needed  as well as the right political and demographic alignment  to elect the citys first Latino council member or mayor.

Honestly, from my point of view, theres nobody whos ready to take on that role, Franco said.

Jackie Reyes, director of Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers Office on Latino Affairs, said Bowser (D) is using the machinery of government to help Latinos even in the absence of Latino elected representatives.

Just last week, Reyes noted, the mayors office announced close to $1.3 million in grants for community organizations that work with Hispanics.

We might not have the representation of public officials, but we have the structure to give services, Reyes said.

The lack of Latino officeholders in the District contrasts with elected bodies elsewhere in the country. Nationwide, the number of elected Latino officials grew by 25 percent between 2004 and 2014, according to NALEO Educational Fund, a nonprofit group that advocates greater participation by Latinos in politics.

Last year, Seattle  a city whose size and Hispanic population are similar to the Districts  elected the first two Latino members in history to its nine-seat council. Just north of the District, Nancy Navarro is serving as the first Latina on the Montgomery County Council.

The Districts predominantly Salvadoran Hispanic population is young compared with those of cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami, with many tracing their roots to a wave of Central American immigrants to the city in the 1970s and 1980s.

Peter Tatian, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who studies the Districts demographic trends, said Latino involvement in local politics could increase as an established second generation comes of age and guides its children through the citys school system.

We have a lot more Latinos who have been in the District a while now, Tatian said. Not only immigrants who are coming in, but people who are living here, having families here. And thats changing the community.

On a recent morning in Mount Pleasant  a neighborhood where pupuserias jostle with upscale coffee shops, and different types of newcomers, young and white, tote skateboards and yoga mats past clusters of men and women speaking Spanish  Jasmina Garcia said a Latino elected representative in the Districts government was overdue.

A 58-year-old housekeeper who speaks limited English and lives in Friendship Heights, Garcia said she thought an elected Latino in city hall would better understand and address problems widely experienced among those she knows, issues such as wage theft and the challenges of the immigration process.

I dont know who the representation is for Latinos in this city, she said.

Walking her dog nearby, Gloria Sanchez, 51, said she thought many of her neighbors were still focused on the immediate concerns of first-generation immigrants.

I think that the Latin families, their thing is just work, work, work. They dont take the time to figure out what they can do [politically], said Sanchez, who moved to the District with her family from El Salvador when she was 5. Theyre always busy and tired.

Asked whether that might change in the years ahead, she paused.

Maybe with this new generation, she said. Maybe.

This story has been updated from an earlier version, which incorrectly stated that no Latino had held citywide office.
At times like this, with our country trembling on the eve of a national election, I try to assess how I am doing as a voter, particularly an education voter. I write about schools all the time. Have I been helping them at the polls?

The answer is no.

I have voted a lot  in 51 elections in three states over more years than I care to reveal. But I cannot remember an instance in which I marked a ballot that made a significant difference for schools. That includes school board elections, which are mostly resume duels that have little to do with finding great teachers or increasing the time for instruction.

[The Washington Post asked Clinton, Trump for their education vision. Heres what they said.]

The last time I wrote about my struggles as an education voter was in late 1999, when a Washington Post-ABC News Poll said education was very important to more voters than any issue in that upcoming national election. It did not influence that race in any significant way, and voters dont mention it so often now. A 2016 CBS News poll showed just 3 percent of respondents rated education as the most important issue.

Every presidential candidate promises to make schools better, but rarely do they say precisely how. That is in part because important decisions about schools are rarely made by presidents.

[This is the best election year ever, at least as a civics lesson]

One exception was the No Child Left Behind Act. President George W. Bush, working with congressional leaders of both parties, made it law in 2002. It was not a hot election issue in 2000 because Bushs opponent, Vice President Al Gore, had similar views.

The greatest change in the American education system during the 21st century has been the rise of public charter schools. Candidates and ballot measures have had little to do with that. State legislatures and state school boards opened doors to charter schools, for good or ill, with little voter involvement. A rare departure this year is a Massachusetts state ballot provision, Question 2, which would loosen limits on the number of charters.

[From Answer Sheet: Obamas real education legacy  Common Core, testing, charter schools]

Important school developments such as the growing use of Advanced Placement courses, the spread of the Common Core State Standards, the new emphasis on science and math and improvements in teacher training rose out of conferences and projects that involved educators, particularly state officials, but not the electorate.

This is in part because, thank goodness, education policy has yet to be very politicized. The only school issue that generated any heat in this presidential election was the Common Core, and even that didnt get much traction. Both parties tend to support nonprofit charter schools, better teacher training, accountability for results and other commonsense measures.

We voters who want to help schools must depend on the politicians we vote for to make a difference. Their record on schools is sadly not great. The best book on this subject, Children as Pawns: The Politics of Education Reform by University of Massachusetts at Boston historian Timothy A. Hacsi, showed with many examples that the people we elect usually ignore the best education research and instead push for ideas that fit their biases or please their political bases.

Hacsi looked at issues such as bilingual education, class size, social promotion and spending. He exposed a sharp divide between campaign platforms and what actually worked in schools. Hacsi said ideology, fear of raising taxes, bureaucratic inertia, class and racial conflict lured policymakers away from reality and into the campaign world of attention-grabbing-but-dumb sound bites.

From that perspective, it is probably better for the country that political campaigns, particularly those in a race as heated as this one, dont try to deal with education. We do more good for schools as parents and as active citizens who attend important school board meetings than we do as voters.

That could change. Elections might someday become a way to improve schools. But not this year.
A man was critically injured Saturday night in Prince Georges County when he was hit by a vehicle, police said.

The man was struck by an SUV at Landover and Dodge Park Roads in the Landover area, and was found lying in the roadway about 10:45 p.m., police said. He was taken to a hospital, they said, and details on his condition were not known early Sunday.

Based on preliminary information, it appeared that the man was crossing the street, said Cpl. Lamar Robinson, a county police spokesman.
THE DISTRICT

Man with gun arrested near White House

A man wearing a mask and carrying a gun in a holster was taken into custody near the White House on Saturday afternoon after a struggle with the Secret Service, authorities said.

The incident occurred just after 1 p.m. at Pennsylvania Avenue and Madison Place NW, near the northeast side of the White House grounds. A uniformed officer with the Secret Service confronted the man, and a brief struggle ensued, according to the Secret Service.

The agency said the man was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, carrying unregistered ammunition, resisting arrest and committing a crime while wearing a mask.

The area along the fence on the north side of the White House was closed briefly, the Secret Service said.

It was not clear why the man was carrying the gun or wearing a mask. A Million Mask March demonstration was scheduled in Washington on Saturday, according to a Facebook post, but it could not be determined whether there was a connection. The post said the marchs goal was to seek positive change.

 Martin Weil

Arrests tied to graffiti at Trump Hotel, FBI

Two men were arrested Saturday after buildings in downtown Washington were spray-painted, including the Trump International Hotel and the FBI building, both on Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Eric Roberts, 27, of Florida was arrested and charged with defacing government property and resisting arrest. Danny Hamilton, 35, of Louisiana was charged with resisting arrest and destruction of D.C. government property in damage to a police cruiser.

D.C. police said both men were arrested for offenses that occurred during the Million Mask March demonstration.

The march, which has become an annual event in a number of cities around the world, is loosely organized by the Anonymous movement to protest a variety of targets including government surveillance, censorship and corrupt political systems.

The graffiti at the FBI building appears to include the groups symbol, the Guy Fawkes mask, which has also been used by Occupy movement members, and the word Corrupt.

Joe Heim

MARYLAND

Metro drill will test emergency response

Metro will conduct an emergency response drill Sunday in the morning and early afternoon at the Southern Avenue station in Temple Hills. The simulated full-scale exercise is intended to test the ability of responders to evacuate a disabled train in the event of a smoke incident. The exercise is a joint effort among Metro, the District and Prince Georges County.

About 150 volunteers and first responders are expected to participate in the drill, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to end by 2 p.m. The Southern Avenue station will remain open throughout the drill. Green Line trains will operate in two segments from opening until about 2 p.m. between Branch Avenue and Congress Heights and between Greenbelt and Congress Heights. Customers will need to transfer at Congress Heights to continue their trip. Metrobus service will operate normally.
THE BACK STORY: The Civil War is big for tourism in Virginia, which promotes the notion that more major battles were fought there than in any other state. The Virginia General Assembly began planning for the observation of the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-65) as far back as 2006. In 2009, it officially created the (get ready for a long name) Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.

THE INSPIRED IDEA: As planning started, former Arlington Del. Albert C. Eisenberg (D)  a Civil War buff  suggested asking residents of the state to come forward with any war-related letters and diaries they had in their family. The idea was carried forward by at least two other powerful politicians: current House of Delegates Speaker William Howell (R) of Stafford and former state Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D) of Prince William.

WHAT THEY DID: The Commission funded the State Library to send two archivists around the state with digital scanners, making high-resolution copies of documents brought by residents. They roamed Virginia between 2010 and 2015.

WHAT THEY FOUND: Some 33,000 pages of letters, diaries, documents and photographs poured in from all over the state. The library didnt keep the originals, just scanned them and offered tips for preservation.

WHAT THEY DID WITH IT: The official name of the digital trove is now the (even longer name) James I. Robertson Jr. Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection. Robertson is a noted hisorian, author and retired Virginia Tech professor who advised the effort and wrote a book based on some of the documents.

HOW TO VIEW IT: The documents are available online and can be searched at http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/cw150. The library will still scan documents that are submitted, but is no longer actively seeking them. Robertsons book - Civil War Echoes, Voices from Virginia 1860-1891 - was published in September by the commission.
You can tell Election Day is near because leaves are down and gun sales are up.

Its been steady all year. Its just in the past couple of weeks weve really started to see large spikes, said Will Doss, retail manager of Town Gun Shop in Richmond. Were up double-digits.

Nationwide, gun sales jumped 17 percent from September to October, and last months sales were 18 percent higher than the same time last year, according to recent FBI background check data.

Retailers have reported surging gun sales every four years at election time, as uncertainty about the future and concern about changes to gun laws make people want to stock up, just in case. This year that spike is coming during a campaign season that has seen especially heated rhetoric about guns.

As Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has called for tighter background checks and restrictions on military-style weapons, some supporters of Republican Donald Trump have made a point of wearing firearms at public events and even suggested taking them to polling places.

[Guns at polling places worry Virginia election officials]

But guns have been hot for some time now. Beginning in 2003, gun sales have gone up for 13 straight years, although the numbers rise and fall from month to month, according to the FBI data. Last years total of more than 23 million FBI firearms background checks was roughly double the number for 2007, and this year is on pace to blow that away.

Those stats dont translate directly to sales figures  each incident may not lead to a sale, or it may lead to a single sale of multiple weapons. But its seen as a reliable gauge for the industry.

Last week, for example, the manufacturer Sturm, Ruger reported that its sales for the quarter that ended in October were up by a third, compared with the same period in 2015.

A Virginia State Police database of firearm records checks also shows that each month of this year has seen more apparent sales than the same month the year before, with particular spikes in July  during the nominating conventions  and October.

Just guessing, Id say were up 20 percent this month, said Grace Moates, owner of Bob Moates Sport Shop in Midlothian, Va. Its because a majority of people are afraid that if Hillary wins . . . she would limit their rights to keep and bear arms.

Moatess shop is geared toward hunting and fishing, but she said she has seen a sharp increase in women looking to buy guns for protection. Just the other day, she said, an elderly woman signed up for a concealed-weapons class and bought a handbag designed to hold a gun.

Theyre tired of going anywhere and feeling vulnerable, said Moates, whose husband started the shop in 1960 but died in 2009. She has a Trump/Pence sign outside and figures that almost all of her customers share her political views.

Last week, the Brady Campaign, a gun control group, warned that increasing gun sales are linked to threats of election-related violence. But Moates said the gun owners she knows intend no such thing.

Thats fabricated, agreed customer Jeff Daulton, 53, who works in road construction. In his experience, its liberals who get more emotional about issues such as guns and politics. We cant agree to have a conversation if you wont even listen to what we say, he said.

At Town Gun, which caters more to a law enforcement and self-protection clientele, the fastest growing market is for concealed carry, Doss said. And women are a major driver of that business. Just seeing whats going on in the world, people realize they need to defend themselves and their families, he said.

But political issues will be addressed through voting, he added, not threats or intimidation at the polls. Law-abiding gun owners are very polite, Doss said. An armed society is a polite society.

While Trump was not his first choice for president, Doss said he will vote for him because I am voting for the Second Amendment. The spike in gun sales is driven by fear that Clinton will use an executive order to tighten gun laws, he said, and many gun owners worry that she will revive efforts by Bill Clinton during his administration to ban assault weapons or put a cap on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

[Heres how gun-control advocates are hoping to finally win on Tuesday]

Similar fears pushed gun sales to record levels when President Obama was elected in 2008 and 2012. So far this year, sales are even higher  though the biggest spikes always come after the ballots are counted in November and December.

Gun shop owners dislike the cyclical nature of the business. You want to see slow, steady growth, Doss said, noting that some small sellers have actually struggled to stay in business as demand rises and falls.

Thats certainly a concern for Nick Fornarotto, 72, whose Buck & Doe Gun Shop in rural Buckingham County, west of Richmond, relies on repair work and on word-of-mouth among area hunters.

His business has fallen dramatically  down maybe 75 percent, said Fornarotto, whose shop is behind his house near the railroad town of Dillwyn. Normally this time of year Im so busy I dont even have time to go inside to take a break. Now  nothing.

Few people are coming in for repairs, and the occasional sales customer is looking for the cheapest possible guns. They dont have money to buy a gun right now because the economy is so bad, Fornarotto said.

There are fewer jobs in his part of the state, he said, and those that are available dont pay well. Try to take time off for hunting season  which used to be common  and youll find yourself out of work, Fornarotto said. The economy is poor, its really poor, he said.

As in so many other sectors of the modern economy, he sees a disparity between bigger gun shops in wealthy areas and little guys like him. The everyday blue-collar worker who actually makes this country move is down  way down, he said.

He blames President Obama, and he blames the Clintons. Add in fears about weakening gun rights, and theres not much doubt how Fornarotto will vote.
CALEDONIA  Once upon a time, local government carried on without comfortable seats, without carpeted conference rooms, without computers.

In 1877, the Caledonia Town Board decided all it needed was four wooden walls, a roof, a few windows and two long benches along the walls to seat visitors.

If you didnt go to the hall early enough to get a seat, you had to stand for the whole meeting, said LeRoy Schmidt, president of the Caledonia Historical Society.

That Town Hall, used until the town built a new facility near Husher in 1952, still stands. Its one of several historic buildings grouped at Linwood Park, near Highway 38 and 5 Mile Road.

On Monday, the 139-year-old building will return to its municipal roots, at least briefly. The Caledonia Village Board, successor to the former town government, will hold one of its November meetings there. The meeting will start at 5 p.m.

Village President Bob Bradley conceived the idea of meeting in the old hall as a way to honor the towns history as the village continues work on a new, $3.6 million, 12,470-square-foot Village Hall near Four Mile Road and Chester Lane.

Look back to the past

The village is going through a big transition and it doesnt hurt to reflect on the past, Bradley said. Sometimes the best way to appreciate where you are is to look back and see where you have been.

Bradley said its probably the first time the old hall has been used for a regular governmental meeting since 1952.

He also said the village wanted to recognize the efforts of the Caledonia Historical Society, a group originally formed to rescue and renovate the 1877 Town Hall from disrepair.

They have really worked hard, Bradley said. They have done a fantastic job in assembling something really unique for not only the village but the entire area.

The Town Hall was moved to Linwood Park in late 2003 and renovated by society volunteers. Today, the park also has Sturtevants former Milwaukee Road railroad depot from 1902, a caboose from 1927, a livery and blacksmith shop from the late 1880s, and a cabin from 1840.

In 2014, the society added to the park a 100-year-old barn that once stood at a farm on Botting Road. A new foundation was recently poured for the structure and the society hopes to reassemble the building sometime this fall.

Its important to recognize our past, Schmidt said. That way, it never dies. Were trying to keep it alive.

The old Town Hall is ready to return to governmental duty on Monday, Schmidt said. There will be one modern touch, he said: Chairs will be on hand for visitors instead of the old long wooden benches.

Almost never built

The old Town Hall has proven quite resilient. Initially, it was almost never built. The first time the Town Board considered constructing a hall, the motion failed. But the motion passed in 1877 and the hall was built, beginning 125 years of various uses that bred hundreds of stories and tales.

Many of those tales can be found in a history of the Town Hall compiled by the society, and in the book Journey to a Village, written by Nicholas P. Weber and published in 2008. A rendering of the Town Hall, painted by Racine artist Don Ricchio in 2008, graces the cover of Webers book.

Caledonia became a township in 1842. The Town Hall was constructed 35 years later, on property owned by Mary OConnor. The design followed accepted, standard design of the era for most municipal buildings and schools, the societys history said.

The 24-foot by 36-foot rectangular structure was built one-quarter mile south of 5 Mile Road along the present Highway 38. The location made it easy as possible for all residents within the towns borders to reach the center of the towns government, Weber wrote.

The hall briefly served as a school after Linwood School, which stood at Highway 38 and 6 Mile Road, burned down in 1928, the societys history said.

The history also recounted the night a town resident died of a heart attack during a Town Board meeting. A resident named John Kovar apparently lost his temper during a meeting, began shouting, and suffered an attack of the heart, the societys history said.

Kovar was carried out and placed on a truck bed while other residents scrambled to find a phone and summon help. The meeting continued, but Kovar did not, and he passed away.

The town kept growing, and by the 1950s the hall usually was overcrowded and limited to standing-room only. A new Town Hall was built in Husher.

Husher became the center of the town during the 20th century, Weber wrote.

The original hall was sold to Martin Hall. Martin Nelson bought the building in 1971. He lived there for a short time, but mainly used the structure for storage.

By 1998, the structure was severely deteriorating and near collapse. Nelson sold the building in 1999 to the Kingsfield family who, soon after, sold it to the Town of Caledonia.

Citizens to the rescue

By 2001, the loosely-organized Caledonia Historical Committee became the nonprofit Caledonia Historic Society. The initial goal of the group was the restore the old hall.

In 2003, a new foundation was poured and on Dec. 4, 2003, the building was moved about 1,300 feet northeast to its current spot at Linwood Park.

Since 1952, the Town Hall near Husher and the East Side Community Center on Douglas Avenue have served as meeting spots for the town and village, boards.

But today both of those buildings have long lists of deficiencies including bad septic systems, undrinkable water, leaking roofs, mildew, and cramped space.

In July, the village broke ground for the new Village Hall off 4 Mile Road near Crawford Park, behind the Kmart and Pick n Save.

The thoroughly modern facility will feature office space, modern bathrooms and several conference rooms. The new Village Hall also will have a board room of 2,156-square-foot  about three times the size of the original Town Hall.

We have come a long way since 1877, Bradley said.
This call center in Washington is one of 23 scattered around the country where volunteers  mostly lawyers, law clerks and law students  help people get information needed to vote and take tips about voting problems. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Its 10 a.m. but the room is already warm with body heat and the smell of coffee. Behind the locked glass doors of a downtown Washington office, in a conference room outfitted with 20 phone lines, computer workstations and posters that try to make inspirational art out of single words such as Dedication, volunteers are fielding phone call after phone call.

This is one of the front lines in one of the most contentious presidential elections in memory. It is one outpost of the Election Protection Coalition voter hotline, a volunteer-staffed nonpartisan network of organizations devoted to protecting the right to vote. The advocates behind the operation say they are worried that more than any presidential election in the past 50 years, the 2016 contest carries a pronounced risk for impropriety and mischief. They, too, like Donald Trump, worry that the election could be rigged.

But not in the way the Republican nominee has insisted it will be  by inner city residents resorting to fraud to help elect Hillary Clinton. They are more concerned about a combination of ordinary and extraordinary voter confusion; a lack of pre-election federal oversight and the specter of in-person voter intimidation by Trump supporters.

What we face is a combination that is both dangerous and almost unprecedented, said Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), a coalition member organization.

In response, the coalition has set up 23 call centers across the country for what it thinks will be a fractious and contentious Election Day resembling the ugly campaign that preceded it.

The call centers across the country are operated by the roughly 100 organizations that make up the Election Protection Coalition and aim to prevent voter suppression. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Weve spent hundreds of millions of dollars with the sole mission of getting more people to vote, said Lindsay Walker, a spokeswoman with the Republican National Committee. Weve revived our voter registration program and put a priority on early and absentee voting, and have hired more people and trained more organizers to ensure we can do it than in any point in our partys history. 

GOP officials in Michigan plan to dispatch more than 100 lawyers to polling sites around the state to identify and block what they see as the real possibility of massive voter fraud. In Pennsylvania, Republicans filed suit to challenge a state law that bars individuals from monitoring polling site activity in a county where the individual does not live.

Its all extremely problematic, said Rashad Robinson, executive director of the tech-savvy civil rights group ColorOfChange, also part of the election protection circle. Fortunately, Trumps psychology is such that hes pretty much drawn us a map of where we need to be and what we need to do to be prepared.

In the days since the coalitions 866-OUR-VOTE hotline opened, volunteers have picked up more than 50,000 calls. In 90 minutes at the D.C. call center, volunteers helped an Alabama man, originally from Pakistan, who wanted to verify that he was registered to vote and what he should take with him to the polling site.

A woman in Florida was alarmed by an official-looking postcard indicating that the mail-in-ballot she sent several days earlier had not arrived. And a first-time voter in New York called distraught because election officials turned her away from an early voting site saying there was no record of the registration form, which she was certain she had completed and mailed on time.

In addition to providing practical help-desk-level assistance to stressed and distressed voters, coalition officials said they are focused on constitutional obstacles.

They point to the 2103 Supreme Court decision that overturned a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that forced many states and local municipalities, particularly in the South, to get clearance from the Justice Department before changing election laws to guard against discriminatory outcomes. The decision in Shelby County (Ala.) v. Holder ended a process known as pre-clearance. Anita Earls, a civil rights attorney who worked in the Clinton Justice Department and serves as the executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, said the end of pre-clearance created more work for voting rights advocates across the country.

Catherine Gordon is one of several volunteers at this call center helping people around the country who are having voting issues. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

That has meant litigating voting requirement changes, registration matters and making contact with election officials after reports that individuals were videotaping or menacing voters outside polling places.

And there are at least 868 fewer polling sites around the country than there were in the 2012 and 2014 elections, according to a report released Friday by the Leadership Conference Education Fund., which said that since Shelby, many poll closings have gone unnoticed and unchallenged.

Back at the Washington call center, volunteer Brittany Brewer, a lawyer who usually handles capital markets and mergers and acquisitions work for her law firm, walked the man in Alabama through the voting process until he felt comfortable.

Brewer logged on to a database in Florida that allows her to check the status of early votes in real time. Brewer asked the woman for a few bits of information, typed them into the system and got an answer: She tells the voter that the state has received and tallied her ballot.

Id say that most of our calls fall into three baskets, said Kim Stietz, a law clerk and one of the D.C. hotline coordinators. Theres the voter who is confused about some aspect of the registration or voting process or anxious because of the division around the country and the nature of the campaign to date. And there are voters who are dealing with poorly organized state voting systems.

Examples of the latter occupied a lot of hotline time last week.

Texas passed a strict voter ID law just after the Supreme Courts Shelby decision. This year, aware of pending litigation challenging the law, election officials printed, distributed and hung posters with ID requirements in early voting locations, Saenz said.

A court then ordered the state to allow those who are willing to attest that they do not have one of the required forms of ID to sign an affidavit then cast a ballot. Still, last week, voters in Texas were reporting to hotline volunteers that they were still seeing the inaccurate posters, and that poll workers were continuing to tell people to have certain forms of ID ready.

The pattern of calls has been particularly intense from Texas counties such as Bexar, which includes San Antonio and a population that is 59.5 percent Hispanic, and Harris, which includes Houston and a population that is 36.5 percent black, Latino or Asian.

Staff at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights demanded a fix. The Texas secretary of state has issued guidance to county election officials on voter ID, posters and affidavits several times and did so again.

We dont know that anyone is trying intentionally to discourage or block voting in Texas, said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee. But it is difficult to imagine that officials charged with administering the election were unaware of the change or were not following the case. So were absolutely prepared to hold election officials accountable swiftly.

Last week, the coalition launched radio and digital ads in 20 Texas markets clarifying the affidavit option. And last month in Virginia, the Lawyers Committee filed suit after the states online registration system failed. During the 36-hour voter registration extension the organization won in federal court, 28,000 people registered online who otherwise would not have been able to vote.
Arizona: The Grand Canyon State hasnt voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1996, but Democrats believe that increased Hispanic voter registration will keep things competitive.

Recent polling has given Republican Donald Trump a slight edge over Democrat Hillary Clinton, but Democrats cite an advantage in early voting as evidence that it could be a close night. On Friday, the final day of early voting, thousands of Arizonans stood in long lines.

Two other races in the state also signal the growing power of the states Latino voters.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the 2008 Republican presidential nominee who has tepidly stood by Trumps candidacy this year, is running for a sixth term. McCain appears headed to victory due partly to modest Latino support.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Republican who became a polarizing national figure in the debate over immigration and border control, is facing the toughest reelection of his 24-year reign amid tussles with the Justice Department. National liberal and Hispanic groups have targeted the race as a chance to knock off the man they consider the poster boy for unjust immigration detention policies.

Colorado: Colorado is one of the most widely swinging battleground states. It cast its vote for Republican George W. Bush in 2004 by a higher percentage than the nation as a whole. Four years later, it did the same thing  except for Democrat Barack Obama.

That pattern is set to hold if the nation votes for Clinton. Shes been leading in most polls in Colorado for most of the general election. Her campaign didnt run TV ads in the state for most of this campaign, though she has jumped in with ads in the past few days, as the race has tightened.

Only termed a swing state in the past few elections, Colorado has been shifting to the left rapidly. This year, for the first time in decades, Democratic and unaffiliated voters outnumber Republicans.

The states growing Latino population, more than 20 percent as well as the Denver areas explosion of younger voters are among the reasons for the shift.

Yet, like other Western swing states, Colorado is starkly divided, with a strong conservative streak as well.

If Clinton wins Colorado, it will be the first time in a century Colorado has voted for the Democratic nominee for president three times in a row.

Florida: The Sunshine State is once again the center of the presidential campaign and has been a frequent stop for Clinton and Trump. Florida is essential to Trumps chances. Barring big upsets elsewhere, failure to win here blocks the Republicans path to the 270 electoral votes he needs to capture the White House.

Clinton and Trump have focused especially on winning Central Florida, which stretches east to west from Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Coast and ending in Tampa. Democrats are buoyed by record-high early voting by Latinos fueled primarily by an influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the islands economic difficulties. Across Florida, more Latinos had voted by Wednesday than during the entire early voting period in 2012, according to the Clinton campaign.

The politics of South Florida are also shifting as young Cuban-Americans buck their elders and align with Democrats.

The states closely watched U.S. Senate race pits Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who used his presidential campaign to trash Congress, against Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.). Rubio has surged ahead, and Democrats have pared back ad spending, but Murphy could be helped if Clinton pulls far ahead of Trump.

Georgia: The last Democrat to carry Georgia was a fellow southerner, Bill Clinton in 1992, so the Peach State didnt appear particularly ripe for Hillary Clinton when the race began. But it has turned unexpectedly competitive this year.

Several recent polls have shown the contest to be within the margin of error or Trump leading by a modest margin.

Clinton is being buoyed by an overwhelming lead among black voters in Atlanta and elsewhere. She was up 89 percent to 5 percent among African Americans in an NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released last week.

The booming Atlanta suburbs have opened a possible path to victory for Democrats that does not require winning over conservative whites, the bedrock of Trumps constituency.

A key will be how well Clinton can mobilize not only African Americans but also growing populations of Latinos and Asian Americans. Some Democrats acknowledge they could be another election away from being consistently competitive.

Sensing an opportunity, the Clinton campaign stepped up investments in its ground game in Georgia in August, and a supportive super PAC is airing television ads.

Iowa: Donald Trumps strength among white, non-college-educated voters could help swing Iowa to the GOP this cycle, after it voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. Iowa is more than 90 percent white.

Trump has a five-point lead, according to a polling average of recent surveys calculated by The Washington Post. The Clinton campaign has touted its robust ground operation in Iowa, but the candidate herself has not held many rallies in the state.

Trump has faced criticism in many battleground states for implementing a late and weak ground operation and relying on operatives who lack the strategic experience to keep pace with Democrats. But in Iowa, Trump has Eric Branstad, the son of Gov. Terry Branstad. The Branstads know Iowa politics well, giving Trump a boost he doesnt enjoy in other important states.

Trump has made several appearances in the Hawkeye State in recent weeks and has frequently sent his quintessentially Midwestern running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, to campaign there.

Despite the buzz, Iowa has just six electoral college votes. Still, it is a must-win for Trump, given his limited path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

Michigan: This industrial, Midwestern state, which dealt a surprise blow to Clinton in the Democratic primary when it backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), could be poised for another upset in the general election.

Michigan voters have not supported a Republican for president since 1988. But backlash against globalization has made trade deals a major issue in parts of the state where Trump expects to do best, especially among white, non-college-educated voters.

With national polls tightening in the final days of the campaign, Trumps campaign has made a late play for Michigan, and Clinton and surrogates have recently increased visits in an effort to boost Election Day turnout. Both campaigns are now airing ads statewide. On Monday, Clinton will visit Grand Rapids, and President Obama will visit Ann Arbor.

With an electorate that is 72 percent white, Michigan is one of the least diverse states, meaning Clintons demographic advantages  she is strong among minorities  could be limited. Clinton is trying to maintain her strength in the states urban centers, particularly among black voters in Detroit. But theys are key, and there are signs in early voting elsewhere that she is struggling with them.

Nevada: Nevadans have voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1992. But like most swing states, Nevada is starkly divided between red and blue. The states southern tip, home to Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, is blue. The northern city of Reno and surrounding Washoe County are purple. And the rural towns dotting the vast expanse of desert in between are red.

Nevada is changing, though. Almost a third of the state is Hispanic, and theres a growing Asian American population as well. Democrats have worked hard to harness the states new population in their favor, and Nevada is leading the way among Western states trending Democratic.

Nevada has an independent and libertarian streak, and Trump seems to have tapped into that. Hes leading or tied three of the past four high-quality polls, suggesting that his populist economic message is resonating with a Nevadans still struggling to recover from the recession.

But early voters  a solid indicator in Nevada  favor Democrats in similar numbers to when President Obama won the state in 2012. This race looks like it could be a nail-biter.

New Hampshire: Tiny and independent-minded, New Hampshire figures most prominently in the presidential election as the site of the nations first primary vote, typically a few days after the kickoff caucuses in Iowa.

With four electoral votes, its not a big prize in the general election, but is considered a battleground because of significant Republican strength amid solidly Democratic northeastern states.

New Hampshire has voted Democratic in five of the past six presidential elections. Barack Obama took the state by about 5.5 percentage points over Mitt Romney in 2012, but Clinton looks unlikely to match that margin.

The Democrat has suffered a reversal of fortune in New Hampshire in polls over the past two weeks, falling to a two-point lead over the weekend, according to a poll average calculated by The Washington Post.

Some polls suggest a strong effect from the announcement on Oct. 28 of a renewed FBI inquiry into Clintons State Department email. She is expected to return to New Hampshire for a final rally Sunday.

In addition, Obama will travel to the state on Monday on the eve of the election  a sure sign that it is closer than Clinton would like.

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment has been a Democratic stronghold during the past two presidential elections, with President Obama winning by double-digit margins both times. Trump recently visited the state for an evening airport rally as part of an eleventh-hour attempt to put it in play. But not a single public poll has shown Clinton trailing the Republican nominee there.

Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric and repeated vows to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border have made him deeply unpopular among Latino voters. That presents a major challenge for him in New Mexico, where exit poll data showed the electorate was more than a third Hispanic in 2012.

Clinton has been taking no chances with New Mexico down the stretch, opting to air ads in the state during the final week for the first time in the general election.

Democrats have won five of the past six presidential elections in New Mexico. George W. Bush narrowly won here in 2004.

One potentially complicating factor for Clinton and Trump: Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson served two terms as governor and has pockets of support. The most recent poll showed Johnson attracting 7 percent of the vote.

North Carolina: North Carolina has been one of the most heavily traveled states on the campaign trail this year and could tip either way.

The state has historically been favorable turf for Republicans in presidential races. President Obama narrowly carried the Tar Heel state in 2008 but lost by a close margin to GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

Democrats see longer-term trends in the state working in their favor: an influx of white, college-educated professionals along an urban and suburban corridor stretching from Raleigh to Charlotte, and an uptick in the African American share of the electorate  part of the legacy of Obamas campaigns.

To win in North Carolina, Clinton has been banking on an Obama-like turnout from African American voters. According to exit polls, African Americans accounted for about 18 percent of the electorate in 1996. By 2012, the black share of the vote rose to 23 percent. But early voting among that group got off to a slow start this year, raising a flag about enthusiasm.

Donald Trump is trying to drive up turnout in rural North Carolina, including the east, where tobacco was once king and where the state is still suffering from manufacturing losses.

Ohio: This Rust Belt states demographics play to Donald Trumps strengths, with a population that is about 80 percent white  and heavy with working- and middle-class Americans who are anxious about the economy.

Although President Obama carried the state in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Ohio has consistently polled in Trumps favor this cycle. After briefly falling to a tie in some polls in mid-October, Trump now leads Clinton by five percentage points, according to a polling average calculated by The Washington Post.

Republicans are bullish that Trump will carry the state, which is a must-win if Trump hopes to take the White House. His considerable strength among white voters in the state, especially those without college degrees, is also bolstered by his double-digit strength among men.

(Trump and Clinton appear to be tied with women voters, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.) The Clinton campaign has made an aggressive push in Ohio in the final days of the election, hoping to compel enough nonwhite voters to cast ballots to stave off a Trump victory. On Friday night, musicians Beyonce and Jay Z headlined a concert in Cleveland to get out the vote.

Pennsylvania: With a large population of working-class and middle-class whites, Pennsylvania is an attractive yet elusive prize for Republicans despite having voted Democratic in the past six elections.

Trump has sought to energize the Republican part of the state, which, in past elections, has been outvoted by solidly Democratic Philadelphia in the east and the area around Pittsburgh in the west. Clinton has focused primarily on those two large urban areas this year.

For Democrats, winning Philadelphia has become the key to holding Pennsylvania, and doing so means motivating the large African American population in the city along with whiter suburbs at the periphery. Those collar counties have held appeal for Republicans in past elections but have not given Trump much hope this year.

In 2008, Obama won nearly all of the Philadelphia suburbs atop the most populous urban areas.

A polling average calculated by The Washington Post gives Clinton a 5-point advantage, but her campaign may see signs of trouble. She is campaigning twice in the state in the closing days of the race, and Vice President Biden, a Pennsylvania native, was spending the entire weekend there on her behalf.

Utah: Utah, a red state that hasnt chosen a Democrat for president since 1964, isnt likely to do so on Tuesday. But it could be the only state to hand a loss to both Clinton and Trump, thanks to a former CIA agent.

Evan McMullin, a Utah-born Mormon, is running for president as an independent. He claims to be competitive in 34 states, either on the ballot or as a write-in candidate. Some polls have shown him tied with Trump here, with Clinton not far behind.

McMullins surge reflects the qualms of Utahns, many of them Mormons, about voting for Trump, a brash, thrice-married New Yorker who has made lewd comments about women and wants to bar Muslims from the country. To take advantage, Clinton opened a campaign office and dispatched surrogates.

Mitt Romney, who won Utah with nearly 73 percent of the vote in 2012, strongly disavowed Trump. Others have tried walking a finer line. After a tape emerged of Trump bragging about groping women because he is a star, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said he could no longer endorse him. Nineteen days later, Chaffetz said he would vote for Trump.

Virginia: Although Virginia is considered a swing state, for months Clinton had such a comfortable lead that both campaigns went off the airwaves in the summer. But polls have tightened, and both Clinton and Trump are back on TV, and Trump is scheduled to make a last-minute visit on Sunday.

Clintons running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will return to his home state the day before Election Day to try to shore up support among African Americans and others in Richmond, where he was once mayor, and in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, a fast-growing region that is rapidly diversifying and trending Democratic.

Clinton has several advantages, including strength among suburban college-educated women, a sizable portion of the electorate in Fairfax, Loudoun and Henrico counties. And she stands to benefit from higher enthusiasm among Latinos in the state.

Trump has sought to bolster his support among rural voters and made an appeal to the states heavy presence of active-duty and military veteran.

Obama carried the state in 2008 and 2012. A Democratic win could cement Virginias status as a blue state in presidential races.

In less than a week, the United States will have a new president-elect. These are the pivotal points in Donald Trump's and Hillary Clinton's campaigns that led to this moment. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Wisconsin: The state where the Republican Party was formed has not gone to the GOP nominee for president since 1984, but Trump is making a last-minute and unsteady push to try to turn the state red.

Trump had planned to campaign in the state Sunday but abruptly canceled his trip the day before. He had included Wisconsin in his $25 million multistate advertising investment during the final week of the campaign.

Clintons running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will barnstorm here Sunday as Democrats hope to maintain the lead they have built.

Trump is wagering that his crusade against sweeping multinational trade deals will boost turnout among conservative white, working-class voters who have experienced firsthand the decline of the manufacturing industry in the United States.

Wisconsin is the home state of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Speaker Paul D. Ryan. The latter has had a rocky relationship with Trump throughout the campaign.

The last time Clinton and Trump faced voters in Wisconsin, neither experienced much success: Both lost by double-digit percentage margins to opponents during the primary.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that if Evan McMullin were to win Utah, he would be the first third-party candidate to win a state in 92 years. George Wallace was the last third-party candidate to win a state; he won five states in 1968.
In 1952, Roald Dahl volunteered for a medical experiment being run out of New Yorks Presbyterian Hospital. By this point, the 36-year-old had already started to make a name for himself as a writer, with stories published in the New Yorker and Harpers, but his decision to sign up for a gastroenterology study came from a place of pure curiosity.

Author Roald Dahl with his wife Patricia Neal, who suffered an aneurysm in 1965. His aggressive approach to Neals recovery led to a revolution in how strokes are understood and treated. (AP)

They stuffed the tube up my nose and right down into the stomach and left it there for two hours, he wrote later to his mother, according to Dahls authorized biographer, Donald Sturrock. Parts of the procedure Dahl found unpleasant, but mostly he marveled at being able to see the medical world up close. The machine said there was nothing wrong with my own stomach, he concluded, but Im going again because they find out a lot each time.

This kind of behavior was no mere one-off for the future author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While Dahl is known around the world for his exuberant childrens books, which have sold hundreds of millions of copies and whose neologisms (golden ticket and oompa loompa, to name two) have recently infiltrated the Oxford English Dictionary, he also held a quieter, parallel fascination with medicine that spanned his entire adult life. That passion not only crept into Dahls fiction over the years, but even led to the writers making some legitimately groundbreaking contributions to the field.

He led vaccination awareness campaigns and invented a medical device that was implanted in thousands of children. And when his first wife suffered a stroke, Dahl, who would have turned 100 in September, came up with a treatment whose legacy he couldnt have foreseen. Hes almost single-handedly revolutionized our approach to stroke rehabilitation, says Tom Solomon, a British neurologist, and set in chain a whole new notion about what we should be doing with these patients, which were still following today. Solomon is also the author of Roald Dahls Marvellous Medicine, a hybrid memoir/science book about his time treating Dahl in the final months of the authors life. (Dahl died in 1990 at age 74; the centennial of his birth is being celebrated as the Roald Dahl 100.)

He was definitely a fixer. All during our lives he was a fixer, says Dahls daughter Ophelia. If there was a problem, he felt you should be able to address it with enough know-how and imagination. That was specifically borne out in medical issues.

Dahls fascination with medicine began at an early age, according to Solomon. At boarding school, he kept careful note of the many ailments that sent students scurrying to the nurses office. Dahl took an added interest in bowel movements  which culminated in his buying a book called The Culture of the Abdomen while living in Africa in his early 20s, then convincing his roommates to join him in trying to keep themselves regular by performing a daily regimen of complicated exercises inspired by native dance.

Rather than pursue medicine as a career, however, Dahl wound up on the military track, joining the war effort and flying in the Royal Air Force. But he quickly became reacquainted with doctors when his plane crashed in the North African desert in 1940, rendering him temporarily blind and significantly injured. He would have multiple surgeries on his busted spine, and for decades he kept on his writing desk a jar of preserved spinal shavings as a kind of memento.

For some of his early short stories, such as the macabre William and Mary  about a man who extends his life by transplanting his brain and one eye into a liquid-filled jar  Dahl interviewed doctors to make sure he had the surgical details just right. The description that he gave of the operation [in the story] was as good as anyone who was doing the operation, Solomon says.

Ophelia Dahl remembers her father sitting around the dinner table years later, grilling a surgeon friend about what would happen if a person were to swallow a piece of jewelry  an idea that later turned up in his story The Surgeon.

It wasnt until a series of tragedies struck his family, though, that Dahl became a contributor to the medical field. In 1960, on one of the familys extended trips from England to the United States, his 4-month-old sons carriage was struck by a taxi while crossing the street in New York City; baby Theo was launched 40 feet into the air before colliding with the side of a bus.

Dahl walks with his 5-year-old son Theo as they cross a field to go kite flying in 1965. (Leonard McCombe/Life Picture Collection/Getty Images)

Theos skull was shattered, but he survived, with the help of a shunt that drained excess fluid from around his brain. But these shunts contained tiny slits that could easily get blocked by bits of debris. Theos shunt would malfunction six times over the next nine months, according to Sturrocks 2010 biography, each requiring a frantic return trip to the hospital and another intense surgery for the child.

Dahl was furious that so much pain and suffering could be caused by this one tiny instrument. So he started looking into the mechanics of shunts, and he discussed ways of improving them with one of Theos doctors, Kenneth Till. With the help of toymaker/hydraulic engineer Stanley Wade, who lived near Dahls home in England, they developed the Wade-Dahl-Till (WDT) valve, which was eventually fitted in 3,000 to 5,000 children around the world. Till published a paper announcing this new technology in the Lancet, and one of the WDT valves is displayed, alongside the authors books, in the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Center in Great Missenden, about 20 miles outside London.

Just two years later, tragedy struck again. This time, Dahls eldest daughter, Olivia, came down with the measles and suddenly died of a rare type of brain inflammation caused by the virus. After a prolonged and intense mourning period, Dahl once again threw himself into activism, this time leading a national awareness campaign to increase vaccination rates among British children. A pop star has teenage appeal and power, Dahl told reporters, according to Solomons book. I have great child power. I understand how a childs mind works  thats how I can help and influence.

Dahls most significant contribution to medicine, however, came in the world of stroke therapy and rehabilitation.

In 1965, Dahls first wife, the American film actress Patricia Neal, suffered an aneurysm while pregnant with the couples fifth child. She lay unconscious in the hospital for nearly three weeks, and when she returned home, Neal couldnt walk and could hardly speak. So Dahl recruited a team of enthusiastic amateurs from around the village of Great Missenden to push Neal back to normalcy with six hours of mental and physical exercise every day.

At the time, such an aggressive approach was seen as risky, but Dahls instincts were proven correct: Neal was able to return to acting just three years later, and the system pioneered by Dahl and one of the caretakers, Valerie Eaton Griffith, led to a revolution in how strokes are understood and treated, according to Solomon.

Throughout his wifes recovery, Dahl kept careful notes of the process for an essay he would later publish in Ladies Home Journal. But research compiled by Dominic Cheetham, an English professor at Sophia University in Japan, suggests that Neals struggles to relearn how to speak also reinvigorated Dahls writing. Cheetham noticed that the first book he wrote following her stroke, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, contained twice as many new words and repurposings of older ones as any hed written previously.

It didnt stop there, as evidenced by The BFG, which stars a friendly but perpetually marble-mouthed giant.

Some of the things the BFG said about how he was struggling with his language could have come straight out of the mouth of Pat [Neal], Solomon says. Typically, when authors invent words, as Dahl did, they tend to be nouns: a new brand of soda, or a new name for a monster. Dahl, on the other hand, started coming up with new adjectives, and new verbs, and new expressions, according to Solomon. By the time he wrote The BFG, Dahls rate of neologisms spiked to nearly 475 instances in total  six times as high as even the Charlie sequel, Cheetham found.

For the rest of his life, Dahl would retain a keen interest in medicine. He continually referred to himself as a frustrated doctor, according to Sturrocks biography, and his second wife, Felicity Crosland, used to tell the story of a plane ride they took where a fellow passenger needed medical attention. A flight attendant asked whether there was a doctor onboard, and Dahl had to be physically restrained from jumping to his feet. His 1981 book Georges Marvelous Medicine  about a boy who takes revenge on his curmudgeonly grandmother by replacing her medicine with a concoction of shampoo, horse lozenges and floor polish  is wryly dedicated to doctors everywhere.

(Ophelia Dahl credits her fathers fascination with medicine as one of the reasons she has pursued health care as a career, co-founding the global nonprofit Partners in Health.)

But as for taking credit for his contributions to medical care, Dahl was uncharacteristically modest. While researching his book (which will be released in the United States early next year), Solomon discovered that it was Dahl who actually wrote the first draft of the Lancet study announcing the WDT valve. He also wrote the skeleton of Valerie E. Griffiths landmark manual A Stroke in the Family, which popularized the techniques Dahl had used in Neals recovery and which are still in use today. Yet in both cases, Dahl left all the credit to others.

To be honest, it makes no sense to me, Solomon says. Because he always wanted to be a doctor. His books were full of heroes who, often against the odds, overcame the authorities and came up with something amazing and fantastic. Maybe he didnt recognize that in himself.



Dahl, who called himself a frustrated doctor, dedicated Georges Marvelous Medicine (Penguin Young Readers Group) to doctors everywhere. (Illustration  Quentin Blake)

Read more:

The saddest story Roald Dahl ever wrote is about...his daughter

Theres a shortage of child psychiatrists, and kids are hurting

More cases reported of a mysterious polio-like illness that killed a 6-year-old

Zika causes a unique syndrome of devastating birth defects
As election day looms, Latino leaders are canvassing immigrant neighborhoods in swing states to make sure Latinos are aware of their potential impact. ( / Reuters)

Five undocumented domestic workers, all named Maria, fanned out across Little Havana delivering a desperate, last-minute plea to Hispanic voters: We cant vote, but you can. Vote early to ensure a President Trump does not deport us.

In Hialeah, a traditional stronghold for Cuban American Republicans, backers of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton drove a colorful, Colombian-style chiva party bus with bongo drums and rumba dancers handing out Cuban pastries and Hispanics for Hillary signs.

And in ritzy Coral Gables, Maria Ballaster, a 60-year-old Cuban American who has always voted Republican reflected on why she had just split her ballot  sticking with her partys nominee for the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio, while casting a vote for Clinton.

I trust Rubio, but I dont trust Mr. Crazy, Ballaster said.

Here in Florida and across the country, there are early indications that Hispanics have mobilized for this election like no other in U.S. history. Activist groups and Clinton allies, motivated largely by a deepening fear of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, are deploying new voter outreach strategies and hoping to take advantage of growth in the Latino electorate.

In Nevada, thousands of voters lined up outside an early-voting site at a Latino market Friday night, prompting voting hours to be extended at the end of what has been a record-breaking early-voting surge in the state. Turnout was so high in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, that Democrats enter Tuesday with an advantage similar to the one they held there four years ago when President Obama won Nevada by seven points.

Similarly heavy early-voting turnout among Hispanics in Colorado and Arizona has given Democrats hope in those battleground states, too.

Early voting is not necessarily an indication of final results, given that those who have turned out so far are highly motivated and that the election will be decided by the millions more who cast ballots Tuesday. Some analysts say it is possible that Latino early voting will draw from Election Day turnout rates.

Nonetheless, the increase has taken place even in states such as Texas, where Democrats have not focused on galvanizing voters. The spike appears to be the result of the rising number of Hispanic voters and the increasingly aggressive efforts to organize what has long been considered a potent voting bloc whose numbers have never lived up to their potential. Adding to the fervor is widespread anger at Trumps incendiary rhetoric about Hispanics and Mexico, suggesting that Clinton could outperform Obamas 71 percent share of the Hispanic vote from 2012.

Trump has built a wall, indeed, said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster who specializes in Latino voters. And it is a new firewall for Democrats.

Experts who closely track Hispanic voters caution that the turnout numbers so far seem to reflect anticipated growth rates expected to continue into the 2030s. This years historic turnout in some respects is not unusual, said Mark Lopez, Pew Research Centers director of Hispanic research.

About 11.2 million Hispanics voted in 2012, representing just less than 50 percent of all eligible Latino voters. Since then, the number of eligible Hispanics has jumped by about 4 million voters, which is on par with the overall growth rates of the Hispanic population, according to Pew.

As the presidential race tightens, Democrats are going after voters in the Republican stronghold of Georgia. In Gwinnett County, a rising number of minorities could be changing the political landscape. (Alice Li/The Washington Post)

In Colorado, the steady growth of the Latino vote has fueled a narrow edge for Democrats. Obamas campaign registered thousands of Hispanics there in 2008 and 2012, and many more have been registered by Clintons campaign and that of her Democratic primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and groups such as the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition.

In every part of the state, Democrats have found Latino voters who have not been active in recent elections or had voted for more moderate Republicans. Damian Alcazar, 46, was registered with the Republican Party and had backed the 2008 presidential bid of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). But by Friday night, when he stopped by a GOP get-out-the-vote rally in Aurora, he had already cast a ballot for Clinton.

Trumps way too risky, he said.

In Colorado Springs, the center of the states largest Republican stronghold, Democrats were targeting and turning out Latinos. Over lunch at El Ranchito 2, a supermarket and restaurant, an entirely Latino clientele was divided between those who could not vote and those who had already voted for Clinton.

The Democrats sent me mail, but I didnt really need it, said Jaime Valdez, 70. I was going to vote for Hillary.



Resident Valentina Perez, 73, gets a visit from Maria Bilbao, 50, and her son Thomas Kennedy, 25, in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood as they canvass for Clinton on Friday. (Angel Valentin/For The Washington Post)

In Florida, early-voting data suggests that Hispanics are emerging as a larger force in the states electorate  and that many Latinos are participating for the first time.

The Hispanic share of overall early voters is sharply higher this year, reaching about 15 percent from about 10 percent at this stage four years ago, according to an analysis by University of Florida political scientist Daniel A. Smith. Another examination of the numbers, by Democratic strategist Steve Schale, found that more than half of the Hispanics who have voted so far have either never voted before or voted only once previously.

The diversity of the states Hispanic electorate has long presented a challenge for campaigns in both parties. Cuban Americans, particularly in Miami, have been Republican stalwarts, though younger generations have been trending toward the Democrats. People with roots in Central America and Mexico have favored the Democrats historically. In the past, Republicans have made some inroads with the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have settled largely around Orlando and have been a swing bloc.

Overall, the polls in Florida are tight. The Trump campaign and its allies have been working to mobilize voters in the states more rural and conservative areas. Trump and his backers have also predicted that many Hispanics will turn out for him Tuesday.

I dont believe the polls, said Nelson Diaz, the Miami-Dade County GOP chairman. Theres been an incredible intensity for Trump and long lines in our Hispanic Republican precincts. Theres a big misunderstanding of whats happening. Theres a silent majority and first-time voters that the polls arent capturing, and I think hes going to end up doing well here.

On Saturday, the Democrats efforts to court Cuban Americans was on display in Hialeah, the heart of the exile community. In addition to the chiva bus, Clinton allies parked a van blasting hip-hop and reggaeton music. They also handed out guava pastries from a tent. Waiting for them were a group of Trump supporters who started yelling, Lock her up!

The Democrats started shouting back, comparing the GOP presidential nominee to the reviled Cuban dictator: Castro, no! Trump tampoco! They also chanted another Spanish phrase that suggested Trump and Castro were funded by the Russians.



Clinton supporters rally in Miami. (Angel Valentin/For The Washington Post)

Across Miami-Dade County, Hispanics seemed to be heavily favoring Clinton.

Marilyn Ralat-Albernas considered the stakes in the election so high for her Hispanic community that she took a month off work to volunteer for Clinton.

Ralat-Albernas, a 62-year-old registered nurse of Puerto Rican descent, said she has spent days knocking on doors, canvassing neighborhoods, attesting to the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and proclaiming the threat posed by Trump to millions of undocumented immigrants.

When he insulted Mexicans, he was insulting all of us, said Ralat-Albernas, referring to Trumps description of Mexican immigrants as rapists. He doesnt understand our culture. We need to come together and show him that our community is powerful.

In Florida, a network of immigrant rights organizations, unions and leftist nonprofits aligned to bring out the vote for more than a year, according to Maria Rodriguez, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

In the past year, they knocked on 1 million doors of low- and mid-propensity voters throughout the state, nearly 60 percent of whom were Latino. In the trendy Miami Modern District, they handed out cups of Cuban coffee near a mural depicting Trump as a flying pig, to attract young Latinos to vote; they invested in ads on salsa radio stations on Pandora that encouraged listeners to vote early. They scoured areas with large Central American populations to interact with Honduran and Nicaraguan voters who are not typically targeted.

The community seemed ready to engage, according to Monica Russo, executive vice president of the local Service Employees International Union. Those voters who answered the doors were already concerned with raising the federal minimum wage and immigration reform. By the time Trump captured the Republican Partys nomination, Russo said these voters were already inspired to make a difference.

Folks dont seem afraid, Russo said. They seemed determined.

Lorella Praeli, the Clinton campaigns director of Hispanic outreach, said the campaign sought to recruit ambassadors inside communities  the owner of the local bodega or Spanish grocery and the matriarchs and abuelas who might have an affinity for electing the first female president.

We look forward to welcoming some of the most influential Latinas in the country as we build our path to la victoria para Hillary, read one advertisement. Latinos will shape the future of our pais.

When Praeli produced the ad, she said some asked why they would publish something in the informal Spanglish.

This is a part of our culture, Praeli said. It shows that we understand how families speak with one another.

One of the most persuasive strategies for Clinton allies has been to send undocumented workers to knock on the doors of potential Hispanic voters to explain the stakes of the election.

On Friday, Maria Bilbao and her son, Tomas Kennedy, jumped into their old Mercedes with broken air conditioning to explain what a Trump presidency might mean for their family. She was one of the five undocumented Marias canvassing around Little Havana.

To be honest, Im not voting, said one woman, Maria Figueroa, 56, upon opening her door to see Bilbao and Kennedy. They are both liars.

Kennedy explained that he agreed the candidates were not the best, but one candidate was better than the other.

This is my mother, and she is undocumented, Kennedy told her. Their family moved from Argentina in 2001, when its economy was collapsing. They were told the wait list to move legally lasted 17 years. Kennedy received a reprieve through the Obama administrations decision to shield from deportation many people who came to the country as young children. His mother is still at risk.

If Trump is elected, we dont know what he will do, Kennedy continued. Hes going to pull our family apart.

He is crazy, Bilbao added, circling one finger around her ear.

Figueroa finally agreed she would vote. She wrote down the address for her polling place.

Its true, Figueroa said, he cannot be a president.

As the sun beat down that afternoon, the Marias stood on the sidewalk and traded stories of their interactions with voters.

I told her I cannot vote, but this country needs you to vote, Maria Lima said, recalling another woman she persuaded. Our dreams of better life rest on you.

She lifted her sunglasses to wipe the moisture from her face. It was a mixture of sweat and tears.

David Weigel in Colorado and Ed OKeefe in Washington contributed to this report.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks in Sioux City on Saturday. Trump is campaigning in several cities before the election Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

 On one level, this Detroit suburb where Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to appear Sunday evening makes plenty of political logic.

Its the hub of Macomb County, with a white working-class electorate that in 1980 gave rise to the term Reagan Democrats. Trump, it would seem, is looking for a boost from their economic disaffection and frustration with the effects of foreign trade.

Yet Sterling Heights is also synonymous in these parts with religious tensions between one of the states fastest-growing Muslim populations and a powerful community of Chaldean Christians, a Catholic denomination that includes thousands of people who have fled Iraq over the past decade.

All of it makes Sterling Heights, the states fourth most populous city, a reminder of what the Trump candidacy has meant for jittery Muslim Americans. The city is currently facing a federal civil rights lawsuit over its planning commissions rejection last year of a proposed mosque, which would have been the third built here since 2011.

It is unnerving to have him here, so close, Syed Razvi said as he left Saturday evening prayers at the American Muslim Diversity Association mosque. Before Trumps candidacy, if you meet anybody around here, no problem. Now everybodys like: Oh, youre a Muslim. We need to stay away from them. 

In an election that has put American Muslims under the spotlight, three voters from different parts of the country reflect on how the political rhetoric has affected them. (McKenna Ewen,Whitney Leaming,Alice Li/The Washington Post)

Trumps appearance in Sterling Heights is part of a surprising level of attention being paid to the Wolverine State in the final throes of the 2016 presidential race. Both campaigns say the polls have tightened, and both are spending an outsize amount of time here as a result.

[The 15 states that will decide the election]

A Detroit Free Press poll published Friday had Clinton at 42 percent to Trumps 38 percent, with Trump gaining four points in the past two weeks.

In addition to his scheduled appearance in Sterling Heights, Trump has also scheduled a rally in Grand Rapids on Monday. Also on the GOP side, Eric and Ivanka Trump; Trumps running mate, Mike Pence; and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin all popped in over the past few days.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who spoke in Detroit on Friday, is due in Grand Rapids on Monday. Former president Bill Clinton appears Sunday in Lansing. President Obama is scheduled to rally minority voters, which Democrats worry may not turn out in the numbers they need; he will appear in Ann Arbor on Monday, too.

[Trump in final stretch pursues new opportunities to reach 270 electoral votes]

To rile up his base on one of the last days before the election, I would say Macomb County is a great place for Trump to go, said Susan Demas, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics. He did very well in the primary in Macomb County, and his support there has really never wavered. Hes really tapped in to the anger there with white voters.

At a rally in Detroit, Nov. 4, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton compared rival Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. She uttered a bewildered laugh and shook her head after claiming Trump wants innocent people to "be locked up." (The Washington Post)

Sterling Heights, about 18 miles north of downtown Detroit, has long been a magnet for ethnic immigrants from various war-ravaged or oppressed regions. A century ago, many Polish immigrants set down roots here; waves of Albanians, Serbian and Macedonian emigres joined them in the 1980s and 1990s. Chaldean migrations have occurred in spurts since the 1970s. They escalated in the past decade after the fall of Saddam Hussein unleashed sectarian violence from al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic State that targeted non-Muslim minorities.

Chaldeans make up roughly 5 percent of Sterling Heightss population of 130,000, and the Detroit area in general is home to the most Chaldeans in the United States, according to the 2010 Census. The Detroit suburbs are also well-known for having the nations biggest population of Arab Americans and Muslims.

[After security scare, Trump resumes battleground sprint; Clinton doubles back to Ohio]

Theres a very strong anti-Muslim sentiment among the old-time residents and the Christian refugees from the Middle East in Sterling Heights, said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Its not just a sentiment coming from Republicans. It emanates the Reagan Democrat-type crowd.

Sterling Heights Mayor Mike Taylor (R) took umbrage at that notion, questioning the premise that Trump is actually anti-immigrant or anti-Muslim.

There have been comments made by the Trump campaign regarding Muslims, and I understand what Muslims are concerned about with a Donald Trump presidency, Taylor said. Its been blown out of proportion. We need to be sure that the refugees are properly vetted and that they have the countrys best interest. Im confident the Muslims in Sterling Heights have the countrys best interest at heart.

Perhaps, but in the parking lot at Holy Martyrs Chaldean Catholic Church on Saturday, it was not difficult to find anti-Muslim sentiment as the basis for many worshipers support of Trump. The harshest of them, including a woman who said Muslims want to take over and kill us all, refused to give their names.

A group of 12-year-olds emerging from a childrens Mass were giddy when told that Trump would be visiting the Freedom Hill Amphitheater six miles away.

Most of us want Donald Trump to win because he can defeat ISIS and let us go back to our countries, said Ray Poles, whose family emigrated from Iraq in the past year. I hope we can go see him.
Russian pilots have been buzzing NATO airspace in the Baltic region, keeping a contingent of German fighter pilots busy at a remote air base in Estonia. During close encounters, the NATO pilots often fly within 10 yards of the Russian jets, close enough to wave hello, or in one recent incident, see a Russian pilot brush them off with a middle finger. (Michael Birnbaum/The Washington Post)

On a recent night at this air base where NATO fighter pilots keep a constant vigil against the Kremlin, the alarms that warn that Russian planes were veering toward NATO airspace wouldnt stop going off.

At least 13 Russian warplanes coursed through the skies. And the NATO fighter jets kept rushing into the air to meet them. By the end of the night, Finland and Estonia said their airspace had been violated  and in the sea below, a powerful nuclear-capable missile system was on its way to a Russian naval base in the enclave of Kaliningrad.

Just ahead of the U.S. presidential elections, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be pushing his conflict with the West to new heights. He has declared an end to a plutonium-disposal agreement with the United States. Two weeks ago, he stationed new cruise missiles in Kaliningrad, further bolstering a territory that already was bristling with weaponry. And Aleppo is bracing for a renewed Russian bombardment that may begin soon. Many Western policymakers say he may be taking advantage of end-of-term distractions in the White House to exert as commanding a position as possible before a new president takes office Jan. 20.

[Russia sends warships toward Syria via the English Channel  and with them, a message]

For the seven German fighter pilots who trade 24-hour shifts at this remote air base, the escalation has a practical effect: more close encounters with Russian fighter pilots high in the skies. The pilots often fly within 10 yards of the Russian jets, close enough to wave hello, or in one recent incident, see a Russian pilot flash a middle finger.

Maybe he watched too much Top Gun,  said Lt. Col. Swen Jacob, the commander of the German contingent that is posted for a four-month rotation to a round-the-clock air-policing mission in Estonia.

The Germans have scrambled 34 times since they arrived for their latest posting in Estonia on the last day of August, rushing into the air to escort Sukhoi fighter jets, Ilyushin reconnaissance planes and Antonov transport planes. The majority of the traffic comes from runs in international airspace between Russian air bases near St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave wedged between Lithuania and Poland. Russian military flights often fly without transponders, making them invisible to civilian aircraft and raising the risk of midair crashes.

The fighter aircraft are almost always armed to the teeth, Jacob said. Six kinds of missiles. They could carry up to 10.



Members of the German Air Force detachment eat in the mess room between operations at the Amari Air Base. They are deployed on four-month rotations. (Peter Kollanyi/Bloomberg News)

As the United States prepares to vote, the Kremlin may be preparing in a different way, knowing that President Obama is unlikely to match Russias escalation so shortly before handing power to his successor, defense officials say. Recent Russian actions in Syria seem calculated to make major battlefield advances as quickly as possible. Baltic officials have seen a recent spike in cyberattacks. U.S. intelligence agencies say that Russian state-sponsored hackers are behind the leaks of emails of Democratic officials, which have been an embarrassing trickle seemingly calculated to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. On Russian state-run television, one prominent anchor repeated a warning that Russia could turn the United States into radioactive ash.

One of the very important dates is the 8th of November. Theyre trying to create a better negotiating position in Syria, in Ukraine, perhaps somewhere else, said Marko Mihkelson, the chairman of the Estonian parliaments National Defense Committee. Its a lame duck. And theyll immediately test the new U.S. president with a very difficult position.

[In tense confrontation with Russia, a battle over history suggests Cold War never ended]

Putin has acknowledged that he is looking past Obama and toward the next occupant of the White House.

There are many issues it has become difficult to discuss with the current administration, because practically no obligations are met and no agreements are respected, including those on Syria, Putin said late last month. We are ready, in any case, to talk with the new president and look for solutions to any, even the most difficult, issues.

But there is a risk of the Kremlins strategy backfiring, analysts say.

The demands attached to Putins suspension of the plutonium-disposition agreement were clearly meant to be flipping the bird, in diplomatic terms, said Alexander Vershbow, a veteran U.S. diplomat who until last month was the deputy secretary-general of NATO. Theyve got to be careful not to get onto an even worse footing with the new U.S. administration.

Vershbow said that the situation is as unstable as he had seen since he began his career in the late 1970s. During the late years of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin held to predictable rules of behavior, but now it does not, he said.



German Lt. Col. Swen Jacob leads a team of fighter pilots deployed to Estonia that seeks to ensure that Russian military planes stay clear of NATO airspace. (Michael Birnbaum/The Washington Post)

Defense officials say the flights in the Baltics are ultimately more annoying than menacing and that the Russian planes do not appear to be readying an attack on NATO nations. But they say that the behavior raises the risk of in-air accidents, which could escalate the already tense relations between Russia and the West. One senior Western defense official said that if an armed Russian fighter jet were to lock its targeting radar onto a NATO plane, that could be grounds to shoot it down. NATO jets have scrambled to intercept planes about 600 times this year, the majority of them in international airspace.

[Russia offers plan to improve air safety over Baltics]

NATO plans to raise its concerns regarding the situation over the Baltic Sea with Russia in a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, said Dylan P. White, an acting spokesman for the alliance. The council, which has met rarely in the years since the Crimea annexation of 2014, will convene soon, White said.

Baltic defense officials say the Russian incursions could be far worse without NATOs presence in the region.

We see them attempting to challenge and test our systems constantly, said Estonian Defense Minister Hannes Hanso, whose nation has no weapons-ready fighter jets. On a recent chilly morning at the countrys only air base, advanced German Eurowings fighter jets were taking off as an ancient Estonian Air Force An-2 biplanes single propeller was thrumming loudly in the wind. The base once belonged to the Soviet Union, and the red star of the Soviet Air Force is still displayed prominently on the gravestones in a cemetery visible from the road leading onto the base.



Soviet-era plane tails serve as grave markers just outside the entrance to Estonias Amari Air Base, a reminder of the areas complicated history. (Michael Birnbaum/The Washington Post)

Because of the Baltic nations weak air capabilities, NATO has operated a small air-policing mission based in Lithuania since the countries joined the alliance in 2004. After Russia annexed Crimea, the effort was expanded, given the new demands.

Estonian leaders say that despite the attention paid to Russias attempts to subvert political processes in other countries via new routes such as hacking and media influence, the conventional threat remains the most concerning.

[The Baltics tangled geography that has both sides feeling surrounded ]

When it comes to military power, we cannot handle ourselves, said Juri Luik, a former Estonian diplomat and politician who is the head of the Tallinn-based International Center for Defense and Security. We need help from our allies. The Russians want to signal in a thousand different ways that they are the top dog, this is their area.





Jacob, the commander of the German detachment in Estonia, said that the NATO protocols are clear. If the Russian planes are flying in international airspace, as they nearly always do, there is no need to do anything more than monitor them and perhaps take pictures with the digital cameras the pilots keep strapped to their right shoulders.

But if a Russian plane violates NATO airspace  which has happened five times in Estonia this year  the situation could quickly escalate. The alliances rules of engagement are to try to communicate via radio. If that produces no response, pilots fly their plane on their sides to show off their weaponry, and then they try to push the aircraft out of NATO territory. A pilot also could fire a warning flare  but any decision to actually fire on the plane would be left to higher-ups at NATO, Jacob said.

There are moments that break the tension, such as when a Russian pilot got on the radio to wish his German counterpart Merry Christmas at the end of 2014, Jacob said. But pilots take their task seriously, he said.

They know what could happen if they do something wrong, something idiotic or crazy, and I think the Russians do, too, he said.

Read more

Amid fears of Trump, Europe tries to make its security less dependent on the U.S.

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Near Russias border with the Baltics, soldiers on both sides are practicing for war

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
RACINE  A facility study for the Racine Safety Building and the first half of renovations to the citys Health Clinic are among the numerous items budgeted for in the Department of Public Works 2017 Capital Improvement Plan.

The department will receive $18.8 million in 2017s CIP if the City Council approves the proposed budget as is on Nov. 15. According to Public Works Commissioner Mark Yehlen, about $6 million of that will be funded through general obligation debt.

Much of the $18.8 million will go to fund routine maintenance or projects the city has already completed. For example, the major repaving of Northwestern Avenue, which took place between March and October this year, is the most expensive item in the entire 2017 CIP DPW budget, at $3.4 million in total.

Several other paving projects have significant dollar amounts allocated to them, such as one on Washington Avenue from Roosevelt Avenue to West Boulevard and Durand Avenue from Kentucky Street to Kearney Avenue, but that budgeting is just for design for future construction. Yehlen said that next year wont see any major paving projects on the level of Northwestern Avenue.

In 2017 we dont have any huge, really disruptive paving projects, he said.

Police Department

to be studied

While it will only cost $50,000, the most significant long-term item in the 2017 CIP might be a facility study of the Racine Police Department, 730 Center St. The building, which will enter its 50th year in 2017, is coming to the end of its service life, Yehlen said.

Because its 50 years old, it doesnt do a good job of housing a modern police force, Yehlen said of the building.

According to Yehlen, the study will consider the condition of the building relative to the space needs of both the Police and Fire departments. The study will determine whether renovation or replacement is the best course of action, he added.

Its time to take a look at this building, he said. Do we need to get into this building and extend its service life?

While the study is the only budgeted item in the Public Works CIP for the building in 2017, several items, including roof replacement, lighting upgrades and wall repairs are budgeted for in subsequent CIP years. Yehlen cautioned that after the study, even those might not be enough.

All of that plus probably some more is going to need to be done to extend its service life, he said.

Health Clinic to undergo renovations

The most expensive city building-related item in the DPW CIP for 2017 is a $250,000 allocation for the renovation of the citys Health Clinic, located inside City Hall, 730 Washington Ave.

It really isnt configured for a health clinic, Yehlen said. Those spaces down there are woefully out of date.

The renovation, which is slated to occur in both 2017 and 2018, with $250,000 budgeted in both years, will begin with primarily heating, ventilation and air conditioning work next year.

The first piece is building mechanical stuff, Yehlen said. Weve got some old steam piping that needs to be replaced.

In 2018, Yehlen said the more visible work, such as restroom installation and examination room reconfiguration, will take place.
A Kurdish-led force backed by the United States announced on Sunday the start of a major military operation to drive Islamic State militants out of their self-declared capital of Raqqa, in northeastern Syria.

The operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or the SDF, is timed to coincide with the U.S.-supported military effort to seize the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State. The assault by the SDF  an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces that has dealt substantial blows to the Islamic State in northeastern Syria  represents an intensified international effort to squeeze the extremist group as it loses control of vast territory in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State has been badly weakened by airstrikes that have killed its leaders and destroyed its infrastructure, as well as by ground assaults from an array of U.S.-backed forces.

[These images show how Islamic State forces have dug in for a fight in Mosul]

Those ground attacks, carried out by Kurds and Arabs in Iraq and Syria, have driven the militants out of key strongholds, such as the Iraqi city of Fallujah, and towns along the Syrian border with Turkey that had been used as hubs for trade and for funneling fighters and weapons.

Officials in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State say that defeating the group in its two most important cities, Raqqa and Mosul, could deal a devastating blow to the militants.

After making sweeping advances in Iraq two years ago, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, declared a caliphate, imposing harsh religious rule based on an extreme interpretation of Islam.

The initial phase of operations to liberate Raqqa has begun, Brett McGurk, the State Departments envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State, said at a news conference in Jordans capital, Amman.

He said the SDF  backed by U.S. Special Forces playing an advisory role in Syria  aims to attack in phases to eventually isolate the Islamic State in Raqqa and stop the flow of militants in and out of the city, about 275 miles northeast of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

But the operation, called Euphrates Rage, adds yet another potentially combustible wrinkle to the five-year-old Syrian conflict.

Already, Kurdish efforts to exploit the chaos and build an autonomous region in northern Syria have aggravated the countrys sectarian politics  with some U.S.-allied Syrian rebels opposed to the Kurdish moves  and inflamed regional tensions.

Turkey, in particular, views with great suspicion the leadership role of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or the YPG, in the Syrian Democratic Forces. Over the summer, Turkish forces intervened in northern Syria, targeting Islamic State militants but also acting as a curb to Kurdish territorial ambitions in the country.

[Trapped in a house with Islamic State fighters]

At a news conference in the eastern Syrian town of Ain Issa, SDF officials said Sunday that as many as 30,000 fighters would participate in the Raqqa operation. The U.S.-led coalition provides the SDF with training, arms and air support.

At the news conference, an unnamed SDF official expressed concern about potential Turkish involvement in the assault.

Our hope is that the Turkish state will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria, the unidentified SDF official said, according to Reuters.

Last week, Turkeys defense minister said his countrys forces could lead the attack on Raqqa instead of the SDF. Even though the United States considers the Syrian force to be the most effective in battling the Islamic State, Turkey sees the involvement of YPG militants as a threat.

Turkey, part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a key U.S. ally, considers the YPG a terrorist group because of its links to Turkeys own Kurdish separatists.

Nevertheless, U.S. officials have indicated that the SDF would lead the Raqqa operation. Last month, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said a military operation targeting the city should coincide with the attack on Mosul.

By Sunday afternoon, SDF fighters did not appear to have made any major advances, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. It has not formally started yet. This is just an announcement, said Rami Abdulrahman, a pseudonym for the director of the group.

[With the battle for Mosul underway, U.S. sets sights on Raqqa]

It will probably take weeks, if not longer, before fighters enter Raqqa. SDF fighters expect to face intense resistance similar to that encountered by advancing Iraqi forces on the outskirts of Mosul. The Islamic State has had ample time to dig in its heels since seizing Raqqa in early 2014, and its fighters are likely to use tunnels for ambushes, booby-trap vehicles and suicide bombers.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul and Taylor Luck in Amman contributed to this report.

Read more:

U.S. plans operation against Islamic State in Syria despite obstacles

Erdogan reasserts Turkeys role in wars in Syria and Iraq

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Food Tank, in partnership with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is hosting the 1st Annual Chicago Food Tank Summit on November 16, 2016. This event will feature more than 40 different speakers from the food and agriculture field...

Food Tank, in partnership with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is hosting the 1st Annual Chicago Food Tank Summit on November 16, 2016.

This event will feature more than 40 different speakers from the food and agriculture field. Researchers, farmers, chefs, policymakers, government officials, and students will come together for interactive panels, networking, and delicious food, followed by a day of hands-on activities and opportunities for attendees.

Food Tank recently had the opportunity to speak with Kevin Cleary, CEO of Clif Bar & Company, who will be speaking at the summit.

Food Tank (FT): What initiatives have you launched recently, or are planning to launch, that will further your companys sustainability efforts?

Kevin Cleary (KC): One of our most exciting new sustainability initiatives is the launch of our new 275,000-square foot bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho, which is slated to open in late spring. The Clif Bar Baking Company of Twin Falls will help us meet the growing demand for our organic energy and nutrition bars. Its the first bakery weve built, and were excited to bring new jobs to a region through a business that will increase the availability of nutritious, organic food and have a low environmental footprint.

The bakery will not only be an inspiring place to workwith elegant design elements and landscapingbut will also be good for the planet focusing on zero waste, water conservation, and energy efficiency. We anticipate the bakery will receive one of the highest LEED building certifications.

Sustainable aspects of the bakery will include 100-percent energy generation from renewable resources, cutting-edge processes and packaging systems to maximize energy efficiency, heat capture technology, smart lighting systems, a cool roof for improved energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions, and organic landscaping with habitats for bees and butterflies.

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FT: What drives you and your company to push for sustainability?

KC: At Clif Bar, we gauge our success not on one, but on five bottom lines. We call them our Five Aspirations, and one of them is Sustaining the Planet. These Aspirations are at the very core of how we operate as a businessthey guide each of our decisions, and we measure ourselves annually on how we perform against each aspiration, or bottom line.

The guiding principle of our Planet Aspiration is to conserve and restore our natural resources, growing a business that works in harmony with the laws of nature. That principle helped lead us to transition to organic ingredients beginning in 2003, to commit to operating a climate neutral business, to build a headquarters that meets the highest green building standards, and to start the Clif Bar Family Foundation, whose efforts include sponsoring a Seed Matters initiative to improve the viability and availability of organic seed.

FT: What is the biggest food related issue facing our planet right now? How is your company working to solve that problem?

KC: Today, we have a food system that is facing a combination of rapid population growth, unpredictable patterns of weather, and diminishing quantity and quality of natural resources of soil and water. Instead of diversifying the agricultural tools and technologies needed to address these issues, weve over-investing our public tax dollars into a narrow portfolio of agrichemical solutions. It is an investment that will cost us dearly in the futureboth in the depletion of natural resources and public health.

Today, organic receives less than one percent of public funding for agricultural research. So, it is no wonder that less than one percent of U.S. agriculture is organic. We need to make it easier for farmers to transition to organic and we need to do a better job of setting them up for success.

For Clif Bar & Company, it starts with organic ingredients. Since 2003, weve purchased more than 637 million pounds of organic ingredients, and today, 73 percent of our all the ingredients we use are organic. To help support organic farming into the future, Clif Bar has spearheaded a five-year, US$10 million investment to create the nations first endowed chairs in organic research at five U.S. universities, funded 14 graduate fellowships in organic plant breeding and given more than US$1.5 million to support the development of organic seed.

FT: Do you have any enlightening stories to share of collaboration between your business and other businesses or organizations that have changed your business practices?

KC: We partner with many organic farmers to purchase the organic ingredients they grow for the foods we makefarmers who grow organic grains, fruits, and nuts ranging from oats to almonds to cranberries. Our growth sometimes strains the available supply of certain organic ingredients so weve been looking for innovative ways to work with our farmers to address that issue.

For example, we source fig paste from a family farm in California that grows organic and conventional figs. With our growth as a business, we told them we need an additional one million pounds of organic figs a year. They could only meet our needs if they transitioned several hundred acres from conventional to organic farmlanda transition process that would take three years.

In a unique contract for usfor its length and its goal to help a farmer transition land from conventional to organic farmingwe guaranteed the family that well buy all of their organic figs for seven years after they complete the transition of their farm acreage to organic. Thats a win for both of us, so we entered into a 10-year agreement. That agreement alone is going to increase the amount of organic fig acreage in the United States by 20 percent.

FT: What changes would you like to see from the U.S. government to support sustainability in the food system?

KC: As a country, we need to make deeper investments in the well-being of our rural communities in general and the future of organic agriculture specifically. Wed love to see:

State and federal incentives for landowners to provide long-term leases of agricultural land. Longer leases would provide stability for all forms of agriculture, but theyre especially important to organic farmers who need three years to transition to organic.

Increased financial support for farmers who want to transition to organic. Offering a one-time investment to support a transition to organic would help farmers bridge three-year transition period while avoiding a long-term, subsidy-based system.

Increased public funding for organic research and extension services, especially in plant breeding. Organic is often criticized for not providing competitive yields, but most organic farmers start at a disadvantage because they are not using seed developed for organic production systems.

FT: What was a turning point in your company and why?

KC: In 2001, Clif Bars owners, Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, turned down a US$120 million offer to sell the company. With the decision to stay independent, Gary and Kit had the chance to catalyze a new, different way of doing businessone that focused on five bottom lines, instead of just one. Our Five Aspirationssustaining our business, brands, people, community and the planetserve as our guiding principles for every decision we make whether its working to reduce our environmental footprint, giving back to the community or creating a healthy and inspiring place to work.

FT: What three things do you want your customers to know about your company?

KC: Kit Crawford, Clif Bars owner and co-Chief Visionary Officer, captured it best when she said, at Clif Bar our goal is to run a different kind of companythe kind of place wed like to work, that makes the kind of food wed like to eat, that strives for a healthier, more sustainable world, the kind of world, wed like to pass on to our children. These are the four things that we aspire to every day.

To find out more about the event, see the full list of speakers, and purchase tickets, please click HERE. Interested participants who cannot join can also sign up for the live-stream HERE.

Want to become a sponsor of the Food Tank Summit? Please contact Bernard at Bernard@foodtank.com.

Want to suggest a speaker for one of the Summits? Please click HERE.

Want to watch videos from previous Food Tank Summits? Please click HERE.

Want to volunteer for a Food Tank Summit? Contact Vanesa at Vanesa@foodtank.com.

Sponsors for this year's Food Tank Summit in Chicago include: Almond Board of California, Annies Inc., Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, Blue Apron, Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Clif Bar & Company, Driscoll's, Elevation Burger, Farmers Fridge, Food and Environment Reporting Network, Inter Press Service (IPS), Niman Ranch, and Organic Valley. More to be announced soon.

Join the discussion using #FoodTank across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Audrina Patridge is married!

The Hills alum wed professional BMX dirt bike rider Corey Bohan in front of 130 guests in Hawaii on Saturday, according to E! News.

Patridge, 31, got engaged to the Australian athlete in November 2015 when he proposed at the Summit House in Orange County, California. After proposing, Patridges family, who had reservations at the restaurant, popped out from another part of Summit House and the group celebrated with champagne.

Corey dropped to his knee and said, We have been together for many years now and I love you more than anything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you  will you marry me? the 1st Look host told PEOPLE exclusively in November. I was in shock and kind of didnt even hear him but I said yes!

The couple, who welcomed their first child  daughter Kirra Max  in June, had been dating on-and-off since 2008 before their engagement a year ago.

In June, the MTV personality revealed to Fit Pregnancy and Baby that none of her Hills cast mates  notably Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt  would be invited to the intimate wedding. We just finalized the guest list, and its about 130 people, mostly family. As far as friends go, we only invited the ones whove been there for us in the past year and who will continue to be there for us for the next 30, E! reported. So, no one from The Hills made the cut. If we were doing a really big wedding, Id invite them, but were keeping it intimate.
The New Voice of Ukraine

The use of sea surface and aerial drones to attack Russian warships in their base in Sevastopol was an unparalleled success, editor-in-chief of Censor.NET outlet Yuriy Butusov said in an interview with Radio NV on Oct. 30.
Paulina struggles to open her eyes, sees strange people in her space and raises her tiny claws in warning.

Despite the threat, it's hard not to want to cuddle the pint-sized furball and her mate Freddy, the only pygmy anteaters in the world to be kept in a zoo.

Since being rescued from animal traffickers a decade ago, when they were a year old, the pair have lived in the Huachipa Zoo in Lima, Peru.

Native to Central and South America, pygmy anteaters measure about 20 centimeters (eight inches) long -- the smallest anteaters in the world.

Also called silky anteaters, or Cyclopes didactylus, they are known as creatures of the night, wrapping their little golden-brown bodies around tropical tree branches to feed on ants.

They are much smaller than their cousins, such as the Tamandua anteaters, which can measure up to a meter long, or the giant anteater, which reaches two meters long.

They spend their entire lives in the treetops, never touching the ground.

But the destruction of the Amazon rainforest is leaving them without a home.

Because of their fragility, Paulina and Freddy are not on public display.

They are kept in a special enclosure designed to mimic their arboreal habitat.

The pair are believed to be the longest-lived pygmy anteaters in captivity.

Sometimes captured to be kept as pets, the animals typically stay alive only a short time outside their native habitat.

"There's not much information about them because they're not very visible. They are being affected by deforestation, and because of that we are losing them," said the biologist who cares for the Lima pair, Gina Ccarhuas.

- Encroaching threat -

It is difficult to estimate how many pygmy anteaters there are in the Amazon because they are so solitary and shy.

"They are vulnerable," said Ccarhuas.

"A conservation program is being launched, and a zoological training course on managing the species."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not classify the species as threatened, but warned in a 2014 report that parts of its habitat were disappearing in Brazil.

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"There is no doubt that rapid and ongoing deforestation of the Atlantic Forest is negatively affecting the northeastern population of Cyclopes didactylus," it said.

"The species cannot survive in the sugar cane plantations that are replacing the native vegetation in this area and the remaining patches of suitable habitat are increasingly fragmented."

Feeding Paulina and Freddy is a challenge for the zoo, which has had to substitute the ants they eat in the wild with a special protein-rich, probiotic milk formula.

They usually wake up around 6 pm and are active until about 4 am, Ccarhuas said.

They live in an enclosure designed to simulate the canopy of a tropical rainforest.

When daytime comes, they curl up to sleep in a small wicker basket -- VIP treatment for two star guests.
RACINE  A teen struck by gunfire was transferred by Flight For Life Saturday evening, according to Racine Police.

The Racine Police Department responded to the area of 16th Street and Grange Avenue for a report of gunshots being fired at 7:42 p.m.

One victim, identified as a male in his teens, was located and was transported to Ascension All Saints Hospital. The victim was subsequently transferred to Froedtert Hospital due to the injuries.

This investigation is ongoing and no other information was available as of Saturday night.

Racine Police investigators are interested in any additional information that anyone may have about this crime. Any witnesses, or citizens with information, are urged to call the Racine Police Department Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756 or Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330, or text 274637 (CRIMES).
The strains of Radiohead's "Everything in Its Right Place" ("Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon ") played on a loop over the sound system of Santa Monica's Loews Hotel, headquarters of the American Film Market, setting a suitably somber mood for an industry facing an uncertain future.

The traditional business model that has long fueled the independent film industry - using presales to foreign territories to secure 60-70 percent of a film's budget, backed by guaranteed ancillary revenue from the home video market - is slowing unraveling, and no one crowding the halls of the Loews knows exactly what will replace it.

"Fifteen years ago you could make a $5 million straight-to-video horror film and that was a good business," says AFM managing director Jonathan Wolf. "Now, if you go straight-to-VOD and your budget is over $1.2 million, you're going to get into trouble."

International buyers, hit by the decline, or demise, of DVD sales, are increasingly focusing on movies that can play in theaters, a shift that means they want fewer, but better, films. AFM, long dominated by the volume business - "movies by the pound," as they used to say - is becoming more and more about quality.

Read more: Why U.S. Comedy Is Falling Flat at AFM

Wolf notes that while the number of companies attending the market this year has held relatively steady, dipping around 8 percent from 2015, the number of films being screened fell by a quarter year-over-year. "There are too few good, commercial films for too many buyers," says Rudiger Boss, head of acquisitions at German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1. "In the next few years we are going to see a consolidation, both on the sales side and on the distribution end."

There were few big international deals announced at AFM this year - though Sacha Baron Cohen's English-language remake of hit Danish comedy Klown is expected to sell out, with bidding wars already underway in some territories, according to sources.

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Interestingly, there was almost more action on the domestic side, with titles picked up by U.S. distributors, including South African drama The Forgiven, starring Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana, which Saban Films nabbed for North America; Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert, which IFC will release in the U.S.; and The Vault, a supernatural heist thriller starring James Franco, which FilmRise acquired in an all-rights deal. "The biggest trend we're seeing is the market leaning more toward prebuys for the U.S. or companies buying off of footage, not just taking completed films," says Saban Films president Bill Bromiley.

But the biggest buzz at AFM this year was around China. Investment from Chinese companies such as Wanda and Tencent in U.S. films and film companies has raised hopes that the Middle Kingdom will compensate for the decline in more traditional markets. "It's hard to get over $50 million in sales for international, whatever the budget [of the film], unless you have China," says Mark Damon of Foresight Unlimited. "We have a $135 million film [the Samuel L. Jackson starrer Inversion] but China is paying half of that."

Read more: AFM: Oscars Offerings Replace Genre Movies as Indie Industry Struggles

Luke Xiang, vp and head of international for Beijing WeYing Technology, a Chinese online ticketing platform partly owned by Wanda and Tencent, says that despite the recent box-office slowdown in China, "there was still tremendous opportunity to grow. In China, the average is now one [movie] ticket per capita, while it's 3.8 in the U.S." The MPA's William Feng also notes that DVD/Blu-ray sales - a market that hardly existed in China a few years ago - are growing strongly.

Whether that growth will be enough to cure what ails the indie film business is the question that will determine the future of the industry and the future of AFM.

***

Five AFM Titles With (Extremely Early) Awards-Season Potential

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath's feminist classic could be a lock for awards-season noms - if Kirsten Dunst, who is helming in her directing debut, can pull it off and stars Dakota Fanning and Jesse Plemons bring the semi-autobiographical book to life.

Fonzo

Tailor-made as a vehicle for Tom Hardy's (long overdue) Oscar, this project from Chronicle director Josh Trank would see the Mad Max star play legendary American gangster Al Capone in the final stage of his life.

Disobedience

An adaptation of Naomi Alderman's debut novel, this lesbian love story will star Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as former lovers in London's tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community.

Wildlife

Another bold choice for an actor-turned-director, Paul Dano's first turn behind the camera will star Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan in an adaptation of the Richard Ford novel about the breakup of a marriage from the perspective of the couple's child.

Brad's Status

Comedies struggle in awards season, but the script for this dramedy is getting raves from buyers. It follows a man (Ben Stiller) who, while taking his son on a college tour, is confronted with his feelings of failure compared to his more successful school chums.
The Hollywood Reporter has released its fifth and final American Film Market daily issue, which features exclusive news of financing of Robert Pattinson's new movie, a look inside Covert Media and THR's indie director roundtable.

High Life Financing

Andrew Lauren Productions has partnered with Alcatraz Films, Pandora Film Produktion, The Apocalypse Films and Madants to produce and finance High Life, the English-language debut of acclaimed French filmmaker Claire Denis. The sci-fi thriller stars Robert Pattinson, Patricia Arquette and Mia Goth and follows convicts who trade in their jail time by agreeing to crew a dangerous mission to a black hole. British musician Stuart Staples of the band Tindersticks and frequent Denis collaborator also has come on board to pen the score.

Inside Covert Media

Thirteen months ago, Paul Hanson launched Covert Media; eight months ago they moved into their Beverly Hills offices; and now the fledgling production-finance company is heading into its inaugural AFM with several projects in tow, including a splashy Hamlet reimagining that has Star Wars standout Daisy Ridley attached to star and YA adaptation Need from a female writer-director team. Hanson talked to THR about establishing his company at this year's AFM and why A-list attachments aren't the only thing you need to sell a project anymore.

Indie Director Roundtable

The battle for control - between actor and director, director and financier, and filmmaker and subject - was in sharp focus at this year's AFM Indie Director Roundtable, which featured Ewan McGregor, John Michael McDonagh, Lone Scherfig, Maha Haj, Steven Cantor and Joshua Kriegman. In a frank, funny and free-ranging discussion, these six very different filmmakers talked fears, financing and fantasy projects.

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The battle for control - between actor and director, director and financier, and filmmaker and subject - was in sharp focus at this year's AFM Indie Director Roundtable, which included two award-winning European auteurs, two American documentarians and a pair of first-time feature directors (one of them Scottish star Ewan McGregor).

After helming An Education and The Riot Club, Denmark's Lone Scherfig is on familiar ground with British period drama Their Finest, starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy as a British film crew tasked with producing propaganda to help draw America into WWII. War on Everyone, the action-comedy starring Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Pena as corrupt cops in New Mexico, marks the U.S. debut of Irish helmer John Michael McDonagh (Calvary).

The two documentaries: Dancer from Steven Cantor, and Weiner from Josh Kriegman (who co-directed with Elyse Steinberg), explore the falls of two very different media darlings: ballet bad boy Sergei Polunin and scandal-ridden politico Anthony Weiner.

Both Ewan McGregor's American Pastoral, an adaptation of the Philip Roth novel starring McGregor, Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning, and Personal Affairs from Maha Haj, are stories of families torn by political upheaval: in Pastoral it's the radical violence of America in the 1960s, and in Personal Affairs it's the day-to-day struggles of Palestinians living in Israel.

In a frank, funny and free-ranging discussion during the Zurich Film Festival in September, these six very different filmmakers talked fears, financing and fantasy projects.

Read more: Why U.S. Comedy Is Falling Flat at AFM

What's the last great film you saw?

JOHN MICHAEL MCDONAGH You think the more films you make, the less you are enamored with cinema? That's how I feel sometimes. What was the last great one? I saw a great Spanish film the other day called The Executioner [directed by Luis Garcia Berlanga in 1963]. Pedro Almodovar had a series at the British Film Institute and he picked his favorite Spanish films. I'd never heard of it. It's really great. Kind of a Kafka-esque thing about a guy who becomes an executioner because it pays more money. They never hand down death sentences so he thinks he won't ever have to do it, but of course, what happens? A man gets sentenced to death and he has to decide: Does he go through with it or not? And it's a comedy. It is a great setup.

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STEVEN CANTOR I actually think it's been a couple of good years for film. Recently, I loved [John Carney's] Sing Street. I loved the fusion of styles: the musical, the romantic comedy, the drama. But there hasn't been one film that I thought was "the great film of the year," the Oscar movie. I think a lot of the really great films are still to come.

EWAN MCGREGOR I haven't seen a lot of films lately. The last great film was maybe Leviathan, the Russian movie [from 2014]. I think you can use the word great for that. The greatness of each shot, of the acting, and the fact that it's so many wide shots and the acting tells the story. I was very moved by it.

LONE SCHERFIG I absolutely loved The Lobster. It's so different. Visually, tonally. It is so rare to see something that genuinely comes from a different place or ends up in a different place.

Anoush Abrar

Has it become harder to produce something different in the independent film industry? How difficult was it for you guys to get your films greenlighted?

CANTOR I think in the Hollywood studio system it's gotten increasingly difficult. If you think of a few years ago, even 30 years ago, there were so many interesting films in all different genres being made, and people were going in great numbers to the cinemas and talking about movies for weeks afterward. Now films, particularly the midlevel and art house films, are much harder to make.

JOSH KRIEGMAN From a documentary perspective, the idea of getting a film greenlighted before you start sounds really luxurious. Weiner is my first feature film and it was after years of pestering him to give us access. It was really just a matter of him finally agreeing and then picking up a camera and throwing away the rest of my life for four months of shooting all day, every day and not knowing how it would come together eventually.

Were you surprised by the latest revelations, of his allegedly sexting a minor?

KRIEGMAN Yeah. Pretty shocked, actually. I mean, it is all unfolding for me as it is for everyone else; the latest stuff is really shocking and disturbing.

Maha, this also is your first film. How difficult was it to get made?

MAHA HAJ Very. I am a Palestinian, but I live in Israel. The European funds all say "Go get money from your own country," but the story is a Palestinian one and we don't have a country. So it was very difficult. It took years to get it made.

MCDONAGH What was the budget?

HAJ 1 million shekels, which is about $800,000. That's not big.

Read more: Toronto: Gemma Arterton of 'Their Finest' Says "There's a Real Place for Optimism" in Film - TIFF 2016

Ewan, why, for your directorial debut, did you pick a big period drama based on a critically acclaimed novel that was considered unfilmable? Why try to climb Everest on your first attempt?

MCGREGOR Well, I came at it from an different route. I didn't choose it so much as it presented itself as an opportunity. I was attached to play in it for maybe three years before I became the director. It was a director-less project at first, and I loved the story so much - I hadn't read Philip Roth's novel yet, I just loved the script and the story - I wanted to play [the lead, Swede Levov]. We were all cast - me, Jennifer [Connelly] and Dakota [Fanning] as the family - and in the end it was just a project that was going to disappear. I could feel it was slipping away; it wasn't going to happen. I had wanted to direct for 15, 18 years but in that time, I'd only found two ideas I really wanted to do. For the first, I got scared and gave up the opportunity to do it, and for the second one someone else was already making a similar movie. So when I though American Pastoral might disappear, I talked to my wife and she said, "You have to do it."

Anoush Abrar

Did you ask any of the directors you know for advice?

MCGREGOR Everyone gave me advice. Every Tom, Dick and Harry is a director, it seems. But first, I had no idea what to do. My first three, four weeks, I would go into the production office and just sit there. I didn't know what I was doing; I was just pretending to be working! Now I know that's the time you use to formulate your ideas, when you start dreaming your film, living it. But I got advice from one director, I know him because our kids go to the same school, and he said, "Make sure you set everything up before the actors get there. Tape on the floor, everything, so they can't f - it up." And I said, "You know that I'm an actor, right?" I did get some good advice from actors who have directed themselves and that was not to under-cover yourself. Because there is sort of an embarrassment about it: giving yourself another close-up. It's slightly embarrassing. You don't do it and then you end up in the cutting room with not enough shots of yourself.

KRIEGMAN After 15 years, did it live up to your expectations?

MCGREGOR Yes. I now know [there are] lots of things not to worry about so much. All the unknowns. I carried them on my shoulders like bricks. But the creative discussions with everybody, the designers and cinematographer and the actors - I loved it so much.

Read more: Toronto: Ewan McGregor Used Danny Boyle's Technique While Directing 'American Pastoral'

SCHERFIG It is such a good job. It is so much fun, directing. Even though it is super stressful.

MCDONAGH Yeah, good that you used the word stressful, that's the first word that occurs to me, not fun.

SCHERFIG But you can use so many of your different skills in this job. And the things you are not good at you can just find someone to do them. (Laughter.)

MCGREGOR What about the other side of it? Because the non-creative side of it is what I found difficult. The financial side of it. You talk about how difficult it is to be brave and new in cinema and that's very much what that is [about], isn't it? To have a freedom with those who are standing behind the camera, the financial people, who also feel that they are filmmakers. How do you get past certain ideas they have, a certain mentality? That's what I found stressful.

Anoush Abrar

What did you have to fight for with the financiers?

MCDONAGH Well, this is my first American film. I've done two in Ireland. My first one, The Guard, it was a 35-day shoot and it was $7 million. The American one was $9.5 million but I had four fewer days to shoot it, so I don't know where that $2.5 million went. I think it went on the catering - there seemed to be a lot of food around. I didn't really have too much interference, to be honest. The producers took a step back, the notes they gave me improved the film, and I'm not too precious about taking notes.

Steve and Josh, your documentaries are both focused on a single individual. Did you feel a special ethical responsibility exposing the lives of these people, who are both quite wounded individuals?

CANTOR In my case, it was a four-year process with Sergei, and along the way you can feel these problems coming out, in terms of his backstory, and his relationship with his parents. But even though in the film it looks like he is sliding down, it felt like there was some healing going on. And a rediscovery of his passion for dance. I was definitely digging way deeper than anyone had done before with him, but I felt the conversations were therapeutic for him, as well.

KRIEGMAN With Weiner, we had no idea, no one had any idea what was going to happen. You had this man, who had been so recently disgraced with the sexting scandal, getting back into politics. Most people counted him out, thought it was ridiculous. But then within a few weeks he's at the top of the polls, and from a filmmaking perspective we thought we might be capturing one of the more remarkable comeback stories in American politics. And then there was the second scandal and the story took a whole different turn.

Read more: Sundance: Anthony Weiner Doc Directors Deny Cutting Footage Harmful to Hillary Clinton

Ewan, you're the only actor at the table. I'd like to hear from the other directors: What do you think actors have taught you? Or do you feel, like Hitchcock said, that actors are cattle?

SCHERFIG Hitchcock said that?

MCDONAGH He said they should be treated like cattle. I think whatever difficulties I've had on my three movies, I've never had any difficulties with actors. I've felt they always want what's best.

But have they ever taught you anything? Has Brendan Gleeson (star of The Guard and Calvary) ever taught you anything?

MCDONAGH No. Nothing that springs to mind. (Laughter.)

SCHERFIG The main thing that I've learned, other that they sometimes know more about a character in a script, even a script you've written yourself, than you do, is that actors will let you know how far you can push them. And often that's farther than you think. The kind of films I do, especially where comedy is involved, it has to be a collaboration with the actors, because they often come up with ideas that are better than your own.

MCGREGOR I've never experienced that a director has told me exactly what I had to do.

Anoush Abrar

Roman Polanski (who directed McGregor in The Ghost Writer) didn't tell you exactly what to do?

MCGREGOR No he did, but a director never defines who that character is - that's our job. I think directors feel great ownership over the whole process of a film, but the truth is the actor feels great ownership over the character because it's theirs. A director can shape the arc of a character, the director moves the emotion of a scene, but who that person really is comes from the actor. The director might give a pitch, a flavor, but the actual human being, the person the character is, that is coming from the actor.

CANTOR Don't great directors know how to manipulate that? Like when Stanley Kubrick made Shelley Duvall in The Shining do 40 takes of a certain scene until she was exhausted.

MCDONAGH I'm not a fan of that kind of stuff.

Read more: Why Pre-Election Anxiety Is Hitting AFM

MCGREGOR I was discussing this with someone last night - this notion that you can exhaust the actor to the point where they are not acting anymore or something. I don't know. I think it would drive me crazy.

CANTOR You've never had a director do that with you?

MCGREGOR I've never done 40 takes of anything.

Anoush Abrar

What still scares you about directing?

MCDONAGH You have a climatic shootout and it starts raining. You've got three days to do the shootout, and if it keeps raining, you have no ending. That's scary. That something can happen during the shooting of a film that can completely derail the project.

HAJ It is my first film so I don't have a lot of experience, but the first day of shooting I was terrified. All the time I was cool, I had been dreaming about it and the night before I couldn't sleep. I was suddenly attacked by panic. Nothing I can do is right. Everything I wanted to do was ridiculous. I lost all confidence in myself.

MCGREGOR I had exactly the same experience. It was the night before the actors arrived. And that's the part of the job I know the most about; I've been working with actors all my life. I called my wife and said, "I can't do this. What the f - am I doing? What if I don't know what to say?" I was terrified that I wouldn't be of any use to them. Because I know what good direction is, as an actor. I've seen it. And I didn't know yet if I had it in me. I suppose I still don't.

KRIEGMAN I think with fiction there is the fear of not realizing the vision you have. With the kind of documentaries I am most excited about, where you are following a story in motion, there's the potential for something truly transformative or interesting to happen. But there's also the potential for nothing to happen. I think that's one of the biggest fears: that you will go down this road with these characters and nothing will materialize.

SCHERFIG But that can happen in fiction too. It has happened to me, where you are shooting for six weeks and then slowly realize the story doesn't work, the film isn't happening.

Anoush Abrar

Does it become more difficult, is there more fear, as the budgets go up?

SCHERFIG Yes. It makes sense that the bigger the budget the less influence you have because there are more people worried that their money isn't being well spent. It is just very difficult to do something creative and different under that sort of pressure.

To each of you: What's your dream project?

SCHERFIG My next project is a dream project. It's my own script, which I haven't done for a while, and it's with actors I've always wanted to work with or have loved working with before. And it is in a place I love and it's present day, which I've been wanting to do again for a while. It takes me back to Dogma, in a way. And the budget is small enough so, hopefully, no one will mess with me.

MCDONAGH I've got a script, one of my earlier scripts. As you make movies you realize your earlier scripts weren't all that good, but one has stuck with me called The Bonnot Gang. It's about anarchist bank robbers in Paris in 1911. It's a bit of the [Jean-Pierre Melville's] Le Samourai style, but with some Wild Bunch big action set pieces. But it feels like I need at least one or two more films under my belt because of the action set pieces, and the budget would be higher as well.

Read more: AFM: Oscars Offerings Replace Genre Movies as Indie Industry Struggles

CANTOR My dream is to do what you (gestures to other directors) do: have a script and have three weeks to sit in an office and think about what my film is about. In documentaries you don't get that.

MCGREGOR I think for me this was in many ways like making my second film: with amazing actors, quite a lot of money, a period piece made from a classic book. For my next project I'd like to make something small, something tiny, because those have been the films I've enjoyed most as an actor. I'd like to find out if I am a filmmaker and what kind of filmmaker I am. So I'd like to do a small-budget film with young actors and to not be in it. To go back and, like, make my first film.

HAJ I do have a dream project, and I hope it will be my second film. But the problem is it is a very political subject: It is about the occupation of Palestine in 1948. I wanted to do it as my first film but it was too big and too controversial. Maybe it will work as my second.

KRIEGMAN We are looking for our next documentary subject: for another extraordinary character in an extraordinary situation. To be witness to something extraordinary as it is happening. It's a bit like catching lightning in a bottle. But that's what drives my passion for documentary film.
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Two Somali soldiers died and five others were injured when a car bomb claimed by Islamist group al Shabaab exploded on Saturday near the parliament in the capital Mogadishu, police said. Al Shabaab has stepped up its campaign of bombings and gun assaults in Mogadishu in recent months ahead of parliamentary elections which are expected to take place within weeks. Col. Abdiqadir Hussein, a police officer, told Reuters the explosion had occurred near the parliament building, while another police officer, Major Hussein Nur, said the car bomb hit a military vehicle at a junction checkpoint. "2 soldiers died and 5 others were injured," Nur said, adding police, military and security forces were on the scene when the attack occurred. Al Shabaab, which once ruled much of Somalia, wants to topple the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and drive out African AMISOM peacekeepers made up of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African nations The group's radio station Andalus said a suicide car bomb had been driven by "a mujahid" into Sayidka junction "where a convoy of the apostate government security forces were passing." Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaabs military operations spokesman told Reuters the group had killed 17 soldiers and injured more than 30 others in the attack. The group usually gives far lower numbers of casualties on its side and much higher death tolls for the security forces. Witnesses said security forces had sealed off the area and nearby roads were blocked following the bombing. Much of Somalia has been in a state of lawlessness and chaos since the early 1990s following the toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. A central government backed by the west and AMISOM has tried to restore order and rebuild but it has struggled under relentless attacks by al Shabaab. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Alexander Smith)
After weeks of mocking the race to the White House, Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon shared a heartwarming, emotional moment during the cold open on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.

The opening sketch started as a straightforward lambasting of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -- specifically the amount of attention being paid to Clinton's email scandals -- but quickly turned into something almost magical.

Baldwin, who has been guest-starring as Trump since the start of Season 42, has faced off against McKinnon's Clinton during every opening sketch, but for SNL's last episode before the general election on Tuesday, it was clear they wanted to do something a little different.

WATCH: Alec Baldwin Skewers Donald Trump's Third Debate Performance, Pokes Fun at Brother Stephen on 'SNL'

The two appeared in split-screen, as they usually did during the debates, and after mocking Trump's connections to the FBI, Vladimir Putin and the KKK (with some genial lip locking between Trump and the Russian president), Clinton made a clear and concise list of all the things Trump's campaign has ruined for America.

"What is happening? Is the whole world insane? Donald Trump has ruined so much of what we, as Americans, hold dear," Clinton said. "Kindness, decency, Tic Tacs, Skittles, taco bowls, father-daughter dances, buses, bright red hats, the word 'great,' the color orange, [and] men."

In his response, Trump began by calling Clinton "the most corrupt person to ever run," and then slung his usual bevy of insults and accusations before stopping mid-sentence as Baldwin dropped the whole impression to deliver an apology.

WATCH: 'Saturday Night Live' Blasts Donald Trump for Sexist Comments in Leaked Audio

"I'm sorry Kate, I just hate yelling all this stuff at you like this," Baldwin said, breaking character as the cameras cut to a wide shot showing that the two were actually standing just feet apart.

"Yeah, I know, right? This whole election has been so mean," McKinnon said, walking over to join Baldwin.

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"I just feel gross all the time," he replied, before turning to the SNL audience. "I mean, don't you guys feel gross all the time about this?" The question was met with a resounding cheer of agreement.

"You know what I think would help us?" McKinnon said, taking Baldwin's hand. "Let's get out of here."

WATCH: Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump Impression Is Banned at Home by Wife Hilaria: 'We Leave Trump at 'SNL'

The show then cut to a pre-taped segment -- set to Arcade Fire's inspiring anthem "Wake Up" -- showing Baldwin and McKinnon, still decked out as their political caricatures, running through Times Square and hugging each other's supporters and making peace between random people on the street.

The two returned to the SNL stage, with their arms around each other, where a visibly emotional Baldwin spoke directly into the camera. "Now it's time to get out there and vote," he implored viewers. "None of this will have mattered if you don't vote."

"And we can't tell you who to vote for but on Tuesday we all get a chance to choose what kind of country we want to live in," a smiling McKinnon added.

Together, in unison, the pair yelled the show's traditional opening line, "And live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

WATCH: 'Saturday Night Live' Mocks Donald Trump's Performance in 'Second and Worst Ever Presidential Debate'

The episode, hosted by Benedict Cumberbatch with musical guest Solange, wraps up the show's pre-election coverage. However, depending on how the general election shapes up, it's possible that Baldwin hasn't put on the Trump wig for the last time.

For more on SNL's amazing parody's of this year's presidential race, check out the video below.

For more Entertainment Tonight videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS.

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ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's army seized a cache of weapons, including 17 anti-aircraft missiles on Sunday in the southern desert province of Adrar, the defense ministry said. With Islamic State under pressure in its Libyan stronghold of Sirte, neighboring countries Algeria, Tunisia and Mali are concerned about fighters and arms spilling across their borders. Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, ousted in 2011, kept huge stockpiles of weapons stashed across Libya. During Sunday's operation, Algeria's military recovered 17 anti-helicopter missiles, 28 grenades, 27 grenade detonators, one rocket launcher, 20 ammunition magazines and 200 bullets, the ministry said in a statement. Algeria emerged from a conflict with armed Islamists in the 1990s that left an estimated 200,000 dead. But al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and small bands of fighters allied to Islamic State have been active in remote parts. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa said on Sunday he was confident OPEC members would stick to a deal made in Algiers in September to cut output, saying the group's technical committee was working on applying the deal. "There will be no return on the Algiers agreement. Now, we are in application of this agreement. The high-level technical committee is working on it. The Algiers agreement has not been called into question," Bouterfa said, according to state news agency APS. OPEC officials met in Vienna last month to work out the details of the Algiers plan to reduce oil production, but failed to reach agreement. The High Level Committee of experts will meet again in Vienna on Nov. 25 ahead of the next meeting of OPEC ministers on Nov. 30. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; writing by Patrick Markey; editing by David Clarke)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen who was detained for more than a year and a half by the Houthi faction in Yemen has been released, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday. Wallead Yusuf Pitts Luqman was freed with assistance from Oman, Kerry said in a statement, adding that he and his aides had been focused on the case since Luqman was detained. "We also recognize this positive gesture by the Houthis," Kerry said. The Houthis, a Shiite Muslim group, and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting a civil war against ousted, but internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Luqman is the third American held by the Houthis to be released since mid-October. The government of Oman, a U.S. ally in the Gulf, mediated in each case. News reports have described Luqman as a former U.S. Marine who was abducted in April 2015 while trying to leave Yemen, where he had been teaching English. Following the release of two U.S. citizens from Yemen on Oct. 15, a woman who identified herself as Luqman's wife urged his release. "While other Americans continue to be released, Wallead is left behind. Wallead has missed too much, his children need him in their life, he needs to come home now," she wrote on Facebook. A senior State Department official said Kerry was personally involved in securing Luqman's release, working closely with Omani officials and meeting with Luqman's family a few weeks ago to update them on his efforts. Kerry called the family today to make sure they knew he was getting released, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Oman's state news agency ONA reported earlier on Sunday that an American held in Yemen, whom it did not identify, was released in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa and flown to Oman aboard an Omani royal air force jet. (Reporting by Warren Strobel; Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chris Reese)
RACINE  Multiple reports of gunshots in the area of Hamilton Avenue and Geneva Street were reported Saturday evening.

The calls came in throughout the evening after dark, according to the Racine Police Department.

As of 11 p.m. no victims had been reported and no evidence of any property damaged had yet been reported.

Racine Police investigators are interested in any additional information that anyone may have about this crime. Any witnesses, or citizens with information, are urged to call the Racine Police Department Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756 or Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330, or text 274637 (CRIMES).
American Idol Season 8 winner Kris Allen is getting into the holiday spirit with the release of his new Christmas album, Somethin' About Christmas.

Allen has written several original Christmas songs for a cool yule, including "Christmas Morning," "Just Like Snow" and the adorable ditty that questions how Santa can be at the mall and the grocery store at the same time, "Mommy, Is There More Than One Santa Claus?"

The album also features holiday favorites "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bells" (featuring The Voice alum Caroline Glaser), "Winter Wonderland" (featuring Jillian Edwards) and "Silent Night."

If that isn't enough to kick-start the Christmas mood, fans can start their shopping early with the all-new 2017 Kris Allen calendar. Proceeds will benefit the Blackbird Academy of Arts in Arkansas.

Somethin' About Christmas is now available to order on iTunes.

Allen is kicking off a holiday tour Saturday night (Nov. 5) in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Tour dates, tickets and physical copies of the record are available through his website.

Check out "Mommy, Is There More than One Santa Claus?" below:
Washington (AFP) - Estelle Liebow Schultz, who is 98, was born before her fellow countrywomen had the right to vote.

Now she has proudly cast a ballot for the candidate she hopes will make history as the first American woman elected president.

Hillary Clinton hopes to become that woman on Tuesday, breaking the ultimate glass ceiling after having become, at the Democratic nominating convention in July, the first female candidate for a major party.

Schultz was born in June 1918, two years before American women gained the vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

"To see such an accomplishment in my lifetime is momentous," said the retired teacher, who lives in the Washington suburb of Rockville, Maryland.

Having cast an early vote -- as several states permit -- she hopes to see the inauguration in January of the first woman president, following the succession of 44 men that began with George Washington in 1789.

It has been a long road, starting with the presidential campaign in 1872 of Victoria Woodhull -- who at 34 was technically a year too young to become president -- as candidate of the Equal Rights Party. History books list the vote totals won by her male rivals, but not hers.

Britain, Germany, Croatia, Norway, Chili and South Korea have women leaders; Israel, Brazil, Argentina and Pakistan have been led by women.

"We are very late compared to many other countries around the world," said Jeanne Zaino, a political scientist at Iona College in New York.

Only two women have made it onto major party presidential tickets: the Republican Sarah Palin, who was John McCain's running mate in 2008, and Geraldine Ferraro, who joined Walter Mondale on the Democratic ticket in 1984. Both lost.

Some women failed to survive the brutal primary election process, chewed up by the big parties' political machines. Others became historical footnotes in the quixotic campaigns of splinter parties.

"When you don't support women in a structural way, you have fewer women who can rise to the top, in politics and other arenas," Zaino said.

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Parliamentary or multi-party systems are more favorable to women, pushing parties to establish diverse lists of candidates, which helps women climb within a party to top leadership positions, said Robert Shapiro, a political scientist with Columbia University in New York.

Candidate Clinton has sometimes presented herself as a mother or a grandmother, but the 69-year-old has used the "woman card" sparingly, intent on being judged first for her competence and experience.

- 'Lock her up' -

At the same time, her Republican opponent Donald Trump has not hesitated to draw on stereotypes of women, describing the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state as weak and lacking stamina.

Whether out of misogyny, partisan hatred or some combination of the two, supporters of the Republican regularly break into chants of "Lock her up" whenever Trump describes her as corrupt.

"Hillary Clinton is consistently treated differently than just about any other candidate I see out there," President Barack Obama said recently during a rally in Columbus, Ohio.

Addressing himself to men in the audience, he asked them to "kind of look inside yourself and ask yourself if you're having problems" with Clinton's candidacy because she is a woman.

"How much of it is that we're just not used to it?" he asked.

"I'm proud to be a woman running for president," Clinton recently told a New York radio host. "I'd be just incredibly humbled and honored to be the first woman president...

"But I have a lot of work I want to do. And I hope that people will say, 'Hey, she's getting it done.'"

The idea of electing the nation's first woman president has generated less excitement than the election eight years ago of Obama as the first African American president.

Roughly half of Americans in a recent survey said they would have preferred that history be made by someone other than Clinton, whose popularity ratings are low.

But if she is elected, "there will be many tearful faces," Shapiro predicted.

"Before I die, by God, I want to have a woman president. Yes, it's very important," 64-year-old lawyer Moira Hahn told AFP.

It would be "wonderful," said Nancy Murphy, 58, a retired teacher, while worrying aloud: "I don't know how a lot of the nation will feel about that."

If elected, Clinton hopes to celebrate in New York's Jacob K Javits Convention Center -- a glass-enclosed building on the banks of the Hudson River.

It would be a sly wink to the "glass ceiling" she would be breaking on that momentous day.
Surprise! Audrina Patridge married her longtime boyfriend, Corey Bohan, during an intimate wedding ceremony in Hawaii on Saturday, November 5, according to E! News.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Weddings 2016: See the Photos!

The Hills alum, 31, and the professional BMX dirt bike rider, 34, tied the knot in front of approximately 100 of their closest friends and family members. The bride looked stunning in a white lace gown with a big red flower in her hair, as the groom donned a white button-down shirt, tan khaki pants and suspenders.

The happy couple, who have been together for eight years, got engaged in November 2015 while out to dinner with Patridge's family at the Summit House in Orange County, California.

PHOTOS: The Hills Stars: Then and Now

In June, Patridge and Bohan welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Kirra Max. Us Weekly exclusively announced they were expecting a baby girl in March.



"I'm not the best at surprises," the reality star told Us at the time. "I told my family while I was still in the ultrasound room! I had to send them pictures and videos instantly."



PHOTOS: Celebrity Engagement Rings of 2016

Patridge added, "Corey can't wait to teach her how to surf! We are so excited to meet her. She already has a personality kicking around in my belly."

This is the first marriage for both Patridge and Bohan. She previously dated Justin "Bobby" Brescia, Ryan Cabrera and Chris Pine.

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MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Trade ministers from Australia and Indonesia continued negotiations on Sunday to seal a trade deal between the two neighbors, despite Indonesian President Joko Widodo postponing a trip to Australia to deal with local unrest. Widodo postponed his Nov. 6 to 8 visit on Saturday after a mass protest in Jakarta on Friday that briefly turned violent as Muslim extremists pressed for the resignation of the capital's governor, a Christian they say insulted the Koran. Indonesia's president has faced criticism for failing to rein in hardline groups that had promised for weeks to bring tens of thousands onto the streets of the capital. Meanwhile, Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita continued negotiations with his counterpart Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo on Sunday for a bilateral trade agreement expected to be reached by late next year. Long-stalled discussions to secure a trade agreement resumed in March, despite the often uneasy relationship between the two neighbors. "While it is unfortunate President Widodo had to postpone his visit, Minister Lukita's decision to visit Australia at this time to discuss the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement reflects the importance of this agreement to both governments," Ciobo said in a statement. Widodo had been expected to address Australia's parliament on Monday after attending meetings with Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday. Turnbull visited Indonesia last year in the hope of smoothing over ties strained by rows over spying, the execution of Australian citizens in Indonesia and Australia's tough asylum-seeker policies. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy but is only Australia's thirteenth-largest trading partner, with two-way trade worth A$15 billion ($11.51 billion) in 2015. Australia is hoping for greater access to Indonesia for its live-cattle exports and other agricultural products. Additionally, negotiations are also expected for increased tourism and investment in Indonesia. (Reporting by Jarni Blakkarly; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Australian officials said on Sunday they were trying to confirm reports one of its nationals was kidnapped in Afghanistan, just months after another citizen was rescued after being taken at gunpoint.

"The Australian embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said in a statement.

"Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further."

Australia warns its nationals not to travel to Afghanistan, saying in its latest advisory updated in September that the "kidnapping of Westerners is a serious threat throughout Afghanistan".

"We continue to see reports terrorists are planning to kidnap Westerners, including in Kabul and surrounding districts. Aid workers, journalists, and employees of foreign companies could be kidnap targets," its says.

An Australian aid worker, Katherine Jane Wilson, believed to be aged about 60, was rescued by Afghan special forces in late August.

She had been abducted by unidentified masked gunmen from Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan in late April.

Afghanistan's capital Kabul is plagued by organised criminal gangs who stage kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreigners and wealthy locals, and sometimes handing them over to insurgent groups.
KABUL (Reuters) - An Australian working for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Afghanistan was reported kidnapped in the capital Kabul on Saturday, officials said. "The Australian Embassy in Kabul is making urgent enquiries into reports an Australian has been kidnapped in Kabul," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "Due to the nature of the incident we will not be commenting further." Afghan television station Tolo News said on Sunday the Australian woman was abducted at gunpoint in the Qala-i-Fatullah area in the center of the city. Kidnapping has long been a major problem in Afghanistan, affecting Afghans more often than foreigners, with ransom often the motive. However, there have been several abductions of foreign aid workers, including at least two Australians this year alone. Kerry Jane Wilson, who was abducted from the office of a charity in the eastern city of Jalalabad in April, was freed in August. Another Australian, working as a teacher at the American University in Kabul, was kidnapped with an American colleague in August. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
RACINE  The title of the service at St. Edward Catholic Church was Honoring our Veterans and each speaker to address the congregation Saturday morning did exactly that.

The fourth annual appreciation service, which rotates among the five churches in the West Racine Council of Churches, always takes place on the Saturday before Veterans Day to give Racine County residents an opportunity to thank veterans for their service. This years featured speaker was retired Wisconsin National Guard Brig. Gen. Dominic Cariello, retired, and the council gave Pat Adams, coordinator of the Racine County Medical Reserve Corps, an award for service to veterans and the community.

We all have a feeling about the veterans in the city of Racine and we wanted to honor them, said one of the services coordinators, Rosemary Fay, the parish administrator at First Baptist Church. Thats what this is about. Its just a time that we can invite them to come and we can honor their service.

In his speech, Cariello, the director of manufacturing and operations for the Flow instrumentation Group of Badger Meter Inc., Racine, and a board member of Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce and the United Way of Racine County, stressed the importance of honoring veterans, especially in light of their past under-appreciation for conflicts like the Vietnam and Korean wars.

If we could only go back in time and give those veterans the recognition they deserve, he said.

Veterans were honored throughout the ceremony with multiple moments of silence and each veteran was applauded as all five branches of the military and all American military conflicts were recognized in turn. Cariello gave a special salute at the end of his speech to a World War II veteran in the audience.

Thank you for putting this nation where it is today, because if you hadnt, this could be a whole different story, Cariello said.

Adams honored

Each of the four services has featured an award presented to a local person committed to service of veterans and the community. This years winner was Adams, who worked in military hospitals during the Vietnam War.

In her acceptance speech, Adams discussed the horrors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that many veterans and first responders deal with on a daily basis and the importance of empathy from other members of the community.

Walk a mile in their shoes, she said. Realize what theyve gone through and what they had to deal with on a day-to-day basis when they were in the service or in EMS services.

Added Adams, What would you do? Have that empathy to have a little patience with them.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Pat Adams was a Vietnam veteran.
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh police on Sunday arrested four suspected Islamist militants, including two linked to the slaying of a Japanese man one year ago, in a raid on their hideout in an abandoned brick kiln. The Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants threw home-made bombs, wounding three police, before they were overpowered, according to police. Guns, explosives and other weapons were found at the scene. The arrests were made some 300 km (186 miles) north of Dhaka in Rangpur district, where Kunio Hoshi, a 65-year-old agriculturalist, was killed while working on a farming project in the impoverished, mostly Muslim country. Mizanur Rahman, a police superintendent in Rangpur, told reporters that two of the men arrested, Belal Hossain and Ershad Alam, had helped train the militants who had killed Hoshi. The other men arrested, Ashraful Islam and Al Amin, were JMB activists, he said. In July, police lodged a charge sheet against eight JMB members, including ringleaders Saddam Hossain and Masud Rana, who were said to be involved in Hoshi's killing. A JMB splinter group, that has aligned with Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack in July on a restaurant in an upscale neighborhood of Dhaka that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners. Two police and five gunmen were also killed during the gunbattle at the restaurant. (Reporting By Serajul Quadir and Hasibur Rahman Bilu; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
If you primarily browse the web, work on word-processing files, and watch YouTube clips, you might not need a pricey flagship laptop. In fact, for $300 or so, you can buy a Windows 10 machine that works just fine for your needs. We've assembled a list of some of the best low-price laptops.

Will one of these computers be a good choice for editing videos? Absolutely not. But several are highly portable, with an 11-inch screen, and they have impressive battery life.

If you're looking at very low-price laptops, you might also consider a Chromebook. Those machines have advantages, too, and they are becoming more versatile now that they are starting to use Google Play Store apps.

What you get with a Windows 10 laptop is a more traditional operating system with a smaller learning curve, and the ability to use applications that aren't available for Chromebooks.

Asus VivoBook E200HA-US01

The VivoBook E200HA is a portable and affordable small laptop. Weighing in at 2.1 lbs, its a great coffee shop or travel companion for the on-the-go consumer.

While its Atom processor powers the laptop to only a fair performance rating, the machine costs just $200. And in our testing, it ran for 15 hours between charges.

The machine has a slender 32GB of storage, so users would be wise to invest in a low-profile flash drive or to use cloud services like Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Google Drive to store photos, videos, and other large files.

HP Stream 11-y010nr

The latest HP Stream 11 shares the same name with a previous model, but it has more going on under the hood. The RAM doubles to 4GB and battery life improves by a third, to more than 12 hours. The processor is faster, too.

The price is around $200. As with every machine listed here, this is a laptop for browsing the web, posting on social media, and streaming moviesdon't go trying to play video games and do 3D modeling on it.

Public service announcement: Check the model number before you buy, because there are still a few of the older models floating around. You want the new-and-improved version.

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Lenovo ThinkPad N22

If we had a "best bang for the buck" award, it might go to the Lenovo Thinkpad N22. Priced at only $170, it is the least expensive model in the Consumer Reports ratings, but it performs as well as competitors that cost twice as much.

Here's a nice bonus: This is one of the few laptops you can buy with a matte screen, which reduces glare and makes things easier when you want to work on the patio.

The speakers are a particular weakness of this laptop, so one accessory we'd recommend is a pair of headphones or an external speaker, to improve both volume and sound quality.



Dell Inspiron I3452-600BLK

The Dell Inspiron I3452-600BLK has a 14-inch screen, making it a solid choice for users who want a little bit more screen real estate to work with.

Itll run all day too, with a tested battery life of more than 12 hours. And the laptop also weighs a lot less than similarly sized models, coming in at 3.5 pounds. In terms of performance, it will handle routine tasks well.

While it lacks an optical drive for burning CDs or DVDs, this Inspiron has a built-in memory card reader for digital photography, three USB ports, and an HDMI-out for connecting to an HDTV.

Lenovo 300-17ISK 80QH008MUS

The Lenovo 300 will please consumers looking for a laptop to stream video, supplying a decent 17-inch screen for about $300. The built-in speakers really aren't bad, but anyone looking for an optimal sound experience might want to add speakers or use headphones.

Unlike other budget models, the 300 has a full-sized keyboard that's pleasant to type on, with a dedicated number pad and a well-positioned touchpad, so it's easy to reach.

This laptop has a gigabit ethernet port, letting you hardwire it to your router for uninterrupted Netflix streaming, unlike many newer laptops.







More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

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Real Time's Bill Maher finally scored a highly sought-after sit-down with President Barack Obama.

After months of campaigning on-air for Obama to visit his HBO show, Maher sat down with the president for a taped interview that aired Friday, during which the president tackled a range of topics and gave his final plea to those who are still undecided about the upcoming election.

When asked about his readiness to vacate the White House after an eight-year run, Obama reflectively answered, "It is time. This has been a great run. I've loved this job. It is a singular privilege. I think I am as good a president now as I've ever been."

Obama added, "I now see the wisdom of the founders. At a certain point, you have to let go for the democracy to work. There has to be fresh legs. You have to have the humility to recognize that you are a citizen, and you have to go back to being a citizen when this office is over."

Read more: President Obama Says a Trump Win Would Make Him "Fear for the Future of Our Country"

Maher also questioned the president about his healthcare initiative and whether or not he achieved his expectations.

"My goal in the Affordable Health Care Act was, if I could get millions of people insurance, then that's my goal," said Obama. "Because for them, this is not an abstraction. I see it as a starter home, and then the question is how to make sure everyone is getting it - there are still gaps in coverage."

The judicial system also was one of the topics Obama discussed, and he passionately described it as broken with dire need of repair.

"I don't believe the criminal justice system should be affected by the profit motive - this is the awesome power of the state that says we can take their freedom away, we can lock them up," he noted. "The notion that you might want to incentivize locking more people in or keep them in longer or not provide the kind of rehabilitation services that can get them out of there is a problem."

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Obama continued, "I'm proud of the work we've done and trying to do along those lines - we still have a lot of work to do."

Maher raised a pet issue - the legalization of marijuana - noting that "you and I could both have had our lives ruined, not by smoking it, but by getting arrested for it." Obama acknowledged a need for "a more serious conversation about how we're treating marijuana and our drug laws in general."

Read more: President Obama Defends Trump Supporter Who Heckled Him During Rally

The president also shared his concerns about the tactics of the media and how it has encouraged a climate of general distrust with consumers, telling Maher, "The question I have when it comes to the media is: How do we create a space where the truth has eyeballs? The thing I am most concerned about when I leave is the balkanization of the media, where you've got 800 stations and all these websites, and people have difficulty just sorting out what's true and what's not."

The interview wasn't complete without referencing the ongoing election and the volatile energy that has worn out the country for months.

Maher mentioned President Obama's upcoming trip to Ohio as part of his campaigning itinerary on behalf of Hillary Clinton, and he couldn't resist a dig on Donald Trump's quote about "rigged elections."

"Yeah, I know, you're off to Ohio. You've got an election to rig!" joked Maher.

Both men broke into laughter, before Obama seriously reiterated why this election can't be underestimated.

Read more: Bill Maher Pens Blistering Essay on Hillary as "Charlie Brown," Trump and Why Bernie Sanders, Socialist, Can Win

"The stakes are high; I know we are getting the gong, but I will say this - the choice in the election should be really clear," he said. "I've worked with Hillary, I know her, she cares deeply about ordinary folks, her policies are aligned with yours and mine. Anybody sitting on the sidelines or deciding to engage in a protest vote - that's a vote for Trump, and that will be badly damaging for this country, and that will be damaging for the world."

For months, Maher had waged an on-air campaign to persuade the president to appear on Real Time before leaving office. Obama (to whose 2012 re-election campaign Maher famously contributed $1 million) previously had appeared on such niche programs as Marc Maron's podcast, Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and the Zach Galifianakis-hosted talk show spoof Between Two Ferns.

And Maher's audience agreed with him, to judge from the more than 320,000 signatures collected for an online petition he launched in February to win the president over.

Check out the Real Time interview below.
UPDATE with video Ex-Saturday Night Live man  and forever Cubs fan  Bill Murray made a surprise appearance on his old show tonight, appearing with three of the World Series winners in a Weekend Update bit. Singing a barbershop quartet style version of an old ditty (Hey Chicago what do you say, the Cubs are going to win today!) Murray and Cubs Anthony Rizzo, David Ross and Dexter Fowler celebrated this weeks long-awaited victory.

The episode was hosted by Benedict Cumberbatch, with musical guest Solange, but Murray and Carvey were the sentimental favorites. Just listen to the audience reaction when Murray reveals himself among the choirboys in the video above. Sure, the bit could have been funnier, but really, who cares? Bill Murray back on SNL and the Chicago Cubs crowing about a World Series win  dont look to me for complaints.

In another unexpected visit, Dana Carvey reprised his Church Lady  inarguablyn one of SNLs all-time great characters  to pontificate against Weekend Updates Colin Jost, Anthonys Weiner, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, homosexual-filled Hollywood, Satan and various sinners. Oh, she does like one thing: Westworld. Well, isnt that special. It went like this:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YreZRQupCYk&w=605&h=340]

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Estonia, the tiny Baltic nation of 1.3 million inhabitants, has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. In response to Russian military maneuvers, including battleships in the Baltic Sea and bombers invading Estonian airspace, NATO nations, including the U.S., have sent thousands of troops, tanks and military hardware to the region. It's the West's biggest show of force since the end of the Cold War and has put many on edge.

But not Marge Liiske. "Living next to a neighbor who has been really aggressive for centuries, really being in between the East and West, makes you a bit, well, fatalistic," says Liiske, the head of industry programs at Tallinn's Black Nights Film Festival, which runs Nov. 11-27. "It hasn't changed what we do here, which is, aside from whatever politics are there, to try and connect the East with the West."

Now in its 20th year, the Tallinn festival remains an insiders tip - the fairytale-like streets of the Estonia capital and the laid-back atmosphere of Black Nights is, almost literally, a world away from the crazed bustle of Cannes and Berlin. But, by playing to its strengths as a rich, tech-savvy country with a history of accommodating bigger powers, Estonia is emerging as a nation the indie industry needs to pay attention to.

Read more: AFM Dealmaking Sags as Market Shifts

This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the Baltic Event co-production market, which runs alongside the Black Nights festival. The event specializes in introducing producers and distributors to opportunities they might have missed, exploring funding systems in lesser-known regions (Luxembourg and Ukraine are two of the countries in focus this year) and providing a platform for bodies like Eye on Films, a French-based group that supplies distribution assistance for first and second feature films; and the European Genre Forum, a joint venture between Black Nights and several European festivals, which provides training and pitching sessions for directors and producers looking to make genre films in Europe.

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Estonia itself this year introduced a new support scheme, providing a 20-30 percent tax rebate for foreign productions that shoot in the region. "Producers know about the Czech Republic, they know about Bulgaria, but most don't know anything about Estonia, about what's possible here," says Edith Sepp, CEO of Estonian Film Institute. "The tax incentives come on top of the advantages we already have," she adds, "including having everything from mountains to oceanfront to medieval cityscapes within a couple hours' drive and having one of the fastest internet systems in the world, so you can easily upload dailies into the cloud to be edited on the go from elsewhere."

The only thing missing is a soundstage, but plans are already underway to build a three-stage studio near the Tallinn city center. If all goes as planned, Tallinn Film Wonderland will be open for business by 2018. "It's the one thing holding the industry back," says Tallinn Film Wonderland CEO Liina Maria Lepik. "We know there is demand both from the local and international industries to shoot here."

Estonia itself produces around 10 films a year. This year's highlights included Kadri Kousaar's Mother, which premiered at Tribeca and is the country's foreign-language Oscar submission. Estonia got its first Oscar nomination in 2014 for Zaza Urushadze's war drama Tangerines.

Ivo Felt, who produced Tangerines, has teamed up with first-time filmmaker Tanel Toom for the most ambitious Estonian film of all time: the $2.2 million historic epic Truth and Justice, based on the five-part novel of the same name by Anton Hansen Tammsaare, which is considered the founding work of Estonian literature. Currently in production, Truth and Justice is set to be delivered in 2019 in time for Estonia's centenary celebrations. When it does, it could have its premiere at the Black Nights festival, either in finished form or as one of the many works-in-progress the event screens for international buyers.

Read more: AFM: How Hong Kong Localist Filmmakers Are Reclaiming Their Identity

This year, Tallinn will feature 26 works-in-progress from as far away as India (Rima Das' Village Rockstars) and Thailand (Anucha Boonyawatana's Malila: The Farewell Flower) and as close as neighboring Russia, with Fedor Bondarchuk's Art Pictures Studio giving buyers a sneak peek at four new titles, including Pavel Lungin's thriller Queen of Spades, teen sex comedy Good Boy from Oksana Karas, Bondarchuk's sci-fi epic Attraction and figure-skating drama Ice from Oleg Trofim.

Noting the growing political tensions along Estonia's tiny border, Tallinn festival director Tiina Lokk said she was proud to be a bridge, not a barrier, between East and West: "The festival is the place where the Americans, the Russians, the Syrians, the Lebanese, the French, Ukrainian and many others meet. I sincerely believe that art can make the world a better place, and when the politicians can't seem to find the right words and communicate with each other anymore, then art is what builds the bridges."

***

Three (Business) Reasons to Visit Tallinn

The medieval charm and snow-covered streets of the Estonian capital sell themselves, but here are a trio of excuses in case accounting questions your Black Nights expenses:

New Locations

Tallinn's co-production market has made undiscovered and untapped territories its specialty. The Black Nights event will include spotlights on tiny Luxembourg and not-so-tiny but often overlooked Ukraine. "We want to attract attention to countries that have a lot to offer but that producers might not think of when it comes to co-productions," says Liiske.

New Films

Tallinn is no Toronto, but the Black Nights festival does offer up a number of interesting art house titles for specialty distributors. This year's competition lineup includes sci-fi drama The White King, starring Olivia Williams and Jonathan Pryce; and Queen of Spades, a thriller from Lungin, winner of Cannes' best director honor for Taxi Blues.
BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / November 6, 2016 / You and your family chose a nursing home for your loved one that you thought you could trust. As it turned out the nursing home and its services were not what they were promised to be. If their employees neglected your family member and he or she was injured as a result, Boca nursing home neglect lawyer Joe Osborne may be able to help.

If a loved one is in a nursing home you should be aware of some of the signs of neglect. If it's possible visit your loved one regularly at different times of the day and different days of the week.

Look for:

Poor hygiene

The person doesn't look well cared for

Sudden weight loss

Changes in mental alertness or personality

Pressure sores on the person's back, buttocks and lower back

Osborne's nursing home abuse law firm has had cases where clients are injured in accidents and have to go into a custodial care facility such as a hospital or a nursing home.

Because of their conditions, such quadriplegia, they're unable to get up and move themselves.

Somebody needs to roll them over.

If someone is left in one position for too long they can get pressure sores, which can become ulcers and they can become deep, open wounds.

If your family member can't communicate well due to physical reasons like a stroke or isn't coherent because of dementia that's not a bar to bringing legal claims against a nursing home for neglect. There can be physical signs of neglect or abuse that can tell the person's story to a lawyer for nursing home abuse without he or she having to say a word.

If a patient is admitted to a nursing home and is malnourished because they're not being fed often enough or properly you'll see significant weight loss, which is an objective sign that something is wrong. If the person developed infected, open sores the nursing home may not be equipped to handle the situation properly and they may need to be transported to a hospital.

The firm recently looked into a case where someone was admitted to a nursing home and was seemingly not being treated adequately. She was transported to a local hospital and the intake at the local hospital really told the tale of what was truly going on. They documented open sores, bruises and a drop in weight of over twenty pounds in a short period of time.

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That conflicted with the nursing home's records, which is always a telltale sign that there's a problem. If a resident's condition is not being documented properly employees may be trying to cover up the facts that the resident is not getting proper care and is suffering as a result. In this case there was an outside source, the hospital personnel who told it like it was.

Many people think that it's only nursing assistants or maybe nurses who neglect nursing home residents and look the other way when abuse or injuries occur. As much as we want to trust doctors they may also be playing a role in nursing home abuse.

Often doctors who work at nursing homes are employed by the nursing home, which is responsible for properly monitoring and supervising their employees. They're responsible for who they allow on the premises, who interacts with their patients and who they hire.

Nursing home residents' rights to be free of neglect or abuse are different than medical malpractice committed by a doctor.

A doctor commits medical malpractice if the medical care provided he or she provides is below the standard of care that should be provided,

If a doctor doesn't properly treat a resident or is aware of health problems caused by the nursing home but fails to take action he or she may be committing medical malpractice.

Such a legal claim against the nursing home can be made in addition to allegations of neglect or abuse by other nursing home staff.

If you or a family member have any questions about nursing home neglect or abuse in the South Florida area, contact Boca Raton nursing home neglect lawyer Joe Osborne at (561) 800-4011 or fill out this online contact form. You can discuss your case, how the law may apply and your best legal options to protect your rights and obtain compensation for your loved one's injuries.

Press Contact:

Personal injury lawyer Joseph Osborne

561-800-4011

source: http://www.oa-lawfirm.com/boca-nursing-home-neglect-lawyer-outlines-signs-neglect-look/

SOURCE: Personal injury lawyer Joseph Osborne via Submit Press Release 123
At roughly 2 A.M. this morning, the first annual Ray-Ban x Boiler Room Weekender Festival at Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania was reportedly shut down by police. The three-day event was brought to a halt as officers arrested one attendee, Thump reports. Witnesses say that multiple arrests occurred during the incident. It is unclear how many attendees were arrested in total.

Footage of local police arresting a black woman in her mid-twenties at the event has surfaced online. The video shows the woman being pushed into a police car by an officer as another attendee asks for the officer's badge number, escalating the incident. The attendee who shared the video explains that her phone was taken by an employee of the Split Rock Resort as she filmed the incident and was returned to her with a shattered screen. The video, however, was left intact.

We don't have the exact details of what transpired, but for the safety of all our artists and guests we had to shutdown," a spokesperson for the event tells Pitchfork.

Watch footage of the arrest below.

This is what I know. This woman was arrested by the Pennsylvania police and asked the officer for his badge # pic.twitter.com/OFrTF2jAke  Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

The reason the video ends is because a @splitrockresort employee assaulted me and stole my phone.  Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes

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The inaugural Ray-Ban x Boiler Room Weekender stay-away music festival at the Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony, Pa., was reportedly shut down by police early Sunday morning (Nov. 6).

The event, which launched Friday, was put to a stop at around 2 a.m. Sunday after police arrested an attendee, according to Thump.

This is what I know. This woman was arrested by the Pennsylvania police and asked the officer for his badge # pic.twitter.com/OFrTF2jAke

- Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

Details about the shutdown were still developing at press time, but a festival-goer's video shows an officer arresting an African American woman. The incident reportedly escalated when another women asked the police officer's badge number. The footage allegedly came to an end after a venue employee confiscated the individual's phone and returned it to her with a crushed screen.

One person at the event contacted by Billboard said the event was under a "total lockdown" and that attendees were forced to return to their rooms.

"We don't have the exact details of what transpired, but for the safety of all our artists and guests we had to shutdown," an event spokesperson said, Pitchfork reports.

See more social media posts about the Boiler Room Weekender shutdown below.

Grabbed at, threatened and hit for filming these monsters handcuffing and parading a young black girl having a panic attack- playing with her life! She was shaking in the center lobby as everyone watched helplessly- this monster was only held back from attacking me by a young security guard that I had chatted up the night before FUCK THIS POLICE STATE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT @rayban #ittakescourage

A video posted by Angelina Dreem (@simulacraycray) on Nov 6, 2016 at 7:57am PST

She exercised her rights and asked for his badge number and his name. PA police officer responded by yelling and escalating the situation

- Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

Police continued to escalate the situation by using excessive force. Also note another POC arrested #ItTakesCourage #BRxRB

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- Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

The reason the video ends is because a @splitrockresort employee assaulted me and stole my phone.

- Sophia (@Sophia_Marsh) November 6, 2016

Cops shut down the festival and arrested a black woman then proceeded to attack people for filming them...

- SHYBOI (@yu_whoooo) November 6, 2016

this weekend is cute n all but why have so many poc on the line up and be ok with police walking around us with guns?

- ILLUMINAHTI (@BEARCAT1800) November 6, 2016

My br set is cancelled im p sure bc white supremacy. Gr8

- DJ HARAM (@djharam973) November 6, 2016
The suspect charged with the kidnapping of Kala Brown, who was found chained alive in a metal shipping container on Thursday, is due in court for a bond hearing on Sunday after confessing to the 2003 cold case murders of four people in Chesnee, South Carolina, according to several reports.

Todd Kohlhepp, 45, has been charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of four individuals at the Superbike Motorsports motorcycle shop in Chesnee, according to The Associate Press. His alleged involvement in the quadruple murder was a revelation after 13 years, as the case remained unsolved until Brown was found on Kohlhepps 95-acre property in nearby Woodruff, South Carolina, last week.

Spartanburg County Sheriffs investigative report said Kohlhepp confessed to investigators that he killed the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper working at the shop 13 years ago, according to the AP. The report stated that Kohlhepp provided details that only the killer would know about the 2003 murders, according to the AP.

In addition to the kidnapping and four murder charges, authorities said Kohlhepp  a registered sex offender  is a suspect in at least three other deaths, according to AP. He is expected to be charged in the murder of Browns boyfriend, Charles Carver, whose body was found in a shallow grave on Kohlhepps property, according to WSPA.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Prosecutors say Brown allegedly witnessed her accused captor shoot the 32-year-old Carver after her abduction, according to WSPA. The couple vanished months ago on the same day in August, but Carver had not been found until his body was recovered on Friday and identified on Saturday, according to BBC.

In a statement to PEOPLE on Friday  before Carver was positively identified  Carvers family said,  would like to begin by saying how wonderful it is Kala has been found and that she is receiving care and is back with family and friends We ask that you continue to pray for Kalas healing and for Davids safe return as well.

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RELATED VIDEO: 5 Things to Know About the Case of Woman Found Chained Up Like a Dog Months After She Vanished

Sheriff Chuck Wright said that on Saturday, Kohlhepp took law enforcement officers to the site where he allegedly buried two other victims on his property, according to AP. Kohlhepp was in handcuffs and dressed in an orange jumpsuit during the hour-long visit. Wright said it is possible more bodies will be uncovered at the former real estate agents property.

Kohlhepp previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping, according to TV station FOX Carolina.

Kohlhepps appeared in court for bond hearing was scheduled on Sunday, where his bond was denied and he remained in custody. Friends and family members of the various victims could be seen in court on Sunday. The Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office was not immediately available for comment.




Miami (AFP) - It was a screening to promote her latest film, but actress Sonia Braga could not help weighing in on the political situation in her native Brazil, just weeks after the ouster of its first woman president.

"There is a coup in Brazil, (but) it is not a military coup," Braga lamented late Friday after the screening of "Aquarius," a movie some see as a symbol of political resistance.

Latin America's biggest country has endured months of political upheaval, culminating with the removal from office in August of Dilma Rousseff on charges that she violated government budget laws.

The leftist Rousseff was replaced by her Temer, her vice president and a political rival from the center-right -- a change that makes Braga chafe.

"It is very hard for people outside of Brazil knowing exactly what's happened and (the) dimension of the danger that we are going through right now," the film star continued.

"Brazil is not the country I used to know," she continued, speaking at a cinema in Miami's Little Havana district, home to one of America's largest concentrations of Latinos.

When "Aquarius" had its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the cast and crew created a sensation by staging a red carpet protest against Rousseff being suspended from power, holding signs that read "Brazil is experiencing a coup d'etat" and other slogans.

That protest has led some to see the film as subversive, while those on the left have hailed it as an act of political courage.

Braga's childhood of poverty and want has led her to press for social progress for Brazil's least fortunate.

"I want for Brazil what I always wanted for Brazil since I was nine," she said.

"From that age I learned social problems, I learned about society. All my life I had this intuitive feeling about what is good, what's fair, what's justice, for my country, for my people and for ourselves. And what I can do best is talking out loud what I feel."

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Braga is known for her starring turn in a number of popular movies, including "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1985 and "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands," in 1976, as well as numerous television outings.

She became a soap opera sensation in her native Brazil before achieving even greater fame and fortune in Hollywood.

Still a vibrant, raven-haired beauty at 66, Braga now lives in New York, but feels a close emotional tie to the country of her birth.

With its recent sharp swerve to the right, however, "it doesn't seem like to be the country that I knew and I lived in and I loved so much," Braga said.

The actress said she was also dumbfounded over the election in Rio de Janeiro last week of a rightwing government, and is left to wonder where the political change will end.

"Right now we are in a position -- all Brazilians, I think -- where they know that something must be done to not lose something that was very hard to get: A democracy," Braga said.

"Democracy in Brazil is very young," she continued, adding that after its recent political travails, Brazil is a country "divided in two."

Free-flowing political discourse has been stifled, said Braga, decrying "positions so radical that there's no debate."

She sees "Aquarius," about a woman who defies a real estate developer's bid to push her from her home, as part of a broader bid to change that.

"This movie opens the debate about what's our country now. and what we want for the future," Braga said.
For more Saturday Night Live sketches visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS.

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in incredibly dramatic fashion on Wednesday, and three of the members of that ballclub popped up on Saturday Night Live this weekend as well.

Anthony Rizzo, David Ross and Dexter Fowler first appeared in a sketch in which they did a stripper routine for a dead grandma (Aidy Bryant). They came back later in the show during Weekend Update to perform a song with SNL alum and lifelong Cubs fan Bill Murray.

With us tonight are the winners of Weekend Updates first ever The Voice contest, SNL cast member Colin Jost said, before the quartet came on stage and introduced themselves.

Also Read: 'SNL': Watch Benedict Cumberbatch Play Awesome Riddling British Villain (Video)

When asked how it felt to be the first winners of this ersatz singing competition, Fowler called it the best thing weve ever done. After which Jost asked Murray if he used to work here or something.

I did, said Murray, who was an SNL regular in the 1970s. But that was so many lifetimes ago. Right now, for me, its all about our music.

From there, the four launched into a rousing rendition of Go Cubs Go, the 1984 Steve Goodman song that is considered to be the Cubs victory song  a song that carries new meaning now that its being sung in the wake of a World Series victory for the first time.

Also Read: Watch 'SNL' Attempt to Figure Out Why Benedict Cumberbatch Is Hot (Video)

In light of that, ah, shocking development, Rizzo, Ross, Fowler and Murray added some new lyrics to the song. As they wrapped their SNL performance, the quartet swapped The Cubs are gonna win today for The Cubs are world champs today in the chorus.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'SNL': Watch Benedict Cumberbatch Play Awesome Riddling British Villain (Video)

Watch 'SNL' Attempt to Figure Out Why Benedict Cumberbatch Is Hot (Video)

'SNL': Watch Aidy Bryant Live Best Life as a Dead Grandma with Chicago Cubs Strippers (Video)
The Chicago Cubs made their presence felt throughout SNL, celebrating their victory with some spirited dancing early in the show  more on that later  and a sing-a-long with the biggest Cubs fan out there: Bill Murray. Murray joined Anthony Rizzo, David Ross  complete with dong bump action  and smartest man alive Dexter Fowler. Fowler couldve easily been an Oriole this season and sitting at home wondering what winning looks like. It looks like a late night sing along with Bill Murray.

Its been a wonderful ride for Murray and The Cubs, capped off by the World Series victory. Or maybe capped off by this appearance on Saturday Night Live. Murray really seems to be living the dream himself, showing a lot of joy at the Cubs victory but also milking their World Series appearance for all it was worth beforehand. He even managed to storm the White House press room to discuss the Cubs, apparently signing some sort of peace treaty with Obama to make him give up on his precious White Sox.

The group sings Go Cubs Go, of course, and Anthony Rizzo seems to be enjoying himself a bit too much. David Ross is the real hero, spending the early days of his retirement appearing on one of the longest running shows on television.

(Via SNL)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has set up a 10 billion euro ($11.15 billion) investment fund to finance projects in Central and Eastern Europe, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1398.HK) said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The China-Central Eastern Europe fund will be run by Sino-CEE Financial Holdings Ltd, a company established by the bank earlier this year.

The company was formally launched by Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Riga on Saturday.

The fund is aiming to raise 50 billion euros in project finance for sectors such as infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and consumer goods, the bank said.

While targetting Central and Eastern Europe, it could extend to the rest of Europe and other regions if relevant to China-Central and Eastern Europe co-operation, it said.

The fund will be government-backed but will operate under business principles and be guided by the market, it added.

Central and Eastern Europe are part of China's modern Silk Road where Beijing is hoping to carve out new export markets for its companies as the domestic economy slows.

China's Vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan said last year that Chinese companies have already invested more than $5 billion in CEE countries.

But China's push for more investment at the gateway to the European Union comes amid growing calls in top Eurozone economy Germany to restrict Chinese investment in some sectors.

Riga is hosting a summit of leaders from 16 central and eastern European countries and China, a group dubbed '16+1' by Beijing.

China Life Insurance and Fosun Group are also involved in managing the fund, added the statement.

(This story corrects to say that the company was announced by Premier Li on Saturday, not the fund)

(Reporting by Ma Rong and Dominique Patton; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will maintain steady growth and speed up economic transformation, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Saturday, adding that the world's No. 2 economy would be able to overcome current challenges, official news agency Xinhua reported.

China is trying to rebalance its economy to adapt to slower growth both at home and abroad but policymakers are struggling to contain a range of domestic issues such as surging home prices and rising debt levels.

Li said China's moves to ensure "supply-side structural reform" while appropriately expanding aggregate demand have boosted the domestic economy, and economic restructuring and liberalization have also generated new areas of growth.

Data released last month showed China posted economic growth of 6.7 percent in the third quarter, steady from the previous quarter, as increased government spending and a property boom offset stubbornly weak exports.

China has full confidence in sustaining a "medium-high" growth rate, added Li, speaking on an official visit to Riga.

He said that China has consistently followed proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, and adopted new ways of macroeconomic regulation, reported Xinhua, while using "market-oriented and rules-based methods" to defuse risk.

Global companies are also set to benefit from opportunities afforded by the "ever more open" Chinese market, Li added.

His comments come amid growing criticism among Western investors of restricted access to the Chinese market.

(Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Chris Pine and other members of the Star Trek family joined the star-studded list of guests at the Anton Yelchin Photography Exhibits grand opening at the Other Gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Yelchin, best known for his roles in the Star Trek films and Terminator Salvation, died in June in a freak car accident at the age of 27. And now, the late actors photography will be shown until the remainder of the year, according to Access Hollywood.

The exhibit contains 40 images and all proceeds will go toward the Anton Yelchin Foundation, which seeks to empower children and filmmaking students, according to Extra.

Pine was seen at the event with co-star John Cho and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams. Other celebrities in attendance included Dakota and Elle Fanning, Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon and Nicolas Hoult, among others.

RELATED VIDEO: J.J. Abrams says Anton Yelchin wont be replaced in the next Star Trek film

He was just a good guy, said Pine during a press conference in July. He was very sweet. Hes very beautifully, authentically Anton. There was not much of a sensor on the boy.
As it turns out, no video exists of the final moments of Christine Chubbucks life. The Florida TV news reporter infamously killed herself live on-air in 1974, but, according to Antonio Campos, director of the biopic based on her story, all copies of the tape have been destroyed  despite urban legend to the contrary.

She asked them to record her, the Christine helmer told Deadlines Pete Hammond today while appearing as part of the Orchards presentation at the Contenders at the DGA Theatre. The tape supposedly had gone back and forth, changed hands between the station owners, to the police, then back to the family, who supposedly burned it. It was this urban legend that someone has this tape.

The lack of any footage of the shocking act was as it happens a benefit to Campos while making the film, which had its world premiere (and plenty of praise) at Sundance this year. Campos hadnt heard about Chubbuck before beginning work on the film and therefore was able to learn more without being prejudiced by any specific imagery or shock value. She was a fascinating character, but I didnt know about her until the script, he said. So Ive learned about her through the script, which was the best way to do it. I got to know her as a person, and not just this woman who did this crazy thing. The film is really about her as a person.

The Orchard acquired the Rebecca Hall-starring film at Sundance. Christine follows the 29-year-old reporter at a Sarasota, FL, station in the early 70s as, with ratings in the cellar, the station manager issues a mandate to deliver juicier and more exploitative stories. The mandate was firmly at odds with Chubbuck s serious brand of issue-based journalism and, as it turned out, coincided with her struggle with depression.

The film, written by Craig Shilowich, also stars Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Timothy Simons, J. Smith-Cameron and Maria Dizzia. It opened in a platform release last month and ended up with the highest per-screen average of all the newcomers. Meanwhile, the Orchard is pushing Hall for Best Actress this awards season.

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Buckner/Deadline/REX/Shutterstock (7059512fq) Guillermo Calderon Portrait Studio at Contenders presented by Deadline, Los Angeles, USA - 05 Nov 2016

Meanwhile, Neruda screenwriter Guillermo Calderon, was on hand to talk about that films depiction of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda at a critical point in his life, when the countrys right-wing government had ordered his arrest (and, likely, proscription), forcing him into hiding for nearly two years. Calderon explained how he wanted to get to the heart of Neruda as a person, not just as an icon, mentioning how they built their story  which has been described as a political fable  from some of the lesser-known details about him. Among them, his love of mystery and detective novels  which, paradoxically, he read voraciously while on the lam.

Neruda had its world premiere at Cannes and is playing AFI fest in Los Angeles. It is Chiles official foreign-language Oscar submission and will debut in the U.S. on December 16 via the Orchard. Its directed by Pablo Larrain.

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As a lifelong resident of Racine, I want to know who I'm electing to office in my community. I know Tricia Hanson. I've been reading about her work on behalf of our community for the last 20 years. I've seen her name in the paper and I've seen her with her family at countless community events over the years.

I've never heard of Tom Binger before and until he started running for office, I never saw him in our community. I looked him up and learned he's from South Dakota, went to school in Michigan and while he says he has 20 years experience as a trial attorney, eigth plus nine doesn't add up to 20. He keeps talking about his trial experience in the last two years, but nothing about trial experience for the nine before that. He doesn't have the endorsement of any police agency. From my conversations, no one knows him and he has no relationship with law enforcement here.

District attorney is an important job and I want someone I can trust. All I know about Binger is that he showed up out of nowhere and for the first time in a long time, a candidate in a Racine is running a negative and disingenuous campaign. That might be how they run things in Kenosha, but that's not Racine. We deserve better. We deserve a well known and trusted member of our community, not an opportunist. This is an easy choice. Join me in voting for Tricia Hanson.

Mike Rogers

Racine
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -- Classic Empire's victory by a neck over Not This Time in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile gives him the edge in the debate over the winter favorite for the Kentucky Derby.

The difference between the two leading 2-year-olds right now might just be from the neck up.

''He's extremely smart,'' trainer Mark Casse said when asked about Classic Empire's best attribute. ''He just walks around and just doesn't really care, and that's always nice to have in a Derby horse.''

Sent off as the 9-2 second choice, Classic Empire won for the fourth time in five career starts, with his only loss coming when he threw his rider at the start of the Hopeful Stakes last month. He beat 10 rivals in the $2 million Juvenile over 1 1/16 miles Saturday at Santa Anita.

Not This Time, who'd won his two previous starts by a combined 18 3/4 lengths and was the 5-2 favorite, did nothing Saturday to dash the enthusiasm of his rider, Robby Albarado.

''I'm still high on him,'' he said. ''I think he's an exceptional colt but there's room for improvement. I don't think we've seen the depth of him yet. He's getting better every race. This is only his fourth start, so there's a lot of room there.''

Not This Time still has a lot to learn.

''He's physically talented, looks good,'' Albarado said. ''His mind is the only thing that's behind a little bit. He doesn't really have it down to grind it out yet, which eventually it will come in time. Exceptional colt, I'm looking forward to the spring.''

Last year's Juvenile winner, Nyquist, went on to win the Kentucky Derby in May, becoming the second colt to turn the Juvenile-Derby double in the last 10 years.

Street Sense won the 2006 Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby the next year after a string of 22 horses failed to complete the double.

Ridden by Julien Leparoux and trained by Kentucky-based Mark Casse, Classic Empire ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.60 and paid $11, $5 and $3.80.

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Classic Empire has all kinds of connections to Triple Crown success. He was sired by Pioneerof the Nile, who finished second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and sired last year's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

The 2-year-old colt is owned by John Oxley, who owned Monarchos, winner of the 2001 Kentucky Derby as a 10-1 longshot.

''The winter is coming up first, but I love the spring. I love the journey up to the Triple Crown races,'' Oxley said. ''Each one will be a wonderful goal and a wonderful stop we hope. We hope the good fortune lasts.''

Not This Time returned $4.60 and $3.40, while Practical Joke was another 7 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $4.60 to show.

''All week long, Dale Romans (trainer of Not This Time) said we were going to run one-two, him and I,'' Casse said. ''I said, 'OK. I'm just glad I was one.'''

Lookin At Lee was fourth, followed by Syndergaard, Three Rules, Gormley, Klimt, Term of Art, Theory and Britain-bred Star Empire.
Hillary Clinton

The Hillary Clinton campaign announced Saturday that the candidate and its top surrogates would deploy in the campaign's final days to Michigan, showing signs of concern amid polls that have shown Republican nominee Donald Trump gaining in the traditionally blue state.

Former President Bill Clinton was set to campaign in Lansing on Sunday, while President Barack Obama will head to Ann Arbor on Monday.

And the Democratic nominee herself will make a swing through the state later Monday in Grand Rapids amid a furious cross-country push in the final hours. She has spent only four days in Michigan since July's Democratic National Convention, far below other swing states like Florida and North Carolina.

"The numbers there have tightened," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters Saturday. But he also said the campaign's strategy is to rally supporters at the right time in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, none of which feature early voting.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS.

Michigan, part of the Democratic "blue wall," has not voted for a Republican candidate since 1988, and Obama won the state in both 2008 and 2012 in comfortable fashion with at least 54% of the vote. But polls there have tightened, along with other battleground states, in recent days. The RealClearPolitics average of surveys in the state gives Clinton a 4-point lead.

On the other side, meanwhile, Trump is set to make a swing through Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Sunday evening. And he will close out his campaign with an 11 p.m. Monday evening rally in Grand Rapids.

Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence has visited Michigan each of the last three days, and he plans to do so two more times Monday, according to the Trump campaign's schedule.

"Its truly remarkable the Clinton campaign is burning their final chip with President Obama by sending him into a state long viewed as deep blue, and this is yet another indication of how strong this movement is boosting Mr. Trump," Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller told Business Insider.

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The Great Lake State has been a thorn in Clinton's side throughout the campaign, as she lost it in shocking fashion to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary. The state's higher percentage of white, working-class voters fits with Trump's base of support, seen in other Midwestern states like Iowa and Ohio.

Capturing Michigan's 16 electoral votes could open more paths for Trump, who has seen mixed results in swing-state early voting, so far. One top political analyst in the battleground state of Nevada, for example, said Saturday that Trump would need a "miracle" to win the state based on the early-voting numbers.

After the Monday swing through Michigan, Clinton will end her campaign with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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james comey

Hillary Clinton's campaign responded Sunday to FBI Director James Comey's letter saying a review of new emails pertinent to its investigation into her private server did not reveal new information that would change its initial recommendation against prosecution.

Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters aboard Clinton's plane that the campaign was pleased, but not surprised, by Comey's announcement.

"We have seen Director Comey's latest letter to the Hill. We are glad to see that he found, as we were confident he would, that he has confirmed the conclusions he reached in July, and we're glad the matter is resolved," Palmieri said.

Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon echoed Palmieri's response, noting that the campaign was "always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited."

"Now Director Comey has confirmed it," Fallon wrote on Twitter.

In his letter on Sunday, Comey told Congress that investigators worked "around the clock" over the past week to sift through the emails, which were reportedly discovered on a computer used by Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her estranged husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner. He is under investigation for allegedly sending explicit texts to a minor.

"Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton," Comey wrote in a the letter.

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Hillary Clinton

A spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's campaign said Sunday that if Wikileaks were to publish a bombshell email in the final two days of the election, it would likely not be authentic.

Friends, please remember that if you see a whopper of a Wikileaks in next two days - its probably a fake, tweeted Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director for the Clinton campaign.

For the past several weeks, WikiLeaks has published emails obtained from a hack on campaign chairman John Podestas personal account. Many messages published have included exchanges that have caused headaches for the Clinton campaign.

The Clinton campaign has repeatedly declined to say whether any of the emails are authentic, but most reporters and political analysts have reported on them as such.

Representatives for the Clinton campaign have, instead, only said the emails were likely the result of Russia trying to use hackers to interfere with the election. The US intelligence community has publicly accused Russia of hacks on Democratic Party organizations.

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Washington (AFP) - On taxes, public spending and protectionism the two candidates for the White House are diametrically opposed: Hillary Clinton represents continuity while Donald Trump seduces or frightens with his radical proposals.

But while many economists are alarmed by the threat Trump poses to American prosperity, there is no shortage of small business owners and investors who believe the Republican candidate's plans would benefit the economy.

With polls showing the candidates are neck-and-neck just days before Tuesday's election, the race could be summed up as "Wall Street is pro-Clinton, Main Street is pro-Trump," said Steve Odland, of the Committee for Economic Development, a non-partisan, business-led economic policy group.

But even Wall Street is somewhat ambivalent. A survey conducted by the CNBC network last week with 50 economists and Wall Street participants showed 82 percent think Clinton will win, but 46 percent feel Trump would be better for the economy, compared to 39 percent favoring Clinton.

Another survey conducted in October by the Pepperdine/Graziadio Business School in Los Angeles with 1,353 small businesses across the country, shows a majority of employers prefer Trump due to his positions on health insurance (55 percent to 45 percent for Clinton), as well as on taxes (66 percent to 34 percent) and trade (55 percent to 45 percent).

- Deficit and deregulation -

Trump's economic plan aims to revive economic activity through deregulation. He promises to achieve 3.5-4 percent growth -- compared to 1.8 percent projected for 2016 -- by cutting the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent, and lowering the income tax rate for wealthy taxpayers -- the highest bracket would drop to 33 percent from 39.6 percent. The impact would be a sharp increase in the budget deficit.

Trump also has promised to renegotiate US trade agreements, repeal the "Obamacare" health insurance program, and erect a wall on the US-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration.

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In contrast, Clinton would mostly stick to President Barack Obama's economic path.

The Democratic candidate's plan includes raising taxes of the richest taxpayers, increasing the federal minimum wage, providing free local universities for the less affluent, and reforming Obamacare. Her plan also would widen the deficit but to a lesser extent.

Trump is worrying the academic world: no less than 370 economists, including several Nobel Prize winners, signed an open letter in the Wall Street Journal appealing to voters to "choose another candidate", saying Trump spreads disinformation and "promotes magical thinking."

"Donald Trump is a dangerous, destructive choice for the country. He misinforms the electorate, degrades trust in public institutions with conspiracy theories, and promotes willful delusion over engagement with reality," the letter said.

Even the International Monetary Fund is alarmed by the specter of growing protectionism, from Trump to Britain's vote to pull out of the European Union, which it says is a threat to global growth.

- Real estate mogul's patter -

Odland said Trump's style attracts some in the business world because he speaks to voters in the familiar blunt patter of a real estate developer negotiating a deal.

"We in the retail industry have to negotiate all the time with commercial real estate developers. They are bombastic, they are emotional, they come at things in a way that frankly sounds crazy," Odland said.

"He's approaching geopolitics in the same way. Is it right? Well it's unconventional. His supporters say, 'Well, maybe it will end up to be a better deal for us,' and that's why they are willing to make the bet."

Analysts at Capital Economics said that Trump's pitch might be exaggerated.

"A Trump victory might not result in the radical changes that many fear. He would probably soften his rhetoric on trade policy once in the Oval Office and would struggle to push his plans for fiscal policy through Congress."

But in the immediate aftermath of the election, a Trump victory, or worse a disputed vote, will send Wall Street lower.

Analysts estimate a Trump win would send the broad S&P 500 index below the 2,000 level, about 5 percent lower than the week before the vote. That is what the index did on June 27, the day markets were shocked by the Brexit vote. But it was not long before the index rebounded.
Hillary Clinton's odds of winning the presidency spiked on Betfair on Sunday after the FBI announced that it had reviewed newly discovered emails and cleared her again.

On British betting market Betfair, Clinton's odds of victory had tanked after the FBI reactivated its investigation. By the end of last week, with polls tightening, Clinton's odds had dropped to about 70%.

Over the past two days, however, as news of early voting in Nevada led some to conclude that Clinton would carry the state, Clinton's odds began to rise again. And Sunday afternoon, after the FBI announcement, they spiked over 80% again.

Here's the latest chart from Betfair:

Betfair Clinton odds

Clinton's odds have also recovered this weekend on another betting market, PredictWise, and now stand at 87%.

Clinton odds PredictWise

The latest poll averages, meanwhile, remain modestly in Clinton's favor, as do the odds of statisticians like FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver.

The polls

In the latest national poll average from RealClearPolitics, Clinton has a 1.8-point lead in the two-way race:

RCP poll average Clinton Trump

The analysts

The data-based political analysts generally agree that Clinton is ahead.

Using a state-by-state poll average, for example, FiveThirtyEight's Silver estimates that Hillary Clinton's odds of winning are now about 65%. These odds have dropped from about 85% before the FBI announced that it was reactivating the email investigation. (Poll averages are obviously lagging indicators and take time to reflect new news.)

Nate Silver election odds

How to read polls

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A newlywed says she was waiting for her husband to come home not knowing he was shot near their home in North Philadelphia. He died hours later, and now, more than a year later, his widow is asking for help to find his killer.
On November 6, 1860, voters in the United States went to the polls in an election that ended with Abraham Lincoln as President, in an act that led to the Civil War. But Lincolns actual victory didnt happen on that day, and his victory wasnt assured for months.

Lincoln was the candidate of the newly created Republican Party, which officially wanted to limit the expansion of slavery. The rival Democrats had split into two factions, with Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge running against Lincoln, and another new party, the Constitutional Union Party, also fielding a candidate.

Lincoln was home in Springfield, Illinois, awaiting news of the national vote. He needed a majority of votes in the Electoral College to win the election. It was assumed he would have the most popular votes, because of the GOPs strength in the North and West, but he was also assured of not having a majority of the popular vote.

Based on warnings from southern states, it was expected that at least seven states would take steps to leave the Union if and when Lincoln was elected, and well before he was inaugurated as President in March 1861

On the New York Times Disunion blog, there is a detailed depiction from Jamie Malanowski of the scene in Springfield as news of the national votes rolled in.

Lincoln and his team huddled in a telegraph office waiting for the key results from New York and Pennsylvania.

The advisers paced the floorboards, jumping at every eruption of the rapid clacking of Morses machine, while the nominee parked on the couch, seemingly at ease with either outcome awaiting him, said Malanowski.

Shortly before 2 a.m., Lincolns election was confirmed in a telegram from New York. As the wild public celebrations started, Lincoln calmly walked home, told his wife hed won the election, and he turned in for the evening.

As the votes were counted, Lincoln had about 40 percent of the popular vote and 180 electoral votes, compared with 133 for his opponents combined.

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But the southern secession threats cast a pall over the upcoming Electoral College voting process: What if the southern states refused to take part in the Electoral College? Or what if a unified front to avoid secession could convince enough faithless electors to switch sides to derail the election?

Lincoln expert Howard Holzer detailed that problem in an essay for the Gilder Lehrman Institute.

Lincoln and his inner circle worried that Democratic electors might yet unify around a single candidateor worse, that Republicans, worried about secession, might themselves look for alternatives to Lincoln, Holzer said. In fact, several New York Republicans did suggest dumping Lincoln in order to save the Union.

And what if the southern states boycotted the Electoral College?

If these states did not participate in the traditional process, could the Electoral College proceed? What would constitute a quorum? No one, least of all Lincoln, knew the answers to these vexing questions, said Holzer.

In the end, the southern states did take part in the Electoral College process, and the Lincolns election was certified in Congress in February, 1861. But there was an extra military presence on Capitol Hill.

By the time Lincoln became President in March 1861, replacing the ineffective James Buchanan, seven southern states had left the Union  all before Lincolns election was certified on February 15, 1861 in Congress.

And there was one vote Lincoln didnt get on November 6th: his own. In a public display, Lincoln cut his own names out of the paper ballot he cast at a Springfield polling place that afternoon.

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Greg Kwiat, a partner in the jewelry company Kwiat (kwiat.com), describes Ashoka-cut diamonds as having a fiery brilliance unlike any other diamond. The New Yorkbased diamond house William Goldberg (williamgoldberg.com) patented the cut in 1999, naming it after an Indian monarch who converted to Buddhism in the third century BC. Its a modified rectangular cut with an intricate line of facets on the top and bottom. Kwiat has partnered with William Goldberg to produce a new collection of rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces that feature Ashoka-cut diamonds. The pieces include the 10-carat and 4-carat rings shown here (price upon request). Each is also set with pave diamonds.

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A deadly blast that hit a residential building in the Russian city of Ivanovo on the morning of Sunday, November 6, killed at least five people, according to Russias Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Videos shared by the ministry showed rescue workers at the scene, and aerial footage of the blast site. Credit: Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations
Madrid (AFP) - Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has called on Cristiano Ronaldo to follow in his footsteps by retiring at the Santiago Bernabeu with the Portuguese the latest Real star set to sign a bumper new contract.

Widespread Spanish media reports on Sunday said Ronaldo will follow Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in signing a deal tying him to the European champions until 2021, by which time he would be 36.

"What he has to do is finish his career here," said Zidane despite another off-colour display by Ronaldo in Sunday's 3-0 win over Leganes.

"Cristiano is unique for what he has done and what he is going."

Zidane retired in 2006 after five years with Madrid.

"It is his dream to end his career here. I am happy that he can renew (his contract) and finish with this white shirt like I did a long time ago."

Ronaldo is by a distance Real's top-scorer of all-time having smashed 371 goals in 360 games.

However, he has now gone five games without scoring at the Bernabeu -- his longest drought since joining Real from Manchester United seven years ago.

"There is nothing wrong, he is not worried," insisted Zidane.

"He looks good, he is motivated, he likes to scores goals and even more so in this stadium, but he is calm."
New Delhi (AFP) - Schools in the Indian capital will be closed for the next three days, the Delhi state government said Sunday, as the city struggles with one of the worst spells of air pollution in recent years.

"Emergency measures are needed to solve this problem together," state chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

"All construction and demolition in the city will be banned for next five days. All schools will be closed for the next three days in Delhi," he added.

Thick smog has blanketed the capital for days, with local and central authorities meeting to resolve the crisis.

Kejriwal, who chaired an emergency meeting of the state cabinet, advised people to stay indoors as much as possible and work from home if they could.

Other measures announced by the government include fighting fires at landfill sites, sprinkling water on main roads to suppress dust and shutting down a power plant.

The chief minister, who on Saturday compared the state to a "gas chamber," has blamed crop-burning by farmers in neighbouring states for the smog.

Most of Delhi's neighbouring states are largely dependent on agriculture, with farmers resorting to crop-stubble burning before each sowing season, which worsens air pollution over Delhi and its satellite towns.

"One can't expect relief (from pollution) over the next few days as more crop burning will happen in the next few days," Kejriwal said Sunday.

India's environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, who met with the state leadership on Saturday, is expected to discuss a solution to the crop burning issue with leaders of neighbouring states this week.

Around 250-300 people, including many parents with their children, gathered around Jantar Mantar, New Delhi's major site for protests, on Sunday morning.

Most of the Delhi locals came wearing pollution masks and held placards urging the people and the government to do more to tackle pollution in the city.

Story continues

Other placards urged farmers to stop the crop-burning.

New Delhi's air quality has steadily worsened over the years, a result of rapid urbanisation that brings pollution from diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and industrial emissions.

It also suffers from atmospheric dust and pollution from open fires lit by the urban poor to keep warm in winter or to cook food.

The chief minister warned restrictions that took around a million cars off the roads for 15 days in a bid to improve air quality earlier this year could again be implemented.

The 'odd-even' plan restricts cars to alternate days according to their number plates.

However, the restrictions have been criticised since the capital's creaking public transport infrastructure struggles to take the pressure off private vehicles.

The reading for pollutants in the atmosphere recently breached the 1,000 microgram mark for the first time in one neighbourhood in south Delhi -- 10 times the World Health Organisations recommended level.
Diego Sanchez welcomed former Bellator MMA lightweight contender Marcin Held to the Octagon on Saturday in the UFC Mexico City co-main event by handing him a loss in his promotional debut.

Held had success early by pressuring Sanchez and landing strikes. He looked comfortable on his feet, even partially landing a cartwheel kick at one point in the opening round.

Held's striking forced Sanchez to look to get the fight to the ground. When he did, Held locked on a standing guillotine choke. Sanchez climbed the cage and tossed Held to the side in order to escape the submission attempt.

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In the second frame, Held's game plan changed to wanting to grapple with Sanchez. It would ultimately be a bad decision. Held rolled for a leg lock and Sanchez gained top position and kept it for the duration of the round.

In the final frame, Held looked exhausted. He shot in for a takedown and ended up on the bottom again. He rolled for several submission attempts, but Sanchez defended each one. With seconds left in the round, Sanchez postured up and delivered a flurry of strikes. At the end of fifteen minutes, the judges scored Sanchez the winner by unanimous decision.

It feels good. I'm my worst critic, so I always want to give a better performance than I did, said Sanchez following the win.

Sanchez, who has fought as a middleweight, welterweight, lightweight and featherweight, said that the 155-pound division was his home. The Nightmare plans to make another run at the lightweight title.

I was very confident, he said. We're going to make a run for it (the title).

The fight was Sanchez' 25th Octagon appearance. He doesn't care who he faces next, but plans to keep on winning.

Whoever the matchmaker tells me to fight is who I'm going to fight, he said.

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In a pitch to suspend the nations Syrian refugee program, Donald Trump said Minnesotans have suffered enough from accepting Somali immigrants into their state.

Here in Minnesota you have seen firsthand the problems caused with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state, without your knowledge, without your support or approval, Trump said at a Minneapolis rally Sunday afternoon.

He said his administration would suspend the Syrian refugee program and not resettle refugees anywhere in the United States without support from the communities, while Hillary Clintons plan will import generations of terrorism, extremism and radicalism into your schools and throughout your communities.

Read More: The Syrians Next Door

Youve suffered enough in Minnesota, he said.

Minnesota is home to nearly one in three Somalis in the United States, according to 2010 American Community Survey data.

Trumps Minnesota rally came within hours of the FBI announcing its review of newly discovered Clinton emails did not change its original conclusion to not recommend criminal charges. Trump did not address the FBIs new statement.
Secret Service hustled Donald Trump off stage briefly at a Saturday night rally in Reno, Nevada after a man who had held up a sign that read Republicans Against Trump was attacked by rally attendees and someone in the crowd yelled gun.

No gun was found and no charges were filed against the longtime Republican who held up the sign, CNN reported.

Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted gun. Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject, the Secret Service said in a statement, as reported by NBC News. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found, the statement said.

A man was removed who appeared to be handcuffed; he was released and told reporters hes a lifelong Republican and had held up a sign that read Republicans Against Trump.

No charges were filed against sign-holder Austyn Crites, CNN reported, citing a law enforcement official. Crites told the local NBC affiliate station that when he pulled out the sign people began to jeer him and grab at the sign.

Trump saw the commotion and was seen on national news outlets asking Crites if he was from Hillary Clintons campaign.

When I pulled out the sign, people around me were trying to grab the sign, Crites told KRNV. And so all that was occurring was booing, of course; thats what you would expect.

All of a sudden, because they couldnt grab the sign, or whatever happened, bam, I get tackled by all these people who were just, like, kicking me and grabbing me in the crotch and just, just beating the crap out of me. And somebody yells something about a gun, and so thats when things really got out of hand, he said, thanking law enforcement for jumping in quickly, and telling reporters he believes he would have been killed by the crowd had officers not intervened.

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Trump returned minutes later, saying, Nobody said it was gonna be easy for us, but we will never be stopped, and thanking the Secret Service. Meanwhile, his son Donald Jr. and his social media honcho Dan Scavino tweeted that the candidate had just survived an assassination attempt.

Crites later said, in a Facebook post that he has no connection to Clintons campaign, but did vote for her because, though I do not agree with many of Hillarys policies, we cannot allow a fascist/dictator to take our beloved freedoms to simply boost his ego and get back at anyone who disagrees. Take what happened to me tonight as a classic example of dictator incitement of violence  against your own Republican brother with a stupid sign.

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PERTH (Reuters) - South Africa's JP Duminy and Dean Elgar both scored centuries in a third-wicket partnership of 250 to drive the tourists to a 388-run lead over Australia at the end of the third day of the first test on Saturday. Australia removed both centurions around the tea break, as well as Temba Bavuma and captain Faf du Plessis in the last hour, but by then the damage had been done and the Proteas will go into day four on 390 for six. Quinton de Kock, who was dropped by Adam Voges on one, was at the crease unbeaten on 16 at the end of a long, hot day at the WACA, along with Vernon Philander, who had made 23 not out. South African paceman Dale Steyn was ruled out of the rest of the series with a fractured shoulder on Friday and will play no further part in the match, reducing the number of wickets Australia need to take. Steyn was a member of the Proteas team that chased down 414 to beat Australia at the WACA in 2008 but it was a debutant Duminy who scored the three runs off Mitchell Johnson that got the South Africans over the line. Now 32, Duminy looks to have played a key role in another Perth triumph after his brilliant 141 rammed home South Africa's advantage after they had skittled Australia for 244 in reply to their 242 on Friday. Duminy faced 225 balls and hit 20 of them for fours with another going for six, overhauling partner Elgar before lunch and reaching his fifth test century with two runs to deep cover soon after the break. NERVOUS NINETIES It was his first century in two years and his third against Australia, just reward for a masterclass of calm control and shot-making. The end came just as it looked like the pair of left-handers would bat through to tea, Peter Siddle benefiting from a DRS review when the technology revealed a nick off the bat that carried through to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. Elgar did not have such a good experience on his previous visit to the WACA, having got a pair when he made his test debut at the ground in 2012, albeit on the winning team. Dogged and determined where Duminy was fluent, the 29-year-old reached his fifth test century half an hour before tea after a prolonged spell in the "nervous nineties". His career-best 127 came off 316 balls and he had hit 17 fours and one six when Josh Hazlewood finally winkled him out after tea when he offered a tired shot and got an edge which Mitchell Starc took at gully. Starc should have caught Elgar on 81 when the batsman skied the ball to mid-off but he lost the ball in the Perth sun, tripped himself over trying to readjust his position and spilled it on the turf, to the despair of bowler Nathan Lyon. The left-arm paceman also accounted for Du Plessis (32), a fine edge taken behind by Nevill, while Hazlewood had Bavuma well caught by Usman Khawaja at deep square leg for eight but the collapse Australia needed never materialised. After Perth, the series continues in Hobart before concluding with a day-night test at Adelaide Oval. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)
Riga (AFP) - China on Sunday announced a 10 billion euro ($11 bln) investment fund aimed at drumming up business between the Asian giant and central and eastern Europe.

The move came as Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang met 16 counterparts from across central and eastern Europe in Lativa's capital Riga at a weekend summit focused mainly on developing trade.

China's Xinhua news agency reported Sunday that the new China-Central and East European fund will be run by the Sino-CEEF Holdings Ltd.

The company formally launched on Saturday in Riga by the Chinese prime minister is owned by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest lender.

Xinhua quoted Sino-CEEF Holding chief Jiang Jianqing as saying that the investment fund was expected to reach 10 billion euros.

He added that it would focus on developing infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing and mass consumption industries in the region, including EU and eurozone members.

"China has signed MOUs (memorandum of understanding) with Poland and the Czech Republic on making financial contributions" to the fund, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told counterparts in Riga, but did not reveal any sums.

Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said that his small eurozone country had also decided to participate in the fund, though no details of the size of contributions were given.

The new fund is part of Beijing's much vaunted efforts of establishing land and sea links for European trade, known as the "Belt and Road" policy.

Chinese activity in central and eastern Europe is rooted in the "16+1 Forum" for cooperation between 16 ex-communist eastern European states and China, launched in 2012 in Warsaw, Poland.

At the time, Beijing vowed to commit a total of $10.5 billion in credit lines and funds to boost economic ties with the region, but analysts say the capital injections have been slow to materialise.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla was on his way to Iran on Sunday to try to strike new oil deals, sources close to his delegation said at Cairo airport, after Saudi Arabia suspended its oil agreement last month.

After that suspension, Egypt voted in favour of a Russian-backed U.N. resolution on Syria in October that excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo, which Saudi Arabia strongly opposed.

Saudi Arabia has showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid since 2013, when President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted elected Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and banned the Islamist movement, which Riyadh opposes.

The Saudi deal was for 700,000 tonnes of oil products a month for five years under a $23 billion (18.38 billion pounds) deal between Saudi Aramco and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) to be paid off over 15 years.

Molla is set to meet several senior Iranian officials to discuss the possibility of securing oil supplies from Tehran, one source, who accompanied Molla to the airport, said.

His visit to Iran, Saudi Arabia's main regional rival, may signal a further rift between Egypt and its top benefactor.

Molla said last month it was unclear when the Saudi oil deliveries would resume and Saudi Arabia has provided no reason for their suspension.

Egypt has since worked to secure new energy sources, signing a memorandum of understanding last week with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR for up to 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The EGPC last week signed a farm-out agreement with Kuwait Energy Plc giving Egypt's state oil buyer a 20-percent participating interest in its Siba field in Iraq.

Egypt and Iran have had strained diplomatic ties since the late 1970s and an Egyptian official visiting Tehran is a rarity.

(Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Ahmed Aboulenein and Louise Ireland)
Sofia (AFP) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Bokyo Borisov suffered an embarrassing setback in the first round of presidential elections Sunday, with exit polls suggesting his candidate fell short of the top spot.

Tsetska Tsacheva won 22.5-23.5 percent of the vote, behind first-placed Rumen Radev. on 24.8-26.7 percent, the candidate of the opposition Socialists seen as more sympathetic to Russia.

The result, if confirmed, sets up a tight runoff contest on November 13 between Tsacheva, 58, who is speaker of parliament, and former air force commander and ace MiG pilot Radev, 53.

Borisov, 57, had said before the election that if Tsacheva failed to come first in the first round, he would call early elections.

This could plunge the EU's poorest and arguably most corrupt country -- the average monthly salary is just 480 euros ($535) -- into renewed political turmoil.
With cybersecurity researchers raising the specter of a cyber attack on Election Day, state and local officials are doubling down on a different message: no matter what, the final vote will be legitimate.

If theres one message we want be heard loud and clear, its that these elections will be fair, Denise Merrill, the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and the Secretary of State of Connecticut, told TIME. It might take longer to count every vote, there might be more hurdles, but itll be fair.

In the event that hackers attack voting systems, state and local officials have paper-based back-up plans in place, she said.

In the event that hackers shut down larger targets, like parts of the power grid, government buildings, electrical facilities, water systems, street lights, dams or bridges, all of which are now connected to the internet, state and local election officials can implement other contingency plans, election officials told TIME.

While each states laws are a little different, all have legislation that allows an officiala governor, state Secretary of State, or local election clerkto move, extend, or postpone voting in case of emergency.

In Ohio, for example, there is no statewide emergency plan, but all 88 county boards of elections have the power to switch to paper ballots or relocate polling places. In Pennsylvania, county boards can also move polling places and common pleas judges can suspend and delay voting in cases of natural disaster or emergency.

In New York, if less than 25% of registered voters in a given town or region are able to vote due to any kind of emergency, a county board of elections or the Secretary of State can postpone the election for another date within 20 days. The state used that option in New York City after the terrorist attacks on September 11 disrupted a primary election.

Terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have also threatened violence on Election Day, causing three states to take extra security precautions. New York City, which will host election night events by both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at venues just a couple miles apart, will have a heightened police and security presence.

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Idan Udi Edry, the CEO at Nation-E, which works on securing large and small scale infrastructure projects, told TIME theres reason to believe hackers are eyeing a bigger attack on U.S. critical infrastructure, including the U.S. power grid. Such an attack, he added, would be unbelievably destructive, take weeks to fix, and cause a great deal of chaos on and after Election Day.

Jonathan Butts, a retired Air Force officer and founder of the cybersecurity firm QED Secure Solutions, confirmed that the possibility of such an attack is real, in part because large infrastructure projects are not well secured. Its definitely true that someone could create a lot of harm, financial harm and harm to national security, with relatively little technical ability, he told TIME. You could shut down a building, open a draw bridge for train, shut a draw bridge for boats, things of that nature.

For now, several cybersecurity researchers said the most likely type of attack on Election Day this year is relatively superficial: an effort designed to peddle misinformation or undermine the legitimacy of the election results in the public eye.

For example, hackers could fairly easily undermine a Secretary of States website, where a states voter tallies are reported, a media outlets website or a reporters Twitter feed, in order to push false information about a candidate or early election results. Hackers could also plant misleading information about a candidate on Election Day morning, allowing rumors to spread before media outlets and officials could fact-check and dismiss false claims.

Such an attack wouldnt necessary rig the election in the traditional sense, but it would sow the seeds of uncertainty. The same is true of attacks on voter-registration data bases or other government websites. Earlier this year, hackers breached databases in Arizona and Illinois.

Neither voter databases nor state websites play any role in tabulating or transmitting ballot information on Election Day, and all 50 states, in addition to Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam, keep back-up paper print outs of voter rolls. No state uses voting machines that are connected to the internet, and nearly every county tabulates and transmits voter tallies by hand, using thumb drives or paper print-outs. As a result, even if hackers succeeded in compromising a single precinct or county, it would be very difficult to tamper with the final results of an election, said Merle King, the executive director for the Center for Election Systems at Kennesaw State University.

The federal Department of Homeland Security has already run cyber hygiene scans and vulnerability assessments on the elections systems in 46 states, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State. DHS is also encouraging state and local election officials to report incidents of suspected hacking, so they can share suspicious IP addresses or tactics in the days before Election Day.

Merrill, the president of NASS, said state and local election officials were taking every threat very seriously, and asked that Americans do their civic duty as well and come out to vote on Nov. 8. If people lose confidence in our voting system for any reason, she said, that is the most dangerous thing.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Europe on Sunday of abetting terrorism with its support for the PKK and said he did not care if Europe called him a dictator as he cracks down on the Kurdish militant group and its sympathizers. "Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK a terrorist organization, this is clear ... We see how the PKK can act so freely and comfortably in Europe," Erdogan said in a televised speech. "I don't care if they call me dictator or whatever else, it goes in one ear, out the other. What matters is what my people call me," he said. Turkey has drawn international criticism following the detention on Friday of the leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP, parliament's second largest opposition party, as part of a terrorism probe. The government accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which the party denies. Erdogan said that parliamentarians behaving as terrorists would be treated as such. He said Turkey's judiciary was independent and that nobody, including him, had the right or authority to interfere in judicial process. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Nick Tattersall)
BERLIN (Reuters) - A European Commission report on Turkey's progress toward European Union membership cites problems with press freedoms and independence of the judiciary, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said on Sunday. The German newspaper said that the report, to be published on Wednesday, described "a significant relapse" in press freedom and said legal decisions over national security and the fight against terrorism were applied "selectively and randomly." It also cited significant concerns about the many Turkish journalists who have been arrested and media outlets that have been shut down since the failed July 15 coup, the newspaper said, citing a copy of the report. European officials have been increasingly critical of Turkey's crackdown on those it suspects of involvement in the attempted coup. More than 110,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants have been detained or suspended in a response that critics say is quashing legitimate opposition. Some 170 newspapers, magazines, TV stations and news agencies have been closed, leaving 2,500 journalists unemployed, Turkey's association of journalists says. The European Commission report also says there has been a relapse in the independence of the judiciary, noting that one fifth of judges and prosecutors had been dismissed after the attempted putsch, the paper said. It said some of those arrested had been held for up to 30 days before being brought before a judge during the state of emergency imposed after the failed coup. The report also raises "very serious questions" about the Turkish government's collective actions against people suspected of ties to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of instigating the coup attempt. It said vague criteria raised the appearance that people were being arrested due to mere "association" with Gulen rather any specific individual actions. Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup attempt. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alexander Smith)
You cant take a hand grenade back after youve thrown it, but FBI Director James Comey gave it a try on Sunday. In an unexpected letter to members of Congress, Comey said that his agents had completed their investigation into recently uncovered Hillary Clinton emails, and that the review did not change the agencys earlier decision to not recommend charges be brought against the Democratic presidential nominee.

It was a little more than a week ago that Comey upended the presidential race by informing members of Congress that thousands of emails had been discovered on a laptop belonging to former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. In announcing the existence of the emails, which his agency had not yet reviewed, Comey appeared to break with Justice Department protocol, which directs that investigators and prosecutors not release sensitive information immediately before an election.

Related: Has Trump Put Michigan and Minnesota in Play? Probably Not

Its unclear just how much damage the original Comey letter did to Clinton. The presidential race appeared to be tightening for a number of reasons even prior to Comeys announcement. There is little doubt, though, that the introduction of new uncertainty about Clintons legal status in the final two weeks of the presidential race was a serious drag on her candidacy just as remaining undecided voters were seriously trying to make up their minds.

Many of those who used the new information as part of their decision-making process may have already cast a vote based on it. Economist David Rothschild, who analyzes polling and elections data, estimates that because early voting is under way, as many as one-third of all votes in the election were cast in the nine days following Comeys first letter.

The renewed investigation raised questions about whether the new emails might contain evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Clinton or her staff, and led to a barrage of leaks from the FBI that included details about what was said to be an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

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Many of the stories that grew out of the furor about the new trove of emails  particularly the claim that an indictment related to the Clinton Foundation was imminent  turned out to be false. That didnt stop Republican nominee Donald Trump and his surrogates from declaring Clinton preemptively guilty and promising that criminal charges were on the way. The GOP nominee was still doing so as late as Sunday afternoon, at a rally in Minnesota.

Related: Gary Johnsons Fading Run Could Be the Margin of Victory for Clinton or Trump

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon, shortly after the new letter was released, tweeted, We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it.

Clinton herself was plainly furious with Comey, as were President Obama and senior Democrats across the country. Even some Republican lawmakers said they considered the move improper, as did a number of former Attorneys General and senior Justice Department figures from both parties.

The second letter, made public by House Oversight and Investigations Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), said that since Comeys first letter to Congress, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails...During that process we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state.

He continued, Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions, which we expressed in July with respect to Hillary Clinton.

Related: Trump's Rise in the Polls Is Changing the Markets Risk Calculus

Comey was referring to his controversial decision to hold a press conference to announce the FBIs decision not to recommend an indictment. The unusual public discussion of an investigation included what many saw as unwarranted commentary from Comey about Clintons behavior. He said, for example, that she and her staff had been extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.

Under normal circumstances, the FBI wouldnt have been in the position of deciding whether or not to bring an indictment, as that is the job of prosecutors at the Justice Department. However, Attorney General Loretta Lynch effectively recused herself from the decision-making process after an ill-advised meeting between her and former president Bill Clinton while the investigation was ongoing raised questions about her impartiality.

The latest announcement is yet another turning point in an election that has been more dramatic than most. On its face, this most recent development is good news for Clinton. While they are an imperfect measure, prediction markets, which allow people to bet on the outcome of the presidential election, had already shifted their odds to reflect what they read as the greater likelihood of a Clinton victory.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
FBI Director James Comeys latest big announcement was derided on Sunday for undercutting his previous one, which had threatened to upend the presidential race a little more than a week ago.

At the end of last month, Comey sent a bombshell letter to Congress declaring that newly discovered emails might be pertinent to the bureaus investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private server as secretary of state. But on Sunday, just days before Election Day, Comey sent another letter saying that FBI agents had reviewed all of the emails to or from Clinton and had found nothing to change his position on the long-closed probe.

The Clinton campaign was quick to react to the news.

We have seen Director Comeys latest letter, communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters aboard the Clinton campaign plane. We are glad to see that he has found, as we were confident that he would, that he has confirmed the conclusion that he reached in July, and were glad that this matter is resolved.

Comey announcement means it's time for media to stop listening to crap Rudy Giuliani peddles from his bogus FBI sources.  Joel Benenson (@benensonj) November 6, 2016

We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited, Brian Fallon, the Clinton campaigns press secretary, tweeted. Now Director Comey has confirmed it.

We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed ithttps://t.co/BMQQx9eRzw  Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) November 6, 2016

Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trumps campaign director, questioned Fallons conclusion.

Then why did you, your colleagues, and your candidate attack Comey and his credibility? https://t.co/GjPeV8pWsr  Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 6, 2016

If FBI conclusions remain unchanged, that means she still was reckless & careless, still lied about classified info, lied re: # of devices  Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 6, 2016

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of Trumps top surrogates, fired off several tweets expressing his disbelief.

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Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know.  Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) November 6, 2016

The destruction of James Comey by political pressure is painful to watch. He is being twisted into an indefensible pretzel of contradictions  Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) November 6, 2016

The reaction was swift elsewhere on Twitter, with many on both sides of the political aisle eager to mock the FBI director for injecting himself into the presidential race for essentially no reason.

JESUS CHRIST!!!! Now Comey announces FBI has not changed its assessment based on new emails. He threw the election in2 chaos FOR NOTHING!!!  Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 6, 2016

Comey letter was a Clinton scandal in miniature: Hubris, disaster, leaks, rumors of indictment, then never mind.  Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) November 6, 2016

James Comey drops a bomb one week before the vote and, it appears, NOTHING will change in the email case https://t.co/bAK74c87Ga  Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) November 6, 2016

The @FBI has lost the respect of the American people and James Comey has lost the confidence of both Democrats & Republicans.  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 6, 2016

"HEY EVERYONE THERE MAY BE A FIRE I'LL CHECK HEY EVERYONE I CHECKED NO FIRE APPRECIATE THE CONGRATS"

-James Comey in a crowded theater  Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) November 6, 2016

To state the obvious- if review could've been finished in a week, #Comey should never have written the first letter  Michael Smerconish (@smerconish) November 6, 2016

Wow! FBI Director Comey is a speed reader! Went through all 650,000 emails in one week. That's amazing. #VoteTrump Drain The Swamp.  Mark Dice (@MarkDice) November 6, 2016

Comey throws a grenade into the campaign waits a week then says oh never mind it's nothing  mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) November 6, 2016

"j/k"  Director Comey  Chase Whiteside (@cwhiteside) November 6, 2016

Even Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand and Cher chimed in.

How convenient that Comey announces Hillary's exoneration from an erroneous investigation after all the Sunday news shows have aired.  Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) November 6, 2016

BREAKING NEWS: FBI CONFIRMED to congress TODAY there's NO criminal grounds for reasonable prosecution in relation to Clinton emails. RT RT!  #VoteHillary (@ladygaga) November 6, 2016

FBI DIRECTOR COMEY JUST SAID,HILLARY DID NOTHING WRONGHIS LACK OF JUDGMENT 4LAST TEN DAYS

COULD HAVE COST HER THE PRESIDENCY,4 NOTHING????  Cher (@cher) November 6, 2016

Others anticipated partisan shape shifting in the hours to come.

Okay, everyone, switch positions on Comey in 3 2 1 https://t.co/hjj2eDIcSW  jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) November 6, 2016

So is Comey a hack or hero again? I can't ever keep track.  Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) November 6, 2016

Now Ds who were savaging Comey a few days ago will praise him & GOPers who were behind him will turn on him again. https://t.co/WGsT8fp1rf  David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 6, 2016

Advice for Jim Comey: Get a dog; it's only friend you'll have in DC; GOP and Dems have both been outraged by his actions during election.  Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) November 6, 2016

Trump: The election is rigged!

Comey: We have found more emails.

Trump: It's not rigged!

Comey: Just kidding.

Trump: It's rigged again!  MATTY ICE (@FailGOP) November 6, 2016

Matt Drudge, founder of the popular conservative Drudge Report website, predicted a buzzy two days ahead.
FBI director James Comey told Republican lawmakers on Sunday that the agency still believes Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges for the use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Last month, the presidential race between Clinton and Donald Trump was upended after Comey announced that investigators were searching through newly discovered emails to see whether they contained classified information. Last July, the FBI chief had faulted Clinton for being careless in her use of a private server, but said she would not be prosecuted.

In Sundays letter, the FBI chief said that after looking through the newly unearthed messages, the bureau would stand by its earlier decision to not pursue criminal charges.

Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July, Comey said in a letter to Republican lawmakers.

Trump has pressed the email issue on the campaign trail in recent days, arguing that Clintons use of a private server is worse than Watergate. Clinton and her allies in the Democratic party have hit back at the FBI head, faulting him and the agency for interfering in the election.

Polls have shown a tightening race since Comey made his announcement that the new emails could be relevant to the bureaus investigation.

Comey never said where the emails were discovered. However, the New York Times reported that they were found on devices shared by Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide, and her husband, Anthony Weiner. The FBI is investigating allegations that Weiner has texted sexually charged messages to an underage girl. Weiner and Abedin are separated.

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By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has one of the strongest resumes of anyone ever to run for U.S. president, with stints as first lady, senator and secretary of state, but she is also a polarizing figure and a Washington insider with decades of political baggage. Should Democrat Clinton, 69, defeat Republican Donald Trump, 70, in Tuesday's election, she would become the first woman elected U.S. president, having already been the only first lady to win elected office and the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. party. Clinton fell short in her first presidential bid in 2008, losing her party's nomination to Barack Obama. Her time on the American political scene has come during an era of intense partisanship and gaping divisions in U.S. society. Americans hold dramatically differing views of Clinton. Clinton's admirers consider her a tough, capable and sometimes inspirational leader who has endured unrelenting efforts by political enemies to chop her down. Her detractors consider her an unscrupulous and power-hungry opportunist. Clinton entered the 2016 race as her party's odds-on favourite, but was an establishment figure, the ultimate insider with decades of political baggage, at a time when voters seemed enamoured with outsiders. She staved off an unexpectedly stiff challenge from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, to claim the Democratic nomination in July. For decades Clinton has battled conservatives and Republican adversaries and weathered controversies including her husband Bill Clinton's infidelity, a failed Republican effort to remove him from office, investigations into past business dealings and her use of a private email server as secretary of state. She famously complained in 1998 during her husband's presidency about a "vast right-wing conspiracy." Many Democrats back her for championing women's rights at home and abroad, social justice and access to healthcare, but opinion polls show a majority of U.S. voters do not trust her. [http://polling.reuters.com/#!poll/TM752Y15_2] Against Trump, she portrayed her candidacy as a bulwark against a unique threat that she said the real estate developer posed to American democracy. As President Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, she grappled with civil wars in Syria and Libya, Iran's nuclear program, China's growing clout, Russian assertiveness, ending the Iraq war, winding down the Afghanistan war, and an unsuccessful bid to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Clinton was already running for president when, during a testy 11-hour congressional hearing in October 2015, she deflected Republican criticism of her handling of a 2012 attack by militants in Benghazi, Libya in which the U.S. ambassador died. That hearing and another in January 2013 while she was still secretary of state focused on allegations of State Department security lapses related to the attack. 'WHAT TO MAKE OF ME' A mistrust of rivals and the media has long prompted Clinton to keep her guard up. "The truth is, through all these years of public service, the 'service' part has always come easier to me than the 'public' part," Clinton said in accepting the 2016 Democratic nomination. "I get it that some people just don't know what to make of me." At the same convention, Obama cited her years of experience and said, "There has never been a man or woman, not me, not Bill - nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States." Republicans have accused Clinton of breaking the law while corresponding through a private email server as secretary of state. In July, FBI Director James Comey called Clinton "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information by email, but Obama's Justice Department accepted his recommendation not to bring criminal charges. "If I had to do it over again, I would, obviously, do it differently," Clinton said during a Sept. 26 debate with Trump, referring to her use of the private server as a "mistake" for which she took responsibility. The controversy flared again on Oct. 28 when Comey told U.S. lawmakers the FBI was investigating a new trove of emails as part of its probe, but said their significance was unclear. Trump seized on the probe into Clinton's email, deriding her as "Crooked Hillary," saying he would seek to put her behind bars if elected and encouraging his supporters to chant "lock her up." Clinton portrayed Trump as a racist hate-monger, a sexist and a tax-dodger enamored with Russian President Vladimir Putin and unfit to serve as president and commander in chief. "Such a nasty woman," Trump retorted during their Oct. 19 debate when she suggested he would try to get out of paying the higher taxes she advocates for the wealthy. MIDWESTERN ROOTS Born in Chicago on Oct. 26, 1947, Hillary Rodham Clinton was the eldest of three children of a small-business owner father she called a "rock-ribbed, up-by-your-bootstraps, conservative Republican" and a mother who was a closet Democrat. She said she inherited her father's distinctive laugh - she called it "a big rolling guffaw" - and Americans have heard it frequently. She attended public schools, then enrolled in 1965 at all-female Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she headed the Young Republicans Club. In a Wellesley commencement address, she seized the spotlight by starting her speech with extemporaneous remarks challenging comments made by the preceding speaker, a U.S. senator. Her political views changed during the 1960s civil rights struggles and Vietnam War escalation. She attended the 1968 Republican convention that nominated Richard Nixon, but soon became a Democrat. At Yale Law School, she met a similarly ambitious fellow student from Arkansas, Bill Clinton, and they became a couple. She moved to Washington to work for a congressional panel in the impeachment drive against Nixon, who resigned as president in 1974 during the Watergate scandal. She moved to Arkansas to be with Bill, married him in 1975, and was hired by a top law firm. He jumped into politics, eventually being elected governor, at age 32, in 1978. She gave birth to the couple's only child, daughter Chelsea, in 1980. As Arkansas' first lady, she was a high-powered lawyer in the capital Little Rock and a Wal-Mart corporate board member. Most Americans were introduced to her during her husband's bid for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination. Bill Clinton said voters would get "two for the price of one" if they elected him. She unapologetically said she was not a woman who "stayed home and baked cookies." After a woman named Gennifer Flowers accused Bill Clinton during the campaign of a sexual affair, Hillary Clinton appeared on TV with her husband and referred to singer Tammy Wynette's song, "Stand by Your Man." "You know, I'm not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette," she said, adding that she loved and respected her husband. "And you know, if that's not enough for people, then heck, don't vote for him," she added. Conservative critics painted her as a radical feminist and a threat to traditional family values. WHITE HOUSE CONTROVERSIES Bill Clinton defeated incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush in November 1992. As first lady from 1993 to 2001, she was unusually exertive, diving into policy matters unlike many of her predecessors. Critics assailed her failed effort to win congressional passage of healthcare reform, deriding it as "Hillarycare." At a 1995 U.N. conference in China on women, she declared that "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights." She and her husband faced a long investigation into past business dealings but ultimately no criminal charges were brought. A real estate venture known as Whitewater faced scrutiny, spawning an independent counsel investigation that later encompassed Bill Clinton's sexual relationship with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster, a figure in the Whitewater controversy and a close friend of the Clintons from Arkansas, was found dead of a gunshot in 1993. His death was ruled a suicide. In a 2003 memoir, Hillary Clinton blasted "conspiracy theorists and investigators trying to prove that Vince was murdered to cover up what he 'knew about Whitewater.'" In 2000, the independent counsel investigation concluded there was insufficient evidence to show the Clintons had been involved in any criminal behaviour related to Whitewater. In December 1998, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to impeach a president for only the second time in U.S. history, charging Bill Clinton with "high crimes and misdemeanours" for allegedly lying under oath and obstructing justice to cover up his relationship with Lewinsky. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Clinton in February 1999. Hillary Clinton called the impeachment an abuse of power by Republicans with a "Soviet-style show trial" and condemned what she called "an attempted congressional coup d'etat." She also said she "wanted to wring Bill's neck" for the affair and upbraided him privately. Ultimately, she said, she decided she still loved him and remained after they went through counselling. "All I know is that no one understands me better and no one can make me laugh the way Bill does," she wrote in her 2003 book "Living History." Hillary Clinton soon launched her own bid for elected office. She bought a house in the town of Chappaqua to officially become a New York resident. She won election as a U.S. senator the same month her husband left office in January 2001. She served until 2009. She entered the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination as the front-runner, but then-senator Obama won the party's nomination and beat Republican John McCain to become the first black president. In 2016, Obama campaigned vigorously for her against Trump. "What sets Hillary apart is that through it all, she just keeps on going, and she doesn't stop caring, and she doesn't stop trying. And she never stops fighting for us, even if we haven't always appreciated it," Obama told a September rally. (Writing and reporting by Will Dunham in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller)
Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria, "will not be easy."

"The effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqa marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan," Carter said in a statement.

"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," he said, using an alternative name for the jihadist group.

"The international coalition will continue to do what we can to enable local forces in both Iraq and Syria to deliver ISIL the lasting defeat it deserves," the US defense chief added.

Carter issued his remarks as US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, increasing pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.

The offensive's "first phase will be to isolate Raqa," the US Central Command told AFP, adding that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were vital to the mission.

"We believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage to the SDF."

A US official source told AFP that recruitment of local forces is ongoing, adding that "it will likely be Arab forces -- forces that largely mirror the population of the city -- that will have to go into the city."

The start of the assault by the SDF came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance.

The two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014.

The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", involves some 30,000 fighters and began late Saturday.
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several intriguing scenarios could unfold after Tuesday's U.S. election to break the deadlock over filling a Supreme Court vacancy that has provoked a bitter nine-month standoff between President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans. Obama nominated U.S. appeals court judge Merrick Garland on March 16 to replace long-serving conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. The Republican-led Senate, in a move with little precedent, has refused to consider the nomination, saying the winner of the presidential election should make the pick. If Republican Donald Trump wins, Garland's nomination would be dead. Trump has already put forth a list of conservative jurists as potential nominees. If Obama's fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton wins, there are ways Garland could secure Senate confirmation to the lifetime post before Obama leaves office on Jan. 20. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been adamant that Obama's successor should select Scalia's replacement and that he will not consider Garland's nomination during a post-election "lame duck" session. But McConnell could come under pressure by some Senate Republicans to allow confirmation hearings and a vote on Garland, who has a reputation in Washington as a moderate, out of fear Clinton could instead choose a more liberal nominee. The Senate's inaction on Garland has made the Supreme Court a potent issue in the election. After many years of leaning conservative, a new Democratic appointment could tilt the court to the left for the first time in decades. Scalia's death left the court split with four liberals and four conservatives. 'NOT A CENTRIST' Conservative activists dismiss the notion Garland is a moderate, saying he would vote with the four liberal justices on major, ideologically divisive issues. "Garland is a liberal, not a centrist," said Carrie Severino, a lawyer with the Judicial Crisis Network. Liberal activists like Caroline Fredrickson, president of the American Constitution Society, said Republicans should move forward on Garland. "He's got every qualification you could ask for. He's exactly the type of judge they claimed they wanted," Fredrickson said. If Democrats win control of the Senate in Tuesday's election, the new congressional session would begin on Jan. 3, and they could decide to move forward immediately on Garland's nomination before Obama's term ends. Clinton would play a major role by deciding whether or not she wanted to stick with Garland, who was named to his current job by her husband Bill Clinton in 1997, or choose her own nominee. "Chief Judge Garland is the most experienced nominee to the Supreme Court in our nation's history," White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said. It is time for Republicans to "stop putting politics over the best interest of the country and do their job by giving the president's nominee to the Supreme Court a hearing and a vote," she added. Clinton has said Garland should be confirmed this year but has not committed to re-nominating him if she wins. Some Republicans have floated the idea of staunch opposition to any Clinton nominee, raising the possibility of the seat remaining vacant long-term. McConnell has said no Obama nominee will be confirmed this year. There are no signs so far of Republican leaders backing off that position. Garland, 63, and other members of the Washington legal community joined the eight current justices inside the Supreme Court's ornate courtroom on Friday at an memorial event honoring Scalia, four days before the election that will help decide his fate. There has been little controversy over Garland's suitability to sit on the Supreme Court as there has been with some past nominees. He is widely respected in the legal community and has won praise from Democrats and Republicans. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Editing by Will Dunham)


Credit: Dave Mangels/Getty Images

It's no secret Ian Somerhalder and his wife Nikki Reed are animal lovers. Aside from often sharing posts on social media about animal rescue and pet adoption, and fighting for animal rights in general, the couple has a family of pets all their own (Ian revealed in 2015 he had nine pets, for example).

Now, that Somerhalder's Vampire Diaries is coming to an end though, it looks like the CW star and his lady love may be getting closer to adding some human babies into the mix of their already big family.

"It's the end of a very cool era," Somerhalder, 37, told People. "It will be quite an incredible feat to shoot that last scene and know that we're completing almost eight years of work on a television show."

RELATED: Ian Somerhalder's and Nikki Reed's All-Black Looks Are Fit for the Modern Vampire

As for plans to expand their family, he added, "It's just about scaling down. You have to manage, you can only do so much at one time. Once I'm not on set for 15 hours a day, five days a week, that frees up a lot of time. I'm excited about it!"

"It's been nearly a decade," he continued about his time on the show. "It's time to turn over new leaves and really put our energies into other stuff."

In addition to the possibility of starting a family, Ian said he's "very much looking forward to creating and producing more stories" with Reed. The duo recently launched their production company, Rare Birds, under Warner Brothers, and the actress, 28, shared the news with fans on Instagram last week.

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"So excited to get the chance to produce amazing (& socially conscious) TV with these two powerful women running our company!," she wrote. "Now you know where we've been hiding!! With @trye and @auntietoonie !!! @rarebirdsprods."

VIDEO: Pets in Costume

We can't wait to see the movie magic Reed and Somerhalder will create together.

So excited to get the chance to produce amazing (& socially conscious) TV with these two powerful women running our company! Now you know where we've been hiding!! With @trye and @auntietoonie !!! @rarebirdsprods http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ian-somerhalder-nikki-reed-ink-pod-deal-warner-bros-tv-941484 A photo posted by Nikki Reed (@iamnikkireed) on Oct 26, 2016 at 1:45pm PDT

Seeing this in my feed is the best thing ever... @iamnikkireed kissing the soft muzzle of our giant "little" girl Millie. Ahhhh I love my little family A photo posted by iansomerhalder (@iansomerhalder) on Oct 24, 2015 at 8:36am PDT
Washington (AFP) - The first step is under way to isolate the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa ahead of a larger assault on the city, a US official said Sunday.

"We will first undertake an effort to isolate Raqa to set the stage for an eventual assault on the city itself to liberate it" from IS control, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance launched an offensive on the city.

The official said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) "is the partner force most capable of acting soon to isolate Raqa, and we believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage the SDF brings to this effort.

"As these operations unfold, we will continue to plan with our allies and partners how the eventual liberation of Raqa will unfold and who will hold that ground to prevent ISIL's return," he said, using another term for the Islamic State group.

The US official compared the Raqa operation with the meticulous, multi-step plans to retake the IS-occupied northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

"We are working to further pressure ISIL in Raqa concurrent with significant operations under way in Iraq," the official added, giving no further details.
Beirut (AFP) - As a US-backed alliance of Kurdish-Arab forces launches an assault to capture Raqa from the Islamic State group, here are five things to know about the northern Syrian city:

- Ancient capital -

In an area inhabited since antiquity, Raqa reached its heights under the Abbasid caliphate. From 796 to 809, the powerful caliph Harun al-Rashid transferred the capital of his empire from Baghdad to Raqa, which sat at the crossroads of key trade routes. Major works were ordered and the city was dotted with grand palaces and mosques.

The caliph's court returned to Baghdad in 809 and Raqa remained a major administrative centre for the western part of the empire. In 1258 the city was destroyed by the Mongol invasion.

- Strategic location -

Raqa and its eponymous province occupy a strategic location where several major roads intersect on the banks of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria.

It is east of Syria's second city Aleppo, just 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the Turkish border, and less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from neighbouring Iraq.

Raqa previously prospered from agriculture in the fertile river valley and benefitted from nearby hydroelectric dams that generated power for much of Syria.

- First major city to fall -

After the 2011 start of Syria's civil war, Raqa in March 2013 became the first provincial capital to fall into the hands of rebels, at the time the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's then-affiliate in the country.

But tensions soon erupted into clashes between Al-Nusra and fellow jihadists of a precursor of IS.

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 in Iraq fell to the jihadists and IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a June 29 address at a mosque in Iraq's second largest city, proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

- Key IS bastion -

Raqa became a key city in IS's self-declared "state", a hub for the organisation of its activities and attacks in Syria, Iraq and further afield.

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IS took over all levels of civil administration, rewriting school curriculums, establishing Islamic courts and creating police units to implement Islamic law.

Raqa became the scene of some of IS's worst atrocities, including gruesome executions, public displays of bodies and the selling of sex slaves in its central market.

- Long coalition target -

The city has long been an end target of the US-led coalition that launched a military campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq in mid-2014.

IS has suffered a string of territorial defeats in recent months at the hands of coalition-backed Iraqi forces and Syrian rebels.

Troops in Iraq launched a major offensive on Mosul last month and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said after that a simultaneous assault on Raqa would take place.

The SDF offensive is expected to begin with a "shaping operation", with ground troops surrounding Raqa and cutting off supply lines, backed by intensified coalition air strikes.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tesco Bank said on Sunday that it had blocked some customers' bank cards after a fraud prevention system identified suspicious activity on a number of accounts.

"We have taken steps to protect a small proportion of customers current accounts from fraud following an alert yesterday," a Tesco bank spokesperson said.

The bank, wholly owned by supermarket chain Tesco, says it has nearly 8 million customer accounts. It did not specify how many had been affected.

Affected customers would continue to be able to access their accounts online and make certain types of transaction using their cards, the bank said.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Adrian Croft)
There is little doubt that Gary Johnsons high-profile effort to shake up the presidential campaign and transform the Libertarian party into a national force has dramatically failed over the past month or so, as his steady stream of gaffes and recent border-line defection by his vice presidential running mate conspired to sink his third party challenge.

In the latest New York Times national poll, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton holds a slender lead over Republican Donald Trump, 45 percent to 42 percent, while Johnson attracted just five percent of likely voters and Green Party nominee Jill Stein picked up four percent.

Related: Johnson Says the GOP and Democrats Are Dinosaurs Headed for Extinction

Johnson, a former business executive and two-term Republican governor of New Mexico gave Clinton and Trump a mild case of heartburn as his promise of smaller government, balanced budgets and a less hawkish defense posture attracted independents, millennials and disaffected Democrats and Republicans desperately seeking an alternative. He denounced the two major parties as dinosaurs headed for extinction.

Johnson began to soar in the polls, got his name on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and came close to securing a third spot in the three nationally televised presidential debates this fall.

However, that appeal began to wane, political experts say, when the Clinton-Trump battle appeared to be going down to the wire and many voters who once flirted with supporting a third party nominee were suddenly reluctant to toss their vote away. Some might have been surprised as well as the Libertarian party platform that among other things called for the elimination of Social Security and other costly entitlements. Surveys that once found Johnson with support from 10 to 13 percent of voters now show him attracting only two to four percent support in the closing days of the campaign, according to a Huffington Post polling analysis.

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That decline in support was apparent both in national polling averages and in critical battleground states like Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where the election will be won or lost.

Related: Abolish Social Security? Gary Johnson's Libertarian Party Gets a Closer Look

Back in early September, when he was riding high and Clinton and Trump were relatively close in the polls, Johnson garnered eight percentage points in Florida, 14 percent in Ohio, 15 percent in North Carolina and nine percent in Pennsylvania, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted then. By contrast last week, Johnson was drawing just two percent of the vote in a four-way race in Florida, three percent in North Carolina, five percent in Ohio and three percent in Pennsylvania.

Whit Ayres, a veteran GOP pollster who advised the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, said that third-party campaigns, for the most, part are repositories for people who simply cant bring themselves to support either of the major party nominees. However, the pattern of all third party candidates is that they decline as the election gets closer and it looks more and more like a vote for a third or fourth party candidate is a wasted vote, he said.

Still, he cautioned, much of Johnsons and Steins residual support in a four-way race for the presidency consists of dye in the wool protesters and reformists, who simply cant bring themselves to vote for either Clinton or Trump in the general election. By holding together those remaining protest votes, Johnson and Stein could still play spoilers in determining the outcome of the election, just as Ralph Naders Green Party candidacy tipped the 2000 presidential election away from Democrat Al Gore and to Republican George W. Bush.

Related: As Johnson Loses Ground and Trump Self-Destructs, Clinton Gains Big

Yet Ayres and other political experts are at a loss to say whether Clinton or Trump will be hurt more by the third party vote on Tuesday

It looks as though neither candidate is being disproportionately hurt, Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, said in an email. The third party candidates have dropped like a rock, and their election day percentages may be even lower. When you consider that a good slice of these voters wouldn't back either Trump or Clinton if those were the only choices, I believe Johnson and Stein are mere footnotes to the election, unless it's a 2000-like squeaker--which it very probably won't be.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Georgia's two Republican senators broke with members of their party, saying they would consider Supreme Court nominees put forward by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton if she wins the presidency, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday. The comments from U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who is up for re-election on Tuesday, and U.S. Senator David Perdue came after Republican Senators John McCain and Ted Cruz suggested they might block any of Clinton's potential nominees. "You don't shirk your responsibility when you're an elected official. You sanctify your responsibility, and that's what I'll do. I'll consider who she nominates at the time she does and make a decision that's right for the people of Georgia," Isakson told the Atlanta newspaper. A spokeswoman for Perdue, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the AJC: "He wants to ensure we have a Supreme Court justice who will uphold the Constitution, and he will examine each nominee independently based on their merits." The death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February has left the nine-member high court short one justice and evenly split between liberals and conservatives. In March, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge, to replace Scalia, but the Republican-led Senate has refused to consider the nomination, saying the next president should make the pick. The Senate's inaction on Garland, a centrist, has made the Supreme Court a potent issue in the election. After many years of leaning conservative, the court could tilt to the left for the first time in decades if Clinton wins the election. Isakson said he expects the Senate will confirm Garland before January in the event of a Clinton victory. Some Republicans fear Clinton would nominate a more liberal justice, swinging the ideological balance of the court even further to the left. (Additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Paul Simao)
BERLIN (Reuters) - The German Interior Ministry wants to stop migrants ever reaching Europe's Mediterranean coast by picking them up at sea and returning them to Africa, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday. In what would be a huge shift for a country with one of the most generous asylum policies, the ministry says the European Union should adopt an Australian-style system under which migrants intercepted at sea are sent for processing at camps in third countries. "The elimination of the prospect of reaching the European coast could convince migrants to avoid embarking on the life-threatening and costly journey in the first place," the paper quoted a ministry spokeswoman as saying. "The goal must be to remove the basis for people-smuggling organizations and to save migrants from the life-threatening journey." The ministry's proposal calls for migrants picked up in the Mediterranean - most of whom set off from conflict-torn Libya - to be sent to Tunisia, Egypt or other north African states to apply for asylum from there. If their asylum applications are accepted, the migrants could then be transported safely to Europe. The ministry is headed by Thomas de Maiziere, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats. Merkel has been under fire for her open-door refugee policy, with her party losing votes to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in recent regional elections. The ministry said there were no concrete plans or discussions at EU-level about the proposal, but opposition politicians condemned the plan. Bernd Riexinger, head of the opposition Left party, said it would be "a humanitarian scandal and a further step toward elimination of the right to asylum," the paper reported. He said asylum applications should be filed in Germany to ensure applicants had access to legal help and he called Australia's treatment of migrants "absolutely unacceptable". More than 2,200 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean in a single day on Saturday and 10 bodies were recovered, Italy's coast guard said. The International Organization for Migration said last week that 159,496 people had reach Italy by sea this year and 4,220 died trying - a sharp increase from 3,777 in the whole of 2015. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Theres a Gilmore Girls fan theory that connects to Friends and our life is complete

Okay, so a Reddit user suggested a new fan theory that links Gilmore Girls with Friends and now we officially have no chill. NotAnAverageTaunTaun thinks there is good reason to believe that the writers of Gilmore Girls modeled the character Paris Geller after Rachel Green on Friends.

By now, we all know the infamous ending to the Friends series, where Rachel Green gets off the plane to Paris (where she was headed for a dream position at Louis Vuitton) and chooses to stay in New York with Ross Geller instead. According to this fan theory, while Paris Gellers name connection to Friends might have begun as an accident, her character arc is a deliberate flip-side of the coin from Rachel Greens  a sort of redemption story. While Rachel sacrifices her career for love, Pariss storyline time and again shows her doing the opposite; especially later in the show, after the Friends finale aired.

In their respective series, Rachel Green and Paris Geller are polar opposites. Rachel had a rocky road to finding her career niche, then forfeits her hard-earned success for love after achieving the ultimate job offer in the entirety of her career. Meanwhile, When faced with the possibility of her love life detracting from her future career, Paris breaks up with her beloved Yale boyfriend, Doyle  she refuses to let a boy stop her from attending medical school.

This theory posits that after Friends ended, Gilmore Girls decided to give Rachel Greens legacy some redemption in the form of continued notoriety on another early 2000s show. Meanwhile, another fan in the thread suggests a whole new connection: maybe Paris Geller is Ross sister. Another type-A sister to challenge Ross and snark on his antics? Now that would be funny.

One of these theories could be right, or perhaps there could be no connection at all between the characters. But for now, were enjoying the potential Gilmore Girls x Friends mashup. Mind. Blown.

The post Theres a Gilmore Girls fan theory that connects to Friends and our life is complete appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A massive protest in Hong Kong turned violent Sunday night when demonstrators attempted to storm a police barricade outside the Chinese governments headquarters, prompting officers to retaliate with pepper spray and batons.

The protest began peacefully earlier in the day: with thousands of people marching across town to decry Beijings controversial decision this week to effectively decide the fate of two radical lawmakers who call for the semiautonomous territorys outright independence from China. The maverick legislators, 25-year-old Yau Wai-ching and 30-year-old Sixtus Baggio Leung, who came to political prominence in the wake of the 2014 pro-democracy protests, have been the subject of scandal since they gave their oaths of office on Oct. 12. The pair refused to pledge allegiance to Hong Kongs constitution, the Basic Law, and instead swore fealty to the Hong Kong Nation  the oath required them to swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.

Read More: China Will Intervene in the Case of Hong Kongs Pro-Independence Lawmakers

On Friday, the Hong Kong government announced that Beijing would step in and interpret the Basic Law accordingly to decide if Yau and Leung would still be able to take their seats. The issue is currently being decided in a local court, but at a meeting on Sunday with Hong Kongs representatives to Beijing, Zhang Xiaoming, mainland Chinas most senior official in Hong Kong, said Beijing would absolutely not permit pro-independence politicians to serve as lawmakers, according to the South China Morning Post.

Beijings actions in the matter have widely been seen as a violation of Hong Kongs constitutional principle known as one country, two systems, enacted in 1997 when the British returned the former colony to China.

Under this system, Hong Kongers maintain the right to freedom of speech and protest, freedoms that citizens of mainland China do not enjoy. On Sunday, as many as 10,000 people marched nearly 2.5 miles from the district of Wan Chai to the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government, Beijings nerve center in the territory. The demonstrators were civil but spirited, speaking out against what they say is Chinese encroachment in Hong Kong and a local government that has failed to defend their constitutional rights.

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Read More: Court in Hong Kong Hears Case Against Two Pro-Independence Lawmakers

The [Chinese government] stepped over the line. Its a blatant violation of the Basic Law to take the initiative to interpret it, 25-year-old Francis Chung, who works in the financial sector, tells TIME. Im rather pessimistic regarding Hong Kongs way forward, but Ill do what I can, come out and march.

When the crowd approached the Liaison Office, however, they faced a police barricade. Prominent activist figures like 20-year-old Joshua Wong, a figurehead of the 2014 pro-democracy protests known as the Umbrella Revolution, gave rousing speeches.

Its time for us to show our disagreement with the communist regimes suppression of Hong Kongs rule of law and judicial independence, Wong tells TIME. The number of participants of todays protest to the Liaison Office is the highest in three years. It shows the anger of Hong Kongers with the suppression.

It is unclear what or who prompted some members of the crowd to storm the police barricade shortly after 8 p.m. local time. In the preceding hour, officers unfurled banners urging the protesters to stop charging or they would use force. After beating back demonstrators with their batons, the police used pepper spray. Still, the crowd continued to push against the metal grate, unfurling umbrellas  an icon of the Umbrella Revolution  to protect themselves.

The scuffle was promptly subdued, but as of 9:15 p.m. demonstrators continued to occupy the streets around the Liaison Office.

Read More: Chaos Again at Hong Kongs Legislature as Chinese Intervention Said to Loom Large

The protest marked the crescendo of months of simmering political tensions in Hong Kong. Hostility towards what many see as Chinas impingement on the city has mounted since late last year, when five local booksellers, who sold works critical of mainland leaders, disappeared and resurfaced months later in the custody of mainland police. The unease precipitated an unprecedented movement demanding Hong Kongs independence from China  a call deemed seditious by mainland authorities and also the Hong Kong government, seen by many as Beijings proxy power. Several pro-independence candidates were barred from running in the Sept. 4 Legislative Council elections.

When asked in an interview with TIME on Saturday  less than 24 hours before Sundays clashes  if she believed the popular unrest in Hong Kong would grow violent, and if she would join in if it did, Yau replied in the affirmative.

Im the peoples lawmaker, and I have to give my support to them, she said. Ive taken my oath to them.

 With reporting by Kevin Lui / Hong Kong
Hong Kong police used pepper spray Sunday to drive back hundreds of protesters angry at China's decision to intervene in a row over whether two pro-independence lawmakers should be barred from the city's legislature.

In chaotic scenes reminiscent of mass pro-democracy protests in 2014, demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police outside China's liaison office in the semi-autonomous city.

Protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from the spray as they tried to approach the building, while some threw water and water bottles at police.

"We are quite shocked. We just wanted to express our demands at the liaison office," Cas Wong, a 19-year-old student, told AFP.

At least one person was seen taken away by multiple officers before scuffles broke out.

Police warned protesters they were involved in an "unlawful assembly" and told them to disperse, as they donned riot gear.

Demonstrators later occupied a major intersection near the liaison office, leaving dozens of trams and buses stuck on the road.

They again charged police lines in an attempt to approach the building and were pushed back and sprayed by helmeted officers.

After a lengthy stand-off which saw one female protester lay in the road between police and demonstrators, riot officers with shields pushed back the core of around 200 protesters who remained, clearing them from the intersection.

Protesters wearing goggles and face masks chanted: "Hong Kong independence!"

"I'm very angry and scared," said Joey Lui, 46, who was among the crowds.

"China are now very strong...Many Hong Kongers don't like the Chinese government."

The protest began with a peaceful city centre march in the afternoon. Organisers said 13,000 people took part in that, while 4,000 people rallied outside the liaison office.

Police estimates were not immediately available.

- Beijing intervention -

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing government is trying to bar newly appointed pro-independence legislators Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching from taking their seats in the Legislative Council (Legco) after they deliberately misread their oaths of office last month.

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As fears grow that Beijing -- to whom any independence talk is treasonous -- is tightening its grip on the city, China has announced that its parliament will interpret Hong Kong's constitution, which states that council members must swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China".

The decision of the National People's Congress Standing Committee is expected to be announced on Monday.

China is reviewing the issue even though a Hong Kong court is also considering the matter, a move local lawyers say erodes the independence of the city's judiciary.

Hong Kong was handed over by Britain to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal which guaranteed its rights and freedoms for 50 years.

There are deep concerns those liberties, enshrined in the city's constitution known as the Basic Law, are under threat.

In Sunday's demonstration protesters carried banners reading: "Chinese law interpretation tramples on Hong Kong people."

"Hong Kong has its own legal system, it should not be controlled by Chinese authorities," Alex Wong told AFP.

"We must tell the government we are not happy," the 35-year-old office clerk said.

Monday's expected announcement will mark the fifth time since the handover that China has interpreted Hong Kong's constitution.

The lawmakers at the heart of the controversy have previously said the interpretation would deal a "lethal blow" to the city.

Yau and Leung won seats in September's citywide polls, in which several new lawmakers advocating self-determination or independence swept to victory.

The pair have yet to be sworn into Legco, after their first oath attempt last month was declared invalid. They draped themselves in banners reading "Hong Kong is not China" and altered the wording of their pledges to include derogatory terms and expletives.
* Highland Reel steels limelight from Flintshire * Trainer O'Brien celebrates his sixth Turf winner (Adds quotes, detail) By Mark Lamport-Stokes ARCADIA, California, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Irish raider Highland Reel led the whole way to upstage favourite Flintshire with a commanding victory by a length and three-quarters in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. Expertly ridden by Seamus Heffernan in bright afternoon sunshine, the four-year-old colt powered to the front and comfortably held off a late surge down the stretch by Flintshire, who also placed second in the 1-1/2 mile race in 2014. Ireland-bred Found, who won the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last month and was the joint second choice with Highland Reel for the Turf, stumbled out of the gate but recovered to finish two-and-a-quarter lengths back in third. It was the second win in eight starts this year for the well-travelled Highland Reel, who started at 7-2. He improved his career record to seven-for-19 while Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien celebrated his sixth Breeders' Cup Turf champion, with four of them coming in the past six years. "Seamus is a great lad and we were quite happy to make the running here," said O'Brien. "He (Highland Reel) is a very good horse and I'm absolutely delighted. "We know he gets a mile and a half very well. We know that he handles fast ground, he doesn't mind dictating, he doesn't mind sitting in, so it was straightforward, really. But Seamus executed it brilliant. "He kicked at the right time, and really the race was over from a long ways out. Ryan (Moore), who rode Found, said he knew there was no catching him for a long ways when Seamus left the way he was in front." O'Brien also saddled Found, a four-year-old filly who won last year's Breeders' Cup Turf for the Irish trainer at Keeneland. "Ryan said he got the filly in a good position, but the winner obviously got away from us," O'Brien explained. "She finished well." An elated Heffernan toasted his first ever Breeders' Cup win at the age of 44. "He's the type of horse that's brave in front," said the Irish jockey. "When he wants to go, you let him go and he turns it on. "I thought there were a few horses that were going to come from the back and come quick. So if I was going, I wanted to go early. I just stretched out the race, and I kicked when I should kick her, and it went very well." (Editing by Andrew Both)
ARCADIA, California, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Tourist used a late surge for an upset win over morning line favourite Tepin in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. In a tight stretch run, Joel Rosario-ridden Tourist, a 12/1 shot, held off a fast-charging Tepin to win by a half length. Tepin, who captured last year's Mile race at Keeneland, had to settle for second. The five-year-old mare was looking to produce a big day for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux, who earlier rode Classic Empire to victory earlier in the Juvenile. (Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Andrew Both)
* 12/1 shot beats favourite * Sets Cup record time (Adds details, quotes) By Jahmal Corner ARCADIA, California, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Tourist scored an upset win over morning line favourite Tepin in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park on Saturday. In a tight stretch run, the 12-1 shot held off a fast-charging Tepin to win by a half length. The five-year-old Tourist, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Joel Rosario, covered the mile in 1:31.71, breaking the Breeders' Cup record of 1:31.78 set by Wise Dan at Santa Anita in 2013. "It was a good trip, a perfect trip," Rosario told reporters. "It looked like they were going fast up front and I just wanted to save ground the whole way around and not have to stop him at any point in the race. "I had to take a little hold turning for home to keep my position, but after that he got a clear run." Tepin, who captured last year's Mile race at Keeneland, had to settle for second. The five-year-old mare was looking to produce a big day for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux, who earlier rode Classic Empire to victory earlier in the Juvenile. "We had a good race. I was right behind the favorite and was in a good spot," Leparoux said. "She made a run but the winner got a dream trip on the inside. She had an incredible year. We were hoping she would end the year with a win but it's been a pleasure to ride her." Midnight Storm finished third, one-and-a-quarter lengths behind Tepin. What A View set a blistering pace early but was overtaken before halfway and by the end had a view of all the other runners, finishing last. (Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Andrew Both)
By Jawad Kakar FAIZABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan Taliban militants have strengthened their grip on lucrative illegal mining operations in the north of the country, as security forces focus most of their efforts on battling the insurgency in the volatile south, officials said. Abuses by local commanders with private militias and beyond the purview of central government have also driven people into the hands of Islamist fighters, the officials added, making it easier for them to profit from small-scale mines in the region. "The Taliban provide protection for the villagers to mine and the people are happy to do it despite the fact that there's a presidential decree banning any uncontrolled mining," said Gul Mohammad Bedar, deputy governor of Badakhshan province. He estimated that the militant group, fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government in Kabul, raised about a third of its funding needs in Badakhshan from deposits of minerals, including semi-precious lapis lazuli, found in its mountains. Opium, grown mainly in the south of Afghanistan, is by far the biggest source of revenue for the Taliban nationwide, with the total value of opiates reaching as much as around $2-3 billion annually, according to the United Nations. Mining, by comparison, is worth several tens of millions of dollars a year, although that proportion rises in the north. Insurgents have taken authorities by surprise in the last year or so by seizing large swathes of territory in a part of the country where their presence has traditionally been weaker. "We always thought that since much of the north, especially Badakhshan, Takhar and even parts of Kunduz, were anti-Taliban, we would be fine and the militants would never be able to gain ground, but we were wrong," said one Afghan security official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Last month's attack on Kunduz, the city that the Taliban briefly seized last year, underlined the movement's growing strength in the north and the problems the government has had in enforcing its authority even in a traditional stronghold. The grip the Taliban still holds on surrounding area was underlined last week by a raid by Afghan and U.S. forces on a nearby village in which two Americans died. More than 30 civilians, half of them children, were killed in an air strike called in to protect the troops, and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has promised an investigation. MINES THERE "FOR US" Lack of security and infrastructure has meant mine reserves in Afghanistan remain largely untapped, and up to 10,000 deposits are estimated to be outside government control. Most being exploited are small, artisanal operations. "I have been digging mines, especially lapis, for years," said Mohammad Zahir, a farmer in the Mahdan area of Keran Munjan district in Badakhshan. "These mines are created by our Allah for us to dig and feed our families and it is not the property of the government or others." As well as lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone mined for thousands of years in the region, gold mines and emeralds in Raghestan and Keran Munjan districts have grown in importance over recent years, according to Bedar. The country also boasts major deposits of industrial metals, including the huge Mes Aynak copper deposit in Logar province near Kabul that is valued at $3 billion. But security concerns and the shortage of roads and railways mean the Chinese company that bid to develop it has yet to start production nine years after winning the contract. LOCALS "INVITE TALIBAN BACK" Afghanistan is estimated to contain mineral deposits worth $1-3 trillion, including gemstones and precious metals, copper, marble and iron ore. Much of it is in remote northern regions like Badakhshan, where Taliban revenue collectors have moved in, working with smugglers to ship stones out of Afghanistan for processing. Allowing the Taliban to boost its revenues has given them a financial base to expand operations in the north, where government control outside the main district and provincial centers is minimal. Maheullah Noori, a spokesman for the ministry of mines, said the government had no official estimate of the amount raised by insurgents from mining, but local MP Safiullah Muslim said the figure ran into millions of dollars a month. "Gold, emeralds, rubies, and amethyst are all illegally mined by local militiamen and the Taliban who profit by hundreds of millions of afghanis monthly," he said. Shir Aziz Kamawal, commander of police for the northern zone, said abuses by local strongmen had encouraged some local villages to work with the Taliban instead. "Now that the Taliban are there, they have been looking into funding their fighting and digging mines." For much of the past two years, as Afghan forces fought largely alone following the withdrawal of foreign combat troops at the end of 2014, the strategic focus has been on southern provinces like Helmand, a Taliban heartland and source of much of the country's opium. But in the north as well, local officials said it would be difficult to restore trust in Kabul's authority. Abdullah Naji, a member of Badakhshan's local provincial council, said there had been two recent operations by Afghan forces to push the Taliban back, but security forces struggled to hold areas they captured, and insurgents soon returned. "The local people invited them back because it is good business." ($1 = 65.74 afghanis) (Additional reporting by Sardar Razmal and Hamid Shalizi; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
TOKYO (Reuters) - India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.

Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.

India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.

The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.

During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported.

(Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
TOKYO (Reuters) - India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday. Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defense ties between the two countries. India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reporting, citing senior ministry officials it did not name. The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials. During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported. (Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
The high and low collided at the worlds first emoji convention in San Francisco on Saturday, and the result was .

Linguists, emoji designers from tech powerhouses like Google and officials from the Unicode Consortiumthe overlords who standardize emojimingled with vendors hawking eggplant-shaped vibrators, smiley-face Chia pets and a multitude still struggling to cope with the fact that Apples update of the peach emoji is simply not as butt-like as it used to be.  

The inaugural event, taking place over three days, was the brainchild of Jennifer 8. Lee, a writer and producer who became enthralled with emoji-creation process last year after discovering that a dumpling symbol did not exist. Dumplings are a universal food, says Lee. Theres pierogis and empanadas and momos. So to me it just meant that whatever system is in place was broken. 

On Saturday, Emojicon attendees were walked through that process by Unicodes Mark Davis, who explained that his organization is dedicated to making sure that everyoneno matter which of the worlds 7,000 languages they speakcan communicate using those languages on their smartphones and computers. And emoji, he explained, are a small, if wildly popular, part of that work. Every single time youre hitting an A on your smartphone, he says, thats Unicode underneath. Out of about 120,000 characters Unicode deals with, roughly 0.015% are emoji.

Big tech companies like Apple and Google tend to limit their emoji offerings to the symbols that Unicode has made official, to make sure communication runs smoothly across devices. Unicode is trusted with saying that this bit of code should manifest as a smiley face across all platforms, for example, though its up to individual companies to decide how they want that smiley face to look in their respective systems. (Thats why, depending what device youre reading this on, might look like a revolver or a water pistol.) If Unicode doesnt set a standard, users with different devices might get the dreaded did not compute of mystery.

Story continues

What got the  of Lee, who now sits on the subcommittee at Unicode that deals with emoji, is that most people dont understand how it all works. Her intention with the conventionthe same as the mission of her year-old non-profit Emojinationis to bring the voice of the people to a process that largely happens in the back rooms of multinational corporations, and to demystify that process for the masses.

Its a very closed conversation, Lee says. Her organizations motto: Emoji by the people, for the people! .

At one point on Saturday morning, the floor was opened up for anyone who wanted to make a case for why a certain emoji should be added by Unicode, which accepts written proposals arguing for the inclusion of new images. Part of their judgment criteria is how popular a given emoji might be around the world, and part is trying to keep the process neutral and fair. That means no brands, and no real-life people. (Davis, the cofounder of the organization, extended his condolences to Beliebers everywhere .)

Once something is added to the Unicode set, it is never taken out, which is another reason Unicode doesnt approve every emoji that anyone wants. It also takes a lot of work to review proposals, says Unicodes Davis, and phones would be burdened by huge amounts of emojias would users if they were forced to swipe through a 100 pages of them to find the one they want. We dont take the decision lightly, even though its fun, he says. Currently Unicode has standardized about 1,800 emoji, with roughly 70 new ones being added each year.

And so, knowing they all had a  to climb, one woman took the microphone in the open session and advocated for the peacock and more animals in general! A 15-year-old wearing a hijab, who has submitted an application for a figure wearing a hijab, made her case for being more thoughtful about people like her. A pretzel supporter noted that such an emoji would not only serve to aid conversations about literal pretzel treats but act as a visual metaphor for anything convoluted or confusing. Yet another made an impassioned plea for the sickle and hammer, noting that he was in the midst of translating the Communist Manifesto into emoji. 

Linguists such as Tyler Schnoebelen, who has done several studies on emoji and emoticons, delved into the power and diversity of the images as a method of communicationwhile joining the chorus of his peers who say, no, emoji are not a language. He noted how the meaning of one image will differ depending on who is texting it and where and to whom. For example, emoji users in the United States might never end their war over whether  is a high five or a prayer, but it means something entirely different in Japan: thank you. The meaning of emojijust like wordsisnt static either. Language changes, says Schnoebelen, and emoji are changing. Case in point: Goodbye once meant God be with you, but few intend that now. 

Gretchen McCulloch, an Internet linguist, went on to assure grandpas everywhere that emoji are not going to replace English either, with young whippersnappers drooling on their emoji keyboards like illiterate cave people . Most people dont actually use emoji as linguistic devices, substituting  for fries and likewise for every word they can, she said. Instead, they function more as paralinguistic things, devices that give nuance to the words were using, just like body language or pitch of voice. McCulloch noted one study that found kids who use more emoji actually tend to use more standard spellings, too (avoiding things like yaaaaaayyyyy) because those images are sending cues about meaning that they might otherwise resort to non-standard writing to convey.

An emoji designer from Google, Rachel Been, explained the many layers that go into the process of deciding what an emoji will look like on a certain platform. Should it be flat-looking? Three-dimensional? Should the face look left or right? What are the different cultural implications of a color? If theyre designing a necktie emoji, should there also be a shirt? Should emoji women wear pink? (The answer to that one, she said, is emphatically no these days.) Been and her team have noticed gaps in the available symbols, too. Theyre the ones to thank for proposing the professional women emoji that were approved by Unicode earlier this year, to balance out the likes of  and . Its really important to be culturally aware, Been said.

The day was a mix of goofiness and serious academic inquiry, as well as promotional fests from a jumble of sponsors that ranged from the country of Finland to Taco Bell to the U.S. pear lobby. In one room, people competed in emoji karaoke (with teams translating the lyrics of songs like Call Me Maybe into corresponding pictures) while the curator of New Yorks Museum of Modern Art spoke about fine art in another, explaining what went into the museums decision to acquire the original set of 176 Japanese emoji earlier this year. A ballon artist twisted up renditions of as ESPNs Latoya Peterson finalized her remarks on the subtext of race in emoji, questioning which cultural foods , for example, should be widely available. The default on the Internet is often white and male, she says.

And that vacillation between the silly and serious is precisely what Lee had envisioned for Emojicon. It touches this interesting combination of intellectual cerebralism, Lee says, and childlike wonder. Everyone can do something with it. 
The high and low collided at the world's first emoji convention in San Francisco on Saturday, and the result was

?

?

?

.

Linguists, emoji designers from tech powerhouses like Google and officials from the Unicode Consortium--the "overlords" who standardize emoji--mingled with vendors hawking eggplant-shaped vibrators, smiley-face Chia pets and a multitude still struggling to cope with the fact that Apple's update of the peach emoji is simply not as butt-like as it used to be.

?

?

The inaugural event, taking place over three days, was the brainchild of Jennifer 8. Lee, a writer and producer who became enthralled with emoji-creation process last year after discovering that a dumpling symbol did not exist. "Dumplings are a universal food," says Lee. "There's pierogis and empanadas and momos. So to me it just meant that whatever system is in place was broken."

?

On Saturday, Emojicon attendees were walked through that process by Unicode's Mark Davis, who explained that his organization is dedicated to making sure that everyone--no matter which of the world's 7,000 languages they speak

?

?

?

--can communicate using those languages on their smartphones and computers. And emoji, he explained, are a small, if wildly popular, part of that work. "Every single time you're hitting an 'A' on your smartphone," he says, "that's Unicode underneath." Out of about 120,000 characters Unicode deals with, roughly 0.015% are emoji.

Attendees had many emotions about Apple's peach-related decisions. Katy Steinmetz for TIME

Big tech companies like Apple and tend to limit their emoji offerings to the symbols that Unicode has made official, to make sure communication runs smoothly across devices. Unicode is trusted with saying that this bit of code should manifest as a "smiley face" across all platforms, for example, though it's up to individual companies to decide how they want that smiley face to look in their respective systems. (That's why, depending what device you're reading this on,

Story continues

?

might look like a revolver or a water pistol.) If Unicode doesn't set a standard, users with different devices might get the dreaded "did not compute"? of mystery.

What got the

?

of Lee, who now sits on the subcommittee at Unicode that deals with emoji, is that most people don't understand how it all works. Her intention with the convention--the same as the mission of her year-old non-profit Emojination--is to bring the voice of the people to a process that largely happens in the back rooms of multinational corporations, and to demystify that process for the masses.

"It's a very closed conversation," Lee says. Her organization's motto: "Emoji by the people, for the people!"

?

?

?

.

At one point on Saturday morning, the floor was opened up for anyone who wanted to make a case for why a certain emoji should be added by Unicode, which accepts written proposals arguing for the inclusion of new images. Part of their judgment criteria is how popular a given emoji might be around the world, and part is trying to keep the process neutral and fair. That means no brands, and no real-life people. (Davis, the cofounder of the organization, extended his condolences to Beliebers everywhere

?

.)

Once something is added to the Unicode set, it is never taken out, which is another reason Unicode doesn't approve every emoji that anyone wants. It also takes a lot of work to review proposals, says Unicode's Davis, and phones would be burdened by huge amounts of emoji--as would users if they were forced to swipe through a 100 pages of them to find the one they want. "We don't take the decision lightly, even though it's fun," he says. Currently Unicode has standardized about 1,800 emoji, with roughly 70 new ones being added each year.

And so, knowing they all had a hill to climb, one woman took the microphone in the open session and advocated for the peacock and more animals in general

?

?

?

! A 15-year-old wearing a hijab, who has submitted an application for a figure wearing a hijab, made her case for being more thoughtful about people like her. A pretzel supporter noted that such an emoji would not only serve to aid conversations about literal pretzel treats but act as a visual metaphor for anything convoluted or confusing. Yet another made an impassioned plea for the sickle and hammer, noting that he was in the midst of translating the Communist Manifesto into emoji.

?

??

??

??

There was emoji art, emoji soap, emoji clothes and emoji bean bags. Katy Steinmetz for TIME

Linguists such as Tyler Schnoebelen, who has done several studies on emojiand emoticons, delved into the power and diversity of the images as a method of communication--while joining the chorus of his peers who say, no, emoji are not a language. He noted how the meaning of one image will differ depending on who is texting it and where and to whom. For example, emoji users in the United States might never end their war over whether

?

is a high five or a prayer, but it means something entirely different in Japan: "thank you." The meaning of emoji--just like words--isn't static either. "Language changes," says Schnoebelen, "and emoji are changing." Case in point: Goodbye once meant "God be with you," but few intend that now.

Gretchen McCulloch, an Internet linguist, went on to assure grandpas everywhere that emoji are not going to replace English either, with young whippersnappers drooling on their emoji keyboards like illiterate cave people

?

. Most people don't actually use emoji as "linguistic devices," substituting

?

for fries and likewise for every word they can, she said. Instead, they function more as paralinguistic things, devices that give nuance to the words we're using, just like body language or pitch of voice. McCulloch noted one study that found kids who use more emoji actually tend to use more standard spellings, too (avoiding things like "yaaaaaayyyyy") because those images are sending cues about meaning that they might otherwise resort to non-standard writing to convey.

An emoji designer from Google, Rachel Been, explained the many layers that go into the process of deciding what an emoji will look like on a certain platform. Should it be flat-looking? Three-dimensional? Should the face look left or right? What are the different cultural implications of a color? If they're designing a "necktie" emoji, should there also be a shirt? Should emoji women wear pink? (The answer to that one, she said, is emphatically "no" these days.) Been and her team have noticed gaps in the available symbols, too. They're the ones to thank for proposing the professional women emoji that were approved by Unicode earlier this year, to balance out the likes of

?

and

?

. "It's really important to be culturally aware," Been said.

Opening night on Friday included a costume contest. Katy Steinmetz for TIME

The day was a mix of goofiness and seriousness academic inquiry, as well as promotional fests from a jumble of sponsors that ranged from the country of Finland to Taco Bell to the U.S. pear lobby. In one room, people competed in emoji karaoke (with teams translating the lyrics of songs like "Call Me Maybe" into corresponding pictures) while the curator of New York's Museum of Modern Art spoke about fine art in another, explaining what went into the museum's decision to acquire the original set of 176 Japanese emoji earlier this year. A ballon artist twisted up renditions of

?

as ESPN's Latoya Peterson finalized her remarks on the subtext of race in emoji, questioning which cultural foods

?

, for example, should be widely available. "The default on the Internet is often white and male," she says.

And that vacillation between the silly and serious is precisely what Lee had envisioned for Emojicon. "It touches this interesting combination of intellectual cerebralism," Lee says, "and childlike wonder. Everyone can do something with it."

?

This article originally appeared on TIME.com

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces battled jihadists inside Mosul for the third day running Sunday while civilians risked their lives dodging bombs and snipers to slip out of the city.

The Islamic State group put up fierce resistance to defend the city it seized more than two years ago and also claimed responsibility for deadly suicide attacks further south.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service has been spearheading the attack on the eastern front of the three-week-old offensive on Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years.

"Our forces are continuing to clear neighbourhoods including Al-Samah, Karkukli, Al-Malayeen and Shaqaq al-Khadra," CTS Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi told AFP.

The jihadists have given up some of its bastions in Iraq and Syria with barely a fight in recent months but its men began the defence of their last Iraqi hub with anger.

"Resistance is very heavy and they have suffered major losses," Assadi said of IS.

- Perilous escape -

Soldiers from the army's 9th armoured division also battled jihadists in the southeastern neighbourhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported, as forces attempted to increase their footprint in eastern Mosul.

They first entered the streets of Mosul on Friday and were met with what one officer described as stiffer than expected resistance from IS jihadists.

The assault allowed some civilians to flee the city, most of whose million-plus residents remained trapped inside, sheltering both from their jihadist rulers and incoming fire from government forces and US-led coalition aircraft.

Some of the first civilians to manage to escape the city proper arrived at a camp near Khazir in Kurdish-controlled territory on Saturday.

Abu Sara dodged gunfire, bombs, mortar rounds and coalition strikes to flee his neighbourhood of Al-Samah, such was his desperation to leave what many civilians who escaped IS rule describe as an open-air prison.

"We walked several miles, taking with us only the clothes we were wearing and white flags we waved the entire way," said the 34-year-old, wearing a brown fake leather jacket.

Story continues

While the corridors called for by aid groups to allow the safe passage of civilians have yet to materialise, arrivals in the displacement camps dotting the area have increased markedly.

The government said it had taken in 9,000 displaced people in the past two days.

- Suicide bombings -

The International Organization for Migration said a total of about 34,000 people had been displaced since the start of rhe offensive on October 17.

Relief organisations were fighting the clock to build up their shelter capacity ahead of the feared mass exodus from Mosul.

Despite IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving his fighters a pep talk on Thursday, urging them not to retreat from Mosul in a rare audio message, the outcome of the battle was in little doubt.

The jihadists, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 fighters in Mosul, could hold out for weeks and inflict heavy casualties on government forces but they are outnumbered about 10 to one.

The group's ability to hit back with ground offensives elsewhere appears to be gone and IS has responded with a string of diversionary attacks, including spectacular operations in Kirkuk and Rutba.

On Sunday, it claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks in Tikrit and Samarra, the two main cities in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials spoke of only two bombers, one who detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, and another who blew up an ambulance in Samarra.

Jassem al-Jbara, the head of Salaheddin province's security committee, said that the Tikrit attack killed 12 people and wounded 20, while six died and 12 more were injured in Samarra.

IS identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has visited the Mosul front lines several times since the offensive started, has vowed to rid the country of IS by the end of the year.

Retaking Mosul could effectively end the IS group's days as a land-holding force in Iraq and deal a death blow to the "caliphate" Baghdadi proclaimed in the city in June 2014.
By Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - A month away from a referendum on constitutional reform that could sink the government, Italy's largest opposition party wants to make sure Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is not saved by the votes of Italians abroad. Luigi Di Maio, one of the most prominent faces of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, heads to London on Tuesday to kick off a 10-day campaign against the referendum that will also take him to Madrid, Brussels, Paris and Berlin. 5-Star, whose appeal is based on a drive against the corruption that has tainted Italy's politics for decades, has good reason to be wary of the army of 3 million expatriates who have the right to vote. The maverick group was the most voted party in Italy at the last national election in 2013, but after the ballots were counted from Italians living abroad it was overtaken by the Democratic Party (PD), allowing it to lead a new government. Di Maio, a 30-year-old parliamentarian widely expected to be 5-Star's candidate for prime minister at the next election due in 2018, aims to avoid a repeat performance with the referendum. "We want to explain the risks of this reform to Italians abroad because if 'Yes' wins we will never get rid of the political class that forced them to emigrate," he told Reuters in an interview. Italians faced with a chronically stagnant economy and a lack of work have been emigrating in growing numbers in recent years. Some 107,000 moved abroad in 2015, according to official data, but the actual figure is believed to be much higher. Renzi says his plan to reduce drastically the role of the Senate and curb the powers of regional governments will simplify decision-making and ensure stable government. Opponents say it will actually make the legislative process more complicated and reduce checks and balances. "This reform will give more power to the people who have brought our country to the state it is in," said Di Maio, whose party is roughly level with the PD according to recent polls. Earlier this year Renzi repeatedly said he would resign if he lost the Dec. 4 referendum. In the last two months he has declined to confirm that, saying discussion of his own future deflected attention from the merits of the reform. "If he loses we will ask Renzi to keep his promise and the Italians will ask him to keep his promise," said Di Maio, who is viewed as the moderate face of the movement created by firebrand comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009. RENZI'S STRUGGLE With all the opposition parties lined up against the reform, Renzi faces an uphill struggle. Of 33 opinion polls published in the last month, all but one has put 'No' ahead. However, with around a quarter of voters still undecided, pollsters say the result remains highly uncertain. Moreover, the polls do not include Italians living abroad. Pollsters expect less than a third of these to cast a ballot, but they say of those that do, most will probably vote 'Yes'. In a very tight race this could be crucial. The meticulous Di Maio is likely to have a tough task convincing expats such as Stefano Greco, a 27-year-old from Sicily who has been in London for 15 months doing a post-graduate degree at the London Business School. "I will vote 'Yes', because living abroad you see even more clearly how slow and bureaucratic Italy is, and my impression is that the reform will help to make things simpler," he said. The 2013 election was just the latest to turn on Italians abroad. In 2006, it was the foreign vote that gave centre-left leader Romano Prodi his majority in the upper house Senate. 5-Star is not the only party wooing Italy's emigrants. Reforms Minister Maria Elena Boschi recently toured Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to win support for 'Yes', while the right-wing Northern League is also sending a senior politician to South America this month to whip up the 'No' vote. Federico Benini, head of polling agency Winpoll, forecast that around 300,000 Italians abroad would vote, or roughly 10 percent. That compares with 30 percent at the 2013 national election and just 3 percent at the 2014 European election. Of those that cast a ballot, he said he expected up to 80 percent to back 'Yes' because they follow Italian politics less closely, tend to be less anti-Renzi and see it as broadly positive that the country is trying to reform. Benini estimated that if 'Yes' is less than one percentage point behind among domestic voters, the result could be overturned by those resident abroad. Di Maio said 5-Star had its own proposals for amending the constitution, such as taking away parliamentarians' immunity from arrest and removing the provision that Italy must balance its budget each year, which in any case it has never respected. "We are certainly not against change," he said. "But change is not always good, and by saying no to this reform we are trying to save Italy from a change for the worse." (This version of the story was refiled to add dropped word in third paragraph) (Editing by Crispian Balmer and Anna Willard)
Japan protested to China on Sunday after Chinese coast guard ships sailed into territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Tokyo said.

Four Chinese vessels entered the waters surrounding the islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, around 10:00 am local time (0100 GMT), according to Japan Coast Guard.

They left the territorial waters within two hours, the coast guard said.

The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited, Tokyo-controlled islets.

Japan has routinely complained that China is escalating regional tensions by regularly sending ships to the island chain despite repeated protests from Tokyo.

On Sunday, Tokyo lodged a protest to China's foreign ministry through its embassy in Beijing saying the islands are "an inherent territory of Japan," while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office beefed up its team in charge of monitoring Chinese ships, a government official told AFP.

Tokyo has lodged at least 32 protests through diplomatic channels this year over what it says have been a total 31 days of intrusions by Chinese vessels in the territorial waters.

China is also involved in maritime disputes in the South China Sea by claiming most of the area despite partial counter-claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

But a UN-backed tribunal in July ruled that Beijing's claims were invalid.
Jude Law is totally unrecognizable as the pope in this new HBO trailer

Jude Law playing a hot pope in our living room is the cinematic masterpiece we never knew we needed. In the forthcoming HBO series The Young Pope, Jude Law plays the first American pope in the history of the Vatican. Deemed Pius XIII but known as Lenny Belardo prior to his rule, Law plays a polarizing character and we cant wait to see it.

The trailer begins with a bold question: What truly made our Church great, fear or tolerance? From there, we get a look at the dramatic series, which has already successfully premiered on Sky Atlantic in Great Britain. Beyond Jude Law playing Pontifex, the show is loaded with other star talent. Diane Keaton plays a nun named Sister Mary; meanwhile, Paolo Sorrentino lends his skills as director.

Rumor has it that Law plays a jerk in the series, with Vatican officials expressing their displeasure of a young Belardo and his rapid ascension to notoriety. As the youngest pope in history and the first American to rule the papacy, it comes as no surprise that Pius XIII would be portrayed by a dynamic, accomplished actor like Jude Law. We cant wait to watch him rule with an iron fist and take HBO by storm in this new role.



The Young Pope premieres in the U.S. on January 15, 2017, and we know its going to be good. In fact, the series has already been commissioned for a second season. Thats great news, because we hate falling in love with a new show that is abruptly canceled. Is it too early to set our DVRs? Is it OK to think the pope is looking pretty dapper? You know, just asking for a friend.

Either way, we are already counting down the days until we see #hotpopeLenny on the small screen. For now, well just keep watching the trailer on repeat.

Theres a new pope now, and this is only the beginning.

The post Jude Law is totally unrecognizable as the pope in this new HBO trailer appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Justin Timberlakes Cant Stop the Feeling! has been a huge hit worldwide since debuting in the summer, but the song was composed for DreamWorks Animations Trolls, and occupies a huge emotional point in the film. Timberlake, who also co-stars in the animated pic, not only wrote the song but served as the films music executive producer, being instrumental in selecting the songs used at key moments during the story.

The multiple roles put Timberlake in the unusual position of being something of a guinea pig for his own ability to evoke emotions from the films audience. He successfully made himself tear up while watching a scene featuring a performance of the Cyndi Lauper classic True Colors, as he explained this afternoon while talking with Deadlines Dominic Patten during the DreamWorks Animation panel at Deadlines the Contenders event in West Hollywood.

True Colors [is] a beautiful song, and its a huge emotional moment in the film, said Timberlake. And so Im watching it and Im like, Am I  crying? At myself? I thought my only opportunity to do that was like a bottle of Jack Daniels and a mirror!

The toon from DreamWorks Animation and Fox is on its way to a $40M+ opening weekend. Based on the popular dolls made by Danish woodworker Thomas Dam, Trolls is voiced by an all-star voice cast that also includes Anna Kendrick and Gwen Stefani, as well as The Late Late Show host James Corden, Russell Brand, Jeffrey Tambor, Zooey Deschanel, Christine Baranski and John Cleese. The Trolls soundtrack is produced by Timberlake and features five original songs including one each by him, Kendrick, Stefani and Ariana Grande. The album is No. 33 on the Billboard 200 and tops the Billboard soundtracks chart.

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'Doctor Strange' Resuscitates Fall Box Office With $85M Opening, 'Trolls' Strong With $45.6M - Sunday AM Final

Deadline's The Contenders Photo Studio 2016: Emma Stone, Denzel Washington, Amy Adams & More
By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's state prosecutor has said seven Islamic State suspects detained last week were planning attacks in the Balkans and were receiving instructions from militants in Syria. Anti-terror police arrested seven men in three different towns on Friday and the group was subsequently jailed for 30 days pending further investigation by the court of first instance in Pristina. The seven men had contacts in neighboring countries such as Macedonia and Albania, and other suspects from the group still remain at large, a document from the state prosecutor seen by Reuters showed. Kosovo has not seen any militant attacks on its home turf, but at least 200 people have been detained or investigated for alleged Islamic State-related offences. Around 300 Kosovars have gone to fight with the group in Syria and Iraq. According to the prosecution, the seven men were in contact with an Islamic State member, the self-declared "commander of Albanians in Syria and Iraq", Lavdrim Muhaxheri, during September and October this year when he gave them instructions on attacks. "They have prepared terrorist attacks on the territory of the Balkans, but first in Kosovo. They have planned to attack different buildings including security institutions," the prosecution said. The men wanted to create a regional offshoot of Islamic State, and one had already spent time fighting alongside the group in Syria, the document said. Domestic and regional security agencies in Kosovo, including NATO and the EU police mission, are worried those returning from combat zones could pose a threat to security, but so far there have been no attacks in Kosovo. The prosecution has yet to file charges against the group. Nasuf Hasani, the lawyer of one defendant, said he would appeal the court's decision to jail his client. Most of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority are nominally Muslim but overwhelmingly secular. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with the backing of the West. In 2015 it adopted a law introducing jail sentences of up to 15 years for anyone found guilty of fighting in wars abroad. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
London (AFP) - South Africa suffered a serious blow on Sunday when full-back Jesse Kriel was ruled out of the rest of the northern hemisphere tour because of a lower leg injury.

The 22-year-old, who went off at half-time of the thrilling 31-31 draw with the Barbarians on Saturday, will return to South Africa be replaced by Golden Lions centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg.

Van Rensburg scored the fifth of their tries which clinched the draw but had been due to fly back to South Africa along with several of the rest of the squad after the Barbarians match.

He now stands a chance of getting some game time against England next Saturday.

Springbok management also confirmed that Jamba Ulengo, the Blue Bulls wing, will stay on as possible cover for Ruan Combrinck, JP Petersen and Willie le Roux.

Petersen and Le Roux both have niggles, picked up during club rugby action in England and Japan.

Combrinck suffered a knock to his lower right leg and is currently under review.

Meanwhile, Cheslin Kolbe, Tian Schoeman, Uzair Cassiem, RG Snyman and Lizo Gqoboka have all gone back to South Africa.

They will be replaced by foreign-based Springboks including legendary wing Bryan Habana.
For most people, buying their first jar of Creme de La Mer can be counted as a beautymaybe even lifemilestone. Insanely-coveted, revolutionary, and shockingly-expensive when it launched to the masses in the 1990s, Creme de La Mer quickly earned its spot as the dream cream for beauty enthusiasts and its legendary status has not waned since. Like many others, I remember the moment I became the owner of my first jar of Creme de La Mer. As a 23-year old beauty writer, I could not afford to buy it, but I lusted after it and when a jar came across my desk, it felt like Christmas morning times 100. Not only would I finally be able to experience the miracle, I also felt so validated that such a major brand would send little ol me a jar because they cared what I personally thought.

Exceptwhen I tried it, I didnt think much of it.

You May Also Like: 7 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Anti-Aging Routine

While the thousands of five-star reviewers on Google might beg to differ, I found the cream to be too rich, too difficult to spread and ultimately not a match for my oily skin. (But then again, I was a 23 year old critiquing an anti-aging product). The thick, tacky texture was actually such a hurdle that I ended up abandoning after a few tries, forever categorizing it as a product that I wanted to like, but couldnt.

If you fall in the same boat and couldnt understand the hype, theres a new La Mer product that will finally guide you to the light. Fast forward a decade, and now no one can pull me away from my daily dose of Miracle Broth. The product that I swear by is La Mers new Soft Lotion, a moisturizer formulated for those who require both a light texture and serious nourishment. Thanks to an innovative new micro technology, the Soft Lotion is able to deliver La Mers signature anti-aging complex Miracle Broth (their proprietary blend of sea kelp and vitamins C, E and B12) and Lime Tea Concentrate (which works to protect against pollution), while keeping the formula lightweight and soft. The key ingredients are encapsulated into gel-coated microspheres so small that they take on a water-like texture, allowing the lotion to feel lightweight and fresh on the skin. Once applied, the microspheres penetrate into the skin to deliver active ingredients that tackle multiple signs of aging such as dryness, dullness, fine lines and wrinkles (and yes, as a woman no longer in her 20s, Im much more equiped to speak to these now).
By William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - The head of Britain's opposition Labour Party will try to block divorce talks with the European Union if the government does not agree to Labour's Brexit demands, potentially leading to an early national election, a newspaper said on Saturday. Jeremy Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror that Labour's "Brexit bottom line" would require guarantees for access to the EU's single market for exporters, continued protection of workers' rights, safeguards for consumers and the environment and pledges that Britain would make up any loss of EU capital investment. England's High Court dealt Prime Minister Theresa May a setback on Thursday when it ruled that the decision to begin formal talks about leaving the EU needed to be approved by parliament. The government has said it will appeal the decision but should it have to hold the vote, the ruling Conservative Party may struggle to get the majority it needs because some of its own members have concerns about the terms of Brexit. "We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum," Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror. "We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe." May told other EU leaders on Friday she believed the court ruling would be overturned and said she would stick to her timetable of starting the Brexit negotiations before the end of March. The Labour Party supported the "Remain" campaign ahead of the June 23 referendum. In his interview with the Sunday Mirror, Corbyn said he was looking forward to the possibility of an election before the next scheduled national poll in 2020. "If the government calls an election we're ready for it," he said. "We have the members, the organisation and the enthusiasm. We welcome the challenge." Separately on Saturday, another newspaper quoted May as saying there would be no going back on the government's Brexit plan, despite the setback in the High Court and calling on pro-EU lawmakers and judges to accept the outcome of the referendum. "Instead of re-fighting the battles of the past, we should be focussing on how we can come together as a country to make the most of this great national opportunity and forge a bold, confident, global future for Britain," May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. (Editing by Grant McCool and Tom Brown)
A temple in the heart of Capital remains in ruins

A 42-foot Shivalaya (temple of Lord Shiva), located next to the Goraknath temple at Thapathali chowk in the heart of Kathmandu, lies in a state of neglect even three months after its collapsed.
Tripoli (AFP) - Libyan pro-government forces fighting the Islamic State group in Sirte evacuated 14 civilians from a battleground district of the city, they said on Sunday.

"Our forces today successfully secured the departure of 14 civilians, mostly women and children," from the last part of the city where IS fighters are holed up, the pro-government forces said in a statement.

IS fighters have been cornered in a single area of Sirte after a months-long assault by forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNA).

It is not known how many civilians remain in the Al-Jiza Al-Bahriya neighbourhood.

Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the capital Tripoli, had a population of 120,000 before IS seized it in June 2015 and residents began to flee.

Pro-GNA forces said in October they had managed to rescue an Egyptian and a Turk from IS-controlled zones, as well as 11 Eritreans who were thought to have been held hostage by the group.

Backed by US air strikes, pro-GNA forces are facing snipers, car bombs, suicide bombings and booby traps as they advance on the jihadists' last holdout in Sirte.

More than 550 pro-government fighters have been killed in the fighting since May. The toll on the IS side is not known.
Tripoli (AFP) - Libya's coastguard said it rescued 115 migrants on Sunday who had been aboard a rubber boat that broke down off Tripoli, and that one migrant had drowned.

The migrants "were on a rubber boat that broke down northwest of Khoms," some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the capital on Saturday, navy spokesman Colonel Ayoub Qassem told AFP.

He said the rescue began at 7:30 am local time and it took two hours to take the migrants to Khoms port where they were given medical aid.

They were then passed to the interior ministry's department tackling illegal immigration, he added.

The migrants were of various African nationalities.

People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.

As many as 4,220 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean so far this year, a higher number than the full-year totals for 2014, 2015 or any other year on record, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Libyan Red Crescent said on Saturday that in the past week it had retrieved the bodies of 40 migrants who had drowned attempting to reach Europe.

The same day, 10 migrants' bodies were recovered from a rubber boat and more than 2,200 people were rescued at sea, according to the Italian Coast Guard.

On Friday, 1,200 migrants were rescued in eight operations.
MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces in the final stages of a six-month campaign to recapture Sirte from Islamic State said they freed 14 civilians on Sunday from a small residential area where some militants are holding out. The forces, composed of fighters mainly from Misrata, say they are exercising caution to limit casualties to civilians who may still be trapped with Islamic State fighters. Islamic State took full control of Sirte, a city of some 80,000 inhabitants, in early 2015. Its loss would leave the jihadist group without any territorial control in Libya. The Libyan forces have the remaining militants in Sirte surrounded in part of the Ghiza Bahriya neighborhood. The civilians who left on Sunday were Libyans and mainly women and children, the media office of the Misrata-led operation said. They are the latest of several groups of civilians to escape or be released, many of them migrant women and children who were kidnapped by Islamic State as they tried to make their way through Libya toward Europe. There was no advance against Islamic State on Sunday, Rida Issa, a spokesman for Misrata-led forces, told Reuters. On Saturday, Reuters reporters witnessed heavy tank and howitzer fire against militant positions resulting in small gains. The forces fighting Islamic State in Sirte are aligned with a U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, though strategic decisions are taken by commanders in the field and in Misrata. Since Aug. 1, they have been assisted by more than 360 U.S. air strikes. (Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by David Clarke)
Lily James just wore the perfect holiday party outfit, so start planning yours now

Lily James not only attended the holiday event of our dreams, but she wore the perfect outfit. James performed the Christmas tree light switch-on at Harrods in London this week. The event celebrated Harrods partnership with Burberry in A Very British Fairy Tale, the holiday display in the windows at the department store.

Wearing a black lace dress with a keyhole cutout slit and long slit, an ivory coat and metallic pumps, Lily James looked like a muse from holiday heaven.

We love how her red poppy pin stands out against her off-white cashmere coat with bell sleeves. And we love how her metallic shoes play off her little black dress. Every piece in her picture-perfect get up is from the new Burberry collection for Harrods.

The 27-year-old Cinderella actress, whose real name is Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (!), was accompanied by her boyfriend Matt Smith.

She posed by the interactive window display. It allows visitors to interact with a sensory window, through a touch-trigger mechanic and motion sensor.

Lilys look may be even more perfect without her coat. We love those black lace sleeves!

Lily James

James is the face of the My Burberry Black fragrance, and stars in the new holiday film The Tale of Thomas Burberry.

Celebrating the companys 160th anniversary, the three-minute film tells the story of its founder Thomas Burberry. James stars alongside Domhnall Gleeson, Sienna Miller, and Dominic West. Its epic and beautiful and you must watch it now.

Were praying to the movie gods that this gets made into a feature.

The post Lily James just wore the perfect holiday party outfit, so start planning yours now appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Business journo Neupanes death irreparable loss: FNJ

Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has said that the death of Former editor of the Karobar business daily Sanjay Neupane is an irreparable loss to Nepali media fraternity.
(Adds detail from union, Fiat Chrysler)

By Allison Martell

TORONTO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Workers at Magna International's Integram vehicle seat plant in Windsor, Ontario will strike after voting against a tentative labor contract, their union, Unifor, said on Sunday.

With about 1,000 unionized workers, the unit builds seats for General Motors Co's CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, which assembles the Chevrolet Equinox, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Windsor van plant, the union said.

"We're going to the plant to remove the workers from the facility, create picket lines and in essence connect with Magna corporation to start conversations about how we can remedy this," Local 444 President Dino Chiodo said shortly after the vote. "Our members are obviously looking for more."

A union Twitter account said 57.9 percent voted to reject the deal.

Chiodo said the strike could halt production of the Equinox crossover vehicle within a couple shifts if it is not resolved. GM could not immediately be reached for comment.

Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman Lou Ann Gosselin said the Windsor van plant, which builds all the automaker's minivans for the North American market including the new Chrysler Pacifica, had already halted production because of a fire at another supplier.

Gosselin said the company expects to be producing normally by Nov. 14 so the strike should have no impact unless it extends beyond that point.

Chiodo said some members at Magna had been unhappy with wages and with a deduction they pay toward their benefits. The tentative four-year contract offered raises of 2 percent, 2 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent.

Magna could not immediately be reached for comment.

The vote was unrelated to a closely watched ratification vote at another Unifor local that represents Ford Motor Co manufacturing workers. Results from that vote are expected after 7 p.m.

(Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Paul Simao)
By Allison Martell TORONTO (Reuters) - Workers at Magna International's Integram vehicle seat plant in Windsor, Ontario will strike after voting against a tentative labor contract, their union, Unifor, said on Sunday. With about 1,000 unionized workers, the unit builds seats for General Motors Co's CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, which assembles the Chevrolet Equinox, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Windsor van plant, the union said. "We're going to the plant to remove the workers from the facility, create picket lines and in essence connect with Magna corporation to start conversations about how we can remedy this," Local 444 President Dino Chiodo said shortly after the vote. "Our members are obviously looking for more." A union Twitter account said 57.9 percent voted to reject the deal. Chiodo said the strike could halt production of the Equinox crossover vehicle within a couple shifts if it is not resolved. GM could not immediately be reached for comment. Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman Lou Ann Gosselin said the Windsor van plant, which builds all the automaker's minivans for the North American market including the new Chrysler Pacifica, had already halted production because of a fire at another supplier. Gosselin said the company expects to be producing normally by Nov. 14 so the strike should have no impact unless it extends beyond that point. Chiodo said some members at Magna had been unhappy with wages and with a deduction they pay toward their benefits. The tentative four-year contract offered raises of 2 percent, 2 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent. Magna could not immediately be reached for comment. The vote was unrelated to a closely watched ratification vote at another Unifor local that represents Ford Motor Co manufacturing workers. Results from that vote are expected after 7 p.m. (Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Paul Simao)
The South Carolina kidnapping suspect who allegedly chained a woman in a storage container for two months has reportedly confessed to a 2003 quadruple murder and may have killed three others, according to police.

Officials arrested Todd Kohlhepp, 45, for kidnapping on Thursday after finding 30-year-old Kala Brown chained by the neck and ankle in a storage container on his property.

Police said Kohlhepp later confessed to the unsolved murder of four people in 2003 at a "Superbike Motorsports" and was subsequently charged with four counts of murder.

Read: Man Strangled Roommate Before Stuffing His Body in Suitcase and Hosting a Party: Cops

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said Kohlhepp told detectives details of the four murders that only the killer would have known.

Scott Ponder, 30, Beverly Guy, 52, Brian Lucas, 29, and Chris Sherbert, 26, were found fatally shot on November 6, 2003.

Wright said 'God answered our prayers' in solving the 13-year-old cold case.

Police also found an unidentified body on the almost 100-acre property on Friday, which they have now identified to be 32-year-old Charlie Carver's, Brown's boyfriend.

Brown reportedly told officials that she saw Kohlhepp shoot her boyfriend and the coroner said Carver was shot more than once in his upper extremities.

Police are not yet clear on how long the body was buried, according to reports, but they described his burial site as "gruesome."

We talked with the family and they're obviously heartbroken," Wright said.

It is not clear when Kohlhepp will be charged in connection with the alleged Carver murder.

Wright said in a news conference that Kohlhepp also led investigators Saturday to where he said two more bodies are buried on his property, but the bodies have not been recovered yet.

Brown and Carver both went missing in August and police found Brown alive on Kohlhepps property after acting on a tip.

Story continues

Read: Neighbors of Man Accused of Holding Woman Captive: We Had a Bad Feeling

According to police, Brown and Kohlhepp knew each other beforehand.

Kohlhepp is a registered sex offender who was convicted of raping a 14-year-old at gun point when he was 15.

Watch: Man Suspected Of Killing Iowa Cops Had Encounter With Officers Before Shootings

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Joal (Senegal) (AFP) - Pelicans, flamingos, monkeys and even hyenas are under threat in Senegal along with the livelihoods of the local people as thick clusters of mangroves are disappearing.

And it seems that not even an ancestral spirit can save them.

The protected marine area (AMP) of Joal in western Senegal, just to the north of the Gambia, is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity.

The hardy mangrove shrubs thrive in salty water, thick mud and hot, humid conditions that would kill most other plants.

Part of Senegal's peaceful Petite Cote, Joal's mangroves are being eroded by a combination of factors, including global warming, deforestation, public works, oyster and clam fishing, salination of the fresh water river and drought.

All along the riverbed, great swathes of sandy dunes have appeared in place of the once suffocating canopy of mangroves.

"The empty spaces are areas where the mangrove has disappeared," said Abdoulaye Sagna, a manager at the Joal AMP.

Mangroves are not just tough survivors. Scientists now believe the swamps are hugely important to the well-being of the planet as a whole.

Senegal's mangrove system supports a vast range of species and organisms.

Baobab trees and acacia shrubs grow in between the tangled roots, which are a habitat for molluscs, crabs and insects.

Animals such as monkeys and hyenas also live in the mangroves, and flamingos, pelicans, terns, herons and other types of birds nest in the trees.

"All these species are victims of the disappearance of the mangrove," added Sagna.

The protected area may be vast but outside of the AMP, the mangrove is receding, according to Abdou Karim Sall, a member of the Joal AMP's organising committee.

- 'Degraded' mangroves -

But he insists that the establishment of the 174-square-kilometre (67-square-mile) protected area has had a positive effect on safeguarding the local environment.

"There was nothing here, no mangroves, but from 2009 we started reforesting," said Sall.

Story continues

"In villages not covered by the AMP, the mangrove is more degraded. We fear it will disappear in certain areas where entire hectares have been cut down."

Despite the reforestation policy, Senegal is losing much of its mangroves, not least to those looking for firewood and construction materials.

"Senegal has lost 40 percent of its mangroves since the 1970s," said ecologist Haidar El Ali, a former minister of the environment.

As the mangroves recede, it is becoming harder to find oysters and clams, which are among the mainstays of the local economy.

"Before, all you needed to do was go 10 metres (32 feet) into the river to find oysters and clams. But now, you have to go much further," complained Marie-Madeleine Diouf, head of a group of seafood traders in Joal.

"We can't find the quantity we want and demand is increasing."

Other than the abundant mollusc fishing, Joal -- famous for being the birthplace of Senegal's first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor -- is also known for tourism and local handicrafts, based on clam shells and sea snails found at the island of Fadiouth, which is linked to Joal by a bridge.

- Ancestral spirit -

But that has attracted many unscrupulous outsiders, and not even a local spirit in the deeply superstitious society can keep them from exploiting the mangroves.

"Joal's ancestral spirit, Mama Ngueth, the town's protector, banned the cutting down of mangroves," said Sall.

"Everyone respected that ban and belief in that spirit was a factor in the conservation of the mangrove.

"But now there are a lot of migrants in Joal who couldn't care less about this spirit, or the conservation of the mangrove."

One solution has been to build an oyster farm in Joal to boost production.

Yet another is to try to protect young molluscs.

Oyster farmer Leopold Ndong wields a knife to cut oysters from the intertwined mangrove roots to "plant" them in mud.

"These are spat, baby oysters... After a year they will be mature," he said.

According to Diouf, the fight to preserve the mangroves is not a forlorn one and is worth the effort.

"We have to replant every day because people keep cutting (down mangroves)," she said.

"People will keep cutting, and we'll keep replanting."
Chhath festival marked across country [photo feature]

Hindu devotees across the country marked Chhath festival on Sunday by offering prayers to the Sun god for its invaluable role in sustaining life on earth. The three-day festival concluded after the devotees offered their prayers to the setting sun.
By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will use her first bilateral trade trip since taking office to try to boost ties with India before leaving the European Union. May's office said the visit starting on Sunday night would focus on breaking down barriers to trade and investment and paving the way for a free trade deal as soon as possible after Brexit, which is not expected to happen before 2019. Explaining the choice of India, a government official said: "It matters now more than ever. India is the fastest-growing major economy." May said the trip was about seizing the opportunities of Brexit and "expanding our horizons and forging stronger partnerships with countries around the world". "This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship," she said in a statement ahead of the visit. While Britain cannot sign trade deals with third countries until it is outside the EU, the government is keen to hold preparatory discussions. May, accompanied by trade ministers Liam Fox and Greg Hands and around 40 business representatives mainly from small- and medium-sized technology and healthcare firms, will address a technology summit, have a working lunch with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet businesses. Among representatives of larger firms joining her on the trip are David McMillan, CEO of insurer Aviva, Ivan Menezes, the CEO of drinks firm Diageo and the chairman of Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered, John Peace. May will visit New Delhi and outsourcing hub Bengaluru before leaving on Tuesday. Her office said commercial deals to be signed during the trip were expected to create a total of 1,370 jobs in the UK. One potential area of difficulty is her plan to curb the annual level of net migration to under 100,000 from its rate of more than three times that. India is keen for Britain to welcome more of its students and skilled workers. "We want to attract the brightest and the best while also doing more to control migration," the official said. "When we get to ... looking at these bilateral deals we are confident that we will be able to do strong and ambitious deals." May and Modi will also launch a partnership on smart cities and urban development which could generate business worth up to 2 billion pounds for British firms over the next five years, her office said. Britain will press India to allow its law firms to operate there, and will also offer its government expertise in areas such as deregulation and tax to help make India a more attractive business environment. The official declined to say whether May would specifically raise with Modi the issue of Tata Steel Ltd, which put its British steel operations up for sale earlier this year but suspended it in July due to uncertainty over the Brexit vote. The government has not given away much detail about its Brexit plans, with May only saying it wants the best deal to "trade with and operate within" the EU's single market. Some have suggested that if the UK stays in the EU's customs union it will not be able to strike trade deals with third countries such as India, but the British official disputed this. "Turkey is in the customs union but has trade agreements with third countries," the official said. Turkey has free trade agreements with 18 countries including in Asia, north Africa and South America, while another 12 including Japan and Mexico are actively under discussion, according to the Turkish economy ministry website. (Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Catherine Evans)
Berlin (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners appeared more divided than ever Sunday in their search for a joint candidate to be Germany's next president, highlighting the tensions between the parties ahead of next year's general election.

"There is no agreement," a source close to the negotiations told AFP after talks between Merkel, who heads the Christian Democrats (CDU), and the leaders of the other two parties in her right-left grand coalition ended without a breakthrough.

German media said Merkel's discussions with her Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer of the CSU and Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democrats would resume next weekend.

The three have been wrangling for months over who to nominate as a potential successor to President Joachim Gauck, 76, who announced in June was stepping down due to his advancing age.

The role is largely ceremonial, with the president traditionally seen as a figure who transcends party politics and serves as a kind of moral arbiter for the nation.

But with German parties shifting into campaign mode, the succession discussions have turned into a display of political power.

Outspoken vice-chancellor and economy minister Gabriel ratcheted up tensions two weeks ago when he unexpectedly declared popular Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the SPD as his party's preferred candidate.

The move blindsided Merkel and Seehofer, as the coalition partners had earlier agreed to put forward a "consensus candidate" who had cross-party support.

It also raised the pressure on the CDU/CSU to come up with equally high-profile names for position, with German media citing conservative heavyweights Wolfgang Schaeuble, the finance minister, and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as possible contenders.

With the conservative bloc unlikely to agree to an SPD candidate, Seehofer told local media that he hoped Gabriel was still open to other suggestions.

The economy minister himself told the newspaper group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland after Sunday's talks that "an agreement was not off the table".

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The wrangling comes at a sensitive time for Merkel, who is expected to run for a fourth term next September but who has been politically weakened by her contentions open-door policy for refugees.

If no agreement can be reached, the conservative allies and the SPD could possibly each field their own candidates.

The new president will be elected on February 12 by members of parliament and delegates from Germany's 16 federal states.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's peso jumped on Sunday after the FBI announced it stood by a previous decision to not charge Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over emails related to her private server, a decision that comes just two days before the election.

The peso <MXN=D2>, which has been hit by the rise of Republican candidate Donald Trump and his policies that are seen hurting Mexico's economy, rose as much 2.2 percent, but later pared gains to trade up 1.6 percent at 18.708 pesos per dollar.

In a letter to Congress on Sunday announcing the end of a review of newly discovered emails related to Clinton's private server, FBI Director James Comey said the agency had not changed its conclusions from July that no criminal charges were warranted against the presidential contender.

Comey informed Congress of the newly discovered emails more than a week ago, throwing the race for the White House into turmoil and eroding Clinton's lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump in the final stretch before Tuesday's vote.

With just two days to go until the Nov. 8 election, Comey's decision handed a major boost to Clinton, who has been accused of criminality by her rival Trump over her handling of government emails during her time as Secretary of State.

Trump has vowed to build a border wall between Mexico and the United States, threatened to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement, block remittances back to Mexico and deport those living illegally in the United States.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Simon Gardner)
Satya Nadella

With 1% of global market share, Microsoft Windows' chances of becoming a major player in the smartphone game are basically dead.

It's time to let Windows Phone go, and move on.

It sounds like Microsoft has: Apart from a cameo on HP's new high-end Elite X3 smartphone, the Windows 10 Mobile operating system didn't rate any kind of appearance at Microsoft's most recent Surface hardware event.

And in an interview with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley this week, Windows boss Terry Myerson says the major reason that Microsoft is still working on its Windows 10 Mobile operating system is more as an investment in technology than an effort to build a commercially viable product.

By continuing to work on Windows 10 Mobile, Myerson says, Microsoft generally gets better at working with cellular devices and with ARM processors  the same kind of energy-efficient chips for smartphones that Apple has been using in its latest MacBooks, but that Windows for PCs has never fully supported.

"When you stop investing in these things, it's super hard, super, super hard to restart," Myerson tells Foley.

terry myerson microsoft

This is a huge blessing in disguise for Microsoft. The slow death of Windows phones is a setback to Microsoft, to be sure. But now that it's done, and the albatross around the company's neck is lifting, a smarter Microsoft is already starting to rise up.

Death spiral

Microsoft spent the lead-up to the launch of Windows 10 boasting that the new operating system would reach one billion active devices within three years, across PCs, phones, tablets, HoloLens holographic goggles, and the Xbox One console.

A big reason for Microsoft's insistence it could get a billion users was to attract developers to the Windows Store, the app market that's available across Windows 10 on all devices. That would be a billion potential customers for app makers, and hopefully enough to woo them away from focusing so much on iPhone and Android.

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And then, the idea was, this proliferation of apps would lead to people buying more Windows phones, solving the platform's massive app gap. It was a bold, smart plan to help Microsoft gain some ground on Apple and Google. It's too bad didn't really work out that way at all.

microsoft surface panos panay

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced an indefinite postponement of that goal as the Windows phone business collapsed even further. A little over a year into Windows 10's run, it has over 400 million active devices, with the rate of growth slowing somewhat as Microsoft's free upgrade offer expires.

And the Windows Store is still pretty desolate. Companies like Facebook and Uber have provided Windows 10 apps, but there's still no sign of smaller, cooler companies like Snapchat making their wares available on the store.

All of which to say, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gave it the best shot he could. It didn't work, and now Microsoft is taking a step back to refocus on the stuff that the company is really, truly doing well.

Blessing in disguise

What it boils down to is this: Thanks to some smart, aggressive work at appealing to niches with its Surface business, and because it's doing so well at putting its best stuff on other platforms, Microsoft is making the very best of its situation.

Microsoft's phone business may be a shambles, but the company's overall hardware business is stronger than ever. The Microsoft Surface Pro tablet and Surface Book laptop are a profitable, $4-billion-plus business every quarter. Soon, the much-anticipated Surface Studio PC will join that lineup.

So, yeah, maybe Microsoft isn't winning in smartphones, now or ever. And it seems increasingly unlikely that even the long-rumored "Surface Phone" will reverse the trend, should it ever actually hit the market.

microsoft surface studio

But if the goal is to get Windows to lots more places, then the company's current Surface strategy makes a ton of sense. It's building the best laptops and tablets out there  and winning converts like me over from Apple's Macs. It makes Windows more appealing to whole new audiences.

And in the meanwhile, Microsoft's Office apps for iPhone and Android are still some of the best ways to get work done on the go, giving the company a large-and-growing presence on people's smartphones at home and at work.

It's not quite as good for the ego as owning the platform, but it also means Microsoft benefits from Apple and Google's hard work of attracting customers. And there's no more distraction for Microsoft of having to worry about your own operating system, too.

So let Microsoft keep working on Windows 10 Mobile as a technical project, and keep the dream alive for Microsoft's handful of remaining smartphone fans. The company is making smart moves that will ultimately carry it through no matter which way the market turns.

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PARIS (Reuters) - A French soldier killed in Mali died after an attack by militants on Friday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday. "...Fabien Jacq died in the night of Friday to Saturday after an attack by a terrorist group in northern Mali in a zone that is still fragile," Le Drian told Europe 1 radio. The French authorities had announced the soldier's death on Saturday, citing an explosion that hit a military convoy. Islamist militant group Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for the attack, but the French defense ministry had said it was not able to corroborate the claim. (Reporting Gus Trompiz; editing by John Irish)
Im very drawn to movies that are more than one thing, said Oscar-nominated director John Madden at a Deadline Contenders panel today, describing his unusual, illuminating gun-lobby thriller Miss Sloane. This is a film that has many different levels to it.

Giving audiences an inside look at the machinations of the Washington D.C gun lobby, the film from Europacorp stars Jessica Chastain as Elizabeth Sloane, a ruthless lobbyist notorious for her talent and desire to win at all costs, even when it puts her career at risk. The film pulls back the curtain on how Capitol Hill games are played and won, as Sloane faces off against the powers that be.

Its about political process, but strangely, its not a political drama, a category that would make the eyes glaze over, I suspect. Its a very surprising piece, Madden told moderator Mike Fleming of Deadline during the Europacorp panel. Chastain agreed. In researching the role, the actress met with 11 female lobbyists, finding that the ideas she had in her mind about these women did not match up with reality. I dont know why, but I imagined I would play the role with no makeup, and wearing the same clothes over and over again, Chastain said. What the actress found was that seven of the 11 women wore black nail polish, which the actress associated with goths and rock and roll. What does this aesthetic choice suggest about these women? It means Watch out, Madden joked.

Madden spoke about the political relevance of the film at this particular moment, and the way in which the worlds of politics and media have collided with the films release. The attitude to women in that world has now roared to the top of the agenda, and this film casts some interesting light on that, he explains. Its not as frustrating as watching CNN for two hours, where you peel away from it going Help! This film offers you hope at the end of the process, but partly because its telling a story.

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Alluding to the impending, anxiously awaited day of judgment on November 8, Madden concluded, This story is about to have its conclusion, with its aftermath  which we all quake about, I imagine.

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MILAN (Reuters) - The foundation of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) has proposed businessman Alessandro Falciai to become the troubled Italian lender's new chairman, it said in a statement on Sunday.

Shareholders will be asked to vote on the proposal at a meeting scheduled for Nov. 24.

Sources told Reuters on Saturday that Falciai was the only available candidate to take up the post.

Once confirmed, Falciai, a Monte dei Paschi board member and head of the bank's nomination committee, will replace Massimo Tononi who has said he would step down after the November shareholder meeting. Falciai is also a Monte dei Paschi investor with a stake of just under 2 percent.

Monte dei Paschi, the world's oldest bank, needs to raise a total of 5 billion euros ($5.57 billion) by the end of the year or risk being wound down. It is racing to raise the cash and offload some 28 billion euros in bad loans at below book value.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Crispian Balmer)
Envoys Upadhyay, Poudyal to take initiative for collaboration in environment sector

The newly appointed Nepal's ambassadors to China and India have expressed commitments to take initiatives for joint collaboration in the environmental sector.
RABAT (Reuters) - Around 2,000 protesters took to the streets of Morocco's capital Rabat on Sunday, in the latest in a week of rallies over a fish vendor crushed to death in a garbage compactor after a confrontation with police. The death a week ago of Mouhcine Fikri has triggered the largest protests in the North African kingdom since 2011 when the "February 20" movement organized demonstrations for reform inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings across the region. Since he was crushed inside a garbage truck as he tried to retrieve fish the police confiscated from him, Fikri has become a symbol for protests against official abuses and the Makhzen, a term used to describe the royal establishment. "The death of Mouhcine, is like a death for all Moroccans," said Khadija Zerwal, 22, at the Rabat rally. "This won't stop until we get dignity and fairness." Protesters marched peacefully toward the parliament, but there was little police presence. Many waved flags, chanting against the ruling elite and demanding dignity. Large political protests are rare in Morocco, where the king still holds ultimate power. Morocco calmed Arab Spring-style protests in 2011 with reforms, higher spending and tighter security as leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya were ousted. Moroccan authorities have charged 11 people, jailing eight, over the death of Fikri who was crushed in a trash truck while trying to stop police from destroying 500 kilograms of swordfish they say he purchased illegally. Fikri's death echoes how Tunisia's revolt began in 2011, triggering uprisings across the region, after a young man set himself on fire because police confiscated fruit and vegetables he was selling. But Morocco has a deeply rooted monarchy - the Muslim world's longest-serving dynasty. Even in 2011 protests called only for reform not an end to the king's rule. Many are also wary of the unrest troubling other nations in the region. Still, Morocco's protests erupted at a sensitive moment as the kingdom prepares to host the 2016 United Nations climate change conference and the prime minister starts to form a coalition government after elections. (Reporting by Zakia Abdennebi; writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Mary Milliken)
By Alister Doyle MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - There is "no turning back" from a global accord to combat climate change, Morocco's foreign minister said on the eve of U.N. talks in Marrakesh amid fears that Donald Trump will try to pull out if he wins the U.S. presidency. The number of countries that have ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement to slow global warming by shifting from fossil fuels has risen to 100 nations in recent days, including OPEC's top oil producer Saudi Arabia, the United Nations said. The U.S. election is casting a shadow over the meeting of officials from almost 200 nations in Marrakesh from Nov. 7-18 to work on ways to implement pledges made in Paris to adopt cleaner energies such as wind and solar power. Trump wants to ditch the Paris Agreement, doubting mainstream scientific findings that droughts, floods and rising sea levels are linked to human activities. By contrast, his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is a supporter. "There is no possible turning back in the negotiation on what was agreed in Paris," Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, who will preside at the talks, told a news conference. "We can only advance," he said, without naming Trump. He said the agreement had strong momentum after formally entering into force on Friday with backing from major emitters led by China, the United States and India. Asked about Trump's threats, U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa noted that any state wanting to pull out would have to follow formal legal procedures, due to last four years. "The agreement has entered into force and we are all obliged to deliver on those commitments," she said. Still, the agreement lets all nations to define their own commitments for fighting climate change and has no sanctions for non-compliance. With the U.N. accord legally in place, Trump may find it easier if he wins to oppose U.S. President Barack Obama's plans to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent cut by 2025 from 2005 levels. Trump says the agreement would undermine U.S. jobs, such as in the coal industry. The Morocco meeting is due to start writing a detailed "rule book" for the Paris Agreement, likely to take two years, and find ways to act such as raising finance to help developing nations cut their rising emissions. The Paris Agreement entered into force on Friday after it passed a twin threshold last month of support from 55 nations representing 55 percent of global emissions. (Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
(Reuters) - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has no concerns over striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic's barren spell as he expects the Swede's "brilliant" attitude to soon be rewarded with goals. The 35-year-old, who joined the club from Paris St Germain in the off-season, has scored just once in his last 11 appearances after he made a bright start to the campaign. "He (Ibrahimovic) is playing well for the team. He's creating a lot of chances and missing a lot of goals," Mourinho told British media. "If I remember Stoke (City), Liverpool, Chelsea, Burnley... he missed a lot of goals but he was fantastic in his dynamic, his working, his building up for the team, he was fantastic. "In every match in the Premier League, even (if he is) not scoring goals, he's being fantastic. His attitude is always brilliant. He's not a guy afraid of his responsibility, so no problem at all." Ibrahimovic's lean spell is not the only cause of concern for Mourinho as his side have netted just 13 times in 10 league games, including three straight fixtures without a goal since the 1-1 draw with Stoke on Oct. 2. United, who have slumped to eighth in the Premier League following a string of poor results, will look to get back to winning ways after the mid-week Europa League loss to Turkish side Fenerbahce when they travel to Swansea City on Sunday. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)
nate silver

FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver blasted the Huffington Post in a tweetstorm Saturday afternoon, after the website published a critical article accusing Silver of "monkeying around with the numbers" in his forecasting model.

Silver's forecast has remained notably bullish on Donald Trump's chances, a departure from many other poll aggregators that show more confidence in a victory for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

As of Saturday, for instance, Silver's model said Trump has a 35.2% chance of winning the election, whereas the Huffington Post's model pegged his chances at 1.4%.

This, according to the Huffington Post's Ryan Grim, is because Silver has been "putting his thumbs on the scale" and "making a mockery of the very forecasting industry that he popularized."

FiveThirtyEight's model uses "trend-line adjustment" in its forecasts, which compares different editions of polls and adjusts the results by using a regression analysis that draws a trend line.

"Silver is changing the results of polls to fit where he thinks the polls truly are, rather than simply entering the poll numbers into his model and crunching them," Grim wrote.

He also criticized Silver for whipping up panic, and added that readers of the left-leaning website could "relax" about Clinton's chances.

Silver immediately took to Twitter to slam Grim's article as "f---ing idiotic and irresponsible."

"This article made clear you have **no f---ing idea** what you're talking about. That's why you contract (sic) people **ahead of time**."

Silver went on to defend FiveThirtyEight's model as being based on empirical evidence, and criticized the HuffPost model as "not defensible."

Here's the rest of Silver's tweetstorm:

The reason we adjust polls for the national trend is because **that's what works best emperically**. It's not a subjective assumption.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

Every model makes assumptions but we actually test ours based on the evidence. Some of the other models are barley even empirical.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

If you haven't carefully tested how errors are correlated between states, for example, your model will be way overconfident.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

There's a reasonable range of disagreement. But a model showing Clinton at 98% or 99% is not defensible based on the empirical evidence.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

That's what makes a model a useful scientific & journalistic tool. It's a way to understand how elections work. Not just about the results.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

The philosophy behind 538 is: Prove it. Doesn't mean we can't be wrong (we're wrong all the time). But prove it. Don't be lazy.  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 5, 2016

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Pauline Fischer, the high-ranking executive who oversaw original films at Netfix, is leaving her post, Variety has learned.

Fischer, who joined Netflix in 2008, will be starting a business development consultancy firm. As the companys vice president of original films, she worked closely with chief content officer Ted Sarandos to acquire new titles for the streaming service. Her exit comes as Netflix has been aggressively moving into original content, snapping up the rights of such titles as The Fundamentals of Caring starring Paul Rudd out of Sundance and releasing Oscar documentary hopeful 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay.

One of Fischers first offerings was Cary Fukunagas Beasts of No Nation, a grim drama about child soldiers in Africa that was purchased for $12 million in 2015. Netflix released the title in theaters and on its streaming platforms on the same day last year, as a part of an aggressive bid to upend the movie business like it transformed traditional TV viewing with original series such as Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards. Fischer oversaw Adam Sandlers The Ridiculous 6, which premiered last December, and Death Note, a thriller based on the hit manga and directed by Adam Wingard that will be released in 2017.

Pauline Fischer has mounted an incredible slate of original films for Netflix and we are grateful to her for getting this important initiative underway, Sarandos told Variety in a statement. In the year ahead, we will be exclusively premiering Bright from David Ayer starring Will Smith; War Machine from David Michod starring Brad Pitt; Okja from Bong Joon Ho starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano; and Our Souls at Night from Ritesh Batra starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, among many others. Netflix continues to build its original film initiative to give consumers around the world great new movies to enjoy when and how they want.

Fischer will continue to consult on active productions, as she transitions out of her role over the next few weeks. A replacement has not yet been named for the position.

Story continues

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Nowthis obama

If you arent particularly tapped into what young people are sharing on Facebook, the fact that social news startup NowThis landed an interview with President Obama on Wednesday might have come as a surprise.

It shouldn't.

The interview, which has already been packaged into 5 bite-sized videos (with more on the way), is just the most recent step in NowThis bid to dominate news video on social networks like Facebook, according to the companys president, Athan Stephanopoulos.

The presidential race has been a moment in the spotlight for NowThis, whose election coverage videos alone have snagged a whopping two billion views.

Obama wasn't the first big get for NowThis.

We reached out to the presidential candidates early, Stephanopoulos tells Business Insider. NowThis interviewed Bernie Sanders as he was igniting a progressive movement, and the videos that resulted racked up 30 million views in a month. It was a watershed moment, Stephanopoulos says (they got Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren as well).

It is hard to avoid the scale that NowThis has, head of content Tina Exarhos adds.

Facebook waves

It wasnt always like this. NowThis was started in late 2012 by digital media heavyweights Eric Hippeau and Ken Lerer, on the concept that news video should live natively on whatever platform audiences were on. But that strategy didnt catapult NowThis into the spotlight until Facebook began to heavily promote its video offerings, around 2014, to compete with YouTube.

unnamed 1

Though NowThis makes all kinds of videos, the company built itself into a powerhouse on short ones, with overlaid text, which spread through Facebook like wildfire. And it makes a lot of them. Currently, NowThis 120 employees produce about 65 videos per day across all channels.

NowThis' Facebook prowess is no doubt how it got on the White House's radar. The Obama administration also understands the composition of NowThis' audience (80% millennial), and its implications.

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The White House was keen on reaching young people, Stephanopoulos says. Obama has done interviews with digital media companies like BuzzFeed, Vox, Vice, and Mic. For this particular interview, Obama wanted to make sure young people made it to the polls to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Oh my God, young voters need to show up, Exarhos says, describing the sentiment. You can tell. In one of the NowThis interview videos, Obama speaks directly to the camera, exhorting young people to get out and vote. It's worth noting that NowThis' voice leans progressive, which the company doesn't apologize for, as it believes this reflects its younger audience.

There were some things NowThis wanted out of the Obama interview as well.

One big one was to get him to talk about the Dakota Access pipeline, which Exarhos says they knew was a huge issue for the NowThis audience. How? A big sign: A video about the pipeline the day before had racked up 10 million views. Obama ended up going on the record for the first time, she says.

After Hillary v. Trump

The election has been a huge moment for NowThis, but afterward, Stephanopoulos and Exarhos say the key to success will be what NowThis has always done: experimentation.

unnamed

Right now, a big focus is on cracking what works on Facebook Live, the social networks live video component.

So many people approached it like TV, Exarhos says. But NowThis has found that overproduced segments can get less views than having literally two bobbleheads on camera. Were still trying to figure it out.

But one thing NowThis knows is that live video on social media is a two-way conversation. Exarhos gives the example of the last presidential debate. The NowThis live stream got around three million views total (second only to ABC News stream), but what Exarhos found particularly interesting was that the concurrent views hardly dropped off when the debate ended. The conversation was still going on in the comments, she says.

The money question

Another aspect of Facebook that NowThis, and all social publishers, have to figure out is how to make money.

There is some to be made from sponsored videos, and NowThis has its own branded content studio. But its expensive to make video, even with the lean operation NowThis has. And Facebooks lack of progress in helping publishers make money has many in the media business worried. The venture funding, of which NowThis has raised $27 million, can only go so far.

Stephanopoulos says hes not worried.

NowThis is in contact with Facebook and Snapchat on an almost daily basis, and Stephanopoulos says that many of Facebook's product developments in video have come from NowThis feedback. He's confident that Facebook will be one pillar of a thriving business.

NowThis has grabbed an enormous audience. Now it needs to prove it can turn that audience into a viable business. We look at the glass as half full," Stephanopoulos says.

Note: Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, is a minority investor in NowThis.

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Over the course of his campaign to become the presidential nominee of Les Republicains, Frances conservative party, Nicolas Sarkozy has invited more than a few comparisons to Donald Trump. This is true not just for his foes on the center and the left, though Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls did speak of the Trumpization of the former president. Even erstwhile friends on the right see a certain resemblance. As onetime Sarkozy ally and shadowy accomplice Jean-Francois Cope joked in September: Certain candidates are watching too many shows with Mr. Trump. This is because Sarkozy, a self-proclaimed pal of Hillary Clintons, has nonetheless been giving the Republican U.S. presidential nominee a run for his money when it comes to who can offer up the bleakest vision for where their respective countries are headed.

According to Sarkozy, France is a country embroiled in a civil war between those who would see its identity dissipated and those who wish to protect it. The former French president wants to be the latters champion. As he notes in his campaign book Tout pour la France (All for France), which was published this summer: There can be no happy identity as long as we do not reaffirm that the French identity is not more important than particular identities.

On the campaign trail, Sarkozy has taken pains to show just how he will go about such a reaffirmation, should he be elected president. He has insisted that all French citizens, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, claim the Gauls as their ancestors. He has vowed both to ban the wearing of the veil in public and to take up the war against burkinis with new zeal. He has promised to plunk all potential terrorists in so-called de-radicalization centers  centers that Laurent Wauquiez, the leader of Sarkozys party, has referred to, without a hint of irony, as internment camps, indifferent to the echoes this phrase carries from Frances grim past under the Vichy regime.

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Whether through ideological conviction or political convenience  the two positions, in Sarkozys case, are difficult to disentangle  the former president is clearly betting that French voters will embrace a vision of a nation on the back foot. However, Sarkozy is hardly alone. In addition to National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who has consistently called for zero immigration and described Muslims praying outside a Paris mosque as an occupation, President Francois Hollande, too, has begun to portray France and French identity as something under threat. In a book of interviews published last month, aptly titled A President Should Not Say That, Hollande observes that no one doubts France has a problem with Islam. Not to fear, however: The Socialist president, echoing recent comments by Valls, also insists that todays veiled Muslim woman will be tomorrows Marianne  Frances feminine (and often bare-breasted) embodiment of liberty.

In building a case for their candidacies around a defense of traditional French identity, Sarkozy, Le Pen, and Hollande have joined a slew of intellectuals engaged in what is by now a familiar discourse of national malaise. In this narrative of decline, France is portrayed as a country unmoored from its past greatness, swept up in a wind-whipped sea of unchecked globalization and immigration. In his earlier comments, Sarkozy was making a reference to the work of French neoconservative thinker Alain Finkielkraut, whose 2013 book, Lidentite malheureuse (Unhappy Identity), paints a dire picture of a country fragmenting into religious and ethnic enclaves. The French historian Robert Frank, who wrote the landmark book La hantise du declin (The Fear of Decline), published in 1994, recently suggested in an interview that the older notion of decline has morphed into that of decadence. The danger for many in France, he observed, is no longer an invasion from without, but instead a dilution of the French identity.

Yet a flurry of polls shows that many French citizens arent buying it. On Oct. 18, the magazine LExpress published a survey that ranked the popularity of the presidential candidates. Topping the list, at 42 percent, was Alain Juppe, the current mayor of Bordeaux. In a former life, Juppe served as prime minister under Jacques Chirac in the mid-1990s  a position that won him widespread opprobrium for his unpopular and ultimately unsuccessful efforts to cut back the states generous social security provisions. After his fall as prime minister, Juppe reinvented himself as a mayor, successfully revitalizing a once dreary provincial city and winning overwhelming bipartisan support.

When Sarkozy takes potshots at the promoters of a happy identity, he has Juppe in his crosshairs. First coined by Juppe in 2014 in response to Finkielkrauts book, the phrase has since become his campaigns unofficial slogan. (When Hollande was asked his opinion, he replied judiciously that France with neither happy nor unhappy  the sort of feckless triangulation that has contributed to his current 4 percent approval rating.) Rather than retreat in the face of Sarkozys dig, Juppe has since brandished the phrase with greater energy. Rather than recoiling in the face of religious and ethnic diversity, Juppe instead has declared he seeks to conciliate the reality of French society with republican ideals. He has spoken of certain accommodations that the state should strike with French Muslims, centered on practical issues like serving halal meals in schools. He has also denounced the frenzy of intellectuals, some of whom have proposed that parents be limited to giving their children traditional French names like Jacques and Marie. And for all of this levelheadedness, Juppe, according to polls, has been rewarded by the voters-to-be.

Sarkozys belittling of Juppe as naive and angelic, meanwhile, has won him little favor. In an Odoxa poll published in mid-October and measuring the popularity of prominent French politicians, Sarkozy languished in 14th place, finding favor with less than a quarter of respondents. Fifty-five percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of the former president; the only politicians who come close to having a similarly unfavorable rating are Marine Le Pen and her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen, one of the National Fronts rising stars. Barring an event that would have a seismic impact on the political landscape  another terrorist attack being the most likely scenario  Sarkozys dreams of returning to the Elysee Palace appear likely to go up in smoke come the late November primary vote. The would-be comeback kid seems to have badly misjudged the mood of the French electorate.

Evidence that the center is holding in France also comes from the left of the political spectrum: Finishing second to Juppe, with 34 percent of support in the LExpress poll, was Emmanuel Macron, the former economy minister under Hollande. Having quit his position in August after a series of disagreements with the government over his proposals to loosen the states oversight of labor laws, the 38-year-old Macron has since devoted his time to building his own political movement, dubbed En Marche! (On the March!). A graduate of Frances prestigious National School of Administration, the training ground for French technocrats, Macron acknowledges the French no longer believe in technical solutions. Instead, he hammers at broad measures that would revitalize French democracy, including proportional representation for the Senate and National Assembly. To those who worry that would increase the representation of the National Front, Macron replies, not unreasonably, that rather than limiting the extremes by excluding them, we are instead reinforcing them.

Most importantly, like Juppe, Macron has rallied to an inclusive and tolerant republicanism. He has repeatedly lambasted what he calls laicite revancharde  the straight and narrow secularism embraced, to varying degrees, not just by Le Pen and Sarkozy but also by many on the left, including his former boss, Prime Minister Valls. He argues that Sarkozys proposal to ban Muslim students from wearing the veil at public universities is not just demagogic but disastrous. Such a law, he said, while marginalizing Muslim students, would neither halt the rise of fundamentalism nor reinforce secularism. When it comes to religious belief, he insists upon the strict neutrality of the state. As long as Catholics no less than Muslims respect the rights of others, the republic has no right to interfere with an individuals transcendental beliefs. And in an act of political courage, he also acknowledges the structural racism in many spheres of French life: If you are named Youssef or Ibrahim in our country, life is much harder.

Both Macrons and Juppes popularity undoubtedly issues from their image as competent managers and problem-solvers. But their ascendancy, and Sarkozys stumble, also points to the limits of the politics of declinism and national identity in France. Contrary to popular opinion elsewhere in the world  or opinion in Parisian intellectual circles, at least  it turns out that the French nation isnt quite such a head case after all. In a survey last month by French polling firm Ifop, less than 10 percent of voters identified secularism and the place of Islam in French society as their chief concern. Instead, the fight against unemployment topped the list, with 27 percent of voters identifying it as their top concern, followed by the fight against terrorism and level of taxation. The poll also revealed that 56 percent of voters believe that politicians talk too much about Islam; just one quarter believes that politicians do not speak enough about it.

In the recently published book Marque France (France: The Brand), the well-known public relations specialist Philippe Lentschener argues that the likes of Sarkozy, Le Pen, and Valls have overestimated their particular sales pitch and underestimated their audience. The majority of the French, Lentschener affirms, are not buying the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim bill of goods. Reminding me that I am descended from Gauls, he writes acerbically, will not help me find a job or grow my business.

For people like Lentschener, or his fellow citizens, who are concerned with pragmatic issues like the economy, it will take more than just letting go the French attachment to a narrative of social and political decline for Juppe and Macron to have something to offer. But letting go is a start, at least. The Jacques and Maries of France, no less than the Youssefs and Ibrahims, are eager for a new storyline.

Photo credit: Franck Prevel/Getty Images
Now FOUR Avengers are protesting at Standing Rock, proving theyre IRL superheroes

Four more celebs are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. According to People, four Avengers stars took to social media to offer support to Standing Rock last week.

Theyre real-life superheroes Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans. And they are asking President Obama to stop construction on the pipeline. We couldnt be prouder!

Activists say that the pipeline would destroy sacred Native American sites. In addition, it would put the sole water source at risk.

Protests against the construction have been happening for months. But recent celebrity participation has finally brought some much-deserved media attention.

Samuel L. Jackson showed his support on his Instagram yesterday.

I'm saying #nodapl and @barackobama should too! Sign the petition and standwithstandingrock.net #standwithstandingrock A video posted by Samuel L Jackson (@samuelljackson) on Nov 4, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

Another Avenger, Chris Hemsworth, also showed support on Instagram.

He also took the opportunity to apologize for a culturally insensitive New Years Eve costume he wore to a party. Its nice to see celebrities joining in on the discussion about appropriation and disrespect!

Furthermore, Mark Ruffalo has been posting about the protest on social media for a while.

And Chris Evans is joining in, too.

The Avengers arent the only celebrities protesting. Other stars involved include Leonardo DiCaprio, Susan Sarandon, Willow Smith, and Shailene Woodley, who was arrested at Standing Rock last month.

The post Now FOUR Avengers are protesting at Standing Rock, proving theyre IRL superheroes appeared first on HelloGiggles.
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FM: Efforts on to amend constitution

Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat on Saturday said the Nepali Congress had taken a leading role in implementing the constitution.
Managua (AFP) - Nicaragua's leftist President Daniel Ortega has won a third straight term, with his colorful wife Rosario Murillo as vice president, results showed Monday, but the opposition and the United States condemned the election.

With 99.8 percent of ballots counted, the 70-year-old former Marxist rebel had 72.5 percent of the vote, the country's Supreme Electoral Council said.

His nearest competitor, Maximino Rodriguez of the right-leaning Liberal Constitutionalist Party, had just 15 percent.

Ortega, who has ruled Nicaragua for 20 of the past 37 years, has been accused of using the courts to limit the power of the opposition.

His opponents branded the election a "farce" -- a criticism echoed by the United States, which said the "flawed" process had made free and fair polls impossible.

"The Nicaraguan government sidelined opposition candidates for president, limited domestic observation at the polls... and took other actions to deny democratic space," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

"The decision by the Nicaraguan government not to invite independent international electoral observers further degraded the legitimacy of the election."

There was mixed reaction in Latin America.

Ortega received congratulations from several countries, including not only leftist allies in Cuba, Venezuela and El Salvador but also the government of Mexico.

However, President Luis Guillermo Solis of neighboring Costa Rica criticized the lack of international observers and real opposition.

As Ortega's opponents had urged Nicaraguans to boycott Sunday's vote, all eyes were on turnout.

Electoral officials said 68.2 percent of voters cast ballots. The opposition gave a wildly different estimate: under 30 percent.

- Rejection of results -

"We don't recognize the results of this farce," Violeta Granera, head of one of the opposition parties, the Broad Front of Democracy, told reporters before the tally.

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The opposition demanded new elections with international observers present.

Government and electoral officials described the vote as a great exercise in democracy, conducted in "calm" -- despite the torching of one rural polling station.

"It's a vote for peace, for the security of the Nicaraguan people," Ortega said after casting his ballot.

By his side, Murillo -- a poet and longtime government spokeswoman -- said the polling was "exemplary."

Ortega has strong support from Nicaragua's poor.

They account for more than a third of the population and have benefited from his social programs.

Ortega's supporters poured into the streets to celebrate, honking their car horns and waving white and blue Nicaraguan flags.

"We expect him to keep fulfilling his promises, to keep giving us food and housing," one supporter, Maria Auxiliadora Monte, told AFP.

"He is the best president we have had."

Nicaragua's powerful business interests have also been well-served by economic stability and security under Ortega and his party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).

But with billions of dollars in credit from troubled ally Venezuela drying up, and massive infrastructure projects -- such as a proposed transoceanic canal to rival Panama's -- failing to materialize, Nicaragua's prospects are clouding over.

- Fourth mandate -

It will be Ortega's fourth term. He has served two consecutive terms since 2007, and previously ruled between 1979 and 1990, when his Sandinista rebels emerged victorious from a revolution that toppled the dictatorial Somoza dynasty.

The opposition now accuses Ortega and Murillo of launching a dynasty of their own.

The eccentric first lady already plays a prominent role as the government's spokeswoman, and is seen as possibly taking over as president in the future.

With Ortega increasingly reluctant to make public appearances, his 65-year-old wife known as "Comrade Rosario" has stepped up -- in her trademark colorful dresses and hippy-chic jewelry -- as the administration's daily face.

"The practice of 'couples in power' is not exclusive to Nicaragua," Veronica Rueda Estrada, a Nicaragua expert and professor at Mexico's Quintana Roo University, told AFP.

She cited Cristina Kirchner, who succeeded her husband Nestor Kirchner as president of Argentina, and Hillary Clinton in the United States.
Colombia Palace hostages

On Wednesday, November 6, 1985, members of the Colombian guerrilla group M19, or the April 19 movement, stormed Colombias Palace of Justice and held all 25 of the country's Supreme Court justices and hundreds of other civilians hostage.

The M19 rebels were reportedly there with the backing of the country's most powerful drug lord, Pablo Escobar.

Over the next two days, the Colombian army mounted an operation to retake the building and free the hostages.

By the time the crisis was resolved, almost all of the 30 to 40 rebels were dead, scores of hostages had been killed or disappeared, and 11 of the courts 25 justices had been slain.

'Restore order, but above all avoid bloodshed'

The M19 rebels, a left-wing group that later became a political party, took the court with the goal of forcing the justices to try then-President Belisario Betancur and his defense minister for violating a peace deal the Colombian government had reached with the rebels a year-and-a-half earlier.

M19 also opposed the governments move toward extraditing Colombians to the US, a point on which the rebels and Colombias powerful drug traffickers, led by Pablo Escobar, agreed. According to both Mark Bowden's "Killing Pablo" and Escobars son, the Medellin drug boss paid M19 $1 million for the job.

During a radio broadcast from inside the court after the rebels seized the building, an M19 member said that their aim was to denounce a Government that has betrayed the Colombian people.

Colombia Palace siege army

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The initial response of Betancur was: Restore order, but above all avoid bloodshed. But after that, he reportedly encouraged the army to do its dirty work in the name of preserving legality and refused to end the siege.

He also refused to take phone calls from the president of the Supreme Court, Justice Alfonso Reyes (who was being held hostage), or order a ceasefire to permit negotiations.

Not long after the rebels seized the five-story building, government forces used explosives and automatic weapons to retake some of the lower floors. In the process, they reportedly rescued about 100 of the hostages.

Colombian security forces soon launched more attacks on the rebels, eventually using tanks to assault the building. On Wednesday night, a fire broke out and destroyed many of the documents that court was using to decide whether to extradite drug traffickers.

Colombia Palace raid fire

Records for about 6,000 criminal cases were destroyed, including files for the criminal case against the cartel boss Pablo Escobar, according to Bowden.

In 1989, a judge ruled that the fire had been intentionally set.

Witnesses said the security forces lit the blaze, while some have suggested the rebels set the fire at the behest of the drug traffickers who wanted to destroy evidence against them.

By the afternoon of November 7, the siege was over, and reporters were allowed to enter the building.

Freed hostages said that rebels had decided to kill their prisoners, including Supreme Court justices, that morning, "when they felt their situation was 'hopeless.'"

At the time, news reports quoted Col. Alfonso Plazas, who commanded government troops during the assault, as saying that the rebels had been "annihilated."

But testimonies and rulings that have been issued in the decades since depict an army that was indiscriminate in its efforts to end what has been called Colombias "holocaust."

'The basic truth  has not been provided'

The attack had immediate political consequences for Colombia.

According to Bowdens account, the siege crippled the Colombian legal system and sank President Betancurs efforts to reach peace agreements with both M19 and FARC rebels. (M19 disarmed and became a political party in 1989. A deal between the current Colombian government and the FARC rebels is in limbo after being voted down in a national plebiscite this year.)

Colombia Palace raid soldiers

In the three decades since the Palace siege, numerous reports and allegations have implicated government officials and security forces in human-rights abuses related to the attack.

Mounting evidence suggested that civilians were taken into custody and tortured by government forces after the attack. A report composed after the attack contained photos that suggested some hostages were killed by someone other than the rebels.

In June 2010, Col. Plazas, who led the armys assault, was convicted of the forced disappearance of 11 people who survived the attack on the building but were taken away by the army afterward and never seen again.

A US embassy cable from 1999 that was released by George Washington Universitys National Security Archive corroborated the finding against Col. Plazas, saying that Col. Plazas' soldiers "killed a number of M-19 members and suspected collaborators hors de combat ["outside of combat"], including the Palace's cafeteria staff."

Allegations of rights abuses and extrajudicial killings have persisted, and in a 2012 session of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), IACHR President Jose de Jesus "was unequivocal in his conviction that Colombian authorities had 'coordinated' torture and forced disappearances" during the Palace siege.

Colombia Palace raid victims

In that same session, the Colombian government admitted that it deserved some blame for the deaths and disappearances, with a government representative saying that "the Colombian state will not cease efforts to know the truth and create justice."

Since that admission, investigations  and accusations  have continued. A lawyer working for many of the families of the disappeared said a 2013 Truth Commission showed that some in the military knew of M19's plot, but let it happen, hoping to launch a ferocious response against the guerrillas.

Humberto Murcia, a judge who witnessed the killing of some of his fellow justices, said a few days after the attack that authorities should have anticipated it.

"And I remembered a month before, in the court chamber," said Murcia, "I had read letters from the justice minister and security forces in which they told us they had discovered a terrorist plan to assault the Justice Palace."

Colombia Palace raid troops

In 2014, retired Gen. Jesus Armando Arias was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted for the forced disappearance of a judge, several court workers, and Irma Franco Pineda, an M19 guerrilla who was seen leaving the building alive.

The convictions of Plazas and Arias are viewed by many as positive steps after so many years of impunity for abuses committed during the siege and throughout recent Colombian history.

For some, though, it hasn't been enough.

The basic truth, which we have always longed for, has not been provided because there has not been a policy by the state to seek out the truth behind the events, said Jorge Franco Pineda, the brother of Irma Franco Pineda.

In October 2015, Colombias attorney general announced an investigation into 14 members of the military and security services, including Ivan Ramirez Quintero, a senior intelligence official at the time of the attack.

The attorney general said there was "sufficient evidence to infer the participation and knowledge of senior military commanders in the torture carried out."

Colombia Palace raid tanks

That investigation announcement was followed the next month by an apology from Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who acknowledged to the families of the victims that the government had failed to protect their rights during the siege.

"Today I recognize the responsibility of the Colombian state and I ask forgiveness," Santos said at the time, standing outside the rebuilt Palace of Justice in central Bogota.

"Here there occurred a deplorable, absolutely condemnable action by the M-19, but it must be recognized there were failures in the conduct and procedures of state agents," he added.

NOW WATCH: Pablo Escobar: The life and death of one of the biggest cocaine kingpins in history





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By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta GAZA/RAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Constitutional Court, a body set up months ago by President Mahmoud Abbas, ruled on Sunday that he can revoke the parliamentary immunity of lawmakers, a move that effectively allows him to sideline rivals. A verdict issued on Sunday which was swiftly condemned by critics within Abbas's Fatah faction and Islamist rivals, upheld his decree from 2012 when he lifted the immunity of a major rival, Mohammad Dahlan, and expelled him from Fatah. Gaza-born Dahlan is seen as a potential successor to Western-backed Abbas, 81. He now lives in self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi as he would face corruption charges if he returned to the Palestinian territories. "The Constitutional Court ... stated that President Abbas has full authority to cancel the immunity of any parliament member, when the legislative council is not convened," a statement published by official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said. Abbas opponents and analysts said the court's decision confirmed fears they raised when he formed the nine-judge panel in April, saying it would give him too much power and would effectively allow him to cancel the role of the Palestinian legislative council - the territory's parliament. The legislative council has not convened fully since the 2007 civil war that ended with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip when they ousted forces loyal to Abbas from the coastal enclave. The court ruled that Abbas's 2012 decree to cancel Dahlan's immunity "had been made according to the authority afforded to the president by law". Dahlan made no immediate comment but Majed Abu Shammala, a Fatah official close to him said the court's decision reflected the political will of Abbas and not the law. The ruling means that Abbas could also stop Hamas's Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the legislative council, from becoming caretaker president should Abbas die in office or resign. Under the constitution, the speaker becomes interim president in such an event. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group did not recognize the court or its rulings because it was a wholly Fatah entity. (Writing by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Ori Lewis and Louise Ireland)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Sunday identified three U.S. Army trainers killed on Friday when their convoy came under fire as it entered a military base in Jordan. The Pentagon said the three were members part of an Army Special Forces Group based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In a statement, it identified the dead soldiers as Staff Sergeants Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas; Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; and James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas. Details of the deadly incident - unusual given the close political and military ties between Washington and Amman - remain under investigation. A Jordanian military source told Reuters the U.S. trainers were fired on by Jordanian security forces when they failed to stop at the gate of Prince Faisal air base in the south of the country. Other Jordanian sources, however, said they could not rule out political motives in the incident. (Reporting by Warren Strobel; Editing by Alan Crosby)
By Kylie MacLellan NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Britain already has a good visa system with India, Prime Minister Theresa May said late on Sunday as she arrived in the country for her first bilateral trip outside of the European Union since June's Brexit vote. May has said she plans to use the two-day visit to try to reduce barriers to trade with India and pave the way for a post-Brexit free-trade deal, but with the Indian government keen to secure more access to Britain for students and skilled workers, visa numbers are likely to be a sticking point in any talks. Immigration was central to the debate ahead of Britain's June 23 vote to leave the EU, and May has vowed to stick to a pledge made by her predecessor David Cameron to bring annual net migration below 100,000 from more than three times that. Asked by a reporter whether, in return for a trade deal, the government would consider a visa system more sympathetic to Indians, May said Britain already issued more work visas to Indian nationals than to those from China, Australia and the United States combined. "We have a visa system for countries outside the European Union which ensures the brightest and the best are able to come to the United Kingdom," she said. "We have, I believe, a good system. We will be talking about trade here." Britain plans to offer new services to improve business travel for Indian visitors, including faster clearance through UK border controls, but an aide to May said this was about speeding up the process rather than boosting numbers. "As we leave the EU, we want to ensure that the United Kingdom remains one of the most attractive countries in the world to do business and invest," May said in a statement. (Editing by Louise Ireland)
London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May warned MPs on Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled that she cannot start the process of leaving the European Union without parliament's approval.

The Conservative government has said it will appeal Thursday's court decision and May told EU leaders on Friday that she believes it has a strong case.

In a statement published ahead of a trade mission to India, May cautioned members of parliament against using the ruling to undermine the result of the June referendum.

"The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," she said.

Supporters of Brexit responded angrily to the court's decision, amid speculation that pro-European lawmakers would seek to water down the break with the EU and derail May's plans to begin formal exit talks by the end of March.

"Now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country," the prime minister said.

"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table.

"That is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

The High Court ruled that the government does not have the power to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which would set off a two-year countdown to leaving the bloc, without the prior approval of parliament.

May is expected to sign a host of commercial deals during her visit to India, her first trip outside Europe since taking over from David Cameron, who stepped down after the Brexit vote.
London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May warned MPs on Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled that she cannot start the process of leaving the European Union without parliament's approval.

The Conservative government has said it will appeal Thursday's court decision and May told EU leaders on Friday that she believes she has a strong case.

But in a statement published ahead of a trade mission to India, May cautioned members of parliament against using the ruling to undermine the result of the June referendum.

"The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," she said.

Supporters of Brexit responded angrily to the court's decision, amid speculation that pro-European MPs would seek to water down the break with the EU and derail May's plans to begin formal exit talks by the end of March.

"Now we need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country," the prime minister said.

"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table.

"That is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."

The High Court ruled that the government does not have the power to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which would set off a two-year countdown to leaving the bloc, without the prior approval of parliament.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not seek to reverse the referendum result.

But he told the Sunday Mirror he would vote against Article 50 unless May agreed to press for continued access to the European single market and guarantee EU workplace rights after Brexit.

"These must be the basis of the negotiations. And it doesnat necessarily cause a delay," he said.

Corbyn added: "We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. Weare calling for market access for British industry to Europe."

The High Court decision has fuelled speculation that May might call an early election to strengthen her support in the House of Commons before the EU vote.

The next general election is not due until 2020, but Corbyn said: "If the government calls an election weare ready for it."
Major parties not serious on Madhes issues

Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav has accused the major parties of not being serious about constitution amendment even after setting seven deadlines to register an amendment bill.
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Venezuela is going through a "very ugly" situation and there could be bloodshed ahead if talks between the government and opposition fail, a papal envoy told an Argentine newspaper after his visit to Venezuela this week. Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli had been in Caracas for Vatican-convened talks as an angry opposition stepped up its protests against socialist President Nicolas Maduro after authorities scuttled a recall referendum. The oil-rich country is also suffering from a prolonged recession and severe shortages of food and medicine. In an interview published Saturday in Argentina's La Nacion newspaper, Celli did not hide his concern, as he described "exhausting" late-night talks with the two sides. "If it happens that one side or the other wants to end the dialogue, it's not the pope but the Venezuelan people who will lose, because the road ahead could truly be that of blood," Pope Francis' envoy told the paper from Rome. "And there are people who would not be afraid of bloodshed. That is what worries me." Maduro's adversaries accuse him of creating a dictatorship. They insist the government should allow the referendum, release dozens of jailed opposition activists and respect congressional decisions. But there is no indication Maduro will agree to any of their demands, and in a speech this week he criticized their timetable and urged patience. "There is no doubt that the situation is very ugly," said Celli. "Not just politically, but at a social and economic level. There is no food or medicine." Celli's concern mirrored remarks on Friday by Tom Shannon, a top U.S. diplomat who also was in Caracas this week and called the talks "the last best effort to try to find a negotiated, peaceful solution to this." "Absent this dialogue process," Shannon said, "Venezuela will find itself in a state in which both the government and the opposition will have to measure themselves through their ability to put people on to the streets." Celli is due to return to Venezuela for the next round of talks on November 11. Shannon said Washington would support the talks "as long as it remains viable." (Reporting by Nicolas Misculin, Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Mary Milliken)
LONDON (Reuters) - Prisoners took over parts of Bedford prison in central England on Sunday night in what the prison workers' body described as a serious incident, with extra prison officers from across the country and local police drafted in to help regain control. Fire and ambulance workers were also at the scene. "There's been a serious incident which has resulted in two wings being taken over by prisoners," a spokesman from the POA union, which represents prison officers, told Reuters. "Prison officers from all over the country are being bussed into Bedford now. They will take over the situation and deal with it as a riot and bring the establishment back under control," he said. The local ambulance service said units remained on standby, with no casualties reported. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Fuisse (France) (AFP) - "This isn't so much a harvest, as a hunt for grapes," said French winemaker Jean-Jacques Robert, with a rueful laugh as he unloaded grapes still warm from his vineyards around Fuisse in Burgundy.

"It's a catastrophe, the worst harvest for 30 or 40 years," said the normally cheery 64-year-old owner of Domaine Robert-Denogent.

The organic winemaker lost between two-thirds and three-quarters of his harvest in one hailstorm in April.

He is not alone. For thousands of French winemakers, 2016 will go down as an annus horribilis, with vines destroyed by frost, heavy rain, hailstones "as big as ping pong balls", mildew and drought near the Mediterranean.

"All that was missing was a plague of frogs," said Robert's son Antoine, whose near century-old Beaujolais vines were also devastated.

Official figures from the Ministry of Agriculture show 2016 as one of the worst years in three decades, with production down one third in Champagne and other key wine regions like Burgundy and the Loire valley almost as badly hit.

For some winemakers in Chablis and Chiroubles, two of the country's most famous wine villages, the loss was almost total.

Yet not all areas were hit. Bordeaux and Alsace had bumper crops even as national production plummeted by 12 percent.

- 'Terrible dilemmas' -

But in areas that got the worst of the weather, it was organic winemakers and those from France's growing "vin nature" movement -- which campaigns for a return to more natural wines -- who suffered most.

Unable to spray damaged crops, they had to watch as mildew ripped through their vines.

And for a few staring ruin in the face, that meant "going against our principles" and using chemicals.

"It's the most difficult decision I have ever taken," said Vincent Dureuil-Janthial from Rully in Burgundy, knowing he would lose the organic certification had held for a decade.

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"It felt like a personal failure," he told AFP. But with six employees to pay "I had to take a decision as a business owner to save what little of the crop was left to save."

Such dilemmas have prompted more than 130 restauranteurs and wine shops to launch a donations drive to save "more interesting" winemakers from going to the wall.

"Many winemakers are really in a very bad situation," said Laurie Lacroix, spokeswoman for the Vendanges Solidaires group. "Many cannot afford insurance, and particularly for those who are starting out it has been disastrous.

"There is no state support or compensation. It is a real highwire act," she added.

- Russian roulette -

With climate change, Lacroix warned that we may be seeing a "far more capricious environment" for winemakers.

Jean-Jacques Robert said making wine has always been like playing Russian roulette with the elements.

"We lost 300,000 euros ($332,000) in one shower, which is huge," he said. "Our insurance will hopefully cover 100,000 euros of that but the rest you have to absorb."

The one saving grace is that the grapes they have managed to harvest are of very good quality.

Further south, Thibault Liger-Belair, whose old vines in the Domaine de Roches Roses vineyards in Moulin a Vent were similarly "ravaged", said the grapes that did survive are so small he jokingly compared them to caviar.

"They are of very good quality even if we will have only 20 percent of the wine we would normally produce," he added.

His main vineyards in Nuits Saint-Georges fared not much better, while parts of neighbouring Fleurie suffering a similar fate.

"The worrying thing for many winemakers is that this comes after a below average harvest in 2015 due to hot weather," he added.

Which means prices may have to rise.

But Liger-Belair warned that there was little room for manoeuvre. "Unfortunately if you have a miserable year in terms of quantity you cannot just pass that on."

Louis-Fabrice Latour, of the Burgundy wine producers group BIVB, said he had already sensed a "slowdown in the market" which would only get worse because of Britain's exit from the EU and uncertainty over the US presidential elections.
Get ready for $69 flights from the US to Europe

How many hours do you spend sitting at your desk or on your couch just wishing you could fly somewhere far, far away? Listen, we know adulting is hard and sometimes we need an escape  we get it! And after Norwegian Airs latest announcement we think that get it, too. The airline announced on Friday that it would be offering flights from the U.S. to Europe for just $69, coming soon. Guys, this is not a drill! These cheap flights could be happening as early as 2017. Do you have your passport ready?

This has been a long time coming. While speaking to The New York Post last year, Anders Lindstrom, a Norwegian spokesman explained that the airline plans on using a new more fuel-efficient aircraft that will allow them to fly into smaller regional airports like Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and Westchester County Airport in New York rather than the more costly airports that serve the region. As for the countries in Europe, Norwegian has mentioned Edinburgh, Scotland and Bergen, Norway as potential destinations.

Lindstrom says by using lesser-known airports, they help keep down landing fees so they dont have to pass on the cost to customers with pricey tickets. Again, not a drill. I mean, once youre on the continent, all of Europe is a train ride away. Not that Scotland and Norway arent worth exploring on their own, but did someone say pizza in Naples?



Of course, theres a catch. The airline plans on only taking you to Europe on one-way flights from the United States. But were certain there will be tons of good prices on return flights that will still make this an awesome deal. Because, really, have you seen how much it usually costs to fly to Europe? Its basically all of your money. As of right now, Norwegian is awaiting approval from the United States Department of Transportation, which they expect to have by the holidays. *fingers crossed*



Norwegian Air has really been trying to make intercontinental travel cheaper than some haircuts for a while. In 2014, they were already doing long-haul flights from London to the United States for just under 200, which is still a good deal  especially when you consider that an Amtrak train from Boston to New York City can be upwards of $300. If the airline can make one-way flights to anywhere happen for less than a ticket to a Beyonce concert, it would be a jet-setters dream.

TBH, were a little less concerned about how its all happening and more focused on what to pack for our trips across the pond. After surviving 2016, we all deserve this.

The post Get ready for $69 flights from the US to Europe appeared first on HelloGiggles.
During the final hours of the 2016 campaign, leaders of the religious right are giving the Republican ticket one last rush of support.

Ralph Reeds Faith and Freedom Coalition volunteers finished knocking more than one million doors of evangelical and anti-abortion Catholic voters and shipped voter guides to 117,000 churches, a quarter of which are in battleground states. Family Research Councils Tony Perkins traveled on his action groups Values Bus in its final tour stops through North Carolina. Members of Trumps evangelical advisory board like James Robison and Robert Jeffress spread op-eds and did television interviews to get out the vote of the faithful. And on Election Night, guests from that board will gather in New York to celebrate their hoped-for win.

But they are also contemplating their next steps. This election has repeatedly left social conservatives facing sharpened and exposed fault lines their ranks. In the primaries, the evangelical kingmakers set a myriad of options before their basemany lifting up Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Marco Rubiobut the faithful crowned Trump instead.

The factions then regrouped in New York for a carefully orchestrated attempt to pick up the pieces and unite under their new flag bearer, giving Trump an audience with 1,000 evangelical social conservative leaders. He elevated newcomers to gain support from evangelical political outsidersPentecostal and preachers of prosperity, like Mark Burns, Darrell Scott, and Paula White, all disrupted the usual state of play.

Still, Trump has said he does not ask God for forgiveness, was caught on tape boasting about grabbing womens genitals and threatened to deport immigrants and separate families. As a result, evangelicals have split along racial, gender, age lines, debating how much of Trump they could denounce and accept, even while many of their leaders pressed on to support Trump all the same.

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Now, social conservative leaders are left reflecting on the political impact of this cycle, what the future of their movement will look like, and what possible realignments, if any, may be ahead.

It has been a complicated cyclea more challenging sell, Gary Bauer, president of American Values, says. I think that the values voter movement remains very strong but they are also working class people, and they are looking for somebody good on the values issues, they are looking for somebody that will push the Republicans to economic policies that have a chance of giving them a better life.

Much of the long-term political effect of the disruption hinges on Americas choice Tuesday. Some say a Trump win would bring political unity to their movement. If Trump wins, he will become the head of the party and the fractious debate among social conservatives over his candidacy will be resolved in his favor, Reed says. It would also mean an administration that is actually on our side, Perkins says, though not necessarily thanks to Trump: Mike Pence is the vice president, it totally changes everything  we actually have someone who is on deck who is clearly one of us, that we are very familiar with, and someone we can work with.

But a Clinton win may not mean the religious right players launch an all out civil war. If Hillary wins, there will be an interregnum during which conservatives engage in the quadrennial ritual of organizing themselves into a circular firing squad, Reed says. That will be quickly followed by the more pressing need to oppose Hillarys radical agenda, beginning with her Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy created by the death of Antonin Scalia, which will revivify social conservatives and engender a renewed spirit of unity and agreement. Bauer agrees: The threats to religious liberty will overcome some of the other things that tend to divide values voters because it is so fundamental to who those voters are.

Others are less sure that a Clinton win is a uniting force against a new common enemy. It is just going to be very difficult going forward, it is going to be really a hand-to-hand political combat to try to protect the freedoms that we have, Perkins says. People say, well because youll have this opposition, you will be able to coalesce morethat didnt happen in the last eight years.

And, the religious right is just one piece of a Republican Party that is simultaneously trying to determine its future. If [Trump] loses, I think there will be a huge identity crisis in the Republican Party, and it is really hard to sort out, Bauer says. If you turn off values voters and working class America, you will have a party that is made up of a group of donors and a group of commentators. That wont go far without actual voters.

Two weeks after the election, some of the tribe will gather for a closed door confab of the Council for National Policy, the private group of conservative activists that last year attempted to rally evangelicals behind Ted Cruz, only to see Trump win their base. Still, Perkins insists that the Cruz selection was a success despite the loss to TrumpWe made more progress this time than ever before.  I actually think that is an accomplishment, he says. Regardless of what happens on Election Day, the group will have plenty to discuss as they look to the future.
Death Note: Light Up the New World (Encore Films) Death Note: Light Up the New World (Encore Films)

Secret ending? YES



Running time: 135 minutes (2.25 hours)

Death Note: Light Up the New World is a fantasy action film thats based on the manga and anime series, Death Note. Its the fourth in the Death Note film franchise and takes place 10 years after the events of Death Note 2: The Last Name.



In a world where cyber terrorism runs rampant, six Death Notes have fallen to Earth and created a rash of mysterious murders. The heirs to L and Kira search for all six Death Notes, continuing the rivalry of their predecessors. It stars Masahiro Higashide (Tsukuru Mishima), Sosuke Ikematsu (Ryuzaki), Masaki Suda (Yuki Shien), Erika Toda (Misa Amane), Nakamura Shido II (voice of Ryuk), Miyuki Sawashiro (voice of Arma), with cameos by Kenichi Matsuyama (L) and Tatsuya Fujiwara (Light Yagami/Kira).

Death Note: Light Up the New World is probably one of the most anticipated live-action manga adaptations this year, especially since its the continuation of an insanely popular series 10 years ago. It leverages on the nostalgia of the original Death Note but adds a few new twists and updates, mainly to the level of technology, to account for how it interacts with the titular Death Notes. Its more of the same, but lacks the spark that made the original so fascinating.

Highlights

Fast-paced and exciting

The plot, as usual, is filled with dramatic twists and turns as the three main characters try to outwit each other, even if some of them are on the same side. The plot twists also follow the rules of the original Death Notes instead of coming up with arbitrary new ones, which is an impressive feat given how convoluted the plot can get and the number of conditions to consider for Death Note users and victims. The only quibble is with the final revelation, but besides that, the rest of the plot is fit for the Death Note franchise.

A strange bromance between Mishima and Ryuzaki

Ryuzaki (Sosuke Ikematsu) feels like an exaggerated, pretentious version of L, but theres no denying the weird chemistry he has with Mishima (Masahiro Higashide). The pair dont hit it off and, in fact, rarely get along for most of the film. Yet theres this glimmer of friendship between the pair which, in hindsight, feels very much like a mentor-mentee relationship. Its an element not seen in previous Death Note films, and gives Death Note: Light Up the New World its own unique flavour.

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Letdowns

Nobody is as intelligent as L and Light

If youre looking for a thrilling battle of wits its not here. The characters are, plainly put, not of the same magnificent intellect as their forebears. There are no complicated gambits, no stunning revelations and none of that duelling of the minds that L and Light had. Their descendants might be carrying on the battle between good and evil, but its not of the same quality as before.

The final reveal is a tremendous disappointment

The character who is revealed to have been pulling everyones strings all along is the result of a convenient plot device that unnecessarily complicates the story.



The problem is that the film wasnt the result of a well-conceived plot for the betterment of the world. Instead, it hinges on the fact that one character didnt tell another character a vital piece of information.



Tie up that loose end, youll have no film. Its a groan-worthy letdown when you finally find out how circumstances came to be the way they were.

Lack of exposition of the rules of Death Note

Quick, what are the rules of the Shinigami Eyes? If you dont remember those rules offhand then Death Note: Light Up the New World will be incomprehensible.



Youll frequently find yourself consulting your mobile phone or asking your friend what are the properties of the Death Notes, since the film doesnt explain when certain rules are in play. Its been 10 years since the last Death Note though  couldnt we at least have had some exposition for the rules of the franchise?

Death Note: Light Up the New World has the excitement, but not the character development, of the original.

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.

Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If youre a fan of the Death Note series.

Score: 3.5/5

Death Note: Light Up the New World opens in cinemas:

- 10 November, 2016 (Singapore)

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. Hes also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
NC cant reject impeachment of Karki: UML leader

CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel has said the Nepali Congress cannot go against the impeachment proposal filed against Lokman Singh Karki, the suspended chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority.
Phaedra Parks has spent the past few seasons on The Real Housewives of Atlanta in the throes of a tumultuous relationship with ex-husband Apollo Nida  who is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony bank fraud and identity theft in May 2014

The couple split in 2014  and viewers will see their divorce finalized on the hit Bravo reality shows ninth season.

After Nida left, Parks tells PEOPLE she had to regroup, refocus and work on herself and children  Ayden, 6, and Dylan, 3  whom she describes as funny, super-smart, sweet little boys.

Both kids were born on-air  and have grown up on the show. The presence of the cameras has turned Ayden into a budding filmmaker. Hes vey interested in the running of the cameras, Parks joked. He thinks he can produce the show!

Season 9 will be the first Dylan was miced for the show. At first he was a little weary of it, but then he was like Wheres my mic? Parks laughed. Hes really evolved. At the end of last year, you saw him beginning to speak. Now, he speaks all the time  he wont stop talking.

The two children are night and day  though both, like their mom, have good senses of humor.

They things they do are just hilarious, Parks said. Yesterday we were at home, and I asked Dylan, What are you chewing on? and  this is gross  he said My toenails. I was like, Why are you chewing on your toenails? and he was like Im a carnivore  theyre meat. Im like OH MY GOD  I thought that was so funny. I was like  Im glad you know what carnivore means, but toenails are not meat! 

Its never a boring day with the two of them, she added.

While the smiles keep coming with her children, Parks isnt smiling about the state of the world, racially and politically.

Im the mother to two African-American boys, so the police brutality and Black Lives Matter movement is a lot to digest right now, she said. It makes you very afraid and very cognizant of how youre raising them, what youre exposing them to and what youre teaching to them. You have to make them aware of the country were living in  the good things and the bad things about the United States. It can be a daunting challenge.

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RELATED VIDEO: Would Phaedra Parks Go Back Alone to Visit Her Estranged Husband Apollo in Prison?

Shes faced that challenge  and the challenge of finding the right people in her life to help her raise her boys. Hindsight is always 20/20, but it was very hard for awhile trying to figure it out, she said. Things have leveled out now. Boys are both in school, my parents are helping out, uncles are helping out, I have a night manager, a great governess  I have surrounded myself with people who encourage me and really support me.

Parks speaks especially highly of her governess, Lisa  whom jokingly calls her wife on the shows premiere episode.

Wives do way more than husband do, she explained. Im not attracted to women sexually, but I dont know any woman who cant run circles around a man in terms of organization and getting things done and not needing too much patting on the back.

I tell everyone  get yourself a wife, she concludes. Even if you have a husband, get yourself a husband-wife!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta returns for a new season Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.




Madrid (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to retire at Real Madrid after agreeing a bumper new five-year contract to be signed on Monday that ties him to the Spanish giants until 2021.

"The official event for the renewal of Cristiano Ronaldo's contract will take place tomorrow, Monday 7 November at 1:30pm in the presidential box at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium," Madrid said in a statement on Sunday.

"The Portuguese forward will extend his contract until 30 June 2021 at the event attended by club president Florentino Perez and the player himself."

Ronaldo, 31, follows in the footsteps of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as the latest Real star to agree a contract extension in recent weeks as the club prepares to serve a one-year transfer ban imposed by FIFA.

According to UK media reports Bale's lucrative new six-year deal will earn the Welshman as much as 600,000 ($750,000) a week before tax.

However, Ronaldo, whose previous deal expired in 2018 is expected to remain the highest earner at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo is already the world's highest paid sportsman according to American magazine Forbes, raking in $88 million between his salary and endorsements in 2016.

Ronaldo has shot himself into the Real record books by plundering 371 goals in 360 games in his eight seasons since swapping Manchester United for Madrid for a then world record fee in 2009.

And Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane called on Ronaldo to end his playing days in Spain like he did when retiring from club football in 2006.

"What he has to do is finish his career here," said Zidane after Sunday's 3-0 win over Leganes extended Madrid's lead at the top of La Liga.

"Cristiano is unique for what he has done and what he is doing.

"It is his dream to end his career here. I am happy that he can renew and finish with this white shirt like I did a long time ago."

As well the individual accolades of winning the Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014 for the world's best player since joining Madrid, Ronaldo has won eight trophies with Los Blancos.

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Most notably he scored in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid as Real ended a 12-year wait to win their 10th European Cup.

Ronaldo was Atletico's scourge again as he netted the winning penalty in a shootout victory to once again win the Champions League in May.

His only La Liga title came under Jose Mourinho in the 2011/12 season.

However, arguably Ronaldo's crowning glory came in leading Portugal to their first ever international tournament win at Euro 2016.

After suffering knee ligament damage in the Euro 2016 final, Ronaldo has endured a slow start to this season.

His scoreless performance against Leganes extended his worst ever goal drought at the Bernabeu to five matches.

However, Madrid's confidence in handing out a huge deal that will secure Ronaldo's position as the world's highest paid sportsman has not been shaken.

"There is nothing wrong, he is not worried," insisted Zidane.

"He looks good, he is motivated, he likes to scores goals and even more so in this stadium, but he is calm."
Rural firefighters deployed a water bomber during the fight to save homes in western Sydney on Friday, November 4. Homes and cars in Llandilo and Cranbrook were damaged during the blaze.

With the help of air tankers seen in the video, the 200 firefighters from the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW were able to contain the blaze by 6 pm Friday, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The video shows a DC-10 Air Tanker working to douse the flames in Llandilo. Credit: Mathew Sharwood
In their last outing on Saturday Night Live before the election, Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin used the cold open to mock the candidates one final time  and urge viewers to vote.

The segment began as a parody of Erin Burnetts CNN show OutFront with Cecily Strong playing the news anchor, grilling the candidates on the tightening race.

It might be the bottom of the ninth and its tied and its raining, but this old Chicago Cub is still gonna bring it home, said McKinnon-as-Clinton.

Much to Clintons chagrin (Please be his taxes, she begged), Burnett brought up the big story of the week: Clintons emails.

Trump-as-Baldwin countered that he never uses emails, instead using a very private, very secure site: Its called Twitter.

Burnett said, Mr. Trump, everyone can see your tweets. A surprised Trump replied, Really? And Im still in this thing? America, you must really hate this lady.

Clinton grew ever more frustrated as Trump cozied up to the FBI, Putin, even the Ku Klux Klan  kissing them on the lips.

She counted off a long list of things that Trump has single-handedly ruined that we as Americans hold dear: kindness, decency, Tic Tacs, Skittles, taco bowls, father/daughter dances, the word great, the color orange, men.

In four years once you all realize youve been tricked, youre going to come running back to me, begging me to run again, said Clinton. And guess what, idiots? Ill do it.

Baldwin and McKinnon then broke character, stepping back to reveal the SNL stage. Im sorry, Kate, I just hate yelling all this stuff at you like this, said Baldwin. Added McKinnon, I know right. This whole election has been so mean.

I just feel gross all the time, Baldwin said. I mean, dont you guys feel gross all the time about this?

You know what I think can help us? said McKinnon. Lets get out of here. The pair then ran through the streets of Manhattan, holding hands and hugging passersby (even someone wearing a Trump that bh shirt), sharing a pretzel and cotton candy, joining in a ring dance.

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They regrouped back on the Saturday Night Live with a message for viewers to vote: Now its time to get to out out there and vote, said Baldwin. None if this will have mattered if you dont vote.

We wont tell you who to vote for, said McKinnon. But on Tuesday, we all get to choose what kind of country we want to live in.

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Satellite data that helps fight cholera. Forecasts that help farmers flee monsoons. Models that predict how shifting rivers can affect drinking water.

Scientists worldwide are developing technologies like these to tackle the planet's biggest water challenges, such as the lack of clean water for 1.2 billion people and the rising threats of deadly downpours, droughts and flooding caused by climate change.

SEE ALSO: Coca-Cola says it 'replenished' all the water it used to make its soft drinks

This month, a Saudi Arabian nonprofit awarded eight scientists the International Prize for Water for their breakthrough research.

The bi-annual prize, established by the late Saudi prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz in 2002, recognizes researchers who are creatively addressing problems of water scarcity, an issue that's top of mind to the desert Saudi kingdom.

Young girls carry buckets of clean water across rice paddy fields in Dala, Myanmar, May 1, 2016.

Image: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

The United Nations' Friends of Water group hosted the Nov. 2 awards ceremony at the U.N. headquarters in New York. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon presided over the gala along with the prize committee chairman, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz.

Here's a look at some of the award-winning research:

Spotting cholera outbreaks before they happen

Two professors shared the "creativity" award for finding a way to predict cholera outbreaks three to six months in advance.

Cholera is a diarrheal disease that spreads in contaminated water and causes severe dehydration. It infects up to 5 million people and kills about 100,000 people worldwide each year.

Rita Colwell, an oceanographer and microbiologist at University of Maryland, has studied cholera for decades. She found cholera bacteria was often associated with the presence of zooplankton, the microscopic creatures found in lakes, rivers and ocean

In this Oct. 25, 2016 photo, A Haitian man bathes with water from a well that was contaminated by sea water and trash during Hurricane Matthew, Oct. 25, 2016. Haiti's well water and rivers carried cholera bacteria, which epidemiologists suspect has sickened thousands of people since the storm.

Image: AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery

In the 1980s, Colwell and other researchers learned they could spot cholera by monitoring chlorophyl levels with satellite sensors. Chlorophyl is a key indicator of plankton growth and points to peaks in bacteria.

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Colwell and fellow prize-winner Shafiqul Islam, who directs the Water Diplomacy Program at Tufts University, used satellite data to build a statistical model for predicting cholera outbreaks. The team has used the model in the Bay of Bengal region to predict outbreaks in Bangladesh.

Colwell said she and Islam are now pursuing a technique to spot other bacterial viruses by extracting DNA from water samples. "This is the latest battle for human health: removing disease agents in drinking water," Colwell said at the U.N. ceremony.

Far-flung flood warnings

Torrential monsoon rainfalls this year have killed hundreds of people in China and displaced 1.2 million people in India. Rural families often don't receive flood warnings and have little time to prepare for the coming catastrophe.

Peter Webster, an earth and atmospheric sciences professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, won the second "creativity" prize for developing a way to predict monsoon rainfalls and give farmers ample heads-up.

An aerial view shows flooding in low-lying areas on the outskirts of Allahabad, India, Aug. 26, 2016.

Image: Ritesh Shukla/NurPhoto/Sipa USA

Webster does what he said the Bangladesh government can't afford to do: process a terabyte of data and transmit it near real-time around the world.

His approach starts with global rainfall forecasts from European institutions. At Georgia Tech, Webster and colleagues adjust the forecasts and apply them to hydrological models that assess changes in atmosphere-ocean interactions.

"Within about nine hours, a village somewhere in Bangladesh gets this forecast that the river will rise or fall in the next 15 days, and we also tell them what the probability will be," Webster told Mashable at the awards gala.

"We anticipate disasters, mitigate the damage and allow people to determine their own fate," he said. "As opposed to a flood just arriving and they lose everything."

Tracking water resources before they vanish

Other prize-winners are focused on figuring out how much clean water we might have in the future and where it might be located.

Daniel Loucks of Cornell University built predictive models to determine how local stressors  such as population growth and climate change  will affect the availability and quality of water resources in a particular area. Urban planners and engineers in Canada, Cambodia, China and Peru and dozens of other countries have used these models to develop water management plans.

Mike Stearns, chairman of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, checks the soil moisture on drought-stricken land near Firebaugh, California, Feb. 25, 2016.

Image: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,

Gary Parker from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is studying how rivers naturally shift shapes and directions, which could help predict how meandering rivers will affect water flow and floodplains, and therefore flooding or water depletion, in the future.

At the ceremony, Ban Ki-Moon said that "science has a crucial role to play" in sustainable development worldwide, particularly as rising populations and the effects of climate change put further stress on drinking water supplies.

"Let us continue working for a world where all people have access to water and sanitation," the secretary-general said.
Two-thirds of all employees approve of their CEO, according to employee review website Glassdoor. However, not all CEOs are regarded so well, and some are rated quite poorly.

To identify the most hated CEOs, 24/7 Wall St. compiled CEO ratings and employee satisfaction reviews from Glassdoor  this is not a Glassdoor commissioned report. Eddie Lampert, CEO of Sears Holdings, is the worst rated CEO.

Sears Holdings controls Sears and Kmart, two of the nations largest department stores. Only 23% of Kmart employees and 19% of Sears employees approve of Lampert, according to reviews on Glassdoor. Many complaints center around layoffs and stagnant wages, likely attributable to falling sales at the stores. The companys revenue has declined substantially in recent years, from $36.2 billion in fiscal 2013 to $25.1 billion in fiscal 2015.

ALSO READ: America's Richest (and Poorest) States

Lampert is likely unpopular with company shareholders too. Over the past three years, under his watch, the companys stock price has plummeted by more than 80%.

Workers often complain in Glassdoor reviews about the out-of-touch upper management. One employee from the companys headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, wrote: Corporate employees are in deep denial about how bad things are and seem content to get a check and babble on about transformation'." Critics of Lampert have also chided the CEO for promising transformation, while by most financial measures, the company has consistently showed signs of continued decline.

ALSO READ: Pentagon to Lockheed: Take It or Leave It

Lampert has received a base salary of $1.00 in each of the past three years. Still, his total annual compensation, which comes mostly from stock awards, has been at least $4 million since 2013, peaking at $5.7 million in fiscal 2014.

The leader of one of Americas most iconic brands, Lampert is largely held accountable for being unable to stop Sears' decline since he assumed the role of chairman in 2004 and CEO in 2013. Sears Holdings has closed or sold more than 850 Sears and Kmart locations since Lampert became CEO and has announced dozens of additional closings so far this year. The company has also slimmed its U.S. workforce by roughly 50,000 employees over the same period.

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ALSO READ: The Worst Companies to Work For

As the companys majority shareholder, Lampert can remove himself from the role of CEO. Some finance columnists have called for his removal since 2012. Earlier this year, however, the company announced Lampert will stay on as CEO through at least 2018.

Want to read more? .

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service said on Saturday night an incident at a campaign event for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Reno, Nevada, began when someone shouted "gun" but no weapon was found.

"Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted 'gun.' Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the Secret Service said in a statement.

"A thorough investigation is ongoing at this time by the U.S. Secret Service and the Reno Police Department," it said.

(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
No agreement on naturalised citizenship : PMO

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has dismissed media reports of an agreement to have been reached on the issue of naturalised citizenship as false.
Saturday Night Live once again brought Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump and Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton together for a final face-off in its last show before Election Day.

In a mock segment of CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront (with Cecily Strong playing Burnett), the two candidates called in and made their final pleas to voters, as Clinton also dodged questions about the FBI's recent investigation into a new batch of emails.

Trump, played by Baldwin, told Burnett he was having a "really, really great" week because the American people were "buying it."

McKinnon's Clinton, on the other hand, shared, "It's been a great week for me too. My favorite part was when I lost that great big lead I had."

When Burnett told the two she'd be shifting to the "big story of the week," Clinton muttered to herself, "Please be his taxes, please be his taxes," only to find out she'd have to discuss her email investigation.

Read more: Bill Murray Joins Chicago Cubs Players on 'SNL's' "Weekend Update" for a Celebratory Sing-Along

Trump offered some words of advice to Clinton, telling her he never uses personal emails because "it's too risky."

He then told Burnett and Clinton he uses a "private site" instead: "It's called Twitter."

"Mr. Trump, everyone can see your tweets," Burnett told Trump, to which he replied, "Really? And I'm still in this thing? America, you must really hate this lady."

Clinton changed the topic: "Am I crazy or does it sort of seem like the FBI is trying to get Donald Trump elected president?"

Trump denied her accusations, saying, "No, that is crazy, cuckoo ... What even is the FBI?" Moments later, an FBI agent appeared from behind where Trump was stationed for the on-air interview and asked if he wanted some coffee. Trump responded, "No, I'm OK, sweetie," before kissing the agent on the lips.

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In retaliation, a livid Clinton begged Mark Burnett to release the Apprentice tapes and draw the attention away from her emails.

"Mark, as they say on Wheel of Fortune, give me an N-!" she exclaimed, though Burnett noted it's not a known fact that Trump made racial slurs while on the show.

"What is happening? Is the whole world insane?" a visibly frustrated Clinton asked.

Clinton left the segment with a message to Trump voters: "In four years, once you realize you've been tricked, you're going to come running back to me, begging me to run again - and guess what, idiots? I'll do it."

Read more: Dana Carvey's Church Lady Weighs In on the Election on 'SNL': "Jesus Is Not on the Ballot"

Toward the end of the cold open sketch, McKinnon's Clinton and Baldwin's Trump met up and made peace by walking through the streets of New York hand-in-hand. Clinton begrudgingly hugged Trump supporters, as Trump embraced minority families.

SNL co-stars McKinnon and Baldwin, out of character, then gathered in front of the live audience and, on a more serious note, encouraged viewers to vote.

"We can't tell you who to vote for. But on Tuesday, we all get to choose what kind of country we want to live in," McKinnon said.

SNL will revisit sketches of the some of the biggest moments of this year's presidential campaign in an Election Special airing Monday.
Saturday Night Live didnt have a presidential debate to parody, or an Access Hollywood controversy to mock going into this weekends last pre-Election Day episode. So it invented its own political event  a joint interview that brought Alec Baldwins Donald Trump and Kate McKinnons Hillary Clinton together via satellite on CNNs Erin Burnett OutFront.

VIDEOSBenedict Cumberbatch Hosts SNL: Watch Best and Worst Sketches

The sketch found McKinnon portraying Clinton at her most rattled as Burnett harped on the latest email controversy, during which Trump shared kisses with an FBI official, Vladimir Putin and a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Baldwin and McKinnon eventually broke character, though, to talk about their disgust with the entire election cycle and the constant insults the candidates have hurled at each other. They then joined hands and left Studio 8H behind to be amongst the mutlicultured citizens of New York, showing that the world isnt as divided as politics make it out to seem.

After returning to the studio, Baldwin and McKinnon encouraged both the studio audience and viewers at home to cast their ballots on Election Day, saying that none of this will have mattered if you dont vote.

VIDEOSElection 2016: Best & Worst Late-Night Moments From SNL, Fallon, Colbert, John Oliver, Samantha Bee and More

Watch the SNL cold open above, then grade it via our poll below.

Launch Gallery: Election 2016: Best & Worst Late-Night TV Moments

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By Amy Tennery and Melissa Fares NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the youngest members of the millennial generation became old enough to vote in this year's U.S. presidential election, states and social media platforms poured efforts into online registration, hoping to attract these tech savvy voters who now rival Baby Boomers as the country's largest demographic. With Election Day just two days away, political experts are skeptical that a record number of millennials who signed up to vote will actually result in the 18-34 year-old age group turning out at the polls in proportion to their relative size of the U.S. population. Millennials make up approximately 31 percent of U.S. citizens eligible to vote, according to the Pew Research Center, on par for the first time with Baby Boomers, who are typically aged 52-70 years old. There are an estimated 225.8 million eligible U.S. voters. Millennials have so far, however, turned out in much lower numbers in elections than Baby Boomers. In 2008, a record year for millennial turnout, just 50 per cent of those eligible to vote did so, the National Census Bureau said. That compared with turnout rates of 69 per cent for Baby Boomers and 61 percent for people aged 36 to 51, also known as Generation X. This year, a number of efforts on social media by states and non-profits aimed to change that, including Facebook reminders on users' accounts, Twitter hashtag campaigns, celebrities creating Snapchat and an Instagram post urging people to vote. According to a survey of state electoral officials and voter non-profits around the United States, these social media campaigns have paid off, at least when it came to getting young voters registered. A survey of 2,000 millennials conducted by social media platform Yik Yak, which is known for its popularity among college students and teens, showed that 62 percent registered to vote for the first time this year and, of those, 9 percent registered online following a social media prompt. In California, roughly 31 per cent of all registered voters are now aged 18-35. A Facebook reminder on May 16 coincided with 143,255 people registering or updating their registrations online that day in the state, compared to an average of 23,166 per day that month, said California Secretary of State spokesman Sam Mahood. Other states reported similar spikes. In Oregon, more than 420,000 people registered to vote online in 2016, up from 2012 when 163,545 used the online system. Digital voter enrollments in Washington jumped by roughly 135,000 in 2016, compared to 2012. From January through mid-October this year, 381,318 people used the online system in Indiana, nearly three times as many as in 2012. "Let's face it - that's where [younger voters] are; they're on social media," said Denise Merrill, the secretary of state for Connecticut, which used social media campaigns, including a dedicated hashtag and Facebook's banner ads, to drive registrations. "Whatever we're doing, we're having pretty dramatic results." 'HUGE POTENTIAL' Like a lot of experts, Donald Green, a professor of political science at Columbia University, is skeptical that an increase in young voter registration will correspond with millennials unseating the Baby Boomers as the most active voting bloc. Green conceded that there was "change afoot," but said he thought it would far more gradual. By his estimate, it would be 25 years before millennials overtake Baby Boomers, or what he dubbed "generational replacement." "In presidential elections the translation of new registration to votes is more like one half or one third," he said. Michael Cornfield, an associate professor of political management at George Washington University, agreed that registering someone to vote does not guarantee they'll show up on Election Day. "It's up to the campaigns to do the last bit, which is to say make sure the right millennials in the right battleground states are being targeted," said Cornfield. Some political experts said that, in general, millennials tend to vote more for Democratic Party candidates than Republicans. Laura Wray-Lake, an assistant professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, said the increase in millennial registration could be a boon for Democrats if they could harness some of the social media techniques used to register voters to get them to the polls. With many political experts expecting overall voter turnout to be lower this year, millennial voters in swing states are a bloc that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton could hope to turn out. Clinton leads Republican candidate Donald Trump by 27 percentage points among likely voters ages 18-34, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. "Young people have huge potential for political impact" Wray-Lake said. "I think eventually these millennials will be deciding the future of the country." (Reporting By Amy Tennery; editing by Grant McCool)
(Reuters) - A South Carolina man suspected of chaining a woman inside a storage shed on his rural property was charged with four murders and denied bail on Sunday based on his confession to a massacre at a motorcycle shop 13 years ago, South Carolina media reported.

The suspect, Todd Kohlhepp, may be linked to as many as seven deaths, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said on Saturday. Investigators have searched his property for more bodies after that of the kidnapped woman's boyfriend was found there in a shallow grave.

After being freed on Thursday, the woman told authorities she had witnessed Kohlhepp shoot her boyfriend. The couple had been missing for two months.

Kohlhepp was denied bail on the quadruple homicide, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported from the courtroom at the county jail, which was filled with relatives of the victims and reporters, the newspaper said on its website. A photograph showed Kohlhepp, 45, appearing before the judge in an orange jumpsuit.

Kohlhepp, a registered sex offender who works as a realtor, declined two opportunities to speak in front of the victims' families, the Herald-Journal reported.

"Not at this time, sir," Kohlhepp told the judge, his hands folded behind his back.

Northwestern South Carolina was already shocked by the kidnapping case that came to light on Thursday when the sheriff on Saturday revealed Kohlhepp's confession to the quadruple homicide, one of the county's oldest unsolved cases as well as one of its most sensational.

The so-called Superbike case is named after the motorsports shop in Spartanburg County where four people were executed in 2003. Wright said he believed the confession based on details that Kohlhepp provided.

"I am 100 percent convinced that what this man told us was factual," Wright said, according to the Herald-Journal. "He told us some stuff that nobody else should know. I don't mind telling you, this is a pretty big deal."

Police found 30-year-old Kala Brown chained inside a locked container on Kohlhepp's property on Thursday. A day later, Kohlhepp was charged with keeping her there for two months.

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Also on Friday, officials identified a body found in a shallow grave on that property as Kala Brown's boyfriend, Charles Carver, 32, who had been shot multiple times, the Herald-Journal reported, citing the county coroner.

More bodies may be buried on the 96-acre (39-hectare) property, Wright said, based on Brown's account given to investigators after she was freed.

FindTheHome | Graphiq

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Alan Crosby)
SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean court said on Sunday it had issued arrest warrants for two former presidential aides under investigation in an influence peddling scandal that has sent President Park Geun-hye's approval rating to a record low. Tens of thousands of South Koreans demonstrated at a rally on Saturday evening in central Seoul demanding that Park resign over the scandal involving an old friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have used her closeness to the president to meddle in state affairs. Park's approval rating has fallen to just 5 percent, the lowest since such polling began in 1988, according to a Gallup Korea survey released on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court said in a statement that it granted a warrant to prosecutors to arrest An Chong-bum, a former senior advisor for Park, who faces charges of abuse of power and attempted extortion. An was already in custody under an emergency detention order. Prosecutors are looking into allegations that An and Choi forced South Korean conglomerates to donate funds to non-profit foundations. The court said it also issued an arrest warrant for a second former presidential aide, Jeong Ho-seong, who also had already been held in temporary custody. Prosecutors apprehended Jeong late on Thursday on suspicion of leaking classified information. An and Jeong both stepped down late last month amid the deepening crisis. In a televised address on Friday an apologetic Park said her "heart was breaking" over the scandal, pledging to cooperate with prosecutors in their investigation. Choi's lawyer has said he expects prosecutors to look into whether she inappropriately received classified documents. Choi told South Korea's Segye Ilbo newspaper last month that she received drafts of Park's speeches after Park's election victory but denied she had access to other official material, influenced state affairs or benefited financially. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Over 200 cases of dengue reported in Damak

Over 200 cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, have been reported in Damak, Jhapa, in a months time, the District Public Health Office said.
Beirut (AFP) - At least six children were killed on Sunday in Syrian government shelling that hit a kindergarten in the rebel-held town of Harasta outside the capital Damascus, a monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said 17 people, most of them children, were also injured in the shelling.

An AFP photographer saw the body of one child, a girl, lying on a bed at a makeshift hospital, her face bloodied and her clothes torn.

At the kindergarten, smears of blood were left on the tiled floor, underneath a small red slide propped against a wall painted with children's drawings.

Harasta is in the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, a region that is regularly targeted by government air strikes and shelling.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests
Beirut (AFP) - The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that on Sunday announced the start of operations to capture Raqa from the Islamic State group was formed just over a year ago.

It has since emerged as a key fighting force against IS in northern Syria and the main ground partner of the US-led coalition that launched a campaign against the jihadist group in mid-2014.

The SDF has scored a series of victories in the past 12 months, the most important the recapture in August of the strategic northern city of Manbij.

But the dominant role of Kurdish forces in the alliance has raised concerns with Turkey, whose military has hit SDF positions.

- United against common enemy -

The SDF was formed in mid-October last year as Kurds, Arab Muslims and Christians, and other groups joined forces to battle IS in northern Syria.

Syria's five-year civil war has seen the country divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms but in IS the disparate members of the SDF found a common enemy.

The alliance is estimated to command about 30,000 fighters, including some 25,000 Kurds and 5,000 Arabs.

The Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which had already dealt IS several defeats including seizing the key border town of Tal Abyad, forms the backbone of the alliance.

Along with the Kurdish female Women's Protection Units, the SDF includes Arab factions, Syriac Christian fighters and Turkmen units.

The Raqa Falcons Brigade, a 1,000-strong Arab force whose fighters all hail from Raqa, is expected to be a key component of the fight for the city.

- An ally for Washington -

After launching the coalition air war against IS in Syria and Iraq, Washington struggled to find a reliable partner on the ground.

A much-touted $500 million programme to build a rebel army to fight IS collapsed after many candidates failed to pass the screening process, and one group surrendered equipment to an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

But since its creation the SDF has benefitted from strong US backing, including weapons drops and air strikes in support of its operations.

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Shortly after the SDF was formed, the White House announced the first sustained deployment of US special forces to Syria, reversing a longstanding refusal to put boots on the ground.

Some 50 special operations personnel were deployed in northern Syria and the number has now grown to between 200 and 250.

US officials including President Barack Obama's envoy to the coalition Brett McGurk and Joseph Votel, the head of Central Command, have since met with senior SDF commanders on visits to northern Syria.

- A string of victories -

The last months of 2015 saw a string of early victories for the SDF, with the alliance clearing IS from some 200 villages in the northeastern province of Hasakeh.

The SDF also moved against IS in Aleppo province, where its fighters captured the Tishreen Dam, and fought off a jihadist offensive against the SDF-held town of Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Raqa.

SDF fighters clashed with other, mostly Islamist, rebel forces in Aleppo province, seizing control of the town of Tal Rifaat and the Minnigh airbase.

In February the SDF took Al-Shadadi, which had been the largest town controlled by IS in Hasakeh, and the Kibabeh oil field to the northeast.

In June the alliance launched its most ambitious offensive yet, to take the city of Manbij just south of the Turkish border and sever a key supply route to Raqa.

The alliance faced fierce resistance, including near-daily suicide bombings, but was able to seize control of Manbij in early August.

- Turkish worries -

The rise of the SDF has raised deep concerns in Turkey, which considers the YPG a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

Turkey launched an operation inside Syria on August 24 alongside allied opposition forces who have managed to retake the IS stronghold of Jarabulus and the symbolically important town of Dabiq.

But one of the operation's goals is also to check the advance of Syria's Kurds, and Turkish forces have carried out air strikes against YPG positions.
Sofia (AFP) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov suffered an embarrassing setback in the first round of presidential elections Sunday, with projections suggesting his nominee was beaten by a left-leaning opposition candidate.

Tsetska Tsacheva won 22.3 percent of the vote behind Rumen Radev on 24.9 percent, the candidate of the opposition Socialists seen as more sympathetic to Russia, according to a projection from Gallup based on 75 percent of votes counted.

The result, if confirmed, sets up a tight runoff contest on November 13 between Tsacheva, 58, who is speaker of parliament, and former air force commander and MiG pilot Radev, 53.

The centre-right Borisov, 57, had said before the election that if Tsacheva failed to come first in the first round, he would call early elections.

Late Sunday however he said that he would only quit if Tsacheva loses the runoff.

"Next Monday, as I already said -- if we lose the ballot, which I hope we won't, we will go for early elections, we will exit the government," Borisov told reporters.

New elections could plunge the EU's poorest and arguably most corrupt country -- the average monthly salary is just 480 euros ($535) -- into renewed political turmoil.

Burly former bodyguard and police chief Borisov has injected some much-needed stability into Bulgaria since becoming premier for the second time in late 2014.

Prior to that the south-eastern European country went through a long period of upheaval involving mass protests and a string of elections.

But along with a failure to implement major reforms, Borisov appears to have miscalculated badly in putting forward the straight-laced Tsacheva to become president.

"People have said no to apathy and have voted for change," Radev said late Sunday.

"This is a historic moment. GERB has never lost. There will be elections," said Gallup analyst Parvan Simeonov.

- East or West? -

The job of Bulgarian president is largely ceremonial but he or she -- Tsacheva would be the first woman in the job -- is still a respected figure with some powers.

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And for an ex-communist country walking the East-West tightrope, both Moscow and Brussels will be watching the election outcome closely.

NATO member Bulgaria last September angered Moscow by banning Russian supply flights to Syria from using its airspace.

Outgoing president Rosen Pleneviev has been outspoken in his criticism of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.

But at the same time Bulgaria's economy is hugely reliant on Russia, particularly in gas, and the two have deep historical and cultural ties. In 2010 Borisov gave Putin a puppy.

Radev told local radio in a recent interview: "We have lost a lot by declaring Russia more or less an enemy."

In addition he has called for EU sanctions on Russia, imposed because of Ukraine, to be lifted -- a position shared by Tsacheva until Borisov called her back into line.

Radev has also said however that "a necessary improvement in relations with Russia doesn't mean a retreat from Euro-Atlantic values."
Budapest (AFP) - Virtuoso Hungarian pianist and conductor Zoltan Kocsis, celebrated for his versatile technique, died on Sunday at the age of 64, his orchestra, the National Philharmonic, said.

"The (orchestra) informs with deep sorrow that Zoltan Kocsis after a long illness borne with dignity died this afternoon," it said in a statement quoted by the MTI news agency.

"Kocsis was a giant of music," said the acclaimed conductor Ivan Fischer, who co-founded the world-renowned Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) with the pianist in 1983.

"He was one of the rare geniuses...his influence on his generation is immeasurable," said Fischer on his Facebook page.

Kocsis had served as musical director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra since 1997 and became a household name among music fans from the United States to Japan as he took the ensemble on tour.

He underwent heart surgery in 2012, and last month cancelled upcoming concerts on the advice of doctors, according to the orchestra.

Born in Budapest in 1952, Kocsis began playing the piano around the age of three.

He first played abroad after winning the prestigious Hungarian Radio Beethoven Competition at the age of 18 in 1970, and made his first concert tour of the United States a year later.

He also performed extensively with the Berlin Philharmonic, and played with leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

In 1978, aged 25, he was awarded the Kossuth prize, Hungary's highest state honour for artists, an award he won again in 2005.

Often taking the conductor's baton with the BFO, Kocsis also began composing from 1987.

His pieces, along with his transcriptions of works of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok and the recordings he made from them, also won him wide acclaim.

"His death is an irreplaceable loss for Hungarian culture," said a statement from Hungary's Ministry of Human Resources.
Allentown (United States) (AFP) - Rigged election, biased media -- Donald Trump regularly condemns alleged tactics aimed at derailing his bid for the White House, rhetoric that resonates with some supporters who are growing more mistrustful.

The Republican presidential nominee has offered no concrete proof to back up his allegations but, to differing degrees, many in his camp believe them.

A prime target is the media, which Trump accuses of not covering his campaign objectively, while favoring his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the November 8 election. He says the media even launches unfounded attacks against him.

"Most of the news is negative or they don't print it at all," said Susan, a retiree in Philadelphia on the sidelines of a "flash mob" supporting Trump. She did not want to give her family name.

Emails released by anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks in late October revealed that a CNN analyst, who is the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, shared questions with the Clinton campaign ahead of a CNN-hosted primary debate.

The DNC chief, Donna Brazile, had already resigned from the TV network when the WikiLeaks bombshell landed, but the furor fed into Trump's long-running argument that Clinton was given advance knowledge of debate questions.

"We have the WikiLeaks emails that confirm what I've been saying for years. They manipulate the polls," said Tom Carroll, an activist who has organized dozens of flash-mobs in the Allentown area in Pennsylvania.

"The Hillary campaign has been paying people to read them the dialogue and the narrative to the media."

The conspiracy-minded in the Trump camp have scant confidence in public opinion polls, which overall give Clinton an edge in a race tightening in the final stretch.

"They oversample Democrats" in the polls, said Carroll.

"They use these polls on purpose to deflate the right and the conservative movement, to get them to believe that no one's voting for Trump" and to send the message 'we can't win, don't even go to vote,'" he said.

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Trump recently said that a batch of emails posted by WikiLeaks shows John Podesta, the chairman of Clinton's election campaign, had asked for a poll to be taken using an inflated number of Democrats in the sample.

A check of those emails turned up no evidence of this claim.

- Fraudulent election Tuesday? -

Anything that runs counter to Trump's declarations is fodder for the conspiracists, who see it as a manipulation of public opinion.

The fact that recent polls show Trump gaining ground is only a new polling tactic, according to Carroll.

After months of cooking the data, the pollsters "start telling the truth," he said, "because they have to say: 'we were right.'"

Underlying the accusations against the media and pollsters is the belief they are in cahoots with the Democrats, seen as multiplying their attacks behind the scenes to cement their victory.

Some of Trump's followers trace Democrats' fingerprints behind the wave of women who have come forward in recent weeks accusing the candidate of having made unwanted sexual advances in the past.

"A lot of them are getting paid to do this stuff, is what I'm hearing," said Susan.

The fact that these alleged victims came out with public accusations so close to the election "just doesn't make sense," said Carol Krus, who traveled Thursday to see the first public appearance of Trump's wife, Melania Trump, alone on the campaign trail.

"They waited and they planned it," said Renee Johnson, who also came to hear Melania Trump speak at the event in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.

For this fringe in the Trump camp, after a year and a half of what they view as a vicious campaign, their candidate has everything to fear in the reliability of the election Tuesday.

"The turnout, I think it's going to be very high and I think it's going to be very fraudulent also," Susan warned.

Carroll spoke about dead people registered to vote on the electoral lists in Philadelphia and voters paid to vote for Democrats.

For Susan, voter fraud is already under way. "You know who's doing that?" she said in a conspiratorial tone. "She's scared."
Playboy model charged over locker room 'body-shaming' image

Los Angeles police have charged Playboy model Dani Mathers over a "body-shaming" image she took of an older woman in a gym locker room.
The big story on Sunday morning was that Donald Trumps presidential campaign, with just 48 hours to go until Election Day, has detected weakness in Hillary Clintons support in traditionally Democratic states, like Michigan and Minnesota. The spin from the Trump campaign, citing internal polls, was that there is late-breaking momentum for the Republican candidate, marked by huge voter enthusiasm that would drive Republican voters, particularly of the white working class variety, to the polls.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, it should. This was the same story that the Mitt Romney campaign was selling in the final days before the 2012 election, and the media ate it up with a spoon.

Related: Another Sign This Election Is Driving People Crazy

A CNN headline on November 5, 2012, the day before the election, read, Latest Polls Show Dead Heat in Battle for White House; Razor Thin Margins on Election Eve.

I hear from a lot of Romney people who say look, they just don't buy the polls, host Anderson Cooper said during a broadcast. That they think that there's enthusiasm out there, that there's energy out there.

Well, they say that their internal polls are much more accurate than our polls, said analyst Gloria Borger. And they say that they're tighter, that states where we might show President Obama up by a couple of points, Anderson, they show it absolutely a dead heat, such as Ohio would be -- would be one of those examples.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, then a Romney surrogate, said on the same day that in his state, things looked better for Romney than anybody understood. In an appearance on CBS the same day he said, The internal polls are what it`s all about...and the internal polls...have shown Romney consistently ahead. So I`m not kind of spinning, this is kind of what I think.

Related: Trump Tries to Poke Holes in a Solid Jobs Report

Republican Party officials, seeking any and all outlets for the release of positive information, found a willing helper in the UKs Daily Mail newspaper, which reported that internal data showed Romney is ahead by a single percentage point in Ohio - the swing state that many believe could decide the election...Internal campaign polling completed last night by campaign pollster Neil Newhouse has Romney three points up in New Hampshire, two points up in Iowa and dead level in Wisconsin and - most startlingly - Pennsylvania.

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The paper concluded, If the Romney campaign's internal numbers are correct...then the former Massachusetts governor will almost certainly be elected 45th U.S. President.

President Romney isnt around to ask about the news coverage from just before the 2012 election, but the data is still out there.

In Ohio, where Romney was supposed to be up by one point, he lost 50-48. In New Hampshire, where he was supposedly up by 3, he lost by six, 52-46. Iowa, likewise, was not a two-point Romney win, but another six-point loss. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were also pretty far from dead level. Obama won them by seven, and five points, respectively.

Related: What Happens If Trump v. Clinton Ends in an Electoral College Tie?

And CNNs razor thin election margin? Also a myth. Obama won by a comfortable three percent in the popular vote and clobbered Romney in the Electoral College 332-206.

It pays to keep the 2012 election in mind, then, when Republican Party officials come on the television to claim that states like Michigan (last went Republican for president in 1988) and Minnesota (last went Republican for president in 1972) are actually in play.

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said on ABCs This Week on Sunday, as far as Michigan is concerned, I mean we have to look at our -- our -- our data. And we went in -- we go in with 3,000 samples a night. It matches public polling. It's an absolute toss-up.

To be clear, here, in the public polling tracked at Real Clear Politics, Clinton has led Trump in every single poll of Michigan conducted since July.

Related: Whether Its Clinton or Trump, the Next President Will Face This Financial Trap

Trump himself cited unspecified polls to explain why his campaign scheduled last minute stops for him and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, in Minnesota.

Were going up to Minnesota which, traditionally has not been Republican at all, Trump said at a rally in Florida. And were doing phenomenally. We just saw a poll.

Now Minnesota, not having voted Republican in a presidential election since Richard Nixons landslide victory in 1972, isnt heavily polled. But the polls that are available give Clinton a solid lead there, as well.

To be sure, in an election year when Donald Trump crushed a 17-person field to win the GOP nomination, anything is possible. But there is a history of supporters of losing candidates claiming late surges that would carry them to the White House. (Kasich, who claimed Romney was likely to win Ohio, said the same thing about John McCain in the waning days of the 2008 election.)

With less than 48 hours to go before Election Day, any claims of states suddenly being in play should be treated with extreme skepticism.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
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His wife's ardent support for abortion rights didn't matter when a doctor told Richard Brookhiser that, at age 37, he had a particularly dangerous type of testicular cancer.

Her husband's impassioned support for the Second Amendment didn't matter when a doctor told Jeanne Safer that, at age 64, she had breast cancer.

She votes down the Democratic line each election; he's a committed conservative. But that still didn't matter when, a year later, Safer learned she also had a rare form of leukemia.

The two have been a political odd couple since they were married in 1980. She's a liberal psychoanalyst. He hails from a right-wing family in Rochester, New York, and became a writer for National Review, the influential conservative magazine founded by William Buckley, who was also Brookhiser's mentor.

Their friends thought their marriage was an oddity. His family rejected it outright.

For Richard and Jeanne, it worked.

"We knew what matters, or we wouldn't have married each other," Safer said in her Manhattan apartment.

But for two people whose polarized politics are so core to their beings, it was when Brookhiser got sick 12 years into marriage that they realized how little politics mattered.

After major surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen, Brookhiser spent four weeks in the hospital. The nausea was unrelenting, and little relief was available at the time  so it was up to Safer to find some marijuana for her conservative husband.

"I'm not a pothead, but I had a trainer who had a lot of pot and taught me how to roll joints," Safer said.

She was a novice, and Brookhiser said he could always tell her joints from the ones the trainer rolled. "We found things to laugh about," she said.

She especially liked that he, of all people, became a poster boy for medical marijuana.

As he underwent treatment, his colleagues from National Review came to the hospital and helped the couple financially.

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"It was really quite something," Safer said. "I never had friends from the right wing, and these people really came through and I never forgot it."

Brookhiser survived and thrived. Now 61, he's thought to be cured.

But at the time, Safer said, his family wasn't as supportive.

As she tells it, their marriage was too much for his parents. They objected to her age  she's eight years his senior. They didn't like that she's Jewish. And, yes, they objected to her liberal politics. In the end, he had to defy his family to marry her.

His relationship with his family became increasingly strained, and "they ended up losing him because of it," she said.

Musical chemistry

But somehow Jeanne and Richard's relationship worked.

They had met in a Renaissance music singing group. To Richard, Jeanne was "cute, and she sang pretty."

The man she saw was "tall, clever, with intense blue eyes" and a "lyrical baritone." She recounts their meeting in a collection of essays titled "The Golden Condom." She liked that he was a writer  until she learned he wrote for such a conservative publication.

Yet it was Brookhiser who had been more willing to cross ideologies in relationships. A previous girlfriend had been a Communist. Safer's exes ranged from a liberal monk to a nuclear physicist, whom she accompanied to canvass for anti-Vietnam War presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy.

The wedding of Jeanne Safer and Richard Brookhiser had a dramatically bipartisan guest list. Walking her down the aisle was her mentor, a victim of Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist purges. Richard's mentor  a big supporter of McCarthy  also attended.

A friend there coined a phrase that became a theme of their marriage: "Bedfellows make strange politics."

The two never compromised their beliefs and values, and they say their differences rarely got in the way. They've learned how to censor themselves to avoid blowup fights over whatever issue is top of mind. In their New York apartment, which is covered nearly wall to wall with overlapping rugs and where they both work feet from each other each day, she's figured out how to limit her own "freedom of expression" when they talk.

It's a price she's willing to pay, she writes in her book, "because the companionship of the other resident is the greatest joy in my life."

'This is true love'

That companionship was tested again when Safer was diagnosed with two different cancers in two years.

"You need your spouse," she said. "Just for getting through the day and the night."

First there was the breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then six weeks of radiation and a prescription for a powerful drug she's still taking.

Then came what she calls "the second one"  a rare, curable form of leukemia. But the cure wasn't easy. She was hospitalized for a month, or as she puts it, "incarcerated at New York Hospital."

Doctors gave her high doses of steroids, which made her hysterical. Richard sat by her side, reading her Jane Austen novels to calm her down. The food was inedible, she said, so every night he brought her dinner from outside and they'd sit together, sharing a meal.

When she'd get scared, he'd sleep on the floor of her hospital room.

"This is true love. This is it," she said. It doesn't matter if a partner doesn't do the dishes or doesn't like some of her friends, or if he doesn't vote a Democratic ticket. "If a person comes through for you at a situation like that, what else in the world matters?"

Beliefs vs. character

Good statistics on mixed-politics couples are hard to come by. One 2016 study found that only 3% of Democratic men married Republican women, and 6% of Republican men married Democratic women. Another study from 2014 found that 9% of marriages are mixed politically. It's hard to say how that has changed over time, especially as the US becomes more politically polarized and Americans increasingly live near like-minded people.

As a psychotherapist, though, Safer thinks a lot about relationships  both her own and those of her patients. She laments modern dating, which so often uses apps and websites that make it easy to screen out those with differing viewpoints. Of those who list compatible politics as a top priority in a relationship, she says "they haven't lived. They don't know what real loyalty and fidelity means."

In her experience, a person's beliefs can be totally different than their character. She had a patient who she said called himself a "strong feminist" but was seeking treatment for a porn addiction.

And then there are the men in her own past who seemed so right on paper but proved so disappointing.

That long-ago monk turned out to be selfish. Another ex told her he didn't like an outfit she was wearing. "It was a little thing," she said. "But I remember it because it was mean."

They're "small cruelties," she said.

One ex asked her to marry him in college. They matched fine politically, but one day she said he told her "the things that are most important to you are the things I want to push under the rug."

She learned she'd rather have a conservative Republican who wouldn't want to push things under the rug than a liberal who did.

"It's a minority opinion," she said.

This year, they agree

After 36 years of marriage, this year Richard and Jeanne, who've disagreed  happily  on so much finally have something in common politically: They're united in opposition to Donald Trump.

To her, agreeing on the election "feels like a delicious vacation," she said.

To him, "It's terrible. This is the worst election in American history," he said.

She plans to vote for Hillary Clinton. He's going to leave his presidential choice blank.

And then they'll go back to bonding over everything but politics.

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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ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 15 suspects in an operation involving raids across the southeastern province of Adana targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the state-run Anadolu Agency said on Sunday. The raids come as fighting between security forces and PKK militants in the largely Kurdish southeast has escalated to new heights since the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the militant group in July of last year. On Friday, a car bomb in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir killed 11 people and wounded at least 100, hours after Turkish authorities detained the leaders and lawmaker of the main pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), whom the government accuses of links to the PKK. Officials blamed the autonomy-seeking PKK, citing radio intercepts, although Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the group's Amaq news agency. Kurdish militants, Islamic State radicals and far leftists have all staged attacks on civilians in Turkey in recent years. Anadolu said the anti-terror police raids, backed by helicopter, were carried out simultaneously at various spots across the city. In security operations over the past week, 28 PKK militants were "neutralized", the Interior Ministry said on Monday. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. (Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday that the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), whose leaders were arrested on Friday, had been funding terrorism and that anyone harming the nation would pay the price. "For years, we called on you to say you are against terror and terrorist organizations. You would not listen ... For years, they transferred the money we sent for the municipalities to terror," Yildirim said in a speech broadcast on television. "Whoever harms this nation will pay for it, there is no other way. Not only those bombing and burning, but also those supporting terror," he said. The government accuse the HDP of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy. The HDP, parliament's second-largest opposition party, denies direct links. The HDP announced a partial boycott of parliament on Sunday following the arrest of its leaders. Yildirim said its deputies would be betraying the people if they failed to attend parliament sessions. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Nick Tattersall)
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two Indonesians were kidnapped from fishing vessels in waters off Malaysia's Sabah state in two separate incidents on Saturday, Indonesia's foreign minister said, the latest in a string of abductions in the region. Malaysian domestic media reported earlier on Sunday that the two boat captains were kidnapped around midday by armed men on speedboats. It was unclear if the armed men were criminals or belonged to militant groups operating in the area. The Islamist group Abu Sayyaf, based in the southern Philippines, has carried out kidnappings in the region, beheading some hostages and extorting millions of dollars in ransoms. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi sent messages to her counterparts in Malaysia and the Philippines to convey her concerns and to request their attention to the matter, she told Reuters on Sunday via text message. Marsudi did not provide further details. The Indonesian consulates in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau, Malaysia, are working with Malaysian authorities, the owners of the vessels and other crew members to gather further information on the incident, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, Indonesian citizen protection director at the ministry, said in a written statement received by Reuters. There are around 6,000 Indonesians working on Malaysian fishing vessels in that area, Iqbal said. "The Indonesian government has also recommended for Indonesian crew members in Sabah to not go out to sea until the safety situation is seen as conducive," he said in the statement. The region around Indonesia's borders with Malaysia and the Philippines, a major sea lane and fishing area, has seen a spate of kidnappings by gunmen and Islamist militants in recent months. Indonesian authorities earlier this year blocked some coal shipments to the Philippines amid fears piracy in the region could reach levels previously seen in Somalia. An Indonesian tugboat crew member swam to safety in August after escaping militant captors in the Philippines. (Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
MILAN/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Two Italian workers and a Canadian kidnapped in Libya in September have been freed and were flown to Italy early on Saturday, Italian and Libyan officials said. Danilo Calonego, Bruno Cacace and Frank Poccia were abducted on Sept. 19 in Ghat, southwestern Libya, near the site where they worked by an armed group that blocked the vehicle in which they were travelling, the Italian foreign ministry said. The two Italians were technicians employed by construction group Conicos, it added. "The three were released in the early hours of Saturday and were handed over to Italian authorities," said Hassan Ottman, a spokesman for the municipal council in the Libyan town of Ghat. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi thanked everyone who played a role in the men's release, especially the authorities and security forces in Libya. "Today is a time of relief and joy that I would like to share with the families of our technicians," he said. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the men had not been subjected to any particular violence and were in good health. The men are being interviewed by authorities in Rome before they are expected to be reunited with their families. The men told an investigator that the kidnappers were part of one single criminal group, were not jihadists and "drank alcohol and did not pray", Italian media reported. All three men were working on airport projects in Libya's southwestern desert near the border with Algeria when kidnapped, Ghat's mayor said at the time. Numerous criminal and armed groups are active in Libya's vast southern desert, and al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants have long had a presence across the border between Libya and Algeria. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak in Milan and Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; Editing by Alexander Smith)
(Reuters) - German-born jockey Freddy Tylicki has been told by doctors that he was paralysed from the waist down after sustaining spinal injuries in a fall at Kempton Park in England, the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) said on Friday. Tylicki, who was one of a quartet of jockeys involved in the four-horse pile-up on Monday, was taken to the major trauma unit at St George's Hospital in south London after he was air-lifted from the course by helicopter. "After his fall at Kempton Park Racecourse earlier this week, Freddy Tylicki... has since undergone surgery to his spine," IJF chief executive Lisa Hancock said in a statement. "His surgical team have confirmed that Freddy has a T7 paralysis, which means he has movement in the upper half of his body but not his lower. Freddy remains in intensive care and is not receiving any visitors for the foreseeable future." Champion jockey Jim Crowley suffered a broken nose in the pile-up while the other two riders managed to walk away unhurt. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)
PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Sunday the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State should begin the battle on the group's Syrian bastion Raqqa while the offensive on Mosul is underway, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. "I believe it will be necessary," he told Europe 1 radio. Le Drian, whose country is the second-biggest contributor to the coalition, added that the battle on Mosul would be long and complicated given that Islamic State was embedding itself within the local population. (Reporting by John Irish; editing by Gus Trompiz)
By David Randall

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election is looking like less of a certainty for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton than it did a month ago, prompting mutual fund managers to brace for more volatility by raising cash and getting their buying lists ready for opportunities.

"The market has been pricing in a Hillary victory, and now with the introduction of the Comey letter, there's a stronger possibility that the base case doesn't happen," said Phil Orlando, portfolio manager of the New York-based Federated Global Allocation <FSTBX.O> fund.

FBI Director James Comey wrote Congress last Friday that more of Clinton's emails would be scrutinized as part of an investigation into Clinton's use of a private email system while she was secretary of state.

The benchmark S&P 500 stock index has shed nearly 2 percent since Comey's letter was made public, and notched its longest losing streak in nearly five years.

Orlando said his fund has been raising cash out of the possibility that the market could fall as much as 10 percent from the all-time high of 2,193.81 it notched Aug. 15.

FindTheCompany | Graphiq

And Orlando is not the only one. Lipper data released on Thursday showed investors fled U.S. based stock and bond funds in the latest week. Nearly $7.7 billion left taxable bond funds in the seven days through Nov. 2, the largest weekly withdrawals this year by a wide margin, while U.S. equity funds showed $3.4 billion in outflows.

His fund is now neutral to the market, he said, in order to guard against the possibility that either Republican nominee Donald J. Trump wins the election, or that Democrats win both the Senate and the House in addition to the presidency, both of which outcomes would push the market down at least another 5 percent, he said.

The market volatility has also caused anxiety for retail investors, according to Phil Blancato, chief executive of Ladenberg Thalmann Asset Management in New York, who has cautioned against overreacting to the market movements caused by the election.

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"Ive had multiple people call us up to say 'lets raise cash in my account' because of the election," said Blancato.

"Having to talk them off a cliff is becoming almost comical at this point because of the idea that suddenly the world is going to fall into the ocean because Trump wins the election."

Terri Spath, chief investment officer at Sierra Investment Management in Santa Monica, California, has been selling as the market's volatility picks up, shifting more assets into emerging market debt and floating rate loans that should be more "insulated" from the results of the U.S. election, she said.

"We think it's going to be a tight race and we're willing to step out of the way if volatility picks up," she said.

One area in which she has been buying, however, is infrastructure and transportation related stocks that have dropped more than the broad market, she said.

Both candidates have pledged to spend more on rebuilding bridges, tunnels and other links, while the iShares Global Infrastructure ETF <IGF.O>, one of the best proxies for global infrastructure stocks, is down 4.3 percent over the last month.

Eric Marshall, a fund manager at Dallas-based Hodges Capital, said he welcomed the sell-off because the U.S. market had been steadily rising since February except for a short fall after the so-called Brexit vote.

He is drawing down his approximately 8 percent stake in cash to buy more healthcare and consumer companies that have fallen over the last week, he said, and is preparing to buy more should either Trump wins or the Democratic party sweeps the election.

"The Brexit blip was the last time when you could have made some money, and we're ready to be opportunistic again," he said.

f

(Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A U.S. regulator found software in some Audi vehicles that lowered their carbon dioxide emissions if it detected they were being used under test conditions, Bild am Sonntag reported.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) discovered the software in an automatic transmission Audi last summer, the German weekly newspaper said, without citing any sources.

CARB had no immediate comment and Audi was not immediately available for comment on Sunday's Bild am Sonntag report.

The paper said the device, which was not the same as the one which triggered last year's diesel emissions scandal at Audi parent Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), was also used in diesel and gasoline-powered cars in Europe.

VW's admission that it had installed software that deactivated pollution controls on more than 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide, triggered the deepest business crisis in the German carmaker's history.

Audi (NSUG.DE), the main contributor to VW group profit, has also admitted its 3.0 litre V6 diesel engine was fitted with emissions-control software.

Bild am Sonntag said the software discovered by CARB, which was installed in vehicles with certain automatic transmissions, detected whether a car's steering wheel was turned.

If it was not, indicating laboratory testing conditions, the software turned on a gear-shifting programme which produced less carbon dioxide than in normal road driving. If the wheel was turned in any direction by more than 15 degrees, the programme was switched off, the paper said.

Audi stopped using the software in May 2016, just before CARB discovered the manipulation in an older model, the paper said, adding that the carmaker had suspended several engineers in connection with the matter.

Bild am Sonntag said a spokesman for Audi had declined to comment, citing ongoing talks with U.S. and California regulators on a proposed fix for cars with 3.0 litre engines.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Additional reporting by Andreas Cremer and Joe White; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Protests held in Tikapur

Relatives of those arrested on suspicion of their involvement in the Tikapur incident staged a demonstration in Dhangadhi on Saturday, demanding their immediate release.
LONDON (Reuters) - British police said they arrested 47 people on Saturday at an anti-capitalism demonstration in central London organised by the Anonymous hacking group. Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, took part in the protest which began in Trafalgar Square and moved to parliament. Demonstrators chanted "Whose streets? Our streets" and "One solution, revolution" as they marched accompanied by police. In a breakdown of an earlier tally of the arrests, when 33 people had been detained, police said 14 people were arrested for drugs offences and 11 for obstruction. One person was arrested for criminal damage. Similar marches linked to Anonymous were due to take place in other cities around the world on Saturday. (Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Tom Brown)
(Adds details from Corbyn interview, May comments)

By William Schomberg

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The head of Britain's opposition Labour Party will try to block divorce talks with the European Union if the government does not agree to Labour's Brexit demands, potentially leading to an early national election, a newspaper said on Saturday.

Jeremy Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror that Labour's "Brexit bottom line" would require guarantees for access to the EU's single market for exporters, continued protection of workers' rights, safeguards for consumers and the environment and pledges that Britain would make up any loss of EU capital investment.

England's High Court dealt Prime Minister Theresa May a setback on Thursday when it ruled that the decision to begin formal talks about leaving the EU needed to be approved by parliament.

The government has said it will appeal the decision but should it have to hold the vote, the ruling Conservative Party may struggle to get the majority it needs because some of its own members have concerns about the terms of Brexit.

"We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum," Corbyn told the Sunday Mirror. "We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."

May told other EU leaders on Friday she believed the court ruling would be overturned and said she would stick to her timetable of starting the Brexit negotiations before the end of March.

The Labour Party supported the "Remain" campaign ahead of the June 23 referendum.

In his interview with the Sunday Mirror, Corbyn said he was looking forward to the possibility of an election before the next scheduled national poll in 2020.

"If the government calls an election we're ready for it," he said. "We have the members, the organisation and the enthusiasm. We welcome the challenge."

Separately on Saturday, another newspaper quoted May as saying there would be no going back on the government's Brexit plan, despite the setback in the High Court and calling on pro-EU lawmakers and judges to accept the outcome of the referendum.

"Instead of re-fighting the battles of the past, we should be focusing on how we can come together as a country to make the most of this great national opportunity and forge a bold, confident, global future for Britain," May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

(Editing by Grant McCool and Tom Brown)
Bamako (AFP) - A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said.

More than 11,000 UN police and military are currently serving in Mali, attempting to guarantee security in lawless swathes of the vast Sahel nation.

Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region, according to the statement by the UN mission, known by the acronym MINUSMA.

After a mine or improvised explosive device was detonated, attackers opened fire on the convoy, the UN said, without identifying the assailants.

A MINUSMA spokesman said Malian police would investigate the death of the two civilians following the convoy.

The attack came the day after a soldier serving with France's "Barkhane" counter-terror force was killed in a similar incident.

He died of his injuries following a mine blast near the northern town of Kidal in an attack claimed by the Islamist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday called on Mali's president to take the "necessary initiatives" to establish peace in the country's restive north.

"I stress regularly to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita that he must take the necessary initiatives to ensure the integration of the people of the north into the Malian community," he told French media.

In Bamako, however, a Malian minister who did not wish to be named, hit back saying Mali did not need "national unity lessons" from Le Drian.

"We have been working on national unity for a long time. Unity should go hand in hand with the fight against terrorism, insecurity," the minister said.

"The situation in Kidal is not because of the Malian government."

However, the Malian president convened an emergency meeting and instructed security forces to take more mobile positions in several parts of the country, especially the north, also calling for more patrols.

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"The state will provide the means needed to fight against terrorism," one participant at the meeting said.

Also on Sunday, Ansar Dine claimed the ransacking of an army base in the north during which they stole weapons and vehicles as troops fled their positions.

The claim of responsibility was issued by Mauritanian news agency al-Akhbar, which regularly carries statements from jihadist groups operating in the Sahel.

The jihadists said they had killed "several" Malian soldiers but this was denied by independent sources and military officials contacted by AFP.

- Deadliest mission -

More than 30 MINUSMA troops have been killed this year, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission.

It has been plagued by logistical failings and the UN has admitted instances of torture and sexual abuse by staff, as well as one instance of causing the death of a detainee.

The Mopti attack took place as Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan held talks with top officials in Bamako ahead of the deployment of 600 Canadian peacekeepers to Africa, and possibly to Mali.

Sajjan said Canada wanted to "take our time" before deciding which nation to support, but added Canada was "not averse to risk".

The United Nations has expressed interest in having Canadian tactical helicopters deployed in the region once Dutch aircraft leave in January.

MINUSMA deployed in Mali in 2013, following a French counter-terrorism force that landed in January to drive jihadists from key northern cities they had overrun.

Northern Mali had fallen into the hands of jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in early 2012 -- briefly backed by Tuareg-led rebels -- throwing the country into chaos.

Although the jihadists were routed, large swathes of Mali remain outside the control of domestic and foreign troops.
Ain Issa (Syria) (AFP) - US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.

The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running amid fierce jihadist resistance.

The two cities are the last major urban centres under IS control after the jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

The US-led coalition battling IS is backing both assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" it declared in mid-2014.

SDF commanders announced the start of the Raqa operation in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city.

"The major battle to liberate Raqa and its surroundings has begun," SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.

Operation "Wrath of the Euphrates" involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.

SDF forces are advancing on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north of Raqa, and from the village of Makman to the east.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP forces would first seize areas around Raqa before taking the city itself.

"The fight will not be easy, and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is finished in Syria," Sello said.

- SDF gains -

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter echoed that sentiment.

"As in Mosul, the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to end the fiction of ISIL's caliphate and disrupt the group's ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States, our allies and our partners," Carter said, using an alternative name for IS.

An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa Sunday saw dozens of SDF fighters heading for the front line.

SDF spokeswoman Ahmed said that 10 villages and several hamlets had been retaken.

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IS claimed a suicide car bombing in the Suluk area that killed 14 SDF fighters, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported only wounded.

Driving IS from Mosul and Raqa has been the endgame since the US-led coalition launched air strikes against it in summer 2014.

The coalition has also provided training and deployed hundreds of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including the SDF.

Near Ain Issa, the AFP correspondent saw at least one soldier who had US markings on his helmet with SDF fighters.

Sello said the alliance had received new weapons from the coalition for the Raqa battle, including anti-tank missiles.

Another SDF source said 50 US military advisers would be involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes.

- Jihadist atrocities -

After it was seized by IS, Raqa saw some of the jihadists' worst atrocities, from stonings and beheadings to the trading of sex slaves.

Last month, the US defence secretary said the idea of simultaneous operations against Mosul and Raqa "has been part of our planning for quite a while".

But the battle for Raqa is far more complicated.

After five years of civil war, Syria is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar al-Assad's regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.

Dominated by the powerful Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the SDF has in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij in August.

Washington has promoted the SDF as a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkey's fierce opposition to the YPG.

Ankara considers the militia a "terrorist" group, and in August began its own operation inside northern Syria, targeting both IS and the YPG.

Sello said the SDF had agreed with Washington "that there will be no role for Turkey or the armed factions allied with it in the operation" to capture Raqa.

In Jordan, however, President Barack Obama's envoy Brett McGurk said Washington was in "close contact" with Ankara over the assault.

"We are in close close contact with our Turkish allies and that is why the chairman of joint chiefs (General Joseph Dunford) is in Ankara today," he said.

- 'Complex environment' -

"It is a complex environment in Syria to say the least, but we are constantly in touch with all the different players."

In Mosul, Iraqi forces were clearing eastern neighbourhoods, nearly three weeks into the offensive there.

"Resistance is very heavy and they (IS) have suffered major losses," Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP.

Soldiers from the army's 9th Armoured Division also battled jihadists in a southeastern neighbourhood, an AFP correspondent reported.

IS has responded to the Mosul assault with a string of diversionary attacks.

It claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra, two cities north of Baghdad. Officials said at least 25 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

Aid groups have voiced concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, warning they may be used as human shields.

More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul. Raqa had a population of some 240,000 before 2011 but more than 80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of Syria.
Ankara (AFP) - The top US general Joseph Dunford on Sunday made a previously unannounced visit to Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, the army said, as Kurdish-Arab forces launched an operation to capture the jihadist bastion of Raqa in Syria.

The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff was to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the army said, without giving further details.

The Kurdish-Arab force leading the fight to take the Syrian city of Raqa from the control of Islamic State jihadists had said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.

Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia.

It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades.

Turkey has repeatedly targeted the YPG inside Syria and indicated it would not support any operation that involved its fighters.

But US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had vowed during a visit to Ankara last month to ramp up joint efforts with Turkey to deal IS jihadists a "lasting defeat".

Turkey is staging its own operation inside Syria to back pro-Ankara rebels seeking to oust IS jihadists from the border area but also targeting YPG fighters.

Ankara has largely looked out from the sidelines at the US-backed Iraqi operation to retake Mosul from the jihadists, expressing alarm over the potential roles of anti-Ankara Kurdish fighters and Shiite militia.
Vitra, manufacturer of the Eames Lounge Chair, is celebrating the iconic chair's 60th anniversary with a fabric-upholstered limited edition available through January 31.

American husband and wife designers Charles and Ray Eames designed the Lounge Chair in 1956. Inspired by the English club chair, their version was light, modern, soft and comfortable and has become a classic.



Over the years, the leather-upholstered chair has been made available with different veneers, leather colors and bases. While it was offered with fabric colors in the early years after its introduction, Swiss furniture company Vitra, which began producing the Lounge Chair in 1959, has always produced it exclusively in leather.

Now, in celebration of the chair's 60th anniversary, Vitra is offering a limited edition of the chair and ottoman covered in a twill fabric imparting softness and warmth.

The Lounge Chair Twill comes in the chair's classic color combination of black with dark-reddish palisander wood.

The fabric-covered Lounge Chair Twill and Ottoman come with a "60 Years in Production" certificate and are marked with a corresponding label. They are available now through January 31 from select Vitra dealers.

www.vitra.com
Sydney (AFP) - Australian banking giant Westpac posted a seven percent slide in annual net profit Monday on the back of market headwinds and impairment charges but said it was well positioned with a strong balance sheet.

Westpac's Aus$7.45 billion (US$5.72 billion) result in the year to September 30 rounded out annual reporting from three of the nation's big four lenders, with all battling regulatory changes and rising bad loans.

Cash profit at the nation's second largest bank, the measure more closely watched by analysts which strips out volatile items, was flat at Aus$7.82 billion, in line with expectations.

Despite rising bank funding costs and tougher capital rules, it paid a dividend of 94 cents, in line with what shareholders received in the first half of the year.

But in an acknowledgement of current market conditions, chief executive Brian Hartzer said the bank would trim its return on equity target down from 15 percent to 13 or 14 percent in the medium term.

Hartzer called it "a solid result in a challenging environment".

"We are continuing to deliver our service-led strategy, increasing customer numbers, delivering world-leading digital services, and supporting more customer needs," he said.

"At the same time we have strengthened our balance sheet, carefully managed margins, and achieved Aus$263 million in productivity savings, while increasing our investment in digital and other service initiatives.

"The result demonstrates our consistent approach to managing our core franchise over many years, including the discipline we apply to balancing growth and returns."

The bank saw a Aus$371 million, 49 percent, rise in impairment expenses compared to the previous corresponding period, which hurt net profit.

But Hartzer said Westpac was well funded moving forward, having raised around Aus$3.5 billion through an entitlement offer during the year.

"Our healthy capital level positions the group well for any further regulatory changes, while ensuring we can continue to support both customers and economic growth in Australia," he said.

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Westpac was the last of the big banks to report in the current cycle.

ANZ last week posted a 24 percent drop in net profits to Aus$5.7 billion on the back of restructuring costs as it puts more emphasis on Australia and New Zealand and less on Asia.

The week before, National Australia Bank's net profit dropped 94.4 percent due to writedowns, including of British asset Clydesdale. But its cash profit rose 4.2 percent to a better-than-expected Aus$6.48 billion.

Australia's largest bank, the Commonwealth, operates on a different reporting schedule.
Washington (AFP) - Does anyone remember when the seemingly ever-present 2016 US presidential campaign actually began? Well, nearly two years ago.

The following is a sample of the major stages, developments and surprises of a race like no other as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump battle for the White House.

2014

December 16

Another Bush-Clinton matchup: political commentators and junkies drool with glee as Jeb Bush, son and brother of former presidents, jumps into the race for the White House.

2015

March 2

The New York Times scores a big scoop with news that Clinton used a private email server while working as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Her team is caught off guard.

"We brought up the existence of emails in research this summer but were told that everything was taken care of," Clinton's future campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in a recently hacked email.

"I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material," Clinton said at a tense news conference.

April 12

Clinton formally announces her candidacy. At the time, Trump was not even included in polls of hopefuls who might take on the Democrat seeing to become America's first female president.

A bevy of Republicans start coming forward to join the race, including Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson. The number would eventually swell to 17.

June 16

In a grandiose appearance at Trump Tower, Trump shows he is not bluffing and announces his candidacy. And he makes a comment that is now etched in the political annals.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

On July 14, a poll puts Trump in first place looking ahead to the primaries. His populist wave is now a force to be reckoned with.

Story continues

"Hell be a Ronald Reagan plus plus," Alice Butler-Short, a 72-year-old Trump supporter, told a raucous rally in October.

December 7

Trump calls for a total ban on Muslims entering the United States "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." Condemnation of his idea pours in from around the world, but most Republicans welcome it.

2016

February 1

Trump shows he is no pushover. He finishes second in the Iowa caucuses, and first in New Hampshire, South Carolina and other states.

February 20

Bush drops out of the race after a poor showing. His bid for the nomination cost $152 million.

May 3-4

Trump's last surviving rivals, Cruz and John Kasich, throw in the towel and Trump emerges victorious.

His next target is Clinton. He points to the controversy over her email practices and says she should not even have the right to run for president.

"Never Trump" Republicans try to mount a resistance movement, as the billionaire real estate mogul pledges to unify the party.

June 7

Clinton manages to clinch enough primary delegates for the Democratic nomination, defeating Bernie Sanders.

At a New York rally buzzing with enthusiasm, she trumpets that it is "the first time in our nation's history that a woman will be a major party's nominee for president of the United States."

July 5

Democrats heave a sigh of relief as the FBI recommends that no charges be filed against Clinton over her private email server. But FBI Director James Comey dismisses Clinton's handling of her email as "extremely careless."

Late July

Trump accepts the Republican nomination at a convention in Cleveland that is marred by missteps, while the Democratic convention in Philadelphia chooses Clinton as the first women presidential nominee of a major party.

August

Trump has a very bad month: he again reshuffles his campaign staff, and is excoriated for criticizing the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq.

September 11

Under a hot sun, Clinton falls ill at a ceremony honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks. She stumbles while trying to get into a limousine and is forced to announce that she is suffering from pneumonia.

September 26

The first presidential debate draws 84 million TV viewers. Trump loses his temper with Clinton, who comes across as well prepared and collected. She boosts her lead in the polls.

October 7

"And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything."

That's Trump talking in a just-rediscovered audio from 2005 about what he sees as the perks of fame. Americans are outraged. Dozens of Republicans declare themselves fed up with Trump and withdraw their support.

October 28

In a gift to Trump, the FBI director announces a probe into previously undisclosed emails that he says might be pertinent to the probe into Clinton's server.

"This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate," Trump said as he latched on to what would be the main theme for the closing stage of his campaign.
Washington (AFP) - As the US presidential race enters its frantic final 72 hours, a battle for Congress is also coming down to the wire, with the fate of the Senate teetering on a knife's edge.

Who runs the two chambers -- and the legislation introduced there -- is crucial, as bills can easily get stuck, particularly if the leadership does not belong to the same party as the president.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are currently under Republican control.

Last week, it was looking likely that Democrats would ride Hillary Clinton's coattails on November 8 and reclaim the Senate.

But then FBI Director James Comey entered the fray, and all bets are off.

Comey told congressional leaders on October 28 that the bureau, having discovered a fresh batch of emails that might be pertinent to an earlier probe of Clinton's private email server, was taking another look into the case.

Suddenly, national polls tightened, and congressional Republicans in tough re-election battles gleefully pounced on the news to remind voters of the importance of securing a check against a possible Clinton presidency.

Republicans enjoy a strong 59-seat majority in the 435-member House of Representatives, and most analysts say it would take a so-called 'wave election' -- when one party makes major gains in Congress -- for Democrats to flip the 30 seats needed to retake control.

"House generic polling averages don't indicate a wave is coming in the lower chamber," wrote a team of analysts from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

Attention falls therefore on the 100-member Senate, where Democrats would need to gain four seats for a majority in the event Clinton wins the White House, as ties in the Senate are broken by the vice president.

"I think having a Democratic Senate is absolutely critical," Clinton said Saturday on American Urban Radio Networks, explaining why she is pushing hard for candidates in states like Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Story continues

The million-dollar question is: how much could an allegiance to Donald Trump impact the Republican Party's chances at the ballot box?

- Trump a 'double-edged sword' -

"In isolated cases, it may allow some Republicans in close races to win re-election by distancing from Trump," George Washington University professor of applied politics Gary Nordlinger told AFP.

"But it's a real double-edged sword. Trump is wildly popular among his base, so you risk alienating that base when you try to distance yourself."

Republicans were struggling last week, but the FBI bombshell has lifted spirits.

On Saturday, the FiveThirtyEight website, featuring respected election forecaster Nate Silver, dropped its chances of Democrats winning the Senate from 72.8 percent to 53 percent.

Cook Political Report had projected Democrats would pick up five to seven seats. But it shifted its rating for the Wisconsin race from leaning Democrat to a toss-up.

Of the Senate's 34 seats contested in 2016, 24 are held by Republicans, making it a tough year for the GOP. Of the nine closest Senate races, only one, in Nevada, is held by a Democrat.

Illinois is likely to flip to the Democrats. Another vulnerable Republican is in New Hampshire -- although Senator Kelly Ayotte surged into the lead against the state's Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan just before the FBI news landed.

North Carolina and Pennsylvania could tip to Democratic blue, with tougher but still viable battles in Florida and Indiana.

Even red-leaning Missouri is in play. Republican Senator Roy Blunt risks losing to Jason Kander, a charismatic Democratic military veteran whose campaign video of himself assembling an AR-15 rifle while blindfolded has gone viral.

With Republicans scrambling to preserve the Senate, a conservative group is pouring $25 million into a half-dozen races.

"We know that it will be a tough challenge to keep the Senate in this environment, but if Democrats want the majority, they are going to have a hell of a fight on their hands," Ian Prior of the Senate Leadership Fund said last week.

Clinton welcomes that fight, and has sought to drape Trump around Republicans' necks like an albatross.

- Firewall -

The House is the Republican firewall.

Speaker Paul Ryan has had a tempestuous relationship with Trump, and after the nominee's lewd comments about women emerged last month, Ryan said he could no longer defend or campaign with the candidate.

Instead he is focusing on maintaining his House majority.

Still, most of the vulnerable House seats are held by Republicans, and Democrats are confident they can cut deeply into the GOP's majority, perhaps regaining as many as 10 or 15 seats.

A confident Clinton camp is making forays into House races, seeking to pick off seats where Republican incumbents are in jeopardy.

One pro-Clinton group released an ad in Iowa tying freshman congressman Rod Blum to Trump.

It shows footage of Blum at a campaign rally saying, "Send me back to Congress, and you send Donald Trump to the White House."
Race for the Oval Office

The ongoing US presidential race appears to be one of the roughest in the history of modern Americaone that has been filled with a lot of drama.
jack ma alibaba singles day

The biggest shopping holiday in the world is kicking off next week, and most Americans don't even know it exists.

The holiday is called Singles' Day and it's held every year on November 11. It's like China's version of Cyber Monday, but seven times as big.

Alibaba  China's largest e-commerce company  has helped turn Singles' Day into the biggest shopping frenzy in the world by offering deep discounts during the 24-hour period on items as varied as cars and clothes.

Hundreds of other companies have started taking part in the cyberspending blitz over the years by offering discounts of their own.

So why don't more Americans' participate in Singles' Day  or even know what it is?

US retailers are largely to blame, as most of them have been reluctant to add another "Black Friday" or "Cyber Monday" to their fall calendars.

"All retailers are laser-focused on ramping up for the period from Black Friday to Christmas," says Danny Silverman, head of product strategy at ecommerce analytics firm Clavis Insight. "To participate in Singles' Day would sap sales from that critical period."

Alibaba Singles Day

This would be a risky move "particularly for publicly held companies where Black Friday to Christmas sales are considered indicators of retailer and market health," he said.

Singles' Day also coincides with Veterans Day in the US, and some retailers already plan promotions tied to that holiday, says Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce, an e-commerce solutions provider that owns FreeShipping.com.

Several US-based companies do in fact participate in Singles' Day  including Walmart, Macy's, Gap, Target, and Costco  but very few of them offer deals to domestic shoppers.

Most of them target Chinese shoppers on Alibaba's shopping websites Tmall and Taobao.

In fact, Costco was the top TMall Global seller on Singles' Day last year. The company sold about $3.14 million worth of products in a single hour, according to Alibaba.

Story continues

The most popular brands sold on Singles' Day last year include Uniqlo, Nike, Adidas, and New Balance.

Singles Day

Overall, Alibaba generated $14.3 billion in sales on Singles' Day last year. This year, sales are expected to reach $20 billion in the 24-hour period, according to the research firm Fung Global Retail and Technology.

By comparison, Americans spent $5.8 billion online last year on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, the largest sales days in the US.

Caporaso says its only a matter of time before more US retailers take advantage of Singles' Day and start promoting it domestically.

"Last year, QVC, Michael Kors, and Bloomingdales offered specific promotions, and we expect a similar showing this year, with additional retailers potentially joining the festivities as Singles Day approaches," Caporaso says.

So US shoppers should keep their eyes peeled on Singles' Day, because there might be some unexpected deals coming their way.





More From Business Insider


More than a decade ago, the illicit diamond trade was among the most urgent of humanitarian causes, with governments and celebrities rallying around efforts to curtail their role in the world's jewelry supply.

The issue has largely faded from the spotlight in recent years, and wars that fueled the worst of the abuses across the African continent have mostly subsided. Yet some experts argue the battle is far from won, even in light of a range of initiatives designed to curtail the flow of stones moving into the $81 billion market, some of which come from regions still roiled by conflict.

Less than 20 years ago, human rights advocates hailed the Kimberley Process, where dozens of countries agreed to impose stiff requirements on diamond certification to ensure they were "conflict free," and prevent such stones from entering the pool of legitimate diamonds.

Today, the overwhelming majority of the world's diamond supply comes from stable countries. However, experts warn that in a handful countries torn by civil strife like Liberia and Sierra Leone, the illicit minerals trade is alive and well  and funding the activities of violent dueling factions.

In a 2015 study, the Enough Project said the main armed groups in the Central African Republic reap anywhere between $3 million and $6 million annually from blood diamonds that funds war operations.

Alice Harle, an expert on minerals from the nonprofit organization Global Witness, told CNBC recently that the "conflict diamond problem has not gone away. ... Companies sourcing diamonds originating in countries like Central African Republic and Zimbabwe may risk indirectly supporting violence," she said via email.







The majority of the world's diamonds, at least 80 percent by some estimates, are mined in areas where there are no human rights concerns. Yet up to 20 percent are obtained through artisanal mining, a practice that employees around 1.5 million people that in fact contributes to environmental, health and human rights abuses.

Story continues

Harle said that focusing a business in a particular geographical area, or on a particular type of stone, doesn't automatically insulate a company from human rights abuses associated with precious stones.

Along with the Kimberley Process, measures have been put into place to regulate the diamond industry, with the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution in December 2014 to continue to work on breaking the link between armed conflict and illicit diamonds.

Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of the Diamond Producers Association, told CNBC via email that the implementation of Kimberley has been effective, citing estimates that 99 percent of diamonds are Kimberley Process-compliant.







However, early champions of the process have turned away from it in recent years, including Global Witness and Ian Smillie, chair of the Diamond Development Initiative. Criticism of the Kimberley Process centers on the lack of compliance from participating governments, the narrow definition of "conflict-free" and loopholes in the process that continually allow conflict diamonds to pass into the hands of the consumer.

"The problem is that the Kimberley Process isn't really checking up on many of the countries where diamonds are produced. There have been and continue to be major smuggling operations," Smillie told CNBC.

"The governments of producing and recipient countries aren't cracking down on it. We don't know if the diamonds are coming from the Central African Republic where there is a war, or from artisanal mines in Sierra Leone where people are paid next to nothing," he added.

Precious stones from legitimate sources like Canada, Botswana or Russia "can easily be mixed" with conflict stones once they get sent to a sorting house in another region, Smillie said.

The exact definition Kimberley Process provides for a conflict diamond is one that has been "used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments."

Beth Gerstein, co-CEO of Brilliant Earth, a jeweler that sells both lab-grown and natural diamonds, believes that there should be a way to address other abuses such as exploitation and worker rights.

Yet Oren Sofer, a partner in Beny Sofer, a diamond dealer and jeweler in New York, believes that the difficulties in regulating the diamond industry are not isolated, and can be rectified by governments taking a more active role.

If governments don't accept "the recommendations made by the Kimberley Process, then we need to have penalties for noncompliance, but [the process] doesn't have them," said Smillie.











More From CNBC


Les Sables-d'Olonne (France) (AFP) - Twenty-nine skippers from 10 countries set off Sunday in a risky bid to complete the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world yacht race -- some aiming for a record-breaking time, most though would be happy just to finish.

Thousands of boats packed the French Atlantic port of Les Sables d'Olonne to bid the fleet farewell. More than 300,000 spectators lined the port and nearby coast to watch the boats from France, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

Kojiro Shiraishi, the first Asian to take part, wore a samurai costume on his Spirit of Yukoh to pay tribute to the crowd.

Alan Roura from Switzerland, at 23 the youngest competitor, dressed up as the cartoon adventurer Corto Maltese.

At 66, American maths professor Rich Wilson is the oldest competitor and one of four who are aged over 60.

Spaniard Didac Cost turned back in his One Planet One Ocean within two hours of the start for repairs.

But once the departure festivities were over, the rival navigators, all in 18.5 metre (60 foot) monohulls, had to quickly face up to a daunting battle against the world's major oceans, a lack of sleep and loneliness.

If the previous seven races -- held every four years since 1989 -- are anything to go by about half of the field will return to Les Sables d'Olonne.

- Happy to finish -

The Vendee Globe has so far claimed three lives while only 71 out of 138 vessels entered have completed the course.

The nine genuine contenders are all aiming to beat the 78 days, two hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds set by the 2012-13 winner, Francois Gabart.

Organisers predict the winner could complete the 'Everest of the Seas' -- 21,638 nautical miles (40,073 km) taking in the three great Capes -- Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn -- by about January 20.

Cost had up to 10 days to make repairs and start the race again. But any participant who puts into port or receives assistance along the way will be disqualified.

Story continues

"It's a tough moment. Your stomach is in knots and the tears flow," acknowledged Yann Elies, sailing Queguiner-Leucemie Espoir, before setting off.

"It's a moment I'll not forget," added a tearful Morgan Lagraviere, sailing Safran.

On the technical side, sailing experts will be keen to see the effect this year of "Dali moustache" lifting foils which seven of the participants are using this year.

The device helps lift the boats above the water in a dragster effect, the idea being to lighten the vessel and increase speed.

Doubts have been raised about its effectiveness over such a long distance however.

The foils could come into their own during the opening days of the race as skippers handle northwesterly winds gusting at 15-20 knots (28 to 38 kph/17 to 23 mph).

Race director Jacques Caraes says the conditions are pretty much ideal for the start as the vessels set a course towards Finisterre point off northwest Spain.

Welshman Alex Thomson, taking part in his fourth Vendee Globe, indicated that "if the forecasts are correct it will be tough for the boats without foils to be in the front group."

He and his rivals then headed out into the ocean and toward the Equator, which they are slated to reach in about eight days.

Also Sunday, French navigator Thomas Coville set off from the port of Brest in a bid to break the solo non-stop round the world record in his 31-metre maxi-trimaran Sodebo Ultim'.

The 47-year-old has already failed on four occasions to beat Francis Joyon's 2008 record of 57 days 13 hours and 34 minutes.
The Avengers stars are speaking out in protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth assembled to urge fans to sign a petition calling for an end to the controversial North Dakota pipeline construction on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

EXCLUSIVE: Shailene Woodley Passionately Defends Environmental Issues Following Arrest

"Tell @POTUS to say #NoDAPL by signing the http://standwithstandingrock.net petition!!" Evans tweeted on Friday, while his cast members shared the same link across their respective Instagram accounts.

Jackson posted a video explaining acknowledging this support, stating, "I'm Samuel L. Jackson, and I acknowledge the First Peoples of America. I stand for their right to clean water, and today, I stand with Standing Rock."

EXCLUSIVE: Marvel's Head of TV Reveals How 'The Defenders' Will Be Different From 'The Avengers'

He then directed social media followers to sign the petition at the end of the clip, which he captioned, "I'm saying #nodapl and@barackobama should too!"

I'm saying #nodapl and @barackobama should too! Sign the petition and standwithstandingrock.net #standwithstandingrock A video posted by Samuel L Jackson (@samuelljackson) on Nov 4, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

MORE: 'The Avengers' Super Dads Hemsworth, Downey Jr. and Ruffalo Reveal Their Secrets!

Ruffalo also posted a video to Instagram on Saturday, pledging support for protests led by Native American tribes who say the oil pipeline construction will damage their drinking water and sacred land areas.

Story continues

"I acknowledge the first peoples of America," Ruffalo said. "Today I stand with Standing Rock."

Take a stand for our brothers and sisters in #StandingRock! Join me in telling @barackobama to just say #NoDAPL. Period. Sign the petition and #StandWithStandingRock at the link in my bio. A video posted by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo) on Nov 4, 2016 at 3:51pm PDT

The 48-year-old actor was just in North Dakota last week, where he shared video from a peaceful protesting that included Rev. Jesse Jackson

Peaceful resistance. #nodapl #standingrock A photo posted by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo) on Oct 26, 2016 at 3:06pm PDT

Here I am walking up to the front line at #standingrock with one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time @revjjackson and sister @wahleah from @nativerenewables to meet the brave #waterprotectors peacefully holding the line. Come be part of this historical moment. Come #standwithstandingrock #nodapl A video posted by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo) on Oct 26, 2016 at 1:43pm PDT

WATCH: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' On-Set Exclusive: What Makes the Sequel Bigger & Better?

Keeping in the Avengers show of solidarity, Hemsworth shared a photo of two young ladies at Standing Rock with the hashtags "#NODAPL" and "#StandWithStandingRock" overlaid on it, along with a link to the cause's website. "I stand with the Standing Rock," he wrote alongside the pic on Saturday. "Join me and tell @barackobama to say #NoDAPL by signing the petition."

I stand with the Standing Rock. Join me and tell @barackobama to say #NoDAPL by signing the petition. Click the link in my bio. A photo posted by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Nov 4, 2016 at 7:10pm PDT

Last week, the Aussie actor shared a DAPL-inspire snapshot of himself in his Thor costume holding a "We Stand With Standing Rock" sign.

"Standing with those who are fighting to protect their sacred land and water," Hemsworth captioned the Instagram.

Shailene Woodley, who was arrested for protesting at the pipeline last month, thanked Hemsworth for his support. "Good to see more people standing up," she tweeted.

As the pipeline construction continues, Woodley is the only celebrity to be arrested for taking a stand against DAPL. Last month, she was honored by the Environmental Media Association for her steadfast activism, and she spoke to ET's Courtney Tezeno at the awards show about her arrest.

RELATED: Shailene Woodley Opens Up About Recent Arrest in Powerful Essay

"I don't know if I'm fearless, but I'm definitely one of those [people] who looks fear in the face," the 24-year-old actress passionately explained. "We are an environmental issue! Right? We are the environment. We are the soil, we come from the earth. In order to survive we need oxygen."

See more of Woodley's interview in the video below.

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The 150th episode of CBS Hawaii Five-0 crossed some ts and dotted some is with regards to Steve and Doris complicated dynamic. But it also brought some closure to a thread thatd been dangling for well over a year.

RELATEDHawaii Five-0s Alex OLoughlin Reflects on 150 Episodes, Hints at His Exit Plan

Crashing McGarretts cozy home-cooked dinner date with Lynn, Catherine Rollins (played by Michelle Borth) stormed into the picture to deliver the news that Doris had been captured and imprisoned at a CIA black site in Morocco, in the course of trying to spring Wo Fats father. As Steve busily prepared to launch a rescue op, Catherine made wonderfully awkward small talk with Lynn, who let slip that a marriage proposal was imminent at the time Catherine bailed on Steve last season.

Catherine made no big, obvious deal upon hearing that she missed out on a proposal, though the topic eventually came up after Doris rescue was successfully pulled off (with help from Chin Ho, Kono and Grover)  as detailed in the dialogue sample shared below.

When Catherine revealed to Steve that she knew about the proposal, why did he push for what her answer might have been? I think its an important piece of information, Alex OLoughlin tells TVLine. I mean, [wanting to know] out of curiosity is one reason, but also, I think he wants to hear her say, It wasnt you, you werent the problem. I was the problem.'

Indeed, the former couples discussion of this very delicate piece of personal business came just as Catherine was about to flit off to another covert assignment  one she didnt give any thought to bailing on, even after admitting she would have said yes to being his wife.

RELATED Five-0 Casts Rookie Blues Missy Peregrym as Dannys Sister

Meanwhile,

Hawaii Five-0

should fans of Steves comparatively nascent romance with Lynn (played by Sarah Carter) interpret his interest in Catherines hypothetical proposal response as any kind of slight, a red flag?

Story continues

Absolutely not. No fking way, OLoughlin makes clear, adding that Catherine is not the one who got away but the one who was not meant to be.

As far as Im concerned, he was just curious, the actor adds, because for him to get serious with anyone else  really serious, if thats what happens  he needs closure on [Catherine], and [hearing her answer] gives him that closure. Hes like, OK. How ironic. I guess this just wasnt in the cards, you know.

Grade Episode 150 and then revisit McRollins (latest) good-bye below:



MCGARRETT

Do me a favor, tell me something 

are you happy, doing what youre doing?

CATHERINE

Yeah. I am.

MCGARRETT

All right. Good. Thats good.

[They hug goodbye]

MCGARRETT

Thanks for coming to get me.

CATHERINE

You know, just because Im not in your life

doesnt mean I dont still care about you.

MCGARRETT

I know. I know.

CATHERINE

See you around, sailor.

[Begins to climb steps, stops, turns, comes clean]

I know about it.

MCGARRETT

What?

CATHERINE

I know what you were going

to do before I left. Im sorry.

MCGARRETT

Just, you know, out of curiosity. If Id have

asked, what would you have said?

CATHERINE

[Thinks for barely a moment]

I would have said yes.

[McGarrett processes, nods. Then, before they say goodbye]

Hey  Lynn, she seems like a nice girl. I hope that

works out. You deserve to be happy.

What did you think of H50 No. 150, which also included Chin Ho losing his bid to delay Saras adoption, and Grover comically enlisting his son to get the 411 on Graces boyfriend for Danny?

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Saarc in jeopardy

The 19th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), scheduled to be held in Islamabad from November 9-10, was scuttled following the deadliest militant attack on security forces in Uri, Kashmir in two decades.
The Asian connection

Improving connectivity is the way to push economic growth in this part of the world
Business in Fort Portal town was on standstill yesterday as Besigye went through the town on his way to the FDC party fundraising meeting meant to solicit funds to run the party activities.

He said that the Uganda is very rich but the resources are being misused by the few for their own benefits and majority are becoming poorer every day.

80% of Ugandans rely on agriculture but the government allocates little funds to the agricultural sector whereas a lot of fund is allocated to run the state house he said.

Besigye expressed his concern about governments failure to prioritize the agricultural sector in order to boost it.

I was disappointed to see Mr.Museveni boosting irrigation in Luweero by fetching water using a jerycan in this 21st century after 30 years in power he said.

He said that the government has failed to pay civil servants which have hindered development in all sectors.

The government is misusing taxpayers money to benefit few and leave others poor. It failed to pay Makerere University lecturers which has led to endless strikes, hence closure of the institution and who is suffering, our children

He was addressing the Kabarole FDC party fundraising at Buhinga playground in Fort Portal town. He told the people of Tooro to be patriotic in order to liberate the country.

Uganda will not attain middle income status when power is still belonging to the few dictators.We shall not attain middle income status by 2020 if we are still under the leadership of a dictator. Hunger is killing people because of prolonged drought that leads to shortage of water. How shall we attain middle income status when our people are still dying of hunger? 

He said that government should put up measures in preparation of disasters in order to cub hunger that claimed lives of people and livestock.

However, Besigye promised the people of Tooro that he will continue fighting for the rights and freedom of Ugandans until it is achieved.

I will not sit and watch my fellow Ugandans being denied their rights and freedom
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly clear. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Pizza Hut restaurants can be found in 120 nations worldwide, including China. This waitress at a Pizza Hut in Chongqing, China, is wearing a black spider on her shoulder because the restaurant was observing Halloween during October. The restaurant had an extensive menu, offering much more than just pizza.
Rafael Mendoza and his wife, Mariana Acevedo, opened Mexican Tamales Restaurant last week at 306 Sand Lake Road, across from the Center 90 shopping center in Onalaska.

The Mexican restaurant is in the former location of Lindys Subs & Salads, which moved to Center 90 in 2013. It serves traditional Mexican food, said Mendoza, who like his wife is a native of Mexico. They have lived in La Crosse for the past 13 years and also own a floor installation business.

Mexican Tamales has an extensive menu with such things as tamales, enchiladas, soups, tortas, tacos, quesadillas, gorditas, sopes, burritos, chimichangas, nachos and desserts. Theres also a childrens menu.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The restaurants telephone number is 608-615-1000 and it soon will have a website and be on Facebook.

Norman and Kate Snodgrass have opened Bath Fixer, LLC at 55 Copeland Ave., across the street from the Candlewood Suites hotel and Great Harvest Bread in La Crosse.

The Snodgrasses recently purchased the Bath Fixer remodeling business from Bill and Terry Wagner and moved it from 2001 Enterprise Ave. on La Crosses far North Side to the Copeland Avenue location, which opened Sept. 23.

The location here is fantastic, Kate Snodgrass said of the couples decision to move the business. Theres lots of traffic, and were very visible.

Norman Snodgrass had worked for Bath Fixer for two years and has been doing construction work for more than 20 years, his wife said.

Bath Fixer does such things as installing bathtubs, showers, vanities and tile. People can have Bath Fixer do one or two things or they can have us come in and remodel the whole bathroom, Kate Snodgrass said. Bath Fixer will provide free consultations and estimates at the prospective customers home.

For more information, visit www.bathfixerllc.com.

Franke & Turnbull CPAs in La Crosse joined Madison, Wis.-based Johnson Block & Co. Inc., effective Nov. 1.

The La Crosse office, which immediately switched to the Johnson Block & Co. Inc. name, will remain in Suite 105 at 505 King St.

Johnson Block, a full-service certified public accounting firm, has locations in Madison, La Crosse, Viroqua, Mineral Point and Dodgeville. It was established in 1985 and provides governmental, nonprofit and for-profit auditing services, individual and business tax services, bookkeeping and information technology and human resources consulting services.

For more information, visit www.johnsonblock.com.

Look for the Lady Luck Casino Marquette in Marquette, Iowa, to be renamed the Casino Queen Marquette once ownership changes hands.

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., based in St. Louis, announced Oct. 13 it has agreed to sell its Marquette casino for about $40 million to an affiliate of CQ Holdings Co. Inc., parent company of the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Ill.

The sale is expected to be completed next year, subject to approval by gaming regulators in Iowa and Illinois and other closing conditions. Isle of Capri Casinos acquired the Marquette casino in 2000.

After more than two years in business, Driftless Edibles closed last week at 126 W. Blackhawk Ave. in downtown Prairie du Chien.

The store opened in May 2014. Besides local, organic and other types of healthy food, the store also sold personal care items, books and more.
Nationally, three out of 10 small businesses are owned by women. A measly 2 percent of them have broken the $1 million mark in revenues. Why?

That question motivated Erin Joy, founder of Black Dress Partners, a business consulting organization. Joy and her team surveyed 5,000 female business owners in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas to find out.

The results, likely mirroring the national situation, suggest that female business owners tend to lack good outside advisers, have trouble with cash flow management and dont execute their marketing strategies well.

But the survey was most emphatic about people issues. Its findings dovetail with research from the Kauffman Foundation, which has pinpointed a lack of strong mentors for women-owned enterprises.

Sixty-five percent of the women who responded to the survey said they had no external expert advising them. In many cities, womens advocacy groups are focused on building networks of counselors and fellow business owners to help such women.

But the people problems run far deeper than not having outside experts. About six in 10 of the survey respondents said they lacked a strong support structure within their businesses.

Ive often heard business owners describe their search for a mini me  someone who would care for and commit to the business with the intensity of the owner.

In reality, a mini me is pretty rare. They typically cant be hired or kept on at the price the owner is willing to pay. If theyre good enough to be a mini me, theyre probably good enough to command higher salaries elsewhere or even run their own businesses.

In the Midwest survey, less than a third of the respondents said they had a dedicated assistant. The business women admitted theyre run ragged with daily tactical matters and rarely have time to plan for future growth. Fewer than one in 10 said they regularly updated their business goals.

This is not shocking, the report noted. The women business owners we surveyed were too busy working IN their business to focus ON their business.

In short, the owners admitted to being consumed with hiring, managing and retaining employees.

Many national reports also have shown that women start their businesses with less capital than men and are less successful at obtaining outside equity. Some research details womens difficulty in getting business loans. Those, too, are issues addressed by advocacy groups for women in business.

Research like this is important to help explore an ongoing question: Do women-owned businesses stay small because of all the business challenges cited above? Or do they stay relatively small because thats what most female owners want?
Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, is working toward his 16th term, and said the priorities should be clear  finishing what the Legislature started in last session.

First, the tax $260 million tax relief and reform bill, which was not signed by Gov. Mark Dayton following the discovery of a mistake that the Department of Revenue estimates would have reduced the overall revenue by $102.4 million over the next three years, by changes in the tax rate of pull-tab revenues at bingo halls.

Second, a bonding bill which didnt make it out of the Legislature due to disagreement over last-minute changes in the Senate.

The bill containing nearly $1 billion in funding for capital projects and including one-time funding for road and bridge work failed in the last minutes of the session. The final bonding bill had particular local significance, as it included $25 million for phase two of Winona States Education Village and $3.6 million for the Lanesboro dam project, among other projects.

We

know what happened to them, Pelowski said. The corrections are there now.

In addition to finishing that work, Pelowski is continuing to champion legislative reform, which he has worked on for years, particularly as the tone at the Capitol has grown increasingly partisan and divisive.

He has given multiple presentations on the subject and said the response has been fantastic.

There needs to be more deliberation and a focus on whats before us, Pelowski said.

His suggestions include limiting the number of bills introduced and the time that they can be introduced to allow for better understanding and more transparency in the Legislature.

Other issue Pelowski said will be ongoing is transportation infrastructure and fixing MNsure, the state healthcare exchange system that has come under fire recently for cost hikes.

The transportation package was a goal of the Legislature as well in the last session but wasnt taken up. Pelowski said the issue will be making an ongoing funding package to maintain and repair additions.

Likewise, Pelowski said the MNsure question will also require federal fixes to the Affordable Care Act; MNsure was the states choice to build its own exchange to provide plans for the act.

Pelowskis opponent, Adam Pace, is running as a Republican and has been unable to be reached throughout the election cycle despite multiple attempts to contact him in various ways.

Pace first ran against Pelowski in 2012 and lost with 33 percent of the vote to Pelowskis 66 percent.

Pace is originally from San Diego and moved to Winona years ago to be closer to his family, which relocated here years earlier, he said in a 2012 Winona Daily News interview. He ran for office in 2012 because he thought many state and national leaders were restricting personal liberties, he said then.
SPARTA  After a courageous battle with cancer, Barbara J. Bendel-Sandvigen, 68, of Sparta died Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, at Rolling Hills Rehabilitation Center, Sparta.

She was born May 3, 1948, in La Crosse, to Robert and Florence (Duresky) Bendel. She grew up in La Crosse, and graduated from Central High School in 1966. She attended Viterbo Art School and La Crosse Beauty School.

After graduation from Beauty school, Barb worked at Normas Beauty Salon, where she honed her skills and made many lifelong friends. In 1979, she took over the family business, Bendels Bar. During her years as the proprietor of the tavern, she was active in the La Crosse County Tavern League. She was a secretary/treasurer for the League and was instrumental in organizing the Bartender Awareness Program and the Safe Ride Home Program, which continues to operate today. She also volunteered at Oktoberfest for many years, giving her time to ensure that things ran smoothly and everyone had a good time.

In 1987, she sold the business and went to work at the J.C. Penny Styling Salon, returning to the work she loved, making people feel good about themselves. While at JCP, she was an active volunteer for the Look Good, Feel Better program, which helps cancer patients look their best while going through treatments.

She was also recognized for her talents as a hairdresser, and chosen to attend New York Fashion Week to learn the latest trends and assist with hair and makeup for models in various shows.

In 2006, Barb took a leap of faith and began working at the Sparta Chamber of Commerce, as the event coordinator and tourism advisor. It was a big change, but her love for working with the public and helping others, proved that she had made the right decision. Her work at the Chamber had a huge impact on the people and city of Sparta. Whenever visitors came in or called, she was always there to greet them with a smile and answer any questions they had. She loved using her creative and artistic abilities to promote the community and was always thinking of new ways to bring the community together. While at the Chamber, she started the Christmas Holiday Parade and brought back the Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration. She coordinated the Concerts in the Park, and was always there to make sure things ran smoothly. She graduated from the Monroe-Vernon-Jackson Counties Leadership Program, and used her skills to promote Business After 5 and worked with downtown businesses to generate business with various events. She elevated awareness of Sparta through Ben Biken, arranging for his participation in parades and decorating his float to match the theme of each parade he was in. Each year she came up with a theme for the Chambers annual banquet, making sure the decorations were beautiful and that everyone had an enjoyable evening. She gave back to the community through many events including the Ladies Night Out fundraisers, for Junior Achievement and created the Razzle Dazzle Holiday Art Display, to generate funds for the High School Jazz Band.

Barb was a member of the Sparta Butterfest committee for many years and volunteered her time to help wherever needed. She especially enjoyed decorating the hall for the Festmasters Ball. In 2016, she was thrilled to be chosen as Lady Butterfest. It was an honor she cherished. She chose the theme Bridging the Community through Faith, Family, & Friends. This was a true reflection on the way she lived her life. Bringing people together and helping others in every way she could.

Barb is survived by her daughter, Patti (Jerry) Muenzenberger of Sparta. She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Robert S. Bendel; and her husband, LeRoy Sandvigen.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at St. Patricks Catholic Church, Sparta, with Father Keith Kitzhaber and Deacon Jim Trzinski officiating. Private family burial will be held at a later time in the church cemetery.

Family and friends are invited to call from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday at Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home, Sparta, with a 7 p.m. prayer service. Visitation will continue Friday, from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church.

Online condolences may be offered at www.schanhoferfh.com.

The Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home, Sparta, is assisting the family with arrangements.
WINONA, Minn.  Robert J. Haines, 57, of Winona died Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at Lake Winona Manor. Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. to Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona. Burial in St. Marys Cemetery. Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Dan Barry looked out his cockpit at the snow-swept runway. With his squadron assembled at Volk Field, he was second in line for takeoff. In the bay of his F106-A jet was an 812-pound Genie missile - armed with a live nuclear warhead. The 27-year-old lieutenant believed a nuclear war had begun.

It was 1962, the height of the Cold War. Days earlier, President John Kennedy had informed the nation that Soviet missile silos had been discovered in Cuba. Diplomatic relations were strained.

Bombers were flying round-the-clock sorties, and the Air Force was on the highest alert in its history.

This was the real thing, the pilots had been told.

In the six decades since the advent of nuclear weapons, there have been no known accidental detonations. There were many near-misses - and this was one of the strangest.

On Oct. 14, 1962, American spy planes captured images of Soviet missile silos under construction on the island nation of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the continental United States.

With the world's superpowers in a nuclear staredown, the young and untested Kennedy began back-channel negotiations with the more experienced Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Meanwhile, Kennedy was under pressure from his own military commanders to strike first.

On Oct. 22, Kennedy went on TV to reveal the threat to the American people. That night, the Air Force was put on DEFCON 3 - for the first time since the Defense Condition system had been established.

According to protocol, 161 interceptors carrying nuclear weapons were dispersed from their bases to small airfields around the country. That's how Barry and two squadrons from Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan ended up at Volk.

Their mission was to intercept and destroy Soviet bombers before they could strike U.S. cities. In addition to conventional air-to-air missiles, and for the first time ever, each jet carried a single nuclear rocket.

About midnight on Oct. 25, a guard at a Duluth air base spotted a shadowy figure climbing the fence. Assuming sabotage - which war planners considered a likely scenario - the guard shot at the intruder and set off the sabotage alarm, which was wired to alarm systems at nearby bases.

But at Volk Field, the wrong alarm rang.

The squadron pilots were sleeping in the base dispensary when they heard the klaxon. They had been told the threat was real, Barry recalled. There would be no practice.

The pilots scrambled to their fighters. Their mission was to get airborne and look for Soviet bombers coming over the North Pole.

The way Barry remembers it, he was second in line to take off when he saw a truck speeding toward them, lights flashing.

False alarm.

It would be more than 25 years before he learned what had triggered the warning. The intruder in Duluth turned out to be a bear.

The story, outlined in declassified Air Force documents, was first reported by Stanford University professor Scott Sagan in his 1993 book, "The Limits of Safety."

Sagan, who is co-director of Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, uncovered it using the Freedom of Information Act and Mandatory Declassification Review process.

Sagan uncovered multiple nuclear mishaps - or near mishaps - but said the Volk Field event jumped out "as a worrisome and bizarre incident."

While there was no actual Soviet threat, Sagan said, a nervous pilot, believing the U.S. was under attack, could have mistaken a friendly aircraft for an invading bomber. And even though the interceptors did not carry offensive weapons, a crash with an armed nuclear warhead also could have been catastrophic.

The story never gained much local notice. Anti-nuclear and peace activists picked up on it, and it proliferated - usually un-sourced - on the Internet, where it took on the whiff of urban legend.

Nobody working today at Volk Field remembers the event, said Chief Master Sgt. Greg Cullen.

Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, spokesman for the Wisconsin National Guard, which maintains the air field, said the story has surfaced from time to time, but he never knew whether it was true.

Even the men involved didn't learn the whole story for many years.

Barry, now 73 and living near Seattle, retired from the Air Force in 1986 as a colonel. Initially, he said, the pilots assumed snow had shorted out the alarm system. Later, they heard it was a drunk GI trying to sneak back onto the Duluth base.

It wasn't until Sagan called him that he learned it was a bear.

As Sagan wrote in his book, the incident would almost be comical if it weren't part of a pattern of near-misses.

"That was serious business," Barry said. "We'd never flown with a nuke on board.  It was really serious. I can remember almost expecting to see inbound nuclear missiles."
Q: My daughters fifth-grade teacher has students keep a gratitude journal. She says its part of their social-emotional learning curriculum. Isnt that more for Sunday school?

A: Not really. Theres no one place to express gratitude or learn its power. Being grateful helps kids maintain perspective about what is going right in their lives.

Writing in a journal is an easy avenue for self-expression for preteens, says Carol Lloyd, the executive editor of GreatSchools.org. Expressing gratefulness releases oxytocin  a brain chemical that promotes trust, attachment, generosity, calmness, security and reduces stress.

In addition, as the holidays arrive, its a good thing that a teacher might ask students to reflect on what theyre thankful for, says Marissa Gehley, a retired California youth counselor. When we model gratitude, we show kids that we recognize whats good about the people we interact with every day.

A sense of gratitude is a battery charger. It can help young people focus on positives instead of negativity, says Gehley. Thanking someone for something can change a childs attitude for the better in an instant.

Professor Adam Grant at the University of Pennsylvania and other researchers have discovered that expressing gratitude can help kids become happier, healthier, less-stressed students who enjoy stronger social relationships.

Lloyd says more and more schools are integrating social-emotional learning, often called soft skills, into the school day because research shows that learning how to boost self-awareness, get along with each other, empathize, self-monitor and manage ones temperament can boost academic success. Learning to be grateful is an important aspect of self-awareness.

Lloyd likes the advice of Tim Kasser, the author of The High Price of Materialism. He encourages parents and educators to foster in kids an inward richness instead of a shallow consumerism. One way to do this is to practice being grateful.

Lloyd, drawing on Kassers work, offers these tips to parents who want to foster a gratitude attitude:

Model values you want your child to hold. If you spend your time working long hours, shopping a lot, talking about money, you are modeling that materialistic aims in life are important. Your child will imitate those values, says Lloyd.

Reduce your childs exposure to materialism. I like the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics: No screen time for children younger than 2, and less than two hours per day of screen usage for older kids, notes Lloyd.

Critique advertisements with your kids. Research shows that when kids see ads and adults make factual or evaluative comments such as, Those commercials are intended to sell, or, That commercial is wrong; the actual toy doesnt work like that, kids desire for the product declines.

Model gratitude in an emotionally genuine way. Let your daughter see you thank her teacher for a lesson she loved or thank the supermarket clerk for noticing a torn package. Thank your daughter for clearing the dishes. Be thankful at dinner or at bedtime.

It could be in line with a religious belief, such as saying grace, or it could be secular, explains Lloyd.

When you model gratitude, she says, you help create an emotional habit  biochemically and neurologically  that will shape your childs responses in a positive way.

For more tips on fostering gratitude, go to greatschools.org.
Wisconsin stands to play a pivotal role Tuesday in determining both control of the U.S. Senate and who wins the most contentious presidential election in modern history.

The political drama is playing out in a state that has voted Democratic for president since 1984, but has been controlled by a Republican governor and Legislature the last six years. Candidates from both parties are hoping to ride top-of-the-ticket coattails to win legislative races that have already seen record spending by outside interest groups on both sides.

More than 685,000 early absentee ballots  a state record set after a federal judge rejected Republican-imposed restrictions on early voting  have already been returned, according to the Wisconsin Election Commission. An estimated 3.1 million people or just shy of 70 percent of eligible voters are expected to cast a ballot, with many of them experiencing the states new voter ID requirement for the first time.

The state is one of a handful that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is strongly contesting to reach the needed 270 electoral votes despite polls showing voters leaning toward Democrat Hillary Clinton. However, he canceled a rally scheduled for Sunday in West Allis, raising questions about his commitment to the state.

Its clear that Wisconsin could be one of the three or four states that decide the presidential election, said Iowa-based Republican strategist Steve Grubbs. In every scenario that Trump wins, Wisconsin seems to be a pivotal state.

National political experts give Clinton the edge, but agree Wisconsins 10 electoral votes are crucial for Trump to eke out a victory.

Things have definitely closed, said Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report. You could lump Wisconsin in a group of traditionally blue states that Trump needs to crack in order to get over the top in the race.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said everything that people see publicly and privately in the tracking suggest Clintons blue wall in the rust belt is holding, and that includes Wisconsin.

When candidates are hopscotching around and visiting loads of states that might turn their way, theyre probably losing, Sabato said, referring to Trumps weekend travel schedule, which now includes a stop on Sunday in Minneapolis, a Democratic stronghold.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate rematch between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic challenger Russ Feingold has tightened during the final sprint to Election Day. With Democrats needing four seats held by Republicans to reclaim the majority, Wisconsin could determine which party controls the Senate.

Cook Political Report senior editor Jennifer Duffy said she moved the race from leaning Democrat to a toss-up even before the latest Marquette Law School Poll showed Feingolds lead whittled to one point. Thats because of more than $4 million in political ads from both sides flowing into the race in the last week.

If Johnson gets re-elected, it is very hard to see how Democrats get the majority, Duffy said.

GOP claims momentum

Wisconsin Republicans were claiming momentum heading into the final weekend of the campaign. Trump had planned to make his sixth and final appearance in the state Sunday at the Wisconsin Fairgrounds, a half hour before the Green Bay Packers kick off. However, the event was canceled Saturday.

I never thought at the beginning of the year that this was going to be a Republican year, but it appears to me that this is going to be a Republican year, said former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. Wisconsin is going to be the state that puts (Trump) over the top with electoral votes.

The Marquette poll found Clinton leading by six points, but Republican Party of Wisconsin executive director Mike Duffey said internal polling was showing a closer race before the FBI disclosed it was reviewing emails that might relate to its investigation into Clintons private email server when she was Secretary of State.

Duffey said Republicans are confident they can win both Wisconsin races because Clinton is viewed unfavorably, voters are seeking change and the party has rolled out its largest get-out-the-vote effort ever. That includes knocking on more than 710,000 doors in the past four weeks, compared with more than 415,000 doors knocked in the final five weeks of the 2012 campaign.

Our office count, staff and contacts are all above 2012, Duffey said. We will have the superior effort to get every Republican out to the polls.

The Marquette poll showed a 10-point gap in Trumps support among Republican men and Republican women. The state party released an ad Thursday featuring Republican women, including Sens. Alberta Darling, of River Hills, and Leah Vukmir, of Wauwatosa, supporting Trump because of his positions opposing abortion and Obamacare and pledge to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices.

The poll also showed Trump tied in southeast Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee. Republican nominee Mitt Romney led by 10 points in that region at this point in the 2012 election.

Former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle dismissed Republican talk of momentum as something one side says when it is behind.

I think youre going to see a very solid Democratic turnout, Doyle said. And if that happens, particularly with Trumps problems with independents and women, I think youll see a fairly substantial Clinton victory here.

Clinton has not visited Wisconsin since the April primary. Barring a last-minute campaign stop, she would become the first major party candidate to skip the state since 1972, though she has sent plenty of surrogates in the closing weeks of the election, including Vice President Joe Biden last week. Running mate Tim Kaine, the Virginia senator, plans to campaign in three Wisconsin cities on Sunday.

Doyle interpreted Clintons absence from Wisconsin as a sign of strength, noting its much better theyre fighting over North Carolina than theyre fighting over Wisconsin.

Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist Patrick Guarasci said Democrats are expecting huge turnout by minority voters, especially because of Trumps comments throughout the campaign, including saying that a judge couldnt impartially hear a lawsuit against Trump University because of his Mexican heritage  which even Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan decried as textbook racism.

I believe well see a huge increase of Hispanic voters, which will be the sleeping giant, Guarasci said.

Early voting totals through Friday are 78 percent higher in the Democratic strongholds of Dane and Milwaukee counties than in the Republican strongholds of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

Senate race tight

The last Marquette poll showed Feingold up by one point, though others have showed a slightly larger lead. Feingold led by as much as 11 points in a Marquette poll from early August and 12 points in other polling as recently as a month ago.

Republican strategist Mark Graul noted that Johnson is trying to do something that Republicans havent done since 1980  win a Wisconsin Senate race in a presidential election year.

Graul predicted some ticket-splitting particularly among conservatives in the Milwaukee suburbs who wont vote for Trump, but will still come through for Johnson. The Marquette poll found 85 percent of Trump supporters backing Johnson and 6 percent for Feingold, and 84 percent of Clinton supporters backing Feingold, and 9 percent supporting Johnson.

One of the best stories has been the fantastic job of the Johnson campaign of really making this a close race, Graul said. Even two months ago, there werent too many people who believed wed be talking here the Friday before the election and talking about this as a toss-up race.

State Democratic Party chairwoman Martha Laning said she expects voters will elect Feingold because of his support for raising the minimum wage and helping reduce student loan debt.

Weve had over 100 staff members working all over the state. We have volunteers coming in, in record numbers  Our early voting turnout is breaking records, Laning said. They want to see Russ win with a big margin. They want to see Hillary Clinton become our next president.

Other races

There are other races to watch on Tuesday.

Voters in the 8th Congressional District in the Green Bay area will elect either Republican Mike Gallagher or Democrat Tom Nelson as their new Congressman. And Republican control of the state Senate could narrow as the two most closely watched races have been held this past session by Republicans.

As the results roll in Tuesday night, national attention will continue to focus on Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville, who said Friday he will run again for House Speaker. He has faced criticism from tea party Republicans for not embracing Trump more fully. Though on Saturday Ryan said that he would campaign with Trump in Wisconsin on Sunday just before Trump announced he was canceling his visit to the state.

The latest Marquette poll found division among Republicans over whether Trump or Ryan should lead the party regardless of the outcome of the election.
The truth is I hurt more than people see.

The truth is I was raped and never told anyone.

The truth is my brother was murdered.

These were some of the raw, heartbreaking responses when Muhibb Dyer asked a group of students to finish the sentence The truth is ... at the La Crosse Black Youth Summit Saturday afternoon, attended by students from Logan, Lincoln and Longfellow middle schools and Central and Logan high schools.

Dyer, the events keynote speaker and member of the Flood the Hood with Dreams: I Will Not Die Young campaign, anticipated the tears, passing out white napkins to the emotional crowd as he asked the hard questions and spoke the harsh truth about being a minority in the United States.

The point is Im here because he died, Dyer said, holding up a shirt printed with a picture of his nephew, who was shot at a young age. We lose people to violence every day, young people. Repeat after me: My life matters. Even if I feel like nobody cares, I will love myself.

Dyer was the Summits closing speaker, preceded by a student panel and a talk by Ferguson Now members who traveled from Missouri. The event was arranged by Shaundel Spivey, School District of La Crosse cultural liaison, in an effort to connect black, biracial and multiracial students with peers, leaders and professionals who look like them.

I want to get my students in touch with their identity, which can be lost in a predominantly white community, Spivey said. This community is their community, and they can have a serious impact on it. I want them to feel confident that they can do whatever they want to do and not be afraid to be great.

Spivey chose the lineup to cover the areas of self confidence, community engagement, cultural identity and academic excellence. A group of four high school students led a discussion with the younger students on the latter, offering advice on high school and stressing responsibility.

Talk to your teacher if you have questions, said Joye Miller, a junior at Central. Make sure you go to class and dont be late. Keep your grades in check and dont be afraid to raise your hand.

Miller admitted she treated her freshman year as all fun and games, but failing grades inspired her to buckle down.

Getting into trouble is easy; getting out is hard, Miller said.

I hung out with people who were bad influences and got suspended freshman year, said La Monica Thomas, a senior at Logan. I had to move them out of my life and get my grades up.

All four girls said they have experienced forms of racism and prejudice at their schools. Thomas said a teacher let a class conversation about the North and South Side shootings in La Crosse go too far and stood up for herself, leaving the classroom. Gabrielle Usher, a Central senior, was called the N word in middle school. Miller recalled feeling like an outcast on the track and field team.

I felt like, Oh, my people arent here, Miller said. We do have white friends, but the majority are black because we feel more comfortable with them.

Shaniece Riley, a Central junior, said teachers expect her to be less smart than her fellow students, a sentiment shared by Miller, who advised taking the high road no matter the situation.

The way you act is how you will be seen, Miller said.

After breaking for lunch, the students were shown a brief video on the Lost Voices, an activist group that continues to protest the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson.

Its hard to look at you all and then look at that video of us marching and we got no justice, member Meldon Moffitt Miller of the acquittal. This is no joke; this is our lives. It happens wherever you go  enough is enough.

Moffitt spoke passionately about police brutality, injustice, the lack of money going towards improving impoverished communities, exercising rights and staying diligent.

When the reporters leave (after a tragedy), whos going to be there for us? Were going to be there. (The Lost Voices) arent leaving, Moffitt said. When something happens in your own town, you got to stand up for yourself.

Despite the intensity of the afternoon, Dyer made sure to impart hope and perseverance, offering sympathy for their losses, reassurance about feelings of guilt or pain, and words of encouragement in response to their aspirations.

Dreams are like oxygen, Dyer said. If you dont have a dream in your heart today, youre not living.
To my fellow millennials:

Yeah, I know, youre scoffing at this salutation. Im on the older side of our generation, which has been repeatedly redefined downward to represent an ever-younger, increasingly manbunned, microaggressed group of whippersnapchatters. Millennial used to refer to a specific cohort born between about 1980 and the mid-90s; now its just a generic slur meaning any annoying person younger than I am.

Still, I beg you, lend a slightly older lady your valuable, monetized eyeballs.

For decades, get-out-the-vote efforts targeting people like you (us, rather) have harnessed the rhetoric of adolescent rebelliousness. Its about rocking the boat (or rocking the vote), overthrowing the system, sticking it to the man, burning it all down. The youth vote mobilization machine has generally tried to resuscitate the political spirit of the 60s, when activism was viewed as a form of insubordination against parents and stodgy parent-like compatriots.

Over the years, youth get-out-the-vote ads have come close to desecrating the American flag. They have included felony-decorated musicians, foul-mouthed actors and sexed-up socialites. They have served up a peculiar mix of cynicism and optimism, in which a better future can be achieved only by tearing down and replacing the useless, rigged, self-dealing systems and leaders of the present.

Its all an attempt to rechannel the presumed anarchical, mutinous instincts of young people into a more socially productive political revolution  to use Bernie Sanders preferred term.

This core theme of youth mobilization campaigns has persisted, election after election, regardless of whos running for office, and even as new and differently complected cohorts aged into and out of the youth demographic. The constant is understandable: Rebelliousness is the timeless idiom of youth.

Which is why this year, the messaging machine is struggling to motivate young voters. How can you inspire millennials to vote when our primary political vessel represents not volatility and upheaval, but boring stability? Not rocking the boat, but keeping it from crashing into an iceberg?

There is, of course, a burn-it-all-down candidate on the ballot next week, one who fits more easily into the usual youth GOTV rhetoric. But our generation, by and large, despises him.

Donald Trump has a 76 percent unfavorable rating among voters younger than 30, according to a recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll. According to other surveys, large majorities of us believe he embodies or appeals to bigotry, racism and bias against women. About 6 in 10 say his comments about women alone disqualify him from the presidency, according to Reuters/Ipsos.

On the other hand, the institutionalist candidate whose policy preferences are actually closer to our own, and who pledges to build on progress made by Barack Obama, has struggled to inspire us. That same Harvard youth poll also found that a slim majority  51 percent  of young people view Hillary Clinton unfavorably. Millennial enthusiasm for her runs thin, particularly relative to liberal change-messengers such as Sanders and Obama.

Steady as she goes is hardly a compelling campaign slogan for any age group. But it is an especially poor fit for the insurrectionist, get-out-the-vote rhetoric usually used to woo young people to the polls.

Some young voters have expressed support for third-party candidates, though millennial support for Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein has eroded over the past month or so.

The greater danger right now is that millennials wont vote at all. We will express our political frustrations with the system not by trying to upend it  as so many get-out-the-vote efforts of eras past urged us to do  but by abstaining altogether.

And our collective abstention is exactly what could stand between a stable, prosperous, peaceful world order and something else entirely. We millennials now match boomers as the largest share of the electorate; our votes can swing, and indeed have swung, elections, if only we show up.

I keep thinking of YouGovs viral analysis on Brexit votes, showing that those who had to live longest with the decision  i.e., young people  were most likely to vote Remain. And yet youths also had the lowest voter turnout rates of any demographic. So Remain lost.

Take a lesson from our British cousins, my fellow American millennials. A vote for keeping it together may be less cathartic than a vote for burning it all down. But its better than not voting at all.

Yours,

Catherine
This is the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to stop state and local governments from adopting laws or procedures that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on their race. In 2013, the Supreme Court rolled back key parts of this law, opening the door for states and localities with a history of voter discrimination to pass voting rules that make it harder for many Americans to vote.

In the aftermath of the decision, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas moved forward with restrictions that previously would have been reviewed under the Voting Rights Act. Many other states have since pushed legislation and taken other actions that right now are making it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote.

For example, some state governments have created lists of people to remove from the voter rolls and cut back on early voting hours in targeted areas. In other places, governments have strictly limited what qualifies as a valid ID documentation voters must produce in order to cast a ballot.

Thousands of eligible voters have been illegally purged.

Removing ineligible voters from the rolls is an important part of protecting the integrity of our election system. But it must be done fairly and accurately. Purging thousands of eligible Americans from the voter lists is plain wrong. When politicians make lists of voters to purge, these lists are typically full of mistakes. Many voters get unfairly caught up in the process and risk losing their rights. Military service members who often move, college students who have changed their address, occasional voters, veterans, seniors and voters of color are most often the ones affected by deeply flawed voter purges.

New voter ID requirements are onerous and restrictive, too.

As many as 21 million Americans do not have government-issued photo identification. Voters in rural or dense urban areas, communities of color, and low-income individuals are less likely to have photo IDs showing a current address. These laws dont improve the integrity of our elections, but they do exclude eligible voters from participating in our democracy. Many of us are accustomed to providing ID but many citizens simply do not have them. And these eligible voters should not be denied their fundamental rights.

The United States needs to keep our voting system free, fair and accessible by restoring the Voting Rights Act.

There is a bipartisan proposal in Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and strengthen protections for the right to vote. This important piece of legislation would increase transparency by requiring public disclosure of certain changes to voting laws. It would enable official election observers to monitor elections in places with a recent history of discrimination.

When the next Congress is sworn in come January, it is essential that it take action to right this wrong.

In the meantime, the League of Women Voters is committed to making sure the 2016 election is as fair and transparent as possible. Our digital election tool www.VOTE411.org has the most information available to help voters check the rules in their location, learn about the candidates and get ready to vote. The League will send hundreds of election observers out to make sure the election runs smoothly. As part of the Election Protection Coalition, we have volunteers manning the phones to answering voters questions and responding to Election Day issues (866-OUR-VOTE).

The United States can be proud of an election system that works remarkably well. But it does have flaws that must be addressed. As the worlds leading democracy, we cant stand for laws that block some eligible Americans from voting, or that deny them the opportunity to participate equally in our democracy.
No matter what happens on Tuesday, Americans are going to have a rough day.

Barring some Election Day surprise, neither candidate winning the Electoral College or some other constitutional crisis (hey, it could happen)  by the end of the night, we will have elected a man who has exhibited ineptitude and contempt for the institutions he is seeking to lead or a woman whose disregard for ethical conduct and federal laws has made her the subject of at least one active FBI investigation.

Yes, one of these people will be the leader of the free world.

Either way, the outcome will be unprecedented.

And either way, the outcome has the potential to be extremely bad for America.

Who we elect to serve as our national leader is important, especially in a year like this when both candidates are a poor expression of their respective parties ideals.

We want a leader who is competent, one who can effectively unite the disparate political factions and execute good public policy, and one that foreign nations will respect.

For those reasons we should care deeply about the occupant of the White House.

But today being the president requires much more. It conveys a great deal more power than perhaps it should and more control over the direction of the nation than was ever intended.

Its a role that has grown exponentially over the last several decades, raising the stakes ever higher each election cycle and making the consequences of who we elect much more significant.

In years like this one, that should give all Americans pause.

According to political science professors Matthew Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg, who wrote a book about the dangerous rise of presidential power, the president moved into the drivers seat of our political system at some point in the latter half of the 20th century.

Up until then, the role of the president was important but hardly dominant in our federal political system.

Presidential candidates, Crenson and Ginsberg argue, were creatures of party; the office of the president on the periphery of national politics instead of its driving force.

Thats a novel thought.

Todays candidates are self-propelled, more aggressive and assertive.

Their campaigns are less about what and who they represent in terms of party values and voters and more about self-promotion.

Case in point: Donald Trump  and for that matter, Hillary Clinton, too.

Those who reach the White House aspire, not just to occupy the office, but to change history, an objective that usually drives them to enlarge the capabilities of the presidency itself, Crensen and Ginsburg write.

Executive orders, signing statements and administrative rule-making are all mechanisms through which modern-day presidents, motivated to change the course of national politics but unable to do so in our polarized climate, execute unilateral power.

When Congress failed to pass immigration reform, President Barack Obama used executive orders to alter immigration policy.

And while his action has been, thus far, successfully challenged in court, it still represents what should be viewed as a frightening progression of unilateral executive power.

To be fair, Obama is hardly the first president to overstep executive authority. But his administration, like many that have come before, has drastically expanded the role of the White House in creating public and foreign policy.

Thats a trend we can expect will continue under a Clinton or a Trump administration, as each administration builds on that which precedes it.

Just let your imagination run wild with that prospect. Yikes!

Todays presidential office-seekers like to pay homage to the nations founders in speeches and public statements, as if quoting Jefferson or Madison lends credibility to their candidacy.

Its no surprise that they selectively ignore the fact that the Founders never intended for them to wield the kind of power the office now conveys.

Perhaps thats the silver lining of this election cycle: It will serve as a powerful warning of what can happen when we allow the expansion of presidential power to go largely unchecked and then put forth candidates who are unqualified for or unworthy of the job.
Theres a terrible movie I cant get out of my head, a real-life image from the news last week:

A police officer, responding to a vague report of shots fired, comes across an idling patrol car, sitting motionless on a dark, deserted street.

The next moment is the worst of that officers career, maybe of that officers life: The discovery of a colleague, a brother policeman, shot dead without having had the chance to get out of the car, unholster a service weapon, call for help.

In confronting this scene of horror, what depth of despair did that surviving officer feel? Two officers: One living, the other dead; one fallen, one heartbroken. It must have been as agonizing as a sudden stab wound, a paralyzing blow to the solar plexus.

This scene played out twice early Wednesday, in Des Moines, Iowa, and in its neighboring suburb of Urbandale. Two officers were ambushed barely two miles apart, both reportedly by a man who roughly fits the description of the all the mass shooters and cop killers who haunt the fringes of American society: violent, obsessive, radioactive with grievance.

This is not something that the City of Des Moines has dealt with, where someone decides to go shoot a couple of public safety officers, said the citys distraught police chief, Dana Wingert.

Dallas has. More than 50 officers have been shot to death while on duty in this country so far this year, but the single worst incident was right here, in July, when a lunatic gunman assassinated five of our own during a downtown protest march. It was a galvanizing, traumatic event, one that were still sorting out.

What can we tell Iowa about coping with the loss of its officers?

Only this: Our hearts hurt for you. In your grief, we stand with you.

Theres not much else: No formula, no how-to-handle-it, no secret playbook for banishing that disorienting sense of This doesnt happen here, because sometimes it just does. Chaos, by definition, cant be predicted or prevented. Theres no vaccination against shock.

And shock is the only response in a civilized culture to the deliberate murder of law enforcement officers for no reason besides the uniform they wear. Its the only response to gun-wielding lunatics who blame somebody else because their lives are falling apart; who have nursed and fed their overweening rage as if it were a monstrous and insatiable infant.

The Iowa murders might have had a larger media footprint had they been linked to an inflammatory political issue: terrorism, illegal immigration, police shootings of minority suspects. I dont expect that the absence of any of these talking points  the Iowa shooter is an unhinged home-grown white man  makes the pain any easier to bear ground zero, the Des Moines and Urbandale police departments. To the survivors, murder is personal, not political.

Were a very tight-knit community, said Des Moines Police Department spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek last week. Des Moines is not a big city. We all know each other. Were heartbroken.

Dallas, of course, is a big city, but we understand that heartbreak just the same. The communities where officers have been shot this year range from our own 3,000-plus police force to speck-sized Danville, Ohio, where a patrol officer was murdered by a gunman whose ex-girlfriend said he was looking to kill an officer. The murder wiped out one-sixth of Danvilles police department.

The fallen include a rookie policewoman in Prince William County, Va., who was shot to death her first day on the job, and an Arkansas sheriffs deputy a few weeks short of retirement. Two officers killed last month answering a domestic disturbance call in Palm Springs, Calif, were a 63-year-old veteran and his 27-year-old partner, who had just returned to duty following maternity leave.

They were men and women, white, black, and Latino. They were regular working Joes like the rest of us, except for the uniform they wore.

The uniform made them targets. Theres not a police department so big, or a city so cynical, that this ugly reality wouldnt come as a profound shock.

So I dont know that Dallas can provide much in the way of advice or counsel. All we can offer is our sympathy, and our hearts.
WATERLOO  A tin that held 47 pounds of pure kettle rendered lard from J.D. Zimbrig & Co.

A 6-foot-tall cast-iron freight scale used in the 1880s at the train depot, a 1928 calendar from the Skalitzky Mill and a hulking fanning mill to separate grain seeds from the chaff and made here in 1869.

There are ticket stubs from Firemens Park, Richard Korths World War II flight boots and rulers from Holzhueter Standard Oil Co. and Peach, a heating and plumbing company.

The repository that is the Waterloo Area Historical Society Museum is crammed with artifacts, documents and photos from this citys history. They are here to be preserved and protected. And the clock tower, at least this weekend, will help remind the locals that daylight saving time has come to its end.

But care is now being taken to ensure the largest piece of the societys holdings is sustained for decades to come. The project is critical to the physical stability of the society and the emotional investments made by those who have worked for years to make sure history here is not forgotten.

So many people have given so much of their energy, said Maureen Giese, as her voice cracked and her eyes welled with tears. We have so much here. If we dont do it, whos going to do it?

Giese, president of the historical society, is leading the charge to repair the museums clock tower that was added in 1888 to St. Josephs Catholic Church, constructed in 1869 on Polk Street, just south of the citys downtown. The former church has been home to the historical society since 1976, but the brick on the tower has been crumbling and is in need of repair.

For the past three weeks, a small crew from Menomonee Falls-based Statz Restoration & Engineering has been working to repair the brick and mortar of the clock tower while its leaking roof also needs attention.

About $45,000 of the estimated $55,000 needed to restore the tower has been raised. Another $30,000 to $40,000 would be ideal so the remainder of the historic church buildings brick work can be repaired, Giese said.

There was brief talk of removing the clock tower, but Giese and others say the structure is too important to the city. While it was built in 1888, its three clocks werent added until 102 years later. The tower also holds a cast-iron bell believed to have been manufactured in the 1850s by the Meneely Bell Company in Troy, New York, and installed at the time of the towers construction.

Jim Reynolds, a member of the historical society, says it has been more than a year since they began noticing fallen mortar and small pieces of bricks at the base of the churchs stone foundation and the front stoop.

Early this spring we got the binoculars out and started looking up there and scared ourselves half to death, Reynolds said. We could see bricks that were loose, mortar gone. The inside of the tower was starting to worry us, too, because bricks were falling and there were loose bricks inside the tower.

Waterloo is home to internationally known bicycle manufacturer Trek; Van Holtens, the pickle-in-the-pouch company; and McKay Nursery, but has struggled to recover from the loss of 700 full-time jobs after the Perry Judds printing plant closed in 2004.

What isnt lacking in this Jefferson County city dissected by Highway 19 is history.

The first white settlers arrived in the area in the 1830s, with the community settled in 1842 by Bradford Hill, who brought his family from New York by covered wagon to build a cabin along the banks of Crooked Creek, now called the Maunesha River. The city was chartered in 1859, the same year the railroad arrived. St. Josephs was built 10 years later.

Other notable historic items that have survived include the water tower constructed in 1910, Firemens Park and the 1911 C.W. Parker Carousel saved from ruin by firefighters during the floods of 2008, later restored and believed to be the oldest operating carousel in the state. Music for the carousel comes from a 1915 band organ from the North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works in New York state.

But the historical museum housed in the old church is a comprehensive collection of all things Waterloo. It includes a stool from the ice cream counter at Whipples Drug Store, works from noted calendar artist Zulu Kenyon and surveying equipment that might have been used by Nathaniel Hyer, who founded the town of Aztalan and assisted in laying out many of the territorial roads in the 1830s.

The museum also holds information on Tom Hamilton, the longtime radio voice of the Cleveland Indians who grew up in Waterloo. One of the most noticeable pieces in the museum is a mural depicting Waterloo history and painted in 1977 by Fred Wurzbach at the front of the former church.

But for now the focus is preserving the buildings exterior so that the historic collections inside are safe.

Jared Crocker and Kurt Schwarting, who work out of Statz Restorations Baraboo office, used a pair of boom lifts last week, one of which could extend up to 125 feet. Their company has done work on dozens of historic structures in the Madison area, including Bascom Hall at UW-Madison and the Machinery Row buildings along Williamson Street.

The project for the Waterloo Historical Society has the men using bricks likely made in Watertown or Milwaukee over 100 years ago and salvaged from old buildings in southern Wisconsin. The project also includes tuck pointing, cleaning years of dirt and grime from the existing bricks, and rehabbing and painting the wood-louvered vents.

Were kind of bringing it to life again, Crocker said. She needs some work. Its weathered up there but for being over 100 years old, its definitely one of the better buildings Ive worked on. You dont see them in this good of shape, especially with the weather we get.

Crocker and Schwarting are doing their work while being careful not to disturb the clock faces, which make for a good story on their own.

When the tower was built, the congregation ran out of money for clocks that were intended to be installed on all but the south side of the tower. A clock fund was started shortly after the museum moved into the church in 1976 but it wasnt until 1990 that the electric clocks were installed.

The clock faces, 6 feet 8 inches in diameter, were bought from Gmeinders, a machine shop in Marshall, for $6,420, but installation and other work associated with the project brought the cost to about $18,000. The clocks are in good shape, but Schwarting said its typical for brick buildings to need tuck pointing and a good cleaning, which should keep the tower true for decades.

This brick, it just sucks the carbon out of the air, Schwarting said. Thats what gets it black. Its a very porous brick.
Wisconsin sets early voting record: MADISON, Wis.  A record number of voters have cast their ballots early in the state of Wisconsin, with the number of early voters only expected to grow. Election officials have received more than 685,000 ballots so far. That exceeds the presidential election total for 2012 by nearly 20,000 votes. A surge of early votes in Dane County and the Fox Valley are a factor in the high numbers. Increased voter activity in Dane County, which is liberal, could signal trouble for Republican candidates competing in statewide elections Nov. 8. But the number of voters on Election Day typically far outweighs the number of early votes.

Exhibition looks at 130 years of familys history: DEARBORN, Mich.  Henry Ford Museum is opening a temporary exhibition looking at how a Wisconsin family preserved 130 years of its own history through clothing, photos, documents and other artifacts. American Style & Spirit: 130 years of Fashions and Lives of an Entrepreneurial Family went on view Saturday at the museum in Dearborn and runs through April 2. Garments from mid-19th century to the late 20th century provide a glimpse into the lives of members of the Roddis family from Marshfield, Wisconsin. Evening dresses, suits, hats, shoes, childrens clothing, letters and other items are part of the display.

Judge denies appeal of deceased serial killer: MINNEAPOLIS  A Hennepin County judge has ruled that convicted serial killer Billy Glazes appeal for innocence died with him. Glaze, 72, was convicted of killing three women in Minneapolis in the 1980s. He died in prison last year. At the time of his death, attorneys with the Minnesota Innocence Project were trying to free him based on new DNA evidence allegedly pointing to another man. Prosecutors moved to dismiss the appeal, saying it was moot. Judge Toddrick Barnette has sided with prosecutors, saying theres no live controversy to be resolved. Finally, nothing in the record supports a finding that (Glaze) was actually innocent or that his conviction was wrongful, the ruling said.

Police believe man killed woman, then himself: APPLE VALLEY, Minn.  Authorities have released the names of an Apple Valley man and woman who died in what investigators are calling an apparent murder-suicide. The Hennepin County medical examiner identified them as 49-year-old Alan Lee Josephson and 56-year-old Lynn Marie Josephson. The Apple Valley Police Department says examination of the crime scene and information from both autopsies indicate that Alan Josephson fatally shot Lynn Josephson in the head and then shot himself. Authorities believe the deaths occurred Wednesday evening.
Has the American election campaign been difficult to watch?

Imagine if you had to explain it to a class of middle school students.

Every four years, teachers in the United States explain how the government works by talking with students about the presidential campaign.

But this year, some civics teachers report having difficulty when discussing the campaign. They had to explain concerns about candidates behavior and a lack of substance in the political debate.

Javaughn Perkins is a teacher at George Washington Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia. He likes to have students watch campaign advertisements to look for their tools of persuasion.

Perkins thinks that by the age of 12 or 13 years, students are at a good age to start learning about government. However, the ups and downs of the election campaign has made this year more difficult.

"There used to be a time when I could literally come in, we'd pop on the Washington Post (newspaper) or CNN or any of the other websites, and I could just go right to the front page and [say], 'Let's have a conversation.'"

Perkins says that this year, newspaper stories are not always a good subject for 8th grade students. One example is the leaked video of candidate Donald Trump talking about sexually harassing women.

When Trump made fun of a disabled person, Perkins was again not sure how to talk about it with his class.

"When that initially broke, I had some thoughts about coming in and us having a conversation, and I held off."

Perkins felt that it would have directed students attention away from teaching government, and would not have helped the schools anti-bullying efforts.

Students noticing the difference

Students appear to be noticing the problem, too. When Perkins asked his students how the campaigns have changed over the years, they felt that the political climate has changed. They said it now is more harmful --or bad -- than before.

"The older candidates were more formal, more structured. They mainly focused on topics that were concerning at the time such as wars. But now they're just like, 'Let's point as many fingers as we can at the other person.' It's childish! It's ridiculous! It's an embarrassment to this country!"



Perkins says the lack of discussion on major issues in the campaign has made his job harder.



"I've had less and less to choose from that will actually, again, get at the issues, even the candidates, in a very real way."

Alternative methods

While many teachers like to have mock debates in the classroom before an election, even that exercise is risky.

Brent Wathke, a teacher at DeLong Middle School, told The New York Times that a debate could invite students to say insulting words.

Instead, he had his class talk about the election campaign using Socratic circles. He separated the students into small groups, and had them use work sheets to answer questions that he asked.

His method was to let the students direct their own debate, and not step in unless he felt it was necessary.

One of his students told The New York Times, I think if you repeat some of the stuff that Trump says, you could get sent to the principals office. Maybe even expelled.

The 8th grade students will not vote in a presidential election until 2024. This gives teachers one more chance to teach them about the U.S. elections.

Im Phil Dierking

Reporter Steve Baragona wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his report for Learning English. He also used information from other media. George Grow was the editor.

How do you think teachers should teach about the elections in class? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

civics - n. the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works

bully - n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people

conversation - n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people

formal - adj. requiring or using serious and proper clothes and manners

harass - v. to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way

literal - adj. involving the ordinary or usual meaning of a word

mock - v. to laugh at or make fun of someone or something by copying an action or a way of behaving or speaking

principal - n. the person in charge of a public school
Terrorism is an important issue for many American voters. The two major political party nominees for president have presented plans for protecting the country from the terrorist threat. Both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump say they want to defeat the Islamic State, or IS, terrorist group. They also both say they want to stop the radicalization of young people in the United States.

Their plans for reaching their goals differ, however.

Clinton says the battle against IS must include an increase in air attacks, and support for local Kurdish and Arab ground forces. She also calls for finding a diplomatic solution to the civil conflicts in Iraq and Syria. She says the conflicts have helped the rise of ISIS.

Clinton promises to work with U.S. allies to defeat terror networks. She says she will also work closely with the Muslim-American community. And, she plans to give more resources to law enforcement to help stop terrorist plots.

Trump says he wants to put in place stronger border controls to stop terrorists from entering the country. Earlier in the campaign, Trump said he wanted to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. Now, he says he wants to suspend emigration from some countries with a history of exporting terrorism. He also says he will establish more thorough measures for investigating foreigners seeking entrance to the United States.

And, Trump also wants to work more closely with Russia and moderate Arab nations. He said he does not want to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Retired U.S. Army general Sidney Shachnow spoke to VOA on Skype about his support for Trump.

Donald Trump will show no leeway to ISIS. He will attack them wherever they are. And I think hes gonna be more flexible with rules of engagement compared to our administration.

Retired diplomat James Jeffrey spoke to VOA on Skype about his support for Clinton.

Well my hope is that with the attack on Mosul pending, that President Obama will deal a deadly blow to ISIS before she comes into office. But I have no doubt that she will vigorously go after ISIS last stronghold in Raqqa.



Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA Correspondent Masood Farivar reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report into VOA Special English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

leeway  n. freedom to do something the way you want to do it

flexible  adj. easily changed

rules of engagement  n. a military directive that delineates the limitations and circumstances under which forces will initiate and prosecute combat engagement with other forces encountered

vigorously  adv. done with great force and energy

stronghold  n. a protected place where the members of a military group stay and can defend themselves against attacks
First, thank you to school board candidates Al Copper and Larry Steinberger for their participation in the forum sponsored by Get Out the Vote Lexington, held Thursday at the Majestic Theatre.

I served as moderator for the forum, so I will not opine on this race other than to say I appreciated the thoughtfulness both candidates exhibited in their answers.

Public forums can be intimidating, but they are important. I was disappointed the other two candidates in the race didnt participate. I understand people have their own lives and are busy, but that is true of everyone else involved who did make time to be there, from the candidates to the volunteers to the audience.

If the opportunity presents itself again, I would gladly participate in another forum. I thought it went smoothly and care was taken to make sure the environment was peaceful and supportive. The candidates were able to make their case without being interrupted, which is easy to make happen when people act like adults and show respect for one another.

That of course is in stark contrast to the endless nightmare that is our national political discourse.

About the only thing Im grateful for this presidential election is that my dad has not and will not defend Donald Trump, at least not in front of me. Its hard to adequately describe how much that means to me.

Dad is a pretty right-wing guy, but this is the man who, when I was a little kid just a few years older than my son is now, told me stories about Martin Luther King Jr. and spoke to me of equality and justice in America.

I do not think I could have handled him mounting any sort of defense of Donald Trump. Its been bad enough witnessing people for whom I have far less respect debase themselves.

I dont know who Dad is voting for, I havent asked, and I dont care. If he thinks Donald Trump is the best choice then thats who he should vote for. Sometimes people have to roll around in filth. But he at least has the dignity not to revel in it.

On that note, lets take a quick look at some of the races and issues on the ballot.

President of the United States: Donald Trump (R), Hillary Clinton (D), Gary Johnson (L), Jill Stein (G).

If youre reading this, you probably live in Nebraskas third district and your vote for president is irrelevant. Thats okay, though, because none of these people should be president.

Vote for whomever you want, but if youre going to vote for Trump, you may as well do it twice. Or three times. Or four. However many times it takes to get caught.

(Note: the above is a joke and should not be construed as advocating voter fraud, a pretend problem some people are using to try to drive down voter turnout among groups they dont like.

Gerrymandered congressional districts. The electoral college. Gov. Pete Ricketts trying to buy his very own Unicameral. These are real impediments to democracy.

Not voter fraud, which poses the same threat to the integrity of elections as an intergalactic cabal of evil talking unicorns.)

Representative in Congress, Third District: Adrian Smith (R), and thats it.

In 2006, Democrats came within 10 points of winning this seat, which has now been held by Republicans for 56 consecutive years. This year the Democrats didnt even bother to field a candidate. Thats pathetic.

Referendum No. 426: If you vote retain, you are voting to keep LB 268, the state legislatures 2015 elimination of the death penalty in Nebraska. If you vote repeal, you are voting to get rid of LB 268.

Put another way, if retain wins, life in prison without possibility of parole will officially be the harshest sentence available in Nebraska. If repeal wins, life in prison will still be the harshest sentence that is actually available, but well all sit around and pretend that some people might actually be executed.

Nebraska doesnt have a means to execute anyone, we havent for years, and theres no reason other than wishful thinking to believe that will ever change. Its like telling your 15-year-old if he or she misbehaves, you are going to call Santa Claus and tell him not to bring any presents this year. Its an empty threat.

Im voting to retain, but if I was a gambling man Id bet on repeal. It could be kind of morbidly entertaining to see Gov. Ricketts scramble to succeed where his two Republican predecessors failed and actually execute somebody.

Fun fact: the last Nebraska governor in office when an execution was conducted was Democrat Ben Nelson, all the way back in 1997. Jeez, I thought Republicans were the law and order party. Whats the deal, guys?

Finally, a word on joke write-in candidates. Back in 2004 I wrote in John Elway for president. Having now covered a number of elections, I have a better appreciation for the time of election officials and volunteers. The fact is that when I wrote in John Elway, a very busy person had to stop the important, legitimate work they were doing and record my vote, all because I thought I was Mr. Jokes. And thats not cool.

So, unless you feel strongly that Batman is best-suited to be president, be a better person than I was and either settle for one of these awful choices or leave it blank.

- Ben Schwartz is the editor of the Lexington Clipper-Herald. Contact him at Ben.Schwartz@lexch.com.
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales. Albert Einstein
By Kylie MacLellan

| NEW DELHI

NEW DELHI Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she valued the independence of the judiciary after some British newspapers strongly criticised the judges involved in a court ruling which could delay Brexit.England's High Court triggered sharp criticism from some lawmakers and newspapers on Thursday when it ruled that the decision to begin Britain's formal divorce talks with the European Union needed to be approved by parliament and could not be taken by the government alone.Sajid Javid, a member of May's cabinet, called the ruling an "unacceptable" attempt to "frustrate the will of the British people", while The Daily Mail newspaper said the three judges who handed down the ruling were "enemies of the people"."I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary, I also value the freedom of our press. I think these both underpin our democracy and they are important. Of course the judges will look at the legal arguments," May told reporters on the plane to India for her first bilateral visit outside the EU.

The government plans to appeal the ruling and Britain's Supreme Court is expected to consider the case early next month."We think we have strong legal arguments and we will be taking those arguments to the Supreme Court," May said, noting that a separate legal challenge to Brexit, heard in Northern Ireland, had ruled that neither the province's parliament nor its laws could override a decision by the British government.

May said the June 23 Brexit vote was a clear message Britons wanted to see control over freedom of movement from the EU and it was important that the government now delivers on that."The people spoke on the 23rd of June, I think an important aspect that underpinned people's approach to that vote was a concern that they had about control of movement of people from the EU into the UK," she said.

Asked whether she will have dealt with the issue of free movement by the time of the next election, due in 2020, May said that was a matter for negotiation with the EU."Obviously there are a lot of issues we have to deal with in that and it will be part of those discussions," she said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Ruth Pitchford)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The media itself has been in the news in the last few days. First, India's most popular English journalist quit his position as the anchor of a path-breaking show. Arnab Goswami decided to end a decade, in which he reformed the way journalism in India is done.

He did this not through reporting but anchoring. The editor of The Indian Express made a terrific speech a few days ago in front of the Prime Minister in which he referred to "selfie journalism". He described this as journalism with the camera faced towards the journalist rather than the world. Goswami was the pioneer of this style, at least in India, and its best exponent.

His channel had a small viewership as all English channels do. And it was not particularly big commercially because newspapers still generate more money than news channels do. But it was influential because urban upper classes watched him.

It was because of this that the stories that Arnab spoke most passionately about, such as slogan-shouting in Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the murder of a socialite's daughter, could be totally irrelevant for most Indians. The issues of poverty, illiteracy and hunger did not make his show: his concerns were Pakistani terrorism and surgical strikes.

It is true that his unbalanced harangues damaged his country, but it is also true that he was very good at what he did.

So why did he quit? Perhaps he was disgusted by what he had done and wanted no more of it. It was reported that he wants to own a channel. If this is true I hope he recognises that the forum is important for a journalist. Many people who have been popular in one place have flopped in another. Glenn Beck was one of Fox News' biggest stars before he started his own venture, which is failing. Anyway, good luck to him and I hope he does reporting on the issues that actually affect Indians.

The second story was the government imposing a one-day ban on another news channel, NDTV India for reporting some information which the government said was sensitive and threatened national security. This was concerning an encounter which was being covered live by many channels. Reports suggest that the NDTV India coverage was not really as damaging as the government suggests. The Editors Guild of India put out a statement comparing the one-day ban to Indira Gandhi's Emergency in which media was heavily censored.

We do not yet know how damaging the coverage actually was and viewers know NDTV India to be usually a cautious and conservative channel. But I can say that television news coverage in general has become dangerous. It is reckless because the investment in terms of airtime is not on reporting but on commentary. And the comment begins as soon as a story breaks, meaning before the material has been fully examined and digested.

That is the nature of the TV medium and unfortunately things will not change. The third thing in the news was a report describing the way in which the Indian Readership Survey is being conducted. This is a huge exercise in which lakhs of people are polled on which newspapers and magazines they read. The survey has not been published in the last couple of years after there was a controversy over the numbers.

In a future where newspapers are gone, the public will have a severe lack of material to be properly informed

Many papers showed declining or flat readerships, which is of course a trend in the west where newspaper readership and revenues are falling rapidly. My guess is that the survey, if and when it comes out, is likely to show that the trend has also affected Indian publications. Magazines here are already facing severe pressure and newspapers will follow soon.

To me this is a great tragedy for this country. We have an environment where TV is not interested in serious journalism. And it is not equipped to do reportage as a newspaper is. Social media to me is not a substitute for what newspapers do. Full time reporters writing about beats with contacts and experience on the field cannot be replaced by millions of people sending out 140 character observations.

In a future where newspapers are gone, the public will have a severe lack of material to be properly informed. If the transition to a newspaper-less world happens soon, I worry that there will be no proper medium left to pick up the space papers are leaving behind.

We will be left in a world of journalism that is entirely populated by Arnab and anchors like him, competing on the basis of passion and anger, and by people who pull out their phone and tweet a comment without first hand information. It will be a frightening world.
London: Describing India as the UK's "most important and closest" friend and a leading power in the world, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that her visit to India will reaffirm the importance of bilateral strategic partnership.

In an article published in the 'Sunday Telegraph' as she left for India for her first bilateral visit outside the UK, she said plans to promote the best of Britain during her three-day trade mission to New Delhi and Bengaluru.

She writes: "One of our most important and closest friends has to be India  a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform.

"In other words, we are two countries with strong ties, a mature relationship and an opportunity to make that even deeper.

"That is why, today I will be travelling to India for my first bilateral visit outside Europe and first trade mission as Prime Minister, accompanied by a range of top British businesses, including some of our brightest small and medium enterprises.

"We will be promoting the best of Britain, sending out the message that we are open for business, and making the most of the opportunities offered by Brexit as the worlds foremost champion of free trade."

The British premier, who will hold her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, said she will be seeking concrete steps to move the partnership forward during the meeting.

"I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security.

"Building 100 new 'Smart Cities', encouraging firms to 'Make in India', getting the country online with 'Digital

India', delivering better healthcare, infrastructure, skills and finance  these form Prime Minister Modi's vision, and with our world-class architects, lawyers, financiers, engineers, medics, academics and tech experts, Britain is the ideal partner to help achieve that, creating jobs and growth in both our countries."

Dismissing any talk of a free trade agreement (FTA), she said that focussing on that is missing the point as while an FTA cannot be signed until the official Brexit process, engagement with countries outside the EU can be stepped up.

"There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU," she said.

"That's why we are working with the Indians to strengthen intellectual property rights, enable the UK's world-leading services sector to work in the India market, and offer support to Prime Minister Modi's aim to make India an easier place to do business," she said.

"It is why we are introducing new British businesses to the opportunities on offer. And alongside this, while we will maintain our support for an EU-India free trade agreement, we will continue our dialogue with India about a future bilateral trade arrangement between our two countries," she noted.

She said her visit to India is about "collaboration" and highlighting the opportunities for new ways in which we can collaborate in future.

"I want to encourage more Indian businesses to invest in Britain, I want to see more British firms doing business in India, and I want to work with Prime Minister Modi to deliver the ambitious visions we share for our countries. Free trade and increased cooperation will make us all more secure and more prosperous.Take advantage of the opportunities before us, and I truly believe that this can be the partnership of the century," she concluded.
India's Defence Ministry will agree on Monday to purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from Japanese manufacturer ShinMaywa Industries worth $1.5 billion-$1.6 billion, the Nikkei news paper reported on Sunday.

Japan and India have been holding talks on the purchase for more than two years. It would one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports and it reflects growing defence ties between the two countries.

India's Defence Ministry will approve the purchase of 12 US-2 aircraft at a Defense Acquisitions Council meeting scheduled for Monday, the Nikkei reported, citing senior ministry officials it did not name.

The deal will be included in a memorandum of understanding to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan from Thursday to Saturday, the Nikkei said, citing the officials.

During the visit, Abe will also urge Modi to expand its usage of Japan's high-speed train technology, the Nikkei reported.
Raipur: In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said a neighbouring country is trying to destabilise India by encouraging "cowardly" act of terrorism but our government will never let the nation to bow down its head before anyone.

"A neighbouring country of our again and again encourages terrorism and terrorist activities to harm India. Perhaps it was not able to understand the fact that terrorism is not a weapon of the brave but of cowards," Singh said at the concluding ceremony of Chhattisgarh Rajyotsav - the 16th foundation day celebrations at Naya Raipur.

Further referring to surgical strike by Army after the Uri attack, he said, "You have seen how they cowardly attacked our jawans but after that our jawans did a wonderful job. I want to assure that this government will never let India to bow its head before anyone".

Singh also said unable to stomach India's rapid growth, some countries are trying to destabilise the nation. "Today, India is progressing rapidly. It is the country which has highest economic growth rate in the world presently. Some countries (anti-India) are jealous of us and trying to destabilise (the country). They are trying to weaken India. But I assure you that under the leadership of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi no power could weaken India," he said.

Singh further re-affirmed his commitment to extend every possible support to Chhattisgarh in its fight against Naxalism. "Development is taking place rapidly in Chhattisgarh but the Maoist activities has been a matter of concern for all of us.

"The ruling BJP government in the state has accepted the challenge and it will definitely achieve success (in combat against Naxalism). Centre will provide all kind of support to the state in tackling the menace," he said.

Maoists never wanted roads to be built in the remote villages, good education for children, better communication system, good jobs for youth, the Minister said. "I have already said to Maoist to stop their activities for some time and then government will show them what is development and how it takes place."

"China was a huge supporter of Maoism but now there is no place for it (Maoism) in its their future. But here (in India) there are attempts going on to encourage Maoism," Singh said while warning Naxals, "You must leave it (Maoism) or you will have to". The Minister said India is poised to emerge as a global economic power and the efforts initiated by the Narendra Modi government will start bearing positive results in the days to come.

He, however said Centre not only wanted to make India a global economic power but also a 'Vishws Guru' (world-teacher). Singh praised Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for carrying out development oriented works in the state.

Meanwhile, 18 people and two organisations were also felicitated with state awards on the occasion for their contribution in different fields. Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the concluding ceremony.
Srinagar: On Sunday, the separatists in Kashmir called for a joint meeting of all stakeholders on Tuesday to chalk out the "future course of action" with regard to the ongoing unrest in the Valley, while rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that development was the key to a solution.

"There is an urge to take all the stakeholders into confidence for taking the ongoing movement forward. All the forums among whom traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members, religious, social and political organisations, bar association and people from other walks of life have been called on Tuesday, 8 November ... to jointly deliberate and discuss future course of action," the separatists said in a joint statement.

The decision to invite the stakeholders for consultations came after a meeting of the chairmen of both Hurriyat factions  Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq  and JKLF chief Yasin Malik at Geelani's residence at Hyderpora here.

The statement said the separatist leaders "unanimously rejected" the statement of the Prime Minister "wherein he has said that development is the corner stone of Kashmir solution."

"It was asserted that the struggle ... is not meant for any economic gains or packages but for the determination of future of millions of humans living in Jammu Kashmir," it said, adding "such manoeuvering has failed" earlier and would fail now as well.

The separatists also condemned the burning of educational institutions in the Valley, saying "this phenomenon is very grave" and alleged that these were intended "to defame the ongoing struggle."

Condemning the recent relaxation of the syllabus by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, the separatists termed it as "ridiculous" and said the move "will tell upon the educational standards and individual potential of the students."
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be the mascot of 'Incredible India' campaign with the Tourism Ministry finally deciding to do away with plans to rope in any Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, for the role which was lying vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year.

No Bollywood actor will be engaged for the campaign aimed at attracting foreign travellers and video footages of Modi during the last two-and-a-half years where he has talked about tourism in India and abroad, will be used for the campaign, a senior ministry official said. The ministry is planning to use  for video and audio release  two types of videos of different durations where Modi had talked about the uniqueness and diversity of the various places in the country, the official said.

At present, the ministry is "working on selecting the footages", the official said, adding that the campaign would be released in the next 40-45 days as the Indian 'tourism season' starts by November-end due to favourable weather as also the Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations.

The official said the process of selecting the agency, which will carry out the task of running the campaign, is also under the process.

Earlier, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had endorsed Modi's persona for the role, saying he is the "best face" to promote Incredible India campaign. He had asserted that the country has witnessed a jump in the tourists inflow from the countries the Prime Minister had visited.

He had said that the ministry need not have any Bollywood face for the campaign to attract tourists from overseas. "The perception about India has changed significantly in the last two years with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister," Sharma had said.

Supporting Sharma's remarks, a senior ministry official said tourist inflow from countries like the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Australia, the UK, Canada and Myanmar, among others, has witnessed a significant jump after Modi's visit to these nations.

Earlier names of megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Priyanka Chopra were doing rounds for the campaign aimed at promoting India as a favourite tourist destination abroad after actor Aamir Khan's ouster as the campaign's brand ambassador.

Though it was believed that Khan was eased out of the campaign in January after being associated with it for several years for his remarks on perceived intolerance, the Tourism Ministry had maintained that he was not hired by the government and that the contract with the advertising agency which engaged him had expired.
Another army soldier was killed in cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector taking the toll to 2 in Sunday's ceasefire violation in the area. Earlier in the morning another soldier was kiled after Pakistan Army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district on Sunday. Two more jawans have been injured as well.

Both the bids were foiled by the Army. "Two infiltration bids assisted by Pakistan ceasefire violation were foiled in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch", an Army officer said. "An army solider attained martyrdom in the operation. The soldier has been killed in cross border firing on the LoC in Poonch", a senior police officer said. The army also said that it caused heavy damage to Pakistani posts

across LoC in Poonch sector.

Gur Sevak Singh of 22 Sikh regiment was martyred in Pakistan firing today (Sunday)," defence sources told IANS here, adding that the ceasefire violation also continues in Balnoi area of the district.

According to NDTV, three civilian were also injured in the cross firing.

At least four places came under indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistan Army, which started at 8.40 am on Sunday, to target civil and defence facilities in the area, a police official said in Jammu.

"Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army in Poonch sector from 1015 hours using 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons", a defence spokesman said. He said the Indian Army effectively and appropriately retaliated the fire using same caliber weapons, shelling and firing exchanges is still on.

Sunday's violation on the border came after a lull of two days when an uneasy calm prevailed on the LoC and the International Border.

The violation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani side has become a rule rather than an exception after the Indian Army on 28 September night carried out surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Bhopal: A lawyer, who represented eight SIMI activists killed in an encounter on 31 October, on Sunday demanded a high court-monitored inquiry and termed as "mockery" the Madhya Pradesh government's order of judicial probe into the incident.

"It is baffling that the culprit of the encounter, which is the state government, has chosen its own investigator to probe its serious crime," said Parvez Alam, who represented the slain SIMI activists facing terror cases.

"This is a sheer mockery of democratic and judicial system. The state government, instead of requesting the MP High Court to order a judicial inquiry into the cold-blooded murder, has itself appointed an investigator, which is against the natural justice," Alam told PTI.

He said that the state government should have moved the MP High Court and waited for it to name a sitting or retired judge to investigate the fake encounter.

"We are going to petition the High Court for a judicial probe. We want the probe to be monitored by the High Court and it (probe panel) should have lawyers of both sides--the government and the deceased," he added.

Meanwhile, when asked if he had received any written communication from the government asking him to start judicial inquiry, the retired MP High Court judge S K Pandey said, "I don't have any information (yet)."

The MP Government announced judicial probe by Justice Pandey three days ago after the alleged encounter came under severe criticism. Home Minister Bhupendra Singh had till then maintained that no judicial probe into the encounter was necessary.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced a NIA probe into the jail-break during which the fleeing SIMI activists allegedly murdered a head warden.
Editor's note: Journalist and writer Ajaz Ashraf recently conducted an expansive and incisive interview of the ever-enthralling, sagacious purveyor of pipe-smoke-wreathed erudition, Asis Nandy, for Outlook Magazine. Firstpost asked Ashraf to carry out an intellectual examination of his session with the political psychologist  a writerly introspection of the setting, the tone, tenor and scholastic contents of the interview.

***

I climbed the two flights of stairs to political psychologist Prof Ashis Nandys apartment, set in a spiffy, leafy quarter of Delhi. Nervousness tinged my excitement at having to meet one who is inarguably one of Indias most formidable minds: his erudition is breath-taking, his memory razor-sharp, his insights profound, and his humour ironic. His formidable intellect had me conscious of my own limited reading, of not making a fool of myself by asking an inane question.

I was there to interview Nandy for Outlook magazine on the Future of India, a theme so wide in its sweep that it could include just about every facet of social life. Before I rang the doorbell, I checked the questions I had framed, based on his writings, some of which I had re-read over preceding two days.

In the living room, there are books all around, in racks obviously, but also piles of them on the dining table, on sofas and the centre-table. As I glanced around a tad stupefied, his wife, Uma, walked in and exclaimed: You have to see our bedroom  there are books all over the place.

I laughed and said, Well, I guess he has to keep reading and reading. To which, Uma Nandy added, And he keeps thinking, he is always thinking. He was up till 3 am. His mind is always ticking, even if it is about the shirt he has to wear.

I settled down in a sofa and she asked what my home state is. Bihar, I said. Umas face lit up: My son-in-law is from there. Biharis are such lovely people. Thats a compliment a Bihari rarely hears in Delhi.

In walked Ashis Nandy, freshly bathed, in a T-shirt, and squatted in the sofa next to me. He immediately picked up a smoking pipe and began cleaning it. Coffee or tea? To the shrug of my shoulder and a mumble, Whatever, he responded: Take tea, the leaves I have are special.

Batao? (Tell) Nandy said.

I unfolded the papers stapled together and read out my question, in the hope of striking the right tone for the interview: The opening lines of your book, Regimes of Narcissism, Regimes of Despair, are: These essays are about an India that is no longer the country on which I have written for something like four decades. Many things have changed drastically in recent years.... What do these changes presage for Indias future?

Nandy did not ponder over the question even for a second. It was as if he had already reflected over Indias future. He said, First of all, India no longer has a vision of its own. Its vision is the vision of many developing societies around the world. It is a homogenised, predictable future which has been sold to us as a universal cure for poverty, indignity and backwardness in general. In other words, our own futures have been stolen.

Our futures have been stolen because we have forfeited other possibilities of imagining our future. We have embraced what others too have  a universal model of development but for minor tinkering here and there. China may have an efficient work culture than, say, Indias, but the missions of both countries are essentially the same. It is same because their visions are same.

Doesnt this vision have a name?

In several of his essays, Nandy has described this universal dream as the urban-industrial vision. Unlike, for instance, the Gandhian vision of creating self-sufficient villages, the urban-industrial imagination conceives mammoth urban sprawls, large industrial units, mega dams, and teeming multitudes fashioned into a national and international market that is increasingly getting linked seamlessly. It is this vision every nation seeks to bring to reality in times to come. And because every nation dreams of the same future, their fate has to be more or less the same.

The endeavour to create a new future demands a price. It is the price we pay by dislocating individuals from their social-cultural milieu, by uprooting communities from where their forefathers have lived for centuries, at times even killing them in case they become impediments to the realisation of the urban-industrial vision. This bloody and unconscionable project is legitimized because its sponsor is the nation-state. The more efficient a nation-state, the more pain its urban-industrial project inflicts.

Take East Asian countries. As Nandy said, Our hero is (Singapores first prime minister) Lee Kuan Yew. Hes so popular that one is afraid of saying he was one of the last despots, the last votary of developmental authoritarianism. Take the East Asian Tigers. I have argued that they were not only tigers but also man-eaters. All of them had despotic regimes. If you want spectacular development, then be prepared for a high degree of authoritarianism.

From Nandys perspective, therefore, individuals  or their regimes  turn authoritarian because their urban-industrial vision requires them to become one. In India, the authoritarian tendency surfaced during Mrs. India Gandhis prime ministership. It has only become worse in recent times. How?

Nandy cited the response to the Dravidian movement leader and former chief minister, CN Annadurai, who wanted Tamil Nadu to secede from India. Nobody called him a traitor or attacked him in Parliament or organized countrywide protests. Not even the Jan Sangh (the BJPs earlier incarnation). They knew that when people are angry, in distress, they say things which must be ignored, he pointed out.

Nandy, obviously, is alluding to a rash of protests which has broken out against dissenters in recent times. From student protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University to stone-pelting Kashmiri boys, from those clamouring for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to activists agitating against the forcible eviction of people from their land, they are all dubbed anti-national, in the hope of frightening them into submission. It is impossible to have a contrarian vision without inviting a blowback.

Nationalism is the most deadly weapon in the arsenal of urban-industrial visionaries. It shut up dissenters or quarantines them socially. Nationalism demands its citizens to cultivate and nurture sameness in thoughts, habits, beliefs and feelings  they are those who call others anti-national. The urban-industrial vision has as its yoke the nation-state.

Talking of India, Nandy said, Mind you, this (urban-industrial vision) was not the creation of the Bharatiya Janata Party. India had already changed before it came to power? Perhaps the BJPs rise is a result of India having changed? He agreed, Thats right. They can deliver the urban-industrial vision more ruthlessly, or at least seem to do so.

The BJPs rise is particularly fortuitous for the urban-industrial vision. And that is because its ideology of Hindutva seeks to impose on the Hindus  Indias overwhelming majority  a homogenous religion, rooting out its rich diversities. Hindutva is a political imagining of Hinduism. This is useful for Hindutva because it endorses the European model of nationalism, typically defined as one country, one religion, and one language.

One religion demands a commonality of beliefs among its followers. It, therefore, seeks to cleanse contrarian ideas, conflicting beliefs and divergent practices from Hinduism. In this attempt to homogenize Hinduism, it doesnt care for the sacred.

In one of his essays, Nandy has written, Hindutva is an attack on Hinduism, that Hindutva is an ideology for those whose Hinduism has worn off, and that Hindutvas triumph will mark the end of Hinduism. Are we headed that way? I asked. Yes, the political psychologist replied. The Hinduism that we see around us today is not 2000 or 4000 years old. It is just 150 years old. It was born in urban India, under the new political economy that the British Raj introduced.

Could Nandy define the attributes of this 150-year-old Hinduism? He chuckled and said, Once you endorse nationalism, you dont even have to discuss it (religion). I think it was (Ernest) Gellner who said you dont have to read the texts of nationalism because all nationalisms are the same. Yes, including Hindu nationalism, about which the BJP waxes eloquent.

Hindu nationalism doesnt demand you to be a believer. It is, in fact, infinitely better that you are not, as you would not feel any compunction in using religion for politics, for the nation-state project, which has the urban-industrial vision driving it. Hindutvas foremost architect, Veer Savarkar, typified the unbelieving Hindu, for whom the cloak of modernity is easy to wear.

About Savarkar, Nandy said to me, He did not believe in anything (religious). He refused to give a Hindu funeral to his own wife and said that there was nothing sacred about the cow. He also made fun of (RSSs second sarsanghchalak) Golwalkars fondness for rituals. Savarkar is the real father of the emerging India. Gandhi (a believer) is now the stepfather.

With all the destabilising changes occurring in India, what would it be like in 2100? With the certitude of one who had seen and studied Indias past, Nandy, who will turn 80 next year, said, India will be more like an American slum to the nth degree, a poor mans America. Even to become that, we will have to pay a price in terms of shrinkage of our liberties.

In this quest to become a poor mans America, we could go the whole hog, banishing tribals to reserves, as Americans have indigenous Indians. Nandy thought India will go a step further: Actually, wherever they are not concentrated in numbers, as in Nagaland and Mizoram, we will just finish them off. One-third of all tribes in India are tribes only by name. They have been dispersed, atomised, and individualised. They have joined the proletariat.

Nandy paused, before adding, In fact, the programme of proletarianisation of tribals, directly or indirectly, is built into the manifesto of every party, including the Left. It is built into their manifestos because all parties have the same urban-industrial vision.

He clarified he did not think India could return to a pastoral way of life. But the limits of the urban-industrial vision have been crossed When the crunch comes, you will have to impose limits on using the resources of the Earth for the survival of at least your children and grandchildren, even if you are not thinking of the future.

To illustrate what he meant by using resources without limits, Nandy said, Once I tried to count the number of shades of lipstick available. I stopped after counting till 1,200; I just couldnt handle it. I dont think our retina is capable of even registering 1,200 shades. Yet we continue to produce more shades.

But who is to wage the battle against mindless consumption, in itself an outcome of the urban-industrial vision? Nandy replied, A catastrophe will produce not Gandhi, but hundreds of variations of him. Then only can it become a mass movement. You will not have to wait till 2100. It will come earlier. This is because we have entered the last cycle of climate change.

Could such an India be happy in 2050? (Happiness is the title of one of Nandys essays.) It will be demanded of them to not be unhappy, he said, his eyes twinkling. There will be a public demand to be happy. So if you are unhappy, you become a traitoror a class enemy, as it happened in the Soviet Union. Unhappy people there were sent to psychiatrists.

We arent headed that way, are we? Nandy said, I am afraid there are efforts to push India in that direction. You can just hope that then there would enough psychiatrists around to cope with the demand of Indians desperately wanting to not be unhappy.

Perhaps, even today, we subconsciously feel the pressure of appearing happy to ourselves. That is why we prefer to cite statistics to convince ourselves about the economic progress we have registered, shying away from asking that meaningful question: Has Indias rise led to rise in the happiness of its people? If not, then what is this economic progress all about?

Ajaz Ashraf is a journalist in Delhi. His novel, The Hour Before Dawn, has as its backdrop the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
New Delhi: The elevation of Rahul Gandhi is likely to be delayed as the Congress top brass is expected to further defer the process of organisational polls, which had been postponed earlier by a year till this December-end.

A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the top decision-making body of the party, is unlikely to take a decision on the elevation of Rahul Gandhi, with a section within the party feeling that this should be done after the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Party sources say the organisational elections are to be deferred by more than a year as there is very little time to hold the polls and the party has to focus on the upcoming assembly elections due early next year.

Many in the party are, however, divided on the timing of Rahuls elevation and want it to be deferred till the upcoming assembly polls. Some party leaders, however, also feel that in view of the current situation Sonia Gandhi should continue to steer the party and not take a back seat.

The current political situation is expected to be discussed at the CWC, including the one-day ban on NDTV which has created uproar in the opposition as also in the media.

The meeting is significant as the Winter Session of Parliament is starting from November 16 and the Congress will finalise its strategy for the session at this meeting.

The Congress is seeking to corner the government on several issues including on the issue of freedom of speech and expression in the wake of the NDTV day-long ban.

The organisational elections in Congress are overdue and the party had sought time from the Election Commission to complete the process by 31 December. The party had informed the poll panel about it as required under the rules.

Besides the organisational polls and the strategy to be adopted for Parliament session, the meeting would also take stock of the current political situation and discuss its plans for assembly elections to some states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab due next year, party sources said.

Among several political issues that the government seeks to raise during the Session in order to corner the BJP include making political gains out of the surgical strikes, killing of eight Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists in an "encounter" in Madhya Pradesh and contentious issues like the triple talaq and uniform civil code being raked up.

The CWC meeting comes at a time when many feel Congress President Sonia Gandhi should hand over the mantle to her son as she is suffering from ill health, especially after her roadshow in PM Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi on 2 August when she was hospitalised.
Mumbai: Taking their agitation to the state capital, the Maratha community on Sunday held a "warm up" bike rally protest in the city to press for their various demands, ahead of their December morcha planned in Nagpur during the winter session of the state Legislature.

Rajan Ghag, one of the event organisers, claimed that over 50,000 bikes participated in the rally, which commenced from KJ Somaiya ground in Sion at 10 am and culminated near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station after passing through Matunga, Dadar, Parel, Lalbaug and Byculla areas.

Maratha reservation row: Maratha organisation holds a bike rally in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/9BOLsegzA6  ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016

"More than 50,000 bikes participated in our rally which would have made it amply clear to the government that the community is in no mood to rest till all their demands are met by the government," Ghag told PTI.

He said this was a "warm up" rally to convey to the government that it would have to face the biggest show of strength when the winter session of the state Legislature will be held next month in Nagpur.

"There will be a maha morcha held in Mumbai if the government fails to agree to our demands in the Legislature session where people from the farthest of zillas will participate," he said.

"In today's janjagruti rally, we had formulated a code of conduct for each participant, who had to follow them very strictly. Among the rules set were that every rider wears a helmet and the pillion rider had to wear a turban. Also, all were instructed to strictly refrain from honking and not to jump signals," he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe said the rally was held peacefully and that all rules and regulations were followed.

The Maratha community, which is a dominant force in Maharashtra politics, has been taking out silent marches in various towns of the state since last few months, following the rape and murder of a girl at Kopardi in Ahmednagar district in July.

The community leaders have been pressing for scrapping of the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, saying it is grossly misused, and have also raised other demands like quota in education and jobs.
Bhubaneswar: BJP on Sunday alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was trying to shield BJD MLA Prashant Jagdev accused of assaulting a woman officer on duty in Odisha's Khurda district and demanded that the legislator be immediately arrested.

"The behaviour of Jagdev as a representative of people is not acceptable. Having assaulted a woman Tehsildar recently, the BJD MLA must be arrested forthwith," BJP's Odisha unit president Basant Panda said.

Accusing the chief minister and state Revenue Minister Bijayshree Routray of trying to help Jagdev go scot-free, Panda said it was unfortunate on the part of the Revenue Minister to reportedly give a clean-chit to the MLA while police investigation into the case is in progress.

Though Patnaik has all along been maintaining that the law takes its own course in every case, it does not happen in reality, the BJP leader said, adding that because of this the chief minister is often referred to as "merchant of reality."

Panda alleged that the BJD MLA was alegedly involved in attack on police and servitors during Lord Jagannath's Navbakalebar festival last year, misbehaving with a lady teacher at Begunia, attack on businessmen near his residence in Bhubaneswar and abusing a minister.

The police had on 3 November registred a case against MLA Jagdev for allegedly assaulting the woman officer on duty in Khurda district.

Khurda SP Manoranjan Mohanty had earlier said the woman tehsildar Niharika Nayak in her FIR alleged that she was hurt when the MLA hurled an object at her during an altercation over an eviction drive at Ekadalia village.

Nayak had filed the FIR against the MLA before the Khurda SP on Wednesday evening.
Chandigarh: Gearing up for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab, BJP has planned a rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December, besides a program where party chief Amit Shah will address booth-level workers in the state.

With Congress and AAP accusing the SAD-BJP government of having failed on all fronts, BJP has decided to contest the polls on the plank of development work carried out by the current regime in last 10 years, while highlighting the "failures" of the opposition parties.

"We have planned a big rally in the middle of December which will be addressed by PM Narendra Modi," said Punjab BJP President Vijay Sampla. The venue for the rally has not been finalised yet.

The saffron party has also planned to hold a 'booth sammelan' which will be addressed by party's chief Amit Shah.

"A booth sammelan will be held in which Amit Shah will be present. The date is yet to be finalised for this event,"

Sampla told PTI.

In this sammelan, the BJP chief will address booth-level workers of 23 assembly constituencies in which there are 4,000 booths, he said.

Additionally, BJP has also planned to hold four more rallies which will witness participation of various union ministers and senior leaders of the party.

Plans are afoot to invite Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, and other senior leaders to participate in the proposed rallies.

The four big rallies will be organised for Scheduled Castes (SC), farmers, women and youth at Jalandhar, Fazilka Patiala and Amritsar respectively.

"Developmental works carried out by the Akali-BJP regime during the last 10 years and the progress made under Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre will be our agenda for the upcoming state polls," said Sampla who is also a union minister.

The party, which is appointing new office bearers at various positions in the state, will also highlight the "failures" of both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to counter their onslaught against SAD-BJP.

"We shall also bring the failure of opposition parties to the notice of voters," said Sampla, expressing confidence that the Akali-BJP combine would return to power for the third consecutive time in Punjab.

The Congress is busy fighting factionalism and AAP's graph is on the decline due to its own shortcomings, he alleged.
London: Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday called on British MPs to accept people's verdict favouring UK's exit from the EU and work on delivering Brexit, days after a high court ruled that a parliamentary approval is mandatory to trigger the proceedings.

In a statement issued before she left for her India visit, May said "while others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.

"It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," she said.

Her comments came three days after the London High Court ruled that Prime Minister May did not have the right to use her executive power to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty.

May, however, said she is confident of winning an appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court ruling.

The government appeal against the High Court verdict is expected to be considered by the Supreme Court early next month.

May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March, 2017.

"We need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country," she said.

"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table  that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain," she added.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not seek to reverse the referendum result.

But, he told the Sunday Mirror that he would vote against Article 50 unless May agreed to press for continued access to the European single market and guarantee EU workplace rights after Brexit.

"We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe," he said.
By Ahmed Rasheed and Rodi Said

| BAGHDAD/AIN ISSA, Syria

BAGHDAD/AIN ISSA, Syria Islamic State fighters targeted Iraqi troops with car bombs and ambushes in Mosul, stalling an army advance in their north Iraq stronghold, but faced attack on a new front on Sunday when U.S.-backed rebels launched a campaign for the Syrian city of Raqqa.The jihadists have lost control of seven eastern districts of Mosul to Iraqi special forces who broke through their lines last Monday. Officials say the militants are now sheltering among civilians in those neighbourhoods and targeting soldiers in what one called the world's "toughest urban warfare".Mosul, the largest Islamic State-controlled city in either Iraq or Syria, has been held by the jihadist fighters since they drove the army out of northern Iraq in June 2014.The three-week Mosul campaign has brought together a force of around 100,000 soldiers, security forces, Shi'ite militias and Kurdish fighters, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, to crush the Sunni jihadists.Across the border, U.S.-backed Syrian fighters announced on Sunday the start of their own campaign, called Euphrates Anger, to recapture Islamic State's Syrian bastion of Raqqa. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab armed groups which has seized large swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border from Islamic State and pushed to within 30 km (20 miles) of Raqqa.But the prominence within SDF ranks of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, has raised questions over its suitability as a force to capture the predominantly Arab city.Turkey, which has battled Kurdish separatists for three decades, regards the YPG as anathema and Western officials have said the Raqqa operation should be fought mainly by Arab forces.Washington says the battle for Raqqa will "overlap" with the assault on Mosul, in part because of concerns that any delay would allow Islamic State to use it as a base to launch attacks on targets abroad.France also wants a coordinated campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "Mosul-Raqqa can't be disassociated because Islamic State and the territories it occupies span that area," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.TWIN OFFENSIVES

Twin offensives on Raqqa and Mosul could bring to an end the self-styled caliphate declared by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014.

Baghdadi, however, has told his followers there can be no retreat in a "total war" with their enemies, and the militants in Mosul have been waging a fierce and brutal defence.They have deployed waves of suicide car bombs, as well as mortar attacks, roadside bombs and sniper fire against the advancing troops, and officers say they have also left behind fighters among residents of districts taken over by the army."That's why we are carrying out the toughest urban warfare that any force in the world could undertake," said Sabah al-Numani, spokesman for Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS)."Sometimes they climb to the rooftops of houses where civilians are still living and they hold them hostage and open fire on our forces, because they know we will not use air strikes against targets that have civilians."Militants also targeted the troops with car bombs, sometimes waving white flags as they approached, he said.Major General Maan al-Sadi, a CTS commander, told state television Islamic State fighters had launched more than 100 car bombs against his forces in the east, which is just one of several fronts in the Mosul offensive.A top Kurdish security official said Islamic State had also deployed drones strapped with explosives, and long-range artillery shells filled with chlorine and mustard gas.

It could resort to even more devastating weapons including a network of booby traps that can blow up whole neighbourhoods, Masrour Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Security Council, told Reuters.FORCES SURROUNDED

Late on Friday, a CTS unit came under attack from the rear after advancing into east Mosul, said a colonel in the Ninth Armoured Division which is also taking part in operations there.Islamic State militants emerged from houses behind them and isolated the convoy, preventing reinforcements from reaching them. Surrounded and low on ammunition, they had to shelter in houses before they finally got out on Saturday.The Islamic State news agency Amaq released footage on Sunday of captured or destroyed military vehicles, including the burnt wreckage of a Humvee it said was taken in the eastern district of Aden. Fighters shouted "Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)" and unloaded ammunition and communications equipment.Amaq also said Islamic State was behind two bomb attacks on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra, cities to the south of Mosul, which killed 21 people. Officials said the attacks, carried out by suicide bombers driving ambulances packed with explosives, targeted a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims.

While the army and special forces have been pushing into Mosul from the east, Kurdish peshmerga fighters are holding territory to the northeast, and mainly Shi'ite militias have sought to seal off the desert routes to Syria to the west.Security forces have also advanced from the south, entering the last town before Mosul on Saturday and reaching within 4 km (2.5 miles) of Mosul airport on the city's southwest edge, a senior commander said.The United Nations has warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees from a city which is still home to up to 1.5 million people. So far 34,000 have been displaced, the International Organization for Migration said.Many of those still in Mosul feel trapped, including those in districts which the army says it has entered. "We still can't go out of our houses.... mortars are falling continuously on the quarter," a resident of the Quds neighbourhood on the eastern edge of the city told Reuters by telephone.Although there was no fighting in his own district, for the first time in five days, he said he could hear clashes in the two neighbourhoods immediately to the north and south.In the northern Malayeen district a witness said Islamic State fighters had set fire to a collection of mobile homes, once used by Iraqi security forces, apparently to create a smokescreen against air strikes."I can see flames rising up, near the main street," he said. "Daesh (Islamic State) don't let the fire engines get to the fire to extinguish it".Several witnesses, on both sides of the Tigris River which splits Mosul's eastern and western halves, said they heard bursts of celebratory gunfire after the militants claimed falsely they had made sweeping counter-attacks against the army."We heard a voice from the mosque - outside prayer time - of a man shouting: 'Allahu Akbar...brave soldiers of the caliphate have regained control of Bartella and Qayyara," said one resident, referring to two forward bases used by Iraqi forces."We know they are lying," he said. "The truth is hidden from no one." (Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Mosul: Iraq's special forces struggled on Sunday to clear areas retaken from the Islamic State group along Mosul's eastern edge, where the extremists have built up fortifications and ramparts in residential neighborhoods.

The slowdown highlights the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more populated areas deeper in the city  where the civilian presence means they won't be able to rely as much on airstrikes.

"There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them," said Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Timimi. "This is one of the hardest battles that we've faced till now."

Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requests for US-led coalition air strikes. Iraq's special forces are some of the country's best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.

Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have only advanced just over a kilometer (mile) into the city. On the city's southern front Iraqi forces are still some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city center.

The extremists captured the city in 2014, and have had plenty of time to erect fortifications. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighborhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze, and concrete blast walls have blocked off access to other areas.

"Daesh dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs," said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

IS fought back Saturday, pushing the special forces from the southern edge of the Gogjali neighborhood, where the troops had made their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts.

Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers dueled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two stories high.
WASHINGTON Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence on Sunday pledged Donald Trump's campaign would accept a "clear outcome" to the U.S. presidential election but said both campaigns reserved legal options if there was a disputed result."The campaign has made it very clear that a clear outcome, obviously, both sides will accept. But I think both campaigns have also been very clear that in the event of disputed results, they reserve all rights and remedies," Pence said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday."

(Reporting By Caren Bohan; Editing by Bill Trott)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Twin Falls County

FELONY SENTENCINGS

Randy Lesa Morales, 61, Twin Falls; destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, $245.50 costs, $100 DNA, $60 workmans comp. program fee, five years penitentiary, two determinate, three indeterminate, sentence suspended.

Jason Earl Colter, 43, Bellevue; burglary, $245.50 costs, six years penitentiary, three determinate, three years indeterminate, one day credited, sentence suspended, sentence to run concurrent to Gooding and Twin Falls cases still pending, 30 months supervised probation.

Isela Barrios Okelberry, 44, El Paso; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, $100 DNA, $500 public defender, $596.85 restitution, $60 workmans comp. program fee, four years penitentiary, two determinate, two indeterminate, 32 days credited, three years supervised probation.

John Dale Jones Jr., 37, Twin Falls; assault or battery upon certain personnel, $245.50 costs, five years penitentiary, three determinate, two indeterminate, 95 days credited, sentence to run consecutively to 2014 case.

Judy Anne Mendoza, AKA Judy Ann, 64, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $285.50 costs, five years penitentiary, two determinate, three indeterminate, 29 days credited, sentence to run consecutively to 2009 case.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE SENTENCINGS

Jamie Lynn Elwin, 32, Twin Falls; DUI, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 176 suspended, two days credited, 16 hours work detail, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, intensive outpatient treatment.

Kenneth Charles Morris, 53, Twin Falls; DUI, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 credited, 180 days jail, 170 suspended, two days credited, 64 hours work detail, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, attend alcohol rehabilitation.

Jaime Antonio Jimenez-Galicia, 28, Shoshone; DUI, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 176 suspended, 10 days credited, 24 hours work detail, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, drug and alcohol counseling.

Christopher Adair Marsh, 40, Twin Falls; DUI, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, one day credited, four days work detail, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, complete connect program.

Edgar Renteria-Gonzalez, 25, Twin Falls; DUI second offense, $1,000 fine, $500 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 170 suspended, one day credited, 12 months supervised probation, drivers license suspension, 12 months supervised probation. Open or unsealed container of wine in motor vehicle charge dismissed.

Valeriy A. Petrosyan, 64, Twin Falls; DUI, $1,000 fine, $600 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, credit for time served, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation.

Kenneth Roy Eggleston, 51, Kimberly; DUI excessive, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 365 days jail, 360 suspended, three days credited, guilty withheld judgment, 365 restricted drivers license, 24 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school.

Jeremiah Lee Short, 34, Twin Falls; DUI second offense, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 365 days jail, 360 days suspended, two days credited, 365 days restricted drivers license, 24 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school.

Kammi Ray Gearheart, 39, Kimberly; DUI second offense, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, one day credited, 365 days restricted drivers license, 24 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Consume or possess open container of alcohol by driver charge dismissed.

DIVORCE CIVIL PROCEEDINGS

Pam Revious v. Jason Revious

Pedro Silvaz v. Ruth Silvaz

Cole Howard v. Shay Howard

Genesis Lopez-Rojas v. Mario Arevalo-Jaramillo

Erin Larson v. Skyler Larson

Gracie Salsgiver v. Gary Salsgiver

Brandie Greco v. Waylon Greco

Brook Bland v. Austin Bland
TWIN FALLS  Its only November, but Andrea Jensen is 100 percent sure she wants to attend University of Idaho next year.

The 17-year-old filled out an online application Tuesday during Idahos College Application Week, part of a nationwide program.

Andrea, a Twin Falls High School senior, said it was helpful having time during her government class to work on college applications.

Its like 100 pounds off my shoulder, she said. Theres so much going on during senior year.

Last week, 94 Idaho high schools  including many across the Magic Valley  participated in College Application Week.

School officials say more high school seniors this year are thinking about college earlier and have solid plans.

They have more of an idea now  and a decision  of where they want to go, said Christi Benson, a school counselor at Twin Falls High School.

But many are waiting for financial aid packages this spring before making a final decision, she said.

One reason students may be more prepared: Its the second year of a direct admissions initiative. The Idaho Board of Education came up with the idea as a way to boost college-going rates.

This fall, it sent pre-admission letters to 20,000 public high school seniors letting them know which Idaho colleges and universities they qualify for. Its based on college entrance exam scores and grade point average.

It takes the mystery out of the college application process, board spokesman Blake Youde said. In the past, students applied for colleges, crossed their fingers and hoped they got in.

Now, once students are pre-accepted, they just have to fill out an application form. And their application fee is applied toward their tuition.

Direct admissions is helpful because students find out which schools theyre qualified to attend, Benson said. Its kind of exciting to students to see that.

Getting a pre-admission letter helps create excitement among students and they want to explore their options, said Wendell High School counselor Geianne Choate. The fact that they got the letter, it gets them started thinking earlier.

At Wendell High, 57 of 68 seniors applied to at least one college during College Application Week. And on average, students applied to three.

The Idaho Board of Educations Complete College Idaho plan aims for 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds to have a post-secondary degree or certificate by 2020.

But the college go-on rate is dropping, from 52 percent of graduating high schoolers in 2014 to 46 percent last year.

And its a bit too early to tell if the direct admissions initiative is helping. The state board will hear a report in December.

Anecdotally, though, Idahos colleges and universities have seen a 5 percent boost this fall in the number of first-time resident freshmen, Youde said.

Across the Magic Valley last week, employees from the College of Southern Idaho helped students with college applications.

And some Idaho colleges and universities waived application fees.

Throughout the day Tuesday at Twin Falls High School, 244 seniors worked on college applications.

Some students are looking into joining the U.S. armed forces after high school, Benson said, so they looked into or finished that process.

Students who already finished college applications used the time to apply for scholarships.

Once students finished an application, school counselors took their picture in a front of a College Application Week banner.

Students also had a chance to win college swag such as bumper stickers, t-shirts and lanyards. And the school gave away an iPad mini and a pair of tickets to a Utah Jazz game.

So where are students applying? Many are interested in CSI or another in-state school, Benson said.

But some are broadening their horizons to look at out-of-state universities.

Kelsi Cox, 18, was working on applications Tuesday for Idaho State University and Boise State University. She wants to become a teacher.

She has already applied to a few out-of-state universities, too, including Southern Oregon University and James Madison University in Virginia.

Kelsi grew up in North Carolina and has been in Idaho for six years, but is considering whether to move closer to her hometown for college.

Shes still considering Idaho schools, though. Its pretty cool because there are great scholarship opportunities in Idaho, she said.

Classmate Kristina Doerr, 17, was working on an application to the University of Hawaii-West Oahu. She was considering studying marine biology, but has shifted her focus toward nutrition.

Going to school in Hawaii is her top choice, and shes also interested in San Diego. But she hasnt completely ruled out Idaho schools.

Definitely, if I need any to fall back on, Ill apply to a few, she said.

Andrea, who plans to study elementary education, said she likes University of Idaho because its a big school, but not too overwhelming. Shes also attracted to the universitys Greek system.

I like the atmosphere at UI, she said, adding the campus is gorgeous with trees and mountain views. And she likes the universitys College of Education facilities.

UI was listed in Andreas pre-admissions letter from the state. But even if it wasnt, she still planned to apply.

She said the letter made her feel comfortable and she likes having other options if her first choice doesnt work out.

At Kimberly High School, students have a better idea than past years of which schools they want to apply to, counselor Debbie Klug said.

The direct admissions initiative played a role, she said. Kimberly High also did a college search activity with high school seniors in September.

During College Application Week, some students talked about their direct admissions letter and which schools theyd been pre-accepted to, Klug said.

But it also brought up some confusion.

I think the kids did have some questions about their letters, Klug said.

For example, students were wondering about application fees and how theyd be applied back toward their tuition.

The main change this year: Students received two letters from the Idaho Board of Education instead of one.

Process wise, we learned quite a bit from last year, Youde said. Were hearing, anecdotally, thats helpful.

Last year, high school seniors didnt receive their pre-acceptance letter until early November. This year, they got letters in September and October.

Sending out multiple letters to students and their parents was effective, Youde said.

The Idaho Board of Education heard from parents whose teenagers didnt receive a letter because of an address error or mail delivery issue, for example.

Youde said, that tells us already theres a higher level of awareness about it overall.
Special To The Washington Post.

Its hard to recall another time as uncertain as this.

Americans are worried that they are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, that they wont have enough money to retire or pay medical bills, that jobs are becoming less secure, and that the next generation will be worse off financially than their parents. And they are downright frightened by the election.

About the only thing partisans agree on is that a victory for the other side would be a catastrophe. There has been talk of insurrection, national collapse, even nuclear war. Unsurprisingly, The Washington Post tracking poll finds 61 percent of likely voters worry about Donald Trump becoming president and 56 percent are anxious about the possibility of a President Hillary Clinton. The American Psychological Association reports that 52 percent of American adults are experiencing election-related stress. Ive been in private practice for 30 years, and I have never seen patients have such strong reactions to an election, clinical social worker Sue Elias told the New York Times.

But heres a consoling thought: Weve felt this way before. Many times.

The Age of Uncertainty was a best-selling book and TV series by John Kenneth Galbraith in 1977. The Age of Anxiety was W.H. Audens famous book-length poem, written 30 years before that. The Greek historian Polybius lamented that there was more change and uncertainty in his time than ever before  his time being more than a century before Jesus was born.

Look at the records from almost any year, and you will find the perception that that moment was unusually uncertain, perhaps more so than ever. Thats not because uncertainty constantly ratchets up. Its because people routinely fall victim to what we call the uncertainty illusion.

In the present, looking toward the future, we sense, correctly, that we are living amid profound uncertainty. There is always so much we dont know about whats coming and so much that could go wrong. Thats unsettling, to such an extent that people sometimes express relief when a bad possibility  you may have cancer  is confirmed. To try to get a handle on how worried we should be, we tend to compare the present with the past. And when we look back, we tend to see much less uncertainty  not because there necessarily was less, but because hindsight bias drains the appearance of uncertainty.

If you were asked today how likely it is that Clinton will win the election, you might guess theres a 70 percent chance. Months later, asked to recall your forecast, you probably would misremember  in a predictable direction. If Clinton won, youd recall that you thought it more likely that she would. If Trump prevailed, youd recall guessing that Clintons chances were slimmer.

Hindsight bias makes the past look more predictable. Of course President Obama beat Mitt Romney in 2012. Of course the Arab Spring swept the Middle East in 2011. Of course the housing bubble burst, the invasion of Iraq was a fiasco and the Y2K bug fizzled.

Even historys biggest shocks look obvious after the fact. In 1988, one of us (Tetlock) asked experts to forecast how likely it was that the Soviet Communist Party would lose power within the next five years. In 1991, that happened. It was an immense surprise to everyone. A year later, Tetlock asked the experts to recall how likely they thought it was before it happened. Their answers were riddled with hindsight bias. In memory, they knew it all along.

Because its difficult to fully appreciate the uncertainty of the past, it becomes easy to conclude that the present is unusually uncertain, even uniquely so.

But dig into the archives, and you can find evidence of the uncertainty illusion in some surprising times and places. Consider 1958, the middle of the Eisenhower era, remembered today as a particularly quiet year in a prosperous and placid time. And yet, as the second season of Leave It to Beaver aired on the nations black-and-white televisions, Newsweek published a cover story about nostalgia for 30 years earlier. In 1958, with its anxieties and uncertainties, the 20s have suddenly become a Golden Era, not only to the oldsters who lived through it but to the youngsters who can only guess what it was like, the editors wrote.

If the uncertainty illusion inspired only nostalgia for old jazz, it wouldnt be worth discussing. But an exaggerated perception of uncertainty can make people less willing to take risks or make ambitious plans. It can persuade businesses to sit on cash rather than invest, hire and expand. Collectively, such conservatism can be a drag on economic growth, making us all poorer.

The uncertainty illusion can also heighten intergenerational misunderstanding. Mine was a world that still seemed anchored in a reassuring permanence, First Things editor R.R. Reno wrote of his experience as a young baby boomer. Young people today experience the opposite. Impermanence is everywhere. Similarly, a recent New York Times story noted that millennials think they face greater challenges than boomers did, because, to give one example, climate change represents an unprecedented ... threat to the entire planet. Theres no recognition that boomers came of age with the twin planetary threats of nuclear war and mass starvation.

But perhaps the worst damage the uncertainty illusion can do is to boost reactionary politics. The core propaganda of every European far-right party promotes fear of present threats and contrasts them with an imagined golden age in the past free of such terrors. Thats central to Trumps pitch, too. He doesnt want to make America great. He wants to make it great again.

Trump never specifies when he thinks America was great or when America lost its greatness. But a Pew survey conducted in August found that 81 percent of Trump supporters believed life was better for people like them 50 years ago. (Nineteen percent of Clinton supporters agreed.) Of course, some things for some groups are indeed worse today. It is harder for an unskilled worker to get a highly paid job in manufacturing. Still, on balance, 2016 beats 1966 hands down. Life expectancy is higher today, as are household incomes, even for those at the bottom of the ladder. In fact, by these and other basic measures  from share of income spent on necessities to air quality and education  the great majority of Americans are clearly better off today than 50 years ago.

To be sure, uncertainty does vary, so a given moment may, objectively, be more uncertain than one in the past. But if we are not to fall victim to the uncertainty illusion, gut-level feelings are no way to judge. A rigorous exploration of evidence is essential. So is a willingness to accept that even strong perceptions and feelings may be dead wrong.

Psychologists know that this is asking a lot of anyone. One solution is sweetly old-fashioned: Keep a diary. By writing down your thoughts and feelings daily, you create an immutable record that may be consulted years or decades later. People who have done this are routinely surprised by the gaps between what they remember feeling and what they wrote at the time. Maybe you really did think the Y2K bug was no big deal in 1999. Or maybe youve forgotten stocking up on canned food and ammunition. Yes, memory is that fallible. But diaries dont forget.

Neither do archives. The 1990s are collectively remembered today as a decade of giddy optimism, in marked contrast to the present. That may seem so obvious that its not necessary to do any verification. And yet, in March 1995, 58 percent of Americans said they expected the future to be worse for the next generation; only 16 percent said it would be better. When the same question was asked this August, 49 percent of voters said the future would be worse; 24 percent said it would be better. The past is a foreign country, the British novelist L.P. Hartley wrote. Dont assume you understand it, even if you once lived there.

As valuable as facts and figures are, understanding the past requires more. It takes imagination and empathy.

Cant you feel the fears Im feelin today, wailed Barry McGuire in the classic protest song Eve of Destruction. His fears then are not our fears today, but if we listen with an open mind, we can feel them. If the button is pushed, theres no runnin away / Therell be no one to save with the world in a grave. Thats frightening. And a lot of people felt as McGuire did. Eve of Destruction was a big hit in 1965  a time that so many Americans think was better than today.

As we peer into an uncertain future, we may realize that the uncertainty of the past is not so different from our own.
Barack Obama enters the twilight of his presidency as a popular and respected figure, in no small part because he has run an honest and ethical administration.

Polls show Obama earning approval ratings topping 50 percent despite deep divisions over his policies. Thats higher than most postwar second-term presidents nearing the end of their time in office. Personal probity has to be a big part of the explanation.

From the outset of his presidency, with the appointment a White House ethics czar, avoiding ethics and influence-buying problems in his administration has been a top priority for President Obama, says Fred Wertheimer, who runs the reform group Democracy 21 and for years has been a frequent scold of Washington politicians. He has done a remarkable job of achieving that goal.

Conservative activists in the House, along with some commentators and representatives of hostile interest groups, refuse to accept this. They have constantly searched for scandals to taint Obama. For awhile, the favorite involved a 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed. Republicans claimed there was a cover-up to protect Obamas re-election campaign, but multiple congressional investigations fizzled.

Scandalmongers still strain to link Obama to the mishandling by the Internal Revenue Service of applications for tax exemptions by conservative political-action groups. Nonpartisan and journalistic inquiries concluded that bureaucratic bungling and poor communication produced delays in processing a surge of applications from tea party groups starting in 2010, but found no evidence of White House political involvement. A two-year federal investigation ended with no charges.

By contrast, other recent presidents have endured genuine scandals. Under President Bill Clinton, there were unseemly fund-raising activities, some indictments and the indefensible pardon of the tax fugitive (and Clinton donor) Marc Rich. And of course there was the impeachment trial related to Clintons White House sexual encounters with an intern, Monica Lewinsky.

President George W. Bush endured scandals involving the Iraq war and battle against terrorism. Misleading claims about Iraqi weapons programs were made to gain support for the 2003 invasion. It was followed by a bungled reconstruction effort that squandered billions of dollars and led to a disastrous sectarian war. Torture at the Abu Ghraib prison and waterboarding of terror suspects probably violated international law. Bushs jarring praise in 2005 for an administrator who helped preside over an incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana  remember Brownie, youre doing a heck of a job?  dogs both men to this day.

Obama has had serious policy setbacks, including problems with his signature health-insurance overhaul and the chaotic aftermath of U.S. intervention in Libya. History will judge them in time. Yet his reputation for high character is secure.

In this, he has another advantage. The contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton produces instant nostalgia.
Election Day falls just a few days before Veterans Day this year. Call us sentimental or romantic, but perhaps thats just a tad poetic in an election season thats brought out some of the worst about our nation and threatened to rattle our democracy.

More than 1.1 million Americans have died in wars since our countrys founding. And all of them shed blood serving in defense of the most important liberty we so often take for granted. In the past decade, an average of fewer than 2 in 5 eligible voters have cast a ballot in a presidential election year.

Voting this Tuesday is a way to honor those Americans and all the others whove served in defense of our ideals. Voting isnt just a privilege, its a responsibility, to all Americans, living and dead.

Our democratic republic was designed to give voice to the masses, the people, and not a king or a ruling class or a religion. Our government has changed since the founding to expand that ideal to give voice to women, blacks and others. We know the best government is borne from the will of the people. All the people.

You have a voice. You have control. You determine the future of our nation, states and counties. Thats not just rhetoric; its an ideal as real and tangible as the air we breathe and the ground we walk.

Dont believe the cynics who say the system is rigged. Dont believe that your vote doesnt count. Dont believe it doesnt matter who is in office. Its convenient to fall into those traps. Apathy is easy. Democracy takes will.

We hope youll exercise your power on Tuesday.

No doubt many of us are disgusted with candidates at the national level, and that may lead many to stay home.

But dont forget some of the most important races are for political leaders right here in the Magic Valley. Your county commission and state legislative candidates are your neighbors. They are your most direct voice for influencing the future of our local communities  and their decisions could likely have much more impact on your daily life than whoever wins the presidency.

Seize the moment. Have your say. Do your duty. Vote on Tuesday.
What does it say about Kathleen Eders and her surrogates characters when they continue to misrepresent Steve Millers record on public lands? The truth about Steve Millers stands on Idahos public lands is not part of Eders plan. She continues to distort, lie and defame Rep. Steve Millers record.

I wonder if Eders dad would be proud of her campaign. Eders father ran for office and lost but said that hed never had more fun. Is Eder having fun or is she desperate? I know that Steve Miller is not willing to do anything in his campaign that would run counter to his values. His sense of fair play. Miller is a gentleman and a statesman.

Let me ask you this. Do you want someone representing you in the Idaho Legislature who is willing to comprise her ethics to win? Will the truth matter then? For Rep. Steve Miller, the facts do matter.

Here are some facts on Millers record. Miller would not support the selling of public lands except in limited cases to consolidate holdings. Idaho will not limit or take away public access. Idaho has one of the least restrictive policies in the Western states. Idaho would not allow additional rapacious mining and logging of public lands. Basically, if you cant do it now, you wont be able to do it according the state and federal laws. Under federal management for every dollar spent the return is only 26.7 cents. Under state management the return is $9.51 per dollar spent.

Miller believes that Idahoans can better manage federal public lands. With sustainable timber harvest of mature and diseased trees, along with fuel load reductions, Idaho will have fewer fires. Yes, words do matter.

Julie Lynn

Ketchum
My brother Sean Halper recently retired from Engine 279/Ladder 131 in Brooklyn, N.Y. On 9/11 he drove his crew to the Twin Towers and when the first tower came down he was blown through a plate-glass window which saved his life, but he lost his engine and his crew. Nothing upsets me more than playing politics with our first responders. In Idaho, the Firemans Presumptive Wellness Bill was held hostage by politician Stephen Hartgen for years, until Catherine Talkington announced she was running again for his legislative seat. Suddenly, Hartgen experienced compassion (fear) and allowed the bill to get a fair hearing, thanks to Talkington.

For him to seek and take credit for a health/safety bill he so diligently fought to repress is a slam to our state's firemen. Ive spoken with Catherine, and she's grateful she could move the Wellness bill out of committee and finally addressed by the Legislature. Im thankful she had the insight and backing of firemen throughout Idaho to improve safety conditions for our firemen.

I strongly support Catherine Talkington for Legislative Seat 24B, because she stood for what was right, while her opponent played cheap political games. If you need any further proof of Hartgens hypocrisy, here are some of his words from his recent 1,178-word Readers Comment: "It is not my intent to be mean to my opponent by pointing out her positions ... ." He doesn't have intent to be mean but used almost all of his 1,178 words to do exactly that.

Vote Talkington Nov. 8.

Lee Halper

Hagerman
Fling open the creaking doors of the Idaho Statehouse! Replace the stagnation with new energy! Send the vibrant Catherine Talkington to represent not only people in House District 24B, but to legislate for all Idahoans.

The entrenched troglodytes in the Legislature pass silly laws that restrict our freedom, or they award illegal contracts, or they pass unconstitutional laws. Never mind  taxpayers will be responsible for the thousands of dollars in court costs. Or legislators do not act on serious legislation, but choose to shift it to a committee to study, and study, and study. Their refusal to consider help for 78,000 Idahoans who have no medical insurance is a prime example. Meanwhile, those people have to rely on ER care. Never mind  taxpayers will be responsible for the thousands of dollars for indigent care.

Talkington's opponent proposes to reduce medical aid to the uninsured if they own phones or cars. Obviously, with Idaho's vast network of pubic transportation, who needs a car to get to work? Or who needs a phone in case of an emergency?

Her opponent speaks with meaningless code words; Talkington speaks with meaningful, forthright words. She has proven her passion for listening to and acting for the best interests of all people of Idaho, not just the wealthy.

Catherine Talkington will surely inject new energy and fairness into the Idaho legislature. A vote for her is a wise vote.

Eleanore Burkhart

Twin Falls
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THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
@PatriciaMazzei

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will make one final push for Hillary Clinton in Florida on Monday.

The Bidens will campaign in Tallahassee and St. Petersburg on the day before the election, the campaign said Sunday.

The St. Pete event will feature two down-ballot Democrats, Senate candidate Patrick Murphy and congressional candidate Charlie Crist, and a concert by Jimmy Buffett.

Public tickets are available online for the Tallahassee and St. Pete events.

The majority of Florida voters will have already cast ballots by mail and in person by the end of Sunday.

Donald Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is campaigning in Panama City on Sunday afternoon. Trump himself will hold a final Florida rally Monday in Sarasota.
As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton crisscrossed Florida on Saturday, the people of Florida were making some history of their own.

Boosted by a big surge in early voting, Florida's total early ballots cast reached the 6 million mark, with Democratic ballots leading Republicans statewide by about 33,000 out of more than 5.9 million ballots cast. The Democrats' total passed Republicans for the first time at midday Friday. Four years ago at this point, Democrats had a small six-figure lead in ballots cast and President Barack Obama carried the state by 0.9 percent.

The 2016 early voting total is historic. Miami-Dade reports that voting by mail and early is up by more than two-thirds over 2012, one of many signs of a massive turnout by Hispanic voters in Florida. Almost every county has set new records for early voting and voting by mail and the total early turnout is more than 1.2 million ballots higher than the combined early and mail ballots in 2012.

In addition, more unaffiliated voters are casting early ballots than ever before in a Florida election. Through Saturday, NPA and minor-party voters accounted for nearly 20 percent of all votes cast. As the campaign enters its final 48 hours, it's possible that these voters will be decisive not only in the race for president but across the ballot.

Saturday was the final day of early voting in most Florida counties, but the 11 that will continue to offer early voting through Sunday evening are mostly in the most populous counties in the state, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Orange. Sunday's turnouts will be a test of the efforts to mobilize African-American churchgoers to go to the polls.

It's important to note that ballots are not the same as votes. Some Republicans won't vote for Trump and some Democrats won't vote for Clinton; some partisan voters will vote for another candidate; some won't vote for anyone for president, casting undervotes that are allowed by law. But ballots cast is the best available way to measure which party is getting more of its voters to vote, and it's incredibly close as usual. The Democratic ballot advantage on Sunday morning, based on figures on the state elections wwebsite, stood at about one-half of 1 percent.
@doug_hanks

Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Raquel Regalado picked up the endorsement Sunday of Alfred Santamaria, the political newcomer who made a splash in the mayoral primary but ended up finishing a disappointing fourth place in the seven-candidate field. Regalado is challenging incumbent Carlos Gimenez in the Nov. 8 runoff.

"I believe in Raquel," Santamaria, 36, said Sunday after posting his announcement on Twitter. "I can think of 10 things that Raquel and I used in our political platforms...The things that she criticized about Gimenez are the same things I criticized."

A one-time congressional aide to David Rivera, Santamaria, 36, spent more than $400,000 on his debut race and attracted out-sized attention for his billboard ads, elaborate campaign parties and publicity gambits, including a memorable moment when he touted a Zika balm to Wynwood residents that turned out to be over-the-counter antiseptic spray being sold by a campaign backer.

Santamaria's well-funded mayoral bid looked like a potential spoiler in the main race between Regalado, 42, and Gimenez, 62 with the hope that his Colombian-American heritage would energize the county's non-Cuban Hispanic electorate. But retired teacher Frederick Bryant, the lone African-American in the race, ended up in third place with 9 percent of the vote after spending less than $3,000. Santamaria secured just under 9 percent, with Regalado taking 32 percent and Gimenez 48 percent. Since nobody crossed the 50-percent mark, Gimenez is facing Regalado in the Nov. 8 runoff. Bryant hasn't endorsed either of the candidates.

Santamaria was a top critic of Regalado in the Aug. 30 mayoral primary, saying she and her father, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, represented the same kind of establishment politics that Gimenez did. "Campaigns normally get a little heated," he said Sunday. "But Raquel and I always knew we had a few things in common."
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS  The new streetlights are on in White Sulphur Springs and illuminating years of work to update infrastructure and revitalize the communitys main street.

Five years ago city officials embarked on major upgrades to the towns water tank and water and sewer lines. Those projects needed to coincide with new highway construction by the state as Mayor Julian Theriault and the city council began the search for much needed funding.

You have to sell your taxpayers in town that this has got to be done, and half our town was on Social Security so you can see thats not an easy sell, he said. The infrastructure in this state for small towns is really tough. We use the same engineers as Great Falls does and they charge the same price but we dont have the same tax base.

With White Sulphurs population of about 900 and only 1,500 in Meagher County, the city knew it needed to seek grant funding. Theriault and others worked with the state, he testified before the Legislature several times and contacted U.S. Sen. Jon Tester to find grants.

More than half of the over $3.5 million in projects was offset by grants from the Treasure State Endowment Program, DNRC and the Army Corps of Engineers.

When we put all our plans to the town, they said, It has got to be done, so get it done, Theriault said, while adding praise for both the Montana Department of Transportation and state grant writers. So dont thank the city, thank the taxpayers because theyre the ones that supported this.

Theriault, 81, drove slowly through his town pointing out construction at the school and the many projects to revitalize city parks and buildings. Red brick and new landscaping complement the county courthouse, while new sidewalks line the gradual climb of downtown.

I think the attention brought to White Sulphur by this has gotten the attention of people that maybe want to come to a small town and open a small business, he said. If they see that youre building a new school and new highway, theyre going to want to move there. Youve got to get your city in line before anything happens.

Several new businesses have sprung up in the last year, including a brewery and sporting goods store, and existing businesses have also stepped up by updating storefronts, said Chris Hedrich, the local representative for SCORE, which mentors small businesses and also facilitates grant funding.

Grants have gone to five businesses to update signage and improve the outside appearance for customers.

What draws people to town is youve got to have something attractive, she said. A lot of people have taken ownership of saying, Lets spruce up the faces of our businesses a little bit to make them appealing.

Hedrich is the co-owner of Two Basset Brewery, which opened about eight months ago. Realizing that the community alone would likely not provide enough customers, they knew the business depends on people coming through town.

White Sulphur has struggled for years economically as important timber jobs evaporated, she said. While it has long been a stop for hunters, skiers, visitors to the hot springs and Smith River floaters, promoting the town as a tourism destination and short drive from nearby cities such as Helena, Bozeman and Great Falls is becoming an economic priority.

Weve had all of this, but for whatever reason no one really put it all together, she said of the outdoor amenities. Through this revitalization, weve got a really good thing going.

Hedrich credits one successful business and another proposed business for catalyzing the revitalization.

When Red Ants Pants opened a decade ago in an old storefront, many in the community wondered if it would survive. As owner Sarah Calhoun successfully grew her business and the Red Ants Pants Music Festival now brings thousands of visitors to White Sulphur every summer, I think it gave the community a little bit of hope for what can happen here, Hedrich said.

The proposed copper mine by Tintina Resources has also offered some economic inspiration for the community, she said. While the mine is currently seeking a permit from the state and faces opposition from several conservation organizations, it would employ more than 200 people.

Perhaps the signature of White Sulphurs revitalization are the antique-style lamp posts anchoring the new sidewalks. As the city worked on infrastructure, the $100,000 needed for the lamp posts became the passion of the chamber of commerce, which launched a fundraising campaign.

We started raising money and it was just amazing how fast it came in, said chamber President Kelly Huffield.

The campaign allowed people and businesses to sponsor individual lights, with several going as memorials for lost loved ones. Businesses and former residents bought lights, and even a hunter who makes a yearly trip to Meagher County contributed.

It still amazes me how it went and now each light tells a story, Huffield said.

A White Sulphur alumni fundraiser at the senior center brought in the last quarter of the needed funding. The lights became a sense of community pride, Huffield said, as has the many projects throughout the town.

When the lights finally arrived it was an emotional experience unpacking them and ultimately seeing them turn on for the first time.

Everyone has been so excited and thrilled with how Main Street has come out, she said. Weve really worked hard on just a lot of little things and weve seen things starting to happen. It shows what a caring, giving, strong community we have here.
We do not accept unsolicited submissions. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2016 by Emilie Buchwald, My Mother's Music, from The Moment's Only Moment (Nodin Press, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Emilie Buchwald and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
The Missoula County Elections Office offers five reminders for voters to ensure a successful voting process.

1) All ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

If voters are registered as absentee and have not yet put their voted ballot in the mail, voters are encouraged to deliver their ballot in person. The Elections Center at the fairgrounds offers a 24/7 ballot drive-thru until Monday and until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots can also be dropped off at the courthouse. Postage is not needed if hand-delivering a ballot. Its important to remember that postmarks do not count. The Elections Office must have received a ballot by the 8 p.m. deadline to be counted on Election Day. The MyVoterPage will indicate whether or not mailed ballots have been accepted by the Elections Office.

2) The Elections Center, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds, is a voters one-stop-shop to handle all voting needs on or before Election Day.

Elections officials are available to assist voters with extended hours Monday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (The office is closed Sunday.) The Elections Center provides a 27/4 ballot drive-thru, 20 election judges to issue replacement ballots if a voter has lost or spoiled theirs, absentee voting, an ADA accessible AutoMark voting machine, and late registration.

Registered voters have until Monday, Nov. 7, at noon to request a ballot. Late registrants have until Monday at noon to complete their registration and receive a ballot before Election Day. Same-day registration opens on Election Day at 7 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. statewide. Voting services close at noon the day before the election to allow elections offices to run polling place reports ahead of the General Election. If voters are registered to vote in-person at their designated polling place and miss the Nov. 7 deadline to vote early via absentee ballot, they must appear at their polling place to vote their ballot on Election Day.

3) If you are a registered voter, and have not changed your registration status before the Nov. 7 deadline, you must vote at your designated polling place on Election Day.

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. If voters do not wish to appear at their polling place on Tuesday, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Monday, Nov. 7 at noon. Statewide, voting services close at noon so that election offices can run polling place reports for Election Day. Voters can check their polling place by visiting MyVoterPageMT.com As a reminder, due to MCPS construction, three polling places have temporarily been reassigned from Rattlesnake, Lowell and Franklin schools.

4) You can vote early at the Fairgrounds by casting an absentee ballot.

Registered voters and those looking to complete late registration can cast their ballot at the Elections Center ahead of Election Day. Go to the Elections Center to request and vote an absentee ballot today.

5) The ballot is three pages long. To help reduce voting times on Election Day, polling place voters are encouraged to view their precinct-specific ballot on MyVoterPageMT.com.

Sample ballots are available on the Montana Secretary of States MyVoterPage. All those who have not yet cast their ballot are encouraged to view their ballot and review the Voter Information Pamphlet.

With only days remaining, if voters are not already registered to vote, now is the time to go to the Elections Center to register and cast their ballot. Despite many efforts made to reduce wait times on Election Day, including 20 election judges ready to assist voters, it is inevitable that there will be lines at Elections Center. Addressing any voting needs early will drastically cut down on the time it takes for a voter to cast their ballot.
Barney Jette stood on his deck smiling as a crew of nearly 30 kids and parents bagged up the last few piles of leaves in his Rattlesnake yard for the Missoula Fencing Associations Sixth Annual Stab a Leaf Rake-a-thon.

Jette said he hasnt raked for the past two or three years, all thanks to the Rake-a-thon, which serves as both a service to community members who cant rake their own leaves, and a fundraiser for the Missoula Fencing Association.

Laura Lee, the director and founder of the Missoula Fencing Association, said the Rake-a-thon works just like a walk-a-thon, where participants collect tax-deductible donations from community members and businesses for a good cause. In this case, Lee said, the money is going to scholarships and equipment for the Missoula Fencing Association, but there is no walking involved.

We decided we wanted to do more than just walk, Lee said.

Instead, Lee said members of the Fencing Association and their parents rake leaves for elderly and disabled people living in Missoula, free of charge. Although the homeowners dont have to donate, Lee said they almost always do.

This year, nearly 60 people spent their Saturday raking leaves from 30 lawns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There were six crews and two trucks that hauled more than 600 bags of leaves to Eko Compost throughout the day. Each lawn takes at least a half-hour for one crew to rake, Lee said, depending on the yards size.

Its such a great community event because it raises money while teaching the kids about the value of community service, parent Stacey McClure said. Part of the money is going to scholarships, which is important because fencing is really expensive.

McClure said she has two sons, ages 14 and 15, involved with the Missoula Fencing Association. With club fees, tournament fees and the costs of equipment, scholarships are key to making the sport affordable.

We were really lucky to win a scholarship last year, McClure said, adding that a family discount is also available to families with more than one fencer. Both my kids have learned so much from fencing.

People watched enviously as McClure strapped two yellow, rake-shaped paddles onto her hands and used them to scoop piled leaves into a huge garbage bag. Ace Hardware, she said with a laugh.

Others grappled with piles of leaves held close to their chests, while some flipped their rakes around to be used as shovels. One 12-year-old girl laughed when she slipped and fell into a damp pile of leaves as she was trying to force them into a bag with her hands. This isnt play time, Stella, her dad, Fred Michini, joked.

It was for another young fencing enthusiast, who lay on the ground saying, "I'm a leaf, but a nice leaf. Don't rake me."

Christy Patton said her daughter became interested in fencing after they watched a movie that incorporated a cool sword-fighting scene. Patton said her daughter, Arial, was amazed.

So I looked up fencing and found the Missoula Fencing Association, Patton said. Shes been fencing for a while but this is our first year at the Rake-a-thon. Its such a wonderful thing for the community.

Patton, who was in charge of checking in with homeowners once the raking was finished, cleared the crew out of Barney Jettes yard and looked around for any stray rakes or bags. Everything look OK? She asked Jette. He nodded with great, big smile and a thank-you.

Im really glad my daughter is a part of this, Patton said.
HELENA  Attorneys for two Montana death-row inmates are questioning whether state Department of Justice officials told a witness to change his testimony to bolster their failed argument that a substitute drug met the legal requirements for use in executions.

District Judge Deann Cooney has scheduled a Nov. 18 hearing on the issue raised by ACLU of Montana Legal Director Jim Taylor, one of the lawyers representing inmates Ronald Allen Smith and William Gollehon.

"Had the expert not changed his testimony, we would not have gotten to trial," Taylor said. "We want to know what happened. We just want a hearing and we've been trying to get a hearing for a year."

Department of Justice spokesman John Barnes did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

In court documents filed in response to the inmates' request to preserve evidence and re-open the case, Assistant Attorney General Ben Reed said the accusation is groundless and Auburn University pharmacy school dean Roswell Lee Evans' testimony was consistent.

At the trial last year, District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock effectively blocked executions in Montana after ruling that one of the two drugs to be used in lethal injections did not meet a requirement under state law to be an "ultra-fast-acting barbiturate." The state does not have an alternative barbiturate to use in lethal injections.

Montana originally used sodium pentothal as the barbiturate, but that drug is no longer available in the U.S. for executions. State officials named pentobarbital as a substitute.

State attorneys argued unsuccessfully at trial that pentobarbital, which has never been used in a Montana execution, meets the requirement. Their expert, Evans, wrote an expert declaration in March 2015 that did not address the "ultra-fast acting" question. In April 2015, he supplemented that declaration by adding pentobarbital could be considered "ultra-fast acting" but that it is classified differently.

Taylor wrote in his request to re-open the case in March that Evans testified in a separate case in Tennessee in which he was asked about his testimony in the Montana case. According to a transcript, Evans was asked whether the Montana attorney general needed him to say pentobarbital was ultra-fast acting and he wrote that it could be.

"Could be," Evans answered. "That's not how it's classified."

Based on that testimony, Taylor wrote, it appears state attorneys persuaded Evans to change his original declaration.

"A fair reading of Evans' testimony ... is that someone from the Montana Attorney General's Office told Evans that what he had said in his first expert report was insufficient, and that he needed to change his opinion to fit what the defense required," Taylor wrote.

Reed, in response, wrote that Evans' testimony was consistent because barbiturates are typically classified by duration  "ultra-short acting"  and not rapidity  "ultra-fast acting." When read together, his statements are consistent and explain that while it is not classified as "ultra-fast acting" it could be described that way because the drug's onset is incredibly fast.

Evans' "could be" answer to the Tennessee attorney's question addressed what Evans actually wrote in the declaration, not whether the Montana attorney general's office needed him to change his testimony.

Taylor said the inmates' attorneys took their concerns to the attorney general's office. They received a response in February that "we took what we believed to be the appropriate actions with the DOJ lawyers involved in the death penalty litigation." The email also said that the state's dealings with Evans had ended.

Taylor said the actions the state may have taken against its attorneys in the case merit investigation by the court.

Reed responded that the argument is "nebulous and speculative."
Negotiations between the city of Missoula and Mountain Water Co. employees appear to be inching forward.

If the city of Missoula takes over the water utility as it plans to do, Mayor John Engen has said he wants its staff  who know how to run the system  to work for the city.

Before the city won the right in court to buy the utility, employees rebuffed an offer from the city and asked the mayor to halt the condemnation attempt.

Recently, though, lawyers on both sides have indicated a fruitful discussion is in the works.

Gary Zadick, an attorney with Ugrin, Alexander, Zadick and Higgins, said the employees' goal is to have a satisfactory compensation agreement in place that would be effective on the day the city takes possession.

For instance, he said, workers need to be certain they have health insurance right off the bat. They also want to protect their wages, cost of living adjustments, and other pay.

He said a meeting to talk about the details appears to be in the offing and he'd like it to take place sooner rather than later.

"As far as progress, there's been a little bit," Zadick said.

At a recent court hearing, Natasha Prinzing Jones, representing the city of Missoula, also indicated conversations between the parties seemed to be making headway.

"We believe that the majority, if not all of the employees, intend to work for the city on day one of the transfer of ownership," Jones said according to a transcript of the hearing.

Friday, chief administrative officer Dale Bickell said city officials are eager to demonstrate their earlier commitment to employees  that they will not have their pay cut as a result of municipal ownership but will maintain their compensation.

"We've had some productive conversations between our attorneys, but we haven't had the opportunity to sit down and talk to employees ourselves," Bickell said.

"We're trying to work that out now and we look forward to that conversation and look forward to showing all the commitments we've made during this process we intend to keep."

Mayor Engen is expected to be out of the office for several weeks tending a health issue, but Bickell said the negotiating team can proceed without him. Missoula City Council President Marilyn Marler is filling in for the mayor in his absence, and she is on the team.

Also, Bickell said any agreements that the city and employees develop eventually will go before the council for approval, either on their own or as part of a larger measure.

In court last week, Jones argued the city needs updated pay and benefits information in order to move forward with employee conversations. She showed the court a chart with employee compensation from May 2014  not to be made available publicly.

She said the city needs current data, and she believes employees are not opposed to sharing the information. However, she said the parent company, Liberty Utilities, subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. of Canada, isn't cooperating.

"They have been instructed by Liberty that they are prohibited from doing that," Jones said. " ... And that's the type of information that could be easily gathered, that could be useful and productive in our conversations with the employees so that we're prepared to pay them on day one."

At the hearing, Zadick agreed employees want to cooperate in the transition. He said employees accept the terms to which the mayor testified at trial, but the parties need to iron out details.

For example, city rules require a three-month wait for health insurance, he said, and it should start on Day One for Mountain Water employees.

"We have similar interest about PERS investing that we need to work through," Zadick said of the Public Employment Retirement System.

At the hearing, Jones requested the judge's assistance in the transition.

Judge Karen Townsend, though, wanted to know when the city planned to take possession  which requires making the $88.6 million payment.

Jones said the city would like to wait until a separate court case is resolved that will determine whether an estimated $22 million owed developers comes out of the $88.6 million. She said she hoped that question would be settled in December.

At the hearing, Townsend asked Mountain Water's lawyer, Joe Conner, about the owed money: "You would agree with me that at the time that the Commissioners did set the value of the assets, that that did include money owed to the contractors, right?"

Conner disagreed, though, and Townsend said she would take the issue of transition under advisement.
Elections officials in every one of Montanas 56 counties are well aware of recent high-profile allegations of widespread voter fraud and rigged elections, and are making special efforts to assure voters of a secure election.

These hard-working public servants do their best every election to ensure a fair and dependable process, but for this election more than any other in recent memory, it is especially important for them to identify any problems early on, resolve them, and do so in a manner that is open and transparent to the public.

Fortunately, in Montana at least, county and state elections officials are already taking steps to extinguish any fears about the integrity of the elections process. And since every county in Montana has its own set of procedures, voters should pay attention to whats being done to address their particular issues in their particular county.

***

Concerns arose last month in Missoula County after more than a dozen voters told the local elections office that people were going door-to-door, asking questions about their votes and offering to deliver their absentee ballots for them. Similar reports were heard in Livingston, where one resident even contacted the police.

The Montana Secretary of States office, while noting that its not illegal to turn in someone elses ballot for them, cautioned voters against giving their ballots to anyone they dont already know and trust.

At the Missoula County Elections Office, officials directed anyone with questions about whether an absentee ballot was received and accepted by the office to check its status at app.mt.gov/voterinfo.

However, any voters whose ballot was rejected have probably received a call or a letter from the elections office by now. More than 40,000 absentee ballots were mailed to Missoula County voters this year, and only a few of these have been rejected  usually, because they were returned without the required signature.

Voters whose ballots were rejected can go to the elections office to provide a signature or fill out a new ballot.

Looking to demystify the vote-counting process as much as possible, the elections office even hosted an open house and invited members of the public to learn about the offices Election Day operations first-hand. Visitors were given a tour of the elections offices at the fairgrounds and informed of the various measures staff use to ensure ballots are not tampered with and votes are tallied accurately.

Missoula has a good track record on this score, according to post-election audits required by the secretary of state. However, Missoula also uses county machines that are almost 20 years old. Even brand-new machines can be glitchy. Missoula County elections staff are smart to test early and often for machine errors.

***

In Sanders County, such testing revealed a problem with the ballots mailed to thousands of residents, and software provided by the Omaha, Nebraska, company that provides voting equipment and services to at least 44 counties in Montana. Fortunately, elections officials in Sanders County went public with both the problem  and the proposed solution.

Sanders County Clerk and Recorder Nichol Scribner explained that when her office found that machine counts did not match hand counts of test ballots, they began making plans to hand-count every ballot on Election Day if necessary. Every absentee and late-registration ballot will be counted by hand regardless.

This means at least 21 additional workers have been brought on board to help hand-tally the ballots. Most of them are employed by the county and do not normally work Election Day; they will receive overtime pay for helping to ensure Sanders County ballots are counted as quickly and as accurately as possible. Its worth the marginal added cost to taxpayers to provide this crucial assurance.

In the meantime, the testing will continue, and the public is invited to observe the testing for themselves.

***

In Ravalli County, where a record 12,332 absentee ballots were mailed out this year, residents have been contacting the Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder with their concerns about election fraud.

Thats exactly the right thing to do.

Concerned citizens who have questions about the process should call their county elections office. And anyone who witnesses something they believe to be voter fraud should report what they see to that same office, with as much specific information as possible.

At least one Ravalli resident was concerned about stolen mail after a rash of mail thefts in Billings last month. Police there fielded at least 10 calls from different neighborhoods, noting that absentee ballots did not seem to be the intended target of the thefts but that some ballots were taken with the stolen mail.

More than 334,200 absentee ballots were mailed to Montana voters this year, according to the Montana secretary of states office. At this point, with Election Day looming, it is too late to return an absentee ballot by mail. They can still be hand delivered, however, to the county elections office on Monday or Tuesday or to polling locations on Nov. 8.

Three months ago, the Pew Research Center released a report showing that only 49 percent of registered voters are very confident their ballot will be accurately counted in this election. Each county, from elections officials to residents, must go the extra mile to ensure this election is as secure, open and flaw-free as possible, and help make that confidence number a lot higher in Montana.
Education is the foundation of our society. And unlike what occurs in many states where the state assumes the lead role in education, the ultimate responsibility for quality public education in Montana rests with the local school board. Our Montana Constitution places both the supervision and the control of public education in the hands of each districts school board.

Im certain the current members of the Corvallis School Board are conscientious individuals, each of whom believes that, given current budget limitations, they are making the best possible decisions. Unfortunately, a different impression of their actions is held by many of the residents who live in the Corvallis School District.

It is disconcerting that the Corvallis School Board seems to be unwilling to meet the simple request of the Corvallis teachers to recognize the value of on-the-job experience and financially reward teachers who elect to remain in the district year after year. Instead, it appears the board desires to continue nudging experienced teachers out of the district and replace them by hiring less experienced (and less expensive) new teachers.

The district has a reserve fund that now holds in excess of $800,000. Given that large amount of money sitting in reserve makes the oft-repeated threat of changing the salary structure will force a reduction of staff (teachers), or the claim that there is not enough money in the budget to cover the cost of the teachers request, seem disingenuous.

A good school board should represent all district constituents honestly and equally. That means equally considering the interests of students, teachers, other staff and administrators when making budget decisions. Although each individual board member surely feels they are doing just that, the appearance is otherwise.

Michael Hoyt,

Corvallis
The standoff on Lakota and 300-plus tribes at Standing Rock, North Dakota, is outrageous. North Dakota's governor, National Guard, police and federal agents have aligned unconstitutionally against a sovereign nation on behalf of a corporate behemoth. More than 140 innocent people have been arrested, strip-searched, gassed and brutalized, and 21 journalists imprisoned as in third-world dictatorships.

Water protectors face military hardware given by the feds to unrestrained police for use against American citizens. The United Nations issued a condemnation of U.S. crimes against indigenous people. President Obama has done nothing for the First People.

The Lakota never signed any treaty giving the U.S. this land. It was stolen by President U.S. Grant, enabled by Custer, Crook and Phil Sheridan. In 1876-77, under Grants orders, war was made on peaceful tribes in unceded territories in the dead of winter. They ran the Indians out of their winter camps, destroyed their teepees, buffalo robes and food, to starve and freeze them into submission. Women, children and elderly unable to flee were slaughtered. By 1877 Grant stole all but 5 million acres of the 60 million acres of Lakota land, including the gold-laden Black Hills.

Standing Rock includes burial grounds, prayer sites and sacred places. Unless the president acts, the UN should send in an armed force and disarm the militias that threaten, intimidate and terrorize a sovereign people.

Media coverage missing: a nearly identical pipeline creates a huge oil spill in the Yellowstone River, free travel on public highways blockaded, PBS Amy Goodman imprisoned and tribal drones shot down in free airspace. Soon, a hothead National Guardsman or deputy will fire their AR-15 on these unarmed, innocent people.

Raised on a reservation, I know the thievery that allowed whites to settle this country. Indians have been killed, abused, enslaved and oppressed since the Spaniards arrived.

Support the protectors at Standing Rock.

Connie J. Potter,

Polson
The conventional wisdom after 2012 held that Mr. Obama was a historically weak candidate among white working-class voters, and that there wasnt much room for the Republicans to make additional gains. To the extent that there was an argument for how Republicans could make big gains among the group, it was that they could rally the support of missing white voters  a group that in reality appears more Democratic than the white voters who do turn out in elections.

But exit polls tend to undercount the number of less educated voters, and the national exit polls obscured Mr. Obamas strength among white voters in the North. They showed him faring worse among white voters than any Democrat since Walter Mondale, but that was exclusively because of his weakness in the South. In many Northern states  like Iowa and Ohio  Mr. Obama did better among white voters than past Democrats. There was a lot of room for Mrs. Clinton to fall. Shes proving it.

For many, it was very hard to imagine that Mrs. Clinton  a white Democrat who excelled among white working-class voters in the 2008 Democratic primary  could lose voters who supported Mr. Obama in the 2012 election, or who approve of his performance today. Its even stranger if one believes that racism is at the core of Mr. Trumps appeal: If Mr. Trumps supporters are animated by racism, then why did so many of them vote for Mr. Obama?

Racism might well animate Mr. Trumps base. But his appeal among some white Obama supporters suggests that Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama might have something in common.

Mr. Trump has changed the story lines of the 2012 and 2008 elections  and tapped into many of the same issues and frames that helped Mr. Obama.

In 2008, Mr. Obama depicted himself as an agent of hope and change: He ran against Washington, the establishment and special interests. In 2012, the Obama campaign attacked its Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, as a plutocrat who would outsource jobs and help the wealthy, not the middle class.

Those are the kinds of reasons that white working-class Democrats in places like Scranton, Pa., and Youngstown, Ohio, remained with the Democrats.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan on November 2 held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Armenia Judith Margaret Farnworth, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress".

Judith Farnworth congratulated Vigen Sargsyan on his appointment as Defense Minister and wished him success in his working activity.

In his turn Vigen Sargsyan said Armenia and the United Kingdom carry out productive cooperation in the defense sector and expressed confidence that the relations will further expand and deepen.

The sides discussed issues related to the Armenian-British cooperation in the defense sector, as well as other regional and security issues during the meeting.
Amerman best choice for auditor

I am writing this letter in support of Jeff Amerman for auditor. I know him as a person of great character and integrity. His experience and qualifications make him the best candidate for auditor. Jeff is a CPA who has been an auditor. Jeff spent nine years in the courthouse as finance and budget director. He knows the budget inside and out.

He is not afraid to tell the truth when others choose to lie or deceive the public. This is the kind of person we need as auditor. In reviewing the current situation regarding the Commissioner of Political Practices Decision, it doesnt look to me like a timing issue; it looks like either Wendy McGrath didnt know how to complete the reports or she didnt want to do the reports by the due date.

Either way she did not complete a basic campaign report that every candidate must file. Is this who we want for auditor? I encourage everyone to go to https://campaignreport.mt.gov and look at the reports in question. It is easy to search and you can see for yourself what these reports look like.

As a CPA, Jeff is trained to pay attention to details. As an auditor details matter! Please join me in voting for Jeff Amerman for Auditor. He is the most qualified and the best choice for Butte.

-- Tina Folio, Butte

No thanks to transferring federal lands

Ya, Jennifer (Jennifer Fielder: Time to transfer federal lands to states, Montana Standard, 11-4-16), lets turn the stewardship of our federal lands over to the Bundys and their ilk, or perhaps, the sane and steady "alt-right fanatics hanging around out there, or better yet, the states. Ya, sure, Jenny. Thanks, but no thanks. The feds are the best we got and they're doing a pretty damn good job at that; so thank you very much, Jenny, but no thank you.

-- Bill Graber, Anaconda

Retain Daniels for ADLC chief executive

To the citizens and voters of ADLC:

We support Connie Ternes Daniels for CEO of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. She has worked tirelessly for the betterment of our county for the past five years and we are lucky to have the opportunity to vote for her to continue the work she has started.

She is the most qualified candidate by far. She is educated in the areas needed to keep our county running smoothly, she has shown she can bring in grant dollars needed to improve our infrastructure, and she has the necessary experience to solve difficult problems daily that improve our standard of living here in Anaconda and the surrounding area.

If you want to keep our county running smoothly, and prevent the budget shortfalls of the past, please vote for Connie for CEO.

-- Joan and Bob Morris, Anaconda

Support trapping, require dogs be leashed

It was last hunting season when I experienced the genuine concern of the Footloose crowd. These are the folks who are pushing for the end of trapping.

I stopped out at the area I wanted to hunt and before I could leave my truck, the neighboring environmentalists would let their dogs loose to run through the area I was planning to hunt. Every deer was stampeded out ahead of the dogs.

The folks who were responsible for the anti-trapping measure seem to forget that many counties in Montana are now or have been recently under quarantine for rabies. It has been the independent trappers who have kept the animals under control.

Soon it will be time to vote for or against trapping, and I plan to vote to support continued trapping and requirements to keep pets on a leash while they are in the woods.

-- Richard Funk, Kalispell

Anti-trapping initiative best for wildlife, Montana

A billboard in the Bitterroot Valley says that Initiative 177, the initiative for trap-free public lands in Montana, is bad for wildlife, bad for ranchers, bad for Montana. Hows that?

How could trapping possibly be good for wildlife? Science doesnt support this claim, and several letters to the Missoulian have already convincingly said so. And the costs in pain and suffering to target animals and to trappers trash are tremendous.

And how could I-177 be bad for ranchers? I-177 restricts trapping on public land only. Private land owners, including ranchers, can do whatever they want.

I-177 bad for Montana? What kinds of bads could restrictions on a tiny minority (0.5 percent) have on the entire state? The economic value of trapping is very minimal (approximately $2 million a year) compared to wildlife watching (between $376 million and $500 million), and trapping actually costs Fish, Wildlife and Parks money.

As for recreation, I-177 makes outdoor recreation safer and more fun in Montana. Two of my neighbors dogs (one dead, one crippled) and one of my brothers cats are victims of concealed traps. So when proponents of I-177 warn pet owners about traps, theyre not just using scare tactics. If youre hiking or even walking the dog on public land, you should be afraid, which is not why youre out there.

No one in Montana can or needs to make a living trapping anymore. Torturing, and then bludgeoning or strangling animals to death is by any conceivable standard of decency not something people should do, and it is not good for Montana to be known as a state that condones treating animals this way. Colorado, Arizona, Washington and California have ended or severely restricted trapping on public lands with no bads.

Please vote for I-177. Its good, better, best for wildlife, people and for Montana.

-- Deborah Slicer, Huson
During lunch at Crow Agency Elementary School on a recent Thursday, students hunch over the table, eating oranges.

They know the Crow word for yellow  shiile  and for red  hisshe. But the second-graders struggle with other colors, like orange.

Its hard to say, Zarah Nomee said.

No, purples hard to say, Kyler Haugen chimed in.

What about blue, like their milk cartons?

Thats hard to say, too, Haugen said.

What about animal names?

Iichiile!

Background knowledge

Teachers at the small elementary school on the Crow Reservation have informally incorporated Apsaalooke into their lessons for years. But this is the first year the school is coordinating a cohesive approach, anchored by a kindergarten immersion class.

I started off with their background knowledge, said kindergarten teacher Lavonna Real Bird. Thats very important.

Students chimed together, iichiile, when shown a sheet of paper with pictures of horses.

They know what a horse is, they see a horse all the time, Real Bird said. Even babies say iichiile.

From there, they count out how many horses are on the paper  hawate, duupe, daawiia, shoope, chiaxxo, up to five.

School principal Jason Cummins is trying to shift how the school thinks about language, especially for students who dont come from Crow-speaking homes.

We dont just want to blame anybody anymore, he said. I think thats been a crutch  We dont say, 'If only your family taught you quadratic equations.'

The language learning level in Real Birds classroom mirrors kindergarten content. Students sing songs for numbers, months, and days of the week in both English and Crow, swaying just-counted fingers. Math lessons are taught first in Crow, then repeated in English. Reading instruction occurs in English, but everything else is in Crow.

As students practice numbers in Crow, they also work on addition problems. They go over body parts on a diagram with things labeled in Crow.

Some people think, just talk to them, Cummins said. (But) language acquisition is different from language instruction. We dont just wing it. We need to treat it like any other content area.

Politics

Thats an approach echoed by Jioanna Carjuzaa, a professor at Montana State University.

True immersion means that youre using language as a vehicle to focus on other content, she said.

Carjuzaa visited the school earlier in October with a group of teaching students from countries around the world.

Native language teachers, like other teachers, need training, she said.

They need professional development, she said. Theres no question that the elders and the tribal members have the knowledge and the wisdom. (But) theyre not an integrated part of the teaching staff.

Some language advocates argue for a more informal approach; during a conference earlier this year in Billings, a co-founder of a language immersion school in Minnesota highlighted the schools reliance on tribal members without formal teacher training.

And the continued development of language itself can be very political, Carjuzza said.

Thats something Cummins works to steer clear of.

I dont care who gets the credit, I just want my kids to learn, he said.

Funding

Language immersion preschools received a political boost with the passage legislation from Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, who represents the Rocky Boy Reservation, opening state funding for teaching Native languages with dwindling speakers. Montanas Indian Education for All provision, which requires the teaching of Native American culture and history in public schools and is backed up by dedicated funding, has been held up as a model of curriculum integration. But language instruction has lagged.

Its really in a lot of ways in the very infantile stages, Carjuzaa said. Theres a real push to embrace immersion programs.

Some private schools have emphasized the topic for several years.

The Nkwusm Salish Language School was established in 2002 on the Flathead Reservation and offers a a complete academic experience dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the Salish Language.

The Piegan Institutes Cuts Wood Academy in Browning was founded in 1995 with the mission of creating more Blackfeet language speakers while providing a K-8 education.

And on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, St. Labre and its satellite schools have incorporated American Indian language for several years.

In public schools, its very sporadic, Carjuzaa said. It depends on who the teachers are and what the commitment is.

In addition to Crow Agency, public schools in Browning and Wyola have used the new funding to create language programs.

School and home

Real Bird grew up in a Crow-speaking home.

When I talk to another Crow-speaking adult, its so natural, its normal, she said. The challenge is trying to speak to a young child in Crow.

Its become a widespread condition: educators said that adults often will speak English to children despite being fluent in Crow, as more children understand English and there's no need to adapt their Crow to a lower comprehension level.

Crow Agency Elementary has a preschool class that heavily incorporates Crow language, though its not a true immersion program. It can give kids a jump start on Crow, just like other subjects, whether they come from a Crow-speaking home or not.

When they go to Head Start or preschool, when they come they have an idea. Same thing with Crow, Real Bird said.

But its an inescapable fact that students who hear Crow at home will have a leg up.

Just like anything we do in the classroom, if its reinforced at home, theyre going to improve, Real Bird said.

In the classroom, theres a dearth of resources for teaching Crow. Real Bird makes most of her own teaching materials and plans her own lessons.

Cummins is working with other language groups to provide assessment options in Crow for students; English proficiency has been shown to have a significant effect on standardized test scores, and scholars have debated if tests carry an inherent cultural bias.

Weve had some kids that we thought were having challenges behaviorally, he said. It turned out that it was a language issue.

Im not saying thats an answer to everything, Cummins said. He doesn't expect language instruction to single-handedly bridge American Indian academic achievement gaps that are well documented in reservation schools and schools in predominantly white areas.

But language isn't just an academic issue. It's a matter of identity.

Different people have different opinions, Real Bird said. I believe that Crow means speaking our Crow language.
HELENA  Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and his Republican challenger, Greg Gianforte, are feverishly crisscrossing the state looking for every vote they can scrape up as their bitterly contested campaigns draw to a close.

Theyre visiting the places where they need to run up big advantages  and shadowing each other in the communities where both need to make a decent showing to win.

Bullock and Gianforte, a high-tech entrepreneur from Bozeman, have set an aggressive travel schedule, with Bullock planning stops in 20 communities between last Monday and the day before the election and Gianforte on a 42-town tour that started last Sunday.

The incumbent governor is spending a significant amount of time in counties where it's relatively likely hell defeat Gianforte, including the counties he won over Republican Rick Hill in the 2012 governor race.

Those counties include Butte Silver Bow, where Bullock took 74 percent of the vote in 2012; Glacier (74 percent); Big Horn (72 percent); Missoula (68 percent); and Blaine (64 percent).

Silver Bow County is home to Butte, an historically pro-union and Democratic town, while Missoula County has a liberal university city and Glacier (Browning), Big Horn (Hardin) and Blaine (Chinook) counties have a high percentage of Native Americans, a strong Democratic voting bloc.

So why spend time in counties that will vote for him already?

It has everything to do with turnout, said Lee Banville, a University of Montana political researcher and journalism professor.

Essentially its not enough for Steve Bullock to win in Glacier County or to win in Missoula County. He has to win them by a lot. The more he can win them by a wide margin with big voter turnout, the more he can weather the parts of the state where hes really not going to do well.

Those are the areas where Gianforte has gone in the lead-up to Election Day. The Republican has been to or will make stops in Richland (Sidney), Musselshell (Roundup), Phillips (Malta) and Daniels (Scobey) counties, in Eastern Montana. Bullock is only stopping in Blaine County to visit Harlem.

Gianforte will run the table in these places anyway  theyre among the counties Hill carried most solidly in in 2012 with 67 percent of the vote or more. But absentee voting data shows that relatively few have already cast ballots here, and its important for Gianforte to get those voters to show up. In Richland County, for example, only 20 percent of those registered have already voted, compared to about 40 percent statewide, according to data updated Saturday by the Secretary of State.

But time in these counties is valuable, Banville said, and plays into Gianfortes campaign narrative that Bullock has left Eastern Montana behind.

Gianfortes side is trying to make a bigger point here. His campaign is really stressing that hes going to listen to Eastern Montana. To try and close the deal and drive up turnout, hes going to spend a lot more time going to a lot more places that have a lot fewer people. Hes got to run up the numbers in lots of smaller places to be able to counter Bullocks efforts in Missoula, Butte, even Bozeman.

These counties are small, with only 13,663 registered voters between the four of them, less than a sixth of the registered voters in Missoula County.

Gianforte and Bullock have spent a lot of time in Yellowstone County, the most populous in the state, through the election. Bullock lost here, but not by much, to Hill in 2012  49.39 percent to 50.61.

Even though about 55 percent of registered voters in Yellowstone County have voted absentee already, there are still 42,824 people who haven't voted, which is more than the total population of all but six of Montanas 56 counties.

Gianforte dominated visits to the far northeastern corner of the state, but Bullock wasn't absent in central and Eastern Montana, hitting Blaine, Hill, Custer, Rosebud and Big Horn. In Rosebud County, Bullock vised Lame Deer, on the on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, while Gianforte went to Colstrip, 25 miles to the north.

Though the towns are a short drive apart, they could not be more different. More than 40 percent of people in Lame Deer, where the median household income is $28,700, live below the federal poverty line. In Colstrip only 7 percent of people live below the poverty line and the median household income is $55,650.

Preserving the way of life in Colstrip, which comes from jobs at the coal-fired power plant and nearby coal mine, has been a key message of Gianfortes campaign. Hes repeatedly said Bullock has not done enough to stand up to the federal government and its proposed emissions regulations that could shut down the plant, though other factors such as economic forces are at play.

Democrats typically do well in Indian Country, including the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and the bordering Crow Reservation. Earlier this year Crow chairman Darrin Old Coyote criticized Gianforte after a statement he made during a campaign stop in Huntley saying reservations struggle because of lack of consistent rule of law, respect for property rights, nepotism and lack of a culture that celebrates success.

Bullock lost Rosebud County by just 14 votes in 2012 but won Big Horn with 58 percent of the vote.

Bullock and Hill were closest in Gallatin, Lake, Park, Rosebud and Yellowstone counties in 2012  the governor won Park County by just one vote  but thats not why both he and Gianforte are in all those places leading up to the election.

Its just a question of population, Banville said. Theyre going there to get as many people out to vote as they possibly can.

About 40 percent of voters in Montana had already voted by Saturday morning, according to data from the Secretary of State, leaving 411,914 registered voters who have not cast ballots. The deadline to mail ballots in was Tuesday, but they can be dropped off at county election offices before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Film producers and fans gathered at Muscatines Boonies on the Avenue to celebrate the end of the 2016 Muscatine Independent Film Festival. This years festival, which took place at Muscatine Community College from Nov. 3-5, featured 42 films. Of these, eight won awards and several others received certificates.

Festival organizers Chad Bishop and Mike Ray presented the awards. Most of the awards were selected by a four-member panel. Though Bishops movie, Adams Eve, was shown during the festival, it was not considered for any awards except for the viewer's choice category, which was selected by the audience.

The deliberation process was difficult, said panel member Jodi Hanson. You always want the film to evoke an emotion, you want something that looks good and is well-acted. All the films this year were really great.

Hanson, who used to work in television and studied film in college, said she had been a judge at the festival for the last three years.

Its really exciting every year watching all the films cause we have no idea what were going to see and there was just a wide array of films," Hanson said.

Award categories included best short film, best Iowa-made short film, viewers choice, murder and mayhem, best comedy, best local film, best music video, and best student filmmaker.

This years big winner was Matthew Birks of DeWitt, who took home the best local film award for Cycle and best music video award for Words Like Daggers.

It feels really great cause last year, I thought for sure I was going to win. I was nominated for best student short and I thought for sure I had it in the bag and then I didnt and my soul was kind of crushed, Birks said.

He submitted three films this year and won two awards.

I couldnt be happier, he said.

Birks film, Cycle, chronicles a girls attempt to ride her bike as her parents argue. The movie, he said, was based on his own childhood, and his five-year-old sister starred in it.

This years winners hailed from far and wide including David Maire from New York (Chateau Sauvignon: Terroir) who won the Best of Show Award, Hugo Matz from Texas (When Demon Met Angie) who took the best comedy category.

But there were also local winners including Mason Greer of Iowa City (One Drop Rule), who took the best student film category, and Johnathan Dzuik, also of Iowa City (Enjoy the Show), who took the Murder and Mayhem Award.

Hanson said the festival has a special place in the fabric of the Muscatine community not only because it promotes local work, but because it attracts movie makers from other parts of the country.

Having those folks come and see Muscatine for the awesome community that it isits great, Hanson said.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  In a last push before Election Day next Tuesday, volunteers from the League of United Latin American Citizens fanned across Iowa over the weekend to mobilize Latino voters. LULAC is the nations oldest Latino civil rights organization.

Our message is simple: if we dont participate, somebody else will decide for us, said Joe Henry, LULACs National Vice President for the Midwest.

The organization compiled a list of approximately 50,000 Latino voters across the state and have knocked on doors and called them throughout the elections. Henry stressed that LULAC is nonpartisan and that volunteers remind people to vote and answer questions, but they do not tell them how to vote.

He said a large chunk of these voters are engaged and active and that they can sway the elections in Iowa.

On Saturday and Sunday the organization focused its efforts on eight Iowa areas, including Polk and Scott Counties.

In Davenport, a team of eight volunteers knocked on doors, said Maria Bribriesco, LULACs political action director and deputy state director for Iowa. She said she personally knocked on 40 doors. Many voters werent home, but of the voters she spoke to, half said they already voted and others said they want to vote on Election Day.

To me its very important that we preserve and exercise our right to vote, she said. "We call that a fundamental right. From the right to vote spring all other rights, if you dont vote, if you stay home, you really dont get a say in policies.

In Des Moines, 19 canvassers knocked on doors and spoke to voters. Volunteers knocked on approximately 5,000 doors over the last three weekends and will continue these efforts after the elections on Tuesday, said Mitch Henry of LULAC.

Latinos are emerging as an important voting bloc in Iowa. According to the Census Bureau, the Latino population in the state has more than doubled in the last 15 years. And some areas of the state, such as West Liberty, are majority Latino. The Latino population is also growing in Muscatine County where they make up 17.5 percent of the population.

Henry said the goal of the campaign is to reach the same voters several times. He said the organization used this strategy during the Iowa caucuses in February with good results.

When we reached out to our people, when we touched them several times through phone calling and going door to door we had a higher percentage of our people showing up at the Iowa Caucuses than the white community, he said.

And I feel that were going to be doing the same on Election Day because we are reaching our people in many key areas across the state and I feel that that commitment is going to show itself on November 8, Henry said.
In the few weeks preceding this event, there was publicity on radio and in the press about the eclipse.

All of PNG saw a partial eclipse for many minutes with a maximum of three-quarters of the suns disc covered.

It was the longest eclipse since the 11th century and we wont see another like it until the 22nd century.

ON 20 June 1955 there was a major eclipse of the sun. The line of totality began over the Indian Ocean passing across Sri Lanka, Indochina, northern Indonesia and the Philippines, and then continued through the north of Papua New Guinea before it ended over the south-west Pacific Ocean.

In particular the colonial administration foresaw the possibility that some village people may be concerned about the cause and effect of this celestial phenomenon.

Field staff in the Department of District Services and Native Affairs were advised to spread the word that it was a natural event that gave no cause for alarm. Officers were told to be alert after the eclipse for any adverse effect on the local population.

At that time, I was at the small, remote station of Watabung in the Eastern Highlands. I invited the village headpmen within a few hours walk to come to Watabung where I explained that an eclipse was a natural event a long way away and that it would have no effect on PNG or its people.

In hindsight that was naive. The people and their ancestors would have seen many other eclipses and would have themselves evolved an explanation according to their cultural beliefs.

A week before the eclipse was due, I took leave to get married in Port Moresby. After a short honeymoon, I returned to Watabung with my wife.

Soon after, I heard there was trouble in a few villages three hours walk to the south of the station. Enquiries revealed that some mission catechists were angry with another mission catechist for stealing members of their flock.

Not a big deal, I thought. I was planning to patrol the area in a few weeks and would look into this inter-mission squabble when I was on the spot.

It turned out that the culprit catechist, who was from a coastal area, had known about and understood the coming eclipse. He represented one of three different Christian missions in the area. He had visited a number of villages, telling the people:

Some of you people have made a big mistake in going to meetings of those other missions. You should come to my mission because my mission is bigger and more powerful than those others. My mission is much closer to God who has given me special powers. To prove this, I have asked God to cover the sun next Monday. When you see the sun covered up, you should all come to my meetings. When you do I will pass on to you some of the power that God has given me.

Immediately after the eclipse, the other catechists were angry when their congregations deserted to the strong mission. A lot of angry words were spoken on both sides for a few days. When I got there, I was told no-one was going to any of the catechists meetings. Theyd had enough of missions.

I sent for the culprit catechist and told him that he was wrong and had broken the law. I would make court the following day and suggested he might like to spend the night with the police constables Id brought with me.

I let the word get around that this man was wrong and that I was going to make court about the incident. I made sure the other two catechists came as well as the bigmen from all affected villages.

As a Patrol Officer, I was a field officer of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary and I was also a magistrate in the Court for Native Affairs. So with the authority of these two positions, the court I planned was legal and authorised and its procedures were familiar to these village people.

A huge crowd turned up to see what would happen. I set up a typical village court: folding patrol table and chair placed under a makeshift grass roof, journal and other books on the table, two uniformed police constables standing on one side of me and a uniformed official interpreter on the other.

A circle deeply scratched into the ground was the line the public could not cross.

I asked many questions of a number of witnesses so the story was heard by everyone. When I was satisfied that the whole story was accurate and complete, I addressed the gathering explaining the eclipse in simple terms and went on to say, in Pidgin which was interpreted into their own language:

This eclipse is a natural event and the story sent around by this catechist is quite wrong. His story is not only wrong, but it is also wrong for him to use his knowledge of the eclipse to trick the people and to get an advantage for the mission he represents. He has broken the law and I can put him in jail for his offence. But I have decided that it is best if I send a copy of my court report to the mission headquarters in Goroka so that his superiors can correct his ways. I will also ask him to pack up his house and that he and his wife and children return to Goroka tomorrow. Listen carefully now because I have special talk for all you village people. When he and his family walks to Goroka, they will have with them this policeman. And I am going to ask these two big men to travel with them to make sure that there is no trouble during the three hour walk to the boundary of your tribal lands. Do you understand?

There was a resounding yes from smiling faces and a round of enthusiastic applause. I felt Id made the right decision.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
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 []
Hamid Karzai, the former Afghan president, was in high dudgeon Friday morning. His children were playing hide-and-seek on the lawn outside his book-lined study, and a waiter had brought in trays of tea and cakes, but his mind was on a deadly NATO airstrike that killed 30 civilians in northern Kunduz province early Thursday.





I spoke to the families yesterday. I saw the photos of the victims. There were children from 6 months to toddlers, near-teens and elders. Why? Karzai demanded angrily. A few moments later, he turned to an aide and asked, Was there any mention of this mass tragedy on CNN, on BBC? I didnt see anything.





Karzai, 58, has railed for years against U.S. military bombings and resulting civilian casualties in the war against Taliban insurgents, and the issue virtually destroyed his relationship with the Obama administration. It was the main reason he refused to sign a bilateral security agreement with Washington before leaving office in 2014, and it remains his personal obsession in political retirement.





The exact events in Kunduz were still unclear Friday, but Afghan officials confirmed an updated death toll of 30 civilians and at least 25 wounded in airstrikes launched outside the embattled provincial capital after a firefight with Taliban forces. Two U.S. service members were killed in the battle, along with three Afghan commandos and three Taliban fighters.





U.S. military officials have said the strikes were conducted by NATO aircraft but have not said whether the pilots were American or Afghan.





He was especially critical of the ongoing security relationship between the United States and Pakistan, which he denounced as the source of insurgent attacks. During his presidency, Karzai met often with Pakistani leaders to improve ties but became deeply disillusioned. He said those who sought peace with Afghanistan were stymied by other forces. They want to own us, he said.





I am not an anti-Western person, but what has made me outspoken and angry at America are the casualties, he said. Just show me one example of a bombing that has taken Afghanistan one step closer to peace. Fifteen years on, do we have more Taliban or less, more radicalization or less, more terror or less? Is this really a war against terror, or is it something else in which the lives of Afghans dont matter?





Karzai has been criticized as trying to interfere in Afghan politics, possibly with an eye toward returning to power. In the interview, he insisted that he had no wish to return to office

and said that under the constitution, Ghani should have full authority to govern for a full five-year term

.
The local government office was located immediately adjacent to Popondetta's court house and it was not long before I got to know the Resident Magistrate, a former kiap, the late Harley Dickinson.

In 1972, I was posted to Popondetta in what is now Oro Province, where I took up the role of adviser to the Higaturu and Afore Local Government Councils.

THE RECENT brouhaha over the potential decriminalisation of prostitution in Papua New Guinea reminded me of events that happened a very long time ago but which seem to be relevant to the discussion today.

Like many RM's with a background as kiaps, Harley tended to render his judgements based upon a good understanding of PNG cultures and a healthy serve of common sense.

Most of the miscreants who came before him had committed minor offences, readily pleaded guilty and mostly accepted their sentences with stoicism. Consequently, Harley tended to apply the law with a relatively light hand, sentencing people to imprisonment only as a last resort.

He would sometimes discuss with me the more interesting or unusual cases that came before him and the following story is one of them.

In those days, in addition to the local Orokaiva people, Popondetta had quite a large population of young, single men, many of whom were working in surrounding plantations as indentured labour.

Of course, where you have lots of single men with a bit of cash and a certain itch that needs scratching, youll find ladies willing to provide relief for a fee.

The local Inspector of Police, Brian Chape, was a veteran copper who had come to PNG from Queensland. Brian was very familiar with remote towns where there was a surplus of single guys.

As a pragmatist, he knew that keeping these young fellows more content and less prone to being troublesome necessarily meant allowing them some outlet for their primal needs.

So, provided everyone behaved nicely, he and his entire contingent of police had a policy of ignoring technical breaches of the law relating to prostitution.

Harley was, of course, entirely in agreement with Brian. There was no point wasting valuable police and court resources enforcing laws that forbade what was, if you looked at it in a certain light, a useful social service.

Naturally, the ladies of the night thoroughly endorsed this approach to policing and understood that their part of the bargain was to behave with discretion and decorum in public. Alas, for some of them, this proved to be easier said than done.

One of the town's more notorious ladies of the night (who I shall refer to by the pseudonym Sylvia) was brought before Harley charged with being drunk and disorderly, creating a public nuisance and resisting arrest.

It seems that Sylvia had rendered certain services to a man who had then reneged on his obligation to pay and decamped at high speed to the hotel.

Fuelled by large quantities of SP lager, Sylvia had pursued the customer into the pub, where she proceeded to lambast him about his dishonesty and describe in some detail what she regarded as his unusually small and ineffectual manhood.

Eventually, at the publican's request, the police arrived to intervene in what had become a very loud and lively exchange of views between Sylvia and virtually everyone else in the bar.

Thus it was that a contrite and possibly hung over Sylvia came to be standing in the dock, eyes demurely downcast, under the stern gaze of Harley Dickinson RM.

The police prosecutor was able to give a detailed and vivid account of the previous night's proceedings which, under questioning from the bench, Sylvia agreed was a fair and accurate summary. She pleaded guilty to all charges and stood ready to accept her fate.

Before sentencing her, Harley took the opportunity to deliver a little lecture about what constituted proper and acceptable behaviour in public and of the importance of respecting the police.

In particular, he stressed that kicking and biting the constabulary fell well short of the behaviour expected of a respectable person, even when drunk.

Sylvia appeared to accept these comments in the spirit in which they were given and hung her head in shame.

Not wishing to imprison Sylvia for what was just a momentary lapse, and bearing in mind the provocation involved, Harley fined her the then considerable sum of $50.

When asked if she wished to pay the fine immediately, Sylvia answered yes, reaching into her bilum and withdrawing a large roll of notes. She peeled off the required sum and handed it to the Clerk of the Court.

A surprised and amused Harley then ordered that she be released to go about her business, with a warning that should she appear before him again she could expect sterner treatment.

Sadly, but perhaps inevitably, it was not too long before Sylvia once again appeared in the dock. The charges were the same but this time one of the arresting officers had sustained a savage and painful blow to the groin that had required medical treatment and time off work.

Clearly, Sylvia's propensity for violence was escalating. Something had to be done to drive home the point that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

So Harley decided a term of imprisonment was warranted. He decided that three months in the local correctional facility would be an appropriate penalty. Sylvia's healthy financial situation would be of no use to her this time.

She was handed into the custody of the Department of Correctional Services, loaded into their paddy wagon and transported to the prison, which was situated only a short distance out of town.

And that, thought Harley, is the last I will hear about Sylvia for at least three months. It proved to be a forlorn hope.

About a month later, Harley had a visit from the Chief Warden at the prison, who wished to discuss a delicate matter.

The obviously embarrassed officer, speaking in hushed tones, explained that several of his officers, not to mention a number of prisoners, had recently developed an illness that required treatment with large injections of penicillin. Worse still, the wives of some of his officers had also developed the same illness. All was not well.

The Chief Warden's investigations into this sudden outbreak of infection revealed that the source was one of the female prisoners, namely Sylvia.

It seems the redoubtable Sylvia had taken advantage of her proximity to so many potential customers and continued to ply her trade within the prison. After all, there was no point in losing valuable income just because she was temporarily accommodated at Her Majesty's pleasure.

Unhappily, Sylvia was not to know that, in the course of her commercial transactions, she was busily infecting her customers with a painful affliction which could be passed on to others.

Considering these unhappy circumstances, the Chief Warden wondered if Harley might see his way clear to grant Sylvia a remission on her sentence, leaving him to try to re-establish some sense of order and normality at the prison.

Harley agreed to do this but only on the condition that Sylvia was compelled under the provisions of the Public Health Act to undergo treatment which would continue until the local doctor certified that she was disease free. Then, she would presumably resume her trade without posing a risk to public health at least for a while.

In telling me this story, Harley said he thought that it was an object lesson in how good intentions could spiral into disaster and that, maybe, the interests of the law and of public health might be better served by regulating prostitution rather than continuing obviously futile attempts to prevent or curtail it.

After all, humans can't help being humans, can they?
When he was a federal prosecutor, U.S. Rep. John Katko said he had a knack for wanting to tackle the next major problem.

That trait has stayed with him in his new career as a member of Congress.

"I don't like being in idle," Katko, R-Camillus, said in an interview with The Citizen. "I like being in drive and going forward."

As a challenger two years ago, Katko criticized then-Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei's legislative record. He held a press conference and stood next to a poster with the heading "0-12"  a reference to the number of bills Maffei had introduced, but failed to pass through the Republican-led House of Representatives.

At that press conference Katko said if he had the same legislative record as a member of Congress, he would expect to be voted out of office.

In his first term as the 24th Congressional District's representative, Katko has introduced 24 bills and 15 have been passed by the House. Two measures he sponsored were signed into law by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Four other Katko-sponsored bills were included in larger legislative packages Obama signed into law.

Many of the bills he's introduced focus on national security. He's emerged as a leading congressional voice on national security matters as chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. He also led a task force that authored a report examining the threat of foreign fighters.

On the campaign trail in 2014, Katko also pledged to be independent. He wouldn't hesitate to work with Democrats. And if he had to, he would break with members of his own party.

One month into his term, Katko was one of three Republicans who voted against a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a health care law also referred to as "Obamacare."

"I did what I said I was going to do," he said. "I went there and I said I was going to be an independent voice. I went there and was an independent voice."

His independence has been reflected in his approach to introducing legislation. When he is drafting a new bill, he seeks a Democratic cosponsor.

He unveiled a bill earlier this year that would establish parental savings accounts. He considers the measure a private alternative to proposals pushed by Democrats to create a federal paid family leave program.

U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat, signed on as an original cosponsor of the bill.

"I'll work with anybody," Katko said.

He's hoping to continue his work in Congress. He's facing Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon in the 24th Congressional District. Deacon, D-Syracuse, is U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's former central New York regional director.

Observers thought the 24th District race would be one of the most competitive House races in the nation, but polls have shown Katko holds a double-digit lead over Deacon.

On Friday, the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report shifted its race rating to "Republican favored"  the latest indication that Katko will likely win re-election on Tuesday.

If he wins a second term, Katko pledged to build on his work in Congress. He wants to continue his focus on national security issues and creating jobs in central New York. Tax reform is one of his top priorities. And he wants to level the playing field for manufacturers in the district.

"I want to be part of a new era in Congress where we lead by example that working independently and working in a bipartisan manner you can get the big things done," he said.

KATKO ON THE ISSUES

Economy: Katko touted his work to delay the Affordable Care Act's medical device tax for two years  a move that benefited Welch Allyn in Skaneateles Falls, among other manufacturers. He also pushed for making the research and development tax credit permanent, which gives businesses the opportunity to plan for projects.

The highway bill, which he helped negotiate, included a provision designating Interstate 81 as a high priority corridor. That will help give the I-81 viaduct priority when it's time to allocate federal funding for the project.

He also highlighted his work to keep the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant open in Oswego County. He has four nuclear power plants in his district  the second-most in any congressional district in the country, he said. The four plants employ roughly 2,000 people who earn a combined $200 million each year.

Tourism is also a priority. He's been supportive of efforts to formally establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn. He's also sponsored legislation to study whether Fort Ontario in Oswego County should be added to the national park system. The House passed the bill in September.

If re-elected, Katko said he would continue working on those issues and advocate for tax reform. He thinks giving companies incentives to return to the United States and spend money here would boost the economy. Manufacturers need a more level playing field, he said.

"If they come back and bring manufacturing jobs back, then you're talking a wholesale change in the economic health of our country," he said.

He was appointed chair of a task force on combating terrorist travel. The panel issued a report with 32 key findings and 50 recommendations. Half of the recommendations, he said, have either become law or on their way to becoming law.

In the Middle East, Katko said the bombings need to be more aggressive in the fight against ISIS and the U.S. needs to work with allies to cut off oil supply lines and funding sources for the terrorist group.

He also said fixing relationship with international partners should be a priority.

"Our enemies don't fear us and our friends don't trust us right now, and we gotta repair that," he said. "We gotta make sure ISIS doesn't spread further."

On a related issue, Katko said it's a "huge problem" that Russia is entrenched in Syria. The Russians are helping prop up Bashar al-Assad's regime, he said.

"We gotta get Russia out of there," he said.

Once Assad is removed from power and the Syrian civil war has ended, Katko said the focus can shift to "taking out ISIS once and for all."

Affordable Care Act: Katko supports repealing the law, which is also known as "Obamacare." He's opposed his party's attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without having a plan for replacing the 2010 law.

He prefers a market-based approach and retaining some provisions in the existing law, including allowing parents to keep children on their health insurance plans until age 26 and preventing insurers from refusing to provide coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

To encourage people to buy health insurance, he supports offering tax incentives or tax rebates. He noted that Blue Cross Blue Shield has 74 percent of the market in the 24th District, so opening up competition across state lines could help bring costs down.

Medicare and Social Security: Katko doesn't support privatizing Social Security and he opposes changing the retirement age for anyone who is at or near retirement or workers who are already paying into the system. He is open to changing the retirement age for people who are entering the workforce and have a whole career to plan.

"If enough people have the guts and the intelligence to try and tackle the problem now instead of waiting, especially with respect to Social Security, I think we can really have some profound changes," he said.

He thinks all options should be on the table and there should be a bipartisan discussion about keeping Social Security solvent long term.

On Medicare, he said restoring the $700 billion that was removed from the program for the Affordable Care Act should be a priority. He also supports looking at long-term drivers of Medicare costs, such as chronic diseases. Targeted federal spending on finding cures to those diseases could benefit Medicare, he said.

He also supports addressing abuse and fraud in the Medicare system, revamping tort liability laws and prescription drug costs. He opposes replacing Medicare with a voucher system.

Owasco Lake: With concerns about Owasco Lake water quality, Katko is committed to continuing his focus on the issue if re-elected to Congress.

He highlighted his office's work with a manure management working group that developed a 14-point plan. That plan was a "good first step," he said. Stakeholders have raised concerns about how manure runoff is impacting the lake.

Katko added that his office provided an Environmental Protection Agency study on algae toxins to local officials. And he's been supportive of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides financing for water infrastructure projects.

"We've been very mindful of it," Katko said.

Heroin epidemic: Katko supported the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a measure that aims to combat the opioid epidemic. He has said that he was motivated to address the problem by several families in central New York, including John and Tina Socci and Michelle Gentile and Kevin Jones  two Auburn-area couples who lost children to heroin overdoses.

Now that the bill has been signed into law, Katko said informing constituents about the measure is a priority. He also wants to fight for funding to help central New York combat the heroin epidemic.

"That, to me, is a big thing and we're going to be advocating for that big time."

Interstate 81: Katko doesn't prefer one option over another for the I-81 viaduct replacement project. That's consistent with his stance during the 2014 election.

He wants to "be a cheerleader" for whichever option is selected, he said. The state Department of Transportation recently announced that two alternatives are under further review: A boulevard and rebuilding the viaduct.

One concern Katko does have, though, is the potential impact of the boulevard option on the entire region. That's why he's been calling for more meetings outside Syracuse. He's urged the state to hold meetings in Auburn, DeWitt and Skaneateles. (The state did hold a meeting in Skaneateles last month.)

If a boulevard is installed, he said it will increase truck traffic through Auburn, Owasco and other communities.

Gun safety: Katko prefaced his position by saying that he was one of the leading violent crime prosecutors in the country before leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office in Syracuse to run for Congress.

He said there are a lot of federal gun laws that aren't being prosecuted because of a lack of resources. He supports reinvigorating the Safe Streets Task Forces that helped crack down on gun violence in the past.

He's the cosponsor of a separate "no fly, no buy" bill that would prevent those on terror watch lists from buying guns. He also stressed the importance of addressing the mental health aspect of gun violence. And he said more pressure should be put on states to ensure the most updated information is entered into the background check system.

Immigration: From Katko's view, before immigration reform is passed there must be border security in place. He said Congress was beginning to work on a major border security bill, but that worked stopped because Republicans didn't trust President Obama to follow through on immigration reform.

He questioned why they wouldn't move forward with the border security bill, even if an immigration reform agreement wouldn't follow.

"They don't want to deal with the tough stuff," he said. "We need to deal with the tough stuff."

Border security measures could help reduce the number of illegal aliens entering the country, he said. He also noted that it could stop the flow of heroin into the United States.

He acknowledges that the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants won't be deported. He supports giving law-abiding undocumented immigrants a certain status that allows them to stay in the U.S., but he doesn't think they should get an automatic pathway to citizenship.

Student loan debt: Katko said student loan debt is one of the looming financial crises, if it's not already. He proposed reducing the amount of interest charged on guaranteed student loans and allowing borrowers to refinance  an option that's not available to them now.

Another proposal he supports is allowing high school students to receive Pell grants. That could help reduce costs and the length of going to college, he said.

He also said it's necessary to have discussions with colleges and universities about why tuition costs are increasing and what factors are at play.
First Presbyterian Church in Auburn has scheduled its annual frozen turkey collection day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at the church, 112 South St., Auburn.

A drive-thru will be set up in the church parking lot; those wishing to donate can follow the signs on South Street.

It is the sixth year of turkey collection for the church. Since 2010, it has collected more than 500 frozen turkeys, which the church gives to area food pantries.

For more information, call (315) 252-3861.
The idea had never occurred to the Rev. Adam Hamilton at the conclusion of past presidential campaigns. But this Election Day, the megachurch he leads in the Kansas City suburbs will invite congregants, and anyone else who chooses, to stop in and pray for the nation to heal itself.

Theres plenty of division in our country every year, but this years election is different, said Hamilton, founding pastor of the 20,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, where two of four campuses will serve as polling stations. Our families are divided. Were divided sometimes from our friends. Even when were in church here our politics are different. And I think we have to be reminded that theres a bigger picture here.

As Hamiltons congregants and millions of other Americans weather the final days of a campaign cycle filled with insults and anger, the nation indeed finds itself at a troubling crossroads.

Americans are split over immigration, the changes wrought by globalization, the treatment of minorities and the threat of terrorism. But partisanship, long rising, has veered beyond policy disagreement. Now, roughly half of Democrats and Republicans tell pollsters they fear those in the other party.

With people increasingly ensconced in media silos and social networks that surround them with like-minded views, many cannot even agree on what constitutes basic facts.

The economy, by almost any empirical measure, is healthy and gaining traction. Yet as Americans head to the polls, many talk about being left behind not just by the recovery, but the political system.

The unemployment rate right now, regardless of what the numbers say, is horrendous.... I can look here and nobodys working, said Alan Halsey, who has a sign for Republican nominee Donald Trump in the window of the general store he runs in Campton, Kentucky. If we continue on this road, this place is going to look like Iraq or Afghanistan. Theres going to be nothing here.

Halseys viewpoint contrasts with figures showing that unemployment nationwide is down to 4.9 percent. Median household income jumped last year to $56,500, the highest it has been since before the bottom fell out of the economy in 2008. The share of Americans living in poverty declined sharply last year to 13.5 percent. Home prices are rising again, and millions more people have health insurance.

But the rebound has been slow to reach some Americans, particularly in manufacturing and mining communities that have lost many jobs, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics.

We dug ourselves into such a deep hole early on in 2008, 2009 that weve spent the last eight years really digging out of it, Zandi said. But if youve been struggling for more than a couple or three years, you begin to expect that thats your world forever. Youre doomed and not only doomed, but your kids are doomed ... and a lot of people are still stuck in that negative psychology.

The divide was spotlighted in a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, asking voters to compare their lives with those of people like them 50 years ago. When Trump supporters were asked that question, 4 in 5 said life in the U.S. today is worse for people like them. A nearly equal number of voters backing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said life today is just as good or better.

This is one of the core questions that speak to the current political environment, said Jocelyn Kiley, associate director of research for Pew. Political divisions are about more than just political issues, but about perceptions of the state of the country.

Those disagreements dont always fit old political pigeonholes. But people on both sides share a similar estrangement from traditional parties and politics.

Take Jerome Nichols, 68, a semi-retired accountant from Webster Groves, Missouri, who voted early for Clinton.

I am a lifelong Republican, but I am sick to death of what has happened to my party, Nichols said. Theyre just a bunch of haters.

Meanwhile Terry Wright, 59, a disabled union painter in Louisville and a registered Democrat backing Trump, says he has given up on his old party. Democrats backed immigration policies that have filled limited jobs with foreigners, and pushed for welfare programs that have knocked the ambition out of younger workers, he said.

Clinton will be the damnation of America, he said.

With modern U.S. presidential campaigns now stretching over two years, its hardly surprising that Americans are tired of the candidates and their commercials.

Im ready for the election to be over because Im sick of hearing about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and all the rhetoric, said Natalie Blair Pounds, 52, an auto mechanic in Denver, whose state is a battleground. But just to be on the record, Im voting for Hillary because I dont like the things Donald has said. I dont like the things Donald has done.

Voters intense negative feelings about Trump and Clinton may say as much about the times as the candidates, said David Greenberg, a professor of history at Rutgers University and author of Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency.

Theres something about the polarized climate that were in that leads us to feel these things more strongly, to regard the opposition with such hostility, to talk in terms of threats to the Republic, to say Lock her up, in ways we wouldnt have 30 years ago.

Its a far cry from Ronald Reagans 1984 message that it was morning in America. Or Barack Obamas 2008 call for Change We Can Believe In. Still, many voters continue to express faith that their voices can make a difference.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Jaquelinne Murillo, a law student who entered the U.S. from Mexico with her mother when she was 10 and became a U.S. citizen in May, said she looked forward to rejecting Trumps very hurtful portrayal of fellow immigrants as rapists and drug dealers.

It really makes me really happy that this is going to be the first election that I can actually vote in. And Im going to vote. Theres no way I wont, she said.

Others, though, are decidedly conflicted.

This is really the only time that I can ever remember, in any voting that Ive ever done, where I was at a loss as to who I was going to vote for, said Diane Kekoolani Barrett, a self-declared Republican in Honolulu, Hawaii. As she exited the city hall last week after casting an early ballot, she couldnt bring herself to name her choice for president. I kept thinking about that and, well, I hate to say it, I went with the lesser of two evils.
St. Helena Hospital raised $2.7 million to fund cardiac care and medical innovation at its 22nd annual Foundation Gala held Oct. 29 at Silver Oak Cellars.

The multi-million dollar total is an achievement that is unprecedented in our history, said Steven Herber, M.D., President and CEO, St. Helena Hospital.

We are incredibly grateful.

At the gala, more than 265 guests honored Karynne and David Duncan for their long tradition of support for the community and their dedication to ensuring access to top quality health care.

David Duncan is the president and CEO at Silver Oak Cellars and Karynne Duncan a medical doctor and local dermatologist.

They chose to establish the Kary and David Duncan Endowment for Medical Innovation as the beneficiary of the evenings proceeds, a permanent commitment of dedicated funds to continue St. Helena Hospitals long tradition of leading edge health care, said a news release.

This endowment reaches far beyond our own St. Helena community, said Herber. This is a gift that will advance cardiac care for patients around the country and around the globe.

Following dinner, in spirited bidding conducted by auctioneer Fritz Hatton, the single highest bid won an auction lot of 10 of Napa Valleys best wines in 10-year verticals. The live auction generated more than $1 million.

The evening concluded with Fund-a-Need. Presented by Dr. Gan Dunnington  a cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Helena Hospital  it raised $1.2 million. The event, the most successful to date, raised a total of $2.7 million.
Linda Falls where Conn Creek tumbles 31 feet down volcanic rocks amid the forested mountains east of St. Helena is now doubly protected from development.

The Land Trust of Napa County owns the 175-acre Linda Falls Preserve near Angwin. Since the nonprofit group exists to preserve open space, this area with hiking trails and rare plants would seem to already be bulldozer-proof.

But the Land Trust recently went one step further. It asked the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District to hold a conservation easement stating that virtually all of the property is a forever wild zone without development rights.

Now two parties are trying to keep Linda Falls Preserve as open spacethe landowner and the conservation easement holder.

That ensures if anything happens to either organization, the property will still be protected permanently, Land Trust of Napa County CEO Doug Parker said.

Parker said the idea of having two land-protecting agencies protect a single piece of property is considered a best practice in land conservation. The idea has taken hold in other parts of the country.

Its actually not that uncommon, Parker said.

But Linda Falls is the first time a double-protection deal has been struck between the nonprofit Land Trust of Napa County and voter-established Open Space District. More such arrangements could come.

Easements are supposed to be forever, Open Space District General Manager John Woodbury said. And forever is a long time. The backup easement approach is just another tool for preventing hypothetical bad things from happening.

What types of bad things?

The Land Trust of Napa County might someday get sued and a court might look for assets to pay the penalties, Woodbury said. But a Land Trust-owned property with an Open Space District conservation easement on it would still be protected from development.

In another example, the Open Space District owns 2,800 acres in the remote Spanish Valley area west of Lake Berreyssa. Once it finishes a plan for the property, it could donate a conservation easement for the land to the Land Trust of Napa County.

We own it free and clear, Woodbury said. In theory, we could sell it off and make money and do something else. The current board is not going to do that.

But, however unlikely such a sale might be, it remains at least a legal possibility. Should the Land Trust of Napa County hold a Spanish Valley conservation easement, the land would have another layer of protection.

Some properties owned by the two agencies have an extra layer of protection on them through other methods. An example is the Open Space Districts 637-acre Moore Creek Park near Lake Hennessey east of Rutherford.

Money from the state Coastal Conservancy and California State Parks helped buy Moore Creek Park, Woodbury said. The deed requires the land to be used in a certain way without development or the state can take legal steps to control of the property.

The Land Trust of Napa County, besides owning land outright, holds conservation easements on various private properties. These types of easements involving private property owners will not be subject to the dual protection method.
Napa County is buying a $275,000 replacement bomb truck to help its bomb squad continue dealing with everything from pipe bombs and other home-made explosive devices to old canisters of volatile ether in three counties.

The Sheriffs four-person Hazardous Devices Team is on call 24/7 to handle bomb threats and suspicious devices in Napa, Lake and Solano counties. It responded to 25 calls in 2015 using a 2004 Ford F450 box van.

But county officials want a better way than that Ford van to transport such equipment as a bomb disposal robot, hazmat suits, bomb suits, an X-ray machine and generator.

Its way out of date, Sheriffs Capt. Keith Behlmer said.

Equipment to meet FBI guidelines has increased in number and size. Squad members must move about 350 pounds of equipment to reach bomb suits in the van, a county report said.

In order to move things around, it takes time, Sheriff John Robertson said. But sometimes, time is of the essence.

Bomb squad members will swap the Ford for a 16-foot-long bomb truck to be built by Emergency Vehicles, Inc. of Lake Park, Florida. The Napa County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase last month.

This vehicle is a common vehicle they are trained on by the FBI in Huntsville, Alabama, Robertson said. Its purchased by bomb squads across our country.

Robertson said the bomb squad in the last 60 days was dispatched seven times.

Unfortunately, in our world today, its a very real job, Robertson said. Its a very real purpose. And we do it safely.

The $275,000 purchase price will come from the asset forfeitures fund that contains $425,000 from property seized and forfeited during arrests, a county report said. This money can be used only to supplement department expenses.

Robertson said his department will use the current bomb squad truck to replace a 1990s-era crime scene van. The county will declare the crime scene van as surplus property.

The bomb squad in August assisted Fairfield police after they arrested a man reportedly found with stolen property, burglary tools and homemade explosive devices. Bomb technicians rendered the devices safe and disposed of them.

In September, the squad responded to a suspicious device under an Interstate 80 overpass in Solano County. The device ended up being a rice cooker, but no one was taking chances in the wake of a recent New York City pressure cooker bomb explosion.

A more spectacular response came in October 2012. Workers at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga cleaning out a storage closet found a long-forgotten crate of highly volatile ether.

Bomb squad technicians safely blew up this apparent relic of a 1950-era disaster plan in a blast that shook the town.

In 2014, the squad safely blew up a grenade that children had found in Napa Creek and brought back to their city of Napa house. Technicians used their robot to move the grenade to an open space for disposal.

Behlmer was uncertain when the new bomb truck will be finished and ready for delivery. Every jurisdiction that buys one has slightly different needs that require customizing work, he said.

Its one of the resources you never want to use, Board of Supervisors Chairman Alfredo Pedroza said. But you have to have it in case you do need to use it.
Editors note: This is part of an occasional series marking the anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Sixty-six years ago during the Korean War, on Nov. 8, 1950, a jet-versus-jet encounter took place when a USAF F-80 Shooting Star shot down a Chinese-piloted, Russian-manufactured MiG-15. Korea saw the first aerial jet dogfights in history.

Previously, since July 1950, the U.S./U.N. air forces had dominated the skies above Korea. From now on, the specter of the MiG would largely haunt U.S. aircrews.

By October 1950, both Russia and China had become silent partners of North Korea. The U.S. could not effectively protest this kind of involvement in the Korean air war, for in early 1941, allegedly still neutral, it had allowed its volunteer pilots in American-manufactured P-40s in then Nationalist China under the sobriquet, Flying Tigers, to dogfight Japanese Zeroes.

Hot pursuit of MiGs based in China north of the Yalu River barrier by American jet fighters was restricted by President Harry Truman under the aegis of the U.N. for fear of expanding the Korean conflict into a Third World War. U.N. Supreme Commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur chafed under the no hot pursuit restriction, which he regarded as imposed by the Western democracies.

For example, to leave the major MiG airbase at Antung, China unharmed was to therefore in effect allow impunity to a continuous aerial harassment of Americas ongoing strategic bombing campaign of North Korea from the Yalu southwards. Symbols of heretofore uncontested daylight American air power, the brazenly un- camouflaged all-bright-silver B-29 Superfortresses, which only five years earlier had humbled Japan through aerial fire bombings and atomic bombings, had become surprisingly at-risk because of the MiG threat (also, due to a scarcity of B-29 parts). (Intelligence had estimated that MiGs were based at Shanghai against a possible air attack from Nationalist Taiwan, but not as bomber interceptors over North Korea.)

On Nov. 30, 1950, while on a bridge bombing mission over the Yalu River, in an aerial attempt to isolate North Korea, a formation B-29 was slightly damaged by a MiG. Pursuing straight-wing F-80 escorts could not keep up with the faster retiring swept-wing MiGs.

Presently, the MiG-15 was the premier jet fighter above Korea. Its development was influenced by Russian-captured German design prints and also a wind tunnel model of the experimental Focke Wulf Ta-183 Huckebein (Hunchback Raven), by aeronautical team head engineer Hans Multhopp, in 1944 during the dying days of the Third Reich. (Multhopp was captured by British forces in 1945.) Featuring a high T-tail (a telltale trademark in the manufacture of the MiG-15), a single jet engine, a stubby fuselage, and 35-degree swept-back wings, it was manufactured in the late 1940s in the form of the Mikoyan-Curevich MiG-15 fighter.

However, its test performance was mediocre due to an underpowered Russian-built engine, which seemed to stymy its birth as a dynamic war bird.

An unlikely rescue came in the form of the British high-performance Nene jet engine; 25 such engines were good-willed to Russia for its commercial aircraft. When, belatedly, the British protested the use of the engines in fighter planes, Stalin reputedly remarked with perhaps a subtle smile that only a fool would provide such an aerodynamic engineering breakthrough to the Soviet Union and not expect it to be used in its military aircraft.

The MiG-15 jet, with its radically high tail, became an icon of Communist aggression in the Cold War. It would be on Black Tuesday, Oct. 30, 1951, that swiftly attacking MiG-15s downed three B-29s and severely damaged three others, on a bombing mission to Namsi Airfield in North Korea.

Reminiscing, retired U.S. Air Force General Charles Chick Cleveland said, the little MiG-15 in Korea was successful in doing [what] the Focke Wulfs and Messerschimtts of World War II were never able to do: Drive the United States [strategic] bomber force right out of the [daytime] sky.

A fear of flying permeated the ranks of the B-29 aircrews, many requesting ground transfers. From November 1951 to July 1953, when an armistice was signed suspending hostilities in Korea, B-29s were banned from their former rough go day missions and relegated to night bomber duty. (Because at a distance, F-86 Sabres resembled MiGs, they were not used as B-29 escorts.)

SHORAN or short-range navigation radar facilitated night bombing of enemy bases, villages, and cities, providing accuracy to within 500 feet of the target. Flak became the main threat to the B-29 Superforts, especially in the absence of a standard Red night-fighter interceptor.

Not long after the MiG-15s debut in the fall of 1950, its antagonist counterpart, the North American F-86 Sabre (also, Sabrejet) appeared. Perhaps also inspired by the Ta-183, it too had swept-back wings and a single jet engine; however, its fuselage was somewhat longer and it had a lower-placed, more conventional-looking tail-plane.

Both MiG and Sabre were fairly evenly matched. Each could approach Mach speed (i.e., the 717 miles-per-hour speed of sound through air). The MiG-15s three cannons and the Sabres six 50-caliber machine guns were equally lethal. The MiGs quicker climbing rate was balanced by the Sabres much more accurate gun-sight.

Elite Soviet-piloted MiGs and American-flown Sabres held about a one-to-one kill- ratio against each other. Lesser-capable Russian, Chinese, and North Korean pilots were downed at the exchange rate of six MiG-15s for every one F-86 Sabrejet lost.

Dubbed MiG Alley, northwestern Korean airspace just below the Yalu was the scene of many a MiG-Sabre dogfight. American newsreels shifted focus from the now desultory strategic bombing campaign to the flashier, high-speed aerial duels between the opposing jet jockeys. (Communist jet pilots were known as honchos.)

By spring 1953, Sabre pilots eschewed the no hot pursuit directive by instead pursuing returning MiGs to their sanctuary Red Chinese bases, shooting them down and/or strafing the airfields. The higher U.S. command winked at this latent Sabre aggressiveness during the latter stage of the tritely so-called Korean Police Action.

The most effective allied combat aircraft in Korea was the fighter-bomber-either jet or propeller-employed in close support of the U.N./U.S./R.O.K. ground forces. It helped to contain North Korean, and later Chinese ground assaults. Essentially flying artillery, ground support planes had harrowing missions when assigned Yalu, bridge and dam targets. Prohibited north of the Yalu, they narrowly dove on bridges or dams while braving flak from the unmolested Chinese side of the river.

Jittery ground support pilots were offered a shot of brandy upon their safe return. Nonetheless, it was the dive-bomber pilots who had an important role in stabilizing the war in Korea. When a surviving fighter-bomber pilot managed to land in his badly shot up, heavily damaged plane, the excited ground personnel rushing out to extract him from the cockpit remarked that he had earned his mission whiskey.
MOTTVILLE  Reem Jishi may own the only treadmill room with a fireplace anywhere around.

The owner of Gazella Training, Fitness & Yoga recently relocated the six-year-old business  and rebranded its name  by moving it up Jordan Road from the intersection with Old Seneca Turnpike in the town of Skaneateles to the intersection with Railroad Street in the hamlet of Mottville.

The square, stone building, located at 4361 Jordan Road, contains on the first floor a spinning room with all of Gazella's stationary bicycles connected to a smaller room that holds all of the treadmills.

Jishi said she treats both of the spaces as one room, particularly for Gazella's running classes  in the smaller room, people can run on the treadmills, and in the larger room, others can work on strength training.

"It's probably the first treadmill room with a fireplace," she said. "A little character."

Jishi said the move from 3986 Jordan Road happened in a fairly quick fashion  the spaced hosted its last Gazella class Saturday, Oct. 29, and a couple of days later, the equipment was loaded up and moved down the road.

She said the new building actually offers less space than the former one, but she found herself having more space than she needed when Gazella Dance Studio moved out to become Tiffany's School of Dance and Performing Arts Center.

"I'd gone by this building so many times running and on my bike, and I always loved it," Jishi said. "When it came open as an opportunity, then I just kind of jumped on it. ... I had more space than I needed, but I didn't want to move unless I found a place that I found matched the personality of Gazella and offered what I needed."

Jishi said the building has been empty for five years  it was formerly the office for architect Bob Eggleston  but with a recent change in ownership, the new owners were interested in leasing the space.

A little more than a year ago, Jishi established the Sangha at Gazella yoga studio in the space the dance studio took up in the former building. She said that move actually caused some confusion because despite the name the yoga studio still fell under the Gazella Training & Group Fitness umbrella.

The yoga studio is certainly a part of the new building  it is situated in the exercise room that was set up for a TRX class last week on the second floor along with a storage area and personal training space  and it all is encompassed in the new Gazella Training, Fitness & Yoga name.

"Actually, moving here gave an opportunity to pull yoga back into it," Jishi said. "There's no difference in terms of the class offerings or what we're doing, but now the Gazella logo says training, fitness, yoga, which is really how it was playing out, so now the name just better reflects that."

Whereas the yoga studio at the former building was a dedicated space, the layout of the new building allows Gazella to use the upstairs space both as a yoga studio and for other classes. Jishi called it a better use of the space with a more efficient layout that allows more people to take part in a class.

"That's a really nice change for us to be able to have an ability to have more people because that's a really popular class," she said, noting 10 people can now take a TRX class rather than the previous limit of six. "The space is right-sized, not downsized. It lets us do everything we want to do without having a lot of empty space."

Since she agreed to a lease on the building several months ago, Jishi said Gazella's move to a new location was not a surprise. Many instructors and clients knew about the upcoming change, even though she did not publicly announce the move until just before it happened.

"So far, the response from the clients has been really positive," she said. "It's got such a nice, warm feel to it. It's working really well."

As well as the spaces for training and exercise classes, the centerpiece of the new building is what Jishi called the celebration wall. Among a slew of photographs, medals and trophies from past Team Gazella triathlons and other competitions is the Gazella logo with the slogan "The body achieves what the mind believes."

That slogan fits into what Jishi sees as the Gazella's mission as well as the the three components: training for triathlons, other competitions or just personal training, fitness for the contingent of exercise classes offered and yoga for that slate of classes as well.

She noted the official business name is Gazella Training LLC, but the name of the building  which she said came up after trying a few things and tossing out some ideas  reflects what Gazella wants to do for its clients.

"Some people do all three. Some people pick one or two," Jishi said. "The idea is to give people their personalized fitness experience  find out what their goals are and help them get to whatever it is."
Deepika Padukone is all geared up to attend the prestigious MTV European Music Awards in Rotterdam, which she described as "a step forward in my global career". The 30-year old actress shares that she was puzzled when she received the invite. She said, "I was pleasantly surprised when I got the invite. It is very gracious of them to invite me. I have grown up watching the MTV awards and I didn't think that one day, I would be walking down the red carpet and presenting an award at this global music event. It's a step forward in my global career." "This is my first time at such an event so I don't know what to expect. I am going there just to have fun. I understand the platform and what it is all about; it is a music award and I love music. I listen to a lot of music of the people, who are playing there, so right now, everything seems surreal in that sense," added the 'Tamasha' actress. The pretty lady has been sensationally achieving all goals one by one and has been applauded by the audience for her performances. After becoming a part of 'xXx : Return of Xander Cage' with Vin Diesel, for which Miss Padukone garnered tremendous response from her fans and the audience for the teaser, trailer & individual posters for the film, the actress will now be attending the renowned MTV European Music Awards. Besides being at the award show, the actress also will be presenting an award on November 6. Deepika will be amidst other Hollywood celebrities like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Beyonce and Ariana Grande and others. On a related note, the Mastani of Bollywood will next be seen in her Vin Diesel starrer Hollywood debut 'XXX: Return of Xander Cage' that is slated to release early next year. (ANI)
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Sunday welcomed the emergency measures announced by the Delhi government to combat the prevailing smog, including closure of all schools for three days. The unprecedented smog levels have turned the national capital into a virtual gas chamber. While welcoming Delhi government's action plan, CSE demanded strict implementation of emergency measures and long term action including boosting public transport to fight pollution on a sustainable manner. Emergency measures to curb pollution announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal included ban on construction and demolition work for five days and the use of diesel-run generator sets for 10 days. The Chief Minister also directed shut down of the coal-based thermal power plant at Badarpur in south Delhi for 10 days, sprinkling of water on the city's roads on a large scale, vacuum cleaning of all 100-foot broad roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) and strict enforcement of ban on burning garbage and dry leaves. CSE's executive director (Research and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury said that this emergency situation demands emergency action. "However, these measures will now require stringent enforcement," she said. Roychowdhury added vehicle restraint measures including odd-even scheme and parking restraints must also be implemented simultaneously. The government is already exploring the possibility of implementing odd-even scheme under which, vehicles with odd registration number would alone ply on odd dates and those with even registration number on even dates. "Vehicles contribute to hugely toxic emissions very close to where people are, thus exposing them to very high toxic risk when pollution remains trapped close to the ground level," a CSE statement said. "Along with vehicle restraint measures, the government needs to scale up and intensify the public transport system," it added. CSE also asked the government to step up inter-state coordination to address the smoke plumes from the farm fires in Punjab and Haryana. Earlier, while announcing emergency measures, Kejriwal also maintained that this was a larger problem involving neighbouring states, where farmers are said to be burning crop stubble in a wide area, and sought the central government's intervention. "This is the time to set aside politics and find a solution (to the problem)," Kejriwal said after presiding over an emergency meeting of his cabinet. He directed the municipal authorities to bring under control the fire at the land fill sites in Delhi. Kejriwal also appealed to people to remain indoors as much as possible. "Please stay indoors and try to work from home as much as possible." The Delhi government was also analysing the possibility of inducing artificial rains to control pollution but this would need to be discussed with experts and the central government, Kejriwal said. With high levels of PM 2.5, the pollution crisis in Delhi continues to be classified as "severe", with a blanket of smog covering the entire city as well as the neighbouring states. Delhi's pollution levels worsened after Diwali on October 30. Delhi's dismal air quality has been attributed to low wind speed and high humidity which has blocked dispersal of pollutants. --IANS vv/pgh/dg ( 520 Words) 2016-11-06-19:58:08 (IANS)
The two sides also reviewed the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Japan for Annual Summit meeting, and agreed that this visit is the most significant event in the bilateral relations this year, which will further underscore the strong bonds of friendship that India and Japan share.

This was the return visit of Yachi to reciprocate the visit of Doval to Japan in July 2016.

Both officials shared a view that the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, that was agreed to during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Japan in August-September 2014, is a key partnership for promoting peace, prosperity and development in the region and the world.

Their discussions, which were centred on important issues covering bilateral, regional and global dimensions, helped to further underscore the commonalities of views, shared interests and need to promote universal values.

NSA Yachi conveyed Japan's continued commitment to enhance Japan's engagement with India on regional and global issues.

They also agreed on the need for the global community to make concerted efforts to meet the pressing regional and global challenges. (ANI)
However, the sentence is not to be executed till one month and Pancholi also received a month's time to appeal in higher court.

The actor had allegedly assaulted and threatened his neighbour three years ago during a heated argument over parking space.

According to reports, Pancholi's lawyers have termed the sentence very harsh and will appeal for bail. (ANI)
The decision was taken by the Union Minister after attending a high level meeting called by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Saturday.

"The contribution of crop-burning in the vicinity has increased pollution levels in Delhi. Preliminary study shows that smoke from crop-burning is getting trapped which is affecting the environment," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said after attending the meeting.

Kejriwal further advised that farmers should be incentivized, so that they stop burning the crops which eventually leads to decline in air quality.

On Friday, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) observed that the Delhi government, the Centre and other officials have been apathetic to the rising air pollution level.

The tribunal reiterated its directive to the Delhi government to stop diesel vehicles of over 10 years old from plying in the national capital and slammed the government for non-compliance.

The NGT has now summoned the environment secretaries of Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to present an action plan on November 8, when the panel meets next. (ANI)
Earlier today, four more people were held in connection with the same rape case, bringing up the total of people arrested in the matter to 15.

The Maharashtra Government on Friday formed a Special Investigation Team ( SIT) to probe the matter.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday has assured of a proper investigation under the supervision of a female IPS officer and further asserted that strict action would be taken against the accused.

As per reports, the untoward incident took place on Thursday night.

The accused include president, secretary and joint secretary of the private boarding school, which is 450 kilometers from Mumbai. (ANI)
A 30 member delegation of the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, where they conveyed their strong condemnation of the burning of schools in the Valley by anti-national elements and called for his personal initiative to restore peace in the state. The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference is an apex body of Panchayat leaders of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which represents 4000 village Panchayats of the state, with 4000 Sarpanches and 29000 Panches. The delegation was led by the Chairman of the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference Shafiq Mir. Members of the delegation briefed the Prime Minister on development issues concerning the State, and said that benefits of central assistance to the State have not reached the villages due to non-empowerment of the Panchayats, in line with the rest of the country. They also submitted a memorandum and urged the Prime Minister to consider extension of the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution of India - which pertain to local bodies - to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. They also demanded that elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies in the State be held at the earliest, adding that elections held in 2011 had witnessed enthusiastic turnout of voters. Extension of these Constitutional Provisions to the State would empower the Panchayats to undertake basic development activities in the rural areas, the delegation observed. Members expressed hope that this would accelerate the development process in the State, and enable the people of the State to take benefit from various Central Government schemes. The delegation apprised the Prime Minister of the prevailing situation in the State and strongly condemned the burning of schools by anti-national elements. The body, which represents people at the grassroot level in Jammu and Kashmir, reiterated its faith in the democratic institutions and processes in the country. Shafiq Mir said that a vast majority of the people of the State wanted a life of peace and dignity, adding that vested interests have exploited youngsters and are playing with their future. The Prime Minister assured the delegation that the Union Government will look into their demands and further stressed that growth and development of the state is high on his agenda. He added that development of the villages where a majority of people live, is vital to the overall economic development of the State and also reiterated his stress on a humanitarian approach, and said that 'Vikas' and 'Vishwas' will remain the cornerstones of the Union Government's development initiatives for the State of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
Maharashtra State Women's Commission (MSWC) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar called on the state government to cancel state-run institutions that are unsafe. Rahatkar told media here today,"The hall in which the girls stay is not safe and secure and the toilets are very far. There have been no different arrangements for girls and boys separately. There is no cleanliness; no safety and security. The government should cancel such institutions." Rahatkar added that the Women's Commission has requested the government to make sure that the girls should get admission in other respected schools so that their studies should not suffer. She pointed out that at the hostel, even the minimum facilities are not there. "Police officials are doing their investigation. Five girls have been questioned about the matter. State-run similar institutions which are especially for girls will be investigated and the status of those will be checked," she said. Further stating that the State investigating team has been established, she said:". Female police officers are working on it. This matter has been raised with seriousness by the state women's commission. The safety of kids is most important and one can't compromise with this." Four more persons were held on Saturday in connection with the Buldhana rape case, where a 13-year old student was raped at an ashram school here. A total of 15 people have been arrested so far in this matter. The Maharashtra Government yesterday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday said the Buldhana rape incident will be probed under the supervision of a female IPS officer and assured that strict action will be taken against the accused. As per reports, the untoward incident took place on Thursday night. The accused include president, secretary and joint secretary of the private boarding school, which is 450 kilometers from Mumbai. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik has demanded the ouster of Tribal Minister Vishnu Sawra and Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde for alleged negligence towards tribals. He has also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the alleged apathy towards tribals. (ANI)
Condemning the burning of schools in the Kashmir Valley, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday said these institutions should be repaired and re-opened without further delay. "In all our meetings in Srinagar when we visited it for three days, we raised with the interlocutors the issue of the re-opening of schools, because nobody has the right to play with the future of the children of the Kashmir Valley. Therefore, our emphasis was that the schools should re-open and the government and whoever is on the other side should to decide on how the schools can be re-opened and do it immediately without loss of time," Sinha said. He further added that it is very tragic that schools in Jammu and Kashmir are being burnt down. Whoever is responsible for such dastardly act should be apprehended and punished most severely, he said. "This is an act against humanity. Some people have been arrested, I understand. Investigation must be done to find out who these people are, why they are doing what they did and also to find out if there are any other forces behind their action," Sinha said. Speaking to ANI about the role of state government in tackling such incidents, Sinha said, "The state government has to energize the Mahala committees, the village communities in order to ensure that they are alert and the schools are not allowed to be burnt and if the miscreants attempt any such thing, they should be apprehended. This is something that has to be done immediately, so that such incidents don't repeat themselves." Two more schools were torched by unknown masked men in south Kashmir. In all, 27 schools have been gutted, 15 of them partially, in the past three months in the strife-torn Valley. No group has claimed responsibility for these acts and police have not been able to establish the identity of the arsonists yet. With increasing number of schools being burnt in the Valley triggering an outrage, the J&K high court on Monday stepped in, directing the police and civil administration to ensure their protection besides unmasking the "mysterious enemies of education" and deal with them with an "iron hand". (ANI)
Naidu told media, "This action of asking a TV channel to take off for one day is in the interest of the country's safety and security. NDTV India ban is a logical conclusion of concerns voiced by the UPA government over coverage of anti-terror operations since 26/11."

He claimed that the decision against NDTV India was not based on 'any newly invented rule and principle'.

He further added that the belated criticism is clearly ill informed and politically inspired to create a controversy.

NDTV India has been told it must go off air on Wednesday as penalty for its coverage of the terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in January.(ANI)
After holding ministerial level talks on Saturday, the governments of India and Sri Lanka have agreed to set up a hotline between the coast guards and a Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries to meet every three months in a bid to address the long pending fishermen issue. Both countries also agreed to hold a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh met with the Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera. The ministers exchanged views on possible mechanisms to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issues after which they agreed on the setting up of a JWG. The delegations for the group would include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of both countries. The first ministerial meeting would be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo. The Terms of Reference for the Joint Working Group (JWG) would include expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest, working out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen and ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on patrolling. The issue of the release of detained fishing vessels will be discussed at the first JWG meeting. Both governments also agreed to the request by the Fishermen Associations that there should be no violence and no loss of life in the handling of fishermen by the Navies and Coast Guards of the two countries. They agreed to encourage fishermen associations of the two countries to meet every six months to take further their dialogue from the inconclusive meeting held on November 2 in New Delhi. The ministers noted that the process is underway for the release of fishermen presently in custody on either side. (ANI)
Aboobackar, the father of the baby, did not allow his wife Hafsath, 24, to breast feed the baby due to some religious beliefs.

The baby was born on November 2 at around 2 a.m. at Calicut's EMS Cooperative Hospital in Mukkam.

The hospital authorities filed a complaint, after which the police arrested the father and the priest. (ANI)
Antibiotics should only be used to prevent infections before and during surgery, not afterwards, as is often done, World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended. New guidelines from WHO that aim to save lives, cut costs and arrest the spread of superbugs, have suggested that people preparing for surgery should always have a bath or shower but not be shaved. The "Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection" includes a list of 29 concrete recommendations distilled by 20 of the world's leading experts from 26 reviews of the latest evidence. The recommendations were also published in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" and are designed to address the increasing burden of health care associated infections on both patients and health care systems globally. "No one should get sick while seeking or receiving care," Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation said. "Preventing surgical infections has never been more important but it is complex and requires a range of preventive measures. These guidelines are an invaluable tool for protecting patients." Surgical site infections are caused by bacteria that get in through incisions made during surgery. They threaten the lives of millions of patients each year and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance. In low- and middle-income countries, 11 per cent of patients who undergo surgery are infected in the process. In Africa, up to 20 per cent of women who have a caesarean section contract a wound infection, compromising their own health and their ability to care for their babies. ''But surgical site infections are not just a problem for poor countries. In the United States, they contribute to patients spending more than 400 000 extra days in hospital at a cost of an additional 900 million dollars per year,'' the Health Organisation said. The guidelines include 13 recommendations for the period before surgery, and 16 for preventing infections during and after surgery. They range from simple precautions such as ensuring that patients bathe or shower before surgery and the best way for surgical teams to clean their hands, to guidance on when to use antibiotics to prevent infections, what disinfectants to use before incision, and which sutures to use. "Sooner or later many of us will need surgery, but none of us wants to pick up an infection on the operating table," Dr Ed Kelley, Director of WHO's Department of Service Delivery and Safety said. "By applying these new guidelines surgical teams can reduce harm, improve quality of life, and do their bit to stop the spread of antibiotic resistance. We also recommend that patients preparing for surgery ask their surgeon whether they are following WHO's advice." No international evidence-based guidelines had previously been available and there are inconsistencies in the interpretation of evidence and recommendations in existing national guidelines. The new WHO guidelines are valid for any country and suitable to local adaptations, and take account of the strength of available scientific evidence, the cost and resource implications, and patient values and preferences. They complement WHO's popular "Surgical Safety Checklist", which gives a broad range of safety measures, by giving more detailed recommendations on preventing infections. The guidelines recommend that antibiotics be used to prevent infections before and during surgery only, a crucial measure in stopping the spread of antibiotic resistance. ''Antibiotics should not be used after surgery, as is often done,'' the Health Organisation said. Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines. Resistance develops naturally over time, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is rapidly accelerating the process. Antibiotic resistance is putting the achievements of modern medicine at risk. Without effective antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of infections, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy and surgeries such as caesarean sections and hip replacements become much more dangerous. This leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality. Many studies show that implementing a range of preventive measures significantly reduces harm from surgical site infections. A pilot study in four African countries showed that implementing a selection of the new recommendations could result in a 39 per cent reduction in surgical site infections. UNI NY RSA 1104 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-1010195.Xml
Embassy of Japan here through a letter by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated Ms Jafa on her selection for the honour.

Ms Jafa has joined the league of chosen few Indians, including former Prime Minister and economist Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Venkataraman Krishnamurthy, a Cambridge scientist, former Union Minister N K Singh and famous as Metro Man E Sreedaran, who had been awarded Order of the Rising Sun.

More than an author of children's books, Ms Jafa is an academician and a practitioner on the science and art of children's literature.

For over four decades, she carved a trajectory on promoting creative writing for children, using children's literature for tools to counter trauma as during Tsunami.

She is also credited for starting Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children in 1976.

Ms Jafa initiated an entire programme on developing creative alphabet books in almost 8-9 Indian languages, an ambitious projected which was funded by Japan.

She developed conceptual books with minimal text and large attractive illustrations in Dari and Pashton, and went to distribute the books investing her pension in Afghanistan.

The author revived the Indian board of Books for Young Children (IBBY) by creating the first World Congress on Peace through Children's books where she invited Empress Michiko to read the keynote paper.

Ms Jafa has trained large number of writers and provided guidance to artistes and publishers to produce innovative and creative children's literature in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and several other countries through workshops, academic papers, seminars and conferences.

UNI MK RSA 1049

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Police said Karajoy Reang (28) alias Karka of Kharisapara, 19-miles, under Ganganagar area of Dhalai district surrendered before Superintendent of Police (Special Branch) at Agartala yesterday.

He fled away from NLFT headquarters at Sapchari under Rangamati district of South Bangladesh following severe crisis of food and resources due to strong action by the security forces of India and Bangladesh.

Reang had joined NLFT in 2010 and was a listed member of NLFT.

During preliminary interrogation, Reang divulged that before surrendering he was at Bangladesh camp.

Due to frustration on the extremist life and miserable condition in NLFT camps in Bangladesh Reang decided to surrender.

He will further be interrogated by a joint interrogation team, police added.UNI BB AD SHS RSA 1156

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The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Congress came a step closer for a possible alliance before the crucial assembly elections next year as senior SP leaders had a closed door meeting with Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor in the backdrop of the SP's silver jubilee foundation day function. Though there was no official word from both the parties, but according to sources, Mr Kishor, commonly known as PK, met SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother and party state president Shivpal Yadav in two phases for about six hours to talk about the alliance. Highly placed sources said now the talks would be held in New Delhi next week to take the matter forward. However, all the efforts of PK could not persuade Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the CM refused to meet him at the hotel yesterday, where all the leaders were put up by the Samajwadi Party. The main reason for denial by the CM to meet PK was the involvement of SP general secretary Amar Singh in the alliance discussion with the Congress. Earlier too, Mr Akhilesh Yadav had said there was no need for any alliance for the SP and all the good work of the state government would pave the way for the next term. But, the situation has changed for the party after the family feud and now the CM was saying that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will take the decision on the pre-poll alliance. Sources said that there were some hitches over CM candidate as the Congress has already projected former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit as their CM face while Mr Akhilesh Yadav is already the mascot of the ruling party. According to sources, the Congress is said to be ready on 100 seats under the alliance but it is upto the SP to decide as they have around 229 sitting MLAs and candidates in over 156 seats, mostly those where the party was runners-up in 2012 elections, candidates have been announced. Though UP Congress president Raj Babbar has officially said that PK has no mandate for talking with other parties for alliance in UP polls but other senior leaders and the legislators are very eager to forge an alliance with the SP. Yesterday's SP silver jubilee foundation day programme had laid the foundation for a grand alliance of the ruling party with the parties of the erstwhile Janata parivaar. The leaders of Janata parivar in one voice had asked the SP supremo to take the initiative for the alliance in UP polls to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the state. The focus of attack on Janata parivar leaders was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They all expressed their firm resolve to not only stop the BJP from coming to power in UP in 2017, but also defeat the party in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.More UNI MB RSA 1126 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1010558.Xml
Loyalty to the country does not necessarily mean loyalty to the government, says author Rana Ayyub, whose self-published book on the 2002 Gujarat riots has become a major hit and gone into its second edition. "For me, nationalism is defending the idea of the country -- that includes everybody," Ayyub told IANS in an interview. "For me loyalty to the country means loyalty to the government only when it deserves it... Patriotism for me is to speak against those in the government who support disturbing elements in the society," she added. She was asked what nationalism and patriotism -- in the present scenario -- meant for her. Posing as an American filmmaker of Indian origin, Ayyub secretly interviewed Gujarat's top bureaucrats and police officers, serving as well as retired -- interviews that suggest that the 2002 riots were orchestrated. The author was asked for her thoughts on Pakistani artists being sent home from Bollywood after protests by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the wake of the terrorist attack on an army camp in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers. "Patriotism seems to be in vogue today. Putting a badge on you may declare you more patriotic," she said. "I wonder if Ajay Devgn would have said something similar if his film ('Shivaay') wouldn't have been coinciding with Karan Johar's ('Ae Dil Hai Mushkil') and did not have a business angle to it," she said, referring to Ajay Devgn's support for the ouster of Pakistani actors from Bollywood. "Unfortunately, the saying that patriotism has become the last refuge of the scoundrels in the country is proving true every day. Each time one has to promote a movie or a brand, they use patriotism," she added. Ayyub said it cannot be denied that Pakistan was India's neighbour. "Whether we like it or not, Pakistanis are our neighbours, even though we may have many differences. But cultural ties should not be broken and should always exist. "This intolerance towards our cultural ties baffles me," Ayyub said. Ayyub went on: "I completely support the surgical strikes. As an Indian, I definitely will. But why do I have to say it, why do I have to wear my patriotism on my sleeve? Even if I do not say it, I am proud of it. "However, if somebody is in disagreement or wants to see the evidence, there is nothing wrong in it as it is his/her fundamental right. Questioning the government's operations, especially the surgical strikes, does not make one anti-national," Ayyub added. The writer is unhappy over the happenings in the Kashmir Valley, where life has been more or less paralysed for nearly four months following the killing of a militant commander. "What is happening in Kashmir is extremely unfortunate. Kashmiris are struggling for human rights. Is supporting them against nationalism? Every time what I hear about Kashmir on prime time TV is: 'Kashmir hamara hai.' Yes, of course, but what about the people? Are they not ours? "The country wants Kashmir but not Kashmiris. The country does not stand up for the rights of Kashmiris. If talking about their rights makes me anti-national, then I would rather be called one, but I do believe that we have been apathetic to what is happening there," Ayyub said. Frequently branded anti-Modi, Ayyub didn't find any publisher for her book "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up" on the 2002 Gujarat riots and its aftermath. She self-published -- and it became an instant best-seller. "It was a bestseller across all sections on Amazon in the first week. Till today it continues to be one. We sold 24,000 (English) copies till September and 5,000 e-publications, including Kindle. "Right now, the figure, including the Tamil edition, is 40,000 copies. I am releasing the Urdu edition on Sunday at Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi," Ayyub said. Asked whether the book largely sold in stores or online in India and abroad, she said: "Since we did not have a distributor I had to rely on Amazon and Flipkart sales. I personally went to bookshops and stocked copies. LeftWord and BahriSons (Delhi based publishers and distributors) boosted sales by selling it. "I created a seller account on Amazon and managed to sell most copies there." The book has sold a record number of copies abroad, a rare feat for an Indian political book which has seen terrible censorship in india. The second edition was released a week ago and it has also been self published. It has notes by Naseeruddin Shah, Ramachandra Guha, Arundhati Roy and Hansal Mehta, among others. Naseeruddin Shah says in his note: "If the reporting here is proven authentic, then it will be time for demanding answers to some hard questions." "For me, patriotism is releasing my book which exposes the truth and in many ways goes against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and his party president (Amit Shah)." (Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in) --IANS rt/mr/sac/vm/ky ( 840 Words) 2016-11-06-13:26:05 (IANS)
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is likely to give its approval tomorrow to the much awaited deal for acquiring 12 US-2i amphibious aircraft. The DAC meeting chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will take place tomorrow, sources in the Ministry told UNI, indicating that the proposal is likely to get a go ahead from the apex decision making body. After getting clearance from the DAC, the decks would be cleared for the signing of the 16 billion dollar mega deal during Mr Modi's visit on November 11-12 to Tokyo. The Japanese media too have reported about the imminent inking of the pact. "The total value of the purchase is about 16 billion dollars, but India may be able to negotiate a discount of 8-9 per cent. Other details of the deal, including delivery dates, will be finalised during Modi's visit," Japan's Nikkei Asian Review today said, quoting officials. The US-2 deal had also found mention during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India. A joint statement issued on the conclusion of his visit said "the two Prime Ministers expressed their intention to explore potential future projects on defence equipment and technology cooperation such as US-2 amphibious aircraft." ShinMaywa is the prime manufacturer of the US-2, which is said to be world's only amphibious aircraft capable of open-sea landing and takeoff. The capabilities of US-1A and US-2 STOL Search and Rescue Amphibians enable the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force to transport emergency patients from outlying islands and rescue victims of disasters at sea. Mr Abe is likely to pitch his country's bullet trains for a high-speed rail corridor project in India, including training programs for local engineers. Japan has already won a Shinkansen bullet-train order for the route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, one of seven planned routes. A historic agreement for civil nuclear cooperation between the two sides is most likely to be signed, the MEA officials have indicated. Japan is likely to offer India its Shinkansen technology for the rail corridor project's six other routes. "To sweeten the deal, Abe will offer Japanese government support for a joint venture between Japanese and Indian companies to build a train assembly plant in India if Japan wins orders for all seven routes," the Nikkei report said. UNI MK RSA 1225 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-1010646.Xml
Speaking at the Orientation Programme for Urdu Journalists, organized by Telangana Union Working Journalists (TUWJ), Mr Naidu said no news should 'anti-National' and about clashes between groups. Freedom is not above the national interest. We are first citizens and next journalists, the Minister said.

He also exhorted journalists particularly electronic media not to sensationalize events.

Mr Naidu said journalists should always resort to responsible journalism in the larger good of the people. He also wanted journalists to be truthful and report only facts after confirming it.

The Minister asked the journalists not to mix "News and Views". New is different from views. News is pertaining to the society, while views is individual feeling.

He said no one is perfect. It is necessary that every body should upgrade their skill and knowledge. He congratulated the TUWJ for conducting orientation programme for urdu journalists. The BJP leader said the Centre is planning to extend training to journalists in respective languages after establishing Regional Centers of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

The Doordarshan is telecasting 15 minutes urdu news bulletin twice in a day, Mr Naidu said the Ministry is planning to increase the duration of bulletin.

Telangana Information and Public Relation Commissioner Naveen Mittal, Vetern journalist Srinivas Reddy, Press Council Member Amarnath, TUWJ office bearers and large number of Urdu journalists hailing from 31 districts in Telangana took part in the programme.UNI VV CS 1331

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Chairmen of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC), Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik met here today to discuss future strategy. The three leaders, spearheading the present agitation, were allowed to meet at the residence of Mr Geelani for the first time since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag, evoking massive protests. Over 86 people, mostly youths, were killed in security force and police action during the subsequent clashes in the valley, where life remained crippled for the past 121 consecutive days due to strike. The separatist alliance has already extended strike till November 10 in the Valley. A spokesman of the moderate HC Advocate Shahidul Islam told UNI that the Mirwaiz, who was put under house since his release from about two-month-long detention last month, was today allowed to leave his Nigeen house. Though security forces remained deployed outside the house but he was not stopped this time, said Advocate Islam, who remained under house arrest. He said the Mirwaiz made similar attempt on November 2 but was prevented by the security forces from leaving for the residence of Mr Geelani. Mr Malik has also joined the meeting at the Hyderpora residence of Mr Geelani, a JKLF spokesman said. However, last time he was sent back by the security force who did not allow him to go inside, he said. This is for the first time the separatist leaders, who are spearheading the present agitation issuing protest calendars every week, were allowed to meet and discuss future strategy. This is seen as very important development after the visit of a four-member committee headed by senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and former union minister Yashwant Sinha. The committee held detailed meeting with Mr Geelani and Mirwaiz though Malik refused to meet them. The meeting is also very crucial as the government has announced to go ahead with 10th and 12th class examinations from November 14 despite opposition by some students main opposition parties and separatists, who are in favour of holding examinations in March next year.UNI BAS RSA 1400 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1010751.Xml
Several senior Samajwadi Party leaders have started making efforts to plead before party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to reinstate former general secretary and leader in the Rajya Sabha Ram Gopal Yadav in the party. The Parliament session starting from November 16, and Ram Gopal Yadav is the leader of the party in the upper house, hence there is an utmost urgency for the party either to withdraw his expulsion or appoint a new leader. Mr Mulayam Singh had once agreed to meet Mr Ram Gopal during Deepawali festival. Mr Ram Gopal was in Saifai at the time and Mr Mulayam Singh too was slated to go there where a possible meeting could have been arranged. But unfortunately, Mr Mulayam Singh skipped his Saifai visit, a rare something not observed during the past couple of decades and the deadlock still persists. A senior party leader, who is also the Rajya Sabha members, told UNI here today that a peculiar situation would arise in the upper house if, there is a stalemate on the Ram Gopal issue by the party. '' It is strange that the leader of the party in the RS is Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, who has been sacked by the party. How will the party play its role in the Upper House which will be very crucial this time due to several issues," the leader said. Yesterday, during the SP silver jubilee foundation day function, some senior leaders again tried to talk to Mr Mulayam Singh over the issue, but he told them to raise the matter later as he was now busy on the discussion for alliance during the UP elections and other issues. Earlier, some close confidants of Mr Mulayam Singh had approached senior leader Beni Prasad Verma for becoming the leader of the Rajya Sabha in place of Prof Ram Gopal but he immediately refused. Besides no leader in the party was ready to step in the shoes of Prof Yadav. The party, after his expulsion last month, had also decided to remove him from the post of the leader of the Rajya Sabha but they did not go further and thus a stalemate persists. The fate of the expelled leaders of SP, all staunch supporters of Akhilesh Yadav, hangs in balance as none of the leaders are ready to apologise to the party after Mr Shivpal Singh said that the party could consider their expulsion if they tender unconditional apology by giving in writing to party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. The party had expelled a horde of leaders including five MLCs for raising question on Mr Mulayam Singh for removing Akhilesh Yadav from the post of the state party president and giving it to Mr Shivpal. UNI MB RSA 1343 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1010672.Xml
Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave today held the Delhi Government responsible for the alarming rise in air pollution in Delhi and said 80 percent of pollution in the National Capital was due to burning of garbage. Talking a TV channel, Mr Dave said according to images from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the role of neighbouring states in Delhi's air pollution was only 20 percent, while 80 percent was from within Delhi specially due to burning of garbage. He said Centre was ready to provide all necessary assistance to the Delhi Government. "Instead of blame game, the Delhi Government should focus on dealing with the situation," Mr Dave said. The Union Environment Minister asked what measures the Delhi Government has taken to tackle the situation in Delhi before levelling allegations on the neighbouring states. Earlier, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had blamed stubble burning in the neighbouring states for the rising air pollution levels in Delhi. He had said Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana were also facing such a situation. UNI RBE AE SNU 1626 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1010927.Xml
The Landowners Association of Mon district headquarters has decided to boycott the upcoming elections to the Mon Town Council if the government failed to honour and implement in total the agreement of February 21, 1964 signed between them and the then district administration. In a statement, Chi and Mon Landowners' Association President Kamzei Konyak said the people of Chi and Mon villages have remained patient for more than five decades over the "insincerity and damned care attitude" of the district administration with regard to implementing the clauses enshrined in the Agreement of 1964. He said Chi and Mon villages had sacrificed a vast area of cultivable land for establishment of Mon district headquarters. Mr Konyak said the representatives of two villages, who were the signatories to the agreement, being "farsighted" refused to accept a one-time monetary payment in exchange of the land. Mr Konyak said it was under that critical juncture, clause 6, 7, and 8 were added in the Agreement, wherein it was agreed that a minimum of 30 percent and a maximum of 50 percent of total tax levied from private households and business falling within Mon town jurisdiction would be paid to land owners. However, he said in spite of their best efforts to get their legitimate share, the district administration has been "continuing to elude us on one pretext or another for the past 52 years." Mr Konyak said with much opposition from general public of Chi and Mon, the land owners comprising of Anghs (kings), Gaon Burhas (village headmen) and elders of both the villages and the then district administration under Deputy Commissioner of Mon Angau I Thou, had signed an agreement review memorandum on February 25, 2015 after meticulous deliberations and efforts of both the parties. "In fact the landowners had appended our valuable signatures with utmost sincerity knowing full well that the reviewed Agreement contained nothing substantial for the landowners but just to put an end to the long impasse and most importantly for the good of the district as a whole," he said. However, Mr Konyak said the same was objected by the next incumbent on various counts and was forwarded for approval to the government as per his insistence and after which the value of the reviewed document lost its weight and became a dead document. UNI AS AD SNU 1536 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-1010823.Xml
Demanding an open debate on government decision to hold 10th and 12th class examinations in the Kashmir Valley, where educational institutions remained closed, the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) said education of children has to be concern of every individual in a civilised society. Reacting sharply to the statement made by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLC Khurshid Alam that KEA chairman Mohammad Yasin Khan was "poking nose into education to be in headlines," the KEA said education of children has to be concern of every individual in a civilised society that too when their career is being ruined by the government itself. The KEA Media Head, Farhan Kitab in a statement said the KEA has evolved out of the efforts of the civil society and thus finds its responsibility to keep an eye on everything pertaining to the society and its interests than to talk of business in isolation. He said, "it is encouraging that PDP has given charge of defending the misadventures of the education minister to a former Assistant Storekeeper, whose success is allegedly a mysterious story of rags to riches. But Kashmir KEA would appreciate the efforts of the ruling party more if this statement had come from a genuinely educated face in the PDP." Taking a dig at Aalam's statement that holding two examinations the government has made a "historic decision," the KEA reiterated its query if the session will be treated as November or March? "If history is made by ambiguity and confusion to meet egos than let Education Minister Naeem Akhter enforce final examinations every month for more of 'historic' decisions," the KEA said asking the government to call an open debate over the issue. "If the government is so sincere, let it call an open debate where civil society from our side will prove that this enforcement of examinations is nothing but war of egos at the cost of career of around one-lakh students," the KEA said adding apart from local press even the New Delhi based media has already exposed this plot. The KEA said though Khurshid Aalam is the "Rudala" of the incumbent regime, he doesn't know, which shoes to step in to shed crocodile tears and how. "We, the people of Kashmir, will appreciate if the government orders an inquiry into his assets and how he minted it all."UNI BAS QAB SNU 1421 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1010768.Xml
Police said they had detained the three students who weretravelling in the car and the driver who drove the car in a rash manner,collided against the milk vendor going on a moped and dragged himand the two-wheeler for nearly 50 meters before dashing against aroad divider.

The milk vendor Veluswamy (58) died on the spot.

The African students are studying in a private college in the city.

The trio were subjected to medical tests. Further investigationis on, police said.UNI RS CS 1610

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Three foreign national arms dealers, including a woman, suspected to have link with the Maoists, have been arrested along with huge explosive materials from a hideout in this border town of WestBengal, police said today. Siliguri Police Commissioner CS Lepcha told reporters that the trio was arrested during last mid-night raid and police seized 200 detonators, 609 gelatin sticks and some 630 metres of explosive wire from the hide out.Dawa Tsering Bhote, Puja Limboo and Krishna Prasad Adikari -- all residents of Nepal -- were arrested from Darjeeling More, Mr Lepcha said. He said the trio has been residing in a rented house at Darjeeling More under Pradhan Nagar Police Station. Mr Lepcha said the arsenals were powerful enough to destroy a quarter kilometre radial area of a locality.The Nepalese citizens imported those explosive materials to deliver an agent, who is now evading arrest. The West Bengal police have contacted their counterpart in Nepal seeking details of the arrested persons, who may have link with underground outfits in the border region of Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Siliguri is corridor to all these neighbouring nations.UNI XC-PC RN SNU 1613 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-1010860.Xml
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today strongly condemned the attack on SKIMS bus by some miscreants at Qamarwari in which three staff members were injured. Expressing outrage over the vicious act, President DAK Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that attacking the bus carrying medical staff is unacceptable. Last evening some miscreants hurled stones on SKIMS bus at Cement Kadal that was ferrying medical personnel who were returning from providing life-saving medical care. The bus was severely damaged and among the injured, one staff nurse sustained severe head injury who was hospitalised, Dr Hassan said such acts of madness against medical personnel at a time when Kashmir is facing a medical emergency are shocking. It is terrible to see people who are saving lives getting targeted. It is painful that they are punished for fulfilling their ethical duties to provide care to sick and wounded in times of crisis. This mad pattern of atrocities has generated a fear psychosis among medical personnel. These acts of obstructing the passage of medical personnel and transport are intolerable. At all times and under all circumstances medical neutrality has to be maintained. It is the duty of state and society to ensure safety of those who save precious lives. Doctors and paramedical staff have been working tirelessly without a break from day one of unrest to save injured. They risk their own lives to save lives and it is obligatory on all parties to allow safe passage to hospital staff at a time when they are needed the most. UNI BAS AE SNU 1744 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1010994.Xml
Uttar Pradesh (Gonda) resident Mohit Kumar (25), recently employed as domestic help at the residence of SAD candidate from Phillaur Assembly (R) Constituency Baldev Khaira, reportedly died under mysterious circumstances due to a gun shot here early this morning. The critically injured Mohit with bullet injury in chest was first sent to Phillaur Hospital but immediately shifted to DMC Hospital Ludhiana, where he was declared brought dead, said SHO Phillaur Jarnail Singh who rushed to the spot. The SHO said according to preliminary investigations it was revealed that Mohit was watching and checking the 38-Bore Service Revolver of the Constable Vikram appointed as gunman of SAD candidate Khaira and it may be an accidental gun shot, but the police has registered a case under Section 304A of the IPC against the constable on the charges of negligence. Mr Khaira himself was preparing to go to Kartarpur to attend a state-level function. He, however, could not explain the entire incident. It was learnt that the incident occurred in the room of gunman. The SHO said the case is being investigated in detail but no arrest has been made so far.UNI XC AE SNU 1700 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1010962.Xml
The foundation stone for a Patanjali unit with the biggest investment in the country was laid at Balipara in northern Assam. Yoga Guru Ramdev, Acharya Balakrishna, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, MP Babul Supriyo, several state ministers, MPs and MLAs, among others, attended the foundation stone laying ceremony. The 'bhoomi pujan' at the Park site was performed this morning in the presence of Ramdev and Balakrishna, before the foundation stone laying ceremony. The Patanjali Herbal and Mega Food Park at Assam Industrial Development Corporation complex at Ghoramara, Balipara, in Sonitpur district would have investment of Rs 1000-crore, providing direct employment to 5000 people. Yoga guru Ramdev urged the people to imbibe work culture and follow a disciplined lifestyle of 'yoga and karma'. Chief minister Sonowal hoped that the Patanjali unit will boost investment in the state and benefit the grassroots. State Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said this is the biggest investment of Patanjali in the country. He added that the unique feature is that the farmers will be greatly benefited as the park will use local produce. UNI SG RN cj SNU 1834 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-1011061.Xml
Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) has arrested a Russian national with 2-kg charas at Indo-Nepal border in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh. Official sources said here today that Russian national Vilpino Deneior (30) was travelling from Kathmandu to Delhi in a bus. SSB jawans investigated the bus at Indo-Nepal border and found about 2-kg charas hidden in guitar of Deneior. Sources said during interrogation, Deneior told that he has a tea shop in Goa from where he conducts his charas business. The accused was booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.UNI XC-JDM MB AE SNU 1910 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1011259.Xml
World Economic Forum (WEF) has invited Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu to participate in the 47th meeting to be held from January 17 to 20, 2017 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. This is the third consecutive time Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu is receiving a special invitation after he had taken charge as the Chief Minister of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh. In its invitation, Mr. Philipp Rosler, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum thanked the Chief Minister for his engagement with WEF over the years, and that he looks forward to his contribution in the upcoming events as well, a statement from Chief Minister's office said here today. The invitation was handed over to J. Krishna Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, who had been to Geneva on an official tour a few days ago. After the State's bifurcation, the Chief Minister had participated in the Forum's 2015 event, where he had highlighted the investment opportunities in the reorganized state. He was chosen as a special invitee for the summit by WEF President Klaus Schwab. The Chief Minister was invited as a special guest for WEF session on the "Future of Urban Development", along with ministers of other countries and CEOs where he pitched hard about his vision for Navya Andhra Pradesh and its goals. It may be mentioned here that Andhra Pradesh recently topped the "Ease of Doing Business Reforms Ranking 2015-16", conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the World Bank signaling that Andhra Pradesh is an ideal investment destination. The Chief Minister and the delegation would reach Zurich a day earlier on 16th January, 2017 to attend bilateral meetings being proposed by Swiss India Chambers and the local Government at Zurich and thereafter proceed to Davos the same day evening.UNI DP CS 1941 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1011334.Xml
The Separatists, spearheading the present agitation in the Kashmir Valley for the past four months, have decided to hold talks with all stake holders on Tuesday to decide future strategy. Chairmen of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Mohammad Yaseen Malik met here today to discuss future strategy. The three leaders, spearheading the present agitation, were allowed to meet at the residence of Mr Geelani for the first time since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag, evoking massive protests. During the three-hour-long meeting, the Separatist leaders discussed various issues, including government decision to hold 10th and 12th class examination from November 14 despite opposition by them (separatists) opposition National Conference (NC) and other mainstream parties, who wanted examination in March next year. They also discussed the killing of youths and blinding of more than 400 others, particularly minors, by security forces and police during the past about four months. The leaders expressed concern over the detention of thousands of people, majority of them youths, by the security forces, including under the Public Safety Act. The leaders strongly condemned authorities for not allowing Friday prayers in historic Jamia Masjid for the past 18 weeks. Over 86 persons, mostly youths, were killed in security force and police action during the subsequent clashes in the Valley, where life remained crippled for the past 121 consecutive days due to strike. The separatists' alliance has already extended strike till November 10 in the valley. Earlier, a spokesman for the moderate HC Advocate Shahidul Islam told UNI that Mirwaiz, who was put under house since his release from about two month long detention last month, was today allowed to leave his Nigeen house. Though security forces remained deployed outside the house but he was not stopped this time, said Advocate Islam, who remained under house arrest. He said Mirwaiz made similar attempt on November 2 but was prevented by the security forces to leave for the residence of Mr Geelani. Mr Malik had also joined the meeting at the Hyderpora residence of Mr Geelani, a JKLF spokesman said. However, last time he was sent back by the security force who did not allow him to go inside, he said. This is for the first time the separatist leaders, who are spearheading the present agitation issuing protest calendars every week, were allowed to meet and discuss future strategy. This is seen as very important development after the visit of a four member committee headed by senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader and former union minister Yashwant Sinha. The committee held detailed meeting with Mr Geelani and Mirwaiz though Malik refused to meet them. UNI BAS AE SNU 1938 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0332-1011121.Xml
Still , there is Hope Someone is supposed to have said :

" A Government can only prevent BAD things from happening : it cannot make GOOD things to happen " But , NDA government is proving that someone wrong ! Under its DIGITAL INDIA initiative , just look at all these WONDERFUL / GOOD things that are actually happening :

* Aadhar based Unique Identification

* Jan Dhan Bank Accounts needing ZERO deposits

* UPI ( Unified Payment Interface ) / RuPay

* Digital Locker

* Unified Mobile App for New Age Governance

And a host of other initiatives that will change the boundaries of our ECONOMY in next 2 years.

But the greatest CHALLENGE continues to evade the WILL of the POLICY MAKERS , viz:

" How to permanently eliminate CORRUPTION and BLACK MONEY ? " Despite the fact that , there is a , SIMPLE / SUPER-FAST / SURE and CHEAP solution , " hiding in plain sight " !

Viz : Replace existing Rs 500 / 1000 , paper Currency Notes with new / plastic currency notes , embedded with RFID micro - sensors ( one fiftieth the thickness of a human hair ) , announcing their presence to IT / ED , if concentration exceeds Rs 1 crore in any ONE square meter area , anywhere in India !

Question : Is there a POLITICAL WILL to implement this ? { Short Answer : NO / Long Answer : Ask Shri Narendra Modiji }

And if anyone has ANY DOUBT as to the feasibility / practicality of my suggestion , let him read following news report which appeared in Economic Times ( Nov 6-12 / 2016 ) :

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARROW SMART SHIRT Arrow is first off the block with a " Smart Apparel in India " - simply called the Smart Shirt Available in multiple colors , the shirt has a programmable NFC tag embedded in the left sleeve cuff You download the free Arrow Smart Shirt app from Google Play on your phone and set up your profile The initial set up requires you to connect your social media accounts , choose your favorite app , song and playlist You can then use the app to configure the NFC tag on the shirt to perform a function - it could be to share your Contact Card , switch your phone to vibrate mode , start playing your favorite song or launch an app - you can re-programme the tag as and when you want to perform a different function Just tap on the left sleeve and you are notified with a slight vibration when the NFC tag is configured as well as when it performs the preset function Over time , we found it easier to tap on the shirt than unlock the phone and then navigate the menu to perform various functions Granted , it's a very basic application of smart functionality , but it does help in making some routine tasks faster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This frugal application of embedding a NFC tag ( basically , a RFID sensor ) in a washable cloth shirt ( selling for Rs 3,000 ) , might earn Arvind Group , a few hundred crores of rupees in next 5 years

Apparently , even that small amount of revenue , is a big enough deal for a Private Sector company to innovate / experiment But , if my suggestion is implemented , that might bring into the productive ECONOMIC MAIN STREAM , Rs 50 lakh*crores worth of BLACK MONEY , within ONE YEAR ! Cost of RFID sensor ? 10 paise per piece of that plastic Currency Note ! Implementation time ? 6 months from the word " GO " ! What about its POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS ? 400 + seats for BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha Election !

I am still hoping that Shri Modiji will seize this OPPORTUNITY of a NATION's LIFE TIME !

07 Nov 2016 www.hemenparekh.in / blogs
Recalling the supreme sacrifices made by the Punjabis in the national freedom struggle, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that Punjabis were always ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country. Addressing a large public gathering after dedicating the first phase of prestigious Jang-e-Azadi memorial here today, the Chief Minister said despite the fact that Punjabis merely constituted 2.5% of the country's total population yet over 80% of the sacrifices in terms of execution, incarceration or deportation to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar were made by Punjabis. He said that it was really shocking that the Punjabis were known for creating history but they never bothered to preserve their rich legacy of supreme sacrifices. Mr. Badal said that it was the humble effort made by the state government to set up Jang-e-Azadi memorial to perpetuate the supreme sacrifices made by our great freedom fighters and patriots during the national independence movement portraying a long period of over 100 years. Highly appreciating the indomitable spirit of Punjabis of unprecedented bravery, courage and valour, the Chief Minister said that they had invoked the spirit of self sacrifice from Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sri Guru Arjun Dev ji, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji and Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, who had waged a relentless battle against injustice, tyranny and oppression to safeguard the human rights of the innocent and helpless people. Eulogizing the valiant deeds of our Defence services since ages, Mr. Badal said that our brave soldiers inherited the martial spirit from our great Sikh Gurus for which Punjab has earned the epitaph of being nation's sword arm. Mr Badal recalled that the gallantry deeds of great Punjabi soldiers like Naik Karam Singh, Major Somnath Sharma, Air Commodore Baba Mehar Singh, Joginder Singh, General Harbaksh Singh, Air Chief Marshall Arjan Singh, Lieutenant General JS Arora, Captain Bana Singh and several others who brought laurels and glory for the country through their rarest of rare heroic deeds. The Chief Minister congratulated Chief Editor of the Ajit Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard for the timely completion of this project. Highly appreciating Dr. Hamdard for sparing his valuable time to complete this project within a record period of two years, he said that all this was possible due to sheer hard work and dedication of Dr. Hamdard. Mr. Badal commended the efforts of Executive Committee of the Jang-e-Azaadi foundation under the apt leadership Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard, for transforming his lifetime dream into a reality by constructing the world class 'Jang-e-Azaadi' memorial to show case the unparalleled contribution of Punjabis in the national independence movement. The Chief Minister said that the memorial would play a vital role and act as a beacon to acquaint our younger generations about the saga of great sacrifices made by our martyrs especially from Punjab to free their motherland from the yoke of British imperialism. "This world class memorial is a perfect blend of grandeur, aesthetics and architecture" added Mr. Badal. More UNI JS SHK 2118 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1011130.Xml
Veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Shanta Kumar today expressed deep anguish and horror over the deteriorating level of pollution in Delhi and elsewhere in the country, which was getting grimmer with every passing day. He said the prime reason in the scourge of environmental degradation was unfettered and open permission granted by the successive governments to the leading automobile companies from across the world to set up their plants in India, despite the stark fact that the country was not self-sufficient in production of oil and it would result in a scourge of pollution. He lamented that the upper middle class of the society was falling victim to the craze of owning a car, while the upper class of the society was vying for costlier cars to demonstrate their high status. Crores of people in this country do not own a residential house, but have cars. The poor and the lower middle class was bearing the brunt of pollution for the sins of the rich and failure of the government to permit blind production of cars at their cost, the former Chief Minister regrtetted. He said ''It must be stopped with an iron hand,'' to salvage the country in general and capital of the country, in particular. Within a distance of ten km between Dharamsala and Mataur, as many as 12 showrooms of leading car companies were having a flourishing business, he added. ''We should learn from Hong Kong, where it is stipulated in the annual budget how much new licences should be given during the year,'' he pointed out. Mr Kumar strongly advocated for a blanket ban on the use of crackers and fire works on occasions such as Diwali and other celebrations for the sake of health of vulnerable sections like children, aged, ill, students and women. Crackers had not been busted, when Ram returned to Ayodhya, he said. Closing schools was no solution to the problem, he warned. The senior leader suggested that all parties, social and religious organisations should take an unanimous decision on this crucial problem of survival. It was paramount to find out a workable solution to the problem by a body of experts and scientists to suggest pollution-free public transport for the general public and the elite alike, based on gas and solar energy, Mr Kumar stated. Equally important was the construction of separate sub-ways for the cyclists, which would prove a boon for health, besides reducing health hazards. Furthermore, every inch of land should be adorned with a green cover, he stressed.UNI XC RJ 2122 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1011266.Xml
"On the occasion of Chhath Puja, I convey my heartiest greetings to the people of West Bengal," Tripathi said.

The Governor has also wished that people from all sections of the society come together to celebrate the occasion.

"May this joyous festival provide an opportunity to reaffirm our faith in cultural heritage, spirit of friendship and fraternity among all sections of society," he added.

"My best wishes to all of you on the occasion of Chhath Puja. May all of you have a great time. My people would be there to look after the devotees during the occasion," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said while attending a ceremony at Khidirpur in Kolkata.

Chhath is celebrated six days after Diwali. It is dedicated to Sun God, and is one of Bihar's most popular festivals.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also gave a message of communal harmony saying festivals should not be confined within religious barriers.

"In West Bengal, we celebrate all the festivals in grand style, irrespective of our religion. Whether its Durga Puja, Eid, Chhath Puja or Christmas, we should celebrate them with equal enthusiasm. They are everyone's festival," Banerjee said.

--IANS mgr-ssp/pgh/dg

( 227 Words)

2016-11-06-22:10:05 (IANS)
This is not the first that the Trump campaign has tried to woo the Hindu and the Indian-American community as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump had visited a Hindu temple last month in Virginia.

Taking the campaign further, the Republican nominee even appeared speaking Hindi for a presidential campaign ad ahead of Diwali.

Trump was seen uttering "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar (This time Trump government)" - adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his.

The video opened with the message "Happy Diwali" and borrowed footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations.

"The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. We love the Hindus, we love India," he says in the ad.

Last month Trump also attended a charity event last month hosted by members of the Hindu community in Edison, where he praised India for helping to combat terrorism.

In another statement, he also praised the Hindu community's 'fantastic' contributions to world civilisation and American culture.

His efforts to woo Hindus have not proved futile as Hindu Sena, a right-wing organisation in India held a havan (a sacred ritual) for the victory of the presumptive Republican nominee and even celebrated his birthday with a cake, balloons and posters. (ANI)
The Khaama Press quoted officials, as saying that the incident occurred when a vehicle in which the civilians were travelling hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants on a roadside.

The governor's spokesman Jawid Didar, was quoted as saying that several women and children were among those wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Taliban group is, however, being blamed for the incident. (ANI)
Author and a strategic affairs expert, Gregory Copley has said that the United States will introduce and follow pragmatic policies towards India and Pakistan should Donald Trump become the President of the United States. In an exclusive interview given to ANI here, Copley said that a Trump presidency would break the mould of a currently declining U.S. influence in South East Asia, South Asia-India Pacific region. Copley further said that it might take a few months, or even years for the Trump presidency to find its feet. "We will see it in the form of pragmatic policies by the U.S. towards India and Pakistan which will be mutually beneficial to all the states of India, Pakistan and the United States," he said. Copley said economically the United States needed to start focusing on the Indo Pacific region, particularly the Indian Ocean Region. "This has not been done under the previous administration, and it's time to focus on the Indo-Pacific, and certainly the message is getting into the Trump camp about how important that is," he said. When asked about the Hillary Clinton presidency, and whether it will be a continuation of the Obama administration or, will there be change in the way America looks at South Asia, Copley said the Obama administration's policies towards South Asia were established by Hillary Clinton and she did not do a very good job there. "We are seeing the result the declining U.S. ability to influence events in East Asia and the Indian Ocean. Yes, it will make a continuation of Obama administration policies, which will be detrimental to the allies in the region who have not been able to count on the consistent US capabilities in the region," he said. Asked about China's role in the decision making process in America with regard to South Asia, he said, "There has been nothing creative and no attempt in a meaningful way for the U.S. to recognize the change in the strategic architecture in Euro-Asia and in the Indo-Pacific." "It (the U.S.) needs to understand that whatever it does now, it has to be entirely different from what it's being doing for the past 10 or 20 years, because China has broken out of its policy of containment, India itself is rising as a strategic power and is the only counter balance really to China apart from Japan. The South East Asian network which had included The Philippines and the Republican of China is now broken up, and the U.S. has failed to acknowledge the Republic of China and Taiwan, whereas, India has been paying attention to Taiwan and trying to build a regional consensus," Copley said. He said that United States has to pay much greater attention to India, ASEAN, Taiwan, Japan, and for that matter, Australia, which is a pivotal player in that region as well, and added that under the Trump presidency, it would all change. (ANI)
The world climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, scheduled to open next Monday, will focus on the ways to implement the Paris Agreement after it entered into force on November 4, said a media report on Sunday. "The agreement is undoubtedly a turning point in the history of common human endeavour, capturing the combined political, economic and social will of governments, cities, regions, citizens, businesses and investors to overcome the existential threat of unchecked climate change," UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and President of COP22 Salaheddine Mezouar said in a joint statement on Friday. "The foundations of the Paris Agreement are solid and other key features of humanity's new home are starting to rise," they said, Xinhua news agency reported. They stressed that "we cannot and we must not rest until the roof is in place. This November in Marrakech we will make sure it will be in place, sooner rather than later". While this unprecedented achievement shows a clear commitment from countries across the globe to tackle climate change, there is much more work to be done in Morocco to translate this commitment into action. The main goals set by the Paris Agreement are very critical and pressing. The ambitious goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less to avoid dangerous tipping points in the climate system means that global emissions must be driven down rapidly from the current near-peak. Another key pledge in the agreement is that developed countries will continue to allocate $100 billion per year from 2020 to 2025 in support of climate action by developing ones. According to UN estimates, sustainable development will require 5 to 7 trillion dollars annually to fund the global transition to a low-carbon resilient economy. To this end, creative funding options must be encouraged in both public and private sectors. In addition to national determined contributions, COP22 also aims to include non-state actors into the Global Climate Action Agenda. "COP22 will be a COP of action with a special focus on the important contributions of civil society. The Moroccan Presidency will work together with civil society during the Marrakech climate change conference and chart a common agenda under the Presidency," said Mezouar at a Pre-COP22 ministerial meeting in Marrakech in October. The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) and the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12) will be held in Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco, from November 7 to 18. --IANS ss/vt ( 436 Words) 2016-11-06-12:16:03 (IANS)
Police in Bangladesh have arrested dozens of people following fresh violence against Hindus, the country's biggest minority community, a senior officer told reporters today. The Hindu community in the Brahmanbaria district has been under attack after a local youth allegedly shared a Facebook post that Islamic hardliners said denigrated the Masjid al-Haram, a holy site for Muslims. Muslim hardliners protested and demanded action against the Hindu youth, who denies sharing the post. Police arrested the youth for hurting religious sentiments, but the arrest failed to defuse the tension. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) estimates more than one hundred Hindu houses and 17 temples have been vandalised and looted since the violence broke out on October 30. "The purpose of the attacks is to free this soil from minority community and also to occupy their properties and assets," Rana Dasgupta, a general secretary at the BHBCUC told Reuters. Reuters AE SNU 1548 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1010895.Xml
Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition announced a partial boycott of parliament today, saying it was "halting its legislative efforts" after its leaders and other lawmakers were detained in a move which drew international condemnation.The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the second-largest opposition grouping in parliament, said it would not fully withdraw, but its deputies would stop participating in sessions of the legislature or meetings of parliamentary commissions.The partial boycott will further heighten concern among Western allies about the state of democracy in Turkey, a NATO member which aspires to join the European Union.More than 110,000 officials - from soldiers and judges to teachers and journalists - have been detained or suspended since a failed military coup in July, in what critics of President Tayyip Erdogan say is a crackdown on all forms of dissent."After discussions with our parliamentary group and our central executive board, we have decided to halt our legislative efforts in light of everything that has happened," HDP spokesman Ayhan Bilgen said in a statement read out in front of the party's offices in Diyarbakir and broadcast online.HDP officials would consult with the party's supporters, many of whom are in the largely Kurdish southeast, and could then consider a full withdrawal from parliament, he said.Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the HDP's co-leaders, were jailed pending trial as part of a terrorism investigation on Friday. Ten other HDP lawmakers were also detained, although some were later released.The United States expressed deep concern, while Germany and Denmark summoned Turkish diplomats over the Kurdish detentions. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the actions "call into question the basis for the sustainable relationship between the EU and Turkey"."FIGHT WILL GO ON"Erdogan and the ruling AK Party accuse the HDP of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy against the Turkish state and is considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union and United States.The HDP, which made history last year by becoming the first Kurdish party to win 10 percent of the vote and enter parliament, denies direct links and says it is working for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish conflict.Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and the governor of the southeastern city of Diyarbakir have said the PKK was responsible for a car bomb that killed 11 people and wounded more than 100 in the city on Friday, hours after the HDP detentions.On Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), an offshoot of the PKK, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a website close to the group.Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the bombing, according to the group's Amaq news agency.Turkey's government has vowed to pursue its campaign against all organisations it considers "terrorists", including the PKK and its allies. It launched a military incursion into Syria in August to push Islamic State militants away from its border and prevent Kurdish fighters from taking ground in their wake."The more we continue our fight, the more we see them squealing. No matter what they say, this battle will continue until our red crescent and starred flag waves across every province," Yildirim said on Sunday."Let all of their supporters know this, inside and outside Turkey," he said in a speech broadcast on television.Turkey's EU Minister Omer Celik has called European ambassadors to a meeting in Ankara on Monday to brief them on the latest developments, a statement from his ministry said.Reuters AE NS1755 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1011099.Xml
As the youngest members of the millennial generation became old enough to vote in this year's US presidential election, states and social media platforms poured efforts into online registration, hoping to attract these tech savvy voters who now rival Baby Boomers as the country's largest demographic.With Election Day just two days away, political experts are skeptical that a record number of millennials who signed up to vote will actually result in the 18-34 year-old age group turning out at the polls in proportion to their relative size of the US population.Millennials make up approximately 31 percent of US citizens eligible to vote, according to the Pew Research Center, on par for the first time with Baby Boomers, who are typically aged 52-70 years old. There are an estimated 225.8 million eligible US voters.Millennials have so far, however, turned out in much lower numbers in elections than Baby Boomers. In 2008, a record year for millennial turnout, just 50 per cent of those eligible to vote did so, the National Census Bureau said. That compared with turnout rates of 69 per cent for Baby Boomers and 61 percent for people aged 36 to 51, also known as Generation X.This year, a number of efforts on social media by states and non-profits aimed to change that, including Facebook reminders on users' accounts, Twitter hashtag campaigns, celebrities creating Snapchat and an Instagram post urging people to vote.According to a survey of state electoral officials and voter non-profits around the United States, these social media campaigns have paid off, at least when it came to getting young voters registered.A survey of 2,000 millennials conducted by social media platform Yik Yak, which is known for its popularity among college students and teens, showed that 62 percent registered to vote for the first time this year and, of those, 9 percent registered online following a social media prompt.In California, roughly 31 per cent of all registered voters are now aged 18-35. A Facebook reminder on May 16 coincided with 143,255 people registering or updating their registrations online that day in the state, compared to an average of 23,166 per day that month, said California Secretary of State spokesman Sam Mahood. Other states reported similar spikes.In Oregon, more than 420,000 people registered to vote online in 2016, up from 2012 when 163,545 used the online system. Digital voter enrollments in Washington jumped by roughly 135,000 in 2016, compared to 2012. From January through mid-October this year, 381,318 people used the online system in Indiana, nearly three times as many as in 2012."Let's face it - that's where [younger voters] are; they're on social media," said Denise Merrill, the secretary of state for Connecticut, which used social media campaigns, including a dedicated hashtag and Facebook's banner ads, to drive registrations. "Whatever we're doing, we're having pretty dramatic results."'HUGE POTENTIAL'Like a lot of experts, Donald Green, a professor of political science at Columbia University, is skeptical that an increase in young voter registration will correspond with millennials unseating the Baby Boomers as the most active voting bloc.Green conceded that there was "change afoot," but said he thought it would far more gradual. By his estimate, it would be 25 years before millennials overtake Baby Boomers, or what he dubbed "generational replacement.""In presidential elections the translation of new registration to votes is more like one half or one third," he said.Michael Cornfield, an associate professor of political management at George Washington University, agreed that registering someone to vote does not guarantee they'll show up on Election Day."It's up to the campaigns to do the last bit, which is to say make sure the right millennials in the right battleground states are being targeted," said Cornfield.Some political experts said that, in general, millennials tend to vote more for Democratic Party candidates than Republicans.Laura Wray-Lake, an assistant professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, said the increase in millennial registration could be a boon for Democrats if they could harness some of the social media techniques used to register voters to get them to the polls.With many political experts expecting overall voter turnout to be lower this year, millennial voters in swing states are a bloc that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton could hope to turn out. Clinton leads Republican candidate Donald Trump by 27 percentage points among likely voters ages 18-34, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll."Young people have huge potential for political impact" Wray-Lake said. "I think eventually these millennials will be deciding the future of the country."Reuters AE NS1800 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1011115.Xml
Scotland's devolved government is expected to join a legal challenge against the British government's plans to trigger an exit from the European Union, the lead claimant in the court case said today.A British court ruled on Thursday that the government needs parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, potentially delaying Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans.The government said it would appeal against the High Court ruling and Britain's Supreme Court is expected to consider the case early next month."We are expecting a number of governments to join us," Gina Miller, an investment manager leading the court case against the government, told the BBC, indicating Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolved authorities could become involved."But their case will be different to ours. They will be talking about their own particular interests."Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a decision on her government's involvement had not yet been taken."The Scottish government had a representative observing proceedings throughout this case and we are currently considering whether we should now seek to become participants in the appeal process," she wrote in the Observer newspaper.A majority of people in Scotland voted to stay in the EU at the June 23 referendum, while a majority in England and Wales voted to leave, setting Britain as a whole on the path to an unprecedented divorce from its biggest trading partner and straining relations between the UK's constituent nations."Any decision we make will not be about thwarting the result in England and Wales ... our decision will be about how we best make sure the actions of the UK government properly respect the way in which all parts of the UK voted," Sturgeon said.Reuters AE NS1810 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0100-1011117.Xml
Several intriguing scenarios could unfold after Tuesday's US election to break the deadlock over filling a Supreme Court vacancy that has provoked a bitter nine-month standoff between President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans.Obama nominated US appeals court judge Merrick Garland on March 16 to replace long-serving conservative justice Antonin Scalia, who died on February 13. The Republican-led Senate, in a move with little precedent, has refused to consider the nomination, saying the winner of the presidential election should make the pick.If Republican Donald Trump wins, Garland's nomination would be dead. Trump has already put forth a list of conservative jurists as potential nominees.If Obama's fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton wins, there are ways Garland could secure Senate confirmation to the lifetime post before Obama leaves office on January 20.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been adamant that Obama's successor should select Scalia's replacement and that he will not consider Garland's nomination during a post-election "lame duck" session.But McConnell could come under pressure by some Senate Republicans to allow confirmation hearings and a vote on Garland, who has a reputation in Washington as a moderate, out of fear Clinton could instead choose a more liberal nominee.The Senate's inaction on Garland has made the Supreme Court a potent issue in the election. After many years of leaning conservative, a new Democratic appointment could tilt the court to the left for the first time in decades. Scalia's death left the court split with four liberals and four conservatives.'NOT A CENTRIST'Conservative activists dismiss the notion Garland is a moderate, saying he would vote with the four liberal justices on major, ideologically divisive issues."Garland is a liberal, not a centrist," said Carrie Severino, a lawyer with the Judicial Crisis Network.Liberal activists like Caroline Fredrickson, president of the American Constitution Society, said Republicans should move forward on Garland."He's got every qualification you could ask for. He's exactly the type of judge they claimed they wanted," Fredrickson said.If Democrats win control of the Senate in Tuesday's election, the new congressional session would begin on January 3, and they could decide to move forward immediately on Garland's nomination before Obama's term ends. Clinton would play a major role by deciding whether or not she wanted to stick with Garland, who was named to his current job by her husband Bill Clinton in 1997, or choose her own nominee."Chief Judge Garland is the most experienced nominee to the Supreme Court in our nation's history," White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said. It is time for Republicans to "stop putting politics over the best interest of the country and do their job by giving the president's nominee to the Supreme Court a hearing and a vote," she added.Clinton has said Garland should be confirmed this year but has not committed to re-nominating him if she wins. Some Republicans have floated the idea of staunch opposition to any Clinton nominee, raising the possibility of the seat remaining vacant long-term.McConnell has said no Obama nominee will be confirmed this year. There are no signs so far of Republican leaders backing off that position.Garland, 63, and other members of the Washington legal community joined the eight current justices inside the Supreme Court's ornate courtroom on Friday at an memorial event honoring Scalia, four days before the election that will help decide his fate.There has been little controversy over Garland's suitability to sit on the Supreme Court as there has been with some past nominees. He is widely respected in the legal community and has won praise from Democrats and Republicans.REUTERS RJ RK1909 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1011257.Xml